prayer sweat and spend their strength in prayer but yet a principle of vain glory acting of them all this while they have been sowing the wind all this time Men that are publick parted and do abundance of good in the Church of God and in the Common-wealth but yet having a principle of self and vain glory that acts them they lose all they sow the wind all this while A fift sort that sows the wind are such as leaves the rule of the Word and carry on their actions altogether by the rules of Carnal Policy thinking to do great things by the fetches and reaches they have that way Your Carnal Polititians that have the Word and Worship of God as things under their feet but that which their deep reaches are after are some higher things they sow the wind And thus the people here at this time it was carnal policy that carried them in that way they were in and God cals it all but sowing the wind they thought they had framed to themselves a notable piece of work but saith God It is but sowing the wind Sixtly Such as seek to shift for themselves by sinful waies when they are in any straits such as go out of any lawful courses to help themselves out of trouble these are they that sow the wind to themselves there will nothing come of all the labor they take Now first here the Church of God may have much comfort in this thing That all Idolaters that all false worshipers that al carnal polititions that are working against them in al they do they do but sow the wind they can never prevail be not afraid of them The seed-time of our life is a seed-time for Eternity It 's an evil dangerous thing therefore now to sow the wind to lose this seed-time and to have nothing for our souls to seed upon to all eternity Oh! how sad will it be when we are entring in upon Eternity then to see that we have all our life-time sown the wind Did men consider of their actions that their actions were seeds for Eternity certainly they would take more heed what they do Men are very careful of their seed What Husband-man that is to sow his ground would go into a Merket to buy Chaff to buy blasted stuff to be his seed no he would buy the greatest and plumpest Corn of all to be his Seed So should we be careful of all our actions for they are such seed as must bring forth an harvest of eternal happiness or else eternal sorrow and especially we had need look to our Seed when God gives us a fair opportunity of sowing All Hypocrites and Formalists and False-worshipers they sow the wind their actions are but as the wind but the Servants of God whose works come from Faith and are indeed godly they sow to immortallity and glory their Seed will bring forth a glorious harvest I remember Luther though he were a man that seemed to beat down works very much yet he hath this passage concerning works Take works out of the cause of Justification and no man can too magnificiently commend good works that come from faith And speaking of a good work that comes from faith It is more precious saith he any one good works it is a more precious thing than Heaven and Earth yea he himself that is no Merit-monger yet he lifts up good works that come from faith and saith the whol world is not sufficient reward for one good work that comes from faith Indeed the works of the Saints have a great deal of excellency in them one gracious work hath more of the glory of God in it than all the creation of Heaven and Earth besides I say the whol frame of Heaven and Earth hath not so much of the Glory of God in it as one good work that comes from the Grace of God in the hearts of the Saints and my reason is this because a good work that comes from the Grace of God in the hearts of the Saints it is a reflection of spiritual life that is the very life of God the Scripture calls it The Life of God and the Divine Nature Now an action of spiritual life doth more set out the Glory of God than any Glory that God hath passively as the Glory that he hath in the frame of the Heavens and Earth it is but a passive glory but here the very glory of God is reflected upon his own face it is a glory of spiritual life A man doth not account one so much honored in an Image that is drawn of him as when he seeth his child to act as he himself doth act when his child shall present himself in doing that which he himself doth do Now all the frame of Heaven and Earth it is not so much as a picture it is but as the foot-steps of God and the back-parts of God but in one gracious action of the Saints there God sees his child act as himself doth he sees the workings of his own holiness and his own vertues we shew forth the vertues of him that hath call'd us out of darkness into his mervailous light Ministers of all men they had need take heed they sow not the wind God hath made them Seeds-men of that eternal Seed of his Word if they then either because they are loth to take pains or to be at the charge for good Seed they sow husks and chaff and bring meerly empty words unto their people or if they do take pains enough but bring their own fancies and counsels instead of the precious immortal Seed of the Word they do but sow the wind The Seventy translate this that we have here Sow the wind Thus They sow those things that are corrupted by the wind those actions that pride corrupts will never bring forth good fruit It follows And they shall reap the whirlwind As we sow so shall we reap The word in the Hebrew Tremelius upon this place notes hath a syllable added more than ordinary and that saith he is to encrease the signification of it To note that this is not only a whirlwind but a most terrible whirlwind And mark he doth not say they sow the wind and they shall reap the wind no there is more in the Harvest than in the Seed if men will sow the wind they must expect to reap the whirlwind If thou hast but a little pleasure in thy sinful waies thou must expect a great deal of miseries in the fruit of thy waies Their labor shall not only be in vain but much evil shall come sudden and violent destruction shall come of their labors All sinful actions are like unto the sowing of the wind in the earth Now we know if windy vapors be got into the earth they cause Earthquakes they break forth into whirlwinds into violence and so wicked actions they break forth into violence and
earth-quakes all these should be but the beginning of sorrows Secondly God expects from men that though they be not sensible of his threats yet when he begins with them in way of execution of his wrath they should begin a little Oh! it were well with us if we did prevent Gods heavy wrath by our repentance Numbers 16. 46. Moses said unto Aaron Take a Censer and put fire therein from off the Altar and put on Incense and go quickly to the Congregation and make an atonement for them for there is wrath gone out from the Lord the plague is begun Oh! how should we all make hast we cannot say only the plague is begun the plague of Civil War which is the greatest of all kind of plagues but it hath gone on a great way But to proceed VER 11. Because Ephraim hath made many Altars to sin Altars shall be unto him to sin IT was the Charge of God in Scripture That there should be but one Altar for Sacrifice and there was another Altar that afterwards was made for Incense and no further in Deut. 12. 3. and 5. ver There we have the Charge of God that there should be none other made You shall overthrow their Altars and break their pillars and burn their groves with fire and you shall hew down the graven Images of their gods and destroy the names of them out of that place c. And then Take heed to thy self that thou offer not thy burnt offering in every place that thou seest but in the place which the Lord shall chuse c. And in Deut. 27. 5. Thou shalt build an Altar to the Lord thy God an Altar of stones thou shalt not lift up an Iron tool upon them And according to which Joshua did in Joshua 8. 30. and hence in Joshua 22. 11. Now for the Altar of God I shall first shew you a little the meaning of them and then the reason why God would have but this one Altar in Exod. 20. 