Sermon 20: 1 Samuel 5:7-12

7. When the men of Ashdod saw such a plague, they said: The ark of the God of Israel shall not remain with us, for his hand is hard upon us and upon Dagon our god. 8. And they sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines to them, and said: What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And the Gittites answered: Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around. And they brought the ark of the God of Israel around. 9. And when they had brought it around, the hand of the Lord was upon every city with a very great slaughter, and he struck the men of each city, from small to great, and their intestines swelled and burst forth. And the Gittites took counsel and made themselves seats of leather. 10. Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And when the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying: They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people. 11. So they sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines, and said: Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people. 12. For there was a deadly panic throughout every city, and the hand of God was very heavy. The men also who did not die were struck in the more secret parts of their bodies, and the cry of each city went up to heaven.

Note that confession of the Philistines inhabiting Ashdod: that the hand of the God of Israel is hard upon them and upon their god Dagon. For those who had been unwilling to hear the law of God and the prophets as teachers, and to give credence to their testimony, are themselves compelled to proclaim the virtue and power of God, known to them at their own peril. Unwillingly, however, they acknowledge the God of Israel to be the living God, most great and most powerful; and therefore their Dagon to be weak and a useless idol — in the worship and veneration of which they are nevertheless more confirmed. From this the great stubbornness of unbelievers in their error is sufficiently evident: who, although their religion is uncertain and wavering, confirmed only by foolish and vain opinions, nevertheless persist in ignorance and unbelief, from which they are moved by no admonitions, not even by divine punishments, and brought to the acknowledgment of their sins.

For if you leave an unbeliever to his own unbelief and say not a word about his religion, and neither examine him nor encourage him to return to the way of salvation — even so, many grave thoughts occupy his mind, with which he struggles, turning now this way, now that, uncertain what will become of him, what to follow, what to leave behind. For so it must be that they are pressed and urged by God, so that they may be without excuse, and lest they so indulge their unbelief that they can plead ignorance, as if they had never been warned, never pressed, never taught. For the scruple cast into them, and that doubt, were like messengers sent from God by which they would be convicted and led to God and invited to repentance. But such is the stubbornness of unbelievers that, although stirred by those vain thoughts and invited to inquire into the truth, they are never moved from their error — indeed, not even if to those inner stirrings of the soul there is added exhortation and so clear an explanation of their errors that they cannot even reply. Yet they should at least open their ears and show themselves amenable to warnings.

And this error is especially visible today in the papacy. For if you question individual papists about the foundations of their religion and ask what they think, you see them hesitating and uncertain. And yet if Jesus Christ is set against their vain superstitions — the one to be embraced with a sincere mind — what byways and turns they seek for their errors! Why so? They have no knowledge of salvation, no foundation of religion on which to stand. They defer greatly to their so-called good intentions; and yet after they have trusted in their vain opinions, they find by experience that they are futile. And what shall be said of that catholic church on which they rely? It is nothing but a congregation of men relying on vanity and falsehood alone. What firmness, then, can they have? Therefore who would wonder that they are tossed about, uncertain and anxious, driven this way and that, and tossed by every wind of doctrine? Nevertheless, the truth of the divine word is preached and falsehood is assailed with such solid reasons and arguments that nothing could be firmer, and it is demonstrated how wretchedly unbelievers are seduced by the devil; and that whatever they wish to appear to do in God's name and with good intention is an abomination; and that they are blind and are hurled headlong into the precipices of error, as is taught quite openly. But whatever you do, you will never move unbelievers from their purpose; rather, you will see them stubbornly defending their errors and doubling their idolatrous worship. And these things are plainly visible. Therefore it is certain that this history is not set before us in vain, since here the Philistines of Ashdod are said to have been unable any longer to bear the hard hand of God against them and their Dagon, and yet to have venerated and worshipped that idol as a god, even though they could see well enough that it had no power or might. But to this is added a thick and brutish stupor, by which the wretched are bewitched as if by illusions and sorcery, so that they imagine that gods wage war against one another and that some are opposed to others.

For if some contention or dispute arises among men, we judge that there is injury or a bad cause on one side or the other. For we know that peace and concord are God's gift, by which men are cherished among themselves and kept in their duty. Therefore if quarrels, disputes, and dissensions among men are condemned, what must we think about the divine? For grant a multitude of gods, such as those wretched heathens and pagans introduced — let this be conceded to them — yet to say that they foster mutual angers, dissensions, disputes, and fight among themselves in the manner of blindfolded gladiators is ridiculous and against nature. And yet we see this to be the opinion of the Philistines — an example we should not pass over lightly. For the devil has so blinded the minds of mortals that they believed there were various wars among their gods. The tragic stage and the monuments of the poets, with which the whole world is filled, are witnesses to this. But this evil is dealt with thus: those fables are called mystical theology and allegories by which the people are led to the knowledge of God. But truly, whatever they may bring forward in their defense, one must arrive at this conclusion: it is repugnant to nature for gods to fight among themselves, and whatever reason they may adduce in their favor will prove to be empty.

From this it becomes clear how the devil operates in unbelievers, God giving him free rein, so that the reprobate, whom the devil tyrannically exercises as his subjects, are not only deprived of common sense and reason, and cast into stupor in certain articles of religion, but are worse than the brute beasts themselves. For, I ask, who is so stupid or dull as not to be moved by so detestable a monster, with God himself thundering from heaven? And yet we see the Philistines seized by this error and bound as if by enchantment. For they are not speaking of an unknown matter when they say that the hand of God hangs over them too hard; for this opinion about hatreds and conflicts among the gods had long been fixed in their minds. Let us take the utmost care lest we fall into these absurdities, attributing to the supreme being things that arise from the depravity of the mind, which would not be tolerable even among men.

