Religion no God forbid yea she so promised that the story saith no man would or could misdoubt of the performance But afterward when she came to get the power in her hand the Suffolk men came to make supplication to her that she would be pleased to performe the promise she made them she answered them thus Forasmuch as you being but members desire to rule your head you shall one day well perceive that members must obey their head and not looke to beare rule over the same And not only so but to cause the more terrour a Gentleman one Master Dobs that lived about Windsor who did but in an humble request advertise her of her promise made to the Suffolke men he was three times set on the Pillory and others for the same cause were sent to prison We may see what hold hath been heretofore in the promises of those who had power to breake them you know what temptations they have to withdraw their hearts from what they have ingaged themselves unto But when this our Prince comes David our King we shall finde the sure mercies of David we shall finde nothing but faithfulnesse in all his dealings And they shall feare the Lord and his goodnesse in the latter dayes They shall feare the Lord. The words are they shall feare to the Lord pavebunt ad dominum The feare of God is much upon the heart of a sinner in his returne to God Such a sinner hath high and honourable thoughts of God They shall returne and feare the Lord. The slightnesse the vanity of his spirit the boldnesse of his heart it is taken off and the feare of God ruleth in it The Majesty the power the authority of the great God is strong upon him when he comes to worship him the feare of God makes him to worship God as a God and in all his conversation he walkes in the feare of God even all the day long you may see written upon his life the feare of the great God And this not a servile slavish feare but a holy reverenticall filâ—â—â— feare Jsaac had such a feare of God that God hath his dominion from Isaacâ— feare He is called the feare of Isaac This is a most precious feare others feare poverty feare imprisonment feare disgrace feare men but saith a true repenting heart I feare the Lord this feare is the well-spring of life to him it is the very treasure of his soul Esay 33. 6. I shall speake of the feare of God here onely as it concerns this place the intent of bringing it in here that is to shew that in the time when this glorious Church shall be when God shall call home his own people the Jewes and bring in the fulnesse of the Gentiles then shall the feare of God mightily prevayle upon the hearts of people more then ever and the greater Gods goodnesse shall be the more shall the feare of God be upon their hearts this we shall finde almost in all the Prophesies of the glorious condition of the Church which is very remarkable there is ever speaking of the feare of God that should be upon the hearts of people One would rather thinke there should be speaking of the joy that they should have that there should be nothing but mirth and triumph in those times but the Scripture speakes exceeding much of feare that shall be then and more then then at any other time Thus Revel 11. 18. a most famous Prophesie of Christs comming and taking the kingdomes of the earth and bringing his reward with him he shall come and give a reward to those that feare him And Revel 14. 7. I saw an Angel flee in the middest of heaven having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth saying with a loud voyee feare God and give glory to him Marke an Angel when he comes to preach the verlasting Gospel how doth he preach it what now cast away fear and rejoyce in this everlasting Gospel No preaching this everlasting Gospel saith with a loud voyce feare God and give glory to him So Rev. 15. 3. 4. There is the song of the Saints when they are delivered from the power of Antichrist what is it be jocund and joviall No Great and marvailous are thy workes Lord God Almighty just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints who shall not feare thee O Lord and glorifie thy name for thou onely art holy for all Nations shall come and worship before thee for thy judgements are made manifest And again Rev 19. 5. And a voyce came out of the Throne saying Praise our God all ye his servants and yee that feare him both small and great But feare the Lord now in these times why so Upon these foure grounds First Feare the Lord now because of the glory of Christ their King they shall behold their King in that glory that shal cause fear Rev 19. 12. Christ is described with his eyes as flames of fire and on his head many Crownes cloathed with a vesture dipt in blood at wo-edged sword out of his month and on his vesture and on his thigh written King of Kings and Lord of Lords Thus they shall behold Christ and therefore they shall feare Secondly in those times the feare of God will much prevaile in the hearts of people because of the great workes of God that shal be then the heavens shall depart like a scrole and the elements melt with fervent heate This is meant of the time when there shal be new heavens a new earth which referreth to the Prophesie of Esay and it is apparantly and so generally Interpreters carry it meant of the estate of the Church then the heavens shall depart like a scrole Heb. 13. 26. quoted out of Hag. 2. 6. The Lord did shake the earth once but he hath promised saying Yet once more I shaâ— not the earth onely but also heaven There shall be wonderfull workes of God in the earth when those dayes come therefore there shall be much of the feare of God Thirdly Much of the feare of God then because of the holiness of the worship of God and of his Ordinances the purity of them shall cause fear Did we see the Ordinances in the true and native purity and holinesse of them it would strike much feare in us Some have but seene the execution of that one Ordinance of Excommunication in a solemn gracious way and it hath daunted their hearts it hath struke feare in a most proud profane stubborn wicked heart the beholding then of all the Ordinances and all duties of worship in their true native purity holiness and glory cannot but cause much feare Psal 68. 35. O God thou art terrible out of thy holy places God will be terrible out of his holy places and out of all his holy Ordinances Fourthly Much feare there will be at that day because of the holiness of the Saints there shall be so much holiness that shall
between the name Israel and Jezreel but there is a great deale of difference in the signification for Israel is one that prevaileth with God the strength of the Lord Jezreel is one that is scattered by the Lord. Israel hath lost the honour of his name Many out-live the honour of their names and reputations These tenne Tribes are no more worthy to be called by the name of Israel their famous Progenitor but now Jezreel the scattered of the Lord. Thirdly Jezreel to shew the way that God intended to bring judgement upon these ten Tribes And what was it The way should be by scattering God would scatter them It is a speciall way of Gods bringing judgement upon a Kingdome by scattering of them We read that when Micaiah saw the destruction of Ahab and his people he had this vision I saw saith he 1 King 22. 17. all Israel scattered one from another as sheep that have no shepheard There is a two-fold scattering A scattering among our selves in wayes of division and a scattering by the Enemy one from another to flie for our lives The one part of this judgement the Lord be mercifull to us is upon us already and in this sense we may be called Jezreel Oh how is our Kingdome divided how is it scatted The Lord keepe us from the other scattering that wee be not scattered one from another by being forced to flye for our lives before the Enemy It is just with God that if wee scatter our felves sinfully by way of division that God should scatter us in his wrath to our destruction by giving us up to our Enemies If we love scattering if we delight in division we may soon have scattering enough there may soon be divisions far enough one from another 4. Call his name Jezreel to note that the Lord would scatter them even in that very place where they did most glory as they did in the valley and city of Jezreel they did much glory in that place as you shall hear afterward But God would scatter them even in that place in which they did so much boast And lastly Jezreel because the Lord would hereby shew that he would turne these conceits and apprehensions that they might have of themselves quite the contrary way As thus Jezreel it signifieth indeed scattered of the Lord but it signifieth also the seed of the Lord or sowen of the Lord and so the Jewes were ready to take the name Jezreel and would be content to own it because it signified the seed of God And hence it commeth to signifie scattered too because that seed is to be scattered when it is sown And hence it was that they might glory so much in that name Oh! they were the seed of the Lord in an abiding condition as being sowen by the hand of God himselfe No saith God you are mistaken I doe not call you Jezreel upon any such tearms because you are sowen of mee but quite the other way because you shall be scattered and come to be destroyed by me It is the usuall way of God to turne those things which men take as arguments for their comfort to their confusion Haman who made such an interpretation of the action of Esters inviting him to the banquet alone with the King the truth is the right interpretation of it had been that it was to his destruction and so here whereas they might make such an interpretation of Iezreel as that they were the seed the sowen of the Lord the true interpretation is that they are the scattered of the Lord. All these five reasons you have either in the nearenesse of the name Israel with Iezreel or otherwise in the words that follow after For yet a little while I will avenge the blood of Iezreel upon the house of Iehu and cause to cease the Kingdome of the house of Israel Here now wee come to that which is the maine in this Scripture And these foure questions are of great use and will tend much to edification 1. What is this blood of Iezreel that God will avenge 2. Why God will avenge the blood of Iezreel upon the house of Iehu 3. Why is it called the house of Iehu and Iehu alone without the addition of the name King as it is usuall in others as Hezekiah