condition that God hath brought us to to have these liberties and ordinances according to his own way but within a while we may say as the Apostle to the Galatians Where is the blessednesse you spake of They would have pulled out their eyes for Paul What is become of all now All their beauty glory is quite damped let us take heed that when our hearts seem to be raised and mightily affected with mercies we do not soon loose our vigour heat It hath been so with England when they have had fresh mercies at first they rejoyced in them exceedingly I have read of the City of Berne when they were first delivered from Antichrist they wrote the day of their deliverance upon pillars with letters of gold Was it not so with us here in England I will only instance in that deliverance upon the fifth of November how mightily was both King and Parliament affected with it their hearts were exceedingly up then there was blessing God for their deliverance from Papists then there were prayers and thanksgivings set forth and in them this expression against Popery Whose faith is faction whose Religion is rebellion whose practice is murthering of soules and bodyes When the mercy was fresh how did their spirits worke then they profest against all kinde of Popery Reade but the Proclamation about the solemnity of that time and the expressions of the prayers then set forth and one would have thought verily then that Popery should never have prevailed in England again who would ever have thought it possible that a Popish Army should ever have had any countenance in England more Certainly if a Popish Army had been raised at that time when mens hearts were so up all the people of the land if it had been but with clubs would have risen and beaten them to pieces It is so with many young people when God first beginneth to worke upon their hearts O how are they for God! then their spirts are mightily up for Christ Psal 90. 14. O satisfie us early with thy mercies and then we shall be glad and rejoyce all the dayes of our lives It is a sweet thing when the latter part of that prayer followeth when God satisfieth young people with his mercy and that satisfaction abideth so as they rejoyce all the dayes of their lives afterward The Lord doth many times satisfie young ones with his mercy but they quickly grow dead and cold and their hearts are soone hardned and polluted and they doe not rejoyce all the dayes of their lives Another Observation that restored and recovered mercies are very sweet and precious mercies They shall sing as in the dayes of their youth They were once in a blessed sweet singing condition they had lost it but now God promiseth to recover them Iob 29. 2. O that I were as in months past as in the dayes when God preserved me when his candle shined upon my head and when by his light I warlked thorough darknesse as I was in the dayes of my youth when the secret of God was upon my Tabernacle Iob desireth this earnestly that he might have restored recovered mercies What a happy condition should I be in then saith he if it were now with me as in the dayes of my youth May not many in this place say so God hath been gracious to them in former dayes he hath given many sweet manifestations of his love many soule-ravishing communications of himself unto them but how have they lost them They may well say O that it were with us as in the dayes of our youth Oh that God would restore to us what mercy we once had what a blessed condition should we be in then But God here giveth a gracious promise that he will restore them that he will give them that which is the petition of David Psa 51. Restore to me the joy of thy salvation Lord I have lost it O that I might have it againe How happy should I be So Ps 132. 1. By the Rivers of Babylon there we sat down yea we wept there when we remembred Zion we hanged our harps upon the willowes They were in this sad condition but if one should have come to them and have said what will you say if you shall be restored againe and goe to Zion to Jerusalem againe and have songs there as much and as delightfull as before their hearts could not have held in them This mercy would be like that wine mentioned Cant. 7. 9. that is so sweet that it causeth the lips of those that are asleepe to speake If there be any life left such a mercy will raise and actuate it Psal 126. 1. 2. When the Lord turned againe the captivity of Zion our mouthes were filled with laughter and our tongues with singing when God granted them a recovered mercy As a poore prodigal that hath left his fathers house and afterward is come to beggery and misery and is under bondage is almost starved he sitteth down under a hedg wringing his hands falleth a lamenting the losse of his Fathers house and considering what comfort he had in his Fathers presence cryeth out of his folly and madnesse but if one should come and say to him what will you say if your Father should be reconciled to you and send for you home and promise to put you in as comfortable a condition as ever O how would this cause singing in his heart Thus God promiseth to his people that he would restore them to that singing condition they had lost They shall sing as in the dayes of their youth That which made this mercy so sweet was because it was a promised mercy Hence this Note Promised mercies are sweet mercies Luke 16. 61. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people and hath raised up a home of salvation to us in the house of his servant David as he spake by the mouth of all his Prophets And ver 77. To performe the mercy promised there is the cause of singing Blessed be the Lord God of Israel that hath performed the mercy promised Giving out of a promise is sweet to a gracious heart it can sing then much more sweet is the promise when it cometh to be fulfilled 2 Chron. 20. 17. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord there is the promise Mark now how Jehosaphat and the people were affected with the promise And Jehosaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground and all Iudah and the Inhabitants of Ierusalem fell before the Lord worshipped the Lord. And the Levites and the child en of the Koathites the children of the Korhites shall stand up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voyce on high And ver 21. He appointed singers unto the Lord that should praise the beauty of holinesse and to say Praise the Lord for his mercy endureth for ever Jehosâ—phat had not got the promise fulfilled it was only
of Iehu Yea Chap. 10. v. 30. you shall find that God saith because he had done such a thing shed the bloud of the house of Ahab in Jesreel that he would reward him for it and that his children to the fourth generation should sit upon the throne of Israel and governe that Kingdome Now that which Jehu was anointed to doe that which he was commanded to doe that for which God afterward rewarded him for doing now God saith he will avenge it and avenge it upon his house What should be the reason of this There are three reasons why God would avenge this bloud upon the house of Jehu First Because though Jehu did it yet he rather looked at himselfe and his owne ends than at God in it his ayme was to get the Kingdome to himselfe but he never aymed at God in the work therefore God saith hee will avenge it upon his house 2. Because though he did that which God set him about yet he did it but by halves Indeed he destroyed Ahabs house but he should have destroyed Ahabs Idolatry too but he did not doe that and therefore now God commeth upon him Yea 3. Though he were made Ahabs executioner for his Idolatry yet he proved Ahabs Successor in his Idolatry He was Gods rod in punishing Ahab but he yet continued in the sinnes that Ahab did commit therefore now God saith hee will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu From hence we have most excellent observations that doe spring naturally as a fountaine bubleth up fresh and springing water I will but only shew them to you and so passe them over First That a man may doe that which God commandeth and yet not obey God He may doe that which God would have done and yet not please God He may doe what God requireth and yet serve himselfe therein and not God Secondly A carnall heart is contented to goe so farre in Gods commands as will serve his owne turne but there hee stoppeth So farre as might serve the bringing up of Iehu to the Crowne of Israel to the setting of him on the Throne so farre hee goeth in the way of Gods command but no further Such a heart is like to the hand of a rusty dyall Suppose a rusty dyall hath the hand stand as now at tenne of the clock come and looke upon it now and it seemeth to goe right but it is not from any inward right frame of the clocke it doth so but by accident for stay till after tenne and come againe at eleven or twelve and it standeth still as before at tenne So let God command any thing that may hit with a mans owne ends with his owne way and be sutable to him and a man seems to be very obedient to God but let God goe on further and require something else something that will not serve his turn that will not agree with his owne ends and here God may seek for a servant as for him he will goe no further Thirdly God knoweth how to make use of mens parts and abilities and yet to punish for their wickednesse notwithstanding Jehu was a man of an excellent brave valiant and quicke spirit full of activity and courage and God would make use of this for the destruction of the house of Ahab yet Jehu must not scape Many men that have excellent parts of learning and state policy which God may make use of for the pulling downe his proud adversaries yet God may punish them afterward notwithstanding Many that have but weake parts and can doe but little shall be accepted of God and others that have strong parts and can doe much shall be punished by God Wee read Revel 12. 16. The earth helped the woman yet Chap. 16. 1. The vialls of Gods wrath were poured forth upon the earth men may be usefull for the publique and yet not freed from the 〈◊〉 of God Fourthly The Lord knowes how to make use of the sins of wicked men for his owne ends to further his owne counsels yet no excuse to them but his curse will come upon them at last for those sinnes God knoweth how to make use of the proud heart and ambitious spirit of Jehu for that end to fulfill his purpose against the house of Ahab and yet afterward when God hath done with him hee commeth against Jehu with a Judgement There are many whose lusts being strong yet God over-ruleth them for himselfe and overpowreth them for the furtherance of his own ends Many a Scholler who through the meere pride of his heart will study hard and preach very often and well God makes use of that for the good of others and yet the Minister may be damned himselfe A fifth Observation God may sometimes reward a worke here in this world yet may curse a man for the worke afterward Many there are that doe some outward service for God and perhaps rejoyce in it and thinke that God must needs accept of them what they they have been excellent men in the Common-wealth they have stood for Ministers they have been forward in a good cause Well thou hast done these hath not God rewarded thee hast thou not health of body and strength looke upon thy estate art not thou blessed there looke upon thy table thy wife and children art not thou blessed there Thou hast thy peny for what thou hast done But yet after thou hast had thy pay here in this world for what thou hast done God may curse thee hereafter even for the sinfulnes of thy heart in that work which for the matter of it was good God may reward thee for the matter of thy work but curse thee for the manner of it 6. It is a most dangerous thing for men to subject the workes of God to their own base ends specially the publique works of God when a man is called to publique services if he subject that to his owne base ends God will be sure to be even with him for that The more excellent any worke is the more dangerous it is to subject it to a lust It is an evill thing to make use of meate and drink and cloath to be serviceable to our lusts but to make use of the great works of God suppose he calls us to publique services to make these stoop and be serviceable to your base lusts must needs be grievous indeed It is a thing accounted burthen enough for the basest servant that is to be serviceable to some base lust of his Master but if the Mr. should make his wife serviceable to his filthy uncleanenesse oh what a vilany were that So I say the greater the thing is any man makes serviceable to his lust the more vile and the more dangerous is the sinne Hearken to this you that are professors o◠Religion The drunkard he makes beer serviceable to his lust and hee shall bee damned for that but you make the worship of God
to the right way of worshipping God kept to Ierusalem to the Temple so farre they kept the worship of God pure Hence we see God will favour a people exceeding much though there be many weaknesses yea many wickednesses among them if they keep the worship of God pure It is true there are many spirits that are most bitter against those that seek to worship God in the right way if they can but get them tripping in any small thing they follow it against them with all their might with all the bitternesse that they can possibly This is not like unto God God will favour those that worship him in a right way though for other respects hee may have many advantages against them But this you will say seemes to contradict what you said before for you said the nearer any are to God the more he hates their sinnes and the sins of those that make a shew of worshipping God in a pure manner are worse than the sins of others It is true But as their relation to God in the nearnesse of his worship is an aggravation of their sins so their relation to God is a foundation of their hope of mercy from God How is this It makes their sin indeed worse so as to provoke God to punish them sooner and perhaps bitterer yet their relation to God keepeth this ground of faith that God is their God still and will have mercy upon them at last But the wicked though God spare them longer than his own people yet when he cometh against them he rejecteth them utterly so he did Israel Iudah indeed was punished but yet Iudah had mercy at last but saith God I will have no more mercy upon the house of Israel but will utterly take them away Fiftly Israel had prevailed a little before against Iudah for if you read in 2 King 14. 12. you shall finde that Iudah was put to the worst before Israel the Text saith They fled every man to their Tents and Iehoash the King of Israel took amaziah King of Iudah and came to Ierusalem and brake down the walls of Ierusalem from the gates of Ephraim to the corner gate four hundered cubits And he took al the gold and silver and all the vessels that were in the house of the Lord and in the treasures of the Kings house and hostages and returned to Samariah And this was but a little before this time Israel had thus prevailed against Iudah and brought Iudah under yet now saith God I will have mercy upon Iudah but not upon Israel What should we note from hence God sometimes sheweth mercy to poor afflicted ones and yet rejecteth those that are greater enjoy more prosperity in the world Many that are poor people poor souls that are in a low afflicted condition God looks upno them and sheweth mercy unto them when brave ones that carry it out and thrive and live gallantly in the world are many times rejected of God Mark what God saith Zeph 3. 12. I will leave in the middest of thee an afflicted and poor people and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. God lookes not at the brave and gallant ones of the world but at the poor and afflicted ones and they shal trust in the name of the Lord. We must not then judge at the happiness of men according to their successe in the world For you may now be delivered and others kept under affliction yet afterwards you may be rejected and the others received unto mercy Further Hosea was the Prophet of Israel he was sent to the ten Tribes yet Hosea tells them whose Prophet especially he was and God would have no more mercy upon them And he speaks to Judah he was not sent to them and he tells them that God would have mercy upon them Here we may learn how impartial the Ministers of God ought to be in their work they must not goe according to their particular private engagements though they are engaged more to such a people in divers regards yet if they be wicked they must deale faithfully and plainly and denounce the judgements of God And if others though strangers to them be godly they are to give to them that comfort that belongs unto them My brethren partiality in those in publick places especially of the Ministery is a great evil It was for this that God said he had made the Priest and the Levite contemptible and base before all the people Why because they were partial in the Law Malac. 2. 9. 7. It is a great aggravation of the misery of some that God sheweth mercy to others For it is here set down as a part of the threatning against Israel I wil have no more mercy upon Israel but I wil shew mercy to Judah To aggravate the misery of Israel God manifesteth his mercy to Judah Mark how God in Esay 65. 13. makes it a part of his threatning against the wicked that he will shew mercy to his servants Behold my servants shall eate but you shall be hungry my servants shall drink but ye shall be thirstie Behold my servants shall rejoyce but ye shall be ashamed Behold my servants shall sing for joy of heart but yee shal crie for sorrow of heart howle for vexation of spirit These Buts are cutting ones to the heart of the wicked And observe it here is the word Behold three times used in setting out the difference that God will make between his servants and the wicked and how God will aggravate the misery of the wicked by shewing mercy to people because it is a thing much to be considered A like place you have Mat. 8. 11. Many shal come from the East West and shal sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob but the children of the Kingdom shal be cast out into utter darkness there shal be weeping and gnashing of teeth Mark they shall gnash their teeth when they shal see how they are rejected and others received gnash their teeth for envie and vexation of spirit for it is a great aggravation of mens misery And is it not fulfilled this day How do many bite their nailes and gnash their very teeth to see the mercy that God sheweth to his people in giving them liberty and encouragement in his service while he casteth shame contempt upon their faces bringeth them forth to answer for their wickedness and to suffer condigne punishment Wicked mens spirits vex at this it is that which they cannot possibly beare it is that which galleth and fretteth the very gaul of their heart to see the mercie of God to his people now in these dayes to see such an opportunity as this to meet together with this liberty to exercise our selves in the word when they are caged up This they gnash and grind their teeth at It is observeable that which you have in Acts 22. 21. Paul was speaking there a great while to the Jews they
been only the hearing of what our brethren have suffered yet do suffer Whereas all about us is as the fiery furnace and we walk in the middest of it like the three children our garments not touched nor the smell of the fire passed on them when as we see all Countreys as Gideons fleece bewetted with the tempest of Gods wrath yea with their own blood behold we are dry aud the sun-shine of Gods mercie is upon us the blackness of the misery of our brethren is the brightnesse of our mercie I will save them It is the Lord that will save them This is an upbraiding of Israel Oh Israel you think to be saved by your owne policy you have got a fetch beyond God you are afraid that the people should go up to Jerusalem to worship therefore you have set up the two Calves to save your selves But Judah shall be saved and saved after another way Iudah need not go to such carnall setches and policies to save themselves for the Lord shall save them Though carnal hearts thinke and endeavour to save themselves onely by their own policie and carnall waies yet let Gods people know that they have a stronger means to save them then all the policie in the world So long as the wisdom the power the mercy the faithfulnesse of God is for them they need no other string to their bow but that I will save them by the Lord. VVhat is the meaning of this This by Interpreters is carried concerning Christ That God the Father promiseth to save by Christ As Dan. 9. 17. we have such an expression in prayer Now O Lord hear the prayer of thy servant for the Lords sake that is for Christs sake So here God wil save by the Lord that is by Christ A sweet lesson we have from thence viz. That the administration of Gods grace to his people is given into the hands of JESUS CHRIST It is Christ that doth save the people of God and hath saved them in all former times in all ages It is true in the merits of Christ all are saved that every one will grant as Zach. 9. 11. By the blood of thy Covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit All the prisoners of Gods people ever since the world began that have been sent out of the pit it hath been by the blood of the covenant by the merits of Christ and not onely so but Christ in the administration of all hath been the chiefe he hath been the Angel of Gods presence that hath stood up for his people in all their necessities he hath been the great Captain deliverer the Saviour of them all Let Christ then have the honour of a Soveraigne to us in regard of our salvation in outward deliverances Let us look up to him then for salvation in all our straits And if Christ was the Saviour of his people in all ages and still will be then surely those ages and places where Christ is most known and honoured may expect the greatest salvation And this is for our comfort far above all the ages that ever was since the world began Christ is most known and honoured in this age and of all places in the world here in England and amongst our countrey men and if Christ will be a Saviour of those places where he is known and honoured surely England may expect a salvation England hath had it and as England is peculiar in the way of the knowledg of Christ so England shall be peculiar in a way of Gods grace to her I will save them by the Lord their God Not your God oh Israel but their God Thus he upbraydeth the people of Israel that they had forsaken their God that Iudah had kept their God but Israel had not It is a great upbrayding of a people when it can be said of them that they have forsaken the Lord. It is a wofull thing not to have God to be our God at all that conscience can charge this upon a man that Daniel did upon Belshazzar That God in whose hand thy breath his whose are all thy ways hast thou not glorified but that conscience can charge this That God that thou hast chosen that thou hast entred into covenant withall Oh thou apostatized soule thou apostatized Nation thou hast forsaken him he is not thy God This is a sore and heavy charge indeed Again The Lord their God It seemes he is the God of Judah though Judah had many evils but not the God of Israel Those then that do not worship God in a right way God will not acknowledge himself to be worshipped by them at all The people in the wildernesse proclaimed a fast to Jehovah and yet the Apostle 1 Cor. 10. 7. calleth them Idolaters and it is said they sacrificed to Idols because they worshipped God by the Calfe and not in Gods way Though we may think we worship God yet if wee doe not worship him in his own way he doth not own himself to be worshipped by us at all Again The Lord their God This could not but sting Israel that Judah should be thought to have more interest in God then Israel had It is a stinging thing to carnal hearts and much bitternesse of spirit it must needes be entertained withall that any one should but think of challenging any peculiarity of interest in God Thus they scorned at Christ Oh he trusted in God he thinketh he hath more interest in God then others now let his God come and save him I remember in the book of Martyrs we read that the Papists were much vexed against the protestants because they used to say our God and our Lord they were knowne by this speech and the Papists were inraged against them for this because they seemed to claime more interest in God then others And indeed what is the cause of the quarrel in the World against Gods people but because they thinke they claime more peculiarity and interest in God than others and this is the reason that soule-searching preaching cannot be endured because it makes a difference between the one and the other and shewes that some have an interest in God more than others Hence it is that in no places in the world mens spirits so fret against preaching as in England why because there is not such soul-examining such soule-distinguishing preaching in the World as in England Yea that is the reason of the bitternesse of one professor against another because one is a Protestant at large and the other manifesteth more power of godlinesse is more strict in his course and seemes to claime a greater share in God than the former Profession in England is a more distinguishing profession than in other places I will save them by the Lord their God God is the God of Judah still therefore God will save them So long as God is our God we need not fear our adversaries Yee
authority actively or passively and yet this argument doth not serve the turne There is a great deale of difference between authority abused men that are in authority commanding here the difference lies not in authority abused but in that which is no authority at all For there is no authority that we are subject to now but as I have said heretofore according to the Laws and constitutions of the Countrey where we live Not to the commands meer wils of men till it be brought to a Law are we bound in conscience to submit no way neither actively nor passively though it be a good thing that is commanded Conscience doth not bind to it earatione to yeeld to it because it is commanded till it be brought to a Law Now when things are brought into a Law be according to the agreements and covenants of the place and countrey wherein we live And then suppose this authority be abused there be an ill Law made then I confesse if that Law be of force wee must either quit our selves of the Countrey or else submit or suffer for then the power of God is in it though it be abused and we are to be subject to all powers When then it comes once to be a power to be a Law it is authority though abused and we must yeeld obedience to it either actively or passively But we must enquire whether it be a power It is not because the man that is in authority commandeth it except he command it by vertue of that authority which is according to the nature and condition of the fundamental constitutions of the Countrey where he liveth Now in the Primitive times they submitted themselves to suffer when they could not do the things that were commanded as to deny Christ because by the constitutions of that Countrey they had such a kinde of power given to them a legal power to proceed against them so that they had a power in their way given them and they had authority but they abused it in that they did And therefore the Christians were so willing rather to suffer any thing than to resist and were ours the same case wee should do so too if once it come to passe that mischiefe be established by a Law though it be mischiefe yet if we cannot obey it actively we are bound to suffer or else to quit the Countrey one of the two if it be urged upon us We may seek what we can to get it alleviated but we must either do or suffer if once it be framed into a Law otherwise we are not bound in conscience bound wee may be in regard of prudence and in regard of preventing other disturbances but conscience doth not bind to wils of men but binds to Laws Thus much still for the satisfaction of Conscience in this case But to come to what I brought this in for The Christians were wonderfully encreased at this time Now we know this is the point We are to rejoyce when the Church is increased and to esteeme it as the great blessing of God when they are made as the sand upon the sea-shore There is an admirable place for this in Psal 72. where there is a large prophesie made of the Kingdome of Christ and of his Glory in this particular ver 8. He shal have dominion from sea to sea and from the rivers to the end of the earth then ver 11. All Kings shall fall downe before him and all Nations shall serve him and ver 17. His name shall endure for ever and shall continue as long as the sunne and men shall be blessed in him all Nations shall call him blessed Now marke upon this how the Saints rejoyce and bless God VVhat shall all Nations come in and serve Christ shall there come multitudes in and joyne with the Church Oh blessed be the Lord God the God of Israel who onely doth wonderous things and blessed be his glorious name for ever and ever and let the whole earth be filled with his glory Amen Amen saith the Church of God then let all the Saints send forth their eccho Amen yea and Amen to this that all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Christ this is that they are affected with this is that they desire much as if they should say this is a blessed thing indeed My brethren this is a good and consely sight in a gracious eye to see multitudes come in to flock to Christ and to his Ordinances It is true indeed the spirit of Antichrist that is in many makes them that they cannot look upon his but with a malevolent eye and their hearts do vexe and rage and fiet at this as much as at any thing they love scattering of them up and downe but to see people come flocking to Ordinances to see multitudes come in and joyne themselves to Christ this they cannot endure The same malicious spirit that was against Christ that we reade of in the Acts of the Apostles yea and in the Gospel too wee finde it still in such kinde of men Marke that Text Act. 13. 44 45. There it is said that almost the whole Cittie came together to hear the word of God to heare a Sermon Now the Pharises when they saw the multitude they were filled with envie Why what hurt was there done They saw no hurt done but meerely saw the multitude and they speake against those things that were spoken by Paul contradicting and blaspeming When they saw the multitude they could have borne it otherwise Marke againe the vile spirits of the Pharisees that envied at the multitude that followed Christ himselfe not onely did they envy at the Apostles for they might be factious and singular men in their esteem but what say you to Christ himselfe John 12. 19. The Pharisees said behold perceive yee how ye prevaile nothing behold the world followes him Certainly the same Pharisaical spirit hath beene a prelatical spirit in our dayes We know it hath beene matter enough for a godly painful conscionable Minister to be outed of all he hath at an instant and his mouth to be stopped meerly upon this though they had nothing against him no not for their own Laws but because he was a popular man and multitudes followed him What a dangerous thing hath it beene of late times for men to be popular that is to bee such as multitudes shall come and flock to the word preached by them Certainly it is an evil spirit for the promise of God to his Church is that there shall come multitudes and joyne with the people of God in the way of his Ordinances Yea but it may be they do not envy at all that multitudes should follow that that is good but it is the humour and pride of such men to have multitudes to follow after them Take heed first of putting this off with such a plea. Consider whether it will hold at that great day The Devil
