in that place of Ezek. there be speaking of new Moons other Feasts yet it is to set out the condition and blessed estate of the times of the Gospel under those shadows types the Prophet speaking according to the Jewish language in that way This being granted let us compare the institution of the Feast of the new Moon In Num. 28. with what is laid in Ezek. 46. in Num. 28. they were to offer for a burnt offering two Bulloks one Ramme seven Lambs but in Ezek. 46. 6 In the daies of the new Moon there should be but one bullock six lambs God himself had said that in their new Moons they should offer two Bullocks seven Lambs yet when the Prophet would set out a more glorious condition of the church he saith they should not offer so much as they did before they should offer but one Bullock and six Lambs What are we taught from this We are taught by this two excellent lessons which are the reason of the difference First that there is such a blessed estate of the Gospel coming that shall not be subject to such changes as hath been heretofore but a more setled condition of peace and rest so that they shall not have such occasion to blesse God for his providence in the changes of times as before they had Their solemnity of the new Moon that is of doing that spirituall thing that was done in a ceremonious way that was to give God the glory for the change of times now in the times of the Gospel they shall not have so many Sacrifices to make it such a solemn business as it was then Why because the Church shall be in another condition of more rest safety and more constancy in their wayes not hurried up and down by mens humors and lusts and wills as before Secondly that the state of the Gospel shall not be so subject to danger neither as it was before there shall not be that occasion to blesse God for bringing of light presently after darkness for that is one end of the Feast of the new Moon that when they could not see the Moone a great while and it was darke as if that creature had been lost out of Heaven now they see it againe they were to blesse God for it But in the time of the Gospel that is comming there shall be no such darknesse this time is not yet come we yet had need to have our seven lambs and two bullocks for we have much darkness those places in Ezek aime at some speciall time more then other there is a glorious time of the state of the Church when there shall not be such occasion of blessing God for delivering us from darknesse as there hath beene The Ninth Lecture HOSEA 2. 11. I will cause all her mirth to cease her feast dayes her new moones and her sabbaths and all her solemne feasts OF the Jewish new moons the last day God threatens likewise to take away her Sabbaths Sabbaths Plutarch thought that the Sabbath of the Jews was from Sabbos a name of Bacchus that signifies to live jocundly and bravely and merrily Indeed the Sabbaths that many keep have such a derivation their Sabbaths are sabbaths of Bacchus to be merry and to eate and drinke and play is the end of all their Sabbaths But the word hath a better root God would have us upon the Sabbath rest from all other works that we may be free to converse with him therefore it is so much the more inexcusable if when we have nothing else to doe we shall deny to converse with God as he requireth of us If a friend should come to your house to converse with you and he should know you have no businesse to take you up yet you will scarce see him or spend a little time with him will hee not take it ill If indeed you could have such an excuse that your businesse is extraordinary though your time be lesse you spend with him it would not be so ill taken but when he knows you have nothing to do and yet you deny time to converse with him will not this be taken for a slighting him Thus you deale with God Had you indeed great occasions and businesses to doe upon that day though you did not so converse with God in holy duties it were another matter God might accept of mercy rather then sacrifice But when hee shall appoint you a day to rest wherein you have nothing to doe but to converse with him yet then to deny it this is a sleighting of the Majesty of God Now the Jews had diverse Sabbaths amongst others these were principall ones The Sabbaths of dayes and the Sabbaths of yeers The Sabbath of dayes every seventh day they had a Sabbath and it was kept unto the Lord. Now this Feast of theirs had so me what in it Memorative somewhat Significative and somewhat Figurative It was a Memorial a Signe and a Figure A Memoriall of two things 1. Of the works of Gods Creation After God had finished his works of Creation then he rested and sanctified the seventh day and Psalm 92. being appointed for the Sabbath the Argument of it is the celebrating the Memoriall of Gods great works 2. Of the deliverance out of Egypt in remembrance of the rest that God did give them from their bondage So you have it Deut 5. 15. Remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched-out arme Therefore he commanded thee to keepe the Sabbath day Secondly it was Significative a Signe Exod 31. 17. It is a signe betweene me and the children of Israel for ever And verse 13. It is a signe betweeue me you that I an the Lord that doe sanctifie you God made it a signe that as this day was by his command to be sanctified set apart from other dayes so God had set apart this nation of the Jewes from other nations Thirdly It was Figurative it did figure out or typific the rest that did remaine for the people of God Heb. 4. There remaineth a rest to the people of God both here in the time of the Gospel and in heaven eternally Now we are to know there was some speciality in this day of rest in this sabbath of the Jews more then in any other sabbath As First in the Antiquity of it It was the most ancient of all the dayes set apart for an holy use being from the time of the Creation Secondly it was written with Gods owne finger in the Tables Thirdly God rained no Manna upon this day and that even before the Law was given in Mount Sinai for the honour of this day 4. The whole weeke doth take denomination from the Sabbath Luke 18. 12. I fast twice in the weeke twice a Sabbath so the words are in the Greek So Marke 16. 2. The first day of the
