have many sweet promises of the Gospel revealed unto them many blessed manifestations of Gods free grace and goodnesse in his Christ made known unto them but they slight and disregard them But when God shall bring them into the wildernesse when God shall cause them to be under the torment of a scorching conscience when conscience shall be burning and scalding then perhaps they may long Oh that I had one drop of water one promise out of the Word to comfort me Oh that I might have but never so little refreshing Oh that I might heare againe those things I have heretofore heard and neglected But then God may deny one drop of water to coole their scorching consciences and stay them with thirst slay their soules with thirst at that time And thus many poore creatures are slain with thirst that did so little regard those rivers of consolation that in the time of their prosperity they might have had Ver. 4. And I will not have mercy upon her children for they be the children of whoredoms I confesse at the first view looking upon this verse I thought I might quickly passe it over the rather because we had some such expressions in the former Chapter where God threatned that he would have no more mercy upon them But the Scripture is a vast depth and there are many excellent treasures in it there is alwayes aliquid revisentibus something for those that come to see again and looke again and this something will appeare to be much that we shall see out of these expressions further then before hath been observed And I will not have mercy This Particle And hath much in it it is a most terrible And. This conjunction many times in Scripture is as a pleonasme and doth not serve for much use but here in this place it is of great use and it is filled with terrour as full as it is possible for such a little particle to hold I know there may be many curiosities sometimes in observatious of particles of conjunctions but we shall not meddle with any curiosity but speake of that which is plain and the intention of the Holy Ghost here I say this And is a most dreadfull And marke the conjunction you had foure And 's before saith God I will strip her naked And set her as in the day wherein she was borne And make her as a wildernesse And set her as a dry Land And slay her with thirst Is not here enough Oh no there cometh a fifth And and that is more terrible then all the former foure And I will have uo more mercy upon her children This addeth terrour to all the rest Suppose that all the other foure had beene and if this had not come there had not beene such a grievous threatning If God had said I will strip her naked set her as in the day wherein she was borne and I will make her as a wildernesse and set her as a dry land and slay her with thirst yet if there might be mercy in all this their condition had not beene so miserable but saith God I will doe all these And I will have no more mercy upon them Oh this hath that terrour in it that it is impossible for the heart of a man that apprehends it to stand under it And for the opening of this I shall shew you how that all the former foure not only may stand with Gods mercy but they have stood with Gods mercy that God had heretofore shewed mercy to them when they were in such a low condition in which they were borne when they were in the wildernesse when they were in a dry Land yea when he did slay them he shewed mercy unto them But now he saith he will do thus and thus and shew no mercy unto them So that then though this And be conjunctive in Grammar yet here in Divnity it is a disjunctive and a most dreadfull disjunctive to part them and mercy a sunder yea and to part many of them and mercie eternally asunder To shew you therefore the soure former that though they were in such a condition heretofore yet God did shew them mercie now what a condition is that God will shew them no mercie As First In the day wherein they were borne that as you may remember I shewed you out of the 16. Ezek. what a low and pittifull condition the people of Israel were in they were cast out in the field they were in their blood and not washed and the like But mark in the 8. ver I passed by thee and looked upon thee behold the time was a time of love and I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakednesse yea I sware unto thee and entered into covenant with thee and thou becamest mine Here are the highest and the fullest expressions of Gods grace that could be First I looked upon her and then the time was a time of love and then I spread my skirt over thee and I entered into covenant with thee and thou becamist mine Here are all these expressions of mercy even at that time when they were cast out as forlorne in the open field and no eye pittâ—ed them but now they are threatned to be cast out into the open field againe and no eye to pittie them in heaven or in earth no nor the eye of God to pittie them now God threatneth to cast them off for ever so as he will see them in their blood but it shall be no more a time of love but a time of wrath and he will no more enter into covenant with them neither shall they be his 2. When God brought them into the wildernesse God there shewed them mercy for that you have a marvellousfull Text Deut. 32. 10. Hee found them in a desart land and in the wast howling wildernesse but mark he led them about he instructed them he kept them as the apple of his eye Though they were in a wast howling wildernesse yet they were as deare to God as the apple of his eye Yea further ver 11. As an eagie stirreeth up her nost fluttereth over her young spreadeth abroad her wings taketh them beareth them on her wings so the Lord alone did lead them It is the note of Paulus Fagius citing for it Rabbi Solomon upon this as the Eagle carries her young ones not as other birds for other birds it is observed carry their young ones in their claws the Eagle bears hers upon her wings and this is the reason that is observed because the Eagle is more tender of her young ones then other birds are why for other birds carrying their young ones in their claws if any shoot at them they hit the young ones and kill them first but may misse the old one but the Eagle carries hers upon her back upon her wings that whosoever shoots at her young ones they must shoot through her first So saith God I carried you in the wildernesse as the Eagle carries her
