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
of the Church that shall be marke what the Text saith The Lord shall regard the prayer of the destitute and shall not despise their prayer speaking of those that shall live in those times a little before this day of Iezreel shall be The Lord shall regard the prayer of the destitute the word that is translated destitute it signifieth in the Hebrew a poor shrub in the wildernesse a poor shrub that the foot of every beast is ready to tread downe and that poore shrub that perhaps is despicable in the eyes of the world and despicable in his own eyes yet saith the Text the Lord shal regard the prayer of that poor shrub Is there ever a poor shrub though never so destitute so despicable in the eyes of the world or in thine owne eyes yet be thou a praying Christian a praying soul praying for those things and God will regard thy prayer he will not despise thy prayer Perhaps thou art ready to despise thy prayers thy self but God will not despise them let all our hearts be lifted up and let us all cry with the Church Come Lord Jesus Come quickly O let this day come for great shall be the day of Jezreel HOSEA CHAP. 2. The First Lecture CHAP. 2. VER 1. 2. Say 〈◊〉 your brethren Ammi and to your sisters Ruhamah Pled with your mother plead for she is not my Wife neither am I her husband c. SOme joyne the first verse of this Chapter to the end of the former and according to a sense that may be given of the words agreeable to the scope of the latter part of the former Chapter it may seem more fit to be made the end of that then the beginning of this In the latter end of the former God was in a way of promising mercy to his people that those that were not his people should be his people and those that had not received mercy should receive mercy Now he calleth upon all whose hearts were with God to speake to one another of this great favour of God to his people foâ— their mutuall encouragement and for the praise of his Name As if he should say Well you have been under dreadfull threats of God your sins have called for dreadfull things but my grace is free and it is rich powerfull therefore you that were not my people and have deserved to be for ever cast off from being my people you that had not obtained mercy shall obtaine mercy Say to your brethren Ammi and to your sisters Ruhamah that is O you that are godly speak one to another and telâ— one another for the quickning of one anothers hearts of this great favour of God of his free grace Oh say Ammi Ammi the people of God Ruhamah Gods mercy We were not his people but now Ammi again God hath promised to make us to be his people we were rejected from mercy but mercy is come again now Ruhamah O the mercy of God O that free grace of our God that wee that have beene so vile so provoked the eyes of his glory we that have so sinned against mercy it self yet mercy should thus follow us to make us his people and to save us from his wrath It is a good thing to speake of the loving kindnesse of our God Psal 92. 1. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to be telling of the goodnesse of God in the morning and his faithfulnesse every night That Psalme is appointed for the Sabbath It is a work of the Sabbath to be speaking one to another of the goodnesse of God Especially in this case when a people were afraid that they should have been for ever rejected that now God should call them againe Ammi my people and say now againe that he will have mercy upon them Psal 145. 4. 5. One generation shall praiss thy name to another and shall declare thy mighty acts I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty and of thy wondrous works Mark what the wayes of God are toward his Church when he commeth in the wayes of mercy they are wondrous works of God they are the mighty acts of God they are such wherein the honor of God appears yea they are the honour of his Maâ—esty yea they are the glorious honour of his Majestyâ— There is Majesty honour of Majesty glorious honour of Majesty mighty works of God wonderfull works of God When these appeare these are to be declared indeed And for them to be able to say to one another Ammi and Ruhamah it was to declare the wonderfull works of God and the glorious honour of his Majesty Yea it followeth further in that Psalme verse 6. Men shal speake of the might of thy terrible acts and I will declaâ—e thy greatnesse And verse 7. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodnesse Eâ—uctaâ—uâ—t so Arias Mâ—ntanus renders it they shall not be able to keep it in but break â—orth in the memory of thy goodnesse Happy are those people that God gâ—ants such subjects of discourses unto that they may say one to another to their brethren and sisters Ammi and Ruhamah It was not long since that when we met with our brethren we could not have such a subject of discourse as this is but usually when Christians met together after their Salutations their first question was Oh! what shall we do what shall we doe what course shall we take All the Newes almost that was in the Kingdome and the subject of discourses specially among the Saints was this Such a Minister silenced in such a place such a one banished in another place such a one imprisoned in another place such a one High-Commissioned in another place such signes of the wrath of God upon us we are afraid that God is going if he be not quite gone already we are afraid that he will not onely reject us from being his people but reject us from being a people upon the facâ— of the earth But blessed be God he hath changed the subject of our dâ—scourses Now Gods wayes have begun to be towards us as if he intended to make us again to be his people Now we may when we meet together have plentifull subjects of discourses about Gods grace mercy to say Ammi Ruhamah O the Lord manifesteth goodnes to an unworthy Nation we have hope that yet he will owne us to be his people we have hope that yet he will shew mercy to us though never so unworthy Who would have thought ever to have seene and heard of such things as we have seene heard who would have thought ever to have seene the hearts of the adversaries so daunted their power so curbed their rage so quelled the wicked in their own workes so ensnared their hopes so disappointed who would ever have thought to have seene the Saints so rejoycing their liberties so inlarged their hearts and expectations so raised This is the free grace of God
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
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
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
of God VVould you be so Learne then to exercise faith much about the infinite riches of the mercy of God in Christ this will fill you with all the fulness of God you complain of barrennes and emptines in your hearts and lives it is because you exercise so little Faith in these mercies of God in Christ God betrotheth his Church unto himselfe in mercies in bowels Let us learne to pleade these mercies before the Lord to pleade them when we are in any strait to pleade with God for bowels Esay 63. 15. Looke downe from heaven and behold from the habitation of thy holi esse and thy glory where is thy zeale and thy strength the sounding of the bowels and of thy mercies towards us are they restrained Lord hast thou not said that thou wilt betroth thy Church unto thy self in bowels Where is the sounding of thy bowels Lord let us have these bowels of thine in which thou hast betrothed us through Christ Oh what confusion will there be one day unto those that shall misse of all these mercies of God in which the Lord hath betrothed himselfe unto his Church VVhat will you content your selves now with crums that God casteth to dogs with the fruits of Gods generall bounty and patience when you heare of such glorious mercies as are in Jesus Christ These things should so raise our hearts that wee should protest as Luther did I protest saith hee God shall not put mee off with these things of the world with my portion here Oh no the Lord hath shewed me greater riches though I be unworthy of any yet I know his mercy is free why then should not I have my portion in these glorious things Come in then come in oh sinfull soule be in love with Jesus Christ the ways of godlinesse know that all these mercies are tendred unto thy soule this day to break thy heart even that hard heart of thine and they are as free for thee as for any There is nothing more pleasing unto God then for thee to be taken with the glory of the riches of his mercy Thou canst perform no duty so acceptable unto God as this to have thy heart break upon the codsideration of his bowels to have thy bowels yern again and to come in and close with this infinite rich and glorious grace of his Which if thou dost know that the first moment thou art united to Christ thou dost lanch into the infinite Ocean of mercy now thou breathest in the element of mercy now thou livest upon nothing but mercy Is it so Then know God expects a mercifull disposition from thee too God betrotheth thee in righteousnesse and putteth righteousnesse into thee in judgment and gives thee judgment too in loving kindnesse and makes thee loving and kind likewise in mercies and putteth mercies into thee bowels into thee also First toward himself Why can we be mercifull unto God what good can wee doe to God God expects you should have bowels toward him How Thus Dost thou see the name of this blessed God thy husband to be dishonoured in the world Oh thy bowels should yern thou shouldst have bowels working now What doth God look upon thee in thy blood in thy misery and doth his bowels yern toward thee Canst thou look upon God in his dishonour and his cause trampled under foot and do not thy bowels yern toward him It should pitie thy soule to see this blessed God to be so much dishonoured in the world as he is to see that there are so few in the world that love and feare this God who is thy God and hath done thee so much good VVhat is there any good cause up wherein the name of God should be honoured Thy bowels should work presently toward it Cant. 5. 4. My beloved put his hand by the hole of the doore and my bowels were moved for him VVhen Christ did but begin to open a door put but in his hand when there was any good but beginning to be done Oh my bowels were moved saith the Church and I could never be at quiet untill I had enquired after yea and found my beloved Is there any beginning to let in Christ into the Kingdome in his government amongst us Dowe feele him putting in his hand at the door certainly if we be skilled in the way of Christ we may seele him putting his hand in at the door Oh that our bowels would yern and cause our hearts to flow to the boâ—ntisulnesse of the Lord and joyn with Christ in that blessed work of his that he is about Our bowels must also be toward the Saints It is extreamely against the spirit of Christ for a Christian to be hard-hearted toward his brethren Christ expects bowels And as you would account it â—grievous misery to have your bowels rotten to have diseases in your bowels know it is as great an evill to have your hearts unmercifull that is to have a disease in your bowels so the Scripture phrase is Amos 1. 11. He cast off all pitie his anger did tear perpetually so it is in your bookes but the words in the Originall are And corrupted his bowels their bowels were corrupted when they were not pittiful toward their brethren in misery It was a grievous condition that Iehoram was in 2 Chron. 21. 15. when his bowels came forth by reason of his disease An unmercifull heart is a worse disease then this What are wee and who are we that Gods mercies should be shewen towards us why not our mercies toward our brethren then The Scripture calleth exceedingly for mercy in the Saints toward one another Col. 3. 17. Put on as the Elect of God bowels of mercy and kindness VVould you have an argument unto your selves that you are Gods Elect put on bowels then Never was there time since you lived or your forefathers lived wherein God called for bowels more then now Do you hear of the miseries of your brethren their goods spoiled houses burnt wives children ravished themselves imprisoned their bodies wounded and yet no bowels all this while what you hard-hearted in the meane time Are you the elect of God why I pray you what is your flesh more then the flesh of others what are your comforts more then the comforts of others why should you lie soft and safe more then others Is there any such difference betwixt you and your brethren that they should be in misery and you must be pampered and scarce feele the very wind to blow on you and yet in the meane time your hearts hardned towards them It is true God it is that hath made the difference you will say and God may make a difference where he pleaseth I grant it and it would not grieve God to make such a difference betweene you and them if he saw your bowels yern towards them But if God layes such afflictions upon your brethren who are better then you and have done more for him then
