do others rejoyce scorn at the threats of God So Ephraim had mixt himself amongst the Nations and so did scorn at what was said by the Prophet Do not rejoyce prophanely do not rejoyce slightly vainely do not rejoyce presumptuously promising to your selves continuance in your prosperity But that which I think is especially aim'd at is this Rejoyce not as other people for you have not such cause to rejoyce as other people Why Israel Though you be Israel yet there is not so much cause for you to rejoyce as other Nations have Israel the ten Tribes prides themselves in their Priviledges above other people they despised all people in comparison of themselves But now God tels them that their sins had brought them into a worse condition than other people were in and they must not rejoyce so much as they And from thence this profitable Note may be raised Many who look upon others as mean and low with scorn and contempt in comparison of themselves yet even these may be in a worse estate than those are whom they look upon so much beneath them For instance It may be you may be a man of parts and of esteem and a man employed in high employments for Church and Common-wealth Another is in a mean low condition is of little use a weak-parted man and yet that guilt may be upon you that you have not such cause to rejoyce as this poor man hath which you so contemn as one laid by and not worth any thing It may be you have excellent gifts in Prayer and are an eminent professor another man or woman is no body in your eyes they are no professors at all I but if all were known you have not cause to rejoyce as they have that you contemn Secondly Rejoyce not as other people Although we enjoy the same blessings that others do yet we have not alwaies the same cause to rejoyce as others have though we enjoy the same blessings I say it may be others have more cause to rejoyce in a little than we have to rejoyce in abundance Do not say in your hearts Others are merry and chearful Why should not I be so too I have as good an estate as such a one hath as fair a dwelling as he hath as comly children as he hath why should not I be merry But it may be ther 's not that breach between God such a one as between God thee it may be there is not so much guilt upon the spirits of such men as upon thy spirit therefore thou must not rejoyce as they do though thou hast the same outward blessings that such and such have yet it doth not follow that thou shouldest rejoye as such do you have cause rather to have your thoughts work thus such and such men are chearful indeed yea they may for they have not provoked God as I have done I am conscious of those sins that I beleeve they are free from A man that hath a sore disease about him in his body when he sees others that are merry he thinks with himself yea indeed you may be merry but if you felt that that I do you would have little cause to be merry The third Note is this Rejoyce not as others When men have brought misery upon themselves this is one great argument of their misery That they shall see others rejoycing but all matter of joy shall be taken from themselves It 's not for them to rejoyce as others do that which is the cause of the rejoycing to others you have had and abused it you have abused those mercies of God and now you must not rejoyce as other people do That place is very notable for this in Luke 13. 28. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth When ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God and you your selves thrust out This is the aggravation of our misery to see others in happiness and in a rejoycing condition and you your selves cast out you must not rejoice as others do As if a man were cast into a dungeon neer the street and there should be a day of triumph and feastivitie and jolitie there should be much rejoycing musick and bravery without in the Citie and he lying in a dark dungeon and hears the jolitie of the Citie this would be a great aggravation to his misery yes would he think such that have their liberty may rejoyce but I must not rejoyce as they do and this will be the aggravation of the misery of the damned hereafter when they shall see Abraham Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God and themselves cast out it may be the Father shall see his Child in the Kingdom of God and himself in Hell being cast out they shal rejoice eternally when I must be in everlasting torments The reason follows Rejoyce not as other people for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God The ground of joy or sorrow is the terms that are between God and us sin hath an evil in it to damp all our joy if we would have joy in any thing let us take heed of defiling it by sin of all sins the sin of forsaking God forsaking or corrupting Gods Worship that 's such an evil as is enough to take away the joy of a Nation whatsoever a Nation hath if it hath forsaken God in matter of worship it hath little cause of joy though we should have peace and outward prosperitie yet if there be not making up of our peace for our going a whoring from God let there be all the peace that can be made yet we have little cause to rejoice in it but a people retaining the true Worship of God whatsoever it be in other respects that people hath cause to rejoice Yea and as a whol Nation so any particular soul particular men or women Christians that live in a Nation if their consciences can tell them that they have not complied with the times and gone a whoring from God in waies of false worship as others have done they have cause to rejoyce whatsoever befals a Nation whereas the others that have had complying spirits though the Nation should prosper never so much yet they have little cause to rejoyce in that joy let us therefore be solicitous about nothing so much as about the true Worship of God Yea but this people might say Suppose we have some corruptions in the Worship of God yet we do retain more than other Nations do Nay saith God you have gone a whoring and so you are more guilty than other Nations From whence the Notes are First That which we may think a little matter in corrupting Gods Worship God may call it a going a whoring from Him it 's true might they say we may fail in some Circumstances we go not up to Jerusalem to worship but still we worship the true
politick fetches and let Prophets let any of the Godly come to shew them the mind of God they were resolved in their way they would not be perswaded but were wilful and they would have this way and whatever came of it they would venture their lives and the loss of their Kingdom but they would have it in a desperate way they were set upon their wills come of it what would they would go on in this way Men that are great in Power and Authority they think it a dishonor to them to be perswaded to alter their minds but rather will go on desperately to the ruin of themselves and the ruin of their Kingdoms rather than they will hearken to counsel they were all of them men that would not be perswaded and Luther upon the place hath this expression saith he Being lift up in the pride of their hearts by their Power that they had they would be above the Word it 's self they think it much to have their hearts come under the Authority of the Word This is the wickedness of mens hearts when they grow great they swell above the Word of God They are all wicked all of them revolters Some of them there were that made some kind of shew at their first coming in when they came first to the Crown they gave great hopes some of them that they would have better times than they had before and that things that were evil in former Princes Reigns would now be reformed but within a while they went all the same way you know Jehu and so some others went in a fair way at first but they all turned to be revolters from whence our Notes are First See what CREATURE ENGAGEMENTS are see what engagements will work in the hearts of men when they are engaged in their honors and in their preferments in their great places of Dignities and Powers and Profits and Gain see what they will do evil Princes being engaged and afraid of losing their power if any should go to Jerusalem to worship they all went in one stream not one of them was taken off from their great Engagements indeed many in smaller matters may be taken off to God but if it come to a great matter then none perhaps some poor Ministers that had little livings you know heretofore they would be taken off and see the Truths of God and the sinfulness of Ceremonies but where did your Deans and Bishops where did any of the Prelates that had great Engagements they would never see the Truth that now almost every body sees their great Engagements hindered them And so the great Engagements of Princes hindered them though the Truth was cleer enough Secondly This is brought as the cause of the evil of the People they were all wicked no mervail though the people were so According to peoples interests so they are as they see those above them go that have power over them that way people will go Ephraim was wicked because all their Princes were revolters Those that are in places of power they drive the people along before them for I say God hath little honor in the world but as it sutes in mens Interests according as they have Interest this way or that way Thirdly They are all Revolters From this the Note is this That Princes though they should be used with reverence yet must not be flattered but their sins must he shewed plainly unto them They are all Revolters though they can hardly bear it Touch the Mountains and they will smoke touch the great men reprove but them and presently the heat of their wrath rises and they smoke even w th indignation But yet those that are faithful about them they should trust God with their places and estates and with their lives Oh had we but those about Princes that would deal faithfully and shew to them how far the guilt of blood may be upon them and the evil of it might be upon them Certainly it would be otherwise with us than it is at this day had we but Latimers and Deerings that worthy Preacher in Queen Elizabeths time It 's said of Latimer that sending a Book to King Henry the Eigth he writes in the first Page of it Whoremongers and Adulterers God will Judg and Deering in his Sermons even before the Queen speaking of disorders of the times and these and these things are thus and thus and you sit still and do nothing and again even before her face preaching to her saith he may we not well say with the Prophet It 's the mercy of the Lord that we are not consumed seeing there is so much disobedience both in Subjects and in Prince Certainly much good might come had we men of such Spirits as heretofore have been All their Princes are Revolters Fourthly When Princes one after another are wicked there 's little hope of good then to a people The Saints under the persecution of one they groan and cry to God but another comes and oppresses them more We had need therefore pray for those in high places for Princes for it concerns much the people as we shall see more after It follows VER 16. Ephraim is smitten their root is dried up they shall bear no fruit EPHRAIM is smitten God had threatned Ephraim long before but now he is smitten not threatned only but smitten Observe this Note the manner of the phrase is as if he were smitten from Heaven by a Thunder-bolt in a dreadful manner God himself smote him observe this God will not alwaies forbear sinners at last God smote he threatens a long time but he smote at last God may be a long time bending his Bow and making his Arrows ready and preparing the instruments of death but at length he smote and when he smote he smote terribly How sad is the condition of a wicked man who hath had many warnings and much patience of God hath been shewed towards him and at length this is the news that one neighbor tells another Oh! such a man is smitten of God the wrath of God hath pursued and hath overtaken such a man the fearful stroke of God is upon him and this certainly will be the news of wicked impenitent sinners secure sinners this will be the news that will be told of you such a one is smitten Oh! and what sad reports are there at this day in all Countries about us even through the world what 's the news throughout the world almost but this the Christian world England is smitten the Lord hath smote them the Lord hath smote us with a dreadful stroke and still he continues smiting of us That Scripture in Isa 5. 25. is made good upon us this day The anger of the Lord is kindled against his people and he hath stretched forth his hand against them and hath smitten them mark what follows The Hills did tremble Oh that our
might be another in thy family or place that might bring forth fruit to God but thou hinderest God might have more Rent as I may so say for all his possessions in the world the great Rent is the fruit that the Church brings forth in Cant. 8. 11. it is said that Solomon let out his Vineyard and it brought him in a thousand pieces of Silver for the fruit of it And God he lets out his Vinyard and his Rent I say it is the fruit that the Saints bring forth to him What glory hath God in the world if those that profess themselves to be his people should be empty 8. God doth not let us sit under empty Vines our Vines they have bin fruitful Vines shall we then be empty Vines our selves 9. The Lord hath justly struck this Vine here in England and our Vine bleeds it bleeds and is in danger to bleed to death and what though it doth it hath brought forth little fruit and therefore it 's just with God that he should let this Vine even bleed now to death 10. According to the greatness of the opportunities that any man hath or any society of men so is the greatness of the evil of emptiness Oh! now to be empty when God puts great opportunities of great service into our hands now to be empty when God expects great services Oh! it is the most vile thing of all Oh my brethren that we were but sensible of this But if this be an evil thing to be empty than what is it to bring forth the Grapes of Sodom and the Clusters of Gomorrah to bring forth the Wine of the Gall of Asps wild Grapes And yet a great deal of such fruit there hath been brought forth And truly the fruit that most men have brought forth now they are wild Grapes at the best If men do any thing yet they do so mingle the vanity of prid the sowreness of their own spirits the rigedness of their own nature with what they do that all is but sowr before God Well To conclude this about the emptiness of the Vine Oh! let us prize fruitfulness more and say as the Vine that is brought in in the 9 th of Judges Shall I leave my Wine which cheereth God and man and go and reign over you Oh so Shall we leave our fruitfulness upon any earthly advantage in the world Let us account it a greater advantage to bring forth much fruit to the glory of God than to glory in any earthly advantage No matter what becomes of us so we may be but fruitful though God dung us though he cast all the filth and reproaches in the world upon us yet if God will make this but cause us to be fruitful it is no great matter But further from the manner of the Phrase Israel is a Vine emptying its self That is an aggravation of