have staid born the brunt but how have they born it by yeilding to superstitious vanities being ceremoniall and Prelaticall it will be found that those who have been willing to follow Christ in the wilderness our of love to him his truth and ordinances that Christ will remember that for kindnes Thirdly For young people to give up their young yeares to Christ that is kindnes by way of allusion at least we may make use of that Scripture I remember the kindnesse of thy youth when thy bones are full of marrow and when the world seekes to draw thy heart after the vanities of it when thou mayest have thy delights and pleasures in the flesh to the full if then thou beest willing to deny all and to give up thy selfe to Christ this is loving kindnesse one that is old may possibly come to heaven upon repentance but what kindness is that for him who hath nigh worn out all his dayes and strength in wayes of sinne in the pleasures of the flesh and now when he is going out of the world and can have no more pleasure in his sin he comes to Christ for mercy what kindnes is here here is selfe-love indeed but little kindness Secondly loving kindnes one to another I wil bet roth thee unto me in loving kindness I will put such a spirit into you of loving kindnes unto your brethren as I have towards you The word that is here used for loving kindness you shall finde it often in Scripture used for Saints those who are called godly and Saints in your bookes in the Hebrew are called kinde ones it may be as well translated kinde ones as thus Psal 4. 3. Know ye that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself It is a most admirable text as if he should say there are multitudes in the world and all the world is mine but I looke upon all the world as refuse in comparison of some few onely here is a godly man a godly woman I set them apart they are for my self but the note I observe is That that word which in your books is godly in the Hebrew is the kind one the Lord hath set apart those that are kinde those that are of sweet gentle kinde dispositions And Psal 16 10. Not suffer thy holy one to see corruption the Hebrew is not suffer thy kinde one to see corruption it comes from the same roote with that that here is translated loving kindnesse So Psal 149. 1. Sing his praise in the congregation of the Saints of the kind ones and the same word againe is verse 5. Let the Saints be so full in glory the Saints that is the kind ones noting what an ingredient loving kindness is to Saint-ship unto godlinesse therefore it is not enough for Christians to be godly but they must be kinde one unto another too 2 Pet. 1. 3. And to godlinesse adde brotherly kindeness You thinke you are godly but you are of a rugged rough-hewen disposition surly cruell rigid severe froward perverse know here is the exhortation unto you this day from God if you will approve your selves to be godly Adde to your godlinesse brotherly kindnesse except you adde that you can have little comfort in your godlines It is impossible indeed for one that hath the power of godliness and hath the true comfort and sweetnes of it to be of a rugged and rigid disposition the reason is because there is that infinite satisfaction as I may so say that such a heart hath in God that there is nothing that can come from without that can make such a heart bitter there is so much sweetnes in that satisfaction that it hath in God as the Scripture saith A good man is satisfied from himselfe that it is not all the bitterness from without that can sowre such a heart It is true indeed if you have a vessel of honey a little gall will make all that bitter but if you have a vessel of gall a little honey will not make that sweet But in grace it is thus though there be a great deale of bitterness in a man or womans nature though they be of rugged natures yet a drop of true saving grace will sweeten all that gall and if they be once gracious a great deale of gall bitternes that cometh from without will not imbitter that sweetnes I beseech you take notice of this one note when God hath left men they grow more passionate and froward then they were before And I verily beleeve this is one ground of the frowardnesse and passionateness that is in professors they have made breaches between God and their soules their peace between God and them is broken and nothing then can give them content As usually it is when a man hath been abroad and others have angred him when his inward comfort and joy is gone then every thing angreth him he is pleased with nothing his countenance is lowring and he is unto ward to every one and why because he hath lost the sweetnesse of his own spirit and now nothing from without can content him all seems bitter unto him but let this man goe abroad and things fall out well it may be he gets a good bargaine hears of excellent good newes that his goods are come home safely hee can now beare a hundred times as much as before and you can scarce anger him why because his heart is filled with sweetness So it is here let a Christian walke close with God keepe his peace with him he will have so much sweetnes in his heart that it is not easie to put him into any passion of frowardnes why he hath enough within perhaps his friend his wife his neighbour is crosse but his Christ is loving though there be little comfort in my maryage with one who is so peevish perverse yet in my marryage with Christ there is satisfaction enough But when