thew 49 Obs 2 The way to prevail with men is to deal with them in a rational way 50 Obs 3 It 's a great aggravation of sin not to be drawn dy these cords of men 52 Use 1 Saints should be eminent in courtesie 54 Use 2 We should draw our relations with gentleness ib. Use 3 Gentle means rejected aggravate sin 55 Obs 4 We must preserve the honor of our inferiors though their faults be great ib. Obs 5 It will aggravate the shame and confusion of men which disregarded Gods using them in an honorable way 56 Obs 6 Not to be drawn to our duty but by violence and strength it is beastial 57 Obs 7 As God deals with us according to our nature so we ought to deal with God as far as we are able sutable to his nature ib. Obs 8 That the Lord doth not alwaies stand upon number though the greatest 59 Obs 9 That Love it hath strong bonds 63 Obs 10 We should labor to cast the bonds of love upon those we have to deal with 66 Obs 11 Seeing Love hath such bonds in it we should make use of the Love of God to bind our hearts to him 78 Obs 12 There 's nothing more aggravats sin than that it is against Love 88 Obs 13 That deliverance from oppression is a great mercie 92 Obs 14 To abuse our ease when God is pleased to deliver us from yokes is very sinful 93 Obs 15 To oppress one another after we are delivered from oppression is likewise a great evil 97 Obs 16 Mercies prepared and provided for laid before us are to be prized 101 Obs 17 In receiving of our food we must look up to Heaven 102 Obs 18 The Service of Gods people is easie and their provision is bountiful ib. Use How great is the mercy of God to us who hath eased our yokes and laid meat before us 〈◊〉 103 VER V. Obs 1 That which bardens men hearts against threats in their sin is some shifts that they have in their thoughts 104 Obs 2 A stout heart cares not whether it goes rather than it will return to God 105 Obs 3 Stubborn hearts if any thing crosses them will foolishly and desperately wish their return to their former condition of misery ib. Obs 4 God knows how to cross wicked men of their wills to spoil them of their plots 106 Obs 5 If we will not do Gods Will God will cross us of our own 107 Obs 6 God is not so much displeased at our sins as at our not returning 108 Obs 7 To refuse to return notwithstanding means used and mercies tendered is a fearful thing ibid. Obs 8 Scornful spirits when they are called upon to return from their evil waies do not only deny returning but also scorn and slight what is said to them 110 VER VI. Obs 1 It 's time for a people to return when God doth whet or draw out his Sword 111 Obs 2 That the abiding of the Sword is a sore judgment ib. Use Against protractors of the War Obs 3 The sword shall abide as long as God will have it ibid Obs 4 That though it be sad for the sword to be in the Field yet for the sword to be in the City is sadder 113 VER VII Exposition 118 Application 1 Publick to England ibid 2 Private to particular persons 119 Why men start back Reasons 1 Gods waies are unsutable to them ibid 2 They have a greater mind to other things ibid 3 They are weary of the waies of God ibid. 4 They have watched advantages to get off from what they have formerly made profession of ibid 5 They are sorrie they engaged themselves so much as they did ibid 6 They greedily embrace any Objections against such waies ibid 7 They are very greedie to take any offence ib. 8 They watch for offences 120 9 They are willing to embrace any opinion that will give them liberty 121 Obs 1 That it is a great evil for men to strive against their conscienoes 122 Obs 2. Mens hearts sink down to low and mean things naturally 126 Obs 3. It is the end of the Ministry of the Word to call men to the Most High God who have their hearts groveling after low and base things ib. Obs 4 It is a great and sore evil to stop our ears against the calls of the Word 127 Obs 5 That the calling to the most high God is a special means to cause those that are in a suspence to come in to a full resolution ibid Obs 6 The true Worship of God is an elevating thing 129 An Exhortation 131 1 To great men ibid 2 To Saints ibid How God hath exalted the Saints 1 He hath raised them from the depth of miserie 131 2 He hath made them one with his Son ib. 3 Hath loved them with the same love wherewith he loved his Son ib. 4 Hath made them Co-heirs with his Son ib. 5 Hath given his Angels to be ministring spirits to them ibid 6 God intends to honor himself in their eternal good ib. 7 He hath prepared for them a Crown of Glory ib. Obs 7 God hath little honor in the world 132 VER VIII Exposition general 134 Exposition particular 135 Obs 1 The greatness of mans sin hinders not the work of Gods mercie 141 Use 1 If the bowels of Gods mercie work towards us let ours work towards our brethren 142 Use 2 Why should great afflictions for God hinder our hearts working to him when our great sins against God hinder not Gods heart from working towards us ibid. Obs 2 Sinners are at the very mouth of misery when they do not think of it ibid. Obs 3 Gods free mercie is that which keeps us from being destroyed ibid. Obs 4 Sinputs God to a stand ib. Obs 5 The salvation of a sinner breaks through manie reasonings and workings in Gods heart 143 Obs 6 According to the relation a sinful people have to God so difficult a thing is it for God to execute his wrath upon them 144 Why God is not readie at any time to execute Judgment upon a sinner 1 The prayers of the Saints stand against Justice 145 2 The Lord look upon the place with an eye of pitie ib. 3 God considers that he hath but little worship in the world 146 4 He looks upon the Service hath been formerly given him in that place ib. 5 There may be a remnant of Saints there ib. 6 He eyes the miseries they will endure ib. 7 The Lord sees how the adversaries will insult 147 8 He looks upon the Elect ones not yet born ib. 9 If my wrath must be satisfied let it run out upon others ib. 10. The affliction of the Saints is Gods own affliction 148 11 God will fetch good out of their evil ib. 12 Gods Justice is glorified by his patience ib. 13 Gods mercie may convert ib. Obs 7 A chollerick disposition is none of Gods Image 150 Use 1 Take heed of being passionate ib. Use 2 Let
love unto his people and surely God intends yet further love unto us And then for our selves in particular It 's very good for us to look back unto his ancient love That is Now God hath loved some of you from your child-hood how the providence of God did work towards you then Some of you I suppose in this place may say that God loved you when you were children when I was a child I had such and such expressions of Gods love towards me It was love that I was born of Christian Parents and that I was brought up in Christian education That I was delivered from such and such dangers yea it may be God began to reveal himself to me betimes And if you would call to mind all the loving passages of Gods providence since you were children you might have matter of meditation sufficient There 's many of you that complain you cannot find matter for meditation I 'le give you a rule to help you in meditation at any time it 's this When you cannot meditate of other things but you are presently be wildered and know not whither to go then turn your selves to this meditation To think of all the gracious passages of Gods providence towards you ever since you were children and this the weakest may be able to go along in And that 's the third Note of Observation Fourthly All Gods old mercies remain engagements unto duty and aggravations to our sin I loved him when he was a child 't is brought to that end to aggravate their sin and further to engage them unto duty Remember that the love and mercies of God unto you when you were children are engagements to duty when you are old And they are aggravations of your sin The sins of those men and women that are against old mercies they are the greatest sins Oh! that you should sin against that love of God unto you when you were children God began with you then and hath continued his love and mercy to you ever since then Oh! make this an aggravation of your sin in the day of your humiliation charge it upon your own souls these and these sins have I committed though God loved me though Gods mercy and goodness was towards me when I was a child and hath gone along to me yet I have walked unworthy of all that love and mercy know that if you do forget the old love of God yet the Lord remembers it he remembers his old mercies and he remembers your old sins But then fiftly Let not our hearts sink in despairing thoughts though we see that we are able to do but little for God and though we are unworthy of love Though there be much vanity and folly in our hearts and in our lives yea though there hath been much stubbornness yet still let not our hearts sink in despairing thoughts I loved them when they were a child They could do little for me and they knew little of me and they were vain and foolish and stubborn and yet I loved them Certainly the waies of God towards Israel are as a type of his waies towards his Saints as the afflictions of Israel are Typical to the Church and we gather an argument to be patient in afflictions when we reade how God dealt with the people of Israel in the wilderness so we may gather an argument to help our faith when as we reade how God dealt with them though they were unworthy and were poor and weak yet God loved them Therefore you poor people that find your selves weak in understanding alas you know little and can remember little of that which is good and alas you can do little for God â—ea I find perhaps saith one much frowardness and stubborness in my heart against God but do you bewail it if so let not your hearts be discouraged do not think that these are things that will hinder the love of God Gods heart may be towards you notwithstanding this when God comes to love he doth not find the object to be lovely before he loves but his love makes the object to be lovely therefore God can love though thou knowest little and can do but little But you will say He can love I but Will He love If I did but know that this would satisfie my heart To that I answer First how ever when you hear that God did love Israel when he was such a child that none eye pitied him this is enough to help you against any concluding thoughts against Gods love for God did love his people when they were as unworthy as you are And then secondly But would you know whether God would love you the readiest way for you to know whether God will love you yea or no It is first To raise up your faith if you are able upon such grounds as these are Upon the consideration of his love to his people when they were unworthy And then secondly In quietness and meekness of spirit to lay thy self before the Lord as an object of his pity If thou doest not think thy self worthy to be an object of love yet lay thy heart before God as an object of pity and there resolve to wait til the time of love shall come till God shall make known that his heart is towards thee for good 't is not the way for thee to be froward and vexing because of thy unworthiness meanness poverty and baseness and so to determine that he will not love thee therefore but I say the way for thee to have the sence of Gods love is this When thou seest there is no worthiness in thee why he should love thee yet there is enough in thee to make thy self an object of his pity And sixtly Doth the love of God to his people begin so soon I loved Israel when he was a child Oh! let not thy love then to him be deferred too long Gods love begins betimes to his people let not his people love be deferred too long God is before hand with you in love and when ever we begin to love him it is upon this ground Because he loved us first You who are yong youths do you love God betimes for if you be such as ever shall be saved God did not only love you when you were a child but he loved you before you were born before the foundations of the world was laid Oh! it is pity that the first springing of your love should not be bestowed upon God Certainly old love is the best love as old love in God is sweet so old love in the Saints it 's a sweet thing to think that God loved me from a child but then if I can say this too I loved God from a child this will make it sweeter put but these two together Oh! when these two can be added what is wa 〈…〉 g to the comfort of ones life God loves that love that is from a child Jer. 2. 2.
