Imatges de pàgina
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Then shall his minde change, and he shall paffe over. These Verf. II. words do declare that the Chaldeans, full of victories,and ful of pride after this great conquest, shall change their minde,and passe over to fome other queft of glory, bigge-fwolne with their former prevailings; And he fheweth how thefe enemies of the Jews fhall runne themselves upon the just displeasure of God, who ftirred them up to this warre.

He shall offend imputing this his power unto his God. From hence commeth the ruine of the Chaldeans, for being puffed up and proud of their victories, they shall not acknowledge the great God of heaven the God of their warre, or esteem themfelves his agents to chaften the Jews, but shall give the glory of their conqueft to their own Idol god.

Now in these words thus interpreted, observe

S1. The Totall.

2. The Particulars.

1. The Totall,is the anfwer of God to the greivous complaint and expoftulation of the Prophet.

2. The Particulars are two.

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1. The Judgment threatned.

2. The executioners of this Judgment very fully and
Rhethorically defcribed.

1. The Totall, God answereth the Prophets complaint, Yeildeth this Doctrine, that

God doth hear the complaints of fuch as have juft caufe to Dotr. complain of violence, to execute his judgments upon them that offend.

The story of holy Scripture is full of examples of this truth. Cain for Abel: vex fanguinis, the voyce of bloud.

The whole old world was punished with a general inundation for the cruelty that was upon the earth; their violence made the Lord repent that he made them.

You have heard out of Obadiah, how the cruelty of Edom was intolerable, and God heard the cry of the Church and delivered them, and punished Edom with defolation.

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And when Ifrael was in the land of Egypt, in the house of bondage, God fayeth,

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I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to de

liver them.

Even Ifrael his own people is not spared, Sion his holy mountain, Jerufalem his holy City, is punished for oppreffion. He doth this

First, In regard of his fervants that do complain to him,to let them fee the power of their prayers, that he may ftitre them up in all greivances to commit their caufe to him, and not to feek Injuriam. private revenge as Tertull. Si apud deum depofueris injuriam, ipfe ultor eft: fi damnum, reftitutor estimonia

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Therefore let not the oppreffed wrong their own caufe with vexing, and difquieting their own hearts at them that lie heavy upon them; for St. James tels us that I he wrath of man workJam. 1.20.eth not the righteoufneffe of God.

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Let them not vent their fpleen in bitter curfings and execra tions which be the voyce and language of impatience and impie ty, and turne upon us, and all to tear us,

But let them seriously complain to God, and he will hear them, and do them right.

Let them tarry the Lords good leafure, and they fhall fee that he will take the matter into his own hand.

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1. Either he will take the oppreffed out of the world, and give them reft from their labours, and lay them in the beds of eale, and lock them in the chambers of peace tilf all formes be over,and then he will fay, Returné ye fons of Adam.

12. Or he will change the heart of the oppreffours, and for ftony hearts, give them hearts of flesh, and fill them with com paffion and tendernesse.

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3. Or he will reftrain the power of the wicked against his chofen, and fuffer no man to do them wrong,but will reprove even Kings for their fakes: the rage of man will he reftrain.

4. Or he will give the oppreffed fuch a measure of patience and charity as he fhall bear injuries without murmuring, and bleffe them that hate and perfecute him.

5. Or he will pour forth his wrath upon the oppreffor, and

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let him feel the weight of his hand; either upon his body by inflicting diseases upon it: or upon his minde, by the troubles of an unquiet confcience;

Or upon his familie by curfing the fruit of his loyns, that they fhall be his forrowes by taking ill wayes,

Or upon his eftate by curling all his gatherings, that though all the ftreams of profite runne every way into his bagges, nothing fhall make him rich, like the Catpian fea into which many rivers do pour in water continually yet is it never the fuller; rather like the lean kine never the fatter;

Or upon his life, by taking him out of the world, and thereby giving occafion to the afflicted to rejoyce.

-Therefore art thou afflicted? pray and complain, and, expoftulate with God, for he will hear thee.

2. God heareth the complaint of the just against the oppref 2. Reaf.. fours for his names fake, for fo David urgeth him.

Hear me O God for thy names fake. For it toucheth God in honour when his faithfull fervants do appeal from the school of unrighteoufneffe where they are oppreffed, to the tribunal of his judgment, where they fhould be releived, and cannot be heard.

