prayer sweat and spend their strength in prayer but yet a principle of vain glory acting of them all this while they have been sowing the wind all this time Men that are publick parted and do abundance of good in the Church of God and in the Common-wealth but yet having a principle of self and vain glory that acts them they lose all they sow the wind all this while A fift sort that sows the wind are such as leaves the rule of the Word and carry on their actions altogether by the rules of Carnal Policy thinking to do great things by the fetches and reaches they have that way Your Carnal Polititians that have the Word and Worship of God as things under their feet but that which their deep reaches are after are some higher things they sow the wind And thus the people here at this time it was carnal policy that carried them in that way they were in and God cals it all but sowing the wind they thought they had framed to themselves a notable piece of work but saith God It is but sowing the wind Sixtly Such as seek to shift for themselves by sinful waies when they are in any straits such as go out of any lawful courses to help themselves out of trouble these are they that sow the wind to themselves there will nothing come of all the labor they take Now first here the Church of God may have much comfort in this thing That all Idolaters that all false worshipers that al carnal polititions that are working against them in al they do they do but sow the wind they can never prevail be not afraid of them The seed-time of our life is a seed-time for Eternity It 's an evil dangerous thing therefore now to sow the wind to lose this seed-time and to have nothing for our souls to seed upon to all eternity Oh! how sad will it be when we are entring in upon Eternity then to see that we have all our life-time sown the wind Did men consider of their actions that their actions were seeds for Eternity certainly they would take more heed what they do Men are very careful of their seed What Husband-man that is to sow his ground would go into a Merket to buy Chaff to buy blasted stuff to be his seed no he would buy the greatest and plumpest Corn of all to be his Seed So should we be careful of all our actions for they are such seed as must bring forth an harvest of eternal happiness or else eternal sorrow and especially we had need look to our Seed when God gives us a fair opportunity of sowing All Hypocrites and Formalists and False-worshipers they sow the wind their actions are but as the wind but the Servants of God whose works come from Faith and are indeed godly they sow to immortallity and glory their Seed will bring forth a glorious harvest I remember Luther though he were a man that seemed to beat down works very much yet he hath this passage concerning works Take works out of the cause of Justification and no man can too magnificiently commend good works that come from faith And speaking of a good work that comes from faith It is more precious saith he any one good works it is a more precious thing than Heaven and Earth yea he himself that is no Merit-monger yet he lifts up good works that come from faith and saith the whol world is not sufficient reward for one good work that comes from faith Indeed the works of the Saints have a great deal of excellency in them one gracious work hath more of the glory of God in it than all the creation of Heaven and Earth besides I say the whol frame of Heaven and Earth hath not so much of the Glory of God in it as one good work that comes from the Grace of God in the hearts of the Saints and my reason is this because a good work that comes from the Grace of God in the hearts of the Saints it is a reflection of spiritual life that is the very life of God the Scripture calls it The Life of God and the Divine Nature Now an action of spiritual life doth more set out the Glory of God than any Glory that God hath passively as the Glory that he hath in the frame of the Heavens and Earth it is but a passive glory but here the very glory of God is reflected upon his own face it is a glory of spiritual life A man doth not account one so much honored in an Image that is drawn of him as when he seeth his child to act as he himself doth act when his child shall present himself in doing that which he himself doth do Now all the frame of Heaven and Earth it is not so much as a picture it is but as the foot-steps of God and the back-parts of God but in one gracious action of the Saints there God sees his child act as himself doth he sees the workings of his own holiness and his own vertues we shew forth the vertues of him that hath call'd us out of darkness into his mervailous light Ministers of all men they had need take heed they sow not the wind God hath made them Seeds-men of that eternal Seed of his Word if they then either because they are loth to take pains or to be at the charge for good Seed they sow husks and chaff and bring meerly empty words unto their people or if they do take pains enough but bring their own fancies and counsels instead of the precious immortal Seed of the Word they do but sow the wind The Seventy translate this that we have here Sow the wind Thus They sow those things that are corrupted by the wind those actions