Hosea 8
Ver. 1. Set the trumpet to ihy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law.
The prophet still continues the denunciation of judgmcntagainst Israel, with the declaration and aggravation of their sins.
“Set the trumpet to thy mouth.” Let there be a full, free, and open manifestation of the sin and the danger of Israel. The same commandment here given to the prophet, we have in Isa. h-iii. 1, “Cry aloud, sjjare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.”
Ois. 1. Ministers must not only be trumpeters of the gospel, trumpeters of mercy and peace, but trumpeters of judgment and of war. They are set to warn people of danger, and woe to them if they do not! God will require their blood at their hands. However the spirits of people may be against the free and bold work of the ministry in denouncing judgments, yet the spirits of God’s ministers must go on in their way. Luther, for the freedom and boldness of his sjiirit, in inveighing against the sins of the times, and threatening God’s judgments, was called the trumpet of rebellion. If a town be besieged by the enemy, the crying of children or women must not hinder the beating up of the drums, nor the roaring of the cannon. God takes it exceeding ill at his ministers’ hands, to be mealymouthed when his wrath is incensed; and therefore he calls the watchmen that did not give wai’ning by an ignominious name, “dumb dogs, that cannot bark,” Isa. lvi. 10. PUny relates, that, when the.
Gauls scaled the capitol of Home, the “”’ *’’ dogs which were set to keep it, being fed too full, lay sleeping, and did not give warning; they therefore not only hanged them up, but everj- year the Romans, in memorial, on that day hung certain dogs upon an elder tree in the city, ci-ucii’ying them alive, by way of punishment, as it were; and upon this ground it is thought that the Romans so hated that kind of death. And therefore the death that Christ died was the more cursed. God is exceedingly provoked against his watchmen if they give not warning.
Obs. 2. God’s ministers must not be weary of their work, though they see little good result. Hosea had proclaimed war before this, in the name of the Lord, but he must do it again; so far from being wearj% or discouraged, his spirits must rise in intenseness, strength, and fervency. Before, Hosea’s voice was the voice of a man; but now, it is the sound of a trumpet Let wickedness stop her mouth, but let the mouths of God’s servants be ojjcned; yea, let a trumpet be set against their mouths, in declaiming against the wickedness of the times in which they live.
Obs. 3. The denunciation of threatening in the name of God, is a terrible sound. If men be not afraid of this trumpet and awakened by it, there is a time that shall awaken them, when the archangel shall blow his trumpet. Those who are most awakened, and fear the sound of lliis trumpet, shall have the most comfort when the trumpet of the archangel shall blow.
“He shall come as an eagle.” Luther thinks this prophecy meant against Judah, because of the subsequent mention of “the house of the Lord.” And then this eagle must be understood of Nebuchadnezzar, who is called an eagle, Ezek. xvii. 3; Jer. xlviii. 40. But rather I think it refers to the Assyrian, for the prophet here is prophesying against the ten tribes, and seems to take away the two great confidences on which they leaned, which were these:
First, That they had made a league with Egypt, which was nigh; as for the Assp-ian, he was a great way off, and there was not so much danger to be apprehended from the Assyrians.
Secondly, They imagined they had “the house of the Lord” with them, and worshipped the true God. Now the prophet takes away these two. “He shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord;” that is, the AssjTian; Shalmaneser is called an eagle, because he w’as to come with an army. It may be his ensign was an eagle, or, as some parts of armies are called wings, so here an amiy is compared to an eagle. To show to them that their danger is not so far off as they imagined, “He shall come as an eagle,” that is, swiftly, with mighty force and vehemency. He shall have an eagle’s spirit, an eagle’s eye: the eagle is quick-sighted, and the spirit of an eagle is not easily daunted. Yet it is observable, that in the law the eagle was an unclean bird, though the king’ of fowls, and of a brave spirit; God would not have the eagle offered in sacrifice, but rather the dove. God often regards not eagles’ spirits, those that soar aloft and fly on high, but receives dove-like spirits, such as are of a meek and quiet temper. But “he shall come as an eagle,” swiftly, that is upon the prey before it is aware.
Obs. 4. Men flatter themselves when danger is at a distance from them. If it be not just upon them, they think themselves safe; but God can bring evil suddenly and irresistibly upon them. “He will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly,” Isa. v. 26. Gaulter applies this place to the Turks coming suddenly from the uttermost part of Europe, yea, from Asia, into Germany, and so into Spain, Sicily, and Italy. God, to punish the contempt of the gospel, brought them suddenly upon them. However, the Lord has delivered us hitherto from foreign nations; we think ourselves secure because God has put work enough into their hands for the present, with the Danes, French, and Spaniards; but how easy is it for the Lord in an instant, even when there is no fear of them at all, to bring them swiftly!
06s. 5. All the swiftness, fierceness, quick-sightedness, md spirit of an enemy is fi’om the Lord. If an enemy be swift in his course, quick-sighted and fierce, and has a strong spirit, we are to attribute it to the Lord.
Obs. 6. Wicked men, in satisfying their rage and malice, are as eagles; much more should we be in our service for God. If they, to satisfy then- rage, are as eagles, we should imitate them in this, and even be much more so, in the service of God.
“He shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord.” Interpreters differ much about this phrase, “against the house of the Lord.” Because Hosea prophesied against the ten tribes, Luther and others think that this clause must be meant against Judah. as if God, threatening Israel, should say. Do not you think to escape, for the enemy shall come as an eagle, even “against the house of the Lord.” But we need not strain it so, for it may be meant against the ten tribes notwithstanding this expression, and for this reason: because they called the eminent place, where one of their calves was set up, Beth-el, the house of God; and
so ironically here the houses of their idols may be called “the house of the Lord,” because they chose those houses and places instead of the house of the Lord. “He will come against the house of the Lord;” that is, against that which you account so: but I think that is not satisfactory, but rather this; the church of Israel, though very corrupt, yet, before their actual divorce, is called “the house of the Lord:” so that from thence the note is,
06s. 7. God does not presently cast away a church so as to unchurch it, though it be guilty of many heinous sins. Great sins do not ipso facto unchurch a church, therefore there should be much patience before any decline from a church by way of renouncing it.
06s. 8. It is a high expression of the privilege of a ti’ue church, yea, though it be very corrupt, that it is the house of the Lord. But you will say. What do you mean by a true church? I take it for the present nothing but this; Any united company of saints who set up what ordinances of God they know, is a church, wherever it is; and here God dwells, here God keeps house; and it is good keeping house with God. He is worse than an infidel that provides not for his own house; certainly God will provide for his own house. Sloses was faithful in all the house of God, that is, in all the chm-ch of God. What, then, though thou dwellest in a poor cottage, if thou art a member of the church of God, if God give thee this blessing, to dwell in his own house, you are well enough. In Psal. xxvi. 8, “Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dfl-elleth.” The church is not only God’s house, but the house wherein the honour of God dwells. Princes may have some houses where they retire for a time, but they have some principal houses to show their magnificence and glory; and such a house is the church of God to the Lord. All, then, who are in the church, especially officers, must behave themselves and be faithful in it as in the house of God: “He shall come against the house of the Lord.”
Obs. 9. Though we are God’s house, yet the enemies may be suffered to come upon us. It will not profit us, if we transgress the covenant. Joab was plucked from the horns of the altar; and so may we be plucked even out of the house of God. God’s own house is no security to sin and wickedness. ’ “Because they have transgressed my covenant.” God loves to clear his justice, and to show the cause of the evil that comes upon us: he would have it clearly charged upon ourselves, that they may not put it off to God’s decree, that they were predestinated to such and such evils. The Lord has his time to charge all the evils that come upon sinners upon themselves; Thy destruction is of thyself. The bond between God and his church is his covenant, and all the good or evil of a church depends upon the covenant; and therefore it was the way always of the people of God, when they were far declined from God, to return to him by way of renewing covenant. “All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant,” Psal. XXV. 10; especially now all our good depends upon the covenant, more than formerly the good people of the Jews did, because the Lord has sealed the covenant with the blood of Jesus Christ actually, which was not so then. But we had this expression formerly, when we opened the covenant of the Jews, and showed what kind of covenant it was.
“And trespassed against my law.” ij;u’3 »rnin-Sjf Calvin saith, that, further to convince them, and show that it was not through ignorance they transgressed, they could not say, Lord, what is thy covenant? For, saith God, I made it known clearly in my law, they had it plainly set out in ray law. The heathen can know the mind of God only by looking into the book
AN’ EXPOSITION OF
of the creature, where it is written but very darkly, and they can see but little of it there. Yes. saith God, but my people have my law, where my mind is %Titten plainly; they may see it, and know what my covenant is with them, and therefore their sin is so much the greater, they have transgressed against my law. The Seventy translate these words, koI Kara tov vojiov fiov ^aijiii’jav, and against my law they have dealt ungodhly: the words seem especially to refer to the worship of God commanded in the law, they have not worshipped me according to my instituted worship; for though God looks at every part of his law, yet more especially at that which relates immediately to his worship. lycB properly signifies, they have prevaricated against my law, they have made a show that they would do what my law requires, but they do quite contrary. “What people is there in the world l)ut will make some show that they would obey God’s law? no people but say it is fit that they should be obedient to God’s law; still what variety of opinions and practices are there among men, and yet all will father their opinions and practices upon God’s law; and mark, but they prevaricate in this; they pretend one thing, but go quite the contrary way: and this is that which God charges upon his people, on account of which he would send his enemies, even an eagle, upon them.
Ver. 2. Israel shall cry unto me, My God, ue know thee.
In the Hebrew the words somewhat differ from our translation, there Israel is placed first, but in the Hebrew last, Ss’nw T^V’ ‘^^i* VV’ ‘’^ ‘^’” “‘’^ *’^^5’ ^’^^” cry. My God, we know thee, Israel. The words thus read have more elegance in them, and hint some observations that would hardly arise from our version.
If you read it as it is in our Bible, then it is only a speech of God to them.
But if you read it according to the Hebrew, To me they shall cry. My God, we know thee, Israel, they seem to put God in mind who they were; as if they said. We are Israel, who know thee, remember we are not strangers to thee; They shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee, Israel. It is Israel that cries to thee, O my God!
Or, as if they put God in mind of their father Israel, in whom they placed confidence; They shall cry to me, My God, we know tlice, Israel; O remember our father Israel, and deal graciously with us for his sake. Just like those who cried, “AVe have Abraham to our father;” so this people, in the time of their affliction, would cry to God that they had Israel to their father, who prevailed as a prince with God; and therefore they nope they shall fare the better for Israel.
Or thus, They shall cry to me. My God, we know thee, Israel; that is, ,we know thee to be the God of Israel, we have known thy ways in former times for the good of thine Israel. Remember, Lord, how thou hast wrought for them, and work now for us in the same manner. Thus there is more in this word, Israel, if you set it in the last place in the verse, than if you set it in the beginning.
Obs. 1. In affliction men see their need of God. So the Chaldee paraphrase upon this place, When I bring straits upon them, they always pray before me, and say, Now we see plainly that we have no other God besides thee; O, redeem us, because we are thy people Israel.
Obs. 2. Even hjniocrites and the vilest wTCtclies, in the time of their distress, will claim interest in God, and cry to him. Those who have departed most from him, will be ready to claim an interest in him in their distress. M’hat impudence was it for this people, who
had so grossly departed from God, and so contrary to their light, to come boldly and claim their interest in him in the time of their affliction! Truly, we see the same spirit in men at this very day, the most wicked and ungodly man or woman will be ready in afflictions to claim interest in God. I appeal to you, if one should take the circuit of the congregation, and speak particularly to every one. Do you hope that God is your God? every one would be ready to say, Yes, we hope he is. This is the impudence of men’s hearts, who will take liberty to go on rclielHng and fighting against God all their lives, and yet in the time of their distress claim an interest in him.
06s. .3. Know ledge and acknowledgment of God in an outward and formal way hj-pocrites think will commend them much to God in time of affliction. They expect favour from him because they have made some profession of God. “We know thee;” as if they said. Lord, we were not as others who forsook thee; we continued Israel still; we did not turn to be heathens. It is very difficult to take away men’s spirits from trusting in formality, in outward worship; We are all Christians, say they, we are not turned heathens. Oh how sweet and comfortable is it then to have a true interest in God! in the time of affliction, to be able to say, in truth. Lord, we know thee; and blessed be thy name. Lord, we have known thee; we have had experience of thy goodness, faithfulness, mercy, love, and tender compassion towards us; we have known thee an infinite, all-sufficient good; thou hast satisfied our souls with thy love; the light of thv countenance has been the joy of our hearts. O blessed be the time that ever the Lord made himself known to us; we can say, Lord, we have known thee, and, therefore, now, Lord, have mercy upon us. Let us all learn to make more of our interest in God, and to labour to know him more and more, that we may have this comfort in our afflictions, and be able to say in truth, O Lord, thou art our God, we have known thee. If hypocrites think it so great a comfort that they are Israel, what is it then to be a true Israelite, in whose heart is no guile!
Obs. 4. Degenerate children think to have favour for the sake of their godly parents. We have known thee, Israel. Children should imitate the virtues of their godly parents, and then they may draw comfort from the godliness of their parents.
Obs. 5. H^■pocrites, though degenerate, will not only think to fare’better for their godly parents, but to have the same mercy as their godly parents had. They little think of the difference there is between Israel heretofore, and that Israel now so basely degenerated.
Ver. .3. Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall purstie him.
They cry, A’e have known thee; but they “cast off’ the thing that is good;” they profess to know God in words, but in works they deny him. What is it to say, We know God, and yet to “cast off the thing that is good?”
rjt here translated “cast off’,” signifies, hath put off a great way, yea, hath abominated the thing that is good; not only forsaken the thing that is good, but cast it off with a kind of abomination.
“Israel hath cast off’ the thing that is good.” That is, first, cast off God himself, who is, as Anselm sjieaks, that good in which there J^;™i° ‘’a,°^E;. is all good: God, the highest and chief good, they have cast him off. Secondly, “the thing that is good,” indefinitely; that is, they will not be ordered by any rule, they care not for the good of any one, but only to have their own lusts satisfied.
But that which I think is most properly aimed at by this phrase, “the thing that is good,” is, the worship of God, my worship: they say, We know thee, but in
the mean time they cast off that good thing, that which I hold indeed to be the thing that is good. Hence,
Obs. 1. The true worship of God is the good thing, by way of excellence. We account our estates are goods, we speak of the goods of such a man. Are our estates such good things? Oh what then is the worship of God! The worship of God is good by way of excellence above all oui- goods, the good thing that a spiritual heart can prize, that which God delights in, and wherein his people enjoy so much communion with himself; the thing by which God lets out so much good to his people; it is the safety, protection, and blessing of a kingdom. “V^Tiere the purity of God’s worship is, all other good things will follow; that is the good thing; and it is a sign of a gracious heart, to prize the worship of God in its pui’ity, above all good things that a kingdom can enjoy.
Ois. 2. God’s own worship, though such a good, is repelled, and cast off as evil, if it suit not the carnal hearts of men. The spirits of men rise against it, they will not so much as examine things in a peaceable and quiet way, but by prejudice; because they see it not suitable to their own ways, their spu’its rise, abominating that which God himself prizes.
Obs. 3. Though at first men only leave God, forsake the thing that is good, yet at length they grow to such ripeness in sin, that they cast it off with abomination. Merely to neglect that which is good is an evil; but to cast off that which is good as an abomination, shows the sin of a people is grown to a great height, that they are near to judgment indeed. Men who have been very forward in the profession of religion, and who seemed to love the thing that is good, by degrees have their hearts di’awn from the ways of God; and now they cannot bear the sight or the hearing of those things in which they delighted. Their hearts rise against any who practise them; they shut their eyes, and stop their ears, and with violence repel the truth; as those in Jer. xliv. 16, As for the word of the Lord that thou hast spoken to us, we will not hear thee. Oh, are there not some present, who thought they had received much sweetness in the ways of God, and now have not only left them, but their hearts rise against them; and if any thing be spoken for them, cast it off, and even abominate it? Let such take heed that God cast not them off. “K thou seek him, he wUl be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever,” 1 Chi-on. xxviii. 9. O my brethren, let us take heed of casting off the thing that is good; we may pass over many truths of which God has convinced us, but let us take heed of casting off any truth, for then we are ripe to judgment, then the Lord may justly cast us off for ever.
Obs. 4. If the hearts of wicked men be so vile as to cast off God and his worship, how much more should we cast off with abomination, that which is abomination itself! How much more should we east off’ false worship with abomination, and say. Get thee hence! and, in the same manner, all kind of e•il and sin that would stick so fast upon us! “Abhor that which is evil,”’ Rom. xii. 9; abhor it as you would abhor hell itself; such is the force of the original, ‘ArroaTvyoiiVTii to jroviipbv. Thus we should learn from wicked men casting off what is good, to cast off that which is evil and wicked.
Obs. 5. Whatever knowledge we have of God, or profession we make of worshipping him, yet if we cast off the thing that is good, it deprives us of any interest we have in God, and of any comfort in crying to God in our afflictions. I beseech you, take notice of this; They “cry to me. My God, we know thee;” but, saith God, they have “cast off the thing that is good.” Though it be meant of the worship of God principally, vet it is spoken indefinitely; and to cast off violently, and that against light, any thing that is good, any truth of God,
deprives the soul of comfort and interest in God, or crying to God in the time of distress. O sinner, how dearly dost thou pay for thy beloved sin! at what a costly rate dost thou buy every beloved lust of thine, when it deprives thee of all comfort and interest in God, that otherwise thou mightest have in crying to God in the day of disU’ess!
Obs. C. When the good of duty is cast off, evil of punishment will come in. ‘• The enemy shall pursue him.” By casting off that which is good, we cast off mercy and protection; we open a door to all kind of misery: if we retain that which is good, we retam God; but when that which is good is cast off, we lie exposed and naked to all kind of misery, for God owns us not.
Ver. 4. They have set up /ci/igs, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.
Here we have then- civil apostacy, the other was a moral apostacy. “They have set up kings, but not by me.” ‘Though all government is dependent on God, yet we are to know that God had an especial hand in the government of the people of the Jews. It was not merely civil, but a sphitual, and a kind of divine kingdom and tj’pical government that God set over them, to tj-pLfy the government of Chi’ist. And hence we are to take this caution; we may easily be led into many errors, if we argue. That because the kings of Israel and Judah did so, therefore it is in the power of any king to do the same now; for certainly there was much difference between government in that state, and government now. State and church were mixed together, and the government was typical, to set forth the kingdom of Jesus Clu-ist. Therefore, though God now leaves states at liberty to set up what government may best suit them, yet that was not permitted to the Jews; they were to have only that government which God revealed from heaven, for their civU state. “RTien, therefore, they woidd change the form of their government from judges to kings, God said, they had rejected him in casting it off.
“They have set up kings, but not by me.” Some think that this has reference to the choosing of a king at first, because they cM it without God’s warrant; and so they have set up kings, but not by me. But I rather think it refers to Jeroboam and his successors; they set up Jeroboam and his successors, but not by God. This, you will say, is a strange opinion, for Scripture clearly states that it was from God that Jeroboam should be king, and that the ten tribes should be rent from Solomon’s posterity for the punishment of Solomon’s sin. So 1 Kings xi. 29 — 31. The prophet Ahijah the Shilonite comes to Jeroboam, rends the garment of Jeroboam in twelve pieces, and saith to him, “Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee.” The Lord sent his prophet to tell him expressly, that he would rend ten tribes fi’om the house of Solomon, to give them to him; and yet here it is said, “They have set up kings, but not by me.” Again, in chap. xii. 15, Rehoboam “hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the Lord, that he might perform his saying, which the Lord spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat.”’ It was from the Lord that Rehoboam gave such a churlish answer, it was from the Lord that he was left to such a tyrannical, cruel spirit, that the Lord might fulfil the word that he had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite.
Abulensis thinks that the ten tiibes for the matter of the thing did no more “^ij.’Qu’iti’s.’T”?” than was right, and he gives this reason.
Chap. VDI.
These tribes were free tribes, but Rehoboam would bring them into slaver)-, and reign over them as a tjTant; therefore they might lawfully depart from him and make to themselves a new king. And then he puts the cause, viz. a people, or commonwealth, first gave the power to kings and princes, but upon certain conditions; therefore, as they first gave power to them, so they may diminish it if they abuse it, and tyrannize over them. AVhcn a people choose a chief governor, they do not give themselves to him as a man gives to his friend a piece of money, or a horse, that is, give all out of their T)vm possession, and that he may do with them what he will, but upon certain conditions.
Now, though 1 do not altogether approve of what he has said, because at least the case between people and princes now is dliTcrent from what it was; then God challenged a peculiar prerogative over them for ordering their government; yet thus far in divinity is true: There is more reason that peo])le should now have more power to cast off tyrynny than there was, because now none arrives at government over others, orderly and ordinarily, but by agreement; therefore if the agreement and law of the counti-y be elective and not hcreditarv, or that males shall only inherit, or that they may deliver themselves from tyranny, so far certainly God allows in his word.
But now, to answer the case more clearly, “They have set up kings, but not by me; “though God had foretold that the ten tribes “should be rent away from the house of David, and that Jeroboam should be set uj), yet they did not this thing in a lawful manner, for they should have consulted with God about the manner of it, and when God would have it done. It was not enough that God foretold it should be done, but when they did it they ought to have consulted God, and have been directed by God. They did not aim at fulfilling the prophecy, for the people generally merely minded their own passions and lusts, and looked no further. Though God oveiTuled it to fulfil his ovm counsels, yet they aimed at no such thing.
Obs. 1. Vic may do the thing which God would have done, and yet sin highly against God. God would have Jeroboam set up, but as they only looked at the matter, and did not observe God’s way, God rejected them.
Ob.s. 2. In doing that which God would have done, yet if we do not know that it is God’s mind, we sin against God. Though we do the thing that God would have done in his secret will, yet we sin against God if we know it not to be his revealed will. Kow no action can be good, not only materially good, but formally also, but that is which is done in obedience to God; and that shows the dangerous condition of ignorant people, all their actions are sin, because they know not in them God’s mind.
