Twenty-One Sermons on Amos 1, Sermon 9
THE Ninth Lecture.
AMOS 1.5.
I will breake alſo the barre of Damaſcus, and cut off the inhabitant of Bikeath-Auen, and him that holdeth the ſcepter out of Beth-Eden, and the people of Aram ſhall goe into captiuity vntounto Kir.
WE are now come to the ſecond branch of the fourth part of this prophecie, in the 5. verſe, wherein are ſet downe more ſpecially the puniſhments to bee inflicted vponupon the Syrians for their ſinnes. And this is done in foure ſeuerall clauſes. In each wee may obſerue three circumſtances.
1 The puniſher: the Lord, either immediatly by himſelfe, or mediatly by his inſtruments.
2 The puniſhed: the Syrians not of any one city only; but of the whole country; which wee gather from theſe names, Damaſcus, Bikeath-Auen, Beth-eden and Aram.
3 The puniſhment; the ſpoile of the country; and ruine of the whole ſtate. The barre of Damaſcus muſt be broken; the inhabitant of Bikeath-Auen, and the King, keeping his court at Beth-Eden, muſt be cut off: and the people of Aram muſt go into captiuitie.
Of the words as they lie in order.
I will alſo breake the barre of Damaſcus] I, the Lord, aIob. 9.5, 6, &c.remoue mountaines, and they feele not when I ouerthrow them; I remoue the earth out of her place, and make her pillers to ſhake; I command the ſun, and it riſeth not; I cloſe vp the ſtars as vnderunder a ſignet: I my ſelfe alone ſpread out the heauens and walke vponupon the height of the ſea: I make Arcturus. Orion, and Pleiades, and the climates of the South: I, the Lord, who doe great things, and vnſearchable, maruailous things, without number,bAmos 5.8. & 9.6. Iehouah is my name. I, the Lord, Iehouah, who hauehave reſolued to ſend a fire into the houſe of Hazael, and palaces of Benhadad; I will alſo breake the barre of Damaſcus.
You know what a barre is in its proper ſignification: an inſtrument wherewith we make faſt the gates of our cities, and doors of our houſes, againſt the violence of our enemies. If the barre be broken, the entrance into the city, or houſe will be the eaſier. Kedar is diſcouered to be weake, for want of barres, Ier. 49.31. And ſo are they againſt whom Gog, and Magog were to fight. Ezech. 38.11. they had neither bars, nor gates. Ieruſalem had both; and God made them ſtrong, Pſal, 147.13. Therefore praiſe the Lord, O Ieruſalem, praiſe thy God, O Sion; for he hath made the barres of thy gates ſtrong; ſo ſtrong, that no enemy is able to breake them, or to make any irruption into them.
A barre is alſo vſed to a figuratiue ſenſe; Metaphorically, and Synecdochically; and betokeneth munition, fortifications, the forts and ſtrong holds of a country, the ſtrength of any thing. To which ſenſe the ſea hath barres. We read of them, Iob 38.10. God hath apppointed the ſea her barres, and doores, ſaying, hitherto ſhalt thou come; here will I ſtay thy proud waues. And the earth hath barres. We read of them, Ion. 2.6. And, what are the barres of the earth, but thecD. King B. of London, in Ion. lect. 27. ſtrongeſt muniments, and ſences it hath; her promontories, and rockes, which God hath placed in her frontiers, to withſtand the force of the waters? A… Moab hath barres, Eſai. 15.5. There the barres of Moab, a… put for the forts in the borders of Moab. And Egypt hath barres, Ez…ch. 30.18. Where Egypts barres af…er the expoſition of Illyricus in hisdƲerbo, vectis. key of Scriptures, are munitiones & robur, the fortifications, and ſtrength of Egypt.
So here: the barres of Damaſcus, areeMercer. Damaſci robur, munitiones, portae & clauſtra munitiſſima; the ſtrength of Damaſcus; the muni…ions of Damaſcus; the gates of Damaſcus; the moſt fenced fortreſſes of Damaſcus. YetfGualter. Vniuerſum regni robur, the whole ſtreng…h of the kingdome of Syria, is to be vnderſtood in theſe barres of Damaſcus.