that pride corrupts will never bring forth good fruit It follows And they shall reap the whirlwind As we sow so shall we reap The word in the Hebrew Tremelius upon this place notes hath a syllable added more than ordinary and that saith he is to encrease the signification of it To note that this is not only a whirlwind but a most terrible whirlwind And mark he doth not say they sow the wind and they shall reap the wind no there is more in the Harvest than in the Seed if men will sow the wind they must expect to reap the whirlwind If thou hast but a little pleasure in thy sinful waies thou must expect a great deal of miseries in the fruit of thy waies Their labor shall not only be in vain but much evil shall come sudden and violent destruction shall come of their labors All sinful actions are like unto the sowing of the wind in the earth Now we know if windy vapors be got into the earth they cause Earthquakes they break forth into whirlwinds into violence and so wicked actions they break forth into violence and
the daies they slew fourty thousand now having the first day this did hearten them yea they had the day the second time and that made them stout in their way Success will make men stand it out in their wickedness God manie times gives success on purpose to harden the hearts of men that they may stand it out unto their ruin for so it proved to the Benjamites Be not troubled at the success of Adversaries God gives them success to harden their hearts to stand it out that they may be ruined at last Or if you take it for the men of Israel There they stood I find abundance of strange apprehensions of Interpreters and variety about this and it would cost one a great deal of time the opening of this Verse to compose but the several Interpretations that men have upon this Text but I 'le only give you what I think may be the scope of the holy Ghost or at least what may be fairly hinted from the words The men of Israel stood That is according to some when they saw in their battel at Gibeah they did not prevail at first they saw their brethren stood out stoutly and they lost so many thousand men upon this they were at a stand There they stood they knew not what in the world to do to think that so good a Cause and a work that they had warrant from God to do yet they should have such ill success there they stood Men had need be very well grounded in a good Cause when they meet with much difficulty I beleeve since this Cause that we have been about in England hath bin begun many through unbeleef and cowardize have bin at a stand they stood and knew not which way to go Lord is this the Cause of God is this the Truth of God what to have such ill success Many are lost in their spirits only by success Or thus There they stood that is Though they were at a stand and somewhat troubled yet they persisted in their work notwithstanding any difficulties they met withall they would not fly off but there they stood to it they were resolved whatever ill success they had to go on in the work that God had call'd them to The battel in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them When they did fight against the children of iniquity yet this battel did not overtake them to wit the Benjamites not the first day nor the second day but they were foil'd twice Though I know others do give other Interpretations of this word yet this seems to be more genuine But why doth the Prophet bring it in here The men of Israel to whom Hosea did prophesie might say You tell us that our sin is as in the daies of Gibeah yea but may we have the first day and the second day we hope we shall do well enough Nay saith the Prophet your sin is worse you may not think that your case is so good as the Benjamites the Battel did not overtake them but it shall overtake you and upon this ground the Prophet brings in this that the Battel did not overtake them granting that which they would object yet so as it should not make for them but to take away their hopes to escape And thus you have the meaning The Observations are First That the children of iniquity may escape once and again Though men be children of iniquity yet the Battel may not overtake them It 's as famous a story to take away the seeming success in an ill cause and disappointment in a good Cause as any I know in all the Book of God it did not overtake them at first Gods wrath follows many men in this world and yet for a long time overtakes them not but God calls it back Psal 78. 38. He being full of compassion forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not yea many a time turned he his anger away and did not stir up all his wrath But at length Gods wrath overtakes men In Zach. 1. 