Furthermore, the Ashdodites are said to have decreed in council that the ark of God should be sent to Gath. Now that was a famous city among the Philistines, from where the prophet Micah, foretelling the calamity threatening the people, forbids it to be announced in Gath — by which words he implies that they were the most bitter enemies of the Israelites, who would have taken the greatest pleasure from the news of the people's calamity and would have triumphed as if having won a victory. The Philistines therefore chose Gath as the dwelling place for the ark of God. And the Gittites are not read to have refused the entry of the ark into their city, but on the contrary to have rejoiced and considered it a great honor, as if their city were held more worthy than the others, since it had been chosen by the common counsel of the princes as the lodging and dwelling place for the ark of the Lord.

Meanwhile, all the Philistines conspired to lead that ark in triumph — not indeed to hold it in mockery, but to keep it captive in their power, so that it would no longer be a harm to themselves but no longer an aid to their enemies, as it had been before. And they fight with contradictory opinions among themselves, as the counsels of wicked men necessarily are — entangled with the greatest anguishes and difficulties of mind. For example, the Philistines confess that the God of Israel is omnipotent, yet they think they can hold him captive, because they refuse to admit that their Dagon has been defeated, and because they fear punishment or war from him in the future if they release him. Therefore they think things are going well for them and congratulate themselves if they can keep the God of Israel bound in their hands — that is, that ark. And yet they deliberate about sending it elsewhere, and the Gittites congratulate themselves on receiving it, thinking it will be honorable for them, since it will be a monument of that famous defeat which the Israelites had suffered after the ark was captured.

From this we clearly see how insolently the hardened enemies of God conduct themselves — who cannot boast except by sinning against the glory and majesty of God, which they would seek to obscure, and indeed to seize if they could. Nor indeed, I confess, do they openly profess this; but if one carefully examines the life of individual unbelievers, he will find in fact that they are never puffed up with ambition and pride without detracting just as much from God's glory and honor, and exalting themselves at his expense.

Thus the Gittites, as was said, eagerly received the ark into their city and did not pay attention to those plagues with which God had shown himself to be feared by them. For they had blinded eyes of the mind, although they were struck, beaten, and killed, they never [unclear] rose to recognize the hand of God. But in Gath the same calamity befell them as had overtaken the Ashdodites. For if the Gittites wished to dispute with them or argue with reasons for retaining the ark in their possession, could they not rightly fight back and remonstrate with them? Why did you not keep the ark, Ashdodites? Why do you now thrust it upon us against our will? For the reason for its dismissal was in the open — namely, the hard hand of the God of Israel against them and their god Dagon. Could not the Gittites therefore rightly have considered that the ark would always retain its power against those who refused to embrace the religion of the Israelites and the worship due to God? Therefore they ought to have learned wisdom from another's danger. But their eyes were merely grazed, and they looked as if through a lattice, glancing briefly at things about which they should have thought seriously. And they imagine some kind of good fortune and believe that a successful outcome has been secured for themselves and their posterity if they receive that ark of the covenant within their walls.

But we, for whom these examples are set forth, ought to be attentive to God's judgments that we see all around us, lest we imitate fools who learn only from being struck. And therefore let us not wait so long until God himself strikes, but when even a spark of his fury has flashed forth, let us use it for our own example and correction. And therefore let us know that when God punishes some nation or people, we are being instructed and roused, so that we may meet his judgments in time and hold it certain that our sins will not go unpunished unless we repent. And if we wish to follow the Gittites in their evil example — who by their arrogance wished to mock the God of Israel, although they did not express it in words — we shall surely experience at our own peril what it means to fall into the hands of God.

But wherever that ark of the covenant was, there too the hand of God was certainly present. By the hand of God, his virtue and power are signified, as is evident from the sacred Scriptures, where it frequently occurs. Now that hand of God fell most heavily upon the Gittites, and they were struck with the same punishments as the Ashdodites — namely tumors or hemorrhoids. From which they learned by experience how imprudent they had been in receiving the ark of God within their walls, since they were not returning to him with faith and repentance.

From this it is evident, and we must carefully consider, how truly the prophet sang in two places: The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice, let many regions be glad. The Lord reigns, let the peoples tremble; he who sits upon the Cherubim reigns, let the earth shake. In these places, however, certain things seem at first glance to contradict each other, for they are opposites: to rejoice and to tremble and shake. But they harmonize beautifully, depending on how we see men variously disposed. For if God reigns in such a way that we acknowledge his reign and render him the honor due to him, and testify in fact that we wish to be numbered among his people and to rejoice in that king, then indeed a great ground for joy has been offered to us. For God reigns not so much for his own sake as for our salvation. Although it is certain that God is above all zealous for his glory, which he commands to be preferred by us above all things. But when by our sins we provoke his wrath against us and stubbornly depart from his commandments, then indeed he does not reign in such a way that we rejoice, but rather so that we tremble and shudder at falling into his hands.

Why then does God establish his kingdom among men, if not to reign and rule for our benefit and advantage — so that we may not perish eternally under a curse? For the condition of the one who withdraws himself from his rule is surely most wretched, as the monuments of all ages testify. And so, when God does not reign over us and we do not render him the obedience due to him, what remains but the fear of the terrible punishments by which the contumacious are broken? But on the contrary, when God reigns and we depend upon his will, how great a ground for joy is offered to us by him! So great, indeed, that we cannot grasp it with our senses.

But the earth is said to shake. Why? Because those who refuse to submit to God and to compose themselves for his obedience, when they feel his majesty, rightly shudder and fear him as judge — him whom they were unwilling to worship as father and conform themselves to his service. This is why, when God reigns, the earth must be shaken and tremble: because unbelievers do not acknowledge the clemency of God, by which he is ready to win them over and receive them into his protection. On the contrary, those who reverence the divine majesty and voluntarily submit themselves to him should rejoice and exult.

Therefore, since the Gittites are here said to have at last perceived at their own peril that they had received the ark of God into their city, let us know that we can have security and tranquility of mind, with all fear set aside, only if we acknowledge God as our Savior, whose presence will be salutary to us — provided we so receive him within us that we surrender ourselves entirely to his will and serve him from the heart.

