Hosea 5
Ver. 1. Hear ye this, 0 priests: and hearken, ye house of Israel; and give ye ear, O house of the king; for judgment is toward you, because ye have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.
This chapter is the beginning of another sermon of Hosea, preached, as some think, in the reign of Pekah, son of Remaliah, king of Israel, whom you read of 2 Kings XV., probably toward the end of his reign, which was about the same time that Ahaz reigned in Judah, when that horrible confusion was brought into religion, he having placed the altar that he brought the fashion of from Damascus in the house of God; therefore the Lord here inveighs by his prophet not only against Israel, but also against Judah. The sum of the chapter appears to be this:
I. A summons of all sorts to judgment, ver. 1.
II. Accusation and condemnation of Israel by themselves, ver. 2 — 5.
III. Judah brought in as guilty, and sentence passed upon her, ver. 5, 6.
IV. Israel and Judah conjointly arraigned and condemned, ver. 7 — 14.
V. The good effects resulting from the judgments of God, ver. 15.
I. In the summons remark these three several words.
“Hear ye. Hearken. Give ear.”
“Hear ye, priests.”
“Hearken, ye house of Israel.”
“Give ear, O house of the king.” Hence,
Obs. 1. When God comes in ways of judgment, he expects we should seriously incline our minds to what he is doing. We should not only “hear,” but “hearken,” and “give ear:” God then will force audience. We are bound to hearken and to give ear to God’s commanding word; but if we refuse it, he will have us to hear and give ear to his threatening word; and if that be refused, he will force us to hear and give ear to his condemning word; for so it is here, “Hear ye, hearken, give ear,” for judgment is against you all.
There are three classes named here, “priests, people, house of the king.”
All sorts are cited to judgment, for corruption was gone over, and judgment conies against all. Hence,
Obs. 2. Generality in sins is no means to escape God’s judgments.
With men this may be a means to escape punishment; One and all is a word of security. AMien soldiers combine in the same offence, and cry, One and all, they escape with impunity. But it is not so with God, he regards not the number of those involved in the off’ence. Men think, I do but as others do, and I shall escape as well as they. With men this is somewhat, but with God nothing; though all sorts offend, yet there is never a whit the more security thereby unto any. We have a notable scripture confirming that, Nah. i. 12, “Thus saith the Lord; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through.” Though they be manv, yet thus shall they be cut down.
O’bs.’Z. The priests have usually been the causes of all the wickedness in, and judgments on, a nation. He begins w ith them, “Hear, O ye priests,” as the principal cause of all the evil; first of the evil of sin, and then of the evil of punishment; calling them priests, not that they were true priests, for they were not of the tribe of Levi, but merely so reputed. So Jeremiah saith, chap, xxiii. 13, “From the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land;” and there
are many passages of Scripture which plainly ath-ibute the evil of nations to priests. And has it not been so with us? and is it not so at this day? There was never a more filthy sink of scandalous, superstitious priests in a kingdom than of late amongst us, as has begun, and will yet further appear to you. There has been an accusation against our parliament, that orthodox, grave, godly divines have been ejected. I suppose you begin now to see what kind those grave, orthodox, godly divines were: evident and plain proofs exist, but it shall yet be made much more manifest in the eyes of all.
06^. 4. The people will go the way the king and priests go. “And hearken, ye house of Israel.” By the “house of Israel,” is meant the common people. “Priests” first, the “house of Israel” next, and the “house of the king” last. And the house of Israel is set between the priests and the house of the king, because by these two, the corruption of the priests and of the house of the king, all were influenced: the evil of the people came from them both, partly from the priests, and partly from the house of the king, and between them both the people were undone. If but one of them be right there is great hope of much good; but woe to a people when both of them are corrupt, both priests and the house of the king! Though the house of the king shoidd be corrupt, yet if the priests and ministers kept up the truth, and vigour, and life of religion, things would go reasonably well in a kingdom, and though religion might be persecuted, yet its life would not become extinct. AVhatever laws magistrates may enact against the ways of God, except ministers )ield compliance, those laws will not be brought to prevail with the consciences or practice of the people. Jeroboam and the other princes saw it was in vain for them to think to prevail with the people except they could gain the priests, therefore it was the great design of Jeroboam to get them over on his side, which he easily did, because all preferment came from him, he raised whom he would.
But mark, might not the people excuse themselves and say, ‘WHiat should we do? On the one side authority enjoins us, on the other side our ministers teach us to do thus and thus, what shall we do? might they not think to excuse themselves?
No, judgment is against you, O “house of Israel;” notwithstanding the example of the priests and the house of the king, yet you are not to be excused. A great many reasons may be given why sinful compliance m the people may not be excused. I remember ,;Vrias IMontanus, on this scripture, lays down this for a rule, That no king can make any law but by the people; they cannot, saith he, make laws by themselves alone, the people must consent to them some way or other; therefore the people arc involved in all the wicked laws in a kingdom. It is not enough therefore for )0u to say. Such and such laws are made, and we cannot hell) it; we are to know, it is not merely the will of a king that is a law to a kingdom, but laws enacted imply the sanction of the people. This answer he gives, and quotes a heathen in siqiport; and although in Scriptm’C and elsewhere, there are instances of absolute authority, yet many kings arc limited in their power; and in these times especially the people are not to be excused in their evil.
Now this shows evidently that God would have every one examine what is taught and commanded him by his superiors. The people are here*ited to judgment, and placed between the priests and the king’s house; though the priests taught, and the king’s house enjoined, the observance of superstitious rites, yet they must be judged. It is then, I say, clear, that God would have every one examine what is taught and commanded him by his superiors, and judge himself of the rule
of his actions, for they must each give an account unto God.
But you may say, Shall it be left to every one to judge of the truth of what is taught, and of the lawfulness of what is commanded? If so, what order can there be?
To answer that, TMiatever inconvenience may result, it appears evidently to be a truth, for we must answer unto God for our actions, therefore we must know the inile of our actions; therefore, first, let the inconvenience be what it will, the truth is good. But, secondly, I say this, that every one must judge so far as concerns his own act; he cannot judge as far as regards the magistrate’s act, what is fit for him to command, nor with respect to the minister, what is fit for him to teach, but he may and ought to judge so far as J his own act is concerned As I must answer before God for what I do, I must so judge it, but if I be taught and commanded by authority one thing, and I judge another, I go on mine ovn peril, that is, if I do not judge right, I sin against God, and incur punishment from him, and I must run the hazard; but tojude that which must be the rule of my act, is a certain right belonging to ever)’ man.
Obs. 5. Kings and princes must have sin charged upon them, and be made to know that they are under the threats of God, as well as others.” Give ye ear,
0 house of the king.” There is here an “O” prefixed, “Give ye ear, O house of the king,” for though it comes in last, yet it is the principal; for what harm can superstitious and idolatrous priests do, except they be countenanced by the “house of the king,” that is, the king himself, and his courtiers; “Give ear,” therefore, “O house of the king.”
“For judgment is toward you.” Mai’k, he does not attribute all this evil to wicked counsellors that got into the house of the king, but charges it directly upon the house of the king itself. Evil princes may be as great a cause why there ai’e evil counsellors, as evil counsellors why there are enl princes. Eril counsellors usually see what the design of a prince is, and what is suitable to his disposition, and they cherish that with their wicked counsels. But were the designs and dispositions of princes right, they might have counsellors about them to further that which is right too. Certainly it is no excuse for princes to countenance the evil, and then to say they were advised to such and such courses; for if the teaching of the pi’iests, and the commands of princes, do not excuse people, but they must judge as having to answer for themselves, then counsellors about princes cannot excuse them. It is the unhappiness of princes to have none about them to charge them personally with their guilt,
1 mean, to show them, in the name of God, the evil and the danger of their sins. It was wont to be said, (as I have before told you,) Da Jlmbrosios et plures liabebimiis Theodosioit, Let us have Ambroses and we shall have Theodosiuses, because of his freedom of spirit with that emperor. And to another emperor, Valentinian, he said, A’oli le exIoUere imperalor, si vis diutiiis imperare,esto Deosnbditus, Do not lift up thyself, O emperor, if you ut’ll be emperor longer, if you icill reign longer, be willing to be subject unto God, And we know with what freedom of spirit the proi)hets in former times spoke even to kings’ houses. As Samuel to Israel, 1 Sam. xii. 25, “If ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.” So Elijah to Ahab, Thou art he that troublest Israel. So Elisha to Jehoram, 2 Kings iii. 13, 14, “What have I to do with thee? “(and yet Jehoram came to the prophet in a humble manner;)” AVhat have I to do with tlice? Get thee to the ])rophets of thy father and the pro])hets of thy mother.” And,” AV’ere it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah,
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I would not look townrd fliee nor see thee.” This he said to a great king. Others, in the primitive times, have addressed princes with similar boldness; and a great cause of the evil of these latter days has been the flatteries of courtiers, therefore, saith the prophet here, “Hear ye, O house of the king.” Kings are great indeed above other men, but what are they before the great God? “He shall cut off the spirit of princes; he is terrible to the kings of the earth,” Psal. lxxvi. 12. ““VATien they wei“e but a few men in, number; yea, very few, and strangers in the land. TMien they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people; he suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes,” Psal. cv. 12. He reproved kings for the sake of his own people, when they were but few in number, and went wandering fi’om one nation to another, and said, “Touch not mine anointed;” that is, touch not my saints. He gave kings warning that they should take heed how they did so much as touch his church, touch his own people; God’s people are there called his anointed, and it is said unto kings, that they should not touch his anointed that were so few and wandered up and down from one nation to another. Say thus even to the house of the king. But observe further,
Obs. 6. Though kings are to be reproved for sin, some due respect ought to be shown to them. The house of the king is named last here, is named after the house of Israel. ‘Why so? Not that the house of Israel were more guilty than the house of the king, but because the house of the king could least endure reproof, could hardly bear reprehension, therefore, in wisdom, so far the prophet would go; he would begin vrith the other, and in his censures of it introduce the house of the king.
“Judgment is toward you,” saith the prophet. tflStt’cn here is taken either actively or passively. Actively, joro actu judicii, so Junius, it was theu- part to judge out of the law; and he would read it thus, Judgment is yours, O house of the king; you ought to judge the people in righteousness. But I rather think that it is here to be taken passively; that is, that God calls you to judg-nient, to suffer judgment, judgment is toward you, or against you. And observe, I beseech you, the difference between the beginning of the 4th and 5th chapters. In the 4th, it was but a controversy, a strife that God had with them; “Hear the word of the Lord, ye ohQcben of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.” But here it is come to judgment; that which before was but a contending with them, is now’come to a judgment of them, to a passing of sentence upon them, judgment is against you, sentence is out upon you. The former was God’s pleading against them, and this now is God’s judging of them. Hence,
Ohs. 7. When God pleads against us, let us not disregard. K we do so when he begins to plead his cause with us, if we neglect it because judgment is not upon us, it will proceed to a sentence. God has laid Iris plea agamst many a man in his word, and perhaps some of you see and know it; and God lays his plea against many a man in his conscience; but he neglecting this plea of God laid against him in his word and in his conscience, has afterward received the sentence of death in his soul, which has sunk his heart into despair, ^lany a man has had God speaking against him in his word and in his conscience, I say, and there has been God’s controversy: he has been laying his plea there, and thou hast gone on in thy sin, and at length, it may be, there comes the sentence of death on thy soul, that thou dost as it were feel, as some have said they have felt, God passing a sentence of death upon them in this world which has sunk them into endless despair; it has been a day of special judgment to them,
they have heard, as it were, God delivering from his throne this sentence against them, Thou art a dead man, a lost man. Oh take heed of neglecting God’s pleas, lest they come to judgments.
“Judgment is against you.” Why? what is the
cause?
“Ye have been a snare on ilizpah, and a net
spread upon Tabor.”
iSIark, God ])asses not judgment but he gives the cause for it. !^Ien are rash, and will pass judgment on persons and things that they know not. Sometimes you hear men railing against some: ask them, Do you know them? No. “UTiat have they done? Neither do they know that, only it is generally reported that such men distm-b the peace of the kingdom. But in this they deal not righteously. God passes not judgment without giving a full and sufficient cause why he does it; “Ye have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.”
There is much of the mind of God in these words. Some take “Mizpah” appellatively, pro speculatione, you have been a snare upon the watch, for so nsx (sjicculor) from whence the word cometh, signifies; and speculatio they take to be those over whom they should watch, as congregatio pro congregaiis, circumcisio pro circicmcisis, so apeculatio pro custoditis. As if God should charge them thus, You should have been watchmen, you priests, and you of the king’s house, but you have been a net to insnare them; you should have been speculatore, but you have been vencdores et aucvpes, you have been fowlers and hunters of my people. Theodoret reads itco speculatoribus, that is, you spread a net for the watchmen, you superstitious priests, you house of the king, and you people generally, you spread a net for your faithful watchmen; if you have any watchmen that are more watchfid than others, you seek, if possible, to insnare them. So they understand it, and though it does in some measure express the meaning of the words, yet I think it cannot be received here, for as the word Tabor is taken properly, not appellatively, so I think ought the word Mizpah. Mizjiah and Tabor were the names of two mountains in the land of Israel, the first signifying a watch, and the other. Tabor, a high place, so called by way of emineney, because it was a famous and high mountain.
Now both these mountains were very eminent among the people of Israel. !Mizpah some think to be the mountain where Laban and Jacob met, Gen. xxxi. 49, and that it was so called by Laban, “for he said. The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.” And in Judg. sx. 1, we find, the chikh-en of Israel gathered together as one man, unto the Lord in Mizpah.
So of Tabor, Psal. lxxxix. 12, where it is joined with Hermon, which was fam.ous also, as Cant. iv. 8, “Come •nith me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon.” Hermon is but badly designated in the versified translation of the Psalms (and a great many similar mistakes occur): “The little hOl Hermon,” Psal. xlli. 6; whereas the truth is, Hermon was a hif.h and famous hill. In the Psalms it is, “I will remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar;” Mizar, indeed, signifies small, but they make it as if it were an appellative to Hermon. But the Psalm is rather to be interpreted thus, I will remember thee, O Jerusalem, wherever I am, in all quarters of the world, from Jordan, which lay on the cast of Jerusalem, from Hermon, a high mountain in the north, and Mizar, that is, the south, because the mountains of the south were small; as if he should say, Whether I be east, or north, or south, from the temple, I will remember Jei-usalem.
So that the Psalm should not be rendered as if Mizar Mere a mere a])pellative to Hermon, ‘• the little hill Hermon;” for Hermon was a high and eminent hill, and is joined with Tabor, Psal. lxxxix. 12, which was so famous, that it was a proverbial speech anion? them to say, As Tabor amongst the mountains. To the Christian too it is full of interest, as being the mount of transfiguration. Josephus, in 1. iv. cap. 21, of the Wars of the Jews, saith it was 30 stadia high, and ri;„ lii ■) ™ »i o” ‘he top, 20; now a stadium is 12o
1 lin. lib. 2. cap. 3J. t” f 11 -1
paces, or 62o feet; and the summit lay as equal as if it had been made by the art of man, and was very fertile and full of trees, and altogether a very pleasant and delightful place.
Now God chargeth them, that they had “been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.” According to some, these mountains are taken synecdochically, for all hio;h places, and theSe metonymically, for all the superstition and idolatry committed upon them: and then the meaning is. Your idolatry upon these high places has been a net and a snare to the people.
But I rather think the sense to be metaphorical, thii,=:. These mountains were places very deKghtful, which the gentry of the kingdom frequented much in hunting, and where they were wont to spread their nets and set their snares for fowls and beasts. Now saith God, You “have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net sju-ead upon Tabor;” that is, You watchmen, and others that join with j-ou, have been as huntsmen that have laid snares for the souls of my people, as they lay snares on Mizpah and Tabor; God thus charging them with lay-Jig snares for the souls of his people, and hunting them and catching them in theii- ways of superstition and idolatry. The gospel is called a net in the Scripture, and the ministers of the gospel are to spread it, but the cords and twists of that net are precious, they are the blessed truths, the holy mysteries, of the gosjjel; and happy are they that are caught in that net. Superstitious priests and governors have their nets too, that they spread and catch the soids of the people in, but their nets are made of other manner of stuff. So Jeroboam and the rest of the princes would not at fii-st attempt to force the jjeople by violence to adopt a false religion, but artfully sought’to allure their hearts into a love of it, and would spread for the people unawares their nets, whose meshes were woven with the threads and lines of such cunning devices as,
1. The plea of authority. I Joes not authority command you to do thus and thus?
2. The sanction of the priestly office. Do not the priests, the holy fathers, do thus’ and thus? and have you more understanding than they; more wit than all the statesmen and the king’s house, and more than all your teachers too?
3. AVe do not alter our religion, we hope we worship the same Jehovah that you worship.
4. The things required of you are not of much importance, mere circumstances of place: you worship at Jerusalem, it is but worshipping at Dan and Beth-el here before these two images; you shall not worshij) the images, but worship in this place.
5. All we aim at is your own good; for that was Jeroboam’s pretence: It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem, to go twice a year so long, and tedious, and dangerous a iourney; lio, saith he, I tender the good of my people more, therefore let them worshlj) here.
C. The examjile of the majority. The ten tribes, the inultitude, adopt these rites, Judah and Benjamin only ditfor from them, why should you desire to imitate tlicir fastidious scrupulosity?
7. Their long-continuing prosperity. Has not Israel prospered as much as Judah? Has not God been
with us as much as with them? Judah pretends he worships God aright, we are sure God is with us.
S. Reproaches cast on the true worshippers of God; as in the 7th chapter of this prophecy, ver. 3, ‘■ They make the king glad with their- wickedness, and the princes with their lies.” That is, this was their cunning de’ice, to raise all the reproaches they possibly could against the true, forward, and zealous worshippers of God, especially against the prophets and ministers; and therefore in Amos, who prophesied at the same time, you find that Amaziah said, the land could not bear his words; they were even enough to excite sedition among the jieople, yea, what are these that oppose the king’s laws but rebels? These were the snares which they set to catch the people, to make them out of love with the true worship of God. Thus they were “a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.”
Thus it has been with us; how cunningly have men laid their nets amongst us to catch souls! They say, it is but yielding a little to a thing enjoined by authority,besides, it is really unimportant, and is countenanced by the example of many learned and godly men; yea, and why should you hinder yourself of the good you may do? It is afler all a mere matter of circumstance, connected with decency and order, and consistent with much devotion, and by yielding as far as we can, we may gain papists; none but a company of simple people oppose these ancient customs, which can plead the precedent of the fathers of the church, yea, of many martyrs who have shed their blood. Thus many souls have been caught as a bird in a snare, with these lines and twigs thus cunningly twisted together; and so caught that they could not tell how to get out, but being once involved in the meshes, were insnared more and more: as a bu’d once caught in the net, by its very flutterings is the more entangled; so men when they yielded a little, could not tell where to stop, but at last have gone so far, and been so completely insnared, as to be wholly unable to extricate themselves, but by their very efforts have become more deeply involved; and, the truth is, at length even their consciences have ceased to disquiet them; as a bird, that is perhaps at first alarmed when the net is but stirred, but after a little loses its fear; so many men of tender consciences have at first shrunk from superstitious vanities, but being caught by cunning arguments and devices, have, after a few faint efforts to disenthral themselves, succeeded in quieting their consciences, and calmly acquiesced in their captivity. Oh how many have been thus led captive! This was the design of the adversary amongst us, if possible to subdue the consciences of men; a design worthy of the father of lies, from whom it emanated. Even in their taverns and feasts, they were plotting and studying what it was that would best overcome the scruples of such and such men, and endeavoured to suit the temptation to the character and circumstances of each. It may be the old ceremonies would catch some; others perhaps would break through the old, therefore there must be new ones devised; these again might not suit others, but the book of Liberty on the Sabbath, that would be a proper bait; if it failed, then the oath of canonical obedience. Titus they laid nets for the consciences of men, knowing that if they could but once silence them, they might do with them what they would; certainly they saw that there was no way to make them their own, to make them filii ecclesier, sons of the church, as they called it, but by fu’st giving a sop to their consciences. Many men have found this to be true by experience, and we have seen it: they have come with all the flatteries they could to some, that have stood out many years, and by whoso ministry perhaps God has done good; and having but once induced them to yield a little, though with fear and trembling, yet have they
presently concluded that certainly they were secured, and then heaped all then” injunctions upon them in rapid succession, until their consciences were altogether subdued. And as it is with some birds and beasts, that when caught are presently fatted up; so it was with some ministers and others, when once insnared in their nets, they presently had livings and preferment, bishoprics, chaplaincies, and the like: and as some other birds when caught are forthwith nipped in the head, or have their limbs broken; so they dealt severely, maliciously with others, and ceased not until they entirely crushed them. Thus acted those amongst us that have been “a snare on our Mizpah and a net spread upon our Tabor;” but blessed be God that their snare is broken, and our souls are esca])ed as a bu’d out of the hands of the fowler, Psal. cxxiv. 7. ^ly brethren, do not you think you would have been all involved one after another in these their superstitious ways, seeing how in a few jears they have prevailed? But God looked from heaven and pitied the souls of his people, and heard their groans and sighs. Oh, many a poor minister has gone home to his wife, and having no other way of maintenance, has, out of fear of losing his living, yielded to their superstitious injunctions; but think you how he has -WTung his hands, and could not sleep that night, but lay tossing on his bed with a dismal conscience. Well, the Lord has heard these cries and broken our snares, and our souls are delivered. God forbid such a judgment should ever befall us again, and that God should bring these fowlers amongst us to insnare our souls as the)’ have done.
But there is another interpretation of this text which well consists with this, and I think is agi-eeable to the mind of the Spirit. Mizpah and Tabor I take in their own proper sense; “You have been a snare on iMizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor,” that is, that they really did spread snares and nets on those very mountains, which stood between the two chief cities of Israel and Judah, Samaria that belonged to the ten tribes, and Jerusalem that appertained to Judah and Benjamin. Now Jeroboam and the other princes, his successors, placed watch-towers on these two mountains, and there set men to be as spies, to see who went from Israel to Judah. There were some conscientious persons that would not be contented with that worship which was set up by authority, but must now and then be stealing to Jerusalem at the times ajipointed: now the priests counselled those that were in authority, saying, “Ve shall never have peace till we catch these men, who must be going to Jerusalem, therefore let there be some device to apprehend them: then others suggested, that as most of them, when going, passed by Mizpah and Tabor, those two places would serve to set towers on for watchers, who might surprise every one of them. Now this counsel pleased the princes very well, and thereupon, (as I find in Arias Montanus, who cites it out of the Jewish histories,) there were two towers set upon these mountains for this very purpose. This God chai’ges them with, and for this, judgment is out against them. Oh, this is that which provokes God exceedingly, and will bring fearful judgment upon a people, when magistrates and ministers will seek to catch poor souls that would worship God in his own right way.
And has it not been so in our late High-commission court? when there was but a mere reader in a country town, that could do nothing else, if there were any eminent preacher near, and poor souls that Mere hungering after the bread of life would go to hear him, they would set men on purpose to note down the names of such, just as Jeroboam did here. The Lord has a special eye on poor souls thus oppressed and insnared, to relieve them in due time; and blessed be
his name, he has done much for us, in relieving and delivering us fro.m these men, against whom the judgment of God is this day gone forth. AMiat is become of their proctors and siimmoners, and of all that rabble rout that were catchers and hunters of such poor souls as were desirous of worshijiping God in his own way?
Ver. 2. And the reroUers are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them all.
The Lord by his prophet proceeds in his charge against Israel for their idolati-y. “The revolters.” The apostates, those who once rendered me the worship I requii-ed; but they are revolted. The brand of a revolter is an ignominious brand, especially when God himself charges this upon any; Once you were full of zeal in the ways of God, but you are revolted, you are apostates. There can be no blacker brand on a ])eople or a man than this is, He is an apostate, a revolter. AVe must understand this their revolting especially in reference to their falling off from the true worship of God to then- idolati-y.
“Ai-e profound;” ip’cy.l they are grown very deep in this their way of idolatry. At fu’st they began but with a little, but by degrees they reached the very depths. When men enter on the ways of idolatry, they know not whither they shall go. They think perhaps, at first, to go but thus and thus far, but before they are aware they are sunk into the very depths.
Obs. 1. It is a dangerous thing to venture on the beginnings of false worship, especially when the tide is flowing in. If a man stand on the shore of the sea when the tide is coming in, and thinks, The water is but shallow now, I may venture to stand here; still it comes insensibly on, and he thinks it is not much deeper than before: but if he venture too long he may soon be swallowed up and sunk in the very depths of the sea. Thus it has been with many; they have been beguiled, have thought they might yield thus and thus far, but little thought of the tide that was coming in. It is true, if it had been going out there had not been so much danger. They truly are deceived in their opinion of the first Reformers, who say they were wont to yield somewhat for peace sake; but then the tide of superstition was on the ebb; and yet it was not without danger that they yielded so far as they did: but of late the tide has been coming in, and these gradual compliances have drawn many into the very’ depths of superstition, where they have been u-recoverably lost.
“Are profound,” they are grown pro- ^^^^.^^ .^ found, that is, their hearts are got very deep in these ways; (so I find some interpret it, and not improbably;) they are grown deep; that is, they are deeply rooted in these ways, so that there is little hope of ever drawing off theirhearts from them; they have continued in them a great while, and now they plead antiquity and custom.
Obs. 2. It is a dangerous thing to be deeply rooted in superstitious wavs. ‘Miat a great deal of stu- is there in dealing with them that are deeply rooted in false ways of worship! By custom they become deeply-rooted. J „.
“Ai-e ])rofound,” they are grown “profound, that is, they have revolted from God exceeding much, deei)ly ‘revolted. It denotes the greatness of theirrevoltin’o-. In Isa. xxxi. 6, there is such an expression, “They have deeply revolted;” they have not only forsaken somewhat of my worship, but they have deeply, exceedingly revolted from me. So in chap. ix. of this prophecy, ver. 9. ‘■ They have deeply corrupted themselves;”’ they have ver’j- much, exceedingly corrupted themselves.
“Are profound,” they are grown deep, that is, (as
some would have it,) they grow deeper in their ■n-ajs of idolatry than God does in the ways of his worship: as thus, They will punish more the breaking of any of their rules in their invented worship, than God punishes the breach of his comman<ls. So I find Mercer, that learned interarcter, quoting Rabbi Jarchi as having this expression, 0“’ “o” ascendit transgreditur; qui offendit occidelur: He who ascends not (to the feast) transgresses; he that offendeth (so) shall be slain. God only accoimts him a ti-ansgressor that comes not up to the feast at the appointed time; but they say. whosoever doth not come shall be put to death. They will go further in the punishment of the breach of their superstitious enactments, than God does in punishing of the breach of his holy law. So they are grown deep. Yea, they would seem to go further, to be more zealous and earnest for their ways of idolatry, than God himself is for his ways of holy worship.
And have we not found this, that revolters, superstitious idolaters, have grown deep thus? that is, they will punish the breach of their superstitious ways more deeply than God punishes the breach of his law; they will insist more on time, and will be more eager to have their laws fulfilled abundantly, than the true worshippers of God are eager to have the law of God fulfilled.
But though I think the Holy Ghost hath a reference to these things, the main and principal scope of the word I conceive to be this, according as you have it in your translations. They are grown “profound;” that is. They are very subtle in their ways of idolatry”, they lay their snares deep.
AVe spake before of the snares of idolaters; now here the Holy Ghost charges them with being profound, that is, They are subtle, they lay their snares very deep: as fowlers and hunters (to follow the metaphor) will go into low places and ditches, that so the birds may not perceive them; so the Holy Ghost here saith, these are content to go deep, they are deep in their plots, they will deny themselves in any thing almost, and will he content to lie veiy low, so be it they may further their own ends. You find in many gi-eat promoters of superstition and idolatiy, that they will crouch and seem to be very afiable and courteous, and in many things even deny themselves, and all to further their own ends; thus they are profound in their subtilty: accortling to that expression we have in Psal. x. 9, 10, “He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net. He croucheth, and hurablelh himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.”
This should teach us to be willing to deny ourselves in our own ends that we may promote the true worship of God; for idolaters will crouch, and bow, and deny themselves in many things, for the promotion of their idolatry. There are many depths, many subtleties in their ways; their powers are strained to the utmost to maintain their superstition; and men that have strong parts and good wits, what a gloss are they able to put upon the worst things in the world, especially when aided by the father of lies! The Scripture tells us’ of “the depths of Satan,” Kcv. ii. 24. Satan in his instruments has deep arts, and goes beyond many poor weak and simple people. And we have in Scripture the “dences” of Satan, 2 Cor. ii. 11, rd roqam, the reasonings of Satan. And then the methods of the devil, Eph. vi. 11, rdj fuOocdac, the deep. policies of the devil; and in nothing more exercised than in the maintenance of false worship; gi-avity and seeming profound learning appear to countenance it. This was just the way of idolaters at these times, they were grown profound in this their way. Hence,
Obs. 3. The hearts of apostates are the most deeply rooted in wickedness.
No men are so deeply rooted in wickedness as apostates. The revolters are grown deep, that is, are deeply rooted in this their way of wickedness, and amongst other wickedness, above all in the ways of superstition and idolatrj”. Apostates, if they grow supei-stitious and idolatrous, are the most deeply rooted in those ways, yea, and the most profound and subtle in them. Hence you might observe in your own experiences the practices of our prelates, they would choose to themselves chaplains of such as had fallen off and apostatized from that strictness which they seemed as puritans to profess in former times; they thought their choicest and best men were such as arose out of the ashes of a puritan, as they themselves were wont to express it; knowing that those that were formerly seemingly strict in their practice, were best acquainted wherein the consciences of godly men were most tender, and most familiar with their habits and places of resort, and therefore the most likely to prove the fittest agents.
Obs. 4. Idolaters, especially apostates, are profound and deep.
AVe had need therefore to beware of those that are superstitious when they come with the greatest show of arguments: they are deeply rooted, and can hardly be got to abandon their superstitions; we had need likewise be deeplv rooted in the truths of God, or they will certainly undermine us. The Scripture tells us, that “the Spirit of God searcheth the deep things of God,” 1 Cor. ii. 1 0; revealeth the mysteries of Christ. Those that have that Spirit of God that searcheth those deep things of God, are the only persons that are likely to stand out against the deep policies of idolaters. And the truth is, ever)” godly man and woman, though never so meanly gifted, yet ai-e more profound than the gi-eatest scholar in the world that is wicked and superstitious; for they have the Spirit of God, that searcheth the deep things of God; and this it is that keeps their hearts from being insnared by all the profountlness of false worship.
Obg. 0. Idolaters are deep in their policies.
It should teach us then to labour to be wise in the worship of God. Alnien we would maintain God in his worship, it should teach us to learn to seek to outplot them: they are full of their plots; why should not the Spirit of God teach us wisdom as well as the spirit of Satan teaches them? AVhy should we not exercise our parts energetically in the true worship of God, as they theirs in the way of superstition and idolatr)’? But we sec it ordinarily otherwise, “The men of the world are wiser in their generation than the children of light,” they are deeper in ways of policy, and so deceive such as are simjile. If you take them on the first show of things, they will seem to come with such colour of arguments as will certainly deceive you. Therefore you should beg wisdom of God, that you might not be deceived through the subtlety of Satan in these men.
I find divers of the ancients have other interpretations of these words; I will not, however, s])end further time in discussing them, because I think we have already had the meaning of the Holy Ghost in these words; therefore we will jiass on. They” are profound
“To make slaughter.” To make slaughter! what does God intend by these words? He means by their making “slaughter,” their sacrifices to their idols; and so by the sacrifices, which was the principal part of their false worship, he includes all their false worship; they were deep in all their false worship, naming the chief for the rest.
But why does he call their sacrifices, making
“slaughter?”
In way of reproach. God will not honour llieni by saying, “they offered me sacrifice; no, but it is,” to
make slaughter.” As if God should say, I regard all your sacrifices as no better than slaughter, your temple no better than shambles, and your priests no other than butchers. Thus contemptibly doth God speak of the sacrifices of those that choose their own superstitious ways. Isa. lxvi. 3, “He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man: he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck: he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood:” and yet there God speaks of the sacrifices of Judah, not of Israel. Let the sacrifices be for the matter of them what God requires, and offered in the place which God has appointed; yet when men make their sacrifices their own righteousness, and think to put off God by them, I regard them no more, saith God, than the cutting off of a dog’s neck. But these sacrifices of Israel had a twofold error in them: Fii-st, they were not offered in the place that God woidd have them. Secondly, they rested upon them likewise: therefore are they called no other than slaughter. Hence observe.
That whatsoever worship is tendered up to God, if it be not his own, or if in that worship (though it be his own) we choose our own ways, God accounts it an abominable thing, whatsoever show of devotion it may have.
The words “to make slaughter,” God uses not merely to show the contempt he has of all their sacrifices, but by that he secretly insinuates the cruelty of the priests and of the princes to those that would not yield to their idolatries, their grievous persecution of them, even unto blood. They “are profound,” saith God, they are grown deep in their idolatiT, they are gro’mi to the depth of malice, so that their hearts are enraged against those that will not conform, even unto blood: No matter what becomes of them, no matter if they were all hanged, a company of precise and scrupulous fools, that pretend conscience, and do nothing else but trouble the state. Do not Jeroboam and the council command these things? The kingdom can never be well till it be rid of them.
“Though I have been a rebuker.” Though I have been an instructor, or corrector; so the word may be rendered, as well as a rebuker. And “have been.” or am, or will be, you may put it which way you will, is not in the text, but simply, “though I a rebuker,” eruditor, corrector of them all. As if God should say, They cannot plead ignorance; indeed, were it that they never had any means, then they might have some pretence for what they do, but I have been an instructor and rebuker of them all.
This ])article, “I,” hath reference either to the prophet, or to God himself
1. The prophet: and then, either actively or passively.
“I have been a rebuker,” or I have
been rebuked; so some render it.
1. “I,” the prophet, “have been a rebuker.” From thence the note is,
Obx. 6. The ministers of God must rebuke sin.
2 Tim. iv. 1, 2, “I charge thee before God, and the Lord. Jesus Christ,” saith Paid to Timothy. And among other charges, this was one, that he should rebuke the offenders. And Tit. i. 13, “Rebuke them sharply,” awoToiitoQ, cuttingly, so the word signifies. Tit. ii. 15, “Rebuke with all authority.”
This is the work of the ministers of God, to rebuke “with all authority,” to rebuke “cuttingly,” when there is cause for it.
And, indeed, the spkits of sinners are base and vile, and a minister of God, coming in his Master’s name, is above the highest of them. And if the rebuke be administered in a gracious manner it will make the proudest sinner tremble. Let them seem never so scornful outwardly, vet, I saw, let a minister of God
come in God’s name, and speak as the oracle of God, he may make the proudest and stoutest sinner to quail under his rebukes; for then- spu-its are vile. And though it seems grievous for the present to those that are rebuked, yet they will bless then- reprovers afterward, if God bless the rebuke; and others will curse them that would not rebidie them in their evil ways.
2. If we refer this to God himself, “I have been a rebuker;” that is, not I the prophet only, but I the Lord have been a rebuker of them all; the observation is, 1
Obs. 7. When the ministers of God rebuke according to the oracles of God, God rebukes. And if there be any means in the W’Orld to humble the heart of a sinner, it is this, to see that God rebukes him in his word. You may put these two notes together: 1. God rebukes in his word; and, 2. This is a great means of humbling the heart of a sinner. Thou comest to the word, and findest thyself rebuked for such and such evils that thou art conscious to thyself of; know it was God rebuked thee that day, and he will call thee to account for those rebukes which he there gave thee. Thou earnest, perhaps, to hear what the minister would say, but thou foimdest before thou wentest that thou wert rebuked for such and such secret evils thou art conscious to thyself of; know, I say, God rebuked thee at that time, and look to it, God will call thee to an account for his rebukes.
