deliver them from violence and wrong 2 Sam. 7. 10. Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel and I will plant them that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more It 's a good work to be instrumental in this that those who live godlily and are peaceable may abide quietly in their houses and not be tossed up and down because they cannot beleeve or practice what others do This tossing such up down though it may be from a zeal for Christ yet Christ will never own it Those who walk after the Lord shall be placed in their houses They were willing to leave their houses that they might follow him and now God places them in them Trust God with your houses Resolve to follow the Lord whithersoever he goes he hath time to place his people in their houses when others who dared not trust God shal wander in darkness Saith the Lord. This must be the work of the Lord it 's only He can do it That mercy that comes beyond all means it 's the sweetest mercy No matter what the means be whether any or no so be it you have a Word of God for the thing VER 12. Ephraim compasseth me about with lyes and the house of Israel with deceit THe Lord having manifested the bowele of his tender compassion towards Ephraim the ten Tribes he comes further to shew what was that that stopt the way and course of his grace of the grace that otherwise might have been let out unto them Ephraim compasseth me about with lyes Besets me with lyes that 's the word be besets me round I am in respect of the sin of Ephraim that is of the Governors and of the house of Israel that is the People I am as it were a man beset round As a men that would have a passage such a way he goes one way and there he is stopt and another way and there he is stopt so God compares himself to such a man as if he would be going on in the waies of mercy there he is stop◠in one co 〈…〉 of sin or another and going on in another way there 〈◊〉 is stopt again Ephraim hath beset me with lyes that is with false wor ship for that 's a lye with Pretences they put fair Glosses upon things but all are but lyes he hath beset me with politick shifts of his own These did beset God yea and beset the Prophet too for so I find some turn it they think it 's spoken as in the person of the Prophet the Prophet complaining that he was beset with lies that they might prejudice his Ministry that they might do what they could to take off the power of his Ministry in their hearts they beset him with lyes with false reports of this and the other thing Upon which one hath that Note A faithful Divine a Preacher is nothing else but as it were a Center to which all lyes of falsehood do tend they all go that way 't is a great plot of the Devil to draw his lines and to let them make the Ministers of God that God uses as any Instruments of good unto his people to be as the Center of them all Thus Meisnerus in his Comment upon the place But I rather take it as spoken in the Name and Person of God Beset me with lyes i. e. They do not only seek to blind men but they would do what they could if it were possible to deceive me saith God And indeed when men seek to blind their own consciences what do they but seek what they can if it were possible to deceive God In the very act of Worship saith God they are false they do profess honor and service to God but they lye unto him even when they are worshiping of Him Many in their prayers in the solemn act of Worship they beset God with lyes Oh! how do many come into the presence of God when they are worshiping of him and there profess to God the acknowledgment of his Greatness his Glory his Majesty his Power his Sovereignity his Dominion over them and profess a great deal of the fear of the Name of God! and yet God knows it is not in their hearts it is but as a lye to God when they are worshiping God there they acknowledg their sin and judg themselves for their sin as if they were very much humbled and troubled for their sin but God knows that this is but a lye to him there is no such humiliation of their hearts before him as seems to be in their expressions before God especially when they are in company they cry to God for grace and would fain above all things in the world have his Grace but God knows 't is but a lye all their prayers are even besetting God with lyes Oh! Consider how far any of you have been guilty of this especially in praying with others according to that Scripture Psal 78. 36. They flattered him with their mouth and lyed unto him with their tongue The word that is translated flattered it signifies deceived They deceived him with their mouth Why Can God be deceived No But they did what lay in them to deceive him if it were possible that he should be deceived they would deceive God No mervail though men do deceive men so much as they do many that are of upright hearts they wonder when they hear of the falsness of mens spirits that they can be so No mervail I say when as God himself complains of being deceived by them that is They are so false and do so beset God with lyes that if it were possible he himself should be deceived That 's the first Note And then Secondly As it was here with this people besetting God with lyes Thus many do compass and beset businesses the businesses and affairs that they mannage they beset them with lyes that 's thus They plot with themselves how they may handsomly contrive a company of lyes together by a handsom putting of them together that so they may beset mens unsterstandings there is such a cunning abroad in the world I say to seek to beset the understandings of men so as men shall not know what to say to things and yet they cannot tel how to beleeve them neither do they know what to say things are so contriv'd and so set they think with themselves If such a thing shall be questioned then I have such a shift to put it off and if another thing shal be doubted of then I have such a report to make it good some fair pretence or other And thus they beset businesses with lyes and beset mens understandings But Judah yet ruleth with God and is faithful with the Saints This of Judahs ruling with God Luther Meisnerus and others do think that it hath reference unto the story that you find in 2 King 18. the
scraps to be had at last then he would not wait so long but if he did hope there was some great thing to be gotten then he would wait Beggers if they come to some mean house they knock at the door and stay a little and if they give them nothing away they will go but if they come to great Houses or Coaches they will wait though it be long and run a great way after them So that which we wait for it is worth thousands of worlds we wait for the pardon of Sin and wait for the assurance of Gods Love we wait for the shedding abroad of the holy Ghost in our hearts we wait for rich Treasure and know that there is enough to be had in God your waiting will pay for all Know also 'T is a great part of Gods Worship to wait upon him 't is not the Worship of God only to Pray and hear the Word and receive Sacraments but when you are waiting you are worshiping of God Further God is all this while preparing mercy for you Suppose you come to have a Scrivener write somthing for you Well the thing is not yet done yea but he is writing as fast as he can know O thou soul who art turning to God all the while thou art waiting God is working God is setting all his Attributes on work for thy good while thou art waiting and therefore wait on thy God And know God is infinitly wise and he knows when 't is best for us to have the mercy he knows the times and seasons wait upon God for the Lord is a God of Judgment Alas we are hasty we cannot judg when the time is fittest but God is a God of Judgment and therefore wait upon him should we have a mercy just when we would our mercy would undo us and therefore let us wait Oh my Brethren we have as much encouragement here in this Land to wait upon God as ever any people had we would fain have had the Wars ended and we began to murmur and repine because it was not done Oh! but we will not wait therefore we will not turn and those that turn to God least will wait least upon him and those that turn to God most will wait most upon him Do not you see that God hath wrought abundance of good for us by deferring what we would have had we had no opposition at the beginning of the Parliament and suppose the King and Parliament had agreed and said You shall have your desires What would we have desir'd we would have desir'd some few things as taking away Ship-mony Tonnage and Poundage Monopolies c. and to have a Triennial Parliament and the like Now what abundance hath God wrought by deferring what we would have had Oh it is good for people to wait upon God Oh let us look back to our murmurings and repinings all this while It 's true we have suffered something yea but hath not God wrought good out of our sufferings and suppose there should be fears of new storms arising Oh let us not say we will wait no longer Oh I take heed of foolish resolutions of your own God is wisest leave God to do his own work keep the way of God and go on in your duty and then let God work his own ends either by War or Peace any way as he pleases wait upon God and mark Wait upon God Continually Wait It 's fit for us to wait Yea but we have waited a long time Well but yet know that you are at the right door Suppose a man be knocking at a door and he hath knockt a great while and no body comes he begins to think it 's not the the right door but some body tells him that it is the right door and then he staies so we may assure our heares thus much we are at the right door certainly and let us not think to go away and we shall find somebody within God wil appear at length What shal we lose all for want of waiting a little while longer Thus it is with many wretched Apostats that have taken a great deal of pains in seeking after God a great while and for want of waiting a little longer they have lost all Oh! let there be this resolution in your hearts If I die and perish yet I 'le die and perish waiting upon God Certainly that soul that hath this resolution will never come to dispair yea there 's no such way for the hastening of Mercy as for a soul to lie flat at the feet of God let God do what he will with me if I perish I 'le perish waiting upon him though he kills me I 'le trust in him and stay upon him You have waited how long I pray Oh! you have been waiting and seeking of God it may be this half year or twelve months What 's that I pray O thou wretched soul thou hast deserved eternal flames and wilt thou grudg at God for waiting a few years If God would keep thee waiting all thy daies and at the last manifest Himself unto thee thou hadst cause to bless God for ever and therfore do not grudge though thou hast been waiting a while and it may be though Thy time is come yet Gods time is not come the time that you call long God doth not call it so One day with God is as a thousand years it 's no time with God and therefore do not complain of the length of thy time And your betters have waited longer Reade but the 88. Psalm and there you will find your better waited all his time The Lord was pleased to work Grace upon him when he was yong his heart was turned to God then and you may find in the text that from his youth up the terrors of God was upon him Wait upon God continually And you cannot better your self Whither wilt thou go poor soul Now you are seeking God you have not what you would have Whither will you go Can you mend your self any way if you cannot then wait upon God continually It may be before God began to turn thy heart thou thoughtst Mercy was easie to be obtain'd thou thought'st then it was nothing to beleeve thou wondrest that people spake so much of the hardness of beleeving thou thought'st it easie Wel the Lord is now working upon thy heart and the Lord would humble thee for those slight thoughts thou hadst of Faith the Lord will have thee to know That beleeving in his Grace it requires a mighty work of God even the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead Be humbled for thy slight thoughts about the work of Faith and know that this it may be is the thing that God intends in keeping thee so low so long That thou maiest come to see that Faith requires the mighty Power of God to work it that so thou maiest give glory to God when
above all but saith Samuel Though you have sinned yet do not depart from the Lord Yet there is hope in Israel concerning this thing as in Ezra 10. God sees that if there be not hope men will grow desperate in their wickedness Jer. 2. 25. They said there was no hope and therefore they would go on still Oh! it 's good for sinners to see there may be hope And Gods Ministers when they have to deal with sinners though very wicked yet to give them some line of hope to catch at though they be even drown'd in their Covetousness in the world and in their guiltiness yet to cast a line of hope there is nothing reveal'd to the contrary but there may yet be possibility for thy sonl at length to be saved Oh! let men take heed of dispa 〈…〉 g determining conclusions against themselves It 's not the greatness of any sin that can be ground enough for a desperate determining conclusion for any man or woman to say God wil never shew mercy I say there 's no greatness of sin there 's no circumstances to aggravate that can be ground enough for thee to say God will never shew mercy it is a proud sullen desperate spirit of thine to make such conclusions thou maiest indeed and thou oughtest to say It were just with God not to shew mercie the Lord might justly cast me out of his sight but to say That he will not shew mercie it 's more than thou or any Angel in Heaven can say therfore O wretched sinful guilty Consciences and especially you that have been Apostats that have forsaken God and his Truths yet return return O return thou Shulamite thou maiest possibly find God as merciful to thee as ever he was there 's hope of mercy for thee still and if thou doest perish eternally it will rather be for some sin to come than for any past If God let thee live if God let thee live to night I say thou wilt rather perish for the sins cōmitted this moment than for all the sins committed in all thy life time before But now for thy continuance in Impenitency that 's a new sin for thy continuing in rejecting the Grace of God for thy continuing in thy unbeleef this indeed may cause God to bring over again all thy former sins and reckon for them Oh! this Consideration might draw the hearts of the wretchedest wicked sinner to God Is it so that it is not for any sins that have been past that I am like to perish but if I perish I shall perish for continuing rather in evil than for what evil I have committed Oh! the Lord forbid then that I should continue let me this day make a stop in evil The Lord would have hopes of mercie cast to wicked and vile sinners And let us be merciful as our Heavenly Father is merciful That is Let servants and children that have offended you let them see that upon their returning they shall find as much favor from you as ever they did sometimes Governors when they are provok'd behave themselves so ridgedly towards them that it makes them even desperate God deals not so with you do not you deal so with your inferiors And as God shews himself not to be changed but wil be the same towards this people as ever he was in goodness and so it beseems us to be that if we have shewn respect anie way to other either in speeches or otherwise if they appear to be what they were it beseems us to be towards them as then let them but appear to be what they were when such respect were shown to them and according to the example of God it beseems us to shew our selves to them again and again to what we then did I that am the Lord thy God from the Land of Egypt will yet make thee to dwell in Tabernacles That 's another Note The Consideration of what God hath done should help our faith in beleeving what yet he will do he that hath delivered us thus far may he not deliver us further I am the Lord that hath delivered you from Egypt Oh! let us make use of what God hath done for us to help our faith in confidence of him for doing further The truth is God hath done so much for England as there is not more to be done than hath been done and if there be but as much of the Power Goodness and Mercie of God towards us for the next five or six yeers ' as hath been for these last six years ecrtainly it will be as glorious a Nation as ever was upon the face of the earth it will be the beginning of the new Jerusalem if God should continue so as he hath done And why may not the Lord that hath brought us out of Egypt bring us to rejoyce as in the feast of Tabernacles And so Spiritually God who at first did enlighten thy mind brought thee from Egyptian darkness Certainly that God he is able to do as great things for thee still and to finish the work for thee How many are there that though they have found Gods mighty hand upon them in giving a turn to their hearts and bringing them out of the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquitie and yet at any time when they feel but their corruptions a little stirring Oh they are readie to think that they shall perish one day by the hand of those corruptions When we were enemies were we not reconcil'd to him God hath struck the deadly wound to it he hath mortified thee and the truth is consider but of this I say there is not more to be done to bring thee to Heaven thou that hast the least degree of Grace than God hath alreadie done by giving thee the least measure of grace he hath made a greater alteration in thy estate from one that is in an estate of nature than the alteration will be from thy Conversion to the height of glorie that alteration wil not be so much neither will it require such a great Power of God to make thee a glorious Saint in Heaven as it did require to make thee of one that was a child of wrath to be a child of God thou hast the better half and the most eminent power of God is put forth alreadie for our change from Grace to Glorie will be but gradual but our change from Nature to Grace it is Total and therefore let thy faith be helped from what God hath done to beleeve what he will do I will yet make thee to dwell in Tabernacles Divers Learned men carrie this I will yet make thee to dwell in Tabernacles to be a Promise of their return from captivity that they must again in the Land of Jewry keep the Feast of Tabernacles I confess were this a Promise to Judah I should think it to be the meaning of it but because it is to Israel who
magnificence then the Conduits will run Wine sometimes Now when Christ ascended up to be crowned on high What was the great thing that he gave in the world He gave gifts to men Some to be Prophets and Apostles and some Pastors and Teachers that 's the great gift of Jesus Christ upon his Ascention into Heaven and taking the Crown of Glorie as if Christ should say Shall I give a magnificent gift to the world like a Prince like the King of Heaven I 'le give gifts to men I 'le give them Apostles Prophets Pastors Teachers that 's the great magnificent gift that Jesus Christ hath given to the world Oh! that we could learn to prize it I remember I have read in Chrysostoms time that the godlie men when he was silenc'd they were so affected with it that they had rather the Sun did withdraw his beams and not shine in the world than that the mouth of Jo. Chrysostem should be stopt They did so prize the Word of God by his mouth Oh that men could learn to prize it more at a higher rate And you that are Citizens shew your prizing of it in this one thing Many of you here have your City and your Country Houses But what little care is there for men to seat themselves in places where they shall have faithful Ministers of God to reveal the mind of God to them If they come to seat themselves any where they scarce take it into consideration to give a peny the more because of a faithful Minister or a peny the less if it hath none Oh! this shews the extream neglect of God and of his Ordinances How few Country Villages about the City were supplied with faithful Preachers It 's a great blessing of God to the world to have faithful Prophets Thirdly God will take account of what becomes of the Word Labor and Pains of his Prophets for so he speaks in a way of upbraiding of them God will take account of all the Spirits that his Ministers spend of every drop of their sweat and of all their watchings in the night I sent my Prophets rising early and going to bed late God will take account of all and you shall know that there hath been a Prophet among you the Ministers shall be brought out to say and testifie Lord I was in such a place and I reveal'd thy mind thus and thus unto them in these and these waies that they could not but be convinc'd of and yet still they continued thus and thus wicked Fourthly It is a great mercy for God to declare his mind to men again and again I have multiplied visions saith God It were a mercie for God but once to tell us of his mind and if we will not come in at first for ever to cast us off but I have multiplied visions in Jer. 18. At what instant I shall speak c. God may justly expect that at what instant Christ is preached that people should come in for indeed their Commission seems to run very quick Go and teach all Nations he that beleeves shall be saved he that beleeveth not shall be damned As if Christ should say There shall be quick work made with men but yet the Lord is gracious to men to multiply visions one after another to reveal his mind at one time and at another time the Lord is long-suffering though our hearts be not mov'd at one time yet still he would try and he would have his Ministers to do so too 2 Tim. 2. 25. Instruct with meekness those that oppose themselves if God per adventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth It was a great aggravation of Solomons sin that he departed from God after the Lord had appeared to him twice 1 King 11. 9. Oh! God took this ill I have appeared twice to him and yet he departed from me Oh! how may God upbraid us with this thing that not twice but twenty yea an hundred times God hath appeared to us we have had even the Visions of the Almighty some of you at least May not your Consciences tell you that at such and such a time you have had the Visions of the Almighty and yet you have stood out against them yea and at another time and another time Oh my brethren the multiplying of Visions is a great aggravation of our sin in standing out It was the comfort of Paul at his Conversion in Act. 26. 19. saith he O King Agrippa I was not disobedient to the heavenly Vision Oh how happie were it for you if upon the first vision your hearts would come in Oh that you could but say so Though it 's true I lived at such a time in such a place in ignorance and darkness I knew little of God but the first time I came to hear the Word wherein the Mysteries of the Gospel were reveal'd I bless God my heart came off then so the Aposile he blesses God for the effect that the Word had upon the Thessalonians from the first day even until that time I multiplied visions And then it follows I used Similitudes Now for that I will not trouble you with divers readings or divers interpretations of those words I used similitudes It is a very strange expression we have it not that I know of in the Book of God but here to shew the aggravations of mens sins that they hearkened not to the Word though the Word was brought to them in way of similitude You may see here That the Lord takes account of the manner of mens preaching as well as the things they preach and men may have their sins aggravated not only for standing out against the Word but against the Word so and so delivered The main necessary Truths of God are made known to you all yea but some of you have them made known to you in a more sweet woing and winning way and a more convincing way than others have and God takes account not only of the things you hear but of the manner of it And Secondly The revealing the Word by similitudes is a very useful and profitable way for it makes much for the setling of Truth and the making Truth go to a mans heart before he is aware the Truth conveyed in a way of similitude takes impression upon the memory sometimes speak a Truth and express it in the way of a Simile and many will go away and remembring the Simile so come to remember the Truth I remember it 's reported of that Noble Marques Marques Galeacias that had a great Estate and was of Kin to the Pope and yet coming upon a time but to hear Peter Martyr preach and upon a meer Simile that he had God stroke his heart and it was the means of his Conversion the Simile was thus Peter Martyr was preaching and he had occasion to speak of this Men may think very hardly of God and his People