King of Iudah and such a one King of Israel but here only the house of Iehu 4. What is this little while God speaks of yet a little while The words are read I suppose ordinarily and past over as if there were little in them but you shall finde that there is much of the minde of God held out to us in them For the first then What was the blood of Jezreel that here God threatneth 〈◊〉 You may read the History of it in 2 King Chap. 9 10 11. for the way of opening the Prophets is to compare them with the Scriptures that went before read those Chapters and you shall find what this blood was It was the bloud of the house of Ahab the bloud of Iezabel the bloud of the 70. sons of Ahab whose heads the Elders of Iesreel sent to Iehu in baskets This was the bloud that was shed here in this place which God saith he will aveuge God will certainly avenge bloud and if God will avenge the bloud of Ahab he will surely avenge the bloud of Abel if the bloud of Iesabel then surely the bloud of Sarah if the bloud of Idolaters then the bloud of his Saints Oh what vengeance then doth hang over that Antichrist for all the bloud of the Saints that hath been spilt by him the scarlet whore hath dyed her selfe with this bloud yea and vengeance will come for that bloud that hath been shed of our brethrens in Ireland upon any whosoever have been instrumentals in it great or small Certainely the righteous God will not suffer that wicked and horrid work to goe unavenged even here upon the earth Let us wait a while and we may live to see that time whâ—rein 〈◊〉 shall not only be said by the voice of faith but by the voyce of sense itselfe Verily there is a God that judgeth the earth But why will God avenge the blood of Iesreel upon the house of Iehu Indeed this to an outward view at first is one of the strangest things wee have in all the book of God If you compare this place here in Hosea with other Scriptures you shall find that it is a strange thing that ever it should be said that the Lord would avenge the blood of Iesreel upon the house of Iehu For in 2 King 9. 7. you shall finde that Iehu was anointed by the Lord on purpose for that action to shedd that bloud and he had a command from God he was bidden to goe and shed it and the holy oyle was poured upon him for that end that he might shed that bloud yet now this bloud must be avenged and avenged upon the house
have him take it away yet if this Magistrate should be guilty of the same sin or that which amounteth to the same sin God will avenge himselfe upon this Magistrate as upon a Murtherer as here God revengeth himselfe upon the house of Iehu as for murther yet Iehu was a Magistrate and this was commanded Iehu by God himselfe So suppose a Magistrate fine a man for any evill and that justly yet if he be guilty of the same himselfe God will deal with this Magistrate as if he robbed by the high way side and took away a mans money by violence It is apparent out of the Text. Certainely my brethren therefore great wrath and vengeance hangeth over the head of wicked Magistrates All this you learn from what is here said that God will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu upon the inquiring into the reason of it And he will doe this upon the house of Iehu that is the third Question What is the house of Iehu That is his Posterity his Family that was to succeed And indeed it was to the fourth generation till God came against him as we shall heare by and by God followeth wicked men to the 3. and 4. generation The posterity of the ungodly specially Idolaters shall suffer for their Fathers sin It is very observable what you have in the second Commandement that God in no other doth threaten the sinne of the fathers upon the children but in the second Commandement What is thereason of this That Commandement forbiddeth Images Because your superstitious worshippers of all men are strengthened by the tradition of their Fathers Oh our Fathers did thus and thus and shall we be wiser then our Fore-fathers We have now a company of up-start men and they will be wiser then their Ancestors Because superstitious worshippers harden themselves so much in that way upon their Fathers therefore it is that in that very Commandement against making and worshipping of Images God threatneth to visite the sinne of the fathers upon the children and in no other What the house of Iehu after Iehu was dead how can this be Yes as a Prince that hath to doe with two Traitors both of them have deserved death but the Prince is enclined to shew mercy and against the one there commeth this Accusation This mans Father was a Traytor and his grand-father and his great grand-father were Traytors Nay then let him dye saith the Prince But now the other that is guilty of as much as this man was yet it is told the King Sir This mans Fathers hath done a great deale of excellent fervice for the Common-wealth there were never any of his house but were loyaâ—l This man now is spared though hee deserveth death and guilty with the other of the same treason and the King is just in this And so the first man may be said to dye for his Fathers sinne that is he should not have been executed if his Fore-fathers had not been in the fault Take heed what you doe in the course of your lives if you regard not your selves yet for your childrens sake that you may not leave a curse behind you upon the off-spring of your loins and fruit of your wombs look upon them pity them Though you your selves may escape in this world yet you may leave the inheritance of your sinnes unto your children Pity your children that they may not have cause to curse the time that they were borne of such parents and wish that they had rather been of the off-spring of Dragons and a generation of Vipers then to be born of such parents that have left them a curse for an inheritance It had been better you had left them never a peny then to leave them to inherite the curse of your wickednesse Vpon the house of Jehu The house of Jehu fareth the worse for Jehu Those that desire to raise and continue the honour of their houses let them take heed of wayes of wickednesse for wickednesse will bring down any Family whatsoever But why is it The house of Jehu without any addition of Jehu the King as in others it is usual Hereby God would give a check to Jehu and bid him look back upon the meannesse of his birth for Jehu was not of the Kingly race yet how unthankfull was he who was raised from the dung-hill thus unworthily to depart from the Lord. You whom God hath raised up on high to great honours and estates look back to the meannesse of your beginning that God hath raised you from and labour to give him an answerable return of obedience Those that will not give God the glory of their honours and estates it is just their honors and estates should be taken from them But what is this Yet a little while This is to be understood in reference to Jehu or in reference to the house of Israel Yet a little while and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu and will cease the Kingdome of the house of Israel It was a long while before God came upon the house ol Jehu and yet now he saith yet but a little while I will stay but a little longer ere I avenge the blood of Iezreel upon the house of Iehu It was now the third generation since Iehu committed those sins nay it will appeare that it was above an hundred years from the sinnes of Iehu to Gods avenging the blood of Iezreel upon his house for Iehu raigned 28. years his sonne Iehoahaz 17. years and Iehoash his sonne 16. years and Ieroboam his son 41. yeares and then in the days of Zachariah the son of this Ieroboam God came to avenge this blood which was above a hundred years Oh the patience of the Lord towards sinners But though he stayed long yet he saith yet a little while Here is an excellent observation from hence That God sometimes commeth upon sinners for their old sins for sins committed a long time agon Sins a long time agone committed are perhaps forgotten by you yet they are remaining filed up and recorded in heaven above a hundred years after the commission It is like these sinns of Iehu were forgotten yet God commeth now at last to avenge the sins of Iehu upon his house So he did for the sins of Manasses and for the sins of Iosephs brethren it was 22. years before they came to have their consciences troubled and then say they We are verily guilty concerning our brother therefore is this distresse come upon us and now saith Reuben behold also his blood is required Looke to your selves you that are young take heed of youthfull sinnes Youthful sins may prove to be ages terrors Perhaps you think it was a grat while agone that you when you were a young man were in fuch a Taverne or in such a journey and committed such and such sins Have you repented for them Have you made
been only the hearing of what our brethren have suffered yet do suffer Whereas all about us is as the fiery furnace and we walk in the middest of it like the three children our garments not touched nor the smell of the fire passed on them when as we see all Countreys as Gideons fleece bewetted with the tempest of Gods wrath yea with their own blood behold we are dry aud the sun-shine of Gods mercie is upon us the blackness of the misery of our brethren is the brightnesse of our mercie I will save them It is the Lord that will save them This is an upbraiding of Israel Oh Israel you think to be saved by your owne policy you have got a fetch beyond God you are afraid that the people should go up to Jerusalem to worship therefore you have set up the two Calves to save your selves But Judah shall be saved and saved after another way Iudah need not go to such carnall setches and policies to save themselves for the Lord shall save them Though carnal hearts thinke and endeavour to save themselves onely by their own policie and carnall waies yet let Gods people know that they have a stronger means to save them then all the policie in the world So long as the wisdom the power the mercy the faithfulnesse of God is for them they need no other string to their bow but that I will save them by the Lord. VVhat is the meaning of this This by Interpreters is carried concerning Christ That God the Father promiseth to save by Christ As Dan. 9. 