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It is a question hard to determine, whether the greatness of God, or the condescendency of God, be the greater mystery. The day may be approaching when ye shall meet with these six silent things from God.

1. Silent rods, when ye shall not know nor understand the language of them.

2. A silent God. When ye shall cry to Him, and He shall not hear you.

3. Silent and dumb ordinances, which shall not speak to you.

4. Silent mercies, so that all the good things He doth unto you, ye shall not know their language.

5. The sad lot of a silent conscience.

6. Silent commands, threatenings, and promises; that is, ye shall never know what the commands call for, or the threatenings or the promises. The prophet accuses the people of neglect of duties which were lying at their door. In this verse we have the scope of it, which is this, — showing file people that the Lord would send a more sharp message, if they will not obey. Three things from the scope, before we come to the first thing in the words —

1. The slighting of known duties is the forerunner of some sad and lamentable stroke from the Lord. Note some aggravations of the sin of slighting known duties.

(1) When a person slights duty, after the sinfulness of that sin hath been discovered to him.

(2) When a person slights known duties, after God hath been discovering discontent with another person for that sin.

(3) After God hath begun to contend with them for so doing.

(4) Upon very small temptations.

(5) When persons do not as much as set about the well-doing of them.

(6) After God hath commended the beauty and excellency of such duties.

(7) Afar they have been convinced of the advantage which waits upon the doing of them.

(8) With very little resentment and grief of heart.

2. Some considerations to press you to the exercise of these duties.

(1) It is the Christian who practiseth, not who knoweth, to whom the promises are made.

(2) The Christian that is taken up in practising, and not the knowing Christian, is blessed. The blessed Christian is he who knoweth his duty, and doeth it.

(3) The practising, not the knowing, Christian is approven and commended of God.

(4) Not the knowledge, but the practice of Christian duties will give peace to the conscience.

(5) It is by the practice, not the knowledge of your duty, that you rise up in conformity with God.

3. Six things concerning known duties.

(1) Many persons are more desirous to know what they should do, than to do what they know.

(2) The question which shall be proposed to you in the great and notable day of the Lord, will be, "O man, what didst thou?"(3) A grain weight of sincerity and practice is worth a talent of knowledge.

(4) The slighting of known duties hath many sad disadvantages waiting upon it. It makes Christians weary of duties. It brings on much hardness and stupidity of heart. It either mars the peace of conscience, or it hardens the conscience, or it lulls the conscience asleep. And the Christian who slights duty is likely to become exceeding formal in the duty he does.

(5) The slighting of known duty is the first step of the sin against the Holy Ghost.

I. GOD HATH MANY WAYS IN PRESSING PEOPLE TO THEIR DUTIES. Voice.

1. The voice of threatenings.

2. Of sad afflicting dispensations.

3. Of the promises.

4. Of all the mercies that we meet with.

5. Of our consciences.

6. Of public ordinances.There are seven steps of judgment, which are likely to overtake us, if we hearken not to His voice,

1. God shall slight the voice of the disobeyers when they cry to Him.

2. At last God will speak no more to them.

3. God will draw His sword out of the sheath, and not replace it.

4. He will deliver us into the hand of the slayer.

5. He will cease to have correspondence with us any more.

6. He will purge us no more.

7. We shall be let alone, left alone in our sin.

II. GOD HATH MANY RODS TO USE IN PUNISHING THOSE WHO SLIGHT THEIR DUTIES.

1. The rod of His mouth.

2. The rod of His hand; or afflictions and crosses,

3. The iron rod of destruction, when God doth utterly destroy.Some will not take and make use of these threatenings, because they mistake what is their meaning; or they are in ignorance of their own condition.

(A. Gray.)

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KJV: The LORD'S voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.

WEB: Yahweh's voice calls to the city, and wisdom sees your name: "Listen to the rod, and he who appointed it.