Furthermore, I confess that in this world the contumacious — those who abuse God's patience and obscure his glory with all their might — are not always afflicted with manifest punishments. Nevertheless, this must be deeply fixed in our minds: the vengeance of God is indeed late, but such that no passage of time, however long, will allow the contumacious to escape it, since he compensates for it by the severity of the punishments. And therefore punishment is deferred, not abolished, according to the hidden counsel of God. For in this world God's judgments are not perfectly executed, but it suffices that examples and testimonies are set before us from time to time, from which we may learn to fear that final vengeance that will come when Jesus Christ our Lord shall appear as avenger and judge. Therefore, although God tolerates the wicked for a time and as it were connives at their crimes — he does not suddenly avenge them — yet he does not therefore pardon or forget, but at last exacts the most severe punishments, as the apostle teaches: namely, such as the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah received — fire, not only that material fire by which those cities were burned, but eternal fire, for all despisers of God into that reserved for that day. And so the temporal punishments by which the people of Gath and others were struck serve as an example of God's judgments hanging over those who do not humble themselves under his mighty hand, which they will find opposing them, and indeed with greater horror the closer they see it approaching. What then will become of the papists, among whom God has been held captive, as it were, for a long time? For hypocrites have falsely boasted the name of God, falsely gloried in the name of Jesus Christ. Was not the name of God polluted by them, when according to the desire of their own hearts they erected idols and invented new forms of worship for him? What kind of worship, I ask, was that worship of masses, of which some were dedicated to the Virgin Mary, others to St. Catherine, others to St. Barbara — what kind of worship of God, I say, was that in which no mention was made of God? Why do they pass off the rites of idols as the worship of God? Baptism among them was defiled with many ceremonies; the Lord's Supper was entirely abolished, and in its place that monstrous abomination of the mass was substituted. Who then would not rightly say that God was held captive among the papists, whom they so impiously mocked, who, falsely professing the name of faith, of law, of Christianity, and polluting the sacraments, turned the temple of God into a pigsty, or rather into a foul brothel? Many calamities, I confess, have come upon this world, which undoubtedly will be held against those on that last day who not only were not taught and corrected by them, but who, on the contrary, more hardened in their wickedness, will feel their shame and will be utterly without excuse — even though God did not punish them as openly as he once punished the Philistines with his judgments. Whatever the case may be, it is certain that those who have abused the name of God will not bear their sacrileges unpunished, and that their condition would be far better if God punished them immediately and did not defer to another time the vengeance that they bring upon themselves by their wickedness and that they can in no way escape. For often when God defers punishments, men are accustomed to abuse his patience. Therefore come, though God does not at present avenge idolaters and unbelievers, let us nevertheless not cease to walk in his fear and to worship him sincerely; nor let us wait so long until he invades us with armed hand; and even if we have passed through this life without punishments, let us not congratulate ourselves as though we were in a better place, but rather let us know that our condition has been made worse, since the slowness of God's judgments is compensated by their severity.

And let this suffice concerning the people of Gath. Let us pass on to what follows, from which we are taught that they, having recognized their error because they were afflicted with plagues, thought about their situation and sought a remedy for their ills, and therefore, having again convened a council of the Philistines, it was decreed that the ark should be sent to Ekron. Moreover, the Ekronites, taught by the misfortunes of the people of Gath, are said to have cried out and complained that they had brought the ark of the God of Israel to kill them along with their people, and consequently not without mourning and wailing did they receive the ark, which they feared would be as destructive to themselves as it had been to the people of Gath. But next we shall see what was decreed by common council, when the rulers of the Philistines observed that the captive ark was destructive to the whole people. Meanwhile, here we should observe a fault that we commonly see occurring in deliberations and councils, namely that each person looks after his own interests, caring little about another's harm, troubled by so many evils and misfortunes with which they were afflicted. For, by way of example, the princes of the Philistines deliberate about sending the ark to one of their cities, and they choose Ekron. But it is likely that the Ekronites were not present at this council to intercede for their citizens; and so when they see that the ark of God has come to Ekron, they cry out: 'They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people.' And so they see the decree fulfilled before they have heard anything about it. From this we easily gather that the Philistines wanted to make another test of what would happen with the ark if it changed location and was taken to another city. And so from this history the character of all men becomes evident, namely that they are most attentive to their own advantage and benefit and to guarding against any dangers; but if it concerns a neighbor's affair, which involves some loss, they do not even want to touch it — so ingenious are they in pursuing their own advantages even at the expense of their neighbors. Although indeed from every age these have been the ways of men, they are not therefore to be excused. Therefore in all deliberations and councils this caution must be applied: that fairness be maintained, and that no one suffer harm or disgrace from them. For surely our advantage is not promoted by another's disadvantage. And so if we have sharp eyes for our own benefit, Christian duty commands us to look after our neighbor's affairs with those same eyes, just as Paul commands us to serve one another in love.

