of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken. Oh that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!" God never casts "bruta fulmina;" all his works are vocal. They speak, or rather he speaks in them. Now, that they may be instructive unto us, sundry things are required:[1.] That we take notice of them, and notice of them to be his. Some are so stayed, or so obstinate, or so full of self and other things, that they will take no notice at all of any of the works of God. His hand is lifted up, and they will not see, they will not behold it. He passeth by them in his works on the right hand and on the left, but they perceive it not. Others, though they take notice of the works themselves, yet they will not take notice of them to be his; like the Philistines, they knew not whether the strange plague that consumed them and destroyed their cities were God's hand or a chance. But until we seriously consider them, and really own them to be the works of God, we can make no improvement of them.

[2] We are to inquire into the especial meaning of them. This is wisdom, and that which God requireth at our hands: so Mic. vi. 9, "The voice of the LORD crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it." in Sip, "The voice of the LORD," is often taken for

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power of God manifesting itself in its effects and mighty works. In this sense it is repeated six or seven times in one psalm, Ps. xxix. 3-9. The voice of God here, then, is the works of God. And what do they do? They have a voice, they "cry to the city." The voice of God in his rod doth so; that is, his afflicting and correcting works, as in the end of the verse. It cries "", "to the city;" that is, the city of God, Jerusalem, or the church: though some think that

is put for "ad excitandum;" it cries to excite or stir up men,—that is, to repentance and amendment. And what is the issue?

,"The man of wisdom," say we,-it is wisdom, or rather substance, that is, the substantial wise man, who gives no place to vanity and lightness,—he "shall see the name of God:" that is, he shall discern the power and wisdom of God in his works; and not only so, but the mind of God also in them, which is often signified by his "name." See John xvii. 6. And so it follows, "Hear ye the rod;" they are works of the rod, or correction, that he speaks of. This he commands us to "hear;" that is, to understand. So frequently signifies. So speak the servants of Hezekiah to Rabshakeh, Isa. xxxvi. 11, "Speak, we pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language, for we hear it," that is, can understand it. So are we to "hear the rod;" that is, to learn and under

stand the mind of God in his works. This is required of us. And that we may do so, two things are necessary:—

1st. That we consider and be well acquainted with our own condition. If we are ignorant hereof we shall understand nothing of the mind of God in his dispensations. Security in sin will take away all understanding of judgments. Let God thunder from heaven in the revelation of his wrath against sin, yet such persons will be secure still. God doth not often utterly destroy men with great and tremendous destructions before he hath given them previous warnings of his indignation. But yet men that are secure in sin will know so little of the sense of them, that they will be crying "Peace and safety," when their final destruction is seizing upon them, 1 Thess. v. 3. God speaks out the curse of the law in his works of judgment; for thereby is "the wrath of God revealed from heaven against the ungodliness of men," Rom. i. 18. But yet when men hear the voice of the curse so spoken out, if they are secure, they will bless themselves, and say they shall have peace, though they add drunkenness to thirst, Deut. xxix. 19. And this for the most part blinds the eyes of the wise men of this world. They neither see nor understand any of the works of God, though never so full of dread or terror, because being secure in their sin, they know not that they have any concernment in them. If they do at any time attend unto them, it is as the people did to the voice that came from heaven unto our Saviour; some said it thundered, others, that an angel spake. One says one thing of them, another, another thing, but they endeavour not to come unto any certainty about them. This is complained of, Isa. xxvi. 11, "LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see." The lifting up of the hand in general is to work or to effect any thing; in particular, to correct, to punish, it being the posture of one ready to strike, or redoubling his blows in striking; as God doth when his "judgments are in the earth," verse 9. In this state of things, saith the prophet, "They will not see;" they will neither consider nor endeavour to understand the mind of God in his works and judgments. And how doth God take this of them? Saith he, "The fire of thine enemies shall devour them;" that is, either their own fiery envy at the people of God, mentioned in the foregoing words, shall consume themselves, they shall be eaten up and consumed with it, whilst they will not take notice of the mind of God in his judgments towards them; or, 'the fire wherewith at length thou wilt consume all thine adversaries shall fall upon them;' or, lastly, 'thou wilt turn in upon them a wicked, furious people, who shall destroy them,'-as it befell the Jews, to whom he speaks in particular. One way or other God will severely revenge this security, and neglect of his works thereon. But they who will wisely consider their own condition,-how it is between God and them,-wherein they have been faithful, wherein false

or backsliding,—what controversy God hath, or may justly have with them, what is the condition of the state, church, or nation whereunto they do belong, will discern the voice of God in his great works of providence. So is the matter stated, Dan. xii. 10, "Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand." And when shall this be? When there is "a time of great trouble," verse 1,-when God's judgments are greatly in the world. The end of these troubles is to purify men, to cleanse them, by the removal of all "filth of flesh and spirit" that they may have contracted, as dross is taken away from silver in the furnace; and to make them white, by causing their sincerity, constancy, and perseverance in their holy profession to appear in their trials. But the wicked men, secure in their sins, shall yet continue in their wickedness, and thereby shall be so blinded that none of them shall understand the mind of God in his great works and tremendous dispensations. But, "they that have an understanding" in their own state and condition, and in the state of things in the church of God (as it is said of the men of Issachar, that they were D'ay nya "uni", "knowing in the seasons"), "they shall understand," or come to the knowledge of the will of God and their duty in these things. And of a failure herein see how God complains, Deut. xxxii. 28, 29.

