his good pleasure toward them In no point may the Name of God be taken in vain so not in this And as every creature must be sanctified by the word and prayer so must this Remember and fear the judgment of God upon them that take his Name in vain If any object that the occasion and Company will not bear prayer I answer at least let there be an Ejaculation 3. If it be so be thankful for any good that is received by lot looking up to the hand of God who hath cast it upon thee and not upon another The whole disposing of it was of the Lord therefore let him have all the glory It was not Luck and Fortune but God must be acknowledged Especially when the Lord himself is the lot and portion of thy soul as David said Thou art the lot of mine inheritance remember much and often to bless the Lord as he did Psal 16.5 6 7 8. Use 4 4 When lots cross a man let him learn to be as Jonah patient and contented Say it is the Lord that hath thus disposed of the business 1 Sam. 3.18 it is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good should I desire any thing which the Lord sees not good for me or when he hath declared his mind should I wriggle or murmure or carry my self otherwise then becomes the Child of God I will not do it Come and let us cast Lots that we may know for whose cause this evil is come upon us Note In great afflâ—ctions we look at great sins It is the Nature of man to think there is some great sin where they see a great judgment of God Who did sin this man or his Parents that he was born blind And those that suffered those great Evils were accounted greater sinners then all the Galileans or all that were in Jerusalem Luke 13.1 2 4. Where Christ assures us of the contrary I tell you nay â—ohn 9.2 but except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish v. 5. And if these Mariners had been asked whether each of them had not deserved this horrible Tempest to die by it they would have shrunk at it and not have confessed And every one would save one therefore they put off the danger to others Otherwise there needed no lots to be cast but every one confess his guiltiness be humbled reformed and give satisfaction to his god who was offended Use 1 Take heed of this spice of Nature and of the Pharisees Talk not of great sinners and little sinners nor censure them that suffer great Evils as if they were the greatest Offenders Possibly they may be great Offenders but what is that to thee Thy rule is not to judge that thou be not judged and judge nothing before the time and Mat. 7.1 1 Cor. 4 5. Rom. 14.4 who art thou that judgest another mans servant and The greater sinner the man is the more he needs thy pity and prayers not thy censure and disdain 2. In a common danger let every one recount his own Use 2 guiltiness and do what lies upon him to do for delivering his own soul Remember who said Except ye repent Luke 13.3 ye shall all perish whether ye escape the danger or no ye may escape temporally and perish eternally These Mariners did all escape the temporal evil better then Jonah but without hearty and fruitful repentance they escaped not the eternal vengeance of their sins Jonah upon his humiliation and amendment might escape better then they all 3. This Example tells us that the sin of a godly man Use 3 may become grievous and provoking more then the sins of many others as Jonah to hazard the casting away of many that were in the ship What the Child of God do so and so what one that hath received so much light so many Teachings of the Spirit so many checks of Conscience so many opportunities of glorifying God and of giving good example to others he to flee from God and cast off duty Take heed ye that fear God and keep even reckonings with him Be humbled for what is past and watch better hereafter And the Lot fell upon Jonah Wicked men sometimes in this life are discovered Note and brought to their deserved punishment God hath means and ways enough to it sometimes by lot as here to Jonah sometimes by the Birds of heaven Eccles 10.20 as the Cranes revealed the murderers of the Poet â—â—icus sometimes by the Confession and horror of the guilty persons sometimes by blood â—ssuing afresh out of a slain body sometimes a Friend hath blabbed forth a bloody business before he was aware sometime a Confederate hath turned Enemy and told all the truth Divers ways the Lord hath to bring to light the hidden things of darkness at farthest in the day of judgment Eccles 12.14 1 Cor. 4.5 Reason 1 The Reason is 1. God is Omnipresent and Omniscient and is able to discover the greatest secrets as here in ordering these lots he observed every motion of Jonah to Joppa and to the ship yea the very first motion of his heart in departing from the living God All is naked to Reason 2 the eyes of him with whom we have to do 2. God makes these discoveries for his own glory and for bringing about his own most holy ends as here he meant to have his work done by Jonah in the message that was to be delivered at Nineve And he was glorified in the eyes of these Mariners by this discovery of Jonah ver 10. Jonah made the Lord known to them and ver 14 they said Thou Lord hast done as it pleased thee and ver 16. The men feared the Lord exceedingly and possibly some of them were truly Converted Quest But are lots a lawful way to discover Malefactors when they are to be punished with Death for Felony or Treason Answ Ans It were very