AN EXPOSITION Of the Prophesie of HOSEA Begun IN DIVERS LECTVRES Vpon the first three Chapters At MICHAELS Cornhill LONDON By JER BURROUGHES The Second Edition Newly corrected Inter omnia dona donum verbi Dei est amplissimum Si hoc auferas soleme mundo sustulisti Quid erit mundus sublato verbo quaminfernus Luther LONDON Printed for R. Dalwman in the Year 1652. TO THE READER YOu have these Lectures as they were taken from me in preaching Iperused the notes but I could not bring the style to that succinctnesse that I desired except I should have wrote all over again which I had no time to doe my perusall was but cursory therefore many things have slipt me You have them as I preached them without any considerable alteration I had thought to have been far briefer that which caused me to goe somewhat beyond an expository way was the meeting with so many things almost in every Lecture so neerly concerning the present times in the remaining part of the Prophesie if God give life to goe through it I shall keep my selfe more close to an expository way what here you have take it as you finde it what good you meet with receive it in This will be the encouragement of Thy friend in Christ J. B. Aug. 10. 1643. Imprimatur Ioseph Caryll AN EXPOSITION OF The Prophesie of Hosea The First LECTVRE Chap. 1. Vers 1 2. c. 1. The word of the Lord that came unto Hosea the son of Beeri in the dayes of Vzziah Iotham Ahaz and Hezekiah Kings of Iudah and in the days of Ieroboam son of Ioash King of Israel 2. The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea and the Lord said to Hosea c. The Preface To The Work THis day beginneth a Scripture Exposition Exercise which hath lost much of the honour of it by the disuse of it The best Apology for it is to set presently upon it It is ancient in the Church of God old enough to speak for itself Nehem 8. 8. we read that Ezra Ieshua Bani and the rest read in the book of the Law and gave the sense and caused the people to understand the reading You love brevity in this Exercise you shall have it in all that shall be delivered unto you I have pitched upon the Books of the small Prophets to open them unto you of whom Ierome hath this expression You cannot tell which to wonder at most either the brevtâ—y of speech or the greatness and abundance of sense And this Prophet Hosea in speciall is excellent this way of whom the same Author speaking calls him exceeding concise speaking by sentences Being the Propheticall books is the work that falls to me why I chose rather to begin with Hosea then Isaiah I shall afterward give you an account If God continue this Exerciseand life we may goe through them all both small and great In these Prophets we have most admirable divine Truths revealed to us and pity it is that the minde of God contained in them should be so little known even unto his children that such treasures of heavenly truths that are there should lie hid from so many so long a time as they have done We might preface this our work because this is the first dayes entrance into it vvith labouring to raise and sweeten your hearts with the consideration of the excellency of the Scriptures in generall Luther hath an high expression about them he calls them the highest genus that containes in it all good whatsoever Take away the Scripture and you even take away the Sun from the world What is the world without the Scriptures but hell it self We have had indeed the word of God to be as the Sun in the world but oh hovv many mists have been before this Sun We have seldome the Sun shine clearly to us It is pity seeing there is such a glorious Sun risen that there should be such a misty day Now this is the work we are called unto to dispell the mists and fogs from before this Sun that it may shine more brightly before your eyes and into your hearts Chrysost in his 29. Sermon upon Genesis exhorting his Auditors to get the Scriptures into their houses and to a diligent exercise of himselfe in them tells them that by them the soul is raised and elevated and brightned as with the beame of the Sun of righteousnesse and delivered from the snares of unclean thoughts The Scripture is that wherin the great God of heaven hath sent his mind to the children of men wherein he hath made known the counsel of his wil opened even his very heart unto Man-kind It is the Epistle that God hath sent into the world And did wee but heare of such a Book that were dictated imediatly by God himself to the end to shew the children of men what the eternall counsels of his will were for the ordering of them to their eternall estate and to open his thoughts and intentions concerning their everlasting condition what it shall be Did wee I say but heare that there were such a book in the farthest part of the Indies would we not rejoyce that the world was blest with such a mercie what strong and vehement desires should we have to enjoy but one sight of it before we dye Wee would be willing to venture upon any hazard to passe through any difficulty to be at any charges that we might have but a sight of such a booke as this My brethren you need not say Who shall goe to the farthest part of the Indies to setch this book Who shall descend into the depth or goe to the uttermost part of the earth to help us to a sight of this booke of Scripture For behold the word is nigh unto you it is in your houses and we hope in your hearts and in this exercise is to be in our mouths not only to tell you what it saith but open unto you the mind of God in it The exercising our selves in this book is sweet indeed Luther professes himselfe out of love with his own books and wished them burnt lest men spending time in them should be hindered from reading the Scriptures which saies he are the only fountain of all wisdome and I tremble saies he at the former age that was so much busied in reading of Aristotle and Averroes Wee read in that 8. of Nehem. vers 5 6. when Ezra opened the book of the Law to expound it to the people he blessed the Lord the great God and all the people answered Amen Amen And now blessed be the Lord the great and gracious God for stirring your hearts up to such a work as this is and blessed be his name for those liberties we have thus freely to exercise our selves in this service O praised be the name of the great God for this dayes entrance into so good a work as this is Yea they did not
