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
and those that have oppressed us that they should have their full power over us again oh our bondage would be seven fold more than it is And yet what cause have we to have our hearts tremble and shake when we think of our abuse of the beginning of Deliverance that we had but of all judgments let us pray to be delivered from that judgment that we may never go back again to our prisons But just with God it is that those who inherit their progenitors sins they should inherit their progenitors judgments You continue in their sins you shall have their Judgements also But were they ever carried into Egypt was this threat ever fulfilled No They were not carried captive into Egypt but they fled into Egypt for Refuge and there they lived and died miserably Hence observe All places are places of misery when God forsakes a people As all places are comfortable when God is with a people Many men take their course to seek to refuge themselves to help themselves and perhaps they have what they would have in part but when they have had what they would have even the having of what they desire proves to be the executiō of the wrath of God upon them you have a mind to go to Egypt you shall return to Egypt saith God It follows in the last verse VER 14. For Israel hath forgotten his Maker THEY have forgotten their Maker but I 'le remember them saith God When men think least of God then is Gods time to come upon them for their sins when they are in the greatest security of all whereas if you would remember your sins God might forget them or if you would remember God your sins should not be remembred but you forgetting God your sins are remembred It is an abominable thing for us to forget God by whom we had our memory by whom we are remembred we should never have been thought of if God had not given us what we have and therefore for us not to think of God it is a vile sin Now God is forgotten when he is not honored minded as our confidence help refuge our only good when he is not obeyed if we do but remember sin we cannot but honor him How many forget what manifestations once they had of God they are passed by from them and other things take up their thoughts Oh! what an appearing was there of God to many of your souls heretofore and what conference between God and your souls what lustre of Gods Spirit upon you and you thought you should never forget those things but now other things are in your hearts Oh! such men and women have cause to fear that they are under much wrath that they should forget their Maker God challenges remembrance under this title Remember thy Creator in the daies of thy youth There 's no creature but the rational creature that can reflect upon the cause of their being the first cause and therefore God would not lose the honor from this creature Indeed the Ox knows his owner and the Ass his Masters crib the beasts can take notice of those that bring them good things but to reflect upon the cause of their first being I say that 's proper to the rational creature and therefore it is an honor that God expects from you and will not lose it The word here Creator their Maker it is not now meant for Gods giving them their being but Gods advancing and blessing of them so as to bring them to that happy condition that now they were in They have forgotten their Maker Oh they have forgotten that God that hath advanced them So I find the words used in 1 Sam. 12. 6. The Lord that advanced Moses and Aaron but the words in the Original are the Lord that made Moses and Aaron that is when God call'd them to the publick work God made them Indeed for a man to be call'd to publick service is a great honor that God puts upon a man God makes a man then as many times we use that Phrase our selves if a man be raised to any preferment we say such a man is made for ever Oh that man which God casts his favor upon and delights to use in publick service that man is a made-man But they have forgotten the Lord that made them That 's the Note from hence It 's Gods favor that makes a man You have an excellent Scripture for this in Isa 43. 7. I have created him saith God for my glory I have formed him yea I have made him Here 's these three words together God doth not satisfie himself in this I have given him his being or all that he hath but he makes use of of these three several words to signifie how all our good comes from God I do not know such an expression we have in Scripture I have brought him out of nothing then secondly I have formed him I have put beauty and glory upon him yea and thirdly I have made him I have raised him to the height of all God hath created us all but hath he formed us We are to look at Gods forming as well as at his creation how God forms and fashions us unto his own will They have forgotten God their Maker That should have been the other Note That the greater height of excellency God raises any man to the more vile and wicked is the sin of forgetting God when they are advanced Many men will remember God when they are low but when God hath advanced them then they forget him and that 's worse But it follows And have built Temples How is God forgotten and they build Temples to the honor of God You accuse us of forgetting God our Maker What People in the world doth rememember God so as we do when we are at such charges as we are at The word that is translated Temples it signifies Palaces The Church is indeed Gods Palace but note from hence That when God is worshiped in any way but his own then God is forgotten Papists they set up Images and they say it is to put them in mind of God but the truth is they forget God in it Again When mens hearts depart most desperatly and furthest off from God they are many times very forward in superstitious worship As we know it in the primitive times the hearts of men did close most with the power of godliness and were more sincere in their worship but afterwards when they came to have peace in and after Constantines time when they had Temples then they forgot God most and grew superstitious When the Christians worshiped God in Dens and Caves of the earth they remembred God more than when they had glorious Temples built for them Men that have departed from God and have guilty consciences they must have something to satisfie their consciences Of late our Kingdom how desperatly was it departing from
they come to be born there they shall perish in their birth and so at every time my curse shall follow them from the conception from the womb and from the birth Yea and Fourthly Though perhaps some may escape in the conception and in the womb and in the birth yet it follows VER 12. Though they bring up children yet will I bereave them THE Curse of God is here threatned to pursue them and over-take them though they escaped the Curse that others are under Many think that when they have escaped some Judgment that hath come upon some others then they are safe enough and all is well But thy preservation from some Judgment that hath struck others may be thy reservation to greater Judgments that God intends for thee afterwards 2. It is a judgment to be deprived of children in the womb in the birth but when you have endured much pain in bearing and bringing forth your children much labor and trouble in bringing up your children when many a thoughtful care in the education of them much sorrow and grief they have cost you and now when they come to be hopeful almost to mens and womens estate and you think to have comfort in them now for God to take them away this is very sad