and his ill savour shall come up because hee hath done great things and so in Psal 59. 7. They belsh with their mouths saith David and they goe up and down the Citie grinning like a dog these are the expressions of David and in that Psalm he means no other but those his adversaries that were about Saul in his Court and Ezek. 38. 3 4. To the chief Prince of Meshech and Tubal I will put hooks in thy jawes saith God and in Dan. 7. the four great Monarchs Babylonian Persian Grecian Roman are set out by four beasts the fourth Monarchy which by most Interpreters interpreted the Roman Empire Dan. 7. 7. it is described to bee dreadfull and 〈…〉 and strong exceedingly it had great iron teeth it devoured and brake in pieces and stamped the residue with the feet of it and it was divers from all things that was before it Now this beast raged first in the heathen Empire and after it gave its power to the beast Antichrist as you may reade in Rev. 13. and that beast was like a leopard spotted full of uncleannesse and filth or as some translate it a panther who by the scent of it drawes other beasts to him but devoures them and his feet like a Beare and his head like a Lyon Thus you see how God describes the great ones of the world to be as beasts looking with a contemptible eye upon them Thirdly It is a sore and a heavy judgement for a people to be delivered up to the rage of cruell adversaries the beasts shall devoure them I will give you up to them who will bring you under you will not be obedient to me but to them you shall I will let out cruell wicked men upon you Hence David prayed Lord let me not fall into the hands of men when God would put him to his choyce to choose what judgement he would have he was quickly resolved what to refuse hee would be sure he would not have that judgement to be given up to the hands of men that he knew was dreadfull and Psal 55. 6. he prayes O that I had the wings of a dove that I might flye into the wildernesse and there abide Into the wildernesse Why hee should be among the wilde beasts in the wildernesse and yet he cryes O that he had the wings of a dove he would abide in the wildernesse VVhy what is the matter here it was because of the cruelty of Saul and his courtiers David apprehended them so cruell that he had rather fall into the hands of Tygers and wilde beasts in the wildernesse then into theirs I could give you notable examples of people that would rather endure any misery in the world then be given up into the hands of their enemies That story is most famous of Numantia in Spaine when Scipio came against it and they were afraid it would be taken all the young men first took all the old men in the City and killed them with as faire a death as they could then they brought all the treasure and riches of the City to the market place and set all on fire and after that they all took poyson and poysoned themselves and thus in one day old and young and all in the City were quite destroyed rather then they would fall into the hands of their enemies Psa 22. 20. Deliver my soul saith David from the sword my darling from the power of the dog the power of the dog and the sword is but one the interpretation of the other and that text is observable 1 Cor. 15. 32. That I have fought with beasts at Ephesus after the manner of men some interpret this litterally that he did indeed really fight with beasts as being one way of torment they put the Christians to to fight with beasts but it is rather thought by most interpreters that the meaning is with men that were beastly with cruell men and Esthius thinkes those men to be no other but those that are mentioned in Acts 19. 9. of whom the text saith there that divers were hardned and spake evill before the multitude Paul then departed from them and 〈◊〉 he disciples Paul says that it was a most 〈…〉 to get the multitude to be gathered together and there to speake against him and his doctrine and against Christ when all the multitude were got together now their malice thought that a fit opportunity to vent all their venome against Paul and his doctrine upon that the spirit of Paul was so provoked saith the text that he departed from them and separated the disciples he saw them desperately set upon it with malice that they would take such an advantage so to speake against him and his doctrine before the multitude it is thus with many the more sedition is raised the better are their designes furthered Christ tells his Disciples Marke 16. 18. that Serpents should do them no hurt and drinking poyson shall not hurt them yea in the 19. of Luke the beginning he tells them they shall have power over divels Serpents shall doe them no hurt poyson shall doe them no hurt they shall have power over Devils but Mathew 10. 17. Beware of men they might say why blessed Master what need we be afraid of men Serpents shall do us no hurt we shall have power over Devils and yet for all this Christ bids them take heed of men as if there weere more danger of hurt from wicked men then from Devils or from Serpents and therefore S Paul in the 2. of the Thessalo 3. 