his mind hath written all things unto you which concerns you Eternal Salvation hath written there whatsoever he would have you to know and beleeve to Eternal Life this it is that you have in your hands however we prize it now heretofore it hath been prized at an high rate How many of the Martyrs would venture their lives to keep but a few Leaves of Scripture in their houses But how vile is it then for us to neglect the reading of this written Word I have read of one Theodorus a Physitian at Constantinople that he sent to Gregory the great a great sum of money for the redeeming of Captives and Gregory he commends his Liberality but though he was so liberal and bountiful to redeem Captives yet he writ back again to him in way of reprehending him for not reading Scripture and uses this expression to him The Emperor of Heaven the Lord of the Angels and Men hath sent to you that which concerns your life and will you neglect to reade them with a fervent with a zealous spirit He would not but blame him even at that time when he sent such gifts to him it did grieve him to think that such a one so bountiful to the poor should so neglect the reading of Scripture Many men and women that have excellent parts and yet for all that they find but little savor in the Scripture There 's no books that are written that should take us off from this written Word although we have cause to bless God abundantly for what is written for those excellent helps which we have written yet we must take heed that there be no written book in the world take us off from this written Word of God Luther therefore hath such a speech I even hate mine own Books and I often times even wish that they were burnt that they might perish Why because I fear lest they should be any way of hinderance to men or withdraw them from reading the Scriptures and so he fals a comending the Scriptures It is the only fountain of all wisdom and further saith he I am even terrified I tremble at the example of the former age upon this Because saith he many Divines spent so much time in reading of Aristotle and Averres and other Writers and spent so little time in reading Scripture And the truth is it was that which brought so much ignorance into the world in the time of the School-men which was a time of great learning and yet the time of the greatest ignorance in the Mysteries of godlines because they minded Scripture very little but only turn'd things into Questions and Disputes that tended not according to Scripture though we may make use of the labors and gifts of other men yet look we especially to the written Word and let not other writings take us off from them hence we say the Scripture in way of excellency we must keep our selves to the written Word and therefore take heed of being led aside by any traditions of men that 's a most detestable derrogation from the written Word but we find in the Counsel of Trent speaking of the Scriptures saith one of the Cannons of the Counsel of Trent We saith he do receive Scripture and reverence Scripture but saith he moreover we receive and reverence traditions with the same affection of piety and reverence as we do the Scripture Those are the very words that all Papists are bound to hold and for them to deny any counsel there were death unto them It argues men to be in the dark to mind Traditions so As the Jews that 's the reason that they vanish so in their thoughts and understand the Scripture so little because they mind traditions as much as Scripture and more for so they say that divide a mans life into three parts one part mnst be spent in reading Scripture and two parts more in the two several parts of their Talmond which is their traditions and some of them say that this is one tradition among them that Moses did study the Scripture in the day time and those Talmoduical traditions that they have they were studied in the night and indeed it is night-work and it is a sign that the world is so much in darkness because they look so much at Traditions the written Word of God which we must look at more than if one came from the dead or if an Angel from Heaven came and preached to us But you will say That we must not look to it more than if God should reveal any thing to us suppose it were a voice of God from Heaven We have warrant to have regard to the written Word of God more than the voice of God from Heaven 2 Peter 1. 19. there it 's spoken of the voice that came down upon the transfiguration at the Mountain but saith the Apostle there We have a more sure word of Prophesie more more even than that was that is it is more sure to us and there is not so easie a way to be deceived by resting upon the written Word as if we look for Revelations from God we have a more sure word of Prophesie therefore it is not so much after Revelations that we are to look especially in such times as these are but to the written Word of God There is a Generation of men rising now if not risen that begin to have vile thoughts of the written Word of God and think to understand the mind of God otherwise they finding the written Word of God to keep their hearts too close and lay too strong bonds upon them but because they would fain be loose they would feign and imagin to themselves other waies of Gods mind but when they are rotten and it may be when their souls are perished eternally in Hell the written Word of God shall stand and be honorable in the eyes of his Saints I have written The Prophet doth not say he hath written but he brings in God saying I have written And that first upon these two reasons First To put the greater emphasis upon it for it is more for God himself to come and say I have written as if a Father or Master say to his Child or Servant I command you to do such a thing it is more than if a Brother or fellow-Servant should say my Father hath bidden or my Master hath bidden you to do such a thing Secondly Whosoever were the Pen-men of the Word it is I that write it I take it upon my self The Word is so much his that God claims not only the truths that are in the Word but the very ordering for the words and in 2 Pet. 1. 21. it is said of holy men they spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost they were carried on with a kind of violence as the word signifies and not only moved but carried on with a kind of violence to write what they did both
