blood upon him When God comes to bring the guilt of sin and the punishment of sin on a mans own head and there leaves it upon him that 's sad indeed We reade in 2 Sam. 12. 13. there it is said when Nathan came and rebuk'd David for his sin David confest his sin and saith Nathan to him The Lord hath put away thy sin the word is translated by some thus The Lord hath made thy sin to pass away Oh that 's a happiness indeed when it may be said of God he doth make the sin and the guilt to pass away from the sinner that 's a happiness But on the other side when God shall leave the sin upon the sinner leave the guilt of the sin upon him as if God should say here 's the guilt of sin upon the head of such a man and let it abide and lie he shall leave his blood upon him as in Ezek. 22. 20. the Lord saith He will bring them into the fire and leave them there the Lord many times brings his Saints into the fire of afflictions Oh but he will not leave them there but when he brings the wicked into the fire he leaves them there And his reproach shall his Lord return unto him His reproach That 's thus They do what lies in them to bring a reproach upon me the living God as if there were not an Alsufficiency in me but I 'le make the reproach to turn upon their own heads yea they reproach my Saints too but I 'le make this to return upon their own heads Oh take heed of doing any thing to bring a reproach upon God You will say Can the Creature bring a reproach upon God I might shew you divers waies I 'le instance but in this one thing Apostatizing from God when professors of Religion that have been very forward and seem'd to rejoyce in the waies of God and to relie upon God and they shall forsake God to follow after their vain lusts I say these do bring a reproach upon God himself in Heb. 10. 29. they did despite to the Spirit of Grace they wrong and bring a reproach upon the Spirit of Grace And then Heb. 6. 6. They put the Son of God to an open shame saith the text they make him a reproach before all As when you cart people up and down the City you hold them out as a scorn so they put the Son of God to open shame they do as it were hold forth the Son of God to open shame so what thou professest There is more good to be had in a Whore than in Jesus Christ and God and the blessed Spirit that 's the language of a Whoremaster Well you that are Apostates and think to bring a reproach upon Religion and upon the Saints and they all suffer for you from whence is it that the people of God are reproach'd but because of Apostates Well do you bring a reproach upon God upon his Name upon Profession upon his Saints the Lord hath waies to turn the reproach upon your selves and usually such men as these before they die God doth put to open shame he leaves them to such vile courses as they come to be a shame a by-word a scorn and cast out as dung and filth not only to the Churches but from such as have any kind of civility or morality at all Oh! take heed of bringing a reproach upon God and so by bringing reproaches upon his Saints Oh! let the Saints go on in a constant way of holiness and faithfulness God will wipe away their reproach the Lord will return the reproach upon the heads of such as seek to reproach them And when there comes a reproach upon the wicked it shall be another manner of reproach than upon the Saints it 's call'd a perpetual reproach the reproach of the Saints is not a perpetual reproach but when it 's upon the ungodly it shall be a perpetual reproach and in Jer. 41. 18. those two things are joyned together a Curse and a Reproach Nehem. 4. 4. Hear O God for we are despised and turn their reproach upon their own heads saith Nehemiah Sanballat and Tobiah did reproach the Servants of God that did seek in the uprightness of their hearts to honor God but Lord return their reproach upon themselves saith Nehemiah And truly this is the best way when the Servants of God are reproached though they may by lawful means seek to vindicate their names yet their chief way is to pray Lord turn the reproach upon the heads or bosoms of our adversaries And then the last Note is this And his reproach shall His LORD return unto him His Lord What is God the Lord of this people his Lord shall turn it yes saith he 't is as if the Prophet should say thus you reject God and will not be in subjection to him you will not own him to be your Lord but he will be your Lord in spite of your heart God will be God and he will be Lord let wicked men do what they can and what they will he will be their Lord Christ hath purchased to be Lord over the world and he will be Lord over all over all Apostates Hypocrits wicked men let them do what they can against Jesus Christ Jesus Christ will be Lord over them in spite of their hearts Oh it s a blessed thing to give up our selves willingly to the subjection of Jesus Christ If we say we will not have thiâ— man to rule over us Christ will say but I will rule over you the Lord hath sworn by Himself