many times in Babylon which they would never have done in Sion Jer. 24. 5. God can make a Treacle of these Vipers and can dispose the worst things to his peoples good Rom. 8. 28. their very persecutions shall spread the Gospel Act. 8. 1. Philip. 1. 12 19. So that in some sense wee are beholding to our enemies for they make us better 3 It may comfort us that when those Rods have done their work themselves shall bee burnt Isa. 10. 24 25 26. after Pharaoh had done Gods work on Israel God drowns him After the Assyrian had done Gods work upon his people the Babylonians come and destroy him and his flourishing Empire Nahum 1. 2 3. God suffers them for a time to vent their sin and malice that his Justice may bee the more apparent in their downfal 8 Obs. Sin bereaves us of our most pleasant precious and desireable things Jer. 15. 13. and 20. 5. Isa. 39. 6. and 64. 11. where the Church complains that all her pleasant things lay waste 1 See the generality of their loss not some but All All their Treasures all their Princes all their Palaces all their Riches all their Cities sin had ruined All All All. 2 Here is their propriety in them Our pleasant things To see another suffer it may affect us but not so deeply as when wee our selves suffer 3 See the excellency of the things they lost they were pleasant and desireable things To lose base contemptible things doth not so much trouble us but to lose our choysest things goes near us 4 Which aggravates all Here is 1 Conâ—lagration our holy and beautiful house is burnt with fire 2 Devastation and desolation All is laid waste So long as Ephraim was Ephraim i. e. faithful and fruitful hee flourished but now that hee had forsaken God God forsook him and lets in an East-wind that destroyes all Hee that before was famous and the head of the Tribes is now â—ince hee hath found out falshood and new lights and new Gods become infamous and the footstool of the Tribes Hos. 13. 1. When Ephraim spake trembling hee exalted himself in Israel but when hee offended in Baal hee dyed q. d. when Ephraim spake trembling or with trembling as it is in the fountain that is was afraid of sin Or 2 When Ephraim spake there was trembling i. e. hee was once very awfull to the rest of the Tribes so as when hee spake the rest of the Tribes were ready to tremble But when once hee fell to Idolatry and worshipped Baal hee lost his Reputation and no reckoning was made of him Hee that before was formidable is now become contemptible both with God and man at home and abroad Now every paltry adversary tramples upon him without controle as the fearful Hare on a dead Lion Wicked Ahab that had sold himself to wickedness see how Beâ—hadad the King of Syria insults over him 1 King 20. 3 4. Thy silver and thy gold is mine thy wives also and thy children even the goodliest are mine and the King of Israel answered and said My Lord O King according to thy saying I am thine and all that I have Look how the worried Cur falls upon his back and turns up all four as craving quarter so did this sordid Idolater crouch to his enemy when God was departed from him hee was even as a dead carcass Whilst Israel kept close to God and walked in his way neither Balak nor Balaam neither the Devil nor his Agents could by their Inchantments hurt them But when by the wicked counsel of Balaam they were inticed to sin against God by committing Whoredome with the daughters of Moab then Gods wrath brake forth against them and they dye for it Num. 25. 1. and 31. 16. Hence a Heathen could say It is our sins that weaken our Armies and make them flye before their enemies As all good is in God the chiefest good who is therefore called a Sun for consolation and a Shield for protection and the God of all comfort both inclusively and exclusively Ps. 84. 11. 2 Cor. 1. 3. So all the evil in the world may bee seen in sin which is the chiefest evil as poverty sickness war death hell It is sin that dryes up all our springs stops our fountains spoyls our Treasures and robs us of all our pleasant things our pleasant land our pleasant food our pleasant rayment our pleasant houses pleasant children Sin Sin Sin bereaves us of them all God turns a fruitful Land into a wilderness for the wickedness of such as dwell therein Psal. 107. 34. and therefore when any thing goes amiss with us wee should search for the sin that hath done us the mischief finde out the Achan that hath caused the trouble finde out the Ionah that hath raised the storm do justice on the one and drown the other and wee shall have peace Wee should slay that which otherwise will slay us and ruine iniquity which ruines our houses lands wives children all It is this enemy that robs us of our health wealth peace plenty Ordinances Magistrates Ministers and all our comforts Object Wee will hide our Treasures that none shall finde them Answ. There is no hiding of your selves or substance when God pursues Ier. 11. 