emptiness when we empty our selves when God is not wanting to us in means but we are the Cause of it And what is the cause of emptiness but the emptying out our strength and spirits to our lusts and the world No mervail though we have no fruit for God and strength in his service when we let out all to other things And the old Latin here turns it A leavie vine And the Seventy they have it A Vine that brings forth goodly branches And yet it 's said here empty that is all the strength and juyce of it is let out in the goodliness of the branches and leaves Oh! so many Professors in these daies they empty out all their strength that they have and all their parts meerly into leaves and have goodly branches make goodly outward profession and goodly words they give and will speak much of Religion but nothing but leaves nothing but words all this while Pliny in his 17. Book and 22. Chapter saith of Vines that it is fit at least for two years together after their planting that they should be cut down to the very ground that they may not sprout out in leaves and so to lose their juyce and strength at the root And truly this is that that hath lost the hopeful beginnings of many yong people in these times they have presently sprouted out into leaves for never was there a more hopeful time of yong people than at the beginning of this Parliament and no greater encouragement was there than from them at that time I will not say it is wholly lost but Oh! how many of them that began to understand the waies of God hath let out all their strength in leaves and contests and disputes and wranglings and strange kind of opinions and little fruit is come of any thing Nay there is little savor at all in their spirits Oh! how happy had it been if so be that God had kept them down in a work of humiliation to the very ground for a yeer or two together Now that 's a thing that is altogether laid aside any work of humiliation but presently they sprout out into leaves My Brethren whatsoever may be said or whatsoevee heretofore hath seem'd to be preached to the contrary yet certainly if rightly understood hath been but the same things that must of necessity be acknowledged we do not press Humiliation as the Condition of the Covenant of Grace we look not at it so but Humiliation keeps the spirits of men low and empties them of themselves and keeps them down I say this is that which would have made them a great deal more fruitful and they could not have run up as meer leaves and their strength spent and so how many of them are fallen off again not only to be slight and vain but to be wicked and ungodly and quite naught because they were not kept down low for a while but God ordering things that they should live in times of liberty Oh! how luxurious have they grown that way When God lets a people grow rank and prunes them not they quickly grow barren We had never so many rank Christians as we have at this day that grow out in luxurious branches and they think they have over-topt all because they can talk more than others do when as there are some poor Christians that grow low to the ground and when they get a little comfort it is gone away from them presently and they walk humbly before God and no body takes notice of them but are despised and contemned O! these will grow and be delightful to the pallate of God when such rank professors as these shall wither and be cast out The pruned Vines bring forth the best fruit and therefore that 's observable compare Isa 5. with the 27. there 's a Note very observable In the 5. Chapter God complains of his Vinyard that he lookt for Grapes and they brought forth wild Grapes but there the Prophet speaks of the time before the Captivity but in the 27. Chapter there is a
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
is excellent ib. Use 1. To shew the happiness of Beleevers ib. Use 2. To shew what a judgment it is to be cast out of the Church of God ib. Obs 3 Those that make Leagues with wicked men it is just with God they should be enthral'd in their abominations 161 Obs 4 When men are inwardly unclean God cares not for their outward cleanness ib. Obs 5 A great sin it is for the Saints to joyn with the World in evil worship 161 VERSE IV. Obs 1 Those that abuse their joy to lust it is just with God to take it from them 163 Obs 2 This makes the affliction bitter when the joy in Gods service is gone ib. Obs 3 It is a sad thing when a creature would seek to God and yet God rejects him 170 VERSE V. Opened 173 The perplexity of the wicked in the Lords day 1 All comforts are gone 177 2 God Himself fights against them ib. 3 Conscience terrifies them ib. 4 They know not whither to go for help ib. 5 The thoughts of God are terrible to them ib. 6 These miseries are but the beginning of sorrows ib. The Saints know what to do in a day of calamity 1 Bless God that ever they knew him 178 2 Exercise Faith in the Word 179 3 Sanctifie the Name of God in his Judgments ib. 4 Ease their souls by Prayer ib. 5 See beyond present evils ib. VERSE VI. Obs 1 Carnal hearts have alwaies some shifting thoughts how to provide for themselves 180 Obs 2 Carnal hearts will rather make any thing their refuge in affliction than God 18◠Obs 3 It is a great affliction to be forced to leave ones own Country and never return 183 VERSE VII Obs 1 God hath his set time for execution of Judgment 187 Obs 2 The apprehension of present evil terrifies the soul 188 Obs 3 Wicked men will not know till they feel ib. Obs 4 The knowledge men have of God in time of affliction is a working knowledge 189 Obs 5 In time of affliction men cry out that those are fools that seduced them ib. Obs 6 It is no excuse for men to be led aside by their Ministers 190 VERS VIII Obs 1 Many vile things are hid under glorious titles 191 Obs 2 When the Truth is cleer it is dangerous to seek the Opinions of others 192 Obs 3 No cause so ill but will be maintained by some learned 193 Obs 4 It is a great grief to those that have interest in God to see those that maintain that which is evil to pretend as much for God as any ib. Obs 5 You must have ground from Scripture before you submit to any thing in the Worship of God 195 Obs 6. Those that have interest in God rejoyce when they see faithful Ministers keep close to God 199 VERSE IX Obs 1 When superstition hath gotten deep root in the heart it is hardly got out 202 Vse to England ib. Obs 2 We may find wors usage from those that profess Religion than from those which profess it not 207 Use Take heed how you carry your selves towards your Brethren ib. Obs 3 God may behold those filthy who carry fair shews in Religion ib. Obs 4 For men to stand out impudently in wickedness committed is abominable in the eyes of God 208 Obs 5 To joyn with others to do so is wors ib. Applied to some of the Gentry and Nobility of this Kingdom ib. Obs 6 Such as do so may prosper a while 209 Obs 7 At last they shall all perish ib. Obs 8 The sins of the forefathers is an aggravation of the childrens sins ib. VERSE X. Obs 1 We should lay to heart Gods love to our fathers and seek to continue it to our selves 211 Obs 2 The greatness of Gods love is not enough to engage carnal hearts 214 Obs 3 There is no evil so shameful but a carnal heart wil forsake the glorious God to cleave to it 216 Obs 4 So to leave God and cleave to wickedness is abominable ib. Obs 5 It is usual for people to be of the Religion those are of whom they love 219 VERSE XI Obs 1 Multitude of children is a glory to a people 221 1 By them they are multiplied ib. 2 What excellency is in their children they look upon it as their own ib. 3 They have hope of continuation from generation to generation by them ib. Use Bring up your children in the fear of God ib. Obs 2 Godliness brings blessings swiftly and wickedness drives them away as fast 245 VERSE XII Obs 1 Many think all is well when they have escaped some judgement 246 Obs 2 It is a judgment to be deprived of children ib. Obs 3 It is God in the Creature that upholds it 248 VERSE XIII Expounded 253 Obs 1 God may depart from men or kingdoms in their greatest prosperity 255 Use Take heed when you are in your prosperity ib. Obs 2. God never shews so much respect to any but if they forsake him wrath follows 256 Obs 3 The curs of God goes forward from the Parents to the children 257 Obs 4 For the curse to follow from the parents to the children is an heavy curse 259 VERSE XIIII Obs 1. Mens sins oftentimes make Gods Ministers at a stand what to say in prayer 263 Obs 2 The fruitfulness or barrenness of the womb is from God ib. VERSE XV. Obs 1 Above all sins the sin of Idolatry makes a people hated of God 169 Obs 2 To take occasion to sin from Gods mercy is a thing which God hates 269 Obs 3 'T is a hateful thing to cast off the Government that God would have men under 271 Obs 4 Some sins provoke God to hatred 272 Obs 5. Sometimes God manifests his displeasure in the places where we sin ib. Obs 6 God cannot endure wickedness in his own house ib. Obs 7 Men in Authority think it a dishonor to be perswaded to alter their minds 276 Obs 8 Engagements work deeply in men when they are engaged in their honors ib. Obs 9 According to peoples interests so they are 277 Obs 10 Princes though they should be used with reverence yet they should not be flattered ib. Obs 11 When Princes successively are wicked there is little hope of good to that people 278 VERSE XVI Obs 1 God will not alwaies forbear sinners 278 Obs 2. If God leave Governors to revolt the people will be smitten 282 Obs 3 Compulsion of Authority doth not excuse sin 283 Obs 4. Tbe apprehension of Gods hand in smiting should humble the hearts of sinners 284 Obs 5 God hath his time to dry up the roots of sinners 285 VERSE XVII Obs 1. Let all the world forsake God a faithful soul will not 290 Obs 2 It is no presumption for a few to chalenge interest in God when the generality do not 291 Use Let thou be offended at the 〈◊〉 of those that keep the faith ib. Obs 3 It is a dreadful thing for wicked men to be declared against by the godly
VERSE IX Opened 418 Obs 1 To comit the same sins our ancestors did is greater than theirs was 419 Obs 2 God takes it ill when those whom he hath used to punish others for sin commit the same sins themselves ib Obs 3 Children of iniquity may escape once and again 423 VERSE X Expounded 425 Obs 1 When God hath a mind to bring about a thing he will gather a people 427 Obs 2 God will chuse his rod he will scourg us with ib. VERSE XI Obs 1 Such as are divided in prosperity shall be bound together in bondage 430 Obs 2 It is a sign of a carnal heart to avoid any work God cals to because it is difficult 431 Obs 3 Hypocrites are content with such services as bring present comfort ib. Obs 4 It is a sign of a carnal heart to seek present accommodation 432 Obs 5 God looks with indignation upon such as mind nothing but ease and delicacy 455 Obs 6 It is an honor for men to go thorough difficultiâ—s for God 439 Obs 7 Let no men boast they live more at ease than others ib. Use Comfort for the afflicted Obs 8. Those that for sake the true Worship of God 't is well if they come into the meanest condition among Gods People 441 VERSE XII Obs 1. Though the sins of people be great and judgments near we know not what an exhortation may do 441 Obs 2 The actions of men are seeds 445 Obs 3 They shal come up in the same kind ib. Obs 4 The seed lies in the ground rotting a while yet afterwards comes up ib. Obs 5 The seed sowen comes up through the blessing of God upon it ib. Obs 6. The better the seed is the longer it lies under ground 446 Obs 7 The Ministers of God are sowers ib. Obs 8 Large oportunities of doing service for God should be our riches ib. Obs 9 It is not every seed will serve the turn 447 Obs 10 As a man sows so shall he reap 450 Use Let the Saints set a price upon the actions of Righteousness 451 Obs 11 God will give abundantly above our good works 455 Obs 12 The hearts of men naturally are fallow grounds 456 Obs 13 It is high time to seek the LORD 474 Reasons 1 God hath been a long time patient ib. 2 Mercy is even going ib. 3 It is an acceptable time ib. Obs 14 It is time for England to seek God 478 Obs 15 God will come to sow Righteousnes in time 480 Obs 16 Sometimes God doth not presently rain Righteousness upon his people that sow it 481 Obs 17 Those that seek aright will continue seeking till God comes ib. Motives to continue seeking 1. Thou art doing thy duty 482 2. Thou canst not do better ib. 3. While you are waiting God is working good ib. 4. While thou art seeking thou art not without some dews 483 5. When he comes he will come more fully ib. Obs 18 To those that are content to seek God till he comes he will come with plentiful showers 484 Obs 19 The help of those that seek God is from Heaven 485 Obs 20 When God comes he makes his people fruitful ib. Obs 21 God comes in righteousness to them that seek him 486 Obs 22 Though the good we do be our own good yet God rewards us as though he got by it ib. VERSE XIII Obs 1 The fruits of false worship is the encrease of sin 490 Obs 2 A man is ready to trust in his own way 492 Use What a shame is it Saints should not trust in Gods way 495 Obs 3 When great men go along with Religion men think it must needs be right 497 Obs 4 Great Armies are the confidence of carnal hearts 498 Use Examine what your confidence is 499 VERSE XIV Obs 1 Tumults are a token of great wrath of God 500 Obs 2 Pollicy will not prevail if God be against us 507 Obs 3. Great is the rage of war if God let it out 508 Obs 4 The sins of parents many times comes upon little ones ib. Obs 5. The judgments of God when neer us should awaken us 509 VERS XV. Obs 1 Miserable judgments many times arise from causes we little think of 510 Obs 2 From places of Idolatry come the greatest evils to a Kingdom ib. Obs 3. False worship is the great sin God is provoked against a Nation for 511 Obs 4. God takes notice not only of mens sins but their aggravations ib. Obs 5. According to the greatness of sin is the greatness of wrath 512 Obs 6 When people have some enlightening then Gods displeasure breaks out upon them 514 Vse for England ib. Obs 7 God loves to draw forth great sinners to the light 516 Obs 8 God will make quick work with great sinners ib. The Names of several Books printed by Peter Cole at the sign of the Printing-Press in Cornhil by the Exchange in LONDON A PHYSICAL DIRECTORY or a Translation of the London DISPENSATORY Whereunto is added The Vertues of the Simples and Compounds And in the second Edition are 784. Additions the general heads whereof are these Viz. 1 The Dose or quantity to be taken at one time and Use both of Simples and Compounds 2 The Method of ordering the Body after sweating and purging Medicines 3 Cautions to all ignorant people upon all Simples and Compounds that are dangerous With many Additions in every Page marked with the letter A. Five Books of M r Jer. Burroughs lately published As also the Texts of Scripture upon which they are grounded VIZ. 1. The rare Jewel of Christian Contentment on Phil. 4. 11. Wherein is shewed 1 What Contentment is 2 It is an holy Art and Mysterie 3 The Excellencies of it 4 The Evil of the contrary sin of Murmuring and the Aggravations of it 2. Gospel-Worship on Levit. 10. 3. Wherein is shewed 1 The right maÌ„ner of the Worship of God in general and particularly in Hearing the Word Receiving the Lords Supper and Prayer 3. Gospel Conversation on Phil. 1. 27. Wherein is shewed 1 That the Conversations of Beleevers must be above what could be by the light of Nature 2 Beyond those that lived under the Law 3 And sutable to what Truths the Gospel holds forth To which is added The Misery of those men that have their Portion in tbis life on Psalm 17. 14. 4. A Treatise of Earthly-mindedness Wherein is shewed 1 What Earthly-mindedness is 2 The great Evil thereof on Phil. 3. part of the 19. vers Also to the same Book is joyned a Treatise of Heavenly mindedness and walking with God on Gen. 5. 24. and on Phil. 3. 20. 5. An Exposition with Practical Observations on the 4 th 5 th 6 th 7 th Chapters of the Prophesie of Hosea Twelve several Books of M r Will. Bridge collected into one Volumâ— VIZ. 1. The great Gospel-Mysterie of the Saints Comfort and Holiness opened and applied from Christs Priestly Office 2. Satans power to tempt and Christs love to and care of
