seed of God a great day 1. They are the seed of God The seed of the blessed and there is a blessing in them They are the precious seed that God preserves in the world hath done ever since the beginning of the world They are that seed that preserveth the glory of God in the world Were it not for a few gracious holy people in the world where would the glory of God be What would become of it Those that are godly however contemptible in the world they are the precious seed that God reserves in the world for great and glorious ends They are the seed to preserve the continuation of the Doctrine of the Gospell and the blessed truths of God as Isa 6. 13. The holy seed shall be the substance thereof Though they shall be under great afflictions yet there shall be a holy seed that shall be the substance thereof and there shall be his blessing Psal 72. 17. His name shall endure from generation to generation the words are read by Montanus His name shall be childed that is so continued as families are continued one generation after another one begetteth another and so shall the name of Christ continue in the world and so it hath done And though seed be but a handfull in comparison of the harvest so the Saints of God then were and yet are but as a handfull in comparison of the glorious harvest that shall be yet they are very precious before God and God will make the world hereafter know that they are the precious ones of God Isa 61. 9. All that see them shall acknowledge them that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed Seed you know a man will be carefull of that what ever becomes of his other corne In the time of dearth the husbandman wil rather pinch his own belly then have his seed-corne to be spent So in times of common calamity of common dearth yet Gods care is over his seed the Saints are as I may say Gods seed-corne to preserve his name in the world to other generations that are to come he will not therefore have them destroyed Seed is the most precious of the corne which is most winnowed and made cleane and so are the Saints the cleane ones and the most precious ones God perhaps doth winnow them and fanne them more than he doth others by the fannes and winnows of afflictions why because they are his seed Perhaps other corne that hath drosse in it the husband-man will give the fowles and the cattell that he bestoweth not much winnowing upon it but the corne that is for seed he winnows that he would not willingly have a dernell amongst it It may be thou complainest thou art more winnowed more fanned then other men perhaps thou art more precious in Gods eyes thou art to be reserved as seed as the seed of the blessed The wicked indeed they are seed too but a corrupt seed a seede of evill deers Esay 1. the grand-father was an enemy unto God yea the great grand-father and the father and the children after him continue enemies to God And God in mercy unto his Church doth many times cut downe the wicked before they do seed too much As you that have gardens if they have weeds in them and you see the weeds come up and grow to seed you think then that it is time to pull them up you will not suffer them to seed God lookes upon many families and sees wretched and sinfull men as a seed of evil doers and sees they are ready to seed and if they be not cut down suddenly there will be a wretched brood of wicked ones in such a family This is the reason of Gods suddain cutting down of many wicked families But to come to the point that is chiefly intended that is That this seed of the Lord shall have a great day Great shall be the day of Jezreel The men of the world they have their day in which they ruffle it out and they have all the doings Saint Paul seemes to speake of this in 1 Cor. 4. 3. he saith there that he did not passe for mans judgement the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for mans day Now men have the day they have all the bravery in the world well saith Saint Paul I doe not passe formans day I expect another day besides mans day I know not how it commeth to passe to be otherwise translated you translate it judgement in your books but in the Originall it is day Man hath a day As men have a day so shall Gods Saints have a day too Wee use to say many times when we see the Malignant party jocund and merry surely they hope to have a day My brethren be joyfull in the Lord God hath a day for you and a great day too Great shall be the day of Jezreel The beginning of Gods mercy to his people is called a day of small things Zach. 4. 10. and that must not be despised Let no man despise the day of small things It was the beginning of the reformation and deliverance of the people of Judah from their captivity But God hath a day of great things and certainly that day shall be honorable A day first in which the glory of God shall exceedingly appear wherein God shal be as I may so speak with holy reverence as it were in his robes As we know Princes upon great dayes put on their robes so the King of glory shall have a day for his people wherein even he himself will put on his robes Ps 102. 16. When the Lord shall build up Zion he shall appear in his glory It seemeth while the Church is in affliction while the witnesses prophesie in sack-cloath God is as it were cloathed in sack-cloath In all their afflictions he is afflicted but because God hath a day a great day to his Churches he will reserve his robes till then and when that day commeth he will put on his robes for when he shall build up Zion saith the Text then the Lord shall appeare in his glory A great day it shall be for Jezreel for the seed of the Lord. Secondly It shall be a great day for this day shall be the riches of the world Marke that place in Rom. 11. 12 speaking of the Jews If their fall saith he be the riches of the world and their diminishing the riches of the Gentiles how much more their fulness It was a rich mercy to the Gentiles when they were brought out of darknesse and called into the knowledge of Jesus Christ here was riches to the world of the Gentiles But God hath a greater day then that for it is spoken here of a day that is to come that is their fall was the riches of the Gentiles much more their calling in again So then there is such a day of calling home the people of God as shall be the riches of the Gentiles the riches of all the world
Yea Thirdly Great shall be this day for it shall be as a day of resurrection from death to life so Dan. 12. 2. Many of them that sleepe in the dust shall awake c. It is not spoken of the great resurrection at the last day of judgement for First It is spoken but of some that shall arise Secondly The greatest glory that is here put upon the just is but to shine as the stars in the firmament but at the last day the Saints shall shine as the sunne in the firmament more and above the starres Yea Thirdly This that is here revealed to Daniel must be sealed up as a great secret till the appointed time come but for the Resurrection at the last day that is no great secret that they knew well enough it is not as a secret to be shut up and sealed from men till the time appointed come But this Resurrection here spoken of it is to be sealed up as a great secret that was not knowne in the world nor should be much knowne till the appointed time should come And then Lastly It was promised to Daniel in the 13. ver that he should stand up in his lot as a peculiar and speciall favour that God stould bestow upon him Now it is not such a peculiar and special favour for a Saint to stand up at the great day at the last day this was a favour to Daniel as an eminent Saint that he should stand up thus in his lot Therefore this Resurrection is the same with this great day of Jezreel wherein there shall be such a glorious work of God in calling Israel and Judah together the fulness of the Gentiles that it shall be as the Resurrection from death to life so the Apostle calls it likewise in that Rom. 11. 15. What shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead 4. Great shall be the day of Iezreel for this shall bring refreshing to all the Saints this is the time of the refreshing Act. 3. 19. There shall be such things then as will refresh and revive the spirits of all the Saints Yea 5. It shall be the day of restitution of all things Acts 3. 21. Vntill the times of rest it 〈◊〉 of all things come which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his Propâ—â— since the world began I know it is ordinary carryed by many another way concerning the last day but that it cannot be so it appears because that then there shall not be the restitution of all things but the annihilation of many things Further this speakes of a restitution of all things that was spoken of by the mouth of all the holy Prophets Now the holy Prophets spake but very little concerning the day of Judgment of another life to come we reade but little of it in the Prophets and therefore the Apostle in 2 Tim. 1. 10. saith that life and immortality was brought to light through the Gospel Not but that it was known somewhat before but it was very darkly known there was very little spoken of life and immortality in the Prophets But this speaks of a time that all the holy Prophets spake of as an argument that was the general theame of them all And indeed there is no argument whatsoever that is more general among the Prophets then this great argument of this great day of Jezreel Again 6. A great day for it shall be a new creation a new heaven and a new earth shall be made when this great day of Iezreel shall come Esay 66. 17. Behold I create new heavens and a new earth And in ver 18. if you observe it you shall see what this new heaven and this new earth is But be glad and rejoyce for ever in that which I create for behold I create Ierusalem are joycing and her people a joy Those are the new heavens the new earth that are to be created and this is meant of the Church plainly for the Text ver 21. speakes of building houses and inhabiting them and of planting vineyards and eating the fruit of them upon these new heavens this new earths creation And 2 Pet. 3. 13. Neverthelesse according to this promise we looke for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousnesse Now where is this promise This is usually taken for the Kingdom of heaven hereafter But where is this promise We do not finde it any where but in that place I named before Esay 65. Now it is apparent that promise doth speak of an estate of the Church here in this world and there is spoken of a new earth as well as of a new heaven if it were onely spoken of new heavens it had bin another matter but it speaks of a new earth likewise therefore meant of an estate in this world a new creation of a new heaven and earth that is there shall be such glorious things done by God as shall manifest a creating power as if God did now make new heavens and a new earth 7. Great shal be the day of Iezreel for it shall be as another world when this day cometh Heb. 2. 5. 6. 7. 8. Vnto the Angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come whereof we speak But one in a certain place testified this certain place is in Psa 104. saying What is man that thou art mindful of him or the son of man that thou visitest him Thou hast made him little lower then the Angels thou crownedst him with glory and honour and didst set him over the works of thy hands thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet This is clearly interpreted of Christ as vers 9. and so on that all things must be subjected to hiâ—â— man What is man that thou shouldst regard him That is that thou 〈◊〉 advance the nature of man so far as to unite it even to thy Son and piâ—â— things in subjection under his feet This the Apostle interpreteth of Christ But saith he wee see not yet all things put under him that time is yet to come for saith he We speak of things that concerne the world to come Therefore mark my brethren there must be such a time wherein all things all creatures must be put under subjection to Christ and this is in the world to come Not in that world to come where the Saints shall raign gloriously in heaven it cannot be meant of that for the heavens must depart as a scroll and many things shall then rather be annihilated and the Kingdome must then be given up by Christ to God the Father so the Apostle saith 1 Cor 15. that is when the Saints shall reigne gloriously with Christ in heaven But here this place speaks of a time when all creatures must come under subjection to Christ and it is called the world to come why because of the great change there shall be of things it shall be as it were a new world As we call this world from Noahs
