eminent strength and greatnesse imaginable and cannot only make strong holds a vain refuge in a day of vengeance but is able to overturn more confidences then man can build up for his own security To dwell in the clefts of the rock is but a smal thing for Gods power to reach and yet it was the height of that which Edom had to boast of for Though thou exalt thy self as the eagle and though thou set thy nest among the stars thence will I bring thee down Ver. 5. If theeves came to thee if robbers by night how art thou cut off would they not have stollen till they had enough if the grape gatherers came to thee would they not leave some grapes 6. How are the things of Esau searched out how are his hid things sought up A second vain confidence is their wealth and treasures wherewith men use to help themselves in their extremities The Lord threatens to make these a prey to their enemies who after their victory being without fear of ambushes should at leasure seek out and carry away even their hidden Treasures and so their spoiling should not be ordinary but complete even to admiration VVhence learn 1. Riches treasured by those whom God hath a quarrel at are so far from helping or delivering them in a day of wrath or from doing the owners good that they are justly given as a prey to their enemies Edoms things an searched out and sought up 2. As the children of the Lord art to read the mercy of their trials by considering how moderate they are in respect of judgements upon enemies so the wicked may see the severity of God in what their stroaks are beyond ordinary for this end is Edoms spoiling set before him as being beyond what theeves and robbers by night use to do who use not to take all away but what may suffice as not being able to carry all or not daring for fear to stay and search out all and beyond what grape-gatherers do in vineyards who according to the Law Lev. 19.10 or because they cannot reach all with their eye do still leave some grapes whereas the things of Esau are searched out and his hidden things sought up 3. The stroaks that God hath appointed for such as not only live wickedly but also turn enemies and persecutors of his Church are complete and far beyond the ordinary visitations that come upon the children of men This comparison betwixt Esau's stroak and robbers their picking imports that the one had been in some sort a mercy and delivery in respect of the other 4. However the wicked be senselesse and fearlesse when God threatens them yet his stroak will make them feel and awake them for this Exclamation How art thou cut off how are the things of Esau searched out c. doth imply not any pity in the Lord or his Prophet towards them but that the judgments should astonish and affect themselves when it came upon them Ver. 7. All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee and prevailed against thee they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee there is none understanding in him 8. Shall I not in that day saith the LORD even destroy the wise men out of Edom and understanding out of the mount of Esau The third vain confidence is the help of their confederates the Narions round about them and especially Egypt whose interest it was to engage the Edomines who lay in their frontiers against the Chaldeans The Lord threatens to make these the occasion and instruments to promote their ruine for all their confederates should engage them to oppose the Chaldeans at the border of their Countrey which was in effect to cast them out of it as the phrase also in the Original signifies their friends and intimate familiars by subtilty and fair pretences should ensnare them to run on their own hurt and ruine as if they had given them a bed to lye on and yet hid a dagger in it with the point upward to slay them And this is more fully cleared by reading the words thus as the Original hâ—th it without addition of any words which are put in the Translation They have laid thy bread a wound ander thee signifying that their bread which they had from Egypt was the snare that drew them on their ruin Doct. 1. According to the sin of a Person or Nation so ordinarily is their judgement for Edom broke off that brotherly amity that ought to have been betwixt his brother Jacob and him therefore he is peid in his own coine his heathen confederates are his ruine He sinned in breaking bonds and he is plagued in that other bonds break him and are broken to him All the men of thy confedracie have brought thee even to the border c. 2. God can make those to be instruments of sinners ruine who in appearance are very near friends and can make confederacies wherein men conside the short cut to their destruction Edom was ruined by his confederates and the men that were at peace with him 3. The confederacies and alliances of politick men are not to be trusted in they being led only by their own State-interests and not minding their benefit with whom they carry fairest but only their own advantage for so did Edoms confederates The men that were at peace with him deceived him they gave him bread for a wound under him to put them betwixt themselves and the dint of the enemy The fourth vaine confidence is their wisdome and prudence whereby they might think to manage their affairs dexterously and to the best advantage as it seems they have been famous for this Jer. 49.7 Concerning this the Lord foretels that for all their wisdom they should not be able so much as to discern and prevent the treachery of their confederates And that because the Lord would when they were ready for the stroak deprive them of wisdom either by taking away such as were wise or turning their wisdome into folly Hence learn 1. When the Lord hath ruine to bring upon a people their wisdome and policy will not avert it He can deprive men of wisdom to manage their affairs he can make the wisest to be over-reached and out-witted and can make what they think their wisest course prove greatest folly in the issue for Edom is wise and many confederacies seemed a wise course to strengthen themselves and yet in all this there is no understanding in him to discern the snares in it 2. That wherein men are most eminent and are ready to conside most in will prove vain when they have most need that the pride of all glory will be stained for The wise men are destroyed out of Edom and understanding out of the mount of Esau who were a wise people Excellencies confided in are a disadvantage 3. Whatever wisdome or excellencies be in men they are all Gods gift and
for so much doth his way in the whirlwind storm and clouds teach These suddenly confound what they surprize and clouds and stormes do darken the face of a clear skie and Gods way in these points at the suddennesse thereof Prov. 10.25 Isa 19.1 5. The Lord manifesting himself in his great glory doth but so to say obscure himself in respect of our infirmity which cannot comprehend his glory in its brightnesse for so much doth his manifestation of himself environed with dark stormes or tempests and thick lowring clouds teach See Psal 97.2 6. Gods dispensations even when they are most dreadfull and terrible in effects may yet be deep and unsearchable and his purpose and counsell in them hard to discern for so much further doth his way in whirlwindes stormes and clouds which involve and darken all teach Ver. 4. He rebuketh the sea and maketh it drie and drieth up all the rivers Bashan languisheth and Carmel and the flower of Lebanon languisheth 5. The mountaines quake at him and the hills melt and the earth is burnt at his presence yea the world and all that dwell therein This power of God is yet further described from the effects thereof that he can in his anger drie up seas and rivers as of old appeared at the red-sea and Jordan he can blast the beauty of fertile and pleasant places such as Lebanon for trees Bashan for pasture and Cormel for corn he can make the stable hills to quake and melt like wax or snow the earth to burn up with drought or as Sodome was destroyed yea and can dissolve all the creatures and make the habitable world feel the effects of his power from all which Learn 1. The power of God is much to be studied by all those who oppose him and by them who expect help from him in trouble therefore this ample description of his power is recorded 2. Whatever men do conceit of themselves yet it is no small task to give God the glory of omnipotency and fix faith upon him as able to do whatsoever he pleaseth for this commendation of his power is no vain repetition but importeth that neither do enemies fear it nor his people trust it as they ought 3. The Lord doth give such ample proofs of his power in his works of providence upon the creatures in heaven and earth as may clearly confirm us in the faith of his omnipotency which are therefore to be studied that we may be confirmed this is held forth in what he doth dailyin the air in stormes and clouds v. 3. and in what he can do upon seas rivers hills c. whereof ample proof hath been given as is recorded in Scripture 4. All the creatures are subject to the power of God to be disposed of and their ordinary course to be overturned at his pleasure for he makes seas and rivers dry makes fruits to wither hills and earth to melt and burn and the world to be turned upside-down Ver. 6. Who can stand before his indignation and who can abide in the fiercenesse of his anger his fury is poured out like fire and the rocks are thrown down by him From the former evidences of Gods power upon the creatures the Prophet inferreth the inability of any to stand or endure when an angry God calleth them before his tribunal and that because his anger being attended with invincible power would as a fire burn up all before it without mercy and can overturn hard rocks as at Christs death and 1. Kings 19.11 Doct. 1. The Lords indignation against sin would be looked upon as attended with divine Omnipotency able to make the creature feel it sadly for so doth this dependence teach See Psal 90.11 2. No attribute in God how dreadfull soever is formidable to any but to the man who provokes him to anger and continueth therein without repentance Therefore is his dreadfull power held forth as a ground to this conclusion Who can stand before his indignation and who can abide in the fiercenesse of his anger 3. It is but mad presumption in wicked men to think to decline Gods judgement-seat or to keep their feet when he is angry for God will draw them to his tribunal and having rebuked and condemned them will cast them out of his presence and destroy them in his fierce displeasure for who can stand before his indignation c 4. When Gods anger is rightly considered when the effects thereof upon the creatures are seen and when man becometh well acquainted with his own weaknesse he will easily see the folly of standing out against God for his fury is poured out like fire upon combustible matter such as man is before him and the rocks aâ—e thrown down by him how much more weak man Ver. 7. The LORD is good a strong hold in the day of trouble and he knoweth them that trust in him Followeth a description of God in his mercy that he is good and meek a defence in trouble and an approver of and carer for such as are his people and trust in him and as the former description of his power and justice was verified upon the Assyrians so this hath relation to the behaviour and successe of Hâ—zekiah and Judah who trusting in God 2 Kings 18.5 2 Chron. 32.8 were protected and delivered Doct. 1 The people of God ought to be such as fleeing out of themselves and renouncing all trust in humane helps and confidences do make God their onely refuge both against sin and trouble for so doth the word rendered trusting import they trust in him 2. The Lord in his greatest majesty and terriblenesse is still good and favourable to such as trust in him for after the description of his power and justice is subjoyned The Lord is good See Mat. 28.4 5. 3. The people of God ought to resolve for times of trouble and strait which yet is without any prejudice to the goodnesse of God toward them as being sent to do them good and to their advantage for the Lord â—s good and yet it is implied that there will be the day of trouble and but a day not an eternity of it 4. The power of God which is imployed against enemies is forth-coming for the comfort of his people in their need for thereby is he a strong hold or strength 5. The Lords goodnesse his protection and defence is best known and discerned in times of difficulty for the Lord is good a strong hold in the day of trouble His peoples wanting of difficulties would take away the sense of what he is to them and for them Psal 31.7 6. The Lord not onely as omniscient knoweth but doth approve and hath a care of such as lean to him and give him the glory of his attributes by believing for he knoweth them that trust in him Ver. 8. But with an over-running flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof and darknesse shall pursue his enemies The Prophet proceeds to apply this description of God
times are we little the better but do sit downe in bitterness as if all felicity were lost if we find it not where we expected it and thus do we neglect the true remedy of our gievances and do provoke God to consume our dayes in vanity and our years in trouble Psal 78.33 How great cause then have wee to admire and lament the folly of the children of men who do so farre mistake and upon their mistake do forsake their own mercy whereunto they are led by the discovering of the emptinesse of all things beside God who do quarrell with the wise and holy dispensations of God whereby a foundation might be laid for much good if they were wisely considered when yet their quarrellings can availe or help them nothing and who doe not improve such dispensations for the end for which they are appointed but either sit downe stupidly under them or grow the worse that paines are taken on them or at least doe pine away under the punishment of their iniquity and do howle upon their beds for corne and wine and oyle but return not to the most High Hos 7.14.16 And on the other hand we have cause to admire the mercie of God toward his own chosen ones in that he will so to say make them happy against their wils and when they would destroy and deceive themselves with a vaine shew he in mercy to them wil famish their idols and drive them from snares as he did Lot out of Sodome And when the Lord hath dealt so hardly with them as many times in their bitterness they want language to express it yet he wil let them see their mistake by giving them meat even out of that eater and by setting them on work to mind their country more and to see the Commandments exceeding broad when they have seene an end of all perfection Psal 119.96 And he will discover the riches of his grace and fulness of his spiritual comforts by making his people bless him and acknowledg the mercy of these dispensations which somtimes they so much startled at Psal 119.71 75. and causing the voice of rejoycing and salvation even in the pilgrime tabernacles of the righteous Psa 118.15 Herein Madam your Ladiship hath cause to observe the loving kindness of the Lord toward you who from your tenderest years having been exercised with difficulties of sundry kinds and having experienced this truth of the vanity of all things yet your Ladiship hath obtained mercy to be led thereby and much more by the Law and by the love and hope of mercy through Jesus Christ to seek after a more enduring substance and after Christ that pearle of price which is indeed a token for good even in lots wherein God seemeth to write most bitter things when they set hearts on work this way And as it hath been refreshful to such of the Lords servants and people as know your Ladiships way and exercise to see your sweet submission under the Lords hand and your desire and care to have afflictions rather blessed then removed and to make sure your interest in Christ when the throng of other things might rather have put flesh and blood to other exercise so it hath laid a special obligation upon my self as having been a witness thereunto at several occasions to be instrumental as the Lord shall enable for your Ladiships furtherance and encouragement therein which together with my obligations to make some acknowledgment of the many respects it hath pleased your Ladiship to shew unto me for the truths cause have induced me to make bold in dedicating unto your Ladiship this piece upon some of the Lesser Prophets who were the faithful Interpreters of the Law of God applying the same unto the sins of several times and who do point out the infallible and true causes of calamities lamities with the use to be made thereof and the true remedy thereof to wit Christ the hope of whom to be manifested in the flesh for the Redemption of lost man was the godlies life in these dayes and much more ought he to be so now when the substance is come and that abundance of grace and truth treasured up in him is brought to light by the Gospel If these my weak endeavours may prove serviceable to any of the Lords people in their exercises and journey toward Heaven and in special to your Ladiship that shall be more then abundant recompence unto MADAM Your Ladiships obliged Servant in the Gospel GEORGE HUTCHESON To The READER Christian Reader I Do here present thee with an Exposition of some of the lesser Prophets concerning which and my undertaking thereof I do in the entry give this briefe account As I have looked upon a short Exposition of holy Scripture joyned with the principal doctrines flowing there from after the mould of the Reverend Mr. David Dickson his late peece upon Matthew as a special means through Gods blessing for promoting of truth and piety and for preventing of errours so I little thought to have undertaken any such thing my self when so many godly able and experienced Ministers of the Gospel did not for reasons knowne to themselves put hand to it But being some yeers ago seriously invited with divers others by the Reverend Author of that Exposition on Matthew to concur with him in prosecuting that purpose which he had begun and hath since made further progress into upon the booke of Psalmes I did then essay some of these Prophets being at that time recommended unto me and of late at his desire living now through Gods providence in one City I have looked upon them over again and adventured to present these to publick view if so be it may invite others who have more ability and leisure to mind and help forward such a work upon the whole Bible which is a study beside the profit the Church of God might reape thereby I am confident wil richly recompence the undertakers in their own bosome by many advantages As this recommendation did determine me to the choice of these Prophets in this undertaking so this narration may shorten my account concerning the mould of this piece seeing I have conformed my self so far as my weakness could reach or the nature of the subject being oftentimes very dark and obscure would admit to the mould followed in the Exposition upon Matthew formerly mentioned I have found it necessary beside a short summe of each Chapter in the entrie to premit some short Exposition of the words before the doctrines which is inlarged when neede is in clearing the deductions of each Doctrine In the Exposition I have pointed upon occasion at other Scriptures helping to cleare the place but for the Doctrines I did not set my selfe to bring Scripture confirming them it being my desire that no more be admitted or received here then such as clearly flow from the text in hand only where a passage occured to memory for illustration of the Doctrine I have added it as affording
birth-right for red pottage Gen. 25.29 30. c. 4. The counsel and providence of the Lord extends it self and is exercised not only about his Church but even among enemies he who reignes in the midst of enemies hath to say concerning Edom. 5. Albeit the enemies of God and his people be little sensible of their own condition and what God intends against them yet the Church is not left ignorant of what God will do with these enemies but in his Sanctuary and from his Word it may be seen We saith he that is I and my fellow Prophets Ezchiel and Jeremiab and by our Ministery the Church of God have heard a rumour from the Lord concerning Edom that is some taste of his dark counsel before it break forth in effect 6. It is a comfortable and useful doctrine to the Church to be instructed concerning Gods judgments to come upon her enemies partly that she may be comforted in her troubles in expectation that God will clear his affection toward her in plaguing those that wronged her And partly that she may hereby see what sins especially God is angry at to avoid them for these ends is a Prophet raised up to preach not in Seir but in Judah concerning Edom. 7. War is one of the sharp scourges whereby God punisheth wicked Nations and it cometh upon a people not accidentally but by the especial providence of God who hath Peace and War in his own hand and who when he hath any work to do can make instruments however led by their own principles and ends active and willing For it is from the Lord an ambassador is sent among the Heathen who not only stirs them up but makes them mutually to excite one another Arise ye and let us rise up in battel against her Ver. 2. Behold I have made thee small among the heathen thou art greatly despised The greatness of Edom's calamity by this war is held forth from its effects that hereby the Lord would diminish their number power wealth and reputation and put them beneath all other Nations and load them with contempt and ignominy Doct. 1. What ever instruments be imployed in inflicting any judgement yet God is to be eyed as having chief hand in them all I have made thee small saith the Lord. 2. The Lord pursuing for sin can bring down the greatest person and people in the world and lay them in the dust and poure contempt upon the most honourable I have made thee small and greatly despised 3. As the Lords judgements upon enemies are not readily foreseen or expected by them so when they come they are remarkable and to be remarked so much doth this Behold import 4. Things undertaken by God and foretold by him in his Word ought to be reckoned as certain as if they were already come to passe I made thee small thou art despised saith he Whereas yet it was but in his purpose and not accomplished 5. To be singular in afflictions or judgements or in the measure of them addeth to the weight and renders them more grievous for to be smal among the Heathen or Nations implies not only that Edom was reckoned among the Heathen Nations not of the Church but that God by his judgements should make him one of the smallest of them and that none should be so far brought under as he and this is told him as an aggravation of his stroke 6. As the Lords shewing mercy upon any makes way for mans mercy towards them also in so far as may be for their good Jer. 42.12 So when the Lord becomes a party in anger mens affections and respects will dry up for however Edom was esteemed of before yet when God dealeth with him he is greatly despised Ver. 3. The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock whose habitation is high that saith in his heart Who shall bring me down to the ground Ver. 4. Though thou exalt thy selfe as the Eagle and though thou set thy nest among the stars thence will I bring thee down saith the LORD For further confirmation of the judgement the Lord enlargeth and amplifies the former sentence from several considerations overturning all their vain confidences wherewith they were puffed up as supposing to be exempted from the stroak by them Whereby also the Lord partly discovers their pride and conceit because of these to be one of the causes of his controversie against them and partly also he explaines further the judgement to come upon them by threatning to pull down every one of these confidences and so make them completely miserable and contemptible The first vain confidence is the situation of their hilly Country and their Cities built upon inaccessible rocks of which as of the rest they were intolerably proud as conceiving their Country to be inaccessible and their Cities to be invincible Against which the Lord threatens that though they dwelt as high as the Eagle builds her nest yea as the Stars toward which Eagles mount yet he should reach them and debase them and so their Country should be invaded and their cities taken Doct. 1. Outward advantages and accommodations concurring with a natural heart usually do produce pride self-confidence insolency for Edom whose habitation is high is proud and saith in his heart Who shal bring me down to the ground whereas a renewed heart in all these is poor and dependeth on God 2. The Lord judgeth of mens pride no so much by their outward carriage which may be masked over with a shew of humility as by looking to their heart and diseerning the conceit and losty imaginations that reign there He eyeth the pride of Edoms heart 3. Of all the deceits that men are essayed with self-deceiving is one of the greatest when they are given up to delude themselves with vain imaginations and confidences thine heart hath deceived thee 4. As pride and conceit however it muster up mens excellencies before them is but a deluder and makes a shew of what will prove nothing as being either an evidence of being nothing in reality or that what they conceit of is blasted and withered so in particular however presumtion promise great things to make sinners secure and contemne Gods threatnings yet it doth but deceive and feed with vain hopes and will prove a deceiver in the end when there is most need of what they promised The pride of thine heart hath deceived c. 5. Pride in the creature is looked upon by God as a party against him as striking eminently at his glory in not depending on him and as affecting his throne and therefore provokes God though there were no other quarrel or enemy and ingages him to prove his power in abasing it Therefore that general defiance Who shall bring me down to the ground is answered by God as especially concerned I will bring thee down saith the Lord. 6. The Lord is able to reach man and bring him down in his most
Jerusalem we will not determine and making vowes for the future belike that they would dedicate themselves to God and professe the true Religion Doct. 1. In one work the Lord may have more holy purposes then one and besides what we see may be doing many other things For while he is pursuing Ionah he is also setting forth himself and preaching his power and justice to Pagans when Ionah refused to go to Nineveh and do it 2. The Lord can in a short time and by few means produce strange effects and changes upon the children of men even although they had not heard of him before For however it cannot certainly be determined whether these Mariners were indeed converted or whether it was Ionah's Doctrine revealing God and misery and mercy or their apprehension of God in this work that wrought most upon them yet this is certain that this short while of the tempest and calm and Ionah's preaching made a great change The men feared the Lord exceedingly c. 3. As the Lord can easily make up mens losses which they sustain in his providence so it ish is way sometimes to make up temporal losses with some spiritual advantage So these men whose ship and lives were in hazard and their goods lost are made up in that they had a Prophet among them and are brought to know somewhat of the true God which made it a rich voyage 4. The Lords dispensations among a people especially when they are accompanied with any thing of his Word calls for their improving them to some spiritual advantage so much doth their practise presse upon us while by considering on what they saw felt and heard they feared the Lord exceedingly 5. God rightly considered and taken up as he hath revealed himselfe and as he appeareth in some special acts of providence is exceeding dreadfull and to be stood in aw of For they feared him exceedingly 6. It is not a sufficient proofe of mens getting the fruit of Gods dispensations toward them when they onely affect and draw to some acknowledgement of him for the present but grow negligent for the future This they acknowledge in their practise they offered a sacrifice unto the Lord and made vowes for the time to come and engaged themselves to God Ver. 17. Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three dayes and three nights The Chapter closeth with the narration of Jonah's preservation though thus pursued by justice in a fishes belly where in a miraculous way hee was kept three dayes and three nights Doct. 1. When God is pursuing the rebellion of his children in a most severe way yet doth he not altogether cast off his mercy toward them but out of the abundance thereof moderates their affliction For The Lord pursuing Jonah had yet prepared a great fish to swallow him up 2. Gods providence over-rules and directs the motions of irrational creatures and Sea-monsters as pleaseth him For the Lord had prepared a great fish c. whereas it knew nothing but to range up and down in the Sea and swallow him as any other prey 3. God may have a mercy and proofe of love waiting upon his people in a time and place where it would be least expected For Jonah meets a mercy in the heart of a raging Sea into which hee is cast in anger as to be destroyed 4. Albeit the mercy of God will not destroy his guilty people in their afflictions yet his wisedome seeth it not fitting at first totally to deliver them but will have their faith exercised For Jonah is here arrested three dayes and three nights between hope and perplexity for his further exercising 5. God can when he seeth fit preserve his people from ruine in an incredible and miraculous way Therefore Jonah is not only swallowed whole by the fish not being hurt by its teeth but is preserved in the belly of the fish three dayes and three nights where he was in hazard of choaking for want of breath or of being digested by the fish into its own substance CHAP. II. THis Chapter containeth 1. Jonah's exercise in the fishes belly ver 1. And 2. An ample declaration of that his exercise penned after his deliverance with an addition of praise wherein he summarily rehearseth his trouble exercise and deliverance verse 2. and more fully enlargeth the narration of his trouble and exercise and how by faith he obtained victory while he was yet in the strait verse 3 4. And again declareth how his tentation assaulted him afresh by reason of his hopelesse condition that he may set forth Gods great bounty in his actual deliverance verse 5 6. All which being again summed up â—â—â—se 7. He by way of conclusion condemns mens following of crooked wayes ver 8. and promiseth praise v. 9. 3. A declaration of the way of his deliverance out of the fishes belly v. 10. Ver. 1. THen Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fishes belly FRom Jonah's exercise in this his prison learn 1. It is a kindly fruit of sanctified exercise in trouble to get insensiblenesse bitternesse quarrelling and the like distempers overcome and to set about humble prayer for Then Jonah prayed 2. It is requisite for the right performance of prayer in a strait that the Supplicant take up God in the Covenant of Grace as his own that so he may pray with humble confidence For Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God 3. The Lords correcting of his people for their sins is no evidence of his breaking Covenant with them now ought to hinder a convinced Saint from claiming an interest in God as a ground of his approach unto him for Jonah being under this sad stroak yet by faith prayed unto the Lord his God 4. As no condition or estate ought to discourage from prayer as if it were in vain to use it so rebels against God may have his favour to sue after by prayer in hard conditions because they would not otherwise study to please him for Jonah prayed out of the fishes belly where for disobedience to God he is put to pray with much disadvantage Ver. 2. And said I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD and he heard me out of the belly of hell cried I and thou heardest my voice The sum of his trouble exercise and issue of it as he recordeth it after his deliverance is That being by affliction brought as to the grave and under the dominion of death yet he prayed and got audience Doct. 1. The exercises and experiences of the children of God ought to be communicated one to another as they have a calling and opportunity for mutual instruction and edification for so doth Joâ—ah here He said I cryed c. which is not to be understood as if he had said this in the fishes belly for it is not a prayer but rather a thanksgiving but sheweth what he expressed after his deliverance and that he
