follow it is accounted by God as we brought the evil on purpose upon our selves Surely they set not up silver and gold on intention to destroy themselves but because destruction doth necessarily follow therefore God accounts it done on purpose in Jer. 7. 18. in Pro. 8. 36. All them that hate me love death Surely no man loves death but when you do cast off the instruction of wisdom you do as mnch as if you should say You love death as here that they might be cut off It follows VER 5. Thy Calf O Samaria hath cast thee off THY Calf O Samariah He calls the Idol a calf by way of contempt But why is it called the Calf of Samaria It was not set up in Samaria There is two Calves only that we reade of and yet here it is call'd the Calf of Samaria The reason is this that Samaria was the chief City and because the Calf was by the power and riches and countenance of the chief City of the Land maintained therefore it is call'd the Calf of Samaria Where that 's corrupted the whol Land wil quickly be corrupted where that stands right it goes well w th the whol Land that 's the reason why the Adversaries seek to corrupt and overthrow our chief Citie As all did depend upon what Samaria did therefore the corruption of false worship is attributed to Samaria it is thy Calf Oh Samaria And therefore if God had not moved the hearts of the People of this City but we had brought Popery in it might have been said it was the Popery of London and whereas on the other side if God please to work their spirits right to go on to the end the children not yet born may have cause to bless this Citie and say This is the Reformation that we may bless London for It hath cast thee off Hath cast thee off from me so some have it But rather as you have it in your books Thy Calf hath cast thee off Whence note That though Idolaters promise to themselves safety and protection by their Idols yet they will leave them at last All you that go on in the waies of sin know that those waies of sin of yours will leave you in the lurch at the last as they say the Devil leaves the Witches when they come to the prison when Judas went to the Scribes and Pharisees in the anguish of his spirit and cast down the money and said I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood What 's that to us say they see thou to that Therfore the best way is to cast off our sin and wickedness first But God will not do thus God will not cast off his People in the time of trouble and when our unbeleeving hearts do think that God will cast us off in the time of trouble we make God an Idol as if God would do as the Idols did cast us off We may in Gods Cause be brought into straights but God will never cast us off in them when we are ready to think our selves to be utterly forsaken in straights then God may be working the greatest good for us we have a most notable Scripture for that in Isa 49. 13 and 14. verses Sing Oh Heavens and be joyful Oh Earth and break forth into singing Oh Mountains for God hath comforted His People and will have mercy upon His afflicted But mark Zyon said the Lord hath forsaken me They were in a singing condition and God calls the Heavens to sing and the Earth to be joyful and the Mountains to break forth into singing because of so great a work that God was making for His People but Zyon said The Lord hath forsaken me And so it is with particular souls they are ready to say the Lord hath forsaken me but God will not do so Mine anger is kindled against them When wicked men are brought into the greatest straits then Gods wrath is hottest and then also Conscience belks and burns most hot as mens countenances change red and pale sometimes with anger so it is said here that even the countenance of God grow red and pale with His anger against this people Though superstitious men may think that outward pompous worshipping pleases God most yet we see here that it doth stir up the anger of God so that God grows even pale against them with anger How long will it be ere they attain to innocency Mens hearts are stubborn in their own waies they will not be taken off wicked men will be true to their own principles there is a stubborn constancy in evil as well as a gracious constancy in good How long will it be Again secondly God is very patient a long time Then Thirdly Continuence in sin is no excuse but an aggravation of sin to make it grievous to God when God chastises us we are ready to cry How long Lord Will he reretain his anger for ever Know that our continuance in sin is as great a burden to Gods Spirit he cries out when will they be made clean when shall it once be and in Jer. 4. 14. ver Oh Jerusalem wash thine heart from wickedness that thou maiest be saved how long shall thy vain thoughts lodg within thee Ere they attain to innocency The words are He cannot attain that is he is so deeply engaged that he cannot attain to innocency when men are engaged in evil waies they cannot get out Take heed of engagements in that which is evil Secondly If by custom and engagement in evil we have no power to get out this will be no excuse to us In 2 Pet. 2. 14. They have eyes full of adultry and they cannot cease to sin This is the aggravation of sin no excuse A learned man of late hath an excellent Note upon this They cannot bear innocency and indeed according to the Hebrew this may as well be added for explication for in the Hebrew there is nothing else but this They cannot innocency the word attain is not in the Hebrew and it may very well sute with the time wherein Hosea did prophesie and the meaning is this They cannot bear with those who will not joyn with them but will go to Jerusalem to worship and this provokes the Spirit of God against them because they cannot bear those that would seek to free themselves from defilements in the Worship of God there is nothing in the world wherein men cannot less bear one with another than in dissentions about the worship of God and commonly the Nocent party is the most bitter against the Innocent as the Lutherans they were worse in their waies than the Calvinists specially in the point of superstition but they were a great deal more bitter against the Calvinists than the Calvinists were against them it was an expression that Calvin hath Though Luther saith he should call me Devil yet I would honor him as a Servant of Jesus Christ The
God would have but one Altar 74 Answ 1. These Altars did typifie two things 1 That Christ was to be the only sacrifice 74 2 That all our services are accepted only in him ib. 2. That it might be the bond of the Church Other Objections Answered 76 Obs 1 Mans inventions in Gods Worship are rejected of God 77 Obs 2 There is no stop in superstitious worship 78 Obs 3 We are ready to imitate our forefathers in what is evil but not in what is good 79 Obs 4. Take heed distance of time make us not to fear the threatning the less 80 Obs 5 Every age ads something to Idolatry and false worship 81 Obs 6 What ever names we give to things it may be God will give other names and titles 83 Obs 7 When mens hearts are set upon fals waies of worship it is just with God to let them have their desires to the full ib. VERSE XII Obs 1 Whatsoever is urged or practised in matter of worship it must have warrant out of the written Word of God 85 Obs 2 We should look upon the Scriptures as concerning our selves 92 Obs 3 The things of Gods Worship are to be looked upon as great things 96 1 Because they are from a great God ib. 2 The lustre of the great God shines in them ib. 3 They are the mysteries of Gods will 97 4 They are of great concernment 98 5 They have great power on the heart of man ib. 6 They make all those great that receive them 99 7 They are great in Gods account ib. Obs 4 The word is matter for the greatest spirits to exercise themselves about 101 Obs 5 It is a special means to obedience to have high thoughts of Gods Law 102 Obs 6. The worship of God is a great matter 103 The Word of God accounted strange 1 As not concerning them 105 2 Strange in their apprehensions 106 3 There is no sutableness between their hearts and the Doctrine 107 4 They use the Word as a stranger viz. for their own ends 108 Obs 7 Superstitious people that are very zealous in their own way of worship are very negligent in Gods way 108 Obs 8 It is a dangerous thing for men to have their hearts estranged from Gods Law 110 The Degrees of the hearts estrangement from God 1 His delight in God abates 111 2 They are less frequent together ib. 3 He hath hard thoughts of Gods Word ib 4 He wisheth the things in the Word were otherwise ib. 5 He begins to listen to things that are against the Word 112 6 He will not search throughly into truths ib. 7 An engagement in some unlawful practice ib. 8 Weighty arguments now become weak ib. 9 He violently rejects the Word ib. Obs 8 That which mens corrupt hearts will not close withal they put it upon Christ as if Christ had delivered them from it 113 VERS XIII Obs 1 Men may continue in outward profession and yet the great things of Gods Law may be strange to them 115 Obs 2 Most men offer up nothing to God in sacrifice but flesh 116 Obs 3 To aim at Self in serving God eats out true devotion 117 Obs 4 If Self be regarded all is rejected 119 Obs 5 Men may be much in holy services and yet their sins stand upon the score nevertheless 120 Obs 6 Howsoever God may forbear wicked men a time yet he hath a time to remember all ib. Obs 7 God remembers the sins of wicked people especially in the performance of holy duties 122 1 Because we come into Gods presence ib. 2 Holy Duties are aggravations of sin ib. Obs 8 God visits mens sins when they think he neglects them most 123 Obs 9 Carnal hearts when God visits their sins plot which way to shift for themselves 124 Obs 10 It is one of the most dreadful judgments of God upon a Nation when he hath delivered them from one bondage to deliver them into the same again 125 Obs 11 It is just with God that those that inherit their fathers sins should inherit their fathers judgments ib. Obs 12 All places are places of misery when God forsakes a People ib. VERSE XIV Obs 1 God punisheth for sin when men are most secure 126 Obs 2 It is Gods favor that makes a man 127 Obs 3 The greater excellency God raiseth a man to the viler is his sin to forget God 128 Obs 4 When mens