God Compared to a Moth

    GOD COMPARED TO A MOTH

    "I will be unto Ephraim as a Moth" Ho 5:12.

    THAT we may understand the nature and quality of this little creature, and the reason of the comparison, the parallel following is offered, with a practical application. The scope of the text is a denunciation of a strange judgment, which shall corrode and consume them; the cause and ground of which is delivered in the preceding verses, viz., because they have resisted the commands of God, and followed the wicked commands of Jeroboam, and his princes: "Therefore, saith God, I will be unto Ephraim as a Moth."

    Observe. That God, in bringing judgments and miseries upon a rebellious people, will be as a Moth. And in what respects take as followeth.

    SIMILE

    I. A Moth is a creature that corrodes or devours exceedingly, whatever garment or cloth it doth seize upon, and makes it good for very little.

    PARALLEL

    I. God, when he breaks forth upon a people or nations in a way of judgment and wrath, destroys and makes all desolate therein. "Behold therefore, I will stretch out my hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen, and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish: I will destroy thee, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord," Eze 25:7.

    SIMILE

    II. A Moth will not only eat woollen cloth, and garments of a low price, but those that are very rich, yea, costly velvets, as experience shows.

    PARALLEL

    II. God, when he comes forth to spoil a people or nation for their sins, will not spare the rich more than the poor, the king more than the peasant: all must expect to taste alike of the same cup. As they have sinned together, they must all suffer together.

    SIMILE

    III. A Moth comes not upon such cloth and garments, as are carefully and wisely kept from dust and filth: and therefore those writers,[1] that mention the hurtful nature of this creature, advise to cleanse, and keep such things as are subject to this creature from all dust and filth whatsoever, and then they need not fear the Moth; and describe the ways and means, how it may be done.

    [1] Topsal. Hist, of four-footed beasts, p. 1100, 1101.

    PARALLEL

    III. God will not come upon a holy and godly people and nation, to spoil and destroy like a Moth, those that labour to keep themselves pure and clean from the dust, and filth of sin, and the corruptions of this world; such need not fear, that God will be as a Moth to them.

    SIMILE

    IV. A Moth eats and devours garments secretly; you may not quickly spy him out; he makes no noise of his coming; you cannot tell whether it be got into your cloth or garments, or not, at first.

    PARALLEL

    IV. God sometimes comes secretly upon a people, in a way of wrath; he surprizes them on a sudden, comes on them, as travail upon a woman with child. They have thought themselves safe from danger and suddenly dreadful confusion breaketh out against them: peace may be in the night, but horror in the morning.

    SIMILE

    V. A Moth eats and spoils by degrees: it doth not consume and spoil a garment all at once, but by little and little, till it is quite spoiled, and good for nothing.

    PARALLEL

    V. God goes on also in bringing ruin on a people or nation by degrees. He doth it gradually many times; as in that of Amos, touching Israel: "I have given you cleanness of teeth in all your dwellings, and want of bread in all your places." Ay, but this wrought no reformation; therefore he takes another step, and proceeds yet further: "I have withholden the rain from you, yet have ye not returned unto me," &c. But this would not do neither; he therefore goes on with another gradation: "I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens, vineyards, and your fig-trees, and your olive-trees increased, the palmer-worm devoured them: yet have you not returned unto me, saith the Lord. Therefore he brought upon them the pestilence after the manner of Egypt; and overthrew some of them as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah," Am 4:6,11. And thus he went on step by step, till he like a Moth destroyed them utterly.

    SIMILE

    VI. A Moth corrupts and destroys insensibly. These worms, saith Mr. Topsall, when they have by degrees insensibly eat off the outmost superficies of the cloth, then they eat up the inward part, and so insinuate themselves into the middle substance of it; and those that search never so well for them, can hardly find them. A man may think his cloth or garment is good, by the outward view of it; yet when he looks and proves it thoroughly, he will find it full of holes, and good for little.

    PARALLEL

    VI. God lets out his wrath and displeasure so insensibly, that sinners perceive it not a long time; yet they decay, and grow weak, and their beauty, strength, and glory falls off: they seem outwardly amiable and in a good condition, and say with Sampson, (when his locks were cut off, and his strength gone) I will rise up as at other times; but quickly find themselves another people, and that God has forsaken them. And what an easy thing is it for any to overcome and destroy them? When the inward life and heart of a people is gone, they soon become a reproach and derision to their enemies; and yet all this while may not perceive the cause of their ruin, nor how God is a Moth unto them.

    Quest. But here possibly some may enquire, How is God said to be a Moth unto a people?

    Answ. In answer unto this question, take what Mr. Burroughs hath said, in his exposition on Hosea, page 478. Saith he,

    "First, God is a Moth in the spirits of a people: there is a secret way of God's wrath upon their spirits, which is not perceived. A nation grows weak and cowardly; now the weakness and cowardliness of a people that were once formidable, shows a judgment of God upon them. So it was in Israel, 2Ki 15., their governors did what they listed, they killed one another, and the people laid down quietly; one durst not complain of what was done.

    "2. Then a base sloth of spirit, which seizeth upon the hearts of men, dulness, a sordidness of spirit, minding low things, not regarding any worthy or honourable achievement. When people are thus, God is a Moth unto them.