and so terrible yet now behold the feete of him that bringeth good tydings that publisheth peace God abroad publisheth war yet he hath a messenger to publish life and peace to some Is it not so this day It is true the wrath of the Lord is kindled the wrath of the Lord burneth as an oven and it is hot but it is against the ungody but peace shall be upon Israel And let us sanctifie the name of God in this too for so it followes in this very Chap. of Nah. ver 15. Oh Iudah keepe thy solemne feasts performe thy vowes for the wicked shall no more passe through thee And because God revealeth such rich grace in the middest of judgement let this engage your hearts to the Lord for ever Yea a little further because it is an instraction of great use in these times and may be yet of further use in times we may live to see not onely when God threatneth judgements let us sanctifie Gods name in looking up to promises but when judgements are actually upon us Suppose we should live to have most fearful judgments of God upon us yet even then we must look up to promises and exercise our faith and have an eye to God in the way of his grace at that time this is harder then in threatnings You have an notable place for that in Esay 26. 8. In the way of thy judgements O Lord have we waited for thee the desire of our soule is to thy name Oh blessed be God my brethren the Lord calleth us to wait upon him in the wayes of mercy for the present It is true there was a time not long since that the Lord was in a way of judgement toward England and there were some of Gods people when he was in the wayes of his judgements amongst us yet would wait upon God and keepe his wayes though there were many because Gods judgements were abroad and they saw that they were like to suffer departed from God and declined his wayes Much cause of bitterness of spirit and of dread of humiliation have they that did so But others may have comfort to their soules that in the very wayes of Gods judgments they waited for him they can now with more comfort wait upon God when he is in the ways of his mercy But if God should ever come untous in the ways of his judgments let us learne even then to wait upon God keep his way And yet another Text that may seeme to be more notable than this for this purpose and that is Iere. 33. 24. Consider est thou not what this people have spoken saying the two families which the Lord hath chosen he hath even cast them off thus they have despised my people that they should be no more a nation Marke the low condition the people were in at this time Oh God hath cast them off they are despised contemptible not worthy to be accounted a nation This condition was very low but though they were brought low in a condition contemptible yet now God confirms his Covenant with them at this time For observe ver 25. Thus saith the Lord. If my Covenant be not with day night and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven earth then will I cast away the seed of Iacob ond David my servant As if God should say let them know that whatsoever their condition is now yet my love my mercy my faithfulness is toward them as sure as my covenant with day night and as the ordinances of heaven and earth An admirable Text to help not onely nations but particular persons when they are cast under contempt by wicked ungodly men yet at that time the Lord is most ready to confirm his covenant with them to be as sure as his covenant with day night and heaven earth This bringeth honour to God when at such times we can looke up to God and exercise our faith And indeed this is the glory and dignity and beauty of faith to exercise it then when Gods judgements are actually upon us But what promises are these They were not promises to any that then lived the promise that is here made was to be fulfilled in future Ages yet it is brought in by the Prophet as a comfort to the people of God living then in that time Hence this excellent note that nearly concerns us Gracious hearts are comforted with the promises of God made to the Church though not to be fulfilled in their dayes If the Church may prosper and receive mercies from God though I be dead and gone and rotten in the grave yet blessed be God When Jacob was to die saith he unto Joseph Behold I dye but God shall be with you and bring you again unto the land of your fathers he will fulfill his promises to you though I am dead Our fore-fathers that generation of the Saints that lived a while since how comfortably would they have dyed if God before their death had revealed to them that within 3. or 4. or 7. yeares so much mercy should come to England as we now have seen in these dayes Yea how comfortably should any of us have died I appeal to any gracious heart here suppose God should have taken thee away but this time two yeares and he should have said thus to thee Go and be gathered to thy fathers in peace within these two years such and such things shall be done for England as we now live to see would not we willingly have dyed would it not have been comfort enough against the fear of death but to have had revealed to us what should have been done in after time to our posterity what mercy then is it now that it is not onely revealed to us but enjoyed by us That is the second Note But thirdly What was this promise This promise was that Israel should be a multitude that the number of them shall be as the sand of the sea shore VVe shall examine the excellency of the mercy of God in this promise by and by Onely for the present enquire we a little why God would expresse himselfe in this that his grace should be manifested in this to multiply them as the sand of the sea shore If we compare Scripture with Scripture we shall finde that God therefore promiseth this because he would thereby shew that he did remember his old promise to Abraham for that was the promise made to Abraham that God would multiply his seed as the starres of heaven and as the sand which is upon the sea shore and now God along time after commeth in with renewing this promise Hence we are to observe this Note That the Lord remembers his promises though made a long time since God is ever mindful of his Covenant as it is Psal 111. 5. When we have some new and fresh manifestations of Gods mercy our hearts rejoyce in it but the impression of it is