17. we have such an expression in prayer Now O Lord hear the prayer of thy servant for the Lords sake that is for Christs sake So here God wil save by the Lord that is by Christ A sweet lesson we have from thence viz. That the administration of Gods grace to his people is given into the hands of JESUS CHRIST It is Christ that doth save the people of God and hath saved them in all former times in all ages It is true in the merits of Christ all are saved that every one will grant as Zach. 9. 11. By the blood of thy Covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit All the prisoners of Gods people ever since the world began that have been sent out of the pit it hath been by the blood of the covenant by the merits of Christ and not onely so but Christ in the administration of all hath been the chiefe he hath been the Angel of Gods presence that hath stood up for his people in all their necessities he hath been the great Captain deliverer the Saviour of them all Let Christ then have the honour of a Soveraigne to us in regard of our salvation in outward deliverances Let us look up to him then for salvation in all our straits And if Christ was the Saviour of his people in all ages and still will be then surely those ages and places where Christ is most known and honoured may expect the greatest salvation And this is for our comfort far above all the ages that ever was since the world began Christ is most known and honoured in this age and of all places in the world here in England and amongst our countrey men and if Christ will be a Saviour of those places where he is known and honoured surely England may expect a salvation England hath had it and as England is peculiar in the way of the knowledg of Christ so England shall be peculiar in a way of Gods grace to her I will save them by the Lord their God Not your God oh Israel but their God Thus he upbraydeth the people of Israel that they had forsaken their God that Iudah had kept their God but Israel had not It is a great upbrayding of a people when it can be said of them that they have forsaken the Lord. It is a wofull thing not to have God to be our God at all that conscience can charge this upon a man that Daniel did upon Belshazzar That God in whose hand thy breath his whose are all thy ways hast thou not glorified but that conscience can charge this That God that thou hast chosen that thou hast entred into covenant withall Oh thou apostatized soule thou apostatized Nation thou hast forsaken him he is not thy God This is a sore and heavy charge indeed Again The Lord their God It seemes he is the God of Judah though Judah had many evils but not the God of Israel Those then that do not worship God in a right way God will not acknowledge himself to be worshipped by them at all The people in the wildernesse proclaimed a fast to Jehovah and yet the Apostle 1 Cor. 10. 7. calleth them Idolaters and it is said they sacrificed to Idols because they worshipped God by the Calfe and not in Gods way Though we may think we worship God yet if wee doe not worship him in his own way he doth not own himself to be worshipped by us at all Again The Lord their God This could not but sting Israel that Judah should be thought to have more interest in God then Israel had It is a stinging thing to carnal hearts and much bitternesse of spirit it must needes be entertained withall that any one should but think of challenging any peculiarity of interest in God Thus they scorned at Christ Oh he trusted in God he thinketh he hath more interest in God then others now let his God come and save him I remember in the book of Martyrs we read that the Papists were much vexed against the protestants because they used to say our God and our Lord they were knowne by this speech and the Papists were inraged against them for this because they seemed to claime more interest in God then others And indeed what is the cause of the quarrel in the World against Gods people but because they thinke they claime more peculiarity and interest in God than others and this is the reason that soule-searching preaching cannot be endured because it makes a difference between the one and the other and shewes that some have an interest in God more than others Hence it is that in no places in the world mens spirits so fret against preaching as in England why because there is not such soul-examining such soule-distinguishing preaching in the World as in England Yea that is the reason of the bitternesse of one professor against another because one is a Protestant at large and the other manifesteth more power of godlinesse is more strict in his course and seemes to claime a greater share in God than the former Profession in England is a more distinguishing profession than in other places I will save them by the Lord their God God is the God of Judah still therefore God will save them So long as God is our God we need not fear our adversaries Yee
prepared to meet Christ their Bride-groom when he cometh Marke that place Ezek. 40. 4. It is spoken of the glorious times of the Gospel especially of these times I am speaking of where God saith to the Prophet Behold with thine eyes and heare with thine eares and set thine heart upon all that I shal shew thee And what did God shew him hee shewed him the measure of the Temple and all the glorious things that there should be in the Church in future times So I say to you my brethren concerning that I have spoken of the great day of Jezreel behold with your eyes look into Gods book and see what is said there for I have named but little and heare with your eares and set your hearts upon what hath been set before you So in Isa 41. 20. You have a place somewhat like this speaking of the mercies of God to his Church in latter times saith the Text That they may see know and consider and understand together that the hand of the Lord hath done this and the Holy One of Israel hath created it Mark how one word is heaped upon another that they may see know and consider understand what God would do for his people And when God came to reveale the glorious things he intended for his Churches in future times in the book of the Revelation which is the special book that declareth this unto us Mark how the Lord beginneth It is said that God gave this first to Christ secondly Christ to the Angel thirdly the Angel to Iohn and then there is pronounced a blessing to him that reads and hears the words of this prophesie and understands it What a solemne way of blessing is here There is not such an expression in all the book of God where have you a blessing so solemnly proclaimed to the reading and hearing of any of the bookes of God as to that book Therefore though they are things that seeme to be above us yet certainly God would have us to inquire into these things It is the fruit of the purchase of the blood of Christ to open these seales Rev. 5. 9. we reade that there was no man in heaven nor in earth that was able to open the book and to loose the seales thereof only the Lambe that was slaine and that hath redeemed us unto God by his blood he was onely worthy to open the seales It is a fruit I say of the slaughter of Christ of his blood and therefore cry to him for the opening these things to thee And though thou beest very weake in regard of parts and thinkest with thy self How can I understand such things as these know that it is Christ that through his blood comes to open these seales and seeing it is a fruite of his blood it is no matter whether thou art weake or strong if he come to open them to thee as Ier. 13. 2. saith God to the Prophet Call unto me and I will shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not so I say to you be a praying people call upon God and he will cause you to understand great and excellent things that you have not known And my brethren seeing these things shall be thus O what manner of persons ought wee to be how heavenly our hearts should rise up from the earth seeing God intendeth to do such great things for his people As it is Isa 60. Arise arise shake off thy dust for the light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee So I may say to the Churches now Arise arise shake of the dust of your earthly affections for the light of God is now ready to arise upon you Now sur sum corda now lift up your hearts above the things of the world VVee reade in Rev. 4. of the foure living creatures that appeared unto John the first was like a Lyon and the second like an Oxe and the third had a face as a Man and the fourth was like a flying Eagle They are according to the interpretaâ—ion that reverend Brightman gives to set out unto us the foure states conditions of the Church The Primitive times were Lyon-like for their valour the second age like an Oxe to beare the burthens of Antichrist the third had a face as a man that stood for their liberties and would not be under such slavery and they are but times and then the fourth as an Eagle that sored aloft In the state of the Church hereafter they shall be like an Eagle have heavenly hearts no such drossy base earthly hearts as we have now Labour we even now to be so that we may be fit for that day And let us all prepare for the Bride groome against his comming How shall we prepare The cloathing that then shall be shall be white linnen which is the righteousnesse of the Saints That great Doctrine of our justification by the righteousnesse of Christ shall be the great businesse of that day in which the glory of the Saints shall much consist and they shall be clothed with that it shall be clearly understood of all men they shall be ashamed to rest upon duties and ordinances as now they do Let us study the Doctrine of the righteousnesse of Christ afore-hand for that is like to be our clothing at that day that is the white linnen of the Saints which shall be their glory Let us prepare our Lamps and keepe them all burning and shining the oyle not onely of juâ—â—â—cation but sanctification active stirring in our hearts that so we may 〈◊〉 to entertaine the Bride-groom whensoever 〈◊〉 〈…〉 And all of you labour now to instruct your children in the knowledge of God and of Christ bring them up in the feare of the Lord that they may be seed for that day Acquaint them with these things for though perhaps you may be dead and gone before this great day yet they may live to see it therefore catechize them and instruct them and drop into them those Principles that may fit them for the meeting of JESUS CHRIST their Bridegroome To conclude all Let us be all praying Christians It is that which is charged upon us in Isa 62. 6. All you that make mention of the Lord keep not silence and give him no rest till he establish till he make Jerusalem apraise in the earth God hath a day to set up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole earth Oh be praying praying Christians every one of you and give God no rest till he effect this And remember God of all his promises search the Prophets search the book of God and urge God with his promises to the Church in this way And you that are the weakest be not discouraged in your prayers and you may be a meanes to further and hasten this great day of Jezreel Psal 102. 17. The Psalmist had spoken before of Gods building up Zion and certainly that Psalme is a Prophesie of the glorious times