got this is basenesse in them But to subject Religion to such base ends as these this is the villany of all basenesse A generous spirit is far from this It is observed of the generous spirit of Luther that when a Papist was vexed at him for his preaching and writing faith a Bishop there is such a stir with this Luther why do you not stop his mouth with preferment As it hath been the speech of a Bishop here in this land that hearing that a Kinsman of his was a zealous Preacher well falth he let me alone I will silence him and indeed hee did How He gave him two livings and that silenced him presently So here why do you not stop this Luthers mouth with preferment He presently answered That Germane beast cares not for money he is above money He called him beast in his anger whereas he might have called him an Angel because his spirit was above these things his mouth would not be stopped with them Some mens lust of malice goes beyond their lust of covetousnesse like those Cockatrices Jer. 8. 17. that will not be charmed it is a shamefull thing then that our zeale for God should not goe beyond our lust for gaine to subject your Religion to flaxe and wool and oyle it commeth from a base diffidence in God as if he would not provide for us such outward things therefore Luther hath this expression in his Comment upon Hosea They followed their idols for bread and wool and flaxe and oyle as if God would not give bread to his Church or as if it were more safe to goe to the Devill for it as if we could not have wool enough and flaxe enough and oyle enough from God Oh let us trust God for all for our cloaths for our meate and drink for our estates for our children God certainely will feede his Church And yet those men that have hearts so base themselves they thinke it impossible for any man but to be taken with such arguments They may talke of Religion and conscience say they but I will warrant you they may be taken off with money and preferment places of profit and honour They think it impossible for men to stand against these arguments It putteth me in mind of that speech that Balaak used to Balaam Did not I earnestly send unto thee to call thee wherefore camest thou not unto me Am I not able to promote thee to honour As if he should have said Thou art a strange man indeed did not I send thee word that I would promote thee to great honour and give thee silver and gold or whatsoever thou wouldst have What will not preferment and money tempt you I thought this would have tempted any man in the world Thus many think that whatsoever mens Spirits are they may be taken off with promotion and money But let all such know that there are a generation of men in the world of true generous Spirits that are above all these things and take as much delight and have as much sweetnesse in denying these places of honour and preferment and gaine as those that offer them have in the enjoying of them It was a notable speech Plynie had concerning Cato It is in his Epistle Dedicatory to his naturall History speaking of what a notable spirit he was Cato saith he tooke as much glory in those dignities and honours that he denyed as he did in those he did enjoy Certainly it is so with the Saints the true generous spirit of Christians take as much content in those places of preferment they deny for Christ as in any gaine they enjoy There is no tempting of such men Let us pray therefore for those that are intrusted by us not onely for civill things but for matters of Religion that temptations for bread corne and wool and flaxe and wine and oilemay never tempt them that the preferment and gaine may never byasse their spirits may never sway them These meanes have been assayed certain it is totempt some of them with such wayes have not been left untryed by some and have prevailed but thorough Gods mercy he hath preserved others and he hath made the world to know that Christ hath a people to whom Religion and the publicke good is more deare then all the flaxe and wooll and wine and oyle in the world then all the estates and high places and great preferments that can be offered them And now the Lord our God keepe this in their and in our hearts for ever The Fifth Lecture HOSEA 2. 6. 7. Therefore behold I will hedge up thy way with thorns and make a wall that she shall not finde her paths And she shall follow after her lovers but she shall not overtake them and shall seeke them but shall not finde them them shall she say I will goe and returne to my first husband for then was it better with me then now THe last day you may remember wee spake of that reason that God giveth in the former verse why he would shew Israel no mercy because that she hath done shamefully and said she would go after her lovers that gave her her bread and her water her wool and her flaxe her oyle and her drinke There are yet one or two observations that time would not give us leave to speak of the last day in those words I will onely give you a hint of them and passe suddenly to these two verses The first is this Prosperity and successe in an evil way is a great hardning of the hearts of men in their evil I will follow after my lovers for they give me bread and water and wooll and flax and the like I remember Eusebius reports that Maximilian the Emperour in an Edict of his against the Christian crying out of Christian Religion as an excrable vanity seeking to confirme the Heathens in the worshipping of their idol gods Behold saith he how the earth bringeth forth fruit for the husbandman in abundance how our medows are adorned with flowes and hâ—rbs and moistned with the dews of heaven what health we have and what quiet and peaceable lives and thus he goeth on in seeking to conforme the hearts of Idolaters in their wicked wayes Prosperity in a wicked way is exceeding hardning That story of Dyonisius is famously known having committed sacrâ—ledge against their Idol-gods robbing their Temples yet his voyage being prospetous after he had ended his journey hee boasted himselfe that though he did not worship the gods as others did yet he prospered as much as they In that yeere when those Innovasions in Gods worship were principaly brought in amongst us especially in that Diocese of Norwich is proved to be a very fruitfull yeere and one Commissary among the rest in his Court after the harvest was taken in speakes to the Countrey-men in this way Doe you not see how God prospereth us What a plentifull harvest have we had this yeere This is since you