as usual when we are in adversity to forget all promises When wee hear of mercy to Gods people we are taken up and never thinke of Gods wrath and on the other side when we heare of his wrath on unbeleeving hearts are taken up as wel and never think of his grace and mercy We ought to sanctifie the name of God in both when God is in away of justice look up to his grace and when he is in a way of grace look upon his justice and sanctifie that name of his likewise And for that end I shall give you two notable Texts of Scripture there are many of this kinde but two I shall give you that are as famous as any I know in the book of God the one that declareth to you that when God expresseth the greatest mercy yet then hee doth expresse greatest wrath and the other when God expresseth greatest wrath he then expresseth greatest mercy And I shall shew you the name of God oughto be sanctified in both The first is in that 34. of Exod. 6. 7. The Lord there when he passed by before Moses proclaimed The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long suffering and abundant in goodnesse and truth keeping mercy for thousands for giving iniquity transgression and sinne What abundance of mercy is here exprest Now it followes And that will by no meanes cleare the guilty visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the childrens children unto the third and fourth generation Here is an expression of great wrath And then for our sanctifying of Gods name in this it followes ver 8. And when Moses heard this he made hast and bowed his head toward the earth and worshipped before the Lord. Thus we must bow and worship before God in our sanctifying his Name in both together both his mercy and justice On the other side Nahum 1. 2. and soon God is jealous and the Lâ—rd revengeth the Lord revengeth and is furious the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries and he reserveth wrath for his enemies dreadful expressions yet ver 8. The Lord is slow to anger there is a mittigation at first Then he goeth on still in expressions of wrath But he is great in power and will not at all acquit the wicked and ver 5. The mountains quake at him and the hills melt and the earth is burnt at his presence yea the world and all that dwel therein who can stand before his indignation and who can abide the feircenesse of his anger his fury is powred out like fire and the Rocks are throwne downe by him What more terrible expressions of wrath then these that come from God here Now marke ver 7. The Lord is good and a strong hold in the day of trouble and he knoweth those that trust in him What a strong expression of grace is here observe it my brethren that in the middest of Gods anger yet God is good still a gracious heart must acknowledge God though he be provoked to anger yet to be a good God still and it is a good signe for the soul to fall downe before God when he is in the way of his wrath and to say the Lord is good As that good old man Eli did after the denuntiation of that dreadful sentence against him and his house by Samuel The word of the Lord is good let him doe what seemes him best All of you will say when God bestoweth avours upon you The Lord is good oh blessed be God he is a good God but when God revealeth his greatest wrath truely then the Lord is good Luther saith he will acknowledge God to be a good God though he should destroy all men in the world much more then is he to be acknowledged in a day of trouble when indeed he appears most graciously to his Saints The Lord is good and a strong hold in the day of trouble Is God a strong hold now when such wrath is revealed yea and specially now a strong hold to his Saints in the day of trouble and he knoweth those that trust in him for all his wrath is abroad in the world he knoweth those that trust in him Many men when they are angry they scarce know the difference betweene their foes and their friends Many when they go abroad if any displease them they come home and are angry with their wives with their servants with their children with their friends with every one about them they know not then who is a friend and who is not when they are in their passion their wives and children and servants wonder what the matter is with them Sure some body or other hath displeased my master abroad to day he is so touchie so angry upon every little thing My brethren It is a dishonour to you in the eyes of your servants and it layes low your authority in your families for them to see you come home in such a per that you know not how to be pleased though they have done nothing to displease you God doth not so though he be never so angry yet hee knowes those that trust in him Let Gods anger be never so publick and general abroad in the world if there be but a poor soul in the world that lies in a poor cottage in a hole that is gracious the Lord knowes it and takes notice of it and that soul shal know too that God doth know it It is true when the wrath of God is revealed abroad in the world seemes as if it would swallow up all those of the Saints whose spirits are weake and fearfull they are then afraid of Gods wrath that they shall be swallowed up in the common calamity be of good comfort God knowes those that trust in him even when his wrath is never so dreadful and general abroad in the world It is in this case with Gods children as it is with a childe in the mothers Armes if the father violently layes hold upon his servant and beates him and thrust him out of doores for his demerits there is such a terrible reflection from the fathers anger against the servant upon the childe that the poor childe falls a crying So it is with the children of God when they see God in a terrible way â—aying hold upon wicked men to execute wrath upon them they cry out they are afraid lest some evil should befall them too Oh no be of good comfort The Lord is good and a strong hold in the day of trouble and knoweth them that trust in him when his anger is never so great and general So it is here though this Israel be not my people yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the Sea for all that so you shall find it in the 15. ver of that first of Nahum Behold saith the Text upon the mountains the feete of him that bringeth good tidings What at this time though Gods way be in the whirl-winde
soone gone Many of you when you have beene seeking God have had many manifestations of his love and God hath entred into Covenant with you for a while you have been comforted but you lose all your comfort againe within a short time Oh remember God is ever mindefull of his Covenant though made 20. 40. years agoe he remains the same still be you the same still be you ever mindful of your Covenants When men are brought into the bond of the Covenant their consciences are awed with it and they walke very strictly and they clare not in the least thing goe from the Covenant at first But after a few moneths or weekes are over their heads they forget their engagement their Covenant they made with God there is not such a strong bond upon their spirits as there was before Oh my brethren know that this is a great and sore evil in you God is ever mindfull of his Covenant so you should be And as of his Covenant so of his threats too by way of proportion God remembreth his threats that were made many years agoe we are affected with Gods threats for the present but within a while the impression is gone But let us know time altereth not God as it doth us But yet we must enquire a little further because it is often in Scripture that the children of Israel should be like the stars of the heaven and as the sand upon the Sea shore Why did God expresse this covenant to Abraham what was the matter Thus First Abraham hee left his fathers house and all his kindred at Gods command and upon that first God made this covenant wiâ—h him that he would make his seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand of the Sea As if God should have said to Abraham Abraham be willing to leave your fathers house I will make a great house of you a great family of yours Secondly you shall observe that afterwards God confirmed this covenant to Abraham and that with an oath It is very observable when he came first out of his countrey and left his fathers house God made this promise of the encreasing of his seed but not with an oath but afterwards in Gen. 22 16. God renews this promise of multiplying his seed and that by an Oath for saith he By my selfe have I sworne for because thou hast done this thing and hast not witheld thy sonne thine onely son that in blessing I will blesse thee and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is upon the Sea shore Marke here It was upon Abrahams being willing to offer up his son Isaac his onely son Isaac Abraham was willing at Gods command to offer â— ship own son and upon that God promiseth to multiply his seed as the stats of heaven and as the sand of the sea Yea he comes in with an oath By my selfe I sweare saith the Lord that I will do it because thou hast done this We have two most excellent notes from hence First there is nothing lost in being willing to lose for God Abraham was willing to lose his fathers house the comfort of his family for God I will make thee a glorious family as the stars of heaven saith God Againe Abraham was willing to lose one son his onely son for God Art thou willing to lose one son for me thou shalt have ten thousand sons for this one thou losest yea though it be lost but in thy intention Thou shalt have thy own son and yet have ten thousand sons besides Oh let us not be afraid to part with any thing for God Gods people they know how to make up in God what ever they lose for God But God will not onely make it up in himselfe but will make it up even in the very thing it selfe the creature it selfe thou losest for God Art thou willing to lose a little of thy estate Thou mayst with comfort expect so far as if thou knewest all thou thy selfe wouldst desire to have it made up in abundance even in that very way You know the promise He that forsaketh father or mother or wife or children or lands or houses for my sake shal have an hundred fold in this world and in the world to come life everlasting How hath God fulfilled this this day in many of our eyes and too many of our experiences how many have you known who have beene willing to part with that they had and to put it out as it were to the wide world God hath made it up not onely in himselfe but in the very thing it selfe and thereby taught them and all the world to be willing to venture for God to part with any thing for him and his cause Secondly When we are willing to lose for God then is the time when God will renew and confirm his Covenant with us Then God confirmed his covenant with Abraham when he was willing to part with his sonne to be deprived of all his seed The way to be made sure of what we have is to be willing to part with it You all desire to be sure of your estates oh that we could in these times wherein we see nothing sure make our estates sure this is the desire of every one Would you make sure of your estates sure illing to imploy your estates for God for a good cause This is the way to have God to renew his covenant to you for an assurance of that way Here is the best assurance office in the world But how comes this in at this time to his people in Hosea his Prophesie Thus it comes in now because the Lord by the Prophet would answer an objection of the people They might have said thus What Hosea doe you thus threaten judgement the destruction of Israel why you promise mercy to Judah and Judah is but a handful to us we are the ten Tribes with us are the chiefe the greatest part almost all the seed of Abraham and yet you threaten our destruction it can never possibly be What will become of Gods promise then Did not God promise Abraham that his seed should be as the stars of heaven as the sand on the sea shore you seeme to goe crosse to God God saith that he would multiply that seed and you take a course to make men beleeve that the seed of Abraham should bee brought into a narrow compasse and be nothing Thus doubtless they were ready to pleade against the Prophet The Prophet answereth thus What doe you say what will become of Abrahams seed Know that God can tell how to provide for his Church and fulfill his promise made to Abraham whatsoever becomes of you for you are mistaken in thinking you alone are the seed of Abraham for you shall know that Abraham hath not onely a carnal but a spiritual seed all those that shal come to joyne in the faith of
himself did never plead against Christ or any of his wayes but with some colour or other And surely these men they judge thus by looking into their own hearts because they know that if multitudes should come to them it could not be but their hearts would be lifted up and so they judge accordingly of others But suppose it be so for men are men that they through corruption should have any such workings of pride yet do they say anything that is not justifyable do they preach any thing that is not according to Christ If they do not then thou shouldest encourage that which is good and for that which is evill leave it to the comming of Christ except thou canst by prayer and instruction helpe it have it I say till then It is worse to envy at multitudes now then it was for the Jewes to envy Paul for multitudes following him for they thought they could contradict him in what he said and therefore for multitudes to follow such as should preach false doctrine as they thought Paul did they had some colour to contradiet it to envy at the multitudes following of him But here it is nothing else in the World but meerely because multitudes come to heare the world for though men first preach in corners privately where they have but a few auditors they will cry out of that well if they preach publikely and multitudes come to hear them then they cry out of that too Nothing at all will please them nothing can please envious malicious spirits If we keep our selves retyred that hath exceptions enough and then if we come in a publicke way they have exceptions at that too Here the grosse malice of Satan appeareth because when the thing it selfe cannot be excepted against he runs to the intention of the heart and to mens inward aymes and bringeth an argument of that which he knows no man can confute him in For who can say that that is either true or false that men have inward aymes of pride and vaine glory and selfe-seeking in multitudes flocking after them Here is the wisdome of the serpent too because if they goe upon other objections they may be answered by all the world that there is no such thing as they pretend but put them from those and you may be sure to have such objections as no man can answer Oh but say they their hearts are lifted up and they have ill aymes and ill intentions Who can answer this objection no body can confute this Nay suppose we professe before the Lord Christ as we desire to stand before him and answer it at that day what our aimes are this will not serve the turne Why then my brethren if men will choose such an argument as cannot possibly come to be answered before the coming of Christ and so make a stumbling-block there is no help but men must stumble and fall and many do stumble and fall and break their necks How ever let wisdom be justified of her children Let the Saints rejoyce in this that multitudes come in to the ministery of the word and to the Ordinances of Christ Be careful and wise in this and give no just occasion and therefore give all due respect that possibly can be to those you have the most relation unto This you see is the promise that there shall come in such multitudes to the Church But marke then how the promise runnes As the sand of the sea Rabbin Ezra makes an allusion from hence as the sand saith he keepes the waves of the sea from breaking in and drowning the world so Israel so the Saints keep the world from being drowned by the waves of Gods wrath I doe not say that this is the intention but surely the intention of God is mainly this to signifie the multitudes that should come into the Church Onely this allusion we may make use of as being a comfortable and pretty allusion and it is a truth that Israel is as the sand of the sea not onely in respect of multitudes but as the sand to keepe in the waves of Gods wrath from drowning the world and indeed were it not for the Church of God the waves of Gods wrath that are abroad would overflow all the world and the world would quickly be confounded So saith hee When the waves of Gods anger seeme as if they would overflow all the world they doe but see Israel and they returne back presently they retire and are not able then to overflow the world as they do desire The Fift Lecture HOSEA I. the middle part of the 10. verse and so on And it shall come to passe that in the place where it was said unto them Yea are not my people there it shall be said unto them Yee are the sonnes of the living God Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together c. ACcording to the division of the Chapter that Luther makes in his Comment upon this Prophet we are already in the second Chapter for he makes the second to begin at this tenth verse From that to the end we have the promise of mercy to Israel that was to come and both to Israel and Judah together Some part of Gods promise of mercy to Israel we finished the last day now wee are to proceed And it shall còme to passe in that place c. In that place This according to some hath reference to the very land of Canaan it selfe that God will have a very glorious Church there specially in Jerusalem before the end of the world come and many Prophesies seeme to encline that way as Zach. 12. 