Gods care saith Bernard which is beyond providence such as is out of faithfulnes as well as out of love Christ here condescends to his Spouse as a man is willing to give satisfaction to his wife her friends though the truth is he would doe any thing in the world out of love to his wife yet in regard of her weaknesse and to satisfie some friends he is content to enter into bond to do any thing that is fitting it is good to make all things sure before-hand say her friends he presently yeilds for it is no other but what he is willing to doe without bonds onely to satisfie her and their minds Thus it is between Christ and his Spouse The truth is the love of Christ is enough to make a supply of any of our wants but wee are weake and would faine have things made sure therefore saith Christ to helpe our weakeness I will even enter into bond and you may be sure I will be faithfull then I will binde my faithfulnes to you for all the good you would have And this faithfulnesse of Christ is either in regard of the great Marriage-Covenant there hee will be sure to be faithfull to his Spouse Or in regard of all particular promises that are under things as it were There is the great marriage-covenant about reconciling God and paying all debts that are owing and satisfying Gods justice and bringing to eternall life but there are many under-promises and Christ will be faithfull in them all Ps 25. 10. you have a promise worth a kingdome All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth not onely mercy but mercy and truth mercy ingaged VVicked men may have mercy from God from the generall bounty and goodnesse and mercifull disposition of God but what the Saints have is from â—ruth as well as from mercy it is bound to them God stands much upon this that the hearts of his Saints should confide in him He accounts not himselfe honoured except we confide in him therefore marke how Christ suiteth himselfe unto our weaknesse that wee may confide in his faithfulnesse What is it saith he that you poore creatures do one to another when you would make things sure betweene you Wee answer thus Lord we ingage our selves by promise one to another I will do so saith Christ you shall have my promise my faithfull promise Acts 2. 39. Peter invites to Baptisme upon this ground because the promise is made to you and to your children and to as many as the Lord our God shal call The first he speakes to the Jews the other to the Gentiles As if he should say Come in and receive Baptisme for to you and to your children the promise is made to you that are Jews and to your children and to the Gentiles they have the promise that you have they come under the same Covenant for the maine the promise is to them and to their children too And this promise that Christ hatâ—ing aged himself in is no other then a draught of that which was before the world began from all eternity and therefore it is so much the more sure Tit. 1. 2. the Gospell is called a promise before the world began All promises in the Scripture are but a draught of that grand promise that God the Father made to his Son before the world began As if Christ should say Will you have engagement by promise This is past long agoe my Father hath engaged himself to me from all eternity if you have any promise it is but a draught of that first copie of that great promise my Father hath made me from all eternity VVhat doe you doe more when you would make things sure one to another VVe answer we doe not onely make a verball promise by word of mouth but we write it God hath therefore given us his Scripture and the chiefe thing in Scripture is the promise God hath set to his hand to his promise in Scripture Hence Luther hath a notable expression The whole Scripture doth especially aim at this that we should not doubt but believe confide hope that God is mercifull kind patient VVhat do you more Here you have my promise and my hand is there any thing else you use to do to make things sure VVe answer Lord wee take witnesses I will do so too saith God VVhen we would make things sure indeed we take not only two but three or four but half a dozen witnesses sometimes You shall have witnesses saith God as many as you will witnesses of all sorts witnesses in heaven witnesses in earth In heaven I Iohn 5. 7. The Father the Word and the holy Ghost witnesses authenticall of credit enough the three Persons in the Trinity upon earth the spirit the water and the blood What do you more to make a thing sure Lord we set to our seales too you shall have that too saith God you shall have seals of all sorts you shall have the broad seale of Heaven the Sacraments the seals of the Covenant and you shall have my privie seale I will take my Ring off my finger I will give you even the seale of the spirit and do but shew this seale it is authenticall enough Is there any thing more Yes we answer there is one thing more we take an oath I will do that too saith God that you may be sure and confide in my faithfulnesse Heb. 6. 17. God willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his councell consirmed it by his oath As if he should say there is no such need of an oath but I will be abundant to you because I would have you trust mee And mark this is for the sake of the heirs of promise God would never have done this for other men it is for your sakes onely who are the heirs of promise in regard of your weaknesse he conrfims all with an oath And if wee would have things sure wee will not have the oath of such as are of no great credit Mark therefore it is that God sweareth and that by the greatest oath ver 13. Because he could sweare by no greater saith the text he sware by himselfe Is there any thing more saith God that you use to do among your selves to make things sure Yes Lord we use to take a pawn too You shall have that too saith he I will give you a pawn and such a pawn as if you never had any thing more you would be happie what is that 2 Cor. 1. 22. Who hath sealed us and given us the earnest of his spirit in our hearts I will send my spirit to be an earnest of all the good that I intend to do for you everlastingly Is there any thing else you would require of me that you may confide in me Yes if God would doe some great notable work as a beginning as an ingagement of that which is to come after this is yet more then a
in a visible church communion to the Jewes and in the spirituall communion of Christ with the soule for the present Of the visible form first Isa 60. 15. I will make thee an eternall excellency a joy of many generations I thinke this is not onely meant concerning the spiritual happines of the Saints but that God hath a time to make his visible church to be an eternall excellency and a joy of many generations an excellency that shall never have an end And this their perpetuall condition their enduring happinesse shall arise from three grounds First from the precious foundation that shall be laid upon that Church when it shall be Isa 54. 8. With everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord but mark the ground vers 11. Behold I lay the foundation with Saphires all the rubbish shal be taken away it shal not be raised upon a rubbish foundation God will lay the foundations of it with Saphires and then with everlasting mercy he will embrace that Church Secondly that Church shall be in a peaceable condition no rent no division there therefore in a perpetuall condition Esay 33. 20. A Tabernacle that shall not be taken down not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed Why the very words before shew the reason Jerusalem shall be a quiet habitation Thirdly this Church shall look wholly at Christ as their Judge and their Law-giver and their King Isa 33. 22. The Lord is our Judge the Lord is our Law-giver the Lord is our King Churches are ready to change while they mixe other things with the worship of Christ and the lawes of men with his laws but when they can look to him I mean in that which is spirituall as their Law-giver as their Judge and as their King then the happinesse of it shall be perpetuall never to cease in this world the Lord Christ will betroth this Church unto him for ever Though I verily think the holy Ghost aymeth at this in great part yet we are to understand this betrothing for ever further of the spirituall communion the soul hath with Christ When Christ betroths himselfe unto a soule it is for ever the conjugall love of Christ with a gracious soule shal never be broken At the first mans condition was such as man laid hold upon God and let goe his hold but now God lays hold upon man and hee will never let goe his The bond of union in a believer runs through Jesus Christ it is fastned upon God and the spirit of God holds the other end of it and so it can never be broken This union is in the Father who hath laid a sure foundation 2 Tim. 2. 19. Rom. 9. 11. In the Son who loves his to the end Iohn 13. 1. In the Spirit who abides in the elect for ever John 14. 16 17. Esay 54. 10. The mountains shall depart and the hills be removed but my kindnesse shall not depart from thee neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee My loving kindnesse shall be more stable with thee and endure longer then the mountains themselves It is as sure as the ordinances of heaven Jer. 31. 35 36. Thus saith the Lord which giveth the Sun for a light by day and the ordinances of the Moon and of the Stars for a light by night if those ordinances dopart from before mee then the seed of Israel shall cease c. And Jer. 33. 20 21. Thus saith the Lord if you can break my covenant of the day and my covenant of the night that there should not be day and night in their season then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant You have these three expressions of the abiding of Gods love to his people 1. The continuance of the mountains 2. The continuance of the ordinances of heaven and earth 3. Gods covenant with night and day Here is the bottome of consolation to the Saints They shall be kept by the power of God 1 Pet. 1. 5. As if God should say the speciall power that I meane to put forth in this world shall be to uphold the spirits of my Saints to bring them to salvation certainly it is so The speciall work that God hath in this world to exercise his power about is to keep Christ and the Saints together Though it be through Gods power that the heavens and the earth be kept up yet if God must withdraw his power from one hee would rather withdraw it from upholding heaven and earth then from upholding one gracious soule that hath union with his Son The union that is between Christ and his people it is too neere an union ever to be broken I remember Luther hath a notable expression about this As it is impossible for the leaven that is in the dough to be separated from the dough after it is once mixed for it turneth the nature of the dough into it selfe so it is impossible saith he for the Saints ever to be separated from Christ For Christ is in the Saints as neerly as the leaven in the very dough so incorporated as that Christ and they are as it were one lump Christ who came to save that which was lost will never lose that which he hath saved Heb. 7. 16. it is said that Christ was made a Priest not after the law of a carnall commandement That is he was not made a Priest as the Priests in the law after a ceremonial way but after the power of a indissoluble life Coeli virture by a celestiall vertue so Calvin upon the place The argument why Christs life is indissoluble rather then the Priests in the law is because they were made by the power of a carnall commandement not by a Celestiall power So those who professe godlinesse according to a carnall comandement in a ceremoniall way may faile vanish and come to nothing in their way of worship as many have done but such as are professors of Religion by the vertue of Gods Spirit in them they have the power of a life indissoluble There are two soul-staying and soul-satisfying grounds to assure of Christs betrothing himselfe for ever First when any soul is taken in to Christ it hath not onely all the sinnes that it hath committed heretofore pardoned but there is a pardon laid in for all sin that is to come There is forgivenesse with thee Psal 130. 4. There lyes pardon with God before hand for all that is to come as well as for that which is past There is no condemnation unto them which are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. That is there is no instant of time after they are once in Christ Jesus wherein it can be said they are under the sentence of condemnation Now were it not that there were a pardon laid before-hand for all sin that is to come there might upon commission of a new sinne be said at that time that now they