Riches if all the men in the world were put together and all the wisdom and power of Angels joyned to it to extract all excellency in all things in all creatures and to make that which should have all created excellency in it yet this surely could not be a God to us I say if we conceive all art skill power and riches of all the world brought together into one man yea all the skill and power of Angels put into him too and if he were able to make an extract of all the excellencies of all creatures and put into one thing yet this could not be a God unto us because it was made And shall we say further God himself by his infinite power cannot make any thing to be a God to us I say God himself by his infinite power cannot make any thing to be a God to us if he himself were made he could not be God to us nay if God himself were made he could not be God therefore surely that which the workman hath made cannot be a God How vile then are our hearts and how do we debase our selves to subject our selves to every vanity as if it were a God when as that all the power in God himself cannot raise a created excellency to that height as to be a God to us how vain is the heart of men that makes pleasure their god as the voluptuous his belly that makes money his god as the covetous that makes honor and the applause of men as the ambitious to be a god unto us Bernice and Agrippa came with great Pomp they came with much Phansie as the word signifies the excellency that al their pomp had it was but that that phansie put upon them In this God shewes the excellency of an Immortal Soul that it is in that excellency that only an Infinite Eternal being that is of Himself can be a God to us Again This is an argument against the Idol of the Mass a vile Priest a filthy Whoremaster makes it a God What a Deity is that that is from his maker Is there any greater stumbling-block to Jews Turks or Heathens to keep them from Christian Religion than this That Christians should make their God and eat him when they have done That 's the first Argument It is no God because the workman made it Secondly But the Calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces No God surely He speaks here with indignation it is not God it is a Clalf as he doth in that of the Psalmist he made a Calf that eat grass It shall be broken in pieces it shal not be able to help it self much less help them it shal be as Dagon before the Ark broken all to pieces Hierom upon the place saith that he learned from an Hebrew this word broken in pieces the word is not a Verb but a Noun shall be breakings in pieces he learned from an Hebrew that this word signified a thin web like Spiders webs in the air As you see in some times of the year in the Fields thin Webs and upon the grass thin webs like Spiders webs that presently dissolves into Attoms so that their Calf shal be like unto those thin Webs like unto Spiders Webs that dissolves it self and comes to nothing All the confidence and hopes in any thing we set up in the place of God it 's such unto us What difference is there between such a thing and a strong Rock and an high Tower such as God is to his people And again The word signifies Saw-dust that comes from Timber that is sawn and so it shal be broken in pieces Look as the Calf in the wilderness was broken even to dust to pouder and Moses made the people drink of it so God will serve this Calf And then further observe Idols are to be broken in pieces so God commanded Exod. 34. 13. Deut. 7. 5. Ezek. 20. 7. with many other Scriptures and thus godly Magistrates have ever done broke Idols in pieces And blessed be God for that that hath been done of late among us that so many Idols and that great Idol that was in the eminent place of the City that God put a spirit into those that were in Athority to break it in pieces it must be done by the Magistrate I remember Austin in his sixt Sermon upon Christs Sermon speaking of that place in Deut. 1. 5. first saith he You must possess the Land and then you must overthrow their Altars And then notes That those which have the possession of the Land as now those Publick places men only in Authority have the possession of them and therfore it is for them to break the Idols in pieces In the City of Basil we reade that every Ash-wednesday as they call it is observed a Feastival instead of the Popish Fast on that day because of the burning of Popish Images and they account it a great mercy And though we have no such warrant to observe such a day as an Holy day yet certainly as a day of an outward civil rejoycing we have cause to observe those times wherein notorious and abominable Idols have been broken in pieces Again Whatsoever it is that is subject to be broken in pieces certainly we are not to make it to be our God Now all creatures in the world are subject to breaking your estates are in danger to be broken in pieces therefore they are not Gods that 's the argument of the holy Ghost here yea it may be many of your estates are broken in pieces already Oh what poor Gods were those that you made to your selves before and so any creature whatsoever therefore Oh let 's trust in the Lord for ever for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength Isa 26. 4. The last note from hence is this That the putting too much upon a creature the bringing a creature too neer to God and Deifying of it makes way for the destruction of that creature The Calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces because it was made an Idol If you will make use of your estates as a servant to you to fit you for Gods service you might keep it but if you would set it up in Gods place it is just with God it should be broken in pieces Whatsoever you set your hearts upon and make a God unto you it 's just with God it should be broken in pieces if you set your husband your wife your child your friend in the place of God it 's the only way to undo them to undo them in respect of you at best Many great Instruments of God God hath been fain to break them to pieces because that men have set them up in the place of God and made even Gods of them It follows VER 7. For they have sown the wind and they shall reap the whirlwind SOwing is a laborious work and this Idolatrous people were very laborious took a great deal
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
Prophets whom they followed in times of their prosperity But God would have a time wherein they should know they were but fools and the spiritual man but mad And this was likewise because of their great hatred the great hatred of the the true Prophets their spirits were against them and therefore God gave them up to those that were false the same argument follows here in the eigth verse The watchman of Ephraim was with my God but the Prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his waies and hatred in the house of his God The watch-man Such who profess themselves watchmen that take upon themselves glorious titles Prophets and Ministers of God are called watchmen and these made great profession that they would be as careful to foresee and labor as much to prevent danger to the People as any of them all they profest to be very useful unto the people and to be as much for God as any but they were a snare and this title of theirs and this profession of theirs proved to be a snare unto the people Many vile things are hidden under fair and glorious titles as many excellent things are disgraced under base and ignominious titles You know what a deal of evil was lately covered among us by names and titles as the Clergie and the Church and likewise what abundance of good had dirt cast upon it by titles as Conventicles and Puritans and the like and now the titles of things may be changed into others but may be as dangerous some other way as formerly these titles were both one way and the other Let people for ever take heed of titles and examin what lies under them be not led away one way nor other either by fair or specious titles or by ignominious titles Ordinarilie people that do not examin things to the bottom they are taken with names and titles But somewhat of these heretofore The watchman of EPHRAIM The people of Israel the ten Tribes they had no mind to the true watchmen because they threatned hard things against them they were willing to close with any others that would preach more pleasing things so they might set one against another and this quieted them although the truth was that these watchmen were a most grievous snare to them Thus many who have carnal hearts and are not able to bear the evincing and threatning power of the Word in the mouths of the true watchmen of faithful Ministers they seek to help themselves by the opinions judgments of other Ministers and so think they are safe when they have the opinion and judgment of some that are learned and have repute of godliness too for so certainly these watchmen had here and then they can set the opinion and judgment of one against the opinion and judgment of the other they think they are safe now and may be quiet yet this proves a dangerous snare When there is cleer conviction of a truth it is a dangerous thing out of a lothness to yeeld to that to seek the opinions of others I confess when a man hath the opinion and judgments and if out of love to the truth that he might be confirmed in the Truth or that he might know fully what the Truth is for him to seek help from others is a good thing but if out of distast to a Truth if because the heart is weary of it and would fain not have it to be true because it may bring some trouble upon that ground he goes to seek the opinion of some other and hopes before he goes that he shall find the opinion of others to be contrary and so he may have something to quiet his spirit this is a great snare to the souls of those that have been guilty of it The Watch-man of Ephraim Ephraim had Watch-men as well as Judah No cause so ill but will have some in the place of Watch-men that have the repute of wise learned and judicious men to maintain it The Watch-man of Ephraim was with my God They professed more than ordinarie judgment in the knowledg of Gods mind and acquaintance with the waies of God and yet they were snares to the people Whence observe Every man in his erronious opinion doth pretend to be with God and for God and without this indeed he could never be a snare to those that profess themselves to be the people of God With my God It must needs be a great grief to those who have the true knowledg of God and indeed have interest in him to see others who are false to maintain that which is evil and yet to pretend to God as if they were for God and for the glory of God and to set up God as much as any The Prophet seems to speak in grief and trouble these Watch-men of Ephraim those among the ten Tribes they will pretend to be for God to be for my God Vatablus hath a further Note upon this saith he Ephraim made to himself a Watch-man and would hear him and would hear them together with his God like mad-men would hear them together with God and so they would worship Idols and God too they would seem to respect the true Prophets and false Prophet both which is a meer madness thus he The Watchman of Ephraim was with my God They would not wholly depart from God and yet they would maintain false worship they would mingle both together But then The Prophet is a snare a snare of a Fower That is he catches poor simple deluded souls as a Fowler catches the bird with casting baits that are pleasing unto the bird hiding from the bird the snare that presently comes upon it so saith he the Watchmen of Ephraim do thus First they come to the people with very fair and specious things and labor to drop in those principles and do not discover what inferences they intend to make of them afterwards they do not discover what designs they have and what their scope is for the present they come to them and desire them to yeeld to such things that seem to be as fair as any thing in the world and with much pretence that it is only for their good and they intend nothing but good now when they have brought them to yeeld to such things they know that there are some inferences to be brought from those things that will make them to yeeld to other things which had they been presented to them at first they would never have yeelded to but the inferences lay at a distance as the snare doth and they not seeing what would follow they are brought to yield to such things that afterwards they cannot tell how in the world to avoid but they must yeeld to further things thus the Watchman is as a snare of a Fowler that laies things that seem to be very plausible at first but intend afterwards to bring the people to yeeld to other things that would
