Jewish Hypocrisy, Chapter 14
CAP. XIV.
1. The fourth general head, That if a Nation expect ſettlement, it muſt eſtabliſh juſtice and mercy. 2. God is deſirous of the peace and quiet of the world. 3. But it muſt be on thoſe conditions, as is proved from what was ſaid to them before the captivity. 4. And from the words of the Prophets, after their return out of it. 5. From many other places of Scripture, with which a concluſion is put to the diſcourſe begun, chap. 9.
1. ANd now I ſhall deſcend to the fourth and laſt thing which I am engaged to treat of; That where peace, ſettlement and ſafety is expected by any Nation, they are to have a great care to ſee whether they be guilty of ſuch things as theſe, and if they be, deeply to be humbled, and ſpeedily to reform. This commands our regard with the greater authority, becauſe it hath all the former diſcourſes ſpeaking in its behalf. But nothing ſhould more awaken us to minde it than this conſideration, that many cozened themſelves by a ready performance of ſome religious duties, into a moſt dangerous ſecurity and vain confidence in God, whileſt by reaſon of theſe ſins (which are accounted by ſuch perſons but ſmall petty matters in compare with their gliſtering piety) they have been working their own ruine. And I think no Nation is more concerned in it than this wherein we live, becauſe God hath begun, ſhall I ſay, to ſmite us, and lay us low, or hath almoſt laid our honour in the duſt; to this land therefore I may well uſe the Prophet Iſaiahs words, and ſay, as it is Iſa. 28.22. Now be ye not mockers, leſt your bands be made ſtrong. For I have heard from the Lord God of hosts a conſumption even determined upon the whole earth, I mean, let us not make light of all Gods admonitions and meſſages that he ſends to us, leſt we be bound with ſuch iron chains of affliction as we ſhall never be able to ſhake off; for I have aſſurance from the Word of God in the mouth of his Prophets, that God will make an utter end, as he hath begun, if we will not put away the evil of our doings.
2. God indeed doth really deſire the peace and quiet of Nations, and he loves not to afflict them, but when there is great need; which ſhould make us reform more ſpeedily when he chaſtiſes us, becauſe his chaſtiſements are an indication of great diſtempers upon us. He doth not alwayes uſe the ſame courſes to make us good, but he changes his method as he ſees moſt uſeful for us. As the husband-man ſometimes plows and breaks the clods, and again at other ſeaſons ſows his ſeed (according as it follows in Iſa. 28.24, 25.) ſo doth God ſometimes cut and break us by afflictions, and ſometimes inſtruct us and teach us by his Word that he ſows among us. And as the Husband-man doth not draw his Cart wheel over the ſmaller grains, as he doth over his Wheat, but beats the Fitches & Cummin out with a rod or a ſwitch: Even ſo doth God in his husbandry upon mens ſouls; he ſometimes afflicts more gently and lightly, and at other times more ſharply and heavily, according as the condition of his patients require, v. 27. And as the ſame husband-man will not be ever threſhing his Wheat, or breaking it with his wheel, or ſtamping upon it with his horſes hoof, but only ſo long till he hath ſeparated it from the chaff, v. 28. ſo doth God likewiſe afflict and beat us, only ſo long till he hath looſened us from our ſins wherein we were ſettled, as the Corn in the ears, and then he ceaſes. God is wonderful in counſel, and excellent in working, and he oft-times ſhakes Nations very ſorely, but it is that they may repent and be divided from their ſins, as the Wheat by winnowing from the chaff, and then he will ſettle them more firmly again, and lay them up ſafely, as the Wheat is repoſited in the granary after all its knocks and agitations.
3. But then theſe things which have exerciſed my pen ſo long, muſt (as I ſaid) be carefully repented of and amended. For firſt they were propoſed to this people before their captivity as matters to be reformed, if they hoped for any favour from God; as you may read in Hoſea, chap. 10.12. and chap. 12.6. and eſpecially in Amos his words to Iſrael, who had been much waſted and ſpoiled (chap. 4.) from the ſeventh verſe of the fifth chapter, to the ſixteenth, which is again repeated with abundance of earneſtneſs, ver. 21, 22, 23, 24. to this ſenſe, Do not make a noiſe in mine ears with good words and flattering devotions; away with theſe offerings and ſacrifices in which you are ſo forward, but let me ſee judgement and righteouſneſs like a mighty torrent carry all before it. And to what they ſay relating to Iſrael, the Prophets Iſaiah and Jeremiah conſent, when they ſpeak concerning Judah. This you may underſtand, if you will be at no more labour, but to caſt your eyes on Iſa. 1.16, 17, 18, 19, 20. Iſa. 58.8, 9, 10, &c. and Iſa. 33.14, 15, 16, &c. in which laſt place you may obſerve, that when the ſinners in Sion ſaw the great deſtruction that God had made by the Army of Senacherib (of which he had been ſpeaking before) thoſe hypocrites began to be ſurprized with fear, leſt the ſame burning ſhould be made among them, ver. 14. Now the Prophet tells them how to avoid it in the following verſes, and ſaith ver. 17. that if they did do as he adviſed them, they ſhould ſee their King in his beauty, and God would enlarge their territories, and they ſhould be a terrour to all their enemies, and they ſhould ſee no Aſſyrians among them any more, but Jeruſalem ſhould ſtand for ever, and be like a Land of rivers, yet without any enemy to annoy it, ver. 17, 18, 19, 20, &c. And ſo you may read in Jer. 7.5, 6, 7. and Jer. 22.2, 3, 4, 5. where he ſaith, that if they would execute judgement and righteouſneſs indeed, &c. then Kings ſhould ſtill ſit upon the throne of David. Which very thing they might have learnt from the experience of their Fathers, ver. 15, 16, 17. concerning one of whom it is there ſaid, That he judged the cauſe of the poor and needy, and then it was well with him. And was not this to know me ſaith the Lord? Yes, this is the buſineſs, though you would fain make the world believe that you know God, while you are covetous, unjuſt, unmerciful, bloody, cruel, and would perſwade your ſelves that you are a Religious people, and ſhall be in ſafety; yet there is no ſuch matter; do not deceive your ſelves; It went well with your Fathers then only when they did execute judgement and juſtice, and then they truly had the knowledge of God. Thoſe words indeed are ſpoken of a particular perſon (but concerned all the Nation, as I have applyed them) and that was Joſiah, a good Prince, whoſe ſon Shallum it ſeems ſtept over his brothers head to the Crown (for he was the youngeſt, 1 Chron. 3.16.) and therefore is threatned by God to be carried away, and they are bid to weep for him, more then for Joſiah who was dead, ver. 10, 11. And then for the next King, who was Jehojakim, he minded only his own greatneſs, and built him a fine houſe by unrighteouſneſs, raiſing unreaſonable taxes, or otherwiſe oppreſſing his ſubjects, and defrauding labourers of their wages, ver. 13, 14, 15. and therefore God threatens him, that he ſhall be buried with the burial of an Aſs, none lamenting for him, his Nobles not bewailing him with Ah my Brother, nor the people or ſtrangers with Ah Lord, or ah his glory.
