Shall be utterly cut off

Shall be utterly cut off.

But when shall this be? In a morning: There is a sad morning coming.

But I find Cyril carries it thus: God in his patience is compared to a man asleep, and in the execution of judgment is said to awake; God brings his righteous judgments to light every morning. But that's a little too forced.

But secondly, in a morning: that is, early, betimes; so in Jeremiah 21:12. O house of David, thus says the Lord, Execute judgment in the morning. So the King of Israel shall be early cut off; and indeed this King of Israel he was early cut off, he did not reign above eight or nine years at most. God does take some in the morning of their time, in their youth, when their day is but as it were dawning, he takes some sinners sooner than others: In the morning he shall be cut off.

But thirdly, in the morning, which comes yet nearer and more full to the sense and the scope of the Spirit of God here; that is, even when the light comes, when they have hopes of further good, then he shall be cut off. And so you shall find if you read the story in the book of Kings, at this time when Hoshea was to be cut off, that it was when he had entered into league with the King of Egypt, and now Hoshea thought a morning would arise, and he should have a brave day, and live many merry days now; and when he thought the light began to come, in a morning does God come to cut him off.

Oh! so it is many times (my brethren) that at that time when people have some enlightening, and they think that now light is breaking out, when after a long night of darkness, then God's displeasure breaks forth upon them. We cannot but acknowledge that the Lord has granted us a morning light, but let us fear and tremble; for the time of God's displeasure, sometime it is in the morning; when we think we have light breaking forth, God may have other ways to bring darkness upon us than we are aware of; we know how dreadful a day it was with Sodom after a sunshine morning. It's very observable, the difference of God's dealing with his own people, and with those that are carnal and of the world: compare this Scripture with Zechariah 14:7. Here, in a morning shall he be utterly cut off. But in Zechariah 14:7, where God is speaking of mercy to his people, he speaks of a day that should be known to God, and says he, At evening time it shall be light; he comforts his people thus. But when he threatens the wicked (says he) when the morning comes it shall be darkness. The Lord does use to turn the darkness of the saints into light, and to turn the light of the wicked and ungodly into darkness. Oh! let us learn to fear that God then that is able to turn light into darkness, and darkness into light. Amos 5:8, Seek him (says the text) that turns the shadow of death into the morning, and makes the day dark with night. He can turn the shadow of death into morning. Suppose there be the greatest darkness upon you, God can make that a morning of light: and suppose there be a morning of light, God can turn that into darkness. Many men they set upon some ways, and because they have a morning they bless themselves and think all must needs go on according to their way; it is a very ordinary thing in the hearts of men, especially that are compassing some notable design of their own, if it does prosper in the beginning they think all will go on: Oh! you may be utterly deceived, your designs may have a morning, and then God may cut you off and your designs, and all your thoughts may then perish. We read that Saul had many victories after that God had pronounced that he should be rejected. And therefore we had need fear that God, that can turn the morning into darkness, and darkness into light.

Fourthly, God did not discomfit the host of the Egyptians until the morning. God loves to draw forth great sinners to the light; not to come upon them in the dark, but to bring forth his judgments in the morning openly and clearly.

And lastly, in the morning he shall be cut off. That is, suddenly, God will be quick at his work: they thought by their power to hold it out: No, says God, I will not make a day's work of it, it shall be in the morning, so the old Latin turns it, It shall pass as the morning, as the light of the morning quickly passes over; as you heard before, as the King of Israel is compared to the foam, so he is here compared to the morning. Now my brethren to close this chapter, Oh! what alteration of things God is able to make in a morning! They (it may be) the day before, and over night were jolly and merry, and blessed themselves in their way; they had confidence in their way, and multitude of their mighty men; but in a morning all is spoiled. God can make mighty alterations in a kingdom in a morning, and in cities, and families, and particular persons, mighty alterations in a morning: My brethren, who knows what a day may bring forth? Who knows what a morning may bring forth? Ezekiel 7:5, 6, 7. Thus says the Lord God, An evil, an only evil, behold, is come. An end is come, the end is come, it watches for you, behold, it is come. The morning is come to you, O you that dwell in the land; the time is come, the day of trouble is near. As if God should say, All this while that you have been in the act of the pride of your heart, and vanity of your spirit, I did determine, that such a morning, such an evil should come, and it's come, it is come, it is come, says God: Again, again, and again, the morning is come. O! think, when you lie down at night, think what you have done this day, do not dare to lie down, but first make your peace with God, you know not what may be in the morning, and when you rise up in the morning, look up to God, and seek blessing and mercy from the Lord; for though your eyes be opened, and you come to see the morning light, yet before the morning be quite gone, you know not what may befall you, and therefore seek to make your peace with God, both in the night and in the morning; for great changes may come to you both in the night and in the morning, that you never thought of in all your life. And thus (through God's blessing) we have finished the Tenth Chapter.

FINIS.