rule with God though it be the whole house of Israel God hath no mercy for the whole house of all the people of Israel Let no man presume to sin against the Lord because there are Multitudes that do offend think that he shal escape with the Multitude No all the nations of the world with the Lord are but as the drop of a bucket as the small dust of the ballance nothing even lesse then nothing And yet further No mercy upon the house of Israel Though it be the house of Israel yet no mercy upon her If it were the house of Pharaoh it were not so much but what no mercy to the house of Israel The neareness of any to God exempts them not from the wrath of God God hateth sin and hateth sin most when it is nearest him You have I knowne of all the families of the earth therfore wil I punish you for your iniquities saith the Lord. As we hate a Toad in our bosoms more then when it is at a further distance so God hateth sin in those that are nearest to him more than in those that are further off for God will be sanctified in all those that draw neer unto him But wherefore is all this that God wil have no more mercy upon the house of Israel what hath the house of Israel done that God should be so angry with it It is worth our searching and enquiring after why the Lord will at this time have no mercy upon the house of Israel It concerns our selves neerly The first and main reason is because of their continuance in their false way of worship notwithstanding all the means that God had used to bring them off not only by his Prophets sending them again and again to shew them the evill of their false worship in those 2. Calves in Dan and Bethel but by most remarkable works of his providence against them As for example The work of God against Jeroboam when hee was but stretching out his hand against the Prophet that came to denounce judgement against that Altar upon which he was offering Sacrifice his hand that he put forth against him dryed up so that he could not pull it in again to him and upon the prayer of the Prophet it was restored became as was before Again the remarkable work of God in anointing Iehu to destroy the house of Ahab and his seed for their Idolatry Yet notwithstanding these Prophets and these works of God with many other they still persisted in their way of Idolatry And this caused the Lord now not to have mercy upon the house of Israel Let us take heed of this God hath used and still doth use means to bring us off fully from all wayes of false worship not only by sending his Ministers from time to time to declaim against such things but by wonderful and remarkable works of his providence towards England especially at this day Never had any Nation never had England heretofore more remarkable works of God to draw them off from all wayes of false worship to bring them to worship God in the right way according to his will Now let us tremble at this sentence I will not add mercy I will have no more mercy God hath added mercy to us again and againe from time to time And now me thinks in this work of Gods mercy that he is about concerning us he speaks to us as he did to the people Come and put off thy ornaments that I may know what to do with thee Come now and humble your selves that I may know what to do As if God should say Come give in your last answer Certainly in that way that God is now in with us he calleth England to give its last answer as if he should say Now I am sheing mercy once more take heed of rejecting it lest you have a Loruhamah upon you I will adde no more mercy consider not onely what wee have done but what we do how we have abused mercy and how wee doe now abuse present mercy how opposite the spirits of most are against the work of reformation now in hand who even say to the Lord Christ depart from us we desire not the knowledg of thy ways When the people of Israel were offered Canaan and God bade them go in and possesse it they were then neer unto it but when they then refused Canaan God sware in in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest If ever a people were offered Canaan were offered the Ordinances of God in his owne way certainly wee are at this time Let us tremble lest God if wee reject this mercy should swear in his wrath I will have no more mercy upon you and so we prove to be a Loruhamah indeed But a second reason why this people could have no mercy might be because of their forsaking God even in the civill State For you are to know that this people of Israel had not only left God in their Church State and defiled themselves with false worship but they had in their civill government wickedly departed from that that God had appointed over them They had departed from the house of David and rent themselves from it It is true this was of Gods permission but yet it was the wickednes of their hearts no excuse at all for them Hence Chap. 8. 4. God chargeth them that they had set up Kings but not by him From whence this may bee observable That it is a most dangerous thing for a people to forsake that government to rebell against that civill government that God doth set over them When the people in 1 Sam. 8. 7. had required a King and would not be ruled by Judges any more saith the Lord to Samuel They have not rejected you but rejected me that I should not reigne over them A most dreadfull place And I confesse freely to you this one Text of Scripture was the first Scripture that took impression upon my thoughts and heart about fearing to goe on in a way of Church-government that God had not appointed For thus my thoughts reasoned What is God so provoked against a people that will reject but a Civill government a government that hee hath appointed that specially concernes but the outward man Then if it proves that God hath appointed any government in a Church that is Divine Institution that concerns the good of the soule and is immediately to work upon that surely God will be much more provoked there for rejecting it And going yet further upon search finding that though we have not a civill government appointed by God as the Jewes had yet for the Church state wee have one appointed even by God himself And reason there must be for it for whatsoever hath a speciall efficacy upon the heart must have a spirituall rule for the warrant and direction Indeed prudence and reason is enough for the ordering of things that