and the word hath proceeded out of his mouth in righteousness that every knee shall bow unto him and every tongue confess his Name be still saith God and know that I am the Lord So I say to the most troublesome and tumultuous spirit that would cast off the yoke of God Oh! be still thou wretched thou proud spirit and know that God is the Lord he will prevail against you God made Julian to know this that when a dart was struck into him he cast his heart blood into the Air with an O than Galilean thou hast overcome me And so all wicked men shall be forced to say one day Well though I would cast off the Commands of God behind my back and break his Cords yet the Lord hath overcome me and though I perish to all eternity yet God will be God blessed for ever and Lord of the whol Earth And thus through Gods mercy we have gon through this Twelfth Chapter CHAP. XIII VER 1. When Ephraim spake trembling he exalted himself in Israel but when he offended in Baal he died THis Chapter is partly Legal and partly Evangelical Legal charging this people with their fin of Idolatry and of Ingratitude shewing them Gods wrath partly already inflicted and further threatned them to the 14. Verse and again in the
saying Lay hold on him 12 Extream stout notwithstanding such a hand of God upon him vers 33. After this Jeroboam returned not from his evil way but made again of the people Priests for the high places 13 Slighting God and his Worship 1 King 14. 9. Thou hast cast me behind thy back 14 He did evil above all that were before him 1 Kings 14. 9. 15. He trusted to his many men and policie not regarding what is said to him about fighting against God 1 Chron. 13. 8. 12 13. 16. Though conquered before Gods Servants who relied on the Lord 1 Chron. 13. 18. so as he lost five hundred thousand men at one time yet he continued in his evil 17. For his own ends he would make use of Gods Prophets 1 King 14. 18. A man of a base spirit God threatens he will take him away as man takes away dung 1 King 14. 10. 19. His familie was such as except in one little child there was no good at all found in it 1 King 14. 13. 20. He made Israel to sin The common Epethite the Scripture gives him 21. He ruined the Kingdom by his sin 1 King 14. 16. He shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam Yet for al this he continued his reign two and twenty years 1 King 14. 20. Seing Governors are sometimes given in wrath let us pray that they be given to us in love But it follows I took them away in my displeasure As if he should say though they were evil yet I took them away to make way for worse Whence note Oppressors are taken away and greater Oppressors came in their room Cavlin thus I wil take away this Kingdom from you which I see to be an occasion of blindness to you for if it remain I shal be no body with you nor wil my word be of any Authority Obs 2. What God gives in anger never prospers Expect not therefore help from those men or things that God gives in wrath Sometimes God accepts of repentance when it is unfeigned as in Davids taking Bathshebah to wife of whom he had Solomon c. Viz. if the thing it self be good What God gives in anger cannot hold long with us Caut. yet this Kingdom of Israel continued twentie yeers Those things that begin ill prosper not usually Initium maledictum finis maledictus Calvin in loc The beginning is accursed and so is the end Thus many businesses beginning in anger end in wrath this Kingdom of Israel is an example of this from the beginning to the end But yet here also that holds the Author noted above vers 9. that no condition is so bad but there is help in God for it and if so be that the continuance in it be not with sin or the thing a sin in it self When men have enjoyed their desires in wrath a while God rends them in fury from them this is terrible indeed for as it was given in indignation All the while it was enjoyed it was abused Psal 78 30 31. While the meat was yet in their mouths the wrath of God came out against them But yet we must here Note the difference that Pareus observes That these calamities upon what God gives in displeasure are indeed wrath to his own people but in fury to his enemies When God takes away what he gave in wrath it is more wrath ofti 〈…〉 But here are two Questions 1. How we may know when God takes away and not in wrath First When the comfort or creature he takes from us began to draw the heart from God and now he seasonably takes it away with a sanctified use 2. When we can bless God and be thankful 3. When God makes it up in himself and in the comforts of his Spirit When does God take away in wrath First When 't is given in anger Secondly When he takes them away by violence in some terrible manner Psal 58. 9. Before your pots can feel the thorns he shall take them away as with a whirl wind both living and in his wrath Psal 52. 5. God shall destroy thee for ever he shall take thee away and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place and root thee out of the Land of the living Lam. 2. 