and those that have oppressed us that they should have their full power over us again oh our bondage would be seven fold more than it is And yet what cause have we to have our hearts tremble and shake when we think of our abuse of the beginning of Deliverance that we had but of all judgments let us pray to be delivered from that judgment that we may never go back again to our prisons But just with God it is that those who inherit their progenitors sins they should inherit their progenitors judgments You continue in their sins you shall have their Judgements also But were they ever carried into Egypt was this threat ever fulfilled No They were not carried captive into Egypt but they fled into Egypt for Refuge and there they lived and died miserably Hence observe All places are places of misery when God forsakes a people As all places are comfortable when God is with a people Many men take their course to seek to refuge themselves to help themselves and perhaps they have what they would have in part but when they have had what they would have even the having of what they desire proves to be the executiō of the wrath of God upon them you have a mind to go to Egypt you shall return to Egypt saith God It follows in the last verse VER 14. For Israel hath forgotten his Maker THEY have forgotten their Maker but I 'le remember them saith God When men think least of God then is Gods time to come upon them for their sins when they are in the greatest security of all whereas if you would remember your sins God might forget them or if you would remember God your sins should not be remembred but you forgetting God your sins are remembred It is an abominable thing for us to forget God by whom we had our memory by whom we are remembred we should never have been thought of if God had not given us what we have and therefore for us not to think of God it is a vile sin Now God is forgotten when he is not honored minded as our confidence help refuge our only good when he is not obeyed if we do but remember sin we cannot but honor him How many forget what manifestations once they had of God they are passed by from them and other things take up their thoughts Oh! what an appearing was there of God to many of your souls heretofore and what conference between God and your souls what lustre of Gods Spirit upon you and you thought you should never forget those things but now other things are in your hearts Oh! such men and women have cause to fear that they are under much wrath that they should forget their Maker God challenges remembrance under this title Remember thy Creator in the daies of thy youth There 's no creature but the rational creature that can reflect upon the cause of their being the first cause and therefore God would not lose the honor from this creature Indeed the Ox knows his owner and the Ass his Masters crib the beasts can take notice of those that bring them good things but to reflect upon the cause of their first being I say that 's proper to the rational creature and therefore it is an honor that God expects from you and will not lose it The word here Creator their Maker it is not now meant for Gods giving them their being but Gods advancing and blessing of them so as to bring them to that happy condition that now they were in They have forgotten their Maker Oh they have forgotten that God that hath advanced them So I find the words used in 1 Sam. 12. 6. The Lord that advanced Moses and Aaron but the words in the Original are the Lord that made Moses and Aaron that is when God call'd them to the publick work God made them Indeed for a man to be call'd to publick service is a great honor that God puts upon a man God makes a man then as many times we use that Phrase our selves if a man be raised to any preferment we say such a man is made for ever Oh that man which God casts his favor upon and delights to use in publick service that man is a made-man But they have forgotten the Lord that made them That 's the Note from hence It 's Gods favor that makes a man You have an excellent Scripture for this in Isa 43. 