11. The wind of the Lord will peirce into the most secret places and finde out you and all your hid treasures Psal. 21. 8. and 139. 7 8 and Isa. 13. 16 17. Amos 9. 2 3 4. God hath those that watch for your riches Ier. 4. 16 17. and greedy Souldiers that shall search for your hid treasures Isa. 10. 13 14. and 45. 3. Obad. 6. Let us then wean our hearts from those flying fading transitory things What the Prophet said of riches If they increase set not your hearts upon them may bee fitly applied to all creature comforts if friends increase set not your hearts upon them if children increase or honours or armies or pleasant habitations c. yet set not your hearts upon them but look upon them as things that have wings to flye from us in our greatest need Lye loose therefore in your affections to all earthly enjoyments that so when ever the Lord shall call for them by fire sword or any other way it may not trouble you to part with them make not Idols of them in over-loving them lest you lose them It is great folly greedily to lay up treasures for wee know not who Psal. 39. 9. Ier. 17. 11. it may bee for an enemy as Ephraim here little did hee think that the merciless Assyrian should bee inriched with his labour and that the men whom their souls hated should bee masters of all their desireable and pleasant things 2 Since earthly things are so uncertain and fading Lay not up for your selves treasures on earth where moths corrupt and theeves break thorow and steal but lay up for your selves treasures in heaven Matth. 6. 20 21. Lay out your estates for God his truth
all the sores of Iob and all the sorrows of Ioseph are nothing compared with it This brings spiritual blindness a reprobate sense a spirit of slumber and strong delusions Isa. 6. 9 10. Rom. 9. 17. and 11. 8. 3 Eternal miseries both in soul and body it brings sorrows endless easeless and remediless So that there is no evil like the evil of sin no plague like this plague As piety hath the promise and carries its reward with it and though no man should recompence it yet the good wee do is recompence it self not onely for but in the very keeping of Gods Commandements there is great reward Psal. 19. 11. The act of keeping them is a reward as well as the issue As every good work brings its reward with it so every evil work brings its sorrow with it and though no man punish it yet it is a punishment to it self it is finis operis though not finis operantis Jer. 4. 18. Thy way and thy doings have procured thee these things Sin is that which procures us all our sorrow we should therefore hate it with a pure and perfect hatâ—ed and get this cause of all our sorrows removed and then the effect will cease Now is sin so bitter I Then take heed of pleading for sin or extenuating of it Put not sweet names upon so bitter a thing There is a woe denounced against such as do so Isa. 5. 20. Wo to them that call evil good that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter Such look upon sin through the Devils spectacles and then no wonder if they call Drunkenness Good-fellowship Covetousness Frugality Pride Decency c. Those put a fair glove upon a foul hand and false glosses upon filthy vices the better to deceive But let no man deceive you with vain words for even for these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience Call not therefore sin so as the corrupt world calls it but esteem and call it as the Word of God calls it How is that Why it calls it an abomination poyson sorrow sickness bitterness filth vomit folly madness darkness dung death c. When the judgement is thus truly convinced of the vileness of sin it is an excellent preservation against sin 2 If sin bee so bitter then sad is the condition of such as are insensible of its bitterness who make that their Recreation here which will bee their damnation hereafter who plead not onely for infirmities which yet no good man dares do but also for enormities They declare their sin like Sodome impudently and impenitently they thank God they never knew what the burden or bitterness of sin meant the more is behinde for if sin bee not bitter here it will bee in another world And therefore this may comfort those that groan and grieve under the burden and bitterness of sin such as make their sin their greatest sorrow Christ will bee unto them their greatest joy Christ calls such as it were by name to come to him Isa. 55. 1 2. Matth. 11. 28. This qualifies a man and fits him for Christ when Christ sees of the travel of his soul in our souls it delights him Isa. 53. 