done And upon the sight of that and hearing the occasion of it the people were amazed and said Never was such a thing done or seen since the people of Israel came out of the Land of Egypt Wherefore all the People even from Dan to Beersheba thâ—y all assembled to consult what should be done in the 20. chap. they resolved to go against the City of Gibeah in the 11. verse the text saith All the people were gathered together against the City as one man and in the 13. verse they required those Delinquents to be delivered up to them Now those Children of Belial they stood it out and would not deliver them up yea and they got the Benjamites to joyn with them twenty six thousand Armed men to joyn with them to stand in defence of these notorious Delinquents they got up an Army which one would not have thought that among the People God there should have been gotten up an Army to have defended such notorious villains as those were yet they did but the people of Israel joyned all together and were resolved that they would have such notorious wickedness to be punished there was four hundred thousand joyned together Now in the 18. verse they asked counsel of God what they should do God gave them leave to go and bid that Judah should go up first so they went to require these Delinquents and went up against them but the Benjamites the first day got the victory and slew two and twenty thousand men Upon that the Children of Israel went up to God again and wept before the Lord and God gave them leave to go again they went the Benjamites came out again slew eighteen thousand more of them These wicked Malignants got the Victory two daies and slew fourty thousand of the Children of Israel that went not only by Gods leave but by his sending and yet for two daies together they fel before those wicked and vile wretches but yet afterwards they went and wept and fasted they knew that their cause could not but be good and they were resolved they would go to God again and humble their souls before God and fast and pray and then they overthrew those wicked Bonjamites and these of Gibeah and whereas there were twenty six thousand came out against them there was twenty and five thousand and an hundred men slain by the sword and the City of Gibeah was burnt with fire so God executed wrath upon them at length This is the story that the Prophet hath reference to Now these men are wicked as in the daies of Gibeah look how it was in the daies of Gibeah so now it is there 's many remarkable things to be observed from that story in reference to this which the Prophet doth quote it for the story in general was thus That they stood out to defend wicked ones so as they did it doth concern us fully in our times and our wars are almost the very same now as then they were for what is the main cause of our War but to fetch Delinquents to the execution of Justice and who would have thought that such Delinquents whose burdens we groaned under in former times and we accounted the great evil of the times that these should find an Army to defend them Yet perhaps sometimes we may be overcome by them and they may for a while prevail but let us fast before God and humble our selves more throughly and certainly God will own his Cause in time as there he did But particularly from the story first observe That when we make use of men as a shelter and to seek protection from them if they shall deal vilely with us and accuse us and make a prey upon us this is a most abominable and cursed wickedness in the eyes of God This Levite came from Jebus and would not lodg with them but to Gibeah thinking to have had protection there and yet these deal vily Doth any man put himself under any of you for protection and do you deal falsely Oh! this is an abominable thing in the eyes of God Secondly That sometimes we may meet with worse usage from such who profess Religion and more strictness in their waies than from those who outwardly are further off from profession It may be if they had gone to Jebus they would not have met with such ill usage as they did when they came to Gibeah sometimes it is so that they that make profession of Religion they are guilty of more ill usage to the servants of God than others that are prophane and ungodly or of another Religion Oh! let men take heed of this how they behave themselves towards their Brethren that they may not have cause to say Lord were we among the Indians or among some moderate Papists or under some of the Prelates again we should not find such hard usage as we do from some of our Brethren who profess thy Name and seek Reformation this were a sad thing I say if ever there should be cause for the Servants of God to make their moans to Heaven and cry to God God forbid Thirdly Whereas Israel thought themselves holy and devout for God in the multitude of their sacrifices and their devotion and their services that they tendered up to God yet God looks upon them as filthy and wicked as the men of Gibeah were that committed sodomy and such kind of filthiness saith God You have corrupted your selves as in the daies of Gibeah whatsoever your fair shews are and your sacrifices be that you offer yet you are lookt upon as thus vile and abominable before God From whence therefore the Note may be That men may have very fair shews in the Worship of God and do that which may seem to be much for the honor of God and yet God looking with other eyes than men do God may behold them as filthy abominable and loathsom in his sight God will not be put off with words of Reformation and the Service of God for men may have such base ends in it and may mix so much of themselves to corrupt the right way of God and to keep out the right service of God with shews of serving him that this may make them and their services to be as odious to God as the most filthy thing in the world that 's the cleer and plain Note from thence We do not reade of such abominable filthiness of body as was in the daies of Gibeah but because of the corruptions of Gods Worship that they carried fairly yet the Lord lookt upon it as filthy as that was in the daies of Gibeah Fourthly For men after wickedness is committed to stand impudently and boldly in the defence of it and to be so far from the acknowledgment of their sin as they will rather venture desperately the undoing of themselves than they will come in to acknowledg or let Justice have its course this is an
abominable wickedness in the eyes of God Thus they did in the daies of Gibeah And thus you are ready to do not only to commit horrible wickedness and sins but to stand in the defence of it there is this desperate stoutness of spirit and hardness of heart in many men that when they are once got into the way of sin rather than they would yield and submit they will venture the undoing of themselves the men of Gibeah did so and they were undone accordingly Yea further Not only to stand out our selves in evil but to joyn with others to defend them though it be the venturing of our own undoing and others this is further wickedness yet how many have we of the Gentry and Nobility of the Kingdom that do not only seek to defend themselves but joyn with the greatest Malignants of the Kingdom with those that are the greatest cause of evil and were like to be the utter undoing of us all to defend them from Justice will venture the ruin of their own families whereas were it that the Malignants were given up they might have saved their estates families and all Oh! that ever God should leave men in such horrible wickedness as this is This is just as it was in the daies of Gibeah Sixtly Those who do so stoutly stand to defend wickedness and other men who are wicked yet they may for a while prosper even the men of Gibeah and the Benjamites may prosper But yet in the next place at last these men shall perish twenty five thousand and an hundred of these twenty six thousand perished and all the men of Gibeah and the City was burnt So let men stand out as stubbornly and stoutly as they will and say What care we they will lose their lives and estates rather than they will submit and yeeld well they may lose all at lengh you have yet it may be a day some victory and prevail'd at some time yea but let not mens hearts be hardened by that nor let none of the other side be discouraged for certainly those that stand desperately out in defending of wickedness they shall perish at last so did the Gibeonites Yea But what is this to us might the Prophets Auditors say Yes certainly it 's much to you for this aggravates your sins the sins of forefathers that 's the Note that the Prophet makes use of what was done in daies of Gibeah From whence is this Note That the sins of forefathers is an aggravation of Childrens sins when they commit the same and others like unto them And yet such is the delusion of many poor people that they excuse the present sins by the sins of former times As thus suppose Ministers or others should complain of the sinfulness of the times and declaim against the sinfulness of the times you shall have some can say Why do they keep such a stir of the wickedness of the times were they not as bad as they are now heretofore Oh delusion This is the great aggravation when that thou livest in those sins thy forefathers did thou art it seems the child of a wicked parent and how just had it been with God to have cut thee off presently for the sins of thy parents and doest thou say that thy wickedness is no other than the wickedness of thy forefathers Certainly if the times be as ill as they were heretofore they are worse than they were heretofore for the evil of our forefathers is an aggravation of our present evils if we continue in them As the treachery of a parent would be no excuse for the treachery of a child for him to say my father was a Traytor for me to excuse the sins of the present times with the sins of the former times and say that they were as ill formerly as now it is just for all the world such kind of reasoning but this is not the reasoning of the Spirit of God he aggravates the sins of Israel in Hosea's time with the sins that were in the daies of Gibeah God may let men alone in their wickedness for a long time untill they grow to the heigth of their wickedness and then God comes upon them When the sins of the Amorites were full Now he will remember their iniquities he will visit their sins But for this phrase of Gods remembring and visiting that we have had before therefore we pass it over and come to the tenth verse VER 10. I found Israel like Grapes in the Wilderness I saw your Fathers as the first ripe in the Fig-tree at her first time THE scope of the holy Ghost in this it is to upbraid the ten Tribes for their wretched ungrateful dealing with God their sin is aggravated by Gods love towards them and their forfathers I found Israel like grapes in the Wilderness That 's thus look as a man that hath been travelling in the parched wilderness and is dry and weary and faint he doth come to a place in the Wilderness unexpectedly and finds clusters of Grapes from whence he hath abundance of refreshment to cool and moisten him and Oh how refresh'd is this poor man when he is parched in the dry Wilderness and beyond all expectation comes and finds a Vine full of clusters of Grapes this would be the most pleasing thing to such a man that could be thus saith God Such kind of delight had I in your forefathers He names Grapes and Figs here because they are the most delightful fruit of all kind of fruit to weary travellers Now if this be so that God hath such delight in his people as a man would have in Grapes thus in the Wilderness Oh! how should God be our delight when we are in the Wilderness If we being his people are so delightful to him in the Wilderness surely then God himself should be delightful to us in our wilderness Oh! let God in his Ordinances be to us in our troubles and afflictions as Grapes to a traveller in his Wilderness surely if God will account us to himself so delightful there 's great reason that we should account him to us as delightful Some of Gods Servants have been forced to fly into the Wilderness and though they have not had such outward refreshments as we have had here that have set under our own Vines and Fig-trees yet God hath made them to find Grapes in the Wilderness they have sit under Gods Protection and his Ordinances as a man in the Wilderness should sit under a Vine of Grapes and refresh himself with them I saw your Fathers We should lay to heart Gods Love to our Fathers and seek to continue it to our selves It 's a sad thing to look upon degenerate Children who have had fathers whom God took delight in Your Fathers were as clusters of Grapes that did refresh the very soul of God as it is said of Wine that it doth chear both God and man so the grace
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
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 such poor things as they have in the Creature should imbolden their hearts against the great God of Heaven and Earth yet thus it is men little consider but even those things that their hearts do so much rest upon they are absolutely at the dispose of this God whom their hearts do not fear But note let the Saints of God take this Note with them Shall creature confidence take mens hearts off from Gods fear Then let Gods fear take your hearts off from creature confidence Certainly there 's a great deal more reason Oh! 't is infinitely irrational that creature confidence should take the heart from Gods fear but it 's infinitely rational that Gods fear should take our hearts off from creature confidence Thirdly Now they shall say We feared not the Lord. The taking from a People the protection of and benefit they might have by Kingly Power is a punishment of the want of the fear of God in them We have no King we are deprived of the benefit of the good that we might have the protection that we might have by Kingly power it is because we feared not the Lord what evil we feel in this let us attribute it to the want of the fear of God in our selves and in the people of the Land We complain of those that are about the King and of Her that lies in the Bosom of the King and of the evil of his own heart in part but whence is it that God hath left him either to them or to any evil in his own spirit The Lord in this punishes the sins of the People 't is usual for God to punish the sins of the People in leaving Governors unto evil courses in 2 Sam. 24. 1. you have a remarkable Scripture for this saith the text there And the Anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and what then And he moved David against them to say Go number Israel and Judah The Anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and he moved David against them to what God lets temptations be before David for to fall into that sin that might bring evil upon the people It was because the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel It 's because that a people fear not God therefore it is that the Lord leaves Kings leaves their Governors to those evil waies that they are left unto and therefore learn we when we hear of any evil that is done by countenance of Kings or any power learn we to lay our hands upon our own hearts and say even this is because we feared not the Lord how easie had it been with the Lord to have wrought upon his heart Oh! what prayers hath been sent up unto the Lord for the heart of one man never since the world began more prayers for the heart of one man but the Lord hath seem'd even to shut his ears against the prayers of his people now let us lay our hands upon our hearts God hath denied our prayers it is because we have not feared him now certainly there hath been but little fear of God amongst us and little fear of the great God is still to this day among us And that 's the third Observation We have no King because we feared not the Lord. And then the Fourth is this The times of Gods Wrath and Judgments forces acknowledgment from men that they did not fear God When God comes against them in waies of wrath now they can acknowledg that they feared not God should the Prophet have come to them before and told them Oh! you are a wretched vile people there is no fear of God among you Why wherein do not we fear God as in Malac. 