Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n
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A44689
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The right use of that argument in prayer from the name of God on behalf of a people that profess it by John Howe.
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Howe, John, 1630-1705.
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1682
(1682)
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Wing H3038; ESTC R29443
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33,646
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66
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if having taken such a people into near and peculiar relation to him he should grow into that dislike of them as at length quite to reject and cast off them as if he now disdain'd the Relation That such a contemptuous rejection of this people is the thing here deprecated by the Prophet is evident besides what hath been noted of the true import of the word rendred abhor from other expressions in the Context that plainly speak this very sense and shew this to be the matter about which he was so deeply concern'd Hast thou utterly rejected Judah hath thy Soul loathed Zion Ver. 19. And then presently is added to the same sense Do not abhor us c. As when a mans heart is full of a thing and the sense of it abounds he varies expressions and from the abundance of the heart as from a fountain the matter streames from him several wayes His iterations and varied formes of Speech to the same purpose shew what urg'd him and about what his mind was engaged and taken up 'T is plain that at this time that which this holy man was in this agony for was not a lighter temporary anger but so settled a displeasure as upon which a final rejection was likely to ensue And he apprehends the name of God to be concern'd in it Which it appears also lay with great weight upon his Spirit Our iniquities testifie against us but do thou it i. e. Save us as afterwards for thy names sake verse 7. And again verse 9. Thou O Lord art in the midst of us and we are called by thy name leave us not Which also shewes how he understood it to be concern'd viz. as the great God was not only the common Ruler of the world but a Governour over them in a way and upon termes that were very peculiar viz. by Covenant and compact Such whereof the nuptial contract is the usual resemblance By which the related persons mutually pass into each others right and whereupon the inferiour person in the relation takes the name of the superiour as Isa. 4. 1. We will eat our own bread and wear our own apparel only let us be called by thy name So the great God entering that Covenant with a people I will be your God and you shall be my people speakes of himself as conjugally related to them Thou shalt be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall name Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God Thou shalt no more be termed forsaken neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate But thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah and thy land Beulah for the Lord delighteth in thee and thy land shall be married Isa. 62. 4. Thy maker is thine husband Isaiah 54. 5. Who being the Governing relative the phrase of being called by his name imports the agreed voluntary subjection of such a people to his Government and his vouchsafing to be their Governour upon the special termes of his own Covenant whereupon another Prophet pleading for his special favour and protection unto this people against their Heathen adversaries uses this phrase We are thine thou never barest rule over them they were not called by thy name Isa. 63. 19. Therefore this Prophet understood his name to be concern'd if he should reject them as it signifi'd his honour and reputation as their Governour by Covenant which further appeares by the immediate connection of these words Do not abhor us for thy names sake with those that next follow Do not disgrace the throne of thy glory remember break not thy Covenant with us q. d. Thou hast Covenanted to be our Governour and hast erected accordingly thy glorious throne among us How canst thou sustain or endure to break thy Covenant and dishonour thy own throne to draw a disreputation upon thy Government or cast a dark shadow upon those famed excellencies which were wont to recommend thee in the sight of all nations as the best Ruler that ever people had and might make the sons of men apprehend it the most desirable thing in all the world to be on the same terms under thy Government Particularly of his Attributes that have more special relation to his Government such as these may seem and have been apprehended liable to be reflected on in this case 1. His power as if he had designed to do some great thing for them which he could not bring about and therefore he casts them off and will seem no further concern'd for them Or as if his power were confin'd within such limits that it would suffice him to destroy them once for all but not constantly to preserve and prosper them So when God threatned to smite his people Israel with the pestilence and disinherit them Numb 14. 12. Moses urges on their behalf Then the Egyptians shall hear it for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land for they have heard that thou Lord art among this people that thou Lord art seen face to face and that thy cloud standeth over them and that thou goest before them by day-time in a pillar of a cloud and in a pillar of fire by night Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man then the nations which heard the fame of thee will speak saying Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness verse 13. 14 15 16. q. d. That thou hast peculiarly own'd them and concern'd thy self for them cannot be hid It hath made a great noise in the World and been the common talk of all nations and made a more special impression of awe and terrour upon the Egyptians against whom thou first tookest part with them that thou wast usually seen face to face among them that most extraordinary tokens of a divine presence the miraculous pillar of a cloud by day and of fire by night were constantly afforded them There is no coming off so far and so openly hast thou been concern'd for them but this construction will be made of it that though very great difficulties have been overcome for them there was a prospect of yet greater that could not be overcome and therefore that whereas less power was required to make a present end of them thou didst rather choose to do that And this consideration seems sometimes to have weigh'd much with God himself as we find he is brought in speaking Deut. 32. 26 27. I said I would scatter them into Corners I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely and lest they should say our hand is high c. Whence also 2. His wisdom must by consequence be exposed too that this was