People to His service and conferred great priviledges upon them He doth not tire and grow weary first He is faithfull and constant and will never grow weary of them as long as they hold to His service and follow it hard with hearty love to it vigour alactity zeal constancy in it but when they grow sick of His service wanton and full of their priviledges then God hath reason to be weary of them Now doth not the Lord seem to be weary of us Do not His dispensations speak as much Doth He not carry Himself towards us as if His very soul was loosned and disjoynted from us As the phrase is Ier. 6. 8. Time hath been when the Lord Iesus the Head and King of His Church was held or bound in His galleries Cantic 7. 5. So taken with the Faith and Order the Piety Loyalty Obedience and service of His Church in this Wilderness that He was delighted in communion and converse with them loved to walk in the midst of these Golden Candlesticks so tyed to them by the bonds of love and delight that he knew not how to part with them or get loose from them He was never weary of their company and sellowship But is it thus with us at this day Is there that presence of Christ with his Ordinances that Power and Glory to be seen in the Sanctuary that Convincing Converting Humbling Sanctifying and Comforting presence of Christ among us that hath sometimes been Is He not far from the hearts of many Professors Doth not the spirit of Christ seldome visit the souls of men As if the Lord said It is enough blessed Spirit they are joyned to their covetousness sensuality these and those idols let them alone strive no more with them Do not many of Gods People live in doubts and darkness and discomfort and estrangement from God that they can hardly tell when they had a vision of God or meeting with Him in Prayer or other Ordinances How little of Gods work appears unto His Servants and of His glory unto their Children How few that believe the report of the Gospel And to whom the Arme of the Lord is revealed How few soundly converted Kindly broken and humbled and drawn home to Christ How little of God appears in the words and lives of men Is not much of our glory departed from us Doth not the glory of God seem to be removing gradually and yet sensibly from us Yea doth not the Lord threaten to break up house and be gone Is not the ax laid to the root Do not foundations shake Doth not the Lord hide Himself from us set darknesse in our paths leave us to our own counsells take part with adversaries and shine upon their counsells frown upon us and threaten us with a totall departure of His presence and glory from us Time was when the Lord watched over His vincyard of red wine watered it and kept it night and day least any should hurt it was a Founder and Protector of His Plantation and they that would have devoured us offended and evil came upon them Verily God hath been a good God unto New England our very enemies themselves being judges The growth and prosperity of this Plantation hath been the admiration of all the eye-sore and envy of adversaries But doth not God change His dispensation And may we not be sure it is not from any sickleness unfaithfulness inconstancy in God but occasioned by a sad change in us Were not many ready to say of our worthy Predecessors when they were laying our foundation as Sanballat said of the Iews when they were building the wall of Ierusalem Nehem. 4. 2. What do these feeble People But did it not quickly appear that the Lord was with them Did not the work here prosper even beyond the faith and expectation of His Servants that followed Him into this Land which God Had espyed out for them But doth not God seem to be about to break down what He hath built and pluck up that which he hath planted Are there not many sad tokens of His weariness of us And is not this a demonstration of our weariness of God May not the Lord say Hear O Heavens and give ear O earth I have nourished and brought up Children and they have been weary of their Father weary of the only best friend they have in the World We have little reason to be offended or wonder at Gods withdrawing hiding frowning threatning to be gone from us considering our weariness of Him The wonder is He hath waited and spared so long such an unworthy People Let us therefore search and try our hearts and wayes Be not deceived God will not be mocked with shewes and out-sides empty and lazy professions His eyes are upon the heart and if there be heart-weariness of God among us God will not endure it But how happy would it be for the Professors of New-England if now at last they would examine their hearts judge themselves for this unreasonable inexcuseable weariness of God recover themselves from under the prevailing power of this spirit and frame of weariness of Gods service and stirr up themselves and to take hold of God when He is ready to be gone from us and follow hard after Him in a course of hearty service and obedience Then would the Lord repent of what He is threatning to do unto us restore His wonted glorious presence Be to us a place of broad Rivers and Streams for necessary defence and plentifull supplies of all comforts Then would the Lord be a wall of fire round about us and the Glory in the midst of us Yea then should our eyes see our Jerusalem a quiet Habitation a Tabernacle that shall not be taken down not so much as one of the Stakes removed nor any one of the Cords thereof broken Isaiah 33. 20. FINIS ERRATA Page â— line 8. read freeness of his grace p. 4. l. 19. r. Isa. 58. p. 5. l. 4. r. goodly l. â—a r. Isa. 1. 11 l. 21. r. immorrallity p. 6. l. 5. r. hypocriticall l. 18. r. regarded p. â— l. 29. r. quarrell l. ult r. toward p. 8. l. 23. r. worshipers p. 12. l. 27. r. variety of version l. 36. r. prayerfull p. 14. l. 30. r. will 1. 31. r. Act. 13. p. 15. l. 22. r. â—ire some times l. 29. r. to p. 16. l. 5. r. the service l. 9. r. 29. l. 24. r. Gal. 6. 9. l. 33. r. 2 Cor. 9. 7. p. 17 l. 6. r. they l. 7. r. rejoyced p. 18. l. 2. r. purpose l. 18. r he neglects l. 22. r. issueth r. when â— 23. r. w. y. p. 19. l. 17. r. and. l. ult r. Cords p. 20. l. 30. r. thing p. 23. l. 3. r. at last p. 24. l. 32. r. freely l. 36. r. merveilous p. 26. l. 23. r for his Bernard See Mr Smith survey of the 7. Churc in Asia Mr. â—reek's lif p. 210.
