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
and so terrible yet now behold the feete of him that bringeth good tydings that publisheth peace God abroad publisheth war yet he hath a messenger to publish life and peace to some Is it not so this day It is true the wrath of the Lord is kindled the wrath of the Lord burneth as an oven and it is hot but it is against the ungody but peace shall be upon Israel And let us sanctifie the name of God in this too for so it followes in this very Chap. of Nah. ver 15. Oh Iudah keepe thy solemne feasts performe thy vowes for the wicked shall no more passe through thee And because God revealeth such rich grace in the middest of judgement let this engage your hearts to the Lord for ever Yea a little further because it is an instraction of great use in these times and may be yet of further use in times we may live to see not onely when God threatneth judgements let us sanctifie Gods name in looking up to promises but when judgements are actually upon us Suppose we should live to have most fearful judgments of God upon us yet even then we must look up to promises and exercise our faith and have an eye to God in the way of his grace at that time this is harder then in threatnings You have an notable place for that in Esay 26. 8. In the way of thy judgements O Lord have we waited for thee the desire of our soule is to thy name Oh blessed be God my brethren the Lord calleth us to wait upon him in the wayes of mercy for the present It is true there was a time not long since that the Lord was in a way of judgement toward England and there were some of Gods people when he was in the wayes of his judgements amongst us yet would wait upon God and keepe his wayes though there were many because Gods judgements were abroad and they saw that they were like to suffer departed from God and declined his wayes Much cause of bitterness of spirit and of dread of humiliation have they that did so But others may have comfort to their soules that in the very wayes of Gods judgments they waited for him they can now with more comfort wait upon God when he is in the ways of his mercy But if God should ever come untous in the ways of his judgments let us learne even then to wait upon God keep his way And yet another Text that may seeme to be more notable than this for this purpose and that is Iere. 33. 24. Consider est thou not what this people have spoken saying the two families which the Lord hath chosen he hath even cast them off thus they have despised my people that they should be no more a nation Marke the low condition the people were in at this time Oh God hath cast them off they are despised contemptible not worthy to be accounted a nation This condition was very low but though they were brought low in a condition contemptible yet now God confirms his Covenant with them at this time For observe ver 25. Thus saith the Lord. If my Covenant be not with day night and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven earth then will I cast away the seed of Iacob ond David my servant As if God should say let them know that whatsoever their condition is now yet my love my mercy my faithfulness is toward them as sure as my covenant with day night and as the ordinances of heaven and earth An admirable Text to help not onely nations but particular persons when they are cast under contempt by wicked ungodly men yet at that time the Lord is most ready to confirm his covenant with them to be as sure as his covenant with day night and heaven earth This bringeth honour to God when at such times we can looke up to God and exercise our faith And indeed this is the glory and dignity and beauty of faith to exercise it then when Gods judgements are actually upon us But what promises are these They were not promises to any that then lived the promise that is here made was to be fulfilled in future Ages yet it is brought in by the Prophet as a comfort to the people of God living then in that time Hence this excellent note that nearly concerns us Gracious hearts are comforted with the promises of God made to the Church though not to be fulfilled in their dayes If the Church may prosper and receive mercies from God though I be dead and gone and rotten in the grave yet blessed be God When Jacob was to die saith he unto Joseph Behold I dye but God shall be with you and bring you again unto the land of your fathers he will fulfill his promises to you though I am dead Our fore-fathers that generation of the Saints that lived a while since how comfortably would they have dyed if God before their death had revealed to them that within 3. or 4. or 7. yeares so much mercy should come to England as we now have seen in these dayes Yea how comfortably should any of us have died I appeal to any gracious heart here suppose God should have taken thee away but this time two yeares and he should have said thus to thee Go and be gathered to thy fathers in peace within these two years such and such things shall be done for England as we now live to see would not we willingly have dyed would it not have been comfort enough against the fear of death but to have had revealed to us