only blesse God but the Text saith They lifted up their hands and they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground Why because the book of the Law was read to them and expounded How comes it to passe that their hearts were so taken with it now to hear the book of the Law expounded to them Surely it was because they were newly returned out of their Captivity and now they came into their owne Land and heard the Law of God opened to them they blessed his great Name bowed their faces to the ground worshipping him This day my brethren witnesseth to us our great deliverance and returne from our bondage It was not long since that wee could have either Ordinances or Truths or Religious exercises but onely according to the humors of vile men But now through Gods mercy a great deliverance is granted to us as this day witnesseth that wee may come and have free liberty to exercise our selves in the Law of our God O doe you blesse the Lord and bow your faces to the ground worshipping of him In the 12. vers of that Chap. we read that after they had heard the Law read and expounded to them they went their way to eate and to drink and to send portions and to make great mirth Why Because saith the Text they had understood the words that were declared unto them I hope if God shall please to give in assistance unto this work many of you shall goe away hereafter from this Assembly rejoycing because you will come to know more of Gods mind revealed in his word then formerly And this will be the comfort of your meat and drink and of your trading and the very spirits of all the joyes of your lives As the sweetnesse of the fruit comes from the graft rather then from the stock so your comforts and the blessings of grace in you must come from the word ingrafted in your soules rather then from any thing you have in your selves In the first vers the Text saith that all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water-gate to desire Ezra to bring the book of the law and to read it and to open it unto them Behold it is thus this day in this place here are a great company met together perhaps some to know what the businesse will be some for novelty and some for other ends howsoever come unto us you are and we hope many for this end that you might have the booke of the Law read opened unto you Now we expect that from you which is said of them ver 3. And the ears of all the people were attentiâ—e unto the book of the law when it was read opened to them And truly that attention that you now begin withal doth promise unto us that we shall have an attentive auditory But that is not all let us have further a reverential demeanor and carriage in the hearing of the Law as it becomes those that have to deale with God in it The Text saith vers 5. that when Ezra opened the book of the Law all the people stood up We doe not expect the same gesture from you but by way of Analogie we expect a reverentiall demea nour in the carriage of he whole worke as knowing we are to sanctifie Gods Name in it And as those people after the first dayes exercise were so encouraged that they came again the second day for so the Text saith vers 13. On the second day were gathered together the cheife of the fathers of all the people the Priests and the Leviâ—es unto Ezra to understand the words of the Law so I hope God will so carry on this worke that you shall find encouragement too to come again and again that you may know more of the mind of God and that this work shall not be only profitable to the younger and weaker sort but to the Fathers to the Priests and Levites too Let it be with you as it was with them according as you have any truth made known unto you submit to it yeeld to it obey it presently and then you shall know more of Gods mind He that will doe my will shall know my doctrine to be of God Thus did they for vers 14. when they found it vvritten in the book of the Law that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh moneth This was one passage of the Law that was expounded how they should keep the feast of Tabernacles and what booths they should make the people went forth presently unto the mount and fetched Olive branches and Palm branches and branches of thick trees and made themselves booths every one upon the roofe of his house In this Prophesie of Hosea you shall find many sutable truths to the times wherein we live the Lord grant you obedient hearts to what shall be delivered I must not retard the work nor your expectations any longer with large prefacing to it only somewhat have been said about the rules for interpretation of Scripture I will say no more of that but this to interpretation of Scripture a Scripture frame of heart is necessary a heart holy heavenly sutable to the holinesse heavenlinesse that is in the word as it was said of Tullies eloquence that nothing but the eloquence of Tully could set out the excellency of it So it may be said of the Scriptures spiritualness nothing but a heart filled with Scripture spiritualness can set forth the excellencies of it and because the authority of Scripture is dreadfull wee desire the prayers of you all to God for us that his feare might fall upon our hearts that seeing we are menfull of errour and full of evill yet howsoever wee may not bring any Scripture to the maintenance of any erroneous conceit of our own heads nor any evill of our own hearts This wee know to be a dreadfull evill It was a fearfull evill for Lucifer to say I will goe and ascend up be like the Highest it is as great an evill for any to seek to make the Highest to become like Lucifer for so do they that make the Scripture come down to justifie any erroneous opinion or any way of evill they goe about to make the blessed God and the holy Ghost to be the fathers of lies It is counted a great evill in a Common-wealth to put the Kings stamp upon false coine and to put the stamp of the Spirit of God upon an error upon a conceit of a mans owne is certainly a great evill before the Lord and it was for this that God did make the Priests vile and contemptible before the people because they were paâ—tiall in the Law Mal. 2. 9. And for you my brethren our prayer shall be that the feare of God may fall upon you likewise that you may come to these Exercises with Scripture-frames of heart What frame of
was good and the land that it was pleasant and he bowed his shoulders to bear became a servant unto tribuâ—e And when mens spirits are effeminate in regard of the civill state they quickly grow so in regard of their consciences and religion too Purity of religion in the Church cannot stand long with slavery admitted in the State We read Rev. 4. 7. of 4. Ages of the Church set out by four living-creatures the 3. living-creature the Text saith had the face of a man and that was to note the state of the Church in the time of reformation they began then to be of manly spirits to cast off that yoke of bondage that was before upon them to enquire after what liberty God had granted to them Not then like those we read of Isa 51. 23. that would bow down to such as would say to their soules Bow downe that we may goe over them This my brethren hath been the condition of many of us there hath bin that effeminateness of spirit in us that we have bowed down our necks yea our souls to those that would go over us yea as it is there in 51. Isa they made themselves the very street to them that went over them their very consciences were trampled upon by the foot of pride and all for the enjoyment of a little outward accomodation in their estates in their shops and in their trading Oh they must not venture these rather yeeld to any thing in the world And truly we were afraid not long since that God was calling us by the name of this daughter Loruhamah in regard of our effeminateness of spirit that the Lord was departing from our nation But blessed be God that now here hath begun to be a rising of spirit among us especially among our worthies in Parliament and their warmth vigour life hath put warmth vigour spirit and life into the whole Kingdome Now our Kingdom will never bow downe and submit their Consciences nor Estates nor liberties to that bondage and oppression that heretofore hath been No they had rather die honorably then live basely But why do I make such a disjunction dy honorably or live basely Had we spirits we might free our selves and posterity from living basely and we need not dye at all for the malignant party hath neither spirit to act nor power to prevail if we keep up our spirits and be strong in the Lord we are safe enough yet we shall not have our name Loruhamah but Ruhamah the Lord will have mercy upon us 1 King 14. 15. God threatens to smite Israel that they shall be as a reed shaken with the wind and then mark what followeth and then he would root them out of this good land which hee gave to their Fathers If this judgement be upon England that our spirits be shaken as a reed with the winde that wee bow and yeeld to any thing in a base way the next may justly follow that the Lord may root us out of this good Land As it was with Israel before their destruction they grew effeminate so it was with Judah too before theirs Isa 3. 