Verse 14

VER. 14.

Give them, O Lord: what will you give? Give them a miscarrying womb, and dry breasts.

This follows, upon this that they shall be brought forth to the Murderer's hand. Then, Lord, give them; what will you give them? Give them a miscarrying womb, and dry breast.

Some think this was an Imprecation by a spirit of Prophesy, as if the holy Prophet had his heart filled with the wrath of God, Give them Lord; what will you? give them a miscarrying womb, and dry breasts.

But rather according to most Interpreters, I think this expression is rather an expression of commiseration, (that is) foreseeing the lamentable condition that the ten Tribes should be in ere long, the Prophet pities their condition, and would fain come in and pray for them, and he begins, Give them, O Lord (says the prophet;) and then he makes a stop, as if he should say, but O Lord what shall I say for them, Give them, but Lord I know not what to ask for them, I am at a stand when I consider what they are, what the many mercies they have had already, what warnings they have had, how hardened they are in their sin, and how your word is gone forth, but Lord give them: shall I say, Lord give them deliverance, give them peace, give them prosperity still, Lord I dare not, that I cannot ask, all means have been used for to bring them to you, and yet they stand out against the Lord; you know they are dear to me, they are of my flesh, and I should be glad that they might be saved, but your glory is dearer to me than they are, and therefore for that I cannot pray: and therefore the Prophet prays, Give them, seeing all this misery must befall them, what, shall the enemies be let out upon them? Shall they and their children be made a prey to the Murderer? Lord, rather let no more be born of them, rather let those children that otherwise should have been born and might have lived in their own Land, Lord God, [illegible] them not be born rather than come to live to so great misery; so he does not pray for a miscarrying womb and dry breasts absolutely, but comparatively. From where the Notes are.

First; that men's sins make many times God's Ministers and his Saints at a point that they know not what to say in prayer. Truly, though there has been a mighty spirit of prayer through God's mercy in the Kingdom, yet considering that since God has come to show himself willing to deliver us, and Christ has been coming even upon his white Horse in peace to take the Kingdom to himself, since that time such a spirit of malignity has appeared against Christ and his Saints as ever was in the Kingdom, it puts many of the Ministers and Saints of God to a non-plus in their prayers, and straightens their very hearts in the day of their fasting, when they are to seek God, that the Lord would give forth mercy. The Lord knows that the condition we are in is more unfit for mercy than we were at the very first day; thus a Nation, thus particular people may put the Servants of God to a stand in their prayers, and straighten their hearts. Oh! were it that people had gone on in the embracing of Reformation as they seemed to do at the first, Oh! how enlarged would the hearts of the Saints have been in prayer? Oh Lord! give England mercy, give England deliverance.

And then a second note is this, that the fruitfulness, or the barrenness of the womb, it is from God. Give them, give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. This is from God; in (Genesis 30:2) when Rachel cried for children, Give me children or else I die, the text says, that Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and said, Am I in God's stead? Paulus Phagius (that learned man) says, that the Hebrews have this speech, that there are four keys that are in God's hand that he gives not into the hand of any Angel.

1. The key of the Rain; and that you have in (Deuteronomy 28:12): The Lord shall open to you his good treasure, the Heaven to give you rain to your Land in his season.

1. There's the key of Food; in (Psalm 145): The eyes of all wait upon you, and you give them their meat in due season; you open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

3. There's the key of the Grave, in (Ezekiel 37:12): Behold, Oh my people I will open your Graves, and cause you to come up out of your Graves.

4. And lastly, the key of the Womb, and that is in (Genesis 38:22).

These four keys God keeps in his own hand, and therefore God's providence is to be observed in this, and there ought to be a submission to his hand in it.

Thirdly, sin may bring such evil time upon a people as better those who live to such times had not been born, or died before those times had come. Give them a miscarrying womb and a dry breast, if they should have children that should live to endure all the miseries of those times that are coming, they had been better not to have been born, or have died long before this time says the Prophet. We must take heed of wishing this upon every little affliction that does befall us, as it is the frowardness of many people even with God himself, that if their children do but anger them to wish they had never been born, or cold in the mouth many years ago, I wish I had gone to your Grave: parents many times are ready to wish their children that they had never been born of them; but this is frowardness against God himself, and wickedness; those that are so ready to wish their children had not been born, they are the least sensible of the sin that does cause the affliction upon which they do wish such a thing as that is.