world I would have them to be raised up to enjoy communion with my self this is the end of Gods bestowing any Grace upon his Saints it is that he might raise them to enjoy communion with him and to delight in him and he to delight in them that he might have creatures to communicate the treasures of his goodness too and that thou mightest communicate what thou art able to him Surely Christ doth not account himself to be full without his Saints and therefore you find in Ephes 1. 23. that the Church is called the Fulness of Jesus Christ and therefore he praies Father let them be where I am I shall not account my self so full except they be with me and see my Glory Oh the Love of Jesus Christ to his Saints And then further This Love it sweetens and sanctifies all for good thou maiest see Love in every thing now though thou hast less of the creature than others have yet thou hast it out of Love when thou comest home it may be thou hast not so much as others have perhaps but a piece of bread and smal drink yea but I have it out of Love look upon all thy mercies and thou mayest see the eternal Love of God to thee in them They are all sanctified to me for the furtherance of eternal good the Lord from all eternity did see that such a kind of life was the best for me to further the eternal good he intended for me and therefore he hath disposed of me to this condition rather than another condition Oh! how sweet may the life of a man or woman be when as they can reason after this manner Well this condition that now I am in the Lord from eternity saw the fittest condition to work my heart to himself and therefore it is that I am in this estate rather than another And then Love thou findest daily by experience how hath the Lord helped thee in thy straights and heard thee in thy prayers and answered thy desires This I told you in the opening of the text was a fruit of Love to the people of Israel and so it hath been with thee And this love is very strange too for though the Lord did forsee all thy weakness and all thy unbeseeming carriages thy unworthines c. yea the Lord did not only foresee what thou wouldest be before he did manifest love but he did forsee how thou wouldst walk unworthy of his love after it was manifested to thee and though he forsaw all this yet still his love was not quenched towards thee but saith the Lord My love shal break thorow all this Many times you set your love upon some and they prove untoward and unworthy and you think with your selves Could I have but foreseen this untowardness they should never have had my love but now the Lord did foresee al thy il requitals and yet it did not hinder the love of God towards thee And then further In the love of God there is the love of all relations As now The love of a father towards a child the Lord takes upon him the relation of a father and the love of a husband the Lord takes upon him the relation of a husband and the love of a friend too that 's sweet And then that that crowns all it is this That it is an abiding love an everlasting love a love that shall never be quenched He that the Lord loves he loves unto the end he will rest in his love Zeph. 3. 17. Jer. 31. 3. 2 Thess 2. 16. If thou knowest that he hath loved thee in his Son thou hast hereby an everlasting consolation let Heaven and Earth meet together let there be what changes and alterations there will yet there is everlasting consolation for thee if thou knewest but this love of God Now my brethren all this I have done to that end that your hearts may be gained unto God And what wilt thou do now Wilt not thou now love the Lord thy God shal not al this love of God to thee in Christ constrain thee The love of Christ constrains me saith the Apostle Oh! love the Lord all ye Saints if the Lord hath thus loved you love ye the Lord all you his Saints Then God is Love himself he is the Element of Love And whither should love go but up to the Element Air it desires to be in its proper place and Earth will descend to its proper place the proper place of Love is God God is as it were the Element of Love for so the Scripture saith God is Love And he that dwels in God dwels in love Oh labor to be rooted and stablished in love in Ephes 3. 17. Being rooted and stablished in love you may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the length and breadth and depth and heighth and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledg Being rooted in love thereby ye come to comprehend with all Saints the breadth and length and depth and heigth and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge It is not the strength of natural parts Learning doth not so much teach us what the length and heighth and depth of the love of Christ is as Love get but your hearts rooted in Love and you wil come to understand the glorious things of the Gospel in another manner than ever you did And mark what follows That you might be filled with all the fulness of God Had we not such an expression in Scripture we should not dare to make use of it What for a poor creature to be filled with God to be filled with the fulness of God to be filled with all the sulness of God! This is the reason why Christians are so scant in their obedience and empty in their spirits because they are not acquainted with this breadth and length and depth and heighth of the love of Christ Oh know that God prizes thy love and he is satisfied with nothing but thy love in Cant. 7. 12. There will I give thee my loves saith the Spouse When thou comest to the Ordinances to hear the Word receive Sacraments or Prayer yet if thou comest not to give the Lord Christ thy loves it is nothing There will I give thee my loves Oh! Christ prizes love at an high rate and that love that will serve for other things certainly will not serve Christ He loves thee too little saith Augustan that loves any thing besides thee who loves not that thing for thee You may love Wife and Children and Friends yea but you must love them all for God when you see any thing lovely in Husband or Wife or children or Friends yea but think this is but a beam of the loveliness of God And thus I have endeavored now to raise your hearts to God by Love the Lord hath cast Bonds of Love upon your souls On that by the Ministry of his
Word this day these Bonds may be somewhat strengthened that you may feel some strength in these Bonds that you may go away with your hearts more strongly united to the Love of God than ever I drew them with the Cords of a man With Bonds of Love and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their Jaws and I laid meat unto them Part of the last Sermon it was spent in opening unto you these Bonds of Love And shewing First What were the Bonds of Gods Love towards the people of Israel the several expressions of Gods Love to them in several particulars And shewed you how that all those that had to deal with men to draw them to God should do as God doth labor to draw them with Bonds of Love I have especially directed my self unto the Saints of God and shewed to them what bonds of of Love God hath laid upon their hearts to draw them to himself I have not applied this point generally yet for indeed one principal Bond of the Love of God towards the Nation will follow in the words after But certainly the Lord hath sought to draw this Nation to himself with Bonds of Love We may say concerning God he hath loved this Nation Loved it It was the first Nation that ever received Jesus Christ by the countenance of publick Authority of the Supream Authority in the Nation And when Antichrist had darkned the light of the Gospel here the bowels of Gods Compassions yerned towards it and God wrought wonderfully to deliver this Nation from Antichristian Tyrannie Moreover The Lord hath not sent the light and power of the Gospel to any Nation under Heaven more fully nay without prejudice to any other we may say not so fully as to this Nation though there are many of the Saints of God else where yet in no place under Heaven hath God more yea so many Saints I might almost say put all the Nations of the earth together so many that know him so fully and have that power of godliness in the worshiping of him as here in this Nation Oh! the Bonds of Love that are upon us Yea If we look upon our outward mercies those liberties that we enjoy there 's scarce any Nation that hath the Commonalty of the people that live like men in comparison of ours for the most part of all the Nations in the world the generality of people are like slaves rather than any Free-men their Governors rule over them with Tyranny but here the Common people have Liberties and God works mightily for them for the vindicating of the Liberties that they have both for their bodies and outward estates and their souls likewise and Oh! the Love that God hath shewn unto us of late in working so miraculously for us as he hath done But there is one point more observable in these Bonds of Love that God draws people unto himself by The scope of the Prophet here in mentioning these Bonds of Love it is to aggravate their sin from whence there is this That there 's nothing more aggravates sin than that it is against Love God hath Three Bonds to bind us to Obedience There 's the Bond of his Law And the Bonds of Afflictions And the Bonds of Love But now to break all these Bonds The Bonds of the Commandements and the Bonds of Afflictions and Bonds of Love too this aggravates sin very much Oh charge thy sin with this aggravation Oh thou sinner What against such a God such Love Oh what a vile heart have I Saith Augustin Oh 't is too hard a spirit that though it will not bestow Love yet it will not requite Love O! let not there be such a hardness in the Spirits of the Saints Thou didest not begin with God to love thou didest not begin to bestow Love be not so hard towards God as not to requite Love Do not we see how base Love can gain upon mens hearts adulterous love what strong bonds that love is the giving of gifts and bribes what bonds they are to tie mens harts their hands and tongues and shall not the Love of God and the fruits of that be a stronger Bond to tie thy heart unto him Nothing goes more to the heart of Man of God than the abuse of Love A man can better bear the abuse of his mony the abuse of any thing he doth or hath than the abuse of his Love Gods Spirit is grieved with his Saints we do not reade that the Spirit of God is grieved with the Wicked God may be angry with the wicked every day but not grieved but when the Saints sin against him the Spirit of God is grieved because their sins are against Love when thou sinnest against God the Lord looks upon thee as Caesar once upon Brutus What thou my Son What thou whom I have so loved What break all those bonds When we reade in the second Psal of the Kings and Princes of the Earth that said Let us break their Bonds asunder and cast away their Cords from us We think that 's great Rebellion but for thou that professest thy self to be Gods it 's a greater evil to break these bonds of Love Oh! thou my Son my Child thou whom I have bestowed so much Love upon yet thou to sin against me when thou art committing of any evil conceive with thy self as if God were looking upon thee and pleading with thee by all those fruits of his love that ever thou hast received from him and wilt thou yet sin against him for all this We reade in Mark 14. 72. when Peter had sinned Christ did but look upon him and he wept bitterly Oh! Peter saw love in the looks of Jesus Christ and therefore we know after when Christ came to him he pleaded with him with this argument of love Doest thou love me and doest thou love me Oh! when he saw the eyes of Christ so sparkling of love and then considered that he had sinned against that Christ that had so loved him broke all those bonds of love then he went out and wept bitterly the word is in Mark 14. 72. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He did break out in weeping For so it may signifie that force that there is in doing any thing to lay a force upon ones self to do a thing He did break out break out in weeping he was not able to bear it his heart burst even in sunder when he considered how he had burst asunder the bonds of Love Oh that after such manifestations of Mercy and goodness such warmings of heart in Communion with Jesus Christ what thou Oh my soul what canst thou find in any waies like Gods waies canst thou find the like love and the like sweetness in any as thou hast done in God yet for all this unkind unloving dealings God follows thee with Love his heart is yet open unto thee