Doct. 1. The Lord doth in great meeknesse and patience beare with the infirmities of his servants while they are in a distemper and while there is hope of recovery so much doth this gentle reproofe of great passion and stubbornnesse teach And so the mercy of God which he envied that it should be shewed to Nineveh is the cause of his owne safety 2. Gentle reproofs from God and his tender dealing with his children ought to take deepest impression upon them for therefore doth the Lord choose this way that Ionah seeing therein his goodnesse toward him who was so often out of course might be the more deeply convinced 3. The children of God when they cool of their fits will be most severe against themselves for their impatiency and miscarriage therefore doth the Lord appeal to Ionah himselfe being sober to judge of his owne way Doest thou wel to be angry as being the fittest Judge to passe an hard censure upon himselfe 4. It is a great iniquity and presumption in the creature to be angry at or quarrel with any of Gods wayes who is absolute and unsearchably deep in his counsels for saith he Doest thou a worme a potsheard and an owle who canst not discerne my wayes wel to be angâ—y Ver. 5. So Jonah went out of the city and sate on the East-side of the City and there made him a booth and sate under it in the shadow till he might see what would become of the City Ionah not pacified with this reproofe perseveres in his humour and goeth forth of the City and easeth himselfe the best he may from the Sunnes heat till hee yet see what may become of the City Whence learne 1. A child of God under tentations may be very hard to convince of his errour and may go on in his course even when God reproves him for it for Ionah thus reproved verse 4. goeth on and is intent upon the ruine of the City 2. Inordinate affections may not onely carry men to shew themselves in opposition to the Will of God but is a ready way to draw them to delusion while as men will not believe truth but according as they fancy and wish so will they still expect and look that things should be for the forty dayes being expired and Ionah being informed of Gods Will yet expecteth the satisfying of his desire He went out to see what would become of the City as judging possibly that since the precise day of Nineveh's ruine after the forty dayes was not fixed therefore they might perish yet or that possibly they would give over their repenting or that Gods sentence being formerly altered so might his purpose of mercy be 3. Even the children of God in the houre of tentation may vent such dispositions as are monstrous among men so much of old Adam is there in the most mortified and so much need is there to pray that we be not led into tentation for whereas Ionah a Prophet ought to have rejoyced at the successe of his Ministry and the repentance of sinners his mind is only bent upon the destruction of Penitents and it is his great eye-sore to see that City standing He sate to see what became of it as daily wishing its destruction and grieving that he saw it not 4. Smaller contentments and accommodations are to be chosen rather then greater delights by abiding in a place where Gods judgements are imminent therefore doth Ionah who expected and wished the ruine of Nineveh well in this respect that he will rather sit under the shadow of a Booth then abide in the City By which also the Ninevites might take occasion to repent yet more seriously seeing his removal might tell what he expected Ver. 6. And the LORD God prepared a gourd and made it to come up over Jonah that it might be a shadow over his head to deliver him from his grief So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd 7. But God prepared a worme when the morning rose the next day and it smote the gourd that it withered 8. And it came to passe when the Sun did arise that God prepared a vehement East-wind and the Sun beat upon the head of Jonah that he fainted and wished in himselfe to dye and said It is better for me to dye then to live Here the Lord doth first give Jonah matter of delight in a plant miraculously raysed up to cover his booth and keep him from the heat which increased his griefe then againe his passion is stirred up by occasion of the Lords sudden removing of the gourd and raysing such a wind as might effectually make the Sunne-beames beat upon him by all which the Lord layes a ground of more sensible reproving of him for his former biternesse Doct. 1. A spirit once broken and imbittered with troubles is easily grieved and stirred up for to Jonah heat is a griefe from which he must be delivered and which hee cannot well beare 2. The Lord in healing the infirmities of his people uses first to lance their sores and discover more of their putrefaction before he apply any healing plaisters therefore is Jonah's passion more kindled ere the former distemper be healed 3. God in his holy providence may ensnare men who are willfully given to passions with more occasion to make them vent more of their corruptions for so doth hee deale with Jonaâ— he gave him delight in a gourd and then tooke it from him and sent the beating Sunne to cast as it were oyle in the flame of his passion so dangerous is it to walk contrary unto God or to be violently carryed on with any corruption 4. From this sending of the gourd and the worme and the effects of it in Jonah we may see First the vanity of all earthly delights in that they all carry a worme of instability in their root which in short time will turne upside-downe all the expectations which men have from them for there is here the one day a flourishing gourd and the next day it is withered Secondly much delight in earthly contentments is ordinarily a fore-runner of much for-row in their removal for Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd but when it is withered he fainted Thirdly passion given way unto will soone turne men furious and absurd for Jonah upon the least discontent would be gone He wished in himselfe to dye and said It is better for me to dye then to live when the Sun beat upon him and the gourd was gone as if he should be exempted from bearing any thing so little are men themselves in their passions Ver. 9. And God said to Jonah Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd and he said I doe well to bee angry even unto death Before the Lord make use of all this to his holy purpose hee challengeth Jonah concerning this his discontent that so hee confessing his passion way may bee made for the reproofe Whence learne 1. In every action it is our duty to look on our selves as
nor exempt them from shame and confusion Doct 1. The Lords Word in the mouth of his messengers ought to be refreshing and a meanes of fructifying unto the Church and will prove so except it be to such as are neer unto cursing therefore is prophesying in the Original called dropping by a name taken from raine which refresheth and fructifieth the earth 2. A declining time and a faithfull Ministry will be still at odds and contending decliners would either be rid of the Word and Ministry altogether or if they think that too grosse yet they will allow of none but such as are made to their minde not of such as may bee instrumentall to frame them according to Gods minde Prophesie yee not say they to them that prophesie or Prophesie yee not let these prophesie 3. Howsoever the Lord will have his truth published so song as hee seeth fitting or hath use for it oppose who will and so the words may be read that when the wicked said Prophesie not the Lord answered They shall prophesie yet when men become so desperately wicked as not only not to care for the Word but studie to affront and injure the Carriers of it it is righteous with God to deprive them of it for a judgment to them and the good of his wronged servants They shall not prophesie to them that they shall not take shame See Ezek. 3.26 4 Albeit wicked men think all sure enough if they were freed from that eye-sore of a reproving and threatning Word and Ministry yet that would put them never a whit the further from judgments for sin for so much doth that other reading hold forth If they shall not prophesie shall they take no shame as if he said will that exempt them from judgments that upon their contempt the Word is removed No verily but as it is a judgment in it self so it is a presage of more following Ver. 7. O thou that art named the house of Jacob is the Spirit of the LORD straitned are these his doings Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly Unto this accusation and thâ—eatning the Lord subjoyns a sad expostulation with this people now so far degenerated as thus to contemn and oppose his Messengers as if they might limit his Spirit to speak only what pleased them or as if his Spirit were straitned to do them good and preach comforts if they were fit for them that he must only threaten and poseth them if their wayes and doings were approved of God and such as called for comfortable doctrine and whether they could alledge that threatnings and judgments were his usual way of dealing with his people in which he delighted if he were not provoked thereunto by their sin and appeales to themselves if his words did not both speak and perform good things and would prove so to them if they were holy and consequently it was not he nor his Prophets but themselves that were to blame that the Word spake hard things unto them and that accordingly they were punished Doct. 1. It is a deplorable case and sadly to be lamented when men stand in opposition to the Word of God and the Carriers thereof so much doth this expostulation and these pressing interrogatories imply 2. Men may both think and do many things with great boldnesse which yet if they should seriously think upon they would be forced to condemn and finde a witness against in their own bosomes for these questions put to their consciences imply that God had a witness for him there and they durst not say nor do as they did if their consciences were put to it as in his sight 3. Many have and study to keep up a name which they are ill worthy of and no way answerable to it O thou that are named the house of Jacob saith he but no way like that which Jacob was and should be See John 8.40 Hos 12.3 4. God can discover betwixt shewes and substance and will see a fault in such as glory in faire titles for he calls them as they are Thou art named the house of Jacob and hast but a name 5. It is an evidence that a visible Church is degenerated whatever shew they have when they turn opposers of the Word of the Lord in the mouth of his servants and of his servants for their message cause it being the true glory of the Church to have messengers carrying Gods mind unto them and to entertain the message and messengers as becometh for it is upon this account they get this title Thou art named c. 6. Such as oppose and fight against the Word of God and his Messengers do in effect fight against the Spirit of the Lord whose Word it is for these opposers are challenged as straitning the Spirit of the Lord. 7. It is an high presumption and injury done to the Spirit to think to imprison and deny him liberty in the mouth of his servants to speak any thing but what men please for Is the spirit of the Lird straitned imports that it was not seemly they should limit him in giving Commission to his servants 8. The Lord hath a store-house of spirit to bring forth comforts and of power to produce mercies if his people were fit for them for Is the spirit of the Lord straitned imports also that it was not for want of fulnesse in his Spirit to publish or performe good things that the Prophets got only commission to threaten see Isa 50.2 9. When the Lord sends forth sad threatnings in the mouths of his servants it becomes a people seriously to examine their wayes to see them disapproved of God and deserving such entertainment therefore he leads them from quarrelling with the Spirit of God or his servants seriously to consider Are these his doings that is whether their own wayes are agreeable to the law or such as the Spirit of God works in his people 10. The Lords ordinary way of dealing with his people in which hee delights is mercie for Are these his doings imports also that however hee did now threaten and deal harshly with them yet they might be abundantly convinced that it was not his usuall way so to doe nor a course in which he took pleasure if their case did not call for it See Mic. 7.18 Lam. 3.33 11. That which God looks to and requires in his people is not so much their profession speaking as their walking and carriage and that they study a constant course of uprightnesse and sincerity although they cannot attain to perfection for it is required that they walk uprightly 12. As the upright walker will need the Word much for direction and encouragement so to such the Word speaks onely good however they may reade and apply it wrong sometimes by reason of their distempers and fears and may mistake when the Word speaks against their corruptions which is without prejudice to their sincerity and when the Word speaks hard things whereby their further good is
conviction what had past from Shittim to Gilgal 5. There are standing monuments and experiences in the Church which may abundantly satisfie them of the Lords truth mercy and stedfastnesse in good will toward them for their incouragement in walking in his way and against every tentation they meet with therin and for their conviction and clearing of the Lord when it is otherwise for all these passages are rehearsed that ye may know the righteousnesse of the Lord or the manifold proofes of his fidelity in keeping promise Verse 6. Wherewith shall I come before the LORD and bow my self before the high God shall I come before him with burnt-offerings with calves of a yeare old 7. Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rammes or with ten thousands of rivers of oile shall I give my first-born for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul Having proved their ingratitude the next fault challenged is their hypocriticall formality and therefore the Lord having cleared himself and shewed what he had done in the next place the people are brought in for their part making great offers of service and duty to God wherein they manifest nor onely their formality and affected ignorance but their malicious hypocrisie also for whereas the Prophet spoke sharply against them they are brought in complaining that they were most willing to appease Gods anger and ready to offer him all kinde of service yea even what seems impossible and is unlawfull if it would please him and yet he would never be pleased but his Prophets still cry out against them Whence learn 1. The right way of worshipping God and of appeasing his anger hath been an old controversie and the truth thereof lighted on by few how clearly soever it be revealed Wherewith shall I come before the LORD or prevent the face of the LORD or the breaking forth of his anger say they as yet to learn 2. Whatever convictions of sin men may attain to or whatever necessity they may see of being brought back to God by these conviction both which may be supposed here in heir profession yet corrupt men do heal these wounds slightly placing all their confidence in external performance of ceremonies or religious duties and neither fleeing to Christ nor regarding the substantiall duties of faith repentance and new obediences for shall I come before him with burnt offerings c is all they minde 3. Men may have fair and broad professions and pretend much reverence to God whose deeds do prove but stark naught for they pretend to how before the high God and yet give him no more but a ceremony 4. Corrupt and unrenewed men had rather be at any pains yea even what is unpossible and sinfully cruell then follow Gods way in fleeing to Christ quitting their own rightcousnesse and studying mortification of sin for so are we taught by their offer of thousands of rammes and ten thousands of rivers of oile which could not be had in all the world and their offer of their first-born to be slain in sacrifices for sin as Jdolaters do and all this rather then the killing of one lust 5. Externall performances of religion prove oft-times a great snare to wicked men who use them and a great obstruction to the Ministery of the Word reproving sin for this was their defence cast in the Prophets teeth that they were very observant of the Ceremoniall Law and were ready to do more of that kinde and therefore how could God be angry at them Ver. 8. He hath shewed thee Oman what is good and what doth the LORD require of thee but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God In opposition to their way the Lord sets down the true way of pleasing him and of their duty containing the duties of justice and mercy whereunto they stood obliged each to other and which hypocrites ordinarily neglect and their duty of keeping communion with God in humble and sober walking before him in the exercise of Religion and all these as a fruit of faith fleeing to God through Christ in the Covenant whereby he becomes ours Doct. 1. However men be ignorant or contentious yet the way of pleasing God is clearly revealed in his Word for in answer to their question he replies He hath shewed thee O man 2. The Lords commands albeit they be the Lords injunctions to man yet are not rigid or severe and unreasonable as hypocrites would alleadge but gentle and desirable so is implied in that speech What doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly c and in that they are called good 3. The Lord requireth especially of men professing Piety that they make conscience of justice and equity in their dealing each with other that so they may prove the sincerity of their profession and may adorn it for the Lord requires to do justly 4. Besides the duties which we owe to our neighbours in justice there are other duties which we are also bound to perform in humanity or by the bond of Christianity and charity These are here called mercie which though no humane law can reach us if we omit them yet the Lord requires them and conscience and Christianity doth call for them 5. Though love be required in performing every commanded duty yet for performance of mercy it is especially requisite as that which bindes the duty upon us and which must season the duty when it is a doing The Lord requires to love mercy 6. No duties can ever be acceptably performed by an unrenewed person or one who hath not by faith fled to God in the Covenant to be reconciled with him through Christ that so his duties may be performed as fruits of saith proving the sincerity thereof and strength may come from God daily enabling him thereunto Therefore also here God must be theirs by Covenant thy God 7. A man reconciled to God by faith ought not only to study to perform duties of the second Table but to joyn therewith a study of keeping communion with God in the exercises of true piety by both which conjoyned and flowing from faith he may prove himself to be somewhat more then either a moral civilian or an hypocrite attaines to and also that he may not provoke God to punish his neglect of keeping communion with him by suffering him to fal into some sin against the second Table Therefore also is required to walk with thy God 8. In relation to God humility and sobriety is required in the performance of duties either of the first or second Table there is no conceit of righteousnesse or merit to be allowed in what we do but when we have done all we are to come humbly to finde grace by vertue of a free Covenant we are to debase our selves when we are before God in religious worship we are in all sobriety and humility to receive commands take on imploiments and go about them with an humble dependance on him for
Kings 8.18 for which sin whatever pretences they held out the Lord threatens them yet further with extreme desolation Doct. 1. Idolatry and corruption of true Religion and the worship of God is the great cause of Gods controversie with his visible Church for the statutes of Omri are beot 2. The Authors and Promoters of idolatry in the visible Church are marked and observed by the Lord as Omri and Ahab are 3. No injunctions of rulers nor concurrence of publick authority can make idolatry lawful nor justifie those who walk in such wayes being enjoyned for it is a controversie the statutes of Omri are kept and all the works of the house of Ahab 4. No example of multitudes nor shewes of prudence can justifie idolatry or perverting of truth The works of the house of Ahab are kept and ye both Judah and Israel walk in their counsels They thought it a prudential way by conformity with the heathen to keep peace with them and be free of the scorn of the wise of the world because of a singular Religion but all this excuseth not 5. Whatever outward advantage men expect by corrupting of Religion yet the nature of their work tends to a contrary end and doth draw on all those evils which they by sinning study to decline for whatever pretences they had yet ye walk saith he in their counsells that I should make thee a desolation and the inhabitants thereof an hissing it exposed them both to spoile and reproach which they sought to shun 6 Idolatry is a land-destroying sin and makes a people extremely desolate and contemptible so much also doth this threatening teach wherin there are sadder things threatened then for their sins against the second Table I will make thee a desolation and the inhabitants an hissing c. 7. As the Lords people have their peculiar priviledges so also their peculiar reproach or punishment proportionable to their profaning of that great priviledge of his people Ezek. 36.20 23. and that because sin in them who boast themselves to be the people of God is singularly great Therefore saith he ye shall bear the reproach of my people CHAP. VII IN this Chapter Micab in name of all the godly laments the paucity of good men and the universal corruption of all ranks as a presage of approaching ruine verse 1 2 3 4. And that no relations could tie men to saithfulness v. 5 6. yet comsorting himself and the godly in God v. 7. by the expectation and hope of a satisfactory deliverance v. 8 9 10. by Gods promise of restoring them after some trouble v. 11 12 13. by his promise to hear the prayers of the godly in behalf of the Church v. 14 15. and that to the astonishment of all her enemies v. 16 17. he concludes all with exalting of the infinite mercy bounty and fidelity of God v. 18 19 20. Verse 1. WO is me for I am as when they have gathered the summer-fruits as the grape-gleanings of the vintage there is no cluster to eat my soul desired the first ripe fruit The Prophet laments the paucity of godly men who being as earnestly desired by him as a traveller would desire fruits by the way and as precious in his eyes as the first ripe fruits are to men Isa 28.4 Hosea 9 10. yet they were as rare to be had as fruits are after the gatherings of the vintage there being only some few gleanings lew as Isa 17.6 to bemoan with him this decay and in whose name he now laments Doct. 1. The truly godly are very precious and useful in the visible Church as being not only restreshful to other godly men but instruments and means of bringing down blessings by dealing with God in prayer by standing in the breach c. Therefore saith he my soul desired the first ripe fruit so precious were they in his eye 2. The truly godly maybe reduced to a very small number in the visible Church many who appeared to be such making defection and many of these who are indeed such being taken away by death I am as when they have gathered the summer-fruits as the grape-gleanings of the vintage saith he 3. The want and decay of godly men is much to be lamented by the visible Church and such are left behinde especially by faithfull Ministers Wo is me and my soul desired the first ripe fruit saith he for not only is it sae to zâ—alous Ministers when they see not the fruit of their labours but in such a time all the godly are deprived of sweet fellowship and are by this decay forewarned of judgements to come See Psal 12.1 Isa 57.1 Verse 2. The good man is perished on t of the earth and there is none upright among men they all lie in wait for blood they hunt every man hiâ— brother with anet He explains in proper termes what was figuratively for down in the former verse to wit that in stead of justice and humaniry amongst men cruelty and craft abounded Doct. 1. Corruption once beginning among a people will soon become universal if the Lord prevent not Sins of a time are such as few have zeal to oppose or guard against The good man perisheth they all lie in wait every man hunts his brother saith he 2. Those only are truly merciful to others who have themselves obtained mercy of the Lord and from the sense thereof are tender toward others for the word rendered the good man signifies such a one as is so to say mercified or made up of mercy from God and is actively merciful to others 3. When mercifulnesse departs from among men then also uprightnesse or doing what justice or strict obligation requires will not stay the Lord plaguing the casting off of the one with the removal of the other therefore are these linked together the good man is perished and there is none upright 4. The defection of members of the visible Church is ordinarily plagued of God by giving them up to be most grossely wicked for they all lie in wait for blood to oppresse or murther they hunt every man even his brother with a net They are most intent and subtile in undermining and oppressions and seek to entrap their nearest friends as hunters do pursue wilde beasts and fowlers birds Verse 3. That they may do evil with both hands earnestly the Prince asketh and the Judge asketh for a reward and the great man he uttereth his mischievous desire so they wrap it up For further confirmation of this universal defection he instanceth it in several ranks The first instance is in the person of great ones who being bent on evil such of them as are in authority as Princes of the blood and delegate Judges do avow bribery and they whose requests are commands do ask for gifts and expose justice to sale and so such others in the land as are great and can give money fear not to communicate counsels with the Judge to defraud and oppress the poor and the Judge and
further explication of the way of pardon that God overcomes the great provocation of sinne standing in his mercies way or as an effect of pardon that God not only pardons the guilt but mortifieth the power of sinne in his people Whence learn 1. The Lord pardons sinne in none but such as he makes sensible of the great provocation of sinne and makes them to see it as an army standing in mercies way to be subdued for so do they expresse the way of pardon 2. Gods mercy is alsufficient to overcome all provocations and to overcome the ill deserving of sinne for He will subdue iniquity See Cant 2.8 Rom 5.20 3. Whoever get pardon of sinne they also fall in love with and see the need of mortification of sin this the other interpretation of subduing teacheth The pardoned Church accounteth God singular because he will subdue iniquity 4. Mortification of sinne is to be wrought by God and expected from him otherwise our endeavours will not prevaile and when our endeavours of mortification availe not yet our case is not hopelesse for He will subdue our iniquities The last expression Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea containes a further effect of pardon that sins once pardoned shall not be remembred nor laid to their charge againe which is held out in a borrowed speech taken from amongst men that being without possibility of being recovered by men which is cast into the bottom of the sea and that where it is deepest Whence learn 1. Albeit a pardoned sinner when he commits new sin or is not humble tender or thankful under the sense of pardon may have former sinnes brought to remembrance to be matter of humiliation and stirring up to repentance and albeit an houre of tentation may shake loose all evidences of pardon yet sin being once pardoned the remission stands never to be repeated only new confirmations are still to be sought after nor will the pardoned sinne come in account against the pardoned man before God again for so much doth this borrowed speech teach See Isa 38.17 Ps 103.12 Jer. 31.34 2. Gods mercy is so infinite that multitudes of sin in the self-judging sinner will not hinder his free and full pardon nor needs to obstruct to peaceable effects thereof in the conscience of the pardoned man and this fountain stands daily open for the justified man to flee unto with all his faults as they are committed with renewing of his faith and repentance for so large is this Promise Thou wilt cast all their sins c. 3. As the sense of the pardon of sin and freedome from the apprehension of Gods keeping it in remembrance is a warme and refreshing condition so it would be much entertained by frequent looking to God by faith and praise about it Therefore yet again is the speech directed to God Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea Vers 20. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob and the mercy to Abraham which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the dayes of old In the next place God is commended as singular in his gracious fidelity keeping the Covenant made with their forefathers Doct. 1. The priviledges of the Church are made theirs by Contract and sworn Covenant and so are certain for so the Word speaks of truth and mercy sworn 2. The Lord is to be seene and commended as incomparable in fidelity and promise-keeping notwithstanding all impediments in his way and all our apprehensions of him to the contrary for it is to be repeated Who is a God like unto thee that wilt perform the truth c 3. The summe of Gods Covenant with his Church is mercy in respect of the fountain whence all his bounty floweth and in respect of our ill deservings which we should daily see and truth in respect that the freedome of mercy in promising diminisheth nothing of the certainty of performance but as mercy opens the doore so truth keeps it open Hence it is that those two are so frequently conjoyned in the expectations and desires of Saints See Psal 57.3 and 61.7 4. The Covenant of mercy is the Churches first and irrevocable priviledge for it is sworn of old and so the law which came after cannot disannul it Gal. 3.17 5. As the spiritual blessings of the Covenant belong only to true believers who may reckon Jacob and Abraham with whom the Covenant was made their fathers according to the faith so even the natural posterity of Jacob and Abraham have a peculiar interest in that Covenant made with their fathers not broken off by any interruption or desolation but to be still forth-coming for them as to their being called as a Nation to be his Church and people if not also for giving them the promised land in heritage for so do they reckon while they are threatened with much ensuing desolation Thou wilt perform the truth to Iacob and the mercy to Abraham which thou hast sworn c. For this cause the Apostle Rom. 11.29 reckons that Gods purposes toward them as a Nation are among the gifts which are without repentance and never to be recalled and made utterly void more then in his dealing with his Elect in the matter of their calling and glorification 6. It is the duty of the godly when they are called to trouble to confirm their faith in the hope of issue according to Gods promise and be comforted and rest satisfied therewith accounting it sweet to have hope of future mercy sure although it were never so long a coming and the way to it never so rough for so do the godly hearing tell of future desolation close all believing and resting satisfied with this Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob and the mercy to Abraham c. for the accomplishment whereof every godly man should pray Even so Lord Jesus come quickly Amen and Amen Nahum The ARGUMENT THe Lord having suspended the execution of the judgements denounced by Jonah against Nineveh the chief City of the Assyrian Empire upon their repentance they did again return to their vomit and added unto all their other sins the oppression of the people of God by captivating the ten tribes and over-running Judah therefore the Lord for the comfort of his people thus afflicted raiseth up Nahum whether in Hezekiah's dayes or afterward is not certain yet certainly that oppression of Judah 2 Kings 18. and 19. is pointed at by him to set forth at large the ruine of that Monarchie especially of the chief City Nineveh and for this end setting forth a description of God in his justice power and mercie suitable to the present purpose he foretels the ruine of the State of Assyria by the Medes and Caldeans with the comfort and advantage redounding to the Church thereby chap. 1. and the destruction of the chief City the preparations against which with the taking thereof is set down chap. 1. and further amplified and confirmed by setting forth their provocations