unto parents it goes exceeding much unto their hearts to be bereaved then yet such things as these have befallen many heretofore and Parents though the condition must be acknowledged very sad yet they must submit to Gods hand in this Perhaps some of you have in the breeding of your children endured much and through many difficulties they have been brought till they have grown up to be almost at mens and womens estates and perhaps they have been towardly and hopeful you had hoped to have had them to have been the staff of your age and yet God suddenly hath made them fly away like a bird perhaps be drowned perhaps some other way in a most uncomfortable manner the Lord hath bereaved you of them You will say The condition is sad more than ordinary Therefore God calls you to Sanctifie his Name more than ordinary to exercise grace more than ordinary and the exercise of grace in such an extraordinary stroke of God upon you may be as great a good and comfort as great a blessing unto you as the enjoyment of your child would have been If a tender mother that through all her care and pain and labor after breeding and bringing up a child should have him taken away in some untimely death as you call it she would think her condition the saddest of any living Be it known to you perhaps some may be here or know others of their friends that have had such a hand of God upon them be but convinced of this one thing which I know you cannot deny That the exercise of grace sutable to this work of God that is now upon thee or against thee conceive it as thou wilt I say the exercise of thy grace sutable to this work of God is a greater good to thee than the life of thy child could have been it could never have done thee that good as the exercise of grace may do in this condition when it is sutable to this stroke of God upon thee and this indeed is the only way to make up any losses of children or loss of any goods be it a child be it a husband or the dearest friend a wife or thy estate yet the exercise of thy grace is better than the enjoiment of them all It follows There shall not be a man left I 'le bereave them when they bring them up the words are not a man and left is not in the Original that they be not men And sometimes God lets the children of men and women live and yet they never come to be men but strikes them in their understandings that they are bereaved of them so far that they never come to be men I remember it 's reported of S r Thomas Moore that his wife was mightilie desirous of a Boy that was her word and she had one that proved a fool and saith her husband to her You were never quiet till you had a boy and now you have one that be all his life a Boy I will bereave them that there shall not be a man left But I rather think the meaning is I wil take them away that they shall not live to be men strong men of war You boasted your selves that you had so many of your children that were such valiant men of war before but I 'le bereave you of them saith the Lord. Yea wo to them when I depart from them Surely even wo to them he puts a sureness upon this Wo to them when I depart from them As if the holy Ghost should say What do I threaten this or the other evil the great evil of all the rise of al evils is Gods forsaking them Wo also to them when I depart from them God departs from a people or a particular soul when he withdraws his goodness and mercy from them and the reason why wicked men for a time do enjoy good things it is because Gods time is not yet come to depart from them but when Gods time is come to depart from them then al vanishes suddenly As the light continues so long as the Sun is in the firmament but as soon as ever it is gon it grows to be dark the darkness of the night comes suddenly A man hath strength and health so long as his vitals hold but as soon as ever the vitals are struck the craseis of the body if that be strucken the strength and health goes The general presence of God with his Creature keeps strength and health it 's God in the creature that keeps its comforts and upon Gods departing al vanishes and comes to nothing Thou hast thy prosperity now and thou thinkest thou maiest enjoy it still but how canst thou tell but God may suddenly depart and then all is gone The alteration of mans condition is not only from Natural causes but heigher from Gods departing Carnal hearts think themselves safe if they do not see how Natural causes shall work their ruin they see nothing but as they have enjoyed much good from Natural causes so they see them working still for good to them Yea but know that thy prosperity or thy adversity depends not upon Natural causes but upon a higher cause though thou hast the confluence of all Natural causes working for thee as much as ever yet if God pleases to withdraw himself thou art a lost creature And so it is with a Kingdom When God pleases to depart from a Kingdom he doth then take away Wisdome from the Wise he gives them up to their own Counsels to perverse Counsels he blinds them that they cannot forsee their danger nor see means to help them but they shall take waies as if they intended to destroy
God would have but one Altar 74 Answ 1. These Altars did typifie two things 1 That Christ was to be the only sacrifice 74 2 That all our services are accepted only in him ib. 2. That it might be the bond of the Church Other Objections Answered 76 Obs 1 Mans inventions in Gods Worship are rejected of God 77 Obs 2 There is no stop in superstitious worship 78 Obs 3 We are ready to imitate our forefathers in what is evil but not in what is good 79 Obs 4. Take heed distance of time make us not to fear the threatning the less 80 Obs 5 Every age ads something to Idolatry and false worship 81 Obs 6 What ever names we give to things it may be God will give other names and titles 83 Obs 7 When mens hearts are set upon fals waies of worship it is just with God to let them have their desires to the full ib. VERSE XII Obs 1 Whatsoever is urged or practised in matter of worship it must have warrant out of the written Word of God 85 Obs 2 We should look upon the Scriptures as concerning our selves 92 Obs 3 The things of Gods Worship are to be looked upon as great things 96 1 Because they are from a great God ib. 2 The lustre of the great God shines in them ib. 3 They are the mysteries of Gods will 97 4 They are of great concernment 98 5 They have great power on the heart of man ib. 6 They make all those great that receive them 99 7 They are great in Gods account ib. Obs 4 The word is matter for the greatest spirits to exercise themselves about 101 Obs 5 It is a special means to obedience to have high thoughts of Gods Law 102 Obs 6. The worship of God is a great matter 103 The Word of God accounted strange 1 As not concerning them 105 2 Strange in their apprehensions 106 3 There is no sutableness between their hearts and the Doctrine 107 4 They use the Word as a stranger viz. for their own ends 108 Obs 7 Superstitious people that are very zealous in their own way of worship are very negligent in Gods way 108 Obs 8 It is a dangerous thing for men to have their hearts estranged from Gods Law 110 The Degrees of the hearts estrangement from God 1 His delight in God abates 111 2 They are less frequent together ib. 3 He hath hard thoughts of Gods Word ib 4 He wisheth the things in the Word were otherwise ib. 5 He begins to listen to things that are against the Word 112 6 He will not search throughly into truths ib. 7 An engagement in some unlawful practice ib. 8 Weighty arguments now become weak ib. 9 He violently rejects the