of his children that were so eminent in office and were destroyed so with such a visible hand of God fire from Heaven when Moses was angry that the Priests had not eat of the sin offering saith Aaron If I had eaten of the sin offering to day should it have been accepted It would have been but as the bread of mourners I that have bin struck this day and am in such a dreadful condition Would God have regarded the sin offering God required joy in his services in Deut. 1â— 7. 18. verses and hence that profession was required in Deut. 26. 13 14. verses Then thou shalt say before the Lord thy God I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house and also have given them unto the Levite and unto the Stranger to the Fatherless and to the Widdow according to all the Commandements which thou hast commanded me I have not transgressed thy Commandements neither have I forgotten them And then in the 14. vers I have not eaten thereof in my mourning c. They were to profess this to God That they had not eaten thereof in their mourning this was to shew that sacrifices offered with a sinking heart in sorrow is not pleasing to God God loves a cheerful giver We must not pine away in our iniquities sullenness and dumpishness even in sorrow for sin it sowres our spirits and services and makes them unacceptable to God I say a sullen dumpishness of spirit though it be in sorrow for sin it sowres our spirits and makes our services unacceptable to God There is a groaning and a sighing one to another or rather against one another that is condemn'd in Scripture in Jam. 5. 9. the words in your books are thus Grudge nor one against another but in the Original Sigh not or groan not one against another you shall have many that in company with others have a pensive dumpish spirit sighing and groaning and making their society to be burdensom to others Saith the holy Ghost do not sigh and groan one unto another there is a sullen dumpish sighing of spirit and dejection of soul that is as unpleasing to God as it is unto men it polutes the heart and pollutes duty But you will say Is all mourning forbidden that here the holy Ghost should say Their offerings should be as the bread of Mourners Christ saith blessed are the Mourners and the Sacrifice of God is a contrite heart It 's true an evangelical sorrow is accepted but that hath sweetness in it it is not bitter that 's not a dejected spirit it 's not a mourning that causes dejection or sullenness or straightness of spirit but that mourning doth enlarge the heart and makes it active for God hence in Ezra 9. 5. although we reade before that Ezra was astonished at the sin of the people yet saith he at the 5. verse I arose from my heaviness at the evening sacrifice when the time came that I should sacrifice unto God my heaviness did not hinder me in holy duties But how many are there that sink down in their heaviness and when God calls upon them for any duty they cannot arise they are so over-burdened with heavy spirits There they sink down in a sullen way and shall God accept of such a service as this is You may please your selves in it and think it is humiliation but there may be much pride in dejection there is none so proud a spirit as the Devil is and yet no spirit so dejected as the Devil is Lead we know it melts soonest but it consumes in the melting and many times there may be such a spirit that may be ready to sorrow upon any occasion and to melt but it 's such a melting as consumes the strength of it that it is unfit for any service that God calls for now such services as you in such a mourning way tender up to God are not accepted of him Remember this text Their offering shall be as the bread of mourning Gualter hath a Note from this God would not accept of the offering of Mourners they were unclean yet saith he there are many that seek to get their greatest gain from Funeral mournings and fall of enveighing against them that get gain that way as their Priests and Officers that use to tend upon Funerals for gain he calls them Vulturâ— and Crows that do flock to dead bodies and Sepulchers Dogs those are his words that seek to get advantage by Funerals And we know heretofore what abundance of advantage there was gotten by Funerals scarce could you bury a child under three or four pounds such kind of fees there were and made them even rejoyce when others did mourn and getting a great part of of their livelihood from the bread of Mourners And Theophylact hath another Note from this place The bread of Mourners That is those things offered to God gotten by oppression as thus suppose a man or woman gets an estate and gets it in an oppressing way it may be they are at home and merry but it may be the poor children or widdow is mourning for those morsels that thou art rejoycing in but it is the first Note that is the most according to the mind of the holy Ghost the mourning that hath respect to the funerals and so especially at the dejection of spirit in holy duties It follows The bread for their soul shall not come into the House of the Lord. The bread for their soul That is When they are seeking God even for their very lives By Bread is to be understood their oblations more generally not only Bread but their Oblations As Malac. 1. 7. Ye offer polluted bread upon mine Altar it 's taken generally for all kind of offerings upon Gods Altar So The bread for their souls that is those offerings that they did offer for their very lives Now from thence the Note is this That it 's a sad thing when a creature would seek to God for his very life yet then God rejects him and his offering too Before these people they did reject the voice of the Lord at the Temple and they kept others from going to the House of the Lord they thought sacrifices elsewhere would serve the turn as well but now they shall be far enough from bringing any sactifices to the House of the Lord though they should desire to do it for their very souls Thus many who in the time of their prosperity do neglect the Worship of God and slight it and think there is no great matter in it but afterwards when they see their very lives their souls lie at the mercy of God then they would fain seek God for their lives they see they are undone if God be not merciful to them yet then God rejects them their offerings then for their souls shall not come into the House of the Lord that is will not be accepted