Ammi Ruhamah we have obtained mercy God hath dealt with us in abundance of grace This we must not discourse of when we meere as matter of newes onely but we must speake of it to the praise of God for the sanctifying of our hearts Our brethren in Ireland have another subject of their discourses at this day When a brother or a sister meet this is the subject of their discourse Oh my Father my mother taken such a day by the Rebels and cruelly masacred such a kinsman such a kinswoman taken such a day and fearfully murthered such houses were fired such Cities and Towns were taken and with what gaftly visages doe you think they look one upon another when they are thus relating these sad things The word of God came out against England but it hath lighted upon Ireland O unworthy are we of these mercies we enjoy if when we meete together our discourses be frothy and light about vain and trivial things when God hath given us such a subject of discourse as he hath done by such gracious and wonderfull and glorious wayes of his mercy towards us in this latter age Say to your brethren Ammi and to your sisters Ruhamah The mercies of God are to be inculcated upon our spirits we should not onely tell them one to another but again and again inculcate them upon our hearts Indeed Gods mercies at first they seeme to take impression upon our spirits but the impression is soone vanished Say to your brethren This is according to some Let Judah to whom God shewed special mercy say to Israel to the ten Tribes that were more threatned then Judah for Judah was not so threatned as Israel was to be cast off from being the people of God Let Judah rejoyce in this that their brethren are received again to mercy A gracious heart should rejoyce in Gods mercies towards others Gods mercies are an infinite Ocean there needes no envying there no grieving for that which others have Indeed when one man is richer then another another is ready rather to envy him then to rejoyce A Courier is ready to envy the favour that another hath why because these are narrow things But when we come to Gods mercy there is roome enough there that soul that hath beene made partaker of mercy counts it a great happinesse that any way the mercy of God may be magnified Say to your brethren and sisters c. These whom God hath received unto mercy we should receive into brotherly affection Hath God shewed mercy to such and such well may wee account them our brethren and sisters then If God takes them to mercy we must be ready willingly to take them into brotherly society But now if we take these words as the beginning of the second Chapter then we shall see them carried in some different way And taking of them so as most doe I shall first shew you the scope of the Chapter in the parts of it and then shew in what sense the words may be carried as the beginning of this Chapter The scope of thiâ—â—â—ond Chapter is much according to that of the first viz. 〈◊〉 shew unto 〈◊〉 their sinne and their danger and secondly to promise Gods aboundant grace and mercy again The first is especially from the beginning to the 14. verse and the second from the 14. verse to the end of the Chapter Yet this is not an exact division neither can we give an exact division of this no more than we could give of the other Why Because things are so intermixed for they are the patheticall expressions of a loving and yet a provoked husband and therefore when he is comming to â—â—â—â—vince his spouse who hath dealt falsely with him and to shew her her sin and danger whilst he is manifesting of his displeasure the bowels of his compassion begin to yerne and he must have some expression of love in the middest of all then when he hath had some expressions of love he falls again to rebuke her and to shew her her sin again and then his bowels yerne again and he commeth to expressions of love again We have found it so in the former Chapter and shall find it so in this For though the beginning of this Chapter to the 14. verse is specially spent in convincing of sinne and threatning of Judgement yet in the sixth and seventh verses there is promise of mercy and favour and expressions of love and then in the eighth verse he goes to threatning againe and in the 14. ver begins to express mercy again As God doth in this case so should we When we rebuke others that are under us we should so rebuke them as yet to manifest love to them and when we manifest love to doe it so as yet to take notice what is amisse and to reprove them Many parents know not how to rebuke their children but they do it so as that there is nothing but bitternesse and they know not how to manifest their love but they do it so as that there is nothing but cockering and immoderate indulgency God mixeth both together Say to your brethren c. Take it for the beginning of the first part of this second Chapter for the shewing of them their sinne and rebuking them What then must be the sense and scope of the words Say to your brethren Ammâ— c. Then it is carried thus Some thing must be supplied for the making up of the full sense As if God should have said Oh Ammi you whom I have reserved to be my people you to whom I have shewed mercy there is yet remaining a handfull of you while you remaine to be may people and others cast off and you obtayning mercy and others rejected let it be your care to exhort perswade convince use all the meanes you can to bring your brethren and sisters on to that grace of God you have received Say to your brethren say it is not expressed what they should say but by that which followeth wee may understand what the meaning of God is when hee saith Plead with your mother c. that is you that have received mercy and are my people there is a remnant of you do not you think that so long as you scape and are well enough your selves no great matter what becomes of others oh no but let your hearts be much toward your brethren and sisters let your bowels yerne toward them oh seeke if it be possible to draw them unto God that they may receive mercy too labour to convince them say and speake to them that they may not yet stand out against God and be obstinate say to your brethren Ammi and to your sisters Ruhamah you that are Ammi and you that have received mercy do you speake to your brethren and sisters And this affordeth unto us many excellent Observations As First That in the most corrupt times of all God doth use to reserve a people to deliver some
from the guilt of the generall corruptions of the place where they live For so this Ammi and Ruhamah were a remainder that God did deliver thorough his grace from the generall corruptions of the place where they were for otherwise they had not beene fit to have said to their brethren or to have spoken to their sisters in this sense Secondly those whom God delivers from the guilt of generall corruptions are to be acknowledged the people of God such as have receivâ—â— mercy from God in a speciall manner It is free grace that hath made this difference between you and others Augustin in his second book concerning preservation has a good note upon that Scripture 1 King 19. 18. I have left me seven thousand in Israel God sayes not there are left 7000 or they have left themselves but I have left It is the speciall work of God to preserve any for himselfe in evil times Thirdly the Lord takes speciall notice of such who are thus by his grace preserved in evill times Ammi Ruhamah There are a people amongst these that are Ammi my people that have obtained mercy from me mine eyes are upon them my heart is toward them there are a number that have kept their garments undefiled even in Sardis and I will remember this for ever for their good Noah was a just man prefect in his generation Gen. 6. 9. and what then Chap. 7. 1. Come thou and all thy house into the Ark for thee have I seene righteous before me in this generation Fourthly Such as keep themselves from the corruptions of the times wherin they live they and onely they are fit to exhort and reprove others Those that are not guilty themselves as others are are fit to speak to others to say to their brethren and to their sisters They are fit to exhort who performe the duties themselves that they exhort unto We say it is a shamefull thing for one to be teaching if he be guilty himself he cannot with freedom of spirit say to his brethren and sisters Fifthly It is the duty of those whom God hath delivered from the corruptions of the times to seeke to draw all others to God to seeke to convince others of their evil wayes and so bring them in to the truth We â—eade Levit. 19. 17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour not suffer sin to lye upon him Surely those who have obtained mercy have the impression of Gods mercy upon their spirits they are farre from having hatefull hearts now it is hatred for any to suffer sinne to lye upon his brother and not to doe what in him lyeth to help him It is desperate pride for men to triumph over others in their falls and it is wicked cruelty to suffer others to lye down when they are fallen if they can raise them 〈◊〉 faring men who are delivered themselves from shipvvrack and all is 〈◊〉 with them if they see another ship ready to sink in the sea and those on ship-board shoot out to have them come to helpe to save them though they be never so farre remote yet if it should be knowne that they decline to goe out to help them all the sea-men would cry out shame on such and be ready to stone them for etting a Ship sinke when they might have helped Certainly the same case-it is with those to whom God hath shew ed mercy if others lye in their sins they do not what they can for their help 6. Say to your brethren and to your sisters The neerer the relation of any is to us the more should our compassion be towards them in seeking to deliver them from their sins There is more likelihood of prevailing with your brethren and sisters Hath God converted you and have you a brother or a sister not converted or any of your kindred goe and say to them tell them of the danger of their evil wayes tell them of the excellency of the wayes of God exhort them to come in to make tryall of the blessed wayes of God When a brother speaks to a brother or a sister to a sister it is the bringing a hammer of gold to work upon gold and of silver to work upon silver Lastly Say to your brethren and sisters Exhortations unto and reprehensions of others should be with much love and meekenesse Say to your brethren and sisters yet look upon them as brethren and sisters though they have not yet obtained the like mercy that you have Saint Paul 2 Thes 3. 15. speaking of one that walketh inordinately from whom we are to withdraw in respect of any private familiar society yet saith he admonish him as a brother Those who reprove and admonish others with bitternesse of spirit and evill speaking are like a foolish fowler who seekes to get the fowle but he goes on boysterously and makes a noise the way if he would get it is to goe on quietly softly and gently so the way to gaine a brother is not by boisterousnesse and violence but sofness and gentleness It is observed by some of the Jews out of that 25. Exod. ver 3. where the matter of the Tabernacle is said to be gold and silver and brasse you doe not see nor hear of iron to be required for the building of it No iron rigid severe hard dispositions are not fit either to be matter of the Tabernacle themselves or to draw others to be the matter of it Yea but if saying will not be enough to doe the deed then there followes pleading That is the second Say to them admonish them exhort them but what if that will not doe doe not leave presently but Plead yea and Plead with your mother too not onely with your brethren and with your sisters but with your mother Plead with your mother plead for she is not my wife c. Pleade Litigate so some Contendite strive the old Latine hath Iudicate Iudge your mother It may seeme to be a hard and harsh phrase at first but we shall labour to acquaint you with the minde of God in it Here is an exhortation even to the private members of the Church to all one oâ— other to plead even with their mother to plead even with the Church of which they are members and so to plead as to deale plainly and to tell her that she is not the wife of God Pleade with her First here we see Gods condescension that he will have us pleade the ease betwixt others and himselfe as Esay 5. 3. Iudge between me and my Vineyard faith God This sheweth the equity of Gods dealing Pleade the case perhaps some of you might thinke I deale hardly with your mother in so rejecting of her in bringing such judgements upon her No not so but plead you the case plead rather with her then complaine of me for my dealing with her Secondly Plead with her When exhortations and
them as a member of them in a constant way As thus First when I cannot enjoy all Ordinances with them but God openeth a door to another place where I may have communion in all Ordinances I may receive Sacraments with them upon occasion and yet not be constantly with them as a member of that Church It is true if God did shut the door that I could not enjoy all Ordinances any where then it were better to joine with a Church that hath not all though I doe but en joy some Secondly when God offereth 〈◊〉 else where that I may enjoy the Ordinances with more power and puâ—â— and with more freedom of spirit and 〈…〉 I suppose one to 〈◊〉 and not to be tied then if there be nothing but outward accommodations that shall cast the ballance on the one hand and the purity and power of the Ordinances on the other if I shall rather chuse the one then the other it will be apparant that I love my body better then my soule In this case Conscience biddeth me to shew more respect to my soul then my bodie This can be no controversie for it is generally acknowledged by all that if one will but remove his house from one parish to another he may go and joine with that parish But that which I affirme is not so far as that I doe but suppose that a Man is free and not yet actually joined he is then if he be free to regard more the puritie and power of the Ordinances then outward accomodations Let her therefore put away her whoredoms The end of all pleading and exhortation is reformation not contention Plead with her to what end Let her put away her whore domes Plead with her that she may reforme â—oe not plead for contentions sake There are many Men that will rebuke others and plead with others but what for meerly in a spirit of contention meerely that they may brave it over them that they may upbraid them shame them and not out of love to reforme them they care not whether they reforme or not if they have vented their gall and malice they have what they would have But how will you know that how can you know a Mans heart Thus. You shall know that Men come not to plead for reformation but for contention first if they rather make it appeare that they are glad of the sinnes of their brethren and doe not grieve for them You shall have many a Man come in a sury and rage to rebuke Men they have advantage against but not with a spirit of sorrow and mourning if you came to plead and rebuke them for reformation you should have come with a mourning spirit You should have mourned that such a one should be taken away from you saith the Apostle to the Corinths You should mourne at your very heatts that Church or the Member of it hath offended Secondly VVhen Men are partiall in their pleading when they will rebuke others and that sharply too that are afar off but such as are neere to them they are carelesse of Ezek. 18. 32. Turne yee turne yee that ye may not dye say your bookes there turne your selves and live Now the word is Reverti facite for so it is in Hiphil Doe you make to returne and so it may well be read So Arias Montanus reads it make others to returne You must plead so as to desire reformation not that you may get the victorie and have the better of it by your pleading but with bowels of compassion to seeke Reformation you must not cut as an enemie to conquer but as a Chirurgian to heale Therefore before you goe to rebuke and to plead you must goe to prayer that God would blesse your rebuking and your exhortation to your brethren and when you have done pray againe to God for a blessing upon it And look after your reprehensions and see what becometh of them and if they doe not prosper to Reformation then mourn and crie to God for your brethren and if it do prosper then blesse God that you have converted a soule Thus it was with the Tribes on this side Jordan when they pleaded with the Tribes on the other side Jordan you shall finde in the story that when they heard the answer of their brethren they blessed God when they saw that their brethren were free from sinne so you should do you should goe and plead with your brethren perhaps your brethren may have the better of it and may convince you that that which you apprehend to be a sinne is not a sinne now many men perhaps are angry will not be convinced that it is no sinne then I shall goe a way with the shame what dloe I rebuke him of a sinne and it is no sinne Many a man holds on in an argument what he hath begun and is loath to yeeld that it is not a sin whereas he should be glad to yeeld it If a Minister plead or preach that men do any thing that he conceives is a sin if another should come and convince him that it was no sin it is a vile spirit in any Mnister not to blesse God that he is mistaken why Because now the gâ—â—ilt of his brother is removed in his heart If I had not beene mistaken t is true my credit had beene somewhat but I am mistaken the sin is removed from my brother Oh blessed be God that my brother is not guilty though I am mistaken if we plead against others with such a spirit as this God will blesse us The Second Lecture HOSEA The latter part of the second verse and verse 3. Let her therefore put away her whoredomes out of her sight and her adulteries from between her breasts Lest I strip her naked and set her as in the day wherein shee was borne and make her as a wildernesse c. PLead with your mother and plead so as to tell her plainly that she is no more my wife she hath her bill of Divorce shee is now none of mine Well it seemeth then there is no hope no helpe God hath left us forsaken us hee hath said we are no more his wife wee have our bill of divorce and we must be gone Not so neither but now it followeth Let her put away from her sight her whoredomes and her adulteries from betweeen her hreasts Herby insinuating at least that her condition yet notwithstanding the greatnesse of her sin and the fearfulnesse of the threat is not altogether hopelesse but he would have those that plead with her yet to exhort her and to bid her put away her whoredomes It is true when a man puts away his wife for whoredom and giveth a bill of divorce he will never take her againe upon no termes Jer. 3. 1. Will a man when he putteth away his wife returne unto her again As if he should say no certainly no man will do it Yet returne unto me saith the
they were as a childe cast out such a one as the countenance and feature promised no good Thou wert cast out in the open field because they never hoped to have any good of thee and indeed as if God should say if I had regarded what I saw in you I might have past this judgement upon you too there was little hope of good from you But what though the child be cast out in the field yet there may come some by accidentally as Pharaohs daughter did that may pitty the child and have compassion on it No saith God thou wast not onely cast out but worse then so thou wast cast out and so cast out as no eye pityed thee You have sometimes bastards poor childred laid at your doors and left there some in baskets otherways yet when you open them see a child and a childe weeping there is some pity in you and you will take care some way or other that it may be fed brought up But saith God to Israel You were cast out in the open field no eye pityed you that is all the heathen were against you and others in the land rose up against you the Egyptians they came out to destroy you you had the sea before you and them behind you none had pitty upon you This was the condition wherein you were borne Now see what ornaments God had put upon them They were in a sorry condition you see when they were borne But marke that fore-named place of Ezek. ver 8. I took the saith God and entred into covenant with thee and then becamest mine That is the way of a peoples becomming Gods his entring into covenant with them The Lord hath begun to enter into Covenant with us and we with him in former Protestations and if any farther Covenant binding us more strictly to God be tendred to us know that God in this deals with us as he did with his own people We are as children cast out in the open field and no eye pityeth us but many plot against us and seeke our ruine If God will be pleased now to enter into Covenant with us and give all the people of the Land hearts to come close to the Covenant to renew their Covenant with him and that to more purpose then in former Covenants the Lord yet will own us The Covenant of God was the foundation of all the mercy the people of Israel had from God and we are to look upon it as the foundation of our mercy and therefore as in the presence of God willingly and cheerfully to renew it with him After Gods taking this people to himselfe as his own it followes ver 11 12. I decked thee also with ornaments I put bracelets upon thine hands and a chaine on thy necke And I put a jewell on thy fore-head and ear-rings in thine ears a beautiful crown upon thine head Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver and thy rayment of fine linnen and silk broidred worke and thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty Thus God did with the people of Israel he had added to what they had when they were born Miserable they were when they were borne but the mercies of God toward them are thus set out And nowhee cometh to threaten that he will strip them naked and set them as in the day wherein they were born Yet further for the opening of this we must know that it was the custome among the Jews when any married what they brought to their husbands and their dowry was written down in a table and if afterward he should divorce his wife except there could be proved some grosse and vile thing against the woman though she should go away yet she was to go away with her Table with her dowry and what she brought she must not goe away naked But if there could be proved some notorious villany that shee had committed then she was sent away Sine Tabulis naked without those tables wherein her dowry and other things were written and destitute of all things as being unworthy of them because she had played the harlot Thus God threatneth this people She is not my wife but unlesse she put away her whore doms from before her face and her adultery from between her breasts I will strip her naked as in the day wherein she was borne She shal be seâ—â—â—ay without any tables naked and wholly destitute And thus you have thâ—â—â—pening of the words The Observations follow The first is The beginnings of great excellencies are sometimes very low and meane This plainly riseth up from the opposition of her condition when she was borne and what she had gotten from God afterward I will strip thee naked and set thee as in the day wherein thou wert borne Therefore it is cleare she was born in a very mean condition gotten up to a very excel lent condition though now they be high glorious yet once they were very low mean God many times raises up golden pillars upon leaden Bases the most glorious works of God have had the lowest beginnings This beautifull frame of heaven earth was raised out of a Chaos of confusion darkness This is true personally or nationally and that in regard of outward conditions or spirituall How poor and low and meane have many of your beginnings beene even in the world who could ever have thought that such low beginnings could have beene raised unto such high things as some of you have beene raised unto in the world It was not long since when you came hither to this City which may be said to be the day wherein you were borne for your civill estate though not your naturall you were low enough meane enough you had but little to begin withall you came hither with your staffe and now behold two bands It is sometimes so likewise in regard of the spirituall estate You may remember not long since Oh what darkness and confusion was there in your mindes and hearts what poore low meane thoughts had you of God and the things of his Kingdome what unsavory spirits when at first God was pleased to worke upon you Oh what a poor condition were you in then though you had some light put into you yet you were as a childe new borne wrapped up in filth and blood many noysome distempers and boisterous lusts there were in your hearts as it is usuall with new converts like a fire newly kindled where there is a great deale of smother and smoke that afterwards weareth away But now behold the shining of Gods face upon your soules Oh the abilities that God hath given you to know his minde and doe his will Oh the blessed communion that you have with God the sparkling of that divine nature the glory and beauty of the divine nature is put upon you So for Nations we will not goe further then our owne How low and meane were we at first
not give the people throughout the Kingdom a heart to stick to the Cause of the Truth and to those whom they have intrusted with their estates liberties and lives in every good way it were the heaviest judgement of God that ever was upon a Nation since the beginning of the earth it would never be paralleld that ever a people should have such an opportunity put into their hands to help themselves aud to vindicaâ—e themselves from slavery and bondage yet out of I know not what respects to betray all those that have ventured their lives for them and to have their blood shed I say it were such an example as were not to be paralleld since the beginning of the world Therefore I beseech you my brethren let us lay this to heart and the Lord make known to us all what is to be done in such a time as this that we may not be stripped naked and set as in the day wherein we were borne The Third Lecture HOSEA part of the third verse and verse 4. And make her as a wildernesse and set her like a dry land and slay her with thirst And I will not have mercy upon her children for they be the children of whoredomes IN the first part of this second Chapter wee have already shewed part of Gods threatning even to strip his people naked as in the day wherein they were borne to bring them into as low and mean a condition as ever they were in Now that which was more generally exprest the last day we have in the latter end of this third Verse more particularly set forth unto us And make her as a wildernesse and set as a dry land God would bring this people that dwelt in the land of Canaan flowing with milke and honey that were in regard of the beauty that God had put upon them excellent for beauty now to be as a wildernesse In the former Chapter you heard that the state of the Ten Tribes vvas set out by Hoseas wife her name was Gomer ad this Gomer was the daughter of Diblaim Gomer signifieth perfection and what Diblaim signifieth I told you then But now there is another signification of this Diblaim that we are to refer unto this expression of the Lord in this place that he will make her as a wildernesse for you shall finde Ezek. 6. 14. that there is mention made of a desolate countrey and a wildernesse that was towards Diblath to which this that the Prophet speaks of the mother of Gomer may seem to have reference Diblath then it appeareth was a place where there was a very desolate waste wildernesse and Gomer was the daughter of this Diblath from whence Diblaim that is Though the ten Tribes were as Gomer in regard of their beauty perfect for so they were yet she was the doughter of Diblath or Diblaim that is she came forth out of a low and meane condition and was even brought out of a wildernesse now shee shall be brought again into the same estate wherein shee was for I will set her as a wildernesse As a wildernesse The Church of God is in it selfe Gods garden a garden inclosed and so it is called Cant. 4. 12. As a garden inclosed is my sister my Spouse It is the place of Gods delight not a place for beasts to come into but inclosed they are to be kept out of it a place where very precious fruits doe grow that are very pleasing to God a place that hath the dew the showers of Gods blessing the dew of Hermon the dew that descendeth upon the mountains of Zion there God commandeth his blessing even life for evermore But now she must come to be a wildernesse For first the hedge the pale the wall of Gods protection shall be taken away from her and she shall be laid open lyable for all wilde beasts to come in and to devoure her They loved liberty and were loth to be inclosed though it were in Gods garden though it was with the pale wall of Gods protection Well seeing you will have liverty you shall have liberty and this pale and wall of my garden shall be taken away and your condition shall be like the condition of the beasts in the wildernesse Againe you shall be as a wildernesse There shall no good grow among you There was no good grew amongst you that was your sin and there shall no good grow among you that shall be your plague and punishment The blessing of God shall be taken away from you you shall not have those showers of blessing as formerly you were wont to have but you shall be as a wildernesse Jer. 17. 5. 6. Cursed be that man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arme and departeth from the Lord Why For he shall be as the heath in the desart and shall not see when good commeth and he shall inherite the parched places of the wildernesse in a salt land Vatablus interprets this judgement upon the hearts of Idolaters they are dry unsavory they are destitute of all spirituall good And I will set her as a dry land So the Septuagint read it I will order you so Your sinnes bring you out of order but Gods plagues order that which sin doth disdorder At a dry land This is contrary to the blessing of a godly man for he is said to be as the tree planted by the river of water The graces and comforts of Gods Spirit are compared to waters in the Scripture Psal 87. 7. All my springs are in thee All my comforts all the gifts that I have all the graces that I have are in thee But now God will set them as a dry land he will take away his gifts and take away their comforts from them and so leave them wast and desolate The Observation then from hence is That sinne is of a wasting nature sinne layeth wast Countreyes and places that people live in VVee have a most remarkable place of Scripture for that Zach. 7. 14. They laid the pleasant land desolate They who are they you shall finde it ver 12. Those that made their hearts as an Adamant stone lest they should heare the law and the words which the Lord of Hosts had sent in his spirit by the former Prophets They made the pleasant land desolaâ—e VVe cry out of those that make stripe and waste and there are actions commenced against them O let not us lay waste this pleasant land this good laud of ours this garden of the Lord. It is indeed as an Eden as a Paradise our fore-fathers have left us this our land as Gods garden let not us through our sinnes leave it to our posterities as a wildernesse and a dry land Psal 107. 34. there is a threatning that God will make a fruitfull land barren for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein Sinne hath heretofore laid wast as pleasant and fruitfull Countreys as ours Those that travell in Germanie their hearts even bleed
