Divine Drops Distilled from the Fountain of Holy Scripture, Part 4
Expoſitions and Obſervations on ISAIAH 28, 15.
Becauſe ye have ſaid, we have made a Covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement, &c.
We have made agreement with hell.
NOt that they ſaid ſo: but God brings in their thoughts, as in Iob, Depart from us, we deſire not the knowledge of thy laws. That is the difference between Gods book and mens books; men write books according to the words of men, but the word of God is according to their thoughts,
Here are four or five things noted of wicked men.Four things obſerved of wicked men. 1. Their v. in conceits.
Firſt, we have made (ſay they) a covenant with death, and with hell we are at an agreement.
The meaning is not, that they did draw writings between them, and hell: for hell will make no agreement, but the meaning is, they were aſſured in their conceits that they ſhould be delivered from hell, and death, and miſery. As a man that hath made a Covenant for his land, &c. and hath got witneſſes to it, he hath made ſure, he hath it in black and white: ſo there was a fooliſh confidence in them; they aſſured themſelves that they ſhould eſcape, as if death and hell had given them an acquittance, and had ſealed it, and there had been Covenants drawn between them and the Devill. That is one thing.
But, ſaith God,
Your Covenant with death ſhall be diſannulled, and your agreement with hell ſhall not ſtand.
That is, you ſhall ſee that all thoſe conceits are but vaine. Juſt as if a man ſhould go, and make a Covenant with his neighbour, and buy his land, and he ſhould never tell his neighbour that he would ſell it, this agreement would be broken, and the Covenant would not ſtand. So, you build Caſtles in the aire, you make a Covenant, and agreement in your conceits, that you are ſafe, and you hope the beſt, and God is mercifull, but the day will come when all this will be done away, As Iob ſaith, it is juſt as a Spiders web, that is, a fine thing that ſhe hath been working all the week, and then the Maide comes to make clean the houſe, and all is taken away with one ſtroak of a bruſh.
Another thing is, the Lord compares them here to Illuſtrated in two compariſons.Compa∣riſon. 1 people that would hide themſelves by the ſea ſide, where the tide comes up. As you ſee ſometimes when the tide is low, there are green medows, and buſhes before it be high ſpring; and there they hide themſelves, and the water comes and overflowes their hiding place. If they ſtay there a while, and it may be are aſleep, the tide comes and drowns them all. Do ye not think a man were mad that ſhould go and hide himſelf in a hole of a bridge, and ſleep when the tide was low, and then the tide come in and overwhelm him: So it will be with thee, if thou receive not Ieſus Chriſt.
We have made lies our refuge, and under falſhood have we hid our ſelves.
Mr. Calvin ſaith, they may be compared to little chickens, or partridges, that run their heads in a buſh, that hide their heads from the Hawk; the Hawk ſees all their bodies, onelyonly in a conceit they hide themſelves thus, that is, they hide their own eyes that they may not ſee the Hawk: but they do not hide their bodies that the Hawk may not ſee them. So men ſhut their eyes, and have many conceits (O the Lord deliver us from it) this is the hope of wicked men, drunkards, and whoremongers, and ſottiſh creatures, that come not up to take Chriſt.
The Lord after compares them to little children Compa∣riſon. 2 in bed.
The bed is ſhorter then that a man can ſtretch himſelf on it.
As little children, when they hear thunder, they run under the ſheets and blankets, and think they are very ſafe: ſo we conceive that we ſhall be delivered. But truly all the ſhifts thou haſt, ſhall be no more to keep thee when the Lord comes on thee for a drunkard, or an unbeliever, or a perſecutor, then the ſheets, and blankets can keep them from a thunderbolt if God ſend it.
I, but theſe were but compariſons, and the people were ready to mock the prophet for it: Saith he, Mock not, leaſt your bands be made ſtrong, for I have heard from the Lord a conſumption determined upon the whole earth.
Give ear, and hear my voice, hearken to my ſpeech. Doth the plowman plow all day to ſow, &c.
This is the manner of the prophet Iſaiah, eſpecially when he ſpeaks of the miſeries, and judgements, that ſhall come upon people, he mingles comfort for the poor Saints. This he refers to the Saints that were upright. And to comfort them, he takes a compariſon from the Husbandman that plows the field. For the creatures are Gods Characters: God hath written his will in his word at large, and he hath written a copy of it (as it were) in the creatures, that by the one we might be enabled to underſtand the other. For we underſtand not one line of this bleſſed book any further then we are taught. Now God hath ſo caſt things in this world, not only for the uſe and good of man, but he hath caſt things by his creation and providence, in ſuch a way, as that every thing might reſemble heavenly things. Therefore it is ſaid, God hath given diſcretion to the Husbandman to do this: the Lord hath ordered the earth ſo to be plowed, and managed, and the corn ſo to be threſhed, that thereby we might have a ſhadow of ſpirituall things, comparing it with the bleſſed word.
