thing that thou pleadest mercy is pleading already and mercy carries on those arguments with a great deal more strength than thou art able to do but it takes it well at thy hand to present any to it Thou art loth to perish and God is as loth thou shouldest perish if God give thee a heart to come to him to stop wrath thou comest to him to do a work exceeding acceptable to him 't is as acceptable to God such a work as it can be acceptable unto thee when thou apprehendest Judgment ready to be executed look up to mercy it may 〈◊〉 the holy Ghost may raise an act of faith and this act of faith will set bowels on work the bowels of God are very ready to work That which is very ready to work a little thing will set it on work I say Gods bowels are very ready to work in the waies of grace and mercy towards sinners and the least act of faith in that mercy would certainly set bowels on work a main Mercy calls thee to help Mercy hath been pleading a great while and Justice pleading Mercy calls thee in to help and assist her to plead for thee and who knows but the casting voice staies for thy coming in though there hath been pleadings in Gods heart yet the dispensations of God may be such as the casting voice shall not come till thy pleadings be come in and then the business may be determined as it was here The Tenth Observation is this Oh consider the different dealings of the Father with his Son let our Meditations be raised from this Doth the bowels of God thus work towards poor sinners pleading for them when wrath is ready to be executed then we may here see the great difference between Gods dealings with his Saints and with his Son When God comes to deliver his people these that he had relation to where he had some of his Saints and for their sakes he speaks this he saith How shall I deliver thee We do not find that God said so concerning his Son God did deliver up his Son unto wrath without a How shall I do it yea the Heart of God was in it there 's no such expression of reluctancie about this work but the Scripture saith that it pleased God to bruise him It pleased him well it was an act that pleased God to bruise his Son Indeed it was for glorious ends that he had in it why so God might have ends enough for to bring forth his glory in our bruising but yet notwithstanding any ends that he might bring about he saith How shall I do it God doth not delight to grieve the children of men but God did grieve his Son he bruised him and it pleased him to bruise him You shall find such an expression in Isa 53. and in Psal 40. In the volumn of the book it is written of me that I should do thy will It was the will of God that Christ should come and suffer what he did when Ephraim was bemoaning himself Góds bowels were troubled within him he doth let the rod fall out of his hand in Jer. 31. 19 20. When Ephraim was bemoaning himself mark how Gods bowels there works but the Scripture saith That God did not spare his Son God would spare Ephraim Jesus Christ did bemoan himself when he cried out If it be possible let this Cup pass from me and Oh God my God why hast thou forsaken me Oh what a bemoaning of himself was this and yet in Rom 8. 32. God spared not his own Son he did not spare him notwithstanding all the moans that he made unto him but he delivered him up Here we reade of the repentings of God that are kindled and divers times in Scripture of Gods repenting of the execution of Justice upon sinners but when he speaks of Chist I have made him a Priest for ever that is so as he should be a Sacrifice both the Priest to offer and the Sacrifice its self in Heb. 7. 21. The Lord sware and will not repent Oh certainly it was from this work of God the delivering up of his Son that the Lord hath such working of bowels towards sinners when wrath comes to be executed to say How shall I give thee up Yet further If the heart of God doth thus work towards sinners when they are ready to be given up yea towards those that are very evil for so these were Their hearts bent to back-sliding Hence then we may learn That the State of the Saints that walk close with God must needs be very secure If the Lord deals thus with rebellious Sons what will he do with a Son that serves him that walks close with him though a Son very vile very sinful yet there is a how shall I give thee up Oh then thou whose conscience witnesses of thy sincere endeavor in walking close with God continually know that thy estate must needs be secure Yea further if this be so Surely whensoever God delivers up his own people to any judgments there 's some great matter in it some great matter in it for never doth any affliction come unto them but it breaks through many reasonings of Gods heart God intends some great matter Doth judgment begin at the house of God It is because the Lord hath some great intents to bring forth it is not because the Lord takes pleasure in the moans of his people in the sorrows and sufferings of his Servants but it is because he intends some great things for certainly these bowels of compassion would not let such sore and grievous evils pass if there were not some great ends and purposes of God to bring about And yet further hence observe The difference between the day of patience and the times of wrath for the sakes of those that were godly here Gods patience speaks thus towards the body of the People and so was patient and long-suffering towards them There is a time that God wile laugh at the destruction of sinners and he will mock when their fear cometh when he will execute his wrath and be comforted as the Scripture speaks There is a time indeed when God saith How shall I give them up but there is another time wherein God doth give forth the wine of his wrath The Wine it doth delight the Lord as Wine doth unto a man when indignation shall be as Wine to God then mercy and patience shall hold their peace for they have then their glory already they will never speak more but turn over the sinner unto Justice yea pleads unto Justice against the sinner And then lastly Seeing that God comes off thus when he is about the letting out of wrath making such stops as he doth then surely we should not hasten Judgment against our selves but let us make use of these dealings of God for the breaking of our hearts and causing them to return unto him let not us assist Justice
is called by the Name Love it shews that Love is very amiable and very beautiful Secondly Love it hath much sweetness in it much power to insinuate its self into the heart As we know base love adultrous love it hath a great deal of power to insinuate into the heart in Eccles 7. 26. the hands of the whorish woman are called bonds If whorish love hath such power so to insinuate and to be bonds much more then hath True Love Cracious Love Thirdly Love it is generative Love hath a great generative power to beged Love Augustin saith There is no greater provocation to Love than to begin to love Love can draw iron hearts Love it is the Loadstone of Love it will draw Love and beget Love where ever it is Fourthly Where Love is got into the soul it cōmands all it commands all the Faculties and Understanding where Love is got Look what a man loves so accordingly his understanding will work It a man loves his sin his understanding will be working for his sin Oh what subtil Arguments will men have for their sin when they love it any way that a mans heart is engaged in Love he will be very subtil to argue for it So on the contrary when once the Lord hath taken the heart with Love this Love commands the understanding and then all reasonings are for God and the soul it hearkens after no reasonings that are against God or against his waies when once the heart is taken with Love If a mans heart be taken with love to a Woman he will hear nothing against her but if his love be taken off from her then every report that he hears against her he will aggravate to the uttermost he can and will soon beleeve it So it is when a mans heart is taken with the things of God and of Religion it will hear nothing against them but if a mans heart be off and do not love the waies of God then they are glad if they can hear any thing that makes against them Love commands all the Faculties of the Soul the Understanding and the Thoughts it commands the Will and Affections it commands the Body it commands the Estate it commands the Liberties it commands all that a man hath or is or can do Love hath the absolute commanding power of all Oh! Love hath strong Bonds And again Love it makes every thing that is done for the beloved to be delightful It doth not only command to do a thing but it makes it delightful I will rest in my love and rejoyce over them with singing saith God When the heart is once taken with love I say it doth not only do that which is good for that which it doth love but doth it with delight And then Love knows not any bounds it never sets its self any bounds at all but would do and do and do and do even infinitly for that it doth love so far as love prevails no bounds are set Yea and when it doth much it will not be wearie neither So far as the Soul is acted with Love it will never be wearie with what it doth Men that love their pastime all night they will sit up at it and never be tired so those that love the waies of God though the flesh may be weak yet not the spirit And then Love it is strong so as it stands out against all oppositions nothing that doth oppose can prevail against love in Cant. 8. 6 7. Love is as strong as death and many waters cannot quench the fire of love And then in the next place Love it rejoyces in suffering not only delights in doing but delights in suffering If one that loves another shall suffer for him that he doth love he will rejoyce in those sufferings And lastly Love it suffers not its self to be its self as it were to be at his own dispose Love doth wholly give its self into the possession of him that it doth love it is not his own no longer The heart that is once taken with love is no more its own but gives its self into the possession of that that it doth love so that put all these together and you may see that love it hath strong Bonds I drew them with the Bonds of Love And then a Second Note of Observation is this Let us do as God doth then that is Labor to cast the Bonds of Love upon those we have to deal with it 's Gods way to his people to bind them to himself to throw upon them Bonds of Love And then saith God I have enough I have them strong enough if I get them with the bonds of Love Oh let us do as God doth labor to draw people with bonds of Love If you would draw any to you let it be by Love do you desire to draw any to you you that are Ministers especially you are appointed to draw others to God it 's your work what should you do open the Love of God to them present the Grace of the Gospel to souls labor to work upon their hearts by all the mercies of God By the mercy of God tendered to them by the mercy of God received by them bestowed upon them There 's no such way to draw souls to God as this Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand that 's the preaching of the Gospel The first preaching of all Christs Sermons and of his Disciples was Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand As if he should say Oh! Sirs look about you Consider your waies there 's a glorious Kingdom now at hand a Kingdom of righteousness and mercy wherein the glory of the Grace of God comes to be revealed to the children of men in another way than ever formerly This is the way to bring men to repentance It 's true it 's good to use all means to shew the greatness and the justness and the holiness of God and the like But the prevailing argument above all to bring men to repentance it is That the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and indeed we would do so if we did consider that repentance it is a Gospel Grace it is not that that comes by the Law the Law takes no notice of repentance but the Gospel and therefore to present the Love of God as it is in the Gospel so there God manifests his love to the children of men and that 's the way to draw to repentance there 's a notable story that we have in the book of Martyrs not far from the beginning as also in the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius speaking of John the Apostle that did commit a yong man which was very hopeful unto a Bishop to take care of him but afterwards proved to be very wicked and got among a company of theeves and so came to be the Captain of a company of theeves and robbers
notwithstanding our sins we should go on in the waies of obedience to him notwithstanding any afflictions that we meet withal for our obedience Again a Second Note is this Sinners are at the very mouth of misery the brink of destruction when they think not of it there 's nothing but giving of them up And then Thirdly It 's nothing but Gods free mercy that keeps us from being destroyed le's the Lords mercy that we are not consumed In the Fourth place Sin puts God to a stand How shall I do it It brings disorder into the world God must set his infinit wisdom on work to bring thing about to his own glory sin hath brought disorder and confusion Now saith God I must set mind infinite wisdom on work to bring glory out of this confusion If God hath any good intentions to thee know they sin laies such difficulties in Gods way to find out a way for thee as puts him to a kind of stand as thus For God to find out a way that all the wrong that sin hath done to him should be made up and yet thy soul should be sav'd 't is the hardest thing in the world Thou canst commit sin easily but I say when the sin is committed for God then to find out a way that all that wrong that 's done to him should be made up as it must be for otherwise all the disorder will not be brought into order and yet thy soul sav'd it 's the hardest thing in the world and were not God a God infinite in wisdom it would put him so to it as he were never able to find out a way God doth seem as it were to be at a stand How shall I do to save these sinners and yet not to wrong my self Oh! this should humble us for our sins As if a child should do so much evil as to bring himself into such bryars and troubles as that his tender father being affected with his sad condition would fain help him but if he doth help him he is put to abundance of difficulties for the helping of him and he is fain to beat his brains and study waies and means how he shall come to save this his child from utter undoing now if the child hath any ingenuity in him he will not only think it 's no great matter so be it I be delivered Oh! but this will break his heart Oh! what troubles have I brought my father into It is thus with us in reference to God if we look upon God thus as personating a man And then in the Fifth place The salvation of a sinner it breaks through a great many reasonings and workings of Gods heart How shall I do it saith God We little think what reasonings there are between Mercy and Justice about our lives about our souls many times could we but hear what reasonings there are in Heaven between Mercy and Justice about our lives Oh! it would go to our hearts The great salvation that comes by Christ it was not determined without many reasonings between Mercy and Justice there was presented to God whatsoever Justice could say and what ever mercy could say What saith God must my son be under my wrath for the satisfying of Justice and be made a Curse yet this must be Justice requires satisfaction How can it be done without the Son of God being made a Curse for mans sin these kind of reasonings there are in the heart of God for saving of mans soul in 1 Sam. 16. 