been only the hearing of what our brethren have suffered yet do suffer Whereas all about us is as the fiery furnace and we walk in the middest of it like the three children our garments not touched nor the smell of the fire passed on them when as we see all Countreys as Gideons fleece bewetted with the tempest of Gods wrath yea with their own blood behold we are dry aud the sun-shine of Gods mercie is upon us the blackness of the misery of our brethren is the brightnesse of our mercie I will save them It is the Lord that will save them This is an upbraiding of Israel Oh Israel you think to be saved by your owne policy you have got a fetch beyond God you are afraid that the people should go up to Jerusalem to worship therefore you have set up the two Calves to save your selves But Judah shall be saved and saved after another way Iudah need not go to such carnall setches and policies to save themselves for the Lord shall save them Though carnal hearts thinke and endeavour to save themselves onely by their own policie and carnall waies yet let Gods people know that they have a stronger means to save them then all the policie in the world So long as the wisdom the power the mercy the faithfulnesse of God is for them they need no other string to their bow but that I will save them by the Lord. VVhat is the meaning of this This by Interpreters is carried concerning Christ That God the Father promiseth to save by Christ As Dan. 9. 17. we have such an expression in prayer Now O Lord hear the prayer of thy servant for the Lords sake that is for Christs sake So here God wil save by the Lord that is by Christ A sweet lesson we have from thence viz. That the administration of Gods grace to his people is given into the hands of JESUS CHRIST It is Christ that doth save the people of God and hath saved them in all former times in all ages It is true in the merits of Christ all are saved that every one will grant as Zach. 9. 11. By the blood of thy Covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit All the prisoners of Gods people ever since the world began that have been sent out of the pit it hath been by the blood of the covenant by the merits of Christ and not onely so but Christ in the administration of all hath been the chiefe he hath been the Angel of Gods presence that hath stood up for his people in all their necessities he hath been the great Captain deliverer the Saviour of them all Let Christ then have the honour of a Soveraigne to us in regard of our salvation in outward deliverances Let us look up to him then for salvation in all our straits And if Christ was the Saviour of his people in all ages and still will be then surely those ages and places where Christ is most known and honoured may expect the greatest salvation And this is for our comfort far above all the ages that ever was since the world began Christ is most known and honoured in this age and of all places in the world here in England and amongst our countrey men and if Christ will be a Saviour of those places where he is known and honoured surely England may expect a salvation England hath had it and as England is peculiar in the way of the knowledg of Christ so England shall be peculiar in a way of Gods grace to her I will save them by the Lord their God Not your God oh Israel but their God Thus he upbraydeth the people of Israel that they had forsaken their God that Iudah had kept their God but Israel had not It is a great upbrayding of a people when it can be said of them that they have forsaken the Lord. It is a wofull thing not to have God to be our God at all that conscience can charge this upon a man that Daniel did upon Belshazzar That God in whose hand thy breath his whose are all thy ways hast thou not glorified but that conscience can charge this That God that thou hast chosen that thou hast entred into covenant withall Oh thou apostatized soule thou apostatized Nation thou hast forsaken him he is not thy God This is a sore and heavy charge indeed Again The Lord their God It seemes he is the God of Judah though Judah had many evils but not the God of Israel Those then that do not worship God in a right way God will not acknowledge himself to be worshipped by them at all The people in the wildernesse proclaimed a fast to Jehovah and yet the Apostle 1 Cor. 10. 