Word ib. Obs 8 That which mens corrupt hearts will not close withal they put it upon Christ as if Christ had delivered them from it 113 VERS XIII Obs 1 Men may continue in outward profession and yet the great things of Gods Law may be strange to them 115 Obs 2 Most men offer up nothing to God in sacrifice but flesh 116 Obs 3 To aim at Self in serving God eats out true devotion 117 Obs 4 If Self be regarded all is rejected 119 Obs 5 Men may be much in holy services and yet their sins stand upon the score nevertheless 120 Obs 6 Howsoever God may forbear wicked men a time yet he hath a time to remember all ib. Obs 7 God remembers the sins of wicked people especially in the performance of holy duties 122 1 Because we come into Gods presence ib. 2 Holy Duties are aggravations of sin ib. Obs 8 God visits mens sins when they think he neglects them most 123 Obs 9 Carnal hearts when God visits their sins plot which way to shift for themselves 124 Obs 10 It is one of the most dreadful judgments of God upon a Nation when he hath delivered them from one bondage to deliver them into the same again 125 Obs 11 It is just with God that those that inherit their fathers sins should inherit their fathers judgments ib. Obs 12 All places are places of misery when God forsakes a People ib. VERSE XIV Obs 1 God punisheth for sin when men are most secure 126 Obs 2 It is Gods favor that makes a man 127 Obs 3 The greater excellency God raiseth a man to the viler is his sin to forget God 128 Obs 4 When mens hearts are farthest off from God then are they forwardest in superstition 128 Objections answered 129 Obs 5 Men are more subject to secure themselves from outward things than from Gods wrath 132 Obs 6 When men bless themselves in their own thoughts they should consider what are Gods thoughts 133 Obs 7 Brave things are subject to Gods devouring fire 134 CHAP. IX VERS I. Obs 1 That 's a sad war where the Conqueror hath cause to be sad at the Conquest 137 Vse for England ib. Obs 2 Leagues wherein we much rejoyce may prove occasions of sorrow 138 Use Be not greedy of peace before the time ib. Obs 3 Carnal hearts bless themselves in in outward prosperity 139 Obs 4 When men be jolly and merry they should consider whether it be from God or not 140 Obs 5 We may prosper and yet have no cause of joy ib. Obs 6 Carnal hearts are immoderate in joy 141 Exhortations 1 Be not taken with the worlds jollity 142 2 Imitate them not in their waies of rejoycing ib. 3 Do not rejoyce as a People 143 4 Rejoyce not profanely ib. 5 Rejoyce not as having so much cause as others 144 Obs 7 Many that scorn mean men may not be in so good a case as they ib. Obs 8 Although we enjoy the same blessings that othess do yet we may not have the same cause to rejoyce that they have 144 Obs 9 It is a great argument of mens misery that others rejoyce when they cannot 145 Obs 10 That which we call little matter in corrupting Gods Worship God calls a going a whoring from him 147 Obs 11 A People may be free from the gross evils of another people and yet be in a worse condition than they 147 Proved 148 Obs 12 To be constant to evil principles is not so great an evil as to be false in good principles ib. Obs 13 The sins of Gods People are the greatest sins of all 149 Obs 14 Idolaters love outward prosperity because it is a reward of their service to their Idols 153 VERSE II. Obs 1 God often lets wicked men come near a mercy and then cuts them off 154 Obs 2 God strikes wicked men in those things their hearts are mâ—st set upon ib. Obs 3. The promises of the creature will lye the promises of the world will not 155 Obs 4 Men shall fail at last in what they think they to get in a way of sin ib. VERSE III. Obs 1 It is a great judgment of God to drive men out of a Land for sin 159 Obs 2 The state of the Church of God
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
others to them they seek even to hyre love though the truth is Love cannot be hyred nor purchased although men may fawn and glaver and flatter and crouch that they may gain the love of some other yet if there be no loveliness in themselves to gain love although those whom they fawn on and flatter may use them for their own turn and serve themselves upon them yet the truth is they will despise them in their hearts and so often they will discover to their intimate friends how they scorn and contemn them therefore if others would have love there must be some excellency and loveliness in us for love cannot be hyred But Ephraim hath hyred Lovers This shews the shamelessness of the ten Tribes in seeking after their false worship Other Harlots they are hyred to commit uncleanness but Ephraim will be at charge for their Idols Many Harlots count it a great dishonor for to seek after Loves to seek after Whoremasters though they can imbrace them when they come unto them but yet they will rather have a hyre than they will hyre them but mark those that are superstitions they think not upon their honor but they will hyre to the commission of spiritual whordom they will go to hyre Lovers and be at a great deal of charges in Ezek. 16. 33 34. They give gifts to all Whores but thou givest thy gifts to all thy Lovers And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whordoms whereas none followeth thee to commit whordoms and in that thou givest a reward and no reward is given unto thee therefore thou art contrary As if God should say you are more vile and base in your uncleannesses than any in the world besides for other Whores they receive rewards but you are so set upon your filthy lusts that you will give rewards that you might commit uncleanness From hence the Note is That Idolaters will not stand upon terms if they may have their Idols any way they care not how they debase themselves they will not stand upon honor and respect but let them have their false worship they will submit to any thing Oh! why should we stand upon our terms thus in the matters of the honor of our God when publick good lies at the stake why should not we be willing to suffer shame and disgrace any thing rather than the publick good should not go on than the service of God should be hindered If others will not seek to us yet if good may be done let us seek to them if God may have Glory Though others be never so vile in their carriage towards us yet let us do what we can to win and convince them let us be willing to lie under their feet that God may be glorified If others will not joyn in a good work except they may have the honor of it let them have it so be it the work may go on let us reason so Why should I put forth my self and others go away with all the glory let the work go on and if they will sâ—and for the glory let them have it so God may be lifted up let us be willing not to be seen This is that which doth hinder thee the promoting of his Causes But men stand upon terms and they will not go on in a good cause but break off if others be prefer'd before them If there be two carrying a piece of timber through a narrow passage and if these two men that are carrying a long piece of timber and they must carry it through a narrow passage if they should stand striving who should go foremost one saies I will go first the other saith nay but I will go first they can never carry the timber If one have one end and the other the other end and they cannot agree which should go first and he that goes after thinks himself dishonored because his fellow goes before him they can never carry it through but they must lay it down So it is many times with a good cause it is like a piece of timber