10 11. This sense of sin argues some spiritual life in the soul. Nature will not complain of Nature nor will corruption complain of corruption it is onely grace that makes us truly sensible of the bitterness of sin 3 Pitty those that groan under the burden and bitterness of sin No sorrow like their sorrow no burden like the burden of a wounded conscience Adde not affliction to the afflictions of those whom God hath wounded but power the oyl of mercy into their sin-sick souls Bee not like Iobs friends miserable comforters and Physicians of no value if wee must ease our enemies Oxe or Ass when hee lyeth under his burden shall wee not much more ease our brothers soul Exod. 23. 5. Bee not harsh or hasty bee not sowre and censorious to such but bee meek and merciful and so bear each others burdens Gal. 6. 1 2. 9. Obs. It is a sad Aggravation of peoples sins when they sin against their God The God of all their mercies the fountain of all their enjoyments Their God in Covenant with them whom they have avouched for their God and vowed openly that hee shall bee their God and they would bee his people to love serve fear and obey him yet contrary to all Vows Baptistical Eucharistical personal National to flye from God and to rebel against him this is the heighth of sâ—n and makes it â—xceeding sinful and provokes the Lord to say Lo-ammi yee are no people of mine as hee said to Ephram here Hâ—s 1. 9. And is not this Englands sin God hath taken us into Covenant with himself he hath owned us above all the people in the world hee hath made us the head and terrâ—ur of the Nations hee hath done wonders for us at home and abroad hee hath made us his darling Nation whilst others swim in blood wee swim in blessings of peace whilst others are weeping and wayling by the waters of Babylon wee dwell in an Eden joy and gladness is found in us thanksgiving and the voyce of melody Hee hath made us his Ephraim hee hath laid his right hand upon us hee hath planted us in a fruitful soyl hedged us about with his gracious protection and good Laws hee hath removed from amongst us all the apparent impediments of our growth and fruitfulness hee hath furnished us with choâ—ce persons and those persons with excellent gifts and graces Hee hath a special care over us for good and now hee looks as well hee may for the pleasant grapes of obedience but behold the sowre and wilde grapes of confusion disorder errour and disobedience abound amongst us Wee have broken all our Covenants wee are not onely Sermon-proof but wee are also Covenant proof no bonds so sacred so strong but wee can as easily break them as Sampson did the cords of the Phiâ—istims So that what can wee expect but that the Lord should take away his hedge of Government both Temporal and Spiritual breaking down the wall which defended us from our enemies and letting in all the wilde beasts that might destroy us Justly might hee withdraw his good hand of providence and protection from us and expoâ—e us to all manner of rapine and ruine for our Apostasies and Rebellions 10 Obs. Sin especially the sin of Rebellion brings the sword upon a people They shall fall by the Sword This is Gods last and great Rod and hee never brings it forth till hee bee â— greatly provoked by his peoples sins Iob 36. 12. Isa. 1. 20. When no other means will better a people then comes the Sword and cuts them off God hath three evil Arrows which hee shoots at a Rebellious people viz. the Sword Famine and Pestilence Ezek. 5. 16. these are called Arrows because they are sharp and deadly and evil
view of all 2 Sam. 12. 12. the onely way to have our sins hid indeed is plainly and sincerely to confess them psalm 32. 5. 2. Whereas thou gloriest that thou hast escaped so long unpunisht know that t is a sore punishment to go unpunisht for sin When the Lord was angry with Ephraim hee bids let him alone and tells him that he will not punish him for his sin Hos. 4. 14 17. q. d. Since Ephraim will go after Idols after Idols he shall go I will not by any punishment restrain him but I will let him go on and prosper in his abominations to his utter confusion and thus to be given up to ones own hearts lust is a signe of Gods highest displeasure Psalm 87. 11 12. in this sense not be stricken is the sorest stroke Isay 1. 5. and for God not to bee angry is the greatest anger as to bee stopt and corrected for sin is the greatest mercy Psalm 89. 32 33 34. and 94. 12 13. 3. Know that punishment is never neerer than when 't is least feared A great calm many times is a force-runner of a storm When men cry Peace Peace then comes sudden and swift destruction 1 Thes. 5. 3. When the old world was eating drinking buying building marrying and snorting in security then comes the flood When Agag thought the bitterness of death was past now saith Samuel hew him in peeces When men bee at ease in Sion there 's a woe hang over their heads Amos 6. 1. to 8. When men look upon judgements as a far off then God will defer no longer Ezek. 12. 27 28. Secure Laish becomes a booty to its enemies Iudg 18. 