and glory that he would deal so mercifully with them The truth of this ascertion he confirms and most convincingly makes out in my text wherein he upbraids them with their prodigious ingratitude unkindnesse and utter unworthinesse of any favour from him instancing in these particulars instead of many demonstrations For He charges them 1. That they had not called upon Him But thou hast not called upon me O Iacob I need not tell you that by Jacob we are to understand the seed and posterity of Iacob such as were descended from him or the house of Iacob as they are sometimes Denominated in Scripture The Lord here challengeth the Jewes with a grievous omission or neglect of calling upon him Now though the Invocation of God is not the whole of Gods worship yet being a special part of it it is by a synecdoche very usual in Gods word put for the whole worship of God so it is said when Enos was born to Sath then men began to cal upon the name of the Lord Gen. 4. 26. That is as may be probably conceived those of Seth's family began to seperate themselves and worship apart from Cain's wicked apostaticall family whence arose that distinction of the sons and daughters of God from the sons and daughters of men Poure out thy wrath saith the Psalmist on the heathen that have not known thee and upon the Kingdoms that have not called upon thy Name Psal. 79. 6. By calling upon God or the Name of God we must freequently understand the whole worship of God in all the parts of it Thus in the text the Lord upbraids the Jews with their neglect of his worship Thou bast not called upon me that is worshipped me O Jacob. A strange charge it may seem and questionless unexpected and very surprizing to the Iews that cryed the temple of the Lord were haughlity because of Gods holy mountain sought God dayly delighted to know his wayes as a Nation that did righteousness and forsook not the ordinance of their God Isa. 28. 2. gloried in their services boasted of the multitude of their sacrifices and oblations superarogated in their own opinion and exceeded rather then came short and were deficient as to frequency and diligence in the worship of God Nevertheless the Lord upbraids them with great neglect of his worship Thou hast not called upon me O Iacob Had he said Thou hast not called upon me Oh Ghaldean or Egiptian or any other heathen Kingdom there had been nothing strange in it but that Iacob or the people of the Iews should be so charged may look like a parodox indeed But the meaning of God is that they had not called upon him as they should have done nor worshipped him in due manner Doubtless many there were that called upon him in truth and worshipped him aright But the body of that people did all in hypocrisie kept up a gaudy pageant of Religion a form of godliness in prayers sacrifices and other services without life or power which was very loathsome to the Lord They rested in the exteriour part of duties their externall ceremonial worship was not attended with internall morall worship of their souls in faith love and knowledge humility fear of God and respect to his glory and such like holy dispositions of soul as must accompany and animate outward worship or else it is little better than mocking of God and a solemn affront of His Majesty They rested in externals in shews out-sides appearances godly performances to look to with their mouth and in their outward carriage they shewed much love to God but their heart went after their covetousness Ezek. 33. 31. The grace of God was not their principal nor His Glory the end of what they did They fasted but not unto the Lord Zech. 7. 5. There services were pompous operous gaudy things but liveless superficiary insignificant performances all they did was to no purpose To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me saith the Lord Isai. 1. 21. They are such as God required not vers 12. their oblations were vain their incense abomination their assemblies and solemn meetings on high dayes were iniquities loathsome and troublesome to the Lord vers 13 14. They made Religion a cloak to their vilanies that they might drive a close unsuspected trade of wickedness with less trouble to their own consciences thought to make God amends with external worship for their morall enormities would steal murther commit adultery swear falsely burn incense to Baal and walk after other Gods allow themselves in horrible impieties and immortalities and then come and stand before the Lord in his house and say We are delivered to do all these abominations Jer. 7. 9 10. They praised but regarded iniquity in their hearts They brought their sacrifices but with a wicked mind Prov. 21. 27. They drew near God with their mouth and honoured him with their lips but removed their hearts far from Him Isa. 29. 13 God reckons such bodily exercise as nothing worth no calling upon Him no worshipping of Him Thou hast not called upon Me O Jacob whatever thou hast pretended or imagined but thou hast all this while been implicitly and interpretatively in a due construction calling upon some fictitious deity or strange God that will be satisfied with sacrifices and externall worship lip-labour and the carcases of duty without the soul of them Hence we may observe in passage and by the way for I shal not fix upon it Doctr. That there may be little or no calling upon God indeed where there is much seeming calling upon Him There may be no worship of God where is in appearance much worship of Him One would wonder God should challenge the Jews with the neglect of His worship that fasted and prayed and sacrificed and accounted it their glory to keep His ordinances And yet thou hast not called upon Me O Jacob saith the Lord. If your criticall worship is in effect no worship in Gods account external worship is required but never accepted without the inward soul worship Many of these Jews were laborious in the externals of Religion but because there was no labour of their souls no sincere engagement of their hearts and affections in them the Lord tells them they had done nothing all the while but offered affronts to His Majesty put fallacies upon their own souls Men may do many duties and yet do none of them well and consequently do none at all in Gods estimation Men may go the round of duty and plod on in a course of Religious performances and yet do nothing the while to any purpose In all the duties of worship it is not the bare outward action but the manner of performance that gives the denomination and is rejected especially of the Lord. Hence Luther's Saying that Adverbs are of more account with God than Verbs meaning that the manner of our performances which is commonly denoted by this or that Adverb is more available with God
for a time You only have I known of all the families of the Earth therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities Amos. 3. 2. He will not let them prosper in their sins as He suffers other men Now hypocrites in the Church cannot brook this discipline but are weary of Gods correction My son saith Solomon Pro. 3. 11. Dispise not the chastning of the Lord neither be weary of His correction The best of Gods People may be weary and saint under it for a time but when they come to themselves and see how righteous it is with God how profitable to themselves they recover themselves and say it is good for them to be afflicted because thereby they are reduced from their strayings into the way of obedience But other men are quite weary of such correction had rather be let alone in their neglect of Gods service then whipt into a better behaviour They love ease andimmunity from affliction more then holiness and obedience Again VI. Weariness of Gods government whereby He would hold them close to His service and obedience Weary they are 1. Of Gods inward government the government of conscience rightly informed from the Word of God and aided by at least a common work of the spirit inthe discharge of its office dictating their work and duty obliging them to the service of God impelling and putting them on to perform it accusing and condemning them for neglect of it or slightness and hypocrisie in it They are weary of this troublesome Conscience that will not let them be quiet in sin endeavour to bribe it corrupt it divert it stop its mouth rock it a sleep and cast off the government of it and get the mastery over their consciences Weary aâ—so 2. Of Gods outward government whereby they are overawed checked held in from