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heart_n	foot_n	head_n	loin_n	3,713	5	15.3231	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77979	An exposition with practical observations continued upon the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of the prophesy of Hosea· Being first delivered in several lectures at Michaels Cornhil London. By Jeremiah Burroughs. Being the fifth book, published by Thomas Goodwyn, William Greenhil, Sydrach Simson William Bridge, John Yates, William Adderly.	Burroughs, Jeremiah, 1599-1646.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.	1650 (1650)	Wing B6070; Thomason E588_1; ESTC R206293	515,009	635

it our consciences would have upbraided us the generation to come would have cursed us the Nations about us and our very enemies would have scorned us and derided us for our base cowardliness for our sordid spirits for an unworthy generation that should see it self and posterity sinking into misery and brought under slavery and out of base fear and sluggish litherness of spirit and effeminate softness should suffer all to be brought into bondage to the humors and lusts of a few men We can therefore with comfort and boldness stand at Gods Tribunal and plead the uprightness of our hearts and justness of our cause in this Controversie whatever becomes of it But in the controversie that God hath against us there we fall down at his feet and acknowledg our selves guilty before him yea we come with sackcloath upon our loins and ashes on our heads with ropes on our necks and plead only mercy for our lives And this is the work that we have to do in all the daies of our humiliation to seek to make an Atonement between God and our souls and the Land in regard of that dreadful controversie he hath against us Now blessed God because thou tellest us in thy word Because I WILL do this therefore prepare to meet thy God O Israel Thou threatnest hard great and sore evils and thou callest now to us because Thou wilt do this England O England prepare to meet God We come Oh that this might be our answer we come Lord and meet thee with our souls bowed towards thee with our hearts bleeding that we have provothee to cause so much bloodshed of our brethren amongst us O Lord our hearts are open to thee and with trembling spirits we cry to the Lord what wilt thou have us do If thou proceedest against us in thy controversie we are undone we are undone Oh Lord forgive Oh Lord arise and be merciful we beseech thee for by whom shall Jacob rise for he is small by whom shall the people arise by whom shall the power of godliness and thine Ordinances be maintained How happy were we think some if the controversie between the King and us were at an end that we might have peace Oh if the people were happy that were in such a case how happy the people that were at peace with the King of Heaven If the controversie between God and us were at an end we should be happie indeed The Lord and the Land is at a controversie and this controversie makes us cry out unto God but yet wo unto us here is the misery we yet keep our sins that make the controversie Jer. 35. Will the Lord reserve his anger for ever will he keep it unto the end Mark what the answer is Behold thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest Thus you have said but what is the fruit of this You have done evil as you could We in the daies of our Fasts cry Lord wilt thou reserve thine anger for ever wilt thou keep it unto the end Behold thus we speak but yet we continue to do evil as we can Isa 59.9 We looked for light saith the text but behold obscuritie for brightness but we walk in darkness we grope for the wall like the blind We indeed grope as if we had no eyes and we stumble at noon day as if it were night Men to this day are ready to cry out and say what shal we do as if the way were not cleer before us what we should do The way is cleer enough if we had hearts but we grope as if we had no eyes and we stumble at noon day as in the night In many places of the Kingdom they roar out as bears and they have cause to do so For they are miserably spoiled their wives ravished their houses plundered themselves imprisoned and for the rest of us we mourn like doves night and day and we look for judgment and there is none and for salvation but it is far from us Mark what follows For our transgressions are multiplied before thee there is the ground of al the controversie between God and us and as for our sins they testify against us and our trangressions are with us Surely my Brethren God is willing to be at peace with England again the controversy is great and sore yet we may confidently speak that the Lord is yet willing to be at peace with England and the sufferings of England go as neer the heart of God as ours Oh that we knew then what it is that is the great make-bate between God and us that we might get rid of it Would you know it 2. Sam. 20.21 saith Joab there Deliver us Sheba the son Bichri and we will depart from the Citie and go every one unto his tent If amongst us Delinquents were punished as they ought if the hearts of people were prepared to have the remainders of superstition and Idolatry cast out if they were willing to receive Jesus Christ as King among them the sound of retreat would soon be heard the controversie would soon be at an end and except this be the foundation of our peace either there will be no peace at all or it will not hold long In our raising of forces therefore to help our selves and our brethren seing we pretend we will do