4. I need not add, that as without theſe things they could not be continued in the good land that God gave them; ſo there was no hopes of any long ſettlement after they were returned from Babylons ſlavery, unleſs they did carefully obſerve them: For the Prophet Zachary (in the next chapter to that, at which this diſcourſe began) doth plainly tell them, as hath been already ſaid that they muſt execute judgement, and ſpeak truth, and not ſo much as harber any evil deviſes and contrivances againſt one another in their hearts, Chap. 8.16, 17. Without theſe their Feaſts and dayes of rejoycing (which came in ſtead of their mournful meetings, ver. 18, 19.) would do no more to keep the heavens clear and ſhining upon them, then their Faſts and ſorrowful daies could do before, to diſperſe thoſe black clouds that had gathered about them. And therefore when God tells of ſuch joyfull times, he adds this memento again. That they ſhould love truth and peace. As one of the Jews ſaith concerning a Faſt, that Merces jejunij eſt Eleemoſyna, the beſt thing in it, and that which crowns it, is an act of mercy; the ſame may we ſay of their Feaſts, which were all of them like the Athenian foreign in memory of ſome burden that God had ſhaken off from their ſhoulders; and therefore did teach them how kind-hearted they ſhould be to others; and particularly you know, that as every ſeventh day they were to let their ſervants reſt; ſo in every ſeventh year they were to releaſe them from their ſervice, and to forgive all their creditors who were not able to pay them. And obſerve theſe three things that are ſaid (in the 15. Deut.) about this releaſe, which might have taught them how far they ought to have been from all covetouſneſs and oppreſſion, if they expected God ſhould be good to them. Firſt, if any poor man came a little before that year to borrow mony of his neighbour, he was not to forbear to lend him as much as he needed, out of a wicked thought that the time was near, after which he could never recover it of him, ver. 7, 8, 9. And ſecondly, they were not to ſend away their ſervants empty when they did releaſe them, but to furniſh them liberally with proviſions, as God did them when he brought them out of Egypt, ver. 12, 13, 14, 15. And thirdly, that this is made the condition of their having proſperity, v. 10. Becauſe that for this thing the Lord thy God ſhall bleſs thee in all thy works, and in all that thou putteſt thine hand unto. According as he ſaith concerning that great time of joy, which was after ſeven times ſeven years, and when even the ſervant, whoſe ear was bored, went free; that by keeping theſe ſtatutes, they ſhould dwell in the land in ſafety.
5.Pſal. 11.7. For the righteous Lord loveth righteouſneſs, and his countenance doth behold the upright. Pſal. 5.12.He will bleſs the righteous, and compaſs him with favour as with a ſhield, Pſal. 18.25.with the merciful he will ſhew himſelf merciful: with an upright man he will ſhew himſelf upright. Iſa. 32.7, 8.The inſtruments of the Churl are evil, he deviſeth wicked deviſes to deſtroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy ſpeaketh right; but the liberal deviſeth liberal things, and by liberal things ſhall he ſtand. When judgement ſhall dwell in the wilderneſs, Ib. v. 16, 17, 18.and righteouſneſs remain in the fruitful field; Then the work of righteouſneſs ſhall be peace, and the effect of righteouſneſs quietneſs & aſſurance for ever. And his people ſhall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in ſure dwellings, and in quiet reſting-places. To the further atteſting of which truth, I might remember the Reader how that Moab her ſelf was directed to exerciſe juſtice, and alſo to ſhew mercy toward thoſe Jews that ſhould flie to them for refuge; and that becauſe they were proud, and would not hearken to ſuch good counſel, God threatens to ſhake their foundations, which elſe might have been ſettled. Iſa. 16.1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7. where he bids them pay their tribute as they were wont, though Judah was brought low by the Aſſyrian Kings; and alſo to let them have a dwelling among them who were expelled by their enemies from their own country. And I might call to his mind alſo that counſel which Daniel gave to Nebuchadnezar as the only means (if there were any left) of lengthening out his tranquillity, viz. to break off his ſins by righteouſneſs, and his iniquities by ſhewing mercy to the poor, Dan. 4.27. But the thing is ſo clear already, that he who hath not eyes to ſee it in this broad light, will not be convinced of it by all the labour that I can uſe. And therefore I ſhall here put an end to thoſe four things which I propounded to be handled, leaving every man to judge of the truth of theſe obſervations.