accepted of him therefore take this trueth for helping of you against this fore temptation when you are in affliction which will be apt to come in Oh I cry to God now in my affliction I should have done it before surely God will not heare me now This may be a temptation I confesse I cannot speake in this point without a trembling heart lest it be abused but the Text presents it fairely to you and you must have the minde of God made known unto you though others abuse it Psal 88. 9. Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction Lord I have called daily upon thee This is spoken of Heman and God did accept of him as it is apparrent in the Psalm yet he cryed by reason of affliction and Psal 120. 1. In my distresse I cryed unto the Lord and he heard me though it were in my distresse yet the Lord heard me Onely take this one note about it It is true Though our being stopped in all other wayes may make us cry to God and God may heare us but when God doth hear us he works more then crying out by reason of that affliction though at first our affliction be the thing that carryeth ns unto God yet before God hath done withus and manifest and any acceptance of us hee workes our hearts to higher aymes then deliverance from our affliction Againe further I will goe and returne A heart effectually wrought upon by God is a resolute heart to returne to God As they were resolute in their way of Idolatry I will follow after my lovers so their hearts being converted they shall be as resolute in Gods wayes she shall say I will returne to my first husband When God will worke upon the heart to purpose he causeth strong arguments to fasten upon the spirit and nothing shal hinder it no not father nor mother nor the dearest friend Perhaps the Lord beginneth to worke upon the child and the father scornes him and the mother perhaps saith What shall we have of you now a Puritane This grieveth the spirit of the child yet there are such strong arguments fastned by God upon his heart that it carryeth him thorough he is resolute in his way he will returne Further Those who have ever found the sweetnesse of Christ in their hearts have yet something remaining that though they should be apostates will at length draw them to him Christ hath such hold upon their hearts as at one time or other he will get them in again there will be some sparkes under those embers that will flame and draw the soule to returne againe to Christ Therefore if any of you ever had any friends in whom you were verily perswaded there was a true work of grace though they be exceedingly apostatized from Christ do not give over your hope for if ever there were any true tast of the sweetnesse that is in Christ Christ hath such a hold upon their hearts that he will bring them in again one time or other Further I will return to my first husband for them was it better with me There is nothing gotten by departing from Christ You goe from the better to the worse when ever you depart from him What fruit have you in those things whereof you are now ashamed I the Lord saith God Isa 48 17. teach to profit sinne doth not teach to profit you can never get good by that but the Lord teacheth to profit It may be you may think to gaine something by departing from Christ but when you have cast up all the gain you may put it into your eye and it will doe you no hurt Job 27. 8. It is a notable place What is the hope of the hypocriâ—e though he hath gained when God taketh away his soul Perhaps a hypocrite that is departed from God a back-flider that was forward before in the way of godlinesse and now like Demaâ— he hath forsaken those wayes and cleaved to the world he thinkes he hath gained and perhaps is grown richer and liveth braver then before yet what hope hath this back-slyder this hypocrite when God taketh away his soul then he will see that he hath gotten nothing As it is said of the Idolater Isay 44. 20 A deceived heart hath turned him aside he feeds upon ashes that he cannot deliver his soul nor say Is there not a lye in my right hand What shall there be more in a lust then in the blessed God then in JESUS CHRIST who is the glory of Heaven the delight of Angels the satisfaction of the Father himselfe Can a lust put thee into a better condition then Christ who hath all fulnesse to satisfie the soul of God himself certainly it cannot be Againe There must be a sight and an acknowledgement of our shamefull folly or else there can be no true returning unto God I will goe and return to my first husband for then it was better with mee then now As if the Church should say I confesse I have plaid the foole I have done shamefully I have loft by departing from Christ it was better farre then it is now Ier. 3. 25. We lie downe in our shame and our confusion covereth us for wee have sinned against the Lord our God saith the Church there so it should be with all that come in to return to Christ they must lie downe in their shame This I note as very seasonable in these times we have many now who not long since have been very vile apostates they have gone with the times they saw preferment went such a way and their hearts went that way Now they see they cannot have preferment in that way they went and God of his mercy hath changed the times they will bee Converts Wee have in England many parliamentary Converts but such as wee are not to confide in Why should wee not confide in them If they will repent and returne God accepteth them and why should not we It is true such an one was before an enemy and followed superstitious vanities but now he is grown better and preacheth against them and why should not wee receive him To that I answer It is true if deep humiliation have gone before that reformation if together with their being better they have been willing to shame themselves before God and his people to acknowledg their folly in departing from God and be willing to professe before all that knew them and have been scandalized by them It is true God began with mee and shewed me his wayes when I was young I began to love them and to walk in them but when I saw how the times went and preferment went the Lord knows I had a base time-serving heart I went away from God they were no arguments that satisfied my conscience but meerly livings and preferment and now I doe desire to take shame and confusion of face to my selfe Woe unto me for the folly and falsenesse of my heart it is