upon two mens shoulders and it must go through a narrow passage and one saith why should not I have the glory of it and the other saith why should not I have the glory of it and the while men stand wrangling who should have the greatest glory in the mean time the publick cause is exceedingly hindered let us be willing to submit and debase our selves any way so be it the true Worship of God may go on Further He hath hyred Lovers It 's an evil thing to be drawn to false worship or bodily uncleanness upon any terms out of hope of the greatest gain and to deliver our selves from the greatest affliction but now for a man or woman to seek after the waies of sin to be at cost that they might have their lusts this is more vile for a Whore to prostrate her â—elf for money this is base and abominable though she should have never so much money but to give money this is more base and abominable Josephus reports of one Decius Mundus which was a Noble man that to one Paulina a Lady in Rome he offered as much as came to six thousand pounds for to satisfie his lusts but one night and yet was refused So certainly uncleanness should be cast off with indignation though it be tempted unto with never so much gain but for one to be set upon uncleanness so as to seek after it and to spend their Husbands estates that they might have the free way for the satisfying of their lusts this is a most abominable thing indeed and yet thus many are guilty both in regard of bodily and spiritual adultry It follows VER 10. Yea though they have hyred among the Nations now will I gather them and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the King of Princes THESE words in the reading of them seem to be dark and yet we have much of the mind of God in them and much concerning our selves Yea though they have hyred among the Nations This God still takes ill that they should go to the Nations for help when God had made their condition so much above the Nations for in their going to them they did as it were say that all the love and mercy and protection from the great God it was no more towards them than the Nations had they did as it were hold forth to the world that the Nations were rather in a better condition than themselves in that they would go to the Nations for their help and this went very neer to the heart of God for God had laid out the very strength of his love and the riches of his mercy upon this people and after he had done so much for them yet that they because they were in some little afflictions for the present that they should go to the Nations that did for the present prosper somewhat
themselves If God do but leave them whatsoever their wisdom was before all their endeavors they shall be blasted and come to nothing in this it is we should sanctifie Gods Name and acknowledge it acknowledge our immediate dependance upon God for all our outward good we enjoy whatsoever second causes we have to help our selves Wicked men will not take notice of him in their Comforts they cry out of this and the other cause of their evil but it 's Gods departing from them that is the great thing they should take to heart Particular evils must not be taken so much to heart as this of Gods departing Whatsoever our condition be yet if God be not departing we are well enough though in the fire though in the water I will be with thee saith the Lord. Mark the ground of the confidence of the Saints in the time of affliction in Psalm 46. Luther's Psalm it 's called that is a Psalm that Luther was wont to call to his friends to sing when he heard of any danger that they were in or any sad thing fallen out Come saith he let us sing the 46. Psalm And mark the confidence of the Saints We will not fear though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea Though the waters thereof rore and be troubled though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof though the heathen rage and the Kingdoms be removed yet al shal not trouble us Why what 's the ground The Lord of Hosts is with us the God of Jacob is our refuge And it 's twice repeated in the same words in the Psalm God is not gone God is not departed therefore no great matter what men can do unto us But if one be in misery and have God departed Oh! how dreadful is that condition It was a dreadful speech of Saul in 1 Sam. 28. 15. I am sore distressed for the Philistins make war against me and God is departed from me Oh! when the Philistins make war upon a people when there is enemies at our gates and then our consciences shall tell us that God is departed from us this is a sad condition It was a woful speech of Saul God is now departed when I have most need of him Wo to them then For First The root of all evil is very deep that is upon us when God is departed It doth not lie in this particular or that particular we might make shift to get over them the spirit of a man might sustain his infirmity but the root of the evil it lies in the departing of God And what can the Creature do when God is departed As the King of Israel when the women said Help O King Saith he If the Lord doth not help thee whence shall I help thee And as all creatures say If God be departed we cannot help nay the very Devil cannot help if God be gone In 1 Sam. 28. when Saul was sore distressed and he would raise up Samuel and the Devil came in the likeness of Samuel saith he Wherefore doest thou ask of me seeing the Lord is departed from thee No Creatures in the world nor Devils can do good when God is departed then the evil is only evil when God is gone An evil may have much good in it and God may sanctifie it for abundance of blessings to his People so long as he continues with them but if he be gone then the evil is only evil And if God be gon all protection is gon and therfore thou liest liable to all kind of evils whatsoever And however for the present things do seem to be good that are remaining yet the blessing of it is gone if God be not with thee And this evil that is upon thee it is no other but the forerunner of eternal evil and the creature certainly then must needs sink when God is thus departed Oh! If so be that it is so woful a thing for God to depart from a people here in this world in regard of the withdrawing of outward things and mercies from them what is it then for the Lord to depart for ever from the soul What an alteration doth the departing of the Sun make Take a delightful Sunshine Summers day and how beautiful is it Now compare that with a winters dark dismal night What makes the difference between these two The presence of the Sun in the one and the Sun is departed from the other It is but the presence or the departing of one creature Oh! if the presence or the departing of one creature makes such a difference in the world what doth the presence or the departing of the infinite God do to the soul Let the Saints who enjoy Gods presence prize it and pray as the Prophet did Lord leave us not Oh! how vain is the heart of man that will depart from God If thou depart from him he departs from thee too and wo to thee whatsoever thou hast when the Lord is gone and departed from thee The Lord departs from particular men and women as well as from Kingdoms and Nations and wo to them also when God departs from a particular man or woman he doth withdraw his common gifts and graces and comforts that they were wont to have he doth curse all means for good unto them and he gives them up unto temptations those are the three special things that God doth in departing from any particular soul he withdraws the common gifts and graces that they