7. calleth them Idolaters and it is said they sacrificed to Idols because they worshipped God by the Calfe and not in Gods way Though we may think we worship God yet if wee doe not worship him in his own way he doth not own himself to be worshipped by us at all Again The Lord their God This could not but sting Israel that Judah should be thought to have more interest in God then Israel had It is a stinging thing to carnal hearts and much bitternesse of spirit it must needes be entertained withall that any one should but think of challenging any peculiarity of interest in God Thus they scorned at Christ Oh he trusted in God he thinketh he hath more interest in God then others now let his God come and save him I remember in the book of Martyrs we read that the Papists were much vexed against the protestants because they used to say our God and our Lord they were knowne by this speech and the Papists were inraged against them for this because they seemed to claime more interest in God then others And indeed what is the cause of the quarrel in the World against Gods people but because they thinke they claime more peculiarity and interest in God than others and this is the reason that soule-searching preaching cannot be endured because it makes a difference between the one and the other and shewes that some have an interest in God more than others Hence it is that in no places in the world mens spirits so fret against preaching as in England why because there is not such soul-examining such soule-distinguishing preaching in the World as in England Yea that is the reason of the bitternesse of one professor against another because one is a Protestant at large and the other manifesteth more power of godlinesse is more strict in his course and seemes to claime a greater share in God than the former Profession in England is a more distinguishing profession than in other places I will save them by the Lord their God God is the God of Judah still therefore God will save them So long as God is our God we need not fear our adversaries Yee
through those Meatus terra that they speake of Thus they are deluded in their conceits But yet more generally In that place Whereas the place of my people was confined into a little and narrow roome hereafter it shall be inlarged and even among the Gentiles that shal be made spiritual Israel where I was not known among the Heathen even there shall I come to be known and I shall have a people there and not only people but sons the sons of the living God and that so apparently that it shall be said unto them Yee are the sonnes of the living God Thus Saint Peter seems to interpret this place in the 1 Pet. 2. 10. speaking of the Gentiles whom God would have a people among them saith the Apostle Which in times past were not a people but are now the people of God Generally Interpreters doe conclude that the Apostle had reference to this very place in Hosea And so we may build then upon this interpretation howsoever that it is the intention of the Spirit of God that God would call home the Gentiles to himself so they that were no people should become his people his sons It should be said in that place where before it was said that they knew him not that now they are his sons Yea the Heathen shal be brought in so as they shall be convinced of the vanity of their Idolatry We worshipped dead stocks our gods were dead stones stocks that we were vassals unto but now we see a people that is come in to the profession of this Christian Religion they worship the living God their God is the true God certainely here are the sons of the living God This is the scope of the holy Ghost For observation 1. It is a comfortable thing to consider that in those places where God hath not been known worshipped that afterward in those places God should be known worshipped That such nations such Countreys and Towns that have lived in darkness Idolatry should now have the knowledge of the true God that the true God should come to be worshipped amongst them this is a blessed thing England was once one of the most barbarons nations in the world and in that place where it was said you are not my people where there was nothing but a company of savage barbarous creatures that worshipped the Devill how in this place in England is it said even by the nations round about us surely they are the sonnes of the living God! And so many times in dark corners in the Countrey where they never had the knowledge of Jesus Christ but were nuzled up in Popery and in all kinde of supesticious vanity God is pleased to send some faithful Minister to carry the light of the knowledge of Christ unto them and efficaciously to work faith in their hearts and now oh what an alteration is there in that towne the like of a family It may be said of many a house and family in which nothing but blasphemy and atheisme and scorne of Religion and uncleannesse and all manner of wickednesse hath been now it is a family filled with the servants and sonnes of the living God As it is a grievous thing to think of a place wherein God hath been truely worshipped that afterward the Devil should come to be served there so it is a comfortable thing to think of other places wherein the Devil hath beene served that God is truly worshipped there Some stories report that the Turkes having possession of the Temple at Jerusalem there where was the Arke and the Cherubins and the Seraphims there now are Tygres and Beares and savage creatures But on the other side to consider that in places where there have been none but Tygres and Bears and savage creatures they should now be filled with Cherubins and Seraphims this is a comfortable thing Secondly It shall be said they are the sonnes of the living God It shall be said so God hath a time to convince the world of the excellency of his Saints They shall not onely be the sonnes of the living God but it shall come to passe that it shall be said they are the sonnes of the living God all about them shall see such a lustre of the glory of God shining upon them that they shall all say Verily whatsoever other people have said hertofore whatsoever the thoughts of men have beene these are not onely the servants but the sonnes of the living God We have an excellent prophefie of this in Zachar. 