the face of all those that seekes the contrary doe what they can God needs no shifts no tricks nor devices to carry on his work but he can carry it on in the sight of his adversaries he will carry on his worke and shame them in the sight of their lovers and bring them downe low doe what they can God can make use of the wisedome and policy of men and hee can make as much use of their indiscretion as he hath done of late The great workes of God amongst us of late have been carryed on with a high hand in the sight of those that have been our adversaries what discoveries have there been of the filth of men how hath their nakedness been made naked what charges in their conditions what contempt hath God cast in the face of those that were the great champions sor lewdnesse and that in the very face of their lovers Their lovers looked on them and had as good a heart to them as ever there was little or no change in the hearts of their lovers and though their lovers were as eager for them as ever yet their shame hath been discovered This Scripture is as cleerely made good this day as any Scripture in the Book of God Againe In the face of their lovers Dishonour before those we expect honour from is a sad a great evill Oh saith Saul Honour me before the people Saul cared not much if hee were dishonored before strangers but he would be honored before the people It is such a thing to be dishonoured before those that we would be honoured before that the stronger a mans spirit is the more intolerable the burden is one of a mean and low spirit doth not much care for dishonour any where but a man that hath strength of spirit indeed counts it the worst thing that can be to be dishonoured before those that love him This we finde among many Tradesmen that are civill at home but if they get among strangers oh how lewd are they in an Inne those that love God and the Saints are most afraid to have their evill discovered before God and the Saints for a gracious heart desires honour from them most One that is godly can beare disgrace any contemptuous abuse from many of those that are profane rather then from one that is godly Wicked men care not for dishonour among the Saints because they care not for their love If dishonour before lovers be such a shame what will dishonour before God at the great day be and before the Saints and wicked men too who were your lovers I will discover their lewdness in the sight of their lovers When I take away their corne and wine and flaxe and these things their lovers will be ashamed of them The way of carnall friends are to esteem of men when they are in prosperity but when they are down in adversity then they contemn them Huntsmen when they would single out a Deer they shoot her first and as soon as the blood appears all the rest goe out of her company and push her from them It is so with carnall friends if a man be in affliction if they see their friend shot they look aloofe from him Wee have had wofull experience of this of late when many godly Ministers were persecuted those who before had seemed to be their lovers grew strange unto them In a sun-shine day men that passe by look on a dyall but in a darke stormy day a hundred may ride by it and never look to it When wee are in a Sun-shine day of prosperity men will look towards us but if the gloomy day of adversity come then they passe by without regard to us Iâ— a man of fashion come to a house the dogs will be quiet but when a beggar comes in raggs they flye upon him It is apparant by this that men in their prosperity are not regarded for any thing in themselves but for their prosperities sake for their moneys sake for their cloathes sake Suppose any of you have a servant goes up and downe with you and you know whither soever you goe the respect that is given is not for your sake but for your servants sake you go to such a house and they use you kindly only for your servants sake you take it very ill This is all the respect that men have from false lovers it is not for any good in them it is for their prosperity for their servants sake O how vaine is respect from the world If you be gracious God will not deal with you thus if you have your estates taken from you God will not despise you as carnall friends doe Psal 22. 24. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted When the Saints are afflicted God doth not hide his face from them but when they cry to him he hears them Yet further we see here carnall hearts have a great deale of confidence in many things they trust to in time of danger they will not believe but they shall escape Let us not be troubled at the confidence our enemies have they doubt not but to prevaile this is from the curse of God upon them their case is never so desperate but they have something to shelter themselves in their own thoughts Oh what a shame is it that any thing is rather trusted in then God! the husbandman casts seed-corn that costs dearer then any other corne into the ground The Merchant trusts all his estate to the winds waves of the sea if they saile all is gone you trust servants with busines of weight If you goe to Westminster you trust your lives in a boat halfe an inch thicke God is not trusted so much that blessed God who is the only true object of soule-confidence Lastly when God sets himselfe against a generation of men or any particular all the means in the world shall not help Ezek. 9. the Prophet had a vision of six men with weapons of war in their hands there were six principall gates in Jerusalem and God would set these sixe men with weapons in their hands at each gate that if they run to this or the other or any gate the man with the weapon in his hand should be sure to take them they should not escape Amos 5. 8. Seeke him that maketh the seven Stars and Orion Why are these named seven stars and Orion the one is the extreame of cold and the other of heate The Lord hath the power of both if they escape the heat the cold shall take them if the cold the heate shall take them and I likewise saith the Lord can make both these helpfull to you as I please Hence there is such blasting of means for the cursing of those whom God sets himselfe against let us not be afraid of the great assistance that our adversaries have though they have great assistance they are in Gods hand and none can deliver out of Gods
