Concerning Mans Natural Proneness to Error, Tract 1
JER. 8.5.
They hold faſt Deceit; they refuſe to return.
THat God hath con-created with, or implanted in the natures of the very Brutes, certain Qualities or Powers, whence they both can and do act, in a ſubſerviency to their own Welfare and Well-beings, and that both negatively and poſitively; and that he hath not dealt worſe with Man, yea that he hath dealt better with him, hath taught him more than the Beaſts of the Field, and made him wiſer than the Fowls of Heaven, is obvious both to Reaſon, Senſe and Experience, and is often taken notice of, and improved by the Pen-men of the Scriptures; and among the reſt by our Propheet, and that for this end and purpoſe, viz. that he might the more effectually convince the Jews of their Folly and Stupidity, as well as Impiety, in refuſing, notwithſtanding all the means uſed to bring them thereunto, to return unto God, from whom they had at that time ſorely backſlidden: the Qualities and Powers of the brute Creatures, with their way of acting therefrom, with reference to their own Good, he takes notice of in the enſuing Context, thus ver. 7, The Stork in the Heavens knoweth his appointed pointed times, and the Turtle, and the Crane, and the Swallow, obſerve the time of their coming. As theſe Creatures have a natural Sagacity or Inſtinct, whereby they know what Countries or Places at this or that time are moſt commodious for them; ſo they act anſwerably in continuing in, or removing from them; but ſaith the Prophet, My People know not the Judgment of the Lord. The endowments of Men, and how they improve them, in matters relating to the Welfare of the Body or outward Man, the Prophet, or rather the Lord by the Prophet, takes notice of in the Verſe immediately preceding our Text; Shall they fall, and not ariſe? shall he turn away, and not return? that is, will a Man being fallen to the Ground, or in the Mire, not ariſe again? Surely no. Men may fall, but they will not lie and periſh, they will immediately ariſe again; Shall he (a change of the Perſon, but not of the Sence) turn away, and not return? that is, will a Man, being gone out of his right Path, not return? Men, tho they may, through one means or another, turn, or be turned out of their right Path, yet will upon the diſcovery thereof, return again. Now the Conſideration hereof the Prophet improves for the End before mentioned; viz. to convince the Jews of their Folly and Stupidity, as well as Impiety, in perſiſting in their Backſlidings, notwithſtanidng the diſcoveries made, and dreadful Judgments denounced againſt them, upon the Account thereof. Hence he puts this admiring, as well as upbraiding Queſtion, in the foregoing part of the Verſe, wherein our Text lies; Why then is this Poople of Jeruſalem ſlidden back by a perpetual Back-ſliding? Implying that they fell ſhort in that common Wiſdom and Prudence, that Nature it ſelf hath furniſhed all Men with. Men when fallen, will ariſe again; when turned out of the way, will return; but it was otherwiſe with this People: they were fallen, yet would not ariſe; they were turned out of the way, yet would not return; they were backſlidden from God and his Ways, and yet would not Repent and Return unto him. No, notwithſtanding all the Menas uſed by him to bring them thereunto; yea they fell ſhort, in that Knowledg and Wiſdom that is in, and expreſt by, the very Bruties; as the following Context implies. Hence the Prophet might well admire at, and upbraid them, as here he doth, Why then is this People of Jeruſalem ſlidden back, by a perpetual Back-ſliding? or, as ſome read it, with an obſtinate Rebellion? Now the Prophet having thus endeavoured their Conviction, that he might be inſtrumental in their recovery from this their aſoniſhing Obſtinacy, in their Backſliding or Rebellion; and conſequently for the prevention of thoſe Judgments which were impendent, immediately points at the Cauſe thereof, and that was their holding faſt Deceit: ſo in the Words deſigned as the Foundation to the enſuing Diſcourſe, They hold faſt Deceit, they refuſe to return; that is, therefore they refuſe to return, Or, they refuſe to return, becauſe they hold faſt Deceit.
In the Words then we have theſe two things conſiderable.