3. when God intended judgment against them you may observe there that He took away the mighty man the man of war the prudent and the ancient the Captain the honourable man the Counseller men of truly noble spirits were taken away their Nobles became to be vile and sordid to yeeld to any humors and lusts then they were neer the ruine and ver 12. the Text saith women rule over them for women that have many spirits to rule is no judgment at all but for women of revengeful spirits to rule over a nation is a most fearful judgment But so much of the first that it is a daughter that is here born to Hosea What is this daughters name Call her name Loruhamah Non dilecta so some Non misericordiam consecuta so others both come to one either not beloved or one that hath not obtained mercy for Gods mercy proceedeth from his love I will no more have mercy I will add no more mercy Nothing that God had shewed abundance of mercy to Israel before but now he saith I will not adde any more I will shew no further mercy to them But I will utterly take them away Tollendo tollam so turned by some In taking them away I will take them away Levaho levando so others I will lift them up that I may cast them down so much the more dreadfully The old Latin hath it thus Obliviscendo obliviscor forgetting I will forget And this was upon a mistake of the Hebrew word because there is little difference in the Hebrew between the word that signifieth to to forget and that which signifieth to take away The 70. setting my selfe against them I will set my selfe against them Well the name of the child must bear this upon it that God will have no more mercy upon them Hence then first Sometimes the very children of families and in a kingdom do bear this impression upon them that God will have no mercy upon this family upon this kingdome One may my brethren read such an impression upon the children of many great families in this Kingdome when wee looke upon that horrible wickedness of the young ones that are coming up how different from their former religious Ancestors we may see with trembling hearts such an impression of wrath as if God had said I have done with this family I intend no further mercy to this family As sometimes when we see in a family gracious children gracious young gentlemen noble men we may see the impression of Gods mercy to that family Ruhaniah I intend mercy to it It was not long since that we might and we thought indeed wee did see such an impression upon the young ones of this kingdome the young ones in the City the yong ones in the chief families in the Country that we vvere afraid that Lornhamah to England was written upon them for oh the rudenes and wickednes of the young ones But blessed be God that we see it otherwise now now in regard of that graciousnesse that forwardnesse of so many young ones amongst us we may see written upon them Ruhamah to England mercy to England God hath taken away his Lo and writeth only Ruhamah mercy to you this great change God hath made For the great ground of the hope we have for mercy to England is the impression of God upon the young ones When God hath tender plants growing up in his Orchard certainly he will not break down the hedg or dig it up Secondly Call her name Loruhamah for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel There is a time when God will not have mercy upon a kingdome or upon a particular people Gather your seves together oh nation not worthy to be beloved before the decree come forth There is a
be seene and another thing to do a thing that it may be seen And yet Gods people may do both not do good onely that may be seen but if they keepe still the glory of God above in their eye as the highest ayme they may desire and be willing too that it may be seene to the praise of God But this I confesse requireth some strength of grace to do it and yet to keep the heart upright The excellency of grace doth consist not in casting off the outward comforts of the world but to know how to enjoy them and to over-rule them unto God so the strength of grace doth consist not in forbearing of such actions as are taken notice of by men or not to dare to ayme at the publishing of those things that have excellency in them but the strength of grace consists in this in having the heart enabled to do this and yet to keepe it under too and to keep God above in his right place Thirdly It shall be said they are sonnes c. It is a great blessing unto Gods children that they shall be accounted so before others Not onely that they shall be so but that they shall be accounted so Blessed are the peace-makers for they shall be called the children of God This is a blessing not onely to be Gods children but to be called Gods children We must account it so and therefore we must walk so as may convince all with whom we do converse that we are the children of God and not thinke this sufficient well let me approve my heart to God and then what need I care what all the World thinks of me God doth promise it as a blessing to have his people called the children of God then this must not be slighted You shall find it often in the Gospel that Christ made a great businesse of this to make it manifest to the world that he was sent of God he would have them to know that his Father sent him and that hee came from him So the people of God should count it a blessing and walk so as they may obtaine such a blessing that the world may know that they are of God Further. In the place where it was said unto them Ye are not my people there it shall be said unto them Ye are the sonnes of the living God Marke It is not said thus that in the place where it was said they are not my people it shall be said to them they are my people No but further it shall be said they are sonnes and sonnes of the living God this goeth beyond being his people Hence then the observation is That The grace of God under the Gospell it is morefull and large and glorious then the grace of God under the Law For this is spoke of the estate of the Church under the Gospell They were Gods people indeed under the Law but the sonnes of the living God this is reserved for the times under the Gospel Sometime they under the Law are called by the name of sonnes but it appeareth by this Text that in comparison of that glorious son-ship that they shall have under the times of the Gospell that they in former times were rather servants then sonnes There is very little of our adoption in Christ revealed in the Old Testament No that was reserved for the Sonne of God to reveale for him that came out of the bosome of the Father and brought the treasures of his Fathers councel to the world the revelation of these things were reserved to the time of his comming both adoption and eternal life was very little made knowne in the time of the Law therefore Saint Paul saith that life and immortality were brought to light through the Gospel 2 Tim. 1. 10. 2. Sonnes Because in the time of the Gospell the spirits of the Saints are of son-like dispositions they are ingenuous not mercenarie In the time of the Law God carried on his people in offering rewards especially in outward things but in the time of the Gospell we have no such rewards in outwards but the Scripture speakes of afflictions most there is not spoken so much of afflictions in the time of the Law but much outward prosperity there was then but in the time of the Gospel more affliction because the dispositions of the hearts of people should not be so mercenary as they were before they should be an ingenuous a willing people in the day of Christs power 3. Sonnes Because of the son-like affection to be much for God their Father out of a naturall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they should have more then in the times of the Law I suppose some of you have heard of the story of Craesus his sonne though he was dumb all his dayes when he perceived a souldier striking his father his affection brake the barres of his speech and he cryed out to the Souldier to spare his rather This is the affection of a sonne and these affections doth God looke for from his children especially in the time of the Gospel that they should heare no wrong done to him but though they could never speake in their own cause yet their should be sure to speake in their Fathers cause 4. Sonnes Because they have not such a spirit of servility upon them as they had in the time of the Law Christ is come to redeem us that we might serve the Lord in holinesse and righteousnesse before him without feare all the dayes of our life to take away the spirit of feare Hence the Apostle saith We have not received the spirit of feare but of love and of a sound minde And Heb. 2. 15. Christ is come to redeem those who through feare of death were all their life time subject to bondage The spirit of a sonne is not be spirit of feare We have not received the spirit of bondage to feare again but the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father It is unbeseeming the children of God especially in the time of the Gospel to be of such servile spirits as to feare every little danger to be distracted with fear and presently to be amazed Hath not God revealed himselfe to us as a Father to his children that we must not feare He would not have us feare himselfe not with a servile sear as men do and therefore surely not to fear men be they what they will be We are sons Again Not only sons for so we might find in Scripture where the people of God under the Law perhaps are sometimes called so but elder sons sons come to yeares It is true they were before us and so in that respect we are not elder bnt sons that are come to our inheritance that is it I mean that we are such sons Not children under tutorage not under School-masters and governours as they were in the time under the Law You know what comparison the Scripture makes of the difference betweene
fallen from God as they have discharged those that plead against them Well but if a member a particular may plead with a Church a whole Church with their mother Certainly then there is no one Member of a Church so high but he may be pleaded withall even by private people in that Church Colos 4. 17. Say to Archippus look to thy Ministry It is an Exhortation to all the Church to say to Archippus and admonish him to looke to his Ministry For though the officer of a Church be nearer to Christ the head of which you heard before then other members are as the Arme is nearer the head then the hand yet if the arme shall send forth any thing to the hand that it hath not from the head as in a flux of putrid humours that resteth in the arme then it would be the strength of the hand to resist those ill humours that the arme sends forth So if any Officer of the Church shall send forth that which he did not receive from the head to any Member but some putrid humour of his own It is the virtue of that Member to resist the receiving of any such humour Certainly it is the pride of many that thinke it scorne for any private people any way to have to do with them It is I say a pride in men which thorough want of that right order that should be in all Churches is growen to that height that those that take to themselves as proper the name of Clergy they think it such a dishonor to them for any other that is not a Clergy-man as they speak to speak to them or admonish them of any thing or to reason with them about any thing or when they have preached to come to them for further satisfaction in somewhat that they have delivered or if they be negligent in their duty to tell them of it though never so submissively meekly their pride makes them rise so high And for that observe because they do it upon that ground that they are the Clergie which signifies Gods inheritance and Gods lot and so contemning others as inferiour You shall find in Scripture the people are called Clergy in distinction from the Ministers and never the Ministers in the New Testament from the people the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not attributed to them to my remembrance but I am sure it is attributed to the Congregation to the private members by way of distinction from them That you shall see in 1 Pet. 5. 