SECTION II: Other observations out of the 10th verse
repent, mourn for sin, hate, forsake it; to use the moans, &c.; that is thy work; and so doing, thou canst not be damned.
SECTION II:
Other observations out of the 10th verse Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God, &c.—
ISA. 50:10.
SOME gleanings there yet remain of this text, which I thought good to bind up into one sheaf, and thresh out at this time.
The second* doctrine is: That though it may befall one that fears God to walk in darkness, yet but to a few. He says, 'Who is among you?' he singleth such out of a crowd. If simply he had spoken of those that fear God and obey him, without this limitation added, 'and walk in darkness,' he might well have spoken thus sparingly, 'Who is among you?' For to the wicked he says, 'All you that kindle a fire,' &c.; for there are but a few that fear God in comparison of them. If he had spoken of those that fear God, and have 'been in darkness' for some little while, haply some few days among many, there are yet fewer; for there are that walk in the light of God's countenance to their death, and never knew what terror of conscience means. But when he shall speak of those that 'fear God and walk in darkness,' and suffer terrors from their youth, as Heman did, such a one is one of a
thousand. Of such a one he says, 'Who is among you?' Few have experience of such a condition. Job had friends who certainly were godly,—for Job was to pray for them, and God said he would hear
Job for them, and they, as is likely, knew many godly men besides Job,—yet when this condition of darkness befell Job, it was so strange a trial to them, that they thought him therefore a hypocrite, as never having themselves felt or heard of the like in others. When
Christ was to go into his agony, he would not have many of his apostles so much as be by him to be witnesses of it, much less to feel the like; he takes but two or three. The reasons are:—
Reason 1.—Because, though all God's people are fighting men and men of valour, yet he hath but a few champions,—as David, though he had many soldiers, yet but few worthies,—and therefore calls but a few out to fight single combats with Satan and his wrath; though he exerciseth them all in lighter skirmishes, yet not to fight such bloody battles. 'Seest thou not my servant Job? there is none like him.' Him
God will venture into the field; but others his friends he will not.
Reason 2.—As he hath few champions able and fit for such an encounter, so he hath variety of other temptations to exercise his withal. He hath poverty and ill report, imprisonment and cruel mockings, loss of goods, crosses in friends; and some have enough to struggle under one of these; and there is no temptation but must befall some, and seldom all befall one. Some spirits are so weak, as they would faint and not be able to sustain themselves; and God never suffers any to be 'tempted above what they are able,' 1 Cor.
10:13. Some men's bodies are weak, and if God should 'rebuke them long for sin,' they would be brought to nothing; and he 'remembers they are flesh, and stirs not up all his wrath,' as David says: 'Oh, suffer me to recover strength!' Some men God hath present use of in
their callings and employments, which if they were distracted, as Heman was, with terrors continually, they were unfit for.
Reason 3.—God afflicts in this kind but in case of extremity usually; when he meets with a very froward heart, and stout, proud spirit, a knotty piece, Isa. 57:17. If lesser crosses would do it, he would not fetch out the great rod. If a rod will 'thresh out the cummin,' he useth not to 'turn the wheel over it,' nor take a flail to do it, Isa. 28:27. Now lesser afflictions work with the most of his, through his blessing; mercies work, disgrace works, poverty works, and 'he doth not willingly afflict,' Lam. 3:33, and therefore not unnecessarily; he puts not men into the dungeon for every fault, and therefore there are few long exercised this way.
Use 1.—Think not therefore thou hast not true grace, because thou wert never terrified as some have been. As some have true faith and sound peace who yet never tasted of 'joy unspeakable and glorious,' so some have sound humiliation who never knew terrors of conscience. If thou seest sin the greatest misery, Christ the greatest good, thou art humbled.
Use 2.—You see we may often preach such things which do yet concern but a few in a congregation, and yet we are to preach them.
There are but a few walk long in darkness, yet to such Christ doth preach. Yea, and for such doth God 'give gifts, the tongue of the learned.' God often gives a pastor after his own heart for a few: Jer.
3:15, 'Take one or two of a city,' &c., 'and I will give them pastors after my heart;' much more are many sermons often preached but to a few. So even by Christ himself, as he says, Luke 4:26, 'There were many widows,' &c., 'but unto none was Elias sent but unto her at Sarepta;' and many lepers, but 'unto none was Elias sent but unto
Naaman.' So says Christ, 'I am sent but to a few;' and therefore, as we
must not defraud one poor soul of its portion because none else partake of it, so the rest are not to think much, but, as in a dole, stay till their portion come; and if any one poor soul hath had its estate discovered, all the rest are to be thankful.
