got this is basenesse in them But to subject Religion to such base ends as these this is the villany of all basenesse A generous spirit is far from this It is observed of the generous spirit of Luther that when a Papist was vexed at him for his preaching and writing faith a Bishop there is such a stir with this Luther why do you not stop his mouth with preferment As it hath been the speech of a Bishop here in this land that hearing that a Kinsman of his was a zealous Preacher well falth he let me alone I will silence him and indeed hee did How He gave him two livings and that silenced him presently So here why do you not stop this Luthers mouth with preferment He presently answered That Germane beast cares not for money he is above money He called him beast in his anger whereas he might have called him an Angel because his spirit was above these things his mouth would not be stopped with them Some mens lust of malice goes beyond their lust of covetousnesse like those Cockatrices Jer. 8. 17. that will not be charmed it is a shamefull thing then that our zeale for God should not goe beyond our lust for gaine to subject your Religion to flaxe and wool and oyle it commeth from a base diffidence in God as if he would not provide for us such outward things therefore Luther hath this expression in his Comment upon Hosea They followed their idols for bread and wool and flaxe and oyle as if God would not give bread to his Church or as if it were more safe to goe to the Devill for it as if we could not have wool enough and flaxe enough and oyle enough from God Oh let us trust God for all for our cloaths for our meate and drink for our estates for our children God certainely will feede his Church And yet those men that have hearts so base themselves they thinke it impossible for any man but to be taken with such arguments They may talke of Religion and conscience say they but I will warrant you they may be taken off with money and preferment places of profit and honour They think it impossible for men to stand against these arguments It putteth me in mind of that speech that Balaak used to Balaam Did not I earnestly send unto thee to call thee wherefore camest thou not unto me Am I not able to promote thee to honour As if he should have said Thou art a strange man indeed did not I send thee word that I would promote thee to great honour and give thee silver and gold or whatsoever thou wouldst have What will not preferment and money tempt you I thought this would have tempted any man in the world Thus many think that whatsoever mens Spirits are they may be taken off with promotion and money But let all such know that there are a generation of men in the world of true generous Spirits that are above all these things and take as much delight and have as much sweetnesse in denying these places of honour and preferment and gaine as those that offer them have in the enjoying of them It was a notable speech Plynie had concerning Cato It is in his Epistle Dedicatory to his naturall History speaking of what a notable spirit he was Cato saith he tooke as much glory in those dignities and honours that he denyed as he did in those he did enjoy Certainly it is so with the Saints the true generous spirit of Christians take as much content in those places of preferment they deny for Christ as in any gaine they enjoy There is no tempting of such men Let us pray therefore for those that are intrusted by us not onely for civill things but for matters of Religion that temptations for bread corne and wool and flaxe and wine and oilemay never tempt them that the preferment and gaine may never byasse their spirits may never sway them These meanes have been assayed certain it is totempt some of them with such wayes have not been left untryed by some and have prevailed but thorough Gods mercy he hath preserved others and he hath made the world to know that Christ hath a people to whom Religion and the publicke good is more deare then all the flaxe and wooll and wine and oyle in the world then all the estates and high places and great preferments that can be offered them And now the Lord our God keepe this in their and in our hearts for ever The Fifth Lecture HOSEA 2. 6. 7. Therefore behold I will hedge up thy way with thorns and make a wall that she shall not finde her paths And she shall follow after her lovers but she shall not overtake them and shall seeke them but shall not finde them them shall she say I will goe and returne to my first husband for then was it better with me then now THe last day you may remember wee spake of that reason that God giveth in the former verse why he would shew Israel no mercy because that she hath done shamefully and said she would go after her lovers that gave her her bread and her water her wool and her flaxe her oyle and her drinke There are yet one or two observations that time would not give us leave to speak of the last day in those words I will onely give you a hint of them and passe suddenly to these two verses The first is this Prosperity and successe in an evil way is a great hardning of the hearts of men in their evil I will follow after my lovers for they give me bread and water and wooll and flax and the like I remember Eusebius reports that Maximilian the Emperour in an Edict of his against the Christian crying out of Christian Religion as an excrable vanity seeking to confirme the Heathens in the worshipping of their idol gods Behold saith he how the earth bringeth forth fruit for the husbandman in abundance how our medows are adorned with flowes and hâ—rbs and moistned with the dews of heaven what health we have and what quiet and peaceable lives and thus he goeth on in seeking to conforme the hearts of Idolaters in their wicked wayes Prosperity in a wicked way is exceeding hardning That story of Dyonisius is famously known having committed sacrâ—ledge against their Idol-gods robbing their Temples yet his voyage being prospetous after he had ended his journey hee boasted himselfe that though he did not worship the gods as others did yet he prospered as much as they In that yeere when those Innovasions in Gods worship were principaly brought in amongst us especially in that Diocese of Norwich is proved to be a very fruitfull yeere and one Commissary among the rest in his Court after the harvest was taken in speakes to the Countrey-men in this way Doe you not see how God prospereth us What a plentifull harvest have we had this yeere This is since you
only blesse God but the Text saith They lifted up their hands and they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground Why because the book of the Law was read to them and expounded How comes it to passe that their hearts were so taken with it now to hear the book of the Law expounded to them Surely it was because they were newly returned out of their Captivity and now they came into their owne Land and heard the Law of God opened to them they blessed his great Name bowed their faces to the ground worshipping him This day my brethren witnesseth to us our great deliverance and returne from our bondage It was not long since that wee could have either Ordinances or Truths or Religious exercises but onely according to the humors of vile men But now through Gods mercy a great deliverance is granted to us as this day witnesseth that wee may come and have free liberty to exercise our selves in the Law of our God O doe you blesse the Lord and bow your faces to the ground worshipping of him In the 12. vers of that Chap. we read that after they had heard the Law read and expounded to them they went their way to eate and to drink and to send portions and to make great mirth Why Because saith the Text they had understood the words that were declared unto them I hope if God shall please to give in assistance unto this work many of you shall goe away hereafter from this Assembly rejoycing because you will come to know more of Gods mind revealed in his word then formerly And this will be the comfort of your meat and drink and of your trading and the very spirits of all the joyes of your lives As the sweetnesse of the fruit comes from the graft rather then from the stock so your comforts and the blessings of grace in you must come from the word ingrafted in your soules rather then from any thing you have in your selves In the first vers the Text saith that all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water-gate to desire Ezra to bring the book of the law and to read it and to open it unto them Behold it is thus this day in this place here are a great company met together perhaps some to know what the businesse will be some for novelty and some for other ends howsoever come unto us you are and we hope many for this end that you might have the booke of the Law read opened unto you Now we expect that from you which is said of them ver 3. And the ears of all the people were attentiâ—e unto the book of the law when it was read opened to them And truly that attention that you now begin withal doth promise unto us that we shall have an attentive auditory But that is not all let us have further a reverential demeanor and carriage in the hearing of the Law as it becomes those that have to deale with God in it The Text saith vers 5. that when Ezra opened the book of the Law all the people stood up We doe not expect the same gesture from you but by way of Analogie we expect a reverentiall demea nour in the carriage of he whole worke as knowing we are to sanctifie Gods Name in it And as those people after the first dayes exercise were so encouraged that they came again the second day for so the Text saith vers 13. On the second day were gathered together the cheife of the fathers of all the people the Priests and the Leviâ—es unto Ezra to understand the words of the Law so I hope God will so carry on this worke that you shall find encouragement too to come again and again that you may know more of the mind of God and that this work shall not be only profitable to the younger and weaker sort but to the Fathers to the Priests and Levites too Let it be with you as it was with them according as you have any truth made known unto you submit to it yeeld to it obey it presently and then you shall know more of Gods mind He that will doe my will shall know my doctrine to be of God Thus did they for vers 14. when they found it vvritten in the book of the Law that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh moneth This was one passage of the Law that was expounded how they should keep the feast of Tabernacles and what booths they should make the people went forth presently unto the mount and fetched Olive branches and Palm branches and branches of thick trees and made themselves booths every one upon the roofe of his house In this Prophesie of Hosea you shall find many sutable truths to the times wherein we live the Lord grant you obedient hearts to what shall be delivered I must not retard the work nor your expectations any longer with large prefacing to it only somewhat have been said about the rules for interpretation of Scripture I will say no more of that but this to interpretation of Scripture a Scripture frame of heart is necessary a heart holy heavenly sutable to the holinesse heavenlinesse that is in the word as it was said of Tullies eloquence that nothing but the eloquence of Tully could set out the excellency of it So it may be said of the Scriptures spiritualness nothing but a heart filled with Scripture spiritualness can set forth the excellencies of it and because the authority of Scripture is dreadfull wee desire the prayers of you all to God for us that his feare might fall upon our hearts that seeing we are menfull of errour and full of evill yet howsoever wee may not bring any Scripture to the maintenance of any erroneous conceit of our own heads nor any evill of our own hearts This wee know to be a dreadfull evill It was a fearfull evill for Lucifer to say I will goe and ascend up be like the Highest it is as great an evill for any to seek to make the Highest to become like Lucifer for so do they that make the Scripture come down to justifie any erroneous opinion or any way of evill they goe about to make the blessed God and the holy Ghost to be the fathers of lies It is counted a great evill in a Common-wealth to put the Kings stamp upon false coine and to put the stamp of the Spirit of God upon an error upon a conceit of a mans owne is certainly a great evill before the Lord and it was for this that God did make the Priests vile and contemptible before the people because they were paâ—tiall in the Law Mal. 2. 9. And for you my brethren our prayer shall be that the feare of God may fall upon you likewise that you may come to these Exercises with Scripture-frames of heart What frame of
