in their counsels Now God is a moth and rottenness to a people All this while God doth not appear in an outward hoâ—ile and terrible way but there is a secret curse of God upon their counsels and so he is a moth and rottenness to them Thirdly God is a moth and rottenness to a people in their estates 3. in estates in their tradings there shall be a decay of trading amongst them and they shall grow poorer and poorer no man knows how There shall be a secret curse upon their tradings and estates that no man can give a cause of Fourthly 4. in the instruments of their good God is a moth and rottenness in the cheif instruments that they make use of for their good taking away cheif ones secretly when no body takes notice of them one dropeth away after another as in rottenness of wood one little piece droppeth down after another some dust of it drops down and no body take notice of it so in a State and Kingdom cheif instruments shall be taken away and no body takes notice of it someâ—imes one anâ— then another and then another after him so they shall mâ—â—â—â—der away by degrees And those that are remaining shâ—ll be blasted in thâ—ir esteems amongst the people Those tâ—â—t God gives ability to do them good and might be very useful and serviceable unto them yet though they live aâ—oâ—gâ—â— them they sâ—all be so blasted by â—eports one way or other that they shâ—ll not be able to do them much good And when you see thiâ— prevailing in a Kingdom then God is a moth and rottenness to them is an argument of a gracious heart As it iâ— an argument that that flesh is ful of life that is sensible of the least touch simile so of a heart that that is full of grace when it iâ— sensible of the least fruit of Gods displeasure But when men and women are in such a disposition that except God strike them in some terrible manner they are not senâ—â—ble of his displeasure this is a sign that they have brawny and hard hearts of their own Obs 4 Fourthly Though carnal hearts do slight and contemn Gods displeasure in little things yet this displeasure and wrath â—f God in little things will eat them out at last It will bring them down it will destroy them if it be neglected You know in Exod. 8.25 that judgment of the flies brought down the spirit of Pharaoh more than all the other judgmentâ— before he said before that he would let the people go but he never bad them go till then God is able to bring down the stoutest the proudest spirit upon the face of the earth by little things He can eat out the heart of the strongest wood by this little worm and so by any little judgment of his he can bring down the stoutest and proudest spirit in the world Obs 5 Fifthly God is slow in punishing He punisheth by degrees at first yea his punishing is as a moth and as a little worm in the wood it is a long time before they do any hurt This is to shew that Gods wrath it is at first but slow Use And by this we are taught to do even aâ— God Himself doth to be slow to wrath in our waies of wrath and displeasure against our brethren to be slow as God is not presently to fly in the faces of our servants or of our children when they displease us God doth not deal so with us He flyes not presently upon us God is a long time before He bring any sensible evil upon us The Râ—mans used to have the Rod and the Axe carried before their Magistraâ—es to shew that they began by lower afflictionâ— at first they did not come to the extremity at first but went on gradually in their way of punishing Obs 6 Sixtly God hath secrâ—t judgments to bring upâ—n a people upon particular persons waies of judgment secretly that they little think of In 2 King 3.17 Thus saith the Lord you shall not see the wind neither shall you see rain yet the valleyes shall be filled with water There shall be a filling with water though you see neither wind nor rain you shall not know whence it cometh yet the vallies shall be filled with water So many times there is the judgment of God against a people against a family against a particular person and no body can tell from whence it comes Aâ— God hath many secret blessings for his people so He hath secret curseâ— against the ungodly Let us take heed of secret sins Use beware of secret sins for God hath secret wrath to avenge secret sins Many of you that find the hand of God out against you and you do not know how do you examin your own hearts whether there be not many secret sins in you against the Lord. It was so at this time when God came to be a moth against Ephraim in 2 King 17.9 speaking of that very time that this prophesie doth relate unto wherein God was a moth unto Ephraim the text saith there 2 King 17.9 applied that the children of Israel did secretly that whih was not right in the eyes of the Lord Therefore just was God in this to be a moth to have His displeasure to come secretly Take you heed of secret sins lest God consume you by secret iudgments Seventhly Our corruption within us breedeth our trouble and Obs 7 our undoing Whence cometh the moth but from the very cloth it self that it eateth out it is bred there and this worm it is bred in the wood that it doth consume A moth shall eat them it seems to be a proverbial speech amongst the Hebrews when they would expresâ— the perishing of any by their own counsels and their own waies as the Latins have proverbial speeches suitable Fabrum constringi compedibus quas ipse cuderat The workman he is fetterd with those fetters he makes himself And so that proverb that we have to nourish a Snake in a mans own bosom is as much as a moth shall eat them that is what evil cometh to us it is bred within us that wrath that doth consume us it is that which is bred out of the corruption that is in us So they say of the black bird that of the dung that comes from it the lime is made that your fowlers make use of to make their lime-twigs withal so from our own sins comes our own misery From the uncleanness of a Nation or a particular soul cometh the evil of it Therefore if we should reade the foregoing words they willingly followed the commandement according to the old Latin they followed post sordes after the filth of Jeroboam then the elegancy of the expression would be more It was those filthy waies of Jeroboam that caused these moths to be bred From our uncleanness cometh our consumption simile as from the uncleanness of the body many evils are bred so from the uncleanness
in the time of Gods judgments Page 443 Obs 7. In time of trouble superstitious people are in greatest perplexity ibid Obs 8 It is an ill thing to have ill neighbors Page 444 Obs 9. When the wrath of God is against our neighbors we had need look to it Page 445 Question What shall we do in such times Answer 1 Humble your selves before God Page 446 Answer 2 Rise up as one man and help your brethren Page 447 Answer 3 Meet your own danger before it cometh ibid VERS IX Obs 1. The day of Gods peoples affliction is the day of their rebuke Page 448 Obs 2. God hath his set times for rebuke Page 449 Obs 3. When wicked men stand out lesser judgments they have cause to fear greater ibid Obs 4 It is a dreadful time when God so rebukes a people that he destroies them ibid 1 All the wrath that was treasured up breaks out upon them Page 450 2 All their sins comes together into Gods remembrance ibid 3 The cries of justice prevail against such men ibid 4 Mercy leaves such a people ibid 5 The Lord intends hurt to them ibid 6 All the creatures dare not own them ibid 7 All their services are rejected Page 451 Obs 5. God smites not a people with judgment before he warns them Page 452 Obs 6 When God threatens he is real in his threatnings Page 453 Obs 7 The revealing of sin before judgment aggravates both sin and judgment Page 454 1 The goodness of God is not honored ibid 2 The truth of God is not honored ibid 3 It aggravates the sin ibid Obs 8. There is a time when there shall be no help to deliver from judgment Page 455 VERS X. Obs 1 We had need pray much for Princes Page 461 Obs 2. The bounds of Religion and Law keep in obedience and keep out judgments ibid Obs 3. God punisheth according to mens sins Page 462 VERS XI Obs 1. It is a great judgment for a people to be under oppression Page 466 Obs 2. Idolaters are great oppressors Page 467 Obs 3. God hath a righteous hand in delivering men into the hands of unrighteous oppressors Page 468 Obs 4 A special cause of oppression is peoples following of false worship Page 469 Obs 5. Our giving to much to men God oftentimes punisheth by making them the greatest instruments of our misery ibid Obs 6. It is Satans course to get false worship backed with authority ibid Obs 7. Mans authority is not a sufficient warrant for us 470 Obs 8. The more willing men are to sin the greater is the sin Page 472 Obs 9. Willing obedience in evil things brings guilt upon a people Page 473 Obs 10. Commands for false worship easily prevail ibid Obs 11 It is the duty of Christians willingly to obey God Page 474 Obs 12. Bad Princes give liberty to mens lusts ibid Obs 13. Idolatry is filthy stuff ibid VERS XII Opened Page 475 Obs 1. God may be in a way of wrath against a people and yet mean while be very patient Page 480 Obs 2. God many times letteth out his wrath against a people in little things Page 481 Obs 3. When God letteth out his wrath in smal things it is contemptible to carnal hearts ibid Obs 4. Though carnal men despise Gods wrath in smal things yet it shall eat them out at last Page 482 Obs 5. God is slow in punishing ibid Obs 6. God hath secret judgments to bring upon a people ibid Use Beware of secret sins Page 483 Obs 7 Our corruptions within us breed our trouble and undoing ibid Obs 8 Gods wrath though secret many times eateth out mens spirits Page 484 Obs 9 Though others go before them yet they shall follow not long after Page 485 Obs 10 What a poor creature man is ibid Obs 11 How long God condescendeth that he may express his meaning to men Page 486 VERS XIII Obs 1 The pride of mans heart will not easily acknowledg the hand of God Page 488 Obs 2 God will force men to be sensible of his hand against them Page 489 Obs 3 Men are more subject to see their wound than their sin ibid Obs 4 Carnal hearts seek to the creature in time of straits Page 491 Obs 5 There is much guilt contracted by resting on carnal helps Page 492 1 They will infect ibid 2 They cannot pray Page 493 Obs 6 Creature comforts avail little in the day of wrath Page 495 Obs 7 Of all things men rest on for help wicked men are like to prove most helpless Page 496 VERS XIV Opened Page 498 Obs 1 When Gods lesser afflictions work not God will be most terrible Page 499 Obs 2 Our seeking out shifting waies in times of extremities provokes God Page 501 Obs 3 When God in wrath causeth war in a Kingdom than God teareth Page 502 Obs 4 God hath a righteous hand in the worst actions of men Page 504 Obs 5 The hand of God is more immediate in some judgments than in others Page 505 1 Thereby the heart is humbled Page 506 2 It is a special means to quiet the heart with patience ibid 3 The soul is the more put upon enquiry Page 507 4 It causeth the soul to receive content in nothing but God ibid VERS XV. Obs It is a heavy judgment for God to tear and then to leave a people Page 509 Text opened Page 511 Obs 1 Sin desturbs Heaven and Earth ibid Obs 2 In times of publick judgment God leaves his Majestie in Heaven to set things in order on Earth Page 512 Obs 3 Gods administrations to his people sometimes may be such as if he regarded them not ibid Obs 4 When wicked men are in perplexity then God enjoyes himself in his perfection Page 513 Obs 5 Sometimes God turns his back upon sinners till they acknowledg their sins ibid Obs 6 God humbles himself to behold what is done upon earth ibid The words explained Page 514 Obs 7 So long as men prosper in their sins they will contest with God ibid Obs 8. Affliction sanctified brings men to see and acknowledg their sins Page 515 Obs 9. It 's a sign of a hard heart not to confess when Gods hand is upon us ibid Obs 10. God will have glory from us Page 516 The words opened ibid Obs 1 It is not enough to acknowledg our sin but we must seek Gods face Page 517 Obs 2 When God leaves his people he leaves something behind which causeth the heart to seek after him Page 518 Obs 3 True repentance is not so much to seek our own ease as Gods face ibid Obs 4 Gods Ordinances and Worship are his face Page 519 Obs 5 Repenting hearts solicitous about Gods Ordinances ibid Obs 6 The worship of God is his Name and Ordinances ibid Obs 7. What good God aims at in his administrations to his people he will have it Page 520 The words opened Page 521 Quaere 1 What time doth this seeking of God refer it self unto Answered 1 When
distemper of the hearts of many people amongst us that they commit sin and take liberty to themselves to satisfie the lusts of the flesh and what will they do They will pray to God to forgive them and some go so far that they will fast and then sin again and then pray and fast again and then to it again thinking to put off God with such kind of sacrifices as these are It is true we are all linners and we must repent and so tin and repent and sin and repent again and so make repentance that should be the death of their sins a means to nourish their sins The Priests here did abuse the type the sacrifices they lighten the hearts of people by telling them that there was a sacrifice to expiate their sin and have you not at this day many that abuse the Antitype as much that tell the people with such kind of expressions as there Sin at fast as you can there is a sufficient sacrifice for sin it is but to beleeve in Christ Christ hath shed his blood for the greatest sins of all and sin as fast as you can yet there is a price paid for sin It is true there may be some truth in the words some matter in them without cloathing them with such absurdities that is that there is a sacrifice for the greatest sin but now to speak to people upon this in such a manner sin as fast as you can there is a sacrifice for sin for it is the manner the Modus that doth either encourage or keep back people from sin I appeal unto you whether have you not many that do reveal Christ in such a way and manner and open the rich and glorious free grace of God in Christ as is an encouragement to people unto sin It is true when they come to be examined they deny it no God forbid they do not encourage men to sin they only tel them of Gods free grace Yea but they tell them of it in such a manner without such cautions as prudent wise conscionable Ministers use to do And therefore you find that all your lewd and looser sort of Professors close with them because they have such a way of preaching of free grace It appears that in Hierome his time there were such a kind of people for he hath this expression of some in his daies Ierom against the abusers of Free-grace when they saw any to live wickedly they would say thus to them you sin and offend but God requireth nothing else but only abide in the truth of the faith do but beleeve and that is enough And again he hath a further expression which faith if you do but keep God doth not so much regard your lives what they are only looks that you do beleeve And by this means faith he men repent not neither are they humbled but they walk up and down with a stretched out neck you shall find them by their very gate they walk so peartly abroad and cast up their heads because they think they hold the true faith and so take liberty to sin The Church hath been continually troubled with this generation and no mervail there be such men now amongst us for there being not yet a full Reformation for we are but in the way tending toward it and all things cannot be reformed at once therefore some kind of liberty for the present is permitted to such men and therefore I say no mervail that we have such among us that are of such spirits to abuse the free grace of God and lighten the hearts of men in their sin by telling of them there is a sacrifice in Christs death sufficient to pay for all And so much for this eighth verse Verse 9. And there shall be like people like Priest and I will punish them for their waies and reward them for their doings THE Lord threatning of the ten Tribes especially points his threats against the Priests as the great cause of the evil both of the sin and punishment of the people as ever they have been Evil Ministers in a countrey have been a chief cause of the sin and of the misery of the Countrey Divers of Gods threats against them we saw before and still it follows There shall be like people like Priest Here is a mixt threat both against Priest and people They have made themselves like one another in sin Obser God will make them like one another in punishment They joyn themselves together in sin and were alike there God wil joyn them in judgment and they shal be alike there too There is a likeness between people and Priest upon two grounds I mean in evil especially First They are like in sin one to another usually from the just judgment of God upon people When people dislike the powerful Ministry of the word Obser when their hearts cannot bear a spiritual and lively Ministry God in just judgment sendeth unto them Ministers according to their very lusts Ministers that shall be sutable unto that very disposition of their hearts to harden them in it And this is a fearful judgment upon a people They may rejoyce and bless themselves in it and think themselves now quiet and in safety and say they have got a very honest man a brave man a quiet man amongst them but while they are rejoycing the wrath of God is in a most dreadful manner let out against them in sending them a Minister according to their lusts As God threatneth in Ezek. 14.4 If a man set up an Idol in his heart God will answer him according to his Idol so when people set up Idols in their hearts their hearts are bent unto such and such lusts and wicked waies God in his just judgment will answer them according unto their own hearts and lusts they shall have such Ministers sent amongst them as will harden them in those wicked waies Again secondly Like people like Priest In evil in regard of the great influence that there is mutualy from the Priests to the people and from the people to the Priests so they come to be like one another in evil Sometime from the people to the Priests If people be Malignants and superstitious and loose and vain the Priests that are among them being carnal they will seek to humour them they love to be made of by them and therefore they preach such things as may suit with such kind of humours But this is a very vile thing It is an extream dishonor to the Ministry of the word to subject it unto the lusts of men It is this that makes it so contemptible in the eyes of wicked men Though they be pleased with it yet the truth is the suiting of their lusts makes the Ministry of the word contemptible How is that you will say they are pleased with it commend such men and like them well While they commend the men and like them well yea like what they say yet they contemn the
way of Gods worship because some in authority as the Parliament seek to take away corruption in the worship of God Parliam abundance of people cry out that they are enemies unto all Religion that they will take away all Religion Thus it is reported by your countrey people that dwel far off as in Wales and in other places the people are there perswaded that the Parliament are a company of vile men that seek to take away all Religion out of the Kingdom But this is so but in the understanding of a Rabshekah that thinks the taking away of high places to be the taking away of Religion The other King is Jehosaphat that is commended for taking away the high places and it is noted of him that his heart was lifted up more than ordinary in the waies of God when he did it For this sacrificing upon the high places was such a thing that the people were so set upon it what say they is it not a brave decent thing that we should go up to a high place to offer unto the high God therefore when Jehosahhat took them away the text saith his heart was lifted up in a more than ordinary manner So it should be with Governours when they see corruptions in Gods worship though the people stick close to them yet they should have their hearts lifted up with courage and zeal to go on in the work Use In 2 Chron. 17.6 there you have it His heart was lifted up in the waies of God Moreover he took the high places and groves out of Judah Here is two things that Israel is charged for the high places and the groves Jehosaphat took away and he took them away out of Judah He was of a lift up mind and his heart took boldness for the waies of God so the old Latine hath it But mark what course what way did Jehosaphat take to remove the high places and the groves In the 7. verse of that chapter you find this He sent to his Princes to teach in the Cities of Judah Mark here Princes are become Preachers He sent to his Princes to teach in the Cities of Judah Princes preachers and with them Levites and Priests and they taught in Judah and had the book of the Law with them and they went about all the Cities of Judah and taught the people This is the course to take them away If he had only by an Edict removed them he could not have done so much but he took this wise course he sent faithful Preachers thoroughout all the Countrey in all the great Cities especially He was careful they should have faithful Preachers and then the work would be easily done So that it appears it was because of the ill Preachers they had before or because they had no Preachers at all that the high places were so hard to be taken away How easie would it be in England at this day to make a Reformation preaching the way to remove superstitioÌ„ to take away corruptions from the worship of God if in all Cities and Towns there were faithful Preachers For we see apparantly that people that have been brought up in ignorance they stick most to these things Let a faithful Minister come into a Congregation and take pains so that the people may see and be convinced that he takes pains and expound the Scripture unto them they will begin to confess we get more by this than by all the reading of prayers all this while and this is more painful to the Minister They would I say be convinced of this if they had teaching This was Jehosaphats way and Oh how happy were it if we took the same course But there is one thing more observable it is said in this 7. chapter that Jehosaphat took away the high places but in Chap. 20. ver 33. 2 Chron. 17. with cap 20.33 reconciled it is said he took them not away but how is it It is put upon the people the text saith The high places were not taken away for as yet the people had not prepared their heart unto the God of theâ—â— fathers The people were the cause Now for the reconciling of these two places it seems Jehosaphat did what lay in him In chap. 17. therefore God accounts it as being done for his part but because when he had done what he could yet the people were so stubborn and stout and would not yeild to the command of the King therefore in this 20. Chapter it is all layed upon the people As if God should say they were not taken away because the people had not prepared their hearts but as for Jehosaphat he did what lay in him for the taking them away God will accept of the intention of Governours Let them do what they can in it and if it be not done the fault will lie where the cause is You may see by this that people may hinder the work of Reformation much their hearts were not prepared that is they were not fit to receive such instructions as were sent unto them And truly in England many people are not yet prepared to receive the work of Reformation We never read that is observable too of any difficulty of any of the Kings either of Judah or Israel to bring in any false worship observe it in all the stories of the Kings or Chronicles when there was any King that would bring in any false worship there was never any difficulty in it Obser But when good Kings did seek to bring in true worship and to cast out false it was too difficult a work for them Thus mens hearts do cleave more to false worship than they do to true And this is one thing further observable for the high places that it is not said here in the Text only that they sacrificed upon the Mountainâ— but upon the top of the mountains There are two things very observable from hence First It noteth the publickness of their way of Idolatry They would not do it in a corner in a hole but they would go to the mountains Observ to the top of the mountains and were not ashamed Idolatry is brazen faced it is impudent and loveth to be publick Use Oh why should we not have the true worship of God as publick It is a lamentable case when the true worship of God must get into holes and corners and dare not appear in publick yea when they are persecuted because they are in corners and they say they get into holes and corners and there they do thus and thus Well my brethren let us pray and endeavor what we can to bring in the true worship of God to the most publick way that may be that we may not be ashamed of it in publick before the world In Revel 14.6 Revel 14.6 there is mention of an Angel flying in the midst of Heaven having the everlasting Gospel in his hand to preach unto them that dwell on the earth Now
never to make it an argument that such or such people do so and so And Obs 2 Secondly a second Note is That it goes neer to the heart of God when his people offend much more than when others offend Yet let not Judah offend Judah was the only people of God the only true Church of God that remained in the world When Gods own people offend Oh that goes neerer unto the heart of God than when others do offend As Christ said to his Disciples Will ye also go away and as Julius Caesar said to Brutus in the Senate that came with a dagger to stab him What and thou my son Brute what thou amongst all others so saie God when those that are professors of Religion that are his people that are neer unto him when they sin against the Lord what and you also will you also come and strike me First There is more unkindness in the sins of Gods people than there Reas 1 is in the sins of others This grieves the Spirit of God others do provoke God do anger God but Gods Saints do grieve his Spirit for grief is out of love Note and the more God loves any the more grievous is it unto his heart that they should offend him The more you love a wife or a child or a friend the more doth it go to your heart that such a one should do any thing that might justly offend you Secondly There is more unfaithfulness in the sins of Gods people Reas 2 thâ—n there is in the sins of others for they have given up themselves unto God in another way than others have done and the heart of God confideth in them more What thou my friend that hath eat bread at my table wilt thou lift up thy heel against me And Esa 63.8 I said they are children that will not lye God confideth in them and for them to be unfaithful for Judah to sin this goes to the heart of God indeed Thirdly Gods Name is more polluted by the sins of his people than Reas 3 by the sins of others Others wicked ones offend the will of God but they do not pollute the Name of God so much as his own people do Fourthly The excellency of the graces of the Saints and the excellency Reas 4 of the state wherein they are makes their sins to be worse than the sins of others As spot of dirt in a sackcloth is not so great an evil as spots of dirt and stains in a piece of Cambrick or Lawn simile if you have fine cloathes and fine garments and there be but a stain comes upon them a spot of dirt then you will think that a great evil but there are some course garments as your safeguards that you make of course things you care not so much though they be solid and dirty So the wicked they are of a course thread their spirits are little worth therefore though they be sullied and defiled it is not so much but the spirits of the Saints they are renewed they have the Image of God upon them therefore a spot in them is a great deal worse As a spot of dirt upon an ordinary Deal board is no great evil simile but if there be a curious Image and Picture drawn upon a table to have that besmeared is a great deal worse so if thou art godly thou hast the Image of God drawn upon thy soul and a sin a spot in thee is worse than in others Therefore what ever others do yet let Gods people take heed to themselves that they do not offend Yea the Saints of God they are the very salt of the earth the very light of the world they are those for whose sake God continueth the world in that way he doth they are the supporters of all and if they depart from God also what will become of the world Reas 5 Fiftly As the sins of the Saints go neerer the heart of God than the sins of others so they go neerer to the heart of the Saints The sin of one Saint goes neerer the heart of another Saint than the sin of any other man doth Offences of brethren amongst brethren they are the greatest of all As Sampson said to those that came to bind him simile do not you bind me I care not for the Philistines so much only do you not bind me so all the railings and persecutions of ungodly men are not so much as the unkindness of the Saints Unkindnesses from such as we look upon as godly go neerer to the heart of those that are godly than all the railings and persecutions of ungodly men If others of the Saints such as are godly should suffer opposition yea if it should come to this that they should suffer persecution from such as they look upon as godly Oh how would that cut their hearts Their complaints to their father of this would be sore complaints indeed Applic. The force of this Though Israel do thus yet let not Judah offend if it were applied unto us at this time it would come to thus much Though Prelates though such as were superstitious and corrupt though they were bitter against and did persecute my servants yet let not such as have professed godliness let not such as have been painful and conscionable Ministers let not such whose consciences have been heretofore tender in many things let not them offend in any bitterness in any harshness against their brethren This will go more to Gods heart and to the heart of the Saints than any offences of any other that ever was heretofore All the persecutions of all the Prelates and Papists and of all your Popish Priests and such kind of men they would not be the thousand part so much as any bitterness or harshness from the spirits of those that are looked upon as godly against the Saints Especially such as heretofore have profest so much tenderness of conscience and have suffered so much for the tenderness of their consciences because they could not do what they were enjoyned to do and now if they after they have gotten liberty to their own consciences should once come to be harsh and bitter against others that are godly Oh how sad would this be unto God and unto his people Oh let not Judah offend what ever Israel do Come not ye unto Gilgal neither go ye up to Beth-aven There are two things to be enquired here 1. What this Gilgal and what Beth-aven was 2. The reason of the prohibition why they must must not come to Gilgal nor go to Beth-aven The words are ordinarily read and past over without any great observation but there is much of Gods mind in them For the first Gilgal Gilgal it was a most famous place in the borders of Israel famous heretofore for many things I know no one place that there are more glorious things spoke of than of Gilgal except Jerusalem it self It was famous for these things First There was that great
world even al those carnal things they seek to satisfie their flesh withal it is all sowr for God is gone when his worship is gone Perhaps if you had had superstition and Idolatry set up amongst you in England Applic. you might have had your drink and your wine at your tables more pentifully but if God and his Worship had been gone all had been sowr no sweetness in any thing I appeal to those that have proved Apostates though they have apostatized to enjoy comforts to the flesh how sowr and unsavory have the comforts of the flesh been unto them whereas let a people keep close to God and his worship and then their drink if it be but water it will be sweet unto them As in Acts 2. the Saints that beleeved they did eat their bread with singleness of heart and with gladness We were wont to say Brown bread and the Gospel is good cheer let us have but bread and water so be it we may have the Gospel and the Ordinances and the Worship of God and it wil be sweet unto us but let us have wine and all manner of drink at our tables if we have not the Ordinances and Worship of God it will be all sowr to us The ten Tribes had as good drink as Judah had yet all the drink of the ten Tribes was sowr Thirdly Their drink is sowr it notes thus much Their society is unsavory and sowr for so their Câ—â—vivium their meetings togâ—ther for feasting and drinking noteth many times communion and converse and familiarity as the drinkings of people together you know it is a means to keep their converse and maintain familiarity one with another So the meaning is that their converse one with another when they met together at one anothers tables and were drinking together what savor what rellish can any gracious heart take in it You may observe it of all your superstitious people that have heretofore lived amongst you how unsavory have they been in their converse Perhaps heretofore they have been forward in the waies of Religion and then converse with them and there hath been some life and quickness in them but when they have yeilded once unto superstitious vanitie all their converse is become unsavory It would have been so with you if these times had not come perhaps you might have met together and have had brave cheer and drinkings of all sorts and have had many merry meetings but the truth is all your merry meetings would have been sowr and sapless there would have been no sweetness in your converse and those of your brethren that had been gone from you into the howling wilderness would have found more savour in their water there than you could have had in all the drinks you could have devised to your selves Fourthly Their drink is sowr That is even all their worship and their sacrifices for so their drink is taken by others for all their drink offerings they were wont to have feasts in their sacrifâ—ces saith God all their offerings be sowr the savour and sap and life of them is taken away These are the four hints by which we may come to understand what the scope of the holy Ghost is in these words Their drink is sowr It follows They have committed whoredom continually Expos 1 They are unwearied in their wickedness continually they go on in their way of whoredom of their bodily whoredom but especially of their spiritual whoredom that is when they are worshiping of their Idols they are never weary continually they commit whoredom Oh what a shame it is for those that are godly that they should be weary of the service of God when Idolaters are not weary of the service of their Idols What rebuke is this to you that if you come to a Sermon you are weary perhaps some of you if the glass be but out a little but if you were in company in a Tavern to sit up al night you are not weary at all They commit whoredom continually they are at the service of their Idols and satisfying of their lusts never weary there but they are soon weary of my service But I take it there is somewhat further meant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fornicantur in furnicando they commit fornication in committing fornication that is the propriety of the word in the Hebrew that which they do they do it intensively in doing they do it As the Apostle saith of Elijahs prayer Jam. 5. In praying he prayed that is he did pray intensively he prayed strongly he praied powerfully with his whol strength put out in prayer So the words are here in committing fornication they committed fornication that is they give up their strength to their Idols they are mightily intent upon their Idols And therefore have nothing to do with them still the argument goes on Have nothing to do with them for fear that fearful judgment be upon you before spoken of Have nothing to do with them because their society and converse is unsavory Have nothing to do with them because they give up themselves to their lusts Use How should we give up ourselves to the service of God to pray in praying to hear in hearing c. seeing Idolaters in committing Idolatry do commit Idolatry Their Rulers with shame do love Give ye The word that is translated Rulers it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 her shields that is their protectors so the word in the Hebrew sâ—gnifies And there is a very special note to be learned from hence it is this That Magistrates and Rulers they should be the shields of the people where they live for their defence Obser And so in Scripture phrase they are called Psalm 47.9 The Princes of the people are gathered together the shields of the earth belong unto God That is the Governors and Rulers of the earth so I find Interpreters carry it they belong unto God Psa 47.9 Opened they are in Gods stead and they govern in Gods Name Rulers Governors are to be the shields of the people for they are to bear off al dangers Al dangers that may come upon the people they are to be willing to put themselves forward to bear them off Applic. The Parliament Have not our Worthies in Parliament shewen themselves to be shields in this thing Have not they put themselves next us and our dangers next us and our harms And do you not think if the Adversarie prevail they wil first swallow up them I mean those of them that are faithful Whereas those that were before in Parliament when they looked upon it as an honor to be Parliament men and there was no danger Oh they were brave Parliament men then and they made brave speeches but when they saw things come to be hot and that there were darts shot against the people and that they must be the shields to keep off the hurt of those darts from the people away they go they love to be brave golden