24. there is an injunction of God for the Altar of Sacrifice An Altar of earth thou shalt make unto me and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offering c. Here observe that That when God would have an Altar made for sacrifice it must be but an Altar of earth but if it should be of stone Take heed that thou liftest not up a tool upon it Why one would think that to carve and paint the stones and do any thing to make it brave would do better than to have the stones rough No saith God whatsoever you may think that to make my Altar brave by carving of it and painting it If you do but lift up a tool upon it you polute my Altar all mans devices in the worship of God though they be never so pompous they do but polute Gods Worship And they must not go up upon steps quite contrary to our high Altars that their nakedness be not discovered therein Noting that when we come into the presence of God we should take heed of our spiritual nakedness and the pride and vanity of our spirits in prayer God would have them make an Altar so as they might not go up upon steps lest their nakedness should be discovered But now in Exod. 27. 1 2. there you shall find an Altar of Shittim wood overlaid with Brass you will say Why was the first with earth and the other with brass The reason was because that the one was to be made when they were in an unsetled condition and the other to be made afterwards when they were in a more stated condition than formerly and that it might endure a long time But mark it must be according to Gods direction except God doth reveal that it should be of Shittim wood and overlaid with brass they were not to do it And then the second Altar was the Altar of burnt Incense and that you have in Exod. 30. 1 2 3. verses and that was to be overlaid with pure Gold that of brass it was because there was sin offerings to be offered upon it but now the Altar of Incense it was the Altar that was just before the Vail against the Mercy-seat where there was only Incense offered which was to signifie the Intercession of Jesus Christ presenting his Merits and the Prayers of all his people to the Father the prayers of the Saints are compar'd to Incense and there 's many things observable about the Altar of God it is said that there should be four horns and in Revel chap. 9. ver 13. I heard a voice from the four horns of the Golden Altar which is before God Now Saint John speaks of after-times that should be he heard a voice from the four horns of the Altar that is from all the prayers of the Saints that were in the four corners of the earth there came a voice from them all and did sound and did great things in the world Certainly my Brethren the prayers of Gods Saints in all the corners of the world is that that makes the world ring It was a Speech of a learned man If there be but one sigh come from a gracious heart it fills the ears of God so that God hears nothing else nay that 's observable in Revel 8. 3. about this Altar of Incense And another Angel came and stood at the Altar having a golden Censer and there was given unto him much Incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar which was before the Throne Thus we see that in our time we are to make use of this golden Altar that is before the Throne all our prayers are to be offered up upon that which was a Type of Jesus Christ and our prayers except they be mingled with the Incense which Christ did offer himself upon the golden Altar cannot be accepted and likewise that 's very observable about it that we reade in Exod. 30. 3. that there was a Crown of Gold round about it to typifie the Intercession of Christ and the prayers of the Saints you may see by this that Christs Intercession and the prayers of the Saints that came from faithful hearts are accounted the very glory of Jesus Christ Jesus Christ accounts it his dignity and glory to make Intercession for his People and to take the poor prayers of his People and present them to his Father he makes account that his Crown is set upon his head when you exercise your faith upon Jesus Christ that Christ might present your prayers with his Intercession to the Father then you set the Crown upon Jesus Christs head but when you think to be heard your selves and do not exercise your faith upon Christ you do as it were take off the Crown from the head of Jesus Christ And that 's very observable the difference between this Altar that was here enjoyn'd to be made by Moses and so was afterwards made and the Altar that we
be look'd upon as great things the things of Gods Word That 's the first And then especially The things that concern Gods Worship are to be look'd upon as great things for so it hath reference to them but the expression aims at that which is more general the great things of my Law the honorable magnificent and glorious things Now the things of the Law are great things First Because they are from the great God and they have the stamp of the Authority of the great God upon them there is a dreadful Authority in every Truth in every thing that is written in Gods Law I say there is a dreadful Authority of the great God that binds Kings and Princes in chains that laies bonds upon the conscience that no created power can yet this doth when we come to hear the Word we come either as to a Soveraign to receive Laws from or as to a Judg to receive the sentence of death it hath the dreadful Authority of the great God in it and therefore every thing that is in the Word is to be look'd upon as a great thing a piece of Parchment and a little Wax and a few Lines in it what are they but having the Authority of the great Seal of England such a piece is to be look'd upon as a great thing The things of Gods Law are great things for they have great Authority which goes along with them And Secondly They are great things because of the lustre of the great God that shines in them Take all the Creatures that ever God made in Heaven and Earth and I say there is not so much glory of God in Sun Moon Stars Sea and Plants and al things in the world as there is in some few sentences of holy Scripture therfore they are great things Psal 138. 2. Thou hast magnified thy Word above all thy Name The Name of God appears in his great work of Creation and of Providence We are to look upon Gods Name as very great yet thou hast magnified thy Word above all thy Name it 's more than al Gods Names besides It may be when there are some extraordinary works of God in the world Thundring and Lightning c. we are ready to be affraid and oh the great God that doth appear in these great works Were our hearts 〈◊〉 they ought to be when we reade the WORD we would tremble at that more than at any manifestation of God since the world began in all his Works and if so be thou dost not see more glory of God in his Word than in his Works it is because thou hast little light in thee and therfore let the world think of the things of Gods Law that are written as they wil yet they are the great things of his Law Thirdly They are the great Mysteries of Gods Will the great Counsels of God about the Souls of men about his way to honor Himself and to bring Mankind to Himself to Eternal life the great Counsels great Mysteries that are contained in the Word of God such as the Angels themselves do desire to pry into as in Prov. 8. 6. it is said of Wisdom Hear and I will speak of excellent things The Word of God speaks of excellent things right excellent things such great Mysteries of Gods Wisdom as should take up our thoughts yea and doth take up the Angels and shall take up the Angels and Saints to all Eternity to be prying into the great things which are revealed in Gods Word Psal 119. 27. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts so shall I talk of thy wondrous Works Mark how these are joyned together Make me to understand the way of thy precepts so shall I talk of thy wonderous works Why David couldest not thou see the wonderous works of God in the book of the creature in Heaven and Earth Oh no Make me to understand the way of thy precepts and then shall I talk of thy wonderous Works We many times talk about vain and slight things because we have nothing else to talk of but did we understand the way of Gods precepts we should be furnished with discourse of the wondrous works of God And then It 's a great WORD because that they are of great concernment The things of Gods Law are of great concernment for all our present good or evil depends upon the things of Gods Law Prov. 3. 22. They are life unto thy soul and grace unt◠〈◊〉 neck So saith Moses in Deut. 32. 