Micah 6:6-8

This is that memorable passage in scripture which hath given rise to numberless opinions, both in the moral and religious world, and by the perversion of it, untaught by God the Holy Ghost, hath produced endless disputes among the carnal and worldly minded in all ages. I beg the Reader's indulgence on this account, to be somewhat more particular upon it than I otherwise should have done; and when I have finished, I shall leave the whole before him that he may form his own judgment; begging of him first, as I now do, to seek the light and instruction of that Almighty Spirit which is promised, and whose office it is to guide into all truth! And first I should observe, that some have thought that the enquiry, wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and the proposal of burnt offerings, and the like, is not from Israel, but from Balak. They that are of this opinion, conceive, that before Balak and Balaam parted, the former put such questions as in these verses, and Balaam gave the answer as in the eighth verse. And the reason such writers have assigned, is, that Israel never could be so ignorant as to ask, whether they should offer human sacrifices, as in the gift of their first born for the sin of their soul. But I confess that this kind of reasoning doth not appear satisfactory to me. We know that in the case of Israel, at the very time of Balaam's hiring himself to curse the people of God, that by the advice of that infamous enchanter, Moab got Israel, by means of their daughters, to join the Moabites in their sacrifices. See Numbers 25:1. Compared with Revelation 2:14. I cannot but think therefore, that the enquiry is not Balak, but Israel. And I humbly conceive that it corresponds to the anxious enquiry of every soul, when first brought under the awakening distress of his own heart concerning sin, and before God the Holy Ghost hath brought him savingly acquainted with the Lord Jesus Christ. Reader! let us accept the inquiry in this light; and now attend to the answer. He hath showed thee, O man, what is good. And what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? that is, say some, in every department of life to do the just, the honest, the upright part; to be merciful according to a man's ability, in acts of alms-giving, and the like; and to observe an humble reverence towards God. This, say they, is the sum and substance of all moral and religious obligations. But I bless God, that I have not so learned Christ. For on this presumption, the words of the Lord Jesus Christ would be inverted, and instead of making the love of God the first, and grand concern; and causing the second, which is the love of our neighbor, to arise out of it; the love of men in this sense would become the first, and the love of God the last, and least. And did men attend to the plain sense of scripture, and not the presumptuous reasoning of their own minds, they would discover that those acts here spoken of, in doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly, are expressly said to be with God, that is, with an eye to Him, and serving Him in all. And if we thus accept this memorable passage of scripture, and explain it under the terms of the Gospel, the sense of it will be as plain and obvious as need be. Reader! you and I shall indeed do justly with our God, if we confess that in ourselves, by reason of sin, we justly deserve his wrath and indignation, having broken all his righteous laws. We shall indeed love mercy, if the Lord Jesus Christ be the mercy we love, who is himself the mercy promised; (Luke 1:72.) and in his own person, blood, and righteousness, comprehends the whole of mercy and salvation. And we shall indeed walk humbly with our God, while from a daily sense of sin, and from feeling the workings of corruption within, we walk as those, who in the moment they seek mercy, constantly acknowledge their total undeservings of it. This is indeed to walk humbly with our God, when we make a free and full confession of all sin, and subscribe as fully and freely to the rights of God's justice. It is called in scripture, accepting the punishment of our iniquity. See Leviticus 26:40. And it is also said to be justifying the divine government, in condemning ourselves. So did David. Psalms 51:4. If, to the anxious inquiry in this memorable passage, we thus interpret scripture, according to the teaching of God the Holy Ghost. See John 16:8. And under the humblings of the soul we do the first act of justice to the first of Beings, in acknowledging ourselves to be virtually nothing but sin; and in the consciousness of this most unquestionable truth, we so love mercy, as to accept on our bended knees in transports of rejoicing, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the whole of our salvation; then will follow all the blessed effects in walking humbly with God, and in love, justice, and charity with men. But to suppose that this blessed passage of scripture refers only, or even principally to the second branch of duties, while overlooking, or only slightly regarding the first, is, according to my views of the word of God, sadly perverting the whole purport of scripture. May the Lord be the teacher of him that writes, and him that reads, that to both may be given a right understanding in all things. Amen.