cruelties as the Chronicles of these times would have done where they have prevailed in Ireland there have beene the beginnings of such barbarismes as here would have risen to the perfection of all rage and horrible cruelties they may be faire a little while till they get more strength but certainly had they their will there would never be parallel examples of that horrible rage and cruelty as you would finde among them the Lord deliver us from being scourged with these Scorpions let us humble our soules before God that God may not humble us before such beasts that we may not say that England shall be as a forrest and these beasts shall devoure them in the meane time let us not be offended at their prevailing in some places for then we should be as beasts our selves Psal 73. 22. So ignorant was I I was as a beast before thee saith David Genesis 9. 5. God saith He will require of the beasts the blood of his people Certainly God will require of these beasts the blood that hath been shed it is precious blood that they have drunke had it beene corrupt blood God would not so much have cared for it but it hath beene the blood of his Saints let us believe that God will turne the rage of man the rage of beasts to his praise Psal 76. 10. Surely the Lord cannot possibly behold without indignation such vile beasts to worrie his Lambs who are so deare to him even such so precious in his eyes to be torne and worried by such beasts as these are the eyes of the Lord are purer then to behold such iniquity as this is we may well cry out with the Prophet Haback 1. 2. 3. How long shall we cry out of violence and wrong spoilings and violence are before me wheâ—efore lookest thou upon them that deale treacherously and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous then himselfe The higher the scum ariseth the nearer we know it is to the fire I have read of Philo when the people of the Iewes made use of him to apologize for them unto Cajus the Emperour Cajus used him very ruggedly when he came out of his presence the Iews came round about him well saith he to encourage them Surely Cajus will arme God against himselfe for us But it may be said by some surely these men are not beasts for they are skilfull warriers they are not so bruitish as you take them to bee but are skilfull enough in their wayes marke that text of Ezekiel 21. 31. I will deliver thee into the hand of bruitish men skilfull to destroy they are skilfull to destroy and yet bruitish men we have a promise from God and our prayers should hasten the fulfilling of it in Ezek. 34. 25. He will cause the evill beasts to cease out of the land and ver 28. the beasts of that land shal no more devoure them O that that time were come O that the Lord would so worke for us as to cause our beasts to cease out of our land that they might no more devoure Isaiah 35. 9. No Lyon shall be there no ravenous beast shall be found there but the redeemed shall walke there there is such a time coming let us be patient in the mean time and comfort our selves in these Scriptures though our brethren endure hard things by these cruell beasts and though God may perhaps bring some of us under the rage of them yet there is an estate of the Churches that will be ere long that they shall be troubled no more with such uncleane such outragious beasts VERSE 13. And I will visit upon her the dayes of Baalim wherein she burnt incense to them and she decked her selfe with her eare-rings and her jewels and she went after her lovers and forgat me saith the Lord. Here is the conclusion of the threatning part of the Chapter Now God will come upon them for all their sinnes together if a generation shall succeed 〈…〉 esse God may justly come upon 〈…〉 for all the suns of the former generations all the blood from Abel to Zechariah shall be required of this generation I will visit all the dayes of Baalim ever since they served Baal let men take heed of continuing in the wayes of sin who can tell what sin may put a period to the time of Gods bringing his judgement upon a Nation a family or a particular person though God hath spared heretofore upon the next sin committed there may be such a period put as God now may come upon the family not onely for that sin but for all the sins of the family that ever have been committed since it was a family and so upon a Nation for all the sins of a nation since it was a nation and all thy sins ever since thou wast a sinner Men goe on a while in the wayes of sin prosperously but when God commeth to visit what will become of them Isaiah 10. 3. What nill you doe in the day of your visitation and in the desolation which shall come from far to whom will ye flee for help and where will you leave your glory Now you are merry and laugh now you feare nothing but what will you do in the day of visitation what will become of you then whether will you flee then and where will you leave your glory I will visit upon them the dayes of Baalim in the plurall number Baalim by which some think and that not improbably that it is meant of their under Gods that they had which they called Baalims for the Heathen had their chiefe Gods and their Dii minores their lesser Gods that were unto them as mediators to their chiefe Gods and so our Papists have they have their Diiminores lesser Gods who are tutelar Gods either over Nations or over families or over particular diseases c. As they say for England S. George for Erance S. Dennis for Ireland S. Patrick for Wales S. David for Scotland S. Andrew c. These Saints they are in imitation of the Heathens Baal or in the Caldee dialect Bel was the King of Babylon after Nimrod the first that was deified and reputed as a God after death whence those men that were deified after their death and worshipped as Gods as the Papists worship their Saints they called Baalims as from Iulius Caesar the other that followed after were called Caesars This interpretation gives unto us much light to understand that Scripture that you have in the first of the Corinthians 8. 5. 6. Though there be that are called Lords whether in heaven or in earth as there be Gods many Lords many but to us there is but one God the Father and one Lord Iesus Christ If the Apostle had spoke in Hebrew it would have been thus though there be many Baalims there is to us but one God and one Baal for in Hebrew Baal is Lood there are many Gods say they there were divers
