conversion unto him our greatest businesse And I doe verily believe that England must never thinke of outliving or breaking thorow this anger of God this criticall judgement that is upon it so as to returne to that cold and formall complexion that Laodicean temper that she was in before till she have so publickly and generally repented of all those civill disorders which removed the bounds and brought dissipation upon publick justice and of all those Ecclesiasticall disorders whch let in corruptions in doctrine superstions in worship abuses in Government discountenancing of the power of godlinesse in the most zealous Professors of it as that our Reformation may be as conspicuous as our disorders have beene and it may appeare to all the world that God hath washed away the filth and purged the blood of England from the midst thereof by the Spirit of Iudgement and by the Spirit of burning Secondly That Gods love is the true ground of removing Judgements in mercie from a people Let all Humane counsells be never so deep and armies never so active and cares never so vigilant and Instruments never so unanimous if Gods love come not in nothing of all these can doe a Nation any good at all Those that are most interested in Gods love shall certainly be most secured against his Judgements Hither our eyes our prayers our thoughts must be directed Lord love us delight in us choose us for thy selfe and then though Counsells and treasures and armies and men and horses and all second causes faile us though Sathan rage and hell threaten and the foundations of the earth be shaken though neither the Vine nor the Olive nor the figg-tree nor the field nor the pastures nor the heards nor the stay yeeld any supplies yet we will rejoyce in the Lord and glory in the God of our Salvation sinne shall be healed anger shall be removed nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. THE FIFTH SERMON HOSEA Chap. 14. ver 5.6 7. 5. I will be as the dew unto Israel he shall grow as the Lilly and cast forth his reâ—ts as Lebanon 6. His branches shall spread and his beautie shall be as the Olive Tree and his smell as Lebanon 7. They that dwell under his shadow shall returne They shall revive as the Corne and grow as the Vine the sent thereof shall bee as the wine of Lebanon c. IN these verses is contained â—ods answer unto the second part of Israels petition wherein they desired him to doe them good or to receive them graciously And here God promiseth them severall singular blessings set forth by severall metaphorâ— and similitudes all answering to the name of Ephraim and the ancient promises made unto him Deu. 33.13 17. c. opposite to the many contrary courses threatned in the former parts of the Prophecy under metaphors of a contary importance Here is the dew of grace contrary to the morning cloud the earthly dew that passeth away Cap. 13.3 Lillies Olives Vines Spices contrary to the Judgments of Nettles Thornes Thistles chap. 9 16.10.8 Spreading roots contrary unto dry roots chap. 9.16 A fruitfull vine bringing forth excellent wine contrary to an empty Vine bringing fruit only to it selfe that is so sowre and usavory as is not worth the gathering chap. 10.1 Corne growing instead of corne taken quite away chap. 2.9 instead of no staulk no bud no meale chap. 8.7 Fruit promised in stead of no fruit threatned chap. 9.16 Wine promised in opposition to the failing of wine Chap. 9.2.2.9 Sweet wine opposite to sowre drinke Chap. 4.18 Safe dwelling in stead of no dwelling Chap. 9.3 Branches growing and spreading instead of branches consumed Chap. 11.6 Green trees instead of Dry springs Chap. 13.15 And all these fruits the fruits as of Lebanon which was of all other parts of that Country the most fertill Mountaine full of various kindes of the most excellent Trees Cedars Cypresse Olive and divers others affording rich gummes and balsomes full also of all kinds of the most medicinall and aromatick herbs sending forth a most fragrant odour whereby all harmfull and venemous Creatures were driven from harboring there And in the Vallies of that Mountaine were most rich grounds for Pasture Corne and Vineyards as the Learned in their descriptions of the holy Land have observed The Originall of all these blessings is the heavenly dew of Gods grace and favour alluding to that abundance of dew which fell on that Mouniaine descending upon the Church as upon a garden bringing forth Lillies as upon a Forrest strengthning the Cedars as upon a Vineyard spreading abroad the branches as upon an Olive yard making the trees thereof green and fruitfull and as on a rich field receiving the Corne. Here is spirituall beautie the beautie of the Lillie exceeding that of Solomon in all his glory spirituall stabilitie the rootes of the Cedars and other goodly trees in that mountaine spirituall odors and spices of Lebanon spirituall fruitfulnesse and that of all sorts and kinds for the comfort of life The fruit of the field bread to strengthen the fruit of the Olive trees oyle to refresh the fruit of the Vineyard wine to make glad the heart of man Psal. 104.15 Wee esteeme him a very rich man and most excellently accommodated who hath gardens for pleasure and fields for corne and pasture and woods for fuell for