46. Set your hearts unto all the words which I testifie unto you this day for it is not a vain thing it is your life they are of great concernment there 's a curse annexed to the breach of every thing in Gods Law Cursed be every one that abideth not in every thing that is written in the book of the Law Is it not a great matter then Certainly there is nothing in the Law that is to be look'd upon as a little matter because the Curse of God is annexed to the breath of every thing that is written in Gods Law and there we have the casting of our souls for eternity and is not that a great matter Did we come to hear the Word or did we reade the Word as the Word by which we must be cast for our eternal estates we would look upon it as a great Word Again The things are great things in Gods Law in regard of the great power and efficacy that they have upon the hearts and consciences of men when God sets home the things of his Law they will bring down the proudest heart and the stoutest stomach that is they will enlighten the blindest mind and convert the hardest heart that is in the world the Law hath a mighty power upon the soul and therefore it is great Further They are great things because they make all those great that do receive them they make them great even because they have but the keeping of them much more than if they receive them in Deut. 4. 8. What Nation is there so great that hath Statutes and Judgments so righteous as all this Law that I set before you this day What Nation so great as you are why wherein are we greater than other people Wherein In this What Nation is so great that hath Statutes and Judgments so righteous as all this Law which I set before you this day This was that which made the People of Israel a great Nation beyond all the Nations in the world they were not great in multitude but in that they had the Law of God and the great things of his Law revealed to them in this they became a great Nation The Lord honors a Nation highly but to reveal the things of His Law to them But how great then doth a soul come to be that doth imbrace those things that hath all those great and good things reveal'd in the Law made to it as its own priviledg Surely that soul
follow it is accounted by God as we brought the evil on purpose upon our selves Surely they set not up silver and gold on intention to destroy themselves but because destruction doth necessarily follow therefore God accounts it done on purpose in Jer. 7. 18. in Pro. 8. 36. All them that hate me love death Surely no man loves death but when you do cast off the instruction of wisdom you do as mnch as if you should say You love death as here that they might be cut off It follows VER 5. Thy Calf O Samaria hath cast thee off THY Calf O Samariah He calls the Idol a calf by way of contempt But why is it called the Calf of Samaria It was not set up in Samaria There is two Calves only that we reade of and yet here it is call'd the Calf of Samaria The reason is this that Samaria was the chief City and because the Calf was by the power and riches and countenance of the chief City of the Land maintained therefore it is call'd the Calf of Samaria Where that 's corrupted the whol Land wil quickly be corrupted where that stands right it goes well w th the whol Land that 's the reason why the Adversaries seek to corrupt and overthrow our chief Citie As all did depend upon what Samaria did therefore the corruption of false worship is attributed to Samaria it is thy Calf Oh Samaria And therefore if God had not moved the hearts of the People of this City but we had brought Popery in it might have been said it was the Popery of London and whereas on the other side if God please to work their spirits right to go on to the end the children not yet born may have cause to bless this Citie and say This is the Reformation that we may bless London for It hath cast thee off Hath cast thee off from me so some have it But rather as you have it in your books Thy Calf hath cast thee off Whence note That though Idolaters promise to themselves safety and protection by their Idols yet they will leave them at last All you that go on in the waies of sin know that those waies of sin of yours will leave you in the lurch at the last as they say the Devil leaves the Witches when they come to the prison when Judas went to the Scribes and Pharisees in the anguish of his spirit and cast down the money and said I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood What 's that to us say they see thou to that Therfore the best way is to cast off our sin and wickedness first But God will not do thus God will not cast off his People in the time of trouble and when our unbeleeving hearts do think that God will cast us off in the time of trouble we make God an Idol as if God would do as the Idols did cast us off We may in Gods Cause be brought into straights but God will never cast us off in them when we are ready to think our selves to be utterly forsaken in straights then God may be working the greatest good for us we have a most notable Scripture for that in Isa 49. 13 and 14. verses Sing Oh Heavens and be joyful Oh Earth and break forth into singing Oh Mountains for God hath comforted His People and will have mercy upon His afflicted But mark Zyon said the Lord hath forsaken me They were in a singing condition and God calls the Heavens to sing and the Earth to be joyful and the Mountains to break forth into singing because of so great a work that God was making for His People but Zyon said The Lord hath forsaken me And so it is with particular souls they are ready to say the Lord hath forsaken me but God will not do so Mine anger is kindled against them When wicked men are brought into the greatest straits then Gods wrath is hottest and then also Conscience belks and burns most hot as mens countenances change red and pale sometimes with anger so it is said here that even the countenance of God grow red and pale with His anger against this people Though superstitious men may think that outward pompous worshipping pleases God most yet we see here that it doth stir up the anger of God so that God grows even pale against them with anger How long will it be ere they attain to innocency Mens hearts are stubborn in their own waies they will not be taken off wicked men will be true to their own principles there is a stubborn constancy in evil as well as a gracious constancy in good How long will it be Again secondly God is very patient a long time Then Thirdly Continuence in sin is no excuse but an aggravation of sin to make it grievous to God when God chastises us we are ready to cry How long Lord Will he reretain his anger for ever Know that our continuance in sin is as great a burden to Gods Spirit he cries out when will they be made clean when shall it once be and in Jer. 4. 14. ver Oh Jerusalem wash thine heart from wickedness that thou maiest be saved how long shall thy vain thoughts lodg within thee Ere they attain to innocency The words are He cannot attain that is he is so deeply engaged that he cannot attain to innocency when men are engaged in evil waies they cannot get out Take heed of engagements in that which is evil Secondly If by custom and engagement in evil we have no power to get out this will be no excuse to us In 2 Pet. 2. 14. They have eyes full of adultry and they cannot cease to sin This is the aggravation of sin no excuse A learned man of late hath an excellent Note upon this They cannot bear innocency and indeed according to the Hebrew this may as well be added for explication for in the Hebrew there is nothing else but this They cannot innocency the word attain is not in the Hebrew and it may very well sute with the time wherein Hosea did prophesie and the meaning is this They cannot bear with those who will not joyn with them but will go to Jerusalem to worship and this provokes the Spirit of God against them because they cannot bear those that would seek to free themselves from defilements in the Worship of God there is nothing in the world wherein men cannot less bear one with another than in dissentions about the worship of God and commonly the Nocent party is the most bitter against the Innocent as the Lutherans they were worse in their waies than the Calvinists specially in the point of superstition but they were a great deal more bitter against the Calvinists than the Calvinists were against them it was an expression that Calvin hath Though Luther saith he should call me Devil yet I would honor him as a Servant of Jesus Christ The