which is said 2 King 14. 27. that before this time God had not so threatned Israel for the Text saith The Lord said not before this time that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven but hee saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the sonne of Joash Mark there is given the reason why the Lord saved them by the hand of Jeroboam because he had not yet said he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven that is the Lord never before sent any of his Prophets thus plainly and fully to declare his intention to them for the utter blotting out th name of Israel upon their going on in their sins So that it is clear that Hosea was the first that was sent about this message And certainly it was so much the harder he being the first of all For they might have said why do you come with these new things and in so great severity who did ever so before you It was a hard task For we know if a Minister come with any thing that seems to be new if he presents any truth to you that hath but a shew of Novelty that you heard not before though it be never so good aud comfortable he shall find little encouragement Nay if hee doe but come in a new way as this very exercise because it is like to goe on in a way that yet hath been disused it will meet with many discouragements What then will the threatnings of hard things of judgments and destruction do when they come with novelty Surely Hosea had a hard taske of this and yet he went on faithfully with it Thus much for the time wherein Hosea prophesied Now to make a little entrance into the prophesie The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea Some from these words doe gather that Hosea was the first Prophet that ever was Though it is true we cannot gather it directly from hence yet it is apparent that notwithstanding Isaiah be set first yet Hosea was before him for if you look into the 1 Isa you shall find that his beginning was in the dayes of Vzziah Now Hosea was in the dayes of Jeroboam and Jeroboam was before Vzziah And this may be one reason why though I intend the whole propheticall books yet I rather pitch upon Hosea first because indeed he was the first Prophet it is cleare you see from the Scripture though we cannot gather it from these words in this second verse But yet thus much we may gather from these words The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea that this was the beginning of his prophesie And what was this beginning what did God set him about first Mark presently the next words he must take him a wife of whoredomes and children of whoredomos and so declare to the people of Israel that they had committed great whoredome departing from the Lord. The most grievous charge and most severe and terrible expression of Gods wrath against that people that you meet with in all the book of God This is the work Hosea must doe and Hosea was very young when first he went about it Now as I told you before God sometimes calls young ones to great services but to call a young man to this service to goe to this people with such a message now in the midst of all their pride and flourish to contest with them thus to tel them that they are children of whoredomes and no longer the people of God for what for a young man to do this Why they might have said if this came from the mouth of some old ancient Prophet reverent for his years and experience it had been somewhat but to come from a green head for an upstart to upbâ—aid us with such vile things Thus men grown old and sodden in their sins are ready to reason But let us know my brethren if God send any message unto us though by young ones he expects your entertainment of it When God would destroy Elies house he sends the message by young Samuel but Eli did not reason thus what this young boy come to speak thus malapartly to me No he stoops to it Good is the word of the Lord saith he Againe Hosea must tell them that they are children of whoredomes and not the people of God What for a Minister when he comes first among a people to begin so harshly and severely and ruggedly is it not better to comply with the people to come with gentle and â—aire means to seek to win them with love if you begin with harsh truths surely you will make them fly off presently Thus many do reason Now I beseech you take heed to your own hearts in reasoning thus Many have done so and have sought to comply with people so long till they have complyed away all their faithfulnesse and conscience and vigour that before they had When they come to great men rich men men in place and emmency they will comply with such but let them have any of Gods people in their Parish that are of a mean rank and poor they comply little enough with them but are harsh and bitter to them and regard not the tendernesse of their consciences at all It is true If Ministers have the testimony of their own consciences that they would take no other way but what shall be for the greatest profit of their people maintaining such a disposition as to be willing to undergoe any sufferings that God shall call them unto they may say first when they come to a house Peace be to this house especially when they come to a place that hath not had the means before But if it be to a people that goe directly against the light of their consciences a superstitious people that cannot but be convinced and have had many evidences that it is against the mind of God and yet only for their owne base ends will goe on and not amend in such a case as this wee may come with harshnesse at the very first So Paul gives a charge to Titus in dealing with the Cretians who were evill beasts and slow bellies that he should rebuke them sharpely so wee translate it the word in the Originall is cuttingly The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea The particle which is translated by signifyeth in as well as by it is not El but Beth and so it is read by some The word of the Lord came in Hosea This expression notes the inward and intimate converse that the Lord had with the spirit of Hosea in the work of the Ministry The Lord spake first in Hosea and then he speaks out unto the people Some such expression we have concerning Paul Gal. 1. 16. That Christ may be revealed in me not onely to me but in me The more inwardly God speaks and converseth with the hearts of his Ministers the more inwardly and efficaciously they are able to speak to the people This
is the deep preaching when it is from the heart And so Augustine sayes of Hosea because that which he spake was so deep it wrought more strongly Hoseas Prophesie must needs be deep for God spake in him before he spake out to the people We say that which commeth from the heart will go to the heart Surely that which commeth from the voyce of God in the heart will goe beyond the ears to the hearts of people And blessed are the people that have such Ministers that shal speak nothing to them but what hath first been spoken by God in them Againe in this second verse he comes twice with the same expression The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea and againe The Lord said to Hosea and yet in the beginning of the first verse The word of the Lord came to Hosea Why all this three times All this upon good reason for Hosea was to come with a terrible message to the people and to reprehend them with much sharpnesse to tell them that they were the children of whoredomes and that they had departed from the Lord and he would have no more mercy upon them but would utterly take them away He had need therefore have an expresse command for what he did and to have much evidence of the Spirit that what he said was from God and not any thing of his owne spirit When a Minister of God shall come and reprehend a people severely for their sins and threaten Gods judgement let him then if ever look to it that he hath a good ground for what he saith that what he shall deliver may be nothing but the word of God in him the sheer word of God without any mixture of his owne It is an ordinary thing in Ministers in reprehending of sinne and denouncing of threatnings to mingle much of their own spirit and wrath But if at any time Ministers should take heed of mixing their own wrath then especially when they are to denounce Gods wrath then they should bring nothing but the word of the Lord for it being a hard message the spirits of men will rise up against it if they once see the spirit of the Minister in it they will be ready to say as the devill in the possessed man Iesus I know Paul I know but who are you So they the word of the Lord I know but what are you here is your own passion your own humour c. O let not any think to oppose sin with sin the wrath of man doth not accomplish the righteousnesse of God You that are Ministers would you have a sentence I wil give you one and I have done When you are called to reveale Gods wrath conceals your owne The Second Lecture Hosea 1. the middle of the second verse and so on Go take unto thee a wife of whoredomes and children of whoredomes for the land hath committed great whoredome departing from the Lord. 3. So he went and tooke Gomer the daughter of Diblaim which conceived and bare him a son 4. And the Lord said unto him Call his name Iezreel for yet a little while and I will avenge the blood of Iezreel upon the house of Iehu will cease the Kingdome of the house of Israel 5. And it shall come to passe in that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Iesreel THE Preface to the work and to the whole prophesie you heard the last time The scope of the prophesie is the very same that the scope of this Chapter is to declare first The evill condition that Israel the ten Tribes were in in regard of their sins and punishment that was to be executed for their sins Secondly