the heart hath made breaches between Christ and it self when it hath lost the sweetness in that marryage communion no marvaile if there be no sweetnes in the other maryage communion I will give you a notable example of this a man who before his breach with God was of a sweet disposition was very milde and loving but after he was of a perverse and cruell froward disposition The example is Saul When he was first chosen King how humble was he hee acknowledges himself to be of the least of the tribes of Israel and the least in his fathers house and when some raysed npon him and said shal this man raigne over us the text saith he held his peace and when others would have had them killed no by no means they must not be slain because God had shewen him mercy in a late victory given him But after Saul had fallen from God O the rugged perverse cruell disposition of his spirit then even to Jonathan his son a gracious loving sweet natured son then Thou
Interpreters going that way might make one to thinke it not a thing impossible wee might learne thus much from it First that Gods command takes away all matter of offence It would be a notorious offensive thing for a Prophet a Minister of God to marry one that is wicked a wicked whore yet so farre as the offence is Gods command is enough to take it away For the subject of offence is not duty but indifferency any thing that is a duty to be done we must goe on in it though it be never so offensive to others that is no rule at all to hinder us if it be a duty but if it be a thing of indifferency then wee must stop Gods command takes away all plea of offence I say not that mans command doth so for men even Magistrates themselves are bound not to offend their brethren as well as others But then it may be said they should command nothing at all for some or other would be offended and shall not they command because some weak ones may be offended It is true that which they may take upon their consciences to be their duty that they are bound to command and they should sin against God if they did not command it and require obedience to it they must doe it though never so many be offended But in matters that they themselves acknowledge to be neither here nor there either for Gods service or for the good of a Common-wealth herein the rule bindeth them as well as others in regard of offences to forbear 2. Supposing this to be a reall thing we see that the Prophet must suffer much in his credit before men only to be serviceable to God for a further expression of his mind All our credits all our names and all we are or have must lie down at Gods feet to be serviceable to him in the least thing if but in a way of expression of his mind much more then in bearing witness to his truth 3. This being so wee see the way of God in putting the Prophet in the very first service upon a very difficult work It could not but be a thing exceeding tedious and irksome to his spirit to marry such a one yet God put him upon it It is the usuall way of God when he calleth any to great services at the beginning to put them to such difficult works to try them thereby that if they goe through them then they may be confided in that they will goe through more afterward But we shall rather take this in a way of vision as others do not that indeed Hosea did really marry such a wife but this did appeare to him in a vision as if such a thing were really done onely to declare what the condition of the people of Israel was at this time in respect of God As if God should say Hosea this people of Israel is to mee no other then as if thou shouldest have a wife that were the most notorious whore in the world and all their children are to me as if thy children were the children of whoredome and fornication And this I conceive to be more directly the minde of God and I will not give you my meere conception of it neither but reasons for it why it must be so First because we find in Scripture that which is historically related yet was done by way of vision And it is an usuall way of Scripture to express that which is done in a way of vision as if it were a history as if it were really done I will shew you two examples for this one of Ieremy when he was at Jerusalem yet the Scripture speaks as if he had been at Babylon and the other of Ezekiel when he was at Babylon it speakes as if hee had been at Jerusalem It is as fully related as this is here and both must therefore needs be understood as in a way of vision First for Ieremy you have it Chap. 30. ver 4. God requireth there that he should goe to Euphrates and hide his girdle there in the hole of a rocke But this river was a river in Babylon and Ieremy was not in Babylon at this time nor in all the time of the siege nor in the time of the captivity neither could he goe to Babylon for the City was now besieged and when he did but assay but to go a little way to Anathoth his own Towne he was presently taken hold upon as if he had been a Traytor to his Country Therefore this which is here declared as a history as if he had really done it was but only done in a vision And so Ezekiel the other way hee was at Babylon for he was that Prophet that prophesied to the people that were carryed captive to Babylon God sent a Prophet to them to help them there in their captivity yet in the 8. Chapter of his Prophecie Ezekiel seemeth to be brought to Ieremiah and he is bidden there to dig a hole in the wall to see the wicked abominations that the ancients of Israel did there Now Ezekiel was not there he was at Babylon all this while but it is declared as if the thing had beene done really So we are to understand Isaiah his going naked 20. dayes and Ezekiels lying three hundred and ninety dayes on the one side and 43. on the other Ezek. 4. 