further prove to be of great use to us never argue thus Why what hurt is there in it is it not very comely I cannot think but it may do a great deal of good these arguments are weak arguments in matters of Worship but to all these Arguments we must answer Is it written As Christ answered the Devil and his temptations it was enough to say it was written thus and thus So if you can but bring a word written against it and if you can put them unto it to shew what they would have you to do let them shew it where it is written in Exod. 39. we find in that chapter at least ten times it is said they did according to what the Lord had commanded Moses and in the conclusion of the chapter Moses blessed the people the people are blessed when in the matters of Worship they keep unto what is commanded And again As we must not make what we think the rule for worship so neither the Opinions of Learned men nor Custom nor Antâ—quity must be the rule of our Worship but what 's written I have written to them the great things of my Law they must keep to that whatsoever use we may make now of the Opinions of Antients and the like yet if the Antients themselves were alive they would abhor the use that many make of their quotations Cyprian in one of his Epistles saith We must not look what this man or that man that were before us he speaks of his predecessors what he did or what he taught but what he that was before all namely Christ who alone is the Way the Truth and the Life And so Augustin hath another Speech to the same effect speaking of the Antients of learned men saving all due respect that is due to them yet for us to think that we may not cast out even reject from their writings some things because they were learned men this must not be admitted for saith he such a one I 'le be in respect of the writings of other men and such a one would I have those that understand my writings to be to me I will not think of the writings of any other men before that there should be nothing cast out nor mended neither would I have any body think so of my writings And so Ambrose Where the Scripture is silent we must not speak Thus we see that those men for the maintaining of that which is evil they will make use of Quotationâ— and Antiquities yet we see the Antients did abhor this Christ and his Apostles they quoted none of the Learned men before them but Moses and the Prophets But you will say Though we must not take that which other men write to be the Rule yet that which other men write may help us to understand the Scripture Now I remember Luther hath such a Speech That Scripture should rather help us to understand mens writings than mens writings to understand the Scripture Many men they will make mens writings to be as a judg and to be the rule of understanding Scriptures not the Judg of Truth but the rule of understanding Scripture whereas saith he the Scripture should rather be the rule of understanding them And so Hilary saith he for the sense of Scripture and understanding them He is the best Interpreter that rather takes the sense from out of Scripture and by comparing one Scripture with another than bring any new sense therefore the understanding of Scripture is more by Scripture than by the Writings of any man living And yet still no question we may make use of the gifts of God in others but so as to keep us close to the written Word for the Rule yea and for the meaning of the Rule they may help us to see whether the Scripture will justifie this Truth or this sense for there lies the mistake Most people in the world will think this indeed That whatsoever any man writes if it be contrary to the Word we may not receive it but we must understand the Word in what sense they take it now we must not go so far For the Scripture written is not only that we might know what the Rule is but it is written that we might understand the meaning of the Rule and we must fetch out the meaning of Scriptures by Scripture Now so far as the Writings of men wil help us to fetch out the meaning of Scripture by Scripture so far we may make use of them but we cannot say this is the meaning because it is the judgment of such and such Learned men but such and such Learned men will give you Reasons and compare one Scripture with another to shew why it is the meaning of it and they will shew you the History of the time and shew you how to compare old and new Testament one with another and this is the use of Writers for understanding the Scriptures Then you wil say Why do we make use of Writers so much Why thus they shew how one Scripture looks towards another and to compare one Scripture with another and shew the coherence of things The sense of things is to be resolved in the Scripture its self and therefore we must keep our selves very close to what is written Written It was not so at first it was delivered but from hand to hand but afterwards when the Church began to multiply then the Word was written And this is a mighty blessing of God that we may have the mind of God written so as we may look into it and search to know the mind of God by reading it over and over again and taking it into our hands when we are lying upon our beds if we light a Candle in the night we may be reading and looking into the mind of God If we should only hear of such a Book that were in the world that were in China in the uttermost parts of the habitable world if we should hear that there were such a Book that God had written or that God had used men to write by an inspiration of His own Spirit a Book that was certainly indited by the holy Ghost every word of it wherein the Lord had revealed the great Counsels of his Will concerning Mans eternal estate if we should hear that there came such a Book down even from Heaven and this was in the uttermost parts of the earth Oh! what a longing desire should we have to see that Book What man or woman but would give their whol estate to have a week or a fortnights time to see and reade in such a Book as that is if one could he would be willing to travel to the end of the world to have the use of such a Book as that is No man need say Shall I go to the uâ—â—â—rmost parts of the earth for it is in your hands it is in your houses there is the Book wherein the great God hath written
is in an high and honorable condition indeed Further The things of Gods Law are great in Gods esteem they are great because the great God thinks them so That is to be accounted great that the most judicious and wise men in the world judg so to be indeed that which a child thinks to be a great thing is no great thing a child may think a bauble to be a great thing so we may think things great indeed we think the things of the world are great for a man to have an estate it 's a great matter to have riches and honors and to be some-body in the world we think these to be great things But what are these in Gods eyes God despises all these things But that which the great God will think to be a great thing certainly that 's great indeed Now mark what a high esteem God hath of his Word in that place where Christ saith Heaven and Earth shall pass away but not one jot or tittle of my Word shall pass away As if Christ should say The Lord will rather withdraw his power from the upholding of Heaven and Earth than from making good any one jot or tittle of his Law you may think it a little matter to break Gods Law but God thinks it a great matter and God would have us to make a great matter of every thing that is written in Gods Law I am the willinger to enlarge my self in this because I know it is the ground of all the wickedness in mens hearts and lives because they look upon the Law as a little matter well though they dare sin against Gods Law for the getting of a groat or six pence but God saith I will rather lose Heaven and Earth than one jot or tittle of my Law shall fall and he will make it appear one day that the things of his Law are great things in Isa 42. 21. He will magnifie the Law and make it honorable You may vilifie it a company of wanton spirits we have that consider not what they say or what they do running away with the very word of the Law they think to vilifie it What have we to do with the Law and under that word not understanding what they mean they think to cast a vile esteem upon the Law let them do what they will yet God will magnifie his Law and as it is great in the thoughts of God so it is and shall be for ever great in the thoughts of the Saints the Lord will have his people to the end of the world have high thoughts of his Law the Saints they look upon the Law of God so great as they had rather suffer all the miseries and torments that any man in the world any Tyrant can devise than willingly to break the Law in any one thing surely they account it a great matter when a man shal be willing rather to lose his estate and liberty yea and life to suffer tortures and torments and all because he will not offend the Law of God in any one thing though he might escape all if he would nay saith a gracious heart Let all go rather than I will venture to break the Law of God in any one thing surely he looks upon the Law of God as very great Men of the world think them to be fools and why will you be content to suffer so much lose all your friends what venture to lose your estates which have such a fair way of living as you have what venture a prison and venture your life the world thinks they are but little things and trifles and men are more precise than wise and they need not trouble themselves so much If God would but shew to you how great a thing his Law is and all the threatnings which are revealed therein you would account your estates and lives and all your comforts as little and poor in comparison of that Law hence in Revel 6. 