howlings than in their songs And that place is very famous Esa 29.1 Wo to Ariel the City where David dwelt c. and vers 2. Yet I will distress Ariel and there shall be heaviness and sorrow and it shall be unto me as Ariel The Text seemeth to be obscure at the first reading therefore the meaning is this By Ariel Isa 29.1 opened is meant Jerusalem the City where David dwelt the place where the sacrifices were offered unto God And Ariel Ariel signifies an Altar of God Gods Altar that did devour the sacrifices like a Lion Now saith God Thou shalt be to me as Ariel thou Jerusalem where my famous Altar was where so many famous sacrifices were offered thou shalt be to me as Ariel that is you indeed offer many sacrifices unto me and you continue still in your hypocrisie in your wicked lives know saith God I will make that City as an Altar upon which your blood shall be offered and I will take as much pleasure in the sacrifice of your blood offered upon this Altar as in all the sacrifices that were offered upon the Altar from whence the City had its name your name shall be Ariel that is your City shall be stained with your blood as the Altar was with the blood of the sacrifices God rejecteth and casteth out the services of such as are superstitious and ungodly Reas 2 And certainly my brethren when God withdraweth himself no creature can help us they will say how can we help for God will not Reas 3 And some great judgment must be expected when God withdraweth himself As when a poor Petitioner goes to the Prince with a Petition and the Prince turns his back upon him surely thinks he now some evil is nigh me Reas 4 And no protection from any evil can be expected when God withdraweth himself Reas 5 And then conscience flies in thy face and terrifies thee Oh the blessed God is gone and mercy is gone and Christ is gone and that for such and such sins of mine and such and such lusts of mine that lay so neer my heart Oh how terrible will it be to conscience when God shall appear to withdraw himself Reas 6 And this withdrawing of God is but a forerunner of Gods eternal withdrawing himself from the soul and from the body too The Saints had rather have Gods presence though angry than God withdrawing himself from them When God withdrawing himself but a little Oh they could never be at quiet till God returned again O cast me not from thy presence saith David Applic. My brethren when we perceive God withdrawing himself in any degree from us Oh let us stir up our selves and cry mightily as the Church doth Jer. 14.9 Jer. 14.9 opened O leave us not the Church gives a shrike as it were she saw that God was going as God is said first to go to the threshold God goes by degrees from a people and Jeremiah a holy Prophet he saw God going from them Carnal hearts they do not percive how God withdraweth himself from a people by degrees but those that are acquainted with the mind of God and search into the word they are able to discern God withdrawing himself from a people and they cry Lord leave us not if thou be gone all is gone Yea but doth not God withdraw himself from his Saints Quest how then is this a judgment peculiar upon Idolaters and wicked superstitious persons The answer is this It is true Answ God withdraweth himself sometimes from his Saints but his withdrawing himself from them is not like unto his withdrawing himself from the wicked As First Though God withdraw himself from the Saints yet they retain good thoughts of him in his absence whereas the wicked pine and vex and fret against him simile a wife A husband may be gone abroad about his business from his wife a great while yea but if she be a faithful wife she still retains good thoughts of him as of her husband and loveth him still But another when her husband is gon and hath withdrawn himself she beginneth to have hard thoughts of him So wicked men do upon Gods withdrawing of himself in judgements and afflictions they begin to have hard thoughts of God and to say I this is to serve God to walk in his waies what good have we got by all that we have done But now you shall observe in the Cant. when Christ had withdrawn himself from the Church she still calls him her King and her Beloved still gives him honorable titles Secondly Though God withdraweth himself from his people yet so as he draweth their hearts after him to cry more earnestly As a mother wil withdraw her self from her child she gets behind the door and hides her self but to this end that the child may be more earnest to come into her arms that the child may cry after her to come to her and the mother loves it So the Lord loveth to hear his children cry after him to come to him The Lord shall hear none of our cries in Heaven for there we shall alwaies be with him but here he somtimes withdraweth from us that he may hear us cry after him Thirdly God though he withdraw Himself from His Saints yet so as He leaveth some light behind Him that they may see which way he is gone and so follow him As when a Torch or Candle is taken out of a room yet you may see some glimmering light which way they went so when God withdraweth Himself He useth to leave some glimering light that his people may see which way to follow him Fourthly God withdraweth Himself from His People yet so as his bowels yern toward them Jer. 31.20 Is Ephraim my dear son c. I thought of him and my bowels yerned saith God or my bowels were troubled He hath an eye toward them for much good in all his withdrawings Fifthly When God is withdrawn from the Saints nothing will satisfie them till God come again When God withdraws Himself from others they will seek after vanities to make up the want of Gods presence As an Adultress in her husbands absence will seek other loves But the Saints say if God be gone I will enjoy nothing else at least I will be satisfied in nothing else until I have Gods presence again Sixthly Though God withdraw himself from the Saints yet he doth not utterly forsake them as David praies Psalm 119.8 I will keep thy precepts O forsake me not utterly It seems that then God had somewhat withdrawn himself from David yet mark his heart was toward God I will keep thy precepts thou hast forsaken me in some degree yet I wil keep thy precepts still O forsake me not utterly If thou canst say thus Indeed God hath withdrawn himself from my soul yet though I have not that comfort in him that my soul desires I will keep his precepts as long as I live I will do what I can to
against my people and worship and it may be this is the cause why the Lord keeps our arms still broken that we might learn to submit for when at any time God hath begun to bind up our arms England how have many improved all opportunities to set up themselves and their waies VER 16. They return but not to the most high they are like a deceitful bow their Princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue this shall be their derision in the land of Egypt THEY return They make shows yea somthing they do This verse hath reference to the story of Jehu who did very much there were very great beginnings in his time to cast out Idolatry but neither he nor the people did come up to the full height that God required of them but they would have some mixtures of their own And thus it is in many peoples reformation they are very hot at it in the beginning and even among us England how high did the hearts of people rise but what a damp is there since that time though blessed be God great things are don among us But saith God that is not yet done amongst them which I would have done it is true they honor me indeed but it is as the Nations round about them honor their Gods they do not honor me as the Infinite Eternal First being of all things I am not worshiped by them as the Infinite High Eternal God people should so labor to reform themselves that they may hold forth the honor of God as he is Infinite Glorious Eternal How we should honor God and having all power in his hands The Notes of Observation from the words are these That God is the most high God the supream Majestie of Heaven Obs 1 and earth he is so high that he humbles himself to behold things done in Heaven 't is a stooping in him that he takes notice of things in Heaven surely then much more for things done on the earth surely then he is a high God and when ever we come before him in prayer we should come before him as unto such a God who is so glorious and high above all things betwixt whom and us there is an infinite distance A true repenting sinner should have the sight of this high God alwaies Obs 2 in his eye and great would be the efficacy of such a sight as this is upon the spirit it would be very profitable for the soul For This would make the soul to be very serious with God not daring to dally with him who is infinitely above it It would make the soul abhor it self in dust and ashes Job 42.5 there is nothing humbles the soul more than this sight of Gods Majestie It shews unto the soul the infinite evil which there is in sin in that I should do nothing but cast dirt in the face of God That there is no standing out against this high God that I must crouch before him for he will have the better of me That he is infinitely worthy of all that I am or have and all that I can do and this very thing would answer all temptations against God This fight of God would inform us that it is not every sorrow and slight mourning for sin which will serve the turn but it must be such a sorrow as is becoming such a God In this sight of God I behold that which hath power in it to raise my soul above all things here below self the world and all creature comforts all things must be looked upon as under our feet else we cannot close with God I see by this sight enough in God to make me blessed and that I may bless my self in him in the loss of all the world and that there is enough in him to make me amends for all the troubles I have met withal for him These are the thoughts of a true penitent heart concerning God Now the soul can say the Lord is God and there is no such God as the Lord and by this you may put your repentance to the tryal Trial of repentanc whether it be of the right kind or no by your thoughts of God Have you sorrowed for sin as before such a glorious high God as the Lord is that those that see â—ur humiliations may see glory and honor and praise written upon them to the Lord The want of this these people were charged for here and this hath been our case many times the Lord help our reformers to carry on the work of reformation begun as before the high God If we lose this opportunity we lose such an opportunity as yet was scarce ever granted to any Nation upon the face of the earth Now wicked proud men may lift themseves high in the world and be thought to be somebody for it but it is the low broken penitent soul which it the high man because he returns to the high God But secondly They return but it is not to the yoke as some render the words They will not come under obedience to Gods commands for there is but a little difference namely in the pricks between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 jugum and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 alitissi and if we understand the word thus then it notes that they promised much and made many fair shews of doing much but they would not come under the yoke they will still be sons of Belial without yoke So many people upon exhortation and intreaties will promise fair they will return and they will do much but when it comes to see the yooke Oh they flinch back and hold off Oh it is too hard for them It follows They are like a deceitful bow Thus did their progenitors they trode in the same steps Psal 78.57 They kept not his testimony Deceitful bow but turned back and dealt deceitfully as did their fathers that were turned aside like a deceitful bow Now a bow is deceitful two waies When it causeâ— the arrow to turn from them it was levelled to hit and recoils upon him that shoots it These people were Gods bow Zachariah 9.13 saith God I have bent Israel as my bow to shoot at evil doers How vile and wicked are those men into whose hands God hath committed power to execute justice and judgment against evil doers and they shall turn all their power against the Saints and those that do well A bow is deceitful when it carries the arrow the wrong way though the Archer see the mark and aim at it yet it carries quite contrary Just thus did these people many of them had good aims and intentions and purposes but yet they carried the matter quite contrary these words refer unto Jehu's time he was a notorious deceitful bow Come see my zeal for the Lord yet an hypocrit Oh let us look to our hearts there may be secret warpings in our hearts which may cause us to miscarry for ever if we take not heed many
come in Gods Name to reprove is a great aggravation of sin and hastning of judgment Page 81 Obs 9. If publick means prevail not there is little hope of private Page 84. VERS V. Obs 1. Those in office must go on though they be striven against Page 85 Obs 2. When a threatning comes to particulars then it works ib. Obs 3 The falls of the Prophets are falls in the night Page 87 Obs 4. It is a sad judgment for people in affliction to have no Prophet amongst them ibid VERS VI. Obs 1. Ignorance is both father and mother of distruction Page 90 1. The rational creature is working in the midst of snares ib. 2. The way to eternity is in the midst of a hundred cross waies Page 91 3. Man must not go with his own light ib. 4. Our work is a most curious work ib. 5. Ignorance makes men objects of Gods hatred ib. Use 1. How vile a thing it is to deny the means of knowledg to men to satisfie the humors of others Page 92 Use 2. Hopes for England because the knowledge of God begins to shine in it ib. Obs 2. Suffering truths will hardly go down with many Ministers Page 94 Obs 3. There is a peculiar way of Gods rejecting wicked Ministers Page 95 Obs 4. Vnfaithfulness in service provokes God to cast men out of service Page 96 Obs 5. It is a great judgment to be rejected from the Priests office ibid Obs 6. It is a blessing for godly children of godly Ministers to succeed them in their office Page 97 Obs 7. The families of wicked Ministers are many times forgotten ibid VERS VII Obs 1. It is a usual thing where there is encrease of number to be encrease in sin Page 98 Obs 2. It is mens vile disposition to encrease in sin as they encrease in mercies Page 99 Obs 3. God doth love to stain the pride and haughtiness of man Page 100 Obs 4. It is usual with wicked Priests if they be countenanced by authority to glory Page 102 VERS VIII Opened Page 104 VERS IX Obs 1. Evil Ministers in a country are the causes of miseries in the country Page 112 Obs 2. If Priest and People be alike in sin God will make them alike in punishment ibid Obs 3. Look how Ministers are so usually the people are Page 114 Obs 4. God hath his daies of visitation wherein he will narrowly enquire into the waies of men Page 119 Obs 6. God will call men to an accompt for their thoughts Page 120 Obs 7. Wickedness in thought is the worst wickedness ibid Obs 8. Sin passeth away in the act with much sweetness but God will make it return in the guilt with much bitterness Page 120 Obs 9. The good works of the Saints shall return again with much comfort and peace Page 121 VERS X. Obs 1. Whatsoever a man undertakes unlawfully he can never expect to prosper Page 124 Use It is the best way to keep us to Gods Ordinances Obs 2. Idolaters seldom come in and return Page 125 Obs 3. Take heed of your not taking heed Page 126 Obs 4. The way to keep the heart and life in order and obedience is to take heed to the Lord. ibid Obs 5. All things in Gods worship should be according to Gods rule Page 127 Use Take heed of Idolatry ibid VERS XI Opened Page 128 Obs 1 It is just with God that those that will not seek to satisfie themselves in him should be given over to the sinful lusts of the flesh Page 129 Obs 2. Sensuallity is a besotting sin ibid Obs 3. Ministers when once they grow negligent usually grow sensual Page 132 VERS XII Obs 1. Bodily and spiritual whoredom usually go together Page 133 Use We are not to marvail that such as seem to be men of understanding are given to Idolatry ibid Obs 2. What poor waies Idolaters had to know the minds of their gods Page 135 Use Let us bless God that we have his word ibid Obs 3. There is an eagerness of spirit in men to things that are evil ibid Use 1. Look to your spirits when you find an eagerness in them to a thing Page 136 Use 2. Labor to be acted by the Spirit of God Page 137 Use 3. Pray to God that he would satisfie us not only in body and in soul but in spirit ibid Obs 4. All false worship doth put a man from the protection of God Page 138 Obs 5. So far as we are from being under Gods command so far we are from being under his protection Page 129 VERS XIII Obs 1. General accusations without particular specification will not prevail with stubborn hearts Page 140 Use Godly Ministers must not leave things in general if they would convince ibid Obs 2. What seems most specious in our eyes if it be not according to the rule may be most abominable in the eyes of God Page 141 Obs 3. Ministers ought to present to the people the foulness of those things that they think have least evil in them ib. Obs 4. When God chuseth a place he puts a stamp of holiness upon the place Page 143 Obs 5. Idolatry is brazen faced and loves to be publick Page 148 Use Labor to make the worship of God as publick ibid Obs 6. When the Ordinances of the Gospel come to be publick then it is time for Babylon to fall ibid Obs 7. Idolaters seek to rise to the height of their way in false worship ibid Use Let us labor to do so in Gods worship ibid Why they sacrificed under trees 1. Because the Heathens dedicated the trees to their gods Page 149 2. In imitation of the Patriarchs ibid 3. The shadiness of the place struck some reverence in the hearts of men ibid 4. They thought the spirits of their Worthies were there Page 150 5. They were fit places for the committing of filthiness ibid 6. They conceited God was the more honored by it ibid Obs 8. Superstition thinks it hath a great deal of reason for what it doth Page 151 Obs 9. It is the pride of mens spirits to think Gods Ordinances are too plain ibid Obs 10. God sometimes punisheth sin with sin Page 152 Obs 11. It is a great reproach for any family to have uncleanness committed in it Page 154 Use Let Governors have a care of their families ibid Obs 12. Our unfaithfulness with God is made more sensible when those that dwell neer us are unfaithful to us ibid Instances 1. When our children are stubborn Page 155 2. Ill wives ibid 3. Friends unfaithful Page 156 VERS XIV Opened Page 157 Obs 1. It is one of the most fearful judgments in all the world for the Lord not to restrain men from sinning Page 158 Obs 2. When parents are filthy and unclean what can be expected but their children should be so too Page 161 Use Take heed how you sin before your children ibid Obs 3. Those that are filthy and unclean will sometimes make shew of Religion Page 162
Obs 4. Idolaters are no understanding people Page 165 Applyed to our times Page 167 Obs 5. It is a fearful judgement of God to leave men to perplexed councels Page 170 Obs 6. When wicked men are fallen they shal be so perplexed that they shall not know what to do Page 170 VERS XV. Obs 1. Ministers should especially look to those whom they are bound unto by office yet so as to labor to do good to others Page 171 Obs 2. When we see our labor lost to some we should try to do good to others ibid Obs 3. To be neer Idolaters is very dangerous Page 172 Obs 4. The neerer a false worship comes to a true one the more dangerous it is Page 174 Obs 5. Those that enjoy Gods Ordinances in a true way should take heed of doing as other people do Page 175 Obs 6. We must not do as others do in point of Gods worship Page 177 Obs 7 It goes neerer the heart of God when his People offend than when others do Page 178 Reas 1. There is more unkindness in their sins Page 179 2 There is more unfaithfulness in them ibid 3 Gods Name is more polluted by them ibid 4. The excellency of their graces makes their sins worse ibid 5. They go neerer the heart of the Saints than the sins of others Page 180 Application to our times ibid Obs 8. We must not come neer places that are dangerous to draw us to sin Page 186 Obs 9. Places corrupted lose their honor Page 188 VERS XVI Opened Page 192 Obs 1. Liberty may prove to be ones misery Page 195 VERS XVII Opened Page 196 Obs 1. Wicked children are great dishonors to their parents Page 197 Obs 2. Governors are usually the causes of the evils of the people Page 198 Obs 3. Idolaters hearts are strangely glued to the waies of Idolatry Page 200 Use Joyn your selves to Jesus Christ Page 201 Obs 4 We must take heed of communicating with Idolaters in their false waies Page 202 Obs 5. It is a heavy judgment upon a people when the Saints withdraw from them ibid Obs 6 God hath a time to give men over to themselves Page 205 1 Because he hath no need of them Page 206 2 He hath another way to fetch glory from them ibid Obs 7 It is the most woful judgment upon a people or person when God lets them alone in sin ibid 1 It is a testimony of disrespect in God Page 207 2 These are going apace into misery ibid 3 They are in the midst of abundance of dangers Page 208 4 God intends to make way for some fearful wrath to come upon them ibid 5 He will not vouchsafe to hear them speak to him ibid 6 It is a dreadful sign of Reprobation Page 209 7 It is greater than all earthly judgments Page 210 8 It is worse than to be given up to the Devil Page 211 9 It is worse than to be sent to Hell presently Page 212 10 Though he be without grace he must answer for it as though he had it Page 212 11 All means of grace are made improfitable to him Page 213 Use 1 See what poor creatures men are ibid Use 2 Let us fear and tremble at this judgment ibid Object I fear God hath laid this judgment upon me Answer 1 It is a good sign that thou art troubled with such a fear Page 214 Answer 2 It is a good means to keep thee from being let alone ibid Answer 3 If thou hast not a heart to let God alone God hath not a heart to let thee alone ibid Use 3 Blesse God that he hath not inflicted this judgment upon thee Page 215 2 Blesse God that he hath not inflicted it upon the Kingdom ib. VERS XVIII Opened Page 217 Obs 1 Rulers should be shields to the people where they live Page 219 Application to our times Page 220 VERS XIX Obs 1 Such as are superstitious look upon Gods Ordinances as vile and their own inventions as glorious Page 325 Obs 2 The judgments of God upon wicked men who have been spared a long time come violently ibid Causes of shame 1 Disrespect from those we desire honor from Page 326 2 When a man takes a great deal of pains and it comes to nothing Page 327 3 Disappointment of hope ibid 4 When God discovers that to be vile which a man glorieth in ib. Use Admonition to the superstitious to take shame to themselves Page 328 Obs 3 God hath a time to make all Idolaters ashamed of their sacrifices Page 332 Obs 4 Duties performed with a carnal heart are mixed with base ends ibid Obs 5 Our sacrifices are defiled by the foulnesse of our hearts ibid Question What are those sacrifices we should render to God and not be ashamed of Answer 1 Be sure they be his own Page 333 Answer 2 Let them come from faith Page 334 Answer 3 Let your ends be high ibid Answer 4 Let your whol strength be taken up in them ibid Answer 5 Offer up your selves a sacrifice to God ibid Answer 6 Be humbled after all your best services Page 335 Answer 7 Tender up all in Christ Page 336 CHAP. V. VERS I. Opened Page 337 Obs 1 When God comes in judgment he expects we should seriously mind what he is doing Page 338 Obs 2 Generallity in sins is no way to escape judgment ibid Obs 3. The Priests have usually been the causes of wickednesse in and judgments on a nation Page 339 Obs 4 The people will go the way the King and Priests go ibid Obs 5 Kings and Princes must have sin charged upon them as well as others Page 342 Obs 6 Though they are to be reproved for sin some due respect ought to be given them Page 344 Obs 7 When God pleadeth against us let not neglect ibid VERS II. Obs 1 It is a dangerous thing to venture upon the beginnings of false worship Page 354 Obs 2 It is a dangerous thing to be deeply rooted in superstitious waies Page 355 Use This should teach us to deny our selves Page 357 Obs 3 The hearts of Apostates are most deeply rooted in wickednesse ibid Application to our times Page 358 Obs 4 Idolaters are profound and deep ibid Obs 5 Idolaters are deep in pollicy ibid Use Let us labor to be wise in the worship of God ibid Obs 6 The Ministers of God must rebuke sin Page 361 Obs 7 When Ministers rebuke in the way of God then God doth rebuke Page 362 Obs 8 Idolaters hearts are stubborn ibid Use Let not us be troubled at the stoutnesse of Idolaters Page 363 Obs 9 It is a greater evil to stand out against Gods displeasure than against his commands ibid Use Let us charge this sin upon our spirits Page 364 Obs 10 Prophets rebukes must be impartial rebukes Page 365 Obs 11 It is a hard thing for a few men to stand out against a State in matters of Religion ibid VERS III. Opened Page 366 Obs 1 Gods eye is upon the
in the waies of his administration he declares that he will have glory from his creature he hath sworn by Himself and the word hath gone out of his mouth in righteousness that every knee must bow to him and every tongue confesse his Name he seems now to resolve he will have it so indeed he will have all to bow before him It is no time therefore now for us to have controversies with God to have controversies with God and man both with Heaven and Earth and Hell and with our own consciences and all What shall become us Be not thou a terror O Lord unto me saith Jeremiah for thou art my hope in the day of evil If God be a terror and the daies be evil Ier. 17. what will become of us It is time to fall down and make peace with God Consider of this you who are so often in controversies with your Neighbors Remember in all your controversies that God hath a great controversy with you And satisfie not your selves in this that you are able to cleer your selves before men what is that so long aâ— this controversy continues It is a dangerous thing to go on long in this controversy with God it is wisdom to make an end of it betime Pro. 17.14 The beginning of strife is like the letting out of waters wherefore leave off contention before it be medled with The beginning of strife especially with God is most dreadful if thou goest on but a little while thine heart may be most desperately set against God and for ever left to strive against him never to come in and be humbled before him This is the reason I verily beleeve of the most horred wickedness of some men amongst us we wonder at it that ever any man should dare to venture upon such horrid wickednesses one after another Surely here is the reason at first it may be when they were young there was some dreadful breach between God and their souls they fell though the world perhaps knew it not into some foul and abominable sin and having made such a dreadful breach between God and their souls then they now go on desperately and fight against the God of Heaven in such a desperate manner as never any age can cell us any examples of such desperate fighting against God as is in this age God hath a controversie with Nations also for their sin Those who are to suit for God may wel charge us that the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land at this day If ever he had a controversy with a people he hath it with us The Lord hath a fearful controversy with us he hath most fearful things to charge this land with I might instance in some things that are more peculiar to this nation than to any other upon the face of the earth As the hatred contempt persecution of the power of godliness No nation upon the face of the earth hath that guilt in this regard upon it that England hath nor never had since the world began Persecution of faithful godly Ministers of the same Religion holding all fundamental Truths yea all the Articles of Religion every point of the Doctrine of Religion together with them I say never any Nation was guilty of that persecution as we of this Kingdom are Silencing many for â—rifles and toyes Persecuting for keeping the Sabbath It is true other countries are loose in their practice or the Sabbath but no country upon the face of the earth hath ever persecuted the keeping of it as England hath done and that by the câ—untenance of those in authority We are si ner and others are sinners but the Lord hath a controversy with us for these things in a more special manner than with any people upon the facâ— of the earth this day This controversy the Lord hath against us is an old controversy too I may apply that text Jer. 32.31 that God speaks concerning the City of Jerusalem unto us This Citie hath been to me as a proâ—ocation of mine anger and of my fury from the day that they built it even unto this day So ever since the Reformation hath begun have we bin a provocation to the Lord. Thirdly A general controversy even with all sorts a controversy with our Kings and Princes with our Nobles oâ—r Gentry our Cities Countries Universities Common people with wicked people with godly people with the Saints with all Fourthly It is the most unkind controversie in regard of our parts that ever was in any Nation for God had dealt with us in such a loving way as he hath not done with any Nation in the world besides he hath made us even as the dearly beloved of his soul and yet for all this we have contended against him This unkindness goes even to the very heart of God Fiftly The Lord hath sent many faithful Ambassadours to plead his cause with us He never to any Nation upon the earth sent more faithful Ambassadours that have pleaded his cause with more power and evidence of the Spirit than to us in England yet we have stood out Sixtly We have had as many offers of mercy as ever people had Many a time we have been upon the brink of Judgment and the bowels of God have been towards us and he hath said it shall not be Seventhly The Lord hath been as patient he hath staied as long as ever he did with any people before he came to execution Where do we reade of any people that have had a hundred yeers peace Ours is not much less Never that I know of in all the Scripture Eightly The Lord hath had us at advantages as much as can be we have broke as many treaties as ever people broke When we seemed to yeild unto God we have but flattered him with our lips and dealt dissemblingly with him Ninthly God hath broken the backs of others with whom he hath had a controversy He hath had a controversy with Germany and how hath he dealt with them Thus he beginneth to deal with us It is reported that in Germany when the war was but twenty or thirty miles off them they went on in their trading and followed their businesses buying and selling and hoped that they should be safe so it is with us Is not some part of England at this day as desolate as Germany it self Tenthly Those that knew most of Gods mind have been so afraid of this controversie that they have fled for fear of the wrath of God and we have slighted jeered them for it thought it was their foolish timerousness and melancholly conceit The Lord now seems to justifie their fear The Lord is now for the present out against us in as dreadful a way of wrath as ever he was against any people of the earth I never read in Scripture nor in History of a more dreadful wrath of God against a people all things considered than is against us at this day Amos 7.4 The
men see it not Surely Gods hand is out against us Seventhly That we should have so little fruit of our prayers as we have at this day yea that God should seem to be angry with the prayers of his people This argueth a fearful controversy and in this one particular among others what prayers in England have been sent up to God for the Palsgraves children and that now instead of answering our prayers God should send two Arrows as it were out of those loins to do us mischief that it should come from them for whom England hath done so much to maintain them and sent up so many prayers to God for them and in recompence of all they should come hither to make havoke of the Kingdom Surely the hand of God is out against us Eightly That our brethren should be so spoil'd and our selves in such danger of drinking the dregs of the cup yet where are our hearts The judgment of God is upon the hearts of men that they stir not and act not like men but they see their Brethren spoild before them and in the mean time all that which keeps them quiet is only that they hope they shall be the last Gods hand is upon the hearts of men this could not be else Could one ever have thought that English men could have born this If one had told them before that there should be an Army of Papists rise up with French Walloons and Irish to spoil the Kingdom to destroy our Brethren would one have ever imagined that English men should have born it and stirred no more than they have done You talk indeed of this and that and of going forth every fourth man but all such resolutions and such great words of men do usually sink and fall down and come to nothing aâ— if men were willing and content to lay down their necks upon the block Surely the guilt of the blood of our Brethren may justly come upon us and God may have a controversie with us for suffering their blood to be spilt Ninthly That God should put so many opportunities into our hands and we neglect all those opportunities of mercy this is the hand of God against us and a fruit of his controversy with us What shall I say more That God himself should take away our opportunities that when we are nigh to deliverance that God should drive us back this is an argument of a heavy controversie indeed Numb 13. when the people were come very neer to Canaan and were even ready to take possession God was resolved against them that none but Caleb and Joshua should enter they were beaten back again now Chap. 14.33 it is said that the people when they heard this mourned greatly they saw the hand of God out against them The truth is we have been even in Canaan Oh what an opportunity God put into our hands in the West I say not we lost the opportunity but there Gods own hand shewed it self against us Bristol then might have been saved but God would not And so when we were even at our deliverance God seemed to drive us back as if he told us well I like not the business in hand for this generation I have somewhat more to say to them it may be to their young ones I may shew mercy afterward but against this generation my wrath shall be let out Surely we may be afraid in regard of the waies of Gods present administration lest this should be in Gods heart Howsoever let us consider it and mourn greatly before the Lord. God hath a controversiy with the inhabitants of the land It is no time now to have controversies one with another to be wrangling one with another for this opinion and the other opinion It is time for us now to lay down all our private controversies and fall to the making up the controversie with our God It is no time now for Brethren to strive with Brethren but to strive and wrestle with â—od in prayer If we have any strength with us let it not be spent in contending one with another but let all our strength be spent in seeking to make peace with our God It is said of the Romans that they had a Temple of Concord and none were to go to offer any further sacrifice but those that came first to offer in the Temple of Concord The Lord looks it should be so with us we should come and agrâ—e one with another lay down all our own controversies and then give up our selves as one man to this great work to make up our controversie with him If two Chickins be fighting and the Kite come neer they will leave picking one another and run to the Hen for shelter We stand picking and snarling one at another and many men that say they will do thus and thus for the publick cause but they take exception against this man and the other man and at this thing and that thing and now their private grudges come in and that draws them away and takes them off Oh let us not be picking now the Kite is coming neer let us run and shelter our selveâ— uâ—der the protection of God that cannot be but by making our peace with him As for the controversie that is this day between the King and us we can in that appeal to God that there is no just cause the King should contend with us no hurt ever intended or done by us unto him Only we desire to deliver ouâ— selves from Tyranny and slavery Our Priviledges and Libeâ—ties are deer to us they are our Right as truly as his Honor is his That which he inheriteth it was his forâ—fathers that which his forefathers his predecessors inherited it was at first from the People they set up such a family to rule and govern over them and certainly they never set it up for any other end but only for the publick good not for their misery ruin We can appeal to God that we desired nothing else but to l ve peacably and to serve God in our land enjoying only wâ—at God and nature and the Laws of our land had made our own We know the relation between him and us and the bond it is mutual and if there be any thing done now that perhaps cannot be justified by any positive explicite Law of the land let men know that yet it may be justified by the very light of Nature and by the Law of Armes It cannot be imagined but if those that ought to be the protectors of the Law should come against Law so hardly upon us that we must have recourse then to the Law and light of nature it is impossible this should be otherwise and this God himself approves Whatsoever therefore becomes of this controversy between him and us whether reconciliation or not reconciliation yet we have peace in this that what we have done in the resisting of a deluge of misery that was coming upon us if we had not done