7. I have created him saith God for my glory I have formed him yea I have made him Here 's these three words together God doth not satisfie himself in this I have given him his being or all that he hath but he makes use of of these three several words to signifie how all our good comes from God I do not know such an expression we have in Scripture I have brought him out of nothing then secondly I have formed him I have put beauty and glory upon him yea and thirdly I have made him I have raised him to the height of all God hath created us all but hath he formed us We are to look at Gods forming as well as at his creation how God forms and fashions us unto his own will They have forgotten God their Maker That should have been the other Note That the greater height of excellency God raises any man to the more vile and wicked is the sin of forgetting God when they are advanced Many men will remember God when they are low but when God hath advanced them then they forget him and that 's worse But it follows And have built Temples How is God forgotten and they build Temples to the honor of God You accuse us of forgetting God our Maker What People in the world doth rememember God so as we do when we are at such charges as we are at The word that is translated Temples it signifies Palaces The Church is indeed Gods Palace but note from hence That when God is worshiped in any way but his own then God is forgotten Papists they set up Images and they say it is to put them in mind of God but the truth is they forget God in it Again When mens hearts depart most desperatly and furthest off from God they are many times very forward in superstitious worship As we know it in the primitive times the hearts of men did close most with the power of godliness and were more sincere in their worship but afterwards when they came to have peace in and after Constantines time when they had Temples then they forgot God most and grew superstitious When the Christians worshiped God in Dens and Caves of the earth they remembred God more than when they had glorious Temples built for them Men that have departed from God and have guilty consciences they must have something to satisfie their consciences Of late our Kingdom how desperatly was it departing from
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
Malefactor that hath committed a fact a long time since and he thinks it is forgotten if he should presume to come into the Kings or Judges eye this brings into remembrance what such a man is So wicked men when they come into Gods eyes are bold to draw nigh to God in an impudent way although their consciences tels them that they have not sought to do away their sins by faith and repentance this puts God into remembrance to speak of God after the manner of Men. Secondly Because their Holy duties are aggravations of their sin therfore God wil remember them then rather than at any other time as thus for the Jews in the text here to come to sacrifice for their sins certainly the language of which was this Lord I acknowledg I do deserve death my self for the sins which I have committed and I can only have peace with thee through the sacrifice of thy Son that I beleeve is to come now for them to come and say so and yet continue in their sin still this ads impudence unto their sin it was a sin of infirmity before it is a sin of presumption now So when men shall presume to come before God in prayer they have lived wickedly heretofore and now they come before God to testifie their respect that they profess they ow to God and yet their consciences tells them that they do wickedly depart from God in their lives when they come in prayer certainly they come to confess and name their sins before God and to tell God what sinners they are and yet still their hearts do close with their sins yea what an aggravation is this yea they came to judg themselves for their sins and yet still to continue in them Oh my brethren if you did but think of the aggravation that such prayer causes of our sins it would make our hearts quake and tremble But I speak only to those that are Hypocrites and live in their sins stil their Holy duties do but aggravate their sins and therefore no mervail though then God remember their sins in a more special manner We have cause to wonder that God doth not come upon some of us in his wrath while we are in the midst of our Holy duties as Pilat came upon the Galileans and mingled their blood with their sacrifices and so while we compare the lives of men with their prayers I say it is a mervail that God doth not mingle their blood with their sacrifice Oh take heed any of you that are conscious to your selves or your hearts closing with any known sin take heed the next time you go into Gods presence in prayer and confess your sins and judg your selves take heed that God doth not then remember your sins Now will I remember them even in the time of their holy duties you think that 's the time of our greatest pleasing of God but it may prove to be the time of Gods remembring your iniquities against you And visit their sins God visits either in Mercies or Judgments and in the godly visiting it is to be understood concerning those things that seem'd before to be neglected as in the 21. of Genesis God visited Sarah when God seem'd to have neglected her and so in Exod. 4. he visited the children of Israel that is when he seem'd wholly to have neglected them and so I will visit their sins though they may think I have neglected them yet I will visit their sins Whence observe God visits mens sins when they think they are most neglected by God God hath his time to make diligent enquiry for all their sins in Exod. 32. 34. In the day when I visit I will visit their sins upon them then all their sins shall come up together and that 's the reason that God is content to bear with wicked men and wink at their sins for the present why because God hath a day for to visit them this sin which they commit now they shall not hear of it till a great while hence but I have a day to visit and then this and the other sins shall come Daies of visitation heretofore were wont to be cal'd daies of vexation but the day of Gods visitation will be a day of vexation indeed to ungodly men Micah 7. 