To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
They made some very desperately, and God might well say, I knew not them: but God speaks of them all, not only of those, but even of Jeroboam himself, and Jehu, though they were in some regard set up by God, yet saith God, I knew it not; that is, I approve it not, I approved it not in that way they did it,* 1.1 I let them alone in their way
and let them go on; as if God should say, I neither did nor will take Cognizance of what they do to bless them in it: When we seek not God for a mercy, when we enjoy it, God will not so much as own it to be His.
The Seventy translate the words,* 1.2 They have not made it known to me. When we ask not Gods mind and seek not a mercy from God▪ we do as if we would get it without Gods knowledg; we must tell God what we would have before we presume to take it, and by this means we may go to God with more comfort (if we meet with straights) for help and direction; whereas otherwise, whatsoever straights we meet with, if we should seek to God to help us in such a business, God would say, I knew nothing of it, you undertook it without me, and you must shift in it; but now look to it as you can, sink or swim I will have nothing to do with it. We use to put off men in this man∣ner that have any reference to us, if they will go and un∣dertake a business of their own heads, and if they come to any straights and then they should come for our help, Nay, as you underrook it without me so go on without me. So now I make no question but many thousands of the Servants of God in this great business of the State where they meet with so many difficulties, they can go to God and say, Lord, we did advise with thee, and we under∣took this in obedience to thee, and now, Lord, help us in our straights; Oh! it is a comfortable thing for to have the use of our seeking God when we meet with straights in a business.
And I knew it not.] Further there are these two Notes from this.
First, God knows how to make use of mens sins, they sin'd and yet God brought about His own ends by it.
Secondly, Many things are done in a sinful way, and yet God suffers them to prosper a long time: even this Kingdom of Isra∣el that was thus set up without God did prosper outward∣ly for 200. yeers together, therefore this is no argu∣ment
of Gods owning a business because it prospers, it is but as a Cipher, ad a figure to it indeed then it will make somewhat, if you can warrant it is Gods Work then you may when it prospers have comfort. It follows.
Text para∣phrased.
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.