2. prayes that they may be delivered from absurd men so the words are that those that had lost the very principle of reason and were even as beasts There are a generation risen up amongst us who have sucked up the poyson of the old Serpent and are sweld with it who are set on fire of hel and the poyson of Asps is under their lips and in their hands and as it was said of Romulus and Romus the founders of Rome they were suckled by woolves so are these who desire to build up Rome againe much like the first founders of that Rome they seeme to be men suckled by wolves or as the Poets faine of Lycaon turned into a wolfe for his cruelty or as it is said of their S. Dominick that was the Father of the Dominicans that when his Mother was with child of him she dreamed that she brought forth a wolfe with a firebrand in his mouth according to that representation she had in her dream of her childe she proved afterwards and if we look to the cruelty and the rage of these kind of men we may even think that their Mothers have brought forth wolves with firebrands in their mouths in these Satan rages and we hope therefore his time is but very short because he rages so much had they prevailed and brought all under their power no Chronicle of any Nation under Heaven would afford the like stories of horrid
for the bow was a great warlike instrument in these dayes therefore in Psal 46. 9. He makes wars to cease he breaks the bow and cutteth the spear in sunder c. But here by breaking the bow there is something more it is not onely mentioned because the bow is a warlike instrument but there is some particular reason why the bow is instanced here and that is this because whereas Jehu did many memorable things in his warlike affairs yet none more then that he did by his bow Mark that place 2 King 9. 24. And Iehu drew a bow with his full strength and smote Jeroboam between his arms and the arrow went out at his heart c. So that the victory that Jehu got ever the two Kings of Israel and Iudah was by the Bow especially What observe we from hence That wherein wicked men have been most prosperous and succesful even in this God will curse them and let out his wrath upon them Againe Breake the bow blast all the power of their Ammunition Carnal hearts trust much in their warlike weapons but they are nothing when God commeth to break a peoples strength God hath the power of all Ammunition the Lord is called The Lord of Hosts and he delighteth much in this title First because God hath not only the power over Ammunition and all Warlike weapons so as they cannot be used but by him But secondly because when they are used they can have no successe at all but by him and so the Lord is the Lord of Hosts in a peculiar sense Hee is the great Generall of all Armies more then all other Generalls for the successe of all dependeth upon him My brethren why then need the Church of God feare the strength of weapons the Bow the Cannon or all the Ammunition of the enemies of the Church seeing our Lord is the Lord of Hosts no weapon can be used or have successe but by this Lord of Hosts He can break the bow though of steele when pleaseth and can give his people strength to doe so too For this you have an admirable promise Esa 54. 17. Behold saith God I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire and bringeth forth an instrument for his worke and I have created the water to destroy No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper What need the Church fear then God breaks the bow when he pleaseth For as God hath a providence over all the things in the world so there is a specialty of providence of God to order Battels to give the victory not to the strong or to the multitude but sometimes to the weak and few even as hee pleaseth And therefore hee is the Lord of Hosts because though his providence is generall over all creatures yet there is a specialty of providence of God in warlike affairs But what was this valley of Jezreel It is worthy our time to enquire after this valley of Jezreel wherein God will break the bow of Israel There were two places called Jezreel the one belonging to Iudah Iosh 15. the other belonging to Israel Iosh 17. 16. Chap. 19. 18. Iezreel was a fruitfull valley ten miles long and by it there was a famous City built which was in Ahabs time the principall seate the Metropolis of the Kingdom and there was a glorious tower in it from thence they might see over Galilee and over Iordan Now there were two great Cities that belonged to the tenn Tribes Samarea and Iezreel as we in England have two principall Cities London and Yorke But this Iezreel was the most fortified in which they put a great deale of confidence yet God saith here He will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Iezreel That is there by that City in that place that they accounted the great strength of their Kingdom there he would break the bow of Israel Fortified Cities cannot help when God cometh out against a people If we can fortifie our Cities against sin we may soone fortifie them against an Enemie If sinne once get in the enemie will quickly follow Nah. 3. 