Therefore it is like our condition would have been the same if God had not cast it that our parents should be such as professe the truth and our education according to the truth Blesse God for this And you that are parents doe you look to your children and bring them up in the truth Children who have gracious principles dropped into them and those watred by prayers and tears there is hope of them and not of them alone but of the nation where they live Lastly which is the observation which mainely wee are to consider of When Gods judgements come abroad in the world let the children of whoredomes look to it God threatneth he will have no mercy upon them or they are the children of whoredomes The children of whoredomes are the butt of Gods wrath when his judgements come abroad in the world Isa 27. 4 Furie is not in me saith the Text that is it is not in mee toward my Saints though I come out in a kind of fury yet it is not in me toward them what then Who would set the briers and thorns against mee in battle I would goe thorough them I would burn them together When my wrath commeth against the briars and thornes I will go through them and burne them together but for my children fury is not in me toward them When Gods wrath is abroad in the world let not the children of the bride-chamber feare but let the children of whoredomes feare and quake let briars and thornes feare but not the fruitfull trees in Gods garden Godjudgements know how to make a difference between men they are dis stinguishing things when they come abroad God sendeth not his judgements hand over head but putteth into them a distinguishing quality God hath a chamber of rest and safety for his people wherein he will hide them till his indignation be over-past but for the children of whoredomes superstitious Idolatrous wicked and ungodly people they are the people of Gods indignation they are like Idumea the people of Gods curse as you have it Isa 34. 5. There are a people this day amongst us who are certainely the people of Gods curse and let them look to it as well as they will Rev. 14. 8. Babylon is fallen is fallen saith an Angell there and mark what followeth ver 9. And another Angel followed saying with a loud voyce If any man worship the beast and his image and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand the same shal drinke of the wine of the wrath of God which is powred out without mixture into the cup of his indignation It is according to that in the Text here God will have no mercy they shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God without mixture without mixture of any mercy at all And further He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy Angels in the presence of the Lambe and the smoake of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever And they have no rest day nor night that worship the beast and his image Here is a dreadfull threat against the children of whoredomes against such as follow the wayes of the great whore of Babylon Blessed are they that in these times have testimony in their own consciences that it hath been their care above all things to draw themselves out from the guilt of all superstitious and Idolatrous vanities and to keep themselves according to that light that God hath discovered to them pure from the pollutions of that man of sin Blessed I say are these they need not feare this day but for those that have involved themselves in the guilt of those pollutions they have need to humble their souls before God and to cry mightily for wrath is going out against the children of whoredomes This Text here spoken of is not meant only of hell hereafter but it is meant of judgement even in this world And above all times that ever yet have been since Antichrist began it is a most desperate thing to be a Papist in these dayes because now is the time for God to make these children of whoredomes the very Butt of his wrath and indignation We heare of wars and rumors of wars and a great deale of stir there is abroad My brethren keep your hearts chast to God and fear not for God hath another manner of people to deal withall then you you shall be sealed first before the wrath come out Though I cannot excuse you altogether from suffering some afflictions these children of whoredomes may bring some trouble upon the Saints for the present yea perhaps some of you may have your blood spilt but God hath mercy to bestow upon you but for them there is wrath and wrath without mixture God saith he will have no mercy upon the children of whoredoms Let such as are going forth then in this Service for Religion and Liberty go forth with courage and undauntednesse of spirit why for they fight against none but those that God fighteth against Who are they but the children of whoredomes that they go to fight against those who have shewed themselves to be open fighters against God and his truth such as are most abominable swearers cursers and blasphemers such as make no other use of the light of the Gospel that they have but only to scorn and contemn it such as are open despisers of God and his truth and of his people Certainly if there be a cursed generation upon the face of the earth these are the people whose mouths are full of curses and certainely Gods curse is upon them who are so full of cursings themselves If there be any of you here that are now or hereafter may go forth in this service your spirits should even rise with indignation against such monsters upon earth and goe against them as David against Goliah What shall this uncircumcised Philistine defie the hoast of the living God Thus your hearts should rise if you have any love to God and his truth Shall a company of cursed monsters that do nothing but blaspheme and curse and sweare and defie God and his servants and his Tabernacle and worship shall these uncircumcised Philistins go on thus defying God and his truth If you have the hearts of men within you especially of Christians me thinks you should not be able to beare it but goe forth against them with fulnesse of spirit and resolution certainely God will make them a prey to you they are not only such as not only have put off Christianity and are become Atheists but they have put off all kind of humanity and are rather turned monstrous beasts or devils Fear them not though their hearts be full of pride and rage and though they beast never so much what they are or what they have done or what they will doe I say feare them not for this is part of the curse of God that is upon them that though God fighteth against them they
againe but grow exceeding wilfull in that wickedness You have a notable Text for that Jer. 44. 16. 17. the people say there The word that thou hast spoken to us in the name of the Lord we will not heare but we well doe whatsoever commeth out of our own mouth to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven VVee will goe on in that way to burne Incense to the Queene of heaven talk as long as you will And so you have it Jerem. 20. 10. Goe saith God passe over the Isles of Chitrim and see and send unto Kedar and consider deligently and see of there be such athing Hath a nation changed their gods which yet are no gods Men are setled in the wayes of Idolatry and will never give over the worshipping of their gods but you have forsaken me therefore be astonished O ye heavens at this and be ye horribly afraid be ye very desolate saith the Lord. So Micah 4. 5. All people will walke every one in the name of his god Their hearts are set upon it they will doe it Spirituall whoredome doth mightily besot the heart I suppose you know the sext it is a very famous one Esay 44. 19. 20. None considereth in his heart neither is there knowledg nor understanding to say I have burnt part of iâ— in the fire yea also I have baked bread upon the coales thereof I have rosted flesh and eaten it and shall I make the residue thereof an abominaâ—â— shall I fall down to the stock of a tree He feedeth on ashes a seduced heart hath â—urned him aside that he cannot deliver his soul nor say Is there not a lie in my right hand And so Rev. 16. 11. where those that were given up to Antichrist though they were tormented they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores and they repented not of their deeds Thirdly wilfulnesse in any sinne but especially in these sinnes is a very great aggravation of it I will have no mercy upon them I will give them up why They have done shamefully and they have said I will goe after my lovers There are a great many who in their passion think it a brave spirit to say I will and I will and I will and I care not say what you can or whatsoever becommeth of it I will doe or I will have this and this Especially men in place and of estates are not able to endure the controlling of their will in any thing and therefore when their wills are but crost they burst out into outragious speeches and fall a blaspheeming and swearing and saying they will have their wills though it cost them their lives Thus we find it in the people of Israel 1 Sam. 8. 19 when Samuel from God came and told them in a long narration what hardship they should endure in having a King that was not them according to Gods minde they 〈◊〉 him all that he said and they doe not stand to answer any of Samuels arguments but presently they break out into this resolution Nay but we will have a King Those whom God leaveth to hardnesse of heart and intendeth ruine to he usually giveth them up to this wilfulnesse in their evill wayes The Scripture records Pharaoh for a famons example of one hardned and prepared for ruine He was of a most wilfull spirit Exod. 15. 9. you shall find his wilfulnesse expressed foure times there in that one verse I will pursue saith he and then again I will overtake and thirdly I will divide the spoile and then fourthly I will draw my sword and there are two other expressions that come to the same effect that are equivalent to the former even in the same verse My lust shall be satisfied my hand shall destroy them Put all these six expressions that you have in that one verse together and where have you such an expression of a wilfull creature as Pharaoh was and what became of him you all know Only one more example I find in Scripture paralleld to this and that is the King of Babylon Egypt and Babylon were two the most eminent for Idolatry and persecution of the Church that ever were in the world and these are the two most famous examples for wilfulnesse that ever were Esa 14. 13 14 you have in these two verses five times I will 1. I will ascend into heaven 2. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God 3. I will siâ— upon the mount 4. I will ascend above the heights 5. I will be like the most high And what became of him afterwards you all know yea the next woâ—ds tell you Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell c. These two little words I and Will doe a great deale of mischâ—efe in the world Luther I remember npon Psal 127. saith I am of that opinion saith he and verily perswaded Monarchies would longer time by farre endure if those that are high Monarchs and States would but omit this one Pronoun I this same Ego It is true in publique wayes they express themselves in the plurall number We but private resolutions are in the singular number I. This for that little word I. The second is Will I will that is a little word too But I may say of this little Will this little word as James saith concerning the Tongue It is indeed a little member in the body but it setteth the whole world on fire and it selfe is set on fire of hell So it is true that this same little Will it is but a little word but it setteth whole Kingdomes on fire it setteth whole Townes and Cities on fire and it is it selfe sâ—ton fire of hell Bernard hath an expression Take away Will once and there will be no hell O the mischiefe that it doth in the world I will only say these two things to those that keepe such ado with these two little words I Will. First That which thou dost so much pride thy selfe in and thinkest thy selfe such a man that canst say I will and I will know It may be as heavy a judgement of God upon thee as can befall thee in this world for God to give thee up to thy will There is nothing wherein God doth more let out his wrath upon the children of men here in this world then in this in giving them up to their will Therefore tremble at this when thou hast so many expressions I will and I will doe this I will give you a Scripture or two for it sutable to the businesse shevving the wilfulnesse of those that had their will in wayes of false worship perhaps some of you may be set upon this that you will have this and let men say what they can you will have this used The place is Ezek. 20. 39. Goe saith God serve yee every one his idols and hereafter also if you will not hearken unto me Goe saith hee you will not hearken to me you heare out of the word
calleth the hedge and the wall they were fore afflictions and they were for their sins for their perversness and yet God intendeth good and mercy to them in those afflictions Here is the vertue of the Covenant of grace it takes out the sting and venome and curse even of afflictions that are not onely for tryal but for sin they are to keepe you from greater misery if God bring some misery upon you it so appeareth unto you yet being in covenant with him this is the blessing of God upon you that those troubles are to keep you from greater misery that would befall you That for the general Now for the particulars as the words lye Therefore behold This inference therefore I told you it was as if God should say thou wilt still goe on notwithstanding all admonitions and meanes that I shall use by my Prophets therefore behold I will doe thus and thus From hence we may observe first There is even in the Saints such a slavish disposition remaining that they will stand out against God along time even against admonitions exhortations convictions and threatnings of his word Not only the reprobate will doe so but such is the perversnesse of the hearts of men that even the elect of God will many times do so this is a sore and grievous evill that it should be said so of them for if there be ingenuity in the spirit of men the very notice of the minde of God is enough to cause the heart to yeeld and surely grace doth make the heart of a man ingenuous and God expects that there should be melting of spirit at the very notice given of his displeasure yet behold even in the hearts of the godly many times there remaineth so much slavishnesse that they will not come in but upon Gods dealing very hardly with them they must have many afflictions they must be whipped home before they will returne home God must send the dog many times to worry his sheepe before they will come in This God complains of Jer. 2. 14. Is Israel a servant is he a homs-borne-slave why is he spoiled ver 17. Hast thou not procured this unto thy selfe So it may be said of many even of the Saints when we see how the wayes and dealings of God are toward them yea even God himselfe speakes thus What is such a one a servant is he a slave is not such a one my child how is it then that hee must be dealt with like a slave like a servant Secondly Therefore because one meanes will not do it namely my Prophets admonishing and threatning therfore I will do thus thus therefore I will consider of some other way to deale with you The observation is VVhen one means will not keepe from sinne either those that wee have to deale with or our selves we must not rest there but set even our braines on work to look after other meanes What will not this do it Is there any things else that possibly may doe it That means then shall be used Thus God as we may speak with reverence even studyes his administrations towards his people when he is frustrated in one and if that do not do it he bethinks with himselfe is there any thing else will do it if there be any thing in the world can do it it shal not be left unattempted God doth not presently cast off his people because they stand out against him in the use of one meanes It is true for others that are not in covenant with him God is quick with them and if they come not in presently he cuts them off and will have â—o more to do with them but for his own people though they stand out long yet God tryeth one meanes after another and after that another This is the grace of God towards his own It should be our care to imitate God in this when you are to deale with others that are under you with your children or servants do not satisfie your selves in this I have admonished them and threatned them and perswaded them What then yet they will not come in What will you have no more to do with them then Will you cast them off presently You should study what further course may be taken study their dispositions What do I think will work upon them if this do not will faire meanes will foule meanes vvill any thing do it if any thing will you should labour to deale with them that way So for your own hearts when you are convinced of the evill of your own hearts it is true your consciences will not be quiet unlesse you use some meanes against that sinne that is in your heart well but I have used meanes I have layed the word to my heart the threatnings the promises to my heart and I have followed Gods ordinances will it not doe will not my heart come off Is there no other meanes to be used what doe you say to the afflicting of your soule Try that you have layed the word to your heart and you finde it doth not work try the afflicting of your soules in humilliations fasting and prayer for the overcoming of your sinnes Thus God doth when admonitions and exhortations of the Prophets vvill not doe yet saith God I will try another way I will bethinke me of some other course I will hedge up their way with thorns I will see whether I can bring them in that way These two from the inference Therefore From the note of attention Behold we have an excellent usefull observation that naturally springeth up For God to make the way of sin to be difficult to sinners is a most singular mercy Howsoever alwaies it doth not prove so but take it at the worst yet it is better for the way of sin to be hedged with thorns to be made difficult to us then to have the smoothest way that possibly can bee As it is one of the greatest judgements of God upon wicked men to lay stumbling blocks before them in the way of righteousnesse so it is one of the greatest mercies of God to his children to lay stumbling blocks â—â—d difficulties before them in the way of sin It is an 〈◊〉 way of Gods dealing even with reprobates with those he hoth no love unto that in the wayes of godlinesse in the way to life he in his just judgement layeth stumbling blocks before them and they appeare very difficult to them the hedge of thornes compasses about the way of righteousnesse to the wicked therefore you shall finde it in Pro. 15. 19. that the way of the slothfull man is said to be as an hedge of thornes that is a slothfull man who is a wicked man there hee lookes upon any duty that he should perform as compast about with an hedge of thornes God in his just judgement suffereth difficulties at least to appeare to him in the way of his duties that makes him to have no mind to
world can we cannot be so cunning to contrive such plots tricks and devices for our owne ends as the men of the world can but wee have received the Spirit of God we can understand things there through Gods mercy to eternal life There are many men cunning for their own destruction they can find every secret path of sin though sin be a labyrinth they can goe up and down in it finde out ever by-path in that way When the waies of God are propounded to wicked men there is a mist before their eyes they cannot see when the wayes of sin are propunded to the Saints God in mercy cafteth a mist before their eies that they cannot see Eccles 10. 15. The foole knoweth not how to goe to the City wicked men they know not the path to the Church of God to the Ordinances of God they talke much about such and such Ordinances and setting up of Christ in the way of his Ordinances but they doe not see the way of it they know not what the true worship of God meaneth No a foole doth not understand the way to the City of God he cannot finde out that path But the Saints though they know not the wayes of sinne yet they can finde out the paths of God they know the way to the City Possidonius tells us a Austin that when there was wait laid for his life thorough Gods providence he mist his way and so his life was preserved and his enemies disappointed So many times when you are going on in such a way of sin perhaps you little thinke what danger there is in it God in mercy therefore casteth a mist before your eies and you misse that way and save your lives Ver. 7. She shall follow after her lovers but she shall not overtake them c. The Observation is Untill God subdues the hearto himselfe men will grow worse and worse in their sinnes yea even Gods Elect ones to whom hee intendeth mercy at last yet till God commeth with his grace to subdue their hearts they may grow worse and worse they would before goe after their lovers and now here commeth afflictions upon them yet still they will follow their lovers and that with more eagernesse of affection and with more violence then before Afflictions in themselves are part of the curse of God and there is no healing vertue in them but an inraging quality to stir up sinne till God sanctifie them by his grace God may suspend for a time the sanctifying worke of his grace to those he intended good to at last Isa 51. 20. The Text speakes of some whose afflictions were not sanctified That they lye as a wild bull in a net in the streets and they were full of the fury of the Lord They were full of the fury of the Lord and yet lay like a wild Bull in a net in a raging manner This distemper of heart proceeds from two grounds 1. When outward comforts are taken away by affliction the sinner having no comfort in God he knows not where to have comfort but in his sin if conscience be not strong enough to keep from it he runs madly upon it 2. Because he thinks that others looke upon him as one opposed by God for his sin therefore that he may declare to all the world that he is not daunted at all nor that he hath no misgiving thoughts though perhaps hee hath nipping gripes within yet he will put a good face upon it and follow his wayes more eagerly then formerly A second observations She shall follow but she shall not overtake A man may follow after the devises of his owne heart and may be disappointed he may not overtake them There is a great deale of difference betwixt following Gods wayes and our owne wayes there was never any in the world that was disappointed if he knew all in following Gods wayes but he got either the very thing he would have or something that was as good if not better for him but in the wayes of sinne in our owne wayes we may meet with disappointment why should we not then rather follow God then follow our own desires The desires after sin as they are Desideria futilia so they are Desideria inutilia as one speakes as they are foolish so they are fruitlesse desires they doe not attaine what they would have How hath God disappointed men in our dayesâ— they have not overtaken what they greedily sought after Our adversaries blessed themselvs in their designes they thought to have their day they propounded such an end and thought to have it but how hath God disappointed them But whether God hath done this in mercy to them as it is spoken of here that we know not we hope God hath crost some of them in a way of mercy though perhaps he may deale in another way with other of them But further Disappointment in the way of sinne is a great mercy As satisfaction in sin is a judgement of God and a fearfull judgement so disappointment in sin is a mercy and a great mercy Prov. 14. 14. there you shall find That the back-slyder in heart shall be filled with his own wayes A dreadfull threatning to back-slyders and apostates when God hath no intention of love and mercy for backsliders God will give them their owne devices they shall have their fill in their owne wayes you would have such a lust you shall have it you shall be satisfied to the full and blesse your selves in your owne wayes This is the judgment of God upon backsliders but for the Saints when they would have such a way of sin God will disappoint them they shall not have it We account it ordinarily very grievous to be disappointed of any thing and many times I have had this meditation upon it What doth it trouble the hearts of men to be disappointed almost in any thing Oh what a dreadfull vexation and horror will it be for a man to see himself disappointed of his half hopes Remember when you are troubled at any disappointment what will be the terrour then and anguish of spirit if it should prove that any of you should be disappointed of your hopes for eternity But those whom God doth often disappoint in the way of sin they may have hope that God will deliver them from that great disappointment And againe yet further Shee would have her Idols but God will take them away shee shall not have them saith God though shee follow after them and have a great mind to them yet they shal not overtake them God will remove them from their Idols or their Idols from them that is the meaning they should not come to their Dan or Bethel they should either be removed far enough from their calves or the calves from them Thus it should be with Governours they should take such a course as to take away Idols and superstitious vanities from those that will be worshipping of them
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