deliver you from that I will not assist you So though we have strong walls yet we must look for a cover from Heaven which is our peace with God through Jesus Christ Again They have multiplied fenced Cities For outward safety men think they have never enough to secure themselves from poverty and from their enemies but to secure themselves from Gods wrath they think they have enough In spiritual things we are content with a little but when it comes to our outward security we think we can never be too safe and indeed this will be an argument what it is that your hearts are most upon that that you endeavor to secure your selves most in that 's your chiefest good that that you would make most sure of and if any thing in the world could make you more sure you endeavor to do it a gracious heart will never say May I not go to Heaven though I do no more but can there any thing more be done doth God require any thing more of his creature God that knows all things knows my heart is ready to do all thingt that he hath reveal'd to me and if there were any thing more to do Oh that I knew it that I might fulfill even all righteousness But I 'le send a fire Saith the text They multiplied Cities but I will send a fire When we bless our selves most in our own thoughts we should consider but what are Gods thoughts we think we will do thus and thus and I 'le save my self this way or the other way poor wretch thou saiest thou wilt do thus and thus yea but think what if Gods thoughts be otherwise at the same time thou art plotting to save thy self but God is plotting to destroy thee What if there prove to be a disjunction between Gods thoughts and my thoughts Wicked men have plots and devices for themselves but God comes with his disjunctions I 'le do thus and thus And this we are to hope that God will deal graciously with us in regard our enemies they are full of plots but God hath been pleased to come in with his disjunctions Gods thoughts hath not been as their thoughts blessed be his Name But I 'le send a fire it may be that they think that their Forts are so strong that they cannot be beaten down but I 'le send a fire to burn them down But I rather think this fire is meant metaphorically I 'le send their enemies which shall be as a fire and so enemies are call'd a fire many times in Scripture And I 'le send a fire By whatsoever means fire comes Gods hand is to be look'd upon in all 〈◊〉 If there hath been a fire in your streets or houses you will enquire by what means it came look up to God whatsoever the means was it is God that sends the fire And it shall devour their Palaces Brave things they are subject to Gods devouring fire Oh let us as when the Disciples look'd upon the fair buildings of the Temple and wept saith Christ There shall not be a stone left upon a stone so when we look upon our brave Palaces Oh let us consider how quickly the fire of Gods wrath may come and not leave a stone upon a stone Let us look up to that place where Christ is gone to prepare mantions for us and to that building that is eternal in the Heavens made without hands And thus through Gods mercy and assistance we have gone through this Eighth Chapter CHAP. IX VERS 1. Rejoyce not O Israel for joy as other people for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God thou hast loved a reward upon every corn-flour HERE begins another Sermon of the Prophets Gualter thinks this to be the sixt Sermon that the Prophet HOSEA preached to these ten Tribes wherein he yet goes on in the way as he did before convincing of sin and threatning of wrath against Israel and this Sermon was preached in a prosperous time when Israel the ten Tribes seemed to be in their greatest ruff of pride jolity It refers according to Interpreters to one of these two times Either to some special time when when they prevailed against their Enemies or to the time when they made their League with the Assyrians The time when they prevailed against their Enemies and so it 's thought to refer either to the time thâ—â— we reade of in 2 King 13. 15. the time of Jehoash when he beat Benhadad three times and recovered the Cities of Israel Or that time in 1 King 14. 13. And Jehoash King of Israel took Amaziah King of Judah and came to Jerusalem and brake down the wall of Jerusalem and took all the Gold and Silver and all the vessels that were found in the house of the Lord and in the treasures of the Kings house and hostages and returned to Samaria This certainly was a time of great jolity and mirth among the ten Tribes or in the time of Jeroboam 2 King 14. 28. and so in the time of Pekah 2 of Chronicles the 28. that was a time of great jolity and mirth to the ten Tribes because of their prevailing the text saith They slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day all valiant men and the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand women sons and daughters and took also away much spoil from them and brought the spoil to Samaria Now in this time their hearts did swell much for in vers 10. the Prophet Obed came to them and saith Behold because the Lord God of your fathers was wrath with Judah he hath delivered them into your bands and ye have slain him in a rage that reached up unto Heaven And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bond-men and bond women unto you But are there not with you even with you sins against the Lord your God It seems to be almost the same expression as we have here in the text as if he should say Now you purpose to keep the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bond men and bond-women and you insult and rejoyce and you think you have gotten the day and you have prevailed but are there not sins among you just as he saith here Rejoyce not O Israel for you are gone a whoring from the Lord as if he should have said though God hath given you a victory and you think you have matter of much joy yet rejoyce not O Israel as other people As other people Why First Because the conquest you have gotten it is over your Brethren therefore rejoyce not as other people do not rejoyce in your slaying your Brethren as other people the Nations about you would rejoyce in the slaying of them That 's a sad War when the Conquerer hath cause to be sad at the very Conquest It were no great matter though if other people had gotten the victory
give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts But rather according to most Interpreters I think this expression is rather an expression of Commiseration that is foreseeing the lamentable condition that the ten Tribes should be in ere long the Prophet pities their condition and would fain come in and pray for them and he begins Give them O Lord saith the prophet and then he makes a stop as if he should say but O Lord what shall I say for them Give them but Lord I know not what to ask for them I am at a stand when I consider what they are what the many mercies they have had already what warnings they have had how hardened they are in their sin and how thy word is gone forth but Lord give them shall I say Lord give them deliverance give them peace give them prosperity still Lord I dare not that I cannot ask all means have been used for to bring them unto thee and yet they stand out against the Lord thou knowest they are deer to me they are of my flesh and I should be glad that they might be saved but thy glory is dearer to me then they are and therefore for that I cannot pray and therefore the Prophet praies Give them seeing all this misery must befal them what shall the enemies be let out upon them shall they and their children be made a prey to the Murderer Lord rather let no more be born of them rather let those children that otherwise should have been born and might have lived in their own Land Lord God 〈◊〉 them not be born rather than come to live to so great misery so