12. All thy strong holds shall be like fig-trees with the first ripe figs if they be shaken they shall fall into the mouth of the eater You shall with the least wind like the first ripe figs sall off all your strong holds shall doe so Yea ver 13. Thy people in the midst of thee are women the gates of thy land shall be set wide open to thine enemies the fire shall devourthy bars You see what the valley of Iezreel is the meaning of it But why will God breake the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel There are these two reasons for it 1. Because God would deale with this people of Israel as Judges deale with Malefactors they will hang them up there where the fact was committed as wee see some hanged up in Chains neer to the City at or about the place where their villany was done So in Jezreel was shed the blood of Jezebel and the blood of the 70. sons of Ahab and the blood of Jehoram and there will God break the bow Hence it is that guilty consciences are many times afraid to goe neere to the places where they have committed wickedness because their consciences will fly in their faces for feare God should come upon them in the place where the fact was done But further He will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel that is in that fortified place in which they did so much glory this is specially observable Even in that place wherein a kingdom shall most glory seem to trust most in God many times doth come and break the kingdom in that very place and makes that the breaking of the kingdome most Nah. 3. 8. Art thou better then populous No that was scituate among the rivers that had the waters round about it whose rampant was the sea her wall was from the sea Mark a people just like England in this case what we overcome by the Enemie we that have the Seas for our Wall and such a multitude of people amongst us These have been are the two pleas that England hath for her selfe because our people are many and we have the seas for a wall But art thou better then populous No yet was she carryed away she went into captivity c. vers 10. Thus the Prophet pleadeth with them But further These trusted in Jezreel they seemed to scorn the Prophet What the kingdome of Israel cease what thinke you of Jezreel such a strong place as that just as we should say what an Enemy come to us what say you to London a brave City a strong City what say you to the Ammunition to the Militia to the strength that is there Are they not able to resist all that can come against it Have we cause to feare danger It is true the kingdom hath cause to bless
Lord and I will receive you againe Gods mercies are beyond mans It is a most excellent and usefull observation that we have from hence There is no such dreadfull threatning against any in the word of God for any of their sins only we except that sin against the holy Ghost but there is a dore of hope left for those sinners Here seemeth to be the greatest sin of Idolatry and forsaking of God as could be the most dreadfull threatning she is not my wife shee is divorced from mee Yet here is insinuated a hope of mercy I will give you one Text which is as notable for this as any I know in the booke of God that is in Judges 10. 13. 14. compared with ver 16 In the 13. and 14. verses saith God You have for saken me served other gods What then I will deliver you no more I am resolved against you now I have delivered you often but now I will deliver you no more Go your wayes Cry unto the gods you have chosen let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation One would thinke this people to be in an ill case of whom God saith thus much For observe these foure things here First God chargeth them with the greatest sinne that could be they had forsaken God and turned themselves idols Secondly This great sin is aggravated with the most aggravating circumstance almost that could bee implyed here this they had done notwithstanding God was wonderfull mercifull to them and had often delivered them yet they had still forsaken him served other Gods Thirdly Here is one of the most peremptory resolutions against shewing mercy that we can imagine saith God I will deliver you no more now I have delivered you so oft Fourthly Here is a most bitter Sarcasme a biting upbrayding taunting speech for their serving other gods As if he should say what doe you come now Now do you cry howle to me now you are in trouble in your prosperity I was no God for you you leâ—t me then for other gods and now I will be no God to you to other gods I leave you go now and cry to those other gods and see whether they will help you Put these together and one would thinke this people were in a hopeless condition Is there any help for this people yet Are they not a lost people Is not repentance too late for this people No for all this repentance is not too late for such a people as this for mark the Text saith in the 15. ver And the children of Israel said unto the Lord we have sinned do thou unto us what seemeth good unto thee and ver 16. They put away their strange gods from among them and served the Lord. They do not now lye downe sullenly in their sinnes and say there is no help therefore we were as good go on in our sinfull wayes but they venture to put away their strange gods and crye unto the Lord and tell him that they had sinned What then the Text saith The soul of the Lord was grieved for the misery of Israel Though he had thus pronounced against them yet his soule was grieved for them they were not the same they were before It is true I will deliver you no more you impenitent ones I will deliver you no more but God did not say he would not give them repentance but when they had put away their strange gods though they had grieved Gods Spirit with their sinnes yet God was grieved for their affliction now and though God had thus threatned them yet his bowells now do yerne towards them and hee comes in again with mercie and subdues their enemies under them the children of Ammon were conquered and God gives them twenty of their Cities as Chap. 11. 