Exposition of Amos 4-9, Part 2 · Section 15
VERSE 15.
Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgement in the gate, it may be that the Lord God of Hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.
THe Prophet still goes on with his Exhortation to Repentance, he had to do with an hardened people, upon whom sleight Exhortations would make no impression, such hard knots and knarls must have hard beetles and wedges; such tough humours must have stronger physick; and therefore the Prophet that he might drive this nail to the head, renews his Exhortation, and calls upon them a fifth time to forsake their ev…l wayes, and to turn to the Lord who was ready to receive them.
Repentance consists of two parts: The first is dying to sin: The second is a living to Righteousness. We have both in the Text. 1 We must hate evil, there is dying to sin. 2 Love good, there is living to Righteousness.
Sineu rang, odio habete & prosequimini malum.Hate evil, that is, hate sin which is the evil of evils. It is evil in it self, and the cause of all the evils in the world. Do not onelyonly forbear sin, and refrain from it for a time, and then return with the dog to his vomit; but hate it, not with a sleight, toothless hatred, but with a deep, implacable hatred, such as men use to have against their deadly enemies, whom they prosecute with the greatest violence.
Do good. Ahebu to…, ardenter & vehemen…er diligite bonum.It is not sufficient that we shun evil, but we must also do good. We must not onelyonly pull up weeds, but we must bring forth good fruit, for man, matter and manner. We must do good not compulsively and forcedly, but freely, Psal. 110.3. sincerely out of love to goodness, cheerfully, Deut. 28.47. and constantly, Iusti fuere justitiâ sincerâ, non simulatâ, nec tantum hominibus se probabant, sed Deo. Cartwr. Harm.Luke 1.5, 6, 7. Zachary and Eliazabeth lived in the dayes of Herod a known Tyrant, yet they feared him not, but kept their righteousness, not onelyonly in their youth, but in their old age, the Text saith they were well stricken in years, yet they continued righteous before God.
3 Because their Master-sin was injustice, therefore he calls upon them to testifie the truth of their repentance by parting with their beloved sin, establishing justice openly in the gate, by setting up such just Judges as should execute justice faithfully and impartially without respect of persons, q. d. Hitherto ye have neglected …ustice, Amos 4.1. and 5.12. and have made your lusts your Laws, and have ruled according to your own will, and not according to my will; but now repent, and execute justice, then will I shew mercy and favour to you.
4 The better to encourage them, here is a promise of mercy. The Lord will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. The Assyrian had made great slaughters amongst them, and left them but a remnant, 2 King 14 26. yet he bids this remnant re…urn, for then he would be gracious to the remnant of Joseph, that is to the remnant of …srael, as before, verse 6. He had told them before, vers. 3. that God would decimate them, and here he tells them that God would be merciful to this decimated Remnant if they would but return to him.
5 To keep them from security, the Prophet comes in with a peradventure, the Lord will bee gracious to you: He sayes not positively and absolutely, The Lord will destroy you, for then hee had made them desperate; nor yet assertively that God would deliver them, for that would have made them presumptuous and careless; but he useth a prudent, well tempered speech, which on the one hand might keep them from presumption, and on the other from desperation (so wise and cautious should all Gods Ministers be) yet he gives them a little crevise of light and hope, and comes with a peradventure the Lord may yet be gracious to them. He speaks somewhat doubtfully to shew the difficulty of the work, and the better to excite their industry, and awaken them out of their security. Such bene sperantium formulae, such hints of hope are very frequent in Scripture, 1 Sam. 14.6. and 2.12, 22. and 16.12. Lam. 3.29. Ioel 2.14. Ionah 3.9. Zeph. 2.3.
Ob. The Papists to keep their vassals in darkness and doubting, amongst other Scriptures they bring in this to prove that no man can be assured of his Election and Salvation in this life.
Answ. But the Answer is easie; 1 The Lord doth not speak here of the Election, or eternal salvation of such as truly repent; but of their deliverance from outward afflictions and calamities which were threatned against them for their sins, vers. 6. These sometimes the Lord inflicts upon his people notwithstanding their repentance (as we see in David) and this he doth either for chastisement to make them flye from sin for the future, or else for trial.
2 The Lord sometimes after he hath threatned judgements upon the wicked, yet upon their feigned humiliation holds his hand (that the world may see how highly he esteems the true repentance of his people) as we see in Ahab and the Ninivites. Considering therefore these various dispensations of God, the Prophet speaks doubtfully here, and exhorts them to repent, referring the event to Gods wise and gracious providence. So that such places speaking of temporary chastisements, make nothing against the certainty of our Election.
3 The particle Ulai, peradventure, is not alwayes dubitative, but sometimes assertive, q. d. seek the Lord sincerely, and then without doubt, he will receive you graciously, and so the word is used, Iosh. 14.12. Peradventure the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out. Caleb speaks not here dubitatively, but beleevingly, q. d. Though the work be difficult, yet the Lord will be with me, and by his help I shall drive out these formidable Giants out of Canaan, so Hester 4.14. So here the Prophet doth not question whether God will receive a penitent sinner to mercy, for that the Scripture proves abundantly, Ezek. 33.11. but the Prophet by this peradventure, gives them some hopes that if they would turn to God, he would turn to them, and either remove or sanctifie these calamities which were coming on them.