6. Did not my words take hold upon your fathers I sent out my threatning words and you escaped a long time but at length my word catcht hold of them As the Dog that follows the Hare barking a great while but at length he overtakes it and ceases upon it and tears it So did not my Word take hold upon your forefathers Calvin he gives another Interpretation of these words and some other Notes upon it but I think that this is the main and Genuine scope of them VER 10. It is in my desire that I should chastise them IT is in my desire God speaks here as one that hath forborn a long time and now longs to satisfie himself Tremelius upon the place notes that the form of the word for chastising here it is unusual because saith he perhaps God would express some more than ordinary way of punishing them And Luther renders it Exceeding desirously will I chastise them It is in my will to chastise them Oh! blessed God do not we find in thy Word that the Works of thy Justice are said to be thy strange Works and that thou art not willing to grieve the children of men that mercy pleases thee but where do we ever find that Justice was so pleasing to thee It 's true though at first God seems to forbear the execution of Justice as a thing he hath no mind to yet if sin be continued in in a stubborn way now God desires it as a thing that there 's nothing more pleasing to him He is burdened with mens sins and desires to bring punishments upon them as a man under a great burden desires to be eased In Isa 1. Oh! I will ease me of mine Adversaries And in Ezek. 5. 13. you shall find there that God in threatning of wrath saith that he would do thus and thus and he would be comforted and in Prov. 1. he laughs at the destruction of wicked men it 's a thing that rejoyces him at the very heart And in the Revelations the wrath of God is call'd the wine of his wrath because he takes so much pleasure in the execution of it 1. Gods Justice is God himself as well as any other Attribute 2. God he doth delight to vindicate his honor therefore the word that is for Chastisement it signifies somtimes the vindication of a mans honor the honor of God is dear to him Your peace and comforts may be dear to you I but my honor is more dear to me 3. In Chastisements God fulfils his Word the Word of God would be slighted contemn'd else Now this pleases me therfore to chastise them to fulfil my Word upon them Oh! the fearful evil of sin that brings the creature into such a condition as Gods heart is delighted in every evil that sinful creatures suffer this must needs be a sad condition indeed
of works than servile works though you do not put your hands to servile labor But then you through your delicacy if you meet with any hard work will do nothing for God the Lord looks upon such dispositions as sinful and with Indignation and God hath his time to bring them to hardness as he hath done to many How many delicate and fair necks that could not endure any difficulty hath God brought the yoke upon in these daies that were so nice and tender and complaining of every little difficulty in any work that God would have them to do God hath made the yoke to pass over ther heads and to lie heavie upon their necks God threatens this to the Daughters of Babylon to the Antichristian party especially in Isa 47. 1 2. Come down and sit in the dust O Virgin Daughter of Babylon sit on the ground there is no Throne O Daughter of the Caldeans for thou shalt no more be call'd Tender and Delicate Take the Mill-stones and grind meal uncover thy locks make bare the leg uncover the thigh pass over the rivers And then in the 3. vers Thy nakedness shall be uncovered yea thy shame shall be seen I will take vengeance and I will not meet thee as a man That which you cannot endure so much as to hear of now your very ears are so delicate as well as your necks that I 'le bring upon you Oh my Brethren how much better is it to be willing to endure hardships for God than to be brought to hardships by our Adversaries And rather to put our necks under the yoke of Jesus Christ than to have God put our necks under the yoke of his wrath and displeasure But God hath his time to bring upon them hard things and therefore though God spares you for your bodies that you need not put your bodies to that servileness that others do yet be so much the more willing to do service for God otherwise venture your selves among your kindred that 's the work that God calls Ladies to do You meet with carnal friends that are honorable and of great rank in the world now for one to appear in the midst of them for the Cause of God this is as hard a work as to labor with ones hands and they may do a great deal more service by such work as this to speak for those that are Godly When you come in company that is carnal be willing to put forth your selves to endure hardships in that way that God calls thee to and God accepts of it but if thou through the delicacy and niceness of thy spirit thy spirit comes to be as delicate as thy skin is and thou must not displease any nor suffer any thing for God it 's just with God to bring thee to suffer in spight of thy heart But it follows I 'le make Ephraim to ride Still take this in a way of threatning in Scripture it 's applied both to a way of Mercy and Judgment in Isa 58. 14. Then shalt thou delight thy self in the Lord and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the Earth And I find it in a way of Judgment in Job 30. 