of times and seasons. Some drop off every day, some hang by the eyelids, and know not what to do: the light of God is not sent forth to lead and guide them, Ps. xliii. 3. Wonder not at the strange backslidings of our days: many acted upon by engagements, and for want of light, know not to the last what they were a-doing.

Use 2. Hence also is the suiting of great light and great work in our days. Let new light be derided whilst men please, he will never serve the will of God in this generation, who sees not beyond the line of foregoing ages.

Use 3. And this, thirdly, may put all those whom God is pleased to employ in his service upon a diligent inquiry into his mind. Can a servant do his master's work without knowing his pleasure? We live for the most part from hand to mouth, and do what comes next; -few are acquainted with the designs of God.

The going forth of the Lord with his people towards their rest, with reference to his harbingers, is described, verse 5.

Verse 5. "Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet."

"Before him,"-at his face. "The pestilence:" This is often reckoned amongst the weapons wherewith God fighteth with any people to consume them;' and as speeding an instrument of destruction it is as any the Lord ever used towards the children of men. "At his feet went forth burning coals;"-a redoubling, say some, of the same stroke,-burning coals for burning diseases. When one blow will not do the work appointed, God redoubles the stroke of his hand, Lev. xxvi. 22-25. Or, burning coals, dreadful judgments, mortal weapons, as fire and flames, are often taken in other descriptions of God's dealing with his enemies, Ps. xi. 6, xviii. 8. Prevailing fire is the most dreadful means of destruction, Heb. xii. 29; Isa. xxxiii. 14. In Exod. xxiii. 28, God threateneth to send the hornet upon the Canaanites, before the children of Israel; some stinging judgments, either on their consciences or bodies, or both:-something of the same kind is doubtless here held out. He sent plagues and diseases among them, to weaken and consume them, before his people's entrance. His presence was with Israel; and the pestilence consuming the Canaanites before their entrance is said to be ?, "at his faces," or appearances, before him, before the entrance of the presence of his holiness. And the following judgments, that quite devoured them, were "the coals going out at his feet," which he sent abroad when he entered their land with his own inheritance, to cast out those "malæ fidei possessores." Sicknesses, diseases, and all sorts of judgments, are wholly at God's disposal. "Affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the 'Exod. ix. 15; Lev. xxvi. 25; 2 Sam. xxiv. 13; Ezek. xiv. 19; Matt. xxiv. 7.

ground; yet man is born to trouble, as the sons of the burning coal lift up in flying," Job v. 6, 7. When God intends the total destruction of a people, he commonly weakens them by some previous judgments. Let the truth of this be found upon them that hate us, and the interpretation thereof be to the enemies of this nation; but the Lord knows all our hearts may well tremble at what will be the issue of the visitations of the last year.

IX. Observation. God never wants instruments to execute his anger, and ruin his enemies.

His treasury of judgments can never be exhausted. If Israel be too weak for the Amorites, he will call in the pestilence and burning diseases to their assistance. What creature hath not this mighty God used against his enemies? An angel destroys Sennacherib's host, Isa. xxxvii. 36, and smites Herod with worms, Acts xii. 23. Heaven above sends down a hell of fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah, Gen. xix. 24. The stars in their courses fought against Sisera, Judg. v. 20. Devils do his will herein; he sent evil angels among the Egyptians, Ps. lxxviii. 49. Fire consumes persecuting Ahaziah's companies, 2 Kings i. 10, 11. The water drowns Pharaoh and his chariots, Exod. xiv. 28. Earth swallows up Korah, with his fellow-rebels, Numb. xvi. 32. Bears rend the children that mocked Elisha, 2 Kings ii. 24. Lions destroy the strange nations in Samaria, 2 Kings xvii. 25. Frogs, lice, boils, hail, rain, thunder, lightning, destroy the land of Egypt, Exod. viii., ix., x. Locusts are his mighty army to punish Israel, Joel ii. 25. Hailstones destroy the Canaanites, Josh. x. 11. Stones of the wall slay the Syrians, 1 Kings xx. 30. Pestilence and burning diseases are his ordinary messengers. In a word, all creatures serve his providence, and wait his commands for the execution of his righteous judgments. Neither the beasts of the field nor the stones of the earth will be any longer quiet than he causeth them to hold a league with the sons of men.