exorbitancies and driven against their mind to the service of God Weary of family government long to be at liberety at their own dispose to live at their own hand that they may not be troubled with commands counsells corrections of pious Parents that would hold them to their duty and engage them to keep the way of the Lord. Weary of Church-discipline and government had rather live at a loose end then under such discipline cannot bear reproofs admonitions the rod of discipline would break the bands and cast away the cords of Christ. Weary of government in the Common wealth would be glad to be rid of pious Rulers that are a terrour to evil works and will not let them sin impanâ— cannot hear such Masters of restraint long for a change and think they cannot be worse than they are The bottome is They are weary of Gods service Again VII Weariness of spiritual Priviledges that are to be enjoyed in the way of Gods service They are weary of the pleasant things of Ierusalem the Word Worship Ordinances of God liberty to serve Him in the way of His appointments If they could have Baptism for their Children Lord's Supper for themselves enjoy these and those Priviledges without any labour of theirs without any injunction of service they could like it better But all these Priviledges are so charged with duty so clogged and encumbred with service they set at so great a rent of service and pay so dear as they think for their Priviledges that they are weary of them They have little sense or experience of the worth of Priviledges but feel the burden of service and are willing so they may be discharged of the one to part with the other Yea they are full of their mercies and nauseate their Priviledges as much as ever the Israthtes did the Manna Again VIII Weariness many times of their very profession of service and obedience to God A bare empty profession growes a burden to them especially when they have served their turn of it and it is grown out of fashion in the World They repent they are so far engaged as to have taken up a Profession and would desert and abandon it if it were not for shame and they knew how to secure an honourable retreat As they never had experienced the power of godliness so they grow at last to be weary even of the forme of godliness To maintain a Name to live and keep up a Profession of Religion requires more labour and pains then they are willing to bestow upon it But thus you see when a Person or People may be said to be weary of God The second Question should be Whence comes it to pass that a Person or People are weary of God and that this is the generall frame of the Church and People of God sometimes But this would require a very large discourse and I must leave it to some other opportunity USE 1. Of Examination Have we not then great reason to examine our selves narrowly and impartially whether we are not such a People as are weary of God We see the People of the Iews were deservedly charged with it Iacob and Israel were weary of God yea many Churches in New-Testament times on whom more of Light Grace Spirit was shed sorth have been most unworthily weary of the blessed God And what are we that we should plead any priviledge or think our selves secured from such a sinfull frame of spirit as this is I know we have a great opinion of our selves We are ready to think God hath hardly such another People in the World as His People in New-England Hence it will hardly sink into many mens hearts that God should leave New-England and give up His People and Interest here into the hands of Adversaries that are ready enough to stretch forth their hands upon our pleasant things We are prone to imagine the Churches and People of God here are too good to be destroyed or trod down by any foot of pride and violence But I wish there be not more of pride and fancy then of Faith in this opinion I confess the Lord Jesus Christ hath a very glorious interest among us but it is very little beholding to us that have weakened and disparaged it exceedingly by our great miscarriages I know also that there are a number of very choice People among us very dear to God for whom we fare the better at this day And I do indeed hope that God is very unwilling to break up house among us and remove from us Very loath to sell His People for nought when he is not like to increase His wealth by their price Psal. 44. 12. Yea that He feares to speak in His own language Deut. 32. 27. The wrath of the enemy least our adversaries should behave themselves strangely and say our hand is high and the Lord hath not done all this I hope the Lord may be saying at this day as in Hosea 11. 8 9. How shall I give thee up Ob New-England My heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger Doubtless the Lord remembers the kindness
A Seasonable Discourse Wherein SINCERITY DELIGHT in the Service of GOD is earnestly pressed upon PROFESSORS of RELIGION Delivered on a Publick FAST at Cambridge in NEW-ENGLAND By the Reverend and Learned URIAN OAKES Late Pastor of the Church there and Praesident of HARVARD COLLEDGE Zech. 1. 5 6. Your Fathers where are they and the Prophets do they live for ever But my Word and my Statutes which I Commanded my Servants the Prophets did they not take hold of your Fathers Rev. 14. 13. Blessed are the Dead which dy in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their Labours and their works do follow them CAMBRIDGE Printed by Samuel Green 1682. To the READER THere are especially two things whereby discourses are commended unto the acceptance of their Readers One is the Weight Excellency and seasonablenesse of the Subject The other's the known Worth Ability and Fame of the Author Upon both which accounts the ensuing Sermon may and I doubt not will find a ready reception amongst all that are godly and judicious into whose hands it shall come As for the subject matter of this Discourse it is that which highly concerns a Professing People and the Lords New-England People are eminently so most intensely to consider of The heart-searching God requireth that those that enter into Covenant with Him should be sincere in all their Callings upon His Name Josh 24. 14. Fear the Lord and serve Him in Sincerity and Truth He knows who have only a forme of godliness but are strangers unto the power of it whose services can never please Him Sapiens Nummularius est Deus Nummum fictum non recipiet Nor is there a more sure discovery of secret and deep hypocrisy in the hearts of Men then that of being weary of Gods service or thinking a little service too much for the great God When the Iew brought a lean sacrifice and then said What a wearinesse is it as if he were tyred with so great a burden he did serve the Lord and yet not serve Him at the same Time Mal. 1. 13. Nor is there any thing more offensive to the Lord Iesus then luke-warmnesse in profâ—ssion or having a Name to live and being dead as we see by the Epistle sent from Heaven unto the Churches of Asia and consequently unto all other Churches to the end of the World cautioning them to be watchfull against evils of that kind as they would not have the Lord deal by them as He hath done to Jerusalem or as He hath done to the Churches in Asia who because of hypocrisy and formality in Profession are rejected and their Raines become such as that Travellers cannot look upon them without horrour and amazement That there is still a blessed number of lively Christians in these Churches is through the grace of Christ very true the Lord increase them and make them a thousand times more then they are Neverthelesse that there is also a prevailing spirit of Apostacy among multitudes is no lesse certain Where is the love of our Espousals When our Fathers followed the Lord into this vast and then wast Wildernesse having no other interest but Religion and no other designe but Reformation before them Have not many of this generation left and lost that love to the pure and holy institutions of Christ which those of the former generation desired and delighted in Are not some weary of that Theocracy or Government which God hath established amongst in as to sacred and civill respects willing for a change in both This Wise Master-builder hath then accommodated the word by Him spoken upon a very publick occasion to the state of these Times and of this People And he hath thereby manifested himself to be of the same spirit with that faithfull and worthy Shephard who went before him in the work of the Ministry in that precious flock of Christ which is at Cambridge This Sermon seconding and confirming those of his eminent predecessors 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chron. 