time a new world and when we speak of the other world we call it the old world so the Scripture calls it 2 Pet. 2. 5. God spared not the old world And Chap. 3. 6. The world that then was being overflowed with water perished So this world that we live in is as the old world and there is this day of Jezreel in which there shall be such a glorious change all things being put in subjection under Christ that it shall be as it were a new world God hath made an excellent world in which there is much beauty and glory and yet his enemies have the rule here what then will that world be that God intends for his Saints 8. Great shall be the day of Jezreel It shall be such a great day that all former things shall be even forgotten because of the lustre and glory of that great day As Isa 65. 17. The former heavens and the former earth shall not be remembred nor come into mind And so Jer. 3. 16. In those dayes saith the Lord they shall say no more the Arke of the Covenant of the Lord neither shall it come to minde neither shal they remember it at that time they shal call Jerusalem the Throne of the Lord and all the nations shal be gathered unto it to the name of the Lord to Jerusalem neither shal they walk any more after the imagination of their evil hearts mark my brethren In those dayes the house of Judah shall walke together ver 18. It is apparent that it is spoken of this great day of Iezreel for now God saith he will gather Iudah and Israel together and here he saith that they shall walke together and that then former things shall be forgotten they shall call Jerusalem the Throne of the Lord heretofore even the Temple it self the glory of Jerusalem was but as the place of Gods feet and the Arke of God was but Gods footstool 1 Chron. 28. 2. It was in mine heart saith David to build a house of rest for the Arke of the Covenant of the Lord and for the footstoole of our God and Isa 60. 13. I will make Zion the place of my feet glorious But now in this great day Jerusalem that was but Gods foot stool the place of his feet shall be Gods Throue a great day certainly this shall be when all things shall be thus forgotten In the last place a great day because it shall be a day after which there shal be no night And that you will say will be a great day indeed after which the Saints shall be raised to such a state of prosperity and happiness that shall never fall again that shall never come to be darkened any more The Churches here many times have had some little release they have had their dayes of peace for a while but it hath soone grown to be night and a dismall night of darkness But when this great day shall come it shall be a day that shall never have night for so God promiseth here to his Jezreel to make it to be an eternal excellency and to make Jerusalem an everlasting joy and Dan. 2. 44. God shall in the dayes of those Kings set up a Kingdom that shall never be destroyed that is the great day of Jezreel The first thing that shall be done in this great day of Iezreel shall be the deliverance of the Churches from wofull affliction which they shal be found to be in a little before For so the Scripture tells us Dan. 12. 1. that before this day there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time and at that time thy people shall be delivered I might tell you much how some of the Ancients have spoken of this that though it be a point that seemes to be somewhat strange to us yet it was one of the most ordinariest things that was known in the primitive times It was then so generally acknowledged that I remember Just in Martyr who was but 30. years after Saint John hath such an expression as this There is no man saith he that is of the Orthodox faith in all things but he doth acknowledge it And Lactantius in his 7. book cap. 15. 24. 28. and divers other chapters he spends in shewing the glory of this great day of Iezreel but withall he shewes that a little before there shall be most grievous times that shal fall out such times saith he as that all right shall be confounded the law shall perish no body shall know what is his own the wicked they shal have the preheminence the Saints they shall be persecuted so that saith he though in this our time wickednesse is grown to such a height that a man would think it could increase no higher yet in comparison of the time a little before that great day these times may be called Golden ages These expressions he hath So that great times of affliction will be before that great day and it is therefore called a great day because God appearing so gloriously in the deliverance of his Church at that day The Scripture speakes of wonderfull thing that God will do and shew himself marvaylous as he did in the people of Israels comming out of Egâ—â—t Who knowes but that God now sendeth abroad so much of the light of his Gospel and is so working in the hearts of men and giveth us such a time of reviving and calleth home so many young ones as he doth purposely because this great day is at hand and because before this day wee may have a day of dismall darkenesse and by this he will prepare people for those times God will have a great seed that he intends to be in the world therefore so many young people are converted and are so forward because I say God meanes to prepare them by this light that we now have for this seed for this great day And you that are young may expect to go thorow some difficulties hardship before this great day comes but be of good comfort you may hope to live to see all the glory of this great day and God gives you now time that you may lay up and be fit seed for such a glorious day as this that you may not when sufferings come be found among the number of the fearfull ones spoken of in Rev. 21. 8. that shal have their part in the lake which burneth with fire brimstone Those that through base cowardliness and complyance shall yeeld to base vile superstitious vanities shall be cast out amongst dogs when that great day comes God now gives you a day that you may see the evil of superstitious vanities that you may have truths revealed to you with more freedom then formerly I say who knowes but this may be to prepare you for that darknesse that may come a little before this great day of Jezreel Secondly a great day in subduing the adversaries
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
looking upon God when we pray to him as a God of mercy and we present our selves in our humiliations before the mercy seat but know this that the mercy seat will doe us no good without the blood of Christ faith must take this blood of Christ and sprinkle it tender it up to God his Father for the atonement of our souls and procuring mercy to us and not only so the blood of the Bullock the Goat must be sprinkled upon the Mercy seat but before the Mercy seat we must not only thinke there can be no mercy obtained from God but by the blood of Christ but we cannot so much as have accesse to Gods Mercy seat without the bloud of Christ we must not dare to enter but by the bloud of Christ by him we have accesse to God we must all know that all sinners are banished from the presence of God and must not have accesse to Gods presence as they are in themselves Lastly this day divers times is called A Sabbath of rest that is A Sabbath of Sabbaths so it is in the Originall as one of the principall Sabbaths that they had I did not handle it amongst the Sabbaths because it comes in now more fully amongst these solemne Feasts there must be more rest in the days of atonement then in other of their solemn days There was that permitted in other solemn days that was not permitted in that day this may teach us that in the dayes of fasting above any dayes we must get our souls now separated from the world there must be a rest in our hearts a rest from sinne a rest from the world it must be a Sabbath of Sabbaths unto us Now notwithstanding God had given this solemne charge for this day of atonement yet Theodoret tels us that in his time they did so degenerate that they spent this day in sports and made it a day of mirth God grant that the ordinariness of our days of atonement do not grow to this abuse as in some places it is amongst us the most solemne things that ever God gave charge of yet in time degenerates this is the wickedness of mens natures One note more from this Feast of Expiation it is very probable that the Grecians did use yearly in expiation of their Cities in this manner from this we find amongst the stories of the Grecians that yearly they were wont to have a kind of Expiation in imitation of the ways of the Jewes the Devill is Gods Ape for their Cities there was this custome amongst them certaine condemned persons were brought forth with garlands in manner of Sacrifices and these they were wont to tumble down from some steep place into the middst of the Sea and so offer them up to Neptune the God of the Sea with these words Be thou a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for us The like was used by them in the times of publique infection when they had a publique plague in their Cities they used such a custome to make an atonement betweene them and their gods there were certain men brought to be sacrificed to their Gods for an expiation for ther whole City and they were caled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this word was used to signifie that that man that was to expiate for all the sins of their Cities to their gods ing all their sins upon him was as filth and 〈◊〉 scouring and from these two words it is probable the Apostle in the first to the Corinthians 4. 13. hath that expression by which we may come to understand the meaning of those two words there We are saith he made the filth of the world and off-scouring of the people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in these alluding to the manner of the Grecians We for our parts saith he are made as despicable and odious in the sight of the people and are as much loaded with the curses of the people as those condemned persons that had all the sins and curses of the people put upon them and so were offered to their Gods for expiation The Feast of Tabernacles The history of this Feast is Leviticus 23. 34. soon In this Feast the Iews were to take boughes off the trees and make booths of them and those that write the history in their manners they tell us they used to carry boughs in their hands because they could not make booths Tabernacles for all the people therefore some of them thought it sufficient to carry boughs in their hands and those boughes they carried in their hands they used to call Hosanna Do thou fold or prepare the Hosanna so they used to speake therefore when Christ came to Ierusalem they cryed Hosanna to the Sonne of David the meaning was not a prayer Save us O thou Son of David as some would have it but Hosanna to the Son of David that is we hold forth these boughs to the honour of the Messiah the Son of David the Feast of Tabernacles was to point at the Messiah now for those boughs ver 40. there was a command of God they should be goodly trees palme trees or willowes of the brooke but why so it noted that thereby they were to acknowledge Gods goodnesse to them that whereas they had lived forty yeares in the wildernesse in a dry place they were now brought to a fruitfull land that had much water which was a great matter in those hot countries and therefore they were to bring the willows of the brooke and goodly trees those that might most testifie the goodnesse of God to them in delivering them from the wildernesse and in bringing them to a land filled with sweet and pleasant brookes Things observable in this Feast are First The end why God would have this Feast kept he aimes at these three things chiefly First God would have them to blesse his name for his mercies to them in the wildernesse when they dwelt in boothes it was appointed by God that they should once a yeare call to minde the great mercies of God while they were in the wildernesse and there dwelt in boothes and had no houses for so was the dispensation of God towards his people for forty yeares they were to be in the wildernesse and not to have a house in all that time but dwelt in Tabernacles this was a mighty worke of God and manifested his exceeding protection over them and provision for them and his providence every way to provide necessaries for them even as well as if they had had the strongest houses that so many hundred thousands should live forty 〈◊〉 and never have a house built all that time was a great work of God God â—ould declare thereby that the Church in this world is not to expect any certaine habitation any setled condition but to be as men that dwell in tents removing up and downe and so seeke after a City that hath foundations as it is said of Abraham At this Feast the Jewes were wont to reade the