structure for defence for beautie and delight and Vineyards for wine and oyle and all other conveniencies both for the necessities and delights of a plentifull life Thus is the church here set forth unto us as such a wealthy man furnished with the unsearchable riches of Christ with all kinde of blessings both for sanctity and safety as the Apostle praiseth God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly places in Christ viz. Election to eternall life adoption to the condition of sonnes and to a glorious inheritance redemption from misery unto blessednesse remission of sinnes knowledge of his will holinesse and unblameablenesse of life and the seale of the Holy Spirit of Promise as we find them particularly enumerated Ephe. 1.3 13. The words thus opened doe first afford us one generall Observation in that God singleth out so many excellent good things by name in relation to that generall petition Doe us good That God many times answereth prayer abundantly beyond the petitions of his people They prayed at large only for good leaving it as it becommeth us who know not alwayes what is good for our selves to his holy will and wisedome in what manner and measure to doe good unto them And he answers them in particular with all kinde of good things As in the former petition they prayed in generall for the forgivenesse of sinne and God in particular promiseth the healing of their Rebellions which was the greatest of their sinnes God many times answers the
reason of a man first to make a thing and then to worship it to expect safety from that which did receive being from himselfe Isay. 46.7 8. These are the three great props of carnall confidence forraigne interests domesticall treasures superstitious devotions when men please themselves in the children of strangers and have their land full of silver and gold and treasures full of horses and Charets and full of Idols hoard up provisions and preparations of their owne comply with the enemies of God abroad and corrupt the worship of God at home Isay 2.6 7 8. These are the things for which God threatneth terribly to shake the earth and to bring downe and to make low the loftines of man if he doe not as Ephraim here by long and sad experience doth penitently renounce and abjure them all And now this is matter for which all of us may be humbled There is no sinne more usuall amongst men then carnall confidence to lean on our owne wisedome or wealth or power or supplies from others to deifie Counsels and Armies or Horses and treasures and to let our hearts rise or fall sinke or beare up within us according as the creature is helpefull or uselesse nearer or farther from us As if God were not a God afarre off as well as neare at hand This we may justly fear God has and still will visit us for because we doe not sanctifie the Lord of Hosts himselfe in our hearts to make him our feare and our defence and that he will blow upon all such counsells and preparations as carnall confidence doth deifie Therefore we must be exhorted to take off our hopes and feares from second causes not to glory in an arm of flesh or to droope when that failes us not to say in our prosperity our mountaine is so strong that we shall not be shaken nor in our sufferings that our wound is incurable or our grave so deepe that we shall never be raised againe But to make the Name of the Lord our strong tower for they who know thy name will trust in thee and for direction herein we must learne to trust in God First Absolutely and for himselfe because he onely is Absolute and of himselfe Other things as they have their being so have they their working and power of doing good or evill onely from him Matth. 4.4 Iohn 19.11 And therefore till he take himselfe away though he take all other things away from us we have mater of encouragement and rejoycing in the Lord still as David and Habakuk resolve 1 Sam. 30.6 Habac. 3.17 18. All the world cannot take away any promise from any servant of God and there is more of Reality in the least promise of God then in the greatest performance of the creature Secondly to trust him in the way of his Commandements not in any precipices or presumptions of our owne Trust in him and doe good Psal. 37.3 First feare him and then trust in him he is a Help and shield onely unto such Psal. 115.11 It is high insolence for any man to leane upon God without his leave and he alloweth none to doe it but such as feare him and obey the voyce of his servants Isay. 50.10 Thirdly to trust him in the way of his providence and the use of such meanes as he hath sanctified and appointed Though mâ—n liveth not by bread alone but by the word of blessing which proceedeth out of the mouth of God yet that word is by God annexed to Bread and not to Stones and that man should not trust God but mock and tempt him who should expect to have stones turned into bread If God hath provided staires it is not faith but fury not confidence but madnesse to goe downe by a precipice where God prescribes meanes and affords secondary helpes we must obey his order and implore his blessing in the use of them This was Nehemiah his way He prayed to God and he petitioned the King Neh. 2.4 This was Esters way A Fast to call upon God and a Feast to obtaine