12. 8. long ago both preached and Printed How happy has Cambridge been Indeed the Church at Ephesus enjoyed the Ministry of Paul and Timothy and Tychicus Blessed men of God but such a succession and eminent lights is seldom known in the same Church the un thankfulnesse and unprofitablenesse of men provoking the Lord to eclipse their Glory Concerning the Author His worth is well known and I wish it were more known in both Englands Doctor Preston chose to be a preacher in Cambridge in England Rather than in another place because he had then a special opportunity dâ—lare non tantum Lapides sed Architectes The Lord was mercisul to all these Churches in ordering the labours of this able Work-man to be in a place so sutable for his more then ordinary Capacity There have been several of the same Name heretofore renowned for their rare accomplishments in some particular faculty wherein they have excelled Iosephus Quercetanus was a learned and famous Physitian Joh. Drusius the Greek word for Oaks was a great Divine and eminent for his Critical Genius But an Age doth seldome produce one so many wayes excelling as this Author did If we consider him as a Divine as a Scholar as a Christian it is hard to say in which he did most excell I have often in my own thoughts compared him to Samuel among the Prophets of old inasmuch as he did truly fear God from his youth and was betimes improved in holy Ministrations and was at last called to be the head of the Sons of the Prophets in this New-English Israel as Samuel was President of the Colledge at Najoth And in many other particulars I might enlarge upon the parallel but that it is inconvenient to extend such instances beyond their proportion What shall I now say New-Englands Samuel is dead How doth Cambridge How doth the Colledge How doth New-England shake since this Oak whom Christ had made a Pillar in the Temple of his God is removed Heu tua Nobis Morte simul tecum solatia rapta It may without reflection upon any be truly said that He was one of the greatest Lights that ever shone in this part of the World or that is ever like to arise in this Horizon He is now become a Royal Diadem in the hand of the Lord being as one speaks concerning a great Worthy An ornament to Heaven it self This Sermon was not by the Reverend Author designed for publication Had himself Emitted it there would have been some Ornamental additions Quicquid tam docta condidit manus caelum est But it is here presented as sound written with his own hand among his Sermon notes And inasmuch as M r. Oakes preached it there needs no more to raise in the Reader a expectation that he shal meet with something worthy his perusal and beyond what others do ordinarily attain unto It is to be lamented that he did not live to finish his meditations on this
subject and I hope that this will but make way for the publication of some other of his judicious and elaborate Sermons And I do earnestly wish the like with respect to the labours of his immediate predecessour blessed M r. Mitchel who was a man of such vast abilities and exemplary piety and close walking with God as is rarely known There are some of his Sermons very suitable for the present Time and juncture of affairs amongst us and in a peculiar manner those which concern the interest of Christs Kingdom in this wildernesse which if they were published would by the blessing of Christ tend to strengthen the hearts and hands of those that are willing to venture themselves in the cause of God and of his People It would be for the honour of N. E. and of Cambridge in special that the world and posterity should know what Excellent and able men the Lord hath sent and raise up amongst us and that we Remember not only those that do but them that have taught us the word of God Whose Faith the Lord grant that we may follow considering the End of their conversation BOSTON 2. 19 1682. Increase Mather Isaiah 43. 22. But thou hast not called upon me O Iacob but thou hast been weary of me O Israel AT the fourteenth verse which some make the first of this Chapter The Lord by the Prophet soretells the Destruction of the Babylonians and Ruine of the Assâ—rian Monarchy in favour to his oppressed people of the Iâ—wes and in Order to their Deliverance For your sakes I have sent that is will as certainly send in due time as if I had already sent to Babylon namely such unwelcome Messengers and Instruments of vengeance as the Medes Persians under the Conduct and Command of Cyrus Gods appointed and Anointed servant to execute his holy purposes in the suddain unavoidable overthrow of these barbarous and bloody enemies of the only Church he had then in the world And because this might seem to be a matter of huge difficulty very improbable and incredible considering the present power Grandure of the Caldeans that had set their nest among the Stars out of the reach of all dangers as they imagined therefore the Lord helps the faith of his people by ascerting his relation to and interest in his people whom those Caldeans detained in Captivity which oblidged him to do great things for their deliverancce I am the Lord your Holy One the Creator of Israel your King verse 15. And also by a Commemoration of his marveilous works for them of old especially his conducting them through the red Sea ruining the Chariot and horse the Army and power of Pharoah ver 15 16. And why should they not believe that he was able to do such works over again considering that his hand was not shortned nor his Power circumscribed or limited more than heretofore Nay the Lord assures them that he would do for them yet greater things that he would out-do what he had done before bidding them not to remember the former things nor consider the things of Old for he would do a new thing ver 18 19. Not that he would have former works laid out of their minds and memories but to intimate he was about to work out such a deliverance for them by Cyrus as especially such redemption in the fulnesse of time by the Lord Jesus Christ and which was figured by that temporal deliverance as should far surpasse all that had been wrought for them in former ages He would make a way in the wildernesse and Rivers in the desert vers 19. Give them a plain easie ready passage into their own Land and provide them of all conveniences in their travel to it yea so signally would the Lord own them in a way of protection provision and special blessing that the very beasts of the field the Dragons and Owls should honour them vers 20. or God in them doing them no harm but shewing them a kind of reverence and awfull respect or rather should fare the better for their passage thorough these dry and thirsty places shareing with them in the waters God would provide for his peoples refreshment and so in their kind and way honour God for it Or else the deliverance of Gods people should be such a magnificent stately work of providence that not only men but even the very beasts of the field should be amazed at it and in stead of limiting or hindering them in their passage would if they had reason adore God on that account the Lord here foretells that the deliverance of the Jewes out of their captivity especially the redemption of his Elect by the Messiah out of their spiritual bondage should be very marvelous and glorious And thus-with respect to the deliverance by Christ fore-signified and figured by this deliverance by Cyrus some conceive that by the beasts of the field the Dragons and Owls or Ostriches are intended the savage wilde brutish Gentiles that should drink of the waters of Life the saving doctrine of the Gospel and so glorifie God Moreover if it should be any mans question why the Lord would do these new and marveilous things for the Jews and his Elect among the Nations he satisfies that inquiry vers 21. This People have I formed for my self His own free grace had formed up the Jews into a Church and Common-wealth made them his peculiar People especially were his Elect formed by his grace for himself which work of his grace engaged him to do more then ordinary works for them Free grace was the first cause and his glory was the last end of all he should do for them Now in the words read as also in those that follow my text the Lord prevents an objection that might be made against the fulnesse of his graces in all that he had done or should do for them checks the arrogancy of that people anticipates and argues down their swelling conceit that the reason of their deliverance and the wonderful appearances of God for them was their dutifulnesse and diligence in his service or some worthinesse of their own as you know they were wont to entertain a very good opinion of themselves when they had very little reason Such swelling bladders are poor creatures vainly puffed by their fleshly mind with a proud conceit of their own goodnesse when they are full of nothing but air wind or what is worse Now the Lord here pricks those bladders pulls down those high conceits demonstrates their obligation to his free grace and favour for all these things that the mercy hitherto shown them and the deliverance that was in due time to be commanded for them was not to be attributed to their prayers sacrifices services good Abearing or obliging deportments of themselves towards the Lord but intirely absolutely solely ascribed to his gracious good pleasure It was not on the account of their merits but of his own free grace in order to his own praise
