An Exposition of Hosea 8-10, Exposition · Chapter 9 · Verse 5
VER. 5.
What will ye do in the ſolemn day, and in the day of the feaſt of the Lord?
NOW they ſhall remember their ſolemn daies, their feaſts, and ſee themſelves cut off from any further enjoying of them,Explic. 1▪ it muſt needs be a great ſadning unto their ſpirits to think what daies once they had, Oh what ſolemn times and feaſts that they did keep to God; for any to ſit down in times of affliction and ſay, I remember what daies of joy in the ſervice of God I once had, but now they are gone, Oh! the daies that I was wont to have, how ſweet were they? but all is now paſt and we muſt ſit down in ſorrow and affliction. There was a time (ſaith God by the Prophet) that you would not ſuffer any to go up to the feaſt, but now you ſhall be far enough from Jeruſalem or any other place of Worſhip, and the very remembrance of thoſe ſolemn daies ſhall be grievous to you, Oh! what will you do in thoſe ſolemn daies? Thoſe ſolemn daies were daies of joy, in Numb. 10. 10. Thus I think ſome carry it, they make thoſe feaſts to be the feaſts that they ſhould have gone up to Jeruſalem in;Explic. 2. but I take not this to be the ſcope of the holy Ghoſt here, but rather thus; by the ſolemn Daies and Feaſts of the Lord is here meant, the ſolemn day of Gods wrath and vengeance upon them; now for the making out of that I ſhall ſhew firſt, that in Scripture the day of Gods wrath is call'd the ſolemn day, and the day of Gods feaſt is the day of his wrath, a day wherein God feaſts.
Firſt, The ſolemn day it is the day of Gods wrath, in Lament. 2. 22. Thou haſt call'd as in a ſolemn day,Lam. 2. 22▪ my terrors round about, ſo that in the day of the Lords Anger none eſcaped. So that the ſolemn day is the day of the Lords anger there.
And Secondly, The day of Gods Feaſt, that time when God doth execute his wrath upon wicked men is the day of a feaſt to God.Revel. 12. 17, 18. In Revel. 19. 17, 18. verſes, (beſides other texts) An Angel cried with a loud voice to all the fowls that fly in the Heavens, Come, and gather your ſelves together to the ſupper of the great God, that ye may eat the fleſh of Kings, and the fleſh of Captains, and the fleſh of Mighty men, and the fleſh of Horſes, and of them that ſit on them, and the fleſh of all men both free and bond, both ſmal and great: it is the day of the Lords feaſt. Now 'tis a ſolemn day,Why ſo called. a day of the execution of Gods wrath, becauſe now God executes wrath publickly and brings much wrath together. Thou haſt call'd as in a ſolemn day my terrors round about. You know that in the day of a petty Seſſions there may be ſome juſtice done, but more privatly: But in a day of ſolemn Aſſizes, when there is a full Goal delivery, then judgment is done publickly; ſo God executes juſtice ſometimes upon men particularly, but God hath his ſolemn day to execute his judgments publickly before all, and then the Lord feaſts.
The day of execution of Gods wrath upon wicked men is a day of feaſt,Why a day… of Feaſt to… God. upon this ground.
Firſt, Becauſe the day of their feaſts were daies of ſlaying ſacrifices, ſo they ſhould now be ſlain, and God would account even their bodies that were ſlain to be as ſacrifices for this great feaſt of his,Iſa. 34. 6. In Iſa. 34. 6. The Lord hath a ſacrifice in Bozrah, and a great ſlaughter in the Land of Idumea. And in Zeph. 1. 7. Zeph. 1. 7.The day of the Lord is at hand, the Lord hath prepared a ſacrifice, he hath bid his gueſts. And then it ſhall come to paſs in the day of the Lords ſacrifice, that I will puniſh the Princes, and the Kings Children &c. He hath bid his gueſts; ſo here's the feaſt of God, and the ſlaughter of great men are here, the diſhes as it were of ſacrifice that God would have at this his feaſt,Souldiers Gods Prieſts. the Executioners of Gods wrath are now his Prieſts to kill his ſacrifices. Soldiers and Executioners they are turned the Prieſts of God for to kill his ſacrifice for this his feaſt.Ier. 6. 4. Hence in Jer. 6. 4. Prepare ye War againſt her, foreign ▪it is in the Original, Sanctifie the War; and in another Scripture, thoſe that were the executioners of Gods wrath, were call'd Gods Sanctified ones.