4. The best of them is a bryar the most upright is sharper than a thorn the day of the Watchmen and thy Visitation cometh now shall be their perplexity In Isa 10. 3. And what will you do in the day of Visitation and the Dissolution which shall come from far To whom will you flee for help and where will you leave your glory So I may say to many guilconsciences Oh thou poor wretched sinful creature what wilt thou do in the day of Visitation thou canst tell now thou canst go home and be merry and do what thou list but what wilt thou do in the day of visitation It follows They shall return or as some translate they will return to Egypt And so it notes their sin for which God will visit them and the course that they would take when God was about to visit them They will return to Egypt Whither will ye flee in the day of visitation We will fly into Egypt say they if the Assyrians power grow too great we will go into Egypt for help and this may seem to have reference to that story in the 2. of Kings 17. 4. The King of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea for he had sent messengers to So King of Egypt The Note from hence is this Carnal hearts when God is visiting them for their sins they have plots in their heads to shift this way and that way for themselves Vain deluded soul thy thoughts should be how should I make up my peace with God how should I seek the face of God thou art thinking of this and the other shift whereas thou shouldest only be thinking of making up thy peace with God And thus it is with Kingdoms when God is visiting Kingdoms you shall have many that sit at the Stern that all their thoughts are about carnal helps whereas their great thoughts should be how they might fall down before God seek to make peace w th God the Kingdom thus it was here I will visit them and they think to return to Egypt And if you take it as a Judgment it is threatned that they should return to Egypt in Deut. 28. at the latter end there it is put in the close of all the former Judgments That they should return to Egypt The Note is That it is one of the most dreadful Judgments upon a Nation after God hath delivered them from a bondage to deliver them to the same bondage again And as it was grievous to be delivered into the bondage of Egypt so more to deliver us into a spiritual Egypt If we should again come under the power of those that have persecuted us
Name of God and saith Oh! but God is of another opinion When therefore we find our selves jocund and merry we should consider but is God of the same mind that we are of Many mens rejoycing is so disagreeing to Gods mind as they dare not so much as consult with God or their own consciences to know what God and conscience will tell them concerning their rejoycing the more men can prevail with their own consciences to be silent the more joy they have yea some there are that have so much guiltinese upon their spirits as they can have no joy but at such time when they can take advantage of their own consciences they are fain to take a time when their consciences are asleep or else they can have no joy Now cursed be that joy that cannot stand with a free working of a true enlightened conscience Thirdly Men may be in an outward prosperous condition and yet have little cause to joy in it all outward prosperity may stand with the heavy wrath of God hanging over the sinners head he may be upon the very brink of destruction and yet prosper outwardly outward prosperity may come in wrath the curse of God the poyson of Gods curse may be in the Wine as well as in the Water wicked men that are poor have their Water poysoned and wicked men that are rich and prosperous have their Wine poisoned and what difference is there between drinking poisoned Water and poisoned Wine the swelling of carnal hearts in their prosperity it is a sign that it is poisoned to them Outward prosperity as it may come in wrath so it may stand wiâ—h wrath and make way to wrath by it the vessels of wrath may be fitted to destruction God many times hath a further reach in suffering wicked men to prosper than they are aware of as Ester when she invited Hamon to a banquet he drew such a connexion that he was honored above all the Nobles in the land and he goes away rejoycing and tells his friends of the great honor that was put upon him but Ester had another design in it than Hamon thought of it was not to honor him but to destroy him So many people whose estates God raises they make other manner of connexions from Gods dealing with them than ever God intended they think God hath blessed them when the truth is God is working their ruin and destruction As a painted face is no argument of a good complexion so a prosperous estate is no argument of a good condition Rejoyce not for Joy Carnal hearts in their joy are set upon jolity their spirits insult and they think of nothing that should moderate their joy so the words import Rejoyce not for joy if you will rejoyce let there not be meer joy but some kind of mixture in it there should be a mixture of reverence and fear in our rejoycing we should rejoyce with trembling here in this world Whatsoever blessings we have from God yet I say we should rejoyce with trembling here remembring first our unworthiness of any good we have there should be that put into our joy Secondly Remember the afflictions of our brethren Thirdly Remember the uncertain and the vanishing nature of all these things we rejoyce in Put these three things alwaies into the Cup of our Joy else it will be too sweet and