Reports to the dishonour of Religion 210 Use 2. Search out the truth first before you report at all ib. Obs 3 When people are guilty of a sin the Prophets should beat upon it again and again 212 VER II. Exposition 213 Obs 1 God commends and contends with his Church at once ib. VER III. Exposition 1. 219 Obs 1. We are to acknowledg God's Election of our Forefathers to be an Act of free grace 222 Obs 2 Those which receive great blessings from Gods mercy to their Ancestors are to acknowledg the free grace of God ib. Exposiston 2 223 Exposition 3 ib. Exposition 4 226 Exposition 5 228 Exposition 6 231 Exposition 7 232 Obs 3 That when God strives against his Servants he gives them sirength 234 Obs 4 It 's a great honour to manifest much strength in prayer ib Obs 5 The way to prevail with men is to prevail with God 236 Obs 6 That the time for the Church to prevail in is then when she is most weak 239 VER IV. Obs 1 Prayer is the great prevailing Ordinance with God 246 Ingredients to Prayer 1 Faith in the Covenant of God 248 2 To be in Gods way 259 3 To plead a particular promise ib. 4 Sence of our own unworthiness ib. 5 Acknowledgment of mercies and truth in promises 260 6 Remembrance of former means ibid. 7 Deep sence of the thing desired ibid. 8 Strong arguments 261 Obs 2 God finds his people many times when they little think of him 262 Obs 3 The foundation of the Saints comfort is in the Covenant of God 264 Obs 4 Mercies promised should beleeved when there is much unlikelihood 265 Obs 5 The multiplying of the Church is a great blessing ibid. Obs 6 The Saints have need of renewing promises ibid. Obs 7 The blessing that comes to the world comes by promised seed ibid. Obs 8 It was in Gods heart to do good unto us Gentiles thousands of yeers since ibid. Obs 9 God is still working towards the fulfilling of promises 166 Obs 10 The mercie and faithfulness of God is constant for continuance ibid. Obs 11 The Saints have need of the confirmation of mercies ibid. Obs 12 It 's a great help to fiath to have God present himself to the soul as God Almighty 267 Obs 13 God delights to revive his people in their fears with sutable mercie ibid. Use To learn tender-heartedness towards them that are in fears and troubles ibid. VER V. Exposition 269 Obs 1 That though God be never so strong and terrible in himself yet faith hath strength to wrastle with him 284 Use Christians should raise up their spirits when they have to deal with God ibid. Obs 2 God is the same to us if we forsake him not as he was to our forefathers 289 Obs 3. There 's no need of Images to keep Gods remembrance 288 Obs 4 God manifests his glory that he may be remembred from age to age ib. Obs 5 The meditation of the Name JEHOVAH is a useful Memorial of God 289 VER VI. Obs 1. The consideration of our godly forefathers is a great argument to turn us to God ib. Obs 2 That God is the Lord of Hosts is another argument to turn us to him 290 Obs 3. Because God is Jehovah we must turn to him 291 Obs 4 The Excellencie of the Saints is an Argument to turn us to God 293 Obs 5. We depart from God in the midst of our services when we perform them not in Gods way ib. Obs 6. In our turning to God we must reform our special sins 295 Obs 7 We must reform as well in Duties of the Second Table as in matter of Worship 296 Obs 8 There must be righteousness among men where there is a turning to God 298 Obs 9 Those that are in Authority must manifest their turning to God by Execution of Judgment ib. Obs 10 The mixture of Mercie Judgment is very comely 299 Obs 11. A turning heart to God is a waiting heart 303 VER VII Exposition 310 Obs 1. Men by their sin may lose the honor of their progenitors ib. VER VIII Exposition 324 Obs 1 Wicked men will have somthing to say for themselves ib. Obs 2 Wicked men may prosper a while in their evil courses ib. Obs 3 Wicked men attribute all that they get unto themselves ib. Obs 4 Carnal hearts account riches the only substantial things 325 Obs 5 Wicked men glory in the estates they have gotten ib. Obs 6 Carnal hearts seek to relieve their consciences with outward comforts 326 Obs 7 Wicked men beleeve not that God is so angry with them as they are told he is 327 Obs 8 Evil things many times have good names 330 Obs 9 It 's hard to convince covetous men of their iniquitie ib. Obs 10 It 's hard to convince them that they do not love to be charged with their sin 331 Obs 11 Men may in words profess the thing that they are guilty of to be abominable ib. Obs 12 Wicked men care not so other men cannot accuse them 332 Obs 13 A carnal heart extenuates his sins 333 Obs 14 If wicked men can but scape the danger of Law it 's all they care for 334 VER IX Obs 1 The prosperity of men in a sinful way makes them forget what God hath done for them in former times 336 Obs 2 God takes notice of mens unthanfulness ib. Obs 3 Old mercies are great engagements to duty and the neglect of dutie a great aggravation of sin 337 Obs 4 God gives hopes of mercie to sinners upon their Repentance 339 Use To persons offended by others 341 Doct. 2 The consideration of what God 〈…〉 h done should help our 〈◊〉 in beleeving what he will do ib. Applied to England VER X. Obs 1 It 's God that speaks by his Prophets 344 Obs 2 It is a great mercie to a people for God to speak to them by his Prophets 345 Obs 3 God will take account what becomes of the labor and pains of his Prophets 347 Obs 4 'T is a great mercie for God to declare his mind again and again ibid. Use How may God upbraid us with this 348 Obs 5 The Lord takes account of the manner of mens preaching as well as of the things they preach 349 Obs 6 The revealing the Word by similitudes is very useful and profitable ibid. Obs 7 Slight not the Word when it comes by a simile 350 Obs 8 Rest not in the pleasantness of the simile ib. VER XI Obs 1 Whatsoever is presented in the Worship of God if not of Gods appointment is meer vanity 352 Obs 2 When Gods Judgments have been against any for sin all sinners guilty of the same sins have cause to feare 353 Obs 3 Such whose principles are neerer to God than others if they be superstitious God will surely be revenged of them 354 VER XII Scope 357 Obs 1 Such as take pride in their Ancestors should look back to the mean condition of their Ancestors 392 Obs 2 Dependance
Thirdly It 's a great aggravation of mens sins if they be called to duty after God hath called them out of misery and they do not obey it After thou comest out of an affliction whether bodily or spiritual God expects thou shouldest as diligently hearken to his call that calls thee to duty as thou doest take hold of his mercy when he held it to thee to deliver thee out of thine affliction charge thy soul thus Oh wrenched heart that I have I called to God and God hath heard my call and now God hath delivered me and calls me to a duty and shall I stop mine ears against Gods call Oh how just were it for God to leave me in misery when I turn my back to him when he cals me to a duty Fourthly For men not only to disobey Gods call but to turn away themselves from it and from those that speak to them in his Name this is very wicked a high degree of sinfulness before God In Jer. 2. 27. They have turned their back unto me but not their face and so in Jer. 32. 33. They turn their backs that 's more than not to obey Our backs that is to refuse to obey to resolve not to obey in Jer. 18. 17. God threatens them that in the day of their calamity he would shew them his back too as when a Traytor is petitioning to his Prince so long as the Prince is but willing to parly with him and reade his Petition there is hope but if the Prince turns his back and will not look upon his Petition there 's no hope then So there is hope of people that we may bring them to obedience so long as they will hearken to the Word but if once they turn their backs then there 's little hope so when God turns his back upon sinners there 's little hope then Remember you that turn your back upon calls to obedience Oh! remember that Scripture in Jer. 18. 17. that God threatens in the day of your calamity he will turn his back to you Now this wickedness men do not grow to on a sudden at first they are loth to be convinced that such a thing is a truth but at length when the evidence of truth comes cleer they in a desperate way turn their backs upon it and resolve not to hearken to it a famous instance you have of this in Jer. At first they said that Jeremiah did not speak the Word of the Lord but afterward As for the Word of the Lord that thou hast spoken we will not hear Fifhly It is yet a higher wickedness to have our corruptions irritated by the Word and provoked As they call'd so they went away When mens hearts grow as Lime that the showers of the Word shall inflame them this is a sad condition indeed when the more cleer evidence they have of the Word the more desperate wicked they grow We find it so in some places when the word comes with the greatest power this is all the effect it hath upon the hearts of men to make them the more desperate wicked You wonder sometimes that where the Word is preached with power men should grow more wicked wonder not at it for where the Word doth not convert sinners it doth harden them Sixtly From the extream perverseness and stubornness of the Jews we may learn this Lesson That Gods free Grace is very great and very strong the Lord was merciful to his people that were thus stuborn and stout but the more they were call'd to obedience the more wicked they grew and yet Gods mercy continued towards them for a long time together and indeed in that God should set his heart and love upon such a people as this it is one of the greatest helps against despair almost as any we know Do but look into the Book of God and reade of the people of the Jews what wretched froward perverse stuborn stout-hearted people they were and yet that God of all the people of the earth should chuse them to be his peculier people Oh! the free Grace of God! there 's nothing that God hath in his design more than to honor free Grace I confess I had thought to have spent some time in shewing to you the extream stubornness of the people of the Jews and all to this end to magnifie the free grace of God towards such an unworthy people you find that God doth so himself when he speaks of his Mercy to that people he doth give them this notice That he would have them to know that what he did for them was not for their own righteousness in Deut. 9. 6. Vnderstand therefore that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good I and to possess it for thy righteousness for thou art a stiff-necked people As if God should say I might magnifie free Grace whereas I might have chosen some other people that might have been more yeeldable to my hand I chose you that it might appear that all that I did was out of free Grace In Psal 78. 8. Be not stuborn as your forefathers were they are called stout-hearted stiff necked strong they seem to be of strong spirits but it is strong against the truth and though stubornness hath a kind of Glory in it yet the truth is there is nothing but weakness in it in Ezek. 16. 30. How weak is thy heart saith the Lord seeing thou doest all these things the work of an imperious whorish woman They are said to be strong-hearted stiff hearted but saith the holy Ghost how weak is thy heart and you shall find in Scripture that they are called stiff necked and Iron-â—inewed and that they walked contrary to God and that they are perverse and crooked and that they had hardened their hearts and made them like an Adamant and saith Stephen You have alwaies resisted the holy Ghost and impudent children and rebellious children It is very observable if you read those Scriptures presently after they came out of the Land of Egypt within three daies after God had shown them such a miraculous work they fell to murmuring nay they did not stay so long for it is said in Psal 106. They provoked the Lord at the Sea even at the red Sea And in Exod. 16. 2. 28. and in chap. 17. ver 2. the people did chide with Moses again so reade the story of Exodus Numbers Deuteronomy Judges and the Kings and you shall find them continually rebelling a people with an Iron sinew against God and yet for all that the Lord makes choice of this people and loves them Oh! free Grace the free Grace of God When your children are stuborn and stout against you consider of this you think it a grievous affliction to you Oh! but there is none in the world that are so crossed with stuborn children as God himself is And though you
Covenants to God and then sin again and God comes upon them again and they fall a crying out of their sin again Well they are raised and the hearing of the Word that never prevails with them but in their afflictions then they will repent and cry out Oh! cry out of their companie Oh! that we had spent our time in praying and in lamenting for our sin that we spent in such and such company Yea this is when Gods hand is upon you But what do you do upon the hearing of Gods Word that 's to be like a man to be drawn by the Word and not to be mov'd only by blows Oh! thou hast a beastial heart and brutish heart and charge your selves with that brutish heart I fear some of you have cause to say That in all the course or my life my heart hath never yeelded to God but just when blows hath been upon me I beseech you brethren deal with God like men God deals with you like men And that might have been another Note in windâ—â—g up all I drew them with the Cords of a man and with the bonds of Love The Lord deals with us sutable to our Nature Oh let us deal with God as far as we are able sutable to his nature Why doth God regard us as men let us regard him as God then let us glorifie God as a God when the Lord hath to deal with us he considers we are men when we have to deal with God let us consider he is God and as the Lord is pleased to condescend to us as men Oh! let us labor to ascend up to him as God With Bonds of Love The word here translated Bonds it is Thick Cords not only with Cords as you have it before but with Thick Cords so the word that is translated Bonds signifies for it comes of a word that signifies to Wreath and to thicken with wrea hing that as you see those that make Cords and Lines they take their Hemp and wreath one Wreath and then they take another and wreath that and so another and wind many Wreaths together and so make a strong Cord that 's the propriety of this word With the Bonds of Love That is with such Bonds as have many Wreaths in them have many things joyned together to make it to be a strong Cord a Cord as strong as a Cart rope for so I find the same word is used in Isa 5. 18. where it is said They draw iniquity with the Cords of vanity and sin as it were with a Cart rope The word that is trranslated there Cords it is the same that is in the former part of our verse The Cords of a man But now the other And sin as it were with a Cart rope that 's the same word that here you have in the text translated The Bonds of Love With a thick Rope of a Cart with a Rope that hath many Wreaths in it so that though the former word in your English CORDS seems to have as much as the latter BONDS yet according to the Hebrew this latter hath more in it and signifies such Cords as have many twisted and wreathed together As indeed we shall find when we come now to open the Bonds of Love that God did draw this people withal we shall find many Cords wreathed and twisted together to bind this people fast to God you have a sutable expression somewhat paralel to this in Jer. 31. 3. With loving kindness have I drawn thee saith God I have drawn them with the Bonds of Love that is thus I have used them in a loving way If love would have gained them if love would have overcome them if love would have bound them to me they have wanted no love saith God whereas they had deserved the bonus of iron to be upon them instead of those iron bonds that their sins deserved they have had the bonds of love If you ask me what were those Bonds of Love that God drew this people of Israel unto Himself by The first was this God did wonderfully separate this people from all the Nations in the world unto Himself to be a people unto himself and that out of love and this was a great fruit of love and a strong Wreath this was had there been nothing else That God should set his heart upon this people above all other people in the earth to be his people in Exod. 33. 16. Wherein saith Moses shall it be known that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight if thou goest not with us for thereby saith he shall ne be separated from all Nations of the Earth it is in your books only shall be separated but the Hebrew word signifies wonderfully separated we shall wonderfully be separated from all the Nations of the earth Indeed the Lord he did wonderfully separate the people from all the Nations of the earth and this was only out of love it was not from any excellencie he saw in this people In Deut. 7 6. The Lord did not chuse thee c. but in the 7. verse He did not set his love upon you nor chuse you because you were more in number than other people for you were the least of all people Observe my brethren by the way That the Lord doth not alwaies stand upon number upon the greatest this indeed is our argument that so many go in such a way and so few in another way and so surely God is most like to approve of that that the most go on in No God doth not alwaies stand upon number saith he I did not chuse you because you were most in number for I knew that you were the least therefore it was only love that made the Lord chuse this people at first and separate them from other Nations And then the second Bond of Love is I chose you and your seed also And this was a great mercie If I had but only set my heart upon your selves it had been somwhat but it was upon you and your seed so as to bring you and your seed into Covenant with me There 's two twists as I may so say in this Bond of Love that he should chuse them and their seed and bring them both into Covenant for thus you have it in Deut. 4. 37. Because he loved thy fathers therfore he chose their seed after them and in Ezek. 16. 8. there the text saith It was a time of love and I took you and entered into Covenant with you It was a time of Love and that made the Lord to enter into Covenant with this people God shewed it was a time of love indeed that he would take such a people as this was and enter into Covenant with them And then the third Twist I set my heart upon them to delight in them too I made them my portion my inheritance my Treasure the Deerly
