but murders you hear of murders in this place and in that place and in the other place Thus we may soon have it amongst us if the Lord did not raise up means to keep in and subdue the rage of ungodly men if it get head and overcome the opposition that it hath blood will then touch blood one messenger shall not have done his relation of one horrid and cruel murder but another messenger will be at his heels to tell you of another more horrid and vile than that So it is in some countries there comes one and saith in such a place such a man and all his family were murdered there comes presently another and tels you in such a Town such a friend of yours was murdered Thus the messegers come at the heels one of another and tell the relation of blood touching blood So some carry it But I rather thus they defile themselves incestuously So that this is somewhat more than bare adultery not regarding the neerness of blood but blood toucheth blood they that were neerest in blood one to another they mingled themselves one with onother in filthy and abominable lusts So the Septuagint they translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they mingle so Jerome Sanguis sanguineÌ„ tetigit they mingle and touch blood with blood those that are neer of kin yet they come neer one another in filthy lusts Now this was a sin that God cast the Heathen out of Canaan out of that good land for and therefore well may God have a controversie with the people of the land now for God cast out the Heathen even for this very sin As you may find it Levit. 18.6 None of you shall approach to any that is neer of kin to him to uncover their nakedness And so in many verses afterward he shews what degrees of consanguinity we must not come neer and then ver 24. Defile not your selves in any of these things for saith he in all these the Nations are defiled that I cast out before you and the land iâ— defiled therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it and the land it self vomiteth out the inhabitants of it This the rather stil hath God a controversie with a people for this sin because there is so little punishing of it I would but know at thiâ— day what punishment there iâ— for Incest or for any uncleanness among us only the man must keep the child And what ever punishment hath been it was that which did as little good a nothing at all they were to come to the Court and that would enjoyn them a white sheet which they could take off with a very little money That was the most then and little it is that is now and in that regard we may fear that Gods controversie is so much the more against us and pray to God that speedily the land may deliver it self from this guilt by having severe Laws for the punishment of this horrible wickedness lest God come and punish it himself and then wo unto us Now it follows upon all this charge Thus God hath declared and then follows the Land mourneth Well may a land mourn when God hath such a controversie with it Verse 3. Therefore shall the Land mourn and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven yea the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away 4. Yet let no man strive nor reprove another for this people are as they that strive with the Priests 5. Therefore shalt thou fall in the day and the Prophet also shall fall with thee in the night and I will destroy thy mother 6. My peâ—ple are destroyed for lack of knowledg because thou hast rejeâ—tâ—d knâ—wledg I will also reject thee that thou shalt be no Priest to me seeing thou hast forgot the Law of thy God I will also forget thy Children YOU have heard that God in this Chapter commenceth a suit against the ten Tribes He putteth in his Action and he declareth and then judgeth The Articles of his Declaration or Charge against them we had some of them the last day Hereupon Judgement is past upon this Declaration Therefore shall the land mourn The Land How can the Land be said to mourn As when the Land is fruitful it is said to laugh and sing Meadowes that are green and fruitful laugh And it is the Scripture phrase Psal 65.13 The valleyes are covered with corn they shout for joy they also sing So when a land is desolate and God bringeth famine then it is said to mourn Jer. 12.4 Jer. 12.4 How long shall the land mourn and the herbs of every field wither for the wickedness of them that dwell therein The beasts are consumed and the birds because they said Explained he shall not see our last end I warrant you as long as his eyes are in his head he shall never see that fulfilled that he speaks of therefore shall the land mourn and the herbs of every field wither And likewise when a place is left disolate of people that were the beauty of it before then it is said to mouâ—â— Isa 3.26 Her gates shall lament and mourn Lament 1.4 The waies to Zion mourn because nâ—ne come to her solemn feasts As now in time of Plague the streets of your City may be said to mourn because they are desolate they look in a desolate way when the grass grows between the stones her gates sâ—all lament and mâ—urn The end of thiâ— expression here is to upbraid the hardnâ—ss of the hearts of the ten Trâ—bes As if God should say Notwithstanding al their dâ—eadful sins that should break their hearts and make them howl and cry out yet they will not mourn therefore their Land shall mourn When God will upbraid men for stopping their ears and refusing to hear and thâ—â— they were not obedient he cals to the Heavens Isa 1.2 Hâ—â—r O Heâ—â—ens and give ear O Eâ—rth to upbraid the deafnes of men that will not hear And Jer. 2.12 Be astonished O ye Heavens Because men will not fear therefore for their upbraiding God calls to the Heavens to be astonished so because mens hearts are hard therefore God calls to the Land to mourn yea saies it shall mourn The ugly gastly face of your sin that is the meaning shal appear in the miserable desolation of your Country There is an ugly face of sin and it were well if you saw it as it is in your own hearts the guilt that you have brought upon your own spirits but seeing you wil not apprehend that ugly face of sin in your own hearts you shall see the sad face of it in all things of the land God will have sin appear vile and ugly unto us one way or other The Lord this day is making our Land to mourn because we have not mourned because we do not mourn Many Countries know what this expression meaneth their Country mourns their Land mourns
together in an unanimous way saying Come and let us set about the Lords work with one shoulder every one encouraging each other then there is hope the times of mercy are nigh that people Use a sad presage to But this is our misery the divisions and the rendings that are amongst us being diâ—-joynted each from other Oh the wantones of mens spirits now among us for which God is much displeased and certainly is one great stop in the way of mercy that notwithstanding God hath us in the fire and threatens even our consuming yet that we should not joyn and unite together Obs 4 True penitent hearts seek to get others to joyn with them Oh how glad are they to see any comming on to seek the Lord with them and how careful are they to give encouragement example they perswade them with al gentleness saying Come let us go up to the house of the Lord we have found the Lord very gracious to us Oh come he is good still yea and good to you if you wil come into him if the husband have found God good to him he will perswade the wife the child the servant to come to Christ Thus much of their resolution to return the reason follows For he hath smitten us and he will heal us Hence observe Obs 1 That in times of the greatest sufferings a true penitent heart retains good thoughts of God God hath torn wounded and smitten us what then run away from God think hardly of him No think well of him and bless his Name even when you God in former times have practised Nehemiah Ezra Ezra 9. Neh. 9. Dan. 9 Psal 44. and Daniel in all their miseries how careful were they to acquit and cleer God to be just in all that was come upon them yea the Church in the time of her desertion retains Christ as a King and calls him so so that they have as high esteems of God now in their low condition as in their prosperous estate and as they dare not entertain hard conceipts of God so neither of his Cause nor his People they are not sorry that they have been so far engaged for them Many people are like bad servants simile Use of reproof who while they have every thing fitting that becomes them can give their masters family a good report but let them be crost of their minds and go away in a discontent Oh how vily do they speak of it and as sturdy beggers while they find releef and succor they can give good words and they are their masters and best friends but let them be sent away empty and then what name is bad enough for them so when things goes well with the cause of God and his people they will be on Gods side Oh take heed of being sorry that ever you were engaged so far as you are or thinking to draw back that it had been better you had not been so forward as you have been this is a base and vile spirit see but how low the Church was in affliction and yet with what a gallant spirit she carried it out Psal 44.12 13.15 and 17. verses in these times how is this text fulfilled in the 15. verse how do they complain that men do blaspheam deride and scorn them and in the 17. verse All this is come upon us What then Is not God good and his Cause good that we maintain No God forbid such a thought should enter into us Although all this evil be come upon us yet have we not dealt falsly with thee in thy Covenant Oh let us lay up this truth and it would be a mighty comfort and stay to us in these times and it would be a very good rise to prayer for mark in the 23. verse Awake why sleepest thou Oh Lord arise and help us Those can pray to purpose who in the sorest afflictions can manifest the most fear of God and exercise the most love towards God and his waies notwithstanding Obs 2 A repenting heart is not a discouraged heart It is such a heart as sinks not down in discouragements saying as some do we are a lost people and undone there is no hope we had been better never to have ventured so far as we have but give over what we have done it dares not draw conclusions from what hath been to what is and what will be this is too much presumption for any man David in the Cave can trust in God and hide himself under Gods wing Psal 57.1 So long as there is a God in Heaven this soul will expect help from him a true penitent will expect mercy notwithstanding Gods severity and justice the severity of justice in God cannot keep him from waiting for and expecting of what God hath promised if the soul can but get over this difficulty the deep gulf of Gods justice it will easily get over all other dreadfulness of mens displeasure a repenting heart is a purged heart and therefore not a discouraged but a supported heart those which are unclean of foul and filthy spirits are alwaies jealous of God and his dealings towards them Oh let it appear that we are not of discouraged and sinking spirits by the cleanness of our lives and the purity of our conversations carnal hearts are not discouraged when they have carnal helps to underprop them and shall we be afraid of any difficulty who have God for our help Remarkable is that place The Philistines motive to courage in the battel 1 Sam. 4.9 concerning the speech which was made to the Philistims upon the coming of the Ark into the camp of Israel what a fear were they put into yet how do they encourage themselves Let us fight valiently for our wives and children and estates that we and our little ones be not slaves to the Hebrews So say I let us be couragious in these times and fight for our Liberties Laws and Religion Did we but spend that strength in returning unto God which we do in discouragements Oh how soon would help come for us were we but thus resolved Now though we must not be discouraged when helps and means fail but yet humbled we must be for our sins which cause these breaches see how the Prophet Habackuk mannages this disposition c. 3. v. 16 17. we should improve our humiliation as they did Judges 20. who though in a good cause Judg. 20. a cause which God approved of yet lost fourty thousand men at two battels in the prosecution of it what do they now leave it off and run away No but put on courage and resolution fasted and prayed and humbled themselves before the God of their fathers and then they prospered Oh let us be humbled that we may not be discouraged And as we must not be discouraged so must we not falsly encourage our selves as they said The bricks are fallen down but we can build with hewen stone so say not this Army is lost but we can raise another quickly
day this iniquity is also discovered A wanton erronious spirit such opinions as were never known before doubting of the Immortallity of the soul that there is no visible Church upon the face of the earth and all this under the Name of Christ and free grace Now what doth all this but shew thus much that when God would have healed us then our iniquities did appear what sad passages are these of our miseries approaching What an unmerciful spirit is there among us Every one seeking his own and how he may make him and his great in the world and neglecting the poor and those that are in distress we have cause to say Oh Lord what shall become of us Know this that I may not altogether discourage you though our times are miserable yet are they not like unto Israel altogether it cannot be denied but that our Court hath seconded Ephraim which was their Court Court and though the City of Samariah did joyn with Ephraim yet the Citie City with us hath not joyned with Ephraim but the bulk of it hath kept faithful with their God for which mercy the children He lived not to see the late dissention which yet was not total blessed be God though prevailing long yet unborn will have cause to bless God A fift observation is this That when a people grow worse upon the means of healing it is a sign that their condition is desperate Isa 1.15 why should you be smitten any more Ye will revolt yet more and more Jer. 51.9 We would have healed Babylon but she would not forsake her In thy filthiness is lewdness because I have purged thee and thou wouldest not be purged thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more untill I have caused my fury to rest upon thee Now certainly had not God found a party in this Kingdom which closed with him when he would have healed us we might have had occasion to make use of this Scripture how just were it with God to leave such a people as we are in our healing because we are so impatient under the rod and oppose him even in our healing Arius Montanâ—s quotes it out of Hippocrates that the Physitians in his time Ar. Mont. were bound by an Oath to leave such under their wounds to perish by them that were incorrigable and would not endure the Chirurgions to cure them When a man is engaged in a bad cause and means is used for the convincing of him and yet oft times he will proceed and fly out the worse Oh the vileness of mens spirits in this thing we had need take heed what we engage our selves in that the thing be good the cause warrantable how many men are there which break their consciences rather than yeild to take shame to themselves for their sin Oh what cause have we to fall down and be humbled for our iniquity and to say as they in Jer. 14.18 19 20. So for particular Towns and places where God sends the Gospel the means of grace and that people is the worse for it they have cause to tremble at it do not cry out against the preaching of the Word as if that were the cause of it wheÌ„ men are worse for preaching an evil sign this were most wicked and abominable it was thus in Christs time we never read of any possessed with Devils before Christ came now shâ—ll we say it had been better that Christ had not come Oh blame not the Ministry but your own hearts and consider of this you that God is working upon the Lord comes close by the Ministry of his Word to heal you and then you discover your wickedness and rotten hearts the Lord he stirs such a conscience and begins to heal the soul now 't is the Devils policy to spoil such beginnings now thinks the Devil if I can make such a soul to commit a sin against conscience or live in the omission of any known duty the word then will never work more to do such a man good I have heard of a man who being troubled in conscience for committing that great sin of uncleanness the Devil tempting him to commit it again and told him if he would he should never be troubled more for it the poor man yeilding to do it and venturing upon it again after he had done it he was never tempted again nor troubled more but presently lay in a wanzeing languishing senceless condition and so died Oh take heed of this you that are convinced in your consciences of the evil of such and such courses for it is the great policy of the Devil to make thee who art convinced in conscience to sin against conscience and then he thinks the work is lost the Devil doth not much fear the Words working upon him whom he hath prevailed over to live in secret known sins and to venture upon the commission of sins against conscience you who are under Gods hand of cure be silent and submit quietly under Gods hand and be not froward as many are in their troubles of conscience but hearken for a word from God Troubled Consciences as the men of Benhadad did from that King in 1 King 20.33 hearkened diligently whether any words of comfort fel from him and they catched at them hastily Know that it were just with God to make you as that people Isa 6.10 that your hearts should be made fat This concerns all people but especially those that are in trouble of conscience those that God begins to stir and work upon take heed I say doth Christ himself begin to work upon you doth he desire to heal you is he willing to offer his blood to cure you by applying it to your wounded consciences Let not the corruptions of your hearts now break forth now take heed of sins against conscience lest he let you to perish in your lusts be willing to let God alone to do his work in you lie quiet and still take heed of murmuring and repining speeches but follow on the work begun and beseech him not to leave you till the work be compleated in you and the great hazard of your miscarrying over little do you imagine the wait and burden of those sins will be upon conscience which now you commit against conscience what a torment will it be to thy conscience to think that at such a time I felt Jesus Christ coming to heal my soul in the Ministry of his Word Oh happy had it been for me if I had lain under his hand and to have kept his salve upon my sore but because it was for the present troublesom and smart I cast it off and went into such company and listened unto such temptations and by this means have wounded my soul anew most desperately and now what can I expect but that the Lord should for ever forsake me and leave me to die in my sins and wallow in my blood and his eye not pity me make me to inherit
come in Gods Name to reprove is a great aggravation of sin and hastning of judgment Page 81 Obs 9. If publick means prevail not there is little hope of private Page 84. VERS V. Obs 1. Those in office must go on though they be striven against Page 85 Obs 2. When a threatning comes to particulars then it works ib. Obs 3 The falls of the Prophets are falls in the night Page 87 Obs 4. It is a sad judgment for people in affliction to have no Prophet amongst them ibid VERS VI. Obs 1. Ignorance is both father and mother of distruction Page 90 1. The rational creature is working in the midst of snares ib. 2. The way to eternity is in the midst of a hundred cross waies Page 91 3. Man must not go with his own light ib. 4. Our work is a most curious work ib. 5. Ignorance makes men objects of Gods hatred ib. Use 1. How vile a thing it is to deny the means of knowledg to men to satisfie the humors of others Page 92 Use 2. Hopes for England because the knowledge of God begins to shine in it ib. Obs 2. Suffering truths will hardly go down with many Ministers Page 94 Obs 3. There is a peculiar way of Gods rejecting wicked Ministers Page 95 Obs 4. Vnfaithfulness in service provokes God to cast men out of service Page 96 Obs 5. It is a great judgment to be rejected from the Priests office ibid Obs 6. It is a blessing for godly children of godly Ministers to succeed them in their office Page 97 Obs 7. The families of wicked Ministers are many times forgotten ibid VERS VII Obs 1. It is a usual thing where there is encrease of number to be encrease in sin Page 98 Obs 2. It is mens vile disposition to encrease in sin as they encrease in mercies Page 99 Obs 3. God doth love to stain the pride and haughtiness of man Page 100 Obs 4. It is usual with wicked Priests if they be countenanced by authority to glory Page 102 VERS VIII Opened Page 104 VERS IX Obs 1. Evil Ministers in a country are the causes of miseries in the country Page 112 Obs 2. If Priest and People be alike in sin God will make them alike in punishment ibid Obs 3. Look how Ministers are so usually the people are Page 114 Obs 4. God hath his daies of visitation wherein he will narrowly enquire into the waies of men Page 119 Obs 6. God will call men to an accompt for their thoughts Page 120 Obs 7. Wickedness in thought is the worst wickedness ibid Obs 8. Sin passeth away in the act with much sweetness but God will make it return in the guilt with much bitterness Page 120 Obs 9. The good works of the Saints shall return again with much comfort and peace Page 121 VERS X. Obs 1. Whatsoever a man undertakes unlawfully he can never expect to prosper Page 124 Use It is the best way to keep us to Gods Ordinances Obs 2. Idolaters seldom come in and return Page 125 Obs 3. Take heed of your not taking heed Page 126 Obs 4. The way to keep the heart and life in order and obedience is to take heed to the Lord. ibid Obs 5. All things in Gods worship should be according to Gods rule Page 127 Use Take heed of Idolatry ibid VERS XI Opened Page 128 Obs 1 It is just with God that those that will not seek to satisfie themselves in him should be given over to the sinful lusts of the flesh Page 129 Obs 2. Sensuallity is a besotting sin ibid Obs 3. Ministers when once they grow negligent usually grow sensual Page 132 VERS XII Obs 1. Bodily and spiritual whoredom usually go together Page 133 Use We are not to marvail that such as seem to be men of understanding are given to Idolatry ibid Obs 2. What poor waies Idolaters had to know the minds of their gods Page 135 Use Let us bless God that we have his word ibid Obs 3. There is an eagerness of spirit in men to things that are evil ibid Use 1. Look to your spirits when you find an eagerness in them to a thing Page 136 Use 2. Labor to be acted by the Spirit of God Page 137 Use 3. Pray to God that he would satisfie us not only in body and in soul but in spirit ibid Obs 4. All false worship doth put a man from the protection of God Page 138 Obs 5. So far as we are from being under Gods command so far we are from being under his protection Page 129 VERS XIII Obs 1. General accusations without particular specification will not prevail with stubborn hearts Page 140 Use Godly Ministers must not leave things in general if they would convince ibid Obs 2. What seems most specious in our eyes if it be not according to the rule may be most abominable in the eyes of God Page 141 Obs 3. Ministers ought to present to the people the foulness of those things that they think have least evil in them ib. Obs 4. When God chuseth a place he puts a stamp of holiness upon the place Page 143 Obs 5. Idolatry is brazen faced and loves to be publick Page 148 Use Labor to make the worship of God as publick ibid Obs 6. When the Ordinances of the Gospel come to be publick then it is time for Babylon to fall ibid Obs 7. Idolaters seek to rise to the height of their way in false worship ibid Use Let us labor to do so in Gods worship ibid Why they sacrificed under trees 1. Because the Heathens dedicated the trees to their gods Page 149 2. In imitation of the Patriarchs ibid 3. The shadiness of the place struck some reverence in the hearts of men ibid 4. They thought the spirits of their Worthies were there Page 150 5. They were fit places for the committing of filthiness ibid 6. They conceited God was the more honored by it ibid Obs 8. Superstition thinks it hath a great deal of reason for what it doth Page 151 Obs 9. It is the pride of mens spirits to think Gods Ordinances are too plain ibid Obs 10. God sometimes punisheth sin with sin Page 152 Obs 11. It is a great reproach for any family to have uncleanness committed in it Page 154 Use Let Governors have a care of their families ibid Obs 12. Our unfaithfulness with God is made more sensible when those that dwell neer us are unfaithful to us ibid Instances 1. When our children are stubborn Page 155 2. Ill wives ibid 3. Friends unfaithful Page 156 VERS XIV Opened Page 157 Obs 1. It is one of the most fearful judgments in all the world for the Lord not to restrain men from sinning Page 158 Obs 2. When parents are filthy and unclean what can be expected but their children should be so too Page 161 Use Take heed how you sin before your children ibid Obs 3. Those that are filthy and unclean will sometimes make shew of Religion Page 162
controverse into his own hand to contend with them in a way of judgment It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hand of the living God You think Ministers are hard they preach terrible things but if you have to deal with God immediately if he should not speak to you by man but come himself and plead with you you would find it harder to deal with him When Jobs friends were pleadiâ—g with him he could easily make his part good with them but Chap 38. ver 1 2. God himself comes and speaks out of the whirlwind Who is he that darkenâ—th counsel by words without knowledg and so goes on in a chapter or two Chap. 42. ver 5. Job falleth down now and saith I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eye sâ—eth thee wherefore I abhor my self and repent in dust and asâ—es Psal 130.3 is a notable scripture for this purpose If thou Lord shouldest mark iniquity Oh Lord who should stand Mark the words how Lord is twice here repeated it would have been full sense thus If thou Lord shouldst mark iniquity who shall stand There would have been a mighty emphasiâ— in the word Jehovah who shall stand for it is thou oh Jehovah but it comes in again to Note that herein lies the Emphasis if thou Lord shouldst mark iniqity Oh Lord who shall stand This Oh Lord seems to be a pleonasme one would think that it breaks the sense but the scope is to shew that the sight of having to deal with God in our sins is very terrible If thou Lord maâ—kest sin causes a dreadful controvercy between God and man then Oh Lord who shall stand But further that which is the main thing in this is That sin causeth a most dreadful controversie between God and the soul between God and a Nation For this God comes to strive to contend for his glory the siner strives contends against God It is God that is infinitely above the sinner who hath the controversie wiâ—h him Isa 45.9 Wo unto him that striveth with his Maker Let the potsâ—eâ—rds of the earth strive with the potsheards Yet thus doth every sinful impenitent soul and every sinful impenitent Nation they strive with their Maker The Lord is above them therefore to intimate the distance between God and us in this controversie saith the text The Lord hath a controversie with the inhabitants of the land poor earth-creeping creatures that have dwellings here below whose houses are hâ—uses of clay and God is the great God of Heaven and Earth The controversy that God hath with a sinner is a just controversie God ha h right on his side and the injury is great that is done unto him Thirdly It is a controversie that we have begun God did not begin it with us but we began it with him we have the worst of it Fourthly It is an old controversie a controversy of our forefatherâ— a controversie that God hath had with one generation after another and we as a wretched generation stand forth to hold up the old controversy As in England in formertimes there hath been wars for hundreds of yeers as in the Barons wars and when one generation was gone the generation after stood forth to hold up that controversie so it hath been between God and man God hath had a controversy with the children of men ever since the fall of Adam and one generation after another hath stood forth to hold up the controversie and thou wretched sinner standest up in thy generation in thy place to hold up the controversie that mankind hath had with God since his calling out of Paradice Fiftly It is such a controversie as stirreth up all the Power all the Wrath of God against a sinner if God have any power in him it shall be put forth in making his cause good against a sinner Levit. 26. diverâ— places in that chapter If ye walk contrary unto me I will walk contrary unto you my Power my Wisdom all mine Attribuâ—es are against you A man that hath a controversy with another imployes and improves all the strength he hath against him that he is at controversy with This controversie is a deadly controversie it is such as strikes at our lives at our souls at our eternal eâ—â—ates A controversy with God who is set upon it to hâ—ve satisfaction for all the wrong we have done to him he will have it one way or other Such a controversie as only the Lord Christ that great Mediator that great Peace-maker is able to make up None can reconcile God and a sinner but Christ God-Man He must stand before God to satisfie for the wrong the sin of man hath done unto him A controversie with him who hath thee at infinite advantage who hath thee under his feet and the point of the sword of his Justice is at thy heart A controversie that if thou look not to it is like to prove an everlasting controversie Psal 57.16 I will not contend for ever neither will I alwayes be wroth for the Spirit should fail before me This is spoken to those that are in Covenant with God in regard of the lesser controversies that after their reconciliation may be between God and them But with thee if not reconciled to God in Christ who art yet in the great controversie that God hath with sinful man I say if thou lookest not to it it may prove an everlasting controversie to thee Certainly God will overcome thee God will have the day of thee the Lord will overcome when he judgeth Julian strove a great while against the Lord but at length Vicisti Galilae vicisti he was forced to acknowledg with his blood cast up into the air The Lord hath overcome the Lord will overcome It is a vain thing for thee to stand out striving with this great God Job 40.2 Shall he that comendeth with the Almighty instruct him So it is translated in your books but according to the words in the Hebrew and so translated by Pagnin and others Is there any wisdom or any learning in contending with God any knowledge shewed in that No certainly there is no knowledge no wisdome no learning in contending with the Almighty Our greatest wisdome is to fall down to be humbled before the Lord. The Lord hath appointed a certain period for thy coming in to make up thy peace with him to satisfie him if thou neglectest that time thou art lost undone for ever My brethren this is no time to have any controversie with God to stand out against him in waies of enmity It is time now when such blackness of darkness is upon us even storms of blood hang over our heads It is time now I say however to be at peace with Heaven to make our peace with God Job 36.18 There is wrath beware therefore that he take thee not away with his stroke The Lord is come forth from his place he is pleading his cause and now