And then further,Sanctificate ſuper eā bellum. A day of Feaſting is, a day of Rejoycing; this day of the execution of Gods wrath upon ſinners, eſpecially great ſinners that do eſcape mens hands, it is a day of Rejoycing to God, as in a day of Feaſt: And this word that is tranſlated Feaſt, foreign ▪it ſignifies Dancing, it is a day wherein the Lords heart doth as it were leap within him becauſe of joy,Gods wrath why called Wine. God rejoyces in the execution of his righteous judgments upon them; therefore Gods wrath in Scripture is call'd Wine, They ſhall drink of the Wine of his wrath: Pſ. 75. 8.the Lord at length when ſinners continue impenitent is as much delighted in the execution of his Juſtice,Rev. 14. 10▪ as men can be in drinking of Wine.Explic. In Deut. 28. 63. As the Lord rejoyced over you to do you good, Deut. 28. 63.ſo the Lord will rejoyce over you for evil. And in Ezek. 5. 13. Thus ſhall mine anger be accompliſhed, Ezek. 5. 13.and I will cauſe my fury to reſt upon them, and I will be comforted. (It's a very ſtrange expreſſion.) Oh! let us, my Brethren, take heed how we rejoyce in ſin, God may rejoyce in the execution of his Judgments upon us due to our ſin. Men have their daies in joy and mirth in ſin; and God hath his daies of joy and mirth in the execution of his wrath; Oh! how ſad is the condition of a creature when the infinite merciful God ſhall rejoyce in his ruin! Surely then, if God doth ſo rejoyce in the exceution of his wrath upon wicked men, then the Saints alſo may rejoyce;the Saints rejoyce in Gods vengeance. in Pſal. 58. 10. The righteous ſhall rejoyce when he ſeeth the vengeance, he ſhall waſh his feet in the blood of the wicked: Taken from the cuſtom of thoſe Countries, that were wont after their travels to waſh their feet with cold water,Pſ. 58. 10 illuſtrated▪ and that did refeſh them: ſo the blood of the wicked ſhould be refreſhment to the righteous. Now this is not an inſulting joy over them,Yet not an inſulting joy. but rejoycing in the honor that God hath, and in the good that doth come to the Church by the execution of ſuch men, both unto God and to his people.Pſ. 58. 11▪ So that it follows in Pſal. 58. 11. Verily there is a reward for the righteous; verily there is a God that Judgeth in the earth. but joyned with pity.The Saints may look upon wicked men when they ſee them executed and pitty them as men; but they may rejoyce in this, becauſe they ſee ſuch a ſpectacle before them as makes this Scripture to be good, Verily there a reward for the righteous; verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth. And in Pſal. 52. 6. The Righteous ſhall ſee, And mixt with fear.and fear, and laugh: Mark, though he may rejoyce,Pſa. 52. 6. yet he muſt have fear mixed with it, he ſhall ſee, and fear, and laugh. And note, that Scripture is ſpoken of a great Courtier, of Doeg, one that was a moſt deſperate enemy to Gods people, one that watch'd all the waies he could to do miſchief, and eſpecially to do miſchief to David, and he was the man that came and ſtir'd up the King againſt David, this 52. Pſalm, is made concerning this Doeg, and a Propheſie of his deſtruction, ſaith the Spirit of God, The Righteous ſhall ſee, and fear, and laugh: Note.If a man can keep his heart ſpiritiual, ſanctifying Gods Name in the beholding ſuch an object, thoſe that are eminent wicked men brought to execution, he may Lawfully according to the mind of God, feaſt his eyes in the beholding of it, ſuch a day is call'd the Feaſt of the Lord. And the Lord doth not uſe to feaſt himſelf, but he calls his Saints to feaſt with him;Prov. 11. 10. in Prov. 11. 10. When it goeth well with the righteous, the City rejoyceth, and when the wicked periſh there is ſhouting. And this is according to Gods mind it ſhould be ſo. And therefore Chriſtians above all men ſhould be far from a proud inſulting even over theſe men, but yet when God laies an▪ object before them wherein they may ſee the anſwer of ſo many prayers, and the fruit of the cries of ſo many thouſands that were oppreſſed, yea, of ſo many thouſand conſcience▪ oppreſſed ones, that have cried againſt ſuch a one, if at the ſtroke of God, they with hearts lift up to him ſhall give a ſhout that ſhall come up to the Heavens,Iudg. 5. ult. this pleaſes God, and the holy Angels, and it is muſick fit for the day of the feaſt of the Lord; thus the Saints may do in the day of the feaſts of the Lord.
