gentry, and indeed I think it is a flower grows much in their gardens: but though divine nature will bring us to heaven, meek, good nature will not. It is gospel love and meekness which this sermon means. The gospel works it, and it honours the gospel, The more the gospel conquers this nation, the more love and meekness, which is so wanting, will abound. Oh, spread the gospel, and by your means let us see the angel flying in the midst of our heavens, with the everlasting gospel in his hand. Rev. xiv. 6. This is a work worthy of you. Great men should do great things, and count themselves little. est magna facere et teipsum putare nihil," Euseb. Nier. "Vere magnum My lords, Christ hath done much for you, you must do much for Christ. The more you have in this world, the more grace it is to be of another. For outward things, afford them some relics of your love, and so much only as better things leave; for what is too cold for God, is hot enough for these things. "Toleremus potius præsentia quam deligamus." Why should not we give that unto God by an act of our faith, which he hath given unto us as a fruit of his love? Thus shall you be able to say in your lying down, as Christ spake at his death: "Father, I have glorified thee on earth, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do, and now glorify me with thine own self," John xvii. 4, 5. Which that your Honours may do, shall be the prayer of Your humble and most unworthy servant in the gospel of Jesus Christ, "Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment, seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger."-ZEPH. 11. 3. God never lets off his murdering pieces upon a nation or kingdom, but he doth first discharge his warning pieces; he never strikes, but he doth threaten first. For as he doth therefore strike once, that he may not strike again; so he doth therefore threaten at the first, that he may not strike at all. He promises that he may fulfil, but he threatens that he may not fulfil. Having therefore denounced great judgments in the first chapter, he proceedeth by the prophet Zephaniah to soft and sweet exhortations in the beginning of this second. And because men are either godly or ungodly, he begins with the ungodly, and exhorteth them to gather themselves, &c. ver. 1, 2. And for the godly, he exhorteth them for to seek the Lord, ver. 3, "Seek ye the Lord," &c. In which words three things are most considerable : First, The matter of the exhortation, which is, "To seek the Lord, to seek righteousness, and to seek meekness." Secondly, The subject or persons upon whom this exhortation falls; that is, "the meek of the earth," further described to have wrought judgment. Thirdly, The motive pressing thereunto, "It shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger." For explication: may be ye "Seek ye the Lord." That is, the Lord himself, his face, his favour, his honour. The word "seek," is used in Scripture, either more largely, for our whole service of God and endeavours after him; or else more strictly for prayer. Here it is taken in the largest sense, because the word in the Hebrew is not sw, which signifies rather verbo quærere, Prov. xv. 14, to seek by word or petition; but wp, which signifies rather conatu quærere, to seek by endeavour.* "The meek of the earth." The Hebrew word turned meek, signifies afflicted as well as meek, and so it is often translated, for afflictions well used are means to meeken us, and to file off the roughness and ruggedness off our disposition. But here it doth note the grace and virtue of meekness, which is irarum moderativa, that scripture grace whereby a man hath the command and moderation of his anger, leaving all his revenge unto God himself; for it is the same word that is used after for meekness, which cannot be understood of affliction, but of the grace and virtue of meekness, for that no man is to seek affliction. "Which have wrought his judgment." The word Down judgment is used in Scripture, either for the commandments, word and statutes of the Lord, or for that evil which God doth bring upon a people in a way of justice; in both these respects the meek may be said to work his judgments, either as obedient to the Lord's word, or as executioners of justice; but I take it rather in the first sense. "Seek righteousness." That is, the righteousness of Christ, just and righteous dealing between man and man: and the truth of God which is called the word of righteousness; none more fit to seek justice and righteousness, than those that are the meek of the earth. "Seek meekness." Yea, though they were meek before. When God calls upon wicked men, to love and seek him, as Estius observes,* he wills, them to do that which they did * בקש est quærere magis conatu et studio quam interrogatione aut petitione quod per significatur, i. e. petere seu rogare et si interim confundatur.Mercer. Pagni. in Thes. * Quæritur quo re hæc non sit supervacanea prophetæ exhortatio, cum eo ipso not before: when he calls upon godly men to love and seek him, he wills them to do that more which they had done before. It is not enough to be habitually godly, but whatever grace we have in the habit, must be drawn forth into exercise, and though we have wrought judgment, we must do it again. : We must not think to exercise one grace alone, but there must be an harmony, mixture, conjuncture of all graces. Some are wise, but not zealous; some zealous, but not wise some just, but not meek; some meek and sweet dispositioned, but not righteous in execution of justice. But these graces must be mixed together; and therefore saith the Lord here, "Seek righteousness, seek meekness." "It may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger." Ye shall surely be hidden from the wrath to come, and it may be from the wrath present. This may be,* says Junius, is not a word of doubting, but provoking to more endeavour : it is a half promise. From all which