of God and hence are put to it so much to make a connection betweene that that went before and this therefore but wee need not go so farre the right knowledg of the fulnesse and the riches of the grace of the Covenant will help us out of this difficulty and tell us how these two the greatnesse of mans sin and the riches of Gods grace may have a connection one to another and that by an Illative therefore I confesse the Hebrew word is sometimes conjunctio ordinis rather then causalis a conjunction that only sets out the order of a thing one thing following another rather then any way implying any cause but the reading here by way of inference I take to be according unto the scope of the Spirit of God and it gives us this excellent note Such is the grace of God unto those who are in Covenant with him as to take occasion from the greatnesse of their sinns to shew the greatnesse of his mercy from the vilenesse of their sins to declare the riches of his grace And the Scripture hath divers such kind of expressions as these as Gen. 8. 21. The Lord said in his heart I will not again curse the ground any more for mans sake VVhy For the immagination of mans heart is evill from his youth A strange reasoning I will not curse the ground for mans sake for the imagination of mans heart is evill from his youth One would have thought it should have been rather I will therefore curse the ground for mans sake because the imagination of mans heart is evill from his youth but the grace of God knowes how to make another manner of inference then we could have imagined So likewise Isa 57. 17 18. For the iniquity of his covetousnesse was I wroth and smote him I hid me and was wroth and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart I have seen his wayes saith God Now one would have thought that the next word should have been I will therefore plague him I wil destroy him I will curse him but mark the words that follow I will heale him I will 〈◊〉 him also and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners I will create the fruit of the lips peace to him This is a consequence at least if not an inference David understood this reasoning to be indeed the true reasoning of the Covenant of grace and therefore he pleadeth thus with God Psal 25. 11. Pardon my iniquity for it is great Lord my iniquity is great therefore pardon it Hearken you Saints hearken I say this is the great blessing of God unto you who are in Covenant with him whereas otherwise your sins should have made you objects of Gods hatred your sins now render you objects of his pitty and compassion this is the glorious fruit of the covenant of grace I would only the Saints heard me in this thing but why doe I say so I will recall my word let all sinners heare me let the vilest the worst sinners in the world heare of the riches of the grace of God in this his Covenant that if they belong to Gods election they may see the fulnesse the glory of Gods grace to be inamoured with it their hearts ravished with it that they may never be at rest till they get evidence to their soules that God indeed hath actually received them into this his Covenant If then God be pleased in the riches of free grace to make such an inference therefore let us take heed that wee make not a quite crosse inference from the greatnesse of our sins nor on the other side from Gods grace As thus You have followed your lovers you have forgot me therefore will I allure you An unbelieving heart would make this inference I have followed my lovers I have followed after vanity and folly and therefore God hath rejected mee therefore God will have no mercy upon me therefore I am undone therefore the gates of mercy are shut against me unbelieving heart do not sin against the grace of God he saith you have forgotten me therefore will I allure and speake comfortably to you doe not you say I have forgot the Lord and therefore the Lord will for ever reject me these discouraging determining despairing therefores are very grievous to the Spirit of God God would have us have all good thoughts of him It is a maine thing that God intendeth through the whole Scripture that his people should have good thoughts of him and that they should not think him a hard master It is an excellent expression of Luther saith he the whole Scripure doth principally aime at this thing that we should not doubt but that wee should hope that we should trust that we should believe that God is a merciful a bountifull a gracious and a patient God to his people It is an excellent expression that I have read of Master Bradford in one of his Epistles saith he O Lord sometimes me thinks I feel it so with me as if there were no difference between my heart and the wicked a blind mind as they a stout stubborn rebellions spirit a hard heart as they and so he goes on shall I therefore conclude thou art my Father nay I will rather reason otherwise saith he because I do believe thou art my Father I will come unto thee that thou mightest enlighten this blind minde of mine that thou mightest soften this hard heart of mine that thou mightest sanctifie this unclean spirit of mine I this is a good reasoning indeed and is worthy of one that professes the gospel of Jesus Christ Again as the inference of this unbelieving heart is grievous to Gods spirit so the inference of a prophane heart an unbelieving heart makes his therefore from the greatnesse of sin against Gods mercy and the prophane heart makes his therefore from the greatnesse of Gods mercy to the hardening of his heart in his sins what shall God make his therefore from our sin to his mercy and shall we make our therefore from his mercy back again to our sins where sin abounds grace abounds but where grace abounds sin must not abound because God is mercifull to us who are very sinfull let not us be very sinfull against him who is so mercifull God takes occasion from the greatnesse of our sins to shew the greatnesse of his mercy let not us take occasion from the greatnesse of his mercy to be emboldened in greatnesse of our sins Therefore behold Behold Here is a wonder to take up the thoughts of men and Angels to all eternity even that that we have in this inference behold notwithstanding all this yet you men and Angels behold the fulnesse the riches of Gods grace I will allure her what will not God cast us away notwithstanding the greatnesse of our sins let not us reject Gods ways notwithstanding the greatnesse of any sufferings we meet with in them there is a great deale of reason in