sakes he shall bring even destruction upon the creatures And this seems to be a threatning of greater wrath tha◠〈◊〉 let out when he destroyed the world In destroying the olâ— world the wâ—ath of God was not so great as that here threatned against these ten Tribes for then the fishes of the Sea we do not reade of any hurt unto them but here the beasts of the field the fowls of the air the fishes of the Sea shall be taken away It referreth unto some fearful plague wherein not only the air but the waters are pestilential and the cattel and the fish die So it hath been in other Countries even in England in the time of Edward the third our Chronicles report of such a pestilential quality that was in the air and water that birds and fishes were found with botches upon them A strange plague in London And then there were in one Church-yard in one yeers space I think it was about the Charter house fifty thousand buried of pestilential diseases Such advantage hath God us at and can let out his wrath by such waies as these and such plagues are very fearful fruits of Gods wrath upon a Countrey What cause have we to bless God that he hath delivered us from the infection of the air If God should have but brought a plague upon London the last year Oh it would have been a plague indeed we had been in a sad condition it would have been the heaviest plague that ever was upon any Kingdom in the world if we had had but such a plague that should have caused men to have fled and the Parliament not have set and even by that should have been dissolved and so all the Kingdom would have been in a lamentable estate at this day Bless God for that And the fish of the Sea I remember upon this text a Jesuite that wrote but very lately Cornelius a Lapide hath a most audacious lye saith he since Scotland and Ireland hath departed from the Catholick faith that is from Popery Gods judgments are out against them and whereas they were wont to be such plentiful countries for fish God hath curs'd their very waters and now their trade of fishing is nothing like to what it was wont to be Upon this text he observeth such a judgment to be upon those Kingdoms he observeth it not of England at all for he was one that wrote lately and he had it seems some hope that England was coming to them again But through Gods mercy both Ireland and Scotland and England have found it otherwise in this regard But for Observations from hence thus First The good or evil of the creature dependeth on man Observ beause it was made for man man iâ— punished or blessed even by the creature and the creature comes to feel good or evil according as mans behavior is towards God Let then mercy pity toward the creature be an argument to keep us from sin If you have not cruel hearts towards the creature keep from sin for you do not only undo your selves but undo the world undo the creatuâ—e by your sin And when at any time we see the hand of God out against any creature let us reflect upon our own hearts and say My sin is the cause that this creature feels that evil that it doth and say as Judah said unto Tamar She is more righteous than I. So do you say of the creature Indeed Gods hâ—nd is out against it but the creature is more righteous than I. Obs 2 Secâ—ndly God when he is in a way of wrath can cause his wrath to râ—â—ch to those things that seem to be most remote from him As the fishes in the Sea seem to be most remote therefore this is naâ—â—â—â—â—â—re yea and the fish in the Seâ— also As if he had said my â—â—â—th shall burn burn fiercely and shal reach not only to your selves and houses and Cities and your Land and Cattel but to the very fish in the Sea God can let out hiâ— wrath as far as he pleaseth Obs 3 Thirdly No creature can help man in the time of Gods wrath Why for every creature suffers as well as man doth How vain then are the hearts of men who comfort themselves in hope of the enjoyment of comfort from this or that creature in the day of God wrath If you cry unto the mountains and hils and say help us they will give an Eccho help us for they had need of help as wel as you their Eccho will be help us too for the wrath of God is upon the creature in the day of his wrath therfore the creature cannot help in the day of wrath Verse 4. Yet let no man strive nor reprove another for this people are as they thâ—â—â—rive with the Priest Yet The Hebrew word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vere as if he should say truly it is in vain for any one to stand striving or reproving his neighbor or seek to convince or admonish him it is in vain for one friend to meddle with another Text opened for they are so violent in their wicked waies they are so far from hearkning to privat admonition that they wil contend with the Priest even with him that is set by God and designed by special office to teach and reprove Some carry it thus They are so vile as no man is fit to reprove one another being their wickedness is general no man is fit to reprove his brother of his sin But I rather take it the other way It doth first import thus much unto us in the general Obs That sin cannot be got from men without striving Such is the perversness of mens hearts that they take fast hold of deceit Jer. 8.5 and you cannot get them away without striving like men in a frenzie you cannot get them off from that which will mischieve them without strugling with them When you admonish and reprove men for sin you must make account aforehand that they will strive with you strugle with you yet afterwards perhaps they will blesse God for you If you come indeed at the first you shall have rugged usage What you come to judge uâ— as they said to Lot Who made you a Ruler So you have very ill language usually from men at first when they are reproved yet be not be discouraged they will bless God for you afterwards they wil say as David unto Abigail Blessed be God and blessed be thy advise and blessed be thou for thy counsel Secondly which is imployed in the former Even private Obs 2 men so long as there is any hope they should strive with their brethren by way of admonition and reprehension to bring them from their sin We must not say Are we our brothers keepers that is the language of a Cain There is much striving and contending one with another for our own ends Oh that there were more striving and contending for God and his glory It is a
sign that the Glory of God and the Souls of our Brethren are not precious in our eyes when we can so strive and contend to have our own wills and though God loseth his Glory and our Brothers Soul is like to perish we cannot strive and contend there not even those that are too too full of strife otherwise Thirdly It is a great aggravation of sin and a forerunner of destruction to a people not to regard the strivings admonitions Obs 3 and reprehensions of others Let no man strive It is in vain to strive now that 's the meaning Indeed so long as there was hope there might be stâ—iving but now they are past striving This was their height of wickedness that they were grown unto and the fore-runner of that wrath of God that was now ready to fal upon them because they were now past all reprehension and admonition I will give you for that two or three notable texts of Scripture to fatten this upon your hearts that it is a most fearful thing for people to stand out against admonition and reprehension That place in 1. Sam. 2.25 is a notable one the text saith of Eli's sons that they hearkened not unto the voice of their father why Because the Lord intended to destroy them Oh you children do you hearken to this Scripture turn to it reade it over you 〈…〉 stout rebellious children and your parents they are 〈◊〉 â—â—ving you for your sins and admonishing you but you will not hearken to them and in the pride of your hearts and stoutness of your spirits you refuse admonition but if you read that Scripture and beleeve that it is the Word of God Oh tremble at it They hearkened not unto the voyce of their father because the Lord would slay them Here is a stuborn child regards not the voice of his father and mother reproving him it is a fearful argument that God intends to destroy that child Another text you have in 2 Chron. 25.16 2 Chron. 25.16 it is a speech of the Prophet to Amaziah when the Prophet came to rebuke him for worshiping the gods of that people whom he had overcome in battel Here is the infinite vanity and sottishness of Idolators Amaziah falls to worship those very gods that could not deliver themselves nor their people out of his hands when the Prophet I say came to reprove him for it in what a rage was he One would have thought that there was so much the more reason fo◠〈◊〉 â—â—â—rit to have yeelded to the Prophet's reproof but saith the King Opened Art thou made of the Kings Counsel forbear it may be he hath other fetches other intentions what have you you to do to meddle The Prophet did forbear indeed but mark what he saith I know that God hath determined to destroy thee because thou hast done this and hast not hearkened unto my counsel Here was his collection because the King would not regard admonition and reproof certainly God had a purpose to destroy this King here is the forerunner of his destruction And it is observable of this King that he should now stand out so for in the Chapter before you shall find him seem to be of a yeildable spirit though he was a naughty man when he had hired an hundred thousand out of Israel to â—oyn with him in battel and had given them all pay yet when God did but send to him by the Prophet to send them back and to loose those hundred talents that he had paid the Soldiers withal upon the very word of the Prophet he sends back a hundred thousand of his Soldiers and looseth all their pay and yet this Amaziah that was so yeildable at that time how stubborn was he against the Prophet at another time And therefore at that time when he did so yeild to Go◠〈◊〉 prospered him in the battel and he overcame his enemies 〈◊〉 had a glorious victory and after that victory he falls a worshiping the Idols he had overcome and was stout against the Prophet and so soon after he was destroyed accordingly The last Scripture is that in Pro. 29.1 He that being often reproved hardneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy It is a dangerous thing to stand out against reproof and admonition Again Let no man strive with his brother You may see that this people were grown to a worse pass than they were before for in the second Chapter of this prophesie Say to your brethren Ammi and to your sisters Ruâ—hamah There those that were godly amongst them were admonished to speak to their brethren and their sisters though they were naught yet the godly that were disperst amongst them must be admonishing those they lived withal but now it is come to such a pass that there must be no more striving no moâ—◠〈◊〉 â—â—monishing Here we may take this note That sin doth increase in â—â—aces where Obs 4 it is let alone Those that were capable of admonition one while going on in sin and hardning their hearts grow quickly past all admonition Fiftly There is a time when men may you men should Obs 5 leave their striving and admonishing and reproving of others when they should let them alone Especially in these two cases when those that they should admonish scorn their admonition when they grow scorners when they trample their admonitions under their feet as swine or turn again upon them and rend them as dogs There are two sorts not to be admonished or reproved Swine and Dogs When they grow to be swine and dogs then you may leave yea you ought to leave admonishing them For admonitions and reprehensions are precious things they are pearls they must not be cast to swine Mat. 7.6 Mat. 7.6 Give not holy things to dogs neither cast pearls before swine they are holy things and precious things For I do not take that place to be meant of the Sacrament only it may be by an argument a minori ad majus applied to it but that place Give not holy things to dogs and cast not pearls before swine is meant of admonition and reprehension Opened So that admonition is to be looked upon as a holy thing as a pearl you are to prize it and therefore not to be angry when we come to admonish you but you are to look upon the holiness of God in it so reverence it and look upon it as a mercy of God and bless God for it There are many in Heaven now blessing God for the admonitions which they have received from others as David blessed God for Abigail and her counsel Many think it a great happiness unto them that they can reâ—ect admonition and counsel and when they are gone from such as have admonished them and are among their companions they can boast and say Oh such a one came and reprehended me but I said thus and thus to him and so rejoyce how they have reâ—ected admonition But if they knew all
they did fall on the right hand or on the left before or behind so they did divine their good luck or their ill luck as they call'd it A third way was this they used to peel off the bark of some part of a stick and then cast it up and divined according to which part of the pith either black or white appeared first A fourth was which we find in the Roman antiquities that their Augures or South-sayers used to sit upon the top of a Tower or Castle and the air being very cleer and fair without any clouds having a crooked staff in their hand which the Latines câ—ll Liâ—uus there they quartered out the regions of Heaven so much as was for their purpose when they had quarter'd them out they did reach forth this staff having first offered sacrifices and prayers to their gods upon the head of a person or a thing they would divine for and so they came to have good or ill luck to be shewed according to what at that time they observed in the Heavens the birds flying c. when that staff was upon the head of the party This the Romans did and it is like they had it somewhat from the Jews they did ask counsel of their staff By all this we may see what poor waies Idolaters have had to know the mind of their gods Obs When men forsake the right way of knowledg of Gods mind what poor waies do they go to know the mind of God Use Oh by this how should our hearts be raised up to bless God that we have such a way to know his mind that we have his Word that we have his Son that come out of his bosom to declare the eternal counsel of his father unto us These are the poor waies that Idolaters have to know the mind of their gods Now follows the ground of all For the spirit of whoredomes hath caused them to eâ— and they have gone a whoring from under their God For the spirit of whoredoms Some would have it thus that look as there are particular sins so there are particular Devils to attend upon them As there is a devil especially to attend upon Idolatry another to attend upon whoredom another upon drunkenness another upon envy another upon pride another upon passion and the like and so the spirit of whordom that is say they that devil that especially attended upon this sin caused them to er But I think this not to be the scope but this rather the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to er the spirit that is that impetus of spirit that was in them there is an impetus an ardency a vigour an activity of their spirits to such a kind of sinful way it is that which hath carried them on and caused them to er The Scripture oft speaks of several sorts of spirits as sometimes the spirit of perversness Esa 19.14 it is translated in your books a perverse spirit but the words are Spiritus perversitatum a spirit of perversness there is an impetus of spirit that hath caused Egypt to er in every work thereof So the spirit of uncleanness Zech. 13.2 it is translated in your books the unclean spirit but it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the spirit of defilements or uncleanness so the spirits of lying 1 King 22.22 the spirit of error 1 John 4.6 He that knoweth God heareth us he that is not of God heareth not us hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error that is there is an Impetus a strength of spirit that carries men on unto such an erronious way Use And the consideration of that will be of mervailous use unto us Let us look to our spirits my brethren strong inclinations of spirit and consider what spirit we are of especially when we are carried with an Impetus of spirit to a thing that is when we find an eagerness of spirit that way to such a thing we would fain have let us then take heed to our selves when you find I lay your spirits very eagerly and strongly set upon such a thing examine then what spirit you are of that it be not a spirit of lust of envy of malice as sometimes there is in mens hearts when they are carried with a more than ordinary strength after such a way There is many people when they find themselves carried on with such an impetus and ardency and fervency they cannot endure that any body should cross them in it no but they must have it As they in Samuel that would have a King when they heard all the reasons that could be to perswade them against it they would not answer one reason but held to their conclusion No but we will have a King say they So a man that hath a spirit of such an evil A spirit of envie a spirit of error a spirit of Antichrist in him a spirit of domineering in him a spirit of crueltie a spirit of bitterness in him first he will rush upon such a thing without examining of it and further if there come any thing against it any truth he slights it presently and casts it off and thinks there is nothing in it why because he hath a spirit that carries him that way and if the truth come more strongly that he is convinced by it yet he hath a spirit that carries him on and though he meet with many difficulties in the way he will break through them all Oh it is a dangerous thing when men have a spirit of errour or a spirit of bitterness You shall find some men that have much remaining of Antichristanisme in them do but speak to them of any thing that concerns an Ordinance of Christ of Christs institution of the will of Christ in the word assoon as it is but mentioned you shall not hear any answer to the argument but you may perceive a spirit of bitterness a spirit of envy a spirit of frowardness and passion presently to rise in them So in other things you shall find men and some that have good things in them that if you do but discourse with them of some things that you know are according unto the mind of Christ yet they have been brought up otherwise and have drunk in other principles and they have a spirit of bitterness and anger and vexation that presently will appear in them to cast off any truth that is suggested unto them But let us labour on the other side rather to be acted by the Use 2 Spirit of God the Children of God are led by the spirit And it is true the Saints of God have a Spirit of holiness in them as wicked men have a spirit of uncleanness in them so Gods children are carried on with a spirit of holiness the love of Christ hath taken hold of their hearts and perhaps they are weak and cannot reason out the case with some subtill Sophisters but they have the spirit of Christ an Impetus of
sense But I think that is not the scope Others reade these words comparatively and that I confess hath some probability in it I will not punish them that is I will not punish them in comparison of you for your example makes them such as they are you should restrain them and though the sin be great in them yet in comparison of you they shall not be punished at all Wicked parents they look upon their children when they are wicked as swearers lyars unclean c. they look upon them as those that it will go very ill withal Well it shall go ill with them indeed but if you be so too it shall be worse with you Many wicked parents are loth their children should be wicked I have known some drunkards and whoremasters have put their children to be educated by Puritans they are wicked yet their consciences tell them it is not good for their children to be so But the truth is if you be wicked and your children too though they may perish in their sins yet you shall perish with a seven-fold destruction But thirdly it is read plainly by most thus I will not punish them when they commit adultery that is I will shew my wrath against you in this that I will even give up your children and your wives let them do what they will I will not restrain them by any punishment And this is many times a way of Gods judgment against wicked ones that the Lord will not restrain them in their evil waies that 's the especial Note from these words Obser That it is one of the most fearful judgments of God in the world for the Lord not to restrain men from their wicked waies but to let them go on and to have their will in them for a while Hierom Hierom. upon those words in Ezek. 7.4 I will not spare God doth not spare saith he that he might spare he hath not mercy that he might have mercy upon people that is when God intends any good then he will not spare that is he will afflict and chastise those that he loves he will chastise but if you be bastards and not children he doth not care for chastising of you simile All the while a parent hath any respect to a child and intendeth he should inherit he doth correct him but when once he hath cast off a child and is fully resolved he shal never inherit one penny of all that he hath he lets him go on and take his course A Phisitian doth so with a patient he will give him potions and bitter potions all the while that there is hope but if the disease be grown too strong and there is no hope Hom. 8. in 20. cap Exod. vis indignantis Dei terribilem vocem audire c. Luther Vae illi ad quoruÌ„ peccata conniâ—eo Deus he lets him alone thus God deals with sinners many times in this world Origen Origen in one of his Sermons upon Exodus quoting this Scripture he hath this expression Will you hear the terrible voyce of a provoked God! I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom nor your spouses when they commit adultery this is the most terrible thing this is the most extream thing of wrath and judgment that can be imagined here is a terrible voice of God indeed I will not punish you So Luther Wo to those men at whose sins God winketh It is a fearful judgment to fall into the hands of the living God but it is a more fearful judgment to fall out of the hands of the living God in this regard Many men bless themselves in this that they can go on in the world and sin and sin and still prosper and thrive they do not pray in their families as others do they are not so scrupulous in their consciencces as others are they are not so strict to walk exactly as others yet they thrive in their trades as others they are as rich as others as healthful as others they have as fine bodies as hansom children as others and upon this they are hardened in their sin Oh but know though thou mayest bless thy self in this thing yet it is the heaviest curse of God that can bee upon thee unless he should send thee quick unto Hell There is no such brand of a reprobate as this for God to suffer a wicked man to prosper in his sin Hierom hath this Note upon these words Hierom Quando videris peccatorem divitijs affluentem jactare se potentia sanitate abundare delectare conjuge coronâ circundare liberorum dic in illum comminationem compleri when thou seest saith he a sinner flow w th wealth when thou seest him boasting and braving of his power when thou seest him very healthful and hail and have a lusty body when thou seest him delighting in his wife when thou seest him to have a company of brave children bravely arraied then say the threatning of God by the Prophet Hosea is fulfilled upon that man Thy judgment is very great in this for the less punishment thou hast now the more thou art like to have hereafter The less punishment the more sin and so the more misery Know that Justice will have somewhat and much too for the forbearance of her act of her stroke and certainly it were better for thee that art a wicked and ungodly man that thou shouldest beg thy bread from door to door Perhaps now thou hast much coming in thou liest soft and farest daintily while others are put to miserable extremities and have scarce a rag to cover them or a bit of bread to put in their bodies and in cold weather have no fire to warm them and yet thou art ungodly and wicked know that it were better for thee and thou wilt one day say it and wish it thy self that thou hadst been in such a case as the poor beggar that hath begged a farthing at thy door and it is Gods wrath upon thee that thou art not now as miserable as they Let us therefore stop the troubles of our thoughts in this we see the wicked how they prosper in the world and how vile men are exalted and though they undertake causes that we know are abominable in the eyes of God and we know their waies are loathsom before God and they provoke the God of Heaven in their wicked waieâ— and tempt him to his very face yet they prosper They are indeed ready to take this their prosperity as an argument that God approveth of their waies and that God loves them Oh let us not I say be troubled at their prosperity for it is so far from Gods shewing it as an argument of his approbation of their waies that it is one of the greatest judgments that can possibly befall them in the world when God shall say let them go on and fill up the measure of their sâ—ns they shall have their hearts desire for a while
that is neer to you not only in place but in nature or affection that is superstitious take heed of being defiled by such Oh how many have suffered shipwrack of their faith by this means that they have had some kinsman some Uncle some acquaintance that have been very neer unto them and they have drawn them aside from the waies of God Hence is the reason of that severity that God would have used against a brother or a friend that seeks â—o draw away from God unto Idolatry because the Lord sees there is so much danger in it Deut. 13.6 Deut. 13.6 If thy brother or the son of thy mother or the son of thy daughter or the wife of thy bosom or thy friend which is as thine own soul Opened entice thee secretly to go from God thou shalt not consent unto him neither shall thine eye pity him neither shalt thou spare neither shalt thou conceal him but thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death Though he be thy brother or the wife of thy bosom or thy friend that is as thine own soul thou shalt not pity him but thou shalt seek the very death of such an one if he seek to draw thee unto â—aies of Idolatry Because God saw what danger there was in this that is the reason of the severity Thirdly Judah was in great danger to be drawn aside by Israel because that Israel was the greater number Israel was ten Tribes but Judah and Benjamin those two Tribes little Benjamin together with Judah were but a few in comparison of Israel It is a great argument that Idolaters use to draw others unto the waies of Idolatry because of the number of those that go that way Obser The whol World admire after the Beast the World doth the Nations do and that is a mighty argument to draw the greater part of people they think that â—â—is way of worship is the best way there are but a few anâ— considerable number that are in another way No question but it was their argument here as if they should say what do not ten Tribes know the mind of God as well as those two Is there any reason why we should think that the greater part of the children of Abraham of the Jews ten Tribes should not know the mind of God It is the argument at this day say many that are superstitious and would go on in their old way of Idolatry They that are against such waies they are but a few an inconsiderable party but the chief the great ones and the most of all sorts you see which way they go We are to take heed of this Oh let not Judah though Israel be the greater part follow a multitude to do evil Fourthly Israel was rich and in a flourishing estate therefore there was danger that Judah might be carried away by them Israel carried things before them in outward pomp and glory and we know that way that thrives in the world men will soon be brought to close with Obser and the way of Israel when Hosea prophesied did much thrive and prosper Israel prevailed mightily in the world When Ephraim spake there was trembling therefore it was a wonderful grace of God to keep Judah from following their example We find it by experience let a way be persecuted yet let it be but once countenanced in the world men will cry it up do we not see at this day that those things that heretofore men would not profess because of persecution that now on a sudden their minds are changed and now they cry it up The same thing that heretofore have been persecuted if they once be but countenanced by great ones and by multitudes how will men cry it up Things that their hearts were against things that they would argue and reason against yet now because they have more publick countenance their judgments are changed here is the deceit of mens hearts that way that hath most countenance in the world that way they will go on in especially in the worship of God Fiftly Israel had many colours and pretences for what thâ—â— did and that might endanger Judah to be led aside by tâ—â—â— for Israel they did not profess themselves Idolaters and superstitious No they profest that they did serve the Lord the true Jehovah and the difference was not great between them and Judah they would tell you it was but circumstances in place you must worship God at Jerusalem and we would have you worship at Dan and Bethel and those Images that are set up are but to put you in mind of the same God you worship Obser The neerer any come to you in what is the right worship of God yet if they retain any corruption there is so much the more danger that they should draw you from that which is right for Israel did come neerer to the true worship of God than the Heathens did now the Prophet doth not say though the Heathens be Idolaters yet let not Judah be so too but though Israel play the harlot yet let not Judah offend There was more danger that Judah should be drawn aside by Israel than that they should be drawn aside by any of the Heathen And so there is more danger that we at this day should be drawn aside by those that joyn with us in many things that are right than by Papists they are hateful to us Applic. we see their waies to be abominable Papists and Heathens there is not so much danger especially for those that profess godliness to be drawn aside by them but the danger is in this to be drawn aside by their brethren and that by their brethren that joyn with them in many things that are right and that come very neer to the true worship of God Well Judah must not do so though Israel doth As there were many things wherein Judah was in great danger to be drawn aside by Israel so there were many arguments why Judah should not do as Israel did Exposit As First God had graciously differenced Judah from Israel Reas 1 in abudance of mercy Judah must not now make himself like Israel in sin seeing God had made them unlike in mercy God had in mercy made a difference between Judah and Israel let not then the wickedness of their hearts make themselves to be all one God had kept Judah to the house of David and to his Temple to be his own people Secondly Judah had more means than Israel had therefore Reas 2 Judahs sin would be more vile than Israels was For Judah had the true Priests of God to teach them Judah had the Temple among them Judah had the Ordinances of God in the right way with them therefore for Judah to be drawn aside to the waies of Israel this would be a greater sin in them Whatsoever Israel doth that have none but superstitious Idolatrous Priests amongst them Priests made of the lowest of the people Israel
have so many to cleave unto them seeing the people know that by cleaving unto them they shall have liberty to enjoy their lusts That is a second Note Thirdly Ephraim is jâ—yned to Idols Expos 3. The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it signifies in the Parâ—iciple Incantatus such a kind of joyning as your Inchanters in the waies of their conjuration joyn their unclean spirits to them that is the propriety of the word so Ephraim is joyned to his Idols cleaveth to his Idols or as some turn it is glued to his Idols and that unclean spirit that carries him on to the waies of Idolatry he comes to be one with him as it is said of Beleevers that they are joyned to the Lord Christ and so they are one spirit so Idolaters are joyned to the Devil and are become one spirit that is the meaning they are glued to that unclean spirit and so they come to be fastened to their Idols that is the propriety of the word From thence the Note is That Idolaters hearts are very strongly glued to the waies of Idolatry so that it is very hard for any to get off their hearts Obs 3 Jer. 8.5 They take fast hold of deceit they will not easily be taken off And Jer. 2.10.11 Pass â—â—er unto Kedar and consider diligently and see if there be such a thing Hath a Nation changed their gods which are yet no gods Kedâ—r was one of the vilest places of all Wo is me saith David that I have my habitation in the tents of Kedar yet saith God go thither and see whether they have changed their gods Those that are the most vilest Idolaters yet they will not change their gods their hearts are joyned to their gods let their hearts be never so base and their gods never so vile as the Egyptians they would worship Leaves and Garlick and Cats base and vile things and yet they would not be taken off from their Idolatrous waies I have read of a people in India in the Isle Zolon that worshiped an Apes Tooth and when it was taken from them they offered an unconceivable sum of treasure to regain that their Idol again An Apes tooth they are set upon their waies of Idolatry though it be never so foolish never so sottish And especially if Idolaters have outward prosperity to be as the glew and cement to joyn their hearts to that way of false worship then they are joyned indeed Take men that are superstitious and if they do prosper in their waieâ— this their prosperity is the glue and cement to joyn their hearts strongly to those waies there is no getting of them off from them And though they have been long in that way of false worship they do nor like it ever a whit the worse I beseech you observe this note Note In any thing that is false worship antiquity will make it venerable and they will plead for it by antiquity and say it is thus and thus ancient and their forefathers did thus and thus But observe it in waies of the true worship of God men are quickly weary and because they have had it a great while they desire some novelty some new thing You shall have many people much affected with the truth when it is first revealed to them and when they com to hear Sermons or such exercises their hearts are much taken with them but within a while they loath this Mannah and so fall off quickly from it So that in the worship of God that is true and right there the continuance in it makes it to be less esteemed but in false worship the longer people continue in it the more they esteem it and there antiquity makes it to be venerable they do argue froÌ„ antiquity to make it the more honorable This is the wickedness of the hearts of men But will Idolaters thus joyn to their Idols will their hearts be glued to them are they willing to be one spirit with them Oh how much more should we joyn to the Lord our God joyn to Jesus Christ to be as one spirit with him Use That exhortation of Barnabus Act. 11.23 that with full purpose of heart they should cleave unto the Lord is a seasonable Exhortation even at all times Oh let us cleave unto God and his worship so as whatsoever arguments are used yet our hearts may never be taken off from the love of the truth but let us say as once that Martyr did Though you may pluck my heart out of my bowels yet you shall never pluck the Truth out of my heart 2 Martyrs saying And the less there is between God and our hearts the more firmly shall we be glewed to him Those that are godly gracious they need not the glue the cement of outward prosperity to joyn their hearts unto God but godliness alone the sweetness that they find in God alone is enough to joyn their hearts unto him even in an everlasting covenant Those men who seem to be joyned to God and his worship yet if it be the glue and cement of outward respects that joyns their hearts unto God they will quickly fall off from it But those that are immediately joyned to God they will for ever keep to him when there is nothing but God and their hearts together nothing between God and them Ephraim is joyned to Idols The word that is translated Idols it is by some translated Angusti and so indeed it signifies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dolore officere Expos 4. it signifies pain and trouble for their Idols did in the conclusion bring them to pain and trouble There are two reasons why it signifies pain and trouble Reas 1 First Because that Idolaters were willing to endure much pain and trouble in the worshiping of their Idols Applic. which should teach us not to account the worship of God tedious though it be somewhat hard to the flesh Idolaters would endure pain and trouble to the flesh in the worshiping of their Idols Reas 2 Secondly Such worship will bring pain and trouble to them in the conclusion But this is not the principal thing intended here but the force of the argument is Ephraim is joyned to Idols therefore meddle not with him do not you do as they do So that when we see people set up false waies of worship in any place Obs 4 and they are set upon those false waies of worship we must take heed of communicating with then in these false waies of worship But this Note to enter into it will take up a great deal of time Let him alone Demitte eum Let him go saith God he is joyned to his Idols let him go First This is a speech to Judah let Expos 1 Ephraim go saith God to Judah Ephraim they indeed are the ten Tribes the most of the people of the Jews but yet seeing they set up false worship let them go have nothing to do with them do not converse with them
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 â—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 nâ— 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 hiâ— 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
