shall yeeld her increase When there have been seasonable rains the earth hath brought forth abundantly in some places thirty in some sixty in some a hundred fold The word for increase is Jebul from Jabal to bring because the earth doth bring profit to the owners thereof By Tree and Earth we may understand the higher and meaner sort of people who under the Gospel and showrs of it should become fruitfull And they shall be safe in their Land In the 25. vers it s said They shall dwell safely in the wildernesse and here They shall be safe in their Land they should have safety every where and the words are repeated to shew the certainty thereof When I have broken the bands of their yoke This yoke was the Babylonish captivity which is call'd a yoke Jerem 30.8 and it lay heavily upon them Isa 47.6 The bands of this yoke were the Babylonish powers Nebuchadrezzar his Princes and Officers but God did break the Babylonish Empire in pieces by Cyrus and Darius and so took the yoke off their necks setting them at liberty Yokes are burdensome restrictive and reproachfull this breaking yokes and bands and bringing the Jews out of Babylon typed out the spiritual liberty of the Church in Christs time when Antichristian bands and yokes should be broken and people brought out of spiritual Babylon And delivered them out of the hands of those that served themselves of them The Hebrew is And shall deliver them out of the hands of them who made them to serve the Babylonians made the Jews to serve and work for them being captives among them Exigebant servitutem ab ipsis they exacted service of them their dealings with the Jews were like the Egyptians who were cruel taskmasters over them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Avad saith Lavater saevitiem in aliquem exercere significat tanquam in servam First Observe Temporal and Spiritual blessings are from God he makes people blessed and gives them what blessings he pleases I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing Gen 9.1 God blessed Noah and his sons and said unto them be fruitfull multiply and replenish the earth here God is the Authour of temporal blessings Gen 12.2 Of Abraham God said I will blesse thee and make thy name great and thou shalt be a blessing and I will blesse them that blesse thee and curse him that curseth thee and in thee shall all familyes of the earth be blessed Here God shews himself Authour of temporal and spiritual blessings its peculiar unto God to blesse Balak was out when he said of Balaam I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed and he whom thou cursest is cursed Numb 22.6 No it s not in the power of any creature to blesse or curse men and Devils may utter words of blessing or cursing but they cannot make blessed or cursed its God who turns blessings into curses Mal 2.2 and curses into blessings Nehem 13.2 Secondly Observe Others faire the better for the Churches sake I will make the places round about my hill a blessing On the Hill of Sion was the Temple the place where God recorded his Name there were the solemn assemblies the divine ordinances Gods presence and all that were near in Judaea yea the Nations round about had some blessing and benefit thereby they heard of the God of Israel that he differed from all idol gods they heard of his Laws that they were more righteous then the Laws of the Nations they saw his Sabbaths how strictly they were kept they heard of the Prophets that were in Jerusalem and Israel did not Naaman a Syrian get a blessing from Elisha 2 Kings 5. The wisdome of Solomon had influence into all the places round about Sion yea into all the Countries far off The Queen of Sheba heard thereof and it was a blessing unto her from any Nation they might come to Sion become Proselites and enjoy what mercies the Jews themselves enjoyed Micah 4.1 2. In the last dayes it shall come to passe that the Mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the Mountains and it shall be exalted above the hills and people shall flow unto it and many Nations shall come and say Come let us go up unto the Mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob and he will teach us of his wayes and we will walk in his Statutes for the Law shall go forth of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem These things are spoken of Christs times when the Church should be very eminent and conspicuous like the highest of hills when the Law of faith and the Gospel should go out of Sion and Jerusalem and be a blessing unto all Nations Thirdly Observe Gods blessings are seasonable both temporal and spiritual are in due time I will cause the showre to come down in his season when it shall be a blessing do much good there shall be showres of blessing Levit 26.4 I will give you rain in due season and the Land shall yield her increase and the Trees of the field shall yield their fruit Those rains are seasonable which cause fruitfulness those are unseasonable rains which hinder or destroy the fruit of the Trees and encrease of the earth The Lord observes times and seasons to do sinners good both for body and soul Isa 30.18 He waits that he may be gracious he waits for fit seasons wherein his mercies may come with