Gods Terrible Voice in the City!

[Pages:167]Gods Terrible Voice in the City!

by Thomas Vincent

Table of Contents

Preface Introduction Section I. How God Speaks Section II. What are those terrible things by which God sometimes speaks? Section III. Why is it, that the Lord speaks unto a people by such terrible things? Section 4. The Application. Section 5. The Plague so great, so recent, should not be forgotten Section 6. "At the time of your appearing you will make them like a fiery furnace." Section 7. Concerning the cause of these judgments. why has the Lord spoken by such terrible things in the city of London? Section 8. A catalogue of London's Sins, which have provoked the Lord to speak with so terrible a Voice in the City. Section 9. God's righteousness will further appear Section 10. Concerning the Design of these judgments.

Section 11. The Duties which God expects from London after such desolations by the Plague and Fire

Preface

Wherein you have:

I. The Sound of the Voice, in the history of the two late dreadful judgments of PLAGUE and FIRE in London.

II. The Interpretation of the Voice, in a discovery of the cause and design of these judgments.

"Listen! The Lord's voice cries unto the city. The man of wisdom shall see Your name. Hear the rod, and the One who has appointed it!" Micah 6:9

To all such of the City, who have seen the desolations of London by the late judgments of Plague and Fire.

It might have seemed more seasonable unto some, if a work of this nature had come forth unto view more immediately after the sound of God's terrible voice of the last dreadful judgment of the fire; because if a man strikes while the iron is hot -- it is likely to make the more deep impression; which, when it grows cool, grows hard and unmalleable. And if the hammer of the Word had been used, when London was newly come forth out of the fiery furnace -- some might think they would have yielded the more easily unto its strokes, and the better have received the impression which this hammer would work them unto. And, since the fresh and lively remembrance of the judgment is more worn off; it is to be feared that they are more cooled and hardened, and therefore in likelihood it will be more difficult to effect a due impression of the judgments, by the Word, upon them.

Yet, besides that, it was not in my thoughts to attempt this work, until the

greatest part of the winter was spent; I may further add, that though a discourse concerning the plague would have been most seasonable under the judgment itself, when people, who were generally taken off from their trading, had room and time for retirement and consideration, more than ever they had in their lives before; and therefore were more likely to lay to heart what might be spoken or written unto them on that subject; Yet the reason is not the same in the judgment of the fire, which (however startling and astonishing), was so far from giving them retiring time for consideration, as the former judgment of the plague had done; that it did engage them unto more laborious works than ever they had, not only while London was burning, in removing what they could save of their goods from the fire; but also since, in looking out for new habitations, and fitting their houses and shops for trades; which has given them occasion for so much distraction, that I fear they could hardly settle their minds to read and consider so seriously as they should, what the Lord has been doing with them, and speaking unto them by this Terrible Voice, which has sounded so loud in their ears.

But by this time I hope that the most have attained to some kind of settlement; at least, so much, as to give them time to sit down and ponder upon the meaning of God, in these strange and dreadful judgments of plague and fire in the city; and therefore this book may be more seasonable unto the most, than if it had been written and presented to them immediately after the fire had burnt them out of their habitations.

Friends, it is high time for all of you to retire yourselves, and bethink yourselves, and wisely to consider God's dealings with you; to open your ear, and labor to understand these speaking judgments, lest, if God be provoked by your deafness and incorrigibleness, to speak a third time -- it be in your utter ruin and desolation! If these papers are any ways helpful to revive in your memories the judgments themselves, by the Historical Narration which here you have of them, to work your hearts to some sense of sin in discovery of the cause; and to persuade you to a ready compliance with God's design, in the declaring of what God now expects from you, after such dreadful executions; as yours will be the benefit -- so I desire that God may have the whole glory; and that you would make this return for my help of you -- to help me with your

prayers, that I may be the more helpful to you in mine, who am, Your dearly affectionate friend, and servant in the Lord, Thomas Vincent

"By terrible things in righteousness, will you answer us!" Psalm 65:5

INTRODUCTION

"When a trumpet sounds in a city -- do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city -- has not the Lord caused it? The lion has roared -- who will not fear? The Sovereign Lord has spoken -- who can but prophesy?" Amos 3:6, 8.