6. He hath violently taken away his Tabernacle As a man that is angry snatches away what he had given Thirdly When we have most need of the comfort of it Zeph. 2. 4. I will drive out Ashdod at noon day when they should have taken the benefit of their houses for shelter and their meat for refreshment Fourthly When we murmur and complain inordinately of our affliction Fifthly When we shift and shark out for succor Sixthly When there is nothing but bitterness and only evil in the removal Seventhly When one evil makes way to another evil and none sanctified Psal 78. 50. He made way to his anger Eighthly When it carries with it the marks of special sins yea when as the sin it self deprive us of a mercie a when in emperance takes away health ambition brings into disgrace glottonie takes away the stomach greediness takes away 〈…〉 ches Rom. 11. 27. This is my Covenant with them when I shall take away their sins Ninthly When it happens according to those misgiving thoughts we have had and yet would not take warning Tenthly When it brings sin into remembrance Job 13. 26. Thou makest me to possess the sins of my youth 1 King 17. 18. Art thou come to call my sin to remembrance and to slay my son Wherefore seeing this is so fearful let us pray with David Psal 6. 1. O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger neither chasten me in thy heavy displeasure Again note that our sin may bring us to this That whether we have our desires or whether they be taken away yet still all may be wrath Change of oppressing Government by forreign Power is a sign of wrath Gods hand in a business excuses not mans sin he can make use of mans sin to the furtherance of his ends and yet be innocent Lastly We must not judg by success of which above Thus far the Authors Notes The Supervisor to the READER THE Author was prevented by several providences from preaching the fore going Sermon for some months together insomuch as himself wondred what purpose God had in it till at last God visited him by sickness whereof he fell on sleep in the Lord His Disease was thought to be Infection but without any sore yea and as the Gentlewoman his wife hath related without any spots or tokens only there was a black setling of blood on one side of his back which she supposed might have come with a Fall from a Horse which he had taken not long before This is mentioned by occasion of some contrary reports concerning his death About the time of his imediate dissolution be lift up his
this is that now I am naming that thou shouldest have such mercie as an infinite God should therefore manifest to that end that he might shew to Men and Angels to all eternitie what the power of his infinite Mercy can do would not this mercie serve thy turn such a mercie as this is I 'le name it again abuse it at your peril Suppose thy condition so low yet would not this serve thy turn such mercy as an infinit God should shew to that end that he might appear to men and Angels to all eternity what he is able to do in the infinitness of his mercy Would not this serve thee and help thee and heal thee Now this is tendred to thee in the Gospel even this mercy is tendred to thee in Christ to be an object of thy faith and the very presenting of this is a work of the Ministry of the Gospel that it might draw acts of faith for it hath a power to draw forth faith yea to beget faith the very presenting such a thing as this is hath a quickness in it It 's true if you look upon God only as a merciful man this is no such glory as the shining of it upon the soul will ad life As now the shining of the Moon or a hundred Torches wil never beget life in a Garden but the shining of the Sun wil do it so the apprehending of the mercy of God any other way but as a God as a God in Christ will never beget life in the soul but look upon him in the infinitness of his mercy whose thoughts of mercy are beyond ours as high as the Heavens are above the Earth this is the way to beget faith And therefore those that cannot beleeve they take very il courses for themselves only to have their thoughts upon such things as may discourage them and they think that this is as pleasing to God but certainly the way to beget or raise faith in thy heart is to look upon God as a God in the waies of his mercy Yea but you will say The truth is this that you speak of that God is a God and not a man is rather a discouragement to my heart 't is a God that I have sinned against and not a man as one way it may encourage me so another way it may discourage me Against thee against thee only have I sinned saith David Psal 51. And indeed this is the most piercing thought in a true penitent heart My sin is against God I have lived so long a time without a God in the course of my life and I have struck at God himself in my sinful waies Oh wretch that I have been I have been guilty of the darkening of the glory of the great God in the world Now I 'le answer thee