My God well cast them away

My God well cast them away.

It is a dreadful thing for wicked men to have such as have interest in God to declare against them. God rejection of them, My God will cast them away. Those who have interest in God, who know Gods mind, and that such a God as he is cannot have communion with such people. Thus you know it was with Isaiah about the 57. and latter end, There is no peace to the wicked, says my God. He puts the emphasis there, he says not, there is no peace to the wicked, says God, but says my God. Oh! when those (I say) that have an interest in God, when such as keep close communion with God, and thereby comes to be acquainted much with Gods mind, when they shall declare concerning you, do not slight it, it is a great matter then when they shall say, there is no peace. If any of them should say: If I know any thing of the mind of God, If I have any interest in God certainly there can be no peace to you in such a way as you are in, take heed of the slighting of the very suspicion of men that are godly, and humble. It is true, many that may make very great profession of religion, they may be bold to suspect and to censure others, that it may be are better than themselves, but if I see one that walks humbly, strict in his way, holy, and heavenly, and self-denying in other things, if such a man should but have any suspicion of my condition, I had need look to it, it should daunt my heart to have such a Christian look upon me but with a suspicious eye, because such a one is much acquainted with God and his way, and therefore take heed of slighting such a one.

My God will cast them away, with violence and with anger, as a man takes his stubborn child or servant, and thrusts them out of his house.

When men are violent in wickedness, they must expect that God will be as violent with them in the ways of his judgments. And for that we have a notable scripture in Lamentations 2:6. He has violently taken away his tabernacle. They abused that ordinance of God, abused his tabernacle, and he has violently taken away his tabernacle. Oh! unworthy wretched people, that should enjoy mine ordinances so, and abuse them; he has violently taken away, he comes in an anger. As you shall see a man or woman when their passion is raised they will run and snatch away such a thing from another.

Take heed of being violent in the ways of sin, you will cast the cords away, you will cast away the truths, as you had it before in Isaiah 5. So you cast away the truths of God, and his cords away; take heed you be not a cast-away yourself, those that are so full of casting away Gods truths, it's just with God that God should cast them away, as a man casts away a loathsome thing. As those are described in Isaiah 30, that cast away their idols as a menstruous cloth, and says, Get you hence. And you perhaps cast away the truths of God as loathsome now, but the Lord will cast you away as a filthy and loathsome thing.

They shall be cast away: but why? Because they did not hearken to him. This is a notable sentence. Says Luther upon the place, This (He shall cast them away, because they have not hearkened to him) is a notable sentence, and worthy to be written upon all our walls; for indeed there is much in it, they would hearken to such and such, and to the rules of their policy, and to their own ends, but not to God. And that's the special point from hence: that in matters of Gods worship we must hearken to God, and the not hearkening to God is that which provokes God with indignation to cast away a people. Perhaps other duties we may know by the light of nature; but when we come to matters of worship, there God must be hearkened to, and not any else. God expects that his creature should hearken to him in what he says, we should be all as the servant was with his ear bored. Christ himself had his ear bored, he would hearken to what his Father said, therefore the Psalm says, Mine ear has been bored. Christ was as a servant with his ear bored, to note, that he would have his ear at the command of his Father. And who, or what are you that you should have your ears free? In Isaiah 28:23, mark what several expressions we have about calling to hearken. Give you ear, and hear my voice, hearken, and hear my speech. In one little verse there's these four: Give you ear; there's hear; there's hearken; there's hear. Oh! God expects that we should have a hearing ear; and that's the way for wisdom. In 1 Kings 3:9, Solomon prays, Give your servant an understanding heart, but in the Hebrew it is, a hearing heart, and so it is turned, That I may have a hearing heart, so as I may be able to judge your people. Those men and women that have not a hearing heart, they have not an understanding heart, and the not hearkening to God, Oh! it is that which comes from the pride of heart. In Jeremiah 13:15, Give ear, be not proud, for the Lord has spoken; there is no such pride as the turning away our ears from hearkening to God, and turning away our ear from the law of God is that which makes God turn away his ear from hearing our prayers. It is an evident sign of destruction that is a coming. In 2 Chronicles 25:16, mark what the Prophet says to Amaziah, I know that God has determined to destroy you; because you have done this, and have not hearkened to my counsel. Do you come to the Word and not hearken to the counsel of God in his Word? It is an evident sign that God intends to destroy you. Oh hear! hear and your souls shall live, your souls shall live. Indeed here lies the ground of all the evil almost in those that are professors of religion, the not hearkening to the truth. I suppose those that make profession of religion if they have enlightened consciences they dare not sin against a known truth; but now here's the evil of your heart, look to that. You say, If I knew it were a truth I would not go against it: yes but the corruption of your heart makes you unwilling to hearken to the truth, the corruption of mens hearts makes them that they would fain have such a thing not to be a truth. I appeal to you, have you never felt some corruptions stirring this way, that when you are engaged another way, and you see that if you should be taken off from that, a great deal of ease and liberty, and outward comforts would be gone, and upon this your hearts are very loath that that should be true, and therefore you are not willing to hearken, to hearken with a clear heart, so as to be willing to entertain the truth, if it does prove to be a truth. That soul that shall be willing to retain every truth, and be willing to let the truth prevail whatever it be, that's a sign of a gracious heart; but the lusts of mens hearts do hinder them from hearkening, and they are loath to hearken to those truths that come nearest to them. But when a man or woman shall be able in the presence of God upon examination of his or her heart, to say, Oh Lord, let your truth prevail, you know that I am willing to hearken to every truth of yours, though it should pluck away all my outward comforts, I would fain know your truth, and I would know the strictest truths, what truths they are that most concern your glory, and your worship in the best manner, whatever becomes of my credit or estate, Lord, let your truth prevail in my heart. (I say) here's a gracious heart that will thus hearken to God and his truth. But they have uncircumcised ears, they cannot hear (says Jeremiah); so, through the corruption that is in mens spirits they cannot hearken to those things that seem to make against them.

But the last words of all here, is the threatening.