what should have been done in after time to our posterity what mercy then is it now that it is not onely revealed to us but enjoyed by us That is the second Note But thirdly What was this promise This promise was that Israel should be a multitude that the number of them shall be as the sand of the sea shore VVe shall examine the excellency of the mercy of God in this promise by and by Onely for the present enquire we a little why God would expresse himselfe in this that his grace should be manifested in this to multiply them as the sand of the sea shore If we compare Scripture with Scripture we shall finde that God therefore promiseth this because he would thereby shew that he did remember his old promise to Abraham for that was the promise made to Abraham that God would multiply his seed as the starres of heaven and as the sand which is upon the sea shore and now God along time after commeth in with renewing this promise Hence we are to observe this Note That the Lord remembers his promises though made a long time since God is ever mindful of his Covenant as it is Psal 111. 5. When we have some new and fresh manifestations of Gods mercy our hearts rejoyce in it but the impression of it is
when Ieremiah had told them the mind of God that they should continue in the land of Iudah and not goe down into Egypt Then spake Azariah and Johaâ—an and all the proud men saying unto seremiah Thou speakest falsly the Lord hath not sent thee to say Goe not into Egypt to sojourn there They are loth to break off their association with Egypt I remember Gwalter in his Comment upon Hosea though not upon this Text telleth a story of the Grecian Churches that in the yeare 1438. because they were afraid of the Turks breaking in upon them they sent to the Bishop of Rome that they would be under his subjection meerly that they might have the help of the Latine Churches to keep them from the rage and tyrannie of their adversaries but within a few yeares they were destroyed Constantinople and the Empire were subdued so as Heathenisme and Atheisme prevailed and this is the fruit saith hee of seeking the association of others in a sinfull way But because this is not the chiâ—â— thing that is aimed at we passe it by She said she would goe after her Lovers that is her Idols What those were we shall see by and by Idolaters use to keepe good thoughts of their Idols They call them their Lovers they look upon their Idols as those that love them and hence they used to call them Baalim from Baal a husband So it should be the care of the Saints evermore to keep good thoughts of God to look upon God as their Lover as one that tendereth their good Idolaters doe so to their Idols shall not the Saints do so to the true God My brethren let us not be ready to entertain hard thoughts of God it is a dangerous thing Gods great care is to manifest to us and to all the world that he loveth us and he hath done much to manifest to us here in England and to our brethren of Scotland that he loveth us and them In Revel 3. 9. the Text saith of the Church of Philadelphia that God loved them Forty yeares ago Master Brightman interpreted that Text of the Church of Scotland Philadelphia signifieth as much as brotherly love You know how they are joyned in Covenant one with another and wee see that those that said they were Iewes they were the Church the Church but proved themselves to be of the Synagogue of Satan are forced to bow before them and if they were not madde with malice they must needs acknowledge that God hath loved that Church And since God hath done great things for us to manifest that he is the lover of England let us then keep good thoughts of God Seventhly Idolaters highly prize the love of their Idols They do not only maintain good thoughts of their Idols or thinke that their Idols are their lovers but they set a price upon them they said I will follow my lovers I must make account of their love they must doe me good for ought I know more then any thing you speak of It is true both of bodily whoredom and spirituall whoredom I will onely make use of one Scripture to daunt the heart of whore-masters and uncleane wretches that so much prize the love of their whores and whore-masters You prize their love but what get you by it you get Gods hatred by it You rejoyce that you have the love of your whores and upon that God hateth and abhorreth you Marke that good you will say Thus Pro. 22. 14. The mouth of a strange woman is a deepe piâ— he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein What get you by this your whores imbrace you and God abhorres you If there be any whore-master any unclean wretch in this Congregation either thou art an Aâ—heist or this text must strike thee at thy heart Art thou in that way and yet not repenting thou art the man that this day God tells thee to thy face that he abhorres thee But how then should wee prize the love of JESUS CHRIST our husband Cant. 1. 