advantage and acceptance unto men Isa 55.10 11. As the rain cometh down and the snow from Heaven and returneth not thither but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud which is an argument it came in season so shall my word be that goeth out of my mouth it shall not return unto me void but it shall accomplish that which I please it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it God gives his word seasonably as he doth the rain Tit 1.3 God hath in due times manifested his word through preaching the Original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in his own times and those are the due times the seasonablest times Gal. 4.4 When the fullnesse of the time was come God sent forth his Son made of a woman Christs birth was at the fullness of time when it was most seasonable so his death Rom 5.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in due time or according to the season Christ dyed for the ungodly Psal 72.6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grasse as the showres that water the earth As Solomon was to the people by his wisdome and justice like seasonable rains to the grasse and earth much more is God and Christ so to the Church what seasonable dews droppings and influences of the Spirit hath it from them which make it to grow green and flourish Let us wait for his showres and influences none can give them but himself and when he gives them it s in season Fourthly Observe
The end of Gods blessings is that we may acknowledge and honour him for them I will cause the showres to come in season I will make the Trees fruitful and the earth encrease I will make them safe in their Land and they shall know that I am the Lord. Gods blessings have something of God in them they are glasses and shew us his power wisdome goodnesse and loving kindnesse each of which oblige us to acknowledge him the Authour of them and to honour him for them Fifthly Observe Gods people are sometimes in subjection and bondage to their enemies who make them to serve and serve themselves of them The Jews were under the Babylonish yoke they served and suffered hard things under the Babylonians Jer 50.33 they were oppressed held under and put to do servile things God had told them by the mouth of Jeremy chap. 17.4 that they should serve their enemies and their enemies made them to serve and advantaged themselves by their service Lamen 5.4 5 6. We have drunk our water for money our wood is sold unto us they could neither have water nor fire unlesse they bought or earn'd the same with hard labour Our necks are under persecution we labour and have no rest this iron yoke of Captivity is upon us we labour and serve these Babylonians and yet we have no rest We have not bread to satisfie our hunger They made the young men grinders in the mill ver 13. This was the condition of Gods people in Babylon under Nebuchadrezzar and Belshazzar their grand enemies and such hath been the condition of Gods people since Christs time they have been often in subjection and bondage to Antichrist to Princes and Prelates who have tyrannized over their souls and bodies Sixthly Observe God hath his time to set his at liberty to bre ak te bands and yokes which his are held in When I have broken or shall break the bands of their yoke and deliver them out of the hands of those that made them to serve The Jews found their bands and yokes so strong and fast tyed about their necks that they were without hope of ever having them loosed or removed Ezek 37.11 Our hope is lost this captivity we shall never shake off nor our posterity and the Babylonians they held them fast and refused to let them go Jer 50.33 But when the seventy years were expired when Gods time was come he brake the yokes and bands he knockt them off and set them at liberty for ver 34. Their Redeemer is strong the Lord of Hoasts is his name Let enemies strength be great let their yokes be of iron which they put upon his peoples necks and let them be tyed on with the bands of humane Laws yet God is stronger then they he will break Empires and Emperors in pieces abrogate their Laws loose the bands pull off the yokes and set his people at liberty he will throughly plead their cause give them and their Land rest and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon We were under Romish Antichristian yokes a long time the bands of which were loosened somewhat under Edward the sixth and Queen Elizabeth but they were tying fast again by their Successors and became so heavy that multitudes of our brethren were glad to flye for the burdensomness of those yoaks others cryed unto God to break them in pieces and his time being come he hath done it our Antichristian bands and Babylonish yokes are loosened and knockt off our necks let us take heed least through the abuse of our liberty the Lord cast us into a worse and greater bondage then ever Seventhly Observe Eminent works of God do cause eminent knowledge of God And they shall know me when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them ouâ—â—f the hands of those that served themselves upon them This was an eminent work of God to bring them out of Babylon and this bred eminent knowledge of God in them then they