Lord calls to contend by fire Surely the Lord doth it at this day he calleth to contend with England by fire in a most dreadful way and who knows what the end shall be That he hath a most dreadful controversy against England at this day will appear if we further take these considerations First That a people complaining of bondage heretofore yet when God offered deliverance should be so far left of God as they shall now rather be willing to make themselves and their posterity bond-slaves Surely God hath a dreadful controversy against us it were else impossible that such a thing should be in the hearts of men Men love liberty they groan under bondage We did groan but a few yeers ago and the Lord was coming to help us and yet we are now so left of God that we even turn again to our former bondage and would have our ears to be bored that we might be perpetual slaves Secondly It is not only that we wil turn again to bondage but this is out of a spirit of enmitie against the yoke of Jesus Christ This is the very ground and bottom of it in a great part of the Kingdom whatsoever yoke they have upon them they are resolved they will not have the yoke of Christ out of a spirit of enmity against the Godly party who desire and endeavor Reformation At the beginning of this Parliament when we began to have hopes of some liberty and reformation Oh what a joy was there generally in the Kindom all men agreed together but when those that were wicked and carnal began to see that their godly neighbours rejoyced that they blessed God for what was done that they had their minds now they turn out of a spirit of malice against them rather than they shall rejoyce rather than they shall have their minds we will turn back again to the bondage we were in before and we will stand and oppose that which heretofore we rejoyced in Certainly here is the very ground of so much contradiction as there is at this day They have therefore turned Malignants against that Cause which a man would wonder that ever rational men should be against But there is a spirit of malice against Christ and his Ordinances fearing a reformation they would have their lusts and they think if reformation come they should not have them with that liberty they have had here is the very reason that the Gentry and others in the country are opposite Surely God hath a controversie with us Thirdly That men should so vily desert those whom they have chosen and trusted who have been faithful those Worthies in Parliament who have ventured their lives for them basely and unworthily now to desert them it is one of the greatest judgments of God upon the hearts of men and therefore upon a nation that ever was If they complain of them now they would much more have complained of them if they had complyed suppose the Parliament had made up a patched reformation and a crazie peace that uppon any occasion we had bin in danger to have had war broken out again would not the people of the land have cried out of their unfaithfulness But now they venture themselves and labour so hard for a sound peace therefore to be deserted An unworthy generation a generation that we have cause to fear is become the generation of Gods wrath and the people of his curse People are affected according as success is we complain of those in Parliament because of some difficulties that are in the work yet if they had not done what they did they would have complained much more So of Ministers sometimes Ministers speak and stir up people because their consciences tell them they should be unfaithful to their country and to the cause of God if they did not now they cry out as they did of Luther that they are the trumpets of sedition and rebellion whereas on the other side if they should say nothing then people would have cryed out that they had betraied their Country and that they were not so faithful in their places as they should therefore people were so bad as they were Thus hard it is for God or man to please people Again That not only people should desert them but that so many of Nobles and some Members of the Parliament themselves should desert their Brethren there and joyn with Papists French and Walloons When as not long since a company of vile wretches being gathered together to fight against our brethren of Scotland and yet those vile people could not be brought to fight against them by any means But now not the vile ones but Nobles Knights and Gentry can be brought to fight against the Parliament their own Brethren Is not here a mighty hand of God against us Could this ever be if God had not a dreadful controversie against England Fourthly That men should be so blinded as to think the Protestant Religion should be maintained by an Army of Papists that the Laws and Liberty of the subject should be maintained by an Army of Delinquents and strangers yea that the King with Papists Delinquents French and Walloons should better maintain the Liberty of the Subject and the Protestant Religion than with the Parliament That people should come to beleeve this is not the hand of God upon the people of this land Are they not infinitely besotted can we think that men indued with reason should do this Surely were not the Judgment of God fearfully upon their souls it could not be beleeved that ever this should be done by people that had any rationality in them Fiftly God surely calls to contend fearfully with us in that he should suffer such an ill cause to prosper so as it hath done and to get to that height as it is It is that which is the amazement both of England and the Countries about us that such an ill cause should get so high and prosper so much as it hath done Surely the Lord is against us or else it could not have been Sixtly When there shall be such a desperate design so long a hatching drawn forth in such a season and so driven on and now breaking forth in such violence and yet men cannot see it The tract of the design is aâ— cleer as the Sun at noon day and drawn on from one step to another by comparing of one thing with another we may see it as apparantly as the light Would you not think it a besotting thing if there should be a train of Gunpouder laied along in the streets from such a place to the Parliament House to blow it up and yet that men should pass by and say they see no such thing Certainly the drawing on of the design against our Religion and State to bring us under tyranny and slavery the tract is as evident and plain as ever there was train of Gunpruder laid to such a place that men would willingly blow up and yet
they do God good service to slay and to root out that generation of Gods people that is here in England and they would be confident that it is the mind of God that they should be rooted out Therefore we had need look to it to make up our peace with God that the controversie between him and us may not prove to be their victory The Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the Land There are only two notes to be further observed hence God having to deal with poor earthen creatures he might presently have let his wrath out against them and destroyed them But Mark God is willing to have his cause pleaded with vile creatures so that all the while he is pleading there is time and space for them to come in This teacheth us this excellent lesson Observ That men should be willing that the cause that is between them and their inferiours should be pleaded and not stand so much upon their superiority and scorn to humour an inferiour so much as to have any matter debated between them As husband and wife if a controversie be between them though the one be superiour and the other inferiour think it not much to debate it between themselves with meekness and love Job 31.13 profest he did not despise the cause of his man-servent when he contended with him but he would have that pleaded and made out Jehovah the mighty God condescendeth to put his cause to a suit he will not pass sentence upon poor creatures til it come to a tryal Be not surly and scornful towards your inferiours Another Note The inhabitants of the Land lies a little more couched The inhabitants of the Land what Land The inhabitants of the Land of Canaan a controversie with them Mark God fulfilled his promise in bringing them into the Land of Canaan and now he pleadeth with them for the forfeiture of their promise Psal 105.44 45. he tells them that he had given them the lands of the Heathen that they might observe his Statutes and keep his Laws that was their condition God fulfilled hiâ— part he bringeth them into the land but when they were in the land they minded not their part You know God often gave them charge when they came into the land to do this and this they promised they would do it but when they were once brought into the land they forgot it they forsook God God now comes and pleads with the inhabitants of this land As if he should say I have done my part in bringing you into the land now I come to plead with you for breaking your promise and covenant Take this note from hence Whatsoever mercy you have from God you are to look upon it as a fruit of Gods faithfulness to you if you be Gods and as a ground of your obedience to him Observ and his pleading with you if you walk not answerable to it The inhabitants of the Land Hierome hath another note upon it but that is further off I will only name it Rightly saith he are they called to answer and to judgment that are the inhabitants of the land and do not look upon themselves as sojourners and strangers in the land But he that can truly say with the Prophet I am a pilgrim a stranger here such a one can never do that which may cause God to have a controversy against him This is the reason men do that which causeth God to have a controversie with them because they look upon themselves as possessors of the land and not as pilgrims and strangers But this is too far off The second part followeth God declareth A sute first is entred against such a man when the Court day comes there is calling for a declaration the Lawyer declares God doth so and the Prophet is Gods Lawyer and here are three Articles put in thiâ— declaration Because there is no Truth no Mercy no knowledg of God in the land First in general that there is a declaration take these two useful notes from thence First God contendeth not with a people without a cause How many are there that strive and contend one with another without any cause at all they vex and rage contend and sue and great controversies there are but if we come to examin the cause we can find nothing at all great dull is raised but whence is it if we look to the bottom and examin wherefore it is we can see just nothing they themselves know no cause they can give no rational account of all their pleading one against another As David said to Eliah his eldest brother 1 Sam. 17.29 when Eliah came and wrangled with him saith David What have I now done is there not a cause Eliahs spirit was up through his envy chiding and wrangling with David but what have I done saith David have not I cause for what I did Thus many have their spirits up chiding and wrangling but examin the cause and they can show none at all How many are there of bitter spirits who even go about like mad-dogs snarling at every one even at those they know not with whom they had never any thing to do yet cry out against them railing upon them every where Ask them do you know the man can you prove any hurt against him The truth is they know him not they are not able to make good what they say only there is a general noise of such and such men that they do thus and thus and so they bite and snail and rage against them but when all comes to all they know no cause Such and such men they say disturb the Kingdom and trouble the people a greaâ— deal of cry but little wool the foundations of the earth are out of order but what hath the righteous done You would think when you hear such railings and cryings out against such and such men that they were the most monstrous men upon the earth but examin what it is that they have done there is nothing God doth not so with you God never contendeth with man but for a just cause Secondly Because there is no truth nor mercy nor knowledg of God in the land but by swearing and lying and stealing c. From whence in the general there is this God contendeth not against a people for little things Obâ— when God saith he hath a controversie with the inhabitants of the land it is not for trifles for ordinary infirmities for dayly excursions but for great notorious things Not that little things do not deserve a controversie but it is from the vertue and fruit of the Covenant that this comes to passe in others that are not in Covenant little things make a controversie but between Gods children and himself they are not little things that make a controversie But men are of froward spirits every trifle is enough to make a controversie between them Yea usually thâ— greatest controversies between neerest friends is some trifle or
they were unclean wretches and though it were the King of Babylon a Heathen yet he so hated that sin of adultery that he caused them to be rosted in the fire for that was the punishment of that Nation for capital offences to burn or rost the offenders in the fire Therefore those who are Ministers that are learned men that have any shew of holiness more than others if they be guilty of this sin God hath a most dreadful controversie with them And see how we should have a controversie too agâ—â—nst this sin of uncleanness especially when it is in a forced way Judg. 20.27 you shall reade there that there was four hundred thousand men all men of war that were raised up as one man and they all said vers 8. we will not any of us go to his tâ—nt neither will we any of us â—urn into his house And upon what did all these men rise Chap. 19. the cause was only this that there was a Levite that had a Concubine which Câ—ncubine had plaid the harlot and had gone from the Levite he going to fetch hiâ— Concubine whom the men of Gibâ—ah a City of Benjamin came in a violent way and ravished his Concubine until she died upon thiâ— the Levite took the dead body and divided it into twelve several pieces and sent them into all the coasts of Israel and wisht them to consider what iâ— donâ— Upon this the hearts of all the men of Israel were raisâ—d aâ— one man and covenanted among themselves that they â—ould none of them turn into their houses untill they had brought those Delinquents that had committed that horrible offence to condigne punishment Mark now that the hearts of people should be so set upon it and think it cause enough to gather an Army of four hundred thousand to bring to condigne punishment those that had but ravished a whore for she was no other and resolved never to go home til those Delinquents were punished Have not we heard of worse than this amongst us Oh what adulteries what rapes have there been wheresoever the Soldiers come what horrible villanies are committed that way taking not mens concubins and whores but grave mâ—trons and on purpose those whom they think to be most godly and defile them before the eyes of their husbands and then when they have done murder them And yet we stir not for all this to fetch in these Delinquents Now we have rapes and ravishments of thousands amongst us and yet our hearts stir not though no question the same thing is intended against us here that is done to our brethren in other Countries for you can expect little else from such as these Judg. 5.20 it is the speech of Siseras Mother Have they not divided the prey to every man a damsel or two They aim as much to satisfie their lusts upon you as upon your goods you must not think your lives wil satisfie them but their lusts must be first satisfied Yet O Lord the deadness of mens hearts that though there hath been such horrible villany committed in Ireland in England which certanily if there were no more but that God requireth the people of the land should rise up to avenge such a thing as that is that there should not be such horrible wickedness committed in Israel but that the offenders should be brought to condigne punishment If you regard not your lives and estates and liberties yet regard such a horrible villany as this as is committed in the open heavens These here resolved not to go to their tents nor to turn into their houses till this was done Be content to shut up your shops for a while and to leave your trades and to lie in the fields untill you have brought these Delinquents to their just punishment Be not discouraged with a little ill success there were forty thousand of the better side slayn here before Israel got the victory until they had thoroughly humbled themselves and then they had the better of it Though our adversaries meet with success in their waies let us not be discouraged they that â—ood to defend this horrible wickedness of the Men of Gibeah they got the first day and the second day yet they went on in their way till they had brought the offenders to condigne punishment We should resolve never to follow our business nor regard our houses and private estates untill we have got this wickedness punished in this land and wiped off the guilt from the Kingdom So much for that fourth charge A word of the last They break out and blood toucheth blood They break out Erumpunt That is like the erruption of waters As waters break over the banks whâ—n it hath been kept in a while so they break out thus they overflow all bounds When sin is not mortified though it be restrained for a while it will break out As many young men that have lived in good families and have had good governours then their sin was restrained but afterward when they come to live at their own hand then they break out Erumpunt then sin groweth to that strength that nothing can resâ—rain it like that man that had an unclean spirit and lived among the graves Mark 5. no man could bind him no not with chains Secondly Breaking out is a great aggravation of a mans sin It argueth strength in sin impudency in sin desperatness in sin And this breaking out of sin is not breaking out only as water in an overflowing time or tide or so but like breaking out of the fire indeed rather or if you will like water breaking out of some fountain now you know if a water break out of a fountain there is not the less water in the fountain but rather an increase of it And as the fire when it breaks out the breaking out makes it not less but more as when an house is on fire it will keep in a long while but when it breaks out at the roof or so then it flames the more and increaseth with more violence So it is no diminution to sin that it breaks out as many foolish people are ready to say that will speak horrible wickedly in their passion I will let it go as good out as in they foolishly think there is so much less corruption within and that is a diminution of sin but it is an aggravation of sin and noteth impudence in sin And blood toucheth blood That is as some will have it one gross and abominable sin that is accounted a bloody sin follows another But some take it thus one murder follows another one oppression follows another Blood toucheth blood now thy wickedness is broken out there is no end of it but one murder follows another Pareus thinketh it hath reference to those times in the 2 King 15. where you may reade what murders there were and how blood touched blood at that time as if the Prophet here had said they being used to murder there is now nothing
the brow of a hill that was upon the side of the Citie and would have thrown him down and broke his neck that was the reward he should have had And Paul that was one of the excellentest preachers that ever was It was one of Austins wishes that he could but see Paul in the pulpit yet when he came to preach What will this babler say and he is a pestilent fellow one that is of a furious spirit and an incendiary and where ever he goes he turns the world up-sâ—de down Such kind of entertainment had the Apostles And Luther I remember hath such an expression Quid est praedicare Evangelium What is it to preach unless it be this to derive all the fury of people upon ones self if one would preach conscienciously And Mat. 5.12 there Christ tels his Disciples what they were like to meet withal how they were like to be reviled and persecuted for so saith he persecuted they the Prophets which were before you Acts 7.53 Which of the Prophet hâ—ve not your fâ—thers peâ—secuted Thus those that are in office those that are sent to speak unto the people they must expect if they would be faithful in their administrations to be striven withal But though wicked men do strive yet as Samson said unto the men of Judah that came to binde him that they might deliver him into the hands of the Philistins Do not ye fall upon me your selves It were well if faithful Ministers were not striven withal many times by those that are godly It is not so much for a faithful Minister to have wicked and ungodly men to strive with him Though they bind them Oh brethren do not do not you bind them after that in conscience of their duty and in love to your souls they have hazarded all the hatred and malice that may be of the adversary even to stand in the fore-front as the But to their mallice yet in requital of all even many that are godly if they see them grow troublesom they are ready to strive with them because wicked men are exasperated by the Word of God preached therefore they could wish that even such Ministers had never come amongst them and this even such as make profession of godliness do Is here a requital of he hazard that faithful Ministers undergo I appeale unto you Are there any people in the Kingdom that stand as a But against the malice of the Adversary so much as godly and faithful Ministers do Do not think that it is out of that precipitancy that ra hness that we do not consider what danger we stand in in doing what we do yes we consider it beforehand But out of conscience of our duty and in faithfulness unto your soulâ— we hazard our lives we hazard all the rage and malice of the Enemy Now when we have done all this we expect a far better râ—quittal from many people than we find When Moses and Aaron came unto the people of Israel when they were in Egypt to deliver them for that was their message but because for the present their bondage was increased and the wrâ—th of Pharaoh more incensed therefore they were weary of Moses and Aaron and they fall to striving with them as if they were the cause of their misery Why 't was better with us before than three you came if you had never come amongst us it would have been better with us So it is now because those that are faithful out of conscience labor to declare to you the mind of God and to draw you to those duties that God calls for this indeed enrageth the adversary they are the more incensed when you follow what your Ministers teach and you are ready to think they hâ—ve brought us into this way they have kindled the fire they have told us it is the Cause of God they have exhorted us to come in with our Estates and now the King is exaspered against uâ— and our adversaries are enraged against us and we are like to be in some misery And so even all the strivings of the better sort are ready to devolve upon the Ministers and they strive with them as the only incendiaries and troublers of the places where they come Well howsoever Ministers may meet with hard dealing from some even from professors yet their way is with the Lord and their judgment is with the Almighty As there is a most admirable promise to help those that have been most forward to rebuke sin in a zealous way for God though men are enraged against them Isa 49.2 Isa 49.2 He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword in the shaddow of his hand hath he bid me This text is true of every faithful Minister Mark it He hath made made my mouth like a sharp sword why if I did speak smooth things I were not like to be in so much danger but if speak sharp things do not I hazard my selfe much Opened I shall incur the rage and anger of all kind of people but mark He hath made my mouth as a sharp sword But in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me Ministers whose mouths are as sharp swords they are in a great deal of danger yea but let such be comforted here comes a promise presently in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me So that those Ministers whose mouthes are sharpest in the Name of God and who speak but the Truth of God those are under Gods protection more than any other Ministers that have held their peace they are in more safety they are hid in Gods hand in the shadow of his hand more than any other So God comforted Jeremiah Chap. 10. vers 15. after he had cryed out wo is me I am a man of strife wel saith God Verily it shall be well with thy remnant I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil and in the time of affliction It may be many of you think it is a weaknes in Ministers to appear so much as they do and discover themselves for they endanger themselves and cannot they be quiet as others are there are many of more moderate spirits and deal wiselyer for themselves they keep in and say nothing and so they may scape of either side looking which side will prevail May not these scape No they are in more danger than the other for the other are under a promise these are not they are so studious for themselves and for their owne safety that God will take no care of them Our Savior Christ takes care to encourage his Disciples against the stâ—â—ings of people with them we have in Luk. 6. many blessings pronounced blessed are the poor blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness blessed are they that mourn c. But they that understand the Original shall find that the word ye is not in only blessed are the poor and blessed are they that mourn c. But when he cometh