8. we reade of Abishai and Davids reasoning the case about Sauls life saith Abishai to David God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day now therefore let me smite him c. No saith David do not smite him do not destroy him and thus they reasoned one with another Saul was in a very ill case when there was that reasoning about his life such a case are we in many times the Justice and Mercy of God doth reason about our lives and souls Oh! how do we depend upon God for our lives and souls and if we be sav'd we are sav'd through many reasonings But the main Point of all is this That according to the relation that a people a sinful people or persons have unto God So God finds it a difficult thing to execute wrath upon them How shall I do it The wrath of God is many times brought to the birth and God cannot as it were to speak after the manner of men know how to put strength to it to bring it forth This is the reason that in Scripture we have such sending after sinners and crying to them to return such earnest wishes Oh! that they would return and such pleadings with them They will not come in and return This is the reason why we reade of the Lord whetting his Sword and bending his Bow and preparing his Arrows Why is not God ready at any time to execute judgment upon a sinner Oh no he will be whetting and bending and preparing and all because it is a work that he is loth to go through withal as it were and this is the reason why God will not stir up his wrath or if it be stir'd up he will call it back again Lament 3. 33. The Lord afflicts not willingly neither doth he grieve the children of men and all this is because Gods nature is to be merciful mercy pleases him and the Lord doth perfectly foresee and hath perfectly in his view all the reasons that might move him to mercy As now thus These are the things that makes God to be at a stand when he comes to execute judgment upon a people or persons that have relation to him where his Name is professed and where himself is worshiped First This reason is presented The many prayers of the Saints withstand against justice Justice must break through all the prayers of all the Saints of God that are in such places and this is not an easie matter we account it not an easie matter for to break through a mighty Army God cannot come to a people that he is related to and is worshiped by but that he must break through an Army the Army of the prayers of his people now saith God How shall I do it Oh! it is a mighty Army that is between me and them Yea Secondly The Lord looks upon such a place with pity Because of the many children and little ones that there are in such a place yea the children of his own people You know when God was about destroying of Neniveh he look'd upon the many thousands that knew not the difference between the right hand or the left But when God comes to destroy a Kingdom that doth worship him he looks upon those many infants and the little ones and sees them many of the posterity of his Servants As they are but littles ones that moves his bowels they have not
to our own destruction seeing Mercy pleads as it were against the execution of it let us take heed of new provocations when God is about the letting out of his wrath let not us pull it upon our own heads seeing God keeps off and forbears let not us hasten it I say and pul it upon our own heads If Sodom had but known Gods reasonings with Abraham in the behalf of it one would have thought it might have broke the very hearts of Sodom And let us consider of the reasonings of God in this and lay them to our hearts for the breaking of our hearts and think thus with our selves Lord why should it be so hard with thee to deliver me up when it is so easie with me to sin against thee there 's no pleadings hath stop'd me in the course of my sin the Word hath pleaded Conscience hath often pleaded but I have not been stop'd in the course of my sin Oh! why should any pleadings stop thee in the course of thy wrath The Lord cause such kind of workings to be in our hearts for the breaking of them Considering that indeed it is through the pleadings of Mercy that any of us are alive that we are out of the nethermost Hell And thus much for those words How shall I give thee up Ephraim how shall I deliver thee Israel It follows How shall I make thee as Admah and set thee as Zeboim I opened the words the last day what is meant by Admah and Zeboim the two Cities that were neer to Sodom and Gomorah that were destroyed in the same destruction The Notes of Observation follow First That Gods people may be in danger of as sore and great evils as the vilest and worst of men their sin may have such agravations upon them as may make them liable for the present in this world to as sore great evils as the worst of mankind For indeed the aggravations of the sins of the Saints are such as makes their sins if God should deal with them according to a Covenant of Works and not in a Covenant of Grace their condition would be sadder than the most wicked and vile In Amos 9. 7. saith God there Are ye not as the children of the Ethiopians unto me You have had indeed deliverances and so have they And are you not unto me as the children of the Ethiopians What are you better than the children of the Ethiopians unto me if I should look upon you as in your selves Therefore in Isa 1. 10. The Princes of Judah are called the Princes of Sodom and the people the people of Gomorah And in Lament 4. 6. The punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom Ezek. 16. 48. As I live saith the Lord Sodom thy sister hath not done she nor her daughters as thou hast done thou and thy daughters As I live God swears to it that Sodom was not guilty of such great sins You will say Yea but we are delivered from such evils by being under another Covenant Yea but that should not at al hinder the work of your humiliation but rather further it considering what you are in your selves Secondly When sinners are at the worst and the neerest Judgment yet bowels of mercy are working towards them when they do deserve to be as Admah and Zeboim even then This Note rises from hence but we had it also from the dependance of the words Thirdly Those that have relation to God have a great priviledge that others have not Thus As if God should say Let Admah and Zeboim perish if they will let Fire and Brimstone come from Heaven and Eternal Fire pursue them what care I for Admah and Zeboim But how shall I make thee as Admah and Zeboim Oh! I know not how to find in my heart to make thee so Those that have relation to God have a great priviledge that others have not God disposes his Mercies as he pleases It may be some of you think that your sins are not so great or not greater than the sins of others and therefore you may escape as well as they No you may mistake in that God may save some that are guilty of greater sins than you and yet damn you damn you for sins less than the other Gods mercy is his own If God wil destroy Admah and Zeboim eternally who can say against Gods dealings with them But how shall I make thee as Admah and Zeboim God knows how to make a difference between man and man Let no man presume and say Because others commit as great sins as I I may escape aswel as they No thou reckonest in this without thine Host God may make a great difference between his dealingswith them and with thee and do thee no wrong neither for the mercies of God are his own Fourthly Seeing God is loth to make his people like to others like to the wicked and reprobates in punishments let not them make themselves like to them in sin Doth God put a difference between Reprobates and his People in punishment Oh! let the Saints then labor to put a difference between themselves and such as are of the world in matter of sin let that be no argument to them Such and such do thus and why may not I do so â—oo that 's no argument with God I have destroyed such and such and why may not I destroy thee that argument wil not prevail with God Thou committest such a sin and I have some in Hell that I sent thither for the same sin but this argument prevails not with God Oh! let not such an argument prevail with thee that because such and such sin therefore I will venture too A Fifth Note is Though God be never so inclined to mercy yet this doth not hide from his eyes the sins of his own people he still sees them he sees what they are in themselves and he sees what would become of them if they were left to themselves Now I am in a way of mercy towards you yet I look upon you now as such as have deserved to be as Admah and Zeboim do not think that because my mercy works towards you that therefore your sins are not before my eyes I know your iniquities and yet am gracious and merciful And is it so Neither then should the hope or encouragement of mercy from God hide our sins from us As the thoughts of Gods mercies to us do not hide our sins from him so our hope of mercy from God should not hide our sins from our own eyes but at the same time when we think of the greatest mercy yet we should look upon our selves as the most wretched miserable forlorn Creatures in our selves It follows My heart is turned within me my Repentings are kindled together The word here translated Turned it signifies some great stirring some change into another condition
there were mighty stirrings in Gods heart pleadings of Justice and pleadings of Mercy but Gods mercy overcomes gets the day as it were Mercie triumphs over Justice The Observations When we have stirrings between Mercy and Wrath the stirrings of Mercy should rather prevail the bent of our hearts should rather be in them When we have workings this way and that way which is the most benign side the arguments had need be very much the stronger for wrath than for Mercie If the arguments have any equality or neer any equalitie in them certainly the arguments for mercie should prevail they do so with Gods heart Oh! be you like God in this And then Secondly When there are stirrings with God and temptations to draw to sin the stirrings for God likewise should prevail Have not you found it thus many times in your selves you have had stirrings in your hearts to such and such duties and at the same time there hath been temptations coming to such and such sins now I put it to your Consciences as in the Name of God Cannot you tell divers times how the temptations to sin hath got the day you have been rather carried from God to your base sinful lusts and your Conscience hath been overcom Conscience hath pul'd and drawings of the Spirit have been very powerful but yet temptations have been more powerful and you have gone that way Oh! be ashamed of this that it should ever be said That at such a time there were stirrings with Conscience and Temptations Temptations and Conscience stirring together yet that Temptation should overcome Conscience Thirdly Gods mercies do not free his People from all fruits of displeasure But I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger And my brethren this is not meant meerly of the times of the Law for this anger of God upon them is to this very day But yet it is not fierceness of anger like that of Adamah and Zeboim There are no question among them the elect Ones of God at this day God wil not have this called the fierceness of anger So 't is displeasure 't is captivity long captivity They are a reproach and a by-word to the world and yet not fierceness of anger Our discontented hearts are ready to call every little affliction fierceness of anger Oh! how fierce is God if we suffer any little And indeed did we but know what anger our sins deserve we would learn not to call every affliction that is upon us no nor our greatest afflictions fierceness of anger Fourthly We should acknowledge mercy though we suffer hard things If yet we be not utterly not everlastingly cast off acknowledge Mercy it is Mercy my Repentings kindled I will not execute fierceness of anger Why Because they were not as Admah and Zeboim Learn we all this This day whatsoever afflictions are upon me though it may be you are ready to say Such afflictions are upon me as upon none we are ready to think our afflictions to be the greatest of all yea but bless God that thou hast not fire from heaven to consume thee and thy family for this might have been thy portion this fierceness of Anger I will not return to destroy Ephraim God here compares himself to a Captain that comes with his Soldiers unto a Town I suppose many of you in this place may easily come to understand the meaning of this word by what they have seen and felt themselves Soldiers come to a Town and there they pillage it and away they go and so the poor people think Soldiers have been here and I hope we shall do well enough now and think all 's over It may be within a month or two after the same Soldiers come again and utterly ruin the place and strip them of all But now saith God I will not return to destroy Ephraim that is Though I lay my hand upon them and afflict them and take away many comforts from them yet when I have done that there I 'le leave I will not come back again with a purpose utterly to ruin them This I might do I might return upon them with one evil upon another but I will not do so From whence note There is no cause that sinners should be secure when some evil is upon them to think this is all now they know the worst No God may justly return upon them again and again If thou turnest not to God under thy affliction God may justly return upon thee to ruin thee Indeed if thy afflictions were such as hath caused thy heart to return to God thou maiest then hope that God wil not return upon thee but if so be thou behav'st thy self frowardly under thy afflictions I say thou maiest justly expect that God should return upon thee But Secondly God is very gracious to his people when evil is upon them he will not ad and ad till he utterly destroy them but he will forbear that he might have some subject for his Mercie he will not contend for ever For I am God saith he and not man Here 's an argument that is very full I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger for I am God and not a man Before God took upon him the person of a man in those yernings of his bowels that is When he would express his mercie mark there God would come in the most familier way to make us know the meaning of his mercy but when he comes to speak of Anger there he would have us know that he is not like to a man in way of Anger in the way of Mercie saith he if there be the most merciful man upon earth know that I am like him but when I come to anger I am not like man in the way of anger God is verie desirous that we understand fully his heart in the waies of his mercy but when he speaks of the execution of his wrath I will not do that why For I am a God and not a Man And mark the strength of this expression the difference between God and Man in the point of the execution of wrath you will find it very useful to you First for the opening of it and then for the several Observations to be drawn from it As first Man is of a weak spirit not able to rule his anger Man if he be but a little heat with anger it 's turn'd into rage and there 's no rule at all but I am not man saith God I am God I am no man 't is not with me thus I am not of a weak spirit I am able to rule my anger in Nahum 1. 6. the Lords anger there is said to be furious but I find the word in the Original The Lord of anger so Montanus turns it a God that 's able to rule his anger and expresses it in the midst of the expression of his greatest wrath I am God and not Man Man the word is not Adam but