You remember when Chrift was on the croffe,and his enemies had their cruel hearts defire against him, they contented not themselves to be cruell and fcornfull to him, but they blafphe med also the name of God, faying,

He trusted in God, let him deliver him now if he will have him. Mat.27 43 The very theives that were faftened then to the croffe on either hand of him, caft that in his teeth.

When the wicked prevail against the juft, the next word is, Where is now their God?

Let us then know the name of God is himself, he cannot deny fe himself, he hath a name above all things, and a speciall glory due to that name;he cannot fuffer that name to be blafphemed, He will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his Name in

Vaine.

Therefore in all greivances let us fay with David: Our help is in the Name of the Lord, who hath made Heaven and Earth.

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P. 95. II.

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Mal. 3.5.

It is our comfort in trouble that we do fuffer together with the name of God, and if we do lay fast hold on that, we shall be delivered together with it, we may well caft our trust upon, that name, for,in hoc vinces, in this thou shalt overcome,is the Motto and word thereof, it is a ftrong tower to all that truft in it.

3. God will hear the complaints of the juft, for his truths fake; for he hath promised the just, I will not leave thee nor forsake thee. And he hath faid

He shall call upon me and I will hear him, I am with him in trouble, I will deliver him, and he shall glorifie me.

And David faith. He will not (uffer his truth to faile. We have more then his promife, we have his oath against the ungodly.

I have fworn in my wrath that they shall not enter into my reft. Let us build then upon this promife, for God is faithful that hath promifed; The violent and the oppreffour hath part in the wrath of God, as he faith;

And I will come near to you in judgement, and I will be a fwift witneffe against the forcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false wearers, and against them that oppreffe the hireling in his wages, and the fatherlesse, and the widow, and that turn afide the stranger from his right, and that feare not me, faith the Lord of hofts.

Here is Gods threatning against two of the fins of this Peon ple, violence and the want of the feare of the Lord, whereby the law is flacked.

And for corruption of Juftice, they that turn judgement into wormwood have their doom. Judgment without mercy shall be shewed to them that have no mercy.

Let us not therefore feare thein, or be troubled at them that in thefe wicked ways; for the Judge of all the world will do justly.

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The cry of the oppreffed fall prevaile against them. He also will heare their cry and will help them.

The Lord is King, the earth may be glad thereof, and the multitude of the Ilands may rejoyce; for he is known by execu ting judgment; he is the husband of the widow, and the fa

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ther of the far erleffe. The poore committeth his caufe unto him, for he relieveth the oppreffed.

2. The particulars of this judgment threatned, contain two things,

1. The Judgment threatned.

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1. The judgement threatned,is,that he will punish them by the conquering hand of the heathen. This calleth to our remembrance divers points of doctrine delivered out of the prophecy of Obadiah.

1. That the decrees of Gods judgments upon the wicked are conftant and unchangeable,

2. That God useth warre as one of his rods to punish fin. 3. That all wars are ordained by God; for he ftirrech up this warre against the Jews.

4. That God punisherh one evil Nation by another.

5. That God giveth warning of his judgments to those whom he fore knoweth to be fuch as they will take no warning to amend.

6. That God requiteth finners in the fame kind in which they offend. The Jews finne was violence, and violence is their punishment.

7. That the judgment of God upon the wicked and unmerciful, fhall be without all mercy.

The point that I will now adde, is, That the Justice of God Doct. doth not (pare his own People, if they provoke him. The Jews fhall have no favour, if the Prophets and holy men have cause to complain of them.

All the promises that God made to Ifrael are limited by the condition of their obedience, and the law given to them is cal led the Lords Covenant, because all thofe promises did follow the obedience of that law; otherwife God stood free to withdraw his mercie from them..

So Mofes, The Lord made a Covenant with us in Horeb, The Covenant is,

God com

You shall walk in all the wayes which the Lord your manded you, that yee may live, and that it may go well with you, and that yee may prolong your days in the land which ye shall poffefe..

God.

1. Pet.2..

Verf. 3:3

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