But God rebukes not only by his word, but sometimes by his works too; when he manifests himself against sinners, suiting his works so as to show evidently that he sets himself against them, then, I say, God rebukes them for some special evils, although they will not see it. Isa. xxvi. 11, “Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see.” God lifts up his hand to rebuke wicked and carnal men, and evidently sets himself against them, and they will not see: but they shall see. Hence,
06*. 8. Idolaters’ hearts are stubborn. They were profound to make slaughter in then’ ways of superstition, though I was a rebuker of them all; they cared not for my rebukes, they regarded not my words, their hearts were stubborn and stout against them. J’erbicontemptus, idolatrias comes, saith !Mercer upon the place. The contempt of God’s word is the companion of idolatry. Common experience tells us how your superstitious, false worshippers slight the word of God; they are above it, they speak jeeringly of the Scripture and of warrants from God’s word; and extol the fathers and antiquity, and such and such writers, but the word of God they usually contemn and scorn.
Thus it was here, they regarded not what God said in his word. Idolaters are very stout against the word of God, and contemn it. None of its commands nor rebukes but they withstand. Poor vile worms that they are! who are they, that they should dare to resist the rebukes of the infinite holy God? Know, however thy spirit rises against his word, it wUl certamly cast thee. The psalmist, in Psal. lxxvi. 6, saith, “At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.” And so Psal. lxxx. 16, “They perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.” And Psal. civ. 7, “At thy rebuke they fled.” And Psal. xviii. 15, “The foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebukes.” The rebukes of God have a gi-eat deal of” power in them, heaven and earth cannot stand before them; how then can that stubborn heart of thine succeed in its opposition?
Let us not be troubled, my brethren, nor discouraged, at the stoutness of idolaters. They have always resisted the rebukes of God in his word, and therefore let us not think it much though they now withstand the evident truth of God, and the works of God, that apparently make against them. They were torment-AX EXPOSITION OF
cd with the wrath of God, but “they repented not to give him glorj,” Rev. xvi. 9. Many men ai-e ready to think their cause is good, because their spirits are so resolute to slight all that appears against them. Let not us have higher thoughts of them because of this, for it has alwavs been the course of idolaters to stand out stoutly against all the rebukes of God in his -word and works, because the Lord has an intent to destroy them. Hence,
Obs. 9. Sin after rebukes is exceeding sinful. It is too much to neglect God’s commands, but to stand out against any intimation of his displeasure is a greater evil. God expects that the heart of sinners should in such a case melt before him; and it was the commendation of Josiah, that when the law was read, his heart melted; and indeed an ingenuous spirit is soon rebuked. But when the heart of a siimer is got above all rebukes, then it hardens exceedingly, and treasures up WTath against the day of WTath. AVe ourselves cannot bear others to be insensible to our rebukes, we cannot endure them to be disregarded by a child or a servant. How shall the infinite God bear oui- slighting of his rebukes?
O let us charge this sin upon our souls. How often has God rebuked me in his word and in his works, and yet, the Lord knows, this wretched and stubborn heart of mine has stood out against it all! Certainly this resisting of the Holy Ghost will lie one day heavy upon thy conscience. Nothing will increase the burden of sin more than this, that I have sinned, and that in my sin I have stood out against the rebukes of God. As in Prov. v. 12, 13, ‘• And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, and say. How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof!” The words are spoken of one gallant, a brave young gallant, that blustereth it out in the world, and carries all before him, and cares for nothing that is said; but when the hand of God is upon him, and his flesh and body are consumed, then he begins to lament his condition. Oh, how have I despised reproof, and have not inclined mine ear to them that instructed me! This is the aggravation of sin indeed.
And that we may humble oiu- souls for our standing out against God’s rebukes, add but this consideration, that God has such rebukes in reserve as will force us to yield. If we stand out against his rebukes in his word and lesser chastisements, against his loving rebukes, let us know that God has “furious rebukes;” so they are called in Ezek. v. 15; xxv. 1 7. A’lien thou comest to the word, or when thy parents, or thy governors, or thy friend, rebuke thee for thy sins, God rebukes thee in tliera, and these are loving rebukes; but if thou rcjectcst these, know, God has “furious rebukes” for thee one day, yea, “rebukes with flames of fire,” Isa. lxvi. 15.
“Of them all.” This (if you apply it to the prophet) shows his impartiality. And thence,
Obs. 10. Prophets’ rebukes must be impartial retukes: not like cobwebs, to take small flies and to let the great ones go through; they must be impartial. Oh how many prophets have shamened their rebukes against those that have been truly conscientious, and Tiave saddened their hearts even out of their puljjits; “but have let those that are loose go quiet away; nay, not only quiet, but rejoicing! When the hearts of the saints have been saddened, they have sharpened their rebukes against these; but the looser of the parish, or, many times, the great ones, have gone away rejoicing. Tints, if you take the words, “I have been a rebuker of them all,” actively.
Hut if passively, as some do, Thev have rebuked the prophet; as if he should say, They have been profound in their idolatrous ways, and I have been faithful in preaching to them, and what has been my recompence?
All of them have rebuked me. All of them; not only their priests, not only their chief and great men, have rebuked me, they indeed might with some show of reason bitterly inveigh against me; but all the people have done it too. I have been a rebuke to all the people, they have all been bitter against me, and sharpeiv ed their very tongues against me; Oh, say they, here is one that likes not our manner of worship, he must have another kind of religion, he tells us that we must all go up to Jerusalem and worship there, and nothing but that will be accepted. Thus they scorned and rebuked him, and even flew in his very face. Hence,
Obs. 11. It is a hard thing for a few men to stand out against a state in matters of religion.
If there be but some few unto whom God hath shown another way, and the generality difl”er from them, certainly those’ few are likely to meet with hard tieatment, and to be a rebuke, not only to ministers, but generally to all the peo])le; they must expect to be under the rebukes of all sorts. Thus it was with the prophet, and with all that went his way, he was a rebuke wito them all.
Ver. 3. / know Ephraim, and Israel is nol hid from me: for note, O Ephraim, thou commillest whoredom, and Israel is dejiled.
“I know Ephraim.” This is A’olitia jxdicialis, nmiapprobalionis, A knowledge to judge, not a knowledge of approbation.
“I know Ephraim;” that is, I know all his shifts, all his evasions and his cunning devices, all his plots, pretences, and base ends. These may be hid from men, but I know them all, they are not hid from me. Mark, first, “I know Ephraim,” and then, I know Israel.
First, “Ephraim.” By “Ephraim,” as you have heard before, we are to understand the princes, the great ones, amongst them, because Jeroboam was of the tribe of Ejihraim. “I know Ephraim,” that is, I know the politic ends of all the great ones amongst them: they profess to man that they desire to worship me, and say, God forbid that they should change religion; and they cry out against all that would excite such suspicions of them amongst their good people. But “I know Ephraim,” saith he, I know what his aim is, I know what his thoughts are, and what was plotted at such a time, and what his chamber counsels with certain priests were; I know what correspondence he has with some that coiTupt my worship, and all that follow him and favour him, I know them thoroughly, all their devices and depths. I know what has been working these many years; how he seems as if he would serve me, but I know that what he does is merelv to serve his own ends. I know how the poor are deluded by his fair and solemn protestations, they think he means nothing but well, and that none but a company of precise people are jealous of him; but I know what they intend, and what their ways are, whatsoever colour they put upon them. “Ephraim,” that is, the great ones, the princes, persuade the people that Jeroboam and his successors aim at nothing else but to reform things for the best, but I know that matters are far otherwise; “I know Ephraim.”
“Israel is not hid from me.” That is, the people; they pretend that they do but as they are taught, and that they merely submit to authority, and would rejoice indeed if things were otherwise, and matters reformed more in accordance with the word of God; yet some things must necessarily be yielded to’ for peace sake. True indeed, they say, these prophets of the Lord, and some others, are good and honest men, and would have us to do otherwise; but things are not yet clear, and the course they recommend, though in apparent conformity with the .Scripture*, may bring us a great deal of trouble and inconvenience; for peace sake then we
must be contented to yield to the judgment cf such and such learned and wise men; and though we yield in these matters, yet our hearts are right for God. But saith God,” Israel is not hid from me.
“Israel.” That is, the base, temporizing, revolting, superstitious spirits of the people, they are not hid from me; their unwillingness to yield themselves to my government, their love to their ease and estates, the reluctance of their carnal hearts to venture and suffer any thing for my truth and ordinances. Israel, in these his distempers of heart, is not hid from me; all these things are plain before me; he may blind men and deceive his own conscience, but he cannot hide it from mo, saith God. From whence the observations are these:
Obs. 1. God’s eye is upon the secrets of men’s hearts. Certainly, therefore, hypocrites must needs be atheists; they that think to put off God with outward shows, must needs deny God, as if God did not see the secret turnings and windings, plottings, contrivances, and aims of then’ hearts.
And then, oh the patience of the infinite God! that notwithstanding he sees what villany there is in the world, coloured over with religious protestations and professions, yet he bears with it. I know, saith he, I know what all their ends and aims are, and what kind of success they desire; although they colour and cover them all over with such protestations of religion, and a professed for its establishment. Oh the infinite patience of God,, that can bear with men who attempt to veil theii’ iniquities under solemn protestations and professions of religion! At this exhibition of his patience we must needs wonder.
Again, God knows all the hearts and secret aims of men; let us then pray to him to make our own hearts known to ourselves. He knows them, and except we be upright in our wish to know, and unfeignedly desire of God that he would show us, our own hearts, we possibly may, after many duties performed, perish for some secret sin that we were ourselves unconscious of. I say, it is possible for persons to go on a long time in the profession of religion, and to make conscience of all known duties, yet to perish at last for some sin that they know not to exist in themselves.
You will say, This is a hard thing; what shall become of us then?
To mollify this therefore a little, take this along with it: Except thou hast a heart unfeignedly willing to know and search itself, and earnest with God that he who knows thy heart would make it known to thyself: if indeed, thy heart be thus upright, that thou canst appeal to God and say. Lord, I know that I have a vile, false, and h)150critical heart, and much evil may lurk secretly in it, that I have not known all this while, an evil such as I may justly perish in; but, good Lord, make it known to me, let me know the worst of myself, let me know the evil that is in me, and my purpose is to resist it: if thou hast such a heart, thou hast no cause to think that thou shalt perish for any evil ways in thee. But if thou hast any secret evil in thyself, and dost not in the uprightness of thy heart unfeignedly desu’e to know it, that so thou mayst forsake it, and get thyself rid of it, and canst not appeal to God that thou art willing to have it made known unto thee, thy condition may be dangerous, notwithstanding all the duties thou performest.
Obs. 2. God’s eye upon our hearts and ways, is a special means to humble us. “I know Ephraira,” is brought in as a means to humble Ephraim, to humble Israel.
No more powerful means in the world to humble the heart, than to remember that God looks upon our hearts and ways. The discovery of om- evU to others may be .some means to humble us. Oh how it would abase men, if God should discover to their friends and acquaintance all that evil that is in their hearts! And hereafter, at
the great day of judgment, when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed, how will the wicked and ungodly be abased before men and angels! We read of the adulterer in Job xxiv. 17, that the morning is to them even as the shadow of death; and if any recognise them, they are then as in the teiTors of the shadow of death. AMcked men (especially adulterers, for it is spoken of them) hate the light, and the morning is unto them as the shadow of death. Now I argue, if the knowledge that men have of om- secret wicked ways is so terrible to a guilty conscience, what is it then when this guilty conscience shall have real apprehensions of the infinite God! He has seen thee when thou hast been such a wretch in such an inn, in such a tavern, in such a secret place. He has seen what thou hast said and plotted; yea, what thou hast thought and plotted. Look upon God thus seeing thee, and try if it will not humble thy heart. 0 labour to humble thy heart by this, How unwilling was I to know such a truth! how glad when I got a thing out of my conscience, that would have forced me to measures I was reluctant to adopt! and whatever I pretended, love to myself, to my ease, to my estate, made me decline this ti’uth of God; and God saw all this, ‘len we feel such base workings within, such plottings andcontrivings of our hearts for our own selves and for our carnal ends and aims, let us consider that the eye of God is upon us. Let us conceive we hear the voice of God from heaven saying to us, 1 know what you are plotting, I know what your aims are, I know the base workings of your spirits. Did we but apprehend God thus speaking from heaven to us, as here he speaks by the prophet, “I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me,” it would be a special means to humble our hearts for evil present, and to prevent evil for the future.
“Now.” There is in this word a great emphasis: Even still Ephraim goes on in wickedness; he has gone on a great while, and even now when I am coming against him, he continues still in his wickedness. Hence,
Obs. 3. God will deal with men according to their present ways.
In what he finds them for the present, he will deal with them for that especially. Not but that when he finds them in evil for the present, he will call them to an account for all things that are past too; but he especially suits the punishment to their present iniquities.
I note this the rather, to show to sinners this useful lesson: ‘V^’hatsoever thou wast before, though thou hast continued a long time in thy wickedness, yet if thou hast but now a repenting heart to return unto God, there might be hope and help for thee. O consider this, thou wretched sinner. As if God should say here, Eplu-aim has continued wicked a long time, but if he had now a heart to return to me, it should be well with him; but even now, to this very moment, “Ephraim committeth whoredom:” so say I to the vilest sinner in this place, whatsoever thou hast been, here is salvation, if now at this instant thou hast a heart to turn to God: thou canst not tell whether God will ever give thee another now: if thou return 7wtc unto him, and repent and believe, thou mayst be saved; but if God come upon thee after this exercise, and find thee continuing in thy sinful ways, and say, Even now, yet for all this, this sinner eontinueth in his sin, this will be a heavy thing indeed. So here he comes to Ephi-aim, “Now, O Ephrami!” He makes an exclamation against him; O Ephi’aim, after all the means that have been used to recall thee, yet still, O Ephraim, thou continuest in thy idolatry.
And, “Ephraim, thou committest whoredom,” thou doest it; thy sin is greater in this, for thou can-iest the
people with thee, and there is little hope of reformation till the great ones reform; if Ephraini commit whoredom, Israel must needs be defiled; so it follows:
“Israel is defiled.” There is a twofold defilement of the people of Israel.
1. Defiled morally; that is, by their wicked works: as here, by their murders, and thefts, and adulteries.
2. “Israel is defiled;” that is, they defile my worship, and that defiles them. They have defiled my worship, and consequently are defiled themselves. And that I take to be especially meant here. “Israel is defiled;” that is, among other ways of defilement, they mingle with heathens, and bring them in to defile my worship. In Isa. sivii. 6, God threatens to defile his sanctuary, and to pollute his inheritance: that is, when he suflfers, by his just judgment, idolaters and heathens to come into his sanctuary, to mingle with his inheritance.
And then, Israel is defiled another way; that is, Israel mingles his ovm inventions with my worship; and Israel brings in, or suflers the heathen to come in to my worship, and so my worship is defiled, and they are defiled in consequence. Alnience,
Obs. 4. Detiled worship exceedingly defiles the souls of people.
Nothing defiles the souls of men more; and, among other defilements in worship, the mixing with wicked and ungodly men, with such as God would not have come into his sanctuary, is especially injiu’ious.
But you will say, Does the mixture of the wicked and ungodly defile the worship of God, or defile others in it? Is the sacrament of the Lord’s supper the worse if wicked men partake of and unite in that rite? Am I the worse for it, or is the sacrament the worse, is that worship defiled? How may we refer this defilement of Israel to our defilement at this time? Is there any chui-ch in the world but has wicked ones in it? And will you say that they are defiled, and that the worship is defiled, because there are wicked amongst them? Then we can go no where in the world but we must be defiled, and the worship must be defiled.
Many think they may from this argue fau’ly, that there being a mixture in the best churches, therefore if mixtm-es make the communion defiled, then all are defiled. It comes fully in my way to speak to this point, and I shall do it briefly.
First, I know none who hold any otherwise but that, the best chiu’cli in the world may have wicked men creep in and continue amongst them. AAHio knows the hearts of men when they come in? and therefore the best churches may have wicked men amongst them. This, I say, all men grant; therefore this objection. Will not there be wicked men in the best church? can have no strength in it, for no one denies it; and therefore they that make it, fight with a shadow.
But, secondly, I lay this for another position, which I think all will grant also. That the sacrament is not defiled to the receivers merely by the presence of the wicked. I verily believe every one will grant this; for ray part I know none who denies this to be a truth, namely, that the sacrament is not defiled to the right receivers of it, merely because of the [U’esencc of wicked men. No one affirms the contrary to this, but all that I know of, even those that are the strictest in church order and discii)line, will grant this to be a truth.
But then you will say, How shall we distinguish mixture of communion, or mixture of worship?
Not merely because wicked men are there. But, first, a congregation is then defiled, if they do not use the power that Christ has given to every cluu’ch, of easting out all the scandalous persons that are amongst them. Now if any church shall (under what ])retence soever, as saying they have no power, or that the jjower is taken from them, or the like) neglect this duty, viz. to cast out those that ai-e unworthy, then the chiu-ch
is defiled, and their communion is defiled. So that their communion is not defiled because the wicked are there, but because they neglect the duties of casting them out. For let a man be a hy-pocrite, it is not the duty of the church to cast him out till he discover himself; but if then the church perform not its duty as it ought in his expulsion, then it is defiled. And the example of the incestuous Corinthian, in 1 Cor. v., plainly proves this. “A little leaven” (saith the apostle) “leaveneth the whole lump.” MTiat is that lump there? The church communion; and the leaven is the incestuous person; and the apostle gives order to cast him out, lest the “whole lump,” the whole communion, should come to be defiled. So chiurches come to be defiled.
Again further, Not only churches come to be defiled, but, secondly, particular persons and communicants come to be defiled, if they neglect the duty that belongs to them as Christians. That is, Cluist requii-es this. If thy brother offend thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone; but if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more; and if he shall neglect to hear them, teU it to the church. Now if thou hast done this thy duty to all scandalous persons in the congregation, then the sin rests on the church, thou raayst receive the sacrament with comfort, though wicked men be admitted to it: so that though the communion be defiled that is, defiled to those that are guilty, to those that have neglected their duty; yet, if you but do your duty, then, though wicked men may be there, you may receive the sacrament with comfort; for though the communion may be defiled in respect of others who have neglected their duty, yet to you it cannot be defiled. Now then, to conclude this with that place in Psal. cxix. 1, Blessed is the man that is “undefiled in the way.” Blessed are those men that in their way, in the course of their lives, keep themselves from defilement, and especially keep themselves from defilement in the ways of God’s worship. Blessed is he whose heart is cleansed from secret tilth, that does not defile himself in the vain, carnal plots and cunning fetches of wicked men.
Obs. 6. A defiled nation is near to ruin.
“Israel is defiled.” He speaks of Israel that is ready to fall, for so it follows, ver. 5, “Israel and Ephi-aim shall fall;” and here just before he tells us, that Israel is defiled. AAlien clothes are so defiled that they cannot be purged, we usually cast them out; so when there is defilement and filth amongst a people and they will not be purged, the Lord utterly rejects them. AAliile God is indeed purging a nation, there is hope. As for example, though a garment be much defiled, yet if you see care taken and cost bestowed to cleanse it, that proves that there is an intention to preserve it. So while the Lord is adopting means to purge a nation, there is much hope that the Lord intends to save that nation. And we may comfortably hope that this is God’s intention toward us. God knows, we have been a defiled people, and have defiled ourselves; never a one of us but may lay his hand upon his heart, and say, I have been defiled, and so may descne to be an outcast. But behold, the Lord is bestowing cost upon us, and he is cleansing and purging us, and therefore we may hope that the Lord will not utterly reject us.
But no marvel that the Lord lets us and our brethren lie abroad in frosty nights. Many complain of much hardship, many of our brctlu’en are sent from their comfortable houses, and are now fain to lie in the fields in the cold. No marvel, I say; this nation has been defiled. AVhcn clothes are much defiled, it is not enoiiith to wash them and rinse them, but you lay them abroad in frosty nights. Yea, there are some defilements that cannot pe taken away but by fire; and if the Lord will
not only wash us and rinse us and lay us abroad, but put us into the fire for to cleanse us at last, blessed be his name.
Ver. 4. They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the Lord.
Here lies the evil. Though we be defiled, if God be about to cleanse us, there is hope; but if the words that follow in this 4th verse be applied to us, then we are a lost people indeed. Israel is defiled indeed, but Israel may be brought back again to the true worship of God. No, saith God, Israel is not only defiled, but he will not frame his doings to turn unto his God.
“They will not frame theu- doings to turn unto their God.” The words in the original are very elegant, Dn’riSs-Ss aitt’S cri’SSyo urr nS Jerome and Vulg. render them, Non dabunt cogitationes, They will not give themselves to think of such a thing as turning unto the Lord. Mercer and CasteUius, Non dabunt operam. They will not do their endeavours to turn unto the Lord. TremeUius, JVoii adidbent actiones, They do not apply any action of theirs any way to turn to the Lord. Drusius and Pagninus, No7i permittunt opera, et factu sua, Then- custom in theu- ways of sin will not suffer them to turn to the Lord. And the Septuagint and Calvin, thus, Ovk tSuicav tu SiaovXia avriov, They give not their counsels, theii” studies, to turn to the Lord. These several translations I find of the words. And by all these conjoined, we may arrive at the knowledge of the meaning of the Sphit of God here i for the words are somewhat strange, therefore we need all the light we can get to find out their sense.
“They will not frame their doings.” They will not give their mind to turn to the Lord, they will not put forth themselves into any postui-e that way. It is true, we can do nothing without the Lord, but yet the sin lies in oui- wills rather than in oiu- power, therefore the will is charged by God. They cannot turn unto God of themselves, but yet they may do somewhat, they may bend then- thoughts upon it, they may think of it, they may attend upon the means. But, saith the Holy Ghost, they will do nothing tending that way, they will not so much as set themselves into any kind of posture of timiing unto me. This is to show what little hope of good there was in them for time to come. They are far enough from tui’ning unto me, saith God, there is no such inclination in them, they are fully bent another way: though they cannot do it of themselves, yet they will not so much as give their- minds to think of the means. Israel will not frame his doings to turn unto his God.
1. He will not so much as set his heart to think of any thing that will bring him imto God. Not so much as to think, Are my ways right or not right? What if it should prove that my ways are not right, what shall become of me then? This were one step God-ward, if a man but thus framed his doings to turn unto God; if he had but such thoughts as these, Lord, what am I doing? What is my way? Am I right or no? MTiat if it should prove that my ways are not right, what will become of me? This were somewhat. But, saith God, these are far fe-om any such hesitating thoughts in their «inful course, they run on violently and heedlessly, and will not so much as frame then- mhids to turn unto me.
2. Though a man cannot tm-n to God, yet through the common work of God’s Spirit he may do this, he may be willing to hear and consider what’is said for the ways of God. But, saith he, they are carried on with prejudice against the ways of God; let what will be said, they will not frame themselves to consider.
3. They will not wait upon God in the use of m-.ans.
It is true, we are poor, weak, and ignorant creatures; but if we would wait upon God to know his mind, if we would set our faces that way, it may be God wLU reveal himself more clearly unto us. In Jer. 1. 5, when God intends good to a people, it is promised, that “They shall ask the way to Zion, with their faces thitherward.” True penitents will be inqufring after the ways of God with their faces standing thithenvard. But, saith God, they will not do this, they wdl not set themselves to inquire thus after the mind and ways of God.
4. They will not apply the rule of the word to theiiactions. “Whatsoever they see will make for their own ends, that they will follow, but they will not frame then- doings so far as to take the rule of the word and apply it to their actions.
5. The light and poyer they have they will not use. They will not break ofl’ even gross offences, things that they cannot possibly but see to be evil. Though they cannot fully and immediately turn to God, yet there are some things so gross that they cannot possibly but see they are evil: yet, saith God, they will not so much as discontinue them, they will not use their power to reform them; and if they thus will not use that light which they have, what should they have more?
6. They will not join in with the work of God. A^^len he is in his way toward them, when he himself is about to frame them, when he has them in his hand, they will oppose his work, they will not join in with it to frame themselves to turn unto God. But, Horn. viii. 7, it is said, “The carnal mind is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Therefore, in 2 Chron. XXX. 8, Hezekiah exhorteth the priests and the people, that they should not be “stiffiiecked,” but “j-ield themselves unto the Lord;” mark, the yielding of themselves unto the Lord is contrary to stifilieckedness. But now this people are stiffiiecked, they will not yield themselves unto the Lord; though by his gracious dealings with them he is framing them to tiu’n them unto himself, they oppose and stand out against God’s work. Just as when you have a child that you would fain frame to such a gestui’e, and you take him and put him into such a way; but now he is so far from doing of it, that he wriggles up and down and will not suffer you to fi’ame him. ^Mry, saith God, I have been framing them myself, I have not only shown them what they should do, but my works have been so toward them that I have been framing them, but they are slifFnecked, they will not be framed, they will not join with my work in framing of them, they will break out in then’ wicked ways even at the very time when I am fr-aming of them to tm-n them unto myself; according unto that expression you have in Hos. vii. 1, “When I would have healed Israel, then the wickedness of Samaria was discovered;” that is, when I was about to turn them unto me, then, even at that time, they break out in their- violence and wickedness.
7. They will adhere to their old customs, to theiiformer ways, to what they have received fi’om their forefathers, and been trained up in, these they will keep to: but to frame themselves to turn unto the Lord, that they will not.
8. They will take and improve to the uttermost every advantage they can have against the ways of God. Those that are against framing of themselves to turn unto the Lord when God is about to turn them, discover it in this, that if at the time there be any advantage that theii- con-u])t hearts can possibly take of the ways of God, they will take that and improve it to the uttermost: just as a child, if untoward, will take any advantage of you; so it is with those people .who have no heart to tiu-n unto the Lord. There is no preparation of then- hearts, what then shall I do with
them? saith God: if their hearts were in any preparation it were somewhat, but they are not. AVe read in 2 Chron. xx., that the high i)laccs were not taken away, because the people had not prepared their hearts to turn unto the Lord. It is similar to this expression in the text, the people were not in a teachable, in a convertible frame of mind. The Lord grant that this Scripture may not be true of us at this day; that the reason why there remains so much evil in God’s worship is, because the people have not prepared their hearts, they do not frame their doings to turn unto the Lord. It was a charge upon Kehoboam, in 2 C’l.ron. xii. 14, that “He did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.” But you will say, AVha’. power had he to turn unto the Lord? he was a wicked man. Yea, but this wicked man, though he had no saving grace, yet is charged for doing evil in that he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord. God therefore expects that a people, though not able to turn to him thoroughly, yet should have their faces Zion-ward; and as a people in general, so every soul in particular.
Some that are not yet turned to the Lord, yet are in a way of turning, in a readiness to receive what God shall reveal. This is a happy condition. If God shall see a nation, though it be not fully reformed, ready to receive what he shall reveal, oh, this is a happy thing. As the Scripture saith, John iv. 35, “the fields are white already to harvest,” that is, there was a preparation in the hearts of people to receive the gospel; they are ready to embrace what the mind of God is, when it shall be revealed unto them. Oh that this might be said of this people, they are willing to hear, consider, and observe, what God shall speak.
God is about to bring us out of superstition, both his works and word are tending that way; but there are multitudes of people that will not frame their doings to turn unto the Lord, then- spirits are perverse, they arc full of prejudice, froward, and reluctant to be convinced. The apostle Peter bids the saints, in Acts ii. 40, save themselves from that untoward generation. O, let not this charge be upon us, that we arc an untoward generation, that God is framing us for good, but we will not frame our doings to turn unto the Lord. As we see a workman, when he has a piece of timber that is knotty and will not work in his hand, he casts it into the fire; or as clay that is not well tempered, will not work in the hand of the workman, he many times casts it away in anger. It will not work in my hand, what shall I do with it? The Lord is hewing of us by his prophets, and seeking to frame this nation to his will; O, let us work in God’s hand, let us join in his design, and yield ourselves to the work of God, that the Lord may not cast us into the fii-e.
If we will not frame our doings to turn unto the Lord, he may break us, break that frame that we raise in our own imaginations. Perhaps we are framing to ourselves a strange kind of commonwealth, to enjoy our ease, and honours, and jirosperity, and so we build castles in the air. O, but let us rather frame our hearts to turn unto the Lord. If we will not, God may ])ut us into the fire again. A workman, you know, puts the iron into the fire that it may be worked into the form he wishes; and still the iron is hard and it will not frame to his hand, then he subjects it to the fire and hammer again. So the Lord hath begim to put us into the fire that we may frame our doings to turn unto him; and if these we have been in will not bring our hearts to a framable disposition, the Lord may return us to the fire again and again. And lot not us com])lain of the heat of God’s fire, but rather let us com])lain of the waywardness of our own hearts, that we do not frame our doings so as to turn unto the Lord.
But yet, through God’s mercy, we cannot say but that there are many of every rank, here and thioughout the rest of England, that are framing themselves to turn unto the Lord. Let us lake notice of God’s goodness, therefore, and enlarge a little on the proofs of this.
1. They have abolished what is sinful. It was a great plea among us. First let us know what we shall have, and then we will cast out this that we have. This was a plea fomented by the antichristian party; but, certainly, it was the way of God; and we have cause to bless God for it, that it put into the heart of the parliament and of the kingdom, to be willing to put down, and to cast out, and that by a solemn oath, by lifting up hands unto the most high God, whatsoever was naught.
2. Their willingness to be directed aright. The parliament has called an assembly, such as I believe never yet was in this nation, nor scarce in any other, men of gravity, judgment, and holiness, such as they thought might best direct them in the ways of God; and they profess that whatsoever shall be revealed to be the right way, they will walk in it. This is a good frame of heart.
3. Their solemn day of humiliation. The assembly has begun with such a day to humble themselves before God, that the Lord may guide them to direct aright those that had them. There was never such a work in England before that was begun with such a day of humiliation. Did your convocation ever keep such a day unto God, to beg of him directions in the work?
Let not people be discontented, or cast any slanders or calumnies upon them, because of some particular failings: for you must know, when God looks upon kingdoms and states, he does not so much regard particular actions as the general tendency; now that there is so much done in a public way, that there is so much framableness, though there be much failing in particulars, yet we have cause to bless God. It is true, those that would fain have a perfect reformation, would have men thoroughly frame themselves ])resently, and set up all presently without any more ado, and banish all presently. I suppose this results from a good intention, from love to Christ and his ordinances: but we must know it is not so easy to refonn a whole nation that has been so corrupted and defiled; therefore, though there be not so perfect a reformation at ])rcsent, yet let us bless God for what is done, that there is so much framing of the doings of the nation to turn unto the Lord, and not murmur and repine because all is not done that we desire.
And though perhaps they may never bring the work thoroughly to the pitch we desire, yet I make no question but what the parliament and assembly have done, will be enough to lay a foundation for another generation, if they bring it not to perfection themselves. Oh that the Lord would yet further frame our hearts and doings to turn unto him!
Has God at any time put into your heart a framable disposition to turn unto the Lord? Has God begun to make you think of yom- ways? Has he begun to excite fear in your hearts concerning your eternal estate? Has he wrought in you some desires to know him, to attend upon him in the use of means? Make much of this framable disposition, for it is very pleasing unto God; God complains where it is not, therefore he likes it where it is; and improve it: oh happy had it been with many had they improved that framable ilisposition that God had wrought in them! Cannot you remember, when sometimes you came to the word, what a melting frame of spirit you had? and in such an alHiction you were as iron put into the fire, fit to be moulded into any form? But what is become of
this disposition? Is it not worse with you now than before? Have you not lost it? The time was when the word excited in you good desires and dispositions, and you have thought, Oh, now I hope God will turn me to himself; I hope I shall never be at such a pass again as I have been: and thou didst begin to abandon such and such a corruption. This was a good frame, and if )0u had gone alone and sought God, and ijraycd of him” to advance and perfect this work, it had been well with you; but you have fallen upon other business, and gone into company, and, it may be, on the next temptation have been overcome, and your hearts have been hardened. Iron, you know, when it has been once in the fire, and is grown cold, is more unmalleable than before: so it is with many-, after they have been in some measure ln-ought upon by the word, and broken down by affliction, they have been more iinframable than they were before.
And let us make “much of it likewise in others. Is there any friend, or child, or kinsman, or acquaintance of yours, brought into this framable dis])osition? does the Lord begin to melt and soften their hearts? Is the Lord, by such a sermon, or by such an affliction, beginning to work upon them? Oh let me advance it as much as I can. The devil does so, when he sees us in a framable disposition to sin, he sets tempters on work to improve it; and we know it was the way of idolaters, when they saw England in a framable disposition to idolatry, what abundance were sent amongst us to improve it! Oh the mercy of God toward England, that when we were framing our doings to return to idolatry, the Lord comes and puts the frame of England more from thence than before it was! O let not us lose this framableness; though it is not so much as we desire, yet let not us lose what it is. England would be in a lamentable condition if it should lose what it has got from God already. Yet further on this,
06^. 1. Apostates seldom have any inclination to turn unto God.
No meltings of spirit, no yieldings, but their hearts are hardened, and they depart further and further from God; for so he speaks of Israel as an apostatizing people. I dare almost challenge you all, when did you ever know a notorious apostate turn unto God? Very rarely. I will not say it is impossible, but with respect to apostates that are men of parts, and have gone far from God, if they have but proceeded so far as to be persecutors or contemners of the truth, as these Israelites here were, when did you ever know any of them to turn unto God? “They will not frame their doings.”
“Their God.” Their God: 1. By profession. 2. Their God who has showed much mercy to them, and has done them much good. 3. The God who is yet willing to be their God. They will not retui-n unto him.
This is the aggravation of their sin, that they will not tvu-n to such a God. AVhat! not turn to him whom they profess to be theirs, whom they flatter with their mouths, and say that all their good and happiness is in him? not to him who has so blessed them all their days? not to him who is yet willing to be reconciled to them? Oh this is a sore and bitter evil indeed, that they will not turn to this God.,
But jet there is a further thing observable here.
Obx. 2. True repentance is not only to leave evil and to do good, but to turn unto God as our God: “7’lieir God.”
To turn to God as a God in covenant with us; as a God in whom is our portion and happiness; as a God willing to be reconciled. Here indeed is the very formality of repentance. A man may, by the terrors of the law, turn from the practice of a sin; he may, by the strength of natural conscience and self-interest, set upon
good duties; but here is no true repentance. True repentance is this, when we look upon God as tendering himself to us as a covenant God in Christ, and so we turn unto him. In Jer. iii. 22, “]{eturn, ye backsliding children,” (saith the Lord,) “and I will heal your backslidings.” Now mark the answer of true penitents; “Behold, we come unto thee: for thou art the Lord our God.” So when God calls to a sinner. Return, O return unto the Lord, for he is willing to be your God in an everlasting covenant; he manifests his grace toward you in his Son, and ofters you mercy there; yea, he is willing to heal all your backslidings and forgive all your sins: and a sinner answers, “Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God:” true, indeed, we have sought after vanity, but now our good, our happiness, is in thee; “we come unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God:” here is true repentance.
“For the spirit of whoredoms.” Here is the reason why they turn not unto the Lord, “The spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them.”
1. Many understand by this, that evil unclean spirit that possessed them. And then the observation is,
Obs. 3. It is God’s just judgment to give men over to the devil to be blinded and hardened, when they forsake him and his truth.