Obs. 3. To go about gi-eat businesses without consulting with God, is sin. Even the heathens were conscious of this, therefore Publius Scipio would never enter upon any great business without first going to the capitol to pray to the gods.
Obs. 4. Alteration in civil government is a great business. God had need be much consulted, especially if there be any church work mingled with it. Never was there a time when England required such consulting with God a.s this. Now England is about the greatest and weightiest business that ever it had since it was a nation. The very alteration but of an officer is a great matter, and requires much consulting with God, and especially if it be in the church. t)ur Saviour’s conduct in sending out his twelve apostles as officers for the cluircli is very observable: he was in prayer all night before, then in the morning lie calls his disciples, ami so sends forth twelve of them, and gives them his commission; but he makes preparation in praying- to God all night long, Luke vi. 12, 13. Surely
those that are about choosing church officers, ministers of God to be their pastors and teachers, had need spend days and nights in prayer. Here they did not consult God in setting Jeroboam over them, and therefore, saith God, they have made them kings, but not by me.
Obs. 5. WTien we are about great businesses, we must look at God’s designs. We must take heed of our passionate wills, and our own self-ends, else we do it not by God. In civil affairs, a magistrate may do that which is just, but if he is urged by his passion, this is not by God: and so in church affairs, if the elders excommunicate, the party may deserve it, but if they be guided by passion and self-ends, this is not done by God. “They have set up kings, but not by me.”
And then, further, as the people sinned, and God would not own that which they set up, so Jeroboam sinned too. Jeroboam might say. Lord, didst not thou send thy prophet to tell me that I should have the ten tribes, and yet wilt thou not own me? No, God would not own him; because,
1. Jeroboam did not seek God.
2. Jeroboam did not stay God’s time. David was anointed by God, and though he had many opportunities to take away Saul’s life, and to gain thereby the kingdom, yet he would not, but waited till he saw the time was come that he should be brought to the kingdom. But Jeroboam would not do so.
3. Jeroboam’s ends in taking the kingdom were not right.
4. Jeroboam did not administer the kingdom for God, and therefore God would not own him. And so some read the words. They have not administered the kingdom by me; but administering the kingdom by their own lusts, therefore I will not own them.
Ub.i. 6. AVe can have no comfort of God’s mercies if we stay not God’s time.
O Ai. 7. When we have a mercy promised, we must take it by lawful means. “He that believeth shall not make haste,” saith the Scriptme. Many there are so greedy of ))laces, preferments, and otlicr tilings they desire, that thc make as much haste to obtain tlicm as if they feared that if they stay for the orderly coming into the place they desire, they must go without it. TATiat blessing, then, can there be in that which we would seek to get in om- haste, without God?
Obs. 8. When we have a mercy, if we improve it not for God, we thereby deny that we are indebted to him for it. God has given mee an estate, or honours, or preferment. What doest thou? Dost thou now abuse this for thine own lusts? If so, thou hereby deniest that thou hast had it from God. “They have set up kings, but not by me.” I will not own that. AVhy? Because in the form of their administi-ation they nave renounced any right I have to their government. And so the Seventy translate the words, ‘Eauroie ifiaaikivaav, They have reigned to themselves.
Yea, but it may be said. How were the people that were living now guilty of this? It was long since the people did thus set up Jeroboam, and rend themselves from the house of David; how came these to be guilty of this?
The answer is. That they, continuing and retaining the government of Jeroboam upon the same pound their ])iogenitors first raised it, are guilty of thexr sins. Children, imitating theii’ parents’ sins, contract theuparents’ guilt.
And Mercer, on this place, quotes a Hebrew, David Kinuhi, as saying, that now, when the people saw what Jeroboam ami his successors did, that they would keep them from going to Jerusalem before the Lord, and make them to serve idols, and forsake God’s true worshi]), they should have djiven him from the kingdom. Such was’his opinion: but it is scarcely correct; we can-THE PROPHECY OF HOSEA.
not do so merely for religion, except the law of the country will bearusout in it. AVar is not to be undertaken merely for maintaining religion immediately, but for maintaining those laws by which religion is established, and the civil right that men have to the practice of their religion confirmed. So wars may be undertaken; but in a place where the laws of the kingdom were utterly opposed to religion, to take up arms were unjustifiable, except those laws were previously annulled by competent authority.
But now our taking up arms is justified in this, because we do it to maintain the civil right that we have to the practice of our own religion: so that our case is not the case of the Christians among the heathen. There is a law of nature (I confess) beyond the right of any law. and the right in that cannot be given away by any predecessors. But because the mischief would be infinitely great, if it were left to every man to judge when by this law of nature he might resist; therefore there is a necessity that men should, for theh- particular, suffer, rather than so resist; it is necessary for us to stay till we be helped in some orderly, legal manner. I say, the God of order never leaves people to such miserable inconveniences and mischiefs; and therefore, in the case of individuals, they are rather to suifer, though they should be tjTanniz’ed over against the law of nature.
But certainly, a state, or country, may judge when the law of nature, and the right of a kingdom that the law of nature gives, besides that which is given by positive laws, are to be maintained. The right of the law of natiu-e is never taken away by positive enactments.
“They have made princes, and I knew it not.” They made some in a very sinful manner, and God might well say, I knew not them. But God s])eaks of them all, not only of those, but even of Jeroboam himself, and Jehu, who though in part set up by God, yet he saith of them, “I knew it not;” that is, I approve it not, I approved it not as they did it; I let them alone in their way, and let them go on: as if God should say, I neither did, nor will, take cognizance of what they do to bless them in it. When we seek not God for a mercy, when we enjoy it God will not even own it to be his.
The Seventy translate the words, Koi oi/K iyvwpiaav not, and they have not made it known to me. When we ask not God’s mind, and seek not a mercy from God, we act as if we would get it without his knowledge. We must teU God what we would have, before we presume to take it; and by this means we may go to God with more comfort for help and direction, it’ we meet with straits. Whereas, otherwise, whatsoever difficulties occur, if we should seek to God to help us in them, God would say, I knew nothing of the matter, you undertook it without me, and you must shift for yourself in it; look to it now as you can, sink or swim, i will have nothing to do with it. We are wont to put off men in this manner, if they will go and undertake a business of their own heads, and then in their difficulties apply to us for aid; Nay, as you undertook it without me, so go on without me. However, I make no question but now many thousands of the servants of God in this great business of the state, where they meet with so many difficulties, can go to God and say. Lord, we did advise with thee, and we undertook this in obedience to thee, and now. Lord, help us in our straits. Oh! it is a comfortable thing to have previously advised with God, for then we can apply to him with confidence in all our difficulties.
Further, there are these two notes from this: Obs. 9. God knows how to make use of men’s sins. They sinned, and yet God brought about his own ends by it.
O’js. 10. God often sufiVrs sinners to prosper for a
long time. Even this kingdom of Israel, that was thus set up without God, did prosper outwardly for two hundred years together; therefore this is no argument to God’s owning a business; it is but as a cipher; add a figiu-e to it indeed, then it will make somewhat; if you can warrant it is God’s work, then you may, when it prospers, have comfort.
“Of their silver and their gold have they made them idols.” See the iU success of their actions, and all because God was not sought. Whatsoever we do to satisfy our passions and lusts for our own ends, without seeking God, must be attended with bad results. Though God suffered this kingdom to prosper outwardly, yet woeful, mischievous fruit ensued upon the alteration of their government without God; it fell into, and continued in, idolatry for two hundred years. We had need take heed to our hearts that we be upright, and seek God, in setting up any new form of government, lest, though it be so very specious to our eye, that we may think that we are delivered from many yokes and burdens, yet such efl’ects may result that we may thereby be brought under a bondage still more grievous. They cast off the house of David because of the burdens that were upon them, but yet have they brought greater upon themselves; for now Jeroboam and his successors lay a very heavy yoke upon then’ very consciences, the yoke “of idolatry: the burden before was upon their backs and shoulders, but now it comes to be a burden upon their consciences, and that is worse to bear.
“Of their silver and their gold have they made them idols.” God here instances their zeal in then- idolatries; they were content to contribute their silver and gold for their idols, they had rather be without them than without their idols. Covetous spirits had rather be without God, and Christ, and his ordinances, than without their silver and gold; let them have their silver and gold, and let God, and Christ, and his ordinances go. Yet these idolaters say. Let us have our idols, and let our silver and gold go. Y’ea, they parted with their gold and silver to make them gods; but many of you keep your gold and silver and make them gods’ too.” The sun (saith Austin) is a t,, ii„ more beautiful thing than thy money, ^“^’ ShrSt.’’’ but it is not thy God. That which brings in silver and gold, drossy, carnal minds love; but if it brings not this in, they care not for it whatsoever it be. C’hrysostom has another expression: A covetous man is not delighted with the Horn’. m. beauty of heaven, nor with the motion of the” sun. Why? Because the sun does not send forth golden beams into his house.
“That they may be cut off.” The word D’3Xy ti-anslated “idols,” “signifies things that cause much labour; and then follows, “that they maybe cut off;” as if he should say, They are at a great deal of charge to undo themselves. Many men make their own damnation chargeable to them. “Of their silver and their gold have they made them idols,” saith God, “that they may be cut off.” My end was that they might be cut off’, whatsoever their end was. When we are busied in compassing our own ends, God may be workmg our ruin even by those vei’y things we bless om-selves m, and from which we expect great advantage. O consider this, while I am plotting for myself, and blessmg myself in hope of gain, God’s thoughts, and counsels, an’d workings, and ends may be cross to mme, even intending my ruin, my eternal ruin!
Obs. 11. “ATiatsoever we do, from which evil necessarily follows, is accounted by God as if we brought the evil designedly on ourselves. Surely they set not up silver and gold with an intention to destroy themselves; but because destruction necessarily follows, therefore God accounts it done on purpose. Thus in Prov. viii. 36, “All they that hate me love death.” Surely no
man loves death; but when you do cast off the instruction of wisdom you, as it were, say you love death: as here, “that they may be cut off.”
Ver. 5. Thy calf, 0 Samaria, hath cant thee off; mine avger is kindled against them: how long wilt it be ere they attain to innocency .*
“Thy calf, 0 Samai’ia.” He calls the idol a calf by way of contempt. But why is it called the calf of Samaria? We read only of two, and neither was set up in Samaria; yet here it is called, “Thy calf, O Samaria.” The reason IS this, that Samaria was the chief city; and because the calf was maintained by the jjower, and riches, and countenance of the chief city of the land, therefore it is called the calf of Samaria. Where the chief city is corrupted, the whole land will quickly become corrupt; and where that stands right, it goes well with the whole land. That is the reason why the adversaries seek to corrupt and overthrow our chief city. As all depended on what Samai-ia did, therefore the corruption of false worship is attributed to Samaria, it is “thy calf, O Samaria.” So if God had not moved the hearts of the people of this city, but we had brought popery in, it might have been said, it was the poperj- of London. Whereas, on the other side, if God please to work their- sphits to go on to the end aright, children yet unborn may have cause to bless this city, and say. This is the reformation for which we may bless London.
“Hath cast thee off.” Hath cast thee off fiom me; so some have it. But rather as you have it in your books, “Thy calf hath cast thee off.”
Obs.. Though idolaters promise themselves safety and protection by their idols, yet they will fail them at last. All you that go on in sin, know that its ways will fail you at last; as they say, the devil leaves the witches when imprisoned. When Judas went to the scribes and Pharisees in the anguish of his spirit, and cast down the money, and said, “I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood;” “‘“hat is that to us?” say they, “see thou to that.” Therefore the best way is to cast off our sin and wickedness first. But God will not do thus, he wUl not cast off his people in the time of trouble; and w hen our unbelieving hearts fear that God will cast us off in the time of trouble, we make God an idol, as if God would do as the idols did. AVe may, in God’s cause, be brought into straits, but God will never cast us off in them: when in difficulties we are ready to think ourselves utterly forsaken, but then God may be working the greatest good for us. We have a most notable scripture for that in Isa. xlix. 13, 14, “Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his ])eoplc, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.” But mark, “Zion said. The Lord hath forsaken me.” All around were in a singing condition; and God calls the heavens to sing, and the earth to be joyful, and the mountains to break forth into singing, because of the great work that God was accomplishing for his peo)ile: “But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.” And so it is with particular souls, they are ready to say. The Lord hath forsaken me; but God will’ not do so.
“Mine anger is kindled against them.” Wicn wicked men are brought into the gi-oatest straits, then God’s wrath is hottest, and then also conscience upbraids most. As men’s countenances sometimes change red and pale with anger; so here, mcta])horically, God’s anger is said to be “kindled against them.” Though the superstitious may think that outward, pompous worship ])leases God most, yet we see here that it stirs Dp his anger and kindles his wrath.
“JIow long will it be? ‘’ Men’s hearts are stubborn
in their own ways, they will not be drawn off from them; wicked men will be true to their own principles.
Obs. 2. There is a stubborn constancy in evil, as well as a gracious constancy in good. “How long will it be?”
obs. 3. God is very patient: “the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and long-suffering.”
Obs. 4. Continuance in sin is no excuse, but an aggravation of sin, it makes it grievous to God. When God chastises us, we are ready to cry, “How long, Lord?” “Will he retain his anger for ever?” Know, that our continuance in sin is as great a burden to God’s Spirit; he cries out, When will they be made clean? when shall it once be? “O Jerusalem, wash thine heart fiom wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?” Jer. iv. 14.
“Ere they attain to innocency.” The words are nV ypi ^S3V they cannot innocency, that is, they are so deeply engaged that they cannot attain to innocency: when men are engaged in evil ways they cannot deliver themselves. The obsenations are,
Obs. 5. We should take heed of engagements in
that which is evil.
Obs. 6. K, by custom in evil, we have no power to ’ get out, this will not excuse us. In 2 Pet. ii. 14, “Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin;” this is the aggravation of sin, not its excuse. A learned man of late renders this, they cannot bear innocency: and indeed, ac- ^“mliMc’l’i’.am.”’ cording to the Hebrew, this may as well as any thing else be added for explication; for, as we have observed, the original is, they cannot innocency, the word attain not being in the Hebrew; and to this he gives the following interpretation, suiting very well with the time wherein Hosea prophesied; They cannot bear with those who will not join with them, but will go to Jerusalem to worship, and who seek to fi-ee themselves from defilements in the service of God. There is nothing in the world wherein men can less bear one with another, than in dissensions about the worship of God, and commonly the nocent party is the most bitter; as the Lutherans were worse in their ways than the Calvinists, especially in respect of superstition, but were a great deal more bitter against the Calvinists than the Calvinists against them; it was a saying of Calvin, Though Luther should call me devil, yet I would honour him as a servant of Jesus Christ.
The word ]’p3 here translated “innocency,” signifies purity, or cleanness: whatsoever holiness may seem to be in false worship, yet is it not clean; but God’s worship is clean, “the fear of the Lord is clean:” such wickedness attends it, as if God should say. You are never like to wash off the guilt of it as long as you live. It is not so easy as men think, to get off the guilt of superstitious worship. We cannot but acknowledge, to our own shame, that we have formerly sullied ourselves with superstition: we had need wash and rinse oln- hearts again and again, and be willing to lay abroad a frosting whole nights, that we may be cleansed from the filth that we have contracted; yea, we should not think it much, nor marvel, though the fire of God’s wrath come out against us and burn hot and long; if it be but to purge, and not to destroy us, it is well: for it is not easy to be cleansed from superstition; it is only the blood of the immaculate Lamb that is able to wash away its stains; its filth sticks very fast.
Ver. 6. For from Israel was it also: the trorkman made it; therefore it is not God: but the culf of Samaria shall he broken in pieces.
The prophet proceeds in his conviction of Israel’s sin, with the threats of God against it.
“l’’or from Israel was it.” That is, their idolatry
was from themselves; it was hard to get them off from their idolatrous worship, for it was from themselves. Others worshipped idolatrous images, as being deceived, being made to believe that they came from their gods; as that wise town clerk of Ephesus, in his grave, sage speech, Acts xix. 35, said, their image “fell down from Jupiter;” or else they were such as were brought from the temples of other people, whose original they knew not. But, saith God, My people are more sottish than any, for from Israel themselves come these their images that they worship, they have set them up themselves; they know that the other day they were but pieces of wood, overlaid with gold and silver; for their calves were idols that Israel invented themselves, not the same (as some think) with the Egyptian Apis, for that idol was a live bullock with several spots and divers things wherein it differed from the calves that Israel worshipped, so that the calves of Israel’s worship were their own invention. Hence there are these notes:
06.?. 1. None are so sottish in wickedness as apostates. Israel was more sottish than any people.
Obs. 2. To be devisers and inventors of evil, and especially of any thing false in the worship of God, is a great aggravation of sin. Those that are the first inventors and de•isers of wickedness, and especially of any false worship, are most wicked and abominable before God. It was from themselves.
Obs. 3. ‘Men hold fast by their own inventions in the worship of God. This is given as a reason why they could not be brought off from that false worship: it was from themselves. And hereby men show that they honour their own fancies and wills above the will and the mind of God: we will a great deal more easily part with the worship of God that comes from God, than with worship that comes from ourselves.
“Also.” “For from Israel was it also.” There is somewhat in that “also;” and it is this. As formerly in the wilderness they set up a calf, so here again, “from Israel was it also.” Former examples of God’s wrath against their progenitors will not deter them, they still follow the guise of their ancestors in false worship.
Obs. 4. No sin is more hereditary than idolatry. “From Israel also.” Hence, the second commandment alone threatens to visit the sins of the fathers upon the children.
“The workman made it; therefore it is not God: but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.” There are two arguments, why their calf was “not God.”
I. “The workman made it.”
II. It “shall be broken in pieces.”
I. “The workman made it.” It is the greatest folly to look upon that which derives its excellency from oiu’- selves, as superior to us, and that in the highest degree; to forsake the God that made us, and to make that to be a god unto us which we have made ourselves. The father looks upon his child as inferior to him, because he was the instrument of his being, and so lie well may; and if one be maintained or raised by another, he is expected to be serviceable to him. In both these relations we stand to God, but idolatry makes men go against the very principles of reason. They fashion the idol, and yet account it their god: they are made and sustained by God, and yet forget him. Hence, especially,
Obs. 5. Man cannot by any act of his own deify a creature. They “made it, therefore it is not God.” !^ian cannot so much as impart holiness to a creature, much less divinity; all the workmanship of man, by his consecration, or any thing that he can do, cannot make stones and mortar holy, so that, in case of need, it should be a sin to put them to a common use. Man takes too much upon him to think to raise the creature so near to divinity; he cannot, by any work of his, so
put religious respect on a place, or on any thing else, that God there shall be nearer to him, or he nearer to God. Whatsoever is of man’s work, in God’s worship, perishes in the using of it; surely then man’s creation cannot be God. “The workman made it; therefore it is not God.”
Indeed there is a creation of man which the Scripture speaks of, that is called god, not truly, not God really, but metaphorically; thus in 1 Pet. ii. 13, kings and governors are called man’s creation, man made them; and you know the Scripture calls governors gods. “I havesaid, Yearegods,”Psal. lxxxii. 6; but it is added, “ye shall die like men:” this text shows, if man made them, they cannot be truly gods; and the former scripture tells us, that kings and governors are man’s creation; in your books it is translated man’s “ordinance,” but it is in the original xriaie avpuTrivtj, man’s creation. Man made them, and therefore they are not gods; therefore we must not give them the honour of a God, to subject our consciences unto them; no, neither are we bound to subject our outward estates, and liberties, and lives to their humours and lusts, iot to the mere will of God alone are we all subject.
If all the art and skill, power and riches, of all the men in the world were put together, and all the wisdom and power of angels, and all the created excellency in all things and In all creatures, joined to it, yet this surely could not be a God to us; I say, if we conceive all art, skill, power, and riches, of all the world, brought together into one man, yea, all the skill and power of angels put into him too, and if he were able to extract all the excellencies out of all creatures, and combine them in himself, yet could he not be a God unto us; because he was made. And shall we say further, God himself, by his infinite power, cannot make any thing to be a God to us; nay, if God himself were made, he could not be God: therefore, surely that which the workman hath made cannot be a God.
How vile then are our hearts, and how do we debase ourselves, to subject ourselves to every vanity, as if it were a God, whereas all the power in God himself cannot so exalt a created excellency, as to be a God to us! How vain is the heart of men that makes pleasure their god, as the voluptuous, his belly; that makes money their god, as the covetous; that makes honour and the applause of men their god, as the ambitious! Bernice and Agrippa came with great pomp, with much fantasy, fitra jroXXi/c (pavraalae, Acts XXV. 23; all the excellency of their pomp was but a show, a mere fantasy.
In this God shows the excellency of an immortal soul, that it is such, that only an infinite, eternal being, like himself, can be a God to us.
But further. This is an argument against the idol of the mass: a common priest, vile ])erhaps in himself, makes it a god: what kind of a divinity must it be? Can there be a greater stumbling-block to Jews, Turks, or heathens, to keep them from embracing the Chi’is tian religion, than this, that Christians should make their god, and then eat him? That is the first argument: “The workman made it; therefore it is not God.”
II. It “shall be broken in pieces.” “But the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces,” “therefore it is not God.” No God, surely! He speaks here with indignation. It is not God, it is a calf; as doth the psalmist, Psal. cvi. 20, “They changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.” It “shall be broken in pieces,” it shall not be able to help itself, much less help them; it shall be as Dagon before the ark, brokea all to pieces.
Jerome on the place saith, that he learned from a Hebrew, that this word (which is not a verb, but a noun, signifying, breaking in pieces) carries with it the idea of a web, such as you see at some times of the year
in the fields, upon the grass, thin webs, like spiders’ webs, that presently di.^solve into atoms; so that their calf shall, like them, dissolve and come to nothing. All the confidence and hopes in any thing we set up in the place of God, are such to us. What difference is there between such a tiling and “a strong rock,” and “an high tower,” such as God is to his people.
