Exposition of Amos 4-9, Part 2 · Section 22
VERSE 22.
Though yee offer me Burnt-offerings, and your Meat-offerings, I will not accept them, neither will I regard the Peace-offerings of your fat beasts.
THis people confided much in their hypocritical Services, and multiplicity of Burnt-offerings, Meat-offerings, Peace-offerings, &c. they thought by the bare performance of these duties to pacifie Gods wrath against them for their sins. The Prophet therefore goes on still to convince them of this their folly, and tells them plainly, that God neither regarded them, nor their Sacrifices.
In the time of the Law we read of divers Oblations and Sacrifices,See Binchius Mellific. Theolog. Part 3. p. 23, &c. amongst the rest we have three in the text,
1 Burnt-offerings.
2 Meat-offerings.
3 Peace-offerings.
1 The Burnt-offering, was one of the most excellent, and the choysest of all the Sacrifices for sin, and the most acceptable to God;Ab foreign, totus, & foreign, cremandus. Gaul…h, ascentio, elevatio, Holocaustum. See Caryl on Job 1.5. it is called an Holocaust, or whole Burnt-offering, because it was wholly consumed by fire, there was no part reserved for the Priest, or for the People, but all was burnt and offered up to God. It hath its name from ascending, because by burning all in the fire, it went up in smoke and vapour. It was a daily sacrifice made by fire, Numb. …8.3. Levit. 1.9. Iob 1.5. & 42.8. and was used both at ordinary and extraordinary Feastivals. It consisted either of Fowls as Turtles and Pigeons,See how it Typified Christ in D. G…ild, Moses unvailed. ss. 32. p. 116. for the poorer sort, Levit. 1.14. or else of Lambs, Rams, Goats, and Bullocks, &c. for the richer sort. The end of it was to make an atonement for Sinners, Levit. 1.4.
Obj. But the burning of a Beast is a poor unsavoury thing, and unfit to represent so great a mercy.
Ans. We must not look upon Gods Ordinances with carnal, but spiritual eyes, else to an eye of sense, Circumcision (which was an honourable seal of the Covenant) would seeme contemptible and dishonourable, yea a bloody and a cruel thing, as it did to carnal Zipporah, Exod. 4.25.
So in our Sacraments, how contemptible to a carnal eye, is the sprinkling of a little water, a bit of Bread, or a sup of Wine, but consider them as Gods Ordinances, which he hath ordained, to seal and assure us of our reconciliation with him in the Bloud of Christ, and so they are weighty matters. A little Wax and Paper are small matters to look upon, yet they may be a means to convey matters of great worth unto us.
Ainsworth on Levit. 2.1. sets down nine sorts of Meat-offerings. Minchah, prop…ie significat munus farinaceum, & erat accessio victimae. Calvin. See Moses unvailed. ss. 36. p. 129, &c. See Mr. Iacksons Annot on Levit. 7.15. and Moses unvailed. ch. 37 p. 132.2 Meat-offerings, Minchah, in a large sense is taken for any gift, but here it is taken strictly for an Oblation made of fine flower, Levit. 2.1, 2. Numb. 6.17. & 15.4. & 27.39. 2 Chron. 7.7. Ezek. 43.27. it was alwayes joyned to the Burnt-offering or daily Sacrifice; only the voluntary Meat-offering was not.
The end of it was to acknowledge, that they had all their food and provision from the bounty and blessing of God.
3 Peace-offerings; These were Euchariftical for Mercies received, and resembled our sacrifices of Praise and Thanksgiving, Heb. 13.5.
It is called Shelem, because this sacrifice was offered for the peace, safety, and prosperity that they had already received, or should hereafter receive, either generally or particularly; and this they did either voluntarily of their owne accord, or as bound by vow, Levit. 7.15. 1 Chron. 16.1, 2. & 2 Chron. 7.7. but the other Sacrifices were necessary and commanded
2 Here is Gods detestation of all their Sacrifices; I will not accept them, neither will I regard them, i. e. I abhor them; yea though yee bring the fattest of your Beasts, I will not vouchsafe them a look. They were wont to feed their Oxen very fat, that so their Sacrifices might bee the more acceptable. But the Lord tells them, that since the persons that offered them were so lewd, and lean in obedience, that he took no pleasure in such sacrifices; and therefore he bids them desist till they had mended their manners, and reformed the abuses that reigned amongst them.