an Hittite at that time There are two most usefull Observations that flow from hence before we proceed any further in the explication of the words Israel though they had been 400. years in Egypt under grievous afflictions yet they continued exceeding abominable and wicked The fire of their affliction did seeme to harden their hearts as much as the fire of the furnace did harden the bricks Their hearts were clay foule dirty hearts and were hardned by their afflictions And secondly when God came to deliver Israel out of Egypt God found them to be in a very wicked condition then then their Father was an Amorite and their mother an Hittite then they were thus vile when God came to deliver them in the day wherein they were borne for their deliverance is their birth Oh the freenesse of Gods grace God often told them that his grace was free and so indeed it was if hee found them thus as he did for so you shall finde if you read the story of the people of Israel that when God sent Moses unto them they were a very wicked and stubborn people even at that very time when God came with his deliverance Let us then raise up our hearts and looke up to the free grace of God even toward us We are vile we are wicked mercies christisements have hardned us and yet all this hindreth not the free grace of God for the deliverance of a people God hath begun in a way of deliverance to us and when did he begin it Certainly England was never since it was borne since it was delivered out of spiritual Egypt out of the bondage of Popery it was never in a worse condition then when God came in with his mercies of late to us Then if ever it might be said of us that our father was an Amorite and our mother an Hittite we were then in the very high way towards Egypt again when God came with his free grace to deliver us As hee dealt with his own people so he hath dealt with us magnified be the free grace of God towards us an unworthy people Further Thy Navill was not cut That is the expression how he was in the day wherein he was borne First Thy Navill was not cut The loathsomenesse of their condition is set out by that Naturallists observe that the nourishment that the childe hath from the mother it is by the navill as afterward the childe sucks of the breasts and so is battned but all the while it is in the wombe it is nourished by a string in the navill that draws nourishment from the mother Now Israel even when God did deliver them from Egypt had not their navill cut that is they did even still seeme nay not only seeme but still they did draw their nourishment from Egypt they did batten themselves suck out the Egyptian manners and customes and superstitions and in their growth up they did seeme rather to have their nourishment from Egypt then from God so God himselfe chargeth them Ezek. 23. 8. Neither left she her whoredomes brought from Egypt saith the Text her navill was not cut shee drew she sucked still the Egyptian manners customes and superstitions It is not thus in part with us Let me a little speake of this by way of allusion at least Is our navill cut to this very day It is true God hath delivered us from Popery from Egypt as he did Israel but still do not we continue sucking drawing nourishment from our old superstitious wayes of Popery we seeme to live still upon them and to have our hearts delighting in them Oh how just were it with God to come in a violent way and cut our navill even by the sword it is mercy he commeth not thus to cut it and so to take from us all those secret hankerings that wee have after the old Egyptian customes Yet again seeing it is such a full allusion wee may apply it to those that seeme to have a new birth to be borne again those that seeme now to make very faire profession of Religion and to forsake many evill wayes that formerly they have delighted in but yet their navill is not cut neither they do secretly suck sweetnesse and battning from their former lusts the curse of the serpent is upon them upon their bellies they doe goe and dust they do eate their bellies do even cleave to the dust Neither wast thou washed in water This also sets forth the wofull condition of Israel when he was borne he was not washed The infant when it commeth first into the world cometh from blood and filth in which it was wrapped that as Plutarch saith it is rathâ—r 〈◊〉 a childe killed then a child born so bloody and polluted it is that were it not that there were a natural affection stirring in parents they would even loath the fruit of their wombes It is true parents may see that with their bodily eyes but there is more polution in their soules they are wrapped up in original sin and filth more then their bodyes are wrapped up in blood and filth in the wombe Therefore infants are washed but thou wast not washed thou wast let goe in thy filth I have read of the Lacedemonians that when their children were borne they used to throw them into the river to consolidate their members and parts of their bodies as they say to make them strong that was the custome of that barbarous people Thou wast cast out in the open field What is the meaning of this We cannot understand it fully without examining what the custome of the people was in those times We finde in Histories that the custome of divers of the Heathen was when their children were borne to observe by their countenance by the making of their members whether they were like to be usefull to the Commouwealth or not and if not like they threw them away and if they were like to be usefull they nourished them up They nourished up no other children but those that they judged by their countenance or making would do good to the Common-wealth We finde it in divers Histories Strabo tells us that the Indians and Brachmanes had certaine Judges appointed for that very end their Office was that when any childe was borne to judge by the countenance and parts of the body of the childe whether it were like to do any good in the Common-wealth so either to save it or cast it out So likewise AElian in his Various Histories telleth us of the Thebanes that there was an express Law made among them in these words That none of them should cast out their children noting thereby that it was wont to be the custome aâ—â—ngst them So Clemens Romanus telleth us that indeed the Jews as a thing peculiar to them amongst them the children are not cast out So that the holy Ghost alludeth to the way of the Gentiles and barbarous people and telleth Israel that
they were as a childe cast out such a one as the countenance and feature promised no good Thou wert cast out in the open field because they never hoped to have any good of thee and indeed as if God should say if I had regarded what I saw in you I might have past this judgement upon you too there was little hope of good from you But what though the child be cast out in the field yet there may come some by accidentally as Pharaohs daughter did that may pitty the child and have compassion on it No saith God thou wast not onely cast out but worse then so thou wast cast out and so cast out as no eye pityed thee You have sometimes bastards poor childred laid at your doors and left there some in baskets otherways yet when you open them see a child and a childe weeping there is some pity in you and you will take care some way or other that it may be fed brought up But saith God to Israel You were cast out in the open field no eye pityed you that is all the heathen were against you and others in the land rose up against you the Egyptians they came out to destroy you you had the sea before you and them behind you none had pitty upon you This was the condition wherein you were borne Now see what ornaments God had put upon them They were in a sorry condition you see when they were borne But marke that fore-named place of Ezek. ver 8. I took the saith God and entred into covenant with thee and then becamest mine That is the way of a peoples becomming Gods his entring into covenant with them The Lord hath begun to enter into Covenant with us and we with him in former Protestations and if any farther Covenant binding us more strictly to God be tendred to us know that God in this deals with us as he did with his own people We are as children cast out in the open field and no eye pityeth us but many plot against us and seeke our ruine If God will be pleased now to enter into Covenant with us and give all the people of the Land hearts to come close to the Covenant to renew their Covenant with him and that to more purpose then in former Covenants the Lord yet will own us The Covenant of God was the foundation of all the mercy the people of Israel had from God and we are to look upon it as the foundation of our mercy and therefore as in the presence of God willingly and cheerfully to renew it with him After Gods taking this people to himselfe as his own it followes ver 11 12. I decked thee also with ornaments I put bracelets upon thine hands and a chaine on thy necke And I put a jewell on thy fore-head and ear-rings in thine ears a beautiful crown upon thine head Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver and thy rayment of fine linnen and silk broidred worke and thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty Thus God did with the people of Israel he had added to what they had when they were born Miserable they were when they were borne but the mercies of God toward them are thus set out And nowhee cometh to threaten that he will strip them naked and set them as in the day wherein they were born Yet further for the opening of this we must know that it was the custome among the Jews when any married what they