Of Damaſcus] no baſe nor contemptible city. Lewes Vert…man…i…, a gentl…man of Rome, in his trauell to thoſe eaſterne parts of the world, a hundred yeares agoe, ſaw this city, and admiting the maruellous beauty therof, hath Nauigat. cap. 5. left a record of it to poſterity. It is (ſaith he) in manner incredible, and paſſeth all beleefe, to thinke how faire the city of Damaſcus is, and how fertile is the ſoile. This Damaſcus is a city of great antiquitygSee my ſix h lecture vponupon this chapte…. built as ſome coniectue by Eliezer, the ſteward of Abrahams houſe who was ſurnamed Damaſcus, Gen. 15.2. So that this city was built more than 3444. yeares agoe; forhIn the …are of the w…rld 21…4. I un… in Ch onolog. And th… Serm n was …reached A. …. 16…6 …eb…. 8. ſo long agoe Abraham died. The firſt mention of this city is, Gen. 14.15.
Others holding the name of this city to hauehave beene more ancient than Abraham, doe attribute the building of this city to Huz one of the ſons of Aram Gen. 10.23. whereupon Damaſcus was called alſo Aram, as S. Hierome vponupon Eſai. 17. witneſſeth. Whatſoeuer were the antiquity of this city, it is plaine by Eſai. 7.8. that it was the Metropolitaine, and chiefeſt city of Syria. The Prophet Ieremie giues it a high commendation, chap. 49.25. where he cals it a glorious city, and the city of his ioy. Damaſcus in this place is not the bare city, buti…e… c…us. tractus Damaſcus, ſiue Decapolitanus; the whole country about Damaſcus, and the coaſts of Decapolis, whereof wee read, Mark. 7.31.
I will alſo breake the barres of Damaſcus] To breake in the Hebrew phraſe, and by a Metaphor, is to conſume, to deſtroy, to waſte, to ſpoile. In the 24. of Eſai. verſ. 19. where the Prophet ſaith; confractione confringetur terra: the earth ſhall with breaking be broken: the meaning is; the earth ſhall certainly be waſted, and ſpoiled. So here; I will breake the barre of Damaſcus, that is, I wil conſume, & ſpoile, all the munitions, all the fortifications, all the fenced fortreſſes, all the ſtrength of Damaſcus.
This office of breaking barres, God elſewhere aſſumeth to himſelfe, as Eſai. 45.2. where thus ſaith the Lord vntounto Cyrus, his anointed; I will breake the braſen doores, and burſt the iron barres. The Pſalmiſt alſo aſcribeth vntounto the Lord this office of breaking barres, Pſal. 107.16. where exhorting vsus to confeſſe before the Lord his louing kindneſſe, and to declare his wonderfull workes, he bringeth this for a reaſon: For he hath broken the gates of braſſe, and hath burſt the barre of iron aſunder. Now hauehave you the meaning of theſe words, I will breake the barre of Damaſcus; I] the Lord, will breake] by my mightie power, will lay waſte, and conſume, the barre] barre for barres, all the ſtrength of Damaſcus] of that part of Syria, which bordereth vponupon Damaſcus.
Now let vsus ſee what leſſ…s may be taken from hence for our further inſtruction, and meditation. You will remember my three propounded circumſtances; The puniſher, The puniſhment, The puniſhed. The puniſher, is the Lord; the puniſhment, is breaking of barres; the puniſhed, is the whole country of Damaſcus. From the firſt circumſtance of the puniſher, the Lord himſelfe taking vengeance into his owne hand, I gather this doctrine; It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance vponupon the wicked for their ſinnes.
This doctrine was in my laſt Lecture commended vntounto you, and then at large confirmed. I need not make any repetition of it. The conſideration of it day after day, cannot be either vaine or vnfruitfull to vsus. It may cauſe vsus to bee wary and heedfull, that by our daily ſinning we make not our ſelueskIohn 8.34. Rom. 6.20. ſeruants vntounto ſin, and l2 Pet. 2.19.corruption. And whereas we cannot but ſinne daily, (for who can ſay, I hauehave mProu. 20.9.purged my heart, I am cleane from my ſinne?) it may draw vsus to repentance, and to a godly ſorrow for our ſinnes; whereby wee hauehave tranſgreſſed the law of God, offended his Maieſtie, and prouoked his wrath. Wee muſt beleeue it: though God be good, gracious, mercifull, and long ſuffering, yet is he alſo a iuſt God; God the auenger, and puniſher.