let us say Priests they say superintendents but let us keep the word Bishop it is a Scripture word indeed but not in that sense they call it for in the Scripture sense every Presbyter is a Bishop they say Sacrament let us keep the word Sacrifice and Host they say Congregation let us keep the word Church they morning evening prayer let us keep the words Mattens even-song and so Oblation Lent and Palmsunday and Christmas day c. This was the policy of Papists and it hath been the policy of many of us to bring in popery by Let us take heed of this for the Devill is subtile in this for though these words have some kind of good sense in the Originall yet there is danger in the use of them Augustine in his preface to his narration upon the Psalms hath this expression It is a better thing in the mouths of Christians to speak according to the manner of the Church so we may well say it had been better that in the mouths of Protestants there had been the ordinary language of Protestants not the language of Papists Certainly if God had not been very mercifull unto us the very language of Papists that began to be amongst us would have done abundance of mischief take heed as long as you live of the language of Papists whatsoever pretence they may have for their words In that place of the Rhemists Testament quoted they say Let us take heed of the words of hereticks they there confess that heretiques as they call us use many words that have no great hurt in them but because they are the words of heretiques let us not say they use them They are wise enough they will not use our words though they confesse the words themselves have no harme in them yet because they are our proper language as they make them distinct from themselves therefore no Catholiques should use them why should not we be as wise as they The second Observation Idolatry is a most loathsome and abominable thing Why Surely that is most loath some that we may not so much as mention that we may not so much as remember We must seek to abolish the very name the very remembrance of Idolatry as much as possibly we can First one that we hate we do not love his presence we do like his company Secondly if we hate him very much we doe not love so much as to see him and if perhaps we doe see him afar off out hearts rise that is a second degree But thirdly if our hatred be so great thee wee cannot endurâ—â—â— name him that is a greater degree of hatred But fourthly if wee cannot endure to remember him that is more then to name him Yet thus should it be in our manifestation of our hatred to Idolatry we should not admit it into our company much lesse then to joyn in the Ordinances of God We should not admit no not the very sight of it no not the name of it no not the memory of it without a great deale of indignation Jer. 44. 4. Oh doe not this abominable thing saith the Lord there The Lord cryes out with a shriek as it were Oh! doe not this abominable thing as if any of you should see one ready to murther your child or to cut the throat of your father you would shrick out Oh! what mean you to doe do not such a horrible villany as this so God cries out as it were with a shriek do not this abominable thing It is observable in the second commandement that God saith hee will visite the sinn upon the third generation of them that hate him none seem to love God more then wil-worshippers they will not only worship God as he hath appointed but will devise ways of their owne and yet God charges the breakers of no commandement with hatred of him but onely these As if God should say you pretend love to me in that you will finde out new wayes to worship me by you pretend decency and reverence but I account it hating me you can provoke me in nothing more Tertullian in his book De Idololatria hath this expression Idolatry is the principall hey nous crime of mankind it is the chief guilt of the world and the onely cause of judgment in the world It were good therefore seeing God hates it and loaths it so much that we should hate and loath it and therefore even cast out the name and the memory of it it were a happy thing if this could be obtained that now the names as of Popish so of heathenish Idols could be got out from the Church But I know not how it comes to passe that we Christians do still retaine the use of their names the very dayes of the week amâ—â—g us are called by the names of Planets or Heathen Gods Not that I think it a sin when it is the ordinary language of the world so to speak as may be understood for the Apostle as I said afore mentioneth the name of Castor and Pollux but if there could be an alteration by a generall consent it were a thing desireable as our brethren in New-England doe and it were very desireable likewise that our children might not be educated in the use of heathen Poems where the names of heathen Idols are kept up fresh amongst us The Papists themselves acknowledge so much in their notes upon the Rhemists Testament Rev. 1. 10. where they say the name Sunday is Heathenish as all other of the week dayes some imposed after the name of Planets by the Romans some by the name of certaine Idols that the Saxons worshipped to which they dedicated their days before they were Christians which names the Church used not but hath appointed to call the first day Dominike the Lords the other by the name of Feries untill the last day of the week which she calleth by 〈…〉 name Sabbath because that was of God and 〈…〉 imposition of 〈◊〉 â—eathen And in their Annotations upon Luke 24. 1. The first day of the Sabbath that is first after the Sabbath which is our Lords day And the Apostle 1 Cor. 16. 2. commanded a collection to be made on the first of the Sabbath whereby wee learn say they both the keeping that day the Churches count of days 2 3 4. of the Sabbath that is the second day the third day of the week and so on to be Apostolicall which S. Sylvister afterward named 2. 3. 4. Feriam Thus you have the Papists acknowledging the Lords day to be Apostolicall and the calling the days of the week the 2. the 3. the 4. c. to bee likewise Apostolicall The Heathenish Roman names of the days were from the seven Planets 1. Sol from thence Dies solis Sunday dedicated to the Sun 2. Luna Monday dedicated to the Moon 3. Mars Tuesday dedicated to Mars Our English Tuesday is a Saxon name from Tuisco who they say was chiefe leader and
AN EXPOSITION Of the Prophesie of HOSEA Begun IN DIVERS LECTVRES Vpon the first three Chapters At MICHAELS Cornhill LONDON By JER BURROUGHES The Second Edition Newly corrected Inter omnia dona donum verbi Dei est amplissimum Si hoc auferas soleme mundo sustulisti Quid erit mundus sublato verbo quaminfernus Luther LONDON Printed for R. Dalwman in the Year 1652. TO THE READER YOu have these Lectures as they were taken from me in preaching Iperused the notes but I could not bring the style to that succinctnesse that I desired except I should have wrote all over again which I had no time to doe my perusall was but cursory therefore many things have slipt me You have them as I preached them without any considerable alteration I had thought to have been far briefer that which caused me to goe somewhat beyond an expository way was the meeting with so many things almost in every Lecture so neerly concerning the present times in the remaining part of the Prophesie if God give life to goe through it I shall keep my selfe more close to an expository way what here you have take it as you finde it what good you meet with receive it in This will be the encouragement of Thy friend in Christ J. B. Aug. 10. 1643. Imprimatur Ioseph Caryll AN EXPOSITION OF The Prophesie of Hosea The First LECTVRE Chap. 1. Vers 1 2. c. 1. The word of the Lord that came unto Hosea the son of Beeri in the dayes of Vzziah Iotham Ahaz and Hezekiah Kings of Iudah and in the days of Ieroboam son of Ioash King of Israel 2. The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea and the Lord said to Hosea c. The Preface To The Work THis day beginneth a Scripture Exposition Exercise which hath lost much of the honour of it by the disuse of it The best Apology for it is to set presently upon it It is ancient in the Church of God old enough to speak for itself Nehem 8. 8. we read that Ezra Ieshua Bani and the rest read in the book of the Law and gave the sense and caused the people to understand the reading You love brevity in this Exercise you shall have it in all that shall be delivered unto you I have pitched upon the Books of the small Prophets to open them unto you of whom Ierome hath this expression You cannot tell which to wonder at most either the brevtâ—y of speech or the greatness and abundance of sense And this Prophet Hosea in speciall is excellent this way of whom the same Author speaking calls him exceeding concise speaking by sentences Being the Propheticall books is the work that falls to me why I chose rather to begin with Hosea then Isaiah I shall afterward give you an account If God continue this Exerciseand life we may goe through them all both small and great In these Prophets we have most admirable divine Truths revealed to us and pity it is that the minde of God contained in them should be so little known even unto his children that such treasures of heavenly truths that are there should lie hid from so many so long a time as they have done We might preface this our work because this is the first dayes entrance into it vvith labouring to raise and sweeten your hearts with the consideration of the excellency of the Scriptures in generall Luther hath an high expression about them he calls them the highest genus that containes in it all good whatsoever Take away the Scripture and you even take away the Sun from the world What is the world without the Scriptures but hell it self We have had indeed the word of God to be as the Sun in the world but oh hovv many mists have been before this Sun We have seldome the Sun shine clearly to us It is pity seeing there is such a glorious Sun risen that there should be such a misty day Now this is the work we are called unto to dispell the mists and fogs from before this Sun that it may shine more brightly before your eyes and into your hearts Chrysost in his 29. Sermon upon Genesis exhorting his Auditors to get the Scriptures into their houses and to a diligent exercise of himselfe in them tells them that by them the soul is raised and elevated and brightned as with the beame of the Sun of righteousnesse and delivered from the snares of unclean thoughts The Scripture is that wherin the great God of heaven hath sent his mind to the children of men wherein he hath made known the counsel of his wil opened even his very heart unto Man-kind It is the Epistle that God hath sent into the world And did wee but heare of such a Book that were dictated imediatly by God himself to the end to shew the children of men what the eternall counsels of his will were for the ordering of them to their eternall estate and to open his thoughts and intentions concerning their everlasting condition what it shall be Did wee I say but heare that there were such a book in the farthest part of the Indies would we not rejoyce that the world was blest with such a mercie what strong and vehement desires should we have to enjoy but one sight of it before we dye Wee would be willing to venture upon any hazard to passe through any difficulty to be at any charges that we might have but a sight of such a booke as this My brethren you need not say Who shall goe to the farthest part of the Indies to setch this book Who shall descend into the depth or goe to the uttermost part of the earth to help us to a sight of this booke of Scripture For behold the word is nigh unto you it is in your houses and we hope in your hearts and in this exercise is to be in our mouths not only to tell you what it saith but open unto you the mind of God in it The exercising our selves in this book is sweet indeed Luther professes himselfe out of love with his own books and wished them burnt lest men spending time in them should be hindered from reading the Scriptures which saies he are the only fountain of all wisdome and I tremble saies he at the former age that was so much busied in reading of Aristotle and Averroes Wee read in that 8. of Nehem. vers 5 6. when Ezra opened the book of the Law to expound it to the people he blessed the Lord the great God and all the people answered Amen Amen And now blessed be the Lord the great and gracious God for stirring your hearts up to such a work as this is and blessed be his name for those liberties we have thus freely to exercise our selves in this service O praised be the name of the great God for this dayes entrance into so good a work as this is Yea they did not
