most deadly enemy even to Faith it is dangerous to reason matter of Faith And so in the matters of the Worship of God there 's a great deal of danger Keep to the Word therefore in all your Counsels and labor for sincerity of heart in all your Counsels this is that that makes men miscarry in their Counsels their hearts are byassed with some lust or other and therefore when any thing is spoken to them that is sutable to what they have a mind to that they imbrace and if any thing be spoken to them that is otherwise that they reject Oh! it 's just with God to answer thee according to the Idol that is set up in thy own heart 5. In all thy Counsels Take heed of being put off with some fair shews When the Lord is leaving any yet he will suffer those that give evil Counsel to mix a great many good things with that which is evil As some that will put a few brass shillings into a great bag of money the other is all good currant money yea but here 's some brass shillings put amongst it So sometimes in the midst of a great deal of good Counsel there is a little mixture that may turn all therefore those that would counsel especially the publick affairs they had need have their eyes about them and poise every word and line and examine every particular or otherwise they may quickly come to be asham'd of their own Counsel There are many Rules might further be given 6. God hath promised to direct the humble therefore come with humility in your counsels and be sure in what is right to follow and then you may with the more confidence expect God should help you in other things 7. Consult with indifferent judgment 8. If the thing touch others think what we would have if we were in their case 9. Whether it may not cost too dear though good Consider whether the attaining of it though good may not occasion so much evil as it is not worth it if it be not of present necessity non deliberand de necessariis the rubs attending it may shew it is not good at this time or not thus or not for me They shall be ashamed of their own Counsels When they are come to times of affliction they shall be ashamed of their own Counsels Times of affliction makes men asham'd of what they would not be asham'd of before Jer. 2. 26. Zeph. 3. 11. I remember a notable expression that Sr. Walter Rawleigh hath in his Story When death comes saith he which hates men and destroies men when that comes that 's beleeved But God that loves men and makes men he is not regarded Oh Eloquent Oh! Mighty Death whom none could advise thou art able to perswade That 's thus men that would never be perswaded by any thing else to beleeve that they were not right yet when death appears that can perswade them now afflictions are an evil but how eloquent are afflictions what power have afflictions to perswade men that they were wrong that would not be perswaded by all the arguments in the world before Then they shall be ashamed of their own Counsels Oh! I beseech you let us take heed of this let not us go on headily in our own Counsels till God bring us into misery and then we should be forced to cry out of our own Counsels and be ashamed of them VER 7. As for Samaria her King is cut off as the foam upon the water AS for Samaria her King is cut off as the foam upon the waters Before God threatned that they should be ashamed of their Counsels and what that Counsel was I told you Asham'd of our Counsel we hope not we shall maintain it our King is for us he will venture his life his Kingdom but he will maintain us in our way Your King saith the Prophet he shall be as foam upon the water even the King of Samaria Yea but our King is in a strong Town in Samaria a great City and such a strong City as was able to hold siege for three yeers together and yet the King of Samaria though he had gotten the chief City in the Kingdom to be fully for him and so much victuals and strength as he could hold out for three yeers yet saith the Lord He shall be as the foam upon the Waters As foam The word that is translated Foam sometimes signifies the foam that is in a man that is extreamly angry so you have it in Zach. 1. 2. Oh the King when he was crost he was in a foam Your King that is crost and doth foam in anger when he is crost he shall be as foam upon the water saith God Now the Note that is from hence it is this That ungodly men in their greatest power and rage yet if God comes upon them are nothing but as foam are poor weak creatures that vanish and come to nothing The foam when the waters makes a noise is above it and hath a great shew above the waters but stay a while and it is vanish'd and comes to nothing Your King that rages and is above others and thinks he hath a great deal of power stay a while he comes to nothing The Scripture compares men in their greatest power to things of the greatest vanity there are in Scripture that I 'le mention to you a matter of 19. or 20. several particulars wherein the Scripture compares men in their greatest power unto that which hath nothing but vanity yea there are such expressions in Scripture to set out the meanness vileness and baseness of men in the greatest power that it would make Christians that understand Scripture that is of the same judgment w th their Father with God as he hath reveal'd himself in his Word never to be afraid of the power of men I 'le name them distinctly to you thus First the Scripture sometimes calls even Kings and great ones A meer noise nothing more in Jeremiah 46. 