Gracious promises of mercy to a remnant to Iudah in the 7. ver and to Judah Israel both from the 10. ver to the end of the Chapter First God beginneth with conviction to shew them their sin and the dreadfulnesse of it Conviction should goe before correction You must not presently fly in the faces of those that are under you when they crosse you first instruct them and then correct them do as God did here God would first convince them of the greatnesse of their sinnes not by verball but by reall expressions Those things that come but to the eare they doe more slowly stirre and work upon the heart but things that are presented before the eye are more operative and therefore Hosea must not tell them onely that they had committed whoredome but must tell them in this way he must goe and take a wife of whoredomes and beget children of whoredomes In the very threshold in the entrance of the prophesie you see we meete with a difficulty a great difficulty First a command from God from the holy God unto a Prophet a holy Prophet to goe and take a wife of whoredomes not an ordinary whore but a most prostitute whore for so the word signifieth of whoredomes as in the Scripture phrase a man of bloods is a man that hath shed much blood and a man of sorrowes is a man that hath been exercised with many sorrows and so a wife of whoredomes is one that hath committed notorious whoredomes vile whoredomes Yet such a wife must the Prophet take to himselfe and his children must be children of whoredomes too How can this be S. Austin who had been a Manichee having to deale much with Macichees met with this object on from one Faustas a Manichee against the Old Testament for they denyed it saith Faustas that Old Testament of yours Moses and the Prophets is that of God doe you not finde there a command to take a wife of whoredomes and can this be from God Austin answereth it thus Though shee had been a prostitute whore before yet she might be reclaymed and so shee might be called a wife of whoredomes from that whoredome that heretofore she was guilty of and now reclaymed And so he thinketh that it was a reality indeed that Hosea did take to himselfe a wife of whoredomes and think to salve it up thus Theodoret is somewhat angry with those that thinke it was not really done but done only in away of vision I find many of our later men that are of the same minde that thinke there was a reality in it that God did command Hosea to take to himselfe a wife of whoredoms and that he did take such a wise one that was a notorious harlot so Arius Montanus Piscator Pareus Tarnovius and others they go that way and they thinke to salve it only thus that it is a command of God and therefore though it had not been lawfull for Hosea to have done it yet God commanding it he might do it As they instance in other cases that seeme to be somewhat of the like nature as the children of Israels robbing the Egyptians Abrahams killing his sonne and the like If this should be so as many
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
when they were in the darke for those three dayes together they stirred not from their stooles there was no noise among them shall the light be blamed because afterward when it came every one stirred and went one one way and another another so when we were in grosse darknesse we saw nothing we knew nothing Now light begins to breake forth and here one searcheth after one truth and another after another and yet we cannot attaine to perfection shall we accuse the light for this Yea but we see too apparently that those that seem the strictest of all that would worship God as they say in the purest manner in his Ordinances yet there are woefull divisions and distractions even amongst them How then is the Gospel a Gospel of peace But a word in answer to this To satisfie your consciences that the Gospel may not be blamed for indeed where the Gospel comes there is promised peace Consider this one reason that may be given for it Because so long as we are here we are partly flesh and partly spirit Yet those that have the Gospel prevaile with their consciences they come to be of this temper that they cannot move any further then they can see light for and their consciences will give them leave But now other men they have more liberty they indeed quarrel not one with another why because they have wide checker lyther consciences having ends of their owne they will yeeld to any thing for the attaining of those ends so that here they have this advantage that if they see that the contention will bring them more trouble then they conceive the thing is worth they will condescend though it be against light of conscience But other men upon whom the light of the Gospel hath prevailed have that bond upon conscience that though all the world should differ from them they must be content to lye down and suffer they cannot yeeld though you would give them all the world they cannot go against that light But indeed they may search and it may trouble them that their apprehensions of things should be different from the apprehensions of their brethren and that they cannot yeeld to that which their brethren yeeld too It is true they should be humbled and suspect their hearts and look to themselves and fall down before God and pray and use all means for advice and counsell and consider of things again and again Well but suppose they have done all this and yet the Lord doth not reveale to them any further light though it be a sad affliction to them yet they must lye down under it for they cannot yeeld one known truth is more then all the world therefore unlesse others will beare with them in their infirmity they must suffer whatsoever men will lay upon them True indeed the world calls this stoutness and stifnesse and being wedded to their own opinion But they know it is otherwise they can appeal to God and say Lord thou knowest what a sad affliction it is unto me that I cannot see what my brother sees and that I cannot yeeld to what my brother yeelds to thou hast hid it from me I 〈◊〉 wait upon thee till thou shalt reveal it in the 〈…〉 and not make disturbances in the places vvhere I come but pray 〈…〉 for light and that thou wouldst incline the 〈◊〉 of my brethren unto me 〈◊〉 they may not have hard thoughts of Do but thus thou shalt have peace with God and in thine own heart howsoever But again marke Judah and Israel they shal be gathered together So soone as any are converted to the faith they are of a gathering disposition They desire to gather to the Saints presently Every childe of God that is converted is a gatherer as Solomon is called Ecclesiastes so in the Greeke but the Hebrew word is interpreted by some a soule gathered because it is in the faeminine genger None in the world love good fellowship so much as the Saints of God They fly as doves to their windows doves you know use to fly in great flocks thousands together The more spirituall any one is of the more joyning uniting nature he is Thousands of beames of the Sun will meet together in one better then the beams of a candle will doe The Saints of God in the Apostles times when they were converted it is said they were added to the Church they gathered presently So in Esay 66. it is an observable place ver 20. the Text saith They shall bring their brethren as an offering to the Lord out of all Nations upon horses and in chariots in litters How comes this There shall be many that dwell a great way off they shall not make that their excuse for their not joyning to the people of God because they are afar off It is a great journey No but there be horses to be got But it may be some cannot ride Then get Charets But some perhaps are so weake that they can neither ride on horses nor in Chariots then they will get litters and litters you know are to carry weake sick persons This shews the intention of spirit that is in the people of God to be gathered to the Church either to be carryed on horses or in Chariots or in litters one way or other they will come and joyn themselves to the people of God For there is the presence of Christ and the protection of Christ and the comunication of Christ in their union and communion and where the carcasse is there will the Eagles resort O they love alife to be going towards Sion gathering one to another as in Psal 84. 7. They walk from strength to strength and at last they all appear before God in Zion From strength to strength that is thus From one place of the Country perhaps there comes halfe a score or twenty to go toward Zion and perhaps before they come to such a town or turning they meet with halfe a score more so they grow stronger when they are a mile or two further perhaps they meet with another town coming and they joyn presently are stronger and so they go from strength to strength comfortably together till they come before God in Zion They shall appoint themselves one Head Although they be multitudes be as the sand of the sea yet this is no great matter unless they come under one Head a right Head too It is not multitudes that is a sufficient argument of truth A multitude coming under one Head under Christ as one Head they are the true Church The Papists they give this Note of the Church Universality that there are so many Papists in the world We must not regard people how 〈…〉 they are but under what Head they are They shall be gathered undermine Head looke to the Head they follow for so S. Paul tells us that there shall be an Apostasie before the revelation of that man of sin 2
fallen from God as they have discharged those that plead against them Well but if a member a particular may plead with a Church a whole Church with their mother Certainly then there is no one Member of a Church so high but he may be pleaded withall even by private people in that Church Colos 4. 17. Say to Archippus look to thy Ministry It is an Exhortation to all the Church to say to Archippus and admonish him to looke to his Ministry For though the officer of a Church be nearer to Christ the head of which you heard before then other members are as the Arme is nearer the head then the hand yet if the arme shall send forth any thing to the hand that it hath not from the head as in a flux of putrid humours that resteth in the arme then it would be the strength of the hand to resist those ill humours that the arme sends forth So if any Officer of the Church shall send forth that which he did not receive from the head to any Member but some putrid humour of his own It is the virtue of that Member to resist the receiving of any such humour Certainly it is the pride of many that thinke it scorne for any private people any way to have to do with them It is I say a pride in men which thorough want of that right order that should be in all Churches is growen to that height that those that take to themselves as proper the name of Clergy they think it such a dishonor to them for any other that is not a Clergy-man as they speak to speak to them or admonish them of any thing or to reason with them about any thing or when they have preached to come to them for further satisfaction in somewhat that they have delivered or if they be negligent in their duty to tell them of it though never so submissively meekly their pride makes them rise so high And for that observe because they do it upon that ground that they are the Clergie which signifies Gods inheritance and Gods lot and so contemning others as inferiour You shall find in Scripture the people are called Clergy in distinction from the Ministers and never the Ministers in the New Testament from the people the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not attributed to them to my remembrance but I am sure it is attributed to the Congregation to the private members by way of distinction from them That you shall see in 1 Pet. 5. 