be seene and another thing to do a thing that it may be seen And yet Gods people may do both not do good onely that may be seen but if they keepe still the glory of God above in their eye as the highest ayme they may desire and be willing too that it may be seene to the praise of God But this I confesse requireth some strength of grace to do it and yet to keep the heart upright The excellency of grace doth consist not in casting off the outward comforts of the world but to know how to enjoy them and to over-rule them unto God so the strength of grace doth consist not in forbearing of such actions as are taken notice of by men or not to dare to ayme at the publishing of those things that have excellency in them but the strength of grace consists in this in having the heart enabled to do this and yet to keepe it under too and to keep God above in his right place Thirdly It shall be said they are sonnes c. It is a great blessing unto Gods children that they shall be accounted so before others Not onely that they shall be so but that they shall be accounted so Blessed are the peace-makers for they shall be called the children of God This is a blessing not onely to be Gods children but to be called Gods children We must account it so and therefore we must walk so as may convince all with whom we do converse that we are the children of God and not thinke this sufficient well let me approve my heart to God and then what need I care what all the World thinks of me God doth promise it as a blessing to have his people called the children of God then this must not be slighted You shall find it often in the Gospel that Christ made a great businesse of this to make it manifest to the world that he was sent of God he would have them to know that his Father sent him and that hee came from him So the people of God should count it a blessing and walk so as they may obtaine such a blessing that the world may know that they are of God Further. In the place where it was said unto them Ye are not my people there it shall be said unto them Ye are the sonnes of the living God Marke It is not said thus that in the place where it was said they are not my people it shall be said to them they are my people No but further it shall be said they are sonnes and sonnes of the living God this goeth beyond being his people Hence then the observation is That The grace of God under the Gospell it is morefull and large and glorious then the grace of God under the Law For this is spoke of the estate of the Church under the Gospell They were Gods people indeed under the Law but the sonnes of the living God this is reserved for the times under the Gospel Sometime they under the Law are called by the name of sonnes but it appeareth by this Text that in comparison of that glorious son-ship that they shall have under the times of the Gospell that they in former times were rather servants then sonnes There is very little of our adoption in Christ revealed in the Old Testament No that was reserved for the Sonne of God to reveale for him that came out of the bosome of the Father and brought the treasures of his Fathers councel to the world the revelation of these things were reserved to the time of his comming both adoption and eternal life was very little made knowne in the time of the Law therefore Saint Paul saith that life and immortality were brought to light through the Gospel 2 Tim. 1. 10. 2. Sonnes Because in the time of the Gospell the spirits of the Saints are of son-like dispositions they are ingenuous not mercenarie In the time of the Law God carried on his people in offering rewards especially in outward things but in the time of the Gospell we have no such rewards in outwards but the Scripture speakes of afflictions most there is not spoken so much of afflictions in the time of the Law but much outward prosperity there was then but in the time of the Gospel more affliction because the dispositions of the hearts of people should not be so mercenary as they were before they should be an ingenuous a willing people in the day of Christs power 3. Sonnes Because of the son-like affection to be much for God their Father out of a naturall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they should have more then in the times of the Law I suppose some of you have heard of the story of Craesus his sonne though he was dumb all his dayes when he perceived a souldier striking his father his affection brake the barres of his speech and he cryed out to the Souldier to spare his rather This is the affection of a sonne and these affections doth God looke for from his children especially in the time of the Gospel that they should heare no wrong done to him but though they could never speake in their own cause yet their should be sure to speake in their Fathers cause 4. Sonnes Because they have not such a spirit of servility upon them as they had in the time of the Law Christ is come to redeem us that we might serve the Lord in holinesse and righteousnesse before him without feare all the dayes of our life to take away the spirit of feare Hence the Apostle saith We have not received the spirit of feare but of love and of a sound minde And Heb. 2. 15. Christ is come to redeem those who through feare of death were all their life time subject to bondage The spirit of a sonne is not be spirit of feare We have not received the spirit of bondage to feare again but the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father It is unbeseeming the children of God especially in the time of the Gospel to be of such servile spirits as to feare every little danger to be distracted with fear and presently to be amazed Hath not God revealed himselfe to us as a Father to his children that we must not feare He would not have us feare himselfe not with a servile sear as men do and therefore surely not to fear men be they what they will be We are sons Again Not only sons for so we might find in Scripture where the people of God under the Law perhaps are sometimes called so but elder sons sons come to yeares It is true they were before us and so in that respect we are not elder bnt sons that are come to our inheritance that is it I mean that we are such sons Not children under tutorage not under School-masters and governours as they were in the time under the Law You know what comparison the Scripture makes of the difference betweene
the Church in the time of the Gospell and that in the time of the Law In the time of the Law it is true indeed they were children but how they were children that were under tuttors and Governours they were not as yet come to years they were but as young children that were put out to school But now as the Apostle saith Gal. 4. 15. Chrst hath redeemed us from being under the Law that we might receive the adoption of sonnes marke that we might receive it so that now the state of the Church is like unto a child that cometh to be of age and so is freed from his Tutors and Governors and cometh to his inheritance sui juris as it were so is the state of the Church now Therefore the Saints now are not to be dealt withal as if stil they were in their childish condition Now how were the Jewes dealt withall becausethey were in their childish condition Thus they had outward externall ethings to gain them to serve God they worshipped God much in externall things As we deale with children we give them apples and fine things to get them to doe what we would have them do so God dealt with them And as children when they begin to learne they must have a great many gayes in their book so God taught the Jewes with outward ceremonies which afterward the Scripture calls but beggarly rudiments poor things Children you know are pleased much with gay things and they that would bring in Jewish ceremonies or ceremonies of their own invention in the Church they make account the Church is in her childish condition still as if gay things would please them therefore they must have pictures and Images and such things to please people this makes the people of God beneath themselves as if they were yet children and were to be pleased with such things as these No now in the state of the Gospel they are come to the adoption of sons And so children you know are pleased as with fsghts so with hearing of musick and pipes and such things so men would bring such things still into the Church in the time of the Gospel I remember Iust Martyr in the 107. quest ad orthodoxos in answer to that about musicall instruments he saith that they are fit for children and fooles as Organs and the like and therefore hee sayes they were not in use in the Church One of the most ancient Writers we have after the Apostles time gives this for a commendation of them And indeed for the childish state of the Church those things are fit but now when they are come to the adoption of sons other services that are more spirituall are more sutable and honourable as a man that is grown to be a man would think himselfe wronged much to be taught as a childe to be put off with gay things so should the people of God under the gospell think it a great wrong that hath been done to them when men have sought to teach them with gayes and poor things we are not still children but so grown up to the adoption of sons as to receive our inheritance and therefore are to have the priviledg of such Againe In that place where it was said yee are not my people it shall be said c. Israel that was cast off from God now shall be brought in more fully then ever he was before Thence the observation is When God is pleased to be reconciled to a people he is as fully theirs as ever yea sometimes more fully He comes rather with more full grace then ever formerly he did People before but sons now O what an incouragement is this to all apostatizing soules that have fallen off from God! Come in come in and be reconciled to God and thou shalt not only find God as good as ever thou didst but thou shalt find him much better and much sweeter then ever thou didst in all thy life It is seldome we are so When men fall out one with another though possibly they may be reconciled yet it is seldome that they are so fully reconciled so fully one as they were before they are but as a broken vessell sodered together that is very weake in the sodering place or as garments that have been rent and are mended soon torn and quickly ready to fall in pieces in the place where they were mended It is not so between God and a penitent soule Again sons not onely of God but of the living God There is much in this that the people of God under the gospell should be called the sons of the living God The life of God is the glory of God he sweareth by his life by this he is distinguished from the heathen gods that hee is the living God Life is the most excellent thing in the world Augustine therefore saith that the life of a very fly is more excellent then the Sun in the Firmament and certainly it is the glory of God that he is the living God And as God is the living God so he is the object of our faith and so he is the happinesse of his people Trust in the living God my soule pants and thirsts after the living God O when shall I come and appear before God But why is God called the living God in reference to his Church here 〈…〉 thing we must enquire after This is a treasure of comfort to his people that he is called the living God in reference to his Church God would hereby declare to them that all that is in him shall be active for the good of his Church for ever hee will shew himselfe not only to be a God but a living God hee will shew all his attributes to be living attributes for the good of his people Did God shew himselfe active for his people in former times much more may his Church in the time of the gospell expect the Lord to manifest himself to be active amongst them Therefore we make use o◠what we read of Gods activeness for the good of his Church in former times to plead with God to shew himself as much active now You shall see how the Church made use of the former activeness of God Isa 51. 9. Awake Awake put on strength O arme of the Lord awake as in the ancient dayes in the generations of olde Art not thou it that hath out Rahab and wounded the Dragon Art thou not it which hath dried the sea the waters of the great deep c. Thou hast been active heretofore for thy people oh be so sti◠If they might make use of former times much more in our times of the gospell may we make use of former times and plead with God O Lord hast thou not shewn thy selfe glorious in defence of thy people in helping thy fervants in their great straits and in destroying thine enemies wilt not thou be so still In the times of the gospel we may expect more activenes of God then ever