them alone From hence there are these two Notes that are of mervailous use First That God hath a time to give over men to themselves to say Obs 1 that his Spirit shal no longer strive with them Oh many a man hath felt the Spirit of God drawing strugling striving with him to draw him from such and such a wicked way he hath felt I say Gods Spirit mighty and strong what will you still go on in this way of wickedness uncleanness drunkenness oppression injustice profanation hypocrisâ—e self-seeking and the like but he hath been striving against the Spirit of God and his lusts have even gotten the victory over the Spirit so that God saith My Spirt shall no longer strive I will not struggle in vain but let him go on and have his own waies Oh it is dreadful when the Lord shall say of a drunkard of an unclean person of an hypocrite I have been strugling so long with them but yet their hearts have been opposite to me let them alone in that wicked way and let them go on and satisfie themselves in their wicked devices Psal 81.12 They would none of me saith God they would none of my waies So I gave them up to their own counsels Oh this is a dreadful gift Many men that will set their counsels against Gods counsels and will do it so long as that God at length gives them up to their own counsels You will set your thoughts against my Truth your counsels against mine well take your counsels satisfie your selves in your own waies And you know that place in the latter end of the Revelation He that will be filthy let him be filthy still Saith God Let him alone wil you be filthy be filthy then And that in Ezek. 24.13 Because when I would have purged them they would not be purged therefore they shal be purged no mâ—re saith God I will let them alone I will never seek either by my word or by my works to do them any further good they shall be purged no more And the reason of this is Reas 1 1. Because God hath no need of men God doth this to shew that he hath no need of you Indeed he seeks by his Word to draw you to obedience to his service and you stand off and draw from him and will not come on At length God will manifest himself that he hath no need of your service he can honor himself without you though you perish as filth and dung everlastingly Reas 2 2. God therefore will let men alone in their sin because he doth know how to fetch out glory to his own Name from their sinnes You will go on in your wicked waies you will be stubborn and stout saith God do you think to hinder me of my glory that way well do you take your fill of your lusts I know how to glorifie my self out of that sin of yours that you do so much against my glory therefore take your fill of it Obs 2 Secondly which is the chief It is the most wofull judgment of God upon any people upon any person when God shall say in his wrath Let him alone go on The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it is as much as to say Let him be quiet and Tranquillus that quiet will prove a dreadful storm You know what the wise man saith Wo to him that is alone Oh wo to him that God saith Let him alone that is thus alone Many men bless themselves when they are let alone and desire it Let us alone say they Oh but when God shal say Let them alone this is a most dreadful thing indeed It was a fearful evil it proved at least to be a fearful evil to Adam in Paradise when God let him alone when God left Adam to himself what became of him he undid himself what in him lay and all his posterity when he was but left to those natural abilities he had it proved in the conclusion dreadful enough Yea and when God shall but leave his own Saints that have grace in them shall but leave them for a little while unto themselves Oh what mischief comes of it As in 2 Chron. 32.31 Hezekiah was left to himself but a while and what a deal of misery did he bring upon himself when God did but leave him to himself to try what was in his heart What are there such evil consequences upon Adam in Paradise left alone and the Saints left alone here Oh what a dreadful thing is it then when God shall leave a sinner alone I mean one that hath nothing else but sin in him a wicked wretch that hath no grace at all in him First This is a testimony of very great disrespect in God of Reas 1 his creatures in this that he accounts them not worthy of any further medling with he loves them not so well as to meddle any further with them it is a sign I say of great disrespect of God unto them as if God should say well there are others indeed that are ill enough that are very great sinners but I have mercy for them I intend to draw them to my self I intend to shew them thâ— evil of their waies and to turn them to me that they may be saved but as for these I have nothing to do with them saith God I have no mercy for them let them alone let them shift for themselves as well as they can Secondly The evil is great because they are then let alone Reas 2 when they are going a pace unto misery To let a man alone when he is at home in his house and all things convenient about him is not so much simile but if you should see a man in a mad humor running to the water to drown himself and then to let him alone this were a great judgment Though when a man walks in the street in an ordinary way no man will meddle with him but let him alone but if you should see a man running into the fire or running to cast himself into a Well or a Pond no one then would let him alone But now the Lord sees sinners running headlong into misery inâ—â— the bottomless pit and even then God saith Let them alone Reas 3 Again They were in the midst of abundance of dangers and yet God saith Let them alone When a man is in safety among his friends and you let him alone it is not so much but suppose you should know of one that were invironed round about with adversaries or that them were wild beasts round about him ready to devour him and this message were brought to you Oh there is such a friend of ours in great danger and you should say what if he be let him alone lâ—â— him shift as well as he can So we are to know that all sinners that are going on in their evil waies they are in woâ—ul danger dangers on every hand and the Lord sees and takes noâ—â—câ— that they are
in the midst of dangers yet saith God Let them alone they shall not have my protection and help And this is a just punishment of God upon wicked sinners that will go on in their wicked waies Reas 4 Fourthly When God saith Let them alone he intends this as the making of way unto some fearful wrath that is to follow after Let my mercy and goodness let them alone but it is that they may fall into my wrath and that will not let them alone that will trouble them howsoever they cannot enduâ— to be troubled by my Word by mâ— Messengers by my Spirit but my Wrath shall trouble them afterward that shall not let them alone as in that place Ezek. 24.13 before quoted Thou shalt not be purâ—â—â— from thy filthiness any more till I have caused my fury â—o rest upon thee they shal not have any means to trouble them for a while but at length my fury shall rest upon them When the Lord shall seem to be quiet toward men and let them alone it is but to make way for fearful wrath that is coming after Reas 5 Fiftly If God once inflict this judgment upon sinners to say Let them alone if God will not vouchsafe to speak unto them any more he will not then vouchsafe to hear them speak unto him any more If God once shall take away his Word from them If once the Lord shall say they would not hear me they shall never hear me more Let them alone God will then likewise say I will not hear them let them cry in the anguish of their spirits I will let them alone that is certain When God shall let sinners alone in regard of his mercy then he will let them alone too when the greatest wrath shall be upon them As thus when they shall come under the greatest affliction the most dreadful miseries and torments in this world and eternally in the world to come when they shall then be crying and roaring and yelling out in the anguish of their spirits unto God Oh that God would now have mercy upon us God will let them even then alone I will bring them into the fire saith God and then I will leave them there Oh think of this when you feel that there was a time when God was stirring and striving with your hearts but now it is not so as before yet you are worse in your lives than before And then further It is a dreadful sign of reprobation Reas 6 for God to say of a people or of a person thus Let them alone For first What is reprobation Reprobation what Reprobation certainly is not for God to decree to damn men you mistake in that that is not the first act of God upon any man but thus reprobation is this for God to decree whereas there are some that he hath set his heart upon he is resolved to do them good there are others he doth not presently decree to damn them but he doth decree to leave them unto themselves that what they Earn they shall have and no more Earnings he will deal with them according to their works he will do them no wrong he will not be unjust to them Justice he will not damn them but for their sin he never decrees to damn any but for sin but he decrees this he will leave them to a course of justice I will give them what is sit for them to have in creation I will make such a covenant with them and then I will leave them unto themselves and what they work for they shall have this is then another kind of reprobation and worse than that first Reprobation that is reprobation for God to decree to leave a man to himself when he had no sin in him as God did not make man with sin at first suppose you were now made according to the Image of God without sin yet if God should decree to leave you fully and eternally to your self you were but a reprobate but now when God sees a man in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity now for God to leave him to himself this is reprobation of the second Edition this is a most dreadful reprobation indeed Secondly There is a reprobation in it in this regard That God now doth manifest that he doth intend to fetch his glory from this sinner out of his ruin he manifesteth no other now for thus Certainly God will have glory from every creature howsoever you may resist God in his glory God will have it he will fetch it out from you Well but now on the first hand God he would have his glory from his creature in the waies of obedience and service but they deny this to God they will not give him this glory they will have their own will they will set up themselves in Gods Throne Well saith God I have used such and such means to draw their hearts from those waies to my self but they stand out Let them alone now As if he should say thus I have thought now of another way to fetch out my glory from them as he reasoned in the Gospel when he could not provide for himself one way I know what I will do saith he so saith God I am denied my glory one way well I know what to do I have another way that is to glorifie my infinite Justice and the power of my infinite wrath they have refused to give me glory by obedience and coming in to me I will not have my glorie that way but now I will rather chuse to have my glorie from them in their everlasting misery they shall be spectacles of my wrath and justice and it shall be known to Angels and men unto all eternity what my infinite justice and power is able to do therefore let them alone to that saith God Reas 7 And further When God shall say of any Let him alone it is a greater judgment than if he should inflict all the outward judgments of this world upon them Too many of you are afraid of sickness of being spoild of your goods that God should let the enemy in upon you and all should be taken from you this were a great judgment Oh but this judgment here in the Text is a greater judgment than if you were stripped of all the comforts in the world and brought into the miserablest condition that ever any creature was upon the earth in regard of outwards you were not under such a dreadful judgment as thiâ— for God to say Let them alone better any judgments than spiritual judgments As the spiritual blessings of God bestowed upon the Saints are the greatest blessings Ephe. 1.2 Oh blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ that hath blessed us with al spiritual blessings in heavenly things so the judgments of God that are spiritual judgments they are the most dreadful judgments of God in the world Oh that we could have our hearts possest with a
fear of those to fear spiritual judgments more than all the judgments in the world And yet more This is not only worse than all outward Reas 8 judgments here in this world but it is worse for a man to be given over by God to himself than to be given up to the Devil If God should give up any man to the Devil and say Note Worse to be given up to ones self than to be given up to the Devil Devil take him possess him as once he did possess many in Christs time it were not such a fearful judgment as this to say let lusts take him and rule him let him be given up to his own hearts lusts let him alone to them And that is apparant out of that place where the Apostle gives order for the incestious person to be given over unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that his soul might be saved When one is given up to the Devil in Excommunication or any other way it may prove to the salvation of his soul but this judgment of God saying Let a man alone it is for the destruction of his soul not of the flesh it tendeth directly to the destruction of the soul though it may be in the mean while the flesh may be saved It is so with many There are many that God letteth alone and that proveth the destruction of the soul but perhaps the saving of the flesh As thus perhaps many that went on in wickedness God was chastising them and afflicting them well this tended to the destruction of the flesh though to the saving of their soul yea but they would rather live in prosperity and ease and have their sin well saith God you shall do so you shall have ease and prosperity and have your sin that is your flesh shall here be saved but your soul shall eternally be destroyed Therefore it is worse than to be given up unto the Devil Reas 9 Yea further For God to say Let him alone it is worse than to be sent down to Hell presently or then to be presently damned for when one is left alone to himself he will encrease his sin most dreadfully all the time of hiâ— life and as his sin doth encrease so his torment doth encrease therefore it is a most dreadful thing to be let alone Reas 10 Yea further When God saith Let a man alone you will say God should pitie him then alas what can a man do No but his condition is thus when he is let alone though he be without the grace of God yet he must answer for as much as he might have done if he had had that grace which he hath justly deprived himself of And must answer for all that the might have don with the grace he might have had there lies the evil of it further When God leaves a man alone he must not think but he is to answer still for the motions of Gods Spirit though he hath them not and for the means of grace though he enjoy them not for he hath deprived himself of them For look what means of grace we thorough sin have deprived our selves of we must answer for them and there is none of your reasons but may be convinced of it I will give you a plain instance Suppose you send your servant to market to buy a commodity you give him money whereby he may do it simile but he goes into an Alehouse or Tavern and drinks it away he cannot bring you that you sent him for but you may justly require it and punish him for not doing of it he may say what would you have me do that I cannot I cannot bring it you without money yea but the Master may say I gave you monie it is your fault you have bezelled it away So God may justly require of these men all that they might have done by all the means of grace they should have had God gave you that means you have bezelled it away by your sinâ— Again further When God shall say Let him alone his Reas 11 condition is dreadful in this Al means encrease his condemnatioÌ„ that now all the means of grace are made unprofitable to him yea cursed to him and they are turned to the quite contrary end For the word will work one way or other either to be the savour of life unto life or of death unto death and so the Sacrament either to be the seal of Salvation or the Seal of damnation Now all means are not only unprofitable those means that do other souls good It may be the poor child of a wicked parent comes unto the word and there he finds God revealing himself unto him and the Spirit of God drawing his heart unto himself but there is his parent of whom God hath said Let him alone he sits under the means and gets no good So perhaps the Master he is one upon whom this judgment is past Let him olone he sits under the means and gets nothing and his poor servant he comes and his soul is enlightned his heart is enlarged because this judgment is not upon him Oh my brethren upon this because the point is of so great consequence I could not passe by it lightly you may learn from hence First what poor creatures we are all God need not say Use 1 Let my power and wrath justice come upon them to make them miserable if God do but say Let them alâ—ne we are miserable presently we are lost and undone presently simile As in nature If God should say to any of you as soon as you are born Let this creature alone and let none help him what poor shiftless sucourless creatures had we been So for our souls take one that hath the most excellent gifts in all this Congregation yea take one that hath the most excellent graces if God should but say Let him alone he would quickly bring himself to misery It is through the strength of that grace in the Covenant that God will never say to those that are members of his Son Let them alone for ever Secondly Oh let us fear and tremble at this judgment Especially Use 2 let them take this to heart that have felt the Spirit of God stirring in their hearts and the Word coming to their consciences yet they have gone on directly against Gods Word and the motions of his Spirit Oh that this day the fear of this great God may fall upon them lest God should say Let them alone Perhaps God hath not said so yet but who knows but that upon the next wilful sin thou committest God may say concerning thee Let him alone and then thou art undon for ever Oh fear and tremble Perhaps some of you may say God hath surely said this of me already Caution I should not be so unprofitable under the means else I should not hear such powerful Sermons and get so little good I should not have such and such
corruptions prevail over me I am afraid this is pronounced already against me I am loth when I speak of this dreadful judgment which is indeed the most dreadful in all the Book of God to let any poor soul go that hath need of comfort without receiving what is due to him To answer thee then First It is a good sign that God hath not let thee alone when thou art troubled in the fear of thy heart lest God should have let thee alone Commonly those men that God hath left alone they go on and are quiet and are never troubled about it but please themselves in their own hearts lusts Secondly It is a good means to keep thee from being let alone Those that are afraid lest God should leave them alone and upon that can say in the uprightness of their hearts Oh I tremble under this judgment I had rather God should give me up to all the Cavaliers to all the Devils in Hell than to my own hearts lusts it is a signe that this judgement is not upon thee and it is a means to keep it from thee And Thirdly and lastly If thou hast yet a heart not to let God alone God hath not a heart to let thâ—e alone So long as thy heart keeps up to God that thou wilt not let him alone you know it is the Scripture phrase when Moses was so earnestly seeking God in prayer let me alone saith God to Moses though thou findest not God coming to thee as thou desirest thou attendest upon God in the word and in reading and â—â—ditation and all the means thou knowest and yet thou dost not find God come and yet for all this thou art not weary of Gods service and art resolved thou wilt not let God alone but if thou perish thou wilt let it be thy last breath to be crying unto God and never let him alone peace be unto thee God hath not let thee alone so long as this frame of heart doth abide in thee Those of whom God saith let them alone usually they begin to be more sluggish in prayer than before to break off prayer in their families in their closets and then perhaps to fall objecting against it why Note What is there for it to prove such things must be done and the like and so by degrees they will come to have no heart unto any holy duty but if thy heart be kept in quickness and activity and life to be seeking God and resolving not to let him alone surely God will not let thee alone Lastly Ob bless God if thou findest that he hath not inflicted this Use 3 judgment upon thee Though perhaps thou hast many outward judgments in the world it may be some of you are spoiled of all your goods and have great afflictions upon you Oh let this be a means to quiet your hearts that though God hath taken from you many comforts in this world yet blessed be his Name he hath not left me alone yet I find his Spirit within me I find his Grace within me I find his Word working in my heart there are many other men that have outward comforts they have fair houses great possessions and lands and brave cloathes Oh but the Lord hath let them alone though I have afflictions upon me yet blessed be God he hath not inflicted this judgment upon me he hath not let me alone And let us bless God in regard of the Kingdom Surely the waies of God toward this Land are such that we have hope that God hath not pronounced this judgement upon England God might have said unto England England hath been joyned to Idols let him alone One would have thought that some three years since and a little more that we were in a condition fit to be let alone but in this time the Lord hath been so stirring and working for England as it may appear evidently that God will not let us alone and blessed be God that he will not let us alone that he will scourg and afflict us sorely rather than not purge out our Idols And that people and that soul that had rather have God purge them soundly than let them go on in any sin surely God doth not let that people and soul alone It is true indeed great chastisements are upon us but stil they al hitherto tend to our purging not our ruin it is because the Lord will not let us alone It may be many think it would be better if it were with us now as as it was four years since then we had no such noise and rumours of war there was no such spoiling and killing as now what is the English of this but thus much Oh it was well with us when we were going on in superstitious and idolatrous waies going to Rome as fast as we could that God might have said then Let England alone If God should have said let them go to Rome let Idolatry be set up there this would have been a greater judgment than al the blood-shed in England at this day but in that the Lord is yet striving with us though we be strugling against him let us bless his Name Verse 18. Their drink is sowr they have committed whoredom continually her Rulers with shame do love Give ye Their drink is sowre I find some Interpreters carry this word thus Exposit 1 faedé crapulantur Luther as if it noted their excess in drunkeness and luxury as if they powred down drink till it sowred in them and then they vomited it up So Luther translates the words they do most filthily and vildly gormondize drink and eat and pamper themselves I remember Luther upon the place hath this note saith he Idolaters they love to pamper the flesh they drink even to vomiting again but for the true worshiping of God that saith he is cut more short in these outward things and it is hungry and cold We find that the false prophets were pampered at Jezebels table when poor Micaiah was fain to be fed with bread and water of affliction So Luther and divers other Interpreters carry the word But I think there is more in it The word that is here translated drink it carrieth with it their festival meeting Convivium recessâ—t that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their feasts and their meetings it is as wine that is sowr and hath lost the spirit and savor of it For drink they understand their drinkings that is the comforts that they have in this world that these Idolaters do so much satisfie themselves in as your superstitious Idolatrous people they alwaies seek to pamper their bellies and to be sure to have outward comforts Now saith he all this is sowr And indeed all the comfort of this world when God is forsaken it is but as sowr drink the sweetness and quickness and life of all is taken away when God and his worship is forsaken So you may take their drink by a Senechdoch for al the comforts of this
they would willingly be rid of you and think it would be better with the land when you are gone and they say Let the Lord be glorified they have pretences that they desire nothing but the peace of the Church and the glory of God they say even your brethren that cast you out they say Let the Lord be glorified but God shall appear for your glory and for their shame the Lord will honor you in that way of his Worship that you take up which is according to his Word though you suffer for the present much ignominie and contempt for it and though they may ruff it out for a while and seem to carry al before them having that which is countenanced more publickly but the Lord will appear at length to their shame the Lord will make them ashamed of their sacrifices Causes of shame There are four things that principally cause shame First Disrespect from those we desire honor from that is shame When one comes to any to a superior and expects respect from him and finds that he is cast out this is a great shame So they shall be ashamed of their sacrifices they make account that I should honor their sacrifices that they should have honor from me by reason of their sacrifices but I will cast shame upon them they shall have nothing but arguments of disrespect from me In 1 King 2.16 when Bathsheba came to Solomon to ask a Petition of him deny me not saith she the old Latine hath it Ne confundas faciem meam do not confound my face do not make me ashamed the Hebrew is Ne avertere faciem meam do not cause my face to be turned that is do not make me ashamed by giving me such disrespect when I expect such honor from thee When God doth cast off the sacrifices of men and shews disrespect unto them that causeth shame it doth confound or should confound their faces Secondly When a man takes a great deal of pains and it comes all to nothing that causeth shame and so all superstitious waies will bring shame at last In Colos 2. it is said of all superstitious ceremonies that they perish in the use of them there comes no good of them Idolaters take a great deal of paint in their waies of false worship but all will come to nothing when they shall stand in most need all their waies of superstition and Idolatry will leave them shiftless and succourless and helpless and so cast shame upon them Thirdly Disappointment of hope brings shame Psal 119.116 Let me not be ashamed of my hope saith David If I hope for good and be disappointed this will bring shame Divers Scriptures we have to shew this So when those that are superstitious and Idolatrous shall raise up their hearts with great expectation of good from God in their waies of false worship and shall be disappointed of all their hope in this God will cast shame upon them Fourthly When God discovers that to be worthless and vile which a man hath gloried most in that causeth shame So Idolaters that glorie in their Idolatrous waies the Lord in time will discover them to be base and vile and worthless things for indeed they are all but poor apish and beggarlie things and they ate fitter to please children than God God will discover this If it be objected Object Oh but they seem not to be such poor and weak things they seem to be more glorious and pompous a great deal than the waies of the true worshipers of God The true worship of God in it self seems to be a poor and mean thing The answer is Answ That the institution putteth a glory upon the waies of worship now they not having an institution upon them they are looked upon as apish and foolish and beggarlie things And then a word of promise and an engagement of Gods presence in his Ordinances puts an honor upon them which the waies of superstition have not Use Admonitions to the defiled with superstitious worship to take shame to themselves It is good for those who have been guilty in this kind of superstitious waies of worship even to prevent God by casting shame upon themselves for if they do not God will cast shame upon them he will make them to be ashamed That is our best way to come in and to prevent God and to lie down in our shame to take shame unto our own souls to lie down therein God knows how we have defiled our selves even all of us in waies of superstitious worship and the truth is God is casting shame upon all those waies at this day and doth cast shame upon them Happie are those that before these times did take shame to their own souls for all their defilements in the waies of false worship Howsoever before God doth yet further force it upon us it will be our wisdom to take shame to ourselves Ezek. 43.11 that text is a famous text for this purpose first in the tenth verse Shew them the bouse that they may be ashamed shew them the true way of my worship that they may be ashamed The truth is if we did but understand the beauty the excellency the true beauty of holiness in the waies of Gods Ordinances in the purity and simplicitie of the Gospel that were enough to make us ashamed if there were nothing else we would even be very vile in our own eyes to think that while our hearts have been taken up about such vain and vile waies of false worship that such glorious Ordinances of God that beauty of holiness that is in his Ordinances hath been neglected by us shew them the way of my house that they may be ashamed But further in the 11. vers If they be ashamed of all that they have done shew them the form of the house and the fashion thereof and the goings out thereof and the comings in thereof and all the forms thereof and all the Ordinances thereof and all the forms thereof again and all the Laws thereof and write it in their sight that they may keep the whol form thereâ—f and all the Ordinances thereof and do them First shew them my house Ezek. 33.10 11. opened Let them have some kind of knowledg of my waies and Ordinances in the general perhaps that will make them ashamed And at this day we know though there be but a little light let out unto us to shew us a little more of the waies of Gods worship than we saw before we do begin to be ashamed of what we have done Note But now if indeed we be throughly ashamed before God of all our false waies of worship of all our sacrifices then mark what a promise here is then saith the text if they be ashamed of what they have done then shew them the forms of the house and the fashion of the house c. Note Thus here is one word heaped upon another to shew that this is the mercy
others hearts in time of prayer when we have been offering up that sacrifice unto God and we have seemed to be very devout in our prayers yet Oh the vanity of our hearts Oh the vile thoughts unclean wicked ungodly foolish thoughts that have run up and down thorough our hearts in the time of our prayers If God should write our prayers before us and interline our prayers with all our vain thoughts and then bid us reade our prayers and bid others reade our prayers interlined with such vain thoughts would we not be ashamed of our sacrifices the best sacrifice that ever we tenderd up to God in al our life we would be ashamed of it God hath a time except al be pardoned in Christ and covered in him to make men that lay such weight upon their prayers to shew them such an ugly form and fashion of them as to make them ashamed of them Obs 3 Again In al our duties performed with a carnal heart there are many mixtures of our own base ends We seem to draw near unto God and we would honor and worship God Oh but the hypocrisie of our hearts what vile and base ends are there to give content to this and the other to set forth our parts and abilities in services these things have been plain before God and except we be ashamed of them now and repent and get them pardoned in Christ God will set all our base ends before Angels and men together with our sacrifices and shall we not then be ashamed of our sacrifices Obs 4 Again How foul and vile have our hearts been in our services and how have our sacrifices been defiled with them Not only by actual sin mixed with them by base thoughts and ends but our services have come from unclean hearts we have had very filthy and unclean hearts our hearts have been as sties and sinks of evil and it is impossible that out of such unclean hearts there can come any thing that is clean our sacrifices have been extreamly defiled by our filthy base and worldly hearts And then when God shall shew the infinite holiness of his Majesty and how infinite just and righteous he is and how infinitely worthy of other manner of sacrifices than ever we have tendered up unto him Oh then how shall we be ashamed How will our hearts be overwhelmed with confusion and shame Use when apprehending the infiniteness of the glory of the great God when we shall see how infinitely unworthy all those duties were that we have tendered up unto him of that infinite excellency and Majestie of his Oh that will make us ashamed Men think highly of their sacrifices that they tender up unto God because of their parts they shew in them but they do not know with what a God it is they have to do when the Lord shall shew unto us the lustre of his glory and the greatness of his Majestie as it will appear unto us one day when the glorious appearing of the great God will be then we shall see how unworthy all our services were of such a God as he is and that will make us ashamed if we have not been ashamed heretofore nothing will be more grievous and more confound the hearts of men than to be put to shame for their sacrifices Oh the miserable perplexity that their hearts will then be put unto You will say then Quest What are those sacrifices we should tender up unto God that we shall never be ashamed of God will mak superstitious people ashamed of their sacrifices and all carnal people shall one day be ashamed of their sacrifices this will be a dreadful thing one day when it comes Oh then what are those sacrifices the Saints of God shall never be ashamed of First If you would offer such sacrifices unto God as you Answ 1 would never be ashamed of Be sure they be his own worship God in his own way It is not what you think wil please God what you think is brave and excellent but look to the word be sure it is his own Answ 2 Secondly Let your hearts be acted by Divine Principles let it come from faith and whatsoever comes from you to be tendered up unto God look to your principles rest not in the action that is done but consider from what principles those services come you tender up unto God Answ 3 Thirdly Let your ends be high in all your services Oh take heed of base and low ends in all your sacrifices It is too too much that men should have base and low ends in their outward affairs they should have their hearts high upon the glory of the great God in their natural in their civil actions but when they come to their sacrifices and holy duties then sursum Corda then lift up your hearts indeed be sure then your ends be high and holy Answ 4 Fourthly Let your whol strength be taken up in those sacrifices so as to sanctifie the Name of God Let the whol soul be carried unto God for God is worthy of the whol if you had ten thousand times more strength than you have God is worthy that it should be put forth in the services you tender unto him Answ 5 Fiftly Offer up your selves as a sacrifice unto God do not content your selves to offer up a prayer unto God as a sacrifice or alms or such duties only but be sure together with these sacrifices to offer up your selves as a living sacrifice to God as the Apostle speaks Rom. 12.1 I beseech you by the mercies of God that you offer up your bodies a living sacrifice unto God God cares for none of your sacrifices except you offer your selves to be a sacrifice unto him That is a very observable place in 1 King 8. the latter end of it there you shall find that Solomon offered two and twenty thousand Oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand Sheep here was a great sacrifice to be offered at one time unto God but mark though this sacrifice was great what God saies unto him in the 9. chapter presently so soon as the sacrifice was done verse 4. If thou wilt walk before me as David thy father did to do according unto all that I command thee and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments c. God puts it to an If for all this for all these sacrifices If thou thy self in the constant obedience of thy life wilt be a constant sacrifice then will I do thus and thus but verse 6. If thou at all turn from following me if notwithstanding all these sacrifices thou at all turn from following of me I will do thus and thus Many of us think when we have been in a day of fasting and spent a whol day in it and our hearts have been let out and we have been enlarged and have offered up a great sacrifice to God that we may take the more liberty afterward No though you offer twenty two thousand Oxen and an hudred