had large experience of Gods power faithfulnesse and goodness unto them that they said The Lord liveth which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the North Countrey and from all Countries whether the Lord had driven them Jer. 23.8 When their captivity was turned then they had such apprehensions of God as fiill'd their mouths with laughter and their tongues with singing Psal 126.1 2 3. then they said The Lord hath done great things for us whereof we are glad Vers 28. And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen neither shall the beasts of the Land devoure them but they shall dwell safely and none shall make them afraid The Jews had oft been a prey to the Heathen the Egyptians Amorites Moabites Midianites Philistims Babylonians and others had oft spoyled and served themselves of them which the Lord laying to heart doth here graciously promise That they shall no more be a prey unto the Nations The Hebrew word for prey is Baz from Bazaz to spoyl to pluck from and the English word is from praeda which some make to be corpora rerum captarum the bodies of things taken or thus a prey is that which men get and devoure Praeda est quam alius paedit cui non parata Martinius for whom it was not prepared or intended as Heb 10.34 They took joyfully the spoyling of their goods their goods were not prepared or intended for those that gat them The word for spoyling is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a prey because it s violently gotten and taken Neither shall the beasts of the Land devoure them The Land of Canaan was the glory of all Lands Ezek 20.6 yet was it not without wild beasts which did tare and devoure 2 Kings 2.24 2 Kings 17.25 But now God would chain up the Bears and Lyons so that they should do no harm There is another sense to be made of the words which is that God would so order the spirits of wicked Magistrates false Prophets and vile turbulent spirits that they should not harm his flock such men formerly had eaten up many of Gods people Ezek 22.25 27 29. But they shall dwell safely and none shall make them afraid To dwell safely is a great mercy to dwell so safely that none shall make afraid is extraordinary mercy Men are subject unto fears even the best of men and that severall wayes when fire breaks out in a Town when famine or plague are in a City when storms and tempests are abroad when wars begin persecution imprisonment bannishment and death are threatned then fears seize upon persons and prevail too far with many but here the Lord promises that his shall be free from all fears none shall make them afraid The word for making afraid is from Charad which notes not a slight fear but such as is with trembling outwardly manifested and it ariseth either from inward solicitousnesse of mind or from apprehension of evill impending and at hand Observe
a great burden A stone saith Solomon Prov 27.3 is heavy and the sand weighty but a fools wrath is heavier then them both and guilt is heavier then them all A wounded spirit who can bear Prov. 18.14 What is guilt then with punishment but a consuming a devouring thing When David had sinned and Gods hand was upon him what saith he Psal 38.3 There is no soundnesse in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin Mine iniquities are gone over my head◠as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me v. 4. I am feeble and soar broken I have roared by reason of the disquietnesse of my heart v. 8. Gods hand and his own guilt did eat up his spirit and bring him to the gates of death this made him to say Psal 39.11 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth The word for beauty notes that is desireable in man whatever is desireable that melts away when God doth visit man for sin A little touch of a mans hand crusheth the wings and hazards the life of the moth a little touch of Gods hand where guilt is marrs the beauty strength and desireables of man Secondly Observe Sinners under sad judgements are apt to despond yea to despair If our transgressions and our sins be upon us and we pine away in them how should we then live They had greatly sinned against God stood it out against his Prophets threatning judgements and now the judgments were come upon them their hearts sunk within them and they conclude there is no mercy for them our sins are great Gods judgments heavy upon us he is resolved now upon our destruction and what course soever we shall take all is in vain What these said in Judaea the like said they in Babylon Ezek. 37.11 Our bones are dryed and our hope is lost we are cut off for our parts We are like the bones in a Grave that have all the marrow dryed out of them or like a branch of a Tree cut off and all the sap dryed out of it there is no hope we should ever live go to Jerusalem and grow there again into a Church or State Not only the wicked but even a Godly man may be in a desponding yea a desparing condition as David himself Psal 31.22 I said in my hast I am cut off from before thine eyes Thou wilt never look upon or favour me more So Asaph Psal 77.7 Will the Lord cast off for ever will he be favourable no more is his mercy clean gone for ever doth his promise fail for evermore hath he forgotten