favour with the King Ester 4.16.5.4 This was Iacobs way A Supplication to God and a present to his Brother Genes 32.9 13. This was Davids way against Goliah the Name of the Lord his trust and yet a Sling and a stone his Weapon 1 Sam. 17.45 49. This was Gedeons way against the Midianites His Sword must goe along with the Sword of the Lord not as an addition of strength but as a testimony of obedience Iudg. 7.18 Prayer is called sometimes a lifting up of the voice sometimes a lifting up of the hands to teach us That when we pray to God we must as well have a hand to worke as a tongue to begge In a word we must use second causes in Obedience to Gods order not in confidence of their Helpe The Creature must be the object of our diligence but God onely the object of our trust Now lastly from the ground of the Churches prayer and promise we learn That the way unto mercy is to be in our selves fatherlesse The poore saith David committeth himselfe unto thee thou art the helper of the fatherlesse Psal. 10.14.146.9 When Iehoshaphat knew not what to doe then was a sitt time to direct his eye unto God 2 Chron. 20.19 When the stones of Sion are in the dust then is the sittest time for God to favour her Psal. 102.13 When Israel was under heavie bondage and had not Iâ—seph as a tender father as he is called Gen. 41.43 to provide for them then God remembred that he was their father and Israâ—l his first borne Exod. 4.22 nothing will make us seeke for Helpe above our selves but the apprehension of weaknes within our selves Those Creatures that are weakest nâ—ture hath put an aptitude and inclination in them to depend upon those that are stronger The Vine the Ivie the Hopp the Wood-binde are taught by nature to clasp and cling and winde about stronger trees The greater sense we have of our owne vilenes the fitter disposition are we in to relie on God I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poore people and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. Zeph. 3.12 Isay 14.32 When a man is proud within and hath any thing of his owne to leane upon he will hardly tell how to trust in God Prov. 3.5.28.25 Israel never thought of returning to her first husband till her way was hedged up with thornes and no meanes left to enjoy her former Lovers Hose 2.6 7. When the enemy should have shut up and intercepted all her passages to Dan and Bethel to Egypt and Assyria that she hath neither friends nor Idols to flie to then she would think of returning to her first Husband namely to God againe Now from hence we learne First the condition of the Church in this world which is to be as an Orphan destitute of all succour and favour as an out-cast whom no man looketh
and planks and parts thereof so closely fastned into one another that no water might get in to drown it And in the Tabernacle all the Curtains thereof were to be coupled together into one another Exod. 26.3 Christ is all for unitie and joyning things into one Two natures united in one person two parties reconciled by one Mediatâ—r Two people concorporated into one Church one family one father one seed one head one faith one hope one love one worship one body one spirit one end and common salvation Christ is not loves not to be divided This is a fundamentall requisite unto the growth of the Body the preservation of its unity The building must be fitly framed together if you would have it grow into an holy Temple to the Lord Eph. 2.21 Col. 2.19 when there was most unity there was greatest increase in the Church when they were All of one accord of one heart and one soule then the Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved Act. 2.46 47. They that cause divisions and dissentions doe not serve the Lord Iesus and therefore they cannot but hinder the progresse of his Gospel Rom. 16.17 18. As in the naturall so in the mysticall body solutio continui tendeth to the paining and grieving of that spirit by which the Body lives Eph. 4.30 31. and by consequence hinders the growth of it Our growth is by the Apostle distributed into growth in knowledge and growth in grace 2 Pet. 3.18 and divisions in the Church are of themselves great hinderances unto both these unto knowledge because the most usuall breaches in the Church arise out of diversities of opinion publickly asserted and insisted on by the authors and followers of them And though accidentally where truth is embraced it is held with more care and searched into with more accuratenesse because of the errors that oppose it as the fire is hottest in the coldest weather yet corrupt doctrine being of the nature of a weed or canker to spread and eat further and further it must needs consequently hinder the spreading and in that kinde the growth of knowledge Nor doth it lesse hinder the growth of grace for while the people of God are all of one heart and of one way then all their Communion runnes into this one designe of mutually edifying comforting supporting encouraging one another in their holy faith but when they are divided and broken into faction by different judgements if there be not a greater abundance of humility and spirituall wisedome the spirits of men runne out into heates and passions and into perverse disputes and meer notinall contentions