The conſideration of this point, may further admoniſh vsus, to be wary in any caſe that wee breath not after reuengement. To reuenge our wrongs, is Gods office, wee muſt not intrude our ſelues into it; we may not vſurp it. Why will we herein be our owne caruers? The wiſe ſon of Sirach, chap. 28.1. ſpeakes it confidently: He that ſeeketh vengeance, ſhall finde vengeance of the Lord, and he will ſurely keepe his ſins. Marke his exhortation following, verſe the 2. Forgiue thy neighbour the hurt that he hath done to thee; ſo ſhall thy ſinnes be forgiuen thee alſo.
Wiſe Siracides ſaith no more, than doth our Sauiour Ieſus Chriſt, Matt. 6.14, 15. If ye do forgiue men their treſpaſſes, your heauenly father will alſo forgiue you. But if ye doe not forgiue men their treſpaſſes, no more will your father forgiue you your treſpaſſes. Dearely beloued, is this ſo? Will not God forgiue vsus, vnleſſe we forgiue others? We muſt needs grant it to be ſo, praying daily as we doe, Forgiue vsus our treſpaſſes, as we forgiue them that treſpaſſe againſt vsus.
Much then (beloued) very much to blame are we, who lead our liues, as if Lex talionis, that ſame old law of rendring like for like, firſt recorded,nAnd Leuit. 24.20. & Deut. 19 21. Matth. 5.38. Exod. 21.24. were this day in force. Euen this day, we ſticke not to be of minde with the godleſſe worldling: Receiue I wrong? I will repay it, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, ſtripe for ſtripe. As good as he bringeth, I will giuegive him.
We are commanded, Matth. 18.22. to forgiue one another, euen ſeuenty times ſeuen times. How hauehave we caſt behinde vsus this holy commandement? If thy neighbour ſin againſt thee, wilt thou not be meet with him ſeuen yeares after, if poſſible? Tell me; if by order of friends, or conſtraint, thou be moued to forgiue thy neighbour, wilt thou forgiue him? Forgiue him? Yea after a ſort. We will forſooth forgiue the fault, but not forget the matter, nor affect the party that wronged vsus. Is this to louelove our enemies? Is this not to reſiſt euill? Nothing leſſe.
Learne therefore of Chriſt what it is, to louelove your enemies, Matth. 5.44. Bleſſe them that curſe you; doe good to them that hate you; pray for them that hurt you, and perſecute you. And againe learne of Chriſt, what it is, not to reſiſt euill, Matt. 5.39. Whoſoeuer ſhall ſmite thee on the right cheeke, turne to him the other alſo: & if any man will ſue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him hauehave thy cloake alſo: and whoſoeuer will compell thee to goe with him one mile, goe with him twaine. This is it, whereto S. Peter exhorteth you, 1 Epiſt. chap. 3.8. Be yee all of one mind, one ſuffer with another; louelove as brethren, be pitifull, be courteous, render not euill for euill, nor rebuke for rebuke; but contrariwiſe bleſſe, if ye will be heires of bleſſing.
Let wiſe Solomons counſell ſomewhat preuaile with you; that counſell which he giueth you, Pro. 24.29. O ſay not I will doe to him as he hath done to me; I will recompenſe eueryevery man according to his worke. What ſhall I doe then, when I hauehave receiued a wrong? What elſe, but follow the ſame wiſe mans counſell, giuen me, Pro. 20.22. Expectabo Dominum, & liberabit me; I will wait vponupon the Lord, and he will deliuer me. I ſhut vp this meditation with S. Pauls exhortation, Rom. 12.17. Recompenſe to no man euill for euill; if it be poſſible, as much as in you is, hauehave peace with all men. Dearely beloued, auenge not your ſelues, but giuegive place vntounto wrath; for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, ſaith the Lord.
Hitherto (beloued in the Lord) I hauehave laboured to worke in you a deteſtation of all priuate reuengement. The occaſion of my diſcourſe, was from my propounded doctrine, It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance; proper to the Lord, and therefore not any way to be medled in by vsus. It is not for vsus by our ſelues to auenge the wrongs done vntounto vsus; we muſt wait vponupon the Lord, who in his good time will right all our iniuries. For he hath ſaid, vengeance belongeth vntounto me, I will recompenſe.