12. 5. The governours of Iudah shal say in their heart The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God Not onely the people shall be convinced of this but the Governours of Judah they shall say in their hearts our strength is in the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the Lord of Hosts their God Howsoever they were heretofore scandalized as seditious and factious and as enemies of the State yet now the Governours of Judah shall acknowledge that their strength is in them and in the Lord their God that this Lord of Hosts is their God That time will be a blessed time when the Governours of Judah shall come to be convinced of this when God shall so manifest the excellencies of his Saints as that both great and smal shall confesse them to be the sonnes of the living God It is promised to the Church of Philadelphia Revel 3. 9. that the Lord would make them that said they were Jews and were not said they were the Church and were not but were of the Synagogue of Satan to come and how before their feete and to know saith he that I have loved them There is a time that ungodly men shall be forced to know that God doth love his people And one thing amongst the rest that will much convince the men of the world of the excellency of the Saints will be the beauty of Gods ordinances that shall be set up amongst them that shall even dazel the eyes of the beholders For this you have an excellent promise Ezek. 37. 28. The heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctifie Israel How shall they know it when my sanctuary shall be in the middest of them for evermore then they shall know that I the Lord do sanctifie Israel when the beauty of my ordinances shall appeare in them then they shall know it And if God be not onely satisfied in doing good to his people but hee will have the world know it and be convinced of it Let the people of God then not be satisfied onely in having their hearts upon God but let the world know that they love God too You must do that that may make it appeare to all the world that you are the children of the living God Let your light so shine before men that they seeing your good works may glorifie your Father which is in heaven It is one thing to do a thing that may
worship hath beene amongst us more then in any reformed Church we have beene a proud people we have thought our selves rich wanting nothing whereas we knew not that we were indeed wretched miserable poore blinde and naked and those who would be Angels of this Church how hath God spuâ—d them out of his mouth they are cast out as filthy they have laine upon the stomack of God and his Saints a long time they with all that belonged to their Courts have made themselves a most â—oathsome generation of men and now God is at our doore knocks cals to us to let him in that he may come and rule us that he may bring peace salvation unto us But howsoever whether Christ be admitted by the State yea or no yet let the Saints who are willing that Christ should rule over them hold on to the end the promise is even to those in Laodicea to him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my Throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his Throne 11. â—et us encourage what we are able all our faithfull doore-keepers those who are the publicke instruments of God for our good upon whom so much of the great affayres of the kingdom under God depends And for the quickning of our hearts that we may doe all we can that this our doore of hope be not shut against us Consider further First This doore was opened to us when we began to think yea almost to conclude that all doores of hope had beene shut against England when we were ready to give up all for lost Secondly It was opened to us after much knocking by prayer If ever there were a Parliament of prayer since the world began this was and is How dreadfull then would it be to have this doore shut against us Thirdly It was opened by a mighty hand of God Josephus tells us of a doore of the Temple that used to have thirty men to open it and yet as a prognostication of some great thing to fallout it opened of its own accord This our door was more hard to be opened thousands of men could not have opened this it was the mighty work of God to doe it Fourthly It is a door that opens to the greatest mercies that ever England had how happy would England be in the happy success of this Parliament 5. It is a door that our adversaries have laboured all they can to shut by policy and by force and thorow Gods mercy yet they cannot 6. How sweet have the manifestations of God been to us in the beginnings of his goodnesse and our endeavours Canâ— 5 4. 