Imatges de pàgina
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He cannot threaten till he have promised; he cannot punish till he have pardoned.

3 This is a burthen to the Prophet, and that two wayes.

a. In respect of his fidelity to him that sendeth him.
2. In refpect of his zeal,

3. In refpect of his charity and compaffion to them
to whom he is fent.

1. In respect of his fidelity.

It is a burthen to him to keep in the word of this Prophecy, he cannot conceal it.

When Jeremy found the people incorrigible, and that the word of God in his Miniftery was despised and made his reproach.

Then I faid I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name: but his word was in my heart as a burning fire fhut up in my bones,and I was weary with forbearing and I could not stay.

Some carnall men do confeffe that it is true that we must preach the judgments of God against fin, that is our trade; but let children fear those bugbears,they know as well as we can tell them that God is mercifull, and his mercy is above all his works.

It is true that we must preach judgment against fin, for we have fear of the burthen of all thofe fins of others which we reprove not, to fall upon our felves.

2 Prophete.

Jer. 20.9.

If thou giveft him not warning,his blood will Irequire at thy hands. Therefore this word of excommunication, is our burthen and Ezek. 3 18, we must not conceal it.

2. In respect of his zeal.

For the Prophets of the Lord and his holy Minifters, beholding the fins which they do daily reprove to come up fo falt, as though they had never layd the axe of Gods judgment againft the root of that corrupt tree; the zeal of Gods glory so stirreth them that they cannot hold but they muft ftrike with the fword of the Spirit, they muft lift up their voices like trumpets, they muft tell the house of Jacob their fins.

Jeremy dothexpreffe this to the life.

Therefore I am full of the fury of the Lord, I am weary with holding in, I will pour it out upon the children abroad, &c.

Let not the fenfuall and carnall man call our threatnings offin

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our own ravings, and railings; and our comminations of judgment, the intemperate iffue of our own choler. Jeremy calleth it The fury of the Lord.

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And fo long as we reprove juftly, and mingle none of our own heat with the fire of Gods altar, we fhall kindle a fire in the bones of the finner which shall give him no reft, but his conscience shall say to him as Nathan faid to David. Thou art the

man.

3. In refpect of his compaffionaladit

Do not think that it is any joy to us to reprove or to threaten, St. Paul is loth to use the rod. Jonah will rather runne away from God then he will carry the newes to Niniveh that it mult be destroyed.

1

Many walk of whom I have told jou often, and now tell you weeping.

We shall find as foone as we are paft this first verfe,that this Prophet did feel the burthen which he did fee; and the griefe he took for them, turned his Harp into mourning, and his Or ganes into the voyce of them that weep; every tender heart avoydeth being a meffenger of evil news, but their feet be beau tifull that bring glad tydings,tydings of peace.

3. The word of threatning is a burthen to the people to whom it is fent. 1. Judais,non Chaldais.

SI. To the Penitent.

2. To the Impenitent..

1.To the Penitent;it is an heavy burthen to them to think how they have provoked God to anger, and have drawn out his fword against themfelves..

They that truly fear God,when they hear their fins threatned, do retire themselves into their chambers, they weep and deplore their iniquities. Hezekiah hearing the Prophet threatning his life

He turned himself to the wall, he prayed to the Lord; and Heze kiah wept fore.

Never think that you hear the threatnings of God with any. profit till you feel the burthen of them oppreffing, and the edge of them drawing bloud on you. Lachryma be fanguis anima. The Lyon roareth, and all the beafts of the forreft do trem

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ble: a tender fonne that hath done a fault, and heareth his father threatning to punish him, findeth that threatning fo great a burthen to him, that he can give himself no reft till he have recovered his fathers favour..

2. The very Impenitent who have any sense of the terrour of the Lord,feel Gods threatnings heavie: it will make Ahab that fold himself to do wickedneffe, put on fackcloath, and crowne his head with ashes and go mourning, if he hear that Gods anger is ftirred to bring evill upon his houfe.

Even Abfolon an ungratious fon is impatient of living out of his fathers prefence; and he fetteth foabs corn on fire for neglecting the mediationwhich might bring himto his fathers face.

Efau will feek his fathers bleffing with tears; and what would not Balaam give that he might die the death of the righteous? Surely God is a confuming fire, and if coals of this fire are kindled in the bofome of the impenitent, and their damnation doth not fleep, but is awake in them, in the accufation of their guilty consciences to begin their hell even here on earth.