he doth not say here Your King shall not save you nor your Cities shal not save you nor your Princes and Nobles shall not save you but where are they in a kind of Irony God loves to insult over the carnal confidences of men And we find in Scripture many such kind of Insultings over men in Deut. 32. 37. Where are your Gods that should deliver you And in Is 19. 12. Where are thy Wise-men What we have got States-men men known in State Affairs we have them with us But where are they saith God Thus the Lord insults over men that put their confidence in the flesh and especially when they have been confident in their own waies forsaking God and so bringing themselves to misery when they have brought themselves to misery by forsaking the waies of God now God insults now where are these things that you put such confidence in And truly even the Saints so be it they do it in an holy humble way they may have some kind of insulting over ungodly men only because they have so much flesh in them there 's danger therefore they had need keep their hearts very low But if they do it in the strength of God we have it in Scripture That the Virgin Daughter of Zion shall laugh at them and laugh them to scorn Only keep your hearts I say low and you may come to see the Glory of God even insult in this That God hath heard your Prayer and hath been with his People and that the Enemy hath had so much power and strength in the flesh and yet how the Lord hath disappointed them And then further This is the great confusion to carnal hearts when they shall be asked Where 's their Confidence and their Boasting and they shall be found speechless when this shall be ask'd them Where 's your bravery and pride and stoutness of your hearts and they shal be able to say nothing Oh! this wil be a great confusion and shame upon them Certainly ere long it will be so to all carnal hearts that make their boast in the pomp and glory of the world there shall be a confounding Where Asked them Where 's all your Bravery and Pride and Rage I say this confounding Where will be asked to every wicked and ungodly man What will they be able to say then In Judg. 9. 28. we reade of one Gaal the son of Ebed who said Who is Abimelech but in vers 38. when Abimelech came with strength against him Zebal said to him Where is now thy mouth wherewith thou saidest Who is Abimelech that we should serve him When men are in their pride bravery then they scorn at God and men they little regard any thing that is said to them but when God brings them down low then wheretis that mouth of thine that did so boast and speak so proudly as heretofore it did My brethren let us learn from hence therfore To seek after and rest upon those things which we may be able alwaies to give an accompt of where they are if it should be ask'd us the Saints if it should be ask'd them Where is their God they can give an accompt It 's the God of Heaven that we have trusted in it 's the God that is in the highest Heavens and in the hearts of the Saints we can tell where our God is It is just with God that wicked men should be insulted over because they insult over the Saints so if God do but seem to absent himself from his People they will presently insult over them yea where 's your God where 's your Prayers and Fastings Have not some of you heard such language many times in this Kingdom There 's no such time but the Saints of God can give an Answer to this Where they can tell where their Fastings and Prayers are but the wicked are not able to tell what is become of their Confidences and boastings Therfore O you Saints of God never be afraid of evil men for ere long it will be demanded of them where their Pomp and Glory and Pride is but they cannot answer And it follows Thy Judges of whom thou saidst Give me a King and Princes By Judges though sometimes Kings are meant as Amos 2. 3. I will cut off the Judg out of the midst of thee he speaks saith Drusius of the King of Moab we are to understand here their Nobles and Great men upon whom they relied for so they are call'd in Scripture Judges they had indeed Judges before that time when they said Give us a King and Princes they had Judges but they were of meaner rank in comparison of those they had after they had Judges that by Gods appointment govern'd them but they were too mean for them no they must have a KING they must have PRINCES they must have such JUDGES that are Kings and Princes Great men for these that they had to rule over them they were but of their own rank and this would not satisfie them but they must have such as were great ones above them those were but ordinary men what were they but the Commons of the same ranke with other men and raised up but a little while ago from the ordinary way and rank of men and why should not we be rul'd and govern'd by them No we must have a King and Nobles and they must govern us Give us a King and Princes God had been much with these Judges reade but the story of the Judges and you shall find that God had ever more appeared with them I do not remember any one of the Judge but ever prevail'd when God raised him up but now this people they regard them not why because they were but meaner men they were but men of their own rank though God did assist them so exceedingly Oh my Brethren this is the ordinary guize of carnal hearts Though God be much with men yet if they be but of a low rank carnal hearts regards them not let them do never so great services and be never so instrumental for the Kingdom even those men that have had their estates preserved by them that have had their Liberties and all kept by them and by a mighty Spirit that God hath put into them yet when the work is over they look upon them but as mean ordinarie men men of a common rank and so let them go they after all the great things that God hath done by them still their thoughts and minds are upon others that are above them and Princes and Nobles such men they rely more upon men in whom they see outward pomp and glory then upon those that have the presence of God never so much with them and they regard them more and they do think that they shall receive more good by them and their hearts are more towards them if they have outward pomp and glory than towards such men that are in a meaner condition though there be never
not Ministers be tart in the Pulpit ib. Obs 8 Saints may be bold in seeking God in prayer 151 Obs 9 The Saints that walk close with God must needs be verie secure 154 Obs 10 When judgments come upon Gods own people there is some great matter in it 155 Obs 11 There is a difference between the day of patience and the day of wrath ib. Obs 12 If God do not hasten Judgment against us we should not hasten it against our selves ib. Obs 13 The people of God are subject to as sore evils as the worst of men 156 Obs 14 When sinners are neerest to judgment then the bowels of Gods mercie works towards them 157 Obs 15 Those that are in relation to God have a priviledg that others have not ib. Use Take heed of abusing Gods mercies 158 Obs 16 If God be unwilling to make his People like the Wicked in punishment let them not make themselves like them in sin ib. Obs 17 Though God be never so much inclin'd to mercy he doth not hide his eyes from the sins of his own People ib. Use Let not the encouragement of mercie hide our sins from us 159 Obs 18. Strong motions to repentance give strong encouragements to come to God 160 Obs 19 Let arguments of obedience to God cause stirrings in our hearts 161 Obs 20 Let us not think it too much to have our hearts turned from strong resolutions to do evil ib. Obs 21 God's repentings are mighty encouragements to Prayer 162 Obs 22 Wee must gather as many arguments as we can to kindle Repentance in us ib. Obs 23 Our mercies to others should not be cold but burning 165 VER IX Exposition 165 Obs 1 The stirrings of mercie in our hearts should rather prevaile with us than stirrings to wrath 166 Obs 2 Stirrings for God should rather prevail with us than temptations to sin 167 Obs 3 Gods mercies do not free his People from all fruits of displeasure ib. Obs 4 We should acknowledge mercie though we suffer hard things 167 Obs 5 Sinners should not be secure when evil is upon them and think Now we know the worst on 't 168 Obs 6 God is very gracious to his People when evil is upon them ib. Difference between God and Man in point of Anger 169 1 Man is not able to rule his Anger ib. 2 Man is of a revengeful and cruel disposition 170 3 Man is in a rage often-times with others because of the disquit of his own heart ib. 4 There is but very little if any mercie at all in man ib. 5. Man is of a fickle and unconstant disposition ib. 6 If man pass by an offence it is from some motive from without ibid 7 Man thinks it his dishonor to be reconciled to those that offend him ibid 8 Man cannot foresee the consequences that may follow upon his pardoning of offences 171 9 Man cannot work good out of what ill carriages are against him ibid 10 Though man promise much mercie yet upon any offence he will recall his promise again ibid 11. Man thinks it's best to take his advantage of offenders at the present time 172 12 Man is bound to positive Rules of Justice that are set to him But God is free He will have mercie on whom he will have mercie ibid Obs 7 God glories in the goodness and mercie that is in himself ib. Use Passion and anger debases man 173 Obs 8 If God were like Man sinners could not be forborn 174 Obs 9 It is a good way to exercise faith in Gods mercie ibid Use Let us labor to be holy in our anger 178 Obs 10 God delights to shew the glory of his holiness in mercie toward sinners 179 Obs 11 Gods faithfulnesse is a special part of the glory of his holiness ibid Use 1 We may see hence how holiness will help our faith ibid Use 2 Let us manifest our holiness in our faithfulness ibid Obs 12 God continues among a people for his Saints and Elects sake ibid Obs 13. The Saints are of great use where they live 179 Obs 14 Humiliation and reformation do often save a City from destruction 180 Use Let not our sin provoke God to destroy us ibid VER X Exposition ib. Obs 1 It is the Lords infinite goodness to be the Captain of his people 181 Obs 2 It is the honor safety and happiness of the Saints to have God go before them ibid Obs 3 That the Majestie and terribleness of God causeth the wicked guilty conscience to fly from him 182 Use Oh the blessing of a clean conscience ibid Obs 4 That when Gods time is come for a through reformation in the world he will make the earth tremble 184 Use 1 Despair not at the strength of the wicked 185 Use 2 Learn to prepare for those times ibid Obs ult There are like to be great stirrings in the West 186 VER XI Exposition 186 Obs 1 God hath his time to place his people in