21 22. With thy strong hand thou opposest thy self against me thou liftest me up to the wind thou causest me to Ride upon it and dissolvest my substance And so there might be shown other Scriptures where this expression is in a way of Judgment and so it 's thought by Interpreters that it hath reference to the speedy captivity of the ten Tribes that they shall be carried out of their own Country As if God should say by his ease and by his much feeding in treading out the Corn he is grown so fat and lusty that there 's no ruling of him yea but saith God I will ride him though he kicks and spurns and is so unruly with his fat feeding yet I 'le put such a Curb into his mouth as I 'le order him and rule him according as I please He is so fierce for so I find that the word in the Hebrew that is for fierceness tumultuousness and insolency it is by divers taken for the word that signifies to be at Peace because that Peace and Ease and Rest makes the hearts of men and women insolent It was so with Ephraim just like a pamper'd horse that is kept at full feeding none can ride him I but I 'le cause him to ride saith God God hath waies to curb men and women that through their prosperity are delicate and unruly though they may champ upon the bit and foam at the mouth and stamp again yet God will rule them I 'le cause Ephraim to ride And Judah shall plow That is Judah shall take pains and go through many difficulties in the waies of my Worship and shall suffer much while Ephraim lives delicately for a long time yet Judah suffered more difficulty Judah suffered much more difficulty and hardship than the ten Tribes did And I think that this Scripture hath reference to those two Scriptures that we find the first is in 2 King 18. from ver 3. to ver 9. and the other Scripture is in 2 Chron. 28. 6. Judah shall plow and be kept in a great deal of hardship in that time when Ephraim was so frolick as he was In 2 King 18. you shall find the great Reformation that Hezekiah made in the Worship of God in Judah and Jerusalem And then for his suffering that you have in 2 Chron. 28. 6. and 2 King 14. 13. In 2 Chron. 28. 6. it is said That Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day which were all valiant men It 's a very strange Scripture Israel the ten Tribes they were worse than Judah Israel forsook the true Worship of God Judah kept themselves to the true Worship and yet God let Israel so prosper that they did prevail against Judah and the Tribe of Benjamin so as to slay in one day an hundred and twenty thousand valiant men Oh! what crying and shreeking was there in the Country then that of two Tribes an hundred and twenty thousand valiant men should be slain in one day We think it 's a dreadful battel to have three thousand slain in the Field but here 's a battel of an hundred and twenty thousand slain in one day and that of two Tribes And in 2 King 14. 13. Hoshea King of Israel took Amaziah King of Judah the son of Jehoash son the of Ahaziah at Bethshemesh and came to Jerusalem and brake down the wall of Jerusalem c. Here they were put to a great deal of trouble even by Ephraim Judah and Benjamin those two Tribâ— that kept to the Worship of God were to put a great deal of afflictions by Ephraim the ten Tribes that did forsake the Worship of God in the forenamed place 2 King 18.
holy Ghost and yet they did not forsake the Jews Religion they continued in a great deal of outward strictness in Religion and yet had committed that unpardonable sin therefore you may Apostatize for from God though you do not forsake the publick Ordinances of God They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifice of mine offering God call all their sacrifices flesh that is in contempt as if he should say you sacrifice indeed I have a little flesh from you But do you think that is the thing that I intend in my offering I expect Faith and Obedience I expect the Work of Faith relying upon him that is Typified by all the sacrifices that you offer but you wanting that inward spiritual worship in your souls I account all your sacrifices but flesh Most people offer nothing up unto God in all their sacrifices but flesh their offerings are flesh That 's thus even in your prayers in your hearing in your receiving you offer sacrifice but all is but flesh God hath the outward man and it may be you have fleshly ends in what you do and fleshly carnal hearts you offer the flesh many a man that hath excellent gifts in Prayer and seems to offer up an excellent sacrifice to God but it 's nothing but flesh there 's little of the Spirit of God of the sanctifying Spirit nothing it may be a man that perhaps may preach excellently yet in fleshly wisdom nothing but fleshly excellency Oh my Brethren what are our sacrifices if they be nothing but fleshly excellencies you know what the Scripture saith All flesh is grass and as the flower of the field but the Word of God abides for ever all a mans parts all things are but flesh that are not spiritual the sanctifying Work of the Spirit of God by the Word but the Word of God abides that is the impression of the Word of God upon the soul by the sanctifying Work of Gods Spirit abides for ever but all flesh is grass You have got a great deal of fleshly excellency in parts so as others admire your gifts I but this flesh is as grass it will come to nothing and all your esteem will come to nothing Oh let us take heed my Brethren that our sacrifices be not flesh for though they may glitter a while in the world within a few years all will be as grass and will come to nothing But further