scraps to be had at last then he would not wait so long but if he did hope there was some great thing to be gotten then he would wait Beggers if they come to some mean house they knock at the door and stay a little and if they give them nothing away they will go but if they come to great Houses or Coaches they will wait though it be long and run a great way after them So that which we wait for it is worth thousands of worlds we wait for the pardon of Sin and wait for the assurance of Gods Love we wait for the shedding abroad of the holy Ghost in our hearts we wait for rich Treasure and know that there is enough to be had in God your waiting will pay for all Know also 'T is a great part of Gods Worship to wait upon him 't is not the Worship of God only to Pray and hear the Word and receive Sacraments but when you are waiting you are worshiping of God Further God is all this while preparing mercy for you Suppose you come to have a Scrivener write somthing for you Well the thing is not yet done yea but he is writing as fast as he can know O thou soul who art turning to God all the while thou art waiting God is working God is setting all his Attributes on work for thy good while thou art waiting and therefore wait on thy God And know God is infinitly wise and he knows when 't is best for us to have the mercy he knows the times and seasons wait upon God for the Lord is a God of Judgment Alas we are hasty we cannot judg when the time is fittest but God is a God of Judgment and therefore wait upon him should we have a mercy just when we would our mercy would undo us and therefore let us wait Oh my Brethren we have as much encouragement here in this Land to wait upon God as ever any people had we would fain have had the Wars ended and we began to murmur and repine because it was not done Oh! but we will not wait therefore we will not turn and those that turn to God least will wait least upon him and those that turn to God most will wait most upon him Do not you see that God hath wrought abundance of good for us by deferring what we would have had we had no opposition at the beginning of the Parliament and suppose the King and Parliament had agreed and said You shall have your desires What would we have desir'd we would have desir'd some few things as taking away Ship-mony Tonnage and Poundage Monopolies c. and to have a Triennial Parliament and the like Now what abundance hath God wrought by deferring what we would have had Oh it is good for people to wait upon God Oh let us look back to our murmurings and repinings all this while It 's true we have suffered something yea but hath not God wrought good out of our sufferings and suppose there should be fears of new storms arising Oh let us not say we will wait no longer Oh I take heed of foolish resolutions of your own God is wisest leave God to do his own work keep the way of God and go on in your duty and then let God work his own ends either by War or Peace any way as he pleases wait upon God and mark Wait upon God Continually Wait It 's fit for us to wait Yea but we have waited a long time Well but yet know that you are at the right door Suppose a man be knocking at a door and he hath knockt a great while and no body comes he begins to think it 's not the the right door but some body tells him that it is the right door and then he staies so we may assure our heares thus much we are at the right door certainly and let us not think to go away and we shall find somebody within God wil appear at length What shal we lose all for want of waiting a little while longer Thus it is with many wretched Apostats that have taken a great deal of pains in seeking after God a great while and for want of waiting a little longer they have lost all Oh! let there be this resolution in your hearts If I die and perish yet I 'le die and perish waiting upon God Certainly that soul that hath this resolution will never come to dispair yea there 's no such way for the hastening of Mercy as for a soul to lie flat at the feet of God let God do what he will with me if I perish I 'le perish waiting upon him though he kills me I 'le trust in him and stay upon him You have waited how long I pray Oh! you have been waiting and seeking of God it may be this half year or twelve months What 's that I pray O thou wretched soul thou hast deserved eternal flames and wilt thou grudg at God for waiting a few years If God would keep thee waiting all thy daies and at the last manifest Himself unto thee thou hadst cause to bless God for ever and therfore do not grudge though thou hast been waiting a while and it may be though Thy time is come yet Gods time is not come the time that you call long God doth not call it so One day with God is as a thousand years it 's no time with God and therefore do not complain of the length of thy time And your betters have waited longer Reade but the 88. Psalm and there you will find your better waited all his time The Lord was pleased to work Grace upon him when he was yong his heart was turned to God then and you may find in the text that from his youth up the terrors of God was upon him Wait upon God continually And you cannot better your self Whither wilt thou go poor soul Now you are seeking God you have not what you would have Whither will you go Can you mend your self any way if you cannot then wait upon God continually It may be before God began to turn thy heart thou thoughtst Mercy was easie to be obtain'd thou thought'st then it was nothing to beleeve thou wondrest that people spake so much of the hardness of beleeving thou thought'st it easie Wel the Lord is now working upon thy heart and the Lord would humble thee for those slight thoughts thou hadst of Faith the Lord will have thee to know That beleeving in his Grace it requires a mighty work of God even the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead Be humbled for thy slight thoughts about the work of Faith and know that this it may be is the thing that God intends in keeping thee so low so long That thou maiest come to see that Faith requires the mighty Power of God to work it that so thou maiest give glory to God when
thew 49 Obs 2 The way to prevail with men is to deal with them in a rational way 50 Obs 3 It 's a great aggravation of sin not to be drawn dy these cords of men 52 Use 1 Saints should be eminent in courtesie 54 Use 2 We should draw our relations with gentleness ib. Use 3 Gentle means rejected aggravate sin 55 Obs 4 We must preserve the honor of our inferiors though their faults be great ib. Obs 5 It will aggravate the shame and confusion of men which disregarded Gods using them in an honorable way 56 Obs 6 Not to be drawn to our duty but by violence and strength it is beastial 57 Obs 7 As God deals with us according to our nature so we ought to deal with God as far as we are able sutable to his nature ib. Obs 8 That the Lord doth not alwaies stand upon number though the greatest 59 Obs 9 That Love it hath strong bonds 63 Obs 10 We should labor to cast the bonds of love upon those we have to deal with 66 Obs 11 Seeing Love hath such bonds in it we should make use of the Love of God to bind our hearts to him 78 Obs 12 There 's nothing more aggravats sin than that it is against Love 88 Obs 13 That deliverance from oppression is a great mercie 92 Obs 14 To abuse our ease when God is pleased to deliver us from yokes is very sinful 93 Obs 15 To oppress one another after we are delivered from oppression is likewise a great evil 97 Obs 16 Mercies prepared and provided for laid before us are to be prized 101 Obs 17 In receiving of our food we must look up to Heaven 102 Obs 18 The Service of Gods people is easie and their provision is bountiful ib. Use How great is the mercy of God to us who hath eased our yokes and laid meat before us 〈◊〉 103 VER V. Obs 1 That which bardens men hearts against threats in their sin is some shifts that they have in their thoughts 104 Obs 2 A stout heart cares not whether it goes rather than it will return to God 105 Obs 3 Stubborn hearts if any thing crosses them will foolishly and desperately wish their return to their former condition of misery ib. Obs 4 God knows how to cross wicked men of their wills to spoil them of their plots 106 Obs 5 If we will not do Gods Will God will cross us of our own 107 Obs 6 God is not so much displeased at our sins as at our not returning 108 Obs 7 To refuse to return notwithstanding means used and mercies tendered is a fearful thing ibid. Obs 8 Scornful spirits when they are called upon to return from their evil waies do not only deny returning but also scorn and slight what is said to them 110 VER VI. Obs 1 It 's time for a people to return when God doth whet or draw out his Sword 111 Obs 2 That the abiding of the Sword is a sore judgment ib. Use Against protractors of the War Obs 3 The sword shall abide as long as God will have it ibid Obs 4 That though it be sad for the sword to be in the Field yet for the sword to be in the City is sadder 113 VER VII Exposition 118 Application 1 Publick to England ibid 2 Private to particular persons 119 Why men start back Reasons 1 Gods waies are unsutable to them ibid 2 They have a greater mind to other things ibid 3 They are weary of the waies of God ibid. 4 They have watched advantages to get off from what they have formerly made profession of ibid 5 They are sorrie they engaged themselves so much as they did ibid 6 They greedily embrace any Objections against such waies ibid 7 They are very greedie to take any offence ib. 8 They watch for offences 120 9 They are willing to embrace any opinion that will give them liberty 121 Obs 1 That it is a great evil for men to strive against their conscienoes 122 Obs 2. Mens hearts sink down to low and mean things naturally 126 Obs 3. It is the end of the Ministry of the Word to call men to the Most High God who have their hearts groveling after low and base things ib. Obs 4 It is a great and sore evil to stop our ears against the calls of the Word 127 Obs 5 That the calling to the most high God is a special means to cause those that are in a suspence to come in to a full resolution ibid Obs 6 The true Worship of God is an elevating thing 129 An Exhortation 131 1 To great men ibid 2 To Saints ibid How God hath exalted the Saints 1 He hath raised them from the depth of miserie 131 2 He hath made them one with his Son ib. 3 Hath loved them with the same love wherewith he loved his Son ib. 4 Hath made them Co-heirs with his Son ib. 5 Hath given his Angels to be ministring spirits to them ibid 6 God intends to honor himself in their eternal good ib. 7 He hath prepared for them a Crown of Glory ib. Obs 7 God hath little honor in the world 132 VER VIII Exposition general 134 Exposition particular 135 Obs 1 The greatness of mans sin hinders not the work of Gods mercie 141 Use 1 If the bowels of Gods mercie work towards us let ours work towards our brethren 142 Use 2 Why should great afflictions for God hinder our hearts working to him when our great sins against God hinder not Gods heart from working towards us ibid. Obs 2 Sinners are at the very mouth of misery when they do not think of it ibid. Obs 3 Gods free mercie is that which keeps us from being destroyed ibid. Obs 4 Sinputs God to a stand ib. Obs 5 The salvation of a sinner breaks through manie reasonings and workings in Gods heart 143 Obs 6 According to the relation a sinful people have to God so difficult a thing is it for God to execute his wrath upon them 144 Why God is not readie at any time to execute Judgment upon a sinner 1 The prayers of the Saints stand against Justice 145 2 The Lord look upon the place with an eye of pitie ib. 3 God considers that he hath but little worship in the world 146 4 He looks upon the Service hath been formerly given him in that place ib. 5 There may be a remnant of Saints there ib. 6 He eyes the miseries they will endure ib. 7 The Lord sees how the adversaries will insult 147 8 He looks upon the Elect ones not yet born ib. 9 If my wrath must be satisfied let it run out upon others ib. 10. The affliction of the Saints is Gods own affliction 148 11 God will fetch good out of their evil ib. 12 Gods Justice is glorified by his patience ib. 13 Gods mercie may convert ib. Obs 7 A chollerick disposition is none of Gods Image 150 Use 1 Take heed of being passionate ib. Use 2 Let
not Ministers be tart in the Pulpit ib. Obs 8 Saints may be bold in seeking God in prayer 151 Obs 9 The Saints that walk close with God must needs be verie secure 154 Obs 10 When judgments come upon Gods own people there is some great matter in it 155 Obs 11 There is a difference between the day of patience and the day of wrath ib. Obs 12 If God do not hasten Judgment against us we should not hasten it against our selves ib. Obs 13 The people of God are subject to as sore evils as the worst of men 156 Obs 14 When sinners are neerest to judgment then the bowels of Gods mercie works towards them 157 Obs 15 Those that are in relation to God have a priviledg that others have not ib. Use Take heed of abusing Gods mercies 158 Obs 16 If God be unwilling to make his People like the Wicked in punishment let them not make themselves like them in sin ib. Obs 17 Though God be never so much inclin'd to mercy he doth not hide his eyes from the sins of his own People ib. Use Let not the encouragement of mercie hide our sins from us 159 Obs 18. Strong motions to repentance give strong encouragements to come to God 160 Obs 19 Let arguments of obedience to God cause stirrings in our hearts 161 Obs 20 Let us not think it too much to have our hearts turned from strong resolutions to do evil ib. Obs 21 God's repentings are mighty encouragements to Prayer 162 Obs 22 Wee must gather as many arguments as we can to kindle Repentance in us ib. Obs 23 Our mercies to others should not be cold but burning 165 VER IX Exposition 165 Obs 1 The stirrings of mercie in our hearts should rather prevaile with us than stirrings to wrath 166 Obs 2 Stirrings for God should rather prevail with us than temptations to sin 167 Obs 3 Gods mercies do not free his People from all fruits of displeasure ib. Obs 4 We should acknowledge mercie though we suffer hard things 167 Obs 5 Sinners should not be secure when evil is upon them and think Now we know the worst on 't 168 Obs 6 God is very gracious to his People when evil is upon them ib. Difference between God and Man in point of Anger 169 1 Man is not able to rule his Anger ib. 2 Man is of a revengeful and cruel disposition 170 3 Man is in a rage often-times with others because of the disquit of his own heart ib. 4 There is but very little if any mercie at all in man ib. 5. Man is of a fickle and unconstant disposition ib. 6 If man pass by an offence it is from some motive from without ibid 7 Man thinks it his dishonor to be reconciled to those that offend him ibid 8 Man cannot foresee the consequences that may follow upon his pardoning of offences 171 9 Man cannot work good out of what ill carriages are against him ibid 10 Though man promise much mercie yet upon any offence he will recall his promise again ibid 11. Man thinks it's best to take his advantage of offenders at the present time 172 12 Man is bound to positive Rules of Justice that are set to him But God is free He will have mercie on whom he will have mercie ibid Obs 7 God glories in the goodness and mercie that is in himself ib. Use Passion and anger debases man 173 Obs 8 If God were like Man sinners could not be forborn 174 Obs 9 It is a good way to exercise faith in Gods mercie ibid Use Let us labor to be holy in our anger 178 Obs 10 God delights to shew the glory of his holiness in mercie toward sinners 179 Obs 11 Gods faithfulnesse is a special part of the glory of his holiness