6. Jerusalem shall be inhabited againe even in Jerusalem This cannot be meant onely of their returne out of Captivity that was in Cyrus his time for the Text saith In that day thee feeble among them shall be as David and the house of David shall be as the Angel of God God will poure upon them the spirit of grace supplication and they shall looke upon him whom they have pierced and the like It shall be in that day when Jerusalem shall be inhabited even in Jerusalem The return of their Captivity at first was not so glorious there was not such a glorious spirit put upon them then for if you read the story of it you shal find that even all that while they were in a contemptible condition before the nations about them But God speaks here and in other places of a glorious returne of their captivity coming into their own Land The Jewes have a tradition Buxtorfius hath it in his Synagoga Iudaica That there is a time that all the Iews where ever they dye shall come through Meatus terrae and rise againe at Jerusalem and therefore some of them when they think they have not long time to live they will sell all their possesions and goe and live neere Jerusalem at least to prevent the trouble of coming
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
of the Church Though they shall come to have a great deale of power a little before yet when that great day of Iezreel shall come they shal be certâ—inly all subdued brought under Rev. 19. 13. Christ when he shall come in this great day he shal have his garments dipt in blood in destroying the wicked and ungodly and Rev 15. the Saints when they see the wicked destroyed as the Egyptians were in the sea the Text saith that they sung the song of Moses What was this song of Moses but the praysing of God for the destruction of their adversaries in the Sea God hath another Sea to destroy the wicked and God hath a day for his Saints to sing over the song of Moses again and especially for the destruction of Popery My brethren be not troubled to see Papists make a concourse and flock together be not troubled at it for when this day shall come God will so order things that his adversaries shall come and flock together but it shall be that they may be destroyed for God hath a great feast and a great Sacrifice and he will sacrifice them especially And therefore Lactantius that I spoke of before and is one that lived 1300. yeares since saith he speaking then of this day I have a thing to say but I even tremble to speake it but I must speake it and what was it Romanum nomen saith he de terra tolletur those are his words the Roman name shall be taken off from the earth He in those primitive times prophâ—sied of the destruction of Rome Perhaps though he did not see it so clearly yet God might so order it as though hee understood it not God might intend it for these times God will destroy the enemies of his Churches then Yea. Ezek. 28. 24. there is a promise to the Saints that there shall beno more a pricking bryar nor any grieving thorne of any that are round about them that despise them in another place God saith that he will take away the Canaanite out of the Land Further the third thing that shall be done in this great day is the glorious presence of Christ among the Saints let it be personall or what it will wee determine not but thus far we may confidently affirme that there shall be a more glorious presence of Jesus Christ among his people then ever yet was since the beginning of the world Rev. 21. 22. The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb shall be the Temple of it and Chap. 22. 3. 4. The Throne of God and of the Lamb shal be in it and his servants shall serve him they shall see his face and Ezek. 48. the last words of the Chapter The name of that place shall be Jehovah-shammah that is the Lord is there Fourthly the glory that shall be put upon the Saints at that day shewes it to be a great day Glory shall be put upon them first in regard of their admirable gifts graces they shall be heightned and inlarged the weake shall be as David and they that are as David shall be as the Angel of God at that day The bowing down of their adversaries before them The high esteeme that they shall have even in the thoughts and judgments of many great ones of the world they shall be called up to heaven that is those that are in highest place and dignity shall call them up and honour them in that day yea the Text saith The Kings of the earth in that day shall came in and bring their glory to the Church Therefore it is apparent that place Rev. 21. 24. cannot be understood of heaven for it is said the Kings of the earth shal bring their glory they shall not bring their glory to the Church when the Church shall be in heaven And fiftly a great day it shall be in regard of the wonderfull change of all creatures glorious fruitfull times so I remember Lactantius speaks of that time that the rocks them selves should issue forth honey and precious things but that we cannot say yet that there shall bee a wonderfull change of all things and all creatures brought to a further happiness even the sensitive creatures as well as others then they had before the Scriptures are cleare euough in it And literally we are to understand many Scriptures that tend this way concerning the fruitfulnesse of the earth and the outward external glory that there shall be in the creatures As upon a great marriage feast or Coronation day all the servants of the Prince are in their best array so when Christ his Bridegroome shall come and meet with his wife with his Spouse all creatures shall be put into a new cresse shall have further glory And lastly that which we have here in the Text the multitudes of all nations and people that shall flock to the Church that they shall be as the sand of the sea But this I have spoken of before at large Now put all these things together and Great shall be the day of Jezreel Yea but shall these things be so shall they be so Though flesh and blood may reason against these things yet I may apply that place Zach. 2. 13. Be silent O all flesh before the Lord for he is raised up out of his holy haâ—â—â—tion Flesh may say How can these things be But let all flesh be silent for God hath made known in his Word the great things that he intends to bring to passe And Zach. 8. 6. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts if it be marvaylous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these dayes should it also be marvaylous in mine eyes saith the Lord of Hosts It may be applyed to this as well as the other These things may seeme marveilous to your eyes especially because we have been but little acquainted with them but they are not marveilons in the eyes of God Yea we find it out of the Word that these things were to be kept hidden till the appointed time should come till we draw neerer to that great day we are not to wonder why these things have not been opened unto us for God tells us Dan. 12 that they were to be sealed up even to the time appointed and Rev. 10. 11. God telleth Iohn that he must prophe sie again before the Kings of the earth that is before the time of the fulfilling of all things that booke of the Revelation shall be made out as cleere as if Iohn were come to prophesie again before men And we hope it is comming because God beginneth to let in light that way and the morning star seemeth to begin to arise In Zach. 14. 6. you have mention of a day that we may apply to the present day that we have now And it shall come to passe saith the Text there that the light shall not be cleere nor darke but it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord not day nor night but
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
when Ieremiah had told them the mind of God that they should continue in the land of Iudah and not goe down into Egypt Then spake Azariah and Johaâ—an and all the proud men saying unto seremiah Thou speakest falsly the Lord hath not sent thee to say Goe not into Egypt to sojourn there They are loth to break off their association with Egypt I remember Gwalter in his Comment upon Hosea though not upon this Text telleth a story of the Grecian Churches that in the yeare 1438. because they were afraid of the Turks breaking in upon them they sent to the Bishop of Rome that they would be under his subjection meerly that they might have the help of the Latine Churches to keep them from the rage and tyrannie of their adversaries but within a few yeares they were destroyed Constantinople and the Empire were subdued so as Heathenisme and Atheisme prevailed and this is the fruit saith hee of seeking the association of others in a sinfull way But because this is not the chiâ—â— thing that is aimed at we passe it by She said she would goe after her Lovers that is her Idols What those were we shall see by and by Idolaters use to keepe good thoughts of their Idols They call them their Lovers they look upon their Idols as those that love them and hence they used to call them Baalim from Baal a husband So it should be the care of the Saints evermore to keep good thoughts of God to look upon God as their Lover as one that tendereth their good Idolaters doe so to their Idols shall not the Saints do so to the true God My brethren let us not be ready to entertain hard thoughts of God it is a dangerous thing Gods great care is to manifest to us and to all the world that he loveth us and he hath done much to manifest to us here in England and to our brethren of Scotland that he loveth us and them In Revel 3. 9. the Text saith of the Church of Philadelphia that God loved them Forty yeares ago Master Brightman interpreted that Text of the Church of Scotland Philadelphia signifieth as much as brotherly love You know how they are joyned in Covenant one with another and wee see that those that said they were Iewes they were the Church the Church but proved themselves to be of the Synagogue of Satan are forced to bow before them and if they were not madde with malice they must needs acknowledge that God hath loved that Church And since God hath done great things for us to manifest that he is the lover of England let us then keep good thoughts of God Seventhly Idolaters highly prize the love of their Idols They do not only maintain good thoughts of their Idols or thinke that their Idols are their lovers but they set a price upon them they said I will follow my lovers I must make account of their love they must doe me good for ought I know more then any thing you speak of It is true both of bodily whoredom and spirituall whoredom I will onely make use of one Scripture to daunt the heart of whore-masters and uncleane wretches that so much prize the love of their whores and whore-masters You prize their love but what get you by it you get Gods hatred by it You rejoyce that you have the love of your whores and upon that God hateth and abhorreth you Marke that good you will say Thus Pro. 22. 14. The mouth of a strange woman is a deepe piâ— he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein What get you by this your whores imbrace you and God abhorres you If there be any whore-master any unclean wretch in this Congregation either thou art an Aâ—heist or this text must strike thee at thy heart Art thou in that way and yet not repenting thou art the man that this day God tells thee to thy face that he abhorres thee But how then should wee prize the love of JESUS CHRIST our husband Cant. 1. 4. The remembrance of thy love is better then wine The Church prizeth the love of JESUS CHRIST more then men in the world prize their delight in wine And my brethren doe you prize Christs love and Christ will prize yours and that is observable according to the degree and way of your prizing Christs love so Christ will prize your love Cant. 4 18. you have there the same expression of Christs love to his Church answerable to what hers was before Thy love is better then wine saith the Church to Christ How much better is thy love then wine saith Christ to the Church Eightly I will follow my lovers In bodily and spirituall whoredome there is a following hard after those things they commit whoredome withall I will follow them and not onely say they are my lovers but I will expresse it by following of them The heart of whore-masters and Idolaters do follow hard after their uncleannesse in bodily and spirituall filthynesse First for bodily filthyness observe whore-masters how they follow their lovers Josephus in his Antiquities tells us this strange story of one Decius Mundus that offered to give so many hundred thousand Drachmies that came to six thousand pound English money to satisfie his lust one night with a whore yet could not obtaine his desire neither Will not you be content now who have been guilty of spending a great part of your estate in a way of uncleannesse now to doe as much for Religion for God and Christ and his Kingdome as ever you have done for your whores If there should be any in this place that have beene profuse for their uncleannesse and yet now are strait handed in these publike affaires such as these are fitter to be taken out of Christian congregations and to be shut up in slies For spirituall whoredome I shall shew you how superstitious and Idolatrous people as they prize their idols so they follow hard after their lovers You know that story of the children of Israel when the Calfe was to be set up upon proclamation all the men and women tooke off their ear-rings and their jewels and brought them to Aaron to make the Calfe What a shame will it be to us if we should keepe our eare-rings and our jewels and things perhaps that have not seene the sunne a great while that we should keepe them now when God calleth for them Let women do that for God his truth for your own liberties posterities that they did for their Idols Though you have care-rings and jewels and rings that you prize much yet let them be given up to this publicke cause And it were a shame that gold-rings should be kept meerly to adorn the fingers when the Church and State is in such necessity as it is Away with your niceties now and your fineness and bravery and look to necessities and to the preservation of the lives and liberties both of your selves and your