more than before and it is time we should if we be not a people destinated to destruction and ruine be sure we begin here let us do more than ever we did before to make up this controversie with God It is reported of Achior one of Holopherness his Captains that he counselled Holopherness to enquire first whether the Jews had offended their God before he attempted to make war against them for if they had he then assured him that that would be their ruine and he might go up and overcome them but if he could not hear that they had sinned against their God it was in vain for him to strive against them Truly it concerns us neerly to make up our peace with God that when our adversaries come out against us they may not indeed be made use of to avenge Gods quarrel upon us for then they will easily improve all their advantages this way and say indeed that they are not come out against us without the Lord Every victory they now get they are ready to please themselves in this and say that God fighteth against us and God approveth them they tell us the reason they prevail is because God is against us and so we know Rabshekah did though a foul railer yet saith he Are we come up without the Lord And the enemies of David Psalm 71.12 Mine enemies have said God hath forsaken him now persecute and take him for there is none to deliver him Thus they will be ready to say upon any occasion now the Lord hath left them now let us take them And certainly if the Lord should suffer them to prevail many of them would think

controverse into his own hand to contend with them in a way of judgment It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hand of the living God You think Ministers are hard they preach terrible things but if you have to deal with God immediately if he should not speak to you by man but come himself and plead with you you would find it harder to deal with him When Jobs friends were pleadi●g with him he could easily make his part good with them but Chap 38. ver 1 2. God himself comes and speaks out of the whirlwind Who is he that darken●th counsel by words without knowledg and so goes on in a chapter or two Chap. 42. ver 5. Job falleth down now and saith I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eye s●eth thee wherefore I abhor my self and repent in dust and as●es Psal 130.3 is a notable scripture for this purpose If thou Lord shouldest mark iniquity Oh Lord who should stand Mark the words how Lord is twice here repeated it would have been full sense thus If thou Lord shouldst mark iniquity who shall stand There would have been a mighty emphasi● in the word Jehovah who shall stand for it is thou oh Jehovah but it comes in again to Note that herein lies the Emphasis if thou Lord shouldst mark iniqity Oh Lord who shall stand This Oh Lord seems to be a pleonasme one would think that it breaks the sense but the scope is to shew that the sight of having to deal with God in our sins is very terrible If thou Lord ma●kest sin causes a dreadful controvercy between God and man then Oh Lord who shall stand But further that which is the main thing in this is That sin causeth a most dreadful controversie between God and the soul between God and a Nation For this God comes to strive to contend for his glory the siner strives contends against God It is God that is infinitely above the sinner who hath the controversie wi●h him Isa 45.9 Wo unto him that striveth with his Maker Let the pots●e●rds of the earth strive with the potsheards Yet thus doth every sinful impenitent soul and every sinful impenitent Nation they strive with their Maker The Lord is above them therefore to intimate the distance between God and us in this controversie saith the text The Lord hath a controversie with the inhabitants of the land poor earth-creeping creatures that have dwellings here below whose houses are h●uses of clay and God is the great God of Heaven and Earth The controversy that God hath with a sinner is a just controversie God ha h right on his side and the injury is great that is done unto him Thirdly It is a controversie that we have begun God did not begin it with us but we began it with him we have the worst of it Fourthly It is an old controversie a controversy of our forefather● a controversie that God hath had with one generation after another and we as a wretched generation stand forth to hold up the old controversy As in England in formertimes there hath been wars for hundreds of yeers as in the Barons wars and when one generation was gone the generation after stood forth to hold up that controversie so it hath been between God and man God hath had a controversy with the children of men ever since the fall of Adam and one generation after another hath stood forth to hold up the controversie and thou wretched sinner standest up in thy generation in thy place to hold up the controversie that mankind hath had with God since his calling out of Paradice Fiftly It is such a controversie as stirreth up all the Power all the Wrath of God against a sinner if God have any power in him it shall be put forth in making his cause good against a sinner Levit. 