words ye may observe these five notes. First, that God hath his days of anger, there is wrath and anger with God, which upon occasion breaks forth upon the children of men. Secondly, that in these days of anger, God is very willing for to hide, save, and defend his own people. Thirdly, though he be willing to hide his own children in evil times, yet he doth sometimes leave them at great uncertainties. Fourthly, when God's anger doth break forth upon the children of men, and his people at uncertainties, not knowing what will become of them; then and then especially it is their duty to seek the Lord, to seek righteousness, and to seek meekness. Fifthly, that if any men can do any good in the evil day, it is the meek of the earth. First, God hath his days of anger, there is wrath and anger with God. Take anger properly for a passion, and so there is none mansueti sunt, Dominum jam antea quæsierint? Resp. Quando impiis discitnr diligite Dominum morentur facere id quod antea non faciebant; quando autem rectaicorde discitur, diligite Dominum monentur amplius et diligentus facere quod antea faciebant, ita cum dicitur malis et duris quærite Dominum, &c. Estius in locum. * Non dubitantis est sed sollicitudinem exacueniis. Jun. in Exod. xxxii. with God: ira we say is from ire, because when one is angry he goes out of himself; and when he is pacified, he does redire ad seipsum return to himself. Thus it is not in God: Fury is not in me, saith the Lord. If ye take anger for the effects and fruits thereof, so it is not with God as his mercy is. "His mercy is over all his works," even over the works of his anger. He is no where called an angry God, but a merciful God often. The Psalmist speaking of God's justice, and the fruits of his anger, saith, "His judgments are like the great mountains,” Ps. xxxvi. 6, 7 : but speaking of his goodness and mercy, saith, "It reacheth unto the clouds." What mountain doth so? His mercy is for itself, he gives that he may give; he loves that he may love; and shews mercy that he may shew mercy but he is not angry that he may be angry. The Lord is angry a little that he may love for ever, his very anger doth end in love. Exod. iv. 14-16, "He is slow, the slowest to conceive a wrath, and ready to forgive:" he makes a way to his anger, but the way to mercy lies always open.* Yet there is anger with him, he hath his days of anger. For as Aquinas says, Excellentia irascentis est causa iræ. The excellency of the person that is angry, is the cause of anger; the more excellency in a person, the sooner he is moved to anger, because pervipensio or contempt, is the greatest provocation to anger. Now there is most excellency in God, and therefore sin being a contempt of him, he cannot but be moved to anger. Anger is the dagger that love wears, to save itself, and to hurt all that wrongs the thing loved: there is love with God, infinite love in God, and therefore there must needs be anger too. Yea, there is not only wrath, but great wrath with God. His works are like himself: if his anger fix on a person, it extendeth to all the man, soul and body. If one man be angry with another, he may afflict his body, but he cannot * Iratus est Dominus adversus Moysem, Exod. iv. 14. In quo quæso furor ejus declaratur in quo ira ejus exprimitur? beneficium cognosco, non indignationem; ecce enim verse 15, pollicetur ei virum eloquentissimum in socium legationis et hunc in itinere sibi occursurum; an hæc signa indignationis vel potius amoris? sed Deus ita liberalis est ut nesciat eis cum punire debeat non benefacere. De Haye in Exod. iv. 14, 15. reach his soul. God's anger doth especially seize on that part, because he is a Spirit, and doth reach the spirits. Yea, his anger doth not only extend unto all the man, but as in heaven, when he pours out his glory upon men, he doth enlarge and enable the faculty to receive his mercy, which else could not take it in, or stand under it, the weight of glorious mercy would break the very soul: so, when he is angry, and pours out his wrath upon a person, he enlarges the soul and faculty to receive, and to bear the same. He blocks up all ways of succour and relief when he is angry, which men cannot do; his own children cannot bear the strokes of his anger, though they be strokes of love; * what are they then when they do come from hatred ? His anger gives a being to all our angers. What is the wrath of man, kings, princes, or states, but, comparatively, as the claw of the dead lion? If the lion be dead, what hurt can his claw do? It is the anger of God that puts life into all our angers. One drop of his wrath distilled into the soul is able to burst it. Who knows the power of his anger? saith the psalmist. Oh, it is great, it is infinite, it is unspeakable, it is inconceivable: and this wrath and anger of his doth sometimes break forth upon the children of men ; he hath his days of anger. He hath three houses that he puts men into: an house of instruction, an house of correction, an house of destruction. If men mend not in the first they are removed to the second, if they mend not in the second they are removed to the third. As the creditor that lends his money gratis hath his three times; his time of mere love, his time of forbearance and patience after the money is due, his time of execution and judgment after forbearance and patience is tired. So hath God also a time when he doth freely give forth mercies to the children of men: if they improve them, well; if not, yet then he hath patience with them and forbearance; but if after long forbearance they do not mend and turn unto him, then he brings his judgment, and does execution on them. Oh, there is wrath with God: God hath his days of anger. Therefore it is not in itself unlawful to be angry, for God * Si Deus tam aspere percutit ubi parcit, qua aspere percutiet ubi sævtit? et quanta destructione feriet quos reprobat, si sic cruciat quos amat?-Greg. moral. |