enquiry and fanning of themselves and one of another and that for this end they would gather and recollect themselves and meet together in solemne Assemblies for humiliation and repentance and that they would do this timously before he decreed vengeance which in Gods long-suffering had been yet suspended break forth and before a day of patience pass over swiftly as the chaff before the wind or before the day come wherein they should be as chaffe before the wind and the decreed vengeance should break forth in execution suddenly and easily and wherein the great fierce anger from the Lord should inflict judgement without mercy Doct. 1. When the Lord speaks in hardest tearmes to his sinfúl people yet they are to read in it an invitation and allowance to come to him by repentance and not that he is putting them away from any duty of that kinde Therefore though the Lord had uttered his sentence as a concluded business chap. 1. v. 2. yet here he sheweth what use they should make of it in turnning to him by repentance 2. Repentance is not acceptably endeavoured where there is not a thorough and harrow search enquiry made into our own hearts and wayes and an helping one of another in our stations to perform that duty that so our consciences from clear conviction may charge upon us those sins for which the Word threatens and the sinfulnesse of them and may stir up to turn unto the Lord for so the words in the Original may be rendered search narrowly into your selves and search as men do after stubble scattered here and there as the word is used Exod. 5.12 or after what is lost amongst it that is search and search again while ye are thus employed about your selve stir up and help others to search for so the original construction doth import 3. For stirring up to this duty of searching and making it effectual it is necessary that every man recollect his wandring thoughts whereby he hath snuffed up the winde at his pleasure and hunted after vanities and that the communion of Saints be entertained particularly in solemne and publick humiliations for so doth the Word signifie according to the translation gather your selves together yea gather together See Joel 2.15 16. 4. As this duty of repentance and self-searching is of great importance and concernment in all times and cases and especially when God declares himself to be angry so it is a duty to the performance whereof there is need of much stirring up from the Lord so much also doth the doubling of exhortations gather yea gather import 5. It is necessary for our humiliation and for setting forth the freedome of Gods love and how much he tendereth our wellfare that we know our selves well and what we are to whom the Lord gives invitations or makes gracious offers for this end is it declared here that the Lord invites to repentance a nation not affected with desire to wit of turning to God or of their own good and not desired or worthy to be beloved of him the Original word will import both 6. It is a great addition unto and aggravation of sin when it is general and overspreads a land either by general corruption or by rulers their connivence at sins of particular persons which brings guilt upon the whole land or by private persons their not mourning for the abominations of the time which involveth them in the guilt thereof All which also may contribute to commend Gods kindness in following such a crew and to hold forth the necessity of repentance when the disease is so desperate for this cause it is marked that they were a Nation not desired especially by reason of overflowing sin 7. As the Lord in his long-suffering doth not always execute vengeance immediately upon his purposing or threatning so to do but alloweth some time for bringing forth of that conceived birth as the word in the original imports so the Lords most absolute threatnings do not seclude the penitent from hope but rather invite to speedy repentance so are we taught here gather your selves before the decree bring forth as giving time to them to repent and ground of hope if they should so do for however the Lords eternal purposes be unalterable yet his threatnings which are his pronounced decree or sentence according to the law when most absolutely pronounced to exclude the exception of repentance Jon. 3.4 10. The Lord threatning so sharply that upon our perverting of him he may not execute it as on the contrary he promiseth that he may fulfill And when his threatnings do hold forth even his irrevocable purpose to send outward land-judgements notwithstanding the repentance of any as 2 Kings 23.26.27 yet repentance before it be executed is to good purpose for removing the penitent before the evil day come as was done to Josiah for moderating it to him if he be continued as Jeremiah and the godly remnant found Jer. 15.11 for taking off wrath out of whatsoever they shal taste of the cup. 8. It is an horrid iniquity to despise the patience and long-suffering of God or to neglect the setting up of our furnace of examination self-searching when he threatens and will provoke him to set up his furnace of judgment so much the hotter that it hath been long forborn for if they let the decree bring forth and a day of patience blow over without repentance and fanning themselves he will make the day pass and drive them as chaff and will send his fierce anger upon them 9. None who do believe divine wrath how forcible it is and how weak themselves are to resist but they do proclame their own madness if they set not about repenrance when God threatens Therefore it is thrice held out what this day will be that it shall pass as chaff that the fierce angers of the Lord the day of the Lords anger shall come upon them as sufficient to move any who were not quite bereft of sense to gather together before the decree bring forth Ver. 3. Seek ye the LORD all ye meeke of the earth which have wrought his judgement seeke righteousnesse seek meekness it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORDS anger There being little hope of the body of the land that they would be repentance avert a day of anger Therfore the Lord turns to the godly remnant in the land who are humbled and made meek under the sense of sin and Gods hand and who have studied to make conscience of their duty enjoyned in the word These he exhorts to go on in seeking the Lords face and favour and to grow in humility in meeknesse and in righteous walking and in making use of the righteousness of Christ as being the certain way to be hid from wrath to come the only way giving any ground of hope to get safety in outward judgements though he will not make them absolutely sure of it for this sort of speech see on Jon.
to be cast off by God as one that he will not favour nor care for nor take notice of is the forest of trials especially to the childe of God who lives by Gods favour and is made up in all his afflictions when he findes that God thinks on him and that his troubles indear him to Gods care for this is Jonahs apprehension and saddest complaint I am cast out of thy sight 6. It is no new thing to see a childe of God and vessel of mercy apprehending reprobation and rejection from God in his sad and darke houre for this also is Jonahs temptation 7. Nor is it strange to see the children of God exercised and sadly afflicted with that which hath never been nor will be save in their own feareful apprehensions for so is Jonah with casting off When we reckon by our own deservings and by probabilyties in a strait and not by Gods love and all-sufficiency we cannot but draw sad conclusions and our own spirits will make us work enough 8. Tentations even when they have overcome for a season are not to be lien under and given way to by the children of God but ought to be resisted and set against though they should if it were possible perish in the attempt this being the way to honour God and get deliverance for vanquished Jonah will not quit it so Yet will I looke again 9. That whereby the children of the Lord must oppose all troubles inward and outward and resist tentations is naked saith closely adhering to the Covenant of grace made in Christ and gathering hope of better dealing this is imported in his looking again toward the holy Temple or eying God in his Covenant whereof that was a signe To cast away confidence as uselesse in a strait or not to essay faith till wee be hired by sense or to lie by in wilfull unbelief thinking that is the way to get sense to loose our doubts or to seek any footing for faith but in Gods Covenant and free grace in Christ is the height of folly 10. The weakest act of faith may do much good in a day of greatest need For in all this extremity Ionah had no more but a looking again as a poor banished man 11. Faith in a time of need will finde a way through many a dark impediment to meet with God Therefore Ionah inclosed in the sea and not knowing where the Temple toward which they were to pray stood will set faith at need to seek it out 12. It speaks much of Gods praise that when his people are laid by with their tentations yet hee will not lose them but recover them out of their deepest swounes and make vanquished faith yet again to triumph over difficulties which they had judged insuperable For this is also recorded to his praise that not onely Ionah persevered crying when his trouble was great ver 2 3. but that hee was strengthened after hee had once yeelded to the tentation to believe and look again Ver. 5. The waters compassed me about even to the soul the depth closed me round about the weeds were wrapt about my head 6. I went down to the bottoms of the mountaines the earth with her barres was about me for ever yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption O LORD my God He rehearseth further how his tentation left him not so but gathered strength anew from his hopelesse condition in his trouble seeing no deliverance but as a condemned man cast into the prison of hel for the waters drunk in by the fish or by himself before he got into the fish or the huge sea wherein he was endangered his life and closed him in on every hand and the sea-weeds were wrapped about him either when the fish swallowed them down or when the fish went down with him among them the fish went with him to the very bottome of the sea to the roots of the hills and though he had got out of the fish and could have swimmed out of the sea yet the steep rocks on that shore where the fish ranged with him as so many barres would have held him as in a perpetual prison All which grounds of feare he here recordeth to set forth the mercy of God who when neither depth of sea noâ— steepnesse of shore could allow him any hope had brought him out in saftey as if he had ben revived and brought out of the grave Doct. 1. It is no unusual trial of a child of God under tentation after he hath resolved to adhere to God and hope in him not to get his resolution followed but by casting his eye upon his trouble and poâ—ing on it to judg himselfe yet to be in a hopelesse condition and that he hath been a fool ever to think otherwise and for all this he may yet be happy For Jonah now delivered gives an account how after his resolution to beleeve ver 4. tentation set upon him again and made him conclude himself a lost man and a perpetuall prisoner 2. The sense of an afflicted and sad condition is not soon to be forgotten but to be kept fresh and carried along with every sight of mercy therefore did the Lord suffer Jonah to take a second view of his condition and Jonah by his rehearsall of it testifieth that he is yet more sensible what he had been without Gods help 3. The more we studie the difficulties of our afflicted conditions we will still see more reasons wherefore wee should admire and magnifie the Lord in his delivering of us For after his former sensible sight of his troubles ver 3. when hee takes this other view of it hee sees yet more as trouble without eying of God is endlesly difficult of impossiblities to be delivered without God 4. It is the Lords way with his people to let them see their difficulties to be past hope and irrecoverable before hee appear for them that he may be the more eminently seen for Jonahs aggravation of his trouble from hazard of life depth of seas and steepnesse of shore doth import that in his eys deliverance was impossible 5. Whatever be the fears and apprehensions of Saints under their troubles yet in due time all that they will have to say of greatest trials is that they have made way for Gods manifesting himself in them therefore is that sweet return subjoyned to his hopelesse trouble Yet hast thou brought up my life 6. Albeit the Lord would have his people enjoying an escape in the midst of their trouble in living by faith and will have faith tryed how it will follow its look yet it is his way also when he sees it fit and hath tryed their faith to refute all their doubtfull thoughts with reall deliverance therefore after the former breathing ver 4. and Jonah's fresh assault hee gets actuall deliverance to end the controversie 7. The Lord can give deliverance fom deadly extremities and can reâ—tore his people in safety and their mercies to them when they are
no better in their own eyes then dead and rotten in their graves For thou hast brought up my life from corruption that is his body from the fishes belly where it was as in a grave ready to rot and his soule from those terrours that would haue consumed him 8. In Gods working for his people much of his power and love is to be seen and acknowledged This is imported in that sweet compellation O Lord my God The Lord who hath brought him out of deaths pangs and his God who had respected him in this low and guilty condition Ver. 7. When my soule fainted within me I remembered the LORD and my prayer came in unto thee into thine holy Temple Ionahs exercise and deliverance is againe summed up in this that when his spirit was ready to faint under a burthen of affliction and terrours of conscience he calling God to minde found incouragement to pray and got audience Learn hence 1. The spirits of men how stout and couragious soever yet being left alone in trouble and tentation will soone be overthrown and faint for his soule fainted or was overwhelmed with anxiety within him 2. Before the Lord doe for his people he uses to lay them and all their courage once by that he may staine the pride of all glory and no flesh may glory in his presence for saith he my soule fainted within me 3. Much unbelief and discouragement flowes from ouâ— infirmity and weakenesse in not fixing our hearts to meditate on God casting off other perplexing thoughts which we cannot resolve and in not pondering seriously what God is and wil be to his people or hath at any time been unto our selves therefore his remedy and antidote against fainting is I remembred the Lord. 4. Remembring and serious apprehension of God by faith is a notable encouragement to prayer and gives a good account of prayers successe whereas to the misbelievers sense his prayers wander and go he knowes not whither I remembered the Lord and my prayer came in unto thee 5. Gods mercy is to be much seen and magnified in his answering of his peoples prayers in their distresse My prayer saith he Came into thy holy Temple that is into heaven the habitation of thy holinesse where it was a wonder such a rebels prayers should be admitted and were accepted by vertue of the Covenant and Promise made in Christ not for any worth in them 6. Gods manifestation of himself in any place calls for holinesse therefore is not only heaven but the Temple at Jeâ—usalem called Thy holy Temple or the Temple of thine holinesse because not only he is holy but his presence there calls for holinesse in all that approach unto him 7. To be delivered from fainting in trouble and to get accesse unto God by prayer it the childe of Gods greatest mercy in trouble as speaking special love whatever his outward issue be therefore doth Jonah so much insist in commending this mercy of enlargement of soul and support ver 2 4 and 7. Ver. 8. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy From all this his exercise and deliverance he gathers some Conclusions by way of instruction and use from it and first he gives out his verdict of all by-wayes as depriving man of true happinesse and disapointing him in the end by which we are not only to understand the courses of gross Idolaters but more generally all courses which men lay down for attaining happinesse in any thing beside God and particularly his own former folly and â—ebellion wherein imagining to have found happinesse and content he by the contrary ran quite from it and plunged himself in misery Doct. 1. The experience of Saints from many changes and variety of conditions ought to imprint in their hearts more serious and settled thoughts concerning true happinesse and the right way of attaining it therfore Jonah thus exercised and daunted gathers this Conclusion as a certain Truth They that observe c. 2. All things beside God when they are not made use of if lawful for the end for which God appointed them but happinesse sought in them or confidence placed on them and all wayes and courses beside these prescribed of God will not be able to answer the expectation of the creature but being observed as mans happiness they are vanities in regard of their emptiness to supply the creatures need or to satissie its desires and lying vanities in regard that for the present if we be not attentive they delude us with a vain shew and in the issue doe miserably disappoint 3. Albeit things stand thus yet men are so deluded and doated that they will place their confidence and look for happiness in those things which will disappoint them for there are who observe with all estimation care and expectation depend upon and pursue after lying vâ—nities 4. Men by their pursuing happinesse not in God noâ— in his way do indeed deprive themselves of happiness and consequently run upon their own ruine Therefore such do for sake mercy for as happiness is only to be found in God so they who follow vain courses do in effect renounce and forsake God who will not be joyned with Idols and withal is provoked to plague such things as we put in his roome 5. The portion of such as seek happinesse in God and in his way only is mercy and what mercy in so all-sufficient a God can afford Therefore men taking another way forsake mercy that is their happiness flowing from the infinite mercy of God all happinesse to lost man being mercies gift 6. Men by forsaking of God can take nothing from him but all the prejudice redounds to themselves for they forsake their owne mercy but do not deprive him of happinesse 7. Men in their forsaking of God or his way can have no just challenge or ground of exception against him as putting them away but must take all the blame upon themselves for it is their own mercy which they forsake their own I say by offer for God notwithstanding his secret purpose yet secludeth not any from mercy to whom the offer is made till they seclude themselves Vers 9. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving I wil pay that that I have vowed salvation is of the LORD The second conclusion that Jonah gathers is that seeing the Lord had thus in his folly reclaimed him and in his deep distresse delivered him he will testifie his thankfulnesse by offering praise and performing what he had vowed in his trouble and will learne by this experience that deliverance can be expected from God only and may be expected from him Doct. 1. Received mercies call for praise at the Receivers hand as a testimony of his thankfulness for the mercâ—e and of his estimation of God who gave it and as a means speeding in new straits for Jonah thus delivered will sacrifice c. 2. The Lords crossing and afflicting us in our wandrings till we be brought
back to obey the will of God is to bee acknowledged as a mercy and matter of praise for such is the subject of Jonah's song compared with the former verse he will blesse the Lord not onely for deliverance but that though to his own cost he had not been permitted to prosper in a wrong way 3. Praise is that true sacrifice pointed at in the law by the thanksgiving-offerings in the Temple therefore doth hee give unto praise the name of what shadowed it out I will sacrifice with the voice of thanksgiving See Hebrews 13.15 4. The truly godly under the law were taught of God not to rest upon these outward performances and offerings but to presse and seek after the spiritual duty and substance and to make use of Christ in whom alone even our best morall actions are accepted therefore doth hee hold forth that the voice of thanksgiving or affectionate praise was the sacrifice indeed See Psal 69.30 31. Hos 14.2 And withall the joyning of sacrifice with the voice of thanksgiving sheweth that his praise was offered up in and by that true sacrifice 5. The Lords people in their afflictions and deliverances will be made to see great necessity of making vowes and binding themselves more firmely to their duty for Jonah in his trouble had vowed that that I have vowed which was a binding of himselfe with his owne consent more accurately to observe and follow the will and Commandements of the Lord the reason of which ingagement is because they will find when it comes to strait much short comming and little fervour in their ordinary walking which needs upstirring they will find also much obligation layd upon them by the Lords mercifull remembring of them in trouble voluntarily to take on his yoke and much sense of their owne instability needing such bonds and tyes 6. It is the duty of the Lords children being delivered not to forget their condition in trouble nor their resolutions and obligations following thereupon as if once being out of trouble they were out of Gods reverence but to study to walk answerably in their calme day to that they resolved upon in greatest extremity therefore saith Jonah I will pay that that I have vowed 7. Salvation and deliverance of all kindes is Gods perogative royal none can save or give peace when hee commands trouble and he hath the prererogative to save and deliver when reason probability the sentence of the law and all things else have condemned and given over for lost and in despite of all opposition whatsoever And it is the duty of such as have had any experience of this to cleave to it as an undeniable truth in al following extremities For Jonah having found this in his present case layes it down as a fixed ground of faith in all extremities that salvation is of the Lord the force of the Hebrew word comprehending salvation both temporal and eternal Vers 10. And the LORD spake unto the fish and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land In the last part of the Chapter Jonah after his miraculous support by faith rehearseth the way of his deliverance that the Lord by his effectual providence as by a commanding speech made the fish to vomit him out upon the Land Whence learn 1. The Lord by the afflictions of his people is but schooling and bettering them and not seeking to destroy them whereof he can give proofe in setting them in freedome and safety from deadly dangers and extremities For Jonah being humbled The Lord spake to the fish and it vomited out Jonah c. 2. The most insensible of creatures have an ear to their Makers speech and do at least by obediential subjection obey his will and will not hinder but help forward his purposes of love towards his people for The Lord spake unto the fish and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry Land 3. In the ordinary paths and motions of creatures God may be bringing about especial purposes and providences as this fish is made to vomit out and deliver Jonah when it is minding no such thing but tumbling to and again much more may it be so in the ordinary wayes of men as in Ioseph's going to Bethlehem Luke 2.4 5 6 compared with Mat. 2.5 6. CHAP. III. IN this Chapter we have first Jonah's second calling to go to Nineveh and his obedience in going thither and denouncing Gods judgement against them to verse 5. 2. The successe of his preaching there appearing in a general and solemn Humiliation countenanced and enjoyned by authority to vers 13. 3. The Lords acceptance hereof and revoking of the sentence given out against them vers 12. Ver. 1. ANd the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time saying 2. Arise go unto Nineveh that great city and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee JOnah being now humbled for his rebellion and delivered from his affliction is again called to go and preach against Nineveh it being needful to have his calling repeated lest if he had gone on the first call which he had disobeyed it might have tared with him as with Israel who resenting their own disobedience would go up to the Land but without the Lord Num. 14.40 41. Doct. 1. As sin doth justly deprive men of all their priviledges which they enjoy of Gods free favour so a true penitent will not only obtain pardon but may also be restored to his former forefaulted dignities for Jonah is not deprived of his Prophetick office of which he was so carelesse Chap. 1.3 but the word of the Lord came unto him 2. No endeavours or struglings of men will free them from such services and lots as God hath to imploy them in and exercise them withal for Jonah resisting the first call is brought to obey on his own charges The word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time and his duty which he had refused is enjoyned him again 3. The servants of the Lord ought to stick close by their commission and faithfully to publish it without adding or diminishing for so is Ionah commanded Go unto that great city and preach the preaching that I bid thee Vers 3. So Jonah arose and went unto Nineveh according to the word of the LORD now Nineveh was an exceeding great City of three dayes journey Ver. 4. And Jonah began to enter into the city a dayes journey and he cryed and said Yet forty dayes and Nineveh shal be overthrown In the next place we have Ionah's obedience wherein also is recorded a description of the greatnesse of Nineveh which was of three dayes journey in circuite or if one would go through all the streets of it and a brief sum of his preaching which for a whole day going from place to place as God directed him or going through a third of the City it being in whole three dayes journey he proclaimed whereby we are neither to understand that he preached no more of the causes procuring this judgment or of