9. I saw under the Altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held Wherefore were they slain Surely it was for some great matter that they would venture their lives it was for the Word of God and for the Testimony which they held And thus the Saints of God have ever accounted the Law of God a great thing I have written unto them the great things of my Law Hence from what hath been said we may have these Notes for Observation Here are Objects in the Word for men of the greatest spirits to exercise themselves about Many mens spirits are raised up and cannot endure to spend their thoughts and time about small matters and you shall have some mens spirits are so low that they think it happiness enough if they can be imployed in a gutter and get six pence or twelve pence a day to find them bread at night but others have great spirits Oh! let all those who have aspiring spirits and great spirits let them exercise themselves much in the Law of God here are objects fit for great spirits that will greaten our spirits And indeed there are no men in the world have great spirits but the Saints they have great spirits for they exercise themselves in the great counsels of God We account those men to be men of the greatest spirits that are imployed in State-affairs now the Saints they are lifted up above all things in the world and they look at all these things as little and mean and they are exercised in the great affairs of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ hence it is that the Lord would have Kings to have the book of the Law written and the Judges and it is reported of Alphonsus King of Arragon that in the midst of all his great affairs of his Kingdom he read over the Scriptures fourteen times with Commentaries upon them How many have we men of great estates and seem to be of great spirits that scarce mind the Law of God they look upon the Law of God as under them it may be if they can have a book of History and Wars they will be reading over that but for the Scripture it is a thing that hath little in it Another Note It is a special means of obedience to have high thoughts of Gods Law to convince and humble them for their disobedience for that 's the reason why the Prophet here speaks thus I have written to him the great things of my Law but they were accounted as a strange thing As if he should say If they had had the things of my Law to have been high in their thoughts they would never have done as they have done Psal 119. 129. Thy Testimonies are wonderful therefore doth my soul keep them I have high thoughts of thy Testimonies I look upon them as glorious things I see much of thy self in thy Testimonies and therefore doth my soul keep them He doth not
that were said against the strictest way of holiness but now he can be ready to listen to Objections As a man when he was intimate with his friend he could not endure to hear any thing that was said against him but now being estranged from him he can drink in any thing which is said against him Sixthly When the heart is estranged from the Word it wil put off thoughts and through examination of truths it will not search into things as it was wont to do but is willing to put off and shut his eyes and will rather search into any thing that may make against the Truth than that which will work for it I beseech you observe these workings of your hearts Seventhly There will be an engagement in some practice not allowed by the Word Then a man grows further estranged from his Friend when he doth not only refrain coming into his company but he will engage himself into some others that are against him Eighthly It comes to have a slight esteem of what before they thought had great weight in it there was a time when such such things were thought to have very great weight in them but now they are nothing they are of another judgment Just as when a man is estranged from his friend he thought before he had a great deal of excellency in him but now he esteems him not and this is the argument of the estrangement of his heart from him Lastly If men take not heed when they are by these degrees grown to be estranged from the Truth they will at length violently reject the Truths of the Word they will grow to be open enemies to the Truth Men that have bin familiar with Gods Word and Truth and made profession of them and seem'd to love them most by several degrees they have grown to be strangers from them and at length to be enemies to them Apostates have proved to be the most desperate enemies to the truths of God of any in the world take heed therefore of the strangeness of your hearts from the Truths of God lest you afterwards prove to be an enemy to God it 's an evil thing to account the Law of God a strange thing but much more to account it an enemy to us and our hearts to be an enemy to it Isa 5. 24. Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble and the flame consumeth the chaff so their root shall be rottenness and their blossom shall go up as dust why because they have cast away the Law of the Lord of Hosts and despised the Word of the holy One of Israel Oh! let us for ever take heed of this and therefore let our prayer be that of the Prophet David in Psal 119. 18 19. Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy Law And then it follows I am a stranger in the earth hide not thy Commandements from me Lord I account my self a stranger here in the world Oh! let not thy Word be a stranger to me I beseech you observe this Those men and women that account themselves strangers in the world will never account the Law of God a strang thing to them but such men as account themselves to be the inhabitants of the world they will have Gods Law to be a stranger to them Observe it and you shall find this to be a Note When your hearts begin to close with the things of the world you do not meditate in Gods Word so much as you did before nor delight to reade it but now if you can keep your heart from the things of the world to use them as if you used them not then this will be your prayer Lord hide not thy Commandements from me Oh thy Word is sweet unto me as honey and the honey comb One Note more about this They accounted this as a strange thing Men they have a strange way now a daies to estrange the Law from them and themselves from the Law That which their corrupt hearts will not close withal as for a rule of holiness that they will put upon Christ as if Christ had delivered them from it This is a strange way indeed of estranging themselves from Gods Law many men will eestrange themselves from the Law of God by too much familiarity in the world but for people to have this way by their familiarity with Jesus Christ because they come now to know Christ more therefore they should be greater strangers from the Law than they were before this is a strange way of estranging mens hearts from Gods Law The holy Ghost foreseeing such a generation which would be in the times of the Gospel that would boldly assert that whosoever the people of God were bound to under the old Testament yet in the new Testament they have nothing to do with the Law of Moses it is very observable In Malac. 4. 2. 4. the very close of the old Testament even then when there is a Prophesie of Christ to annex the old Testament and the new together saith the text there Vnto you that fear my Name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings to you that fear my Name shall Christ arise what then then you shall have nothing to with the Law when Christ arises Mark then in the 4 th vers Remember ye the Law of Moses almost the last words in the old Testament and the Conclusion as if the holy Ghost should say now I have done revealing all my mind about the old Testament and you must never expect any more Prophets nor any further Revelations of my mind till the time of the new Testament but instead of the Prophets you shall have the Sun of righteousness arise Well then I hope they shall never have any thing to do with the Law of Moses more Nay but saith the holy Ghost Remember ye the Law of Moses my servant c. VER 13. They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifice of mine offering THE Jews might object Why how do we account the Law of God a strange thing do not we continue in sacrificing do not we offer our sacrifices to God why do you say we account the Law a strange thing From the connexion therefore this Note may be observed That men may continue in outward profession and performances of duties of Religion and yet the great things of Gods Law may be a strange thing to them They do offer sacrifices still and yet they accounted Gods Law as a strange thing to them Do not think that sufficient that you continue in outward profession of Religion Nay shall I say more I make no qustion but a man may continue in outward duties and yet Apostatize from God so far as to commit the sin against the holy Ghost and that 's evident from the example of the Scribes and Pharisees that Christ charges for commission of the sin against the
