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MR. .CALAMY'S SERMON. - Preached August 17, 1662.
2 SAM. xxiv. 14.
And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait; let us fall now into the hand of the Lord, (for his mercies are great) and let one not fall into the hand of man.
IN which words we have three parts:
L David's great perplexity and distress, " I am in a great strait." -
IL David's resolution,
Affirmative, " Let us fall into the hand of the Lord." •
Negative; " Let me not fall into the hand of man."
III. We have the reasons of David's choice, " for the mercies of God are great." The mercies of wicked men are cruel ; " therefore let me not fall into the hand of men :" but the mercies of God are many, and great; therefore " let us now fall into the hand of God."
1. For the first, that is, David's great distress, wherein we must speak-
To the distress itself: Then
To the person thus perplexed : " I am in a great strait ;"
David a great man, David a godly man.
2 MR. CALAMY'S SERMON.
1. In the perplexity itself we shall consider,
The reality of this peiplexity.
The greatness of it.
For the reality of it. After David had sinne numbering the people, God sends the prophet Gad to I and puts three things to his choice, as you may rea verse 12. God was determined to make David smar numbering the' people, but leaves it to David's whether he would have seven years famine, or t months to flee before his enemies, or three days p lence. This was A posing question, and David cause to be in a great strait, for these objects are amiable in their own nature, they are objects to be aN ed and declined ; in the first view of them they sees be equally miserable, therefore David had cause to he was in a strait.
This perplexity was not only real, but excee, great ; " I am in a great strait;" and there were things made this so great.
1. The greatness of the punishments proposed, mine, sword, and plague ; these are the three bev. with which God sweeps mankind froin off the ea these are God's three iron whips, by which-he clkasti sinful man ; these are the three arrows shot out of gaivet of God's wrath, for the punishment of man ; are, as one calleth them, tonsures humani generi9. Rev, vi. you shall read of 'our horses, when the four stale were opened, a white horse, a. red horses, a l horse,,, and a pale horse. Afttr Christ had ridden or white tone, propagating the gospel, then follows till horse, a type 4;4 war; -then the black horse., an h glyphic is Sri fie ; then the pa,le .korso, the cable 'pestilence. Now God WAS. =resolved to ride on =on these horses, and David must chuse ,u.pou which should ride: this is a great strait. Let me present Da lifting u,p his eyes to Heaven,. and speaking to God ‘.‘ 0 my God, what is this message thou Last sent thou offerest me three things-: I an in a strait,
which to refuse, but which to chuse I know not. Shall the land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey, shall this land endure seven years' famine, and be turnect into a wilderness, and dispeopled ? and shall ; whose hands thou bast taught to fight, , and whose fingers to. war, shall. I that have subdued all mine enemies, skkall. I in my old age, and all my captains, fly three montlia before 4ur enemies, and be driven to caves 410 xocks to bide ourselves? 0 thou my ,God, who Art my refuge, shall I and my people be a prey. to the pestilence, that walketh in darIcness and destryption, that walketh at noon-day ? 0 my God, I know not what to do
in a great strait."
4. The second room) why this strait was so great, was, because of the guilt of sin that lay on David's spiT rit ; for David knew that this severe message Was the frtlit of the sin hp committed in numbering the people. But you will say, Why was it a sin in David to number the people? Moses had often numbered the people, three times, and it was not counted sin. Josephus answerptb, the sin of David was, because he did not require the half shekel, which he was to have had from all that were numbered, Exod. xxx. 1.2, 13.
Others say he sinned in numbering all ages, whereas he was to number but from twenty years : but these are conjectural reaapn.s. I conceive the sin of David was, because he did it without a lawfig call, and for all unlawful end: Sine cqusa legitirna : he sinned in the mane., nor rather than in the matter; for there was no cause for him to number the people but curiosity, and no end but vain glory. " Go through all the tribes of Israel, aP4 number the people, that I may know the number of people," v. 2. David's heart was lifted up with pride, and creature-confidence : he begins to boast of the multitude of his people, and to trust in an arm of flesh : therefore God sends the ptophet to David, to prick .tly3 )3,14d4er of his pride; as if God should say, 1 will teach yo9 to PPP*Abs people by lowing the gumbgr of your
Now the burthen of his sin did add much to the t then of this heavy message verse 13. " After Da had numbered the people, his heart smote him :" the n sage smites him, and his heart smites him ; " and said, I have sinned greatly in that which I have do nowl.beseech thee take away the iniquity of thy want, for I have done very foolishly." If David had b to suffer this great punishment out of love to God, for a good conscience, he would not have been so tracted. There are two sorts of straits in scripture; s( suffer for God and a good conscience, and there are str suffered for sin.