had and the comforts that follows and curses the means that may do them good and gives them up to the strength and power of temptation You will say it may be Many a soul that doth desire further presence of God may be afraid out of this that God is departed Now though God no question may in some degree withdraw himself even from his Saints so as they may be afraid that God is gone and departed from them yet there 's this one evidence to thee let thy condition be never so sad yet if thou beest a Saint I say this is one evidence that God is not wholly gone if he leaves any kind of shine behind him so far as makes thy heart to be longing after him God doth not so depart from his Saints but he leaves some luster some little glimmering of himself behind so much as the soul sees which way God is gone so much as serves to draw the heart of a poor sinner after himself and makes it restless and unquiet till it comes to be in Gods presence again As when a Candle is taken out of a room the room is darker than it was yet there 's a glimmering left behind in that if you go quickly you may follow When God departs from hypocrites he departs so as he leaves nothing behind him and they have not so much of God as makes them make after God and so they
hearts did and their carkasses were torn in the midst of the streets and so it hath been with us And for all this his anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still And thus it is with us And the principal cause that is there given of such woful smiting it is as you may observe in the 20. and 23. verses the crossness of mens spirits in turning things quite contrary and cross to that which God would have them As thus They call evil good and good evil they put darkness for light and light for darkness bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter Justifying the wicked and taking away the righteousness of the righteous This is the cause of this smiting and never was there such perversness in the hearts of men to turn things quite cross to cry out of Truth for Falsehood to cry out of the Waies of Christ as the Waies of Sedition and the great troublers of the Kingdom to cry out of the Saints that are for peace as the great Stirrers up of the Kingdom and to justifie the wicked in many places What favor hath many Malignants and those that have most appeared in the Cause of God how are they discountenanced This is the Cause why God would smite them and why their Carkasses should be torn in the very streets The Lord hath smitten us this day as he did the people in 1 Kings 14. 15. The Lord shall smite Israel as a reed is shaken in the water and then it follows after he shall root them out of the good Land So it 's here Ephraim is smitten and his root dried up The Lord this day hath smote us as a reed is shaken to and fro that which men cried up at first they cry down again presently after and forward for a little while and then quite the other way again and wavering and unconstant in all their waies and know not indeed what they would have thus the Lord hath smote us yea the Lord hath smitten us so as he hath fetcht blood fetcht blood yea the Lord hath smitten us by those that should protect us and that 's a sore smiting to smite us by the hand of such as should protect us that threatning that is denounc'd in Zach. 11. 6. Oh how is it made good upon us this day saith the text there I will no more pity the inhabitatns of the Land saith the Lord but lo I will deliver the men every one into his neighbors hand and into the hand of his King and they shall smite the Land and out of their hand I will not deliver them It 's a very strange Scripture I know not the like in all the Book of God God threatens to smite this people and how Oh! this is a sore smiting I will deliver every one into his neighbors hand and they shall smite one another and I will deliver every one into the hand of his King Why is it so great an evil to be delivered into the hand of our neighbor and into the hand of our King truly at this time it seems it was Oh! the Lord smites us this day he smites us sorely by giving us up to smite one another We smite one another with the tongue in Jer. 18. 18. Come let us smite with the tongue say they When was there ever such smiting with the tongue as there is now yea even good men smite one another There was a time when the Prophet desir'd to be smitten by the Righteous in Psal 141. 5. Let the Righteous smite me saith the Prophet it shall be as Oyl to my head but now we may justly cry out to God Lord let not the righteous smite me the very smiting of the righteous is a sorer smiting this day than the smiting of enemies to smite with the tongue yea and worse too in Isa 58. 4. In the day of their fast they smite with the fist and smite with the pen that is a sorer smiting sometimes than smiting with the sword And smite with the sword too for Brother is against Brother and Father is against Child and Child against Father and this is a forerunner of Gods smiting the earth with a Curse in Malac. 4. 5 6. verses the very close of the old Testament there Eliah is prophesied to come and to turn the hearts of the Fathers to the Children and the hearts of the Children to the Fathers lest saith the text the Lord come and smite the earth with a Curse Oh! that Eliah might come among us otherwise What can be expected but the Lords smiting the Land with a most dreadful Curse When was Fathers against Children and Children against Fathers as now and that in matters of Controversie It was wont to be a Proverbial speech among the Jews when they had any knotty Controversie that they could not untie When Elias shall come then we shall come to know the meaning of this We may say this day well because we see what Controversies there are and what differences of this the other way judgment the Lord Christ whose forerunner Elias was to be he will come ere long and he will open all things to us the Messias will come again and tell us all and satisfie us in all our difficulties and put an end to all our desputes But for the present the Lord smites us not only by the sword but he smites us as he smote the men of Sodom with blindness and that Curse threatned in Deut. 28. 28. is even upon us The Lord saith the text there shall smite thee with madness and blindness and astonishment of heart and thou shalt grope at noon daies as the blind gropeth in darkness and thou shalt not prosper in thy waies and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled ever more and no man shall save thee Oh my Brethren how is this fulfilled at this day with what blindness and madness and astonishment are the people of the Land smote If it were not the smiting of God to smite men with blindness it 's impossible but they should see what should be done in such a time as this is and you are only oppressed Indeed now almost every man in the Kingdom cries of being oppressed and spoiled ever more We thought that when spoylers and oppressors were amongst us that we were safe and well when it was over Oh! but it is renewed again and then come the spoilers the second time and the third time spoyling ever more and this is the fruit of Gods smiting men with blindness and madness And yet who is it that returns to him that smites him But Lord seeing thou art a smiting Oh! that thou wouldest smite once more smite these rocks of ours these hearts of ours if thou wilt but smite there that might free us from other strokes that there might gush out tears of repentance smite there that we may every man
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.
