Thus Judgment springeth up as Hemlock in the furrows of the field

Thus Judgment springeth up as Hemlock in the furrows of the field.

What the meaning of Hemlock in the furrows of the field is, you have heard already: From where the Note is this,

That people is in a sad condition, and it is a sign the Lord has forsaken them, that they are near ruin, when those places where there is most likelihood of justice and equity, that there should be injustice and oppression. Oppression and injustice in places where God expects righteousness and equity, is a sad omen, a forerunner of great evil to places. It's God's complaint in Isaiah 5. Just before he threatened the utter spoiling of his vineyard, he gives this reason, I (says he) looked that it should bring forth grapes; and behold, it brought forth wild grapes: and he mentions among the wild grapes, injustice: there it's called wild grapes, as Hemlock here, for both are very sour, and bitter before the Lord; injustice in places from where justice may be expected, is by the Lord accounted a most fearful, a ruining sin. In Amos 5:12. I know (says the Lord) your manifold transgressions, and your mighty sins. Now the word that is translated [mighty sins] it is in the Hebrew your boney sins, because the strength of a man it is in his bones; and therefore he calls the strength of that sin boney; it is a very strong sin, it cannot easily be resisted; your sins have great bones in them (says he) and what are they? You afflict the just, you take a bribe, that you may turn away the poor in the gate from their right: that's their great and their mighty sins. In Jeremiah 22:15. Did not your father do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him? He judged the cause of the poor and the needy, and then, it was well with him again. And was not this to know me, says the Lord? Let men talk never so much of reformation, and of setting up the worship of God, and of casting out false worship, yet if they rejoice in injustice and oppression instead of that, God will not take himself as known; but says he, Your eyes and your heart, are after covetousness, and for oppression, and for violence. And in Amos 5:21. is a remarkable place for this, says he, I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell to your solemn assemblies. You have many feast days, and days of thanksgiving, you bless me for what I do for you, but I will not care for your days of thanksgiving, (why?) in the 24th verse. Let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty river; as if he should say, keep as many days of thanksgiving as you will, I care for none of them, except judgment run down as water, and righteousness as a mighty stream. Mark here the expression of the Holy Ghost, judgment and righteousness is compared to a river, that is, it should be common for all, that the poorest might come and take of it as well as the richest, it must not be like a pond, or well, enclosed for a man's private use; but says he, Let judgment run down as water, and righteousness as a river; it must be as a river. Now you know the Thames every poor body may come and fetch water there for their relief: so justice should be like the water in the Thames that the poorest of all may have it for the very fetching of it. But till then says he, I regard none of your days of thanksgiving. And so in Isaiah 58. there's one special reason why the days of fasting were not regarded, it was, because of their oppression of the poor, and their uncharitableness, and their injuriousness in the courts of justice. We have now many days of fasting and thanksgiving more than ever yet England knew, and we may think that God will smell a sweet savor, but Oh! this Hemlock coming up in the furrow of the field will embitter all, for if ever God did look for righteousness and judgment from a people, then certainly he looks for righteousness and judgment from us at this day. Oh! for us now, that stand in need of so much mercy, that cry for mercy, and be oppressing at such a time as this is, it is a most dreadful thing. What, is all the cost that God has bestowed upon us come to this, that there should be no other fruit but Hemlock to come up in the furrows in the field; all the cost of God and man, all the works of God towards us, does it come but to this issue, only to bring forth Hemlock? Was there ever more cries, was there ever more bitter moans and complaints because of injustice than of late has been in this land? Never were people so frustrated in their expectations. When indeed such as were notoriously wicked were in place, then we expected nothing but Hemlock: but now they are cast out of place, and others are come in, we hoped that there had been such a preparation that nothing but fruits of righteousness would have come up. But now to be oppressed by them that are in places of former oppressors, this is grievous. Lord, what is man? In Isaiah 59:9. Therefore (says he) is judgment far from us, neither does justice overtake us; we wait for light, but behold obscurity, for brightness, but we walk in darkness, (this light it is especially spoken of the light of justice) as if they should say; the land once indeed was dark, all the courts of judicature, and all the men that had places to judge in, they were darkness, and we had nothing but darkness; yes, but now we waited for light, we hoped now there would be reformation, it's spoken after their many days of fasting and prayer, but yet behold darkness, behold oppression still. Oh! many who are come empty into places of power suck harder than some former oppressors did? And what will be the end of these things? How many poor men travel many times far, expecting fruits of justice, but they meet with Hemlock? They sigh and lift up their eyes and hearts to Heaven, sending up their moans to God, Lord, is this the fruit of our labor? Do our hopes come to this? What, must we go home with sad hearts and be made a scorn and prey to those that are wicked round about us? Oh! these are sad moans at such times as these are.

My brethren, it were easy to name many stalks of Hemlock that there are come up instead of righteousness and judgment among us. I'll name one or two. What do you think of this.