their own houses in peace and safetie 187 Obs 2 It 's a good work to be instrumental in this ibid Obs 3 They that walk after the Lord shall be placed in their houses ibid Use Trust God with your houses ib. VER XII Exposition General 188 Particular 189 Obs 1 Many profess to God the acknowledgment of his Greatness Glory Power c. but it is but as a lye to God ib. Obs 2 Many men beset the business and affairs that they mannage with lyes also 190 Obs 3 That when men are once engaged in shifts and lyes they grow pertinacious in them 191 Obs 4 The sin is the greater where there is no example of evil in others 192 Obs 5 To continue in a false way of worship when a right way is held forth is an aggravation of sin ib. Obs 6 It 's a great comendation to continue in the Truth when others fall off ib. Obs 7 We should be more severe to those that are nearest to us when they dishonor God than to others 193 Obs 8 To enjoy but little with God is better than to have much without enjoying God 194 Obs 9 To serve God is to reign 195 Obs 10. God hath never bin without som Witnesses to his Truth ib. Obs 11 It is unfaithfulness to forsake the true Worship which God hath appointed 196 Obs 12 God hath a special eye to a States faithfulness in point of Worship ib. Obs 13. Faithfulness consists in a constant persisting in good ib. Obs 14 We should look more at the example of a few Saints than of thousands of wicked men 198 CHAP. XII VER I Exposition 199 Obs 1 Creature-Comforts will prove but wind 202 Obs 2. It 's a grievous thing when troubles come to have nothing within us to help us but wind 203 Several waies of encreasing Lyes 1 By carrying about Reports 207 2 By mis-reporting of Reports ib. 3 By adding to Reports ib. 4 By inventing new Reports ib. 5 By maintaining Lyes by Lyes ibid. Use 1. Take heed of spreading
upon God in afflictions shews grace of God in any 393 Use 1 To servants which are in hard service ib. Use 2 To servants which are out of it ib. Obs 3 Love wil carry through long service 394 Obs 4 A good Wife is a great blessing of God though she have no portion ib. Obs 5 Children should not marry without their Parents consent 395 VER XIII Obs 1 None shal lose any thing by what they do for God 397 Obs 2. The shiftless estate of our Ancestors should humble us much 398 Obs 3 God works great things for his Church by smal means ib. Obs 4 It 's a great aggravation of sin to transgress against God's more than ordinary appearing for peoples good 399 Obs 5 Abuse of suth as have reference to the service of God is a great evil ib. VER XIV Obs 1. God is not angry unless he be provoked 403 Obs 2. It is only sin that provokes God 403 Obs 3 Som sins provoke God more than others 405 Obs 4 They that be wilful in sin their blood will be upon their own heads 407 Obs 5 God will be Lord let wicked men do what they can 410 CHAP. XIII VER 1. Obs 1 It 's an Honor to have respect from others when we speake 415 Vse for Inferiors ib. Obs 2 Those who are in Place of Power account it their honor that others should tremble at what they say 436 Obs 3 The subjection of the hearts of men to those in authority is a work of God 417 Obs 4 The meaner the beginnings of men are the more imperious they prove 418 Obs 5 Men of great repute and reverend respect by sin fall from their dignitie 419 Verified in Magistracy and Ministry ibid. Use For Magistrates and Ministers 421 Obs 6 Alteration in marter of Government is a hard and difficult thing 422 Obs 7 Men of resolved spirits will break through difficulties when God raiseth them up to it 423 Obs 8 If after they have gone through difficulties they rest in their own strength they shall vanish and come to nothing 423 Obs 9 Alteration in Religion is a difficult business 424 Obs 10 Men of resolute spirits will go on in matters of Religion though it be from better to worse 425 Obs 11 When God withdraws his protection from a Familie he leaves it as a dead carkass 426 Obs 12 Corruption of Worship causeth God to withdraw from a people ib. Obs 13 When wicked men are most active in their evil way then they may be under the sentence of death 427 VER II. Obs 1 Vse makes a mighty alteration in mens spirits 428 Obs 2 When destructions neerest evil men are wickedest 430 Obs 3 There 's no stop in Apostacy 431 Obs 4 Every sin against conscience weakens the work of conscience 433 Obs 5 In what degree a man fals off from God in that degree he loseth his comfort in God 434 Obs 6 When one hath sinned against God his spirit and holy duties are unsutable ib. Obs 7 The presence of God is terrible to an Apostate ib. Obs 8 What may turn an Apostates heart to God is grievous to him ib. Obs 9 One sin cannot be maintained without another 435 Obs 10 The pride of an evil mans heart is such that he will be justifying his sin ib. Obs 11 When men are grown far in an evil way they grow desperate ib. Obs 12 When men trust to their own understandings in matters of Worship God gives them up to sottishness 441 Obs 13 It 's false Worship to give Religious respect to any creature by kissing as well as bowing to it 443 Use Against such as kiss the Book when they take an Oath ib. VER III. Obs 1 The messenger of wrath drives unsetled men to misery 444 VER IV. Obs 1 It 's a great evil to sin against the work of mercy 445 Obs 2 Deliverance from Egypt is a Note of Gods being our God 446 Obs 3 The end of Gods great work is That he may be known to be God ib. Obs 4 God delights to manifest himself in a way of salvation 448 Obs 5 Saving mercies are great mercies ib. Obs 6 No creature can do us good further than God gives it leave ib. Obs 7 Our faith should be exercised on God as a Savior ib. Obs 8 We are never safe but when our peace is made with God 449 Obs 9 God is never worshiped as God but when he is worshiped as a Savior ib. VER V. Obs 1. It 's a great mercie for God to know a man in time of trouble 451 Obs 2 Gods knowing us in distress is a mighty engagement to us 452 VER VI. Obs 1 It 's better to want the comfort of the creature and to have Gods protection than to have the creature and live of our selves ib. VER VII Obs 1 The Lord pities sinful men in adversity 499 VER VIII Obs 1. The wrath of God is more dreadful than the dreadfulness of all the creatures in the world 505 VER IX Obs 1 It 's an aggravation of sin another day to be the cause of the evils we suffer 508 Obs 2 Men would put offtheir evils from themselves to God 510 Obs 3 God knows how to turn all the evils upon our selves 511 Obs 4 A man can bring himself to no misery but there 's help in God for it 519 Use Look up to God when you have done evil 520 Obs 5 Those that seek help in God and yet misery grows upon them let them examin themselves 521 Obs 6 The more God hath helped men the greater will their destruction be if they be destroyed at last 522 VER X. Obs 1 It 's a sad condition when God rules over a people in spight of their hearts 523 Obs 2 The things that carnal hearts rest upon will vanish 526 Obs 3 God loves to insult over men in their carnal confidences 526 Obs 4 It 's great confusion to carnal hearts when they shall be asked Where 's their confidences 527 Use Let us learn to seek after those things we may be able to give an account for 528 Use 2 Let not the Saints be afraid of evil men ib. Obs 5 Though God be much with a man yet if he be of a low rank carnal hearts regard him not 529. Obs 6 Men will not hear so long as they do not suffer 533 VER XI Obs 1 God may have a hand in things wherein men sin exceedingly 535 Obs 2 Things that are very evil may have present success 536 Obs 3 Gods gifts are not alwaies in love ib. Notes whether it be out of Love or Hatred 1 When we desire the gift rather than God in it 540 2 When our desires are immoderate and violent 541 3 When God grants men their desires before due time 542 4 When there comes no blessing at all with what we enjoy 543 5 When what we desire is meerly to satisfie our lusts 544 6 When men are so eager that they care not whether they have it from a
5. He shall not return into the Land of Egypt but the Assyrian shall be his King because they refused to return He shall not return TO give you first a short paraphrase of the words for there 's no difficulty in them and then the Notes of Observation It is As if the Prophet should say Howsoever he thinks to help himself with ease to shelter himself there yet he shall not but he shall go into Captivity into Assyria for all means that have been used would not bring him to return So then the Observations First That which hardens mens hearts against threats in their sin is some shifts that they have in their thoughts let the worst come that can be yet I have such a relief My Brethren it 's a great mercy of God to take mens spirits off from all their vain shifts and hopes so as to be throughly convinced that there 's no help in any thing in the creature in Heaven and Earth but only in my turning to God and casting my soul down before Mercy if that saves me not I am undone for ever when the heart comes to this I say God is in a gracious and merciful way working I see my sin my affliction that is upon me and feel it though my heart would be shifting this way and that way yet God hath convinc'd me nothing can do me good but I am lost and undone what ever course I take except I return to God and humble my soul before him and seek his face and obtain meroie from him Secondly He shall not return to Egypt It was a verie strange perverseness to think of this shift to go back to Egypt why was not Egypt the place of his bondage and the Egyptians still retained their cruelty and yet they thought of this help that they would turn to Egypt rather than to God From whence the Observation is A stout heart cares not whither it goes rather than it will return to God As the Prodigal will rather go to the Swine to feed upon husks than to his father like some stout children they care not what miseries they suffer rather than they will come and humble themselves to their parents They will hang themselves and drown themselves and seek their fortune as they use to say rather than be perswaded to come in and submit themselves No never as long as they live though they die yet they will not and thus their hearts are stout and while they think they are stout against their parents they are stout against God too yet God hath waies to bring mens stout hearts to yeeld Thirdly A stubborn heart though God be in any way of mercy God calling them to waies of mercy yet if any thing crosses them they will foolishly and desperately wish their return to their former condition of misery If you make any thing that God doth an argument to a stubborn heart for duty if it pleases him not he will reject all that 's done for him and say he had rather be as he was before let me go into Egypt again stubborn hearts if they meet with any cross in their way this is their unthankfulness that because they are vext and crost in some one thing they will I say foolishly and desperately wish that they were in the the condition that heretofore they have been in Oh! thus it is with many of us how foolishly how wickedly have we thought and said it was better with us heretofore then now let us return to our former condition This is thy folly and thy desperat wickedness But saith the text He shall not return though he thinks of returning as if the holy Ghost should say do not please your selves to think it is but to return to Egypt you cannot be worse than now you are for God hath worser things for you And my brethren this is our case this day let not us think of returning to our former condition certainly if we should take such a course to return to our former condition we should be far worse than we were before our danger would be far greater this is certain to the view of any men that have their eyes open that our condition in England must either be far better than it was or far worse than it was There 's many say Oh! we were thus and thus in former times and if we were but as we were we should do well enough Oh! let 's not think of that we must certainly either be far better or far worse than we were for if we think of returning it will not be to Egypt but to Assyria which will be worse The Fourth Note is this God knows how to cross wicked men of their wills to spoil them of their plots they please themselves with this and the other thing they will do thus and thus if they be put to this shift then they have a second and a third yea but there 's a God in Heaven that hath determined otherwise Never were wicked men more cross in their plots than they are at this day They have said that they would do thus and thus but God hath said they should not and they have not done it Now God in his Mercy crosses his people of their wills that are set upon sin but when the wicked are crost upon their sin it is because God hath other waies to bring about greater evils to them To bring them to Assyria Well then whatsoever any mans thoughts and desires are the Lord deliver us from turning into Egypt again And likewise the Lord grant the Assyrian may not be our King It follows The Assyrian shall be his King The Lord deliver us from both That an Assyrian may not be our King Why an Assyrian why was he threatned to be their King You shall find that he was one of a cruel stout heart an hard heart and a proud heart the Assyrians were so They were a generation of men of cruel proud stout hard-hearted men Isa 10. 