2. That it was a vision and not really done the reason is it was Gods command Lev. 21. 7. That the Priest must not marry with a whore of all mens wives God is most careful of the wives of those that are in the work of the Ministry that are Church Officers therefore 1 Tim. 3. 11. when but a Deacon is described what he should be there is his wife described too that she should be grave no slanderer sober and faithful in all things You never read that when God appointed what a Magistrate should be what his office should be in a Common-wealth that hee takes such care to set downe what his wife should be But when he appointeth the lowest officer in a Church a Deacon he appointeth what his wife should be too Therefore the wives of Ministers should goe away with a lesson from hence and know that God hath a more speciall eye to them then to the wives of all the men in the world besides God is tender of the credite of the officers of his Church and so should man be for their discredit is a hinderance to their work Yea further we read Amos 7. 16. that it was threatned as a curse to Amaziah the Priest of Bethel that his wife should be a harlot for resisting the Prophet shall then the wife of Hosea be a whore For Amos Hosea prophesied both at the same time And the Scripture saith you know the place 1 Cor. 11. that the woman is to be the glory of the man What a glory should Hosea have had in such a
a Law of Christ to us to walk and live according to the rules of Justice and prudence so wee are bound for conscience in those things but not primarily and so they cannot be said to bind conscience so as Christs Lawes do There are other things that are commanded by man and that especially concerns our question and these are such things as indeed are neither here nor there for the common for the publique good the good of the community doth not at all depend upon them and there is nothing in them but meerly the satisfaction of the wills of those that are in authority above us Now here is the Question How far those Laws bind men and bind Conscience Indeed many poor Christians that are conscientious have been extreamly snared in these things To that I answer That though such things should be commanded to be done yet it they be not done so be it they be not omitted out of contempt nor so as may bring scandall upon the authority that doth enjoyne them and those that doe omit them shall patiently and willingly submit to what punishment the Law of the Land shall require in such things this mans conscience shall not nor need not bind him over to answer before God that he hath sinned against that rule You will say How do you prove that How doth it appeare For that must needs be made out I vvill make it appeare from the Text from the nature of subjection that is required in the Text and from Reason First this Text here in Rom 13. giveth this as the ground why we are to be subject Because saith the Text ver 4. he is the minister of God for thy good So that that which is the speciall ground of our subjection is because they that are in place are ministers for our good But here is then an abuse of their power if they will command what is not indeed tending to the good of the publique but meerly the satisfaction of their own mindes But suppose it be an abuse the Text saith we must be subject 〈…〉 You must do the thing for conscience 〈…〉 be subject we must not resist but be subject The words are We must be subordinate for conscience sake so it may be translated Here is all that is required that I must be subordinate and not resist that is though there be a thing commanded by authority though this authority should be abused yet I may not resist I must be subject If then out of that reverent respect I have to authority though I do not doe the thing yet I doe not forbeare out of contempt It is a thing exceedingly prejudiciall unto me and it is not for the common good but yet I am so carefull that authority shal not be despised that I will keep it secret I will not refuse to do it so as shall be ascandall upon authority And yet further if authority shall so far urge upon me as to inflict punishment because I do not do it I will patiently beare it Now when these three things are done here is that subordination to authority that the Apostle in that Scripture requires And the reason why this of necessity must be granted is because otherwise all the Christian liberty that the Scripture so much speakes of may be utterly taken away in regard of the practice that it is in the power of man wholly to deprive us of it This Scripture cannot be so understood that all that liberty we have in all things in their own nature indifferent should be so under the power of men as that we for the practice and for our conscience too must be tyed that we cannot have liberty no not in secret certainly that is that which is against the judgement of all Orthodox Divines of the Reformed Churches But it may be said who shall be Judge whether things be tending to the publicke good yea or no will you take upon you to judge your self To that the Answer is thus plainly that indeed those that are appointed by Law have