to be gracious c. What sad expostulations were these of a good man Thirdly Observe The cavills objections and unbelief of sinners put God unto his oath As I live saith the Lord it s not so as you fancy I have told you that if you turn from your evill ways you shall live that I have no pleasure in the death of a sinner Ezek 18.21 22 23 27 28 31 32. But ye believe not my word ye cavill against it and say ye shall pine away in your sins that what course soever ye take ye shall not live Men are backward to believe the word of God and deal worse with God then with man they will give credit to an honest man upon his word but not to God yea how many do believe the Devils suggestions and delusions who is the father of lyes and will not believe the word of God and what a harsh thing is it that men will not attribute so much to God as to the Devil Eve took the Devils bare word in Paradice she put not him to his oath when he said ye shall not dye your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods knowing good and evill She believed him presently But men will not take Gods bare word they put him to his oath As I live saith the Lord. It s a great thing for God to speak but more for him to swear he that made the world with a word is not believed upon his word he must take his oath upon it so that it stands God in more to be believed in the world then it did to make the world his single word sufficed for the one his oath was required for the other O beatos nos quorum causa Deus jurat O miserr imos si nec juranti Domino credimus Tertul Si non credimus promittenti Deo credamus juranti Deo Jerom And here appears the great goodnesse of God that for the good of man will please to take an oath O happy we for whose sake God swears O most unhappy we if we believe not God swearing Having therefore Gods word and oath let us believe firmly and stagger no more Fourthly Observe Sinners in what condition soever they be have no cause to despond or despaire of mercy so that they turn from their evill wayes Let them be great sinners old sinners sinners under judgements ready to be destroyed and cut off by the hands of enemies as these were yet if they turn from their sins there is hope of mercy for them For First God takes pleasure rather in their conversion and salvation then in their death and destruction I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked-turn from his way and live If a State say to a company of its Subjects who are Traytors and upon trayterous designs I have no pleasure in your wayes which lead unto death but my pleasure is that you turn from them and live is not here a large door of hope opened unto them whatever their Treasons be Secondly Least men being deeply guilty should suspect the reallity of God herein for guilt is full of jealousies the Lord sweares to it and that by his life which is the most unquestionable thing of all for none doubts whether he be the living God As I live saith the Lord I have no pleasure c. So that here is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gods word and oath two sufficient bonds to secure it Thirdly Here is Gods command and earnest desire of their turning Turn ye turn ye from your evill wayes When a mans servant is abroad in some dangerous design and his Master commands him again and again to leave it off and come home to him or if the servant be in a deep water and the Master sees he will be drown'd if he come not back again he calls to him and commands him to return is not this an argument that he seeks his good and would have him safe Fourthly God sets the strongest arguments before them that can be thought of life and death If ye go on there is no hope of mercy you must dye if you will turn here is life ye shall live here is great mercy They are not left unto uncertainties whether they shall
out against and removes them Some bodyes are so delicate that they feel every wind every little distemper and so fortifie themselves against them and some hearts are so tender that corruption or the Devil cannot stir but they discern feel and find them and so set themselves against them When Josephs Mistriss tempted him to folly his heart startled at it and caused his tongue to say How can I do this and sin against God Gen 39.9 A tender heart sticks at the appearance of evill and will not venture there Abraham would not take any thing of the spoyl recovered but returned all into the hands of the King of Sodom least he should say I have made Abraham rich Gen 14.23 This was an excellent frame of spirit and proceeded from the tenderness of his heart such tenderness Antidotes a man against the poyson of sin Jobs heart was flesh not stone and not his Friends Wife or Devil could draw him to commit sin his heart was sensible of his sons sinning and on their behalf he offered sacrifice continually Job 1.5 and that tenderness preserved him from sinning Davids heart smote him when he cut off but the lap of Sauls garment 1 Sam 24.5 Fourthly It s active for God When Pauls heart was turned into flesh presently saith he Lord what wilt thou have me to do I am now ready to do ought for thee Acts 9.6 And straight way he preached Christ in the Synagogues vers 20. Josiah was of a tender heart and he acted notably for God he destroyed the groves altars high-places images out of Judah and Jerusalem and other places he repaired the Temple he caused the Law to be read the people to enter into Covenant with God he kept a most solemn Passeover such as had not been from Samuels dayes before 2 Chron 34. 