Exposition of Amos 4-9, Part 6 · Section 13
VER. 12.
That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the Heathen, which are called by my name, saith the Lord that doth this.
THe Prophet goes on to comfort the remnant of the faithful in Israel and Iudah in their low condition, with the promises of better times under the Messiah; then should Davids Spiritual Kingdom be more glorious than ever,Israelitae possidebunt gentes, non externâ possessione (ut Iudaei somniant) sed spiritualiter …as adducentes ad Dei cognitionem & verum cultum in Christoper Christum in unam cum Iudaeis Ecclesiam, ut …x utro que populo una fiat Christi ecclesia. Mercer. and the bounds of it more ample than in the dayes of old; for when the Messiah shall come, the Gentiles shall be called, and the very Edomites (which were deadly enemies to Gods wayes and people, Amos 1.9, 11. Obad. 10, 11, 12.) shall submit their necks to Christs yoke, and be brought into the communion of Christs Church, by the operation of the Spirit in the preaching of the Gospel; yea and all the elect Heathen shall come in with them, according to that Promise, Psal. 2.8. Isa. 19. ult.
Formerly the Church was shut up within narrow bounds, and confined to the Iewes only, but now it shall spread it self over all Nations. The Prophet begins and names Edom first, because they were near Neighbours,What these Edomites were, see at large in the large Annotation Amos 1.11. and though Brethren to the Iewes, yet were they bitter enemies to them, rejoycing in their calamity, and laughing at their downfall, Lam. 4.21. Obad. 22. Yet now these should be converted, and of foes become friends, and at unity with Gods people. These Lions should be turned into Lambs, and these Wolves into Sheep, and some remnants out of all Nations (though never so rude and barbarous) should bee brought unto Christs Sheep-fold.
God had plagued Edom very sore, Numb. 24.18. Isa. 63.1. especially by the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, yet now he promiseth that a remnant of them shall be joyned with the Iewes in one Church whereof Christ is the Head, Obad. 18, 19. and therefore the Apostle Iames tells the Iewes, that they ought not to wonder that the Gentiles had received the Holy Ghost as well as they, since it was fore-told by the Prophets, and amongst the rest by our Prophet here, Acts 15.15, 16, 17.
2 Here is a further description of these Gospel-Converts, they are such as upon whom my name is called; that is, they are such as are called by my name, who are indeed my people. The like expression we have, Gen. 48.16. The Lord blesse the Lads, and let my name be called on them; that is, let them be accounted my Progeny (saith Iacob) and be called my children. The like parallel expression we have, Isa. 4.1. & 63, ult. Let us be called by thy name;Invocari nomen alicujus super alium, nihil aliud est quàm aliquem esse alterius imperio obsequentem & subditum, sicut super úxorem dicitur invocari mariti nomen. Sanctius. that is, let us be thine. So the People of Israel are called, The People which are called by Gods name, Deut. 28.10. 2 Chron. 7.14. that is, the Church and People of God who professed his name, acknowledging that he was their God, and they his People. So those Gentile-Nations which were sometimes strangers from the Covenant, and aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel, and were not Gods People, shall now be called the People of the living God, they shall shew themselves unto Christ, and have his name put upon them, and shall be called Christians, Acts 11.26.
Obj. It is impossible that ever such desperate Edomites, and old enemies should ever be converted and brought in to Christ.
A. With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible; It is the Lord that doth it (saith the text) and therefore doe not doubt of the performance, for he is both faithful and able who hath promised. Neither be offended that the Gentiles are called whom yee count unclean, for it is God that doth this, who doth all things well.
Q. But when was this Promise ever fulfilled, say the Millenarian Iewes?
A. It began to be fulfilled when the Gentiles were brought in with the remnant of the Iewes, who came in the roome of the unbeleeving Iewes in the Apostles times, so that the Promise is fulfilled inchoativ… already.
2 It is daily fulfilling▪ and shall be more and more fulfilled even to the end of the world▪ especially when the Iewes shall be called, and the … of …he …entiles shall come in, and they shall all become one Church, and make up one Body, and one Sheep-fold under Christ their head.