will clog the stomach Mix the Cup of your Joy with these three Meditations First Your Unworthiness of that Mercy Secondly The Meditation of the Affliction of our Brethren of yours that have done God more service than ever you have done or are like to do Thirdly That Meditation of the Uncertainty of al these things that your hearts are so taken withal These three Ingredients will make a good Mixture that we shall not surfeit with our condition Do not rejoyce that is Let there not be pure Joy But the strength of this expression lies in the other Rejoyce not with joy as other people First Be not taken with the bravery and jolity of other people to think them happy Oh! It 's a fine life to live as they do The jolity of other people that are in a different way from us is many times a great temptation to draw the heart to them because we see they live merrily and bravely But that doth not reach yet to the main scope of the Prophet Rejoyce not with joy as other people Secondly Therefore do not rejoyce as they do in their Idolatrous Festivities Dancing and many waies of jolity that they had in their Idolatrous feasts we must not imitate Idolaters in their Triumphs This was the sin of many in the primitive times because they were come new out of Heathenism they would turn the Heathenish feasts into Christian feasts and Heathenish customs whereby they were wont before to honor their Idol gods into the custom of Christians to honor Christ in the same way and they thought this was very good that whereas before they did honor Idol gods now they thought if they did but turn this to honor Jesus Christ they thought this would be acceptable No this was a great sin and brought a great deal of evil into the Christian world and we do to this day suffer in that way if do tender our respects to God though it be in the same way that Idolaters do to their Idols we think we do well and indeed here 's the original of keeping this time both of your Christmass and New-years-day it is but the changing of them from the keeping of the Heathenish time to the honor of Christ and of the Saints I remember this time two years through meer providence that Scripture came in our way I will take away their solemn feasts And there I shewed how these came instead of the Heathenish times Now saith the holy Ghost here Rejoyce not as other people do do not you imitate them they have their Idolatrous Feasts but do not you as they do We must not take liberty to imitate Heathens and Idolaters in their worship though we think to tender our respects to God thereby Rejoyce not as other people Not as A people for the word other is not in the Hebrew Do not you rejoyce as if you were to continue a people still for you are to be carried captive and not to continue as a people do not you therefore rejoyce as if you were in a setled condition you have brought your selves into such a condition as you are not to look upon your selves as a people Do not Rejoyce no not as a people It 's a miserable spectacle to see those who are ready to be destroyed to be jolly and merry as if there were no such matter It is said of the Dolphin that it sports most when a storm comes So when the storm of Gods wrath is arising upon a people then they are most jolly and merry Again Rejoyce not in that manner as others
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
universal Secondly Suppose he should not be saved then it were better that he should be taken away than to live to sin more against God he might have lived to have done a great deal of mischief in the world if he were one that God did not intend to save and therefore quiet thy self However God sees further than thou doest either when he denies theâ— Children or takes them away in such times as these are Further In times when publick evils are threatned they are good times to die in If better not to be born in evil time then certainly it is no great evil to die in evil times Good men are taken away from the evil to come As if a woman had her breast to be launc'd or cut off would not the tender Father take the Children out of the room in the mean time Who knows but God may have the breast of his his Church our Mother even to be cut off for a time yet may suffer heavier things than ever she hath done and if God shall take away his tender Children that will not be able to bear such a sight as that what great evil is it As we reade of God towards Moses when Gods Glory was to pass by he puts Moses into the hole of a Rock and truly the graves of the Saints are but as the holes of the Rock til the Glory of Gods Justice passes by a people And thirdly If the sins of Parents may be the cause of such things to Children as better they had not been born let those that have Children take heed that they lay not up such wrath for an Inheritance for their Children as that their Children afterwards should even wish they never had been born of such Parents especially if Parents be careless in the education of their Children not to bring them up in the fear of the Lord hereafter their Children may curse the time that ever they were born of them and say Oh! that I rather had been of the off-spring of Vipers or the generation of Dragons than that I had come of such Parents Oh! that my Mother had had a miscarrying womb or that she never had had breasts to give me suck Certainly this will be the voice of many children against their Parents one day Look to it that there be never a Father nor Mother in this place that may give cause to their Children thus to wish they had never been born of