5. My beloved put his hand at the door my bowels were moved my hands dropped myrrhe and my fingers sweet smelling myrrhe upon the handles of the locke the beginning of reformation but the hand upon the door is sweet what would the work compleated be 7. If this doore should be wholly shut against us what a miserable people should we be if these men have their wills then never expect Parliaments more or never good from Parliaments They will be the most contemptible and servile things that can be if any they will be doores to let in all misery to frame mischiefe by a law then what are we and our posterity but slaves the Popish party must yea will be gratified their designe will be effected what contempt of the Saints of Religion what hatred what persecution will then follow what horrid blasphemies how will they be hardned in all manner of wickednesse our estates our liberties our Religion are then gone yea it is like our lives and if not so so miserable would our lives be as we had better have the grave open her mouth upon us and we be shut in it then to live to see hear and feele such things as we and our friends are like to heare see and feele It would be the most horrid judgment that ever was against a nation it may be told to all the nations of the world God gave England a fair opportunity to help it self to be a most happy nation but they had no hearts they were blinded their hearts were taken from them those worthies they chose who ventured themselves for them they basely deserted and betrayed they have also vilely betrayed themselves their liberties their Religion their posterity and now are become the most miserable nation the most fearful spectacle of Gods wrath upon the face of the earth Wherefore beloved in the Lord let us make sure of Christ who is our hope and who says of himselfe that he is the door as indeed hee is to let in all mercies of God into us that whatever disappointment we have of our hopes here yet we may not be disappointed of our last hopes though it should prove that here looking for light behold darknes yet we looking for the light of Gods face eternally we may not be driven out to everlasting darknes But shall I end thus nay the close of all shal rather be the close of the 31 Psal Be of good courage and he shal strengthen your heart all ye that hope in the Lord hope yet that God will make the valley of Achor adoor of hope unto us The next words in this Scripture are words of joy She shall sing as in the dayes of her youth Was there ever a time wherein shee had cause to sing praise to God there are times coming that shall be as joyfull as ever yet times have been God hath mercy for his people he hath singing times for them The Foureteenth Lecture HOSEA 2. 15. And she shall sing there as in the dayes of her youth as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt YOu have heard formerly of the valley of Achor that God gave to his people to be a doore of hope This day you shall heare of Gods people standing singing at this door of hope Though it be but a door of hope yet at that day they shall there sing as in the days of her youth when they came up out of the land of Egypt There are six things needfull to be opened for the meaning of Gods mind here in this their singing at the door of hope First the reading of the words are to be cleared 2. The scope is to be shewed 3. What the dayes of youth that are here spoken of are is to be opened 4. What was the song that they did then sing in the dayes of their youth is to be declared 5. What cause they had to sing in this the day of their youth is to be enquired after Lastly how this is applyable to repenting Israel and what time this prophesie aâ—meth at likewise is to be manifested For the first the reading of the words you have it in your bookes they shall sing as in the dayes of their youth There are only two words that have need of opening First the word translated singing
mine And amongst other things by which God will make all the world to know that his people are his this is one in sâ—tting up the beauty of his Ordinances amongst them Ezek. 37. 27. My Tabernacle also shall be with them yea I will be their God and they shall be my people and the Heathen shall know that I the Lord doe sanctifie Israel when my Sanctuary shall be in the midst of them Thus they shall know saith God that they are my people and that I am their God when I have set my Sanctuary in the midst of them for ever Were it that the Ordinances of God might be set up in their purity amongst us in England were Reformation perfected and the Saints walked humbly peaceably as they should the whole world will be convinced that these are indeed the people of the Lord and that God is amongst them And they shall say thou art my God God must begin withus we cannot begin and say Lord thou art my God but God must begin with us first and say You are my people There are a great many who say God is their God but God never said they are his people Joh. 1. 12. it is said of those who beleeved in Christ that God gave them power to be the Sonnes of God the word signifies authority that they might with authority acknowledge themselves to be the sons of God and call God Father they had the broad Seale for it Will you call God Father where is your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 your authority if God call you children if he say you are my people you may give the Ecchoto Gods mercy and say thou art our God Secondly When God speakes mercy to us we must answer according to it Doth God say you are my people we must answer Lord thou art our God This is a great fault amongst Christians God manifests himselfe to many a gracious heart in abundance of love and mercy they give an answer to God in a way of dispaiting and discouragement Gods ways toward thee speake thus and say thou art one of my people but thy heart works as if God were none of thy God Hath not God done much for thee thou thinkest it is all in hypocrifie that thou dost whereas the truth is it is the fruit of his love and kindnes to thee He speakes aloud in what he hath done for thee that thou art one of his people and yet thy heart thinks that he is thy enemy that he haâ—â—s thee and will cast thee off at last The wayes of God are full of mercy to thee and he