As for the complaint of the Ekronites, we see that unbelievers, though they do not feel God's power as quickly as they should, being instructed by the plagues sent upon them, are nevertheless finally brought by repeated blows to some knowledge of him — which was by no means the case with the Azotites. Perhaps if the ark had first been brought to them, they would have rejoiced as if in a singular privilege, and been puffed up with ambition over such a monument of victory over the Israelites. But now, when they are brought to think about themselves and to try to remove such a plague from themselves — because the Azotites and Gathites had not admitted it — they fear the ark being received among them. God meanwhile continues to chastise them, since they did not revere his majesty with the reverence and veneration that was fitting. And this is the purpose of divine chastisements: that God, by repeating them, may bring us to an awareness and acknowledgment of our sins, which otherwise at a light blow we either snore on or have dull ears. For this reason it is not at all surprising if God sends heavier punishments, just as he once threatened through Moses with these words: 'But if you walk with me carelessly and are not willing to listen and obey me, then I will add against you a sevenfold plague according to your sins.' Although indeed those wretched people who nevertheless did not advance in faith acknowledge God as judge, not all of them derive from this knowledge the benefit that they should. For the reprobate would gladly send God far away from themselves. But let us acknowledge the singular benefit of God when we are brought to an acknowledgment of sins through afflictions, since they are sent by God the avenger so that we may be corrected by them, provided we flee to him and pray that he fulfill the role of physician, healing the wounds that he himself inflicted, and not allow what he has given to become harmful to us. And these things are to be learned from the example of the Ekronites, namely that those wicked people, though they apprehend the judgments of God, do not thereby return to a better way of life. For they say: 'They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people.' Indeed, when they confess the God of the Israelites, if only they had the same faith as the true Israelites, they would have advanced greatly, or at least to seeking the way of salvation from them. Surely if the Ekronites had done this, they would have fulfilled the saying of the prophet: 'We have entered into the sanctuary of God.' For they would have joined themselves with those who from all time were members of God's church. But when they name the God of Israel, they do so with indignation and anger, as if to say: 'We want no dealings with that God.' Meanwhile they shudder at his plagues, yet do not acknowledge that the God who strikes is the omnipotent God, under whose authority all things created must submit, even against their will. From which it becomes evident that the wicked and despisers of the divine majesty are often compelled to praise his majesty with certain words and to confess his justice and power, but never do they reach the point where they willingly submit to him; rather, they leave no stone unturned to shake off his yoke. But we ought all the more, taught by these examples, to be moved, so that the heavier the punishments God sends, the closer we draw to him, and take refuge under the shadow of his wings. For if we hope to escape his hand and seek protection elsewhere, we shall indeed find his arm long enough to pursue us even into the deepest abyss, as the prophet says: 'Your knowledge is too wonderful for me to evade; it is lofty, I cannot prevail against it. Where shall I go from your spirit? Or where shall I flee from your face?' Therefore this must be fixed more deeply in our minds: the further we try to flee from the Lord's sight, the more God will pursue us, and the heavier we will find his hand. Therefore let us know that we must flee to the protection of his wings, to which he himself invites us, and promises us his favor and protection — us whom he has redeemed from death and claimed for himself. And therefore let us not doubt that all things will work together for our good and salvation.

And thus far concerning the confession that God himself wrested from the Ekronites, namely that the hand of the God of Israel was dreadful and terrible, and harsh against them. Let us pass on to their just complaint against their countrymen, that they were bringing the ark of God to them to kill them and their people. But they do not thereby change their mind for the better; nor, whatever fear invaded them, do they acknowledge their former error and depart from it. Therefore they are rightly found guilty of stubbornness before God, because, though taught by so many testimonies of his infinite power, they nevertheless persist stubbornly in ignorance, and are so blinded that they rather turn to madness than compose themselves in obedience to God, having recognized their error. For how magnificently God revealed their error and gross ignorance! Therefore, since they refused to acknowledge as God the one whose infinite power was known to them from so many clear and undoubted testimonies, until they finally experienced his supreme power at their own peril, there certainly remains no room for the excuse of ignorance, as anyone can easily see.

Let us proceed next to what follows, where it is said that they sent and gathered all the rulers of the Philistines, and said: 'Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its place, lest it kill us with our people. For the terror of death was in every city, and the hand of God was exceedingly heavy.' By these words we are taught that the Ekronites were compelled to send back the ark — or, after they had first been struck with terror, they subsequently relaxed somewhat from their fear and ceased to dread so many evils. And this is generally the way of unbelievers, as we taught before, namely that sometimes they are seized by a kind of frenzy, sometimes they are lulled by lethargy, and as frenzied people are wont, they violently agitate themselves this way and that. Nevertheless, they must finally feel the hand of God the avenger pursuing them, until they are utterly cast down. We see this same thing happened to the Ekronites: they observe that God's hand was hostile and destructive to their countrymen, they fear destruction for themselves and their people, they refuse to admit the ark of the God of Israel into their city — the God whom they rejected as king, father, and savior. But nevertheless, despite knowing these things, they admit the ark that they had previously feared. From which we see that they were not firm in their resolve. From this we learn that one must never persist stubbornly in a bad decision, which would otherwise prove most disastrous for the one who advised it. But when from God's word and his revealed will we have learned what promotes the glory and honor of God and what is useful for our salvation, let us never allow ourselves to be torn from it as long as life remains to us. Often indeed it happens that some scruple pricks our mind, but we do not allow it to remain there long, when we are thinking about doing or leaving off this or that. But what good does that injected scruple do us, except to condemn us all the more, especially if God himself prods us and penetrates into the deepest secrets of the heart and strikes, as it were, with a scalpel, so that we may learn not to offend him further?

And enough about the Ekronites, whose wailing is here said to have ascended to heaven. By these words a very great wailing is described, by which the whole air resounded, so that each of the Philistines would be without excuse, because such a proclamation had been useless to them. For when the Ekronites fill heaven with their groaning, when the elements are shaken by their lamentations, and yet their countrymen care little for these things, or if they are moved by some fear and horror, they are nevertheless more hardened and confirmed in idolatry, removing the living God far from themselves — it is certain that they stand guilty before the Lord of the utmost stubbornness, with all the elements as witnesses. But let us learn, upon hearing the cries and wailings of those who bear the burden of God's judgments, to regard them as exhortations and admonitions, as though God himself were calling us through them to a better mind; and let us wholly shudder at the severity of God's judgments. For otherwise, unless we are moved to beg from God the pardon of our sins, it is certain that the cries and wailings of men will only increase our guilt and condemnation all the more, because we did not give place to his admonitions but offered deaf ears. Although therefore unbelievers cannot teach others by their wailings, yet we ought to learn wisdom from their example, and to think seriously about ourselves and our sins, lest we be stubbornly confirmed in them. And conversely, let us know that we should not imitate the Ekronites in this: that they fill heaven with their cries, but their hearts are alienated from God — so that as the ark of God draws nearer to us, we also draw near to him with our hearts. For we ought to draw nearer to God when he fulfills the role of judge in chastising us. What then should be done when God multiplies his blows? Surely we must cry out to him, as Scripture often says of God's people and children, who raised their cry to God so that it might penetrate the heavens. But not with the kind of cry the Ekronites used. For unbelievers indeed send forth their voice like brute beasts, so that the whole air is filled and resounds, but in vain and without fruit. But we, drawing near to God to seek his help, let us know that this is the remedy prepared for us: if we redouble our groaning, not murmuring against him or bringing charges against him, but confessing our sins and acknowledging that we are justly punished by him. And so let us know that afflictions will then be salutary for us, and that we will be freed and relieved from them, provided we seek him as the faithful ought, namely with true faith and repentance, and rest in him alone.