7 27. The Amalakites when they had taken Ziglag and were drunken fearing no danger they were suddenly surprised and slain 1 Sam. 30. 16 17. When the Philistims met to be merry and sport themselves with Sampson he brings the house upon their heads Iudg. 16. 25 29. Darius in the midst of his cups was â—lain by the Persians Dan. 5. 30. and Babylon that boasted shee 〈◊〉 as a Queen and should see no sorrow had sudden plagues 〈◊〉 on her Rev. 18. 7 8. Let no man then delude himself with the thoughts of impunity for though conscience may sleep for a time yet at last it will bee awakned and then the longer thy sins have been hid the more will it rage against thee especially at the day of judgement that day of revealing the hidden work of darkness God will then bring every work to judgement with every secret thing whether it be good or evil Eccles. 12. ulâ— God will then unlock his Treasury and those sins which are now sealed and bundled up shall then be brought to open light and those secret Villanies which men would not have known for all the world shall then be written as with a beam of the Sun upon their foreheads to their everlasting shame Sinners shall then have no cause to say where is the God of Iudgement Mal. 2. 17. Let us therefore make a right use and improvement of the Patience of God let it melt and humble us and lead us to repentance Let us in this our day know the things that belong to our everlasting peace whil'st the Patience of God yet waits upon us and hee stands knocking at the door of our hearts Rev. 3. 20. before the door of grace be shut against us for then 't will be too late To quicken you know that God in the end will reckon with you for all his Patience and forbearance the longer he hath borne with you the greater will your sin be He takes an exact account of every day and year that he hath borne with us Psal. 95. 10. fourty years long was I grieved with this generation He takes notice of every provocation Numb 14. 22. These ten times have they provoked me though you forget your provocations yet God doth not Yea hee records every Sermon that wee hear and the day and year that it was preached to us Hag. 1. 1. Lastly let us imitate God and be followers of him as dear children be Patient as he is Patient though wee cannot bee so by way of Equality yet by way of Analogy and resemblance in our degree and measure wee may and must if hee bear with us wee may well bear with our brethren if hee hath forgiven us Pounds wee may well forgive them Pence We should forbear one another and forgive one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven us Ephes. 4. 31. Colos. 3. 13. Let your moderation and quietness of minde be made known to all Phil. 4. 5. and if any man wrong us let us melt them with our kindnesses Rom. 12. 20. as David â—elted Saul and made him weep and confess that hee was more righteous than himself Even Nature could say it becomes a noble spirit to pass by injuries When one told King Iohn that his deadly enemie was buried there and advised him to deface his Monument no said the King but I wish all the rest of mine enemies were as honourably buried 'T was an excellent answer of Chrysostom to the Empress Eudoxa and savored of a sweet mortified frame of spirit If the Queen said he will banish me let her banish me The earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof If she will saw me asunder let her do it the Prophet Isay suffered as much If she will let her cast me into the sea and there will I remember Jonah VERSE 13. The sorrows of a travelling woman shall come upon him he is an unwise son for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children IN this Verse the Prophet goeth on to denounce judgements against an obstinate and rebellious people if by any means he might awaken them out of their security By the sorrows of a woman in travel he sets forth the sudden sure and sore destruction which was even now coming upon the heads of those carnally-confident sinners They promised themselves Peace and Prosperity they had made a league with death and had put the evil day far from their souls and therefore drew near to iniquity Amos 6. 3. No words nor warnings no mercies nor judgements could work upon them therefore the Lord resolves to bear no longer with them but speedily to surprize them with his judgements The sorrows of a travelling woman shall come upon them In this Verse we have 1. A commination or a judgement threatned set forth by the similitude of the sorrows of a Travelling woman a Metaphor very frequent in Scripture Wherein is set forth 1. Sudden 2. Sharp 3. Inevitable Sorrows 1. Pangs upon a woman in travel come suddenly and unexpectedly Sometime whil'st they are eating drinking sleeping playing and think not of the pains of travel So the Lord threatens to bring upon this stupid people such calamities which should be like the sorrows of a travelling woman sudden and uneâ—pected 2. The
