They shall say to the Mountains, Cover us, and to the Hills, Fall on us

They shall say to the Mountains, Cover us, and to the Hills, Fall on us.

This is an expression to shew, First, the dreadfulness of their misery. It should be such a great misery as should make them be weary of their lives, should make them rather desire death than life.

Secondly, It is to note the wonderful desperation that in the apprehension and sense of this their misery they had no where to go for help, but their hearts should despair, and all the help that they should expect was, to have the Mountains fall upon them, and the Hills to cover them. Now this expression I find Christ makes use of in the setting out the misery of the destruction of the Jews by the Romans afterwards, in Luke 23:30. And so I find the Holy Ghost in expressing the misery of the Antichristian party, when the wrath of God should come out upon them, their misery shall be so great, as to cry to the Mountains to fall upon them, and the Hills to cover them, in Revelation 6:16. There the Princes and the great men, and mighty men, and Captains, they call upon the Mountains to fall upon them and the Hills to cover them. I remember reverend Mr. Brightman upon that very Scripture interpreting, the great men, and the mighty men calling to the mountains to fall upon them, and the hills to cover them, he says, That it was fulfilled in the time of Constantine, when the Heathen Emperors were vanquished, and he does interpret it upon Dioclesian that he was so terrified in apprehension of the wrath of the Lamb that Christ did appear against him, that he drank poison and killed himself. And Maximian ended his life with a halter, and hanged himself. Galerius died of a most noisome and filthy disease. Maximinus that he might prevent his death he likewise murdered himself. And so Maxentius ran into the bottom of Tiberis to hide himself there. And thus they did seek by several ways to hide themselves from the sight of the Lamb by violent deaths.

I suppose all of you do understand clearly that it is meant an expression of great anguish and desperation; but yet that we may see why the Holy Ghost makes use of this expression rather than others, and to find out the reason of it, you must know that the expression does arise from hence; the Land of Canaan (where the Prophet here prophesies) it was a land full of mountains and hills, and these mountains were stony and rocky (many of them) and they were wont therefore to dig places in the mountains that were stony and rocky for safety in case they should be in any great danger, to dig such holes that they may run into, and that by their narrow passage they might be able to keep out an enemy from them. And therefore I remember I find in Josephus 14. Book of Antiquities, 27. Chap. and so his Book of the Jewish Wars, the 1. Book, and 12. Chap. he says, That those that were thieves and robbers they would make use of such caves and dens in the mountains and hills. And now to these the Scripture does allude, and by this you may be helped to understand divers places of Scripture, in Isaiah 2:19. "And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his Majesty, when he arises to shake terribly the earth." They should go then into the holes of the rocks and caves of the earth, for they were wont to use such things there much. And so that Scripture in Psalm 11:1. "In the Lord put I my trust: how say you to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?" In times of danger they were wont to flee to those mountains. And so in Psalm 121:1. "I will lift up mine eyes to the hills from where comes my help": not only to the Temple, but to the hills, because in time of danger they were wont to think of the hills. But (says David) I lift up my heart to God, and that shall be to me instead of an hundred holes in hills. And in Psalm 36:6. "Your righteousness is like the great mountains." It is not only because the mountains stand steadily and strongly, but because the mountains were places of refuge and shelter. So the saints have refuge in the faithfulness of God, as they did run to the holes in the mountains, and therefore God is called a strong rock that the righteous run to; why? Not only because a rock is strong and cannot be removed, yes, but what safety is there: suppose a man run to the rock, cannot the enemies follow him and take him in the rock? Therefore it is not only meant when it is said, God is as a rock, not only because the faithfulness of God is steady as a rock, but because they had caves and holes in the rocks that they were wont to run to in time of danger, therefore God is called a rock. And so, "The strength of the hills is his also," in Psalm 95:4. These scriptures we may understand by this, by understanding the manner what they were wont to do in their mountains. In Psalm 94:22. "But the Lord is my defence, and my God is the rock of my refuge."

But yet further, that we may understand the meaning of this expression: because when in times of danger they ran to the mountains, and to the rocks, and holes, into their caves, they considered when they were there, Oh! the enemy if he should come upon us, how sad would our condition be? Oh! that rather this mountain that is now over us, I would rather that it should sink down and fall upon me than the enemy should take me, and this hill that I am got into a hole of, for my refuge, it were well if this should sink down and press me to nothing. This I take to be the meaning of this phrase, and the rise of it; they despised the mountain of God, the going up to his mountain, but now they would be glad to have so much use of these mountains that they might crush them in pieces. From there there are these notes.

First, Oh! the alteration that God can make in cities and kingdoms: they who were proud and scornful ere while, are now so distressed as would think themselves happy to be crushed by mountains and hills.