4. The remembrance of thy love is better then wine The Church prizeth the love of JESUS CHRIST more then men in the world prize their delight in wine And my brethren doe you prize Christs love and Christ will prize yours and that is observable according to the degree and way of your prizing Christs love so Christ will prize your love Cant. 4 18. you have there the same expression of Christs love to his Church answerable to what hers was before Thy love is better then wine saith the Church to Christ How much better is thy love then wine saith Christ to the Church Eightly I will follow my lovers In bodily and spirituall whoredome there is a following hard after those things they commit whoredome withall I will follow them and not onely say they are my lovers but I will expresse it by following of them The heart of whore-masters and Idolaters do follow hard after their uncleannesse in bodily and spirituall filthynesse First for bodily filthyness observe whore-masters how they follow their lovers Josephus in his Antiquities tells us this strange story of one Decius Mundus that offered to give so many hundred thousand Drachmies that came to six thousand pound English money to satisfie his lust one night with a whore yet could not obtaine his desire neither Will not you be content now who have been guilty of spending a great part of your estate in a way of uncleannesse now to doe as much for Religion for God and Christ and his Kingdome as ever you have done for your whores If there should be any in this place that have beene profuse for their uncleannesse and yet now are strait handed in these publike affaires such as these are fitter to be taken out of Christian congregations and to be shut up in slies For spirituall whoredome I shall shew you how superstitious and Idolatrous people as they prize their idols so they follow hard after their lovers You know that story of the children of Israel when the Calfe was to be set up upon proclamation all the men and women tooke off their ear-rings and their jewels and brought them to Aaron to make the Calfe What a shame will it be to us if we should keepe our eare-rings and our jewels and things perhaps that have not seene the sunne a great while that we should keepe them now when God calleth for them Let women do that for God his truth for your own liberties posterities that they did for their Idols Though you have care-rings and jewels and rings that you prize much yet let them be given up to this publicke cause And it were a shame that gold-rings should be kept meerly to adorn the fingers when the Church and State is in such necessity as it is Away with your niceties now and your fineness and bravery and look to necessities and to the preservation of the lives and liberties both of your selves and your
children If you should see a malignant party come with their spheares and pikes and your children sprawling upon the toppes of them and their blood gushing out what would your gold-rings what would all your niceties and braver doe you good I will give you for this because it is a point of such concernment foure notable expressions in Scripture about Idolaters eagerness and earnestness of spirit in following after their Idols The first is Isa 57. 5. The Text saith there that they were inflamed after their Idols they were on fire after them The second is Jer. 50. 38. They were madde upon their Idols Thirdly You have a text more sutable to that I am speaking of It is Isa 46. 6. it is said there that they did laviâ—h gold out of the bagga They did not onely give their gold rings that were of no use and part with that which they could well spare but they did lavish gold that was in the bagge they would not onely bring some of it but they did lavish it for so the word is and they lavished not their silver but their gold and that not a piece or two out of a paper but out of the bagge they brought their bagges of gold and did lavish gold out of them and this they did for their Idols Oh what a shame is it then that any should be penurious and not come off full in the publicke cause of the Church and Common-wealth The fourth Text is Jerem. 8. 2. and there we have five expressions together of the pursuance of the heart of Idolaters after their Idols the like wee have not in all the booke of God in one verse Speaking of their Idols First he saith whom they have loved Secondly whom they have served Thirdly after whom they have walked Fourthly whom they have sought And Fifthly whom they have worshipped and all this in this one verse O how are the hearts of people set upon the wayes of Idolatry I remember Cambden reports of a King of England Canutus that spent as much upon one crosse aâ— the revenues of the Crowne came unto in a whole yeer he was so profuse in charges about his superstitious vanities Master Calvin in a Sermon of his upon that Text seeke ye my face hath this expression Foolish Idolaters when they endure much in their pilgrimages spend their money waste their bodies and abused in their travail yet they goe on and thinke all sufficiently recompenced if they may see and worship some Image of a Saint or holy relicke Shall the beholding saith he some dead carrion or apish Idol have more power to strengthen them then the face of God in his ordinances shall have to strengthen us My lovers that gave me my bread and my water my wool and my flaxe mine oyle