evil of kicking and spurning against God so soon as he hath taken off the yoke from their jaws than we are at this day Could any have beleeved that if it had been revealed from Heaven but Six years since That within six years this People of England should be delivered from those sore yokes that they cried to Heaven because of the burden of them and the Lord would work in a miraculous way to deliver them but upon their deliverance there shal be such wantonness such horrid blasphemous opinions and wicked licentious waies yea that those that make profession of Religion shall be guilty of presently upon the taking off of their yoke Could it have been beleev'd Certainly if our forefathers that were under the yoke that were godly and cried to God for deliverance if they should rise out of their graves now and assoon as ever they were risen out ye should make a full Narration of all that Libertie that God hath granted to his people in England in the breaking of all that yoke of Tyrannie in the Civil State and the yoke of Tyrannie in the Ecclesiastical State they would presently think that they should see wonderful glorious effects of this in England but if within a month or two after they should have conversed with men they should hear of such monstrous opinions they should see the extream licentiousness and wantonness in the hearts of men expressed in their waies Oh! they would be ready to spit in the very faces of their children of those that now live in such times as these are The wantonness and licentiousness of men hearts in abusing of our freedom from our yokes it 's very evil in these Respects First Because this hardens the hearts of former Oppressors Our former Oppressors our Prelats and others will not they say or do not you give them occasion to say Now you see what is the fruit of casting of us out Was there such wantonness before were there such horrid Opinions before when we had power We kept down all such things we could easily curb these when we had power but you see what extravegancies there are how men run wild assoon as our power is taken from us By this means they are hardened And others that are of Prelatical spirits they are hardoned and begin to think surely the other way is the better way and indeed if this be a good argument That the keeping men in union and the keeping down errors by violence shall prove the truth of any way or of any Government it may as well prove Prelatical as any other for we know that they kept men from venting of such notorious errors by violence but shall we because there is not this violence upon us shall be more erronious and more wanton in our spirits Secondly This wantonness and abuse of our Liberty and licentiousness it darkens the glory of this great work of God in our deliverance the Lord hath been pleased to magnifie his Name in the deliverance of these Kingdoms from the yoke Now what should be the care of all the people of God but to seek to magnifie the great work of God to make it beautiful and glorious before the eyes of all But now by this wantonness and licentiousness men do darken the Glory of God they take off the lustre and beauty of it Psal 149. 4. the Lord there promises to beautifie the meek with salvation He will beautifie them with salvation now the Lord hath wrought so towards us as to beautifie us with salvation and indeed there is a great beautie upon the work of salvation that he hath wrought but this doth I say darken the Glory of God and it takes away the beauty of the work of God in our salvation What hath God done all this for us that men might turn wanton and run wâ—ld into monsterous opinions and blasphemies Oh! wo to thee that thou shouldest live in such a generation as this is how unfit art thou to live in such a time as this is to darken the glory of such a glorious work as God hath wrought for us here in England Thirdly By abusing our liberties from our yokes you do wrong others wrong those who are wise and holy and peaceable and you make them to be denied that liberty that otherwise they might have It is for your sakes who are so wanton and run so wild in opinions and in the loosness of your lives that I say those that are otherwise discreet wise and holy and peaceable and that would make use of what liberty Christ would have given to his people they must be denied it for your sakes it will be upon your account one day what ever denial they have of that liberty that they would use in a gracious and peaceable way for the honor of God I say you must answer for it one day for 't is your wildness that is the cause of it Yea Fourthly This wildness and loosness and abuse of deliverance from bondage it will be the means to bring others to be under greater yokes again it were just with God at least that it should be so Yea It might make any that have but any Civility or Morality in them to think that they shall do God good service in yoking these men in another way than ever they were yok'd I say it might make them to think that they do God good service when they see the Name of God dishonored and Religion so abused I say by this means they may come to think it would be a good service to God to lay yokes upon such kind of men as these are If ever instead of the great strings that have tide yokes upon you you should have lesser strings if you should have them multiplied to tie yokes upon you yet thank your selves you are the cause of it in Lament 1. 14. The yoke of my transgression is bound by his hand The Lord may justly bind the yoke of your transgressions upon you Oh! that God would humble us for the abuse of our libertie of the freedom from our yokes Oh let us take heed of this and say with our selves Surely this is not the use that we should make of our deliverance from our yokes no but rather this use we will rather so much the more willingly take the yoke of Jesus Christ upon us In Exod. 12. 25. after the people of Israel were delivered from the yoke of Egyptian bondage presently upon it Thou shalt keep this service speaking of the passeover that was to be kept upon their deliverance from Egypt Thou shalt keep this service The word that is there Service it is the same that is used somtimes for their Service and Bondage under the Egyptians as if the Lord should say You were once in Service indeed there was a Service that the Egyptians requir'd of you a servile Service it was and your necks were under it
blasphemy whatsoever but when I see that such and such things are no other but that may stand with Godliness and godlie and peaceable men may have many doubts among them and especially seeing I hold this now of late and did not see it heretofore as now I do I will do possibly what I can with a good conscience that my brethren may enjoy thy Ordinances in what liberty thou wilt afford unto them this savours like the Spirit of a Christian indeed And likewise you that are Governors seeing God account it his Glory to take off the yoke from his people Oh! be you tender towards them that are under you as Majestrates so all Governors Parents and Brethren and Neighbors not to lay too heavie yokes upon Children and Servants Fathers provoke not your Children to wrath and Masters they should be gentle towards them that are under them knowing they have also a Master and therefore give them what libertie may be without sin even outward libertie not to keep them continually at work but some times of recreation some times of refreshment it 's true your Holy-daies are taken aken away but surely there was no such way and means to bury them in Oblivion that they should never be thought of again then to have some set times for Servants and Children to have their recreation It were the only way to keep the Sabbath pure for if they have it not in the week day they will have it on the Sabbath or otherwise they will keep up that which they were wont to have in their former Holy daies The beast must not alwaies be plowing sometimes the yoke must be lifted up and must have some refreshing It follows I laid meat unto them Luther I so wrought for them as they should eat their meat quietly as if he should say You did not provide for your selves your meat I prepared it for you and came and laid it before you thus God laid meat before them when he rained Manna from Heaven when the Quails were he provided it Whence observe Mercies prepared and provided for laid before us are to be prized When we come to have a mercy I say that did not cost us much when it is prepared and set before us this is to be prized How many of you have all your mercies prepared for you When you go abroad about business now you take no care for provision at home in your families you do but dress you and go abroad it may be to a Sermon or other company and return home again you have your Tables spread and find full Dishes upon your Tables without any care of yours it 's all prepared for you Oh! consider of the mercies of God towards you in this thing Whenas many poor people they are fain before they can get bread to be working hard to prepare food for their families their wives and children but the Lord laiet meat before you God is to be acknowledged in this The propriety of the word is I made it to descend it came down from Heaven it was neither too high nor too low but it came just to you fitted for you which teaches us thus much In the receiving of our food we must look up to Heaven we are more beholden to the Heavens than to the Earth for our bread God is to be acknowledged in that he satisfies the poor with bread yea and that he satisfies the rich with bread you that are the richest of all you are to see how it comes from Heaven I made it to descend I say our very food we should look from whence it doth descend it doth descend from Heaven lift up thine eyes to Heaven when as thou art eating meat be not as the Swine under the Tree that looks downward to the Achorns but never upwards towards the branches of the Tree from whence the Achorns fall but look up to Heaven from whence thy meat and provision did descend I took off their yoke and I laid meat unto them I made their service easie and I made their provision comfortable It 's quite otherwise with many ridged and cruel Governors they make the service of those that are under them hard but their provision to be very scant quite contrary The service of Gods people is easie and their provision is bountiful Now the service of your servants is hard and your provision is very penurious you would have your servants to do your hard labor and yet provide little food for them Oh this is a baser cruelty than any to put their servants to hard labor and yet not to provide comfortably for them for their food But my brethren the main thing that I would note from hence is How great the Mercies of God is to us who hath eased our yoke this day and laid meat before us too my brethren who would have thought four years since that there should be Civil Wars for almost four years together in our Land and such cruel bloudy Wars and so overspreading the Kingdom as they have and that yet we should at this day have provision so plentiful as we have Did not all say even at the first year when the Wars began Surely things would be very scarce many began to lay in Corn and other provision and we had cause enough to have feared it but behold the bountifulness of the love of God that hath eased our yokes and hath laid meat before us that the poor is satisfied with bread there is no complainings in our streets we have not only our bread but our Tables fi'ld What difference do you see upon the Tables of men now from that they were in former times If a stranger should come into this Kingdom hearing what miserable Wars there hath been as bloody and cruel as in any Kingdom and yet come to see every mans Table so fill'd he could not but stand and wonder Certainly strangers think our condition to be far more sad in respect of provision than it is let 's not be wanton with our plenty we were wont to say if we might have but Bread and Cheese and the Gospel it were good cheer Now my brethren we have outward food and the Bread of life too What Is this sweet to be freed from outward bondage and to have meat laid before us how sweet is it then to be freed from spiritual bondage and to have the food of life laid before us yet this is our condition Our blessing is specially in having our spiritual yokes taken off from us and having the Bread of Life laid before us in a more plentiful measure then ever we had Was there ever a time that this City had so much meat laid before it for the soul as at this day the misery of other parts of the Kingdom is your mercie the Lord grant that you do not loath your Manna and despise it God hath waies enough to cut you short VER
cruelty to reign over them how sad and dreadful condition are those in This is that the Lord threatens here and why Because they refused to return I beseech you observe this saith he They shall not return to Egypt but the King of Assyria shall reign over them because they refused to return From whence the Observation is this If we will not do Gods will God will cross us of our own They would have their will they would return but they shall not saith God for they will not return to me therefore they shall not return whither they will themselves God can cross us in our own wills at every turn Foolish men who will presume to cross God in his will when God hath them at such infinite advantages to cross them every way in every thing If you cross God in that he delights in you may expect God will cross you in that you most delight in Oh! when you are crost in your minds in any thing that you have set your thoughts and heart most upon reflect upon your own hearts and think thus Have not I crost God in his mind in that which God hath set his heart and mind upon It 's a good way my Brethren to take a holy revenge upon our selves if we cannot get our hearts to work for God as they ought not to suffer them to work for our selves as they would Again For they would not return saith God God is not so much displeased at our sins as at our not returning He doth not say that the Assyrian should rule over them because they had sinned but because they refused to return It is too much that thou hast sinned but as soon as ever thou hast sinned it concerns thee to think of returning God expects presently as soon as ever the sin is taken notice of that thou shouldest begin to return it is dangerous to continue in sin in the least this aggravates thy sin dreadfully and endangers thy sealing up to wrath everlasting And then Thirdly He refuses to return after all means used after all mercies tendered after all callings after thee yet to stand out this is yet worse Not to return is evil but to refuse to return notwithstanding means used mercies tendered Oh this is fearful indeed Oh! lay this to heart thou convicted sinner what offers of mercie hath God made to thee what calling unto mercie hast thou heard outward calls inward calls of the the Spirit of God Oh! how hath God called after thee Return return thou Shulamite Return return return thou wretched wilful sinner Oh come in and return what means of all sorts hast thou had to cause thy heart to return to God and yet standest out think of that Scripture in Job 9. 4. Who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered What doest thou think to harden thy self against God and yet think to prosper Who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered and mark what follows Which removeth the Mountains and they know not which overturneth them in his anger which shaketh the Earth out of her place and the Pillars thereof tremble And yet cannot thy heart be overturned nor tremble In this that thou refusest to return thy sin is aggravated above the sin of the Devils themselves for we do not know that ever the Devils refused to return for they were never offered mercie God did never offer the Devils mercie God never sent to preach to them either by his Ministers or Spirit and to call them to return and you shall have mercie here 's a price paid here 's a salvation for you your sins may be pardoned the Devil had never such an offer Who knows what the Devil might do if such an offer were made to him But now these offers are made to thee and thou refusest to return Oh! return therefore O thou sinful soul who art wandering from God in the waies of death and destruction give in thine answer as we reade in Jer. 3. 22. where the Lord there calls his back-sliding children Return ye back-sliding children and I will heal your back slidings Mark the answer that they give to God Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Oh! that there might be such an answer given this day from some back-sliding soul that is turned from God! Oh poor soul whither art thou gone God calls this day to thy soul Return return and professes that he is willing to heal thy backslidings Oh! give in this answer Oh Lord behold we come for thou art the Lord our God Oh! that some soul might return and might refuse no longer to return Why wilt not thou return God is content to return to thee thou art turned from God and God in the waies of his Administrations is turned away from thee but mark the Promise in Jer. 8. 4 5. Thus saith the Lord Shall they fall and not arise shall he turn away and not return by then is this people of Jerusalem sliden back by a perpetual back-sliding they hold fast deceit they refuse to return Shall he turn away Some interpret this of God The Lord is not so turned back but he is ready to return Oh! why shouldâ—â— thou backslide with a perpetual back-sliding And then the last Note is They refuse to return The word that is translated they refused may signifie they scorned What talk to him of returning tell him of his sin against God the greatness of his sin and the greatness of the danger and the threatnings of God against his sin he despises all these things these are poor things to scare children withal Tell him of the mercies of God in pardoning his sin he slights all this humiliation now for sin this breaking off of sinful courses they deride the motions of them they scorn to return Scornful spirits when they are called upon in the bowels of mercy to return from their evil waies they do not only deny returning but they scorn and slight what is said to them Wel know there are some who admire at Gods mercies calling of them to return who admire at mercy tendred to them and prize it more than all things in the world they turn unto the Lord with all their souls nothing in all the world can stop them they bless God that ever their ears heard the call of God calling them to return and they would not for ten thousand thousand worlds but they had heard Gods call and felt the Spirit of God working their hearts to him to return howsoever thou dost scorn and contemn it Thus much for the 5th Verse It follows VER 6. And the Sword shall abide on his Cities c. THey relied upon their Cities and therefore refused to return but saith the Lord here The Sword shall abide on his Cities The old Latin hath it The Sword hath begun and Hierom in his Translation takes it so If we should take it
for all the godly partie flying from the rage of the Sword great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in this City preserved by the Lord Except it had been preserved by the Lord the Watch-men certainly had watch'd in vain It follows And shall cousume his branches and devour them The Branches that is The Towns and Villages about the City for the Cities in a Kingdom are like the Root or the Bodie of a Tree and the Villages or the Towns are as the Branches of the Tree and here 's threatned both Citie and Branches And this Citie hath been as a great Body of a Tree that hath sent out juice and sap and succor to all the Towns and Villages in the Kingdom When the Sword is upon the Citie there is little hope that the Villages shall escape Isa 14. 31. Howl O gaie Cry O City thou whol Palestina art dissolved When the City cries then whol Palestina is dissolved no mervail then though there hath been such plotting in this City by making divisions besides other treacherous and villanous waies to spoil this City to bring the Sword upon it What laboring hath there been to betray us one plot upon another assoon as one is broke presently another and all against this Citie Oh! what a pleasant sight would it have been to our Adversaries to have seen this City in confusion wallowing in its own blood But the more there is depending upon this Citie the more careful should all that love peace and the welfare of the Kingdom labor for the good of this Citie everie one should labor for the peace of it that it may be a Citie compacted with unitie within its self that all that are godly and faithful may joyn in one that every one may bear the infirmities of his Brother that there may be no grating upon one anothers Spirits no exasperation no stirrings up violence one against another especially against those that are gracious and peaceable The more plotting and falsness and treacherie there is against this Citie the more should we be faithful and labor for the good of it yea and the more should we encrease our prayers for it You have a notable Scripture in Psal 55. 9. I have seen violence and strife in the City day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof mischief also and sorrow are in midst of it What then in the 17. verse Evening and morning and at noon will I pray and cry aloud and he shall hear my voice What saith the Psalmist I have seen violence and strife in the Citie yea and deceit and guile do not depart from their streets What shall I do then Evening and morning and at noon will I pray We complain of contentions and divisions and strifes in the Citie and that there are so many plots and treacheries against the Citie Oh! let not us only talk of these things but encrease our prayers in the frequencie and fervency of them Oh! let there be no family but let there be praying to God in the family Evening and Morning at least and if you prayed twice a day before then thrice a day now because of the strife in the City and the treachery and deceipt that is here and the Lord wil hear our voice and he concludes the Psalm thus Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their daies but I will trust in the Lord. Let them be never so bloody minded and desire to imbrue the City in blood yet saith the text The bloudy and deceiptful man shall not live out half his daies but I will trust in the Lord. Because of their own Counsels The Evil Folly and Danger of mens own Counsels we have spoken to in the 10th Chapter 6th Verse They shall be ashamed of their own Counsels Now only a word of that in reference unto the abiding of the Sword upon them The Sword hath abode upon us divers years the wisest amongst us did not think the Sword would have continued so long as it hath don And yet who can tel when there will be an end of these things Among other evils certainly this evil of our own Counsels is a great evil that hath made the Sword to abide upon us Every man follows his own Counsel one man for his friend and another for his friend Mens own Counsels both in Parliament in City in the Army in the Country throughout the Kingdom hath been a great cause of the abiding of the Sword so long a time upon us Their own Counsels The old Latin hath it Shall eat up or destroy their heads those men that had heads amongst them that seem'd to be the wisest the chief Heads that were the wisest and most full of Counsel they were the cause of the continuance of this evil upon them So Montanus hath it Their Counsellors And so Vatablus Because of those that put them upon those Counsels were the cause of the abiding of the Sword in Ezek. 11. 2. Jaazaniah and Pelatiah These are men that give evil Counsels in the City God hath an eye upon them upon such as give evil Counsel in the City as the men that are causes of the evil that is upon the City There is nothing more useful in troublesom times than Counsel if set aright and nothing more dangerous in troublesom times than Counsel if it be wrong The Lord deliver us both Parliament Army City and Kingdom from their own Counsels This wil ever be men will ever follow their own Counsels till they be taken off from their own designs their own ends till they can trust God with his work and be willing to be swallowed up in the Publick Squint-eyed and selvish Counsel will destroy us if God be not infinitly merciful unto us yea and it may be there are some that have good aims for God and yet in their Counsels they may be led aside by carnal principles As for instance only in this own thing That there is no such way for the furtherance of the Kingdom of Christ but by the corespondancy of it with the Kingdoms of the world Certainly this Counsel is very dangerous in such times as these are this principle upon which many that have good intentions do go they desire the furtherance of the Kingdom of Christ they can â—ppeal to God of the sincerity of their hearts and their â—earts are sincere in their desires of the furtherance of the â—ingdom of Christ and they think this principle is a very good one That the best way to further it is to do that that may stand with peace in a way of corespondanâ—y w th the Kingdoms of the world it wil be the best way 〈◊〉 set it up and if they did not think that were the best â—ay to set up the Kingdom of Christ they would not do i 〈…〉 But certainly they are mistaken in their Counsels hâ—e For as the Kingdom of Christ is not