than the bare performance of duty which is usually exprest by some Verb or other There are many necessary requisites to and essential ingredients in the true worship of God which if they be wanting the external performance of it is as a thing of nought in Gods valuation though the worship be materially good not idolatrous superstitious uncommanded or unlawful in it self but such as God hath instituted and enjoyned yet it may be formally evil and want such conditions and qualifications as would render it acceptable to God Men may pray hear receive sacraments be much in duties of worship and yet do nothing from a principal of grace in obedience to God with a due respect to His glory and is not all this think you as good as nothing in point of acceptation with the Lord A man may be doing every day and yet do nothing in Religion All his prayers may be nothing else but the lazie wishings and wouldings of sinfull sloath the bablings of formality the cravings inordinate selfish greed cravings of his lusts the discontented murmerings and grumblings of the flesh or howlings in a time of affliction Hosea 7. 14. Yea as the plowing of the wicked is sin Prov. 21. 4. so is his praying also The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord Prov. 15. 8. God lookes with a gracious aspâ—ct on him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembles at His Word But he that without these inward holy dispositions of spirit slayeth an Oxe is as if he slâ—w a man c. Isa. 66. 2. 3. Of so little account with God is external worship without the internal as He will hardly allow it the name of invocation and wor ship but gives it very hard names importing that such invocation is indeed a great provocation of God All the use that I would make of it is in these three Words First This may serve to check the pride and petulancy to beat down the confidence and conceit of hypocrites that glory in their performances and reckon God indebted to them for their servivices That think they have done some great matter when they have prayed tosted heard Gods word done these or those duties and bear themselves high upon the frequency of their external devotion and think God doth them great wrong if He doth not consider and reward their diligence and dutifulness No Hypocrite acts beyond the sphere of the Covenant of Works but think to winn it and wear it And is whatever he professeth of a mercenary spirit and quarrels with God if he do not hear his prayers and reward his services so those supercili us proud hypocrites wherefore have we fasted saith they and thou seest not Wherefore have we afflicted our souls and thou takest no knowledge Isa 58 3. Thus they fly out and expostulate with God because their external humiliations and hypocritical performances were not regarded and rewarded according to their mind There is this saucy spirit in all hypocrites Ah! poor proud man thou mayest boast of thy prayers and duties and quarrells with God that He doth not hear and reward but thou hast no reason for take this home with thee thou hast never prayed in thy life never called upon God to this day thou hast done much in a way of duty in thy kind and fond opinion of thy self but as good as nothing in God's account Thou hast more reason to admire the patience and mercy of God for not punishing thee for such sinfull as well as insignificant performances then expostulate with Him and question His justice and faithfulness because He hoth not rewarded them Secondly We see then we have great reason to examine our selves and bring all our services to the test and touchstone of the Word of God and try whither our worship of God is true or false sincere or hypocritical any thing indeed or nothing in God's estimation What if God should say to thee after all the prayers thou hast made Fasts thou hast kept Sermons thou hast heard Sabbath-days Lecture dayes in season and out of season and Sacraments thou hast received Man Woman thou hast never called upon Me nor worshiped Me unto this day no thou hast never yet prayed one Prayer heard one Sermon received one Sacrament sanctified one Sabbath done one duty of religious Worship Truely it is to be feared this is the very case of many Professors amongst us Oh! the cold dead sleepy Prayers infamilies the dull and drowzie work we make on dayes of humiliation the careless fruitless hearing the flight unworthy receiving of Sacraments that is amongst us May we not fear this is the general condition of Professors amongst us in these 〈◊〉 and perrilous times We can travel into a Road of Duty jogg on in a formal heartless manner in a way of religious performances But Oh where is the reverance of the Divine Majesty the faith in His Son and Promises the hope in His mercie the love to Him and the zeal for His glory the unutterable groans and fervency of spirit the attention of mind and intention of will and affections to such like gracious dispositions and qualifications of the worship of God Are not these things growen out of fashion with us I doubt not but there are many through grace among us that call upon God in truth wrestling Israels a generation of seekers praying souls that can weep and make supplication and prevail with God in a princely manner Many that pray and hear and receive Sacraments and worship God in spirit and in truth that are accepted acknowleâ—dged owned and shal be rewarded as true worshippers I would not be all in complaining it is good to be thankful for what there is of God among us Many there are of the good old generation many of the middle and of the young generation yea more I doubt not then we are aware of that call upon God in sincerity yea there may be many a wise Virgin in a slumbering fit that may say with the spouse Cantic 5. 2. I sleep but my heart waketh That must by no means be secluded and so shut out of the company of true worshippers As there were seven thousand in Elijah's time a time of the greatest Apostacy of Israel that had not bowed a knee to Baal nor defiled themselves with idolatrous worship so no doubt there were many thousands that called upon God and worshiped Him indeed even in those degenerous times when the Lord said Thou hast not called upon me O Iacob But He speakes of the body of that People that were hypocritical formall and irreligious So questionless we have many among us in these dayes of degeneracy and apostacy that worship God aright and seek Him with their whole heart bear up the Pillars of our Land Are the Chariots and Horse-men of our Israel and can do wonders upon their knees But what shal we say or think of the body of this People May not God upbraid us and say Thou hast
