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Location:
6425 Jefferson Rd. For
directions, click here.
GOD
AND NATURAL
DISASTERS From by
Charles Wesley Whatever
the natural cause of earthquakes
may be, sin is the moral cause.
This cannot be denied by any who
believe the Scriptures. "The
earth trembled and quaked; the very
foundations also of the hills shook,
and were removed, because he was wroth"
(Ps. 18:7). So
also the Prophet Isaiah: "I will punish
the world for their evil, -- and will
lay low the haughtiness of the
terrible: -- Therefore I will shake the
heavens, and the earth shalt remove out
of her place, in the wrath of the Lord
of host, and in the day of his fierce
anger" (Isa. 13:11, 13). And
again, "Thou shalt be visited of the
Lord of hosts with thunder, and with
earthquake, and great noise" (Isa.
29:6). We
cannot conceive that the universe would
have been disturbed by these furious
accidents before sin. Therefore reason,
as well as faith, sufficiently assures
us that such disasters must be the
punishment of sin, and the effect of
that curse which was brought upon the
earth by the original transgression.
Nothing
can be so affecting as this judgment of
earthquakes when it comes unexpectedly
as a thief in the night, when there is
no time to flee, or method to escape,
or possibility to resist; when no
sanctuary or refuge remains, when the
earth opens suddenly, and becomes the
grave of whole families, streets, and
cities. There is only the difference of
a few hours or minutes between a famous
city and none at all! When
God makes the mountains tremble, and
the earth shake, shall not our hearts
be moved? "Fear ye not me? saith the
Lord; and will ye not tremble at my
presence?" (Jer. 5:22). Will
you not fear Him who can thus suddenly
turn a fruitful land into a barren
wilderness; an amazing spectacle of
desolation and ruin? O
that His fear might this moment fall
upon all you who hear these words;
constraining every one of you to cry
out, "My flesh trembleth for fear of
thee; and I am afraid of thy
judgments!" (Ps. 109:10). Repent,
and bring forth fruits meet for
repentance; let us break off our sins
this moment. "Therefore
now, saith the Lord," who is not
willing any should perish, "turn ye
unto me with all your heart, and with
fasting, and with weeping, and with
mourning; and rend your heart, and not
your garments, and turn unto the Lord
your God; for he is gracious and
merciful, slow to anger, and of great
kindness, and repenteth him of the
evil. Who knoweth if he will return and
repent, and leave a blessing behind
him?" (Joel 2:12-14). God
waits to see what effect His warnings
will have. He has no pleasure in the
death of him who dies. God
warns you of the approaching judgment,
that you may take warning, and escape
it by timely repentance. He lifts up
his hand, and shakes it over you, that
you may see it, and prevent the final
stroke. He
tells you, "Now is the axe laid unto
the root of the trees" (Matt. 3:10).
Therefore repent; bring forth good
fruit; and you shall not be hewn down,
and cast into the fire. O do not
despise the riches of His mercy, but
let it lead you to
repentance! How
slow is the Lord to anger! How
unwilling to punish! By what leisurely
steps does He come to take vengeance!
How many lighter afflictions before the
final blow! If we
provoke Him to lay waste our earth, and
turn it upside down, and overthrow us,
as He overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
shall we not have procured this unto
ourselves? If we perish at last, we
perish without excuse; for what could
have been done more to save us?
Yes,
you have now another call to
repentance, another offer of mercy. In
the name of the Lord Jesus, I warn you
once more, as a watchman over the house
of Israel, to flee from the wrath to
come! The
Lord was in the earthquake, and He put
a solemn question to thy conscience:
"Are you ready to die?" "Is your peace
made with God?" If
the earth just now were to open its
mouth, and swallow you up, what would
become of you? Where would you
be? Believe
on the Lord Jesus, and you shall yet be
saved. Confess with a broken heart your
unbelief; your having rejected, or not
accepted, Jesus Christ as your only
Saviour. Until
you repent of your unbelief, all your
good desires and promises are vain, and
will pass away as a morning cloud. The
vows which you make in a time of
trouble, you will forget and break as
soon as the trouble is over and the
danger past. But
if you repent and believe, then you are
justified by faith. You will have peace
with God, and will rejoice in hope of
His glorious appearing. He
who believes hath the earnest of heaven
in his heart; he has love stronger than
death. Death to a believer has lost its
sting. Therefore will he "not fear,
though the earth be removed, and though
the mountains be carried into the midst
of the sea" (Ps. 46:2). For
he knows in whom he has believed; and
that "neither life nor death shall be
able to separate him from the love of
God which is in Christ Jesus his Lord."
Come,
then, to the Author and Finisher of
faith, confessing your sins, and the
root of all -- your unbelief -- so that
He can forgive your sins, and cleanse
you from all unrighteousness. Come to
the Friend of sinners, and he will give
you pardon! Enter into the rock, the
ark, the city of refuge! He
has spared you for this very thing;
that your eyes might see His salvation.
Whatever judgments are yet to come,
those who call on the name of the Lord
Jesus shall be delivered. Call
upon Him now. Your life, you soul, is
at stake! Cry mightily unto Him,
"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on
me!"
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(Hwy. 129) in Athens,
Georgia.
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FALL
2005
The
cause and cure of earthquakes
Editor's
note: The widespread devastation caused
by Hurricane Katrina raises age-old
questions about whether God is the
author of "natural disasters."
Methodist co-founder Charles Wesley
speaks to that question in this
sermon,
first delievered in 1750. For easier
reading, the sermon has been shortened
and the language updated. The full
sermon is linked below.
O
come hither, and behold the works of
the LORD;
what destruction He hath brought upon
the earth!
(Psalm 46:8)
Earthquakes
are set forth by the inspired writers
as God's proper judicial act, or the
punishment of sin.
Judgment
and repentance
Will
you heed the warning?
Repent
and believe the gospel