5. Oh Assyrian the rod of mine anger saith God and in the 7. verse It is in his heart to destroy saith God of the King of Assyria and in the 12. verse When the Lord hath performed his whol work upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Assyria and the glory of his high looks Oh! 't is a sore evil to be put under the rage of a proud and a stout hearted man who will set his heart against God himself who though God fights against him yet will stand it out though his design is crost yet he will not come in he will not give glory to God though his will cost him the blood of many thousands yet he goes desperatly on he regards more his own will and lusts than the blood or lives of millions For people to have such a stout heart armed with power raised with pride enraged with
had there it 's impossible but flesh and blood would suggest many thoughts to Abraham to keep his heart in suspence But what took Abrahams heart off from suspence to resolve fully what to do in such a case the text saith The God of Glory appeared to him it was not only God but the God of Glory My Brethren when God is calling you off from all Creature comforts from all things that may quiet your hearts in the world and you have strong temptations to keep you in the waies of sin let but the God of Glory appear to you and this will take up your hearts this will bring your hearts to a full resolution Oh! blessed blessed are those souls though they have continued long in suspence yet at length the God of Glory appears to them in the midst of their doubts and temptations and hangings off And if there be such a force in this then learn to present before thy soul that is in such a suspence the Glorie of the great God look up to this great God 't is the infinite high God that I am called to Oh! thou suspending thou wavering soul look up to this most high and answer this call of God unto himself answer it thus Oh Lord Thou art an Infinite Blessed Glorious Being the Supream Being of all I am a poor vile worm that lie under thy feet it 's mercie that thou wilt vouchsafe to look towards me thou mightest have let me gone on in base waies and perished to all eternity without giving me any call to thy self but now that thou shouldest give me a call to thy self the high and glorious blessed Lord this is mercy Lord I come and with fear and trembling fall down before thee saying Lord what wilt thou have me to do Those who have been wavering and afterwards setled they have found that this hath been the thing that hath setled them some dreadful authoritie of the high God that hath come to their hearts in some truth beyond what formerly he hath done and this hath fully taken off their souls to him And then Fifthly The true Worship of God is an elevating thing Then are they called to the most high when they are called to the true Worship of God for it raises the soul to the most high Mens inventions are low things are base and unworthy things Oh consider whether thou findest this in the Worship of God doest thou find thy soul raised up to the most high in his Worship thou doest never worship God aright except thou findest in some measure thy soul raised up to the most high in his Worship let no man look upon the Worship of God as a low mean thing know when thou art to come to worship God thou hast now to deal with the high God whom Angels worship and adore 't is that God who is far above all Creatures in Heaven and Earth thus thou art to look upon the Worship of God Oh! how far are most men from this when they are worshiping of God! very few there are that lift up their hearts to the most high even in the duties of Worship And so it follows in the words None at all would exalt him Why If God be the most high God how can he be exalted I answer He is so high as he cannot be more high than Himself God cannot be more excellent than he is in Himself God cannot make Himself better than He is nor more glorious in Himself than He is Therefore no creature can make him more than he is all that all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth can do for God can ad nothing to him In Nehem. 9. 5. He is exalted saith the text above all blessing and praise Yet then God accounts Himself to be exalted First When he is known and acknowledged for the High Supream First being of all things when we fear Him as a God when we humble our selves before him as before a God when we are sensible of the infinite distance there is between him and us when we are willing to lay down what we are or have or can do for the furtherance of his praise when his Will is made the Rule of all our waies and especially of his Worship when we make him the last end of all when 't is the great care of our souls and work of our lives to do what possibly we can that he might be magnified lifted up in the world and when we account the least sin a greater evil than can be recompenced by all the good that Heaven and Earth can afford unto us and now God accounts Himself exalted by us And this is the Work that all of us have to do to give up our selves to the exalting of the Name of this blessed God He is worthy so worthy of honor from us creatures that though ten thousand millions of Men and Angels should perish eternally for the furtherance of the least degree of his honor he is worthy of it all so high is this God and therefore know it to be our work to endeavor in our places to exalt him and blessed is that man or woman that when they are to die are able to say Oh Lord thou hast been high in my heart thy Wisdom I have adored and submitted mine unto it thy Will I have honored and yeelded mine likewise to it and it hath been the great care of my soul that I might do somthing in my place to lift up thy Name according as I have been able I say thou maiest go out of the world in peace as having done in some measure that thou camest into the world for Oh! you whom God hath exalted let it be your care to exalt this God and especially the Saints of the Lord know God hath exalted you on high and expects that you should lift up his Name he hath lifted up you out of the depth of miserie from the nethermost Hell he hath joyned you to his Son he hath made you one with his Son He hath loved you with the same love wherewith he loveth his Son he hath made you Heirs Co-heirs with his own Son he hath given his Angels to be ministring Spirits to you he hath made it his great design to honor himself in your eternal good the greatest work that God hath to do in the world it is the honoring himself in your Glory he hath prepared a Crown of glory for you Oh then do you joyn together to exalt the Name of this God who hath lifted up you who were such poor vile worms let the high praises of this God be in your hearts and mouths for ever in Psal 108. 4. Thy mercy is great above the Heavens and thy truth reacheth unto the Clouds mark what follows in the 5. verse Be thou exalted O God above the Heavens and thy Glory above all the Earth Oh Lord we see thy mercy is exalted above the Heavens and thy truth
thing that thou pleadest mercy is pleading already and mercy carries on those arguments with a great deal more strength than thou art able to do but it takes it well at thy hand to present any to it Thou art loth to perish and God is as loth thou shouldest perish if God give thee a heart to come to him to stop wrath thou comest to him to do a work exceeding acceptable to him 't is as acceptable to God such a work as it can be acceptable unto thee when thou apprehendest Judgment ready to be executed look up to mercy it may 〈◊〉 the holy Ghost may raise an act of faith and this act of faith will set bowels on work the bowels of God are very ready to work That which is very ready to work a little thing will set it on work I say Gods bowels are very ready to work in the waies of grace and mercy towards sinners and the least act of faith in that mercy would certainly set bowels on work a main Mercy calls thee to help Mercy hath been pleading a great while and Justice pleading Mercy calls thee in to help and assist her to plead for thee and who knows but the casting voice staies for thy coming in though there hath been pleadings in Gods heart yet the dispensations of God may be such as the casting voice shall not come till thy pleadings be come in and then the business may be determined as it was here The Tenth Observation is this Oh consider the different dealings of the Father with his Son let our Meditations be raised from this Doth the bowels of God thus work towards poor sinners pleading for them when wrath is ready to be executed then we may here see the great difference between Gods dealings with his Saints and with his Son When God comes to deliver his people these that he had relation to where he had some of his Saints and for their sakes he speaks this he saith How shall I deliver thee We do not find that God said so concerning his Son God did deliver up his Son unto wrath without a How shall I do it yea the Heart of God was in it there 's no such expression of reluctancie about this work but the Scripture saith that it pleased God to bruise him It pleased him well it was an act that pleased God to bruise his Son Indeed it was for glorious ends that he had in it why so God might have ends enough for to bring forth his glory in our bruising but yet notwithstanding any ends that he might bring about he saith How shall I do it God doth not delight to grieve the children of men but God did grieve his Son he bruised him and it pleased him to bruise him You shall find such an expression in Isa 53. and in Psal 40. In the volumn of the book it is written of me that I should do thy will It was the will of God that Christ should come and suffer what he did when Ephraim was bemoaning himself Góds bowels were troubled within him he doth let the rod fall out of his hand in Jer. 31. 