the infinite mercy of God ever to regard such a wretch as I. If they do thus take shame to themselves and acknowledg their folly this were something We read in the Primitive times of one Ecebolius who when he had revolted from the Truth he cometh to the congregation and falling down upon the threshold cryeth out Calcate Calcate insipidum salem tread upon me unsavory salt I confesse I have made my selfe unsavory salt by departing from the Truth let all tread upon me This was a signe of true returning when this went before we have done foolishly it was better with us then now Againe I will goe and returne for it was better with mee then it is now Hence Though acknowledgement must goe before yet returning must follow that It is not enough to see and acknowledg but there must be a returning For as reformation without humiliation is not enough so humiliation without reformation suffices not And I speak this the rather because these are times wherein there is a great deale of seeming humiliation and wee hope true humiliation but you shall have many in their fasting days will acknowledge how finfull how vile how passionate they have been in their families how worldly what base selfe-ends they have had and they will make such catalogues of their sins in those dayes of their humiliation as causes admiration the thing itselfe is good but I speak to this end to shew the horrible wickednesse of mens hearts that after they have ripped up all their sinnes with all aggravations acknowledged all their folly of their evill ways against God yet no returning after all this as passionate in their famâ—lies as froward as peevish as perverse as ever as earthly as ever as light and vaine in their carriage as ever They will acknowledge what they have done but they will not returne Remember humiliation must goe before reformation but Reformation must follow after Humiliation But the chiefe point of all is behind that is The sight of this how much better it was when the heart did cleave to Christ over it is now since departure from Christ it is an effectuall meanes to cause the heart to returne to him This is the way that Christ himselfe prescribed Rev. 2. 5. Remember whence thou art falne and repent Thou wert in a better condition once then now thou art oh come in and return and that thou maist returne remember whence thou art falne I will give but a little glimpse of what might be said in this point more largely The reasonings of the heart in the sight of this may briefely bee hinted thus Heretofore I was able through Gods mercy to look upon the face of God with joy When my heart did cleave to him when I did walke close with God then the glory of God shined upon mee and caused my heart to spring within me every time I thought of him But now now God knows though the world takes little notice of it the very thoughts of God are a terrour to mee the most terrible object in the world is to behold the face of God Oh it was better with me then it is now Before this my apostasie I had free accesse to the Throne of Gods grace I could come with humble and holy boldnesse unto God and poure out my soule before him such a chamber such a closet can witnesse it But now I have no heart to pray yea I must be haled to it meerely conscience pulleth me to it yea every time I goe by that very closet where I was wont to have that accesse to the throne of grace it strikes a terrour to my heart I can never come into Gods presence but it is out of slavish feare Oh it was better with me then then it is now Before Oh the sweet communion my soule enjoyed with Jesus Christ one dayes communion with him how much better was it then the enjoyment of all the world But now Jesus Christ is a stranger to mee and I a stranger to him Before oh those sweet enlargements that my soule had in the ordinances of God! when I came to the word my soule was refreshed was warmed my heart was inlightned when I came to the Sacrament oh the sweetness that was there and to prayer with the people of God it was even a heaven upon earth unto me but it is otherwise now the Ordinances of God are dead and empty things to me Oh it was better with mee then then it is now Before oh the gracious visitations of Gods Spirit that I was wont to have Yea when I awaked in the night season oh the glimpses of Gods face that were upon my soule what quicknings and refreshings and inlivenings did I finde in them I would give a world for one nights comfort I sometimes have had by the visitations of Gods Spirit but now they are gone Oh it was better then then it is now Before oh what peace of conscience had I within whatsoever the world said though they rayled and accused yet my conscience spake peace to me and was a thousand witnesses for me but now I have a grating conscience within me oh the black bosome that is in me it flieth in my face every day after I come from such and such company I could come before from the society of the Saints and my conscience smiled upon me Now I go to wicked company and when I come home and in the night Oh the gnawings of that worm it was better with me then then it is now Before the graces of Gods Spirit how were they sparkling in me active and lively I could exercise faith humility patience and the like Now I am as one bereft of all unfit for any thing even as a dead logg Before God made use of me and imployed me in honorable services now I am unfit for any service at all Oh it was better with me then then it is now Before I could take hold upon promises I could claim them as mine own I could looke up to all those blessed sweet promises that God had made in his word and look upon them as mine inheritance But now alas the promises are very little to me before I could look upon the face of all troubles and the face of death I could look upon them with joy but now the thought of affliction and of death God knows how terrible they are to me It was better with me then then it is now Before in all creatures I could enjoy God I tasted the sweetnesse and love of God even in my meat and drinke I could sit with my wife and children and see God in them and looke upon the mercies of God through them as a fruit of the Covenant of grace Oh how sweet was it with mee then But now the creature is an empty thing unto mee whether it come in love or hatred I do not know It was better with me before then now Before I was under the protection of
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
account of the greatest mercy when they are at the greatest height of prosperity when afflictions seems to be the farthest off from them then it comes heaviest upon them When they thinke least of it when they thinke all sure then God comes upon them by his displeasure when his displeasure shall be most biâ—ter to them for that is the strength of the point he will not onely take them away in the time thereof but when the affliction shall be most grievous to them That in the 20. of Job ver 22. is a most notable Scripture for this In the fulnesse of his sufficiency he shall be in straits A man may seeme to have sufficiency of the creature and may have his fulnesse of sufficiency yet God saith he shall be in straits in the fulnesse of his sufficiency I can give you another admirable work of providence in this very things wherein you may see God to come in sore affliction at such a time when it is most bitter it came from that worthy Divine Doctor Preston it was in the Towne where he was born There was a man who of long time had no childe but when God gave him one at the weaning of it hee called his friends and neighbours to rejoyce with him for this great mercy and the Nurse going to dandle the child in her arme and wearing a knife in her bosom the point of the knife being upward while she was dandling of the child runs into the belly of the child at that time when all his friends were about him to rejoyce with him When men thinke the bitternesse of death to be past as Agag did the curse of God comes on them Ps 78. 30. While the meate was in their mouths the wrath of God fell upon them I have read of Pope John the 22. that he said he knew by the position of the Stars he should live a long time and boasted that he could cast his nativity and the same night by the fall of a chamber he had newly built for his solace he was sâ—ain Another example in this kind I have heard credibly reported of a drunken fellow in an Inne was swearing most dreadfully and one comes in and saith Sir what if you should dye now saith hee I shall never eye and going down the stairs when he went out of his chamber he presently feldown and broke his neck There is likewise a history of one Bibulus a Roman that riding in triumph in all his glory a tyle fel from a house in the street and knockt out his brains As on the contrary Gods wayes and dealings with the Saints are such as what time their condition is most sad God comes in with mercy to them when they are in the most dark condition and gloomish Gods face shines on them so when the wicked are in their prosperity God smites them When the irons entred into Iosephs soule God delivered him When the Apostle had received the sentence of death in himself God comforred him 2 Cor. 1. 9. When Abraham was lifting up his hand to slay Isaac the Angel of the Lord stayed his hand As it is observed in nature a little before day breake it is darker then before so a little before the happinesse of Gods people there are some great afflictions Zech. 1. 7. At the evening time it shall be light I will recover From this phrase of recovering observe First when men abuse mercies they forfeit their right in their mercies they come then to be but usurpers they are not usurpers of mercies meerely for the use of mercies but for the abuse of them they are not charged for their right to use them but for their not right using them there is great difference between these two It hath beene taught by many that all wicked men have no right at all to use any creature but are to answer as usurpers before God But certainely there is a mistake It is certain man hath forfeited all but God hath given a right to all that they do enjoy in a lawful way a right by donation They have not such a right as the Saints have a right in Christ once being in Christ we may challence of God all things that are good for us Another man hath right but how as a malefactor is condemned to dye by his offence being condemned he hath forfeited all his estate and all the benefit of a subject But if the King be pleased to allow him provision for a day or two till the time of execution he cannot be challenged as an usurper for that he hath he hath it by donation and it is such a right that all wicked men have all wicked men in the world are under the sentence of condemnation have forfeited their right and all the good of the creature only the Lord is pleased out of his bounty to give such and such enjoyments they shall have such and such houses and such and such lands for a time till the day of execution comes This might daunt the hearts of wicked men you look upon your selves as great men you have your shops full you have large estates you are like some malefactors who have a better supper before execution then others But still your not right using may make you usurpers before God You give your servant order to buy such and such commodities suppose your servant run away with your money or bestow it on his whores c. if he run away do you not follow him as a thiefe you trust him with such a stock to keepe such markets now he hath right to use your estate but if he run away with your estate and use it against you if you meet with him again you will say what a thief are you to run away with your Masters estate and abuse it against him I will recover c. All the time the creature serves wicked men it is in bondage and God looks upon it with a kinde of pitty God hath made all things for his owne praise and he gives the children of men many mercies but it is for his owne glory but when these creatures which were given for the glory of God are abused to thy lust the creature groanes under thee Thou drinkest wine but the creature groans under thy abuse never any gally-slave did groan more under the bondage of the Turks then thy wine and thy dishes on thy table groan under thy abuse Rom. 8. 22. As God hears the cry of the widow and fatherless so he hears the groans of the creature Cornelius a Lapide tels a story that he heard of a famous Preacher shewing this bondage of the creature brings in the creatures complaining thus Oh that we could serve such as are godly Oh that our substance our flesh might be incorporated into godly people that so we might rise into glory but if our flesh be incorporated into the flesh of sinners we shall go to hell and would any creature