this in a word And is this that which doth aggravate thy sin in thy heart does this work upon thy heart most that thou canst appeal to God that of all the considerations of sin that ever thou hadest in thy life there is nothing grieves thee so much as that it is against God Because God is so glorious so infinitely worthy of honor from all his creatures be of good comfort and take encouragement from this point and mark what I am saying and with that I shall close all If the confideration of the glory of God above a man doth thus aggravate thy sin to thy humiliation then it will aggravate the mercy of God to thy consolation as well If thou workest this thought upon thy heart Oh my sin is against a God and not a man and therefore my heart is humbled then the Lord would have thee to make use of the consideration of his glory as a God for thy comfort God is a God and not a man in the way of mercy The Holy one in the midst of thee God glories much in his Holiness and that in the midest of his people Gods Holiness is He is here said to be the Holy One. 1. To shew that the anger He would let out should be such as should have no mixture of evil But what considerations might be to order and guide it should not be wanting Mens angers are very unclean there is much smoke and fil thy stuff together in their fire But here in Exod. 15. 11. God is said to be Glorious in Holiness Gods vials of wrath are golden Revel 15. 7. Let us labor to be holy in our anger This is a rare thing if there be any corruption in mans heart it usualappears in his anger 2. Because of his gracious carriage toward them in regard of his Covenant to make that good to them he would remember his faithfulness to Abraham Obs 1. God delights to shew the glory of his Holiness in mercy and in pardoning of sin rather than in revenging for sin Obs 2. Gods faithfulness is a special part of the glory of his Holiness Use 1. Hence see how Holiness will help our faith Use 2. Let us manifest our holiness in our faithfulness I am holy to make them holy to sanctifie them to my self In the midst of thee Casting the beams of his Glory on every fide of him But how in the midst when they so vile and cast off from being his people a sink of Idolatry and wickedness In respect of some of his Elect Saints Obs God continues among a people for his Saints his Elects sake The Saints should consider of God a holy God in the midst of them and accordingly behave themselves Levit. 26. 12. I will walk among you and I will be your God But 2 Cor. 16. 16. I will dwell among them and walk in them Obs Men of Place and Government should be in the midst of those that are under them carrying themselves holily though they should be froward pettish sinful yet they should carry themselves according to rule in all holiness gravity wisdom moderation c. Rivit Tarnovius with some others thinks that here is Enallage Numeri a change of the number Sanctus for Sancti Holy for Holy Ones or Saints and so hath reference to the destruction of Sodom because there were no righteons here are Obs The Saints are of great use in the places where they live They are the cause of mitigation of Judgments I will not enter into the City Luther thus God would signifie himself to be merciful to scattered Israeh among the Gentiles Vt tamen non redeant ad Politiam Mosaicam but so that they should not return to the Mosaical Law But rather it is to be taken in reference to the manner of Gods proceedings in the destruction of Sodom after he had done conferring with Abraham he entred into the City and destroyed it by fire and brimstone Obs God many times stands at the gates of a City ready to enter in and destroy it but humiliation in prayer and reformation keeps him out God
defence of himself against Samuel the Prophet Sixthly Greedie of gain 1 Sam. 15. 19. Samuel charges him with flying upon the spoil Seventhly Regarding the people more than the Commandement of God 1 Sam. 15. 24. I feared the people saith he and obeyed their voice Eighthly Seeking his vain honor 1 Sam. 15. 30. I have sinned yet honor me now I pray thee before the Elders of my people and before Israel Ninthly Gods Spirit leaves him 1 Sam. 16. 14. The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him Tenthly A poor low spirit to help himself when God was departed 1 Sam 16. 17. when he was troubled with the evil spirit he was fain to except of the poor help that Musick could afford him Eleventhly Subtil and crafty Psal 57. 6. David saith speaking of Saul That he had prepared a net for his feet and digged a pit so Psal 142. 3. Twelfthly Proud and haughty Psal 59. 12. For the sin of their mouth and for the words of their lips let them be taken in their pride Viz Can the Son of Jesse give you fields and Vinyards 1 Sam. 22. 7. 13ly Given to Cursing Psal 53. 12. Cursing and lying they speak 14ly Envious 1 Sam. 18 8 9. When they had sung in the dance Saul hath slain his thousands and David his ten thousands The Text saith Saul was very wroth and the thing displeased him and Saul eyed David from that day and forward 15ly Hating the Saints 1 Sam. 18. 