be look'd upon as great things the things of Gods Word That 's the first And then especially The things that concern Gods Worship are to be look'd upon as great things for so it hath reference to them but the expression aims at that which is more general the great things of my Law the honorable magnificent and glorious things Now the things of the Law are great things First Because they are from the great God and they have the stamp of the Authority of the great God upon them there is a dreadful Authority in every Truth in every thing that is written in Gods Law I say there is a dreadful Authority of the great God that binds Kings and Princes in chains that laies bonds upon the conscience that no created power can yet this doth when we come to hear the Word we come either as to a Soveraign to receive Laws from or as to a Judg to receive the sentence of death it hath the dreadful Authority of the great God in it and therefore every thing that is in the Word is to be look'd upon as a great thing a piece of Parchment and a little Wax and a few Lines in it what are they but having the Authority of the great Seal of England such a piece is to be look'd upon as a great thing The things of Gods Law are great things for they have great Authority which goes along with them And Secondly They are great things because of the lustre of the great God that shines in them Take all the Creatures that ever God made in Heaven and Earth and I say there is not so much glory of God in Sun Moon Stars Sea and Plants and al things in the world as there is in some few sentences of holy Scripture therfore they are great things Psal 138. 2. Thou hast magnified thy Word above all thy Name The Name of God appears in his great work of Creation and of Providence We are to look upon Gods Name as very great yet thou hast magnified thy Word above all thy Name it 's more than al Gods Names besides It may be when there are some extraordinary works of God in the world Thundring and Lightning c. we are ready to be affraid and oh the great God that doth appear in these great works Were our hearts 〈◊〉 they ought to be when we reade the WORD we would tremble at that more than at any manifestation of God since the world began in all his Works and if so be thou dost not see more glory of God in his Word than in his Works it is because thou hast little light in thee and therfore let the world think of the things of Gods Law that are written as they wil yet they are the great things of his Law Thirdly They are the great Mysteries of Gods Will the great Counsels of God about the Souls of men about his way to honor Himself and to bring Mankind to Himself to Eternal life the great Counsels great Mysteries that are contained in the Word of God such as the Angels themselves do desire to pry into as in Prov. 8. 6. it is said of Wisdom Hear and I will speak of excellent things The Word of God speaks of excellent things right excellent things such great Mysteries of Gods Wisdom as should take up our thoughts yea and doth take up the Angels and shall take up the Angels and Saints to all Eternity to be prying into the great things which are revealed in Gods Word Psal 119. 27. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts so shall I talk of thy wondrous Works Mark how these are joyned together Make me to understand the way of thy precepts so shall I talk of thy wonderous works Why David couldest not thou see the wonderous works of God in the book of the creature in Heaven and Earth Oh no Make me to understand the way of thy precepts and then shall I talk of thy wonderous Works We many times talk about vain and slight things because we have nothing else to talk of but did we understand the way of Gods precepts we should be furnished with discourse of the wondrous works of God And then It 's a great WORD because that they are of great concernment The things of Gods Law are of great concernment for all our present good or evil depends upon the things of Gods Law Prov. 3. 22. They are life unto thy soul and grace unt◠〈◊〉 neck So saith Moses in Deut. 32. 46. Set your hearts unto all the words which I testifie unto you this day for it is not a vain thing it is your life they are of great concernment there 's a curse annexed to the breach of every thing in Gods Law Cursed be every one that abideth not in every thing that is written in the book of the Law Is it not a great matter then Certainly there is nothing in the Law that is to be look'd upon as a little matter because the Curse of God is annexed to the breath of every thing that is written in Gods Law and there we have the casting of our souls for eternity and is not that a great matter Did we come to hear the Word or did we reade the Word as the Word by which we must be cast for our eternal estates we would look upon it as a great Word Again The things are great things in Gods Law in regard of the great power and efficacy that they have upon the hearts and consciences of men when God sets home the things of his Law they will bring down the proudest heart and the stoutest stomach that is they will enlighten the blindest mind and convert the hardest heart that is in the world the Law hath a mighty power upon the soul and therefore it is great Further They are great things because they make all those great that do receive them they make them great even because they have but the keeping of them much more than if they receive them in Deut. 4. 