which have ever beene diminutions unto the power of godlinesse 1 Cor. 3.3 4. When there are schismes in the body the members will not have care one of another 1 Cor. 12.25 Greatly therefore even for this one cause are the sad and dangerous divisions of these times to be lamented when men make use of civill troubles to disturbe yea to teare asunder the unity of the Church when they set up as in the times of the Donatists Altar against Altar and church against Church and make secessions from the common body and then one from another to the infinite content and advantage of the common Enemies of our Religion and hazard of it It were a blessed thing if wee were in a condition capable of the Apostles exhortation To speake all the same thing to be perfectly joyned in the same minde and in the samâ— judgement to be of one minde and to live in peace 1 Cor. 1.10 2 Cor. 13.11 But if that cannot be attained unto let us yet all learn the Apostles other lesson wherein wee are otherwise minded to depend upon God for revealing his will unto us and whereunio we have attained to walke by the same rule to minde the same thing to remember that every difference in opinion doth not ought not to dissipate or dissolve the unity of Gods church Even in Corinth where the people were divided into severall parties yet they continued one Church 1 Cor. 11.18 The body thus constituted and compacted for the increase thereof 1. Here are members severally distinct from one another some principall others ministeriall all concurring differently unto service of the whole If the heart should bee in the head or the liver in the shoulder if there should be any unnaturall dislocation of the vitall or nutritive parts the body could not grow but perish The way for the church to prosper florish is for every member to keep in his own rank and order to remember his own measure to act in his owne sphere to manage his particular condition and relations with spirituall wisedome and humility the eye to doe the work of an eye the hand of an hand Say not as Absolom If I were a Iudge I would doe Iustice 2 Sam. 15.4 But consider what state God hath set thee in and in that walke with God adorn the profession of the Gospel Rom. 12.3 1 Cor. 12.8.11.29 30. 2 Cor. 10.13 14. Eph. 4.7 Remember Vzzah it was a good work he did but because he did it out of order having no call God smote him for his error 2 Sam. 6.6 7. There are excellent works which being done without the call of God doe not edifie but disturbe the body Rom. 10.15 Heb. 5.4 every man must walk in the church as God hath distributed and called and every man must in the calling wherein he was called abide with God 1 Cor. 7.17 20 24. 2. Here are joynts and ligaments so fastning these members together that each one may be serviceable to the increase of the whole 1 Col. 2.19 There are bands which joyne the body to the head without which it can neither grow nor live namely the Spirit of Christ and faith in him 1 Cor. 6.17 Rom. 8.9 Eph 3.17 and there are Bands which joyne the parts of the Body unto one another as namely the same holy Spirit 1 Cor. 12.13 which Spirit of grace stirreth up every member to seek the growth and benefit of the whole 1 Cor. 12.25 26. The same sincere love and truth which each member beareth unto all the rest this is called a bond of perfectnesse Col. 3.14 and the bond of peace Eph. 4.3 Now love is a most communicative grace it will plant and water and feed and spend it selfe for the good of the whole it will deny it selfe to serve the body as Christ did Gal. 5.13 3. Here is a measure belonging unto every part some are in one office others in another some have one gift others another and all this for the perfecting of the Saints Eph. 4.11 12. 1 Cor. 12.4 11. one is able to Teach another to Comfort a third to Convince a fourth to Exhort a fifth to Counsell and every one of these are to be directed unto the edification and growth of the wâ—ole Rom. 12.3 8. Eph. 4.7 The Apostle saith that we are fellow Citizens
the aide of God for it is he that worketh in us both to will and to do Phil. â— 11.12.13 when we Covenant to turn unto God we must withall pray unto him to turne us Lam. 5.21 Ier. 31. God commands us to turn our selves and to make us a new heart and a new spirit that we may live Ezek. 18.30.31 32. but withall he telleth us that it is hee who gives us one heart and one way and a new spirit that we may walk in his Statutes Ezek. 11.19.20 Ier. â—2 39 He giveth us posse velle agere proficere the power to make us able the heart to make us willing the Act to walk the proficiency to improve the perseverance to finish and perfect holinesse David cannot run in the way of Gods Commandements till he enlarge his heart Psal. 119.32 nothing can finde the way to heaven but that which comes first from heaven Ioh. 2.13 wee cannot give unto God any thing but of his own 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 come of thee and of thine own have we given thee 1 Chron. 