There are straits suffered for God and a good c science, Heb. xi. 36, 37. Those martyrs there were dri to great straits; but these were straits for God and a g conscience, and these straits were the saints' greatest largements, they were so sweetened to them by the c solations and supportations of God's spirit, a prison a paradise to them, Heb.- x. 34. they look joyful at spoiling of their goods, Acts v. 41. " They &pal from the presence of the council, rejoicing, that t were counted worthy to suffer shame for his nar Straits for a good conscience are greatest enlargeme therefore St. Paul gkRieth. in his strait ; " Pau•I a soner, &c."
There are straits suffered for sin, and these are venotned by the guilt of sin : sin puts poison into all distresses and perplexities. Now ouch was the si into which David was now driven ; it was a strait cat by sin, and that made it so unmelcome and uncorni able : so that from hence I gather this observation:
Doctrine. " That sin and iniquity brings persons
• nations into marvellous labyrinths and perplexit
into true, real, and great molestations ; and a
free from sin, is free in the midst of straits; a
guilty of sin, is in a strait in the midst of freed(
After Adam had sintied in eating the forbidden f the whole world was a prison. to hint; Paradise was an hell to him, he knew not where to hide himself from the presence of God. After that Cain had murdered his brother Abel, he was brought into such a strait, that he was afraid that every one that met him 'would slay him. Alas, .poor Cain ! how many was there then in the world? We read, but his father and mother, yet such was his distress, that he crieth put, every one that met him would slay him, Gen. iv. 14. Into what a strait did sin bring the old world? the deluge of sin, brought a deluge of water to drown them. Into what a strait did sin bring,Sodom and Gomorrah ? the fire of lust reigning in Sodom and Gomorrah, brought down fire from heaven to destroy them. Sin brings external, internal, and vernal straits upon persons and nations.
Sin brings external straits ; sin brings famine, sword, and plague; sin brings agues and fevers, gout and stone, and all manner of diseases: yea, sin brings death itself, which is the wages of sin. Read Lev. xxvi. and. Deut. xxiii. and you will see a black roll of curses, which were the fruit of sin. Sin brought Sion into Babylon ; and when the Jews had murdered Christ, forty years after they were brought into that distress, when the city was besieged by Titus Vespasian, that they did eat one another, the mother did eat her child, that whereas David had a choice which of the three he would have, either famine, plague, or sword, the poor Jews bad all three concatenated together in the siege. Sin brings all manner of external plagues.
Sin brings persons and nations into internal straits: sin brings soul-plagues, which are worse than bodily plagues Sin brings hardness of heart, bliudsessof mind, a spirit of slumber, a reprobate sense brings a spi‑
ritual famine, :upon a land, it brings :a famine of the word, A mos viii. 11. Sin causes God to. take away the gospel from a people; sins brier' internal plagues.: sin awakens conscience, and fills it full of perplexities. • Into what a state did sin drive Judas after be bad betrayed Christ? Into what a state did sin drive Spira? St. Paul gloried in his tribulations for God ; but When - be 'speaks of his sin, he crietti out, " 0 Wretched man that I ern, who shall deliver me from the body of this death ?" David, a valiant man, when he speaks of sin, saith, " they 'are too heavy a burden for him to bear." " A -wounded conscience who can bear ?" saith the wise 'man.
3. Sin bringeth eternal straits. 0 the -strait `thit wicked man shall -be bratight itito at the great and dreadful day of judgment, 'when all the 'world 'shall be on fire aboutbim ! when he shall tall to the mountains to hide him, and to the rocks to 'cover him from the 'Wrath -of 'God ; then will he cry out with David, "I am, °Lord, in a great 'strait." And when lhe wicked shall be condemned to 'hell, wbo can express 'the 'Waits they then.shall 'be in ? " Bind -them band and foot, and cast them into everlasting darkness," Mat. xxv. When a wicked man shall be bound with everlasting chains of dark.fiess, then be will cry out, " I am in a great strait." Consider what 'Dives said to Abraham ; he desires that. Lazarus "might.but dip the tip of -iris 'finger in water, and that be might 'cool .his'Icingu'e, snot his whole body, ;btit
tongue ; but 'that 'would tot be granted.