ibid Use 1 We may see hence how holiness will help our faith ibid Use 2 Let us manifest our holiness in our faithfulness ibid Obs 12 God continues among a people for his Saints and Elects sake ibid Obs 13. The Saints are of great use where they live 179 Obs 14 Humiliation and reformation do often save a City from destruction 180 Use Let not our sin provoke God to destroy us ibid VER X Exposition ib. Obs 1 It is the Lords infinite goodness to be the Captain of his people 181 Obs 2 It is the honor safety and happiness of the Saints to have God go before them ibid Obs 3 That the Majestie and terribleness of God causeth the wicked guilty conscience to fly from him 182 Use Oh the blessing of a clean conscience ibid Obs 4 That when Gods time is come for a through reformation in the world he will make the earth tremble 184 Use 1 Despair not at the strength of the wicked 185 Use 2 Learn to prepare for those times ibid Obs ult There are like to be great stirrings in the West 186 VER XI Exposition 186 Obs 1 God hath his time to place his people in their own houses in peace and safetie 187 Obs 2 It 's a good work to be instrumental in this ibid Obs 3 They that walk after the Lord shall be placed in their houses ibid Use Trust God with your houses ib. VER XII Exposition General 188 Particular 189 Obs 1 Many profess to God the acknowledgment of his Greatness Glory Power c. but it is but as a lye to God ib. Obs 2 Many men beset the business and affairs that they mannage with lyes also 190 Obs 3 That when men are once engaged in shifts and lyes they grow pertinacious in them 191 Obs 4 The sin is the greater where there is no example of evil in others 192 Obs 5 To continue in a false way of worship when a right way is held forth is an aggravation of sin ib. Obs 6 It 's a great comendation to continue in the Truth when others fall off ib. Obs 7 We should be more severe to those that are nearest to us when they dishonor God than to others 193 Obs 8 To enjoy but little with God is better than to have much without enjoying God 194 Obs 9 To serve God is to reign 195 Obs 10. God hath never bin without som Witnesses to his Truth ib. Obs 11 It is unfaithfulness to forsake the true Worship which God hath appointed 196 Obs 12 God hath a special eye to a States faithfulness in point of Worship ib. Obs 13. Faithfulness consists in a constant persisting in good ib. Obs 14 We should look more at the example of a few Saints than of thousands of wicked men 198 CHAP. XII VER I Exposition 199 Obs 1 Creature-Comforts will prove but wind 202 Obs 2. It 's a grievous thing when troubles come to have nothing within us to help us but wind 203 Several waies of encreasing Lyes 1 By carrying about Reports 207 2 By mis-reporting of Reports ib. 3 By adding to Reports ib. 4 By inventing new Reports ib. 5 By maintaining Lyes by Lyes ibid. Use 1. Take heed of spreading
upon God in afflictions shews grace of God in any 393 Use 1 To servants which are in hard service ib. Use 2 To servants which are out of it ib. Obs 3 Love wil carry through long service 394 Obs 4 A good Wife is a great blessing of God though she have no portion ib. Obs 5 Children should not marry without their Parents consent 395 VER XIII Obs 1 None shal lose any thing by what they do for God 397 Obs 2. The shiftless estate of our Ancestors should humble us much 398 Obs 3 God works great things for his Church by smal means ib. Obs 4 It 's a great aggravation of sin to transgress against God's more than ordinary appearing for peoples good 399 Obs 5 Abuse of suth as have reference to the service of God is a great evil ib. VER XIV Obs 1. God is not angry unless he be provoked 403 Obs 2. It is only sin that provokes God 403 Obs 3 Som sins provoke God more than others 405 Obs 4 They that be wilful in sin their blood will be upon their own heads 407 Obs 5 God will be Lord let wicked men do what they can 410 CHAP. XIII VER 1. Obs 1 It 's an Honor to have respect from others when we speake 415 Vse for Inferiors ib. Obs 2 Those who are in Place of Power account it their honor that others should tremble at what they say 436 Obs 3 The subjection of the hearts of men to those in authority is a work of God 417 Obs 4 The meaner the beginnings of men are the more imperious they prove 418 Obs 5 Men of great repute and reverend respect by sin fall from their dignitie 419 Verified in Magistracy and Ministry ibid. Use For Magistrates and Ministers 421 Obs 6 Alteration in marter of Government is a hard and difficult thing 422 Obs 7 Men of resolved spirits will break through difficulties when God raiseth them up to it 423 Obs 8 If after they have gone through difficulties they rest in their own strength they shall vanish and come to nothing 423 Obs 9 Alteration in Religion is a difficult business 424 Obs 10 Men of resolute spirits will go on in matters of Religion though it be from better to worse 425 Obs 11 When God withdraws his protection from a Familie he leaves it as a dead carkass 426 Obs 12 Corruption of Worship causeth God to withdraw from a people ib. Obs 13 When wicked men are most active in their evil way then they may be under the sentence of death 427 VER II. Obs 1 Vse makes a mighty alteration in mens spirits 428 Obs 2 When destructions neerest evil men are wickedest 430 Obs 3 There 's no stop in Apostacy 431 Obs 4 Every sin against conscience weakens the work of conscience 433 Obs 5 In what degree a man fals off from God in that degree he loseth his comfort in God 434 Obs 6 When one hath sinned against God his spirit and holy duties are unsutable ib. Obs 7 The presence of God is terrible to an Apostate ib. Obs 8 What may turn an Apostates heart to God is grievous to him ib. Obs 9 One sin cannot be maintained without another 435 Obs 10 The pride of an evil mans heart is such that he will be justifying his sin ib. Obs 11 When men are grown far in an evil way they grow desperate ib. Obs 12 When men trust to their own understandings in matters of Worship God gives them up to sottishness 441 Obs 13 It 's false Worship to give Religious respect to any creature by kissing as well as bowing to it 443 Use Against such as kiss the Book when they take an Oath ib. VER III. Obs 1 The messenger of wrath drives unsetled men to misery 444 VER IV. Obs 1 It 's a great evil to sin against the work of mercy 445 Obs 2 Deliverance from Egypt is a Note of Gods being our God 446 Obs 3 The end of Gods great work is That he may be known to be God ib. Obs 4 God delights to manifest himself in a way of salvation 448 Obs 5 Saving mercies are great mercies ib. Obs 6 No creature can do us good further than God gives it leave ib. Obs 7 Our faith should be exercised on God as a Savior ib. Obs 8 We are never safe but when our peace is made with God 449 Obs 9 God is never worshiped as God but when he is worshiped as a Savior ib. VER V. Obs 1. It 's a great mercie for God to know a man in time of trouble 451 Obs 2 Gods knowing us in distress is a mighty engagement to us 452 VER VI. Obs 1 It 's better to want the comfort of the creature and to have Gods protection than to have the creature and live of our selves ib. VER VII Obs 1 The Lord pities sinful men in adversity 499 VER VIII Obs 1. The wrath of God is more dreadful than the dreadfulness of all the creatures in the world 505 VER IX Obs 1 It 's an aggravation of sin another day to be the cause of the evils we suffer 508 Obs 2 Men would put offtheir evils from themselves to God 510 Obs 3 God knows how to turn all the evils upon our selves 511 Obs 4 A man can bring himself to no misery but there 's help in God for it 519 Use Look up to God when you have done evil 520 Obs 5 Those that seek help in God and yet misery grows upon them let them examin themselves 521 Obs 6 The more God hath helped men the greater will their destruction be if they be destroyed at last 522 VER X. Obs 1 It 's a sad condition when God rules over a people in spight of their hearts 523 Obs 2 The things that carnal hearts rest upon will vanish 526 Obs 3 God loves to insult over men in their carnal confidences 526 Obs 4 It 's great confusion to carnal hearts when they shall be asked Where 's their confidences 527 Use Let us learn to seek after those things we may be able to give an account for 528 Use 2 Let not the Saints be afraid of evil men ib. Obs 5 Though God be much with a man yet if he be of a low rank carnal hearts regard him not 529. Obs 6 Men will not hear so long as they do not suffer 533 VER XI Obs 1 God may have a hand in things wherein men sin exceedingly 535 Obs 2 Things that are very evil may have present success 536 Obs 3 Gods gifts are not alwaies in love ib. Notes whether it be out of Love or Hatred 1 When we desire the gift rather than God in it 540 2 When our desires are immoderate and violent 541 3 When God grants men their desires before due time 542 4 When there comes no blessing at all with what we enjoy 543 5 When what we desire is meerly to satisfie our lusts 544 6 When men are so eager that they care not whether they have it from a
then the several Doctrinal Notes from them First How shall I give thee up Ephraim Or as some others reade it What shall I do to thee I am as it were at a stand what to do as the Father that hath the rod in his hand comes to correct and lets the rod fall out of his hand his affections work so strongly What shall I do As if God should say Oh! were there but any repentings were they but ever so little I would be glad of it I would take any little repentings could I but tell how to vindicate mine honor any other way I would do it Oh! what shall I do It is your foolish wilful stubornness going on in such a vile finful way that puts God to such a stand What shall I do God seems here to have his heart troubled in him much like that in Exod. 33. 5. when God was offended with the people there saith he Put off thine ornaments that I may know what to do with thee It 's a strange expression as if he should say come and fast and pray put off your ornaments and humble your selves before me that I may know what to do to you Oh! why may there not be some hope put off your ornaments if there be but any repentings and turning to me Or if you take it as it is in your books How shall I give thee up Then the scope is thus Thou art upon the very brink of destruction wrath and miserie it is prepared for thee thou art in the very mouth of ruin It 's nothing but only a giving thee up and thou art undone wrath and miserie stand waiting only for my giving thee up Oh! but how shall I do it I see thee upon the very brink of ruin thy very neck upon the block and thou now waitest for my giving up but I cannot tell how to find in my heart How shall I do it How shall I give thee up Ephraim Oh! here was a strong argument that mov'd the bowels of God Ephraim if thou wert indeed the refuse of the world I would not so much care for many thousand of them but thou art Ephraim Thou art my deer child Ephraim my deer son you know what God saith in Jer. 31. about the 18. verse How shall I give thee up Ephraim How shall I deliver thee Israel As if he should say Justice calls for thee that I would deliver thee up to him thou art call'd for to be delivered up to Justice Justice plead that thou art her due but How shall I do it How shall I do it How shall I deliver thee It goes much against me to do it The Septuagint they turn the words How shall I protect thee So the old Latin And the mistake comes from a little difference in the Hebrew word so that the same radical letters in the Hebrew word that is for delivering signifies a Shield likewise To protect as with a shield And therefore they translate it so How shall I protect thee but that comes to the same thus How shall I protect such a one as thou art How shall it be for mine honor that thou shouldest be under my protection Men indeed do abuse their power they have to give protection to others you know there hath been a great abuse since the Parliament begun by protections that have been given to others but saith he How shall I do it that is I who am a holy and infinite God how shall I protect such a one as thou art How shall I protect thee Israel Israel here 's another argument indeed Israel I remember thy Father I remember that mighty Prince who wrastled with me and prevail'd and I account it my glory to be the glory of Israel and his seed What art thou the posterity of Israel of such a one so deer to me and such a Prince that heretofore prevail'd with me in prayer What art thou his posterity Oh! how shall I deliver thee up Israel Oh when God looks upon them he sees them sinful and wretched but when he looks upon what they were in reference to their forefathers How shall I give thee up Israel How shall I make thee as Admah How shall I set thee as Zeboim Admah and Zeboim they were the names of two Cities that were two of the five Cities that were together with Sodom and Gomorah now four of these five Cities were destroyed by fire from Heaven for the wickedness of them and one of them only was spar'd for Lot's sake But this Admah and Zeboim were two of the Cities that the judgments of God was most terrible upon the Apostle Jude in his Epistle the 7. verse saith That they did suffer the vengance of eternal fire Now saith God here The truth is you have provoked me as much as Admah and Zeboim have done their sins were not greater than yours and there is as great wrath that belongs to you as to them but oh how shall I do it how shall I make thee as Admah and Zeboim how is it possible for me to find in my heart to yeeld to do it Hierom upon the place doth move this Question Why doth he mention Admah and Zeboim and not Sodom and Gomorah The Answer that he gives is this That Judab those Tribes they are compared in their sin to Sodom and Gomorah in Isa 1. and Ezek 16 for Judah had more means than Israel had Judah had the Temple with them and therefore their sin was the more aggravated Sodom and Gomorah they were the chief sinners and Admah and Zeboim they did but as it were follow them so he And by following their example they came to inwrap themselves in the same Judgments but yet altogether their sin was not like Sodoms and Gomorahs therefore Judah that had more means is compared to Sodom and Gomorah and the ten Tribes to Admah and Zeboim My heart is turned within me Luther hath a Note upon this according to his usual way in expressing the Grace of God to the height saith he 'T is as if it were that the heart that 's stir'd with anger for the sins of men were not the true heart of God and therefore saith he My heart is turned to me mine own heart now I have my own heart indeed when I have thoughts of peace when I had thoughts of wrath that was not as it were mine own heart sutable to that expression we have in Scripture That God calls his execution of Jugment his strange work So that 's Gods own heart that is affected with our evil and that doth even turn with mercie towards us so mine heart is come to me saith God as if it were gone before But My heart is turned within me The meaning is this As when a mans heart is much affected in love and compassion there 's the working of the Spirits and blood round about the heart and mighty motions and stirrings in the heart So saith
