And with my God

And with my God.

Those who have interest in God they rejoyce when they see faithful ministers of God keep close to God, to set up God in all their ways, when they see them not to be set upon their own designs, not to warp this way or that way, but to make it to be their bent and aim to set up God, and to bring men to the knowledge of God, Oh! they rejoyce in this. So the Prophet speaks with a joy, (if it be spoken of the true Watchmen) Oh! blessed be God that yet notwithstanding all the defection of the times and corruptions that there were, yet that there were watchmen among Ephraim that were faithful with God, Oh they had no other designs but to set up God, and were willing to deny themselves in any thing so be it they might bring souls to God, thus the Prophet rejoices.

And certainly it's a great deal of joy for the saints to see ministers of God to have clean spirits this way, to have no designs of their own, but to set up the honor of God among people. But even these Prophets as faithful as they were, yet they were accounted no other than a snare of a Fowler, and are even hatred in the house of their God, they are accused of being politick subtil men, who have cunning plots and reaches to set up their own way, that they are as bad as Jesuites, and such kind of aspersions as these are the Devil casts upon them, and gets many good people to drink in these things, and those who, otherwise were accounted godly and of great use in the house of their God are now become even hatred in the house of their God, the Devil has so prevail'd to bespatter and asperse them with such stories about them and reports of them as even these men that were the most faithful with their God, yet now are lookt upon as the troublers of the times, and as snares to people, and are even hatred in the house of their God, even by many people that otherwise have good affections: no way does the Devil drive on his own designs more efficaciously than by this, then by making the most painful, faithful, zealous ministers of God to become even hatred in the house of their God, even among good people that are professors of godliness. Thus (Jeremiah 18:22) They have digged a pit to take me, and laid snares for my feet. (Isaiah 29:21) They lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate.

Further, hatred in the house of his God. (Understand it still of the true Prophets) And then the sense further goes thus: Yet he continues in the house of his God, here he makes this his encouragement, that he is in the house of his God, he is in God's work though he be hated for it. God's ministers they should not be offended though they find the like dealings among the professors of religion, yet still they should continue in their work and employment with all faithfulness that God sets them about, and then all aspersions will wipe off in time, they will vanish and come to nothing.

Calvin carries the sense of this somewhat different from what has been said, in a middle way between both, and if not according to the full scope, yet it comes very neer, thus he takes it; he takes the former part of the verse for true Prophets, and the latter part of the verse for the false Prophets, as if he should have said thus: There was a time that Ephraim had watchmen with my God, and with his people, they had Elisha, and Elijah, but now the Prophet is a snare of a Fowler, and hatred, in the house of my God. This is a woful change in places where people have had watchmen that were godly, wise, zealous, faithful with God, but now these are gone, they are dead, many of them are banished, and many are with God in Heaven, and they have others now among them, as a just judgment of God who are a snare to them, and hatred in the house of God, others who do succeed these blessed servants of God that are gone, they are like storms, and tempests, that do succeed fair and sunshine weather, and if we take it thus for both, the true Prophets in the former part of the verse, and the false Prophets in the other; then there is a special emphasis in the change of the phrase [my God; and his God] the watchman with my God, and hatred in the house of his God; the God of the true watchmen, and the God of the false Prophets are not the same: those who pretend to worship God, and yet worship him in a false way, they worship another God, they have not the same God; and no mervail though there is hatred between true Prophets and false then; they must needs have hatred one against another who have divers Gods, My God, and His God, and yet both pretended to be for the same God.

Yes, but says the Prophet here, No, whatever their pretences are, they teach people the worship of God not in a right way, God is not their God: And who they are that have most interest in God, let God Himself judge; not by giving the one more of the favor of the times than the other; for the false Prophets had more of this now: but 1. By the most appearing of the Spirit of God in men. 2. By the witness of men's consciences when they are going to appear before God. And 3. By what Christ shall own at his appearing. Oh! that I could tell how to sweeten these times I speak to you of. God by providence has cast me upon this Scripture. I know not how to give you the mind of God in this Prophesie by being thus plain.