Let vsus proceed, and ſee what doctrine may be gathered from the two next circumſtances; the circumſtance of the puniſhment, and the circumſtance of the puniſhed. The puniſhment I noted in the breaking of barres; and the puniſhed, in the word Damaſcus. You hauehave already heard the meaning of theſe words: I will breaks the barre of Damaſcus] I] the Lord, will] with my mighty power breake] lay waſte, and conſume, the barre] barre, for barres, euen all the munition, and ſtrength, of Damaſcus] of the chiefeſt city of Syria, and the countrey adioyning.
Muſt Damaſcus, the ſtrongeſt Citie of all Syria, hauehave her barres broken? Muſt ſhee bee laid waſte, and ſpoyled? Here fixing the eyes of our mindes vponupon the power of the Lord, learne we this leſſon; There is no thing, nor creatu…e, able to withſtand Gods power, or to let his purpoſe.
Nothing: not gates of braſſe, nor barres of iron, theſe hee breaketh aſunder, Pſal. 107.16. No creature. What creature more mighty than a King? Yet in the day of his wrath God woundeth Kings: witneſſe the Pſalmiſt, 110.5. Doth he wound Kings? yea he ſlayeth mighty Kings, Pſal. 135.10. and 136.18. My text auoweth the ſame, in one of the next clauſes, where God thre…heth to the mighty King of Syria, a cutting off: I cut off him that holdeth the ſcepter out of Beth-eden.
Theſe few now alleaged inſtances doe ſufficiently (though briefly) confirme my propounded doctrine; There is no thing, nor creature, able to withſtand Gods power, or to let his purpoſe.
The reaſon hereof is, becauſe God only is omnipotent, and whatſoeuer elſe is in the world, it is weake, and vnable to reſiſt. Of Gods omnipotency we make our daily profeſſion in the firſt article of our beleefe, profeſſing him to be God, the Father Almighty. In which profeſſion wee doe not exclude, either the Sonne, or Holy Ghoſt, from omnipotency. For God the Father, who imparteth his Godhead vntounto the Sonne, and to the Holy Ghoſt, doth communicate the proprieties of his Godhead to them alſo. And therefore our beleefe is, that as the Father is Almighty, Symbolo Atharaſ.ſo the Sonne is Almighty, and the Holy Ghoſt is Almighty too.
Now God is ſaid to be omnipotent, or Almighty, in two reſpects. Firſt, becauſe he is able to doe whatſoeuer he will. Secondly, becauſe he is able to doe more than he will. For the firſt, that God is able to doe whatſoeuer he will, who but the man poſſeſſed with the ſpirit of Atheiſme, and infidelity dares deny? This truth being expreſly deliuered twiſe in the booke of Pſalmes; Firſt, Pſal. 115.3. Our God in heauen, doth whatſoeuer he will: againe, Pſal. 135.6. Whatſoeuer pleaſeth the Lord, that doth he in heauen, in earth, in the ſea, in all the depths.
For the ſecond, that God is able to doe more than he will doe: eueryevery Chriſtian acquainted with the Euangelicall ſtory, doth acknowledge it. It is plaine by Iohn Baptiſts reproofe of the Phariſees, and Sadduces, Matth. 3.9. Thinke not to ſay within your ſelues, we hauehave Abraham to our Father; for I ſay vntounto you, that God is able of theſe ſtones to raiſe vp children vntounto Abraham. Able, but will not. So likewiſe when Chriſt was betrayed, the ſtory, Matth. 26.53. is, that God the Father could hauehave giuen him more than twelue legions of Angels to hauehave deliuered him. He could, but would not. The like may bee ſaid of many other things. The Father was able to hauehave created another world; yea a thouſand worlds. Was able, but would not.
You ſee for Gods omnipotency, that he is able to doe whatſoeuer he will doe; yea that he is able to doe more than he will doe. God only is omnipotent: whatſoeuer elſe is in the world, its weake, and vnable to reſiſt: which is the very ſumme of my doctrine already propounded, and confirmed; There is no thing, nor creature, able to withſtand Gods power, or to let his purpoſe.