19 20. When Ephraim was bemoaning himself mark how Gods bowels there works but the Scripture saith That God did not spare his Son God would spare Ephraim Jesus Christ did bemoan himself when he cried out If it be possible let this Cup pass from me and Oh God my God why hast thou forsaken me Oh what a bemoaning of himself was this and yet in Rom 8. 32. God spared not his own Son he did not spare him notwithstanding all the moans that he made unto him but he delivered him up Here we reade of the repentings of God that are kindled and divers times in Scripture of Gods repenting of the execution of Justice upon sinners but when he speaks of Chist I have made him a Priest for ever that is so as he should be a Sacrifice both the Priest to offer and the Sacrifice its self in Heb. 7. 21. The Lord sware and will not repent Oh certainly it was from this work of God the delivering up of his Son that the Lord hath such working of bowels towards sinners when wrath comes to be executed to say How shall I give thee up Yet further If the heart of God doth thus work towards sinners when they are ready to be given up yea towards those that are very evil for so these were Their hearts bent to back-sliding Hence then we may learn That the State of the Saints that walk close with God must needs be very secure If the Lord deals thus with rebellious Sons what will he do with a Son that serves him that walks close with him though a Son very vile very sinful yet there is a how shall I give thee up Oh then thou whose conscience witnesses of thy sincere endeavor in walking close with God continually know that thy estate must needs be secure Yea further if this be so Surely whensoever God delivers up his own people to any judgments there 's some great matter in it some great matter in it for never doth any affliction come unto them but it breaks through many reasonings of Gods heart God intends some great matter Doth judgment begin at the house of God It is because the Lord hath some great intents to bring forth it is not because the Lord takes pleasure in the moans of his people in the sorrows and sufferings of his Servants but it is because he intends some great things for certainly these bowels of compassion would not let such sore and grievous evils pass if there were not some great ends and purposes of God to bring about And yet further hence observe The difference between the day of patience and the times of wrath for the sakes of those that were godly here Gods patience speaks thus towards the body of the People and so was patient and long-suffering towards them There is a time that God wile laugh at the destruction of sinners and he will mock when their fear cometh when he will execute his wrath and be comforted as the Scripture speaks There is a time indeed when God saith How shall I give them up but there is another time wherein God doth give forth the wine of his wrath The Wine it doth delight the Lord as Wine doth unto a man when indignation shall be as Wine to God then mercy and patience shall hold their peace for they have then their glory already they will never speak more but turn over the sinner unto Justice yea pleads unto Justice against the sinner And then lastly Seeing that God comes off thus when he is about the letting out of wrath making such stops as he doth then surely we should not hasten Judgment against our selves but let us make use of these dealings of God for the breaking of our hearts and causing them to return unto him let not us assist Justice
And that expression of God here My heart is turned it is not only to note according as I see several Interpreters go that God doth change the sentence of his wrath yet without any change in Gods Nature for the same God working upon divers objects works in a diverse way without any change in himself so that though there were those things that might have produced wrath and reasoning for it and God speaking after the manner of men as it were inclinations to it yet upon such considerations it should not be and though this would be a change in man yet God is infinitly above us and we are not able to know his Nature this is without any change in him But I think the words besides that it specially hath another scope and that is to note the strong affections as it were in God for so in all this we must speak of him after the manner of men to note the strong affections that there were in the heart of God as now We know that strong affections in us whether they be affections of Love or of Joy or of Anger They carry the heart along with them and cause very strong motions in the heart I 'le give you one Scripture that hath this very phrase that will shew you the meaning is not Turned within me that is in a way of change so much as to note strong motions that there are in the heart of God towards sinners Lam. 1. 20. there the Church is lamenting for her sin and expressing the mighty workings of heart that she did feel in her self by reason of her sin and of her affliction and you have there the same expression that you have here I am in distress my bowels are troubled mine heart is turned within me The meaning is not there that I am changed in my heart so as I am turned from my sin But My heart is turned within me that is I find a mighty moving in my heart through the mighty workings of it and the strong affections of my heart as we say sometimes You make my heart to leap in my belly or pant or ach within me Any kind of strong affections makes strong stirrings in the heart So 't is here My heart is turned within me I find mighty strong motions and stirrings in my heart The Notes First When there are strong movings of the heart of a penitent after God such an one may be very well encouraged to come to God for there are strong motions in Gods heart after him My heart is turned there are mighty strong movings in my heart for mercy to you do you find such movings in your hearts as you never were acquainted withal before before your hearts lay dead and dull and nothing would stir your hearts and now you find your hearts mightily stirring and working Doth your hearts work strongly towards God be encouraged in those stirrings there are as strong stirrings in Gods heart towards sinners And then secondly Let arguments to obedience for God cause stirrings in our hearts let them not lie dead and dull in us As Arguments for mercy Oh! how stirring are they in Gods heart If any argument for mercy towards finners be propounded the heart of God mightily stirs Oh! what arguments do you meet withal coming from the Word many times that one would think might work upon the heart of a Devil to draw to obedience and yet your hearts lie dead and dull under all those powerful arguments Oh! how unsutable are your hearts to God! Do you expect that Gods heart should work strongly towards you to do you good and yet nothing stir in you And then Thirdly My heart turned within me we must not cast out wholly the sence that 's given of it Turned in respect of the revoking of the sentence The Note is When we have resolutions strong resolutions to that that 's evil let us not think it too much to have our hearts turned to recall our thoughts and our determinations and our strong inclinations Many times men have strong resolutions to a thing and they see arguments that might turn them but only this They have resolved and they are loth to change their thoughts and resolutions Oh! take heed of this for God expresses himself after the manner of men there have been many times strong resolutions to have destroyed thee eternally but the Lord doth that which man would do when he changes his resolutions though there be no change in Gods Nature and he would by expressing himself after this manner to us hold forth this Note That we should take heed we stand not upon our resolutions when there are arguments to the contrary but be willing to have it known that now we are otherwise than before we were My repentings are kindled together Surely God repents not as man doth But you know the answer of Divines viz. That his administrations are such as if he did repent But the word here translated Repenting comes from root that signifies as well Comfort as Repentance noting that Repentance and Comfort are very neer a kin one to another as the Hebrews express Sin and Punishment with the same word so they express Repentance and Comfort with the same word My Repentings are kindled My bowels yern within me so that expression you have in Gen. 43. 30. Josephs bowels did yern within him And 1 Kings 9. 26. The mother of the child when she saw it would be cut pieces her bowels yerned the word yerned there is the same here with kindled her bowels kindled within her she found a heat in her bowels They are kindled together Whatsoever might cause any Repentings they all come together they lie glowing at the heart The Notes are these Three First Here 's mighty encouragement for prayer when we present arguments to God for mercy to think that those arguments we present and all other that possibly may be presented they lie glowing at Gods heart they lie glowing warm at the heart of God they are not only before God but there they lie as a company of sticks that are gotten together and so glow and are ready to flame out so all considerations that any way may serve to do good unto the Saints they do lie glowing at the heart of God altogether It may be sometimes we come in prayer alas we are straightned in our own bowels perhaps we cannot express our selves it may be but in one or two particulars we are able to express and that which comes out of our hearts comes very cold but when we are straigtned in our own bowels and can express but little for our selves and if we see such as belongs to Gods Covenant we must know that all considerations that possibly men and Angels can express that may do thee good they are all with God and are in a heat in Gods heart I do not know such a full expression as this is of Repentings kindled kindled together
Then Secondly Let us gather as many arguments as we can to cause repentance and lay them together and never leave working them upon our hearts till we find them kindled Surely there 's all the reason for it in the world Doth the Lord gather all together that may be for our good and lay them upon his heart and there keep them to his heart till they kindle and work powerful workings upon his heart for good to us then when we would repent for there 's reason that we should repent as well as expect that God should for us we should be gathering all arguments that possibly can be and never leave till we find them kindled and warm at our hearts Oh! many of you at some times you have one argument that sticks at your hearts and at another time there 's another at such a time there was some one truth darted in and it took your hearts and you would say as those that went to Emaus Did not we find our hearts burn within us so you found Truths coming in at such a Sermon and at another and another yea but now could you get but all those arguments that ever God did dart into you to waies of repentance could you but get them together and work them upon your hearts and never leave till they be kindled and be crying to God as Elisha did till he got fire to come from Heaven to consume the Sacrifice Oh Lord my heart hath a deal of waterie stuff in it that will not kindle till the fire of the holy Ghost come to kindle these arguments and make them to burn Oh! if it were with us as David in Psal 39. 