the power to judge legally and authoritatively to judge so as to bind others But every man hath liberty so far as concerns his owne act to judge at his perill And that a two-sold perill First at his perill lest he judging himself should sinne against God in this that he should judge that not good for the publique which indeed is good that he should perhaps judge that to be of an indifferent nature that justice and prudence requireth of him Here he mis-judgeth at his perill hee sinneth against the Lord against the rules of justice and prudence and indangereth his own soul if he goe amisse in this Secondly If he mis-judge it is at his perill that comes by the Lawes of men that he is in danger then to suffer what the Laws of men shall inflict upon him And so submitting this way his conscience may have some ease and yet no gap open at all to liberty or any disturbance to any lawfull authority for all this This is necessary for men to know that they may understand aright how to answer that question about Lawes binding of conscience You heare it is the prerogative of Christ our Head so to be our Law-giver so as to lay bonds upon conscience in such a manner as no man can doe the like That is the third Fourthly Christ is the Head of the Church in regard of some even personally so as to come and rule in the world in a glorious manner personally and so they thinke this may be interpreted that Christ shall be a head how said to be appointed we shall speake of when we come unto it that he shall come personally and rule and governe things even in this world As Christ in his own person did exercise his Priestly and Propheticall offices so they thinke in his own person he shall exercise his Kingly power office Which opinion because the further discussion of it I suppose generally you are not able to beare yet therefore in modesty I will forbeare and though out of modesty I shal for the present forbeare yet out of conscience I dare not altogether deny it but so we will leave it to see what trueth may be in this we must expect to have light let in by degrees In these four things then we have the rule of Christ three determined of the fourth only propounded which Christ in time will shew further light unto us in Christ is then the Head Now from all this there followes three consequences that are very usefull 1. Hence we learne that the seeking after the right government of Christ in his Church is not a light matter it doth concern the Head-ship of Christ 2. By what hath been said we shal come to be instructed to know what is properly Antichristian and what not 3. Wee shall come to have light how far the King may be said to be head of the Church These
it shall come to passe that at evening time it shall be light Mark what shall be in that day ver 8. And it shall be in that day that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem ver 9 In that day shall there be but one Lord and his name one and then ver 20. In that day shal there be upon the bels of the horses holiness to the Lord and ver 21. In that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of Hosts Certainly my brethren these Scriptures speakes of a glorious day that is a comming but yet in the beginning of it is just like such a day as we have now for the present wherein the light is neither cleere nor darke It is true not long since it was darke now this darkenesse beginneth to be a little dispelled but it is not cleere yet many things for the present darken the light and there is opposition and many dampes upon the hearts of Gods people and things go not oâ—â—s we desire but blessed be God it is not night with us though it be not 〈◊〉 day it is not darke as it was though it be not as cleere as we desire therfore this is now a day which is neither cleer nor darke but even as it were twilight Well but it shall be one day that is one special day and indeed it is our day now it is the greatest day that ever yet England had It shall be one day which shall be knowne to the Lord a day wherein the Lord hath great thoughts and purposes to do great things and certainly this our day is known to the Lord great things God is about to do for his Churches laying a foundation of glorious things for the good of his people And then mark though it be neither day nor night yet at the evening time it shall be light What a strange expression is here It shall be a duskie cloudy day all day and then a man would thinke that at evening it should be quite dark what to be cloudy at noone and to be darkish at three or foure of the clock in the afternoone what then will it be in the evening surely then it must needes be more darke No though it be not cleere now though it be a cloudy day and part of it darke yet at the evening time it shall be light When it shall be least expected to have light and when we shall most feare darknesse when wee shall be ready to conclude O our day is gone once indeed God did bring a day to England a comfortable day though it was a little darke yet there was a glorious light in comparison of what we had before but now it is grown towards evening the evening begins to shut upon us we looked for light but behold darknesse Perhaps many will be complaining if they see things go on with any difficulty and opposition they will be ready to have their hearts sink within them and to cry out now our day is gone and the evening is comming we must look for darkness yea and feare a dismall darknesse Now my brethren