Gods dealing with Nineveh and his wish to be dead verse 1 2 3 4. The Lords reproving of him first by words verse 4. and then by deed for by a Gourd in the shadow whereof being gone out of the City he delighted verse 5,6 and at the want whereof hee repined verse 7 8 9. he is reproved that he should be so much taken up with so smal a thing and yet bee angry at Gods sparing so populous a City verse 10 11. Ver. 1. BVt it displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was very angry 2. And he prayed unto the LORD and said I pray thee O LORD was not this my saying when I was yet in my countrey Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish for I knew that thou art a gracious God and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse and repentest thee of the evil JOnah is discontented with this mercy of God toward Nineveh and expostulates with him about it applauding himselfe in his former rebellion as having done more wisely in it then in following Gods Call The ground of all which distemper was as appeares that God sparing of Nineveh which it seemes he knew by Revelation or gathered from their repentance or from the standing of the City after the forty dayes were expired was a ready meanes as he thought to make his Ministry and Gods Name and Authority to be vilipended or as tentation is full of invention that such an enemy as they were to be to the people of God was not cut off Doct. 1. Corruptions may lurk and remaine alive in those who have gone through many straits and so might have had them mortified for Jonah after many difficulties is yet passionate and impatient He was displeased exceedingly and very angry 2. It is a great iniquity in the children of men to seeke to have Gods dispensations framed after the molde of their minde for it is Jonah's sin to be very angry and exceedingly displeased with what God did 3. Corruption may sometimes so prevaile with the children of God that it shall not only be a tentation smothered out of love to him within their brest but may also break out with their own consent against God for a season for Ionah vents his passion He prayed unto the Lord and said 4. Much of that which we vent under the name of prayer may indeed be our raving in our Feavers and a letting loose our corruption and passion for that is called prayer here which in effect is a bitter expostulation with God and a venting of his passionate desire to die 5. Crooked wayes for which the people of God have been corrected and which they have been made to condemn may yet again in an houre of tentation be approved and liked of by them for Ionah applauds himself in his former way of rebellion which he had condemned Chap. 2.8 and thinks he had done well Was not this my saying c. therefore I fled c. 6. It is a tentation insident to Adams posterity to presume that they would guide things better if they had their will then God doth guide them for this expostulation implies that he thought it had been better to have gone on to Tarshrsh then to have come to Nineveh as things went 7. A person under tentation will not want his own fair pretences wherewith he may think to justifie his way and to make it specious and seem reasonable for Ionah seemes to have such reasons that he dare appeale to God himself whether he foresaw not wel in his own Countrey that Gods mercy would make his threatning to be in vain and bring his Ministry in contempt and did not wel in flying was not this my saying saith he to God but our reasonings must submit to gods sovereign wil and give place to his infinite wisdom 8. The mercy of God toward lost man is so farre beyond mans mercy that it may sometimes be a discontent to his tenderest children in that he is so merciful for Gods mercy to Nineveh and that he is so gracious and merciful c. is Ionah's eye-sore 9. God is so gracious that as he is not easily provoked by sinners so he is easily when provoked reconciled againe unto them for this Ionah knew in his own countrey that he was a gracious God and merciful slow to anger and of great kindnesse and repented of the evil and this did he now see veryfied 10. It is a great mistake to think that mercy manifested to humble sinners should make them contemne God or his servants it being a most effectual meanes to produce feare of God and respect to his ordinances and messengers Psal 130.4 Therefore is Jonah's reasoning against Gods mercy grounded on a mistake and an evidence of his being carried headlong with passion Ver. 3. Therefore now O LORD take I beseech thee my life from me for it is better for me to dye then to live Jonah subjoynes to his expostulation an impatient wish that God would take him away by death since hee got not his will and could not endure the infamy which he apprehended would come upon him Whence learne 1. Death not as it is a releasement from sin or a chariot to convey us to the place where we will be with God for ever but as it takes away from a present imagined or real bitternesse is the ordinary refuge of imbittered spirits and the back-doore unto which out of impatiency wearinesse of life pride and contest with providence they seek therefore doth Jonah now pray Take my life from me 2. It is the fruit and the evidence of an imbittered spirit that any condition how ill soever seemes better then the present case unto them therefore Jonah thinkes it better to dye then live without any affectionate eye to glory but rather having respect to his rest from present trouble as appeares from Gods reproving of it whereas it ought rather to have affrighted him to think of going out of the world in such a bitter frame 3. The children of God under tentation may be very ardent in expressing the drosse of their owne heart and in seeking that which is altogether wrong for Jonah in his passion beseeches the Lord to take away his life Great is the mercy of Saints in having a Mediatour to reforme their petitions 4. It is a sign af great corruption and selfe-love in men to seek their own contentment and satisfaction in dying or living rather then in these to be subject to the Will of God and it is basenesse and cowardise to seek passionately to be out of this life because of any trouble we may meet with in it in our following of God for such is Jonah's infirmity and this is his reason in his passion take my life from me For it is better for mee to dye then to live Ver. 4. Then said the LORD Doest thou well to be angry The Lord doth first reprove Ionah's passion by Word and appeals to himselfe whether he thought it seemly so to repine
accountable to God for it and to examine how it is done whether well or not for so doth Gods challenge to give an account and to examine teach Dost thou wel c 2. To be excessively discontent at Providences especially for small matters is a thing no way beseeming the servants of God for this also is imported in the challenge that it was not right in him a Prophet to be angry yea exceedingly angry as the words may be read for the gourd 3. The pride of mans heart is such that it will justifie it selfe and stand it out even against the verdict of God if hee be given over to tentation for so doth Jonah's Answer to the Lords question teach I doe wel saith he to be angry or I am greatly angry even unto death Nothing will please him but death to bee by it rid of those troubles Ver. 10. Then said the LORD Thou hast had pity on the gourd for the which thou hast not laboured neither madest it grow which came up in a night and perished in a night 11. And should not I spare Nineveh that great city wherein are more then sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand and also much cattel The Lord doth now apply all that is past to his present purpose and from this discontent of Jonah le ts him see the absurdity of his former murmuring for if hee had given way to himselfe so passionately to commiserate so smal a thing as a gourd in producing whereof hee had no hand which was of so short continuance and which needed no pity and that onely because he received some profit and refreshment by it why did he so much stumble that the Lord spared Nineveh which was his handy work and every way considerable there being so many in it that eminently called for pity being neither sensible of any thing nor yet by grosse actual transgressions had provoked the Lord to denounce that judgement So that here the Lord is not approving Ionah's passion but by a reason drawn from the less to the more wherein Ionah a creature and the great Lord a stick and great Nineveh are compared Ionah is convinced of selfishnesse in approving himself in doing that unjustly which he condemned in God when done most mercifully and rightly Doct. 1. Self-love will easily blinde men so far as to make them approve themselves in doing of worse things then those they condemn in others for this is the scope of this reproof to shew Jonah that he would not allow the Lord on just causes to be merciful and yet could allow himself in his selfish passion 2. Much more latitude ought to be allowed to God in his way of working without our quarrelling then we may take to our selves for saith the Lord Thou who mayest be blinded with fancie and humour hadst pity and allowedst thy self in it and should not I a wise and sovereign Lord spare Nineveh being he to whom absolute submission of spirit is due though I thus reason thee out of thy folly 3. The Lord can easily take off the veile of fair pretexts from selfish men and let them be seen in their owne colours for whatever Ionah might pretend as the cause of his grief for Ninevehs sparing the Lord by this demonstrates that his bitterness flowed indeed from love to himself as might be seen in the matter of the Gourd 4. Men under tentation and in an ill way are not without much difficulty convinced that they are wrong therefore the Lord useth all these meanes that Jonah may take with the reproof when by lively demonstrations and deeds he should see his errour Thou hadst pity upon the Gourd c. And should not I spare Nineveh 5. The Lord is so constant in his good-will that he will not only shew mercy but wil maintain his so doing against all who will oppose it for here he pleads for his mercy to Nineveh against Jonah Should not I spare Nineveh 6. The Lord by his practice teacheth us to let out our affections upon objects according as they are of worth in themselves therefore albeit nothing can be of worth to him yet he reprehends Jonahs pity on the gourd a thing of so smal worth coming up in one night and perishing in another as far worse imployed then his mercy in sparing Nineveh that great City and therefore the more to be tendered by him 7. The Lords creating of men may give ground of hope to the sensible sinner that God delights not in his destruction but upon repentance will be willing to spare for while he reasons from Jonahs pity on the gourd for which he had not laboured neither made it grow he teacheth that he could not but spare repenting Nineveh it being his own handy-work 8. Not only persons come to maturity and turning to God but even their children yea and cattel who cannot sensibly acknowledg him do concur to plead for pity to the penitent at Gods hands and his mercy will look on their condition and number as a reason of sparing for he knoweth what Infants are in Nineveh how innocent they were of grosse provocations and that there was much cattel there and from that pleads that so great a City wherein there are so many Infants and so much cattel should be spared 9. The children of the Lord will at last be cleared and satisfied with all the Lords dispensations and will submit to Gods way in them as only right and wise however they repine under their fits of tentation for the Lord gets the last word in this debate and therefore it is evident from Jonah's silence and not answering again that he submitted at last in testimony whereof and of his unfeigned repentance for his miscarriage he glorifieth God in registring all these passages for the edification of the Church whereby also is held forth the infallible certainty of holy Scripture in that the Penmen thereof were so little their own in writing of it as they spare not at Gods command to register their own infirmities that he may be glorified MICAH The ARGUMENT THis Prophet living almost in the same time with Isaiah only he was sent out a little after him and his commission is also extended to the Kingdome of Israel is much like him in matter and is recorded in after-times to have been a faithful man in declining times as it is Jer. 26.18 If we compare the beginning of the first and the sixth Chapters which are almost one and the same we may take up the whole Prophecie in two solemn Sermons in the first whereof he foretels the captivity of the ten Tribes and calamity of Judah by the Assyrians because of Idolatry Chap. 1. and because of covetousnesse oppression and contempt of the Messengers of God Chap. 2. and the wickednesse of Rulers both in Church and State for which Judah is yet further threatned Chap. 3. Then he armes the godly against the Babylonish captivity then approaching with
strive to amend it then the Lord will publickly in view of all the world convince and correct them by his stroaks therefore doth he call all people the earth and all that therein is to hear and see the Lord witnessing against his Church which is a bitter case when our betrothed Lord is provoked to go out of doors to the streets with his beloveds faults 5. The justice and equity of the Lords dealing with his people even when he proceeds to severity in correction is so uncontrovertedly clear as that it may be seen and read of all therefore also are the creatures called to appear as witnesses of his proceedings and that affliction is justly procured by Israel 6. If this passage from his holy Temple be understood of heaven it teacheth that however men may obstinately bear out against all convictions from men yet the glorious Majesty of God when he lets forth any rayes of it from heaven as v. 3 4. in his works it will so dazle them as they shall not be able to stand out If we understand it of the Temple at Jerusalem it teacheth that the Jewes their confiding much in the Temple should not exempt them but rather be a part of their ditty that the mercies of God manifested there and from thence unto them should effectually convince them of sin and aggravate it who have not walked answerably and that Israels renouncing of that Temple and the worship of God there shall be matter of a sad challenge which they will not be able to answer In all these respects the Lord God will be witnesse from his holy Temple Vers 3. For behold the LORD cometh forth out of his place and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth 4. And the mountains shall be molten under him and the valleyes shall be cleft as wax before the fire and as the waters that are poured down a steep place To stir them up the more and to make them heed the message he declares in general Gods purpose concerning them that he would manifest himself in his glory from heaven and trample under his feet whatever is most eminent and make high and low feel the effects of his Presence and Justice according to his infinite power which when he pleaseth to let forth will make mountains to tremble and resolve into dust and vallyes to cleave as wax melteth before a fire and as waters run with violence down a steep place Doct. 1. However the Lord do most clearly manifest his glory in heaven and Atheists and carnal men think he is shut up there yet as he is every where filling heaven and earth so will he when he pleases manifest his presence on earth in glorious effects of providence for so doth this speech import The Lord cometh forth out of his place that however heaven be in a peculiar way his habitation yet he will from thence appear in glorious majesty on earth 2. The glorious manifestations of God in the world ought to be looked upon with reverence admiration and humble wondring So much doth behold prefixed to this manifestation import 3. It is quite beside the expectation of a back-sliding Church that God should appear in severity against them and therefore such a dispensation surprizeth them so much also doth this Behold teach that to them who still dream of peace with God notwithstanding their wicked way it should be an unexpected and sudden thing to see him appear in glory to punish 4. The greatnesse and majesty of God ought to be well studied and considered upon by all those who oppose him and reject his will not to drive them yet further from him but rather to crush their obstinacy and induce them to repent for Gods Majesty is here held forth to make them tremble to be found in a way disapproved of his Word 5. Men in their declinings from God seek unto themselves false refuges whereby they think to shelter themselves against Gods vengeance but are herein deluded for there are high places of the earth whereby are signified their Idols worshipped on these high places wherein they trusted or their strong holds or high and lofty men who thought to be exempted from common judgements or generally their high and lofty imaginations all which or whatsoever else they can oppose the Lord is potent to crush He will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth 6. Greatness of opposition against God contributes to set him out more eminently by crushing thereof for He treads on the high places that is not only crushes and commands them but is the more eminently seen in so doing in that they are high their height making them conspicuous from afar while he stands upon them 7. The Lord is able to overturne what is greatest and most stable in the world and make all creatures feel his power and indignation in an effectual way this is held forth in that the mountains shall be molten under him and thevalleys cleft as wax before the fire c. 8. Sin in the people of God makes that which otherwise might be comfortable matter of terrour to them for whereas the Majesty and Power of God is comfortable to the Church in that she hath such a God to crush her enemies and wherein they deal proudly to be above them yet now because of sin it is the matter of her terror However it be so far comfortable as that all this is done to drive her to his mercy Ver. 5. For the transgression of Jacob is all this and for the sins of the house of Israel what is the transgression of Jacob Is not Samaria and what are the high places of Judah are they not Jerusalem Followeth the Lords quarrel or the cause procuring his appearing thus in glorious severity which is the hainous transgression of his people who came of Jacob otherwise called Israel and withal he declares that the Original and rise of this transgression in Israel was from the chief City Samaria while as Omri and Ahab did there erect Idolatry having translated the regal dwelling thither which was before in Tirzah 1 Kings 16.23 24. which had now in processe of time spread through the Kingdom and had daily influence from the Court and chief City and that in Iudah the City of Ierusalem had cast a Copy to all the Land and not only in sins against the Second Table but in corrupting the worship of God with their high places which Iotham tolerated and his son Ahaz proceeded to grosser abominations 2 Kin. 16.10 11. 2 Chr. 28.24.25 and so drew on the people to imitate their wayes Doc. 1. The provocations of the Lords priviledged people may bring on very remarkable stroaks for all this that is all this appearing in severity is for the transgression of Iacob 2 Albeit the Lord in his great mercy look over the infirmities of his people yet rebellion and idolatry and corrupting of his worship especially when multiplyed is that which he
it shall be so with the people when they feele it 2. It is the duty of faithfull Ministers not onely to denounce judgement against sinne and sinners but so to doe it as may make them most sensible of their danger before they feele it in reality therefore doth Micah waile and howle c. that they might thereby read the reality and weight of the threatning and study to prevent the execution 3. A most effectuall way of making people sensible of threatnings is when the messengers themselves are affected with them when they deliver them for therefore doth Micah who carried this message waile and howle 4. Threatnings from the Lord ought to be denounced with great affection and sympathie in the Messengers that so they may evidence that it is no revengefull and bitter spirit in them that maketh them speak so sharp and withall that their affection thus evidenced may make way for an unpleasant message Therefore will I waile and howle c. saith he as a sympathizer with the people of God however as his messenger I carry the hard tidings Ver. 9. For her wound is incurable for it is come unto Judah he is come unto the gate of my people even to Jerusalem In giving a reason of his sorrow he yet further describes the calamity from the universality of it that Samaria as shee is desperately sick of provocations without any hope that ever shee should amend so her stroak was incurable and that the Assyrian having destroyed them that fire should burn through all Judah even to Jerusalem the mother-City and seat of justice to all the Jewes of whom he was one and whom hee loved dearly And so hee comes to the second branch of the Threatning which is against Judah and Jerusalem as was likewise foretold by Isaiah chap. 8.7 8. and accomplished 2 Kings 18.13 c. Doct. 1. It is a bitter cause of complaint when stroaks inflicted by God are irremediable whereas a stroak is easie wherein there is hope of deliverance therefore doth Micah waile for her wound is incurable 2. Albeit the Lord begin his punishments for sin where it pleased him yet when hee lifts up his hand such as are guilty of the same sinnes may think not to escape for when the wound is begun at Samaria it comes unto Judah he is come to the gate of my people c. Jerusalem being so called because it was the seate of justice which used to be administred publickly in the gate 3. The Lord may suspend his corrections upon his Church for her backsliding untill a time of reformation and then inflict them for however Ahaz had his own fears from Rezin King of Syria Isa 7. 2 Kings 16. yet the correction for the high places of Judah of which ver 5. is by the Assyrian who destroyed Samaria and that in the dayes of Hezekiah the Reformer 2 Kings 18. It is come to wit from Samaria into Judah The reason of which is partly because Reformation being not set about sincerely and cordially as it was in the body of Judah in Josiah's time Jer. 3.6 10. doth so much the more provoke the Lord to punish for former Apostasie partly the Lord chuseth a time of Reformation to punish in that a people being at such a time sensible of the sinne procuring the stroak the affliction may be blessed to make them reform the more throughly and partly the Lord chuseth this time that the stroak may be the more moderate there being some standing in the gap and no totall backsliding and accordingly we finde Jerusalem preserved though threatned 4. The affections of the Lords servants in a time of distresse ought to be set on work to sympathize chiefly with such as are most dear to God therefore saith Micah He is come to the gate of my people Not so much his because hee was their countrey-man which ought not to sway with Ministers in publick administrations Deut. 33.8 9. though otherwise to be tender even in that respect is commendable as because they were more upright in Religion then Samaria and therefore the enemies coming even to Jerusalem where the Temple stood is most bitter Ver. 10. Declare yee it not at Gath weepe yee not at all in the house of Aphrah roll thy self in the dust In the next place the calamity of the people and cause of the Prophets sorrow is held forth to be so great that it were to be wished that their enemies such as the Philistims in Gath never knew of it and so might not insult over them in their misery to add to their affliction and therefore in a figurative way usuall in Lamentations and borrowed from 2 Sam. 1.20 they are injoyned to conceal their affliction from such by suppressing their weeping lest they should hear it Whence learn 1. There are still some in the world waiting for matter of joy in the Churches calamities whose gladdest day will be to see her in trouble For so much doth this prohibition to declare it in Gath import 2. Of all enemies such are among the most inveterate as being neerest unto the people of God yet partake not of their mercies for such were these at Gath lying hard upon the borders of Judah from whom especially they would conceale their grief 3. It is a new grief and great addition to the afflictions of the godly that enemies by reason of their calamities take occasion to reproach them their God and Religion And it would be a deliverance in part to have their case concealed from such and an ease to smother their grief if that could conceal it for this charge Declare ye it not at Gath weep ye not at all doth import the Churches wish that such knew it not and her ease if it were so 4. The Church of God must resolve not onely to have afflictions but also to have them noted and observed by enemies and to lie under all their insolencies and reproaches because of them till their triall be perfected for while in a figurative way the Prophet thus prohibits it intimates that it could not be hid and that the Church had this added to her triall In the rest of this Chapter to the last verse the greatnesse of this stroak and the cause of the Prophets sorrow is yet further set forth in a particular and pathetick enumeration of such places especially as would appear in Judah as should feele the calamity of Warr and what their calamity should be and albeit we find no mention elsewhere of divers places named here especially these ver 11 12. yet we are to conceive that they are either proper names of places though unknowne to us chosen out from among other places in regard the signification of their names doth illustrate their condition by the War or that they are appellative and borrowed names given to some places from their qualities properties or condition to illustrate their calamity in the ensuing tempest as may be seen in the particulars And so here by Aphrah
his delayes in executing vengeance for sin with the severity of it when it comes therefore in opposition to their devising iniquity verse 1. that they might execute it well as they thought the Lord deviseth an evil saith he that is it shall be as sore and sharp an evil as if it had been most seriously devised and all the time of delay had been imployed for that effect 4. Sin publickly acted without controlment will bring on judgments against a whole people Therefore because oppression was committed publickly against this family do I devise an evil that is against this whole Nation Amos 3.1 2. even the notorious sins of private persons much more of publick Ministers of Justice not being punished or such sins becoming universal cannot but bring judgments upon a whole Land 5. However Oppressors may think to shift the Lords visitations yet when they come they shall seize upon them and their violence shall be met with afflictions which they cannot shake off for it is an evil from which ye shall not remove your necks 6. Albeit men also dream that if they cannot exempt themselves from judgments yet they will courageously and undauntedly bear out under them yet the Lord by his rods will make the most haughty to stoop for Neither shall ye go haughtily 7. God hath our time and the revolutions thereof so in his own power as he can thereby when he will cause the stoutest to fall before him therefore it is subjoined as a reason why they shall not walk haughtily for this time is evil God shall make the times to crush them 8. Men by their transgressions do provoke the Lord to make their time bitter and evil unto them wherein otherwise they might comfortably serve their generations for because they had oppressed c. therefore this time is evil Ver. 4. In that day shall one take up a Parable against you and lament with a doleful lamentation and say We be utterly spoiled he hath changed the portion of my people how hath he removed it from me turning away he hath divided our fields Their calamity is further set forth that it should not be ordinary but the matter of a Proverb in all mens mouths and of a bitter lamentation composed by themselves to bewaile their calamities or by their enemies counterfeiting their sorrow wherein they should bewaile their utter desolation in that the Lord had transferred the possession of the holy land which he had given as a portion to his people to their enemies and had not onely cast his people out of it but turning away in anger had given it to the enemies to divide it among them and so had put them out of hope to return to it again all which relates especially to the case of the ten Tribes whose lands were thus possessed by the Assyrians 2 Kings 17.24 Doct. 1. Sinning against God with an high hand will at last make the sinner a remarkeable spectacle of justice and will end in bitternesse and lamentation for In that day shal one take up a Parable or Proverb against you and lament with a doleful lamentation 2. The sinners desert is to be utterly ruined without hope of restitution and to be left in that condition to bewaile their want and misery for this is the sum of their lamentation that they are utterly ruined put away from their land their enemies dividing it as their owne inheritance 3. The seeing of God as a party and affliction as flowing from his anger they make the afflicted's lamentation yet more bitter for so doe they lament He hath changed and removed turning away be hath divided 4. The Lords judgements upon a sinfull people will surprize them with astonishment and be more sad then any thing they did expect or dreame of when they were wallowing in their iniquities for so much doth their admiration import How hath he removed it from me Ver. 5. Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in the Congregation of the LORD Their utter desolation is here positively denounced by God in confirmation of their lamentation that being cast out of their land they should want the benefit of dividing their inheritances by lot before the LORD in his Congregation as of old Joshua had done Josh 18.4 6 10. and they used to doe on several occasions especially every Jubilee when they returned to their possession but should remaine exiled and their enemies in possession of their Country Doct. 1. It is a bitter case when an hard condition is not onely feared or apprehended by us but proves in reality as sad as we imagine For here the Lord confirms their lamentation in apprehending desolation by a positive sentence Thou shalt have none to cast a cord by lot 2. Iniquity will make a Land spue out even a confederate people and detaine them in exile destitute of their wonted priviledges This is imported in that threatning Thou shalt have none to cast a cord c. 3. The causes procuring judgements are still to be taken along in our thoughts with the judgement Therefore saith he because of these sins mentioned ver 1 2. Thou shalt have none c. This will make us justifie God in his afflicting and will set the afflicted on work by repentance to make up their outward losses in God 4. Afflictions will be so much the more bitter as the mercies of which wee are deprived by them have been given unto us by a special providence and as a signe of Gods favour for so the land from which they are to be banished is a land which they had by lot in the Congregation of the Lord that is a land divided to them by especial providence of God and wherein the Congregation of the Lord was See Ps 47.4 and 137.1 Ver. 6. Prophesie ye not say they to them that prophesie they shall not prophesie to them that they shall not take shame The second accusation is for their contempt of and opposition unto Gods Word and Messengers the sense of the words which in the original are concise and short is when the wicked heard the Prophets of God threaten sin so sharply they could not endure this sound doctrine but either would have them silent as Amos 7.10 11 12 13. or would limit them to preach onely what they pleased as their false Prophets did and so some read the words Prophesie ye not let these to wit the time-serving Prophets and such as would follow their way prophesie upon this the Lord threatens to adde this to their judgements that he will take away his Prophets and hereby give them up as dogs to whom holy things are not to be cast and prevent the shame and ignominy which his Prophets suffered at their hands as Matth. 7.6 or as the words may be read by way of interrogation If they shal not prophesie unto these shall they take no shame although they were rid of faithfull messengers to warne them yet that would not hold off jugements