then can that stubborn heart of thine stand out against them Let us not be troubled my brethren Use nor discouraged at the stoutness of Idolaters They have been alwaies stubborn and stout against the rebukes of God in his Word and therefore let us not think it much though they stand it out now against the evident truth of God and aginst the works of God that apparantly make against them Revel 16.9 They were tormented with the wrath of God but repented not to give Him glory Many men are ready to think that their cause is good because their spirits are so stout against all that appear against them and slighâ— them Let not us have higher thoughts of them because of this for it hath alwaie bâ—â— the course of Idolaters to stand out stoutly against all the rebukes of God in His Word and Works because the Lord haâ—h an intent to destroy them Observe Sin after â—ebukes is very sâ—â—ful It is too much 〈◊〉 stanâ— out agaiâ—st Gods commands Observ Sin after rebuke but to stand out against any intimation of God displeasure is a greater evil God expects that the heart of sinners should melâ— before him upon anâ— expression of his displeasure And it was the commendation of JOSIAH That when the LAW was read his â—earâ— melted And indeed an ingenious spirit is soon rebuked But when the heart of a sinner is got above all rebukes then it hardneth exceedingly and then it treasureth up wrath against the day of wrath We our selves cannot bear it in others to standout against our rebukes we cannot bear it in a child or in a servant if we rebuke a child or a servant and they care not for it and their spirits rise against it how do we hate such how do our spirits rise up against them Nay if we rebuke a dog and the dog cares not for it we cannot bear it How shall the Infinite God bear our slighting of his rebuke Use Oh let us charge this sin upon our spirits How often hath God rebuked me in his Word and in his Workâ— and yet the Lord knows this wretched and â—â—uâ—born heart of â—â—â—e hath stood out against it Certainly this standing out â—â—â—inâ—â— rebukes will lie heavy upon thy consciencâ— one daâ— Nothing will make sin mâ—re heavy upon thy conscience than this that I have sinned and that in my â—nâ— have stood out against the rebukes of God As in Pro 5.12 13. At the last when thy flesh and thy hoâ—y is coâ—sumeâ— tâ— u st 〈◊〉 mourn and say How have I hâ—ted instruc 〈◊〉 i 〈◊〉 n and my 〈◊〉 â—â—spised reproof The words are spoken of a gallant a brave â—oâ—ing gallant that bluâ—â—ereth it out in the world and carries all before him and cares for nothing that is said but when the hand of God is upon him and his flesh and body is consumed then he falls a lamenting his condition Oh how have I despised reproof and have not enclined mine ear to them that instructed me This is the aggravation of â—in indeed And that we may humble our souls for our standing out against Gods rebukes ad but this consideration to it That God hath such rebukes as will force us to yeild unto him in spight of our hearts If we stand out against His rebukes in hiâ— Word and lesser chastisements against his loving rebukes let us know that God hath furious rebukes so they are called in Ezek. 5.15 and 25.17 When thou comâ—st to the Word oâ— when thy parents or thy goveâ—nors or thy friend rebukes thee for thy sins God rebukeâ— thee in them and thâ—se are loving rebukes but thou thâ—t art a child oâ— a servant or any wicked and ungâ—dly man thou rejâ—ctest those â—â—buâ—â—s Know God hath furious rebukes for thee one day yea rebukes with flames of fire so they are called Esa 66.15 I have been a rebuker of them all This if you apply it to the Prophet for he must not be excluded he is meant here as well as God shews the Prophets impartiality And from thence the Note is That Prophets rebukes must not be like cobwebs to take small flies and to let the great ones go thorough Obser Prophets rebukes they must be impartial rebukes Oh how many Prophets have sharpned their rebukes against those that have been most conscientious and have sadned their hearts even out of their Pulpits but they let those that are loose go quiet away nay not only quiet but rejoycing When the hearts of the Saints have been sadned they have sharpned their rebukes against these but the looser of the parish or many times the great ones have gone away rejoycing Thus if you take the words actively I have been a rebuker of them all But if you take the words passively as some do that is thus They have rebuked the Prophet as if he should say 2. Passive they have been profound in their Idolatrous waies and I have been faithful in preaching to them and what hath been my recompence All of them have rebuked me All of them not only their Priests have rebuked me cryed out against me not only their chief and great men have rebuked me they indeed their Priests and their Magistrates would bitterly inveigh against me for pleading against their Idolatry But all the people have done it too I have been a rebuke to all the people they have all been bitter against me and sharpned their very tongues against me Oh say they here is one that likes not our way of worship he must have another kind of Religion he tells us that we must all go up to Jerusalem and worship there and nothing will serve turn but that Thus they scorned him and rebuked him and even flew in his very face From thence the Note is this It is a hard thing for a few men to stand out against a State or multitude in matters of Religion in matters of the worship of God Obser Opposition of a multitude If there be but some few unto whom God hath shewn another way and the generality go a different way Certainly those few are like to meet with hard measure and like to be a rebuke not only to Ministers but generally unto all the people they must expect to be under the rebukes of all sorts Thu it was with the Prophet and with al that went his way he was a rebuke unto them all VER 3. I know Ephraim and Israel is not hid from me c. I know Eprhraim This is Notitia judicialis non approbationis A knowledge to judge not a knowledge of approbation Exposit I knâ—w Ephraim that is I know all his shifts I know all his evasions all his cunning devices all his plots all his pretences all his base ends These may be hid from men but I know them they are not hid from me Mark first I know Ephraim and then I know Israel Ephraim First Ephraim By Ephraim as you have heard heretofore we are to understand
the Princes the great ones amongst them because Jeroboam was of the Tribe of Ephraim I know Ephraim that is I know the politick ends of all the great ones amongst them Sâ—â—â—e Reâ—â—gion They bear men in hand that they desire to worship Me and they say Oh God forbid that they should change Religion and they cry out of all men that should raise up such suspitions of them amongst their good people But I 〈◊〉 Epâ—râ—im saith he I know what his aim is I know what hiâ— thâ—ughts are and what his counsels are and what wâ—s plotted at such a time and what his Chamber-counsels with such and such Priests were I know what correspondence he hath with such and such that corrupt my worship and all that â—eâ—â—in to him and all that favor him I know them all I know all their devices and depths I know what hâ—th bâ—en working these many yeers â—â—â—dal reades vers 2. ther kill sâ—crifices on heaps to dâ—câ—ive I know how he seems as it he would serve me but I know that that he doth is meerly to serveâ—â—â—â—wn ends and no further I know the poor people they are dâ—ludâ—d by his fair and solemn protestations they think he means nothing but well and there are none but a company of precise people that are jealous of him but I know what they intend and what their waies are whatsoever colour they put upon them Ephraim that is the great ones the Princes they perswade the people that Jeroboam and his successors aim at nothing else but to reform things for the best but I know that things are far otherwise I know Ephraim Israel Israel is not hid from me That is the people they pretend that they do but as they are taught and they do but submit unto authority they could be glad indeed if things were better but some things mâ—â—â— be yeilded unto for peace-sake It is true these Prophets and some others are good honest men and they would have us to do otherwise but things are not cleer yet we cannot see but we may do this and this in case of necessity that way they would have us go may bring us a great deal of trouble Indeed what they say seems to be like that which is in the Scripture but then these and these inconveniences will follow we should be glad if things were better râ—formed according to the Word but for peace-sake we must be contented to yeild to the judgment of such and such learned and wise men and though we yeild to these and these things yet our hearts are right for God But saith God Israel is not hid from me Israel That is The base cowardly temporizing revolting superstitious spirits of the people they are not hid from me their being loth to come under my government their love to their ease and estates the lothness of their carnal hearts to venture and suffer any thing for my Truth and Ordinanceâ— Israel in these his distempers of heart is not hid from me all these things are plain before Me he may blind men and battle his own conscience but he cannot hide it from me saith God From whence the observations are these Fiâ—â—â— Thâ—t Gods eye iâ— upon the seâ—rets of mens hearts up n tâ—eir Obs 1 aims and plots and all their wâ—ies Certainly therefore Hypocrites must needs be 〈◊〉 Use 1 they that think to put off God with outward shews must â—eeds deny God as if God did not see the secret turnings and windings and plottings and contrivances and aims and ends of their hearts Use 2 And then O the patience of the infinite God that notwithstanding he sees what villany there is in the world colored over with Religious protestations and professions yet â—he bears with them I know saith he I know what all their ends are what they aim at and what they would have if once they get the day yet I see that they colour and cover all these vile ends of theirs with such protestations of Religion and of setting up the profession of it Patience of God Oh the infinite patience of God that can bear with men that colour such vile aims and ends with protestations and professions of Religion in such a sacred way as they seem to do Here is the patience of God that we must admire at Use 3 Again God knows all the hearts and secret aims of men Let us pray unto God to make our own hearts known to our selves He knows them and except we be upright in that to be willing to know our own hearts and unfeignedly to desire God that he would shew us our own hearts we possibly after many duties performed may come to perish for some secret sin that we do not know our selves I say it is possible for a man or woman to go on a long time in the profession of Religion and to make conscience of all known duties yet to perish at last for some sin that he doth not know in himself A hard sâ—ying You will say This is a hard thing what shall become of us then To molifie this therefore a little take this along with it that is Caution Except thou hast a heart unfainedly willing to know thy own heart willing to search into thine own heart and earnest with God that He who knows thy heart would make thy heart known to thy self If indeed thy heart be thus upright that thou canst appeal unto God and say Lord I know I have a vile and false and hypocritical heart and there may be much evil lie secretly in my heart that I have not known all this while and such evil as I may justly perish in it but good Lord make it known to me let me know the worst of my self let me know the evil that is in me and my purpose is to resist it If thou hast such an heart thou hast no cause to think that thou shalt perish for any evil that thou dost not know by thy self But if thou hast any secret evil in thy self and thou dost not in the uprightness of thy heart unfeignedly desire to know it that so thou maiest forsake it and get thy self rid of it and canst not appeal unto God that thou art willing to have it made known unto thee thy condition may be dangerous notwithstanding all the dutyes thou performest But further This that the Prophet saith I know Ephraim is brought in to be a means to humble Ephraim to humble Israel From thence the Note is That Gods eye upon our hearts and waies Obser is a special means to humble us No more powerful means in the world to humble the heart than to behold God looking upon our hearts and waies The discovery of our evil to others may be some means to humble us O how would it abase men if God should discover to all their friends and acquaintance all that evil that is in their hearts And hereafter at the great day of judgment when the
in the air Oh but let us rather frame our hearts to turn unto the Lord. If we will not frame God may put us into the fire again A workman you know puts the Iron into the fire because it might be framed to such a work as he would have it simile but still the iron is hard and it will not frame to his hand then he puts it into the fire again and then falleth a knocking again So the Lord hath begun to put us into the fire that we may frame our doings to turn unto him and if the fire we have been in will not bring our hearts to a framable disposition the Lord may put us into the fire again and again And let not us complain of the heat of Gods fire but rather let us complain of the unframableness of our own hearts that we do not frame our doings so as to turn unto the Lord. But yet through Gods mercy we cannot say but that there are many in Parliament many in the Assembly Parliam Assembly City Country many in the City and many in the Country that are framing themselves to turn unto the Lord and so far we are gone Let us take notice of Gods goodness therefore As. First It is one argument of a people framing themselves Notes of Framing 1. abolish what is sinful that they have abolished what is sinful It was a great plea among us first let us know what we shall have and then we will cast out this that we have This was a pleâ— fomented by the Antichristian party but certainly it was the way of God and we have cause to bless God for it that put it into the heart of the Parliament and of the Kingdom to be willing to put down and to cast out and that by a solemn Oath by lifting up hands unto the most High God whatsoever was naught The Covenant And further In that the Parliament hath called an Assembly Assembly such as I beleeve never yet was in this Nation nor scarce in any other Nation men of more gravity 2. Take advice and judgment and holiness such as they could possibly pick out and whom they thought might best direct them in the waies of God such they have chosen to help them to know what is the right way of God and they do profess that whatsoever shall be revealed to be the way of God they will walk in it That is a good frame of heart And then That the Assembly hath begun with a solemn day of humiliation 3. Humiliation to humble themselves before God that so the Lord might guide them in chusing a right way to direct those that had called them together for their assistance There was never such a work in England before that was begun with such a day of humiliation Did your Convocation Convocation ever keep such a day unto God to beg of him directions in the work Peoples discontent Let not people run away with thoughts of discontent or lay any kind of slanders and clumnies upon them because of some failings in particulars for you must know when God looks upon Kingdoms and States God looks not at particular failings of a State but at the publick work he doth not so much look at particulars as at the publick work Now that there is so much done in a publick way that there is so much framableness though there be much failing in particulars yet we have cause to bless God It is true those that would fain have a perfect Reformation they woul fain have men throughly frame themselves presently and set up all presently without any more ado Short spirits and banish all presently I suppose thiâ— cometh from a good intention from love unto Christ and his Ordinances but we must know it is not so easie to reform a whol Nation that hath been so corrupted and defiled therefore though there be not so perfect a Reformation at present yet let us bless God for what is done that there is so much framing of the doings of the Nation to turn unto the Lord and not murmur and repine because all is not done that we desire And though perhaps they may never bring the work thoroughly to the pitch we desire Though no perfection yet a foundation for posterity yet I make no question but what the Parliament and Assembly hath done will be enough to lay a foundation for another generation if they bring it not to perfection themselves Oh that the Lord would yet further frame our hearts and doings to turn unto him Hath God at any time put into your heart a framable disposition to turn unto the Lord Applic. 2 to partic persons 1. Our selves Hath God begun to make you think of your waies Hath he begun to stir fear in your hearts concerning your eternal estate Hath he wrought in you some desires to know him to attend upon him in the use of means Make much of this framable disposition for it is very much pleasing unto God God complains where it is not therefore he likes it where it is and improve it O happy had it been with many had they improved that framable disposition that God hath wrought in them Cannot you remember when sometimes you came to the word what a melting frame of spirit had you and in such an affliction you were as iron put into the fire and you know then it is in a framable disposition to be brought into any fashion and hath it not been so with you simile But what is become of this disposition Is it not worse with you now than before Have you not lost it The time was when the word wrought upon you and you have had good desires and dispositions and you have thought Oh now I hope God will turn me unto himself Now I hope I shall never be at such a pass again as I have been and thou begannest to abandon such and such a corruption This was a good frame and now if you had gone alone and sought God and Oh that the Lord would perfect this work and put it on and so improved this framable disposition it had been well with you but you have fallen upon other business and gone into company and it may be upon the next temptation you have bin overcome your hearts have been hardned Irâ—n is hâ—â—dâ—r afteâ— quenching and iron you know when it hath been once in the fire and is grown cold is more unframable than before so it is with many after they have had some workings by the Word and after some melting by affliction they have been more unframable than they were before And let us make much of it likewise in others Is there any friend or child or kinsman or acquaintance of yours brought into this framable disposition doth the Lord begin to melt them to soften their hearts Is the Lord by such a Sermon or by such an affliction beginning to
in them Note that it doth so hurry on their hearts that they cannot with a ny calmness with any quietness of spirit hearken unto any thing that may take them off from their errour That 's a spirit of errour God gives them up to the efficacy the spirit the activity the power of error to beleeve a lye Is in the â—â—lst of them That is Exposit Difference of obssâ—ssion and possession ay Satan in respect of sin it is come into them and sitteth as a King and ruleth in their hearts An evil spirit may beset the godly may compass them about but it getteth not into the midst oâ— them they keep it out from the throne it doth not come to reign over them The coming into the midst of them noteth the ful possession that this unclean spirit that this Impetus and strong inclination of spirit hath over them And therefore you find in Prov. 8.20 Pro. 8.20 opened that it is said of Wisdom I leade in the way of righteousâ—ess in the midst of the paths of judgment In the midst of the paths that is wisdom doth not only bring men to the verge of Gods waies to be a little taken with the outside of them but brings them into the midst of the paths of judgment that is they come wholly into them so as tâ—â—y are even possest of them So here the spirit of uncl â—nness is in the midst of her So in the 1. Sam. 4.3 you have the same word Let us fetch the Ark unto us say they there that when it cometh among w it may save us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the words in the Hebrew are that â—he Ark mâ—y come in the midst of us and there have the full oppâ—â—ation to dâ— us good and save us They depended much upon the Ark and yet it failed them By the way then we may depend too much upon a good cause the cause may be good A good cause may be lost by too much depending on it and yet depending upon the goodness of the cause and neglecting our own persons in reforming our lives we may fail as they did here But that by the way The spirit is come into the midst of them Many men receive an evil spirit quickly into the midst of them when God knows the good Spirit of the Lord standeth knocking at the door of their hearts and can have no entertainment so much as into the outward room It follows Exposit And they have not known the Lord. That is they know not My greatness My holiness they know not what a jealous God I am Idolaters have low and mean apprehensions of God The right knowledg of God will put the heart upon seeking after the right manner of the worship of God but when men know not God see not God in his glory and greatness and excellency they think to put off God with any kind of worship Here is the reason that men do so stick to their own waies to will worship to their own fancies and conceits because they know not the Lord neither do they understand the glory and holiness of God nor what a jealous God he is When once the soul cometh to know what God is such a soul dares not tender up unto God any worship but His own Now from the connection of these words The spirit of whoredom is in the midst of her and they have not known the Lord the special Note is this which indeed is very observable Obser strong inclinations blind the mind When men have an Impetus of spirit that is a strong bent and inclination of spirit in any evil way it is that which blinds their minds The spirit of whoredoms is in her and then follows they have not known the Lord Whatsoever is said then against their way they cannot be convinced of it And men do not consider how they come to be blinded We find it in ordinary experience when men are stirred in passion they have a spirit to such and such a thing that they have a mind to their spirit is strongly set and they must have it and I will and I will and I will have it Come then and say any thing to them and they understand nothing they are blinded When their spirit is up when there is an Impetus a strong inclination of spirit to any thing say what you will they do not understand you So it is true in other affections of love when the heart is set upon a thing to love by an Impetus a strong bent of spirit though the love be falsly placed come and say what you will against their way they do not understand it their minds are blinded they do not know any thing So it is true of fear of sorrow any affection when it is set with a strong bent and inclination to the object of it it doth much blind the mind Some have a spirit of sluggishness and they love their ease a spirit of covetousness and they must have their estates a spirit of ambition and they must have their honor and respect a spirit of pride and self-love they must not yeild themselves as ignorant and mistaken by no means therefore they cannot see the truths the waies of God But now let God humble these men that have such a spirit of pride self love covetousness and the like let the edg of their spirits be taken off A little hint of Truth prevails with a subdued heart let God come and but mortifie this their lust in them and then they come to see that which they could never see before and that with far less ado then a little hint of any truth prevaileth with their hearts whereas before all the means of conviction could not do it Oh my brethren Use when we come to examin truths let us look to our spirits Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord him will the Lord teach in his way that he should chuse When a man humbling his soule before the Lord and being jealous of his own spirit examineth a truth and crieth unto God to subdue what is evil in him and then cometh with a teachable heart to find out the truth suppose that yet he cannot find it let such a man walk according to his light whereunto he hath attained and he may have comfort God in due time will shew him more But that is the thing that is evil in Gods eyes and in the eyes of the Saints when men are hindered from seeing a truth by a spirit of opposition to it There is no gracious heart can take it ill if he see one that hath a spirit subject unto God a spirit wherein the fear of God appeareth so that he desireth unfeignedly to know what the mind of God is suppose this man for the present I cannot make him understand what I would he is not of my mind yet so long as his spirit is thus under God I have no cause to be provoked against
heed of him he is a treacherous man Certainly the sins of those that have engaged themselves unto God go nearer to the heart of God than any mens sins do else they are more dishonorable to him they provoke the eyes of His glory more than any sins whatsoever Use O let us then look back to what we have done ever since we entred into Covenant with God ever since our first Covenant when we first gave up our names to Him And let us charge our souls with this aggravation of our sins Oh my soul what hast thou done Thou hast not only trespassed and disobeyed as others have done but thou hast been treacherous against the Lord. Let us keep our selves from sin and awe our hearts and strike fear upon our spirits with this meditation what shall I that have so deeply engaged my self unto God now forsake Him and deal treacheously with Him Take we heed of this evil of dealing treacherously with God not only in regard of the particular Covenants between God and our own souls but in a more special manner let us take heed of breaking our publick Covenants England hath been guilty of great sins against God but England was never so engaged unto God as it hath been of late We never entred into such solemn Covenants with God as we have done of late therefore if we keep not our Covenants with God now Englands sins will prove to be greater than they were before they wil prove to be treacherous sins Do not account your entring into covenant with God any at time to be a slight matter do not dally do not trifle with Him When you come to the Sacrament there you renew your Covenants Perhaps in your closets in the day of your affliction you renew your Covenants but especially when you come in a solemn way to joyn with the people of God to bind your selves in a Covenant with God to amend your lives and to enquire after the true worship of God and to conform your selves according to his Word Oh now take heed what you do now to walk as formerly you have done Oh this is a treachery against the God of Heaven Certainly God expects much from us after such a Covenant as we have lately entred into the most solemn Covenant one of them that ever was taken for people to come and lift up their hands to the most high God as they have done And a National Covenant and therefore more to be regarded than a private yea an uniting Covenant that uniteth two Nations if not three together And a Covenant that is more for the Kingdom of Christ and more directly against the Kingdom of Antichrist against the Antichristian party than ever yet was taken since the world began Antichrist quickly did arise and there hath bin much opposition of him but for two Nations so solemnly to lift up their hands to the most high God to oppose all Antichristian government it is that which if it be kept as carefully as it was made solemnly is the greatest honor that ever yet Christ had in regard of his government here upon earth And we had need look to it because it is such a mighty work as should take our hearts that ever we should live to see that God should bring about such a strange thing in our generation I appeal unto you was it possible four yeers since for any man in the world yea for an Angel to conjecture such a thing as this that two Nations shall joyn together the Representative body of the Kingdom and Assembly of Divines in one day should be lifting up their hands to the most high God to do what lies in them to extirpate Prelacy that is government by Archbishops Bishops Archdeacons Deans c. Now the more miraculous the work of God is in bringing this strange thing about the more bonds lie upon us to keep that Covenant with God Oh therefore let us not now ad treachery unto all our former apostacy our sins now will prove sins of treachery Object But if it be such an aggravation of our sins to be Covenanters with God if we neglect our engagement then we were better perhaps some will say never to enter into Covenant for it seems if we had not taken the Covenant there would not have been such an aggravation of our sins Answ 1 The answer to that is this None but a carnal heart is sorry for his engagement unto God neither because of afflictions that are in the waies of God nor because the bonds of obedience unto God are stronger nor because the danger of breaking them is greater Perhaps when thou art engaged to God and his waies thou meetest with many afflictions that are in those waies take heed of repenting of thy engagement because of those afflictions Perhaps thou seest thy self so strongly bound that thy conscience will fly in thy face if thou doest go but a little awry more than before Oh take heed of recenting from thy engagement notwithstanding that For one whose heart is gracious certainly will never repent of his engagement though there be more danger of his sin now than before why because he hateth his sin Now let there be never so much danger to keep me from that which I hate I will never be sorry for that as for instance suppose there be a deep gulf that if I fall into it wil destroy me I tremble to come neer it well there is a fence to keep me off from that gulf full of shap iron pikes so that if I should but try to get over it simile they will gore and prick me shall I be sorry that the sence is so full of sharp things that will gore and prick me if I endeavor to get over when the fence is but set there to keep me from destroying my self So a gracious heart will never be sorry that it is engaged in the waies of God and that if it should break the engagement there would be an aggravation of his sin for why this my engagement is but as a fence full of pricks to keep me from that which I would be loth to come to which would destroy me And those that begin to think their engagement to God and his waies to be a hard thing and could wish more liberty these kind of men will certainly deal treacherously with God yea their hearts are even already departing from God Take heed of this it is a great degree of Apostacy remember it my brethren it is an argument of marvellous use it is I say a great degree of apostacy for any man to begin to be sorry that he is so deeply engaged to God and His waies The 〈◊〉 degree of apostacy All that are the Saints of God when they are engaged they bless God that ever they were engaged Again They have dealt treacherously against the Lord. Against Jehovah This is the vileness of mans heart Though God be never so gracious so merciful so faithful Though
goodness of God is not honored by us when the Lord for our good shall give us notice of our sins that so we may prevent judgment the desert of our sins and we notwithstanding shâ—l â—in it dishonors Gods goodness 2. The truth of God is not honored when we do not obey this is no other than a venturing whether the word be true or no whether Gods words are yea and nay Oh sinner dost thou know what thou dost thou temptest God saying Lord there are such and such threatnings against sin but I do not beleeve them Lord I 'le venture it I 'le put it to the tryall whether it be so or no. 3. As it aggravates the sin so the punishment the judgment cannot but be the greater thou canst expect but little pitty from the goodness of God which thou hast slighted when it warned thee of those judgments which are now upon thee His mercy to remove them cannot be expected God by His Ministers warned me in such a Sermon but I went on and would not reform and now there is matter for the worm of conscience to gnaw upon that thou maist say as Job What I feared is now come upon me and this is that which aggravates our misery Use Engl. At this time have not the Ministers of God for these twenty yeers especially in these latter seven yeers made this the subject of their preaching to warn us of judgments and now the judgments of God are come upon us God hath vindicated the word of His servants But these words though they may be thus understood yet I conceive they bear a further signification which is this I have declared among the Tribes what shall be without revolk without Expos 2 any change or alteration I have formerly repented and have been intreated but now I 'le repent no more They continue Gods unchangable purpose for the desolating of this people and being thus understood the Note from them will be this That there is a time when there shall be no help to be delivered from judgment though they should call cry mourn weep fast Obser and intreat yet the judgment should not be removed As 't is said of Esau He found no place for repentance Heb. 12.17 Heb. 12.17 There is a great mistake by many in the interpretation of that place from which text many gather that there may be many tears shed much sorrow found and yet no true repentance but the meaning of the words is this he found no place for his father Isaacs repentance though he cried and shed tears for the blessing yet his father repented not that he had bestowed it upon Jacob so that people may cry and humble their souls before God yet shall find in God no place of repentance nay if that the Saints of God should all joyn together and pray for such a people they should not prevail Ezek. 14.20 Though Noah Daniel and Job should pray for them they should not prevail Oh sinner take heed this be not thy condition thou hast godly parents and kindred it may be and they set themselves to seek God for thee but God will deny them their prayers shall not prevail for thee this may be the case of Nations and Kingdoms that there may be true repentance found and turning to God and yet no deliverance from outward affliction I deny not but that true repentance shall deliver a soul from eternal wrath from perishing in hell but this I affirm that there may be true repentance found and turning unto God and yet no deliverance from a temporal affliction And this I shall make good by two famous texts of Scripture The first is in Deut. 3.26 Moses had sinned and God saith he should not go into the land of Canaan which was a sore affliction to Moses upon this Moses he praid and 't is certain Moses had repented him of that sin yet see what he saith The Lord was wrath with me for your sake and would not hear me but let it suffice thee speak no more of this matter All his prayers and repentance could not deliver him from that outward affliction and bring him into Canaan The second text is in 2 Kings 23.25 in the former chapter we find the heart of the King melting when he heard the Law read and perceived the anger of the Lord against his people was provoked yet the Lord tels him that he should die in peace And in the 23. Chapter the King he sets upon reforming the people enters into a solemn Covenant with God causeth the people to joyn with him pulls down the groves destroies Idolatry and although it be said in the 25. verse that like unto him was there no King before him yet in the 26. verse God saith Notwithstanding all this he will remove Judah out of his sight So that sometimes God is so set upon his threats that they shall come to pass God will make them good whatever comes of it this I conceive to be the meaning of these words And so Mr. Calvin reades them God may be so resolved against a mans eternal estate that he will never shew such a man or such a people mercy more as we may see in those which were bid to the Gospel-supper therefore we had need to gather our selves together before the decree bring forth Zeph. 2.1 2. Oh let us in this Kingdom take heed yet through Gods mercy we are not left desolate but have many points of mercy even in this day of our rebuke but what God will do one cannot determine therefore it concerns us to prepare to meet our God lest the wrath of God meet us overcome and destroy us till there be no remedy though through mercy for the present we may say there is remedy yea rather let us tremble and be awakened because God sometimes comes against and is more quick with a people that are not so openly and notoriously vile as others are than he doth with the most profane So much for this ninth verse VER 10. The Princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound therefore I will powre out my wrath upon them like water BUT why is God so wrath with Israel ConexioÌ„ Have not the Princes of Judah provoked Him also Yea for God here speaks to them principally It seems the people were not so bad so sinful as they for in the next words he saith That Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment because he willingly walked after the commandement First Princes must answer to God for all their doings Though they are above all men in power and so are not so lyable to give an account to man as others are yet to God they must those actions which are least obnoctious to men are much to God The Princes of Judah are like to them that remove the bounds Obser 1 Are like That is not so much in a similitude as reality as 't is usual in Scripture to put the word like for the thâ—ng