35. Chap A hard heart is active against God and a soft heart is active for God Manasseh through the hardness of his heart did more wickedly then any 2 Chron 33. And David through the tendernesse of his heart fulfilled all the wills of God Acts 13.22 He durst not neglect any duty the Lord call'd for nor do it remisly when he went about it What are the mistakes about a tender heart First There is a legal tendernesse which arises from apprehension of Gods Soveraignty and Justice and his wrath due unto men for sin and their sinfull practices whereupon they humble themselves mourn sigh weep pray and so manifest some tenderness of heart such I conceive was the tenderness of Manasseh's heart when he was among thorns bound in fetters and in affliction then he besought the Lord humbled himself greatly and prayed 2 Chron 33.11 12 13. Such tendernesse had Judas who repented of what he had done saying He had sinned in betraying innocent bloud Mat 27.3 4. Terrours of conscience put him upon it This legal tenderness is not that here meant For 1. Apprehensions of Gods power justice wrath fear of death and hell do never melt the heart The Law judgements of God considerations of death and hell may break the stony heart into many pieces yet every piece remain a stone retain its hardnes when you break a Milstone or Rock into pieces with an hammer or pick-axe though broken yet there is no true softness in them 2. Legal tendernesse never loves God it loves it self and seeks it self but Evangelical or Spiritual tenderness carries out the heart to God and Christ Peter having hardned his heart by denyal of the Lord Jesus once twice and thrice and then being softned again by a look of Christ upon him Luke 22.61 62. he loved him dearly and that it might be known Christ asked him the question Simon lovest thou me more than these he saith not Peter dost thou love me but dost thou love me more than these I know these love me much how stands thy heart to me his answer was Yea I love thee and more than these do love thee and thou knowest it A tender heart is strongly in love with Christ Paul after his heart was regenerate and softned he was so in love with Christ that he wisheth Anathema Maranatha to that man which loves not the Lord Jesus 1 Cor 15.22 Secondly There is a naturall fleshliness or tenderness which is much in women and sometimes also in men as when Joseph made himself known unto his brethren he wept it was from a natural tenderness in him Gen. 45.1 2. Some are by nature very tender and pittyfull such tenderness is not what our Prophet aims at For 1. This natural tenderness is born with men they bring it with them into the world the other is a gift I will give you an heart of flesh the one is of nature the other of grace Parents procreate the one God creates the other the one is from constitution the other from regeneration 2. Where there is a natural tenderness it is flexible both wayes to good and evill Rehoboam who was a wicked King having a tender heart 2 Chron 13.7 he was for evill and for good he hearkned to the young mens ill counsel at one time and to Shemaiah's good counsel another time 1 Kings 12.14 24. he was easily drawn this way and that way like some in the Apostles time who were carryed about with every wind of Doctrine Ephes 4.14 They were children they had a natural tendernesse in them and bowed to sound and corrupt doctrine but a man that hath the tenderness of heart here intended is untractable towards evill and only flexible unto good 1 John 3.9 He cannot sin because he is born of God his heart is obstinate against sin he keeps himself from the touching of the wicked one Chap 5.18 But is plyable to the will of the holy one prepared unto every good work 2 Tim 2.21 Thirdly Natural tenderness is faint in the cause of God it hath no courage no magnanimity for God but spiritual tenderness hath Paul was tender hearted after his conversion and see what a spirit he had for God Acts 17.22 23. Ye men of Athens I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious c. He contested with the whole University of Athens The Bock of Martyrs tells of Alice Driver a tender hearted woman who said She would set her foot against the foot of any of them all she meant the Bishops and their creatures she had courage for God and his cause Fourthly Natural tendernesse is dulled by fasting prayer and humiliation but spiritual tenderness is sharpned and quickned by the same Esther after her fasting praying and humbling her soule was more sensible of the state of the Jews and the great danger they were in and ventured her life for them Esther 4. 5. Chap. Fifthly Afflictions crosses are very heavy to that heart that is naturally tender its restlesse unquiet under them but an heart spiritually tender welcomes afflictions receives them with joy Heb. 10.34 and finds sin heavier then afflictions There be some soft natures which