8. What Nation is there so great that hath Statutes and Judgments so righteous as all this Law that I set before you this day What Nation so great as you are why wherein are we greater than other people Wherein In this What Nation is so great that hath Statutes and Judgments so righteous as all this Law which I set before you this day This was that which made the People of Israel a great Nation beyond all the Nations in the world they were not great in multitude but in that they had the Law of God and the great things of his Law revealed to them in this they became a great Nation The Lord honors a Nation highly but to reveal the things of His Law to them But how great then doth a soul come to be that doth imbrace those things that hath all those great and good things reveal'd in the Law made to it as its own priviledg Surely that soul
times doth not regard Eagles spirits those that sore aloft and fly on high but he doth receive Dove-like spirits such as are of meek and quiet spirits But he shall come as an Eagle swiftly that is upon the prey before it is aware Men flatter themselves when danger is at any distance from them if it be not just upon them then think themselves safe but God can bring evil suddenly and iresistably upon them In Isa 5. 26. He will lift up an Ensign to the Nations from far and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth and behold they shall come with speed swiftly Gualter upon this place applies it to the Turks coming into some part of Germany they were come on a sudden from the uttermost part of Europe yea from Asia and so Spain and Secily and Italy God to punish the contempt of the Gospel brought them suddenly upon them Howsoever the Lord hath delivered us hitherto from forreign Nations we think our selves secure because God hath put work enough into their hands for the present the Danes French Spaniards but how easily is it for the Lord in an instant when there is no fear of them at all to bring them swiftly Secondly All the swiftness and fierceness and quick-sightedness and spirit of an enemy is from the Lord If an enemy be swift in his course and quick-sighted and fierce and hath a strong spirit we are to attribute this from the Lord. Thirdly Wicked men in satisfying their rage and malice they are as Eagles much more should we be in our service we should not be slow if they be to satiâ—fie their rage as Eagles we should imitate them in this to be much more so in the service of God But it follows He shall come as an Eagle against the House of the Lord. Interpreters differ much about this Against the House of the Lord because Hosea prophesied against the ten Tribes therefore Luther and divers others think that this clause must be meant against Judah as if God threatning Israel should say do not you think to escape for the enemy shall come as an Eagle even against the house of the Lord. But we need not strain it so for it may be meant against the ten Tribes notwithstanding this expression upon this ground because they called that place the Eminent place where one of their Calves were set up they call'd it Bethel the House of God and so ironically here the houses of their Idols may be called the House of the Lord because they chose those Houses and Places instead of the House of the Lord. He will come against the House of the Lord that is against that which you account so But I think that is not satisfactory but rather this the Church of Israel though very corrupt yet before their actual devorce is call'd the House of the Lord so that from thence then the note is That God doth not presently cast away a Church so as to unchurch it though they may be guilty of many hainous sins Great sins do not ipso facto do not un-church a Church therefore there should be much patience before any do decline from a Church by way of renouncing it It is a high expression of the priviledg of a Church that it is the House of the Lord wheresoever there is any true Church yea though it be very corrupt But you will say What do you mean by a true Church I take it for the present nothing but this Any company of Saints in body to set up what Ordinance of God they know that 's a Church wheresoever it is and here God dwels here God keeps house and it is good keeping house with God He is worse than an Infidel that provides not for his own house certainly God will provide for his own House Moses was faithful in al the House of God that is in all the Church of God What then though thou dwellest in a poor Cottage so be it thou beest a Member of the Church of God if God give thee this blessing to dwell in his own House you are well enough In Psal 26. 