not called upon Me O New-England Do not many prophanely neglect the worship of God in publick assemblies in their families in secret Do not more perform it in such an unworthy manner as God will never acknowledge it for His worship yea though it be a time of fear and danger wherein the blessed God New-Englands best friend the hope of our Israel and Saviour thereof in time of trouble threatens us to be gone and carry away all our pleasant things and our glory with Him Yet may we not say with the Prophet There is none that is few or none in comparison that call upon His Name and stir up themselves to take hold of Him Isai. 64. 7. Good it will be for us to consider it in order to our humiliation and reformation I know indeed it is better for men to call upon God and worship Him as they can then prophanely to neglect it but assuredly externall worship without internall morall worship will be of no account with God nor is by any means to be rested in And if this be all the worship that the body of Professors among us tender unto God we are in a very bad condition it had need to be well considered and laid to heart by us Thirdly Labour we then to call upon God and worship Him in truth To tender such homage and service to Him as He will graciously accept as such Let us make sure that our calling upon God be such indeed and well pleasing to the Lord. You that are out of Christ never yet made a Prayer heard a Sermon sanctified a Sabbath worshiped God in any one instance as you ought to do God saith to every impenitent unbelieving sinner Thou hast never yet called upon Me. But yet pray as well as you can beg the spirit to humble you and draw you to Christ beg Faith and every other Grace and wait upon God in the use of all means as well as you can for the communication of grace and when you have it be sure to improve it and actuate it and stir it up mingle Faith with Prayers Sermons Sacraments that you may call upon God and worship Him acceptably that all your external worship may be accompanied with animated by natural and internal worship which is the very soul of it That there may be a connexion of these two so that inward worship in Faith Love fear of God and such like graces may be exercised expressed strengthned actuated as to the principal of it to the glory of God and our comfort Then will the Lord say you call upon Him and worship Him indeed and shal not loose your reward Would it not be a sad thing if you should loose all your Prayers and all your calling upon God should be nothing in His account Will not their case be very sad that shall say unto Christ in the great day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name cast out Devils and in thy Name done many wonderfull works and He shal professe unto them I never knew you Mat. 7. 22 23. And will not your condition be deplorable if in that day you should say Blessed Lord we have prayed we have called upon God in thy Name we have worshipped God in hearing His Word and receiving Sacraments And He should reply I profess I know no such matter I am sure you never called upon God never prayed unto Him or worshipped Him in all your lives What a confusion would this cover you with and yet this entertainment will many professors meet with in that day look about you therefore in time least you loose all the prayers you make and worship you performe and make sure you call upon God in sincerity Thus much for the first challenge and charge in the Text. Had the Jews done all that was commanded them respecting the Principle Matter Manner End of Gods Worship in a way of Gospel sincerity yet they would have been unprofitable Servants far from meriting the leâ—t Divine favour much more then when they had not as to the body of them called upon God at all in sincerity The second charge is 2. That they had been weary of God But thou hast been weary of me O Israel Others indeed read the words Thou hast not called upon me O Iacob when thou hast Laboured or wearied thy selfe with me or for me As if he should say it is true thou hast Laboured in externall dutyes been at much cost and paines in sacrifices offerings observances but yet for all that thou hast not called upon me worshipped me therein Thou hast tyred thy self and laboured hard in pretence for me yet I disclaim all that thou hast done as none of my worship because it hath not proceeded from inward hearty devotion nor been attended with universal Obedience and a Religious holy Conversation Thou hast laboured much in sacrifices and offerings but hast not sacrificed thy lust mortified thy corruptions offered and given me a believing humble contrite sincere obedient heart the sacrifice of a broken and a contrite heart which is required by me and without which all thy other sacrifices are unacceptable Therefore I reckon thou hast not called upon my Name indeed or worshipped me all this while Thus the whole ver should be resolved into one discretive proposition to this effect Though thou hast taken a great deal of pains in pretence and appearance for me in thy sacrifices and oblation and ceremonial worships yet in reality thou hast not called upon me or performed any worship to me Thus men may make as many prayers and fast as often as the Pharisees used to do run to all the Lectures about them frequent Ordinances and take a great deal of pains in appearance for God and in his worship and yet never call upon God nor worship him in due manner they may seem to be very laborious in duties and Religious services for Gods sake with respect to Gods glory as well as their own good and yet all their pains in that kind be rejected by the Lord as nothing worth Others read the words Thou hast not called upon me seeing thou hast wearied thy self for me or in my service And if they be thus rendered and sensed the latter clause is exageticall or explanatory of the former rendring a reason why the Lord saith they had not called upon Him namely because though they had brought a multitude of sacrifices and kept up His worship in all the outward instituted wayes and means of it yet they exhibited no worship to Him without trouble and weariness not with any promptness and alacrity of mind but with an ill will which made all they did as good as nothing in Gods account Others read Thou hast not called upon me when thou hast wearied thy self against me O Israel As if He should say you have indeed taken a great deal of pains about the outward part of worship in killing sacrifices bringing oblations keeping festivals observing the ceremonies of
the Law but all this you have done in such a wretched manner without Faith and Obedience in hypocricy and formality and so not for me as you pretend but against me in Truth not for my Glory but to my great dishonour not for my satisfaction but to my grief and trouble When men pray hear the word performe duties of worship but without an inward principle of grace with a false and hypocritical heart without any care and conscience of Evangelicall Obedience nay in effect to palliate their sins that they may go on without regrett and remorse in a way of wickedness truely then their prayer and worship is not for God but against him to his great provocation and dishonour God is affronted and despighted rather than delighted and gratified with such worship so ill circumstanced conditioned The great designe of God in instituted outward worship is to produce exercise increase draw forth faith obedience in his people to his Glory But when this is not done but externall worship is kept up without any due regard to Faith and Obediance nay for a cover excuse and protection as it were of unbelief and disobedience it looses its end is good for nothing but to dishonour and provoke God with the greater solemnity But we need not labour much here about the vanity of reversions We may safely keep to our English Translation which is genuine plain expressive of the Originall And so there are two propositions in the words as we have intimated Thou hast not called upon me O Jacob but thou hast been weary of me O Israel And then in the latter words there is a gradation and aggravation of their sins Thou hast not only not called upon me but thou hast been weary of me I need not tell you that Israel here is the same with Jacob there Children descended from that holy powerfull Patriarch whose Names were Jacob and Israel inheriting their Father's Name even when they had little of His Piety The Lord charges them here with a weariness of Him that in-stead of calling upon Him with Faith fervency delight as they should have done in all respects they were grown weary of Him Here Observe 2. Doct. That 't is sometimes the generall but unworthy wretched frame of the visible Church and People of God to be weary of God The Lord speakes here to Iacob and Israel a People in Covenant with Him the only Church He had then upon the face of the Earth the People of His holiness His peculiar Treasure whom He had honoured above all other Nations in giving His Word unto Iacob His statutes and judgements unto Israel whereas He had not dealt so with any other Nation Psalm 147. 