dangerous without Gods command in this case to put any to the casting of lots for his life except it be certain that divers well deserve to die but the Prince of his grace intends to spare some by decimating the Army or others that have made a Mutiny Use 1 But if the point in hand stand true it appears vain to sin in hope of secrecy This induceth some to horrible wickednesses The Thief and the Adulterer and other wicked ones hate the light as Death it self and chuse Darkness for acting their Villanies but all in vain as to God whose eyes are in every place Prov. 15 3. beholding the evil and the good Yea the Hypocrisie of idle Professors is fully discerned by him and in this life sometimes they are uncased for Hypocrites as they ever were falling into some scandalous course or from the main truths of the Gospel But at the last day all secrets will be fully discovered and punished Though they dig deep into Hell to hide their counsels and escape the hand of man yet the hand of God they shall not
and down the City when he came there and might spend much of his strength by travelling and crying all along Learn we Ministers and people to settle to difficult costly and dangerous duties Are they not Gods Commandments did not he say Arise and cry To the third point The wickedness of a people doth go Doctr. 3 up and call for vengeance upon them Wickedness calls for vengeance so did the blood of Abel against Cain Gen. 4 10. So did the filthiness of the Sodomites against that City Chap. 18.21 So the cry of Servants wages detained â—ames 5.4 And here the Robbery and Oppression of the Assyrians who had made slaughter of many Nations and spoiled others to enrich themselves together with the cries of Widows and Fatherless Children and their Pride Idleness Filthiness Inchantments other sins which were now grown so great that the Earth was no longer able to hold the cry but the Air and Heaven too did ring of their sinfulness and now it was high time for God to take vengeance The Lord sees when the iniquity of a man or people is ripe and then proceeds to judgment as of the Amorites It is not yet full but when it is I will 〈◊〉 root them out Gen. 15.16 Every single sin comes up before God and provokes wrath Psal 7.11 but wickedness much more He is angry with the wicked every day but defers to do execution till the measure of sin be filled up and then he can forbear no longer Use 1 Admire the patience and long-suffering of the Almighty though he be wearied daily with the cries of mens sins yet he bears all yea though they be sins of whole Towns whole Nations or the whole world He is not slack of his coming but patient to us-ward and waits for our Repentance 2 Pet. 3.9 No mans patience can be so exercised as Gods is yea we see too often how even a godly man hath some adoo to keep patience on such and such provocations Oh the goodness and long-suffering of our God to whom our wickedness goeth up continually The Lord the Lord merciful and gracious slow to wrath abundant in goodness and truth Use 2 Admire also the worth and power of Christs mediation which cries down the cry of our sins and keeps off the vengeance which thereby we had deserved The blood of Christ speaks better things then the blood of Abel Heb. 12.24 mercy and not judgment and this secures both the persons and duties of Believers though they deserve a fulness of wrath yet by the mediation all will be well with them Use 3 This shews people the sinfulness and danger of their estate even when they are most secure All the while their wickedness gets up before God and would draw down vengeance upon then when they are most jolly and brave in their worldly enjoyments yet their extreme danger continues sin hath not lost his voice of crying as here against the Ninevites yea it cries more because of more light and more means of grace so the men of Nineve shall rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it Take heed of sin if not for the foulness which should Use 4 be yet for the fearful after-claps and for the measure of your sins lest that be filled up and then the Vials of wrath be emptied upon you Know the Lord can overthrow England as well as Nineve and we have had warning not only for forty years but forty and forty and more then that it is now above a hundred years that the Gospel hath been preached among us with liberty and encouragement and ye know we have sins enough to hasten the overthrow Oaths and other abominations Consider and beware if there were no more mischief in sin but the losing of the Gospel it were bad enough an intolerable loss to have the Candlestick removed out of his place or to have your Jonahs sent from Israel to Nineve or the righteous taken from the evil to come Ver. 3. