JOEL 2. 12, 13.
THe former part of the Chapter is very elegant and copious in describing a day of darkness, of thick darkness; that is, a day of Gods judgements, and his fierce anger. The Prophet is very Rhetorical and Metaphorical, in setting this judgement before their eyes. Some understand these Verses conjoyned together, of the Army of the Assyrians, or some other potent Enemy, that God would raise against the Israelites: But Piscator from Verse 25. doth probably gather, that this whole destruction in several Verses, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. is not to be applied to any Army of men and horses, but to that numerous company of Vermine, Locusts, Caterpillars and Cankerworns, that God sent among them to devour their fruit and corn; which the Prophet calls verse 25. Gods great Army; and indeed the Prophets phrase seemeth to conclude this; for saith he of this Army, verse 4. The appearance of them, is as the appearance of horsemen, and like the noise of chariots upon the mountains shall they leap: Thus God many times useth the vilest and most loathsom creatures, to punish the stoutest and most lofty men; for as they say of Gods providence and wisdom in making of the creatures, he is Maximus in minimis, the greatest in the least; so is he most dreadful and terrible, in the most contemptible instruments. It troubled Abimelech to be killed by a woman; & what a debasement was it to Pharaoh and Herod to be overmastered by Frogs and Lice? Oh how greatly is God to be feared! who hath thousands of invisible Armies, that he can raise to destroy those that oppose him. After the solemn and magnificent description of this dreadful judgement, the Prophet adviseth the Israelites, what is the duty God requireth of them, their case is not yet desperate. Caterpillars and Locusts are loathsom to them; let their sins be so, which are indeed the true Cankerworms that destroy their mercies: This judgement would make the earth and heavens to tremble, verse 10. let it work so upon their hearts. As God would punish them with the vilest of creatures, so let them be more vile in their own eyes, then monsters and beasts: If they would have God turn away his judgements, let them turn from their sins.
This Text I have chosen, because it containeth the term to which of our conversion: We have already handled the term from which, and that is Sin. Now the term to which is to be considered, and that is, God; so that in the words you have the preface to the duty, and the duty: The preface containeth the authority and divine command inforcing to it, Thus now saith the Lord; its the great God of heaven that requireth this, who by his word made heaven and earth, to whom the winds and seas obey; how much rather should man? Oh apply this to your hearts; Who is it but God that bids me turn from sin? its not the Minister so much, its not the Messenger or Ambassador so much that I refuse, as God himself; Is not his wisdom and his Soveraignty enough to command present obedience. 2. The duty; and there is 1. The duty it self, Turn ye, which is dispatched. 2. The term to which of this motion, Even unto God. 3. The maner, With your whole heart. 4. The effects, With fasting and mourning. 5. The form or nature of it, Rent your hearts and not your garments. 6. The motive to incourage, For God is gracious and merciful, &c.
We are in order to fix upon the term to which, and that is God. Turn ye even to God. Even to me, implieth, that a man may turn and turn, and yet not turn even to him; he falls short of this center, he cometh not to his journeys end: From whence Observe,
Observ. That it is not enough to turn from our sins, but we must turn even to God.
Its not enough to go out of Egypt, but we must enter into Canaan; its not1 enough to hate evil, but we must cleave to that which is good. Turn to me, even to me; let nothing else be the center, the end of your motion. This point is of great consequence; for hereby I shall discover the counterfeit conversions of many, And so set the true and counterfeit together; and not as in other Texts, handle the counterfeits separately by themselves. That it is not enough to turn from sin, unless we turn even to God, appeareth by that complaint, Hosea, 7. 16. They return, but not to the most high; they are like a deceitful bow. How do they return, but not to the most high? because they were diligent in fasting, humiliation, and the outward exercises of repentance, but still they were hypocrites in heart; and therefore proverbially compared to the broken bow, that seemeth, as it were, to send forth its arrow directly upon the mark, but the string breaking, it either falls on the ground, or flieth back on the face of the Archer; so they seemed by all their external duties, to aim at God, and eye him, but all fell upon themselves; they looked no further then to their own advantages. For opening of this, consider, how many ways men may turn from sin, and yet not to God. 2. What it is to turn even to God. And