with the Prophets to intermingle comforts with their threatnings to keep Gods people from despaire So Hos. 1. and 2. and 11. Amos 9. 8 to 15. Before he had threatned destruction to the wicked now he comforts the Penitent In the words we have 1. The deep distress that Gods people were in they were in the hand of the grave and in the jaws of death i. e. they were as 't were dead and buried in captivity The word Sheol signifies both the grave and hell 1. 'T is taken for the grave so Gen. 37. 35. â—rov 30. 16. 2. For hell Metaphorical i. e. some deep distress Psal. 86. 13. 3. For the local hell Prov. 15. 11. Wee may take in all these for Christ hath Redeemed us from them all and triumphed over them on the Cross Colos. 2. 14. 2. Here is a Promise of their Redemption from this their misery I will ransom them from the power of the grave What is that why exegetically 't is added I will redeem them from death i. e. I will bring my Elect out of their captivity where they lay for dead as 't were and this deliverance shall bee to them a pledge of their Resurrection to eternal life 3. Here is the manner how this shall bee done set forth by a Prosopopeical Apostrophe to death and the grave whom he brings in as some living enemy and therefore calls to him saying O death I will bee thy death O grave I will bee thy destruction q. d. O death thou seemest to be mighty and powerful but I will disarm thee of it all I will not only bite thee but destroy thee 't is not morsus as the Vulgar but exitium an utter destruction of these enemies of our salvation 4. Here is the certainty of this deliverance drawn from the constancy of God in keeping his Promise and from the immutability of his decree Repentance shall be hid from mine eyes q. d. I will never repent of the mercy which I have promised them but my goodness to them shall be firm and unalterable This sense suits best with the Original and with the context wherein God promiseth a choice mercy to his people The Vulgar and the seventy render it consolation is hid from mine eyes 't is true the word in the Original signifies consolation as well as repentance but to render it as a threatning here as if God should say I am fully determined to destroy my people for consolation is hid from mine eyes This is very improper here for it confounds the context and the scope of the Verse which is to comfort and not to disquiet Gods people In it the Prophet the better to strengthen the faith of Gods people doth highly extol Gods Almighty power for when wee are in straights wee are very apt to question that Num. 11. 13 21 22 23. Psal. 78. 19. To an eye of sense Gods people lying in captiviy were as dead men and past all hope of recovery I but saith the Prophet though ye were dead yet God can raise you again for hee 's Lord of death and hell and hath a sovereign power over them all though death conquers all yet hee conquers death though it be mighty yet God is Almighty and there 's nothing too hard for him he will be the death of death and if none will redeem you thence yet he will Quest. The Question is of what Redemption and deliverance doth the Prophet here speak whether of a corporal or spiritual Redemption Ans. Of both 1. Literally the Lord promiseth to free his Elect and penitent people from the grave of their captivity Banisht men are counted as dead men especially in a civil sense and the place of their banishment is as the grave Now many of the remainders of Israel after the destruction of their Kingdom joyned themselves to the Jews and with them came out of Babylon Though for their Idolatry and ingratitude hee threatned perpetual banishment to them yet for the comfort of his people that then were and after should arise hee promiseth a Redemption for them Hos. 1. 10. which was fulfilled about two hundred years after that Samaria was taken when Cyrus proclaimed liberty to the Jews to go build the Temple Ezra 1. 2. Typically it alludes to our Spiritual and eternal Redemption by Christ and our conquest over death and hell by him By Adams sin death came upon all men Rom. 512. but Christ by his Resurrection hath freed us from the power of death and hath led it captive which formerly led us captive Ps. 68. 18. Eph. 4. 8. This is the Redemption saith Zanchy which is principally and properly here meant for though the people of Iudah after seventy years captivity in Babylon did return again out of it yet the people of Israel after that Samaria was taken never returned again to their own land for it was laid waste and inhabited by strangers 'T is usual with the Prophets to use such Metabases sudden digressions and passings from their history to Christ who was their scope delight and love so that every hint and shadow in the Old Testament brought him to their remembrance and then from Christ they fell to the continuance of their history again Thus 't is here and so Esay prophecying of Câ—rus who should deliver Israel out of Bâ—bylon in the same Chapter prophesieth of Christ the Redeemer of his Church Esay 45. So Ezekiel having enveyed against Idle and Idol Shepherds presently turns his speech to Christ who is the true Shepherd of his people Ezek. 34. 