Use 1

USE. I.

This doctrine affords us a rule of probable conjecture, what God will do with a professing people, when his judgements are upon them for their barrenness. Whether he be like to proceed in a way of anger or to suspend his wrath. All serious souls are thoughtful at such a time, what God intends to do, and would be very glad if he would show them a token for good. It is true, the best and most desirable token is, when his judgements work them up to an universal repentance and reformation: that says that God will certainly return to them, and do them good. But mean while, it is no contemptible presage that God will yet spare, and delay to execute all his wrath on such a people if he produce these two things in his servants.

1. If he makes them earnest and importunate with him to spare his people. When God had given that advice (Joel 2:17), we have that animadversion made upon it, verse 18: then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people. Where there is a real praying ministry in a place, though God may afflict, and sorely chasten such a people, for their provocations, yet there is great hope that he will not lay them waste. He must call these off, and stop their mouths before he can do that work; these, like Jacob, have power with God, and their fervent prayers of faith, with which they do importunately and unweariedly follow him to hold hands; especially when that is in conjunction.

2. That he quickens them to be more solemn in their work, when they are much enlivened in their ministry which he has committed to them. When they do imitate Christ's mediation in both parts of it, they pray hard to God to pardon and heal his people, and they as earnestly warn and entreat sinners to repent: this speaks as if God were resolved to renew the treaty with his people, and for that reason, spirits his servants rightly for the duty incumbent on them in the management of it. Let all then that fear God, and tremble at his judgements, pray hard to him, that he would thus pour out of his Spirit upon his ambassadors, in this the day of his sore controversy with us: that when there are so many indications of his anger and dark clouds impending over us, in respect to the whole state of our affairs, there may be this dawn of the light of God's countenance upon us, to encourage us to hope and believe that he will not thus leave us nor forsake us.