brought to their husbands and their dowry was written down in a table and if afterward he should divorce his wife except there could be proved some grosse and vile thing against the woman though she should go away yet she was to go away with her Table with her dowry and what she brought she must not goe away naked But if there could be proved some notorious villany that shee had committed then she was sent away Sine Tabulis naked without those tables wherein her dowry and other things were written and destitute of all things as being unworthy of them because she had played the harlot Thus God threatneth this people She is not my wife but unlesse she put away her whore doms from before her face and her adultery from between her breasts I will strip her naked as in the day wherein she was borne She shal be seâ—â—â—ay without any tables naked and wholly destitute And thus you have thâ—â—â—pening of the words The Observations follow The first is The beginnings of great excellencies are sometimes very low and meane This plainly riseth up from the opposition of her condition when she was borne and what she had gotten from God afterward I will strip thee naked and set thee as in the day wherein thou wert borne Therefore it is cleare she was born in a very mean condition gotten up to a very excel lent condition though now they be high glorious yet once they were very low mean God many times raises up golden pillars upon leaden Bases the most glorious works of God have had the lowest beginnings This beautifull frame of heaven earth was raised out of a Chaos of confusion darkness This is true personally or nationally and that in regard of outward conditions or spirituall How poor and low and meane have many of your beginnings beene even in the world who could ever have thought that such low beginnings could have beene raised unto such high things as some of you have beene raised unto in the world It was not long since when you came hither to this City which may be said to be the day wherein you were borne for your civill estate though not your naturall you were low enough meane enough you had but little to begin withall you came hither with your staffe and now behold two bands It is sometimes so likewise in regard of the spirituall estate You may remember not long since Oh what darkness and confusion was there in your mindes and hearts what poore low meane thoughts had you of God and the things of his Kingdome what unsavory spirits when at first God was pleased to worke upon you Oh what a poor condition were you in then though you had some light put into you yet you were as a childe new borne wrapped up in filth and blood many noysome distempers and boisterous lusts there were in your hearts as it is usuall with new converts like a fire newly kindled where there is a great deale of smother and smoke that afterwards weareth away But now behold the shining of Gods face upon your soules Oh the abilities that God hath given you to know his minde and doe his will Oh the blessed communion that you have with God the sparkling of that divine nature the glory and beauty of the divine nature is put upon you So for Nations we will not goe further then our owne How low and meane were we at first
have many sweet promises of the Gospel revealed unto them many blessed manifestations of Gods free grace and goodnesse in his Christ made known unto them but they slight and disregard them But when God shall bring them into the wildernesse when God shall cause them to be under the torment of a scorching conscience when conscience shall be burning and scalding then perhaps they may long Oh that I had one drop of water one promise out of the Word to comfort me Oh that I might have but never so little refreshing Oh that I might heare againe those things I have heretofore heard and neglected But then God may deny one drop of water to coole their scorching consciences and stay them with thirst slay their soules with thirst at that time And thus many poore creatures are slain with thirst that did so little regard those rivers of consolation that in the time of their prosperity they might have had Ver. 4. And I will not have mercy upon her children for they be the children of whoredoms I confesse at the first view looking upon this verse I thought I might quickly passe it over the rather because we had some such expressions in the former Chapter where God threatned that he would have no more mercy upon them But the Scripture is a vast depth and there are many excellent treasures in it there is alwayes aliquid revisentibus something for those that come to see again and looke again and this something will appeare to be much that we shall see out of these expressions further then before hath been observed And I will not have mercy This Particle And hath much in it it is a most terrible And. This conjunction many times in Scripture is as a pleonasme and doth not serve for much use but here in this place it is of great use and it is filled with terrour as full as it is possible for such a little particle to hold I know there may be many curiosities sometimes in observatious of particles of conjunctions but we shall not meddle with any curiosity but speake of that which is plain and the intention of the Holy Ghost here I say this And is a most dreadfull And marke the conjunction you had foure And 's before saith God I will strip her naked And set her as in the day wherein she was borne And make her as a wildernesse And set her as a dry Land And slay her with thirst Is not here enough Oh no there cometh a fifth And and that is more terrible then all the former foure And I will have uo more mercy upon her children This addeth terrour to all the rest Suppose that all the other foure had beene and if this had not come there had not beene such a grievous threatning If God had said I will strip her naked set her as in the day wherein she was borne and I will make her as a wildernesse and set her as a dry land and slay her with thirst yet if there might be mercy in all this their condition had not beene so miserable but saith God I will doe all these And I will have no more mercy upon them Oh this hath that terrour in it that it is impossible for the heart of a man that apprehends it to stand under it And for the opening of this I shall shew you how that all the former foure not only may stand with Gods mercy but they have stood with Gods mercy that God had heretofore shewed mercy to them when they were in such a low condition in which they were borne when they were in the wildernesse when they were in a dry Land yea when he did slay them he shewed mercy unto them But now he saith he will do thus and thus and shew no mercy unto them So that then though this And be conjunctive in Grammar yet here in Divnity it is a disjunctive and a most dreadfull disjunctive to part them and mercy a sunder yea and to part many of them and mercie eternally asunder To shew you therefore the soure former that though they were in such a condition heretofore yet God did shew them mercie now what a condition is that God will shew them no mercie As First In the day wherein they were borne that as you may remember I shewed you out of the 16. Ezek. what a low and pittifull condition the people of Israel were in they were cast out in the field they were in their blood and not washed and the like But mark in the 8. ver I passed by thee and looked upon thee behold the time was a time of love and I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakednesse yea I sware unto thee and entered into covenant with thee and thou becamest mine Here are the highest and the fullest expressions of Gods grace that could be First I looked upon her and then the time was a time of love and then I spread my skirt over thee and I entered into covenant with thee and thou becamist mine Here are all these expressions of mercy even at that time when they were cast out as forlorne in the open field and no eye pittâ—ed them but now they are threatned to be cast out into the open field againe and no eye to pittie them in heaven or in earth no nor the eye of God to pittie them now God threatneth to cast them off for ever so as he will see them in their blood but it shall be no more a time of love but a time of wrath and he will no more enter into covenant with them neither shall they be his 2. When God brought them into the wildernesse God there shewed them mercy for that you have a marvellousfull Text Deut. 32. 10. Hee found them in a desart land and in the wast howling wildernesse but mark he led them about he instructed them he kept them as the apple of his eye Though they were in a wast howling wildernesse yet they were as deare to God as the apple of his eye Yea further ver 11. As an eagie stirreeth up her nost fluttereth over her young spreadeth abroad her wings taketh them beareth them on her wings so the Lord alone did lead them It is the note of Paulus Fagius citing for it Rabbi Solomon upon this as the Eagle carries her young ones not as other birds for other birds it is observed carry their young ones in their claws the Eagle bears hers upon her wings and this is the reason that is observed because the Eagle is more tender of her young ones then other birds are why for other birds carrying their young ones in their claws if any shoot at them they hit the young ones and kill them first but may misse the old one but the Eagle carries hers upon her back upon her wings that whosoever shoots at her young ones they must shoot through her first So saith God I carried you in the wildernesse as the Eagle carries her