he doth not pray for a miscarrying womb and dry breasts absolutely but compartively From whence the Notes are First That mens sins make many times Gods Ministers and his Saints at a point that they know not what to say in prayer Truly though there hath bee a mighty Spirit of prayer through Gods mercy in the Kingdom yet considering that since God hath come to shew himself willing to deliver us and Christ hath been coming even upon his white Hors in peace to take the Kingdom to himself since that time such a spirit of Malignity hath appeared against Christ and his Saints as ever was in the Kingdom it puts many of the Ministers and Saints of God to a non-plus in their prayers and straightens their very hearts in the day of their fasting when they are to seek God that the Lord would give forth mercy The Lord knows that the condition we are in is more unfit for mercy than we were at the very first day Thus a Nation thus particular people may put the Servants of God to a stand in their prayers and straighten their hearts Oh! were it that people had gone on in the imbracing of Reformation as they seem'd to do at the first Oh! how enlarged would the herrts of the Saints have been in prayer Oh Lord give England mercy give England deliverance And then a second Note is this That the fruitfulness or the barrenness of the womb it is from God Give them give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts This is from God in Gen. 30. 2. when Rachel cried for children Give me children or else I die the text saith that Jacobs anger was kindled against Rachel and said Am I in Gods stead Paulus Phagius that learned man saith that the Hebrews have this speech that there are four keys that are in Gods hand that he gives not into the hand of any Angel 1. The Key of the Rain and that you have in Deut. 28. 12. The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure the Heaven to give thee rain unto thy Land in his season 1. There 's the Key of Food in Ps 145. The eyes of all wait upon thee and thou givest them their meat in due season thou openest thine hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing 3. There 's the Key of the Grave in Ezek. 37. 12. Behold Oh my people I will open your Graves and cause you to come up out of your Graves 4. And lastly The Key of the Womb and that is in Gen. 38. 22. These four Keys God keeps in his own hand and therefore Gods providence is to be observed in this and there ought to be a submission to his hand in it Thirdly Sin may bring such evil time upon a people as better those who live to such times had not been born or died before those times had come Give them a miscarrying womb and a dry breast if they should have children that should live to endure all the miseries of those times that are coming they had been better not to have been born or have died long before this time saith the Prophet We must take heed of wishing this upon every little affliction that doth befall us as it is the frowardness of many people even with God himself that if their children do but anger them to wish they had never been born or cold in the mouth many years ago I wish I had gone to your Grave Parents many times are ready to wish their children that they had never been born of them but this is frowardness against God himself and wickedness those that are so ready to wish their children had not been born they are the least sensible of the sin that doth cause the affliction upon which they do wish such a thing as that is Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts First There may be either such miserable slaughters as that Parents might even wish that they never had any Children Or Secondly They may live under such cruel tyranny for their souls and bodies Or thirdly They may be drawn from God by false Religion and so may be in a condition worse than if they had not been born Hence Parents to whom God denies children or takes them away they should quiet themselves in Gods dispose especially in such times as these are it may be God hath taken away your children to deliver them from greater evils as in the house of Jeroboam there was but one child that had any good in it and saith God That child shall die and gives the reason Because it had some good in it So that God takes away many that he hath the most love unto and lets others to live that he hath not so much love unto Yes some may say If I were sure that their souls were safe though God doth take them away if I were sure of their salvation then I would be content That 's true indeed If your children were saved what hurt is that to be taken away here and received to Heaven and there to live for ever with Christ not to sin or sorrow more but howsoever you may satisfie your selves in these three things First That they are under an indefinite promise though not an
defend but by being zealous and forward for his waies they hop'd to have promoâ—ion by him they did not fear to be questioned for any thing no matter whether they went against Law or not they could shelter themselves under the power and favor of the King the Pomp and Glory of the Court that was a great thing in their eyes they were bold in their Idolatrous way and oppression because of the power and greatness of the King who should controul them in any thing that they did But now saith the Prophet You have had your day you have had your time that you could thus shelter your selves under the power of the King and do what you list and oppress and rage and no body durst meddle with you because of the power of the King but now the case is altered But now they shall say We have no King Had they no King Yes Hoshea was their King but the meaning is It 's all one as if we had no King his power is so broken that the truth is he cannot help us Saith Drusius upon the place he cannot protect us which is the property of the King and therefore it is as if we had none now they shall say We have no King Alas he is not able to save himself he can do nothing for us his Pomp his Power Bravery is in the dust he is distressed himself and we are miserably disappointed of our hopes we are undone who can help us now whither shall we go what shall we do our consciences upbraid us now for our bold presumptuous wickedness Oh! how far were our hearts from the fear of the Lord we dar'd the God of Heaven and all his Prophets we boldly ventured upon those waies which we were told yea which we knew in our very consciences were a provocation to the Lord we set up our own worship we pleased our selves we made our wills to be the rules of all our actions that we did we took liberty to satisfie our lusts we mingled our own waies with Gods Ordinances we subjected Religion to publick ends we were riged we were cruel towards those who differed from us we upheld the Authority of the King against God and his People and now God hath justly brought this distressed estate upon us that now the Kings Power that we trusted so in is now broken and in a manner gone Oh! now we see we feared not the Lord we have none to help us now we now know what it is not to fear the great God God is above us and