First, that such as have been notoriously malignant, yes, such as have been upon actual war should yet upon any slight acknowledgment or coming in or for their own ends taking Covenant, should get into Committees, and have power there over the well-affected party who have been most forward at the first, but now those who hate them and have spirits full of bitterness against them, should have power over them to tax them as they please. Power over their estates, their liberty, power to order the affairs of the country round about them, and that now they should revenge themselves upon them because they were so forward in the beginning; Oh! we may thank you, had it not been for such as you are, we had never gone on so far in the wars, if you had not come in so freely &c. And now they have opportunity to revenge themselves upon them; what grows in the furrows here but bitter and venomous Hemlock? Where the fault lies, that we cannot determine, but such men, doing such things, in such places, it is nothing but Hemlock in the furrows of the field.

Secondly; here's another stalk of Hemlock, that poor men taken from their families, who were the only means by their livelihood to bring in a livelihood to their wives and children, yet should be so without pay themselves, and wives and children left destitute of bread and clothing; and officers in an army who were but mean men heretofore and knew scarce how to live, now they live bravely, glister in their gold and silver lace, what's this but Hemlock? Is not here injustice and oppression? That thousands should want bread, that widows and children cry out for bread that lived pretty well heretofore, and others which knew not how to live heretofore, yet now shall be brave in a far higher way than ever formerly, is not here Hemlock that grows up in the furrows of the field? I know not neither where to charge this, but yet we see Hemlock does come up.

But now though we might name many other stalks of Hemlock, yet certainly take this caution along with you.

Every man in such times of distraction wherein we live, must account to suffer something, things cannot be carried on with that equity as if all things were settled among us, therefore though we may in a humble and peaceable way make our moans one to another, and seek to inform those that are in power, and petition, yet it ought to be our care whatever we suffer in our particular, to preserve what we can the honor of our Supreme Court; better many particulars suffer hard things than the honor of that should not be kept up; for by not keeping up that we make way to suffer worse things than ever yet we have done: for how would we have help when we meet with wrong and injustice? Under God there are but three ways, two extremes, and one middle: for men to have right in case of injustice. The two extremes they are (besides our appeal to God) I speak to men, whereby a man can have any thought to get help against injustice.

1. The one extreme is, that which heretofore was the king's arbitrary power, acted by those that are about him. We have tasted enough of this Hemlock heretofore, would we think to have our help that way? We know what that Hemlock means.

The second extreme is, the appeal to the people, that were a remedy worse than the disease, for then all would seem to come to be in a confusion that way, if the people, the generality of the people should take up the matter we should then have nothing but murders and robberies. Then the meanest man that lives in the kingdom if he has but as strong arms and legs as the richest of all, he is presently equal with them, when things come to be redressed by the tumultuous people.

Therefore the third way of help in way of injustice it is the mean, and that is by our Parliament, that is, as things are now, is the only regular help that we can have, if we see therefore, or feel some things amiss, we may be sensible and seek help too, but in a peaceable and humble way of petitioning, but still we should be more tender of their honor than of our own private right. And an appeal to Heaven there may be likewise, but of any seeming way of appeal to either of the two extremes, certainly in that we make our remedy worse than the disease: pray much for them therefore that there may not one stalk of Hemlock rise up among them; or any seed fall down from them, but that they may be as the field which the Lord has blessed, full of the fruits of justice and righteousness, that themselves, and this city, and the kingdom may be the habitation of justice, that mercy and truth may meet together, that righteousness and peace may kiss each other; that truth may spring out of the earth, and righteousness may look down from Heaven; so you have it in (Psalm 85:9, 10, 11).

Now there's one note more that I find Tremelius and Pareus and divers others have. The furrows of the field (say they) there is in the latter end of the word translated [field] a Jod: which by some is made paragogical [and an addition of form only] but others to be an affix for the plural number, and so they translate it to be thus: [Hemlock in the furrows of my field]. And that is a great aggravation. If Hemlock should be in the furrows of any field it's evil, but what, my people! men that profess godliness, what those that profess to set up Reformation, yet Hemlock there in the furrows of my field! Oh! this is sad and evil indeed. In Jeremiah 31:23, Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, As yet they shall use this speech, in the land of Judah, and in the cities thereof; when I shall bring again the captivity thereof, The Lord bless you O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness. When I bring their captivity again, when I'll own them to be mine, then there shall be such eminent justice and holiness that this speech shall be used, The Lord bless you, O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness. So if we would have any evidence to our souls that God does own us, and that we are his, and God indeed has delivered us from our captivity, we should labor that justice and holiness may be so eminent that all the people about us may say, The Lord bless this land, the habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness. Both must go together, we must not think to raise up the ordinances of God, and cast out superstition, but we must be the habitation of justice; of the Lord that the Lord has blessed. It follows.