2 16. so Zach. 9. 9. and 13. â— 7. In this Verse the Prophet brings in death and the grave as it were two tyrannical enemies to whom he speaks in the Name of the Lord Christ as the Apostle expounds it 1 Cor. 15. 55. as a Conquerour saying O death I will be thy death Or as the Apostle from the Septuagint though in this Text the Apostle in some things varies from the present Septuagint and so do the allegations in the New Testament which shews the folly of those who do equalize it with the Original Hebrew O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory The first Adam brought death into the world but the second Adam hath abolish'd it There is some difficulty in the words and therefore I shall open them particularly and break every clod that I may finde out the golden Oar. In these words we have a glorious triumph over death and a notable Enconâ—ium of the Resurrection of the dead Piscator and others read the words Interrogatively thus O death where are thy plagues O grave where is thy destruction 'T is an insulting and triumphing Interrogation q. d. They are no where to be found for Christ hath removed them and taken them out of the way of his people so that now there is no hurt in death This various reading comes from the ambiguous signification of the word Ehi which is rendred truly ero I
wee are cut off Yea the Prophet himself staggered and was non-plust verse 3. the Lord asked him Son of man can these bones live Is it possible that ever such dry bones should live again The Prophet answers Lord thou knowest q. d. it passeth my apprehension to conceive how this should bee I know not how it should bee effected but Lord thou knowest what thou hast to do and to thee nothing thing is impossible This the Lord doth in his wisdome to out us of our selves and all creature-confidences that in an holy desperation wee may say with repenting Israel Ashur shall Not save us neither will wee ride upon horses nor say any more to the work of our hands Yee are our gods for with thee the fatherless finde mercy Hos. 14. 3. 6 Obs. God in his due time will deliver his people out of the deepest distress Hee is Omnipotent hee can and will redeem Israel not out of one or two but out of all his troubles Psal. 25. ult Art thou weak Hee can strengthen thee Art thou sick Hee can heal thee Art thou dark Hee can insighten thee Art thou dead Hee can inliven thee Hast thou lain in thy grave till thou stinkest again so did Lazarus Hast thou lain till thou art rotten so did Israel in their Babylonish Captivity and yet were restored Ezek. 37. 11 12. So in desertions wee are apt to bee despondent when wee walk in darkness and can see no light neither Sun-light nor Moon-light neither Star-light nor Candle-light but are like unto dry bones in a Sepulchre without life without spirit without strength without comfort and see no way of deliverance Aye but now is a time to live by faith and not by sense Isa. 40. 27 28 29 30 31 and 50. 10. Such is our weakness that wee are apt to limit the holy one of Israel and to think that hee can help us in lesser trials and bring us out of petty crosses but when some fluctus decumanus some great waves of Tentation come then wee are apt to question Gods power and promises and to say with David I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul 1 Sam. 27. 1. Wee are apt to say with Martha If Christ had come a little sooner hee might have raised Lazarus but now saith she he stinks and is past help Ioh. 11. 39. Aye but it is the better for that for now Christs power will bee the more manifested and his Father the more glorified The more grievous thy disease the greater will the praise of thy Physitian bee in thy cure and wee shall love much when wee see how much is forgiven and therefore David makes it an argument to move the Lord to pitty him because his sins were great Psal. 25 11. Remember it is Gods usual course to let men bee dead and buried as it were in misery and to bring things to extremity and then appear Gen. 22. 14. Psal. 461. when trouble comes then hee comes too Wee read of three persons that Christ raised from the dead One was dead but not carried out Maâ—k 5. 41 A second was dead and carried out Luke 7. 