and my drinke What were these Idols The Idol that gave their bread was Caeres shee was the goddesse that the Heathens did worship for corne For their water Luna the Moone was the Idol they worshipped for their drinke and all moist things For their wool and flaxe Ashtaroth was their god And for their oyle Fryapus The seventy translate that which wee say here wooll clothes and that which we say flaxe they linnen and they likewise for the fuller expression adde a word or two more and all other necessary things So they though their Idols gave them all flaxe and wool and hempe and all things Observe from hence Idolaters have a great many idols to supply their severall wants My lovers in the plural number The idols of the Heathen do not supply all good but one one thing and another another thing And that is the difference betweene the true God and Idols The excellency of the true God is that he is an universal good we have all good flaxe and oyle and bread and wine and all in one in our God in our lover And that is the reason that God chalengeth the whole heart Idols are content with a partiall obedience because they are but partiall in bestowing of good things but God justly requires the whole heart of his worshippers because he is an universall good to them My Lovers that gave me my bread c. Marke The end that Idolaters ay me at in their worship is very low They follow their lovers and are very earnest for what I pray for their wool and their flaxe and their bread and their water their oyle and their drinke These are the things they aime at they desire no more they look no higher may their flesh be satisfied give them but-liberty to sport on the Lords day to have their feasts their wakes merry meetings and they care for no more Their spirits are vile and accordingly is their worship Therefore their worship is external it is bodily because their aimes are at externall and bodily things As a mans end is so is a man either base or honourable There are many men that cry out as if they aimed at God and Religion in many things they doe they make a noise about Religion and God and Christ and his Ordinances and the publicke good but the truth is their aimes are at gaine and credit and at their wool and their flaxe and herein they shew the baseness of their spirits like the lapwings that make a loud cry as if they were come neere their nests when their neasts are somewhere else VVhatever their cry be for God and the publicke good but if you marke them their neast is in their wool in their flax in their profit in their honour and preferment in these outward things But the end of the true worshippers of God is a great deale higher they soare aloft there is a spirituall heighth of soule whereby they are raised upwards by the grace of God A godly mans feete are where a wicked mans head is that which he accounteth his chiefe good a godly man can trample under his feete He lookes at God himselfe at his service he worshippeth the high God he is a child of Abraham not Abraham but Abraham what is the signification of that Pater excelsus a high Father for he is the father of children of high spirits not only of Children that are beleevers but of those that have high raised spirits so Abraham signifieth a high father Cleopatria told Marcus Antonius that he was not to fish and angle for gudgeons and trouts but for Castles Forts and Towns so I may say of a Christian he doth not fish angle especially in matters of Religion for wool and flax and oile he hath no such low and base ends but at God and Christ and heaven and glory and imortality he lookes there he serves God not for these things hee desires these things that by them he may be fitted more to serve God One that hath beene acquainted with the free grace of God in Christ will serve God for himselfe without indenting with him he will be willing to go into Gods Vineyard and not
humbled us broke our hearts before him but when wee began to bee delivered a little out of our bondage the Lord brings us into the wildernesse and follows us with afflictions to this day that he might throughly break us and yet we hope all this while it is but making way unto Canaan But in the second place take it as you have it here I will allure her and bring her into the wildernesse Then wee may take the scope of it to be not the afflicting part of the wildernesse but only the manifesting this unto Israel that he would shew unto them great wonderfull works of his power wisdome and goodness as he did unto their forefathers in the wildernesse What ever your conditions shall be into which you shal be brought yet you shall have me working in a glorious way for your good and comfort as ever I did for your forefathers when they were in the wildernesse and this exposition is rather strengthened from that we have ex Thargum Ionathae I will work miracles and great wonderfull famous things for them such as I did work in the desert hath God wrought gloriously for his people hitherto in the wayes of his mercy if reconciled to him they may expect the fame wonderfull works of God for their good even to the end of the world We may read the stories of Gods wonderfull power in deliverances of his people in their straits in the wildernesse and make them to be our own and pleade with God that he would shew forth that old that ancient power and wisdom and goodnesse of his as he did unto his people formerly this is the ground of that excellent prayer that we have Esay 51. 