33. God never threatneth any people but the condition of mercie upon repentance it is either expressed or implyed It is therefore the frowardness and the fulness of the hearts of sinners to give over all upon the thought of the greatness of their sins or the severity of Gods threatning against them O no you great sinners that have beene guilty of many horrible sins come in and repent I may say to you as Secaniah did to the people in another case of a grievous sin Ezra 10. 2. There is hope in Israel concerning this thing It is the cavill of many carnal hearts against many faithfull and Zealons Ministers that they do nothing but preach judgement and they threaten damnation and say people shall be damned and go to hell aud the like This they speak against them not mentioning at all the conditions upon which damnation and hell is threatned Certainly there can scarce a Minister in the world be found that threatneth damnation or hell absolutely but upon those termes of impenitency I will give you one Scripture to shew you the most absurd perverse spirits of men in this kinde how they will take a piece of the words of the Prophets and separate the threatning from the condition on purpose that they may cavill at the word it is in Jer. 26. 4. saith God to the Prophet there Thou shalt say to them Thus saith the Lord If you will not hearken to me to walke in my Law which I have set before you â—o hearken to the words of my servants the Prophets whom I sent unto you then will I make this house like Shiloh and will make their Citie a curse to all the nations of the earth See how fairely the words of the Prophet go If you will not hearken to me to walke in my lawes and the words of my Prophets whom I sent unto you then I will do so and so The Prophet delivers his message as faire as can be But see now their perversnesse in the 8. ver It came to passe that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord commanded him to speake unto all the people that the Priests and the Prophets and all the people tooke him saying Thou shalt surely dye What is the matter Why hast thou Prophecyed in the name of the Lord saying This house shall be like Shiloh They leave out if whereas he said If you will not return and heare the words of the Lord this house shall be as Shiloh They come and lay hold upon him with violence Why hast thou said this house shall be like Shiloh and leave out the other This is the perverseness of the hearts of men Well then the conclusion of this Observation is this that the worst pleading against any for their sinnes it is not to sinke the hearts in despaire but to turne their hearts towards God that they may receive mercy Let her put away her whoredomes Secondly Let her put away her whoredomes After such a kinde of pleading that included a most dreadfull threatning in it She is not my wife yet God exhorteth Hence the Observation is this While God is pleased to speak to a
yet ordinarily he makes use of second causes not only to work ad praesent iam as Biel the Schoolman and others say that is only together with the creature but there is say they no efficacie at all of them issuing into the effect but the truth is God doth make use of second causes otherwise so that there is some vertue and efficacy in them to work the thing that God intends Fourthly there is a concatenation of second causes not onely an use of them but every one in their order supplyes the other the heavens heare the earth and the earth hears the corne one after another If we could see the comely order of the creatures wee should see them all hang together in a golden chaine as it is in the joynts of the body one bone supplyeth another one place is hollow to take in another so one cause in nature supplyeth and cometh in to the other As in our salvation there is a golden chain which we have Rom. 8. So in the creatures there is a golden chain of comely order and mutuall supplyance Fiftly God is at the higher end of the chaine and nothing can be done by any link of the chaine of second causes but by Gods being at the uppermost link Jezreel must cry to the corn and wine and oyle and they must cry to the earth and the earth must cry to the heavens he must be the highest cause Sixtly It is most comely and a great blessing when the right order and chaine of second causes hold As it is in Nature so in any Society in a Common-wealth in a City when all keep their due subordination as when the Trades-man works in his way the Magistrate in his way the Minister in his way and every Officer in his place every one keeping his order But when it is otherwise when they are out of order it is a great misery upon a City or Kingdom As it was once among the Athenians Themistocles saith of his son a bolâ— youth This boy can do more then any man in all Greece Why For saith he the Athenians command the Grecians and I command the Athenians and my wife commands me and my son commands my wife here was the concatenation of that government God deliver all societies from such a concatenation that the beginning of any publick work I meane the lower link of the chain should be perhaps in a whoremaster he should command one and that one another and so one after another This is a fearfull judgment where soever it is 7. God is the giver of all plenty hee accounts it his glory to give raine Ier. 5. 