us go say they and he will teach us of his wayes they account it a mercy to be taught and that not what they like or as they effect but what is his will 13. Albeit the Lord hath appointed a teaching Ministry in his Church which his people ought and wil acknowledge yet every true convert is taught of God partly while they hang not their faith on mens authority but exalt God alone to be the infallible Teacher and Law-giver in his Church and do try if what men say be agreeable to his mind and partly while they feele God in and by his appointed means teaching truth effectually and perswasively to their hearts Hee will teach us of his wayes say they See John 4 42. 1 Thes 1.13 14 As all knowledge of divine things ought not to rest in contemplations but stirre up to practice so however men of much literal knowledge may be more prophane in their conversations then others yet such as are taught of God and acknowledg his Authority in the meanes of instruction and feel the efficacy of his Spirit conveighing what is taught to their hearts their knowledg will resolve in practice it being the Lords prerogative to convince the conscience and subdue and stir up inclinations to practise what is taught He will teach us and we wil walk in his paths Unto this promise the Prophet subjoynes a reason why Nations should seek to joyn with the Church to wit because the doctrine of salvation should go forth from the Jews among all Nations to stir them up to seek the Lord and this light shall shine forth in the Church in all ages to invite Nations to come and seek teaching Doct. 1. The glory of the Church of the New Testament consists not in idle ceremonies but in the profession and holding forth of true doctrine according to the Word which is the badge and mark of the true Church for the Law or generally the true doctrine as the word in the Original bears shall go forth out of Zion and the Word of the Lord from Ierusalem that it may shine in all the Churches of the Gentiles and this is a part of the eminency of the mountain of the Lords house 2. The Lord hath made it clear that the Doctrine of salvation in the days of the Messiah was not to be treasured up among the Jewes only as of old Psal 147.19 but to spread throughout the world for the Law shall go forth of Zion c. 3 The Doctrine of the Gospel is the same for substance with what was in the Church of the Jewes though clothed with new circumstantials Therefore it is called a Law alluding to the old name and cometh from among them to us though not from Sinai cloathed with dark shadowes and fearful terrours but from Zion adorned with cleernesse and seasoned with sweetnesse 4. As the Word of God published in his Church is the instrument of true conversion so it is the meanes whereby Christ inlargeth his Kingdome and will prevail in the world to perswade Nations to joyne themselves to him in his Church therefore is this given as a reason of the inlargement of the Church and activity of Converts for the Law shall go forth of Zion c. Ver. 3. And he shall judge among many people and rebuke strong Nations afar off and they shal beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hook Nation shall not lift up a sword against Nation neither shall they learn war any more Ver. 4. But they shall sit every man under his Vine and under his fig-tree and none shall make them afraid for the month of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it The next promise contains her peace and tranquillity setting out yet more the Churches glory under Christs government that God in his Son Christ shall by his Gospel have and exercise a spiritual jurisdiction and kingdome in the world whereby he shall subdue them to his obedience and having subdued shall govern them so as to procure peace and tranquillity to the Church that the converted may serve God quietly in their particular stations and become useful each to other This their condition is expressed in termes taken from the usual practice of peaceable times wherein men being out of use of war do turne their weapons of offence into instruments of husbandry and utility and wherein men go about those callings and abide abroad in the fields without fear of danger as 1 King 4.25 Doct. 1. Christ coming with his Gospel is to reigne as a King and have authority over those who receive him for he shall judge among many people 2. It is a truth to be much and frequently studied that Christs Kingdome is universal his Church spread over the world and he having power over all for her good that he may have his glory and every particular Church and believer be comforted in such a head and in hope of the enlargement of his dominion when by Apostafie or persecution it is confined to narrow bounds therefore is it again promised that he shal judge among many people and rebuke strong Nations afar off to wit far from Judea and meaning all people far and neer 3. The Lord may deal very terribly with such as he purposeth to do much good unto he may convince rebuke and afflict them for sin that he may drive them to his mercy for that is a part of his work in gathering a Kingdom to judge and rebuke 4. Albeit the Lord in gathering of his Church do not make use of weapons of war but only his Word with the reproofs and terrors thereof yet that will suffice to subdue them to him nothing in the creature being able to stand out against the Lord convincing and rebuking for sin for if he judge and rebuke many people and strong Nations they will feel it and beat their swords into plowshares c. and come under his government 5. This promise of great tranquillity and peace is not so to be understood as if the Lord did condemn Christians their undertaking of lawful wars for Magistrates bearing the sword of Justice which must oft-times be executed by force of armes is the Ordinance of God Rom. 13. Nor are we so to understand it as if the Church were alwayes to enjoy outward peace and tranquillity for Christ refuses that himself Matth. 10.34 Nor doth the godlies spiritual peace in all troubles exhaust the full scope of this promise But the scope is to teach us 1. The saving effect of the Gospel upon men is when it daunts and subdues their corruptions and so makes them as tractable and plyable to the will of God so peaceably study to serve God in their stations and to be useful each to other for when these strong Nations are rebuked they beat their swords into plowshares c. Which are instruments of their lawful calling and of utility to themselves and others 2. This taming of mens corruptions by the Gospel will appear farther
concluding that she ought not to give way to discouragement 1. There is nothing the people of God want in trouble which might be helpful or comfortable to them but it wil be made up in God for however her King and Counsellers were uselesse and enemies to her safetie in that strait and were afterward cut off for their sins and that she might be emptied of all created comfort and helps yet the Lord wil not admit that she should think she wanted a King while as he lived and reigned to preserve her in her trouble and in due time to re-establish his Kingdom in her so much doth this sharp question teach Is there no King in thee Is thy Counseller perishid 2 As the Lord seeth it oft times fit not to remove but continue and increase a peoples trouble for they were to be in pain to go out of the city dwel in the field and go to Babylon so the people of God in such cases ought to arme themselves with resolution for such lots rather then by discouragement to make their owne crosse heavy which is all they can doe so much are we taught in that howsoever he reproves their cries v 9. yet saith he be in pain which doth not only import an assuring of them that the trouble was to come nor yet only a concession that it is no marvel they have pain and sorrow but a command also to set themselves resolutely to bear it as they are commanded to build houses in Babylon Jer. 29.4 5 6 and to make their captivity as comfortable as lawfully they may 3. The right pondering of the fruit which the Lord brings out of the troubles of his people may help to crush discouragements under them labour to bring forth like a woman in travel He sets her out in her trouble as travelling in birth of some mercy to make her forget her sorrow which she should minde much and presse after See John 16.21 22. 4. The Lords tender affection towards his people especially under trouble may be a great lenitive to their bitternesse Therefore is shee here called the daughter of Zion which is a stile of tendernesse A room in his heart will make an affliction to be no affliction or very tolerable 5. Every step of the people of God in affliction is a step toward deliverance and the utmost degree of affliction is the door next to deliverance so much doth the scope and drift of this place teach the Church going out of the City and dwelling in the field was going toward deliverance and when shee went even to Babylon where in outward appearance shee might have lost hope yet there shall shee be delivered and is neerer to a deliverance there then in the holy City These things rightly studied may take away much seeming ground of discouragement under trouble Doct. 3. The Lord is to be eyed as undertaker for the performance of improbable like promises which may cause all difficulties to vanish Therefore after that promise There shalt thou be delivered is subjoyned There the Lord shal redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies when he undertakes it wil be easie to raise a Cyrus and make him do it 4. While as the Lord promises in delivering to redeem them it teacheth 1. That the Lord wil reckon kindred with and interest in his afflicted people that hee may appear for them for it was the part of the neerst in kindred to redeem and the word in the Originall intimates so much 2. That they having by sin sold themselves into captivity Isaiah 50.1 Christ by the price to be paid to justice for the Elect among them should procure their deliverance also and of the visible Church for their sake All temporall deliverances to the children of God flowing from that eternall Redemtion from sin and as an appendix to the new Covenant and the visible Church getting deliverance for the Elects sake among them 3. That for enemies who had captivated them as they had sold themselves to them for nought so they should be actually asserted unto liberty without any price save onely stroakes to the unjust possessors Isa 52 3. Ver. 11. Now also many nations are gathered against thee that say Let her be defiled and let our eye look upon Zion For further confirmation of his minde concerning her afflictions he sets forth in the last place his great and holy designe concerning the enterprize of her manie enemies who in her ensuing calamity and after her return from captivity and after her conversion to Christ should be gathered against her as also against the Church of Christ in all ages and first hee holds forth what is their purpose to the end his purpose overturning theirs may be seen to be the more glorious to wit that they intended and set themselves to deal with her not as a priviledged place but that they might pollute her as a prophane place with blood and other abominations and take her ornaments from her and put her from her dignity and that they might feed their eyes with such a sight Doct. 1. The true Church hath the most enemies of any society for many Nations are gathered 2. It is usefull for the Church to remark what enemies intend and what our troubles would seem to threaten to the end that more of God may be seen in delivering for this end is the consideration of the enemies designe premitted to the consideration of the purpose of God See Psal 124.1 2 3 4. 3. As the wicked see no priviledg the Church of God hath why she may not be dealt with as other prophane societies so the greatest bitternesse the people of God have in their affliction is that hereby not onely they but their priviledges are trampled under foot by enemies for it is the sad sight they get of enemies designes when they hear them say Let her be defiled or prophaned See Isa 10.9 10 11. Lam. 2.15 4. There are many so wicked as to account the Churches calamitie a pleasant spectacle and sweet sight to feed their eyes with for there are who say Let our eye took upon Zion which is an evidence of a desperately wicked condition Ver. 12. But they know not the thoughts of the LORD neither understand they his counsel for hee shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor Ver. 13. Arise and thresh O daughter of Zion for I will make thine horn iron and I will make thy hoofs brasse and thou shalt beat in pieces many people and I wil consecrate their gain unto the Lord and their substance to the Lord of the whole earth Followeth the Lords purpose concerning this their enterprise which is incomprehensible and unsearchable by enemies and quite contrary to their intention as minding by their gathering together to ripen them for vengance as sheaves are gathered that they may be threshed to the execution whereof he encourageth the Church promising to enable them and give them a compleate victory which should be ascribed to him
which he proves by purging himself of any wrong done to them shewing that they had nothing to say against his dispensation toward them and nothing to lay to his charge wherefore they should have forsaken him charging their consciences that as he had called the mountaines to witnesse against them so they would declare if they had any injury on his part to complain of and would bring out any thing they had to say to clear themselves of that crime of ingratitude Dect 1. It is the Lords love to his people that maketh him challenge them for forsaking him and this should make the challenge affect their hearts and will aggravate their guilt if it do not So much doth this stile O my people prefixed to the challenge teach us 2. The Church of God by her backsliding doth raise an evil report on God as if he dealt not well with his people and as if he were not easie to serve for his enquiring what have I done unto thee wherein have I wearied thee imports that their backsliding said in effect he had done them injury and wearied them with rigorous service 3. However our corruptions do snuffe and weary in Gods service as Mal. 1.13 yet there can be no true cause shewed why any should choose to forsake God but rather should cleave unto him seeing his commands are not grievous his yoke easie trials sent by him not above measure punishments not above deserving and a Mediator ready to undertake for his people in all exigents Therefore the Lord will have it disputed and will have the consciences of backsliders to clear him wherein have I wearied thee testifie against me See Jer. 2.5 3. 4. To forsake the Lord without cause and when men have nothing to lay to his charge wherefore they do it is great ingratitude for this is the scope of the challenge that fince they could lay nothing to his charge and yet turned away from him they could not shun the crime of ingratitude Vers 4. For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt and redeemed thee out of the house of servants and I sent before thee Moses Aaron and Miriam A further proof of his challenge for their ingratitude is taken from his mercies towards them whereby he further vindicates himself and proves that they were so far from having any harsh usage to lay to his charge wherefore they did forsake him that on the contrary he had manifested many rare and singular favours toward them which did aggravate their fault This proof he cleares from several instances The first instance is his redeeming them from Egypt and that when Egypt dealt most hardly with them and had made them bond-men although the Egyptians themselves ought rather to have been slaves as coming of cursed Cham Gen. 9.25 A second instance is taken from his conducting them through the wildernesse giving unto them a well-setled government and faithful Governours such as Moses in the State to give laws from Gods mouth and to conduct the people Aaron to be Priest and Meriam their sister to instruct the women in that extraordinary time Exod. 15.20 Doct. 1. Mercies received do contribute much to aggravate the defection of a people so much doth this instancing of mercies in a time of defection teach See 1 Sam. 15.17 c. 2. Our delivery from bondage spiritual or temporal inward or outward that we may serve the Lord ought to be an eternal bond upon the delivered to be for God therefore their bringing out of the land of Egypt a shadow of spiritual deliverance by Jesus Christ wherein God had manifested himself gloriously is brought to remembrance though past and done long ago as yet obliging if it were well considered I brought them up out of the land of Egypt c. 3. The Lords conducting and guiding of his people in this world under a sweet and orderly government and honest governours in Church and State working to others hands for advancing Gods honour and the good of a people is a singular and obliging mercy though the people enjoying it were otherwise in a wildernesse for it aggravates their ingratitude that he sent before them Moses who received Gods minde in Lawes to them Psal 103.7 who was singularly meek Numb 12.3 and vehement in his affection to that people Exodus 32.31 c. Numb 14.13 Aaron who was the Saint of the Lord Psal 106.16 and Miriam though a weak woman and extraordinarily employed and not to be imitated in ordinary yet the sense of the mercy should not have died with her Verse 5. O my people remember now what Balak King of Moab consulted and what Balaam the son of Bâ—â—r answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal that ye may know the righteousnesse of the LORD A third instance of mercy is taken from a particular passage of his goodnesse in the wildernesse turning Balaks intended curse into a blessing and causing Balaam against his own inclination to blesse the people and publish Gods good will toward them See Numb 22.5 and 23.7 and 24.1 14. Deut. 23.4 5. This instance is yet further enlarged that when Balaam had counselled Balak to tempt Israel to whoredom and idolatry at Shittim that so God might turn their party Rev. 2.14 Num. 25.1 yet the Lord spared them and justly brought Balaam to a violent death Josh 13.22 Numb 31.8 He gave them victories over Og and Sihon Numb 21. he brought them unto the promised land and in Gilgal renewed the Covenant by circumcision and the Passeover Josh 3.1 and 5.2 c. By all which they might be sufficiently convinced of his fidelity in keeping promise in every thing Doct. 1. Forgetfulnesse of mercies is the cause why they take so little effect and produce so small fruit Therefore he calls them to remember now 2. The Lord in assuring his people that he takes pleasure in their prosperity is pleased so far to condescend to our capacity as to expresse himself as one whose heart warmed at the remembrance of wonted familiarity and consequently would be content to have it renewed therefore upon rehearsal of this benefit he repeats again O my people as if his affection were kindled and revived by the rehearsal See Jer. 2.2 much more should it so work upon us 3. As the Lord hath the power of cursing and blessing in his own hand however men be disposed so doth he turn intended curses against his people into blessings he can when he will protect them against the fraud as well as the violence of enemies yea and make their very enemies befriend them for so much doth that history of Balaam and Balak here pointed at teach us 4. The Lords sparing mercies his goodnesse striving with his peoples wickednesse and his keeping and renewing of a Covenant when their sins deserve that it should he broken and his just judgements upon their violent and fraudulent enemies ought to convince and engage his peoples hearts much to him therefore ought they to remember for their
constant supply of furniture Walk humbly with thy God 9. The people of God are to study constancy in their way and especially in humility and for this end the bond of communion with God and interest in him is to be kept fast and daily made use of Walk humbly with God Ver. 9. The LORDS voice crieth unto the city and the man of wisdom shall see thy Name hear ye the rod and who hath appointed it This verse contains a generall sentente given out against his people and a Preface to the following special accusations and sentences The sum is that since they made no conscience of this their duty though clearly revealed v. 8. therefore the Lord by his Prophets gives warning of another reacher to be sent unto them to wit his rods and judgements which they are commanded to hear since they will not heare his servants and to consider the author of them that they may be affected therewith and withall he declares that only the true fearers of God who are indeed the wise ones will take notice of God manifesting himself either in the admonition or in the rod. Doct. 1. Slighting of clearly revealed and commanded duties will bring a rod upon a person or people for so doth the scope import 2. The Lord doth not steal a judgement upon his people but in great mercy forewarnes them of their danger if they would make use of it The Lords voice crieth to give the alarm 3. The testimonies of the Lords servants against sin and their warnings of wrath to come in their publike Ministery is the Lords own warning-peece to the rebellious for so is the Lords voice to be understood of his voice in the mouth of his servants 4. As Cities and eminent places have greatest occasions and incouragments to serve God so when they come short their guilt is great and they share deepest in the cup of afflictions therefore the Lords voice crieth unto the City that is to Jerusalem Samaria and other cities of the land in which as the Prophets preached most so when the rod comes they are alarmed especially as those on whom it will light most sadly 5. We ought to be sensible of afflictions sent upon us as Gods Messengers sent with a Message to us and the Lord will cause the most stubborn to feel his hand in them for this Hear the rod is not only an exhortation to take the alarm and be sensible of the rod when it comes but a prediction that though they would not heare the Prophets yet they should both heare and feel this Messenger See Jer. 1.15 16.6 We ought not onely to be sensible of the smart of the rod when it comes but chiefly to look to the hand of God in it and to what he would teach by it Hear the rod and who hath appointed it 7. It is an evidence of the fear of God to take warning of a rods coming or to get Gods minde in the rod seen and to be affected with it and obey it and onely fearers of God get this use of it The man of wisdome shall see thy Name that is take up thy authority in these warnings from the Word and discern what thou manifestest of thy minde by the rod. 8. They onely are wise indeed who fear God and who learn to make use of his Word and Providences toward them for he who feares God is called the man of wisdome or substantiall wisdome that hath a being as the word signifieth all other wisdome being but empty and vain Ver. 10. Are there yet the treasures of wickednesse in the house of the wicked and the scant measure that is abominable 11. Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances and with the bag of deceitfull weights 12. For the rich men thereof are full of violence and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies and their tongue is deceitfull in their mouth To help them to understand his minde in the rod the Lord enters upon a more speciall accusation of them for the sins procuring the same here he sets before them their violation of justice and mercy and charges upon them that by wicked meanes they had gathered great treasure which proved them to be wicked who did thus enrich themselves The meanes whereby they made this purchase or at least endeavoured it and for which they are challenged are 1. Scant measures or lean in themselves and starving the buyers 2. Inexcusable deceit in the matter of weights and balances bringing in more gain to them then was right 3. Cruel violence used toward the poor 4. Fraud and circumventing of one another which was universall among them All these accusations the Lord referreth to themselves to beare witnesse of the truth of them and poseth their own conscience if notwithstanding their professions by externall sacrificing the Lord could in justice acquit them and not rather abhor and condemn and plague them Doct. 1. The Lord abhoreth those sins especially which are commited after many admonitions by such as professe much piety Are there treasures of wickednesse c saith he and that after so many admonitions and threatenings of the rod and notwithstanding your great Profession 2. It is a great signe of unsoundnesse when such as are eminent in practising externall duties of the first table can without scruple commit wickednesse against the second for saith he Are there yet after the great offers of sacrifices is there yet so much unrenewednesse as to gather up treasures of wickednesse 3. Excessive love unto and desire after riches driving men to use unlawfull meanes of purchase is a sure mark of wickednesse let the purchaser pretend to what he will and of Gods displeasure however in his Providence he may permit such to prosper for they are treasures of wickednesse in the houses of the wicked and for this the Lord challengeth 4. Deceitfulnesse in weights balances and measures is a sinfull means of purchasing riches and a clear instance of injustice which is abominable in the sight of God for so much do the words hold forth 5. Even our selves seriously considering our case may not onely see the truth of what the Word challengeth but may easily judge that God will not passe by approved grosse guiltinesse nor justifie the doers thereof whatever mask of profession they cover it withall therefore the Lord appeales to themselves both for the truth of the fact Are there yet treasures c and for the demerit of it shall I count them pure with the wicked balances c or purifie and declare them just 6. Men ought not to dallie and sooth up themselves in a dream of Gods approbation of them in their sinfull wayes Therefore he puts them to it to judge righteous judgement in this particular shall I count them pune c 7. However men study to blinde or put to silence their own consciences that so they may sin without molestation yet in the day of Gods controversie it will be mens sorest adversarie and
more that it hath proved vaine 4. Men without God and not walking in his way are easily confounded when the Lord turneth his hand against them and to do for his people for they who no doubt were insolent and proud before shall lay their hand upon their mouth c. 5. Gods wonderful works of providence in behalf of his people and against their enemies do ordinarily produce but vanishing and empty fruits in the world and amongst enemies as either to confound and astonish them as if they were dumb and deaf when what God hath done for his people is mentioned They shall be confounded they shall lay their hand on their mouth their cares shall be deafe Or if they work any more it is but pretended subjection and friendship out of feare They shall lick the dust like a serpent they shall move out of their holes c. They shall be afraid So hard a piece of work are mens hearts to work upon especially being once engaged in enmity against God and his people and so hard if not impossible is it for any work to work savingly where the Word hath not place and where mens misery and Gods mercy are not discovered to them 6. It is a great proof of Gods power and metter of encouragement to the Church to see their enemies brought so low as to yield if it were but feigned obedience and pretend friendship as is usual in the time of the Churches prosperity for it is an encouragement That they shall lick the dust like a Serpent c. We are to be sensible and warie of the falshood of some who pretend to serye Christ and to be friends to his Church as withal to adore the Power of God making them to stoop so far as to lie as it is Psal 66.3 in the original 7. All the glory of bringing down enemies and the making them to stoop is to be ascribed only to God the Church being so terrible only because of Gods interest in her and presence with her They shall be afraid of the Lord our God and feare because of thee The latter part of which speech may either be understood of God the sweetnesse of the encouragement making them turn the speech to him by way of warme and hearty acknowledgement or of the Church made dreadful because God maketh manifest that he is hers by Covenant Vers 18. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage he retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy In consideration of all these encouragements the Prophet in the Churches name concludes all with a commendation of God as singular in his mercy ver 18 19. and his fidelity ver 20. He begins at mercy and sets it out in a speech full of various affections sometime directed to God by way of praise sometime spoken of God for the Churches own encouragement sometime spoken with particular application to themselves sometime with relation to all the people of God to set forth the publick-mindednesse of all such as have obtained mercy He instanceth this singular mercy of God in the matter of pardoning sinne which being propounded in this verse is further cleared from two expressions setting forth more of the riches of this benefit and of the security and comfort may be had by it Doct. 1. Mercies received from God ought to commend and endear hiâ—self to our hearts therefore after rehearsal of mercies he falls to commend the giver 2. The Lord being rightly seene and taken up in himself and his dispensations will be found singular and matchlesse as one of whom we may boast over all idol-gods whose wayes are only best to be followed who will do singular things for his people and make them singular and consequently who ought to be singular in their affection Who is a God like unto thee saith he 3. Gods matchlesnesse appears to his people and doth affect their hearts not so much in acts of his power absolutely considered though they ought to be sensible of these also as in his acts of grace and his being great in his Christ pardoning sin yea when great things are done or promised to them they wonder not so much at these as that his mercy should come over their transgressions to make way for these great things Therefore they declare there is no God like him who pardoneth iniquity and when they heare of all the former encouragements they admire this above them all that their sin had not stood in the way of these mercies and that because the godly are sensible of the desert of sin and of their inability to satisfie justice for it and therefore pardon is sweet above all to them 4. Outward mercies were they never so great and full will never yield true satisfaction unlesse they be joyned with reconcillation with God and pardon of sin so also are we taught here all the former encouragements do refresh when they may also admire and rejoyce in God who pardoneth iniquity 5. God by a free pardon will for his Christs sake lift off and take away the burden of the guilt of sin were it never so great from off his wearied people who flee to him for refuge and so ease them of it and give them ground of quietnesse in their conscience for so doth the word in the Original tendered pardoning import and it is extended even to iniquity and transgression and this is the only way to get true ease and deliverance from sin 6. The self-condemned sinner in looking for pardon from God ought to look upon him as singular and not measure his condescendence or mercy by their thoughts or by any other mould but expect that as he is matchlesse so is his mercy pity and love for Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity doth teach us so much and this is to be taken along with every expression of pardon that he is matchlesse that doth that and doth it matchlesly The first expression clearing this benefit yet further is and â—sseth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage wherepardon is expounded to be a passing over or so to say a seeing and yet not seeing the faults of his people and withal it is declared to whom this benefit doth belong Whence learn 1. So great and many are sinful mans provocations and so great is his inability either to be rid of them or satisfie God for them that there is no way of reconciliation betwixt God and him but by the Lords quiâ—ting the plea and passing over his faults not calling him to any strict account for them and this he doth to those who see their own saults much and flee to him through Christ for he passeth by or over transgression Isa 57.17 18. Gen. 8.21 Psal 130.3 4. 2. These advantages are not to be expected by all but by the Lords own who are his beritage which imports on their part that they close with