not to cover it it causeth the fury of the Lord to come with vengeance So you know he saith in that place of Isa Chap. 3. 9. They declared their sin as Sodome and hid it not Woe unto her soul saith he woe unto them when they shall presume to declare their sin as Sodome And as I said before God will be as wilfull in punishing a sinner as a sinner is wilfull insinning so here God will be as professed in plauging as thou shalt be professed in sinning for thy heart That you shall see in that forenamed place of Ezek. they did not cover the blood well marke it saith the Text I have set her bloud upon the top of the rock that it should not be covered Woe therefore to the bloody City I will even make the pile for fire great c. I will be as profest in my plagues and punishments as you are profest in your sins My brethren if we will be profest in any thing let us be professed in that which is good let us do that as openly as we can 2 Cor. 9. 13. the text saith there that God is glorified for their professed subjection to the Gospel for their subjection of profession so the words are It is not enough for to subject to the Gospel but there must be a professed subjection to it therefore Rom. 10. 10. Confession with the mouth is there made as necessary to salvation as beleeving with the heart they are put together There may be times that confession may be called for as well as beleeving and as necessary to salvation I remember I have reade of one Gordius a martyr who when his friends came to him and would have him keepe his heart to himselfe only with his mouth to deny what in his heart he beleeved was true Oh no saith he it is fit for my mouth that was made for God should speake for God And Zwinglius is of the opinion that we may even as well worship the Altar of Jupiter or Venus as hide our faith and profession when we live uuder Antichrist such a speech he hath The way to honour Religion bring it into credit it is for those that are godly to professe what they doe I knew once one that was noble both in birth and grace and having to doe oftentimes with those of his ranke greatones that would be scorning at Religion under the name of putirrnisme he would usually take this course when he was to come into such company he would begin himselfe owne himselfe to be one of those that they called a Puritan and so he prevented them and by that meanes prevented much sin in them and much scorne of Religion by thus owning of it It is certain that the best way for the honoring of Religion it for every one to owne it though there be ignominous termes put upon it If ever we were called to profession of what we doe beleeve we are now called to it in these dayes Certainly God professeth for us God doth not onely respect us but he doth professedly he doth it openly in the eyes before the faces of our adversaries Let us not onely have God in our hearts but professe his name openly before the faces of our adversaries It is time now to do it It had beenewell if you had professed heretofore when Gods truth called for it It may be many of you may be found to be guilty in betraying the truth of God for professing no sooner then you did but however betray it not now for want of profession be willing now to professe of what party you are that as wee reade of Jonah Chapter 9. when he was in the storme and the marriners awaking he saith unto them I am an Hebrew that feare the God of heaven which made the sea and the dry land and so he goeth on in making an open profession of himselfe My brethren if we be not in a present storme yet the clouds grow black therefore awake you sluggards you that are secure awake out of your security and now professe what you are I am an Hebrew that feare God whatsoever they talke of such and such men under such ignominious terms and titles I am one of them and I am willing to appeare so Many times you will be like Nichodemus you will come to JESUS by night you are affraid to be seene You would give in money to the Parliment and help to forward that worke God hath in hand but onely you are affraid to be seene I know there may be possibly some occasion to keepe some men in from appearing but not many the cases are very rare Ordinarily certainly it is not enough to do it but to doe it professedly let it bee declared who you are and what side you take She said I will goe after my lovers If you say we live in wicked and evil times it is dangerous to appeare I may not onely keepe my heart right but I will doe as much as another but why should I appeare The worse the times are the more thou shouldest appeare Mark 8. 38 Whosoever shal be ashamed of me in this adulterous generation of him shal the Son of man be ashamed when he commeth in the glory of his Father with his holy Angels If the generation were holy it were nothing to appeare not to be ashamed or affraid but wee must not be either ashamed or affraid in the midst of an adulterous generation 2. Why should wickedness have this advantage that it dares appeare but godlinesse dares not 3. If all should reason as you doe what would become of the Cause why should others venture themselves more then you What is your flesh your estate your liberty more then theirs 4. You must appeare for examples sake to provoke others This is a duty as well as any 5. If the adversaries prevaile they will finde you out except you meane to give up your consciences to them and then you will escape no more then others to be sure you will not have so much peace as others who have most appeared Fifthly I will follow after my lovers Who are they Either first they who they were in association withall as the Egyptians and the Assyrians and so I finde some Interpreters carry it or thefâ— Idols and that is especially aymed at but the the other may beare an Observation and perhaps both may be included It is a dangerous thing very sinfull and vile for the people of God to joyne in affâ—â—ciation with Forraigners that are of a different Religion to think to have help from them The people of God Jer. 42. were set upon this to have their association with Egypt and they could not be brought from it and if you read that Story it will appear to be very vile and dangerous they seemed to yeeld unto God that they would doe what hee would have them and they would not goe into Egypt if he forbade it but in Chap. 43.
books should be made spears This peace is a most amiable thing and lovely in all our eyes every man desireth it and God promiseth it unto his people in many places as a most speciall fruite of his love unto them Esay 33. 10. Jerusalem shall be a quiet habitation a tabernacle that shal not be taken down And Num. 6. 25 26. The Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace the shining of Gods face appeareth in giving of peace to a Nation therefore Jer 16. 5. where God threatneth the taking away of peace marke the expression I have taken away my peace from this people saith the the Lord even loving kindnesse and mercies He doth not say I have taken away peace but I have taken away My peace and then when My peace is taken away I will even take away loving kindnesse and mercies how easie were it to let out ones selfe in large discourses in the high commendations of peace God teaches us in these days to set a high price upon it We have had a peace a long time and the Lord knowes we have not priced that mercy now we know what a sad thing it is to have war in our Gates And if this be a fruite of Gods Covenant to have peace we have cause to bewayle the breach of our Covenant Surely there is a great displeasure of God out against us this cup of blood that is prepared and powred forth and drunke in a great measure is a most dreadfull one our brethren have drunke deepe of it we have been afraid of it long since we have heard of rumours of wars and when the Cup was abroad we prayed that if it were possible it might passe from us this Cup did passe and went to our brethren in Ireland and now it is come unto us the sword hath had its circuite and now it is come amongst us and that which is come is exceeding dreadfull because our wars are not with forreign enemies but Civill wars the worst of all I have read in the Romane Chronicles that in a battell between Sylla and Marius there was a souldier by accident killed one not knowing who it was but after he was slaine he saw it was his brother presently in anguish of spirit he ran his sword into his owne bowels This we finde to be ordinary among us even brother to be against brother yea son against father of each side at this time Certainly therefore it is time for us to fall upon our knees and to be humbled before the Lord for the breach of our peace Peace is a sweet mercy therefore pitty it is that it should not be improved pitty is it that it should be abused Oh how have we abused our former peace God gave us peace before to what end That we might be edifyed and so built up in the feare of God and comfort of the holy Ghost as Acts 9. 31. it is said the Churches had rest were edifyed and did walk in the feare of God and the comforts of the holy Ghost We have not made this use of the rest God hath been pleased to afford us but we have growne wanton with our peace with this precious jewell and just it is with God to take it from us And now we doe desire peace but to what end Still ayming at this especially at this that we might have more freedome to satisfie our lusts and to make provision for the flesh that is the very ground of most mens desire of peace whereas if we did understand the true worth of peace indeed we would thinke it a very low end to desire peace onely to attaine this Ezek. 37. 26. Marke the promise that is there I will make a Covenant of peace with them it shall be an everlasting Covenant with them and I will place them and multiply them and will set my sanctuary in the middest of them for evermore Yea that is a comfortable peace to be desired indeed when God by peace shall make way to set his sanctuary amongst us If we did desire peace upon these termes we might have peace sooner then we are like to have it Againe Peace is sweet therefore pitty it is that it should be falsifyed Ps 28. 3. there are some that speake peace to their neighbours but mischiefe is in their hearts It is pitty that such a precious thing as peace should be serviceable to mens lusts that it should be pretended only to drive on a mischievous designe Peace is too good to be serviceable to mens base ends Yet further Peace is a great blessing therefore pitty it is that it should not be endeavoured for to the uttermost Yea cursed be that warre that hath not peace for the end of it it is that which ought to be as the Embleme of every souldier to have it written upon his sword Sic quaerimus Pacem even thus doe we seek peace It is a great deale better to have a war that aymes at and works peace then to have a peace that aymeâ— at and works war It is true war produceth very dreadfull effects but war that shall bring forth peace is better then peace that produceth war and the more we do commend peace the more doe wee still commend that war that tends to the bringing forth true peace rather then to seeke for a false peace that will produce most dreadfull war afterwards Peace is a great blessing from God but we must take heed we buy it not too deare we may say of this as we use to say of Gold we may buy gold toodear You will say how is it possible to buy peace at too deare a rate Yes if you give these three things for it you have but a deare bargain of it First if you sell truth for it selling any truth for peace you buy peace too deare for the least truth is better then all the kingdomes of the earth It first cost the blood of Christ and since hath beene watered by the blood of thousands of Martyrs Secondly if you shall betray those that have beene most active for the publique good onely that you may be way of complyance provide for your own particular peace this peace costs you too deare Thirdly if you for love of peace shall subject your selves to tyranny or slavery This is peace at too deare a rate and the posterity that comes after may curse that basenesse of spirit and cowardlynesse of the generation that went before that should buy peace for themselves so deare as to bring not onely themselves but their posterity under the bondage of miserable tyranny and woefull slavery It is true it is a great deale easier for a man that is striving and fighting with his enemy to lie downe then to spend his strength with fighting and striving he shal not spend so many of his spirits in the act of lying down why will he