Secondly, hence we may learn how great is the misery of falling into the hands of our enemies, for that's the meaning; when the Assyrians should come against them, and they were besieged for three years together, they knew how savagely the enemies had used others in the country, so that they desired to die under the mountains rather than to fall into their hands; the great misery there is in falling into the hands of enemies. And I remember Josephus in one of the forenamed places gives us a notable story of this, he tells us of some that did run into the mountains and holes for safety, and Herod he pursued them, and among others there was an old man, and he had seven children and his wife with him, but rather than he would fall into Herod's hands, he called his children one by one to the mouth of the cave that he had made in the mountain, and when one came he killed that before the enemy, and he called another and killed him, and so he did till he had killed all the seven, and killed them himself, and afterwards his wife, and when he had cast their dead bodies down the rock, he threw himself down head-long after them, and so he slew himself, and all this rather than he would fall into the hands of his enemies. Certainly there is wonderful misery. Some of you perhaps have seen or felt somewhat, but that which you have felt and seen has been nothing to what was like to be, had the enemies gotten full power; he was fain to deal fairly to get people to himself, but cruelty does break out now and then, and by that you may see what should have been generally if the Lord should deliver you into the power of the enemy: let us bless God then that we are delivered from that, that we have no such cause to cry out to the mountains to cover us and the hills to fall upon us.

Thirdly, the wrath of God, Oh! how dreadful is it? There is nothing so fearful as the wrath of God: one would think that that which these poor people should desire here should be dreadful enough, to have the mountains fall upon them, and the hills to cover them: Oh! but 'tis not so dreadful as God's wrath; take all the terrors in the world they are nothing to the wrath of the Almighty when that is apprehended: sometimes the wrath of God lies more heavy upon a man's conscience than a thousand mountains: and (my brethren) if it be so dreadful in outward judgments, how dreadful is it like to be when it shall come to be fully poured out upon the wicked and ungodly? In (Revelation 9:6) they shall seek for death, and shall not find it; they shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them (says the text) Oh! when God's wrath appears against the ungodly, it will be dreadful, especially when the full vials of it comes to be poured out.

And further, to live in misery is worse than present dreadful death: to live in a lingering way of misery is worse than present death even in this world. I remember Suetonius tells of Tiberius Caesar, that there was one that he had adjudged to death, and he that was adjudged to die, petitioned to him, that he might have his dispatch. He answers him thus, Sir, you and I are not friends yet, you must not die, you must be kept in misery. It is worse than death many times to be kept in a lingering way of misery, it is so, even in regard of the miseries of this world, Oh! how much worse than death is it then to be kept under the wrath of God to all eternity? How fearful is it to live in misery for ever then, and never to die? Why it's better, certainly sense would apprehend it better for a man to be dispatched presently than to live in lingering misery: yet, if we did know all, it were better to live in the greatest misery in the world (for a wicked man) than to die the fairest death; you were better to live as a dog, a toad, yes, as a stock-log at the back of the fire (if it were possible) than to die, if you knew all (being a wicked man) but however hereafter in Hell, then it were better if it were possible to perish than to live so as you have, yet then you shall not die, though it would be the greatest happiness to you; if you should after a thousand years cry to God, Oh Lord, that mountains might fall upon me! the Lord would answer: you and I are not friends yet; and if after a thousand years more you should cry, Oh Lord that I might be crushed to pieces: the Lord would answer you still, you and I are not yet friends. Says Bernard, Oh! I tremble to think of that, that I should fall into the hands of living death, and of dying life, where men do not die, that they might for ever die (says he) they do die that they may for ever die, they are always dying, but never die, but are kept by the Almighty power of God on purpose that they might be fuel for his wrath, and subjects for his revenging justice to strike upon. Oh! consider of this you that are so ready to desire death, because you are in a lingering misery at any time. Is a lingering misery so evil? Then what will be the lingering evil of eternity?

Fifthly observe, the wonderful misery of wicked men in their affliction, they have nowhere to go for help, they have not God, they have no refuge, but to the mountains and hills, and what's their refuge there but that they may fall upon them? Oh the difference between a saint of God and a wicked man in times of affliction? When in times of affliction you (if you be wicked) shall rage and be mad and know not where to go, and the uttermost help that you can think to have is from the hills and mountains to fall upon you, but then the saints of God shall be able to look up to Heaven, and cry, Heaven is open for us, open to receive my soul, Angels come and guide it, and bear it in, Oh arms of mercy, bowels of mercy, spread open yourselves to embrace me: here's a difference. And is not this better than to cry to mountains to fall upon you, and hills to cover you? And yet such a difference in men's estates does sin and godliness make.

And then the last is, Oh the wonderful evil of despair! What a dreadful thing is desperation? It suggests nothing else, the greatest benefit it does suggest it is to be crushed in pieces: so the help that many have, it is a halter to strangle them, a knife to murder them, the water to drown them. Oh desperation is a dreadful thing. Francis Spira feeling the dreadfulness of desperation, cries out, Verily desperation is Hell itself. Upon all this Luther concludes with this exhortation: Oh let us stir up ourselves to the fear of God, let us fly idolatry, let us beautify the Word by our holy lives, and pray to Christ that we might escape such things as these are, that God inflicts upon the contemners of his Word. If you would not come into this wonderful despairing condition, Oh learn to fall down before the Word, fear God now that you may not despair; you that contemn, and slight, and scorn the Word now, this may prove to be your portion ere long, that this desperate cry may be the greatest ease that your forsaken souls can have.