God and we observe the Law of Moses No saith the Lord You have gone a whoring from Me. I but still Why may not we rejoyce as other people to be sure we are not worse Idolaters than they therefore though we may not rejoyce more than others yet why not as others they make Idols to be their gods there is nothing so vile among us as among the Nations about us From whence therefore the Observation is this that God charges them more than others First That a people may be free from the gross evils that there are in other people and may have many good things that other people have not and yet may be in a worse condition than other people You will say How can this be Thus There may be some sins that they have among them that may have greater aggravations than any sins that other people have that may make their condition all things considered worse We here in this Land have much rejoyced heretofore in this that we have had the Doctrine of Religion so pure among us as no people more and certainly except it hath been through some few that of late daies have sought to corrupt it certainly that must be said that the Doctrine hath been kept very pure as the main things of Religion and in some things we have gone beyond other reformed Churches as in the point of the Sabbath a great deal beyond them and so there hath been here in England for Family Duties never had God more honor from any people in the world than he hath had from us in many respects but yet for all this it seems by Gods dealings with us at this day that God is more provoked with us than with other people and the truth is take these one or two things and I think that no people upon the face of the earth can paralel our guilt not only no people that are now but never any people since the world began as that bitterness of spirit in the hatred of the power of godliness and the opposing of it and persecuting of it never was any people so guilty as we have been in other reformed Churches men may be as forward and zealous as they will and they are not persecuted as they are here though they kept the Sabbath more loosly yet they never persecuted men that kept it strictly there was never heard that stopping of the mouth of the faithful Ministry so generally as here in England if there were but any stirring Ministry in any place presently fly upon them and so it may well be said to us at this day Rejoyce not as other people God hath spit in our faces to tell us that our condition is worse than the condition of other people Yea but still If we be Idolaters would the ten Tribes say they are so too Here was one particular aggravation upon Israel that was not among other people and that was this There was no other people would forsake their gods as Israel had forsaken theirs Jer. 2. 10. there was never such a thing as for a Land to change their god the worst people for Kedar was the worst sort of people they were a vile people and yet go to Kedar and see and search diligently whether any Nation hath ever forsaken their Gods But you have forsaken Me. And from thence there may be this Note That to be constant to ill principles is not so great an evil as to be false against good principles I say God accounts it not to be so great an evil for men to be constant to their prinâ—les though they be evil principles as for men to forsake good principles as now if a man hath been brought up all his daies in superstition and thinks verily this is the right certainly this man is not so guilty before God as another that hath been educated in the true worship of God and hath made profession of the contrary and yet afterward doth apostatize and backslide God had rather that men should keep to their principles though they be evil than entertain good principles and forsake them There are none so vile in Gods eyes as Apostates there is not so much sordidness and baseness of spirit in those men that will keep constant to their principles though they be evil as in such as will betray their principles that are good And then the Principal Observation is this That the sins of Gods People are the greatest sins of all the sins of the Saints are the greatest sins of all and they are to mourn more than any In Amos 3. 2. You only have I known of all the families of the earth therefore will I visit you for your iniquities your sins are greater And that in Rom. 2. 9. Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil of the Jew first and also the Gentile And we have these two excellent texts in Jer. 18. 13. Ask ye now among the Heathen who hath heard such things the Virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing that 's the aggravation that it is the Virgin of Israel that hath done such a horrible thing But especially that text in Jer. 32. 30. For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have only done evil from their youth Now Hierom hath such a Note upon this What the children of Israel saith he and Judah only done evil from their youth What hath none done evil but they he gives this answer He that hath the knowledg of God and goes from it he alone sins in the eyes of God as for unbeleevers they sin too but it is as if God saw it not and as if God minded it not as he saith in the Acts that he winks at the daies of their ignorance but they only sin that have had the knowledg of God We reade of this Philistims that they ventured to carry the Ark upon Carts God did not manifest himself provoked against them that carried the Ark so but when the Levites would presume to carry it upon carts the Lord makes a breach upon them and strikes Vzzah with death he did bear with it in the Philistins which was a little before and it may be they presumed and thought the Philistins carried the Ark upon a cart why may not we That which God will beare from others he will not bear from his own their sins are against Covenant and that 's a special thing there hath not been that solemn Covenant between me and other people as between you and me This is a mighty aggravation against the sins of Gods people more than against any people in the world that they are against Covenant Oh! remember this you that do often covenant with God when you are in Prayer Oh! how do you renew your Covenant with God What promises do you make with God in Prayer and yet you grow again loose and false and vile afterwards