14. A third was dead carried out buried and lay till hee stunk in his grave and that was Lazarus Christ speaks but the word Lazarus come forth and hee lives God is never nearer to his people than when to a carnal eye hee seems furthest off As wee see in the three young men that were cast into a fiery Furnace and Daniel into the Lions den Sense and carnal reason would have said God had now forsaken them and there was no help yet even then did they finde the greatest help so good it is to trust in God 7 Obs. Death in it self is a formidable enemy and considered as a curse due to impenitent sinners it is very terrible even the terriblest of all terribles as Aristotle calls it It is armed with stings and plagues and is therefore called an Enemy 1 Cor. 15. 26. And the King of terrours even such a terrour as is the chiefest and greatest of terrours Iob 18. 14. Hence dreadful calamities are set forth by the shadow of deaâ—h Job 10. 21 22. and 16. 16. and 24. 17. Psal. 23. 4. Ier. 13. 16. and the messengers of death Prov. 16. 14. and the snares sorrows and terrours of death Psal. 18. 4 5. and 55. 4. It is this that snatcheth men when they least think of it from their dear Relations Pleasures Riches Recreations Mansions Honours c. which they love as their lives and this must needs bee terrible to a natural man who hath no assurance of better things when he dyes Hence such are said to be in bond age and a slavish fear of death all their life long Heb. 2. 15. whilst wicked men look upon death at a distance and think it far off they fear it not but when God shall open their eyes by sickness and summon them to appear before him then like Pashur they are Magar-missabib a terrour to themselves and all that are â—ound about them Ier. 20. 3 4. Saul though a King and a 〈◊〉 man yet when hee heard that death was at the door and hee must dye to morrow was so dis-spirited with this dismal news that hee fell into a deadly trance and was not able to bear it the fear of death had well nigh ended him before his death came 1 Sam. 9. 19 20. So Belâ—hazzar a mighty Monarch in the height of his mirth is all amort his countenance is changed his thoughts trouble him and his joynts are loosed but whence came all this terrour and amazement why it is for fear of this King of fears Death which suddenly after surprized him Dan. 5. 1 2. c. This puts an end to all a wicked mans comforts and hopes conscience shall now bee awakened and hee must give an account of his Stewardship This made Lewis the eleventh King of France to command his servants in his sickness that they should not once mention that bitter word Death in his hearing Yea even the godly in a temptation for fear of death have not acted like themselves at other times as wee see in three of the greatest-Worthies that wee read of in the Scriptures first Abraham famous for faith Gen. 12. 12 13. 20. 2. 11. And David famous for valour 1 Sam. 22. 12 13. And Peter for courage yet to save his life denied his Lord. 8 Obs. Death is a conquered Enemy Christ hâ—th disarmed him and taken away his sting Hee hath redeemed his from the power of the grave and swallowed up death in Victory Christ by his death hath destroyed death and him that had the power of death the Devil Heb. 2. 14. by suffering of that death which was due to us for our sins hee hath destroyed the power of Satan and taken away that advantage which hee had against us by reason of sin whose wages is death Satan thought by death to destroy Christ
Sacraments good books corrections and all other rich means which God hath afforded us in these latter daies Oh what Gyants might wee have been in waies of grace and goodness if every Ordinance had been effectual upon our hearts hee that is weak amongst us might have been as strong as David and hee that is strong as David might have been as an Angel of the Lord for wisdome and purity Zach. 12. 8. Like Saul we might have been taller by the head and shoulders in the waies of Grace than other men Our leanness and our lewdness our barrenness and unfruitfulness our unanswerable walking to the rich means of Grace that wee enjoy doth certainly fore-tell a storm approaching 10 Ingratitude and abuse of Gods mercies to the promoting of Idolatry The more God did for them the less they did for him their fulness bred forgetfulness and the more they were increased the more they sinned Hence the Lord so oft complains of this sin as provoking him more than all the rest Hos. 2. 8. 4. 7. 10. 1. 11. 3 4. 13. 5 6. It was this sin especially that brought the sword upon them Hos. 2. 9. 13. 7. The Prophet Amos also who was contemporary with Hosea doth notably set forth the great Ingratitude of this people in abusing Gods mercies Amos 2. 