9. 10. Awake awake put on strength O arme of the Lord awake as in the ancient dayes in the generations of old Art thou not it that hast cut Rahab and wounded the Dragon Art thou not it that hath dryed the sea the waters of the great sea Awake awake thou art he who hast done such great things formerly it is a great help to our Faith to consider what God hath done for the Church of old But further Poreus saith this expression is taken from the condition of a poor man that is drawne aside out of his way by a thief a thief comes and entices him out of his way and carries him into some desolate place when he hath carried him thither then the manbegins to bethink himself where he is and sees himself in a sad condition and knows not what in the world to do and yet at that time there comes in supply comfort and help for him so saith God I will bring you into the wildernesse that is I will put you into the same condition that such a poor man is put into I will allure you as the thief allures I will make proffer to you of abundance of good and by that I will draw you into such and such wayes wherein you shall meet with very great straits for a while and you shall be put into an amazed condition as not knowing what in the world to do and when that is done then I will come with the fulnesse of my grace and speake comfortably to your hearts Thus though God speakes of bringing into the wildernesse yet still it is with an intention of shewing mercy there and is not this just to a very haire for all the world our condition have not the ways of God toward England for these two or three years been alluring wayes God hath made proffer unto us of a great deale of mercy and raised the hopes of his people and the Ministers of God have spoken encouraging words to his people that surely the Lord intends great goodnesse to us and because Gods wayes have been such towards us as they have been we have endeavoured God knowes to follow him in those ways of his to do that that for the present those present ways of his called for and yet we are even brought into the wilderness now even into a kind of desolate condition that for the present we even are at a stand we see afflictions to be round about us the very beasts to be ready to come teare us and pull us in pieces and yet we can say to the comfort of our hearts Lord if we be deceived thou hast deceived us for Lord thou knowest that whatsoever we have done it was our duty to doe and although we be brought into great straits for the present yet we repent not of what we have done nor of what we have said for thou hast allured us into this condition thy gracious wayes of mercy towards us in the beginning of the Parliament and so on hath allured us and hath brought us into what we have done Wee will not therefore say what is now become of all our hopes but wee expect God even in this wildernesse to speake comfortably unto us let not men upbrayde us for what wee have done we would doe as we have done if it were to do again for God hath brought us into these wayes and if he hath allured us into the wildernesse the next words shall be made good unto us he will speake comfortably to us if we be in no other then that wildernesse he hath allured us into then we may expect fully that he will speake comfortably to us Here is the difference betweene men bringing themselves into trouble or being brought by the Devils or worlds allurements and by Gods In the one we cannot expect comfort but in the other we may confidently Further There is yet another interpretation that I think is most genuine and full For the ground of that I shall say in this we must know that from the beginning of this part of the Chapter to the end God is expressing himselfe unto his people in a conjugall way that is whereas his people had gone a whoring from him yet he would receive them againe into a conjugall affection and communion all along God expresses himself thus from the fourteenth verse to the end Now this being laid for a ground In this expression of Gods bringing into the wildernesse the Prophet alludes unto the custome of the Jewes that they had in their marriages Their custome that I reade of was that the Bride-groom used to take his Bride and carry her out of the City into the fields and there they had their nup tiall songs and delighted themselves in some place there one with another afterward he brought her back againe leaning upon him into the City to his Fathers house and there they rejoyced together and solemnized the further nuptials now these fields are called the wildernesse either because they might be some champion dry fields that were about the City or otherwise let them be what they will be yet because he would allude unto the mercy of God in bringing of his people out of Egypt into Canaan and would put them in minde of
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