therefore now what can a King do to us what could he do for us Suppose we had him again Alas our misery is beyond his help seeing God is provoked with us and hath forsaken us what should a King do for us And thus in this short Paraphrase you have the scope of the words as if the People should have spoken in this manner But now the question is what times doth this refer to Now they shall say We have no King c. When did they say so The times that this refers to seems to be those that we reade of in 2 King 17. If you read that Chapter you shall find the times that this hath reference to then they might well say We have no King because we feared not the Lord What then should a King do to us For the Observations from it the first is this It 's a great evil for a People not to have the Protection and the Blessing that might be enjoyed in the right Government of a King over them A great evil And they complain of it as a great evil and so far their complaint is right That they are now deprived of the Protection and good that otherwise they might have had from the right Government of a King over them And my Brethren our condition is even such in regard of the personal presence and protection of a King in those regards we may almost use the same words as here and say We have no King among us And whether it be better for a People to have no King or to have no Protection from their King But that which is contrary to Protection is a Question fitter to be discussed and determined in a Parliament than in a Pulpit and to them I shall leave it But the Church of God shall never have cause to make this Complaint That they have no King in Psal 29 10 11. The Lord sitteth King for ever The Lord will give strength unto his People the Lord will bless his People with peace In Psal 45. 6. Thy Throne O God is for ever and ever the Scepter of thy Kingdom is a right Scepter Psal 145. 13. Thy Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and thy Dominion endureth throughout all generations Psal 149. 2. Let the Children of Zion rejoyce in their King Because we feared not the Lord. It is a great evil not to fear the Lord. Fear ye not me saith the Lord who have placed the sands for the bounds of the Sea It 's an evil and a bitter thing that the fear of the Lord is not in men For God is a great God infinitly above us cloathed with Majestie and Honor trembling frames of heart becomes his presence non like unto the Lord great and mervailous are his works Oh! who would not fear him God hath infinite authority over us to save or to destroy us he hath us all at an infinite advantage by the least word of his mouth to undo us his wrath is insupportable Who among us shall dwel with the devouring fire who amongst us shall dwel with everlasting burnings Darest thou a vile wretch presume to rebel against any word of the Lord when the next word may sink soul and body into the bottomless gulf of eternal horror and despair Who art thou that doest not fear the Lord Doest thou not fear the Commanding Word of the Lord when the next word that proceeds out of his mouth may be a destroying word to undo body and soul for ever Secondly They said We feared not the Lord. And observe In times of prosperity when men have the favor and countenance of great Ones then there is little fear of God among them Now they said We feared not the Lord. Oh! those times when we had the favour and countenance of great Men there was little fear of God among us So long as men have any confidence in the Creature so long they see no need of God their hearts are swollen with pride God is not in all their thoughts they say to God Depart from us we do not desire the knowledg of thy Waies They set their hearts and tongues against the God of Heaven they can venture upon any thing then to tell them it's sin against God it 's a poor dry business it 's nothing at all with them how vile and foolish are the hearts of wicked men that the enjoyment
that we hope the Lord is even revenging himself upon them for breaking Covenant even in that very place Now my Brethren that even Heathens themselves are convinc'd of this great evil that is so dreadful an evil what cause have we to lay our hands upon our hearts this day in respect of that part of our Covenant that concerns one another for certainly since the time of our solemn Covenant there was never more treachery than there hath been in England and in Scotland too there hath been as much treachery since that time as ever yet was since either of them were a Nation we have been false one to another so far as it relates to our selves But I find that Calvin in his Notes upon this Scripture understands this Oath and Covenant not to be a Covenant to men but their Covenant with God in promising repentance and new obedience and so they spake only words Swearing falsly they did but deceive him in swearing and making a Covenant and this indeed is a sore and dreadful evil to swear to the high God and to Covenant with him to draw so nigh to him and yet to be false God threatens in Levit. 26. 25. That he will send a sword to avenge the quarrel of his Covenant and when we see the sword rageth so as it doth we may have cause to fear that the Lord hath a quarrel against us in avenging the late Covenant that hath been made I mean our falseness in it and that we may see further our guiltiness and evil in swearing falsly in making a Covenant we must know that many waies our hearts may be false in our Covenants with God It is a dreadful evil to be false any way in Covenant with God any of you that upon your sick beds have been solemnly promising to God reformation if God restor'd you if you be false Oh know that the Lord hath a quarrel against you and he hath a dreadful evil to charge upon your souls How many of you have been false in your private Covenants But to be false in publick Covenants that 's most dreadful But our hearts may be false divers waies As First If we take our Covenant meerly upon politick grounds we make the solemn Worship of God wherein we express our fidelity for Reformation of Religion to be meerly subserviant to politick grounds here 's a falsness of heart we are false in swearing thus and making a Covenant we do not sanctifie the Name of God as we ought Or Secondly If we put false Interpretations we are false when we shall make our Covenant a meer 〈◊〉 to our Brethren let us consider how far any of us are guilty of this and let the Lord judge between us I say when we seek to make it a snare even to our Brethren How have those been accused for the breach of this Oath which have not accorded in things that are in Controversie with our Brethren as if this Oath were put upon all men to determin most abstruse and difficult points of Controversie to bring men to submit to things as are very abstruse and difficult to understand this were to make an Oath a Snare and to take the Name of God in vain in a fearful manner Certainly the Lord never would have Oaths put to men to this end that men that are of different waies and opinions in Controversal things for to be forced by way of an Oath to be of the same judgement and to do