Meroz Cursed

Curse yee Meroz, said the Angel of the Lord, Curse the inhabitants thereof, because they came not to helpe the Lord, to helpe the Lord against the mighty.

THis Verse containes a Curse against a whole City, and all in it, wherin we may consider these particulars:

1. A dutie that should have beene performed, and that was, a comming out to the helpe of the Lord [1.] against the mighty, the omission whereof was the cause of the Curse.

2. The persons cursed and they were the inhabitants of Meroz. [2.]

3. The commander of the Curse, The Angel of the Lord, to wit, Christ Jesus himselfe, who is the Angell of the Covenant, and Captaine of the Lords Hoast.

In the duty that should have beene performed, we may consider, first, the parties they should have helped, the Lord: secondly, against whom they should have helped the Lord, and that is, against the mighty.

In the persons cursed, wee may consider, first, what the curse was; and that I do confesse I cannot tell, whether it was fire or pestilence, but this is most certaine, Gods curse is the ruine of those people on whom it lights: secondly, wee may consider what this city Meroz was, and for that, I shall tell you, I cannot find in the whole Booke of God this city mentioned once againe, and therefore cannot certainly tell you where it was situated, onely this we may certainly conclude, that it was neer unto the place where the Lords people were in danger of their enemies.

I have begun this Text in another Congregation, I will therefore give you the briefe heads of what I have elsewhere more largely delivered, and so come to that which remaines.

First, from the consideration of the parties against whom they should have holpen, the Lord, it is said they were mighty; whence wee have observed this point.

That the mighty ones of the earth do many times oppose the Lord.

Secondly, from thence we have also observed: [Doctr.]

That Gods people should not be afraid to oppose the mighty, when the cause is the Lords. [Doctr.]

p. 2Secondly, from the consideration of the parties whom they should [2.] have holpen, they were the people of God, and yet the Lord calls it his owne people, whence I observe:

That to helpe Gods people, is to helpe the Lord. [Doctr.]

Thirdly, from the consideration of this neerenesse to the people of [3.] God in regard of habitation I observed:

That the neerer a people are to Gods people in distresse, the more is [Doctr.] their helpe required, and the greater is their sinne, if they doe not helpe them: this I applyed to our selves, in regard of that case of Ireland.

Fourthly, from the Consideration that the curse extends to all the inhabitants of the city, I observed: [4.]

That there is neither man nor woman, but they may afford some [Doctr.] help to Gods people in distresse, if they have grace in their hearts; thus farre have I gone already and now the maine point that I intend to insist upon at this time, is this.

That they are all cursed that helpe not the Lord, that is, that helpe not the Lords people in the time of their distresse; for the proofe of this [Doctr.] point, observe but that reprehension of Moses, Numb. 32. 6. to the children of Gad and the children of Ruben, Shall your brethren, saith he, goe to warre, and yee tarry here? no by no meanes. And so our Saviour, in Mat. 25. 41. will say, Goe yee cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the Divell and his angels; for I was hungry, and yee gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and yee gave me no drinke. But I will stand no longer on the proofe of the point, but come unto the use of it, which I doe principally intend to stand upon.

And first of all, is it so, that they are all cursed that help not the Lord against the mighty? then surely they are cursed with a heavie curse, that [Vse.] help the mighty against the Lord: but I hope there be few or none such in this Congregation, and I desire not to speake much to them that be absent; yet if any of you that heare me have any friends that are guilty of it, I pray you tell them what a fearefull condition they are in, that set themselves against the Lord.

p. 2But there are others, who are not so bad as to help the mighty against the Lord and yet not so good as to help the Lord ag◊inst the mighty, but stand as neuters at such times when it is hard to say, whether the Lord or the mighty will prevaile; and of these there are two sorts.

The first sort doe it out of policy, as now at this time, the Church of God in England, by reason of the mighty, hath beene long under tyrannicall [• .] government, and the Lord, we hope is now at warres with them, why there are some politicians that stand looking on to see which side will prevail. And if the Lord should now reforme this government, and so prevaile, why then they would be on the Lords side, but if the mighty should prevaile, which the Lord forbid, then they would be on the mighties side. But as Gideon said to the men of Succoth, when they refused to give morsels of bread to his people that followed after Zebab and p. 3Zalmunna, Kings of Midian, when the Lord hath delivered them into [Iudg. 8. 7.] mine hand. I will teare your flesh with thornes of the wildernesse, and with bryers, so say I to such, if the Lord prevaile against the enemies of his Church the Lord will make them smart, be sure of it, for that you will now afford him no help against them.