19 20. He had committed to them His Oracles and Ordinances formed them into a Church and Common-wealth for Himself and His own Glory planted their Heavens laid the Foundation of their Earth and said unto them Thou art my People They were a People very near and dear to the Lord as appeared by His redeeming them from Egyptian bondage leading them through the Wilderness giving them His Laws taking them under the wing of His Covenant conducting them to and setling them in the Land of Canaan and then giving them all things richly to enjoy Yet this People after all as to the body of them grew weary of God This we may think was monstrous dis-ingenuity and ingratitude to grow weary of Him that was their Father founder Protector Benefactour on all accounts better to them then all the world We may think when we read the Story the Jews were a very strange unworthy people in their deportments towards the Lord and so they were indeed But know withall that we have the same hearts and natures and are disposed also to the like frame too prone to make God the like requitall of His kindness to us and to grow weary of Him Gospell Churches are not secured from but subject to this unworthy sinfull frame of spirit It is too oft the case of Professors in these Gospell times to be weary of God We shal here enquire 1. Quest. When is a Person or People weary of God Answ. The original word as Avenarius observes hath not so much respect is not so much referred to the weariness of the flesh or body as of the mind and spirit Doubtless it is soul-weariness that is here intended Now this would require a large discourse but I shal bring all into as narrow a compass as I can Prosessors then are said to be weary of God when they are weary of subjection service and obedience unto God The Lord charged them with omission or neglect of His worship and service Thou hast not called upon me O Iacob and then subjoynes but thou hast been weary of me O Israel Thou hast been so far from serving me according to my will and thy duty that thou hast been weary of me and my service That service and obedience unto God that should have been esteemed by them as it was indeed their priviledge honour benefit and happiness was their load burthen trouble and they were sick and weary of it This includes sundry things 1. Weariness of the service of God it self or of the kind and matter of obedience When professors are weary of the work that must be done in Gods service they are weary of God The matter of Christian obedience is the preceptive will of God summarily comprehended in the Decalogue or morall Law in the two Tables containing ten Commandments When men are weary of doing and suffering what God in His Law requires so that to worship God with his own prescribed worship in that reverential awfull holy manner at such times as he requires and to make conscience of keeping close to all the Rules of Justice and Charity in their converses and dealings with men or in the Apostles concise and comprehensive expressions To live soberly righteously and godly in this present world Tit. 2. 12. and to have due respect to or walk in all the Commandments of God and to fulfill all His Wills as the phrast is Act. 15. 22. When I say men call this a weariness a bondage and burthen so as to esteem the burthen of Christ that He layes upon them a burthen indeed and the yoke of His Law galling and troublesome and His Commands very grievous then doubtless they are weary of God Wearinesse of Gods Lawes and holy wayes is weariness of God himself in a just construction When men have set upon a course of reformation and obedience seem to run well for a time but then tyre and grow weary Religion is not a matter of Theory and Orthodox notions only but of practice and labour We may say of Theologie as the Philosopher of civill prudence and pollicy the end of it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not bare knowledge but practice God will have no idle servants in His family He hath set them work to do there is a race of odedience set
makes a man if he do not wholly turn aside from the way of duty yet to be very unconstant and uneven and make many balks in it He walks with God at all adventures Levi. 26. 21. Not by any stedy rule or keeping any constant pace Hence we neglect the service of God secret prayer and other duties and then a terrible Sermon or some dangerous Sicknesse some sore affliction or remarkable providence awakens him to his work and then he prayes and reforms and does duties a while but in a little time the impression of those things wear off his spirit and then he relapseth into his former neglect and is as bad as ever This is weariness indeed of Gods service like the Israelites that in times of affliction sought God with much affection but there was no stedfastness in them Psal. 78. 34 37. 6. To perseverance to the end in a way of duty Gods servants must hold on in a way of service and not give in till they come to the end of their race It is the persevering Saint that shal have the reward He that endureth to the end shal be saved Matth. 24. 13. But now this weariness of Gods service tends to and frequently 〈◊〉 such in a totall apostacy Where such men as be weary of duty have served God in their lives by fitts and starts and in some good mood for a time they do at last many times grow quite cold and turne aside to the service of sin and satan Like Demas that accompanied Paul and did service a while but then forsook the service of Christ and embraoed the world and as Ecclesiasticall story says of him became a Priest in an idols temple This weariness of Gods service oft ends in a forsaking of it And no wonder if a man cast off his burthen as soon as he can Thus professors are weary of Godsservice it self or of the kind and matter of obedience and this weariness of Gods service is attended with II. Weariness of their relation to God as their Master They look upon the service of God as very grievous and God himself as an hard Master and hence are weary of the relation of servants to him They do not find His yoke easie and His burthen light but it is intollerable to their wretched hearts hence they grow into a dislike of God Himself and are weary of their relation to Him They seemed to have chosen Him for their Master but upon experience of his service they repent their choice and now He shall be no Master of theirs Now they can change away their glory Ier. 2 11. Renounce their relation to and interest in the Lord if it cannot be had on easier terms then such hard service Like that people that said to the Prophets Isa. 30. 10 11. Prophesie smooth things and get you out of the way turn ye aside out of the path we do not like this way of preaching law and duty threatnings and judgments here and damnation hereafter to the disobedient leave this way of preaching and cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us Trouble us no more with messages from God talk no more of Him and His Commands and threatnings we are weary of His Word and service and care to hear no more of it They loved not to hear their duty of Gods service pressed upon them They had done with God and His service Such are not like the servant that in the year of release was contented out of love to his Master and liking of his service to have his ear bored and to serve him for ever Exod 21. 6. But have such a dislike of the service of God that they are willing to cast off His hard service and abandon their relation to Him This is attended with III. Weariness of their Covenant obligation to the Lord and His service whereby they are engaged to be His People Subjects Servants to bear true faith and allegiance to Him and renouncing all other Lords that have had dominion over them to cleave to Him trust in Him fear love and serve Him alone They could even wish their Indentures cancelled and burnt are sorry they are so far ingaged in Church-covenant and fellowship that they are under such strickt solemn tyes and obligations to service and obedience It troubles them that they are tyed up so short so chained so bound with the bonds of the Covenant that their hands are so manicled that they cannot act as they would feet so fettered that they cannot walk as they please They cannot endure these shackles could wish they were handsomely quit of their Covenant-engagements which hold them in abridg and infringe their liberty to live as they list They are impatient of being staked down to so short a tedder that they cannot range as they please In some good mood and for some by end they entered into Covenant with God and His People but now they are sorry that the yoke of obedience and service is with their own consent so bound and fastned to their neck by the Covenant that they know not well how to shake it off and get clear of it So much weariness of the service of God so much weariness there will be of Covenant-obligations to it Again IV. Weariness of Divine Truth which directs them in the way of Gods service They would have smooth things not right things prophesied unto them Deceit and errours that will countenance their hypocrisie and sloath and give them liberty and elbow room rather then this severe truth that leads them right on in the way of piety and obedience and will not allow them to turn aside from it to the right or left hand They see no beauty and glory in Divine Truth have had little or no experience of the power of it upon their hearts receive not the love of it 2 Thessalonians 2. 