26. diver● places in that chapter If ye walk contrary unto me I will walk contrary unto you my Power my Wisdom all mine Attribu●es are against you A man that hath a controversy with another imployes and improves all the strength he hath against him that he is at controversy with This controversie is a deadly controversie it is such as strikes at our lives at our souls at our eternal e●●ates A controversy with God who is set upon it to h●ve satisfaction for all the wrong we have done to him he will have it one way or other Such a controversie as only the Lord Christ that great Mediator that great Peace-maker is able to make up None can reconcile God and a sinner but Christ God-Man He must stand before God to satisfie for the wrong the sin of man hath done unto him A controversie with him who hath thee at infinite advantage who hath thee under his feet and the point of the sword of his Justice is at thy heart A controversie that if thou look not to it is like to prove an everlasting controversie Psal 57.16 I will not contend for ever neither will I alwayes be wroth for the Spirit should fail before me This is spoken to those that are in Covenant with God in regard of the lesser controversies that after their reconciliation may be between God and them But with thee if not reconciled to God in Christ who art yet in the great controversie that God hath with sinful man I say if thou lookest not to it it may prove an everlasting controversie to thee Certainly God will overcome thee God will have the day of thee the Lord will overcome when he judgeth Julian strove a great while against the Lord but at length Vicisti Galilae vicisti he was forced to acknowledg with his blood cast up into the air The Lord hath overcome the Lord will overcome It is a vain thing for thee to stand out striving with this great God Job 40.2 Shall he that comendeth with the Almighty instruct him So it is translated in your books but according to the words in the Hebrew and so translated by Pagnin and others Is there any wisdom or any learning in contending with God any knowledge shewed in that No certainly there is no knowledge no wisdome no learning in contending with the Almighty Our greatest wisdome is to fall down to be humbled before the Lord. The Lord hath appointed a certain period for thy coming in to make up thy peace with him to satisfie him if thou neglectest that time thou art lost undone for ever My brethren this is no time to have any controversie with God to stand out against him in waies of enmity It is time now when such blackness of darkness is upon us even storms of blood hang over our heads It is time now I say however to be at peace with Heaven to make our peace with God Job 36.18 There is wrath beware therefore that he take thee not away with his stroke The Lord is come forth from his place he is pleading his cause and now

shame when he doth apparantly deny them success and that when they have most outward advantages for success The Saints shame is turned into glory but the wickeds glory is turned into shame When the Saints suffer any shame for God they can glory the Apostles they account it their honor they rejoyce that they were worthy to suffer that they had the honor to suffer dishonor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so the words in the propriety of them signifie they gloried that they bore about them the marks of the Lord Jesus Thus what the world accounts their shame is their glory Act. 5.41 and that which the world judgeth to be their glory is their shame But it is especially meant of the Priests for so the Prophet is speaking of them God will turn their glory into shame The Priests though they did reject the knowledg of God and their duty they never regarded to do that wherein the true glory of their office was That blessed knowledg of God that might have made them glorious indeed that was despised by them and the faithful administration of their office that was neglected by them Yet they would glory for all this they would bear it out as if they were THE men why they were countenanced at Court Obs they had good livings and they could lord it over their brethren and they gloried in that It is usual with wicked Priests if they can have but countenance from them that are in publick place and can have but estates and livings though they be never so negligent of their office and never so ignorant yet to glory How hath it been amongst us thus of late How have they carried their heads on high and accounted themselves the triumphant Church and all must be made to come under them The land was not able to bear the pride of Prelates and Prelatical men It is a speech of Cyprian Ambitio et superbia suaviter dormit in sinu Sacerdotum Cipr. de jejun c. Ambition and Pride doth sweetly sleep in the bosom of Priests And there are none indeed so much puffed up with vain pride as they are and as such as are most ignorant and do neglect that which is the true glory of their office God threatneth to turn their glory into shame that is the glory of their Priestly office for that I think especially to be the meaning of the words to cast shame and contempt upon the Priests And God doth take much delight in this to cast shame and contempt upon wicked Priests and Prophets therefore in Esa 9.15 God saith The Prophet that speaks lyes is the tail he speaks contemptibly of them And Malac. 2.9 There fore I will make them speaking of the Priests that had been partial in the Law and had not kept the waies of God base and contemptible before all the people And Rev. 3.16 I will spue them out of my mouth as loathsom And Mat. 5.13 When salt hath lost his favour it is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and to be troden under foot of men as a contemptible and vile thing Thus God casts shame upon wicked Priests So much for that seventh verse It follows Vers 8. They eat up the sin of my people and they set their heart on their iniquity THey eat up the sin of my people There is some difficulty in these words To eat up sin to eat up the sin of people what is that There is much in this to be learned The word here translated Sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Scripture hath three acceptions First It is used for that which is properly sin the transgression of Gods Law That I need not give you any Scripture for Secondly It is used for the punishment of sin He shall bear his sin his punishment of sin Christ was made sin And Thirdly It is used for the sacrifice that was offered for sin Levit. 