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord and went down to Joppa and he found a ship going to Tarshish so he payed the Fare thereof and went down into it to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Here the Prophet declines the Lords message of going to Nineve by going a quite contrary way Why Jonah fled to Tarshish His ground he tells us in Chap. 4.2 Namely a carnal fear lest he should be ashamed and accounted a false Prophet if within forty dayes Nineve were not overthrown A great matter with the proud nature of man which cannot endure the least disparagement Other reasons Jonah might have for not going to Nineve So peter Act. 1â— 1. The strangeness of the thing No Prophet had ever been sent to the Gentiles before Jonah All of them were sent to the house of Judah or of Israel and should Jonah be the first man that should be sent to the sinners the Gentiles God goes beside his ordinary method and Jonah thinks strange of it 2. What hope could there be of doing good among the Heathen seeing he had so little good among Gods own people should Ninevites be converted and Israel not converted how can things go quite in a new Road which was never heard of 3. Might not Jonah fear what would become of him among a Company of Infidels who were also rich and proud and knew not God he one and they many he a poor man and they the Potentates of the world What should one Lamb do among a thousand Wolves 4. For the Errand which Jonah was to deliver what likelihood that Nineve should be overthrown within forty days seeing no enemy appeared before it and it had now flourished twelve hundred years in great prosperity what wise man would go and publish impossibilities No sound reason at all Yet all this is but carnal fear and Jonah sinned greatly in flying to Tarsus 1. He left the Command and calling of the great God of Heaven which is the only rule of all our obedience 2. He left the Land of Israel wherein his main business lay for all his life-time 3 He thought poorly of God as if he could not meet with him at Tarsus as well as Samaria 4. He shewed little pity to thousands of souls that might receive benefit by his preaching All shewing the great corruption of mans nature even after grace received and how watchful we need to be and keep close to our rule and to the calling wherewith we are called not regarding the crooked rules of humane reason and wisdom which Jonah too much followed He rose up to flee to Tarsus The chief City of Cilicia Expos 1. St. Pauls Country a Citizen of no mean City Act. 21.39 Some say Jonah went to be a Merchant there another while But it is not good to fasten more sins to the good man then we are sure of It is most likely that as a man
windes and Seas do obey The Sea ceaseth from raging when God would have it to be quiet but profane persons as the fool rage still and are confident neither word nor works of God can reduce them to obedience nor Magistracy nor any good means whatsoever Others that are enemies of godly men never cease from raging jeering abusing or breathing out threats against them Pharaoh will adventure into the midst of the Sea to overtake and destroy Israel An implacable Generation of men there are who will never cease from sinning till they be in Hell But let us a little re-mind our Type Note Christ dying Gods wrath ceased As when Jonah was cast into the Sea the Sea ceased from raging so when Christ endured the cursed death of the Crosse the wrath of God toward the Elect came to an end as was said from Heaven This is my well beloved Son in whom my Soul resteth He was made a curse for us that we might receive the blessing of Abraham through faith Gal. 3.13 14. This comes from the concurrence of these three Reason 1 things 1. The Person of Christ was of infinite worth being God as well as man and as God he had power to still the raging of these Seas which our Sins had raised against us 2. Christ as a surety had undertaken all Reason 2 the Sins of his people and all the dangers that accrewed thereby stood for a time in the state of the greatest sinner that ever was Esa 53.6 the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us Reason 3 all as on the Scape-Goat 3. It was the agreement of the Father and Son from all eternity that if the second Person in Trinity would take flesh and dye for sinners all the wrath should cease and there should be a full and finall friendship contracted So by this Covenant the wrath of God ceased toward sinners for whom Christ dyed Comfort to beleevers against whom Sin had stirred up an Ocean of wrath and misery Use Comfort to their Eternal condemnation infinitely more and worse danger then ever Jonah and the Mariners were brought into Christ hath dyed therefore all the storm is over and they may be sure it is over and take comfort in the assurance The Mariners were glad when the Sea ceased from her raging and so may they be in the appeasing of Gods wrath The same debt must not be discharged both by the surety end by the principal debtor Whence it is said God is just to forgive us our sins not mercifull only but just 1 Joh. 1.9 Hear and get a weak faith strengthened Peruse those grounds of reason in the reason of the point Peruse the Covenant of grace and the tenor of it Believe and thou shalt be saved Peruse the promises how free they are as well as universall sure and precious Esa 55.1 and Rev. 21.6 And how these great mercies are sealed up in the Sacrament of the Supper a crucified Saviour is here exhibited and all for us therefore conclude we shall escape He needed not to have suffered as for himself for what had the righteous man done no To us he was given and for us he was born A good feast is appointed for cherishing the Guests that come to it and so is this Thou comest with a weak faith and in much doubting yet come and it shall be strengthened Other feasts are not sure to yeild a man nourishment but this is If thou beleevest thou eatest and if thou eatest thou shalt live even for ever Joh. 6.54 Only come preparedly Examine mourn renew repentance and covenant hunger and