Booke of Ecclesiastes principally because it speakes so much of the works of Gods providence All the while Gods people dwelt in boothes and Tabernacies God himselfe would dwell in a Tabernacle God would never have a house built unto him till he had brought his own people to be setled in houses of their owne and therefore when David began to thinke that he had a house of Cedar and therefore surely God must have one too God tells him Did ever I speake of a house for me as if he had said As long as my people went up and down in booths and Tabernacles I was content to have a Tabernacle and a booth for my dwelling thus God is willing to suite himselfe with the condition of his people Is the condition of his people in a fleeting way then I will be so too saith God If your conditions be afflicted and unsetled I will be so too In all their afflictions God was afflicted in all their unsetlednesse God seemed to be so too Indeed afterwards when Gods people came to be in a setled estate in Ierusalem then God would have a house built him God would hereby teach us That if himselfe be content to be in a condition like us then we must be content to be in a condition like him as thus when we are afflicted will God be afflicted with us when we are unsetled will God be as it were unsetled with us then let us not thinke it much if afterwards God be in an afflicted way his truth and his Gospell be in a suffering way let us be willing to suffer with God when God is magnified and praised then our hearts should be inlarged too and rejoyce in his praise we should consider the condition that God is in the world we must suite our selves with that Again would God have them once a yeare to celebrate the remembrance of their dwelling in boothes and Tabernacles and that after they came to Ierusalem From hence note It is good to remember our low estates to have a reall remembrance of our low mean conditions we had heretofore doth God now bring us into a more setled condition then heretofore Let us not forget in what an afflicted condition we were in how unsetled how ready we were to fleet up and down If God should grant his people that they should think themselves setled in their own kingdoms yet let them never forget the time when they were unsetled in this other countries there hath been a great part of the people of God whose thoughts have been what shall become of them whether shall they go and perhaps to this day many have such thougts unlesse there be some speciall mercies of God prevent it yet may be the condition of thousands in the land before a yeare go about If God should prevent you ever remember your fleeting condition once you were in It was Gods great care of the people of Israel that they should never forget their dwelling in Tabernacles Thirdly Note the time of their Feast of Tabernacles they were to dwell in booths upon the fifteenth day of their moneth it was but five dayes after their day of atonoment so that being so presently after the day of publique atonement this lesson may be learned After our humiliations for our sins and making up our peace with God it is good to keep our hearts low with the meditation of the uncertainty of all things in the world You have been humbling your selves and making your peace with God yet when your hearts are comforted with the hope of your alonement made keep your hearts low take heed of pride the feast of Tabernacles must be kept presently after the feast of Atonement this is one speciall means to keep your hearts low to have a reall remembrance of the uncertainties of the comforts of this world This lifteth up mens hearts to conceive some excellencies in things here therefore goe into your boothes and work your hearts down keep your feast of Tabernacles Fourthly God would have their hearts kept low by the actuall going into their booths and tabernacles though they had faire and sumptuous houses in the City yet they were to go out and live in their booths a while you might think were it not enough for the Priest to tell them and bid them remember their dwelling in Tabernacles but they must go forth from their houses and abide in booths It is a good way to keep those men humbled that are raised from a low condition to a high even actually to goe into those houses that are low and mean go into the houses of poor men look into the cupboards see what provision they have this will be a means to humble your hearts when you consider This was once my condition A second end of this feast was to blesse God for all the fruits of the earth they had received when they had received all in their Vintage and all As the feast of Pentecost was to blesse God for their first fruits and their harvest but now all the fruits of the earth Vintage and all were gathered in Now they were to joyn all together and to blesse God for all the fruits of the Earth That this is Gods end is cleare in Deut. 16. 13 14. Thou shalt observe the feast of Tabernacles after thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine and thou shalt rejoyce c. because the Lord thy God shall blesse thee in all thy encrease therefore thou shalt surely rejoyce From hence there is this lesson It is usefull to remember what a poor condition we were once in and the uncertainty of all things that we have even when we have got our riches into our houses when all things are in our possession it is not so much to think how uncertain they are when they are growing in the field but after the Vintage was gotten in then they were to keep the feast of Tabernacles to remember the uncertain condition of all things in the world this we are very loath to doe it is unsutable to our natures and therefore this feast of Tabernacles was much neglected among the Jewes untill such time as they 〈◊〉 been in captivity after God had carried them into Babylon and theâ—â— bâ—ought them back againe into their own Countrey then they kept the feast of Tabernacles more solemnly then ever they had done as we finde Nehem. 8. 17. Since the day of Ioshua the son of Nun they had not done so they never kept the feast of Tabernacles so solemnly from their first comming into Canaan as then they did now being come out of prison they could remember the uncertainty of all things in the world men forget the uncertainty of all things in the world but if they be driven from house and home and lose all then they remember what they have heard and confessed of the uncertainty of all worldly things some of our brethren who are plundered and
driven from their habitations if God should ever restore them to their habitations againe then their hearts would be enlarged in blessing God then they would be more sensible of the uncertainty of the comforts of the creature then ever before Thirdly The Feast of Tabernacles had an aime at Christ and the state of a Christian it was to typifie JESUS CHRIST to come into the world and to pitch his tents amongst us as John 1. 14. he dwelt amongst us he came and pitched his Tabernacle amongst us it is in the Greek and the state of a Christian likewise is an abiding Tabernacle 2 Cor. 5. 1. If our earthly house of this Tabernacle be dissolved till we goe where JESUS CHRIST is gone before us to prepare mansions for us Iohn 14. our dwelling is in Tabernacles In the offerings that God appointed to offer in this their feast Numb 29. 12. there are some things very observable but hard to finde the meaning of the feast was to be kept seven dayes the first day was a great day and the last day a great day the first day there were 13. bullocks to be offered and 14. lambes the second day there was but 12. bullocks and the third day but 11. and the fourth day but 10. and so every day one decreased as you may see there and the last day there was but one offered Now divers Expositors have sought to finde out the meaning of this I doe not finde any such thing in all the Scripture as this is but onely in this place Calvin confesses when he speakes of this that for his part he doth not understand the meaning of it and rather then to make guesses of it uncertainties I will saith he be silent in it yet he ventures upon a conjecture a very unlikely one therefore I shall not name it That which is most likely seems to be in two things The first is they must offer every day lesse and lesse that is saith another interpreter to shew their increase in sanctification that they should grow to more and more perfection every day of their feast and so have lesse need of Sacrifices then they had before and so it will afford a good note to us that when we come to keepe dayes to God every day we should grow more and more in sanctification and have lesse and lesse sin to answer for then we had before Another interpretation that is given is that it was to shew the cessation of the sacrifices of the Jewes that they were to decrease day by day and this I take rather to be the meaning because the last day is but one bullocke that was offered and yet the Text saith that that was the great day of the Feast when there was fewest sacrifices to be offered Ioh. 3. 37. The last and the great day of the feast Jesus cryed if any man thirst let him come unto me there is somwhat to be noted about Christ there though it is true it was the feast of dedication which was their own Feast from whence many would prove the lawfulnesse of holy daies yet the truth is upon examination you shall finde there is scarce strength enough from that place to prove it though it be lawfull to take the advantage of such times but it will appeare there that it was the Feast of Tabernacles as in 2 Chro. 8. 9. Their Feast of the dedication of the Temple was at that time that the Feast of Tabernacles was one thing is to be observed from Christs being there at the Feast the last and the great day Jesus cryed if any man thirst let him come unto me Why did Christ upon the great day of the Feast cry out thus If any man thirst let him come unto me to drinke one reason may be because when men are most strongly possessed with the uncertainties of all outward things in the world then they are fit to entertaine the gospell then fit to heare of JESUS CHRIST when their hearts are taken off from the world and they looke upon all things here as unsetled the conclusion of that feast is a speciall preparation to the Gospell Esay 40. 6. 7 c. The preparation to the good tidings of the Gospel is the Proclamation that All flesh is grasse and all the goodlinesse thereof as the flower of the field yea the withering of the grasse and the fading of the flower must be proclaimed again and againe And then seasonably and acceptably it followes ver 6. O Zion that bringest good tidings behold your God Tremelius thinkes that the reason of the expression of CHRIST at this time was from the custome of the Iews at this Feast at the feast of Tabernacles the Iews were wont with great joy to bring store of water out of the River of Shiloh to the Temple where being delivered to the Priest he powred it out upon the Altar together with wine and all the people sung that of Isaiah with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation though it were their own invention Christ takes a hint upon it they accustomed themselves to draw water and powre it out Christ saith what do you stand upon this ceremony of yours this your custome will die and perish in the use of it but come to me and there you shall have water I am the well of salvation a spring of grace shall be continually in the heart of that man that beleeveth in me One note more is observable in this Feast we have a prophesie that in the times of the gospel the feast of Tabernacles should be kept then that is in the truth of it not in the ceremony In Zach. 14. 16. there is a Prophesy that when Christ cometh the very truth of the feast of tabernacles then all people shall worship the true God and keep the feast of Tabernacles Why is it there Prophesied that all people shall come and keep that feast the reason may be this this feast is named because in the times of the gospel men shall acknowledge their outward comforts to be from God 〈◊〉 â—ertainty of all things here and that they are strangers and pilgrims 〈◊〉 in the times of the gospell this shall be made more evident to the hearts of people then ever before the more JESUS CHRIST shall be known in the world the more shall the hearts of men be taken up with the knowledge of God in every creature and of the uncertainty of every creature and have their hearts taken of from the comforts of the world and never account any setled condition here but account themselves pilgrims and strangers that is a signe that the Gospel hath prevailed with your spirits if you have your hearts taken off from the creature and you looke upon your selves as strangers in the world and looke for an abiding City then do you keep in an Evangelicall sense this feast of Tabernacles Or secondly if it be meant of the glorious setled condition God in