And again. The word signifies saw-dust, that comes from timber that is sawn, and so it “shall be broken in pieces:” look, as the calf in the wilderness was ground even to dust, to powder, and Moses made the peo])le drink of it in water; so God will serve this calf Hence,
Obs. 6. Idols arc to be broken in pieces. So God commanded, E.xod. xxxiv. 13; Deut. vii. 5; Ezck. xx. 7 i with many other scriptures; and thus godly magistrates have ever done, broken idols in pieces. And blessed be God for what has been done of late among us, that so many idols, and especially that great idol which was in the most eminent place of the city, God put a spirit into those in authority to break in pieces. This must be done by the magistiate, as those in authority alone possess power over public places.
I remember Austin in his sixth discourse on Christ’s sermon, speaking of Deut. xii. 1 — 3, sailh, First you must possess the land, and then you shall overthiow then- altars; and thence notes, That it is for those alone who have the ])ossession of the land to break the idols in pieces. In the city of Basil, we read, that every Ash A’edne3day (as they call it) is observed a festival, instead of the popish fast on that day, because of the burning of popish images. And though we have no warrant to observe such a day as a holy day, yet certainly as a day of outward, civil rejoicing, we have cause to observe those times wherein notorious and abominable idols have been broken in pieces.
Obs. 1. Whatsoever may be broken in pieces, we ai“c not to make our god. Now, all creatures in the world are subject to breaking: your estates are in danger to be broken in pieces, therefore they are not god.s; Qiat is the argument of the Holy Ghost here: yea, it may be many of your estates are broken in pieces already; oh what poor gods were they then to you! and so with any other creature whatsoever: therefore let us “trust in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength,” Isa. xxvi. 4.
06s. 8. Deifying a creatui-e makes way for the destruction of that creature. “The calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces,” because it was made an idol. If you would use your estates to fit you for God’s service, you might keep them; but if you set them up in God’s place, it is just with God that they should “be broken in jiieces.” Yea, if you set your husband, your wife, your child, your friend, in the place of God, they must be broken to pieces; broken to jiiecos, at least with respect to you. Many great instruments of God, God lias been fain to break to pieces, because that men have set them up in Uie place of God, and made even gods of them.
Ver. 7. For they have soicn the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal; if so be it yield, the strangers shall sitallow it up.
“For they have sown.” Sowing is a laborious work, and this idolatrous people were very laborious, took a great deal of jiains, about their false woisliip. Hence,
Obs. 1. Idolaters are laborious; they are willing to take pains and go through many diificulties for the furtherance of their false worship. Those that sow must be abroad in the wind and the cold. Let not us be sluggish then in the true worship of our God, let us be willing to pass through many difficulties to promote his cause.
Obs. 2. Idolaters sow in hope. Sowing is a labour without any present profit coming in by it, the benefit of the labour lies in the future expectation. We are forthwith weary of a little labour, except we receive some present return; we cannot wait for the blessing of “the former and the latter rain” upon our endeavours; we must be always reaping, or else we are wearied and discouraged. Idolaters would work hard though they get nothing for the present; how much more should we labour for God in expectation of the harvest that God lias provided!
06s, 3. Idolaters labour to maintain their false worship for the sake of posterity. “For they have sown.” Sowing is a work for the maintenance of the succession of provision from one generation to another: so idolaters are not content to enjoy their idolatries during their own times, but adojit means to continue the enjoyment to future generations. Thus we should do, and with great reason, in the true worship of God; not think it enough to enjoy it ourselves, but use all means in our power, that we may leave it to our posterity; that we may sow for posterity as well as ourselves, that we may leave a stock of provision for our children afterwards. Through God’s mercy our forefathers did so, and we have reaped the harvest of their seed; and as through their endeavours we have enjoyed much of the worship and of the truths of God, let us likewise sow for those that will succeed us.
Obs. 4. Idolaters observe their seasons. “For they have sown.” Sowing is a work that must be done in its season, or it is done in vain: so idolaters mark the times fit for the furtherance of their false worship; much more should we for the worship of God. We have had a fair season, and have seemed to be very busy; the Lord grant we do not sow the wind, as follows in the next words.
“The wind.” “They have sown the wind.” This is a proverbial speech, signifying the taking a great deal of pains to little purpose; as if a man should go abroad in the fields, and spread his hands about with effort, and yet grasp nothing but air. The wind is an empty creature in respect of things solid, therefore the Scripture often makes use of it to signify’ the vanity of the hopes and laborious endeavours of wicked men: you find several exjiressioiis in Scripture illustrative of this; as, “Labouring for the wind,” Eccles. v. 16; “feeding upon the wind,” Hos. xii. 1; “bringing forth the wind,” Isa. xxvi. 18; “inheriting the wind,” Prov. xi. 29; and here, in the text, “sowing to the wind.”
06s. 5. Many do nothing all their lifetime, but sow the wind; they labour and toil, but what comes of it? It is no good account to give to God of our time, to say that we have taken a gi-eat deal of pains; we may take pains, and yet “sow the wind.”
‘’ho are those that sow the wind?
1. Some students; men that spend their thoughts and strength about things no way profitable to themselves or others, such sow the wind; with a great deal of earnestness they do just nothing, for what they do is but a trifle, ^fany scholars study night and day, tire themselves with reailing, and musing, and writing, and vet arc no way useful; either their studies have been m useless things, raking among rubbish and lumber, or else they know not how to turn to advantage their reading and learning. And indeed it is a pitiful object to behold one who has been all his days a great student, has risen early and gone to bed late, grudged the very time of his meals, yet a useless man in the place where he is, and of no service, after all, to church or common-weal: such a man has all his days “sown the wind.”
2. Idolaters; all those who take pains and ai-e at great cost in superstitious worship, all tlielr intentions Uiat they have to honour God, come to nothing, it is but a sowing the -wmi: and this is that which is here especially meant, they sow the wuid. All idolatrous worshippers but sow the wind: how many papists are there, that dare not for their lives but rise at the hours that they have vowed, and spend them at their beads, wear out their bodies by their fastings and watchings, deny themselves the use of the creatures, wear sackcloth, lie very hard, tire theu- bodies by pilgi-image, forsake the revenues that their progenitors have left them, vow perpetual virginity, shut themselves up in cloisters! What a deal of labour and toil is all this to the flesh! and it is for conscience’ sake, with a desire to honour God, and to afflict themselves for their sins. And yet this, not having warrant from God, being but “will-worship,” is but sowing the wind; they lose all their labour, cost, and charge, all their thoughts, and devotions.
3. Formalists; such as content themselves in the outward part of God’s worshij), having no power nor life of godliness in the services they perform. You have many that do things out of custom, content themselves in the outward act, dare not for their lives neglect prayer, not one morning nor evening, nor at other times, and are often with God’s. people in fasting, or coming to hear the word; but yet all this while, not having the life and power of godliness in these their duties, they do but sow the wind, they lose all their labour: and when they come to die, and desire comfort from what they have done, they shall find nothing but the wind to feed upon, they will have no solid comfort to satisfy their souls in the day of their distress.
4. The vain-glorious; they who do all that they do out of vain-glory, who, to set up themselves among others, spend a long time in ])rayer, and an ostentatiously scrupulous observance of all rites and ceremonies, a prmciple of vain-glory actuating them throughout; these have been but sowing the wind. Men of public gifts, who do abundance of good in the church of God and in the commonwealth, but are moved thereto by a principle of self and vain-glory, lose all, they sow but the wind.
5. Carnal poUticians; these leave the rule of the word, and carry on their actions altogether by the rules of carnal policy, thinking to effect great things by theii’ devices. These, despising the word and worship of God as things beneath them, sow but the wind while they profess to be engaged in weighty matters. The peo])le here were moved by carnal policy, and God calls it all but sowing the wind: they thought they had framed to themselves a notable piece of work, but, saith God, it is but sowing the wind.
6. Such as serve themselves of sin; such as seek to shift for themselves by sinful means when they are in any straits, and forsake lawful courses to help themselves out of trouble; these are they that sow the wind to themselves, nothing will come of all the labour they take. Now to apply this:
1. The church of God may have much comfort in this, that all their enemies, in all they do, but sow the wind i they can never prevail, be not afi’aid of them.
2. Life is the seed-time for eternity; it is an evil and dangerous thing therefore now to sow the wind, to lose this seed-time, and to have nothing for our souls to feed upon to all eternity. Oh! how sad will it be when we are entering on eternity, to see then that we have all our lifetime but “sown the wind!” Bid men consider that then- actions were seeds for eternity, certainly they would take more heed what they do. ‘Jlen are very careful of their seed; what husbandman that is to sow his ground would go into a market to buy chaff, to buy blasted stuff to be his seed? no, he would buy the largest and plimipest corn he could get for seed. So should we be careful of all our actions, for they are such seed as must bring forth a harvest of eternal happiness, or else eternal sorrow; and especially we
had need look to our seed when God gives us a fair opportunity of sowing. All hypocrites, formalists, and false worshippers, sow the wmd, then- actions are but as the wind; but the servants of God, whose works come from faith, and are indeed godly, they sow to immortality and glory, their seed wUl bring forth a glorious harvest. I remember that Luther, though a man that seemed to beat down works very much, yet has this passage concerning works: Take works out of the cause of justification, and no man can too magnificently commend good works that come from faith. And speaking of a good work that comes from faith, he saith. Any one good work is a more precious thing than heaven and earth. Y’ea, he himself, though no merit-monger, yet extols good works that come from faith, and saith. The whole world is not sufficient reward for one good work resulting from faith. Indeed the works of the saints have a great deal of excellency in them, one gi-aeious work has more of the glory of God in it than all the creation of heaven and earth besides: I say, the whole frame of heaven and earth has not so much of the glory of God in it, as one good work that comes from the grace of God in the hearts of the saints; and my reason is this, because a good work that comes from the grace of God in the hearts of the saints, is a reflection of spiritual life, that is, of the very life of God, as the Scripture calls it, the life of God, and the Divine nature. iS’ow an action of spiritual life more sets forth the glory of God than any glory that God has passively; the glory that he has in the frame of the heavens and earth is but a passive glory, but here the very glory of God is reflected upon his own face, it is a glory of spmtual Ufe. A man does not account one so much honoured in an image that is cb’awn of him, as when he sees his child act as he himself acts, his own character impressed on the ofi’spring. Now all the fi-ame of heaven and earth is not so much as a jjicture, it is but as the footsteps of God, the sku’ts of his glory; but in one gracious action of the saints God sees his child act as he himself doth, he sees the workings of his own holiness and his own virtues; we show forth the vu’tues of him that “hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light,” 1 Pet. ii. 9.
3. Ministers must most of all men take heed that they sow not the wind. God has made them seeds-men of that eternal seed, his word, and they fail to sow it truly, when, 1. They are loth to take pains, or to be at the charge for good seed, they sow husks and chaff, and bring merely empty words to their people. 2. When they do take sufiicient pains, but bring their own fancies and counsels instead of the precious immortal seed of the word: in both these cases they do but sow the wind. The Seventy translate the ,„.,,, ,^ words which we render “for they have “on iveuifUopa sown the wind,” thus, for they have l’reipau. sow-n things corrupted by the wind. Those actions that pride corrupts, will never bring forth good fruit.
“And they shall reap the whirlwind.” As we sow, so shall we reap. The word in the Hebrew (Tremelius upon this place observes) has a syllable more than usual added; and that, saith ‘^^’n.^Eir he, to increase its signification; to note, that this is not only a whu’lwind, but a most terrible whirlwind. And mark, he does not say they sow the wind, and they shall reap the wind; no, there is more in the harvest than in the seed; if men will “^ sow the wind,” they must expect to “reap the whirlwind.” If thou hast but a little pleasm-e in thy sinful ways, thou must expect a great deal of misery as thek fruit. Theur labour shall not only be in vain, but much evil shall come, sudden and violent destruction. All sinful actions are like the sowing of the wind in the earth: now we know, if windy vapours get into the earth, they break forth into whirlwinds, they cause earthquakes j
A EXTOSmOX OF
so wicked actions break forth into violence and irresistible evils, and will cause heart-quakes at last. Great is the power of the whirlwind, the Scripture describes it as very great; so, in 1 Kings xix. 11, it “rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks.” Sabclicos reports, that Cambjses’ soldiers bein” at dinner in a sandy place, there arose a whii-hvind and drove the sand upon them so that it covered them all. And yet, what is the wind, but many vapours conjoined? and yet what mighty strength is in them! By the way, this meditation may be raised here: Wiat! shall the conjunction of many such weak things as vapours prevail so mightily? what then must be the strength of the infinite God, to which nothing can be added! Add many vapours together, and they form strong winds, which rend up the mountains by the roots. If many weak things put together (I say) prove thus powerful, what must be the strength of an infinite God, to which no strength can be added! But out of the words,
Obs. 6. It is just with God, that those who sow the wind should reap the whirlwind; should be brought into trouble and vexation, into miserable and irremediable distresses. You that spend your time about trifles, whereas God sets you in the world on work of great importance, it is just with God that you should have horror on your sjiii-its hereafter, when he shall make you see how you have spent that time upon which eternity depended: and you that spend your time in false worship, and so think to put off God with your own inventions, it is just with God that you should reap the whirlwind. Ye formalists, who spend your strength and time in the observance of mere external rites, and never sanctify the name of God, it were just with God that horror, and distress, and trouble should fill your souls. And you, ye hypocrites, who aim at your own vain-glorious ends, whereas you should desire to bring glory to the name of God, it is just with God that fearftilness and trembling should possess you. How many have lain upon their death-beds, and cried out. Oh I have done all in hyjjocrisy! and so horror of conscience has been as a whirlwind to their souls. Carnal ])oliticians, too, that have left God, and sought to provide deliverance for themselves and others out of difficulties by sinful courses, the Lord often brings into most dreadful straits, and, the worm of conscience gnawing upon them, they find by sad experience that they have reaped the whirlwind. And indeed we begun of late to corrupt the worship of God, and were carried on by canial policy, and did sow the wind; and how has the Lord now made us in great measure to reap the whirlwind! Job saith the whirlwind comes from the south; but indeed the truth is, we have had whirlwinds coming from the north and west, and may yet have whirlwinds coming from all parts of the kingdom; for what has the land done of late, but “sown the wind?” Let us not wonder, though God at this day speak unto us out of the whirlwind, as once he did to Job.
Yea, but many may say. That which we have sown has some substance in it, it is not only the wind, for we see that it comes to a blade, it comes forth.
Yea, but, I beseech you, observe the words that follow,
“It hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.” It may be a stalk may come forth; but, saith God, it shall be cnished before it comes to the bud. But what if it does bud? It shall be blasted, it shall “yield no meal.” But what if so be it yield meal? Then “strangers shall swallow it up,” saith God. This serves most elegantly to show God’s watching over an apostatizing ])C(ppU’ for evil, and that howsoever they may seem to prosper fur a while, yet at the last the curse of God will be their ruin.
Obs. “i. Sometimes wicked actions may seem to prosper, though God’s cmse is upon them. God may let them come to a stalk, or to the bud, or to the meal; this notes the possibility. It may come to the stalk, possibly to the bud, possibly to the meal, but then all shall come to nothing.
My brethren, we have found it so by experience; as it was here with this people, in their wicked idolatry and their carnal poUcy, has it not been so with our adversaries? some of their actions God has crushed presently; others have giown up to a blade, and have seemed to have meal in them, but then the ciu’se of God has come upon them. Oh the uncertainty and the vanity of the comforts of ungodly men! A’hen can they bless themselves in any one project? AVhen it comes up to the blade? No, saith God, it shall not come to a stalk: God watches so that it seldom comes so far. Well, but then may they bless themselves if it has risen up to a stalk? No, not then either, God’s curse is on them. But if it bud, may they not then bless themselves? Our projects, say they, begin to bud, and thrive bravely, may we not bless ourselves now? No, God still watches over you for evil. But what if it come to a full issue, “yield meal,” and they be ready even to feed upon the fmit of their projects, may they not then think all is sure? No, the curse of God pursues them, “strangers shall swallow it up.” Blessed be that God who has thus followed our adversaries: how often have they blessed themselves, and when some designs have succeeded according to their deshes, thought all was well, anel then God’s cwse came upon them! We are, my brethren, too unbelieving, too ready to fear if we heal- of any thriving in any measure of our adversaries; if any stalk appear, and especially if they begin to bud, O, then we think they ripen; and we do not look up to the great God, who delights in blasting the projects of the adversaries. As the blessing of God is upon the good actions of his people, so the curse of God is upon the wicked projects of his enemies. God may seem often to leave many a good action, but he carries it through at length, though many things conspire to crush it in the very bud. God cai’ries good projects through many difficulties, and crushes wicked projects through much prosperity.
Obs. S. To have our desires satisfied for a while, and then destroyed, is a great judgment. But that it should be so is just in God; for ordinarily we are thus in our obedience, which usually withers before it comes to any ripeness; if it get up to the stalk, it may be, it comes not to a bud; if to meal, some strange lust or other comes in and devours it. Oh how often do our strange lusts devour our good actions, when ready to be ])erfoniied! Of how many in their youth have we thought that very gracious seed began to sprout forth, and that the seed gi’cw to a stalk, and when they came to act for themselves, that it budded in gracious actions; in their middle age we thought it yielded meal; but in iheu- old age strange lusts came and devoured all. It is a great judgment for strangers to devour our estates which wo have acquired by a great deal of labour; but ti-uly, for strange lusts to come to devour thy hopeful beginnings, is a far greater judgment. Many have laboured diligently all their lives, and that which they have done has seemed to come to something; and the truth is, in the conclusion the devil has had the advantage of all.
And God seems to be out against us in some degree, even in the ways of his judgments, at this day. Thus as many of the adversaries’ projects, so many of ours, the Lord has blasted before they come to a stalk; and when they have biulded the iord has l)lighted them, by the unfaithfulness of some or others; in the midst of oui’ greatest expectations, the Lord has seemed to blast us, and what God will do with us we know not; only let us make sure that our seed be good, and though
this does not prosper, or that does not succeed, yet at last Gvld will bring the greater harvest upon us.
Ver. 8. Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.
“Israel is swallowed up.” Israel had made leagues among other people, till they were even swallowed up by them. And truly, my brethren, if great care be not had, there is much danger in making leagues with other nations, lest in time of our need they should encroach upon us, and at length even impose upon us laws. It was so with Israel; by their league with other people they at length became subject to their laws, and were swallowed up by them. And thus many of the people of God, yea, of the churches of God, by mingling themselves with the world, are even swallowed up, so that they lose their beauty, and at length no difference appears between them and those who surround them. None certainly can expect that any chui-ch in the world can continue without a mixture of wicked men and hypocrites, but it is one thing when they creep in unawares, and another when the fence is broken down, so that it is very hard to discern the appearance of a church amongst them: thus it was with Israel.
“Now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.” By these words, vessel of no pleasure, is meant, a vessel that is for the carrying up and down of excrements; only the Scripture, when it mentions such vile things, speaks euphemistically; but that is the force of the word: as if he should say. My people shall be in a vile, contemptible condition among the Gentiles, as a vessel that is fit for nothing but excrements. Thus Jehoiachin is threatened, Jer. xxii. 28, though a great man, to be as “a vessel wherein is no pleasure.” They had wasted their substance in seeking help from the Egv’ptians and Assyrians, and these made a prey of them: so long as any thing of value remained, they made much of them, but their estates being once wasted by them, they regarded them as vile and contemptible. And this is the way of wicked men, while they arc serving their own turns upon any, they will flatter and caress them, but when their end is gained, then they treat them with scorn and contempt. None, when their estates are consumed, are more scorned and contemned than professors of religion who have basely crouched to wicked men, and sought to shelter themselves under them: therefore let us learn wisdom, and venture with caution to make use of men, and not please ourselves in their commendations, if they have ends of their own to serve; when they have attained them, they will scorn you, and look upon you as base and contemptible.
Again, “A vessel wherein is no pleasure.” The Seventy translate it, axevoQ dxpTjarov, an unprofitable vessel. But there is certainly more intended in this expression; a vessel employed in base and contemptible uses; Israel shall be so employed; and thereby they shall find a difierence between my service, and the service of their enemies. Oh it is a sad expression, What! Israel a vessel employed and received to empty out excrements! Israel were a people “precious” and “honourable” in the eyes of God, Isa. xliii. 4. “An holy people unto the Lord,” God’s “peculiar people,” “above all the nations that are upon the earth,” Deut. siv. 2. “The Lord’s portion,” Deut. xxxii. 9. God’s “inheritance,” Isa. xix. 25. God’s “peculiar treasure,” Exod. xix. 5. God’s “gloi-y,” Isa. xlvi. 13. God’s “delight,” Isa. lxii. 4. Israel were “the dearly beloved of my” (God’s) “soul,” Jer. xii. 7; and yet now Israel is become a vessel fit only for excrements! Oh what a change does sin make! They were holy vessels, employed in holy sei-vices, in attending upon God and his worship, so as no people were; but now, see the
ruin and degradation brought upon them by sin! How doth sin vilify men, employ them in base services, most degrading to an ingenuous mind! A young Spartan being taken by Antigonus, and sold for a slave, whilst employed by his master in any thing creditable, he did it; but when he bid him go and empty a vessel wherein is no pleasure, No, saith he, I will not serve you in such matters; and his master being angrj- with him, he went to the top of the house and cast himself oif, i-ather than be forced to obey. And certainly there is nothing so beneath the excellency of an immortal soul as sin, for by means of it, though high in thine own thoughts, thou comest to be a vessel for the vei-y devil to empty his excrements into: and that is lower than to be a scavenger employed in collecting the filth of the street; yea, as low as if thou wert condemned to go from morning to night, to carry away the filth in thy very hands and mouth. Some men are vessels of mercy, chosen vessels, vessels of honoiu- fitted for the Master’s use: and it is an infinite mercy of God to us, when we have deserved to be cast out as vessels wherein there is no pleasure, that God should take us out of the common lump, and should employ us to be vessels of his sanctuary; whereas others are vessels of wrath, used only in base services that are beneath the excellency of an immortal soul.