hath set his stampe upon thee by his ways of love he tels thee that thou belongest unto him O unbeleeving soul answer Lord thou art my God! lay aside these discouraging sinking thoughts of thine O that thou wouldst goe away with such an answer in thy mouth Doe not answer Gods loving kindnesse and his gracious dealings towards thee with discouragement and sinking of heart this is dishonorable to him and tedious to his Spirit Thirdly God works an answerable disposition in the hearts of his people unto him This is thy duty but God will work it in time if thou belongest to him As thus doth God chuse us to be his people then the hearts of the Saints chuse him to be their God Doth God say you are my people the Saints say Lord thou art our God Doth God say I will dwell with them they answer Lord thou art our habitation Doth God say I delight in them they say Lord our delight is in thee Doth God say I will rest in them for ever the Church saith O my soule returne unto thy rest Here is a sweet answer a rebound of all Gods loving kindnes Lastly the Saints must professe God to be theirs It is not enough to beleeve with the heart but thou must confesse with the mouth professe it outwardly of this before Further This is the highest happinesse of the Saints that God is their God when they can say this they have enough If we could say this house is mine this street this Lordship this City this Kingdome this World is mine What is all this A Christian comes at length and saith this God that made all is mine As it is reported of the French Ambassador and the Spanish meeting together saith the Spanish Ambassadour my Master is King of Spaine my Master replyed the French is King of France my Master said the Spaniard againe is King of Naples and my Master said the French is King of France my Master is King of Portugal and my Master is King of France still he answered with that my Master is King of France as being enough to answer all the several Kingdomes of the Spaniard So one saith I have this house this land this stock this estate this trade yea but saith a Christian I have God God is mine Surely having him thou hast enough And if God be thy God he will be a God to thee 1 Chron. 17. 24. The Lord of hosts is God of Israel even a God to Israel So it must be with thee if thou beest a Saint of God be a Saint to God Are we a people of God then we must be a people to God Blessed are the people that are in such a case yea happy are the people whose God is the Lord. Thus we had opened the gracious manifestation of God to his Church in part fulfilled spiritually to spiritual Israel here but more sensibly to be made good at the great day of Jezreel that is when the Jews shall be called then the Spouse of Christ in a visible way shall be thus married unto him and the Lord will be their God Jerome saith upon the Text All these things that are here promised to the Church the Jewes expect it at the end of the world after the time of Antichrist And I make no question though in a spiritual sence this Scripture is made good for the present unto the Saints yet in a more visible and sensible way all this Scripture will be made good to the people of the Jews the Gentiles then joyning with them even literally the glory of the Church shall be visible and apparant More whereof in the next Chapter HOSEA CHAP. 3. The First Lecture CHAP. 3. VER 1. 2. 3. Then said the Lord unto me go yet love a woman beloved of her friend yet an adulteresse according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel who looke to other gods and love flaggons of wine So I bought her â—o me for fifteen pieces of silver and for an homer of barley and an halfe homer of barley And I said unto her thou shalt abide for me many dayes thou shalt not play the harlot and thou shalt not be for another man so will I also be for thee THe close of the former Chapter had much mercy in it and this Chapter containes the
was but to believe in Jesus Christ Jesus Christ came to pardon sinners c. when he came upon his sick bed he was in great torment of conscience and grievous vexation and cryed out bitterly of his Apostacy there came some of his acquaintance to him and spake words of comfort and tells him that Christ came to save sinners and he must trust in Gods mercy c. At length he begins to close with this and to apply this to himself and to have a little ease upon which his companions began to be hardned in their ways because they saw after so ill a life it was so easie a matter to have comfort but not long before he dyed he brake out roaring in a most miserable anguish O! saith hee I have prepared a plaister but it will not sticke it will not sticke wee shall find though the grace of God be rich and the salve be a soveraign unlesse God be pleased to make it stick by speaking to our hearts nothing can be done From hence further learn this note As when God speaks comfortably to his people he speaks to their hearts so Gods Ministers when they come to speak in Gods name should labour to speak so as to do what they can to speak to hearts It is true indeed it is impossible that any man of himselfe can speake to the heart of another but yet he may endeavour and aime that way there is a kind of speaking that God doth assist so as to bring it to the heart of his people What speaking is that you will say That that cometh from the heart will most likely go to the heart though I know God can take that which comes but from the lips and carry it to the heart when he pleases yet ordinarily that that comes from the heart goes to the heart therefore Ministers when