3. Be not Lords over Gods inheritance Doe not Lord it over Gods Clergy over Gods Lot so the words are Now in that he saith do not Lord it certainly that is spoken to the Officers of the Church and they must not Lord it over Gods inheritance that is over Gods Clergy for so I say the words are The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore from whence Clergy commeth is you see attributed to the people And we shall find in Scripture Acts 18. 25. that Apollos an Eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures and a man of a fervent spirit yet the Text saith that Aquila and Priscilla that were private people tooke him unto them and expounded to him the way of God more perfectly Where have you an Apollos now an Eloquent man a Scholler a great Clergy man but would scorne and contemne that a poore man and his wife should take him home instruct him in the way of God more perfectly Yet Apollos an Eloquent man mighty in the Scriptures tooke it well and was willing to receive further instruction from these people And we finde Cant. 5. that in the time of reformation of the Church the Church went to the watch-men the watch-men beate her shee had more reliefe from the daughters of Jerusalem then from them But we must not leave this so neither It is true there may be a notorious abuse of both these and it is exceeding hard for a people to understand their liberty without abusing of it either against the Church or against the Officers of a Church This power may be abused in people very much in too much pride arrogancy mallapertness a spirit of contention in some taking a delight in contradiction There are many people I say that are of such a humor that it is their very delight to be in a way of contradiction they think they are no body except they have somewhat to say against their officers or against what is delivered and upon that very ground will go quarrelling not out of meere conscience but that it may appear to others that for their parts they have a further reach than other men It is true such things are delivered generally they are received yea but men must know that they look into things further then others doe And if they be in a community they conceive that every one would think them no body if they stand still and say nothing therefore that they may appeare to be some-body they will speake they will have somewhat to finde fault withall though they scarce understand what they say or whereof they affirme and shew it they will in a virulent spirit in a domineering way and brave it to the faces of those that God hath set over them Certainly this is a grosse and abominable thing giving it may be reproachfull tearmes to such Whereas the Rule of Christ is Rehuke not an Elder 1 Tim. 5. 1. but intreate him as a Father do not you think presently that because you may pleade with them that Gods cause may not suffer by your silence that therefore you may rebuke them in an undecent and unseemly manner You may indeed in an humble way goe as acknowledging the distance betwixt you and him hee being an Officer and so inEreat him as a Father Doe many of you so when you go and reason the case with a Minister whom you your selves will acknowledge to be Officers of Christ yet it may be sometime through bitternesse of spirit you will be casting them off from being Officers of Christ before you have sufficient warrant for it and therefore the Apostle saith in the same Chapter ver 19. Against an Elder receive not an accusation but before two or three witnesses Marke you must not receive an accusation much lesse a condemnation for the credit and honour of the Ministers of Christ are very deare and precious unto him therefore take heed how through a violent and turbulent spirit you cast any dishonour upon those that Christ hath set over you Thus I have indeavoured to discover the truth unto you and so limited as I hope it may be for edification and not for hurt at all to any Pleade with your Mother But what is this pleading She is not my wife neither am I her Husband It hath much bitternesse in it indeed if it be considered of yet it is in as faire termes as can be set out Shee is not my wife He doth not
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
condition and we see it that many men that have beene raised from a low estate to an high are so afraid of returning to a low estate again that they will venture soule and conscience and God and all rather then they will endanger themselves in the least degree in their estates Hence it is very observable that the chiefe curse that God threatneth the people of Israel with is that they should returne to Egypt again that the Lord would bring them back to the condition wherein once they were You shall finde that whole Chapter Deut. 28. is spent in denouncing most dreadfull curses upon the people now for the conclusion of all as the chiefe curse of all the rest saith the Text there ver 68. The Lord shal bring thee into Egypt again with shippes and there you shall be sold unto your enemies for bond-men and bond-women and no man shall buy you Were it not a sad thing for us who have been acquainted with the glorious light of the Gospel and with the blessed priviledges that come in thereby for us to be brought into Popish bondage and thraldome again As Ezra 9. 8. we may use his words Now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the Lord our God to leave us a remnant to escape to give us a nayle in his holy place that our God may lighten our eyes and give us a little reviving in our bondage And shall we as in ver 14. again breake thy commandements and joyne in affinity with those abominations As for our selves who have had now of late a little tast of the sweetnesse of our outward priviledges and our liberties for us to be brought into the bondage that wee not long since were in it would be a very sad thing Who could endure to be under that bondage that he was in three or foure years agon under every Parator Promoter Pursevant Commissary Chancelour and tyrannical Prelate as formetly we could not have met together and enjoyed the liberty of such exercises as these no you could not have met in your families to pray but one or other would have been upon you and indangered your estates The bondage was intollerable we may well complaine it was a yoke that neither we nor our fathers could beare The last Observation and the way to prevent all is When God hath delivered a people out of misery and bestowed upon them great mercies it is their duty often to thinke of the poor condition which once they were in to use all the means they can that they may not be brought thither again God loveth this that we should remember and seriously take to heart what once we were so it is here Lest I strip her naked and set her as in the day wherein she was borne as if he should say I would have you consider what condition you were in when you were borne what a low condition it was and consider of the danger you are in to be brought thither again and to looke about you and to seeke to prevent it if you have the hearts of men in you This we shall finde in Deut. 26. 1. 2. When thou art come into the land which the Lord giveth thee for an inheritance and possessest it thou shalt take of the first of all the fruite of the earth and thou shalt put it in a basket and shalt goe unto the place which the Lord thy God shall chuse and ver 5. Thou shalt speake and say before the Lord thy God A Syrian ready to perish was my father and he went down into Egypt and became there a nation and the Egyptians evil intreated us and afflicted us and layed upon us hard bondage And Isa 51. 1. Looke to the rocke whence you are hewen and to the hole of the pit whence you are digged It is very usefull for us to consider of our former low condition It was a speech Master Deering in a Sermon that he preached before Queen Elizabeth hee hath this bold expression to her If there were a time that you thought your self Tanquam ovis as a sheepe ready to be slaine take heed that the words of the Prophet be not now true that you be not Tanquam indo mita Iuvencula as an untamed heifer You may note the difference between the spirits of men in former times in their plainness and boldness and if there were an excesse that way how far the other way are our Court Sermons now Qeen Elizabeth was once in a very low condition indeed and she thought her selfe to be as a sheepe appointed for the slaughter It is usuall for men raised up from a low condition to forget God and themselves and to grow proud scornfull Nothing is more sharpe then a low thing when it getteth up high so there is none that have more proud and scornfull spirits then those that are raised from the dunghil and gotten up high they know not then where they are As the Proverb is Set a beggar on horse backe and he knowes not how nor whether to ride Thus it was with Saul the vvay to humble Saul was for him to consider what he once was and that is the way to humble us all who are subject to be proud of our prosperity that God hath raised us unto When thou wast little in thine own sight then thou wert made the head of the tribes of Israel There was a time that he was little in his own eyes and I beseech you observe the difference between the spirit of Saul when he was in a low condition and his spirit vvhen he vvas raised When Saul was in a low condition his spirit vvas low therefore 1 Sam. 10. 27. you shall finde that though there vvere some children of Eelial that would not have Saul to reigne over them What say they how shall this man save us and they despised him and brought him no presents But Saul the Text saith held his peace And Chap. 11. 12. When Saul had gottensome credit and honour by his victories some of the people said where are they that said shall Saul reine over us Bring the men that we may put them to death No saith Saul There shall not a man be put to death this day O how meeke was Saul what a quiet spirit had he before he got up high But afterward when he got up and had many victories then vvhat a furious and outragious spirit had Saul You know the story of the four-score and five Priests that must be slaine in the City of Nob and the whole Citie men women and children sucklings Oxes Asses and sheep must be put to the sword Why because one of them did but give a little refreshing unto David What a strange spirit is here in Saul different to that he had when he was low Is it not so with many of you when God hath brought you low you seeme to be humble and meek and quiet then and then you are content with
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
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