of the spirit Therefore we should be willing to take pains in the work of repentance yea though it be somewhat troublesom to the flesh yet better wear out our selves by washing better wear out cloathes a little by the washing of them than to let them rot in the dirt of them it is true washing of clothes wears them a little but if you let them alone in their dirt that will rot them worse so the work of repentance may put you to pain and wear you a little but if you let your hearts alone in the filth of sin that filth of sin will breed your misery Take heed of letting any sin alone in your hearts it will breed a worm for so this word rottenness signifies a worm it will breed a worm the worm of conscience that may prove the worm that never dieth Obs 8 Eightly Gods wrath though secret yet many times eateth out mens spirits and makes them unuseful Therefore it is compared to a moth and to rottenness to a worm in the wood As the moth eateth out the strength of the garment and makes it unuseful for any thing and as the worm eateth out the strength of the wood and makes that unuseful so the secret wrath of God many times eateth out mens spirits and makes them very unuseful in the places where they are set How many have had excellent parts when they were young and were very useful yet the uncleanness of their spirits hath bred such a worm that hath eat out the excellency of their parts and before they have died they have been as a moth-eaten garment and rotten wood indeed there hath been the same bulk as before yet if you come to make use of them there is as much difference from what they were wont to be as a moth-eaten garment from it self and as rotten wood that hath the heart of it eaten out by the worm differeth from it self so are the hearts of many men different from what they were wont In the ninth place Though a sad consideration for those Obs 9 who are preserved a while longer than others others go before them yet they shall follow not long after This Note is drawn from the diversity of the expression a moth to Ephraim and rottenness to Judah God indeed will deal more quick with Ephraim and consume them in His wrath but Judah shall follow not long after Use A sad consideration for any people to think though others go before us and are consumed before us yet it will not be long before we shall follow It is true Germany and other Countries have gone before us Germany we cannot prophesie as here the Prophet did but yet except God comes to prevent by an extraordinary hand we may follow not many yeers after and who knows how soon And particularly It may be such a friend of thine is gone the hand of God is upon him and hath consumed him and eaten out his very heart and he is perished as filth and dung from the face of the earth and thou art yet alive and is there not rottenness in thee Is there not the secret wrath of God eating out thy heart He is gone a little before but thou art like to follow within a little while after What great matter is it though thy companion be struck dead and gone to Hell and thou left alive when thou shalt follow not long after It is in this case as it is with travellers that travel together perhaps one rideth before another so comes to his Inn a quarter of an hour sooner than the rest of his company simile but before he is lighted off hiâ— horse or gone up into his chamber the other are come in also So perhaps Gods hand strikes one dead and sends him to Hell yet within a while the rest will follow after Therefore consider when God hand is upon any to strike them dead Oh I may follow not long after A moth to Ephraim and rottenness to Judah What a poor creâ—â—ure is man yea a Kingdom when as a Obs 10 moth and a little worm may consume them God in expressing VER 13. When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah saw his wound then went Ephraim to the Assyrian and sent to King Jareb c. WHEN Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound The word translated Sickness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aegerfuit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aliecuere comprimere atque colligare is from a word that signifies Doluit Aegrotavit c. that signifies grief and sickness And the word translated Wound from a word that signifies Colligavit he hath bound up either because of the corruption of the body that is gathered together or because of the binding up of it with cloathes Now Judah saw his sickness and Ephraim saw his wound that is God at length made them to see what a crazy condition their State was in their Civil-State and Church-State too in what a very crazie condition it was and how wounded it was and how like to perish ready to die And especially of this first this sickness of Judah we have a notable story for it is referred to these times in Isa 7.1 and so on There you may find the sickness of Judah and how Judah saw it When Rezin King of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah came against Judah the heart of the King and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind as we use to say they did shake like an Aspen leaf they were so troubled Here Judah say his sickness the dangerous condition wherein he was And how Ephraim saw his wound that we shal see further presently when we shal see what help they sought to get against it Wrath was out against Ephraim and Judah some time and had almost consumed them before they would take notice of Obser 1 it Hence observe That by occasion of the pride and stoutness of mans heart he will not easily be brought to see and acknowledge the hand of God Isa 26.11 Isa 26.11 Lord when thine hand is lifted up they will not see They wil not own the hand of God against them they think it would be a shame to them they rather would bear the world in hand that all is well with them So it was for a long time with Ephraim and Judah but at length they saw their sickness and their wound Secondly God will force men to see and to be sensible of His hand Obser 2 out against them He will make them to see their sickness and their wound Mic. 6.13 Mic. 6.13 I wil make thee sick in smiting thee saith God I will smite thee opened and I will make thee sensible of My stroke so in that forenamed place Esa 26.11 Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see But they shall see and be ashamed saith God I will make them to know and to be sensible of My stroke the
sickness shall so grow upon them the anguish of the wound shall be so great that they shall be sensible Thirdly They see their sicknesse and their wound but here is nothing Obser 3 of their sin This is usual with carnal hearts in their afflictions to look at nothing but their wound and their sickness they regard nothing but to get that heald seldom you shall hear them cry out of their sin Thus it was with Israel and Judah And this is the way of carnal hearts Then went Ephraim to the Assyrian and sent to King Jareb Men use not to seek for help till they see and be made sensible of Obser 4 ther misery And this is true spiritually till the soul cometh to be made sensible of its sickness and till God wounds it it seldom yea never sends out for help but when God cometh to wound the conscience then it sendeth out for help And many times it is with soul affliction as it is here in outward affliction they seek out for help but for help in a false way They went to the Assyrian and sent to King Jareb You will say When did they do so Quest For the shewing the meaning of this we must refer to the story of the Kings Answ for though you have this Prophesie of Hosea in your books placed in a great distance from the book of the Kings yet this Prophet and so others did prophesie in the time of the Kings and therefore the history of the Kings will much help to understand the meaning of the Prophesie First then for Ephraims beginning to send to the Assyrian and to King Jareb you have it in the 2 King 15.19 When they sent to king Jareb There you shall reade that Menahem who was King of the ten Tribes gave Pul that was King of Assyria a thousand talents of silver that his hand might be with him to confirme the Kingdom in his hand Mark that his hand might be with him to confirm the Kingdom It seems this King that was the King of Israel he saw his Kingdom to be in a crazy condition he saw his sickness and his wound therefore he sends to the King of Assyria whose name was Pul and gave him a thousand talents of silver that he might confirm the Kingdom in his hand and in the 20. verse you shall find that the Subject was fain to pay for it he exacted the money saith the text of all the mighty men of wealth in Israel Subjects suffer for Princes lusts Oh what things do Subjects suffer many times for the satisfying the humors of those that are above them And in 2 King 17.4 you shall find that Hoshea another King of Israel he sent messengers to So King of Egypt to help him And for that which is named here Jareb Jareb I find most to understand it to be but the very same Some say that Jareb was a principal City in Assyria And others say that it was a special name of the Kings of Assyria But others and that very likely to be true they take the word appellatively according to the signification of the word and do not make it the proper name of any man but a word of appellation according to the signification of it For Jareb signifies Desensorem the defender or avenger Therefore when as Gideons father spake to the people concerning his sons casting down the Altar of Baal and cutting down the Grove that was by it saith he Will you plead for Baal will you save him if he be a god let him plead for himself and thereupon they called Gideons name Jerub-baal the same word that is here So that Jareb signifies a defender or an avenger So that they sent to the King of Assyria as to one that should be a defender or an avenger of them They do not seek unto God but they sent to King Jareb saith he to their defender as many times in scorn we call men by the name of that they would undertake to be so because they trusted in the King of Assyria as their defender or avenger therefore God in a kind of contempt calls him Jareb they sent to their defender but they little thought of me That for Ephraim And then for Judah though he be not particularly named because Ephraim was the most forward and the first that sent for help yet no question Judah Judah he reproved it as well as Ephraim for in the 2 King 16.7 Ahaz that was then King of Judah sent to Tiglath-Pileser King of Assyria to come up and save him out of the hand of Rezin and Pekah Kings of Syria and Israel that did rise up against him And in 2 Chron. 28.16 you shall find Judah again sending for external helps unto the Kings of Assyria The words being thus opened the Notes are these First Obser It is the way of carnal hearts to shift out to the creature for help in time of straites They saw their sickness they saw their wound what did they then They went to the Assyrian and sent to King Jareb They look to no higher causes of their trouble than second causes therefore they seek to no higher means for their help but second causes Reas They look upon their troubles as such as befals other men as well as them and so look not up unto God They are led by sence and the second causes are before them and neer to them and God is above them and beyond them and his waies are often contrary to sence they know little of God and have less interest in God therefore it is that they little mind God in their straights but send out for help unto the creature We see the way of carnal hearts at this very day Applic. What helps do they send for but creature helps Therefore my brethren let us not fear them much Let us not fear our adversaries much for their strength is in the arm of flesh we know they take no other course but to strengthen themselves in the creature they know no other help they little mind God in all their waies Let them have what they will yet pray they cannot they have little heart to go unto God they curse and swear yea and tell us that it was never worse with them than when they prayed most Therefore all their help is on this side Heaven therefore not much to be feared They have that carnallity of heart in them as was here in Ephraim and Judah when they were a people to be destroyed then they were given over by God to seek out for help only in the creature to goe to the Assyrian and to send to King Jareb Use 3. Admonition to those in spiritual distresse As it is in outward so it is sometimes in spiritual straights When God strikes the souls of men with sicknesses wounds their consciences what course do they take They seek not to the Lord that smote them but they seek out to the creature for help
yet there is a way to bring Him down again Psal 18.9 Psa 18 9. opened God was shut up in the Heavens and His people cryed to Him in their distress then the Lord bowed the Heavens and came down Let me make hast saith God I must go to the help of My people therefore that I may make speed let the Heavens bow before me So in Isa 64.1 2. the Church there cries out Oh that thou wouldst rend the Heavens and come down 't is true Lord thou art in Heaven and there is thy Majesty and glory Prayer but oh that thou wouldst come down and help us Prayer as it will rend the Heavens to get up to God so it will rend the Heavens for God to come down to man Lord if thou wilt go to thy place then what wil become of thy glory In the world thou hadst service and honor done unto thee by the creature thy Sainss offered sacrifice to thee though sometimes God seemeth to answer I care not for this I can and will have honor to my self in some other way Further we may observe When wicked men are in perplexity Obs 4 then God enjoys himself in his perfection Ezek. 18.4 When they are in wrath and sorrow and God hath not that service froÌ„ them in external worship which he hath had but I care not I will return unto my place and enjoy my self in my glory and in this is the misery of the damned in Hell Dâ—mned we are herein eternal torments and horror but what doth God lose by this He is in his glory and enjoys Himself in perfect rest But how long will it be before God return Expos will he alwaies absent Himself No. Till they acknowledge their sin From the Connexion of these words with the former we may observe That God sometimes turns his back upon sinners until they return Obs 1 unto him and acknowledge their sin And this is the best way for God to deal with some kind of men let them but feel a little of the smart of trouble and then they will consider as many men who are wilful they wil do so and so their wils shal be their law now the best way to tame these men is let them see what will come of it and the evil which will follow upon their wilfulness wil be the best convincement to them So saies God My Prophets and my Messengers can do no good upon them therfore let them alone According to that 1 King 8.47 If they will bethink themselves and repent And this is a most prudential way to deale with men who are wilful and stubborn Till they acknowledge their sin Note That when God comes Obs 2 to his people as in his judgment so in his waies of mercy he leaves his place and maâ—esty He humbles Himself to behold what is done upon the earth 't is a kind of self-denial in God to meddle with man at all As 't is a mighty condescention in a Prince to com from his throne to visit and comfort poor men in dungeons and prisons simile Surely such prisoners need honor such a Prince for he coms from his throne to visit them how much more then had we need to honour God for his love towards us Expos But to come more close to the words in the original they are Till they become guilty in their own hearts and acknowledge themselves to be so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It signâ—fies to offend to be guilty to be desolate and to sacrifice for sin all these significations this word Asham will bear Vntill they become guilty Were they not guilty before Would God have them more guilty No but God would have them convinced of their sin to be guilty of it to accuse themselves for it and cleer God in all and to behave themselves as guilty persons with sorrow and shame and lastly to acknowledge themselves as guilty persons before God and men 'T is true assoon as ever the sin is committed the person is bound over being guilty but then in special he is said to be guilty when he acknowledges himself to be so Quest But here 's a Question Wâ—en was this disposition wrought in them hath it ever yet been or is it still to be fulfilled and accomplished Answ I answer That it was in part made good at their coming out of Captivity Hence Daniel chap. 9. vers 5. in the name of the whol Church speaks after this manner We have sinned and done wickedly and have rebelled even by departing from thy precepts c. What heaps of expressions hath he there to set out their turning Also Ezra 9.13 15. it was fulfilled and in Nehe. 9.16 all these 3. Prophets prophesied after Hosea though in our Bible placed before him This text is fulfilled again in Jer. 31.18 Ephraim was then guilty when he was found bemoning himself Again it was fulfilled when Christ was preached Acts 2.37 When they heard this they were pricked in their hearts Calling of the Jews And certain it is this Prophesie had an aim at Christ But this Scripture shal principally be fulfilled at the calling of the Jews then they shal become guilty Zach. 12. They shall look on him whom they have pierced c. Obs 2 That such is the pride of mens spirits by nature That so lâ—ng as they prosper in their sins they will even contest with God Himself Malac. 3.7 But ye said Wherein shall we return Is not this the speech of many proud spirits being taxed about any crime they presently answer Wherein have they done such and such things Remarkable is that of Saul 1 Sam. 15.13 when he told the Prophet he had performed the commandement of the Lord then Samuel labors to convince him of his sin saying What meaneth the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the oxen yet in the 20. verse he is at it again I have obeyed the commandement of the Lord. It was otherwise with David when the Prophet came to him I have sinned against the Lord 2 Sam. 12.13 't is a good sign of a soul truly humbled when it can joyn issue with the word Affliction sanctified brings men to see their sins and to acknowledg their guiltiness God in afflictions marks men out and then Conscience will prey upon a man as Simeon and Levi fell upon the men of Shechem for then they were sore and unable to resist in time of affliction then thou shalt find conscience hard enough for thee what pangs of conscience have men in their sickness saying as he in Prov. 5.12 How have I hated instruction and my heart despisâ—d reproâ—f Oh what a deal of guilt is opened and discovered in an affliction afflictions are to the soul as earthquakes to the ground which open the graves and discovers abundance of filth It is a sign of a very hard heart not to confess in affliction when Gods hand is upon us Pharaoh would do thus and 't
is that which God râ—quires Joshua bids Acan Give glory to God my son and confess Confâ—ssiâ—n giveâ— glory to God and when thou standest ouâ— in this thing thou opposest God in his glory Lâ—timer reports of a man in his time who was to be executed at Oxford for some villany being brought to the place of execution much means was used to him that he would confess the act but none could prevail being turnd off and after a space hanging he was cut down and when he was cut down they peâ—ceived he was not quite dead they carrying him to a fire and by means used came to himself and then he confessed all of himself to the full This example may shew us thus much not alwaies to conclude men are not guilty when they confess nothing there is that stoutness in the hearts of men that they will rather venture damnation than yeild to men Obs 3 God will have his glory from us If we do not acknowledg our guiltiness by lesser judgments he wil continue them and ad more to them till we confess and give glory to him This is the reason that we are so long under trouble because we wil not confess when we are cald for to do it Use sin in the conscience lies as filthy corrupted matter in a sore which throbs belks and akes till it be opened and let out so in the consciences of men there is much guilt and that lies throbing in the conscience no ease can be got God calls for confession but it will not be and no true peace can be enjoyed any other way Oh therefore sinner confess and give glory to God How many are there who have lain a long time under anguish of spirit till they have taken this course freely and fully to confess sin committed lying heavy and burdensom upon the conscience Neglect not this duty when you are cald to it it is an Ordinance appointed by God for the easing of troubled souls and when you cannot get peace any other way having used other means and yet God withholds the light of his countenance then are you cald to confess to others see what course David took and how he sped Psal 39.2 3 4. I was dumb I held my peace I roared and was vexed but I said I would confess my sin and shame my self for them and then thou forgavest the sin of thy servant Mark here there was some sin which lay upon Davids conscience and he could not get peace in again what course takes he I said he did but say I would confess and then thou forgavest my sin thou diddest then seal a pardon to me Oh take this course and thou shalt have the like success God comes to thee in a sicknesâ— and saith sinner Guilty or not guilty give God then the glory of an humble confession 'T is true to confess offences against men to men there may be danger in it making us liable to trouble but confession of offences against God never causes trouble Expos And seek my face that is my Favour my Son and my Ordinances for in the general Gods face is nothing else but Gods manifestation of himself in his Love in his Son in his Ordinances and 't is a most blessed thing thus to behold Gods face Revel 22.4 this is that which David so earnestly praid for Lord lift up the light if thy countenance upon me one sight of God is better than all the world To see God any way is sweet but to see him in Christ this is most excellent In the world we have nothing of God but his very footsteps but in Christ there is the chief manifestation of the wisdom mercy and love of God to poor lost man and in the Ordinances there God chiefly lets out himself in an especial manner These are the Three things which shew unto us the meaning of those words And seek my face The Notes from them are these 'T is not enough to acknowledg our sins but we must seek Gods Obs 1 face The heart in the work of humiliation must be active ConfessioÌ„ without reconciliation insufficient that soul which is truly humbled before God must be lively and active after God else our humiliation is worth nothing in the sight of God When the heart is sullen lumpish and sinking in its humiliation God looks not at it Ezek. 33.10 we reade of some who are said to pine away in their sin Many men when God begins to afflict them with their sins Dulness under affliction an ill sign and put them into some trouble of spirit they pine away in their iniquity it is a very ill sign when humiliation makes men dull sullen and unserviceable hindering them from dutie when men lie down under their trouble discontented and melancholly therefore here 's the tryall of our trouble of conscience whether it be right or no if from melancholly it duls the heart puts it out of all spirit and activity disabling it wholly from service but if true it enlivens the heart and puts activity into the spirits though naturally dull and lumpish it puts the soul in waies of activity for God when they have to do with God this is a very good sign that such trouble for sin is right and good simile The melting of Lead consumes the Lead but the melting of Silver doth but refine and purifie it so the trouble of a carnal heart melts and consumes it but a gracious spirit will abide the fire and comes out purified and bettered therefore repentance is set out by a word of activity Isa 55.1 2. Come buy wine and milk Mat. 11.20 Come unto me The frame of a true repenting heart is in an active coming posture fitted for any service Obs 2 God leaves in his people at his parting impressions to seek him When God leaves his people he leaves something behind him which causeth the heart to make after him The soul hath her eyes upon God looking after Him Therefore much are they to be reproved who are so full of their sad conclusions and desperate speeches from such as these the Lord is gone and he will never return again I am undone and lost for ever there is no hope to Hell I must go but a gracious heart in the darkest night of sorrow and trouble can see some glimps of light and comfort saying as that good man Ezra 9.2 Yet there is hope in Israel concerning this thing and as the Church in Isa 42.24 Who gave Jacob for a spoil and Israel to the robbers did not the Lord he against whom we have sinned What then yet O Israel fear not Use 2. consolation Let us lay up this for sad times to support our spirits withall we know not what sad and black daies we may see yet know that we cannot be in a sadder condition than Ephraim was in here to have God to be to us as a moth and as a Lyon to tear and devour us many make
their conditions worse by their desperate conclusions Austin Austin saith that David prayed earnestly that he might not be cast out from that face which he had offended Is God angry with us or the Kingdom let us not run away from him but earnestly seek him Obs 3 True repentance is not so much to seek our own ease as Gods face the face of God is more in the heart and thoughts of a true penitent true repentance seeks not ease but favor than its own ease 2 Chron. 7.14 If my people humble themselves and seek my face then will I hear in Heaven We may seek our own good but we must go beyond it 't is God and not our selves only which we must seek after in our seekings after God This hath been the practice of the Saints Psal 63.1 Oh God thou art my God early will I seek thee my soul thirsteth for thee in a dry and barren land not for water in a dry land but for thy face So Isa 26.8 In the way of thy judgements O Lord have we waited for thee We seek God in our daies of humiliation and that earnestly but what are our ends Is it that we may have our peace our ease our estates and our lives Indeed we may desire and seek for these but is it the face of God we seek more than these if it be we have hopes of speeding in our requests But what is Gods face Vt amplecterentur verbum cultos in verbo propositos hec propriem est facies Dei qua se revelat nobis conspicuendum offert It is the word and Gods worship propounded in the word c. saith Calvin Calvin as upon this place so on that Seek ye my face Whence observe Gods Ordinances and Worship are his face The soule never Obs 1 comes to know God or have communion with Him so as in these in other things darkly in these with open face The creatures are but his footsteps these His countenance whereby we know him better than by the other Again observe Repenting hearts are very solicitous about Gods Obs 2 Ordinances and the right way of his worship As soon as they begin to know God and themselves they begin to disrelish those waies of worship that went down with them well enough before In times of publick calamity the main thing we should Obs 3 seek after is The Worship of God His Name and His Ordinances Though our sufferings are great yet we should pray Lord take a care of thy great Name Ordinances and Worship which are dearer unto us than any thing in the world therefore O Lord whether we have peace or no liberties or no estates or not take care of these and it sufficeth Applicat for Engl. Let England enjoy but thy Name thy Ordinances and the government of thy Son and we have enough Lord thou knowest our peace our lives and estates are dear unto us and we desire them all but thy Gospel thy Presence the manifestation of thy Face above all and seeking of peace is all in order to this Oh that this frame of spirit were found in us then how soon would the Lord return and heal all our breaches destroy our enemies and settle us in a sure peace See 1 King 8.44 If they in their afflictions look towards the Temple So Psal 78.7 All my fresh springs they are in thee It follows In their affliction they will seek me early Hezekiah sends to the Prophet Isa 37.3 and tells him that it was a day of trouble and of rebuke and of blasphemy as it is with us at this day therefore saith he Lift up thy prayer for the remnant which is left and saith my text In their afflictions they will seek me early We have many rumors of peoples gathering together and each discovering their poor spirits being dejected and cast down with every rumour of fear my text saith Come let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal he hath smitten and he will bind up therefore let our conversations be as becometh our text providence at this time hath cast us upon a very seasonable word the Lord make it as sutable The words are the beginning of the sixt chapter in the Septuagint translation Hierom begins the sixt chapter with these words and joyn come let us return with them the words are a prophesie of what the Lord will work in his people Judah God saith that he will return unto his place till they acknowledg their sin and here they say Come let us return unto the Lord this was Gods aim in tearing them and he had his end in it now from the Conexion of these two Gods wounding and their returning unto him again observe Obs 1 That what good God aims at in his administrations to his Elect he will have it In my tearing them I aim at their good and I will accomplish it and those means which God useth to effect this God will see that it shal perform it God in the Ministry of the Word does both to Reprobates and Elect what is sufficient and fit for him to do God useth many means his Word his Works and his Encouragements and all these are of very great force and power to effect this yet in the ungodly it doth not but to the Elect it shall God leaves not them to the means but he will see the means to effect that good upon them which they want When God sends the Gospel to any place there are two sorts of people Reprobates and Elect now God doth to them all that is fit for him to do now if they do not or will not receive it he goes his way and leaves the Reprobates to themselves but to the Elect he follows them on with the means and accomplisheth the good he aims at some express it thus A man hath his servant and his child sick of the stone he provides a remedy for both An apt similitude brings the Chirurgion to his servant tell◠him that he is willing to be at the cost but the servant refuseth rather chusing to endure the misery and pain the master seeing his refusal goes away and comes to his child the child refuseth likewise but now here the father goes not away but commands his child to be bound and will see the Chirurgion to perform his office so God offers the means to all the Reprobates refuse it God lets them alone the Saints they refuse it also but God will not take it so from them but sets the means home upon them by his almighty power But touching the words themselves They will seek me early 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the morning before light In Kal it is denigraere nigrum esse in Pihel manequaerere 70 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Hebrew hath but one word to express all these by and it is this Jeshachruneni as if he should say they shall morning me they shall come in
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 consciâ—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
together in an unanimous way saying Come and let us set about the Lords work with one shoulder every one encouraging each other then there is hope the times of mercy are nigh that people Use a sad presage to But this is our misery the divisions and the rendings that are amongst us being diâ—-joynted each from other Oh the wantones of mens spirits now among us for which God is much displeased and certainly is one great stop in the way of mercy that notwithstanding God hath us in the fire and threatens even our consuming yet that we should not joyn and unite together Obs 4 True penitent hearts seek to get others to joyn with them Oh how glad are they to see any comming on to seek the Lord with them and how careful are they to give encouragement example they perswade them with al gentleness saying Come let us go up to the house of the Lord we have found the Lord very gracious to us Oh come he is good still yea and good to you if you wil come into him if the husband have found God good to him he will perswade the wife the child the servant to come to Christ Thus much of their resolution to return the reason follows For he hath smitten us and he will heal us Hence observe Obs 1 That in times of the greatest sufferings a true penitent heart retains good thoughts of God God hath torn wounded and smitten us what then run away from God think hardly of him No think well of him and bless his Name even when you God in former times have practised Nehemiah Ezra Ezra 9. Neh. 9. Dan. 9 Psal 44. and Daniel in all their miseries how careful were they to acquit and cleer God to be just in all that was come upon them yea the Church in the time of her desertion retains Christ as a King and calls him so so that they have as high esteems of God now in their low condition as in their prosperous estate and as they dare not entertain hard conceipts of God so neither of his Cause nor his People they are not sorry that they have been so far engaged for them Many people are like bad servants simile Use of reproof who while they have every thing fitting that becomes them can give their masters family a good report but let them be crost of their minds and go away in a discontent Oh how vily do they speak of it and as sturdy beggers while they find releef and succor they can give good words and they are their masters and best friends but let them be sent away empty and then what name is bad enough for them so when things goes well with the cause of God and his people they will be on Gods side Oh take heed of being sorry that ever you were engaged so far as you are or thinking to draw back that it had been better you had not been so forward as you have been this is a base and vile spirit see but how low the Church was in affliction and yet with what a gallant spirit she carried it out Psal 44.12 13.15 and 17. verses in these times how is this text fulfilled in the 15. verse how do they complain that men do blaspheam deride and scorn them and in the 17. verse All this is come upon us What then Is not God good and his Cause good that we maintain No God forbid such a thought should enter into us Although all this evil be come upon us yet have we not dealt falsly with thee in thy Covenant Oh let us lay up this truth and it would be a mighty comfort and stay to us in these times and it would be a very good rise to prayer for mark in the 23. verse Awake why sleepest thou Oh Lord arise and help us Those can pray to purpose who in the sorest afflictions can manifest the most fear of God and exercise the most love towards God and his waies notwithstanding Obs 2 A repenting heart is not a discouraged heart It is such a heart as sinks not down in discouragements saying as some do we are a lost people and undone there is no hope we had been better never to have ventured so far as we have but give over what we have done it dares not draw conclusions from what hath been to what is and what will be this is too much presumption for any man David in the Cave can trust in God and hide himself under Gods wing Psal 57.1 So long as there is a God in Heaven this soul will expect help from him a true penitent will expect mercy notwithstanding Gods severity and justice the severity of justice in God cannot keep him from waiting for and expecting of what God hath promised if the soul can but get over this difficulty the deep gulf of Gods justice it will easily get over all other dreadfulness of mens displeasure a repenting heart is a purged heart and therefore not a discouraged but a supported heart those which are unclean of foul and filthy spirits are alwaies jealous of God and his dealings towards them Oh let it appear that we are not of discouraged and sinking spirits by the cleanness of our lives and the purity of our conversations carnal hearts are not discouraged when they have carnal helps to underprop them and shall we be afraid of any difficulty who have God for our help Remarkable is that place The Philistines motive to courage in the battel 1 Sam. 4.9 concerning the speech which was made to the Philistims upon the coming of the Ark into the camp of Israel what a fear were they put into yet how do they encourage themselves Let us fight valiently for our wives and children and estates that we and our little ones be not slaves to the Hebrews So say I let us be couragious in these times and fight for our Liberties Laws and Religion Did we but spend that strength in returning unto God which we do in discouragements Oh how soon would help come for us were we but thus resolved Now though we must not be discouraged when helps and means fail but yet humbled we must be for our sins which cause these breaches see how the Prophet Habackuk mannages this disposition c. 3. v. 16 17. we should improve our humiliation as they did Judges 20. who though in a good cause Judg. 20. a cause which God approved of yet lost fourty thousand men at two battels in the prosecution of it what do they now leave it off and run away No but put on courage and resolution fasted and prayed and humbled themselves before the God of their fathers and then they prospered Oh let us be humbled that we may not be discouraged And as we must not be discouraged so must we not falsly encourage our selves as they said The bricks are fallen down but we can build with hewen stone so say not this Army is lost but we can raise another quickly