Yea, some there are who have been eminent in the church heretofore, who have been vessels filled with the gifts, I do not say graces, of the Holy Ghost, but now they are vessels in which there is no pleasure. Many of the saints, heretofore, have been refreshed by those gifts of the Holy Ghost that have been in them, but now their gifts are gone, they are fit for nothing but the meanest services; yea, some of them filled with poison, vessels wherein neither God nor man can take pleasure: yea, and some very forward professors of religion, that once were as the polished sapphires, are now turned apostates, are become more black than the coal; they were as golden vessels in the house of God, and are now become “vessels wherein is no pleasure.” Demosthenes once desired the Athenians not to make a urinal of a wine pot; to employ men, that had been eminent, in base services. But now men whom God himself heretofore made use of for gi’eat services in church and state, the Lord has left to be “vessels of no pleasure.” O remember, all you, from whence you are fallen! Thy heart is now exercised upon low things, thy work, it may be, now is only to further the wicked designs and desperate malice of other men; and dost thou think to be a vessel of glorj-, to stand before the presence of the holy God, and join with saints and angels in the eternal i)raises of his name?. O remember from whence thou art fallen, and rest not till the Lord has been pleased to purge thee, and make thee fit for thy Master’s use, and to become a vessel of honour in thy Master’s house.
Ver. 9. For I hey are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers.
The Lord, by the prophet, proceeds on in his charge against the ten tribes.
“For they are gone up to Assyria.” They look not up to the high God for help, but “are gone up to AssjTia;” Assyria is higher in their eyes than the God of heaven. How vile a thing is it to forsake confidence in God out of suspicious thoughts of him! for so it was here, they retained suspicious thoughts of God, as if he would leave them in their extremity, and therefore forsook they him, and sought for help elsewhere; they expect more good, more faithfulness, more love, not only from the creature than from God, but from the very enemies of God than from God himself; yea, that people that professed interest in God, that would seem
to bless themselves in this, that God was their God, even they looked to have more good and to find more faithfulness in the vei-y enemies of God than in God himself. Let the heavens be astonished at this wickedness: and yet this evil abides deep-rooted in the hearts of the children of men.
“A wild ass.” This the Scripture mentions in divers places, as one of the most unruly, untamable, and fierce of all creatures; such as cannot be brought to be serviceable, nor to live with, no, nor even to keep company with, their owti kind, but they run up and down in the wilderness alone. In Job xi. 12, mention is made of this creature: “For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass’s colt.” And in Job xxxix. 5, “Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?” And, to name no more, in Jcr. ii. 24, “A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they piinv LB cap 40 ^^^’^ ^^’^ her.” Those that desire to know more of the nature of this beast, may find divers things in Pliny and other naturalists. But now we are only to speak of it as the Scripture
Why does God compare Ephraim and the ten tribes to the wild ass?
For two reasons. 1. To show the extreme stubbornness and fierceness of this people. Wicked men that have forsaken God and are left to themselves, not only become like to savage creatures, but to savage creatures of the worst kind, they run up and down satisfying the lusts of their own hearts irresistibly, and bear down all before them; they stamp, and rage, and are mad when at any time they are opposed in their wicked ways: this is the scope of the Holy Ghost here; thus Ephraim was when he was opposed. Do you not find many such, many that are so resolved on ungodliness and sin, that they will hear nothing, they snuff at the wind and all that is said against them, and madly pursue their own ruin? Jeremiah saith, “in their month you shall find them;” that refers to the very last month which the wild ass goes when with young, then, when great with young, and not till then, can it be dealt with. Some historians say that the wild asses are so fierce, that they will tear asunder armour of proof; but “in their month” they are so big that they cannot wield themselves, and then “you shall find them.” So, though sinners be never so stubbom, yet God has his month, and ])erhaps then “you shall find them.” When at any time you find your children, or servants, or others, stubborn and stout against whatsoever is said to them, and even raging in their madness, for the satisfying of their wicked wills, you may remember this text and creature; they are as wild asses that are alone by themselves. And of all wicked men, idolaters are the most stubborn and stout in their impieties; their hearts are set upon their idols; yea, as the phrase of Scripture is, in Jer. 1. 38,” they are mad upon their idols. Nothing can be said to those whose hearts arc taken with false worship; nothing will prevail with them without an exertion of the infinite ])owcr of God; no sinners arc more bold, more untamable and fierce in their ways; and therefore is it, that if they be opposed in their superstitions such tumults arise, stones flung against windows where God is truly worshipped, any thing in the world, they care not what. Because they think themselves condemned in their sinful ways, therefore they run like wild beasts in a furious manner, even against those that worship God better than themselves.
2. By way of contempt. As in Job xi. 12, “Vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass’s colt: ’ he would fain think himself somebody, yet
he is a most base and vile creature. And if any oi’ you be not so fierce in your wicked ways as some others are, if God has tamed your spirits by his word and Spirit, bless him for it: for all men are “born like a wUd ass’s colt,” they are mad upon their wickedness even to their own ruin. But because stoutness and stubbornness evermore proceed from pride, and none think it such a dishonour as the stubborn for their wills to be crossed in any thing, therefore the Scripture castt the more contempt upon them, and calls such “wild ass’s colts;” and indeed there are none more conteraptihle in the eyes of God than stout sinners.
“Alone by himself” This expression tends to show that Ephraim and the ten tribes would have their own wills “alone.” There are these two things implied in it:
1. That they would be under no government, but alone by themselves, and have liberty to do what they list, acknowledging no commander; and so the Chaldee l)araphrase, Because that Uiey would walk in the evil of their own lusts, and acknowledge no commander. .(Vnd thus many at this day love to be alone, that is, to live at their own hand, to be from under government.
2. That they were unfit for society, they were so furious and tierce in their ways. ‘■ Alone by himself.” Some are of such imtoward and pcrlerse dj.spositions, that they can agree with no one, so that they are only fit to live in solitude. I suppose you have met, in your families, with those that are so extremely perverse in their ways, and of such untoward and crooked dispositions, that they are fit to live in no society: to them this reproof of Ephraim is applicable.
“Ephraim hath hired lovers.” n’3n» loves. Before, they put their confidence in the AssjTians, Egyptians, and others, and now they make them their loves. Otir observations ai’e these:
Obs. 1. Where we place our confidence, there our love should be ])laced. If God be the confidence of our hearts, let our love be placed there; yea, let God be our loves, in the plural number, for so it is here, they “hired lovers.” She would fain have the AssjTians to love her. ■WTien God is forsaken, and we have lost our interest in God’s love, no marlel though there be such a seeking after the creature’s love. Men that forsake God, seek to make up what they have not in God, in the creature; as a dog. w hen he has lost his master, is ready to follow every one he meets with.
Ob. 2. The unlovely will use unworthy means to purchase love. “Ephraim hath hired lovers.” Because they had nothing lovely in themselves, therefore they seek even to hire love; though the truth is. love cannot be hued nor purchased; although men may fawn, and flatter, and crouch, that they may gain the love of others, yet if they be unlovely in themselves, although those whom they fawn on and flatter may use them for their own turn, yet the truth is, they will despise them in their hearts, and often discover to their intimate friends how they scorn and contemn them. Therefore, if others would secure love, they themselves must have some excellency and loveliness, for love cannot be hired.
Obs. 3. Idolaters will not stand upon temis if they may have their idols. “Ephraim hath hired lovers. Tills shows the shamelessness of the ten tribes in seeking after their false worship. Other harlots are hired to commit uncleanncss. but Ephraim, in its spiritual whoredoms, will be at charge for their idols. So in Ezek. xvi. 33, 34, “They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and huest them, that they may come unto thee on everj- side for thy whoredom. And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contraiT.” As if God sluudd saw, You are more vile and base in your uncleanuesscs than any in the world besides; for others
receive rewards, but you are so set upon your filthy lusts that you will give rewards that you may commit your abominations. They care not how they debase themselves, they will not stand upon honour and respect, but let them have their false worship, they will submit to any thing. Oh! why then should we stand hesitating thus in matters wherein the honour of our God and the public good lie at stake? Why should we not be willing to sufier shame and disgrace, any thing, rather than the public good should not go on, than the service of God should be hindered? If others will not seek to us, yet, if good may be done, if God may have glory, let us seek to them. Though others be never so vile in their carriage towards us, yet let us do what we can to win and convince them, let us be willing to lie under their feet that God may be glorified. If others will not join in a good work, except they may have the honour of it, let them have it, provided the work go on. Let the work go on, and if they will stand for the glory, let them have it; so God may be lifted up, let us be willing not to be seen. This is that which oiten hinders the success of God’s cause. Men stand upon terms, and will not go on in a good cause, but break off’ if others be preferred before them. If two called to carry a long piece of timber through a narrow passage, should stand striving who should go foremost, one saying, I will go fii’st, the other. Nay, but I will go first, they could never can-y the timber; if one have one end, and the other the other end, and they cannot agree which should go first, and he that goes after thinks himself dishonoured because his fellow goes before him, they can never carry it thi’ough, but must lay it down. So it is many times with a good cause, it is like a piece of timber upon two men’s shoulders, which must go through a narrow passage, and one saith, Why should not I have the glory of it? and the other saith, ‘Why should not I have the glory of it? and whilst men stand wrangling who should have the greatest glory, in the mean time the public cause is exceedingly hindered. Let us be willing to submit, and debase ourselves any way, so be it the true worship of God prosper.
06s. 4. It is an evil thing to be di’awn to false worship, or bodily uncleanness, upon any terms. “Ephraim hath hired lovers.” Hope of the greatest gain, or deliverance from the greatest affliction, should not prevail. But for a man or woman to seek after the ways of sin, to be at cost that they may have their lusts gratified, is more base and abominable. Certainly uncleanness should be cast off with indignation, though we be tempted to it with never so much
.losephusy liK snn. g^jy. j j-^^. y g ^pj UpOU UUcleaUness, so as to seek after it, and to spend their husbands’ estates that they may have free course for the indulgence of then- lusts, is a most abominable thing indeed; and yet many are thus guilty, both in regard of bodily and spiritual adultery.
Ver. 10. Vea, thotigh they hare hired among the nations, now will I gather them, and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.
These words at fii-st seem to be dark, and yet we have much of the mind of God in them, and much concerning ourselves.
“Yea, though they have hired among the nations.” This God still takes ill, that they should go to the nations for help when God had made their condition so much above the nations; for in their going to them they did, as it were, say, that all the love, and mercy, and protection from the great God toward them, was no more than the nations had; they did, as it were, hold forth to the world that the nations were rather in a better c’-ndition than themselves, in that they would go to th’*i for their help: and this went very near to
the heart of God; for God had expended the very strength of his love and the riches of his mercy upon this people, and after he had done so much for them, that they, under the pressure of some slight afflictions, should go to the nations that did, for the present, prosper somewhat outwardly better than themselves, oh, this was exceeding grievous to the heart of God! And thence the observations are,
Obs. 1. It is a very great evil for the people of God to conclude, when wicked men prosper a little more than they, that therefore they are in a better condition than themselves. This is an evil that aff’ects very much the heart of God; and yet this ordinarily prevails, in some degree or other, among the people of God. I appeal to your consciences in this very thing; though sometimes your souls have had sweet refreshing from the Lord in the enjojnnent of communion with him, yet, when God’s hand has been out against you, when you have seen others prospering, though you knew them to be wicked and ungodly, their ships coming home safe and richly laden, and their trading in a flourishing condition, do you not then sometimes find such thoughts rising within you, as if these men were in a better condition than yourselves? Oh! know that the least thoughts of such a kind exceedingly grieve the Spirit of God by which you ai-e sealed, that because they have a few loaves more than you, though you have all the riches of God and Christ, though you have the inheritance of saints, yet that you should think them in a better condition than yourselves. How ordinaiy is it, upon tins ground, for those that have professed themselves to be godly, rather to withdraw from the afflicted saints, and seek correspondence with the wicked in their prosperity! God would have his people see such an all-sufficiency in himself in their saddest condition, that they need not go out from him for help, but still wait upon him and keep his way. The Lord, by his prophet, rebukes Jehoshaphat, in 2 Chron. xix. 2, for helping the ungodly, and loving them that hate the Lord. And is it not as great an evil to seek the love of the wicked and ungodly, and ask help from them that hate the Lord? Certainly the evil is very great, it argues the very little love that we have to God, it charges God with unfaithfulness, as if, though he has engaged himself to his people, he would leave them in their need; this encourages the wicked in their wickedness, and it charges God with that which is accounted one of the vilest things among men, the abandonment in the time of trouble of those employed in our work. We look upon such men as employ others in any service, and then leave them to shift for themselves in their straits, we look upon them as vile men, unworthy to be dealt withal. Now will we charge God with this which degrades even men? And besides, it is a most desperate folly so to do; for when thou art thinking to provide for thyself by correspondence with ungodly men, it may be thou wert at that time just at the very point of deliverance. It is God’s usual way to come to help his people when they are in the greatest straits; and therefore it is the greatest folly when we are in straits to think of shifting courses, so that then we must forsake our own mercy in thinking of shifting courses. In straits, above all “times, Christians should take heed of thinking of shifting courses, because then, above all times, those are the times for God to show his mercy, and just then. Wilt thou then be forsaking him? Oh! it is that which should lie near to your, hearts. If any of you have been guilty of this, let but the word of God bring this upon your spirits this day; Oh! how do I know but at that very time when I took such a shifting course, that was the very time that God was about to do my soul good, and of doing good for my body? and yet then I deprived myself of good, that goodness and mercy of God! It follows yet,
AX EXrOSITIOX OF
“Now will I gather them.” This gathering is referred by interpreters, either to the nations whom they sought unto, or to themselves. “I will gather them;” that is, that nation; or, I will gather you. If to the nation, then the meaning is,
Notwithstanding you hire the nations, yet I will gather them against you; they shall be strengthened against you with the same money that you hire them withal, I will turn it against you: and now you have provided fair for yourselves, have you not?
06s. 2. Many times when we think to provide best for our peace, we make the greatest provision for our ruin. God often makes people work their own woe and ruin themselves, and nothing tends more fully and directly to undo them than what they do themselves; thus God overrules the counsels and thoughts of men.
What a vain thing is it to plot against God, when God can turn men’s aiTows against themselves! N’one often are greater instruments of God’s wrath against us than we are ourselves; yea, and those with whom we seek most to correspond; and it is just with God it should be so, that if we will leave him, to seek correspondence with wicked men, it is just with God, that, of all men in the world, those should be the men that wOl be made the executioners of God’s wrath upon us.
But now, if to Israel; I will gather osip« yip them among the nations. The word here eoiugtie. j-Qj. gat),gr(,(y jg sometimes used in an army for gathering dead bodies slain in battle. You think to have the nations to aid, but you shall be as a company of dead bodies in an anny, and so lie in heaps. But I find that Calvin takes it as having reference to the former verse. This people are wUd, and run up rdu »m eoi r. ‘’“‘^ down, tlus Way and that way, to shift linffKj w«. caiTin for themselves; but I will gather them, “” °°’. that is, I will keep them in: so the words
likewise may signify, I will keep them in, I will gather in their spirits, there shall be some dispensation of providence to restrain them, I wUl keep them from those ways wherein they would presently have ruined themselves.
06s. 3. People many times run headily on in evil ways that will certainly ruin them; but when God’s time for the execution of his wrath is not yet come, the Lord restrains them and keeps them in from such ways; though their hearts be set upon them to their own undoing, yet they shall not go on in them; I will pity them who cannot pity themselves. But then follows the greatest difficulty in this verse,
“And they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.” This has more darkness in it, and yet, upon the searching into it, we shall see it clear, and pregnant with many excellent truths. There are these five things to be inquired into for the opening of these words:
I. Who is here meant by “the king of princes.”
II. ‘WTiat was this the burden of “the king of ])rinccs.”
III. When was this fulfilled, that they should “sorrow for the burden of the king of princes.”
IV. ^^^ly called, “the burden of the king of princes.”
V. What is meant by sorrowing “a little.”
These five considerations will clear the text. Indeed we cannot sec the full meaning of the Holy Ghost, without in some measure understanding them.
I. AVho is meant by “the king of princes?” We are here to understand the king of Assyria, because he was a great king, whose nobles were princes; and we find this both in sacred and profane histor)’. 2 Kings xviii. 24, “How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master’s servants?” And in Isa. xxxvi. 13, “Hear yc the words of the great king, tJic king of Assyria.” And so Josephus, Book I. chap. 10, saith, That before Sodom’s destruction, the Assyrians were lords of all Asia: so that the AssjTian was a great king, and here called “the king of princes.”
Thus God suffers his enemies to grow great in the world; an Assyrian, a dog, a wicked wretch, under the cui-se of God, and vet a great king, even “the king of princes.” Luther lias such an expression concerning the em])ire of Turkey; It is, saith he, but a crumb that the great Master of the family doth cast to dogs. What are your estates then? Certainly, though never so great in the world, what are any of your estates to the whole Turkish eni])ire? And if that be but a crumb that the great Master of the family casts to a dog, you should never then bless yourselves in the enjoyment of a little of the world. But though the AssjTian may be called “the king of princes,” in regard of his power over some great men, yet our Lord Jesus Christ is peculiarly the “King of kings, and Lord of Lords.” In Rev. xix. IG, “He hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written. King of kings, and Lord of lords.”
‘WTiy was it written “upon his vesture,” and why “upon his thigh?” “Upon his vesture;” that is, he will appear openly to be the King of kings: there was a time when Christ seemed to be, as it were, a servant under the dominion of antichrist, but now his name shall be “upon his vesture,” openly. And then, “upon his thigh;” that is, upon his lower parts, his church militant, it shall have the kingly power among them for its good, so that they shall he above the nations, according to the prophecy in Isa. Ix. 13, “I will make the place of my feet glorious;” that is, the church in their low condition. He saith not, he will have the name upon his crown, but “upon his thigh,” that is, upon his lower parts, upon his people that were in a low condition; he will make the very place of his feet to be glorious, even there shall be written, “King of kings, and Lord of lords.”
II. AVhat was this his burden? “The burden of the king of princes.” This burden was the taxes imposed upon the people, whereby they maintained their correspondence with this king of Assyria. Correspondence with wicked men is burdensome, for the more they are sought and yielded to, ordinarily, the more exacting, generally, they are; and whatsoever they for a while do for you, is indeed to serve their own ends: this Israel brought upon themselves; for they would go to Assyria, and they found the AssjTians burdensome to them.
ANTicn men will follow their own ways, and think to have more ease in them than in God’s, it is just they should find those ways burdensome. I am persuaded there is not one in this congregation but has exjierienced this; when you think your ways will brnig more ease to you than God’s ways, have you not found your ways burdensome?
III. When was this fulfilled? “They shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.” For the mourning of the prophet we must refer to the history of the kings, and in 2 Kings xv. 19, 20, you find the time when this prophecy was fulfilled. “Pul the king of Assyria came against the land: and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand. And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of each man fifty .shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria.” ‘this was one burden. And then, in ver. 29, “In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath-pileser king of Assp-ia, and took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them cai)tive to AssjTia.” This was a further burden. At these two times was this scripture fulfilled.
IV. AVliy called “the burden of the king of princes?” In speaking of the biu-den that was upon the jieoplc,
THE PnorliECY OF HOSEA.
■nhy does he apply to tlic Assyrian such an epithet? It seems to be a climinution of their burden rather than any aggravation; for he speaks of soiTowing but a little, as if it should not be so great a burden as would after- ■Hards be upon them; noting thus, that they were burdened awhile with taxations from a great king, but they should afterwards come under the power, and be subject to the wills and lusts, of all kind of base people, of the very cb-egs of the nations: and it is not so great an evil to be under the power of men of rank and quality, no, not under their oppression, as to be under the o])pression of people that are of mean origin and condition, the very refuse of a nation; to come to bo under their power is a great deal worse.
And by the way, this should teach those that are of mean breeding, ar.d of mean condition, if they be put into any place of power and authority, to take heed how they behave themselves, for their oppression will be the most grievous to an ingenuous spirit. And there is a great deal of danger of their growing more oppressive than such as were born to greatness, and their oppression becoming so intolerable as to bring the greatest confusion, if not well looked to. Therefore, here, when he would lessen the burden, he saith. You “shall sorrow a little for the burden of the lung of princes.”
V. What is meant by sorrowing a little? “They shall sorrow a little.” They complained; but, saith God, Why complain of this? this is but a small burden to that which you are like to have; there is a bui’den of another kind coming on you: and hence the notes are,
Obs. 4. When sinnei’S have brought trouble upon themselves, they complain much; but when they complain, they are to consider, that what they feel is but little to what is coming after. There are burdens upon you, and you are complaining of them, as if they were the gi’eatest that ever were upon people. O sinner! when you are complaining of your burdens, know, that these burdens that are upon you may prove to be but very trifles in comparison of what is likely to come upon you afterwards; for that is the scope of the Holy Ghost here, “They shall sorrow a little for the burden;” as if he should say, There is another manner of sorrow in store: and so it occurred, for afterwards the Assyrians carried them all away captives, and the basest of all the people came to set their feet upon them; therefore saith the Holy Ghost, “They shall sorrow a little for the burden.” As the mercies of God to his saints, which now they have, are but a little, they may be said to rejoice but a little for present mercies; so the burdens upon the ungodly are but a little, but if they return not to God upon what they now feel, God has greater bm’deus than those under which they are so impatient.
Obs. 5. Taxes upon men’s estates ai’C but a little burden in comparison of being brought under the power of the enemy. Though there be sore taxes upon you, as here there were fifty shekels of silver laid upon every man that was able, yet those taxes are but small burdens in comparison of being given up to the power of the enemy; they would lay burdens indeed upon us, burdens upon our consciences, our estates, om- lives, our liberties, whatsoever we are or have must be under theii- mercy: now we are troubled, but then their- little finger will be more heavy than the loins that now are upon us; although we dare not say but some may find present burdens very burdensome.
Obs. 6. Taxes are but little burden in comparison to the carrying of our brethren into captivity. Though we enjoy our estates ourselves, yet if God lay his hand upon any of oiu- brethren, though in remote parts of the kingdom, we should account” this to be a burden. Not only their taxations were a burden, but the can-jing away of their brethren that were beyond the river.
2 B
If there were no other sin among us, it were just with God to bring the enemy ujjon us, and then we should find that there were other manner of burdens.
But there is another burden that we are not sensible enough of, and that is, the captivity of our brethren in the remote parts of this land. Oh how little sensible ai-e we of it, because we feel it not ourselves!