God as a constant portion intending to be his heritage which is a qualification required in them who come for quieting of the conscience from particular guiltinesse and on Gods part it imports that whatever just displeasure he conceive against them yet at last he will be reconciled with his heritaâ—e They are also called the remnant which is another argument why he pardons to wit that being already consumed in part for sin they would be utterly destroyed if mercy end not the controversie 3. Those whom God doth pardon are expressed under the name of the remnant of his heritage or of a remnant of Israel after trouble not only because this benefit is reserved for them also and spoken of here with especial relation to them and will be very generally let out upon them after their restitution but further though Reprobates may also be spared and reserved in publick calamities yet the comparison holds 1. In that the Elect and pardoned ones are the fewer number as a remnant in comparison of the bulk which are cut off 2. In that a remnant left from trouble ought in their behaviour to resemble much the godly and elect in sobriety Isa 38.15 in needy dependance Zeph. 3.12 in mourning for sin Ezek. 7.16 in holy walking Zeph. 3.13 c. The second expression is He retaineth not his anger for ever because he delights in mercy wherein his great mercy and his taking pleasure in it in pardoning sin is amplified and commended from his putting off justly conceived displeasure against sin and the sinner Whence learn 1. The Lord will put on just anger against the sins of his people and may possibly not passe them over at all times but may testifie his displeasure by effects against them whom he will yet pardon for it is here supposed that he may have anger and let it out for a time 2. The Lord when he is provoked and testifying his displeasure is not unwilling to be reconciled for he retaines not his anger or as the word signifieth holds it not with a strong hand but seeketh when he is angry that we should stand in the gap and intreat him to passe from it 3. It highly commendeth God and is matter of great consolation to us that his anger against his people is not everlasting That he retains not his anger for ever is a mercy however it may endure for a long tract of time 4. Gods mercy is the only cause wherefore he doth not pursue his controversies against his people with eternal wrath and this is to be seen and acknowledged by all them who are so graciously dealt with for so do they here He retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy 5. Albeit God blessed over all delight in himself and all his attributes and in the manifestation of them in the world yet after the manner of men he is said to delight in mercy in regard that attribute is most manifested in the world in his bounty to all Psal 33.5 in his not taking pleasure in the death even of reprobates Ezech. 18.32 albeit that for the manifestation of his justice he willeth it and in that to his own people justice is his strange act Isa 28.21 and mercy his ordinary way of dealing and all the mercy he sheweth them he doth it not grudgingly Jer. 32.41 nor doth he delight to be at odds with them but alwayes to have them refreshed in his love and therefore his mercy ends many a plea that it may make way and burst through clouds to manifest it selfe Verse 19. He will turn again he will have compassion upon us he will subdue our iniquities and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea This great priviledge is yet insisted in and further commended and cleared in several expressions the first is He will turn again he will have compassion upon us wherein is declared not only that the pardon of sin and removal of the effects thereof do flow from the tender mercie of God but this pardon is commended from an effect of it that God in mercy will turn to his pardoned people with compassion and from Gods constancy hereâ—n that after compassion hath been formerly shewed and abused 〈◊〉 will yet again have compassion as the Hebrew way of speech is often taken and translated Whence learn 1. Many of our conceptions and expressions will not be able to take up or utter the great goodnesse of God in pardoning sin nor the great mercy a self-condemned sinner seeth in it nor the great benefit he reaps by it therefore are expressions so multiplied about it 2. Albeit it be a sweet signe of a pardoned man when he esteems of a pardon and of God as a pardoner and when he loveth God because he will forgive his own people yet it addes much to the assurance and comfort of this benefit when every self-condemned sinner layeth hold on this benefit and applieth it to himselfe which should be endeavoured and may be attained for here the Church cometh to application He will have compassion upon us 3. God is provoked by his peoples sins to turn away from them and to seem to neglect them their prayers and conditions so much is imported in that he is to turn again to them 4. Upon the Lords pardoning of sinne not only is anger taken away as v. 18. but reconciliation and the shining of his favourable countenance will follow in due time for He will turn again and have compassion 5. Albeit favours formerly received and abused by us may be a great impediment to our faith in expecting favour when we need it again yet the Lord in mercy will again and again be kinde to his people for so doth the other interpretation teach He will again have compassion See Judg. 10 11 12 13 14. with 16. 6. Albeit the guilty childe of God having abused former mercies and lying in his sinne and misery be an unworthy and contemptible object having nothing wherewith to commend himselfe to God yet pity in God will condescend to look upon him and bring an argument from his very misery to help him for He will have compassion upon us say they 7. The Lord is so far from rejecting his people for their unworthinesse and miserable condition that he will keep them in such a needy condition as may make them fit objects of his pity for in that He will have compassion it implieth that he will keep them in such a needy condition as needs compassion The Church needs not expect to be freed altogether of the badges of her misery unlesse she would banish his tender compassions out of the world 8. The Lords needy and distressed people will get a room in his tender affection till they be helped and compassion shall carve out their supply and issue for so much also doth his having compassion teach us Another expression clearing this benefit is He will subdue our iniquities which may be taken up either as a
to himself his people being under his protection and the design tending to deprive him of a people and of a throne in the Church therefore all their enterprises are expounded to be imagining evil against the Lord. Seâ— Zech. 2.8 4. The Lord doth observe and will severely punish the wicked projects and machinations of enemies whatever effect he in his providence permit them to have for it is laid to their charge that there is one come out of thee that imagineth evil against the Lord a wicked counsellour albeit he get no leave to execute all his purpose See Psal 21.11 5. It is a wicked imagination in men that leads them to blaspheme God in denying his power and providence and mocking of his peoples confidence in him or to think that this is the way to prosper and it is a wicked counsel to perswade Gods people to renounce their confidence and renounce the way of his worship that it may be well with them the authors of all which God will not suffer to go unpunished for thus also did Sennacherib and Rabshakeh imagine evil against the Lord and prove a wicked counsellour as the sacred History relates and for this is Assyria threatened 6. It is the character of one indeed desperate and a never-do-well who dares enter the lists in opposition to God by plotting against his glory and people for he is a wicked counsellour or a counsellour of Belial that is not only one who having cast off all yokes and awe of God hath fallen upon such devillish plots but one who will never do well as the word signifies Ver. 12. Thus saith the LORD Though they be quiet and likewise many yet thus shall they be cut down when he shall passe thorough though I have afflicted thee I will afflict thee no more Ver. 13. For now will I break his yoke from off thee and will burst thy bonds in sunder Upon the back of this challenge they are again threatened with destruction notwithstanding of their quiet and secure condition or of their confidence in their great multitudes and this sentence is further amplified from Gods end in it which is to comfort his Church in Judah that had been afflicted by the Assyrians to whom he promiseth that she should no more be smitten with that rod but that by the destruction of Assyria she should be delivered from that slavery and bondage under which she had been held by them Doct. 1. As prosperity makes a people usually fat and rank so doth their waxing grosse call for stroaks for they being quiet became likewise many and therefore shall be cut down or shorne while the Prophet saith Thus shall they be cut down or shorne he either hath in delivering this message used some gesture representing the way of cutting down or mowing or he alludeth to the signification of the word cutting down which is used of cutting down rank grasse wool or haire by sharpened instruments so signifying the cutting short their flourishing and luxuriant condition or the word translated thus may be rendered likewise as it is immediately before and so it imports that as they had tasted of peace and likewise of multiplication so should they also finde cutting down or it may be rendered certainly as it is frequently used in Scripture 2. Nothing the creature can enjoy is able to hold off Gods stroak nor needs he any time to ruine his enemies but can do it with one sudden stroak for though they be quiet free of trouble and secure in their fortifications yet shall they be cut down and that when he shall passe through or with a sudden stroak alluding to the stroak on Sennacheribs Army 3. This repetition of the sentence teacheth how hard a thing it is to get threatened judgments believed in a prosperous condition therefore the Lord doth again undertake it whatever they had to oppose And teacheth that it is useful for the Church to look on injuries done to her as a sufficient quarrel to bring judgements on her persecutors for therefore after that challenge v. 11. the sentence is again repeated 4. The Lord would have his Church observing the kindnesse shewed to her and the benefits that redound to her by his judgements on the world therefore doth he direct the speech to her that she may observe it Though I have afflicted thee c. 5. The Lord takes with the stile of being the afflicter of his people whoever be the instruments and would be seen of them to be so therefore saith he I have afflicted thee See Isa 10.5 6. Albeit the Church of God will never get an end put to her afflictions until eternity come when God shall wipe away all tears from her eyes yet ought she to acknowledge the Lords great mercy in cutting off her present enemies and giving a breathing time for so must this promise I will afflict thee no more be understood in this place with relation to the present enemy that the Church should be free of their trouble and enjoy a little rest 7. The Lords former sharp dealing ought to be no obstacle to our faith in expecting of good things for he can easily when he will change his dealing Though I have afflicted thee saith he I will afflict thee no more 8. As the Lord seeth it fitting at some times to humble his Church by bringing her into bondage so he easily can and in due time will set her at freedome therefore saith he Now will I break his yoke from off thee and will burst thy bond in sunder Vers 14. And the LORD hath given a commandment concerning thee that no more of thy name be sowen out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image I will make thy grave for thou art vile Albeit it be true that Sennacheribs glory was stained by that discomfiture received in Judah Is 37.36 and he was shortly after killed in the house of his gods Is 37.38 whereby that temple was polluted from being the habitation of their idols where the King was slain and belike buried yet this cannot exhaust this full threatening seeing his son reigned in his stead Isa 37.38 and so his name was yet sowen and therefore the threatening is to be looked on as reaching the whole Empire of Assyria the final and irreparable ruine whereof is yet divers ways pointed out 1. By having no more of their name sowen whereby we are given to understand that their very memory should be quite cut off and the dreadful report which went of them among other Nations quite forgotten and so their cutting down v. 12. should differ from the condition of grasse or other things which grow up again after they are cut down and of corn which is yearly sowen after cutting down 2. By destroying of their idolâ— and supposed sacred things which is another signe of total ruine of an idolatrous land continuing so still when the stroak reacheth even to these 3. By burying of them
this sentence the Lord propounds all the vaine confidences of Nineveh and the Assyrians and declareth that they should not be able to deliver them from his hand Her first vain confidence is her strong holds which he threatens shall be as easily taken by the enemy as ripe figs fall from the fig-tree when it is shaken into the shakers mouth that is to say they shall be rendered up at the very first assault Whence learn 1. Men in a wicked way are ready to delude themselves with many vain thoughts of safety Therefore is all this pains taken to refute the vain imaginations of Nineveh 2. Strong holds are too weak fortifications to hold out Gods controversie against sin for as the sins of the owners ripen them for ruine and as they are much desired by enemies so will they be easily taken so doth this similitude teach us Vers 13. Behold thy people in the midst of thee are women the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies the fire shall devoure thy bars Her second vain confidence is her formerly valiant men concerning whom the Lord declares that though they were enclosed in fortified cities and strong holds which may make cowardâ— stout and in their own cities and countrey which they ought resolutely to defend yet they should prove timorous and faint-hearted like women and so should yield up what they ought to defend See Jer. 50.37 and 51.30 Doct. 1. Men will prove no longer stout then the Lord is with them in mercy or by them is doing some work in the earth for the lion-like Assyrians shap 2.11 are now to admiration become feeble Behold faith he thy people are women 2. No outward encouragement or consideration will put courage into such as God hath madâ— faint for thy people even in the midst of thee are women A third vain confidence the vanity wherof dependeth upon the former is their frontier garrisons which they no doubt observing that others had been destroyed by themselves through improvidence that way had fortified as the gates of their land and as bars to hinder the enemies progresse into the countrey concerning these the Lord threatens that through the cowardise of their souldiers they should be set open to the enemies as if fire had burnt them up It teacheth that no politick courses of men learning wisdom from the folly of others or fortifying themselves where others through weaknesse have been overcome is sufficient to secure a people from Gods vengeance The gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies the fire shall devoure thy bars Vers 14 Draw the waters for the siege fortifie thy strong holds go into clay and tread the morter make strong the brick-kill 15. There shall the fire devoure thee the sword shall cut thee off it shall eat thee up like the canker-worm make thy self many as the canker-worm make thy self many as the locust 16. Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the starres of heaven the canker-worm spoileth and floeth away The vanity of all the former confidences is yet further held forth in an holy mocking of all their preparations which should not avail for albeit they should use never so much diligence to defend their cities and for that end should draw water and diligently repair their strong holds with brick under which other things needful for enduring a siege are to be comprehended yet in their greatest strength the sword should destroy them and the judgement of God consume them like fire and as canker-wormes eat all green fruits and albeit both the King and the City Nineveh for the Original seemeth to direct the speech to both should multiplie armies both of their own people who were most part merchants and of their confederaâ—â— who traffiâ—ked with them and that in as great numbers as if they were swarmes of locusts or canker-wormes or as the starres of heaven yet thereby should they not be delivered but as the canker-worm having spoiled all that there is nothing to eat doth then flee away so their souldiers consederates and their own merchants should desert them when there should be no commodity to be had by them and should waste and take from them but do them no good Doct. 1. The Lords power is so far above mans that he will so to say defie man to avert his judgments by his endeavours for here he bids Nineveh do her best draw the waters for the siege c. and make thy self many as the canker-worm c. 2. Presumption may continue with carnal men even till their ruine for Nineveh is preparing for the siege and gathering men when she is to be destroyed not but that it is lawful to use lawful means to prevent destruction when it is threatened but her sin was to confide in these means without looking to God or his controversie 3. Stroaks from the Lord may readily light on men where they think themselves most secure for there that is in thy strong holds fortified and manned by thee shall the fire devoure thee the sword shall cut thee off 4. Wrath from the Lord is a sore party to deal with as destroying totally without mercy for the wrath of God against Assyria executed by the Caldeans devoureth as fire and eats up like the canker-worm 5. Multitudes of men will not aveil nor help in the day of the Lords vengeance yea such helpers may hurt when God is angry for however she make her self many and multiply merthants above the starres of heaven yet the canker-worm spoileth and fleeth away and so do they 6. As men usually respect one another or publick interests not sincerely but for their own ends so do they desert what they seemed to affect according as the wheel of prosperity turns about for their merchants as the canker-worm do spoil and when there is nothing left to spoile or reap benefit by then they flee away Ver. 17. Thy crowned are as the locusts and thy captains as the great grashoppers which campe in the hedges in the cold day but when the Sun ariseth they flee away and their place is not known where they are 18. Thy shepberds slumber O King of Assyria thy Nobles shall dwell in the dust thy people is scattered upon the mountaines and no man gathereth them A fourth vain confidence is their great men their counsellors and valourous commanders concerning whom the Lord threatens that some of them being only for eating and idle effeminate wasters as locusts and grashoppers are and having made a shelter of Assyria for their own advantage shall whenever a storm appears not only be easily terrified but seeing some sun-shine of a deliverance and that they may live without Assyria's favour they shall quite desert them and run away And this seems to be spoken of their tributary Kings and Princes or hired officers he threatens also that others of them which agreeeth most properly to their own Counsellors Princes and Commanders should become stupid base and carelesse
crying verse 2. and setteth out more of their sinne is that their wickednesse in vexing and grieving one another and the godly amongst them and their violent spoiling of one another together with their starting and keeping up law-suits and contentions or of strife against the messengers of God who reproved them as was usual Jer. 15.10 Hos 4.4 that I say all these were not only publick and open in the Prophets and godlies view whereever they went but a great grief and vexation unto them their hearts were over-charged when they saw such wickednesse and God taking no order with it Doct. 1. When once men shake off the fear of God it is righteous with him to give them up to break all bonds of love humanity and civil society amongst men for these godlesse men are given up to iniquitie grievance spoiling and violence c. Thus the Lord sheweth how unfixed they are in all things who hold not fast the root of his feare 2. It may be the lot of the Lords most faithful servants to see sad sights of wickednesse among the people committed to their charge instead of comfortable fruits of their Ministery This Prophet after his pains taken seeth only iniquitie and grievance and every where spoiling and violence are before him these sinnes being so impudently committed that the actors cared not who saw them See Isai 49.4 3. Albeit it be the duty of the Lords people and faithful servants not to carve out what shall be their own lot and successe in the world yet they ought not only to keep themselves unspotted but to be seriously affected and vexed with the iniquities of the times for saith the Prophet Why doest thou shew me iniquity and cause me to behold grievance Not so much quarrelling with Gods Providence towards him as testifying his own and the godlies veâ—ation by seeing these things See Ezek. 9.4 2 Pet. 2.7 8. To be vexed with the evils of the time is a way to keep our selves from falling into them and a ground of hope that God will appear as the Prophets reasoning imports 4. However the godly may be called to contend and strive both for God and for their owne rights yet it is a mark of an unsanctified spirit to delight in the fire of contention and either to beget or entertain them needlessely or unjustly This was one of the vexing evils of the time There are that raise up strife and contention Vers 4. Therefore the law is slacked and judgement doth never go forth for the wicked doth compasse about the righteous therefore wrong judgement proceedeth A third aggravation of his complaint holding out yet more of the iniquity of the times is taken from the consequents of Gods indulgence toward that people that they were emboldened to sinne by it and grew the worse for that they were spared for when the Prophets preached and men rebelled and yet God spared them they did hereby take occasion to contemn the Law and Word of God as a dead thing having no vigour nor authority and so ran on all mad courses insomuch that no justice was to be found for if there were any who respected equity or right they were so overpowered with the multitude of wicked men that they durst not appear not could effect any thing and so justice could not choose but be wrested Doct. 1. It should be the godlies endeavor to have their zeal against sin cleanly and arising upon justifiable grounds for here the Prophet cleares that his zeal against the iniquity of the times flowed not from any prejudice he sustained thereby but from the over-turning of all Religion and justice that appeared therein 2. The Lords forbearing and long-suffering oft-times prove a snare to wicked men hardening them in their evil course for because of Gods indulgence Therefore the Law is slacked c. 3. It is not the enjoyment of the Word of God or Ordinances but their having authority and vigour in our hearts and practices that will prove blessed in enjoying them for this people had the Law but it was the quarrel that it was slacked or dead in its authority The Law is slacked the similitude is taken from the faint or lifelesse pulse of a dying man 4. Contempt of the authority of the Word openeth the door to all wickednesse and justice will go to ruine among men where Religion hath no place for these two are conjoyned The Law is slacked and judgement doth never go forth 5. It is a great height of a lands guiltinesse when Judicatories and Courts of Justice become corrupt for that is the height of their impiety and the evidence of a despised Law that Judgement doth never go forth c. 6. Times of general defection prove ordinarily times of great trial to the godly and righteous not only are their souls vexed and they supplanted in their righteous cause but they dare hardly appear against the stream of injustice or if they do appear they cannot be able to effect any thing that is right but all goeth wrong do what they can for Then the wicked compasseth about the righteous therefore wrong judgement proceedeth Ver. 5. Behold ye among the heathen and regard and wonder miraculously for I will work a work in your dayes which ye will not beleeve though it be told you Followeth to verse 12. the Lords answer to this expostulation containing a prophecie of the destruction of the Jewes by the Caldeans which is here described generally from severall properties 1. That it should be a singular and wonderful destruction insomuch that if any of the Heathen should consider it it would breed admiration in them Deut. 28.37 and 29.24 25. 1 Kings 9.8 or if the Jewes should consider any stroak inflicted on the Heathen they should admire that their owne stroak was sadder as Dan. 9.12 2. That it should be incredible to themselves who dreamed of ease and yet be true And 3. That it should be speedy and come to passe even in their time to whom this was preached Doct. 1. When men harden themselves in their evil wayes because of Gods for bearance and the Word hath no authority among them then the Lord will speak in another language by his rod for because of that contempt of the Word ver 4. the Lord will work a work that is will send judgments which he will owne and wherein he will be seen 2. The Lords long suffering patience toward impenitent sinners will not alwayes last but when their iniquity is come to an height it will also end in sad judgements therefore albeit the Lords patience had out-wearied the Prophets patience yet now I will work a work in your dayes saith the Lord. 3. As abuse of mercie offered to the Church deserves sadder judgements then the sin of Heathens who have not such an offer Matth. 11.22 24. So it is an addition to the Churches calamity when the Heathen and enemies who have been witnesses to Gods working for her shall become Spectators and