such Parents And certainly if the enduring of sorrows and misery in this world may put them into such a condition what then wil sin and being the authors of miseries to others do Those Children that are abominable and wicked in their lives and are causes of mischief to others how much cause is it that it had been said that it had been been better his Mothers womb had miscarried as it was said of Judas that it had been better that he had never been born And so it may be said of abundance at this day what abundance of evil are some at this day the cause of unto others What woful disturbances distractions and calamities do some men bring upon a nation had it not been better that their Mothers wombs to have miscarried and their breasts not to have given them such And again What horrible wickedness are some guilty of How many Mother 's this day have cause â—o say Oh! that my womb had miscarried of such a Child Oh that my breasts had never given such a Child suck Oh that ever one should come out of my womb to do so much mischief to take up Arms to fight against his COUNTRY to fight against the Saints to bring in Slavery and Tyranny that ever any out of my womb should have a hand in such a mischievous way as this is Oh! these breasts of mine every time I look upon them I wish they had never given such a one suck for it may be they wil suck my blood too Certainly if ever there were a time to wish their wombs had miscarried and their breasts never given suck these are the times many may do so And this seems to have allusion to that which Christ saith in Luke 23. 19. Blessed are the wombs that never bear and the paps that never gave suck I say concerning many particulars in the Kingdom in this time it might have been said Oh! blessed had the womb been that such men were in had they never been born and the paps that they suckt that they had never given suck This would not have been an interpretation but a good prayer if it could have been foreseen if any Prophet could have forseen this that thou shouldst have been a Child and he should have been an Actor in so much mischief as hath been done in this Kingdom of late if any Prophet could have forseen this thou wouldst have said Amen to his prayer Lord give this woman a miscarrying womb and dry breasts that she might never have born nor given suck to such an one It follows VER 15. All their wickedness is in Gilgal for there I hated them WHAT this Gilgal was I opened in the 4 th Chapter at the 15. Verse it was a very famous place for many remarkable things Stones were set up in remembrance of so great a mercy in coming over Jordan and there was the first Passeover that ever they had and there they were circumcised and the Lord said unto Joshua This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you from whence it had the name they were not circumcised in all that time in the Wilderness from whence it was called Gilgal because the reproach was rolled away I shewed abundance of mercy to them in Gilgal there they eat the fruit of the Land and there the reproach was rol'd away and the monument of my great mercy in bringing them over Jordan but now they have turned this place to the most abominable place in the Country for because there were such great things done in Gilgal they thought that it was a holy place and therefore they might justifie their superstitious waies though God afterwards did chuse another place for his Worship yet they thought to sacrifice and worship in Gilgal they thought it might be justified because it was a place where such great things were done Now saith God I never intended that all their wickedness is in Gilgal Superstitious men are proud to put holiness upon places that have had remarkable things done in them in reference to Religion This phrase we have had occasion to meet with before and therefore I pass it All their wickedness That is Their chief wickedness as if God should say there is a great deal of wickedness among them there are Murders and Thefts and abundance of other evils the breaches of the second Table but yet above all their wickedness is at Gilgal they think to make use of that
he was so terrified in apprehension of the wrath of the Lamb that Christ did appear against him that he drank poyson and kild himself And Maximian ended his life with a haltar and hanged himself Galerius died of a most noisom and filthy disease Maximinus that he might prevent his death he likewise murdered himself And so Maxentius ran into the bottom of Tiberis to hide himself there And thus they did seek by several waies to hide themselves from the sight of the Lamb by violent deaths I suppose all of you do understand cleerly that it is meant an expression of great anguish and desperation but yet that we may see why the holy Ghost makes use of this expression rather than others and to find out the reason of it you must know that the expression doth arise from hence the Land of Canaan where the Prophet here Prophesies it was a Land full of Mountains and Hills and these Mountains were stony and rocky many of them and they were wont therefore to dig places in the mountains that were stony and rocky for safety in case they should be in any great danger to dig such holes that they may run into and that by their narrow passage they might be able to keep out an enemy from them and therefore I remember I find in Josephus 14. Book of Antiquities 27. Chap. and so his Book of the Jewish Wars the 1. Book and 12. Chap. he saith That those that were Theeves and Robbers they would make use of such Caves and Dens in the Mountains and Hills and now to these the Scripture doth allude and by this you may be helped to understand divers places of Scripture in Isa 2. 