Obs. 7. It is God’s mercy to bring lesser evils upon us, thereby to prevent greater. You shall sorrow a little, I will not undo you presently; but return to me, or else you are utterly undone. But this is my mercy, I will bring afilictions upon you by piecemeal, and if you do not return to me, then you shall be utterly lost: for so this people were, they were carried away captive, and have never returned, even to this day. O, does God come to you in your family, or person, or estate? O let us consider of this.
Obs. 8. The consideration of little burdens upon us, should move us to turn to God. It should break our hearts, and cause us to seek the face of God, that we may prevent greater evils, that otherwise will certainly come. The Lord, in his dealing towards us, seems as if he were loth to lose us, and that this nation should perish: oh that this might work kindly upon our hearts, to prevent greater evils, that we might not be made a spectacle of the wrath of God to all surrounding nations.
But further, the words translated, “they shall sorrow a little,” are by some rendered, they have begun a little for the burden of the king of princes: and so, in Deut. ii. 25, a word that comes from the sanio root is translated. Then the sense would run thus: That which they have felt is but the beginning of what is Uke to come; my wrath is let out upon them in some degree ah-eady, and do you not see how it is begun to burn upon them? and by that which was lately before your eyes you may believe my threatenin gs. Hence,
Obs. 9. God’s judgments against wicked men are the beginnings of further judgments. In Deut. xxxii. 42, ‘• I will make mine arrows ckunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.” All this is but ‘■ from the beginning of revenges;” when I come so terribly upon them it is but “the beginning of revenges.” Vc are ready to think, if there be miserable slaughters, surely God has been revenged enough upon this people. No, all this may prove but “the beginning of revenges.” I may say so concerning ourselves, though the Lord many times has made the sword tbunk with lilood, yet it may prove to be but “the beginning of revenges.” Truly we cannot say that, from the time that these judgments have been upon us, we have begun to turn to God; yea, the estate of the kingdom is far worse than it was at the beginning of this present heavy stroke. In Matt. xxiv. 6 — 8, “Ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingiom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. All these are the beginning of soitows.”
Obs. 10. God expects from men, that though they be not sensible of his threats, yet, when he begins to execute his wrath upon them,” they should begin to turn a little to him. O, it were well with us if we did prevent God’s heavy wi’ath by our repentance. Numb. xvi. 46, “Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from ofi’ the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the Lord; the plague is begun.” Oh how should we all make haste! We cannot only say the plague is be-Chap. MIL
gun, the plague of civil war, which is the greatest of all plagues, but it has gone on to a great length.
Ver. 11. Because Ephraim hath made many altarn to sin, altars shall be utilo him to sin.
It was the charge of God in Scripture, that there should be but one altar for sacrifice; and there was another which was made afterwards for ijicense, and no more. In Deut. xii. 3, we have the charge of God that there should be none other made; “Ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.” And then, ver. 13, 14, ‘• Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt-offerings in every place that thou seest, but in the place which the Lord shall choose in one of thy tribes.” And in chap, xxvii. 5, “Thou shall build an altar unto the Lord thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them.” And according to this Joshua acted. Josh. viii. 30; and hence the circumstances nanated in chap. xxii. 11 — 34. Now, for the altar of God, I shall first show you a little the meaning of its form and structiu-e, and then the reason why God would have but this one altar. In Exod. xx. 24, there is an injunction of God for the altar of sacrifice; “An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt-offerings,” &c. Here observe that. That when God would have an altar made for sacrifice it must be but an altar of earth; but if it should be of stone, thou shalt not lift up any tool upon it. Why, one would think that to carle and paint the stones, and to do any thing to embellish them, would be better than to have the stones rough. No, saith God, whatsoever you may think of adorning my altar by canning and painting it, “if thou lift up thy tool upon it thou hast polluted it:” all man’s devices in the worship of God, though never so pompous, do but pollute. And, quite contrary to our high altars, they must not go up upon steps, that their nakedness be not discovered thereon; noting, that when we come into the presence of God we should take heed of spiritual nakedness, and the pride and vanity of our spuits in prayer. God would have them make an altar so as not to go up upon steps, lest their nakedness should be discovered. But now, in Exod. xxvii. 1, 2, you find an altar of shittim wood overlaid with brass: you will say, ■’hy was the first of earth, and the other overlaid with brass? The reason was, because that the one was to be made when they were in an unsettled condition, and the other afterwards when they were in a more stated condition than formerly, and that it might endure a long time. But mark, it must be according to God’s direction, except God reveal that it should be of shittim wood and overlaid with brass, they were not so to make it.
And then, the second altar was the altar of burnt incense, and that you have in Exod. xxx. 1 — 3, and that was to be overlaid with pure gold. That of brass it was, because there were sm-offerings to be offered upon it; but now the altar of incense was the altar just before the veil against the mercy-seat, where there was only incense offered, which was to signify the intercession of Jesus Christ, presenting his merits, and the prayers of all his people, to the Father. The i)raycrs of the saints are compared to incense; and ther« arc many things observable about the altar; it Ls said that there should be four horns, and in Rev. ix. 13, “I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God.” Now St John speaks of times that should be; lie heard a voice from the four horns of the altar; that is, from all the prayers of the saints in the four corners of the earth, a voice came forth and
did great things in the world. Certainly, my brethren, the prayers of God’s saints in all the comers of the world is that which makes the world ring. A learned man has said. If there be but one sigh from a gracious heart, it fills the ears of God so that he hears nothing else. Nay, what is in Kev. viii. 3, about this altar of incense, is observable: ‘■ And another angel came and stood at the altar, ha’S’ing a golden censer, and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.” Thus we see, that in our time we are to make use of this golden altar that is before the throne, all our prayers aae to be offered up upon that, which was a type of Jesus Christ; and our prayers, except they be mingled with the incense which Christ offered himself upon the golden altar, cannot be accepted. And likewise what we read in Exod. xxx. 3, deserves to be noted, “and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about;” to typify the intercession of Christ, and the prayers of the samts. You may see by this that Christ’s intercession, and the prayers of the saints, coming fi-om faithful hearts, ai’e accounted the very glorj’ of Jesus Christ; he regards it as his dignity and glory to make intercession for his people, and to take the poor prayers of his ])eople and present them to his Father: iie considers that his crown is set upon his head, when you exercise your faith on him, that he may present your prayers with his intercession to the Father; but when you think to be heard yourselves, and do not exercise your faith upon Christ, you do, as it were, take off the crown from off his head. The points of difference between the altar here en-I joined to be made by Moses, and afterwards really so made, and the altar appointed in the times of the gospel, are lcry remarkable.
1. Christ is our altar in the gospel. So Heb. xiii. 10, “We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle;” that is, such as shall still pertinaciously adhere to the ceremonies of the law have no right to partake of Jesus Christ.
2. The gospel-altar was larger, more comprehensiye. There is a prophecy of the altar that the church shall have, in Ezek. xli. 22: the altar under the law, the text saith, was to be a cubit long, and a cubit broad; but that which was to be in the tmie of the gospel, must be three cubits high, and two cubits long: and this imports, that there shall be a larger extent of the service of God under the gospel than under the law. Mai. i. 11 much confirms this: “For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.”
3. It was set before the veil by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy-seat It was to stand in the holy’ of holies, but just before the veil, right against the mercy-seat. And by this you are helped to understand Ilcb. ix. 4, which, as some take it seems to differ from this. It is said there, that the holiest of
all had the golden censer; by which they understand the golden altar, in which the censer was. But we .shall find that the golden altar did not stand in the holy of holies, for we read, in Exod. xxx. 6, “And thou shalt put it before the veil that is by the ark of tlic testimony, before the mercy-seat that is over the testimony.” “interpreters reconcile it thus: it is not said here that the golden censer, or altar, if we so take it was in it, but it had it. That is, i. was for the use of the holy of holies, and it stood just before it and just against the mercy-seat; so that the high priest when about to go into the holy of holies, was to take a censer and incense from Uiis altar, and so enter the hoUest of all.
3T1
But note, in thai the »ltar of incense stands just against the mercy-seat, and yet there is a veil between the mercy-seat and it: so, when we offer up our incense upon the merits of Clu-ist and his intercession, though we cannot, by the eye of our bodies, see the mercy-seat, yet we must act our faith upon it. And further, it is observable, that the incense must be burnt upon this altar at the very time when the lamps were to be trimmed and lighted: so Esod. xxs. 7: and that was to note this to us, that we are to join the word with our prayers, and not to come ignorantly to God, but labour to enlighten our souls with the lamp of his word, when we come to offer up to him our incense.
4. There is a command, that no strange incense shall be offered upon it. This is to teach us, that we must take heed of bringing any thing to God, to offer him in prayer, but what comes from the Spirit of God; only God’s own incense. Take heed (I say) of bringing unsanctified parts, or any thing but that which is from the Spirit of God.
5. Once a year an atonement was made upon the horns of the altar writh the blood of the sin-offering; though the sin-offering was not offered upon it, yet once a year an atonement was made upon it with its blood. This is to note, that even by our incense we, for oiu” part, defile the altar. And thus I have a little digressed, yet still to open up Scripture to you, to show to you the meaning of God’s altars.
But why did God account it so heinous a crime to make any other altars besides these? The reasons are these: First, Because these altars tj’pified these two things:
1. The altar of bm’nt-offerings tj-pified this. That Christ was to be the only sacrifice. There should be no other sacrifice to pacify God’s ‘wrath but only Jesus Christ, who was both the sacrifice and the altar also, for his human natm’e was offered to God upon the merits, as it were, upon the worthiness of his Divine nature: Heb. ix. 14, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” This altar did signify the offering of Jesus Chi-ist. As if God should say. Know, that what endeavours you do or can use to satisfy’ my justice and my wi’ath, it is to no purpose. there is nothing but only my Son, and that ofl’ering, that shall satisfy my WTath. And now for them to make more altars, it was to deny that great point of religion, that there was only the sacrifice of Christ to satisfy God.
2. The incense altar ty-pified this, That in Christ only all our services, which are om- spiritual sacrifices, are accepted of God. There must be no altar but this for the sacrifice, and the other for incense; God would have this doctrine kept pure from that time and for ever, that none of our spu’itual sacrifices can be accepted any other way but only as they have refei’enoe to Jesus Christ, that altar which the Lord has appointed.
Secondly, That they might be the bond of the church. Because the people of the Jews were a national church, therefore there was to be a national worship, all the nation was to join, not only apparently, but really, in the very same individual worship; and this was the bond of their national church. Now. for my part, I know none living that hold a national church in these days in this sense, that is, as of Divine institution, and joined in one, by God’s commanding any common national worship. Where there are in nations a great many of the saints of God, that they may be called a national church we dispute not; but when people talk of a national church in the strict sense of the word, they understand not its meaning. It is not enough to “have the same kind of worship, as now, we all pray and read the word in all congregations, we have all the same sacraments: but to constitute us a national church we must
have a common altar, and unite together in a common worship. If the nation of the Jews had worshipped the same God, after the same manner, in divers temples and upon divers altars, this had not been a national bond to them; but by coming up to the same temple, and ofi’ering upon the same altars, and when the sacrifice and incense were offered they were offered for them all conjointly, this was the thing that united them into achiu’ch union, difl’erent from any possible church union amongst us, till we have similar institutions. Om- worship implies nothing but a personal union, but for thousands of congregations to be bound by institution to join in the very same bond of worship, in the very same individual act, such a union we have not in these days. Unless we understand this aright, we understand not the reason why they had but one altar for burnt-offerings and one altar for incense.
But now it may be said. That it does not seem to be such a sin to erect altars, (for that is the sin charged here upon Eplu’aim, that they “made many altars,”) for the Scripture speaks of many altars that were God’s altars; thus Elijah complains, 1 Kings xix., that they had cast down God’s altars, They “have thrown down thine altars;” now this was spoken after the time of the law, when there were but only two altars appointed by God, the altar for burnt-offerings and the incense altar, and the prophet did not mean them.
Divines answer this thus. That this is spoken of those altars that the patriarchs and others had built to sacrifice upon to God, before the time that the law was given by Moses for that one only altar of sacrifice. For it was lawful, before the command, to buUd divers altars, but afterwards it was not.
Yea, but still the objection wUl be. How could it be a sin to cast down those altars, when they were of no further religious use? for after the command of God for that one altar, then the others were to be demolished. Was it not commended in the godly kings, that they cait down high places, and cut down groves? though some of them formerly were for the true worship of God, yet, after God had appointed a peculiar place for his worship, and those other places were abused to superstition, then they were to be cast down: and so there is no question but all other altars built for i-eligious uses were to be cast down, after God’s own altars were made. To this I would answer thus.
That the evil that Elijah complains of, was the profaneness of the people, their casting off all fear and reverence of God; because they ilid not cast down those altars out of love to God and his worship, and through a holy determination that they would not suffer any thing that might lead to superstition, that was not the principle whereby they were actuated in casting them down, but they were led thereto by malice and rage against religion, and to satisfy their lusts. And thus, if men oppose that which is indeed superstitious, yet not out of a true love to God and his honour, nor a sincere desire to set up and to maintain his true worship, but in bitterness and rage, merely to gratify then- own selfish purposes; though, I say, the thing be evil that these men oppose, yet God will not own then’ actions as any service to him, it is a sin in them to cast down that which should be cast down, if they do not cast it down out of a right and gracious principle: then what evil is it for men in bitterness of spirit to oppose that which is in itself good, if God account it a sin to oppose that which should be opposed, if it be through bitterness of spirit, and not through gracious principles!
Obn. 1. Man’s inventions in God’s worship are rejected of God. “Ephraim hath made many altars.” “flliatsoever is made by man in religious worship, is rejected of God; the very spirit and life of the second commandment consist in this.” Thoti shalt not make
Chap. 7II.
unto thee any graven image;” that instances but one thing, but by that we are to understand every thing pertaining to Divine worship; the very life and the very spirit of the second commandment, I say, lies in this, the making to ourselves. If God will appoint ceremonies significant of heavenly things, to raise oiu’ hearts on high, we are to use them with reverence and respect; but we must not presume in this to imitate God: that is the ground of all superstitious ceremonies, because they find God makes some, they think that they may presume to make others; now it is a sin against the second commandment for us to presume to make any thing in matters of Divine worship.
Obs. 2. There is no stop in superstitious worship. “Ephraim hath made many.” If men leave the rule they know not where to stay: hence the multiplying of things thus among the papists, five hundred altars in some one temple. And Austin, in his ?™ump”ionfbuL* 19th Epistle, complains of the multitude yw Aug. Epist. pf ceremonies that were in the church in his time. What complaints would he have now! All things in the church were full of presumptions, they did multiply one thing after another; and indeed, let the right way once be left, and there are no limits. O, let us take heed how we multiply in God’s worship. There is much controversy between the papists and us about multiplying in the worship of God.
We would have but one >Iediator, they would have many; we would have but one rule of faith, but they will give power to pope and church to make articles of faith; we would have but one object of worship, they would have many; we would have but one sacrifice, they would have many oblations for the quick and dead; we would have but one satisfaction, they would have many; we would have but one merit, they would have many: and thus, by multiplying, the unity of the church is divided: but we must keep to the unity that we find in the Scripture.
Obs. 3. AVe are ready to imitate our forefathers in evil, but not in good. “Ephraim hath made many altars.” Their forefathers were mightily incensed against the supposed addition.of but one altar to God’s altars, but they will not imitate thek forefathers in this good thing, in standing up for that one true worship of God, Josh. xxii. 11. If you ask the reason why their progenitors were so zealous for God’s own altar, and yet now their children after them make many altars, the reason may be this, which will afford a note of very great use to us; AMicn their progenitors came first into the land of Canaan, and Joshua, according to the commandment of God by Moses, set up an altar, they, seeing the goodness of God towards them, were much afi’ected with it; but after they had enjoyed the land a while, after they begun to be settled, to lie warm in their nests, and to prosper in the land, then they ventured upon this way of corrupting of God’s worship by multiplying altars; and when they had once ventured and escaped impunishod, then they thought they were sure, might go on with impunity: and so by degrees they come to this excess in superstitious worship. The note is,
Obs. 4. AA’e must take heed lest any distance of time maliC us not to fear the threatening denounced on the breach of the commandment. They were afraid of the breach of the commandment soon after it was given; but when some time had elajjscd, and they were settled in prosperity, then tlicy ventured to transgress: hence I say, our note is, That we must take heed that the distance of time, or our settling in a prosperous condition, do not make us to fear the commandment less than we did at first. And for this you have a most excellent scripture in Deut. iv. 25, “AATicn thou shalt beget children, and children’s children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the Lord thy God, to provoke him to anger.” “AMien thou shalt beget childi-en, and children’s children, and ye shall have remained long in the land,” then thou shalt make graven images. There was not so much fear that when they came Jirst into the land they should make graven images; they were then but just delivered out of their bondage, God had made known his glorious word unto them, their hearts were warm with love and gratitude; Ijut after they had lived long in the land, they began to forget God and make graven images. Just so it is with us I when we aie newly come out of afHictions, then our hearts are a little warm, and we would serve God according to his own way; but after we have continued long in the land, and been a while in a prosperous condition, and find all things around us pretty well, oh! then we begin to be cool, and forget the Lord and his ways. It has been always so, and it is so now, not only in particular persons and nations, but churches too. Ordinarily when people are delivered from superstitious vanities, and come to worship God in his own way, at first they enjoy the ordinances of God in their purity, oh how glad are they! and they bless God, and their hearts are warmed and enlarged, and their hearts do close one with another, and there is a sweet union between them: but after they have lived a whUe in the land, after they have lived a whUe m the ways of God, and enjoyed him a little, they begin to gi’ow more cool and dead, and fall to wi’angling and contending, and so all that spirituality and heavenly ardour that they had before vanish and come to nothing. I beseech you remember Deut. iv. 25; take heed, after you have abode a while in such a condition, that you forget not God.
06s. 5. Eveiy age adds something to idolatry and false worship. ‘• Ephraim hath made many altars:” hath multiplied altars, so Jerome; and the Seventy, hath gone on in way of “‘jcrom?!’”’ multiplication. They had some altars at ‘^“sjtl’’”’’’ first, which then- forefathers made, and they afterwards made moi-e, and so every succeeding generation added to them. O my brethren, let the true worship of God, then, not only continue, but multiply. Idolaters will not argue thus, Why should we be wiser than our forefathers? no, they will go beyond their forefathers in false worship; and yet, how many among us will thus plead against reformation, Why should not we content oiu’selves with what our forefathers did? our forefathers knew not of such newways of worship as you tell us of. But now, my brethren, if our forefathers reformed a little, let us bless God for what they did: but let us add more, to raise up the worship of God yet higher and higher, as in Psal. lxxi. 14, “But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more;” the words may be read thus, I will add unto thy praise, O Lord. ‘Thou hast had praise, indeed formerly thou hadst praise from others; but I will do somctliing to add to thy praise, I will praise thee more and more. So every generation should strive to ])raise God more and more, to add to God’s jiraise, to find out more of God’s traths, to add to the purity of God’s worship, and to cast out superstition more than their forefathers have done: our forefathers are to be ‘much commended for havingdone what they did, and (I say) we arc to bless God for them, that the Lord put such a spirit into them; but know, that that which was accepted from our forefathers will not be accepted from us, God expects that we should add to his praises. Men desii-e to add more and more to the estates of their progenitors, and so vour children will add a little to the estates that you leave them; and so men account it their ambition to raise their families. My brethren, we should have a
holy ambition to exalt ourselves more and more in every” age, by the practice of religion: as Jehu said in 2 Kings X. 18, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu shall serve him much.” As he said, though feignedly, of false worship, we should say, with sincerity, of the true worship of God, Our fathers have served the Lord a little, but we will serve him more; we have more mercies than they had, more light than they had; if they served God a little, we will serve him much.
Obs. 6. God still remembers the first and chief actors in sin. “Ephraim hath made many altars to sin.” He speaks to the ten tribes, and yet only names Ephraim, because the governors were of that tribe. The chief in a family, by whom the whole family is corrupted, and the chief in a town or country, God has an eye upon, and though others escape they shall not. Ephraim hath multiplied altars to sin; they intended not to sin, it was not their intention when they made altars that they might sin, they thought they pleased God, but God accounts it sin, and a provocation to him. Hence observe further,
Obs. 7. Whatsoever names we give to things, it may bo, God will give them other names and titles. We may say that it is devotion, God will say it is superstition; we may say it is good intention, but God may say it is presumption; we may say it is prudence and wisdom, but God may give it another name, and say it is temporizing, time-serving; God is wont to give other names to things than we do. In the Scripture they call their images their “delectable things,” Isa. xliv. 9; God calls them “detestable things,” Ezek. xxxvii. 23. No question, if you would ask them why they built altars, they would say, to the honour of God i but saith God, “Ephraim hath made many altars to sin.”
Obs. 8. When men’s hearts are set upon false ways of worship, it is just with God to let them have their desires to the full. “Altars shall be unto him to sin.” That is, thus; seeing they will have them, they shall have them; they shall have enough of them, let them go on in their way, let them multiply their sin. They keep a great deal of stir for it, and have it they must, they refuse to see the light, they are prejudiced against the way of God’s worship; let them have their desires, let them have, saith God, governors to establish by their authority, and teachers to defend by subtle arguments, what they wish for: they multiply altars to sin, and they shall be to sin, even to harden them; their hearts are set upon them, and they will have them, and love them, and they shall be hardened in them. This is the heavy judgment of God, to give men their hearts’ desires in what is evil. And as it shall be to them for sin, so it shall be to them for misery, the fruit of sin; for so sin is taken very frequently in Scripture for the fruit of sin; they will have them to sin, and they shall find in them the fruit of sin, misery.
Ver. 12. / have written to him the great things of mpj law, but they were counted as a strange thing.
There appears a greatness in the very sound of this verse, and there is as much in it as the sound doth import; and therefore, though we pass over other things more briefly, yet because there is veiy much of God’s mind in this, we should wTong the Scripture if we should pass over this too slightly.