8. Lord I have loved the habitation of thy House and the place where thine Honor dwelleth The Church is not only Gods House but the House wherein the Honor of God dwelleth Princes may have some houses where they may retire to for a time but they have some principal Houses to shew their magnificence and glory and such a house is the Church of God unto the Lord all then that are in the Church especially Officers must behave themselves and be faithful in the Church as in the House of God He will come against the House of the Lord. Though we be Gods House yet the enemies may be suffered to come upon us it will not serve us if we transgress the Covenant Joab was pluck'd from the horns of the Altar and so may we be pluck'd even out of the House of God Gods own House is no security to sin and wickedness It follows Because they have transgressed my Covenant God loves to cleer his Justice and to shew what the cause of the evil is that comes upon us he would have it cleerly charged upon our selves that we may not put it off to Gods Decree that we are predestinated to such and such evils but the Lord hath his time to charge all the evils that comes upon sinners upon themselves Thy destruction is of thy self the bond that is between God and his Church it is his Covenant and all the good or evil of a Church depends upon the Covenant and therefore it was the way alwaies of the people of God when they were far declined from God to return unto him by way of renewing Covenant in Psal 25. 10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to them that keep his Covenant and especially all our good now depends upon the Covenant more than formerly the good of the people of the Jews did because the Lord hath sealed the Covenant now with the blood of Jesus Christ actually which was not so then But for this expression we had it formerly and somewhat was spoken about the opening of the Covenant of the Jews and what kind of Covenant it was but yet not then fully opened and as then I said so still I look at it as a Point that will require a particular Exercise of its self And trespassed against my Law Saith Calvin upon the place further to covince them to shew that it was not through ignorance that they did transgress they could not say Lord what is thy Covenant for saith God I did make it known cleerly in my Law they had it plainly set out in my Law The Heathen can know the mind of God no otherwise but only by looking into the book of the Creature and there the mind of God is written but very darkly they can
further prove to be of great use to us never argue thus Why what hurt is there in it is it not very comely I cannot think but it may do a great deal of good these arguments are weak arguments in matters of Worship but to all these Arguments we must answer Is it written As Christ answered the Devil and his temptations it was enough to say it was written thus and thus So if you can but bring a word written against it and if you can put them unto it to shew what they would have you to do let them shew it where it is written in Exod. 39. we find in that chapter at least ten times it is said they did according to what the Lord had commanded Moses and in the conclusion of the chapter Moses blessed the people the people are blessed when in the matters of Worship they keep unto what is commanded And again As we must not make what we think the rule for worship so neither the Opinions of Learned men nor Custom nor Antâ—quity must be the rule of our Worship but what 's written I have written to them the great things of my Law they must keep to that whatsoever use we may make now of the Opinions of Antients and the like yet if the Antients themselves were alive they would abhor the use that many make of their quotations Cyprian in one of his Epistles saith We must not look what this man or that man that were before us he speaks of his predecessors what he did or what he taught but what he that was before all namely Christ who alone is the Way the Truth and the Life And so Augustin hath another Speech to the same effect speaking of the Antients of learned men saving all due respect that is due to them yet for us to think that we may not cast out even reject from their writings some things because they were learned men this must not be admitted for saith he such a one I 'le be in respect of the writings of other men and such a one would I have those that understand my writings to be to me I will not think of the writings of any other men before that there should be nothing cast out nor mended neither would I have any body think so of my writings And so Ambrose Where the Scripture is silent we must not speak Thus we see that those men for the maintaining of that which is evil they will make use of Quotationâ— and Antiquities yet we see the Antients did abhor this Christ and his Apostles they quoted none of the Learned men before them but Moses and the Prophets But you will say Though we must not take that which other men write to be the Rule yet that which other men write may help us to understand the Scripture Now I remember Luther hath such a Speech That Scripture should rather help us to understand mens writings than mens writings to understand the Scripture Many men they will make mens writings to be as a judg and to be the rule of understanding Scriptures not the Judg of Truth but the rule of understanding Scripture whereas saith he the Scripture should rather be the rule of understanding them And so Hilary saith he for the sense of Scripture and understanding them He is the best Interpreter that rather takes the sense from out of Scripture and by comparing one Scripture with another than bring any new sense therefore the understanding of Scripture is more by Scripture than by the Writings of any man living And yet still no question we may make use of the gifts of God in others but so as to keep us close to the written Word for the Rule yea and for the meaning of the Rule they may help us to see whether the Scripture will justifie this Truth or this sense for there lies the mistake Most people in the world will think this indeed That whatsoever any man writes