But here Bellarmine (that great Achilles of the Antichristian Cause) comes in with his Sophistry,Bellarm. de effectu Sacram. lib. 2. cap. 14. and would prove from hence the ine…ficacy of the Sacrifices of the Old Testament.
But the Answer is easie. 1. Legal Sacrifices are to bee considered, either abstractly, absolutely and simply in themselves, and so the bloud of Bullocks and Rams could not expiate sin, But secondly, consider them Relatively, and Typically, as relating to Christ, who was the Lambe slaine from the beginning of the world Vertually, though not Actually, Revel. 13.8. and so they were of great weight and worth, assuring beleevers that by the Bloud of Christ all their sins were blotted out and pardoned.
2 We must distinguish of Sacrifices.
1 Some are commanded by God, and offered to him by beleevers, in a right manner, and these are highly pleasing unto God, and beneficial to beleevers; as we see in Abel, Heb. 11.4. and Levit. 5. God never saith to the seed of Iacob, Seek my face in vain. The sincere services, and sacrifices of such, are a sweet smelling savour unto God.
2 There are Sacrifices which are meer Will-worship, offered up by wicked men, in a false manner, without faith; and of these Amos here speaks, and sayes, that their Sacrifices were odious unto God.
Now,Fallacia à d…cto secundum quid, ad dictum simpliciter. let us see what Jesuitical and Sophistical arguing here is; 1. Because Sacrifices doe not expiate sins per se, therefore they doe not expiate sins Relatively, viz. by the merits of Christ typified by them.
2 Because God abhorres the sacrifices of wicked men, therefore he abhorres the sacrifices of all men. Now, who knowes not, that A particulari ad Universale non valet argumentum. Because some men are Sophisters, therefore all men are Sophisters, and because some men oppose the truth against light (to get or keep a Cardinals Cap) ergo all men doe so, is a gross Non sequitur.
OBSERVATIONS.
1 Wicked men may perform all the external duties of religion as well as good men.
Doth the good man offer Burnt-offerings? so doe these. Doth he offer Meat-offerings, and Peace-offerings? so doe they. Yea, doe they offer the Fat? so did these. Cain offered Sacrifice as well as Abel, Gen. 4.5. Doth the good man Fast, Pray, give Almes? &c. so did Scribes and Pharisees. Yea the Hypocrite may excel the child of God in externals,See Dyke on the Heart, p. 29. & p. 111. as hired mourners make a greater noyse than real ones.
Let no man then rest in externals, and think because hee barely doth such duties, therefore he is in Gods favour, all these and more may be done by a Natural man. But let us sincerely live our Prayers, and live up to our Duties and Priviledges, so shall we doe more than any Hypocrites whatsoever.
2 Obs. The Sacrifices and Services of wicked men though never so fat, and good for matter, yet as coming from them are odious unto God.
If the person please not, nothing pleaseth; God had no respect to Cain, and therefore he rejected his Offering, Gen. 4.5. The Sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, Prov. 15.8. & 21.27. the tree must be good before the fruit can be good. We should therefore labour for faith and repentance that our persons may please, and then all will bee pleasing. The Lord had first respect to Abel, and then to his Offering, Gen. 4.4. Though for matter the Sacrifices may be the same, yet when they come from a beleeving heart, they are farre more excellent and acceptable, Heb. 11.4. By faith Abel offered a more acceptable Sacrifice than Cain.
3 Obs. The Services and Sacrifices which we offer unto God must be of the best.
We must bring the finest floure, Levit. 2.1. and the fattest of our flock, Exod. 29.13. Levit. 3.3. if the blind and the …ame were abhorred of Davids soul, how much more of Gods? he curseth such as bring such maimed sacrifices to him. We may not offer unto God of that which cost us nought. But as he is the best of beings, so we must give him the best of our dayes, our youth; and the best of our services, thankfully acknowledging that all our fatness, riches, comforts, and prosperity comes from God. It is said of Prometheus, that himself did eat the flesh of his Sacrifice, but the skin and the bones he gave to Iupiter; even so deal too many with the Almighty, they keep the flesh and the fat to themselves, they spend their youth and health in their owne pastimes and pleasures, offering the skin and the bones of their dotage to God; If they have a Son amongst all their children that is weak and sickly, why set him to the Ministery. So in their Tythes and dues they keep the fat to themselves, and give the starvelings to their Ministers. The worst is thought too good for God, the worst Corn, the worst Calfe, the worst Lamb, &c. his Ministers shall bee sure to have, yea it may bee none at all of many.