“I have written to him the great things of my law.” This is made an aggravation of their sin. They multiply altars to sin, and yet, saith God, “I have written to him the great things of my law;” they find no such things in my written law: and what that written word of God, against those many altars, was, you had the last day; but in that these are made sins because they were against the written word of God, thence,
Obs. 1. ‘^liatsoever is urged or practised in matters of worship, must have warrant out of the written word of God. It was sin. Why? Because I have written to them (saith God) the great things of my law, and they counted it a strange thing; though that which they did had a great deal of seeming devotion in it, yet it was otherwise than they found written in my law.
This question should be put to any that tender to us any form of worship, or doctrine of religion, under any specious show whatsoever. Where is it written? “To the law and to the testimony,” saith Isaiah, chap. viii. 20: “if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them: “they may seem very judicious and wise, but if they speak not according to this word, they have no light in them; not only to the law and testimonies, but to the written law and testimonies; this must be the standard at which all doctrines and modes of worship must be tried. Many may put fail- colours on their proceedings, that they tend to the common peace, and a great deal of good may result from them, and the like; but is it written? Did I ever command it? saith God. Policy may say it is fit, reason may say it is comely, and experience may say it is useful, but doth the written law say it should be? Nay, it is not enough to say, that we cannot say it is forbidden, but where is it written? In matters of worship this is a certain rule. Tertullian, about the crowning of the soldier with bays, saith. If it bo affirmed. It is lawful, because the Scriptures do not forbid it; it may equally be retorted. It is therefore not lawful, because the Scriptures do not command it. No matter what the thing be, saith Luther, in matters of religion, we must look who it is that bids it, who it is that commands it; never, I beseech you, in any point of religion argue thus, “^’hy, what hurt is there in it, is it not very comely? I cannot think but it may do a great deal of good. These arguments are weak arguments in matters of worship; to them all we must answer. Is it written? As Christ replied to the devil and his temptations, “It is written;” so, if you can, bring a written word against what they would have you to do, or let them show where what they enjoin is written. In Exod. xxxix. we find it said, at least ten times, they did according to what the Lord had commanded Moses; and in the conclusion of the chapter, Moses blessed the people: the people are blessed when in the matters of worship they keep to what is commanded.
And again. As we must not make our own conceptions the rule for worship, so neither the opinions of learned men, nor custom, nor antiquity, must bo the rule, but what is written: “I have written to them the great things of my law;” they must keep to that. Whatsoever use we may make now of the opinions of ancients and the like, yet, if the ancients themselves were alive, they would abhor the use that many make of their quotations. Cyqnian, in one of his epistles, sjjcaking of his predecessors, saith. We must not look what this man or that man before us did or taught, but what he that was before all, namely, Christ, who alone is “the way, the truth, and the life.” And so Augustine has a passage to the same efiect, in which, s])eaking of the ancients, he saith, Even granting them all due respect, yet for us to think that we may not reject from their writings some things, because they were learned men, is inadmissible: for such, he adds, I will be in respect of the writings of other men, and such would I have those that understand my writings be to me, I will not so esteem the wTitings of any before me as to think that nothing should be cast out nor mended, neither would I have any think so of my vi-itings. And so Ambrose, ‘lere the Scripture is silent we must not speak. Thus we see, that though men at present, for the maiirtaining of that which is
evil, ■ml] make use of quotations and antiquities, yet that those very ancients whom they cite as authorities abhorred this; and Christ and his apostles quoted none of the learned men before them, but only Moses and the prophets.
But you will say, Though we must not take other men’s writings as the rule, yet they may help us to understand the Scripture aright.
Luther, I remember, saith, that the Scriptures should rather help us to understand men’s writings, than men’s writings to understand the Scripture; that many will make men’s writings a judge and rule for understanding the Scriptures, not the judge of truth, but the ride for understanding aright the Scriptures, whereas (saith he) the Scripture should rather be the rule for understanding them.
And so Hilary saith. He is the best interpreter of Scripture, that takes the sense rather out of the Scriptiu’es themselves, by comparing one passage with another, than brings to it any new meaning: therefore the understanding of Sci’ipture is more by Scriptuie than by the writings of any man living. Ajid yet still we may, doubtless, make use of the gifts of God in others, but so as to keep us close to the written word for the rule; yea, and for the meaning of the rule, they may help us to see whether the Scripture will justify this truth, or this sense: for there lies the mistake; most people think, that whatsoever any man writes, if it be contrary to the word, we may not receive it, but we must understand the word in the sense in which they take it: now we must not go so far; for the Scripture is written, not only that we might know what the rule is, but that we might understand the meaning of the rule, by comparing Scripture with Scripture; now so far as the writings of men will help us to discover the meaning of Scripture by Scripture, so far we may make use of them; but we cannot say, this is the meaning, because it is the opinion of such and such learned men; they should compare one Scripture with another, show you the history of the time, and give you the reasons for then- intei-pretation: and this is the use of writers for understanding the Scriptures. Then you will say, AVhy do we make use of writers so much? liv, because they show how one scripture has reference to another, and relate the history connected with the passage.
The sense of things is to be resolved in the Scripture itself, and therefore we must keep ourselves very close to what is WTittci.
“Written.” It was not so at first, but delivered from hand to liar.i; but afterwards, when the church began to multiply, then the word was written. And this is a mighty blessing of God, that we may have the mind of God written, so as to look into it, and search to know it, by reading it over and over again, and taking it into our hands. When we are lying upon our beds, if we light a candle in the night, we may be reading and looking into the mind of God. If we should only hear that there were such a book in the world, in China, in the uttermost part.s of the habitable globe, a book that God had written, or that God had employed men to write by an inspiration of his own Spirit, and wherein he had revealed the great counsels of his will concerning man’s eternal estate; if we should hear that such a book had come down even from heaven, and that in the uttermost parts of the earth, oh what a longing desire should we have to see it! Wbo but would give their whole estate to have a week’s or a fortniglit’s time to see and read in such a book? if one could, he would be willing to travel to the end of the world to enjoy such a privilege. No man need say. Shall I go to the uttermost parts of the earth? for it is in your hands, it is in your houses; the book wherein the great God has written his mind, has written all things unto you
which concerns your eternal salvation, is that same which you have in your hands. However we prize it now, heretofore it has been prized at a high rate; how many of the martjTS would venture their lives to keep but a few leaves of Scripture in their houses! And how vile is it then for us to neglect the reading of this written word! One Theodorus, a physician at Constantinople, sent to Gregory the Great a great sura of money for the redeeming of captives: in his reply Gregory much commends his liberality, yet takes occasion to blame him for not reading the Scriptures; and uses this expression. The Emperor of heaven, the Lord of the angels and men, has sent to you that which concerns your life, and will you neglect to read it with a fervent, with a zealous spirit? He would not but blame him even when he sent such gifts to him, it grieved him so to think that one so bountiful to the distressed should neglect the reading of the Scriptures. Many have excellent parts, and yet find but little rclisli fpr the Scriptures. No books that are written should take us off from this written word; although we have cause to bless God abundantly for what is wTitten. for those excellent helps which we have, yet we must take heed that no written book in the world take us off from this written word of God. Luther therefore saith, I even hate mine olni books, and I oftentimes even wish that they were burnt, that they might perish. AVHiy? Mark his reason. Because I fear lest they should be any kind of hiuderance to men, or withdraw them from reading the Scriptures; and he forthwith proceeds to commend the Scriptures: They are the only fountain of all wisdom; and further, I am even terrified, I tremble, at the example of the former age in this respect, because many divines spent so much time in reading Aristotle, and Averres, and other writers, and spent so little time in reading Scripture. And the truth is, it was that which brought so much ignorance into the world in the time of the school-men, which was a time of great learning, and yet the time of the greatest ignorance in the mysteries of godliness, because they minded Scripture very little, but only turned things into questions and disputes that tended not according to Scripture. Though we may make use of the labours and gifts of other men, yet look we especially to the written word, and let not other writings take us off from that. Hence we say, the Scripture, by way of excellency. We must keep ourselves to the written word, and take heed of being led aside by any traditions of men; that is a most detestable derogation from the written word. Yet we find the council of Trent, speaking of the Scriptures, saith in one of its canons. We do receive Scripture, and reverence Scripture; but moreover we receive and re- ‘^tdeirlLpiim’’ vcrenco traditions with the same affection of piety and reverence as we do the Scripture. These are the verj’ words that all papists are born to hold, and for them to deny any council were death unto them. It argues men to be in the dark, so to regard written verities. The Jews are vain in their imaginations, and understand the Scripture so little, because they mind traditions as much as Scripture, and more; for they say. Divide a man’s life into three parts, one part must be spent in reading Scripture, and two parts more in the two several parts of the Talmud, which is their traditions; and some of them say that this is one tradition among them, that Moses studied the Scripture in the day-time, and those Talmudical traditions during the night. It is indeed night work, and a sign that the world is so much in darkness, because they have so much respect to traditions, and neglect the written word of God, which we must regard more than if one came from the dead, or if an angel from heaven came and preached to us.
But you will say, We must not look to it more than
THE PROPHFX’Y OF HOSEA.
if God should reveal any thing to us, suppose by a voice from heaven.
‘^’’e have warrant to regard more the written word of God than the voice of God from heaven. In 2 Pet. i. 19, the voice that came down at the transliguration in the mount is referred to, but saith the apostle, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy,” more even than that was; that is, we are not so
Be/Smirepov likely to be deceived by resting upon the written word, as u we look tor revelations from God. “We have a more sure word of prophecy,” therefore it is not so much after revelations that we ai-e to look, (especially in such times as these,) but to the written word of God. There is a generation of men rising now, if not risen, that begin to have low thoughts of the Scriptures of God, and thmk to understand the mind of God otherwise; finding his written word keeps their hearts too close and lays too strong bonds upon them, because they would fain be loose, they would fain imagine to themselves other ways for the discovery of God’s mind; but when they are dead, when their souls, it may be, are perished eternally in hell, the ■mitten word of God shall stand and be honourable in the eyes of his saints.
“I have written.” The prophet saith not Ae hath written; but he brings in God, saying, “I have written.” And that for these two reasons:
1. To put the greater emphasis upon it, for it is more for God himself to come and say, “I have written;” as if a father or master say to his child or servant, I command you to do such a thing, it is more than if a brother or fellow servant should say. My father or my master has bidden you to do such a thing.
2. Whosoever were the penmen of the word, it is I that write it, I take it upon myself. The word is so much his, that God claims not only the truths that are in the word, but the very inditing; and in 2 Pet. i. 21, it is said of holy men, they “spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost,” tiTro Uviv/inTog ayiov (jxpofin’oi; they were not only moved, but carried on with a kind of violence, to write what they did. Both in their speaking and in their writing, “I have written.”
“To him.” From this form of expression, Obs. 2. We should look upon the Scriptiu-e as concerning ourselves. Here is a letter written to every one of you incbvidually, therefore it is in the singular, “I have wi’itten to him.” Each must regard the Scripture as written to him or her particularly. God has wi-itten a letter to thee that thou shouldst not commit adultery, nor swear, nor steal, and that thou shouldst keep the sabbath, and that thou shouldst not lie, and that thou shouldst reverence him, and love him, and fear him; all such kind of rules has God from heaven written to thee, and it is a marvellous help to obedience, and to awaken men’s consciences, when they apprehend them as written to them. Psal. cxix. 105, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my jjath.” It is not a light that I see at a distance, a great way off: but as a light held to my feet, that I make use of for the ordering of mine own steps.
Many there are that seem to rejoice in the word of God, as a light to reveal truths unto them for matter of discourse, but they use it not as a lamp to their own feet, and a light to their own paths; and therefore follows, ver. 106, “I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments:” I have looked upon thy word as a lamp to my own feet, as a thing nearly concerning myself, and then I have sworn and I will perform, I have sworn that I will keep thy righteous judgments. It is a mighty means to stir up a man’s spirit, and quicken him to obedience, to look upon the word as written to himself: as thus, when you come to hear- out of God’s word, and God directs the minister so that you apprehend it as spoken to
you, it will stir and awaken j-ou; Oh, methought this day every word the minister spoke was directed to me! And so every word in the Scripture that concerns thee, God writes to thee; and conceive it so, and it will be a mighty means to stir thee up to obedience. As, if a man be asleep, a great noise will not awaken him so soon, as if you call him by his own name; so when the word of God comes as to ourselves in particular, it is a mighty means to stir the heart.
Obs. 3. Though the word concerns all men, yet it is ■nTitten to the church in a more especial manner. “I have written to him.” As you find in the Revelation all the epistles were written to the churches, and indeed all the word of God is in a more especial manner addressed to the church: there are some things concerning all mankind, but that which God aims at more especially, is the church. First, the chm-ch of the Jews; they had that great privilege, that the oracles of God were committed to them: therefore, in Rom. ili. 1, 2, when the apostle had taken them off from resting ia many of their outward privileges, he brings an objection: But then may some say, “What advantage then’ hath the Jew?” he answers, “Much everyway; chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.” In this thing they had much advantage over all the people in the woTld. that to them were committed the oracles of God: God gave Jacob his law, it was the inheritance of his people; it was written to them, and through them transmitted to his church. This is a great honour which God puts upon his saints; God makes his church to be the keeper of his records, the court of rolls, as it were; therefore they should look to it that they be kept faithfully, that they be not corrupted, for then they do falsify their trust. The church has the keeping of Scripture, but gives no authority to Scripture. In John v. 46, 4”, Christ saith, “Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” Mark, Christ would have the authority of his words to be much strengthened by the writings that were before in Scripture, “If ye believe not his ■m-itings, how shall ye believe my words?” But now, on the contrary, the papists will say. If ye believe not our words, how can ye believe their writings? they will take upon them more than Christ: Christ saith, “If ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” they say. If ye believe not our words, how can ve believe then- writings? for they take the authority of Scripture to depend upon theu- vrords. It is wTitten to the church, and committed to the church, but the authority comes not from the church.
“The “great things of my law.” By “law” here we are to understand the whole word of God, and not the law as distinguished from the gospel; and so the word means, being derived from ‘^’ docuii’ ‘^’ one signifying to teach, the law is a doctrine that is taught; and so, though sometimes it may be distinguished from some other parts of Scriptm-e, yet now we are to understand the whole mind of God in his word; when you read in Psal. cxix., how David loved God’s law, it is not the ten comraandmente, but the mind of God revealed in his word.
‘• The great things of my law.” The Vulgate renders it, mullip/ices leges, the ‘^”’,’’y,ij![‘-** manifold laws, the midtiplicity of my laws: and the words in the Hebrew seem a little to favour it. Thence these two tilings might be argued:
1. That the word is full and perfect: that in it we have rules for every thing that concerns the ordination of our lives God-ward: in his word there is a multiplicity of laws and rules for all our ways.
2. That there are manifold excellences in God’s law; as the manifold wisdom of God is in Christ, so the manifold excellences of God are kept up together in the
word of God. The Seventy translate it by 5rX>;9oc, the fuhioss, or multitude, and according to that, Tertullian has an expression, I adore the fulness of scr.ptut.’iruj.i. Tcr- the bcripture. Oh tile multituae oi ex- ‘”’• cellent things there arc there! and the
fulness that is in them! I find this word translated by many of excellent signification, and indeed the Hebrew will bear to be differently rendered. Some translate it, the precious thing, the magnificent thing, the excellent thing, the honourable things of my law; as in Acts ii. 11, they spake “the wonderful things of God;” to. fiiyiiXi’ia Tov Qtou, it is more than the great things, the magnificent great things of God. Now the things of the word are glorious and honourable, and very great, they are to be looked upon as great things, the things of God’s word: that is the first and most im])ortant.
And thou, The things that concern God’s worship are to be looked upon as great things, for it has reference to them also; but the expression aims at that which is more general; “the great things of my law,” the honourable, magnificent, and glorious things. Now the things of the law were great things, because,
1. They are from the great God, and they have on them the stamp of his authority. In every truth, in every thing that is written in God’s law, there is the awful authority of the great God, that binds kings and princes m chains, that lays bonds upon the conscience, .such as no created power can: when we come to hear the word, we come to it either as to a sovereign, to recei■e laws from it, or as to a judge, to receive from it the sentence of death; it has the cb-eadful authorit)’ of the great God in it, and therefore every thing that is in the word is to be looked upon as a great thing. A piece of parchment, and a little wax, and a few lines, what are they? but having the authority of the great seal of England, they are to be looked upon as important. The things of God’s law are great things, for great authority attends them.
2. The lustre of the great God shines in them. Take all the creatm-es that ever God made in heaven and earth, and there is not so much glory of God in sun, moon, stars, sea, plants, and all things in the world, as there is in some few sentences of Holy Scripture, therefore they are great things. Psal. cx.xxviii. 2, “Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” The name of God appears in his great work of creation and of providence; we are to look upon God’s name as very great; yet “Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name,” it is more than all God’s names besides. It may be, when there are some extraordinary works of God in the world, as thundermg, lightning, and the like, we arc ready to fear, and say, Oh how great God appeai-s in these great works! Vt’cie our hearts as they ought to be when .e read the word, we would tremble at that more than at any manifestation of God in all his woi’ks since the world began; and if so be, thou dost not see more glory of God in his word than in his works, it is because thou hast little light in thee; let the world think of the things of God’s law that arc written, as they will, yet they arc the gi-eat things of his law.
3. They arc the great mysteries of God’s will. The great counsels of God about the souls of men, about his way to honour himself, to bring mankind to himself and to eternal life, are contained in the word; counsels and mysteries so great that the angels themselves desire to look into them. As in Prov. viii. 6, it is said of wisdom, “Hear, for I will speak of excellent things;” so the word of God speaks of excellent things, right excellent things, such great mysteries of God’s v isdom as should engage our thoughts, yea, and do engage the thoughts of angels, and shall yield admiring emjiloyment to angels and saints to all eternity. Psal. cxix. 27,” Make me to understand the way of thy precepts:
so shall I talk of thy wondi-ous works.” Mark how these are joined together: “Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.” Why, David, couldst not thou see the ^voncb’ous works of God in the book of the creature, in heaven and earth? O no; “Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.” AVe often talk about vain and slight things, because we have nothing else to talk of; but did we understand the way of God’s precepts, we should be furnished with discourse of the wondi’ous works of God.
4. They are of great concernment. The things of God’s law are of great concernment, for all our present good or evil depends upon them. Prov. iii. 22, They are •’ life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.” So saith Moses in Deut. xxxii. 46, “Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law; for it is not a vain thing for you, because it is your life.” There is, too, a curse annexed to the breach of every thing in God’s law; ‘• C’ursed be every one that abldeth not in eveiT thing that is written in the book of the law.” Is it not a great matter then? Certainly nothing in the law can be looked upon as unimportant, when the curse of God is annexed to the breach of every thing written in it. M’e have there the casting of our souls for eternity; and is not that a great matter? Did we come to hear the word, or did we read the word, as the word by which our eternal condition must be decided, we would look upon it as a great word.
5. They have great power and efficacy upon the hearts and consciences of men. ‘A’Tien God sets home the things of his law, they will bring down the proudest and the stoutest, they will enlighten the blindest mind, and convert the hardest heart in the world; the law lias a mighty power upon the soul, and therefore it is great.
6. They make all that receive them great: they make them great, even because they have but the keeping of them, much more then if the)’ receive them. In Deut. iv. S, “What nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day’:”’ What nation so great as you are? AAliy, wherein are we gieater.than other people? Wherein? In this: “‘Tiat nation is so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?” This was that which made the people of Israel a great nation, beyond all the nations in the world; they were not great in multitude, but in that they had the law of God, and the great things of his law, revealed to them. The Lord honours a nation highly when he reveals the tliuigs of his law to them; how great then docs a soul become that embraces those things, that has all those great and good things revealed in the law made over to it as its own! Siu’ely that soul is in a high and honourable condition.
7. They are great in God’s esteem; they are great, because the great God thinks them so. That is to be accounted great, which the most judicious and wise men in the world judge to be so. Indeed that which a child thinks great may not be so; a child may think a bauble a great thing: so we may think things great indeed; we think the things of the world are great, estates, riches, and honours, these we deem great things; but what are these in God’s eyes? God desjiises all these things. But that which the great God will think to be a great tiling, certanily that is indeed great. Now mark what a high esteem God has for his word in that place, where Christ saith, “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled,” Matt. v. 18. As if Christ should say. The Lord will rather withdraw his
power from upholding heaven and earth, than from making good any one jot or tittle of his law. You may think it a little matter to break God’s law, but God thinks it a great matter, and God would have us to make a great matter of every thing that is written in God’s law. I am the more willing to enlarge on this, because I know it is the ground of all the wickedness in men’s hearts and lives, that they look upon the law as a little matter: well, though they dare sin against God’s law for the attainment of very trifles, yet God saith, I will rather lose heaven and earth, than one jot or one tittle of my law shall fail; and he will make it appear one day, that the things of his law are great things. “He will magnify the law, and make it honourable,” Isa. xlii. 21. Some amongst us, consideruig neither what they say nor what they do, running awajwith the very word law, think to vilify it, saying. What have we to do with the law? Let them do what they will, yet God “will magnify his law;” and as it is great in the thoughts of God, so it is, and shall be for ever, great in the thoughts of the saints. The Lord will have his people, to the end of the world, entertain high thoughts of his law. The saints look upon the law of God as so great, that they had rather sufler all devisableniisei-ies and torments, than willingly break it in any one particular; surely he accounts it great, who is willing rather to lose estates, liberty, yea, and life itself, in the midst of tortures and torments, rather than offend the law of God in any one thing, though he might escape all if he would; Nay, saith a gracious heart, let all go rather than I will venture to break one jot or tittle of the law of God. Men of the world think such to be fools. Why, they say, will you be content to suffer so much, lose all your friends? what! venture your fair estates, run the risk of being immured in a prison, or even losing your life? The world lightly esteems God’s commandments, and deems men who are observant of them more precise than wise; but if God would but show to you how great a thing his law is, and all the thi’eatenings which are revealed therein, you would account your estates, and lives, and all your comforts, as little and poor in comparison. Hence, in Piev. vi. 9, “I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.” Wherefore were they slain? Surely it was for some great matter that they wovdd ventm’e their lives. It was for “the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.” And thus the saints of God have ever accounted the law of God a great thing. “I have written to him the great things of my law.” From what has been advanced, we may further Obs. 4. The word contains matter to exercise the greatest minds. Many men cannot endure to spend their thoughts and time about trivial matters; whereas others think it happiness enough, if they can, by the meanest emploj-ments, procure subsistence. Oh, let all those of high aspirations exercise themselves much in the law of God; here are objects fit for great minds, yea, objects that will elevate the greatest: and indeed none in the world are truly great but the saints, for they exercise themselves in the great counsels of God. We account those men the greatest that are eraployed in state affairs: now the saints are lifted up above all things in the world, and regard them all as little and mean, and are exercised in the great aff;m-s of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Hence the Lord would have the kings and the judges to have the book of the law wTitten, Deut. xvii. 18, 19; and it is reported of Alphonsus, king of An-agon, that in the midst of all his great manifold occupations, he read over the Scriptures fourteen times with commentaries. How many have we, men of great estates, and claiming to be of gi-eat minds, that scarce regard the law of God! they look upon his law as beneath them. Books of history and
war they will peruse with diligence, but for the Scripture, it is a thing that has little in it.