lewdnes the Greek word translated there lewdness doth elegantly set forth the disposition of a lewd man namely such a one as is easily drawn to any wicked way I will discover her lewdnesse in the sight of her lovers In the sight this is a great aggravation of their shame God will cast filth on them not before those that are strangers but those before whom they would be honoured It is a note of Calvin upon this that seemes to reach the meaning of the holy Ghost alluding to the way of whores who having great men for their lovers favourites with Princes at the Court they rest on their power and confide in their greatness they care not what their husbands can doe against them and so grow proud against their husbands because their lovers have great power There was a remarkable example of this here in England that you may remember it were but to â—ake in a filthy dunghill to mention it I will take away their confidence though their lovers be never so great the Assyrians and Aegyptians whosoever they be they shall have no power to help you but I will discover their lewdnesse before their face From hence take these observations First all wickednesse and especially Idolatry hath many covers for it except we looke very narrowly to those that are superstitious and idolatrous we shall not see the evill of that sin Some covers are subtilly woven but it may be said of them all as Isa 28. 20. The bed is shorter then that a man can stretch himselfe on it and the covering narrower then that he can wrap himselfe in it Secondly Prosperity in a sinfull way is a great cover though it be a very vile and sinfull way yet prosperity is a cover to it This glisters so in many mens eyes that the filth of sin is hid many a foule hand is under a faire perfumed glove an ill complexion may have a painted face and prosperity is no other to wicked men then a painted face to a foul woman As a painted face is no argument of a faire complexion so neither is prosperity of a good condition Crooked diseased bodies halfe rotten may have fine cloths Green leaves on a tree may hide the rifts the mossiness and blackness of the body which appears in winter Many men are abominable false in all their wayes cruell and bloody in their hearts against God and good men their spirits are invenomed and they have given up themselves to most horrible sins yet so long as they have power about them all is covered were all their prosperity taken from them and all their glory and greatness and nothing but their falshood and hatred of the wayes of God appeared what dreadfull creatures would they bee There is many a man that is taken with a strumpet when shee hath painted her selfe bravely like Iezebel but if he should see this whore whipped up down the streets and full of botches how odious would this strumpet be in his eyes take away her bravery and she is to him the Ioathsomest creature upon earth Thirdly Retaining some truths in the way of worship is a great cover to much falsenes When some of you are to pay a great sum you can shuffle in a brasse six pence or shilling or a light piece of gold so some though they retaine many errors yet because they keep some truths they think to cover much superstition False wares will be holpen off amongst good and a man that useth to lie will sometimes tell some truths to put off a lie A man that is a base selfe-secker will many times deny himselfe many times you shall have the proudest spirits that are to bee as crowching and subject to those that are their superiours as any and so by seeming humility cover a great deale of pride So the evill of ceremonies and false discipline passe without much contradiction you must not trouble your selves about these things and why have not we as wholsome soule-saving doctrine as in any Church in the world because of this the corruption of the other is covered much hypocrisie is covered under excellent gifts the gifts are gifts of Gods Spirit but they oftentimes cover much vileness Further observe Outward pompous devotion in Gods worship is a great colour of notorious Idolatry as gilded Crosses painted Churches pompous Ceremonies how hath it covered the most desperate hatred to the power of godlinesse that ever was I will discover thy lewdnesse God hath a time to discover wickednesse it shall appeare one day in its colours vile and abominable wickednesse shall not always goe uncovered God will not discover her infirmities neither should we wee should doe as God doth discover the lewdnesse of men but not their infirmities Love covers a multitude of faults if they be but infirmities And when you discover the lewdnesse of others take heed you do not discover your owne lewdnesse in the mean time Many when they go about to discover the lewdnesse of other men do it with such bitternesse of spirit and with rejoycing that they have got any advantage against those that are religious if they heare any reports against such whether true or false they care not they relate it confidently something will stick This is for men to discover their own lewdnesse when they cry out against the lewdnesse of others Those who are wise and understanding are able easily to see it but if wee would not have God discover our lewdnesse let us get such a cover as shall never be uncovered You may have many shifts to cover your sinnes that are not large enough but I wil tell you of a cover that is large enough to cover all What is that The righteousnesse of Jesus Christ Psal 32. 1. Blessed is he whose transgresison is forgiven whose sin is â—overed There is a cover that covers from the eyes of God and man for ever I will discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers I will take such a way to manifest her vile lewdness before her lovers that she shall neither prevail with them nor be upheld by them Whence observe When God discovers mens lewdness they shal do little hurt 2 Tim. 3. 6. But they shall proceed no farther for their folly shall bee made manifest to all men There are many who have secretly gained on the spirits of other men by faire pretences that they will doe nothing but thus and thus and they seek nothing but the publicke good and they desire the furtherance of the Gospel but when opertunity shall serve there shall be a ciscovering that their intentions goe another way then their words seemed to import and then they shall proceed no further for they shal be vile and contemptible in the eyes of those with whom they prevailed before Againe further I will doe it in the sight of their lovers When God sets himself against his enemies he will goe through his work in
which drinks up their spirits Oh the happy advantage the Saints have in their afflictions over that the wicked have in theirs They have spirits indeed that well may be called brave spirits that can stand under the greatest weight of affliction and that with joy in the midst of them Paul can rejoyce in tribulation yea and glory in it too They have comfort in the creature but they are not beholding to the creature for comfort they depend not upon the creature for comfort their joy is a great deale higher That is precious light indeed that no storme can blow out See an example of a brave spirit that way that in the midst of affliction can have the light of joy Habak 3. 17. Although the Figtree shall not blosome neither shall fruit be in the Vines the labour of the Olive shall faile and the fields shall yeeld no meate the flocke shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stals What then Yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation All their joy shall not cease perhaps in times of affliction in sad dismall times they may abate somewhat of their outward joy but all their mirth shall not cease there shall be joy within though none without Lastly I will cause all the mirth to cease All our mirth depends upon God he can take it away when he pleaseth God is called in Scripture The God of all consolation Joy is Gods propriâ—ty he gives it when he will and takes it away when he will Tou have an excellent Text for Gods hand in taking away joy from the hearts of men when he pleaseth it is Lamen 3. 65. Give them sorrow of heart thy curse upon them Marke it Now that word that is translated sorrow of heart I especially take the note from thence A word that comes from that that signifies a helmet or a shield to fence of any thing or to cover a thing as a thing is covered by a shield and helmet And it doth note to us that disease which Physitians call Cardiaca passio a kinde of disease whereby the heart is so opprest and there is such a stopping that it is as it were covered sicut scuto as with a shield there is a lid as it were put over the heart a shield to keepe out all things that should comfort and to fence off all things that may be taken to be any refreshments to the spirits let the most precious Cordials in the world be given to those that have that disease they cannot be refreshed by any of them and so the heart comes to be suffocated with sorrow This is the meaning of the word here Lord give them sorrow of heart Put them into such a condition as that their hearts may be so stopped and stifled with sorrow that what ever meanes shall be used to bring any comfort to them let it be kept off that no creature in the world may be able to afford the least refreshment to them They were wont to shield and fence off thy VVord when thy word was used to be delivered to them wherein the treasures of thy mercies were and they heard the sweet promises of the Gospel opened yet they fenced off thy word as with a shield Now when they are in affliction let their hearts be choaked so and let there be such a fence put upon their hearts that though there be never so many promises brought to them they may be fenced off by the secret curse As Doe we not finde many wretches who have lived under the Gospel and fenced off the treasures of mercies opened to them when they have beene in affliction they have beene in horrible desperation and whensoever any thing out of the Gospel hath been spoken to them for their comfort they have had strange kinde of fences to put off such things As those that reade the story of Spira may wonder what a cunning fencer he was to fence off all comfort that was brought to him This was from the Lord Lord give them sorrow of heart that is Lord put such a shield upon their hearts as all comfort may be fenced of from them We see my brethren how we depend upon God for comfort we all cry out for comfort let us know and take to heart our dependance upon God for it God can fence our hearts from comfort when he pleaseth let us take heed we doe not fence of his word form our hearts I will cause all her mirth to cease her feast dayes These two are put together for the hearts of men when they enjoy a more liberall use of the cheature then ordinary and are amongst cheerfull company are warmed raised and inflamed at such times If the heart of a man be gracious and hee feasts in a gracious way his heart is warmed and cheered and inlarged in things that are good so the heart of the wicked when they are at their feasts all their lusts are warmed and their spirits are raised strengthned in the things that are evil You have a notable example of the cheering and raising of the hearts of men in good things in the time of feasts 2 Chro. 30. 21. the feast that Hezekiah made for the people of Jerusalem in that great Passeover the Text saith that they kept the feast of unleavened bread seven dayes with great gladness and vers 23. the whole Assembly tooke counsell to keep other seven days they kept other 7 dayes with gladness Now mark how their hearts were raised and mightily up upon this Chap. 31. ver 1. When all was finished all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Iudah and brake the images in pieces and cut down the groves and threw downs the high places and the Altars out of all Iudah and Benjamine in Ephraim also and Manasseth untill they had utterly destroyed them all Their hearts being up and their feasts being in a gracious way they were so inflamed that now they tooke upon them a mighty courage in doing great things for God It were well if it were always so with us when God calleth us to feasting as sometimes he doth though not now that our hearts were alwayes up in our feasting warmed and inlarged to do much good It is that which hath been the honour of this Citie that in their Companies feasting yearly they were wont heretofore usually when they had rejoyced one with another when their hearts were up to consult together what good to do for their countries in which they were borne and then to resolve to send the preaching of the Word to such a great Town where most of them were bred and to such another Towne This was a gracious feasting and for this they were much envyed at And though these feasts were prohibited upon other pretences yet the hindering this good done at those times lay in the bottome of that prohibition Feasting also warms the lusts
I am afraid of you leâ—t I have bestowed upon you labour in vaine It appeares by this that peoples hearts are mightily set upon their Feasts their dayes and months and yeeres they were loath to be taken off from them so that the Apostle speakes with a deale of bitternesse of spirit I am afraid of you that I have lost my labour and indeed when godly Ministers take paines amongst people whose hearts are set upon such things as these for the most part they loose their labour little good is done Yea will some say to observe the Jewish dayes after they were abolished by God that was sinfull and dangerous but we doe not keepe Jewish days But mark what these men say God abolisheth his owne and yet they thinke hee gives liberty to man to set up others If this were so that upon Gods abolishing his own men should have liberty to set up theirs then the Christians are under a more heavy bondage and grievous paedagogie then ever the Jewes were for it is better to have a hundred days of Gods appointing then one of mans it is more honourable Further if God appoint there needs no scruple as there is if man appoint yea if God appoint wee may expect a speciall blessing and efficacy and presence of God we cannot expect such things in mans appointment Now if this were so when God hath taken away Jewish Ceremonies man might lawfully appoint others as he pleaseth and when God hath taken away Iewish dayes man might appoint other dayes we may pray to God with good reason to bring us under the pedagogie of the Law again rather then to be thus under mans power Thus farre we grant that upon any speciall work of God the very revolution of the yeare hath a naturalnesse in it to put me in mind of such a thing and so farre as there is a naturalnesse in it there is good in it I may make use of it Therefore I dare not say that is altogether unlawfull at such times to have some outward rejoycing when God doth not call for mourning some other way except the argument from the extraordinary abuse there hath been of it may be of force Nay that there may be advantage taken of the peoples leasure to preach the word and to heare Sermons upon such dayes we deny not Wee know that Christ was in the Porch of the Temple at the feast of Dedication which was one of the dayes of their owne appointing not that he was there to countenance or honor the Feast but because he had been there before at another Feast of Gods appointment Now there being a multitude of people at that time also gathered together he takes advantage of the concourse of the people to come to the out-porch to preach to them So much therefore as we may grant we will not deny For the understanding of this point the setting apart days I suppose there are these two things will be questioned First Why may not governours of the Church set apart dayes as well as appoint times for preaching or as well as others of themselves will appoint such times as once a week so much time set apart for a Lecture Secondly VVe may appoint fast dayes and dayes of thanksgiving these are set apart by man how cometh it to passe then that this can bee cleare that a man may appoint a time for preaching constantly once a weeke and he may appoint times of fasting and dayes of thankesgiving and yet not have this liberty to make a day that may be properly called a holy-day VVe must cleare that point from this objection or else we do nothing and for the clearing this wee must know there is a great deale of difference in these three things the right understanding of which will cleare all the matter Between deputation and dedication and sanctification of a thing I may depute a creature to be made use of to help me in holy things and yet still this creature is not sanctifyed by its deputation and so we do a time for a Lecture such an houre in such a day deputed but the time is not made holy by it the place is deputed but is not made holy by it Yea I will appoint such a garment that I have when I am in such a service such a day to weare but yet the garment is not made holy by it A creature is not made holy meerely by being made use of at holy exercise or in a holy thing As thus suppose I goe to reade the holy Scripture I make use of a candle to reade it by I doe not make the candle holy by this because I make use of it If the making use of a creature in a holy duty did make the creature holy then it would fall out generally in all creatures I make use of the very light and the ayre when I am reading and speaking holy things in publicke assemblies I do not make the light and ayre holy because I make use of them in holy things so I make use of this houre to preach in though I make use of it in a holy duty I make it no further holy then a man doth his spectacles that he useth to reade the Scripture by A deputation is this when such a creature as I shal think most commodius for such a service shal be put a part for such a service or when such a creature as I have use of for such a service will be a naturall and usefull help to me to appoint it for that service upon that ground The second is dedication that is when I give a thing out of my own power for a pious use that I cannot make use of for any thing again As when a man hath given so much of his estate to build a School or an Hospitall it may be said to be a kinde of dedication he hath devoted given so much of his estate to that end so that hee cannot make use of it himselfe to another end Now we doe not so set apart the time of preaching as that we cannot make use of this time for any other end wee may as wee see cause alter it where it is from 9. to 11 we make it from two to four whereas if it were a thing that we had dedicated that is given out of our own power then it cannot be changed by us That is a second degree this is not sanctifying yet Now sanctification is beyond dedication that is when any creature or time is so set apart for holy things as it must not be used in any thing but that that is holy and though the same holy actions be done at another time and with the use of another creature they shall not be accounted so holy as at this time and when this creature was made use of This is the proper sanctification and the setting apart of any day thus that is such a day God giveth to me to make use of for my occasions
liberty they have now more then servants had in former times It was so likewise with the Romans the word servant cometh à Servando because the Romans used to have such for servants as were preserved in time of war that should otherwise have bin put to death whether they were those or others yet the condition of all was very servile both amongst Iews and Romans which may justly rebuke the pride of servants now if they be but crost in their minds in the least thing they make such a complaint as if they were exceedingly wronged Let servants rather bless God for their condition then murmur at a little hardship they indure for the hardship of servants in former times was another manner of hardship then any you can indure who have the hardest masters Hence it is that in the day of Iubile the servants did so rejoyce Iewish antiquities tell us that nine days before their release the servants feasted and made merry and wore garlands because of their freedom approaching The second thing extraordinary in the day of Jubile was that not onely debts but lands were released Lev. 25. 22. The land shall not be sold for ever And there were divers reasons for this why the land must not be sold for ever but must return to the first possessors in the year of Jubile One reason is in the Text Lev. 25. 23. For the land is mine saith God for yee were strangers and sojourners with me God would hereby teach them that they must not account themselves absolute lords of the land the land is mine and you that are the greatest land-lords of all are but as strangers and sojourners with God the land is still Gods And vers 28. If a man bee not able to redeeme his land nor his kinsman for him it shall remain unto the yeer of Iubile and in the Iubile it shall goe out and hee shall return unto his possession If he could redeem his land himself or a kinsman for him he was to redeeme it before but if a man should be so poor as he could not give any thing to redeem it yet in the year of Iubile it should return unto him God would not have his people too greedy to bring the possession of the Countrey in to themselves to have a perpetuall inheritance to themselves and their posterity This is the greediness of many covetous and ambitious men oh that we could lay land to land and house to house to get a perpetuall inheritance for our selves and posterity God would not have his people be of so greedy dispositions for a few of them to get the whole Countrey into their own possession therefore he would have no man that ever had any possession but once in fifty years that possession must return to that familie again The land was to return to the first owner that the distinction of Tribes might be continued which was known much by the continuance of their possessions that belonged to every tribe family God had great care before Christs time to keep the distinction of tribes that so it might be cleare out of which tribe Christ came But further this year of Iubile aymed at a higher thing it was a type of Christ to set out the blessed redemption that we have by Christ The trumpet of the Gospel which the Ministers blow is a trumpet of Iubile That place Isa 61. 1 2. seems to have reference to a Iubile there the Text saith that Christ was appointed to proclaim liberty to the captives the opening of the prison to them that are bound to proclaim the acceptable yeer of the Lord now that acceptable year was the year of Iubile there was the opening of the prison and the releasing of them that were bound Psal 89. 15. saith the text Blessed are the people that heare the joyfull sound that hear the Jubile Oh blessed are our ears who live to such a time as we do to heare the trumpet of Iubile blowing in one congregation or other almost every day now we have a release of our debts bondage this is the joyfull sound We are all by nature in debt sins you know are called debts in the Lords prayer every soul is bound over to Gods eternall justice to answer to the law for not obeying the law now cometh this Iubile and releaseth all debts And we are all bond-slaves in bondage to sin to the law and to the devil now cometh the Gospel this Iubile and releaseth our bondage sets us at liberty 3. We have forfeited our right to the crea ure yea to heaven it self now the Gospel comes and restores all we have right now to the comforts of this world and to heaven Canaan was a type of heaven and the loss of their inheritance there was a type of the loss of heaven and the bringing them again to the possession of it a type of the restoring of right to heaven Oh happy are they then who hear this joyfull sound not only with the eares of the body but who have it sounding in their hearts and that by the work of the spirit of God in them In this year of Iubile there is one thing further very remarkable and that is the time when this trumpet that was to proclaim this yeer was to blow Lev. 25. 9. the trumpet was to blow upon the tenth day of the seventh moneth What remarkable thing is there in this that the trumpet must be blown the tenth day of the seventh month yes there is this remarkable in it the tenth day of the seventh month was their day of expiation the day of their atonement their publique fast This day appointed every year for all Israel to afflict their souls before God to humble themselves for their sins and to seek for mercy from God as we shal shew you more largely when we come to open the solemnity of that day I only mention it now to shew that the trumpet of Iubile was to be sounded upon that day It is a strange thing that upon that day wherein they were to afflict their soules before God and to mourn for their sins the trumpet of Iubile was to sound that was to proclaim joy and mirth things of a contrary nature to humbling and mourning Yea but this affords us divers excellent instructions As First God would have his people so to mourn as to know their joy is coming In the darkest day they had wherein they were bound to afflict their souls most yet they were so to mourn as to know there was a Iubile at hand We are not to mourn as those without hope in our most grievous sorest mournings we must have our hearts sink in desperation wee must so mourne as to expect a Iubile Yea further the Saints mourning is a preparation to a Iubile o◠joy Ioy then is neer at hand when the Saints must mourn in a godly manner Did not the Lord deal graciously with us the last fast day when
we were mourning before him There was amongst our brethren in other parts a kind of trumpet of Iubile blown the Lord was then working for us what great deliverance did God grant that very day at Chichester God shews that the mourning of his people doth make way for joy Yea further then indeed is the sound of the trumpet of Iubile sweetest when we are most afflicted for our sins When we are most apprehensive and sensible of the evill of sin then the joy of God the comforts of the Gospel are sweetest to the soul When the trumpet of Iubile is blown in congregations if it meets not with hearts afflicted sensible of sinne they are not delighted with the sweet sound of this trumpet it is not melody in their ears it rejoy ceth not their hearts But let a poore soul be brought down and made sensible of the evill of sinne and Gods wrath then let but one promise of the Gospel be sounded forth how sweet how joyfull is it Again pardon of sin is the only foundation of all Jubiles For this tenth day of the seventh month wherein the trumpet of Jubile was to be sounded was a day of Atonement What is that A day of covering for so the word is of pardon of sin to the people of God Many men keep a continuall Jubile live merrily and bravely doe nothing but eate and drink and play and dance and laugh and cannot endure these fadde melancholy people What is the foundation of this thy Jubile Art thou sure there is an Atonement made between God and thy soule Art thou sure thy sin is pardoned Is this the foundation of thy rejoycing Know it will not last it is not Gods but the Devils Jubile except there be an atonement made between God and thee as the foundation of it Yet further in that the sound of the Jubile was at that time when the day of Atonement was Note this When God hath pardoned us then our hearts are in a fit frame to pardon others Now comes the Jubile and now you must release your lands your debts and forgive those that owe you any thing This is the day wherein God testifieth his mercy in pardoning your sinnes and they might well say Now Lord command us what thou wilt in shewing mercy to our brethren we are ready to pardon to release them to extend the bowels of our compassion towards them for thou hast pardoned our sins The reason of the rigidnesse of the cruelty the hardness of the hearts of men and straitnesse of their spirits to their brethren is this because God hath not witnessed to their souls the pardon of their own sinns an atonement between God and them Their solemn feasts Among their feasts they had three that were especially very solemn feasts more then others And they were The Feast of The Passeover Pentecost Tabernacles These three were very solemn especially in this one regard wherein they are all three united in one thing that is upon these three Feasts all the Males were to ascend up to Jerusalem to worship to the place which God did choose and so you have it Deut. 16. 16. Three times in a yeere shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shal choose in the feast of unleavened bread that was the Passeover and in the feast weeks that was Pentecost and in the feast of Tabernacles But how could the ten Tribes then keep these Feasts for they went not to the Temple You may as well say how had they an Ephod of which Chap. 3. Jeroboam was wise enough to keep the feasts though not in that way God appointed he could tell them the going to the Temple was but circumstance of place From this connection of these three together in this solemnity upon which these three were especially called their solemn feasts there are divers things to be noted First we may see a reason why there were sometimes so many beleevers at Ierusalem An argument is brought by some from that place Acts 21. 20. to prove that there may be in one Church more then can possibly assemble together in one Congregation for the Text saith there Thou seest how many thousands of Iews there are which beleeve how many millions it is in the Originall now say they there could not be so many millions to joyn in one Congregation The answer to this is cleare that the time of which this place speaketh was when the people of the Jews were all assembled together at Jerusalem to keep the feast of Pentecost for Chap. 20. vers 16. the Text saith that the Apostle hastned if it were possible for him to be at Ierusalem the day of Pentecost now reading the story on it plainely appears that in that journey in which he did so hasten he did get to Ierusalem at the day of Pentecost and being there at that time no marvail that they said Dost thou not see how many thousands of Iews there are that beleeve For all the males of the people of the Iewes were got together at Ierusalem according to the institution so that they were there by reason of that Law that as yet they submitted to they were not in a Church state at Ierusalem therefore there is no strength in that objection against congregationall Churches Secondly where there is a nationall Church there must be an uniting of them in some way of Nationall worship There is this Nationall worship that the Iews by institution from God were united in three times in a yeare to go up to the Temple to worship And except there shonld be some such kind of individuall worship not in the same species that is as others are praying so are we and as others are hearing so are we for so all the Churches in the world may be joyned but to joyne in one act of worship together as that was of going up to the Temple there must be such a thing And that made the Iews a Nationall Church because we have no such institution now no Nation in the world can in a proper sense be said to be a Nationall Church as theirs was in some figurative sense we may so call it but not in that proper sense as it was among the Iews Thirdly there are some Ordinances that cannot be enjoyed but in the way of Church-fellowship The Iews could not enjoy these feasts as they ought indeed it may be Israel the ten Tribes would make a kind of patched up feast but they could not feast so as they ought unlesse they went to Ierusalem in that way God appointed As among the Iews there were some Ordinances they might enjoy in their Synagogues and private houses but some which they could not enjoy but in the Temple so there are some Ordinances we may enjoy in our families but others wee cannot enjoy but in Church-communion which Ierusalem is a type of A fourth thing observable is these three times wherein they were to go up to Ierusalem
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