hearts are farthest off from God then are they forwardest in superstition 128 Objections answered 129 Obs 5 Men are more subject to secure themselves from outward things than from Gods wrath 132 Obs 6 When men bless themselves in their own thoughts they should consider what are Gods thoughts 133 Obs 7 Brave things are subject to Gods devouring fire 134 CHAP. IX VERS I. Obs 1 That 's a sad war where the Conqueror hath cause to be sad at the Conquest 137 Vse for England ib. Obs 2 Leagues wherein we much rejoyce may prove occasions of sorrow 138 Use Be not greedy of peace before the time ib. Obs 3 Carnal hearts bless themselves in in outward prosperity 139 Obs 4 When men be jolly and merry they should consider whether it be from God or not 140 Obs 5 We may prosper and yet have no cause of joy ib. Obs 6 Carnal hearts are immoderate in joy 141 Exhortations 1 Be not taken with the worlds jollity 142 2 Imitate them not in their waies of rejoycing ib. 3 Do not rejoyce as a People 143 4 Rejoyce not profanely ib. 5 Rejoyce not as having so much cause as others 144 Obs 7 Many that scorn mean men may not be in so good a case as they ib. Obs 8 Although we enjoy the same blessings that othess do yet we may not have the same cause to rejoyce that they have 144 Obs 9 It is a great argument of mens misery that others rejoyce when they cannot 145 Obs 10 That which we call little matter in corrupting Gods Worship God calls a going a whoring from him 147 Obs 11 A People may be free from the gross evils of another people and yet be in a worse condition than they 147 Proved 148 Obs 12 To be constant to evil principles is not so great an evil as to be false in good principles ib. Obs 13 The sins of Gods People are the greatest sins of all 149 Obs 14 Idolaters love outward prosperity because it is a reward of their service to their Idols 153 VERSE II. Obs 1 God often lets wicked men come near a mercy and then cuts them off 154 Obs 2 God strikes wicked men in those things their hearts are mâ—st set upon ib. Obs 3. The promises of the creature will lye the promises of the world will not 155 Obs 4 Men shall fail at last in what they think they to get in a way of sin ib. VERSE III. Obs 1 It is a great judgment of God to drive men out of a Land for sin 159 Obs 2 The state of the Church of God
opposed Do you not find many so that are in a violent way set upon wickedness and ungodliness that they will hear nothing they snuff at the wind and all that is said against them and run violently upon wicked waies and upon their own ruin It may be in their month you shall find them that hath reference unto the very last month which the wild Ass goes when it is with young then when it is so big and till then there is no dealing with them Some Historians say that the wild Asses are so fierce that they will tare asunder Armor of proof but only in the very month when they are so big that they cannot weld themselves then you shall find them So though sinners be never so stubborn yet God hath his month and perhaps then you shall find them When at any time you find your children or servants or others to be stubborn and stout against whatsoever is said to them and even rage in their madness for the satisfying of their wicked wills you may remember this text and creature they are as wild Asses that are alone by themselves and among all wicked men Idolaters are the most stubborn and stout in their wicked waies their hearts are set upon their Idols yea as the phrase of Scripture is in Jer. 5. 38 They are mad upon their Idols There 's nothing that can be said to those whose hearts are taken with false worship nothing will prevail with them without an infinite power of God put forth and there 's no sinners more bold more untamable and fierce in their waies then those that are superstitious and that 's their reason that if they be opposed in their way of false worship you know there will be such tumultuousness of people flinging of stones against windows where God is truly worshipped any thing in the world though they know not what they do yet because they think themselves condemn'd in their sinful waies therefore they run like wild beasts in a furious manner even against those that worship God better than themselves Secondly God compares the ten Tribes to the wild Ass in way of contempt of them As in the former place of Job 11. 12. Vain man would be wise though man be born like a wild Asses Colt he would fain think himself somebody yet he is a most base and vile creature And if any of you be not so fierce in your wicked waies as some others are if God hath tamed your spirits by His Word and Spirit bless God for it for all men are born like a wild Asses Colt they are mad upon their wicked waies to ruin themselves But because there 's no men that think higher of themselves than stubborn spirits for stoutness and stubborness doth evermore proceed from pride because they think it such a dishonor for their wills to be crost in any thing therefore the Scripture casts the more contempt upon them and calls such proud stout fools wild Asses and indeed there are none more contemptible in the eyes of God than stout sinners It follows A wild Ass alone by himself Alone The reason of this expression is to shew that Ephraim and the ten Tribes they would be at their own hands they would have their own wills alone There 's these two things exprest in it First That they would be under no government but alone by themselves and have liberty to frisk up and down and do what they list alone acknowledging no Commander and so the Chalde Paraphrase hath it Because that they would walk in the evil of their own lusts and would acknowledg no Comander And thus many at this day they love to be alone that is to live at their own hand to be from under Government Though it is here he was alone in the Wilderness he would rather be in the Wilderness alone so be it he may acknowledg no Commander than in the best pastors under any command Thus it is with many they love to be alone that is they are loth to come under any Government they had rather be in the wildernes and suffer never so great straights than come under any Government It is true of divers sorts of people even the lowest sort many that love to live at their own hand servants that are not able to provide for themselves that if they have but a little sickness are ready to starve yet that they might live without any command not under any Government they will chuse rather to endure abundance of hardship that they may live alone many times it is so especially in the foemale sex which ought to be under Government and some Protection yet they love to be alone at their own hand I say and meerly because they cannot endure to come under any kind of Government whatsoever And in the wilderness Their lives indeed are as in the wilderness when they are in any straights and distresses they have no body to look after them and regard them because they loved their liberties so much before So many had rather be without all Ordinances in the Church or many Ordinances only that they might live as they list at their own wills that they may not be under the Government of Christ they had rather live in the wilderness of the world so that they might have liberty rather than be in Gods Vinyard under the Government of Christ These come under the reproof here that Ephraim did in this place Secondly Alone by himself as unfit for Society they were so furious and fierce in their way Some are of such untoward and perverse dispositions that they can agree with no body so that they are only fit to live in the wilderness I suppose you have met with in your families that are so extreamly perverse in their waies and they are of such untoward and crooked dispositions that they are fit to live in no Society but alone in the Wilderness and this reproof of Ephraim comes likewise upon those Ephraim hath hired Lovers The Assyrians and Egyptians and others the words signifie Loves Before they put their confidence in the Assyrians and now they make them their loves The thing I note is this That where we place our confidence there our love should be placed If God be the confidence of our hearts let our love be placed there yea let God be our Loves in the plural number for so it is here they hired Lovers she would fain have the Assyrians to love her When God is forsaken when we have lost our Interest in Gods love no mervail though there be such a seeking after the Creatures love men that forsake God they seek to make up what they have not in God in the Creature as a dog when he hath lost his Master he is ready to follow every one he meets with Again He hath hired Loves Because they had nothing lovely in themselves therefore they hire the love of
outwardly better than themselves Oh! this was exceeding grievous to the heart of God and thence the Note is this That it is a very great evil when wicked men seem to prosper a little in their outward condition more than Gods People for those that are the people of God to begin to think that therefore those wicked ones are in a better condition than themselves this is an evil that doth go very much to the heart of God and very ordinarily it is in some degree or other among the People of God I appeal to your consciences in this very thing though at some time your souls have had sweet refreshing from the Lord in the enjoyment of communion with him but yet when Gods hand hath been out against you when you look'd upon others though you knew them to be wicked and ungodly yet they have prospered their Ships came home safely and richly and their trading goes on Do you not sometimes find such rising of your thoughts within you as if so be that these men were in a â—etter condition than your selves Oh! if you have but the least thought rising that way know it is that which doth exceedingly grieve the Spirit of God by which you are seal'd that because they have a few loaves more than you though you have all the riches of God and Christ though you have the inheritance of Saints yet that you should think them in a better condition than you are in As a child if he sees some stranger have a bit of meat better than he hath he should think presently that his father loves the stranger better than him this the father takes ill How ordinary is it upon this ground for those that have profest themselves to be godly rather to withdraw themselves from the afflicted Saints and seek correspondence with wicked men that prosper God would have his people see an al sufficiency in himself in their sadest condition so as they need not go out from him for help but still wait upon him and keep his way the Lord by his Prophet rebukes Jehoshaphat in 2 Chron. 