the same things this is a great abuse of this Oath wheresoever it is urged so far Certainly there 's no man guilty of the breach of this Oath and Covenant that shall but endeavor what he can to understand what the mind of God is and then to practice according as he understands though he should mistake as in the point of Schism in that point of the Covenant the thing its self being a sin we may as well swear against it as David did to keep Gods Commandements but now if David did labor to understand Gods Commandements and do as far as he did understand suppose he did not understand all things aright it might be his weakness but not his perjury So let us be in point of Schism or any other point of the Covenant if men do endeavor to understand what is Schism by the Scripture and accordingly do in their several places by what means their consciences tels them is lawful endeavor to oppose it though they should not think that to be Schism that their Brethren do think or perhaps is so yet they are not forsworn this is evil to make a Covenant to be a snare unto us and our hearts so far are false in it And then thirdly Then is the he heart false in making a Covenant when it doth not fulfill it according to the nature of it when it goes quite opposite against it As since our Covenant hath been made When was there ever greater divisions Our Covenant is for unity When more ungodliness our Covenant is against it when more injustice Our Covenant is against all these and yet since England was a Nation there was never stronger cries came to Heaven for these sins than there hath been since our Covenant And therefore certainly there 's a great breach between God and us in this regard And then fourthly When men make their Covenant to be a cloak for Malignity that is Though they have Malignant and vile wicked spirits yet they can but take the Covenant and then all is well Here they swear falsely in making a Covenant Thus Judgment springeth up as Hemlock in the furrows of the field After this their Covenant there is a great deal of injustice among them Judgment By Judgment some understand the Judgments of God and then the sense is Those wicked waies of yours are the seeds that brings up Gods Judgments that is as Hemlock bitter and deadly there 's a truth in this Interpretation though I think it is not the full scope of the words here but it may be the holy Ghost would hint some such thing unto us in it That our actions are as seeds and what they are sown here they will bring forth according to the nature of them Wicked actions when they are sown will bring forth bitter fruit will bring forth Hemlock It may be saith he you look for peace and prosperity but contrary to your expectation behold Hemlock and bitterness I beseech you take heed of preparing your selves a potion of Hemlock against you lie sick and are cast upon your death bed a man hath sown his field he thinks to have a good crop of Corn but Judgment the Judgment of God comes up and there 's Hemlock instead of it But because I think this not to be the scope of the place therefore I pass it by and rather think that by Judgment is here meant Righteousness Equity and Justice That whereas there should
them into your hearts As first That such is the vileness of every sin as it seperates the soul from God and puts it under an eternal Curse This one Truth you must get this into your hearts and get it deep into your hearts it will help to unloosen the roots of the thorns and bryars that are there the setled apprehension of this Truth And then secondly This Truth That there is such a breach between God and my soul by sin that all the power in all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth is not able to make up this breach here is a sharp plow-share to get into the heart And then thirdly This Truth that by nature I am full of this sin my heart is full of it all the faculties of my soul are filled with sin that is of such an hainous nature Here is a sharp plow-share to get into the heart And then fourthly That every action that ever I have done in all my life in my unregenerate estate it is nothing else but sin nothing else but sin that hath such a vile nature Yea further That if any sin be pardoned to me it is by vertue of a price paid that is more worth than ten thousand worlds This Truth Now here 's the Gospel as well as the Law for the plowing is but the spiritualness of the Law the Truths of the Law in a Gospel way for you must take notice that the Law as Law accepts of no humiliation for sin it is as it is reveal'd in a Gospel way in a Gospel way it doth tend to humiliation for let men be humbled never so much the Law never accepts of them for their humiliation but the Law in a Gospel way so it comes to humble the soul so as to do it good Now therefore the Consideration of the Truths that the Law requires having reference to the Gospel they serve for the humbling of the soul Now get in these truths and see what they will do in thy Soul you must work them in And let conscience be put on to draw this plow These are as the Plow-share and the working of Conscience is the drawing of this plow while the plow stops as when it meets with a thorn and bryar now a strong Conscience will draw it on and will make the thorns and bryars to be rent up by the roots if the Conscience be put upon with strength to draw these Truths in the soul and though they put you to pain yet you must be content to draw them on in the soul And if these and the like Truths be got into thy soul and thou beest at plow and thy Conscience be drawing This is that I shall say God speed the Plow yea God speed these Truths that Conscience is drawing on in the soul for it may tend to a great deal of good to prepare thee for the seed that may bring forth Righteousness and Mercy to thy soul for ever I confess it is a hard work to be thus plowing Indeed for men and women only to hear Sermons and be talking and conferring of good things these things are pretty easie but to go to plow to plow with such Truths as these are to get up the thorns and bryars by the roots this is a very hard task but we must be willing to do it and to continue plowing as the fallow ground must not only be plowed once but it may be it may stand in need of plowing the second and third time before it may be fit for the seed to be cast in and so it must be with our hearts It may be some of you have got in some Truths and you have been plowing yea but since that time you have had many weeds and thorns grown up and you must to plowing again it may be it is divers yeers ago since you have been thus plowing and your hearts have lain fallow all this while do not think it enough that once you have been humbled but be often plowing up this fallow ground you were as good have the plow get into your hearts though it be sharp as to have the Sword of Gods Justice be upon you We have in these times a wanton generation that have risen up that cannot endure to go to plow they would be doing nothing but taking in the sweet as I told you before in a former Exercise Treading â—ut the Corn. But this plowing they cry out of meerly through a wantonness and tenderness of their spirits a sinful tenderness because they would have nothing but jolity and licentiousness in their hearts and waies yet the Scripture in Luke 9. 