shall be much more glorious The last time this prophesie aymeth at is the great calling of the Jewes then the Scripture saith Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads they shall obtain gladnesse and joy and all sorrow and mourning shall flee away They shall so sing as never mourn more in this world in regard of any malice and rage of their adversaries This was not fulfilled at their return out of the Babylonish captivity therefore there is yet a time for the fulfilling of it and the Scripture is clear about the fulfilling it even in this world that place Rev. 21. 4. is a repetition of that prophecy he saith there God shall wipe away all teares from their eyes and there shall be no more sorrow nor crying When Jews and Gentiles shall joyne together then they shall siug indeed to purpose as they did in the dayes of their youth when they came up out of the land of Egypt First it is a great mercy for people to be delivered from outward bondage It will be found a great mercy when the world shall be delivered from their outward bondage when men shall see they were born free-men and not slaves though Subjects yet not slaves when men shall see that the world was not made for twenty or thirty to doe what they list and they to account all the rest as beasts yea dogs as if it were not so much for the lives of thousands of them to goe as for their humours and lusts not to be satisfied but when men shall know that they are men and not beasts and so shall live like men and not like beasts to be at the will of others this will be a great mercy But to be delivered from Antichristian bondage is a greater mercy then it was for the children of Israel to be delivered from their Egyptian bondage For First when they were in the Egyptian bondage we reade not that their consciences were forced that they were forced at all to any false worship Pharaoh did not this but Antichrist forced to Idolatry Secondly Though Pharaoh layed heavy taskes and burthens upon them yet he did not kill them indeed at length they killed their first borne but the people of Israel themselves might have their lives still though with hardship But Antichrist thirsts for blood Papists are bloody men Thirdly It was the affliction of Gods people to be in bondage in Egypt but it was not their sin But to be in bondage under Antichrist is not onely an affliction but it is sin and that of a high nature too 4. Though they were under Egyptian bondage yet they were delivered from Egyptian plagues but those that are under Antichristian bondage shall come under Antichristian plagues Come out of her my people lest you be partaker of her plagues You must not think to escape so as they escaped out of Egypt if you stay in that bondage you will be involved in their plagues With what an eye therefore should we look upon those who would bring us into this bondage againe when God hath begun to give us a little reviving Jer. 37. 20. O my Lord the King saith Jeremy let my supplication I pray thee be accepted before thee that thou cause me not to returne to the house of Ionathan the Scribe lest I die there So let us ery to the King of heaven and earth O Lord our King let our supplication be accepted before thee since wee are begun to be delivered from that bondage doe not cause us to returne to that house againe The second is A reconciled condition is a singing condition When there is a harmony between heaven and the soul between God and a sinner there is a sweet melody indeed there may well be singing Esay 35. 10. The raâ—somed of the Lord shall returne and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads And Esay 44. 23. Sing Oye heavens for the Lord hath dâ—ne it sâ—out yee lower parts of the earth break forth into singing ye mountains We being justified by faith having peace with God saith the Apostle we not only rejoyce in hope of glory but we even rejoyce and boast in tribulation Having peace with God though war withall the world we rejoyce Thirdly It is a great mercy when Magistrates and people shall generally joyne together in praising God when they shall sing as they did in the dayes of their youth for that is the promise How is that Moses beginneth and Miriam followeth the leaders of Israel and then all the people joyne together and answer one another in their singing When that day shall come that God shall stirr up the hearts of Magistrates and great ones that there shall be singing Hallelujahs to him that sitteth upon the throne and the Lamb for evermore and when God shall generally move the hearts of the people that they shall answer one another in their singing and so joyne in a sweet melody this will be a blessed time indeed Now perhaps in one place there is singing and blessing God for what is done in another place there is cursing and cursing those that do sing Some mens hearts are rejoycing in the great things God doth other mens hearts fret and rage when they heare of the great works of the Lord this makes no melody in heaven Perhaps now in the family the Husband singeth and the wife frets perhaps the wife singeth and the malignant husband is inraged the servant rejoyceth and the master chafeth the children sing and the parents vex this is harsh musique This is our condition at this day there are better times coming when Moses Aaron and Miriam and all the people shall joyn in singing praise to our God 4. Thankfulnesse to God for mercy cannot be without joyfulnesse A grumbling pensive sadde dumpish disposition cannot be a true thankfull heart as it ought God will not accept in this sense of the bread of mourners It is grievous to the Spirit of God that we should be pensive and sad in the midst of abundance of mercies 5. They shall sing there There where at the door of hope in the valley of Achor You may remember in the opening of that valley of Achor I gave you what might be understood by it according to the most that is that God would make the greatest trouble and affliction of his Church to be a door of hope to bring mercy to them And if you take it in that sense here rises an excellent observation When God brings into straits yet if he shall sanctifie our straits making them means of good to us we have cause to rejoyce You have an excellent Text Isa 35. 6 7. For in the wildernesse shall waters breake out and streams in the desart and the paâ—ched ground shall become a poole and the thirsty land springs of water Those things that seem to goe most contrary to you I will work good unto you out of them saith God VVell what
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
wayes as may prove fearfull unto us and make our hearts to ake and our eares to tingle VVee have a notable passage for this Ezekiel 6. 6. In all your dwelling places saith God your Cities shall be laid waste and the high places shall be desolate marke that your Altars may be laid waste and made desolate and your Idols may be broken and cease and your Images may be cut down and your works may be abolished Observe the Text In all your dwelling places your Cities shall be laid waste to what end That your Altars may be laid waste So that God will lay waste their Cities for this very end that hee may lay waste their Altars if they will not lay waste their Altars if they will not abolish their superstitions that are amongst them God will abolish their Cities lay waste their Cities that he may lay waste their Altars God hath begun to put it into the heart of our governors the Parliament to abolish many superstitious pictures and crosses in divers places there is yet one great one remaining and we hope God upon the same grounds may put into their hearts the abolishing of that It would be a dreadfull thing unto you if God now calling upon us to cast out the remainders of all Idolatry superstition to lay waste all Idolatrous Pictures Images and Crosses if we should not come off but that God should lay waste your Cities to lay waste your Altars Crosses and reliques of Idolatry You see God threatneth this here as if God did not intend so much to lay waste their Cities hee would preserve them but because he could not that we may speake according to the manner of men abolish their Altars but by laying waste their Cities saith God rather then your Altars shall stand your Cities shall downe God hath wayes and most terrible wayes too to take away the memory of superstitious vanities Oh that vve had hearts to joyne with God before he cometh in such a dreadfull manner to abolish the memory of such things Were our Prelates in their power such a speech as this could not be borne when Master Vdal a godly Preacher in Queene Elizabeths dayes was charged with such an expression If it come in that is the true government of Christ as he meaneth by that means that will make all your hearts to ake blame your selves for these words especially was he then condemned to be hanged such was the rage and potency of the Prelates in those dayes What I have said may be against the spirits of such as cleave to superstitious vanities wee have no cause to feare the exasperating of these for surely they cannot be more exasperated then they are for the present and it were a foolish thing to exasperate and provoke God for feare of further exasperation in those who are for the present exasperated even to the utmost against us And if they were not but the exasperation would arise new what is the exasperation of vile men to the abiding of the wrath of God upon us VERSE 18. And in that day I will make a Covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowles of Heaven and with the creeping things of the ground and I will break the bow and the sword the batteli out of the earth and I will make them to lye downe safely In this verse God promiseth peace and security peace in regard of their deliverance from the beasts of the field and fowles of the heaven creeping things of the ground Peace from the hostility of their adversaries he will break the bow the sword the battell out of the earth And security they shall lye down safely I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field c. Some allegorize upon these words the beasts of the field they say are meant cruell wicked men the fowles of the ayre ambitious wicked men that are lofty in their thoughts counsels the creeping things of the ground subtill adversaries God here promises they say to deliver them from all these But I desire not to fall upon Allegories but when there is a necessity therefore take the words literally The beasts of the field fowles of the ayre and creeping things of the earth But how may God be said to make a covenant for his people with the beasts of the field and the fowles of heaven and the creeping things of the earth For to speake properly no creature is capable of a Covenant with God but onely the rationall The meaning is there shall be such an establishment of Gods worke upon the beasts and fowles and creeping things for the good of his Church as if God had bound them to doe them good by way of Covenant that way of God is called making of a Covenant with them I will shew it you in another Scripture Ier. 33. 20. If you can break my covenant of the day my covenant of the night that there should not be day and night in their season c. How doth God make a Covenant with the day and a Covenant with the night Thus there is an establishment of Gods decree upon the day and upon the night that it should be in such and such a way from the Creation unto the end of the world and that establishment is called Gods Covenant so Oceolampadius upon my Text I will order inviolably and unalterably there shall be an establishing decree upon these creatures that they shall doe you no hurt but good From hence the notes are these First Sin hath caused enmity between man and the creatures that is implyed here I will saith God make a Covenant upon your reconciliation with me and your reformation with the creatures now they shall be at peace with you I will doe it noting that by our sin there is grown enmity betweene us and Gods creatures VVe have lost by sin a great part of our dominion that God gave us over his creatures that was the result from that Image of God that man was created in Therefore when you see any creature to rebell against you bee put in minde your rebellion against God It is true God hath kept a little of mans dominion over the creature still to the end that the world and humane society may be preserved Sometimes you may see a little child driving before him a hundred Oxen or kine this way or that way as he pleaseth it sheweth that God hath preserved somewhat of mans dominion over the creatures But a great part is lost by our sin If we that are the servants of God rebell against him it is just with God that the creatures that were made to be our servants should rebell against us And you who are Superiors when any of your inferiours are stubborne against you your servants your children rebellious raise your hearts up to this meditation My servant is rebellious against me how have I been rebellious against
well pleased with it Esay 53. 10. Why was God pleased with it Because the Lord saw this was the way for him to communicate himself in the fulnesse of his grace unto his Church and therefore though it cost him so deare as the death of his own Son yet he was well pleased with it And as for Christ he takes delight in letting out himself to his people after he had suffered the Text saith he was satisfied when he saw of the travell of his soul As if Christ had said O let me have a Church to communicate my self unto though I see it hath cost me my blood it hath cost me all these fearfull sufferings yet I am satisfied I thinke all is well bestowed so I may have a people to partake of my love and mercy for ever Cant. 4. 9. Thou hast ravished my heart my sister my spouse thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes Then for the Saints the delight they have in communicating themselves unto Christ is unutterable Stay me with flaeggons comfort me with apples for I am sick of love saith the Church Cantic 2. 5. Psal 63. 5. My soul shall be satisfied with marrow and fatnesse and my mouth shall praise thee with joyfull lips when I remember thee upon my bed and meditate of thee in the night watches Take this note the more fully you lay out your selves for Christ the more comfort you shall have in your lives Here is the great difference between hypocrites and others in the comfort of their lives It is impossible that any hypocrite can have that comfort in his life as a gracious heart can have upon this ground because a hypocrite reserveth somewhat of himself for something else there is not a full comunication of himself unto Christ he alwayes keepes somewhat back and thereby loseth his comfort But a gracious heart fully letting out himselfe into Christ from thence cometh the comfort sweetness that he hath in the ways of Christ above all hypocrites in the world Perhaps you thinke that the onely comfort you can have is by receiving some benefit some mercy from God you are much mistaken the comfort of letting your hearts out to God is a greater comfort then any comfort you have in receiving any thing from God And now Oh how happy are they unto whom Christ is thus espoused How comfortably may you live being made sure to Christ and how comfortably may you die It is our work to seeke to draw soules to Christ to allure soules to be in love with him Gen. 24. 35. You may see what course Abrahams servant took in drawing the love of Rebekah and her friends to his Masters son he begins wiâ—h telling them that he is the servant of Abraham and that the Lord had blessed his Master greatly so that he was become great and that the Lord had given him flocks and herds and silver gold and that he had an onely soone that was to be heire of all this This is the work of Ministers to tell people what riches of mercy there are in God and that all the treasures of those infinite riches of the infinite God are in JESUS CHRIST and to be let out in him this gaines the heart Yea it is not onely the work of Ministers but it should be worke of every gracious heart thus to seek to draw souls to Christ as Rev. 22. 