Use 1. To teach us all to tremble before this mighty God. Who can stand before him,-" qui tot imperat legionibus?" If he will strike, he wants no weapons; if he will fight, he wants no armies. All things serve his will. He saith to one, Come, and it cometh; to another, Go, and it goeth; to a third, Do this, and it doth it. He can make use of ourselves, our friends, our enemies, heaven, earth, fire, water, any thing, for what end he pleaseth. There is no standing before his armies, for they are all things, and himself to make them effectual. There is no flying from his armies, for they are every where, and himself with them. Who would not fear this King of nations? He that contends with him shall find it "as if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him," Amos v. 19.

No flying, no hiding, no contending. Worms kill Herod; a fly choked Adrian, &c.

Use 2. To be a bottom of confidence and dependence in an evil day. He that hath God on his side, hath also all things that are seen, and that are not seen. The mountain is full of fiery chariots for Elisha's defence, when outwardly there was no appearance, 2 Kings vi. 17. All things wait their Master's beck, to do him service,—as for the destruction of enemies, so for the deliverance of his. What though we had no army in the time of war? God hath millions, many thousands of angels, Ps. lxviii. 17,-one whereof can destroy so many thousands of men in a night, Isa. xxxvii. 36. He can choose (when few others will appear with him against the mighty, as in our late troubles) "foolish things to confound the wise, and weak things to confound the strong." Sennacherib's angel is yet alive, and the destroyer of Sodom is not dead: and all those things are at our command, if their help may be for our good. "Judah ruleth with God," Hos. xi. 12,-hath a rule by faithful supplications over all those mighty hosts. Make God our friend, and we are not only of the best, but also the strongest side. You that would be on the safest side, be sure to choose that which God is on. Had not this mighty, all-commanding God, been with us, where had we been in the late tumults? So many thousands in Kent, so many in Wales, so many in the north, so many in Essex,-shall they not speed? shall they not divide the prey? is not the day of those factious Independents come? was the language of our very neighbours. The snare is broken, and we are delivered.

The Lord having sent messengers before him into Canaan, stands himself as it were upon the borders, and takes a view of the land.

Verse 6. "He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting."

Two things are here considerable:

1. The Lord's exact foreview of the promised land: "He stood, and measured the earth, and beheld the nations."

&c.

2. His operation at that time: "He drove asunder the nations,"

1. "He stood and measured:" The prophet here representeth the Lord on the frontier of Canaan, as one taking view of a piece of land, and exactly measuring it out, as intending it for his own; weighing and considering the bounds and limits of it, to see if it will answer the end for which he purposeth it. God's exact notice and knowledge of his people's possession is in those words held out. He views where the lines of every tribe shall run. Nothing happens or is made out to any of God's people, without his own careful providential predis

position. He views the circuit of the whole, where and how divided, and separated from the dwellings of the unclean, and habitations of the uncircumcised. Fixed bounds, measured limits of habitation is a necessary ingredient to the making up of a national church.

2. What he did, which is two ways expressed: (1.) In reference to the inhabitants; (2.) To the land itself.

(1.) For the inhabitants: He drove them asunder, "" and he made to leap" out of their old channels. Those nations knit and linked together amongst themselves, by leagues and civil society, he separated, disturbed, divided in counsels and arms (as in the case of the Gibeonites'), persecuted by the sword, that they suddenly leaped out of their habitations, the residue wandering as no people. God's justly nation-disturbing purposes are the bottom of their deserved ruin.