go to hell The very creatures shall be in hell eternally when wicked men consume them on their lusts being incorporated into their bodies Certainly the creature one day wil have a kind of revenge upon ungodly men divers think that hell will be a turning all creatures into a Chaos into a confusion again as it was at the first and the wicked put into that and so tormented there there shal not be an annihilation but God shall take away the beauty comfort glory of the creature and whatsoevershal be for the torment of ungodly men shal abide and so they shall bee tormented eternally by the creatures they do abuse As in such a building as this is there is lime and stone and morter but now the art of man puts a beauty upon them but suppose all the art of man were taken away from this building at an instant what would become of us then it would bury us in the rubbish of it now it is usefull and delightfull but if the art were taken away it would be our destruction So the creatures of God have much of Gods wisedome power and goodnesse in them which God suffers wicked men to enjoy but God will take away all his wisdome beauty and goodnesse so that nothing but the confusion rubbish of the creature shall be upon the wicked to all eternity I will recover my wooll and my flaxe given to cover their nakednesse Whence observe God gives his blessings to us not for luxury but for necessity I gave them to cover your nakednesse Therefore when our Saviour teacheth us to pray it is for dayly bread or bread which is for our substance so much bread as serves for our substance and that but for a day neither Most are abusive in their desires after and use of the creature they looke at bravery rather then necessity As Cyprian hath an expression It is not the heat of their cloathes nor calor but color the colour is rather regarded by many God lookes now especially that we should cut of our superfluities when our brâ—thren want necessareis To cover your nakednesse It seemes that our nakednesse needs a cover Sin hath made nakednesse shamefull Hence therefore our bodies are called vile bodies those bodies that we study so much to pamper and adorne they are bodies of vilenesse as the Apostle speakes Phil. 3. 21. yea of that vilenesse with an article or of the vilensse to be proud of our cloathes that cover our shame that cover our nakednesse is an unreasonable thing Would you have your bodies adorned labour for godlinesse and then you shall have bodies like the glorious body of JESUS CHRST you may have bodies that shall not need a covering Lastly when abundance is abused it is just with God that we should want necessaries I will take away their corne c. how many are there who have lavished out their estates upon whom you may see Gods judgement so grievous that they want a piece of bread now you often tell your lavish wasting servants they will be glad of a crust before they dye It proves true often of Masters and Mistresses also who out of pride and delicacy of spirit will be so fine brave above their ranks that God doth blast them that they have not to cover their nakednesse Those in the third of Isa who had that gorgeous and brave attire are threatned with baldnesse and grinding with sackcloath ver 24. and such as come to misery by their wasting superfluity have none to pitty them I have read of Alfonsus a King of Spaine who when a Knight falling into want and being arrested for debt there was a petition to the King to succour him I saith the King if he had spent his estate in mine or in the common-wealths service it were reason he should be provided for by me or the common-wealth but seeing he hath spent all in rioâ—ousness let him suffer Consider this you who are so loath to part with your estates for the publicke you murmure at every thing that is required of you for that but you are profuse in expences for your lust God hath wayes to bring you low enough in your estares Ver. 10. And now I will discover her lewdnesse And now that is when I recover my wooll and flaxe I will discover her lewdnesse I will take their covers from their own eyes and from the eyes of others Wicked men and especially Idolaters have divers covers for their lewdnesse There are especially three covers that these people had for their lewdness The first was their outward prosperity do you speak so bitterly against us as if we were Idolaters as if we had forsaken God are we not in as good a condition as Judah who you say hath not forsaken God Secondly Their externall worship is that yet they kept something according to Gods own mind they yet kept the Sabbath and some solemn dayes according to the law this cover they rested in as if they should say What doe you accuse us as if we did not worship the true God have not we Gods service with us and our solemne assemblies Thirdly They had other services which were not Gods yet they did cover them with glorious pompous shewes they had pompous dayes of solemnity pretended for God but being of their own invention they were hatefull Well saith God I will take away your prosperity and I will take away those things you thinke to put me off with I will take away your solemnicies and all the pomp in your services I will discover their lewdnesse The word lewdnesse that comes of Nabal that signifieth to fall it signifies the falling of the spirit low poor vile and unworthy things Hence the Hebrews use that word for a foole one that hath a viâ—e spirit set upon base contemptible things is Nabal a foole Hence that speech of Abigail concerning her husband as is his name so is he he is Nabal and folly is with him The Seventy turne this by another word that signifieth uncleannesse the mixture of their spirits with vile things that make their spirits to be unclean The English word Lewd comes from Loed an old Saxon word which signifieth one that is of a servile disposition of an under spirit some are of servile spirits naturally they are born to a kind of servility bondage they are inclined to baseness and vileness by their natural genius others are of more sublime spirits naturally as if they were borne for great things these people are lewd they have vile spirits forsaking the blessed God his glorious wayes turning to vanities that can doe no good So we say of many they are lewd base fellowes that is they are of such sordid dispositions that they seeke only after such things as have no worth in them satisfie themselves in things beneath the excellency of a man unbeseeming a rationall creature to take content in Act. 18. 14. we finde this word
hand all their strength is but as tow and flaxe before the flame of fire If God be in a way of mercy none can take out of his hands Isa 43. 13. There is none can deliver out of my hand I will worke and who shall let it Wherefore it is a fearfull thing to fall into the hand of God when he is in a way of wrath and it is a blessed thing to be in his hand when he is in a way of mercy for none can deliver out of either Christ holds the stars not only Ministers but all his Elect in his hand and none can take them out I will give you a notable example in Gods preservation in times of danger In the time of the Massacre at Paris there was a poor man who for his deliverance crept into a hole and when he was there there comes a Spider and weaves a cobweb before the hole when the murtherers came to search for him saith one Certainly he is got into that hole No saith another he cannot be there for there is a cobweb over the place and by this meanes the poore man was preserved The hope of the wicked Job saith is as the Spiders Web yet if God please he can make a cobweb to deliver his people The least things shall deliver when he will and the greatest meanes of deliverance shall not deliver when he pleases The Eighth Lecture HOSEA 2. 11. I will also cause all her mirth to cease her feast dayes her New Moones and her Sabbaths and all her solemne feasts THe Lord proceeds still in his threats against Israel in this verse we have as sore a threat as any for it is in part spirituall Her mirth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so the Seventy reade it the word signifieth the right temper the right posture of the minde when the minde is in a right frame then it may be merry Whosoever is merry saith S. James let him sing there the word though not the same yet signifying the same thing who ever hath his minde in a right frame let him sing No man can be truly merry except his minde be in a right frame I will cause all her mirth God many times takes away from his Saints much of the matter of their mirth but never takes away all This is a dreadfull threat to cause all their mirth to cease I will cause it to cease I will turne it away so the Seventy I can soone have all their mirth down they shall never be able to rejoyce more if I please it is gone all with the turn of a hand It appeares that Israel though an apostatizing people though a people of Gods wrath designed to dreadfull judgements yet was a merry jocund people they went on still in their mirth and joviallity That which is here implyed is more fully exprest in Amos Chap. 6. 4. who was contemporary with Hosea and hee was the Prophet of the ten Tribes as Hosea was now see there how Amos setteth forth the mirth of this people They lye upon beds of Ivory and stretch themselves upon their couches and eate the Lambes out of the flock and the Calves out of the middst of the stall they chaunt to the sound of the Violl and invent to themselves instruments of musick like David they drinke wine in bowles and anoint themselves with the chiefe oyntment This was their condition when they were under such fearfull guilt and in such dreadfull danger Sensuall men while they prosper they looke upon themselves as above the word and blesse themselves in the satisfying of their own carnal desires as if it were but a poore low and meane thing for them to be under the power of the word to feare sin and threatnings it is too low for such brave spirits as they have But come let us sing away all care let us live merrily let us take our pleasure for the present and crowne our selves with rose-buds This is the disposition of carnall hearts under all their guilt and danger They swim delightfully in that River of Jordan and suddenly fall into the Dead Sea they spend their dayes in pleasure and in a moment go down into hell This is all the portion of their cup they receive from the Lord They have a little joy here this is all they are like to have and therefore they will take their fill of what they have But this will not hold I will cause this mirth to cease Sinne and mirth can never hold long together there must be a separation between them The union that there is betweene sinne and mirth at any time it is a forced union God never joynes them together and if you will joyne those things God never joyned your joyning cannot hold Sinne is of such a canker-fretting nature as it will soone fret out all the varnish of mirth and joy that is upon it If you will not take away sinne from your mirth God will take away mirth from your sin It is indeed the happinesse of the Saints that they shall have everlasting joy the pleasures at Gods right hand are for evermore but the pleasures of sin must cease Thirdly when afflictions come upon the wicked they are all Amort their joy their mirth is gone We say of fire it congregates things of the same kinde and separates things that are of diverse kinds So it is with the fire of affliction it congregateth things of the same nature as thus sinne and horror trouble anguish sorrow vexation accusation of conscience condemnation these are of the same kinde sin and these are Homogenall now when affliction commeth it congregateth all these Here is sinne yea but sorrow and anguish and horror of conscience seemeth now not to be together with your sinne but when the fire of affliction comes it joynes all these together On the other side sin and joy and prosperity and peace these are Heterogeneall things of another kinde now when the fire of affliction comes it separates these Heterogeneall things then the hearts of the wicked sinke as lead they lye down in sorrow the candle of the wicked is blown out all their mirth and joy it is but the light of a candle affliction makes all to be but as a stinking snuffe And indeed ungodly men when affliction comes are men of the poorest spirits of any men they quickly dye they succumb they fall downe under the least weight of affliction They seeme to have brave spirits to out-brave the word of God but they have poore meane and low spirits when they come to beare Gods hand upon them Affliction takes away all their good that they conceive and understand good There is nothing within them to support them there is nothing but darknesse and blacknesse within nothing but guilt and gnawings of the worme And they looke upon every suffering they indure but as the beginning of eternall suffering And there is the venome and curse of God goes together with their affliction