Do not excuse thy sin by saying it is the devil that tempts thee, for this may prove its aggravation, that by the just judgment of God thou art now given up to be under the power of the devil, and to be acted upon by him. As in Eph. ii. 2, the Scripture speaks of the miserable estate that men are in by nature, dead in sin, the children of wrath; and amongst other aggravations of their misery, this is not the least, they walk according to “the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” The word translated “worketh,” ivipyovvTog, implies an effectual, internal activity; and this is an aggravation of their misery, and not any excuse to them for their sin. Thou hast rejected the good Spirit, the holy Spirit of God; and noM- the spirit of whoredom, an unclean, vile spirit, works in thee.
2. By “the spirit of whoredoms,” otiicrs understand a violent inclination to uncleanness, both spiritual and bodily, confirmed by indulgence. We have had this phrase before, in chap. iv. 12. The spirit of fornication. So then, saith the prophet, they will not turn to the Lord, for there is a violent inclination of spirit, an impetus with which they arc carried on in the ways of wickedness, that there is little hope of turning them to God. “The spirit of whoredoms,” that is, the efficacy that there is in that wicked disposition of their hearts to carry them on so violently. In 2 Thess. ii. 11, the Scripture saith, that because men love not the truth, the Lord gives them up to the efficacy of error: “Aud for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie;” so it is in your translations, but the words, Ivipyiia 7rlaVi)cp signify the eflicacious inworking of error, to carry them on irresistibly from error to error. We find sometimes, in meji carried on to erroneous ojiinions, such an impetus of spirit, such an efficacy of the error in them, which so hurries on their hearts, that they cannot calmly or quietly listen to any thing calculated to undeceive them.” That is a spirit of error; God gives them up to the efficacy, the spirit, the activity, the power of error, to believe a lie.
“Is in the midst of them.” That is, it is come into them, and sitteth as a king and ruleth in their hearts. An evil spirit may beset the godly, may compass them about, but it gets” not into their midst, they keep it out from the throne, it does not reign over them. The coming into the midst of them, denotes the full possession that this unclean spirit, this impetus and strong inclination of mind, has over them. And therefore you find, in Prov. viii. 20, that it is said of wisdom,” I
lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment.” That is, wisdom not only brings men to the verge of God’s ways, to be a Utile taken with their outside, hut brings them into “the midst of the paths of judgment;” that is, they come wholly into them, so that they even take full possession of them. So in 1 Sam. iv. 3, “Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it Cometh among us, it may save us.” The force of the Hebrew is, that it may come into the ^^”’i’^ midst of us, and there have full power to do- us good and save us. They depended much on the ark, and yet it failed them. By the way, we may depend too much on a good cause; the cause may be good, and yet, depending on it, and neglecting to reform our own lives, we may fail as they did here.
!Many men receive an evil spirit quickly into their midst, when, God knows, the good Spirit of the Lord stands knocking at the door of their hearts, and cannot have entertainment even in the outer room.
“And they have not known the Lord.” That is, they know not my greatness, my holiness, they know not” what a jealous God I am. Idolaters have low and mean apprehensions of God. The right knowledge of God will lead the heart to seek after the woi — ship acceptable to him; but when men know not God, and discern not Iiis glory, greatness, and excellency, they think to put him off with their own devices and will worship, their own fancies and conceits. A soul that rightly apprehends what God is, dares not tender up to God any worship but his own.
Now from the connexion of these words, “The spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the Lord,” a specially important observation flows.
Obs. 4. Impetuousness of spirit blinds the mind. “The spirit of whoredoms is in them;” and then follows, “they have not known the Lord.” AVhatsoever is said then against their way cannot convince them. Men do not consider how they come to be blinded, although ordinaiy experience points out the manner: when the mind is possessed by passion, love, fear, sorrow, or any other strong affection, and carried out powerfully to the object which excites them, it will not listen to, will not understand, any thing urged against it; the voice of reason is unheeded, charming never so wisely. Some have a sjiirit of sluggishness, and they love their ease; a spiiit of covetousness, and they must have their estates; a spirit of ambition, and they must have their honom- and respect; a spu-it of pride and self-love, and they must not on any account grant that they arc ignorant and mistaken; therefore they cannot see’ the truths, the ways of God. But now let God humble such men, let the edge of their spirits be taken off, let him come and but mortify these their prevailing lusts, and then they with ease begin to sec that which they could never see before; then a mere hint of any truth moves their hearts; whereas before, all the means of conviction were unavailing.
O my brethren, when we come to examine truths, let us look to our spirits. “Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord;” him will the Lord teach in his right way. AVhen a man, humbling his soul before the Lord, and being jealous of his own spirit, examines a truth, and cries to God to subdue w!lat is evil in him, and to give him a teachable heart to discover the truth; suppose that yet he cannot find it; let such a man walk according to the light whereunto lie has attained, and he may rest in hope that God in due time will show him more. But that which is evil in God’s eyes, and in the eyes of the saints, is, when men arc hindered from seei’n” a truth by a spirit of opposition to it. No gracious heart can take it ill, if he see one -that has a spirit subject to God, a spirit wherein the
fear of God appears, in an unfeigned desire to know what the mind of God is: suppose that for the present I cannot make such a man understand what I would, yet so long as his spirit is thus submissive to God, I have no cause to be provoked against him, but to treat him with all love, meekness, and gentleness, and expect that God in due time will reveal himself unto him. But when one professes to desire to know the truths and mind of God; and yet there appears a spirit of opposition, pride, and vain-glory; oh, this it is which is grievous in the eyes of God, and wearisome to his saints.
Ver. 5. And the pride of Israel doth testify to hii face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fallin their iniquity: Judah also shall fall iiilfi them.
Mark, as there is a connexion between a spirit o whoredom and not knowing God, so there is a connexion between not knowing God and the pride of Israel. They know not the Lord, and the pride ‘; Israel doth testify to his face. From whence, Obs. 1. Ignorance and pride usually go together. There are no men so conceited of their knowledge as the ignorant. For where there is knowledge, there a man sees that he knows but little, and is able to discover his own deficiency; but an ignorant man is no; able to discover his own ignorance, and therefore usually he is proud. You shall have many men, and women too, that will pretend such abundance of knowledge, and their hearts are puffed up, because they have got some expressions more than others have, as ii they were somebody, and had some manifestations of things to them more than others have; yet come and examine things at the bottom, and the truth is, they are ignorant of the verj- principles of religion. 1 Tim. vi. 4, “He is proud, knowing nothing,” saith the text; and let he sjjcaks of those that are full of vain questions and janglings about matters of religion, that will come with such objections and curiosities of questions, yet tin Holy Ghost saith, he is proud and knows nothing. And” certainly, the man that is there spoken of is a man as much conceited of his knowledge as you can conceive a man to be, as appears plainly in the text.
But now, wisdom and humility, they likewise go together too. “With the lowly is wisdom,” Prov. xi. 2. If the heart be brought under God, put in a gracious, humble, lowly frame, with the lowly there is wisdom, the Lord dcli’ghteth to reveal himself to the humble.
“The pride of Israel.” The Seventy read the words otherwise: The injurv and the -m-ong that Israel has done unto God, shall be iji^,“”^ix. lirought down, shall be humbled: for I suppose their meaning in that translation is, that whereas Israel by his wicked ways has TTonged and been injurious to God, he shall be humbled for it, he shall be brought down and made to know what it is for him so to wTong God. And indeed, those that corrupt God’s worship are the greatest wrongers of God in the world, thcv do the greatest injury unto God.
But we’ mav safely keep to the translation in your books, as more suitable to the original than that of the Seventv, and then the observation is,
Obs.’2. Idolaters are proud men, and idolatry is a proud sin.
Tlic scope of the prophet here is chiefly to rebuke them for their false worship; though he speaks d other sins, yet that is the main. “The pride of Israel doth testify to his face;” Israel will have their own way of worshi]) and forsake God, O proud hearts that they have! Idolatry is a proud sin. In all disobediencr against God there is much pride: yride of the heart i manifested notonlv in clothes and in fine tilings, but in disobedience against God; and as in all sin there is pride, so in a more peculiar manner in the sin of idolatry. For,
1. Idolaters regard the ti-ue worship of God as a mean thing, as a thing beneath them. Their way of worship is pompous, fine, and splendid; but the true worship of God is poor, low, and mean. All your superstitious and idolatrous people look thus on the simplicity of the ways and worship of God.
2. They presume to put more dignity on a creature than God has, to put more honour on places than God and nature have imposed. God has made them thus and thus, but I will exalt them higher, and put an excellency, a spiritual, yea, a divine excellency upon them; for so idolaters take upon themselves to do, and this is horriljle pride.
3. They prescribe the form of God’s worship. The worship of God is the dearest thing he has in the world; and for any creatui’e to take upon him to prescribe which way he shall be worshipped, is the most notorious pride in the world.
4. They honour what is a man’s own because it is his own, rather than what is God’s. Do not you see it plainly in all superstitious, idolatrous people? As m that one thing of days? God has set one day apart for the honouring of himself, and for the celebration of the birth, death, resiu-rection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, and of the whole work of our redemption: how is that day slighted and neglected! But what a horrible wickedness is it accounted not to keep that which man sets apart by himself, that day which is of man’s appointment! Jlen will set apart a day for the honour of Christ, and insist that Christ is quite forgotten if that day be forgotten, and Christ is much dishonoured if that day be not regarded. I appeal to you, who sets it apart? whose is it? Is it God’s, or is it yom’s? God’s? Certainly, if such a thing were so acceptable to God as men conceive it to be, we should have some little hint, somewhat in the book of God regarding it. We have the story of all the acts of the apostles, what they did m several places, and there is not the least mention of any such thing of their honom-ing Christ, by setting a day apart for the celebration of his nativity: we have the epistles to several chiurches upon several occasions, and we find no notice taken of any such thing in any church they established. Surely therefore it is men’s own, there is nothing in God’s word for it, how highly soever it is honoiu’ed. But we have enough in Scriptme for God’s own day, the Lord’s day; it is appointed by God himself to be a day of thanksgiving for the birth, resui’rection, and ascension of Chi’ist, and for the whole work of our redemption: but man, out of his pride, will have another day, and so set his post by God’s post; he thinks it is not honour enough to Cln-ist to put the celebration of his bu’th, death, resurrection, ascension, all together in one dayr; no, he thinks it conduces more to the honour of Christ to have several days, one for his birth, another for his resmTCCtion, and another for his ascension; whereas God hath put all into one, and would have his Son honoured by the observation of that one day.
v:Da n:yi.” P°^^ testify to his face.” In the original it is, answereth to his face. When any thing is retm-ned suitable to the work expended, that is said to answer that work: as, when the ground brings forth corn for the husbandman, then it answers to the seed and labour of the husbandman; Gen. xsx. 33, ‘■ So shall my righteousness answer for me,” saith Jacob to Laban, I shall have that which is suitable to my righteousness. So here. The pride of Israel answereth to his face, that is, the fruit of their pride shall be, in the punishment of it, fully answerable to its sinfulfulness: so I find many render it. Micah i. 2, “Let the Lord God be witness against you,” testify against
‘Or, that his brother does not see what he does. This passage must be understood, 1. Of lesser differences. 2. Not absolutely nor always, but in things wherein one is not clear;
you, ( it is the same in Hebrew,) or answer you according to your sins, in the way of punishment. When the Lord brings suitable judgments, full up to the measure of men’s sins, those judgments do answer; yea, and witness against them, they witness to the faces of those men the guilt of those sms.
AA’ell, but we will rather take it, and so it is to be understood I think, according to what you read in your books, “The pride of Israel doth testify to his face:” that is, the pride that appears in Israel doth fully testify the horrible wickedness and obstinacy that is in Israel, it testifies it to his face. It is true, you cannot see the heart; but pride in the heart seldom lies there long secret, for it is a sin that must be above-board; pride must vent itself, in that its glory consists. You could not see the vileness and wickedness that was in a sinner’s heart before; but now this sin “pride” that is sent forth, is a loud witness against him of the evil that dwells within.
There is a secret pride, and a witnessing pride. Isa. iii. 9, ‘■ The show of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare then- sin as Sodom, they hide it not,” but manifest it outwardly in their very countenance: it is taken from harlots; some that are at first departed from their husbands keep things very secretly, and you shall perceive them demure in their countenance; but at length they come to be bold and impudent in then- filthiness, and you may perceive adultery in then- very countenance, and they witness openly in their words and looks the wickedness of their hearts. As that sm of adultery, so almost all sms are witnessed where pride is discovered. No sin disgraces men more than pride, and that is the curse of God upon it. Pride seeks for the greatest honour to a man, and there is nothing that doth more dishonour him. ■Why? Because pride doth testify that there is a woeful deal of evil in that man’s heart: as I will instance a little.
A man that differs in judgment from his brethren in divers things, pretends this, he cannot see the truth of God, which he would fain see; be cannot do as his brother, for his conscience bindeth him otherwise. But, you will say, every man pleads conscience; how shall we know whether it be the stoutness of his heart, or the tenderness of his conscience? Thus, if this man behaves himself humbly, and the rather humbly in all other things, because he cannot see as his brother ui some particulars, and so is in danger to be an offence to his brother, and therefore his soul is humbled; * this is a good witness that it is conscience, and not mere obstinacy, that makes him differ. But now, if his behaviour be high and proud when he differeth from his brother, and he does not consider it as an affliction to him that he cannot see as his brother, but censures him, and thinks that it is either thi-ough his weakness or his wilfulness that he will not see, and so carries himself high and proudly before his brother, this witnessetli to his face that it is stubbornness and singularity. Thus his pride testifies to his face the inward wickedness of his heart.
And as in a chui-ch, this is a principle, that though a man be guilty of many and gi’eat sins, yet he is not to be cast out but for obstinacy. You will say, How shall we know that obstinacy is in a man’s heart? 1 know many observe such and such rules for it, as, if you do not reform when certain learned men tell you what they would do, &c. But we say, if, after an offence and admonition, any one in a congregation conducts himself proudly, this, his proud behaviour, witnesseth to his face, that it is not out of tenderness or scruple of conscience that ho yields not to what his
for if he be, he cannot but think it is at least weakness in that particular, (though in others he may judge him stronger than himself, that he does not see the same with him.
ClIAP. V.
brethren -nould have him, but through the stoutness of his heart. His “pride testifleth to his face.”
The pride of men’s hearts witnesses much against them. I remember I have read in Bede, a story of a .svnod or assembly of divines, held in England in the time of Austin, then bishop of Canterbury. On convening together they went to a holy anchorite, to advise with him, whether they should yield to what Austin desired to impose on them? and he replied. If he be a man of God, yield to him; if not, stand out against him. They answer, A man of God! how shall we know that, whether he be a man of God or no? Whereupon he said, If he be humble; for Jesus Christ saith, “Learn of me, for I am meek and humble in heart:” if he be a humble man, he is a man of God, and then learn of him. But how shall we judge of his humility? say they: and he replied, You shall perceive it by his behaviour: let him arrive at the place of assembly before you, and if then you perceive him behave himself imperiously, proudly, not so much as to rise to show you any respect, then take it for granted that he is a proud man, and reject what he imposes; but if he be meek, humble, and lowly in his demeanour to you, then regard what he saith. So when they came to the assembly, Austin sat in his chair, in a proud, imperious manner, and would not stir to any of them: upon that they rejected whatsoever he said, for according to the counsel of the holy man, his pride did witness to his face that he had a vile and a wicked heart, and did not come to them in the name of Christ.
That which comes from the humble and lowly is much to be regarded. Humility does witness to the face of a man, that he knows much of the mind of Christ; and pride witnesses to the face of a man, that he i not acquainted with the mind of Clu-ist.
The word iisj here translated “pride,” I find that a learned interpreter, Livelius, because in itself it signifies excellency, thinks it refers to God, who swears “by the excellency of Jacob,” Amos viii. 7; and so interprets it thus. That God who is the excellency of Israel, in whom Israel should glory, is he that doth witness against them. And I find some incline to this; but the other I conceive rather to be the scope of the Holy Ghost, taking the word as it is translated for “pride,” and the “testifying to his foce” for an open, apparent witnessing, so as to render it manifest.
“Therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity.” Ephraim is the princes of Israel; they were proud because of tlic honour they had. And Israel, the people, they were proud because they had great men to bear them out, and they could plead authority for what they did. But they shall both fall, both Ephraim and Israel. Hence,
Ob-i. 3. The fruit of sin is a casting down.
It is here said, they shall fall, rather than that they shall be punished, in reference to what went before; for there he had spoken of the pride of Israel: and from thence further
Obs. 4. Pride goes before a fall. God will cast down the proud; and certainly, when those that are ])roud fall, they must needs fall very low, because a proud man lifts up himself on high, and you know, according to the height, so is the fall: now a ])roud man lifts up himself so high indeed, as even to exalt himself above God, therefore his fall must needs be very great. And upon this I remember Bernard remarks. Here is the reason why a proud man can have no grace from God. AVhy? God is the fountain of grace, and it is a rule in nature, that the stream that comes from a fountain ascends no higher than its source. Now God being the fountain of all grace, surely grace cannot rise higher than God himself; but a proud man lifts himself up above God, therefore he is above grace, gi-ace cannot reach him.
1. A proud man goes from God, as if he could live without him; for that is the pride of men’s hearts, when they have outward i)rosperity they go from God, as if they could live without him.
2. He goes against God, as if he were able to resist him.
3. He goes beyond God, as if he made himself the end of all his actions.
4. He lifts uj) himself above God, as if there were more excellency in him than in God. He lifts up his will above God, and that two ways:
(1.) He desires his will to be followed rather than God’s.
(2.) AAHiereas God is contented to have his will only in just and good things; a ])roud man saith, I will have my will, whether it be just or not. Come and deal with a proud man and say. Do you well in this? is this fit? I will have my will, is the reply: this is more than God challenges to himself. God will have his will in nothing but what is good and just; thou wilt have thy will whether it be just or no: thus thou goest beyond God, and liftest up thyself above him, therefore surely thou shalt fall.
I need not show you any example of the fall of proud men; this our age manifests it clearly enough. How hath God cast a stain on proud, superstitious men! You know what a height they were grown to, two or three years since; and now two, if not three, kmgdoms have lifted up their hands to the most high God to extirjiatc them. Their pride did testify to their faces, and no marvel that they are fallen; and the Lord cast them so far down, that they may never be able to rise up in their pride again.
“In their iniquity.” The Hebrew 3 ^.,. signifies foi’, as well as “in;” fall for their iniquity, as well as in their iniquity. But to keep to the word, they shall “fall in their iniquity.” Surely they fall hard who fall in their iniquity, thej- fall so as to break their bones, yea, ofttimes to their utter destruction.
My brethren, these are falling times, and if we fall in our iniquities, great and grievous shall be our fall; but if our iniquities be removed by faith and repentance, though we should fall, yet we shall fall into the bosom of om- Father, and into the arms of Jesus Christ. How much better is it, seeing that men are like to fall, to labour then to remove our iniquities beforehand, and not to fall in them! And if we fall not in our iniquity, but in the cause of God, and on account of the grace given unto us, then we may be of more use in our fall than we were in our standing. As it is with corn, which falling into the ground fructifies, and is more profitable then than when it was in the granary; so many godly men, many young ones, that are fallen within these two or three years, not in or for their iniquity, but in the cause of God, and in the exercise of their graces. They are fallen indeed, but fallen into the arms of God, and into the bosom of Chi-ist: and they are as fruitful in their fall as they were in their standing, for no question but God will cause much fruit and a plentiful harvest for England to arise in consequence.
“Judah also shall fall with them.” Mark, first Ephraim shall fall, and then Judah, for indeed Ejikraim was first in sin. The ten tribes first forsook the true worship of God, and they brought in Judah together with them, and the text saith, that “Judah shall fall with them.” This is here mentioned to aggravate Ephraim’s sin, and the judgment attendant, thus; This shall lie heavy on Ephraim one day, that not only he has ruined himself, but ruined Judah too; brought Judah into his sin, and involved him in his plagues. Hence,
Obs. 5. It is a great aggravation for any one to think what misery he brings” others into, when God truly enlightens his conscience. It may be God’s hand is upon thee for thy sin. This is grievous. Oh but, together with the sin, have not I by my counsel, by my example, by my countenance, brought others into sin? And I have brought them into misery as well as myself: it may be there are many in hell at this time whom I have holpen thither. It is true, God’s hand is upon me: I am falling, and whither I shall fall I know not; I see hell open, and I may fall into it; however, I am afraid of this, that there are some fallen into hell already, of whose sin I was the cause; and is it possible that I i-hould be preserved out of it? must I not follow them and fall thither too, when they are there already through my wickedness? You, therefore, that have associated wi’th, and led others to wickedness, many of your companions may be dead and gone, without any manifestation of repentance; you had indeed need to be thoroughly humbled.
Obs. 6. It is no plea, you see, for any one to say, I will follow the example of others. If you will follow the example of others you must perish with others. Judah follows the example of Ephraim, and Judah must fall with Ephraim.
Obs. 7. If God’s people comply with W’icked men, they must expect to fall with them in outward judgments. Judah was the only people God had on the earth, and as Israel is a type of the apostate church so is Judah a type of the true church; yet it seems that Judah, though the true church and the only people of God, very much complied with Israel; and complying with Israel in false worship, they must fall with them. Come out from amongst them, my people, lest, being partakers of their sins, you be partakers of their plagues too. And this, I make no question, is the reason why so many of God’s servants fall at this day, they have conformed to the times and defiled themselves; though we cannot say so of every one of them that fall in this cause, yet it is to be feared it has been the case with many. And it may be, though we dare not determine of God’s ways, for the thoughts of God’s ways in mercy are higher than our thoughts, higher than the Jieavens are above the earth, yet we have cause to fear that many, if not most of this generation, shall fall before God brings forth this glorious work of his in saving our Zion.
But here is a difficulty; in the first chapter you heard that God, though he thi’eatened Israel, yet said, “I will have mercy upon Judah;” but here he saith, Ephraim shall fall, and Judah shall fall with him. Now for the reconciling of that, we are to know that though Judah fall with Israel, yet there shall be a great deal of difference in their fall. Israel, the ten tribes, shall be brought into captivity so as never to rsturn again; I mean, never to return from their captivity as Judah did; Judah was to return again after seventy years: so Judah fell with them, but’they fell not as they fell. Though the saints therefore may be scourged with rods, yea, with scorpions, as they are at this day, as well as wicked men, yet the Lord does not, will not, take his loving-kindness from them.
There is yet one particular more to be observed, and it is from the Hebrew particle EJ, “Judah also shall fall with them;” and I question not but the Spirit of God holds forth this note from it.
Obs. 8. The falling of the saints w-lth wicked men is of special consideration. There is much in it; some special matter to be considered of in the falling of God’s people with the wicked. Indeed it is that which, in these days, puts us to a stand; w-e wonder at the ways of God, his judgments are past finding out: we must adore them in what we do not understand. That the hand of God should be stretched out against the wicked. against such as have corrupted his worship by their own superstitions, is no marvel; but that so niany of
his dear saints, so precious in his eyes, in all the surrounding countries, should suffer such hard things, and fall together with the wicked, we are at a stand, and know not what this means. What! Judah fall also with Israel, when God had no other people on the face of the earth? surely there is some great matter in it. It is, I say, of special consideration: and there are many tilings that God would have us seriously to observe in the full of his people together with wicked men.
1. How holy a God he is. He spared not his own Son, and he spares not his dearest ones. He will give the dearly beloved of his soul into the hands of his enemies. God had but one Son that never sinned against him; but he has not one son that never was afflicted by him. And therefore we have no cause to wonder that the godly sometimes suffer, for his own Son did.
2. None must presume on former services. When Israel forsook God Judah did cleave to God’s true worship, and in that God was much honoured. But Judah must not rely on that; Oh, I have done service for God, when others forsook him I cleaved to him: and so think to take more liberty afterward. No, saith God, though Judah has much honoured me, and adhered to mv worship, when Israel, the ten tribes, forsook me, yet ifjudah shall afterwards comply with Israel, Judah shall likewise fall. None must presume upon fonner services. It is customary with men, if they have been useful in some things, to begin to take liberty to themselves to do what is not convenient, thinking that because they have done some service they must not now be contradicted in any of their desires. Thus we find it often among men, and from this many amongst us have fallen. How many have there been, that in the beginning of this parliament, and at the commencement of these wars, have done good service for the commonwealth; and afterwards began to be high and proud, and they must have what they will, and none must contradict them, but every body must submit unto them! and so through their pride, though they have done good service, yet afterward they fall. Let every one take heed of this, both in regard of God, and also with respect to man. You that have been most forward in the public cause, never think to presume because of what you have done; but walk humbly now, and be serviceable still, for otherwise you may iall, notwithstanding your services, as Judah did.
.3. God engages himself to no people if they transgress. “Judah also shall fall:” by that God declares lliat there are no men, though never so useful, but he can do without. Perhaps you may think, if you desert the cause, where will there be any to stand up in your room? Take heed, though you may think you are the most useful man, either in the ministry, or in the city, know that God can do without you, and you may fall as well as other men.
4. If his own people fall with the wicked, what then may wicked men expect? If such things be done to the green trees, what shall be done to the dry? If judgment begin at the house of God, where shall the wicked and ungodly appear?
Ver. 6. Theij shall go uith their flocks and ui’lh their herds to seek the Lord; bid theij shall notjiiid him; he hath withdrawn himself from them.
Shall they fall? No, they have a way to prevent it; they will pacify God with the multitude of their sacrifices, their flocks and their herds, they are content to spend those all in sacrifices unto God; and shall this people fall? There is much to be observed from every word here; the interpretation is not difficult, and the observations I shall pass briefly.
“Thev shall go.’’ ‘•z’ I bunt hue et ilhic, modo ad
hunc, modo ad ilium monlem, as interpreters render it; They shall run up and down, from one place to another, from one sacrifice to another, in a kind of huriy of spirit. And from that word there may be this observed:
06*. 1. Those who depend on duties ai-e in a distraction of spirit when their duties prevail not. They often change their duties, but they change not their hearts. Many think, Well, I have done thus; yea, but if I shall add this to what I have done, then I shall prevail: whereas those that do their duties in obedience to God, and go out of themselves and depend for their acceptance on a higher sacrifice, on Jesus Christ; those go on with much sweetness and quietness of spu-it, though for the present they see not the thing performed which they aim at in thcu- duties: their spirits are not in a hurry and in a chstraction as the spirits of others that de])end upon their duties.
04*. -. God contemns the services of hypocrites, of superstitious and idolatrous apostates. “With their flocks and herds.” He means, with their sacrifices, but he gives them not the name of sacrifices, but only “their flocks and herds,” for they are not worthy of that name.
Obs. 3. It is a sad thing when God will not own as his what we tender up to him. “Their flocks and their herds.” Mark, they make use of their own, according to their own mind, in their own ways, to worship me as they list; and therefore God doth not call them his, doth not own them as Jiis, but he terms them “Iheir flocks and their herds;” What they do, saith God, what they offer, is then’ own, then’ flocks and their herds, I will not own them: so in our sacrifices of prayer and praise, ti,-pified by those legal sacrifices, in which we seem to tender up ourselves wholly unto God; for God to say, All that you have presented all this while in your prayers, I own not, these are none of mine, they arc all your own; this were indeed a sad thing.
There is no such way to put an excellency upon any thing we have, upon our parts, abilities, or estates, as this, to tender them upfu-st unto God; and if God shall please to own them, then to receive them again out of his hands; we shall then receive them with abundance of sweetness and excellency. But here he calls them, “Iheir flocks and Iheir herds;” though they were tendered unto God in saci’ifice, yet he will not say they are his, but then’ own. Thus it is with all hj’pocrites, and formal and superstitious persons, in their services. Self is the princijile of what you do, and therefore all your servicesremainyoui- own, you serve yourself rather than God in them.
Herein lies the sweetness and true comfort of a man’s estate, or of whatsoever he possesses, when he shall consecrate and devote them all to God so that they remain no longer his own. This is a sacrifice that God is well pleased with. These are my talents, saith God, this is my estate, here I return to you again: and when a man shall take what he has as having first consecrated and devoted it to God, and receiving it out of God’s hand again, (), this adds a sweetness and a blessing to it. All we have is God’s, as he is the first cause of all; but mark, God rejoices as much, if not more, in a second right that lie lias to our possessions, namely, by our tendering up all to him in a gracious manner, as he does in the first right of being the cause of all. I beseech you observe this, God has a twofold right to the estates, [larts, and abilities of his jieople. First, he has a right to them as lie is the cause of them; I gave them to you, therefore they are mine. But secondly, when his servants by an exercise of grace shall offer them up again to him. Now, saith God, they are mine by a second right; and this second right to them, they being tendered up to me in a holy manner, is the right that I rejoice in; and this will be most comfortable to you. O my brethren, let us not
deprive God of this second right to all we have, or are, or can do, for this will not at all weaken our right, but strengthen, sweeten, and bless oui- possessions abundantly.
06*. 4. Superstitious and idolati’ous people are abundant in their services. “They shall go with their flocks and with theii- herds.”
They are content to go with all theu- flocks and their herds to seek after God; thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of oil, any thing to offer up unto God; but mark, it is in their own form, and on their own ordinances, men will expend in abundance; on God’s, as little as possible, as might be again instanced in in regard of setting of days apart for God.
Natural conscience tells us, that when we have to do with God in our serWces, gi-eat things are suitable to a great God. Your papists, in times of straits, have a kind of praying which continues for forty hours together; but it is in then- own way, they will be abundant enough in that. Many of you tlnnk much to spend a quarter of an hour in a morning or in aii evening in seeking God in your famiUes; when superstitious and idolatrous people are abundant in those services, in seeking God in then’ own way.
But observe, though superstitious and idolatrous people be abundant in their services to then- idols, yet they are not infinite m them. But the saints of God, if theu- sjjirits be right, are enlarged to a kind of infiniteness in God’s service. As thus, they would still know more of God’s mind, do more, and are never satisfied with what they do. There is no idolatrous and superstitious person, but confines himself within some limits, and thinks that when that task is over, when the forty hours are elapsed, the work is done: but now here is the difference between a natui-al work and a spiritual; a natural work is always a limited work, but a spiritual work has always an infinlteness in it; thus, though I am not able to do what is actually infinite, yet my heart is infinite in this, that it is neler satisfied, but it would fain have more, and if I were able to do ten thousand times more than I do, yet my heart would be as eager to do more as it was at first: i should not think I am any nearer to the end of my joiu-ney than I was at the first day; for I am to deal with an infinite God, therefore let my sen-ices be never so great and many, yet still my ardent desires’ are to rise higher and to do more. Here is the supernatural work of grace, which goes beyond all the idolatry in the world.
06*. 5. Superstitious and idolatrous people will spare no cost in their worship.
They will go with their flocks and with their herds, bestow all their estates on the service of their idols. How shameful is it for us to be so niggardly in the true service of God! Never men had larger opportunities to honour God M’itli their estates than at this present time. And certainly men should rather rejoice that they have an opportunity to serve God with their estates, than murmur that his service requii-es the sacrifice.
“They shall go with their flocks and with their herds, to seek the Lord.”
Obs. 6. There is a time when vile and wicked men shall see a need of God. “Thev shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seelc the Lord.”
Though wicked men, when they have all about them suitable to their carnal desires, slight and neglect God, yet there is a time when they shall be brought into such a condition that they shall see their need of him. O, let us remember this in the midst of our prosperity! We find by ex]K’ricnce that God does bring men to times wherein they see need of him; oh, therefore, now the love and mercy of God, the pardon of our sins, and peace with Got!, how precious should they be in our eyes!
It is good to make God our friend, whom we are sure we shall one day have need of. We all conclude that it is a point of wisdom to make such a man our friend, of whom we can certainly say, we shall one day have need of him. O, let us be sure to make God our friend, for certainly one day we shall have need of him. Blessed are those souls who have an interest in that God whose friendship all the world shall one day require.
Obs. 7. All pretend to seek God. “They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord.”
A^Tiatsoever they do, they do it for the honour of God, and for the service of God, and out of respect to him; and why should not we do this and tlris? we have good aims and good intentions, do we not seek to honora- God in what we do? When those idolaters of Israel set up the calf, they proclaimed a day to Jehovah, a day for the honouring of God, and pretended that what they did was out of respect to God, and to honour him. The worst men and the most superstitious will yet profess to honour God. So it is again in regard of those days that men have set apart for God, and it is that which has settled men in the superstitious observation of them, that it is for the honour of Christ; What! (say they,) shall we not honour the birth of our blessed Saviour? what profaneness, what a disrespect is this to the Lord Christ! Well, let others do what they will, for our parts we will observe it, for hereby we shall do honour to our blessed Saviour. So the papists, for the adoration of images, say, ‘^^Hiat! not regard nor reverence the image, the picture of our blessed Saviour, and of the holy saints? And the truth is, if it be duly weighed, there is the same reason for images of Christ and his saints, as for days set apart to the honoiu’ of Chiist by man’s invention; and there is as fair a pretence for honouring Christ by setting up his unage before me to remind me of him, as by keeping a day of mine own appointment for the same puqjose. There is (I say) the same reason for both, and whatsoever argument any man shall bring me against the one, I dare undertake to pi’ove it good against the other.
We are, my brethi’en, to take heed of men that pretend to honour God. These here will seek the Lord, though in a false and superstitious way. But those that pretend to honour God, prevail much with weak and scrupulous minds. As the greatest heretics that have ever been in the church have been gi’eat pretenders to godliness, many there are at this day that, out of pretence to honour Christ, have leavened the hearts of jjeople with dangerous en-ors, and especially corrupted the young converts; for as soon as ever God is pleased to work upon any, to convert them unto himself, they love Christ, their hearts are taken with him, and they honoirr free grace that has pardoned the sins of their youth, of which they have such a fresh sense. Now, false teachers take advantage of this, and, therefore, if they bring any thing to them that hath the name of Christ, and the gospel, and free grace, they know they will greedily imbibe it; and many dangerous en-ors sweetened with such pretences are strongly maintained. By this means then- leaders attain their own ends, and they see it not.
Obs. 8. Superstitious and idolatrous men are most abundant in their services in the time of affliction.
“They wiD go with their flocks and their herds:” when in extremity, then God shall have any thing from Ihem. Self-love drives men far and enlarges them much. Men in a storm are content to cast out much of that which is precious to them; “They poured out a prayer when thy chastening was ujwn them,” Isa. xx-i. 16. They are sti’aitened in prayer, it comes out by di-ops, before, but when thy chastening is upon them, then they pour it out. And this is the baseness of our hearts, that we can find enlargement for God
only when it is suitable to our own ends. Those whose hearts are more enlarged in adversity than in the enjoyment of mercies, had need of self-examination.
Obs. 9. Carnal professors think to make God amends for former and present evils of then- hearts and lives by outward performances.
‘If they bring their flocks and their herds, much sacrifice, they think that will suffice. But let us learn to take Iieed of this vanity, of thinking to make God amends for former or present sins by any sacrifice we can perform to him thus. Some of you, perhaps, that are negUgent in your relative duties; servants, children, stubborn and perverse against parents and governors; wives and husbands mutually neglecting their duties; and you think, though you indulge yourselves in those things, yet, if you pray much, and hear muiiJi, and speak of good things, and be forward in the profession of religion, that will make amends for the neglect of your duties. O take heed of this, you that are forward in your profession, and abundant in the performance of holy duties; take heed of this deceit of your hearts, to think to put off God with these things, and thereby to compensate for the neglect of your duties. Some are accused of injustice, uncleanness, and gi’eat wickedness, and yet they think to put ofi’ all this, by going with their flocks and their herds. Herein consists their sinfulness, they rest in the bare duties. But the saints have a further sacrifice to offer to God, to be a sweet savour before him. They have fu’st the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which these sacrifices typified; and then they have their souls and bodies, which they tender up to God as a reasonable sacrifice.