24. God there wonders that men will not feare him because of that Neither saith he doe they say in their hearts Let us feare God that giveth raine As if hee should say It is a strange impudence in men what will they not say in their hearts Let us feare God seeing he gives us raine Thus God gloryeth in this great work when hee heareth the heavens and the heavens heare the earth the heavens will be as brasse over us and the earth as iron unlesse GOD heare them and send raine Therefore let God be acknowledged in that rain we have had of late the creatures wanted grasse and the grasse cryed to the heavens and the heavens cryed unto God and God hath heard the heavens and sent downe raine and so we see the earth hath been refreshed abundance of good hath come to us by those showers Give God the glory of this 8. All plenty is given for the sake of the Saints How God heares the heavens and the heavens hear the earth and the earth hears the corn and the wine and the oyle and they hear Jezreel It is for Jezreels sake that the earth heares the corne and the heavens hear the earth and God hears the heavens Were it not for the Saints the earth wauld soon come to a confusion They are the blessing of the earth Isa 18. 24. 9. If the creatures work so graciously for us how should wee then worke for God and one for another What shall the creatures cry one to another and heare one another for our good and shall God cry to us and wee not heare God The senseless corn cries to the earth O earth help me that I may help Iezreel and the earth cryes to the heavens O heavens send down your influences and the heavens say We will heare and the earth saith I will heare Shall the earth heare and the heavens heare for our good and shall not we hear when God cryes for help God cries to you many times to helpe in his cause and wilt not thou hear to work for him O vile creature how unreasonable are thy ways before the Lord Again how should we hear the cries of the poor When wee are in want the corn cries to the earth and the earth cries to the heavens and the heavens cry to God for us VVhen the poore I mean Gods poore whom Gods hand hath made poore cry will not you heare VVill you be more hard-hearted then the earth and the heavens are seeing they heare you doe you hear the cry of your poor brethren Further if God will hear the creatures when they cry for us how much more will he hear Jesus Christ when hee cries for us It is our happinesse in part that we have all the creatures cry to God for our good but the top of our happinesse is this that wee have Iesus Christ the Mediatour of the new Covenant making intercession at the right hand of God continually for us Lastly Gods mercies go through when they work for the Saints the corn beginneth to cry to the earth that stays not here but the earth goes on and cryes to the heavens the heavens go on and cry to God Gods mercies to his Saints never leave till the thing be done And I will sow her unto me in the earth VVhat great mercy is this for God to grant plenty if he destroy his people Our Country is plentifull but if God should consume us out of the land what good wouâ—d our plenty do us Therefore saith God I will sow her unto me in the earth Indeed she is now a poor contemptible people there are but few of them remaining upon the earth but I will make them a seede and a seed that the Lord hath blessed I will sow her Here the Lord alludeth to the name Iezreel which signifies the seed of the Lord the sowen of the Lord. It was used in the first Chapter in an opprobtious way and in the latter end of that Chapter in a way of mercy I speak of it there therefore I shall not need say much now only this God makes use of the word here to put her in mind of what shee deserved as if he should say though thou beest a Jezreel and deservest to be scattered yet I will be mercifull to thee out of free grace
appeare bright in the very faces and conversations of the Saints that shal strike great feare Holy reverent is thy nâ—me you know it is said of God and so it shall be said of the Saints in that day their graces shall be much raised they shall sparkle with abundance of the graces of Gods Spirit in them their wisdome holiness shall make their faces shine holy and reverent shall be their names Psal 89. 7. God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the Saints those Saints of his who walke close with him have a daunting power in their appearance I appeale to guilty consciences to apostates to professors who have secret haunts of wickedness sometime when you come but into the presence of one who is a truly gracious godly man or woman whom your conscience tels you walkes close with God doth not even the very sight of such a one terrifie you the very lustre of that holiness you see in such a one strikes upon your conscience then you thinke such an one walkes close with God indeed but I have basely forsaken the Lord and have had such a haunt of wickednesse I have brought dreadfull guilt upon my soul since I saw him last Ecclesiasticall stories tell us of Basil when the officers came to apprehend him he being then exercised in holy duties that there was such a majesty lustre came from his countenance that the officers fell down backward as they did who came to apprehend Christ they were not able to lay hold of him Surely when the Saints shall be raised in their holiness when every one of them shall have their hearts filled with holinesse it will cause abundance of fear even in all the hearts of those that converse with them But wicked ones shall feare too as well as the Saints Luke 21. 