Moreover, come, etc.

7. When the men of Ashdod saw this plague, they said: The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is hard upon us and upon Dagon our god. 8. They sent word and gathered all the lords of the Philistines and said: What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? The Gittites answered: Let the ark of the God of Israel be moved to Gath. So they moved the ark of the God of Israel there. 9. After they moved it, the hand of the Lord was against every city with a very great panic, and He struck the men of each city, from small to great, and they broke out with tumors. The Gittites then made themselves seats of leather. 10. So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. When the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out: They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us to kill us and our people! 11. They sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines and said: Send away the ark of the God of Israel; let it return to its own place, so that it will not kill us and our people. 12. For there was a deadly panic throughout every city; God's hand was very heavy there. The men who did not die were struck with tumors in their private parts, and the cry of each city rose up to heaven.

Note the confession of the Philistines of Ashdod: the hand of the God of Israel is hard upon them and upon their god Dagon. Those who had been unwilling to hear God's law and the prophets as teachers, and to believe their testimony, are now themselves compelled to proclaim God's virtue and power — knowledge gained at their own expense. Unwillingly, they acknowledge the God of Israel to be the living God, supremely great and powerful; and therefore their Dagon to be weak and a useless idol — in the worship and veneration of which they nonetheless become more firmly entrenched. From this the great stubbornness of unbelievers in their error is sufficiently apparent: though their religion is uncertain and wavering, resting only on foolish and empty opinions, they persist in ignorance and unbelief, moved neither by any warnings nor even by divine punishment, and brought to no acknowledgment of their sins.

If you leave an unbeliever to his own unbelief, saying nothing about his religion, neither examining him nor urging him to return to the way of salvation — even then, many serious thoughts occupy his mind with which he struggles, turning now this way, now that, uncertain what will become of him, what to pursue, what to abandon. God presses and urges them precisely so that they may be without excuse — lest they so indulge their unbelief that they can plead ignorance, as if they had never been warned, never pressed, never taught. For that scruple planted in them, and that doubt, were like messengers from God — sent to convict them, lead them to God, and invite them to repentance. But such is the stubbornness of unbelievers that, although stirred by those unsettling thoughts and invited to inquire after the truth, they are never moved from their error. Indeed, even when those inner stirrings are joined by exhortation and so clear an explanation of their errors that they cannot even reply — they still refuse. They should at least open their ears and show themselves willing to be warned.

This error is especially visible today in the papacy. If you question individual papists about the foundations of their religion and ask what they believe, you see them hesitating and uncertain. And yet when Jesus Christ — the one to be embraced with a sincere heart — is set against their vain superstitions, how they twist and dodge to protect their errors! Why? They have no knowledge of salvation, no solid foundation of religion on which to stand. They place great weight on their so-called good intentions, yet after trusting in their empty opinions, they find by experience that those opinions fail them. And what shall be said of that so-called catholic church on which they rely? It is nothing but a gathering of people resting on vanity and falsehood alone. What firmness can they have? Who would wonder that they are tossed about, uncertain and anxious, driven this way and that by every wind of doctrine? And yet the truth of God's Word is preached and falsehood is attacked with such solid reasons and arguments that nothing could be more certain — it is demonstrated how wretchedly unbelievers are seduced by the devil, and that whatever they think they are doing in God's name and with good intentions is an abomination, and that they are blind, plunging headlong into the abyss of error. But whatever you do, you will never move unbelievers from their course; rather, you will see them stubbornly defending their errors and doubling down on their idolatrous worship. These things are plainly visible. It is therefore certain that this history is not set before us in vain — for here the Philistines of Ashdod are said to have been unable any longer to bear the hard hand of God against them and their Dagon, and yet to have honored and worshipped that idol as a god, even though they could clearly see it had no power or might. To this was added a thick and brutish stupor, by which the wretched were bewitched as if by illusions and sorcery, imagining that gods wage war against one another and that some oppose others.

When contention or dispute arises among people, we recognize that there is injury or a flawed cause on one side or the other. For we know that peace and harmony are God's gifts, by which people are held together and kept in their duty. Therefore if quarrels and dissension among people are condemned, what must we think when such things are attributed to God? Suppose a multitude of gods is granted, as those wretched heathens and pagans imagined — even so, to say that these gods harbor mutual anger and dissension, fighting among themselves like blindfolded gladiators, is absurd and contrary to reason. And yet this was precisely the Philistines' view — an example we should not pass over lightly. For the devil has so blinded the minds of mortals that they believed there were actual wars among their gods. The tragic poets and the monuments of the ancient world, which fill literature everywhere, bear witness to this. And this evil is dealt with by calling such fables mystical theology and allegory — ways by which the people are supposedly led to the knowledge of God. But whatever defense may be offered, one must come to this conclusion: it is contrary to reason for gods to fight among themselves, and whatever argument is brought in their favor will prove to be empty.

