Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous
sad,
&c.] By polluting the name of the Lord; by hunting and
decoying souls into their destructive nets; and by threatening
such who would not give heed to their superstitious rites, lying
divinations, and false prophecies: so false teachers make the
hearts of such sad, who, having seen the insufficiency of their
own righteousness, trust in the righteousness of Christ, and are
justified by it; by teaching such doctrines as depreciate the
love and grace of God the Father; making his love dependent on
the creature; his covenant conditional, and salvation to be by
works, and not by grace; as detract from the person, offices, and
grace of Christ; denying his deity and divine sonship; making
light of his blood, and setting up man's righteousness against
his: and such as are injurious to the Spirit's work; ascribing
regeneration and conversion to man's free will; giving such marks
and signs of grace as are not to be found in any, and
representing it as what may be entirely lost: whom I have
not made sad;
nor would he have them made sad by others; neither by false
prophets and their lies, nor by any other means; neither by
anything within them, nor anything without them; not by any or
all of their spiritual enemies: he would have them comforted; the
covenant of grace, and the promises of it, are made for such a
purpose; the Scriptures are written for this use; ordinances are
designed for this end; ministers are appointed for this work; and
this is the office of the divine Spirit; and the Son of God
himself was sent on this account: and strengthened the
hands of the wicked, that he should not return
from his wicked way;
by repentance and reformation; and so far were the wicked from
returning from it in this way, that they were emboldened in sin,
and hardened in it; and were more frequent and open in the
commission of it; and that through the prophecies of these false
prophetesses; as wicked men are by the doctrines of false
teachers: and particularly by promising him
life;
or that he should live long, and enjoy much peace and prosperity
in the land of Israel, and not be carried captive into Babylon;
and so false teachers harden men in sin, by giving them hopes of
eternal life, though they continue in their evil ways; or upon
the foot of universal redemption, and upon their repentance, as
the fruit of their own free will; and therefore take their swing
of sin, as believing that Christ died for all men, and so for
them, and therefore shall be saved, live as they will; and that
it is in their power to repent when they please, and therefore
procrastinate it to the last.