if it be contrary to the Word we may not receive it but we must understand the Word in what sense they take it now we must not go so far For the Scripture written is not only that we might know what the Rule is but it is written that we might understand the meaning of the Rule and we must fetch out the meaning of Scriptures by Scripture Now so far as the Writings of men wil help us to fetch out the meaning of Scripture by Scripture so far we may make use of them but we cannot say this is the meaning because it is the judgment of such and such Learned men but such and such Learned men will give you Reasons and compare one Scripture with another to shew why it is the meaning of it and they will shew you the History of the time and shew you how to compare old and new Testament one with another and this is the use of Writers for understanding the Scriptures Then you wil say Why do we make use of Writers so much Why thus they shew how one Scripture looks towards another and to compare one Scripture with another and shew the coherence of things The sense of things is to be resolved in the Scripture its self and therefore we must keep our selves very close to what is written Written It was not so at first it was delivered but from hand to hand but afterwards when the Church began to multiply then the Word was written And this is a mighty blessing of God that we may have the mind of God written so as we may look into it and search to know the mind of God by reading it over and over again and taking it into our hands when we are lying upon our beds if we light a Candle in the night we may be reading and looking into the mind of God If we should only hear of such a Book that were in the world that were in China in the uttermost parts of the habitable world if we should hear that there were such a Book that God had written or that God had used men to write by an inspiration of His own Spirit a Book that was certainly indited by the holy Ghost every word of it wherein the Lord had revealed the great Counsels of his Will concerning Mans eternal estate if we should hear that there came such a Book down even from Heaven and this was in the uttermost parts of the earth Oh! what a longing desire should we have to see that Book What man or woman but would give their whol estate to have a week or a fortnights time to see and reade in such a Book as that is if one could he would be willing to travel to the end of the world to have the use of such a Book as that is No man need say Shall I go to the uâ—â—â—rmost parts of the earth for it is in your hands it is in your houses there is the Book wherein the great God hath written
his mind hath written all things unto you which concerns you Eternal Salvation hath written there whatsoever he would have you to know and beleeve to Eternal Life this it is that you have in your hands however we prize it now heretofore it hath been prized at an high rate How many of the Martyrs would venture their lives to keep but a few Leaves of Scripture in their houses But how vile is it then for us to neglect the reading of this written Word I have read of one Theodorus a Physitian at Constantinople that he sent to Gregory the great a great sum of money for the redeeming of Captives and Gregory he commends his Liberality but though he was so liberal and bountiful to redeem Captives yet he writ back again to him in way of reprehending him for not reading Scripture and uses this expression to him The Emperor of Heaven the Lord of the Angels and Men hath sent to you that which concerns your life and will you neglect to reade them with a fervent with a zealous spirit He would not but blame him even at that time when he sent such gifts to him it did grieve him to think that such a one so bountiful to the poor should so neglect the reading of Scripture Many men and women that have excellent parts and yet for all that they find but little savor in the Scripture There 's no books that are written that should take us off from this written Word although we have cause to bless God abundantly for what is written for those excellent helps which we have written yet we must take heed that there be no written book in the world take us off from this written Word of God Luther therefore hath such a speech I even hate mine own Books and I often times even wish that they were burnt that they might perish Why because I fear lest they should be any way of hinderance to men or withdraw them from reading the Scriptures and so he fals a comending the Scriptures It is the only fountain of all wisdom and further saith he I am even terrified I tremble at the example of the former age upon this Because saith he many Divines spent so much time in reading of Aristotle and Averres and other Writers and spent so little time in reading Scripture And the truth is it was that which brought so much ignorance into the world in the time of the School-men which was a time of great learning and yet the time of the greatest ignorance in the Mysteries of godlines because they minded Scripture very little but only turn'd things into Questions and Disputes that tended not according to Scripture though we may make use of the labors and gifts of other men yet look we especially to the written Word and let not other writings take us off from them hence we say the Scripture in way of excellency we must keep our selves to the written Word and therefore