they increast so they finned This is mans vile disposition Obser that encrease of mercies should be the encrease of their sin Thus was it with the Church when the Church was in a lower condition then there was more holiness and more sincere love to the truth when it began to flourish in outward prosperity it began to decay in true Piety And therefore Ecclesiastical histories tells us that when the Church received their donations from Constantine of great preferments then there was heard a voyce in the air Hodie venenum infunditur c. To day poyson is powred forth into the Church when great livings and great estates were given to the Ministers of the Church then poison was powred forth into the Church It was a good speech of Boniface the Martyr Boniface when one asked him whether it were lawful to receive the Communion in woodden Chalices his Answer was Time was when in the Church there were woodden Challices and golden Priests but now there are golden Challices but woodden Priests And the answer of Aquinas Aquinas was fit for this to Innocent the third when he shewed him a table of gold and silver saying we have no need to say as Peter once did Silver and gold have we none Aquinas answered presently neither can ye say Arise and walk as you have more money than they had so you have less gifts than they had you have not so much of the Spirit of God as they had It was so in the encrease of the prosperity of the Church And usually it is so in the encrease of their prosperity simile spleen As it is with the spleen the greater it grows the less the body is so the more prosperity the leaner and lanker are the spirits of men Deut. 32.15 Thou art waxed fat thou art grown thick thou art covered with fatness then he forsook God which made him and lightly esteemed the God of his salvation How many when they were low and poor in their estates were more holy and gracious and more spiritual than now they are It is true in particular persons in Churches and Countries but most true in Ministers It was once a complaint that was made to a Prelate here that he had a kinsman that was a very zealous preacher in the Countrey well saies he I 'le silence him and his silencing was this he gave him two livings and that stopped his mouth Jerome Quando Ecclesia ad Principes christianos venit factam fuisse opibut pleniorem sed virtutib minorem ait when he came once to have fatted livings then his zeal quickly abated And Hierome in the life of Malachus hath this expression when the Church saith he came to Christian Princes and there had countenance we may well say of it that indeed it was fatted with riches but it was less a great deal in vertue and godliness God threatneth here that seing they did abuse their prosperity as they did encrease they sinned more that therefore he would turn their glory into shame he would cast dirt into their faces God doth love to stain the pride the haughtiness of men He would turn the glory of the people and the glory of the Priests but especially the glory of the Priests for so it is meant but we must take in all into shame Either first he would in stead of glory bring shame or secondly he would make that wherein they did most glory to be their shame First That he would bring shame in stead of glory So God useth to do If any one glory in beauty God brings that which makes them contemptible many times in stead of that beauty That is a notable text for women that glory in their beauty and in their bravery Isa 3.16.24 Because the daughters of Zion are hauty c. therefore there shall be destruction upon them and ver 24. There shall be burning in stead of beauty and instead of well-set hair baldness and in stead of their brave dressing sackcloth If any will glory in parts the Lord justly brings shame upon them blasting of their parts Albertus magnus nec literas sciret ita ignoramus fuit as it is said of Albertus Magnus that great Scholer that for five yeers before his death he did dote and was so ignorant that he did not know letters he could not reade God can soon blast the parts of men that glory in them and turn that to shame If any glory in riches God can soon turn that into shame too As histories tells us of an Earl of Exceter Earl of Exceter that married the sister of King Edward the Fourth and yet Philip de Commines reports of him that he was seen begging of his bread in the Low Countries barefoot God can soon take away the riches of men and turn that their glory into their shame And then if any boast in honor glory in that God can soon turn that into shame as in that example of Herod that gloried in the applause of the people when they cried out the voice of God and not of man and presently he was consumed by worms And much shame comes unto men that glory in these things Mark it according to the glory of men in external things so is their shame when God takes them away Here is the difference between the Saints losing these outward things and wicked men When the Saints lose these outward things there is not much shame comes to them because they did not much glory in them when they had them but carnal hearts because they know no higher things than these things are therefore when they are taken from them there is much shame comes upon them for their glory was in them when they had them Secondly God makes the very things they glory in to turn to their shame He doth not only take away their parts and bring ignorance and dotage instead of their parts but he makes their parts to be their undoing he makes use of their parts to bring them to shame He makes their very riches and honors to be their shame and their glorying in their success he makes that thing turn unto their shame As now when men shall glory in this that they had such success such a victory upon such and such a time and upon this they gather an argument surely God is with us and blesseth us and owneth us in this they glory well God turns this into their shame when he comes to be against them and blasts them that they shall not have success that it shall appear unto all that though they have outward means for advantage yet they go by the worst now where is the argument of Gods owning their cause success where is the argument of glorying with them if that were a good argument that God was with them because of their success Those that shall make that the only or principal argument that God is with them how doth God turn their glory into
but if they keep their sins alive then their diet is ill diet for they feed upon their sins What is there such wickedness in the hearts of men as to rejoyce in the sins of others for their own advantage Conseg ex opositio Oh how much more then should the Saints rejoyce in the graces of God in others for Gods glory In Ezek. 8.17 Ezek. 8.17 you have an expression that seems hard to be understood Opened God chargeth the people there as with other notorious evils so with this among the rest that they did put the branch to their nose In these words the people are charged with a most notorious wickedness this may be often read and little understood what it is I conceive the meaning to be this It is a charge of this people for Idolatry that they worshipped the Sun or Vesta the goddess of the earth either of both because by them the sweet flowers and branches of trees came forth from the earth they attributed the flourishing of trees and of the plants wholly unto the Sun whom they worshiped as a god Sol homo generunt hommem or unto Vesta whom they worshiped is a goddess and when they worshipped either of those in the acknowledgment of the honor due to them they took a branch and put to their nose thereby shewing their respect and their homage unto them as rejoycing in that good and sweet fruit that was caused by the Sun or by Vesta their god or goddess So that God chargeth them here for so rejoycing in these creatures as to worship the Sun or the earth as the cause of it To apply it to our purpose As Idolaters because they looked upon the Sun or the earth as causes of such flourishing of plants and sweetness of branches and flowers did put them to their nose and delighted in them and thereby shewed their honoring of the Sun and of the earth simile so should we take the graces of the Spirit of God in our brethren that are the fruits of the Sun of righteousness for the Sun of righteousnes causeth them to flourish in the hearts of our brethren and we should put them to our nose smell at them account them fragrant and thereby do honour unto Jesus Christ as the Author of them this is quite contrary to this of rejoycing in the fins of people Thus much for that phrase they eat up the sin of my people And they set their hearts upon their iniquity The words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They lift up their hearts every ones heart Calu. It may be interpreted either of the heart of the Priests or the heart of the people both waies and according to the scope of the Spirit of God either way First the heart of the Pâ—â—ests they lift up their hearts to the iniquity of the people so it may be understood for so this phrase lifting up of the heart to a thing doth note in Scripture the earnest desire that there is in the heart for the attaining of such a thing as in Deut. 24.15 speaking of poor men He is poor saith he and sets his heart upon his wages A poor man that wants provision for his family he sets his heart upon his wages Oh when shall I have my wages that I may provide for my family now the word is here in this text of the poor man he lifteth up his heart to his wages Oh my wages that it might come And Jerem. 22.27 the land whereunto they desire to return thither shall they not return that is the land whereto they lift their hearts so the word is the same here in the text they have an earnest desire unto the land And Ezek. 24.25 I will take from them the desire of their eyes and that whereupon they set their minds their sons and their daughters it is spoken of their love unto their children they lift their minds or their hearts to their children So that then it notes thus much the earnest desire the Priests had unto the sins of the people that they might have the greater advantage by them As it is noted of some who are of poor servile spirits and whose greatest means comes in by burials simile Sextons that they are glad and rejoyce when they hear the bell ring and they are ready to desire the death of men out of respect to their own â—ees because the more die and the richer they die the more adâ—â—â—â—age cometh in to them So the Priests at this time they 〈◊〉 â—he multiplying of the sins of the people that they 〈◊〉 have â—he more sacrifices thereby 〈◊〉 rather think according to other Interpreters the scope to be more principally in regard of the lifting up of the hearts of the people that the Priests did lighten the hearts of the people that is thus that they might have the more advantage by their sacrifice they do make the sins of the people nothing encourage them in their sins lighten their hearts they lift up their hearts above their sins perswading them that if they offer sacrifice all should be well they should be fully cleared they need not be further troubled Whereas indeed the Priests ought to convincâ— mens consciences of the evil of their sins when they came to sacrifice they ought to have shewed them how they deserved death for their sins whereas this poor beast dies and you are to lay your hands upon the head of it know that your sins deserve the death of your souls eternally the sacrifice what it taught and they were to instruct the people how the sacrifices typified the blood of Christ they were to tel them you come now to offer sacrifice and to have the blood of the beasts shed this typifieth out the Messiah that is to come into the world the Son of God that is be made Man and to shed his precious blood to pacifie the wrath of God for your sins and you are to exercise your faith upon this Messiah that is to come they should have told them that no sin could be pardoned but by the blood of Christ they should have loaded their consciences with their sins they should have made their sins heavy upon their consciences but they lightned their minds by putting such apprehensions into them that if they did but offer sacrifice all would be well they might take their liberty then and though they committed sin again yet still there was a sacrifice for it and so they lightned the sins of the people that way This was a most abominable sin of the Priests Calvin upon this place brings in Plato himself that Heathen Calvin Plato inveighing against the absurdity and ridiculousness of peoples offering sacrifice thinking thereby to pacifie their gods and then take liberty to sin again Even Plato thought it an abuse of an Heathen god for people to think it enough to offer sacrifice And yet is not this the
they did fall on the right hand or on the left before or behind so they did divine their good luck or their ill luck as they call'd it A third way was this they used to peel off the bark of some part of a stick and then cast it up and divined according to which part of the pith either black or white appeared first A fourth was which we find in the Roman antiquities that their Augures or South-sayers used to sit upon the top of a Tower or Castle and the air being very cleer and fair without any clouds having a crooked staff in their hand which the Latines câ—ll Liâ—uus there they quartered out the regions of Heaven so much as was for their purpose when they had quarter'd them out they did reach forth this staff having first offered sacrifices and prayers to their gods upon the head of a person or a thing they would divine for and so they came to have good or ill luck to be shewed according to what at that time they observed in the Heavens the birds flying c. when that staff was upon the head of the party This the Romans did and it is like they had it somewhat from the Jews they did ask counsel of their staff By all this we may see what poor waies Idolaters have had to know the mind of their gods Obs When men forsake the right way of knowledg of Gods mind what poor waies do they go to know the mind of God Use Oh by this how should our hearts be raised up to bless God that we have such a way to know his mind that we have his Word that we have his Son that come out of his bosom to declare the eternal counsel of his father unto us These are the poor waies that Idolaters have to know the mind of their gods Now follows the ground of all For the spirit of whoredomes hath caused them to eâ— and they have gone a whoring from under their God For the spirit of whoredoms Some would have it thus that look as there are particular sins so there are particular Devils to attend upon them As there is a devil especially to attend upon Idolatry another to attend upon whoredom another upon drunkenness another upon envy another upon pride another upon passion and the like and so the spirit of whordom that is say they that devil that especially attended upon this sin caused them to er But I think this not to be the scope but this rather the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to er the spirit that is that impetus of spirit that was in them there is an impetus an ardency a vigour an activity of their spirits to such a kind of sinful way it is that which hath carried them on and caused them to er The Scripture oft speaks of several sorts of spirits as sometimes the spirit of perversness Esa 19.14 it is translated in your books a perverse spirit but the words are Spiritus perversitatum a spirit of perversness there is an impetus of spirit that hath caused Egypt to er in every work thereof So the spirit of uncleanness Zech. 13.2 it is translated in your books the unclean spirit but it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the spirit of defilements or uncleanness so the spirits of lying 1 King 22.22 the spirit of error 1 John 4.6 He that knoweth God heareth us he that is not of God heareth not us hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error that is there is an Impetus a strength of spirit that carries men on unto such an erronious way Use And the consideration of that will be of mervailous use unto us Let us look to our spirits my brethren strong inclinations of spirit and consider what spirit we are of especially when we are carried with an Impetus of spirit to a thing that is when we find an eagerness of spirit that way to such a thing we would fain have let us then take heed to our selves when you find I lay your spirits very eagerly and strongly set upon such a thing examine then what spirit you are of that it be not a spirit of lust of envy of malice as sometimes there is in mens hearts when they are carried with a more than ordinary strength after such a way There is many people when they find themselves carried on with such an impetus and ardency and fervency they cannot endure that any body should cross them in it no but they must have it As they in Samuel that would have a King when they heard all the reasons that could be to perswade them against it they would not answer one reason but held to their conclusion No but we will have a King say they So a man that hath a spirit of such an evil A spirit of envie a spirit of error a spirit of Antichrist in him a spirit of domineering in him a spirit of crueltie a spirit of bitterness in him first he will rush upon such a thing without examining of it and further if there come any thing against it any truth he slights it presently and casts it off and thinks there is nothing in it why because he hath a spirit that carries him that way and if the truth come more strongly that he is convinced by it yet he hath a spirit that carries him on and though he meet with many difficulties in the way he will break through them all Oh it is a dangerous thing when men have a spirit of errour or a spirit of bitterness You shall find some men that have much remaining of Antichristanisme in them do but speak to them of any thing that concerns an Ordinance of Christ of Christs institution of the will of Christ in the word assoon as it is but mentioned you shall not hear any answer to the argument but you may perceive a spirit of bitterness a spirit of envy a spirit of frowardness and passion presently to rise in them So in other things you shall find men and some that have good things in them that if you do but discourse with them of some things that you know are according unto the mind of Christ yet they have been brought up otherwise and have drunk in other principles and they have a spirit of bitterness and anger and vexation that presently will appear in them to cast off any truth that is suggested unto them But let us labour on the other side rather to be acted by the Use 2 Spirit of God the Children of God are led by the spirit And it is true the Saints of God have a Spirit of holiness in them as wicked men have a spirit of uncleanness in them so Gods children are carried on with a spirit of holiness the love of Christ hath taken hold of their hearts and perhaps they are weak and cannot reason out the case with some subtill Sophisters but they have the spirit of Christ an Impetus of
spirit that carries them on But take heed the Spirit of Christ is joyned with much humility and holiness do not say you are carried with the Spirit of Christ and yet bitterness and pride is mixed with it but if there be humility and holiness then perhaps though you cannot answer every objection of every Sophister yet there is the Spirit of Christ in you that as wicked men have a byas upon their hearts that swaies their judgment so the godly have a byas upon their hearts the truth and love of God doth byas their hearts and carries them on with strength in the waies of God as the poor man Fox Act. Mon. the Martyr that said I cannot dispute for the truth but I can die for it There was such a spirit of love in him unto Jesus Christ that carried him on and made him savour and relish holy things though he could not dispute for them We are to pray unto God that he would satisfie us not only Use 3 in body and in soul but in spirit that that Impetus of spirit may be sanctified for great things depend upon that Impetus that force that activeness of our spirits almost all fell down under the dreadful authority of those commands then it was well with them but now you have got from under this you do not fear Gods word as you were wont to do you will not tremble at his commands as'you were wont now you run wilde and frisk about in your own waies Oh poor creature whither art thou gone thou art got from under the protection of the Lord. Verse 13. They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains and burn incense upon the hills under Oaks and Poplars and Elms because the shadow thereof is good therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom and your spouses shall commit adultery In the former verse the Prophet in the Name of God had charged Israel for having the spirit of fornication and accused them for going a whoring from under their God And now shews to them wherein Obser and in what particular General accusations without particular specification will not prevail with stubborn hearts Observ Above all Idolaters must be convinced wherein they have committed Idolatry They will stand it out exceedingly if you charge them only with Idolatry in general of going a whoring from God except you demonstrate wherein It is so with many sinners Mal. 1.6 Ye have despised me and yet you say wherein have we despised thee verse 7. Ye offer polluted bread upon mine Altar and yet you say wherein have we polluted thee Stubborn hearts will stand it out with God a great while untill it be shewn in particular wherein they have done such and such evils And it is wisdom therefore for all Gods Ministers not to leave things in general Use for Ministers but if they would have their Ministry a convincing Ministry they must not only charge people that they are wicked and naught in general but they must instance Instancing preaching it is the most convincing preaching Now the Prophet doth instance in that kind of Idolatry that seems to have the most specious shew and fairest intention of any thing in the world and one would have thought that there should have been as little evil in that which he instanceth in as in any thing we can imagine Why what great matter is it they might say You accuse us for going a whoring from under our God what is the matter we offer sacrifice upon mountains we sacrifice under trees is that so great a matter It is sacrifice and you cannot say but we sacrifice to the true God we do not sacrifice to Idols why do we go a whoring from God then Nay the shew of this is very specious that they should sacrifice thus upon mountains and under trees in this they seem to be more devout than Judah was the people of Judah they sacrificed only in one place they sacrificed only in a Temple and did as it were confine and limit God to that place and they sacrificed only upon one Altar Now say they we think God worthy of a great deal more than so we think it is fit to sacrifice unto him every where in every place and especially upon mountains for it is to the high God that we sacrifice therefore we go to mountains to express the high esteem we have of God Papists Just as the Papists at this day they will have their Images in every place and their Crosses in every high way as they travail that by them they may be put in mind of God continually What a specious shew is this Yet the Lord by the Prophet chargeth them with going a whoring from under their God and he instanceth in this which they thought they had most plea for From whence we may note first Whatsoever seems to be most Obs 1 specious in our eyes yet if it be not according to the rule it may prove most abominable in the eyes of God And Secondly That for a thorough conviction of people in their sin Obs 2 Ministers should especially labour to present to them the foulness of those things that they think have least evil in them for Min. To come to people and to cry out of notorious wickedness that they themselves cannot but acknowledg to be notorious this will never so convince as thoroughly to humble but to come and close with them and to open the evil of their waies in those things that they bless themselves most in and shew how they make themselves abominable unto God even in those things that is the way to have our Ministry a convincing an humbling Ministry indeed Thus the Prophet doth you sacrifice upon the mountains and high places and under the shadow of every tree Hierom Hierom. upon this place hath this Note Israel saith be loveth high places for they have forsaken the high God and they love the shadow for they have left the substance It is thus with men ordinarily when they have left the high God forsaken him then they have somewhat or other that they set up high in their hearts they forsake the shadow of the wings of God and then they seek after vain shadows to be their protectour But to open this Scripture yet more cleerly to shew wherein their sin lay here that they sacrificed upon the mountains and hills and under trees For that we are to know that in former times before the Ark and the Tabernacle and the Temple was built it was lawful to sacrifice in any place and God approved of sacrificing in mountains and did direct Abraham to go and sacrifice his son upon a mountain upon Moriah Gen. 22.2 And we reade of Abrahams planting a grove when he called upon the name of God Gen. 21.33 So that the forefathers did sacrifice upon mountains and they planted groves and trees by the places where they sacrificed there was no hurt then in such things But afterward God
it is ordinary in the Revelation to set out the Ministry of the Gospel by an Angel and so it is a prophesie of the Ministry of the Gospel that it shall fly in Heaven aloft publickly that all the world shall see it And mark what follows upon this verse 8. And there followed another Angel saying Babylon is fallen is fallen So that the Note from thence is Obser That when the Ministry of the Gospel and the Ordinances of the Gospel comes to be made openly publick then is the time for Babylon to fall and so long as Babylon stands and Antichrist stands so long is the Gospel fain to be preach'd in corners but when the time of Babylons fal cometh then shal the Ministry of the Gospel be in Heaven above in the eyes of all the people in a publick way Secondly They sacrificed not only upon the mountains but upon the tops of the mountains Obser Idolaters they seek to rise to the height of their way of false worship they would do it unto the uttermost they content not themselves with hills and mountains but the very uppermost of hills and mountains if there were any higher than other if they could get up to Heaven they would do it Idolaters do not content themselves with a lower degree of false worship Use How much less should we in the way of Gods worship we should not content our selves in a mean way but get up to the top of godliness and labour to gain the very height of the worship of God Not content our selves in one Ordinance but get all Ordinances and get them in the full exercise of them as much as may be That place in Ephes Walk accurately Eph. 5.15 circumspectly not as fools but as wise the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if he said walk to the top of godliness to the height if there be any higher degree than other labor to get to it as Idolaters will get up to the tops of the mountains Thus for their sacrificing upon the mountains The next is Their sacrificing under Oaks and Poplars and Elms. Why the Heathens sacrificed under trees And these trees that are here named are such whose leaves are broad and did abide longest upon them But why did they seek to sacrifice under trees and such trees as these There are five or six reasons why the Heathens and these peo-were so set upon sacrificing under trees The first was this Populus Alcideo graissima vitiâ— Iacho formofio myrtus Veneri sua Laurea Phoebo Virg. Aeneed 7. The Heathens did consecrate many trees to their Idols The Poplar to Herculus the Vine to Bacchus the Mirtle to Venus the Bay to Phoebus They consecrated several trees to their several gods and therefore sacrificed under those trees Secondly They sacrificed there in imitation of the Patriarches as I shewd before Abraham built a grove by the Altar he made and so many of the Patriarchs had groves and trees by their Altars and in imitation of them they did it and so did the Heathens for the Devil did strive much to imitate the way of the true worship of God but now when they came once to abuse the ancient practice of the Patriarchs God removes it Thirdly They thought that dark and shady places dark by the shadiness of these trees might strike some fear and reverence in the hearts of men when they came to worship there is a kind of dismalness as it were and it doth cause a kind of reverence in coming into woods where there are high trees and shady places there is a kind of solemness in it and they thought it was a means to put reverence into the hearts of the worshippers Even Heathens themselves when they worshipped their Idols they sought to have the hearts of the worshippers to be fild with reverence And Fourthly They thought that the spirits of their Heroes were up and down in the woods and groves It was the tradition of the Heathens they were taught it by their Priests that the ghosts of their great men their Heroes were in woods and in groves Viâ—g Aeneed 6. Nulli certa domus lucis habitamus opacis So you have it in Virgil that they themselves have no certain houses to dwel in but they dwelt in dark and solitary places in woods and groves Fiftly They were fit places for committing of filthiness when they came to those places which many of them did The sacrifices of the Heathen many of them were mixed with filthy and abominable uncleanness and those places were fit for such uncleanness and therefore the Devil liked well of them So Philo and Sozamen in his history he tells us of this reason of their sacrificing there because of the filthiness that was there commmitted Lastly It was the conceit of many of the Heathens that it was too much to the dishonor of God to be worshipped in any place covered above head or to be circumscribed within any limits Even the Heathens some of them looked upon God as infinite and for him to be worshipped within any place covered above head they thought it was a dishonor therefore they would worship him in the open fields and under trees This was the reason of their sacrificing under trees Now the holy Ghost saies they did this because the shadow of them was good The holy Ghost instanceth only in one reason the shadow was good that is they pleased themselves in their own waies they thought there was more solemnity in this way of worship than to go to the Temple to worship there The shadow was good Oh it was brave to go to the open fields and it was more solemn they thought to go there than to worship in the City The shadow was good they applauded and blest themselves in this way Vsually superstition thinks it hath a great deal of reason for what it doth Obser that is the Note from hence Therefore it is observable of the Papists the way of their worship it is most rediculous and absurd yet they write whol volumns of their Rational of Divine Service to shew reason for what they do as if it were a reasonable service Rationale divinorum officiorum and in Colos 2. ult it is spoken of will-worship that it hath a shew of wisdom Now the words in the Greek are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it hath the reason of wisdom for so it may be turned for is used for Ratio it hath the reason of wisdom So that word your Reasonable Service it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So that Idolaters think that it is not only wisdom but that they have the very reason the very quintessence of wisdom in their way of false-worship they can give such account of it the shadow is good And especially in that very thing that they think their worship is more sumptuous and brave and hath more solemnity in it than the Ordinances of God have This is the vanity and pride of mens