17. not onely the Angels there say Come but the Bride saith Come and let him that hea eth say Come and let him that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely VVere I not in such a way of explication as I am surely wee could not get off such a point as this but that which I shall say for the present is onely this Know that it is not want of any worth in you that can hinder communion with Jesus Christ doe not reason in that manner I am a poor wretched sinfull creature will ever Christ be married unto me It is not thy sinfulnesse it is not thy base condition that can hinder thee Christ never joynes himselfe to any because they are worthy but he joynes himself to them that they may be worthy hee makes them to be worthy in joyning himselfe unto them The woman is not married unto the King because she is a Queen but the King maryeth her to make her a Queene And further know if your hearts be not taken with Christ to joyne with him in his holy mariage if he be not your husband to enjoy conjugall communion with you he will be your judge to condemn you But besides this betrothing between Christ a soul there is a betrothing between Christ a visible Church especially the Church of the Jews when they shall be called God shal appeare in his glory when this maryage shall be between Christ and the Jewish Church the King will then be in his Robes if a man of estate have a sonne to marry and intends to solemnize the maryage according to his estate if he have any better cloathes then other he puts them on that day so at the calling of the Jewes the King of heaven will be in his robes God will appeare in a most glorious manner to the world then ehe did since the creation Yea and you know the Bridegroome too will be very fine upon the mariage day so Jesus Christ will then appeare whether personally or otherwise wee say not but certainly hee will gloriously appeare at that day Tit. 2. 15. We looke for the glorious appearance of the great God and our Saviour jesâ—s Christ And 2 Thes 1. 10. Christ shall come so as to be admired in all them that believe the Church likewise shall then be arrayed in her fine cloaths shee shall be then cloathed in white cleane and fine liâ—nen as it is Rev. 19. 8. all in the righteousness of Christ the great doctrine of justification by Christ shall be made out full and cleare Yea and the creatures her servants shall put on the best rayment as in a great marriage the servants in the house have new cloathes at that day there will be a change in all the creatures and another kind of face in the world then now there is Then will be the marriage supper and happy shall those be that shall then be found worthy to enter into the bed-chamber let us now love Christ let us now cleave to him let us now suffer for him we may perhaps be some of those who beside our eternal enjoyment of christ in heaven may enjoy him in this mariage upon the earth But we must leave this argument we spake something of it in the end of the first chapter And I will betroth thee unto me for ever For ever This adds to the mercy to make it glorious this for ever makes a misery though never so little an infinite misery and a mercy an infinite mercy This betrothing for ever shall be fulfilled
in a visible church communion to the Jewes and in the spirituall communion of Christ with the soule for the present Of the visible form first Isa 60. 15. I will make thee an eternall excellency a joy of many generations I thinke this is not onely meant concerning the spiritual happines of the Saints but that God hath a time to make his visible church to be an eternall excellency and a joy of many generations an excellency that shall never have an end And this their perpetuall condition their enduring happinesse shall arise from three grounds First from the precious foundation that shall be laid upon that Church when it shall be Isa 54. 8. With everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord but mark the ground vers 11. Behold I lay the foundation with Saphires all the rubbish shal be taken away it shal not be raised upon a rubbish foundation God will lay the foundations of it with Saphires and then with everlasting mercy he will embrace that Church Secondly that Church shall be in a peaceable condition no rent no division there therefore in a perpetuall condition Esay 33. 20. A Tabernacle that shall not be taken down not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed Why the very words before shew the reason Jerusalem shall be a quiet habitation Thirdly this Church shall look wholly at Christ as their Judge and their Law-giver and their King Isa 33. 22. The Lord is our Judge the Lord is our Law-giver the Lord is our King Churches are ready to change while they mixe other things with the worship of Christ and the lawes of men with his laws but when they can look to him I mean in that which is spirituall as their Law-giver as their Judge and as their King then the happinesse of it shall be perpetuall never to cease in this world the Lord Christ will betroth this Church unto him for ever Though I verily think the holy Ghost aymeth at this in great part yet we are to understand this betrothing for ever further of the spirituall communion the soul hath with Christ When Christ betroths himselfe unto a soule it is for ever the conjugall love of Christ with a gracious soule shal never be broken At the first mans condition was such as man laid hold upon God and let goe his hold but now God lays hold upon man and hee will never let goe his The bond of union in a believer runs through Jesus Christ it is fastned upon God and the spirit of God holds the other end of it and so it can never be broken This union is in the Father who hath laid a sure foundation 2 Tim. 2. 19. Rom. 9. 11. In the Son who loves his to the end Iohn 13. 1. In the Spirit who abides in the elect for ever John 14. 16 17. Esay 54. 10. The mountains shall depart and the hills be removed but my kindnesse shall not depart from thee neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee My loving kindnesse shall be more stable with thee and endure longer then the mountains themselves It is as sure as the ordinances of heaven Jer. 31. 35 36. Thus saith the Lord which giveth the Sun for a light by day and the ordinances of the Moon and of the Stars for a light by night if those ordinances dopart from before mee then the seed of Israel shall cease c. And Jer. 33. 20 21. Thus saith the Lord if you can break my covenant of the day and my covenant of the night that there should not be day and night in their season then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant You have these three expressions of the abiding of Gods love to his people 1. The continuance of the mountains 2. The continuance of the ordinances of heaven and earth 3. Gods covenant with night and day Here is the bottome of consolation to the Saints They shall be kept by the power of God 1 Pet. 1. 5. As if God should say the speciall power that I meane to put forth in this world shall be to uphold the spirits of my Saints to bring them to salvation certainly it is so The speciall work that God hath in this world to exercise his power about is to keep Christ and the Saints together Though it be through Gods power that the heavens and the earth be kept up yet if God must withdraw his power from one hee would rather withdraw it from upholding heaven and earth then from upholding one gracious soule that hath union with his Son The union that is between Christ and his people it is too neere an union ever to be broken I remember Luther hath a notable expression about this As it is impossible for the leaven that is in the dough to be separated from the dough after it is once mixed for it turneth the nature of the dough into it selfe so it is impossible saith he for the Saints ever to be separated from Christ For Christ is in the Saints as neerly as the leaven in the very dough so incorporated as that Christ and they are as it were one lump Christ who came to save that which was lost will never lose that which he hath saved Heb. 7. 16. it is said that Christ was made a Priest not after the law of a carnall commandement That is he was not made a Priest as the Priests in the law after a ceremonial way but after the power of a indissoluble life Coeli virture by a celestiall vertue so Calvin upon the place The argument why Christs life is indissoluble rather then the Priests in the law is because they were made by the power of a carnall commandement not by a Celestiall power So those who professe godlinesse according to a carnall comandement in a ceremoniall way may faile vanish and come to nothing in their way of worship as many have done but such as are professors of Religion by the vertue of Gods Spirit in them they have the power of a life indissoluble There are two soul-staying and soul-satisfying grounds to assure of Christs betrothing himselfe for ever First when any soul is taken in to Christ it hath not onely all the sinnes that it hath committed heretofore pardoned but there is a pardon laid in for all sin that is to come There is forgivenesse with thee Psal 130. 4. There lyes pardon with God before hand for all that is to come as well as for that which is past There is no condemnation unto them which are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. That is there is no instant of time after they are once in Christ Jesus wherein it can be said they are under the sentence of condemnation Now were it not that there were a pardon laid before-hand for all sin that is to come there might upon commission of a new sinne be said at that time that now they
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
ingaged himself to stand by us I will bearoth thee unto me in faithfulness As I will be faithfull to you and you shall conside in my faithfulnesse so you shall be faithfull to me that I may confide in your faithfulnesse as I fulfill all my promises covenant vvith you so you shall be faithfull to make good all the promises and covenant with me The Spouse of Christ is such a one as the Spirit of Christ can confide in It is said of the vertuous woman Pro. 31. 11. Her husband trusteth in her Let him be abroad or at home in what company soever yet his heart trusteth in her he can leave all his businesse his writing or any thing that concerns him with such a wife VVhere there is want of this trusting of the heart of the husband in the wife there is want of comfort in their lives thus God saith of his people Esay 63. 8. They are children that will not lye I can confide in them I can turne them unto any businesse as I will for they are children who will not lye They are faithfull to God first in the great Covenant in the surrendring themselves to God as they doe at their first closing with Christ In the first act of beleeving every gracious soul enters into solemn covenant with God it will be faithfull in that covenant And they will be faithfull likewise in all their under promises vowes that they make to God in days of fasting and thansgiving and at other times As Gods promises are Gods gifts unto us so should our promises be as gifts unto God 2 Tim. 1. 9. According to his purpose and grace which was given unto us in Christ Iesus before the world began not onely promised but given unto us in Christ Jesus Gods eternall purpose is called Gods gift so our purposes and our promises ought to be as sure as gifts unto God So in thy conversation thou must be faithfull to Christ not prostitute thy selfe unto another but keep thy selfe for Christ Indeed the spouse of Christ may be ravished by open violence but she will not prostitute her self to any other she keepes her self onely for Christ Thus the Saints are described Ephe. 1. 1. faithfull in Christ Jesus There is a kinde of natural faithfulnes as I may so speak as in that place Esay 8. 2. I took unto me faithfull witnesses Calvin saith it is meant of Vrijah that base temporizing Vrijah who made the Altar according to the patterne that Ahaz sent from Damascus he is said to be faithfull that is he was a faire honest dealing man his word was as good as his bond so many civill men will be faithfull of their words But mark here in the Ephesians it is faithfull in Christ Jesus it is nnt onely faithfulnesse between man and man for many Heathens were so they would rather dye then cozen and cheate one another but this is a higher degree of faithfulness it is a faithfulnesse in Christ Jesus so the Saints must be faithfull faithfull to Christ Jesus and faithfull in Christ Jesus They who are thus faithfull are fit for the service of Christ Christ hath a great deale of work to do they are only fit for it Rev. 17. 14. The Lamb shal overcome why for they that are with him are chosen and called and faithfull not called faithfull but called and faithfull and therefore the Lambe shall overcome It were happy that all that are in this publicke service in the kingdom that are with the Lambe with Christ in this cause were called and faithfull the work would soon be at an end It is faithfulness we shall be hereafter reâ—â—rded for Well done good faithfull servant not well done good and rich servant or servant who had great imployment in publicke works but well done good and faithfull servant Every one of us cannot be eminent every one cannot be employed in publicke services but you may every one bee faithfull you that are poore servants you may be faithfull as well as a Magistrate as well as a Minister you that are poore labouring men porters and water-men the meanest you may be faithfull as well as the Nobles of a kingdom God regardeth faithfulnes rather then service hee hath no need of the services of men great or small it is all one unto him but he looks upon the faithfulnesse of their hearts And as you must be faithfull unto God and his cause so you must be faithfull one to another You who are servants if you be godly be sure you be faithfull to your Masters that there may be no occasion of any such scandoll as often there is concerning those who are professors such a servant is forward he must goe to sermons and he is set against ceremonies c. But I never had any so unfaithfull if mine eye be but off him hee is from his businesse presently God forbid there should be such scandols given So VVives who professe godliness be you sure you be faithful to your husbands and tradesmen who professe more then ordinary strictness in Religion be you faithfull in your dealings Hath Christ married himselfe unto thee in faithfulnesse he expects that his faithfulnesse to thee should have that reflection upon thy heart as to make thee faithful to others There is one note that is to be taken from all together As if God should say O Israel you have dealt unrighteously with me you have broken your covenant you have gone a whoring from me but I will betroth you to me in righteousnesse You have done foolishly in departing from me but I will betroth you unto me in judgement You have been unkind to me but I will betroth you unto me in loving kindness It hath not pittied your souls to see me dishonored but I will betroth my selfe in bowels of mercy to you You have been unfaithfull to me but I will even betroth you unto me in faithfulnesse The note from thence is this God dealeth not with those in Covenant with him as they deale with him It is a note of admirable use and comfort Marke the difference betweene Gods dealing with others and those that are in covenant with him Let others deale with God in a froward and perverse way God will deale with them so too Psal 18. 26. With the froward thou wilt shew thy selfe froward Will you be froward with God God will shew himselfe froward with you Will you be proud with God In the thing you are proud God wil be above you Will you be subtil and contriving mischiefe against God and his truth God will meet with the wicked and insnare them in the work of their own hands Are you resolute in wickednesse God will be as resolute as you for your hearts as Jer. 44 25. 26. But when God comes to deale with his Saints in covenant though they deale frowardly with him hee will deale gently with them though they deale proudly with him hee dealeth in a way