not bumpish Iam. 5. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A cheerful spirit in company Ezra 9. 5. much pride of times in dejection as in Satan simile The gain of funerâ—ls formerly made some rejoyce wheÌ„ others mourned Theophylact in loc Expos 1. Mal. 1. 7. Observ Applicat Soul put for Life Mat. 6. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Expos 2. Obser Use Expos 3. Obser Explic. 1 Explic. 2. Lam. 2. 22 Revel 12. 17 18. Why so called Why a dayâ— of Feast toâ— God Isa 34. 6. Zeph. 1. 7. Souldiers Gods Priests Ier. 6. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sanctificate super eaÌ„ bellum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gods wrath why called Wine Ps 75. 8. Rev. 14. 10 Explic. Deut. 28. 63. Ezek. 5. 13. the Saints rejoyce in Gods vengeance Ps 58. 10 illustrated Yet not an insulting joy Ps 58. 11 but joyned with pity And mixt with fear Psa 52. 6. Note Prov. 11. 10. Iudg. 5. ult Expos You Isa 10. 3. The perplexity of wicked men in the Lords day Isa 13. 6. illustrated Some pâ—t a good face on it even at death whose souls yet are full of terror See King Jame's DeclaratioÌ„ upon the execution of Sir W. Raleigh A notable story of B. Latimers Iob 13. 15 Chap. 19. 25. Psal 119. Hab. 3. 17 A quest to a Professor The Answ Obs 1. This hardens them Isa 57. 10 Obs 2. Applied to England We should think of helping our own Nation rather than of flying When a man may fly Memphis Grand-Caer The Pyramides there The number of the fleets Expos Obs 3. See Vindication in Answer to Mr Edwards Buxtorf Synagoga Iudaica A Iewish tradition per meatus terrae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Desiderin argenti Expos 1. Lam. 1. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Seges est ubi Troja fuit Germany Isa 32. 1â— London Isa 34. 13 2 King 25. 9. Obs 1. AdmonitioÌ„ Obs 2. Use To those that say they do what they can Expos Obs 3. Ezek. 7. 6 Obs 4. The saying of a GermaÌ„ Divine Se Melchier Adams de vitae Theolog. Germ. Obs 5 Obser Observ Obs 1. Expos Obs 2 Obs 3. Obs 4. Obs 5. Vatablus Ephraim fecit sibi speculatorum id est pseudoprophetas eosque vult audire simul cum Deo suo audire colere tam Idola quam Deum tam falsos quam veros prophetas quae est mera insania Obs 6. Expos Applic. Obs 7. Obs 8. Quest Answ Expos 1. 2 King 19 11. 2 Chron. 36. 16. Chrysostom Theodoret. lib. 5. cap. 34. A Rule to help coÌ„mon people to judge of Ministers of their cause A Caution to the Rule Obser Aspersion on good Ministers What Satans great design is Calvin in loc Ar. Montan in loc Dicta est oratio ex similitudine eorum qui in magna familiâ apud Dominum plurimum posse videntur c. Obser Use Englands reformatioÌ„ Our young ones may see Ministers that counted the things now laid aside only inconvenient will take them up again A Note for the superstitious Us to tru worshipers Expos 1. 2. Our Authors Malignants may have great Victories one after another Yet a good cause religiously managed prospers at last Our times such Obs 1. Obs 2 Use AdmonitioÌ„ to some Brethren now Obs 3. Obs 4. Obs 5 Use for many of the Nobility and Gentry of Engl. Obs 6. Obs 7. Obs 8. Applicat If present times be as bad as former then they are worse simile Expos Applic. God should be our delight in his ordinances Obser Exod. 15. 2. Ier. 12. 10 Vers 7. Exod. 19 5. Gods delight is in yong ones Mic. 7. 1. Exod. 23. 19. Levit. 2. 14. simile Cant. 2. 12 Chap. 6. 11 â—hap 7. 12 An Exhortation to yong ones Observ Baal-Peor Deus apertionis indix interpret nom vulg lat apud latinos priapus vid. Hier. in loc neâ— non Drusium Obs 1. Obs 2. The Panther Obs 3. Apostates Obs Not what we see but what God likes Perit judicium 〈◊〉 quum res transit in affectum Expos 2. Quod per voluntateÌ„ resoluteÌ„ efficaciter vis hoc absolute es Non faciunt bonos vel malos mores nisi boni vel mali amores Aug. Ep. 52. ad Macedon The Chameleon Plin. Lib. 8. Cap. 33 Expos 3. Expos 4 prefer'd Numb 25. 1. Obs AdmonitioÌ„ to Saints Popish Wives To Religious Wives Women in the primitive times Ministers must gaine the peoples love Neighbors friends Expos 2 King 14. Obs 1. Pro. 17. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gloriatio 70. ô grata superbia matâ—is Claudian de proserpina Reâ—s 1. 2. 3. Use to Parents Pro. 10. 1. explainedâ— Tres Vomiâ—as tria Carcinomata Augustus Parents must not be a shame to their children Expos 1. Pro. 23. 5. illustrated Applic. to England and Ireland Ier. 9 23. illustrated Wealth wicked mens glory flyes from them in prosperity God the Saints glory flyes to them in adversity Isa 31. 5. enlightned Expos 2. The time the Israelites abode in Egypt Observ Use Gods preservation in our 1. Conception 2. Womb. 3. Birth 4. Cradle 5. Childhood 6. Youth 7. Middle-age 8. Old-age 9. Death Obs 1. Obs 2. Especially if untimely deaths Obs 3. Sr Tho. Moore Expos simile simile Obs 4. Use Psal 46. Luthers Psalm 1 Sam. 28. 1 5. Reas why Gods departing is a cause of wo. None can help then Satan him self canuot 1 Sam. 28 Evil then is evil indeed It is the forerunner of eternal evil simile Saints should priz the enjoyment of Gods presence Use Quest Answ simile Ps 119. 8. illustrated We should labor to do what we can for God though we apprehend he hath leâ—â—â—s When we see God beginning to depart cry mightily simile Applic. â—o England Expos 2 King 14 Venice Rupes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quintus Curâ—ius Lib. 4. de Reb. gestis Alexandri Plin. lib. 5. cap. 19. The Colonies of Tyrus Ezek. 27. Obs 1. Vltimus sanitatis gradus est morbo proximus Use Take heed in our prosperity Obs 2. Expos 2. Calvin in loc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Obser The villany of malitious CoÌ„manders in ware against the godly Observ 1. Part. Deut. 28. 18. Psal 137. 8. Isa 13. 18 2d Commandment Object Answ Note An apt simile 2d Part. Seed of Idolaters Idolatry depends much 〈◊〉 Ancestors 2d Commandment illustrated Superstitious children admonished Obs Tender-hearted Mothers The Irish war The English Looking glass Object Answ Dij si qua est in Coelo pietas qui talia curet praemia reddent delita patrios foedasti funere vultus Virg. Children should beseech their parents to repent A meditation for parents Revel 12. 11. enlightned Zenophon Expos 1. 2. Prefer'd Obs 1. England more unfit for mercy now than at the first Obs 2. Gen. 30. 2 Paulus Phagius Four Keys in Gods hand 1. Clavis pluviae 2. Clavis cibitionis 3. Clavis sepulcronnÌ„ 4. Clavis sterilitatis Non nuptiae dant liberos sed qui nuptijs legeÌ„ dedit Deus