when they were in the darke for those three dayes together they stirred not from their stooles there was no noise among them shall the light be blamed because afterward when it came every one stirred and went one one way and another another so when we were in grosse darknesse we saw nothing we knew nothing Now light begins to breake forth and here one searcheth after one truth and another after another and yet we cannot attaine to perfection shall we accuse the light for this Yea but we see too apparently that those that seem the strictest of all that would worship God as they say in the purest manner in his Ordinances yet there are woefull divisions and distractions even amongst them How then is the Gospel a Gospel of peace But a word in answer to this To satisfie your consciences that the Gospel may not be blamed for indeed where the Gospel comes there is promised peace Consider this one reason that may be given for it Because so long as we are here we are partly flesh and partly spirit Yet those that have the Gospel prevaile with their consciences they come to be of this temper that they cannot move any further then they can see light for and their consciences will give them leave But now other men they have more liberty they indeed quarrel not one with another why because they have wide checker lyther consciences having ends of their owne they will yeeld to any thing for the attaining of those ends so that here they have this advantage that if they see that the contention will bring them more trouble then they conceive the thing is worth they will condescend though it be against light of conscience But other men upon whom the light of the Gospel hath prevailed have that bond upon conscience that though all the world should differ from them they must be content to lye down and suffer they cannot yeeld though you would give them all the world they cannot go against that light But indeed they may search and it may trouble them that their apprehensions of things should be different from the apprehensions of their brethren and that they cannot yeeld to that which their brethren yeeld too It is true they should be humbled and suspect their hearts and look to themselves and fall down before God and pray and use all means for advice and counsell and consider of things again and again Well but suppose they have done all this and yet the Lord doth not reveale to them any further light though it be a sad affliction to them yet they must lye down under it for they cannot yeeld one known truth is more then all the world therefore unlesse others will beare with them in their infirmity they must suffer whatsoever men will lay upon them True indeed the world calls this stoutness and stifnesse and being wedded to their own opinion But they know it is otherwise they can appeal to God and say Lord thou knowest what a sad affliction it is unto me that I cannot see what my brother sees and that I cannot yeeld to what my brother yeelds to thou hast hid it from me I 〈◊〉 wait upon thee till thou shalt reveal it in the 〈…〉 and not make disturbances in the places vvhere I come but pray 〈…〉 for light and that thou wouldst incline the 〈◊〉 of my brethren unto me 〈◊〉 they may not have hard thoughts of Do but thus thou shalt have peace with God and in thine own heart howsoever But again marke Judah and Israel they shal be gathered together So soone as any are converted to the faith they are of a gathering disposition They desire to gather to the Saints presently Every childe of God that is converted is a gatherer as Solomon is called Ecclesiastes so in the Greeke but the Hebrew word is interpreted by some a soule gathered because it is in the faeminine genger None in the world love good fellowship so much as the Saints of God They fly as doves to their windows doves you know use to fly in great flocks thousands together The more spirituall any one is of the more joyning uniting nature he is Thousands of beames of the Sun will meet together in one better then the beams of a candle will doe The Saints of God in the Apostles times when they were converted it is said they were added to the Church they gathered presently So in Esay 66. it is an observable place ver 20. the Text saith They shall bring their brethren as an offering to the Lord out of all Nations upon horses and in chariots in litters How comes this There shall be many that dwell a great way off they shall not make that their excuse for their not joyning to the people of God because they are afar off It is a great journey No but there be horses to be got But it may be some cannot ride Then get Charets But some perhaps are so weake that they can neither ride on horses nor in Chariots then they will get litters and litters you know are to carry weake sick persons This shews the intention of spirit that is in the people of God to be gathered to the Church either to be carryed on horses or in Chariots or in litters one way or other they will come and joyn themselves to the people of God For there is the presence of Christ and the protection of Christ and the comunication of Christ in their union and communion and where the carcasse is there will the Eagles resort O they love alife to be going towards Sion gathering one to another as in Psal 84. 7. They walk from strength to strength and at last they all appear before God in Zion From strength to strength that is thus From one place of the Country perhaps there comes halfe a score or twenty to go toward Zion and perhaps before they come to such a town or turning they meet with halfe a score more so they grow stronger when they are a mile or two further perhaps they meet with another town coming and they joyn presently are stronger and so they go from strength to strength comfortably together till they come before God in Zion They shall appoint themselves one Head Although they be multitudes be as the sand of the sea yet this is no great matter unless they come under one Head a right Head too It is not multitudes that is a sufficient argument of truth A multitude coming under one Head under Christ as one Head they are the true Church The Papists they give this Note of the Church Universality that there are so many Papists in the world We must not regard people how 〈…〉 they are but under what Head they are They shall be gathered undermine Head looke to the Head they follow for so S. Paul tells us that there shall be an Apostasie before the revelation of that man of sin 2
the Lord himselfe that supplyeth all outward good to his people he doth not onely prize the soules of his people but hee takes care of their bodies too and outward estates Psalm 34. 20. He keepeth all his bones Yea he takes care of the very haire of their heads The bodies of the Saints are very precious in the eyes of God the most precious of all corporall things in the world The Sonne and Moone and Starres are not so precious as the bodyes of the Saints how much more precious are their soules VVe have an excellent note of Austin upon Psalm 63. 1. where the Text saith My soule thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth for thee c. Upon this he hath this Note If the flesh hath any need of bread of wine of money or cattell seeke this of God for God giveth this too for marke Those who thirst for God must thirst for him every way not only their soules â—â—rst for him but their flesh must thirst for him for saith he did God make the soul and did the devills or any idols make the flesh No he that made both soule and flesh he feedeth them both therefore all Christians must say My soule longeth after thee and my flesh also If then we can trust God for our soules and our eternall estates that hee will provide for them we must trust him for our bodies also for our flesh for our temporall estates that he will provide for them also Secondly thus All that we have all our supply that we enjoy in this world it is the free gift of God They did not know that I gave them corne and wine c. All of us live upon the meere Almes of God the greatest man in the world is bound to goe to Gods gate and beg his bread every day though he were an Emperour over all the world hee must doe it to shew his dependance upon him that he lives wholly upon almes Men thinke it hard to live upon almes and because they have maintenance so much comming in by the yeare such an estate in land they thinke they are well provided for many yeers But what ever estate thou hast though by thy trading thou hast gotten so much by the yeare coming in yet God requireth this of thee to go to his gate beg thy bread of him every day so Christ teacheth Give us this day our dayly bread And certainly if we did but understand this our dependance upon God for all outward comforts in the world we could not but feare him and seeke to make peace with him and keepe peace with him and it would be a meanes that our hearts would be inlarged to give to others who need our almes and seeing every man and woman of us is an Almes-man and an Almes-woman Thirdly It is our duty that we owe to God to know and take notice of God as the author of all our good They know not that implyeth they ought to have knowne This is a speciall duty of that worship we owe to God it is the end of Gods communicating all good to us that he may have active glory from his rational creature as well as passive glory and there is no creature else in all the world that God hath made capable of knowing any thing of the first cause but only the rational creature therefore it is the excellency of such that they do not onely enjoy the good that they have but they are able to rise up to the highest and first cause of all their good There is a great deale of excellency in this It is observed of Doves that at every pick of corne they take in their bill they cast their eyes upward and in the Canticles you shall finde the eyes of the Church are called Doves eyes because they looke so much up to heaven upon every good they receive They have not dogs eies the men of the world have dogs eies dogs you know looke up to their Masters for a bone and when they have it they presently looke downe to the ground so the men of the world they will pray to God when they want but whâ—n they enjoy what they would have they look no more upward but all downward This taking notice of God to be the Author of all our good and to give him praise is all the rent we pay to God for what we enjoy therefore it is fit we should doe that and if we doe any thing for God be sure God takes notice of that to the uttermost yea though it be himselfe that enableth us to do it yea though it be but a little good mingled with a great deale of evill God takes notice of it and will reward it surely then we should take notice of the good that he giveth out to us This sweetneth our comforts to see that they all come from God and for that observe the difference betweene the expression of Jacobs blessing and Esaus blessing when Isaac came to blesse Jacob hee expresseth himselfe thus Gen. 27. 28. God give thee of the dew of heaven and of the fatnesse of the earth and plenty of corne and wine c. Now when he commeth to blesse Esau marke his expression then verse 39. Thy dwelling shall be the fatnesse of the earth and of the dew of heaven from above but hee never mentioneth God in that It is not Esaus blessing God give thee of the dew of heaven and of the fatnesse of the earth though it is true Isaac meant so but yet he doth not mention the name of God so in Esaus as in Iacobs blessing Certainly my brethren the seed of Jacob count their blessing to be a double a treble blessing that they can see God in it carnall hearts do not much regard God if they can have what they would have if they can have their flesh satisfied in what they desire from what hand it cometh that they doe not much care but a gracious heart a child of Jacob rejoyceth more in the hand from whence it commeth then in any good he can possibly enjoy Fourthly They did not know God doth a great deale of good in the world that is little taken notice of or laid to heart Many of Gods dispensations are invisible the Angels Ezek. 1. are described with their hands under their wings God doth great things somtime so invisibly as he cannot be seene And when he doth great things that we might see yet through onr neglect stupidity and drossinesse of our hearts we doe not see them The most observing eye that is in the world that takes the exactest notice of Gods mercy and hath the greatest skill to set forth the riches of Gods goodnesse to himselfe and others yet alas it is but very little that he takes notice of no not of that he might doe It is with the quickest sighted Christians as with a skilful Mathematician a skilfull Mathematician takes notice of and understands many parts of the world