be of good comfort for at evening time it shall be light when we think it shall be evening when it is most unlikely to be light then shall the light of the Lord breake forth most gloriously For whensoever this day of Iezreel commeth there must be such a glorious work of God as may magnify his name before the eyes of all men and therefore at evening it shall be light And in that day living waters shall go out from Jerusalem We have had some drops of living waters in this our day but there is a day a comming wherein living waters shall even flow out of Jerusalem Now to winde up all There is a day for the Saints a rest for the people of God a day wherein God will deliver them from all afflictions I have met with one that speaking of the Sabbath that the Jewes might kindle no fire upon their Sabbath because that rest was to signifie the rest of the Saints he applyeth it thus That was saith he a type that there is such a time of rest for the Saints that they shall be delivered from all fiery tryals all their afflictions shall be gone and taken away Great shall be the day of Iezreel The consideration of this me thinks might be a strong argument to draw in all people to the wayes to the love of godlinesse and Religion to come and joyne with the Churches in appointing Christ head over them All you wicked ones that hath forsaken the Lord hitherto come in joyn now and submit unto Jesus Christ as your Head for great shall be the day of Iezreel There is a great day for the Church of God a day of glory a day of abundance of wonderfull mercy of God to the Churches They shall have their day come you in and embrace Religion that you may partake of their glory Certainly the Saints of God shall have the better of it shall have the day of all the world let the world strive against them what they can Every man desires to follow the stronger party and to cleave to that would you cleave to the stronger part Cleave to the Saints of God to the Church for certainly it is the stronger part It is a going up it is rising and will rise more and more till it be risen unto the heighth Though there be some opposition yet it is such as shall make the glory of the day so much the more Those men that 〈◊〉 shall stand to pleade for Antichrist and to oppose the work that God is about certainly they are men borne out of time borne in an ill hour Your Papists and superstitious people that heretofore stood for that way they prospered in their way because the day of God was not so neare but the day of his patience in permitting Antichrist to continue was then But doest thou come now what superstitious now what opposing the work of God now when God is comming out to fight against Popery and superstition when God is about to do such great things for his Churches as he certainly is Thou fightest against God and God will fight against thee and thou shalt be throwen upon thy backe Thou art borne in the worst time that possibly could be worse then all the adversaries of the truth in former times And if there be such a day let us be willing to suffer for a while let us be willing to mourne for the Churches a while in that way of mourning that God calls us unto for there is a recompence comming glory enough comming even in this world There is a time of triumphing let us be content with our warfare here for a while Thirdly Let us study these things These things are usefull for people in these times to look into to search into these truths of God that so they may be the better
mercies that God bestoweth upon a Nation the ornaments that God putteth upon a people that are but common favours not spirituall graces they are such as a people may be stripped of Great mercies that a people have they may wholly loose Here is the difference between true spirituall graces whereby JESUS CHRIST doth adorne his spouse when Christ not onely takes in an outward way a people to himselfe but marries them to himself in a spirituall way he decketh the soule with such ornaments bestoweth suchmercies upon them as shall never be taken away Such a soul hath no cause to feare that ever it can be stripped as in the day wherein it was born you need not feare that you shall ever lose the jewels given you at that marriage day It is true common graces and gifts you may be stript of and made naked as it is usuall in many professors that have not truth at heart yet have excellent gifts as of prayer and the like but afterward they prove naught God takes away their gifts from them they have not that gift of prayer they were wont to have though they have excellent words yet a man may perceive a shuffling in them and such an unsavoriness mixed with their gifts that it breeds loathing in others to joyne with them As when the King goeth away from his Pallace the hangings are taken down so when God departeth from a soul as from such he may then their hangings those excellent gifts are taken from them But those gifts that are spirituall they are never stripped of them We read in Ezek. 46. 