10.17 why did you not eat the sin in the holy place so the words are to be read that is the sin offering The observation from hence by way of allusion at least that one hath is not to be neglected Audiant hoc sacerdotes c. Let Priests hear this They did not eat the sin-offering in the holy place Let those Priests that spend their time in playing in pleasures of the flesh in Taverns and make their houses to be very sinks of vice Let them hearken unto this They should eat the revenues they have by their Office in an holy place that is by way of Analogie and proportion their houses in which they spend the allowance they have for their office should be holy places for the offerings of the people were such as the Priests had in lciu of their office and they were to eat them in an holy place So Ministers now should eat their means they have coming in in holy places their houses should be Sanctuaries and not Taverns or stews or sinks of wickedness and sin But that by the way For the meaning here They eat up the sin of my people Where lies the Charg First here in that they did flatter them in their sin and so got advantage thereby Greg. Cur pecata poopuli comedere dicuntur nisi quia pecata deliquentium c. So Gregory hath it Why or how are they said to eat up the sin of people but because they do nourish the sins of those that are delinquents for their own advantage So all your Court-flatterers and others that flatter men in their sin for their own advantage they may be said to feed upon the sins of the people Secondly They eat the sins of the people in this regard Because they were negligent in their office and took all the profits the advantages that came in by their office but neglected their charge and so let people go on in their sin and cared not what became of them in that regard so that they might have their tythes and means coming in they cared not These Ministers may be said to live upon or to eat the sins of the people and to wear the sins of the people their very backs are covered and their tables spread with the sins of the people A Writer upon this place relates a story of one in Charles the fifths time a Prelate Ob hos cibes ego addicor gebenua poenis vos dapos that inviting his friends unto his house and preparing good cheer they did not eat of it What faith he wil you not eat of dainties that are bought at so dear a rate this meat which I have prepared for you and you wil not eat it is like to cost me the pains of hell He was convinced in his conscience of the neglect of his duty and so looked upon his very dyet that was on his table as the sins of his people and that which was like to cost him eternal misery But further to open it far more clearly They eat up the sins

It is a heavy judgment of God upon a people when the Saints shall let them alone Obser when they shall withdraw from them If God had any Saints in the world they were in Judah and saith God to these Saints of his let Israel alone and withdraw from them have nothing to do with them though they be your brethren and Countrey men yet let them alone Many wicked men they make nothing of this and say when as Gods people that are the most strict and holy and gracious shall withdraw from them and as heretofore they went out of the land because they saw it so defiled with superstitious vanities let them all go say they Applic. we are well rid of them And who knows but you may meet with such expressions before you die that you may have many that will be willing to be ●id of those that are most godly and gracious Well whatsoever men think and say let them know it is a dreadful curse of God upon a Nation for the Saints of God to withdraw and go from them for so God threatneth it as one of the most dreadful curses Judah let them alone have nothing to do with them so when God shall speak to his Saints that they shall withdraw from others of their brethren I say it is one of the most dreadful judgments of God upon a people whatever they think of it You know that expression that you have of the most fearful curse of God upon those that are wicked in the 1 Cor. 16.22 He that loves not the Lord Jesus let him be Anathema Maranatha Anathema let him be accursed Maran Atha opened but Maran-atha the meaning of that is the Lord cometh Maran it signifies the Lord in the Chaldee and Syriack therefore in Dan. 4.19 and Dan. 5.23 there that word is translated Lord My Lord the dram be to them that hate thee and Thou hast lifted up thy self against the Lord of Heaven the word is Mari there from whence that word Maran in the Syriack comes Daniel living in Chaldea used that phrase for the Lord And atha signifies to come Deut. 33.2 The Lord cometh with thousands of his Sains the word in the original there is atha * or you may take it as a Syriack word signifying to come So that you have in Scripture these two words Maran and atha what then is the meaning of that Let him be Anathema Maranatha That is thus when men shall forsake Christ and the waies of his