17. Pharaoh King of Aegypt is but a noise That 's the first Secondly They are but as small dust in Isa 29. 5. The multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust Yea Thirdly They are but as chaff in the same place Isa 29. 5. The terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away in an instant Who would be afraid of a noise smal dust and chaff Fourthly They are as nothing in Isa 41. 11. Behold all they that are incensed against thee shall be as nothing Fiftly They are as Tow put a little fire to Tow and it quickly comes to nothing In Isa 1. 31. Sixthly They are as dung in Psal 83. 10. As the dung of the Earth Seventhly They are as straw that is troden for dung in Isa 25. 10. As straw troden for the dunghil Eightly They are compared sometimes to a beast that hath a hook in his nostrils in Isa 37. 20 God will put a
see but little of it there I but saith God my people have my Law where my mind is written plainly and they may see it there and know what my Covenant is with them and therefore their sin is so much the greater they have transgressed against my Law The Seventy translate these words They have dealt ungodlily against my Law and the word especially hath reference to the worship of God that is commanded in the Law they have not worshiped me according to my Law for though God looks at every part of his Law yet more especially at that that requires his more immediate worship And in the Hebrew it is they have prevaricated against my Law they have made a shew that they would do what my Law requires but they do quite contrary that 's the propriety of the word in the Hebrew What people is there in the world but will make some shew that they would obey Gods Law no people but say it is fit that they should be obedient to Gods Law what variety of opinions and practices are there among men and yet all will father their opinions and practices upon Gods Law and mark but they do prevaricate in this they pretend one thing but they go quite the contrary way and this is that which God charges his people withal upon which he would send his enemies even an Eagle upon them It follows VER 2. Israel shall cry unto me My God we know thee THE words as they are in the Hebrew are somewhat different from what they are in your books for Israel in your books is in the first place but in the Hebrew it is in the last that is To me they shall cry My God we know thee Israel What difference is this yes the words thus read have more elegancy in them than otherwise and they hint some observations that would hardly be hinted to us as it is in your books as thus If you reade it as it is in your books then it is only a speech of God to them But if you reade it according to the Hebrew they shall cry to me My God we know thee Israel They here seem to put God in mind who they were as if they should say we are Israel who know thee remember we are not strangers to thee They shall cry unto me My God we know thee Israel It 's Israel that cries to thee Oh my God! Or as if they should put God in mind of their Father Israel in whom their confidence was They shall cry to me My God we know thee Israel Oh remember our Father Israel and deal graciously with us for the sake of our Father Israel Just like those in Matth. that would cry We have Abraham to our Father so here this people would cry in their cries in the time of their affliction they would cry to God that they had Israel to their Father we have reference to Israel who did so prevail as a Prince with God and therefore we hope we shall fare the better for Israel Or thus They shall cry to me My God we know thee Israel That is we know thee to be the God of Israel we have known how thy waies have been in former times for the good of thine Israel and Lord remember how thou hast wrought for thine Israel heretofore and work now for us in the same manner thus there is a great deal in this word Israel if you set it in the last place in the verse more than if you set it in the beginning From hence the Notes are these First That in affliction men see their need of God So the Chaldae paraphrase upon this place Alwaies when I bring straights upon them then they pray before me and say Now we see plainly that we have no other God besides thee Oh! redeem us because we are thy people Israel so that 's the meaning Secondly Even Hypocrites and the vilest Wretches that are in the time of their distress will claim interest in God and cry to him even those that have departed most from him will be ready to claim interest in him in their distress What an impudency was it for this people that had so grosly departed from God that had gone so against their light and yet they will come boldly and claim their interest in God in the time of their affliction Truly we see the same spirit in men at this very day the most wicked and vile ungodly man or woman that is yet will be ready in afflictions to claim interest in God My God I appeal to you in this Congregation if one should go from one end of the Congregation and speak particularly to every one and ask but this question Do you hope that God is your God Every one would be ready to say Yes we hope he is This is the impudency of mens hearts that will take liberty to go on in a way of rebellion and fighting against God all their lives and yet in the time of their distress claim interest