As Joseph you know it was his reasoning when he had as fit an opportunity to fin as almost a man could have had with his Mistris yet presently comes there this reasoning in his heart How shal I do this and fin against God Oh! there is reason it should be so with us when God hath fit opportunities to destroy us there comes the reasoning of Gods mercy into his heart so when we have our temptations to sin there should com these reasonings into our hearts Oh! how shall I do this and sin against the Lord our God Let us present al these reasonings to our souls Men wil gather reasonings for their sin and so we should gather al the reasons that possibly we can against our sins It were well my brethren if men after they have sinned would say Oh what have I done But it 's better if men before they have sinned would say How shall I do it Oh! certainly our mind are very barren that we have not upon every occasion when a temptation comes reasonings to move us against it Indeed after a sin is committed men then can think of this reasoning and the other reasoning Oh! if God should thus deal with us First deliver us up and and destroy us and then God should think of this and that what might have been to have preserved us it would have been ill for us therfore God just when the danger comes for our ruin then he thinks of all that might keep off ruin from us And so when the temptation to a sin comes then should we think of all things that might keep us from this sin How shall I give thee up Ephraim c. The last Exercise we opened unto you this verse and made some Observations from it to proceed now The next Note is this It is not the Image of God in any man to be prone to wrath to delight in wrath to be sudden in the execution of anger when God comes to execute anger he cannot do it but he must have a how shall I do it before he doth it he must make a stop proneness to anger suddenness to let out wrath it is not the Image of God in any man or woman When any of you are about to do any thing especially against your Brethren against those that you have relation to be not over passionate reason the Case first in thine own heart How shall I do this True I think such and such they are in the wrong but what good will come of it if I do thus and thus Are they not those that I have had sweet converse with and experience of their godliness would it not be more for the honor of God if I did forbear will any good come to the publick shall not I rather serve the designs of the enemies with such sharpness and bitterness will they not laugh and scorn at Religion Oh! How shall I do this Oh! when we have workings in our own thoughts as bitter as gall if before we vent them we would but put this to our selves how shall I do this with presenting all the arguments that possibly we can to stop it much good would come of it Yea Ministers when they are to preach when they have prepared to deliver something yet if there will be any tartness in it they should think how should I do this what may come of it I may vent my self but what good may come of it what glory to God what good to the Church We should make many pauses and many stops to our anger As somtimes when you are traveling abroad in the Country you come upon some steep hill you shall find that the Country men they lay here and there in several places something to stop the Current of the water for otherwise it would gore too much if it should run down swiftly but when it hath some stop it doth not do so much hurt Oh! how doth the anger of men gore deep why because it runs headily and violently down and it hath nothing to stop it Men in anger they are very full of thoughts and resolutions and continually all the reasonings of the hearts of men and women in their anger tend to nothing else but to heat their hearts more all their thoughts work that way till their hearts are made fiery hot and so they burst out and cannot stay they muse upon nothing else but that that may further their anger and displeasure And those that are barren enough in their thoughts otherwise yet are very quick in invention and wittie for the letting out of anger and wrath But this would be your wisdom had you the Image of God prevailing in you when you find anger stirring in your bosom you would rather muster up reasons that may allay your anger that may qualifie it you would muse upon those things that may serve to be a stop to it for the present as God doth here Oh! did men but do so say How shall I do this what peace and quiet might we have among us A Ninth Observation is this you see when God though he threatned very sorely and charges deeply yet How shall I do this He reasons in his own heart for waies of mercy towards his people The Note from it is this Here we have encouragement plentiful encouragement to come to God in prayer in seeking mercy notwithstanding our wretchedness and sinfulness yea encouragement for beleeving This Scripture may be a mighty help to faith in our prayers seeking of our resting upon God as thus What doth God find it hard to him to execute wrath doth God muster up all arguments that may be to stop his anger and how he may manifest goodness and mercy why then if thou hast any arguments to plead with God for mercy thou mayest come up with boldness and freedom to him he is ready to receive it for thou bringest unto him that which is exceedingly sutable to him sutable to his very heart thou bringest matter to him that is agreeable to what his heart is set upon what doest thou apprehend the displeasure of God out against thee or against the Land where God hath any relation hast thou any arguments at all in prayer to plead with God For so God gives his Creature leave to plead with him as if he were a man Oh! come I say with a free spirit come cheerfully come with encouragement for thou comest now to do that which Gods heart is full of If so be that a man could know the thoughts of other men know what thoughts their spirits are most full of and could come at that time and suggest thoughts unto them sutable to what their thoughts are upon what entertainment would they have why surely when poor sinners if they be penitent sinners shall come to God and suggest any arguments for mercy I say thou doest suggest that which the heart of God was full of and exceedingly sutable to it The same
Then Secondly Let us gather as many arguments as we can to cause repentance and lay them together and never leave working them upon our hearts till we find them kindled Surely there 's all the reason for it in the world Doth the Lord gather all together that may be for our good and lay them upon his heart and there keep them to his heart till they kindle and work powerful workings upon his heart for good to us then when we would repent for there 's reason that we should repent as well as expect that God should for us we should be gathering all arguments that possibly can be and never leave till we find them kindled and warm at our hearts Oh! many of you at some times you have one argument that sticks at your hearts and at another time there 's another at such a time there was some one truth darted in and it took your hearts and you would say as those that went to Emaus Did not we find our hearts burn within us so you found Truths coming in at such a Sermon and at another and another yea but now could you get but all those arguments that ever God did dart into you to waies of repentance could you but get them together and work them upon your hearts and never leave till they be kindled and be crying to God as Elisha did till he got fire to come from Heaven to consume the Sacrifice Oh Lord my heart hath a deal of waterie stuff in it that will not kindle till the fire of the holy Ghost come to kindle these arguments and make them to burn Oh! if it were with us as David in Psal 39. 31. saith he While I was musing my heart was hot within me and the fire burned so we should go into our closets and be gathering all things together that we can to work upon our hearts and continue mufing till we find the fire burning within us Nay our hearts heat so as to break forth with our tongues and even to say from our souls Well the Lord is God it is he that is worthy for ever to be feared and honored and serv'd I have lived like a base and sinful wretched creature without a God in the world but it 's the Lord that is God that is worthy to be honored from my Bodie and Soul and Estate and Name and Liberty and Life and whatsoever I am or can do now if it would break forth in such a resolution how excellent would it be Oh! let us be humbled I beseech you for the coldness of our hearts that nothing can kindle there What a damp is there upon our spirits that when any argument is laid it goes out presently We have Truths laid upon us when we come to the Word but our dampie hearts quenches them all they do not kindle many are wittie enough to gather arguments for sin and lay them upon their hearts and so to kindle wickedness in their hearts as in Psal 41. 6. you have a notable Scripture there of wicked men that came to David They gathered iniquity in their hearts all things that might sute with their wicked hearts and for the furtherance of their ungodly waies they gathered them together for the encouraging and strengthening of them in their evil waies But it should be the care of the Saints to gather all things that might further repentance in them That 's the reason why wicked men are so hot in that that 's evil They gather arguments together and hence it is that wicked men when they have been in wicked company they come from it so hot in their resolutions to sin Why because they have gathered a great deal together for the heating of their hearts in their sin and so should the Saints when they are together in a holy communion and fellowship they should be gathering one from another every one come and afford something to lay as it were to kindle the fire But how laying their light ends together and not their dead ends together And then the Third Note is this Our mercies to others should not be cold but burning Let us be merciful as our Heavenly Father is merciful That is Not only wishing good to others but let there be kindled mercies in our bowels that we may not be able to keep them in I suppose many of you especially of estates have had many thoughts that you would do this and this for such good uses and you see some reason why it should be so yea but now have these arguments burnt in your hearts so as to cause you to break forth into resolutions Well though I have had thoughts and inclinations to make use of my estate thus and thus yet I have been kept off but now they are kindled in my heart and I am resolved upon it Thus it was with God and let it be so with you And thus much for the Eighth Verse The Ninth follows VER 9. I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger I will not execute the burning of mine anger so the words are IT 's true your sins and arguments against you did lie at my heart and did even burn it but I will not execute that I will execute the kindling of my mercy but not the kindling of mine anger Mark the several phrases Bowels was kindled in way of mercy and Wrath was kindled there was burning Wrath and burning Mercy but that which prevails It is the burning Mercy that prevails I will not execute the burning of mine anger why For I have kindlings of mercy in my bowels But how was this true Was not Israel carried into captivity and continued there many yeers and never yet returned again as some think and when they were carried into captivity for three yeers together there was a siege at the City and yet God saith here He will not execute the sierceness of his anger For the Answer That which before was said will give sufficient answer to it How shall I make thee as Admah and Zeboim that is though God did suffer them to be carried away captive and their enemies prevail'd against them yet he did not make them as Admah and Zeboim though There was not the fierceness of Gods anger the Burning of the anger of God out against them And the Lord had even in their carrying into Captivity yet he had respect to his Elect Ones and hath to this very day an intention to do them good afterwards And so we shall find in the next verse that there is a promise of the returning from their Captivity and therefore though they were for a long time to continue in Captivity yet still God did not execute the fierceness of his anger Sin indeed stirs up anger and fierce anger in God The Septuagint translate the words thus I will not do according to the anger of my wrath that is in extremity I will not do thus with you
Ish a strong man or a Noble man but I am God Ell I am a strong God and I am able to rule anger so as man cannot Secondly Man is of a revengeful and of a cruel disposition man cares not what he doth so that he may have his lusts but I am a God and not a man of a loving sweet and tender disposition Thirdly Man many times because he hath not satisfaction within his own heart therefore he is in a rage with every body Man flies upon others not so much for any thing that they do but because of the disquiet of his own heart but I am a God and not man I am infinitly Alsufficient of my self there is no disquiet in me all it at rest and quiet within me and this makes me to be of such a quiet disposition towards my Creature Fourthly If there be any mercie in a man it 's but verie little a little matter will stop the current of the mercy that is in man but I am a God and not man there is infinite mercie in me an infinite current and the current of the mercie that is in me cannot easily be stopt for I am a God Fifthly Man is of a fickle and an unconstant disposition but I am Jehovah and change not and therefore the sone of Jacob are not consumed Sixthly If man passes by an offence it is from some motives or some perswasions from without if there be none of those motive and perswasions from without he is fevere and he is ridged but I am a God and not Man I have enough in mine own heart to perswade me though there be no arguments from without yet there 's enough within me in my own bowels to perswade me for I am a God Seventhly Man he thinke it a dishoner to him to begin reconciliation with those that have offended him what shall I go and disgrace my self to begin with my inferior let him begin with me if he will this is mans disposition but I am a God and not man I account it my glory to begin the work of reconciliation there is not such a disposition in me as in man Eightly Man he cannot foresee the consequences that may follow upon his forbearing or pardoning of offences and therefore he is loth to forbear or pardon But I am a God and not man I have infinite wisdom and can foresee all consequences that will come Ninthly Man he cannot work good out of what ill carriages there are against him and that makes him not to forbear but I am a God and not man I know how to work out mine own ends and for the glory of my Name out of all the sins of my people Tenthly Man though he promises much mercie yet oftimes if those that he promises meroy to do offend him he will recal his promise again and he thinks he may do it and he makes all his promises but conditional yea but I am a God and not man I do not stand so upon it though I know beforeh and there will be many weaknesses and infirmities is my creature yet I have some promises that are absolute promises to those that are my Elect Ones and I will not recal my Promises though they be unfaithful and sinful Man doth not only recal Promises when there is occasion given but many times through unfaithfulness And therefore I remember Brentius an approved Divine hath this More upon this place The word saith he is Ish not Adam and so he translates it I am a God and not a Noble man you shall not have such dealings with me as from your great men many great then make great and fair promiseâ— and you depend upon them but they will deceive you according to that in Psal 62. 