From this it becomes clear how the devil operates in unbelievers when God gives him free rein — so that the reprobate, whom the devil rules as his tyrannical subjects, are not only deprived of common sense and reason and plunged into stupor in certain matters of religion, but become worse than the brute animals themselves. Who is so stupid or dull as not to be shaken by so monstrous an absurdity, with God Himself thundering from heaven? And yet we see the Philistines seized by this error and bound by it as if by enchantment. For they are not speaking about something unfamiliar when they say that God's hand hangs over them too heavily — this view of hatred and conflict among the gods had long been fixed in their minds. Let us take the greatest care not to fall into such absurdities, attributing to the supreme Being things born of a depraved mind — things that would not be tolerable even among people.

The Ashdodites are said to have decided in council that the ark of God should be sent to Gath. That was a famous Philistine city, the very one from which the prophet Micah, foretelling the calamity threatening the people, forbids it to be announced in Gath — implying that the Gittites were the bitterest enemies of the Israelites, who would have taken the greatest pleasure in news of Israel's calamity and would have triumphed as if they had won a great victory. The Philistines therefore chose Gath as the housing place for the ark of God. The Gittites are not described as refusing the ark's entry into their city; on the contrary, they appear to have welcomed it and considered it a great honor, as if their city had been judged worthier than the others, having been chosen by the common counsel of the princes as the lodging place for the ark of the Lord.

Meanwhile, all the Philistines conspired to keep that ark as a trophy — not to hold it in mockery exactly, but to hold it captive in their power, so that it would no longer harm themselves or aid their enemies as it once had. They struggled with contradictory opinions among themselves, as the plans of wicked people necessarily do — tangled with the greatest anxiety and confusion of mind. For example, the Philistines confessed that the God of Israel is all-powerful, yet thought they could keep Him captive — refusing to admit that their Dagon had been defeated, and fearing punishment from Him in the future if they released Him. They thought things were going well and congratulated themselves if they could keep the God of Israel bound in their hands — that is, the ark. And yet they deliberated about sending it elsewhere, and the Gittites congratulated themselves on receiving it, thinking it would bring them honor — a monument of the famous defeat the Israelites had suffered when the ark was captured.

From this we clearly see how insolently the hardened enemies of God conduct themselves — they cannot boast without sinning against God's glory and majesty, which they would obscure, and indeed seize if they could. I grant they do not openly profess this; but if one carefully examines the lives of individual unbelievers, he will find in practice that they are never puffed up with ambition and pride without detracting just as much from God's glory and honor, exalting themselves at His expense.

The Gittites, as was said, eagerly received the ark into their city, paying no attention to the plagues by which God had already shown Himself to be feared. Their minds were blinded; though struck, beaten, and killed, they never rose to recognize the hand of God. But in Gath the same disaster fell upon them as had overtaken the Ashdodites. If the Gittites had wanted to argue with the Ashdodites about retaining the ark, could they not have rightly pushed back and said: Why did you not keep the ark, Ashdodites? Why do you now thrust it upon us against our will? For the reason for the ark's dismissal was plain to see — the hard hand of the God of Israel against them and against their god Dagon. Could not the Gittites therefore rightly have concluded that the ark would always retain its power against those who refused to embrace the religion of the Israelites and the worship due to God? They should have learned wisdom from another's danger. But their eyes merely grazed the surface of things — they looked as through a lattice, glancing briefly at what they should have thought about deeply. They imagined some kind of good fortune and believed they had secured a successful future for themselves and their descendants by receiving the ark of the covenant within their walls.

But we, for whom these examples are set forth, ought to be attentive to the judgments of God we see all around us — lest we imitate those fools who only learn from being struck themselves. Therefore let us not wait until God Himself strikes us, but when even a spark of His fury flashes forth, let us take it as a warning and correction for ourselves. Let us know that when God punishes some nation or people, we are being instructed and roused — so that we may meet His judgments in time and hold firmly that our sins will not go unpunished unless we repent. And if we follow the Gittites in their proud example — who by their arrogance wished to mock the God of Israel, even if they did not say so in words — we will surely learn at our own peril what it means to fall into the hands of God.

Wherever that ark of the covenant was, the hand of God was certainly present there as well. By the hand of God, His virtue and power are signified, as is clear throughout the Scriptures, where the expression frequently appears. That hand of God fell most heavily upon the Gittites, and they were struck with the same punishments as the Ashdodites — namely tumors or hemorrhoids. Through this they learned by experience how imprudent they had been to receive the ark of God within their walls, since they were not turning to Him in faith and repentance.

From this it becomes clear, and we must carefully consider, how truly the prophet sang in two places: The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice, let many regions be glad. The Lord reigns, let the peoples tremble; He who sits enthroned above the cherubim reigns, let the earth shake. At first glance certain things here seem to contradict each other, for they are opposites — to rejoice and to tremble and shake. But they harmonize beautifully, depending on how differently people are disposed toward God. For if God reigns in such a way that we acknowledge His reign and render Him the honor He deserves — testifying by our lives that we wish to be numbered among His people and to rejoice in that king — then we have great reason for joy. For God reigns not so much for His own sake as for our salvation. It is certainly true that God is supremely zealous for His glory, which He commands us to place above all things. But when by our sins we provoke His wrath and stubbornly turn away from His commandments, then He reigns not to bring us joy but to make us tremble and shudder at falling into His hands.

Why does God establish His kingdom among people, if not to reign and rule for our benefit and advantage — so that we may not perish eternally under a curse? The condition of those who withdraw from His rule is surely the most wretched, as the whole record of history testifies. So when God does not reign over us and we do not render Him the obedience He deserves, what remains but the dread of the terrible punishments by which the defiant are broken? But when God reigns and we depend on His will — how great a reason for joy He gives us! So great that we cannot even grasp it with our senses.

But the earth is said to shake. Why? Because those who refuse to submit to God and compose themselves for His obedience, when they feel His majesty, rightly shudder and fear Him as judge — Him whom they were unwilling to worship as Father and serve. This is why, when God reigns, the earth must be shaken and tremble: because unbelievers do not acknowledge the clemency of God, by which He is ready to win them over and receive them into His protection. On the contrary, those who reverence God's majesty and willingly submit themselves to Him should rejoice and exult.