in God Thirdly That knowledg and acknowledgment of God in an outward formal way is that which Hypocrites think will commend them much to God in time of affliction that by which they shall have favour from Him because they have made some profession of God We know thee as if they should say Lord we were not as others that had forsaken thee we continued Israel still we did not turn to be Heathens It is very hard for mens spirits to be taken off from trusting in formality in outward worship we are all Christians we are not turned Heathens so they shall call to me My God we know thee Israel we continue Israel still Oh! how sweet and comfortable is it then to have a true interest in God in the time of affliction to be able to say in truth Lord we know thee and blessed be thy Name Lord we have known thee we have had experience of thy goodness and faithfulness mercy love and tender compassion towards us we have known thee an infinite al sufficient good thou hast satisfied our souls with thy love the light of thy countenance it hath been the joy of our hearts and blessed be the time that ever we knew thee Oh blessed be the time that ever the Lord made himself known to us we can say Lord we have known thee and therefore now Lord have mercy upon us Oh let us all learn to make more of our interest in God and to labor to know Him more and more that we may have this comfort in our afflictions to be able to say in truth Oh Lord thou art our God and we have known thee If Hypocrites think it to be so great a comfort that they are Israel Oh what is it then to be a true Israelite in whose heart is no guile Fourthly Degenerate children they think to have favour for the sake of their godly parents We have known thee Israel Children should imitate
upon them nor how to avoid it nor what course to take what can you do in such a day For First All your comforts they are gone all such things that your hearts closed withal and made as Gods to your selves they are gone Secondly Now God himself fights against you in Isa 13. 6. Howl ye for the day of the Lord is at hand it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty But it may be you look only upon such and such men that are the Instruments No but it is a destruction from the Almighty and therefore what can you do Thirdly Conscience in that day that will terrifie you Fourthly You shall not know whither to go for help To the creature that cannot help you your vain hopes in the creature hath the very heartstrings of them broke you thought that you might shift and help your selves there but now you see there is no help there What then you cannot go to God then the very thoughts of God must needs be terrible to you and then what will you do Further For these miseries they are but the beginning of sorrows this day of the Lord it is but a preparation for another day there is yet a more solemn day of the Lord in coming than this present Oh! what will ye do in the day of the Lord Howsoever a man may resolve to set a good face upon a thing Oh! but my Brethren though you cannot see daunting in a countenance yet did you but see the black bosom and the woful guilty spirit that there is by sin within you would know that they could not in the world tell what do do in the day of the Lord. It 's strange what a man may do even before death in the presence of men although his own conscience tells him quite otherwise and though men are ready to be taken with dying mens expressions yet many times there is much deceipt in them Why you will say What a man doth profess when he is ready to die certainly it must needs be a truth There is a notable story concerning this that Bishop Latimer hath in one of his Sermons he tels of the desperate stoutness of a certain mans heart even when he was to die as he was â—iding he comes to a place where the execution of a man was to be he turns aside and when the people saw him they made way and he comes to speak with the man and both he and all that were about him could not get out of him to give glory to God for the guiltiness of the fact for which he was to be executed but stood out in it that he was not guilty and when they could get nothing out of him they turned the ladder and the rope being cut and he down they thought the life had been gone from him but at length they saw a little motion in him and by rubbing and chaâ—ing of him they got life so as he was able to speak and then he confest all that he was guilty of those very things that he had took upon his death that he was not Thus it 's possible for men in the stoutness of their hearts even at the last rather to venture their souls upon it and well may they that ventur'd their souls so much before upon other things think that they may make bold with God at such a time as this is But howsoever there is much dejection of spirit and they know not in the world what to do Well it 's happy for us to consider what we do and to lay to heart what we have done that so in such a day of the Lord as this we may know what to do the Servants of God who have walked conscionably before him they know what to do in the day of publick calamity ` For first ' They can bless God that ever they knew him that ever they knew his waies that ever he put it into their hearts to fear his name Secondly They know what to do in a day of calamity they can exercise their faith upon that Word in which the Lord hath caused them