11. Saul cast his Javeling at David and said I will smite David to the wall And vers 13. He removed him from him And 1 Sam. 17. 1. Saul spake to all his servants that they should kill David And vers 17. he calls him his Enemy saying to Michel Why hast thou sent away mine Enemy 16ly Cruel 1 Sam. 22. 18 19. He caused to be slain 85 Priests and smote the City of Nob the City of the Priests men women and children sucklings oxen asses sheep with the edge of the sword Psal 7. 2. David prayes for help lest he Saul tear my soul saith he like a Lyon renting it in pieces c. And Psal 57 4. He saith My soul is among Lyons men that are set on fire whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword 17ly Treacherous Pretends a Benefit intends a mischief 1 Sam. 18. 17. And Saul said to David Behold my elder daughter Merob her will I give thee to wife only be thou valiant for me and fight the Lords battles for Saul said Let not mine hand be upon him but let the band of the Philistims be upon him 18ly False of his word ver 19. But it came to passe at the time when Merab Sauls daughter should have been given to David that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite to wife 1 Sam. 26. 21. Return my son David for I wil do thee no harm yet chap. 27. 1. David was so pursued by him that he fled to Achish King of Gath. Psal 59. 12. Lying they speak 19ly He regards not oathes 1. Sam. 19. 6. And Saul sware as the Lord liveth he shal not be slain yet ver 10. 11. he would have smitten him to the wal with his Javalin and missing that he sent messengers to murder him in his house 20ly Stout against his conscience and all means that God used to reclaim him 1 Sam. 24. 17. 18. 19. 20. Thou art more righteous then I c I know wel that thou shalt surely be King and that the Kingdom of Israel shal be established in thine hand c. Hence David Psal 59. praying against Saul as appears in the title of the Psalm ver 5. saith Be not merciful to wicked transgressors 21ly Preferring base men and rejecting the good Psa 59. 7. David was his enemy but Doeg a mighty man with him 22ly Cares not for his own Laws to satisfy his humors 1 Sam. 28. 9. where having suppressed wizards and witches yet he seeks to them and promises immunity to them 23ly He is unwearied in his malice never rests but follows David as one hunts a partridge from place to place if disappointed one way he tryes another sends to Davids house then to Naioth then to Keilah then to Ziph then to Engedi to Hachilah Saul sought him every day 1 Sam. 23. 14. Psal 7. 14. Behold be travelleth with mischief c. 24ly One that could not be overcome by kindnesse love faithfulness not taking advantage c. 1. Sam. 24. 4. c. chap. 26. 8. 9. 25ly Vexed because he could not have his mind Psa 57. 14 15. They return and grin like a dog vexed to lose his morsel 26ly Desperate forsaking of God and going to the Devil for counsel 1 Sam. 28. 7. and afterward wilfully kils himself 2. What Jeroboam was 1. One that seemed to be much for the good of the people but when he had power in his own hands then none more fierce then himself 1 King 11. 27. He cared not for the people Hos 13. 1. 2. One whose carriage was very taking he was diligent industrious and valiant a man fit for rule 1 Kin. 11. 28. but when he had got power into his own hands there was nothing but imperious domineering Tacitus saith of Galba That al men judged him fit for rule til he did come to it 3 Subjecting of Religion unto Policy 1 King 12. 26. And Jeroboam said Now shall the Kingdom return to the House of David if this people go up to do Sacrifice in the House of the Lord at Jerusalem Whereupon the King took Counsel and made two Calves of Gold c. 4. False pretending one thing and meaning another 1 King 12. 28. He said unto the people It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold thy Gods O Israel which brought thee up out of the Land of Egypt 5. Idolatrous ibid. and 1 King 14. 9. But thou hast done evil above all that were before thee for thou hast gone and made thee other gods and molten Images c. 6. He was a conscience oppressor He laid snares for those that went up to Jerusalem to worship as was noted Hos 9. 8. 7. A scorner Hos 7. 5. He stretched out his hand with scorners 8. Subtil 1 King 12. 31. He ordained such a feast as was at Jerusalem made an house of high places and Priests that all might be furnished like the worship at Jerusalem 9. Intemperate Hos 7 5. In the day of our King the Princes have made him sick with bottles of Wine c. 10 Despising the true Ministers of God and loving a base Clergie 1 King 12. 31. Made Priests of the lowest of the People 11 Enraged against the Servants of God and God himself when opposed 1 King 13. 4. And it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God which cried against the Altar in Bethel that he put forth his hand from the Altar