take heed of being led aside by any traditions of men that 's a most detestable derrogation from the written Word but we find in the Counsel of Trent speaking of the Scriptures saith one of the Cannons of the Counsel of Trent We saith he do receive Scripture and reverence Scripture but saith he moreover we receive and reverence traditions with the same affection of piety and reverence as we do the Scripture Those are the very words that all Papists are bound to hold and for them to deny any counsel there were death unto them It argues men to be in the dark to mind Traditions so As the Jews that 's the reason that they vanish so in their thoughts and understand the Scripture so little because they mind traditions as much as Scripture and more for so they say that divide a mans life into three parts one part mnst be spent in reading Scripture and two parts more in the two several parts of their Talmond which is their traditions and some of them say that this is one tradition among them that Moses did study the Scripture in the day time and those Talmoduical traditions that they have they were studied in the night and indeed it is night-work and it is a sign that the world is so much in darkness because they look so much at Traditions the written Word of God which we must look at more than if one came from the dead or if an Angel from Heaven came and preached to us But you will say That we must not look to it more than if God should reveal any thing to us suppose it were a voice of God from Heaven We have warrant to have regard to the written Word of God more than the voice of God from Heaven 2 Peter 1. 19. there it 's spoken of the voice that came down upon the transfiguration at the Mountain but saith the Apostle there We have a more sure word of Prophesie more more even than that was that is it is more sure to us and there is not so easie a way to be deceived by resting upon the written Word as if we look for Revelations from God we have a more sure word of Prophesie therefore it is not so much after Revelations that we are to look especially in such times as these are but to the written Word of God There is a Generation of men rising now if not risen that begin to have vile thoughts of the written Word of God and think to understand the mind of God otherwise they finding the written Word of God to keep their hearts too close and lay too strong bonds upon them but because they would fain be loose they would feign and imagin to themselves other waies of Gods mind but when they are rotten and it may be when their souls are perished eternally in Hell the written Word of God shall stand and be honorable in the eyes of his Saints I have written The Prophet doth not say he hath written but he brings in God saying I have written And that first upon these two reasons First To put the greater emphasis upon it for it is more for God himself to come and say I have written as if a Father or Master say to his Child or Servant I command you to do such a thing it is more than if a Brother or fellow-Servant should say my Father hath bidden or my Master hath bidden you to do such a thing Secondly Whosoever were the Pen-men of the Word it is I that write it I take it upon my self The Word is so much his that God claims not only the truths that are in the Word but the very ordering for the words and in 2 Pet. 1. 21. it is said of holy men they spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost they were carried on with a kind of violence as the word signifies and not only moved but carried on with a kind of violence to write what they did both
is in an high and honorable condition indeed Further The things of Gods Law are great in Gods esteem they are great because the great God thinks them so That is to be accounted great that the most judicious and wise men in the world judg so to be indeed that which a child thinks to be a great thing is no great thing a child may think a bauble to be a great thing so we may think things great indeed we think the things of the world are great for a man to have an estate it 's a great matter to have riches and honors and to be some-body in the world we think these to be great things But what are these in Gods eyes God despises all these things But that which the great God will think to be a great thing certainly that 's great indeed Now mark what a high esteem God hath of his Word in that place where Christ saith Heaven and Earth shall pass away but not one jot or tittle of my Word shall pass away As if Christ should say The Lord will rather withdraw his power from the upholding of Heaven and Earth than from making good any one jot or tittle of his Law you may think it a little matter to break Gods Law but God thinks it a great matter and God would have us to make a great matter of every thing that is written in Gods Law I am the willinger to enlarge my self in this because I know it is the ground of all the wickedness in mens hearts and lives because they look upon the Law as a little matter well though they dare sin against Gods Law for the getting of a groat or six pence but God saith I will rather lose Heaven and Earth than one jot or tittle of my Law shall fall and he will make it appear one day that the things of his Law are great things in Isa 42. 