worship after means have been used with them then Anathema Maranatha that is let all the Saints of God leave them to the coming of Jesus Christ let them alone do not meddle with them when you have used all means you can then withdraw your selves from them and leave them unto the coming of Christ and Christ will deal with them well enough Let them not only be excommunicated Use for some when they were excommunicated though the Saints withdrew themselves from them yet they sought to gain them again but some were so direfully excommunicated that they were to be let alone to the coming of Christ so when those that are godly shall first labour to deal with such as are wicked and ungodly by admonition and perswasion and counsel and they shall be refractory and stout and stubborn and be as swine to trample under feet those pearls or as dogs to turn again and rend them they are then to let them alone that is to let them alone to the coming of Jesus Christ and even in their own hearts say wel we see no means can do them any good Maranatha the Lord cometh and he shall deal with them himself when he comes Expos 2 Let them alone The Lord speaks to the Prophet as if he should say Hosea you can do n● good upon them it is in vain for you to meddle with Ephraim Let him alone Just as Christ gave order to his Disciples when he sent them forth to preach the Gospel that if any place rejected them they should go away and shake the dust off their feet it shall be a testimony against them saith he So saith God here to the Prophet let them alone spend not your strength any more upon them The exhortations that come from the Saints but especially from Ministers of the Gospel from Ministers of God be they what they will be they are pearls and precious things and God will not have them despised he will not have them spent in vain Obser therefore there is a time even for the Ministers of God to let people alone In Exod 33.7 we reade that when the people had notoriously sinned against God Moses took the Tabernacle of the Congregation and pitched it without the Camp he went away from the people and did separate from them till they did repent and would not come amongst them he took the Tabernacle and went away from the Camp at a great distance from them more than ordinary So there is a time even for the Ministers of God to hold their peace and let people alone Use Many people think they are troubled with Ministers and they could wish they would let them alone why do they trouble us we were quiet enough before they came we would they would let us alone There are many guilty consciences that cannot come to a powerful Ministry but they find that the Minister hath in every Sermon to do with them and he will not let them alone in their wicked waies and this troubleth them and they had rather be let alone had you so It is one of the most dreadful judgments in the world for God to say let such a Ministry let a man alone It may be some of you may be weary of the faithful Ministers of God you may be rid of them perhaps God may take them away and you may be let alone but yet know it is the brand of Gods wrath upon you Thirdly This letting alone it shews that God himself Expos 3 would let them alone too it is an evidence of Gods rejection of this people simile It is as if a father that had used means to reclaim a rebellious child and he regards nothing that is said at length saith the father let him alone what do you think is the meaning of this if the father should say so it is as much as if he should say I have done with him I will own him no more I will meddle no more with him simile If a servant should be stubborn and rebellious and after much means used to reclaim him should not be reclaimed the Master saith let hi● alone let him take his own course I will have no more to do with him So here when God faith Let them alone it is as if he should say let them take their own waies let them have their lusts to the full let them joyn and joyn and joyn to their Idols and satisfie themselves with their own devices Let

indeed in this heavy judgment that is upon us 2. tearing of Gods Name never was Gods Name so torn as now it is by bloody Oathes and hideous and unheard of blasphemies And what do our adversaries desire but to tear the Saints and to trample them under their feet My brethren time it is for us all to rend our hearts even to tear and rend our very hearts within us because the Lord is come out against us as a tearing Lyon rending and tearing this way and that way The Jews were wont when they heard the Name of God blasphemed to rend their garments presently We hear of the dreadful blasphemies of our adversaries rending and tearing of the Name of God Oh how should we rend our hearts rather than our garments It is dreadful to hear of the tearing of mens estates and bodies but much more dreadful should it be to us to hear of the tearing of the Name of God It 's time then for sorrow to be in our hearts and not ordinary sorrow neither but rending of our hearts now and now we should even be ready to tear the heart out of our bowels to see that we have been no more affected hitherto than we have And the rather because we have scaped for the present our estates and bodies are yet whole Our sins have had an influence into the miseries of our brethren our sins have been those claws and teeth that have torn our brethren Thus the Lord is raised from a moth and worm even to a tearing Lyon Obs 2 And note Though the Assyrians and cursed Babylonians did this yet saith God I will be as a Lyon to