1. The intrinſick Root, Spring of Original Cauſe of the Jews Apoſtacy and Backſliding from God and his Ways, and that was Deceit. There were ſome Deceit embraced by them, which was the Root or Spring of their Apſtacy; that's implyed.
2. We have the Cauſe of their obſtinate perſiſtance in this their Apoſtacy or Backſliding, and that was their Tenaciouſneſs of this Deceit. In a word, we have the Root and Spring of their Apoſtacy and Backſliding ſuppoſed, and the Cauſe or Reaſon of their perſiſtance propoſed. Briefly, to explain the Terms, and therewith ſhew the Genuine Sence and Meaning of the Holy Ghoſt in them; and I ſhall take them as they lie in order before us. They hold faſt] foreign,foreign Multas habet ſignificationes ſed omnes inter ſe aliquam cognationem habent. Boot. 'tis but one Word in the Hebrew, but a very emphatical one: the Seventy tranſlate it foreign, they have ſtrengthned themſelves; ſo we tranſlate it, Gen. 2. and frequently elſewhere. Hence from this Hebrew word comes foreign in the Greek, poſſum, or potens ſum: Thus theſe Jews, they had ſo ſtrengthned and confirmed themſelves in Deceit, that they were now become ſtrong. They hold it with ſtrength. And hence it is that we fitly tranſlate, They hold faſt Deceit. The Word isu ſed to Pharaoh, Exod. 8.19. Then the Magicians ſaid unto Pharaoh, This is the Finger of God. And Pharaoh's Heart was beardned, and he hearkened not unto them, as the Lord had ſaid. Where the Seventy tranſlate it by foreign. The Word we have Heb. 3.8. Harden not your Hearts, as in the Provocation, &c. So we may tranſlate in this place, They were hardned, or they have hardned themſelves in Deceit. They became obſtinate therein. Durum quod non cedit tactui. Thus their Hearts would not yield to the Word of God, by the Prophet; the Word had no influence upon their Hearts, to work a Conviction upon them. Elſewhere the Seventy tranſlate it by foreign, viriliter ago: So Deut. 31.6, 7. & 23. We read, Be ſtrong; the Seventy, Play the Man: Thus here, theſe Jews, they play the Men in holding faſt their Deceit. The Lord complains, Jer. 9.3. that they are not Valiant for the Truth, &c. but they were valiant for Deceit, they could play the Men in holding that faſt. Yet once more, the Word ſignifies to Prevail; 2 Sam. 24.4. Notwithſtanding the King's words prevailed, &c. The Word which we here tranſlate Hold faſt, we there tranſlate Prevailed. Joab, tho loth to obey the King's Command, yet his Command prevailed over him. We have the Word again uſed in Job 2.3. And ſtill he holdeth faſt his Integrity, that is, he prevailed in holding his Integrity. Job had his Diſcouragements in holding, yea he had many Temptations to let go his Integrity; Satan endeavoured with all his Might, to wring it out of his hands; his Wife ſollicites him to let it go; the Diſpenſations of God were no ſmall Temptation to him to part with it. The Pſalmiſt was well nigh brought to part with his Integrity, through the like Diſpenſation of God towards him: as may be ſeen by comparing Pſalm 73. beginning, with 13. Yet Job prevails over, and conquers all, ſtill holding faſt his Integrity.
Thus was it with the Jews, in an evil Sence; they wanted not a ſufficiency of Means for their Conviction, they wanted not fore-warnings of the Miſeries which they would bring upon themſelves; but they prevailed over, and conquered all, and ſtill held faſt their Deceit, and thereupon refuſed to Return. Yet further, the Word ſignifies, not only, to hold, or, to hold faſt; but alſo to receive, take up, or take hold of; 2 Sam. 15.5. It's ſaid there of Abſalom, When any Man came nigh to him to do him obeyſance, he put forth his hand, and took him and kiſſed him. The Seventy turn it both by foreign & foreign. Pagnine reads it Apprehenderunt, in our Text: and ſo it notes the freeneſs and readineſs of the Jews to receive this Deceit; they readily received and took it up, and thereupon held it faſt. Yea, they ſtrengthned and confirmed, yea hardned themſelves in it; they play the Men, improve all their Parts and Abilities to maintain it, and do actually prevail over, and conquer all Means uſed, to convince them of, and reclaim them from it.