21. He will magnifie the Law and make it honorable You may vilifie it a company of wanton spirits we have that consider not what they say or what they do running away with the very word of the Law they think to vilifie it What have we to do with the Law and under that word not understanding what they mean they think to cast a vile esteem upon the Law let them do what they will yet God will magnifie his Law and as it is great in the thoughts of God so it is and shall be for ever great in the thoughts of the Saints the Lord will have his people to the end of the world have high thoughts of his Law the Saints they look upon the Law of God so great as they had rather suffer all the miseries and torments that any man in the world any Tyrant can devise than willingly to break the Law in any one thing surely they account it a great matter when a man shal be willing rather to lose his estate and liberty yea and life to suffer tortures and torments and all because he will not offend the Law of God in any one thing though he might escape all if he would nay saith a gracious heart Let all go rather than I will venture to break the Law of God in any one thing surely he looks upon the Law of God as very great Men of the world think them to be fools and why will you be content to suffer so much lose all your friends what venture to lose your estates which have such a fair way of living as you have what venture a prison and venture your life the world thinks they are but little things and trifles and men are more precise than wise and they need not trouble themselves so much If God would but shew to you how great a thing his Law is and all the threatnings which are revealed therein you would account your estates and lives and all your comforts as little and poor in comparison of that Law hence in Revel 6. 9. I saw under the Altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held Wherefore were they slain Surely it was for some great matter that they would venture their lives it was for the Word of God and for the Testimony which they held And thus the Saints of God have ever accounted the Law of God a great thing I have written unto them the great things of my Law Hence from what hath been said we may have these Notes for Observation Here are Objects in the Word for men of the greatest spirits to exercise themselves about Many mens spirits are raised up and cannot endure to spend their thoughts and time about small matters and you shall have some mens spirits are so low that they think it happiness enough if they can be imployed in a gutter and get six pence or twelve pence a day to find them bread at night but others have great spirits Oh! let all those who have aspiring spirits and great spirits let them exercise themselves much in the Law of God here are objects fit for great spirits that will greaten our spirits And indeed there are no men in the world have great spirits but the Saints they have great spirits for they exercise themselves in the great counsels of God We account those men to be men of the greatest spirits that are imployed in State-affairs now the Saints they are lifted up above all things in the world and they look at all these things as little and mean and they are exercised in the great affairs of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ hence it is that the Lord would have Kings to have the book of the Law written and the Judges and it is reported of Alphonsus King of Arragon that in the midst of all his great affairs of his Kingdom he read over the Scriptures fourteen times with Commentaries upon them How many have we men of great estates and seem to be of great spirits that scarce mind the Law of God they look upon the Law of God as under them it may be if they can have a book of History and Wars they will be reading over that but for the Scripture it is a thing that hath little in it Another Note It is a special means of obedience to have high thoughts of Gods Law to convince and humble them for their disobedience for that 's the reason why the Prophet here speaks thus I have written to him the great things of my Law but they were accounted as a strange thing As if he should say If they had had the things of my Law to have been high in their thoughts they would never have done as they have done Psal 119. 129. Thy Testimonies are wonderful therefore doth my soul keep them I have high thoughts of thy Testimonies I look upon them as glorious things I see much of thy self in thy Testimonies and therefore doth my soul keep them He doth not
politick fetches and let Prophets let any of the Godly come to shew them the mind of God they were resolved in their way they would not be perswaded but were wilful and they would have this way and whatever came of it they would venture their lives and the loss of their Kingdom but they would have it in a desperate way they were set upon their wills come of it what would they would go on in this way Men that are great in Power and Authority they think it a dishonor to them to be perswaded to alter their minds but rather will go on desperately to the ruin of themselves and the ruin of their Kingdoms rather than they will hearken to counsel they were all of them men that would not be perswaded and Luther upon the place hath this expression saith he Being lift up in the pride of their hearts by their Power that they had they would be above the Word it 's self they think it much to have their hearts come under the Authority of the Word This is the wickedness of mens hearts when