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
proud swelling words they swear and curse for so the curse in swearing signifies cursing as well as swearing they swear and curse what our Images be broken down what shall we be brought under and made to serve our enemies We scorn it we defie all that shall have such a thought as this is we will do this and that we will have our minds we will die for it else we will enter into Leagues with such and such we will get such and such to conjure together with us I 'le warrant you we shall make our party thus and thus thus they speak great things that they will do yea that they will thus they speak words in making a Covenant with Oaths of Vanity so you may reade it And indeed if men could prevail with great Words and daring Expressions and bold Resolutions and desperate Oaths and wicked Curses then may some hope to prevail against the God of Heaven and his Saints but saith he These things shall do them no good And indeed these things should never move us though we hear our Adversaries speak proud swelling words and say what they will do threaten Monsterous things let us not be troubled at it for they do but hasten the Wrath of God against themselves In the mean time while they are swearing and cursing and making brags and boast what they will do the counsels of the Lord they work their ruin and work the good of his people they spake words such kind of Words They speak words swaring falsely in making a Covenant What hath this reference to What Covenant did they make And wherein did they swear falsely Some think it hath reference to the Covenant that the People did make with Jeroboam at the first and so with his Successors that is thus The People came to him and took their Oaths and entred into solemn League that they would stand by him in the breach that he made from the house of David that they would stand by him in opposing those that would not yeeld to him in the Alteration of Worship For their Princes would not probably have been so strongly set upon the Alteration of the waies of Worship had not the People joyned themselves freely to him by way of Oaths and Covenant now when he saw that the People came in floking and willing to yeeld to the Oath which he would give them upon this he was confirm'd in the way that he went in and so they took Oaths in Covenanting with Jeroboam which were but Oaths of vanity for so the same word that signifies False signifies Vain in the Hebrew tongue so I find Arias Montanus and Vatablus take the words as having reference to that But now others and that more probably understand this Covenant and Swearing to be the Covenant that they took with the Assyrians and with the Egyptians the story of which you have in the fornamed place in 2 King 17. Hoshea sent Messengers to So King of Egypt and brought no present to the King of Assyria as he had done year by year First he had Covenanted with the King of Assyria and that was broke and then they would Covenant with So King of Egypt and so they swore falsely in in making a Covenant with the Assyrians and the Egyptians Now the Observations are That Carnal hearts in their straights have no God to go to therefore they take shifting courses As a Dog that hath lost his Master will follow after any for relief And secondly It 's an evil thing in straights for men that profess Religion to combine with wicked men God professed he will not take the wicked by the hand neither should we it 's a sign the cause is evil when men can have no other help but by combining with wicked and ungodly men Just thus it is for all the world with our adversaries at this day to the Parliament all men generally that have any profession of Godliness they see they cannot have help that way therefore combine and bring into Covenant Irish Rebels Papists any People in the world If it were Turks or Jews or any in the world to help themselves withal this is the wickedness of mens hearts And then thirdly There is no trust to be had to wicked men in their Oaths and Covenants let their Protestations be never so solemn their Oaths their Covenants it is but only to gain time to work about some advantage that they cannot work about for the present while they have any opposition If they have not things under their power as they desire they will promise you any thing in the world but when once they come to get power in their hands then who shall require the fulfilling of their Promises their Oaths their Covenants And therefore certainly when we have to deal with those that we have had experience to be false we must ever retain this conclusion except we see an apparent change in their hearts for that 's not enough that they are willing to take Covenants that 's no new thing but till we see that God hath wrought some mighty work upon their hearts we must carry this conclusion Certainly if they can they will ruin us therefore our condition cannot be safe but to be so as they can do us no hurt That 's the third Note And then the fourth is this That Breaking Covenant though with wicked men is a very great wickedness God will be revenged for it I have heretofore spoken of falseness and falseness in Covenant and Promises and shewen you the example of Saul and Zedekiah therefore I shall not look back to those things God loves humane societies which cannot be preserved but by faithfulness Faithfulness it 's the speech of a Heathen it 's the common safety of all men I remember I have read of the Romans that they did so esteem of Faithfulness by the light of Nature in Covenants that they accounted Faithfulness to be a Godess and they built and dedicated a Temple unto fidelity as to a Godess in which Temple all their Leagues Truces Covenants and Bargains were sworn which were so Religiously observed that whosoever broke them was to be held as a cursed and damned creature unworthy to live in humane societies And the Egyptians would punish Perjury with death Among the Indians the fingers and toes of Perjured persons were cut off And I have likewise reade when Tissaphernes the Persian warred against the Grecians he broke Covenant with the Grecians Now Agesilaus when he saw that they had broke their Covenant he rejoyced at it greatly saying thus For saith he by this means he hath made the gods to be his enemy and our friend wherefore let us boldly give him battel We know how our enemies have broken their Covenants from time to time and their Conditions that they have made themselves yea even lately in that Town that we hear such good of now