29.14 For the further understanding of this point and of the sweet concord and concurrence betweene the will of man converted and the effectuall grace of God converting wee shall set down these few propositions 1. That there is in man by nature a power or faculty which wee call Free will whereunto belongeth such an indifferency and indeterminacy in the manner of working that whether a man will a thing or â—ill it choose it or turne from it hee doth in neither move contrary to his owne naturall principles of working A stone moving downward doth move naturally upward contrary to its nature and so violently But which way so ever the will moves it moves according to the condition of its created being wherein it was so made as when it chose one part of a contradiction it retained an inward and fundamentall habitude unto the other like those gates which are so made as that they open both wayes So that as the tongue which was wont to sweare or blaspheme when it is converted doth by the force of the same faculty of speaking being newly sanctified utter holy and gracious speeches so the will which being corrupted did chuse evill and only evill being sanctified doth use the same manner of operation in chusing that which is good the created nature of it remaining still one and the same but being now guided and sanctified by different principles This wee speak onely with respect to the naturall manner of its working for if we speake of liberty in a morall or theologicall sense so it is certaine that the more the will of man doth observe the right order of its proper objects and last end the more free and noble it is the very highest perfection of free will standing in an immutable adherency unto God as the ultimate end of the creature and all ability of receding or falling from him being the deficiency and not the perfection of Free-will And therefore the more the will of man doth cast off and reject God the more base servile and captive it growes In which sense we affirme against the Papists that by nature man since the fall of Adam hath no Free-will or naturall power to beleeve and convert unto God or to prepare himselfe thereunto 2. In man fallen and being thereby universally in all his faculties levened with vitious and malignant principles there is a native privitie and corrupt force which putteth forth it selfe in resisting all those powerfull workings of the word and spirit of grace that oppose themselves against the body of sinne and move the will unto holy resolutions for the wisedome of the flesh cannot bee subject unto the Law of God Rom. 8.7 The flesh will lust against the spirit as being contrary thereunto Gal. 5.17 an uncircumcisied heart will alwayes resist the holy spirit Act. 7.51 there is such a naturall antipathy between the purity of the word and the impurity of the will of man that he naturally refuseth to heare and snuffeth at it and pulleth away the shoulder and hardneth the heart and stoppeth the eare and shutteth the eyes and setteth up strong holds and high reasonings against the wayes of God and is never so well as when he can get off all sight and thoughts of God and be as it were without God in the world Ier. 5.3.6.10.17.23.19.15 Mal. 1.13 2 Chron. 36.16 3. According to the degrees and remainders of this naturall corruption so farre forth as it is unmortified and unsubdued by the power of grace this originall force doth proportionably put forth it selfe in withstanding and warring against the Spirit of God even in the regenerate themselves A notable example whereof wee have in Asa of whom it is said that he was wroth with Hanani the Seer and put him in a Prison-house and was in a rage with him when hee reproved him for his carnall confidence 2 Chron. 16.10 and the Apostle doth in many words both state and bewaile the warring of the Law of his members against the law of his minde so that when hee did with the one serve the law of God hee did with the other serve the law of sinne and was unable to doe the thing which hee would and the evill which he would not he did doe by the strength of sinne that dwelled in him â— Rom. 7.14 15. 4. We are to distingish of the will of God which is set forth in Scripture two manner of wayes There is voluntas signi or that will of God whereby he requires us to work and which he hath appointed to bee observed by us His will signified in precepts and prohibitions This is the will of God saith the Apostle even your sanctification 1 Thess. 4.3 So we are said to prove to try to doe Gods will or that which is pleasing in his sight Matth. 7.21 Rom. 12.2 Ioh. 8.29 and there is voluntas beneplaâ—iti the will of his purpose and counsell according unto which hee himselfe in his owne secret and unsearchable good pleasure is pleased to work for hee worketh all things after the counsell of his owne will Eph. 1.11 whatsoever the Lord pleaseth that he doth in heaven and earth Psal. 135.6 And no second causes can doe any thing else though they never so proudly break the order of Gods revealed will but what his hand and Counsell had before determined Acts 4.28 The will of Gods precept and command is every day violated resisted and broken through by wicked men unto their owne destruction How often would I and yee would not Matth. 23.37 Ierem. 13.11 But the will of Gods Counsell and purpose cannot bee resisted or withstood by all the powers of the world the Counsell of the Lord must stand and those very agents that worke purposely to disappoint and subvert it doe by those very workings