God Me thinks I find all the blood as it were and my spirits so working and stir'd that I find my heart even turning up and down within me when I come to the execution of wrath And then My repentings are kindled together It is a very notable phrase Here by Repentings I take is meant those thoughts of God by which he came to do such things as men do in their repentings My repentings together That is All the thoughts that I could as it were possibly muster up that could be mustered up together for to turn my heart from the waies of Truth to the waies of Mercy they are all come up together to me saith God and being all joyned together they make a fire and have set my heart on fire As a company of brands being laid together make a great flame so all those thoughts that possibly may be any means to work my heart to good to this people they are all presented together and being come and joyned all together in one they set my heart even of a flame and mightily are stirring in my heart Oh! this is the goodness of God to his people to have all things that any way may be a motive to do good to his people to come up all together before God all in one and when they come in one there to make a fire in the very bosom of God all the reasonings as it were of my heart being joyned together for them have kindled a fire so that I cannot hold but I must needs vent my self thus How shall I give thee up Ephraim But you wil say Why doth God express himself thus God might without any more ado pardon and help or deliver why should he express himself in this manner It 's the Answer of Mr. Calvin here He doth accommodate himself saith he to our rudeness God who disdained not to take mans nature upon him disdained not to act in the person of a man who being much wronged is reasoning in himself what to do his heart is full of pity his bowels yern and he would fain find a way for mercy and when provocation of execution comes in in his mind it is as a dagger to his heart Oh! how shal I do this As if you would imagin any merciful man in the world that were put to a straight would fain have a way for mercy to save a wretched sinner God takes upon him the person as it were of this man and saith How shall I do it God doth as it were in this bring Mercy and Justice both together to plead the Case both against and for Ephraim Justice comes in and pleads Lord their Sins are great and many their Mercies have been great their Means that they have had hath been exceeding much thou hast been exceeding much thou hast been patient a long time towards them and this hath been abused their hearts are still hardened thy Name is blasphemed because of them These Arguments come up against them But now there comes up Arguments for them I but than Mercy steps up and pleads But Lord art not thou a God thou art a God These actions indeed may overcome men but shall they overcome thee And this is Ephraim Are not they thy People are they not in relation to thee are they not in Covenant with thee Spare them Lord for their for fathers sake for Abrahams sake for Israels sake who was so mighty with thee remember Lord the kindness of their youth the wonders that thou hast done heretofore for them when they were stuborn and rebellious Lord thou hast many of thine Elect among them and therefore wilt thou utterly consume them Oh! when the Lord hears these prayers of Mercy on the other hand How shall I do it I cannot do it Thus you have seen the opening of the words with the paraphrase But now for the Notes If any one of you should have any thoughts that I do not briefly pass over this Scriptur in an Expository way I may even answer you How shal I do it It were a very great burden upon one to meddle with such Scriptures as these are in an Auditory that doth desire to have something spoken to their hearts and meerly to pass it over in a meer Expository way therefore for the Notes the first Observation is this The greatness of mans sin hinders not the work of the bowels of God towards them There was none exalted him but they followed their own Counsels and did what they list yet how shall I give thee up this from the Connexion I will give you an instance and that 's a very famous one as we have in all the book of God What sins were greater than the sins of Jerusalem against Christ when he lived and yet Christ looks on Jerusalem and weeps over it weeps over it when he considered of the destruction of it Yea and mark Though Jerusalem were guilty of the Blood of Christ took away the very Life of Christ yet when Christ was risen again one of the first things that Christ doth in the 24. of Luke 47. when he was going there to Emaus Christ saith That Repentance and Remission of sins was to be preached in his Name among all Nations begining at Jerusalem Repentance and remission of sins preached to all Nations Oh! but surely Jerusalem must be left Jerusalem that did slay the Prophets and was so injurious yea Jerusalem that put Jesus Christ to death though all Nation should have Repentance and Remission of sins preached to them yet one would think Jerusalem now should be excepted No saith Christ begining at Jerusalem Jerusalem shall be the first place where I 'le have preached Repentance and Remission of sins even that Jerusalem that took away my life I 'le have preached Repentance and Remission of sins there in the very first place of all Oh! Gods mercies are beyond mans iniquities My brethren If the bowels of Gods mercies shal work toward us notwithstanding our great sins why should not the bowels of our compassions work towards our Brethren notwithstanding their infirmities why should we upon every little discontent cast off all pity and love to our Brethren What such great things in us and yet moves not God to cast us off but still How shall I cast thee off Oh! when you look upon your Brethren that once your hearts did close withal and that were as your own souls and if now you should be any instruments of evil to them you should have such reasonings as this How shall I do it I see infirmities in them I but notwithstanding my great sins God saith of me How shall I give thee up And then Secondly Why should great afflictions for God hinder your hearts working to him seeing great sins against God doth not hinder Gods heart yerning to you Why should any great afflictions for God hinder your hearts working twards him Surely if God will he merciful to us
to our own destruction seeing Mercy pleads as it were against the execution of it let us take heed of new provocations when God is about the letting out of his wrath let not us pull it upon our own heads seeing God keeps off and forbears let not us hasten it I say and pul it upon our own heads If Sodom had but known Gods reasonings with Abraham in the behalf of it one would have thought it might have broke the very hearts of Sodom And let us consider of the reasonings of God in this and lay them to our hearts for the breaking of our hearts and think thus with our selves Lord why should it be so hard with thee to deliver me up when it is so easie with me to sin against thee there 's no pleadings hath stop'd me in the course of my sin the Word hath pleaded Conscience hath often pleaded but I have not been stop'd in the course of my sin Oh! why should any pleadings stop thee in the course of thy wrath The Lord cause such kind of workings to be in our hearts for the breaking of them Considering that indeed it is through the pleadings of Mercy that any of us are alive that we are out of the nethermost Hell And thus much for those words How shall I give thee up Ephraim how shall I deliver thee Israel It follows How shall I make thee as Admah and set thee as Zeboim I opened the words the last day what is meant by Admah and Zeboim the two Cities that were neer to Sodom and Gomorah that were destroyed in the same destruction The Notes of Observation follow First That Gods people may be in danger of as sore and great evils as the vilest and worst of men their sin may have such agravations upon them as may make them liable for the present in this world to as sore great evils as the worst of mankind For indeed the aggravations of the sins of the Saints are such as makes their sins if God should deal with them according to a Covenant of Works and not in a Covenant of Grace their condition would be sadder than the most wicked and vile In Amos 9. 7. saith God there Are ye not as the children of the Ethiopians unto me You have had indeed deliverances and so have they And are you not unto me as the children of the Ethiopians What are you better than the children of the Ethiopians unto me if I should look upon you as in your selves Therefore in Isa 1. 10. The Princes of Judah are called the Princes of Sodom and the people the people of Gomorah And in Lament 4. 6. The punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom Ezek. 16. 48. As I live saith the Lord Sodom thy sister hath not done she nor her daughters as thou hast done thou and thy daughters As I live God swears to it that Sodom was not guilty of such great sins You will say Yea but we are delivered from such evils by being under another Covenant Yea but that should not at al hinder the work of your humiliation but rather further it considering what you are in your selves Secondly When sinners are at the worst and the neerest Judgment yet bowels of mercy are working towards them when they do deserve to be as Admah and Zeboim even then This Note rises from hence but we had it also from the dependance of the words Thirdly Those that have relation to God have a great priviledge that others have not Thus As if God should say Let Admah and Zeboim perish if they will let Fire and Brimstone come from Heaven and Eternal Fire pursue them what care I for Admah and Zeboim But how shall I make thee as Admah and Zeboim Oh! I know not how to find in my heart to make thee so Those that have relation to God have a great priviledge that others have not God disposes his Mercies as he pleases It may be some of you think that your sins are not so great or not greater than the sins of others and therefore you may escape as well as they No you may mistake in that God may save some that are guilty of greater sins than you and yet damn you damn you for sins less than the other Gods mercy is his own If God wil destroy Admah and Zeboim eternally who can say against Gods dealings with them But how shall I make thee as Admah and Zeboim God knows how to make a difference between man and man Let no man presume and say Because others commit as great sins as I I may escape aswel as they No thou reckonest in this without thine Host God may make a great difference between his dealingswith them and with thee and do thee no wrong neither for the mercies of God are his own Fourthly Seeing God is loth to make his people like to others like to the wicked and reprobates in punishments let not them make themselves like to them in sin Doth God put a difference between Reprobates and his People in punishment Oh! let the Saints then labor to put a difference between themselves and such as are of the world in matter of sin let that be no argument to them Such and such do thus and why may not I do so â—oo that 's no argument with God I have destroyed such and such and why may not I destroy thee that argument wil not prevail with God Thou committest such a sin and I have some in Hell that I sent thither for the same sin but this argument prevails not with God Oh! let not such an argument prevail with thee that because such and such sin therefore I will venture too A Fifth Note is Though God be never so inclined to mercy yet this doth not hide from his eyes the sins of his own people he still sees them he sees what they are in themselves and he sees what would become of them if they were left to themselves Now I am in a way of mercy towards you yet I look upon you now as such as have deserved to be as Admah and Zeboim do not think that because my mercy works towards you that therefore your sins are not before my eyes I know your iniquities and yet am gracious and merciful And is it so Neither then should the hope or encouragement of mercy from God hide our sins from us As the thoughts of Gods mercies to us do not hide our sins from him so our hope of mercy from God should not hide our sins from our own eyes but at the same time when we think of the greatest mercy yet we should look upon our selves as the most wretched miserable forlorn Creatures in our selves It follows My heart is turned within me my Repentings are kindled together The word here translated Turned it signifies some great stirring some change into another condition
there were mighty stirrings in Gods heart pleadings of Justice and pleadings of Mercy but Gods mercy overcomes gets the day as it were Mercie triumphs over Justice The Observations When we have stirrings between Mercy and Wrath the stirrings of Mercy should rather prevail the bent of our hearts should rather be in them When we have workings this way and that way which is the most benign side the arguments had need be very much the stronger for wrath than for Mercie If the arguments have any equality or neer any equalitie in them certainly the arguments for mercie should prevail they do so with Gods heart Oh! be you like God in this And then Secondly When there are stirrings with God and temptations to draw to sin the stirrings for God likewise should prevail Have not you found it thus many times in your selves you have had stirrings in your hearts to such and such duties and at the same time there hath been temptations coming to such and such sins now I put it to your Consciences as in the Name of God Cannot you tell divers times how the temptations to sin hath got the day you have been rather carried from God to your base sinful lusts and your Conscience hath been overcom Conscience hath pul'd and drawings of the Spirit have been very powerful but yet temptations have been more powerful and you have gone that way Oh! be ashamed of this that it should ever be said That at such a time there were stirrings with Conscience and Temptations Temptations and Conscience stirring together yet that Temptation should overcome Conscience Thirdly Gods mercies do not free his People from all fruits of displeasure But I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger And my brethren this is not meant meerly of the times of the Law for this anger of God upon them is to this very day But yet it is not fierceness of anger like that of Adamah and Zeboim There are no question among them the elect Ones of God at this day God wil not have this called the fierceness of anger So 't is displeasure 't is captivity long captivity They are a reproach and a by-word to the world and yet not fierceness of anger Our discontented hearts are ready to call every little affliction fierceness of anger Oh! how fierce is God if we suffer any little And indeed did we but know what anger our sins deserve we would learn not to call every affliction that is upon us no nor our greatest afflictions fierceness of anger Fourthly We should acknowledge mercy though we suffer hard things If yet we be not utterly not everlastingly cast off acknowledge Mercy it is Mercy my Repentings kindled I will not execute fierceness of anger Why Because they were not as Admah and Zeboim Learn we all this This day whatsoever afflictions are upon me though it may be you are ready to say Such afflictions are upon me as upon none we are ready to think our afflictions to be the greatest of all yea but bless God that thou hast not fire from heaven to consume thee and thy family for this might have been thy portion this fierceness of Anger I will not return to destroy Ephraim God here compares himself to a Captain that comes with his Soldiers unto a Town I suppose many of you in this place may easily come to understand the meaning of this word by what they have seen and felt themselves Soldiers come to a Town and there they pillage it and away they go and so the poor people think Soldiers have been here and I hope we shall do well enough now and think all 's over It may be within a month or two after the same Soldiers come again and utterly ruin the place and strip them of all But now saith God I will not return to destroy Ephraim that is Though I lay my hand upon them and afflict them and take away many comforts from them yet when I have done that there I 'le leave I will not come back again with a purpose utterly to ruin them This I might do I might return upon them with one evil upon another but I will not do so From whence note There is no cause that sinners should be secure when some evil is upon them to think this is all now they know the worst No God may justly return upon them again and again If thou turnest not to God under thy affliction God may justly return upon thee to ruin thee Indeed if thy afflictions were such as hath caused thy heart to return to God thou maiest then hope that God wil not return upon thee but if so be thou behav'st thy self frowardly under thy afflictions I say thou maiest justly expect that God should return upon thee But Secondly God is very gracious to his people when evil is upon them he will not ad and ad till he utterly destroy them but he will forbear that he might have some subject for his Mercie he will not contend for ever For I am God saith he and not man Here 's an argument that is very full I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger for I am God and not a man Before God took upon him the person of a man in those yernings of his bowels that is When he would express his mercie mark there God would come in the most familier way to make us know the meaning of his mercy but when he comes to speak of Anger there he would have us know that he is not like to a man in way of Anger in the way of Mercie saith he if there be the most merciful man upon earth know that I am like him but when I come to anger I am not like man in the way of anger God is verie desirous that we understand fully his heart in the waies of his mercy but when he speaks of the execution of his wrath I will not do that why For I am a God and not a Man And mark the strength of this expression the difference between God and Man in the point of the execution of wrath you will find it very useful to you First for the opening of it and then for the several Observations to be drawn from it As first Man is of a weak spirit not able to rule his anger Man if he be but a little heat with anger it 's turn'd into rage and there 's no rule at all but I am not man saith God I am God I am no man 't is not with me thus I am not of a weak spirit I am able to rule my anger in Nahum 1. 6. the Lords anger there is said to be furious but I find the word in the Original The Lord of anger so Montanus turns it a God that 's able to rule his anger and expresses it in the midst of the expression of his greatest wrath I am God and not Man Man the word is not Adam but