“But they shall not find him.” From hence,
Obs. 10. If God be to be found any where, he is to be found in his ordinances. “They shall go with their flocks and with their herds, but they shall not find him.”
These sacrifices were materially good, but yet they should not §nd God in them. When the Lord appointed the tabernacle to be erected, (a type of the ordinances we now enjoy,) he said, “MTiere I will meet you;” and again the second time, “There I will meet with thee,” Exod. xxix. 42, 43. If God be to be found any where, it is in the performance of holy duties.
Ohs. 11. To find God in them should be the end of all holy duties.
It should be so, and they pretended that end here. WheTi either God is coming unto us in mercy, or when we are drawing near to God in duty, we must be restless till we find him, especially in the latter. Many, I beseech you observe this, many perform duties, but do not look’ at finding God in them. They do not examine after the duties are done. Have I met with God in this or that duty? Have I met with God this day in the word? I have been in my closet, and there I have prayed; have I found God in prayer? Found God! what is that? You should never be quiet in the performance of holy duties till you meet with God one of these two ways; 1. Either by finding God coming to you in the communication of himself, and the sweetness of his love and mercy; or, 2. Your own hearts drawing nearer unto him. And in either of these ways we find God.
Obs. 12. God will not be always found when sought.
“They shall go with their flocks and with their herds, but shall not find me.” Thus men are never like to meet with God:
1. “^Vhen they seek him in any superstitious way. These kind of formal, superstitious worshippers of God, did much, spent much time in God’s worship; I appeal to theii- own consciences, and to all that knew theii’ lives, did any thing of God appear in them? It might be manifested from their frothy, vain, and carnal conversations, that they never met with God in those ser-AN EXPOSITION OF
vices. Wien God is sought, but not in his own way, he will not be found.
2. When we seek ourselves rather than God, then he will not be found.
3. AVhen we do not seek God as a God; that is, when we tender him only external, and not soid services; when we seek him not with uprightness and in the integrity of our hearts; when we seek him not with those high and reverent a])prehensions of him, with that fear of his name suitable to such an infinite God as the Lord is; then God will not be found.
4. ‘When we seek him too late. There may be a seeking of God too late. Seek him while he may be found. Oh then, we had need lose no oiiportunity of seeking God, for he will not be always found. And this is just with God; for God often seeks us when we will not be found, and therefore it is just that he should not be found when we seek him.
“He hath withdrawn himself from them.” AVhen the saints of God seek him in a holy way, he is presently found. “Then shall thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shall cry, and he shall say, Here I am,” Isa. lviii. 9. Perha])s they do not take notice of God; he is many times with us and stands by us, he is present, and we know not that he is there. Bui now, that we may know that he is there, he makes that promise, that when we seek him as we ought to seek him, he will say, •’ Here I am.”
The word ySn here translated” withdrawn himself,’ may be as well rendered, diiiiit se, or eripuit se; he lias divided, yea, snatched himself from them; that is its force: they go to seek him, and cry after him; God snatches him-ielf from them, as one that refuses theiifriendship. Hence,
Obs. 13. God delights not in the services of superstitious and formal professors; but with the humble and contrite heart is his delight. The flocks and the herds of the wicked are rejected, and God withdraws himself from them, but small things from the saints are acce])tcd. As in 1 Sam. vii. 9, when holy Samuel there ofl’ered but a sucking lamb for a burnt-offering to the Lord, presently ‘■ the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Isi’ael.” Here are herds and flocks, and yet God withdraws himself; but Samuel there offers but a poor sucking lamb, and presently the Lord thunders with a great thunder upon their adversaries. So in llev. viii. 4, t5, after the incense, with the prayers of the saints, were offered up, there followed “voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.” Great things are effected by small services of the saints when offered in uprightness, but the greatest services of hypocrites and formal professors God regards not, but withdraws himself from them.
Obs. 14. It is a sad thing when God withdraws from the creature, when he seeks him in distress. As in 1 Sam. xxviii. lo, when Saul was seeking God, and God was departed from him, mark what Saul saith, “I am sore distressed; for God is departed from me.” And in chap. is. 12, of this pro])liecy, “Yea, woe also to them when I depart from them!” saith God. Oh, that is a sad condition! It is a sign that,
1. God ])uts dishonour on a people, as I showed you more largely when I spake of the rejecting of their sacrifices. What greater dishonour can it be to a peo- ])le, than for God to take more pleasure in their liowlings under his wrath, than in their cryings to him for mercy? And yet to such a condition may a jieoiilc, nay, your own soul, be broujjht. I say that God may take more pleasure in your howlings under his wrath, than in your cryings to him for mercy, and that in your temples, if you do not reform ns well as cry to him; and this is confirmed by Amos viii. 3,” And the songs
of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord God.” As if he should say. The songs of the temple were loud, but I will take more pleasure in their howlings than in then- songs. And Isa. xxix. 1, ““Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt!” &c.; and ver. 2, “Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel.” The text seems to be obscure at the first reading, but the meaning is this: By Aiuel is meant Jerusalem, the city where David dwelt, the place where the sacrifices were offered unto God; Ariel signifying an altar of God, God’s altar that did devour the sacrifices like a lion. Now, sailh God, thou shall be to me as Ariel; thou Jerusalem, where my famous altar was, where so many famous sacrifices were offered, thou shall be to me as Ariel; thai is, you indeed offer many sacrifices unto me, but yet continue in your hypocrisy, and in your wickedness; know, saith God, I will make that city as an altar on which your blood shall be offered, and I will take as much pleasiure in the sacrifice of your blood offered on this altar, as in all the sacrifices that were offered on the altar from whence the city had its name; your name shall be Aiiel, that is, your city shall be stained with your blood as the altar was with the blood of the sacrifices. God rejects and casts out the services of such as are superstitious and ungodly.
2. No creature can help us; they will say. How can we help when God will not? he has withdrawn himself.
3. Some great judgment must then be expected; as when a poor petitioner goes to the prince with a petition, and the prince tiu-ns his back upon him; Surely, thinks he, now some evil is nigh me.
4. No protection from any elil can then be expected; God has withdi’awn himself.
5. Then conscience flies in one’s face: Oh, the blessed God is gone, and mercy is gone, and Christ is gone, and that for those sins of mine, those lusts of mine, that lay so near my heart. Oh how terrible will it be to conscience, when God shall appear to withdraw himself!
G. It is a forerunner of God’s eternal withdrawing himself from the soul, and from the body too.
The saints had rathej have God’s presence, though angry, than God withdrawing himself from them. When God withdraws himself but a little, they can never rest till he has returned again: “O cast me not from thy presence,” sailh David.
My brethren, when we perceive God withdrawing himself in any degree from us, let us stir up ourselves, and cry mightily, as the church, when a])prehensive that God was leaving her, Jer. xiv. 9, “Leave us not.” God goes by degrees from a people; fu’st, it may be, to the threshold; and Jeremiah, a holy prophet, saw him withdrawing from them. Carnal hearts do not perceive how God withdi’aws himself from a ])eople by degrees, but those that are acquainted with the mind of God, and search into the word, are able to discern this, and they cry, Lord, leave us not, if thou be gone, all is gone.
Yea, but does not God withdraw himself from his saints? how then is this a judgment peculiar to idolaters, and wicked, superstitious persons?
The answer is this, God indeed withdraws himself sometimes from his saints, but not in the same maimer as from the wicked. For in his withdiawings from the saints,
1. T’hey yet retain good thoughts of him in his absence, whereas the wicked pine, and vex, and fret against him. As, in the absence of her husband, a faithful wife still retains good thoughts ofliim as of her husband, and continues to love him, whereas with the adulteress it is far otherwise: so wicked men do, ui)on God’s withdrawing of himself in judgments and afflictions, begin to have hard thoughts of God, and to say. If this is to serve God and to walk in his ways, what
good have we got by all that we have done? But now you shall observe in the Canticles, when Christ had withdrawn himself from the church, she still calls him her King, and her Beloved, still gives him honourable titles.
2. He di-aws their hearts to cry more earnestly after him. As a mother will playfully withdraw and hide herself from her child, loving to hear its cries after her, and to witness its anxiety to come into her arms; so the Lord loves to hear his chikb-en cry after him, to come to him. The Lord shall hear none of our cries in heaven, for there we shall always be with him; but here he sometimes withdi-aws from us, that he may hear us ciy after him.
3. He leaves some light behind him, that they may see which way he is gone. As when a torch or candle is taken out of a room, yet you may see some glimmering light which way they went; so when God withdraws himself he is wont to leave some glimmering light, that his people may see which way to follow him.
4. His bowels yearn toward them. Jer. xxxi. 20, “Is Ephraim my dear son?” (S:c. I thought of him and my bowels yearned, saith God, or “my bowels were troubled.” He has an eye towards them for much good in all his withdrawings.
5. Nothing then will satisfy them till God retura. “When God withdraws himself from others, they will seek after vanities to make up the want of his presence, as an adulteress in her husband’s absence will seek other lovers. But the language of the saints is. If God be gone, I will enjoy nothmg else, at least I will be satisfied in nothing else, till I have his presence again.
6. He yet does not utterly forsake them; as David prays, Psal. cxix. 8, “I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.” It seems that then God had somewhat withdrawn himself from David, yet mark, his heart was toward God, “I will keep thy statutes;” thou hast forsaken me in some degree, yet I will keep thy statutes still, “O forsake me not utterly.” If thou canst say thus, Indeed God has withtbawn himself from my soul, yet, though I have not that comfort in him that my soul desires, I will keep his precepts as long as I live, I will do what I can to honour him; thou mayst pray with comfort. Lord, “0 forsake me not utterly.”
As those that are godly may depart from God, but yet, as in Psal. xviii. 21, “I have not wickedly departed from my God,” they do not depart from God as other men do; so God may depart from the godly, but yet not so as he departs i’rom the wicked.
Let us take heed of withdr-awing from God, of withdrawing our souls from any way of truth. If in prosperity we withdi’aw from God, and think we can live without him, he will make us know in adversity that he too can be blessed without us. It is usual for men in prosperity to get on without God well enough; but when thou comest into adversity, the Lord will make thee know, though thou perishest as cboss and dung from the earth, yet he will remain a blessed God without thee to all eternity. God has no need of us. If thou dost think thou canst do well enough without him, he will show that he can do well enough without thee.
Ver. 7. They have dealt treacherously against the Lord: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them icith their portions.
In the words before, the Lord threatened to withdi-aw himself from Israel. “When they shall seek him with theii- flocks and herds, they shall not find him. A dreadful sentence! but what is the cause? AVhy will Ciod in a time of mercy withdi-aw himself from his creatures, though they seek him with their flocks and with their herds .•”
There is reason enough for it, and it is given here, “They have dealt treacherously against the Lord.”
The” word 1”ij3 here translated, dealing treacherously, signifies perfide agere, to deal perfidiously, they have been perfidious; and likewise decipere, to deceive, they deal deceitfxilly; but it especially means that fraudulent dealing that takes place in breaking of covenants, and is often applied to men violating the marriage bond, as in Mai. ii. 14, 15.
I find Luther translates it, they have contemned the Lord; and so, according to some, it is often rendered; and thence takes occasion to ask, “What! do they seek, the Lord with their flocks and herds, and yet despise God? how can these consist? They seem as if they would greatly honour God, yet here they are charged with contemning and despising him. To this he answers. Whatsoever pretences men make of honouring God, yet, if they do not obey and keep to his w’ord, and that especially with respect to his worship, they are guUty of contemning and despising God. “We may abound in outward services, and yet, in the mean time, our hearts despise God, contemn his authority and majesty.
But the word ordinarily is used according to our translation of it here, “They have dealt treacherously,” they have been false with me.
And mark the connexion: they come to seek me with their flocks and then- herds, but I have withdi-awn myself from them, for “they have dealt treacherously.” Hence we would briefly
Obs. 1. When the ungodly come to seek God, God looks on the wickedness of their hearts.
“They have dealt U’eacherously.” As If God should say. Here comes a company of base, false-hearted hypocrites, ungodly wretches, to seek me, with their flocksand herds. Are they like to be heard? are they like to be regarded in all their services? no, they are base and perfidious, they have vile, wicked, and cursed hearts.
O consider this, you that have not yet washed away your sins in the blood of Christ, and made your peace with God: the guilt of yom’ sin is yet upon you, and its fUthiness yet adheres to you: you come to God in prayer, and seek him, and ciy unto him for mercy: know, that all the wickedness that ever you committed in the whole course of your lives, is fresh in the presence of God; God looks upon all as if it were now present. O, learn therefore to cleanse thy heart in the blood of Christ, by faith in him, and by repentance; and then, though thou hast been vile heretofore, when thou comest to seek the face of God, thy sins shall not be remembered before him. So much for the connexion.
But for the words themselves, and first, in their proper signification, “They have dealt treacherously;” the meaning is, they make a great show of religion,, but it is only for their oti ends, and under that show they do that which dishonoureth me, they betray my glory. Here is treacherous dealing indeed, treachery against the God of heaven; these are treacherous spii-its, to make professions and protestations of religion, to make any use they can of religion, so far as it will suit their own turns, but when it proves unprofitable, to cast it off; yea, if it prove contrary to them, to persecute it. This is treachery against God in a high degree.
Again, “treacherously,” in that they break their covenant with God; that is the special treachery here intended, they have broken that covenant in which they were engaged. They gave up themselves to be the” Lord’s, but they have basely forsaken and dealt treacherously ^^uth him. So that this treachery relates either to the oath of allegiance to God as our King, or to the covenant that we make with him as our Husband. And thence,
Obs. 2. The sins of such as are in covenant with God are sins of treacheiy. They are sins of a deeper dye than other men’s suis. Other men’s sins are transgressions against, and disobedience to, the will of God; but they arc not so properly treacheiy: but the sins of those that arc engaged to God in covenant have another impress upon them than the sins of other men, their sins are treaclieiy against God. And we know there is nothing accounted more vile amongst men than tieacherv’; it is the highest possible expression of oiu’ indignation against a man to say, Such a man take heed of, he is a treacherous man. Certainly the sins of those that have engaged themselves unto God, go nearer to the heart of God than other men’s .sins do; they aie more dishonourable to him, they provoke the eyes of his gloiy more.
O let us then look back to what we have done ever since we fiist entered into covenant with God, ever since we first gave up our names to him; and let us charge our soids with this aggravation of our sins: O my soul, what hast thou done? Thou hast not only trespassed and disobeyed as others, but thou hast been treacherous against the Lord. Let us keep ourselves from sin, and awe our hearts and strike fear into our spirits with this meditation, What! shall I, that have so deeply engaged myself to God, now forsake and deal treacherously with him?
Let us take heed of this evil of dealing treacherously with God, not only in regard of the particular covenants between God and our own souls; but, in a more special manner, let us take heed of breaking our public covenants. England has been guilty of great sins against God, but England never entered into such solemn covenants with God as of late; therefore, if we keep not our covenants with God now, England’s sins will prove to be greater than they were before, they will l)rove to be treacherous sins. Do not account your entering into covenant with God at any time to be a slight matter; do not trifle with him: when you come to the sacrament, there you renew your covenants; perhaps in your closets in the day of your affliction you renew your covenants; but especially when you come in a solemn way to join with the people of God, to bind youiselves in a covenant with God to amend your lives, and inquire after the true worship of God, and to conform yourseh es according to his word; O now take heed what you do; to walk now as you formerly have done, this is a treachery against the God of heaven. Certainly God cxjiccts much from us after slich a covenant as we have lately entered into, one of the most solemn covenants that” ever was made; and a national covenant too, and therefore more to be regarded than a private; yea, a uniting covenant, that unites two nations, if not three, together; and a covenant that is more for the kingdom, of Christ, and more directly against the kingdom of antichrist, and the antichristian Jiarty, than ever yet was made since the world began. Antichrist quickly arose, and made much opposition; but for two nations so solemnly to lift up then- hands to the most high God to ojipose all antichristian goveniment, is that which, if it be kept as carefully as it is made solemnly, is the greatest honour that Christ ever yet had in regard of his government here upon earth. And we had need look to it, because it is such a mighty work that it should engage our hearts, and make us thankful that we ever lived to sec God bring about such a strange thing in our generation. I appeal to you, was it ])ossible four years ago for any man in the world, yea, for an angel, to conjecture such a tiling as tills, that two nations should join together, that the representative body of the kingdom, and the assembly of divines, in one day should be lifting up their hands to the nio.->t high God, to do their utmost to extirpate prelacy, that is, government by archbishops, bishops,
archdeacons, deans, <Sjc. Now the more miraculous the work of God is in bruiging this strange thing about, the more bonds he ujjon us to keej) that covenant with God. O, therefore, let us not now add treachery- to all our former apostacy, for our sins now will prove sins of treachery.
But if it be such an aggravation of our sins, to be covenanters with God, if we neglect our engagement, then it were better (perhaps some will say) never to enter into covenant; for it seems, if we had not taken the covenant there, our guilt would not have been so aggravated.
The answer to that is this, A carnal heart alone is sorry for its engagement to God, either because of afflictions that are in the ways of God, or because the obligations of obedience to God are stronger, or because the danger of breaking them is greater. Perhaps, when thou art engaged to God and his ways, thou meetest with many afflictions in those ways; take heed of repenting of thy engagement because of them. Perhaps thou seest thyself so strongly bound that thy conscience will now fly in thy face on the slightest transgression; O, take heed o{ receding from thy engagement notwithstanding. For one whose heart is gracious, certainly w ill never repent of his engagement, though there be more danger attendant on his sin now than before; why? because he hates his sin. Now let there be never so much danger to keep me from that which I hate, I will never be sorrj’ for that: as for uistance, suppose there be a deeii gulf, that if 1 fall into will destroy me, I tremble to come near it; but there is a fence to keel) me off’ full of sharp iron spikes, which, if I should but tiy to get over it, will gore and prick me; shall I be soriy that such a fence exists, when it Ls but set there to keep me from destroying myself? So a gracious licart w ill never be sonT that it is engaged in the ways of God, and that if it should break the engagement there would be an aggravation of its sin; ibr why? the verv’ engagement is but as a strong fence to keep me fi’om that which I would be loth to come to. which would destroy me. And those that begin to think their engagement to God and his ways to be a hard thing, and could wish for more liberty, will certainly deal treacherously with God, yea, their hearts are even already departing from God. Take heed of this, it is a step to apostacy, (remember it, my brethren, it is an important caution,) it is, I say, the first degree of a])ostacy. for any man to begin to be sorjT that he is so deeply engaged to God and his ways. All the true saints of God, when they are engaged, bless God that ever they were engaged.
‘■ Against the Lord.” Against Jehovah. This is the vileness of man’s heart. Though God be never so gracious, so merciful, so faithful; though he be never so blessed, so glorious hi himsell” and worthy of all honour; yet so vile is man’s heart that it will deal treacherously with even God himself. To deal treacherously with a friend, with a fellow creature, is an evil; but to deal treacherously with the infinite and blessed God is a far greater evil. When vexed yourselves with the treachery of others, O, consider how treacherously God is dealt with in the world. Thou dost think none was ever so dealt with, ever so wronged, as thou art; God is more wronged, more contradicted, more treacherously dealt withal, than any ever were. And how many are there that think it a dishonour to them even to be suspected of treacherous dealing, and will often say. What I deal treacherously with my friend? 1 were not worthy to live if 1 should! yet these men deal treacherously with God every day.
Thus much for this cJiarge, For” they have dealt treacherously against the Lord. Next he shows wherein.
“For they have begotten strange children.” That is
a further aggravation, that they have not only sinned themselves, but have sought to propagate their sin and their wickedness: for it might otherwise be said, True, Israel has sinned very grievously against the Lord, but may there not be hope of the generation succeeding? No, for they bring up their children in the same superstition, idolatry, and wickedness, that they themselves walk in. That is the meaning, “They have begotten strange children:” they should beget children to God, but they beget them to idols, and so this wickedness, this treachery against God, is propagated from one generation to another, there is a succession of it: as are the old, so are the young.
When any chvTH- others to evil ways, they are said in Scripture to make them children of the de-0, to beget them as chilcken of the devil. Matt, xxiii. 15, “Ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves:” you begot him to the devil. So parents, first, by way of natural generation, beget childi’en to themselves, and then, by educating their children in ways of wickedness, beget them the second time to the devil. And they are called “sti’ange childi-en,” because God will not own them: They are none of mine, saith God, they are strangers from me, I will have nothing to do with them. The words being thus opened, the observations are these:
Obs. 3. Parents have the charge of their children committed to them by God.
It is implied here, that it is their duty to look to beget their children to God, and to take heed that they be not begotten to the devil. For Ephraim, the ton tribes, are here charged, that whereas they should have brought forth their children for God, and so they should belong to God’s inheritance, and God should have owned them; now they beget them to their idols, and they are strange children. God certainly does ncrt give you children to beget them for the devil and for hell. It should be a sad thing to parents to thmk. Here is a child coming from my loins, conceived in my womb, an enemy unto God; what! shall such come forth out of my loins? shall a firebrand of hell be conceived in my womb? Certainly it should go to the heart of a parent to see his child estranged from God, though he were not the cause of it; but much more when a parent shall come to be convinced, this child is thus wicked and ungodly, and as he has received the seeds of his corruption from me at the first, so those seeds were nourished up by my example and encouragement, I have led him to such wickechiess. Woe to such parents! and such, children may even curse the time that they were born of such parents, and rather wish they had been of the generation of dragons and offspring of vipers. When God gives you children, he expects that you should labour that there may be a succession of godliness in the world, that not only you should be godly, but that you should bring up your children to be so too. “He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their chilfh’en: that the generation to come might know them, even the childi’en which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children,” Psal. lxxviii. 5, 6. This is the way of God, he commands you to make known his statutes and laws to your children, that the generation to come might know them, and not that you should bring thorn up in wickedness and superstition. I have read that the Romans wei’e wont to sue such parents as were not careful of the education of their children. Therefore Cicero, inveighing against Verres, saith. Quod /ilium tuum, A’r., You have not only done thus and thus yourself, but you have educatsd your son among the intemperate, in riotousness, in fcastino-. in drinking, amongst wantons
and unclean persons, and by this means you have not only wronged your child, but the commonwealth. Thus he laid his action against him. Now how might heathens shame us in this, who account those to deserve punishment not only from God, but from men, that are not careful of the education of their children! There is a great deal of reason for it, and it were very good now that there were a law of a similar nature enacted on this ground, because the commonwealth lias a part in the chilcben as well as the parent; and the parent not being careful to bring up the child in the fear of God, wrongs the commonwealth as well as the child, and therefore ought to be punished by the commonwealth.
Obs. 4. Chilch-en are usuaOy as then- parents and education are. The parents were idolaters, they were ungodly and strangers fi’om God: then- children are so too. In many families we see that the father is an enemy to God”, and the son an enemy to God, and the grandson the same, and so there goes on a line and a succession of wickedness, profanity, and enmity against God. It is usually so.
Therefore let those children that are born of and brought up under godly parents, bless God for such a mercy. It may be, if thou hadst been born and brought up of papists, thou wouldst have been a papist thyself. If thou hadst been born of a malignant, of one that is a stranger to and a contemner of God, thou wouldst have been so too.
And seeing it is thus usual for childi’en to be as their parents, oh, then, what a mercy is it for God to work by his grace in any child born of wicked parents! This is not an ordinary mercy. Some born of godly parents bless God that by that means they are kept from wickedness; but there are some born of and brought up by wicked parents, to whom God is so gi’acious, that, in a more than ordinary way, he goes furtlicr in mercy to them, and works gi-ace in then’ hearts notwithstanding. This is his extraordinary mercy, a mercy that thou art to admire at throughout all eternity, that notwithstanding thy birth and education, yet God should reveal himself unto thee.
But how vile are they that, being born of good parents, are yet wicked! It is customary for such as are born of wicked parents and have wicked education, to be wicked, to be sti’ange childi-en; but for those that have gocUy parents and godly education, for them to be wicked and strange children, this denotes wickedness in the extreme.
Obs. 5. It is a dangerous thing for chilch-en to follow the example of theii’ parents in wickedness. It is from hence that they are called “strange children,” they are sti-angers to God. It is not enough for them to jilead, I did as my father or as my mother taught me. No, if thy parents be wicked and superstitious, and they bring thee up accordingly, and so thou art wicked and superstitious thyself, know that, notwithstanding this excuse, God looks upon thee as a strange child, thou hast no part nor portion in him, thou art an alien, thou art estranged from God.
Childi-en therefore had need to examine their parents’ ways and actions; and above all, the chilch-en of superstitious people, for nothing is more naturallyhanded down in succession, than idolatry and superstition. Never plead then, ‘We do but as our forefathers have done. That jilace in Peter one would think should for ever stop the mouth of that plea, 1 Pet. i. IS, 19, “Ye w-ere not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by ti-adition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” Mark the text, that the being redeemed from our vain conversation, received by tradition from our fathers, is so gi-eat a mercy that it cost
the blood of Jesus Christ. If God accounts it such a mercy, that he is willing to lay down the blood of his Son to purchase it for a poor creature, shall not this creature prize this mercy? And yet you think it rather to be a mercy to go on in the ways that you have received by tradition from your fathers, and you conceive their example a strong plea. Mark what you do; you do in effect say. We look on the blood of Jesus L’hrist as a common, as a worthless thing. He shed his blood to redeem thee from that which thou thinkest is worth nothing to be redeemed from. Thou thinkest it a good thing to go the way of the traditions of thy fathers; and Clu’ist saith, I account it so great an clil, that rather than any that belong to me shall go on in that way, I will lay down my blood, my life, to deliver him from it.
Obs. 6. When succeeding generations are wicked, there is little hope of a ])eople. I have with(b-awn myself, saith God, I have done with them; and afterward he tells us, that they shall be desolate, “for they have begotten strange children:” the chikken, the generation that is rising up, are idolaters too, they go as their fathers did; and what hope is there of them? When in a vineyard, or orchard, not only the old trees are rotten, but the young are likewise corrupted and blasted, then there is little to justify the bestowing of any great cost on it.
Much care is to be had therefore of the succeeding generation. And there is no belter criterion, whereby we may divine (as they say) what God intends to do with a nation, than this, the state of the children: look at the young that are rising up in that nation, and liy that you may come to divine what God intends to do with the next generation. Here we have much cause to bless God for his mercy toward us, in that with regard to this particular, he has in a great measure (we hope) taken away the sign of his dreadful wrath. I say, in a great measure; for we still have a great many of the young generation prepared and ready to make riots and tumults to maintain their fathers’ or their masters’ old superstitions; and if ever there be any stirs in a kingdom about such things, (as superstition and idolatry can seldom be banished from a kingdom without them,) they are usually begun by the young; what, if you take away their holidays from them, you take away their lives. I make no question, but, so far as is fit, times of recreation will be allowed them; and there is good reason for it, though such superstitious days be taken from them. But because many of their masters and parents who adhere to the old superstition, still countenance their observance, and they obtain consequent liberty in them, therefore they had almost rather lose their lives than lose them, and being heady and naught, are easily induced to raise tumidts and make seditions for them. Rut though there are many that are veiy vile in this respect, and, such as they are, are the saddest omen of God’s dis])lcasure against a nation; yet, on the contrary, wo should wrong the grace of God, if we should not observe his goodness towards us in the workings of his .Spirit on the young amongst us. Yea, many whose parents and masters have Ijucn superstitious, wicked, and ungodly, have, we find, been delivered by the Lord, and are now not willing to sully themselves with the “vain conversation received by tradition;” they begin to know the Lord, and to inquire after God. And blessed are you of the Lord; you are our hope, that God intends us good, and that lie will not let out the wild beasts to devour us, but will rebuke them for your sakes. And although, perhaps, many of these gracious young ones may perish, yea, many have been slain already in this cause, yet let not others that remain behind be discouraged; for it is an argument that God intends for us some great and special mercy, in that he is willing to venture such precious
ones for the procuring of t AVe may well reason thus, that if so much precious young blood, that might have lived to serve God, be shed in this cause, when God comes to grant to England mercy, he will grant such mercy as will be worth all their blood; and that mercy must needs be great, that shall be worth all the blood of those that are so precious, who might have lived so many years to serve God in this world.
They who have defiled themselves with superstitious vanities, are not likely to share in this mercy, nor to be employed by God to prepare it for the succeeding generation. Hut because God has a love to the young generation that are godly, therefore he has reserved much mercy for many of them to see and enjoy; and others of them that are not likely to see it, yet he will be so gracious to them, that he will employ them in ushering in that mercy: and whether it is better to be made instrumental for the glory of God and the good of another generation, or to live to see the fruit of this is hard to determine. Certainly, those that in one generation are made so instrumental, as to lay the groundwork of mercy for another generation, are as hajipy as that other generation that comes to reap the fruit “of their labours and suft’erings; and those that do come to reap the fruit of their labours shall bless God for them, and when they enjoy the good and liberty of the gospel, they will bless you to all generations. Therefore, let there be no discouragement to godly young ones, though it picaseth God to cut off many by death in this cause, for God hath some excellent end in it beyond all our reaches.
Obs. 7. God takes it exceeding ill at men’s hands, that they should corrupt the young. This note is as full in the words as any other. God takes it exceeding ill, it is a part of treachery against God, for any to be a means to corrupt the young. Take heed what you do in this matter; those young people that are rising up, and beginning to inquire after godliness, take heed that you hinder them not, especially parents and governors: O let your consciences fly in your faces, when you begin to curb them for their forwardness. Many times your minds cannot but misgive you, when you think, I have been wicked and evil most part of my days, I spent, God knows, many of my years in vanity and profaneness; here are young ones that begin betimes to inquire after God, and yet, wretch that I am, my licart rises against them.
And as those that hinder the young are to be rebuked, so such as seek to corrupt them by false opinions. Certainly it is that by which God is much pro oked at this day; and as, on the one side, there is hope of mercy liccause so many of the young begin to inquire after God, so I know no such di’cadful proof of God’s displeasure against this nation as this, that as soon as the young begin to know Jesus Christ, there are presently corrupt errors infused into them, and that under the notion of honouring Christ, and free grace, and the gosjiel, so much the more; whereas indeed they arc none other than principles of libertinism and looseness, and such as will even eat out the heart of godliness. Certainly, the Lord has a quarrel against such as corrupt the young by their false princijiles: for there are none so ready to imbibe errors as they, es])ecially young converts, who begin to inquire after the ways of (jod: and these their corrupters have this advantage, tlicy come not to them to pei-suade them to profaneness, but they come with seeming pretences of giving honour to Christ, and of magnifying free grace, and in the mean time sow amongst them seeds destructive of the power of godliness. To corrujit the voung, and, when they begin to inquire after and to know God, to do that which may estrange them from him, excites the wrath of God j and it is a greater proof than any
2S5
other of God’s displeasure against us, that it is so common and frequent at this day.
“Now shall a month devour them with their portions.”
‘■ A month.” I find interpreters much perplexed about this expression. Many think that God aims at one special month, and they “tell us, that in one month in the year, which answers to our July, there were many gi-ievous things to befall the Jews, both in fonner and in latter times, as if that were a more ominous month than any other. I will not spend time to speak further of that.
But there is certainly somewhat else in this expression. I finil a parallel passage to this in Zech. xi. 8, where the Holy Ghost speaks of three shejjherds that God will cut ofi” in one month; “Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.” This is the most exact description of your superstitious idol shepherds, even such as we have at this day amongst us in many places. “My soul lothed them,” saith God, “and their soul also abhorred me.” Who moi’e hate the power of godliness than such men? and whom does the soul of God more abhor? “I cut them off in one month,” saith God. By “month” I conceive two things meant.
1. The Jews in those times were wont to have theudays of reckoning with their workmen and with their debtors usually at the beginning or ending of every month, and this expression seems to allude to that custom of theirs; “now shall a month devour them,” that is, the time of their month shall come when I will reckon with them, and when that fixed time shall come of my reckoning, they shall be undone, they shall be devoured and destroyed. Hence,
Obi: 8. God has set a time to reckon with sinners. Though he be patient for a long time, yet he has a month, a set time appointed, and he wUl not go beyond that time.
Obs. 9. The time of reckoning with sinners, is the time of their destruction. The time of their reckoning will be the time of then’ destruction.
2. JMany interpret it thus, a little short time shall devour them; it shall not be long, it shall not be a huntbed and twenty years, as it was when he threatened the old world, but it shall be very speedy; as if God should say, “When once I begin with them, a month shall make an end of the work. And indeed what will a month do when God lets the sword (for that was the judgment here thi’eatened) come upon a nation! “What a great deal of havoc have the enemy made in a month, in man)’ parts of England! Into what a miserable condition have many that were rich, and had great estates, been brought within that time! so that God seems to refer to the Assyrians that were let out upon them; Let them but once come, saith he, and they will not be long about the work, a month’s time shall devour them.
Lutlicr, and some agi’ee with him, thinks that by the “month” is here meant their solemnities and new moons, and that so it has reference to their superstition and idolatry. But that I think to be too far from the meaning; I rather conceive that by “a month” is meant the short time of then- destruction, when once the adversary comes in upon them.
““With their portions.” I find the Seventy translate DITpSn Tovc /cXj)j)oi’j avTuv, their lots. And it may be so rendered, because in the division of the land of Canaan, that which they had for their estates was given to the ten tribes at first by lot. Well, saith God, I gave you your estates by such a special providence of mine, by lot; but though I did thus measure them out, otherwise than the estates of any men on the earth, yet a month shall devour your lot, all that you had in that appointment of my special providence shall
now be devoured. From thence an observation arises of exceeding use to us:
Obs. 10. The more special the providence of God is toward us in mercy, the more grievous are his judgments if subsequently provoked.
That mercy I had by such a special hand of God’s providence, that I can relate from point to point, how strangely the Lord wrought to bestow it upon me. M’ell, thou canst speak of God’s providence and bless his name, and thou dost well in so doing; but then, take heed thou dost not abuse that mercy that thou enjoyest by the special hand of God’s providence; take heed of provoking God to come and devour that mercy. So it is threatened here, “a month shall devour their portion,” their estates that they had by special lot shall now be destroyed because of their sins.
But further, if we take it according to the translation in your books, which is likewise suitable to the original, “a month shall devour their portion,” that is, all their outward estates, all theu- riches, all their outward comforts, all that they have, and account as their portion, a month, a little time, shall destroy. And from thence there are these two observations:
Obs. 11. A carnal heart has his portion in this world only. Here is his portion, he has his portion in this world.
Obs. 12. The poor condition of the gi’eatest in the world; his portion is no other, but a month may devour it. If thou hadst the whole kingdom, and many kingdoms, for thy portion, and this were all, thou hadst a poor pittance for one who has an immortal soul, for one made for eternity, a month may devour it. That man is but a poor man who has no other portion but that which a month may devour. But now, the saints have God himself for their portion, a portion which neither month can devour nor time destroy, but which they shall enjoy fresh and green, lively and full, and that to all eternity; a portion which lives for ever, and secures then- everlasting life too.
Ver. 8. Blmc ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Rmnuh: cry aloud at Beth-aven, after thee, 0 Benjamin.