9 10 11. And is not this that crying sin of England Do wee notâ—fight against God with his own blessings abusing our health wealth wit peace plenty corn wine gold silver Scriptures Ordinances yea all our comforts and creatures to the dishonour of the giver of them His mercies make us proud his riches covetous his peace secure his food intemperate and all his benefits serve us but as weapons to rebel against him And do wee thus require the Lord O foolish and unwise is this the thanks wee give him for all his patience preservations success and deliverances Will not the Lord visit for these things and shall not his soul bee avenged on such a Nation as this Had England no more sins to answer for but this even this were sufficient to make it a desolation as it did Samaria 11 Covenant-breaking God had betrothed them to himself and chosen them from the rest of the world to become his people But they like men transgressed the Covenant there did they deal treacherously against him Hos. 6. 7. 10. 4. Like Sons of Adam they walkt in his steps though they were abundantly blest by God yet they revolted from him and transgrest the Covenant there even thâ—re it is put emphatically where they should have been most faithful viz. in the Covenant there they dealt most falsly and perfidiously with him And is not this one of the crying sins of England Never was there a wiser and better composed Covenant in the Nation and never any worse performed wee have lifted up our hands to the most High that wee will in our places and callings extirpate heresies and yet many walk as if they had taken a Covenant to propagate them many amongst us make no more of their Covenants than an Ape doth of his coller which hee can put off or on at his own pleasure Let any man but read all the branches of the Covenant and then compare our contrary walking to it and hee cannot but admire the infinite patience of the Lord that hee hath not long since sent a sword to avenge the quarrel of his Covenant upon us Levit. 26. 25. wee must not think to do such things and escape or to break our Covenants with God and then bee delivered Ezek. 17. 15 to 20. If the Lord so sadly avenged the breach of Covenant with a man yea with a Heathen and Idolater what shall bee done to him who breaks his Covenant made with the great God of Heaven and Earth and if a good man will perform the Covenant which hee made though it bee to his disadvantage how great is their sin then who perform not the conditions of such Covenants as tend to their everlasting welfare Psal. 15. 4. The Jews have a saying That there is no punishment that befalls them but there is a dram of the golden Calf in it so there is no misery that befalls England but there it a dram of Covenant-breaking in it 12 Security Though strangers had devoured his strength yet hee knew it not the Syrian and Assyrian had consumed him and made a prey of him yet such was his stupidity that hee knew it not viz. with a practical saving knowledge so as to repent and make a right use of it Yea gray hairs were sprinkled here and there upon him which were a sign of weakness and old age and death approaching yet they laid it not to heart Hos. 7. 9. but they were at ease in Sion and trusted in the Mountain of Samaria putting the evil day far from them and therefore a woe is denounced against them Amos 6. 1 3. 9. 10. And was there ever more security and sensless stupidity in England than at this day Do not the Ministers of Christ generally complain that they see not that life zeal activity tenderness compunction c. in their people as formerly Many applaud and flatter themselves with their gifts and external profession of sanctity but the power of it is very much wanting amongst us A great calm oft times is a fore-runner of a storm and great security is a great fore-runner of some great judgement When the old world was eating drinking buying building marrying and thought not of a flood then it came and swept them all away when men cry peace peace then comes sudden and swift destruction 1 Thes. 5. 3. 13 Anarchy They devoured all their Iudges all their Kings were fallen Hos. 7. 7. They discovered their rage in their seditious and frequent conspiracies to the devouring and destroying of their Judges and Magistrates as appears in the frequent murders of their Kings What Anarchy and confusion is amongst us hee is a great stranger in our English Israel that knows not 14 Lukewarmness This is another sin that helpt to ruine Ephraim Hos. 7. 8. Ephraim is a cake not turned and so but half-baked or dough-baked neque crudus neque coctus neither hot nor cold neither fish nor flesh but of a middle mongrel Religion halting between two partly for God and partly for the Devil partly for Christ and partly for Baal but God hates such halting 〈◊〉 doings and therefore spues them out of his mouth and sends them packing into captivity And is not this the sin of England Are wee not a luke-warm generation neither hot nor cold that halt not between two but two hundred opinions Wee have a knee for God and a knee for Baal a tongue for Christ and a tongue for Antichrist a tongue for Truth and a tongue for Falshood Like the harlot wee are all for dividing But God will bee served truly and totally without halting or halving hee hath made our whole