prosperity because it is a reward of their service to their Idols So the sweetness of our comfort should be in this because they come from God as a reward of our faithfulness Shall Idolaters when they look upon their plenty and attribute it to their Idol gods shall it be so much the sweeter to them let all our comforts be so much the sweeter to us when we look upon them as coming from God as a reward of our faithfulness In Psal 119. 56. saith David This I had because I kept thy Statutes You will say Can we look upon any thing as a reward of our righteousness Free-Grace and the Gospel-reward may stand together God may reward according to our works though not for our works and God is pleased to call it so for the encouragement of his people It is very sweet to those that keep close with God when they prosper outwardly that outward prosperity if it follow our keeping close with God is very sweet as the Cypher when it doth follow the figure it doth ad to the Number though it be nothing in its self But now we come to the second Verse VER 2. The flour and the wine press shall not feed them and the new Wine shall fail in her AS when a Father sees his admonitions not regarded by a stubborn Child he doth withdraw his allowance from him and sometimes you will deal so with your little children as they shall go to bed without their suppers to shew your displeasure against them so God deals here you have had many admonitions now I will withdraw your allowance The flour and the Wine-press He doth not say the Field but the Flour I will let them bring their Corn to the flour and he doth not say the Vine but the Wine-press the Notes are these God often lets wicked men come neer the enjoyment of a mercy and them cuts it off as many times the Saints comes neer afflictions and when they are at the very brink of afflictions then deliverance comes to them Secondly God doth use to strike wicked men in those things that their hearts are most set upon They would have their flour and Wine-press to afford unto them plenty in that thing God strikes them Now observe it whether in Gods waies that are against you God doth not strike you especially in that which your hearts are most set upon if he doth know there 's the finger of God and God would have you take special notice of it The new Wine shall fail The words are in the Hebrew It shall â—e unto them The like word we have in Hab. 3. 17. The labor of the Olive shall fail in the Hebrew shall lie that is it shall not perform what it seems to promise to you We are ready to promise to our selves great matters from the creature or rather think that the creature promises much to us but we shall find all but a lye let us learn to promise nothing to us but from the Word that will never lye Whatsoever you promise to your selves I say let it be grounded upon the Word but if you promise to your selves great matters from any creature you will find a lye in the Conclusion We often lye to God in not answering our good beginnings and it 's just with God that the creature should even lye to us and not accomplish what they seem to promise to us Lastly That which men think to get in a way of sin they shall fail in at last The way of the wicked shall deceive them they shall not find what they expected in the waies of sin The Saints they shall find more than ever they expected from God but the wicked shall find less than that which they expected from the Creature But there is not much difficulty in this Verse therefore we pass it over briefly VER 3. They shall not dwell in the Lords Land BEfore God was to them as a father taking maintainance away from them leaving them to suffer want but here his anger encreases here he puts them out of his house as a Father first he withdraws allowance from his stout Son and when that will not do then he thrusts him out of his house So doth God here The wine-press the flour shall not feed them And not only so saith God but They shall not dwell in the Lords Land I will cast them out of my house cast them out of my Land I will not suffer Ephraim to dwell any longer there First God would make them to know that it was his Land and that they were but Tenants at will and that they did enjoy the Land upon conditions of obedience as appears in Levit. 18. 26. as if he had said you are Tenants and hold the Land by this Tenure we reade in Levit. 25. 23. of an Ordinance that God made there that no Land in Canaan should be sold for ever but only to the yeer of Jubile the richest man that was that bought never so much Land they could not buy it for ever he could not have such a Tenure as runs amongst us To have and to hold for ever But you will say what is the reason it is given in the 23. vers The Land shall not be sold for ever Why For the Land is mine for ye are strangers and sojourners with me I have brought you to the Land and ye are but sojourners with me in my Land God may dispose of all as he pleases It 's a good meditation for us to work upon our hearts thus That we are Gods Stewards the Lord is the great Land-Lord of all the world When you go abroad into the fields now you that are godly you may see more Land than is your own but you cannot see more Land than is your Fathers The Lords Land It may be said of all the Land in the world he that is thy Father is the great Land-Lord of the world howsoever men respect their Land-Lords and are afraid to displease them but how little respect is given to this great Land-Lord of the world The earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof well but though all the world be the Lords Land yet this Land was the Lords Land in a peculiar manner the Land of Canaan it was the Lords Land more peculiarly in many respects First It was a Land that God had espied out for his People In Ezek. 20. 6. as a special place God was over looking all the world where should I have a good Land or Country to set my People and the text saith God had espied it out Secondly It was the Land of Promise therefore the Lords Land in Heb. 11. 9. By faith he sojourned in the Land of Promise as in a strange Country No Land in Scripture is called the Land of Promise but only this Thirdly The Lords Land it was a Land given by Oath in Gen. 24. 7. Fourthly It was a Land
neerer to an ingenious heart than the loss of Love he had rather lose his Money than his Love such an one hath requited me il for my love this I say goes to the heart of a man and there 's nothing more grieves him than that he finds his love is ill bestowed So certainly it goes to the heart of God that his Love should be ill bestowed upon people They went to BAAL-PEOR Many loathsom and obscene things are reported concerning this Baal-Peor this god that was the god of the Moabites that is unfit for chast ears to hear therefore we shall not mention such things Much filthiness was committed in the worship of this their Baal-Peor and yet saith God notwithstanding all my love to their fore-fathers whereby they might have drawn an argument that they should have had blessings upon themselves if they had continued in the waies of their forefathers yet they went from me went to Baal-Peor From whence the Notes are First The more shameful any thing is the more abominable is it to forsake God It 's an abominable thing to forsake God for the gaining of Heaven and Earth if it could be gained by it but for to forsake God for a Baal-Peor God takes this â—ll but that we met with before Secondly This is the evil of mans heart That there is no evil so base and shameful but he is ready to forsake the blessed and glorious God that he may cleave to that As it is reported of the Panther that it doth love the dung of man so well that if it be hung up at a height it will leap and skip for it till it bursts in pieces So many there are that are set upon such base things that they are content to part with all good that there is in God and Jesus Christ if they may but have them they are content to undo themselves to all eternity Thirdly So to leave God as to give up our selves to baseness and wickedness Oh! this is most abâ—minable To be over taken with a sin is vile but for one to give up himself or her self to wickedness this is abominable and yet this is that that many are guilty of at first perhaps sin is fair-mannerd and saith Do but take some dallies with me at first but after the soul begins to give up its self in a most desperate way in sinful courses many an Apostate doth thus that had some comfort before in God but now having gotten a haunt of wickedness they have lost all their comforts in God and Christ and now saith this desperat soul I cannot have comfort in God and Christ and therefore I will have it in the satisfying of my lusts Oh! my Brethren what a shame is this So far as thou art able to be guilty of shaming even God Himself and Jesus Christ therfore in Heb. 6. 