Yea,Expoſ. [You]▪ but ſaith the holy Ghoſt here by the Prophet, But what will you do? the Saints may do thus when God makes this his feaſt in the execution of ſuch eminent wicked men, he calls you to it, to rejoyce and bleſs his Name, he bids you look here and ſee, is it not good waiting upon me? the Saints may do ſo and bleſs God, But what will YOƲ do in the day of the feaſt of the Lord? What will wicked men do in that day? what will become of all your jolity? what will become of all your ſtoutneſs, and wilfulneſs, of all your pride, of all your ſcorning, of all your vain hopes, when this ſolemn day comes, and when the feaſt of the Lord comes?Iſa. 10. 3. In Iſa. 10. 3. we have a Scripture paralel to this, What will you do in the day of viſitation? what will you do, and to whom will you fly for help, and where will you leave your glory? Can you tell what in the world to do? You can tell what to do now, you have your wills, and pride it, and ſtout it out now, but what will you do in the day of viſitation, when Gods ſolemn day and this feaſt comes? Oh! what can they do but as the great and mighty men, Revelations 6. they cry to the hills to fall upon them, and to the mountains to cover them, for the great day of the Lambs wrath is come. Thoſe that are the moſt bold and preſumptuous in their ſins, when this day of the Lord comes they ſhall be in the moſt miſerable perplexity not knowing what to do,The perplexity of wicked men in the Lords day. they know not how to bear that which is upon them, nor how to avoid it, nor what courſe to take, what can you do in ſuch a day? For,
Firſt, All your comforts they are gone, all ſuch things that your hearts cloſed withal and made as Gods to your ſelves, they are gone.
Secondly, Now God himſelf fights againſt you, in Iſa. 13. 6. Howl ye, Iſa. 13. 6.for the day of the Lord is at hand, it ſhall come as a deſtruction from the Almighty. But it may be you look only upon ſuch and ſuch men that are the Inſtruments. No, but it is a deſtruction from the Almighty,illuſtrated. and therefore what can you do?
Thirdly, Conſcience in that day that will terrifie you.
Fourthly, You ſhall not know whither to go for help: To the creature, that cannot help you, your vain hopes in the creature hath the very heartſtrings of them broke, you thought that you might ſhift and help your ſelves there, but now you ſee there is no help there.
What then? you cannot go to God, then the very thoughts of God muſt needs be terrible to you, and then what will you do?
Further, For theſe miſeries they are but the beginning of ſorrows, this day of the Lord it is but a preparation for another day; there is yet a more ſolemn day of the Lord in coming than this preſent. Oh! what will ye do in the day of the Lord? Howſoever a man may reſolve to ſet a good face upon a thing; Oh! but my Brethren,Some p…t a good face on it even at death, whoſe ſouls yet are full of terror. though you cannot ſee daunting in a countenance, yet did you but ſee, the black boſom, and the woful guilty ſpirit that there is by ſin within, you would know that they could not in the world tell what do do in the day of the Lord.
It's ſtrange what a man may do even before death, in the preſence of men, although his own conſcience tells him quite otherwiſe, and though men are ready to be taken with dying mens expreſſions, yet many times there is much deceipt in them.
Why you will ſay? What a man doth profeſs when he is ready to die, certainly it muſt needs be a truth.