but now the holy Ghost is come in a full measure as hee then came upon the Disciples so he comes now in the time of the Gospel in a fuller way then formerly there is a continuall Pentecost But the works of God do not of themselves sanctifie any time except we take that note with us we may run into a thousand absurdities if we argue thus because the Iews had such a time vve may have such a time or because there vvere such blessings at that time therefore vve may sanctifie that day No the vvorks of God do not sanctifie any time of themselves it must be the Word some institution or other either the VVord vvritten or some immediate dictate of the Spirit that must sanctifie any day Certainly the vvork of our redemption it self is not enough to change the Sabbath if vve had not sâ— me footing for a nevv institution VVee usually give this ground for a change of the day because of the greatnesse of the worke but though the works of God be great though never so great it is not for us to sanctifie a day it must be an institution of God or else wee sinne in sanctifying any set and stated time for any such work for Christs resurrection or sending of the Spirit except there come an institution though the work be as great as any thing God ever did for the Iewes it will be but will-worship in us and God will not be put off with this What is not this as great a worke as that the Iewes had and may not we celebrate the memory of it as they did but God will say Who required these things at your hands Thus far you may do that is blesse God for those works all the dayes of your lives but to sanctifie any particular day for them certainly that cannot be done without sin we have our warrant for the Lords day as well as the greatnesse of the work because of the practise of the Apostles who were inspired by the holy Ghost The next is the feast of Trumpets onely one particular about it at this time because providence makes it so seasonable In the seventh moneth which was the first moneth of their Annus Civilis there were three feasts Festum Tubarum Expiationis Tabernaculorum The first was the feast of Trumpets now there was a three-fold use of Trumpets among the Iewes 1. For the calling of the congregation together as we use to doe with bells 2. The calling of them to warre 3. For the solemnizing of their feasts This feast of trumpets you have Numb 17. There are four ends given by Divines of the feast of Trumpets some I confesse are very improbable but there are two very probable The one is this feast was to celebrate the New-yeer with them as upon every new moneth that was called the feast of the new Moon to celebrate the beginning of the moneth so in the beginning of the yeare they had a feast to celebrate the beginning of the year that was this feast for it was on the first day of their civill yeare so that it is very probable that feast was appointed to blesse God for the new yeere as well as they had one to celebrate the new moneth It was Gods instiâ—ution for that time to have the New-year consecrated by that feast yet this can be no ground for us now to consecrate the beginning of every new yeer unto God that was Iewish and it is ceast if we will have any consecration of a new yeer it must be by vertue of some institution or other let who can shew the institution we must not thinke because it hath a shew of wisdome and it seemes to bee reasonable to us therefore it may be this is not enough in matter of worship you must strictly tye your selves to an institution in matters of worship in consecrating of times As it is Iewish so it is Heathenish the Heathens consecrated their new yeer to the honour of their god Ianus and we read in Concilium Antisiodorense in France in the yeer 614. it was the judgement of that Councell that it is not lawfull to observe the festivities of the Gentiles to keep their worship and observation of their Calends that is the beginning of their months to adorn houses with lawrel bayes for all these practises saith the Councell savour of paganisme And likewise an ancient writer saith that the Kalends of Ianuary are rather to be taken heed of then to be accounted Kalends and so to be sanctified And further hee saith the Church hath appointed a solemn feast to be upon that very day because oâ— the notorious abuses there were wont to be upon that day And Polydore Virgil saith that these solemnities of Lawrell and Bayes and masques and mummings and such vanities they all come from the Heathens Bachanalia and Saturnalia that were wont to be at that time of the year However therefore we put them upon Christ and think we honour him and call it the Circumcision day of Christ yet by those customes we dishonour him for they are rather Heathenish then Christian To doe it I say because we think to consecrate â—ine though there may be some naturall reason of rejoycing yet no ground for consecration Let no man object and say these solemnities have beene a long time in the Church It is true these are ancient but from whence comes the antiquity It comes from hence because Christians being newly converted out of Paganisme they would keepe as much as possibly they might of the Pagan customes only they would give them a turn turn them to Christian solemnities but the rise was from their Pagan customes therefore all the argument of antiquity either for these or Ceremonies or Prelaticall government it comes from this ground because their pagan customes were so and they lived among pagans and having been lately pagans they savored and smelt of Heathenisme still So now many plead that such things were in the first Reformation no marvail they retained them for they were but newly come out of popery and they savoured and smelt of popery Indeed to plead the antiquity of these things which men must shew when they are put to it is one of the greatest arguments against them Thus was they Feast of All-Saints turned from the Feast Pantheon and so the Feast of the Virgin Mary which they call Candlemas the Heathens had the festivity of their goddesse Febru who was the Mother of Mars upon that day from whence the name of our moneth February cometh they did then celebrate that time with Candles and such things as papists doe now This antiquity have you for celebrating of Candlemas The like may be said for the argument of antiquity for the Prelates O say some such a kind of government hath been ever since Christian Religion hath been in England Grant that there hath been some kind of Bishops ever since but from whence came they We find in Histories that when
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
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
is the fruit of this This is set as the reason of the words immediately before Then shall the lame man leap as an Hart and the tongue of the dumb sing Because the Lord shall make the parched ground become a poole and the thirsty land springs of water this shall make the lame to leap as an Hart the tongue of the dumb to sing Though our tongues be dumb yet it should make us sing when we see God working good out of contraries when wee see things that of themselves tend to our ruin and would bring us to misery that are as the valley of Achor yet God working good out of them if wee have the hearts of men in us much more the hearts of Christians though we were dumb before this should make us sing Yea all this is brought in as an argument to strengthen the weak hands and the feeble knees and as a reason why those that have weake hearts should not feare because God workes good out of that which seemeth the greatest evill vers 4. Say to them that are of a fearefull heart be strong feare not and then followeth this in the 6. verse Are we in the valley of Achor a place of trouble and straits wee have cause to sing even in this valley of Achor for we have not yet been brought into any straits but God hath brought good out of them he hath turned the parched ground into a pool and the thirsty land into springs of water It is our great sin that when God calleth us to singing we are yet concluding of rejecting we are ready to think if we be brought into the valley of Achor we are presently cast off Oh no God calleth you to singing nothwithstanding you meet with difficulties Isa 49. 13. Sing O heavens saith the Text there he joyfull O earth breake forth into singing O mountaines for God hath comforted his people and will have mercy upon his afflicted But mark now the next words But Zion said the Lord hath forsaken me my God hath forgotten mee At that very time when the Lord was calling for singing even then they were concluding of rejecting Take we heed this be not our condition But take the words as then I told you as I conceived them to be the meaning of the spirit of God that this valley of Achor was some speciall mercy that God gave at first as a door of hope to further mercies he would give afterward and there they shall sing Then the observation is When the Lord is beginning with his Saints in the ways of mercy though they have not all that they would have yet it is a singing condition Though you be but yet brought into the valley of Achor and be but at the doore of hope and not entred into the door though you have not yet got the possession of all the mercy God intendeth for you yet God expects you should sing You must not stand grumbling whining complaining and murmuring at the door because you have not what you would have though God makes you wait at the door you must stand singing there It may be said of Gods mercy as of his word in Psal 119. 130. The entrance into thy word giveth light so the entrance of Gods works of mercy giveth light Psal 138. 