For as Iob ſaith, chap. 9.13. The moſt mighty helps doe ſtoope vnderunder Gods anger. This is it, which Nabuchodonoſor, Dan. 4.34, 35. confeſſeth: In compariſon of the moſt high, who liueth for euer, whoſe power is an euerlaſting power, whoſe kingdome is from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; according to his will he worketh in the army of heauen, and in the inhabitants of the earth; and none can ſtay his hand, nor ſay vntounto him, what doeſt thou? This is it whereat S. Paul aimeth in his queſtion demanded, Rom. 9.19. Who hath reſiſted the will of God? And this is it which Iob intendeth, chap. 9.4. demanding a like queſtion: who hath beene fierce againſt God, and hath proſpered?
I will not further amplifie this point; it muſt ſtand good againſt all the might and ſtrength of this world, There is no thing, nor creature, able to withſtand Gods power, or to let his purpoſe.
Now let vsus conſider ſome duties, whereunto we are moued by this doctrine of Gods omnipotencie.
1 Is there no thing, nor creature able to withſtand Gods power, or to let his purpoſe? Learne we from hence true humiliation; that ſame Chriſtian vertue, to which S. Peter 1 epiſt. 5.6. giues his exhortation: Humble your ſelues vnderunder the mighty hand of God. What are we, (beloued) but by nature in our ſelues moſt wretched; conceiued, and borne in ſin? hitherto running on in wickedneſſe? and dayly rebelling againſt God? againſt Almighty God, againſt him, who alone is able to doe whatſoeuer he will; able to doe more than he will; able to caſt both body and ſoule into hell fire?
Let the conſideration of this our wretched eſtate, worke in vsus the fruits of true humiliation. This true humiliation ſtandeth in our practice of three things.Perkinſ. Caſ. Co…. …. lib. 1. ca. 5. §. 2. pag. 57. 1. The ſorrow of our heart, whereby we are diſpleaſed with our ſelues, and aſhamed in reſpect of our ſins. 2 Our confeſſion to God, in which we muſt alſo doe three things. 1 Wee muſt acknowledge all our maine ſins; originall, and actuall. 2 We muſt acknowledge our guiltineſſe before God. 3 We muſt acknowledge our iuſt damnation for ſin. The third thing in our humiliation, is our ſupplication to bee made to God for mercy, which muſt be with all poſſible earneſtneſſe, as in a matter of life and death.
A patterne whereof I preſent vntounto you, Dan. 9.17, 18, 19. O our God, heare the praiers of vsus thy ſeruants, and our ſupplications, and cauſe thy face to ſhine vponupon vsus. O our God, incline thine eare to vsus, and heare vsus; open thine eies, and behold our miſeries; we do not preſent our ſupplications before thee for our own righteouſneſſe, but for thy great tender mercies. O Lord heare vsus, O Lord forgiue vsus, O Lord conſider, and doe it, deferre not thy mercies for thine owne ſake, O our God. Thus (beloued) if we humble our ſelues vnderunder the hand of Almighty God, God will lift vsus vp.Iames 4.10. 1 Pet. 5.6.
2 Is there no thing, nor creature, able to withſtand Gods power, or to let his purpoſe? Learne we from hence to tremble at Gods iudgements, to feare them, to ſtand in awe of them, to quake, and quiuer at them. For as God is, ſo are his iudgements: God is terrible, and his iudgements are terrible. God is terrible in the aſſembly of his Saints, Pſal. 89.8. terrible in his works, Pſal. 66.3. terrible in his doings toward the ſons of men, Pſal. 66.5. terrible to the Kings of the earth, Pſal. 76.13. To paſſe ouer with ſilence many places of holy Scripture, in which God is termed a terrible God; let vsus confeſſe with the Pſalmiſt, Pſal. 76.7. Thou, O God of Iacob, thou art to be feared; who ſhall ſtand in thy ſight, when thou art angry?
