Upon the consideration hereof, that so great and mighty a nation should come and swallow up the people, and there would be no standing before them, upon the strangeness of it, the prophet falls under a double, deep temptation: and, let us do what we will or can-, we shall find something of those temptations exercise our minds iu a like dispensation. The first was, That notwithstanding all their profession, yet God has no regard unto his church and those that
5 1 0 FAITH'S ANSWER TO DIVINE REPROOFS.
make profession of his name and truth ; that he respects other men in the world more than them. " Wherefore," saith he, verse 13, " lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he ?" — ' It is true, this poor people is a sinful people; but they are more righteous than the Chaldeans. Whence is this? I cannot understand it/ And so in verse 4, " The wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth." This was his first temptation. Secondly, He hath another temptation upon it that goes farther. Saith he, ' It may be God regards none of these things ; that even throughout the world the strongest carries it : ' Yerse 14, " Thou makest men as the fishes of the sea;" the rule whereof is, that the greater devour the less. ' Thou makest all the inhabitants of the earth as the fishes of the sea. I can see nothing else [than] that those that have strength, power, and greatness, they devour the less/ And this twofold temptation is exceeding apt to insinuate itself into the minds of men in the time of such terrible dispensations. And thence there ariseth a twofold conclusion which the prophet maketh in verse 4, under his paroxysm; a dreadful conclusion: — 1. That " the law is slacked." The word, the law, is ceased ; there is an end of the law; it seems as though the law were come to an end; that is, the whole covenant of God, and the ordinances and presence of God with them, are come to an end, for the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he, and, when it is done, imputes it to his god. There is an end of the law, the covenant, and institutions. 2. Saith he, ' There is no providence, then, in governing of the world, and judgment doth never go forth/ Dreadful conclusions the prophet was tempted unto, or tempted with, upon the considera tion of this wonderful vision of the Chaldeans, that hasty and fierce nation, destroying the church of God, with the nations round about them, because terrible, strong, and many.
To stay himself, in this first chapter he fixes upon two general conclusions, with which, in the midst of these great concussions and impressions that were upon him, he should stay himself : — 1. That notwithstanding all this, God is holy and faithful, and always the same : Verse 1 2, " Art thou not from everlasting, 0 LORD my God, mine Holy One?" — 'He is the LORD our God, and our Holy One, notwithstanding all these dispensations/ 2. The second conclusion he fixes upon is this, That correction is needful for the church of God, but it shall not be to their destruction : " We shall not die. 0 LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, 0 mighty God, thou hast established them for correction."
These two general conclusions he lays down ; and I would only observe, that it is good for us to retain some general principles,
FAITH'S ANSWER TO DIVINE REPROOFS. 51 1
that we may be unshaken in whatever private, particular concussions our faith may have under God's dispensations; such as these: That God is from everlasting the same, the Holy One, and changeth not; secondly, That though the church of God need judgment and cor rection, yet they shall not die, God will not utterly destroy them.
Having fixed these principles, the prophet knew it was not enough ; but he goes to bring things to a particular issue, in the beginning of this second chapter, in the words I have read unto you.
And there are four things in the words: — 1. What he would do now, after all these shakings : " I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower." 2. To what end he would do so. It is to " see what God will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved/' 3. There is the event of it ; God shows him a new vision : " The LORD answered and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables/' And, 4. There is the conclusion which he works all unto, and his own will unto, the issue of these things, in verse 4. This, then, must all come to, to put an end to all disputes, fears, temp tations, "Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith/'
For the opening of these words (which is the most I aim at, and some short observations from them), take notice that the prophet may be looked on under a double consideration, — 1. As a public minister of the church, as a prophet; 2. As a particular believer, that had to deal with God about these things.