thirst after righteousnesse Blessed are all such Mat. 5.6 When the Jews was to eat his Pascall Lambe he must prepare him sower Herbs to eat it withall intimating to us that Godly sorrow which Communicants must bring along with them And he that comes mournfully is allowed to go away joyfully He that sowes in tears shall reap in joy Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted And mark such are not only permitted but commanded to rejoyce Rejoyce in the Lord alwayes and again I say rejoyce Phil. 4.4 Psal 32.11 rejoyce in the Lord ye righteous be glad and shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart Where still remember the main ground of your joy the storm of Gods wrath is over ever since Christ dyed for his Chosen by his stripes they are healed therefore bid defiance to all hellish Enemies as Rom. 8.34 Ver. 16. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord and made vowes This is the Mariners thankfulnesse for the great mercy of deliverance and it hath three Clauses Parts 1. For inward worship they feared the Lord exceedingly 2. For outward worship They offered a sacrifice unto the Lord. These for the present 3. For the future they made vowes bound themselves to the service of the true God For the first of these twice before it was said that the Mariners were a fraid vers 5. and 10. once for the storm that was so dangerous to them another time for that they heard Jonah tell of the God of the Hebrews to be his master and that he had declined his service And now again they fear exceedingly when the storm is over Jonah being cast into the Sea A signe their fear of God was a work of grace in them why they fear the Lord and his goodnesse as Hos 3.5 One would have thought it should have been said That they rejoyced exceedingly namely to see the Sea quiet the danger past and themselves set in safety naturall men use to be frolick in such escapes and poure out their hearts unto pleasures it is a matter of ordinary observation But Grace teacheth a man not to rest in the works of God which are joyous and comfortable Note but to look up unto God himself to fear him that is by a part for the whole to perform all worship to him of Faith Love Joy Desire Zeal other gracious affections and actions that are sutable Psal 111.10 So the fear of God is said to be the beginning of wisdome that is an Introduction to all religious affection and behavior Timor initialis as the schooles say neither altogether ingenuous and Child-like as in setled Christians nor altogether slavish as in natural men who are only terrified with their sins and Gods judgments Felix for example but of a mixture of these as useth to be in time of conversion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cl. Alex. a fear joyned with an holy reverence toward the great God and it continues ever with a Christian once converted to bring the work of grace to perfection 2 Cor. 7.1 perfecting holâ—ness in the fear of God Such fear in all likelihood possessed the hearts of these Mariners namely that now presently upon the casting of Jonah into the Sea such a calm followed Oh the great Power and Holiness and Justice and Mercy of the God of
the Hebrews how is he to be feared above all other Gods who can do as he alone therefore him alone will we fear and serve all our dayes So say we at the end of a great Plague or of a great fit of sicknesse or escaping a danger by Land or Water Fire War other terrible matters Oh feare the Lord ye his Saints for there is no want to them that fear him Psal 34.9 Use It serves to reprove all gracelesse people who never fear God that afflicteth neither in the danger nor after the danger to be the better for any of their afflictions Possibly they are afraid while the danger lasteth for the pain or the losse they may sustain and especially the losse of their lives it may be it is Magor-Missabib fear round about Jer. 20 3. they are ready to dye for fear before the evil comes near them sometimes more afraid then hurt but for God in whose power their breath is and who can cast both Body and Soul into Hell Signes of not fearing God him they fear not though that be the only gracious fear commanded in Luk. 12.4 5. 1. For departing from evil as did Job Joseph and the Midwives of Egypt what fear of God is in those that live in the constant practice of one sin or other drunkennesse or what ever it be sin is the greatest enemy that God hath and yet numbers make a trade of is according to the humor of each walk in the way of the wicked or sit in the seat of the scornfull though they have been in great danger of life or estate yet on they go in a tract of sinning The danger is past and they make account they live to do all their abominations 2. For the beginning of wisdome Numbers have no signe of the fear of God in them Sapientia dicitur quasi sapida scientia but Numbers have no savor of God and Religion Mercies Afflictions Ordinances all passages of Providence have no more savor then the white of an Egg no heart to Prayer or other duty or to accept a good motion that is made for edification These Mariners that feared the Lord offered him sacrifice but where are these mens sacrifices great and precious mercies are received but what return do they make in way of thankfulnesse 3. For perfecting holinesse in the fear of the Lord how doth this agree to those who fall back from the good way of God either into Heresie