worship hath beene amongst us more then in any reformed Church we have beene a proud people we have thought our selves rich wanting nothing whereas we knew not that we were indeed wretched miserable poore blinde and naked and those who would be Angels of this Church how hath God spuâ—d them out of his mouth they are cast out as filthy they have laine upon the stomack of God and his Saints a long time they with all that belonged to their Courts have made themselves a most â—oathsome generation of men and now God is at our doore knocks cals to us to let him in that he may come and rule us that he may bring peace salvation unto us But howsoever whether Christ be admitted by the State yea or no yet let the Saints who are willing that Christ should rule over them hold on to the end the promise is even to those in Laodicea to him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my Throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his Throne 11. â—et us encourage what we are able all our faithfull doore-keepers those who are the publicke instruments of God for our good upon whom so much of the great affayres of the kingdom under God depends And for the quickning of our hearts that we may doe all we can that this our doore of hope be not shut against us Consider further First This doore was opened to us when we began to think yea almost to conclude that all doores of hope had beene shut against England when we were ready to give up all for lost Secondly It was opened to us after much knocking by prayer If ever there were a Parliament of prayer since the world began this was and is How dreadfull then would it be to have this doore shut against us Thirdly It was opened by a mighty hand of God Josephus tells us of a doore of the Temple that used to have thirty men to open it and yet as a prognostication of some great thing to fallout it opened of its own accord This our door was more hard to be opened thousands of men could not have opened this it was the mighty work of God to doe it Fourthly It is a door that opens to the greatest mercies that ever England had how happy would England be in the happy success of this Parliament 5. It is a door that our adversaries have laboured all they can to shut by policy and by force and thorow Gods mercy yet they cannot 6. How sweet have the manifestations of God been to us in the beginnings of his goodnesse and our endeavours Canâ— 5 4. 5. My beloved put his hand at the door my bowels were moved my hands dropped myrrhe and my fingers sweet smelling myrrhe upon the handles of the locke the beginning of reformation but the hand upon the door is sweet what would the work compleated be 7. If this doore should be wholly shut against us what a miserable people should we be if these men have their wills then never expect Parliaments more or never good from Parliaments They will be the most contemptible and servile things that can be if any they will be doores to let in all misery to frame mischiefe by a law then what are we and our posterity but slaves the Popish party must yea will be gratified their designe will be effected what contempt of the Saints of Religion what hatred what persecution will then follow what horrid blasphemies how will they be hardned in all manner of wickednesse our estates our liberties our Religion are then gone yea it is like our lives and if not so so miserable would our lives be as we had better have the grave open her mouth upon us and we be shut in it then to live to see hear and feele such things as we and our friends are like to heare see and feele It would be the most horrid judgment that ever was against a nation it may be told to all the nations of the world God gave England a fair opportunity to help it self to be a most happy nation but they had no hearts they were blinded their hearts were taken from them those worthies they chose who ventured themselves for them they basely deserted and betrayed they have also vilely betrayed themselves their liberties their Religion their posterity and now are become the most miserable nation the most fearful spectacle of Gods wrath upon the face of the earth Wherefore beloved in the Lord let us make sure of Christ who is our hope and who says of himselfe that he is the door as indeed hee is to let in all mercies of God into us that whatever disappointment we have of our hopes here yet we may not be disappointed of our last hopes though it should prove that here looking for light behold darknes yet we looking for the light of Gods face eternally we may not be driven out to everlasting darknes But shall I end thus nay the close of all shal rather be the close of the 31 Psal Be of good courage and he shal strengthen your heart all ye that hope in the Lord hope yet that God will make the valley of Achor adoor of hope unto us The next words in this Scripture are words of joy She shall sing as in the dayes of her youth Was there ever a time wherein shee had cause to sing praise to God there are times coming that shall be as joyfull as ever yet times have been God hath mercy for his people he hath singing times for them The Foureteenth Lecture HOSEA 2. 15. And she shall sing there as in the dayes of her youth as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt YOu have heard formerly of the valley of Achor that God gave to his people to be a doore of hope This day you shall heare of Gods people standing singing at this door of hope Though it be but a door of hope yet at that day they shall there sing as in the days of her youth when they came up out of the land of Egypt There are six things needfull to be opened for the meaning of Gods mind here in this their singing at the door of hope First the reading of the words are to be cleared 2. The scope is to be shewed 3. What the dayes of youth that are here spoken of are is to be opened 4. What was the song that they did then sing in the dayes of their youth is to be declared 5. What cause they had to sing in this the day of their youth is to be enquired after Lastly how this is applyable to repenting Israel and what time this prophesie aâ—meth at likewise is to be manifested For the first the reading of the words you have it in your bookes they shall sing as in the dayes of their youth There are only two words that have need of opening First the word translated singing