1. they would not be convinced but Now shall they say c. Now when the wrath of God is upon men now they shall say we see now apparently we feared not the Lord. As it 's said of Cardinal Wolsie when he was in distress Oh saith he Had I but served God as well as I served the King it would have been otherwise with me than it is but I sought to please the King rather than God and now I am left in this distressed estate He would have scorned that any should have told him before that he pleased the King more than God but afflictions they will draw forth acknowledgment for in afflictions God appears dreadful to the soul it is no dallying and trifling and putting off then we see we have to deal with an infinite Glorious and dreadful God and in times of affliction now conscience will brave over men it will not be quieted and still'd so as in the times of prosperity but it will speak as we reade of Zebul in Judges 9. 38. saith Zebul Where now is thy mouth wherewith thou saidest Who is Abimelech So saith conscience in times of affliction to wretched creatures Where now is that bold and presumptuous heart of thine Thou scornest at fearing and trembling before God and slightest his Word but where now is that proud wretched heart of thine And in times of afflictions now are mens hearts abased and humbled and therefore now they are ready to say It is because they feared not the Lord. Mark here they do not when they are in afflictions and troubles say I we may thank these kind of people there were a company of factious people and they would not yield to any thing and we may thank them for all this you hear no such words Oh no but it is Because we feard not the Lord. When the heart is in any degree humbled it will not put off the cause of evils to other men or other things but will charge its self as the cause of the evils that are upon it Oh how much better my Brethren were it for us to see the want of the fear of God by his Word to us and his Spirit in us than by his wrath against us or his stroke upon us Let us every day examine our hearts How hath the fear of God been in me this day hath the fear of God acted and guided me in al my thoughts counsels and actions this day How happy were it when we ever lie down to rest to have such a short meditation Hath the fear of God been the thing that hath Acted and Governed and Guided me in my course this day But it follows What then shall a King do to us or for us Suppose we had him now he is gone but if we had him what good would he bring to us if we had him As if they should say we speak much concerning our King but now we have not the King with us as he was but if he were with us again what should he do for us what would our condition be better than it is And indeed what good had their Kings done for them The People of Israel they were very desirous of a King they must
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
be Righteousness Equity and Justice as it 's expected behold instead of this there spings up a crop of Oppression Vnrighteousness and Injustice that is bitter as Hemlock I rather think that this must be the meaning because I find that in divers Scriptures Injustice is compared to bitter things yea to Hemlock its self in Amos 5. 7. Ye turn Judgment to Wormwood and leave off Righteousness in the Earth And in Amos 6. 12. Shall Horses run upon the Rock will one plow there with Oxen I will not stand to open the former text but you see the Scripture charges the people by this expression of sinning against Judgment and Righteousness that they turned it to Hemlock Now I find three things especially recorded of this herb First It is a very venimous herb therefore I find Pliny records of it in his 25. Book 13. Chap. of Natural History that the Athenians did use to give this to malefactors that were condemn'd to die to execute them withal And Socrates that was so wise a man among them yet he because he did not yield to their gods but spake against their false gods therefore they judged him to die and he must drink a potion of Hemlock and so died And Secondly I find the same Author saith of it that the leaves are somewhat like to Coriander but that they be more tender and a strong stinking smel they have with them and the seeds like to Annis And so Justice seems to have a very fair pretence sometimes and may seem to do things that are very good under very fair pretences men are very injust the leaves when they come up one would think there should be such a fine fruit one would think to have Coriander or Annis but the truth is it comes to Hemlock at last And then the third thing is that which Hierom reports of it and it is in his Comment upon my text he saith that Hemlock grows up very stiff and full of joynts and at the joynts he saith it puts forth a stalk and that doth not only sprout upwards and bear fruit but downwards to have a root he saith that every branch If it hath but a joynt in it will serve instead of a seed yea every sprig of it will serve instead of seed yea he saith if any pieces falls to the ground It wil grow up and so grow up as that it will be very hard to rid the ground of it And truly thus it doth resemble Injustice if it be let alone but a little Oh how it multiplies one to another and spreads through the whol Land quickly And Pliny doth observe many other things too he saith that the root of it is hollow and that 's unfit for any use at all and so are the hearts of those that are injust hollow hearts and unfit for any thing And also he saith that the leaves are fit for swellings and against sore eyes And God doth turn even the injustice that is many times among a people to be medicines to his people against their swellings and to open their sore eyes And he saith That if Hemlock be drank in Wine it will certainly kill a man and there is no remedy So if men shall be Injust and take delight in it and take pleasure in it and scorn and contemn at those that they can oppress by Injustice those men are in a desperate condition indeed And then lastly he doth observe by this Herb that it kils by cold those that takes the leaves or seeds if they get the mastery of any they shall feel themselves begin to was cold in their inward parts and so die inwardly Oh! how many who have been very hot and zealous yet having gotten power into their hands they have unrighteously used their power they have grown cold in what they were formerly zealous in and still they grow colder and colder and thus their unrighteousness is like to prove to be their death In the furrows of the field Calvin puts this Question Why doth he not say it springs up in the field but in the furrows of the field And he gives this Answer to it Where there are furrows in the field there hath the plow come that hath broken up the field and it is to prepare for good seed when the field is laid in furrows and it 's less tollerable for Hemlock to spring up there than in the field that is not plowed or in other places But when a field is plowed and prepared for seed and one would hope to have much advantage by his field to have much Justice and Righteousness in a Country when we see there hath been great works of God to cast out those that were injust before and the expectation of all the people is that certainly now there will be nothing but Righteousness and Judgment but instead of that comes up Injustice and Oppression as Hemlock it springeth up in such a field that is so prepared for Justice Oh! this is that which is a sore evil that the Lord is so provoked against and so complains of that Judgment springeth up as Hemlock in the furrows of the field Thus Judgment springeth up as Hemlock in the furrows of the field What the meaning of Hemlock in the furrows of the field is you have heard already From whence the Note is this That People is in a sad condition and it is a sign the Lord hath forsaken them that they are neer ruin when those places where there is most likelihood of Justice and Equity that there should be Injustice and Oppression Oppression and Injustice in places where God expects Righteousness and Equity is a sad Omen a forerunner of great evil to places It 's Gods complaint in Isa 5. Just before he threatned the utter spoiling of his Vinyard he gives this reason I saith he looked that it should bring forth Grapes and behold it brought forth wild Grapes and he mentions among the wild Grapes Injustice there it 's call'd wild Grapes as Hemlock here for both are very sowr and bitter before the Lord Injustice in places from whence Justice may be expected is by the Lord accounted a most fearful a ruining sin In Amos 5. 12. I know saith the Lord your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins Now the word that is translated mighty sins it is in the Hebrew your Boney sins because the strength of a man it is in his bones and therefore he calls the strength of that sin boney it is a very strong sin it cannot easily be resisted your sins have great bones in them saith he and what are they You afflict the Just you take a Bribe that you may turn away the poor in the gate from their right that 's their great and their mighty sins In Jer. 22. 15. Did not thy Father do Judgment and Justice and then it was well with him He judged the Cause of
will his heart is fixed because he trusts in the Lord. It follows For the people thereof shall mourn over it The people thereof Here he speaks about the Calf of Beth-aven in the singular Number for so I find it 's refer'd by most Interpreters The people of the Calf Of it not of Samaria From thence the Note would be thus That wicked men Idolaters did dedicate themselves to their Idols they are the people of the Idol Those that were the very peculiar of God and his Treasure the People of God now they are called the people of the Calf for they have none to go to for help but only that Idol of theirs they had forsaken God And it 's said That they yet mourn over it Though certainly at first the setting up of the Calf could not but be a very strange thing to the people of Israel yet within a while after they were used to it they did worship it and it took their very consciences so as they loved it and when it was taken away they mourn'd and were in extream distress and trouble Idolaters they do mourn when their false worship is taken from them At this day my Brethren how do many mourn after their superstitious vanities their superstitious customs that they were wont to have Now Prelates and Service-Book and Altars and such kind of things are taken away when they come to meet together Oh! now all Religion is gone So they perswade poor people in remote parts that the Parliament hath taken away all Religion and there is a great mourning in their spirits they think they know not how in the world to serve God if their Book be taken away from them and I make no question it hath been a cause that many have taken up Arms meerly to defend such superstitious vanities and customs that they were wont to have Their Burialls for the dead as they were wont to have Oh! they mourn for this and they would almost as lieve lose their lives as such kind of things as these are I remember I have read of the Indians that were wont to worship an Apes Tooth it was a Religious Relick among them and it was taken from them and there was a great mourning among them so that they came and offered a very great price that was valued at thousands to redeem but their Apes Tooth that was taken from them because it was a Religious Relick And so we have men this day though their superstitious vanities and customs be no better than a very Apes Tooth yet they mourn over them and would be willing to part with a great proportion of their estate to redeem them again they mourn after their Calves Oh! how should we mourn after the true Worship of God then how deer should that be to our souls For Calves Superstitious Relicks and Customs Apes Teeth and such things be so deer to Idolaters Oh! those Ordinances of God in which our souls have met with so much soul-refreshings and communion with God and so much of the Spirit of God let out to our souls through them Such enlightenings by them Oh! how should we mourn after them You that have gotten any thing by the Word by the Ordinances of God that ever hath known what it hath been to have communion with God in them you should think with your selves If these should be taken from me then I should have cause to mourn indeed I have lost much of my estate and my friends many of them are lost and these are cause of mourning Oh! but if I should lose the Ordinances and Worship of God Oh! what cause would there be then of mourning It follows And the Priests thereof that rejoyced on it The Priests they especially mourn The word that is here translated Priests it is in the Hebrew Chemarims and I find it signifies three things the word from whence it comes Chemar signifies to sound out and so some think that it is they are call'd Chemarims because of their clamorous sounds that they were wont to have in their superstitious worship Just as we were wont to have Bellowing in their Cathedrals so they were wont to have and therefore they were call'd Chemarims because of their mighty noises and sounds that they were wont to have Secondly It signifies to burn or to be hot Aud so Luther I find takes the word and saith That they were called Chemarims from their burning desires after their waies of false worship But I rather think there is a third that signifies to be Black from burning because those things that are burnt they are made black When the flame first takes hold upon a thing it makes it black and so Chemarims are as much as black ones or indeed Black Coats they were wont to be known by their black garments and therfore they are called by the name Chemarims because of their black garments that they were wont to use and I find in 2 King 23. 5. that this word that is here Priests is there Idolatrous Priests it 's the same word Those Black-Coats that were then they accounted it a kind of Religion to go in Black from thence they would have the name And though certainly it 's fit for the Ministers of the Gospel to go gravely and decently and not to express lightness and vanity in their garments yet to put a kind of superstition upon black as upon necessity they must wear black Coats and no other garments will serve the turn As heretofore thâ—re was a kind of superstitious vanity put on it Now though gravity be required in their very â—arments yet to stand so much upon the very colour there may be danger in it and those that are look'd upon as Religious men that should differ any way from others that they should be tied and bound to it I say this there is an evil in it they were wont to do so here and so almost all your Heathens and superstitious people they had alwaies a special colour for the garments of their Priests as the Turks have their green for the colour of the garments of their Priests But thus much only for the name Chemarims Their Priests that rejoyced Rejoyce that is They that did exult over the Calves Oh! the Priests the Calves made for them they got the King to be on their side and they made the Calves brave and they had brave kind of Worship about it and many pompous Ceremonies about it and the Priests they gloried in this for they had a special hand in all and because they had the countenance of Authority for their Calves that they were able to crush any that spake against them they exulted the text saith But now there 's a threatning That they shall mourn those Priests that did so glory in their Calves as who were they that did glory so much in pompous Altars and other braveries but your Priests they exulted and had all under them and would
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.