or Profanesse or Worldly-mindednesse or those that stand at a stay in Religion A round of dutyes there is and that is all the space of many years makes no difference in their profession unlesse it be for the worse they would be troubled if they thrived no better in their outward estate but for the estate of their Souls they minde no thriving 4. For fearing the Lord exceedingly as did these Mariners Numbers profess to fear God but they fear men more Losses Troubles Dangers Persecutions excessive fear surpriseth them that they are taken off from duty Prov. 29.25 and the way of God the fear of man is a snare and catcheth many unto Atheism Or they fear the Lord and the gods of the Land as did the mungrel Samaritans 2. King 17.33 5. The fear of God hath a dash of holy joy with it as Psal 2.11 rejoyce unto him with trembling fear him as a glorious God but rejoyce in him as a loving Father reconciled and tenderly affected in Christ So the Childe fears his Father and the wife her Husband But numbers mind no such relation between God and them or care not to have it or presume to have it but get no comfort by it in a dark houre 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their fear is an heavy passion of unbesâ—efe Adde outward worship to inward 1 Cor. 6.20 For the Second They offered a sacrifice unto the Lord. Outward worship must be added unto inward As we must glorifie God with the Spirit so also with the body for both are God's and both are bought with a price And the same God made both Soul and body and deserves to be served with both commands and expects it What kinde of sacrifice these Mariners offered to the Lord we read not nor is it materiall to know Only this they had Learned by tradition of their neighbours and by the neighbourhood of the Jews that thank-offerings would do well in way of gratitude for deliverance and so did all the Gentiles round about therefore so do they Note Express thankfulness in good actions Our lesson is In way of thankfulnesse for mercies received we must use holy expressions of Loyalty and duty to our good God not only fear him with other internal vertues as before but with outward worship and service Christians also have their sacrifices of righteousnesse appointed for them as was prophesied Deut. 33.19 But what are they Answ 1. A mans whole self with all powers of Soul and Body Rom. 12.1 Present your selves a living sacrifice holy acceptable to God which is your reasonable service 2. Holy and hearty prayers Pro. 15.8 The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination to the Lord but the prayer of the upright is his delight 3. Hearty praises with voice and life Heb. 13.15 By Christ let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually 4. Works of love to the poor members of Jesus Christ Ver. 16. With such sacrifices God is well-pleased 5. Releif and comfort to good Ministers who need assistance Phil. 4.18 An odor of a sweet smell a sacrifice acceptable well pleasing to God 6. Suffering in the cause of God Ch. 2.17 If I be offered upon the sacrifice of your faith I joy and rejoyce with you all 7. All parts of the publick or private worship of God 1 Pet. 2.5 A spiritual Priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ 8. All dealings with men carried in a loving and righteous manner Psal 4.4 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord. Whereby we see that none hath cause to say he wants Use 1 a way and means to shew his thankfulness to God for great mercies and deliverances he hath received None but may so express Levitical sacrifices are ended in Christ and he is loth to offer sacrifice in a blind manner as these Mariners did and I desire to testifie my thankfulness for escaping such a danger or receiving such a mercy but what should I offer Answ He hath shewed thee O man what he requireth and what he will accept as a gratuity Mic. 6.8 and the Map now delivered shews a great Bed-roll of Christian sacrifices Peruse and see if one way or other thou canst not offer a sacrifice to the Lord only find the Altar of an holy heart and a sacrifice will quickly he had Out of the abundance of the heart will come forth much good A man possibly hath not wealth to distribute among the poor or is not called to
for staying him in his bloudy intentions against Nabal and his family 1 Sam. 25 32. Ver. 10.11 Then said the Lord Thou hast had pity on the gourd for the which thou hast not laboured neither madest it grow which came up in a night and perished in a night And should not I spare Nineve that great City wherein are more then sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand and also much cattel Drift of the words In this Conclusion of the Book the Lord applies the former Simile shewing that not the gourd was intended in the erecting or withering of it but something else So in other temporals We live in the world we eat and drink and sleep and do business but must so order our matters as we may finally attain the life eternal And in spirituals so much good Preaching is not intended meerly for hearing of Sermons Rom. 10.17 but by hearing to get faith and to walk with God in an holy obedience the receiveing of Sacraments is not meerly for the refreshment of the body but that the soul may be strengthned in faith comfort of the holy Ghost and way of obedience Remember and aim aright and put not asunder what God would have joyned