4 Dato, Suppose we grant that it is a doubting speech, yet it makes not for their purpose, for it is not to be referred to God, as though it were doubtful whether he would pardon the sins of penitents, for we have his hand and seal for that. But it is to be referred to those secure sinners, of whose repentance the Prophet might well doubt, lest either it would be none at all, or else but feigned and hypocritical.
Yea fifthly, Should we grant that it is a doubtful speech, and to be referred to God, yet it maketh nothing for Popish or Arminian doubting, for the Prophet seeing to what a height of impiety these sinners were come, thought it not fit to comfort them presently, and raise them up suddenly, but first to humble them, and by speaking doubtfully to give them a hint of the hainousness of their sins, as though it might well be doubted whether the Lord would forgive them or no, that so they being feared and humbled, might be fitted for mercy: And because things that are hardly come by are more earnestly sought, therefore the Prophet intimates unto them, that it was no easie matter to obtain forgiveness for such hainous sins, that he might hereby incite them to a more thorow repentance, and crying for mercy.
OBSERVATIONS.
1 Good things must be often pressed upon us.
This People were so hardned and habituated in sin, and Sathan had so besotted them, that they took darkness for light, and evil for good; so that the Prophet was forced to double and treble his Exhortations to them, and to give them line upon line, and Precept upon precept, and to drive the nails of the Temple day after day, till they were fastned in their hearts, Eccles. 12.11. We are like a dull Knife, which must be whetted over and over till it be brought to an edge; It is the very metaphor of the Holy Ghost, Deut. 6.7. Thou shalt teach (or whet) my word upon thy Children;Shanan, ite…avit, repetiit, acuit. they must so sharpen it that it may make a deep impression upon their hearts.
See the evil of Sin in D. Preston, on Acts 9.6. p. 271, …72. D. Bolions Ser. on 2 Sam. 24.10. & Mr. Burroughs Evil of sin. B. Ushers Meditat. p. 93, 121.2 Obs. Sin is an evil thing.
Hate evil, that is, hate sin, it is indeed the evil of evils; all other plagues and evils are as nothing compared with this. A man may lye under sad afflictions, and yet be under dear affections. It is sin alone that makes us the object of Gods hatred, and therefore it should be the object of ours, it should be abominable in our sight which is so abominable in it self, Ier. 44.4.
3 Obs. We must not only forbear sin, but we must hate it.
As many a man refraines from an Oath, that yet never fears an Oath, Eccles. 9.2. so many a man forbears sin, that doth not truly hate it. A wicked man for fear, or shame, or for some self-ends may refraine sin for a time,foreign, abhorrentes à malo. The simple Verb imports detestation, which is increased by the composition. but a good man hates it with a deep, deadly, implacable, irreconcileable hatred. Such as love the Lord cannot but hate evil, Psal. 97.10. yea they abhor it, now abhorrency is the height of hatred, Rom. 12.9. Abhor that which is evil; hate it, as you would hate Hell it self.
2 We must hate it Universally, true hatred is foreign, (saith Aristotle) it is against the whole kind. He that truly hates one sin as it is sin, will hate every sin, Quatenus ipsum includit de omni. As the Persecutors hatred is not against one or two good men, but against the whole Church of God, his desire is, that the very name of Israel might be had no more in remembrance, Psal. 83.4. and therefore they seek to raze it to the very foundation, Psal. 137.7. even so should we deal with sin.
See D. Reynolds on the Passions. Chap. 12.13, 14, &c. Church his Miscel. p. 107. & D. Tho. Taylors Ser. folio. p. 439. Balls Power of Godliness, lib. 3. ch 3. p. 201.3 We must hate it not only Odio aversationis, but also Odi… i…imicitiae, not only fly from it, but pursue it with an hatred of enmity.
4 Obs. Executing of Iustice and Iudgement is a duty very pleasing unto God.
Hence the Lord so oft calls for it both here, and elsewhere, Ier. 1.17. Psal. 82.3, 4. See my Comment on that place.
5 Obs. When the Lord delivers his people from outward Iudgements, or pardons their sins, it is meer grace and mercy, but no merit of ours that moves him to it.
Peradventure the Lord will be gracious to you; It is one of Gods royal Attributes to be Gracious, and to love freely, Exod. 34.6. from the Alpha of our Election,In my Com. on 2 Tim. 4.8. p. 408, 409. to the Omega of our Salvation, all is Free-grace, as I have shewed elsewhere.
6 Obs. In times of distress God usually gives his people some grounds of hope, and some glimpse of comfort to quicken them to duty.
Hence he so oft comes with a peradventure God may give repentance, 2 Tim. 2.25. who can tell, and who knowes whether God may not repent of the evil that he intends against us? Ioel 2.14. Ionah 3.9. let us then use the means, and commit the success to God. Take away hope, and you take away endeavour; impossibility of obtaining breaks the heart. Though thy sins have been great and grievous, yet pray, and use the means, peradventure they may be pardoned, Acts 8.22, 23. arise and be doing, and say as Ionathan did, when he went up against the Philistines, 1 Sam. 14.6. Come, let us go against these uncircumcised, it may be the Lord will work for us, for it is all one with him, to save with many: or with few. Be not therefore dejected or despondent, it is the nature of faith to oppose discouragements, Love knowes no difficulties, but makes men active; say thou as the Lepers, 2 King. 7.3, 4. Why sit we here till we dye? if we stay in the City we shall dye of the famine, if we sit still we perish; come, let us fall upon the Host of the Syrians, we can but dye. Nothing venture and nothing have.