thanksgiving Besides yet there is another thing considerable that is in the stating of the time Though men may thus depute and appoint dayes to worship God yet they cannot state any such dayes but onely as Gods providence calls them to it according to the present occasion Therefore it were certainly a sin if a state should appoint once every yeer to be a fasting day in a religious way God did so but men have no power to do so the reason is this because they doe not know but God may call them to rejoycing upon that day they have not the liberty of the time All that we can doe is this when God calleth us to fasting wee must appoint dayes of fasting when God calls us to rejoycing we must appoint dayes of rejoycing Therefore to appoint the time of Lent as a religious fast is sinfull and the Statute it selfe threatneth a mulct upon that man that shall call it a religious fast for civill ends it may be but stated fasts which are not limited by providence are certainly evil and so for these monthly fasts that are now injoyned if we should say we will have a fast once a moneth upon this day these twelve moneths or these two yeers I perswade my selfe the State should sin but to have it as long as Gods hand is upon us as long as the occasion lasteth and Gods providence calls us to it that is justifiable Our Brethren in Scotland wholly deny both stated Fasts and all other dayes Nay they will scarce agree to this monthly fasting we have because they are so loth to yeeld to any stat a jeiunia And I remember I have heard of a speech King James once made in Scotland blessing God that hee was borne at such a time and was a member of such a Church and the reason he giveth is this For saith he the Church of Scotland exceeds in this all other Churches England though it hath pure doctrine hath not pure discipline other Reformed Churches have pure doctrine and discipline but they retaine the observation of many holy dayes but the Church of Scotland hath pure doctrine and discipline and keeps no holy dayes and therefore saith he it is a purer Church then any in the world Thus I have endeavoured to shew you how far things may be set apart how far not when it commeth to be a sinne for any one to sanctifie a day By this we may see what a mercy it is to be delivered from those men who have robbed the Kingdome of so many dayes as they have and put so many superstitious respects upon them and so have involved us in much guilt blesse God for delivering us from them and for those dayes that God giveth us liberty to exercise our selves in his worship let us know our liberty in them Thus much for those Feasts that are called their Feasts that were of their owne appointment Her new moons The ordinance of God in the new moons is in Numb 28. 11. In the beginning of your new moons you shall doc thus and thus c. It was Gods ordinance that the Jews at the beginning of every month should have a holy day when they had a new moon they should keep that day holy to God That which the Latines call Calends were their new moones The holy solemnity of these dayes was in three things First the offerings that were there appointed by God particularly for that time were many chargeable two young bullocks one ram seven lambs of the first yeer without spot besides their flower oyl for their drink offerings and one kid of the goats for a sin-offering Secondly At these times they were wont to repaire to the Prophets for instruction to know the mind of God That you have 2 King 4. 23. where the husband of the Shunamire said to his wife wherefore wilt thou goe to him to day it is neither new moone nor sabbath Indeed if it were new moon or sabbath you may goe but while it is neither why will you goe That implyeth that this was a thing in use among the Jewes to repaire to the Prophets for instruction and to heare Gods word from them upon those dayes Thirdly yea it was unlawfull to buy and sell upon those dayes Amos. 8. 5. When will the new moone be gone that we may sell corn they were weary of it it seems because they might not buy and sell in it These three things we finde in Scripture upon their new moones Now Euxtorphius who relates to us the Jewish way hee tells us of three other things they were wont to doe in their new moones First Those that were most devout among them used to set apart a day for fasting and prayer to intreat God to blesse the new moon to them 2. As soone as there was an appearance of the new moone one steppeth up and cryeth O thou Creator of the moone be ever blessed and so he goes on in the benediction of God for this creature 3. They used to leap and to reach toward the moon so soone as they saw it speaking after this manner We reaching to the moon we cannot reach it so all our enemies that reach at us are as unable to reach us to our hurt as we that But why did God appoint this feast of the new moone It was appointed for these 4. ends 1. Because God would be acknowledged to have the government of all inferiour things in the world and especially of all the changes of times As the Sabbath was for putting us in minde of Gods creating the world so the new moones were appointed for them to blesse God for the government of the world for many nations have attributed much of the government of the things of the world to the moone the tydes you know ebbe and flow according to the moone the great worke of God in the seas seeme to bee governed by God in the use of that creature yea things seeme to be governed more sensibly by this creature then by others to the end therefore that they might not sticke in the creature but give God the glory therefore hee appointed the feasts of the new moone if they had any changes of times and seasons God caused it rather then this creature and as the heathens so they called the Moone the Queene of Heaven and they would not be taken off from offering cakes to the Queene of heaven they attributed all their prosperity to her as we reade in the Prophet Now from this God would take them off therefore he appointed this solemn feast of the new moone 2. God would hereby teach that the bringing of any light unto us after darknesse is meerly from himself and he must be acknowledged in it The Moone is a glorious creature and causeth much light but soone after there is darknesse and after this darknesse light springeth up againe Here is the work of God we are taught a morall lesson from this Feast that
the latter dayes shall bring his Saints unto yet then they shall remember with thankfulnesse what their poor unsetled condition once was Thus you have had a view of the chiefe of the Jewish Feasts which God threatens here shall cease There are onely these three Observations to be drawn from altogether First Even those things that are appointed by God himselfe if once they be abused God will not own them but then they are accounted ours rather then Gods her sabbaths why not my sabbaths why not Gods sabbaths God did appoint them but because they had abused them God would not own them her sabbaths and her solemn Feasts The Ordinances of God though never so good in themselves if you pollute them God rejects them they are your ordinances then and not Gods looke then that all ordinances be as God would have them Secondly It is a grievous and lamentable affliction upon any people for God to deprive them of his sabbaths and ordinances his ordinances are included in their solemne Feasts nay saith God you will goe on in your wickednesse and would put me off with your sabbaths and solemne meetings and with those things that were once my ordinances you will satisfie me with them though you continue in your wickedness no you shall be deprived of them you shall have no more sabbaths no more solemne Feast dayes it is a sad affliction for a people to have no more sabbaths How many of you neglect solemne meetings of Gods people time may come when God will rend these priviledges from you and then your conscience will grate upon you O the sabbaths that once we had O the solemn meetings that once we enjoyed but our hearts were vaine and slight we did not make use of them and now they are gone now perhaps thou art cast into a goale or into a dungeon and there thou keepest thy sabbaths thinkest upon thy solemne meetings O how unworthy is this land of sabbaths how did we set our selves to persecute those that kept sabbaths there was never any such a thing in any Christian nation other places though they are somewhat loose upon their sabbaths yet they never persecute them that will keep sabbath how justly might God have taken away our sabbaths let us acknowledge Gods free grace what reproach hath it been in England to assemble to heare Sermons how justly might God have taken away these solemne Assembles from us long before this let us pray that what ever judgement God sends upon us he will not take away our Sabbaths nor our solemne assemblies but that we may still enjoy those we have and enjoy them to better purpose then ever we have done 3. God hath no need of our services If God call upon us to worship him it is for our good not for any need he hath of what we doe What do I care saith God whether I have any Sabbaths kept or no I can provide for my glory what ever becomes of your duties I need them not I can be glorious without you But these threats are but to take away things that are spirituall carnall hearts thinke if they may live and prosper in the world what care they for Sabbaths and for solemn meetings Tell them of taking away Ordinances tell them of truth of Gods worship what is that to them Let us have our peace our trading and our outward blessings and truth will follow O no a gracious heart will rather reason thus O Lord let us have thy Ordinances let us have thy Gospel and then for our Vines and Fig-trees our tradings and our outward blessings we will leave them to thy dispose if thou will give us thy Sabbaths and thy Ordinances we will trust thee for our Vines and for our Fig-trees But if the Lord be so angry to deny us his Ordinances how can we ever thinke that he will be so mercifull to us to continue our peace or our civill liberties No sure if Truth be gone Vines and Fig-trees will not stay long The next words therefore are I will destroy her Vines and her Fig-trees The Lord may suffer those places that never had Sabbaths and Ordinances to prosper in their Civill â—eace a long time but where these have and the wrath of God be so incensed as to take away these it cannot be expected that outward peace and plenty can hold long there First seeke the kingdom of heaven saith Christ and all these things shall be added unto you No say they let us first seeke the kingdome of earth and the things of heaven will be added to us which shewes the sleightnesse of their account of heavenly things As the paper and the thred in a shop is given in to the commodity it is added if a man bargaine for the paper and thred and think the commodity will be given in what a folly were it Many men have their thoughts altogether upon the things of this life and they think the Gospel will be given into the bargaine as if they have peace they shall no question have truth as if the Gospel were the paper and thred and the things of the world were the commodities It is your wisdome if you would enjoy outward peace let your hearts be for Ordinances cry to God for Ordinances and then God will take care you shall sit under your Vines and under your Fig-trees peace The Eleventh Lecture HOSEA 2. 12. 13. And I will destroy her Vines and her Fig-trees whereof shee hath said These are my rewards that my lovers have given me and I will make them a forrest and the beasts of the field shall eate them And I will visit upon her the dayes of Baalim wherein she burnt incense to them and she decked her selfe with her eare-rings and her jewels and she went after her lovers and forgat me saith the Lord. GODS threatning Israel in taking away spirituall mercies their Sabbaths and Ordinances their solemne Feasts you have in the former verse but because they might not be much sensible of such a judgement to be deprived of Sabbaths and solemnities of worship would not be so grievous to many but the destroying of the fruit of the ground the spoiling of their land the losse of those things wherein their riches and outward comforts lay would be more grievous therefore God joynes this threat with the former And I will destroy her Vines and Fig-trees In these two Vines and Fig-trees there is a Synecdoche by these are meant all her outward prosperity I will not lop their Vines I will not cut downe some branches of their Fig-trees only but destroy them If God stayes long before a judgement comes hee comes fearfully indeed he comes with destroying judgments then he strikes at the very rooâ—e of all a peoples prosperity and leaves them hopelesse of ever recoveriug themselves It concerns us to humble our selves under Gods hand when he doth but cut off some branches of our vines and fig-trees of our outward