upon my breakings No but I will rest upon the breakings of Jesus Christ who in the daies of his flesh did send up mighty cries with tears to God and was heard he prevail'd He made supplication Supplieation or prayer it is the great prevailing Ordinance with God that 's the Note It hath been the great Engin that hath carried things on in the world Prayer in Revel 8. 4. The prayers of the Saints were offered up and voices of Thunder and Lightening and Earthquakes followed when they were offered Prayers of the Saints can move Heaven and Earth they can prevail with the God of Heaven and Earth The Praying Legion was called the Thundering Legion And Luther saith of prayers they are our Guns our Cannons our Prayers can prevail more than Cannons The Saints have alwaies put their great strength upon Prayer It 's a very observable Scripture Psal 109. 4. For my love they are my adversaries but what then But I pray it is in your books But I give my self to prayer but the words Give my self you may observe printed in another distinct Character which is to note that those words are not in the Original but added by the Translators and in that they dealt faithfully but if you reade it as it is in the Hebrew it is For my love they are my adversaries but I pray as if he should say that 's my refuge I account prayer to be the great help that I have when they are my adversaries and rail upon me I will not rail upon them again when they oppose me I will not oppose them again but I pray I 'le pray to my God and I make account I have help enough there to resist my enemies that I have Jacob prevailed over the Angel by suppication It 's a good sign of a gracious heart to lay the weight of business upon pra 〈…〉 But I will not enter into this common place of the excellency or power of Prayer and Supplication but only this It 's not every prayer that will prevail so with God What prayer will then Such a prayer as Jacob's was in Gen. 32. 9. there 〈◊〉 shall find how your Father Jacob prayed and there 〈◊〉 excellent Ingredients saith the text And Jacob said O God of my Father Abraham and God of my Father Isaac c. That 's the First Ingredient to Prayer Faith in the Covenant of God upon that the strength of any prayr most depends Indeed to have strong Expressions and Affections in prayer are good but Strength of Faith in the Covenant of God is the greatest strength of prayer and it was with this strength that Jacob did prevail Oh! God of my Father Abraham and God of my Father Isaac as if he should say Oh! thou God that hast entred into Covenant with my Father Abraham and Isaac O God remember thy COVENANT O God I rest upon 〈◊〉 COVENANT the COVENANT of Grace that 〈◊〉 hast made with them for so certainly that with 〈◊〉 hans and Isaac was the same for it 's said That Circum 〈…〉 sion was the sign and seal of the righteousness that he had 〈◊〉 Faith And in Thee shall all the Nations of the Earth be bl 〈…〉 There was the Covenant of Grace Now O Lord 〈◊〉 it is the Covenant of Grace that I rest upon in the 〈◊〉 straits When you are in any strait and go to Go 〈…〉 prayer if you can have recourse to the Covenant 〈◊〉 Grace and act your saith upon Gods Covenant with you Oh! that will be a strong prayer When there are but words in prayer they vanish as the wind but when there is much saith in prayer that makes it to prevail the prayer of faith that 's prevalent saith the Apostle James that 's the first ingredient in his prayer he made supplication and exercises faith in the Covenant And then the second was His appeal to God that he was 〈◊〉 the way that he had set him He could appeal thus to God which saidst unto me Return unto thy Country and to thy Kindred Why Lord am I out of my way am I not in the way that thou hast set me I met with difficul 〈…〉 in my way but Lord thou saidest to me Return 〈…〉 to thy Country thou bidest me return so that 's an excellent ingredient in prayer and ads much strength when the soul in prayer can come to God and say O Lord there is this and this difficulty befallen me but Lord I am in the way that thou hast set me I am doing thy work I am not out of my way For any man or woman to be out of their way that God hath set them in will mightily damp their hearts in prayer And it 's a mighty encouragement to prayer and carries it on with mighty strength when the soul can appeal to God Lord whatsoever straits I meet withal yet I am in thy way Then the Third thing in prayer It is the pleading of â—particular Promise And I will deal well with thee God 〈…〉 de a Promise to Jacob in particular that he would deal 〈◊〉 with him in his journy that he went And the 〈◊〉 faith we have to take hold upon particular promises that concerns the particular business we pray about 〈◊〉 we pray about any business though it 's true the 〈◊〉 strength is in the great Promise the Covenant of 〈…〉 But then it ads much strength likewise to have 〈…〉 f particular Promises that concerns the very business we are about and it 's a very good thing when we go about a business that hath difficulty in it to search the Word and to see what Promises there are that doth more particularly concern the business we go about The Fourth Ingredient it was his Acknowledgment and Sence of his own unworthiness and vileness in ver 10. I am not worthy of the least of thy mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewn unto thy Servant When the soul comes with humility before God in Prayer and is truly sensible of its unworthiness of any mercy Lord I am not worthy of the least crum of bread but rather worthy to be cast out from thy presence for ever it 's an easie matter for men and women to have such words in their mouths but to have this indeed in their hearts in prayer ads very much strength to prayer The Fifth Ingredient in his prayer it was The acknowledgment of the mercy that he had received and of the truth of God in fulfilling Promises and both ads much strength to prayer to take notice of what God hath done for us to take notice how God hath fulfil'd his Word in great measure for us when we are praying we many times are sensible only of what we would have but not of what we receive and the vehemencie of our desires after what we would have doth take away our apprehensions and hinders our acknowledgment of the
mercies we have had already but when thou comest to prayer whatsoever thy condition be though in never such great straits yet acknowledg what thou hast already be willing to praise God in the lowest condition that thou art in And then he doth proceed further and looks back to his former meanness that once he was in For with my staff passed I over this Jordan and now I am become two band 〈…〉 that 's a further expression of his humility and God 〈◊〉 ther mercy And then the next thing is the great sence of what he praies for Deliver me I pray thee from the hand of my Brother from the hand of Esau for I fear him lest he will come and smite me and the mother with the children Lord I do not speak words that have expressions in them without sence of my heart for Lord as I am crying to thee for help against my Brother I do apprehend my great extremity Lord I fear him lest he come and smite me with the mother and the children When we come to prayer we must not have words that are puft-up words and have little in them but there must be as much sence of the thing that we pray for as the words that we speak do seem to import carry with them many times we have great words and little sence and that makes our prayers to be so empty And then the next thing in his prayer it was The strong arguments that he did use with God though it 's true That what we can say to God cannot move God yet it may move our own hearts and God would have us to use strong arguments in prayer And thou saidest in ver 12. I will surely do thee good and make thy seed as the sand on the Sea which cannot be numbred for multitude As if he should say Lord how will thy promise be fulfill'd didest thou not say that my seed should be as the sand of the Sea now if the mother and children be cut off what will become of thy Promise God is so indulgent as to suffer us to plead our cause with him And these pleading prayers are strong prayers he wept and made supplication so he prevail'd with God Now labor you if you be of the seed of Jacob to pray as your Father Jacob did But so much shall suffice for that Second History about Jacob's prevailing with the Angel Now the Third History follows He found him in Bethel and there he spake with us The words in the Hebrew are He will find us in Bethel and there he spake with us As if it were an encouraging word of the Angel to Jacob that God would find him in Bethel and indeed the Gramatical sense of the words would carry such a sense but rather because the Learned know that the word is often used for the Preter tense in the Hebrew and it 's more according to the scope of the place to reade them as you have them in your books He found him in Bethel and there he spake with us That is He found Jacob in Bethel and spake to Jacob and in speaking to Jacob he spake unto us all Now for the opening of this History and the shewing how it sutes with the scope of the Prophet in this place We reade in Scripture of two Meetings that God and Jacob had together at Bethel and this Text in Hosea doth refer to them both God finds him in Bethel two times and spake with Jacob and spake to us both those times The First time for fear of danger he fled from his brother when his brother had mischievous thoughts against him after he got the blessing from him And the Second time again after his wrastling with the Angel God meets him in Bethel The First of these you have in Gen 28. 10. and the Second in Gen. 35. 1. and so on And it 's necessary to refer to those two Scriptures for the interpretation of this Scripture you will not know what it means else 1. He finds him in Bethel Gen. 28. 10. yea indeed for Jacob he lay asleep with a stone under his head he saw a vision of Angels ascending and descending from Heaven and God speak excellent things unto him But the Note is That God finds his People many times when they little think of him He comes unto his People in waies of mercy when they scarce dream of it Jacob was but in a dream at this time and yet God came in very wonderful waies of mercy towards him Oh! how often hath God found us in this way how often may many of you say that the Lord hath come unexpectedly to you in waies of mercy that you never made account of such mercies as you have met withal Oh! when unexpected mercies come we should consider that God found us whereas our sins might have found us but the mercies of God have found us out And the other time that God found Jacob it was when he was in great distress after his daughter Dinah had been defloured and his sons Simeon and Levi had committed that great outrage against the Shechemites so great an outrage as to kill the City and upon that Jacob and all his family was in great danger of being destroyed for the act was so foul that it could not but make all the people as Jacob thought to abhor him and would be a cause that they should all rise against him and utterly to cut him off therfore in Gen. 34 30. Jacob tels his sons that they had made him to stink among the inhabitants of the Land so that he was afraid they would gather together and destroy him and his house no question the distress that Jacob was in was very great that his daughter should be defloured by the uncircumcised ones and that his two sons should commit such an outrage and should endanger him to be destroyed utterly by them For who would have thought but that all the Inhabitants of the Land should have risen against him and have cut him off Now the next thing that we hear of God meets with him at Bethel and speaks very gracious things to him there and he did not only speak to him but there he spake with us That is God meeting with Jacob in Bethel that which he spake to him there concern'd us aswel as it concern'd Jacob. An expression to the same purpose we have in Psal 66. 6. He turned the Sea into dry land they went through the Floud on foot there We did rejoyce in him For indeed the mercy of God towards the Isralites at that time that did rejoyce them was a matter of Rejoycing for us Whatsoever is written is written for our learning 't is as if God spake to us That which God spake to Abraham I am God Alsufficient walk before me and be upright he spake that to us he spake that to thee and me That that God spake to Joshua
you in this mark those two Scriptures Micah 6. 11. the Lord having shewn what he did require that men should be just in their waies now saith the text in ver 11. Shall I account them pure with the wicked ballances and with the bag of deceiptful weights for the rich men thereof are full of violence and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lyes and their tongue is deceip ful in their mouth therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee Oh! when God comes to smite thee he will make thee sick to purpose sickness to such men as have defiled consciences in their trading is dreadful sickness indeed as if God should say You shal have not great content in what you have I will be avenged on you for what you do either you or your heirs shall no enjoy it But that place concerns Christians very much a place that it 's impossible for you that are exercised in Scripture but you must needs take notice of it 1 Thes 4. 6. That no man go beyond and defraud his brother In any matter you must not go beyond your brother your brother is weak you will say Let the weaker look to it as well as he can No you must not take advantage of his weakness he is your brother you must not defraud him no not in any matter why because that the Lord is the avenger of all such as we also have forewarned you and testified And know this day the Lord forewarns you once more by the Ministry of his Word and the Lord by his Word doth testifie against you in this one thing and if you go on in anie way of deceipt you go on against the verie strength of the Word and strength of Conscience this day and this Word that is preached this day to you shall certainlie testifie against you another day Yea further When you come to die Oh! how terrible will death be to such men when they shall leave the sweet of all their estates and carrie nothing but the guilt of all with them In Job 27. 8. What hope shall an hypocrite have though be hath gained when God takes away his soul Sometimes men they seek to deceive and they are discovered and so they are rendered base and contemptible to all the world yea but sometimes again they may carrie it so cunninglie as they shall never be discovered perhaps in this world but they shall gain as Ephraim saith here I am become rich and have gotten substance but what hope hath this hypocrite though he hath gained what profit shal it be though thou hast gained the whol world and shalt lose thy own soul See also James 5. 3. The rust of your Gold and Silver shall eat your flesh as it were fire Yea Know further That thou must restore if thou hast any estate now or if thou ever comest to have any estate it must be restor'd or thou canst not expect to find mercy from God with all the sorrow cries and prayers that can be without restitution there cannot be expectation of pardon and forgiveness The ancient speech that all Divines in all Ages of the Church have closed withal was There must be Restitution of that that is falslie gotten if it be in thy power to do it thou must restore it or else thou canst not have anie hope of mercie those sweet morsels that you have swallowed must be vomited up again And therefore you that are Apprentices take heed of pleasing your Masters to be deceiptful for if you have a hand in it you must restore I 'le give you Scripture and Reason for it The Reason is this That 't is impossible that any kind of repentance can be accepted of God without restitution the reason is because That if I have power to restore all the while I do not restore I do continue in the sin I do not only wrong the man just the verie hour I have deceived him but all the while I keep that which is his in my hand this is the argument that repentance can never be accepted of God that may stand or doth stand with a wilful continuance in the sin that a man seems to repent of Do I repent of my sin and yet wilfully continue in the sin I say Wilful for I have it in my hand to restore Oh but I shall undo my self I but that 's wilful still Is it better for thee to keep an estate or to keep a sin Now certainly any man that hath anie light must needs acknowledg thus much That if I truly repent me of my sin I must do what possibly I can to undo my sin Can I say I am heartilie sorrie for a sin when I do not what I can for to undo that sin again if I can And for the Scriptures for Restitution there are divers I 'le give you two or three Ezek. 33. 14 15. And when I say unto the wicked Thou shalt surely die If he turn from his sin and do that which is lawful and right if the wicked restore the pledg give again that he hath robbed c. he shall surely live he shall not die He doth not walk in the Statutes of life except he give again that which he hath robbed And so in Numb 5. 6 7. there you have the Law about restitution when a man or woman shall commit anie sin that men commit to do a trespass against the Lord and that person be guilty then they shall confess their sin which they have done is this al and he shall recompence his trespass with the princial thereof and ad unto it the fifth part thereof and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed He must confess his sin yea but that 's not enough but he must recompence the partie This is a most excellent Scripture Mark it 's said here If a man shall trespass against the Lord it 's not only against Man but against the Lord against the rule of Justice that the Lord hath so set for the maintaining of order and humane Societie in the world And then observe it further if a man or woman commit a sin that men commit and do a trespass you wil say I do no other than all trades-men do mark saith the text If a man or woman commit any sin that men commit as if the holy Ghost should say I confess it is a sin that is ordinarie but though it be ordinarilie committed by men though there should be confession of that sin yet if there be not restitution it will do you little good I remember Latimer in one of his Sermons that he preach'd before King Edward speaking of this verie point of Restitution he saith that the first day that he preached about it there comes one and gives him twenty pounds to restore the next time he preached there comes in another and brings thirtie pounds and another time he preached and there comes another and
gives him two hundred pounds ten shillings and he hath this homelie expression Restore what you have gotten else you will cough in Hell and the Devils will laugh at you Certainly it is that that will lie heavie upon conscience Gravel in the kidnies will not grate so upon you as a little guiltiness that is upon your consciences I my self knew one man that had wronged another but of five shillings and it seems he did not much regard it being but five shillings yet God awakening his conscience fiftie yeers after he comes and could not be quiet till he had restor'd that five shillings And therefore know that though it be manie yeers since you have gotten any thing by deceipt and wrong yet God will if he hath a love to you put you to restore it again Oh! what foolish lusts are the lusts of covetousness as the Apostle saith Those that will be rich they fall into many foolish lusts this sin of covetousness and deceiptfulness it doth bring men into foolish lusts and makes men pierce themselves with manie sorrows and Oh! that God would pierce them with some sorrow this day that they might never have one nights rest quiet till at least they do resolve in their hearts that they will set upon a way to make Restitution And even those of you that have made false agreements with your creditors if God awakens your consciences I see not how you can satisfie your conscience till you satisfie them these things will not be peace another day Now the Lord convince those that hearing the Word of God are guilty and know that God will call for an account of this thing and of this text that through providence you have come to hear of this day VER 8. And Ephraim said Yet I am become rich c. IN the Verse before Ephraim is charged for being a Merchant for having the Ballances of Deceipt in his hand and Loving to oppress but yet Ephraim saith I am become rich Yet The Particle here is nevertheless as if they should say Let the Prophet say what he will let him enveigh against me as he pleaseth I know not what he means by his Deceipt and Oppression I am sure I gain well by it Yet I am become rich I am sure I prosper in this way and that 's enough for me I have found me out substance The Hebrew word that is here translated Substance it signifies sometimes Iniquity Labor Violence Rapine Affliction Riches an Idol and Substance all these things this word signifies for indeed most of them if not all are usually joyned together with Riches where men are wicked that do enjoy them I have found substance The Greeks they have a word Rest Refreshing to my soul They account the great refreshing and rest to their souls to be in the riches that they have gotten however they get them I have found Substance Those things that the Prophet tels us of they are but Notions Imaginations but in what I have found there 's Substance to have an Estate and Riches and Comings-in there 's Substance I have found substance First from this observe Wicked men will have something to say for themselves though their waies be never so foul The Prophet charges them of very foul things the Ballances of Deceipt and loving to oppress and other sins before were named Yet Ephraim saith He hath somewhat to say It 's a very hard thing to stop the mouths of wicked men and especially Rich wicked men wicked men that prosper in their wicked waies say what you wil you cannot stop their mouths The work of Conversion is not so much as begun till the mouths of sinners be stopt till they be so convinc'd of their evil waies as they have nothing to say for themselves Secondly Men though very wicked and going on in very sinful courses yet they may prosper for a while Ephraim said I am become Rich. It 's true sometimes God meets with wicked men and curses them in their way that they have not their desire satisfied but many times they have they do become rich they get their hearts desires Job 21. Psal 73. with other places sufficient for this Thirdly Wicked men in their prosperity and riches what they get they attribute to themselves I am become rich and I have found substance I have got They do not look up to God indeed they dare not those that get by a sinful way they dare not acknowledge God in it and this is the evil of getting any thing in a way of sin that a man cannot come to God and say Lord I bless thee that thou hast given me this no his Conscience would fly in his face wicked men attribute all to themselves This is a very wicked and vile thing Deut. 6. 12. Beware lest thou forget the Lord thy God speaking of their having Houses and Lands Beware lest thou forget the Lord thy God and only look at thy self atribute al to thy self that 's the meaning Then Fourthly Carnal hearts they account outward things Riches to be the only substantial things I have found substance they think there is no substance in other things you speak of Spiritual things of Communion with God of Faith in Jesus Christ and of the Promises they are but poor dry things that have no substance in them but tell me of Gain and Comings-in there 's some savour there there 's substance there For indeed there 's nothing gives substance unto Spiritual things but Faith in Heb. 11. 1. Faith is the evidence of things not seen and the substance of things hoped for Faith doth give a substance to spiritual things a Beleever looks upon spiritual things as the most substantial and looks on these outward things as imaginary Carnal hearts think spiritual things imaginary and an outward estate substantial it 's quite contrary in those that are spiritual in the 8. of Proverbs vers 21. saith Wisdom there That I might cause them that love me to inherit substance to inherit that that is as if there were nothing had a substance but only that which comes in by Wisdom by Grace We call rich men substantial men such a man we say is a substantial man for indeed all the substance that the world looks after it is riches they make account that 's substance And then Fifthly When carnal heats have got estates they much glory in what they have got I am become rich and I inherit sustance They make their boast in what they have got they bless themselves in their way in Zephan 1. vers 9. it is spoken of the verie servants of rich covetous men that seek to get an estate but to their Masters in a way either of violence or of deceipt They leap upon the threshold the text saith They triumph and leap and skip in their rejoycing that they have circumvenced others that they have got such and such things