his Covenant with thee he never yet broke Covenant so long as Christ is thine and thou art his Gods faithfulnesse in keeping Covenant is also thine what if those that stand for Christ and his Cause be sometimes beaten must they therefore give over No but venture still and if our sins hinder not though we may lie dead to day and to morrow yet the third day we may live in his sight Obs 5 Mercies after two daies death are reviving mercies After two daies I will revive you Promises in times of afflictions are sweet indeed Oh then how much more deliverance Such mercies are resurection-mercies which God sends after killing afflictions And such mercies hath the Lord given us at this very day the Lord hath revived us when almost dead Applicat for Engl. therefore would we give God the glory of such mercies and render unto him due and seasonable praise for such seasonable mercies Let us observe these rules First Look back to your base unbeleeving hearts formerly and chide them upbraid them with this now Oh vile heart of mine did not I begin to say Alas I am undone all iâ— now lost my hopes are now abortive was not I sorry that ever I was so engaged as I am were it to do again I would be better advised did not I think newters which had never manifested themselves for God in his Cause in a far better estate than I and wish my self in their condition how hath the Lord been dishonored by me what secret pining and grudging thoughts have I had even against God Himself because of the various dispensations of providence Say now oh base vile unbeleeving heart how hath the Lord confuted thee and made thee to see thy shame and ignorance in beleeving sence rather than faith Secondly Hath God bestowed reviving mercies upon you then be willing to give God the glory of them and resign them up to him upon thiâ— ground because we have forfited them by our unbeleef an unbeleeving heart forfits all mercies before he hath them 't is true God gives many precious mercies to sad dumpish froward discontented spirits but you cannot have that comfort in your mercies which others have because they are forfited and though God through his bounty lets you enjoy them yet you are in fear continually lest God should take his forfiture Oh beleeve your mercies in the promise through the difficulties Thirdly Remember the Covenants which you made unto God in the times of your trouble and keep them 'T is a provoking sin to break Covenant with God God complains of it against Israel Psal 78.38 They flattered him with tâ—â—ir lips in making Covenants to him in their trouble but they were not sâ—eadfast in their Covenants Oh how usual is it with men in any misery to Covenant largely with God and presently to forget what they have done this is a sign of a false heart therefore take heed of it Lay more wait upon your Covenants which you make if ever you mean to give God real praise for any mercy Fourthly Consider how much better it is to give God the glory of a mercy willingly than force him to extort it from you in a way of wrath God is better pleased with active praise than passive for his mercies consider glory he will have for his mercies Oh put not God to that trouble to force his own glory so due to him from you if you give not God the glory of a mercy in possession he in wrath will take it from you and had not God given us this reviving mercy it might have been our case to have been forced to give God his glory in a passive way Fiftly Whatever God câ—lls for now from you be willing to give it up to him freely whatsoever we would have been willing to have given for such a mercy in our misery had God indented with us for it let us be ready and willing to give it to him now the mercy is come had we known our danger and the miseries which would have flowed in upon us had not mercy prevented if God should have said thus What would you do what would you suffer what would you part withal for me and you shall be delivered out of this danger and possess the contrary mercy Then seeing God hath given us such a mercy without this indenting make this an argument to come off freely in giving God that which he now calls for you have been perhaps in bodily fears and danger of death by some sickness now if God should have cald for your estates would not you have given them to him Do that now which you would then have done Lastly Lay up against unbeleef for time to come Hath God remembred us in our low estate let us say with David We will trâ—st in him so long as we live we will never determine so as formerly we have either against our selves or the cause of God we wil never entertain hard thoughts of God more but we are resolved to do what belongs to us as creatures and leave the success of the business to God apply this any way and it will be very useful hath God helped us in any soul-trouble revived thee in the depths of sorrow when God hid himself from thee lay up the passages of God towards thee in this case against all the risings of unbeleef whatsoever resolve upon this that thy soul shall relye upon him for help whatsoever becomes of thee this is to give God the glory of reviving mercies Psal 18.1 2. thus doth David apropriate God to himself and gathers strength from this to support him David at this time was in a great straight by Sauls persecution of him that he gave all for lost I shall one day perish by the hands of Saul but he soon recals himself again It was in my hast he said in his hast the Prophets of God Gad and Nathan they are lyars they tell me that I shall be King that I shall sway the Scepter in Israâ—l but 't is nothing so I am like to be kild and betrayed every moment such enemies wait to catch me and is it ever likely that I should fit upon the Throne and be King So men in their hast are ready to think that God will forsake them and leave his cause upon every frown and hard word which he speaks but David found a reviving mercy presently upon it in the 1. and 2. verses of the 18. Psalm where he praised God for that mercy which formerly he would not beleeve before in this 2. verse he sets out God in way of praise by eight titles 8. Relations of God in Psal 18.2 with the Believers propriety in them and all his propriety in them for strengthening of his faith 1. My rock 2. my fortress 3. my deliverer 4. my God 5. my strength in whom I will trust 6. my buckler 7. the born of my salvation 8. my high Tower from all these titles of God as his he
strengthens himself In all the Scripture I know not such a short text so full for the strengthning of faith as this is and it is the special work of faith to make God to be ours in all these relations Ps 18.2 An eminent prop of faith Oh how beautiful would our praises for reviving mercies shew could we but exercise our faith thus upon all these titles of God as ours The real sight of deliverance from evil and the apprehension of Obs 6 certain mercy a coming is a strong argument to put the soul on to turn to God This people did make this use of mercy coming to them What wil God after two daies deliver and revive us Come then and let us return unto him let us not any longer stand out but come in that he may revive us and raise us up When the soul sees mercy coming it beholds God out-bidding all other temptations and over-powering all difficulties when men by sence can behold mercy coming they will then think it best to turn to God happy are those who by faith can see mercy coming a great way off and thereby are stirred up to turn to God when God lets such thoughts as these into the soul and settles them upon the spirit I am now in a very good condition well and in health for the present but where may I be within two daies I enjoy peace and have every thing that heart can desire both for necessity and delight but within a short time where may I and these be These are dreadful thoughts to consider of But on the other side to beleevers these words are very comfortable and full of sweetness I am in great extremity of misery but after two daies they will blow over then oh where shall I be in heaven in joy and blessedness for evermore at rest with my Savior dreadful are the meditations from these words to all the wicked but very sweet and comfortable to the Saints of God as any text I know This consideration made Paul over look all his afflictions 2 Cor. 4. â—7 he thus considered ' â—is true I am under great afflictions but they are but light and 't is but for a moment and what shall I have then An eternal waight of glory Therefore Christians should not be alwaies poring upon their afflictions but look up to mercy behold that which may comfort them as well as what may discourage them consider that within two daies God will raise us up again and this wil mightily raise our spirits and quel the tumults in our hearts as we should be sensible of Gods hand to be humbled for our sins the cause of it yet should we take care that we do not destroy our selves by our fears Obs 7 The apprehension of the death and resurrection of Christ is a special means to help faith in the times of the greatest afflictions Many things may help faith in this case but the consideration of Christs resurrection is the chief when the soul shall exercise faith thus I am thus and thus afflicted and in misery so was Christ and much more although he were the Son of God the first begotten of the Father and so blessed for ever he was delivered up into his enemies hands scorned persecuted and contemned nay he was crucified and put to a shameful death but my condition for the present is not thus but if it should be so it is no more than Christs was in this his great misery all his frinds forsook him which aggravates their misery which are in straits in so much that those two Disciples which went to Emmaus said We had thought that God would have delivered Israel by this man What a low condition did God bring Christ unto and yet this was the greatest work that ever was done and such a â—ork as brings God the most glory of any work in the world Christ therefore become miserable for our consolaâ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 the Church ever in a lower condition than Christ himself was yet Christ was raised and delivered out of them all yea this was a special end why Christ was brought into such a low estate to be a comfort and a pattern for his Churches that may come into the same condition which he was in and seeing this is held forth unto us in a cleerer way than it was to the Jews under the Law we should make more use of it than they did was Christ so low that the wrath of God was upon him for satisfactâ—on even to death this surely was a very low condition and now is there any hope that ever he should be raised from this yea now was Gods time to shew his power and to diclare him to be his Son God be speaks his people in all their strâ—its thus Did my power raise my son in such a low estate it is able also to raise you as the Apostle argues in the 1 Cor. 15. If Christ be not risen the dead are not raised c. so from thence I also infer That the Church must rise because Christ is risen if the Church does not rise Christ is not risen and if so then our preaching is in vain and your faith is to no purpose therefore raise up your sadded spirits upon thiâ— ground wel Christ is risen and I also shall rise with him It was wont to be the salutation of the Christians in ancientt time Christ is risen tâ— antient form of salutatio among christian Christus resurrexit Christ iâ— risen so the Saints may conclude though brought very low yet that power which raised the head will in his time raise the body and make it glorious with himself And we shall live in his sight As Israel was repenting so it was beleeving Israel also Faith anâ— repentanâ—â— muâ—ually act one another and as their beleeving furthered their repentance so their repentance furthered their faith they were confident that they should live in his sight When God grants mercies to his people he would have them of Obs 1 lively spirits to be quick and vigorous and of active spiriâ—s And this is the scope of the holy Ghost in this text however the Saints may seem as dead men when wicked men prevail over them yet when God gives rest and life they shall be lively and full of spirit God loves not to see his people of a sad fullen pensive disposition when that they have matâ—er of the greatest joy in the world When God is reconciled to 〈◊〉 people his face is then towards his Obs 2 people he looks then upon them and loves them Apoâ— 22.4 And they shall see his face God doth nor deal with us as David did with his son 2 Sam. 14.24 And the King said Let him not see my face any more But if God be once reconciled all the frowns in his face are turned into smiles he is all lovely towards them Use 1 Now how incongruous a thing is it that when God smiles we should lowr be heavy
and lumpish And as God smiles Use 2 when we humble our selves So should we look cheerfully upon our children and servants upon their submission having committed a fault Obs 3 Gods people account their life to be in Gods favour not so much in what they receive from God as what they are in Gods favour and presence Hypocrits desires are only for the enjoyment of mercies if they obtain their desires they are contented though they have no presence of God at all in them but the Saints if they have precious mercies and no presence of God with them it contents not them if they have health and not Gods presence in it if they have peace and not their peace with God it satisfies not them this is their cry Lord let us hear thy voice let me see thy face Cant. 2.14 for thy voice is pleasant and thy countenance comely Obs 4 When the Lord delivers his repenting beleeving Israel he settles mercy upon them and settles their hearts in the possession of mercy He doth not only give them hints but real possessions of mercy We are revived and raised yea but we may die again No we shall live in his sight we shall live before him Mercies to the Saints are not the fruit of Gods patience for then they would not be setled mercies But they are such mercies as comes from the Covenant of grace and so they come to be setled therefore called the sure mercies of David Isa 55.3 Obs 5 Faith is such a grace as raises the soul high and will not be contented with small mercies He will revive us and He will raise us up A carnal heart Is that all No but we shall live in his sight It is an argument of a very carnal heart to be contented with low mercies when a man will be put off with any thing It pleaseth God very well when his people will not be put off with smal mercies Caution though it 's true we must be thankful for the least mercie and content with it in oppâ—sition to murmuring yet we must not rest therewithal satisfied but if thy faith be true it wil expect more and if it hath got a promise from God it wil improve it to the utmost extent that the promise wil bear and when it hath one promise fulfilled it wil look out for the answering of another we do not approve of such a craving disposition in a beggar but God is much delighted with it in his people Gods people rejoyce much in this That God sees them they Obs 6 have much comfort from Gods eye whereas 't is the greatest terror to the Hypocrites hypocrits that God sees them that they are continually in Gods eye Job 24.17 If one know them they are in the terrors of the shadow of death if man being a spectator is so terrible how much more is Gods eye It 's no wonder they would fain hide themselves from his presence for the face of the Lord is against them that do evil but his eyes are over the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer 1 Pet. 3.12 The Saints account it their priviledge that God sees them and it 's a very good sign of sincerity when the soul is not afraid that God should see him when the soul can look upon the cleer beams of the Sun of righteousness without dazeling simile as the Eagle when she would prove her young ones holds them up in the sight of the Sun and if they can endure the shining and look upon it then are they of the right Obs 7 kind It is the great care of the Saints to walk as in Gods sight and to have their eyes in Gods sight Psal 16.8 I have set the Lord alwaies before me because he is at my right hand I will not be moved I will not fear I have set him before me this text is spoken chiefly of Christ as a Prophetical expression of him And if Christ must be kept from falling Use by setting the Lord alwaies before him much more must we not that he was in danger of falling as we are but this is to be understood as that text is he learned obedience by his sufferings he looking at God helped him to obey and to stand in obeying as the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 2. ult What we speak it is as in the sight of God in Christ that is what we say it is in the power and efficacy of Christ but how comes this to pass that they thus preach why as in the sight of God We thus preach his power enables Obs 8 The eye of God upon his people is their safety and security The forenamed place testifies it 1 Pet. 3.12 The eyes of the Lord are the safety and guard of the righteous simile as a child thinks it self safe if it be in the parents eye so the Saints should look upon themselves very secure in the sâ—ght of God A Philosopher could say in danger of Shipwrack in a light starry night A notable speech of an heatheÌ„ in danger Surely I shall not perish there are so many eyes of providence over me Could a â—hilosopher say thus and may not a Christian say so much more that he shall not perish seeing Gods providential eye is over him VER 3. Then shall we know if we follow on to know the LORD His going forth is prepared as the morning and He shall come unto us as the rain as the latter and former rain unto the earth THIS Scripture is very full and hath much sweetnesse in it As an egg is full of meat so full are these words of marrow and sweetness and there is little difficulty in them We shall know if we follow on to know 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Incumbamus in id ut cognoscamus Dominum If is not in the original but it is thus read And we shall know and we shall follow on to know The word signifies to prosecute and persecute to follow one as eagerly as a man which persecutes another and persecutes him as Paul did the Saints with all intention and affection when men thus follow on to know God will reveal Himself more Luther applies these words to Christ and the Gospel revealing him setting mens minds on fire by the truth so cleerly discovered and inflamed with such love to it that they followed on to know it But although these words have reference to Christ yet first they are to be understood of Gods delivering his people out of Captivity Then they shall know What shal they know that they shall live in his sight When God delivers them then they shall know 1. Gods faithfulness in his Covenant made to our fathers What the saints shal know wheÌ„ they follow on to know the Lord. 't is very little that we know of it now but the time is coming that we shal know it cleerly 2. The works of Gods wisdom al working for his peoples good in
decree with day and night morning and evening cald a Covenant because it is sure and certain so also is the Covenant which God hath made to Christ and to his Church firm and sure and this is a ground of strong consolation to the Saints to consider that mercies which they want are set and decreed mercies therefore with patience wait for them Obs 6 The Saints in the night of their affliction can comfort themselves in this That the morning is a coming It is night yet but the morning will come 't is approaching the assurance the morning is coming upholds the Saints spirits in the night of their sorrows the Marrener in tempestuous storms in the dark night the traveller in his wearisom and dirty journy comforts themselves with this the morning light is a coming 't is far better to be in darkness and know the morning light is a coming than to be in the light and to know or fear that darknesse is a coming and light never to returne more Obs 7 A little before the Saints deliverance out of their greatest disturbances of miserie and trouble the darkness of their night is the greatest As a little before the dawning of the day the darkness is the thickest and the most terrible thus it was in Egypt a little before Israels deliverance and their return out of captivity and this should mightily encourage us not to be disheartned in these times though our miseries should encrease for the darker the cloud is and the bigger it grows the neerer it is to its period therefore wait with patience Obs 8 Gods delivering of his Church is gradual by degrees not all at once as the day breaks by degrees so the Saints shine gradually in their lives answerable to the light which God hath let into them We would have deliverance at an instant light and perfect noontime presently but this is not Gods way of dealing with his people a child does not know that it is day till it be very light indeed simile but wise discerning men can see day at a little hole as we use to say Oh that we were so wise to discern Gods dealings in the workings of providence towards us It follows His going forth is prepared as the morning Text And he shall come unto us as the rain God glories much in this creature of Rain Rain in so much that he wonders when men do not fear him who is the giver of rain They did not say in their hearts let us fear God who gives rain there is so much of my glory in this very one creature that mens hearts must be very hard that will not give God glory for it Jer. 5.24 God is stiled the Father of rain this speech the mention of it here hath reference to that country in which the Prophet spake to Canaan where they had rain not so frequently as we have but twice a yeer especially viz. at seed time to soften the ground and a little before harvest to plump and fill up the Corn in the ear The Apostle James seems to allude unto this Jam. 5.7 Jam. 5.7 illustrated The husbandman waiteth patiently for the fruits of the earth so should we for Gods time of delivering his people Gods deliverances to his people shall be as seasonable as the former and the latter rain The Notes of observation from these words are Look what the rain is to the Corn so is Gods blessing to his people Obs 1 We have the same dependance upon God for blessing mercy that the seed hath upon the rain for growing and encrease without the rain the Corn will be but as the parched ground in the wilderness which is the curse and brand upon wicked men Jer. 17.5 6. hence we may see what poor creatures we are having our dependance upon such a poor creature as the rain is in its self and by the dependance which we have on this creature we should learn to consider what dependance we have upon the infinite God for all the good things which we enjoy Obs 2 As the Church is parched and dried up without the rain of Gods blessing so on the other side all the earth and flowers in the field are refreshed and a beauty there is put on them by the rain that coms from the Heavens it makes them to encrease And as the earth is not unthankful for the rain Use but sends forth Corn Grass and Flowers so should we alwaies after the receiving of mercies return unto God in duties we would think it strange if the earth after all the cost man hath bestowed upon it and after the sweet and seasonable showers of rain it should be barren and fruitless Oh man condemn thy self the word is compared to rain and how many times hath the sweet showers and droppings of the word lighted upon thee and yet thou barren all cost hitherto being lost upon thee Deut. 32.2 Obs 3 Gods mercies to his people are both seasonable and sutable this promised in the text They should come as the latter and former rain The Lord comes to wicked men in a general way of providence but to the Saints as rain in seed-time and harvest with much fulness how should this teach us our duty to wait with patience upon God with the husbandman Jam. 5.7 for the appointed weeks of harvest so should we till mercies come seasonably if mercies should alwaies come when we would have them they would prove judgments to us that which in its self is a mercy coming untimely proves an affliction God sent his people Israel Israel a King but he proved a heavy judgment to them simile if a woman should be delivered upon every pain and throwing she feels what mishapen birth would she have It is Gods mercy unto you to prolong your births till the full time we cry out Oh our troubles are great and continue long we had thought to have seen a period to these times our wars at an end and peace setled in our Kingdom Oh know that if they had ended sooner when we would have them what a plague would it have been to us Saints experience in this how many that observe Gods dealings can say that if such a mercy had come when they desired it they had been undone by it it had ruined them therefore Gods time is the best time hence we find that the Saints have often blessed God when he hath crossed them in their desires and hath denied them the thing which they so importunatly desired The Lord hath sent us the former rain at the begining of the summer in its season to prepare the earth for fruit but now there are scorching heats in the Kingdom heats of displeasure in the Country in the City nay almost in every family Now let us with patience wait and the latter rain in its season will assuredly come Is God so seasonable in his mercies for us Let us be seasonable and sutable in our
cruel persecutor of the Christians who studied and invenâ—ed cruel deaths for them that when he came to the Crown could not endure blood to be shed no not for sacrifices 'T is also reported of Nero Nero. that for five years he was so pitiful and full of mercy that when they came to have his hand to the sentence of execution of a â—alefactor He would wish that he could not have writ Quam vellem literas non didicisse that so he might not be used in any such thing and yet where had the Common-wealth of Rome or the Church of God a more desperat enemy or cruel persecutor Oh that God would grant this may never be our case What had we at the first Applic. to the Parl. of Engl. in the beginning of the Parliament how did they show themselves and did great things stood against Arbitrary government impeached great ones executed justice upon a Peer or two and kingdom What a mighty spirit was raised in the countries to second and stand by the Parliament now where 's the man that ever thought there would be such a party of Lords and Commons found to joyn with a company of Papist Atheists Malignants and Irish Rebels against the Cause of God and the Gospel and every thing that is truly good Oh most horrid apostasie that this morning cloud which in the beginning shined so gloriously should thus vanish and come to nothing And for others that are not in publick places though perhaps not so bad as others And privat men yet how cold and flat spirited are they slack in their moving for publick good private interest self and their own ends ruling in them more than the prosperity of the publick nay so we can gain our own ends though with losse to the publick we care not Oh what shall God do with us who are such an untoward people Mutato nomine Change but the name and this Scripture is ours O England what shall I do unto thee Your spirits for Reformation are down you care not for a deliverance but are willing to crouch under your burdens but let me tell you should these beginnings of reformation end as and prove to be as the morning cloud and early dew we should be the most miserable people in the world losing the greatest opportunity to do our selves good that ever any people had procure the greatest curse to our selves and posterity that ever was upon a people the generations that are yet unborn may if we lose this opportunity curse the time that we lived before them therefore be encouraged to venture in this work and do you still own the cause for God will own it and never leave it that so the work may be finished and we may say with the Saints Lo this is our God we have waited for him and he hath heard us Isa we should consider that it is a mercy the Lord hath made use of such false spirited men in his work to do his people good by and seeing the Lord is gone so far in the work let us intreat him that he would follow it on and not only bedew us but even wet us to the root It is Gods promise very remarkable in the 14. chap. of this Prophesie and the 5. verse I will be as the dew unto Israel he shall grow as the lilie they shall have the dew and be like the lilly but the lillie is a poor weak fading thing but saith God I will moisten the roots of it like Lebanon my mercy shall be perfected towards them the Lord grant this promise may be made good to us And thus much of their reformation in the general as it concerned the publick State and Church Now touching the particular reformation of themselves and their hypocrisie in it The note from thence is 2. Reformation in particular persons Obser That for any man to make good beginnings and overtures in the waies of God and let all fall again and come to nothing is a thing very grievous to God and dangerous to himself Psal 78.36 37. Nevertheless they did flater him with their mouth and they lyed unto him with their tongues for their heart was not right with him neither were they steadfast in his Covenant what then ver 58 59. For they provoked him to anger with their Idols God greatly abhorred Israel they were as a deceitful bow hypocritical in all their waies which the Spirit of God cannot endure for these reasons Reas of the first part The Spirit of God is a holy Spirit but this is a slight fickle a very vain spirit no soundness in it The Spirit of God is unchangable and constant in all its motions but in this spirit there is nothing but changableness 't is said of God that there is no shadow of change in him and in such a heart as this is there is no shadow of constancy in it Such men as these stifle the very conceptions of the Spirit of God in them it is accounted murder in a woman to stifle the conception in her womb or any waies to hinder it now if this be such a vile thing is it not much more to stifle the conception and first breathings of the spirit in the soul Oh take heed of such a spirit as this is There can be no trust put in such men as these they are fit for no imployment neither God nor man can trust them or use them in any service they are up and down fickle and wavering we our selves cannot endure to have to deal with such a man as is so They manifest by this that there is no fear of God before their eyes for were the fear of the great God in them it would over-awe them so that they durst not do thus This is a great pollution of the Name of God Jer. 34.16 when they had let their servants go and in an hypocritical manner cald them home again in this thing God saith they polluted his great Name This is an argument that the things of God and matters of Religion are looked upon by you as things indifferent that there is no great matter in them things of little consequence when thou hast a mind to them thou canst use them or thou canst let them alone is not this a mighty dishonor to the Spirit of God This shews that such people never had any good beginnings or sound Principles in them at the first far from the life of Christ which is said to be a steadfast life and the life of every Saint should be like unto his their hearts were not right with him neither were they steadfast in his Covenant Now as it is grievous to God and to his Spirit Reas of the 2d so it is very dangerous to our selves For We lose many an opportunity many a soul-stirring which at our first awaking we have had When the soul is first convinced Oh the many stirrings and good motions which are put
into it any thing would then take impression upon the heart but when we give back there is a hard brawniness upon the heart You that are so unconstant shall never grow to any eminency of grace and godliness though there should be truth at the bottom It is said of Ruben Gen. 49.4 Vnstable as water thou shalt not excel Men that do but very little yet go on in a constant way of godliness though their parts be weak and their performances mean many imperfections in them yet going on they come to something but those who at the first do a great deal run very fast in their youth and afterward grow cold again are very bad the cooling after heating is very dangerous as to the body so more to the soul This hardens the heart very much when the spirit is cooled after a heating it 's like water which being hot and cold again is more cold than it was before or like iron heat and quenched is harder than formerly This aggravates all other sinning what wilt thou sin thus after God hath appeared thus This spoils the acceptation of all our other services be they never so specious as a man that hath a child lunatick in his fits and moods he is very senceless and sottish but in his Lucida intervalla he comes to himself and speaks sensibly and well now if a man should see him at this time he would think he aild nothing so there are many who seem to be eminent Christians for the present but let a temptation come or lust stir and they are overcome There is nothing will more dâ—mp the heart when it comes before God in duty than this unconstancy of spirit Goâ— may say to thee Oh soul how darest thou come beâ—oâ—â— in such a duty as this when thou knowest thou aâ—◠〈◊〉 breach of promise and falsefying Covenant with me this will be an eating corrasive upon thy spirit God may say to thee how canst thou expect that I should be constant in my mercies towards thee when thou art so unconstant in thy duty to me this unconstancy towards God brings wavering in faith and unsetledness in our confidence in God the one makes way for the other unconstancy in duty and wavering in beleeving God shews himself to us as we carry our selves to him To the pure be will shew himself pure Tit. 1.15 How should this stir us up to look to our own hearts seeing they are so fickle and deceitful let us watch over and daily suspect them John 2.23 24. 't is said of the people that many beleeved in Christ because of the miracles which he wrought yet Christ would not commit himself unto them so Deut. 5.29 there is a people that made large promises to God that they would walk in all the Statutes and Ordinances of their God now saith God this people say well they are good words but Oh that there were such an heart in them God regards no work you do except he find it rooted in you John 8.31 Then are you my Disciples indeed if ye continue in my words no true Disciple of Christ without abiding in Christ all flesh is grass that is whatsoever is done by fleshly principles every duty though never so well done to the outward appearance if it come from a principle of flesh it is but as the grass and as the grass withereth and dies away so will these specious outside duties vanish away therefore look to your hearts and above all keepings keep it very diligently for if the root be sound the branches will be so too and the fruit savory which comes of it Means to persevere 'T is a very dangerous thing to let beginnings to die Therefore would you be preserved from such an evil as this is of fickleness and unconstancy take my counsel in these particulars Do not rest in sudden flashes and stirrings of spirit perhaps at a Sermon some truth or other that neerly concerns thee is pressed home upon thy conscience and it begins to stir the heart and warm the affections now do not think the work is now over or that the hazard of miscarrying to al eternity is over no thou must rise higher and go further than this or else thou art undone for ever this is that rock upon which many poor souls split and overthrow themselves for ever therefore look to your hearts in time Labor to get your hearts off from all earthly engagements 't is not like that man should ever stand constant toward God who is intangled with the snares and cares of this world That man whose heart is constantly fixed upon God though he does but little in way of duty in comparison of many an hypocrite yet he shall hold out when the most glorious hypocrit in the world shall fall to the ground Take heed of secret sinning secret sins will undo thee if they are loved and maintained simile one moth in a garment may spoil the garment one leak in a ship may drown the ship a pen-knife may stab and kill a man as well as a sword so one sin may damn the soul nay there is more danger of a secret sin causing the miscarrying of the soul than open prophaness because they are not so obvious to the reproofs of the Word therefore take heed that secret sinnings eats not out good beginnings Often take an account of your hearts how things stand with them say Oh my soul how is it with thee how stand tearms between God and thee Come my soul there was a time that there was such good stirrings and good motions in thee what is now become of them at the first beginning thou wert very forward and active for God such a chamber such a closet can witness the intercourse God and thou hadst thou didst walk close with God and his fear was in thee this would be a special help were it observed to keep the heart upright but I fear many a Minister may say of his people as Paul did to the Galatians Where is now the blessednes which you spake of Never trust your hearts after warmings with comfort and spiritual revivings when thou in any Ordinances hast met with Gods presence and he hath shined upon thee in love if thou hast got a smile from Jesus Christ at that time have a care of your hearts and look for temptations and prepare for them many when they have good desires and hopeful beginnings in them think that the work is past and the danger is over and and then for the most part comes a temptation of Satan and incounters with them and they are basely foyled and lose their peace again great consolations usually precedes great temptations Mat. 3.17 when God testifies that Jesus Christ is his beloved son This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased in the very next chapter how was he led into temptations what a combate had he with the Devil As after the greatest mercies many times follows the greatest