17. when a King gave gifts to his servants they were to returne to him againe at the yeere of Jubilee but when he gave them to his sonnes they were to be their inheritance There are many that are outwardly in the Church Gods servants they have many gifts but God will take them away and strip them naked of those gifts but then there are his children they shall have their gifts as an inheritance for ever It is true God may stay a while as when the King is gone from Court if there be any thought of his returne again the hangings do continue but if the message come the King will not be here this twelve moneths or a long time or it may be never any more then the hangings are taken down so though these gifts of the Hypocrite may stay a while yet they will vanish at last The fifth Observation Continuance in sinne and especially the sin of spirituall whoredome is that which will strip a Nation from all their excellencies from all their orments and beauty the continuance in that sin especially for so the words imply Let her pnt away her adulteries from between her breasts lest I strip her naked c. If she continue thus certainly naked she shall be This alwayes brings nakednesse meritoriously but if continued in effectually it makes them naked Exod. 32. 25. You may see there what made the people naked at that time the Text saith that Aaron had made the people naked that is Aaron by consenting to the people to make the Calfe had made the people naked naked that is destitute now of Gods gracious protection deprived of those favours from God that formerly they had And as the Priest had made them naked so you may finde it in 2 Chron. 28. 19. that the King made them naked too The Lord brought Judah lowe because of Ahaz King of Israel for he made Judah naked and transgressed sore against the Lord. He made Judah naked that is by countenancing Idolatry by syding with those that were Idolaters even he made Judah naked at that time Here we may see who they are that are like to strip us if ever God should come to strip us We have many amongst us that see false burthens of all the miseries and troubles that come upon the nation they cry out presently of the Puritans and of others that they say are factious and seditious spirits and turbulent and all must be laid upon them Certainly whosoever hath eyes in his head may easily see who makes us thus naked as we are and if we be made more naked who will be the cause of all Those that stand against the way of Reformation those that will keep their whoredoms in their sight and their adulteries between their breasts those that will not be willing that the Church shall be purged from that filth and whorish attire that it hath these are they that make us naked We read in Lamen 2. 14. Thy Prophets have seene vaine and foolish things for thee and they have not discovered thine iniquity to turne away thy captivity but have seen for thee the false burthens and causes of banishment Mark it the Prophets have seene vaine aâ—d foolish things they have not discovered thine iniquity they have not dealt 〈◊〉 inly with thy people neither have they told them the reason of their captivity but they have seene for them false burthens and causes of banishment The Prophets say it is a company of these precise and strict ones that will not be obedient to authority and will not doe what is commanded in such and such things and when there were wayes of corruption in Gods worship they would not submit to such and such orders The Prophets lay the blame upon them but they see false burthens saith the Text and false canses of banishment We have many such Prophets amongst us who see false burthens and causes of banishment and they cry out of those that certainly are the causes of our peace and of the good of the kingdom Tertullian tells us that in the Primitive times if they had but any ill weather or any trouble at all they would cry out of the Christians as the cause of it and presently the voice was Adleons let the Christians be dragged to the Lyons and devoured by the Lyons it hath beene so amongst us But may we not answer as Elijah answered Ahab when Ahah told him that he was the man that troubled Israel I have not troubled Israel but it is thou and thy fathers house May we not well say to them as Jehu to Iehoram when hee asked him whether there was peace What peace so long as the whoredomes of thy mother Iezebel and her witchcrafts are so many Those have been popish certainly they have endangered us of being stripped of all Who were the causers of the first disturbances amongst us even of all the persecution here of Gods Saints and of all the discontent among the people Who were they that perswaded the bringing in of an Arbitrary vvay of government Who were the cause of laying such things upon the people that they could not beare Who were the causers of the troubles in Scotland sending of bookes thither full of superstitious vanities was it not the Prelaticall faction Who are those that hinderthe Reformation at this day Certainly if it were as apparent that they that
I will sow thee there shall come a blessing upon thee and though thou beest scattered up and down in the earth yet in all places thou shalt be as seed from whence my Church shall spring Hence the notes are First that Gods people are the seed of the earth But of that before in the latter end of the first Chapter onely I will adde a note of Ribera about it The seed saith he lies under the clods and at length fructifies so should the Saints be content to lie under the clods and though they may seem in regard of their afflicted condition to be dead to be rotten yet they shall be glorious and fructifie afterward Before the time of the Churches glory times of great calamity and distresse come which this rotting of the seed before the fructifying sets out unto us Secondly every godly man should so live as either in life or death hee should be as