The prophet, seeing how little impression his denunciations made on the hearts of this people, therefore, in the name of the Lord, assumes another character, and speaks in this verse as a general commanding an immediate alarm, as if the enemy were already at the gates; “Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah.” As if he should say. You have often heard that the Lord would bring the sword upon you, now it is come, it is come; the enemy is even ready to break into your cities, to rifle your houses, to ravish your wives, to murder your children: “Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Eamah: cry aloud at Beth-aven, after thee, O Benjamin.” It is a summoning of them, as if one should come to the city and cry. The enemy, the enemy is at the gates, arm, arm! so the prophet here, that he might rouse the hearts of those that are stupid and senseless, saith, 1 have often in the name of God tlu-eatcned that he would bring the sword upon you, but you continued insensible; know, that the Lord is now ujjon you in wrath, the enemy is come, now is the time for your destruction; blow ye the trumpet, set yourselves in battle-array, make what resistance you can, for now wrath and “misery are upon you. That generally is the scope of the w-oi-ds, but the’re are yet three things to be considered for their further explication.
I. A^’hy Ramah and Gibeah are particularized.
II. A^’hy “cry aloud at Beth-aven.”
III. The meaning of the words, “after thee, O Benjamin.”
I. Rnmah and Gibeah. I find many take these words not as proper names for cities, but to signify the hills and high places of the country. And the Seventy indeed translate them, im roiif (iovt’ovc, ini tUv i<ljt]lwi’, upon the hills, and upon the high places; for Ramah signifies a high place, and Gibeah, by way of excellency, a hill. And they would interpret it as if the Lord should say to the prophet. Go to the highest places in the country, the highest hills, and there let the comet and the trumpet be blo, as an alarm to awaken the whole land. And then the observation would be,
06s. 1. ‘ATien a people is in danger of God’s wrath, it is high time for them to be awakened.
It is then fit that it should be made known to them. Not only that they should go to the governors, and those that are in high places of authority, l)ut go w-here they may make known the danger to all the people of the land. It is true, it is fit the governors should be awakened in the first place, but if they be awakened and not the people, ifwill prove to little purpose. Many men of late of vile si)irits could not endure that ministers should warn peojile of dangers, or tell them of the forerunners of God’s displeasure against a nation; at such things being preached in public auditories, their spirits were mightily incensed: but it is the way of God, in times of public dangers, to have the people made acquainted.
But further, Ramah and Gibeah were two eminent cities, and belonged both to the kingdom of Judah. They were indeed in the tribe of Benjamin, but Benjamin and Judah were joined in one kingdom under the house of David, and the other ten tribes separated under Jeroboam. Now these two cities were of some eminence in the kingdom of Judah, and it is likely were sti-ongly fortified. Now God is here threatening judgment against Judah, as he did before, when he said, “Judah also shall foil with them;” therefore saith he, “Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah,” in the most eminent places of Judah, in the most fortified, and let us see how they are able to resist the misery that is coming upon them.
But further, I find the Chaidee paraphrast explains it as if the meaning were, because that Gibeah was the city of Saul, and Ramah the city of Samuel, therefore God threatened judgment for their making of a king against his will, and for their disobedience to the words of Samuel. But I think this is somewhat too far-fetched.
II. “Cry aloud at Beth-aven.” Beth-aven I believe to be the same city as that Beth-el where was one of the calves, and which belonged to the ten tribes; and the majority of interpreters confirm this opinion.
Now this Beth-el, which signifies the house of God, is called here Beth-aven, the house of vanity, because of the idol that was set up there. Therefore mark the emphasis, when he speaks of Ramah and Gibeah, he saith, Blow the cornet and the trumpet: but when of Beth-aven, lynn “Cry aloud,” howl out, O Beth-aven, for that was the great place of superstition. He nameth this city rather than Dan, (where the other of the two calves was ])laccd,) because it was so near to the kingdom of Judah.
III.” .(Vllter thee, 0 Benjamin.” That is, Benjamin was close to this Beth-aven, and adjoining the kingdom of Israel. Now, saith God by the i)rophet, the wrath of God shall come out against Israel, Kplnaim shall be left desolate, and Beth-aven shall howl and cry out, and you, Benjamin, that are so near them, take you heed to yourselves, “after thee, O Benjamin,” thy turn will be next. You have reason to look to yoln’- selves when your neighbour’s house is on fire; so saith God here. Howl, Beth-aven, “after thee, O Benjamin:” Benjamin lay near Beth-aven, and when Benjamin saw
the wrath of God against the ten tribes, and in that city of Beth-aven, Benjamin should look to itself. That is the meaning of the Holy Ghost in these words. Now for the notes of observation.
Obx. 2. M’hen danger is apprehended as present and real it aflects the heart most.
The Lord had threatened the sword many times by the prophet, and their hearts were secure and insensible; but now he comes and presents it as present and real to them, “Blow ye the trumpet,” the danger is now at hand, it is here, saith the prophet. There is a great deal of difference between men’s hearing of wars and rumours of wars, and the very reality of the evil itself when it comes before their eyes. This judgment of war, of the sword, has been threatened against this nation long ago. I dare appeal to you, who for twenty years remember the common strain of almost all the godly ministers in the kingdom, was not their usual theme this, to show what were the forerunners of God’s judgments against a nation? Ever since I was a youth, and took any notice of sermons, I know nothing that sounded in mine ears more frequently than that. In almost all places in the kingdom, it was the usual custom of all youi- eminent ministers to search into God’s word to see what were the sins that brought public judgments upon a nation, and to apply them to England. But this was ordinarily slighted. Some indeed of our brctlu’cn that feared the Lord and his judgments, and thought that they foresaw a storm, withdrew themselves, and were scorned and contemned for their labours. But now we sec the thing that was feared and threatened is come, it is upon many countries, and do we not now form far different conceptions of it than when we only heard of it? In those countries where the sword has been raging, do not they apprehend the evil of war in another manner than they ever did when they heard it merely threatened in sermons? Oh when it indeed comes in its real form, it affects men far otherwise than the rumotu- of it. Those men that continually have their ears filled with the noise of the drum and trumpet, with the neighing of horses, and roaring of the cannon, will tell you that war is a dreadful thing indeed. So it is in all other afflictions that are threatened: how little is the threat regarded! but when they come indeed, oh then how do the hearts of men sink within them 1 Now God is coming against me, now wrath is upon me, saith the guilty soul, how far it may go I know not; I heard often of such things, now it is come, it is come! Oh the dreadful apprehensions that are in men’s hearts of the wrath of God when it is come! whereas before, when threatened, it is never feared.
And this is a rule, an everlasting rule. That the less a judgment is feared when threatened, the more dreadful apprehensions there are of it in the heart when pnce it Cometh to be executed.
Obs. 3. Ministers of God must realize the things thej- preach to the people.
“They should study all ways and means they can to make what they preach to the people appear real to them, and not mere notions. So the prophet here, he had preached often of the judgments of God, of the sword, but this would not do, therefore now he strives to make what he had delivered appear in the most vivid manner possible to the eyes and hearts of the people, as the only way to benefit them. It is not therefore enough for a minister barely to tell the people truths, to state to them what danger they arc in, but by all conceivable means to make this stand out in bold relief before them. “We know how Ezckiel acted when he threatened the captivity, he went and made before them a kind of siege to render it real to them. So Jeremiah and other jirophets. Now though ministers cannot do as they did, yet they are to study all manner
of expi-essions in their power to invest things with the greatest possible reality. And indeed this is a great part of the skill of a good minister. The art of preaching, I say, lies especially in this, to make things appear real to the souls of the hearers. As, when we come to tell you of the danger of sin and of the wrath of God due to it, we tell you this, and we quote Scripture for it, perhaps it stirs not the heart; but if we can so present God’s wrath to you, hold it up so vivid and real before your eyes as to induce you to bethink yourselves in what a situation you would be if now all creatures were taking their leaves of you, if now you were standing before the great God to receive the sentence of condemnation, if God were now at this instant coming upon you; if, I say, we coidd so preach as that you should apprehend these things as real, more good might be so done in one quarter of an hour than perhaps in divers years before. The power of a ministry consists much in this. And I suppose some of you know by experience what it is that I mean by the ministers making things real to your hearts. Have not you sometimes found some truths made so real out of the word, brought so home to your consciences, that you have thought that you have even stood before the throne of God, and that God was even then pronouncing sentence against you? Some have expressed it thus, Such a time I went to hear the word, and methought that I were summoned before the great God to judgment, I saw the Lord God himself speaking to me, I had represented before mine eyes the wickedness of my life, my danger, the iHTath of God, and I felt even the very flashes of hell-fire on my conscience. Now God was in the word indeed when the reality of things was thus presented to my soul. And certainly it is the aim and endeavour of godly ministers in their studies, not only to wear out an hour or two in speaking on a text, but, with the blessing of God, to present such and such truths in the gi’eatest possible reality to the souls of their audience. Such was the prophet’s method, who not only tells them of their danger, but speaks as if it were at hand, and makes it thus real before them.
Obs. 4. Ministex’s, if then- embassy of peace be slighted, must denounce war.
For they know that God must have honour one way or other, either by people subjecting themselves to him, or by God’s avenging himself upon them. Honour God must have; although you may think his word will pass unfulfilled, yet faithful ministers know God must have honour one way or other; either willingly you must come in and give it to Mm, or he ^’ill force it out from you. If the joyful sound of mercy be not received, the di-eadful sound of war must fill your ears.
Obs. 5. God’s displeasm-e against sin is the principal cause of war in a land.
So it is here, “They have dealt treacherously against the Lord: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions. Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Eamah,” &c.; upon this ground, because of their treacherous dealing with God, and bringing iip of their children in idolatry. When indeed danger comes on a nation, the people of the land are ready to lay it upon those that are most free from it. To whom do men at this day attribute the troubles of this nation, but to those that have throughout stood in the gap to prevent danger, and that have with more prayers and tears besought God than those their ready accusers? But in all ages the saints have been made the troublers of a nation: But is it not thou and thy father’s house? saith the prophet, speaking even to Ahab himself The troublers of our Israel lie not in the prophets, lie not in the ministers, of whom men say, they preach sedition.
And indeed, in a singular manner, Luther, that great instrument of God, was called the trumpet of rebellion: no new thing therefore is it, for the ministers of God, that first preach the word of reconciliation, and then seek to show people their danger, to be accounted by them the causers of their troubles, because they will not let them go on quietly in then- ways, but in the name of God oppose and reprove them. But we know where our trouble lies, it lies in those that are most superstitious and idolatrous, they bring the sword: attribute it not to any other cause, it is the provocation of the most high God that brought these wars upon us. If therefore we be weaiy of war, let us be weary of our sins. I remember Polanus on this text has this note, and indeed he hinted it to me; In Hungary, a place which is near the Turks, and infested by their frequent incursions, the Jesuits attribute all the evils to the gospel preached and received there. But the Lord knows where to lay the bm-den right.
Obs. 6. Superstitious places and persons are in the greatest distress in the time of God’s judgments.
“Ciy aloud at Beth-aven.” According to the interpretation I gave you, it was, being the place where one of the idols M’as set, full of superstition and idolatry. Now mark the difference, it is only. Blow the cornet and tnimpet in Ramah and in Gibeah; but, “Cry aloud,” or shriek out, and howl, O Beth-aven.
When God’s hand comes out against a nation, it will fall heaviest upon those that are idolatrous and superstitious. It is true, God’s hand has hitherto fallen heavy, and very heavy, upon many of our brethren, his own dear saints; but has it not also fallen heavily on the idolatrous and superstitious? However, mark the end, stay till God has done, and you will find that the hand of God will be heaviest on them; Howl, O Beth-aven. Those places that have been the nests of superstition and idolatiy, are the places that his wrath will be most against. And indeed they do begin to howl and cry out already: for though some of God’s people have endured much, yet, have two nations lifted up their hands to the most high God to extirpate God’s people? No! but they have lifted up then- hands to endeavour to extirpate the superstitious amongst us; therefore God’s hand is heaviest against Beth-aven.
06s. 7. In times of trouble the tmgodly and superstitious ai’e in the greatest perplexity.
Instead of repairing to God by faith and repentance, all that they have to do is to cry out and to howl. Howl, O Beth-aven: they were far enough from coming to humble their souls before the Lord, and graciously to accept of the punishment of their iniquity, and to bear the affliction laid upon them: oh no, their spirits were vexed and enraged, they could howl and cry out, and that alone. Is not this the way of many, apparently most diligent in their prayers and services, when they come into affliction? what do they then but vex and rage, howl and crv- out? but are far from gi^ng glory to God as he requires: They howled upon theubeds, saith God. but they did not seek unto me. And God threatens this in Amos viii. 3, (who was contemporary with Hosea,) “The songs of the temple shall be bowlings in that day.” They had their singing service before, saith God, I will turn these into bowlings; for then- cries under affliction and trouble are no other before God. The Lord regards othei-wise the cries of his people under oppression; they cry to God and send up their prayers of faith, and the incense of a broken heart, and “God accepts them, and returns them answers of peace. But for the crying out of wicked and ungodly men under his hand, God regards it no more than howling. Thus it is here. Howl, O Beth-aven; much like those in Isa. li. 20, that, in the time of disti-ess, are described to lie in the head of all
the streets, as a wild bull in a not, filled with the fury of the Lord.
04$. 8, It is an ill thing to have ill neighbours. “After thee, O Benjamin.” Benjamin was near Beth-aven, thei’efore he must fare the worse for Beth-aven.
To dwell amongst ill neighboui-s is a dangerous thing, and we should take heed of it. I remember a commentator on this place gravely exhorts men, when they hire houses and farms, to inquire what neighbom-s were to be near them, and to take heed of dwelling nigh wicked men, for, saith he, when God’s judgments come out against them you may smart, you being so near them they may singe you at least. I have often read of Themistocles, a heathen, that, having a farm to let, he pablished it, according to custom, at the market-place, and added, and there ai’e good neighbours; thinking it were more comfortable for men to live iiear the good than the wicked.
Obs. 9. ‘NMien the wrath of God is out against our neighbours, we had need look to it.
Though we have been in security before, yet if God’s wrath come near to us we had need to stir. It is high time to look to om’selves when our neighbour’s house is on fire. The truth is, we in England have been a long time in deep security, though Germany, though France, though the Low Countries, the Palatinate, Italy, and almost all the countries about us have been on tii-e, and the sword has raged amongst them, and it was threatened that it was likely we would be the next; and we were told that the sword takes its circuit, and that the Lord, going about to judge the nations of the earth, had already judged the surrounding ones; yet, because we felt nothing, though it was near us, we had no hearts to prevent it; therefore God is nowcome amongst us, even into our very midst. The truth is, we in England lay a great while as it were like a faggot on the fire: you know, when many faggots are on the fire the under ones become inflamed, and the faggots a little above begin to catch the fire, and the next above these grow black; now, if so be you would not have the uppermost faggot burnt, will you let it lie there, and say, Though the faggots below be burat, yet this is not touched? is not that faggot, think you, in danger? Sol compare several nations to faggots in the fire: it is true Germany was the under faggot, and was in the flame, and other faggots have been burning, and we in England lay as it were on the top of all, and it was a good while ere the flame reached us; and though we were warned to pluck ourselves as a fire-brand out of the fire, yet we through security lay still, and now the flame has caught us: yea, though we be now burning in many (ilaces in the kingdom, yet, because we find that the actual seat of the war is, it may be, twenty, thirty, or forty miles from us, how secure arc we, as if God did not intend us at all, as if we had nothing to do to take notice of his band upon our brethren! AVrath is ])ursuing, but because it is not upon us, oh the security and dcsjierate folly that is amongst us! Just so it was in Germany, as travellers observed, if the wars were but a few miles from them they went on in their trading as quietly and securclv as ever, till at length it came upon them and devoured them. Has it not been so in many places in England? May it not be said of many places amongst us, as here in the text, Ramah, and Gibeah, and Beth-aven, after thee, O Benjamin? So may we not name several towns, Banbury and Worcester, after thee, O Exeter, O Bristol? It may be, when the wars were in Shropshire, and Coventry, and other parts, those in Bristol and in Exeter thought they were free, and safe enough. And truly, though God lias delivered us all this while, yet, if we be secure, it may be as well said of us, Exeter and Bristol, and after thee, 0 London.
But you will say, AMiat shall we do when the hand of God is stretched out thus near us?
. Humble our souls before God, go forth to meet this mighty God with repentance, cry mightily to him, that, if it be possible, his wrath may be a])peascd before it fasten upon us. As in Luke xiv. 32, it is said of those that are wise, when a great king came out against them with twenty thousand, they sent ambassadors to desire conditions of peace, when he was yet a gi-eat way off’. Mark, when he was a great way oflf. bo, we must not stay till God is come to our gates, till he be just upon us; but while this great King, the Lord God, is a great way ofl”, at a distance, we must send to him, and meet him by rejientance, by humbling our souls, and making our peace with him. Let not us think. It is true, the hand of God was against our brethren of Scotland, but they were quickly delivered; but I may say. After thee, O England. “We have not done what our brethren did; for it is observed, that though the generality of that people were notoriously vile, wicked, and rude before these times, yet, partly through the covenant they have entered into, and otherwise, there is no question that, though much evil still exists there, and perhaps not the power of godliness so thoroughly as in many of God’s people here, yet certainly a more general reformation has taken place among the common people than amongst us; which sjieaks hard things against us. O let us go forth and meet our God by repentance.
2. AVe should rise as one man, and help our brethren. For this has been our evil, that we have suffered the kingdom to moulder away, our brethren to be destroyed: Oh, saith one place, why need we trouble ourselves? and so the land is destroyed piecemeal. Certainly, it is the duty of the kingdom, and of those that remain, when they see their brethren, though at a distance, suffer so much wrong, to rise all as one man, to venture themselves for the relief of then- brethi-en, and not think themselves secure because evil has not yet reached them, y’c see our brethren of Scotland were willing to come in with their help, and though the sword is far from them, yet, doubtless, some of them think of this very text; Now the ti’umpet is blown in England, in the northern parts, after thee, O Scotland: they think, after our turn is over, theii-s is next, therefore they are willing, to prevent it, though it be in such a hard season as this, to hell) their brethren.
3. AVe should meet our danger before it comes. It is easier to keep an adversary at a distance than to repel him when he is closed with us. This has ever been the policy of wise men, rather to go out to meet an adversary than to think to have strength enough to repel him when he comes. Thus in general.
4. As kingdoms, so particular persons, should lay to heart God’s impending judgments; as thus. Dost thou see God’s hand upon thy neighbour? after thee, O sinner, thy turn may be next: is God’s hand stretched out on’ your fellow servant, on your brother, on your dear friend? after thee, O sinner, thou art guilty of the same sin, thy turn may be next: is God’s hand out upon thy companion? after thee, O sinner. O lay this to heart, think with thyself. It may soon come to be my turn. The veiT thought of this, when God has struck some with sudden death in a fearful manner. God has sanctified to some; AVhat (thought they) if God strike me next? such a one is sent down, for aught I know, to his place. I may be the next! the thought, I say, of this lias been so settled upon the heart of some, that it has been a means of their conversion. The Lord make it so to every sinner that sees his fellow, his neighbour sinner, struck before him.
VEn. 9.
Ver. 9. Ephraim shall he desolate in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made knoicn that u-hicli shall sureli, be.
In the words before, you heard that the Lord, by the prophet, did not only threaten war, but summon the cities of Israel, Judah, and Benjamin, as if war were at the gates. But what if troubles do come, said they, we shall do well enough, they will have an end, and blow over again, wo shall wear them out; we have been delivered out of great troubles, and so we may be out of these. No, it is otherwise now, Ephraim shall now be desolate, Ephraim, that is, the ten tribes, shall be desolate nerS This word signiiies something stupendous, the hand of God shall be upon them even to amazement, they shall come into desolation, in the time of his rebuke, in the day of his trouble. The words are plain; the observations from them are these:
Obs. 1. That the day of the afflictions of God’s people is the day of their rebuke. See this proved in Numb. xii. 14. where ]Ioscs saith, “If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days.” When God afflicts his people lie, as it were, spits in their faces; and ought not they much more to be ashamed? Whatever that wanton generation think or say, that God never chastises his people for sin, there is no doctrine more evidently contained in Scripture. But they tell us it was in the Old Testament; and herein they show their weakness and disposition to cavil; but they add, which seems to have some show of strength.
That it derogates from the satisfaction of Christ.
But the force of this is nothing, for Christ satisfied for them under the law, as well as for us; they were saved by the same satisfaction that we are, therefore if it now derogates fi’om Christ’s satisfaction under the gospel, it did then also under the law.
Obs. 2. God hath his set times for rebuke. As they have their days of sinning, so God will have his days of correcting: you have your days of prosperity now, riches, honour, and plenty in abundance, but remember, it may be the day of rebuke is coming. It is good to put tills very case to ourselves. I have mercy now both for soul and body, and oh how comfortable is it, and how happy is my condition! but is there not a day of rebuke coming, when all these mercies will be taken from thee, and then what wilt thou do, O my soul? “And what will ye do in the dav of visitation?” Isa, X. 3.
Obs. 3. When wicked men stand out against lesser judgments, they have cause to fear greater. Ephraim had days of lesser chastisements, but slighting them, God would try him no more: there are times in which God will utterly pursue sinners to destroy them, not for instruction, but destruction. The Lord has his houses of instruction, correction, and execution; when the fu’st cannot effect God’s end, the third shall, and yet the Lord be just and righteous; for the Lord has no need of us; what is it to him if we should perish everlastingly? he can have his glory from us in our damnation.
Obs. i. It is a dreadful time ^Yhen God so rebukes a people that he destroys them. AVhen the hand of God shall be so upon them that he is resolved never to take it off again, even as it was upon Ephraim at this time, I intend not to reform, but to ruin him; this now is a most dreadful time: for,
1. All that wrath which they have treasured up breaks in then upofi them. As wicked men treasure up wrath, so doth God, Rom. ii. 5. Now God lets out the flood-gates of his wrath against such a people.
2. All then’ sins come together into God’s remembrance.” In the day when I visit I will visit their
sin upon them,” Exod. xxxii. 34. It may be you are for the present spared, but the time is coming that God will visit, and then look to it.
3. The cries of justice then prevail against such men. I speak of wicked men mingled and intermixed with the godly. In this day God will not call back his anger. T’here are times’in which God docs not stir up all his wrath, as in Psal. lxxviii. 38. Many times God’s anger is coming against a nation, family, or person, but he calls it back again; but in this day of rebuke, God will not restrain his wrath, but let it forth to the uttermost.
4. Mercy leaves such a people. “An evil, an only evil, behold, is come,” Ezek. vii. 5. But the place most remarkable for this is Ezek. xxii. 20, I will bring you into the furnace, and there I will leave you. God ijrings his people into great trouble sometimes, but never leaves them there. But there are some whom mercy leaves and forsakes in their troubles; and this is a most sad condition, for by this God shows that he will no more honour himself by their services, but by their sufferings. God saith thus, Seeing they would not give me my glory in a way of duty, I will extract and force it from them in a way of suffering.
5. The Lord then intends hurt to such a people. The Lord perhaps brings you out of an affliction, but in that deliverance he intends your hurt and not your good, Jer. xxiv. 9. I intend nothing but hurt to such a people in all my dealings.
6. All creatures desert such and dare not own them. God being against thee, the creatures cannot help in the least.
7. All their services are rejected. God will be no more entreated for them; now conscience smites and torments the spirits, and all the miseries that come upon them are but the beginnings of eternal sorrows; and this is a most sad case: therefore let us pray with David, Psal. vi. 1, “Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger;” and as the prophet in Jer. xvii. 17, “Be not a terror unto me.” But now, because tender consciences are ready to think when God rebukes them, or lays any affliction upon them, that it is to ruin and destroy them; as the Israelites said, in Dent. i. 27, “Because the Lord hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt.” In every difficulty they encountered they conceited God hated them in it, though he had so many times done them good. And has not this been the reasonings of our unbelieving hearts, and the murmuring of our spirits in our afflictions? O take heed of such, they are very displeasing unto God. There is a great difference between the rebukes of God upon the godly and the wicked, though perhaps rebuked both in one and the same affliction. As the apothecary breaks Bezar stones to powder, but is very careful not to lose the least grain of them; so the Lord’s people, even in the furnace, are dear to him, and have then the greatest experience of God’s love. When Jacob lay upon the ground, and had the stone for his pillow, even then he had that heavenly vision from God.
But now the question is. How shall we know whether those rebukes that are upon us are intended for our good or our hurt, our desolation or our restoration?
It may be known thus: if God’s displeasures be such, that we find him more set against our sins than our persons, it is an argument that he intends our good, not our hurt, in his rebukes.
But you will say. This is as difficult as the other; how shall we know God aims at our sins, and not our persons? Thus:
If his rebukes work us to a humiliation for our sins, to a resignation of ourselves up to God’s disposal, and to an acquiescence in the punishment of our iniquities; this is an argument that God aims at our sins, and not at our persons, in his rebukes, and so in them intends
our good and not our hurt. But you will say, It is usual for wicked men in tlieii’ afflictions to cry out, it was theii- sins that brought this upon them. But hereby we may discern the difl’crence.
1. They ciy out of thcii- sins but per accidence, but of the judgment per se, the judgment troubles them more than thek sins, the cause of the judgment: but the godly cry out of their sins per se, and ol’ the judgment per accidence, thcii’ sin troubles them.
2. A child of God more desires the sanctification of an affliction than its removal; but the wicked care not for removing the cause of judgment, even sin, so the rod of correction be taken off.
“Among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which.’.hall surely bo.” Some conceive that these words are spoken as the aggravation of this people’s misery; and if so, the observations from them are,
Obs. 5. God smites not a people with judgment before he warns them. “Among the tribes of Israel have I made known.”
Obs. 6. When God threatens he is real in his thi-eatenings. “That which shall surely be.” Ephraim thinks that God intends not him. Sinners think that when God warns them he is not in earnest, it shall not be; but God saith. It shall be. God esteems his word more than heaven and earth; nay, heaven and earth shall pass away, before the lea.st jot or tittle of it shall fail; and cursed be that peace that has no other ground or foundation than this hope, that those things are not true which the ministers of the word from the word threaten against sinners. And yet this is the condition of many people, and it mightily provokes God, as you may see in Deut. xxix. 19 — 21, If notwithstanding what is written in this book “he bless himself in his heart, saj-ing, I shall have peace; the anger of the Lord shall smoke against such a man.” Oh the bitter, aggravating cu-cumstances recorded in this scripture against such a sinner! Now if God will be so’ punctual in fulfilling his threatening word, how much more his word of promise! for God lias not done so much to realize to you his threatcnings as his promises. For,
1. God has not called such witnesses to confirm them. Sometimes, in the general, he calls the heavens to witness; “Hear, O heavens, and hearken, O earth, I have nourished up a people and they rebel against me;” but there are Three in heaven and’ three on earth who are witnesses, but not to the threatening word, 1 John V. 7, 8.
2. To the verifying of a promise there is not only God’s faithfulness, but his faithfulness in Christ, all the promises are in him, yea and Amen: there is in God’s promising word, not only his faithfulness, but his faithfulness in Christ, all the” promises are made in Christ; so are not the threatcnings, judgments have not such immediate relation to Christ.
3. Promises are not only God’s covenant with his people, but his testament, and so more sure than a covenant; for a covenant may be broken by the one party, but a testament cannot, it being conmmed by the death of the testator: the promise on our part may be broken, but when we look upon them as confirmed by the death of the great testator Jesus Christ, we have strong consolation: as it Ls a great evil not to believe the threats of God, so it is also a great evil not to credit the promises of God. Christians, you wonder when wicked men believe not God’s threatenings and his judgments to tremble at them. Know, O Christian, that not only men, but angels stand and wonder when thou dost not believe the promises of God, when they are so confirmed that we might believe and walk in comfort.
Oils. “. The revealing of sin before judgment aggravates both the sin and the judgment. If a father should desire his child not to do a certain thing, nay, not only
desire but tbrbid him, yea, thi-eaten him with punishment if he did it; if he shall after all this gainsay his father’s will, he puts a greater contempt upon his father, for he breaks thiough hedges and fences which should have restrained him: so when God shall forbid, yea, threaten if we break out, it puts a great contempt upon God.
1. The goodness of God is not honoured by us: when the Lord for our good shall warn us of our sins, that so we may prevent judgment, the desert of our sins, and we, notwithstanding, sm, it dishonours God’s goodness.
2. The truth of God is not honoured: when we disobey, we do no other than trv’ whether the word be true or no, whether God’s words are yea and nay. O sinner, dost thou know what thou dost .■’ thou temptest God, saying, Lord, there are such and such tiiieatenings against sin, but I do not believe them, Lord, I will venture it, I will put it to the trial whether it be so or no.
3. It aggravates the sin: the judgment cannot but be the greater, thou canst expect but little pity from the goodness of God which thou hast slighted, when it warned thee of those judgments which are now upon thee, his mercy to remove them cannot be expected. God, by his ministers, warned me in such a sermon, but I went on and would not reform, and now there is matter for the worm of conscience to gnaw upon; that thou mayst say as Job, “Wiat I feared is now come upon me;” and this is that which aggravates our miser)-. Have not the ministers of God now for these twenty years, especially in these latter seven yeais, made this the subject of their preaching, to warn us of judgments? and now the judgments of God are come upon us, God has vindicated the word of his servants.
But these words, though they may be thus understood, yet I conceive they beai’ a fiu-ther signification, which is this: I have declared among the ti-ibes what shall be finally uTevocable, without any change or alteration; I Iiave formerly repented, and have been entreated, but now I will repent no more. They seem to contain God’s unchangeable purpose for the desolating of this people; and being thus understood, the observation from them will be this:
Obs. 8. There is a time when there shall be no help to deliver from judgment. Though they should call, cry, mourn, weep, fast, and entreat, yet the judgment shall not be removed. As is said of Esau, “he found no place of repentance,” Heb. xii. 17. There is a great mistake in the interpretation of that place made by many, who gather from it that there may be many tears shed, much sorrow found, and yet no true repentance; but the meaning of the words is this, he found no place for his father Isaac’s repentance, though he cried and shed tears for the blessing, yet his father repented not that he had bestowed it upon Jacob: so that people may crv and humble their souls before God, yet shall find in God no place of repentance; nay, if the saints of God should all join together and pray for such a people they would not prevail; Ezek. xiv. 20, ‘■ Though Noah, Daniel, and Jot)” should pray for them, they should not prevail. 0 sinner, take need this be not thy condition; thou hast perhaps godly parents and kindred, and they set themselves to seek God for thee, but God will deny them, their prayers shall not prevail for thee. This may be the case with nations and kingdoms, there may be true repentance found and turning to God, and yet no deliverance from outward atlliction. I deny not but that true repentance shall deliver a soul from eternal wrath, from perishing in hell; but this I affiri:, that there may be true repentance found, and turning to God, and vet no deliverance from a temjioral affliction. And this 1 shall make good by two remarkable texts of Scripture. The first is in Deut. iii. 26. Moses had sinned, and God
saith he should not go into the laud of Canaan, nvhich was a sore affliction to him: upon this, Moses, who we may be certain had repented him of that sin, prayed; yet see what he saith, “The Lord was vnrath with me ibr youi’ sakes, and would not hear me: and the Lord said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.” All his prayers and repentance could not deliver him from that outward affliction, and bring him into Canaan. The second text is in 2 Kings xxiii. 25, 26. In chap. xxii. we find the heart of the king melting when he heard the law read, and perceived the anger of the Lord against his people was provoked; he humbled himself, and the Lord told him that he should die in peace. And in chap, xxiii. the king sets upon reforming the people, enters into a solemn covenant with God, causes the people to join with him, puUs down the groves, destroys idolatry; and although it be said in ver. 25, that “like unto ‘him was there no king before him,” yet, in ver. 26, there is added. “Notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, whergwith his <inger was kindled against Judah.” So that sometimes God is so set upon his tlrreats, that they shall come to pass; God will make them good whatever ensues: this I conceive to be the meaning of these words; and so ]Mr. Cah-in reads them. God may be so resolved against a man’s eternal estate, that he will never show such a man or such a people mercy more; as we may see in those which were bid to the gospel supper: therefore we had need to gather ourselves together “before the decree bring forth,” Zeph. ii. 1,2. O let us in tlus kingdom take heed; through God’s grace we are not yet left desolate, but have much mercy, even in this day of our rebuke; but what God will do one cannot determine; therefore it concerns us to prepare to meet our God, lest the wrath of God meet us, overcome and destroy us, tiU there be no remedy: though, through present mercy, we may say there is remedy, let us the rather tremble and be awakened, because God sometimes comes against, and is more quick with, a people that are not so openly and notoriously vile as others are, than with the most profane.
Ver. 10. The princes of Jndah were tike them that remove the hound: therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water.
But why is God so wrath with Israel? Have not the princes of Judah provoked him also?
Yea, God here speaks to them principally. It seems the people were not so bad, so sinful, as they, for in the next words he saith, that “Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment.”
Obs. 1. Princes must answer to God for all then’ doings: “The princes of Judah.” Though they are above all men in power, and so are not so liable to give an account to man as others are, yet to God they must: those actions which are least obnoxious to men, are much to God.
“Were like.” That is, not so much figiu-atively as really; it is usual in Scripture to put the word “like,” for the thing itself, as thus, “The glory as of the only begotten of the Father.” The princes of Judah were those that removed the bound; by the light of natiu-e, and the law of God, it was a wicked thing to do so; you may see it forbidden by the law of God, Deut. xsvii. 17.
It was a custom among the heathens and the Romans, if any man removed the bound, the ancient landmark, to adjudge them, if poor, to slaven,’, to dig in dee]) pits; if rich, to banishment, and a forfeiture of the third part of their estates. I
The princes of Judah broke down the bounds in a fourfold manner.
1. They took away other men’s estates. God appoints men their bounds and estates, therefore it is not in the power of princes to take them at then’ pleasure. It was not in the power of Ahab to seize Naboth’s vineyard; nay, not. to force him to sell it: though a king, he thought it too much to take it by violence; and Jezebel, though a cruel woman, yet would not advise him to possess himself of it without some colour of law. Therefore princes have no right to the subjects’ estates, nor liberty to seize them at their pleasure; though such principles of late have been infused into them by some, for which we this day suffer so heavily. In Isa. i. 23, then- princes are said to be “rebellious, and companions of thieves.” Now if all were their own they could not be thus classed. We woidd think that they of all men should not break bounds, for what is it they may not have if they would? Plutarch records an excellent conversation between Cineas and PjTrhus, who was mightily bent on war with Italy, much to the purpose. Cineas thus addressed him: What shall we get if we overcome the Romans? We shall subdue, saith Pyrrhus, om- great enemy, and be made possessors of a brave country. Cineas asked what he would do then? Then we will subdue Africa, Carthage, and Sicily. And what then? Then, saith PjTrhus, we will feast, cbink, and be men-y. Cineas replied. Why may you not do so now, ■ndthout shedding so much blood, putting yourself to so much trouble, and endangering your person. If princes would keep within their bounds, what hinders but that they may enjoy themselves and their comforts in peace and quiet, without the shedding of blood?
2. They broke all bounds. That is, they break all laws and liberties; they will not be bound by laws, saying thus. Laws were made for subjects, not for princes. And thus these princes broke the bounds. Hence we may see what corruption there is naturally in the hearts of men; and this is furthered by evil counsellors. When Cambyses desired to marry his sister, but questioned whether he might do it or no, he called his judges together to give him then advice, and they told him, there was indeed a law against it; but, added they, ye princes of Persia may do what you will. They were so far fi’om dissuading him from that wicked act, that they encouraged him in it. And has not our time afforded such counsellors to our princes?