this verse to be opened to you is what these feasts of the Jews were In the opening of all these we shal be put upon the opening of much Scripture and therefore I shall not make hast out of this verse The words here are Feasts and solmne Feasts they are Feasts both in your English but the words in the Hebr. differ much the first comes from a word that signifies to rejoyce and leape the second from a word that signifies a stated a setled time Our English word Feast comes of the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a goddes as the heathen so called that which the Latines call Vesta the goddess both of earth and of fire The Jewes had their Civill feasts and their Holy feasts Amongst their Holy feasts some were of Gods appointment and some of their own Of Gods appointment some were more solemn some lesse Their Civill feasts were times wherein they tooke a more liberall use of the creature in rejoycing one with another upon some specially occasion this they called a Good day not a Holy day so you have it Esth 8. 17. The Jewes had joy and gladnesse a feast and a good day so they were wont to expresse the day of feasting facere Bonum diem to make a Good day to their brethren it will appeare by examining that Text of Esther that that day thought it was set to be kept every yeer yet it was but as a good day to them and could not be said to be a holy-day we do not read of any religious solemne exercise that they had for the day Such a day I take to bee our fifth of November a Good day not a Holy-day wherein wee have a more liberall use of the creature then at other times and remember the mercies of God with thanksgiving But wee know the day is not set apart for this end so as it is unlawfull to be exercised in any other thing and we shall shew afterward how that dayes cannot be set apart Annually or be made holy by men Their Religious feasts which they presumed themselves to make holy were their feasts rather then Gods and for that you have the example of Jeroboam he appointed a feast even of his own head it is in 1 King 12. 32 33. And Jeroboam saith the Text ordained a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month like unto the feast which is in Iudah so hee offered upon the Altar which hee had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month even in the month which hee had devised of his owne heart and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel Marke here Ieroboam is rebuked for appointing a feast of his owne heart like the feast God had appointed this is no excuse that he would be an imitator of God This reason many think will justifie their superstitious way they do but imitate what God did as thus God had an Ephod for the Priests therefore they will have a holy garment God had a Temple consecrated they will have one so too God had his feast days and holy-dayes they will have theirs too in imitation of God This very thing that Ieroboam did hee is rebuked for that he would set up a thing like unto Gods Where God hath set his stamp upon any thing wee must take heed wee presume not to set our own stamp Suppose any one should take a piece of silver should set just the same stamp as neer as he can that the King doth upon his coine be it but a two-pence the silver is his owne well but if he come to be examined Why do you thus What hurt saith he is there in it I have done no more then the King I have done but as he did Why may we not follow his example will this answer think you serve his turne It is as much as his life is worth Just such a plea is this they will doe such and such things in Gods worship why God hath done so before and they doe but imitate God There is as much strength in the one as in the other Therefore that word here devised of his owne heart in the Hebrew comes from a word that signifies to lye Ieroboam did lye Isa 44. 25. He frustrateth the tokens of the lyars it is the same word Jeroboam indeed in setting this day apart he did it under a pretence to honour and worship God but though it might seeme to make Gods honour and worship better then before yet the Scripture puts the lie upon it so the word is I thinke this was the reason he set it apart in the eighth month the Feast of Tabernacles was the fifteenth day of the seventh month now he would not alter the day but have it the same day that Gods was but in the eighth month for the Feast of Tabernacles was appointed for this end to praise God for the in-gathering of the fruits of the earth and it was as upon our September Now because upon the fifteenth of September perhaps all the creatures were not gathered in there might be some remaining abroad therefore Ieroboam might have this device he would stay till every thing be gathered in till they had it in their barnes and in their vessels when they had it all fully in and it was fit to eate and drinke then saith Ieroboam now it is the time to praise God you praised God before when you were taking in of the fruits but you have not taken them all in you cannot come to use them but now having them all in and now being able to make use of them now is the time to praise God This was Jeroboams wisdome and he thought to make a Feast to take the people rather then Gods Feast There are no superstitious men but will have some argument and plea for their wayes to take the hearts of people to embrace those wayes rather then Gods simple plaine and pure Ordinances Well but though Jeroboam did it under this pretence yet hee lies still so those men that will take upon them to sanctifie dayes or places or garments or any gesture that God never did though they say they doe it for Gods honour to make Gods worship more glorious and decent yet it is a lie Just as those who will make Images brave golden Images of God O say they it is for the honour of God but marke what the Text faith Hab. 2. 18. What profiteth the graven Image that the maker thereof hath graven it the mâ—lten Image and a teacher of lyes If Images be lay mens bookes they are books that have abundance of errâ—aes in them they are full of lies Here now ariseth the Question about mans appointing Feasts whether there may he holy Feasts taken so in a proper sence by mans appointment Ieroboam is accused for it plainly and Gal. 4. 10. there is a charge upon the Galatians and that very severely You observe dayes and months times and yeers