62. compares the Ministers of the Gospel to the plow He that puts his haud to the plow and looketh back is not fit for the Kingdom of God not fit to be imployed in the administration of the Gospel Though these men cry out so much of humiliation for sin which is as strange a Generation as ever have risen up that should cry out of that when there 's nothing more humbles for sin than the price that was paid for sin in the blood of Jesus Christ and there is no such sharp plow-share as that If I were to preach one Sermon in all my life for the humbling of men for sin I would take a text that might shew the great price that was paid for it and therein open the breach that sin hath made between God and mans soul But they will not make use of the Gospel neither so much as to be a plow to plow the heart for the work of humiliation Well God hath prospered this work heretofore and notwithstanding al the wantoness of mens spirits this way yet I say still God speed the plow God speed this way of plowing the hearts of men and getting in those Truths that do humble the hearts of men for their sins these were the Truths that God hath blest in former times and there 's none that ever did live to the honor of the Gospel so much for this generation that is come up they talk of the Gospel but they live not to the honor of it the Gospel hath not honor by them nor Jesus Christ hath not honor by them But the former generation of men though in some things they might fail yet certainly God blest them in their way so far as it was according to Truth No mervail though these men bring forth such little fruit of Righteousness it is because they sow among thorns presently they are up at the top and so confident presently in their way their seed is among thorns and therefore it doth not prosper And thus much for this expression about the plowing up of fallow grounds both in reference to general Reformation and Humiliation and concerning mens Souls in particular It follows For it is time to seek the Lord. It is time First Yet you have time to seek the Lord 'T is well for you that you have
is not as rain from Heaven to bring up the fruits of Righteousness in your hearts and in your lives And then seventhly Gods coming with blessings upon those that seek him it is Righteousness that is The good that they have as a fruit of seeking of him it is The fulfilling of Gods Word it is but Gods Faithfulness that was engaged for it Jesus Christ had purchased it by his blood and they had a bond for it before what ever good they have from God It is an excellent Note to help us both in our seeking God and in the comforts that we have When we are seeking God we are not seeking God meerly as a gratuity Though in reference to us it is only free Grace but to Christ it is Righteousness it is that which Christ hath purchased therefore saith Saint John If you confess your sins he doth not say it is mercy for God to forgive them but it is Just with God And so when you receive a mercy from God you are not to look upon it as a meer Alms though in reference to your selves indeed it is so but in reference to Christ your head it is Righteousness it is that which Christ hath purchased and that which God gives you as a fruit of his faithfulness as wel as of his free Grace when thou art seeking of God let not only the eye of thy faith be upon the Grace and Mercy of God but upon the very Righteousness of God And then another Note may be Though the good we do is our own good yet God rewards it as if he got by it God makes Promises to us that if we do thus and thus we shall enjoy such and such mercies Sow to your selves When we sow God gives us leave to aim at our selves but yet when God comes to reward us he doth reward us as if it were only for him and not for our selves he rewards us in waies of Righteousness And thus much for this Verse of raining Righteousness God hath another rain for the wicked and ungodly in Psalm 11. he rains snares and fire and brimstone upon them VER 13. Ye have Plowed wickedness ye have reaped iniquity ye have eaten the fruit of Lyes NOtwithstanding all exhortations and all offers of mercy yet you have gone quite contrary saith the Prophet Instead of breaking from your iniquities you have plowed your iniquities The meaning is this You have taken pains to propagate that which is evil you have taken pains to prepare for wicked things and to do all you can for the propagation of that which is evil both in your selves and others That is the plowing of wickedness The plowing of the wicked is sin their endeavors that is the meaning their labor it is especially for the furtherance of sin the very strength of their spirits is let out for the furtherance of their sin In Job 4. 8. Even as I have seen they that plow iniquity and sow wickedness reap the same to plow it is to endeavor and labor for iniquity for so the word that is here translated Plow it signifies to Frame things to Work things to Endeavor any thing with all our might that is the signification of the word You have set your hearts altogether upon this work for the furthering of wickedness in thinking of it in plodding about it in stirring of one another and doing all you can in your endeavors for the furtherance of wickedness Yea You have been willing to go through all difficulties to accomplish your wicked intentions As we reade in Micah 7. 3. it is a notable Scripture it shews the strong endeavors of wicked men after their sin They do evil saith the text with both hands earnestly It is a very strange text they are willing to take pains and plow for their sin Oh! how many are there that take more pains to go to Hell than others do that go to Heaven they will so struggle and suffer for their sin willing to break with their friends to accomplish their sinful lusts willing to venture their estates to hazard their healths willing to do any thing in the world they are willing to go through all difficulties that they may have their sin Yet they will not plow for God Oh! they complain of any little difficultie in the waies of God but complain of no difficultie in the waies of sin Oh! what a wicked and wretched heart is this to be offended with any hardness in Gods waies and yet be content to endure any hardness at al in the waies of sin Oh! that we were but as instrumental for God and willing to plow as hard as others do for that which is sin And Oh! when you shall come to die to reap the fruit of your labor what terror do you think will this be to your consciences when it must tell you that you have taken more pains in the waies of wickedness than ever you did in the waies of God As it was said of Cardinal Wolsey when he was to die Oh! saith he Had I but served God as diligently as I have served the King he would not have given me over in my gray hairs So when you shall come to die and your consciences shall say Oh! that I had but broken as much sleep to prayer and seeking God Oh! that