3. Be not Lords over Gods inheritance Doe not Lord it over Gods Clergy over Gods Lot so the words are Now in that he saith do not Lord it certainly that is spoken to the Officers of the Church and they must not Lord it over Gods inheritance that is over Gods Clergy for so I say the words are The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore from whence Clergy commeth is you see attributed to the people And we shall find in Scripture Acts 18. 25. that Apollos an Eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures and a man of a fervent spirit yet the Text saith that Aquila and Priscilla that were private people tooke him unto them and expounded to him the way of God more perfectly Where have you an Apollos now an Eloquent man a Scholler a great Clergy man but would scorne and contemne that a poore man and his wife should take him home instruct him in the way of God more perfectly Yet Apollos an Eloquent man mighty in the Scriptures tooke it well and was willing to receive further instruction from these people And we finde Cant. 5. that in the time of reformation of the Church the Church went to the watch-men the watch-men beate her shee had more reliefe from the daughters of Jerusalem then from them But we must not leave this so neither It is true there may be a notorious abuse of both these and it is exceeding hard for a people to understand their liberty without abusing of it either against the Church or against the Officers of a Church This power may be abused in people very much in too much pride arrogancy mallapertness a spirit of contention in some taking a delight in contradiction There are many people I say that are of such a humor that it is their very delight to be in a way of contradiction they think they are no body except they have somewhat to say against their officers or against what is delivered and upon that very ground will go quarrelling not out of meere conscience but that it may appear to others that for their parts they have a further reach than other men It is true such things are delivered generally they are received yea but men must know that they look into things further then others doe And if they be in a community they conceive that every one would think them no body if they stand still and say nothing therefore that they may appeare to be some-body they will speake they will have somewhat to finde fault withall though they scarce understand what they say or whereof they affirme and shew it they will in a virulent spirit in a domineering way and brave it to the faces of those that God hath set over them Certainly this is a grosse and abominable thing giving it may be reproachfull tearmes to such Whereas the Rule of Christ is Rehuke not an Elder 1 Tim. 5. 1. but intreate him as a Father do not you think presently that because you may pleade with them that Gods cause may not suffer by your silence that therefore you may rebuke them in an undecent and unseemly manner You may indeed in an humble way goe as acknowledging the distance betwixt you and him hee being an Officer and so inEreat him as a Father Doe many of you so when you go and reason the case with a Minister whom you your selves will acknowledge to be Officers of Christ yet it may be sometime through bitternesse of spirit you will be casting them off from being Officers of Christ before you have sufficient warrant for it and therefore the Apostle saith in the same Chapter ver 19. Against an Elder receive not an accusation but before two or three witnesses Marke you must not receive an accusation much lesse a condemnation for the credit and honour of the Ministers of Christ are very deare and precious unto him therefore take heed how through a violent and turbulent spirit you cast any dishonour upon those that Christ hath set over you Thus I have indeavoured to discover the truth unto you and so limited as I hope it may be for edification and not for hurt at all to any Pleade with your Mother But what is this pleading She is not my wife neither am I her Husband It hath much bitternesse in it indeed if it be considered of yet it is in as faire termes as can be set out Shee is not my wife He doth not
are called Puritans had been the cause of such charge to the Kingdom disturbances to the State as the Prelatical faction hath been it had been impossible for them to go in the streets but they would have been stoned to death I speake not this as though we should do the like but I speake it to shew what the virulencie of their spirits would have beene to them if it had beene apparent that they had beene such charge to the Kingdome and such disturbers of the State The truth is vve may charge our Papists and charge others that are of that way and we know who are next to them we may well charge them as the cause of stripping of us naked as we have been It is cleere enough those that put not away their whoredoms from them but continue still superstitious and Idolaters they are they that endauger a people to be stripped naked A sixth Observation that presents it selfe fully and cleerely without any the least straining is That it is time for people then to pleade when there is danger of desolation Plead with your mother plead why so why should we not be quiet Lest I strip her naked and set her as in the day wherein she was borne What you are in such a condition as you are in danger to be stripped naked and to be left desolate as a wildernesse as it followeth in the Text Is it not time then to plead Oh pleade with God and pleade with those that are in authority and plead one with another and pleade with all stirre up your selves and do what you can let there be no sluggish spirit no neutralizing spirit It is not time for any to be newters now It is time now for all to come and plead not so much time now to dispute of things but now time for every one to stand and appear plead not only verbally but otherwise as God calls them to it Luke 3. 9. When John saith The axe is laid to the roote of the tree what then then every one commeth and saith what shall we doe you saith he to some that have two coates impart to him that hath none and to the souldiers when they say what shall we doe doe you no violence to any man and be content with your wages Mark when the Axe is laid to the roote of the tree every one comes in then and saith what shall we doe You that are women and inferiour doe you pray and cry and further your husbands in all good be not you backward do not you dravv them away when they would be liberall and forward and adventure themselves thorough your nicenesse and daintiness And you that are men of estates if you aske what you should doe It is apparent He that hath two coates let him impart to him that hath none bee willing to part with much of your estates in such a cause as this And so souldiers if you aske vvhat you should doe behave your selves so as you may convince others offer no violence but according to an orderly way and be content with your wages perhaps it may not come in so fully afterwards yet let it appear that it is the cause that strengtheneth you rather then your wages Thus every one should be of an inquiring spirit when the Axe is laid to the roote of the tree When we are in danger to be stripped of all it is not time then to stand about curiosities and niceties Seventhly Lest I strip her naked c. I have sent my Prophets already before and they have offered mercie and denounced threatnings Well I will now come another way I will strip her naked c. The observation is That those that will not be convinced by the word God hath other means to convince them he hath other wayes then the word if the word will not convince them pleading will not doe it it seems and convincing arguments will not do it well then stripping naked shall doe it As the expression is usuall in Scripture Then you shall know that I am the Lord when I do thus and thus As you use to doe with those that are of a sleepy disposition if you call up a servant that is sluggish sleepy he answereth Anon and then falls down and sleeps again you call him again and he answers then sleeps again at length you come up and pull the cloaths of him leave him naked and that will awake him So God he calls upon them to leave their whoredoms and Idolatries and to repent he threatneth and he offers mercie and they seeme a little to awake but to it again Well saith God I will come another way and strip you naked and that will doe iâ— Eighthly Lest I strip her naked and set her as in the day wherein shee was borne Lest I doe it Whatsoever the means be of stripping a Nation naked it is God that doth it It is God that gives and it is God that takes away But let that passe 9. It is a grievous Judgement for one that is advanced from a low degree to an high to be brought thither again Lest I strip her naked and set her as in the day wherein she was borne Thus Job aggravateth his misery You have it in the 29. and 30. Chapters of Job The candle of God shineth upon my head I washed my steps in butter and the rock powred me out Rivers of oyle my glory was freâ—h in me and my bow was renewed in my hand c. But now saith he they that are younger then I have me in derision whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flocke c. Thus he aggravateth his judgement because he was brought into a low condition having once beene in a high one The like aggravation of misery have we Lameat 4. 2. The precious sonnes of Zion comparable to fine gold how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers and vers 5. They that did feede delic ately are desolate in the streetes they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghils Thus the Scripture is cleare in it and your experience is enough to confirme it For a man that hath beene a bondslave in the Gallies and after he should be ransomed by the liberality of his friends here in England if hee should be taken and brought back again to the gallies oh how tedious and grievous would it be but if he had lived long here and flourished and gotten preferment and lived bravely and had grown a great Merchant then after this to be brought againe to the gallies how sad a thing would this be it would be very terrible to him If some of you that have beene beggars heretofore if God by some way or other should bring you to the same poverty you were in before oh how tedious would it be you would rather venture the losse of your soules and God and all then be brought into such a