19. 2. for loving the ungodly and helping them that hate the Lord. And is there not as great an evil to seek the love of the wicked and ungodly and help from them that hate the the Lord certainly the evil is very great it argues very little love that we have to God it charges God of unfaithfulness as if though he hath engaged himself to his people yet he would leave them in the lurch this encourages the wicked in their wicked waies and it charges God with that which is accounted one of the most vile things among men What is accounted one of the vilest things among men that a man should set another men about his work and then leave them in the lurch when they meet with troubles in their work It is as vile a thing as any is among men and we should look upon such men as should imploy others in any service and then leave them to shift for themselves in their straights we should look upon them as vile men unworthy to be dealt withal Now what would we but charge God with this even that which makes men to be most vile And this besides is a most desperaee folly so to do for when thou art thinking to provide for thy self by correspondence with ungodly men it may be thou wert just at the very point of deliverance at that very time it is Gods usual way to come to help his people when they are in the greatest straights and therefore it is the greatest folly that when we are in straights then to think of shifting courses so that then we must forsake our own mercy in thinking of shifting courses in straights above all times Christians should take heed of thinking of shifting courses because then above all times those are the times for God to shew his mercy and just then Wilt thou then be forsaking him Oh! it is that which should lie neer to your hearts if any of you have been guilty of this let but the Word of God bring this upon your spirits this day Oh! how do I know but at that very time when I took such a shifting course that was the very time that God was about to do my soul good and of doing good for my body and yet then I deprived my self of good that goodness and mercy of God It follows yet Now will I gather them This gathering among Interpreters hath reference either to the Nations whom they sought unto or to themselves I will gather them that is That Nation or I will gather you If to the Nation then the scope is thus Notwithstanding you hire the Nations yet I will gather them against you they shall be strengthened against you with the same money that you hyre them withal I will turn it against you and now you have provided fair for your selves have you not Many times when we think to provide best for our own peace we make the greatest provision for our own ruin God many times makes people work their own wo and ruin themselves and there is no means that doth more fully and directly tend to undo them than what they do themselves and thus God over rules the counsels and thoughts of men What a vain thing is it to plot against God when God can turn mens Arrows against themselves No men are greater instruments of Gods wrath many times against us than we are our selves yea and than those are that we seek most to correspond withal and it is just with God it should be so that if we wil leave him to seek correspondence with wicked men it is just with God that of all men in the world those should be the men that should be made the Executioners of Gods wrath upon us But now if it be to Israel I will gather them among the Nations Then the word here gathered is sometimes used for gathering dead corps in an Army when they are slain in Battel You go and think to have the Nations but you shall be as a company of dead corps in an Army and lie in heaps there But I find Calvin hath a further Note upon it and takes it as having reference to the former verse This people are wild and run up and down this way and that way to shift for themselves but I will gather them that is I will keep theâ— in so the words likewise may signifie I will keep them in I will gather-in their spirits there shall be some work of prudence or other to keep them in I will keep them from those waies wherein they would presently have ruined themselves People run many times headily on in evil waies that would certainly ruin them but when Gods time for the execution of his wrath is not yet come the Lord restrains them and keeps them in from such waies though their hearts be set upon such waies
in their speaking and in their writing I have written And I have written to him the great things of my Law From this manner of Phrase first we are to note this That we should look upon the Scripture as concerning our selves Here 's a letter written to you and you and you every man and woman therefore it is in the singular number every man woman must look upon the Scripture as written to him or her particularly God writes to thee he hath written a letter to thee that thou shouldest not commit Adultry nor swear nor steal and that thou shouldest keep the Sabbath and that thou shouldest not lye and that thou shouldest reverence him and love him and fear him and all such kind of rules that God from Heaven hath written to thee and it is a mervailous help to obedience and to awaken mens consciences when they apprehend them written to them Psal 119. 105. Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a light unto my paths It is not a light that I see at a distanc a great way off but as a light that is held to my feet that I make use of for the ordering of mine own steps Many there are that seem to rejoyce in the Word of God as a light to reveal Truths unto them for matter of discourse but they make it not as a light to their feet and a lanthorn to their steps as applying it to themselves and it follows I have sworn and will perform it That I will keep thy righteous judgments I have look'd upon thy Word as a Lanthorn to my feet as a thing meerly concerning me and then I have sworn and I will perform I have sworn that I will keep thy righteous judgments It 's a mighty means to stir up a mans spirit and quicken him up to obedience to look upon the Word as written to himself As thus when you come to hear out of Gods Word and God directs the Minister so that you apprehend it as spoken to you it will stir and awaken you Oh me thought this day every word the Minister spake it was to me And so every word in the Scripture that concerns thee God writes to thee and conceive it so and it will be a mighty means to stir thee up to obedience As if a man be asleep a great noise will not waken him so soon as if you call him by his name John Thomas c. So when the Word of God comes as to our selves in particular it 's a mighty means to stir the heart Again I have written to him To those that were the People of God though the Word concerns all men yet it is written to the Church in a more especial manner As you find in the Revelations all the Epistles were written to the Churches and indeed all the Word of God is in a more peculiar manner written to the Church there are some things concerning all mankind but that which God Aims at in a more especial manner it is to the Church first to the Church of the Jews they had that great priviledg that the Orracles of God were committed to them in Rom. 3. 2. when the Apostle had taken them off from resting in many of their outward priviledges he brings an Objection But then may some say What advantage hath the Jew He answers much every way chiefly because to them were committed the Oracles of God in this thing they had much advantage of all people in the world that to them were committed the Oracles of God God gave Jacob his Law it was the Inheritance of his people it is written to them to them is committed the Oracles of God and this is a great honor which God puts upon his Saints God makes his Church to be the Keeper of his Records the Court of Rolls as it were the Church is as it were the Court of Rolls and the great Records of Heaven God commits to his Church and therfore they should look to it that it be kept faithfully that there be no corrupting it for then they do falsifie their trust Shee hath the keeping of Scripture but gives no Authority to Scripture in John 5. 47. saith Christ there If ye beleeve not Moses writings how can ye beleeve my words Mark Christ would have the Authority of his words much to be strengthened by the writings that were before in Scripture If ye beleeve not his writings how can ye beleeve my words But now the Papists will say If ye beleeve not our words how can ye beleeve their writings quite the other way they will take upon them more than Christ Christ saith If ye beleeve not his writings how can ye beleeve my words Say they If ye beleeve not our words how can ye beleeve their writings For they take the Authority of the writing of Scripture to depend upon their words It is written to the Church and committed to the Church but the Authority comes not from the Church It follows I have written the great things of my Law By Law here we are to understand â—he whol Word of God and not in way of distinction of Law and Gospel but the whol Word of God and so the word signifies it comes from one signifying teaching the Law is a Doctrine that is taught and so though sometimes it may be distinguished from some other parts of Scripture yet now we are to understand the whol mind of God in his Word when you reade in Psal 119. how David loved Gods Law it is not the ten Commandements but the mind of God revealed in his Word The great things of my Law The Old Latin hath it the many Laws and the words in the Hebrew seems a little to favor the multiplicity of my Laws And then it should argue these two things First That the Word is full and perfect that we have rules for every thing that concerns the ordination of our lives to God in his Word there 's a multiplicity of Laws and Rules for all our waies Secondly That there are manifold excellencies in Gods Law as the manifold wisdom of God is in Christ so the manifold excellencies of God are kept up together in the Word of God The Seventy translates the word the Fulness or Multitude and according to that Tertullian hath an expression I adore the fulness of the Scripture Oh the multitude of excellent things there are there and the fulness that there is there I find divers turn this word by many words that have excellent significations in them and indeed the Hebrew word wil bear many expressions of it Some the Precious thing the Magnificent thing the Excellent thing the Honorable things of my Law as in Acts 2. 11. they spake the wonderful things of God it is more than the great things the magnificent great things of God Now the things of the Word they are glorious and honorable and very great they are to