driven from their habitations if God should ever restore them to their habitations againe then their hearts would be enlarged in blessing God then they would be more sensible of the uncertainty of the comforts of the creature then ever before Thirdly The Feast of Tabernacles had an aime at Christ and the state of a Christian it was to typifie JESUS CHRIST to come into the world and to pitch his tents amongst us as John 1. 14. he dwelt amongst us he came and pitched his Tabernacle amongst us it is in the Greek and the state of a Christian likewise is an abiding Tabernacle 2 Cor. 5. 1. If our earthly house of this Tabernacle be dissolved till we goe where JESUS CHRIST is gone before us to prepare mansions for us Iohn 14. our dwelling is in Tabernacles In the offerings that God appointed to offer in this their feast Numb 29. 12. there are some things very observable but hard to finde the meaning of the feast was to be kept seven dayes the first day was a great day and the last day a great day the first day there were 13. bullocks to be offered and 14. lambes the second day there was but 12. bullocks and the third day but 11. and the fourth day but 10. and so every day one decreased as you may see there and the last day there was but one offered Now divers Expositors have sought to finde out the meaning of this I doe not finde any such thing in all the Scripture as this is but onely in this place Calvin confesses when he speakes of this that for his part he doth not understand the meaning of it and rather then to make guesses of it uncertainties I will saith he be silent in it yet he ventures upon a conjecture a very unlikely one therefore I shall not name it That which is most likely seems to be in two things The first is they must offer every day lesse and lesse that is saith another interpreter to shew their increase in sanctification that they should grow to more and more perfection every day of their feast and so have lesse need of Sacrifices then they had before and so it will afford a good note to us that when we come to keepe dayes to God every day we should grow more and more in sanctification and have lesse and lesse sin to answer for then we had before Another interpretation that is given is that it was to shew the cessation of the sacrifices of the Jewes that they were to decrease day by day and this I take rather to be the meaning because the last day is but one bullocke that was offered and yet the Text saith that that was the great day of the Feast when there was fewest sacrifices to be offered Ioh. 3. 37. The last and the great day of the feast Jesus cryed if any man thirst let him come unto me there is somwhat to be noted about Christ there though it is true it was the feast of dedication which was their own Feast from whence many would prove the lawfulnesse of holy daies yet the truth is upon examination you shall finde there is scarce strength enough from that place to prove it though it be lawfull to take the advantage of such times but it will appeare there that it was the Feast of Tabernacles as in 2 Chro. 8. 9. Their Feast of the dedication of the Temple was at that time that the Feast of Tabernacles was one thing is to be observed from Christs being there at the Feast the last and the great day Jesus cryed if any man thirst let him come unto me Why did Christ upon the great day of the Feast cry out thus If any man thirst let him come unto me to drinke one reason may be because when men are most strongly possessed with the uncertainties of all outward things in the world then they are fit to entertaine the gospell then fit to heare of JESUS CHRIST when their hearts are taken off from the world and they looke upon all things here as unsetled the conclusion of that feast is a speciall preparation to the Gospell Esay 40. 6. 7 c. The preparation to the good tidings of the Gospel is the Proclamation that All flesh is grasse and all the goodlinesse thereof as the flower of the field yea the withering of the grasse and the fading of the flower must be proclaimed again and againe And then seasonably and acceptably it followes ver 6. O Zion that bringest good tidings behold your God Tremelius thinkes that the reason of the expression of CHRIST at this time was from the custome of the Iews at this Feast at the feast of Tabernacles the Iews were wont with great joy to bring store of water out of the River of Shiloh to the Temple where being delivered to the Priest he powred it out upon the Altar together with wine and all the people sung that of Isaiah with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation though it were their own invention Christ takes a hint upon it they accustomed themselves to draw water and powre it out Christ saith what do you stand upon this ceremony of yours this your custome will die and perish in the use of it but come to me and there you shall have water I am the well of salvation a spring of grace shall be continually in the heart of that man that beleeveth in me One note more is observable in this Feast we have a prophesie that in the times of the gospel the feast of Tabernacles should be kept then that is in the truth of it not in the ceremony In Zach. 14. 16. there is a Prophesy that when Christ cometh the very truth of the feast of tabernacles then all people shall worship the true God and keep the feast of Tabernacles Why is it there Prophesied that all people shall come and keep that feast the reason may be this this feast is named because in the times of the gospel men shall acknowledge their outward comforts to be from God 〈◊〉 â—ertainty of all things here and that they are strangers and pilgrims 〈◊〉 in the times of the gospell this shall be made more evident to the hearts of people then ever before the more JESUS CHRIST shall be known in the world the more shall the hearts of men be taken up with the knowledge of God in every creature and of the uncertainty of every creature and have their hearts taken of from the comforts of the world and never account any setled condition here but account themselves pilgrims and strangers that is a signe that the Gospel hath prevailed with your spirits if you have your hearts taken off from the creature and you looke upon your selves as strangers in the world and looke for an abiding City then do you keep in an Evangelicall sense this feast of Tabernacles Or secondly if it be meant of the glorious setled condition God in
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
that mercy of his therefore he gives these fields this title calls them by this name and this custome of the Jews seemes to have warrant from Scripture it self Canticles 8. 5. Who is this that commeth up from the wildernesse leaning upon her beloved That was the way of marriage they came out of the fields leaning upon their beloved and so were brought unto the Bridgegroomes Fathers house So Christ brings his Spouse through this world which is as the wildernesse and Christ is here solemnizing his espousals and hath his nuptiall songs in this world and the Church leanes upon Christ all the while she is in the world but Christ is carring her to his Fathers house and ere long we shal be with him there solemnizing the marriage of the Lambe in a more glorious way This expression goes on clearly thus I will allure her and bring her into the wildernesse As the Bridegroome speakes sweet and comfortable words to his Bride and carries her abroad into the fields and there solemnizes the nuptials and so comes back againe having his Spouse leaning upon him and bringing her to his Fathers house so I will deale with you in the fulnesse of my grace I will performe all the nuptiall rites with you I will be married againe unto you and looke what the most solemnity in your City of Jerusalem or any of your Cities there is in any nuptials I will make as great a solemnity in the nuptials betweene you and me It is true when a marriage is such as people are loath to make it known then there is no such solemnity but when it is a great marriage indeed and such as marry together with their friends would glory in it then there is the more full solemnity so saith God I will not be ashamed to take you againe but I will take you openly I wil have the solemnity of my marriage with you as publickly as may be I will carry you abroad into the fields and look what rights soever there are in the most solemne marriages amongst you those rights I will performe unto you that it may be a most glorious marriage solemnity between you and me again thus I will bring into the wildernesse and speake comfortably unto them And speake comfortably to her These words that are translated here speake comfortably in the Hebrew are loquar super cor or ad corejus I will speake to her heart I will speak to her either so as to prevaile with her heart or speake to her so as to do her good at the very heart Many Scriptures may be brought to shew that speaking kindly friendly or comfortably the Hebrews expresse by speaking to the heart I will give you two or three instances Genesis 34. 3. Shechem spake kindly to the Damosell the words are in the Hebrew Shechem spake to the heart of the Damosell So Ruth 2. 13. Thou hast comforted me for that thou hast spoken friendly to thy handmaid thou hast spoken to the very heart of thy handmaid there are two more remarkable places for this one is Esay 40. 2. Speak comfortably to Jerusalem the words are speak to the heart of Jerusalem What should be spoke to the heart of Jerusalem Cry unto her her warefare is accomplished her iniquity is pardoned These are the comfortable words that God required should be spoke to the heart of Jerusalem O that God would speak thus to England this would do good at the very heart if God would speake thus from heaven Her iniquity is pardoned and her warefare is accomplished But yet a place that is more suitable unto this expression in the text it is Iudges 19. 3. There you have the story of a Levite whose wife having played the harlot yet he was willing to be reconciled to her the text saith that he went spake friendly to her Now the words are in the Hebrew Hee went and spake to her heart And indeed it is a word to the heart of an adulterous spouse if her heart be humbled when she knows that her husband will be willing notwithstanding her playing the harlot to be reconciled to her this was the condition of Israel who had gone a whoring from God yet when God promises a renewall of the marriage rites he saith he will speake to her heart from whence we might observe this note That an Apostatizing people or an Apostate soul had need have words of comfort spoke to their hearts or else there can be little ease to their terrified consciences We read of Spira that famous Apostate he had words of comfort enough spoke to his eare but they did him little good God did not come in and speak to his heart therefore his conscience could not be quieted the throbs of it could not be eased How many lie under the troubles of an accusing conscience and have the throbs and bitings of a guilty spirit because they have been back-sliders from the truth and though they come to Sermons one after another hear the Covenant of grace opened to them in the fulnesse of it the riches of Gods goodnesse set before them in the beauty of it yet they goe away without comfort why the words come to the eare God all this time speaks not to the heart sometimes it pleases God to take but the hint of a truth and dart it upon the heart of a troubled sinner that he feeleth it at the heart and sayes Well this day God hath spoken to my heart so he goes away rejoycing eased comforted pacified when as perhaps such an one had heard a hundred Sermons before wherein there were blessed and glorious truths presented to him and it did no good untill Gods time and when the time of Gods love is come some little hint of a piece of a truth God darteth to the hearts and that doth the thing God shews hereby that it is not in the word of man to comfort an afflicted conscience Hence an expression Luther hath in his Comment upon Genesis It is far harder to comfort an afflicted conscience then to raise the dead you think it is nothing to Apostatize from the Lord you thinke it is easie to receive comfort you will find it is not so easie you will find it as easie to raise the dead as to comfort your afflicted consciences But you told us before how rich the grace of God was that God tooke advantage from the greatnesse of our sins to shew the riches and greatness of his mercy grant it let the grace of God be never so rich but till this grace be applyed to the heart till God be pleased to speak himself to the heart of a sinner it will not do I remember a story of one who had made profession of Religion and afterwards Apostatised and made little of it when his acquaintance told him that those things he now did he would smart for one day he thought because he had some knowledg in the Gospel that it
was but to believe in Jesus Christ Jesus Christ came to pardon sinners c. when he came upon his sick bed he was in great torment of conscience and grievous vexation and cryed out bitterly of his Apostacy there came some of his acquaintance to him and spake words of comfort and tells him that Christ came to save sinners and he must trust in Gods mercy c. At length he begins to close with this and to apply this to himself and to have a little ease upon which his companions began to be hardned in their ways because they saw after so ill a life it was so easie a matter to have comfort but not long before he dyed he brake out roaring in a most miserable anguish O! saith hee I have prepared a plaister but it will not sticke it will not sticke wee shall find though the grace of God be rich and the salve be a soveraign unlesse God be pleased to make it stick by speaking to our hearts nothing can be done From hence further learn this note As when God speaks comfortably to his people he speaks to their hearts so Gods Ministers when they come to speak in Gods name should labour to speak so as to do what they can to speak to hearts It is true indeed it is impossible that any man of himselfe can speake to the heart of another but yet he may endeavour and aime that way there is a kind of speaking that God doth assist so as to bring it to the heart of his people What speaking is that you will say That that cometh from the heart will most likely go to the heart though I know God can take that which comes but from the lips and carry it to the heart when he pleases yet ordinarily that that comes from the heart goes to the heart therefore Ministers when they come to speak the great things of the Gospel they should not seeke so much for brave words and enticing ways of mans wisdome but let them get their own hearts warmed with that grace of the Gospel and then they are most like to speak to the hearts of their Auditors It is a good note that I have met with from Ribera let Ministers remit saith he of their care of fine curious words of brave neate phrases and cadencies of their sentences but let them bend their studies to manifest humility and mortification and to shew love to the soules of people otherwise though they speake with the tongues of men and Angels they shall become but like the sounding brasse and the tinckling cymball this is an expression even of a Jesuite it were then a great shame that Gods Ministers should not labour to speak so as that they may speak to the hearts of people you must be desirous of such kind of preaching as you find speaks to your hearts not that that comes meerly to your eares how many men love to have the word jingle in their ears and in the mean time their hearts go away and not one word spoke to them but when you finde a Ministry speake to your hearts close with it bless God for it and count it a sadd day when you goe from a Sermon and there is not one word spoke to your hearts in that Sermon From the connection of these two I will bring them into the wildernesse speak unto their hearts if we should take the wildernesse for bringing into affliction because there are so many interpreters that are very godly men learned men go that way I dare not wholy reject it but that there may be some intention that way Hence the first note is Afflictions make way for Gods word to the hearts of sinners there are many obstructions at the hearts of men while they are in prosperity but when afflictions come God by them opens those obstructions and so gets his word to their hearts afflictions cannot convert the heart but they can take away some obstructions that did hinder the word from coming to the heart Many of you have heard thousands of Sermons and scarce know of any one that hath come to your hearts but when God casts you upon your sicke beds and you apprehend death then you feele the same truthes that you were not sensible of before they lie upon your hearts the threatning word of God that went but to the ear before now it is got to the heart now it terrifies now you cry out of your sins and rellish the sweet promises of the Gospel that afflictions make way for I remember an expression that I have read of Bernard he had once to a brother of his who was a Souldier but riotous and prophane Bernard gives him many good instructions wholsome admonitions and counsels his brother seemed to slight them he made nothing of them Bernard comes to him and puts his hand to his side one day saith he God will make way to this heart of yours by some speare or launce he meant God would wound him in the Wars and so hee would open a way to his heart and then his admonitions should get to his heart and as he said so it fell out for going into the Wars he was wounded and then he remembers his brothers admonitions they got to and lay upon his heart to purpose It God should let the enemy in upon us their swords or bullets may make way to our hearts that so Gods word may come to have entrance there the Lord rather pierce our hearts by his spirit then that way to our hearts should be made thus Secondly when we are brought to great affliction that is the time for Gods mercies This should make us not to be so afraid of afflictions how afraid are we how do we hang back when we see afflictions coming why art thou so loth O thou Christian to come to affliction the time of affliction is the time for God to speake to the heart of a sinner many sinners may say that their condition hath been like Jacobs he never had a more sweete vision of God then when he lay abroad in the fields with no other pillow under his head then a stone it may be God will take away all your outward comforts and when they are all gone then may be Gods time to speake comfortably to your heart Thirdly the words of mercy O how sweet are they when they come to the heart after an affliction Psam 141. 6. Thy Judges shall be overthrown in strong places they shall he are my words for they are sweet If the words be taken for bringing into the wildernesse that is for Gods wonderfull workings for the good of his people then the note is When God works great and wonderfull things amongst a people then God speaks to the heart of that people then surely God hath spoken to our hearts for he hath done great and wonderfull things amongst us he did not more wonderfull things amongst his people in the wildernesse
Secondly that which is translated comming up out of the land of Aegypt For the word singing the Septuagint have it thus She shall be â—â—mbled A strange translation you will say how much different is it from this in our books She shall sing I find divers translate the word so she shall be humbled Cyril Theodoret and he caryeth it thus that she shall be humbled by the Assyrians as she was before humbled by the Egypâ—ians But certainly the words cannot be carryed so for it is spoken of ascending of coming up out of the land of Egypt But they might easily mistake in translating the words because the Hebrew word signifieth both humiliavit and it signifieth likewise ceâ—init and contavit both to be humble and to sing The Hebrews divers times by the same word set forth contrary things As 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth both to blesse and to curse many there might be named in the same kind This word likewise that is translated singing signifieth and so it is translated by some Respondebit she shall answer and I finde a very excellent note from it in Cyril and some others Shee shall answer as in the dayes of her youth What answer did shee make Thus God in the dayes of her youth when she came out of Egypt did bring her to his Covenant and gave his land to her as Exod. 19. 5 6. Now therefore saith God if you 〈◊〉 obey my voyce indeed and keepe my Covenant then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people A sweet promise to all in Covenant with God that they shall be a peculiar treasure unto him above all people Now vers 8. All the people answered to gether and said all that the Lord hath spoken we will doe Thus they answered him in the days of their youth so some would carry it they should answer as in the dayes of their youth when they came up out of the land of Egypt as if the meaning should be thus whereas God in the dayes of their youth did tell them that if they woulâ— keepe his Covenant they should be a peculiar treasure unto him above all people of the earth they all with one consent answered All that the Lord hath spoken that will we doe So saith God when I shall againe convert them to my selfe I will renew my Covenant with them and upon the declaration of my Covenant to them they shall freely readily and wilâ—ingly answer Lord we accept of thy Covenant Thus it is carryed by some and the exposition is very sweet But we shall joyne both the significations of this word together both â—â—ing and to answer And that I take indeed to be the meaning of the Spirit of God they shal sing by way of answering Thus they were wont to sing â—lternis choris they were wont in their joyfull songs to answer one another his praecinentibus aliis succinentibus some singing before and some answering So that it was not a bare singing but a singing of a Canticum dramaticum or such a kind of song as they did answer one another in their singing And thus saith God shall be the melody of my people when I am again reconciled to them upon their repentance there shall be mutuall singing one singing to another and the others answering in a joyfull way The other word to be opened is that which is translated coming up out of the land of Egypt The word you have in your books came up it is ascended as in the day when they ascended up out of the land of Egypt And wee are to take notice of the manner of the expression because it will afford to us a profitable note anon They ascended out of the land of Egypt partly because Egypt was a Countrey that lay very low and in that respect they may be said to ascend But that is not the chiefe they were in a low condition they were in a state of bondage and in that regard they were said to ascend The second thing to be shewed is the scope what the Spirit of God aymeth at They shall sing as in the dayes of their youth when they ascended out of the land of Egypt Read it so and It is a further expression of the nuptiall solemnity that there should be between God and his people in the time of their reconciliation for so I have told you formerly that God goeth along in this second part of the Chapter in that continued Allegory to shew his bringing of his people to him in a way of marriage in a betrothing way which afterward is exprest more fully and all the way God expresseth it is in the manner of Nuptiall solemnities As if he should say Marriage is an ordinance I have appointed for mutuall joy and delight that the man and wife should have one in the other so I will bring you and marry you to my self and there shall be a great deale of joy that I will have in you and you shall have in me there shall be the singing of the Epithilamium the Nuptiall long between us there shall be a time of abundance of rejoycing between us when I shall take you again to my selfe Doe you think with your selves when was the greatest time of joy that ever you had in your lives Know I will bring you to as much joy as ever yet you had Looke what mercy you had when you came out of the land of Egypt and rejoyced in it you shall hereafter have mercies as great as that Did I then appear in a miraculous way to you I will do so again Had you mercies that were promised long before and rejoyced in them you shall have the like again Had you mercies that you a long time prayed for before you shall have the like againe Did Moses and Miriam goe before you in singing and you followed after there shall be the like time again when both Governours and people shall joyne together in singing and praysing the name of the Lord. This is the scope The third thing is what is meant by the dayes of their youth The dayes of their youth is the same that after wards is exprest and the day when they came up out of the land of Egypt that is the time when they were delivered out of bondage after they had passed through the Red-sea and had seen the great works of God in their deliverance then was the day of their youth Jer. 2. 2. I will remember the kindnesse of thy youth when thou followedst me in the wildernesse The time that this people were delivered from Pharoah and saw the great works of God in the wildernesse is the time of their youth in the time of their bondage they did not outwardly appear to be the Lords but when God manifested himself so gloriously in their deliverance then God did as it were take them again to be his people and they did seem as it were then to be born againe and the time of their
shall be much more glorious The last time this prophesie aymeth at is the great calling of the Jewes then the Scripture saith Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads they shall obtain gladnesse and joy and all sorrow and mourning shall flee away They shall so sing as never mourn more in this world in regard of any malice and rage of their adversaries This was not fulfilled at their return out of the Babylonish captivity therefore there is yet a time for the fulfilling of it and the Scripture is clear about the fulfilling it even in this world that place Rev. 21. 4. is a repetition of that prophecy he saith there God shall wipe away all teares from their eyes and there shall be no more sorrow nor crying When Jews and Gentiles shall joyne together then they shall siug indeed to purpose as they did in the dayes of their youth when they came up out of the land of Egypt First it is a great mercy for people to be delivered from outward bondage It will be found a great mercy when the world shall be delivered from their outward bondage when men shall see they were born free-men and not slaves though Subjects yet not slaves when men shall see that the world was not made for twenty or thirty to doe what they list and they to account all the rest as beasts yea dogs as if it were not so much for the lives of thousands of them to goe as for their humours and lusts not to be satisfied but when men shall know that they are men and not beasts and so shall live like men and not like beasts to be at the will of others this will be a great mercy But to be delivered from Antichristian bondage is a greater mercy then it was for the children of Israel to be delivered from their Egyptian bondage For First when they were in the Egyptian bondage we reade not that their consciences were forced that they were forced at all to any false worship Pharaoh did not this but Antichrist forced to Idolatry Secondly Though Pharaoh layed heavy taskes and burthens upon them yet he did not kill them indeed at length they killed their first borne but the people of Israel themselves might have their lives still though with hardship But Antichrist thirsts for blood Papists are bloody men Thirdly It was the affliction of Gods people to be in bondage in Egypt but it was not their sin But to be in bondage under Antichrist is not onely an affliction but it is sin and that of a high nature too 4. Though they were under Egyptian bondage yet they were delivered from Egyptian plagues but those that are under Antichristian bondage shall come under Antichristian plagues Come out of her my people lest you be partaker of her plagues You must not think to escape so as they escaped out of Egypt if you stay in that bondage you will be involved in their plagues With what an eye therefore should we look upon those who would bring us into this bondage againe when God hath begun to give us a little reviving Jer. 37. 20. O my Lord the King saith Jeremy let my supplication I pray thee be accepted before thee that thou cause me not to returne to the house of Ionathan the Scribe lest I die there So let us ery to the King of heaven and earth O Lord our King let our supplication be accepted before thee since wee are begun to be delivered from that bondage doe not cause us to returne to that house againe The second is A reconciled condition is a singing condition When there is a harmony between heaven and the soul between God and a sinner there is a sweet melody indeed there may well be singing Esay 35. 10. The raâ—somed of the Lord shall returne and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads And Esay 44. 23. Sing Oye heavens for the Lord hath dâ—ne it sâ—out yee lower parts of the earth break forth into singing ye mountains We being justified by faith having peace with God saith the Apostle we not only rejoyce in hope of glory but we even rejoyce and boast in tribulation Having peace with God though war withall the world we rejoyce Thirdly It is a great mercy when Magistrates and people shall generally joyne together in praising God when they shall sing as they did in the dayes of their youth for that is the promise How is that Moses beginneth and Miriam followeth the leaders of Israel and then all the people joyne together and answer one another in their singing When that day shall come that God shall stirr up the hearts of Magistrates and great ones that there shall be singing Hallelujahs to him that sitteth upon the throne and the Lamb for evermore and when God shall generally move the hearts of the people that they shall answer one another in their singing and so joyne in a sweet melody this will be a blessed time indeed Now perhaps in one place there is singing and blessing God for what is done in another place there is cursing and cursing those that do sing Some mens hearts are rejoycing in the great things God doth other mens hearts fret and rage when they heare of the great works of the Lord this makes no melody in heaven Perhaps now in the family the Husband singeth and the wife frets perhaps the wife singeth and the malignant husband is inraged the servant rejoyceth and the master chafeth the children sing and the parents vex this is harsh musique This is our condition at this day there are better times coming when Moses Aaron and Miriam and all the people shall joyn in singing praise to our God 4. Thankfulnesse to God for mercy cannot be without joyfulnesse A grumbling pensive sadde dumpish disposition cannot be a true thankfull heart as it ought God will not accept in this sense of the bread of mourners It is grievous to the Spirit of God that we should be pensive and sad in the midst of abundance of mercies 5. They shall sing there There where at the door of hope in the valley of Achor You may remember in the opening of that valley of Achor I gave you what might be understood by it according to the most that is that God would make the greatest trouble and affliction of his Church to be a door of hope to bring mercy to them And if you take it in that sense here rises an excellent observation When God brings into straits yet if he shall sanctifie our straits making them means of good to us we have cause to rejoyce You have an excellent Text Isa 35. 6 7. For in the wildernesse shall waters breake out and streams in the desart and the paâ—ched ground shall become a poole and the thirsty land springs of water Those things that seem to goe most contrary to you I will work good unto you out of them saith God VVell what