Bolton who died not long since It is repoâ—ted that upon his death-bed he had his children come to him he speaks thus unto them I doe believe saith he there is never a one of you will dare to meet me at the tribunall of Christ in an unregenerate condition So let me say to you that are evill children of Godly parents let me in their names speak to you How dare you with what face doe you think you shall dare to meet with your godly father and gracious mother before the judgement seat of Jesus Christ at that day if your godly father stand at the right hand of Christ how dare you appeare before that face in the guilt of those horrible wickednesses that you now live in Certainly the thought of this hath power to daunt your hearts She hath done shamefully The word in the Hebrew it is in Hyphil and so it may be translated transitively signifieth She hath made ashamed as well as done shamefully and so I find it according to some thus rendered Shee hath made ashamed her husband she hath made ashamed her children shee hath made ashamed her self and all these three may be meant Yea I conceive the intent of the holy Ghost is to expresse them all Her husband first the Church is the Spouse of Jesus Christ Christ is the husband of the Church and you know the Scripture saith that the woman is the glory of the man I remember I gave the meaning of that heretofore So the Church being the Spouse of Christ should be the glory of Christ the woman should be the glory of the man but yet being wicked and filthy she makes her husband many times ashamed The evil of the wife is a shame to the husband so the evill of the Church is a shame to Iesus Christ The Church in Scripture is called the glory of Christ 2 Cor. 8. 23. If our brethren be enquired after they are the messengers of the Churches and the glory of Christ Isa 4. 5. Vpon all the glory shall be a defence It should be so but when it commeth to be defiled it shameth Christ their wickednesse reflects upon Christ Christ is said to walke in the middest of the golden Candlesticks Rev. 2. 1. Every Church is a Candle-stick and it should be a golden Candle-sticke but if it come to be a filthy rustie Candle-stick it is a dishonour unto Christ who walketh amongst them Wicked men doe not shame Christ but godly doe My brethren let us take heed of that It is an evill thing to bring shame to our selves and one to another but to bring shame upon JESUS CHRIST is the greatest evil Many of you perhaps are ashamed of Christ take heed you be not a shame to Christ They are ashamed of Christ that are ashamed to appeare in the cause of Christ but as for you that are so Christ hath more cause to be ashamed of you for you are a shame to him It is true I cannot deny it but many Churches of God and that of late have brought some shame to Jesus Christ by their dissentions and fractions and they must take shame to themselves and they have taken shame to themselves they have acknowledged it to the glory of Christ and in that regard in some measure have washed off that shame that they have brought to Christ Againe further a shame they are to their children Wicked Parents are a shame to their children when a child appeareth forward towardly and hopefull and it be said Would you not wonder to see him so forward the father of him is a beastly drâ—nkard a filthy whore-monger of a vile and malignant spirit now the child is ashamed to heare of the evil of his father and of the evil of his mother As foolish children are a shame to their Parents so wicked Parents are a shame to their children You that have gracious children take heed you be not a shame to them and so a shame to your selves And then a shame to her selfe she hath plaid the harlot she hath done shamefully Wherein had she done shamefully I will onely mention one particular Certainly that shame of hers was especially in subjecting Religion to carnall policie For what did she doe what was the great sinne of the ten Tribes It was this because they were afraid that if they did go up to Jerusalem to worship the people would then depart from the house of Jeroboam to the house of David therefore out of politicall regards they would have the worship set up at Dan and Bethel there they would have Calves they must not goe up to Jerusalem the place which God had appointed to worship in but at Dan and Bethel This was a meere politique fetch for they could not but acknowledg that God did require that they should worship at Jerusalem where the Temple was and there was no other reason why they would worship at Dan and Bethel but meerely out of State policie that they might prevent the people from going backe to the house of David and indeed they did professe so much themselves Here then they did shamfully The Observation then from hence is that for governours or any to subject Religion to policie is a shamefull thing It is shamefull to make Religion an underling and to make policie the head Perhaps they call this wisedome a prudentiall way wee must be carefull and wise to foresee inconveniences that may follow But what if God give it another name God may give it a name of base temporizing a name of folly and wickednesse to subject Religion to policie it is shamefull because it abaseth that which is the great honour of any Country it makes it an underling what is the excellency of man but Religion what is the excellency of a Country but Religion and what hath England been glorious for more then for Religion Now to put the excellency of a thing under any inferiour this is shamefull to put the Crown that is for the head under ones foot is a dishonour to it although a thing hath in it self but little excellencie if it be brought beneath it selfe under other things that have not so great an excellency in them it makes it vile And shamefull also it is because it holdeth forth this that we dare not trust God for our civill estate and for our peace therefore Religion must come under Shamefull it is again because it is grosse folly for there is no such way to breede disturbance in a politicke state no such way to undoe a State as to make Religion an underling to policie Was it not so here That very way that they tooke to uphold their policie was the way to destroy their State did destroy it at last even their corrupting of Gods worship What cause had they then to be ashamed of this that God should take that which they thought to helpe themselves by and make that the very thing that should cause their ruine And certainly it
children If you should see a malignant party come with their spheares and pikes and your children sprawling upon the toppes of them and their blood gushing out what would your gold-rings what would all your niceties and braver doe you good I will give you for this because it is a point of such concernment foure notable expressions in Scripture about Idolaters eagerness and earnestness of spirit in following after their Idols The first is Isa 57. 5. The Text saith there that they were inflamed after their Idols they were on fire after them The second is Jer. 50. 38. They were madde upon their Idols Thirdly You have a text more sutable to that I am speaking of It is Isa 46. 6. it is said there that they did laviâ—h gold out of the bagga They did not onely give their gold rings that were of no use and part with that which they could well spare but they did lavish gold that was in the bagge they would not onely bring some of it but they did lavish it for so the word is and they lavished not their silver but their gold and that not a piece or two out of a paper but out of the bagge they brought their bagges of gold and did lavish gold out of them and this they did for their Idols Oh what a shame is it then that any should be penurious and not come off full in the publicke cause of the Church and Common-wealth The fourth Text is Jerem. 8. 2. and there we have five expressions together of the pursuance of the heart of Idolaters after their Idols the like wee have not in all the booke of God in one verse Speaking of their Idols First he saith whom they have loved Secondly whom they have served Thirdly after whom they have walked Fourthly whom they have sought And Fifthly whom they have worshipped and all this in this one verse O how are the hearts of people set upon the wayes of Idolatry I remember Cambden reports of a King of England Canutus that spent as much upon one crosse aâ— the revenues of the Crowne came unto in a whole yeer he was so profuse in charges about his superstitious vanities Master Calvin in a Sermon of his upon that Text seeke ye my face hath this expression Foolish Idolaters when they endure much in their pilgrimages spend their money waste their bodies and abused in their travail yet they goe on and thinke all sufficiently recompenced if they may see and worship some Image of a Saint or holy relicke Shall the beholding saith he some dead carrion or apish Idol have more power to strengthen them then the face of God in his ordinances shall have to strengthen us My lovers that gave me my bread and my water my wool and my flaxe mine oyle and my drinke What were these Idols The Idol that gave their bread was Caeres shee was the goddesse that the Heathens did worship for corne For their water Luna the Moone was the Idol they worshipped for their drinke and all moist things For their wool and flaxe Ashtaroth was their god And for their oyle Fryapus The seventy translate that which wee say here wooll clothes and that which we say flaxe they linnen and they likewise for the fuller expression adde a word or two more and all other necessary things So they though their Idols gave them all flaxe and wool and hempe and all things Observe from hence Idolaters have a great many idols to supply their severall wants My lovers in the plural number The idols of the Heathen do not supply all good but one one thing and another another thing And that is the difference betweene the true God and Idols The excellency of the true God is that he is an universal good we have all good flaxe and oyle and bread and wine and all in one in our God in our lover And that is the reason that God chalengeth the whole heart Idols are content with a partiall obedience because they are but partiall in bestowing of good things but God justly requires the whole heart of his worshippers because he is an universall good to them My Lovers that gave me my bread c. Marke The end that Idolaters ay me at in their worship is very low They follow their lovers and are very earnest for what I pray for their wool and their flaxe and their bread and their water their oyle and their drinke These are the things they aime at they desire no more they look no higher may their flesh be satisfied give them but-liberty to sport on the Lords day to have their feasts their wakes merry meetings and they care for no more Their spirits are vile and accordingly is their worship Therefore their worship is external it is bodily because their aimes are at externall and bodily things As a mans end is so is a man either base or honourable There are many men that cry out as if they aimed at God and Religion in many things they doe they make a noise about Religion and God and Christ and his Ordinances and the publicke good but the truth is their aimes are at gaine and credit and at their wool and their flaxe and herein they shew the baseness of their spirits like the lapwings that make a loud cry as if they were come neere their nests when their neasts are somewhere else VVhatever their cry be for God and the publicke good but if you marke them their neast is in their wool in their flax in their profit in their honour and preferment in these outward things But the end of the true worshippers of God is a great deale higher they soare aloft there is a spirituall heighth of soule whereby they are raised upwards by the grace of God A godly mans feete are where a wicked mans head is that which he accounteth his chiefe good a godly man can trample under his feete He lookes at God himselfe at his service he worshippeth the high God he is a child of Abraham not Abraham but Abraham what is the signification of that Pater excelsus a high Father for he is the father of children of high spirits not only of Children that are beleevers but of those that have high raised spirits so Abraham signifieth a high father Cleopatria told Marcus Antonius that he was not to fish and angle for gudgeons and trouts but for Castles Forts and Towns so I may say of a Christian he doth not fish angle especially in matters of Religion for wool and flax and oile he hath no such low and base ends but at God and Christ and heaven and glory and imortality he lookes there he serves God not for these things hee desires these things that by them he may be fitted more to serve God One that hath beene acquainted with the free grace of God in Christ will serve God for himselfe without indenting with him he will be willing to go into Gods Vineyard and not
