public view, in order that the justice of God, in so requiting the injury done to Naboth, might be manifest to all. The same infatuation seized Jezebel also; for she, when she knew that her son Jehoram was dead, instead of fleeing, or consulting her own safety by submission, insulted Jehu, and was, by his order, thrown out of the window by her own servants, in the very place where God had foretold that death should come upon her. Jehu after some hours bethought him, that as Jezebel, though an accursed woman, was a king's daughter, it was not right to leave her dead body exposed in the streets; and therefore he gave orders that she should be taken up and buried; but, behold, when they came to look for her, nothing of her remained but her scull and her feet, and the palms of her hands; for the dogs had devoured her: and this singular accomplishment of God's word respecting her, brought again to Jehu's recollection the prediction of Elijah, so minutely verified, not only without any design on his part, but even contrary to his design. An attentive survey of such facts as these is of the greatest use it convinces us that every word of God must be fulfilled in its season, and that sooner shall heaven and earth pass away, than one jot or tittle of it should fail."] From beholding the word of God thus verified in them, let us proceed to notice, II. How it shall be accomplished sooner or later in the history of us all— As our subject leads us almost exclusively to speak of those who are obnoxious to the Divine threatenings, we shall comprehend them under two classes; 1. Those who make no profession of religion— [These may differ widely from each other with respect to their external conduct; but in the habit of their minds as alienated from God, and averse to heavenly pursuits, they are all alike; unregenerate, unsanctified, unhumbled. They fear not God: "he is not in all their thoughts:" "they proceed from evil to evil, because they know not God"- We again say, that they do not all commit the same iniquities; but they all live as without God in the world And is not this agreeable to what St. Paul has spoken of the natural mane? Yes verily, his word is fulfilled in every child of Adam. Thus it is with them in this world. Next, let us see how it is with them in the eternal world. c ver. 26. d ver. 36, 37. e Rom. iii. 10-18. and viii. 7. They go, each at his appointed time, into the presence of their God: but in him they find an angry and an avenging Judge: and from his presence are they driven to reap the just reward of their deeds. They would not, whilst living, regard his threatenings; and therefore they are left to experience the accomplishment of them to all eternity. And is not this precisely according to what the Psalmist has forewarned them off? Has not St. Paul also again and again guarded them against deluding themselves with vain expectations of a different end? Yes; in all of them will there be scope for precisely the same observation as Jehu made respecting Joram, and Jezebel; "This is the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servants the prophets."] 2. Those who walk unworthy of their profession [Mark the different persons who decline from the ways of God: there is the same variety found amongst them as amongst the carnal and ungodly world: each has his separate pursuit, and each his separate infirmity: but in this all agree; that, whatever be their besetting sin, they are led captive by it more and more; the earthly, the sensual, the devilish, become more and more enslaved by their respective lusts and passions, from the time that they depart from God- And what is this but an accomplishment of that word of Solomon, "The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways h?" Follow them also into the eternal world; and there also you will find that verified, "It had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them." They "have been heaping up treasures indeed for the last days;" but they are found to be treasures of wrath, agreeably to that declaration of Elihu, "The hypocrites in heart heap up wrath." The separation predicted by our Lord takes place; nor do the privileges they enjoyed in this world, or the wonders they performed, avail any thing for the altering of the sentence passed against them'.] OBSERVE now from hence, 1. The folly of neglecting the Holy Scriptures— [These contain the whole revealed will of God; and according to these we shall be judged in the last day. What folly is it then not to study them, and to find out beforehand what shall then assuredly come to pass! O let us search them; let us bear in mind whose word is there contained; and let us not rest one single hour in a state that is there condemned.] g 1 Cor. vi. 9. Gal. vi. 7, 8. f Ps. ix. 17. k Job xxxvi. 13. i 2 Pet. ii. 21. 1 Matt. vii. 21-23. 2. The evil and danger of unbelief— [Unbelief "puffs at the word of God," as though it never should come to pass. But can we point out any one declaration of God that has failed of accomplishment? As St. Paul says in reference to the Jews, so may we in reference to the whole world; "What if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God of none effect"?" Did not God's word "take hold of them" at the different periods of their history"? Yes, and in us also shall they be fulfilled in their season; nor shall one iota of them ever fall to the ground. The infidels shall "know ere long, whose word shall stand, whether God's or theirs."] 