together But mark the inference which the Lord makes Argument how he draws an Argument from the less to the greater If Jonah may be pitiful why not the God of heaven and if the gourd may be spared why not Nineve much more God is infinitely greater then Jonah and Nineve is almost infinitely better then a gourd Therefore all the reason in the world requires that Nineve be spared seeing God pleased to have it so say Jonah is it not reason And this convinceth him that he hath no more to object we shall not hear one reply more he yields to the equity of sparing Nineve It were good that all sinners would thus be silenced Note Yield to holy convictions and yield to the convictions of the Ministery as the man that was convinced in Preaching and fell down on his face saying God in you of a truth 1 Cor. 14.24 25. Augustine faith It is good for a man to be overcome by the truth for if he be unwilling it will overcome him howsoever Whatever defences a wicked man makes for his sins hereafter he shall be non-plused and have nothing to say for himself as the Guest who had not on a Wedding Garment questioned stood silent and could make no defence Mat. 22.11 He was speechless or he was choaked 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And so out of the sinners own mouth he shall one day be condemned Beware and yield to a convincing Ministery Use both as concerning some act of sin and concerning the estate of sin Say it is a sin when the word saith it is a sin whether Drunkenness or the like therefore to be repented and forsaken and peace to be made with God Say it is a sinful and damnable estate when Conscience so Items thee in hearing a good Sermon therefore give all diligence to make it a good estate as the Client that fears a flaw in his Title or the Patient that doubts his Disease may prove mortal to make sure work in soul matters is far better then either of these Parable what it is Still mark what kind of Doctrine the Lord useth to make Jonah come to himself namely a parable so Nathan by a parable brought David to a sight of his sins and to repentance and it was ordinary with our Saviour by earthly things to instruct about heavenly Without a parable he spake nothing Mat. 13.35 I will open my mouth in a parable A familiar kind of teaching whereby a man of Art and Wisdom convinceth the judgement and Conscience of his Hearers concerning heavenly matters by occasion of earthly And it is well if men of Art and Wisdom do come down sometimes from lofty Themes to treat with plain people in a plain and familiar manner Some cases have shewed that this course hath taken when grave and weighty Discourses hath prevailed little as being much transcendent to vulgar capacities University-men grew not profitable Preachers till they learned to Lispe and Halt with plain people And some have adventured to say Efope that the man in his Fables shewed as much wisdom as any of the Philosophers I am sure God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise 1 Cor. 1.27 Use Then embrace and improve this plain teaching by similitudes Despise it not because it is plain but make much of it because it is profitable It profited Jonah and so let it profit thee And beware lest if thou profit not it rise up in judgment to condemn thee the more heavily Judg 9. Jotham by a parable reproached the Sichemites with their ingratitude and treachery Christ the Jews with their unfruitfulness and unthankfulness by a Vineyard let out to Husbandmem Which to this day affordeth instruction to barren Christians lest at the last they be deprived of the Gospel For farther observations gather up these gleanings Note 1 1. That the Lord saith the gourd for the which thou hast not laboured Many of us enjoy mercies and comforts We enjoy mercies for which we laboured not for which we never laboured houses which we never built wells which we never digged friends which we never deserved it may be never thought on them Heirs have lands they never purchased All live of the field though they never plowed Children feed and are cloathed though they take no care nor pains for their living and all of us live at Gods finding though we deserve nothing but rather the contrary Man lives not by bread onely but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God and Mans life consisteth hot in the abundance of the things he possesseth Whereby see the free and undeserved goodnesse of God Use 1 who is a great House-keeper and gives us all things liberally to enjoy many without our labour some without our thinking all without our deserving His providence waketh while we sleep and worketh for us while we take our leisure In the night-time he caused the gourd to spring up for Joaah he cast a Kingdome upon Saul while he sought Asses and upon David while he kept Sheep Every morning Israel gathered bread in their Tents which the dew of the night had baked Who of us but can say we have received mercies which we little thought on we had mean beginnings and sorry proceedings and yet we are increased into two Bands Then for gracious Christians how hath God prevented them with his graces not willing yea resisting Eph. 2.12 aliens to the commonwealth of Israel enemies in their minds rebels to all spirituall good yet called and brought home justified and sanctified and in a fair way to be glorified God is greater then they and so they were overcome God be thanked that ye were the