'I't is impossible the tongue of man should set out the great straits the 'damned suffer in bell, both in 'regard of the 'greatness and everlastingness of sthm.
This is all I shall say'fdr the. explication.
Use 1. I chiefly -aim at 'the application. Doth sin bring nations and persons into external, internal, and •eternal straits? Then this Baldly reproves those' that chuse to commit sin to avoid perplexity.. There arethoUsands in England guilty of this, that to avoid poverty, will lye, cheat, and cozen, and •to gain an estate will •sell 'God -and a good conscience, and to avoid the loss of estate and 'imprisonment, will-do any thing; they will be sure to 'be of that religion which is uppertnost,be it ivbat it will. -NOw give me'leave.this,morhing to .speak 'th feet hi rigs' to (these sort of men, 'and 0 that :my wdrds irright -peevail with.them
1. Consider it is-sin only that makes trouble deserve the name of trouble; for when we suffer for God's sake, or a good conscience, these troubles are so sweetened by the consolations of heaven, that they are no tvoubles at all -: therefore in Queen Mary's days the martyrs wrote , to their friends out of prison, " If you knew the come forts we have in prison, you would wish to be with us." "I am in prison before tam in prison," saith Mr. Sanders.
Famous is the story of the three cbil4ren they were in a great strait when cast into the fiery furnace: " Bing' them band and foot, and cast them into the furnace;" but when they were there, they were unbound, Dan. iii. 44, Saith Nebuchadnezzar, " Dial we not cast three men. bound into the midst of the fire? and to I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and the form of the fourth is like the Soo of God." I have yep told you, when three are cast into the fire for a good couscience, God will make the fourth : therefore, I say, straits and sufferings for God are not worth the name of straits. David was often driven into straits,
Sam. xxx. G. he was sore distressed when his town was burnt, and his wives and children taken captives by the AmsAekites: aye, bat that was a ,distress of danger, not of sin ; therefore he encouraged himself in the Lord his God. Jehoshaphat was in a great strait,. "
know not what to do," smith he; this- was a strait of danger, not caused by his sin ; and God quickly deli. vexed him: but the strait that Dasiid was in, was caused by his sin, and that made it so hitter. I am loth to enlarge here: St.. &atsl Fas in.a great strait, Phil. iii.
but this was .a blessed strait, an evangelical strait. with St. Chrysostome, " Le knew not wlietiter to die for his men sake, or to lave for give ob.larch's sake, were nest e' he was ;to adjourn his going to heavenofor the good
of the people of God. Nay, Christ was in a strait, Luke au ii. 15. " shave a baptism to ibe 'baptized iwithal, and
Aow taro I atraitaned 'till' it he aeoomplislled .?"am to shed my blood for my elect ; this is the baptism he speaks of.
This was a strait of dear affection to the elect of God : all these were blessed straits : but now straits caused by sin, these are imbittered and envenomed by the guilt of sin, and sense of God's wrath. It is sin that maketh • straits deserve the name of straits ; therefore you are spiritually mad that commit sin to avoid straits. •
There is more evil in the least sin, than in the greatest outward calamity whatsoever : this the world will not believe; therefore St. Austin saith, " That a man ought not to tell a lie, though he might save all the world from hell : for there is more evil in one lie, than there is good in the salvation of all the world." I have often told you the 'story of St. Austin.; saith he, " If hell were on one side, and sin on the other, and I must chuse one, I would chuse hell rather than sin : for God is the author of bell, but it is blasphemy to say he is the author of sin." There is a famous story of Charles the Ninth, king of France, he sent a message to the prince of Conde, a zealous protestant ; gives. him three things to chuse, either to go to mass, or to be put to death, or to suffer banishment all his life long: saith he, Pr mum, Deo juvante, .nunquam eligo : " The first (God helping) I will never chuse : I abhor the idolatry of the mass ; but for the two others, I leave it to the choice of the king to do as he pleases: there is more evil in the least sin, than the greatest misery."