and shall break out so perspicuously that they shall cleerly convince you though formerly they pleaded for themselves as they in Isa 58. that let them be never so well conceipted of themselves I will discover them to be but a company of base Hypocrites I will then shew you such cleer demonstrations of the waies of righteousness in which you should have walked that all shall discern what you are it shall then appear as cleer as the light wherein you have gone astray from the rule Expos 2 Again the words may be taken actively and then the sense is That my power shall so appear upon them that their righteousness and holiness shall appear as the light And then though my judgments were smart and tedious at the first yet you shall not repent it you shall see so much good from them which will make amends and pay all charges Or thus I have sent my Prophets among this people for this very end and purpose to make this people a righteous people and that they may manifest this as cleerly as the light And thus you have the meaning of the words the observations follow Obs 1 Vnconstancy in the waies of Religion causes God to be incensed against a people Such men as are off and on which make overtures in the waies of Religion had need to have cutting truths preached to them Therefore have I hewed them saith God by my Prophets and as Gods Ministers must deal thus with their people so must every man in particular who loves his own soul and if so be â—hy soul be precious in thy eyes thou wilt willingly deal sharply with thy self say Oh wretched heart that I have to let such stirrings die such motions of the spirit come to nothing dost thou know whom thou hast to deal withal the infinite great God and for what thou hast to deal with him for no less than eternity and hast thou stirrings of heart about this and dost thou let them die this provokes God Many mens hearts are like knotty timber and rough stones Obs 2 I have hewen them And the longer men continued in their sins the knottier they are as timber which hath lain long soking in the water is tough hardened so mens spirits that are soaked in their evil waies Oh how untoward are they and how hard a thing is it to fasten any thing that is good upon them so that when we see mens spirits tough stubborn and hard to be wrought upon think of this text I have hewed them by my Prophets That this is spoken of a people whose goodness was as the morning cloud and the early dew which passeth away The Note is That many people although their goodness be but as the dew Obs 3 soon off yet their evil is hard and setled the goodness of many is like the * A fit simile softness of a plumb soon crushed but their wickedness is like the stone in the plumb hard and unflexable so that you may here see grace truth doth not consist in good motions stirrings and desires for these may be where the heart is not melting soft nor tender the heart is not changed for were the heart kindly wrought upon it would kindly yeeld and buckle under the power of the Word when it comes against their sins there would be a taking part with the Word Gods Ministers are hewers I have hewed them by my Prophets Obs 4 elsewhere they are called Gods Workmen and here Hewers and that in these two respects Either to prepare them for Gods building or to cast them into the fire these are Gods ends in sending His Ministers His Hewers now they hew all good and bad to take them off from their own rootings and make them as beams in Gods building or to be as an ax laid to the root of their souls 'T is recorded that in the building of Solomons Temple there was no noise of knocking with hammers or tools the materials being prepared fitted and squared beforehand so those which will be members of Gods Temple hereafter must be hewed and fitted for it here therefore John is said to be one sent to make rough things plain to level great mountains mountains of sins crabbed and rugged spirits Use Ministers work difficult By this work you may see what a hard task the Ministers labor is this made Jeremiah to complain when he saw the dulness and stupidity of the people resolved that he would speak no more in the Name of the Lord to this people The work of a Minister it is more laborious than the work of a Carpenter as Chrysostom Chrysostom expresses it for saith he the Carpenter when he hath wrought hard all day he goes home and comes again in the morning and finds it as he left it but we hew and take pains and leave our people and come again we find them worse than before Obs 5 That the Ministers of the Gospel when they meet with such rough crosse and untoward spirits must deale with them answerably I have hewed them by my Prophets my Prophets have done their work upon them God seems to speak to the Prophets to bid them sharpen their tools make their instruments keen preach sutably unto them saving some with fear as the Apostle Jude speaks verse 23. I wonder what people can say to this Scripture who cry out against Ministers for preaching the Law when the text saies plainly and save some with fear therefore let those that are the Ministers of the Word have a care that they sharpen their tools by the Word putting an edge upon them that so they may encounter with the greatest oppositions When the Ministers hew God hews I have hewn them saith Obs 6 God when as it was the Prophets that did it Is the Word sharp and doth it come close at any time then look to God which makes it so Is the tool sharp and doth it smart then look to the hand that directed the stroke and know that if God hew thee he will have his will upon thee he will accomplish the end he aims at when God hews thee if thou dost not work under his hand to make something of for use he will throw thee into the fire as a work man in an angry fit of passion throws away the piece he is at work upon into the fire so saith God this man or this woman they are good for nothing I 'le throw them into the fire take heed you who have stirrings and motions unto good and yet have your secret lusts beloved bosom-corruptions know that God may cut you down for the fire and thou mayest be already cut down for the fire though thou livest in the bosome of the Church under the Ordinances before thou art cut down by death as we may see the figtree was cut down yet had leaves for a while green and flourishing know 't is possible that a man which makes a glorious profession and performs many duties yet may be
day this iniquity is also discovered A wanton erronious spirit such opinions as were never known before doubting of the Immortallity of the soul that there is no visible Church upon the face of the earth and all this under the Name of Christ and free grace Now what doth all this but shew thus much that when God would have healed us then our iniquities did appear what sad passages are these of our miseries approaching What an unmerciful spirit is there among us Every one seeking his own and how he may make him and his great in the world and neglecting the poor and those that are in distress we have cause to say Oh Lord what shall become of us Know this that I may not altogether discourage you though our times are miserable yet are they not like unto Israel altogether it cannot be denied but that our Court hath seconded Ephraim which was their Court Court and though the City of Samariah did joyn with Ephraim yet the Citie City with us hath not joyned with Ephraim but the bulk of it hath kept faithful with their God for which mercy the children He lived not to see the late dissention which yet was not total blessed be God though prevailing long yet unborn will have cause to bless God A fift observation is this That when a people grow worse upon the means of healing it is a sign that their condition is desperate Isa 1.15 why should you be smitten any more Ye will revolt yet more and more Jer. 51.9 We would have healed Babylon but she would not forsake her In thy filthiness is lewdness because I have purged thee and thou wouldest not be purged thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more untill I have caused my fury to rest upon thee Now certainly had not God found a party in this Kingdom which closed with him when he would have healed us we might have had occasion to make use of this Scripture how just were it with God to leave such a people as we are in our healing because we are so impatient under the rod and oppose him even in our healing Arius Montanâ—s quotes it out of Hippocrates that the Physitians in his time Ar. Mont. were bound by an Oath to leave such under their wounds to perish by them that were incorrigable and would not endure the Chirurgions to cure them When a man is engaged in a bad cause and means is used for the convincing of him and yet oft times he will proceed and fly out the worse Oh the vileness of mens spirits in this thing we had need take heed what we engage our selves in that the thing be good the cause warrantable how many men are there which break their consciences rather than yeild to take shame to themselves for their sin Oh what cause have we to fall down and be humbled for our iniquity and to say as they in Jer. 14.18 19 20. So for particular Towns and places where God sends the Gospel the means of grace and that people is the worse for it they have cause to tremble at it do not cry out against the preaching of the Word as if that were the cause of it wheÌ„ men are worse for preaching an evil sign this were most wicked and abominable it was thus in Christs time we never read of any possessed with Devils before Christ came now shâ—ll we say it had been better that Christ had not come Oh blame not the Ministry but your own hearts and consider of this you that God is working upon the Lord comes close by the Ministry of his Word to heal you and then you discover your wickedness and rotten hearts the Lord he stirs such a conscience and begins to heal the soul now 't is the Devils policy to spoil such beginnings now thinks the Devil if I can make such a soul to commit a sin against conscience or live in the omission of any known duty the word then will never work more to do such a man good I have heard of a man who being troubled in conscience for committing that great sin of uncleanness the Devil tempting him to commit it again and told him if he would he should never be troubled more for it the poor man yeilding to do it and venturing upon it again after he had done it he was never tempted again nor troubled more but presently lay in a wanzeing languishing senceless condition and so died Oh take heed of this you that are convinced in your consciences of the evil of such and such courses for it is the great policy of the Devil to make thee who art convinced in conscience to sin against conscience and then he thinks the work is lost the Devil doth not much fear the Words working upon him whom he hath prevailed over to live in secret known sins and to venture upon the commission of sins against conscience you who are under Gods hand of cure be silent and submit quietly under Gods hand and be not froward as many are in their troubles of conscience but hearken for a word from God Troubled Consciences as the men of Benhadad did from that King in 1 King 20.33 hearkened diligently whether any words of comfort fel from him and they catched at them hastily Know that it were just with God to make you as that people Isa 6.10 that your hearts should be made fat This concerns all people but especially those that are in trouble of conscience those that God begins to stir and work upon take heed I say doth Christ himself begin to work upon you doth he desire to heal you is he willing to offer his blood to cure you by applying it to your wounded consciences Let not the corruptions of your hearts now break forth now take heed of sins against conscience lest he let you to perish in your lusts be willing to let God alone to do his work in you lie quiet and still take heed of murmuring and repining speeches but follow on the work begun and beseech him not to leave you till the work be compleated in you and the great hazard of your miscarrying over little do you imagine the wait and burden of those sins will be upon conscience which now you commit against conscience what a torment will it be to thy conscience to think that at such a time I felt Jesus Christ coming to heal my soul in the Ministry of his Word Oh happy had it been for me if I had lain under his hand and to have kept his salve upon my sore but because it was for the present troublesom and smart I cast it off and went into such company and listened unto such temptations and by this means have wounded my soul anew most desperately and now what can I expect but that the Lord should for ever forsake me and leave me to die in my sins and wallow in my blood and his eye not pity me make me to inherit
the curse of that people whose ears should be deaf that they should not hear whose eyes should be blind that they should not see and be converted and I should heal them When I would haue healed Israel then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered and the wickedness of Samaria for they committed falshood and the thirf breaketh in and the troup of robbers spoileth without Furthermore In these words the Prophet showeth in what particulars their iniquity did appear they committed falshood they wrought a lye in regard of their falshood their false worship and then in regard of their oppression wronging one another but especially in falsifying their trust one to another and in their relations not performing the duties which their relations called for and bound them unto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 officij diliti viâ—lati ex singulari audacia so the word in the original Shekar in the propriety of it signifies They commit falshood That is they commit such a sin as the breaking of that duty which the law of their relation cals for from them The Notes hence are Obs 1 It is the discription of a wicked man to commit falshood As the godly man is said to be for the truth and to do the truth so wicked men are against the truth and go contrary to the truth as the Devil is said not to abide in the truth even such are these who commit falshood and work a lye It is a forerunner of great mischief when men are false in their relations Obs 2 In Mic. 7.6 7. It was an ill time when all sorts of people were so unfaithful in their relations The thief breaks in to rob and spoil by violence Obs 3 From whence note There is much secret wickedness committed by those which have forsaken the true religion such as these are secret and cunning workers of mischief in Church and State Gal. 2.4 There are false brethren crept in secretly which afterwards sought to bring us into bondage 'T is a great evil in a Common-wealth to have secret oppressors but far worse to have publick spoiling We have had much of the first formerly and the Lord knows how much more of the second we may further tast of I verily beleeve there is none that ever thought the Enemy would have spoiled in such a manner as He hath done and that ever English men would have endured it and we are the first people that ever endured such oppressions that were not slaves before and what the counsels and thoughts of God are in this thing concerning us we cannot tell Violence and spoil before me continually is grief and wounds What then Be instructed O Jerusalem lest my soul depart from thee Jer. 6.7 8. The first part of this Scripture is ours at this day grief and wounds are continually before us but be thou instructed O England In what In this That dreadful breach which sin hath made between the King and Parliament be instructed in this Jer. 15.13 Thy substance and thy treasures will I give to the spoilers without price and that for all thy sins even in all thy borders So Isa 44.22.24 But this is a people robbed and spoiled they are all of them snared in holes they are for a prey and none delivers them for a spoil and none saith Restore Who gave Jacob for a spoil and Israel to the robbers Did not the Lord against whom we have sinned Who among you will give ear and hearken to this Men are wicked and tyrannical But who is he that hath given this our Land to the plunderers Is it not the Lord Therefore we should look beyond the troubles the hand that strikes to God who gave them their commission and delivered us up into their hands When God gives up a people to the robbers and spoilers in such a kind his wrath is said to come upon them as in the 25. verse Therefore he hath powred upon them the fury of his anger and the strength of battel VER 2. And they considered not in their hearts that I remembred all their wickednesse now their own doings have beset them about they are before my face THey considered not in their hearts In the original it is They say not to their hearts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This phrase in other Scriptures is used for saying in their hearts Jer. 5.24 Neither say they IN their hearts Let us fear God which giveth rain And in Eccles 1.16 Considering is communing with our own hearts I spoke or consulted with my heart From this phrase of speaking thus to our hearts we may observe 1 It is a good thing to be often speaking to our own hearts thus Oh my soul how is it with thee what case art thou in how stand things between God and thee what terms standest thou in for eternity canst thou look upon Gods face with comfort and not be afraid what guilt is there in thy conscience canst thou behold eternity and rejoyce in the thoughts of it Such meditations and questionings as these would be very profitable for the soul Many people can talk abroad in company of these things but where is the man that sets apart time to question with his soul about these Ps 4.4 Stand in awe and sin not commune with your own hearts upon your bed and be still There are in the soul many times boisterous distempers but then we should cause a silence and a calm in our hearts bid them be still there are great distemperâ— in that familie where the husband and the wife go two or three daies together and speak not one to another so there is no less distemper in that soul which can go two or three daies without questioning it self and examining its condition simile But what is it they should speak This That I remember their iniquities the old Latine carries it thus lest they should consider do not you think that God remembers the sins of your forefathers only that they were vile and wicked no but I also remember the sins that are present before me But according to the reading of the words in your books is most agreeable to the Original therefore Luther saith Luther that these words are a reproof of their security then which no evil being worse the Princes they feel not the judgment yet the principal actors in the wickedness the common people they suffer much and yet though they suffer yet attribute their sufferings to any thing rather than to their sins to be the causes of them the observations That God doth remember the wickedness of people though long since Obs 1 committed as we may see in Amalek God remembers this their wickedness many hundred yeers after 1 Sam. 15.2 I remember the prank which Amalek played to you when you came out of Egypt Amos 8.7 The Lord hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob surely I will never forget any of their works nay they are not only remembred but recorded the sin of Judah
baked and therefore proved abortive and came to nothing and we have cause to bless God Applic. to England who gave them up to this violence of rage Those in Jeroboams time were wise enough to carry on their designs with moderation policy and secrecy and so got the day though our enemies were not And as wicked men do stay and are contented to wait till the fittest time is for the accomplishment of their wicked plots so the Devil is contented to wait Satans temptat he first tempts the soul to sin and when the temptation hath prevailed he staies a while and lets the sin work a while therefore take heed of letting a temptation prevail do not roul them up and down in your thoughts saying what if I should do such a thing what if I should not now know that the Devil is a leavening your hearts and when your hearts are thus leavened the Devil will come in with such strength of temptation that you shall not be able to resist him therefore as Christ bad his Disciples to beware of the leaven of the Scribes and Pharisees so take heed of the leaven of Satan in this kind and in this the Devil deals as God doth with a sinner in the Gospel the Gospel is compared to leaven in Mat. 13.33 God he leavens the heart with some truth or other and there lets it lie and soak a while in the soul God casts into the soul some truth and doth not presently urge it with violence upon the soul putting them presently upon difficult duties which they are not capable to perform at the first but lets these truths lie soak and spread in the heart till such time as the disposition and savor of the heart be moulded and changed into the truth and then the Lord comes in with other truths and works them upon the heart which it was neither fit nor capable of before and it were wisdom in the Ministers of the Gospel to take this course not violently to urge strict and hard duties upon new converts which they are not capable of as to say this must be done and the other must not be neglected but press the Gospel to them and there let it lie and soak a while upon the spirit and blessed is that soul which is thus levened The Lord wil carry on this work to perfection these beginnings the Lord in his time will finish VER 5. In the day of our King the Princes have made him sick with bottles of wine be stretched out his hand with scorners THere is no preposition in in the Hebrew 't is only The day of our King 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The people being leavened with Jeroboams Idolatry they now make their acclamations in honor of their King The day of our King and rejoyce in the way of their worship which they had from their King which he his Princes had set up would not regard the requests and petitions of some few who desired it might not be established and though they were bound in conscience to go up to Jerusalem yet notwithstanding the King would send forth his Edicts to tell the people there should be no more going up to Jerusalem but to Dan and Bethel now at this they rejoyce and cry out Oh the day of our good King which hath set his good people at liberty and eased us of our great journey to Jerusalem to the danger of the Kingdom and is an enemy to those precise people This day of their King was either the day of his birth or his coronation day or the day in which he set up the Calves at Dan and Bethel Now it cannot be imagined but that there was some murmurings amongst some of the people they were not all of a mind to give their consent to the setting up of the Calves therfore they did it by a strategem with all the mirth and triumphing in the day of their King pleasing and pampering the flesh drowned al the discontents by this way of pleasing the flesh caused all things to be carried before them Or thus If the people were not throughly levened by this means they would take this course Come we wil go set up our King and magnifie our King and this will prepare the people to receive any thing he enjoyns Let the Citizens be in their gowns and the Gentry in their bravery and let the King be amongst them and shew himself courteous and loving to the people and now let us cry out Oh our good King This is the day of our King Those who carry this day to the day of his birth Kings birthdays have this Note That we never read in Scripture of any godly King that ever celebrated his birth-day but of three wicked Kings of Pharoah Gen. 40.20 and of Jeroboam in this text and of Herod in Mark 6.21 not that it is altogether unlawful to celebrate or observe a birth-day or a coronation day if it be observed with two Cautions So that it be not made as a holy day wth what cautiō to be celebrated so there be not put a holiness in it for God never gave that power to man to set a day apart as holy for his use Then it may be here objected Object What may not man set daies apart for Humiliation or Thanksgiving Yea he may Then what is the difference between Gods setting of dayes apart for holy uses and mans setting of daies apart for holy uses The difference lies in this Answ Time and things set apart by God for holy imployments and services besides that they make the duties more holy and the Ordinances more solemn and spiritual than they are upon a day which man doth appoint for mans appointment puts no holiness upon the duties which are done upon those daies there is a holinesse in them when out of their use as in Ministers c. but there no more holiness in daies and times set apart by man for God than there is holiness put upon the paper which the Bible is printed upon the Printer takes out so many reams of paper from his heap and sets them apart to print the Bible now will any man think this paper is more holy than the rest There may be a day kept yet so as God do not at that time call for some other duty or service from us man must not so tie himself by any institution of his own as to crosse Gods providence as supose I have set a day apart for thanksgiving at that very day providence may so fall out that God may call for a day of humiliation now if I should keep a thanksgiving day and so crosse providence being cal'd to humiliation I should sin in the thing These two things being observed I know nothing to the contrary but that it may be lawful to observe a day a man may remember his birth-day in this kind to be humbled for not doing the work we are called unto so men
afflicted by the Assyrians plundering and spoiling of them and it is no strange thing to see men gray with very grief and sorrow Scaliger tells us of a young man who through the extream trouble of his spirit was turned all gray in one one night How much more should our spirits be affected with the miseries of our times Gray hairs That is their miseries were so long upon them that made them gray they were lasting sorrows they were old in sin and God made them old in miseries and punishments for their sins Thus Germany hath been gray-headed for many yeers together in respect of the length of their miseries Gray hairs that is They have been a long time and might have gained more knowledge of me and got large experiences of the goodness of my waies yet they know me not nor my waies the whiter mens heads are the blacker are their sins many times 't is a most dreadful sight to see a white head and an old sinner I have read of one Eleazer Eleazer which would not do any thing which might seem to be evil because he would not spot his white head Gray hairs should be a strong argument to move men to walk blamelesly in their lives Gray hairs that is They had many symtoms of their ruin and destruction upon them As gray hairs show that mens ends are near men that are gray and would not be thought to be old wil pluck out their white hairs but if there be gray hairs upon us let us know they are admonitions to us and warnings of our ruin Heb. 8. ult There are many symtoms of a kingdoms gray hairs I shall instance in some of them As 1. Oppression in Courts of Justice is a gray hair 2. Idolatry and superstition in Gods Worship and Ordinances 3. The secret curse of God upon men and their estates 4. The taking away of the valiant and righteous men out of the kingdom is a sad gray hair in that kingdom Such a kingdom where these gray hairs are is in a dying condition and happy were it for us if these gray hairs were not to be found amongst us we have lain a long time at the graves mouth and yet many gray hairs do continue still and what God will do with us we know not how covetous and self-seeking are men in these daies notwithstanding Gods wrath burns so hot threatning an utter desolation of al Had we not need therefore to prepare for a dying kingdom It follows And he knows it not Doth not this speak our condition likewise Gray hairs are here and there and we know it not how have the Mini-nisters of God forewarned us a long time since of these times but we would not regard them both they and their message was slighted this people was so stupified they knew not who it was that smote them nor for what it was they were smitten VER 10. And the pride of Israel testifies to his face and they do not return unto the Lord their God nor seek Him for all this IN the fifth Chapter we opened the same words with these only the scope of the place is different they would not take notice of Gods hands but braved it out in a proud way and would not learn his meaning in the rod. Let us learn the contrary humility to accept of the punishment of our iniquities submitting and acknowledging that our father hath smitten us and spit in our face and yet they return not to me Whence observe God expects we should turn upon afflictions Job 33.16 Sealed Obs 1 their instruction Chap. 36.10 Commands that they return repentance forced by afflictions Afflictions if not sanctified will never turn the heart Obs 2 It is a great aggravation of mens sins not to turn under afflictions Obs 3 Though when afflictions work repentance yet repentance is seldom Obs 4 true it will not oft times hold out the trying yet people should try and see what it will do repentance coming from afflictions hath a promise Levit. 26.14 If then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled if then even when my hand is upon them they accept of the punishment of their iniquities then will I remember my Covenant with Jacob and I will remember the Land True repentance is rather a seeking of Gods face than our Obs 5 own ease from afflictions VER 11. Ephraim also is like a silly Dove without heart they call to Egypt they go to Assyria 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THE word translated silly signifies easily seduced perswaded to any thing we use to say that children and fools are easily perswaded to any thing men that are hardly perswaded to beleeve in God and what God saith yet are easily perswaded to beleeve errors these are silly Doves yet they thought themselves very wise in going to Egypt but they have done very sillily 2 King 17.4 the leaving of Gods waies and following our own is very silly how many when it hath been too late have cryed out of this their folly From whence this Note may be observed Obs That although men by others may be misled and seduced yet are they not excused this will not excuse them before God at the great day to say others did thus and I followed them thinking them to be in the right Without heart That is without understanding Prov. 6.32 But who so committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding Prov. 10.21 The lips of the righteous feed many but fools die for want of understanding or for lack of wisdom Now of all creatures the Dove is the most silly as appears The Dove The Dove defends not her yong ones as other creatures do the Hen and other flying creatures will preserve their young ones but the silly Dove lets them go quietly so was Ephraim in this respect like unto the Dove they were destroyed and made a prey on by others yet they never laid it to heart The Lord in mercy look upon us Is not this our case we suffer our brethren to be destroyed and made a prey of and never lay it to heart because we for the present are quiet The Dove will keep her nest alâ—hough you take away her nest Yea Pliny Pliny reports of some Doves which will fly many miles to their lockers Even in this is Ephraim like unto a silly Dove also where he was â—any yeers ago there he is still And so it is with many men they know and are convinced that such company hath done them mischief which they have frequented and yet they cannot leave them here is a silly Dove without understanding indeed Doves though they be swift in their flying yet dull in preventing of danger it is easily caught with the net Plin. l. 10. c 37 so was Ephraim easily ensnared by his enemies at their pleasures and preyed upon by them The Dove is delighted in the beauty of her feathers and prides her self in the clapping of her wings IdeÌ„ l. 11. c. 36. and cutting
upon the sin VER 14. And they have not cried unto me with their heart when they howled upon their beds they assemble themselves for corn and wine and they rebel against me AND they have not cried unto me The Seventy have it thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 70. Heart-prayer Their hearts have not cried to me Where we may see that it is not enough to cry with with the mouth except the heart cry as well as the mouth We reade of Moses who though he spake not a word that is expressed in the text yet it is said he prayed It is the working of the heart that is the heart of prayer Oratio est res ardua magni laboris est opus difficillimum ideo rarissimum Luther Therefore when Elijah prayed 't is said he prayed in praying Jam. 5.17 And by this we see the great difference there is in praying Heart-prayer pleaseth God A work-man which wants words to express himself yet may be able to perform his business very wel in Gods account so he that is able to express himself in fine language eloquent sentences and multitudes of words may yet not pray at all therefore when you pray look that your hearts go along with the duty otherwise your cries wil be but as their prayers here in the text which are called howlings and that in these four respects Prayers howlings why In regard of the hideousness of their crying unto God as the Heathens used to their Idols and so the Hebrew seems to carry it and to express something remarkable setting a letter more than ordinary to this word howling 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the letter י is super added And thus the Heathen Indians at this day howl to their gods And in this manner were the cries of Israel looked at but as howlings They were howlings in regard of their distempered and unquiet spirits they were in their spirits very turbulent and unquiet in their lives and froward in their carriage in prayer Even thus it is with many in trouble of conscience they are very boisterous and make troublesom noises the shallowest waters makes the greatest noise but the deepest rivers run the stillest so those that have the deepest sence of sin and are kindly troubled for it are quiet still and submissive under Gods hand and certainly such a boisterousness of spirit under the sence of sin is not from the Spirit although there may be some legal terrors but when God hath subdued the heart to himself the heart will seek earnestly for mercy and yet in a quiet humble way They howled upon their beds in regard of their pain The bruit beasts in their pain and trouble will cry out and roar even thus did these men here the extremity of the misery they were in forced howling from them There are no men cry more out of judgments when they are executed than those that were least sensible of them when they were threatned Carnal hearts cry out altogether of the miserie of the times the judgment it is that troubles them more than the sin the procurer of them See this between Pharaoh and David Saul and David Saul cries he cries to Samuel saying I have sinned and done foolishly yet honor me I pray thee before the people David he confesseth his sin and accepts of the punishment of his iniquity Lord 't is I that have sinned as for these sheep what have they done Pharaoh he cries to Moses that he would pray to God to deliver him from the plagues that were upon him David he cries to God Lord take away the iniquity of thy servant If iniquity be done away judgment will soon be removed sin being the cause of all misery Howling to note that God regarded their cries no more than the howlings of beasts Amos 8.3 Amos 3.8 opened The songs of the Temple shall be howlings in that day as the prayers so the sacrifices of such how pleasing they are to God we find Isa 66.3 they are but as the cutting off a dogs neck and their cryes were but as the cries of that dog whose neck was cut off They in their pride were wont to speak contemptibly of God his waies and servants contemning them and God he contemns and scorns them their prayers and their sacrifices therefore that in Prov. 1.26 is verified here He will laugh at their destruction and mock when their fear cometh Oh how vile are wicked men in God eyes when they are in trouble and misery None so vile but we pity them and releeve them but for the infinite merciful pitiful God who is full of goodness and hath bowels of tender love and compassion for him to have them in derision and to jeer as we may so speak the cries of his creature Oh the consideration of this is most sad Oh vile is the sin which makes man thus odious And here we see what little use there is of wicked mens spirits they are of no use there is for them in the places where they live nothing that they can do Wicked men of no use thou canst easily sin and bring down judgments by thy sins but when they are come upon thee what wilt thou do perhaps thou wilt pray and cry to God God he abhors thy prayers thy cries are abomination unto him it is the Saints prayers that are so acceptable unto him the prayer of the upright is his delight Prov. 15.8 the least sigh which come◠from a godly heart is such a strong cry that it fills heaven and earth so that as I may speak with reverence God can hear nothing else but that because he both prepares their hearts to pray and prepares his ear to hear therefore we find in Scripture such expressions as these Psal 10.17 and Nehem. 1.7 the good man praies that Gods ear would be attentive and his eyes open that he might hear the prayers of his servant Psal 86.1 Bow down thine ear O Lord hear and help me for I am poor 1 Pet. 3.12 His ears are open to their prayers And Psal 86.6 God gives his ear to their prayers and attends to the voice of their supplication what doth all this hold forth unto us but this that the prayers of Saints are very delightful to him they are pleasant musick in his ears were there no other difference between the godly and the wicked than in their prayers it were sufficient to make men out of love with the waies of sin and joyn with the Saints in the waies of holiness the Saints they send up sweet breathings and God takes pleasure in them the wicked they howl and cry out and God rejects them They howl upon their beds Men in their prosperity go up and down uncontrowled in their wicked waies but when God confines them to their chambers annd their sick beds then they howl It follows They assemble themselves for corn and wine The old Latin Ruminabant not Comedebant like beasts they feed the Hebrew word that