3. They broke the bonds of religion. Therefore mtei’preters conceive that our prophet Hosea prophesied in Ahaz’s time, when he provoked God so by idolatrj”, setting up the abomination of desolation. And this is the great breach of bonds, when people provoke God. God has set bounds to his word, for his worship and ser^ce. Now, take heed that you go not beyond those bounds, for any pretence of decency or comeliness, suitable to the state and circumstances in which you live. God has permitted men to use great liberty in civil things, but none in his worship and ways. Oh what evil have popish princes done in this respect, in removing these bounds! And this is the main reason which makes papists so labour for the upholding and setting up of an arbitrary government, having thereby full liberty to break all bounds in religion.
4. They broke the bonds of their own covenants, and regarded them not. Such were the corruptions of those princes, they broke all sorts of bonds, civil, spiritual, covenanting bonds; nothing restrained them.
But has God left no means to keep in bounds princes as well as subjects?
To this I answer. Yea, certainly. Those who at fii’st gave power for families and persons to keep these, never sanctioned their being broken by the great. The law of nature never gives power to destroy itself, espe-Chap. V
cially in a kingdom where there are resources defensive and offensive, against any means that the gi-eatest in power may raise to infringe the laws and Liberties of men; for no subject of a prince but is also a subject of the state, and the state may deal with the instruments that it employs either defensively or offensively. Trajan, after he was made emperor, put a sword into his officer’s hand to defend him while he defended the laws; but if he failed in his duty, bade the officer deal w ith him as a delinquent. It will be worth our pains and cost if, after all our troubles, we can but get the kingdom settled in its true rights and liberties; though our workmen, who are making up our breaches, through some negligence or miscarriage, suffer the wild beasts to break in, yet let not us murmur and repine, but be content, and bless God that we have means to help ourselves. A few years ago we thought our breaches so wide, that none could help or deliver us; now, then, that God has raised up for us helpers contrary to our expectation, let us bless God for them, and be content, and stir up ourselves to aid them. If the sea should break in upon a country, would you sit still, or let any by you rest that would not stir to make up the breach? a’ farmer is contented to see cattle run up and down in his ground, while his workmen are making up his hedges and fences to keep them out: so our workmen are making up the hedges, let us be contented to suffer awhile ])aticntly. The truth is, those most complain of confusions and disturbances who have been most instrumental to make our breaches and distractions.
Thus the princes of Judah were like them that break the bound, and for thus doing the Lord threatens, in the following words, to “pour out his wrath upon them like water.” They have passed their bounds in sinning, and my wrath shall pass its bounds upon them; they kept no bounds in sinning, and my wrath shall keep no bounds in punishing. The Hebrews were wont to express anger by “isy a word which signifies, going beyond bounds; intimating, that ordinarily in our anger we are apt to go beyond bounds. The sense then is, “I will pour my wrath upon them” in great abundance, “like waters.” The judgments of God in Scripture are often set forth to us by this similitude of water, as in Isa. xxviii. 17; Nah. i. 8. Look, as their anger ran like water, so my wrath shall run upon them until they are consumed.
God’s wrath is very hot against wicked governors, such as break the bounds of religion, laws, and covenants: the Lord is much displeased against the gi’eat when wicked. Numb. xxv. 4, the people of Israel committed a great evil in provoking God by their idolatry, joining themselves to Baal-penr, and the Lord said, “Take the heads of the ])cople.” The people offended by the encouragement of the governors, therefore their heads must off; the people sin, and the governors must .suffer because they reproved not nor restrained, but countenanced them. Hence we may
Obs. 1. A’ehad need pray much for princes. Fearful are the examples which historians report concerning the judgments of God u])on wicked princes.
Leander, in the description of Italy, tells of a cruel tyrant, who persuaded himself that he must give an account to no man for what he did; at last God gave him into the hands of the people, who stripped him naked, bound him upon a ])lank, and drew him through the streets in the sight of all the people; then made a great fire, in which they heated tongs red hot; and, when they had done thus, proclamation was made in the market-place, that seeing he had wTongcd so many that it was impossible he could atone for the injuries lie had committed, therefore all that had suffered by him should come and lacerate his flesh with these im- ])lemcnts of torture.
Another fearful example we have of later date, in the
massacre in France. Charles the Ninth, pretending much love and kindness to the Protestant party, invited them to a great marriage-feast; and, at the same time, issued a commission, whereby he called in those bloody miscreants, who cruelly murdered them: there he broke bounds; but see how God met with him in a most grievous disease, through the violence of which there spurted out blood from several parts of his body, so that, before he died, he wallowed in his own gore. God poured out his wrath upon them in blood who in their lifetime thirsted after blood.
04s. 2. The bounds of religion and laws, as they keep in obedience, so they keep out judgments. Pure religion and good laws, as they are bounds to keep us in duty, so they keep judgments and wrath from us. And we ought to look on laws in both these points of view, not only as means to keep us in order and duty, but also to keep out w-rath: if wo break our bounds, we must look that wrath should break in upon us; therefore we had need do as men that live near the sea, when the sea breaks in upon them, they presently leave all other businesses, to make up the breaches. Our bounds are broken, and who is the occasion of it the Lord knows, and wrath is broken in upon us at our breaches; therefore let us now, as one man, endeavour to stay “the overflow’ing scourge.”
06.!. 3. God punishes according to men’s sins. They break the bounds, God breaks in with wrath upon them. Ai’e they resolute in sinning? God will be as resolute in his judgments upon them: see Jer. xliv. 25; You have sworn and vowed to your superstitions, and I have sworn to bring judgment upon you, and it shall come to pass. Therefore when judgments are upon us, if we would have them removed, we should diligently observe what sins we are guilty of correspondent to the judgment; for many times we may trace the cause of a judgment by the sin that we are guilty of; and if we ever expect to have troubles removed, we must fii’st remove their cause, sin.
Ver. 11. Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he u-iUingtij milked after the commamlment.
“Wrath, in the former verse, was threatened against the princes of Judah, who removed the bounds; and here the Lord returns again to Ephraim, in this 11th verse; and in the 12th verse, to Judah and Ephraim both together; they being both a provocation to God, are plagued both together.
The word “oppressed,” in the original is pvcy translated by Jerome, “calumniate,” and by the Seventy usually understood in a like sense. Ve may inter- ]5ret the words thus, Ephraim, by sycophants, suffers a great deal of wrong. ‘When there are false reports raised against men, they suffer wrong by it: false reports are as a false medium, which represent things otherwise than they are. As a staff put into tlic water seems crooked, although in reality not so; so the actions of men in the reports of others may seem crooked, when in themselves they are straight and good. And thus was Ephraim broken in judgment; though his cause was good, yet was it wrested in judgment, and that without redress. Good causes are many times pervert.ed by bad men; but the saints may support themselves with Paul’s comfort, who cared not for man’s judgment. In this signification the Scptuagint usually take the word; but here they express it actively, thus, Ephraim has overpowered his adversaries, and so has trodden down judgment. But the words are •f°“u7i”y°!i’^!i” well rendered in your books in the “o” oiTor..,«ai<japassivc sense, “Ephraim is broken in “”” ’ judgment.” Concussus jiidicio: concussio is a law
Vi;e. 11.
term, signifying such a kind of breaking and oppression as threatens the utter ruin and undoing of a man by law; as many rich men threaten to ruin theu- poor neighbours -vvhen they do them any wrong. Or, as corrupt and wicked magistrates, when they cannot bring the poor to say or do what they desire, will threaten to i-ecompense it on them, if ever it lie in their power: of this Samuel clears himself, 1 Sam. xit. 3, ““^’hom have ,,..„.. I defi-auded? or whom have I oppress- “” ed?” (the word is the same as here;) that is. Have I used my power to threaten men to yield up their liberties, their rights, their enjoyments? This was the sin charged here on the great princes of the ten tribes.
“Broken in judgment.” That is, not in God’s judgment upon them, but in the judgment of their own cause, they were crushed in their estates, liberties, and laws, and that not only by then- o-mi magistrates and governors, but also by the Assyrian: by their own magistrates they were broken and oppressed, good men were discovmtenanced, just causes betrayed, the whole coiu-t corrupted, and the laws of the land, which should have maintained the bounds, were broken; they were so broken as a thing which is broken but not quite spoiled with the fall, some shreds of it may be made use of; so the generality of them were so broken that there was little right to be had for any wrong committed. And as they were thus oppressed in the prophet Hosea’s time, so also in the time of the prophet Amos, who prophesied about the same period: Amos ii. 7, “They ])ant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor.” They did not only seek to bring poor men under them, but even utterly to destroy them, they sought to ruin them, and that by perverting of judgment. So Amos V. 11, their oppression grew to such a height that they took the wheat of the poor from them; if the poor had but gleaned a little wheat in the fields, as they brought it home they robbed them of it: this was the oppression which at this time prevailed among the ten tribes, from their own governors. But they were also oppressed by the AssTian, who calumniated and reproached them, saying, Where is now your God, in whom you so much trusted? Thus much for the explication of these words. The reason follows:
“Because he willingly followed after the commandment.” But some here may say, “NMiy this? is there so much in this to provoke God?
Yes, this was a great sin; for the opening whereof, take notice of these three things.
1. Whose commandment they followed. The commandment of Jeroboam and his princes, men that had authority and power in their hands, yet it provoked God thus highly against them, that they followed the commandments of men who had authority over them. It may seem strange that this charge should be against Eplii-aim for this, no question but they pleaded’thus, AMiat! am I wiser than my governors? must not I do as they bid me?
2. “Miat commandment it was that they followed. It was to worship the calves at Dan and Beth-el. Ho worshijjpcd God, but in a false manner, and this provoked God so against him. ’
3. “He u-iUingli, followed after the commandment;” as soon as ever he was commanded he yielded, without any deliberation, or consultation with himself; whereas he sh-ould have stood it out, and have rather endured the loss of all, than yield to their commands: as the three children, who rather suffered the fiery furnace, than they would fall down before the image.’ Though the generality of them followed after the commandment, yet there were some found among Ephraim who would go to Jerusalem to worship in the place of God’s appointment: so 2 Chron. xi. 16, those which set their heai-ts to seek God would go up to Jerusalem, and not
follow Jeroboam to Dan and Beth-el: some knew that God would be worshipped in his own way and in his own place, but the generality of the people liked the commandment, because it was will-worship, which pleases man’s nature best; and then it was most for their ease: and this was Jeroboam’s plea, I love my people’s ease, I would not be so harsh to them, therefore come, we will worship the true God still, it is but the ch’cumstance of place, and that is of little importance. They then willingly followed after the commandment, and thereby encouraged Jeroboam in his wicked design. The Vulgate expresses it thus, they willingly followed after ‘*JJ’’“f.T^ ‘- dregs; and the Hebrew seems to eon- ™’’ “”•’“”’’■ - fh-m this, signifying filthy dregs; and is rendered vanities, or vain thmgs, by the Septuagint. If this be the meaning two things may be remarked:
1. That Jeroboam was willing to have the people enjoy their lusts, so he might compass his ends; ho was content to give the people the full indulgment of their lusts, and therefore the baser sort clave to him. Jeroboam reasoned thus: I must rend the kingdom from David, but how shall I accomplish it? I must have the people to assist me in it, but how shall I gain them? I will let them have their pleasures in sin, they shall have their lusts without contradiction, and then the most will follow me, I shall be sure of the rude multitude, the profane in the kingdom.
2. After their filthy vanities; that is, after their idols, the calves which he had set up; for the Scripture sets forth the filthiness of idolatry by the basest things in the world.
Thus much of the words in that sense: but they are more full as read in your books, and more agreeable to the original, and afford many observations.
Obs. 1. It is a great judgment for a people to be under oppression. It is a very sad affliction for a nation, family, or person to be under oppression, and broken in judgment, when good men and good causes are crushed and slighted, and wicked men and bad causes prevail and prosper, when a man’s innocency avails him nothing. Solomon, in Eccles. iii. 16, saith it is a great evil, when wickedness is got into the jilace of judgment. God has promised to deliver his ])eople from this, “In righteousness shalt thou be established; thou shalt be far from oppression,” Isa. liv. 14; but these times are not yet come, the greater part of the world is at this day under oppression. It is sad to have our estates and oiu’ liberties broken for conscience; conscience-oppression is the worst oppression: and this was our condition not long since, nay, and is the condition of many of our dear bretteen in many places of this kingdom; has it not come to such a pass that the meanest, yea, the basest, persons in a city or country have had power enough in their hands to undo the best ministers in the kingdom, and that he who departed from iniquity made himself a prey? Oh with what an iron rod has the kingdom been ruled, parliaments broken, the edge of the law turned against the godly party! witness the banishing of men, ministers oppressed in their estates, in then’ liberties, but especially in their consciences, if they would not, like the fiddler’s boy, be ready to dance after every pipe; insomuch that when the Lord gave us a little reviving, we were even as men in a dream. ‘’hen, under all this, we were ready to say, ^^’e shall never be delivered, how is it possible that we should be rescued from the oppressors? how was heaven filled with our cries and earth with our moans! Thus it has been; and worse now it is in many places of the kingdom with many of our brethren; but let them and us be comforted in this, it was thus with Israel, when God delivered them out of captivity. To our adversaries that text may be applied, Isa. xxx. 12; they “trust in oppression;” what is their language but
this? AVe will raise a great aimy anJ muster together strong forces, and then we will be masters of the field, and reduce the rebels. They trust in o])pression, and make cioielty their arm of j)ower; take away that, and their cause ialls to the ground: but God’s people are commanded the contrary in Psal. lxii. 10, “Trust not in oppression;” and for those that do oppress, they shall be like those in Isa. xxx. 13, “whose breaking Cometh suddenly in an instant;” and you that have friends in oppression, send them for their comfort such scriptures as Psal. xii. 5, “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.”
But you will say, Tnie, God will arise, but not yet: these are good words, but we may suffer exti’emely in the mean time.
But mark what the Lord saith in the 6th and 7th verses of the same Psalm: “The words of the Lord are pure words;” and this word among the rest, that God will arise, and set his people m safety, from this generation to the end. And if any of your friends be in danger, send them Isa. li. 12, 13, “Where is the fuiy of the oppressor?” God wUl assuredly so work out things in his own time, that we shall be able to say. Where is now the fury of the oppressor? Now, if God has made us to know the smart of this sore and heavy burden, he looks that we should have very tender carriages and loving dispositions towards our brethren, especially towards then- consciences; mark his charge concerning this, Exod. sxiii. 9, “Thou shalt not oppress a stranger:” why so? Oh, saith God, “for ye know the heart of a stranger.” Perhaps there are some that walk close with God, who have tender consciences, which cannot yield to what may be im))0scd upon them by authority, Oh take you heed of oppressing these, God expects that you should use them with all loving-kindness.
Obs. 2. Idolaters are great oppressors. AATien was it that Ephraim was oppressed? WTien he walked after the commandment of Jeroboam. Changes in religion bring people to oppression. Therefore the Scripture sets forth antichrist by Egypt, because the people of God were there most gi-ievously oppressed, and the woman in the Revelation is said to sit upon the waters. That story of a bishop who would oppress the people, is well known, who, when one standing up told him he could not do it by law, answered, that if there were anv law against him he would caiTy it in his sleeves. Likewise that oppression of the Waldenses was very great, who, desiring that they might but enjoy the liberty of worshipping God in woods and groves, were refused. And was not this our condition some few years since, when the saints durst not appear for God in public, but only in private rooms and chambers?
Obs. 3. God has a righteous hand in delive’ring of men into the hands of unrighteous oppressors. “He willingly walked after the commandment,” saith God. It may be your enemies, into whose hands I have delivered you, may deal unjustly and oppress you out of measure; yet am I just.
We are oftentimes ready to complain of instruments which oppress us, and never look at the hand of God that smites us by them. We should look within ourselves, and find the cause there which provokes God, what sins we are guilty of, and make our peace with God: and so likewise in the kingdom, this is the way to be delivered from our oppressors. I remember a story in Cedrenus concerning Phocas, lyho, having murdered his master the emperor Mamicius with his wife and children, usuqied the empire, and’opened a floodgate to all impiety: an honest poor man at that time was wonderfully importunate at the throne of grace
to know a reason why that wicked man so prospered in his design; and was thus answered by a voice, That a worse man could not be found, but that the .sins of Christians, and the city of Constantinople, required it. Sins unrepented of give strength to an enemy’s side.
06s. 4. A special cause of oppression is, people’s following of false worship. We never read of Israel’s great oppressions, but when they “walked after the command;” and it is very observable, after they once began to follow the commands of Jeroboam, the ten tribes never had any good kings, whereas Judah indeed sometimes had, because they kept something of God amongst them, the temple and some of its serlices. If we submit to wicked men in our consciences, no wonder if they are quickly usurpers over our estates.
06s. 5. Our giving too much to men, God often punishes by maliing them the greatest insti-uments of our misery. If you wQl make governors gods, it is just with God to make them devils to you; for men made idols become devils. We should labour ti-uly to inform ourselves of that obedience which we owe to governors, and yield them that and no more. K people will give that to men which is God’s due, it is just with God to make them the greatest plagues to us.
06s. 6. We may see here the evil natme of wicked men. Jeroboam and his princes are vei-y fair and specious, give good words to the people, and all to gain their own ends: and when they had attained them, then they broke them in judgment, and oppressed them exceedingly: the more they ai’c yielded to, the more they oppress. It is a sign of a base spirit, for men thus to abuse poor people. “The wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth,” Psal. x. 3.
Obs. 7. It is Satan’s course to get false worship backed by authority. Satan’s chief design is to get his worship into the throne, and to effect this he labours to coiTupt the pure worship of God, and presses his own upon the people, backed with the command of authority; the devil knows that there is no way so likely to prevail with the people as this, that if authority commands, that overpowers all reason brought to the contrary. And this is the aspersion cast upon the godly at this very day, that they rebel against authority; an old subterfuge, which in all ages the devil has used to get advantages against the ^ints. This was Haman’s argument, that it was not for the king’s honour to suffer the Jews to live in his provinces. Sanballat and Tobiah would not suffer the people of God to build the temple; why? because they were factious people, disobedient to authority-. So Paul himself was accused of sedition: and the false prophets tell the king that Amos wa’< such a turbulent fellow that the land could not bear the words which he uttered.
06.S. 8. Man’s authority is not a sufficient warrant. No evil may be committed under pretence of the commands of authority. Tlicrefore the papists’ blind obedience is too great a burden and bondage for man as man to bear; then much more as Clu’istians. If God command any thing we must look more at the guis than at the quid; but in the commands of men we must look at the quid, what it is that is commanded, more than the quis, who commands; the commands of men may be sudi that the best obedience is to disobey. The pope, writing to Bernard, required a thing of him which was unlawful. Bernard returned this answer, I as a child do not obey, and I obey in disobeying. God’s authority is that which we must look at in all our actions. Authority at the first was set up for the good of commonwealths, and not for their hurt, therefore it was no wonder that so many in former times did deny obedience to the unlawful commands of magistrates, when the edge of justice was turned against them; but now, since authority is good, harmonizing with the will
THE I’llOPHECY OF HOSEA.
of God, punishing sir. and wickedness, who obeys more than those who formerly were accounted disobedient? Therefore it is a false reproach which is cast upon the professors of the gospel, that they are disobedient to governors, and contemn authority. Who are they that, in their estates, liberties, and lives, venture most in this cause? is it not the people of God? Nay, is not this used as an argument to godly soldiers to be content with the want of pay, because they are owners of this war? It is for religion and liberty they stand, it is conscience incites them to show themselves active for God, and venture largely for his sake, though they verily believe they shall never see a return of their cost: let but law and authority go on God’s side, and then they win obey willingly.
It is true, authority against God must not be obej — ed; but suppose the command be in indifferent things?
I answer, that absolutely indifferent things are not within the reach of the magistrate, he is to command that which in his conscience, and according to law, he conceives to be for the good of the commonwealth.
But in this case who must be judge?
The magistrate is to judge whether the thing be indifferent or no, and accordingly we are to yield obedience, if the oontrarj’ do not appear to be manifest.
But may not a man judge of his own actions? True, he may; but with a twofold peril, that if the com-se be right and sincere, he must adopt it: and if it prove light and false, then submit it to the magistrate’s censure. Now if the magistrate should command any thing which you in conscience think is not right, according to the rale, you must disobey them, observing however these cautions:
1. With much suspicion and self-jealousy, thinking that they may understand better than we.
2. Pray and beg earnestly of God, with much humility, that he would discover the truth to you; and disobey them not presently, but upon serious delibSration.
3. Account it your affliction and trouble that you cannot agree with them, and make it not a matter of joy.
4. If in some things you cannot obey them, do it as secretly as you can, make not a public business of it; to prevent scandal, boast not of that which should be thy trouble and affliction.
5. You must be very modest in yoiu’ refusal to comply, not proud and self-conceited, thinking yourselves above them, or better than they.
6. You must have a high and reverent esteem and respect to them, for their place’ sake, although they require that from you which you cannot yield.
“7. You must be careful to be so much the more obedient in other things; if in some things you cannot yield to them, in other things that you can you should be the more obedient, that so your masters and governors may see that it arises not from obstinacy, but conscience; and this will mightily convince masters and governors.
8. You must be so much the more conscientious in your walking with God in all things; if in some things you plead conscience, and be remiss in other things, your governors may justly say, that it is fi’om caprice and fancy, not for conscience’ sake.
9. If, after all this, the magistrate shall in a legal way inflict punishment upon you, you are to submit to it, and patiently to bear it, or else avoid the place.
Thus, observing these cautions, you may disobey magistrates or governors, in things which vour conscience tells you are not according*to truth.
Obs, 9. The more willing men are to sin, the greater is the sin.
The more of the will there is in any thing, if it be eli, the worse it is; if it be good, the better. Many
men make this for their excuse in their evil actions, it was against their wills; this does not excuse, but wiicre the will goes along with any thing, if evD, it is very evil indeed.
1. Now the will may be said to be in sin, when a man does those things which produce sin, or on which sin follows, or omits that which would keep him from sin: a drunkard, perhaps, does not will to swear, strike, and abuse men, yet, doing such things, although unconsciously, his will may be said to be in those sins,, because he did not shun the things which led to them.
2. The will may be said to be in a sin, when a man shall, in difficulties, in which he must either sin or suffer, choose rather to sin than to suffer. This people here were commanded by Jeroboam to worship at Dan and Beth-el: but God commanded them to -norship at Jerusalem: now for them to disobey God’s command, and choose rather to obey Jeroboam’s command than suffer Jeroboam’s punishment, was a sin of willingness in them. ^Yhen a man omits a duty commanded, for some attendant hardships, he sins willingly in that his omission.
Obs. 10. Willing obedience in evil brings much guilt upon a people.
This people should not presently have complied with the king’s command, but petitioned against, yea, suffered punishment rather yielded; had they done so, they had done something; but no sooner w’as the command issued, but they willingly obeyed. Governors, perhaps unconsciously, command that which is not good, but if they see their people stand out against it, then they will begin to bethink themselves. There is much evil in this obedience, for by this you mightily enrage them against those that, by reason of the tenderness of their consciences, cannot obey. It is recorded of Louis XI., that being about to confu-m unlawful edicts, many of the nobility came to him in their scarlet goAvns to petition him not to do it, and if he would proceed, that he would take their lives away; for they told him they would rather die than live to see the confirmation of such unlawful commands; whereupon the liing, struck with their coming in such an unusual manner, stayed his hand, and refused to sign. Oh how happy are princes and people in such nobility! Had Ephraim done thus, they had done well in it, and might have had comfort from it.
Obs. 11. Commands for false worship easily prevail. Witness in this kingdom; when King Edward woidd have reformed the mass, what rebellion arose in Cornwall! but when Queen Mary set it up, how did people please themselves in such abominations! So in our days, what command issued by bishops met not with present obedience?
Obs. 12. It is the duty of Christians willingly to obey God. ‘Sniat a shame is it that we shoidd not willingly obey the commands of God, when devils and wicked men have some that will obey them willingly! How do you think to follow after God, and put off all thoughts of him till you come to lie on yoiu- death-beds? Our hangings-off fi’om God mightily hinder our comforts.
But you will say. Were we but assured that they were the commands of God, we would obey them.
But if we would examine, we should find that it is oftener our own unwillingness to obey, than any uncertainty about the commands of God, that hinder us. There are many things in which the Scriptures are dark, yet if things can be fairly infeiTcd from Scripture, we are to obey; otherwise, how can we be said to obey with the obccUence of faith, as we are commanded? Now, how can we be said to obey with the obedience of faith, if we must have reasons for every thing?
But how shall we know God’s mind in matter of
worship?
In this case we are to compare things together and
weigh them seriously, and so get out the result and mind of God, and follow that, although for the present there want demonstrative reason to make it out clear. And thus much for the words so understood.
Now from the other reading of the words, after the ‘’ulgatc latin, post norde.s, we may
Obs. .i. It is the way of bad princes to give liberty to men’s lusts.
Now surely that way which has .so much of sin in it, cannot be the safe wav for men to walk in.
Obs. 14. Idolatry is filthy stuff.
‘f lierefore you that are so pleased with them, and take such delight in superstitious vanities, much good may you do with them; for our parts that truly fear God, we desire the pui’c ordinances of Jesus Christ.
Ver. 12. Therefore will I he unto Ephraim as a moth; and to the house of Judah as rollenness.
Goa made a great difference between Judah and Israel; but they joined in the same sins, and God couples them in the same wrath: “Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness.”
“Therefore.” Why? wherefore? It has reference to the words we spake of the last day, they “willingly walked after the commandment.” Because they followed the unlawful commands of Jeroboam and his princes, “therefore will I be unto Ephi’aim as a molh:” that for Eplrraim.
And it is likely the same cause might exist for God being “to the house of Judah as rottenness.” Had they resisted the unlawful commands of those in power all might have been well; but they thought that perhaps some disturbance would arise in the state, Oh, it is better for us to obey, that we may be at peace; but while they, to free themselves from apprehended disturbance and to enjoy their own quiet, would obey unlawful commands, the secret curse of God rested on their estates: “Therefore” (saith the Lord) “I will be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness.” A secret ciu’se there was on peace so procured.
In the opening of these words, and presenting the mind of God to you in them, there are these live or si. tilings to be considered.
1. The reading of the words.
2. Their scope, what it is that God intends by them. ‘.’). The reason of the difference of the expression,
A moth to Ephraim, and rottenness to Judah.
4. What time this refers to; when was God a molh to Israel and rottenness unto Judah?
o. How and in what respects God may be said to be a moth and rottenness to a people.
6. The several observations to be drawn from it.
All this is necessary for the opening of this twelfth verse.
„ I. The reading of the words. The
.,. “‘“^ Seventy read the words a little different $;”’ Vp’-F.Vpaw, f’’0’” °“‘’ English version, rapax’] kcu kiV-T’mK “■^.”Y“” Tpov, conlurbalio ac stimulus, I will be a trouble unto Ephraim and a prick unto Judah; I will trouble, prick, goad, and vex them. The blessed God, who is a rest to his people, is a trouble, a ]n-ick. and goad, to vex his enemies, the ungodly. The Vulgate and Jerome read it thus, Ego laiif/uum tinea Ephraim, 1 will bo as a moth unto Ephraim; the first word as in our books; but the second, quasi el putredo dumui Juda: Others, as Munster, I/co, Juda, Drusius, render it ^wfl.vi el teredo. Teredo is a worm that eats out the heart of the strongest wood. Minutissimus vermiculus, saith Luther on the ])laec; and I’liny saith it is the worm that breeds in shios at sea, and eats out the heart of the strongest
oak planks: but yet often translated rottenness, because the worm causes that wood to be rotten. Prov. xii. 4, “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband; but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones:” there the same word occurs; a woman whose behaviour is such in company as makes ashamed, is rottenness to a man’s bones, be they never so strong. That for the reading.
II. The scojie of these words, what it is that God intends by them; which is, that judgment should come,
1. Secretly, 2. Gradually, 3. Insensibly. That wrath which I intend to let out upon Ephraim and Judah shall come,
1. Secretly; as the moth doth eat the garment secretly, so my wrath shall be, there shall be no noise of it for a while.
2. Gradually; I will go on by degrees: a moth and rottenness do not consume the garment or the wood all at once, but step Ijy step.
3. Insensibly; they shall not so much as perceive it, they shall not see for a long time how my wi’ath is out against them, and yet it shall consume them. That is the scope.
III. The reason of the difference of the expression, A moth to Ephraim, and rottenness to Judah. If God intended only to show his secret, gradual, insensible jiidgnient, then one expression might have sufficed. But the reason of the different terms used is, Israel was to be destroyed sooner than Judah: Judah should hold out longer than Israel, though both of them were to be destroyed at length. As strong wood holds out longer though there be a worm in it, than a garment attacked by moths; so Judah held out above a hundred years after this threat, after this rottenness began in them, longer than Israel did; for the time that this moth was in Israel (of which we shall speak presently) to Israel’s captivity, was but two or three and forty years; but from the time of God’s being a rottenness to Judah to his desolation, one hundred and threescore years elapsed.
IV. To what time doth this refer? when was God a moth unto Ephraim and rottenness to Judah? To show that fully would require some time; I will refer you to the scriptures which contain the account, both when the moth and when the rottenness began. From
1 Kings XV. 8, to the end of the 17th chapter of 2 icings, you may find the time when God was a moth to Ephraim: and for Judah, in 2 Kings xvi., when God was rottenness unto Judah, even from Ahaz’s time to the time of then’ being carried away captive into Babylon, which was about a hundred and sixty years. And besides the Scriptin-es, Josephus, in lib. ix. cap. 12, and lib. xv. towards the latter end, and lib. x. cap. 10, likewise sets forth the condition both of Ephraim and of Judah, when the Lord was a moth to the one and rottenness unto the other.
V. How and in what respects God may be said to be a moth and rottenness to a people. Indeed the same thing is signified in both these expressions, only (as I have told you) the first implies a quicker despatch of Israel, and the second a more slow judgment on Judah, but both issuing in the same results. Now God is a moth and rottenness to a jieople many ways.
1. In the very spirits of people. There is a secret way of God’s wrath ujion a people in their spirits, wlrich is not perceived in the world. As, 1. AVhen the spirits of men in a nation grow weak and cowardly; that shows a judgment of God U])on them that is as a moth to them. And so it was in Israel, as you may find in
2 Kings xv., lc., where their governors did what they I)leased, and the people laid down quietly and dared not to ajipcar in the least to find fault with their actions. 2. M’hen a base sloth of spirit seizes on the hearts of a people, a didl sordidness, a minding of low things, and
disregard of worthy and honourable achievements; Avheii men are thus, then God is as a moth and rottenness to them. 3. When there are jealousies and divisions. As a moth in a garment, and rottenness in wood, secretly dissever and waste the threads and fibres, so secret jealousies and secret divisions in the minds of men, by the disunion they create, consume and destroy them. ’ 4. Base compliance for their own ends. 5. Falseness of spirit in the trust committed to them. When you see this jirevail, especially in those that are put in “public trust, then is God a moth and rottenness to that people. And that is the fii’st, A moth and rottenness in the spirits of men.
2. In men’s counsels. As, 1. In blindness: that they shall not be able to see the plots of their enemies; they shall not know theii’ own advantages, nor how to improve what they have; they shall not hit upon the right means to relieve themselves. There shall be a perplexity and contradiction in their counsels, and they shall be insuared in their own foUj-. 2. In blasting their projects: God may not appear outwardly in a hostile and terrible manner, but his secret curse rests upon their counsels, and so is a moth and rottenness to them.
3. In their tradings. Trade shall decay amongst them, and they shall grow poorer and poorer, no man knows how. There shall be a secret curse upon their tradings and estates, that no man can give a cause of.
4. In the chief instruments they make use of for their good; taking away their chief ones secretly, when nobody takes notice of them. As with rotten wood, one little piece ch-ops down after another; so in a state and kingdom, chief instruments shall be taken away, and no one notice it; sometimes one, and then another, and then another after him; so they shall moulder away by degrees, and those that remain shall be blasted in then’ esteem among the people. Those that God gives ability to do them good, and might be very useful and serviceable unto them, yet, though they live amongst them, they shall be so blasted by reports one way or other, that they shall not be able to do them much good. And when you see this prevailing in a kingdom, then God is a moth and rottenness to them.
5. In their enterprises: when in their actions and enterprises there is division amongst them; not only division in their spirits, but in their actions, one goes one way and another another way, they scarce can agree in any thing, and so all their enterprises are brought unto nothing.
6. In their warlike power and strength. There shall be a great charge upon the people and much shall be gathered together, but no man shall know how it is spent; it shall moulder away, so that every one shall complain of the charge and of what goeth from him, but nobody almost can see what it comes to.
7. In their religion. A secret curse of God on them, that their religion should bo corrupted, that their wine should be mixed with water, their silver with di’oss; that when they desire to purify their religion, there shall be such mixed and contradictory opinions, as to manifest that there a secret moth and rottenness, even a secret curse of God, rests. These seven ways God may be said to be a moth and rottenness to a people.
Now, from all these, arise these observations, which we should take special notice of as nearly concerning us.
06s. 1. God may be in a way of wrath against a nation or individual, and yet meanwhile be very jjatient and long-sufi’ering toward them.
Therefore no ])eople must think themselves secure because that God ajjpears not in the height of his displeasure. Neither let any think themselves safe because God is patient towards them. As in the greatest afflictions of the saints there are glimpses of God’s goodness, so in the greatest prosperity of the wicked.
when God is most patient towards them, there are some footsteps of his wrath. No child of God is ever in such a dark night, but he has some beams of God’s goodness; and no wicked man is ever in such a height of prosperitv, but he has some worldngs of God’s wrath against him.
Obs. 2. God many times lets out his wrath against a people in little things.
“I will be a moth and rottenness.” They are both little things. MTiat is a moth? And that which is translated rottenness, is one of the least of worms, a worm that eats into the heart of the wood, and so produces rottenness. As there may be much poison in small drops, so there may be much wrath in little things. You know the wrath of God was shown much on the Egyptians in the ])lagues of lice and flies; and so it may be let out against thee in very small and contemptible things; things thou little thinkest of, and passest by imheeded, may be means of great wrath in the hands of God.
Obs. 3. When God lets out his wrath in small things, it is contemptible to carnal heai-ts.
The carnal in Israel and Judah little thought of the extent of the impending evil, but slighted and contemned all that the prophet could threaten, for it was but “a moth and rottenness.” It has been so amongst us. With what contempt did many hear the threatenings of God’s ministers against England! And why? Because some cb-eadful judgment did not rest visibly on the nation; though meanwhile the wrath of God and the fruits of his displeasure were amongst us. •Men are seldom sensible of little things. As they little consider God’s mercies in small things, so in the same they little regard God’s wrath. As it is an argument of a gracious” heart to bless God for his mercies in small things, so likewise it proves that the heart is right when in small things it is observant of God’s displeasure. If God but hold up his finger, presently to take notice and to be sensible of it, is an argument of a gracious heart. As it is an argument that that flesh is full of life which is sensible of the least touch, so that heart is full of grace when it is impressed by the least token of God’s displeasure. But when we are in such a frame of mind that, except God strilces us in some terrible manner, we are not sensible of his displeasure, this is a sign of the callosity and hardness of our hearts.
Obs. 4. Though carnal hearts slight and contemn God’s wTath in small things, yet it will eat them out at last. It will bring them down, it will destroy them, if it be neglected. You know, in Exoch viii. 25, the plague of flies brought down the spirit of Pharaoh more than all the previous judgments; he said before that he would let the people go, but he never bade them go till then. God is able to bring down the stoutest and proudest spirit by little things. He can eat out the heart of the strongest wood by this little wonn; and so by the least of his judgments can abase the stoutest and proudest.