They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifice of mine offering Why God commanded them to sacrifice flesh For the sacrifice of mine offering here seems to be an accusation not that they sacrificed but that they sacrificed nothing but the outward part flesh do not think that that 's the main meaning but this rather In the burnt offering all the whol sacrifice was tendered up to God but now there was another offering that was the peace offering and there that which was offered some part of it did belong to the offerer so as they should eat part of the offering when they came to offer that they came with their friends because they were to have some of it now saith God They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifice of mine offering that is They change mine Ordinance when as that I look'd for burnt offerings from from them the whol offering they will rather offer peace offerings wherein they shall have part of the flesh for themselves and that they can take content in Thus I find Interpreters carry it and I verily think it to be the meaning of the holy Ghost So that from hence the Note is That if there be any thing in Gods Worship wherein any self respects may come in there we are content to be forward but yet in that we rather aim at serving our selves then serving the Lord and this usually doth eat out all true devotion When there is a duty to be done and part of that duty God requires and we shew respect to God in it and there 's another part wherein we enjoy our selves now such kind of duties as these are men can be content well enough withal but the truth is that part which concerns themselves doth eat out all the true devotion unto God although the Worship of God be pretended yet self-respects they are that the heart is most upon as for instance In keeping of Festivals they lik'd them well enough and we do not reade so much charge for the keeping of them because there was something agreeable to the flesh but now for the day of their Fasts saith God whosoever afflicts not his soul that soul shall be cut off they had not so much mind to that in the tenth day of the seventh month therefore God threatens that whosoever did not afflict his soul that day it should be cut off and so you shall find it That 's the reason indeed why men are so much set upon their Feastivals they pretend Gods Worship and honor to their blessed Savior and the like but the truth is it 's the Belly that is the thing and their Sports and the licence to the flesh that they aim at I warrant you let the time as now it falls out be the time of a Fast it will not be so much regarded and for any man to keep a Feastival when God by his providence calls to fast certainly that man regards his own belly rather than God And that by which all these Feastivals are upheld it is because that together with a seeming kind of Religion the belly gets so much but now such duties where God is served and Nature denied they are great testimonies that the Spirit of God is in our hearts in the performance of them when we can offer up our burnt offerings wholly to God and our selves denied they are testimonies that the Spirit of God is in us as I 'le give you an instance in the Story of the first of Kings the 13. you reade of the Lyon that did slay the Prophet that went contrary to Gods Commandement now it was a special end of God that sent the Lyon to slay him and that God would give a testimony that the Lyon did not come of a chance to fall upon the Prophet and kill him Therfore the text observes that the Lyon stood by the carcass and did not meddle with it after it was once slain it was the nature of the Lyon to have fed upon the carcass but here was an argument that it was meerly from God what the Lyon did So when any man shall perform a duty meerly for God and in that duty shall deny himself shall be content to part with honors or preferment that 's a sign God is in it and so in this publick service Oh! who would not venture himself for the publick Cause I but there is a publick Pay too as well as the publick Cause but now if a man can venture to the uttermost though he hath not that which he
expects yet he is content to venture himself as much as he did before God is in this man certainly when he can do a work and deny himself that work And truly we should be willing so to do Why because God doth not require of us self-denial that shall do us any hurt God would never have us deny our selves in things that immediately concern our communion with himself and our eternal good God expects self-denial but it is only in those things that concern this present life now when God is so propitious to us in requiring duty that he will let us sometimes enjoy our selves and when he requires self-denial it is in things that are more inferior we should not much stand upon in denying our selves in them It follows But the Lord accepteth them not As if he said I would not have them I was not pleased with them Whatsoever our services be If self be regarded all is rejected not only if sin be regarded If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear my prayer but if self be regarded our services may please our selves but not please God and for this you have a famous Scripture in Amos 5. 