accepted of him therefore take this trueth for helping of you against this fore temptation when you are in affliction which will be apt to come in Oh I cry to God now in my affliction I should have done it before surely God will not heare me now This may be a temptation I confesse I cannot speake in this point without a trembling heart lest it be abused but the Text presents it fairely to you and you must have the minde of God made known unto you though others abuse it Psal 88. 9. Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction Lord I have called daily upon thee This is spoken of Heman and God did accept of him as it is apparrent in the Psalm yet he cryed by reason of affliction and Psal 120. 1. In my distresse I cryed unto the Lord and he heard me though it were in my distresse yet the Lord heard me Onely take this one note about it It is true Though our being stopped in all other wayes may make us cry to God and God may heare us but when God doth hear us he works more then crying out by reason of that affliction though at first our affliction be the thing that carryeth ns unto God yet before God hath done withus and manifest and any acceptance of us hee workes our hearts to higher aymes then deliverance from our affliction Againe further I will goe and returne A heart effectually wrought upon by God is a resolute heart to returne to God As they were resolute in their way of Idolatry I will follow after my lovers so their hearts being converted they shall be as resolute in Gods wayes she shall say I will returne to my first husband When God will worke upon the heart to purpose he causeth strong arguments to fasten upon the spirit and nothing shal hinder it no not father nor mother nor the dearest friend Perhaps the Lord beginneth to worke upon the child and the father scornes him and the mother perhaps saith What shall we have of you now a Puritane This grieveth the spirit of the child yet there are such strong arguments fastned by God upon his heart that it carryeth him thorough he is resolute in his way he will returne Further Those who have ever found the sweetnesse of Christ in their hearts have yet something remaining that though they should be apostates will at length draw them to him Christ hath such hold upon their hearts as at one time or other he will get them in again there will be some sparkes under those embers that will flame and draw the soule to returne againe to Christ Therefore if any of you ever had any friends in whom you were verily perswaded there was a true work of grace though they be exceedingly apostatized from Christ do not give over your hope for if ever there were any true tast of the sweetnesse that is in Christ Christ hath such a hold upon their hearts that he will bring them in again one time or other Further I will return to my first husband for them was it better with me There is nothing gotten by departing from Christ You goe from the better to the worse when ever you depart from him What fruit have you in those things whereof you are now ashamed I the Lord saith God Isa 48 17. teach to profit sinne doth not teach to profit you can never get good by that but the Lord teacheth to profit It may be you may think to gaine something by departing from Christ but when you have cast up all the gain you may put it into your eye and it will doe you no hurt Job 27. 8. It is a notable place What is the hope of the hypocriâ—e though he hath gained when God taketh away his soul Perhaps a hypocrite that is departed from God a back-flider that was forward before in the way of godlinesse and now like Demaâ— he hath forsaken those wayes and cleaved to the world he thinkes he hath gained and perhaps is grown richer and liveth braver then before yet what hope hath this back-slyder this hypocrite when God taketh away his soul then he will see that he hath gotten nothing As it is said of the Idolater Isay 44. 20 A deceived heart hath turned him aside he feeds upon ashes that he cannot deliver his soul nor say Is there not a lye in my right hand What shall there be more in a lust then in the blessed God then in JESUS CHRIST who is the glory of Heaven the delight of Angels the satisfaction of the Father himselfe Can a lust put thee into a better condition then Christ who hath all fulnesse to satisfie the soul of God himself certainly it cannot be Againe There must be a sight and an acknowledgement of our shamefull folly or else there can be no true returning unto God I will goe and return to my first husband for then it was better with mee then now As if the Church should say I confesse I have plaid the foole I have done shamefully I have loft by departing from Christ it was better farre then it is now Ier. 3. 25. We lie downe in our shame and our confusion covereth us for wee have sinned against the Lord our God saith the Church there so it should be with all that come in to return to Christ they must lie downe in their shame This I note as very seasonable in these times we have many now who not long since have been very vile apostates they have gone with the times they saw preferment went such a way and their hearts went that way Now they see they cannot have preferment in that way they went and God of his mercy hath changed the times they will bee Converts Wee have in England many parliamentary Converts but such as wee are not to confide in Why should wee not confide in them If they will repent and returne God accepteth them and why should not we It is true such an one was before an enemy and followed superstitious vanities but now he is grown better and preacheth against them and why should not wee receive him To that I answer It is true if deep humiliation have gone before that reformation if together with their being better they have been willing to shame themselves before God and his people to acknowledg their folly in departing from God and be willing to professe before all that knew them and have been scandalized by them It is true God began with mee and shewed me his wayes when I was young I began to love them and to walk in them but when I saw how the times went and preferment went the Lord knows I had a base time-serving heart I went away from God they were no arguments that satisfied my conscience but meerly livings and preferment and now I doe desire to take shame and confusion of face to my selfe Woe unto me for the folly and falsenesse of my heart it is
have had already even of free-cost as much mercy as these troubles come to Sixtly these troubles that we are in are making way for glorious mercies to come though there be some pangs yet they are not the pangs of death they are but the pangs of a travelling woman that is bringing forth a man-child And certainly any Prince would think that though his Queen should be put to some paine in travaile yet her condition is better then when shee had nopaine and was barren or then that she should lye upon her sick bed and her senses benummed and she ready to dye The pains of a travelling woman are better then a sensless dying And yet further if you thinke that you had better times heretofore then now what times will you refer your selves unto in making the comparison I suppose you will instance in the time of the first Reformation then things were in a good way when those worthy Lights of the Church and blessed Martyrs had such a hand in the Reformation Many there are that do magnifie the â—â—nes of the beginning of Reformation for their owne ends that they may thereby hinder Reformation now This you know is the great argument that prevaileth with most What were not those Prayers composed by learned godly men as Cranmer Latimer Ridley and others and can we be wiser then they did not they seale their profession with their blood My brethren we need goe no further to shew the weaknesse of this argument but only to shew how it was in the Church in those times and you wilâ— find that you have cause to blesse God that it is not so with you now as it was then and if that will appeare then the argument you will see can no further prevail with rationall men Certainly those first Reformers were worthy Lights and blessed instruments for God I would not darken their excellency but weaken the argument that is abusively raised from their worth It is reported of Mr. Greneham that famous practicall Divine who refusing subscription in a Letter of his to the Bishop of Ely gives his reasons and answers that Prelates objection against him namely that Luther thought such Ceremonies might be retained in the Church his Answer is this I reverence more the revealed wisdome of God in teaching Mr. Luther so many necessary things to salvation then I search his seeret judgements in keeping back from his knowledg other things of lesse importance The same do I say of those worthy instruments of Gods glory in the first Reformation that it may be cleare to you that God kept back his mind from them in some things Consider whether you would be willing that should be done now that was then As in the administration of baptisme we find that in the book of Lyturgy in King Edwards time which was composed by those worthy men first the child was to be croft in the fore-head and then on the breast after a prayer used then the Priest was to say over the child at the Font I command thee thou unclean spirit in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost that thou comest out of this infant thou cursed spirit remember thy sentence remember thy judgment remember the day is at hand wherein thou shalt bee burnt with everlasting fire prepared for thee and thy Angels presume not hereafter to exercise any tyranny over this infant whom Christ hath bought with his precious blood