if they have not mercy if they have not a Righteousness beyond their own If mercy comes not in to plead for them wo to Abraham Isaac and Jacob if mercy comes not in to plead for them if at the great day if they have nothing to tender up to God but their own righteousness they are certainly lost and undone for ever Al that we can do is infinitely unworthy of the Majesty of God Oh! the text that you have in 1 Chron. 29. 14. when the people did offer so much to God for the building of his Tabernacle Mark how David was affected with it Who am I saith David and what is my people that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort for all things came of thee and of thine own have we given thee And when David in 1 Chron. 22. 14. when David had provided a thousand thousand Talents of silver and an hundred thousand talents of gold for the building of the Temple of God besides brass and iron without weight yet when all comes to all Out of my poverty have I offered this so Arias Montanus turns it In your books it is In my trouble have I done this but the same word that signifies trouble and affliction signifies poverty likewise and saith David after al this yet in my poverty have I done this whereas this was a mighty thing that was offered I remember Sir Walter Rawleghâ— it is in the 17. Chap. of his 2 d Part and 9 th Sect. he reckons up the sum of what David did there prepare for the Temple of the Lord he makes it more than any King in the world is worth he makes it to come to three thousand three hundred and thirty and three Cart-load of Silver allowing two thousand weight of Silver or six thousand pound sterling to every Cartload besides threescore and seventeen Millions of French Crowns and yet when he had done all Out of my poverty have I done this As if he should say Lord what is this in respect of thee who art the great God If thou wilt but accept of this I shall be infinitly bound to thee Oh my brethren let us learn for ever after all our duties not to be proud keep your hearts low and humble before God Hath God enabled thee to sow in Righteousness our hearts are puft up presently Oh no thou must keep thy heart still under Alas such is the proudness of our spirits if we be but enlarged a little in Prayer we are ready to be puft up presently Oh! what 's this to the service that a creature owes to the blessed and eternal God hadst thou spent all thy daies since thou hadst any understanding night and day in the work and service of God hadst thou been the greatest Instrument of Gods service that ever was in the world yet thou hast cause to lie down at Gods Mercy-seat and cry Mercy Lord Mercy for a poor wretched vile Creature after thou hast done al we are so unable to do any thing our selves It 's an expression of Luther The very Act of Thanksgiving is from God And therefore be humbled and cry Grace grace to al that hath been And let all Publick Instruments not take too much upon them but lie low And there 's a man that 's worth his weight in Gold that can be an Instrument of great and publick work and yet lie low before the Lord. Oh! did we but know God we would be so after our duties we would be low There 's a notable story I find concerning Cyprian when he came to suffer martyrdom and you will say that was a great service to lay down his life for God In his last prayer he had these two expressions which are remarkable in it The first expression was this Lord saith he I am prepared to powr forth the very sacrifice of my blood for thy Name sake yea Lord I am prepared here to suffer any torment whatsoever These two expressions he had You will say Now surely this man might stand upon his terms with God But he goes on But when thou doest lift up thy self to shake the Earth Lord saith he under what clift of the rock shall I hide my self to what mountain shall I speak even to fall upon me As if he should say Lord though I be here ready to give up my body to be massacred for thee to give up my blood to be an offering and to suffer any torment yet when I consider what a God I have to do withal if thou shouldest deal with me as I am in my self Oh! I must cry to the Rocks to cover me and the Hils to fall upon me Oh! this should teach us to keep our hearts low and humble after we have done the greatest work whatsoever I remember one of the Germane Devines when he was full of fears and doubts when he was to die say some to him You have been so imployed and have been so faithful why should you fear Oh! he gives this Answer The Judgements of man and the Judgments of God are different I am to go before the great and Al-seeing God though it 's true God would not have us daunted with any terrible apprehensions of him but yet he would have us be possest with reverence so as to be humbled when we think what a God it is we have to do withal you must reap in mercy Oh! this shall be the song of the Saints to all eternity Mercy Mercy Not unto us Lord not unto us but unto thy Name be the praise And then the other Note from that expression that we have there is That God will give abundantly above our works Oh! it 's a point that hath very much encouragement to poor troubled sinners that are low raise up thy faith it 's not what thy work is though it be low and mean and though there be many failings in thy work yet is there uprightness are they seeds of Righteousness that thou hast sown thou shalt reap according to what shall honor the mercy of an infinite God at last I remember Alexander when he was giving a gift to a poor man Oh! the poor man dar'd not receive it it was too great yea but saith he though that be too great for thee to receive yet it is not too great for me to give So I may say to poor souls when they hear of the glorious promises to poor people Oh! their hearts are ready to think this is too good news to be true it is too great a mercy for thee to receive as thou art in thy self but if God will give according to the proportion of his mercy it is not too great for him to give Now that 's the way that God will deal with those that are in Covenant with him that have all their fruit to come from the seed of righteousness Christ in the heart I say there the Lord will
then it were another matter but now considering they have enough in them to make them subjects of Gods wrath God may take advantage the rather because of thy sin and therefore take heed ane especially take heed to Gods Worship for we do not find in Scripture where any children are so threatned as the children of Idolaters are And then a further Note is this That the Judgments of God neer to us should awaken us we should think Why may it not be upon our selves This was a heavy Judgment of God upon some City neer and God would awaken them Oh! what have we heard hath been upon our Brethren in other parts and we have been sottish and not sensible of it because iâ— hath not just come upon our Gates the Lord expects when we hear of any dreadful evil upon others that we should tremble and fear before him And then one thing further note from hence As Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel The word that is here Shalman it signifies the name of one that is peaceable one that is peaceable and yet he shall exercise his cruelty so as to dash the Mother upon her Children this is not one that bears cruelty in his name not a Tyger but a Shalman a peaceable man as his name carries it and yet thus cruel when he comes to have power Oh! men who have peace in their names and peace in their mouths and peace in 〈◊〉 yet when they come to have power often times are very cruel We were like to have found it so if our adversaries should have prevailed especially this Citie might have been made a Beth-arbel Mothers dashed upon their Children It 's true when the adversaries did prevail in any place they did not do so but it was not through any ingenuity or pity but out of fear but had they gotten the day then we might have expected even dashing of the Mother against the children VER 15. So shall Bethel do unto you because of your great wickedness SO shall Bethel What shall Bethel rise up against the rest of the ten Tribes and come and destroy Mother and Children together That 's not the meaning But Bethel shall do it that is Bethel is the Cause of this that dreadful slaughter that is like to be among you it shall come from Bethel Who would ever have thought that Oh my Brethren Miserable Judgments do many times arise from causes we 〈◊〉 think of that 's the Note from thence I say miserable Judgments do many times arise from causes we little think of From Bethel there should come this slaughter and dreadful blood-shed And as that Note more generally so more particularly this That from places of Idolatry comes the greatest evils to Kingdoms As 't is very observable on the contrary from the places of Gods Worship comes the greatest good so from places of Idolatry the greatest evil In Psal 76. 2 3. In Salem is his Tabernacle and his dwelling place iâ— Zion There brake he the Arrows of the Bâ—◠〈◊〉 Shield and the Sword and the Battel Did God break them there Was there a Fight in Zion and in Salem No that 's not the meaning but in Zion and Salem where Gods Tabernacle was those Servants of God that were worshiping of God in Jerusalem and in Zion and praying to God they got the Victory so we may say that such a place that was fasting and praying in the time of our battels there God brake the Arrow and the Bow in that place where they were praying and seeking God it was in Salem and Zion Where the true worship of God is from thence comes the good of a Kingdom And so in Isa 31. 9. Whose fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem The Lord is there threatning the Enemies of his people and he saith That his fire is in Zion and his furnace is in Jerusalem there God hath his furnace and from thence it shall go to destroy the adversaries And so on the contrary where Idolatry is set up and false worship maintained from thence comes evils and miseries upon us Because of your great wickedness The word is Because of the wickedness of your wickedness so the Hebrews express the suparlative degree by a genetive case the evil of the evil the wickedness of the wickedness From whence observe Other sins are great sins but this of false worship indeed is THE great sin that God is provoked against a people for Whence let us not make light account of the Worship of God for how little soever Gods Worship is in our eyes yet it is a great matter in Gods eyes and though you think that the sins against God in the matter of his Worship be but small yet God saith it is the great wickedness it is the wickedness of wickedness And great wickedness it may be call'd not only in respect of the nature of it but from many aggravations and long continuance in it notwithstanding all their means You may Note further from hence God takes notice not only of mens sins but of the aggravation of their sins Oh! let us do thus do not only look upon your sins and acknowledg your selves to be sinners but look upon the Aggravations of your sins Oh! this sin committed against so many Mercies so many Prayers and Resolutions and Vows and Covenants and so many Deliverances that I have had labor to lay the Aggravations of your sins upon your hearts and this is the way to humble your hearts before the Lord. Indeed the Saints of God they need not seek to excuse their sins be not afraid to lay the aggravations of sin upon your own hearts according to what great aggravations there may be Greaten your wickedness before the Lord do not so as ordinarily people do to extenuate your sins for if there be any extenuation that possibly can be Jesus Christ will find out that in his pleading Christ is your advocate who sits at the right hand of the Father and it is his work to plead your cause and therefore if there can be any thing to extenuate a sin he will do it you know that when he was here in this world when his Disciples did offend very much in that sleepiness of theirs that when Christ was to suffer they could not watch with him one hour that sin might have been aggravated with abundance of circumstances but saith Christ The flesh is weak but the spirit is willing he falls to extenuate and excuse Now that which Christ did there he wil be ready to do in Heaven for thou that art a Saint And then further According to greatness of sins so is the greatness of wrath great wickedness and great wrath they go together and therefore according to the greatness of sins should the greatness of our humiliation be For so it is said of Manasses That he humbled himself greatly and in Lament 1. 20. where the