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
Gods care saith Bernard which is beyond providence such as is out of faithfulnes as well as out of love Christ here condescends to his Spouse as a man is willing to give satisfaction to his wife her friends though the truth is he would doe any thing in the world out of love to his wife yet in regard of her weaknesse and to satisfie some friends he is content to enter into bond to do any thing that is fitting it is good to make all things sure before-hand say her friends he presently yeilds for it is no other but what he is willing to doe without bonds onely to satisfie her and their minds Thus it is between Christ and his Spouse The truth is the love of Christ is enough to make a supply of any of our wants but wee are weake and would faine have things made sure therefore saith Christ to helpe our weakeness I will even enter into bond and you may be sure I will be faithfull then I will binde my faithfulnes to you for all the good you would have And this faithfulnesse of Christ is either in regard of the great Marriage-Covenant there hee will be sure to be faithfull to his Spouse Or in regard of all particular promises that are under things as it were There is the great marriage-covenant about reconciling God and paying all debts that are owing and satisfying Gods justice and bringing to eternall life but there are many under-promises and Christ will be faithfull in them all Ps 25. 10. you have a promise worth a kingdome All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth not onely mercy but mercy and truth mercy ingaged VVicked men may have mercy from God from the generall bounty and goodnesse and mercifull disposition of God but what the Saints have is from â—ruth as well as from mercy it is bound to them God stands much upon this that the hearts of his Saints should confide in him He accounts not himselfe honoured except we confide in him therefore marke how Christ suiteth himselfe unto our weaknesse that wee may confide in his faithfulnesse What is it saith he that you poore creatures do one to another when you would make things sure betweene you Wee answer thus Lord we ingage our selves by promise one to another I will do so saith Christ you shall have my promise my faithfull promise Acts 2. 39. Peter invites to Baptisme upon this ground because the promise is made to you and to your children and to as many as the Lord our God shal call The first he speakes to the Jews the other to the Gentiles As if he should say Come in and receive Baptisme for to you and to your children the promise is made to you that are Jews and to your children and to the Gentiles they have the promise that you have they come under the same Covenant for the maine the promise is to them and to their children too And this promise that Christ hatâ—ing aged himself in is no other then a draught of that which was before the world began from all eternity and therefore it is so much the more sure Tit. 1. 2. the Gospell is called a promise before the world began All promises in the Scripture are but a draught of that grand promise that God the Father made to his Son before the world began As if Christ should say Will you have engagement by promise This is past long agoe my Father hath engaged himself to me from all eternity if you have any promise it is but a draught of that first copie of that great promise my Father hath made me from all eternity VVhat doe you doe more when you would make things sure one to another VVe answer we doe not onely make a verball promise by word of mouth but we write it God hath therefore given us his Scripture and the chiefe thing in Scripture is the promise God hath set to his hand to his promise in Scripture Hence Luther hath a notable expression The whole Scripture doth especially aim at this that we should not doubt but believe confide hope that God is mercifull kind patient VVhat do you more Here you have my promise and my hand is there any thing else you use to do to make things sure VVe answer Lord wee take witnesses I will do so too saith God VVhen we would make things sure indeed we take not only two but three or four but half a dozen witnesses sometimes You shall have witnesses saith God as many as you will witnesses of all sorts witnesses in heaven witnesses in earth In heaven I Iohn 5. 7. The Father the Word and the holy Ghost witnesses authenticall of credit enough the three Persons in the Trinity upon earth the spirit the water and the blood What do you more to make a thing sure Lord we set to our seales too you shall have that too saith God you shall have seals of all sorts you shall have the broad seale of Heaven the Sacraments the seals of the Covenant and you shall have my privie seale I will take my Ring off my finger I will give you even the seale of the spirit and do but shew this seale it is authenticall enough Is there any thing more Yes we answer there is one thing more we take an oath I will do that too saith God that you may be sure and confide in my faithfulnesse Heb. 6. 17. God willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his councell consirmed it by his oath As if he should say there is no such need of an oath but I will be abundant to you because I would have you trust mee And mark this is for the sake of the heirs of promise God would never have done this for other men it is for your sakes onely who are the heirs of promise in regard of your weaknesse he conrfims all with an oath And if wee would have things sure wee will not have the oath of such as are of no great credit Mark therefore it is that God sweareth and that by the greatest oath ver 13. Because he could sweare by no greater saith the text he sware by himselfe Is there any thing more saith God that you use to do among your selves to make things sure Yes Lord we use to take a pawn too You shall have that too saith he I will give you a pawn and such a pawn as if you never had any thing more you would be happie what is that 2 Cor. 1. 22. Who hath sealed us and given us the earnest of his spirit in our hearts I will send my spirit to be an earnest of all the good that I intend to do for you everlastingly Is there any thing else you would require of me that you may confide in me Yes if God would doe some great notable work as a beginning as an ingagement of that which is to come after this is yet more then a
mine And amongst other things by which God will make all the world to know that his people are his this is one in sâ—tting up the beauty of his Ordinances amongst them Ezek. 37. 27. My Tabernacle also shall be with them yea I will be their God and they shall be my people and the Heathen shall know that I the Lord doe sanctifie Israel when my Sanctuary shall be in the midst of them Thus they shall know saith God that they are my people and that I am their God when I have set my Sanctuary in the midst of them for ever Were it that the Ordinances of God might be set up in their purity amongst us in England were Reformation perfected and the Saints walked humbly peaceably as they should the whole world will be convinced that these are indeed the people of the Lord and that God is amongst them And they shall say thou art my God God must begin withus we cannot begin and say Lord thou art my God but God must begin with us first and say You are my people There are a great many who say God is their God but God never said they are his people Joh. 1. 12. it is said of those who beleeved in Christ that God gave them power to be the Sonnes of God the word signifies authority that they might with authority acknowledge themselves to be the sons of God and call God Father they had the broad Seale for it Will you call God Father where is your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 your authority if God call you children if he say you are my people you may give the Ecchoto Gods mercy and say thou art our God Secondly When God speakes mercy to us we must answer according to it Doth God say you are my people we must answer Lord thou art our God This is a great fault amongst Christians God manifests himselfe to many a gracious heart in abundance of love and mercy they give an answer to God in a way of dispaiting and discouragement Gods ways toward thee speake thus and say thou art one of my people but thy heart works as if God were none of thy God Hath not God done much for thee thou thinkest it is all in hypocrifie that thou dost whereas the truth is it is the fruit of his love and kindnes to thee He speakes aloud in what he hath done for thee that thou art one of his people and yet thy heart thinks that he is thy enemy that he haâ—â—s thee and will cast thee off at last The wayes of God are full of mercy to thee and he hath set his stampe upon thee by his ways of love he tels thee that thou belongest unto him O unbeleeving soul answer Lord thou art my God! lay aside these discouraging sinking thoughts of thine O that thou wouldst goe away with such an answer in thy mouth Doe not answer Gods loving kindnesse and his gracious dealings towards thee with discouragement and sinking of heart this is dishonorable to him and tedious to his Spirit Thirdly God works an answerable disposition in the hearts of his people unto him This is thy duty but God will work it in time if thou belongest to him As thus doth God chuse us to be his people then the hearts of the Saints chuse him to be their God Doth God say you are my people the Saints say Lord thou art our God Doth God say I will dwell with them they answer Lord thou art our habitation Doth God say I delight in them they say Lord our delight is in thee Doth God say I will rest in them for ever the Church saith O my soule returne unto thy rest Here is a sweet answer a rebound of all Gods loving kindnes Lastly the Saints must professe God to be theirs It is not enough to beleeve with the heart but thou must confesse with the mouth professe it outwardly of this before Further This is the highest happinesse of the Saints that God is their God when they can say this they have enough If we could say this house is mine this street this Lordship this City this Kingdome this World is mine What is all this A Christian comes at length and saith this God that made all is mine As it is reported of the French Ambassador and the Spanish meeting together saith the Spanish Ambassadour my Master is King of Spaine my Master replyed the French is King of France my Master said the Spaniard againe is King of Naples and my Master said the French is King of France my Master is King of Portugal and my Master is King of France still he answered with that my Master is King of France as being enough to answer all the several Kingdomes of the Spaniard So one saith I have this house this land this stock this estate this trade yea but saith a Christian I have God God is mine Surely having him thou hast enough And if God be thy God he will be a God to thee 1 Chron. 17. 24. The Lord of hosts is God of Israel even a God to Israel So it must be with thee if thou beest a Saint of God be a Saint to God Are we a people of God then we must be a people to God Blessed are the people that are in such a case yea happy are the people whose God is the Lord. Thus we had opened the gracious manifestation of God to his Church in part fulfilled spiritually to spiritual Israel here but more sensibly to be made good at the great day of Jezreel that is when the Jews shall be called then the Spouse of Christ in a visible way shall be thus married unto him and the Lord will be their God Jerome saith upon the Text All these things that are here promised to the Church the Jewes expect it at the end of the world after the time of Antichrist And I make no question though in a spiritual sence this Scripture is made good for the present unto the Saints yet in a more visible and sensible way all this Scripture will be made good to the people of the Jews the Gentiles then joyning with them even literally the glory of the Church shall be visible and apparant More whereof in the next Chapter HOSEA CHAP. 3. The First Lecture CHAP. 3. VER 1. 2. 3. Then said the Lord unto me go yet love a woman beloved of her friend yet an adulteresse according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel who looke to other gods and love flaggons of wine So I bought her â—o me for fifteen pieces of silver and for an homer of barley and an halfe homer of barley And I said unto her thou shalt abide for me many dayes thou shalt not play the harlot and thou shalt not be for another man so will I also be for thee THe close of the former Chapter had much mercy in it and this Chapter containes the