Then they dipped the childe thrice in the water the Godfathers and the Godmothers laid their hands upon the child and the Priest putteth a white vestment over it called a Crysome saying Take this white vesture for a token of thine innocency which by Gods grace in this holy Sacrament of baptisme is given to thee for a signe whereby thou art admonished as long as thou livest to give thy selfe to innocency Then the Priest must anoint the Infant upon the head saying Almighty God c. who hath regenerated thee by water the holy Ghost who hath given thee remission of all thy sins vouchsafe to anoint thee with the unction of his holy Spirit Would you now have your children baptized after this manner yet these learned holy men thought that to be a good way So at the buriall of the dead the Priest casting earth upon the corps shall say I commend thy soule to God the Father Almighty and body to the ground and in another prayer Grant to this thy servant that the sinnes he committed in this world be not imputed to him but that he escaping the gates of hell and pains of eternall darknesse may ever dwell in the region of light You will say things are otherwise now True therefore I say there is no strength in that argument that those men that composed that liturgy were worthy lights in the Church for they were but newly come out of Popery and had the scent of Popery upon them therefore it is too unreasonable to make that which they did the rule of our Reformation now as if we were to goe no further then they did The like may be said of the Primitive times which many plead for the justification of their superstitious vanities for the Christians then came but newly out of heathenisme and lived amongst Heathens and therfore could not so soon be delivered from their heathenish customes I could relate to you sad things there were in Qu. Elizabeths dayes in K. James his dayes but I must not take too much liberty in this digression onely let us hereby learn not so to cry out of evill times that we are faln into as to be unthankfull for present mercies let us blesse God for what wee have had and looke unto the rule for further reformation For shee did not know that I gave her corn and wine and oyle and multiplyed her silver and gold which they prepared for Baal c. The Spirit of God returneth here again to convincing upbraiding accusing threatning Israel The sin of Israel went very near to the heart of God and God speaks here as a man troubled in spirit for the unkindenesse unfaithfulness unreasonableness of the dealings of his Spouse with him it runneth in his thoughts his heart is grieved at it and he must vent himselfe and when he hath told his grief and aggravated his wrong he is upon it again again still convincing upbraiding charging Israel for dealing so unfaithfully and treacherously with him all shewing the trouble of his spirit For she did not know c. These words depend upon the 5. ver for the 6. 7. they are as a parenthesis She hath done shamefully for she said I will goe after my lovers that give me my bread my water my wool my flaeâ—â—e c. For she did not know c. She did thus and thus for she did not know that I gave her corn and wine c. What was Israel worse then the Oxe or the Asse that knows
cleansed that God may be pacified in regard of the filth and uncleanness that hath cleaved even to them You are not in the day of a Fast onely to confesse your notorious sins to God those that in their own nature are sinfull but you are then to examine all your holy duties and to humble your selves before God and to seek to make peace with God in regard of the uncleannesse that hath been in them This few thinke of they 〈◊〉 the day of a Fast confesse such sins as are vile in themselves but to be made sensible of the uncleannesse of holy duties that is little thought of in the day of their Fasts 4. In their day of Atonement the Priest was to lay the sins of the congregation upon the scape goat The story of the scape goat was this The Priest must come and confesse the sins of the congregation laying his hand upon the head of the goat and then he must send this goat into the wildernesse The meaning is of great use to us Jesus Christ he is the scape goat and we are in the dayes of our humiliations to come and lay our hands upon Iesus Christ and to confesse all our sins over him and look upon all our sins as laid upon him Now the scape goat was to be sent into the wildernesse What is that That is sent into a land of forgetfulness so as the Iews should never come to see that goat again that their sins were laid upon it signified to them that their sins were now so forgiven them that they should never hear of their sins againe Thus are our sins upon Christ as we shall never come to see nor heare more of them In the day of our Fasts we should thus exercise our Faith upon Christ A fift thing that was to be done was to sprinkle the blood of the slaine goat upon the mercie-seat and before it It is the blood of Christ that is upon and before Gods mercie-seat that procures mercy from thence for us The sixt thing In the 16 of Leviticus ver 12. the Priest must take a censer full of burning coales of fire from off the Altar and his hanfull of sweet incense beaten small This he must doe in the day of Atonement to teach us That in the day of our solemne Fasts we must be sure to get our hearts full of burning coales from the Altar full of affection and zeale full of mighty workings of spirit to God although you that are godly and so are Priests to God at other times come with few coales from the Altar a little affection your affections are scarce heated but in a day of Atonement you must come with your hearts full of coales and be sure it be fire from the Altar doe not satisfie your selves in naturall affections then but be sure you be full of spirituall affections and then full of incense VVhat was that it typically represented our prayer you must be sure to have your hearts full of prayer to send up abundance of incense before God the incense must be of spiceâ— beatou small what is that the prayerâ— that we are to send up to God in the day of Atonement must come from much contrition of spirit our hearts must be beaten small to powder when the hearts of men are beaten to powder then they are able to send forth such incense as is a sweet favour in the nostrills of God Many of you in the day of a fast seem to be full of prayer but is this prayer a sweet incense to God or no how shall I know that by this God hath appointed the incense upon the day of atonement to be that that must come from spices beaten if thy heart be beaten to powder and thy prayers be but the savour and the odour of thy graces that are as spices and heated by the fire of Gods spirit then here is the incense that pleases God First graces which are the spices the contrition that is the beating small then the fire of Gods Spirit to cause the incense to rise up in the nostrills of God as a sweet savour Further a seventh thing in the day of atonement was the cloud of the incense must cover the Mercy seate ver 13. and then the blood both of the bullocke and the goate must be sprinkled upon the Mercy seate and that seven times and ver 15. the blood of the goat must be sprinkled not onely â—pon the Mercy seate but before the Mercy seate what is the meaning of this must our mercy seat be clouded in the day of atonement wee had need have it appear to us and not be clouded yes in the day of atonement it must be clouded but clouded with incense the incense that was sent up was a type of the sweet perfume of the merit of Jesus Christ Now in the day of atonement we must look up to the mercy seate as clouded with the merit of Christ clouded that is the merit of Jesus Christ round about it as a cloud and covering the Mercy Seat to teach us that no man must dare to look upon the Mercy Seat of God as it is in it selfe but he must have the incense of the merit of Christ round about it the reason was given why the Lord must have the incense as a cloud to cover the Mercy Seat lest hee die if he had entered into the holy place and there looked upon the Mercy Seat and not clouded by the incense he must have died for it those men that think to come into Gods presence and look upon God out of Christ and think to receive mercy from God out of Christ they die for it this is the damnation of mens soules to look upon God as mercifull out of Christ mercy is an attribute of God but if we dare who are sinfull creatures to looke upon this attribute of mercy and not have the incense of Christ merit it is the way to destroy our souls O how many thousands are in hell for this many who are afflicted for their sins and cry to God to forgive their sins and believe he is mercifull and think to exercise their faith upon God as mercifull and yet not looking upon the mercy seat as clouded with the merit of Christ it proves the destruction of their soules In a fast when you come to look upon God you must not look upon God as the Creator of heaven and earth or as mercifull in himself barely but look upon Gods mercy in his Sonne and so exercise your faith or else you can never make an atonement but rather will procure Gods wrath It is not only dangerous but horrible once to think of God without Christ sayes 〈◊〉 Again the blood of the Bullocke and the Goate must be sprinkled seven time 〈◊〉 the mercy seate when wee come to make our atonement with God we must exercise our faith in the blood of Christ and sprinkle it seven times again and again upon the mercy seat wee
of God and hence are put to it so much to make a connection betweene that that went before and this therefore but wee need not go so farre the right knowledg of the fulnesse and the riches of the grace of the Covenant will help us out of this difficulty and tell us how these two the greatnesse of mans sin and the riches of Gods grace may have a connection one to another and that by an Illative therefore I confesse the Hebrew word is sometimes conjunctio ordinis rather then causalis a conjunction that only sets out the order of a thing one thing following another rather then any way implying any cause but the reading here by way of inference I take to be according unto the scope of the Spirit of God and it gives us this excellent note Such is the grace of God unto those who are in Covenant with him as to take occasion from the greatnesse of their sinns to shew the greatnesse of his mercy from the vilenesse of their sins to declare the riches of his grace And the Scripture hath divers such kind of expressions as these as Gen. 8. 21. The Lord said in his heart I will not again curse the ground any more for mans sake VVhy For the immagination of mans heart is evill from his youth A strange reasoning I will not curse the ground for mans sake for the imagination of mans heart is evill from his youth One would have thought it should have been rather I will therefore curse the ground for mans sake because the imagination of mans heart is evill from his youth but the grace of God knowes how to make another manner of inference then we could have imagined So likewise Isa 57. 