to trust they can make it to be the support of their souls and the joy of their hearts even in such a day Thirdly They know what to do they can sanctifie God Name in his righteous judgments they can see mercy and the love of a Father in the sorest and heaviest afflictions that do befall them Fourthly They know what to do they can ease their souls by powring them forth into the bosom of a gracious and reconciled Father Fifthly They know what to do they can see beyond all these present evils they can see Immortality and Glory they can see that on the other side a little beyond these troubles and afflictions there is an everlasting joy and day of peace coming to them A Job can tell what to do he can profess that though God kill him he would trust in him A David can tell what to do In the multitude of the sorrows that I had in my heart thy consolations refresh my soul A Habacuk can tell what to do Although the fig-tree should not blossom nor fruit be in the vines the labor of the Olive shall fail and the fields shall yeeld no meat the flocks shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no heard in the stalls yet will I rejoyce in the Lord yet will I joy in the God of my salvation Thus you see the Saints they know what to do in such a day and this is the excellency of grace that it can never be put so to it in any strait but it can tel what to do as David said to Achish in 2 Sam. 28. 2. Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do So the Saints in time of common distresses they should set their graces so on work that all may see what their faith and humility and patience can do that they may be able to say well you shall see now what the Servant of the Lord can do If one should say to one that hath made profession of Godliness You spake much of the excellency of grace but what can you do with it The answer that such a one may well give is this When you cannot tell what to do in the world nor which way to turn your selves yet through Gods mercy I can tell what to do Grace will be able to carry a man through fire and water that faith of mine and the grace that I have gotten by the Word that you can scorn at it 's that doth through Gods mercy enable my soul to rejoyce yea to triumph in Tribulations Can you do that You can rejoyce now when you are in a Tavern but in the day of Tribulation when a dismal day shall come to the world what will you do then I thank God I have that that can rejoyce my heart in such a day as this is and that that
neerer to an ingenious heart than the loss of Love he had rather lose his Money than his Love such an one hath requited me il for my love this I say goes to the heart of a man and there 's nothing more grieves him than that he finds his love is ill bestowed So certainly it goes to the heart of God that his Love should be ill bestowed upon people They went to BAAL-PEOR Many loathsom and obscene things are reported concerning this Baal-Peor this god that was the god of the Moabites that is unfit for chast ears to hear therefore we shall not mention such things Much filthiness was committed in the worship of this their Baal-Peor and yet saith God notwithstanding all my love to their fore-fathers whereby they might have drawn an argument that they should have had blessings upon themselves if they had continued in the waies of their forefathers yet they went from me went to Baal-Peor From whence the Notes are First The more shameful any thing is the more abominable is it to forsake God It 's an abominable thing to forsake God for the gaining of Heaven and Earth if it could be gained by it but for to forsake God for a Baal-Peor God takes this â—ll but that we met with before Secondly This is the evil of mans heart That there is no evil so base and shameful but he is ready to forsake the blessed and glorious God that he may cleave to that As it is reported of the Panther that it doth love the dung of man so well that if it be hung up at a height it will leap and skip for it till it bursts in pieces So many there are that are set upon such base things that they are content to part with all good that there is in God and Jesus Christ if they may but have them they are content to undo themselves to all eternity Thirdly So to leave God as to give up our selves to baseness and wickedness Oh! this is most abâ—minable To be over taken with a sin is vile but for one to give up himself or her self to wickedness this is abominable and yet this is that that many are guilty of at first perhaps sin is fair-mannerd and saith Do but take some dallies with me at first but after the soul begins to give up its self in a most desperate way in sinful courses many an Apostate doth thus that had some comfort before in God but now having gotten a haunt of wickedness they have lost all their comforts in God and Christ and now saith this desperat soul I cannot have comfort in God and Christ and therefore I will have it in the satisfying of my lusts Oh! my Brethren what a shame is this So far as thou art able to be guilty of shaming even God Himself and Jesus Christ therfore in Heb. 6. 