26. Mens hearts shall faile them for feare it shal be true in these dayes as it was in the destruction of Jerusalem The Saints shall feare the Lord and his goodness the words in the original are they shall feare ad Dominum to the Lord ad bonum to his good It is all one in effect that good that God shall manifest shall cause this feare to be in their hearts You will say what goodnesse what shall that goodness of God be that shall move the hearts of this people with so much feare I will tell you briefly I need not spend much time in it for I have spent a whole Sermon about it when I spake of the last words of the first Chapter of this Prophesiâ— great shall be the day of Jezreel I shal now adde to what I had then This shall be the goodness of God in that day that they shall feare First The goodnesse of God that ever he should regard such a wretched people as we are and pardon all our sins What Israel the ten Tribes who had most wretchedly forsaken God who had crucified Jesus Christ crucified David their King yet that blood they have shed is applyed to them for the pardon of their sin Oh the goodness of God! they shall feare this goodness in being mercifull to such a hard-hearted such a stubborne such a stiffe-necked people as they have been this goodnes of God will break their hearts Secondly then God shal make the difference between him that feareth God and him that feareth him not Then shall God take away all the reproach of his Saints What bitter reproach hath been upon the Saints since the beginning of the world especially since the times of the Gospelâ— Reproach first because they are meane people of the lower sort 2. Reproach because they suffer much and God lets his adversaries prevaile over them 3 Reproach because they waite upon God and God seems not to come the adversaries say where is your God No marvaile you pray and Fast what is become of all Here will be the goodness of God at that day to wipe off all this reproach They shall have so much mercy so much honour from God that it shall appeare before all the world that it was good to waite upon him so much as shall countervaile abundantly all their sufferings they shall blesse God that ever it was put into their hearts to suffer for him to waite upon him And because God foreseeth this what goodness he hath laid up for his people that they shall enjoy ere long and we know a thousand years with him are as one day that is the reason why he suffereth his people to be so under for the present he knows he hath that goodness for them hereafter yea in this world that all the world shal say that God hath dealt well with them that he was not a hard Master to them to make them waite so long and to let them suffer so much as they do I will give you for this one excellent Scripture perhaps you have not considered of the emphasis of the argument that is in it It is Heb 11. 16. They desired a better Countrey that is an heavenly wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for he hath prepared for them a City The poor persecuted Saints wandred up down they were content to leave their own Country their estates here and sought another Country an heavenly but they had it not their enemies prevailed over them as if God had forsaken them but God is not ashamed to be called their God what is the argument For he hath prepared for them a City Marke the force of the argument for he hath prepared for them 〈◊〉 City This City is this text I am now speaking of sometimes it is described as a Tabernacle The Tabernacle of God shall come downe from Heaven sometime a City sometime a Countrey sometime a Kingdome sometime an Inheritance Here God hath prepared for them a City that is there is a glorious time for Gods people when they shall have the new Jerusalem come down from heaven unto them Now then saith God though my people be in a suffering condition I am not ashamed to be called their God I am not ashamed to own this people for I have glory enough for them as if God should be ashamed that he should ever professe such an interest in his people and this people professe such an interest in him if there were nothing to come for them if there were not a time to recompence all their suffering As if a Master should own a servant or a Prince a subject if this servant or subject suffer extreamely and hath no help but still when he expects help there comes none and when he thinketh surely now it will come still it fayls him yet if you know that at such a day you shall recompence all this you shall advance him and bring him to such honour that he will blesse God that ever he was in your service you will not be ashamed to owne this servant But if this servant shall suffer in your cause and you