they come to speak the great things of the Gospel they should not seeke so much for brave words and enticing ways of mans wisdome but let them get their own hearts warmed with that grace of the Gospel and then they are most like to speak to the hearts of their Auditors It is a good note that I have met with from Ribera let Ministers remit saith he of their care of fine curious words of brave neate phrases and cadencies of their sentences but let them bend their studies to manifest humility and mortification and to shew love to the soules of people otherwise though they speake with the tongues of men and Angels they shall become but like the sounding brasse and the tinckling cymball this is an expression even of a Jesuite it were then a great shame that Gods Ministers should not labour to speak so as that they may speak to the hearts of people you must be desirous of such kind of preaching as you find speaks to your hearts not that that comes meerly to your eares how many men love to have the word jingle in their ears and in the mean time their hearts go away and not one word spoke to them but when you finde a Ministry speake to your hearts close with it bless God for it and count it a sadd day when you goe from a Sermon and there is not one word spoke to your hearts in that Sermon From the connection of these two I will bring them into the wildernesse speak unto their hearts if we should take the wildernesse for bringing into affliction because there are so many interpreters that are very godly men learned men go that way I dare not wholy reject it but that there may be some intention that way Hence the first note is Afflictions make way for Gods word to the hearts of sinners there are many obstructions at the hearts of men while they are in prosperity but when afflictions come God by them opens those obstructions and so gets his word to their hearts afflictions cannot convert the heart but they can take away some obstructions that did hinder the word from coming to the heart Many of you have heard thousands of Sermons and scarce know of any one that hath come to your hearts but when God casts you upon your sicke beds and you apprehend death then you feele the same truthes that you were not sensible of before they lie upon your hearts the threatning word of God that went but to the ear before now it is got to the heart now it terrifies now you cry out of your sins and rellish the sweet promises of the Gospel that afflictions make way for I remember an expression that I have read of Bernard he had once to a brother of his who was a Souldier but riotous and prophane Bernard gives him many good instructions wholsome admonitions and counsels his brother seemed to slight them he made nothing of them Bernard comes to him and puts his hand to his side one day saith he God will make way to this heart of yours by some speare or launce he meant God would wound him in the Wars and so hee would open a way to his heart and then his admonitions should get to his heart and as he said so it fell out for going into the Wars he was wounded and then he remembers his brothers admonitions they got to and lay upon his heart to purpose It God should let the enemy in upon us their swords or bullets may make way to our hearts that so Gods word may come to have entrance there the Lord rather pierce our hearts by his spirit then that way to our hearts should be made thus Secondly when we are brought to great affliction that is the time for Gods mercies This should make us not to be so afraid of afflictions how afraid are we how do we hang back when we see afflictions coming why art thou so loth O thou Christian to come to affliction the time of affliction is the time for God to speake to the heart of a sinner many sinners may say that their condition hath been like Jacobs he never had a more sweete vision of God then when he lay abroad in the fields with no other pillow under his head then a stone it may be God will take away all your outward comforts and when they are all gone then may be Gods time to speake comfortably to your heart Thirdly the words of mercy O how sweet are they when they come to the heart after an affliction Psam 141. 6. Thy Judges shall be overthrown in strong places they shall he are my words for they are sweet If the words be taken for bringing into the wildernesse that is for Gods wonderfull workings for the good of his people then the note is When God works great and wonderfull things amongst a people then God speaks to the heart of that people then surely God hath spoken to our hearts for he hath done great and wonderfull things amongst us he did not more wonderfull things amongst his people in the wildernesse
then he hath done omongst us here in England But from that meaning of bringing into the wildernesse as the custome of marriage of solemnizing of nuptials then the note is this When God is reconciled once to a people they may expect full manifestations of his love unto them one manifestation after another as alluring and carrying abroad into fields and nuptiall songs all kind of manifestations of Gods love A people a soule that was never 〈◊〉 sinfull before and is new reconciled may expect it Let all back-fliders then whom God is about to draw again to himself listen and hear what God saith unto their hearts if they come in and repent let them know that God is willing to manifest all expressions of love and goodnesse to them Againe there is yet one note more from this expression of bringing into the wildernesse and speaking to the heart yet because it is the most improbable