CHAP. VIII.
Now how a Man may be said to be brought down, and shall speak out of the Ground, and their Speech shall be low out of the Dust: The Meaning is, when a particular Man or Woman, or a People or Nation, be in the same Distress and Condition as KingSaulwas; that is, in Danger of loosing his Crown and Kingdom, his natural Life; and not only so, but his Soul is tormented with the Fear of eternal Death; this maketh the Heart of Man to melt in him; it makes his Speech to grow weak and feeble, so that his Speech can hardly be heard; it is even as if a Man did speak out of Death, or out of the Ground.
A Man with the Extremity of outward and inward Trouble, he becomes Speechless, yet he speaks in his Thoughts, but so low, that none that stands by can hear or tell what he saith. This many can experience, that have seen their Friend or Relation in this Condition; this is like speaking out of the Ground, and low out of the Dust. And the Voice of every such troubled Soul, who hath the Plagues of this Life, and the Horror of Conscience as to the Life to come, as KingSaulhad the Voice such People have, is as one that hath a Familiar Spirit out of the Ground, and their Speech shall be as if one did whisper out of the Dust.
This Place of Scripture hath the same Meaning as the Place before-mentioned,Isa.viii. 19. where such as KingSaulwas, are bade to seek unto them that have Familiar Spirits, and unto Wizards, that peep and mutter, (that is) that whisper out of the Ground; for whisper, peep, and mutter, signifies all one Thing.
These Things didManasseh, 2Kingsxxi. 6. he dealt with Familiar Spirits, and did great Abominations; he made his Sons to pass thorough the Fire, in offering them up a Sacrifice to an unknown Devil, which he thought was God; and this he did by the Whisperings of the Familiar Spirit within him, and being acquainted with others, who were known to have Familiar Spirits also. And so did several other Kings ofIsraeldeal with Familiar Spirits, and had those low whispering Voices in themselves, as if Spirits had risen out of the Ground, or from the Dust to speak unto them; and this they did attain unto by Industry, in that they forsook the Words of the Prophets, and would not hearken unto them, but gave themselves up to follow the Imaginations of their own Hearts; imagining they might as well know God, and what Worship would please God as well as the Prophets; therefore why should we, being Kings, hearken unto such mean inferiour Men as these? May not we by our Familiar Spirit as well know God, and what Worship will please him by our Familiar Spirit, as the Prophets do by the Spirit of Prophecy? Why should we be in such Bondage, that we can do nothing but what they say, the Lord commands us to do? So the Imagination saith, Come, we will not be tied up thus; we will see what our Familiar Spirit begotten in us will do; we will erect and build Altars in several Places, and sacrifice Bullocks and Lambs to an unknown God; and so by this Means they procure in themselves low motional Voices, which whisper in themselves, which becomes in them a Familiar Spirit, is produced in themselves: And there is a more Increase of low motional Voices, which doth whisper in the Mind,moving them to a further Degree of Knowledge, and endeavour after more Voices, so that to attain to this diabolical Wisdom in a more high Measure. They are moved by this low Voice within them to offer up their own Children in Sacrifices to their imaginary God, which they believe is an invisible Spirit without a Body, which reveals these Things unto them, and whispers and speaks those Voices unto them.
They count nothing too dear for this their imaginary God, no not their own Sons and Daughters, asManassehand others did, that made their Sons and Daughters pass through the Fire as a Sacrifice to their imaginary God, that had spoke so many Voices to them, and had whispered to them.
But all these Whisperings and low Voices, and peeping of Spirits out of the Ground, as they thought, I say, they were all within them; for when they came in any Trouble, their Familiar Spirit departs from them, and will not comfort them any more, let it be either in Poor or Rich, nay, Kings that have dealt with Familiar Spirits, when they have been in Trouble, all their comfort hath been lost, as the poorest Witch that is, as may be seen byManassehand other King spoken of in the Scripture.
Now observe, when God doth bring upon a People, Nation, or particular Person, some great Judgment and Destruction, let it be either outward or inward in the Mind, when it comes upon a People, Nation, or particular Person, for their Sins and Wickedness they have committed, in forsaking the Lord's Prophets, and dealing with Witches and Familiar Spirits; asSaulforsook the Lord and went to a Witch, andManasseh, and several other Kings ofIsrael, who ought only to have obeyed the Prophets of the Lord; but they forsook him, and enquired of Witches and Wizards, and dealt with Familiar Spirits themselves, and caused the People to worship the Devil (whom they imagined to be God) instead of the true God, whom the Prophets would have had them to worship.
But when this Punishment for Sin is inflicted upon a People, Nation, or particular Person, for dealing with Familiar Spirits, and worshipping of Devils; when Punishment comes, it makes the Heart or Hearts to fail, for the Spirit is brought down by this Judgment even to Death, and so goeth to the Ground; so that the very Fear, Trouble, and Sorrow of Heart, shall speak as it were out of the Dust, or out of Death; for Sin will speak out of the Ground, and the Speech of Death will be low in them that have escaped the Destruction which others did go through; for there will be a Resemblance in those that have escaped, how their Friends and Relations are fallento the Ground or Dust of the Earth for their Wickedness, so that Sorrow and Grief will speak in the Mind of those that have escaped with a low Speech, even as one doth who hath a Familiar Spirit. Or as if their Friends and Relations, the Remembrance of their Destruction being taken away in Wrath for Sin, it speaks a small low Voice of Grief and Sorrow in the Heart of those that are alive, even as one that hath a Familiar Spirit, even a low motional Voice of Sorrow and Grief, and it cometh as it were out of the Ground, or out of the Dust.
That is the very Influence of Grief and Sorrow, for their dead Friends and People; it causeth, where Grief is, to hear as it were low Voices and small Speeches, even out of the Ground or out of the Dust of the Earth: Just as it was withCainin another Case, the Lord said toCain,Thy Brother's Blood crieth from the Ground for Vengeance; and so the Blood of those that were slain under the Altar didfrom the Ground cry for Vengeance, as inRev.vi. 10. it crieth for Vengeance in the Consciences of all bloody Persecutors. So in like Manner doth the Death and Destruction of a People, who are destroyed for wicked Idolatry, as those were the ProphetIsaiahspeaketh of, they spake from the Ground a low Speech in the Conscience of those that were concerned, Grief, Sorrow, and Fear of the same Punishment, and such like.