that we hope the Lord is even revenging himself upon them for breaking Covenant even in that very place Now my Brethren that even Heathens themselves are convinc'd of this great evil that is so dreadful an evil what cause have we to lay our hands upon our hearts this day in respect of that part of our Covenant that concerns one another for certainly since the time of our solemn Covenant there was never more treachery than there hath been in England and in Scotland too there hath been as much treachery since that time as ever yet was since either of them were a Nation we have been false one to another so far as it relates to our selves But I find that Calvin in his Notes upon this Scripture understands this Oath and Covenant not to be a Covenant to men but their Covenant with God in promising repentance and new obedience and so they spake only words Swearing falsly they did but deceive him in swearing and making a Covenant and this indeed is a sore and dreadful evil to swear to the high God and to Covenant with him to draw so nigh to him and yet to be false God threatens in Levit. 26. 25. That he will send a sword to avenge the quarrel of his Covenant and when we see the sword rageth so as it doth we may have cause to fear that the Lord hath a quarrel against us in avenging the late Covenant that hath been made I mean our falseness in it and that we may see further our guiltiness and evil in swearing falsly in making a Covenant we must know that many waies our hearts may be false in our Covenants with God It is a dreadful evil to be false any way in Covenant with God any of you that upon your sick beds have been solemnly promising to God reformation if God restor'd you if you be false Oh know that the Lord hath a quarrel against you and he hath a dreadful evil to charge upon your souls How many of you have been false in your private Covenants But to be false in publick Covenants that 's most dreadful But our hearts may be false divers waies As First If we take our Covenant meerly upon politick grounds we make the solemn Worship of God wherein we express our fidelity for Reformation of Religion to be meerly subserviant to politick grounds here 's a falsness of heart we are false in swearing thus and making a Covenant we do not sanctifie the Name of God as we ought Or Secondly If we put false Interpretations we are false when we shall make our Covenant a meer 〈◊〉 to our Brethren let us consider how far any of us are guilty of this and let the Lord judge between us I say when we seek to make it a snare even to our Brethren How have those been accused for the breach of this Oath which have not accorded in things that are in Controversie with our Brethren as if this Oath were put upon all men to determin most abstruse and difficult points of Controversie to bring men to submit to things as are very abstruse and difficult to understand this were to make an Oath a Snare and to take the Name of God in vain in a fearful manner Certainly the Lord never would have Oaths put to men to this end that men that are of different waies and opinions in Controversal things for to be forced by way of an Oath to be of the same judgement and to do the same things this is a great abuse of this Oath wheresoever it is urged so far Certainly there 's no man guilty of the breach of this Oath and Covenant that shall but endeavor what he can to understand what the mind of God is and then to practice according as he understands though he should mistake as in the point of Schism in that point of the Covenant the thing its self being a sin we may as well swear against it as David did to keep Gods Commandements but now if David did labor to understand Gods Commandements and do as far as he did understand suppose he did not understand all things aright it might be his weakness but not his perjury So let us be in point of Schism or any other point of the Covenant if men do endeavor to understand what is Schism by the Scripture and accordingly do in their several places by what means their consciences tels them is lawful endeavor to oppose it though they should not think that to be Schism that their Brethren do think or perhaps is so yet they are not forsworn this is evil to make a Covenant to be a snare unto us and our hearts so far are false in it And then thirdly Then is the he heart false in making a Covenant when it doth not fulfill it according to the nature of it when it goes quite opposite against it As since our Covenant hath been made When was there ever greater divisions Our Covenant is for unity When more ungodliness our Covenant is against it when more injustice Our Covenant is against all these and yet since England was a Nation there was never stronger cries came to Heaven for these sins than there hath been since our Covenant And therefore certainly there 's a great breach between God and us in this regard And then fourthly When men make their Covenant to be a cloak for Malignity that is Though they have Malignant and vile wicked spirits yet they can but take the Covenant and then all is well Here they swear falsely in making a Covenant Thus Judgment springeth up as Hemlock in the furrows of the field After this their Covenant there is a great deal of injustice among them Judgment By Judgment some understand the Judgments of God and then the sense is Those wicked waies of yours are the seeds that brings up Gods Judgments that is as Hemlock bitter and deadly there 's a truth in this Interpretation though I think it is not the full scope of the words here but it may be the holy Ghost would hint some such thing unto us in it That our actions are as seeds and what they are sown here they will bring forth according to the nature of them Wicked actions when they are sown will bring forth bitter fruit will bring forth Hemlock It may be saith he you look for peace and prosperity but contrary to your expectation behold Hemlock and bitterness I beseech you take heed of preparing your selves a potion of Hemlock against you lie sick and are cast upon your death bed a man hath sown his field he thinks to have a good crop of Corn but Judgment the Judgment of God comes up and there 's Hemlock instead of it But because I think this not to be the scope of the place therefore I pass it by and rather think that by Judgment is here meant Righteousness Equity and Justice That whereas there should