spirits to think that the worship of God appointed in his word hath not solemnity enough in it That is the point naturally rising from thence It is the pride I say of mens spirits to think that Gods Ordinances are too plain Obs too mean for them they can find out a way that sets out the worship of God thus and thus they will shew more reverence of and respect to God than others shall But certainly if it be not Gods own whatsoever outward respect can be given unto God in it he â—bominateth it and abhorreth it A Lady in Paris I have read of a Lady in Paris that when she saw the bravery of a Procession to a Saint she cried out Oh how fine is our Religion beyond that of the Hugonites that is such as those who in England they call Puritans They have a poor and mean and beggarly Religion but we have a fine and brave Religion so your Papists with decking up their Churches and their Altars and their crings and bowings they have a fine and brave Religion their shadow is good there is bravery and solemnity in it Oh take heed of this in any point of Gods worship to think that any addition of mans makes it more solemn and more reverent It is the worst argument you can use to say can we do things in Gods worship with too great reverence Is it that which you have warrant out of Gods word for doth God enjoyn it Have you not either some rule or ensample at least for it If you think by your own addition to do it with more reverence this very argument spoils it though it were lawful in other respects Take some gesture suppose it were indifferent suppose it were lawful some way but if you take it up thus to think that by it you put more reverence and respect upon Gods worship than there is there you spoil it upon some other grounds it may perhaps be granted but upon that ground you spoil it quite Therfore the Lord â—orbad his people when they were to make an Altar to him to lift up a tool upon it for then saith he you pollute it They might have said Lord we would fain have thine Altar not so plain as other things simile we would fain bestow carving and some cost upon it and so shew some respect to it No saith God If you lift up a tool upon it you pollute it So if you think to put more reverence and solemnity upon Gods worship by any invention of your own certainly you defile it That was the sin of Israel at this time they would sacrifice here why because the shadow was good So much for that for their high places and their worshiping under trees Now follows the judgment threatened Therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom and your spouses shall commit adultery You commit adultery in going a whoring from mâ— you shall be punished in the like kind your daughters and your spouses shall go a whoring from you They shall commit adultery Take it first under this consideration as a judgment of God upon them Secondly under this As that which they themselves were the occasion to produce 1 Observ First It was the judgment of God upon them Hence note God sometimes punisheth sin with sin he punisheth spiritual adultery with corporal uncleanness Corporal pollutions are the fruit of spiritual filthiness So Rom. 1. They worshiped not God as God but in an Idolators way after the s militude of an Ox that eateth grasâ— therefore God gave them up to â—ncleanness If men be not careful to maintain purity in Gods worship God careâ— not for their bodily châ—stity If you â—olâ—uâ—e my worship be unclean then â—aith God Not that he doth permit it as lawful but in juâ—t â—udgâ—ent he leaveth them unto it What care I for all yâ—ur uncleaâ—ness otherwise in your bodies if you pollute â—y wâ—â—sâ—ip Roma Amor inversio That is preposterous love because of the unnatural filthinesse there practised Iohannes à Casá Arch Bishop of BendnutuÌ„ wrote a Book in commendation of Sodomy And it is usual for bodily and spiritual adultery to go together The word Râ—ma turn the letters and it is Amor there is a deal of unclean filthy love in Rome as I shewd bâ—fore Wâ—â—â—e thâ—re is most Idolatry there is most adultery But secondly The sin of Parents is punished many times in the children and in the family Your daughters and your spouses I will leave them saith God and mine hand shall be upon them When a parent or a husband sees the hand of God against his child or against his wife he should consider how doth God meet with me in this is it not a sâ—gn of Gods displeasure against me in this particular It is observable that of the woman of Canaan Mat. 15.22 when her child was vexed with an unclean spirit saith she Have mercy upon me O Lord my child is grievâ—usly vexed with a Devil she did not say Lord have mercy upon my child but Lord have mercy upon me for my child is vexed with an unclean spirit as if she should say O Lord my sin may be this unclean spirit it may be the punishment of my sin therfore Lord have mercy upon me forgive me my sin that hath caused such a thing as this yea Lord it may be I have had an unclean spirit and this my child did imitate me in somewhat that was evil and so thy hand is come upon it I am the Original therefore Lord have mercy upon me for my child is vexed with an unclean spirit So should you when you see the hand of God upon your children not only outwardly upon their bodies cry out Lord hâ—ve mercy upon me for my child hath such a disease hath such convulsion fits hath such pain and such extremity Lord pardon my sin And doth God leave your children in wickedness do you see unclean spirits in your children the spirit of filthiness Cry out Lord have mercy upon me perhaps it was by imitating of you that they came to have such unclean spirits Obs Thirdly It is a great reproach unto any family to have uncleanness committed in it Fornication and adultery is a great reproach unto a family especially when the daughter or the wife is unclean It is a reproach unto a family if a servant prove naught especially to some families more than others the family of a Minister or of a Magistrate or a man in publick place and esteem Use for Governors to have a servant prove naught which by the way should teach Governours to be more careful of their families than they are for many times thorough their carelesness God sends such a judgment puts this disgrace upon their families Many of you for your pleasure and delight can go to your countrey houses Country houses and while you are there your servants are doing wickedness You should have an especial eye over your families in
brought into perplexity and doubtfulness of ones counsels and waies that they do not know which way in the world to go that is the propriety of the word I say by their doubtfulness of their way not knowing which way to go being perplexed in their counsels thereupon they come to stumble and fall This people that do not understand shall thus fall Indeed it is more proper and sutable to the words before they do not understand therefore they must needs be perplexed in their waies and not know which way to go and therefore must fall as a man that is in the dark and knows not which way to go he must needs fall so when men have left the true light and are in the dark they shall fall and when they are fallen they shall be perplexed in that misery into which they ate fallen From whence these two Notes Obs 1 First That it is a fearful judgment of God and a forerunner of a grievous fall for him to leave men to perplexed counsels When men are perplexed in their counsels one is for this way and another is for that way and then carry it back and then forward again Oh this i◠a forerunner of falling into grievous misery In Esa 19.14 the Lord threatneth Egypt that he wil send a perverse spirit in the midst of them they shal er in every work as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit they shall er in their counsels and this comes from a perverse spirit The Lord many times sends a perplexed spirit and a perverse spirit in judgment upon men and what then then they reel and stagger up and down in their counsels first they will go one way and then another and so bring a great deal of sorrow and trouble upon a people The Lord grant our enemies these perplexed counsels and deliver us from them Obs 2 Secondly It notes thus much That when they are fallen and are once down and have brought misery upon themselves and others by their ill waies and counsels then they shall be so insnared and most dreadfully perplexed that they shall not know which way to go or what to do Men that are Idolatrous and superstitious and men that God leaves to themselves they are in miserable perplexity when they are fallen they are as those poor blind men in 2 King 6. that Elisha led to Samaria in stead of Dothan what miserable perplexity were they in when they found themselves in Samaria among their enemies simile So when men are left unto themselves and God hath brought them into those perplexities when they shall see the fruit of their perplexed counsels how grievous will it be On the other side when a man goes according to the rule of Gods word and in the uprightness of his heart desires to be directed according unto that rule though such a one should meet with trouble and fall into affliction for his trial he need not be perplexed there shall be quietness and peace to his spirit in the midst of his afflictions why because he hath followed God he hath gone according to his rule It may be he knows not Gods end in bringing him into affliction he understands not the depth of Gods waies yet having endeavoured in the sincerity of his heart to walk according to Gods will you that have done so you understand much though you should fall into affliction yet you shall not fall into perplexity Verse 15. Though thou Israel play the harlot yet let not Judah offend and come not ye unto Gilgal neither go ye up to Beth-aven nor swear The Lord liveth The close of this Chapter is a warning to Judah to take heed that she doth not do as Israel did in regard of the vileness of their sin the fearfulness and suddenness of their judgment Though thou Israel Thou wretched wicked stubborn stout hearted Israel that no means wil reclaim though thou play the harlot yet let not Judah offend The word translated Offend that is from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it signifies desolare likewise because sin brings desolation The Hebrews have divers words to express sin and punishment both in one because they are so neer a kin Israel playeth the harlot and so is like to bring desolation unto her self but let not Judah likewise offend and bring the same desolation likewise upon her self The Prophet Hosea was especially sent to Israel to the ten Obs 1 Tribes but here we see he turns his speech unto Judah Ministers Ministers should especially look to those whom they are bound unto by Office but yet so as to labour to do good to others as occasion is And not only Ministers but others likewise We should all intend good especially to those that are under our charge but yet neglect no opportunity to do good unto any Secondly When we see our labor lost upon those we desire Obs 2 most good unto we should be desirous then to try what we can do unto others If this or the other get not good by our Ministry by our Admonition by our Exhortations by our Counsels yet it may be the Lord may bless our endeavors upon such and such let us try what we can do there Thirdly Let not Judah offend Let not Judah do as Israel did Exposit There was a great deal of danger that Judah should be insnared and polluted with Israels Idolatry and that in many regards which are the ground of this seasonable admonition of the Prophet Though Israel do thus and thus yet let not Judah do so as if he should say the truth is Judah is in great danger to be defiled by Israel and why so Reas 1 First They lived neer unto them and there is a great deal of danger in living neer unto Idloaters or wicked ones All sin especially Idolatry is as leaven that will spread and you may see the danger that there was in living so neer them in Ezek. 16.46 and indeed afterwards it proved to be dangerous one special reason of the iniquity of Jerusalem is there given Ezek. 16.46 Opened Thine elder sister Samaria she and her daughters dwell at thy left hand and thy younger sister that dwells at thy right hand is Sodom and her daughters That was an especial reason of the iniquity of Jerusalem their elder sister Samaria that is the ten Tribes were on the left hand and their younger sister Sodom were on the right hand and so they came to be sinful To be neer Idolaters and wicked ones is very dangerous then much more to be in the same Town Obser in the same family where superstitious and wicked persons are there we had need to take heed to our selves for there is much danger Again This was not only dangerous that Judah should be defiled by Israels Idolatry because of their neerness but secondly because they were brethren and so the danger was the greater to be drawn aside by them Obser If you have a kinsman if you have one
never to make it an argument that such or such people do so and so And Obs 2 Secondly a second Note is That it goes neer to the heart of God when his people offend much more than when others offend Yet let not Judah offend Judah was the only people of God the only true Church of God that remained in the world When Gods own people offend Oh that goes neerer unto the heart of God than when others do offend As Christ said to his Disciples Will ye also go away and as Julius Caesar said to Brutus in the Senate that came with a dagger to stab him What and thou my son Brute what thou amongst all others so saie God when those that are professors of Religion that are his people that are neer unto him when they sin against the Lord what and you also will you also come and strike me First There is more unkindness in the sins of Gods people than there Reas 1 is in the sins of others This grieves the Spirit of God others do provoke God do anger God but Gods Saints do grieve his Spirit for grief is out of love Note and the more God loves any the more grievous is it unto his heart that they should offend him The more you love a wife or a child or a friend the more doth it go to your heart that such a one should do any thing that might justly offend you Secondly There is more unfaithfulness in the sins of Gods people Reas 2 thâ—n there is in the sins of others for they have given up themselves unto God in another way than others have done and the heart of God confideth in them more What thou my friend that hath eat bread at my table wilt thou lift up thy heel against me And Esa 63.8 I said they are children that will not lye God confideth in them and for them to be unfaithful for Judah to sin this goes to the heart of God indeed Thirdly Gods Name is more polluted by the sins of his people than Reas 3 by the sins of others Others wicked ones offend the will of God but they do not pollute the Name of God so much as his own people do Fourthly The excellency of the graces of the Saints and the excellency Reas 4 of the state wherein they are makes their sins to be worse than the sins of others As spot of dirt in a sackcloth is not so great an evil as spots of dirt and stains in a piece of Cambrick or Lawn simile if you have fine cloathes and fine garments and there be but a stain comes upon them a spot of dirt then you will think that a great evil but there are some course garments as your safeguards that you make of course things you care not so much though they be solid and dirty So the wicked they are of a course thread their spirits are little worth therefore though they be sullied and defiled it is not so much but the spirits of the Saints they are renewed they have the Image of God upon them therefore a spot in them is a great deal worse As a spot of dirt upon an ordinary Deal board is no great evil simile but if there be a curious Image and Picture drawn upon a table to have that besmeared is a great deal worse so if thou art godly thou hast the Image of God drawn upon thy soul and a sin a spot in thee is worse than in others Therefore what ever others do yet let Gods people take heed to themselves that they do not offend Yea the Saints of God they are the very salt of the earth the very light of the world they are those for whose sake God continueth the world in that way he doth they are the supporters of all and if they depart from God also what will become of the world Reas 5 Fiftly As the sins of the Saints go neerer the heart of God than the sins of others so they go neerer to the heart of the Saints The sin of one Saint goes neerer the heart of another Saint than the sin of any other man doth Offences of brethren amongst brethren they are the greatest of all As Sampson said to those that came to bind him simile do not you bind me I care not for the Philistines so much only do you not bind me so all the railings and persecutions of ungodly men are not so much as the unkindness of the Saints Unkindnesses from such as we look upon as godly go neerer to the heart of those that are godly than all the railings and persecutions of ungodly men If others of the Saints such as are godly should suffer opposition yea if it should come to this that they should suffer persecution from such as they look upon as godly Oh how would that cut their hearts Their complaints to their father of this would be sore complaints indeed Applic. The force of this Though Israel do thus yet let not Judah offend if it were applied unto us at this time it would come to thus much Though Prelates though such as were superstitious and corrupt though they were bitter against and did persecute my servants yet let not such as have professed godliness let not such as have been painful and conscionable Ministers let not such whose consciences have been heretofore tender in many things let not them offend in any bitterness in any harshness against their brethren This will go more to Gods heart and to the heart of the Saints than any offences of any other that ever was heretofore All the persecutions of all the Prelates and Papists and of all your Popish Priests and such kind of men they would not be the thousand part so much as any bitterness or harshness from the spirits of those that are looked upon as godly against the Saints Especially such as heretofore have profest so much tenderness of conscience and have suffered so much for the tenderness of their consciences because they could not do what they were enjoyned to do and now if they after they have gotten liberty to their own consciences should once come to be harsh and bitter against others that are godly Oh how sad would this be unto God and unto his people Oh let not Judah offend what ever Israel do Come not ye unto Gilgal neither go ye up to Beth-aven There are two things to be enquired here 1. What this Gilgal and what Beth-aven was 2. The reason of the prohibition why they must must not come to Gilgal nor go to Beth-aven The words are ordinarily read and past over without any great observation but there is much of Gods mind in them For the first Gilgal Gilgal it was a most famous place in the borders of Israel famous heretofore for many things I know no one place that there are more glorious things spoke of than of Gilgal except Jerusalem it self It was famous for these things First There was that great
in the midst of dangers yet saith God Let them alone they shall not have my protection and help And this is a just punishment of God upon wicked sinners that will go on in their wicked waies Reas 4 Fourthly When God saith Let them alone he intends this as the making of way unto some fearful wrath that is to follow after Let my mercy and goodness let them alone but it is that they may fall into my wrath and that will not let them alone that will trouble them howsoever they cannot enduâ— to be troubled by my Word by mâ— Messengers by my Spirit but my Wrath shall trouble them afterward that shall not let them alone as in that place Ezek. 24.13 before quoted Thou shalt not be purâ—â—â— from thy filthiness any more till I have caused my fury â—o rest upon thee they shal not have any means to trouble them for a while but at length my fury shall rest upon them When the Lord shall seem to be quiet toward men and let them alone it is but to make way for fearful wrath that is coming after Reas 5 Fiftly If God once inflict this judgment upon sinners to say Let them alone if God will not vouchsafe to speak unto them any more he will not then vouchsafe to hear them speak unto him any more If God once shall take away his Word from them If once the Lord shall say they would not hear me they shall never hear me more Let them alone God will then likewise say I will not hear them let them cry in the anguish of their spirits I will let them alone that is certain When God shall let sinners alone in regard of his mercy then he will let them alone too when the greatest wrath shall be upon them As thus when they shall come under the greatest affliction the most dreadful miseries and torments in this world and eternally in the world to come when they shall then be crying and roaring and yelling out in the anguish of their spirits unto God Oh that God would now have mercy upon us God will let them even then alone I will bring them into the fire saith God and then I will leave them there Oh think of this when you feel that there was a time when God was stirring and striving with your hearts but now it is not so as before yet you are worse in your lives than before And then further It is a dreadful sign of reprobation Reas 6 for God to say of a people or of a person thus Let them alone For first What is reprobation Reprobation what Reprobation certainly is not for God to decree to damn men you mistake in that that is not the first act of God upon any man but thus reprobation is this for God to decree whereas there are some that he hath set his heart upon he is resolved to do them good there are others he doth not presently decree to damn them but he doth decree to leave them unto themselves that what they Earn they shall have and no more Earnings he will deal with them according to their works he will do them no wrong he will not be unjust to them Justice he will not damn them but for their sin he never decrees to damn any but for sin but he decrees this he will leave them to a course of justice I will give them what is sit for them to have in creation I will make such a covenant with them and then I will leave them unto themselves and what they work for they shall have this is then another kind of reprobation and worse than that first Reprobation that is reprobation for God to decree to leave a man to himself when he had no sin in him as God did not make man with sin at first suppose you were now made according to the Image of God without sin yet if God should decree to leave you fully and eternally to your self you were but a reprobate but now when God sees a man in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity now for God to leave him to himself this is reprobation of the second Edition this is a most dreadful reprobation indeed Secondly There is a reprobation in it in this regard That God now doth manifest that he doth intend to fetch his glory from this sinner out of his ruin he manifesteth no other now for thus Certainly God will have glory from every creature howsoever you may resist God in his glory God will have it he will fetch it out from you Well but now on the first hand God he would have his glory from his creature in the waies of obedience and service but they deny this to God they will not give him this glory they will have their own will they will set up themselves in Gods Throne Well saith God I have used such and such means to draw their hearts from those waies to my self but they stand out Let them alone now As if he should say thus I have thought now of another way to fetch out my glory from them as he reasoned in the Gospel when he could not provide for himself one way I know what I will do saith he so saith God I am denied my glory one way well I know what to do I have another way that is to glorifie my infinite Justice and the power of my infinite wrath they have refused to give me glory by obedience and coming in to me I will not have my glorie that way but now I will rather chuse to have my glorie from them in their everlasting misery they shall be spectacles of my wrath and justice and it shall be known to Angels and men unto all eternity what my infinite justice and power is able to do therefore let them alone to that saith God Reas 7 And further When God shall say of any Let him alone it is a greater judgment than if he should inflict all the outward judgments of this world upon them Too many of you are afraid of sickness of being spoild of your goods that God should let the enemy in upon you and all should be taken from you this were a great judgment Oh but this judgment here in the Text is a greater judgment than if you were stripped of all the comforts in the world and brought into the miserablest condition that ever any creature was upon the earth in regard of outwards you were not under such a dreadful judgment as thiâ— for God to say Let them alone better any judgments than spiritual judgments As the spiritual blessings of God bestowed upon the Saints are the greatest blessings Ephe. 1.2 Oh blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ that hath blessed us with al spiritual blessings in heavenly things so the judgments of God that are spiritual judgments they are the most dreadful judgments of God in the world Oh that we could have our hearts possest with a
fear of those to fear spiritual judgments more than all the judgments in the world And yet more This is not only worse than all outward Reas 8 judgments here in this world but it is worse for a man to be given over by God to himself than to be given up to the Devil If God should give up any man to the Devil and say Note Worse to be given up to ones self than to be given up to the Devil Devil take him possess him as once he did possess many in Christs time it were not such a fearful judgment as this to say let lusts take him and rule him let him be given up to his own hearts lusts let him alone to them And that is apparant out of that place where the Apostle gives order for the incestious person to be given over unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that his soul might be saved When one is given up to the Devil in Excommunication or any other way it may prove to the salvation of his soul but this judgment of God saying Let a man alone it is for the destruction of his soul not of the flesh it tendeth directly to the destruction of the soul though it may be in the mean while the flesh may be saved It is so with many There are many that God letteth alone and that proveth the destruction of the soul but perhaps the saving of the flesh As thus perhaps many that went on in wickedness God was chastising them and afflicting them well this tended to the destruction of the flesh though to the saving of their soul yea but they would rather live in prosperity and ease and have their sin well saith God you shall do so you shall have ease and prosperity and have your sin that is your flesh shall here be saved but your soul shall eternally be destroyed Therefore it is worse than to be given up unto the Devil Reas 9 Yea further For God to say Let him alone it is worse than to be sent down to Hell presently or then to be presently damned for when one is left alone to himself he will encrease his sin most dreadfully all the time of hiâ— life and as his sin doth encrease so his torment doth encrease therefore it is a most dreadful thing to be let alone Reas 10 Yea further When God saith Let a man alone you will say God should pitie him then alas what can a man do No but his condition is thus when he is let alone though he be without the grace of God yet he must answer for as much as he might have done if he had had that grace which he hath justly deprived himself of And must answer for all that the might have don with the grace he might have had there lies the evil of it further When God leaves a man alone he must not think but he is to answer still for the motions of Gods Spirit though he hath them not and for the means of grace though he enjoy them not for he hath deprived himself of them For look what means of grace we thorough sin have deprived our selves of we must answer for them and there is none of your reasons but may be convinced of it I will give you a plain instance Suppose you send your servant to market to buy a commodity you give him money whereby he may do it simile but he goes into an Alehouse or Tavern and drinks it away he cannot bring you that you sent him for but you may justly require it and punish him for not doing of it he may say what would you have me do that I cannot I cannot bring it you without money yea but the Master may say I gave you monie it is your fault you have bezelled it away So God may justly require of these men all that they might have done by all the means of grace they should have had God gave you that means you have bezelled it away by your sinâ— Again further When God shall say Let him alone his Reas 11 condition is dreadful in this Al means encrease his condemnatioÌ„ that now all the means of grace are made unprofitable to him yea cursed to him and they are turned to the quite contrary end For the word will work one way or other either to be the savour of life unto life or of death unto death and so the Sacrament either to be the seal of Salvation or the Seal of damnation Now all means are not only unprofitable those means that do other souls good It may be the poor child of a wicked parent comes unto the word and there he finds God revealing himself unto him and the Spirit of God drawing his heart unto himself but there is his parent of whom God hath said Let him alone he sits under the means and gets no good So perhaps the Master he is one upon whom this judgment is past Let him olone he sits under the means and gets nothing and his poor servant he comes and his soul is enlightned his heart is enlarged because this judgment is not upon him Oh my brethren upon this because the point is of so great consequence I could not passe by it lightly you may learn from hence First what poor creatures we are all God need not say Use 1 Let my power and wrath justice come upon them to make them miserable if God do but say Let them alâ—ne we are miserable presently we are lost and undone presently simile As in nature If God should say to any of you as soon as you are born Let this creature alone and let none help him what poor shiftless sucourless creatures had we been So for our souls take one that hath the most excellent gifts in all this Congregation yea take one that hath the most excellent graces if God should but say Let him alone he would quickly bring himself to misery It is through the strength of that grace in the Covenant that God will never say to those that are members of his Son Let them alone for ever Secondly Oh let us fear and tremble at this judgment Especially Use 2 let them take this to heart that have felt the Spirit of God stirring in their hearts and the Word coming to their consciences yet they have gone on directly against Gods Word and the motions of his Spirit Oh that this day the fear of this great God may fall upon them lest God should say Let them alone Perhaps God hath not said so yet but who knows but that upon the next wilful sin thou committest God may say concerning thee Let him alone and then thou art undon for ever Oh fear and tremble Perhaps some of you may say God hath surely said this of me already Caution I should not be so unprofitable under the means else I should not hear such powerful Sermons and get so little good I should not have such and such