is in an high and honorable condition indeed Further The things of Gods Law are great in Gods esteem they are great because the great God thinks them so That is to be accounted great that the most judicious and wise men in the world judg so to be indeed that which a child thinks to be a great thing is no great thing a child may think a bauble to be a great thing so we may think things great indeed we think the things of the world are great for a man to have an estate it 's a great matter to have riches and honors and to be some-body in the world we think these to be great things But what are these in Gods eyes God despises all these things But that which the great God will think to be a great thing certainly that 's great indeed Now mark what a high esteem God hath of his Word in that place where Christ saith Heaven and Earth shall pass away but not one jot or tittle of my Word shall pass away As if Christ should say The Lord will rather withdraw his power from the upholding of Heaven and Earth than from making good any one jot or tittle of his Law you may think it a little matter to break Gods Law but God thinks it a great matter and God would have us to make a great matter of every thing that is written in Gods Law I am the willinger to enlarge my self in this because I know it is the ground of all the wickedness in mens hearts and lives because they look upon the Law as a little matter well though they dare sin against Gods Law for the getting of a groat or six pence but God saith I will rather lose Heaven and Earth than one jot or tittle of my Law shall fall and he will make it appear one day that the things of his Law are great things in Isa 42. 21. He will magnifie the Law and make it honorable You may vilifie it a company of wanton spirits we have that consider not what they say or what they do running away with the very word of the Law they think to vilifie it What have we to do with the Law and under that word not understanding what they mean they think to cast a vile esteem upon the Law let them do what they will yet God will magnifie his Law and as it is great in the thoughts of God so it is and shall be for ever great in the thoughts of the Saints the Lord will have his people to the end of the world have high thoughts of his Law the Saints they look upon the Law of God so great as they had rather suffer all the miseries and torments that any man in the world any Tyrant can devise than willingly to break the Law in any one thing surely they account it a great matter when a man shal be willing rather to lose his estate and liberty yea and life to suffer tortures and torments and all because he will not offend the Law of God in any one thing though he might escape all if he would nay saith a gracious heart Let all go rather than I will venture to break the Law of God in any one thing surely he looks upon the Law of God as very great Men of the world think them to be fools and why will you be content to suffer so much lose all your friends what venture to lose your estates which have such a fair way of living as you have what venture a prison and venture your life the world thinks they are but little things and trifles and men are more precise than wise and they need not trouble themselves so much If God would but shew to you how great a thing his Law is and all the threatnings which are revealed therein you would account your estates and lives and all your comforts as little and poor in comparison of that Law hence in Revel 6. 9. I saw under the Altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held Wherefore were they slain Surely it was for some great matter that they would venture their lives it was for the Word of God and for the Testimony which they held And thus the Saints of God have ever accounted the Law of God a great thing I have written unto them the great things of my Law Hence from what hath been said we may have these Notes for Observation Here are Objects in the Word for men of the greatest spirits to exercise themselves about Many mens spirits are raised up and cannot endure to spend their thoughts and time about small matters and you shall have some mens spirits are so low that they think it happiness enough if they can be imployed in a gutter and get six pence or twelve pence a day to find them bread at night but others have great spirits Oh! let all those who have aspiring spirits and great spirits let them exercise themselves much in the Law of God here are objects fit for great spirits that will greaten our spirits And indeed there are no men in the world have great spirits but the Saints they have great spirits for they exercise themselves in the great counsels of God We account those men to be men of the greatest spirits that are imployed in State-affairs now the Saints they are lifted up above all things in the world and they look at all these things as little and mean and they are exercised in the great affairs of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ hence it is that the Lord would have Kings to have the book of the Law written and the Judges and it is reported of Alphonsus King of Arragon that in the midst of all his great affairs of his Kingdom he read over the Scriptures fourteen times with Commentaries upon them How many have we men of great estates and seem to be of great spirits that scarce mind the Law of God they look upon the Law of God as under them it may be if they can have a book of History and Wars they will be reading over that but for the Scripture it is a thing that hath little in it Another Note It is a special means of obedience to have high thoughts of Gods Law to convince and humble them for their disobedience for that 's the reason why the Prophet here speaks thus I have written to him the great things of my Law but they were accounted as a strange thing As if he should say If they had had the things of my Law to have been high in their thoughts they would never have done as they have done Psal 119. 129. Thy Testimonies are wonderful therefore doth my soul keep them I have high thoughts of thy Testimonies I look upon them as glorious things I see much of thy self in thy Testimonies and therefore doth my soul keep them He doth not
holy Ghost and yet they did not forsake the Jews Religion they continued in a great deal of outward strictness in Religion and yet had committed that unpardonable sin therefore you may Apostatize for from God though you do not forsake the publick Ordinances of God They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifice of mine offering God call all their sacrifices flesh that is in contempt as if he should say you sacrifice indeed I have a little flesh from you But do you think that is the thing that I intend in my offering I expect Faith and Obedience I expect the Work of Faith relying upon him that is Typified by all the sacrifices that you offer but you wanting that inward spiritual worship in your souls I account all your sacrifices but flesh Most people offer nothing up unto God in all their sacrifices but flesh their offerings are flesh That 's thus even in your prayers in your hearing in your receiving you offer sacrifice but all is but flesh God hath the outward man and it may be you have fleshly ends in what you do and fleshly carnal hearts you offer the flesh many a man that hath excellent gifts in Prayer and seems to offer up an excellent sacrifice to God but it 's nothing but flesh there 's little of the Spirit of God of the sanctifying Spirit nothing it may be a man that perhaps may preach excellently yet in fleshly wisdom nothing but fleshly excellency Oh my Brethren what are our sacrifices if they be nothing but fleshly excellencies you know what the Scripture saith All flesh is grass and as the flower of the field but the Word of God abides for ever all a mans parts all things are but flesh that are not spiritual the sanctifying Work of the Spirit of God by the Word but the Word of God abides that is the impression of the Word of God upon the soul by the sanctifying Work of Gods Spirit abides for ever but all flesh is grass You have got a great deal of fleshly excellency in parts so as others admire your gifts I but this flesh is as grass it will come to nothing and all your esteem will come to nothing Oh let us take heed my Brethren that our sacrifices be not flesh for though they may glitter a while in the world within a few years all will be as grass and will come to nothing But further They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifice of mine offering Why God commanded them to sacrifice flesh For the sacrifice of mine offering here seems to be an accusation not that they sacrificed but that they sacrificed nothing but the outward part flesh do not think that that 's the main meaning but this rather In the burnt offering all the whol sacrifice was tendered up to God but now there was another offering that was the peace offering and there that which was offered some part of it did belong to the offerer so as they should eat part of the offering when they came to offer that they came with their friends because they were to have some of it now saith God They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifice of mine offering that is They change mine Ordinance when as that I look'd for burnt offerings from from them the whol offering they will rather offer peace offerings wherein they shall have part of the flesh