Obs. 5. It is a special means to obedience to have high thoughts of God’s law. That is the reason why the prophet here speaks thus, “I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.” As if he should say, If they had had the things of my law in their thoughts, they would never so have acted. Psal. cxix. 129, “Thy testimonies are wonderful; therefore doth my soul keep them:” I have high thoughts of thy testimonies, I look upon them as glorious things, I see in them much of thyself, and “therefore doth my sold keep them.” He saith not, therefore do I keep them; but, therefore doth 7ni, soul keep them; my very soul is in this, in keeping thy testimonies, for I look upon them as wonderful things. It is a good sign that the Spii-it of the great God is in a man, when it raises him above other things, to look upon the things of his word as the only great things in the world. “All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof as the flower of the field: the grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand for ever,” Isa. xl. 6, 8. There is a vanity in all things of the world, but in that which the word reveals, in that there is an eternity: we should therefore admire at nothing so as at the word, and we should greatly delight in God’s commandments; an ordinary degree of admiration or delight is not suflBcient, but great admiration and great delight there should be in the law of God. And all arguments ch-awn from God’s law should powerfully prevail with you. Temptations to such and such evils may assail you, and you may say they are strong temptations, but that which is in God’s law should be stronger than they all: there is more in God’s law than there can be in any temptation whatsoever. Know, it is dangerous for us to regard any thing in God’s law as inconsiderable, so as to think it no great matter, though in that particular we depart a little from the rule of the word: Prov. xiii. 13, “‘Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed;” that is, looks upon any thing, in God’s word as a light thing. One, when convinced that things undertaken were evil, was wont to say, that he must make bold with God Almighty sometimes. Do not you make bold with God’s word, and secretly jeer at those who are so scrupulous that they cannot ventm’e a little? Remember Prov. xiii. 13, “^Vhoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed:” take the least thing that you think so despicable in God’s law, and venture on the breach of it, God will make it a great matter; for when you have broken the law in the least thing, all the angels in heaven, and men in the world, cannot satisfy God for that wrong. If they should come and say. Lord, here is a ])oor creature who has broken thj- law but in this one thing, which he thought to be a little matter, we are content to be ten thousand years in torments to satisfy its requirements: Nay, saith God, that will not satisfy the broken law. Therefore take heed of despising God’s law, or despising any thing that is revealed by him, for certainly it will jjrove a great matter; and when the law has been broken, let us not deem the transgression slight, and think it is to be atoned for at the last by a “Lord have mercy upon me.”
Obs. 6. The worship of God is a great matter. Every thing in God’s worship is to be looked at as a great matter: they may think it a matter of indifferency whether they do it or no, at least in some things; my brethren, let us learn to know that eveiy thing in the worship of God is important; God regards it much; God saith not that he is jealous for any thing, but for his worship. Uzzah thought it a little matter to go and catch the ark, and especially with a good intention: True, the law of God is, that it should be carried upon men’s shoulders, but may it not as well be carried in a
cart? he thought it but a little matter, yet was it in its consequences gicat. So, that which we think little in God’s worship, may prove of moment. So Uzziah, in 2 Chron. xxvi., doubtless, thought it no great matter to go into the temple and offer sacrifices. Is it not as fit for a king to offer it as a priest? It was in the temple, and agreeable to the true form, and Uzziah, because he was a great man, thought he might venture, (for there you find that he had an army of three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred soldiers,) yet, notwithstanding, God smote him. And Xadab and Abihu, too, thought it no great matter to go and offer strange fire: It is not expressly forbidden in God’s word, they said: but it was a great matter before God, for God came with fire from heaven to destroy them. Hence it is that God in his word would set out the glory of his worship, and make them to think every thing connected with it great, that so they might not have their hearts taken with any false worship. Ezek. vii. 20, “As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty;” (and hereby God aggravates their sin of idolatry. My worship and service, I made it as beautiful and glorious as possible;) “but they made the images of their abominations and of their detestable things therein.” So in Jer. xvii. 12, “A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.” Mark what follows, ver. 13, “O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be -(vi-itten in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters.” As if God should say. Oh the insensate hearts of men, when I present unto them such a glorious worship of mine, yet they turn to their own vile inventions, and regard it not! I beseech you, brethren, labour to look upon God’s worship as a glorious thing. But now the reprehension follows:
“But they were counted as a strange thing.” Herein consists the wickedness of people, that though God shows forth his glory in his word, yet they look upon it as “a strange thing,” as a thing that they shall get little good by if they obey, or little hurt by if they disobey. We might now show wherein this people did account God’s worship a strange thing, and what particulars of his law they accounted strange things; but this especially deserves to be noticed, they accounted it a strange thing, that God should so stand upon it, that he must needs be worshipped in Jerusalem, at the temple, and at no other altar, whatsoever came of it. Now, because they thought that if the people went to Jerusalem to worship, it would be very prejudicial to the state, this was “a strange thing,” and that which they could sec no reason for. So people are ready to think, if any thing be jiropoundcd for the worship of God out of the word, Yea, but is it consistent with peace? it may cause contention to insist now upon such things. First, men will frame troubles in their own thoughts, and put them upon God’s worship; wherea.s indeed they do not bring such trouble, but if they be examined they may consist well enough with the ])eace of states. I make no question but this is one especial thing aimed at by the Holy Ghost here, that they accounted God’s law, that verj’law of his which required them to worship at Jerusalem, “as a strange thing;” they could not see why they might not venture to woi-ship him elsewhere, especially when in their eyes it seemed to favoiu: the peace of the civil state.
Now they accounted this, and the other particulars of God’s law, “as a strange thing” in four respects.
1. As a thing that did not much concern them. They took not to heai-t the breaches of God’s law, neither did they much regard the keeping of it, it was no great matter to them; they made account that what they did in that respect was ad libitum, that much did not depend upon it, either good or evil: as a stranger
accounts it not to concern him what the master commands; or as we account it no great matter what strangers do, what clothes they wear, or what course they take, we let them pass by without concern.
2. In their apprehensions: they could not discern their reason. As we term a thing strange that we do not understand, and for which we can see no reason; so they in the text, that God should say thus and thus, when we cannot see that any account can be given for it, they are “strange things: “strange things that they did not apprehend the reason of. And especially, among other things of God’s law, (as was said before,) the form of God’s worship was a very strange thing to them; that God should so insist that he must be worshipped no where in the way of public worship but at Jerusalem, at the temple, no sacrifices must be offered but there; yea, that though people dwelt a great way oft’, though, as they thought, it would bring a great deal of disturbance into the kingdom of Israel, yet that God should so insist upon it, and that the prophets should urge with such fervency, their going to Jerusalem at all risks, they accounted this a strange thing. And indeed it is very strange to people to think, that we must look to the exact way of God’s worship, whatsoever trouble or disturbance results from it, we must not in the least go against the mode that he has established: this is a strange thuig to carnal hearts. And Luther, on the place, seems to interpret it, as if this text had especial reference to this note that I am now speaking of: They did condemn, saith he, and contemn the prophet’s sermons, as a doctrine dangerous to the commonwealth; especially the doctrine about going up to Jerusalem to worship, they thought it was hurtful to the commonwealth, and therefore condemned it. “What strange thoughts have carnal hearts of many parts of God’s law! they think them foolishness, even those very things wherein the wisdom of God is revealed to the children of men, those things wherein are the deep coimsels of God concerning man’s eternal estate.
3. There was no suitableness between their hearts and the doctrine; they did not make the law of God familiar to them as that which suited their minds. As a man turns almost instinctively fi’om company altogether unsuitable to him in language, customs, and pursuits; so when the law of God suits not the dispositions of our hearts, our ends, our ways, our very hearts turn from it as from a strange thing: whereas indeed our hearts should be familiar with the word of God; his word and the things contained therein should not be as strange things to our souls, but, as the Holy Ghost saith, it should be as our kinswoman, and as our delight continually. Prov. vi. 21, 22, “Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. “Mien thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee,” There should be a familiarity between our hearts and the commandments of God; when going to bed, when we rise up, when we walk in the way, we should be conferring about the things of God’s law, to make them familiar to us, that we may not be estranged from them. God sees that men’s hearts would quickly be estranged fi-om his law, therefore he commanded that by all such means and ways they .should endeavour to make it familiar to them.
4. They used the word as a stranger; that is, for their own ends only. As usually when strangers come into a country, and all travellers know it, the natives either treat them slightly, or if they do seem to show any respect, it is merely for their own advantage: fn they accounted the law a strange thing, that is, they made use of the law merely to ser*e their own end«; so far as obedience to the law suited them, so far they yielded to it, and no fui-ther. Now it is very observable,
that those who were so zealous in theii- false worship, that, as the text saith, they did multiply, and had special regard to, then- altars; yet the law, they accounted that “as a strange thing.”
Obs. 7. Superstitious people, although very zealous in their own observances, are yet very negligent in God’s mode of worship: they little regard that. Indeed then- own altars were accounted great things, on their own ordinances they did not care what they expended; but as for God’s institutions, they are as “a strange thing” unto them. We have seen veiy evidently, and do see it in great part to this day, how those’ that are very zealous in their own superstitions are the most negligent in God’s ordained worship: to instance; you know, in late times, what a deal of stir men made with the ceremonies and modes of worship which they themselves had appointed; how zealous and devout were they in them! when they came in public congregations to bow and cringe, and perform other ceremonies, which they said the decency of God’s worship required, how resolute were they for them, even so that the mouths of the most godly ministers must be stopped if they refused to conform.’ Yet these very men would scorn and jeer at sti’ictness in God’s ways, and slight any man that would be conscientious in them, and accounted all rebels who would not, in obedience to authority, adopt then- ceremonies. For men to be conscientious about little things (as they termed them) in God’s law, seemed strange; whereas they would urge men to obey to the uttermost every particular of their own; and so, in another respect, they would persecute to the uttermost men that worked but to get bread for their families on their holy-days, and yet could publish Books of Sports for the profanation of the Lord’s day. And thus the great things of God’s law were “as strange things,” but their own things were great matters. Surely, if it were such a gi-eat matter to observe, for instance, the festival of Christ’s nativity, we would have some hint of it from the beginning of Matthew to the end of the Revelation, but God no where mentions it. And mark, those people that stand most upon such festivals, stand least upon God’s sabbaths. !Many think it a strange thing for men not to pay regard to such festivals; Why may not we keep the birth of our Saviour? Now, that you may not think it so, do but consider this, that when God has set apart any thing for a holy use, it is no strange thing; but it would be strange in man to venture to imitate God in the things of his worship, to do that in God’s worship which God himself has done before. Thus God has set apart a holy time, viz. the sabbath; it is set apart to solemnize the whole work of redemption, the nativity of Christ, his life, death, resurrection, ascension, and the coming of the Holy Ghost; God, I say, has set the sabbath apart that we might have a holy-day to keep the remembrance of them all. Now, when God has appointed one day, for man to dare to venture to set another apart, this is presumption. So, because Christ has set outward elements and sacraments to be a remembrance for his body and blood, for man to say, Christ has named bread and wine, why may not I also appoint something? this you would all say were a great presumption. Certainly the presumption is the same in the former.
Ol/s. 8. It is a dangerous thing for men to have their
arts estranged from God’s law, and from the other spi-
fual truths that are in God’s word; from the knowledge
that law in which they have been educated, and of
‘; ich heretofore they have made profession. Thus it was
with this people, they had been educated in God’s law,
and professed that, whatsoever God should reveal, they
would obey: but now, notwithstanding, their hearts were
estranged. Oh! let men take heed of this for ever.
You that have had good education, have been brought
up in the knowledge of God’s law, and have had its gracious principles infused into you in your youth, take heed now of being esti’anged from those truths which heretofore have been familiar to you, and of which you have made profession; take heed, I beseech you, of the several degrees of the estrangement of the heart from the law of God. I will but name them, to show how the hearts of men do become estranged.
1. They are less frequent in intercourse with God. A man that has a familiar Mend does not estrange himself suddenly, but by degrees; it may be they visit one another less than they were wont to do, and yet there is no contention between them, but by degrees they grow to be strange, and then at length become very enemies. And thus it is ^^■ith men’s hearts; when men grow strange from the word, that they were acquainted withal before, they begin to call things in question, whether they be so or no, and especially those things which most concern the mortifying of sin, and the strictness of holiness.
2. Theii- delight in the truths of God abates. They were wont to take abundance of delight in meditating on the word; oh how sweet was it in the night season! and to confer about God’s word with others was their great joy; but now tins is abated, and many things, of which before they were very confident, they now begin to doubt.
3. They begin to have some hard thoughts of God’s word. So some that heretofore prized the word, and regarded its truths as the joy of then- hearts, yet now begin to entertain hard thoughts of the word.
4. They begin to wish that many things in the word were otherwise than they are; they cannot see enough to persuade them of then* falsity, but, growing estranged from the word, they wish they were not true.
5. They begin to listen to things which are against the word. There was a time when they never would regard any thing advanced against the strictest requirements of holiness, but now are they ready to listen to objections. As a man, when intimate with his friend, cannot endure to hear any thing said against him, but being estranged fi-om him, he can di’ink in any scandal greedily.
6. They become reluctant to search tlu-oughly into truths; they put off serious thoughts, and will not examine candidly into things as they were wont to do, but will rather search into any thing that may make against the truth than that which will work for it. I beseech you, observe such workings of your hearts.
7. There will be an engagement in some practice not allowed by the word. Then a man grows further estranged fi-om his ft-iend, when he not only refrains from coming into his company, but will engage himself with others that are against him.
8. Former weighty arguments are now weak. There was a time when certain things were thought to have very great weight in them, but now they are nothing, they are “accounted as a strange thing.” Just as when a man is estranged from his friend; he thought before he had a great deal of excellency in him, but now he esteems him not; this argues the esti-angement of his heart from him.
9. They at length violently reject the ti-uths of the word, they grow to be open enemies to the truth. Some that have been familiar with God’s word and truth, and made profession of them, and seemed to love them, have by these several degrees grown to be sti-angers from them, and at length’enemies to them. Apostates have ever proved to be the most des])erate enemies to the truths of God. Take heed, therefore, of the estranging of your hearts from the truths of God, lest you afterwards prove enemies to God: it is an evil thing to account his law “a strange thing;” how much more to account it an enemy to us, and our hearts to be ene-AN EXPOSITIOX OF
mies to it! Isa. v. 24, “Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the ehaft’, so their root shall be as rottenness, and theii- blossom shall go up as dust.” AMiy? “Because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.” O, let us ever take heed of this; and therefore let our prayer be that of the prophet David, in Psal. exix. 18, 19, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wonckous things out of thy law.” And then follows, “I am a stranger in the earth; hide not thy commandments from me.” Lord, I account myself a stranger here in the world; O, let not thy word be a stranger to me. I beseech you, observe this; those who account themselves “strangers in the earth,” will never account the law of God “a strange thing” to them; but such as account themselves to be the inhabitants of the world, they will have God’s law to be a stranger to them. Observe it, and you will find this to be true. When your hearts begin to close with the things of the world, you do not meditate in God’s word so much as you did before, nor deUght to read it; but if you can keep your heart ft-om the things of the world, using them as if you used them not, then this will bo your prayer. Lord, “hide not thy commandments from me.” “Thy word is sweet unto me as honey and the honey-comb.”
Obs. 9. That which men’s corrupt hearts will not close with as a rule of holiness, they put upon Christ, as if Christ had delivered them fi’om it. Many will estrange themselves from the law of God by too much familiarity with the world; but for people to conclude, because they now know more of Christ, that therefore they should be greater strangers to the law than they were before, this is indeed a strange way of estranging our hearts from God’s law. The Holy Ghost, foreseeing such a generation would arise in the times of the gospel, who would boldly assert, that whatsoever the people of God were bound to under the Old Testament, yet under the New they had nothing to do with the law- of Moses, very remarkably, at the very close of the Old Testament, annexes to a prophecy of Christ the words, “Remember ye the law of Moses my serv-ant.” “Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings,” Mai. iv. 2. To you that fear my name shall Christ arise. MTiat then does it add? then you shall have nothing to do with the law when Christ arises? No; mark the 4th verse, “Remember ye the law of Moses;” almost the last words thus carrying the requirements of the Old Testament into the New; as if the Holy Ghost should say. Now I have done revealing all my mind about the Old Testament, and you must never expect any more prophets, nor any further revelations, till the time of the New; when, instead of the prophets, you shall have the “Sun of righteousness arise.” Well, then, we shall never have any thing to do with the law of Moses more? Nay, but, saith the Holy Ghost, then “Remember ye the law of Moses my servant.”
Ver. 13. T/ieij sacrijice flesh far llie sacnflces of mine offerings, and eat it; but the Lord acceptelh them yiot; now wHl he remember Iheir iniquity, and visit their sins: they shall return to Egypt.
“They sacrifice.” The Jews might object, MTiy, how do we account the law of God “a strange thing?” do not we continue to ofier our sacrifices to God? ■Miy do you say we account the law a strange tiling? From the connexion, therefore,
06*. 1. Men may continue in the outward jirofcssion and performance of duties of religion, and yet the great things of God’s law may be a strange thing to them. They do offer sacrifices still, and yet they accounted <5od’s law “as a strange thing” to them. l)o not think
it sufficient that you continue in the outward profession of religion; nay, shall I say more? I question not, but a man may continue in outward duties and yet apostatize from God, so far as to commit the sin against the Holy Ghost; and that is evident from the example of the scribes and Phai-isees, whom Christ charges with committing the sin against the Holy Ghost, although they continued to observe a great deal of outward strictness in religion: therefore you may apostatize far from God, though you do not forsake the public ordinances of God.
“Flesh.” God calls all their sacrifices “flesh;” that is, in contempt; as if he should say. You sacrifice, indeed, I have a little flesh from you, but do you think that this is the thing which I look for in my offering? I expect faith and obedience, I expect the work of faith relying on him who is typified by all your sacrifices; but as you want that inward spiritual worship in your souls, I account your sacrifices but flesh.
Obs. 2. Most people ofier nothing to God in all their sacrifices but “flesh.” Their ofl’erings are flesh; that is, even in yoiu- prayers, in your hearing, in your receiving, you offer sacrifice, but all is but ‘• flesh;” God has the outward man, and it may be you have fleshly ends in what you do, and fleshly, carnal hearts. !Many a man has excellent gifts in prayer, and seems to oflier up an excellent sacrifice to God; but it is nothing but flesh, there is little of the Spu-it of God, of the sanctifying Spu-it, it may be, nothing. A man may jireach excellently, yet in fleshly wisdom, nothing but fleshly excellency. O my brethren, what are our sacrifices if they be nothing but ‘■ flesh? “You know what the Scripture saith, “All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: the grass withereth, the flow-er fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever,” Isa. xl. 6, 8. All a man’s parts, all tilings are but flesh that come not from the sanctifj-ing work of the Spu-it of God by the w ord, and w ill pass away; but the w-ord of God, that is, the impression of the word of God upon the soul by the sanctifying w-ork of God’s Spirit, abides for ever. You may have got a great deal of fleshly excellency, so that others may admire your gifts and parts; but this flesh is as grass, it will come to nothing, and all your esteem will pass away “as the flower of the field.” Let us take heed, my brethren, that our sacrifices be not flesh, for though they may glitter a while in the world, within a few- years all will be as gi-ass and will come to nothing.
“For the sacrifices of mine ofl’erings.” God commanded them to sacrifice flesh. Yet here seems to be an accusation; not, how-ever, that they sacrificed, nor that they sacrificed nothing but the outward part, flesh, but rather thus: In the burnt-offering all the whole sacrifice was tendered up to God; but in the peace-offering some part of it belonged to the offerer, so that when they came to offer that, they came with their friends, because they were to partake of it. Now-, saith God, “They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings;” that is, they change mine ordinance: whereas I looked for burnt-oflcrings, the whole offerings, from them, they will rather offer peace-offerings, wherein they shall have part of the flesh for themselves, that they may take content therein. Thus I find interpreters carry it, and I verily think it to be the meaning of the Holy Ghost. So that from hence the note is,
Obs. S. To aim at self in serving God eats out all true devotion, hen there is a duty to be done, part of which God requires, and we show respect to Goa in it, and in the other part we enjoy ourselves, such duties men can be content well enough to perform; but the truth is, that ])art which concerns themselves generally eats out all the Uue devotion to God; although the worship be pretended, yet self-respects the heart is most upon: as for instance, the keeping of festivals they
liked well enough, and we do not read so much about then’ non-observance, becavise in them there was something agreeable to the flesh: but now for the day of their fasts, God saith,” AVhosoever aftlicts not his soul, that soul shall be cut oflV They had not so much mind to that in the tenth day of the seventh month, therefore God threatens, that whosoever did not afllict his soul that day, it should be cut off. And so you shall find it. That is the reason indeed why men are so much set upon their festivals; they pretend God’s worship, and honoiu- to their blessed Saviour, and the like; but the truth is, it is their appetite, their sports, and the licence to the flesh, that they aim at. I warrant you, let the time (as now it falls out) be the time of a jast, it will not be so much regarded; and for any man to keep a festival, when God by his providence calls to fast, certainly that man regards his own carnal lusts rather than God. And that by which all these festivals are upheld is, because that, together with a show of religion, the flesh gets so much gratification; but the performance of duties wherein God is served, and nature denied, is a great testimony that the Spirit of God is in our hearts: when we can offer up our burnt-offerings wholly to God, and ourselves denied, they are testimonies that the Spirit of God is in us. As in 1 Kings xiii., you read of the lion which slew the prophet that went contrary to God’s commandment. Now the lion was specially sent by God to do this; and that there might be a testimony to that effect, therefore the text observes, that the lion stood by the carcass and did not meddle with it after it was once slain. It was the nature of the lion to have fed upon the carcass, but here was an argument, that what the lion did was from God. So, when any man shall perform a duty merely for God, and in that duty shall deny himself, shall be content to part with honours or preferment, that is a sign God is in it. And so in this public service: Oh, who would not venture himself for the public cause? But there is a public pay too as well as the public cause! But now, if a man, though he has not that which he expects, yet is content to venture himself as much as he did before, God is in this man, certainly, when he can thus do a work and deny himself in that work. And truly we should be willing so to do; why? because God requires not of us any self-denial that can do us any hurt. God would never have us deny ourselves in things that immediately concern our communion with himself and our eternal good. God expects self-denial, but it is only in those tilings that concern this present life. Now when God is so propitious to us that he will let us sometimes enjoy ourselves in the required duties, surely when he requires self-denial, and that in things of inferior moment, we should not hesitate to deny ourselves in them.