corruptions prevail over me I am afraid this is pronounced already against me I am loth when I speak of this dreadful judgment which is indeed the most dreadful in all the Book of God to let any poor soul go that hath need of comfort without receiving what is due to him To answer thee then First It is a good sign that God hath not let thee alone when thou art troubled in the fear of thy heart lest God should have let thee alone Commonly those men that God hath left alone they go on and are quiet and are never troubled about it but please themselves in their own hearts lusts Secondly It is a good means to keep thee from being let alone Those that are afraid lest God should leave them alone and upon that can say in the uprightness of their hearts Oh I tremble under this judgment I had rather God should give me up to all the Cavaliers to all the Devils in Hell than to my own hearts lusts it is a signe that this judgement is not upon thee and it is a means to keep it from thee And Thirdly and lastly If thou hast yet a heart not to let God alone God hath not a heart to let thâ—e alone So long as thy heart keeps up to God that thou wilt not let him alone you know it is the Scripture phrase when Moses was so earnestly seeking God in prayer let me alone saith God to Moses though thou findest not God coming to thee as thou desirest thou attendest upon God in the word and in reading and â—â—ditation and all the means thou knowest and yet thou dost not find God come and yet for all this thou art not weary of Gods service and art resolved thou wilt not let God alone but if thou perish thou wilt let it be thy last breath to be crying unto God and never let him alone peace be unto thee God hath not let thee alone so long as this frame of heart doth abide in thee Those of whom God saith let them alone usually they begin to be more sluggish in prayer than before to break off prayer in their families in their closets and then perhaps to fall objecting against it why Note What is there for it to prove such things must be done and the like and so by degrees they will come to have no heart unto any holy duty but if thy heart be kept in quickness and activity and life to be seeking God and resolving not to let him alone surely God will not let thee alone Lastly Ob bless God if thou findest that he hath not inflicted this Use 3 judgment upon thee Though perhaps thou hast many outward judgments in the world it may be some of you are spoiled of all your goods and have great afflictions upon you Oh let this be a means to quiet your hearts that though God hath taken from you many comforts in this world yet blessed be his Name he hath not left me alone yet I find his Spirit within me I find his Grace within me I find his Word working in my heart there are many other men that have outward comforts they have fair houses great possessions and lands and brave cloathes Oh but the Lord hath let them alone though I have afflictions upon me yet blessed be God he hath not inflicted this judgment upon me he hath not let me alone And let us bless God in regard of the Kingdom Surely the waies of God toward this Land are such that we have hope that God hath not pronounced this judgement upon England God might have said unto England England hath been joyned to Idols let him alone One would have thought that some three years since and a little more that we were in a condition fit to be let alone but in this time the Lord hath been so stirring and working for England as it may appear evidently that God will not let us alone and blessed be God that he will not let us alone that he will scourg and afflict us sorely rather than not purge out our Idols And that people and that soul that had rather have God purge them soundly than let them go on in any sin surely God doth not let that people and soul alone It is true indeed great chastisements are upon us but stil they al hitherto tend to our purging not our ruin it is because the Lord will not let us alone It may be many think it would be better if it were with us now as as it was four years since then we had no such noise and rumours of war there was no such spoiling and killing as now what is the English of this but thus much Oh it was well with us when we were going on in superstitious and idolatrous waies going to Rome as fast as we could that God might have said then Let England alone If God should have said let them go to Rome let Idolatry be set up there this would have been a greater judgment than al the blood-shed in England at this day but in that the Lord is yet striving with us though we be strugling against him let us bless his Name Verse 18. Their drink is sowr they have committed whoredom continually her Rulers with shame do love Give ye Their drink is sowre I find some Interpreters carry this word thus Exposit 1 faedé crapulantur Luther as if it noted their excess in drunkeness and luxury as if they powred down drink till it sowred in them and then they vomited it up So Luther translates the words they do most filthily and vildly gormondize drink and eat and pamper themselves I remember Luther upon the place hath this note saith he Idolaters they love to pamper the flesh they drink even to vomiting again but for the true worshiping of God that saith he is cut more short in these outward things and it is hungry and cold We find that the false prophets were pampered at Jezebels table when poor Micaiah was fain to be fed with bread and water of affliction So Luther and divers other Interpreters carry the word But I think there is more in it The word that is here translated drink it carrieth with it their festival meeting Convivium recessâ—t that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their feasts and their meetings it is as wine that is sowr and hath lost the spirit and savor of it For drink they understand their drinkings that is the comforts that they have in this world that these Idolaters do so much satisfie themselves in as your superstitious Idolatrous people they alwaies seek to pamper their bellies and to be sure to have outward comforts Now saith he all this is sowr And indeed all the comfort of this world when God is forsaken it is but as sowr drink the sweetness and quickness and life of all is taken away when God and his worship is forsaken So you may take their drink by a Senechdoch for al the comforts of this
of God Use for Idolaters will crouch and bow and deny themselves in their ends for the promoting of their Idolatry There are many depths many subtilties in their waies their parts are imploied to the utmost to maintain their superstition And men that have strong parts and good wits what a glosse are they able to put upon the worst things in the world Men oâ— parts If there be any ability in any parts or strong wit that the Devil can assist them withal he shall be imploied in putting of glosses upon their false waies of worship and so they grow deep The Scripture telleth us of the depths of Satan Rev. 2.24 Satan in his instruments hath deep policies and doth go beyond many poor weak and simple people And sometime we have in Scripture exprest the devices of Satan 2 Cor. 2.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the reasonings of Satan And then the methods â—f the Devil Eph. 6.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the deep policies of the Devil and in nothing more exercised than in the maintainance of the waies of false worship gravity There they appear with their gravity and profound learning seeming profound learning to countenance this their way of false worship This was just the way of Idolaters at these times they were grown profound in thiâ— their way First Obser That the hearts of Apostates are the most deeply rooted in wiâ—â—edness No men are so deeply rooted in wickedness as Apostates are The â—evolters are grown dâ—ep that iâ— are deeply rooâ—ed in this their way of wickedness and amongst oâ—her wickedness above all in the waies of superstiâ—ion and Idolatry Apostates if thâ—y grow superstitious and Idolâ—trous they are the most deâ—ply rooted in those waies yea and the most profound and subtil in them Hence you might observe in your own experiences the practices of our Prelates Applic Prelats of late they would chuse to themselves Chaplain to be their Agents such as had bin heretofore Puritans and so falling off and apostatizing from that strictness that they seemed to profess in former times they made account that these would be theiâ— choicest and best Agents of all men they thought their sittest men were such as did arise out of the asâ—e of a Puritan as they themselves were wont to express it they knew that such men as those that were formerly seemingly strict in their practice were best acquainted wherein the consciences of godly men were most tender and that they knew their waies and what would pinch their consciences most and therefore these were the fittest Agents for them Obs 2 Idolaters especially Apostates are profound and deep We had need therefore to beware of those that are superstitious Use 1 when they come with the greatest shew of arguments They are deeply rooted and can hardly be gotten off from Use 2 their superstitious waies we had need likewise be deeplie rooted in the truths of God or they certainlie will undermine us The Scripture telleth us that the Spirit of God searcheth the deâ—p things of God 1 Cor. 2.10 revealeth the mysterieâ— of Christ Those that have that Spirit of God Spirit of God that searcheth those deep thing of God they are the only men and women that are like to stand out againâ—t the deep policies of Idolaters mean gifted Beleevers And the truth is every godly man and woman though never so mean parted yet they are more profound than the greatest Scholer in the world that is wicked and superstitious for they have the Spirit of God that searcheth the deep things of God and this it is that keâ—ps their hearts from being taken with greatest profoundness of false worship Obs 3 Idâ—laters they are deep in their policies Use It should teach us then to lâ—bor to be wise in the worship of God Christian policy When we would maintain God in his worship it should teach us to learn to seek to out plot them they are full of their plots why should not the Spirit of God teach us wisdom as well as the spirit of Satan teacheth them Why should we not exercise our parts as strongly in the true worship of God as they theirs in the way of superstition and Idolatry But we see it ordinarily otherwise That the men of the wâ—rld are wiser in their generation than the children of light they are deeper in waieâ— of policie and so deceive such as are simple If you take them upon the first presenting of things the first shew of things they will seem to come with such colour of arguments as will certainly deceive you Therefore you should beg wisdom of God that you might not be deceived through the subtilty of â—atan through these men I find diverâ— of the Anciâ—nts have other intepretations of these wordâ— I will not spend further time in telling you what those are because I think already we have had the meaning of the holy Ghost in these words therefore we will pass on They are profound To make slaughter To make slaughter what doth God intend by these words By these he doth express their way of superstition and false worship He meaneth by their making Expos 1 slaughter their sacrifices unto their Idols and so by the sacrificeâ— which was the principal part of their false worship he mâ—aneth all their false worship they were deep in all their false worship naming the chief for the rest But why doth He call their Sacrifices making slaughter It is in way of reproach Reas All their sacrifices were no better than slaughter their Temple was no better than a shambles and their Priests no better than Butchers God will not give them the honour as to say they offered me sacrifice No but it is to make slaughter As if God should say I look upon all your sacrifices as no other than upon slaughter your Temple no otherwise than upon a butchers shambles and your Priests no otherwise than butchers Thus contemptibly doth God speâ—k of the sacrifices of those that chuse their own superstitious waies Isa 66.3 He that killeth an Ox is as if he slew a man saith God he that sacrificeth a Lamb as if he cut off a Dogs neâ—k he that offereth up an oblation as if he offered Swines bloâ—d and yet there God speaks of the sacrifices of Judah not of Israel Let the sacrifices be for the matter of them what God requireth and offered in the place that God hath appointed yet when men make their sacrifice their own rightâ—â—â—sness and think to put off God by them saith God I regaâ—d them no more tâ—â—n the cutting off of a dogs neck But these sacrifices of Israel had a twofold error in them First they were noâ— offâ—red in the place that God would have them Secondly they rested upon them likewise therefore God called these sacrif ceâ— no other than slaughter Obser Will-worship From thence the note is That whatsoever worship is tendred up to God if it be not his own worship or
work upon them Satan Oh let me put it on as much as I can The Devil doth so when he see us in a framable disposition to sin he setteth tempters on work to improve it and we know it was the way of Idolaters Idolaters when they saw England in a framable disposition to Idolatry what abundance were sent amongst us to improve it Oh the mercy of God toward England that when we were framing our doings to return to Idolatry the Lord cometh and putteth the frame of England more from thence than before it was Oh let not us lose this framableness though it is not so much as we desire yet let not us lose what it is England would be in a lamentable condition if it should lose what it hath got from God already Yet further They will not frame their doings The Note from hence is That Obser Apostates seldom have any inclination to turn unto God No meltings of spirit no yeildings but their hearts are hardned and they depart further and further from God for so he speaks of Israel as an apostatizing people I dare almost challenge you all when did you ever know a notorious Apostate turn unto God very rarely I will not say it is impossible but especially for Apostates that are men of parts and have gone far from God if they have but proceeded so far as to turn to be persecutors of the truth or contemners of it as these Israelites here were when did you ever know any of them to turn unto God They will not frame their doings To turn unto their God Their God 1. By profession 2. Their God who hath shewed much mercy to them and hath done them much good 3. Their God who is yet willing to be their God They will not return unto Him This is the aggravation of their sin that they will not turn to such a God What not turn unto Him whom they profess to be theirs whom they flatter with their mouthes and they say that all their good and happiness is in Him Not to Him that hath done so much good as He hath done to them all their daies Not to Him who is yet willing to be reconciled unto them O this is a sore and bitter evil indeed that they will not turn unto this God But yet there is a furthâ—r thing observable here Their God that is this That True repentance it is not only to leave evil and to do good Observ True repentance to turn to as our God but to turn unto God as our God To turn unto God as a God in covenant with us as a God in whom is our portion and happiness as a God willing to be reconciled Here indeed is the very formality of repentance A man may by the terors of the Law turn from the practice of a sin not to live wickedly so as he hath don heretofore he may by the strength of natural conscience and self ends set upon good duties but here is no true repentance True repentance is this When we look upon God as a God tendring Himself unto us in the way of a covenant in Christ and so we turn unto Him In Jer. 3.22 Jer. 3.22 explained Return ye back-sliding Israel saith the Lord and I will heal your back-sliding Now mark the answer of true penitents Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Here is true repentance When God shall call upon a sinner O wretched vile sinner return O return unto the Lord for He is willing to be your God in an everlasting covenant He manifesteth His grace toward you in His Son and offereth mercy there yea He is willing to heal all your backslidings He is willing to be your portion He iâ— willing to be the happiness of your souls When a sinner shall answer unto this cal of God Bâ—hold we come unto Thee for Thou art the Lord our God True indeed we have sought after vanity but here is not our happiness and our portion Our good our happiness is in Thee We come unto Thee the Lord our God It follows For the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of her Here is the reason why they turn not unto the Lord The spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of her Expos 1 First That evil unclean spirit that did possess them So I find divers do take the words And then the Note is That Obser The danger of forsaking the truth It is Gods just judgement to give men over to the Devil to be blinded and hardâ—ed when they sâ—all forsake Him and His Truth Do not excuse thy sin by saying it is the Devil that tempts thee for this may prove to be the agravation of thy sin that by the just judgment of God thou art now given up to be under the power of the Devil and to be acted by him As in Eph. 2.2 the scripture speaks of the miserable estate that men are in by nature Dead in sin the children of wrath and amongst other aggravations of their misery this is not the least they walk according to the spirit that now workâ—th in the children of disobedience The word translated working there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies the greatest activity that can be the spirit that is the unclean spirit Satans temptation may be an aggravation of our sin the prince of the power of the air that now worketh in those children of disobedience This is an aggravation of their misery and not any excuse unto them for their sin Thou hast rejected the good Spirit the holy Spirit of God and now the spirit of whoredome an unclean vile spirit hath possest thee Expos 2 But rather thus The spirit of whoredoms A violent inclination of spirit unto uncleanness to spiritual and bodily uncleanness that they have got by custom We have had this phrase before in Chap. 4.11 The spirit of fornication that impetus of spirit that violent inclination of spirit So then saith the Prophet they will not turn unto the Lord for there is a violent inclination of spirit an impetus with which they are carried on in the waies of wickedness but there is little hope of turning them unto God The spirit of whoredoms that is that efficacy that there is in that wicked disposition of their hearts that carries them on so violently In 2 Thes 2.11 2 Thess 2.11 the Scripture saith that because men love not the truth the Lord gives them up unto the efficacy of error God saith he for this cause shall send them strong delusions that they should beleeve a lye so it is in your translations but the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifie the greatest active efficacy of errours to carry on with the greatest strength unto error that possibly may be We find sometimes men that are carried on to erronious opinions and come to speak with them about them and you shall perceive such an impetus of spirit such an efficacy of the error
in them Note that it doth so hurry on their hearts that they cannot with a ny calmness with any quietness of spirit hearken unto any thing that may take them off from their errour That 's a spirit of errour God gives them up to the efficacy the spirit the activity the power of error to beleeve a lye Is in the â—â—lst of them That is Exposit Difference of obssâ—ssion and possession ay Satan in respect of sin it is come into them and sitteth as a King and ruleth in their hearts An evil spirit may beset the godly may compass them about but it getteth not into the midst oâ— them they keep it out from the throne it doth not come to reign over them The coming into the midst of them noteth the ful possession that this unclean spirit that this Impetus and strong inclination of spirit hath over them And therefore you find in Prov. 8.20 Pro. 8.20 opened that it is said of Wisdom I leade in the way of righteousâ—ess in the midst of the paths of judgment In the midst of the paths that is wisdom doth not only bring men to the verge of Gods waies to be a little taken with the outside of them but brings them into the midst of the paths of judgment that is they come wholly into them so as tâ—â—y are even possest of them So here the spirit of uncl â—nness is in the midst of her So in the 1. Sam. 4.3 you have the same word Let us fetch the Ark unto us say they there that when it cometh among w it may save us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the words in the Hebrew are that â—he Ark mâ—y come in the midst of us and there have the full oppâ—â—ation to dâ— us good and save us They depended much upon the Ark and yet it failed them By the way then we may depend too much upon a good cause the cause may be good A good cause may be lost by too much depending on it and yet depending upon the goodness of the cause and neglecting our own persons in reforming our lives we may fail as they did here But that by the way The spirit is come into the midst of them Many men receive an evil spirit quickly into the midst of them when God knows the good Spirit of the Lord standeth knocking at the door of their hearts and can have no entertainment so much as into the outward room It follows Exposit And they have not known the Lord. That is they know not My greatness My holiness they know not what a jealous God I am Idolaters have low and mean apprehensions of God The right knowledg of God will put the heart upon seeking after the right manner of the worship of God but when men know not God see not God in his glory and greatness and excellency they think to put off God with any kind of worship Here is the reason that men do so stick to their own waies to will worship to their own fancies and conceits because they know not the Lord neither do they understand the glory and holiness of God nor what a jealous God he is When once the soul cometh to know what God is such a soul dares not tender up unto God any worship but His own Now from the connection of these words The spirit of whoredom is in the midst of her and they have not known the Lord the special Note is this which indeed is very observable Obser strong inclinations blind the mind When men have an Impetus of spirit that is a strong bent and inclination of spirit in any evil way it is that which blinds their minds The spirit of whoredoms is in her and then follows they have not known the Lord Whatsoever is said then against their way they cannot be convinced of it And men do not consider how they come to be blinded We find it in ordinary experience when men are stirred in passion they have a spirit to such and such a thing that they have a mind to their spirit is strongly set and they must have it and I will and I will and I will have it Come then and say any thing to them and they understand nothing they are blinded When their spirit is up when there is an Impetus a strong inclination of spirit to any thing say what you will they do not understand you So it is true in other affections of love when the heart is set upon a thing to love by an Impetus a strong bent of spirit though the love be falsly placed come and say what you will against their way they do not understand it their minds are blinded they do not know any thing So it is true of fear of sorrow any affection when it is set with a strong bent and inclination to the object of it it doth much blind the mind Some have a spirit of sluggishness and they love their ease a spirit of covetousness and they must have their estates a spirit of ambition and they must have their honor and respect a spirit of pride and self-love they must not yeild themselves as ignorant and mistaken by no means therefore they cannot see the truths the waies of God But now let God humble these men that have such a spirit of pride self love covetousness and the like let the edg of their spirits be taken off A little hint of Truth prevails with a subdued heart let God come and but mortifie this their lust in them and then they come to see that which they could never see before and that with far less ado then a little hint of any truth prevaileth with their hearts whereas before all the means of conviction could not do it Oh my brethren Use when we come to examin truths let us look to our spirits Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord him will the Lord teach in his way that he should chuse When a man humbling his soule before the Lord and being jealous of his own spirit examineth a truth and crieth unto God to subdue what is evil in him and then cometh with a teachable heart to find out the truth suppose that yet he cannot find it let such a man walk according to his light whereunto he hath attained and he may have comfort God in due time will shew him more But that is the thing that is evil in Gods eyes and in the eyes of the Saints when men are hindered from seeing a truth by a spirit of opposition to it There is no gracious heart can take it ill if he see one that hath a spirit subject unto God a spirit wherein the fear of God appeareth so that he desireth unfeignedly to know what the mind of God is suppose this man for the present I cannot make him understand what I would he is not of my mind yet so long as his spirit is thus under God I have no cause to be provoked against
him but in all love and meekness and gentleness to deal with such an one and expect that God in due time will reveal himself unto him But now when any one cometh and will make profession that they desire to know the truths of God and what his mind is but when it appeareth that there is a spirit of opposition pride a vain glorious a vain spirit Oh this is it I say which is grievous is tedious in the eyes of God and of his Saints It follows VER 5. And the Pride of Israel doth testifie to his face MArk another connexion here As there is a connexion of a spirit of whoredom and not knowing God so there is a connection of not knowing God and of the pride of Israel A double connexioÌ„ of the Text. Obser Ignorance and pride companions They know not the Lord and the pride of Israel doth testifie to his face From whence the Note is this That Ignorance and Pride useth to go together There is no men so conceited of their knowledg as many ignorant men are For the truth is where there is knowledge there a man sees that he knows but little and he is able to discover his own ignorance but an ignorant man is not able to discover his own ignorance and therefore usually he is proud You shall have many men and women too that will pretend such abundance of knowledg and their hearts are puffed up because they have got some expressions more than others have as if they were somebody had some manifestations of things to them more than others have yet come and examin things at the bottom the truth is they are ignorant of the very principles of Religion 1 Tim. 6.4 1 Tim. 6.4 applied He is proud knowing nothing saith the text and yet he speaks of those that are full of vain questions and janglings about matters of Religion that will come with such objections and curiosities of questions yet the holy Ghost saith he is proud and knows nothing And certainly the man that is there spoken of is a man as much conceited of his knowledg as you can conceive a man to be as appears plainly in the text But now wisdom and humility Use from the contrary they likewise go together too Prov. 11.2 With the lowly is wisdom If the heart be brought under God put in a gracious humble lowly frame with the lowly there is wisdom the Lord delighteth to reveal himself to the humble The pride of Israel doth testifie to his face The Seventy they reade the words otherwise than you have them in your books 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The injury and the wrong that Israel hath done unto God shall be brought down shall be humbled for I suppose their meaning in that translation iâ— this that whereas Israel by his wicked waies hath wronged God hath been injurious unto God he shall be humbled for it he shall be brought down and made to know what it is for him to wrong God so as he hath done And indeed those that do corrupt Gods worship they are the greatest wrongers of God in the world Obser they do the greatest injury unto God that can be But we may safely keep unto that which is translated in your books The English reading as more suitable to the Original than that of the Seventy and then the Note is this That Idolaters are proud men and Idolatry is a proud sin Obs Idâ—laters proud men For that is the scope of the Prophet here chiefly to rebuke them for their false worship though he speaks of other sins yet that is the main O the pride of Israel doth testifie to his face Israel they will have their own way of worship and forsake God O proud hearts that they have Idolatry is a proud sin In all disobedience against God there is much pride pride is not only in cloathes and in fine things but in disobedience against God there is the pride of the heart And as in all sin there is pride so in a more peculiar manner in the sin of Idolatry As First Idolaters in their way 1. The despising the true worship of God they look upon the true worship of God as a mean thing as a thing below them beneath them Oh their way of worship is the pompous brave and gallant way but for the true worship of God that is poor low and mean All your superstitious and Idolatrous people look thus upon the simplicity of the waies and worship of God 2. They put more on the creature than God hath put Places Secondly And then there is pride in it in this That a wretched worm should dare to presume to put more upon a creature than God hath ever done to put more upon places than God and nature hath ever done God hath made them thus and thus but I will put them higher than God hath done I will put an excellency a spiritual excellency a divine excellency upon them for so Idolaters take upon themselves to do and this is horrible pride 3. They prescribe God in worship Thirdly It is pride because they presume to prescribe God which way he shall be worshiped The worship of God is the dearest thing he hath in the world and for any creature to take upon him to prescribe which way he shall be worshiped this is the most notorious pride in the world 4. Honor their own because theirs Lastly Herein appeareth the pride of Idolatry that it honors what is a mans own because it is his own rather than what is Gods Do not you see it apparantly in all superstitious Idolatrous people As in that one thing of daies God hath set one day apart for the honoring of himself and for the celebrating both of the birth Lords day death resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ and of the whol work of our redemption How is that day slighted neglected made nothing of But what a horrible wickedness is it accounted not to keep that which man setteth apart by himself Holy daies that day which is a mans own Men will set apart a day for the honor of Christ and Oh Christ will be quite forgotten if that day be forgotten and Christ is much dishonored if that day be not regarded I appeal unto you Who sets it apart whose is it Is it Gods or is it yours Gods Certainly if there were such a thing so acceptable unto God as men take it to be we should have some little hint somewhat in the book of God of such a thing We have the story of all the Acts of the Apostles what they did in several places and there is not the least mention of any such thing of their honoring Christ by setting a day apart for the celebration of his nativity We have the Epistles unto several Churches upon several occasions and we find no notice that they ever took of any such thing in any Church they established