a seed from whence many may spring he should be a meanes that many should be begotten to God It is reported of Cicilia in the history of the Church a poore Virgin that by her gracious behaviour in her mattyrdome she was the means of converting four hundred to Christ As in the Indies one corn bringeth forth divers hundreds so we should labour to convert as many as wee can that some that live after may continue to beare up the name of Christ and the profession of his truth Especially be carefull of your children leave them as seed to hold up the name of God in thy family when thou art dead and gone And further I will sow her to my selfe The Saints are sowen unto Christ they are seed for Christ therefore all their fruit must be given up unto Christ Christ must have all the fruit we bear who should have the fruit but he that soweth it Therefore Cant. 7. 13. All manner of pleasant fruits new old which I have laid up for thee O my beloved Are we able to bear any fruit Let us lay it up all for Jesus Christ for it is he that soweth us unto himselfe we must not sow to our selves not to the flesh for then wee shall reap corruption but all for Christ And I will shew mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy Divers things about Gods shewing mercy after rejection were spoken of in the first Chap. Only these notes for the present There are none so rejected as that they can conclude that they shall never have mercy those that have committed the sinne against the holy Ghost excepted though Israel had not obtained mercy though they were cast out yea cast out to the beasts to be devoured yea saith God I will shew mercy upon her 2. Children of wicked parents may at length obtain mercy from God Though Israel be cast off yet her children shall have mercy A comfort to us in regard of the Idolatry of our fore fathers yea a comfort in the regard of the children that are to come Our fore fathers have broken the Covenant why may not we obtaine mercy But suppose we should be the generation of Gods wrath and not obtaine mercy yet we may have hope that the posterity following shall have mercy Thirdly Mercy after it is thought to be past if then it come Oh it is sweet mercy indeed when she seemed to be utterly rejected then to have mercy shewed this is sweet Fourthly Mercy is the cause of all the good the Saints have One Scripture for it Psal 57. 3. Send from heaven saith David David was in the Cave in a poor condition hunted for his life persecuted by Saul I see little hope from earth saith he therefore O Lord send from heaven What shall God send Angels from heaven to deliver thee David No but mark what followeth God shal send forth his mercy his truth as if he should say Lord though I have no help in earth though I see no Angels from heaven to helpe me yet let me have thy mercy and truth and that is enough This satisfies a gracous heart if he may have Gods mercy and his truth that is Gods mercy revealed in a promise Lastly God hath a speciall day of mercy for his people for his Churches I will have mercy upon her that hath not obtained mercy Let us cry to God for the hastening of this day let us open the miseries of our own Kingdome and of Ireland Oh when shall this day come that thou wilt shew mercy to thy owne people which thou hast told us of Oh that that day may hasten Come Lord Jesus come quickly And I will say to them which were not my people This is that we had in the first Chapter onely with some differences there it is In the place where it was said yee are not my people And I shewed you when I opened that place both out of the Romanes and out of Peter how the Apostle makes use both of that in the first Chapter and this here in the second onely take a hint of the truths in it First God hath a special interest in his people they are his people they are called his peculiar people Tit. 2. 14. The word hath this emphasis in it God lookes upon all other things as accidents in comparison and his substance is his people they are his very portion as Deut. 33. 19. and Exod. 19. 5. they are his peculiar treasure above all people in the world and Esay 19. 25. Assyria the worke of my hands and Israel mine inheritance I have made all people but Israel is mine inheritance This is the happines of the Saints therefore they are not as other people are Num. 23. 9. This people shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the Nations this is a great ground of prayer Lord leave us not we are thy people called by thy name we have an interest in thee Againe This is an argument to walke so as God may not be dishonored by us for we are his people If those in a mans family walke disorderly it is a dishonour to the Master of the family it is no dishonour to him for a stranger or one who hath little reference to him to walke disorderly It is not so much dishonour to God for the wicked to walke disorderly as for the Saints in regard of their neerenesse to God And besides their light is as I told you three story high and if they sin they sin against a greater light then others doe their sin is greater then the sinne of the wicked in that regard Further I will say to them which were not my people thou art my people I will own them before all the world It is a great mercy for God to make it knowne to the world that his people are his people The world will not beleeve it they think they are a poor contemptible people but there shall come a day that I will make it knowne they are