17 18. For the iniquity of his covetousnesse was I wroth and smote him I hid me and was wroth and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart I have seen his wayes saith God Now one would have thought that the next word should have been I will therefore plague him I wil destroy him I will curse him but mark the words that follow I will heale him I will 〈◊〉 him also and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners I will create the fruit of the lips peace to him This is a consequence at least if not an inference David understood this reasoning to be indeed the true reasoning of the Covenant of grace and therefore he pleadeth thus with God Psal 25. 11. Pardon my iniquity for it is great Lord my iniquity is great therefore pardon it Hearken you Saints hearken I say this is the great blessing of God unto you who are in Covenant with him whereas otherwise your sins should have made you objects of Gods hatred your sins now render you objects of his pitty and compassion this is the glorious fruit of the covenant of grace I would only the Saints heard me in this thing but why doe I say so I will recall my word let all sinners heare me let the vilest the worst sinners in the world heare of the riches of the grace of God in this his Covenant that if they belong to Gods election they may see the fulnesse the glory of Gods grace to be inamoured with it their hearts ravished with it that they may never be at rest till they get evidence to their soules that God indeed hath actually received them into this his Covenant If then God be pleased in the riches of free grace to make such an inference therefore let us take heed that wee make not a quite crosse inference from the greatnesse of our sins nor on the other side from Gods grace As thus You have followed your lovers you have forgot me therefore will I allure you An unbelieving heart would make this inference I have followed my lovers I have followed after vanity and folly and therefore God hath rejected mee therefore God will have no mercy upon me therefore I am undone therefore the gates of mercy are shut against me unbelieving heart do not sin against the grace of God he saith you have forgotten me therefore will I allure and speake comfortably to you doe not you say I have forgot the Lord and therefore the Lord will for ever reject me these discouraging determining despairing therefores are very grievous to the Spirit of God God would have us have all good thoughts of him It is a maine thing that God intendeth through the whole Scripture that his people should have good thoughts of him and that they should not think him a hard master It is an excellent expression of Luther saith he the whole Scripure doth principally aime at this thing that we should not doubt but that wee should hope that we should trust that we should believe that God is a merciful a bountifull a gracious and a patient God to his people It is an excellent expression that I have read of Master Bradford in one of his Epistles saith he O Lord sometimes me thinks I feel it so with me as if there were no difference between my heart and the wicked a blind mind as they a stout stubborn rebellions spirit a hard heart as they and so he goes on shall I therefore conclude thou art my Father nay I will rather reason otherwise saith he because I do believe thou art my Father I will come unto thee that thou mightest enlighten this blind minde of mine that thou mightest soften this hard heart of mine that thou mightest sanctifie this unclean spirit of mine I this is a good reasoning indeed and is worthy of one that professes the gospel of Jesus Christ Again as the inference of this unbelieving heart is grievous to Gods spirit so the inference of a prophane heart an unbelieving heart makes his therefore from the greatnesse of sin against Gods mercy and the prophane heart makes his therefore from the greatnesse of Gods mercy to the hardening of his heart in his sins what shall God make his therefore from our sin to his mercy and shall we make our therefore from his mercy back again to our sins where sin abounds grace abounds but where grace abounds sin must not abound because God is mercifull to us who are very sinfull let not us be very sinfull against him who is so mercifull God takes occasion from the greatnesse of our sins to shew the greatnesse of his mercy let not us take occasion from the greatnesse of his mercy to be emboldened in greatnesse of our sins Therefore behold Behold Here is a wonder to take up the thoughts of men and Angels to all eternity even that that we have in this inference behold notwithstanding all this yet you men and Angels behold the fulnesse the riches of Gods grace I will allure her what will not God cast us away notwithstanding the greatnesse of our sins let not us reject Gods ways notwithstanding the greatnesse of any sufferings we meet with in them there is a great deale of reason in
gods and goddesses This promise to take away the names of Baalim comes in upon Gods reconciliation to his people From whence the next note is when God is reconciled to his people there will be a thorow Reformation both outward and inward Idolatry is cast out not onely from the heart but from the mouth the taking away the names from their mouthes is a synechdoche and notheth the uttertaking away of all wayes of Idolatry in the outward practice as well as in the inward affection The more reconciliation there is with God the more enmity against Idols and superstitious worship A fruitfull signe then it is that we in England were never thorowly reconciled unto God because we never yet have cast off our Idols As some remaynders of superstition abiding amongst us did not long since break forth to most horrid and vile ways of false worship so some remainders of Gods wrath that hath been amongst us this day breakes forth into a most dreadfull flame When the people of the Iews shall be called again and God shall be perfectly reconciled to his Churches then Idolatry shall be perfectly rejected and there shall never be so much as mention of their Idols any more this Text aymes at those times and shall perfectly be fulfilled at that day that is the day when God will do it They shall call me no more Baali but Ishi my husband Thence the note is When a people is reconciled to God then they call God theirs my husband Isbi Psal 16. 3 4. David professeth that he would not so much as take up their names into his lips of which before Now mark what followeth presently upon that ver 5. The Lord saith he is my portion when the Prophet is so taken off from Idols as not to mention the names of Idols then The Lord is my portion So here now Ishi the Lord is my husband now can we claim a peculiar interest in God indeed This is the evil of sin it hindereth a nation a soule from clayming this interest in God God is a blessed and glorious God yea but what is that to this people to this apostatizing people what is that to this apostatizing soule but when the soule comes into God comes off throughly to the work of Reformation then this God is my God Ishi my husband Can any comfort any profit that you have in ways of sinne countervaile this great loss you gaine some contentment in the flesh some profit in your estate but you lose the comforts of your interest in God what is your gaine now thinke of this when any temptation comes I may be yeelding to this temptation get this contentment to the flesh but I shall lose this blessed priviledg of clayming an interest in my God I shall not be able to say Ishi my husband Thirdly Ishi The word compared with the former Baali is a word of more love then the former Baali is a word though it signifies my husband too as well as Ishi but it is husband under the notion of dominion under the notion of power that causeth feare but Ishi is a husband under the notion of love and protection Hence the note is God delights to have his people look upon him with love and delight It is Gods care and it is his good pleasure that his people should not looke upon him so much as one that hath dominion over them but that they should look upon him with joy and love and call him Ishi The more reconcyled we are unto God the more have we the use of the loving appellations of God For a soule to be alwayes under the spirit of bondage to looke unto God only as the Lord of all this is not so pleasing to God but when you come to have the spirit of adoption the spirit of grace an Evangelicall spirit that you can look upon him with love and say Ishi my husband that title of love and goodnesse this pleases God at the heart It is reported of Augustus that he would not have the title of Lord given to him he refused it and would rather have his people to looke upon him under the notion of love as a father rather then to feare him It were happy that all Princes were of this minde to desire that their people should rather love them then feare them It is a most villainous wicked and cursed principle that is in some who infuse into the spirit of Princes let your people feare you no great matter whether they love you or no. Suetonius relateth this passage of Augustus when a poor man came to present a petition to him with his hands shaking and trembling out of feare the Emperor was much displeased and said It is not fit that any should come with a petition to a King as if a man were giving meat to an Elephant that is afraid to be destroyed by him God doth not love the bread of mourners to be offered up in sacrifice hee loveth to have people come unto him with a holy boldnesse with a filiall not with a servile and slavish spirit Christ laid down his life to redeeme us that wee might serve the Lord without feare Fourthly They shall call me Ishi that is My strength The Church should looke upon Christ as the strength of it Thy maker is thy husband and who is he The Lord of Hosts is his name thy redeemer the God of the whole earth shall he be called When the people of God can look upon Christ their husband as the Lord of hosts and their Redeemer as the God of the whole earth then they finde quiet and satisfaction in their spirits Psa 89. 17. God is said to be the glory of the strength of his people Though we be weake in regard of our outward helps let us looke up to Christ our strength he hath been our strength he is the glory of it Fiftly I will take the names of Baalim out of their mouth and they shal be no more remembred by their name Repentance must be proportionable to mens sins How doth that arise before ver 13. God charged them that they had forgotten him They went after their lovers and forgat me saith the Lord. Now saith God your Idols shall be forgotten your hearts were so far set upon your idols as you forgat me now in your repentance your hearts shall be so much upon me as you shall forget your Idols Those men who have beene so wicked and ungodly heretofore that they have forgot God God hath not been in all their thoughts God expects now from them that their lusts should not be in all their thoughts It is not enough that you forbeare the act but you must not roule the sweet of them in your thoughts you must not so much as remember them except it be with the detestation of them If there be not a proportion between your repentance your former sins you may expect there will be a proportion