Verse 3

VER. 3.

Israel has cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him.

THEY cry, We have known you: but they cast off the thing that is good; they profess to know God in word, but in works they deny him. What is it to say, We know God, and to cast off the thing that is good?

Now the word that is here translated, cast off, signifies, Has put off a great way, yes, has abominated the thing that is good: does not only forsake the thing that is good, but to cast off with a kind of abomination the thing that is good.

Has cast off the thing that is good. That is:

First, cast off God Himself who is as, Anselme speaks of Him, that Good in which there is all Good: God the highest and chief good they have cast him off.

Secondly, the thing that is good indefinitely. That is, they will not be ordered by any rule, they care for the good of no body but only to have their own lusts satisfied.

But that which I think is most properly aimed at by this phrase, The thing that is good: is, the worship of God, My Worship: They say, We know You, but in the mean time they cast off that good thing, Oh that Good Thing, that which I hold indeed to be the thing that is good. Hence observe:

The true worship of God is the GOOD Thing by way of excellency. We account our estates are goods, we use to speak in that kind of language, the goods of such a man. Is our estates our goods? Are they such good things? Oh! what is the worship of God then? The worship of God that's the thing that is good by way of excellency above all our goods, that's the good thing that a spiritual heart can prize, that's that which God delights in, and wherein his people enjoy, so much communion with Himself; that's the thing by which God lets out so much good to His People, it's the safety, protection, the blessing of a kingdom; the purity of God's worship where that is all other good things will follow, that's THE Good thing; and it is a sign of a gracious spiritual heart to prize the worship of God in the purity of it as the good thing, above all good things that a kingdom is capable of.

Secondly, yet God's own worship is by carnal hearts of men repelled, and cast off as evil, if it suit not their own ends, and designs: the spirits of men rise against it, they will not so much as examine things in any peaceable and quiet way, but by prejudice; because they see it not suitable to their own ways their spirits rise, abominating that which God Himself prizes.

Thirdly, though first men do but only leave God, forsake the thing that is good, yet at length they grow to such a ripeness in sin as they cast it off with abomination; and that's a great deal worse. Merely to neglect that which is good is an evil, but to cast off that which is good by way of abomination, Oh then the sin of a people is grown to an height, then they are near to judgment indeed, when they cast it off; thus men who heretofore have been very forward in the profession of religion, and seem to love and delight in the thing that is good, but by degrees their hearts were drawn from the ways of God, now they cannot bear the sight of those things to be presented, nor bear the hearing of those things, their hearts rise against any that they see practice them, they now shut their eyes, and stop their ears, and with violence repel the truth; according to those in (Jeremiah 44:16), As for the Word of the Lord that you have spoken to us, we will not hear you. Oh! are there not some that heretofore have thought they have received much sweetness in the ways of God, and now not only left them, but their hearts rise against them, and if any thing be spoken for them, shut their eyes and ears and cast it off and even abominate such? Let such take heed that God cast not them off for ever. (1 Chronicles 28:9) (it is a speech of David to his son Solomon) If you seek Him, He will be found of you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off for ever: How much more if you do cast off the thing that is good. Oh! my brethren, let us take heed of casting off the thing that is good; we may pass over many truths that it may be God has convinced us of, but let us take heed of casting off any truth, for then we are ripe to judgment, then the Lord may justly cast us off for ever.

Lastly, if wicked men's hearts be so vile to cast off God, and his worship that has so much good, how much more should we cast off with abomination, that that is abomination itself? How much more should we cast off false worship with abomination and say, Get you hence? And so all kind of evil and sin that would stick so fast upon us? In (Romans 12:9), Abhor that which is evil: to abhor it as well as to abhor Hell itself; it comes from a word that is used for Hell. Thus we should learn from wicked men's casting off what is good, to cast off that which is evil and wicked.

One thing further, whatever knowledge of God, or profession we make of worshipping Him, yet if we cast off any thing that is good, this deprives us of any interest we have in God, of any comfort in crying to God in our afflictions. I beseech you take notice of this; They cry to me, my God we know you, but says God, they have cast off that that's good. The note is,

To cast off violently and that against light, any one thing that is good; though it be meant of the worship of God principally, yet it is spoken indefinitely, to cast off any thing that is good, any truth of God, it is that which does deprive the soul of having comfort and interest in God, or crying to God in the time of distress: Oh you sinner how dearly do you pay for your beloved sin? At what a dear rate do you buy every beloved lust of yours, when as it does deprive you of all comfort and interest in God that otherwise you might have in crying to God in the day of distress?