9. Surely men of low degree are vanity and men of high degree are a lye and your Courtiers and great men how do they deceive the expectation of those that are with them especially in their need they leave them in the lurch many times but I am a God and not man you shall not have such unfaithful dealings with me Further If man forbears and passes by offences now he cannot have the offenders again at advantage when he pleases and therefore he thinks he had best take the advantages now Oh but I am a God and not man my Creatures I have them alwaies at advantage it 's true I can spare them now for I can have them under my feet again and again and again and therefore I have no such reason to take advantage of my poor Creatures as one man hath of another Lastly I am God and not man that is Man he is bound to positive rules of Justice that are set to him but I am a God and not man I will have mercy on whom I will have mercie and whom I will I harden The Observations First Goodness and mercy in God is that wherein he Glories it 's true the Lord is high above man in all excellencies but mark here how he glories that he is a God and not man in the point of execution of wrath Many glory in their anger and make that to be their excellencie and their bravery Oh they are brave men and of brave spirits when they can vent their wrath when they can rail and speak evil and make others to come and submit to them and strike or punish them why now they are brave men I 'le make you do thus and thus as in a Familie you shall have sometimes a poor man or woman manifest abundance of pride of spirit as if they were Princes and Monarchs they will do thus and thus and you think your selves to be of brave spirits but mark God glories in this that he doth not execute the fierceness of his anger I am infinitly above man Wherein O Lord art thou above them I am above them in this That I can rule mine anger and am merciful to those that are beneath me here 's Gods glory My Brethren this Scripture were there no other shews that passion and anger debases man we have a notable Scripture for this that God glories in his long suffering and patience towards his Creature in Numb 14. 17. And now I beseech thee let the power of my Lord be great according as thou hast spoken What had God spoken or where had he spoken any thing Mark this Scripture hath reference to the latter end of Exod 32. there God promised that Moses should see his glory and in Chap. 34. God made his glory pass by him and what was it The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundance in mercy and truth c. Now Moses hath reference to this Moses laies hold upon this as if he should say Oh Lord was not there a time that I was pleading with thee and didest not thou promise to shew me thy glory and was it not the
deliver them from violence and wrong 2 Sam. 7. 10. Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel and I will plant them that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more It 's a good work to be instrumental in this that those who live godlily and are peaceable may abide quietly in their houses and not be tossed up and down because they cannot beleeve or practice what others do This tossing such up down though it may be from a zeal for Christ yet Christ will never own it Those who walk after the Lord shall be placed in their houses They were willing to leave their houses that they might follow him and now God places them in them Trust God with your houses Resolve to follow the Lord whithersoever he goes he hath time to place his people in their houses when others who dared not trust God shal wander in darkness Saith the Lord. This must be the work of the Lord it 's only He can do it That mercy that comes beyond all means it 's the sweetest mercy No matter what the means be whether any or no so be it you have a Word of God for the thing VER 12. Ephraim compasseth me about with lyes and the house of Israel with deceit THe Lord having manifested the bowele of his tender compassion towards Ephraim the ten Tribes he comes further to shew what was that that stopt the way and course of his grace of the grace that otherwise might have been let out unto them Ephraim compasseth me about with lyes Besets me with lyes that 's the word be besets me round I am in respect of the sin of Ephraim that is of the Governors and of the house of Israel that is the People I am as it were a man beset round As a men that would have a passage such a way he goes one way and there he is stopt and another way and there he is stopt so God compares himself to such a man as if he would be going on in the waies of mercy there he is stop◠in one co 〈…〉 of sin or another and going on in another way there 〈◊〉 is stopt again Ephraim hath beset me with lyes that is with false wor ship for that 's a lye with Pretences they put fair Glosses upon things but all are but lyes he hath beset me with politick shifts of his own These did beset God yea and beset the Prophet too for so I find some turn it they think it 's spoken as in the person of the Prophet the Prophet complaining that he was beset with lies that they might prejudice his Ministry that they might do what they could to take off the power of his Ministry in their hearts they beset him with lyes with false reports of this and the other thing Upon which one hath that Note A faithful Divine a Preacher is nothing else but as it were a Center to which all lyes of falsehood do tend they all go that way 't is a great plot of the Devil to draw his lines and to let them make the Ministers of God that God uses as any Instruments of good unto his people to be as the Center of them all Thus Meisnerus in his Comment upon the place But I rather take it as spoken in the Name and Person of God Beset me with lyes i. e. They do not only seek to blind men but they would do what they could if it were possible to deceive me saith God And indeed when men seek to blind their own consciences what do they but seek what they can if it were possible to deceive God In the very act of Worship saith God they are false they do profess honor and service to God but they lye unto him even when they are worshiping of Him Many in their prayers in the solemn act of Worship they beset God with lyes Oh! how do many come into the presence of God when they are worshiping of him and there profess to God the acknowledgment of his Greatness his Glory his Majesty his Power his Sovereignity his Dominion over them and profess a great deal of the fear of the Name of God! and yet God knows it is not in their hearts it is but as a lye to God when they are worshiping God there they acknowledg their sin and judg themselves for their sin as if they were very much humbled and troubled for their sin but God knows that this is but a lye to him there is no such humiliation of their hearts before him as seems to be in their expressions before God especially when they are in company they cry to God for grace and would fain above all things in the world have his Grace but God knows 't is but a lye all their prayers are even besetting God with lyes Oh! Consider how far any of you have been guilty of this especially in praying with others according to that Scripture Psal 78. 36. They flattered him with their mouth and lyed unto him with their tongue The word that is translated flattered it signifies deceived They deceived him with their mouth Why Can God be deceived No But they did what lay in them to deceive him if it were possible that he should be deceived they would deceive God No mervail though men do deceive men so much as they do many that are of upright hearts they wonder when they hear of the falsness of mens spirits that they can be so No mervail I say when as God himself complains of being deceived by them that is They are so false and do so beset God with lyes that if it were possible he himself should be deceived That 's the first Note And then Secondly As it was here with this people besetting God with lyes Thus many do compass and beset businesses the businesses and affairs that they mannage they beset them with lyes that 's thus They plot with themselves how they may handsomly contrive a company of lyes together by a handsom putting of them together that so they may beset mens unsterstandings there is such a cunning abroad in the world I say to seek to beset the understandings of men so as men shall not know what to say to things and yet they cannot tel how to beleeve them neither do they know what to say things are so contriv'd and so set they think with themselves If such a thing shall be questioned then I have such a shift to put it off and if another thing shal be doubted of then I have such a report to make it good some fair pretence or other And thus they beset businesses with lyes and beset mens understandings But Judah yet ruleth with God and is faithful with the Saints This of Judahs ruling with God Luther Meisnerus and others do think that it hath reference unto the story that you find in 2 King 18. the
I will never leave thee nor forsake thee that the Apostle to the Hebrews applies to the Christians at that time that he spake to us he spake it to thee and me if we be BELEEVERS that that God spake to the distressed and afflicted ones in Psal 102. He will regard the prayer of the destitute and not despise their prayer that he spake to us for in ver 18. This shall be written for the Generations to come And that which God spake to Jacob at these two several times in Bethel it 's written for the Generations to come it 's written for us Well then what was it What was the special thing that God spake to Jacob when he found him at Bethel and what was that to us I 'le shew you many things There are nine or ten notable things to be observed by us which God spake unto us The first thing that he spake to Jacob that concerns us as well as himself was this That the foundation of the comfort of the Saints it is in the Covenant of God That he spake to us there Gen. 28. 13. when he appeared to Jacob what said he to him I am the God of Abraham thy Father and the God of Isaac Jacob was flying for his life then and this was to comfort him in his danger I am the God of Abraham thy Father the God of Isaac then he spake this to us that the foundation of the comforts of the Saints in the times of their distresses it is the Covenant of Grace that God hath made with them and their fathers before them The second thing was this That the seed of Jacob are the inheritors of the Land of Canaan for so he told him The Land wherein thou liest I 'le give to thee and to thy seed Now this concerns us that the seed of Jacob shall inherit the Land of Canaan That was typified by it There are some that have a thought that yet there shall be an inheritance of the Land of Canaan by the faithful seed of Jacob but however this certainly he spake to us that all the seed of Jacob are the Inheritors of the Land of Canaan one way or other take it in the Litteral or in the Typical Sense The Third thing was God would have faith raised to beleeve in mercies promised even when there is a great deal of unlikelihood of the fulfilling of it that 's the Third thing he he spake of to us there he tells Jacob there at that time when he was a poor lone man with his staff and no provision but a stone for his pillow then he tells him of making good his promise it was as unlikely a time as could be a poor lone man that Jacob was went over with his staff at that time and that he should have such a Promise fulfill'd and his seed to be so great and to inherit the hand of Canaan how unlikely was this But God would have him to exercise his faith upon the Promise at this time when there was such a great unlikelihood of it The Fourth thing is this That the multiplying of the Church is a great blessing for saith he thy seed shall be thus and thus as the sand of the Sea shore I 'le encrease my Church abundantly from thy loyns Fifthly Promises defer'd though they are to be looked upon as certain as ever they were Yet the Saints of God have need of renewing of Promises even those that have most faith God renews the same Promise to him that was made before God had promised to Abraham to make his seed great but the truth is that the Promise though it be as certain as before yet it had been a long time and there was little come of it And then the Sixth thing was this That the blessing which comes to the world it is by the Promised seed He tels him that in his seed all the Nations of the Earth should be blessed the great blessing of the world is by the Promised seed by Jesus Christ And then the Seventh thing was That we Gentils were in Gods heart to do good unto us for thousands of years since Though at that time we were as Dogs yet it was in Gods heart to bless us Oh! this is a comfortable speech to us it concerns us Gentils in a more special manner than it did them that Hosea did prophesie to at this time And then the Flighth thing is That the Presence of God and his Protection is the only Encouragement of the Saints in their waies For in Vers 15. saith God Behold I am with thee and I will keep thee in all places whither thou goest this he spake to us this the Saints should make high account of And then the Ninth thing is That though Promises be not yet fulfilled yet God is still working towards their fulfilling for so he tels him I will not leave thee until I have don all that I have promised to thee though you cannot see how my Administrations towards you do any way work for the fulfilling of my Promise yet know I will not leave you until I have fulfilled my Promises And then the last thing is this which God spake to us there he tels us of the constancy of his Mercy and faithfulness that however things may go with us here for a while yet the mery of God continues the line of Gods mercy is not cut asunder but his faithfulness is carried along till all the good that he hath promised or that Faith can beleeve shal be granted to us for so he tels Iacob there I will not leave thee till I have done that which I have spoke to thee of All this he spake with us That 's the first time of Gods meeting with Iacob in Bethel Now the Second time that he met with Iacob in Bethel it is in Gen. 35. 10. and there see what God spake with us there God changes his Name to Israel there God confirms his Promise and Covenant to him again as before God there remembers his prevailing with him and his wrastling with him and in that God tells us he remembers our servent prayers after they are gone yet his heart is upon them there he confirm'd his name Israel and confirm'd his Promise That 's that he spake with us there too That the Saints have need of the confirmation of mercies especially the Covenant But then further Gods presenteng himself to the soul as God Almighty that 's a great help to faith I am God Almighty saith he there thou hast had experience of my Almighty power in turning the heart of thy Brother and now thou art in a great danger Because thou art few in number thou art afraid of the people of the Land but I am God Almighty There 's little power in Thee but there 's great power in Me. The Consideration of Gods Almighty power is that that should help the Saints in the midest