The summe is this, In Gospel-times both Jewes and Gentiles shall be so united, that they shall make up one Church, and the bounds thereof shall be extended over all the earth, even to the remotest Heathen, which shall then be called by my name, saith the Lord that doth this.
OBSERVATIONS.
1 The Election of God is free.
He doth not chuse men for any fore-seen works or merits, or improvement of Free-will, but all is Mercy and Free-grace. What did the Lord see in those prophane, Idolatrous Edomites, to move him to call a remnant of them? nay, what did he not see in them why he should not reject them? and yet of his owne free-mercy, these cruel Edomites, and prophane Gentiles which were not his People, are here called his People. Away then with all those conceits of Merit, Freewill, Universal Election (which is a gross contradiction) for if all be chosen, then it is not an Election, but a Collection of all; for Election implies a chusing of some, and a passing by of others.
Let us then who are Gentiles, remember our baseness and loathe our selves, and let Free-grace in all the golden links of Election,See my Com. on 2 Tim. 4.8. p. 408, 409. Vocation, Justification, &c. be for ever magnified by us, that the Lord should passe by his owne People the Iewes, and make them a People of his Curse these sixteen hundred years, and should plant us poor Canaanites, and accursed Gentiles in their stead, is no lesse an act of Mercy than of wonder, Psal. 2.8. Isa. 54.23. & 60.4, 5. Acts 2.39. Rom. 9.25, 26. Ephes. 3.6.
Yet let us not be high-minded but fear, for if God spared not the natural branches, much lesse will he spare such wild branches as we are, if we walk in unbelief as they did, Rom. 11.20, 21.
2 Few are chosen.
It is not all Edom, it is but a remnant according to the Election of Grace that shall be converted and saved. Hence the Scripture so oft calls the Elect a Remnant, multitudes perish, it is but a remnant, a little remnant that are saved, Isa. 1.9. Ioel 2. ult. Rom. 11.5. Straight is the Gate, and narrow is the way that leads unto life, and few there be that find it, Mat. 7.14. Christs flock is a little little flock, Luke 12.32. How few were saved of the Old World, Sodom, Ierusalem?
The way to Heaven it is a difficult way, and calls for difficult things, and hard lessons which the world cannot endure to hear of, much less to practise.
1 It calls for Universal Self-denial, all Self-conceit, Self-ends Self-interest, &c. must be renounced if we will bee Christs Disciples. Here most stick.
2 It calls for a saving, sanctifying, working, lively faith, and this is hard; Presumption is easie, but to beleeve requires the exceeding greatnesse of Gods Power to work it in us, Ephes. 1.19. Coloss. 2.12.
3 It calls for sincere Conversion, and that is an exceeding hard thing; it is no lesse than the change of Nature, it is the changing of a Lion into a Lambe, of a Wolf into a Sheep, of Fire into Water, &c.
4 There are many hard things to be suffered as well as to be done, many losses, crosses, tentations from the world, the Devil, and our owne corruption: all which laid together shew the difficulty of Salvation, and by consequence the paucity of such as shall be saved.
[See more at large on this Point, Mr. Ant. Burgess Spirit. Refining, 1 Part, Ser. 222. p. 643. and on 1 Cor. 3.15. p. 192. Shepheard Sincere Convert, chap. 5. p. 92. to 117. Mr. Watsons Ser. on Philip. 2.12 to 23. Mr. Swinnock on Philip. 1.21. p. 132. to 139. Mr. Rogers on 1 Pet. 3.19. p. 511. Mr. Sheffield against Hypocrisie, ch. 11. p. 91▪ &c.]
3 Real and sound conversion is the peculiar and proper work of God.
If a remnant of Edom be called and converted, it is the Lord that doth it. The way of man is not in himself, it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps, Ier. 10.23. It is not in him that willeth, nor in him that runneth, but in God that sheweth mercy, See Six Observations more in M. Hutchinson, in locum.Rom. 9.16. Noah may speak perswasively, but it is God only that can perswade Iaphet to dwell in the Tents of Shem.