between Gods wrath and your former sins Further They shal not so much as be remembred by their name they shal not thinke of them The note from hence is all superstitious vanities though they may seem for the present never so glorious yet in time they will vanish and come to nothing God hath a time to make them so to vanish as they shall not so much as be thought off Col. 2. 22. it is said of the rudiments of the world that are according to the Doctrine of men they perish in the use in the present use that is they effect nothing that they seeme to be appointed for there is no good cometh of them for the present but in the very use they come to nothing but time shall be that God will cause them all to perish utterly and the very remembrance of them shall be taken away It is true for the present while mens hearts are set upon superstitious wayes O how glorious are they in their eyes but these glorious things will come to nothing whereas those Ordinances of God that seeme to be but meane things wherein the simplicity of the Gospel appeareth they shall appeare full of beauty though for the present they seeme to be darkened they shall be glorious in the eyes of the Saints to the end of the world Not long since what a stirre was there about the more then decent even superstitious adorning of Temples and building of Altars and brave Canopies what sumptuous things and fine knacks had they and all to set out a pompous superstitious way of worship this altogether prevailed as for the purity and simplicity of Gods wayes and worship how was it trampled under feet as an unworthy contemptible thing but these things that for a while seemed so glorious begin to vanish and wee hope ere long will come to nothing the very memory of them shall perish the purity of Gods worship and the simplicity of the Gospell in Gods Ordinances shall recover their beauty and glory when those braveries shall be no more 7. A true penitent cannot remember former sinnes without indignation for so is the meaning of the phrase they shall not remember Some of us may remember how we have beene intangled with wayes of false worship and how we have fullyed and wrung our consciences that way we said we would yeeld as far as we could but indeed we yeelded further then wee could for id possumus qnod jure possumus we have cause to remember it with shame and confusion of face Ye old men may remember the sins of your youth but how can you remember them and speake of them with joy and meryment that is an evil yea almost a desperate signe do you so remember the sinnes of your youth as to tell tales of the pranckes of your younger dayes with joy you are in a high degree left of God and given up to hardnesse you shall remember them with shame and indignation the sweet morsells of former sinnes coming up into remembrance should be bitter and sower unto you The last note is the taking off mens hearts from Idolatrous wayes is a speciall worke of God I will do it saith God I will take away the names of Baalim out of their mouthes Certainly the people in these times hung much upon their false ways of worship they had many arguments for their way no question but they had many distinctions to uphold it but there shall come a day saith the Lord when I will take away the names out of their mouths I will stop your mouthes I will take off your hearts from all those Objections and reasonings you have had to maintaine such ways as those were I will silence all then you shal see evidently convincingly to your shame that you have been gulled by such vaine false distinctions I will take off all those ingagements your hearts were bound in those being taken off I will soon take you off from all What a deale of stir hath God that we may speake with holy reverence to take mens hearts from wayes of false worship What a company of distinctions and objections have men their hearts clinging to them being very unwilling to be taken off now then their consciences are wrung yet they hold fast and then conscience hath another wring and then they another objection and another distinction and yet perhaps true grace lyes at the bottome after all this But God having a love unto them by some way or other takes off their hearts if he doth it not by settling truths upon the heart by his Spirit he will doe it by some notable works oâ— providence we finde it by experience so long as mens engagements hold that they cannot enjoy their estates liberties and comforts without yeelding to such wayes of superstition they will not be taken off from them they please themselves in this and perhaps they speake what they thinke that they doe nothing against the light of their consciences for why their ingagements keepe off the strength of truth that it comes not to a full conviction of conscience But when God shall by any worke of his providence take off their hearts from ingagements and then come and set before them the same truths that formerly he did they come to see now a convincing evidence in those truths they stand admiring that they saw it not before wonder what the matter was they read such bookes before that had the same arguments against their wayes and for the truth but they could not see the strength of them before now they see it apparently and they are ashamed of themselves every time they goe into the presence of God they are confounded in their owne thoughts to thinke that though truths were so clear before they did not see them now they see them with such cleareness as they thinke they could lay downe their lives for them whatsoever they suffer for time to come they can never yield to what they have yeilded to heretofore What is the matter God hath come in with power God hath taken off their hearts God attributeth this to himself I will take the names of Baalim out of their mouthes whatsoever they have to say for the keeping of such names and reliques of Idolatry yet I will come with power upon their hearts and take them out of their mouths Then indeed when God thus commeth the thing will be done And let us take heed we doe not stand out too long lest God come to take off our hearts by some dreadfull way of judgement or other It were better our mouths were stopped our objections silenced and so all the reliques and remainders of false worship were taken from us thorough the word and Spirit of God If that will not doe God will come in some other way and take the name of Baalim out of our mouths And if wee will keepe the memory of superstitious wayes God may extirpate the memory of them by such
wayes as may prove fearfull unto us and make our hearts to ake and our eares to tingle VVee have a notable passage for this Ezekiel 6. 6. In all your dwelling places saith God your Cities shall be laid waste and the high places shall be desolate marke that your Altars may be laid waste and made desolate and your Idols may be broken and cease and your Images may be cut down and your works may be abolished Observe the Text In all your dwelling places your Cities shall be laid waste to what end That your Altars may be laid waste So that God will lay waste their Cities for this very end that hee may lay waste their Altars if they will not lay waste their Altars if they will not abolish their superstitions that are amongst them God will abolish their Cities lay waste their Cities that he may lay waste their Altars God hath begun to put it into the heart of our governors the Parliament to abolish many superstitious pictures and crosses in divers places there is yet one great one remaining and we hope God upon the same grounds may put into their hearts the abolishing of that It would be a dreadfull thing unto you if God now calling upon us to cast out the remainders of all Idolatry superstition to lay waste all Idolatrous Pictures Images and Crosses if we should not come off but that God should lay waste your Cities to lay waste your Altars Crosses and reliques of Idolatry You see God threatneth this here as if God did not intend so much to lay waste their Cities hee would preserve them but because he could not that we may speake according to the manner of men abolish their Altars but by laying waste their Cities saith God rather then your Altars shall stand your Cities shall downe God hath wayes and most terrible wayes too to take away the memory of superstitious vanities Oh that vve had hearts to joyne with God before he cometh in such a dreadfull manner to abolish the memory of such things Were our Prelates in their power such a speech as this could not be borne when Master Vdal a godly Preacher in Queene Elizabeths dayes was charged with such an expression If it come in that is the true government of Christ as he meaneth by that means that will make all your hearts to ake blame your selves for these words especially was he then condemned to be hanged such was the rage and potency of the Prelates in those dayes What I have said may be against the spirits of such as cleave to superstitious vanities wee have no cause to feare the exasperating of these for surely they cannot be more exasperated then they are for the present and it were a foolish thing to exasperate and provoke God for feare of further exasperation in those who are for the present exasperated even to the utmost against us And if they were not but the exasperation would arise new what is the exasperation of vile men to the abiding of the wrath of God upon us VERSE 18. And in that day I will make a Covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowles of Heaven and with the creeping things of the ground and I will break the bow and the sword the batteli out of the earth and I will make them to lye downe safely In this verse God promiseth peace and security peace in regard of their deliverance from the beasts of the field and fowles of the heaven creeping things of the ground Peace from the hostility of their adversaries he will break the bow the sword the battell out of the earth And security they shall lye down safely I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field c. Some allegorize upon these words the beasts of the field they say are meant cruell wicked men the fowles of the ayre ambitious wicked men that are lofty in their thoughts counsels the creeping things of the ground subtill adversaries God here promises they say to deliver them from all these But I desire not to fall upon Allegories but when there is a necessity therefore take the words literally The beasts of the field fowles of the ayre and creeping things of the earth But how may God be said to make a covenant for his people with the beasts of the field and the fowles of heaven and the creeping things of the earth For to speake properly no creature is capable of a Covenant with God but onely the rationall The meaning is there shall be such an establishment of Gods worke upon the beasts and fowles and creeping things for the good of his Church as if God had bound them to doe them good by way of Covenant that way of God is called making of a Covenant with them I will shew it you in another Scripture Ier. 33. 20. If you can break my covenant of the day my covenant of the night that there should not be day and night in their season c. How doth God make a Covenant with the day and a Covenant with the night Thus there is an establishment of Gods decree upon the day and upon the night that it should be in such and such a way from the Creation unto the end of the world and that establishment is called Gods Covenant so Oceolampadius upon my Text I will order inviolably and unalterably there shall be an establishing decree upon these creatures that they shall doe you no hurt but good From hence the notes are these First Sin hath caused enmity between man and the creatures that is implyed here I will saith God make a Covenant upon your reconciliation with me and your reformation with the creatures now they shall be at peace with you I will doe it noting that by our sin there is grown enmity betweene us and Gods creatures VVe have lost by sin a great part of our dominion that God gave us over his creatures that was the result from that Image of God that man was created in Therefore when you see any creature to rebell against you bee put in minde your rebellion against God It is true God hath kept a little of mans dominion over the creature still to the end that the world and humane society may be preserved Sometimes you may see a little child driving before him a hundred Oxen or kine this way or that way as he pleaseth it sheweth that God hath preserved somewhat of mans dominion over the creatures But a great part is lost by our sin If we that are the servants of God rebell against him it is just with God that the creatures that were made to be our servants should rebell against us And you who are Superiors when any of your inferiours are stubborne against you your servants your children rebellious raise your hearts up to this meditation My servant is rebellious against me how have I been rebellious against
the Lord my child is stout and stubborn against me how hath my heart been stout stubborn against the Lord my Father Againe peace with God brings peace with the creatures I will make a covenant with the beasts of the field with the fowles of the ayre c. Job 5. 23. you have a strange kind of promise Thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field and the beasts of the earth shall be at peace with thee This goes somewhat deeper then that which is here promised there shall be a league not only with the beasts but with the stones of the field How in league with the stones of the field It is more easie to be understood to be in league with the beasts of the field for they are many times hurtfull unto us But how with the stones of the field There are many interpretations given of that place Only thus much for the present It was wont to be the way and so it is still in many places in setting the bounds of their fields they took stones which they set up for land-marks and engraved upon their stones to note to whom this or the other parcell of ground belonged Now this is the promise that the Lord would be so gracious to his people that they should enjoy the bounds of their own habitations securely they should not be wronged their land-marks should not be taken away The stones of the field shal be in league with thee that is the stones of the field that stand for your land-marks shall abide and none shall take them away I will preserve your bounds as if you were in league with the stones that are your land-marks as if they had agreed with you and were in covenant that they would undertake to stand and to set out the bounds of your fields for ever And the beasts of the field also shall bee usefull to you and do you no hurt But you will say sometimes the beasts of the field doe hurt the Saints how doth God make a covenant with them Many things might be answered to that vers 17. of that place of Job he speaks of a time when God corrects and men despise not the chastning of the Almighty now this in vers 23. hath reference unto that time that is when any do make use of Gods correction doe not despise it but in a reverent way submit unto Gods hand of correction then God will make this league with the stones of the field and with the beasts of the earth If God hath corrected you with any sicknesse and you doe not profit by that sickenesse it is just with God that a beast of the field that some or other creature should meet you and be more terrible unto you then ever your sicknesse was And the promise here in Hosea is to those that are reconciled to God who have cast off their superstitious vanities And because wee are not here perfectly reconciled therefore this promise is not perfectly fulfilled But I make no question but the holy Ghost here aymeth at the tâ—me of the call of the Jews and then I believe that this promise shall be literally fulfilled and those other promises in Esay and other places where God sayes he will make the Lion to eate straw with the Oxe and the like and that no venomous creature shall doe them hurt When the calling of the Jews shall be the creatures shall be brought into such a kind of excellency in a manner as they were in Adam in Paradise they shall come to the primitive institution the Lion was not at the first creation wont to live upon prey the creatures were not made to prey one upon another therefore the promise is that the Lion shall live in that kind of quietnesse as it was to do in Paradise if man had not sinned And at the calling of the Jewes it is very like there shall be such a restitution of all things as it is called Acts 3. 21. the creatures shall be restored to such a knd of excellency as it had at the first in the Creation And though in part this may be fulfilled to Gods people so as the beasts of the field shall do them no hurt that is if they prevail against them it shall be for some gracious ends that God aymsat yet for the literall fulfilling of it it is reserved for that day Thirdly VVhen God is reconciled to his people shall the beasts of the field and the fowles of the ayre and the creeping things of the earth be at peace with the Saints what a wicked and ungodly thing is it then in men that the more any are reconciled unto God the greater enemies are they unto them God promiseth when his people be reconciled to him the creature shal be reconciled unto them yet thou a vile wretch when thou seest one grow up in the wayes of reconciliation with God thy enmity increases towards him what a horrible wickedness is this it is more then bruitish by farre it is desperate wickednesse as it was with those Kings of Canaan Iosh 10. 5. assoone as the Gibeonites had made peace with Ioshua and were in coveuant the five Kings conspired against them they lived quietly enough before with them but when they heard that they had made a covenant with Ioshua they presently conspired against them Thus it is with many at this day when you had your companions who would drink swear and break the Sabbath and be unclean and scorn with you they were good fellowes then how would you hug and embrace them and delight in them but so soone as God hath wrought upon their hearts and they are brought from enemies to be reconciled unto God now your hearts are opposite to them now you look upon them as your enemies now you hate them now your spirits rise against them O horrible desperate wickedness the Lord rebuke you this day the Lord strike upon such a heart Before Saul was converted hewas a man of repute but assoone as he turned Christian he was a pestilent a seditious fellow Away with such a man from the earth he is not worthy to live the next newes wee heare forty of them conspired together and bound themselves with an oath that they would neither eate nor drinke till they had killed him Fourthly I will make a Covenant saith God you shall have this mercy and have it by covenant Mercy that commeth by Covenant is excellent mercy indeed The same mercy that cometh in by a worke of generall providence is nothing so sweet nothing so firme as that mercy that cometh in by Covenant When the Saints enjoy a mercy though it be outward they are not so taken with the mercy for the outward part of it because they have some comfort and contentment to the outward man by it but they are taken with it upon this ground they see even this outward mercy cometh to them by vertue of Gods Covenant
should have said Though you think such a thing can never be you see nothing but cause of doubting and discouragement in your selves but I wil doe it yea I wil doe it and it is thus repeated to note also the excellency of the mercy that is in it It is an excellent mercy indeed that the Lord will take a people into so neer a communion with himselfe from this mercy floweth most glorious mercies I will doe this saith God I need say no more here is mercy enough to satisfie any soule living I will doe it I will doe it I will doe it But will this mercy hold will it hold I have already apostatized from the Lord I have still an apostatizing heart am like to fall off from God againe and so may condition is like to be worse then ever yet it was no saith God I will betroth you unto my selfe for ever my heart shal bee for ever towards you and your heart shall be for ever towards me there shall never bee any breach of conjugal love and communion betweene you and I any more But the Lord is a righteous God he is a God of infinite justice and I have most fearfully sinned against him oh the hideous sins that I stand guilty of before him how shall that infinite justice of God be satisfied for my sinnes this is the care of a repenting heart not onely to obtain mercy for pardon but how shall that justice of God be satisfied Yes saith God I will have a way for that too though you have been very sinful yet when I receive you to mercy it shall be in such a way as I will be righteous as wel as gracious I wil doe it in righteousnesse it shal be no dishonour at all to my righteousnesse that I take you again to my self And I wil put such a righteous frame into your hearts that it shal be no scandal unto me before the Nations that I have betrothed such a one as you unto my selfe But what reason can there possible be that God should do thus how can it be imagined that ever the Lord should do such a thing as this God hath ten thousand wayes to honour himselfe though we perish for ever no people have ever provoked him as wee have done saith this repenting Israel Well saith GOD though you know no reason why it should be done yea indeed though there bee no reason at all in your selves yet that which I will doe I will doe it in judgment too I know a reason why I will do it it is not a rash thing that I shall do I will do it in judgement it is no other thing that now I promise you but that I have exercised my wisdome about from all eternity it is not onely a worke of my grace and mercy toward you but it is a work of my wisdome too and there will one day appeare a glorious shine of wisdome in this my work of taking you unto my selfe again I know what I do in it yea and on your part though hitherto you have seene no such excellency in my wayesto cleave to them but you have departed from them and followed other lovers yet I shall when I come in wayes of mercy to you convince you so of the vanity of all other things your hearts runne after and of that fulnesse of good there is in me to satisfie your soules for ever that you shal see infinite reason to joine your selves unto me in an everlasting covenant You though there were some more specious shews in wayes of false worship but when you shal be reconciled you shal see there is infinite reason in those wayes of worship your soules have heretofore rejected you shal not only have your affections a little stirred and have some heate for the present but that change that shal be in you shal be out of judgment I will betroth you unto me in judgement in judgement on my part I will have reason for what I doe and in judgement on your part you shall see reason for what you doe you shal see so much reason in comming in to me that you shall admire at the former folly of your hearts when you departed from me and sought your comforts else-where The workings of my heart shal be in judgment toward you and the workings of your hearts shal be in judgment toward me But take it at best that my heart doth indeed come in to God yet I shall remain a poor sinful weak creature there will hang upon me many infirmities that will be grievous to the Spirit of the holy and just God Well saith God I will betroth you unto me in loving kindnesse I wil deale gently and favourably with you I will not take advantage of your failings and infirmities I will remember you are but flesh I will have a tender respect to you But it may be there will not onely bee some ordinary infirmities which may be grievous enough to the Spirit of God but I may perhaps fall into grievous offences that will provoke the Spirit of God bitterly against mee and so I shall fall into as woful yea worse condition then before No saith God I will betroth you unto me in mercy as well as in loving kindnesse my bowels of mercy shall yearn toward you not only to passe over lesser infirmities but to swallow up greater iniquities And accordingly I will worke in you gracious dispositions of loving kindnesse towards mee you shall have a most sweete and ingenuous disposition of spirit you shall doe what you doe for mee out of principles of love out of abundance of sweetnesse in all your ways that perverse surly crooked sowr spirit of yours towards me shall be changed into a sweet gentle gracious frame And this sweetenesse and loving kindenesse shall be in you toward one another you shall have your hearts changed that were so rugged and so harsh and peevish toward one another afore when I am once reconciled unto you you shall be reconciled one to another And you shall have bowels of mercy as my bowels shall yerne towards you so your bowels shall yern toward me as it shall pity my soule to see you in misery so it shall pity your soule to see me dishonoured and you shall have bowels likewise one toward another pitying one another and helping and relieving one another in the greatest straits I will betroth you unto me in loving kindnesse and in mercy But there are many glorious promises that we find God made to his people surely according to what wee read in his word there are great things to be done for them shall ever these promises be made good unto us If wee may have mercy though we be never so low if Gods loving kindnesse be manifested unto â—s in a way of reconciliation though wee be but hired servants if we may be Spouses though we be kept hardly it will be well with us But saith God there are glorious promises made