They hold faſt Deceit; the Word uſed is foreign, the Seventy read foreign, they ſtrengthned themſelves in their Choice, implying the cloſure of their Wills with their Deceit; and thence in part it was that they held it ſo faſt. The Word ſeems to include a Notion of Subtilty, Cunning or Craft in it: hence we read it, Subtilty, Gen. 27.35. And he ſaid, thy Brother came with Subtilty, &c. And indeed all Deceit muſt have ſomewhat of Cunning or Subtilty in it, otherwiſe it would bewray it ſelf, and conſequently become its own Antidote: ſeeing no Man will ordinarily embrace Deceit as known to be ſo. The Hook muſt be well covered, otherwiſe the Fiſh will not meedle with it. Deceit muſt have ſomewhat of Craft to conceal it. Hence Seducers are ſaid to have their Slights and cunning Craftineſs, whereby they lye in wait to deceive, Eph. 4.14. The ſillieſt of Women (as the Apoſtle ſpeaks) would hardly otherwiſe be led away by them. Thus here the Jews hold faſt ſubtile or cunning Deceit; Deceit cunningly contrived and obtruded upon them. But what was this Deceit? I Anſwer, Some take Deceit for thoſe Evils, whether Religious, as Idolatry; or Moral, as Impieties in their Converſations, that the Jews were ſeduced into: but I rather conceive (with others) we are to underſtand Fraudes Pſeudo-Prophetarum; the falſe Doctrines preached by the falſe Prophets. So the Word is uſed by this our Prophet, Jer. 14.14. Then the Lord ſaid unto me, The Prophets propheſy lies in my Name, I ſent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither ſpake unto them: they propheſy unto you a falſe Viſion, and Divination, and a thing of nought, and the Deceit of their Heart. Where we have the ſame Word; Deceit in the latter part of the Verſe, is the ſame with Lies, and a falſe Viſion, in the former part. Theſe falſe Prophets under a pretence of revealing the Will of God to them, had preached Lyes or Deceits. As for inſtance, that they having the Temple of the Lord among them, they muſt neceſſarily have his Preſence with, and his Providence watching over them. Hence is that Boaſting, Jer. 7.4. The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord are theſe. The falſe Prophets having cunningly pretended themſelves true Prophets, teach ſuch falſe Doctrine. This takes with their corrupt Inclinations, and they greedily ebrace it, and having embraced it, hold it faſt, and will by n means be brought to relinquiſh it; whereupon they refuſed to Return. The Word we tranſlate to Refuſe, hath again its Emphaſis; it ſignifieth not barely to Refuſe, but to Refuſe with a certain Loathing or Abhorrency. It is proper (ſaith Mr. Caryl) to the nauſeating of the Stomack, at the ſight of ſome filthy thing. We have it uſed of Naboth's refuſing to ſell Ahab his Vineyard, 1 Kings 21.15. And with what vehemency he refuſed it, the third Verſe declares. The Seventy tranſlate it, in Prov. 1.24. foreign, They would not hear. So theſe Jews here, they refuſed to Return, nay they would not ſo much as hear of Returning. The very calling them to Return, as it were, turned their Stomacks againſt the true Prophets. It notes the ſtrange Efficacy of Errour; their Minds were ſo bewitched with it that they could hardly give the true Prophets the Hearing; they loathed to hear to think of Returning. They refuſed to Return, to be Converted, ſaith Junius.
The Sence lies plain, they would neither change their Minds, in reſpect of the Deceit they had taken up and entertained, nor return from their Sins, or ſinful Practices, unto God and his Ways.
The Words being opened, there are three Doctrines lie obvious in them.