10. Have no stomach or appetite to it wholesome Truths referring to Christian practice will not down with them they cannot endure found Doctrine but love dawbing with untempered Morter to be stroked and flattered and strengthned in a way of looseness and to have Pillows sewed under their Elbows This Truth is a biteing them and they cannot bear it Hence men make no great difference between Truth and Errour are not concerned for defence of the Truth and suppression of Errour have no zeal to contend earnestly for the Faith Truth may sink or swim for all them Nay they had rather it were drowned and buried out of the way it is so troublesome to them Again V. Weariness of Gods providential discipline as I may call it whereby He would quicken them to His service and reduce them into the way of it when they have wandred from it My meaning is God in His providence exerciseth severe discipline in His visible Church by chastisements and afflictions in order to their correction and emendation He will not bear that in His Covenant-People that He will overlook and wink at in others
to do him service and had free liberty to make use of them to the glory of God and his own comfort But Sin hath inverted this Order and brought confusion upon earth Man is dethroned and become a servant and slave to those things that were made to serve him and he puts those things in his heart that God hath put under his feet Profits Pleasures Honours these lusts of the World are the Masters yea the idols of sinfull men The life of their spirits is in these things They find the life of their hand in these things therefore they are not griâ—ved or sick and weary Isaiah 57. 10. These worldly things agree well with the frame of their hearts they find satisfaction sweetness rest happiness in these enjoyments Is not this the condition of many amâ—ng us 〈◊〉 theâ—e any secret search or digging as the word is Jer. 2. 34. To discover this worldly spirit among us doth it not lye above ground Is it not very obvious Have we not many proud covetous sensual professors Would not blessed Paul if he were here weep over us in this respect that there are so many whose God is their belly whose glory is in their shame and who mind earthly things Phil. 3. 19. Was there ever a People that pretended so high to the service of God and yet are so heartily engaged in the sâ—rvice of the World Are we weary of the World sure then it is not that we are weary of it but even tyre and weary our selves in the service of it and yet have never enough Truly those that are not weary of the World so as to find no rest and satisfaction in it and in the service of it are certainly weary of God and and so weary That they have changed away their glory for things that do not profit Our Saviour hath given us the reason of it Math. 6. 24. No man can serve two Masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will hold to the one and despise the other ye cannot serve God and Mammon A man will be weary of the service of God or the World III. Those that are wearying God with their iniquities and making Him to serve with their sins are certainly weary of God For thus the Lord brands His People that He charges to have neglected His worship and been weary of Him Thou hast made me to serve with thy sins thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities Isai. 43. 24. God is wearied by our unbelief refusing His gracious offers and disregarding His message Isai. 7. 13. They that are weary of God will weary God with their sins and they that weary God we may be sure are weary of Him when men loade God as it were with their sins not of infirmity for infirmities acknowledged and mourned for do not weary God but presumptious sins impenitently persisted in then they are wearying of God with their multiplied aggravated iniquities who is pressed under them As a Cart is pressed that is full of sheives Amos 2. 13. Those that love and delight in Gods service though they may grieve him now and then through infirmity yet they will not continue a course of sin to the wearying of God Those are weary of Gods service that weary Him with their iniquities and make Him serve with their sins When men are weary of Gods service they will either cast it off or else will use the service of God not to please and glorifie God but as a means to compass some inferiour carnall ends of their own Thus too many Professors when Religion is in fashion will make use of it to further their advancement and honour yea some can make use of Gods Ordinances as Instruments of their revenge to wreak their malice or anger upon those that have offended them This is to make God serve with their sins yea to serve their lusts when men subordinate Religion and make their profession of it subservient to their own base or worldly designes And it is well if there be not very much of this among us That whereas we should as Austin saith Frui Deo uti creaturis enjoy God as our end and happiness and use creatures as means in order to that end We do invert the due order and do frui creaturis et uti Deo enjoy the creatures as our end and happiness and use God and His service to further our enjoyment of created things and as a means in order to that end which is a very prepostrous thing and a great affront to the Lord to make Him a servant an underling quasi mancipium as one saith upon the place as it were a slave to bear our burdens and serve our turns IV. All those that are weary of the Image of God in His People that most resemble Him are doubtless weary of God David was a man that delighted in Gods Law and Service and followed hard after God Psal. 63. 8. Hence he loved and delighted in those that were created after Gods Image and the more he saw of God in them the more he loved them The Saints on earth were the excellent Ones in whom was all his delight Psal. 16. 3. A companion of such Psal 119. 63 As delight in man because of God appearing in them is an evidence of greater delight in God so weariness of men because of what of God appears in them is a certain signe of greater weariness of God Himself Now is not this the frame not only of prophane persons among us but of many Professors that they are weary of the power and practice of godliness in those that follow God fully they despise and loath and are weary of the Image of God in His saith full Servants could be glad to be rid of them when they dy lay it not to heart but are secretly glad of it because their lives and practices condemn them and are a perpetual standing reproof of their loose walking It is well if we have not many Church-members of this spirit that they are weary of the society of good People and of communion of Saints tired with their company discourses holy communication and conversation Do not many of our formall sensual Professors that can typple and swill it and keep vain company and spend their time in idle chat learne to deride and jeer the preciseness and holiness of better men then themselves Do they not dislike and loath the presence and fellowship of such persons in whom much of God and His grace shines I wish there be not that malignity in the hearts of many men yea many withered Professors among us as will if the wheel turn and the Church interest sink break forth into bitter persecution of the most pious and faithfull Servants of God Sure they that are weary of God in His People are weary of God Himself V. All those of whom God is weary are undoubtedly themselves weary of God The reason is because when God hath called a