never returned I shall follow those that think it hath reference to the times of the Gospel and to all the true Israel of God that should be converted to the faith and I think it hath reference to that because we find so often in this Prophesie of Hosea things that are so far off to be interpreted to the times of the Gospel Therefore I will yet make them to dwell in Tabernacles Thus to be understood in this Spiritual Sense That the Lord hath his time though he seem'd to cast off these ten Tribes yet to bring the Jews and all the Israel of God to bring them into his Church and to build several Tabernacles for them in his Church And there in several Churches as so many several Tabernacles there they shal have the feast of sweet things of fat things of refined Wine upon the Lees as in Isa 25. the Promises of the Gospel are set out by a feast of fat things so saith God I 'le bring thee into several Churches as several Tabernacles and there shall they keep a feast and there shall their hearts rejoyce and be satisfied as with marrow and fatness My Brethren the Lord hath delivered us in great measure from Egypt all the difficultie now is about building of Tabernacles for the present there 's verie little matter to make Tabernacles of amongst us I remember Mr Ainsworth in Exod 25. 3. he tells of a Tradition of the Jews and cites Rabbi Menachem for it that observed there was no Iron stuff for the building of the Tabernacle truly our hearts are most Iron and hard one towards another and therefore notfit matter for Tabernacles in 1 King 6. 7. There was no Iron tool neither heard in the building of the Temple Oh! my brethren Iron tools will not do the work for the building of Gods Tabernacle we must have other manner of tools than these There 's no Tabernacles almost yet wherein the Saints either of one judgment or of another have much rejoycing The Glory of God hath not yet filled our Tabernacles that we have built what God intends towards this Generation whether ever to bring them into those Tabernacles that here he promises I know not but surely that God that hath brought us out of Egypt he will bring either us or the posteritie after us he will bring a Generation of his people to keep the feast of Tabernacles with rejoycing It follows VER 10. I have also spoken by the Prophets and I have multiplied visions c. THis is a further Declaration of Gods goodness to this people and upbraiding them for their wickedness they have had so much means as if God should say They have not wanted the revealing of my Will I have spoken by my Prophets and multiplied visions Heb. 1. 1. seems to have reference to this That God at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past to the Fathers by the Prophets several sorts of waies God reveal'd himself in former times I have spoken by my Prophets There is not much difficulty in the words The Notes briefly are these That it's God that speaks by his Prophets Though Prophets are mean and the messengers of God mean yet so long as they speak to you in his Name the Authoritie of what they say it is above any They may be under their Auditors many waies but the message they bring it is above them though they are weak yet there 's the power of God goes along with what they speak to make it good and therefore you shall find when Christ sent his Disciples to preach Go saith he and teach all Nations but first he saith All power is given to me in Heaven and Earth then the words that follow are Go ye therfore and teach all Nations as if he should say All the power that is given to me shall go along with your teaching it is the Lord that speaks the Lord Christ that speaks in his Word by his Messengers He that hears you hears me and he that despiseth you despiseth me The Word doth little good til men come to apprehend this That it's God that speaks by his Messengers 1 Thess 2. 13. the Apostle saith That they received the Word not as the word of Men but as it is in truth the Word of God That is observable of Samuel God called to Samuel and Samuel thought it had been Eli that spake and all that time God would not reveal his mind to him til at length Samuel gives this answer Lord speak for thy servant heareth Mark God would reveal his mind to Samuel then and not before So 't is here You come to the Word and you come to hear the gifts of such men and such a man hath excellent gifts and abilities and delivery and such kind of things God reveals nothing to you you go away and hear a sound and there 's all and no more is revealed to you than if you heard an Oration in a School but when God shall be pleased to dart this thought into your minds I am now going to hear that which is the Word of God Himself the Word of that God that is my Judg and that must be my Judg at the great day now see whether God will not make himself known to you that so you shal say Methinks I never heard Sermon before in all my life I have come and heard a Man preach but I never heard God preach before It was not as the Word of God but as the word of such a man God expects that men should tremble at his Word and therefore look upon it as his Word Secondly It is a great mercy to a People for God to grant his Prophets among them to reveal his mind to them What would all the world be but as a dungeon of darkness were it not for the Prophets and Ministers of God 〈…〉 ey are as the Light of the World and the Salt of the Earth the World would rot and be unsavorie were it not for the Ministry of the Word in the World and so we find that when God-would make a special Promise to his People he promises them that they shall have their Teachers in Isa 30. 20. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction yet shall not thy Teachers be removed into a corner any more but thine eyes shall see thy Teachers Oh! here 's a promise to a gracious heart But to another it 's nothing What Shall the Ministry of the Word countervail the loss of my estate God doth not say I 'le take away from you your afflictions Oh no but your eyes shall see your Teachers perhaps your eyes shall never see your Money and Estates again but your eyes shall see your Teachers And we know when Christ was ascended up on high in his Coronation Day Kings in their Coronation daies use to give great Gifts to shew their
blood upon him When God comes to bring the guilt of sin and the punishment of sin on a mans own head and there leaves it upon him that 's sad indeed We reade in 2 Sam. 12. 13. there it is said when Nathan came and rebuk'd David for his sin David confest his sin and saith Nathan to him The Lord hath put away thy sin the word is translated by some thus The Lord hath made thy sin to pass away Oh that 's a happiness indeed when it may be said of God he doth make the sin and the guilt to pass away from the sinner that 's a happiness But on the other side when God shall leave the sin upon the sinner leave the guilt of the sin upon him as if God should say here 's the guilt of sin upon the head of such a man and let it abide and lie he shall leave his blood upon him as in Ezek. 22. 20. the Lord saith He will bring them into the fire and leave them there the Lord many times brings his Saints into the fire of afflictions Oh but he will not leave them there but when he brings the wicked into the fire he leaves them there And his reproach shall his Lord return unto him His reproach That 's thus They do what lies in them to bring a reproach upon me the living God as if there were not an Alsufficiency in me but I 'le make the reproach to turn upon their own heads yea they reproach my Saints too but I 'le make this to return upon their own heads Oh take heed of doing any thing to bring a reproach upon God You will say Can the Creature bring a reproach upon God I might shew you divers waies I 'le instance but in this one thing Apostatizing from God when professors of Religion that have been very forward and seem'd to rejoyce in the waies of God and to relie upon God and they shall forsake God to follow after their vain lusts I say these do bring a reproach upon God himself in Heb. 10. 29. they did despite to the Spirit of Grace they wrong and bring a reproach upon the Spirit of Grace And then Heb. 6. 6. They put the Son of God to an open shame saith the text they make him a reproach before all As when you cart people up and down the City you hold them out as a scorn so they put the Son of God to open shame they do as it were hold forth the Son of God to open shame so what thou professest There is more good to be had in a Whore than in Jesus Christ and God and the blessed Spirit that 's the language of a Whoremaster Well you that are Apostates and think to bring a reproach upon Religion and upon the Saints and they all suffer for you from whence is it that the people of God are reproach'd but because of Apostates Well do you bring a reproach upon God upon his Name upon Profession upon his Saints the Lord hath waies to turn the reproach upon your selves and usually such men as these before they die God doth put to open shame he leaves them to such vile courses as they come to be a shame a by-word a scorn and cast out as dung and filth not only to the Churches but from such as have any kind of civility or morality at all Oh! take heed of bringing a reproach upon God and so by bringing reproaches upon his Saints Oh! let the Saints go on in a constant way of holiness and faithfulness God will wipe away their reproach the Lord will return the reproach upon the heads of such as seek to reproach them And when there comes a reproach upon the wicked it shall be another manner of reproach than upon the Saints it 's call'd a perpetual reproach the reproach of the Saints is not a perpetual reproach but when it 's upon the ungodly it shall be a perpetual reproach and in Jer. 41. 18. those two things are joyned together a Curse and a Reproach Nehem. 4. 4. Hear O God for we are despised and turn their reproach upon their own heads saith Nehemiah Sanballat and Tobiah did reproach the Servants of God that did seek in the uprightness of their hearts to honor God but Lord return their reproach upon themselves saith Nehemiah And truly this is the best way when the Servants of God are reproached though they may by lawful means seek to vindicate their names yet their chief way is to pray Lord turn the reproach upon the heads or bosoms of our adversaries And then the last Note is this And his reproach shall His LORD return unto him His Lord What is God the Lord of this people his Lord shall turn it yes saith he 't is as if the Prophet should say thus you reject God and will not be in subjection to him you will not own him to be your Lord but he will be your Lord in spite of your heart God will be God and he will be Lord let wicked men do what they can and what they will he will be their Lord Christ hath purchased to be Lord over the world and he will be Lord over all over all Apostates Hypocrits wicked men let them do what they can against Jesus Christ Jesus Christ will be Lord over them in spite of their hearts Oh it s a blessed thing to give up our selves willingly to the subjection of Jesus Christ If we say we will not have thiâ— man to rule over us Christ will say but I will rule over you the Lord hath sworn by Himself and the word hath proceeded out of his mouth in righteousness that every knee shall bow unto him and every tongue confess his Name be still saith God and know that I am the Lord So I say to the most troublesome and tumultuous spirit that would cast off the yoke of God Oh! be still thou wretched thou proud spirit and know that God is the Lord he will prevail against you God made Julian to know this that when a dart was struck into him he cast his heart blood into the Air with an O than Galilean thou hast overcome me And so all wicked men shall be forced to say one day Well though I would cast off the Commands of God behind my back and break his Cords yet the Lord hath overcome me and though I perish to all eternity yet God will be God blessed for ever and Lord of the whol Earth And thus through Gods mercy we have gon through this Twelfth Chapter CHAP. XIII VER 1. When Ephraim spake trembling he exalted himself in Israel but when he offended in Baal he died THis Chapter is partly Legal and partly Evangelical Legal charging this people with their fin of Idolatry and of Ingratitude shewing them Gods wrath partly already inflicted and further threatned them to the 14. Verse and again in the
that inferiors should give to their Superiors to shew reverence when they speak Oh let us give this to God Psal 103. 20. Bless the Lord ye his Angels that excel in strength and do his Commandements hearkening to the voice of his Word The Angels they excel in strength the most excellent Creatures and what do they slight and disregard the Word of God Oh no they hearken to the voice of His Word they give a reverent respect to the voice of Gods Word and it infinitly beseems us when God speaks to give respect to him that 's the first Secondly Those who are in place of power over others they account it their honor not only that those under them regard what they say but that they should tremble at what they say It is a great delight that man hath to lift up himself above others and to be imperious above others we might give divers examples of men that have had great power in their hands and when any thing hath displeased them they would speak so as to make others to shake and tremble Nay not only men in great place will do it but you shall find this disposition in men that are very mean and of a very low rank yet if they have any under them they will be imperious over them as now in Families how many when they do but speak to their Wives though she be colateral and not directly under him yet how imperiously do they speak speak so as to make the house shake almost when they speak and so Servants and Children and this they account their Glory My Brethren though this be often through much distemper and pride and vanity in men to delight to make all that are under them to tremble when they speak yet this is an honor due to God and God expects it from us for the Lord is infinitely above us and we are all of us under the feet of God and at his dispose both for our present and eternal estate And it is â—it for us therefore to give regard and some reverence to God when he speaks to have an heart to tremble at his Word that 's that God looks for In Isa 66. 2. The Lord that is on high yet he looks to him that is of a poor and contrite spirit and trembleth at his Word the Word that God speaks is that that hath the dreadful Authority of God in it It is that that binds Conscience it 's that Word that if thou obeyest not will bind thee over to eternal death It becomes the greatest Monarchs in the world to have shaking and trembling hearts when God speaks Oh! who art thou that canst stand against the Voice of God when he speaks Oh bold and hard heart I say that canst stand out against Gods Voice In Psal 29. 4. The Voice of the Lord is powerful the Voice of the Lord is full of Majesty And in Hab. 3. 16 When I heard my belly trembled and my lips quivered at the Voice and I trembled in my self again This is the honor that is due to God Oh it is a comely thing to see a Congregation sit even trembling under the Word of God manifesting their hearts to be affected with the Authority and Majestie of what it is that God speaks for there 's much Majesty in the Voice of God Oh! 't is full of Majestie Again When he spake there was trembling This the Prophet mentions as a means to aggravate his sin and misery afterwards As if the Prophet should say There was a time that God did subdue the hearts of people under Ephraim so that Ephraim had a great deal of Authority over those that were under him When Ephraim spake there was trembling From whence the Note is this which Pareus hath upon the place saith he The subjection of the hearts of men unto those in Authority it is a work of God God is to have the glory of it It is from God that the hearts of multitudes shall be brought under some few so as to fear them and to receive what they speak with trembling it is from God In Josh 4. 14. On that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel and they feared him as they feared Moses Joshua before Moses dyed was but a servant to Moses and we do not reade that he was so magnified among the People they did not fear him so much No the fear was then upon Moses because Moses was in place of Authority but when Moses was taken away and Joshua was to succeed him in Authority then the Lord magnified him the Lord put a lustre upon him and the Lord caused the People to fear him as they had feared Moses It is a work of God to cause People to fear Magistrates So in Dan. 5. 19. For the Majestie be gave him that God gave the King all People and Nations and Languages trembled and feared before him It 's God that puts majestie upon Governors to make those that are under to fear It 's a very observable Scripture we have in Psal 77. 14. there it 's spoken of God that he did wonders and marvellous things What are those wonders and marvellous things If you reade you shall find among others Thou leadest thy People like a flock of Sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron that 's reckoned among the wonders and marvellous things that God doth That he did lead his People like a flock of Sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron that so great a multitude should be led like a flock of Sheep by the hands of two it is a wonderful work of God God is to have the glory of it it is for the maintaining of Government and Order in the World that God doth so subdue the hearts of many under few Then Fourthly When Ephraim spake trembling Though Ephraim the yonger yet when he got Authority in his hand how imperious was he And observe The meaner the beginings of men are the more imperious often-times they are when they come in place of Power none more imperious and insulting over men than such as have meaner beginings this was the yonger Brother and had power by a special providence of God not according to the ordinary common course and very often we find it that men of mean qualitie and that were inferior to others if any providences raises them above others they grow more imperious than others And then a Fifth is this which is a principal thing to be observed here a Note from the change of the condition of Ephraim when Ephraim spake trembling but after he sinned he died That men which heretofore have been of very high repute and of reverend respect so as they had much power to prevail with people that they had to do with yet by their sin they fall off from their dignity Sin will bring mens honors down though there was a time that every one reverenced him had high esteem
of him and did much regard what they spake yet they falling to sin and wickedness it 's just with God to bring their honor and esteem down to bring it into the dust and to make them vile and contemptible in the eyes of those that ere while did reverence them we find this threatned both to those in the place of Magistracy and in the place of Ministry For Magistracy in Job 12 21. He powreth contempt upon Princes God powers contempt though they had very great honor and esteem yet through their sin contempt is thrown upon them And then for those in the Ministry in Mal. 2. 9. Therefore also have I made you contemptible and base before all the people The Priests lips should preserve knowledg and they were very honorable those that were faithful but when they come to be partial in the Law that is when they come to turn the Word of God to their own ends it 's a remarkable Scripture that the Lord made them vile in the eyes of the people It was that they were partial in the Law that was a main thing that is they would handle the Word of God partially what they could get to drive on their own waies by they would improve that to the uttermost and turn the Word which way they pleased upon this though they thought to prevail that way and to get esteem of the people by this means yeâ— this was the thing that God threatens to make them to be vile and contemptible in the eyes of the people because of this When people come to discover this that men do indeed drive on their own designs and their own ends in the waies of God there 's nothing will take away their repute and their honor more Oh the great change that there is in the honors and esteem of men God for their sin casts them out and their names as vile men and women who have out-liv'd their honors even in the very hearts of the Saints Indeed when there is a change in an outward condition from prosperity to afflictions then wicked and carnal men will not regard those that they did honor before As in Job's case in Job 29. Job tells us how he was honored and regarded and reverenced where he liv'd in prosperity but when he was in affliction in Job 30. 1. Now those who are yonger than I have me in derision that 's a wickedness to change our minds of the esteem of men because of their prosperity or adversity it shews a great vanity of spirit and where the heart is right if one that hath been godly and in publick place heretofore and now God by his providence hath brought him down in regard of his outward estate yet he is to be honored still continuing in his integrity and holiness But now this is that which I speak of as a Judgment of God upon men when God casts out their names from the very hearts of the Saints and that worthily too when they shall be worthy to be look'd upon as dead carcasses though heretofore much honored and respected heretofore they were as Gardens that had many sweet Flowers excellent common gifts they had for which they were respected but now like Gardens over-grown with Weeds that no body doth regard As Houses that were hung with costly Hangings but afterwards pull'd down and nothing left but the bare walls so their gifts were very precious but now as those Houses having their Lord and Prince gone away there 's nothing but bare walls and it may be Mice and Vermine run up and down in those rooms that were hung so bravely So it is with many that had excellent gifts which were highly honored and esteemed of by people that knew them but now the hangings are gone now there 's nothing but Vermine running up and down in their spirits Oh! what a mighty havock sin will make in the honor and esteem of men Let men therefore take heed of trusting in their former repute for let them have done what they will heretofore yet if they depart from God their honor will be gone Men that are in place of Authority or in place of Ministry had need consider this point well for it 's a matter of great moment for men in place of Authority to keep up their repute and esteem that they may be the more useful and do service not only for themselves but that they may be of the greater use to do service for God And it is one of the great designs of the Devil to seek to cast dirt upon those that God doth use as Instruments for good Oh! it concerns them to look to it that there be nothing justly cast upon them It 's very observable how God remembers Ephraim a long time after to put dishonor upon him You shall reade in the Book of the Revelations where the Tribes are reckoned up in chap. 7. there 's only two Tribes left out Dan Ephraim Ephraim is not mentioned there by his own name but by the name of Joseph and the reason that is given is because those two Tribes were Ring-leaders in waies of Idolatry as Dan if you reade Judg. 18. you shall find him there a Ring-leader and you know the great change of things that Ephraim made in the Worship of God by Jeroboam's setting up of Calves and so afterwards sinnâ—ng in Baal and so the great dishonor that God put upon him afterwards When Ephraim spake Spake what What did Ephraim speak when he caused trembling All this hath been only from the general but what did he speak referring it to Jeroboam that was of Ephraim and so to the Courtiers that were with him these spake these two things and so caused trembling in the hearts of the people First When Jeroboam spake about the altering of the way of Government about the taking off of the ten Tribes from the house of David What portion have we in David and in the house of Jesse When this was mentioned then there was trembling it did certainly at first cause the peoples hearts to shake they thought it was a very great matter they knew not what would come of it What for to forsake the house of David and to have a change of Government in another way this caused many thoughts of heart and much trembling fearing that there might come very ill consequence of it When he spake there was trembling But he exalted himself Notwithstanding such concussions of spirit as there was yet Jeroboam went on in his way and would venture the worst let come of it what would he would on He exalted himself But then afterwards he sins in the way of his Idolatry and so his successors sin in Baal and then he died God struck him and his Familie and so the ten Tribes From whence our Notes of Observation are First That alteration in the matter of Government is a matter of very great hazard and difficulty men