make such a man our friend of whom we can certainly say we shall one day have need of him Oh let us be sure to make God our friend for certainly one day we shall have need of Him Blessed are those souls who have an interest in that God whom all the world shall see one day they have need of Further They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord Thence this Note likewise Obs All pretend to seek God The most superstitious and Idolatrous and false worshipers they will pretend to seek God as well as any Whatsoever they do Oh they do it for the honor of God and for the service of God and out of respect unto Him and why should not we do this and this we have good aims and good intentions do we not seek to honor God in what we do When those Idolaters of Israel set up the Calf they proclaimed a day unto Jehovah a day for the honoring of God they pretended that what they did was out of respect unto God and to honor Him The worst men and the most superstitious will yet pretend the honoring of God So it is again in regard of those daies that men have set apart for God Use and it is that which hath setled men in the superstitious observation of them Christmasse that it is for the honor of Christ what say they shall we not honor the birth of our blessed Savior what a profaness what a disrespect is this unto Jesus Christ well let others do what they will for our parts we will do it for hereby we shall do honor unto our blessed Savior So the Papists for the adoration of Images Images say they What not regard not to reverence the Image the Picture of our blessed Savior Holydays Images have the same ground and of the holy Saints And the truth is if it be duly weighed there is the same reason of Images of Christ and the Saints and of daies set apart for the honor of Christ by mans invention and there is as fair a pretence of honoring Christ by setting up His Image before me to put me in mind of Him as of honoring of Him by keeping a day of mine own appointment There is I say the same reason of both and whatsoever argument any man shall bring me against the one I dare undertake to make it good to be against the other As now simile is not natural reason as strong to set up the picture of the King to honor him and you do it for that end is not this as much as to keep a day once a yeer to remember him So the reason may be as strong to honor Christ by way of picture as to honor Him by observing any day set apart for that end by the inventions of men We are my brethren to take heed of men that are pretenders to the honor of God Admonition These here will seek the Lord though in a false and superstitious way But those that are pretenderâ— to the honor of God they prevail much with weak spirits and with such as are moâ—t conscientious As your greatest Hereticks that have ever been in the Church have been great pretenders to godliness and many there are at this day that out of pretence to honor Christ have leavened the hearts of people with dangerous errors and especially leavened young converts for your young converts assoon as ever God is pleased to work upon them Young converts and weak Christians soon deceived to convert them first unto himself Oh they love Jesus Christ their hearts are taken with Christ and inflamed with love unto him and they honor free grace that hath pardoned the sins of their youth of which they have such fresh sense Now false teachers they take advantage of this and therefore if they shall bring any thing unto them that hath the Name of Christ and the Gospel with pretence of Christ Gospel free grace and free grace they know they will greedily drink it in and many dangerous errours that are sweetened with such pretences are strongly maintained By this means their leaders attain their own ends and they see it not Again Observ Superstitious and Idolatrous men in time of their afflictions and straights then above all they are abundant in their services They will go with their flocks and their herds when thâ— are in extremity O then God shal have any thing from them Self-love drives men far and enlarges them much Men in a storm are content to cast out much of that which is precious to them Isa 29.16 Self-love sinful Isa 26.16 opened They powred out prayer when thy chastening was upon them They are straitned in prayer before it commeth our by drops before but when thy chastening is upon them then they powre it out And this is the baseness of our hearts that we can find enlargment for God only then when it is sutable to our own ends Those whose hearts are more enlarged in adversity than in the enjoyment of mercies had need to examin their hearts Further Superstitious formal professors think to make God amends for former and present evils of their hearts and lives with outward performances Obser If they bring their flocks and their herds much sacrifice they think that will do it But let us learn to take heed of this take heed of this vanity to think to make God amends for former or present sins by any sacrifice thou performest to Him thus Some of you perhaps that are negligent in the duties of your relations you are wicked in your waies servants children Applic. stubborn stout against parents and governors and wives neglecting their duties to their husbands and so they theirs to their wives and you think though you take liberty in those things yet if you pray much and hear much and speak of good things and be forward in the profession of Religion that will make amends for the neglect of your duties Oh take heed of that for ever you that are forward in your profession and abundant in the performance of holy duties take heed of this deceit of your hearts to think to put off God with these things that that shal make up the neglect of your duties Other kind of people are accused for injustice and uncleanes much wickedness yet they think to put off al this by going with their flocks and their herds Here is their sinfulness they rest in the bare duties But the Saints they have a further sacrifice to offer to God to be a sweet savour in His nostrils Saints They have first the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that these sacrifices typified And then they have their souls and bodies which they tender up to God as a reasonable sacrifice But mark They shall go thus with their flocks and their herds but they shall not find him Observe from hence Obs God found no where if
stranger to God of a Malignant of a contemner of God thou wouldst have been so too And seing this is ordinary for children to be as their parents Oh then what a mercy is it for any child that is born of wicked parents 2. to those that are born of wicked parents yet that God should work His grace in him This is not any ordinary mercy There are some that are born of godly parents that do bless God that they are kept from wickedness that way but there are some that are born of wicked parents and so brought up by them in the family yet so gracious is God unto them that in a more than ordinary way He goes further in mercy to them and works grace in their hearts notwithstanding This is His extraordinary mercy a mercy that thou art to admire at unto all eternity that notwithstanding thy birth and education yet God should reveal himself unto thee But how vile are they that being born of good parents are wicked It is ordinary for such as are born of wicked parents and have wicked education for them to be wicked to be strange children but for those that have godly parents and godly education for them to be wicked and strange children this noteth a notorious height of wickedness The third Note is this That It is a dangerous thing for children to follow the Example of their parents in wickedness Obser It is from hence that they are called strange children they are strangers to God It is not enough for them to plead I did as my father or as my mother taught me No if thy parents be wicked and superstitious and they bring thee up in wickedness and superstition and so thou art wicked and superstitious thy self know that notwithstanding this excuse God looks upon thee as a strange child thou hast no part nor porâ—ion in God thou art an Alien thou art estranged from God Children therfore had need to examin their parents waies and actions And above all Use the children of superstitious people for there is nothing more natural in succession in a line than Idolatry and superstition Never plead thus then we do but as our forefathers have done That place we have in Peter one would think should be a Scripture for ever to stop the mouth of that plea 1 Pet. 1.18 19. We are not redeemed by gold and silver nor such kind of things from our vain conversation received by tradition from our fathers but by the blood of Jesus Christ that imaculate Lamb. Mark the text that the being redeemed from our vain conversation received by tradition from our fathers is so great a mercy that it cost the blood of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.18 applied If God accounteth it such a mercy as that He is willing to lay down the blood of His Son to purchase that mercy for a poor creature shall not this creature prize this mercy And yet you think it rather to be a mercy to go on in these waies that you have received by tradition from your fathers and you think it a great plea because you have this by tradition from your fathers Mark what you do I say those men or women whether young or old that shall plead for any superstitious way upon this ground because they had it from their forefathers they do in effect say we look upon the blood of Jesus Christ as a common as a worthless thing He shed His blood to redeem thee from that which thou thinkest is worth nothing to be redeemed from Thou thinkest it a good thing to go the way of the traditions of thy fathers and Christ saith I account it so great an evil that rather than any that doth belong to Me shall go on in that way I will lay down My blood My life to deliver him from it The fourth Note is this That Obser When the succeeding generation is wicked there is little hope of such a people of such an Nation I have withdrawn my self saith God I have done with them and afterward he telleth us that they shal be desolate and this is the reason they have begot strange children The children the generation that is coming after they are idolaters too they go as their fathers did and what hope is there of them simile When in a Vineyard or an Orchyard not only the old trees are rotten but the young trees they likewise come to be corrupted and blasted by them then there is little hope of any great cost to be bestowed about it but it is likely to be digged up for the beasts to be let in up on it Use Much care is to be had therefore of the succeeding generation And there is no better argument whereby we may come to divine as we may say what God intendeth to do with a Nation The way to divine what shal become of a Nation than this look how the children are how the yong ones are that are coming up in that Nation and by that you may come to divine what God intendeth to do with the next We have much cause to bless God for His mercy toward us herein in that He hath in a great measure we hope taken away that sign of His dreadful wrath upon us in this particular I say in a great measure though the truth is we have a great many of the young generation extream rude abundance of Apprentises and others that are fit prepared and ready to make riots and tumults to maintain their Fathers their Masters old superstitions and if ever there be any stirs in a Kingdom about such things as seldom superstition and idolatry can be banished from a Kingdom but some stirs will be usually they are begun by the young ones What stirs upon the putting down of superstiâ—ion they are begun by young ones usually if you take away their Holy-daies from them you take away their lives I make no question but so far as is fit times of recreation will be allowed them and there is good reason for it though such kind of superstitious daies be taken from them But because they find liberty in those daies and their masters and many of their parents stick to the old waies of superstition therfore many young ones they do accordingly and had almost rather lose their lives than lose them and being heady and naught they wil soon be brought to raise tumults and make seditions for them But though there are many that are very vile that way and such as they are are the saddest Omen of Godâ— displeasure against a Nation yet on the other side we should wrong the grace of God if we should not observe His goodnesse towards us in the workings of His Spirit upon Young ones Yea many whose parents have been superstitions wicked and ungodly and their masters have bin so too yet we find that the Lord hath delivered a great number of the young generation from those old superstitions and they are not
in the least degree Lastly Because then all services are rejected and God will Reas 7 be no more intreated for them now conscience smites and torments the spirits and al the miseries that come upon them are but the beginning of eternal sorrows and this is a most sad case therefore let us pray with David Psal 6.1 Lord rebuke us not in thy wrath And as the Prophet in Jer. 17.17 Use Be not a terror unto me O Lord. But now because tender consciences are ready to think when God rebukes them or lays any affliction upon them that it is to ruin and destroy them as the Israelites said in Deut. 1.27 Because the Lord hated us therefore he brought us out of Egypt In every strait they were in they conceited God hated them in it though God had done them good so many times And hath not this been the reasonings of our unbeleeving hearts and the murmuring of our spirits in our afflictions Oh take heed of such unbeleeving reasonings they are very much displeasing unto God There is a great difference between the rebukes of God upon the godly and the wicked though perhaps rebuked both in one and the same affliction as the Apothecary breaks Bezar stones to pouder but is very careful of it simile and will not lose the least grain of it So the Lords people even in the fornace are as dear to him have the most experience of Gods love to them then that ever they had Jacob when he lay upon the ground and had the stone for his pillow even then he had that heavenly vision from God But now the question is Quest How shall we know whether those rebukes that are upon us are intended for our good or our hurt our desolation or our restoration It may be known thus If Gods displeasures be such Answ that we find Him more set against our sins than our persons 't is an arument He intends our good not our hurt in His rebukes upon us But you will say This is as difficult as the other How shall we know God aims at our sins and not our persons Thus If His rebukes work us to a humiliation for our sins a resignation of our selves up unto Gods dispose and to accept of the punishment of our iniquities this is an argument God aims at our sins and not at our persons in His rebukes and so in them our good and not our hurt But 't is usual for wicked men in their rebukes to cry out of their sins 't was their sins that brought this upon them But here the difference is thus discerned First They cry out of their sins but per accidence but of the judgement per se as we use to say the judgement troubles them more than their sins the cause of the judgment but the godly cry out of their sinâ— per se and of the judgment per accidence their sin troubles them Secondly A child of God more desires the sanctification of an affliction than the removing of it but the wicked care not for removing the cause of judgment even sin so the smart the correction may be taken off It follows Expos 1 Among the Tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be Some conceive that these words are spoken as the aggravation of this peoples misery and if so the Notes from them are Obs 1 That God smites not a people with judgment before he wâ—â—ns them off judgment Among the Tribes of Israel have I made known this Obs 2 When God threatens He is real in His threatnings That which shal surely be Ephraim thinks that God intends not him Sinners think that when God warns them he is not in good earnest it shall not be but God saith it shall be God esteems more of His Word than Heaven and Earth besides nay Heaven and Earth shall pass away before the least jot or tittle of it shall fail and cursed be that peace that hath no other ground or foundation than this hope that those things are not true which the Ministers of the Word from the Word threaten against sinners And yet this is the condition of many people which doth mightily provoke God as you may see in Deut. 29.19 20 21. If notwithstanding what is written in this book he bless himself saying He shall have peace the anger of the Lord shall smoke against such a man Oh the bitter aggravating circumstances in this Scripture against such a sinner as this Use Now if God will be so punctual in His threatning word that it shall be made good how much more His promising word for God hath not done so much to make His threatning word good as His promiâ—ing word For 1. God hath not cal'd such witnesses to His threatning word as to His promising word there are Three in Heaven and Three on Earth who are Witnesses but not to the threatning word sometimes in the general he calls the Heavens to witness to His threatning Hear oh heavens and hearken oh earth I have nourished up a people and they rebel against me 2. To the verifying of a promise there is not only Gods faithfulness but 't is His faithfulness in Christ all the promises are in Him yea and Amen there is in Gods promising word not only His faithfulness but His faithfulness in Christ all the promises are made in Christ so are not the threatnings Judgments have not such immediate relation to Christ 3. More sure because promises are not only Gods Covenant with His people but His Testament and so more sure than a Covenant for a Covenant may be broken on the one party but a Testament cannot it being confirmed by the death of the Testator the promise on our part may be broken but when we look upon them as confirmed by the death of the great Testator Jesus Christ we have stronge consolation as 't is a great evil not to beleeve the threats of God so 't is also a great evil not to credit the promises of God Christians you wonder when wicked men beleeve not Gods threatnings and His judgments to tremble at them Know Oh Christian that not only men but Angels stand and wonder when thou dost not beleeve the promises of God when they be so confirmed that we might beleeve them and walk comfortably The revealing of sin before a judgment comes aggravates Obs 3 both the sin and the judgment the punishment will be so much the heavier it aggravates the sin because then there is the greater contempt against God If a father should desire his child not to do such a thing nay not only desire him but forbid him yea threaten him with punishment if he doth it now if he shall after all this gainsay his fathers will he puts a greater contempt upon his father for now he breaks through hedges and fences which should have kept him in so when God shall forbid yea threaten if we will break out it puts a great contempt upon God 1. The
quasi teredimis Teredo is a worm that eateth out the heart of the strongest wood Minutissimus vermiculus saith Luther upon the place And Plini saith it is the worm that breeds in Ships at Sea and eateth out the heart of the strongest Oakeâ— plancks at Sea but yet often translated rottenness because the worm causeth that wood to be rotten Prov. 12.4 A vertuous woman is a crown to her husband saith the text but she that makes ashamed is rottenness to his bones There is the same word a woman whose behavior is such in company as makes ashamed is rottenness to a mans bones be they never so strong That for the reading 2. Scope For the scope of these words what it is that God aimeth at which is That judgment should come 1. Secretly 2. Gradually 3. Insensibly These three things That wrath that I intend to let out upon Ephraim and Judah shall First be very secret as the moth doth eat the garment secretly Secretly so my wrath shall be there shall be no noise of it for a while And it shall be gradually gradually too that 's the second I will go on by degrees a moth and rottenness doth not consume the garment or the wood all at once but one degree after another And then thirdly Insensibly insensibly They shall not so much as perceive it they shall not see for a long time how My wrath is out against them and yet it shall consume them That 's the scope But what is the reason of the difference of the expression 3. a moth to Ephraim and rottenness to Iudah Reason of the difference that 's the third If God intended only to shew his secret gradual insensible judgment then one expression might have been enough a moth or rotteness either of them But the reason of the different expression is this Israel was to be destroyed sooner than Judah Judah should hold out a time longer than Israel should though both of them were to be destroyâ—d at length As strong wood heart of Oak it holds out longer though there should be a worm in it than a garment doth when a moth is in it so Judah held out above a hundred yeers after this threat after this rottenness began in them longer than Israel did for the time that this moth was in Israel of which we shall speak presently unto Israels captivity it was but some two or three and fourty yeers but it was one hundred and threescore yeers from the time of Gods being a rottenness unto Judah But Fourthly When was this time 4. Whâ—â— To what time doth this refer when was God a moth unto Ephraim and rottenness to Judah For that and to shew the story of it it would require some time I only refer you to the Scriptures that have the stories of both these when the moth began and when the rottenness began In the 1 King chap. 15. from verse 8. and so on to the end of the 17. chapter of the second book of the Kings there you may find the time when God was a moth unto Ephraim And for Judah in 2. King chapter 16. there you may find how God was rottenness unto Judah and it was from Ahaz his time to the time of their being carried away captive into Babylon which was about an hundred and sixty yeers And Josephus Josephus in his book besides the books of the Scripture in Lib. 9. chap. 12. and Lib. 15. towards the latter end and Lib. 10. chap. 10. He likewise setteth forth the condition both of Ephraim and of Judah when the Lord was a moth unto the one and rottenness to the other 5. What iâ— is for God to be a moth â—â—ttenness But that which will be more useful unto us will be to enquire the mâ—â—ning What it is for God to be a mâ—th and rottenness to 〈◊〉 people â—ot indeed there is the same thing signâ—fiâ—d in both these expressions only as I told you the fiâ—st signifies a quicker diâ—patch of Israel and the second a more slow dispatch of Judah but in the effect the same is signified Now God is a moth and rottenness unto a people many waies As 1. in the spirits of men 1. weakness First He is a moth in the very spirits of people There is a secret way of Godâ— wrath upon a people in their spirits which is not perceived in the world As thus When the spirits of men in a Nation grow weak and cowardly The weakness and cowardlines of mens spirits shews a judgment of God upon them that is a aâ— moth to them And so it was in Israel as you may find it in that 2 King 15 and so on There their Governors did what they list one kild another and another kild him and the people laid down quietly and dared not to appear in the least way to find fault with any thing done And then a base sloth of spirit that seiseth upon the hearts of people 2. sloath a dulness a sordidness of spirit minding low things not regarding any worthy and honorable achievement when men are thus then God is as a moth and rottennesâ— to them When there is raising of jealousies one against another in their spirits 3. jealousies and divisions envying one another and divisions in the spirits one of another then God is aâ— a moth and rottenness as we know a moth in a garment doth make the thread that it doth not hang firm together and rotâ—enness makes the wood that one part doth not unite together so firmly as it did bâ—â— yet in a secret way so though open wars indeed devour in a publick way but secret jealousies in the hearts of people that one dare not trust another and secret divisions that there are in their hearts this is like to a moth and rottennesâ— As a moth in a garment and rottetnness in wood so secret jealousies and secret divisions in the spirits of men in a Kingdom consume and destroy them 4. self-ends 5. fâ—lsness in publick trust And then base compliance for their own ends And lastly falseness of spirit in the trust committed to them When you see this prevail in the spirits of men especially of those that are put in publick trust then is God a moth and rottenness unto that people And that is the first A moth and rottenness in the spirits of men Secondly A moth and rottenness in mens counsels As first 2. in councels 1. blindness In blindness that they shall not be able to see the plots of their enemies they shall not know their own advantages nor how to improve what they have They shall not hit upon the right means to cure themselves There shall be a perplexity in their counsels a contradiction in their counsels one counselling one way and another counsel another way They shall ensnare themselves in their counsels There shall be much folly in their counsels 2. blasted And they shall be blasted
4 When the Lord is pleased to work grace in the heart that heart is taken off from all creature helps they dare not go with Ephraim to King Jareb How are they then to be blamed who seek to the Devil for help in distress they dare not go to Councels or to Armies for releef but to God it is too much to rest upon men much more upon the Devil Do any of you go to Inchanters or Wisards to find God you may seek him but shall not find him Obs 5 We are not to be discouraged in our seeking of God though our afflictions drive us to it This people sought God but their afflictions did drive them to it yet God accepted them Use Sit not down despairing in your afflictions saying God will never be gracious our seeking Him is to no purpose It is true God may justly say to us as Jeptha said to the people Do you now come to me in your distress So God may say do you now come to me in your sorrows and miseries and cast me off in your prosperity Caution I confess it is very dangerous venturing the putting off our seeking of God till then but if then God be pleased to work upon your hearts be not discouraged but seek him still So Joel saith That in his affliction he sought the Lord But did the Lord answer him Yea his requests were granted Note That every seeking of God is not sufficient it must be early Obs 6 seeking of Him Early seeking acceptable Now men are said to seek God early When 1. It is in the morning of their years 1. In youth when young ones shal make this text true in the letter of it it is wonderful pleasing to God It may be God laid his hand upon thee in thy youth and then God revealed the knowledge of Himself to thee thy misery by sin thy remedy in his Son so that the Churches prayer was thine Psal 90.14 O satisfie us early with thy mercie How many sins are by this prevented Your father or master if godly would give a world if they had it that they had begun sooner to serve the Lord and to seek him early therefore bless God who hath put it into your hearts to seek him John was the young Disciple and he in his youth began to know Christ and of all the Disciples none had that respect shewed them as John had for it is said that he lay in Christs bosom and Christ loved him 2. As this is acceptable in the morning of our years 2 At first enlightning so in the morning of Gods revealing Himself as soon as ever God begins to discover Himself we should then seek Him early when the soul saith as Paul said Acts 26.19 I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision neither consulted I with flesh and blood Hath God set up a light in your consciences and hath it discovered to you your misery and have you hearkened unto the voice of your consciences What have you done since Is sin reformed Are you changed in the inner-man Is Christ formed in you and exalted upon his throne in your hearts Is your will subjected to the will of God and your whole man delivered up to the government of God This were happy if it were so But contrariwise is sin let in and liked of as well as ever after these stirrings and convictions of consciâ—nce Then are you far from the number of those who are early seekers of God 3 With fervency and diligence 3. When we seek Him with diligence and with fervency not in a formal way When Gods hand is out against us He then looks that we should seek him with intentiveness of spirit See how the Church seeks God with diligence Isa 26.9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night season yea with my spirit within me will I seek the early When was this In a grievous night of affliction when they were in great troubles then to seek God early with their spirits within them this is most emphatical So Acts 12.5 prayer was made by the Church for Peter without ceasing it was continued prayer prayer stretched out even so ought our prayers to be lifted up with fervency true prayer is active and working the fervent prayer of the righteous prevails much with God Jam. 5.16 Lively working prayers are prevailing prayers Quest But what is it to seek God diligently Answ 1 When we seek God with all other things under our feet when all other things are sought in order to this Contemn all for God The soul is carried after the seeking of God with a panting and longing desire as the Hart after the water brooks Answ 2 To seek God early is to seek him with our whole heart The heart is not divided in the work With our whol heart every part is imployed as Jehoshaphat 2 Chron. 20.23 feared and set himself to seek the Lord he gave his whole self to the duty Answ 3 When the soul bears down all difficulties in seeking of God when nothing shall keep him off his wook Vanguishes all difficulties as Jacob wrestled with God and would not be put off without the blessing Gen. 32.24 So the woman of Canaan how earnestly did she seek to Christ for her daughter and would not be put off by difficulties Matt. 15.22 23 24 25. Answ 4 When no means is neglected to be used whereby that may be had which we seek for No means neglected The soul tries this means and the other duty and follows God in all his waies that it may find him as the poor woman which followed Christ from place to place to touch the hem of his garment Christ could not be hid from her Resolve to die in persuit of him 5. Resolutions for to die seeking of God is earnest seeking of God it 's our constant practice living and our resolutions dying as Jacob the nearer the dawning of the day approached the more earnest was he How contrary are the practises of too many who at the first seek God early and earnestly too yet after a while leave off and grow cold Oh that it were not thus with us at this day Use England the Lord hath brought us low at this time yea how sad is our condition at this time 'T is true there is a spirit of seeking abroad in the Land but now God calls for a quickning of this we should now put an edg upon our seeking of God Be fervent in spirit serving the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Seeking in the original 't is boyling in spirit let us so seek him now that hereafter we may praise him Psal 22.26 Ps 22.26 they shall praise the Lord that seek him your hearts shall live for ever illustrated How sweet are those mercies which are won by prayer and worn with praises Therefore now stir up the gift that is within you you that never prayed before pray