19. And they shall go into the holes of the Rocks and into the caves of the Earth for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his Majesty when he arises to shake terribly the Earth They should go then into the holes of the Rocks and caves of the Earth for they were wont to use such things there much And so that Scripture in Psal 11. 1. In the Lord put I my trust how say ye to my soul Flee as a bird to your Mountain In times of danger they were wont to flee to those Mountains And so in Psal 121. 1. I will lift up mine eyes unto the Hills from whence cometh my help not only to the Temple but to the Hills because in time of danger they were wont to think of the Hills But saith David I lift up my heart to God and that shall be to me instead of an hundred holes in Hills And in Psal 36. 6. Thy Righteousness is like the great Mountains It 's not only because the Mountains stand steadily and strongly but because the Mountains were places of refuge and shelter So the Saints have refuge in the faithfulness of God as they did run to the holes in the Mountains and therefore God is call'd a strong Rock that the Righteous run to why not only because a Rock is strong and cannot be removed yea but what safety is there Suppose a man run to the Rock cannot the enemies follow him and take him in the Rock Therefore it is not only meant when it is said God is as a Rock not only because the faithfulness of God is steady as a Rock but because they had caves and holes in the Rocks that they were wont to run to in time of danger therefore God is call'd a Rock And so The strength of the Hills is his also in Psal 95. 4. These Scriptures we may understand by this by understanding the manner what they were wont to do in their Mountains In Psal 94. 22. But the Lord is my defence and my God is the Rock of my refuge But yet further that we may understand the meaning of this expression Because when in times of danger they ran to the Mountains and to the Rocks and Holes into their Caves they considered when they were there Oh! the enemy if he should come upon us how sad would our condition be Oh! that rather this Mountain that is now over us I would rather that it should sink down and fall upon me than the enemy should take me and this Hill that I am got into a hole of for my refuge it were well if this should sink down and press me to nothing This I take to be the meaning of this Phrase the rise of it they despised the Mountain of God the going up to his Mountain but now they would be glad to have so much use of these Mountains that they might crush them in pieces From thence there are these Notes First Oh! the Alteration that God can make in Cities and Kingdoms They who were proud and scornful ere while are now so distressed as would think themselves happy to be crush'd by Mountains and Hills Secondly Hence we may learn how great is the misery of falling into the hands of our enemies for that 's the meaning when the Assyrians should come against them and they were besieged for three years together they knew how savigely the Enemies had used others in the Country so that they desired to die under the Mountains rather than to fal into their hands the great misery there is in falling into the hands of Enemies And I remember Josephus in one of the forenamed places gives us a notable story of this he tels us of some that did run into the Mountains and Holes for safety and Herod he pursued them and among others there was an old man and he had seven Children and his Wife with him but rather than he would fal into Herods hands he call'd his Children one by one unto the mouth of the Cave that he had made in the Mountain and when one came he kil'd that before the Enemy and he cal'd another and kill'd him and so he did till he had killed all the seven and killed them Himself and afterwards his Wife and when he had cast their dead bodies down the Rock he threw himself down head-long after them and so he slew himself and all this rather than he would fall into the hands of his Enemies Certainly there is wonderful misery Some of you perhaps have seen or felt somewhat but that that you have felt and seen hath been nothing to what was like to be had the Enemies gotten full power He was fain to deal fairly to get people to himself but cruelty doth break out now and then and by that you may see what should have been generally if the Lord should deliver you into the power of the Enemy Let us bless God then that we are delivered from that that we have no such cause to cry out to the Mountains to cover us and the Hills to fall upon us Thirdly The wrath of God Oh! how dreadful is it there is nothing so fearful as the wrath of God One would think that that which