appeare bright in the very faces and conversations of the Saints that shal strike great feare Holy reverent is thy nâ—me you know it is said of God and so it shall be said of the Saints in that day their graces shall be much raised they shall sparkle with abundance of the graces of Gods Spirit in them their wisdome holiness shall make their faces shine holy and reverent shall be their names Psal 89. 7. God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the Saints those Saints of his who walke close with him have a daunting power in their appearance I appeale to guilty consciences to apostates to professors who have secret haunts of wickedness sometime when you come but into the presence of one who is a truly gracious godly man or woman whom your conscience tels you walkes close with God doth not even the very sight of such a one terrifie you the very lustre of that holiness you see in such a one strikes upon your conscience then you thinke such an one walkes close with God indeed but I have basely forsaken the Lord and have had such a haunt of wickednesse I have brought dreadfull guilt upon my soul since I saw him last Ecclesiasticall stories tell us of Basil when the officers came to apprehend him he being then exercised in holy duties that there was such a majesty lustre came from his countenance that the officers fell down backward as they did who came to apprehend Christ they were not able to lay hold of him Surely when the Saints shall be raised in their holiness when every one of them shall have their hearts filled with holinesse it will cause abundance of fear even in all the hearts of those that converse with them But wicked ones shall feare too as well as the Saints Luke 21. 26. Mens hearts shall faile them for feare it shal be true in these dayes as it was in the destruction of Jerusalem The Saints shall feare the Lord and his goodness the words in the original are they shall feare ad Dominum to the Lord ad bonum to his good It is all one in effect that good that God shall manifest shall cause this feare to be in their hearts You will say what goodnesse what shall that goodness of God be that shall move the hearts of this people with so much feare I will tell you briefly I need not spend much time in it for I have spent a whole Sermon about it when I spake of the last words of the first Chapter of this Prophesiâ— great shall be the day of Jezreel I shal now adde to what I had then This shall be the goodness of God in that day that they shall feare First The goodnesse of God that ever he should regard such a wretched people as we are and pardon all our sins What Israel the ten Tribes who had most wretchedly forsaken God who had crucified Jesus Christ crucified David their King yet that blood they have shed is applyed to them for the pardon of their sin Oh the goodness of God! they shall feare this goodness in being mercifull to such a hard-hearted such a stubborne such a stiffe-necked people as they have been this goodnes of God will break their hearts Secondly then God shal make the difference between him that feareth God and him that feareth him not Then shall God take away all the reproach of his Saints What bitter reproach hath been upon the Saints since the beginning of the world especially since the times of the Gospelâ— Reproach first because they are meane people of the lower sort 2. Reproach because they suffer much and God lets his adversaries prevaile over them 3 Reproach because they waite upon God and God seems not to come the adversaries say where is your God No marvaile you pray and Fast what is become of all Here will be the goodness of God at that day to wipe off all this reproach They shall have so much mercy so much honour from God that it shall appeare before all the world that it was good to waite upon him so much as shall countervaile abundantly all their sufferings they shall blesse God that ever it was put into their hearts to suffer for him to waite upon him And because God foreseeth this what goodness he hath laid up for his people that they shall enjoy ere long and we know a thousand years with him are as one day that is the reason why he suffereth his people to be so under for the present he knows he hath that goodness for them hereafter yea in this world that all the world shal say that God hath dealt well with them that he was not a hard Master to them to make them waite so long and to let them suffer so much as they do I will give you for this one excellent Scripture perhaps you have not considered of the emphasis of the argument that is in it It is Heb 11. 16. They desired a better Countrey that is an heavenly wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for he hath prepared for them a City The poor persecuted Saints wandred up down they were content to leave their own Country their estates here and sought another Country an heavenly but they had it not their enemies prevailed over them as if God had forsaken them but God is not ashamed to be called their God what is the argument For he hath prepared for them a City Marke the force of the argument for he hath prepared for them 〈◊〉 City This City is this text I am now speaking of sometimes it is described as a Tabernacle The Tabernacle of God shall come downe from Heaven sometime a City sometime a Countrey sometime a Kingdome sometime an Inheritance Here God hath prepared for them a City that is there is a glorious time for Gods people when they shall have the new Jerusalem come down from heaven unto them Now then saith God though my people be in a suffering condition I am not ashamed to be called their God I am not ashamed to own this people for I have glory enough for them as if God should be ashamed that he should ever professe such an interest in his people and this people professe such an interest in him if there were nothing to come for them if there were not a time to recompence all their suffering As if a Master should own a servant or a Prince a subject if this servant or subject suffer extreamely and hath no help but still when he expects help there comes none and when he thinketh surely now it will come still it fayls him yet if you know that at such a day you shall recompence all this you shall advance him and bring him to such honour that he will blesse God that ever he was in your service you will not be ashamed to owne this servant But if this servant shall suffer in your cause and you
I will sow thee there shall come a blessing upon thee and though thou beest scattered up and down in the earth yet in all places thou shalt be as seed from whence my Church shall spring Hence the notes are First that Gods people are the seed of the earth But of that before in the latter end of the first Chapter onely I will adde a note of Ribera about it The seed saith he lies under the clods and at length fructifies so should the Saints be content to lie under the clods and though they may seem in regard of their afflicted condition to be dead to be rotten yet they shall be glorious and fructifie afterward Before the time of the Churches glory times of great calamity and distresse come which this rotting of the seed before the fructifying sets out unto us Secondly every godly man should so live as either in life or death hee should be as a seed from whence many may spring he should be a meanes that many should be begotten to God It is reported of Cicilia in the history of the Church a poore Virgin that by her gracious behaviour in her mattyrdome she was the means of converting four hundred to Christ As in the Indies one corn bringeth forth divers hundreds so we should labour to convert as many as wee can that some that live after may continue to beare up the name of Christ and the profession of his truth Especially be carefull of your children leave them as seed to hold up the name of God in thy family when thou art dead and gone And further I will sow her to my selfe The Saints are sowen unto Christ they are seed for Christ therefore all their fruit must be given up unto Christ Christ must have all the fruit we bear who should have the fruit but he that soweth it Therefore Cant. 7. 13. All manner of pleasant fruits new old which I have laid up for thee O my beloved Are we able to bear any fruit Let us lay it up all for Jesus Christ for it is he that soweth us unto himselfe we must not sow to our selves not to the flesh for then wee shall reap corruption but all for Christ And I will shew mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy Divers things about Gods shewing mercy after rejection were spoken of in the first Chap. Only these notes for the present There are none so rejected as that they can conclude that they shall never have mercy those that have committed the sinne against the holy Ghost excepted though Israel had not obtained mercy though they were cast out yea cast out to the beasts to be devoured yea saith God I will shew mercy upon her 2. Children of wicked parents may at length obtain mercy from God Though Israel be cast off yet her children shall have mercy A comfort to us in regard of the Idolatry of our fore fathers yea a comfort in the regard of the children that are to come Our fore fathers have broken the Covenant why may not we obtaine mercy But suppose we should be the generation of Gods wrath and not obtaine mercy yet we may have hope that the posterity following shall have mercy Thirdly Mercy after it is thought to be past if then it come Oh it is sweet mercy indeed when she seemed to be utterly rejected then to have mercy shewed this is sweet Fourthly Mercy is the cause of all the good the Saints have One Scripture for it Psal 57. 3. Send from heaven saith David David was in the Cave in a poor condition hunted for his life persecuted by Saul I see little hope from earth saith he therefore O Lord send from heaven What shall God send Angels from heaven to deliver thee David No but mark what followeth God shal send forth his mercy his truth as if he should say Lord though I have no help in earth though I see no Angels from heaven to helpe me yet let me have thy mercy and truth and that is enough This satisfies a gracous heart if he may have Gods mercy and his truth that is Gods mercy revealed in a promise Lastly God hath a speciall day of mercy for his people for his Churches I will have mercy upon her that hath not obtained mercy Let us cry to God for the hastening of this day let us open the miseries of our own Kingdome and of Ireland Oh when shall this day come that thou wilt shew mercy to thy owne people which thou hast told us of Oh that that day may hasten Come Lord Jesus come quickly And I will say to them which were not my people This is that we had in the first Chapter onely with some differences there it is In the place where it was said yee are not my people And I shewed you when I opened that place both out of the Romanes and out of Peter how the Apostle makes use both of that in the first Chapter and this here in the second onely take a hint of the truths in it First God hath a special interest in his people they are his people they are called his peculiar people Tit. 2. 14. The word hath this emphasis in it God lookes upon all other things as accidents in comparison and his substance is his people they are his very portion as Deut. 33. 19. and Exod. 19. 5. they are his peculiar treasure above all people in the world and Esay 19. 25. Assyria the worke of my hands and Israel mine inheritance I have made all people but Israel is mine inheritance This is the happines of the Saints therefore they are not as other people are Num. 23. 9. This people shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the Nations this is a great ground of prayer Lord leave us not we are thy people called by thy name we have an interest in thee Againe This is an argument to walke so as God may not be dishonored by us for we are his people If those in a mans family walke disorderly it is a dishonour to the Master of the family it is no dishonour to him for a stranger or one who hath little reference to him to walke disorderly It is not so much dishonour to God for the wicked to walke disorderly as for the Saints in regard of their neerenesse to God And besides their light is as I told you three story high and if they sin they sin against a greater light then others doe their sin is greater then the sinne of the wicked in that regard Further I will say to them which were not my people thou art my people I will own them before all the world It is a great mercy for God to make it knowne to the world that his people are his people The world will not beleeve it they think they are a poor contemptible people but there shall come a day that I will make it knowne they are
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