be bowed to as well as to be kissed in taking an Oath The lifting up the hand to the High God in an Oath we find in Scripture therefore that is safe VER 3. Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud and as the early dew it passeth away as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor and as the smoke out of the chimny HERE are four Elegant similitudes to fet forth Ephraims weak vanishing condition Gods power over them the swiftness of the punishment the violence of it and his utter desolation so that his place shall not be found 1. A cloud Ephraim was risen seemed to threaten great things overcast the leaves like a cloud but upon the brightness of Gods Justice appearing all was dispelled Their righteousness chap. 6. was as a cloud and dew now they shall be so themselves 2. Dew The dew it seems to bespangle the grass but the Sun rising it is soon dried up Ephraims estate was beautiful but the heat of Gods wrath consumes all presently 3. The Chaff The word signifies the smallest of the chaff the dust of the chaff-heap and that abroad where their floors were and a whirlwind coming upon it Psal 35 5. Let them be as chaff before the wind and let the Angel of the Lord chase them Oh! Many when they begin to be unsetled to be going the Angel of God as a messenger of wrath drives them on apace to misery 4. Smoke The smoke out of the chimney it seems to darken the Heavens but presently it is scattered The words signifies a chink or hole Because in Judea there were not such chimnies as we now adaies use but as it were windows or open places in the upper part of the house or in the wall as it is this day in Norway and Swethland saith a Learned Interpreter upon the place We may note hence The vanity of proud men Here God compares them to such mean vile things persons that heretofore were so lofty So 1 King 14. 10. Jeroboam's house is threatned to be destroyed as a man takes away dung till it be gone Why should wicked men be feared who are thus before the Lord. Do not bless you selves in any prosperity never think your selves setled for when you are in the most prosperous setled way yet are ye but as the cloud yea as the dew the chaff the smoke VER 4. Yet I am the Lord thy God from the Land of Egypt and thou shalt have no gods but Me there is no other Savior besides me THIS is spoken first by way of aggravation of their sin as if he should say you have thus provoked me notwithstanding I am the Lord thy God I have done very great things for you and for your forefathers Yet It 's very evil to sin against great works of mercy wherein the hand of God hath appeared plainly When we do any thing for another wherein we think we might gain him to our selves for ever and he yet this is very grievous 2. It is spoken by way of encouragement Yet I continue to be the Lord thy God I am ready to shew thee the like mercy still This is to break their hearts and to provoke them to come in to the Lord. He speaks to an Apostate people as if he should say Were you yet what you sometimes seemed to be Oh how gracious should I be to you I am yet what ever I seemed to be to you why are you so perverse and untoward towards me Jer. 2. 2. I remember the kindness of thy youth the love of thine espousals when thou wentest after me in the wilderness in a Land that was not sowen I am the Lord thy God This should have been a strong argument to obedience When the will of God is once known saith Luther we are no further to dispose of Rights because neither Parents neither Lords and Masters have this Title I am the Lord thy God From the Land of Egypt As if he should have said what a case had you been in if I had not delivered you out of Egypt from the Iron furnace a low base imployment ye had been bond-slaves there you might have spent your daies in sorrow and trouble Consider first your low estate 2. How your strength might have been spent 3 When this anguish was upon you what crying to me and my delivering of you Hence note that Deliverance from Egypt is a great note of Gods being our God Q But how doth this concern us A. Yes There is a spiritual Egypt from which we have been delivered as the Apostle makes use 1 Cor. 57. c of the paschal Lamb in a spiritual sense The power severity and holiness of God appears in the delivery of his people from Egypt so also of us from Antichrist as Revel 15. 2 3. the Church is brought in singing the song of Moses which the children of Israel sung for their deliverance from Pharaob for its deliverance from Antichrist Pharaoh was the Dragon in the waters Psal 74. 13 14. so is Antichrist The City of Zurick engraved the yeer of their deliverance from Antichrist upon Pillars in letters of Gold Thou shall know no God but me That is Effectually acknowledg worship serve love God as a God and no other Hence note That the end of Gods great work is That he may be known to be a God A sincere gracious holy One. The knowing God to be a God is a special part of that Worship that is due to God To acknowledg God to be God is to know him in his Excellency Majesty Glory above what is known of him by the light of Nature This cannot but have a mighty operation upon the heart For To know God to be a God is 1. To know him to be the First being of all 2. The Infinit Al sufficient God 3 The Fountain of all good to his Saints 1 This must needs gain the heart to him 2 There is no worship of God where this is not 3 Where this is all follows 4 The right knowledg of God keeps from false worship Gal. 4. 9. Since you know God or rather are known of God how turn ye to the weak and beggerly elements of the world See the Jewish way of Ceremonial worship Thou shalt know no God but me This is the first Commandement of which Luther saith All flows from that great Ocean of the first Commandement and again return thither We see the Prophets to be most exercised in the use of the first Commandement Hence note It is not good to know Idolaters worship at all for this is spoken in the Text by way of opposition Thou shalt know no God but me that is Thou shalt be acquainted with no other worship according to that in Deut. 12. 30. Thou shalt not enquire how these Nations worshiped their gods Therefore for those that are not grounded And who
your King and will do that which beseems me as the great King of Heaven and Earth I will not be born down by you with all your boisterousness I will govern you 〈◊〉 will have mine own ends do what you can things shall not go as you will but they shall go as I will have them you would cast off my Authoritie but I wil maintain it I wil be your King This is a sad condition to a people when God rules over them in spight of their heart And yet God doth do so many times God rules over people in spight of their hearts whether they will or no while they are plotting and striving for themselves this way and that way God is bringing about his own ends in their ruin The Lord is King be the people never so unquiet saith the Psalmist Psal 99. 1. It 's not thy fretting and wilfulness that wil hinder the course of Gods ordering things in the world he will be King at last do what thou canst while thou and thousand thousands of such as thou art shall perish eternally God will be King Oh it 's infinitly better for thee to fal down before the Lord and say Lord thou shalt be our King thou art above us thou hast power over us thou shalt be our King for ever It 's just with God alwaies to say thus I will be King But certainly God hath not made such a distance between man and man that any man should say so that whatsoever injustice he doth whatsoever misery he brings people into yet I will be thy King I will have mine own ends mine own will The Bonds between Kings and States certainly is mutual But further thus I will be their King I will not cast off all care of them I will not leave them to the mercy or rather to the crueltie of others but let them come and return to me and I will deal with them as a King to defend them to govern them to do good to them That God should be King over a people it 's his Mercy and it's mans felicitie this should be our prayer Lord give us not up to be rul'd by our lusts but do thou rule over us and Lord give us not up to be rul'd by the lusts of wicked men of unjust and cruel men to rule over us but do thou reign over us Let the Kingdoms of the earth be the Lords and his Christs and he shall reign for evermore But there is another reading of the words and that 's thus You that have books of the old-Translation where Beza's the Geneva Notes are you shall find the reading thus I am and there 's a stop where is your King that should save your City I find most Interpreters go so So the Septuagint Translation Where is your King say they and the Chaldae Paraphrase Where is your King that should save you in all your Cities The Chaldae Paraphrase the Septuagint and very many Interpreters reades it so it 's so translated in the old Translation and according to the Original I will be there may be a stop your King Where is he that should save you in your Cities Yea and many Learned men in speaking of this text in their Comments upon it say they it 's but a transposition of the letters which is ordinarily in the Hebrew tongue and though the word that is I will be it is as much as where upon a transposition of the letter but though we do not make the transposition of the letter in the first words I will be but take them as they are there But if you make a stop there I will be your King where is he that shall save you in your Cities The sense comes to one As if he should say I am the same God that ever I was but where is your King that should save you in your Cities Oh the words read so may pierce the hearts of some if ever they have had any acquaintance with God and known what communion with God hath meane heretofore to hear but these words for God to say I am I am the same God that ever you knew me to be that ever you found me to be but where is your King that should save you and if you reade it as here I will be and there make the stop so Pareus I will be saith he and so refers it then I will be what he had said before as a Lyon a Leopard and as a Bear bereaved of her Whelps and then Where is your King that should save you This is Gods Name in Exod. 3. 14. I am that I am or I will be what I will be so saith God here I am Lord I will be but then where is your King where is your King that should save you in your Citie and your judges of whom you said Give us a King and Princes My Brethren I am no Prophet and have not the spirit of a Prophet that could prophesie of things before or could order Scripture when it should be preached of and when not I am you see in an ordinary course and way and meeting with this Scripture am bound according to my ability to demonstrate unto you wherein the force of it lies I hope your consciences shal be witness that there shal not be the least straining of it but to give you the storie of the thing and the temper of the people at this time it appears plainly that there was three things that they much rested upon say they Let the Prophet say what he will we have the King for us and the Citie for us and the Nobles for us put King and Citie and Nobles together and who can prevail saith God Where 's your King that should save you in your Cities and your Judges of whom ye said Give us a King and Princes and Nobles There 's these three put together If our King come to the Cities he will have a partie there and there will be strength in the Citie and we know the Cities are able to command all the Country and Kingdom there 's the Militia and a numerous company of men and there 's riches in the Cities and therefore the King together with them and then having the Nobles of the Land and the Princes we are sure in a safe condition and yet in the midst of this he asks them by way if derision and insultation For so it is Where is your King that should save you in your Cities The Notes from the words are these First Those things that carnal hearts rest upon will vanish Where are they saith God what 's become of them you would encourage one another and say Come we shall have a day yet for we have this strength and the King and Nobles for us Where are they those things that carnal hearts rest upon will vanish and come to nothing Yea Secondly God loves to insult over men in their carnal confidences For so
nostrils you shall have enough of it even till it be loathsom to you Why Because you have despised the Lord which is among you The Lord gave them their desires because they had despised him So you are ready to bless your selves in this I have what I would have and think that therefore God regards you that God gives you what you would desire because you have sinned against him whereas if he were not angry with you he would not give it Saith Augustin God many times in giving is Angry in denying is Merciful It is because he is angry that he gives you such things as-you would have There 's the same in Psal 78. 29 30. and so on There it appears how God gave them flesh according to their desires but while the meat was in their mouths the wrath of God came upon them It is a most excellent point if we had time a little to open it Oh it might quiet our desires for that I had thought to have spoken to how we might know when a Thing is given in Gods Anger or in his Love the several waies of Gods giving you may come to know whether a thing be given in Love or in Anger by seeing the waies of things and comparing one thing with another you may come to know much of God in it But only now let me leave this with you about it Take heed of immoderate desires for any worldly thing To say I must and I will and I will have it when ever you find your hearts strongly rising to a thing that you must needs have then be afraid be afraid of having it as much as you were of having any thing in your lives no man or woman can have any comfort in anie thing as coming from Gods Love until they can first quiet their hearts and be willing to be at Gods dispose to be willing to be without it that 's one main sign of giving in Gods Anger or in Love When as a man or woman finds an eager desire after a thing Oh it is verie sutable to such and such a purpose yea but now if I can go alone and consider that God is wiser than I and knows what 's best for me if I can labor to work my heart to this Lord if it be good for me then I desire it but if thou seest it would not be good then Lord here I am do with me what seems good in thine eyes as David did Surely nature could not but work strongly yet saith David If the Lord hath any pleasure in me he will bring me again to this City c. but if he shall say I have no pleasure in thee lo here I am let him do what seemeth him good in his eyes Yea this was a thing indeed and no question this temper of Davids heart in his affliction was the thing that did so much help him in enlargement to praise God when he returned to the Ark and Citie again Had David kept a stir and fretting and vexing and what must I go from the Citie of Jerusalem and how doth God deal with me and I am resolved though it cost me my life I will return to Jerusalem and take possession of the Citie whatsoever comes of it perhaps David might have gotten thither but there would not have been so much love of God in it as when he could give up himself to Gods dispose And so if this people could have said thus It 's true Lord thou art our King but we are despised because we are governed by men of such mean qualitie and the truth is God had promised them a King also and therefore it was not such an evil thing to desire a King but so eagerly they would have him now if they had been but quiet and said Lord thou tellest us in thy Word of a King that we shall have Lord fulfil this thy Word and for the present we are content to submit to thee as long as thou thinkest fit now it may be God would have given them a King or presently after and so they might have had a holy and gracious King but they must have him now and so they had him with the anger of God You know the storie of Rachel Oh! give me children or else I die So she had a child and she died though it was not in Gods anger as an Enemie yet it was a Fatherly anger Oh! think but of this you women that are so desirous of children or any outward blessing you that are desirous of altering your condition How manie in altering their Estate as in Marriage they must needs alter it and to this partie and such a one they must needs have although they beg their bread all their daies and although Parents against it and though they cannot see evidences of grace Now saith God you shall have it you shall joyn together I and you shall work your own miserie by this eagerness of your spirit Oh Brethren let us learn to be moderate in our desires and commit our desires and heart to God I gave them a King in mine anger and took him away in my wrath The last Exercise there was only these Two or Three Observations named First That God may have a hand in things wherein men do sin exceedingly Secondly Things that are very evil may have success according to the hearts of men for a time The Third thing was this That Gods Gifts are not alwaies in Love Now because it is a great Point there are Two things that I shall desire to do First To shew to you How a man may know that what God doth give him it is in anger and not in love And then Secondly Some CORRALARIES to be drawn from it but very briefly in both For the First then How we may come to know a thing to be given by God in anger rather than in love It is a verie hard thing to convince men if they have their desires satisfied that it is rather from anger than love Men are so well pleased with the satisfying of their desires that they can verie hardlie be convinc'd but that God intends good to them in it and therefore you shall find in 1 Sam. 12. 17. that God was fain to do a great and wonderful work of his to convince this people that that which he gave them there Saul it was in anger rather than in love Is it not Wheat Harvest to day I will call unto the Lord and he shall send thunder and rain that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great which ye have done in the sight of the Lord in asking you a King Samuel had before in Chap. 8. told them of their sin in asking a King but they would not be convinced still they must have a King Now saith Samuel It is Wheat Harvest and whereas the people of the Jews were never wont to have rain in Harvest time it was a strange