Obs. 5. God is slow in punishing. He punishes bjdegrees at first: yea, his punishing is as a moth, and as a little worm in the wood, it is a long time before they do any hurt. This is to show that God’s wrath is at first but slow. And by this we are taught to do even as God himself doth, to be “slow to w-rath;” in our wrath and displeasm-e against our brethren, to be slow as God is slow; not presently to fly in the faces of our servants or of our chikb-en when they displease us. God deals not so with us, but is a long time before he bring on us any sensible evil. The Ilomans used to have the rod and the axe carried before their magistrates, to show that they began by lower punishments at first, and proceeded gradually to the infliction of the extreme penalty.
Obs. 6. God “has secret judgments to bring upon a
people. In 2 Kings iii. IT, ThiK saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water.” There shall be a filling with water though you see neither wind nor rain; you shall not know whence it comes, yet the valleys shall be filled with water. So, often the judgment of God is out against a people, against a fomily, or an individual, and no one can teU whence it comes. As God has many secret blessings for his people, so he has secret curses against the ungodly. Let us take heed of secret sins, for God lias secret wi’atli in store to avenge secret sins. Many of you that find the hand of God out against you, and know not wherefore, examine your own hearts, whether there be not in you many secret sins against the Lord. It was so at this time when God came to be as a moth unto Ephraini, for in 2 Kings xrii. 9, speaking of the very period this prophecy relates to, the text saith, that the chilcben of Israel did secretly that which was not right in the eyes of the Lord: therefore just was God in this, to be as a moth, to pour forth his displeasure secretly. Take you heed of secret sins, lest God consume you by secret judgments.
Obs. 7. Our corruptions within breed our trouble and our undoing. Whence comes the moth but from the verv cloth itself that it corrodes? it is bred there: and tills worm is bred in the wood that it consumes. “A moth shall eat them,” seems to have been a proverbial speech amongst the Hebrews, when they would express the perishing of any by their own counsels and ways; as the Latins, Fabrum constringi compedibusrjuas ipse cuderal, The workman is fettered with those fetters he makes himself: and so that proverb of ours, To nourish a snake in a man’s own bosom, is something of the same import; that is, the evil which befalls us is bred within us; the wrath which consumes us is engendered by our internal corruptions. As the bird nirnishes out of its own plumage the feather to wing the shaft for its olni destruction, so fi-om our own sins results our own misery. From the uncleanness of a nation or a particular soul comes its evil; therefore if we should read the words according to the Vulgate, they followed ;jos< sordes, after the filth of Jeroboam, then the elegance of the ex])ression would be increased; it was those filthy ways of Jeroboam that caused these moths to be bred. From our uncleanness comes our consumption: as from the impuj-ity of the body many evils arc bred, so from the want of purity in the spirit. Therefore we should be willing to take pains in the work of repentance, yea, though it be somewhat troublesome to the flesh, yet better wear out clothes a little by washing them than let them rot in their dii’t. True, washing of clothes wears them a little, but filth soon engenders con-uption and decay: so the work of repentance may put you to pain and wear out yoiu’ bodies a little, but if you let your heai-ts alone in the filth of sin, misery must ensue. Take heed of suifering any sin to remain undisturbed in your hearts, it will breed a woi-m, (for so this word rottenness signifies,) it will breed a worm, the worm of conscience, that may prove the woi-m that never tlicth.
06.5. 8. God’s ^^Tath, though secret, many times eat.s out men’s spirits and makes them unuseful. Therefore it is compared to a moth, and to rottenness, to a worm in the wood: as the moth eats out the strength of the garment, and renders it unserviceable for any thing; and as the womi in like manner eats out the strength of the wood; so the secret wrath of God many times eats put men’s spirit.s, and makes them very unuseful in the places where they are set. How many have had excellent parts when young, and have been very useful; yet the uncleanness of their spirits has bred a worm that has eaten out the excellency of those parts, and before they have died they have been as a
moth-eaten garment and rotten wood! indeed there has been the same bulk and as goodly an appearance as before, yet, if you come to make use of them, they as much difier from their former selves as a moth-eaten garment from itself, or rotten wood from the same material unaft’ectcd by decay.
Obs. 9. Though others go before them, yet they shall follow not long after. This note is drawn from the diversity of the expression, a moth to Ejibraim, and rottenness to Judah. God indeed will deal more quickly with Ephraim, and consume them sooner in his wrath, but Judah shall follow not long after. A matter of serious reflection for any people, that, though others are consumed before them, yet it will not be long before they shall follow. Germany and other countries have gone before us: we cannot prophesy as here the prophet did, but yet, except God prevent by an extraordinary hand, we may follow not many years after; and who knows how soon? And, to apply it individually, it may be such a fi’iend of thine is gone, the hand of God has consumed him and eaten out his very heart, and he is perished as filth and dung from the face of the earth; and thou art yet alive: and is there not rottenness in thee? is not the secret Tath of God eating out thy heart? He is gone a little before, but thou art like to follow within a little while after. A^Tiat gi-eat matter is it though thy companion be struck dead and gone to heU, and thou left alive, when thou shalt follow not long after? It is in this case as with persons who travel together: perhaps one outi-ides another, and so comes to his inn a little sooner than the i-est of his company, but before he is lighted off’ his horse, or gone to his chamber, the others have amvcd also: so perhaps God’s band strikes one dead and sends him to hell, yet within a while the rest will follow after. Therefore consider, when God’s hand is upon any to strike them dead, I may follow not long after. A moth to Ephraim and rottenness to Judah.
Obs. 10. AVhat a poor creature is man. God, in expressing himself thus to be a moth and rottenness, speaks with a kind of contempt against the pride of Ephraim and Judah: they were haughty and proud, but, saith God, a worm shall consume them. In Job iv. 19, it is said of men, that they ‘■ dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth.” It is a strange expression, I know not any such in Scripture to show the weakness and vanity of man. Indeed to be crushed before a lion is not so much; but that he should be crushed before a moth, that a moth should be able to crush a man, marks strongly the weakness that is in man. “SMierein is he to be desired? he is but vain, vca, vanity itself, when he can be crushed before a niotli. And so, what are the great kingdoms of the world? let them be never so proud and haughty, yet they are but as rottenness, and a worm may consume them.
06s. 11. How low God condescends that he may express his meaning to men. It is a very strange expression, for the high and glorious and dreadful God, ■nliom the angels themselves adore, to say of himself, that he will be as a moth, and for this infinite and blessed Deity to say of himself, that he will be as rottenness. Dare any creature have used such a low and mean comparison respecting God, if we had it not in his own word? Yet this high and glorious God condescends thus low only that he might the more easily reach, and the more surely aflcct, our understandings. Surely we should be willing to appear very low, to do any service for God, seeing God is pleased thus to humble himself to our apprehensions.
06.5. 12. It is a sad thing for divers neighbouring countries, professing the same religion, and living in the midst of a common enemy, to have Cod’s hand against them at the same time. A moth to Ephraim,
and rottenness to Jutlah. These ten tiibes, and Judah together with Benjamin, were the only professing people that God had, and they lived in the midst of the heathen, their common enemy; now this is the di’eadful threatening, that the hand of God should be out against them both together. And of this we have special occasion to take notice at this day. In many ways God’s WTath has been out against us in England, not only as a moth and rottenness, but so long, and to such an extent, that the ruin and decay it has occasioned have become manifest. But, blessed be God, that he has been gracious to our brethren near us, (I mean our brethren of Scotland.) and that the same judgments that have been upon us, have not been upon them at the same time; that though God’s hand be out against lis, yet that the same hand was not stretched out at the same time against them. For so we may compare England and Scotland to Ephraim and Judah, brethren living near together, and living in the midst of common enemies. Had the Lord, at the same time, been moth and rottenness there, as he was here, what had become of us? That is, had there been the same divisions in Scotland that there were, that there are stdl, in England, what had become of us at this day? Oh! it is a mercy of God which we must notice and bless his name for, that though he were a moth to us, by exciting divisions, dissensions, jealousies amongst us, whereby we were weakened and unable to help om — selves, and became a prey to the common enemy; yet, though at the same tune nothing was more aimed at than to create the like divisions in Scotland, that he has delivered them from that judgment, that he has not been in that respect a moth and rottenness unto them. How had the common enemy rejoiced and boasted had this object been attained! This was God’s great mercy unto us, whereas it was threatened against Israel and Judah that his wrath should be against them both at the same time.
Ver. 13. TVhe7i Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet coidd he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound,
“When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw
j,Vf, yi his wound.” The word ti’anslated” his
.sget fuit. sickness,” is from one implying grief
Ti nra and sickness. And the word translated
no5i|are!°’° *’’’°° “wound,” from a word that signifies colligarit, he hath bound up; either because
of the corruption of the body that is gathered together,
or because of the binding up of it with cloths.
“‘^’hen Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound:” that is, God at length made them to see what a crazy condition both their civil and church state were in, how wounded they were, how like to perish, and ready to die. In Isa. vii. 1, and succeeding passages, you may fuid the sickness of Judah, and how Judah saw it. ‘When Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, son of Reraaliah, came against Judah, the heart of the king and the heart of his people were moved, as the ti’ees of the wood are moved with the wind; then Judah became sensible of his sickness and dangerous condition. How Ephraim saw his wound, we shall see further ]M’esently, when we examine what remedy for it they sought to obtain.
Wrath was out against Ephraim and Judah some time, and had almost consumed them before they would take notice of it. Hence,
Obs. 1. The pride of man’s heart will not easily be brought to see and acknowledge the hand of God. “Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see,”’ Isa. XX vi. 11. They will not acknowledge the hand of God against them, but would rather make it appear to
the world that all is well with them. So it was for a long time witH Ephraim and Judah, but at length they saw their sickness and their wound.
Obs. 2. God will force men to be sensible of his hand out against them; he will make them to see their sickness and their wound. Micah vi. 13, “Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee,” saith God; I will smite thee, and I will make thee sensible of my stroke: so in that forecited place of Isa. xxvi. 11, “Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see; but they shall see, and be ashamed,” saith God: I will make them to know and to be sensible of my stroke; the sickness shall so grow upon them, the anguish of the wound shall be so great, that they shall be sensible.
Obs. 3. Men more readily see then’ wound than their sin. They see their sickness and their wound, but here is nothing of then’ sin. This is usual with carnal hearts in their afflictions, to look at nothing but their wound and their sickness; they regard nothing but to get that healed; seldom will you hear them cry out of their sin. Thus it was with Israel and Judah; and is the way of carnal heai-ts.
Obs. 4. Men will not seek for help till they be made sensible of their misery. “Then went Ephraim to the AssjTian, and sent to king Jareb.” And this is true spiritually; till God wounds the soul, and it is made sensible of its sickness, it seldom, yea, never, sends out for help: but when he strilves, it cries for aid. And many times it is with soul-affliction as it is here with outward affliction, they seek for help, but seek it in a false way. They “went to the AssjTian, and sent to king Jareb.”
You will say, “W’hen did they do so?
To explain this, we must refer to the Kings, for though you have this prophecy of Hosea placed in your Bibles at a great distance fi’om the book of Kings, j-et this prophet and others prophesied in the time of the kings, and therefore their history will much help to a right understanding of the predictions delivered. First, then, Ephi-aim begins to send to the Assp-ian and to king Jareb. In 2 Kings xv. 19, there you read that Menahem, who was king of the ten tribes, gave Pul the king of Assyria a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confu’m unto him the liingdom. Mark, that his hand might be with him to confu-m the kingdom. It seems, this king of Israel saw his kingdom to be in a crazy condition, saw his sickness and his wound; therefore he sends to the king of AssjTia, and gave him a thousand talents of silver, that he might confirm the kingdom in his hand; and in the 20th verse, you shall find that his subjects were obliged to pay it, “IMenahem exacted the money” (saith the text) “of all the mighty men of wealth” in Israel. Oh what do subjects often suffer to satisfy the humours of theu- rulers! And in 2 Kings xvii. 4, you fhid that Hoshea, another king of Israel, sent messengers, for help, to So, king of Egypt. And as to that Jareb, which is named here, some say that it was a principal city in As.S5Tia; others, that it was a special name of the kings of Assyi-ia; but others, and very likely with ti-uth, do not make it the proper name of a man, but a word of appellation, according to its signification; for Jareb means defensorem, the defender, or avenger. Therefore, when Gideon’s father spake to the people concerning his son’s casting down the altar of Baal, and cutting down the grove that was by it, he saith, “Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? if he be a god, let him plead for himself:” thereupon they called Gideon’s name Jerub-baal, he that defended them fi-om, or took vengeance on, Baal. So here they sent to the king of AssjTia, as to one that should be theii’ defender or avenger: they do not seek to God, but they sent to king Jareb, the prophet saith, as their defender. As often in scorn we call men by the name of that which they undertake to be; so, because they trusted in the king
of AssjTia as their defender or avenger, therefore God, in contemptuous irony, calls him Jareb; They sent to then’ defeiuler, but they little thought of rae. So much with respect to Ephraira.
And then as to Judah, though he be not particularly named, because Ephraim was the most forward and the Urst that sent for help, yet doubtless the prophet here rebukes Judah as well as Eplu’aim; for in 2 Kings xvi. 7, Ahaz king of Judah sent to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria to come up and save him out of the hand of Kezin and Pekah, kings of Syria and Israel, that did rise up against him: and in 2 C’lu’on. xxviii. 16, you find Judah again sending for strange helps, unto the kings of Assyria. The words being thus opened, the observations are these:
Obs. 5. C’anial hearts seek to the creature for help in lime of difficulty.
They saw their sickness, they saw their wound; what did they then? They ‘• went to the Assn’ian, and sent to king Jareb.” They look to no higher causes of their trouble than second causes, therefore they seek to no higher means for then- relief than second causes. They regard their troubles as such as befall other men as well as them, and so look not up unto God. They are led by sense, and the second causes are before them and near to them, but God is above them and beyond them, and his ways are often contrary to sense; they know little of God, and have less interest in him; therefore it is that they little mind God in their straits, but send for help unto the creature.
This is tlic way of carnal hearts at this very day. What helps do they send for but creature helps? Therefoi-c, my brethren, let us not fear our adversaries much, for their strength is in the arm of flesh; and we know they take no other course but to strengthen themselves in the creature; they know no other help; they little regard God in all their ways; let them have what they will, yet pray they cannot, they have little heart to go unto God; they cm’se and swear, yea, and tell us that it was never worse with them than when they prayed most: all their help, then, is on this side heaven, and therefore not much to be feared; they have that carnality of heart in them which was here in Ephraim and Judah, when they were a people to be destroyed, and were given over by God to seek for help only in the creature, to go to the Assyrian and to send to king Jareb.
As it is in temporal, so it is sometimes in spiritual distress. AVTien God strikes the soul of men with sicknesses, and wounds their consciences, what course do they take? they seek not to the Lord that smote them, but to the creature, for help; they go to their companions, to their trading, to then- shops, to their pleasures. Sec, and strive in them to find relief for their souls. This is the way of carnal hearts, to seek to the creature for help, both temporal and spiritual, when they are smitten.
Ob.i. G. There is much guilt contracted by resting on creature helps. Thus it was with Israel and Judah; they contracted much guilt in that manner. And we find that God is greatly incensed with such as do so. In 2 Chron. xxv. 6 — 9, when Amaziah king of Judah, in a time of danger, hired a hundred thousand men out of Israel, which were idolaters, the Lord would not suffer him to make use of them, but bids him send them away; “Let not the army of Israel go with thee, for the Lord is not with Israel.” Yea, “but what shall we do” (sailh the king) “for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel?” Be content, the prophet replied, rather to lose the hundred talents, than to make use of such wicked men as they that have forsaken the true worship of God.
It is a great question among many, whether it be lawful to make use of wicked men in any cases, espe- •cially in public affairs of kingdoms; to send for their
help in time of public danger, to think to strengthen oursehes by the ungodly. Peter Martyr, in his Comment on Judges, chap. iv. 17, handles this question. How far leagues may be made with idolaters and wicked men? and gives two reasons why their aid should never be sought in any of our straits. First, then, there will be by this means danger of their infecting us with their idolatrous si)irit and superstitious usages. But, secondly, and especially, if you send for their help, how can they unite with you in prayer to God to bless you? and when you have gotten the victory, how can you join together in praising God? And indeed this is as strong an argument as possible, not to make use of the help of wicked men in the public affairs of a kingdom. They truly are unfit to join together in fighting, that cannot join together in prayer and in praising of God. And yet this is very natural to most men, yea, good men are sometimes guilty of this, of seeking too much to the wicked for help in times of difficulty. Asa, though otherwise a godly king, in 1 Kings xv. 18, is blamed in that he sent to Benhadad the kmg of Syria to help him; and in 2 Chron. xvi. 9, Ilanani the seer told him that he had done foolishly m so doing, for, saith he, you require not such aid; “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward him.” So that it ]n’oved that in this thing Asa’s heart was not perfect with God, because he sought for help from the wicked, and relied not upon the Lord. And it is very observable of this king, that though a good man, and, it seems, a soldier, yet he was very angry with the seer: “Then Asa was wrath with the seer, and put him in a prison house:” what! shall a prophet contradict him in his warlike affairs? I must have soldiers, old soldiers, about me; talk as you will of good men, and that God wUl be with those that can pray, I must have those that can fight, those that are soldiers. I would it were not so at this day. Isa. xxx. 1,2,” Woe to the rebellious chikhen, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit! “wherefore do they this? “that they may add sin to sin.” This is a strange charge, “Woe to the rebellious children,” that go on in their own ways, and “take counsel, but not of me,” and that cover things over with vain pretences, “but not by my spirit;” yea, and all is, “that they may add sin to sin!” And what is this sin? It follows presently, “That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!” “And have not asked counsel at my mouth,” saith God. They think to strengthen themselves by Pharaoh, and never ask counsel of me. It is rebellion, it is a following of their own counsels, a covering over things, but not by God’s Spirit, an adding sin to sin, to seek for help from wicked and ungodly men.
Kevetus on this text treats at large about this very question, of forming leagues with idolatrous and wicked men; and saith. That for whole kingdoms, on any pretext whatever, to call in the help of ungodly men against those that are of the same reUgion, is unlawful and sinful. Still ho thinks it may possibly in some cases be allowed, but it would require a great deal of time to discuss fully every ease, and to give all the requisite cautions. But certainly it would appear, that some amongst us, and their cause, have little to do with God when they seek for such helps as they do, and rely so much upon them; when they send for papists, for Irish rebels, ibr atheists, and care not who they have, so be it they may further theii’ own designs, and deliver themselves from the hand of God that is out against them. They cannot but be sensible that his hand is out against them, yet they vainly look for creature help, and for aid from some arm of flesh. And on the
contrary, this is an argument of the faithfulness of others, who though a party low and ready to be trodden down, yet have been so far from seeking helj) fi-om, or protection of, wicked men, that though fair profl’ers have been made them, yet have they resolved to venture the loss of all in a good cause; let success attend it or no, whether they attain the liberty they desire or not, yet are they content to venture theh- estates, their lives, and all in that cause, and not to provide for themselves by the help of such as they see to be evil, and whose ways and designs they see are not conformable to the will of God.
And if to seek to wicked men for help and protection be so sinful, what is it then for men, in times of straits, to seek to the devil for help? Surely that must be much more sinful, to use those ways that are in themselves dii’ectly evil, as lying, swearing, cheating, cozening, and the like. For you to think to help yourself liy those means in times of difficulty, is as if you should say, I see God does not help me, I will try what the devil will do. Certainly, by iniquity shall no man be established, Prov. xii. 3. Ait thou in a sti-ait under any affliction? never think of seeking to help thyself by unlawful means, for they cannot avail thee. And that will appear more evident from the words that follow.
‘• Yet could he not heal j’ou, nor cure you of your w’ound.” The Assyrian could not help, Jareb could do no good; yea, indeed they were so far from helping Israel and Judah, that they made the wound greater: for Israel was afterwards carried away captive by the Assp’ian to whom he sent for help; and as to Judah, Ave read in 2 C’hron. xxviii. 20, that when Ahaz sent for helj) to Tilgath-pilneser, king of Assyria, he came to him indeed, but he distressed him, and strengthened him not. Whence we may
Obs. 7. Creature comforts avail little in the day of God’s wrath. God’s wrath was out against Ephraim and Judah, and they would fain seek to the creature for help, but unavailingly. Creatures can afford little aid in the day of God’s wTath, they are all as a broken reed, that rather pierces than sup])orts a man’s hand. So the Scripture saith of riches, that they also avail not in the day of wrath. All the creatures will say to you, If God help you not, how can we aid you? They are but as a tree in a storm; you may run under it, and perhaps for a time it may afford you some shelter, but if the storm rage on, what protection can the leaves yield? The creature may refi’esh you a little, but if God’s wrath continue, what effectual benefit can you receive?
But the words, “yet could ho not heal “il’ e i’xJl’tiv”,i. you,“theSeventytranslate, heshaUnotso much as ease, or even in a small degree mitigate, your grief. Sometimes by seeking to creature comforts a man may think he gets some relief, but the truth is, it ends in trouble and sorrow. A man that thus seeks for help to the creature when God has wounded him, is as a stricken deer; the deer runs up and downi from one bush to another to seek for ease, but still the blood falls fast. AVhat relief can bushes yield to a poor deer while the arrow remains fast in his body? God often strikes his arrows into the sides of people, and they run up and down to the creature, to this bush and to the other, for help, but little or none can they obtain. Some little, and of brief duration, I confess they may occasionally get, as in the case of Ahaz, when Ptezin and Pekah”came against him. Ahaz received some present aid from Tilgath-pilneser, king of Assyria; but afterwards (as we shall show you when we come to another point) it did him little good, for God’s hand was out against Judah so much the more dreadfully.
Obs. 8. Of all things men rest on for help, wicked
men are like to prove most helpless. They leave you in the hour of your need, as the scribes and Pharisees did Judas, when he was brought into straits by his sin, and in the anguish of his spu’it came and said, “I have sinned, in that I have beti-ayed the innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” say they, “see thou to that.” There was all the comfort he could get from them. They w-ere ready to draw him into the sin, but when he had committed it, then, “What is that to us? see thou to that.” Such comfort you are like to have from your wicked companions in times of difficulty; they will “draw you into that which is evil, but afterwards, when they come to visit you suffering under the rod of the Almighty for the very sins they have tempted you to commit, what miserable comforters will they prove! So true is it, you can obtain no help from the wicked in the hour of your need.
Obs. 9. The best men are not to be depended on in times of difficulty. God has given us experience at this day, that every man is vanity. So the Scripturesaith. Verily every man is vanity. Cease from man, for wherein is he to be esteemed? Had we no other stay but man, what should become of us? Therefore, neither to the AssjTian, no, nor to any living, are we to send for help, otherwise than as instruments in the hand of God. He pronounces a curse upon him “that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord;” and saith, “he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good Cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited,” Jer. xvii. 5, 6.
Ver. 14. For I u-ill be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a youm; lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and fro away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him.
That which is here translated in your books, “a lion,” the Seventy render, a panthei-, which is one of the swiftest and fiercest creatures in the world. God’s wrath for strength is compared to a lion, and for swiftness to a panther. To a lion, because though most strong and terrible, yet, as naturalists say. If you fall down and submit he will show mercy. Thus God is a lion, strong and fierce in his wrath, yet merciful to those that submit unto hinij
The word Sntf here translated “lion,” differs from ‘-IK the term generally employed, in that it signifies a fierce lion. And so you have it in Job iv. 10, “The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion,” Snii’ so that God threatens here to be a fierce lion. Of this creature, Gesner, in his History of Animals, saith, that nature has so ordered it, that because the lion is so fierce of himself, he has always a lund of a quartan fever, or ague, upon him, to mitigate or calm his fierceness. And it were well with many if it were so with them; many that are fierce and of hon-like spiiits in the service of their lusts, and for the gratification of their passions, but sheepish enough in the cause of God.
But mark, God was before a moth and a woi-m, but now he is become a lion. I will be a moth unto Ephraim, and a worm unto Judah; for so you may translate it. And now, “I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah.” Why a Uon? that is, he will appear in the fierceness of his wrath against Ephraim.
But what is the reason of the difference of the expressions here? As he said before, he would be a moth to Ephraim and rottenness to Judah; so here, he will be a lion to Ephraim, and a young lion unto Judah. The reason is the same as before. As there it was designed to show, that though God intended the
Qostnictioii both of Ejiliraiiu and of Judah, yet Ephraim sooner, and Judah later; so here, though God would be terrible in his Tath to Judah, yet he would be more ro to the ten tribes: and so we find, that though Judah was carried into captivity, yet that captivity lasted but for seventy years, and Judah returned again; but Israel was torn in pieces so that he never revived. Thev were both sinners, but Judah retained somewhat of God’s true worship, therefore God would show them a little mercy. Though wicked men will the less spare the saints because of their godliness, and will take the more advantage of their fraQties because they are professors, yet God will pity them. The observations from hence are these:
04s. 1. ‘WTicn God’s lesser afHiclions work not, God will be most temble. You heard of the moth and worm before; they are the lesser afflictions, and it seems they did not move their hearts to repentance, nor bring them unto God; therefore does God turn to be a fierce lion unto Ephraim.and a joung lion unto Judah. God’s wrath is as Elijah’s cloud, that at first appeared but as a hand-breadth, but within a while overspread the whole heavens. It is as the thunder, which al a distance sounds low and indistinct, but stay a while, and the peals are loud and terrible. It is as the fiie, at first struggling for life, but which, when fanned by the wind, bursts forth in irresistible fiu-y. As in that known place. Lev. xxvi. 18, “And if ye will not yet for all this,” saith the Lord, “hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for yoiur sins;” and again, ver. 21, “seven times more;” and ver. 24, “yet seven times.” God will increase in his wrath, from being as a moth and as a little worm, to be like a lion. Such den-ees there are in his anger. You had need look to It when the hand of God is stretched out even but a little against you; though it be but as a moth and as a worm, yet, if you disregard it, it may increase: for as great a difference as exists between a moth and a fierce lion, such a difierence may there be between
Present wi-ath and that which awaits you. Thus the lOrd often deals with men’s sjiirits; causes secretly the worm of conscience to gnaw them, and some disquiet and trouble ensue; but, notwithstanding, they go on still in their sins, and at length God comes upon them as a lion, tearing their souls. Did you never see a sinner hing on his death-bed in anguish of mind, God’s wrath, like the paws of a lion, preying on the very caul of his heart, whilst he lies roaring out he is damned, he is damned! and now he sees, yea feels, the heat of the wrath of God against him. Thus God comes as a lion to prey upon those that will not regard the gnawings of the worm: when the worm was but little and small, they slighted it, and that caused God to bring the greater judgment. So it is with families; God comes upon families sometimes in a little sickness, in a child or in a servant, and that is not regarded; afterwards God comes with plague of pestilence, or some other dreadful judgment.
So in kingdoms, the Lord comes first with light judgments, and then with heavier. As in Ireland, for many years together, the Lord was as a moth and rottenness; but of late how like a lion has he there appeared! how has he torn and rent that kingdom in a most dreadful manner!
Yea, the truth is, the Lord had been to England as a moth and rottenness; and this very text I question not but some of you have heard many years ago applied to it, when those that preached from it little thought that ever God’s hand should be so stretched out against many parts of England as it is at this day. In many parts of this kingdom the Lord is now as a lion. “The lion hath roared, who will not fear?” Amos iii. 8. Oh it is time for us all to fall down to the ground before the Lord. It is true, God has not yet come to
this city as a lion to tear und rend it as other places in the country; but vet we have heard the roaring of the lion abroad, and God calls us to fall down before him that he may not come and tear us likewise. Certainly, the Lord will have glory of his creature; God has sworn by himself, and the word has proceeded out of his mouth in righteousness, that every knee must bow to him, and evei-y tongue confess his name: every creature must submit to him, and if lesser judgments will not do it, God will lay every sinner upon his back, he will come as a lion to tear him in pieces.
But further, mark what is between these two, being a moth and a lion; between these two it is said, “Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound; then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb:” and now saith God, “I will be unto Ephraim as a lion.” Hence,
Ob.i. 2. Our seeking out for ourselves in times of affliction refuges of lies provokes God. The Lord looks upon this with inilignation: ‘N^liat! when I appear in my displeasure, do they seek to escape it by sending to the Assyrian and to king Jareb? upon this the indignation of God rises high, and ho becomes a fierce lion to them. Josephus reports, that in Antiq. lib. li the factions in Jerusalem, Antiochus be- ‘=*p ^. ‘• ing called in by one party proved the ruin of both. This is the honour God expects, that in our affliction we should not fly from, but humble ourselves before him; if we do not, his anger, his jealousy, arises to a fearful height, he will pursue in the fierceness of his wrath. The way is not to fly from God, but to fall down before him, to lie at his feet. No one can abide the slighting of his anger. If a parent or a master be slighted by the child or the senant, it incenses him more: so when men make light of the anger of God, and think that there is power enough in any creature to pacify him, this causes the wrath of God to burn more fiercely against them. You have as notable an example as any in the book of God, in Isa. vii., compared with 2 Kings xni., where you find that Ahaz in the time of his distress sought to the king of Assyria, though God ofiered him a sign by the prophet that he himself would deliver him. But mark, on this the Lord threatens that he would bring upon him and upon his people days, the like whereof had not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; such days God would bring upon them, more dreadful than ever yet came upon Judah, and that because when they were in straits they sought for help from the Assyrian. And as in outward dangers, so in spuitual, a man shall seek for help from God. Does God wound thy spirit, does he make it sick, and dost thou seek to unlawful means for help? dost thou go to thy company, to music, to good cheer, to relieve thee? Oh this provokes God against thee! This is just as if a man m a fever should take a draught of cold water: true, for a while he may have a little ease; but the disease returns w ith gi-eater violence: so those that in trouble of conscience seek for carnal helps, by then’ vain tampering only render their condition worse.
“I, even I, will tear.” The main thing wherein God expresses the dreadfidness of his wrath here in this place, is the tearing of them as a lion. We may take in ])ieces that which we purpose to mend for future ser-ice, but when we tear a thing we intend to use it no more. This expression marks the greatness of God’s wrath, as in Psal. 1. 22, “Consider this, ye that forget God, lest I fear you in pieces.” Now this tearing here refers to the letting in the AssyTian upon Israel, and the Babylonian upon Judah. And the main observation from it, and which is indeed seasonable for these times of ours, is,
Obs. 3. When God in WTath causes war in a kingdom, then God teareth.
VliK. 14.
1 will send the sword amongst you, I will send the AssjTian against yovi, and then I will tear you. The judgment of war is a tearing judgment. God’s wrath never appears more di-eadful than in letting out the wrath and rage of provoked enemies upon a people. The teeth and claws of this lion are no other than spears, and swords, and poleaxes; the mouth of this lion is no other than the roaring cannon, from whose mouth proceed fire and smoke, and sudden death. Here you may see stout and strong ones struck down by thousands in a moment; here one man’s arm is torn from his shoulders, there another man’s leg is rent from his body; h-e one dnng lies wallowing in his own blood, there another weltering in his gore, all mangled and wounded. “Every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and with garments rolled in blood;” death reigns in the field, and triumphs, which side so ever falls. And as in 1 Sam. iv. 17, when there was a great slaughter among the people, and one told Phinehas’s wife that her husband and her brother-in-law” were dead, she bowed herself and travailed, for her pains came upon her:” so when news comes home to the poor fatherless chilcben and widows. Your husband is dead, and your father is dead; oh what tearing of hair, wringing of hands, rending of clothes, lifting up the voice and crying, until the noise thereof reaches to heaven! My brethren, war- is a tearing judgment, it is malum complexum, a compound sorrow. The cup that is now in the hand of the Lord ‘’ is full of mixtiu’e,” Psal. lxxv. 8; full of bloody ingredients, of fire, famine, pestilences, murders, rapes, cruelties, and all miseries; the Lord tears now indeed. Oh how is the husband rent from his wife, and haled to prison by cruel and bloody soldiers! How are men’s estates and possessions torn from them in tumultuous outi’ages! then’ pleadings and cries rejected with scorn and contempt, and the bodies of their wives and childi’en, and their own too, abused in the rage and malice of the insulting adversary! And of all wars, civil wars are the most di’eadful; there God tears indeed; there the brother contends with the brother, and the father bathes his hand in the blood of his own son. Thus the Lord lias been a lion in many parts of this kingdom. Alas, oui’ brethieu abroad cannot say as they m Jer. iv. 5, ‘• Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities;” they stand afar oft’, and are afi’aid to come out of the land of then- captivity, because of the oppressing sword. Yea, and in this heavy judgment that is upon us, never was God’s name so torn as it is now by bloody oaths and hideous and unheard-of blasphemies. And what more do our adversaries desire, but to tear the saints and to trample them under their feet?
Sly brethren, time it is for us all to rend our hearts, even to tear and rend our very hearts within us, because the Lord is come out against us as a tearing lion, devourmg on every side. The Jews were wont when they heard the name of God blasphemed to rend thengarments. We hear of the dreadful blasphemies of oiu’ adversaries, their rending and tearing of the name of God; oh how should we rend our hearts rather than oiU’ garments, and mourn with more than ordmary sorrow at this desecration of the name of the Most High! And the rather because we have escaped for the present, and our estates and bodies are yet uninjured. Our sins have passed into the cups of our brethren, have increased their miseries, and have been those claws and teeth that have torn them. Thus the Lord is raised from a moth and worm even to a tearing lion.
Obs. 4. God has a righteous hand in the worst actions of men. Though the Assyrians and Babylonians did this, yet, saith God, I will be as a Hon to tear them. A’e cry out that men are so vile and wicked, but you must look up to God who directs all. The most horrid
wickedness ever committed, the betraying of Christ, and the crucifying of the Lord of life, the Scripture saith, was done” by the fore-determined counsel of God, Acts ii. Therefore let those that have had theii- estates, their husbands, and then children torn from them by wicked men, let them know that the Lord has had a hand in it. Though men be wicked, yet the Lord is righteous: let them justify God in all. This is God’s glory, that he can have a hand in the most hideous wickedness in the world, and yet remain righteous notwithstanding: therefore he saith here, “I, even I, will tear.” He not only owns it, but would have people to take special notice that he du’ects all. Oh the use that we might make of this to ourselves, if in all those dreadful judgments that are upon us, and the yet heavier ones that have befallen some of our brethren, we could but believe that the hand of God has done it! I, even I, have done it: and in this one verse, I is repeated four times: let the thing be never so hideous to you, yet know that I am the great orderer and disposer of all, and I have some great tiling to bring to pass by all this that is come upon you. And certainly, thougl’i the misery be great that some parts of the kingdom endure, yet because God’s hand is so much in it, therefore we must know that he has some great thing to bring to pass by these his dispensations toward us.
Obs. 5. God has a righteous hand in the worst actions. What the wicked AssjTians and cursed Babylonians did, that God is said here to do; and in the sin of Judas, the most hon’ible that ever was, God not only permitted, but ordered all. Acts ii. 23. This is God’s glory, and yet to be free from the evil of sin. jNIany knots there are about this, that men exercise then- wits to untie; but Cum veniet Elias, (as the Hebrews use to say when gravelled. When Elias cometh we shall understand,) there is a time when all diSiculties shall be easily reconciled. Y’’ou whose estates have been torn from you, and it may be many of your dearest friends, consider that it is God that is the lion tearing.