The third thing I would have you consider, that whosoever. goeth out. of God's way to avoid danger, shall certainly meet with greater danger. Balaam went out of God's way, Numb. xxii. 22. and God sent an angel with a drawn sword, and he riding upon an ass; verse 26. the angel stood ii a narrow place, where.was no way to go from the right hand or from the left : if his ass had not fallen under him, he had been.run. through by the sword of the angel. Jonah, for fear of the king of Nineveh, went out of God's way, but he met with a mighty tempest, he met with a whale. What do you do when you commit sin ? you make way to be cast into the eternal prison of hell ; you destroy your precious souls, to save your perishing bodies.
Use 2. If sin be the father and mother of all perplexity and distresses, then I beseech you, let us above, all things in the world abhor sin :‘ all the curse of the Bible, are all due only to a .sinner; and all the curses not named in the Bible : for that is observable, Deut. xxviii. 36. every plague that is not written in the book shall light upon him : there are strange punishments to the workers of iniquity, Job xxxi. 3. Is not destruction to the wicked, a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity ? since it bringeth the sinner to little ease : little ease at death, little etse at the day of judgment, and little ease in hell, tribulation and anguish : the word in the Greek is skraMoTelivatc, little ease to every soul that doth iniquity. 0 my belayed, will you promise me to look upon sin, and consider it in all its woeful consequence, as the fattier, mother, and womb, out of which come external, eternal, and internal straits ? more particularly there are twelve sins I especially command you to take heed of and avoid.
Take heed of covetousness : the love of the world will pierce you through with many sorrows ? the love of money is the root of all evil; the love of the world drowns men in perdition.
Take heed of the sin of pride ; into what a woeful strait did pride "bring Haman ! God crossed ban in what he most desired ; God made him hold the .stirrup, while Mordecai rode in triumph ; and God hanged him on the gallows which be had made for Mordecai.
Take heed of drunkenness; look not on the wine when it gives its colour in the cup, &c. Drunkenness will bring you into snares, it will bite like a serpent, and sting like an adder.
Take heed of disobedience and. rebellion against the commandments of God ; it brought Jonah to the three nights and three days in the whale's belly.
Take heed of fornication and adultery, and all un. cleanness; this brought Samson to a woeful strait ,• this brought David and Solomon into great perplexity.
Take heed of oppression, and all acts of injustice ; this brought Ahab into great straits, insomuch that the dogs licked his blood.
Take heed of unnecessary familiarity with wicked men: this brought Jehoshaphat into a great strait. -
Take heed of misusing the prophets of God; this. made God destroy the children of Israel without remedy. Chron. xxxvi. 15, 16.
0. Take heed of coming profanely to the Lord's table : this brought the church of Corinth into great distress, insomuch as the apostle saith, " For this cause many among you are sick, and many weak, 'and many fallen asleep!'
10. Take heed of loathing the manna of your souls ; this brought the children of Israel into woeftil misery, that -God destroyed all their carcases in the wilderness, srve Joshua and Caleb.
Tate heed of slighting the gospel ; this brought Queen Mary's persecution, and many godly and learned men fled for religion's, sake out of the land ; and ntfrditfulness under the gospel in King Edward the Sixth's time, brought the persecution in Queen Mary's time.
IL "rate 'heed of losing your 'first love; that makes 'rod threaten to take away his candlefitick:
It. Take heed of profaning the Christian sabbath, which is much profaned every where'; a day that Christ by his resurrection Trom the dead bath consecrated to be kept holy to God. 'Certainly if the Jews were so severely punished for 'breaking the sabbath, which was set apart in memory of the creation, surely God will sereel-0y punish those that break the sabbath, set apart in memory of Christ's resurrection. May be some will say, I have committed many of these sins, but am not brought into any strait. Remember, it was nine months after David had numbered the people 'before be was in this strait ; but as sure as God is in heaven, sin will. 'bring straits sooner or later ; though one sin a hundred years, yet shall he be accursed ; may be thy prosperity makes way for thy damnation ; and this is toy greatest -distress, that Thou guest on in in and prosperity.
Use 3. If sin bringeth a nation into marvellous labyrinths, learn what great cause we have to fear that God shall bring this nation into great distress, because of the great abominations that are committed in the midst of it. Our king and sovereign was in a great strait in the days of his banishment, 'but God bath delivered him. God bath delivered this nation out of great straits; 'but alas, we requite God 'evil for good, and instead of te-penting of old sins, 'we corirmit new sins. I am tow there 'are new oaths invented, oaths not fit to be named in any place, much less 'here. Certainly the Arunkepness and adultery,the oppression and injustice, the 'bribery and sabbath=breaking, 'the vain and wicked swearing and fon. swearing, this nation is guilty of, must of necessity provoke God to say 'of us, as he did of them in Jer. xv. 29. " Shall not visit for these things, saitih 'the Lort11? Shall not my soul be avenged an such a nation as this'?" 'God will not only 'punish us, 'but Ise. avenged on us. There'is no way to avoid a national desolation 'but 'bra 'national reformation.
