home to our own doors! We entreat you, then, to lay these things to heart, and no longer to indulge a stupid insensibility to the calamities of war.]
2. As a judgment inflicted —
[War is one of God's " four sore judgments," wherewith he visiteth a guilty land. It is he who giveth the sword a charge against this or that country f, and says, " Sword, pass through the lands." And as he stirred up enemies against Solomon*, on purpose to " avenge the quarrel of his covenant1, so it is on account of sin that he is now laying upon us his chastising
rod* Nor can we doubt but that his anger has waxed
hot against us, when the judgments inflicted for our sins are so various and of so long continuance. See in what terms he describes his anger against the people of old1 ! and consider whether, when its effects are so visible on us, it be not high time for us to tremble. Yes, surely, the prophet's direction is exactly such as we are now called to follow m : and, if we refuse to follow it, we may well expect that our judgments will be multiplied, till they have wrought either our humiliation or destruction11. We must be stupid indeed if we do not see rea- son to " cry, when he is so binding us ;" and to " humble our- selves under his mighty hand," when he is so correcting us.]
But it will be to little purpose to ascertain what our feelings should be, if we do not also consider, II. What should be our conduct — Let us make this inquiry, in reference, 1. To Ministers— [The prophet tells us what was his conduct, to which in- deed he was irresistibly impelled ; " I cannot hold my peace." Ministers are watchmen, appointed by God himself to warn the people against his impending judgments. And while it is their duty to " weep between the porch and the altar," and to intercede with God to spare his heritage °, and to " give him no rest" till he vouchsafe mercy to the landP, it is also their duty to " lift up their voice as a trumpet, and to shew the house of Israel their sins." They must " cry aloud, and not spare q."
Let us not be thought harsh, if we execute our commission with fidelity and earnestness. You yourselves would be the first to condemn a sentinel who did not give you timely notice of an advancing enemy : and you will condemn us also in the
' Jer. xlvii. 6, 7. * Ezek. xiv. 17. h 1 Kingsxi. 9, 14,23,26.
1 Lev. xxvi. 25. k ver. 17, 18, 22. > Deut. xxxii. 23—25.
m ver. 8. n Lev. xxvi. 27, 28.
0 Joel ii. 17. p Isai. lxii. 6, 7. q Isai. lviii. 1.