Use 3.—See some reason why some in distress of mind complain that none ever were in the like condition; thus they are apt to do. So the church, Lam. 1:12. The reason is because few are so troubled, and haply they never knew any: but yet some are and have been in the like; for, 1 Cor. 10:13, 'no temptation befalls but is common to man.'
Doct. 3.—That those few in congregations that walk in darkness, and yet fear and obey him, God and Christ hath an especial eye unto and care of; you see he singles them out, as it were, from all the rest,
'Who is among you?' Isa. 66:2, 'All these things have my hand made; but to this man will I look, that is poor and broken, and trembleth at my word;' that is, though all things and persons else in the world be my creatures, and so I have a care of them all, yet he seems to overlook all else, and 'to him will I look,' &c., as if there were none else in the church.
Reason 1.—The first reason is, because it is the office of Christ so to do. The Spirit is upon him on purpose, Isa. 61:1–3, 'to open the prison to them that are bound,' shut up in this dungeon; 'to appoint to them that mourn beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness.' He is the physician, and hath undertaken the cure, Matt. 9:12. And whom should the physician have an eye to but the sick, and the most sick, as those are that cannot find their sins forgiven? Isa. 33:14. He is the shepherd,
Isa. 40:11, and will take care of all his sheep, 'knows them by name.'
But of whom especially? The lambs that are weak, young Christians.
'He will gather them with his arms, and gently lead the ewes with
young;' that are travailing and bringing forth, as those under terrors are. He will not over-drive them; for God hath given him charge 'he should lose none of them.' He is 'that good shepherd' that will, as he hath promised, Ezek. 34:16, 'seek out that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and bind up that which is broken, and strengthen that which was sick.' He names all casualties that befall them, because he helps in all miseries; yea, and, ver. 12, after they have been wildered 'in a cloudy and dark day,' and walked in darkness long, he will 'find them out and deliver them,' as his promise there is.
Reason 2.—If his office did not move him to it, his love would; for he is a merciful and a pitiful high priest, Heb. 4:15, and was 'in all points tempted as we are;' and especially in agony of spirit. Therein he drank deepest of any, and therefore is fitted to pity us therein most; and the greatlier any is troubled, the more he is touched. Isa. 63:9,
'In all your afflictions he is afflicted;' and, Jer. 31:20, 'Since I spake against him, I remember him still; therefore my bowels are troubled for him.' When a child is sick, the mother is more troubled and careful about it, and her eye and mind more upon it, than on all the house besides.
Use 1.—The use is, to meet with that conceit that befalls all that are in darkness: they think that of all men else, God regards not them. Sion said, 'God hath forgotten me,' Isa. 49:14. So David, 'God hath forgotten to be merciful.' Because they find their hearts hard to God, they think that his is so to them: because they can find no love in their hearts to God, they think he bears none to them. But you see
Christ especially inquires for such, and overlooks all others else. God hath 'graven thee on the palms of his hands;' every sigh of thine goes to his bowels. Isa. 57:15, 'I dwell with him that is broken, to revive his spirit.' God is nigh him.
Use 2.—Are God's eyes upon us more when we are in trouble of spirit than on any other? Then let our eyes be upon him: 'We cannot tell what to do, but our eyes are towards thee.' Let our eyes be towards him for help, as of those that looked on the brazen serpent: let our eyes be towards him for service, 'as the eyes of handmaidens are on their mistress;' to look not to men, not to credit, but to have our eyes on God in all we do, as if there were none else in the world to approve ourselves unto.
Doct. 4.—In that when he speaks of those his children that are in darkness, he chooseth rather to describe them by fear and obedience, than by any other grace; observe, That when the children of God are under terrors, the most eminent grace that doth appear in them is fearfulness to offend God, and willingness to obey him. Other graces may be stirred, but these are most eminent, and therefore he mentioneth these for their comfort.
Explication.—First, for explication. Know that several occasions draw out several graces. When the sunshine of God's favour melts the heart, then love and obedience, thence proceeding, are most eminent, and also godly sorrow. So Mary wept much, loved much, for 'much was forgiven her;' her heart was full of assurance. On the contrary, when the sense of God's love is withdrawn, and fears and terrors shed abroad in the heart, then fear and obedience shew and discover themselves. Therefore, Isa. 66:2, 'He that is poor and contrite, and trembleth at the word,' are joined; trembleth at every command and threatening, is fearful to transgress: and so those in that estate do find. The reason is:— Reason.—Because graces, and affections in which graces are seated, stir more or less in us according as their objects are, and our apprehensions of them. Now therefore, when the soul is possessed