I had but ventur'd my estate and name as much in the waies of God as in the waies of sin it had been happy for me Is it possible that any of you can die in peace of conscience and yet your consciences shall tell you that you never took that pains for God as you have done for sin In a good motion that is for God if others do it you will agree and go on with them I but you will not plow hard for it but in things that are sutable to your lusts you will not only move such a thing and joyn with others but you will plow hard for it Oh! what pity is it that mens parts and strength should be laid out so much upon that which is evil Men that have active spirits Oh! how instrumental might they be for God if their necks were but in Gods yoke but they all the daies of their lives have their necks in the Devils yoke and are plowing for the Devil all their daies and they will reap accordingly Now this plowing wickedness was especially their way of false worship Oh! they endeavored there they plowed hard to get up their false worship their worship at Dan and Bethel and not to go to Jerusalem to worship It follows You have plowed wickedness ye have reaped iniquity You do not hear of any sowing for the truth is there need no sowing for wickednss there need be but the preparation do but plow that is do but prepare the ground and wickedness will come up alone When you plow Righteousness you must sow the seeds of Righteousness
then it were another matter but now considering they have enough in them to make them subjects of Gods wrath God may take advantage the rather because of thy sin and therefore take heed ane especially take heed to Gods Worship for we do not find in Scripture where any children are so threatned as the children of Idolaters are And then a further Note is this That the Judgments of God neer to us should awaken us we should think Why may it not be upon our selves This was a heavy Judgment of God upon some City neer and God would awaken them Oh! what have we heard hath been upon our Brethren in other parts and we have been sottish and not sensible of it because iâ— hath not just come upon our Gates the Lord expects when we hear of any dreadful evil upon others that we should tremble and fear before him And then one thing further note from hence As Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel The word that is here Shalman it signifies the name of one that is peaceable one that is peaceable and yet he shall exercise his cruelty so as to dash the Mother upon her Children this is not one that bears cruelty in his name not a Tyger but a Shalman a peaceable man as his name carries it and yet thus cruel when he comes to have power Oh! men who have peace in their names and peace in their mouths and peace in 〈◊〉 yet when they come to have power often times are very cruel We were like to have found it so if our adversaries should have prevailed especially this Citie might have been made a Beth-arbel Mothers dashed upon their Children It 's true when the adversaries did prevail in any place they did not do so but it was not through any ingenuity or pity but out of fear but had they gotten the day then we might have expected even dashing of the Mother against the children VER 15. So shall Bethel do unto you because of your great wickedness SO shall Bethel What shall Bethel rise up against the rest of the ten Tribes and come and destroy Mother and Children together That 's not the meaning But Bethel shall do it that is Bethel is the Cause of this that dreadful slaughter that is like to be among you it shall come from Bethel Who would ever have thought that Oh my Brethren Miserable Judgments do many times arise from causes we 〈◊〉 think of that 's the Note from thence I say miserable Judgments do many times arise from causes we little think of From Bethel there should come this slaughter and dreadful blood-shed And as that Note more generally so more particularly this That from places of Idolatry comes the greatest evils to Kingdoms As 't is very observable on the contrary from the places of Gods Worship comes the greatest good so from places of Idolatry the greatest evil In Psal 76. 2 3. In Salem is his Tabernacle and his dwelling place iâ— Zion There brake he the Arrows of the Bâ—◠〈◊〉 Shield and the Sword and the Battel Did God break them there Was there a Fight in Zion and in Salem No that 's not the meaning but in Zion and Salem where Gods Tabernacle was those Servants of God that were worshiping of God in Jerusalem and in Zion and praying to God they got the Victory so we may say that such a place that was fasting and praying in the time of our battels there God brake the Arrow and the Bow in that place where they were praying and seeking God it was in Salem and Zion Where the true worship of God is from thence comes the good of a Kingdom And so in Isa 31. 9. Whose fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem The Lord is there threatning the Enemies of his people and he saith That his fire is in Zion and his furnace is in Jerusalem there God hath his furnace and from thence it shall go to destroy the adversaries And so on the contrary where Idolatry is set up and false worship maintained from thence comes evils and miseries upon us Because of your great wickedness The word is Because of the wickedness of your wickedness so the Hebrews express the suparlative degree by a genetive case the evil of the evil the wickedness of the wickedness From whence observe Other sins are great sins but this of false worship indeed is THE great sin that God is provoked against a people for Whence let us not make light account of the Worship of God for how little soever Gods Worship is in our eyes yet it is a great matter in Gods eyes and though you think that the sins against God in the matter of his Worship be but small yet God saith it is the great wickedness it is the wickedness of wickedness And great wickedness it may be call'd not only in respect of the nature of it but from many aggravations and long continuance in it notwithstanding all their means You may Note further from hence God takes notice not only of mens sins but of the aggravation of their sins Oh! let us do thus do not only look upon your sins and acknowledg your selves to be sinners but look upon the Aggravations of your sins Oh! this sin committed against so many Mercies so many Prayers and Resolutions and Vows and Covenants and so many Deliverances that I have had labor to lay the Aggravations of your sins upon your hearts and this is the way to humble your hearts before the Lord. Indeed the Saints of God they need not seek to excuse their sins be not afraid to lay the aggravations of sin upon your own hearts according to what great aggravations there may be Greaten your wickedness before the Lord do not so as ordinarily people do to extenuate your sins for if there be any extenuation that possibly can be Jesus Christ will find out that in his pleading Christ is your advocate who sits at the right hand of the Father and it is his work to plead your cause and therefore if there can be any thing to extenuate a sin he will do it you know that when he was here in this world when his Disciples did offend very much in that sleepiness of theirs that when Christ was to suffer they could not watch with him one hour that sin might have been aggravated with abundance of circumstances but saith Christ The flesh is weak but the spirit is willing he falls to extenuate and excuse Now that which Christ did there he wil be ready to do in Heaven for thou that art a Saint And then further According to greatness of sins so is the greatness of wrath great wickedness and great wrath they go together and therefore according to the greatness of sins should the greatness of our humiliation be For so it is said of Manasses That he humbled himself greatly and in Lament 1. 20. where the
