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by to accuse us, who will say, This was done by my instigation ; and it is so ; and our own cousciences shall take part with the devil, and accuse us also? It will be little for our ease to make God our judge. We might save the labour by putting conscience to its office now, to examine our ways every day, especially now, when God calls for it by his judgments. Repentance is the covenant of the gospel, and repentance depends upon this consideration. So much for that. * No man repented him of his wickedness, saying. What have I done ? ' But did they stay here ? No ; it follows,
' Every one turns to his course, as the horse rasheth into the battle.'
Every one hath his course, his way, whether good or evil. The course of a wicked man it is a smooth way perhaps, but it is a going from God ; it leads from him. And where doth it end ? for every way hath its end. It is a going from God to hell. There all the courses of wicked men end. Examine, then, where thy course begins, and where it ends ; from what thou walkest, and to what ; whither thy course aims ; consider where thy speeches and actions are like to end. The specification and denomination of our ways to be good or evil is especially from the end. The wicked they take their courses, smooth wide courses, the broad beaten way, where they may have elbow-room enough, though it end in hell and destruction. But the wucked and their ways are both hated of God. Otherwise it is with God's children. They may sometimes step into ill ways, but they have not an ill course ; and God doth not judge a man by a step, but by bis course and way. Therefore consider what is the tenor of thy life. Is thy waj^ good ? Oh, it is an excellent thing to be in a good way ! for a man every day to repent of his sins, to make his peace with God, to practise the duties of Christianity in his general calling, and in his particular call- ing to call upon God for a blessing. Such a man's way is good ; it hath a good end. Perhaps he may step out of his way hy the temptations of Satan, but that is not his course. The best man in the world for a passion on the sudden may step into an ill way ; as David, when he determined to kill Nabal, but it was not David's Avay. Therefore we see how soon he was put off with a little counsel, and how thankful he was : * Blessed be the Lord, and blessed be thou, and blessed be thy counsel,' &c., 1 Sam. XXV. 32. His way and course" was another way. And so on the other side the wickedest man in the world may set a step in a good way for a fit, a very Saul may be amongst the prophets, and speak excellently and divinely ; but all this while he is out of his way. His way is a course of wickedness, to which therefore he will soon betake himself again ; as it is here said of these men, ' They turned to their own courses.'
' As the horse rusheth into the battle.'
Here it is comparatively set down. If you would see how the ' horse rusheth into the battle,' it is lively and divinely expressed, Job xxxix. 19, by God himself : ' Hast thou given the horse strength ? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder ? Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper ? the glor}' of his nostrils is terrible. He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength ; he goeth on to meet the armed men. He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted ; neither turneth he back from the sword. The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield. He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage ; neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. He saith among the trumpets. Ha, ha ! and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.' There
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you have an excellent description of this creature's fierceness — the wit of man hath not such expressions — and how ' he rusheth into the hattle.' God, to abase wicked men, compares them here to the horse ; not for that which is good in him, but for their violence in ill courses. They rush into them * as the horse rusheth into the battle.' Now, the horse rusheth into the battle, (1.) ccifjcrhj, as you see him described in the place of Job; and (2.) desperately, he will not be pulled away by any means ; and then (3.) danfjeroushj, for he rusheth upon the pikes, and ofttimes falls down suddenly dead. He regards not the pikes, nor guns, nor nothing, but rusheth on the danger. Herein wicked men are like unto the horse, going on in their course eagerly, desperately, dangerousl}'.
1. The;/ go on eagerly. It is meat and drink unto them: 'they cannot sleep until they have done wickedness.' They plot and study it ; it is their delight. They are not in their element but when they are talkiug wickedly and corruptly, or deceiving, or satisfying their desires, the ambi- tion and lusts of their corrupt nature. They can no more live out of these courses than the fish can live out of the water. Therefore they go eagerly upon them.