Obs. 6. The hand of God is more immediate in some judgments than in others; “I, even I;” and the more immediate the more remarkable: There shall not only come judgments upon you, but I will bring them, they shall be such that you shall see that I am in them. Li some judgments, God makes so much use of the creature, that sinners can see little of his hand in them; but in some others, they can easily discern it. Belshazzar ti-embled at the hand-writing, and his thoughts were troubled within him; why so? the hand struck him not at all, but he saw it to be the hand of God, the hand of the Deity was in it, Dan. v. 5, 6, and this made him to tremble. Gen. vi. 17, “Behold, I, even I, do bring a flood.” And that wrath which is out against us at this time, is the hand of God in a special manner; God may well say to us, “I, even I, will tear” ye, O England. Oh’ how has God manifested himself to us in these latter years since the wars began! As we ought to take notice of God’s judgments on kingdoms, so also on families and particular persons: as a godly heart is observant of God’s hand in mercies, and as coming fi’om him they are most sweet; so, on the contrary, he takes notice of God’s hand in every judgment to be humbled under it: “I will establish mv covenant with you,” Gen. ix. 11; and Isa. xliii. 19, ■25, “I, even I, am he which blotteth out thine iniquities.” As mercies are then most sweet when we see them come fi-om God’s immediate hand in the way of special providence, so God’s hand remarkable in judgments must be regarded. For,
1. Hereby the heart becomes humbled, when it considers that it is God which appears against him: Not devils, nor men, but God, that God in whom I live, and
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from whom I receive every blessing that I enjoy. This it was that troubled Christ, more than all the wrong which the scribes and Pharisees did to him, when he considered that it was his God; “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” ATien the saints see God’s hand against them in any thing, this ti-oubles them and humbles them more than any thing else.
2. It is a special means to render the heart patient. Psal. xxxix. 9, “I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou, Lord, didst it.” See it in Eli, “It is the Lord, let him do what seemoth him good:” and in Christ himself, Shall not I drink of the cup which my Father shall give me? Is God my God, and doth this come from my Father? I will take it, I am sure it will do me no harm, but much good.
3. By this means the soul is put upon the inquiry, why this affliction has come, what may be the cause of this trouble. AVhen we see nothing but man the instrument used in an affliction, we regard it not so much, it never leads us to soul-search and trial of ourselves; but when God is seen in a cross, the soul begins to consider, AVhat have I done? what aileth thee, O my soul? Thus did the church, Micah vi. 9, “Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.” There are letters written upon God’s rods, which the man of wisdom can read.
4. It causes the soul to receive content and satisfaction in nothing but God alone, and in peace with him. AVhen we look upon judgments only in he second cause, we are apt to think that second means will make up the breach again, which sin has made; as they in Isa. ix. 10, 12, “The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stone: “” for all this his anger is not turned away: “why so? In the 13th verse we have the reason; ‘■■ For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts:” they would not see the hand of God, nor give glory to him, for if they did, they w’ould say as this people, in the next chapter, “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.” Thus much for the doubling the expression.
Obs. 7. When God intends ruin and desolation to a people, it is impossible for any to deliver them out of his hands. “I, even I, will tear and go away.” “Mien lions tear their prey, they are not afraid of what they have done, but walk majestically before the dead carcass, as it were bidding defiance to all other creatures; they run not away as the fox, but walk as it were in -v state, for so the words in the original im-I ply: “I, even I will tear.” As if God
challenged all the creatures in heaven or earth to grajjple with him, “I, even I, will tear.” It implies how God will deal with Judah, he will not be afraid of them, he will not come against them in secret, but publicly.
The judgment at this time u])on our enemies is not a secret, but an open one, the Lord deals not subtlely and by craft with them, as they do with his people; but though the Lord deal as a lion, tearing and rending them, yet they will not see him, neither are they able to resist him, nor can any rescue themselves out of his hands: let the means in God’s hands be never so weak, yet when he is in a way of wrath there shall be no delivery from him. Isa. xxvi. G, “The foot shall tread it down:” tread down what? “the lofty city:” what feet? “even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.” In Jer. xxxvii. 10, the Lord tells them, that though they “had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn their city with fire.”
06s. 8. When God comes against a people, he defies the strongest, and greatest in power, and most confident in an arm of flesh, to deliver themselves out of his hands. Isa. xxiv. 21, “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high,” in their greatest pride, in the midst of their greatest victories and conquests. .lnd it is very observable, that since our enemies gained their greatest advantages they have lost the most; God then pulled them down when they were most proud, and God will go on in his work though men are never so proud and strong: therefore it is our wisdom to resign ourselves into his hands, yea, though they be hands of chastisement; for although no power can rescue out of his hand, yet by humbling ourselves, falling down before him, willingly submitting to him, we may change the operations of his will. God had rather that men voluntarily gave him his glory than compelled him to extort it from them.
Vcr. 15. / u-itl gn and return to my place, till theij acknoivleJge their nffencc, and seek my face: in their ajfliclion they icill seek me early.
“I will go.” God repeats it again, which notes, 1. The glory of the work, that he is not ashamed of what he has done: and God’s’ people ought to resemble God in this; let their actions be waiTantable, such as they may with comfort own and stand to, yea, suSer for. if requisite. 2. The irresistibility of God’s work, as il’he should say. Let any tiT whether they can oppose me. 3. And chiefly it implies, I wQl bring them into captivity, and there I will leave them. Whence,
06s. 1. It is a hea-y judgment for God to tear and wound, and then to leave a people. God saith. If they return not, I will rend and tear them, make them very miserable, and in that condition will I leave them, I will be a stranger to them, and will not own them. Ezek. xxii. 20, “As they gather silver, and brass, and u-on, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you.” God in another ]ilace promises to be with his people in the fire and in the water: but there is a time that God’s people may so provoke him, that he will bring them into the fire and there leave them. AVhen the Philistines fell upon Saul, it was a sad time for him, because God had left him. Oh how terrible was it when God left Christ upon the cross but for a little while! This we all deserve, and this is the portion of the damned in hell. AMiile the judge is present upon the bench the malefactor has hope, but when he dcjjarts, hope departs. Therefore the church prays, “Lord, leave us not: “” Thou art my hope in the day of evil,” Jer. xiv. 9; xvii. 17. God is said to be the “strength ‘’ of his people, in Psal. xxxvii. 39. Now, if their strength be gone, they must needs be weak, Christ rebukes his disciples for fearing when he was in the ship with them: but when God leaves a people, oh what cause of fear is there then! The church implies as much, Jer. xiv. 9, “Thou art in the midst of us; leave us not;” we are in a sad condition akcady, yet, O Lord, do not thou leave us.
Now, if we would not have God leave us, let us take heed we do not leave God. A^’ould you have God for you in adversity, then be you for God in prosperity, nor forsake him” when he is aflilicted, that is, when his people and cause sufl’er. Many will be for the saints and own the cause of God when all things go well, and their side prospers; but in trouble they forsake them, as if they knew them not. Know that in thus doing thou leavest God, and God may justly leave thee in thy affliction. Rut now, it is God’s promise to his peo|)le, that he will not leave them, Psal. xxxi. 7, 8; xxxiv. 17, 18. God may bring thee into the power and jurisdiction of the evil, but wait thou on the Lord and he shall deliver thee. We are wont to say ‘n’hen we are in any trouble, to our dear friends, What! will you also leave me? will you not now own me, and stand by me? As Christ himself said to his disciples, “Will ye also go away?’’ God will never leave his people in this manner. The shepherd may allow’ his dog to hunt the sheep and to bark at them, in order to bring them together, but never suffers him to worry and kill them: so God may permit the wicked to hunt the saints, and perhaps sometimes to fasten upon them, but then God will call them off again, for his promise is, as in Heb. sin. 5, ‘• I will never leave thee nor forsake thee;” in which words we have in the Greek five oW’fmiii’ae 61- negatives to atfir-m the truth of this con- «aTa.i,o. elusion, that God will never forsake his
people. I will not, not leave you. Yea, but the people of God might say. But, Lord, we seem to the eye of the world to be forsaken. No, saith the Lord, I will not, not, not forsake you. There are two negatives to leaving, and three to forsaking; from whence we may see how sU’ongly God has engaged himself for his people’s security.
“And return to my place.” These words are some-Deus est habitjca- thing difficult. What is God’s place? Is m“n3u”“i?ai„”a?u- God contained in any place? God is rather lum ejus. the place of the world, than the world his
place. “I will return to my place;” that is, I will go to heaven again: not that God is there only contained, but that is the place from which he reveals himself most, there his holiness shines forth most gloriously. There is but little manifestation of God in this world, compared with what there is in heaven; the glory of all the world is but as a dungeon to that place of God’s special prasence; and we are like childi’en born in a dungeon, who think there is no better place because they never saw better; but heaven is our Father’s place, and Christ, who is our elder Brother, is gone thither before us, to provide mansions for us; let us therefore have conversations in heaven answerable to the holiness of that place. This world is like the out-housing, stables, or kennels, belonging to some palace or stately building; and even as these are very inferior to the rooms in the house, so is the pomp and state of this world to heaven. God has given the world to worldly men for their portion, but the saints have a better inheritance reserved for them, even in heaven.
“And return to my place.” ‘WTien was God from his place? when did he come from thence? Thus: when he did rend and tear them, appearing against them as a lion, and as a young lion; then it was as if God should come down to rectify and set in order things which were amiss, as we may see in the case of Sodom, Gen. xviii. 21, “I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it which is come unto me:” the sin of Sodom brought God from his throne. So in Isa. xxvi. 21, “Behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.” God compares himself to a prince on his throne, who goes from his place of state into countries to quiet mutinies and rebellions among his people. Hence,
Obs. 2. Sin disturbs heaven and earth. God cannot be quiet in heaven for sinners; just then is it for God to trouble sinners on earth.
06s. 3. In times of public judgment God leaves his majesty in heaven, to set things in order on earth. And surely it will be to their cost when God thus comes; do but view the terribleness of his approach, in Psal. xviii. 9, 12, “He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet. At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire” were under his feet. God seems to speak as a father to his children; What! must I come to
you, will you force me to come among you? if I do, it shall be to your cost.
Obs. 4. God’s administrations to his people may sometimes be such as if he regarded them not. “I will return to my place.” When I have afflicted Revertjir ad iiabiiathem I will go to heaven, and there will ,^;S°” ciSd! ri,- I sit, and my administrations shall be such p>^“”^- towards them as if I regarded them not; as a prince that goes from the tribunal to his seat of dignity, and regards not the poor prisoner. God’s people may be so let in the hands of the wicked, that they may think God has forsaken them, and given them over into their power, and conclude that God is gone and has now hid himself for ever. As a poor child in misery in one country, and his father in another, thinks thus, I am in trouble and sorrow, and I have a father, but he is in another coimtry, and I know not when he will return; so God may return to his place, and the soul may seek him, but he be gone. Yet the saints should be encouraged, notwithstanding, to look up to God, and know, though God be gone, yet there is a way to bring him down again. In Psal. xviii. 6, God was in his heavenly temple, and his people cried to him in their distress; then the Lord “bowed the heavens, and came down.” Let me make haste, saith God, I must go to the hell) of my people; therefore, that I may make speed, let the heavens bow before me. So in Isa. lxiv. 1, 2, the church cries out, “Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down!” True, Lord, thou art in heaven, and there dwell thy majesty and glory; but oh that thou wouldest come down and help us! Prayer, as it will rend the heavens to get up to God, so it will rend the heavens for God to come down to man. Lord, if thou wilt go to thy ])lace, then what will become of thy glory? In the world thou hadst service and honour done to thee by the creature, thy saints offered sacrifice to thee; though sometimes thou, God, didst seem to answer, I care not for this, I can and will have honour to myself in some other way.
06s. 5. When the wicked are in perplexity, then God enjoys himself in his perfection, EzeK. x. 4. When they are in wrath and sorrow, and God receives not that external service from them which he has had, “I will return to my place,” saith he, and enjoy myself in my glory. And this aggravates the misery of the damned in hell: We are here in eternal torments and horror, but what does God lose by this? he is reposing in blessed beatitude in the midst of his own perfections.
06s. 6. God sometimes turns his back upon sinners, until they acknowledge their sin: “Till they acknowledge their offence.” This is the best way for God to deal with some kind of men; let them but feel a little of the smart of trouble, and then they will consider. Many who are wilful will do so and so, their wills shall be their law; now the best way to tame such is to let them see and feel the evil of their ways. So saith God, My prophets and my messengers can do them no good, therefore let them alone: 1 Kings viii. 47, “If they shall bethink themselves and repent.”
06s. 7. God humbles himself to behold what is done upon earth. It is a kind of self-denial in God to regard man at all. As it is a mighty condescension in a prince to come from his throne to visit and comfort poor men in dungeons and prisons: surely such prisoners have occasion to honour’ such a prince, for he comes fi-om his throne to visit them; how much more then have we need to honour God for his love towards us!
But to examine more closely the words in the original; they are, till they become guilty in their own hearts, and acknowledge themselves to be so. lo»N» signifies to offend, to be guilty, to be desolate, and to sacrifice for sin; all these significations the root ntt’N will bear.
Until they become guilty. Were they not guilty
before? Would God have them more guilty? No; but God would have them convinced of their sin, accuse themselves for it, justify him in all, and lastly, with soiTow and shame, acknowledge themselves to be sinners before God and men. It is true, as soon as ever the sin is committed, the sinning person incurs guilt; but then he is especially said to be guilty, when his ovra acknowledgment confirms the sentence of the law.
But when was this disposition wrought in them? has it ever yet been? or is it still to be fulfilled and accomplished?
I answer, that it was in part made good at their coming out of captivity: hence Daniel, chap.«ix. 5, in the name of the whole chiu-ch, speaks after this manner, “Vi’e have sinned, and done v, ickcdly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy ))recepts,” &c. How many terms are used to express theii’ departure from God! Also in Ezra ix. 13, 15, and in Xeh. ix. 16: all these tlu-ee lived after Hosea, though in oiu- Bibles placed before him. This text is fulfilled again in Jer. xxxi. 18; Ephraim was then guilty when he was found bemoaning himself. Again, it was fulfilled when Christ was preached. Acts ii. 37, “‘When they heard this, they were jiricked in their heart.” And certain it is, this prophecy had reference to Chi-ist. But this scripture shall principally be fulfilled at the calling of the Jews, then they shall become guilty: Zcch. xii. 10, “They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Mm.”
Obs. 8. So long as men prosper in their sins, they will contest even with God himself. Mai. iii. 7, “But ye said. Wherein shall we return?” Is not this the sjieech of many proud spii’its? being taxed about any crime, they presently answer, ‘S^^lereul have we olfendcd.’ This is remarkable in Saul, 1 Sam. xv. 13, when he told the prophet he had perfonued the commandment of the Lord. Samuel labours to convince him of his sin, saj ing, “AATiat meaneth then the bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowmg of the oxen which I hear?” yet, after continued expostulations, in the 20th verse Saul replies, “Yea, I have obeyed the voice of tlic Lord.” It was otherwise with David when the prophet came to him; “I have sinned against the Lord,” was the ready answer, 2 Sam. xii. 13. It is a good sign of a soul truly humbled, when it joins issue at once v ith the word.
Obs. 9. jVliliction sanctified brings men to see and acknowledge their sins. God in afflictions marks men out, and then conscience will prey upon them, as Simeon and Levi fell on the men of Shechem, for then they are sore and unable to resist. In time of affliction thou .shalt find conscience hard enough for thee: what pangs have men in their sickness! saving, as he in Prov. v. 12, “How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof!” Oh what a deal r,f guilt is opened and discovered in aflliction! Afflictions are to the soul as earthquakes to the ground, which opens the graves and discovers abundance of filth.
Obs. 10. It is a sign of a hai-d heart not to confess when God’s hand is upon us. Even Pharaoh did this: and it is that which God requires: Joshua bids Achan, “My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him.” Confession gives glory to God, and when thou standest out in this thing, thou opposest God in his glory. Latimer reports of a man in his time, who was to be executed at Oxford for some villany, that many means were used to induce him to confess the act, but none could prevail: being cut down, after hanging the apjjointed time, they perceived he was not rjuite dead, and by the use of means brought him to himself, when he confessed all circumstances. This example may show us thus much, not always to conclude men are not guilty when they confess notlung; there is that stoutness in the hearts of
men, that they will rather venture damnation than yield to men.
Obs. 11. God will have glory from us. If we do not acknowledge our guilt by lesser judgments, he will continue, yea, even increase them, tiU we confess and give glory to him. Our unwillingness to do this, is often the reason that we are so long under trouble: sLu in the conscience lies as purulent matter in a sore, requh-ing to be let out before ease can be obtained. God calls for confession, and no true j)eace otherwise can be enjoyed; O therefore, sinner, confess and give gloiy to God. How many are there who have lain a long time under anguish of spirit, till they have freely and fully confessed the sins which lay heay and burdensome on their conscience! Neglect not this duty when you are called to it, it is an ordinance appointed by God for the easing of troubled souls; and when you cannot get peace any other way, having used other means, and yet God withholds the light of his countenance, then ai’e you called to confess to others. See what course David took, and how he sped, Psal. xxxix. 2 — 4, “I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good;” I roared and was vexed, but I said, I would confess my sin, and shame myself for them, and then thou forgavest the sin of thy servant. Mark here, there was some sin which lay upon David’s conscience, and he could not get peace in again; what coui’se takes he? I (said he) did but say, I would confess; and then thou forgavest my sin, thou didst then seal a ]iardon to me. O take this com-se, and thou shalt have the like success. God comes to thee in a sickness, and saith. Sinner, guilty, or not guUty? give God then the gloiT of a humble confession. It is true, to confess ofiences against men to men, there may be danger in it, making us liable to trouble; but confession of ofiences against God never causes tiouble.
“And seek my face;” that is, my favour, my Son, and my ordinances, for, in general, God’s face is nothuig else but God’s manifestation of himself in his love, in his Son, or in his ordinances; and it is a most blessed thing thus to behold God’s face. Rev. xxii. 4: this is what David so earnestly prayed for, “Lord, lift up the light of thy countenance upon me:” one sight of God is better than all the world. To see God any way is sweet, but to see him in Christ is suqjassing excellent: in the world, we have nothing of God but his mere footsteps, but in Christ is the great manifestation of the wisdom, mercy, and love of God to poor, lost man. And in the ordinances, too, God communicates himself in an especial manner. In these three things are shown to us the meaning of those words, “and seek my face.” The observations from them are these:
06s’. 12. It is not enough to acknowledge our sins, but we must seek God’s face. The heart, in the work of humiliation, must be active: the soul which is truly himibled before God, must be lively and active after God, else our humihation is worth nothing in his sight. AVhen the heart is sullen and dcsjtonding in its humiliation, God looks not at it. Thus in Ezek. xxsiii. 10, we read of some who ai-e said to “pine away” in their sin. Many, when God begins to afflict them with their sins, and to excite some trouble in their minds, pine away in their iniquity, are deterred from duty, and lie doMi under their trouble discontented and melancholy; and this is a very bad sign: therefore here is the test whether our trouble of conscience be genuine or not; if it arises from melancholy, it dulls the heart, banishes all spirit and activity, anil renders it wholly unfit for service; but if time, it enlivens the soul, animates the mind, though naturally dull and inactive, and makes the whole man energetically zealous, it puts the soul in ways of activity for God. when in the service of Ciod. The melting of lead consumes the lead, but the melting of silver refines and purifies it: so the trouble of a car-Vee. Ij.
nal heart melts and consumes it, but a gracious spuit will abide the fii“e, and come out purer and better; therefore repentance is expressed by a -word implying activity, Isa. Iv. 1, “Come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk.” Matt. xi. 28, “Come unto me.” A ti’ue penitent heart is in an active, coming posture, fitted for any service.
04.?. 13. When God leaves his people, he leaves something behind him, which causes the heart to seek after him; the soul has her eyes upon God, looking after laim. Therefore, much are they to be reproved, who are so full of their sad conclusions and desperate forebodings, I am undone and lost for ever, there is no hope, to hell I must go: but a gracious heart, in the darkest night of sorrow and trouble can see some glimpses of light and comfort, sajing as that good man, Ezra x. 2, “Yet there is hope in Israel concerning this thing;” and as the church in Isa. xlii. 24, ‘• Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the Lord, he against whom we have sinned?” What follows? “Thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not,” Isa. xliii. 1.
Let us lay up this to support our spuits with in sad times; we know not what days await us, yet sm-ely we cannot be in a sadder condition than Ephr-aim was in here, to have God to be to us as a moth and as a lion to tear and devour us. Many make their conditions worse by then- desperate conclusions. Austin observes, that David prayed earnestly that he might not be cast out from that face which he had offended. Is God angry with us or the kingdom? let us not run away from him, but earaestly seek him.
Obs. 14. True repentance is not so much to seek our own ease, as God’s face. The face of God is more in the heart and thoughts of a true penitent, than its own ease: 2 Chron. vii. 14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear fi’om heaven, and will forgive their sin, and win heal their land.” AVe may seek our own good, but we must go beyond it; it is God, and not ourselves only, which we must seek after in our seekings after God. This has been the practice of the saints: Psal. lxiii. 1, “O God. thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thii-steth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thii’sty land, where no water is;” not for water “in a dry and thirsty land,” but for thy face. So Isa. xxvi. 8, “Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.” We seek God in our days of humiliation, and that earnestly; but what are our ends? Is it that we may have our peace, our ease, oiu’ estates, and our lives? We may indeed desire and seek for these, but do we seek the face of God more even than these? if so, we may hope that our requests will be granted.
But what is God’s face? Ut amplecterentur verbitm et cultus in verba propositos, hoc proprie est fades Dei, quo se recelat, et nobis conspiciendum offert: It is the word, and God’s worship propounded in the word, &c., saith Calvin, as upon this place, so on that, “Seek ye my face.” Whence,
06s. 15. God’s ordinances and worship are his face. The soul never knows God or has close communion with him, as in these; in other things darkly, in these with open face. The creatures are but his footsteps; these his countenance, whereby we know him better than by the other.
Obs. 16. Repenting hearts are solicitous about God’s ordinances. As soon as they begin to know God and themselves, they begin to disrelish those ways of worship which satisfied them before.
Obs. 17. The worship of God, his name, and his
ordinances, should be the objects of our great concern in times of public calamity. Though our sufferings are great, yet we should pray. Lord, take care of thy great name, ordinances, and worship, which are dearer to us than any thing in the world; therefore, O Lord, whether we have peace and liberty or not, our estates or not, take care of these and it suffices; let England enjoy but thy name, thine ordinances, and the government of thy Son, and we have enough. Lord, thou knowest our peace, oiu- lives, and estates are dear to us, and we desire them all; but thy gospel, thy presence, and the manifestation of thy face are dearer than they all, and other things are sought by us in subservience to these. Oh that this frame of spkit were found in us! then how soon would the Lord return and heal all our breaches, and destroy our enemies, and settle us in a sure peace! 1 Kings viii. 44 — 53.
“In their affliction they will seek me early.” Hezekiah sends to the prophet, Isa. xxxvii. 3, and tells him that it was “a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy,” as it is with us at this day; “wherefore,” saith he, “lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left:” and saith my text, “In their afflictions they will seek me early.” Now when men’s minds are dejected and cast down with every rumom- of fear. Providence seems to have presented them here a very seasonable subject of meditation, especially if you connect these words with the beginning of the following chapter, as is done by the Septuagint and Jerome, who read them thus: “In their affliction they will seek me early: come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.” The fii’st words are a prophecy of what the Lord will work in his people Judah, “In their affliction they will seek me early,” and then follows the ready response of the church, “Come, and let us return unto the Lord;” this was God’s design in tearing them. And now from the connexion of these two, God’s wounding, and then’ returning unto him again,
Obs. 18. ThatwhichGodaimsatinhis administrations to his elect he vtII accomplish. In my tearing them I aim at their good, and I will effect it. God useth many means, his word, his works, and his encouragements, and all these are of veiy great force and power to accomplish his gracious pm-poses; and though in the ungodly they do not, yet in the elect they are efficacious; God leaves not them to the means, but he will see that the means effect that good which they require. “Tien God sends the gospel to any place, it meets with two sorts of people, reprobates and elect; now God does to them all that is fit for him to do, and if they do not or will not receive it, he goes his way and leaves the reprobates to themselves, but the elect he follows after with the means, and accomplisheth the good he aims at. Some express it thus, A man has his servant and his child sick of the stone; he provides a remedy for both; brings the surgeon to his servant, tells him that he is willing to be at the cost, but the servant refuseth, choosing rather to sufi’er the misery and pain than undergo the operation: the master seeing this goes away, and comes to his child, who refuses likewise; but’from Mm the father goes not away, but commands his child to be bound, and will see the surgeon perform his office. So God offers the means to all; the reprobates refuse it, God lets them alone; the saints refuse it also, but God will not permit this, but sets the means home upon them by his almighty power.
But touching the words themselves, y,^ j.^^ „„^. “They will seek me early,” the Hebrew |j| iig“j.o; has but one word ‘jsnntt” to express all i^’^^’lll’jie^i’jjthese by, as if he should say. They shall manequa:rcre.Sept morning me, they shall come in the “pp’S“”- morning of their time and seek me. For the further opening these words.
“What time does this seeking of God refer to? when did the Jews thus seek God? It refers to these three periods:
1. A’hen the seventy years were at an end. And this was fulfilled in Dan. ix., Ezra ix., and Xch. ix.; then they sought God early, when their sorrows and opjjressions were greater than in Egj-pt, as Jeremiah in the Lamentations expresses it.
2. Under their captivity and oppression by the Romans. A’hen Christ came into the world, three tliou- .sandwere converted at one sermon which Peter preached to them, Acts ii., and multitudes came in dailv, Acts xxi. 20.
3. At the calling of the Jews, who are now in a most sad and deplorable condition; then shall this be principally fulfilled.
How did they seek God in any of these times early? for in Daniel’s time, he saith, “All this eil is come upon us; yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth,” chap. ix. 13: they never prayed to God in all the time of their captivity with any seriousness till the end of it came. Then for the second time, how did they seek God cai’ly at Christ’s coming, when the Scripture tells us, John i. 11, that “He came unto his own, and his own received him not?” they crucified him, and were very bitter enemies to him, even to the death. And for the third time, the calling of the Jews, how did they seek him early? for it is two thousand three hundred years since this prophecy was spoken, and yet they have not sought God; how then is this fulfilled, that they sought God early? To this interpreters answer,
1. This is to be understood not in respect of the time, but as soon as they came to be illuminated, to have their eyes open, to see any thing of the truth, in the morning of theii- day of grace: as in Cyrus’s time, and suddenly at Peter’s sermon, and hereafter, when the coming of the Son of man shall be as the lightning: this time seems to be called the day-star arising in their hearts, 2 Pet. i. 19. The calling of the Jews shall be suddenly, therefore, in Rev. ii. 28, they are promised “the morning-star,” that is, some beginnings of a day of grace; those which overcome shall partake of the good of that day, and then shall be the time in which the people shall seek God early.
2. “Seek me early,” may mean, seek me diligently; as Prov. vii. 15, “Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.” I came forth to seek thee early in the morning; the word is the same with this in the text. And thus this was fulfilled in the time of their captivity; Neh. iv. 17 — 20, they built the walls diligently, or earnestly, having their weapons in one hand, and their tools in the other. So the spouse sought Christ diligently; and in the apostles’ time. Acts li. 37, they cry out, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” And when the Jews are called, it is lirophesicd of them, that they shall be as doves Hying to the windows, Isa. Ix. 8. Ilence,
Obi: 19. In the sorest and greatest afflictions which befall the people of God, God intends their good. I Avijl return unto my place, that they may seek me early: in all this that is come upon them, I mtend them no hurt, but every way much good. Isa. xxvii. 9, “By ibis therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin.” The 14tli verse of Isa. xxvi., compared with the 19th verse of the same, shows God’s different dealing in afHicting the wicked and the godly. In the Hth verse we have God’s dealing with the wicked, “They are dead, they shall not live; they arc deceased, they shall not rise; “the wicked are dead, and being dead, shall never rise: but in the 19th verse, when he speaks of the saints, he Baith,” Thy dead men shall live, together with my
dead body shall they arise.” The Scrijitures make a marked distinction between the anger of God and the anger of men: men in their anger seek the destruction sometimes of those against whom they are incensed; but God loves in his anger; the spring of his anger to his people is love. The outward administrations of God both to the wicked and the godly may be one and the same, yet the root from whence they come very different, they may be love and kindness to the one, but wrath and hatred to the other.
06.V. 20. God has little honour in this world. God licre speaks of his own people, they seek him, but it is but seldom, except when in afflictions; and if the service they ])crform be small, what has he from other men? If men make use of you for their necessities and in their extremities only, you take it unkindly, and think they serve themselves more than respect you. Oh how ill may God take it then from us, when he seldom or never hears from us but in our extremities! m
Obs. 21. Times of afflictions aie times for seeking I God. This is the apostle’s advice, •’ Is any among you i
afflicted? let him pray,” James v. 13. And Isa. xxvi. 1(), “Lord, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them:” “they poured out a prayer,’’ to thee, not by drops now and then, but a strong, unbroken stream; “a prayer,” in the singular number, denoting that they made then- prayers but as one continued act: the word U’nS rendered there “prayer” signifies incantation, as in words used for such a pui-pose there is supposed to be much efficacy; so here, their prayers were very powerful to prevail with God. The voice of prayer is well-pleasing to God when fervent.
In the time of affliction the soul sees that it has to deal with God; the false medium, the delusive glosses wherewith sin was wont to be disguised, are then removed, they see sin as sin. Luther saith, that many of Paul’s Epistles could not be understood but by the cross. Men in prosperity can dispute against the truth, and grow wanton witH it; but let God but lay his hand upon them, how easily will they j-ield! Afflictions awaken the conscience, so that the tniths of God come with J more power: “He openeth also their eai’ to discipline, m and commandeth that they return from iniquity,” Job lxxxiii. 16; xxxli. 10. Did not God command them before? Yes, but not with the same power and efficacy.
Obs. 22. When the Lord is pleased to work grace in the heart, that heart is taken off from all creature helps. They dare not go with Ephraim to king Jareb; they dare hot go to councils or to armies for relief, j but’ to God; how are they then to be blamed who seek to the devil for help in distress! To rest on men is 1 evil, much more upon the devil. Do any of you go to enchanters or wizards to fuid God? you may seek him, but shall not find him.
Obs. 23. “We are not to be discouraged in seeking God, though afllictions drive us to it. This people sought God, but their afflictions constrained ihetn to do so, yet God accepted them.
Sit not down despauing in your afflictions, saying, God will never be gracious, our seeking him is to no purpose. It is true, as Jephthah said to the people, “Do you now come to me in yoiu: distress?” so God may justly say. Do you now come to me in your sorrows and miseries”, when you cast me off in your prosperity? I confess it is verv dangerous to put off seeking God till then, but if then God be pleased to work upon your heaits, be not discouraged, but seek him still. So Joel saith, that in his affliction he sought the Lord: but did the Lord answer him? Yea, his requests were granted.
Obs. 24. An acceptable seeking of God must be an early seeking. Now, men are said to seek God early,
1.’ In the morning of their years. Allien the young
make this text true in the letter of it, it is well-pleasing to God. It may be God laid his hand on thee in thy youth, and then revealed the knowledge of himself to thee, thy misery by sin, thy remedy in his Son, so that the church’s prayer was thine, PsaL xc. 14, “O satisfy us early with thy mercy.” How many sins are by this prevented! Your father or master, if godly, would give a world (if they had it) that they had begun sooner to serve the liOrd, and to seek him early; therefore bless God who has put it into your hearts to seek him. John was the young disciple, and he in his youth began to know Christ; and of all the disciples none had such respect showed them as John, for it is said that he lay in Christ’s bosom, and Christ loved him.
2. In the morning of God’s revealing himself. As soon as ever God begins to discover himself, we should then seek him early; the soul should say, as Paul, “I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision;” “neither conferred I with flesh and blood,” Acts xxvi. 19; Gal. i. 16. Has God set up a light in your consciences? and has it discovered to you your misery? and have you hearkened to its voice? AYhat have you done since? Is sin reformed? Are you changed in the inner man? Is Christ formed in you, and exalted upon his throne in your hearts? Is your will subjected to the will of God, and yoiu’ whole man delivered up to the government of God? Blessed of the Lord art thou if it be so. But contrariwise, is sin let in, and liked as well as ever, after these stu’rings and convictions of conscience? Then are you far from the number of those who are early seekers of God.
i. AVhen we seek him with fervency and diligence. AA’hen God’s hand is out against us, he then looks that we should seek him with intentiveness of s]nrit. See )iow the church seeks God, Isa. xxvi. 9, “AVith my soul have I desii-ed thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me ^yill I seek thee early.” When was this? In a grievous night of affliction, when they were in great troubles; then to seek God earl)’, with their spirits within them, is most emphatical. So Acts xii. 5, prayer was made by the church for Peter “without ceasing;” it was continued prayer, prayer stretched out: even so ought our prajers to be lifted up with fervency. True prayer is active and working; the fervent prayer of the righteous prevails much with God, James v. 16. Lively, working prayers are prevailing prayers.
But what is it to seek God diligently? AVhen we seek him,
1. AVitli all other things under our feet, when all other things are contemned in comparison. AVhen the soul is carried out after God with a panting, longing desire, as the hart after the water-brooks.
2. AVith our whole heart. The heart is not divided in the work, every part is employed; as Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. xx. 3, ‘• feared, and set himself to seek the Lord,” gave himself wholly to the work.
3. AA’hen the soul bears down all difficulties in seeking God, when nothing shall keep him oft’ his work; as Jacob wrestled with God, and would not let him go till he blessed him, Gen. xxxii. 24 — 26. So the woman of Canaan, how earnestly did she seek to Christ for her daughter, and would not be discouraged by difficulties! Matt. XV. 22 — 2 j.
4. AATien no means are neglected to be used whereby that which we seek may be obtained. The soul trie’s every means, and follows God in all his ways, that it may find him; as the poor woman who followed Christ from place to place to touch the hem of his garment; Christ could not be hid from her.
5. AA’hen we resolve even to die in the pursuit; when it is our constant practice living, and our resolutions dying; as Jacob, the nearer the dawning of the day approached, the more earnest was he. How contrary are the practices of too many, who at the first seek ‘God
early, and earnestly too, yet after a while leave off and grow cold! Oh that it were not thus with us at this day! The Lord has brought us low at this time, yea, our condition is sad. True, there is a sphit of seeking abroad in the land, but now God calls for a quickening of this. “Be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;”’ in the original it is, ZhnTSQ, boiling in spirit; let us so seek him now, that hereafter we may praise him. “They shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever,” Psal. xxii. 26. How sweet are those mercies which are won by prayer, and worn with praises! Therefore now stir up the gift that is within you: you that never prayed before, pray now; and you that have prayed before, cjuicken your diligence and double your care. How much better is it to seek God than men! to cry to God for mercy than to cursed men! God might have made your condition as the condition of your brethren. How many are this day fleeing for their lives, and begging mercy at the hands of barbarous, bloodthirsty, merciless monsters! and j’ou are yet in peace, seeking your God, for yourselves and them.
But it may be asked, AATiy should we seek God? Can we do any thing to move God? AViU God be the sooner entreated by us?
I answer. No, the words mean not that we can alter or change God’s mind; but such exhortations as these are to fit and prepare us for mercy, to raise our spuits to a suitable frame and disposition for mercies expected and desked. And thus we leave this rich mine of the fifth chapter, which has been so fruitful in affording many choice truths; and come to the sixth, a rich mine also of heavenly and most seasonable directions, no less useful than the former.