if I shall thus set it a part so devote it for such a businesse as it may not without sin to me whatsoever falleth out be used to any other occasion And secondly when I have set it apart I shall put so much in it as if the same holy actions be performed to another time they shall not be accounted so holy as at this time although that time hath as much natural fitnesse in it now I sanctifie time to my selfe but thus I cannot doe without sin You shall finde that there are these two things in all holy feasts and indeed in all things that are accounted holy First it was a sinne for them to make use of that time for any other thing or any other wayes then God had appointed Secondly the actions that they did at that time were such as were more acceptable to God then if they had done the same thing at another time Yea it was so in their very days of humiliation that were once a yeere a day of Expiation this day must not be used for any thing else and if they humbled themselves or fasted upon another day that would not have beene so acceptable to God as upon this day So wee shall see it in all superstitions of men when they set apart either dayes or places or things they put these two upon them As for places They say we appoint a place for people to meet in a religious way yes but when comes it to be superstitious Thus first when it comes so to be set apart so as I shall make conscience of using it to any other use but this Secondly when I shall be perswaded in my conscience that God accepts of service done him in this place better then in any other though as decent as this So for superstitious garments You will say may not Ministers be decent I have heard a great Doctor give this argument for a surplice somtime saith he I ride abroad to preach and my cloake is dirty is it fit for me to come into a Pulpit with a dirty garment and therefore there is alwayes appointed somewhat to cover it it is decent Suppose it be so but if it be so that this garment must be made use of for nothing but such a holy exercise and secondly if I thinke the wearing of it doth honour the service and that God accepts of the service performed in such a garment rather then in another this is superstition as in one place in Suffolke when that garment was lost there was a strict injunction to the poore countrey men that there might not be any service or sermon till they had got another for which they were appointed ten dayes and this being upon a friday there were two Sabbaths without any service therefore it is apparent they put the acceptation of the duty upon it So for days for any man to set apart a day so that it shall be a sin that a mans conscience shall condemne him before Ged as sinning against him if he doe any thing upon that day but such holy duties Secondly That though the same holy duties be done upon another day they shall not be accounted so acceptable to God as done upon that day this is superstitious Yer certainly of this nature have many of our dayes been for if you opened your shops what a deale of disturbance was there in the city It was a profaning of the day every Proctor and such fellowes had power given them to molest you 2. did not they account it a greater honour to God for to have service read that day then to have it read upon an ordinary teusday or thursday yea preaching upon a Lecture day that was not one of their holy dayes they accounted not so acceptable unto God as service upon that day Here comes their institution their institution puts upon it more then God puts upon it so it cometh to be sinfull So if you should set apart this time you call Christmas so as you should make conscience of doing any other service or worke that day and besides you should think that to remember Christ and to blesse God for Christ upon another day is not so acceptable to God as to doe it upon that day here comes in the evill of thus putting mans institution upon dayes Well but this is not cleareâ— except we answer another objection But doth not the King and Parliament command dayes of fasting and dayes of thanksgiving and are not they of the same nature Will not you say it is sin for us to open shops upon these dayes I answer our dayes for fasting and thanksgiving have not those two ingredients in them for first if God by his providence call any particular man to any particular businesse in his family then let this man take heed he doe not appeare in a way of contempt he need not have his conscience condemn him though he spend all that day in that businesse They may set apart a day to be spent publickly yet with this limitation not to enjoyne every particular man that whatsoever Gods providence calls him to in particular businesses he must leave off all make as much conscience of doing this as upon the Lords day You will say upon the Lords day if we have any extraordinary thing fall out we may go a journey or doe businesse as a Physitian may ride up and down workes of mercy may be done therefore this makes no difference betweene Gods day and these of mans appointment I answer Though a Physitian doe a worke of mercy upon the Sabbath day yet he is bound to doe it with a Sabbath dayes heart as a work of mercy whatsoever calls him off from those services that are Gods imediate worship he must doe that thing with a Sabbath dayes frame of heart he is bound in conscience to doe it so and he sinneth against God if he rides up and down to Patients with such a heart as he may doe it upon another day he may follow it as a businesse of his calling upon another day but not so now but if he do it with a Sabbath dayes frame of heart as a worke of mercy he keeps the Sabbath in that But if there were a necessity upon a Fast day to ride a mans conscience need not to condemne him before God if he went about that worke as the worke of his calling at that time It is not therefore so dedicated but Gods providence may take us off to doe other civill actions and that as the works of our calling Secondly Neither is it so sanctified as if the same works done at another day were not so acceptable to God as done upon this day As our fast dayes set upon the last wednesday of the Moneth to thinke that the worke done upon another day were not so acceptable to God as done upon that day this is a sanctification of the day and such a sanctification is sinne The same answer may be given for dayes of