they grow great they swell above the Word of God They are all wicked all of them revolters Some of them there were that made some kind of shew at their first coming in when they came first to the Crown they gave great hopes some of them that they would have better times than they had before and that things that were evil in former Princes Reigns would now be reformed but within a while they went all the same way you know Jehu and so some others went in a fair way at first but they all turned to be revolters from whence our Notes are First See what CREATURE ENGAGEMENTS are see what engagements will work in the hearts of men when they are engaged in their honors and in their preferments in their great places of Dignities and Powers and Profits and Gain see what they will do evil Princes being engaged and afraid of losing their power if any should go to Jerusalem to worship they all went in one stream not one of them was taken off from their great Engagements indeed many in smaller matters may be taken off to God but if it come to a great matter then none perhaps some poor Ministers that had little livings you know heretofore they would be taken off and see the Truths of God and the sinfulness of Ceremonies but where did your Deans and Bishops where did any of the Prelates that had great Engagements they would never see the Truth that now almost every body sees their great Engagements hindered them And so the great Engagements of Princes hindered them though the Truth was cleer enough Secondly This is brought as the cause of the evil of the People they were all wicked no mervail though the people were so According to peoples interests so they are as they see those above them go that have power over them that way people will go Ephraim was wicked because all their Princes were revolters Those that are in places of power they drive the people along before them for I say God hath little honor in the world but as it sutes in mens Interests according as they have Interest this way or that way Thirdly They are all Revolters From this the Note is this That Princes though they should be used with reverence yet must not be flattered but their sins must he shewed plainly unto them They are all Revolters though they can hardly bear it Touch the Mountains and they will smoke touch the great men reprove but them and presently the heat of their wrath rises and they smoke even w th indignation But yet those that are faithful about them they should trust God with their places and estates and with their lives Oh had we but those about Princes that would deal faithfully and shew to them how far the guilt of blood may be upon them and the evil of it might be upon them Certainly it would be otherwise with us than it is at this day had we but Latimers and Deerings that worthy Preacher in Queen Elizabeths time It 's said of Latimer that sending a Book to King Henry the Eigth he writes in the first Page of it Whoremongers and Adulterers God will Judg and Deering in his Sermons even before the Queen speaking of disorders of the times and these and these things are thus and thus and you sit still and do nothing and again even before her face preaching to her saith he may we not well say with the Prophet It 's the mercy of the Lord that we are not consumed seeing there is so much disobedience both in Subjects and in Prince Certainly much good might come had we men of such Spirits as heretofore have been All their Princes are Revolters Fourthly When Princes one after another are wicked there 's little hope of good then to a people The Saints under the persecution of one they groan and cry to God but another comes and oppresses them more We had need therefore pray for those in high places for Princes for it concerns much the people as we shall see more after It follows VER 16. Ephraim is smitten their root is dried up they shall bear no fruit EPHRAIM is smitten God had threatned Ephraim long before but now he is smitten not threatned only but smitten Observe this Note the manner of the phrase is as if he were smitten from Heaven by a Thunder-bolt in a dreadful manner God himself smote him observe this God will not alwaies forbear sinners at last God smote he threatens a long time but he smote at last God may be a long time bending his Bow and making his Arrows ready and preparing the instruments of death but at length he smote and when he smote he smote terribly How sad is the condition of a wicked man who hath had many warnings and much patience of God hath been shewed towards him and at length this is the news that one neighbor tells another Oh! such a man is smitten of God the wrath of God hath pursued and hath overtaken such a man the fearful stroke of God is upon him and this certainly will be the news of wicked impenitent sinners secure sinners this will be the news that will be told of you such a one is smitten Oh! and what sad reports are there at this day in all Countries about us even through the world what 's the news throughout the world almost but this the Christian world England is smitten the Lord hath smote them the Lord hath smote us with a dreadful stroke and still he continues smiting of us That Scripture in Isa 5. 25. is made good upon us this day The anger of the Lord is kindled against his people and he hath stretched forth his hand against them and hath smitten them mark what follows The Hills did tremble Oh that our