5. Yea they shall sing in the wayes of the Lord for great is the glory of the Lord. In the ways of the Lord they shall sing though God be but in the wayes of his mercy and they have not what they would have yet they shall sing This is certainly one great reason why our doore of hope is not yet opened to us as we desire or at least that we have not that entrance that we would have at that door because we stand murmuring yea we stand quarrelling one with another at the doore whereas God expects that we should stand singing and praising his name there Though wee have not what wee desire yet let us blesse God that ever we lived to this day to see so much of God as we have done though we should never see more though the mercy we look for should be reserved for the generation that shall follow yet we have cause to blesse God while we live that we have seene and do see so much of God as we have done daily do Let us stand at our Fathers door singing and if we must sing at the foot of Zion what song shall we sing when we come to the height Ier. 31. 12. They shall come and sing in the height of Zion they shall flow to the bountifulnesse of the Lord. If there be any one with whom God is dealing in a way of mercy though you can see but a little light thorough the key-hole yet you should sing there There are many poor souls with vvhom God is beginning in very gracious ways yet because they have not their minds inlightned their hearts humbled as they desire power over corruptions abilities to performe duties as they expect they are presently ready to conclude against themselves surely the Lord will not have mercy we are rejected They think they have nothing because they have not what they vvould O unthankfull heart This is the very thing that keepeth thee under bondage because when the Lord is setting open a door of hope unto thee thou wilt not take notice of it but art presently murmuring and repining because thou hast not all that thou wouldest Wouldest thou enter in at this door and have God perfect the mercy he hath begun take notice of the beginnings and blesse God for what thou hast This would be an observation of marvey lous use to many a drooping soul if they would learne by this dayes coming hither to sing hereafter at the doore of hope Yet further They shall sing there as in the dayes of their youth It is the condition of Gods own people many times when first they enjoy liberty then to be in a singing condition but afterward to lose their joy At first indeed when Gods mercies were fresh to them in the dayes of their youth O how their hearts were taken how then they sung merrily and chearfully Moses and all the people but in processe of time it appeareth they had not kept up this singing this harmonious this melodious heart of theirs therefore God promiseth they should sing as in the dayes of their youth We finde it so in people when they first come to enjoy liberty out of bondage Church liberties Oh how they rejoyce in them how do they blesse God for them O how sweet are these mercies at their very hearts they rejoice that ever they lived to this time but within a while the flower of their youth is gone and they soone have the teats of their virginity bruised At first indeed O the sweetnesse but stay a while and you shall finde contention or scandoll arising amongst them or deadnesse of heart befalling them Oh the blessed
you who are true Israelites but in your blessing God now let present mercies be to you but as streames to bring you to the fountaine Consider of all the mercies along till you come to the fountaine even that Covenant that God hath made with Israel A fourth is All former mercies to Gods people should help Faith in beleeving future mercies That is raised from hence Why doth the Prophet tell them or comming out of the land of Egypt He speaks of some mercy that was to come to Israel now hee names this coming out of the land of Egypt that he might helpe and strengthen their Faith in the beleeving of what mercy was to come As if he should say That God that hath wrought so wonderfully for you in delivering you out of the land of Egypt is able and willing to make good his word in granting to you deliverance for time to come We have excellent Scriptures for this as Psal 66. 6. He turned the sea into dry land they went thorough the flood on foot there did we rejoyce in him Marke they went thorough the flood and there did we rejoyce in him How did we rejoyce in him it was many hundred yeares after that we came to rejoyce But upon the manifestation of Gods great goodnesse to his people in former dayes our faith commeth to be strengthened in Gods mercies for our times and there did we rejoyce in him we did rejoice in the worke of God when they went thorough the Red-sea upon dry land for it is an argument of Gods mercy to us of the power goodnesse and faithfulnesse of God to us Another temarkable Text is Hos 12. 4. Hee had power over the Angel he found him in Bethel and there he spake with us Marke he had power over the Angel he found him in Bethel VVho was that It was Jacob who many years before but there he spake with us hee did not speake with Jacob onely but there hee spake with us that is whatsoever goodnesse the Lord did shew to Jacob in Bethel it concerned us for the strengthening of our faith Mat. 22. 31. 32. Have ye not read that which was spoken unto you saying I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Iacob This was spoken to Moses many hundred yeares before but that expression of Gods grace then was a strengthening the faith of the godly when Christ spake and is the same to us now A fifth is where there is a proportion of mercies there ought to be a proportion of thankfulnesse They shall sing as they did in the day when they came out of Egypt I will grant unto you as great mercies as they had and I expect as great thankfulnesse from you as I had from them as they sung to my praise so must you sing too God sheweth as much mercy to you now as he hath done heretofore I appeale now to you nay God appeales to your consciences Is there a proportion of thankfulnesse as of mercies There hath been a time when you have sung to the praise of God when your hearts have been inlarged to give God praise why should it not be so now A sixt observation is deliverance out of Egypt is an ascending condition That ariseth from the words as they are in the Originall They shal ascend out of the land of Egypt so I told you the words were in the Hebrew as then God would never rest till he brought them up to Mount Zion so when God beginneth to deliver his people from Antichristian bondage they should never rest in their spirits untill they be got to the height of Reformation to the height of their deliverance that is to come to enjoy Gods Ordinances in his own wayes in the purity and the power of them This is our misery and our bâ—senesse that upon some little deliverance we presently are ready to rest whereas we should rise yet higher and higher and expect that God should goe on still with us and raise us in the wayes of mercy untill he hath brought us even to the top of Mount Zion Seventhly From the connection of these words with what followes They shall sing as in the day when they came up out of the land of Egypt and they shall call me Ishi and shall call me no more Baali for I will take even the very names of Baalim out of their mouths and they shall remember them no more that is there shall be a most glorious reformation they shal be delivered from all the remainders of their Idolatrous worship they shall not so much as remember their very names the Reformation shall be so perfect From thence the Observation is When God raiseth the spirits of people to rejoyce in his mercy then is the time for them if ever to set up a through Reformation then when their hearts are warmed inflamed and inlarged with the goodnesse of God unto them then is the time to cast out all the remainders of all superstition of all kinde of false worship I will give you two excellent Scriptures for this the one is Esay 30. 19. Thou shalt weep no more saith he he will be very gracious unto thee at the voyce of thy cry The Lord promiseth abundance of mercy he tells them that they shall weep no more he will be very gracious now marke what followeth in the 22. verse Ye shall defile the covering of thy graven Images of silver the ornaments of thy molten Images of gold thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth thou shalt say unto it Get thee hence The other Scripture is 2 Chron. 30. 26. there you finde that there was great joy in Jerusalem such joy as the text saith was not since the dayes of Solomon it was upon the celebration of their Passe-over there had not beene the like Marke then in the beginning of the next Chapter saith the text when all this was finished that is when they had celebrated a Passeover so full and had such abundance of joy such a joy as had not beene in Jerusalem since the time of Solomon Now all Israel went out to the Cities of Iudah and brake the Images in pieces and cut down the groves and threw down the high places and the Altars out of all Iudah Benjamin Their hearts were inflamed with the joy they had they went with resolution and brake down 〈◊〉 â—â—ages c. And marke it the Text saith it was 〈…〉 that did this 〈◊〉 went out into the Cities of Iudah and brake the the Images in pieces and threw down the high places the Altars out of all Iudah What had Israel to doe with Iudah Iudah and Israel were divided But now their hearts were so inflamed for God that they were not able to abide any false worship amongst their brethren though it belonged to Judah yet they would goe help their brethren to cast down all their Images and to cut down their Groves and