22. I will not regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts and this text in Amos hath a special reference to this very thing and Amos was contemporary with Hosea and so met with the very same thing that here Hosea did this text in Amos may help us to understand this in Hosea I will not accept the offering of your fat beasts but observe it they are their peace offerings he doth not say I will not accept the burnt offerings of your fat beasts but of your peace offerings because in their peace offerings they eat part of it themselves and saith God let your offerings be never such faâ— beasts yet I will not accept of them so let your duties be never so zealous and abundant yet if they be only in respect of your selves God accepts them not It follows Now will I remember their iniquities Why they did offer their sacrifices to the end that their sins might be done away and had they exâ—â—rcised faith upon Christ the true sacrifice their sin should have been done away yea but they offering in regard of themselves he saith I will remember your sins for all this From thence the Note is That many men may perform great services may exercise themselves much in holy duties and yet have their sins as much upon the file before God as before they began all their services And this is a sad thing for a man to kneel down and pray with woful guiltiness upon his spirit and rise up with the same guiltiness that he kneel'd down withal and perhaps he hath gone on and prayed and received the Sacrament for these many yeers together and every sin that was upon him when he first began is upon him now whereas those that in holy duties exercise their faith upon Christ their Mediator and with the act of faith tender up him to the father whatsoever sins were upon them before are now done away The second thing is observable viz. That God will remember them and he will remember them now Hence note That however God may forbear to come upon wicked men for their sins for a time yet God hath his time to remember them all to remember that is by his Judgments to make it appear to them that he doth remember them when they think that God hath forgotten them 1 Sam. 15. 20. Thus saith the Lord of hosts I remember that which Amaleck did to Israel how he laid wait for him in the way when he came up from Egypt I remember what he did why this was four hundred yeers ago that he spoke of We may commit a sin when we are young and feel nothing of it till we come to be old and then God may remember it against us as many a man or woman takes a surfet when they are young and they feel nothing when their bones are full of marrow and their veins with blood they feel it not for the present but when they come to be old Oh! then it aches in their flesh and bones and then they remember their licentiousness and carelesness in their youth and so many young people they commit sin and conscience never troubles them for it and they they think all is forgotten Oh! but many yeers after the sin is committed God remembers it and makes them remember it too Joseph's brethren had committed that sin against their brother and it was 22. years before we reade of any remembring of that sin Many things might be said to this point which I cannot now insist upon only this thing take with you Let all you that are young ones yea and others too take heed what you do in sinning against God for that which you do now may be remembred against you many yeers after perhaps twenty thirty fourty yeers hence God may come upon you for what you do at this present me thinks this should be unto young men a mighty strong motive to take heed of wicked lives Youths sins may prove to be ages terrors Oh! is it not a great deal better that God should remember the kindness of thy youth than the sins of thy youth Jer. 2. 2. Oh you that are young begin to be godly betimes that God may remember the kindness of your youth And oh the blessed condition the Saints are in in comparison of the wicked You have so many expressions that God will remember their sins no more that he will bury them in the bottom of the Sea there are at least a dozen expressions in Scripture and I had some thoughts to speak of them all but I see it will be too long to speak of them now Of Gods casting away their sins the sin of his People But further Now will I remember them That is in the time of their Holy Duties Now this is a sad thing that God should not only remember a mans sin but even then when he is about to offer sacrifices to God as in Heb 10 3. it is said that the sacrifices of the Law did bring sins into remembrance that is It was a note of their guiltiness every time they came to offer sacrifice and their sacrifices did not do away their sins fully Now I will remember them Then when they offered sacrifices in in a careless and ungodly way surely these sacrifices would bring their sins into remembrance indeed Hence observe God remembers the sins of wicked men in the performance of Holy Duties in a special manner and that upon these two grounds First Because we come into Gods presence There we come before his eyes in a more especial manner we are in Gods eyes alwaies but in Holy Duties the Scripture speaks of it aâ— a more especial drawing nigh to God If a