31. saith he While I was musing my heart was hot within me and the fire burned so we should go into our closets and be gathering all things together that we can to work upon our hearts and continue mufing till we find the fire burning within us Nay our hearts heat so as to break forth with our tongues and even to say from our souls Well the Lord is God it is he that is worthy for ever to be feared and honored and serv'd I have lived like a base and sinful wretched creature without a God in the world but it 's the Lord that is God that is worthy to be honored from my Bodie and Soul and Estate and Name and Liberty and Life and whatsoever I am or can do now if it would break forth in such a resolution how excellent would it be Oh! let us be humbled I beseech you for the coldness of our hearts that nothing can kindle there What a damp is there upon our spirits that when any argument is laid it goes out presently We have Truths laid upon us when we come to the Word but our dampie hearts quenches them all they do not kindle many are wittie enough to gather arguments for sin and lay them upon their hearts and so to kindle wickedness in their hearts as in Psal 41. 6. you have a notable Scripture there of wicked men that came to David They gathered iniquity in their hearts all things that might sute with their wicked hearts and for the furtherance of their ungodly waies they gathered them together for the encouraging and strengthening of them in their evil waies But it should be the care of the Saints to gather all things that might further repentance in them That 's the reason why wicked men are so hot in that that 's evil They gather arguments together and hence it is that wicked men when they have been in wicked company they come from it so hot in their resolutions to sin Why because they have gathered a great deal together for the heating of their hearts in their sin and so should the Saints when they are together in a holy communion and fellowship they should be gathering one from another every one come and afford something to lay as it were to kindle the fire But how laying their light ends together and not their dead ends together And then the Third Note is this Our mercies to others should not be cold but burning Let us be merciful as our Heavenly Father is merciful That is Not only wishing good to others but let there be kindled mercies in our bowels that we may not be able to keep them in I suppose many of you especially of estates have had many thoughts that you would do this and this for such good uses and you see some reason why it should be so yea but now have these arguments burnt in your hearts so as to cause you to break forth into resolutions Well though I have had thoughts and inclinations to make use of my estate thus and thus yet I have been kept off but now they are kindled in my heart and I am resolved upon it Thus it was with God and let it be so with you And thus much for the Eighth Verse The Ninth follows VER 9. I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger I will not execute the burning of mine anger so the words are IT 's true your sins and arguments against you did lie at my heart and did even burn it but I will not execute that I will execute the kindling of my mercy but not the kindling of mine anger Mark the several phrases Bowels was kindled in way of mercy and Wrath was kindled there was burning Wrath and burning Mercy but that which prevails It is the burning Mercy that prevails I will not execute the burning of mine anger why For I have kindlings of mercy in my bowels But how was this true Was not Israel carried into captivity and continued there many yeers and never yet returned again as some think and when they were carried into captivity for three yeers together there was a siege at the City and yet God saith here He will not execute the sierceness of his anger For the Answer That which before was said will give sufficient answer to it How shall I make thee as Admah and Zeboim that is though God did suffer them to be carried away captive and their enemies prevail'd against them yet he did not make them as Admah and Zeboim though There was not the fierceness of Gods anger the Burning of the anger of God out against them And the Lord had even in their carrying into Captivity yet he had respect to his Elect Ones and hath to this very day an intention to do them good afterwards And so we shall find in the next verse that there is a promise of the returning from their Captivity and therefore though they were for a long time to continue in Captivity yet still God did not execute the fierceness of his anger Sin indeed stirs up anger and fierce anger in God The Septuagint translate the words thus I will not do according to the anger of my wrath that is in extremity I will not do thus with you
God would but discover unto the world unto all your neighbors what he is able to charge you of how loathsom would many of you appear to your neighbors how unfit would you be to trade with men or who would meddle with you if I say God should open to the world all that he is able to charge you of Now certainly your condition is not the better because it is kept so secretly that men cannot charge you but perhaps it would be better if they could for it might bring you sooner to be humbled for it you think now because you have only to deal with God you can do well enough with him Do you think it such a matter to deal with the infinite holy and glorious God! Indeed Servants would be troubled if their Masters should know their deceipt and cozening but if a little child knew it they care not for that so men think it is no matter for the knowledge of God but they are loth that men should know it that will bring shame and disgrace unto them Oh! carnal wicked Athiestical heart that canst not be satisfied if men know the evil but can be satisfied well enough though God knows it A Sixth Note is A carnal heart lessens his sins that he commits Indeed the words may carry it Who shall find iniquity in me If they could find it I would acknowledg it to be a great sin But I rather take it thus Who shall find iniquity in me that were any great matter Both these waies I find Interpreters carry it It is but a little over-reaching a little craft and cunning the matter is not great Well that which thou accountest little the Lord will account great another day the over reaching thy brother the defrauding thy borther though it be but a slight of hand God will find it to be a great matter one day if God were but humbling thy heart and doing good to thy soul Thou wouldest rather aggravate thy sin that 's in the way of a true Convert he labors rather to aggravate his sin to bring all the circumstances he can to make his sin heavie upon his soul Oh! I find I cannot get my heart to break for my sin I cannot apprehend the evil of my sin as I would in the greatness of it and therefore Oh! that God would help me to see the greatness of it he studies all the circumstances that he can to make his sin great in his own eyes but now a heart that is not wrought upon to a work of Repentance all that he labors for it is to lessen his sin and to have all the reasonings that he can in a way of deminution of his sin Oh! this is an ill sign It is a very ill sign That a man stands it out as long as he can 2. When he can stand out no longer than he falls a lessening It is no more than others do and how should I maintain my family and I hope men may make the best of what they have Oh! If the Lord once shew thee the evil of sin all these reasonings will vanish before thee and thou wilt fall down and humble thy self before God as one worthy for ever to be cast out from the presence of God for in this that thou darest not trust in him thou seekest to Hell to provide for thy self and family rather than thou wilt depend upon God And then the last Note is this That if men can but scape the danger of Law that they cannot be sued there 's all that they care for Who shall find iniquity in me that were sin That is by the Law Oh how many are there that you may easily convince them that they have been very false you speak to their consciences yea but what 's that can you take your advantage Take your advantage if you can say they Now if it were not for Atheism in mens hearts it would be the greatest advantage of all that a man is able to charge his conscience What witness have you for such a thing I have your conscience Oh they are glad of that if they hear that you have no other witness then they think they can do well enough Now that 's an argument of Atheism in mens hearts that they think they are well enough whatsoever they do when Law cannot take hold on them Well there is a Court of Conscience to sue thee in and Justice will sue thee in that Court and cast thee one day though mans Law cannot It follows VER 9. And I that am the Lord thy God from the Land of Egypt will yet make thee to dwell in Tabernacles as in the daies of the solemn feast THe dependance is this You say you are grown rich by those sinful waies of yours I am grown rich I have found substance You think now you have no need of me you have found substance other waies and I am forgotten by you but you should remember that I am the Lord your God and that God that brought you out from the Land of Egypt there was a time when you had need of me there was a time when you knew not what to do without my help when you were in great affliction then I delivered you with a mighty hand you should remember those old mercies of mine Oh! but you are ungrateful you do not think what I have done for you in bringing you out of the Land of Egypt If I be the same God still why might not you live upon me and receive as much good from me as others You wil go and seek to shift for your selves by false waies and forsake me Aâ—â— not I the Lord that God that brought you out of the Land of Egypt Have not I by what I have done for you shown plainly to you that you might aswel provide for your selves by me as by any other God by my waies aswel as by any other waies that you take Can any God work for you so as I have done Is there that good to be got in those waies of sin as there is in mine I am the Lord thy God from the Land of Egypt not only at that time delivering of you but ever since providing for you graclously preserving of you doing you good many waies from the time that I have been a God to you and yet you do thus wretchedly forsake me In all your straits I have helped you in all your necessities I have supplied you in all your difficulties I have relieved you in all your distresses I have delivered you in all you burdens I have eased you everie way of my providence hath been gracious to you from the verie time of your coming out of the Land of Egypt how did I provide for you in the wilderness after by Judges raising you up Kings And I am the Lord thy God from the Land of Egypt The Observation is First When men prosper in a sinful way they forget what God