it is against God ibid Obs 5. The more directly a sin is against God the greater is the sin Page 688 VERS XIV Opened Page 689 Obs 1 The vilest men will assemble to prayer in publick miseries Page 691 Obs 2 When hypocrites assemble 't is for themselves not for God ibid Obs 3 Hypocrites seek God more for sensual things than for others ibid VERS XV. Obs 1 It is God only can bind up broken arms Page 693 Obs 2 To be sinful after mercies is a great aggravation of sin ibid Obs 3 It is an excellent thing to glorifie God after strength is restored ibid Obs 4 A true repenting sinner should have God alwaies before his eyes Page 605 For then 1 He would be serious ibid 2 He would abhor himself ib. 3 He would see the infinite evil of sin ibid 4 There is no standing out against God ibid 5 God is worthy of all he can do ibid 6 Slight sorrow will not serve the turn Page 696 7 God hath power to raise the soul ibid 8 There is enough in God to make him blessed ib. AN EXPOSITION Of the PROPHESY of HOSEA CHAP. VI. VERSE I. Come and let us return unto the LORD for He hath torn and He wil heal us He hath smitten and He wil bind us up IN this Chapter we have these things considerable First Parrs of the Chap. The work of Israels true repentance from the first verse to the third verse Secondly A sad complaint of the overly repentance of many in Israel in the fourth verse Then here is a further upbrading of Israel for their unkind dealing with God The first part sets out Gods peoples resolution to return to Him who had smâ—tten them their confidence in His mercy and their blessing themselves in their happy condition now they were returned to him To come to the first verse Come and let us return c. These words are an excitation of the mind not the body to return to God as also they shew the mighty spirit which came upon this people at this time what a turn there was in them as if they had said Well our Princes have deceived us and our Prophets have deluded us and led us aside we have been false in our worship wrong in our practises for which God hath been displeased with us but now Come and let us return we are resolved to fall down and humble our selves He hath smitten us and he will bind us up The Seventy Translators and also Hierom take these words from Chyrurgions which use to put deep and long tents into great sores Septuag Hierom. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But the common Septuag saith not this word but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the former is in Hierom. simile who intends not to skin but throughly to heal it by eating out the corrupt flesh and filthy matter so that these words note Israels dangerous disease and their great corruptions and that in their afflictious but God would not let them die of this disease or perish under his hand in the curing but he would heal them and that throughly A woman whose breasts are sore must be throughly tented before it be healed and she bids the Chyrurgion cure her well and thoroughly though it be long and painful So saith God this people are very sorely wounded but I will take them in hand and heale them but their cure will be very long and teadious sore and painful Now saith this people seeing it is thus Come let us return it matters not though our healing cost us dear and it be painful it is enough that God will heal us Let our disease be never so grievous Come and let us return A man that hath a mortal wound about him what pain will not he be willing to endure in healing so he may be sure of cure This people conceived themselves so wounded that if God had not taken them to cure they must have perished but in that God had undertaken the cure they were confident they should be healed When Gods time of mercy is come to a people He puts a mighty Obs 1 spirit upon them to seek to Him Gods time was come for Israels deliverance now God put an active stiring spirit into them therefore they say Come let us return before their spirits were dull and lumpish like unto men in a Lethurgie but now they have a spirit quickened for God like unto those in Isa 2.3 And many people shall say Come and let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob. The like prophesie we have Isa 60.1 and 44.3.5 they shall come off very willingly cheerfully and subscribe themselves by the name of Jacob simile As a Ship which is filled with a full strong wind in the sails goes against all oppositions of wind and stormes there is such a spirit put into them as the Apostle prayes to be in the Colossians chap. 4. ver 12. that ye may stand perfect and compleat in all the will of God Now is reformation like to go on to some purpose Fall of Antich At the time of Antichrists destruction God hath promised to put such a spirit into the hearts of the people that all his tyranny shall not be able to stand before them God will blow upon the spirits of men and they shall be very powerful Now considering Gods power let not us despair concerning the great Works adoing in our times Use Let men be never so base and perfideous yet when Gods time is come He will speak the word for deliverance What a miserable sottish condition was the world in a little before Luthers time But when he came what a spirit was raised in the people And what a spirit hath there been raised amongst us and that on a sudden To consider what bondages we were in and greater like to fall into and that we were not made for slavery to be slaves and vassals subjected to the wills of some Twenty or Thirty men And what a spirit did God raise in our brethren of Scotland when he was about to do them good and to break the neck of the yoke of their tyranny Oh then what a cursed thing is it for any to quench keep under or resist such a spirit as this when it arises in people A joynt turning to God is very honorable to God Come and let Obs 2 us return It is much honor to God when but one soul is turned to him but when many are converted there is much glory a multitude of praises then are offered up to God aâ— in Revel 5.11 And the number of them which stood about the throne was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands And so Revel 19 6. The multitudes of voices saying The Lord God reigneth Allelujah to the highest Obs 3 Times of mercy are joyning times Oh 't is very sad when men will go every one their own way but when men joyn
strengthens himself In all the Scripture I know not such a short text so full for the strengthning of faith as this is and it is the special work of faith to make God to be ours in all these relations Ps 18.2 An eminent prop of faith Oh how beautiful would our praises for reviving mercies shew could we but exercise our faith thus upon all these titles of God as ours The real sight of deliverance from evil and the apprehension of Obs 6 certain mercy a coming is a strong argument to put the soul on to turn to God This people did make this use of mercy coming to them What wil God after two daies deliver and revive us Come then and let us return unto him let us not any longer stand out but come in that he may revive us and raise us up When the soul sees mercy coming it beholds God out-bidding all other temptations and over-powering all difficulties when men by sence can behold mercy coming they will then think it best to turn to God happy are those who by faith can see mercy coming a great way off and thereby are stirred up to turn to God when God lets such thoughts as these into the soul and settles them upon the spirit I am now in a very good condition well and in health for the present but where may I be within two daies I enjoy peace and have every thing that heart can desire both for necessity and delight but within a short time where may I and these be These are dreadful thoughts to consider of But on the other side to beleevers these words are very comfortable and full of sweetness I am in great extremity of misery but after two daies they will blow over then oh where shall I be in heaven in joy and blessedness for evermore at rest with my Savior dreadful are the meditations from these words to all the wicked but very sweet and comfortable to the Saints of God as any text I know This consideration made Paul over look all his afflictions 2 Cor. 4. â—7 he thus considered ' â—is true I am under great afflictions but they are but light and 't is but for a moment and what shall I have then An eternal waight of glory Therefore Christians should not be alwaies poring upon their afflictions but look up to mercy behold that which may comfort them as well as what may discourage them consider that within two daies God will raise us up again and this wil mightily raise our spirits and quel the tumults in our hearts as we should be sensible of Gods hand to be humbled for our sins the cause of it yet should we take care that we do not destroy our selves by our fears Obs 7 The apprehension of the death and resurrection of Christ is a special means to help faith in the times of the greatest afflictions Many things may help faith in this case but the consideration of Christs resurrection is the chief when the soul shall exercise faith thus I am thus and thus afflicted and in misery so was Christ and much more although he were the Son of God the first begotten of the Father and so blessed for ever he was delivered up into his enemies hands scorned persecuted and contemned nay he was crucified and put to a shameful death but my condition for the present is not thus but if it should be so it is no more than Christs was in this his great misery all his frinds forsook him which aggravates their misery which are in straits in so much that those two Disciples which went to Emmaus said We had thought that God would have delivered Israel by this man What a low condition did God bring Christ unto and yet this was the greatest work that ever was done and such a â—ork as brings God the most glory of any work in the world Christ therefore become miserable for our consolaâ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 the Church ever in a lower condition than Christ himself was yet Christ was raised and delivered out of them all yea this was a special end why Christ was brought into such a low estate to be a comfort and a pattern for his Churches that may come into the same condition which he was in and seeing this is held forth unto us in a cleerer way than it was to the Jews under the Law we should make more use of it than they did was Christ so low that the wrath of God was upon him for satisfactâ—on even to death this surely was a very low condition and now is there any hope that ever he should be raised from this yea now was Gods time to shew his power and to diclare him to be his Son God be speaks his people in all their strâ—its thus Did my power raise my son in such a low estate it is able also to raise you as the Apostle argues in the 1 Cor. 15. If Christ be not risen the dead are not raised c. so from thence I also infer That the Church must rise because Christ is risen if the Church does not rise Christ is not risen and if so then our preaching is in vain and your faith is to no purpose therefore raise up your sadded spirits upon thiâ— ground wel Christ is risen and I also shall rise with him It was wont to be the salutation of the Christians in ancientt time Christ is risen tâ— antient form of salutatio among christian Christus resurrexit Christ iâ— risen so the Saints may conclude though brought very low yet that power which raised the head will in his time raise the body and make it glorious with himself And we shall live in his sight As Israel was repenting so it was beleeving Israel also Faith anâ— repentanâ—â— muâ—ually act one another and as their beleeving furthered their repentance so their repentance furthered their faith they were confident that they should live in his sight When God grants mercies to his people he would have them of Obs 1 lively spirits to be quick and vigorous and of active spiriâ—s And this is the scope of the holy Ghost in this text however the Saints may seem as dead men when wicked men prevail over them yet when God gives rest and life they shall be lively and full of spirit God loves not to see his people of a sad fullen pensive disposition when that they have matâ—er of the greatest joy in the world When God is reconciled to 〈◊〉 people his face is then towards his Obs 2 people he looks then upon them and loves them Apoâ— 22.4 And they shall see his face God doth nor deal with us as David did with his son 2 Sam. 14.24 And the King said Let him not see my face any more But if God be once reconciled all the frowns in his face are turned into smiles he is all lovely towards them Use 1 Now how incongruous a thing is it that when God smiles we should lowr be heavy
pleasant is it It is like the dew of Hermon and like the dew that descended upon the mountain of Zion as that refreshed the grasse so is this affection of mercy and love in the Saints He compares it not to a dew that dried up presently but to a dew which descended down and there the Lord commanded his blessing Psa 133. expound Church-fellowship even life for evermore There Where Even in the communion of his Saints This is spoken particularly of Church fellowship Oh then take heed that your mercy and bounty in releeving your brethren and persecuted Saints be not as the dew that passeth away the Lord hath not made his mercie no not his mercy in dewing the earth as a morning cloud that vanisheth away and comes to nothing Oh let not our mercy and love be only in shows and proffers withot any truth and reality our mercies should come like showers upon those who have been parched with the burning rage nnd malice of the adversary help those that suffer for a good cause Now the Lord expects more from us in this duty than at other times we must not only pity them and give them good words saying Alas my Brother and alas my Sister and no more I would I could help you the Lord pity you and help you you must not only do thus but in actions and reality you must releeve them with your money and provisions Is it not with too to many of us as it was with those in James 2.15 who say to a brother Depart in peace be ye warmed and filled but give them not wherewith to do it what good doth this passing cloud do them it is but an overture but perhaps you will say that you have not been as an overture a cloud passing away you have bedewed the Saints in their need you have given something but perhaps t is but a poor pittance and that out of your abundance know that this is not sufficient it must be a constant dew and proceed on in degrees of mercy we should rejoyce that God gives us an opportunity to shew our love and mercy and not think much at it doing that you do forcedly or repiningly therefore let not our mercy be as the dew that passeth away Thus much of the words in this signification of mercie Now if we take the words in a large sense as in Scripture they are often taken and in this place also for their goodness and piety and in this sense there is much of the mind of God in the words they are so full of marrow and sweetness as can be desired Now in that God should express godliness and piety by such a word as mercy Note from thence The necessity of this grace of love and brotherly kindness in regard Obs 1 godliness it self receives its name from them though by nature men are passionate and rugged grace will mollifie them of covetous men it will change them to liberal and make them free-hearted for grace is part of the Divine Nature Nothing is so communicative as God the highest good The more excellent the nature the more cōmunicative and according to the height of any creature is the communicativeness of it as the Sun being sublime and excellent is most communicative so a gracious man hath he parts they are not for himself but for the Church hath he an estate he distributes and communicates of it to the Saints and according as grace ariseth in the soul wil communicativeness arise a true Christian is not close handed If grace hath its denomination from hence Then surely this Obs 2 grace of mercy is most excellent because the whol frame of the new man is set out by it and by this it is expressed When we use to set out the whol of any thing by a part we do not express it by an inferior part but in some thing which is eminent in it as by prayer many times is expressed the whol worship of God as be that cals upon the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved Rom. 10. Expos 1 As the morning cloud and as the early dew In these words God charges this people for three things in which their notorious hypocrisie was expressed Clouds and dew passing what they imploy For their vacuity and emptiness their words were empty sounds they were clouds without water as Jude expresses it Jude 12. 't is the high commendation of Christians to be full of God of Christ and ful of grace and knowledg of which Ephraim had a shew but it was but a shew Expos 2 For their falfness and desembling they had a heart and a heart towards God they dealt treacherously with God they were all in shows but in the bottom nothing but vanity Expos 3 For their unconstancy and sickleness As rain in the clouds shews much but is by the wind presently blown over the clouds now are all black and lowring but in a short time are blown over and there is a perfect cleer sky even thus it was in their goodness though they made glorious shows in their reformation yet were they all empty false and unconstant Thus it was in the general in the reformation of the Land when things were reformed in the Kingdom it was but by halves and in their particular turnings it was but as the morning cloud many times there was great appearences of reformation but they were like the early dew which presently goeth away The ten Tribes and Judah did make such beginnings in reformation and setting up the worship of God that if God were truly worshiped by any people in the world it would be by these that they would set God up high in their thoughts high in their practices and this was very burdensom to the Spirit of God therefore he saith What shall I do unto thee Ob Ephraim What shall I do unto thee Oh Judah We find glorious shows of reformation to come to nothing as appears in these many examples 2 King 1 9. and the 10. chapters Jehu made great shows when Joram asked him Is it peace Jehu he answered him What peace so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many And in the 10. chapter what a slaughter doth he make upon the Priests of Baal Well what came of this reade but on in the chapter verses 29. and 31. it is said That Jehu departed not from the sins of Jeroboam who made Israel to sin What a cloud of hopes was there in Ahahs time 1 Kings 18.39 all the people cryed The Lord is God the Lord he is the God upon the miracle which was wrought by Elijahs prayer when the fire came down and consumed the sacrifice but this all vanished in the people and for Ahab himself the text saith he did abominably in following of Idols so that there was none like unto him who sould himself to work wickedness 1 Kings 21.26 27. When the Prophet comes to him
and shall break out so perspicuously that they shall cleerly convince you though formerly they pleaded for themselves as they in Isa 58. that let them be never so well conceipted of themselves I will discover them to be but a company of base Hypocrites I will then shew you such cleer demonstrations of the waies of righteousness in which you should have walked that all shall discern what you are it shall then appear as cleer as the light wherein you have gone astray from the rule Expos 2 Again the words may be taken actively and then the sense is That my power shall so appear upon them that their righteousness and holiness shall appear as the light And then though my judgments were smart and tedious at the first yet you shall not repent it you shall see so much good from them which will make amends and pay all charges Or thus I have sent my Prophets among this people for this very end and purpose to make this people a righteous people and that they may manifest this as cleerly as the light And thus you have the meaning of the words the observations follow Obs 1 Vnconstancy in the waies of Religion causes God to be incensed against a people Such men as are off and on which make overtures in the waies of Religion had need to have cutting truths preached to them Therefore have I hewed them saith God by my Prophets and as Gods Ministers must deal thus with their people so must every man in particular who loves his own soul and if so be â—hy soul be precious in thy eyes thou wilt willingly deal sharply with thy self say Oh wretched heart that I have to let such stirrings die such motions of the spirit come to nothing dost thou know whom thou hast to deal withal the infinite great God and for what thou hast to deal with him for no less than eternity and hast thou stirrings of heart about this and dost thou let them die this provokes God Many mens hearts are like knotty timber and rough stones Obs 2 I have hewen them And the longer men continued in their sins the knottier they are as timber which hath lain long soking in the water is tough hardened so mens spirits that are soaked in their evil waies Oh how untoward are they and how hard a thing is it to fasten any thing that is good upon them so that when we see mens spirits tough stubborn and hard to be wrought upon think of this text I have hewed them by my Prophets That this is spoken of a people whose goodness was as the morning cloud and the early dew which passeth away The Note is That many people although their goodness be but as the dew Obs 3 soon off yet their evil is hard and setled the goodness of many is like the * A fit simile softness of a plumb soon crushed but their wickedness is like the stone in the plumb hard and unflexable so that you may here see grace truth doth not consist in good motions stirrings and desires for these may be where the heart is not melting soft nor tender the heart is not changed for were the heart kindly wrought upon it would kindly yeeld and buckle under the power of the Word when it comes against their sins there would be a taking part with the Word Gods Ministers are hewers I have hewed them by my Prophets Obs 4 elsewhere they are called Gods Workmen and here Hewers and that in these two respects Either to prepare them for Gods building or to cast them into the fire these are Gods ends in sending His Ministers His Hewers now they hew all good and bad to take them off from their own rootings and make them as beams in Gods building or to be as an ax laid to the root of their souls 'T is recorded that in the building of Solomons Temple there was no noise of knocking with hammers or tools the materials being prepared fitted and squared beforehand so those which will be members of Gods Temple hereafter must be hewed and fitted for it here therefore John is said to be one sent to make rough things plain to level great mountains mountains of sins crabbed and rugged spirits Use Ministers work difficult By this work you may see what a hard task the Ministers labor is this made Jeremiah to complain when he saw the dulness and stupidity of the people resolved that he would speak no more in the Name of the Lord to this people The work of a Minister it is more laborious than the work of a Carpenter as Chrysostom Chrysostom expresses it for saith he the Carpenter when he hath wrought hard all day he goes home and comes again in the morning and finds it as he left it but we hew and take pains and leave our people and come again we find them worse than before Obs 5 That the Ministers of the Gospel when they meet with such rough crosse and untoward spirits must deale with them answerably I have hewed them by my Prophets my Prophets have done their work upon them God seems to speak to the Prophets to bid them sharpen their tools make their instruments keen preach sutably unto them saving some with fear as the Apostle Jude speaks verse 23. I wonder what people can say to this Scripture who cry out against Ministers for preaching the Law when the text saies plainly and save some with fear therefore let those that are the Ministers of the Word have a care that they sharpen their tools by the Word putting an edge upon them that so they may encounter with the greatest oppositions When the Ministers hew God hews I have hewn them saith Obs 6 God when as it was the Prophets that did it Is the Word sharp and doth it come close at any time then look to God which makes it so Is the tool sharp and doth it smart then look to the hand that directed the stroke and know that if God hew thee he will have his will upon thee he will accomplish the end he aims at when God hews thee if thou dost not work under his hand to make something of for use he will throw thee into the fire as a work man in an angry fit of passion throws away the piece he is at work upon into the fire so saith God this man or this woman they are good for nothing I 'le throw them into the fire take heed you who have stirrings and motions unto good and yet have your secret lusts beloved bosom-corruptions know that God may cut you down for the fire and thou mayest be already cut down for the fire though thou livest in the bosome of the Church under the Ordinances before thou art cut down by death as we may see the figtree was cut down yet had leaves for a while green and flourishing know 't is possible that a man which makes a glorious profession and performs many duties yet may be