tear them Hence another observation That God hath a righteous hand in the worst actions of men We cry out of men that they are thus and thus Oh never such vile and wicked men But you must look upon God He hath a hand in all The most horrid wickedness that ever was done in the world the betraying of Christ and the crucifying of the Lord of life Act. 2. the Scripture saith it was done by the fore-determined counsel of God Therefore let those that have been sensible of the tearing of their estates and have had their husbands and their children torn from them by wicked men let them not only cry out of such vile and ungodly men but let them know that the Lord hath had a hand in it Though men be wicked yet the Lord is righteous let them justifie God in all This is Gods glory that He can have a hand in the most hideous wickedness in the world and yet remain righteous notwithstanding Therefore He saith here I even I will do it He doth not only own it but He would have people to take special notice that He hath a hand in all Oh the use that we might make of this to our selves if in all those dreadful judgments that are upon us if in all those tearing judgments that some of our brethren have felt we could but take notice that the hand of God hath done it I even I I even I have done it here is the Emphasis in this And in this one verse here is I four times together Let the thing be never so hideous unto you yet know that I am the great orderer and disposer of all and I have some great thing to bring to pass in all this that is come upon you And certainly though the misery be great that some parts of the Kingdom endure yet because Gods hand is so much in it therefore we must know that God hath some great thing to bring to passe by this that He hath begun to doe amongst us What the wicked Assyrians and cursed Babylonians did that God is said here to do Hence observe That God hath a righteous hand in the worst actions Obs 3 As in the sin of Judas the most horrible that ever was Act. 2.23 God doth not only permit but order all and so far as an evil of punishment works in it and so far as any natural action is in the sin as in opening the mouth the natural act of speaking drawing the sword the natural act towards fighting c. This is Gods glory and yet to be free from the evil of sin Many knots there are about this that men exercise their wits to untie but cum veneit Elias as the Hebrews use to say when they are gravel'd when Elias cometh we shall understand there is a time when all difficulty shall be easie to reconcile let us look to Gods hand not cry out on such and such wicked men You whose estates have been torne from you and it may be many of your dearest friends consider that it is God that is the Lyon tearing From the duplication of the words we may observe this Note That the hand of God is more imediate in some judgments than Obs 4 in others and the more imediate the more remarkable there shall not only come judgments upon you but I will bring them they shall be such that you shall see that I am in them In some judgments upon men God makes so much use of the creature that sinners can see little of Gods hand in them but in some others they can easily see the hand of God in them Belshazzer trembled at the hand-writing and his thoughts were troubled within him why so the hand struck him not at all only he saw it to be the hand of God the hand of the Deity was in it Dan. 5.5 6. and this made him to tremble Gen. 6.17 Behold I even I do bring a floud And that wrath which is out against us at this time especially our adversaries is the hand of God in a special manner God may well say to us Applic. England I even I wil tear ye O England O how hath God manife-fested Himself to us in these latter yeers since the wars began As we ought to take notice of Gods tearing and rending Kingdoms so also in familes and particular persons God would have us take notice that it 's He as a godly heart takes notice of Gods hand in mercies and then they are most sweet so on the contrary he takes notice of Gods hand in every judgment to be humbled under it I will establish my Covenant with you Gen. 9.11 and Isa 43.19.25 I even I am he which blotteth out thine iniquities Mercies are then most sweet when we see them come from Gods immediate hand in a special providence Gods hand-remarkable in judgments must be taken notice of For Reas 1 1. Hereby the heart comes to be humbled when it considers that 't is God which appeareth against him It humbleth not devils nor men but God that God upon whom I live and enjoy every mercy that I have this it was that troubled Christ more than all the wrong which the Scribes and Pharisees did to him when he considered that it was His God My God my God why hast thou forsaken me

