SERMON XX.

Preached at Silver-Street,

November 5, 1695.

JOSHUA XXIV. 20.

If ye forfake the Lord, and ferve ftrange Gods, then he will turn and do you hurt; and confume you, after that he hath done you good.

OME few things I fhall offer to your notice, by way of introduction to what I intend from this portion of Scripture. As, in the first place,

He

THAT the good which GOD had done this people, he was confeffedly the Author of it. not only was really, and indeed fo; owned, and acknowledged to be fo.

but he was

There was not a doubt in the cafe. It was a thing taken for granted, and which every one would own; that all the good which had been done to them, proceeded only from him, who is the Author of all good. And again,

THAT the good which he did for this people was very peculiar, fuch as he had then done for

no

no people befide. He gave his teftimonies unto SER M. Jacob, his ftatutes and his judgements unto If- XX. rael; he had not done so to any people, More

over,

THAT the peculiarity of his favourable difpenfation towards them was refolvable only into good pleasure. No other account could be given of it, why he fhould be fo particularly favourable to that people above other people, than, as our Lord fays in another cafe, Even fo Father, for fo it feemed good in thy fight. And lastly,

THAT though the deftruction threatned unto one people, fo and fo offending against goodness and mercy, doth not import the certainty of fuch an event, in reference to another people, offending in the like manner; yet it imports the case of fuch a people to be very infecure, and that they are liable to the fame deftructive severities and confuming judgements, as if they had been the people immediately and directly threatened. I fay they are liable, and cannot reckon themselves intitled to an immunity from such destructive judgements.

THESE things being premifed, the ground of our prefent difcourfe will lie thus. That the good which God hath, of mere good pleasure, and in a peculiar diftinguishing way, done for a nation; leaveth them liable to confuming judgements, if they grofsly offend GOD, and generally revolt from him. In fpeaking to this, I

fhall

FIRST,

a Pfal. CXLVII, 19, 20.

Math. 1. 26.

VOL. FIRST, give you the ftate of this truth, geneII. rally, and indefinitely confidered. And then,

SECONDLY, fpeak unto it with special application to our own cafe, and the state of things among our felves.

FIRST, I fhall give you the ftate of this truth, as confidered more indefinitely. And therein,

I. SHALL confider that good, which GoD may be supposed to do a people; of his own good pleasure, and in a peculiar way. And

II. THEIR liablenefs unto his confuming wrath, upon the fuppofition here put; that is, if they should grofsly offend, and generally revolt from GOD, or rebel against him.

I. LET us confider the good, which GOD may be supposed to do fuch, or fuch a people, out of mere good pleasure. And here we shall confider, in what refpects he may be supposed to do a nation good, and alfo upon what ac

counts.

1. IN what refpects. And for this we shall take our measure from what we find, even in this very chapter, in reference to the people of Ifrael. The chapter you fee, begins with a large narrative and rehearsal of what God had done for them; and it is well worth your notice, and obfervation. You must confider, that the time of Joshua's leaving them was now at hand. He was apprehenfive of it, and therefore gathers the princes, and heads of the tribes to him on

purpofe

purpose to take a folemn leave. They had been SER M. under his conduct by divine appointment; and, as XX. their general, he had led them into that good

and, which God, by promife and oath to their forefathers; Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, had intitled them to as their feed, and now conferred upon them. He was apprehenfive of the state of their cafe, after his departure; knowing well the terms, upon which God had put himself under fuch bonds and obligations to them. Therefore he gathers the tribes of Ifrael to Sechem, and called for their elders, their judges and officers, who prefented themselves before Gon. Upon which he begins his narrative of what GOD had done for them; and in what particular respects he had favoured them, and done them good. Thus faith the LORD GOD of Ifrael, your fathers dwelt on the other fide the flood in old time, even Terab the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor, and they ferved other GoDs. And I took your father Abraham from the other fide of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his feed and gave bim Ifaac.

JOSHUA here begins with that, which was the most obfervable thing, and was firft in the divine eye and intention; namely, his making this people a plantation of religion, when the world was generally over-run with idolatry and wickednefs. He puts them in mind how God did felect, and fever the head of this people, from the reft of the idolatrous world. As elsewhere the history acquaints us with his calling him out of VOL. II. Bb

his

VOL. his idolatrous family, faying: Get thee out of . II. thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's houfe, unto a land that I will fhew thee. And we are told, that By faith Abraham, when be was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obey'd; and he went out not knowing whither be went. This is the fit pofture of a devoted foul, and fo inwardly had GOD touched his Spirit that he should upon his call readily answer him, and not dispute the matter, nor fay, "Lord, muft I go I know not "whither? and into that ftate, and in that way "I know not?" No, faith formed his fpirit, not for difputation, but obedience. He obeyed and went, "Here am I, thy ready, prepared "inftrument; do with me what thou wilt." And that which GoD defigned to do, was to make him the head of a religious people; among whom he would be known, when fo grofs and general darkness had spread it self over the reft of the world. This was the main, and principal thing in GoD's defign; and with this Joshua begins this narrative: and then continues it in fhewing in what ways, and by what gradations, GoD pursued the defign which he had fo gracioufly laid in favour of this people out of whofe line the promised feed was to arise, in which, at length all the nations of the earth were to be bleffed.

;

BUT in the mean time, the more special notices of GOD were to be confined much within

the

• Gen. XII. I.

• Heb. xi. S