for themselves and that they can take content in Thus I find Interpreters carry it and I verily think it to be the meaning of the holy Ghost So that from hence the Note is That if there be any thing in Gods Worship wherein any self respects may come in there we are content to be forward but yet in that we rather aim at serving our selves then serving the Lord and this usually doth eat out all true devotion When there is a duty to be done and part of that duty God requires and we shew respect to God in it and there 's another part wherein we enjoy our selves now such kind of duties as these are men can be content well enough withal but the truth is that part which concerns themselves doth eat out all the true devotion unto God although the Worship of God be pretended yet self-respects they are that the heart is most upon as for instance In keeping of Festivals they lik'd them well enough and we do not reade so much charge for the keeping of them because there was something agreeable to the flesh but now for the day of their Fasts saith God whosoever afflicts not his soul that soul shall be cut off they had not so much mind to that in the tenth day of the seventh month therefore God threatens that whosoever did not afflict his soul that day it should be cut off and so you shall find it That 's the reason indeed why men are so much set upon their Feastivals they pretend Gods Worship and honor to their blessed Savior and the like but the truth is it 's the Belly that is the thing and their Sports and the licence to the flesh that they aim at I warrant you let the time as now it falls out be the time of a Fast it will not be so much regarded and for any man to keep a Feastival when God by his providence calls to fast certainly that man regards his own belly rather than God And that by which all these Feastivals are upheld it is because that together with a seeming kind of Religion the belly gets so much but now such duties where God is served and Nature denied they are great testimonies that the Spirit of God is in our hearts in the performance of them when we can offer up our burnt offerings wholly to God and our selves denied they are testimonies that the Spirit of God is in us as I 'le give you an instance in the Story of the first of Kings the 13. you reade of the Lyon that did slay the Prophet that went contrary to Gods Commandement now it was a special end of God that sent the Lyon to slay him and that God would give a testimony that the Lyon did not come of a chance to fall upon the Prophet and kill him Therfore the text observes that the Lyon stood by the carcass and did not meddle with it after it was once slain it was the nature of the Lyon to have fed upon the carcass but here was an argument that it was meerly from God what the Lyon did So when any man shall perform a duty meerly for God and in that duty shall deny himself shall be content to part with honors or preferment that 's a sign God is in it and so in this publick service Oh! who would not venture himself for the publick Cause I but there is a publick Pay too as well as the publick Cause but now if a man can venture to the uttermost though he hath not that which he
of his children that were so eminent in office and were destroyed so with such a visible hand of God fire from Heaven when Moses was angry that the Priests had not eat of the sin offering saith Aaron If I had eaten of the sin offering to day should it have been accepted It would have been but as the bread of mourners I that have bin struck this day and am in such a dreadful condition Would God have regarded the sin offering God required joy in his services in Deut. 1â— 7. 18. verses and hence that profession was required in Deut. 26. 13 14. verses Then thou shalt say before the Lord thy God I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house and also have given them unto the Levite and unto the Stranger to the Fatherless and to the Widdow according to all the Commandements which thou hast commanded me I have not transgressed thy Commandements neither have I forgotten them And then in the 14. vers I have not eaten thereof in my mourning c. They were to profess this to God That they had not eaten thereof in their mourning this was to shew that sacrifices offered with a sinking heart in sorrow is not pleasing to God God loves a cheerful giver We must not pine away in our iniquities sullenness and dumpishness even in sorrow for sin it sowres our spirits and services and makes them unacceptable to God I say a sullen dumpishness of spirit though it be in sorrow for sin it sowres our spirits and makes our services unacceptable to God There is a groaning and a sighing one to another or rather against one another that is condemn'd in Scripture in Jam. 5. 9. the words in your books are thus Grudge nor one against another but in the Original Sigh not or groan not one against another you shall have many that in company with others have a pensive dumpish spirit sighing and groaning and making their society to be burdensom to others Saith the holy Ghost do not sigh and groan one unto another there is a sullen dumpish sighing of spirit and dejection of soul that is as unpleasing to God as it is unto men it polutes the heart and pollutes duty But you will say Is all mourning forbidden that here the holy Ghost should say Their offerings should be as the bread of Mourners Christ saith blessed are the Mourners and the Sacrifice of God is a contrite heart It 's true an evangelical sorrow is accepted but that hath sweetness in it it is not bitter that 's not a dejected spirit it 's not a mourning that causes dejection or sullenness or straightness of spirit but that mourning doth enlarge the heart and makes it active for God hence in Ezra 9. 5. although we reade before that Ezra was astonished at the sin of the people yet saith he at the 5. verse I arose from my heaviness at the evening sacrifice when the time came that I should sacrifice unto God my heaviness did not hinder me in holy duties But how many are there that sink down in their heaviness and when God calls upon them for any duty they cannot arise they are so over-burdened with heavy spirits There they sink down in a sullen way and shall God accept of such a service as this is You may please your selves in it and think it is humiliation but there may be much pride in dejection there is none so proud a spirit as the Devil is and yet no spirit so dejected as the Devil is Lead we know it melts soonest but it consumes in the melting and many times there may be such a spirit that may be ready to sorrow upon any occasion and to melt but it 's such a melting as consumes the strength of it that it is unfit for any service that God calls for now such services as you in such a mourning way tender up to God are not accepted of him Remember this text Their offering shall be as the bread of mourning Gualter hath a Note from this God would not accept of the offering of Mourners they were unclean yet saith he there are many that seek to get their greatest gain from Funeral mournings and fall of enveighing against them that get gain that way as their Priests and Officers that use to tend upon Funerals for gain he calls them Vulturâ— and Crows that do flock to dead bodies and Sepulchers Dogs those are his words that seek to get advantage by Funerals And we know heretofore what abundance of advantage there was gotten by Funerals scarce could you bury a child under three or four pounds such kind of fees there were and made them even rejoyce when others did mourn and getting a great part of of their livelihood from the bread of Mourners And Theophylact hath another Note from this place The bread of Mourners That is those things offered to God gotten by oppression as thus suppose a man or woman gets an estate and gets it in an oppressing way it may be they are at home and merry but it may be the poor children or widdow is mourning for those morsels that thou art rejoycing in but it is the first Note that is the most according to the mind of the holy Ghost the mourning that hath respect to the funerals and so especially at the dejection of spirit in holy duties It follows The bread for their soul shall not come into the House of the Lord. The bread for their soul That is When they are seeking God even for their very lives By Bread is to be understood their oblations more generally not only Bread but their Oblations As Malac. 1. 7. Ye offer polluted bread upon mine Altar it 's taken generally for all kind of offerings upon Gods Altar So The bread for their souls that is those offerings that they did offer for their very lives Now from thence the Note is this That it 's a sad thing when a creature would seek to God for his very life yet then God rejects him and his offering too Before these people they did reject the voice of the Lord at the Temple and they kept others from going to the House of the Lord they thought sacrifices elsewhere would serve the turn as well but now they shall be far enough from bringing any sactifices to the House of the Lord though they should desire to do it for their very souls Thus many who in the time of their prosperity do neglect the Worship of God and slight it and think there is no great matter in it but afterwards when they see their very lives their souls lie at the mercy of God then they would fain seek God for their lives they see they are undone if God be not merciful to them yet then God rejects them their offerings then for their souls shall not come into the House of the Lord that is will not be accepted