Therefore, since the Gittites are here shown to have learned at their own peril the cost of receiving the ark of God into their city, let us know that we can have security and peace of mind — all fear set aside — only if we acknowledge God as our Savior, whose presence will be a blessing to us, provided we so receive Him within us that we surrender ourselves entirely to His will and serve Him from the heart.

I grant that in this world those who abuse God's patience and obscure His glory are not always struck with open punishment. Nevertheless, this must be deeply fixed in our minds: God's vengeance is indeed slow in coming, but no length of time, however great, will allow the defiant to escape it — He compensates for the delay by the severity of the punishment. Punishment is therefore deferred, not abolished, according to His hidden purpose. In this world God's judgments are not executed in full, but it is enough that examples and signs are set before us from time to time, from which we may learn to fear that final judgment that will come when our Lord Jesus Christ appears as avenger and judge. Therefore, although God tolerates the wicked for a time and as it were overlooks their crimes — not avenging them immediately — He does not therefore pardon or forget, but at last exacts the most severe punishments. As the apostle teaches: such as the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah received — not only that physical fire by which those cities were burned, but eternal fire, reserved for all despisers of God for that day. So the temporal punishments by which the people of Gath and others were struck serve as an example of God's judgment hanging over all who do not humble themselves under His mighty hand — which they will find opposing them, and with even greater horror the closer it approaches. What then will become of the papists, among whom God has been held captive, as it were, for so long? Hypocrites have falsely boasted the name of God and falsely gloried in the name of Jesus Christ. Was not the name of God polluted by them, when according to their own desires they erected idols and invented new forms of worship for Him? What kind of worship was it — masses dedicated to the Virgin Mary, to St. Catherine, to St. Barbara — worship of God in which God received no mention? Why do they pass off the rites of idols as the worship of God? Baptism among them was defiled with many ceremonies; the Lord's Supper was entirely abolished, and in its place that monstrous abomination of the mass was substituted. Who would not rightly say that God was held captive among the papists, whom they mocked so impiously — who, falsely professing faith, law, and Christianity while polluting the sacraments, turned the temple of God into a pigsty, or rather into a foul brothel? Many calamities have come upon this world, and they will undoubtedly be held against those on the last day who were not only not taught and corrected by them, but who on the contrary hardened themselves further in wickedness. They will feel their shame and be utterly without excuse — even though God did not punish them as openly as He once punished the Philistines. Whatever the case, it is certain that those who have abused God's name will not bear their sacrileges unpunished — and their condition would be far better if God punished them immediately rather than deferring the vengeance they have brought upon themselves and cannot escape. For when God defers punishment, people are accustomed to abuse His patience. Therefore, even though God does not at present avenge idolaters and unbelievers, let us not cease to walk in His fear and worship Him sincerely. Let us not wait until He comes against us with an armed hand; and even if we have passed through life without punishment, let us not congratulate ourselves as if we were in a better position — let us rather know that our condition has been made worse, since the slowness of God's judgments is compensated by their severity.

Let that suffice concerning the people of Gath. Let us move on to what follows, from which we learn that they, having recognized their error through affliction, thought about their situation and sought a remedy. Having convened another council of the Philistines, they decreed that the ark should be sent to Ekron. The Ekronites, taught by the misfortunes of the people of Gath, are said to have cried out and complained that the ark of the God of Israel had been brought to kill them along with their people. And so they received the ark not without mourning and wailing, fearing it would be as destructive to them as it had been to the people of Gath. We shall see next what was decreed by the common council when the rulers of the Philistines observed that the captive ark was devastating to the whole people. Meanwhile, we should observe here a fault we commonly see in deliberations and councils: each person looks after his own interests, caring little about harm to another. The princes of the Philistines deliberated about sending the ark to one of their cities, and they chose Ekron. But it is likely that the Ekronites were not present at this council to speak up for their citizens — and so when they saw the ark of God had come to Ekron, they cried out: They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people. They saw the decree fulfilled before they had even heard of it. From this we easily gather that the Philistines wanted to make a further test of what would happen with the ark if it changed location and was taken to another city. From this history the character of all people becomes apparent: they are most attentive to their own advantage and to guarding against any dangers to themselves; but if it concerns a neighbor's affair and involves some loss, they do not even want to touch it — so clever are they at pursuing their own interests even at their neighbors' expense. These have been the ways of people in every age, but that does not excuse them. Therefore in all deliberations and councils this must be observed: that fairness be maintained, and that no one suffer harm or disgrace from them. Our advantage is not advanced by our neighbor's disadvantage. And so if we have sharp eyes for our own benefit, Christian duty commands us to look after our neighbor's affairs with those same eyes, just as Paul commands us to serve one another in love.