Secondly that which is translated comming up out of the land of Aegypt For the word singing the Septuagint have it thus She shall be â—â—mbled A strange translation you will say how much different is it from this in our books She shall sing I find divers translate the word so she shall be humbled Cyril Theodoret and he caryeth it thus that she shall be humbled by the Assyrians as she was before humbled by the Egypâ—ians But certainly the words cannot be carryed so for it is spoken of ascending of coming up out of the land of Egypt But they might easily mistake in translating the words because the Hebrew word signifieth both humiliavit and it signifieth likewise ceâ—init and contavit both to be humble and to sing The Hebrews divers times by the same word set forth contrary things As 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth both to blesse and to curse many there might be named in the same kind This word likewise that is translated singing signifieth and so it is translated by some Respondebit she shall answer and I finde a very excellent note from it in Cyril and some others Shee shall answer as in the dayes of her youth What answer did shee make Thus God in the dayes of her youth when she came out of Egypt did bring her to his Covenant and gave his land to her as Exod. 19. 5 6. Now therefore saith God if you 〈◊〉 obey my voyce indeed and keepe my Covenant then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people A sweet promise to all in Covenant with God that they shall be a peculiar treasure unto him above all people Now vers 8. All the people answered to gether and said all that the Lord hath spoken we will doe Thus they answered him in the days of their youth so some would carry it they should answer as in the dayes of their youth when they came up out of the land of Egypt as if the meaning should be thus whereas God in the dayes of their youth did tell them that if they woulâ— keepe his Covenant they should be a peculiar treasure unto him above all people of the earth they all with one consent answered All that the Lord hath spoken that will we doe So saith God when I shall againe convert them to my selfe I will renew my Covenant with them and upon the declaration of my Covenant to them they shall freely readily and wilâ—ingly answer Lord we accept of thy Covenant Thus it is carryed by some and the exposition is very sweet But we shall joyne both the significations of this word together both â—â—ing and to answer And that I take indeed to be the meaning of the Spirit of God they shal sing by way of answering Thus they were wont to sing â—lternis choris they were wont in their joyfull songs to answer one another his praecinentibus aliis succinentibus some singing before and some answering So that it was not a bare singing but a singing of a Canticum dramaticum or such a kind of song as they did answer one another in their singing And thus saith God shall be the melody of my people when I am again reconciled to them upon their repentance there shall be mutuall singing one singing to another and the others answering in a joyfull way The other word to be opened is that which is translated coming up out of the land of Egypt The word you have in your books came up it is ascended as in the day when they ascended up out of the land of Egypt And wee are to take notice of the manner of the expression because it will afford to us a profitable note anon They ascended out of the land of Egypt partly because Egypt was a Countrey that lay very low and in that respect they may be said to ascend But that is not the chiefe they were in a low condition they were in a state of bondage and in that regard they were said to ascend The second thing to be shewed is the scope what the Spirit of God aymeth at They shall sing as in the dayes of their youth when they ascended out of the land of Egypt Read it so and It is a further expression of the nuptiall solemnity that there should be between God and his people in the time of their reconciliation for so I have told you formerly that God goeth along in this second part of the Chapter in that continued Allegory to shew his bringing of his people to him in a way of marriage in a betrothing way which afterward is exprest more fully and all the way God expresseth it is in the manner of Nuptiall solemnities As if he should say Marriage is an ordinance I have appointed for mutuall joy and delight that the man and wife should have one in the other so I will bring you and marry you to my self and there shall be a great deale of joy that I will have in you and you shall have in me there shall be the singing of the Epithilamium the Nuptiall long between us there shall be a time of abundance of rejoycing between us when I shall take you again to my selfe Doe you think with your selves when was the greatest time of joy that ever you had in your lives Know I will bring you to as much joy as ever yet you had Looke what mercy you had when you came out of the land of Egypt and rejoyced in it you shall hereafter have mercies as great as that Did I then appear in a miraculous way to you I will do so again Had you mercies that were promised long before and rejoyced in them you shall have the like again Had you mercies that you a long time prayed for before you shall have the like againe Did Moses and Miriam goe before you in singing and you followed after there shall be the like time again when both Governours and people shall joyne together in singing and praysing the name of the Lord. This is the scope The third thing is what is meant by the dayes of their youth The dayes of their youth is the same that after wards is exprest and the day when they came up out of the land of Egypt that is the time when they were delivered out of bondage after they had passed through the Red-sea and had seen the great works of God in their deliverance then was the day of their youth Jer. 2. 2. I will remember the kindnesse of thy youth when thou followedst me in the wildernesse The time that this people were delivered from Pharoah and saw the great works of God in the wildernesse is the time of their youth in the time of their bondage they did not outwardly appear to be the Lords but when God manifested himself so gloriously in their deliverance then God did as it were take them again to be his people and they did seem as it were then to be born againe and the time of their