abominable wickedness in the eyes of God Thus they did in the daies of Gibeah And thus you are ready to do not only to commit horrible wickedness and sins but to stand in the defence of it there is this desperate stoutness of spirit and hardness of heart in many men that when they are once got into the way of sin rather than they would yield and submit they will venture the undoing of themselves the men of Gibeah did so and they were undone accordingly Yea further Not only to stand out our selves in evil but to joyn with others to defend them though it be the venturing of our own undoing and others this is further wickedness yet how many have we of the Gentry and Nobility of the Kingdom that do not only seek to defend themselves but joyn with the greatest Malignants of the Kingdom with those that are the greatest cause of evil and were like to be the utter undoing of us all to defend them from Justice will venture the ruin of their own families whereas were it that the Malignants were given up they might have saved their estates families and all Oh! that ever God should leave men in such horrible wickedness as this is This is just as it was in the daies of Gibeah Sixtly Those who do so stoutly stand to defend wickedness and other men who are wicked yet they may for a while prosper even the men of Gibeah and the Benjamites may prosper But yet in the next place at last these men shall perish twenty five thousand and an hundred of these twenty six thousand perished and all the men of Gibeah and the City was burnt So let men stand out as stubbornly and stoutly as they will and say What care we they will lose their lives and estates rather than they will submit and yeeld well they may lose all at lengh you have yet it may be a day some victory and prevail'd at some time yea but let not mens hearts be hardened by that nor let none of the other side be discouraged for certainly those that stand desperately out in defending of wickedness they shall perish at last so did the Gibeonites Yea But what is this to us might the Prophets Auditors say Yes certainly it 's much to you for this aggravates your sins the sins of forefathers that 's the Note that the Prophet makes use of what was done in daies of Gibeah From whence is this Note That the sins of forefathers is an aggravation of Childrens sins when they commit the same and others like unto them And yet such is the delusion of many poor people that they excuse the present sins by the sins of former times As thus suppose Ministers or others should complain of the sinfulness of the times and declaim against the sinfulness of the times you shall have some can say Why do they keep such a stir of the wickedness of the times were they not as bad as they are now heretofore Oh delusion This is the great aggravation when that thou livest in those sins thy forefathers did thou art it seems the child of a wicked parent and how just had it been with God to have cut thee off presently for the sins of thy parents and doest thou say that thy wickedness is no other than the wickedness of thy forefathers Certainly if the times be as ill as they were heretofore they are worse than they were heretofore for the evil of our forefathers is an aggravation of our present evils if we continue in them As the treachery of a parent would be no excuse for the treachery of a child for him to say my father was a Traytor for me to excuse the sins of the present times with the sins of the former times and say that they were as ill formerly as now it is just for all the world such kind of reasoning but this is not the reasoning of the Spirit of God he aggravates the sins of Israel in Hosea's time with the sins that were in the daies of Gibeah God may let men alone in their wickedness for a long time untill they grow to the heigth of their wickedness and then God comes upon them When the sins of the Amorites were full Now he will remember their iniquities he will visit their sins But for this phrase of Gods remembring and visiting that we have had before therefore we pass it over and come to the tenth verse VER 10. I found Israel like Grapes in the Wilderness I saw your Fathers as the first ripe in the Fig-tree at her first time THE scope of the holy Ghost in this it is to upbraid the ten Tribes for their wretched ungrateful dealing with God their sin is aggravated by Gods love towards them and their forfathers I found Israel like grapes in the Wilderness That 's thus look as a man that hath been travelling in the parched wilderness and is dry and weary and faint he doth come to a place in the Wilderness unexpectedly and finds clusters of Grapes from whence he hath abundance of refreshment to cool and moisten him and Oh how refresh'd is this poor man when he is parched in the dry Wilderness and beyond all expectation comes and finds a Vine full of clusters of Grapes this would be the most pleasing thing to such a man that could be thus saith God Such kind of delight had I in your forefathers He names Grapes and Figs here because they are the most delightful fruit of all kind of fruit to weary travellers Now if this be so that God hath such delight in his people as a man would have in Grapes thus in the Wilderness Oh! how should God be our delight when we are in the Wilderness If we being his people are so delightful to him in the Wilderness surely then God himself should be delightful to us in our wilderness Oh! let God in his Ordinances be to us in our troubles and afflictions as Grapes to a traveller in his Wilderness surely if God will account us to himself so delightful there 's great reason that we should account him to us as delightful Some of Gods Servants have been forced to fly into the Wilderness and though they have not had such outward refreshments as we have had here that have set under our own Vines and Fig-trees yet God hath made them to find Grapes in the Wilderness they have sit under Gods Protection and his Ordinances as a man in the Wilderness should sit under a Vine of Grapes and refresh himself with them I saw your Fathers We should lay to heart Gods Love to our Fathers and seek to continue it to our selves It 's a sad thing to look upon degenerate Children who have had fathers whom God took delight in Your Fathers were as clusters of Grapes that did refresh the very soul of God as it is said of Wine that it doth chear both God and man so the grace
you should come into the very place where your children have been murdered or wives ravished would not you have your hearts rise with indignation in this place was my child murdered in this place was my child ravished so saith God every time he looks upon Gilgal Oh! here was this wickedness committed there I hated them Hence it is that many guilty consciences dare not go into the place where they have committed sin There I hated them It follows I will drive them out of my house They shall remain no longer in a Church-State they shall remain no longer so to be in my House Those who under the colour of being under the Church of God yet live in the waies of wickedness God will unchurch them even in regard of the outward appearance of a Church Estate I 'le drive them out of my House It 's a dreadful expression this for a father to take his child or servant and drive them out of his house notes great indignation to be driven out of Gods House is a sore evil that makes all other evils indeed to be evil as abiding in Gods House is a great blessing and recompences the want of many outward blessings If any of you that have been servants to great men and should be driven out of their houses and especially for your conscience yet if God takes you into his House you are well enough and for that you have a famous Scripture in Psal 52. 8. But I saith David am like a green Olive tree in the House of God I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever Upon what occasion was this Psalm pen'd It was when David was driven out of the house of Saul by the occasion of Doeg there was a Doeg that did exasperate Saul against him and David was driven from his house so he dared not come into it but what comfort had David But I am like a green Olive tree in the House of God though I cannot be in Sauls house and enjoy the priviledges of his house yet blessed be God that I may be in His House and there thrive and prosper as a green Olive tree I will drive them out of my house God cannot endure wickedness in his house neither should we God accounts it his dishonor to have wickedness and wicked men in his house and so should we as in the Church ungodly men should be driven out of the house of God we must not make Gods house an Hogs-sty an unclean place for all Swine to come in but they should be driven out as Christ drave out the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple yea and so should all Christians drive out of their families wicked and ungodly servants Psal 101. 7. He that worketh deceit shall not dwel within my house saith David And he that telleth lyes shall not tarry in in his sight It 's a dishonor for any who make profession of Religion that though themselves be not scandalous in their own lives yet there are those in their house that live scandalously they have as wicked servants in their houses as any this is a dishonor to Religion God drives out wickedness out of his house and do you do so to yours And I will love them no more By Love here is meant the communication of outward good things for that carnal hearts account to be the only love of God Indeed if they may have but outward prosperity here in this world they make that an argument of Gods love unto them Well saith God though you have had many such kind of arguments of my love such fruits of my love yet I will love you no more I will take away all those priviledges and good things that you have enjoyed There are priviledges and good things that come from no other love but that which may be taken away Oh! let not us be satisfied with those let us be satisfied with nothing else but that which comes from everlasting love You may have your outward estates you may have comely Bodies Health Strength Success in your labors comings-in plentifully yea you may have Church Priviledges and yet all this not come from the everlasting love of God that can never be taken away these fruits of Gods love may be taken from you and God may say as concerning all these I will love you no more but there are fruits of love the sanctifying Graces of Gods Spirit the fruits of Electing love and God can never say of these I will love you no more No more After many deliverances that this people had in a way of love God resolves with himself that he will have done with them he will love them no more he wil deliver them no more God may withdraw the sence of his love from his people for a while but he manifests his love again the afflictions of the Saints they are but a little cloud that soon passes over the Sun soon breaks in again upon them and Love shines but the Sun of the wicked