They shall be wanderers among the Nations

They shall be wanderers among the Nations.

It is a judgment to have an unsettled spirit wandering up and down, and can settle to nothing — sometimes in this place, sometimes in that; sometimes in this way, and sometimes in another; this is a judgment of God. Solomon has such an expression, The sight of the eyes is better than the wandering of the desires: the wandering of men's appetites and desires, work a great deal of vexation to them.

Again, observe that, those who are cast away out of God's house, they can have no rest, they go about like the unclean spirit, seeking rest, but can find none. Psalm 139: Here will I rest for ever. The Church of God and his ordinances are God's rest, and should be the rest of the hearts of his people, and they are indeed the rest of the hearts of those that are gracious; but alas poor soul! who are wandering from God, whither go you? Where indeed will be your rest? It was the curse of God upon Cain, to be a wanderer up and down upon the face of the earth.

But you will say, May not men be wanderers, (that is) may not they be cast out of their habitations and countries, and wander up and down, and yet not be cast off from God?

It's true, we read in Hebrews 11 that the Christians wandered up and down in sheep skins, and goat skins, whom the world was not worthy of: but that was in a way of persecution for God, and for his truth; it was not because they would not hearken, but because they would hearken. And though you should be forced to wander from your brethren, and the sweet habitation that you had, and your friends, perhaps you are fain to wander up and down even for your life, yes, but can you say, Yet I hope I am not one of God's cast-aways? It's one of God's epithets that he glories in, that he will gather the out-casts of Israel. Man has cast me out, yes, but I bless God, I carry a good conscience with me; and that man or woman needs not be troubled with wandering, that can carry a good conscience with them. You are cast out from your friends, yes, but still you have the bird that sings in your bosom. Can you say, I have not cast away your commandments, Lord? Indeed if a man's conscience tell him, that he has cast away God's commandments, then if he wanders it is dreadful to him: what, though you are wandering from your house, from your outward comforts, but not from God's commandments. Cast me not out of your presence, says David; though you be from your friends, yet not from God's presence. Here it is, I will cast them out among the Nations. It was a curse in Psalm 44:11: You have scattered us among the heathen. It was a great judgment of God, to be scattered among the nations, for they were a people that were separated from the nations, and not to be reckoned among the nations, and God's peculiar treasure. There were these three expressions, not only to be wandering among the nations, not only among strangers, but among heathens, among blasphemers, this must needs be a heavy and sore judgment, to be cast among idolaters. This curse is upon the Jews to this very day, how are they wanderers among the nations.

Let us learn from hence, to prize the communion of saints, let us learn what a blessing it is to live among our own people, especially among the saints, in the enjoyment of God's ordinances, let us make use of it now lest God teach us what it is by casting us away and making us to wander among the wicked and ungodly. Then your consciences will fly in your faces and tell you, Oh! what times we once had, and what sweet communion had we? But we began to neglect the prize that God put into our hand, Oh! if we were where once we were, we would meet often, and pray, and confer, and we would labor to edify one another in our most holy faith, and warm one another's spirits, not spending all our time in wrangling and jangling. Oh! but now those times are gone, and we are cast away and are wandering up and down among wicked and ungodly people. Truly there has not been a time in many years when the communion of the saints has been so little improved as at this day, we now wander (as it were) among ourselves, and little converse one with another, what should we do living together? Just were it with God to bring this judgment upon us, that we should wander among wicked people here and there, and that we should not come to see the face of a saint to have converse or communion with them. Thus we have finished this Ninth Chapter.