dispositions at such a time will give faithfull messengers much to do and many errands to God for the Prophet beside his own arguings within himself was beset with reprovers arguers or quarrellers at these messages which puts him the more earnestly to stand and watch to see saith he what I shall answer when I am reproved 6. Albeit the Lords people may have their own debates and faintings betwixt God and them yet it is their part to smother these as much as they can and to bring up a good report of God and his way to others for however the Prophet afterward records that expostulation which he had with God Chap. 1. yet it appeareth that in the time he had so carried himself before that murmuring people on Gods behalf as they were arguing and contending with him and he reproved by them Ver. 2. And the LORD answered me and said Write the vision and make it plain upon tables that he may run that readeth it The Lord answers his servant attending on him by giving him a vision which is afterward recorded v. 5. c. and this vision he is commanded to publish clearly and make it plain to every ones capacity and to affix copies thereof on the gates of the Temple or other publike places as is reported to have been their custome and that in so legible characters and plain termes as every on might without difficulty read and understand it Doct. 1. However it may seem to be in vain for souls plunged in perplexities to pluck up their loines and eye and wait on God yet the experience of the Saints proves it to be an enriching trade for the Lord answered me saith the Prophet who had waited for an answer from him in his perplexity 2. It is the will of God that what light or ground of encouragement is given to any in a sad time be made forth-coming for the good of others for the Prophet is commanded to write the vision for the use of the Church which though it was his duty by vertue of his peculiar office yet it may be a pattern for every one so to act within their station 2. It is the Churches great advantage that in her hard lots she hath the minde of God in his Word whereby she may expound his dealing with her her dutie in every case and what she may expect concerning her self her troubles and troublers for there is a vision here which the Prophet is to write for her use 4. The Lord hath seen it fit in his deep wisdome and rich love and for preventing all occasion of delusion forgerie or misrepresentation and for helping of our forgetfulnesse and perpetuating his truth in the world not only to deliver his minde to his Church by word of mouth by himself or by his Prophets but to leave it on record in writing with her on which she may build her faith as certainly as if God were immediately or by his Prophets speaking to her by Word from day to day therefore is the Prophet commanded to write the vision on which the godly were to rest their faith in an hard time 5. The approved way of publishing Gods Word is not when it is adorned with wisdome or excellency of words but when it is delivered in simplicity and plainnesse condescending to the capacity of the meanest for saith the Lord Make it plain upon Tables that he may run that readeth it 6. The Word of God is deposited with the Church not to be read and made use of by some sort of persons only but indifferently by all the members of the Church and accordingly is fitted to the capacity of all for this written vision is not to be hid up in a strange language and dark expressions but to be made plain upon Tables that he that runs may read it Verse 3. For the vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lie though it tarty wait for it because it will surely come it will nor tarry The Lord subjoyns a reason to this command which is also a premonition to the godly concerning the subsequent message to wit that the performance of his decreed vengeance revealed in this vision had its prefixed period before which it could not be accomplished and at which it should certainly come to passe and therefore the godly were to look much to the clearly revealed vision and laying aside all fervour and haste patiently to wait for the accomplishment which should be seasonable and timely however their sense might judge the contrary Doct. 1. As the mercies promised to the Church so also the timing of them is in Gods hand so that we are not to expect that the performance of comfortable promises or of threatened vengeance against enemies will be always ready at our call but must wait the Lords time who hath his own seasons for afflicting trying and delivering for The vision is yet for an appointed time saith the Lord. 2. The Lords delaying to appear diminisheth nothing of the certainty of performance of what he hath promised to the Church or threatned against her enemies for The vision hath an appointed time and an end prefixed so that the exercise will not be perpetual and at this time it shall speak to wit by performance though we undervalue other expressions of it yet then it shall speak to our satisfaction and not lye nor disappoint us whatever feares we have to the contrary 3. Such is our weaknesse haste and distrust that when the Lord delayes to perform promises or what he hath foretold in his word we are ready to think that he denies to do it at all which is to contradict the Scriptures verdict here published to remove such apprehensions Though it tarry it will surely come 4. When we do not simply doubt of the certain performance of Gods Word yet we must not expect to have sense subscribing to all which faith apprehends concerning Gods method in performing but faith wil oft-times see cause to speak in contradictory terms to senses verdict for Though it tarry it will not tarry saith he sense will soon weary and say the performance tarrieth when the Lord satisfieth not its hasty desires but out-wearieth all carnal confidence and strength But faith will say that considering Gods love and wisdome his holy purposes in filling the cup of the enemies bringing good to his people out of every delay considering our duty and the exercise of graces we are called to when he delays considering that his performances come never out of date and when matters were past all recovery but that still when he comes he makes up all as if he had come the first hour considering that there is strength enough in God to carry through till deliverance come Isa 40.29 30 31. Faith I say considering all these will say it will not tarry but comes in a seasonable and the best time and before we be fit for it by performance of these duties required
this and must have it often pointed out to him 3. Outward pomp and splendor in the exercise of Religion though it be much taking with natural hearts yet it is not the thing God looks to but how his own prescribed rule is followed and what reality is there in such shewes for saith he their Idol is laid over with gold and silver and yet there is no breath at all in the midst of it Ver. 20. But the Lord is in his holy Temple let all the Earth keep silence before him In opposition to the vanity of Idols the true God is commended who dwels in heaven and manifests himself in the Church by the signs of his presence of his own appointing by prescribing rules of his own worship whose authority and greatnesse is such as may make all the world give over their disputing for Idols and submit to his doctrine and may cause them to stand in awe to come in opposition to him or to wrong his people when they should be scattered amongst them Doct. 1. The consideration of the vanity of Idols and misery of Idol-worshippers ought to commend the true God to his Church and set out their own happinesse who have him not only reigning in heaven but in the midst of them and know how to serve him acceptably according to his will therefore it is subjoyned to what hath been said But the Lord is in his holy Temple 2. The authority of the true God and his presence among his people being seriously thought upon will call for much reverence will silence all debates against his revealed will and may terrific men from being in opposition to him or his people for the Lord is in his holy Temple let all the Earth keep silence before him where silence is the badge of their reverencing his majesty and authority as Joh 29.9 CHAP. III. IN this Chapter the Prophet having heard Gods minde concerning both the Church and the Chaldeans expresseth his exercise upon the whole of that which hath been revealed to him in a way of meditation or prayer penned for the edification and direction of the Church in the times they were to meet with v. 1. wherein out of his deep apprehension and fear of the approaching stroak having prayed for preservation moderation of severity in their captivity till the time prefixed for their deliverance should come v. 2. He gathers grounds of faith that there should be a deliverance from their future captivity from the Lords glorious manifestations of old for his people in carrying them from Egypt through the wildernesse to the possession of the promised land and setling and securing them in it ver 3. 15. after which he changeth his stile and instead of praying expects that present feares should end in future confidence v. 16. and glorieth in the hope of preservation and deliverance v. 17.18 19. In testimony whereof he commends his meditation to be sung with joy v. 19. Ver. 1. A Prayer of Habakkuk the Prophet upon Sigionoth The Inscription of this exercise holds forth the Prophets scope which is to pen a prayer to God in reference to the ensuing calamities such a prayer as the word signifieth as is made by a Supplicant to a Judge which because it was penned in Meeter for the help of memory therefore the tune is prescribed the clear signification whereof though it be uncertain yet that which cometh neerest to likelihood is that the Prayer being endited in a composed mixt Meeter it was to be sung with variable tunes instruments fitted accordingly Doct. 1. when the Lords people abuse their priviledges they may be put to plead for them before the Lords tribunal by prayer and be content to hold fast these things by faith which sometime they had full possession of for Hab akkuk and the Church are put to prayer for their very being and to deprecate the total ruine of Gods work 2. It is the duty of all in a time of imminent or incumbent judgements to stirre up themselves and others in their stations to get the spirit of prayer that being exercised in religious duties they may be kept from declining or fainting and may be preserved from the judgement of senselesse stupidity which usually attends such times Ezek. 24.22 Therefore doth the Prophet by his example stirre up and by this publick forme prescribed by the Spirit of God and therefore lawfull direct the Jewes how to imploy themselves in their captivity 3. The people of God are not to expect that their prayers will hold in one tenor under trouble but as their exercise will be various in fearing believing trembling rejoycing c. so their prayers may begin low rise high fall low and rise high again for so much may be gathered from the nature of this meeter wherein the prayer is penned or tune to which it was sung called Sigionoth or variable as of one wandring here and there and not keeping one way This appeareth clearly in the prayer it selfe or the Prophets subsequent exercise and such variety makes the consort and melody of that spiritual exercise more sweet Ver. 2. O Lord I have heard thy speech and was afraid O Lord revive thy work in the midst of the yeers in the midst of the yeares make known in wrath remember mercy This verse containes that which is properly the Prophets prayer in this exercise the summe whereof is that being afraid of Gods threatned and imminent judgement of the Captivity to which he submits without more contending he prayeth that the Lord would not suffer his Church nor his work in it to come to nothing by their captivity but would during that time keep in their life by undeserved tokens of his favour till he should deliver And that notwithstanding their sinnes procuring wrath he would magnifie his mercy toward them Doct. 1. When judgements are threatned against the Church albeit she may believe love in them and that she is the Lords whatever come yet threatned trouble ought to be an exercise unto her and ought to make her humble under Gods threatning hand and tremble to deal with such a bitter cup O Lord saith he I have heard thy speech to wit concerning the Captivity and was asraid Both the Majesty of the speaker and the matter of the speech did affright him 2. As prayer to God is the kindly vent of all the godlies feares without which fear might readily crush them and by which the thing feared is either removed or blessed and made more easie and comfortable unto them so prayer will not speak well in trouble where there is not some sense of Gods word threatning or of his hand striking at the root of it for the Prophet being afraid subjoynes O Lord revive as the issue and result of his feare and as being a suitable and fit time and disposition for prayer 3 When the Lord hath disclosed his purpose concerning his peoples being in trouble it is the duty of the godly to submit
without contending and make them forbearing of it till Gods prefixed time of deliverance come for the Prophet supposeth that the appointed yeares of the Captivity were to come and doth not quarrel as formerly but prayeth that the Church may be borne through in that time This were a way to make many a crosse easie which our quarrelling makes insupportable See Jer. 29 5.6 4. The people of God are sometimes left to lie under a long continued tract of trouble to the end they may be narrowly tryed and may have much sorrow to be repayed with joy Psal 90.15 for this trouble did endure for years even seventy of them 5. Besides the Lords general relation to all his creatures as his handy work he hath a peculiar relation to his Church and people whose calling to be his people and their building up and establishing in that priviledge is his own peculiar worke and amongst whom his elect are made anew by him in a worke of redemption and regeneration so that they become new creatures and the worke of his hands Isai 45.11 In the midst of whom also he hath a work of his Ordinances and Kingdome to be preserved and carried on Which relation as the Church ought to acknowledge it and hold all she hath of him and make his worke the matter of her chiefe care in trouble so this interest doth indeare the Lords people to him and is a cause why he will not let them go to ruine and so lose all that himselfe hath done for so doth the Prophet reason revive thy work 6. The Lords people and worke may by reason of long and sore Captivity and possibly desertion accompanying it be redacted into such extremities as all may seem to be in peril of ruine and the faith of the godly in peril to faint and give it over There may be such low ebbes as may put the godly to pray O Lord revive or preserve alive 7. As the Lord both can and will preserve his work and people who wait on him from ruine and that in the midst of extremities so the Lords doing of this ought to be much esteemed therefore the Prophet resolving on Captivity maketh it his suite which he hath warrant and ground of hope to aske and the granting whereof will be refreshful though the trouble otherwise be pressing O Lord revive thy work in the midst of thy yeares 8. It is a very refreshful dispensation and which the people of God have warrant to look for that the Lord will season and sweeten their times of trouble with some evidences of his favour either in their bosomes or by some token for good in his providence Therefore the Prophet is directed to pray further in the midst of the yeares make known to wit his wonted favour by some manifestation and was answered in the Lords raising up of Prophets to them in Babylon and by raising up the head of their King about the midst of the yeares of their Captivity 2 Kings 25.27 c. as a pledge of their future liberation and by other favours bestowed upon them 9. As the Lords proceeding in wrath against his people would undoe them so the apprehension of Gods just anger against them for their sinnes is a great hinderance to them in their prayers Therefore the Propher when he thinks on wrath is made abruptly to cut his prayer that he may runne and deprecate it make known saith he not expressing what in wrath remember mercy 10. As the Lords just indignation against sinne doth not so transport him as that he will forget mercy or that he will deal in strict justice without all moderation with his afflicted people so this may give warrant to all those who are sensible of sin and of wrath due or inflicted for it to flee to his free favour and to pray with the Prophet In wrath remember mercy And teacheth all to magnifie God when this prayer is answered in any sort and that God doth mixe a cup of wrath with any mercy or moderation Ver. 3. God came from Teman and the holy One from mount Paran Selah His glory covered the heavens and the Earth was full of his praise Ver. 4. And his brightnesse was as the light he had hornes comming out of his hand and there was the hiding of his power The Prophet that he may strengthen his own the godlies faith in assurance of an answer to his prayer gathereth together several grounds whereupon he expects it which are taken from the manifestations of God in delivering his people from Egypt in carrying them through the Wildernesse and setling them in the promised Land expecting by faith that the Lord being unchangeable still the same and the people still his will repeate these in their future delivery and so lifts up his heart above all difficulties in the captivity or that might impede their restitution as looking to what had been done as pledges of what God would do before his Word failed or they perished Gods glorious manifestations of old among and for his people are branched out in several particulars whereof the first agreeing much with Deut 33.2 is the Lord manifesting of himself on Mount Sinai at the giving of the Law and on the hills adjacent in the desert through which he marched after giving of the Law before his people as their consederate God in glory and Majesty like himselfe insomuch that the splendor wherwith he was invironed filled heaven earth was bright as any light though these rayes like horns which shined forth from his hands or sides when he appeared did point out his power yet but darkly as being but a veile cast over his glorious power which in it selfe is incomprehensible as that light could not be stedfastly looked upon by the infirme and easily dazled eyes of man Doct. 1. It is a thriving way in prayer not only to put up desires to God to perswade him but to gather arguments whereby to confirme our own faith in the hope of speeding which will make us both cheerful in prayer and quiet having done our duty Therefore though all this exercise be called prayer ver 1. yet after a short suite ver 2. the Prophet makes the study of arguments of faith his chief work here See 1 John 5.14 15. 2. The Church is a storehouse of experience for a time of need she hath treasures of instances of what God hath done ready to be repeated againe in a new extremity for the Prophet repeats here works done of old which he lookes upon as pledges of the like in this new strait 3. Gods glorious manifestations of himselfe in and for his Church ought to be joyned with the consideration of his holinesse and his glory and splendor ought to set out his perfection in purity that the Church may fall in love therewith and study conformity thereto for appearing thus he is God the holy one 4. The Lords glory amongst his people may shine brightly in a Wildernesse which
thresh the Heathen in anger A second instance of Gods glory in that work appeared in his speedy and sore destruction of the Canaanites against whom he was highly offended as being Heathens and enemies to him and to his people His chariots went speedily through them and trod them down as corn is threshed out by the feet of beasts Doct. 1. Gods anger against wicked enemies whether Pagans or such whose carriage towards his Church is Pagan-like is a sore party and will make great havock of them and a short cut of long work for however the Canaanites were many and potent yet saith he Thou didst march through the land in indignation thou didst thresh the people in anger 2. God is alone the subduer of enemies to his people though sometimes he may employ more instruments sometimes fewer or none at all and as he is to be seen in what is done so is he to be looked to for what is undone for Thou didst march through c. saith the Prophet acknowledging what was past and expecting the like to come Ver. 13. Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people even for salvation with thine Anointed thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked by discovering the foundation unto the neck Selah Ver. 14. Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages they came out as a whirlewind to scatter me their rejoycing was as to devour the poor secretly He further instanceth the Lords glory in this worke and in several others as in Egypt under the Judges David c. as shining 1. In his design in all these works which was to bring salvation to his people by his anointed instruments Moses Joshua David c. as types of Christ and of eternal salvation by him 2. In the remarkable judgements inflicted upon enemies in that he did destroy the heads and rulers of those wicked societies as was verified on Pharaoh and other Kings who troubled them after they were setled in the land and overthrew not only the Kings of Canaan but all the Soveraignty and power that was in that land and opposed Israels possession yea further he not onely cut off the the head of soveraignty in the persons of rulers but rooted them out in their subjects by overturning ignominiously their stable condition as a house when it razed from the top to the foundation or as a mans body which supports the head when it is made bare from the heel which is the foundation he stands on to the neck and by cutting off their soveraignty not only in Cities but even in inferiour villages and the rulers thereof And this he did even by these same means which they employed against the Church this was accomplished in the sad stroaks that befel Egypt with Pharaoh especially at the red sea in the stroaks that many times came upon the subjects of Israels oppressors and the invasions and conquests made of their territories under David and others but especially in the entire conquest of the land of Canaan wherin the people were not only subdued and put under the power of Israel but the very root of the Heathens Soveraignty over that land was rooted up by the utter extirpation of the inhabitants in cities and villages except the Gibeonites and such as they sinsuily spared that Israel might possesse their habitation 3. Gods glory shined in these works in frustrating the proud hopes of enemies for the Lord did thus destroy them when they were both violent and confident of victory and when they thought to overwhelm the weak Church as with a tempest and made it their delight by craft and cruelty to devour her Doct. 1. Unto such as are the Lords people salvation is his scope and will be the result of all his enterprises for it is twice marked that he went forth for the salvation of his people 2. Christ is the ground of all salvation to his people every deliverance they get is a pledge of eternal salvation by him for he went forth for salvation with his anointed These fitted instruments whom the Church will never want in her need were but types of Christ and imployed by him from whom all safety cometh and these deliverances were shadows of his saving to the uttermost those that come to God through him And although the possession of Canaan was in a peculiar way typical yet the godly in all times may look on temporal mercies as pledges of better 3. As in wicked Nations or combinations those who are chiefe in authority are ordinarily most eminent and instrumental in evil so the Lord will break the combination by cutting off those which no greatness nor eminence shal be able to avert for Thou woundeast the head out of the house of the wicked 4. As wicked States and Nations adding opposition to the Church to all their other wickednesse do deserve that God should root but such States and Nations by utter extirpation so the Lord hath given proof that he is able and will not spare so to doe when he seeth it fit and when his peoples need calls for it for he discovered the foundation to the neck and did strike through the head of his villages 5. The Lord will doe that in due time to his implacable enemies which may afford matter of serious thoughts to themselves and others and such dispensations of his are wisely to be considered therefore Selah is againe subjoyned to this purpose 6. When the Lord hath enemies great and smal to root out he need no other means but their own weapons or the very designes whereby they think to thrive best and to ruine the Church for Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages This was the issue of Pharaohs pursuing Israel at the red sea of all the Canaanites enterprises against them and was more clearly verified on the Midianites Judg. 7.22 on the enemies of Judah in Jehoshaphats dayes 2 Chron. 7.22.23 and others 7. As the Church hath still been exercised with violent cruel and unsatiable enemies and must still expect to meet with such so the Lord will repay this and that even when their hopes and earnestnesse to carry their designes are greatest for it was both a cause of their destruction and the time of it when they came out as a whirlewinde to scatter me saith the Prophet in the name of the Church or violently to overrunne her and destroy her and when their rejoycing was to devour the poor secretly or in secret and hiddden places that is they took pleasure not only to overthrow them with great Armies coming like a tempest upon them but also to surprize them with sudden incursions when they were exhausted and had fled to secret holes for shelter and refuge This doth well agree with the condition of Israel under Midian Judg. 6 2 3 c. under the tyranny of the Philistines 1 Sam. 13. 14. and at divers other times as at the red sea Exod. 15.9
the Churches trouble to blast and lay aside all matter of confidence in any thing beneath God for this is no idle or impossible supposition but what the Church may expect in her afflictions that the figtree shall not blossom c. 2. Faith never gets right footing or exercise so long as the believer would set bounds and limits to trouble that it may come hitherto and no farther and doth not see through and condescend submit to the worst that possibly may come for thus the Prophet supposeth that the very course of nature for mans preservation may faile to the end he may cast himself wholly and cleanly upon God 3. As the promised mercies of the Church are surer then the very course of nature so faith apprehending these promises will out-live the worst of stormes without fainting for Although the fig-tree shall not blossome yet will I rejoyee in the Lord saith the Prophet in the name of the Church 4. Faith in hard times gets sure footing when it considereth that God who is omnipotent and alsufficient liveth whatever come or go and that it is so usual for God to give deliverance according to the Covenant when all means faile and for Saints to get it in such away and at such a time and not before as God hath this as a title whereby he is known in his Church for so doth the Prophets faith fix on Jehovah the God of our salvation 5. Faith is given in hard times not onely for bearing up but to furnish matter of joy and gloriation which should be endeavoured after as honouring God as evidencing that we got more in him then trouble can take from us as being a means to make trouble easie by avoiding the extremity of discouragement to which it drives us and a testimony that we expect good by trouble and somewhat that is without the reach of it therefore the Prophet resolveth to rejoyce and joy in the midst of his calamity Ver. 19. The LORD God is my strength and he will make my feet like Hindes feet and he will make me to walk upon mine high places To the chief singer on my stringed instruments The Prophet by faith speaks out positively what he expects from God as the matter of his joy in reference both to subsistence during the time of the captivity and to issue from it to wit that God would be the Churches strength when all means failed that he would gather and bring them back after scattering and make them nimble to overcome all difficulties in their way as a Hind skips over mountains and inaccessible places till they come to possesse their own country again which was for the most part hilly and to enjoy communion with God in the Temple which was situate upon the holy mountains Ps 87.1 and the Prophet to avow this his confidence and edifie the Church giveth out this exercise to be publickly sung by the Musicians of the Temple and plaid upon fit instruments prescribed by him and therefore called his Doct. 1. It is a singular proofe of love and ought to be the matter of joy to the afflicted Church when she is supported and kept from fainting under her trouble although she have no more for here the Prophet ioyeth in that he hath strength See 2 Cor. 12.8 9 10. 2. When all props and grounds of encouragement on Earth do faile there is abundance of furniture to support Gods people and make them subsist do or suffer as he calls them which will be forth-comming for the self-denyed who wait on God for of doth the self-denied Prophet reckon Jehovah the Lord is my strength See Isai 40.29 30 31. 3. The Lords people are not utterly undone and past hope even when they are brought into captivity out of their own land and under the power of others for the Lord can return their captivity as here the Prophet expects 4. The promises of the Lord are so certainly to be accomplished as every promise of a mercy is also an undertaking for the removal of every impediment that may stand in the way of it He will make my feet like Hindes feet saith the Prophet carry me over all impediments and make me to walke upon my high places 5. Though Gods mercies be oft-times little thought of when they are enjoyed yet the want of them will discover how rich they were and make the restitution of them sweet and to the godly man enjoynment of God in his ordinances is far above any lot beside therefore doth the Prophet call the land and mountain of the Temple mine high places to shew that albeit it was a hilly land in comparison of pleasant Babel yet it was his choice above all the world beside that it should be sweet to be restored to it again with liberty 6. Albeit faith may be oft-times conjoyned with much fear that the believer may be afterward ashamed if he utter any thing of his confidence yet what faith gathers from the Word may be boldly avowed so doth the Prophet avow his exercise and make it publick To the chiefe Singer c. 7. Faith having in an hard time apprehended God for strength and a blessed issue ought to stir up to praise in hope in the midst of the trouble therefore the Prophet directs this to be sung To the chiefe Singer on my stringed Instruments ZEPHANIAH The ARGUMENT THis Prophet exercised his function in the dayes of Josiah as appeareth from the Inscription of the Prophecy and after the reformation begun by him as may be gathered from Chap. 1.4 where the land is threatned for the remnant of Baal and so he hath been contemporary in part with Jeremiah and among the last who prophefied before the captivity His scope in a great part is to confirme and enlarge that sad sentence 2 Kings 23.26 whereby if it were possible some might be yet excited to repentance and however the impenitent might be rendred yet more inexcusable And therefore having to do with an obdured people who were neither bettered by Jeremiahs doctrine nor by Josiahs example and endeavours he begins with a denunciation of Gods sore-judgements which were to come upon them for their sins Chap. 2. exhorting them to repentance considering the judgements that were to be inflicted on the Nations round about them Chap. 2. And having given them up as incorrigible he makes ample promises concerning his Church under the Gospel for the comfort of any remnant who feared God Chap. 3. CHAP. I. IN this Chapter after the Inscription of the Prophecy v. 1. we have a denunciation of the general desolation that was to come upon the land v. 2.3 because of the gross iniquities that abounded among them v. 4.5 6. And to presse this sentence yet more home he sets before them 1. The propinquity of that bloody day v. 7. wherein he would punish the dissolute Court v. 8. and the instruments of oppression v. 9 and would render up the City to the Chaldeans v. 10. who should