and ungodly sets and never rises again this is dreadful when a mans ruin or a peoples ruin is thus seal'd by God whatever mercies you have had heretofore yet now there 's an end of all Adieu mercie adieu love I had gracious manifestations of them once to my soul but they are now gon I must never enjoy them more now God hath changed his administrations towards me I must expect nothing but wrath the hand of his sore displeasure to cause ruin and to be sunk everlastingly Oh! let thy provocations of God be no more do not thou ad unto them I have dealt falsly with God dallied and trifled with the Lord many times promising fair but when I was delivered then have dealt wickedly with thee but no more Lord Oh! take heed if thou add'st any more unto thy wickedness lest that this dreadful sentence be pronounc'd in Heaven against thee I will love thee no more The words are in the Original I will add no more I have done enough already I will do good to this wretched creature no more my Goodness and Mercy hath had their turn no more Spirit strive with them no more Ordinances no more do them any good Mercy meddle no more with them I will love them no more All their Princes are revolters This is a very strange expression What all Yes even from Jeroboam to Hoshea's time every one of them thâ— Princes of Israel were wicked men for two hundred and fifty yeers space in all successions every one were naught and false and ungodly all were revolters It 's an elegant Paranomasia that in the Original Princes revolters the words have a greater elegancy in the Original than in our English the Seventy they turn it by this word Men that could not be perswaded they were all of them men that could not be perswaded they were set upon their own way their own ends and would have their own
it yea but the corruption of thy heart makes thee unwilling to hearken to the Truth the corruption of mens hearts makes them that they would fain have such a thing not to be a Truth I appeal to you have you never felt some corruptions stirring this way that when you are engaged another way and you see that if you should be taken off from that a great deal of ease and liberty and outward comforts would be gone and upon this your hearts are very loth that that should be true and therefore you are not willing to hearken to hearken with a cleer heart so as to be willing to entertain the Truth if it doth prove to be a truth that soul that shall be willing to retain every truth and be willing to let the truth prevail what ever it be that 's a sign of a gracious heart but the lusts of mens hearts do hinder them from hearkening and they are loth to hearken to those Truths that come neerest to them but when a man or woman shall be able in the presence of God upon examination of his or her heart to say Oh Lord let thy Truth prevail thou knowest that I am willing to hearken to every Truth of Thine though it should pluck away all my outward comforts I would fain know thy Truth and I would know the strictest Truths what Truths they are that most concern thy Glory and thy Worship in the best manner whatever becomes of my Credit or estate Lord let thy Truth prevail in my heart I say here 's a gracious heart that will thus hearken to God and his Truth But they have uncircumcised ears they cannot hear saith Jeremiah so through the corruption that is in mens spirits they cannot hearken to those things that seem to make against them But the last words of all here is the threatning They shall be wanderers among the Nations It is a judgment to have an unsetled spirit wandring up and down and can settle to nothing somtimes in this place sometimes in that sometimes in this way and sometimes in another this is a judgment of God Solomon hath such an expression The sight of the eyes is better than the wandring of the desires the wandring of mens appetites and desires work a great deal of vexation to them Again observe that Those who are cast away out of Gods house they can have no rest they go about like the unclean spirit seeking rest but can find none Psal 139. Here will I rest for ever The Church of God and his Ordinrnces are Gods rest and should be the rest of the hearts of his people and they are indeed the rest of the hearts of those that are gracious but alas poor soul who art wandring from God Whither goest thou where indeed will be thy rest It was the Curse of God upon Cain to be a wanderer up and down upon the face of the earth But you will say May not men be wanderers that is may not they be cast out of their Habitations and Countries and wander up and down and yet not be cast off from God It 's true we reade in Heb. 11. that the Christians wandred up and down in Sheep skins and Goats skins whom the world was not worthy of But that was in a way of persecution for God and for his Truth it was not because they would not hearken but because they would hearken and though thou shouldst be forc'd to wander from thy Brethren and the sweet Habitation that thou hadst and thy Friends perhaps thou art fain to wander up down even for thy life yea but canst thou say Yet I hope I am not one of Gods cast-awayâ— It 's one of Gods Epithites that he glories in That he will gather the out-casts of Israel Man hath cast me out yea but I bless God I carry a good Conscience with me and that man or woman needs not be troubled with wandring that can carry a good Conscience with them you are cast out from your Friends yea but still thou hast the Bird that sings in thy bosome Canst thou say I have not cast away thy CoÌ„mandements Lord Indeed if a mans conscience tel him that he hath cast away Gods Commandements then if he wanders it is dreadful to him What though thou art wandring from thy house from thy outward comforts but not from Gods Commandements Cast me not out of thy presence saith David though thou beest from thy friends yet not from God presence here it is I will cast them out among the Nations It was a Curse in Psal 44. 11. Thou hast scattered us among the Heathen It was a great Judgment of God to be scattered among the Nations for they were a people that were separated from the Nations and not to be reckoned among the Nations and Gods peculiar Treasure There were these three expressions not only to be wandering among the Nations not only among Strangers but among Heathens among Blasphemers this must needs be a heavy and sore judgment to be cast among Idolaters This Curse is upon the Jews to this very day how are they wanderers among the Nations Let us learn from hence To prize the communion of Saints let us learn what a blessing it is to live among our own People especially among the Saints in the enjoyment of Gods Ordinances let us make use it now lest God teach us what it is by casting us away and making us to wander among the wicked and ungodly then your conscâ—ences will fly in your faces and tell you Oh! what times we once had and what sweet communion had we but we began to neglect the prize that God put into our hand Oh! if we were where once we were we would meet often and pray and confer and we would labor to edifie one another in our most holy faith and warm one anothers spirits not spending all our time in wrangling and jangling Oh! but now those times are â—one and we are cast away and are wandering up and down among wicked and ungodly people Truly there hath not been a time in many years when the communion of the Saints hath been so little improved as at this day we now wander as it were among our selves and little converse one with another what should we do living together Just were it with God to bring this Judgment upon us that we should wander among wicked people here and there and that we should not come to see the face of a Saint to have converse or communion with them Thus we have finished this Ninth Chapter CHAP. X. VERS 1. Israel is an empty Vine he bringeth forth fruit unto himself according to the multitude of his fruit he hath encreased the Altars according to the goodness of his Land they have made goodly Images HERE Gualter makes the beginning of Hosea's seventh Sermon The Argument is like unto the former upbraiding and threatning Hosea had to deal with
latter end of the former Chapter he would not hearken to the Lord he would not hear the Word of the Lord the Lord threatens to cast him away because he hearkened not to him from whence Luther hath this Note The Word is like a fruitful rain there can no true fruit be without the Word those that will not hearken to the Word no mervail though they be empty it is the Word that makes fruitful it is that that is as the fruitful rain Those that leave and forsake the Word observe them how fruitless they are what empty spirits they have many that heretofore were forward in hearing the Word and loved it the Word was delightful to them Oh! then they were fruitful but since they have been taken off from the Word converse with them now and you shall find their spirits empty and their lives empty and there 's no men in the world so empty as those that would worship God in another way than the Word appoints men that would think to worship God after their own fancies and waies Oh! how empty are they in all their Worship they tender up to God But the main Note and Observation is That emptiness in those that profess themselves to be Gods People is a very great evil Oh! it is a great charge upon those that grow in Gods Vinyard that profess themselves to be Gods to be charged with this That they are empty an empty Vine When we would speak of a man contemptuously as one that hath no natural or aquisite excellency in him we say such a one is an empty or a slight fellow and that 's the meaning of the word that you have in Mat. 5. 22. Whosoever calls his Brother Racha shall be in danger of the counsel the word Racha it is empty it is as much as if he should call his Brother an empty fellow for that 's the signification of the word Empty And in Jam. 2. 