above all but saith Samuel Though you have sinned yet do not depart from the Lord Yet there is hope in Israel concerning this thing as in Ezra 10. God sees that if there be not hope men will grow desperate in their wickedness Jer. 2. 25. They said there was no hope and therefore they would go on still Oh! it 's good for sinners to see there may be hope And Gods Ministers when they have to deal with sinners though very wicked yet to give them some line of hope to catch at though they be even drown'd in their Covetousness in the world and in their guiltiness yet to cast a line of hope there is nothing reveal'd to the contrary but there may yet be possibility for thy sonl at length to be saved Oh! let men take heed of dispa 〈…〉 g determining conclusions against themselves It 's not the greatness of any sin that can be ground enough for a desperate determining conclusion for any man or woman to say God wil never shew mercy I say there 's no greatness of sin there 's no circumstances to aggravate that can be ground enough for thee to say God will never shew mercy it is a proud sullen desperate spirit of thine to make such conclusions thou maiest indeed and thou oughtest to say It were just with God not to shew mercie the Lord might justly cast me out of his sight but to say That he will not shew mercie it 's more than thou or any Angel in Heaven can say therfore O wretched sinful guilty Consciences and especially you that have been Apostats that have forsaken God and his Truths yet return return O return thou Shulamite thou maiest possibly find God as merciful to thee as ever he was there 's hope of mercy for thee still and if thou doest perish eternally it will rather be for some sin to come than for any past If God let thee live if God let thee live to night I say thou wilt rather perish for the sins cōmitted this moment than for all the sins committed in all thy life time before But now for thy continuance in Impenitency that 's a new sin for thy continuing in rejecting the Grace of God for thy continuing in thy unbeleef this indeed may cause God to bring over again all thy former sins and reckon for them Oh! this Consideration might draw the hearts of the wretchedest wicked sinner to God Is it so that it is not for any sins that have been past that I am like to perish but if I perish I shall perish for continuing rather in evil than for what evil I have committed Oh! the Lord forbid then that I should continue let me this day make a stop in evil The Lord would have hopes of mercie cast to wicked and vile sinners And let us be merciful as our Heavenly Father is merciful That is Let servants and children that have offended you let them see that upon their returning they shall find as much favor from you as ever they did sometimes Governors when they are provok'd behave themselves so ridgedly towards them that it makes them even desperate God deals not so with you do not you deal so with your inferiors And as God shews himself not to be changed but wil be the same towards this people as ever he was in goodness and so it beseems us to be that if we have shewn respect anie way to other either in speeches or otherwise if they appear to be what they were it beseems us to be towards them as then let them but appear to be what they were when such respect were shown to them and according to the example of God it beseems us to shew our selves to them again and again to what we then did I that am the Lord thy God from the Land of Egypt will yet make thee to dwell in Tabernacles That 's another Note The Consideration of what God hath done should help our faith in beleeving what yet he will do he that hath delivered us thus far may he not deliver us further I am the Lord that hath delivered you from Egypt Oh! let us make use of what God hath done for us to help our faith in confidence of him for doing further The truth is God hath done so much for England as there is not more to be done than hath been done and if there be but as much of the Power Goodness and Mercie of God towards us for the next five or six yeers ' as hath been for these last six years ecrtainly it will be as glorious a Nation as ever was upon the face of the earth it will be the beginning of the new Jerusalem if God should continue so as he hath done And why may not the Lord that hath brought us out of Egypt bring us to rejoyce as in the feast of Tabernacles And so Spiritually God who at first did enlighten thy mind brought thee from Egyptian darkness Certainly that God he is able to do as great things for thee still and to finish the work for thee How many are there that though they have found Gods mighty hand upon them in giving a turn to their hearts and bringing them out of the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquitie and yet at any time when they feel but their corruptions a little stirring Oh they are readie to think that they shall perish one day by the hand of those corruptions When we were enemies were we not reconcil'd to him God hath struck the deadly wound to it he hath mortified thee and the truth is consider but of this I say there is not more to be done to bring thee to Heaven thou that hast the least degree of Grace than God hath alreadie done by giving thee the least measure of grace he hath made a greater alteration in thy estate from one that is in an estate of nature than the alteration will be from thy Conversion to the height of glorie that alteration wil not be so much neither will it require such a great Power of God to make thee a glorious Saint in Heaven as it did require to make thee of one that was a child of wrath to be a child of God thou hast the better half and the most eminent power of God is put forth alreadie for our change from Grace to Glorie will be but gradual but our change from Nature to Grace it is Total and therefore let thy faith be helped from what God hath done to beleeve what he will do I will yet make thee to dwell in Tabernacles Divers Learned men carrie this I will yet make thee to dwell in Tabernacles to be a Promise of their return from captivity that they must again in the Land of Jewry keep the Feast of Tabernacles I confess were this a Promise to Judah I should think it to be the meaning of it but because it is to Israel who
any wild Beasts whatsoever there is that in my wrath if you escape one wild beast another shall tear you and that 's the reason that the Bear is added to the Lyon and the Leopard because the Bear runs up a tree so much which the others do not and now he comes to all wild Beasts put them all together and my wrath is as fierce as them And this is one excellent meditation from hence That put all the dreadfulness of all creatures in the world together and all that it is in the wrath of God As put all the good things that are in all creatures together all this is in the Love and Mercy of God so put al things that any way may bring any torments or tortor to us and the quintessence of all this is in Gods wrath The wild Beasts shall tear them Lyra thinks that this Prophesie was fulfill'd when they were carried captive and in their journey many died and so they were cast into fields and devoured by wild Beasts and it 's likely it may be fulfill'd in part so as usually when Soldiers carry an Enemy captive Why if they be sick let them die and if they die throw them into a ditch there 's all they care for them and so it was with this people that the Lord though he knew them in the wilderness and his protection was over them yet now to forget them and lets them be carried into captivity and cast to wild beasts and so their carkasses was torn And some think that the expression of Gods wrath by these Beasts hath reference to the four Monarchies which God would make use of to be very terrible to his Saints In Dan. 7. you shall find the four Monarchies of the world the Babylonian the Persian the Grecian and Roman Monarchies set forth in the same manner as here the holy Ghost sets out the wrath of God against Israel for the truth is Those things that we have here in Hosea were to set forth Gods waies to his people in after-times not only when they were to be carried captive In Dan. 7. 3. there appeared four great Beasts the first li 〈…〉 Lyon by which was signified the Babylonish Empire the second like a Bear by that the Persian the third like a Leopard and that 's the Graecian for Alexander was as a Leopard exceeding swift all his exploits he did in twelve yeers he was but thirty three yeers old when he died And moreover they observe of the Leopard which hath the name from a Panther that it smels exceedingly the very body of it smels sweet above all Beasts and so it doth invite the Beasts to it and so it was said of Alexanders body that it had a sweet smell with it And then the fourth being the Roman Empire mark how that 's set out just as Gods sets out his wrath he doth not name any particular Beast but the wild Beast this is dreadful terrible and strong exceedingly and it had great iron teeth it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped the residue with the feet of it and it was diverse from al the beasts that was before it and it had ten horns you know now that that was divided into ten Kingdoms or ten sorts of Civil Governments at several times This is the Roman Empire the power of whom Antichrist was to have by both whom the Lord would exercise his people and be very terrible to his people especially those people of his that were Apostatizing people that would worship him according to their own waies God would be thus terrible to them where ever they lived under any of the former Empires they should have God either as a Lyon a Leopard a Bear or like this dreadful Creature at the last unto them Oh but you will say Why do you speak thus Or it may be people would speak thus to the Prophet Oh why do you speak of God in this terrible manner Is not our God a gracious God and a merciful God why then will you render God thus terrible Why saith the Prophet then comes in VER 9. O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self but in me is thy help OH do not find fault with the dreadfulness of God that God appears thus dreadful to you and do not you blame the Ministers of God that they do render God in this dreadful manner before you though it 's true that God appears in a way ready to destroy you bu 〈…〉 the Lord yet is infinite holy and blessed and a God of mercy and goodness in himself O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self thou maiest thank thy self for all this 〈◊〉 many of you when you hear the terrors of God set before you perhaps your hearts rise against them and your spirits do exceedingly distast such things as those are and why do Ministers make God appear to be so terrible to people when as he is such a merciful and gracious God Oh! rather lay thine hand upon thine own heart and say God indeed is thus gracious and merciful but it 's through my wickedness that makes God appear so terrible the judgments of God are call'd strange things it 's because that God hath not such delight in the execution of wrath in appearing like a Lyon a Leopard and a Bear It 's that that pleases the heart of God to appear as a Father to do good to his people Oh! but thou hast destroyed thy self And this is a main point indeed that sinful people should charge themselves with all the evil that doth befall them they destroy themselves Oh! this it is that will be the aggravation of mens judgments another day that they are the cause of all the evils they suffer You may think to put it off to God and say Oh how dreadful is Gods Justice but God knows how to put off all upon your selves and the destruction of sinners will appear to be from themselves and God will cleer it up to all the World before Men and Angels and will cleer it up unto their Consciences The damn'd in Hell shall not be able to speak against Gods Justice at all but they shall be forced to charge themselves with all the evil that is upon them Oh! it was through this wretched and vile wicked heart of mine God was not wanting to me in any means of good but I had a rebellious heart and I have brought all this evil upon my self I have destroyed my self O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self Destroyed himself did not God in the words imme 〈…〉 〈◊〉 before say that he would meet him as a Bear that is bereaved of her Whelps and would rend the Caul of their hearts and would be as a Lyon to them and a Leopard and yet O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self Though God execute severe wrath and makes use of instruments of wrath against a people yet their destruction is to be attributed to themselves