ceremony from Popish Idolatry and joyne with his own Ordinances and think to put off Christ thus we intend to make no ill use of it this will not satisfie Christ If any say why should we not retain our liberty if the things be good But why shouldst not thou manifest thy hatred to all Idolatry And why shouldst not thou tender thy brethren so as to prevent all scandall that may come by the use of such things But you will say the idolatry of Papists and the idolatry of Heathen is not the same there is a great deale of difference between the Heathens in worshipping their Idols and the Papists worshipping of God though in a false way Indeed the difference seems to be much but yet the Idolatry is even the same in both for you are mistaken if you think that many of the Heathens worshipped a false God otherwise then the Papists doe though they made stocks and stones their Idols yet they worshiped the God that was Primum Ens the first Being in and through those Idols Therefore Austin upon Ps 96. brings in one answering thus We do not worship a stone but the vertues the strength and the powers of the great God wee worship And another one Maximus Madaurensis that Austin speaks of in his 43. Epistle Who is so madde or so void of sense that will doubt whether there be more Gods then one we invocate the vertues of this one God under many names diffused through the frame of the whole world VVhat more faire answer can Papists give for their Idolatry then they did Therefore the thing continueth still cleare that with those rules and cautions that have been named such things as have been abused to Idolatry must wholly be cast away we must not retaine them and think to put off God with such distinctions To what end doe we retaine them Is there not sufficient in the worship of God it selfe to make it acceptable to him The Sixteenth Lecture HOSEA 2. 16. 17. 18. And it shall be at that day saith the Lord that thou shalt call me us more Baali For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth and they shal be no more remembred by their name c. And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowles of heaven and with the creeping things of the ground and I will break the bow and the sword and the battell out of the earth and will make them to lye down safely TO adde a word or two more about that principall Observation in these words opened the last day god would not have his people to worship him in that way that Idolaters worship him It hath alwayes beene the care of the Churches of God to distinguish themselves in wayes of worship from Idolaters The Manichees were wont to keepe their fasts upon the Lords day and upon that the Churches did utterly prohibit the keeping of Fasts upon that day because they would not doe as the Manâ—chees did Tertullian saith it is Nefas a detestable wickednesse to fast on the Lords day And Ignatius saith to fast on the Lords day is to kill Christ There is a notable and famous Tractate of Tertullians concerning a Christian souldier being in the Army of the Heathens when they in honour of their Idol gods did weare upon their heads a coronet of bayes he tooke his coronet and instead of waring it upon his head he held it in his hand upon this there was a great mutiny in the Army his fellowes storming at this that one souldier should be in a different garbe from all the rest surely this was some nice conscienced souldier that he forsooth must not doe as others did he must hold the coronet of bayes in his hand whereas others wore it on their heads The mutining of the souldiers came at length to the Officers of the Army and upon that this Christian souldier was called to question why he was in a different kinde of way from his fellowes hee gives this answer I am a Christian and therefore it doth not beseeme me to doe as these doe that we are the bayes upon their heads in honour of their Idol gods upon that they were all in a mighty rage against this souldier and not only himself but all the Christians that were neere hand were in danger of a great persecution Nay there was a great mutining amongst other Christians that this one man for such a nicety should indanger not only himself but other Christians Tertullian therefore writes a whole Tractate to defend this Souldier for this his practice and he saith of him that he was holier then his holy brethren who thought and presumed they might serve two Lords that they might comply themselves for the avoyding of persecution with the Heathens in the observation of their superstitious way of worship and he cryes out in an exclamation in commendation of this Souldier Oh most glorious souldier who would thus venture himselfe and not comply with Idolaters and whereas some would pleade against him even Christians that would rather comply then indure the hazard and say where is it written in all the word of God that we should not weare bayes upon our heads Tertullian answereth againe Where is it written that we may doe it saith he we must looke into the Scripture to see what we may doe and not thinke it enough that the Scripture doth not directly forbid this or that very particular By this we see that some to avoid trouble and persecution will as much as ever they can comply with the wayes of Idolatry yet those that are of a true Christian heroick spirit indeed will not comply with them but will rather hazard the sorest persecution Thus it should be with us we must not retaine any thing that hath been abused to Idolatry so as to keep the honourable memoriall of it wee must not comply with Idolaters that way and especially in regard of that great Idol of the Crosse which we instanced in the last day not so far to retaine it as to bring it into the Ordinances of God the very Sacrament this puts a great honour upon it yea and too too great an honour is put upon it in reserving it in the eminentest place of the City and to thinke it is an ornament unto it whereas it is indeed a great disgrace and dishonor and retaines the memory of your fore-fathers superstition which is their and your shame Augustine sayes it is better to dye with hunger then to eate that which is offered to Idols so far were these ancients from suiting themselves with Idolaters Gabriel Biel saith the Church of Rome though meet to use leavened bread lest in unleavened they should seeme to be like Ebion the Heretick and Bellarmine would not have Paul called Divus Paulus but Beatus because Divus and Diana were the words of the heathen for their