the meaning of that First in their captivity saith God though you shal be long in captivity and in a low condition be content do not take any other god to be marryed unto as your husband I will be content I will stay I will have no other people upon the earth but you all the while you are in captiviâ—y But how doth God abide for Israel now God hath chosen the Gentiles how theâ— doth he stay for them Yes certainly God stayes for Israel to this day thus First all the Gentiles that are called they come into God as being joyned to the people of the Jews God honoured the Jews so farre as that all the Gentiles that doe come in are to be made the Israel of God But rather further thus God abides for the people of the Iews to this day in this sense God never hath taken nor never will take to himselfe any Nation upon the earth to be a nationall Church as the Jewes were and as it is probable the Jews shall be at their calling again though God takes the Gentiles that are converted and severall Congregations to be Churches but to marry himselfe to a whole Nation in that way as the Iews were that is if a man be born of that Nation it shall be sufficient to make him a member of the Church this God did never do since the Iews rejection and never will do it till the Iews be called again though God takes Kingdomes and so in some figurative sense a Nation perhaps may be called a Church but to speak properly and strictly to be a Church so as the Iews were there is no such nationall Church nor never will be till the calling in of the Iews again then God will be marryed to that Nation in a more glorious manner then ever God abideth to this day for that glory which hee intendeth for Iesus Christ untill they come in And this I take to be a great reason why God for the present suffers his Churches to bee persecuted so much as they are herein God suffers himselfe as well as they the Church ever since Christs time hath been in a low and persecuted condition the wicked have prevailed What is the reason God abideth for this people of the Iews and hee is pleased himself to undergoe many sufferings in the mean time do you abide for me I will be content to suffer much dishonour my selfe many shall come in to Christ but yet they shal be a poor contemptible people the wicked of the world shall prevail against them shall scorn them shall contemne them so that I shall not appear to the world to be their Husband untill you be called again I shall be as it were without a wife but when the time shall come that you shall return to me then I wiâ— manifest my selfe indeed you shall be a most glorious Church and then there shall be such a full marriage between us that all the world shall acknowledge it then they shall all come and say Come behold the Bride the Lambs wife This is the scope of this Scripture from whence these Observations First Husbands should not require of their wives any thing but what they will answerably do for them God doth so here Abide for me saith hee and I will abide for you there shall be parpari like for like Many husbands will require hard things from their wives but will doe little themselves and on the other side wives expect great things from their husbands but do little themselves There must be a proportion betweene what the wife expects from the husband and what shee doth to or for her husband and so mutually 2. In our sadde condition God suffereth as well as wee This may helpe us in our sufferings we should thinke though wee suffer much God suffereth as much as we why then â—â—ould we think much the people of the Iews if they had hearts might see it now God stayes for his honour till they come in So in all the persecutions of the Church doth not Christ suffer in that the great work of Reformation doth not go on It is true we are grieved 〈◊〉 Spirit of God is grieved as well as we and suffereth as much as we God â—oth as it were abide for us and stays for his glory Wee desire it is true â—hat God would come in and manifest himselfe then we shall be happy and â—ejoyce but so long as God stays our happinesse he stays his own glory What abundance of glory doth God lose in those praises hee should have if the Reformation were presently perfected but God hath other ends God is content to stay for his prayses let us be content to stay for what we desire to have it concerns God to hasten the work as much yea farre more then it concerns us to desire it we suffer something for want of it but God suffers more 3. That people or that soul that endureth hardship a long time for God and resolveth to reserve it self for him so as if it cannot have comfort in God it will have none elsewhere may assure it selfe that God reserveth himselfe for it Certainly nothing shall take off the heart of God but there will be a blessed marriage between that soule that people and him Is there ever a poor creature here is in a sad condition God seemeth to deal hardly with it yet hee findeth in himselfe this frame of spirit well though God seem to leave me and I am thus desolate yet if I can have no comfort here I will have none elsewhere I wil be content to stay and wait no creature shal have my heart It is true I am not able to guide my selfe but I am resolved the Devil shal never guide me I am not able to do the will of God but I will never do the wil of the Devil and if God should leave me never so long nay leave me eternally I wil never have any other husband I wil rather dye a widow I wil never let out my self to any if he doe not come in and marry himself to me I wil be without comfort as long as I live Is thy heart in this frame Peace be unto thee certainly God intends thoughts of mercy to thy soule there wil certainly be a marriage betweene God and thy soule And this frame of heart where it is oh how wil it help against temptation when a poor soul is in distresse and it may be God seemeth to go off further further I have prayed long and long and yet God seems not to heare afflictions they prevail why do you pray any more why do you come and heare any more you were as good leave off at first God wil never come you were as good take your pleasure for a while you can but perish at the last This temptation many times comes very sorely upon poor distressed soules But now when the heart can answer it is true the Lord indeed seemeth to be
this is the first time we read that David in his VVars and Battells called for the Ephod when he went to Achish then he did not enquire when he invaded the Geshurites and Amalekites before he did not enquire but now when he was brought into straits when his heart was broken when he was in a weeping condition now he calleth for the Ephod VVhen God brings men into straits and humbles them then they will enquire of God to purpose VVe are now about to enquire of God to know his mind but we are not humbled enough our straits have not broken our hearts and perhaps we shall not so readily know Gods mind God may yet humble us more and then when we come to enquire Gods mind it may be to further purpose But to open this garment a little The word Ephod is that Hebrew word which signifies to close in and to compasse about to gird about because of the fitting garment to the Priests and the girding of it about them There were divers sorts of these Ephods one peculiar to the high Priest that you have Exod. 28. 6. Others that the ordinary Priests had that you have in the former places I named about the fourscore and five Priests slain by Doeg A third was common for the ordinary Levites thus Samuel 1 Sam. 2. 18. ministred before the Lord girded with a linnen Ephod And there was a fourth that other people did we are in their holy actions especially before Kings David danced before the Lord girded with a linnen Ephod 2 Sam. 6. 14. And to this day the Jewes have a kind of linnen garment but not of the fashion of our Ephod but some little kind of resemblance to it they wear it upon their heads and so downward VVhen Alexander came to Jerusalem I addus the high Priest came with all his Priestly garments to meet him which caused him to fall down prostrating himselfe before him out of reverence to him Iosephus tels us in that story that the people came with white garments garments that had some kind of resemblance to this Ephod Iosephus saith that this Ephod was a garment but of a cubite long only covering the shoulders and the breast open above and on either side and girt about the breasts others make it a longrobe reaching down to the very feet But there was a robe beside the Ephod the Ephod was over another robe so Christ appeared unto John Rev. 1. 13. Cloathed with a garment downe to the foot and girt about the paps with a golden girdle like the Priests for so they were wont to be arrayed And Revel 15. 6. the Ministers of the Churches called by the name of Angels are described cloathed in white linnen having their breasts girded with golden girdles not girt about their loynes but about their breasts near their hearts That which makes Ministers of the Gospel ready prepared for the work is the girdle of truth and this must be about their hearts if their owne plottings and self-ends shall gird them that is put them on to a readiness to do what may serve for those ends this girdle is not the golden girdle but like that rotten girdle of Jeremiahs Chap. 31. 7. that was profitable for nothing This garment of the Ephod was a holy garment then and others must take heed of medling with such garments or of seeking to imitate to make the like garments We read of Gideon Judges 8. when God had given him a great victory over the Midianites he would imitate this Ephod of the spoil he had gotten of the Midianites he made a rich and glorious Ephod but the Text observeth that thing proved to be the destruction of Gideons house for the people went a whoring after it he made it with a good intention to testifie his thankfulnesse to God for his victory not thinking that ever it should be worshipped It is a dangerous thing for governours to imitate Gods ordinances in garments or the like and to preserve them amongst people though it be with never so good an intention their good intention will not excuse them Gideons presumption in making an Ephod in imitation of the Ephod appointed by God proved to be the destruction of his house yet this was Gideon who a little before had destroyed the altar of Baal though he was so much against Idolatry before yet now he doth that which furthereth Idolatry so many Governours if they take not heed they may pull down one kind of false worship and set up another The Iewes have many mysteries about this garment it would weary you to hear them I shall only observe that which is most usefull for you wee must not read the books of the old Testament as if they concerned us not First upon the shoulders of the Ephod there were set ranks of precious stones upon them were in graven the names of the twelve Tribes according to their generations And in the middle of the Ephod upon the breast-plate which was to be four-sqâ—are there were four rowes of precious stones upon those likewise were ingraven all the names of the Tribes of Israel he bore them upon his heart There is much to be observed in this First Let the Tribes be what they will be in themselves though never so mean yet upon the Ephod they were precious stones The Priest wearing the Ephod was a type of Christ let those who are godly be never so meane in themselves yet in Christ God looks upon them as precious stones Secondly These precious stones that were upon the shoulders of the Ephod are called a memoriall Exod. 28. 12. that was to signifie Christ bearing the names of all the Saints before his Father for a memorial those 12 tribes presenting all the Churches that should be unto the end of the world When God remembers his Church it is thorow Christ God never remembers his Church but it is by Christ carrying it before him that is the comfort of the Saints therefore he can never remember them to revenge himself upon them for he never thinketh of them but only as Christ presenteth them unto him And further A memoriall say the Jewes not onely because the Priests were to beare the names of the twelve Tribes ingraven in those stones for a memoriall before the Lord but to signifie that the Priests themselves were to remember to pray for the Tribes And thirdly A memoriall to signifie that both the Priests and all the people were to remember their godly Ancestors and Predecessors and to follow their vertues and not to be any dishonour unto them But the first is the chiefe these precious stones with the names of the tribes were first upon the shoulder and then upon the heart upon the shoulder this notes that Christ carryes his Church upon his shoulder hee beares the burthen of his Church all their weight all their afflictions upon his shoulder the shoulder of Christ standeth under the Churcher certainly therefore they shall