(2.) For the land: "The everlasting mountains," &c., those strong, firm, lasting mountains of Canaan, not like the mountains of sand in the desert where the people were, but to continue firm to the world's end, as both the words here used, y and Diy," perpetuity" and everlasting," do in the Scripture frequently signify. Now, these are said to be scattered, and to bow, because of the destruction of the inhabitants of those lasting hills, being many of them high and mighty ones, like perpetual mountains; they being given in possession to the sons of Israel, even "the chief things of the ancient mountains, and the precious things of the lasting hills," Deut. xxxiii. 15.

X. Observation. God takes an exact foreview of his people's portion and inheritance.

Like a careful father, he knows beforehand what he intends to bestow upon them. He views it, measures it, prepares it to the utmost bounds. They shall not have a hair's breadth which he hath not allotted them, nor want the least jot of their designed portion.

Use. Learn to be contented with your lot. He is wise also who took a view of it, and measured it, and found it just commensurate to your good:-had he known that a foot's breadth more had been needful, you would have had it. Had he seen it good, you had had no thorns in your lands, no afflictions in your lives. O how careful, how solicitous are many of God's people! how full of desires!-Oh, that it were with me thus or thus! Possess your souls in patience; as you cannot add to, no more shall any take from your proportion He took the measure of your wants and his own supplies long since That which he hath measured out he will cut off for you. He knows how to suit all his children.

XI. Observation. It is dangerous encroaching, for any of the sons of men, upon God's people's portion, lot, privileges, or inheritance. God hath measured it out for them, and he will look that they

enjoy it. Shall men remove his bounds and land-marks,' and be free? will it be safe trespassing upon the lands of the Almighty? will it be easy and cheap? will he not plead his action with power,-especially seeing he hath given them their portion? If he hath given Seir to Edom, what doth he vexing and wasting Jacob? Shall they not possess what the Lord their God gives them to possess? Judg. xi. 24. He hath cautioned all the world, kings and others, in this kind, "Touch not mine anointed, do my prophets no harm,” Ps. cv. 14, 15. Touch them not, nor any thing that is theirs: harm them not in any thing I bestow on them. They have nothing but what their Father gives them, and Christ hath bought for them. Will a tender father, think you, contentedly look on, and see a slave snatch away his children's bread? If a man hath engaged himself to give a jewel to a dear friend, will he take it patiently to have an enemy come and snatch it away before his face? God is engaged to his people for all their enjoyments, and will he quietly suffer himself to be robbed, and his people spoiled? Shall others dwell quietly in the land which he hath measured for his own?

Use 1. See whence the great destructions of people and nations in these latter ages have come. Is it not for touching these forbidden things? The holy vessels of the temple at Jerusalem ruined Babylon. Is not the wasting of the western nations at this day from hence, that they have served the whore to deck herself with the spoils of the spouse?-helped to trim her with the portion of God's people, taking away their liberties, ordinances, privileges, lives, to lay at her feet? Doubtless God is pleading with all these kingdoms for their encroaching. They who will not let him be at peace with his, shall have little quiet of their own. The eagle that stole a coal from the altar fired her nest. I know how this hath been abused to countenance the holding of Babylonish wedges. God will preserve to his people his own allowance, not Rome's supplement. This nation hath yet itching fingers, and a hankering mind after the inheritance of God's people. Let them take heed; he hath knocked off their hands a hundred times, and sent them away with bloody fingers. O that we were wise, that we be not quite consumed! Of you I hope better things, and such as accompany salvation; yet give me leave to cautionate you a little.

(1.) As to privileges and liberties of this life. Their liberties and estates are not as other men's, but more exactly measured for their good, and sanctified to them in the blood of Christ. If in these things God hath called you to the defence and protection of his, he will expect a real account. You had better give away a kingdom that belongs to others, than the least of that which God hath made for

1 Vid. Tertul. ad Scapulam, de persecutione.