SERM, innumerable. Let us therefore imitate XI. our heavenly Father, both in the Intensenefs and Extensiveness of our Charity; doing all the Good we can, wherever we have Opportunity; not only to Friends (those who do Good to us) but to our moft inveterate Enemies; remembering that our bleffed Saviour laid down his Life for us, when we were Enemies to him. And let us befeech him, fince he is fo good, in his own Nature, and fo defirous of doing us Good, that he would teach us his Statutes, and enable us to obey them.

SERMON

SERMON XII

GOD is flow to Anger, and terrible in Judgment.

NAHUM i. 3.

The Lord is flow to Anger, and great in Power, and will not at all acquit the Wicked: The Lord hath his Way in the Whirlwind, and in the Storm, and the Clouds are the Duft of his Feet,

T

HE Words, at the first Sight, SERM, feem to be a Poetical Defcrip- XII. tion of the Judgments of God,

and his Dealings with Mankind; in which God is defcribed like the General of an Army, who marches out with a numerous Hoft, to take Vengeance of his Enemies, with the Sound of the Clashing of Arms and Neighing of Horses, and a confused Noife like a Whirlwind and a Storm, and raises up Clouds of R 4 Duft

SERM. Duft with his Feet. Such Descriptions XII. as these are familiar in the Writings of the Prophets, which are generally penned in a Poetical Stile; that hereby they might form the more lively Images of Things, and make the deeper Impreffion in the Minds of their Hearers.

THEY were the Words of Nahum, a Prophet of the Lord, who prophefied concerning Nineveh, the Metropolis of Allyria; the Time of the penning this Prophecy is uncertain, but 'tis generally concluded by Interpreters, that it was after the Preaching of Jonah; for tho' the Ninevites, on the Preaching of Jonah, put on Sackcloth, and proclaimed a Faft; and made an outward Shew of fincere and hearty Repentance; and perhaps, for a Time, were really affected with a Sense of their Sins, which provoked God utterly to threaten to deftroy their City and Nation; yet this good Temper of Mind did not last long; as foon as ever God had removed his Judgments, and the Rod was taken out of Sight, they returned to their former evil Ways, and committed Sin with greater Greediness than they did before. And yet, for all this, God did not presently execute his Vengeance upon them, and utterly destroy them with his

Judgments;

Judgments; but he ftill continues to be SERM. gracious to them; he fends them Prophet XII. after Prophet, gives them Exhortation

after Exhortation;

he intreats, be

feeches, threatens, ufes all the Means imaginable, to work upon a stubborn and perverse People. He never proceeds to Judgment, that strange Work, till Men have defeated all the Overtures of his Mercy, and all the Means made Use of for their Amendment have

proved ineffectual: For God is flow to Anger, and great in Power, and will not at all acquit the Wicked: The Lord bath his Way in the Whirlwind, and in the Storm, and the Clouds are Duft of his Feet.

FROM which Words we may learn thefe plain Leffons:

I. THE Goodness and Mercifulness of
God: For the Lord is flow to An-

ger.
II. THAT this Mercifulness and Long-
fuffering, doth not proceed from any
Impotency or Weakness in God: For,
as he is flow to Anger, fo he is also
great in Power.

III. THAT God will exercise and exert this Power on wicked and ungodly

Men,

SERM.
XII.

Men, when all other Means prove ineffectual for their Amendment: For he will not at all acquit the Wicked. IV. THE Manner of God's exercifing this Power, and of his coming to judge a wicked Nation and People; it will be in the most terrible and dreadful Manner imaginable: The Lord hath bis Way in the Whirlwind, and in the Storm, and the Clouds are the Duft of his Feet.

I. FROM hence we may learn the Goodnefs and Mercifulness of God: The Lord is flow to Anger; which imports these following Truths:

1. THAT the original Design of God's creating Mankind was to make them happy, and do them Good. For God was all-fufficient in himself, and had no Need of the Service of any of his Creatures, nor had he any other Motive to create them, but the Goodness of his Nature, which induced him to communicate that Happiness, which he enjoyed, to all Manner of Beings, according to their different Capacities; that, by living according to the Rule and Nature of their Beings, they might attain the End for which they were at firft created. And, to enable them thus to do,