Altars this was when their hearts were warmed with joy in blessing the name of God VVhen God once warmeth the hearts of people it is much what they will doe for God then They will not stand examining every nicety but they will fall upon the work directly the joy of the Lord was the strength of their hearts at this time as it is with the lusts of wicked men when they get into company at feasts in Taverns and there they are drinking while their lusts are warmed then what desperate resolutions have they to doe wickednesse So when Gods Saints are exercised in Gods Ordinances and are refreshed with the sweet love of God when that lies glowing at their hearts what strong resolutions have they for God! then they can doe any thing for God Now the very name of Baalim must be taken away VERSE 16. And it shall be in that day saith the Lord that thou call me Ishi and shalt call me no more Baali 17. For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth they shall be no more remembred by their name Here we have as full a Prophesie and promise of as thorough reformation of the Church as any I know we have in Scripture God hath a time to reforme his Church thorowly the very names of their Idols the very remembrance of them shall be taken away This reformation is â—ods worke I will doe it saith God I will take away the names of Baalim They shall call me Ishi and no more Baali Why what great difference is there betweene these two names Ishi and Baali that God will have one but not the other The truth is both of them signifie even almost the same thing Both of them are names very fit for a wife to call her husband by Ishi is my husband and Baali is my husband too But the word Ishi cometh from a word that signifieth strength the woman being the weaker vessel therefore shee calls her husband Ishi my strength for the husband should be strength to the wife he should live with her as a man of knowledge he should be a protection to her he should help her in all her weaknesses afflictions Baali signifieth my Lord as well as my husband it is a word that moteth rule and authority Ishi is a word that hath more love and familiarity in it Baali is a word that noteth the inferiority of the wife to the husband Now God saith he will be called Ishi but not Baali why there is no hurt in the word Baali it selfe the word Baali is a very good word and hath a good signification it is proper to God as any word that can be given to him by the Church but that God did forbid it here for it is no more when the church cals God Baali then if the Church should say O God that art my Lord my husband who art to rule govern me Yea and we find that God gives to himself this name Isa 54. 5. Thy Maker is thy husband so it is in your books but the word in the Hebrew is the same that we have here Thy Maker is thy Baali so that husband and Baal is the very same But now because they had abused this word Baal and given into their Idols therefore God would have no more of it though it was a good word a significant word and as proper to God as any was As the word Tyrannus was a name once for a King Kings were called Tyrants without any such ill signification as now it carries with it but because they had gotten the sole power into their hands they did so oppress abuse their power therefore oppressors were called Tyrants So the Latine word fur which is for a thiefe it was once the ordinary word for a servant Fures and Servi were wont to be the same and without any ill signification but because afterward many servants grew to be false to steale from their Masters therefore fures was altogether taken in the worst part onely for theeves So Sophista a Sophister was one that studied wisdome but because they did so much degenerate many under the colour of the study of wisdome deceived others therefore the name Sophister was used in the worst part I might instance in many other For further opening this May not the name Baal be mentioned God tells them that he would take away the name of Baalim out of their mouths VVhy may not we use this word Baali in our mouths To this I answer Yes it is not unlawfull for us to mention the word notwithstanding this for the holy Ghost a long time after this mentions the word in an historicall way Rom. 11. 4. hee speaks there of those that had not bowed their knees to Baal the word you see is mentioned remembred by the spirit of God therefore it was not a sin nay not only the word Baal bâ—r it is not unlawfull to mention the names of any Idols of the heathen for the holy Ghost doth so likewise Acts 18. 11. speaking of the ship that they sayled in he saith there whose signe was Castor and Pollux the names of two heathen Idols And you may observe that here in the text the remembring is as much forbidden as the mentioning Now if it were a finne meerly to mention the names of the heathen gods it were a sin to remember them Therefore God means the mentioning of them Honoris gratia any way for their honour or without detestation of them The words being thus opened you have many excellent observations out of them very usefull and seasonable for our times First There is a great deale of danger in words and names You shall call me Ishi I will not have you call me Baali I will not have that word used the Devill hath got much by words and names heretofore by the word Puritane though 〈◊〉 knew not what it meant now by this new name that he hath of late invented the devill hath alwayes some words some names for distinction of men in which he sees advantage is to be had The speakiâ—â—â—f the ways of 〈…〉 the language of superstition doth much hurt 〈…〉 a notabl◠〈◊〉 â—etion from the Papists themselves concerning that it is in the Rhemists Testament in their notes upon that place 1 Tim. 6. 20. Keep that which is committed to thy trust avoyding prophane and vaine bablings so we translate it they translate it prophane novelties this is their note upon it Let us say they keep our fore-fathers words and we shall easily keepe our old faith you shall see that wee had not long since the very spirit of these men breathing in many amongst us The Hereticks call repentance amendment but let us say they keep the old word Penance they say the Lords Supper but we will keep the old word Masse they say Communion Table but let us keep the old word Altar Was it not just thus with us the call Elders and Ministers
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
sonne of the perverse rebellious woman he cast a jave lin at him to kill him then the fourescore five Priests in the City of Nob must be all slain in his anger What was the bottome of all this It was the breach between God and his owne spirit Oh take heed of breaches between God and you for they will put you into a perverse and froward disposition What doth a man get by the want of this kindness and loving disposition He troubleth himself Pro. 11. 17. He that is cruell of a sharsh disposition troubleth his own flesh I appeale to you do you not lose much of the sweetness of your lives you that are in a marryed condition What comfort have you in your lives when there is nothing but snarling at and crossing one another you trouble your own house and your own flesh whereas if there were loving kindness betwixt you it would sweeten all your comforts yea all your crosses The loving kindnes of a man or a woman is the beauty of a man or woman Pro 19. 2. The kindnes of a man is the desire of a man saith the text there And of a woman Pro. 31. 29. among other high comendations of a vertuous woman who had done excellently this is one The law of kindnes is in her tongue kindnes giveth a law to her mouth many women have no law given to their mouthes their tongues are lawlesse when they are angred but a woman that is commended of God the Text saith the law of kindnes is in her tongue the kindnes of her heart doth give a law to her mouth that is the honor of a woman To be of a sweet kind disposition is an exceeding beauty it addes a glorious lustre to any man living Isa 40. 6. All flesh is grasse and all the goodlinesse thereof is as the flower of the field the word is in the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same word that is here that word which signifyeth kindnesse is translated there goodlinesse noting that kindnesse is the goodlinesse of the spirit of a man or woman what the beauty of a flower is to a flower that is kindnesse to a man or woman it is goodlinesse Just in Martyr in his Apologie for the Christians faith that their adversaries did hate only the name of a Christian they had nothing against the Christians and what is there saith he in the name Nothing but that which is good and lovely enough now saith he it is not just to hate that which is profitable gentle for so the word signifyeth they are Christians what if you call them Christiani of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mild profitable for to they are indeed they are profitable gentle sweet natured people and why should you hate those people 2 Cor. 6. 6. Being filled with the holy Ghost and kindness are put together there is much of the holy Ghost where there is much kindnesse The spirit of Christ is a spirit of kindnesse and gentleness and though you may thinke that your rigidness and roughnesse may argue bravenesse of spirit in you for it is ordinary for froward and passionate people to thinke they have more brave spirits then others but know that your spirits are more base and vile then the spirits of others I will give you only one Text for that Psal 45. 4. it is said of Christ In thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meeknesse now the same word that is here translated meeknesse 2 Sam. 22. 26. is gentlenesse thy gentlenesse hath made me great Mark gentlenesse magnificence or majesty may stand together yea Christ is magnificent and full of majesty in the gentlenesse and quietness of his spirit ride on in thy majesty prosperously because of thy meeknesse because of thy gentleness Would you have a brave spirit like unto the spirit of Christ in his glory let your spirits be gentle sweet and loving spirits I will betroth thee unto me in mercies Loving kindnesse and mercies may seem in the reading as if they were the same but there is a great deale of difference in them And in mercies Viscera so the word is I will betroth thee unto my self in bowels Not the fruit only but the root not the water onely but the fountaine thou shalt have the fountain of all good my very bowels from whence flowes all mercies Wherefore Christians you need not fear the want of the supply of mercies why because you have the fountaine of mercies from whence they spring God may grant to wicked men many fruits of his bounty and goodnesse yea but they have not his bowels they have not the fountain the root from whence all springs Here is the happinesse of a Christian not onely to have much good from God but to have those very bowels from whence that good cometh Here lies the dignity the glory of a Christian the vastnesse of his riches Christians you shall not therefore neede feare to give up any mercy God calls for at your hands for you have got the bowels of mercy to be yours you have got the spring-head of all mercy to bee yours whence you may fetch all seasonable all sutable mercies when you will Here is the reason why many who are carnall when they have got a mercy from God they keepe it so sure they are afraid to lose it they are loth to part with it though God calleth for it againe Why because they are not acquainted with the true priviledg of a Christian they do not know what it is to possesse the bowels of God they know not where to goe for more therefore they are loth to part with what they have Now the Saints can part with any thing for God let him take what he will have let him strip me as naked as hee pleaseth I have the bowels of God I have the spring-head to goe to for all mercies again It is true if there were want of water and you had only water in a cistern if your neighbour came to borrow of you you would be loth to lend any but if you have a well-spring and a fountaine that never was dry and never will be drawn dry is it a great matter for you to lend water then So it is true the men of the world are needy creatures they have something indeed but it is as water in a cistern when that is gone they think that all is gone therefore they will not lend it no not unto God himselfe when hee calls for it But the Saints have the bowels of mercy the spring-head of all mercy therefore whatsoever God calls for they presently say Lord here take all I know where to have it againe and much more then that This makes godly men so ingenuous for God and so free hearted to him and to his servants I will berroth thee unto me in mercies A little to search into these mercies It is an argument that hath much depth in it First they are a
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