“But the Lord accepteth them not.” As if he said, I would not have them, I was not pleased with them. Here,
06^. 4. A¥hatsoever our services be, if self be regarded, all is rejected. Not only if sin be regarded, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, “the Lord will not hear my prayer;” but if self be regarded, our services may please ourselves, but cannot please God. And for this you have a remarkable scripture in Amos v. 22, “Neither will I regard the peace-offerings of youi- fat beasts.” Amos was contemporary with Hosea, and seems specially to refer to the very same thing as Hosea here, so that his words may help us to understand the passage before us. “Neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts:” observe, they are then- “peace-offerings;” he saith not, I will not accept the burnt-offerings of your fat beasts; but “the peace-offerings,” because of their peace-offerings they ate part themselves; and saith God, Let your offerings be never such fat beasts, yet I will not accept them: so.
let your duties be never so zealous and abundant, yet, if performed with a regard to self, God accepts them not.
“Now will he remember their iniquity.” They offered their sacrifices that their sins might be done away, and had they exercised faith upon Christ the true sacrifice, their sins would have been blotted out; but they offering with a regard to themselves, it is said of them, “Now,” for all this, “will he remember their iniquity.”
Obs. 5. Men may perform great services, exercise themselves much in holy duties, and yet their sins remain unexpunged on God’s file. It is Indeed a sad thing for a man to kneel down and pray with woeful guiltiness upon his spirit, and rise up with the same sense of guilt that he knelt do’mi with; and perhaps he has gone on and prayed and received the sacrament for these many years together, and every sin that was upon him when he first began is upon him now; whereas those that in holy duties exercise their faith upon Christ their Mediator, and with the act of faith tender up him to the Father, whatsoever sins were upon them before are now done away.
Obs. 6. However God may for a while forbear to come upon wicked men for their sins, yet he has his time to remember them all; to remember, that is, by his judgments to make it appear to them that he does remember them, when they think that he has forgotten them. 1 Sam. xv. 2, “Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from EgTiiit.” I remember what he did; why, this w-as four hundred years ago that he spoke of. We may commit a sin when in our youth, and feel nothing of it till we come to be old, and then God may remember it against us: as many when young, their bones full of mai-rov, and their veins of blood, feel not their present excesses; but in old age, then it aches in their flesh and bones, and then they remember their licentiousness and carelessness in their youth. And so many young people commit sin, and conscience never troubles them for it, and they think all is forgotten; but many years afteithe sin is committed, God remembers it, and makes them remember it too. Joseph’s brethren had committed that sin against their brother two and twenty years before they were compelled by God’s dispensations to say, “We are verily guilty concerning our brother,” Gen. xlii. 21. Many things might be said to this point which I cannot now insist upon, only this take with you; Let all you that are young, yea, and others to(5, take heed what you do in sinning against God, for that which you do now may be remembered against you many years after; perhaps twenty, thu-ty, forty years hence, God may come upon you for your present actions. Methinks this should be to young men a constraining motive to take heed of wicked lives. Youth’s sins may prove to be age’s ten’ors.
Oh! is it not a great deal better that God should remember “the kindness of thy youth” than the sins of thy youth? Jer. ii. 2. You that are young, begin, I beseech you, to be godly betimes, that God may remember “the kindness of your youth.” How blessed is the condition of the saints ‘in comparison of the wicked! “God wQl remember their sins no more;” he will “bury in the depths of the sea” the transgressions of his people. Numerous expressions of similar import occur in the word of God.
But further, “A’oic will he remember their iniquity;” that is, in the time of their holy duties. Now this is a sad thing, that God should not only remember a inan’s sin, but even then when he is about to offer sacrifices to God; as in Heb. x. 3, it is said, “In those sacrifices there is a remembrance made of sins every year;” that is, it was a note of their guiltiness every time they came to offer sacrifice, and their sacrifices did not do
away their sins fully, now will he remember them. But when they offered in a careless and ungodly manner, surely such sacrifices would bring their sins into remembrance indeed.
Obs. 7. God remembers the sins of the wicked especially in the i)erlbrmance of holy duties; and that upon these two grounds:
1. Because then we come into God’s presence. AVe then come before his eyes in a more especial manner. We are in God’s eyes always, but holy duties the Scripture speaks of as a more especial di-awing nigh to God. If a malefactor that has committed an offence a long time since, and thinking it forgotten, should presume to come into the presence of the king or judges, this presumption, were he discovered, would be deemed an aggravation of his guLt: so when the wicked are bold to draw nigh to God, although their consciences tell them that they have not sought to do away their sins by faith and repentance, this puts God into remembrance (to speak of God after the manner of men).
2. Their holy duties are aggravations of their sin, therefore God will remember them then rather than at any other time. As thus: the Jews in the text come to sacrifice for their sins, the language of which rite certainly was, Lord, I acknowledge I do deserve death myself for the sins which I have committed, and I can only have peace with thee tlu’ough the sacrifice of thy Son that I believe is to come: now for them to come and vii’tually to say so, and yet continue still in thensin, this aggravated their guilt; it was a sin of infirmity before, it is a sin of presumption now. So, when men presume to come before God in prayer who have heretofore lived wickedly, and thus testify the resptet which they profess they owe to him, while yet their consciences tell them that they do wickedly depart from God in their lives; when, I say, in prayer they confess and name their sins before God, and tell him what sinners they are, and yet still their hearts do close with these their sins, what an aggravation is this! yea, they come to judge themselves for their sins, and yet still to continue in them. O my brethren, if you did but think how such prayer aggravates om- sins, it would make your hearts quake and tremble. But I speak only to those that, being hypocrites, live still in their sins; their holy duties being but aggravations, no marvel though God then remember their sins in a more special manner. AVe have cause to wonder that God does not come upon some of us in his wrath, while we are in the midst of our holy duties: as Pilate came upon the Galileans and mingled their blood with tlieusacrifices; so, while we compare the lives of men with then- i)rayers, it is indeed a marvel that God does not mingle their blood with their sacrifice. O take heed, any of you that are conscious to yourselves of your hearts closin^ with any known sin, take heed the next time you go into God’s presence in prayer, and confess your sins, and judge yourselves, that” God does not then reniembcr your sins. “Now will he remember their iniquity,” even in the time of their holy duties: you think that is the time in which you most please God, but it may prove to be the lime of God’s remembering your iniquities against you.
“And visit their sins.” God visits either in mercies or judgments; and in the godly visiting, it is to be understood concerning those things that seemed before to be neglected, as, in Gen. xxi., God visited Sarah after apparent neglect: and so, in Exod. iv., he visited the chddren of Israel; that is, when he seemed wholly to have neglected them: and so, I will “visit their sins;” though they may think I have neglected them, yet I will “visit their sins.” AVhence,
Obs. 8. God visit-s men’s sins when they think he neglects them most. God has his time to make diligent inquirj’ for all their sins. In Exod. xxxii. 34,
“In the day w hen I visit, I will visit their sin upon them;” then all their sins shall come up together. And that is the reason that God is content to bear with wicked men, and wink at their sins for the present; why? because God has a day to visit them: This sin which they commit now, they shall not hear of it till a great while hence, but I have a day to visit, and then this and the other sins shall appear. Days of visitation heretofore were wont to be called days of vexation, but the day of God’s visitation w ill be a day of vexation indeed to ungodly men. Jlicah vii. 4, “The best of them is as a brier; the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation Cometh; now shall be their perplexity.” In Isa. x. 3, “And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will you leave your glory?” So I may say to many guilty consciences, “What will ye do in the day of visitation?” Poor sinner! thou canst tell now, thou canst go home and be merry, and do what thou list; but what wilt thou do “in the day of visitation?”
They will return, or, as we translate it, “they shall return to Eg)pt.” And so it denotes,
1. The course they would take when God was about to visit them. “They will return to Egj-pt.” Whither will ye flee “in the day of visitation? “” We w ill flee into Eg)^t, say they; if the Assyrian power grow too great, we will go into Egypt for help. And this may seem to refer to 2 Kings xvii. 4, where “the king of AssjTia found conspn-acy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So king of Egy-pt.”
Obs. 9. Carnal hearts, when God is visiting them for their sins, are plotting how to shift for themselves. Vain deluded soul! thy thoughts should be. How may I make my peace with Cod? how may I seek the face of God? thou art thinking of various shifts, whereas thou shouldst only be thinking of reconcilement with God. And thus it is with kingdoms; when God is visiting kingdoms, you find many that sit at the stern, exercise all their thoughts about carnal helps, whereas their great thoughts should be, how they might fall downi before God, and make peace between God and the kingdom: thus it was here, I will visit them, and they think to return to Egj-pt.
2. Their judgment. “They shall retm to Egypt.” It is threatened that they should return to Egypt at the latter end of Deut. xxviii.; there it is as a close to all the former judgments, “And the Lord shall bring tlice into Egv-pt again.”
Obs. 10. It is one of the most di’cadful judgments upon a nation, after God lias delivered them from a bondage, to retm’n them into the same again. And as it was grievous to bring them back into the bondage of Eg-pt, so more to return us into a spii-itual Egj-pt. If we should again come fully under the power of those lliat have persecuted us and opjiressed us, our bondage would indeed be seven-fold more than it is: and yet what cause have our hearts to tremble, when we think how we abused the beginning of the deliverance we have had! But of all judgments, let us pray to be delivered from that judgment, that we may never be returned again to our prisons.
Obs. 11. It is just with God, that those who inherit their progenitors’ sins, should inherit their progenitors’ judgments. You continue in theii- sins, you shall have their judgments also.
Quest. But were they ever carried into Eg”i)t? was this threat ever fulfilled?
yi7is. No, they were not carried captive into Epvpt, but they fled into Egypt for refuge, and there lived and died miserably, Jer. xliv. Hence,
Obs. 12. All places are places of misery when (iod forsakes a people, as all places are comfortable when
God is with a people. Many seek to help themselves, and perhaps they in part obtain what they would have; but the very answering of their desires ofttimes proves to be the execution of the wrath of God upon them. You have a mind to go to Egypt, you “shall return to Egypt,” saith God.
Ver. 14. For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send afire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.
“For Israel hath forgotten his Maker.” They have forgotten their Maker, but I will remember them, saith God.
Ohs. 1. God punishes for sins when men are most secure: whereas if you would remember your sins, God might forget them; or if you would remember God, your sins should not be remembered. It is an abominable thing for us to forget God, from whom we received our memory, and by whom we are remembered; we should never have been thought of if God had not given us what we have, and therefore for us not to think of God is a vile sin. Now, God is forgotten when he is not honom-ed, when he is not regarded as our confidence, help, refuge, our only good, when he is not obeyed; if we do but remember sin, we cannot but honour him. How many forget what manifestations once they had of God! they are passed by from them, and other things occupy their thoughts. Oh what manifestations of God have many of your souls enjoyed, and what communion with yom- heavenly Father! how has God’s Spirit shone upon you! and you thought you should never forget those things; but now other things are in your hearts: such have cause to fear that they are under much wrath, that they should so forget their Maker. God challenges remembrance under this title: “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth,” Eccl. xii. 1. There is no creature but the rational, that can reflect upon the cause of their being, the first cause, and therefore God would not lose the honour from this creature.” The ox indeed knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib ;*’ the beasts can take notice of those that bring them good things; but to reflect upon the cause of their first being, I say, that is proper to the rational creatm’e, and therefore it is an honour that God expects from you, and will not relinquish.
The words “his Maker,” imply not here God’s giving them their being, but God’s advancing and blessing them, so as to bring them to that happy condition which now they were in: “Israel hath forgotten his Maker,” they have forgotten the God who has thus advanced them. So I find the word rendered, 1 Sam. xii. 6, “The Lord that advauced Moses and Aaron;” in the original, jins-riNI nWD-ns? nwy-itt’S” nw the Lord that made Moses and Aaron; that is, when God called them to the pviblic work, God, as it were, then made them. Indeed for a man to be called to public service is a great honour from God, God then makes a man: we often use that phrase ourselves, if a man be raised to any preferment, such a man is made for ever. He whom God casts his favour upon, and delights to use in pubHc service, is indeed a made man.
Obs. 2. God’s favour makes a man. You have an excellent scripture for this in Isa. xliii. V, “I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.” Here are these three words together. God doth not satisfy himself with saying, I have given him his being, or all that he has, but he makes use of these three different words to signify how all om- good comes from himself: I do not know a similar expression in Scripture. I have brought him out of nothing; then, secondly, I have formed him, I have put beauty
and gloi-y upon him; yea, and tnirdly, I have made him, I have raised him to the height of all. God has created us all; but has he formed us? We are to look at God’s forming as well as at his creation, how God forms and fashions us unto his own will.
Obs. 3. The greater height of excellency God raises any man to, the more vile is his sin in forgetting God. Many men will remember God when they are low, but when God has advanced them, then they forget him, and that is worse. But there follows,
“And buildeth temples.” How is God forgotten, and they building temples to the honour of God i* You accuse us of forgetting God our Maker; what people in the world remember God as we do, when we are at such charges about his worship?
The word niSs’n translated “temples,” signifies also palaces. The church is indeed God’s palace. But note from hence,
Obs. 4. When God is worshipped in any way but his own, then God is forgotten. Papists set up images, and say it is to remind them of God; but the truth is, they forget God in them.
Obs. 5. When men’s hearts depart furthest from God, then are they many times most forwai’d in superstitious worship. We know that in the primitive times the hearts of men did close most with the power of godliness, and were more sincere in their worship; but afterwards, when they came to have peace, and temples, in and after Constantine’s time, then they forgot God most, and grew superstitious. When the Christians worshipped God in dens and caves of the earth, they remembered God more than when they had glorious temples built for them. Men that have departed from God must have something to satisfy their consciences. Of late, how desperately was our kingdom departing from God, and setting itself against all the power of godliness; yea, and for the building of temples too, that is, for a more pompous and glorious external worship! but they forsook the temples of God, and persecuted them; the saints of God, the true temples of the Holy Ghost, were neglected.
But you will say. Why is it a sin to build temples? I answer. It was in them,
I. A sin of hypocrisy.
II. A sin of superstition.
I. A sin of hypocrisy: they would persecute those that would go to worship at the true temple, and yet bestow so much cost in building temples of their own. And many of the ancients have many large invectives against all such as shall bestow a great deal on outward buildings, and yet let the poor saints want.
II. A sin of supcrstiticn: they would not go to Jerusalem, to the temple that God had appointed, yet they would set up temples of their own. There are many that hate the true temple, and the true church, that is, the communion of saints; yet magnify the outward buildings, as if they were the only church. So the Jews, when God would have them build his own temple, were slack enough: in Hag. ii. 2, 4, 9, what a deal of trouble had God by his prophet to get them to build his temple! but their own temples they would build.
But wherein was the superstition manifested in theiibuilding temples?
Thus: it is a sign of superstition for any men to put holiness on any buildings of their own. There were three things that made the temjile at Jerusalem a holy temple; and none of them can be attributed to any other place in the world.
First, It was set apart by God, so that it was a sin to use it for any other than a holy purpose.
Secondly, It sanctified the ver)’ duties that were performed.
Thirdly, It was a type of Jesus Christ. There were
these tliice things peculiar to the temple at Jenisalcm. And therefore you must learn for ever from hence, that no argument can he cbawn from the temple at Jerusalem for the holiness of temples now. Hence mark,
1. It is a sign of superstition to set apart a ])lace, so that it should be a sin to use it for any common purpose.
2. It is still worse to set apart a place so as to think that the veiy place should sanctify the duty, because the temple of Jerusalem did so. Now, for a man to think that his prayers are sanctified because they are within such a building, is superstitious: hence a company of poor ignorant people must go behind a pillar and pray, as if they were accepted the more because of the place. True, indeed, when we come and join with the church, our prayers are accepted, because it is in a
way of ordinance. Chrysostom exclaims ‘^’’aa°poi?ij™.”’ against this superstition, saying, Jeremiah when in the mud could pray, Job on the dunghOl, and Jonah in the belly of the whale; and therefore, why should we confine God’s hearing of prayer to such and such places? Besides dedication, the heathens had enchantments: Ab augiiriban hiaiigurabavtur, suia aiiguriis sancliora reddebanlur; hoc 7ii.si fieret, lempla esse non poteranl {lesle Van-one) sed tpdes sacras dicebanlur. len have been very profuse in this, both heathens and Christians, and yet I find that some of the heathens thought God too great to be worshipped within any building. Zeno, the philosopher, thought that temples must not be bliilt; and the Persians, who worshijiped the sun, thought that the whole world was its temple, and would have none other. The Magi, too, persuaded Xerxes to burn all the tem- ]>Ic’s of Greece, because they shut up God within walls. Some of the heathens had such thoughts of God, though ordinarily they were very abundant in building,, ,. ,. of temples to their idols. Josephus recounts Herod s desu-e to seem to honour God by building a glorious temple, even that same temple which was standing in Christ’s time. He would make it as large and glorious as Solomon’s was, and so he laid out a great sum of money upon it, in building it with blocks of white marble, twenty-five cubits long, eight cubits high, and about some twelve cubits broad: thus superstitious he was, and yet he was ungodly. And so many, to gratify inclinations of their own, care not what they expend; but in those things which God requires they are slack enough.
“And Judah hath multiplied fenced cities.” Judah, seeing God’s judgments upon Israel, does not use the judgments of God upon their brethren, so as to consider their own sins, and fall down before the Lord, and he humbled in his sight; but when they saw that God’s hand was against the ten tribes, all their care was to fortify themselves; Let us build strong cities, that we may be delivered from the miseries that are come upon our brethren. This is the course carnal hearts pursue; when God expects that they will be put upon humiliation and repentance, and look to it and consider whether they have not the same sins among them that were among their brethren, they regard nothing but carnal means. It is lawful to build strong cities, to fence ourselves against enemies; yea, but we had need lay the foundation of them in humiliation and reformation; and when they are built, they may not be rested in, for, saith God,” I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.’’ We must not bless ourselves in any strong places as if they could deliver us from the wrath of God. I have read of a city, that, fearing their enemies, sent to a neighbouring jirince to come and help them, and charged their ambassadors to tell him what sb-ength they had. But, saith the jirince, have you got a cover to defend you from heaven? if not, I will not meddle with you: you
must have something to ward God’s wrath from you, you are so wicked; and except you have something to deliver you from that, I will not assist you. So, though we have strong walls, yet we must look for a cover from heaven, which is our peace with God through Jesus Christ.
Obs. G. Men are more desirous to secure themselves from outward calamities than from God’s wrath. “Judah hath multiplied fenced cities.” Of outward safety men think they have never enough, to secure themselves from jioverty and from their enemies, but security from God’s wrath they little regard. In spiritual things we are content with a little, but when it comes to temporal security, we think we can never be too safe; and indeed, this will show you what your hearts are most set upon, that which you endeavour to secure yourselves most in, that is your chiefest good. A gracious heart will never say, ilay I not go to heaven though I do no more? but. Can there any thing more be done? does God require any thing more of his creature? God that knows all things, knows my heart is ready to do all things that he has revealed to me; and if there were any thing more to do, oh that I knew it, that I might fulfil even all righteousness!
“But I will send a fire upon his cities.” They “multiplied cities,” saith the text, “but I will send a fii-e.” Hence,
Obs. 7. MTien we bless ourselves most in our own thoughts we should consider, But what are God’s thoughts? We think we will do thus and thus, and save oui’selves by this or the other means. I’oor wretch! thou sayest thou wilt do thus and thus; yea, but think, what if God’s thoughts, at the same time, be otherwise? Thou art plotting to save thyself, but God is plotting to destroy thee: what if there prove to be a disjunction between God’s thoughts and thy thoughts? AVicked men have plots and devices for themselves, but God comes with his disjunctions, I will do thus and thus. Our enemies have had their plots, but God has been pleased to come in with his disjunctions, his thoughts have not been as their thoughts, blessed be his name.
Some interjiret these words, “But I will send a fire,” It may be that they think their forts are so strong that they cannot be beaten down, “but I will send a fire” to bm-n them down.
But I rather think this fire is meant metaphorically, I will send their enemies, which shall be as a fire; and so enemies are often called “a fire” in Scripture.
Obs. 8. By whatsoever means fire comes, God’s hand is to be looked to in it. “But I will send a fire.” If there has been a fire in your streets or houses, you will inquue by what means it came: but look up to God; whatsoever the means were, it is God that sends the fire.
Obs. 9. Brave things are subject to God’s devouring fire. “And it shall devour the palaces thereof.” As when the cbsciples looked upon the fair buildings of the temple and wejit, and Christ said, “There shall not be left here one stone ujion another;” so when we look upon our brave palaces, let us consider how quickly the fire of God’s wrath may come, and not leave a stone upon a stone. And let us sti’ive continually to look up to that place where Christ is gone to prepare mansions for us, and to that building that is eternal in the heavens, made without hands.
Veb. I.