4 When the Lord is pleased to work grace in the heart that heart is taken off from all creature helps they dare not go with Ephraim to King Jareb How are they then to be blamed who seek to the Devil for help in distress they dare not go to Councels or to Armies for releef but to God it is too much to rest upon men much more upon the Devil Do any of you go to Inchanters or Wisards to find God you may seek him but shall not find him Obs 5 We are not to be discouraged in our seeking of God though our afflictions drive us to it This people sought God but their afflictions did drive them to it yet God accepted them Use Sit not down despairing in your afflictions saying God will never be gracious our seeking Him is to no purpose It is true God may justly say to us as Jeptha said to the people Do you now come to me in your distress So God may say do you now come to me in your sorrows and miseries and cast me off in your prosperity Caution I confess it is very dangerous venturing the putting off our seeking of God till then but if then God be pleased to work upon your hearts be not discouraged but seek him still So Joel saith That in his affliction he sought the Lord But did the Lord answer him Yea his requests were granted Note That every seeking of God is not sufficient it must be early Obs 6 seeking of Him Early seeking acceptable Now men are said to seek God early When 1. It is in the morning of their years 1. In youth when young ones shal make this text true in the letter of it it is wonderful pleasing to God It may be God laid his hand upon thee in thy youth and then God revealed the knowledge of Himself to thee thy misery by sin thy remedy in his Son so that the Churches prayer was thine Psal 90.14 O satisfie us early with thy mercie How many sins are by this prevented Your father or master if godly would give a world if they had it that they had begun sooner to serve the Lord and to seek him early therefore bless God who hath put it into your hearts to seek him John was the young Disciple and he in his youth began to know Christ and of all the Disciples none had that respect shewed them as John had for it is said that he lay in Christs bosom and Christ loved him 2. As this is acceptable in the morning of our years 2 At first enlightning so in the morning of Gods revealing Himself as soon as ever God begins to discover Himself we should then seek Him early when the soul saith as Paul said Acts 26.19 I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision neither consulted I with flesh and blood Hath God set up a light in your consciences and hath it discovered to you your misery and have you hearkened unto the voice of your consciences What have you done since Is sin reformed Are you changed in the inner-man Is Christ formed in you and exalted upon his throne in your hearts Is your will subjected to the will of God and your whole man delivered up to the government of God This were happy if it were so But contrariwise is sin let in and liked of as well as ever after these stirrings and convictions of consci●nce Then are you far from the number of those who are early seekers of God 3 With fervency and diligence 3. When we seek Him with diligence and with fervency not in a formal way When Gods hand is out against us He then looks that we should seek him with intentiveness of spirit See how the Church seeks God with diligence Isa 26.9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night season yea with my spirit within me will I seek the early When was this In a grievous night of affliction when they were in great troubles then to seek God early with their spirits within them this is most emphatical So Acts 12.5 prayer was made by the Church for Peter without ceasing it was continued prayer prayer stretched out even so ought our prayers to be lifted up with fervency true prayer is active and working the fervent prayer of the righteous prevails much with God Jam. 5.16 Lively working prayers are prevailing prayers Quest But what is it to seek God diligently Answ 1 When we seek God with all other things under our feet when all other things are sought in order to this Contemn all for God The soul is carried after the seeking of God with a panting and longing desire as the Hart after the water brooks Answ 2 To seek God early is to seek him with our whole heart The heart is not divided in the work With our whol heart every part is imployed as Jehoshaphat 2 Chron. 20.23 feared and set himself to seek the Lord he gave his whole self to the duty Answ 3 When the soul bears down all difficulties in seeking of God when nothing shall keep him off his wook Vanguishes all difficulties as Jacob wrestled with God and would not be put off without the blessing Gen. 32.24 So the woman of Canaan how earnestly did she seek to Christ for her daughter and would not be put off by difficulties Matt. 15.22 23 24 25. Answ 4 When no means is neglected to be used whereby that may be had which we seek for No means neglected The soul tries this means and the other duty and follows God in all his waies that it may find him as the poor woman which followed Christ from place to place to touch the hem of his garment Christ could not be hid from her Resolve to die in persuit of him 5. Resolutions for to die seeking of God is earnest seeking of God it 's our constant practice living and our resolutions dying as Jacob the nearer the dawning of the day approached the more earnest was he How contrary are the practises of too many who at the first seek God early and earnestly too yet after a while leave off and grow cold Oh that it were not thus with us at this day Use England the Lord hath brought us low at this time yea how sad is our condition at this time 'T is true there is a spirit of seeking abroad in the Land but now God calls for a quickning of this we should now put an edg upon our seeking of God Be fervent in spirit serving the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Seeking in the original 't is boyling in spirit let us so seek him now that hereafter we may praise him Psal 22.26 Ps 22.26 they shall praise the Lord that seek him your hearts shall live for ever illustrated How sweet are those mercies which are won by prayer and worn with praises Therefore now stir up the gift that is within you you that never prayed before pray