Or if he be partiall, as the parties are befriended, fo the cause is ended. So that judgment that is upright and uncorrupted judgment, never goeth out; and fo the beft caufes speed worft. You fee here was great caule of complaint when there was neither Religion nor Juftice left in that land. It fol loweth, 1. Pfal. 22. The wicked dorb compaffe about the righteous; fo David Pfal 11.8. complained, The wicked walk on every fide. And again, d Be not far from me, for trouble is near for there is none to help. He complaineth of the ungodly, and calleth them Bulls, and Lyons; ftrong Bulls; ravening and roaring Lyons. Dogges have compaffed me. Q. Where the law of God is neglected, authority and power de generateth into oppreffion and tyranny; men lay alide humanity, and are transformed into brute beafts that have no under ftanding. There is nothing more dangerous then to be an honeft man, and one that feareth God and maketh confcience of his wayes, amongst the wicked; They came about me like bees. 2012 As the Sodomites came about Lot; and they cry, down with them down with them, and let them never rife again. The Prophet Isay defcribeth it well; commeda galtorg Verf, 16. And Judgment is turned away backward, and Justice standeth Isa.59.14. afarre off for truth is fallen in the streets and equity cannot enter. Teatruth faileth, and be that departeth from evil, maketh him- Verf. 15% felf a prey: and the Lord faw it,and it difpleafed him that there was no judgment. Chrift told us long ago in his difciples; If you were of the world, the world would love you, for the world foves all her own, but becanfe you are not of the world but I have chofen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. You fee how they compaffe about the juft men in whom any Religion appears or any care of a good confcience, or any fire of holy zeal; the wicked come about fuch to quench this fire,. and befet fuch round about that they may not, efcape: them! Let Lot lay to the Sodomites, I pray you brethren do not fo Gen. 19.9 wickedly, they will prefle upon him, and threaten him. Now will we deal worfe with thee then with them then they preffed to break the door. Therefore wrong judgment proceedeth. ] " Because things are carried by the licentious and unbridled will of power, without Religion or confcience of Equity, therefore there is wrong judgment. I understand the Prophet chus; That private injuries and oppreffions between man and man were frequent, and the wicked ufed all means to moleft the juft; and when they did flie for remedy to the courts of Juftice, they were alfo fo corrupt, and did fo favour the cause of the wicked, that there they had wrong judgment. The Judges and Magiftrates that fhould execute the judg ments of God, upon the wicked, and fhould deliver the oppreffed out of the hands of the oppreffour, they were guilcyte od najpie 1. Of favouring and animating and abetting the wicked in their ungodlineffe which they should have punished, for which alfo they were ordained. 02. Of unjust judgment, punishing where they should spare, and oppreffing whom they fhould defend, da Here was a corrupt common-wealth, and this was the grief of the Prophet, and he had no remedy but to put the fcrole of their fins and to spread it before the Lord; and in the behalf of the oppreffed to appeal from the courts of men to the tribunal of God. The words thus opened, and the fenfe cleared, let us confider this text 1. In the totall fumme: it is a verie ferious complaint He complaineth of two things. 1. Of the corruprion of the state of the commonwealth of the Jewes. 3. Of Gods declaring the fame corruption to him. The 2. In the Religion. 3. In the Juftice of that Nation. 1. In the totall: the Prophet doth complain to God ferioully, and out of a greived heart of the people. ? Complaint is a part of Prayer. & Prayer is a pouring forth of the heart to God, wherein wè proftrate all our defires to God, and crave his help. Sometimes we call to remembrance the mercies of God, and fumme up his benefits, which though it be joyned with prayer, aud doth paffe under the name of prayer, yet is it rather a speciall and distinct part of Gods worship in it self, then properly any member or part of prayer. Sometimes we begge of God fupply of our wants, and that we call Petition. Sometimes we plead the cause of our brethren and begge for them that is Interceffion. 1 Sometimes we pray against judgment and fin, and that is Deprecation. Sometimes we have cause to complain to God of the fins and tranfgreffions of our brethren, when either the honour of God, or the peace of brethren is violated: fo here; this is Imprecation For when we fee that the outward means of reclaiming men from giving offence to God, to the Church and to Christian Religion, do not work effectually to reforme them; yet we must not forfake the caufe of God fo, but make our complaint unto him, and put the matter into his hand. Thus when there was a councel held against the Apostles, and A&. 