to the Church and I will fulfill them all unto you though you have departed from me and provoked me against you yet upon your returning you shall be so received as to have interest in all the precious gracious glorious promises I have made to the Church I will make them all good to you for I will betroth my selfe unto you in faithfulnesse as well as in mercy looke what ever I have said concerning my Church that is yours to be made good to the uttermost and there is nothing that can be for your good that concerns me as a loving husband to doe but you shall be sure to have it And as for you howsoever your hearts have been hitherto unfaithful towards me in departing from me yet now you shall have put into you a faithful spirit there shall be faithfulfulnesse on your part as well as on mine so as my heart shall confide in you you shall not deale falsely with mee as before your hearts shall confide in me that I will deale faithfully with you and my heart shall confide in you that you will deale faithfully with me so that whatsoever befalls you yet you shall be faithfull to me and faithfull one to another so as your hearts shall trust one in another I will betroth you unto me in faithfulnesse And whereas it is but little that yet you have known of me and this indeed hath been the cause of all your vile departings from mee because you have not known me the Lord therefore you shall know the Lord know him in another manner then ever yet you knew him I will shew my glory to you I will open my very heart to you the secret of the Lord shall be with you you shall all know me though your parts be but weak and meane yet you shall be taught of God perhaps you may be ignorant of other things but you shall know the Lord. And as for outward blessings you shall have your fill of them too all the creatures shall be moved towards you to comfort you to succour you Let Iezreelory to the corne the corne shall cry to the earth and the earth shall heare the corne the earth shall cry to the heavens the heavens shall heare the earth and the heavens shall cry to me and I will heare the heavens There shall be in them 1 a readinesse to help 2 a greedinesse to relieve you yea 3 a concatenation of them all 4 and I will joyn them for the good of Iezreel But yet we are a people scattered about the world and most of us are consumed but I will sow her unto me in the earth you were scattered this is a judgment but now it is turned to a mercy your scattering is as seed you shall fructifie encrease abundantly so be a blessing to the whole earth But we have lien underthe curse of God a great while and have seemed to be rejected but saith God I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy Lastly we are a proverb uuto all the world as you know the Jewes are we are a by-word a scorn a reproach amongst all people they say God had rejected us and so trample upon us No saith God I will not onely betroth you to my selfe but it shall appeare to all the world you are my people I will say to you which were not my people you are my people though you be a people scorned and vilified in the world yet I will owne you and it shall appeare so your low and miserable condition shall not hinder me from saying you are my people and as for you whatsoever you shall meet withall in my wayes whatsoever you suffer for my worship though it be scorned and despised in the world yet you shal own it before the world and you shall say Thou art my God Thus you have a short paraphrase upon this gracious expression of God to his reconciled people You have here but a flash of this mercie of the Lord to his Saints But when was all this fulfilled you will say or is it to be fulfilled to what times does this prophesie refer There is in part the making good this prophesie when ever a soule is brought into the embracing the Gospel but the height of this shall be at the calling of the Jewes then not only the spiritual estate of particular converted soules shal bee thus happy but the Church state shal bee thus the visible Church shal be betrothed unto the Lord for ever We cannot say so of any visible Church here there is no visible Church but may fall off from the visibility of it but when God shal bring in the Iewes they shall never fall off from the visibility of their Church-communion Revel 21. 2. seemeth to have reference to this prophesie And I John saw the holy City new Jerusalem coming down from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband And I heard a great voyce out of heaven saying Behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and be their God This hath almost the same words that wee have here in this prophesie that is to be fulfilled in that glorious Church-estate that shal bee when God calls home to himselfe his own people Mark there God himself shall be with them God is always with his people but God himselfe that is a more especiall and immediate and full presence of God shall be with them But the words must have yet a more full search into them I will betroth thee The Scripture makes much mention of Espousals and of marriage to expresse the great mysterie of the grace of God to his people The holy Ghost seems to delight much in this Allegory there is none more frequent in Scripture then it which is a very great honour to a married condition And such ought to be the lives of those that are in a married condition as much as may be to resemble the blessednesse of the condition of a people reconciled unto God for in all similitudes there must be something in the thing to resemble that which it is brought for Married people should so live as all that behold the sweetnesse the happinesse of their lives may be put in mind thereby of that sweetnes happiness there is in the Churches comunion with Jesus Christ I appeale to you are your lives thus Now in a married condition there are these foure things most remarkable First There is the neerest unino that can be They two shal be made oneflesh this is the power of God in an Ordinance consider it two that not perhaps a month before were strangers one to another never saw the faces one of another did not know that there were such in the world if they come under this ordinance though it be but a civill ordinance these two shal now be neerer one to another then the child that
of God VVould you be so Learne then to exercise faith much about the infinite riches of the mercy of God in Christ this will fill you with all the fulness of God you complain of barrennes and emptines in your hearts and lives it is because you exercise so little Faith in these mercies of God in Christ God betrotheth his Church unto himselfe in mercies in bowels Let us learne to pleade these mercies before the Lord to pleade them when we are in any strait to pleade with God for bowels Esay 63. 15. Looke downe from heaven and behold from the habitation of thy holi esse and thy glory where is thy zeale and thy strength the sounding of the bowels and of thy mercies towards us are they restrained Lord hast thou not said that thou wilt betroth thy Church unto thy self in bowels Where is the sounding of thy bowels Lord let us have these bowels of thine in which thou hast betrothed us through Christ Oh what confusion will there be one day unto those that shall misse of all these mercies of God in which the Lord hath betrothed himselfe unto his Church VVhat will you content your selves now with crums that God casteth to dogs with the fruits of Gods generall bounty and patience when you heare of such glorious mercies as are in Jesus Christ These things should so raise our hearts that wee should protest as Luther did I protest saith hee God shall not put mee off with these things of the world with my portion here Oh no the Lord hath shewed me greater riches though I be unworthy of any yet I know his mercy is free why then should not I have my portion in these glorious things Come in then come in oh sinfull soule be in love with Jesus Christ the ways of godlinesse know that all these mercies are tendred unto thy soule this day to break thy heart even that hard heart of thine and they are as free for thee as for any There is nothing more pleasing unto God then for thee to be taken with the glory of the riches of his mercy Thou canst perform no duty so acceptable unto God as this to have thy heart break upon the codsideration of his bowels to have thy bowels yern again and to come in and close with this infinite rich and glorious grace of his Which if thou dost know that the first moment thou art united to Christ thou dost lanch into the infinite Ocean of mercy now thou breathest in the element of mercy now thou livest upon nothing but mercy Is it so Then know God expects a mercifull disposition from thee too God betrotheth thee in righteousnesse and putteth righteousnesse into thee in judgment and gives thee judgment too in loving kindnesse and makes thee loving and kind likewise in mercies and putteth mercies into thee bowels into thee also First toward himself Why can we be mercifull unto God what good can wee doe to God God expects you should have bowels toward him How Thus Dost thou see the name of this blessed God thy husband to be dishonoured in the world Oh thy bowels should yern thou shouldst have bowels working now What doth God look upon thee in thy blood in thy misery and doth his bowels yern toward thee Canst thou look upon God in his dishonour and his cause trampled under foot and do not thy bowels yern toward him It should pitie thy soule to see this blessed God to be so much dishonoured in the world as he is to see that there are so few in the world that love and feare this God who is thy God and hath done thee so much good VVhat is there any good cause up wherein the name of God should be honoured Thy bowels should work presently toward it Cant. 5. 4. My beloved put his hand by the hole of the doore and my bowels were moved for him VVhen Christ did but begin to open a door put but in his hand when there was any good but beginning to be done Oh my bowels were moved saith the Church and I could never be at quiet untill I had enquired after yea and found my beloved Is there any beginning to let in Christ into the Kingdome in his government amongst us Dowe feele him putting in his hand at the door certainly if we be skilled in the way of Christ we may seele him putting his hand in at the door Oh that our bowels would yern and cause our hearts to flow to the boâ—ntisulnesse of the Lord and joyn with Christ in that blessed work of his that he is about Our bowels must also be toward the Saints It is extreamely against the spirit of Christ for a Christian to be hard-hearted toward his brethren Christ expects bowels And as you would account it â—grievous misery to have your bowels rotten to have diseases in your bowels know it is as great an evill to have your hearts unmercifull that is to have a disease in your bowels so the Scripture phrase is Amos 1. 11. He cast off all pitie his anger did tear perpetually so it is in your bookes but the words in the Originall are And corrupted his bowels their bowels were corrupted when they were not pittiful toward their brethren in misery It was a grievous condition that Iehoram was in 2 Chron. 21. 15. when his bowels came forth by reason of his disease An unmercifull heart is a worse disease then this What are wee and who are we that Gods mercies should be shewen towards us why not our mercies toward our brethren then The Scripture calleth exceedingly for mercy in the Saints toward one another Col. 3. 17. Put on as the Elect of God bowels of mercy and kindness VVould you have an argument unto your selves that you are Gods Elect put on bowels then Never was there time since you lived or your forefathers lived wherein God called for bowels more then now Do you hear of the miseries of your brethren their goods spoiled houses burnt wives children ravished themselves imprisoned their bodies wounded and yet no bowels all this while what you hard-hearted in the meane time Are you the elect of God why I pray you what is your flesh more then the flesh of others what are your comforts more then the comforts of others why should you lie soft and safe more then others Is there any such difference betwixt you and your brethren that they should be in misery and you must be pampered and scarce feele the very wind to blow on you and yet in the meane time your hearts hardned towards them It is true God it is that hath made the difference you will say and God may make a difference where he pleaseth I grant it and it would not grieve God to make such a difference betweene you and them if he saw your bowels yern towards them But if God layes such afflictions upon your brethren who are better then you and have done more for him then
much unconstancy fickleness in our love one to another but the love of God to his people is stable setled firm constant love That is the meaning in the first place though not all Esay 62. 5. As the Eridegroome rejoyceth over the Bride so shal thy God rejoyce â—ver thee that is the love of Christ after thousands of yeers is still but as the love of a bridegroome upon the wedding day then ordnarily love is hot appears much not the love onely of the husband but as the Bridegroome There is no moment of time but Christ rejoyceth not onely as a husband but as a Bridegroome over every gracious soule Christs love is steady because it is pure without mixture it is a holy love Observe the comparing of two Texts Esay 55. 3. The sure mercies of David are promised there In Acts 13. 34. that Scripture is quoted and there it is The holy things of David As noting because the love of God is holy therefore it is sure and stedfast Christs love unto his people is in righteousnesse as before and in judgement and in loving kindnesse and mercies It is from the sweetness of his nature and therefore it is steady firm With him there is no shadow of change It is grounded upon a sure covenant therefore firme Though indeed the love of Christ may be to us as the shining of the Sun not alwayes in the fruits of it shining out so gloriously but the Sun keepes his course in a steady way though sometimes it is clouded and we have it not so gloriously as at other times The Saints should fasten upon the love of Christ in the Covenant and though other things be never so uncertaine yet they should quiet their hearts in this that their happiness in the Covenant of grace is certaine Perhaps the love of our friend is uncertaine very fickle and inconstant those who will glavor upon you and seeme as if their hearts were with you but what sullen moods and fits will there be at times and when you have most need of them you know not where to finde them But the love of Christ is certaine and stable 2 Sam. 23. 5. Marke how David comforted himself in the stablenesse of the love of God in the covenant Though he doth not cause my house to grow yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure and this is all my desire all my hope that is that the Covenant is sure and stedfast And as we have opened it in all the former so here it must be mutuall I will betroth thee in faithfulnesse and make thee faithfull too that is thou shalt have a steady firme stable spirit in thy love to me though not in that degree that Christs is yet there is a stability in the hearts of the Saints unto Christ they are not carried up and down with every wind of doctrine with every puffe of temptation as other men are The righteous is an everlasting foundation Pro. 10. 25. The upright holdeth on his way Iob. 17. 9. It must needs be so because the affections of the Saints unto Christ are holy affections too though not perfect they have indeed some mixture therefore some instability but they have holiness therefore stability And they choose Christ in righteousnesse and in judgement And they have the Divine Nature in them and as that hath no shadow of change so they come to have something like to the immutability of the Divine Nature some shadow of it Esay 26. 3. A godly man is described thus Whose minde is staid upon God he hath a stable spirit not a wandring fickle roving spirit he hath fixed himself upon God he can say My heart is fixed The men of the world because they have not that which can satisfie run up and downe first after one contentment then after another they have no where to fix but the Saints finde all-sufficiency in God when they are there their hearts are satisfied and there they fix As a Bee lighting upon a flower finding but a little honey gets away to another and to another and to another but when it comes to a flower where it may suck honey enough it fixeth it stayeth there The hearts of the Saints find a fulnesse of good in God and there they fixe A fickle wavering unstable spirit is exceeding unbeseeming a Christian As it is in the body some who have flushings of heat have a very good colour for a while but when we know this good colour is but a flush it is rather an argument of a disease then of a good complexion An end of a candle that burnes in the socket gives some flashes of light now and then but a candle that is set upon a table gives a steady and constant light Mad people you know have their Iudicia intervalla some times wherein they doe acts of reason but you may perceive they are not in their wits because there is not constancy and evennesse in their actions This stablenes this evenes in a Christian way is the beauty and glory of it Though you be never so forward sometimes in that which is good yet if at other times your hearts be off there is no beauty in your conversation But give me a Christian whose wayes are even that you may finde a constancy in him in all his wayes Those who have such fickle uncertaine inconstant hearts are never like to excell if they have any truth in them yet they will never be eminent Christians Gen. 49. 4. it is said of Ruben Ruben unstable as water but hee shall not excell so it may be said of a Christian unstable here is one of good affections at sometimes very forward but unstable as water he shall not excell Constancy in love is exceeding comely and beautifull between man and wife from thence is the expression of the holy Ghost here it adds much unto the lustre and comfort of their lives For men to seeme sometimes to be mighty fond other times to be bitter and sowre like Nabals or the wife to be very fond sometimes and to be grievous irkesome at other times this takes away the beauty the comfort of their lives But there is more in this faithfulnesse then stability and firmeness I will betroth thee in faithfulnesse I will certainly performe all the good you can expect from me which is befitting a husband yea such a husband as I am to doe to my Spouse you may confide in me I will be faithfull to you not onely my love but my faithfulnes shall binde me to you My loving kindness my mercifull disposition is a great bond but my faithfulnes shall binde me also I will be content to ingage my selfe to you that you may certainly confide in me so as you may not only expect it from my love but challenge it from my faithfulness We deny not Gods providence to other creatures but the Spouse challengeth
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
mine And amongst other things by which God will make all the world to know that his people are his this is one in sâ—tting up the beauty of his Ordinances amongst them Ezek. 37. 27. My Tabernacle also shall be with them yea I will be their God and they shall be my people and the Heathen shall know that I the Lord doe sanctifie Israel when my Sanctuary shall be in the midst of them Thus they shall know saith God that they are my people and that I am their God when I have set my Sanctuary in the midst of them for ever Were it that the Ordinances of God might be set up in their purity amongst us in England were Reformation perfected and the Saints walked humbly peaceably as they should the whole world will be convinced that these are indeed the people of the Lord and that God is amongst them And they shall say thou art my God God must begin withus we cannot begin and say Lord thou art my God but God must begin with us first and say You are my people There are a great many who say God is their God but God never said they are his people Joh. 1. 12. it is said of those who beleeved in Christ that God gave them power to be the Sonnes of God the word signifies authority that they might with authority acknowledge themselves to be the sons of God and call God Father they had the broad Seale for it Will you call God Father where is your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 your authority if God call you children if he say you are my people you may give the Ecchoto Gods mercy and say thou art our God Secondly When God speakes mercy to us we must answer according to it Doth God say you are my people we must answer Lord thou art our God This is a great fault amongst Christians God manifests himselfe to many a gracious heart in abundance of love and mercy they give an answer to God in a way of dispaiting and discouragement Gods ways toward thee speake thus and say thou art one of my people but thy heart works as if God were none of thy God Hath not God done much for thee thou thinkest it is all in hypocrifie that thou dost whereas the truth is it is the fruit of his love and kindnes to thee He speakes aloud in what he hath done for thee that thou art one of his people and yet thy heart thinks that he is thy enemy that he haâ—â—s thee and will cast thee off at last The wayes of God are full of mercy to thee and he hath set his stampe upon thee by his ways of love he tels thee that thou belongest unto him O unbeleeving soul answer Lord thou art my God! lay aside these discouraging sinking thoughts of thine O that thou wouldst goe away with such an answer in thy mouth Doe not answer Gods loving kindnesse and his gracious dealings towards thee with discouragement and sinking of heart this is dishonorable to him and tedious to his Spirit Thirdly God works an answerable disposition in the hearts of his people unto him This is thy duty but God will work it in time if thou belongest to him As thus doth God chuse us to be his people then the hearts of the Saints chuse him to be their God Doth God say you are my people the Saints say Lord thou art our God Doth God say I will dwell with them they answer Lord thou art our habitation Doth God say I delight in them they say Lord our delight is in thee Doth God say I will rest in them for ever the Church saith O my soule returne unto thy rest Here is a sweet answer a rebound of all Gods loving kindnes Lastly the Saints must professe God to be theirs It is not enough to beleeve with the heart but thou must confesse with the mouth professe it outwardly of this before Further This is the highest happinesse of the Saints that God is their God when they can say this they have enough If we could say this house is mine this street this Lordship this City this Kingdome this World is mine What is all this A Christian comes at length and saith this God that made all is mine As it is reported of the French Ambassador and the Spanish meeting together saith the Spanish Ambassadour my Master is King of Spaine my Master replyed the French is King of France my Master said the Spaniard againe is King of Naples and my Master said the French is King of France my Master is King of Portugal and my Master is King of France still he answered with that my Master is King of France as being enough to answer all the several Kingdomes of the Spaniard So one saith I have this house this land this stock this estate this trade yea but saith a Christian I have God God is mine Surely having him thou hast enough And if God be thy God he will be a God to thee 1 Chron. 17. 24. The Lord of hosts is God of Israel even a God to Israel So it must be with thee if thou beest a Saint of God be a Saint to God Are we a people of God then we must be a people to God Blessed are the people that are in such a case yea happy are the people whose God is the Lord. Thus we had opened the gracious manifestation of God to his Church in part fulfilled spiritually to spiritual Israel here but more sensibly to be made good at the great day of Jezreel that is when the Jews shall be called then the Spouse of Christ in a visible way shall be thus married unto him and the Lord will be their God Jerome saith upon the Text All these things that are here promised to the Church the Jewes expect it at the end of the world after the time of Antichrist And I make no question though in a spiritual sence this Scripture is made good for the present unto the Saints yet in a more visible and sensible way all this Scripture will be made good to the people of the Jews the Gentiles then joyning with them even literally the glory of the Church shall be visible and apparant More whereof in the next Chapter HOSEA CHAP. 3. The First Lecture CHAP. 3. VER 1. 2. 3. Then said the Lord unto me go yet love a woman beloved of her friend yet an adulteresse according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel who looke to other gods and love flaggons of wine So I bought her â—o me for fifteen pieces of silver and for an homer of barley and an halfe homer of barley And I said unto her thou shalt abide for me many dayes thou shalt not play the harlot and thou shalt not be for another man so will I also be for thee THe close of the former Chapter had much mercy in it and this Chapter containes the
he should sinne against them this aggravateth the sinne exceedingly To wrong love is a very great sin Delicata res est amor love is a most delicate thing and it must not be wronged it is tender a precious thing A man who is of an ingenuous spirit had rather a great deale be wronged in his estate then in his love he cannot beare the injury that is done unto his love when his love is abused that goes to his very heart So it goes to the heart of God for his people to sin against his love therefore it is said of the Saints when they sinne that they grieve the Spirit of God he never saith so of wicked men they anger God but the Saints grieve him because they sinne so much against Gods love Charge this aggravation of your sinne upon your hearts and be humbled collect together all the expressions of Gods love to you and let them lye glowing at your hearts and melt them But in that God bids him take an Adulteresse beloved of her friend and calls not this friend Husband I thinke those who goe another way expresse the minde of the Holy Ghost in this more fully thus This friend is not meant of one who is fully married but rather one in a way of marriage Amongst the Jewes it was usuall for all women to be under the protection of some men or other Esay 4. 1. Seven women came and tooke hold of one man and said Let us be named by your name we will eate our own bread and weare our own cloathes onely let us be named by your name let us be under your protection Even whores were wont though they had many lovers yet to have some one speciall man under whose protection and care they would be who was to see them not to have wrong and to make provision for them and such a one they were wont to call their friend And many times these friends would so provide for them that if they would be reclaymed forsaking all their other lovers they would give them good hopes of marrying with them at length Arias Montanus refers us to one Propertius in his first Book and second Elegie to reade about the charge and care of such a friend The Grecians had that custome likewise they called him under whose protection they put themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the whore was called from it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is said of Plato that he had a whore one Archenassa who was called Plato's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Here the Lord would have the Prophet take an Adulteresse beloved of her friend that is one that was a common Adulteresse and yet under the protection of some speciall friend so as if he might come in place of that friend and gain the love and affection of this Adulteresse to himself and in time getting her to be reclaimed he might marry her unto himselfe This is according to the love of God to his people that is as if God should say This people is a going a whoring but I will be content to take them unto my selfe I will be as their friend and so love them as a friend to protect them to have care over them untill such a time that there may be some experience of their being reclaimed and then I will marry this Adulteresse fully unto my selfe for God is not now fully marryed unto the Jews neither will that marryage be untill that glorious time of their calling comes but yet God is as a friend to them to this day that is God takes this people yet under his protection though they seeme to be in a rejected condition and so as he gives hope yea makes many promises that upon their return unto him he will marry them unto himselfe yea there shal be a more glorious marriage between the Jews the Lord Christ then ever yet there was between him and any people upon the face of the earth This I thinke to be the very scope and meaning of the words Beloved of her friend Somewhat sutable is that we have Deut. 21. 12. 13. when one of the Jews took a captive woman he might not marry her presently to himself but if he had a love to her she was to continue a certaine time and to be so and so purified and then he was to take her The Jewes are for the present as that captive woman they are in bondage yet God hath a love to them unto this day but so as they must abide a while untill God be maryed to them they are beloved of God but yet with the love of a friend The Seventy reade these words Beloved of her friend One that loveth evill things upon the mistake of the Hebrew word for indead a friend and evill are the same letters only differing in the points so there might easily be a mistake Who looke to other gods Their eyes are upon other gods Where the heart is there the eyes is Timor figit oculum so Amor Feare fastens the eyes and so doth Love The workings of the soule appeares as much in the eye as in any member the workings of love of trust and confidence appeare much in the eye They looke to other gods that is they have confidence in other gods Looking up to a thing in Scripture phrase is to have some confidence in it Psal 121. 1. I lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence commeth my help That is I look for help I have confidence and expect help But how here to the hills then What doth Davids help come from the hills Some thinke this to be the place where afterward the Temple was built and was then the place of the Sanctuary but for that it is said that usually in Scripture is but in the singular number the hill of God not the hils therefore I finde Calvin Mollerus and others thinke that David here speakes of confidence in the creature because he presently retracts him selfe in the second verse My helpe is in Jehovah As if he should say I lift up mine eyes unto the creature for help this is the frailty of my nature and of the nature of man to look for auxiliary Forces from Jerusalem which was a hilly place I looke for Forces to come from Jerusalem but they doe not come well I will not rest any longer upon them Jehovah is my help so they carry it But now I would rather if it may be free the Prophet from vaine confidence in the creature and so the words being rightly understood may free him if you reade them thus doe I lift up mine eyes unto the hils doe I expect help from the creature God forbid I should doe it for my help is in God Further sometimes the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so it would bee translated above the hils other men look to the hils I look above the hils But rather thus I lift up mine eyes to the hils