over as you heard before as the King of Israel is compared to the foam so he is here compared to the morning Now my brethren to close this Chapter Oh! what alteration of things God is able to make in a morning They it may be the day before and over night were jolly and merry and blest themselves in their way they had confidence in their way and multitude of their mighty men but in a morning all is spoiled God can make mighty alterations in a Kingdom in a morning and in Cities and Families and particular Persons mighty alterations in a morning My Brethren Who knows what a day may bring forth who knows what a morning may bring forth Ezek. 7. 5 6 7. Thus saith the Lord God An evil an only evil behold is come An end is come the end is come it watches for thee behold it is come The Morning is come unto thee O thou that dwellest in the Land the time is come the day of trouble is near As if God should say Al this while that thou hast bin in the act of the pride of thy heart and vanity of thy spirit I did determin that such a morning such an evil should come and it 's come it is come it is come saith God Again again and again the morning is come O! think when you lie down at night think what thou hast done this day do not dare to lie down but first make thy peace with God thou knowest not what may be in the morning and when thou risest up in the morning look up to God and seek blessing and mercy from the Lord for though thine eyes be opened and thou come to see the morning light yet before the morning be quite gone thou knowest not what may befal thee and therefore seek to make thy peace with God both in the night and in the morning for great changes may come to thee both in the night and in the morning that thou never thoughtest of in all thy life And thus through Gods blessing we have finished the Tenth Chapter FINIS An Alphabetical TABLE of the Eighth Ninth and Tenth Chapters of the Prophesie of HOSEA Page A Acceptance NO acceptance but by Jesus Christ 74 Admonition Admonition to Saints 59 Admonition to England 66 Admonitions both to Popish and Godly Wives 219 Admonition to those that sin wilfully 425 Affliction In Affliction men see their need of God 9 Affliction teacheth men and what it teacheth them 189 In Affliction God is dreadful 335 Age Every age ads to Idolatry 81 Aggravate The sins of parents aggravate the sins of the children 209 Agreement All Government comes by Agreement 17 Altars Why there were no steps on Altars nor tools lifted up upon them 70 The Altar of Insence explained 71 Why there was but one Altar 74 The Altar typified out Christs sacrifice 74 Why it was sin to errect Altars 76 Altars and Images to be removed by Saints 327 See Christ Service-book Alphonsus The diligence of Alphonsus King of Aragon in searching the Scripture 101 Allegory A fit Allegory of a good Preacher 288 Alteration God can make a speedy alteration in Cities 413 Ambition We should have an holy ambition in Religion 82 Ancestors There is more expected of us then of our Ancestors and why 82 Antinomians Antinomians confuted 100 Antinomians reproved 114 Antiquity Antiquity is no rule for Religion 86 Apis What manner of Idol the Egyptian Apis was 29 Apes An Apes tooth worshiped in the Indies 388 Application Application to the Court 365 Argument There is no argument for the holiness of a Church 130 Arms see Religion Assyrian Why the Asâ—yrian Army was called an Eagle 4 Authority Compulsion of Authority is no excuse for sin 283 B Backsliding Backsliding is dangerous 13 Bare Necks The evil of Bare Necks 433 Bassil A custom at Bassil 34 Black Patches The evil of Black Patches 433 Brethren Brethren admonished 207 Beleevers The happy state of Beleevers shewed 159 Breeding see Men Burden see Kingdom C Calf The Calf of Samaria why it was so called 25 Caution see Kings Canaan Canaan was the Lords Land in an especial manner and why 157 Cause The Cause of God prospers at last alwaies 206 Children Children should beseech their parents to repent 260 See Parents and Mothers Christ Christ is our Altar in the time of the Gospel 72 Christ is little beholding to most Kings 337 Chemarims What the word Chemarim signifieth and its diverse acceptations 388 Christian Good Christians depend upon the Covenant they have made 7 It is a very dangerous thing for Christians to be without Ordinances 54 Christians should not endure wickednesse in their families 273 Why Christians complain of emptiness 317 A Christian Principle 320 Church God doth not cast off his Church though guilty of many sins 5 Church Officers are to be chosen with great care 18 It is dangerous for the Church to mix with the world 47 The Church is Gods pallace 128 The Church is compared to a Vine and why 300 See National and Vine Christmass Why Christmass was wont to be so zealously kept 118 Cleaness God regards not outward cleaness where there is inward uncleaness 161 Commandement The second Commandement expounded 78 The second Commandement illustrated 258 Comfort see Grace Commanders see Villany Compulsion see Authority Communion To neglect the communion of Saints is dangerous 298 Controversie The Controversie between us and the Papists 78 Confidence see Fear Consideration A dreadful consideration 416 Consideration for men of quality 440 Custom Custom is no rule for Gods worship 186 Continue We must continue seeking God and why 482 Covetous see Idolaters Covenant Breach of Covenant is punished by the sword 365 In what cases men may be false in a Covenant made 366 Counsels Mens own counsels oft deceive them 397 What ought to be avoided in our counsels 398 What ought to be attended in our counsels 399 Creature Better the Creature perish than be abused 412 Crown see Princes Crosness The crosness of mens spirits in England 279 Crucifying Why crucifying was so hateful to the Romans 〈◊〉 Curse A dreadful curse lies upon the Jews to this day 298 Cyprian Cyprian's Prayer at his Martyrdom 454 D Dead Dead bodies why they defiled 166 Death Some wicked men put a good face upon the matter even at death 177 Delight see God Deering Deerings speech in his Sermon before Queen ELIZABETH 278 Depart When God begins to depart we should cry mightily 253 Despairing The sad speech of a despairing woman 473 Destruction Destruction is the fruit of not hearing the Word 293 Devil A sinner is a creature the Devil empties his excrements into 49 Diffidence The vileness of diffidence in God 50 Distance see Time Displeasure see God Distress see Hypocrites Divine The speech of a German Divine at his death 189 Divinity Man cannot put Divinity upon a creature 31 Dove Why God accepts not the Eagle but the Dove 4 Duty Good Duties being
cast off bring punishment 14 Fulness of Duty what it is 315 See Sin Enlargement E Eagle Why the Eagle was unclean under the Law 4 See Assyrian Dove Wicked men Effigies An Effigies of the last times 339 Eli Eli's example urged 384 Emptiness Emptines is unatural to a Vine and why 304 Encouragement Encouragements to fight 385 Encouragements for men in mean employments 450 Encouragements for poor souls in mean endeavors 465 Engagement We must take heed of Engagements in evil 28 England England another Canaan 159 England more unfit for mercie now than at the first and why 263 England smitten as Sodom 281 See Admonition and Crosness Enlargements How we should use our enlargements in duties 312 Estrangement The degrees of mans estrangement from God 111 Eternity see Life Exhortation Exhortation to young ones 214 Exhortation to the Godlie 56 Excellency see Soul Excrements see Devil Experience An Experience worth the tryal 316 See Heason F Faces see Painted Faithful Faithful men discouraged and how 280 False worship False worship must be cast off 13 It is just with God to let False worship alone till it come to the full 82 See Ruin Feast Why a day is called a Feast to God 172 Faith How to encrease Faith for pardon in holy duties 120 Fly When a man may fly 182 Forms see Hypocrits Forraign Forraign Leagues are dangerous 46 Followed Our own waies are not to be followed 64 Fear Gods fear drives out carnal confidence 333 Forefathers We are subject to imitate our Forefathers in evil 79 Fulness see Duty Funeral Funeral mournings are hateful to God 166 See Gain Fruitfulness see Vines Furious Furious men do the least service 329 G Gain Gain at Funerals makes some rejoyce whilst others mourn 169 German The speech of a German Divine at his death 454 God Gods power shewed 42 Gods justice over such as sow the wind 43 God takes it ill we should go to Nations for help 58 God should be our delight 211 Gods delight is in young ones 213 God is the Saints glory 223 Gods departing is the cause of wo and why 250 We should labor to do what we can for God though he seem to leave us 253 God manifests his displeasure in the places where men sin 272 God cannot endure wickedness in his house 300 See Church House Worship Mercy Preservation Depart Generation see Spirit Gentry Gentry admonished 208 Good works Good works are excellent and why 30 Gospel Gospel-Righteousness is a most excellent thing 451 Government The danger of setting up new Government 23 Goverment is a thing of great consequence 271 See Agreement Pains Governors Governors are subject to establish false worship 44 Grace Hypocrits seek Grace for Comfort but Saints seek Comfort for Grace 485 Gregory Gregories speech to Theodorus 89 H Happinss see Beleevers Heart We ought to search our hearts 292 Help Helps against Injustice 377 See God Hemlock Injustice compared to Hemlock 370 Hemlock stalks springing up in England 375 House It is good dwelling in Gods house 272 Humiliation The benefit of humiliation 308 How humiliation should be preached 308 Hypocrits When hypocrits are in distress they see their need of God 9 Hypocrites stand much upon formal waies 10 Hypocrites think to fare the better for their parents 11 I Idolaters Idolaters are prophane but covetous men are worse 24 Idolaters promise themselves safety in their Idols 26 Idolaters are laborious in their Idol worship 35 Idolaters sow in hope 36 Idolaters lay a ground for sucession 36 Idolaters observe their season ibid. Idolaters love outward prosperity 153 We ought to do as much for God as Idolaters do for their Images 324 Idolatry Idolatry drives men against principles of reason 31 Idolatry is an hereditary sin 30 Idolatry continues in succession 80 Idolatry depends much upon Ancestors 258 See Succession Jeroboam What Jeroboam's sinne was 19 Jews The Jews custom in time of danger 412 Ignorance The miseries attending Ignorance 18 Images see Altars Invention There ought to be no invention of Man in Gods Worship 77 Injustice Injustice is sometimes like to Justice 370 See Hemlock Help Justice see Reformation Joy Means how to regulate our joy 142 See Prosperity Josephus Josephus his lamentable story 414 Israel Israel's Prerogatives 48 See Nation K Keep Examin principles wel first and then keep to them 292 Keys Four keys in Gods hand only and what they be 263 Kings Caution in imitating the Jewes Kings 15 Kings were made by men 31 The burden Kings are under 65 See People Kingdom see States L Labor Every one bound to LABOR 434 Lady Work for Ladies 436 Land see Ruin Lapsed The evil of lapsed Ministers 48 Latimer The speech of Bishop Latimer before Queen ELIZABETH 278 Latimer's notable story 178 Law What the Law of God is 95 The Law of God is great and why 96 The Law of God moves to obedience 102 See Saints Leagues Leagues of peace may prove occasions of sorrow 138 Leagues must not be made with wicked men 161 Learned see Opinion Life Life is the seâ—d-time for eteruity 39 Liberty Liberty is exceeding dangerous in yong professors 309 London see Popery Love Love is not to be bought 55 Lord It is a great mercy to have time to seek the Lord 472 See Quick-sightedness Luther Luther called by the Papists the Trumpet of Rebellion and Sedition 2 Lumpish Sorrow for sin must not be lumpish 168 M Mass The abominableness of the Mass 33 Malignants Malignants may have great Victories 206 Meditation Meditations for such as are weak in the fields 156 Meditations for parents 260 288 Meditations for Rich men 322 Meditations at going to bed 336 Men Men of mean breeding shold take heed how they behave themselvs when they come into Authority 66 Mens writings how they help to understand the Scripture 88 Mercy All mercies must be improved for God 20 See Free Grace Misery see Ignorance Ministers Ministers must not be weary of their work 3 Ministers that count such things as are laid aside only inconvenient will take them up again 203 Ministers must gain the Peoples love 220 What Ministers should rejoyce in 394 Ministers are Plow men 471 See Lapsed Wind Rule Motives Motives to continue seeking God 482 Mothers Tender-hearted Mothers admonished 259 Mothers fond love sâ—ayes their children 288 N Nation No Nation but Israel forsook their Gods 〈◊〉 148 Our Nation to be helped not to be fled from 182 See God National No National Church now 75 Nobility Nobility admonished 208 O Officers see Church Opinion The Opinions of the Learned are no rule for Religion 86 Opression Our Opressions are not to be removed but renewed 282 Ordinances see Christian Oyl What the Oyl in sacrifices signified 162 P Pains Pains must be taken about Government 271 Some take more pains to perish than others do to be saved 488 Painted Faces The evil of Painted Faces 433 Particular Particular persons must suffer not resist 18 Pardon see Faith Parents Parents must not be a
shame to their children 222 Parents must give their children good education 266 Passions Disordered passions cause sad conclusions 284 Peace see Leagues People People give power to Kings 16 Common people follow the great Ones 381 Peace Many while they provide for peace provide for ruin 60 Perplexed Why the wicked are perplexed in the day of the Lords wrath 177 Persevere We ought to persevere in duties though we have no present comfort 428 Plow Wee should plow in hope all our lives 428 Wee must continue plowing 471 Plow-men see Ministers Policy see Reason Pomp see Superstition Popery Popery almost brought in at London 25 Pride There is much pride in dejection 169 Pride is the root of not hearing 295 See Stubborness Prayer Weak prayer may be strong 315 Preservation Gods preservation of us all our daies shewed 245 Princes Princes when they come first to the Crown promise faire 276 Princes are not to be trusted in 338 None so perfidious as Princes 338 Prophane see Idolaters Prosper We may prosper and yet have no cause to joy in it 141 Prosperity Take heed in prosperity 250 Professors Yong Professors should be kept down 308 Why Professors are empty 314 See Yong Question Q Question A Question answered by a Professor 180 Quick-sightedness The quick-sightedness of the enemy comes from the Lord. 20 R Racha The word Racha explained 303 Religion When Arms may be taken for Religion 21 Good acts in Religion may be evil in the doer 77 Religion is a Saints recreation 165 Reason Reason Pollicy and Experience may go one way and yet Gods Word another 85 Redemption see Sabbath Recreation see Religion Reformation Reformation cannot prosper except Justice be established 379 Revelations Revelations besides the Word are dangerous 91 Riches Riches in goods work is the best wealth 321 Righteousness What Righteousness is 479 Rod We must not chuse our sin and rod too 427 Romans see Crucifying Ruin Gods mercy prevents our ruin 67 False worship is the ruin of a Land 159 See Peace Rule A Rule to teach common people how to judge of their Ministers 197 Cautions to the same RULE 198 See Scripture S Sabbath The Sabbath was appointed for Commemoration of our Redemption 110 Saints The Saints prize the Law of God 100 The Saints should sorrow most for sin 151 How the Saints rejoyce in Gods vengeance 175 Saints admonished 219 The Saints should prize the