2dly. That we consider what peculiar impressions of his will God puts upon any of his works. Hereby we may know much of his mind and design in them. All the works of God, if duly considered, will be found to bear his image and superscription. They are all like him, were sent by him, and are becoming him. They have on them tokens and marks of infinite wisdom, power, and goodness. Those of providence which he intends to be instructive have a peculiar impression of the design of God upon them, and a wise man may see the eye of God in them. So he speaks in the psalmist, “I will guide thee with mine eye," Ps. xxxii. 8. He would make him see the way and paths that he was to walk in, by that respect which he would have unto them in the works of his providence. This, then, I say, we should inquire after and wisely consider; because,—

Obs. XXI. The greater evidence that God gives of his power and goodness in any of his works, the louder is his voice in them, and the greater is the sin of them that neglect them; which also is another proposition from the words.

God made then his works evident unto them, so that they saw them," They saw my works;" so they could not deny them to be his. But if men will shut their eyes against the light, they justly perish in their darkness. God sometimes hides his power, Hab. iii. 4, "That was the hiding of his power." That is, as the Targumist adds, it was laid open; his power, that before was hid from the people,

was now manifested. But sometimes he causeth it to shine forth; as it is said in the same place, "He had horns coming out of his hand,”"Horns," or shining beams, rays of glory, arose from his hand, or his power, in the manifestation of it in his works. He caused his power to shine forth in them, as the sun gives out light in its full strength and beauty. Then for men not to take notice of them will be a signal aggravation of their sin and hastening of their punishment. Now, we can never know what appears of God in his works, unless by a due consideration of them we endeavour to understand them or his mind in them. Again,

Obs. XXII. Because the end of all God's works, of his mighty works of providence towards a person, a church, or nation, is to bring them to faith and repentance; which is also another observation that the words afford us.

"

This end he still declared in all his dealings with this people. And it is the principal design of the Book of Deuteronomy to improve the works of God which they had seen unto this end. And "who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them, but the transgressors shall fall therein,' Hos. xiv. 9. And herein lies a great aggravation of the misery of the days wherein we live,-the works, the great works of God, are generally either despised or abused. Some account all that is spoken of them wσsi Añpos, as a mere fable, as some did of old the things concerning the resurrection of Christ, upon the first report of it, Luke xxiv. 11. And if they are not so in themselves, but that such things as are spoken of are done in the world, yet as to their relation unto God they esteem it a fable. Chance, natural causes, vulgar errors, popular esteem, were the originals with such persons of all those great works of God which our eyes have seen or our ears heard, or which our fathers have reported unto us. "Brutish persons and unwise!" there is scarce a leaf in the book of God, or a day in the course of his providence, that doth not judge and condemn the folly and stupidity of their pride. The very heathen of old either by reason scorned, or by experience were made afraid, to give countenance unto such atheism. Nor do I esteem such persons, who live in an open rebellion against all that is within them and without them, against all that God hath done or said, worthy any consideration. "Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up," Ps. xxviii. 5. Others will not deny God to be in his works, but they make no use of them but to gaze, admire, and talk. There is somewhat less evil in this than in the former atheism, but no good at all. Yea, where God multiplies his calls by his works, men by this slight consideration of them insensibly harden their hearts into

security. Others abuse them,-some by making them the rise of their vain and foolish prognostications: 'There is such a prodigy, such a strange work of God, such a blazing star,' or the like. What then? 'Such or such a thing shall follow this or that year, this or that month. This is a specious way whereby atheism exalts itself; for nothing can give countenance to these presumptions but a supposition of such a concatenation of causes and effects as shall exclude the sovereign government of God over the world. Others contend about them; some whose lives are profligate, and whose ways are wicked, are afraid lest they should be looked on as pointed against them and their sins, and therefore they contend that they have no determinate language, no signification in them. Others are too forward to look upon them as sent or wrought to countenance them in their desires, ways, and aims. Amongst most, by these and the like means, the true design of God in all his great and strange works is utterly lost, to the great provocation of the eyes of his glory. This, as I have showed, is every man's faith, repentance, and obedience; which how they have been improved in us by them we may do well to consider. Again, observe from the words that,

Obs. XXIII. God is pleased ofttimes to grant great outward means unto those in whom he will not work effectually by his grace.

Who had more of the first than these Israelites in the wilderness? As the works of God amongst them were the greatest and most stupendous that ever he had wrought from the foundation of the world, so the law was first vocally given unto them and promulgated amongst them; and not only so, but they had the gospel also preached unto their ears as we,—not so clearly, indeed, but no less truly, Heb. iv. 1, 2. See their privileges and advantages as they are enumerated by our apostle, Rom. iii. 2, ix. 4, 5. God might well say of them as he did afterwards of their posterity, "What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?" Isa. v. 4;-for fencing, and planting, and stoning, nothing more could have been done. Outward means, ordinances, afflictions, mercies, they wanted not; and yet all this while God did not circumcise their hearts to love him with all their heart, and all their soul, that they might live, as he promiseth at other times to do, Deut. xxx. 6: yea, it is said expressly that he gave them not eyes to see, or ears to hear, that they might know him and fear him. He did not put forth or exercise an effectual work of inward grace during their enjoyment of the outward means before mentioned. And therefore, when God promiseth to make the covenant of grace under the gospel effectual unto the elect, by writing his law in their hearts, and putting his fear into their inward parts, he says expressly and emphatically that he will not make it as he

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