I will onely but mention it to you there may be yet some good use made of it and therefore I will set it before you I finde divers going that way it is this say they by bringing into the wildernesse God meanes that he would take them off from their engagements in their own Country carrying them to a strange place and so take them off from their houses lands shops estates friends acquaintance from the pomp the glory and all the clutter of the world that they enjoyed and were snared by in their owne Countrey and so he will carry them aside into desolate places and there he will instruct them when he hath got them as it were alone That hath been Gods way in making himself known unto his people whom hee hath had a love unto to draw them aside from the clutter of the world from their engagements and there to speak to their hearts We have a famous place for that Mar. 8. 23. the poor blind man whose eyes Christ intended to open the Text saith Christ took e him by the hand and carryed him out of the City and there fell a working upon him and opened his eyes he carryed him from the clutter of people from his friends and acquaintance and there opens his eyes While we are in the midst of engagements here in our owne land while we have our estates and all well about us wee are scarce fit to hearken what God hath to say to us Many of Gods people have found it by experience that whereas there were many truths of God that they had some incklings 〈◊〉 while they were here and read books about them and heard much of them yet they could not be convinced of them and their consciences tell them while they were here they did not go against the light of their consciences but how ever it came to passe convinced they were not but when God took them aside from their engagements and from the pomp and glory of their land and carryed them into the wildernesse or into some remote places where the glory of their own Countrey did not so glister before their eyes they then could see into truths that they never saw before those things that could not get into their hearts before now when God drew them aside got in and it is not now their conceit but they knovv certainly that they do understand much of Gods minde that they did not understand before vvhen God hath taken them aside then God hath opened their eyes Vers 15. I will give her her vineyards from thence Vinatores so some translate the vvord her vine-dressers and indeed the Heb. vvord that is for vine-dressers vines or vine yards is the very same letters only the puncta are different but vve vvill read it as it is here from thence illinc ibi either from that time that they are in the vvildernesse or from that condition of their affliction in the wildernesse wherein I will speak comfortably to her thence I will give her her vineyards God threatned to destroy her vineyards now God saith he will give vineyards Observe God can as easily restore as he can destroy It is an easly thing for men to make havock to do mischief but it is not so easy a thing for them to restore all again they can easily spoile a Country but they cannot so easily raise a Country again Psal 52. 1. Why beastest thou thy selfe in mischiefe O mighty man There is no reason that a man should boast that he can do mischiefe we have some who make their boasts in nothing but this that they can go up and down the Country and plunder spoile and make havock but can they make all up againe that they undo Plut arch tells us of one commending the power and valour of Philip for that he had utterly destroyed Olynthus a City of Tracia a Lacedemonian standing by answered but he cannot build such a City A foole may breake a glasse and all the wise men in the Countrey are not able to make it up againe Men may do a great deale of hurt and mischiefe but it is not their lives nor the lives of a thousand such as they are can make up againe what hurt is done by them But it is Gods property he can destroy vineyards and he can restore them againe I will give them their vineyards againe when I am reconciled to them Suppose there be the greatest Pacification that can be yet all this while who shall make up the hurt is done if there be reconciliation with God he will make up all our hurts again Secondly I will give her her vineyards It is a note of Calvin God saith not I will give them their corne that is for necessity but I will give them their vineyards that is for delight the note is When God is reconciled to a people hee will not onely give them substance but abundance even for delight as well as for necessity Thirdly When God is reconciled to a pâ—â—ple he comes with present reall evidences of his love he reserveth indeed abundance of mercy afterwards but he is never reconciled but he comes presently with some reall evidences and demonstrations of love God saith not onely I will speake comfortably to them and there is an end and they shall expect mercy along time after No but I will speake comfortably to her I will give her her vineyards againe I will give unto them reall manifestations of my love so it should be with us when we come in to God to be reconciled to him we should come in with reall expressions of our repentance of our respects unto God Here is a deceit I beseech you confider of it many when they lye upon their sick beds will promise what they will doe for God if God restore them but they doe nothing for the present and so they are deceived When you therefore finde your hearts wrought upon broken and melting take heed of this deceit doe not satisfie your selves in promising what you will doe for God