appeare bright in the very faces and conversations of the Saints that shal strike great feare Holy reverent is thy nâ—me you know it is said of God and so it shall be said of the Saints in that day their graces shall be much raised they shall sparkle with abundance of the graces of Gods Spirit in them their wisdome holiness shall make their faces shine holy and reverent shall be their names Psal 89. 7. God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the Saints those Saints of his who walke close with him have a daunting power in their appearance I appeale to guilty consciences to apostates to professors who have secret haunts of wickedness sometime when you come but into the presence of one who is a truly gracious godly man or woman whom your conscience tels you walkes close with God doth not even the very sight of such a one terrifie you the very lustre of that holiness you see in such a one strikes upon your conscience then you thinke such an one walkes close with God indeed but I have basely forsaken the Lord and have had such a haunt of wickednesse I have brought dreadfull guilt upon my soul since I saw him last Ecclesiasticall stories tell us of Basil when the officers came to apprehend him he being then exercised in holy duties that there was such a majesty lustre came from his countenance that the officers fell down backward as they did who came to apprehend Christ they were not able to lay hold of him Surely when the Saints shall be raised in their holiness when every one of them shall have their hearts filled with holinesse it will cause abundance of fear even in all the hearts of those that converse with them But wicked ones shall feare too as well as the Saints Luke 21. 26. Mens hearts shall faile them for feare it shal be true in these dayes as it was in the destruction of Jerusalem The Saints shall feare the Lord and his goodness the words in the original are they shall feare ad Dominum to the Lord ad bonum to his good It is all one in effect that good that God shall manifest shall cause this feare to be in their hearts You will say what goodnesse what shall that goodness of God be that shall move the hearts of this people with so much feare I will tell you briefly I need not spend much time in it for I have spent a whole Sermon about it when I spake of the last words of the first Chapter of this Prophesiâ— great shall be the day of Jezreel I shal now adde to what I had then This shall be the goodness of God in that day that they shall feare First The goodnesse of God that ever he should regard such a wretched people as we are and pardon all our sins What Israel the ten Tribes who had most wretchedly forsaken God who had crucified Jesus Christ crucified David their King yet that blood they have shed is applyed to them for the pardon of their sin Oh the goodness of God! they shall feare this goodness in being mercifull to such a hard-hearted such a stubborne such a stiffe-necked people as they have been this goodnes of God will break their hearts Secondly then God shal make the difference between him that feareth God and him that feareth him not Then shall God take away all the reproach of his Saints What bitter reproach hath been upon the Saints since the beginning of the world especially since the times of the Gospelâ— Reproach first because they are meane people of the lower sort 2. Reproach because they suffer much and God lets his adversaries prevaile over them 3 Reproach because they waite upon God and God seems not to come the adversaries say where is your God No marvaile you pray and Fast what is become of all Here will be the goodness of God at that day to wipe off all this reproach They shall have so much mercy so much honour from God that it shall appeare before all the world that it was good to waite upon him so much as shall countervaile abundantly all their sufferings they shall blesse God that ever it was put into their hearts to suffer for him to waite upon him And because God foreseeth this what goodness he hath laid up for his people that they shall enjoy ere long and we know a thousand years with him are as one day that is the reason why he suffereth his people to be so under for the present he knows he hath that goodness for them hereafter yea in this world that all the world shal say that God hath dealt well with them that he was not a hard Master to them to make them waite so long and to let them suffer so much as they do I will give you for this one excellent Scripture perhaps you have not considered of the emphasis of the argument that is in it It is Heb 11. 16. They desired a better Countrey that is an heavenly wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for he hath prepared for them a City The poor persecuted Saints wandred up down they were content to leave their own Country their estates here and sought another Country an heavenly but they had it not their enemies prevailed over them as if God had forsaken them but God is not ashamed to be called their God what is the argument For he hath prepared for them a City Marke the force of the argument for he hath prepared for them 〈◊〉 City This City is this text I am now speaking of sometimes it is described as a Tabernacle The Tabernacle of God shall come downe from Heaven sometime a City sometime a Countrey sometime a Kingdome sometime an Inheritance Here God hath prepared for them a City that is there is a glorious time for Gods people when they shall have the new Jerusalem come down from heaven unto them Now then saith God though my people be in a suffering condition I am not ashamed to be called their God I am not ashamed to own this people for I have glory enough for them as if God should be ashamed that he should ever professe such an interest in his people and this people professe such an interest in him if there were nothing to come for them if there were not a time to recompence all their suffering As if a Master should own a servant or a Prince a subject if this servant or subject suffer extreamely and hath no help but still when he expects help there comes none and when he thinketh surely now it will come still it fayls him yet if you know that at such a day you shall recompence all this you shall advance him and bring him to such honour that he will blesse God that ever he was in your service you will not be ashamed to owne this servant But if this servant shall suffer in your cause and you