ever you have done and yet you are hard-hearted this will grieve God at the heart 1 Ioh. 3. 17. He that seeth his brother hath need and shuiteth up his bowels of compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him If thou hast bowels and shuttest them up from thy brother surely thou never knewest what the love of God meant Mark that place 2 Cor. 9. 8. what encouraging expressions we have unto bounty and liberality toward our brethren for the opening our bowels toward them God is able to make all grace abound towards you that yee alwayes having all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good worke There is no such text in all the book of God to encourage to the opening our bowels to the administring to the necessities of the Saints for that Scripture is brought to that end that part of the Chapter is spent about that argument if you believe any thing in the Scripture if you have any experience of Gods bowels towards you read over this and see if it will not open your bowels God is able to make all grace abound Grace abound that is something all grace that is more but all kinde of grace that is more then that that from Gods almighty power too but that is not enough Marke that you always having all sufficiency in all things It were enough one would think God should say you shall have all things needfull no you shall have all things If he had said thus you shall have sufficiency in that you have that is something no but you shall have all things and sufficiency in all things and all sufficiency in all things Yea but I may want before I dye No you shall have alwayes all sufficiency in all thiugs Well this may make us doe something you may thinke if I do this good work and another and another I hope I do my part no but you must abound you must doe every good work and abound in every good work But I shall draw my self dry if I be so abundant in every good work No God is able to make all grace in you to abound towards you that you alwayes having all sufficiency in all things may abound You shall never be drawn dry for you have the bowels of Gods mercy Alexander giving large gifts some asked him what will you keepe for your selfe Spes saith he I will keepe Hope for my self I will make account that still there are greater things comming for me what he had he gave away because he had a spirit that looked after and hoped for great things to come certainly Christians have that left alwayes they have hope they may expect great things why because they have the bowels of Gods mercies to be theirs One thing more to knit all together all righteousnesse all judgement all loving kindnesse all mercies comes from God through our union with Christ Though God be an infinite ocean of goodnesse yet we can expect nothing from God but through our union with Christ Man hath forfeited the title he had to all the goodness of God and now the title upon which he is to hold all his good it is the union he hath with this husband with JESUS CHRIST by vertue of this marryage Whensoever Faith goes to heaven for any good from God it goeth to heaven by vertue of this right and obtaineth all the good it gets from God by vertue of that conjugall union the soul hath with JESUS CHRIST How blessed then was the time when Christ was first revealed to the Church Cant. 3. 11. Behold King Solomon with the Crown where with his mother crowned in the day of his espousals in the day of the gladnesse of his heart These things opened in our espousals with Christ must needes make that day the day of the gladnes of our hearts O how deare should this Christ thy husband be unto thee how happy when thou shalt have full communion with him when Jsaac met Rebekka he carryed her into his mothers tent when the Lord Christ shall meet his spouse he will carry her into his Fathers pillace Behold the riches the glory of my Father whom I told you of these are all yours in my right eternally The Nineteenth Lecture HOSEA 2. 20. 21. 22. 23 I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulnesse and thou shalt know the Lord. And it shall come to passe in that day I will heare saith the Lord I will heare the heavens and they shall heare the earth And the earth shall heare the corne and the wine and the oyle and they shall heare Iezreel And I will sowe her unto me in the earth and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy and I will say to them which were not my people Thou art my people and they shall say Thou art my God I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulnesse Here is a third betrothing I will betroth I will betroth I will betroth Jerome hath a note upon that and saith that it is thrice repeated to note three several times of Gods betrothing himselfe unto his people 1. VVhen he called Abraham 2. After they went out of Egypt and were in the wildernesse at Mount Sinai 3. In the time of the Gospell And of this Exposition Calvin saith it may be accounted witty but it is frivolous He giveth a better reason which I thinke to be the minde of the holy Ghost why it is thrice tepeated Because apostatizing Israel could hardly beleeve that ever God would doe such a thing as this what after the Lord had cast Israel away yea cast her to the beasts for so he threatneth in the former part of the chapter yet now betroth her to himself this was unlikely I will even betroth thee so you have it in your books now the truth is the word in the Originall is Vau the same that is translated and before but because the third time it is said and the Translators thought there was an emphasis in the third And and therefore to expresse that emphasis they put in the word even Infaithfulnesse In steadiness so the word signifieth I will betroth thee unto me in a steady way my goodness toward thee shall be stable and sirme So the word is often used in Scripture Exod. 17. 12. His hands were steady the same word that we have here for faithfulnes So Deut. 28. 59. I will make thy plagues of long continuanoe thy plagues stable and constant the same that is here for faithfulness And 1 Sam. 2. 35. I will raise me up a faithfull Priest and I will build him a sure house there the word is of the same roote a sure house a firm steady house Faithfulnes here imports Gods stability steadines in his Covenant with his people It notes not so much the perpetuity for that was before I will betroth thee unto me for ever But firmeness constancy as opposite to ficklenes uncertainty There is