Doth the plow man, plow all day?God deals diverſly with weak and ſtrong Saints.
What is the meaning of that? It is thus, you poor Saints, God plows you, and harrows you, and if the Lord follow you with one affliction after another (that whoſoever eſcapes, you ſuffer, if not without, yet within, and ſometimes you have both) you think God deals wonderfull ſtrangely with you, Sayth he, look on the plowman; if ever you ſee one plow, you will ſay, yonder man doth but plow, and harrow the land, and make it fit to ſow, Barly, or Oats, or Wheat, he hath ſome end in it: they are the common heaths that lie unplowed: but where there is good ground they plow it, and when he hath plowed, it is his diſcretion to ſow. So it is, that when the Lord continues his afflictions upon thee, thou ſhouldeſt conſider that God, that is thy good father, hath ſome gracious deſigne to ſow Barly, or Wheat, or Rye, to ſow ſome grace more: And what though he plow thee, or me, or another more then other men or women? Some lands are plowed thrice, ſome four times beſides the ſowing, they are ſo tough, and dogged. So ſome natures muſt be ofter, and deeper, and longer plowed.
Therefore ſtare not ſo much upon the affliction, but conſider the gracious deſigne, and purpoſe of God to ſow thee, and to do thee good. Thou, and I have barren hearts, and there is little corn that is pleaſing to him there: therefore he meanes by the afflictions that he layes on thee, by ſuch a ſickneſſe, by ſuch a perverſe husband, by ſuch an ungracious childe, or loſſe of eſtate, the Lord means to ſow thy barren heart; and then bleſſed be his name. If the Lord do that, thou mayeſt well ſuffer him to plow, and harrow thee any way, with any inſtrument as he pleaſeth.
Then he takes another compariſon from threſhing.
The Fitches are not threſhed with a threſhing inſtrument, neither is a cart-wheel turned about upon the Cummin, &c.
That is, the afflictions of the Saints, are alſo like the threſhing of corn: as there is no land that bears corn without plowing, no more can we enjoy it without threſhing, ſome more, ſome leſſe, ſome one way, ſome another. Now (ſaith he) in the manner of afflictions you may obſerve two things from the threſhing of men; which was in another manner in thoſe countries then with us: It was trod out with the Oxe, and they did bring a wheel, and horſmen to ride upon their corne in thoſe dry countries, And ſome was beaten with a ſtaff, and ſmall corne they did whip out with a rod. So ſaith he, there are two things to be obſerved in the manner of Gods dealing, you that are weak people, weak Chriſtians, the Lord ſees that you are little Fitches: Fitches is a little graine, and Cummin eſpecially, Chriſt calls them little things; yet little and weak Chriſtians are like Cummin and Fitches, God will not bring a Cart wheele over them that ſhall bruiſe them to pieces, and make them worth nothing, but he will beat them with a ſtaffe, and the Cummin with a rod; that is, where there is a little, weak Saint, the Lord will take a little wand, a rod, a ſmall, light affliction.
But bread corn is bruiſed becauſe he will not ever be threſhing it, not break it with the wheel, &c.
That is, ſometimes alſo God meanes to lay all the afflictions (as it were) at once upon his childe, where he ſees a ſtrong Saint many times he brings his horſemen, and his cartwheel, as he did with Iob; you know Iob had but a bout, and ſo he goes over, and ſome of his days before and his days after were comfortable, God brings ſtrong afflictions upon his children.
The reaſon is, becauſe God will not alway be threſhing, he will not alway afflict, for then the ſpirit of man would fail before him.
If thy afflictions be light, ſay, I am a little Fitch, or Cummin, if they be heavy, ſay, they will be ſhort; for the Husbandman, though he deal more courſly with his Corn then with his Fitches, yet he takes it into his Barne, and laies it up ſafe: ſo though thy afflictions be ſore, thou maiſt from the practice of the Husbandman ſay, they will be ſhort: therefore indeavor to learn a little from afflictions, and how to carry and behave thy ſelf like a Saint, wait patiently upon God, to know Gods deſign and meaning.
This alſo cometh forth from the Lord of Hoſts, which is wonderful in counſel, and excellent in working.
What is the meaning of that? That that made the Prophet cry out, that the Lord was wonderful in Counſel, and mighty in working it, was this, to ſee the harmony between Gods Works in his Books, and in his Creatures: O who would think when a man is plowing, that there were ſuch a myſtery there! that he ſhould fetch a glorious myſtery in afflicting his Saints, from a little Cummin. This alſo is from the Lord of Hoſts, which is wonderfull in counſell, and excellent in working, that he reveales his bleſſed will in his book, and gives ſuch a glorious copy of it in the creatures, that we may underſtand the one by the other. Thus have I ſhewed you a little of the meaning of the word of God in this Chapter, as I underſtand.