3. The truth and faithfulness of all the promises [If the threatenings of God are sure, so also are the promises; nor shall any one of them fail the person who trusts in them. Let us remember, that "in Christ Jesus they are all yea and Amen." Let us lay hold on Christ, and all the promises are ours: we may plead them at the throne of grace; we may rely upon them; we may expect the accomplishment of them; and in that great day, when all the ungodly shall be banished from the presence of their God, we shall have them fulfilled to us in their utmost extent, being put into complete possession of our promised inheritance.] m Rom. v. 3. • Jer. xliv. 28. n Compare Zech. i. 6. with Dan. ix. 11-13. CCCLXXII. TRUE AND FALSE ZEAL. 2 Kings x. 16. Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord. The UNGODLY men, though they will not follow the example of the godly, are glad to have their sanction and approbation in what they do. Jehu was indeed acting at this time under a divine commission. work in which he was engaged, was that of extirpating the whole house and family of Ahab: and, terrible as it was, he did right to execute it, because he acted under a divine command". But his spirit in executing the work was far from right. He was too much under the influence of pride and ambition. a 2 Kings ix. 7—9. This appears from his address to Jehonadab, in the words before us. Jehonadab was a holy man, and had considerable influence in the state: and, knowing that Jehu was fulfilling the will of heaven, he went to meet him, and to testify his approbation of his proceedings. And Jehu, glad to have the sanction of such a man, took him up into his chariot, saying, "Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord. Now, as this zeal was partly good, and partly evil, I propose to shew, I. When our zeal is such as will bear inspection"It is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing." And we may be assured that our zeal is good, 1. When it proceeds from a principle of love— [Love is properly the principle from which all our actions should flow. There are, indeed, far different principles from which our zeal may spring. We may be led on by a spirit of party, which will operate to the production of great efforts in the support of any cause. Or we may be actuated by a natural forwardness of disposition, which urges men to prosecute with ardour whatever they undertake. A self-righteous hope of commending themselves to God, also, will stimulate some to incredible exertions in any cause in which they are embarked. But that which alone gives the stamp of piety to our services, is love. We should act from a sense of the unbounded obligations which we owe to God, both as our Creator and Redeemer. "Our souls should be altogether constrained by the love of Christ, to live to him":" and so far as we are actuated by that principle, we have reason to hope and to believe that our zeal is genuine, and that our services are pleasing and acceptable to God.] 2. When it is regulated by the written word [As our zeal may spring from an unworthy motive, so it may be exercised in an unhallowed way. It must be bounded by the occasion that calls it forth; neither exceeding it, nor falling short of it. Joshua erred in making a league with the Gibeonites, whom he was commissioned to destroyd: but Saul also erred, when, "from his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah, he sought to slay them." There is an intemperate b Gal. iv. 18. d Josh. xi. 18-20. c 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. e 2 Sam. xxi. 1—6. zeal that is highly criminal. Such was that of Simeon and Levi, who slew the Shechemites, because by the prince of that city their sister had been defiled'. They had just ground for displeasure; but their mode of manifesting their displeasure was cruel in the extreme, and brought upon them God's merited indignations. Not that the mere circumstance of slaying their fellow creatures when they were incapable of resistance was wrong, provided they had received a divine commission to do so: for Joshua did right in extirpating the Canaanites; as did the tribe of Levi also, when they went through the camp of Israel, every one of them slaying even his nearest relatives, if he found them worshipping the golden calfh. The word of God is that by which every act must be regulated. It is not sufficient that we think to please God: for James and John thought to please their divine Master by calling fire from heaven to consume a Samaritan village; and Paul also thought he was serving God aright, when he haled men and women to prison and to death for their attachment to Christ. They James and John) were told by their Lord, that "they knew not what spirit they were ofi:" and he (Paul) condemns himself afterwards as an injurious and blaspheming persecutork. If we are able to shew a command for what we do, then our zeal in doing it is good.] 3. When it is tempered with discretion [There are conflicting duties, which, as far as possible, should be made to harmonize; and neither of them should be violated without necessity. To obey the civil magistrate is the duty of all: but when his injunctions militate against the paramount authority of God, they must be disregarded, whatever be the dangers to which our disobedience may subject us. The appeal, "Whether it be right to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge yel," carried its own evidence along with it. Of course, there is need of much discrimination in this matter. The Pharisees acted well in shewing a regard for the Sabbath, and a zeal for the due observance of it: but they erred grievously, when they accused our blessed Lord as violating it by working miracles on that day: for they should have known, that "God preferred mercy before sacrifice," and, consequently, that acts of mercy and necessity superseded the obligation of a merely positive command. Even where a duty is plain, it is proper for us to consider whether we are the persons to perform it. To preach the Gospel is a f Gen. xxxiv. 25-31. Gen. xlix. 5—7. h Exod. xxxii. 25-29. Deut. xxxiii. 8—11. i Luke ix. 53-55. 1 Acts iv. 19. k Acts viii. 3. and xxvi. 9. 1 Tim. i. 13. m Matt. xii. 2-7. |