6. Apostates are said to put Jesus Christ to open shame and Apostate that leaves the waies of God and separates himself to his lusts he doth put the Lord Jesus Christ to an open shame Oh! how should Gods people separate themselves for the Lord and be wholly his seeing Idolaters separate themselves to their Idols let them look upon themselves as a people separated for the Lord. And their abominations were as they loved That is First as they loved so they were guided they were not guided by the Word nor by any Divine Rule not by right Reason but according as they loved they followed what they had a mind to never regarding what Gods mind was The judgment is soon gone when the heart is taken with a thing Ordinarily people love that way they go not that way the Rule guides them to but what way their affections carry them on in this is a very sinful thing for men to be acted with and carried upon meerly by the violence of their affections and especially this is evil in the matters of Gods Worship there we may not do things as we love that is because we think such things are very fair and there appears no hurt in them to us and they like us well yea but we must examine whether we have warrant out of the Word for that we must not do as we love but according as the rule is Secondly They were abominable as they loved they were turned into the very likeness of what they loved and indeed our loves what ever they are upon doth turn us into the likeness of the thing The understanding turns the object into a likeness to it but the heart is turned into the likeness of its object Austin hath a notable expression for this saith he Such is every man as his love is Doth a man love the earth he is earth doth a man love God what shall I say saith Austin he shall be even God too And indeed the Scripture saith we are partakers of the Divine Nature Oh! what care had we need have of what we love Doest thou love a base filthy thing then thy soul is base and filthy too Doest thou love the glorious and blessed God then thy soul is made like to God Chuse therefore good objects for thy love love the Lord and love his holy waies love things that are excellent and glorious and by the loving of those things thy heart will come to have excellency and glory put upon it but if thou lovest that which is drossy and filthy thou comest to have a base and drossy heart of thy own Mans soul is like to the Cameleon that is changed into the color of the object it looks upon They were abominable as they loved Every man or woman is as he loves Thirdly They were abominable as they loved That which is here translated of the Concrete I find it may be as well translated of the Abstract They were abominable as their love and so it 's carried by Interpreters that is they were abominable as their Idols were that they did love and their Idols were call'd Love in the Abstract as a man cals his Wife his Love so they call'd their Idols their Love and they were abominable as their Love was that is look how abominable Baal-Peor was so abominable were they so the Psalmist saith that they that make Idols are like unto them But fourthly which I think is especially the scope of the holy Ghost here They were abominable as they love though the other may be taken in this Scripture hath reference to that that you reade in Numb 25. 1. there you find that the people of Israel by the wicked counsel of Balaam when they could not be cursed yet Balaam did counsel them that they should come and bring their daughters before them and so to intice them to commit uncleanness with their daughters and then they should intice them to Idolatry that was the wicked counsel of Balaam they committed whordom with the daughters of Moab and they called the
it yea but the corruption of thy heart makes thee unwilling to hearken to the Truth the corruption of mens hearts makes them that they would fain have such a thing not to be a Truth I appeal to you have you never felt some corruptions stirring this way that when you are engaged another way and you see that if you should be taken off from that a great deal of ease and liberty and outward comforts would be gone and upon this your hearts are very loth that that should be true and therefore you are not willing to hearken to hearken with a cleer heart so as to be willing to entertain the Truth if it doth prove to be a truth that soul that shall be willing to retain every truth and be willing to let the truth prevail what ever it be that 's a sign of a gracious heart but the lusts of mens hearts do hinder them from hearkening and they are loth to hearken to those Truths that come neerest to them but when a man or woman shall be able in the presence of God upon examination of his or her heart to say Oh Lord let thy Truth prevail thou knowest that I am willing to hearken to every Truth of Thine though it should pluck away all my outward comforts I would fain know thy Truth and I would know the strictest Truths what Truths they are that most concern thy Glory and thy Worship in the best manner whatever becomes of my Credit or estate Lord let thy Truth prevail in my heart I say here 's a gracious heart that will thus hearken to God and his Truth But they have uncircumcised ears they cannot hear saith Jeremiah so through the corruption that is in mens spirits they cannot hearken to those things that seem to make against them But the last words of all here is the threatning They shall be wanderers among the Nations It is a judgment to have an unsetled spirit wandring up and down and can settle to nothing somtimes in this place sometimes in that sometimes in this way and sometimes in another this is a judgment of God Solomon hath such an