    "3. When jealousies rise in the spirits of a people one against another, then God is as a Moth to them. As we know, a Moth in a garment makes the threads not hang firm and close together, but divides them one from another, by making holes in the cloth: even thus secret jealousies and divisions in a kingdom consume and destroy them.

    "4. Base compliance in men for their own ends, and falseness of spirits in the trust committed to them, especially those that are put in public places. When these things appear among a people, God may be said to be as a Moth unto them in their spirits.

    "Secondly, God may be as a Moth in men's councils.

    "As first, in their blindness, that they may not see the plots of their enemies. They know not their own advantages, nor how to improve the opportunity they have in their hands. They shall not hit upon right ways and means, to secure themselves from their impending dangers. There shall he perplexities and contradictions in their counsels, one counselling one way, others another way. They shall ensnare themselves, and be blasted in their own counsels. And all this while God doth not appear in an outward and hostile way against them, but there is a curse upon them; and thus the Lord is as a Moth unto them.

    "Thirdly, God is as a Moth to a people in their estates and commerce one with another. There shall be a decay of trade amongst them; they shall grow poorer and poorer, and no man knows how. They sow much, and bring in little; they earn wages, and put it into a bag with holes. There shall be a secret curse upon their tradings and estates, that no man can give a reason of it.

    "Fourthly, God is a Moth in the chief instruments made use of for public good. He takes away chief and worthy persons, and few take notice of it. One is removed one way, and some in another; and those that remain, either want abilities, or else they are treacherous. And if there be any wise and honest left, they are either blasted, or by one way or another, not in a capacity to do any good. And when it is thus with a kingdom, God may be said to be as a Moth unto them.

    "Fifthly, God may be said to be a Moth in the treasure and strength of a nation. There shall be a great charge upon the people, and much shall be gathered together, but none shall know how it is spent, it shall moulder away: So that every one shall complain of the burden, and what goeth from him; but no body almost can see what it comes to.

    "Sixthly, God is a Moth unto a people in their religion, (I mean, by suffering a secret curse to be upon them) so that their religion should be corrupted, and their wine mixed with water, their silver with dross.

    "That whilst they hoped to see religion more pure, and refined from popish mixtures, and other errors and corruptions, they shall in a spiritual way be invaded with greater darkness and confusion, and not well perceive the wrath and curse of God that is upon them, by being as a Moth in this respect unto them."

    INFERENCES.

    1. No people ought to think themselves secure, because God appears not presently in the height of his displeasure against them. He may let out his wrath in little things, (a Moth is a small thing) and proceeds but a little way; takes a step or two with them in a way of judgment, and then waits a while, to see what the effects are. He can by little things, in a secret and insensible way, spoil and utterly undo a nation, or a particular soul. There may be much poison in little drops; so the wrath of God may be upon thee like a Moth, in things that thou mindest not; for small and contemptible things, as lice and flies, proved a great plague unto the Egyptians.

    2. Our own filth and corruption within us breeds our trouble, and is the cause of our undoing. What is it that makes way for the Moth and rottenness to seize on wool or garments? Is it not the carelessness and negligence of persons, in not looking after them, and not making use of fit things to keep them clean, and prevent the danger that arises from this worm? The Moth (as naturalists tell us) breeds in the cloth; tak heed of inward filth and pollution: If you keep not your hearts by fit means clean, the Moth will come, and rottenness take hold on you.

    3. God is slow in wrath, he punishes by degrees; He exercises much patience, ere he destroys a people utterly; before he breaks forth as a lion or bear upon them, he is as a Moth.

    4. God hath secret judgments to execute upon a people, or particular person: If this was not so, why should he speak of his being "as a moth unto Ephraim?" Let us take heed of secret sins, lest God consume us by secret judgments.

    5. What a mean and inconsiderable creature is a man, yea, a kingdom, that so small a thing as a Moth is said to destroy and consume them? God in expressing himself thus to be as a Moth and rottenness, speaks with a kind of contempt against the pride of Ephraim and Judah: they were haughty and proud; but God, to abase and humble them, tells them, a worm as it were should spoil their beauty, and destroy them. It is said of man, "his foundation is in the dust, and he is crushed before the Moth," Job 4:19. Indeed, to be crushed before a lion is not so much; but that he should be eat up and devoured by a Moth, this shows what poor, weak, and feeble things, men and kingdoms are. What little reason is there for men to swell in pride, and high aspiring thoughts of themselves, when, alas! God is able to cause lice or worms to destroy them in a moment! yea, as weak and contemptible a thing as a Moth, God can externally or actually make use of to destroy (if he please) the greatest people in the world: be they never so proud and haughty, they are riot able to defend themselves from the smallest creature; a worm or Moth may consume them.

    6. We see how low God condescendeth (saith Mr. Burroughs) that he may express his meaning unto the children of men. It is a very strange expression, for the high, glorious, and dreadful God, whom the Angels themselves adore; yet for this God to say of himself, that he will be as a Moth and rottenness! durst any creature have brought God so low in expression, if we had it not in the word of God? Yet this high and glorious God condescendeth thus low, that he might express himself the better unto us, that we might understand his meaning.