20. Knowest thou not O vain man that faith without works is dead The words are Oh empty man knowest thou not O empty man that faith without works are dead There 's many that keeps a great deal of noise of Faith and of Gods free-Grace and yet are extream empty men and understand little of the true excellency of the Covenant of Grace Knowest thou not O empty man that Faith without Works is dead Speak as much as thou wilt of Faith and Gods Grace yet if there be no Works thou art an empty man Nature will not endure emptiness some of the Phylosophers have said that the world would rather be dissolved than there should be any vacuity creatures will move contrary to their nature rather than they will suffer a vacuity Certainly an emptiness in the souls of Gods people it is the worst emptiness that is in the world For First It is the most unnatural thing for a Vine to be empty And secondly For the Saints to be empty they are a dishonor to their Root that they do profess they are upon Christ he hath all the fulness of the God-head in him And of his Fulness we are to receive Grace for Grace To grow upon him upon such a root and yet to be empty Oh! what a dishonor is this to Jesus Christ Thirdly This frustrates the Lord of all the care and cost and charge that he is about if thou wert another plant that grew in the wilderness it were not much but a Vine and one in Gods Vinyard and yet fruitless Oh this is a sore evil Fourthly There 's no blessing upon thy soul if thou beest an empty Vine in Isa 65. 8. As the new Wine is found in the cluster and one saith Destroy it not for a blessing is in it If there be Wine in the cluster then a blessing is found in it but otherwise destroy it No blessing is found in those that are of empty spirits Fiftly If there be grace it is the Divine Nature its self and cannot that bear fruit It is an evil in a Vine to have but a little moisture to shoot forth in leaves and bear no fruit yea but what is that unto Grace that is the Divine Nature its self the most glorious thing in the world Therefore for Christians to be without fruit is an exceeding great evil Doest thou know what fruit is One gracious action that comes from the sap of the Root that is in Christ it is more worth than Heaven and Earth any one gracious Act I say it is more worth than Heaven and Earth Oh the fruit of the Saints is fruit to eternity and to be without this fruit must needs be a great evil those that are empty and without fruit you know they are said in John 15. to be but as branches not branches they that bear no fruit are said to be but as a branch and then such a branch as must be cut off God will cut them off cut off those branches he will cut them off from their profession and suffer them to fall so as they shal not continue in their eternal profession and they shall wither he will curse their very common gifts that they have 6. Oh! how many that heretofore seemed to flourish yet but leaves and bearing no fruit now their leaves are gon too and their common gifts are taken away from them and not only withered but shall be cast away cast away from God and out of the hearts of the Saints and men shall gather them the men of the world they shall catch them and so they shall joyn with them and they shall make use of them and they shall be cast into the fire and burnt cast into the fire not for a fiery tryal but cast into the fire that they may be burned these are the threatnings against those that bear no fruit It is the glory of Gods People to be filled with the fruits of Righteousness Phil. 1. 11. To be filled with the Spirit Ephes 5. 18. Yea to be filled with all the fulness of God Ephes 3. 19. So it is expected of the Saints that they should be filled with al the fulness of God Oh! how contrary is this to emptying And surely fil'd the Saints should be with fruit because they are the very fulness of Christ the fulness of him that fills all in all In Ephes 1. last verse the Church is said to be the fulness of Jesus Christ himself And shall the Church be an empty Vine when as it is the very fulness of Him that fils al in al 7. An empty spirit is fit for the Devil to come to possess Mat. 12. 24. he found his place empty and then he comes in where the Devil sees an empty spirit there 's a fit place for him to come It is an evil thing for you to grow upon Gods ground and to cumber it to cumber any part of Gods ground it may be if thou wert gon there
of such poor things as they have in the Creature should imbolden their hearts against the great God of Heaven and Earth yet thus it is men little consider but even those things that their hearts do so much rest upon they are absolutely at the dispose of this God whom their hearts do not fear But note let the Saints of God take this Note with them Shall creature confidence take mens hearts off from Gods fear Then let Gods fear take your hearts off from creature confidence Certainly there 's a great deal more reason Oh! 't is infinitely irrational that creature confidence should take the heart from Gods fear but it 's infinitely rational that Gods fear should take our hearts off from creature confidence Thirdly Now they shall say We feared not the Lord. The taking from a People the protection of and benefit they might have by Kingly Power is a punishment of the want of the fear of God in them We have no King we are deprived of the benefit of the good that we might have the protection that we might have by Kingly power it is because we feared not the Lord what evil we feel in this let us attribute it to the want of the fear of God in our selves and in the people of the Land We complain of those that are about the King and of Her that lies in the Bosom of the King and of the evil of his own heart in part but whence is it that God hath left him either to them or to any evil in his own spirit The Lord in this punishes the sins of the People 't is usual for God to punish the sins of the People in leaving Governors unto evil courses in 2 Sam. 24. 1. you have a remarkable Scripture for this saith the text there And the Anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and what then And he moved David against them to say Go number Israel and Judah The Anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and he moved David against them to what God lets temptations be before David for to fall into that sin that might bring evil upon the people It was because the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel It 's because that a people fear not God therefore it is that the Lord leaves Kings leaves their Governors to those evil waies that they are left unto and therefore learn we when we hear of any evil that is done by countenance of Kings or any power learn we to lay our hands upon our own hearts and say even this is because we feared not the Lord how easie had it been with the Lord to have wrought upon his heart Oh! what prayers hath been sent up unto the Lord for the heart of one man never since the world began more prayers for the heart of one man but the Lord hath seem'd even to shut his ears against the prayers of his people now let us lay our hands upon our hearts God hath denied our prayers it is because we have not feared him now certainly there hath been but little fear of God amongst us and little fear of the great God is still to this day among us And that 's the third Observation We have no King because we feared not the Lord. And then the Fourth is this The times of Gods Wrath and Judgments forces acknowledgment from men that they did not fear God When God comes against them in waies of wrath now they can acknowledg that they feared not God should the Prophet have come to them before and told them Oh! you are a wretched vile people there is no fear of God among you Why wherein do not we fear God as in Malac. 1. they would not be convinced but Now shall they say c. Now when the wrath of God is upon men now they shall say we see now apparently we feared not the Lord. As it 's said of Cardinal Wolsie when he was in distress Oh saith he Had I but served God as well as I served the King it would have been otherwise with me than it is but I sought to please the King rather than God and now I am left in this distressed estate He would have scorned that any should have told him before that he pleased the King more than God but afflictions they will draw forth acknowledgment for in afflictions God appears dreadful to the soul it is no dallying and trifling and putting off then we see we have to deal with an infinite Glorious and dreadful God and in times of affliction now conscience will brave over men it will not be quieted and still'd so as in the times of prosperity but it will speak as we reade of Zebul in Judges 9. 38. saith Zebul Where now is thy mouth wherewith thou saidest Who is Abimelech So saith conscience in times of affliction to wretched creatures Where now is that bold and presumptuous heart of thine Thou scornest at fearing and trembling before God and slightest his Word but where now is that proud wretched heart of thine And in times of afflictions now are mens hearts abased and humbled and therefore now they are ready to say It is because they feared not the Lord. Mark here they do not when they are in afflictions and troubles say I we may thank these kind of people there were a company of factious people and they would not yield to any thing and we may thank them for all this you hear no such words Oh no but it is Because we feard not the Lord. When the heart is in any degree humbled it will not put off the cause of evils to other men or other things but will charge its self as the cause of the evils that are upon it Oh how much better my Brethren were it for us to see the want of the fear of God by his Word to us and his Spirit in us than by his wrath against us or his stroke upon us Let us every day examine our hearts How hath the fear of God been in me this day hath the fear of God acted and guided me in al my thoughts counsels and actions this day How happy were it when we ever lie down to rest to have such a short meditation Hath the fear of God been the thing that hath Acted and Governed and Guided me in my course this day But it follows What then shall a King do to us or for us Suppose we had him now he is gone but if we had him what good would he bring to us if we had him As if they should say we speak much concerning our King but now we have not the King with us as he was but if he were with us again what should he do for us what would our condition be better than it is And indeed what good had their Kings done for them The People of Israel they were very desirous of a King they must