4. therein confultation for the quenching of the light of the Gospel then beginning to fhine more clearly, Peter and John went Verf, 17. afide from the councel,difmiffed with a straight and severe charge to speak no more in that name. They came to their brethren and informed them of thefe things and They lifted up their voice to God with one accord.. In that prayer they complain of their enemies. 1. For that Verf. 24 which they had done already: For of a truth against thy holy child Jefus whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, and the Gentiles were gathered together, 2. For that which they meant to doe And now Lord behold their threatnings. This alfo is twice included in the Lords Prayer; for when we defire that the Kingdome of God may come, we do complain of the enemies of that Kingdome, and defire God to arife and scatter them, and defeat all their defignes against the same. And when we pray not to be led into tempation, but to be delivered from evils, we do fecretly complain of all those evils which Satan and his wicked inftruments do plot against the body of the Church, or any particular members thereof. 0 $ 1. The reafon is becaule vengeance belongeth to God, and we must remember of what spirit we are, and must not take the quarrel of God into our hands, but leave it to God to fee and require. 2. Because the times and feafons are only in his power, and we must leave it to his wife Justice to take the fit time for the converfion or confufion of his enemies, in the mean time resting our felves on his fure Protection and faithful care of us. 4 3. Because we may have enemies for the prefent, who may come to a fight and fenfe of their fins, and may by our complaint of them to God, receive his faving mercy to reconcile them to the Church, as he did Saul at the Prayer of Saint Stephen, who thortly after became an Apostle, and proved a chofen Inftrument of Gods Glory. 4. We must complain of thefe things to declare, our zeal of Gods Glory, and our holy impatience to fee his Commande ments defpiled of men. 5. To fhew our charity to our brethren, who do fuffer by this cruel and wicked world, whofe eftates we pitty, and we go to: God as a common father to us all, to take the matter into. his own hands. From whence we conclude that it ever ought to be a part of our Prayer, to call upon the name of God by way of complaint of the iniquity of the times in which we do live, that God may give an end to it, and that it may not prevail against his Church, leaft leaft the enemies thereof do grow too proud. This manner of complaining and cal ing upon God for luftice against the ungodly doth not die with us here; the separated fouls parted from earth, and from their bodies do re tain it. Ifaw under the Altar the fouls of them that were flain for the Word of God and for the Teftimony which they held. And they cryed with a loud voice, faying, how long O Lord, and holy and true,dost thou not judg and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth. This doctrine yieldeth this fruit of application to our profit. 1. If we ought to complain to God of the wickedneffe of our brethren, when they do grow incorrigible, it is a fair warning to us to walk warily and with a good confcience before God and man; and that in two refpects. 1. That we do not offend our brethren by any means, least we give them occafion to complain to God of us. It is a dangerous thing to give occafion of offence to any of thofe little ones that truft inGod,and wo be to them that give the offence. Rev 6.9. Verf. 10. It is the praife of Zachary and Elizabeth: that they were Luc. 1.6. άμεμπτοι. The Apoftle doth require this of the Philippians iva vode Phil. 2.15. ἄμεμπτοι καὶ ἀκέραιοι Sine querela,fine cornibus, of μέμφομαι Com queror. You fhall find it a great contentment in your heart,and peace in your bones all your life through, but especially upon your death-bed, when you can comfort your felves with this, that your brethren with whom you have lived, have had no cause to complain of you. But it will be an ornament to your memory, and a fecond life to your good name when you are departed hence. Let no man neglect the complaints of his brethren,especially of Gods Minifters; for where they be just they have swift palfage and cafie admittance, and most gracious auditors. 2. That we do not fo defile our felves with our finnes, that we may complain, and God will not heare us: for there be maby more that complain and are not heard, then of those that F com |