his father and his friends But how mean and sinfull soever we are in our selves when once we are betrothed unto Christ he will not thinke it any dishonour no not before his Father that he hath such a Spouse but he will account it his glory before him and the blessed Angels that he hath betrothed her unto himself And again this communion makes the Afflictions of Christ the Churches afflictions and the afflictions of the Church the afflictions of Christ There is a communion in evill things as well as in good The very sins of the Church come to be charged upon Christ as a woman that was in debt before maryage and so subject to arrests if she be once maryed she is no more troubled with the Serjeants none can arrest her but all the debts are charged upon the man so though we be in debt owing a debt of punishment because we have not payed the debt of obedience and while we are out of Christ before this blessed marriage we may feare every moment to have some sergeant of the Lord upon us to arrest us to hale us to prison there to lye untill we have paid the uttermost farthing but when the soul is married unto Christ all debts all sinnes are all transacted upon Christ all charged upon him if the law come now and require satisfaction if justice comes you may send them unto your husband to answer all and he will not take it ill A husband perhaps may take it ill and thinke he hath brought himself to misery when arrests come upon him for his wives debts it may take off his heart from her but Christ will never love you the worse for all your debts when they are charged upon him he will willingly satisfie them and he will rejoyce in the satisfaction of them before his Father And if there be any affliction befall you Christ is afflicted with you Esay 63. 9. In all their afflictions be was afflicted So on the other side all the afflictions of Christ are the afflictions of the Church doth Christ suffer you take it unto heart as if it were your own suffering Christ takes your sufferings unto heart as if 〈…〉 his own 〈◊〉 And you take the sufferings of Christ unto heart as if they were your owne Thirdly In a married condition there is a mutuall intire love That is First loving the person more then what cometh from him True conjugall love is pitched upon the persons mutually rather then upon the estates or any thing they enjoy by the person So on Christs part his love is pitched upon the persons of the Saints Christ loves your persons more then al your actions It is true all these gracious actions you doe are lovely before Christ for they ate the fruits of his spirit but know the pitch of Christs love is upon your persons chiefly So the pitch of your love if it be a right conjugall love is upon the person of Christ rather then upon any thing that comes from him thou seest him altogether lovely in himselfe besides those riches of pardon of sin and precious promises that thou enjoyest by him his person is that which satisfies thy soule Secondly In prising the love each of other true love can be satisfied witht nothing else but love love villifies every thing that is tendered except it comes as a fruit of love and if there be love a little is highly prized if it be but a cup of cold water it is more then a kingdome without it the giving the body to be burned is nothing without it I will give you two Scriptures one wherein the Saints prize Gods love the other wherein God prizes the Saints love Psal 36. 7. How excellent is thy loving kindnesse O God Psal 91. 14. Because he hath set his love upon me therefore will I deliâ—er him I will set him on high Thirdly This intire love is a love in all conditions Christ loves his Church in their afflictions as intirely as he doth out of their afflictions Deut. 32. 10. He found him in a desart land and in the wast howling wildernesse he led him about he instructed him hee kept him as the apple of his eye Marke they were in the wildernesse in the wast howling wildernesse yet even there they were deare unto Christ they were kept as the apple of his eye The Church on the other side looks upon Christ in his afflictions as lovely still as ever Cant. 1. 12. A bundle of myrrhe is my well beloved unto me he shal lie all night betwixt my breasts Myrrhe is a bitter thing yet the Church professeth that Christ though bitter in his afflictions should lie as lovely betweene her breasts as a bundle of myrrhe I remember Herodotus reports of one Artemesia Queen of Halicarnaffus and Plinie speaks something of her too when her husband was dead she took his ashes drank it in wine out of respect to him though dead The Church loveth a crucified Christ as well as a glorified Christ A most notable example of the love of a Spouse to her husband wee have in our English Chronicle Elenor the wife of Edward the first the King having got a wound by a poysoned dagger she to shew the intire love she bare to her husband because she thought if the poyson did stay a while in the wound there would be no cure therefore with her own mouth she sucked out the poyson that was in the wound so ventured the losse of her own life to preserve her husbands Here was love in a Spouse to her husband There is the like love of the Church unto Christ if Christ be wounded with the poysonous tongues of ungodly men in reproaches and blasphemies let him be never so persecuted in the world they that are truly gracious are willing to suck in that very poyson to themselves so they may take it from him Let the reproaches of Christ fall upon me O let me suffer rather then Christ It was Ambrose his wish Oh that God would turne all the adversaries of the Church upon me that they might turne all their weapons upon me and satisfie their thirst with my blood this is the disposition of a true spouse of Christ The fourth is unspeakable delight communion hath delight the greatest communion the greatest delight the greatest delight that God hath is to communicate himselfe to his Son firstly and next in letting out himselfe to his Saints If there be delight in God in letting out himself to the Saints in reason one would thinke there must needs be delight in the Saints in letting themselves out into God in flowing into God God takes such delight in letting out his mercy to his Saints as that he was well pleased with the death of his own Son as a meanes conducing thereunto One would thinke that the death of Christ should be the most abhorring to the heart of God of any thing in the world yet the Scripture saith God was
Gods mercy by their own they think thus if any had offended us so as we have offended God though we might say wee would be reconciled to him yet wee could not bring our hearts fully to come off to it something would remain in our hearts they therefore think so of God they suspect God that he doth not mean really in his expressions of love and mercy to them But take heed of this doe not judge of God by your selves though you have a base and cruell heart and cannot be reconciled to those that provoke you it is not therefore so with God There are these two evils in sin first in the nature of it there is a departing from God secondly it causeth jealousies and suspitions of God and so hinders the soul from coming unto God again Secondly God is very carefull to prevent all these suspitions in the hearts of his people God desires that you should have good thoughts of him and this is that we plead with you for and do often open the riches of Gods grace to this end that you may have good thoughts of God and to take off your jealousies and suspitions of him as if there were no reall intention in all the proffers of mercy he makes to you doe not thinke that all those riches of Gods grace are meer words they are certaine intentions of Gods heart towards you I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness And for your parts I will give you a heart you shall return to mee bona fide you shal do it in the plainnesse of your hearts There was a time indeed as Psal 78. 34 35 36. God complained of his people that they sought him and returned unto him neverthelesse they did flatter with their mouth and lyed unto him with their tongues there was no reality in their returning unto him they made great promises that whatsoever God should say unto them they would do it but there was no reality in it yea but saith God there shall come a time that you shall have righteous hearts and that which you promise to me you shall promise really there shall not be that falsenesse in your hearts those shews and overtures that were heretofore but you shall return to me with all your hearts in righteousness God hath made adoe at first with us to make us believe that he is in good earnest with us in his proffers oâ— mercy and much adoe there is before our hearts can be gotten to work towards God in good earnest Further note this is one reason why God doth betroth for ever because he doth it in the plainnesse of his heart and this is also a good reason why the Saints continue for ever because what they do to God is in the plainness of their hearts Those who return to God in an hypocriticall way will fall off but they that return in uprightenesse will hold constant with him Prov. 8. 