the daies they slew fourty thousand now having the first day this did hearten them yea they had the day the second time and that made them stout in their way Success will make men stand it out in their wickedness God manie times gives success on purpose to harden the hearts of men that they may stand it out unto their ruin for so it proved to the Benjamites Be not troubled at the success of Adversaries God gives them success to harden their hearts to stand it out that they may be ruined at last Or if you take it for the men of Israel There they stood I find abundance of strange apprehensions of Interpreters and variety about this and it would cost one a great deal of time the opening of this Verse to compose but the several Interpretations that men have upon this Text but I 'le only give you what I think may be the scope of the holy Ghost or at least what may be fairly hinted from the words The men of Israel stood That is according to some when they saw in their battel at Gibeah they did not prevail at first they saw their brethren stood out stoutly and they lost so many thousand men upon this they were at a stand There they stood they knew not what in the world to do to think that so good a Cause and a work that they had warrant from God to do yet they should have such ill success there they stood Men had need be very well grounded in a good Cause when they meet with much difficulty I beleeve since this Cause that we have been about in England hath bin begun many through unbeleef and cowardize have bin at a stand they stood and knew not which way to go Lord is this the Cause of God is this the Truth of God what to have such ill success Many are lost in their spirits only by success Or thus There they stood that is Though they were at a stand and somewhat troubled yet they persisted in their work notwithstanding any difficulties they met withall they would not fly off but there they stood to it they were resolved whatever ill success they had to go on in the work that God had call'd them to The battel in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them When they did fight against the children of iniquity yet this battel did not overtake them to wit the Benjamites not the first day nor the second day but they were foil'd twice Though I know others do give other Interpretations of this word yet this seems to be more genuine But why doth the Prophet bring it in here The men of Israel to whom Hosea did prophesie might say You tell us that our sin is as in the daies of Gibeah yea but may we have the first day and the second day we hope we shall do well enough Nay saith the Prophet your sin is worse you may not think that your case is so good as the Benjamites the Battel did not overtake them but it shall overtake you and upon this ground the Prophet brings in this that the Battel did not overtake them granting that which they would object yet so as it should not make for them but to take away their hopes to escape And thus you have the meaning The Observations are First That the children of iniquity may escape once and again Though men be children of iniquity yet the Battel may not overtake them It 's as famous a story to take away the seeming success in an ill cause and disappointment in a good Cause as any I know in all the Book of God it did not overtake them at first Gods wrath follows many men in this world and yet for a long time overtakes them not but God calls it back Psal 78. 38. He being full of compassion forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not yea many a time turned he his anger away and did not stir up all his wrath But at length Gods wrath overtakes men In Zach. 1. 6. Did not my words take hold upon your fathers I sent out my threatning words and you escaped a long time but at length my word catcht hold of them As the Dog that follows the Hare barking a great while but at length he overtakes it and ceases upon it and tears it So did not my Word take hold upon your forefathers Calvin he gives another Interpretation of these words and some other Notes upon it but I think that this is the main and Genuine scope of them VER 10. It is in my desire that I should chastise them IT is in my desire God speaks here as one that hath forborn a long time and now longs to satisfie himself Tremelius upon the place notes that the form of the word for chastising here it is unusual because saith he perhaps God would express some more than ordinary way of punishing them And Luther renders it Exceeding desirously will I chastise them It is in my will to chastise them Oh! blessed God do not we find in thy Word that the Works of thy Justice are said to be thy strange Works and that thou art not willing to grieve the children of men that mercy pleases thee but where do we ever find that Justice was so pleasing to thee It 's true though at first God seems to forbear the execution of Justice as a thing he hath no mind to yet if sin be continued in in a stubborn way now God desires it as a thing that there 's nothing more pleasing to him He is burdened with mens sins and desires to bring punishments upon them as a man under a great burden desires to be eased In Isa 1. Oh! I will ease me of mine Adversaries And in Ezek. 5. 13. you shall find there that God in threatning of wrath saith that he would do thus and thus and he would be comforted and in Prov. 1. he laughs at the destruction of wicked men it 's a thing that rejoyces him at the very heart And in the Revelations the wrath of God is call'd the wine of his wrath because he takes so much pleasure in the execution of it 1. Gods Justice is God himself as well as any other Attribute 2. God he doth delight to vindicate his honor therefore the word that is for Chastisement it signifies somtimes the vindication of a mans honor the honor of God is dear to him Your peace and comforts may be dear to you I but my honor is more dear to me 3. In Chastisements God fulfils his Word the Word of God would be slighted contemn'd else Now this pleases me therfore to chastise them to fulfil my Word upon them Oh! the fearful evil of sin that brings the creature into such a condition as Gods heart is delighted in every evil that sinful creatures suffer this must needs be a sad condition indeed