be bowed to as well as to be kissed in taking an Oath The lifting up the hand to the High God in an Oath we find in Scripture therefore that is safe VER 3. Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud and as the early dew it passeth away as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor and as the smoke out of the chimny HERE are four Elegant similitudes to fet forth Ephraims weak vanishing condition Gods power over them the swiftness of the punishment the violence of it and his utter desolation so that his place shall not be found 1. A cloud Ephraim was risen seemed to threaten great things overcast the leaves like a cloud but upon the brightness of Gods Justice appearing all was dispelled Their righteousness chap. 6. was as a cloud and dew now they shall be so themselves 2. Dew The dew it seems to bespangle the grass but the Sun rising it is soon dried up Ephraims estate was beautiful but the heat of Gods wrath consumes all presently 3. The Chaff The word signifies the smallest of the chaff the dust of the chaff-heap and that abroad where their floors were and a whirlwind coming upon it Psal 35 5. Let them be as chaff before the wind and let the Angel of the Lord chase them Oh! Many when they begin to be unsetled to be going the Angel of God as a messenger of wrath drives them on apace to misery 4. Smoke The smoke out of the chimney it seems to darken the Heavens but presently it is scattered The words signifies a chink or hole Because in Judea there were not such chimnies as we now adaies use but as it were windows or open places in the upper part of the house or in the wall as it is this day in Norway and Swethland saith a Learned Interpreter upon the place We may note hence The vanity of proud men Here God compares them to such mean vile things persons that heretofore were so lofty So 1 King 14. 10. Jeroboam's house is threatned to be destroyed as a man takes away dung till it be gone Why should wicked men be feared who are thus before the Lord. Do not bless you selves in any prosperity never think your selves setled for when you are in the most prosperous setled way yet are ye but as the cloud yea as the dew the chaff the smoke VER 4. Yet I am the Lord thy God from the Land of Egypt and thou shalt have no gods but Me there is no other Savior besides me THIS is spoken first by way of aggravation of their sin as if he should say you have thus provoked me notwithstanding I am the Lord thy God I have done very great things for you and for your forefathers Yet It 's very evil to sin against great works of mercy wherein the hand of God hath appeared plainly When we do any thing for another wherein we think we might gain him to our selves for ever and he yet this is very grievous 2. It is spoken by way of encouragement Yet I continue to be the Lord thy God I am ready to shew thee the like mercy still This is to break their hearts and to provoke them to come in to the Lord. He speaks to an Apostate people as if he should say Were you yet what you sometimes seemed to be Oh how gracious should I be to you I am yet what ever I seemed to be to you why are you so perverse and untoward towards me Jer. 2. 2. I remember the kindness of thy youth the love of thine espousals when thou wentest after me in the wilderness in a Land that was not sowen I am the Lord thy God This should have been a strong argument to obedience When the will of God is once known saith Luther we are no further to dispose of Rights because neither Parents neither Lords and Masters have this Title I am the Lord thy God From the Land of Egypt As if he should have said what a case had you been in if I had not delivered you out of Egypt from the Iron furnace a low base imployment ye had been bond-slaves there you might have spent your daies in sorrow and trouble Consider first your low estate 2. How your strength might have been spent 3 When this anguish was upon you what crying to me and my delivering of you Hence note that Deliverance from Egypt is a great note of Gods being our God Q But how doth this concern us A. Yes There is a spiritual Egypt from which we have been delivered as the Apostle makes use 1 Cor. 57. c of the paschal Lamb in a spiritual sense The power severity and holiness of God appears in the delivery of his people from Egypt so also of us from Antichrist as Revel 15. 2 3. the Church is brought in singing the song of Moses which the children of Israel sung for their deliverance from Pharaob for its deliverance from Antichrist Pharaoh was the Dragon in the waters Psal 74. 13 14. so is Antichrist The City of Zurick engraved the yeer of their deliverance from Antichrist upon Pillars in letters of Gold Thou shall know no God but me That is Effectually acknowledg worship serve love God as a God and no other Hence note That the end of Gods great work is That he may be known to be a God A sincere gracious holy One. The knowing God to be a God is a special part of that Worship that is due to God To acknowledg God to be God is to know him in his Excellency Majesty Glory above what is known of him by the light of Nature This cannot but have a mighty operation upon the heart For To know God to be a God is 1. To know him to be the First being of all 2. The Infinit Al sufficient God 3 The Fountain of all good to his Saints 1 This must needs gain the heart to him 2 There is no worship of God where this is not 3 Where this is all follows 4 The right knowledg of God keeps from false worship Gal. 4. 9. Since you know God or rather are known of God how turn ye to the weak and beggerly elements of the world See the Jewish way of Ceremonial worship Thou shalt know no God but me This is the first Commandement of which Luther saith All flows from that great Ocean of the first Commandement and again return thither We see the Prophets to be most exercised in the use of the first Commandement Hence note It is not good to know Idolaters worship at all for this is spoken in the Text by way of opposition Thou shalt know no God but me that is Thou shalt be acquainted with no other worship according to that in Deut. 12. 30. Thou shalt not enquire how these Nations worshiped their gods Therefore for those that are not grounded And who
any wild Beasts whatsoever there is that in my wrath if you escape one wild beast another shall tear you and that 's the reason that the Bear is added to the Lyon and the Leopard because the Bear runs up a tree so much which the others do not and now he comes to all wild Beasts put them all together and my wrath is as fierce as them And this is one excellent meditation from hence That put all the dreadfulness of all creatures in the world together and all that it is in the wrath of God As put all the good things that are in all creatures together all this is in the Love and Mercy of God so put al things that any way may bring any torments or tortor to us and the quintessence of all this is in Gods wrath The wild Beasts shall tear them Lyra thinks that this Prophesie was fulfill'd when they were carried captive and in their journey many died and so they were cast into fields and devoured by wild Beasts and it 's likely it may be fulfill'd in part so as usually when Soldiers carry an Enemy captive Why if they be sick let them die and if they die throw them into a ditch there 's all they care for them and so it was with this people that the Lord though he knew them in the wilderness and his protection was over them yet now to forget them and lets them be carried into captivity and cast to wild beasts and so their carkasses was torn And some think that the expression of Gods wrath by these Beasts hath reference to the four Monarchies which God would make use of to be very terrible to his Saints In Dan. 7. you shall find the four Monarchies of the world the Babylonian the Persian the Grecian and Roman Monarchies set forth in the same manner as here the holy Ghost sets out the wrath of God against Israel for the truth is Those things that we have here in Hosea were to set forth Gods waies to his people in after-times not only when they were to be carried captive In Dan. 7. 3. there appeared four great Beasts the first li 〈…〉 Lyon by which was signified the Babylonish Empire the second like a Bear by that the Persian the third like a Leopard and that 's the Graecian for Alexander was as a Leopard exceeding swift all his exploits he did in twelve yeers he was but thirty three yeers old when he died And moreover they observe of the Leopard which hath the name from a Panther that it smels exceedingly the very body of it smels sweet above all Beasts and so it doth invite the Beasts to it and so it was said of Alexanders body that it had a sweet smell with it And then the fourth being the Roman Empire mark how that 's set out just as Gods sets out his wrath he doth not name any particular Beast but the wild Beast this is dreadful terrible and strong exceedingly and it had great iron teeth it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped the residue with the feet of it and it was diverse from al the beasts that was before it and it had ten horns you know now that that was divided into ten Kingdoms or ten sorts of Civil Governments at several times This is the Roman Empire the power of whom Antichrist was to have by both whom the Lord would exercise his people and be very terrible to his people especially those people of his that were Apostatizing people that would worship him according to their own waies God would be thus terrible to them where ever they lived under any of the former Empires they should have God either as a Lyon a Leopard a Bear or like this dreadful Creature at the last unto them Oh but you will say Why do you speak thus Or it may be people would speak thus to the Prophet Oh why do you speak of God in this terrible manner Is not our God a gracious God and a merciful God why then will you render God thus terrible Why saith the Prophet then comes in VER 9. O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self but in me is thy help OH do not find fault with the dreadfulness of God that God appears thus dreadful to you and do not you blame the Ministers of God that they do render God in this dreadful manner before you though it 's true that God appears in a way ready to destroy you bu 〈…〉 the Lord yet is infinite holy and blessed and a God of mercy and goodness in himself O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self thou maiest thank thy self for all this 〈◊〉 many of you when you hear the terrors of God set before you perhaps your hearts rise against them and your spirits do exceedingly distast such things as those are and why do Ministers make God appear to be so terrible to people when as he is such a merciful and gracious God Oh! rather lay thine hand upon thine own heart and say God indeed is thus gracious and merciful but it 's through my wickedness that makes God appear so terrible the judgments of God are call'd strange things it 's because that God hath not such delight in the execution of wrath in appearing like a Lyon a Leopard and a Bear It 's that that pleases the heart of God to appear as a Father to do good to his people Oh! but thou hast destroyed thy self And this is a main point indeed that sinful people should charge themselves with all the evil that doth befall them they destroy themselves Oh! this it is that will be the aggravation of mens judgments another day that they are the cause of all the evils they suffer You may think to put it off to God and say Oh how dreadful is Gods Justice but God knows how to put off all upon your selves and the destruction of sinners will appear to be from themselves and God will cleer it up to all the World before Men and Angels and will cleer it up unto their Consciences The damn'd in Hell shall not be able to speak against Gods Justice at all but they shall be forced to charge themselves with all the evil that is upon them Oh! it was through this wretched and vile wicked heart of mine God was not wanting to me in any means of good but I had a rebellious heart and I have brought all this evil upon my self I have destroyed my self O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self Destroyed himself did not God in the words imme 〈…〉 〈◊〉 before say that he would meet him as a Bear that is bereaved of her Whelps and would rend the Caul of their hearts and would be as a Lyon to them and a Leopard and yet O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self Though God execute severe wrath and makes use of instruments of wrath against a people yet their destruction is to be attributed to themselves
and when thou art labouring for the mercy thou art as well labouring to prepare thy heart for it surely then when it comes it must be sweet indeed but when there 's no preparation before thou canst not know that it is in love We little think that we have need of preparation for mercies If indeed God should threaten some judgment we would think that we had need be prepared but certaialy there is as great need for preparation for mercies to be able to make good use of them as for afflictions to be able to bear them And this seventh Note I have likewise from Numb 11. 18. And say thou unto this people Sanctifie your selves against to morrow There 's a charge that they should sanctifie themselves against to morrow for God would give them flesh I do not find that they did do it but when God promised to give them sesh◠he bid them sanctifie themselves as if he should say If that your desires come before you have sanctified your selves it wil be in wrath not in mercy Oh therefore when as you are earnest to have your desires satisfied think thus The Lord charges thee to sanctifie thy self Oh! doest thou take care of this doest thou make it to be thy endeavor to sanctifie thy self before the mercy comes then thou maiest have comfort in it and not otherwise Eighthly When we seek greedily to have our desires satisfied but rest in the means we use and seek to be beholding to the creature only for it we do not lay the great weight upon prayer what ever it is that we enjoy and we do not get it by prayer we cannot know that it is in love When God intends a mercy from love he doth first fill the heart with the Spirit of Prayer when a mercy comes after much prayer then it 's a mercy from love When the Saints have been praying and then God hath come in with mercy Oh then they have gathered arguments of Gods love to them This I had because I sought thee as Hannah did concerning Samuel how did she rejoyce in Samuel Oh! this is the child that I prayed for saith Hannah unto Eli Oh! this is the mercy that I prayed for therefore she called her childs name Samuel one that was sought of God And so when we can call every gift we have we can call it Samuel that is a gift ask'd of God here 's a gift that 's got by prayer Whatsoever means was used yet prayer was the chief ingredient this is an argument of love But otherwise we can have no assurance that it is from love It 's true a King was not unlawful for them to desire because they had such hints in Scripture Oh but they did not so much mind them no but they come to Samuel and say Come Give us a King we do not reade that they go to God for it Such a great change of their State as that was one would think should have required divers daies in seeking of God It was a mighty change from such a Government as they had unto a new kind of Government and from a Government that was of Gods own appointment to another Government wherein now they would sute themselves according to the Nations And yet we find no daies of prayer for this and therefore it was in wrath that they had it Therefore when you would have any thing look not so much to come by it according to second causes but be much in Prayer according to the excellency of the thing that you seek for Ninthly When God gives our desires but doth not give a proportionable measure of Grace that so we might make a sanctified use of them when God gives you the shell but not the kernel surely it is not in love If your children should ask a Nut of you and you give them a Nut that hath no Kernel they wil not think if so be that you knew it that it is in any great love Truly all the good things that wicked men have they are but Shels without Kernels they are not in love The Kernel of every Blessing it is a proportionable measure of grace to use it for God You have a great desire that God should change your condition if he should change it and not give you a heart fit for that condition you had better be without that thing you have a desire that God should prosper you in such a business yea but if he doth not teach you how to abound you had been better never to have abounded Now it 's not in love for God to give any success except he gives a proportionable measure of Grace according to the success therefore that 's that which you should all examin the Lord hath altered my condition and many good things I have more than before but what Graces have I more than before what exercise of Grace what work of Grace more than before Certainly if it be in love it will be so Tenthly Surely our desires cannot be in love when God doth not only deny a proportionable measure of Grace 〈◊〉 there goes a secret curse with what we have If so be that 〈◊〉 man should be very hungry and hath a mighty desire to satisfie himself and he fals greedily upon his meat and eats it but assoon as he hath eaten it his body swels more and more till it be as big as two bodies surely he begins to think then that all is not well Lord have mercy upon me saith he he is afraid that he is poysoned So God gives you your desire and assoon as you have it you begin to swell you are bigger than you were before your hearts are proud and you can look scornfully upon others then Oh you are poysoned this is an ill satisfying of your hunger you are poysoned surely in this In Isa 10. 