18. it is said of Wisdome that with her are durable riches and righteousnesse they are put together where there is true righteousnesse in the heart there is durable riches But yet there is another thing in this betrothing in righteousnesse and that I thinke hath more in it then the former God will be so reconciled to his Church as yet he will manifest himself to be a righteous God In the works of the riches of his grace he will manifest the glory of his justice too I will doe it in righteousnesse though indeed the Lord intendeth to glorifie rich grace yet so as he will declare his righteousnesse to men and Angels that in this very work of his he shall be acknowledged by them unto all eternity to bee a righteous God GOD will make such a way for this his love and goodnesse as that hee will have satisfaction to his justice in it That place Rom. 3. 25 26. is remarkable for our purpose Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood How To declare his righteousness for the remission of sinnes Marke it it is not that he had set forth Christ to be a propitiation to declare his mercy in the forgivenesse of sins you will say What is there in the forgivenesse of sins but only the mercy of God Yes there is somewhat else there is righteousnesse too and the Lord doth declare his righteousnesse in the forgivenesse of sins and therefore it is that he hath set forth Christ to be a propitiation that hee might declare his righteousnesse If the Lord should have said but thus Well you are great and grievous sinners I will be content freely to forgive you all your sins this would have declared Gods mercy but not his righteousnesse but now when the Lord hath set forth Christ as a propitiation and forgiveth sins through the blood of his Son in this God declareth as much righteousnesse as grace This text Luther had a great deale of do to understand and he prayed much before he could get the right meaning of it yea it is repeated again To declare I say his righteousnesse that he might be just the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus not that he might be mercifull in justifying him that believeth in Jesus but that he might be just in justifying him that believeth in Jesus And this is the great mystery of the Gospel this is that which the Angels pry into the Saints and Angels shal admire blesse God to all eternity for the reconciling riches of mercy and infinite justice both in one This was that which set the infinite wisdome of God on worke from all eternity how to find a way to save sinners and to be infinitely righteous notwithstanding If all the Angels in heaven and all the men in the world had been put to it to find out a way to answer this question How shall sin be pardoned the sinner reconciled unto God and God glorifie his justice they could never have done it but God in his infinite wisdome hath found out a way to doe it This cost God dear it cost him the heart blood of his own Son and that was a sign that Gods heart was much in it and indeed we are not Christians untill in some measure we see and have our hearts taken with the glory of God in this mystery We must looke at righteousnesse in our reconciliation as well as to loving kindnesse and mercy When God is reconciled unto a sinner there is not only his mercy glorified but in that way that God hath found out to save a sinner hee hath the glory of his justice as much yea more then if the sinner were eternally damned in hell How is that you will say I make that good three ways First when God appointed a surety his Son and charged his debt upon him to satisfie his justice in that God would not spare this Sonne of his the least farthing token I mean not the least degree of punishment he would not remit any thing to
of the Church the Church and those that they beget must still be called the only sons of the Church But how are his children said to be children of whoredomes for suppose his wife were a wife of whoredomes yet being marryed to her wherefore should the children be called children of whoredomes To that is answered first some think upon this ground because the children when they are grown up would â—ollow the way of the Mother as it is an usuall thing for children to doe Therefore you need to take heed how you enter into the state of marriage for your childrens sake for they will follow the way of the Mother Or rather this because though they were begotten after marriage yet they will ye under suspition as those that are illegitimate the children of one that hath been a whore are always suspected and so in repute they are the children of whoredome and fornication so saith God these people are to me as if their children were accounted the children of fornication For the whole land hath gone a whoring from the Lord. In going a whoring they goe a whoring Or as Arius Montanus reads it In going a whoring they will goe a whoring They not only Have but Will they are set upon it they are stout-hearted in the way of Idolatry and it is the land that hath done it the people of the land But why the land It is a secret check to them and upbraiding them for their unthankfulnesse that when God gave them so good a land the land of Canaan that flowed with milk and honey the land of promise that was given to them for that end to nourish up the true worship of God yet they made this land of God this land of promise to be a land to nourish up most vile Idolaters Gone a whoring from the Lord. From Jehovah The more worthy the Husband is the more vile and odious the adultery of the Wife What to goe a whoring from God the blessed God in whom is all beauty and excellency and turn to blind Idols What change the glory of the invisible God into the similitude of an Oxe that eateth grasse with what indignation doth God speak it Oh you that go a whoring after your sinfull lusts this one day will lye most dreadfully upon your consciences that it was from the Lord that you departed from that infinite glorious eternall Deity the fountain of all good to cleaye to whoring after base sinfull and unclean lusts Who is this whore and what are the children that are begotten to Hosea by her So he went saith the Text He obeyeth We must obey God in things that seem to be never so much against our reason and sense He tooke Gomer the daughter of Diblaim The word Gomer here commeth from a word that signifieth perficere and defiâ—ere perfection defection and so it may be applyed both ways Some apply it to perfection that is a harlot that was perfect and compleat both in her beauty and in her fornication and wickednesse The word likewise signifieth rottennesse corruption and consumption so indeed are all things in the world as soon as they grow to any perfection they begin to decline quickly to corruption All things but spirituall do so they indeed grow still higher and higher This Gomer we will take rather in the second acceptation of it as it signifieth rottennesse and consumption Who was this Gomer She was the daughter of Diblaim The signification of that is according to so me one that dwelleth in the desart in reference to that famous desart Diblath of which we read Ezek. 6. 14. noting the way of Idolaters that they were wont to goe into woods and desarts and there to sacrifice to their Idols But rather according to most Diblaim signifieth bunches of dryed figs that were the delicacies of those times so Oecolampadius from which hee hath this note That rottennesse and corruption proceedeth from voluptuous pleasures from delicacies and the like Though the pleasures of the flesh be very contentfull to you yet destruction is the fruit of them destruction is the daughter of sensuall pleasures and delights of all your delicacies so saith the Scripture Rom. 8. 13. If you live after the flesh you shall dye Phil. 3. ult whose God is their belly whose end is destruction But to apply it to Israel Israel was as Gomer the daughter of Diblaim that is the people of Israel were now neare to destruction and were the daughters of sensuall delights they gave over themselves to sensuall delights and pleasures It is the usuall way of Idolaters those that forsake the true worship of God to give up themselves to the pleasures of the flesh Sensuality and Idolatry doe usually goe together When the people of Israel sacrificed to the calves what did they They eate and dranke and rose up to play that was all their worke and good enough for the worshipping of such a god a calfe You know the more we began to decline in the worship of God we began to be so much the more sensuall there must be Proclamation to people to take their sports and delights upon the Lords day And indeed it is that which doth usually accompany defection in the way of Gods worship False worship doth not lay such bonds upon mens consciences for the mortifying the lusts of the flesh as the worship of God doth Therefore those men that love most to take liberty to the flesh they are those that are soonest enticed to ways of superstitious worship Jerem. 24. 9. there Jeremy setteth out the state of those naughty Jewes that were in Captivity by that similitude of a basket of rotten figs sutable to this and the more confirming this interpretation that Israel was as Gomer the daughter of Diblaim that is rottennesse the daughter of sensuality Thus for the Mother But now the son that is begotten of this mother it is Iezreel Call his name Iezreel The Prophet must give a name to his son It is that which belongeth to Parents to give names to their children Godfathers and Godmothers as they call them are of no use for this or for any thing else that I know and in such holy things as Sacraments are we must take heed of bringing in any unusefull any idle things But here we are to enquire First the signification of this name Secondly the reason why the son of Hosea must be callied by this name Iezreel You shall find a great deale in this before we have done with it For the first Iezreel signifies the scattered of the Lord. For the second there are five reasons may be given why the sonne of this Prophet must have this name put upon him Iezreel First that hereby God might shew that he did intend to avenge that blood that was shed in Iezreel Secondly to shew that Israel had lost the honour of his name and was no more Israel but Jezreel There seemeth to be much neernesse