Here are they worthily to be taxed, and cenſured, who are ſo far from fearing Gods iugdements, as that they plainly ſcoffe, and ieſt at them. Such a one was he of Cambridge-ſhire, whooThis Sermon was preached Febr. 8. 1606. ſome 14. yeares ſince, in the yeare 1592. made a mocke of the Lords glorious voice, the Thunder. The ſtory is deliuered by Perkins, in hispPrinted at Cambrid…e in 4o. 1596. p. 36. Alſted. Theolog. Catechet. Sect. 2. pag. 180. expoſition of the Creed, in theſe words: One being with his companion in a houſe drinking on the Lords day, when he was ready to depart thence, there was great lightning and thunder: whereupon his fellow requeſted him to ſtay; but the man mocking, and ieſting at the thunder and lightning, ſaid (as report was) it was nothing but a knaue cooper knocking on his tubs; come what would, he would goe, and ſo went on his iourney: but before he came halfe a mile from the houſe, the ſame hand of the Lord, which before he had mocked, in a cracke of thunder ſtrucke him about the girdle ſteed, that he fell downe ſtarke dead.
A memorable example, brought home as it were to our doores, to put vsus in minde of Gods heauy wrath againſt thoſe, which ſcorne his iudgements. Let vsus (beloued) be wiſe vponupon it, and at eueryevery iudgement of God tremble, and feare, and confeſſe, as before out of Pſal. 76.7. Thou, O God of Iacob, thou art to be feared; who ſhall ſtand in thy ſight; when thou art angry?
3 Is there no thing, nor creature able to withſtand Gods power, or to let his purpoſe? Here is matter enough to vphold, and ſtabliſh our faith in Gods promiſes, to the aboliſhing of all wauering, and doubting touching our ſaluation. Thus; No thing, nor creature, is able to withſtand Gods power, or to let his purpoſe. God is able to doe whatſoeuer he will doe; he will doe whatſoeuer he hath promiſed to doe; he hath promiſed to giuegive eternall life to all that beleeue in Ieſus Chriſt. How then can I, who doe beleeue, or any other, who doth beleeue in Ieſus Chriſt, doubt of mine, or their ſaluation?
VponUpon this rocke of Gods omnipotency Abrahams faith ſtood vnſhaken, as appeareth Rom. 4. Abraham he doubted not of the promiſe of God through vnbeleefe, but was ſtrengthened in the faith. And how? Becauſe he was fully aſſured, that the ſame God who had promiſed, was able alſo to doe it. This ableneſſe of God, Abraham oppoſed to his owne weakneſſe. And ſo, aboue hope beleeued vnderunder hope, that he ſhould be the father of many nations, according to that which was ſpoken to him, ſo ſhall thy ſeed be. This promiſe Abraham laid hold of, not conſidering his owne body, euen now dead, being almoſt a hundred yeares old, neither the deadneſſe of Sarahs wombe: he had laid hold of the promiſe. How? By faith. Which was increaſed, and confirmed to him, by the conſideration of the power of God.
And why is all this written of Abraham? S. Paul ſaies why, ver. 23. Now it is not written for him only, that it was imputed to him for righteouſneſſe; but alſo for vsus, to whom it ſhall be imputed for righteouſneſſe, if we beleeue in him, that raiſed vp Ieſus our Lord from the dead, who was deliuered to death for our ſins, and is riſen againe for our iuſtification. Wherefore to all our ſins, infirmities, and impotencies, from whence may ariſe diffidence, infidelity, or vnbeleefe, we muſt euer oppoſe Gods omnipotency; and thereby ſupport our faith in his promiſes.
I ſhut vp this point, and my whole lecture, with S. Auſtines diſcourſe, Serm. 123. de tempore: Nemo dicat, non poteſt mihi dimittere peccata: Let no man ſay vntounto me, God cannot forgiue me my ſinnes. Quomodo non poteſt omnipotens? How is it poſſible that the Almighty ſhould not be able to forgiue thee thy ſinnes? But thou wilt ſay, I am a great ſinner; and I ſay, Sedille omnipotens eſt; But God is Almighty. Thou replieſt and ſaieſt; My ſins are ſuch, as from which I cannot be deliuered and cleanſed; and I anſwer, Sed ille omnipotens eſt; But God is Almighty. Almighty; able to doe all things, greater or leſſer, celeſtiall or terreſtriall, immortall or mortall, ſpirituall or corporall, inuiſible or viſible. Magnus in magnis, neque paruus in minimis: great in great buſineſſes, and not little in the leaſt. No thing or creature is able to withſtand Gods power, or to let his purpoſe.