harvest is ripe But where was this captivity in 2 Chron. 28.8 And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand men sons and daughters But when was their return in the 9. verse the Prophet comes to them and tells them in the 11. verse they must deliver up their captives which they had taken from their brethren these were brethren as is cleer yet behold the rage of brethren yet in the 15. verse see how this took with them they cloathed fed and restored all their captives again presently See the mighty power of the Word to still the rage of the stoutest spirits Oh that it might do so with us at this time as it did here with this people this would be a kindly work indeed so that by this you may see what the harvest is here in the text The Notes which we may observe from hence are That the sins of a people are seeds for a harvest of judgment as good Obs 1 actions are seeds for a harvest of mercy God hath a fixed set time for a harvest of judgment and though Obs 2 you have a time yet know it is fixed therefore sow as fast as you can there will come a harvest ere long In the time of Gods judgments the Lord remembers mercy for his Obs 3 people He hath set a time for the return of their caâ—tivity Thus you have I conceive the genuine sense of these words There are some that reade these words thus Judah A 2d Interpretattion since you are guilty also you shall not enjoy your peace nor your lands in quiet till God return your captivity Israel shal not enjoy their harvest but Judah shall Now that which makes me think this is not the meaning is this Because the Lord still goes on to threaten Judah still I have set an harvest for thee Some others reade it thus A 3d. When God was about to turn away their captivity Judah did so harden Isarel in their way that it was the cause of my hardening my heart against them and not to return their captivity Israel might think thus Though we are bad in many things are amisse yet Judah is also filthy in such and such things who are a people neerer to God than we yet they do so Many are ripened for judgment by the example of others Obs especially of great professors and chiefly of professing and reforming Churches that have the name of pure worship in them Let such be very wary what they practice especially in a time of reformation lest they harden others in their corruption Thus I have finished the Sixth Chapter HOSEA CHAP. VII VER 1. When I would have healed Israel then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered and the wickedness of Samaria for they commit falshood and the thief cometh in and the troup of robbers spoileth without THIS Chapter is filled with complaints wholly against Israel The two former Chapters brought in Judah with them but this Chapter is spent wholly against Israel Luther Luther saith that by the reading of this Chapter we may see that the Church hath alwaies evils of one and the same kind even at this day that it had in those times even as one eg is like to another eg We have had a cleer and lively pattern of this held forth to us in our times concerning our evils Expos When I would have healed Israel Before God took upon him the person of a husband that would have recalled his adultrous wife but in this Chapter He compares Himself to a Chyrurgion who would have cured a wounded person and His people He compares unto such But coming to cure them He found the wound in them worse than He expected as when a Chyrurgion sometimes first comes to a wound he thinks it not so bad and dangerous as indeed it is upon the searching of it and all this while perhaps the patient is very mild and quiet and strugles not at all but when they are put to pain by searching of their wound then they are froward and strugle so saith God so many waies and means have I used to do them good judgments reproofs and exhortations and nothing doth them good but they grow worse and worse then the sinnes of Ephraim did break forth the sins of the Court they work out and the sins of Samaria which was the chief City shew themselves in Isa 7.9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria as if the wickedness of the Court should be complained of by some in the Country When I would have healed Israel the iniquity of Ephraim and Samaria did appear the Prophet looks upon Ephraim the wicked Court and Samaria the prophane City and sees death in the face of both the sin of Ephraim and Samariah it is in the head which speaks them in a dangerous condition Leuit. 13.44 they ad iniquity to iniquity which shews their perversness and he that is of a perverse spirit shall be dispised Prov. 12.8 Their wickednesses In the Original it is in the plural number When I would have healed Israel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then the sin of Ephraim did break out and the wickedness of Samariah appeared In great Cities where there is such concourse of people Obs there is all manner of evils But now when was the time that God was about to heal these ten Tribes to what time doth this refer some interpret this to be the time when God went about to cure the evils and the abominations that were in Rehoboams time which was a very sad time Time of this Prophesie had he hearkened to the counsel of his wise grave Counsellers it had been well for him and his people but he giving credit to the counsel of his young green heads he indangered the very life of his Kingdom by it and when he would not hearken through the pride of his heart God rent the greatest part of the Kingdom from him and gave it to Jeroboam and now when there were such hopes of delivering them from these their oppressions Note then the iniquity of Ephraim did appear then did they oppress and crush up and healed presently and then they putrifie and are worse than ever But the Lord is the healer of his people and when he heals he doth it to purpose and many encouragements we have in Scripture to seek to God for healing the promise of God 1 Chron. 7.13.14 If my people which are called by my Name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from the evil of their waies then will I hear from Heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land Mark the conexion of these words first seek to be forgiven and then healed if we should be healed before pardoned wo be to us we should then be undone Isa 57.16 17 18. verses The Lord will not contend for ever neither will he be angry for ever lest the spirit should fail before him For
the iniquity of his covetousnesse was I wrath with him and smote him I hid my face from him and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart Now what may we think will become of him surely now nothing but desolation and distruction No saith God I have seen his way and will heal him I will lead him and restore comforts unto his mourners Jer. 3.22 Return ye back-sliding children and I will heal your back-slidings Oh that the answer of this people might be ours Behold we come unto thee for thou art our God How God heals Now the Lord cures accuratly as Chyrurgions do by purgation and allaying the misery so the Lord heals his people by taking away the cause and the malignancy of that trouble which is upon them So thou that art under any particular trouble or affliction if God sanctifie that trouble by taking away the cause of it God may be said to heal though the affliction be not quite taken away Then God may be said to heal by Foementation as Chyrurgions use to do when the part is able to resist and oppose that which would feed the humour so when the Lord puts strength into the soul to oppose disquieting and vexing thoughts that sinks into the soul from its afflictions now where this work is accomplished the soul is healed That God in willing things doth not alwaies will them according Obs 3 to his Omnipotent power I would have healed Ephraim That is I would and I did use all the means that was possible to heal them and which might have done it But it may be objected Object If God see that we are unable of our selves to be healed how can we be healed when we have no power to be healed Now for answer to this we must know Answ That men are not so much healed it proceeds not so much from the want of ability as their will men do not do what they can therefore they do not will to be healed God doth not make men unwilling but speaks to us after the manner of men though there be also an inability yet because men think not of that in not turning or because the inability is chiefly in the perversness of the will 't is not a metaphysical inability as I may so speak but a formal wilfulness though men think that God is in all the fault that they are not healed but God wil make this one of his works at the day of judgment to cleer Himself from those aspersions now men are so proud that they think themselves too good and too lofty for God but God will cleer and shew Himself to be righteous in their destruction There is much wickedness lies hid many times in a Kingdom or Obs 4 person till the means appear to cure them It was thus with Paul Rom. 7.9 he was sinful before but when the Law came sin revived and I died yet notwithstanding God by his almighty power helped him over them all As when a man comes to repair an old house which is rotten and decayed simile he doth not conceive the trouble of it till he comes to remove the rubbish Who would imagine the wickedness that is in many mens hearts which discovers it self when the means comes had not God set many servants in good families the vileness and the vanity of their spirits had not discovered it self Servants Englands wickedness certainly this is our condition some few yeers since there appeared much wickedness in England but how much more since God hath sent the means to cure it As appears By a bitter spirit of malignancy against the power of godliness No people so wicked as we were before but now it is much more our wickedness is now grown to a spirit of malice and oppoposition against the Word and the Saints At the first men cried out for a reformation and cried down Bishops but when Gods people began to rejoyce and thought that they should have a day of a sudden what a desperate spirit of pride a spirit of malignancy was there raised to oppose with all the might that could be the way of reformation so much desired and this so much the more vile because of their malice against reformation agravated 1. Blind mens eyes so that they cannot see their misery by reason of the falsities and flatteries and treacheries which is used against Scotland Ireland and England nay .2 these men rather than they wil be subject to the yoke of Christ they will be slaves to men any men yea the worst of men and that to their vilest lusts rather than yeild to the way of Christ and doth not this shew a desperate spirit against God What a base sordid spirit is there now among us that rather than men will be contented to suffer a little trouble will rather endure perpetual enslavery by vile men A most treacherous spirit appears in the most for their own private gain and advantages when men shall betray Kingdoms overthrow States and deceive the trust and confidence that is put in them undermine and destroy Parliaments doth not this manifest a most vile spirit in the people of this Kingdom Heretofore the rascality of the people could not be brought to fight against the Scots yet now there can be found a Gentry to fight against the Parliament What a blasphemous spirit is there abroad this sin abounded before but how much more is it now encreased nay are there not now new oaths invented and pressed A cruel bloody spirit is now risen in the people of the land some few yeers since who could have imagined the cruelties that have been used by English men What a spirit of division is there among us we should have thought that in a time of publick calamity we should have sodered together when there was private persecution more love was expressed and that which makes the rents the more sad is that they are between the best people What an oppressing tyrannizing spirit is there now in many men who have been formerly oppressed by oppressors are now turned oppressors themselves what doth this but presage what these would do had they the power in their hands this iniquity is now discovered A spirit of envy and jealousie if any man be in publik place and active in it how are they envied and spited how many stand newters now and upon this very ground because they see others not so rich in estates as they made use of therefore they fit still and fret themselves and seek to hinder them that are active in publick service and so the work is hindered A spirit of superstition Would ever any man have thought that the Parliament should ever have met with such a party to oppose them in their way of reforming we might rather have thought that there should have been a general spirit rising against these superstitious vanities to have kickt them out Oh what misery doth these rotten teeth put this Kingdom unto at this very
treacherie and this story hath reference to that in 2 Chron. 13. a Chapter of as much treachery as we read of All their Kings are fallen that is into that false worship which Jeroboam was fallen into And that is very observable that all the Kings in the ten Tribes were wicked From Jeroboam the first to to the captivity there were eighteen Kings and all of them wicked and naught and the reason of this was that the way of false worship did so sute with their politick ends so that the Observation may be from it That 't is a hard thing to take men off from their strong engagements Obser It was a work so difficult that all the Prophets could not do it it is very hard especially when their engagements are in great things they were wise politick men and therefore could not chuse in all probability but see how point blank their waies went against Gods mind even Jehu himself who was raised up so high by God on purpose to root out Idolatry and did root out Idols and Baals Priests and yet he followed the Calves as well as hiâ— predecessors Therefore never wonder to see men obstinate Use and who wil not be convinced of their evil waies this text shews it cleerly many are willing to deny themselves in small things but when it comes to great things then they flinch and hang off therfore we see whâ—t snares places of honor are to most men many Ministees see the evil of Ceremonies and are convinced of it that they sin if they should yeeld to them and rather than sin they will leave their livings rather than yeild to them Places of honor great snares but when did you ever see a Bishop deny himself when was it ever known that a Prelate so far submitted to lay down his great dignities and fat livings for his conscience It follows There is none among them that calleth unto me They were presumtuous and confident in their way and none of them would ask counsel of me notwithstanding their Judges were devoured they sought to other helps or rested in their outward prosperity or 2. They are sottish and stupid and call not unto me though all be in a confusion in the State their Judges devoured c. Obs 1 When people are under Gods hand and Governors set up false worship such times should quicken our prayers Mic. 7.7 I will look unto the Lord I will wait for the God of my salvation my God will hear me so in Act. 4.29 And now Lord hear us The Christians there got into a corner and made their complaints and moans to God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 4.29 of the evil of the times and do but observe the rise and ground of their prayers and now O God hear us They do as men that would leap a great way take their rise upon a hill to further them so these people make the miseries of the times their encouragements not their discouragements it is a desperate sign to see men sink under their discouragements and to murmur against God Oh let us go to God and make our moan to him and let us die calling upon his Name let that be our resolution which was Dauids Psal 116.2 I will call on the Lord as long as I live And this is a very good argument that the Cause of God will stand if our spirits of prayer hold the Cause of God will hold but if that go down fear the sinking of the Cause VER 8. Ephraim he hath mixed himself among the people Ephraim is a cake not turned EPHRAIM hath mixed himself There is a great evil charged upon Ephraim and that is observable he hath mingled himself among the people the people did not so much seek to him as he to them some here understand by Ephraim the Court because Jeroboam was of the Tribe of Ephraim and Cyril Cyril hath this Note from thence that it is a great dishonor for them that are in place of honor to sute themselves and their minds to those that are of base low spirits among their people men of place and power should be men of honor and worth But we take Ephraim here for the people of the ten Tribes for so it is more often taken in Scripture they were guilty of this sin in mixing themselves with the people that is the Gentils in these five regards First In their marriages The seed of the Israelites was too precious to mingle with the Gentiles this was forbidden them in Deut. 7.3 and the good man Ezra in the 9. chapter in the day of humiliation confessed this sin unto God against them and this was typified of the Christians under the Gospel that they should not mix themselves with the wicked and ungodly of the world they must marry in the Lord Unequel mariages Maxent it is a sad affliction to be unequally yoked it is reported of Maxentius a cruel tyrant whose custom it was to judg some Malefactors to death after this manner viz. To have a dead man chained to the living man till the living man was kil'd by the dead man How many living men have dead wives and living wives dead husbands Oh how comely a thing it is to see the delight of our eyes the delight of Gods eyes They mingled Gods worship with their superstitions and Idolatries they had not wholly defiled the worship of God yet they had mixed themselves Jeroboam had been in Egypt where he had seen their Idolatrous Heifer and he was much taken with it therefore he would imitate them in his Calves 2 Kings 17.33 34. in one verse 't is said they feared the Lord and in the next verse 't is said they did not They feared the Lord and served their own gods unto this day they do after their former manners they fear not the Lord never let us satisfie our selves in mixtures of worship Mixt worship though we have never so much true worship among us God will never be put off with such excuses They mixed themselves in their persons and suffered others to joyn with them neither must Christians suffer the wicked to joyn with theÌ„ in matters of worship Mixt congregations surely if fornicators adulterers profane men are crept in they must when discerned be cast out speedily Now if such as these must be cast out when crept in unawares Note then surely such must not be received in when they are known beforehand to be such and certainly a bare confession of faith is not sufficient or enough to admit a man to the Ordinances for those that are vile and wicked in their lives may make a verbal and outward confession yet far from a true and cordial men may confess with their mouths and yet deny all in their lives as if a man should confess his faith in English and deny it again in Latin yet if any should creep into a Church in which thou art bodied Not to separate
upon the sin VER 14. And they have not cried unto me with their heart when they howled upon their beds they assemble themselves for corn and wine and they rebel against me AND they have not cried unto me The Seventy have it thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 70. Heart-prayer Their hearts have not cried to me Where we may see that it is not enough to cry with with the mouth except the heart cry as well as the mouth We reade of Moses who though he spake not a word that is expressed in the text yet it is said he prayed It is the working of the heart that is the heart of prayer Oratio est res ardua magni laboris est opus difficillimum ideo rarissimum Luther Therefore when Elijah prayed 't is said he prayed in praying Jam. 5.17 And by this we see the great difference there is in praying Heart-prayer pleaseth God A work-man which wants words to express himself yet may be able to perform his business very wel in Gods account so he that is able to express himself in fine language eloquent sentences and multitudes of words may yet not pray at all therefore when you pray look that your hearts go along with the duty otherwise your cries wil be but as their prayers here in the text which are called howlings and that in these four respects Prayers howlings why In regard of the hideousness of their crying unto God as the Heathens used to their Idols and so the Hebrew seems to carry it and to express something remarkable setting a letter more than ordinary to this word howling 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the letter י is super added And thus the Heathen Indians at this day howl to their gods And in this manner were the cries of Israel looked at but as howlings They were howlings in regard of their distempered and unquiet spirits they were in their spirits very turbulent and unquiet in their lives and froward in their carriage in prayer Even thus it is with many in trouble of conscience they are very boisterous and make troublesom noises the shallowest waters makes the greatest noise but the deepest rivers run the stillest so those that have the deepest sence of sin and are kindly troubled for it are quiet still and submissive under Gods hand and certainly such a boisterousness of spirit under the sence of sin is not from the Spirit although there may be some legal terrors but when God hath subdued the heart to himself the heart will seek earnestly for mercy and yet in a quiet humble way They howled upon their beds in regard of their pain The bruit beasts in their pain and trouble will cry out and roar even thus did these men here the extremity of the misery they were in forced howling from them There are no men cry more out of judgments when they are executed than those that were least sensible of them when they were threatned Carnal hearts cry out altogether of the miserie of the times the judgment it is that troubles them more than the sin the procurer of them See this between Pharaoh and David Saul and David Saul cries he cries to Samuel saying I have sinned and done foolishly yet honor me I pray thee before the people David he confesseth his sin and accepts of the punishment of his iniquity Lord 't is I that have sinned as for these sheep what have they done Pharaoh he cries to Moses that he would pray to God to deliver him from the plagues that were upon him David he cries to God Lord take away the iniquity of thy servant If iniquity be done away judgment will soon be removed sin being the cause of all misery Howling to note that God regarded their cries no more than the howlings of beasts Amos 8.3 Amos 3.8 opened The songs of the Temple shall be howlings in that day as the prayers so the sacrifices of such how pleasing they are to God we find Isa 66.3 they are but as the cutting off a dogs neck and their cryes were but as the cries of that dog whose neck was cut off They in their pride were wont to speak contemptibly of God his waies and servants contemning them and God he contemns and scorns them their prayers and their sacrifices therefore that in Prov. 1.26 is verified here He will laugh at their destruction and mock when their fear cometh Oh how vile are wicked men in God eyes when they are in trouble and misery None so vile but we pity them and releeve them but for the infinite merciful pitiful God who is full of goodness and hath bowels of tender love and compassion for him to have them in derision and to jeer as we may so speak the cries of his creature Oh the consideration of this is most sad Oh vile is the sin which makes man thus odious And here we see what little use there is of wicked mens spirits they are of no use there is for them in the places where they live nothing that they can do Wicked men of no use thou canst easily sin and bring down judgments by thy sins but when they are come upon thee what wilt thou do perhaps thou wilt pray and cry to God God he abhors thy prayers thy cries are abomination unto him it is the Saints prayers that are so acceptable unto him the prayer of the upright is his delight Prov. 15.8 the least sigh which come◠from a godly heart is such a strong cry that it fills heaven and earth so that as I may speak with reverence God can hear nothing else but that because he both prepares their hearts to pray and prepares his ear to hear therefore we find in Scripture such expressions as these Psal 10.17 and Nehem. 1.7 the good man praies that Gods ear would be attentive and his eyes open that he might hear the prayers of his servant Psal 86.1 Bow down thine ear O Lord hear and help me for I am poor 1 Pet. 3.12 His ears are open to their prayers And Psal 86.6 God gives his ear to their prayers and attends to the voice of their supplication what doth all this hold forth unto us but this that the prayers of Saints are very delightful to him they are pleasant musick in his ears were there no other difference between the godly and the wicked than in their prayers it were sufficient to make men out of love with the waies of sin and joyn with the Saints in the waies of holiness the Saints they send up sweet breathings and God takes pleasure in them the wicked they howl and cry out and God rejects them They howl upon their beds Men in their prosperity go up and down uncontrowled in their wicked waies but when God confines them to their chambers annd their sick beds then they howl It follows They assemble themselves for corn and wine The old Latin Ruminabant not Comedebant like beasts they feed the Hebrew word that
Terror Hypocrisie Hypocrisie in Reformation is dangerous Page 581 Honor Places of honor are great snares Page 670 How we should honor God Page 695 Howling see Prayer I Idolaters Idolaters seldom come in and return Page 125 What poor waies of worship Idolaters have Page 136 If parents be Idolaters their children are usually so too Page 161 It is dangerous living near Idolaters and why Page 172 Idolaters are proud men Page 391 Idolaters despise Gods worship Page 391 Idolatry The Idolatry of the Papists Page 133 The neerer Idolatry comes to the Worship of God the more dangerous it is Page 174 Court idolatry is most dangerous Page 633 See Contempt Idols Idols are bewitching things Page 199 Ignorance The cause of ignorance Page 35 Ignorance is the deformity of the soul Page 90 Ignorance is dangerous and how Page 91 Ignorance and pride are companions Page 390 Incest Incest an hainous sin Page 61 Influence There is a great influence between the Priests and the People Page 100 Impetuousness Impetuousness of spirit is to be suspected Page 136 Institutions Institutions are to be minded in point of worship Page 128 Inclinations Strong inclinations bind the mind Page 388 Justice Justice must be executed impartially Page 50 Justice must not struck dumb with the appearance of angels Page 222 Judgment It is a great judgment for men to be unserviceable in times of service Page 565 How judgment convinceth Page 597 See Leave and Ministry Irreligion Irreligion and slavery are companions Page 654 K Kings Kings were accounted of as the Popes dogs Page 177 Godly Kings observed not their birth-daies Page 661 See Respect Knowledge Want of knowledg of God makes men cruel Page 32 Keep How to keep God with us Page 510 Know see Saints Knowledge see Opportunity Kingdom see Officers L Lady The folly of a Lady in Paris Page 151 Land How a Land may be said to mourn Page 62 Living-God Living-God what it implies Page 189 Lying Lying and swearing go together Page 44 Leave It is a sad judgment for God to leave men Page 509 God never leaves his Page 510 Live see Resurrection M Magistrates see Bribery Man slaughter Man-slaughter is but a vain distinction from murder Page 48 Men see Merciless Merciless A merciful God sets him against merciless men Page 29 Ministers Ministers must plead for God Page 3 How faithful Ministers shall be dealt withal Page 77 Striving against faithful Ministers is a great hastning of judgment Page 81 Ill Ministers are besotted Page 88 Ministers must rebuke sin Page 361 The duty of Ministers Page 438 It is a comfort to Ministers to die preaching Page 590 Ministers are hewers Page 593 Ministers work is difficult Page 594 See Truths Superstition Whoremongers Duty Mind see Inclinations Mixture How the mixture of wicked and godly men is hurtful Page 372 How the mixture of wicked and godly men is to be distinguished Page 373 Murder Murder is not to be pardoned Page 48 Man-slaughter see England Men see Causes Means Means to persevere Page 585 Mercies How to use mercies well Page 545 Mercies are forfeited by unbeleef before they be received ibid One mercy makes way for another Page 558 Gods mercies are seasonable Page 564 In what cases God will have mercy and not sacrifice Page 601 Means All means must be used before correction Page 569 Ministry The sharper the Ministry is the sharper shall the judgment be if it be neglected Page 598 Morning Gods discovery is in the morning Page 560 See Presence Murder see England N Nation A defiled Nation is neer ruin Page 374 While a Nation is purging there is hope Page 375 How it may be known what shall become of a Nation Page 428 Natural What a Natural man may do towards conversion Page 377 What natural duties are Page 601 Nature The more excellent the Nature is the more communicative it is Page 573 Neighbors Ill neighbors are an ill thing Page 445 Night Night times are times of danger Page 560 Note A note of a good heart Page 565 O Oath What an Oath implies Page 189 Obedience Willing Obedience to sin brings guilt upon a Nation Page 473 Obedience see Command Officers The Officers of the Kingdom seek their own interest Page 639 Opportunity No Opportunity to get knowledg must be neglected Page 609 P Passion Passion makes a man a beast Page 48 Papists The doctrine of the Papists is opposite to the Scripture Page 81 Papists see Idolatry Patience The patience of God described Page 368 We must be patient in prayer Page 541 People The people of God suffer with others if they sin with others Page 401 People must return to God Page 530 When any people may apply the promise Page 537 Persons How particular persons are defiled by the wicked Page 373 See Mixture Plague A strange plague in London Page 67 Pleading The more imediate Gods pleading with men is the more dreadful it is Page 4 Preaching Preaching is the way to remove superstition Page 146 Priest It is the work of the Priest to strive against the people for sin Page 75 When priests strive against the people they must lock to be striven with Page 76 Priests see Covetousness Ambition Influence Prelates see Experience Presence The consideration of Gods presence humbles the heart Page 368 Gods presence makes morning to the Saints Page 562 Pride Pride discovers much sin within Page 394 Pride goes from God and against God Page 397 The pride of mens spirits Page 514 See Ignorance Conscience Private see Hope Princes Princes have been preachers Page 146 How Princes and Priests delude the people about Gods worship Page 348 Princes see Subjects Prophet see Affliction Prosperity Prosperity abused shall be punished Page 100 See Wicked Profession see Formal Proud God will cast proud men down Page 397 Proud men fall low ibid Publick see Hope Punish When men will not punish sin God will Page 61 Punishment They that are alike in sin shall be alike in punishment Page 116 Pains We must not think much to lose our pains Page 569 Parents see Christ Prayers When prayers are howlings Page 688 Penitent Penitent hearts retain good thoughts of God in affliction Page 532 Penitent hearts are not discouraged in afflictions Page 534 Perversness Perversness of spirit in those that are nigh to God is very grievous to God Page 572 Persevere see Means Place Where Gods place is Page 511 Preaching It is an ill sign when men are the worse for preaching Page 644 Presumption What presumption is Page 536 Propriety The propriety of Beleevers Page 547 Prop see Faith Prophets see False R Rebukes The rebukes of a brother are loving rebukes Page 73 Gods rebukes are furious ibid See God Real Gods threatnings are real Page 452 Religion see Staff Reprobation What Reprobation is Page 210 Repentance What true Repentance is Page 385 Faith and Repentance mutually act on another Page 549 The trial of Repentance Page 696 Respect Due respect is to be given to Kings