When the Pharisees spoke to our Savior to rebuke his disciples for their loud praises of the Lord with hosannas, He tells them, "If they should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out," Luke 19:39, 40. And we read in Habakkuk 2:11 "Of the stone crying out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber making answer."

Certainly we in London have lately heard the cry of stones and walls, of timber and beams in their fall and flames; I mean in the late dreadful fire, which has laid our Jerusalem in heaps! Or rather, we have heard the voice of God in this and other terrible things which have come upon us: let none then rebuke, if one so unfit, makes an attempt to speak something of the meaning of London's fire, or of God's terrible voice in this and other judgments, when by the mouth of babes God can declare his will.

Section 1. How God speaks.

"By terrible things in righteousness, you will answer us." Psalm 65:5

This whole Psalm breathes forth nothing but grace and goodness unto the people of God, from the beginning of it, to the end; yes, in the verse of my text where God speaks most terribly and righteously it, the judgments and destructions which he brings upon their enemies -- yet he is called the God of their salvation; and those terrible things by which God speaks,

are not only a righteous answer unto their enemies' sins, but also a gracious answer unto his people's prayers: "By terrible things in righteousness, you will answer us."

I shall not speak of terrible things in the restrained sense, as they befall only the enemies of God's people, and the wicked, while the righteous do escape, and it may be hereby are preserved; but as they may befall any people, not excluding God's people, whom the Lord may answer by terrible things in righteousness.

Two doctrines we may observe:

Doctrine. 1. That God sometimes speaks unto a people by terrible things.

Doctrine. 2. That when God speaks most terribly -- He answers most righteously.

First. That God sometimes speaks unto a people by terrible things. Here I shall show,

1. How God may be said to speak.

2. What those terrible things are, by which God sometimes speaks.

3. Why God sometimes speaks unto a people by terrible things;

4. The application.

1. How God may be said to speak.

God, being a Spirit, has no mouth nor tongue properly as men have, who have bodies; and therefore his way of speaking is not like ours (though sometimes he has created a voice in as articulate a sound, as if it had proceeded from the mouth of man, to declare his will,) but there are several ways in which God has spoken, and speaks unto men, by which he does as really and effectually make known his mind, as if he spoke with man's voice.

1. God has spoken formerly unto men immediately, in extraordinary

ways, and that sometimes more terribly; as when he gave the law upon Mount Sinai, when the Mount burned with fire, and there was blackness, and darkness, and tempest, thunderings and lightnings, and the sound of the trumpet exceeding loud, and the voice of words so exceeding terrible, that it made the whole camp to tremble; and Moses himself said, "I exceedingly fear and quake," Exodus 19:16; Hebrews 12:18-21.

This way of God's speaking, the children of Israel were not able to bear; therefore they desired that Moses might speak unto them; but that God would not speak unto them thus any more, lest they should die, Exodus 20:19.

At other times God spoke with a more still and gentle voice, and in a more mild way; as when he spoke to Samuel in the night, he thought at first that it had been the voice of Eli, 1 Samuel 3:4, 5. Thus God spoke unto Abraham, unto Jacob, unto Moses, to whom it is said, "He spoke face to face, as a man speaks to his friend," Exodus 33:11.

God spoke also in an extraordinary way to his prophets of old, when he made known unto them his counsel, that they might declare it unto the people; sometimes he spoke unto them with an audible voice, which he created when no shape was seen; sometimes by angels, who appeared in bodies, which they laid down again when they had delivered their message; sometimes by dreams and visions in the night; sometimes by Urim and Thummim; sometimes by more secret inspirations of the Spirit.

In the last days of God's extraordinary speaking, he spoke by the most extraordinary person, namely, by his own most dearly beloved, and only begotten Son, Hebrews 1:1, 2; whom he sent out of his bosom to declare himself, John 1:18; and reveal what he had heard of the Father, John 15:15, who brought life and immortality to light by the Gospel, and made known God's purpose and grace in man's salvation, 2 Tim. 1:9, 10; and uttered such things as were kept secret from the foundation of the world, Matthew 13:35.

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