16. you have there a notable expression to this purpose Therefore shall the Lord the Lord of hosts send among his fat ones leanness and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire Even such things wherein there appears to be a great deal of glory such things perhaps as when your desires are satisfied in you can glory in Oh you glory in such and such a mercie such a good thing you have above others but under this glory there is a burning kindled there 's a great deal of the wrath of God in it a secret curse that goes along with it Eleventhly When we regard the satisfying of our desires so as we regard not what becoms of others sobeit we have our desires satisfied and this is from their example here Let 's have a King A King What shall become of Samuel then hath not he judged you and been faithful with you What will you shew your selves so ingrateful to him for all the good he hath done to you as to reject him and his house and family Oh! they cared not for
that let us have a King let become of Samuel what wil come and of his house what care they And so when men are greedy in their desires Let us have such and such a thing but care not what becomes of others That 's another N 〈…〉 of desires not granted in love Twelfthly When God satisfying of our desires makes way for some judgment Now indeed the thing is comfortable that we have but stay a while and you shall see there is some judgment making way by that very thing that you have and when the judgment is come afterwards you will see how it made way for it there are very great judgments many times upon men that are made way for by the satisfying of their own desires God hath many waies to prepare a path for his anger by giving you your desires many times there 's nothing more ordinary in experience than this and therefore we need not stand upon it If you wil but examin the course of your lives sometimes you may see that if God had satisfied your desires in such and such things it would have made way for the greatest misery that ever you had in al your lives and when God denies sometimes to his People they can confess O Lord I see that had I had my mind in such a thing which I would have had I had been undone And on the other side You wil find that those things which you accompt the greatest mercies to you do make way for the greatest evils surely they were not given in love then Thirteenthly When men are greedy of things and never consider the inconvenients when they would have their desires satisfied in a foolish way never minding what inconveniences may follow in this thing more than in the other thing meerly looking upon that which is for the present sutable to them but never think what inconveniences may follow Thus it was here they would have a King but Samuel came and told them all the inconveniences that would follow upon it how that they should have this affliction and the other You that are so desirous of him if he comes among you he will bring you into slavetie your Estates and your Children shall be under his power you wil be in slaverie to everie Courtier Nay but we will have a King for al this they would needs change the way of Government O that we might have a king And they would be brought more under Law than before for indeed in the time of the Judges if you reade that storie you shal find that the People of Israel were in a great deal of Libertie then and they obeyed the Judges in a great measure in a voluntary way if you raade the storie you shal find but Two Tribes that followed Barach and Deborah and so of Jepihthah and Sampson those that were willing freely to offer themselves they followed them and those of Ephraim they did chide with the other and ask'd them Why did you not call us to it as noting that there was a great deal of freedom in the time of the Judges Yea but we will have a King and we wil all then be tied to the same thing and be under the same power and so there will be a great deal of union that way when this man shall not be in this way and the other shal not be in another way and men to have their freedom thus thus but al shal come in and joyn under the same Law and so we shall go on in one Certainly this was their reasoning in their desire of having a King Now this kind of union no question was verie good among the People but to have it in this way That whereas the People were governed in such a way before as stood with a great deal of Libertie It 's true they shall have a kind of union but they do not consider what inconveniences there will be in their being thus chain'd together Prisoners that are chained at a Post they are altogether all the day long But would you have such a kind of union to be united with such chains Consider that with the union there may come a slavery upon you But they did not consider of any such things no matter say they Come let us be all joyn'd in one and let the same Law be upon every one But now how this would bring them under bondage and slavery in those things they would be loth to be brought under in in that they considered not at all Fourteenthly When men seek to have their desires sarisfied meerly because they love change We cannot have any comfort that God doth it out of love when it is out of a foolish spirit that loves novelty They though they had bin long enough under that kind of Government and in a meer kind of novelty not knowing what might come of such a change but a change they would have And so people though there be never so much good in a way yet out of a novelty they would fain have a change And if God grant them a change when they have no other ground but that for it it is a sign that there is wrath in it and not love Further When it is through impatiency and want of heart to submit to God in a former condition It 's ill when it is through a meer novelty but when it 's through impatiency then it 's like to be in wrath and not in mercy if your condition be changed God hath put you in a lower and mean condition it 's true it 's lawful for you to desire a change yea but if you desire it because you cannot submit to Gods hand then it 's a sign that it is in wrath but when you have brought your hearts to this Lord here I am dispose of me as thou pleasest I am content to lie under thy hand but Lord I look up to thee for mercy Consider I am a poor weak Creature and it is fit that thou shouldest have thy will and not I mine then if God make a change you may have comfort that it is in mercy but if you have it through impatiencie you can have no comfort at all in it It was just so here they could not bear the hand of God that was upon them any present trouble that they had upon them and so thought to help themselves by having a King and God gave them one but it was in his anger Further When our desires of further mercies makes us forget the former mercies and makes us unthankful for former mercies they would have a King that might go before them and fight for them Fight for them Did not God fight for them before Oh wonderful and glorious Battels they had when they were under their Judges when they had Samuel to direct them they never had more glorious Victories afterwards than then Nay you shall find in the whol Story of the Judges that they did alwaies prevail and
example Act. 7. 2. observed Use A form of Answering to Gods call Note Obs 5. Quest Answ When we exalt God Note The comfort of a dying person An Exhortation 1 To great men 2 To the Saints How God hath exalted the Saints 1. 2 3 4 5 6. 7 Psa 108. 4. 5. noted Also Psa 21. 13. Obs God hath little honor in the world Use Luthers reading of the Text. Nemo erigeret se Alij ne unus qui se erigeret 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Simile Obs A drousie spirit a great evil to nourish it Expos general Analysis of the Text. The Text paraphrased Expos in partic 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Al. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Simile Exod. 33. 5. Noted Ephraim 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 68 70. Protegam Vulg. a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tradidit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—lypeus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 protexit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Israel Ieroms Quest on the place His Answer Sodoma Gomorah principes fuerunt in peccato Adama Zeboim earum exempla sectala sunt Luth. Expos Cor inversum Cor concitatum ira propter peccata hâ—minum non sit verum Dei cor verum Dei cor quod afficitur malis nostris quod ardet commiseratione The Authors Expos Accommodat so ruditati nostrae Calv. Simile The plea of Justice The plea of Mercy The Authors Apology Obs 1. Jerusalem's exsample noted Use 1. 2. Obs 2. Obs 3. Obs 4. The incompossibility of satisfaction salvation puts God to the highest exercise of his wisdom Simile Obs 5. 1 Sam. 16. 8. Simile Obs 6. Quest Answ The Reason Other Reasons 1. Prayrs of the Saints Simile 2. The little ones 3. Few worshipers 4 Former service to God 5 A remnant of Saints 6. Groans of the afflicted 7 Insulting of the Adversary 8 Elect in the loins of their parents 9 Other objects of wrath 10. Gods own affliction 11 God makes himself work 12. Justice glorified by others 13. Mercy may convert Application to England Instances of the workings of Gods heart towards Engl. Obs 7. For the resisting of temptation to sin imitate God in the Text. God reasons before not after our evils are upon us Obs 8. Proneness to wrath not Gods Image Use Ministers should be wary in using tartness Simile The effects of Anger Obs 9. Encouragement to Prayer Faith Advice when the blow is coming The casting voice Prayer Obs 10. Isa 53. Jer. 31. 19 20 with Rom. 8. 32. Obs 11. Obs 12. Obs 13. Rev. 14. 10. illustrated Obs 14. Note Obs 1 Note Object Answ Obs 2. Obs 3. Use of Admonition Obs 4. Obs 5. Use Direction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Expos 1. 2. The Authors Obs 1. Obs 2. Obs 3. a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Consolat poenituit c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Expos Obs 1 The Text remarkable Obs 2. Note Note Psa 41. 6. Opened Company heals whether evil or good Obs 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Expos Quest Answ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 70. Obs 3. Obs 2. Obs 3. Obs 4. Expos Obs 5. Obs 2. Text. Expos The differences betwixt God and man in point of Anger 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 3 Note 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9 10. Brentius Noble men 11 12. Obs 1. Masters of Families Use Numb 14. 17. explained Vers 19. Neerness to God most merciful yea if but in amoralneernes Masters of Families Obs 2. Obs 3. An apt simile The Devil's stratagem Discouraging thoughts in afflicted consciences curable by the former doctrine 〈◊〉 2. 3. 4 5 A ground of strong consolation from Ephes 2. 4 5 6 7. Caution against the abuse of this doctrine The chief work of the Ministry What is the imediate root of Faith Objects Answ Expos Use 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quest Answ Obs 1 Obs 1. Expos 2. Obs 2. Luth. Expos Cultum meum non ponum in unâ tantum civitate sed per totum mundum from the rising of the Sun c. Obs 2. Use Expos 1 Reas Expos 2. Obs 1. Obs 2. Expos Obs Use Simile Plutarch Quest Answ 1. Rejected 8 Quid faciomus viri fratres eum severe mentes audiunt non contingere salutem nisi Baptizatis credentibus in Nomen Christi verè expanescunt et de salutemsunt soliciti Luther â— Obs Great troubls at the aaising of Christs Kingdom Lactant. Prodigia miranda per omnia elementae mundi Reas 1. Luke 18. 8. eulightned Obs 1. Obs 2. Text. Saints need awaking before times of Reformation * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Turpidè accurrent Tremel Properabunt Vatablus in notis Text. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Filij Maris Expos Obs Expos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Advolabunt Vulgat Expos 1. Expos 2. Text Text Expos Obs 1. Obs 2. Obs 3. Use Text. Obs Cohaerance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Expos general Particular Expos 2. Theologus fidelis nihil aliud est quà m Centrum ad quod omnes line 〈…〉 dolorum tendunt Meisner The meaning Obs 1. Use 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quest Answ Obs 2. Let deceitful men note Expos 1. The time between Hosea the Prophet and King Hezekiah Obs Expos 2. Obs 1. Obs 2. Obs 3. Obs 4. Ministers Masters of Families Al men shold shew zeal for God Jerom in loc Expos Obs 1. Few regard this Shifts Luther in lo 〈…〉 Why some decline the waies of God Expos 2. Obs Revel 1. 6. illustrated Testis descendit cum Deo vulg adhuc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 testis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 damnatus est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 descendit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Riberain loc Obs 1. Obs 2. Text. Obs 1 Obs 2. Obs 3. Expos 1 Holy ones for the Holy One Expos 2. 1. 2. 3. Obs A Caution Feeding on the wind 1. 2 3 Simile The Chamaeleon the reason of its changablenes None sink lower when disappointed than conceited and confident men 4. The East wind Why hurtful 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 70. Aestus Vulg. Obl. Creatures hope will prove but wind And pernicious Obs 2. Difference in the Saints froÌ„ others in Afflictions Expos 1. Lyes in Doctrine Vno absurdo dato mille sequuntur These times Rev. 12. 5. enlightned England Let Novelists mark Whence it comes that there is such an encrease o false doctrine in England Note An apt similo 2 Lyes against the Prophets Simile Several waies of encreasing lyes 1 2 3 4 5 Servants See the Apology of the dissenting Brethren And the Assembly's Answer to it Austin A horrible temptation to Atheism We should mourn for this Condderations to prevent suggestions of Atheism froÌ„ the contrary reports of godly parties 1. 2 3 Simile in Scripture 4. Use 1. 2. 3. Lyes in practice Why men find not satisfaction in their waies Invention to satisfie conscience may prove judgment Expos Expos Obs Expos Aegypt Canaan Note Mirâ—m est c. Calv. in loc Expos 1 2. God