There is a notable ſtory concerning this that Biſhop Latimer hath, in one of his Sermons, he tels of the deſperate ſtoutneſs of a certain mans heart even when he was to die: as he was …iding he comes to a place where the execution of a man was to be,[See King Jame's Declaratiō upon the execution of Sir W. Raleigh. he turns aſide, and when the people ſaw him they made way, and he comes to ſpeak with the man, and both he and all that were about him could not get out of him to give glory to God for the guiltineſs of the fact for which he was to be executed, but ſtood out in it, that he was not guilty; and when they could get nothing out of him they turned the ladder,A notable ſtory of B. Latimers▪ and the rope being cut and he down, they thought the life had been gone from him, but at length they ſaw a little motion in him, and by rubbing and cha…ing of him they got life, ſo as he was able to ſpeak, and then he confeſt all; that he was guilty of thoſe very things that he had took upon his death that he was not. Thus it's poſſible for men in the ſtoutneſs of their hearts even at the laſt rather to venture their ſouls upon it; and well may they that ventur'd their ſouls ſo much before upon other things, think that they may make bold with God at ſuch a time as this is. But howſoever there is much dejection of ſpirit, and they know not in the world what to do. Well, it's happy for us to conſider what we do, and to lay to heart what we have done, that ſo in ſuch a day of the Lord as this, we may know what to do; the Servants of God who have walked conſcionably before him, they know what to do in the day of publick calamity.
`For firſt', They can bleſs God that ever they knew him, that ever they knew his waies, that ever he put it into their hearts to fear his name.
Secondly, They know what to do in a day of calamity, they can exerciſe their faith upon that Word in which the Lord hath cauſed them to truſt, they can make it to be the ſupport of their ſouls, and the joy of their hearts, even in ſuch a day.
Thirdly, They know what to do, they can ſanctifie God Name in his righteous judgments, they can ſee mercy and the love of a Father in the ſoreſt and heavieſt afflictions that do befall them.
Fourthly, They know what to do; they can eaſe their ſouls by powring them forth into the boſom of a gracious and reconciled Father.
Fifthly, They know what to do; they can ſee beyond all theſe preſent evils, they can ſee Immortality and Glory, they can ſee that on the other ſide a little beyond theſe troubles and afflictions,Iob, 13. 15 & Chap. 19. 25. there is an everlaſting joy and day of peace coming to them. A Job can tell what to do, he can profeſs that though God kill him he would truſt in him. A David can tell what to do,Pſal. 119. In the multitude of the ſorrows that I had in my heart, thy conſolations refreſh my ſoul. A Habacuk can tell what to do,Hab. 3. 17▪ Although the fig-tree ſhould not bloſſom, nor fruit be in the vines, the labor of the Olive ſhall fail, and the fields ſhall yeeld no meat, the flocks ſhall be cut off from the fold, and there ſhall be no heard in the ſtalls: yet will I rejoyce in the Lord; yet will I joy in the God of my ſalvation: Thus you ſee the Saints they know what to do in ſuch a day; and this is the excellency of grace, that it can never be put ſo to it, in any ſtrait, but it can tel what to do; as David ſaid to Achiſh in 2 Sam. 28. 2. Surely thou ſhalt know what thy ſervant can do. So the Saints in time of common diſtreſſes they ſhould ſet their graces ſo on work that all may ſee what their faith, and humility, and patience can do, that they may be able to ſay, well, you ſhall ſee now what the Servant of the Lord can do: If one ſhould ſay to one that hath made profeſſion of Godlineſs,A queſt. to a Profeſſor▪ You ſpake much of the excellency of grace, but what can you do with it? The anſwer that ſuch a one may well give,The Anſw. is this: When you cannot tell what to do in the world nor which way to turn your ſelves, yet through Gods mercy I can tell what to do. Grace will be able to carry a man through fire and water, that faith of mine, and the grace that I have gotten by the Word, that you can ſcorn at, it's that doth through Gods mercy enable my ſoul to rejoyce, yea, to triumph in Tribulations, Can you do that? You can rejoyce now when you are in a Tavern, but in the day of Tribulation, when a diſmal day ſhall come to the world, what will you do then? I thank God I have that that can rejoyce my heart in ſuch a day as this is; and that that I have gotten by the Word, and by prayer, and by the Ordinances, can enable me to do that that you cannot do; that's ſomething, that when a man in times of Tribulation can carry himſelf above all, ſo that men or devils are not able to put him in ſuch a caſe as he cannot tell what to do. It follows.