of God And hence is the reason of that phrase that we have That Wine doth cheer the heart of God and man it cheer'd Gods heart to have offerings offered in a holy manner to him the greatest joy that God hath in the world is in the offerings of the Saints which should be the greatest encouragement to them men by their Wine and good Cheer may make themselves merry may make their friends merry but by their holy offerings they do cheer the heart of God they are as sweet-meats to God all the Wine and delightful things in the world they are as sweet I say to God as all the Wine and delightful things in the world are for men Thou hast a cup of Wine for thy friend to cheer him but hast thou a cup of Wine for God to cheer his heart that is a gracious holy offering unto God Surely that which is most sweet to the Soul of God should be most sweet to our souls You would wonder to hear a man say that he takes as much delight and he can recreate himself as much in reading in praying in hearing Sermons in holy conference as you can do in all your good cheer in playing and drinking of Wine in bowls you think that men are mad to say that they have as much pleasure in those things as playing at Cards and merriment and musick and good cheer you call upon them to play at Cards with you or be merry you say to them why should you be dumpish and never be merry they tell you again That they can be as merry and as cheerful in hearing the Word and praying and reading as you in all your playing and all that that you account delightful You say to them That they have no recreation They tell you That those things that are your burdens are their recreation you think it strange Why should you wonder Surely that that sweetens and joyes the heart of God that must needs be the rejoycing of the hearts of those that have the Spirit of God in them you have joy and mirth in such and such things these are sweet to you yea but do these things rejoyce God are they sweet to God But now this is the threatning here They shall not be sweet now to him nothing that is tendered to God from them shall be pleasing to him no saith God now I will have other waies to glorifie my self in upon you not by your offerings I 'le rather glorifie my self in your miseries and they shall be sweet and delightful to me If an Hypocriâ—e hath never so great enlargements in duties these would not be pleasing to God Gods palate is more delicate than to tast such sowre and sapless things than those are that comes from them Saith Tertullian The Spirit of God is a most delicate thing it hath a delicate palat and such swill that hath such mixtures of filth as your services have how can they be sweet to the delicate palat of the Spirit of God you are Hypocrites your lives are naught and filthy and unclean therefore none of your offerings can be sweet they are but swill unto that palat of mine It follows Their sacrifices shall be unto them as the bread of mourners The Hebrew may be taken substantively or adjectively as thus For the bread of mourning or the bread of mourners either of both two may be taken according to the original Now by the bread of mourners is here meant unclean bread for so it is interpreted afterwards It shall be unclean But why the bread of mourners unclean This Text hath reference to what you reade in Numb 19. 11. and 14. verses you may reade there that the dead body of a man it did defile whatsoever touch'd it yea whatsoever came neer it and all those that were at Funerals that did mourn for the dead that came to the place where the dead body was to mourn with the friends for the dead they became unclean by the dead body And that 's observable that the dead body of a beast did not make men so unclean by legal uncleanness as the dead body of a man did The dead body of a beast made one unclean but only till the evening in Numb 11. 31. but the dead body of a man made a man unclean seven daies So you shall find in the former chap. of Numbers that they must be seven daies before they could be clensed and this was to note That there were more remarkable expressions of the anger of God upon the sin of man in the dead body of a man than in the dead body of a beast one made unclean but till evening and the other seven daies But the reason why there was this uncleanness from the dead body was First To note the uncleanness that there is in sin in dead works that those that did meddle with them they were polluted yea the uncleanness that there is in coming near unto sinners the coming but near to them all that was in the tent was polluted Secondly It was to shew how little pleasing to God Funeral mournings are for they were made unclean by them they were made unclean by their Funeral mournings for this bread of mourners is the bread that they eat in their Funerals The Gentils did mourn for their dead in an inordinate manner exceedingly and God would have a difference between his peoples mourning for the dead and their mourning because that he would keep up his peoplâ— faith and the hope of resurection from the dead whereas had they had liberty to mourn so excessively as the Heathens did by this means the very faith and hope of resurrection from the dead might in time even almost have been extinguished therefore God would have them take heed of that and therefore he did so ordain in the Ceremonial Law that al the mourners for the dead they should be unclean for so long a time As for any that doth give liberty in their natural affections and doth not hold the reins of them in their mourning for the dead I would apply to them that Scripture in Jer. 31. 15 16. Thus saith the Lord A voice was heard in Ramah Lamentation and bitter weeping RACHEL weeping for her CHILDREN refused to be comforted for her children because they were not But now Thus saith the Lord Refrain thy voice from weeping and thine eyes from tears thy work shall be rewarded and thy children shall come back again So it followed afterwards Do not weep as others let us not mourn as others that have no hope remember that the mourners for the dead in the Law they were to be unclean for seven daies Thirdly it was to note this That God would have cheerfulness in his service and therefore the bread of mourners is accounted polluted Levit. 10. 19. we reade of Aaron when there was such an occasion of mourning as ever was almost for a man for the death