that is I look to God why because the place where the Temple was to be built it was not onely upon one hill but upon hils and so this expression hath reference to those two hills it was built upon the hill of Moriah and the hill of Zion which were rather but two ridges of the same as 2 Chron. 3. 1. Solomon began to build the house of the Lord upon mount Moriah and Psal 2. 6. I have set my King upon my holy hill of Zion I look saith David unto God my Faith hath reference to that place that God hath chosen for himself that this is the meaning will appeare if we compare this with Psal 87. 1. His foundation is in the holy hils not hill but hils The respect Idolaters had to their Idols being manifested by lifting up their eyes to them therefore God commanded them that they must not so much as lift up their eyes to their idols And indeed we had need take heed in what we doe in this so much as to lift up our eyes to look upon the inticements of the flesh many will not commit their former sins but they love to be looking that way I have read of a Lady a loving wife who being at the maryage of Cyrus she was askt how she liked the Bridgeroom how saith she I know not I saw no body but my Husband Love and respect drawes the eye either to God or to the creature According as our hearts are so our eyes will be And love flaggons of wine The word comes from a word that signifies fundavit The old Latin turns it vivacia uvarum the leaves skinnes and stones of the grape that remaines after pressing that sinke down into the bottome of the vessell Noting thereby how saplesse and savourlesse and unworthy Idolatrous worship is in comparison of the true worship of God True worship of God is sweet and savoury lovely and excellent but mans institutions how saplesse are they The spirits of such men as pleade for and delight in superstitious vanities the devises of men how saplesse and unsavoury do they quickly grow though heretofore they have had some quicknesse and livelinesse in their wayes yet if once they delight themselves in the inventions of men in Gods worship their spirits grow very unsavory to those with whom they converse But take the traslation as it is in your books flaggons of wine called by this name in the Hebrew because that vessell the flaggon is broad in the bottome That is as some carry it thus They are as drunkards that call for one flaggon after another Superstitious and idolatrous people when they have one way of superstition they call for another and when they have got that they will have another and are still greedy of more they are never satisfied as drunkards are greedy of their flaggons Or rather to note the sensuality of the wayes of their Idolatrous worship their flaggons of wine are joyned to their gods The Seventy translate the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bellaria fine Cates and junkets delicate things made with wine and grapes together by all the art they can devise for the pleasing the appetite From thence the note is cleare Spirituall adultery and carnall sensuality goe together They used flaggons of wine in their idolatrous solemnities that made them love their Idols so much the rather In the true worship of God there is abundance of sweetness to satisfie the hearts of the Saints they need not have sensual pleasures to make up their delight but in superstitious worship there is no such sweetness to satisfie the spirits therefore they are saine to call for flaggons of wine and other sensuall things to make up a full delight to themselves Superstitious and idolatrous Rites bring with them pleasure to the flesh hence how are they loved and followed by people they can hardly ever be taken off from them In their Idolatrous solemnities they were wont to have Feasts to pamper the flesh Judg. 9. 27. They went out into the field and gathered their vineyards and trod the grapes and were merry went into the house of their God and did eate and drinke and cursed Abimelech So Amos. 2. 8. They drinke the wine of the condemned in the house of their God What is that By oppression and violence they would rend the estates of men from them and when they had gotten them then they made merry yea they would come into the house of their gods and drinke bowles of wine that they had gotten from the estates of such men whom they had wrongfully condemned Let Idolaters have their lusts satisfied and they care not what God they serve 2 Cor. 8. 10. If any see them sit at meate in the Idols temple at meate they had their flesh satisfied in the Idols temple Thus God complaines of his people here As if he had said Let all bemoane my condition for though I have loved Israel dearly she hath gone a whoring from me and she loveth flaggons of wine because she hath more pleasure to the flesh in serving Idols she will serve them What an abominable thing it is to forsake the blessed God meerly for the love of wine How many are there in the world who forsake all that good that is in God in Christ in heaven in eternity meerely for flaggons of wine Calvin hath a note from the word that carries some-what more with it flaggons of grapes so the words are in the Hebrew not flagons of wine and of grapes rather then wine saith he because there were artificiall wayes used by them to make their superstitious ways to be more pleasant to them As when drunkards have drunk even ad nauseam that they begin to loath what they delighted in then they will use some artificiall way or other of mixture of grapes or some other thing with the wine to make it have a new tast that they may have still delight in drinking So saith he because their old superstitions have nothing in them to satisfie the heart therefore they are fain to invent new kinds of artificiall wayes to please themselves withall although saith he they brag of their antiquity yet the truth is they are fain to invent new things every day to give a new lustre and pomp to their worship they are alwayes devising some new ceremony or other or else it would grow loathsome to themselves This wee have seene in our owne experience the wantonnesse of mens hearts in superstitious ways is very great they invent new ways to uphold their old moth-eaten vanities So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver The Prophet obeyeth God in this other hard command God many times sends his Prophets upon very hard businesses yet they must be willing to serve the Lord in the hardest work and bought her to himselfe for fifteen pieces of silver The word that is here translated bought signifies to digg it is taken as some think from the
the meaning of that First in their captivity saith God though you shal be long in captivity and in a low condition be content do not take any other god to be marryed unto as your husband I will be content I will stay I will have no other people upon the earth but you all the while you are in captiviâ—y But how doth God abide for Israel now God hath chosen the Gentiles how theâ— doth he stay for them Yes certainly God stayes for Israel to this day thus First all the Gentiles that are called they come into God as being joyned to the people of the Jews God honoured the Jews so farre as that all the Gentiles that doe come in are to be made the Israel of God But rather further thus God abides for the people of the Iews to this day in this sense God never hath taken nor never will take to himselfe any Nation upon the earth to be a nationall Church as the Jewes were and as it is probable the Jews shall be at their calling again though God takes the Gentiles that are converted and severall Congregations to be Churches but to marry himselfe to a whole Nation in that way as the Iews were that is if a man be born of that Nation it shall be sufficient to make him a member of the Church this God did never do since the Iews rejection and never will do it till the Iews be called again though God takes Kingdomes and so in some figurative sense a Nation perhaps may be called a Church but to speak properly and strictly to be a Church so as the Iews were there is no such nationall Church nor never will be till the calling in of the Iews again then God will be marryed to that Nation in a more glorious manner then ever God abideth to this day for that glory which hee intendeth for Iesus Christ untill they come in And this I take to be a great reason why God for the present suffers his Churches to bee persecuted so much as they are herein God suffers himselfe as well as they the Church ever since Christs time hath been in a low and persecuted condition the wicked have prevailed What is the reason God abideth for this people of the Iews and hee is pleased himself to undergoe many sufferings in the mean time do you abide for me I will be content to suffer much dishonour my selfe many shall come in to Christ but yet they shal be a poor contemptible people the wicked of the world shall prevail against them shall scorn them shall contemne them so that I shall not appear to the world to be their Husband untill you be called again I shall be as it were without a wife but when the time shall come that you shall return to me then I wiâ— manifest my selfe indeed you shall be a most glorious Church and then there shall be such a full marriage between us that all the world shall acknowledge it then they shall all come and say Come behold the Bride the Lambs wife This is the scope of this Scripture from whence these Observations First Husbands should not require of their wives any thing but what they will answerably do for them God doth so here Abide for me saith hee and I will abide for you there shall be parpari like for like Many husbands will require hard things from their wives but will doe little themselves and on the other side wives expect great things from their husbands but do little themselves There must be a proportion betweene what the wife expects from the husband and what shee doth to or for her husband and so mutually 2. In our sadde condition God suffereth as well as wee This may helpe us in our sufferings we should thinke though wee suffer much God suffereth as much as we why then â—â—ould we think much the people of the Iews if they had hearts might see it now God stayes for his honour till they come in So in all the persecutions of the Church doth not Christ suffer in that the great work of Reformation doth not go on It is true we are grieved 〈◊〉 Spirit of God is grieved as well as we and suffereth as much as we God â—oth as it were abide for us and stays for his glory Wee desire it is true â—hat God would come in and manifest himselfe then we shall be happy and â—ejoyce but so long as God stays our happinesse he stays his own glory What abundance of glory doth God lose in those praises hee should have if the Reformation were presently perfected but God hath other ends God is content to stay for his prayses let us be content to stay for what we desire to have it concerns God to hasten the work as much yea farre more then it concerns us to desire it we suffer something for want of it but God suffers more 3. That people or that soul that endureth hardship a long time for God and resolveth to reserve it self for him so as if it cannot have comfort in God it will have none elsewhere may assure it selfe that God reserveth himselfe for it Certainly nothing shall take off the heart of God but there will be a blessed marriage between that soule that people and him Is there ever a poor creature here is in a sad condition God seemeth to deal hardly with it yet hee findeth in himselfe this frame of spirit well though God seem to leave me and I am thus desolate yet if I can have no comfort here I will have none elsewhere I wil be content to stay and wait no creature shal have my heart It is true I am not able to guide my selfe but I am resolved the Devil shal never guide me I am not able to do the will of God but I will never do the wil of the Devil and if God should leave me never so long nay leave me eternally I wil never have any other husband I wil rather dye a widow I wil never let out my self to any if he doe not come in and marry himself to me I wil be without comfort as long as I live Is thy heart in this frame Peace be unto thee certainly God intends thoughts of mercy to thy soule there wil certainly be a marriage betweene God and thy soule And this frame of heart where it is oh how wil it help against temptation when a poor soul is in distresse and it may be God seemeth to go off further further I have prayed long and long and yet God seems not to heare afflictions they prevail why do you pray any more why do you come and heare any more you were as good leave off at first God wil never come you were as good take your pleasure for a while you can but perish at the last This temptation many times comes very sorely upon poor distressed soules But now when the heart can answer it is true the Lord indeed seemeth to be
frame it is laborious and industrious to know the mind of God Whereas the heart of a sinner heretofore lay dead dull never stirred after God now it is in a stirting in an inquiring in a seeking way this is a signe of much good though thou hast not what thou seekest for yet be comforted in this that thou art in a seeking way Their hearts shal reâ—oyce that seeke the Lord. If thou beest seeking God in his ways though thou complainest I have beene seeking a long time but I know not the minde of God I cannot apprehend the love of God the pardon of my sins yea but the hearts of those shall rejoyce that seek the Lord if thou beest in a seeking way thou art in a saving way there is cause thou shouldst rejoyce in this that God hath brought thee into such a way They shall seeke the Lord and that not saintly but to purpose auxiously Jer. 50. 4. 5. They the children of Israel and the children of Judah when they shall be both together shall goe weeping and seeke the Lord their God and they shall aske the way to Zion with their faces thitherward Many of you come to aske questions but your hearts are not right your faces the strength of your spirits are not set to yeeld to the will of God when it is revealed to you And mark how it appeares that their faces are thitherward Come say they let us joyne our selves to the Lord in a perpetual Covenant that shall not be forgotten This is to seeke God it is not meerly to goe to a Minister and aske him a question but it is to goe with our faces with the strength of our spirits set to know the minde of God above any thing in the world and so to resolve to obey what shall be revealed to be Gods mind as to be willing to enter into a perpetual Covenant to binde our selves to yeeld to whatsoever God shal reveale When you come to a Sermon you must not come to get a little notional knowledge but come with your faces towards Christ and his truth before you come you should get alone if you be a true seeker and enter into Covenant with God that whatsoever God revealeth to be his minde you will yeeld to it obey it though you have heretofore gone against many truths revealed to be the minde of God but Lord no more now here I am ready and willing to enter into an everlasting covenant to be under the command of every truth Here is the right seeking of God They shall seeke the Lord their God their God this hath two references either to what is past or to what is to come To what is past their God that is the God who was once the God of the Jews the God of their forefathers the God of Abraham of Isaac and of Jacob. And secondly their God that is that God that is yet ready and willing to be reconciled to them not withstanding all their sinnes Thus they shal seek the Lord their God These two references afford two excellent Observations First This prevailes much with the heart of an Apostate when he can but think what God was once unto him before he did Apostatize and what he was unto his godly parents and predecessors There was a time that I enjoyed God sweetly when I went to prayer I had blessed communion with him it is otherwise with me now I have apostatized Let this consideration catch hâ—ld upon thy heart and turn it this day Oh turne turn thou apostate soul God who was once thy God in a gracious manner is that God that thou hast vilely forsaken yea thy fathers God also Thou hast a godly father a godly grand-father remember what a blessed God he was unto them and return Secondly Their God that God that yet they may have hope to enjoy notvvithstanding all their departings from him Hence the note is this The apprehension oâ— a possibilty to obtaine mercie from the Lord is a strong means to draw the heart to returne to him when they look upon God as a God in covenant with them yet and there is nothing to the contrary but he may be their God Let this be an argument to catch hold upon the spirits of all sinners who are departed from God thou hast departed from God in a soule and vile manner but Men and Angels know nothing to the contrary but that he may be thy God for all this Let me speake to the vilest sinner that is in this place before the Lord this day thou hast indeed most desperately and wickedly sinned against God the Jews have done so Hast thou crucified Christ they have done so hast thou denied the truth and followed false waies they have done so Notwithstanding all thy wicked and evil waies seeing thou art yet alive I doe this day yet once more pronounce thee in the name of the great God that there is nothing to the contrary that either Angels or Men can possibly know but that God may be thy God and that this day God may enter into covenant with thee thou with him this night he may come in and sup with thee and thou with him there may be a blessed reconciliation between God and thee return return thou sinful soul The Third Lecture HOSEA 3. 5. And David their King and shall feare the Lord and his goodnesse in the latter dayes THat the Jews shall returne and believe in Christ is most ordinary and famous both in the words and hearts of those that are faithfull saies Augustine In this their returne and seeking God they shall seek David their King For the opening this there are these five things to be inquired into 1. Who this David was 2. Why David is rather named then any other 3. Why he is mentioned in this place 4. Why joyned with seeking Jehovah 5. Why this Epithet is added to David here David their King For the first David clearly is meant JESUS CHRIST Nothing is more manifest then that Christ is meant by the name of David sayes Augustine The Scripture is cleare in this it is usuall in the Gospel to call Christ by the name of David Compare Esay 55. 3. with Acts 13. 34. Esay 55. I will give you the sure mercies of David what are those Act. 13. that place in Isaiah is quoted and there the word is Sancta Davidis the holy things of David the holy Ghost there going according to the Translation of the Septuagint as it is usuall in the New Testament And that Psalm 16. 9. 10. where David seemes to speake in his owne person Thou wilt not leave my soul in grave nor suffer thy holy One to see corruption this is interpreted of Christ Act. 13. 36. 37. Act. 15. 16. In the Assembly the Church of Jerusalem together with messengers of the Church of Antioch James makes a speech to the Assembly tels them of a prophesie that God would raise the
Religion no God forbid yea she so promised that the story saith no man would or could misdoubt of the performance But afterward when she came to get the power in her hand the Suffolk men came to make supplication to her that she would be pleased to performe the promise she made them she answered them thus Forasmuch as you being but members desire to rule your head you shall one day well perceive that members must obey their head and not looke to beare rule over the same And not only so but to cause the more terrour a Gentleman one Master Dobs that lived about Windsor who did but in an humble request advertise her of her promise made to the Suffolke men he was three times set on the Pillory and others for the same cause were sent to prison We may see what hold hath been heretofore in the promises of those who had power to breake them you know what temptations they have to withdraw their hearts from what they have ingaged themselves unto But when this our Prince comes David our King we shall finde the sure mercies of David we shall finde nothing but faithfulnesse in all his dealings And they shall feare the Lord and his goodnesse in the latter dayes They shall feare the Lord. The words are they shall feare to the Lord pavebunt ad dominum The feare of God is much upon the heart of a sinner in his returne to God Such a sinner hath high and honourable thoughts of God They shall returne and feare the Lord. The slightnesse the vanity of his spirit the boldnesse of his heart it is taken off and the feare of God ruleth in it The Majesty the power the authority of the great God is strong upon him when he comes to worship him the feare of God makes him to worship God as a God and in all his conversation he walkes in the feare of God even all the day long you may see written upon his life the feare of the great God And this not a servile slavish feare but a holy reverenticall filâ—â—â— feare Jsaac had such a feare of God that God hath his dominion from Isaacâ— feare He is called the feare of Isaac This is a most precious feare others feare poverty feare imprisonment feare disgrace feare men but saith a true repenting heart I feare the Lord this feare is the well-spring of life to him it is the very treasure of his soul Esay 33. 6. I shall speake of the feare of God here onely as it concerns this place the intent of bringing it in here that is to shew that in the time when this glorious Church shall be when God shall call home his own people the Jewes and bring in the fulnesse of the Gentiles then shall the feare of God mightily prevayle upon the hearts of people more then ever and the greater Gods goodnesse shall be the more shall the feare of God be upon their hearts this we shall finde almost in all the Prophesies of the glorious condition of the Church which is very remarkable there is ever speaking of the feare of God that should be upon the hearts of people One would rather thinke there should be speaking of the joy that they should have that there should be nothing but mirth and triumph in those times but the Scripture speakes exceeding much of feare that shall be then and more then then at any other time Thus Revel 11. 18. a most famous Prophesie of Christs comming and taking the kingdomes of the earth and bringing his reward with him he shall come and give a reward to those that feare him And Revel 14. 7. I saw an Angel flee in the middest of heaven having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth saying with a loud voyee feare God and give glory to him Marke an Angel when he comes to preach the verlasting Gospel how doth he preach it what now cast away fear and rejoyce in this everlasting Gospel No preaching this everlasting Gospel saith with a loud voyce feare God and give glory to him So Rev. 15. 3. 4. There is the song of the Saints when they are delivered from the power of Antichrist what is it be jocund and joviall No Great and marvailous are thy workes Lord God Almighty just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints who shall not feare thee O Lord and glorifie thy name for thou onely art holy for all Nations shall come and worship before thee for thy judgements are made manifest And again Rev 19. 5. And a voyce came out of the Throne saying Praise our God all ye his servants and yee that feare him both small and great But feare the Lord now in these times why so Upon these foure grounds First Feare the Lord now because of the glory of Christ their King they shall behold their King in that glory that shal cause fear Rev 19. 12. Christ is described with his eyes as flames of fire and on his head many Crownes cloathed with a vesture dipt in blood at wo-edged sword out of his month and on his vesture and on his thigh written King of Kings and Lord of Lords Thus they shall behold Christ and therefore they shall feare Secondly in those times the feare of God will much prevaile in the hearts of people because of the great workes of God that shal be then the heavens shall depart like a scrole and the elements melt with fervent heate This is meant of the time when there shal be new heavens a new earth which referreth to the Prophesie of Esay and it is apparantly and so generally Interpreters carry it meant of the estate of the Church then the heavens shall depart like a scrole Heb. 13. 26. quoted out of Hag. 2. 6. The Lord did shake the earth once but he hath promised saying Yet once more I shaâ— not the earth onely but also heaven There shall be wonderfull workes of God in the earth when those dayes come therefore there shall be much of the feare of God Thirdly Much of the feare of God then because of the holiness of the worship of God and of his Ordinances the purity of them shall cause fear Did we see the Ordinances in the true and native purity and holinesse of them it would strike much feare in us Some have but seene the execution of that one Ordinance of Excommunication in a solemn gracious way and it hath daunted their hearts it hath struke feare in a most proud profane stubborn wicked heart the beholding then of all the Ordinances and all duties of worship in their true native purity holiness and glory cannot but cause much feare Psal 68. 35. O God thou art terrible out of thy holy places God will be terrible out of his holy places and out of all his holy Ordinances Fourthly Much feare there will be at that day because of the holiness of the Saints there shall be so much holiness that shall
of God This is to be wanton not to fear the goodnes of God The goodnes of God in the gospell telleth us that the grace of God is strong that the Saints shall persevere that those that are once in Christ shall never fall away therefore let us take liberty to our selves what need we be carefull of our wayes seeing the grace of God will carry us through Oh to abuse this goodnes of God thus is wicked the heavens may blush to behold it and the earth tremble under it But we have not so learned Christ the more of the goodnes of God in Christ is made known to us the more should we fear him The goodnesse of God in the Gospel is so rich that the truth is because the hearts of men are so vile and so ready to abuse it we are almost afraid to preach it Oh is this the fruit of the preaching of the Gospel Never was the Gospel so cleare as in England and in no Age so as in this Age and is this the fruit of all that men should draw such absurd consequences from this goodnesse of God that men should goe away harder from that which is the softning word VVhen we come to preach the Gospell the goodnesse of it we come I say with feare with what feare trembling lest it should cost the damnation of some soule The preaching the goodnes of God in the Gospel doth certainly cause ex accidente the damnation of many a soul Therefore in the mean time you who are Gods Saints know how dearly God tendereth you God will have the goodnesse of the Gospell preache◠to you though it cost the damnation of 〈◊〉 a soul you had need it therefore make a good use of it Let this meditation cause you to improve to the uttermost what you hear of all the goodness of the Lord. That which I hear is costly to some it costs the perishing of many a soule that I may have it though God sees that many souls will be hardned by it well saith God let them be hardned these my servants shall not want it though they perish for ever When a man hath a thing in his house and he hears that it cost dear even the lives of many men he hath other thoughts of it then before David had a reverent respect to the water of the well of Bethlem because it cost the hazard of the mens lives learne then to feare God and his goodnesse 4. Fearing God and his goodnesse is this in all rejoycing in and praysing God for his goodnesse there shall be a mixture of feare They shall be well skilled in this mystery of godlinesse when they enjoy so much of Gods goodness and are called upon to sing and rejoyce they shal sing with a mixture of feare Their hearts shall be very serious and spirituall in all their joy It is very hard for us to rejoyce in Gods goodness and not to have our hearts grow slight and vain it is a hard thing to keepe a day of thankesgiving with a serious spirit joy commonly causeth vanity in the hearts of men But now the goodnesse of God shall be so strong in their hearts that though they shall seek Gods goodness and rejoyce abundantly in it yet with a mixture of abundance of feare their hearts shall be kept very serious holy and spirituall in the service of God I will give you a text or two for this Exod. 15. 11. when Moses was blessing God for that goodness in delivering his people out of Egypt which was a typicall song as appeareth in the Revelation that bondage typifying Antichristian bondage mark the expression Who is like unto thee O Lord among the gods who is like unto thee glorious in holiness fearful in praises God is to be praysed but so praysed as his name must be fearfull in prayses Consider this in all your joyfull celebrating the memoriall of Gods goodness you must so rejoyce and blesse God as you must hold forth this before all you converse with that the name of God is fearfull in these praises you tender to him this a slight heart cannot doe So Psal 52. 6. The righteous also shall see and feare and shall langh at him Mark what a mixture here is the righteous shall see and feare and laugh he shall rejoyce but with trembling Psalm 2. 11. God much delights to have the glory of his goodnesse thus We have much goodnesse of God at this day and God calleth us to feare him and his goodnesse if we give him not his glory in this God may soone call us to feare him and his greatnesse to feare him and his justice to feare him and his wrath This is the argument now there is forgivenesse with thee that thou maist be feared But how soon may God justly turn this argument there is wrath with thee vengeance with thee there is sword fire blood storm an horrible tempest with thee therefore shalt thou be feared Our consciences are ready to misgive us when wee have any evill tidings for wee have much guilt upon our spirits we 〈◊〉 had much goodnesse indeed from God who ever thought to have lived to see that goodnesse you have seen but because you have not feared God and his goodnesse here is the reason of those misgiving thoughts when you heare of any ill newes oh now God is coming against us with his wrath that he may be feared Something might be said to open a little the difference betweene fearing God and his goodnesse and fearing God and his wrath and justice in a legall way Only thus in a word The fearing God and his goodnesse is such a feare as enlargeth the heart Other feare contracts the heart We have an excellent text for this Isa 60. 1. compared with ver 5. Arise shine for thy light is come the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee and so he goeth on describing Gods goodnesse that referreth to these times that we are speaking of then vers 5. Thou shalt see and flow together and thy heart shall feare upon that and be inlarged When the heart so feareth as it is inlarged unto God this is the fearing God and his goodnesse aright Again It is such a feare as yet the heart clings to God for ever It drives not from God but makes the heart cleave closer to him that is the phrase in the Text in the Hebrew They shall feare to God and to his goodnesse I will put my fear in their hearts that they shal not depart from me This keeps the heart to God Further This fearing God and his goodnesse workes the heart to a high degree of sanctification 2 Cor. 7. 1. Seeing we have such precious promises let us perfect holiness in the feare of God And Heb. 12. 28. Wherefore we receiving a Kingdome that cannot be moved let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverent and godly feare Lastly It is a feare that is joyned with love whereas the