Lastly, Learn what cause you of 'this congregation and parish, have to expect than God should bring you into great straits, because of yotir great unthatikfulness and unfruitfulness under 'the means of grace, you that have so long enjoyed the gospel ; you have had the gospel in this place in great 'abundance; Dr. Taylor she served an apprenticeship in this -place; nr. 'Stoughton served another apprenticeship, and through mercy, have served 'three apprenticeships memory of Christ's resurrection. May be some will say, I have committed many of these sins, but am not brought into any strait. Remember, it was nine months after David had numbered the people 'before be was in this strait ; but as sure as God is in heaven, sin will. 'bring straits sooner or later ; though one sin a hundred years, yet shall he be accursed ; may be thy prosperity makes way for thy damnation ; and this is toy greatest -distress, that Thou guest on in in and prosperity.
Use 3. If sin bringeth a nation into marvellous labyrinths, learn what great cause we have to fear that God shall bring this nation into great distress, because of the great abominations that are committed in the midst of it. Our king and sovereign was in a great strait in the days of his banishment, 'but God bath delivered him. God bath delivered this nation out of great straits; 'but alas, we requite God 'evil for good, and instead of te-penting of old sins, 'we corirmit new sins. I am tow there 'are new oaths invented, oaths not fit to be named in any place, much less 'here. Certainly the Arunkepness and adultery,the oppression and injustice, the 'bribery and sabbath=breaking, 'the vain and wicked swearing and fon. swearing, this nation is guilty of, must of necessity provoke God to say 'of us, as he did of them in Jer. xv. 29. " Shall not visit for these things, saitih 'the Lort11? Shall not my soul be avenged an such a nation as this'?" 'God will not only 'punish us, 'but Ise. avenged on us. There'is no way to avoid a national desolation 'but 'bra 'national reformation.
Lastly, Learn what cause you of 'this congregation and parish, have to expect than God should bring you into great straits, because of yotir great unthatikfulness and unfruitfulness under 'the means of grace, you that have so long enjoyed the gospel ; you have had the gospel in this place in great 'abundance; Dr. Taylor she served an apprenticeship in this -place; nr. 'Stoughton served another apprenticeship, and through mercy, have served 'three apprenticeships and half another amongst you ; you have bad the spirit of God seven and thirty years in the faithful ministry of the word, knocking at the door of your hearts, but many of you have hardened your hearts. Are there not some of you, I only put the question, that begin to loath the manna of your souls, and to look back towards Egypt again? Are there not some of you have itching ears, and would fain have preachers that would feed you with dainty phrases, and begin not to care for a minister that unrips your consciences, speaks to your hearts and souls, and would force you into heaven by frighting you out of your sins ? Are there not some of you, that by often hearing sermons, are become sermon-proof, that know how to sleep and scoff away sermoni? I should be glad to say, there are but few such ; but the Lord knoweth there are too many that by long preaching, get little good by preaching, insomuch that I have often said it, and say it now again, there is hardly any way to raise the price of the _gospel-ministry, but by the want of it : And that I may riot flatter you, you have not profited under the means you have enjoyed, therefore you may justly expect God may bring you into a strait, and take away the gospel from you : God may justly take away your ministers by death, or other ways. Have you not lest your first,love ? Why did God take away the gospel from the church of Ephesus, but because they lost their first love I Are you not like, the church of Laodicea, that was neither hot nor cold ? therefore God may justly spew you out of his mouth. What God will do with you I know not; a few weeks will determine: God can make a great change in a little time; we leave all to God; but in the mean time let me commend one text of scripture to you, Jer. xiii. 16 ; " Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of .death, and make it gross darkness." Verse 17. " But if you will riot hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for
your pride, and mine eyes shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock is carried away cap. tive." Give glory to God by confessing and repenting of your sins, by humbling' your souls before the Lord, before darkness come, and who knoweth but this may prevent darkness ?