expression The sight of the eyes is better than the wandring of the desires the wandring of mens appetites and desires work a great deal of vexation to them Again observe that Those who are cast away out of Gods house they can have no rest they go about like the unclean spirit seeking rest but can find none Psal 139. Here will I rest for ever The Church of God and his Ordinrnces are Gods rest and should be the rest of the hearts of his people and they are indeed the rest of the hearts of those that are gracious but alas poor soul who art wandring from God Whither goest thou where indeed will be thy rest It was the Curse of God upon Cain to be a wanderer up and down upon the face of the earth But you will say May not men be wanderers that is may not they be cast out of their Habitations and Countries and wander up and down and yet not be cast off from God It 's true we reade in Heb. 11. that the Christians wandred up and down in Sheep skins and Goats skins whom the world was not worthy of But that was in a way of persecution for God and for his Truth it was not because they would not hearken but because they would hearken and though thou shouldst be forc'd to wander from thy Brethren and the sweet Habitation that thou hadst and thy Friends perhaps thou art fain to wander up down even for thy life yea but canst thou say Yet I hope I am not one of Gods cast-awayâ— It 's one of Gods Epithites that he glories in That he will gather the out-casts of Israel Man hath cast me out yea but I bless God I carry a good Conscience with me and that man or woman needs not be troubled with wandring that can carry a good Conscience with them you are cast out from your Friends yea but still thou hast the Bird that sings in thy bosome Canst thou say I have not cast away thy CoÌ„mandements Lord Indeed if a mans conscience tel him that he hath cast away Gods Commandements then if he wanders it is dreadful to him What though thou art wandring from thy house from thy outward comforts but not from Gods Commandements Cast me not out of thy presence saith David though thou beest from thy friends yet not from God presence here it is I will cast them out among the Nations It was a Curse in Psal 44. 11. Thou hast scattered us among the Heathen It was a great Judgment of God to be scattered among the Nations for they were a people that were separated from the Nations and not to be reckoned among the Nations and Gods peculiar Treasure There were these three expressions not only to be wandering among the Nations not only among Strangers but among Heathens among Blasphemers this must needs be a heavy and sore judgment to be cast among Idolaters This Curse is upon the Jews to this very day how are they wanderers among the Nations Let us learn from hence To prize the communion of Saints let us learn what a blessing it is to live among our own People especially among the Saints in the enjoyment of Gods Ordinances let us make use it now lest God teach us what it is by casting us away and making us to wander among the wicked and ungodly then your conscâ—ences will fly in your faces and tell you Oh! what times we once had and what sweet communion had we but we began to neglect the prize that God put into our hand Oh! if we were where once we were we would meet often and pray and confer and we would labor to edifie one another in our most holy faith and warm one anothers spirits not spending all our time in wrangling and jangling Oh! but now those times are â—one and we are cast away and are wandering up and down among wicked and ungodly people Truly there hath not been a time in many years when the communion of the Saints hath been so little improved as at this day we now wander as it were among our selves and little converse one with another what should we do living together Just were it with God to bring this Judgment upon us that we should wander among wicked people here and there and that we should not come to see the face of a Saint to have converse or communion with them Thus we have finished this Ninth Chapter CHAP. X. VERS 1. Israel is an empty Vine he bringeth forth fruit unto himself according to the multitude of his fruit he hath encreased the Altars according to the goodness of his Land they have made goodly Images HERE Gualter makes the beginning of Hosea's seventh Sermon The Argument is like unto the former upbraiding and threatning Hosea had to deal with
deal according to the proportion of infinite Grace Take this one Meditation That where there is any uprightness when thou shalt come to reap from God thou shalt reap so much from God as must manifest to all Angels and Saints to all eternity what the infinite Mercy of an infinite God can do and that'â— enough one would think the poorest Christian that doth but the least for God when he comes to reap shall have an Harvest that must manifest the infinite riches of the infinite mercy of God and what he is able to do for the raising up of a Creature to glory Comfort thy self in this in thy poor low condition in which thou art and in the performing of thy poor services Thus for the manner of the Phrase Break your fallow ground for it is time to seek the Lord till he come and rain Righteousness upon you Break up your fallow ground c. The Prophet exhorted them in the words before to sow in Righteousness that they might reap Mercy But you must not sow without plowing that were