The complaint of the Ekronites shows us that unbelievers — though they do not feel God's power as quickly as they should — are eventually brought by repeated blows to some knowledge of Him, which was by no means true of the Ashdodites at first. If the ark had been brought to the Ekronites first, they would perhaps have rejoiced as if in a special privilege and swelled with pride over such a monument of victory over the Israelites. But now, since both the Ashdodites and the Gittites had already suffered, the Ekronites are being forced to face what is coming to them — and they fear receiving the ark among them. God meanwhile continues to discipline them, since they did not revere His majesty as was fitting. This is the purpose of repeated divine discipline: that by repeating them, God may bring us to an awareness and acknowledgment of our sins — which at a lighter blow we either sleep through or receive with dull ears. This is why it is not at all surprising that God sends heavier punishments, just as He once threatened through Moses: But if you walk carelessly with Me and are not willing to listen and obey Me, then I will add against you a sevenfold plague according to your sins. Yet even those wretched people who acknowledge God as judge do not all derive from that knowledge the benefit they should. For the reprobate would gladly send God far from themselves. Let us therefore acknowledge the remarkable grace of God when we are brought to an acknowledgment of sins through affliction, since those afflictions are sent by God the avenger to correct us — provided we flee to Him and pray that He fulfill the role of physician, healing the wounds He Himself inflicted and not allowing what He has given to become harmful to us. These things are to be learned from the example of the Ekronites: those wicked people, though they sensed God's judgments, did not return to a better way of life. For they said: They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people. Indeed, since they confessed the God of the Israelites, if only they had had the same faith as the true Israelites, they would have gone much further — at least to seeking from them the way of salvation. If the Ekronites had done this, they would have fulfilled the prophet's words: We have come into the sanctuary of God — for they would have joined themselves with those who from all time had been members of God's church. But when they name the God of Israel, they do so with indignation and anger, as if to say: We want nothing to do with that God. Meanwhile they shudder at His plagues, yet do not acknowledge that the God who strikes is the all-powerful God under whose authority every created thing must submit, even against its will. From this it becomes evident that the wicked and despisers of God's majesty are often compelled to praise His majesty with certain words and confess His justice and power — yet they never reach the point of willingly submitting to Him; rather, they leave no stone unturned to shake off His yoke. We, however, should be all the more moved by these examples — so that the heavier the punishments God sends, the closer we draw to Him, taking refuge under the shadow of His wings. For if we hope to escape His hand and seek protection elsewhere, we shall find His arm long enough to pursue us even into the deepest abyss, as the prophet says: Your knowledge is too wonderful for me to evade; it is lofty, I cannot prevail against it. Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your face? Therefore this must be fixed deeply in our minds: the further we try to flee from the Lord's sight, the more God will pursue us, and the heavier we will find His hand. Let us therefore know that we must flee to the shelter of His wings, to which He Himself invites us, promising His favor and protection to those whom He has redeemed from death and claimed for Himself. Let us not doubt that all things will work together for our good and salvation.

So much for the confession that God wrested from the Ekronites — that the hand of the God of Israel was dreadful and harsh against them. Let us move on to their rightful complaint against their countrymen for bringing the ark of God to them to kill them and their people. But they did not change their minds for the better; and whatever fear invaded them, they did not acknowledge their former error and turn from it. They are therefore rightly found guilty of stubbornness before God, because — taught by so many testimonies of His infinite power — they nonetheless persist stubbornly in ignorance, and are so blinded that they rush toward madness rather than composing themselves in obedience to God after recognizing their error. For how clearly and magnificently God had revealed their error and gross ignorance! Since they refused to acknowledge as God the one whose infinite power was known to them from so many clear and unmistakable testimonies — until they finally experienced His supreme power at their own peril — there certainly remains no room for the excuse of ignorance, as anyone can easily see.

Let us proceed to what follows, where it is said that they sent and gathered all the rulers of the Philistines and said: Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its place, lest it kill us and our people. For the terror of death was in every city, and the hand of God was very heavy. By these words we are taught that the Ekronites were compelled to send back the ark — or that, after being first struck with terror, they somewhat relaxed their fear and ceased to dread such evils. This is generally the way of unbelievers, as we taught before: sometimes they are seized by a kind of frenzy, sometimes they are lulled by lethargy — and like frenzied people, they violently toss themselves this way and that. Nevertheless, they must finally feel the hand of God the avenger pursuing them, until they are utterly brought down. We see the same thing here with the Ekronites: they knew God's hand had been hostile and destructive to their countrymen, they feared destruction for themselves and their people, and they refused to admit the ark of the God of Israel into their city — the God whom they rejected as king, Father, and Savior. And yet, knowing all this, they admitted the very ark they had previously feared. We see from this that they were not firm in their resolve. From this we learn that one must never stubbornly persist in a bad decision, which would otherwise prove most disastrous for the one who followed it. But when from God's Word and His revealed will we have learned what promotes His glory and what is useful for our salvation, let us never allow ourselves to be torn from it as long as life remains. Often a scruple pricks our mind, but we do not allow it to linger when we are deciding what to do or leave undone. But what good does that injected scruple do us except to condemn us all the more — especially when God Himself prods us, piercing into the deepest secrets of the heart and striking, as it were, with a scalpel, so that we may learn not to offend Him further?

Enough about the Ekronites, whose wailing is here said to have ascended to heaven. By these words an enormous outcry is described — the whole air resounding with it — so that each of the Philistines would be without excuse, since such a clear proclamation had been of no use to them. When the Ekronites filled heaven with their groaning and their lamentations shook the very air, yet their countrymen cared little for these things — or if moved by some fear and horror, were only hardened further in idolatry, sending the living God far from themselves — they stand guilty before the Lord of the utmost stubbornness, with all the elements as witnesses. But let us learn, upon hearing the cries and wailings of those bearing the weight of God's judgments, to regard them as exhortations and warnings — as though God Himself were calling us through them to a better mind — and let us utterly dread the severity of God's judgments. For unless we are moved to beg God's pardon for our sins, it is certain that the cries and wailings of others will only increase our guilt and condemnation, because we did not give way to His warnings but offered deaf ears. Although unbelievers cannot teach others by their wailings, we ought to learn wisdom from their example, think seriously about ourselves and our sins, and not harden ourselves in them. Conversely, let us not imitate the Ekronites, who filled heaven with their cries while their hearts remained alienated from God — so that as the ark of God draws nearer to us, we also draw near to Him with our hearts. We ought to draw nearer to God when He acts as judge in disciplining us. What then should be done when God multiplies His blows? Surely we must cry out to Him, as Scripture often shows God's people and children doing — raising their cry to God so that it might penetrate the heavens. But not with the kind of cry the Ekronites used. Unbelievers send forth their voice like brute animals, so that the whole air fills and resounds — but in vain and without fruit. We, by contrast, drawing near to God to seek His help, must know that this is the remedy prepared for us: to redouble our groaning — not murmuring against Him or bringing charges against Him, but confessing our sins and acknowledging that we are justly punished by Him. Let us know that afflictions will then be healing to us, and that we will be freed and relieved from them, provided we seek Him as the faithful ought — with true faith and repentance — and rest in Him alone.

Moreover, come, etc.