the judgement for both Prophets and Priests are here found guilty See Lam. 2.14 2. Want of gravity in carriage and rashnesse and inconstancy in doctrine making the Word Yea and Nay and fitting doctrine to all humours parties and times is a character of a false Minister accessory to a lands sin and liable to sad judgements whatever extraordinary or singular thing he pretend to Her Prophets are light or rash unstable and heady persons 3. An unfaithful time-serving Minister though he may please himselfe and others may like well of his way yet in Gods account he is but a perfidious man betraying his trust and the soules of men and men will finde it so in due time for being light they are also treacherous persons 4. Every Minister that would approve himselfe to God ought to give himself both to deal with God in behalfe of the people and with the people on Gods behalfe for such was the Priests charge to minister unâ—o the Lord in the Sanctuary in name of the people and to be ordinary teachers of the law to the people in both which they failed here 5. It is a token of sins full ripenesse and of speedy approaching judgement when Ministers dare pollute the holy things of God by going prophanely and in a carnal way about his worship and service their own familiarity and frequent employment about it without sensible hearts having bred a contempt of it and so embolden others to do the like or tempt them to abhor Gods service thus was it with Jerusalem when wo came upon her Her Priests have polluted the Sanctuary 6. The holy Scripture being the revealed will of the supreame Lord and the unalterable rule of mens duty according to which they may expect blessings or curses it must be an high presumption in men to wrest and force it to applaud their fancies and to take their light to the Word and father it upon it and not come with submission of heart to receive light from it and so make of Scripture what they please this is also a quarrel They have done violence to the Law Ver. 5. The just Lord is in the midst thereof he will not do iniquity every morning doth he bring his judgement to light he faileth not but the unjust knoweth no shame The equity of this threatned wo is cleared from the justice of God who not only dwelling amongst them could not without impuration to his holinesse passe over such grosse abominations but also was a just God in giving her faire play in this processe and not pronouncing this sentence till she was found incorrigible which he proveth from two evidences whereof the first is that however he had daily and early by his Messengers held forth this law as a lamp whereby they might see the evil of their wayes and so failed not to give them warning that they might be reclaimed yet they proved obstinate and impudently blushed not to sin against cleare light Doct. 1. However a visible Church persevering in sin may blesse her selfe and expect great things from Gods visible presence with her yet all these priviledges speak the impenitent sinners disadvantage their lying neer a stroak for if the just Lord be in the midst thereof he will doe no iniquity to wit in sparing her being so sinful See Amos 3.2 3. 2. God doth so much delight in mercy and is so tender of his people that he never proceeds to severity so long as there is another way unessayed to reclaim them or to stint the course of their sin which doth abundantly justify him when he judgeth for in this also he is the just Lord in the midst thereof he will not do iniquity in that he will not cast off till other means be essayed as the following purpose cleareth 3. It is a great favour from the Lord and a testimony of his long suffering when he doth not take every finner at his first word but followeth him with frequent warnings of his danger if he go on and offers of advantage if he returne for it is marked here as an evidence of Gods kindnesse in this processe that every morning which was the usual time of Prophets preaching Jer. 7.25 doth he bring his judgements to light he faileth not 4. Albeit men may pretend to acknowledge the authority of God and his Word yet it is usual that when they are mad on sin and going to ruine this should be a presage of it that the Word will do nothing at them for it is marked as their sin and a token that judgement must come on when notwithstanding warnings the unjust knoweth no shame 5. None who are within the visible Church and doe acknowledge a Deity and yet dare with a high hand sin against the cleer light of the Word but they proclaim themselves to be destitute of all ingenuity and given up to the plague of effronted impudence for such know no shame Ver. 6. I have cut off the Nations their towers are desolate I made their streets waste that none passeth by their cities are destroy'd so that there is no man that there is none inhabitant 7. I said Surely thou wilt feare me thou wilt receive instruction so their dwelling should not be cut off howsoever I punished them but they rose early and corrupted all their doings A second evidence of their incorrigiblenesse is that the Lord had often-times visited the Nations round about not one but many of them and not with an ordinary but with remarkable stroakes destroying their strong holds or Princes which as corner stones as the word imports uphold the fabrick of the Common wealth and making such havocke of the Nations as there were neither traveller nor Inhabitant to be found all which considering out ward meanes and their duty might have warned them to flee those sinnes for which those Nations had been punished and instructed them to fear God and reforme their wayes that so their afflictions might have kept within bounds of fatherly correction and they might have prevented the last stroake of being put out of their land and yet for all this they were so farre from turning to God that they were even worse all their wayes being not only sinful but corrupt and bent active and headlong in going wrong as if it had been their study and they were as earnest to goe wrong as he had been to reclaim them v. 5. Doct. 1. The Church is so dear unto God and he so tender of her well-being that before he ruine her he will preach her duty and danger to her upon the dear expence of others for all these sad judgements on others v. 6. was to inform her that she might prevent the like 2. Judgements inflicted on any of the world is a document and call to others to fear God especially being guilty of the like sinnes yea even the Church ought to take warning from judgements on enemies for He cut off thir Nations laid their Towers desolate c. that his Church
might feare him and receive instruction 3. Albeit God onely wise to whom all his works are known from the beginning cannot be disappointed of any expectation he hath yet this dealing with his sinfull people and the meanes he useth are such as in reason might promise and doe indeed oblige them to bring forth the fruits of repentance and reformation therefore he subjoynes to this warning from his judgements on others I said Surely thou wilt fear me thou wilt receive instruction speaking after the manner of men and shewing what his dealing did oblige to 4. True godlinesse and an evidence of true turning from Apostasie consists in an holy aw of God and fear because of our offending him or to offend him again joyned with spiritual wisdom learned from the word and from our experience of our selves and our failings or of others to carry on and feâ—d that disposition for so is their duty here described Thou wilt feare me thou wilt receive instruction 5. No stroakes on sinners ought to be a discouragement to them being penitent from comming to God or from expecting good at his hand for if they should fear him so their dwelling should not be cut off howsoever he punished them 6. Albeit true godlinesse or turning to God from sinful wayes will not exempt a people from fatherly chastisements to make them more wise and their turning yet more serious yet the penitent in these will meet with favour considering what he deserves and what such as go on in impenitency meet with for so is insinuated so their dwelling should not be cut off howsoever I punished them 7. To be delivered from going into captivity out of our own land where we should want the publick ordinances of Gods worship is a mercy which may sweeten much affliction in our own land it is a promise to the penitent Their dwelling shall not be cut off howsoever I punished them 8. Such is the madnesse of men especially where the Lord hath given them over that no example will warn them their security conceit dreaming of priviledges c. will hide all dangers from such till they light upon themselves for all these warnings wrought not they corrupted all their doings 9. The more meanes be essayed to reclaim a people without successe the worse will that people grow where meanes are not blessed they leave that curse behinde them therefore all these meanes of warnings threatnings promises and lesser stroakes being in vaine see what followeth They rose up early and corrupted all their doings they were vigilant active and earnest to goe wrong 10. It is a cleare proofe of incorrigiblenesse and a presage of certaine ruine when a people are never more mad upon sinne then when judgements are let forth for it for by this the Lord proves their incorrigiblenesse and sealeth this wo upon them that when the Nations were cut off yet They rose up early and corrupted all their doings Ver. 8. Therefore wait ye upon me saith the Lord untll the day that I rise up to the prey for my determination is to gather the Nations that I may assemble the Kingdomes to poure upon them mine indignation even all my fierce anger for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousie The Lord having thus accused and left the body of the Jewes under his wo he turnes now to the godly among them who could not but be affrighted with these threatnings and troubled with the thoughts of dispersion of the people therefore he propounds divers grounds of their encouragement some whereof were to be accomplished in part at their return from the captivity and all of them spiritually in the dayes of the Messiah beside what may be expected yet more fully at the conversion and saving of all Israel The first ground of encouragement is that as they had God to wait and depend upon in the time of the ensuing calamity wherein God would consume the Jewes out of his jealousie over them so there was ground of hope that the Lord having punished his Church would appear against her enemies to take the prey out of their teeth and raise up the Nations to consume them and make such havoke of them as might testifie his zeal for his people and glory which had been violated by them and therefore the godly were patiently to expect this day so much the rather as all this should tend to the advance ment of the Kingdome of Christ as is after cleared Doct. 1. The Lords just controversie against the visible Church provoking him to abandon her doth nothing diminish his affection to any godly remnant in it nor make him forget them in sad times for in the midst of all these quarrels he hath a word to them 2. God in his Church is jealous of her and of her affection toward him and for his Church against all that trouble her in both which cases his jealousie being provoked is terrible and will raise up many instruments and make a great destruction for this jealousie of God first against the Jewes which is supposed here and first in order to be understood and then against her enemies which is most expresly pointed at will arise to the prey as a roaring Lyon will assemble Nations and Kingdomes to make them scourges to the Jews and then to be plagued themselves Will pour out indignation and fierce anger and devour all the earth or Land 3. When the Lord is about to bring forth some glorious peece of his Gospel-work The Church is to expect some great shakings and vastations to make way for it for in order to what followeth in this Chapter there will be a devouring of all the earth a casting of all into the furnace that he may bâ—ing out his pure mettal 4. When it pleaseth the Lord to let judgements upon his Church arise to a captivity and a leaving of them in their enemies hand the godly are to expect a time of the trial of faith and patience before there be a change as here is insinuated that when Judah is consumed there will be need of waiting on God before a day of vengeance on enemies come about 5. Times of greatest trouble have matter of encouragement to the godly in that they have ground of present dependance on God for strength and furniture during the straite and ground of future hope that there will be an outgate and that vengeance will come on oppressors they are allowed and invited to wait on God till that other day come 6. Patience is the kindly fruit of hope and the posture wherein the godly are to expect issue and to finde present troubles easie Wait ye upon me saith the Lord till the day c. Ver. 9. For then will I turne to the people a pure language that they may all call upon the Name of the Lord to serve him with one consent 10. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia thy suppliants even the daughter of my dispersed shall bring mine offering A second
ground of encouragement is that these calamities on the Jewes and their enemies should â—ot make the Church to cease but God should propagate pure Doctrine pure Worship and profession unto many people both Jewes and Gentiles who should joyntly concurre to serve him and help one another in his obedience v. 9. Thus a pure language seemes to be understood as Isa 19.18 not secluding purity of heart amongst some of them which it evidenced by purity of language as may appeare from Isa 6.5 Matth. 12.34 Jam. 3.2 and from what is further promised here yea the Lord promiseth that he will gather them from the furthest parts of the world to seek him and offer service to him v. 10. This promise is accomplished partly in his gathering together in Christ his dispersed elect throughout the world and remotest corners thereof Joh. 11.52 and these Ethiopians or as some conceive Egyptians among the rest and partly it shall be accomplished when the Lord shall call scattered Israel from the remotest parts of the world to serve him and they shall bring in some Gentiles with them as a gift to God Doct. 1. It is matter of praise to God and of encouragement to the godly that go with Nations as it will yet he is not to want a Church though he should gather it from among Pagan Gentiles and such as there is little apparent hope of for when the earth is devoured v. 8. then he will get many people as the word is and that from beyond the rivers of Ethiopia 2. Purity of Doctrine worship and profession is the glory of a Gospel-Church and a glorious work of God to make it so and keep it so for saith the Lord I will turne to the people a pure language or pure Doctrine and profession instead of their Idolatrous and blasphemous fancies and their way following thereupon 3. Purity of Doctrine worship and profession doth not consist in a lawlesse liberty or toleration to think or say what men will but is conjoyned with and carried on by an united uniformity which as it is the rich fruit recompence of much trouble so it is to be expected in the Lords time and measure for when after their much trouble they shall have a pure language they will serve him with one consent or shoulder even in that pure language See Jer. 32.39 Zach. 14.9 4. As unanimity in the matters of God and the free accesse of Jew and Gentile to serve God the one as well as the other is a great mercy of the Kingdome of Christ so when seekers of God are of one heart and do all put hand to the work to help one another without obstructing or lying by it is a token of thriving service this is also included in the promise as a great blessing and a meanes of much good They shall serve him with one consent 5. The true characters of a converted and spiritual people are their being much in calling on God imploying and making use of him in all things and their giving up themselves to be his servants at his disposal and in testimony of their subjection and thankfulnesse they will put hand to his work as they are called will do all as service to him and bring their worship themselves or others as they are able to offer up to him thus are they here described They all call on the name of the Lord when they get the pure language they are suppliants they serve him and bring his offering 6. As the Lord will not lose any of his elect how farre soever scattered through the world and will recover his own when their case speakes them afarre off and they are driven to exile without hope or probability of returne in their own apprehension so in particular the Lord will in due time seek after and recover his ancient people now of a long time scattered whereby there shall be a reviving of his service in the world for from beyond the rivers of Ethiopia he will seek the daughter of his dispersed and cause them to come at which time there will be suppliants and offerings brought and serving of him with one consent Ver. 11. In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings wherein thou hast transgressed against me for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoyce in thy pride and thou shalt no more be haughty because of mine holy mountaine A third ground of encouragement is the promise of the Churches reconciliation with God through the free pardon of finne and her renovation the glory whereof should rub off the shame of her former iniquities and should be followed with such felicity as should take away the ignominy of her former afflictions for sinne and particularly he promisâ—th to purge away their conceit and carnal gloriation in the Temple and outward ceremonies and to make worshipping of God in spirit and truth to be only in request these promises are made to the Church in relpect of the elect in her and do hold forth that eventually at some times and spâ—cially at the conversion of Israel there may be a more general renovation of Church-members but do neither hold forth that they will be universally such nor yet do proscribe that it is the Churches duty to admit none but such Doct. 1. Greatest promises of outward things will not afford matter of encouragement to the godly unlesse with these the work of reconciliation and renovation be going on therefore is this promised to encourage the godly Jewes 2. Albeit the Lords reconciled people have cause to be ashamed of themselves and to testifie their repentance by blushing for their backslidings Ezek. 16.61 yet being reconciled and turned to God they may lift up their face through a Mediator expecting not to be eternally confounded and that God will not charge them with these finnes but will bury them and make their future conversation rub off that reproach and by his doing for them will take away the ignominious effects of their sinne so much doth this promise assure us In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings wherein thou hast transgressed against me 3. As men cannot prove their sinne to be really pardoned but by their renewed conversation so without this there is no taking away of the ignominy of former sinful wayes thus doth the Lord prove that they shall be a pardoned people and not ashamed for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoyce in thy pride c. 4. The shameful sinne of the visible Church is her boasting of external priviledges and being bold to sinne because of them her outward mercies of that kinde becomming her snare and standing betwixt her and the kernel of them for this is the sinne to be removed rejoycing in thy pride or excellency as the word signifieth and being haughty because of my holy mountaine 5. As the Lord must be the worker of our reconciliation and renovation
freed from it which may sweeten what they meet with that it hinder not their joy this is imported in that cause of the Song Thou shalt not see evil any more Vers 16. In that day it shall be said to Ierusalem Feare thou not and to Zion Let not thy hand be slack The second exhortation which the Lord promiseth shall be directed to the Church either by her Pastors sent out or by way of acclimation from others beholding her happy estate particularly at their returne from Babylon and at the conversion of all Israel is that by faith they would put away fainting feare and stir up themselves to serve God chearfully for which end thâ—re are several encouragements subjoyned in the following purpose Doct. 1. It is an usual infirmity in the godly that their disposition comes far short of their allowance when they are allowed to be glad and rejoyce with all the heart v. 14. they need to be stirred up not to feare or faint 2. The people of God are many times so mistaken of their own case that others may see more of their good condition then themselves and they need the Ministery of the Word to direct their thoughts to which they ought to submit for In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem Feare thou not c. 3. Faithlesse fainting feare and idlenesse are usual companions which feed and entertain one another fear weakning the hands from dutie idlenesse feeding discouragement yet more therefore both are joyned here Fear not let not thy hands be slack or faint 4. As the reconciled people of God have no cause of harmlesse feare if they would set themselves against it as it becometh them to go about any duty enjoyned by God with alacrity and chearfulnesse so our encouragements in God are then rightly used when they strengthen us to duty so much also do these exhortations being put together import Feare not let not thine hands be slack 5. As it is the duty of faithful Ministers so also it is the commendation of all the godly to stir up one another to encouragement through faith and to chearfulnesse in the obedience of faith for they are commendably employed who say to Jerusalem Feare not c. Ver. 17. The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty he will save he will rejoyce over thee with joy he will rest in his love he will joy over thee with singing The reason of the preceding exhortation and the ground of their encouragement is taken from Gods Covenant made with them and his presence which was conspicuous in the midst of them from which grounds they might expect not only that his power should be employed for their deliverance but also that out of his love wherby he had chosen them he would delight and acquiesce in them and rejoyce over them and do them good and sweetly cherish them notwithstanding what might be said against them Doct. 1. As the Lords Covenant with his Church is not broken off by every discord or affliction so the Lord manifesting himself to be in Covenant with her by his Ordinances as signes of his presence saith much mercy to her according as she needs it for the rise of all the following encouragements is the Lord thy God in the midst of thee 2. As the Church may expect freedome from all her troubles either by prevention support or deliverance so her interest in God through the Covenant makes his Omnipotency forth coming to her for that end and she may reckon her strength by what is in him for the Lord thy God is mighty and therefore he will save 3. Albeit the proofs of divine power let forth for the Churches good do set him out above all blessing and praise yet his love-embracements are above all and the chief of the Churches encouragements therefore are they added as a further degree of comfort He will rejoyce over thee c. 4. Albeit Christs Bride be of no worth to him nor doth he need her yet having chosen her to be his Bride he will not come behinde in any duty which such a relation promiseth or engaged to among men but will take pleasure to be her God will esteem commend cherish and delight in her not according to her worth but according to the dignity he hath called her unto and as his wife his love putting comelinesse upon her will expresse his delight by doing for her as if her well-being were a sufficient recompence of all his pains for He will rejoyce over thee with joy which points at his inward delight He will joy over thee with singing which noteth the outward expression of it and both of them borrowed from the carriage of a Bridegroome to his bride Isaiah 62.5 5. The Lords love doth so acquiesce in his people whom he hath chosen as the end of his pursuit wherein he resteth and doth not onely cherish them by many expressions of love when he taketh up his rest in and with them but answereth all objections that might be against them with his own free love that hath chosen them as reckoning that having loved them he will love them and having let out his affection upon the unworthy he will beare with their frailties and not give a bil of divorce nor chide continually Thus he will rest in his love or her whom he loveth as having gained his end when he obtaines her and in his love or affection to her which is sufficient to make him not weary of her nor reject her yea as the word signifieth He will be dumb and deaf in his love His love to speak after the manner of men will guard his eare from hearing and his mouth from uttering accusations against her to wit so as to cast her off or denie her marriage entertainment though otherwise he may humble her Vers 18. I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn Assembly who are of thee to whom the reproach of it was a burden The Lord takes the word out of the encouragers mouthes and himself applieth that more general promise v. 7. to the broken and afflicted estate of the Jewes for the encouragement of the godly remnant promising that he would gather and bring them again to their own land especially those or for their sakes who were mourners for the want of the solemne worship of God as they had it in their own land and burdened with the reproach following thereupon Psal 137. Doct. 1. As it is the dutie of all the people of God to finde God speaking in and by his Word unto them so is his mind to be found in his Word and no where else for he doth himself confirm what these exhorters had said of him v. 16.17 for the further strengthning of the godly and what they said of him from his Word that for substance doth he say of himselfe when he speaks I will gather c. or employ my power and love to save as v. 17. 2 The Lord speaking
will not tolerate for this stroak is for their transgressions or rebellions their sins and high places 3. In times of defection and controversie the Lord hath a special eye upon and a chief quarrel against such as have a leading hand in bringing on or carrying on the Apostasie for these questions What is the transgression of Iacob What are the high places of Iudah imports that God observes and would have the cause of all the defection and who began it sought out 4. In universal defections eminent places and persons are ordinarily most culpable as misleading others by their example and authority for the transrgession of Jacob is Samaria the high places of Judah are Jerusalem that is iniquity abounds most in these Cities and the sins of the Land have their rise and countenance from thence 5. The Lord hath an especial eye upon his own Church and people to whom he manifests himself and marks their declinings narrowly especially in the matter of his worship for Judahs high places are especially pointed at whereas all Israels desperate defection is named in a genâ—â—al of transgression Ver. 6. Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field and as plantings of a vineyard and I wil poure down the stones thereof into the valley and I will discover the foundations thereof The Lord pronounceth a more particular sentence against Israel for their sins and particularly against Samaria that when theten Tribes should be led captive that City as being chief in the sin should have a remarkable stroak the buildings thereof should be rased to the very foundation the stones thereof cast down from the hill whereon it stood to the valley to lye as heaps of stones do which are gathered by Labourers of the ground and the place thereof should be only for planting of vineyards in it Doct. 1. Iniquity entertained will lay most eminent and strong places desolate for Therefore wil I make Samaria as an heap of the field c. although it endured a siege for three years 2 Kings 17.5 yet this threatning takes effect at last 2. Eminency in sin causeth eminency in judgements therefore Samaria is made an heap the stones poured down c. whereas other Cities of that Kingdom were not so ruined but there are some Cities of Samaria or of the Countrey about to bee inhabited 2 Kings 17.24 when it lyeth desolate 3. Wicked men prosecuting their wicked and ambitious ends may be made use of by God in an holy manner as instruments to execute his judgments upon his backsliding people and are so to be looked on by all who would have the use of their condition therefore the Lord for his peoples instruction and direction doth own the stroak to be inflicted by the Assyrians I will make Samaria as an heap of the field c. Ver. 7. And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces and all the hires thereof shall be burnt with the fire and all the Idols therof will I lay desolate for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot and they shall return to the hire of an harlot Samaria is threatned with further ruine in that not only her private things but her supposed sacred things should be destroyed her graven images broken that the mettal thereof might be carried away and her gifts given to Idols as harlots do to their Paramours or her riches out of which she gave these gifts and which she accounted to be the reward of her idolatry shall either be burnt by the furious soldiers or go as they came and perish as they are purchased and so her idols should be desolate Doct. 1. As it proves the vanity of idol-gods that they are obnoxious to destruction and desolation so in dayes of vengeance Gods speciall quarrel is against them to shew their frailty and the folly of all those who cleave unto them therefore all the graven images thereof shall be beaten in pieces and all the idols thereof wil I lay desolate by with-drawing respect worship and gifts from them 2. Idolatry is in Gods account spiritual harlotry and adultery for their gifts given to idols are hires such as are given unto or by harlots as the word signifieth and their riches the hire of an harlot Idolaters break that Covenant betwixt God as their Husband and them as his Spouse and doe poure out that affection due onely to God on idols and therefore provoke him in his jealousie to punish 3. As men may through Gods permission prosper in an ill way so are they ready to sacrifice their prosperity to a wrong cause and by their prospering to harden themselves in their way for Samaria's gifts bestowed on her idols or her great riches enabling her to offer she gathered it of the hire of an harlot that is shee acknowledged not God for her riches but conceived that they came to her for her unlawfull leagues and treaties with idolaters and as a reward of her idolatry and defection from the Tribe of Judah and the worship of God and therefore persevered in it See Hos 2.5 Ier. 44.17 18. 4. Riches purchased in a wrong way or abused to confirme men in a sinfull course shall come to nought for the hire thereof shal be burnâ— with fire and they shal return to the hires of an harlot Whereby wee are not so much to understand that the Assyrian Idolaters should take the riches and gifts of Samaria and abuse them as Israel had done in putting these gifts in the Temple of their Idols and acknowledging the riches as given them by their god as that it is a proverbial speech signifying that as these riches were ill purchased by Israel so they should go as they came and do them no good but vanish for an harlot purchaseth her hire ill and ordinarily it is as ill spent Ver. 8. Therefore I will wail and howle I will go stript and naked I will make a wailing like the dragons and mourning as the owls The sentence being pronounced the Prophet proceeds to set forth the greatnesse of the judgment together with that which was to come on Judah that they may be stirred up to lay it more seriously to heart in time And first hee declares what their calamity shall be by his own sorrow for it which was extreamly bitter as of dragons and owles whose horrible howlings in desert places is made use of in Scripture to expresse the condition of men sensible of great calamities Iâ—h 30.29 Psa 102.6 and by his going naked and stript of his upper garments as a signe of totall desolation Isa 20.2 3. By all which the Lord doth not declare his allowance of any bitter carnal mourning in trouble but by the Prophets practice the Lord would teach 1. When his people provoke him he can send affliction beyond expression and such sorrows as no outward signes can sufficiently vent for this bowling wailing and going naked doth import so much in the Prophet foreseeing the storme and doth foretell that