enjoyment of God 251 Satan What Satans great design is 200 Scripture The Scripture is the Rule and the Expositor to understand the Rule 87 The Scripture should be looked upon as particular to our selves 92 Self People stick much at what comes from self 30 Self-denial God requirs self-denial in temporal things 119 Servants Great is the danger of servants at their own hand 54 Servants to great men exhorted 277 Service To be employed in publick Service is the making of a man 123 Service-book Service-book and Altars all some mens Religion 387 Sin God knows how to make use of mens sins 22 A man may commit the sin against the holy Ghost and yet continue in Duties 115 God remembers the sin of wicked men when they perform holy duties and why 122 See Altars Rod. Signs Signs of much wrath 126 Sound see Threatning Smiting Smiting with the Pen is worse than smiting with the Sword 281 Sinner God may damn a lesser sinner and save a greater sinner 152 Soul The Excellency of the Soulâ—â— 33 Soldiers Soldiers are Gods Priests 174 Sorrow see Lumpish Spirit The Spirit of God forsaw this generation 114 States States may judg of the right of a Kingdom 2â— Stubborness Stubborness is the fruit of pride 53 Strong Strong places are not to be trusted in 132 Success Sometimes God gives success in judgment 421 Succession Succession ads to Idolatry 80 Superstition How it was superstition in the Israelites to build temples 130 Who mourns most for superstition 391 Why carnal men contend for superstition 490 Superstitious Superstitious men regard outward pomp 27 A note to the Superstitious 204 Superstitious children admonished 258 Sword see Smiting T Taxes Taxes upon mens estates are but mean burdens 66 Teachers Teachers establish worship 84 Temple see Superstition Threatning The threatning of God is a terrible sound 3 Men should be sensible of the threatnings of God 68 Distance of time in commandements and threatnings is not to be heeded 80 Trumpet see Luther Themistocles The saying of Themistocles at his death Thoughts The shifting thoughts of carnal hearts in time of danger 181 Time Evil timâ— are good times to die in 265 Time for England to seek God 477 See Threatning V Vanity Scripture expressions of the vanity of great persons 403 Vessels Gods grace to the vessels of mercy 49 Vile Vile things are many times hid under glorious titles 191 Vileness see Diffidence Villany The villany of malicious Commanders against the Godly 257 Vine The fruitfulness of Vines 300 The Church compared to a Vine ibid. See Emptiness Unclean Why Mourners for the dead were so long uncleane 167 Use Use for the afflicted 440 W Waies see Follow Wealth Wealth is wicked mens glory 223 Wicked men Wicked men are as Eagles in their rage 5 Wicked men first serve their turns of the godly and then scorn them 47 Wicked men are wild upon their lusts 52 Wicked men are contemptible 53 See Perplexity Wind Who they are that sow the wind 37 Ministers must beware they sow not the wind 41 Rules how ib. See God Wine Wine in sacrifices what it signified 162 Wil-worship Will-worship an empty thing 303 Work see Ministers Works see Good Word It is a singular blessing to have the written Word 88 By whom the Word is counted strange 105 World see Christ Worship Gods Worship is an excellent thing 12 Gods Worship is cast off by carnal hearts ibid. Gods Worship must not be imitated 110 The Worship of God is a great matter 104 True Worship must be mourned after 388 See False and Invention Wrath The wrath of God is many times executed in answering our desires 150 The wrath of God called Wine and why 174 See Signs Writers see Men Y Yoke Christ's yoke easier than the yoke of the enemy 436 Young Young Professors their danger 45 Young Professors should be kept down 308 See Vine Young ones Young ones exhorted 214 Young ones the hope of a Nation Youth Youths sins are Ages terrors 121 FINIS 1. Text. 2. Apptic by paraphrase Obs 1 Luther called the trumpet of rebellion simile Pliny Why crucifying on a tree was so hateful to the Romans Expos 3. Obser 2. The paraphrase Obs 3. Luther Author The Assyrians Army why an Eagle Why the Eagle was unclean under the Law Obs Goâ— accepts not Eagles but Doves Obs 1. Gualt Applied to England Obs 2 Obs 3. Luther Author Obs 1. Obs 2. A true Church Use 'T is good dwelling in Gods house Ps 26. 8. explained Officers of the Church Obs 3. The good of Christians depends upon the Covenant
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
Expos Obs 1. Ps 78. 38 Zach. 1. 6. simile Calvin in loc pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à A communi regula discedit fortasse voluit inusitatum inuere castigationis modum insolitâ verbi forma Tremel * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In desiderio meo castigabo eos Valde cupidè eos castigabo So Luther See Buxtorf Lexic Heh in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isa 1. Ezek. 5. 13. 15. Prov. 1. Rev. 14. 10. explicated Reas 1. Use Use of admonition to those in whose will it is to sin 1 Pet. 1. 6. Expos 1. Expos 2. of the former part of the Verse * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 70. Iuxta desiderium meum corripiam eos vulg Oecolampad in loc Obs We may not chuse our sin and our rod too The Text very difficult 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In vincire eos in duobus aut succis aut pecatis aut occulis aut fontibus scribetur per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 legitur à masorethis per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sulci 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 iniquitates 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 oculi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fontes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vid. Buxtoriâ— Lexicon Heb. in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arias Montanus In corripere eos propter duas iniquitatis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 70. Vincire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Catigare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But in some Moods and Tenses they are hardly differenced Propter geminum peccatum ipsorum Luther * Qui erant ut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 oculi eoruÌ„ seu amasij Buxtorâ— in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ier. 2. 13. Hier. in loc See Diod. in loc Expos 2. Polanus in loc Expos 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Expos 4. Calvin As Engl. and Scotl. in the late war Obs Hooper Ridley Applied to professors now Expos Deut. 25. 4. Applied to the ten Tribes Obs 1. Obs 2. Vbi non vident quaestuÌ„ rident Christum ubi datur ut edant adduci possunt ut credant Ternov in loc Obs 3. All our life we should plow in hope In Duties we should persevere thouh there be no present coÌ„fort This â—1th Verse of special use 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Expos Obs The evil of Bare necks and breasts Black Patches And painted faces Great Estates ill used Every one bound to labor Fair Skins foul Souls oftimes Alice Drivers Neck-kercher Act. and Monum Hard breeding fittest for Christian suffering Expos 1. * Quando à Deo dicetur semper plagas adversa significat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Obs A caution Examples in our time of the truth of the text Isa 47. 1. 2 Vers 3. Tender ears Christs yoke easier than the yoke of the Enemy Ladies-work Tender spirits Isa 58. 14. Iob 30. 21 22. Expos Vide Pagnin Thesaur Majoâ— in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Obs Expos 2 King 18. 3-9 with 2 Ch. 28. 6. 2 Chr. 28. 6. a strang Scripture Expos 1. Obs 1. Use for workers Expos 2. Obs 2. Us for the afflicted The sufferings in the West A Consideration for men of quality Object against the ObservatioÌ„ Answered Expos 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Occabit ei Iacob 70. Expos 2. Obs Obs The Exposition of Hierom too much on the left hand Seminent in justitia i.e. in lege metant in misericordia id est in gratia Evangelij Luther too much on the right The genuine meaning The Text paraphrased Caution Quest Answ Obs 1. Obs 2. Plinie Obs 3. Obs 4. Obs 5. * Preached in October Obs 6. Obs 7. Use Levit. 27. 16. Applied Obs 8. Ps 126. 6. Prov. 6. 14. 19. Chap. 16. 28. This time most unfit to sow the tares of discord Expos 1. Expos 2. Opened 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad os misericordiae Levit. 27. 16. Exod. 16. 16. Men that are in mean imploymeÌ„ts encouraged Obs 1. Gal. 6. 7. Ps 126. 6. Gospel-Righteousnesse the most precious thing in the world The Reason Use Eccl. 11. 6 Pro. 20. 4. Object Answ 1 Chron. 29. 14. Chap. 22. 14. Arias Mont. translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in paupertate afflictione meaâ— Rawleighs Hist of the World part 2. C. 17. § 9. The quaÌ„tity of treasure that David offered 1 Chron. 22. 14. interpreted Use Ipsa gratiarum actio Luth. Cyprian's prayer at his Martyrdom * Paratus sum propter nomen tuum victimam sanguinis fundere quodcunque tormentum sustinere Cum elâ—vavâ—ris confringere terraÌ„ sub qua fissura terrarâ—Ì„ me absconsurus sum cui monti dicturus sum eadit super me cui collâ— tege me A German Ministers speech at his death Obs 2. Alexander An encoraging meditatioÌ„ to poor souls in their mean endeavors Expos The Coherence Obs 1. See Nath. Rogers's letter out of New-England concerning this point * Subjection is either passive and involuntary or active and willing Again Government may be false essentially and of it self or per accidents and by reason of some adjuncts Lastly some things are such as the corruptions of them may be sooner discerned by a consciencious eye others such as by reason of their similitude to Divine Institution or practice and their Antiquity and Prescription cannot so soon if at all be certainly concluded evil see Mr. John Cottons Letter in New-England to Mr. Williams printed London 1643. for Benjamin Allen in Popes-head-Alley Printed in Lond. for Christoph Meredith in Pauls-yard Jer. 4. 3. Isa 28. 24. explained We must continue plowing els weeds wil grow again though many years after Luk. 9. 62 Ministers are the ylowmen The probatum est of preaching the Law and pressing humiliation The Reason This whol discourse is opposite to that whereby some would comfort beleevers in their sins and sorrows The sum is that of our Lord Christ Repent and beleeve the Gospel and of the Apostle Repentance from dead works and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ Mark 1. 15. Act. 20. 21. Heb. 6. 1. Rom. 7. 24. 1 Cor. 11. 31. 2 Cor. 7. 9. 10. Chap. 12. 21. Expos 1. To have time to seek the Lord a great mercy Use The saying of a dispaiâ—ing woman in Cambridge Obs 2. Reas 1. Reas 2. simile Applicat Obs 3. 2 Cor. 6. Eccl. 8. 6 Luk. 19. 24. ex hoc momento Aeternitas An apt simile Phil. 2. 12 opened illustrated by a simile Themistocles saying at his death Graviora eras Plut. Time for England to seek God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 jacere docere Expos 1. 2 preferred Righteousness what Rain what Obâ— 1. Prov. 11. 18. Obs 2. Obs 3. Ps 101. 2. illustrated simile Motive to continue seeking God Isa 30. 18 explained Mr Glover the Martyr Obs 4 Christoph Columbus Obs 5. Obs 6. Hypocrits seek Grace for Comfort chiefly Saints seek Comfort for Grace Obs 7. 1 Joh. 1. 9. Obs 8. Expos in general Prov. 21. 4. Job 4. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Micah 7. 3. Vt benefaciant Munster 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vel nitunter ut mala sua bonafaciunt i.e. justificent Some take more pains to perish than others to be saved yet complain of any difficulty in Gods waies Cardinal Wolsey See the Book of Martyrs Who cannot die in peace without serious repentance Expos in partiâ— Expos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What is here meaÌ„t by inniquity Obs Why carnal men contend for superstition Lyes here what 1. Reasons for it 2. Comforts from it 3. Hopes by it 4. Interpretation of Gods blessings in it 5. Reports of the coÌ„trary party Expos 1. Partie Obs Judg. 2. 19. Prov. 12. 15. Jer. 2. 10. 11. opened simile A note of one conceited of his own way Prov. 21. 2. Use Expos Obs That way the mighty men go that shall be troden Rev. 13. 1 2 3. Obs 3. Applic. to Engl. 2 Chron. 14 11. observed Obs 4. Hab. 3. 17 The confidence of a gracious heart Use Examin John Baptist when men suffer for a way then they begin to question it Expos Obs Tumults a token of the great wrath of God The Causes The multitude not to be engaged in matters controversal An apt simile None so cruel aâ— the vilest of the people when they get power Pro. 28. 3 The evil of Tumults greater theÌ„ the evil of Tyranny Joseph de bell Iudic. l. 2. c. 11. Lib. 6. Cap. 11. Take heed of being occasion of tumults Amos 2. 2 Expos 2. Clamor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 meticulosorum territorum Ps 112. 7. Ps 57. 7. illustrated Ps 46. Archimedes A Fixed heart in prayer Spiritual Tumults Ps 40. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Foveâ tumultus Ps 61. 2. Nah. 3. 12. Applied Bristol Expos 1. Sicut vastatus est Salmana à domo ejus qui vindicavit Baal in die prelij c. vulg Sic fere Graec. Ps 83. 11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Expos 2. Luther 1 Macca 9. 6. At Bethel Alexander overthrew Darius As if it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dei incidiatoris The god of subtilty Obs 1. Use Obs 2. Psa 137. Isa 13. 16. Ursin in Isa Ps 137. ult expounded Calvin Obs 3. Object Answ Obs 4. Applic. to Engl. Pacificus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 paceÌ„ colere Expos Obs 1. Obs 2. Psa 76. 2 3. opened Applied Isa 31. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Obs 1. Obs 2. Matth. 26. 41. illustrated Obs 3. Lam. 1. 20. 2 King 17. Expos Hoshea the last King of Israel a wilful man Expos 1. The ExpositioÌ„ of this part of this Verse as of many other particulars in these Exercises appears to have been very Prophesies Expos 3. Obs Use for England Zach. 4. 7. compared with the text explained Amos 5. 8. Obs 4 Obs 5. sicut mane transit sic pertransit Rex Israel Ezek. 7. 5 6 7. Make our peace at night And seek God wheÌ„ we rise