All their wickedness

All their wickedness.

That is, their chief wickedness, as if God should say, there is a great deal of wickedness among them, there are murders and thefts, and abundance of other evils, the breaches of the second table; but yet above all, their wickedness is at Gilgal, they think to make use of that place where I shewed so much mercy to them, they think to justify their superstitious worship, but I'll have them know that I hate this, there I hated them says God, I abhor this that they think to be justified by. So that the notes are.

Above all sins, the sin of idolatry is that that God looks upon as the great wickedness for which he does hate and abhor a people. Because in that sin men think by their own ways of worship to make God amends for their wicked ways, and present their own ways of worship, to justify themselves in all other kind of wickedness.

And again: for men to abuse that wherein God shews mercy: for them to take advantage or occasion by that to turn it into sin against God, this is that which God hates. For there was much mercy they met withal at Gilgal, and they made God's mercy an occasion to their wickedness. To make that which should engage us to God to be an occasion of wickedness against God this is abominable in God's eyes: as you read in the Law, that you must not seethe a kid in his mother's milk; that which is the milk to preserve the kid, that must not be a means for a second death, to seethe or boil it in says God, that's unnatural, and but cruelty; so for us to deal with God to take those things that should be a means to engage our hearts further to God to be occasion of further sinning against God, that's abominable; there says God, I hated them.

Concerning Gilgal. Their idolatrous priests told them (as 'tis probable) that that place was a holy place, and surely God that had appeared so to them there would accept of their services in that place rather than any other, and so though God had after chose another place, yet still they doted upon this place, [Gilgal] and that which was so famous for God's worship became as infamous for superstition and wickedness.

Polanus upon the text compares that town in Germany, [Wittenberg] to this Gilgal. Those places where the Lord has been more gracious to people, the Devil seeks to corrupt those places most of all; as in Wittenberg was the beginning of the Reformation by the means of Luther, and now (says he) the Devil has made it the theater of divers heresies, and still makes it more and more; that very place which was a place of God's mercy to the country: so here, that place that was the greatest place of mercy, is here the greatest place of wickedness; the Devil envies it so much the more, and all their wickedness is here.

All their wickedness.] That is, the chief wickedness, their superstition and idolatry is the chief and the great wickedness that provokes God against a people; not only because of the presumption in it, but because it's an inlet to all other kind of wickedness. Hence observe:

1. Where there is false worship in any place all manner of wickedness follows. And people do most stick to their superstitious ways more than to any thing, and therefore that's the chief wickedness, yes and they think to satisfy God with those ways for their other sins, all their wickedness is there.

A further note from hence is, that to sin in face of mercies, where there are the testimony of God's abundant mercies, that is very abominable to God. That's a great aggravation of sin, to sin in the face of the testimonies of the mercies of God, what, where so much mercy, yet here wicked and abominable? Does God fill your family, your chamber, your closet, your bed, your shop with the testimonies of his mercy? Take heed how you sinnest there where there are abundant testimonies of God's mercy to witness against you, and to aggravate your sin.

But I find some interpreters, and that not one or two, but many, (and that makes me speak of this interpretation) that refer this wickedness to the casting off the government that God had appointed, and the bringing in of a new government: at Gilgal was the place where they would have Saul to be their king, and cast off the government by judges that God had appointed among them, Gilgal was the place; now this was the ground of all their other obstinate wickedness, and God remembers this a long time after and says, all their wickedness is in Gilgal, and there I hated them.

From hence the note is this, that it's a hateful thing to cast off the government that God would have us under, it is hateful to God; the Jews had both their civil and ecclesiastical government by divine institution, they were both mixed in one there. And though now we have not our civil government by divine institution, but it's left to the creation of man, according as in prudence men in several countries shall think best; but ecclesiastical government certainly is as much by divine institution now, as ever it was, and it must be so, because it is spiritual, and nothing can work in a spiritual way upon the inward man but that that is by divine institution, therefore whatever the government be (I will not meddle with the particulars) yet we must take heed how we cast off that which is appointed by God, for that's hateful, there I hated them; we had need therefore search and examine to find what that is, and if we think it be not so clear as their government was to them, we must take so much the more pains to examine, and not think it long that there is so much time spent in seeking to find out what the government should be, do not think it a light matter: many people they think it but a circumstance, and things that we need not trouble ourselves so much about, and why should there be so much time spent in searching it out; learn from hence to look upon it as a great matter, as a matter upon which the welfare or the evil of a kingdom does much depend, for so it was here, says God, because they cast off the government that I would have, there I hated them. Thus you may take in both the meanings, both the testimonies of God's mercies in Gilgal at first, and the place where they cast off my government and would have another, I hated them there says God.

Again, there I hated them.] There are some sins that provoke God to anger, and some to grief, but some to hatred, and that's dreadful when our sins shall provoke hatred, the Lord hates the works of iniquity. This is the great difference between the sins of the saints and others, the sins of the saints may anger God, may grieve God, but the sin of others they provoke God to hatred. I hated them.

Again, there I hated them.] (There) Sometimes God manifests his hatred in the very places where men do sin against him. As a man's spirit will rise if he comes to a place where he has been wronged by any; if you should come into the very place where your children have been murdered, or wives ravished, would not you have your hearts rise with indignation, in this place was my child murdered, in this place was my child ravished; so says God, every time he looks upon Gilgal, Oh! here was this wickedness committed, there I hated them. Hence it is that many guilty consciences dare not go into the place where they have committed sin, there I hated them.

It follows.