Hab. 1. 2. O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save? ere this Habakkuk, this wraftler doth begin hiswraftling: for what is this wholeChapter but a fecious Expoftulation and complaint? wherein the Prophet,

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1. Contesteth with God himself. verf. 2.3, 4. 22. He bringeth in God denoucing his own intended Judgments against Judah and Jerusalem.verf. 5.6,7,8,9, 10, 11.

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3. He returneth again to expoftulate with God, verf. 12. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17.

by boi He contefteth with God. Wherein

1. He chalengeth him for not hearing his pray-er. verssizi

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2. For fhewing to him the fins of the people, v.3.4.

In the firft obferve.

1. What the Prophet did, 1. He cryed, 2. He cryed long, 3. He cryed to him.

2. What cause he had. Of violence

3. What fucceffe.

1.Thou wilt not heare.

2. Thou wilt not fave.

To give fome light to that which followeth, let me firft admonish you that it may well be gathered,by the title that is here given to Habakkuk the Prophet, that he was fent by Almighty God to preach to the Jews to reclaim them from their evil wayes, and to still the noife of their crying finnes: and prevailing nothing with them,to bring them to repentance, he prayeth and cryeth to Almighty God for his judgement upon this People, to punish their many fins; and God not hearing him, nor giving way to his anger to correct them, the Prophet moved with the zeal of Gods glory, wraftleth with God, and contendeth with him for his rod upon them.

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1. What the Prophet did.

1.1 cry, he lifteth up his voice against this People his brethren; for it is twice expreft. 1. He cryeth; then he refumeth it, he faith, he cryeth out; this is a thing that God doth ufe to take fpecial notice of, expectavi Justitiam & ecce clamor.

It is faid of Abel, that being dead he fpake; Mofes faith, it was voxfanguinis,a voice of blood,& God faid that voice cryed to him out of the earth for vengeance. At araw

The Cry of a Prophet one of Gods Secretaries, to whom he revealeth his will; one of Gods Chaplains, to whom he committeth the Miniftry of the Revelation of his will; one of Gods Saviours, to whom he committeth the office of faving his People;the crying,the vociferation of one of Gods Seers, who cries not out of paffion or humane perturbation, but from a secret inspiration illuminating him and shewing him things to

come;

One of Gods holy ones whom the zeale of Gods glory doth inflame with this carneftneffe, the grief of mans rebellion doth provoke to that loudneffe. Such a cry cannot spend it self all into aire and Sunne, and perish with the noise it makes.

2. He was no Sonne of thunder to make some suddain ratling

noife, and then ceafe. He cryed loud, he cryed long, How long Shall I cry? if the weakneffe of his voice could not penetrate the care of God vi by force, here was fape cadendo, by often falling. So David got an hoarfeneffe in throat with crying loud and long to the Lord; and our Saviour hath commanded that kind of importunity in Prayer, and the Prophet will give God no reft till he heare and answer;for the Prayer of the juft,ific be fervent, prevaileth with God: zeale is an holy fire, the flame of it afcendeth to heaven, and penetrateth all the paffages till it come to God. Cold and perfunctory devotions intermitted and given over, do not prevaile with God; they please him best that use most violence, for the kingdome of heaven fuffereth violence.

3. Unto thee;he directeth his prayers aright; for Baals Priests may cry from morning to night,& may cut and lance their flesh, and make many fignes of zeale and earnest importunity with out fucceffe, because their God heareth not, his eyes fee not, his ears hear not, his hands handle nor, there is no breath in his mouth to give them answer..

But the cry of the Prophet went up to God, who beholdeth ungodlineffe and wrong, that he may take the matter into his own hand.

Thus farre we have feen what the Apoftle did. 1. He cried. 2. He cryed loud, 3. To God.

2. What caufe had he to cry.

For violence, this is fully and largely expreft in the fecond part of his conteftation with God, ver. 3,4.

I therefore only observe here two things.

1. That he complained not withont great provocation, for violence was Gods own complaint and quarrel against the old world. The earth is full of violence, and behold. I will destroy Gen 6.13

them with the earth.

It was Gods quarrel against Edom, for thy violence against thy brother Iacob,fhame fhall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.

2. We confider where this violence was; not of Efau against Iacob, but of Iacob against Iacob, as Isaiah describeth it: Every man eating the flesh of his own arme, Manaffeh E

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phraim,

Obad.10.

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