a preposterous way therefore though the words come after yet the thing is to be done before Look that you plow up the fallow ground you have been sinful and ungodly in your way It will not be enough for you now to set upon some good actions we will do better we will do such and such good things that God requires of us No that 's not the first work you must fal upon but it must be to plow to plow up your fallow grounds In this expression you have here implyed first That the hearts of men naturally are as follow grounds nothing but thorns and bryars grows upon them they are unfit for the Seed of the Word And by this word is here meant these three things when he bids them plow up their fallow grounds First The work of humiliation the Truths of God both of the Law and of the Gospel must get into their hearts and rend up their hearts even rend it up as the plow doth rend up the ground And secondly That weeds thorns and bryars must be turned up by the roots the heart must be cleer'd of them It is not enough to weed out a weed here and there and to pluck out a thorn here and there but plow up the ground turn all upside down and get up al the baggagely stuff and thorns that was in your hearts heretofore And then thirdly Get a softness to be in your hearts as when the ground is plowed that which was before hard on the outside and bak'd by the heat of the Sun being now turned up there is a soft mould of the ground and so by the softness of the mould of the ground it is prepared to receive seed There are many evils in us that we would reform but we have not been humbled for them for our ceremonies and subjection to false Government of the Church Who hath bin humbled for these things as sin We reform them as things inconvenient but not being humbled for them as sin the very roots of these things are in the hearts of many so as if times should change a distinction would serve their turn to come and submit to them again so that we sow before we plow I find in Jer. 4. 3. you have this exhortation even in termiminis That They must plow up the fallow-ground of their hearts only exprest a little further They must not sow among thorns They must not think to mingle that which is good with that which is evil it may be a few good seeds are brought into a business yea but there is a great deal of evil My Brethren take heed of being deceived that way many though they do not intend to deceive you yet they may deceive you by mixing some good things with a great many evil and therefore examin things But I note this place in Jeremiah the rather from the consideration of the time of Jeremiahs Prophesie You shall find that the time of Jeremiahs Prophesie was in Josiahs time Now the time of Josiah was a time of great reformation there was very much reformation in his time yea but saith Jeremiaâ— What though you did reform what though you do many things you sow among thorns you do not plow up the ground you are not humbled the roots of your sin are not got out of you and therefore though there be a great deal of ill stuff that seems to be cast out and many good things are set upon in the Worship of God that was not formerly yet you must plow plow up your fallow grounds The holy Gost joyning of them together Sow Righteousness and plow up your fallow ground This Note I would have you observe That there are some that do Sow and not Plow and there are others that do Plow and not Sow but we must joyn both together There are that do Plow and not Sow that is They it may be are troubled for their sin it may be much humbled for their sin but they do not reform after their Humiliation there doth not follow Reformation Now as Reformation where Humiliation hath not gone before usually comes to little purpose so Humiliation where Reformation follows not after comes likewise to little purpose In Isa 28. 24. Doth the Husbandman plow all day to sow The text is brought to note thus much That God observes his times and that is the scope of the text that we must not be offended because that the Lord doth not do things as we would have him alwaies that is he lets wicked men prosper sometimes and the godly suffer afflictions but as if the holy Ghost should say here let God alone with his work God observes his times and seasons as the Plow-man doth he doth not alwaies plow so God hath his times and seasons and knows when to relieve his Church and afflict his Church and when the wicked shall prosper and be brought into adversity God instructs the Plow-man to know his season and so doth he and therefore be not offended And so should we know our seasons we should observe our times to be humbled and reform to reform and be humbled But this for the Reformation of a State But the plowing of the heart that 's the thing that is here especially intended and I desire to apply it particularly to every man and woman Those who have such sore necks who cannot bear the yoke yet you must be Plow-men and Plow-women for Alice Driver that I told you of her father brought her up to plow and both men and women the daintiest Ladies of all must hold this plow that is here spoken of Now for this plowing of humbling your hearts it is for the getting in of Truths into your spirits that may rend up your hearts I 'le name some few Truths that are as it were the Plow-share that you must not only know them but labor to get
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