much against Oh! they would fain have such and such things saith conscience you may not you will sin against God you will would me and bring sorrow and affliction to your selves this makes them at a stand and they are very much griev'd at it that conscience will not give them leave and it may be they have so much enlightening in their consciences as they dare not take it without the leave of conscience and although they may restrain for a while yet still their lusts are very violent and they would fain have their consciences to yeeld to them they labor and struggle what they can with conscience and they seek to find out some evasions and distinctions whereby they may satisfie conscience either to lay conscience asleep so that it may not trouble them or at length to satisfie conscience so far as conscience may be content that they should have their desires satisfied Now their lusts when they are grown hot send up such streams into their understandings as hinders the work of conscience that conscience begins to be more dull in the work of it and is not so quick in the apprehensions of it nor in the exercise of it as before and at length after much ado when they have tir'd and wearied themselves and tired conscience they at length do obtain even of their very consciences to do such things as they have a mind to so that now their consciences begins to say to them Seeing you have such a strong and earnest desire do it Now upon this they eagerly fall upon it and they bless themselves in this and think they have gotten a great Victorie that they have prevail'd over their consciences that their consciences hath given them leave to do such a thing it may be these men will say If I thought it were against conscience if conscience did tell me that it ought not to be done I would not do it for a world Yea but friend how do you get leave of your conscience to do it There was a time that conscience was against it how came you to get leave of your conscience was it not through the violence of your spirits You would needs have it you were set upon it that you must have your liberty and preterment your ease and content and you must not suffer such such things and by this violence of your spirits you come to prevail with your consciences Now conscience lets you go one but do not you think that conscience will tear you for this another day for all you have prevail'd with your conscience so as it doth not acuse you of such and such an evil way but lets you go on do not you think to hear of it another day Oh yes certainly conscience being Gods Vice-gerent will do as God will do in this case When men get their desires of God why saith God let them have them but do not you think that God will call them to an account for it So it is here as men shall hereafter pay full dearly for those things that God suffers them here to have so many men and women will pay full dearly for those things that conscience gives them now libertie to enjoy though you have libertie yet you have got it in a forced way from conscience and conscience will have another reckoning with you hereafter you know how it was with Balaam he had a mind to go to curse the people it was because of his preferment and though God did deny him once yet he would ask again and he would not be satisfied till God said at length Go Yea but God met him in the way and had like to have destroyed him for all that Just so do many men with their consciences it may be they see some preferment that they may get such a way and their consciences for the present have some tenderness but they will ask their consciences and their consciences saies no but then they will ask again and again and as I say God said to Balaam at length Go but he said it to him in anger and met him in the way and had like to have destroyed him and so though conscience may do so yet conscience will one day come out with a drawn Sword against thee and it may be thy destruction Notes prepared by the Author for another Sermon on Hosea 13. 11 which being prevented by the Lords taking him to himself he Preached not I gave them a King in my wrath c. KIngs and Princes sometimes are given to a people in anger Job 34. 30. That the Hyyocrite reign not lest the people be ensnared It is in anger if an Hypocrite reign Psal 109. 6. Set thou a wicked man over him and let Satan stand at his right hand Dan. 8. 23. In the latter time when the transgressions are come to the full a King of fierce countenance and understanding dark sentences shall arise and his power shall be mighty he shall destroy wonderfully and shall prosper So it was said of the Agrigentines That Phalaris was given to them as a plague and Marius to the Romans Anastasius Nicenus Quest 15. in script speaketh of one in the time of Phocas pleading with God and saying Wherefore Lord hast thou made Phocas Emperor the Answer from Heaven was Because I could not find a worse He tells also of the Bishop of Thebais being proud because advanced Had these words spoken to him Wherefore miserable man art thou proud Thou wert not made Bishop because thou wast worthy but because the City deserved such a Bishop But it may be demanded When are Kings and Princes given in anger I answer 1. When men are eager upon them The men of Shechem were eager upon Abimelech Judg. 9. 6. They had him but in wrath for vers 23. God sent an evil spirit between the men of Shechem and Abimelech And what the issue was we know 2. When Kings and Princes are desired out of an opposition to what God would have them to be under as here in the text so Sam. 8. 10. 19. 3. When such are given as was Saul and Jeroboam For explication of this observe 1. What Saul was First He was Tyrannical 1 Sam. 8. 11. Psal 18. with the Title Secondly A bold venturous man to do things of his own head in Gods Worship 1 Sam. 13. 9. he sacrificed before Samuel came Thirdly Hypocritical 1 Sam. 15. 13. he blessed Samuel and pretended he had performed the Commandement of the Lord whereas he had rebelled against it vers 22 23. Fourthly A rash spirit 1 Sam. 14. 24. Cursed saies he be the man that eats any food till evening when as first it was an hindrance to the execution as vers 29 30. and again all the people heard not and namely his son Jonathan upon whom he had like to have executed the curse if the people had not rescued him Fifthly Hardly convinced 1 Sam. 15. 20. He stands in the
defence of himself against Samuel the Prophet Sixthly Greedie of gain 1 Sam. 15. 19. Samuel charges him with flying upon the spoil Seventhly Regarding the people more than the Commandement of God 1 Sam. 15. 24. I feared the people saith he and obeyed their voice Eighthly Seeking his vain honor 1 Sam. 15. 30. I have sinned yet honor me now I pray thee before the Elders of my people and before Israel Ninthly Gods Spirit leaves him 1 Sam. 16. 14. The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him Tenthly A poor low spirit to help himself when God was departed 1 Sam 16. 17. when he was troubled with the evil spirit he was fain to except of the poor help that Musick could afford him Eleventhly Subtil and crafty Psal 57. 6. David saith speaking of Saul That he had prepared a net for his feet and digged a pit so Psal 142. 3. Twelfthly Proud and haughty Psal 59. 12. For the sin of their mouth and for the words of their lips let them be taken in their pride Viz Can the Son of Jesse give you fields and Vinyards 1 Sam. 22. 7. 13ly Given to Cursing Psal 53. 12. Cursing and lying they speak 14ly Envious 1 Sam. 18 8 9. When they had sung in the dance Saul hath slain his thousands and David his ten thousands The Text saith Saul was very wroth and the thing displeased him and Saul eyed David from that day and forward 15ly Hating the Saints 1 Sam. 18. 11. Saul cast his Javeling at David and said I will smite David to the wall And vers 13. He removed him from him And 1 Sam. 17. 1. Saul spake to all his servants that they should kill David And vers 17. he calls him his Enemy saying to Michel Why hast thou sent away mine Enemy 16ly Cruel 1 Sam. 22. 18 19. He caused to be slain 85 Priests and smote the City of Nob the City of the Priests men women and children sucklings oxen asses sheep with the edge of the sword Psal 7. 2. David prayes for help lest he Saul tear my soul saith he like a Lyon renting it in pieces c. And Psal 57 4. He saith My soul is among Lyons men that are set on fire whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword 17ly Treacherous Pretends a Benefit intends a mischief 1 Sam. 18. 17. And Saul said to David Behold my elder daughter Merob her will I give thee to wife only be thou valiant for me and fight the Lords battles for Saul said Let not mine hand be upon him but let the band of the Philistims be upon him 18ly False of his word ver 19. But it came to passe at the time when Merab Sauls daughter should have been given to David that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite to wife 1 Sam. 26. 21. Return my son David for I wil do thee no harm yet chap. 27. 1. David was so pursued by him that he fled to Achish King of Gath. Psal 59. 12. Lying they speak 19ly He regards not oathes 1. Sam. 19. 6. And Saul sware as the Lord liveth he shal not be slain yet ver 10. 11. he would have smitten him to the wal with his Javalin and missing that he sent messengers to murder him in his house 20ly Stout against his conscience and all means that God used to reclaim him 1 Sam. 24. 17. 18. 19. 20. Thou art more righteous then I c I know wel that thou shalt surely be King and that the Kingdom of Israel shal be established in thine hand c. Hence David Psal 59. praying against Saul as appears in the title of the Psalm ver 5. saith Be not merciful to wicked transgressors 21ly Preferring base men and rejecting the good Psa 59. 7. David was his enemy but Doeg a mighty man with him 22ly Cares not for his own Laws to satisfy his humors 1 Sam. 28. 9. where having suppressed wizards and witches yet he seeks to them and promises immunity to them 23ly He is unwearied in his malice never rests but follows David as one hunts a partridge from place to place if disappointed one way he tryes another sends to Davids house then to Naioth then to Keilah then to Ziph then to Engedi to Hachilah Saul sought him every day 1 Sam. 23. 14. Psal 7. 14. Behold be travelleth with mischief c. 24ly One that could not be overcome by kindnesse love faithfulness not taking advantage c. 1. Sam. 24. 4. c. chap. 26. 8. 9. 25ly Vexed because he could not have his mind Psa 57. 14 15. They return and grin like a dog vexed to lose his morsel 26ly Desperate forsaking of God and going to the Devil for counsel 1 Sam. 28. 7. and afterward wilfully kils himself 2. What Jeroboam was 1. One that seemed to be much for the good of the people but when he had power in his own hands then none more fierce then himself 1 King 11. 27. He cared not for the people Hos 13. 1. 2. One whose carriage was very taking he was diligent industrious and valiant a man fit for rule 1 Kin. 11. 28. but when he had got power into his own hands there was nothing but imperious domineering Tacitus saith of Galba That al men judged him fit for rule til he did come to it 3 Subjecting of Religion unto Policy 1 King 12. 26. And Jeroboam said Now shall the Kingdom return to the House of David if this people go up to do Sacrifice in the House of the Lord at Jerusalem Whereupon the King took Counsel and made two Calves of Gold c. 4. False pretending one thing and meaning another 1 King 12. 28. He said unto the people It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold thy Gods O Israel which brought thee up out of the Land of Egypt 5. Idolatrous ibid. and 1 King 14. 9. But thou hast done evil above all that were before thee for thou hast gone and made thee other gods and molten Images c. 6. He was a conscience oppressor He laid snares for those that went up to Jerusalem to worship as was noted Hos 9. 8. 7. A scorner Hos 7. 5. He stretched out his hand with scorners 8. Subtil 1 King 12. 31. He ordained such a feast as was at Jerusalem made an house of high places and Priests that all might be furnished like the worship at Jerusalem 9. Intemperate Hos 7 5. In the day of our King the Princes have made him sick with bottles of Wine c. 10 Despising the true Ministers of God and loving a base Clergie 1 King 12. 31. Made Priests of the lowest of the People 11 Enraged against the Servants of God and God himself when opposed 1 King 13. 4. And it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God which cried against the Altar in Bethel that he put forth his hand from the Altar
world I would have them to be raised up to enjoy communion with my self this is the end of Gods bestowing any Grace upon his Saints it is that he might raise them to enjoy communion with him and to delight in him and he to delight in them that he might have creatures to communicate the treasures of his goodness too and that thou mightest communicate what thou art able to him Surely Christ doth not account himself to be full without his Saints and therefore you find in Ephes 1. 23. that the Church is called the Fulness of Jesus Christ and therefore he praies Father let them be where I am I shall not account my self so full except they be with me and see my Glory Oh the Love of Jesus Christ to his Saints And then further This Love it sweetens and sanctifies all for good thou maiest see Love in every thing now though thou hast less of the creature than others have yet thou hast it out of Love when thou comest home it may be thou hast not so much as others have perhaps but a piece of bread and smal drink yea but I have it out of Love look upon all thy mercies and thou mayest see the eternal Love of God to thee in them They are all sanctified to me for the furtherance of eternal good the Lord from all eternity did see that such a kind of life was the best for me to further the eternal good he intended for me and therefore he hath disposed of me to this condition rather than another condition Oh! how sweet may the life of a man or woman be when as they can reason after this manner Well this condition that now I am in the Lord from eternity saw the fittest condition to work my heart to himself and therefore it is that I am in this estate rather than another And then Love thou findest daily by experience how hath the Lord helped thee in thy straights and heard thee in thy prayers and answered thy desires This I told you in the opening of the text was a fruit of Love to the people of Israel and so it hath been with thee And this love is very strange too for though the Lord did forsee all thy weakness and all thy unbeseeming carriages thy unworthines c. yea the Lord did not only foresee what thou wouldest be before he did manifest love but he did forsee how thou wouldst walk unworthy of his love after it was manifested to thee and though he forsaw all this yet still his love was not quenched towards thee but saith the Lord My love shal break thorow all this Many times you set your love upon some and they prove untoward and unworthy and you think with your selves Could I have but foreseen this untowardness they should never have had my love but now the Lord did foresee al thy il requitals and yet it did not hinder the love of God towards thee And then further In the love of God there is the love of all relations As now The love of a father towards a child the Lord takes upon him the relation of a father and the love of a husband the Lord takes upon him the relation of a husband and the love of a friend too that 's sweet And then that that crowns all it is this That it is an abiding love an everlasting love a love that shall never be quenched He that the Lord loves he loves unto the end he will rest in his love Zeph. 3. 17. Jer. 31. 3. 2 Thess 2. 16. If thou knowest that he hath loved thee in his Son thou hast hereby an everlasting consolation let Heaven and Earth meet together let there be what changes and alterations there will yet there is everlasting consolation for thee if thou knewest but this love of God Now my brethren all this I have done to that end that your hearts may be gained unto God And what wilt thou do now Wilt not thou now love the Lord thy God shal not al this love of God to thee in Christ constrain thee The love of Christ constrains me saith the Apostle Oh! love the Lord all ye Saints if the Lord hath thus loved you love ye the Lord all you his Saints Then God is Love himself he is the Element of Love And whither should love go but up to the Element Air it desires to be in its proper place and Earth will descend to its proper place the proper place of Love is God God is as it were the Element of Love for so the Scripture saith God is Love And he that dwels in God dwels in love Oh labor to be rooted and stablished in love in Ephes 3. 17. Being rooted and stablished in love you may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the length and breadth and depth and heighth and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledg Being rooted in love thereby ye come to comprehend with all Saints the breadth and length and depth and heigth and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge It is not the strength of natural parts Learning doth not so much teach us what the length and heighth and depth of the love of Christ is as Love get but your hearts rooted in Love and you wil come to understand the glorious things of the Gospel in another manner than ever you did And mark what follows That you might be filled with all the fulness of God Had we not such an expression in Scripture we should not dare to make use of it What for a poor creature to be filled with God to be filled with the fulness of God to be filled with all the sulness of God! This is the reason why Christians are so scant in their obedience and empty in their spirits because they are not acquainted with this breadth and length and depth and heighth of the love of Christ Oh know that God prizes thy love and he is satisfied with nothing but thy love in Cant. 7. 12. There will I give thee my loves saith the Spouse When thou comest to the Ordinances to hear the Word receive Sacraments or Prayer yet if thou comest not to give the Lord Christ thy loves it is nothing There will I give thee my loves Oh! Christ prizes love at an high rate and that love that will serve for other things certainly will not serve Christ He loves thee too little saith Augustan that loves any thing besides thee who loves not that thing for thee You may love Wife and Children and Friends yea but you must love them all for God when you see any thing lovely in Husband or Wife or children or Friends yea but think this is but a beam of the loveliness of God And thus I have endeavored now to raise your hearts to God by Love the Lord hath cast Bonds of Love upon your souls On that by the Ministry of his
Word this day these Bonds may be somewhat strengthened that you may feel some strength in these Bonds that you may go away with your hearts more strongly united to the Love of God than ever I drew them with the Cords of a man With Bonds of Love and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their Jaws and I laid meat unto them Part of the last Sermon it was spent in opening unto you these Bonds of Love And shewing First What were the Bonds of Gods Love towards the people of Israel the several expressions of Gods Love to them in several particulars And shewed you how that all those that had to deal with men to draw them to God should do as God doth labor to draw them with Bonds of Love I have especially directed my self unto the Saints of God and shewed to them what bonds of of Love God hath laid upon their hearts to draw them to himself I have not applied this point generally yet for indeed one principal Bond of the Love of God towards the Nation will follow in the words after But certainly the Lord hath sought to draw this Nation to himself with Bonds of Love We may say concerning God he hath loved this Nation Loved it It was the first Nation that ever received Jesus Christ by the countenance of publick Authority of the Supream Authority in the Nation And when Antichrist had darkned the light of the Gospel here the bowels of Gods Compassions yerned towards it and God wrought wonderfully to deliver this Nation from Antichristian Tyrannie Moreover The Lord hath not sent the light and power of the Gospel to any Nation under Heaven more fully nay without prejudice to any other we may say not so fully as to this Nation though there are many of the Saints of God else where yet in no place under Heaven hath God more yea so many Saints I might almost say put all the Nations of the earth together so many that know him so fully and have that power of godliness in the worshiping of him as here in this Nation Oh! the Bonds of Love that are upon us Yea If we look upon our outward mercies those liberties that we enjoy there 's scarce any Nation that hath the Commonalty of the people that live like men in comparison of ours for the most part of all the Nations in the world the generality of people are like slaves rather than any Free-men their Governors rule over them with Tyranny but here the Common people have Liberties and God works mightily for them for the vindicating of the Liberties that they have both for their bodies and outward estates and their souls likewise and Oh! the Love that God hath shewn unto us of late in working so miraculously for us as he hath done But there is one point more observable in these Bonds of Love that God draws people unto himself by The scope of the Prophet here in mentioning these Bonds of Love it is to aggravate their sin from whence there is this That there 's nothing more aggravates sin than that it is against Love God hath Three Bonds to bind us to Obedience There 's the Bond of his Law And the Bonds of Afflictions And the Bonds of Love But now to break all these Bonds The Bonds of the Commandements and the Bonds of Afflictions and Bonds of Love too this aggravates sin very much Oh charge thy sin with this aggravation Oh thou sinner What against such a God such Love Oh what a vile heart have I Saith Augustin Oh 't is too hard a spirit that though it will not bestow Love yet it will not requite Love O! let not there be such a hardness in the Spirits of the Saints Thou didest not begin with God to love thou didest not begin to bestow Love be not so hard towards God as not to requite Love Do not we see how base Love can gain upon mens hearts adulterous love what strong bonds that love is the giving of gifts and bribes what bonds they are to tie mens harts their hands and tongues and shall not the Love of God and the fruits of that be a stronger Bond to tie thy heart unto him Nothing goes more to the heart of Man of God than the abuse of Love A man can better bear the abuse of his mony the abuse of any thing he doth or hath than the abuse of his Love Gods Spirit is grieved with his Saints we do not reade that the Spirit of God is grieved with the Wicked God may be angry with the wicked every day but not grieved but when the Saints sin against him the Spirit of God is grieved because their sins are against Love when thou sinnest against God the Lord looks upon thee as Caesar once upon Brutus What thou my Son What thou whom I have so loved What break all those bonds When we reade in the second Psal of the Kings and Princes of the Earth that said Let us break their Bonds asunder and cast away their Cords from us We think that 's great Rebellion but for thou that professest thy self to be Gods it 's a greater evil to break these bonds of Love Oh! thou my Son my Child thou whom I have bestowed so much Love upon yet thou to sin against me when thou art committing of any evil conceive with thy self as if God were looking upon thee and pleading with thee by all those fruits of his love that ever thou hast received from him and wilt thou yet sin against him for all this We reade in Mark 14. 72. when Peter had sinned Christ did but look upon him and he wept bitterly Oh! Peter saw love in the looks of Jesus Christ and therefore we know after when Christ came to him he pleaded with him with this argument of love Doest thou love me and doest thou love me Oh! when he saw the eyes of Christ so sparkling of love and then considered that he had sinned against that Christ that had so loved him broke all those bonds of love then he went out and wept bitterly the word is in Mark 14. 72. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He did break out in weeping For so it may signifie that force that there is in doing any thing to lay a force upon ones self to do a thing He did break out break out in weeping he was not able to bear it his heart burst even in sunder when he considered how he had burst asunder the bonds of Love Oh that after such manifestations of Mercy and goodness such warmings of heart in Communion with Jesus Christ what thou Oh my soul what canst thou find in any waies like Gods waies canst thou find the like love and the like sweetness in any as thou hast done in God yet for all this unkind unloving dealings God follows thee with Love his heart is yet open unto thee