6. Apostates are said to put Jesus Christ to open shame and Apostate that leaves the waies of God and separates himself to his lusts he doth put the Lord Jesus Christ to an open shame Oh! how should Gods people separate themselves for the Lord and be wholly his seeing Idolaters separate themselves to their Idols let them look upon themselves as a people separated for the Lord. And their abominations were as they loved That is First as they loved so they were guided they were not guided by the Word nor by any Divine Rule not by right Reason but according as they loved they followed what they had a mind to never regarding what Gods mind was The judgment is soon gone when the heart is taken with a thing Ordinarily people love that way they go not that way the Rule guides them to but what way their affections carry them on in this is a very sinful thing for men to be acted with and carried upon meerly by the violence of their affections and especially this is evil in the matters of Gods Worship there we may not do things as we love that is because we think such things are very fair and there appears no hurt in them to us and they like us well yea but we must examine whether we have warrant out of the Word for that we must not do as we love but according as the rule is Secondly They were abominable as they loved they were turned into the very likeness of what they loved and indeed our loves what ever they are upon doth turn us into the likeness of the thing The understanding turns the object into a likeness to it but the heart is turned into the likeness of its object Austin hath a notable expression for this saith he Such is every man as his love is Doth a man love the earth he is earth doth a man love God what shall I say saith Austin he shall be even God too And indeed the Scripture saith we are partakers of the Divine Nature Oh! what care had we need have of what we love Doest thou love a base filthy thing then thy soul is base and filthy too Doest thou love the glorious and blessed God then thy soul is made like to God Chuse therefore good objects for thy love love the Lord and love his holy waies love things that are excellent and glorious and by the loving of those things thy heart will come to have excellency and glory put upon it but if thou lovest that which is drossy and filthy thou comest to have a base and drossy heart of thy own Mans soul is like to the Cameleon that is changed into the color of the object it looks upon They were abominable as they loved Every man or woman is as he loves Thirdly They were abominable as they loved That which is here translated of the Concrete I find it may be as well translated of the Abstract They were abominable as their love and so it 's carried by Interpreters that is they were abominable as their Idols were that they did love and their Idols were call'd Love in the Abstract as a man cals his Wife his Love so they call'd their Idols their Love and they were abominable as their Love was that is look how abominable Baal-Peor was so abominable were they so the Psalmist saith that they that make Idols are like unto them But fourthly which I think is especially the scope of the holy Ghost here They were abominable as they love though the other may be taken in this Scripture hath reference to that that you reade in Numb 25. 1. there you find that the people of Israel by the wicked counsel of Balaam when they could not be cursed yet Balaam did counsel them that they should come and bring their daughters before them and so to intice them to commit uncleanness with their daughters and then they should intice them to Idolatry that was the wicked counsel of Balaam they committed whordom with the daughters of Moab and they called the
latter end of the former Chapter he would not hearken to the Lord he would not hear the Word of the Lord the Lord threatens to cast him away because he hearkened not to him from whence Luther hath this Note The Word is like a fruitful rain there can no true fruit be without the Word those that will not hearken to the Word no mervail though they be empty it is the Word that makes fruitful it is that that is as the fruitful rain Those that leave and forsake the Word observe them how fruitless they are what empty spirits they have many that heretofore were forward in hearing the Word and loved it the Word was delightful to them Oh! then they were fruitful but since they have been taken off from the Word converse with them now and you shall find their spirits empty and their lives empty and there 's no men in the world so empty as those that would worship God in another way than the Word appoints men that would think to worship God after their own fancies and waies Oh! how empty are they in all their Worship they tender up to God But the main Note and Observation is That emptiness in those that profess themselves to be Gods People is a very great evil Oh! it is a great charge upon those that grow in Gods Vinyard that profess themselves to be Gods to be charged with this That they are empty an empty Vine When we would speak of a man contemptuously as one that hath no natural or aquisite excellency in him we say such a one is an empty or a slight fellow and that 's the meaning of the word that you have in Mat. 5. 22. Whosoever calls his Brother Racha shall be in danger of the counsel the word Racha it is empty it is as much as if he should call his Brother an empty fellow for that 's the signification of the word Empty And in Jam. 2. 20. Knowest thou not O vain man that faith without works is dead The words are Oh empty man knowest thou not O empty man that faith without works are dead There 's many that keeps a great deal of noise of Faith and of Gods free-Grace and yet are extream empty men and understand little of the true excellency of the Covenant of Grace Knowest thou not O empty man that Faith without Works is dead Speak as much as thou wilt of Faith and Gods Grace yet if there be no Works thou art an empty man Nature will not endure emptiness some of the Phylosophers have said that the world would rather be dissolved than there should be any vacuity creatures will move contrary to their nature rather than they will suffer a vacuity Certainly an emptiness in the souls of Gods people it is the worst emptiness that is in the world For First It is the most unnatural thing for a Vine to be empty And secondly For the Saints to be empty they are a dishonor to their Root that they do profess they are upon Christ he hath all the fulness of the God-head in him And of his Fulness we are to receive Grace for Grace To grow upon him upon such a root and yet to be empty Oh! what a dishonor is this to Jesus Christ Thirdly This frustrates the Lord of all the care and cost and charge that he is about if thou wert another plant that grew in the wilderness it were not much but a Vine and one in Gods Vinyard and yet fruitless Oh this is a sore evil Fourthly There 's no blessing upon thy soul if thou beest an empty Vine in Isa 65. 8. As the new Wine is found in the cluster and one saith Destroy it not for a blessing is in it If there be Wine in the cluster then a blessing is found in it but otherwise destroy it No blessing is found in those that are of empty spirits Fiftly If there be grace it is the Divine Nature its self and cannot that bear fruit It is an evil in a Vine to have but a little moisture to shoot forth in leaves and bear no fruit yea but what is that unto Grace that is the Divine Nature its self the most glorious thing in the world Therefore for Christians to be without fruit is an exceeding great evil Doest thou know what fruit is One gracious action that comes from the sap of the Root that is in Christ it is more worth than Heaven and Earth any one gracious Act I say it is more worth than Heaven and Earth Oh the fruit of the Saints is fruit to eternity and to be without this fruit must needs be a great evil those that are empty and without fruit you know they are said in John 15. to be but as branches not branches they that bear no fruit are said to be but as a branch and then such a branch as must be cut off God will cut them off cut off those branches he will cut them off from their profession and suffer them to fall so as they shal not continue in their eternal profession and they shall wither he will curse their very common gifts that they have 6. Oh! how many that heretofore seemed to flourish yet but leaves and bearing no fruit now their leaves are gon too and their common gifts are taken away from them and not only withered but shall be cast away cast away from God and out of the hearts of the Saints and men shall gather them the men of the world they shall catch them and so they shall joyn with them and they shall make use of them and they shall be cast into the fire and burnt cast into the fire not for a fiery tryal but cast into the fire that they may be burned these are the threatnings against those that bear no fruit It is the glory of Gods People to be filled with the fruits of Righteousness Phil. 1. 11. To be filled with the Spirit Ephes 5. 18. Yea to be filled with all the fulness of God Ephes 3. 19. So it is expected of the Saints that they should be filled with al the fulness of God Oh! how contrary is this to emptying And surely fil'd the Saints should be with fruit because they are the very fulness of Christ the fulness of him that fills all in all In Ephes 1. last verse the Church is said to be the fulness of Jesus Christ himself And shall the Church be an empty Vine when as it is the very fulness of Him that fils al in al 7. An empty spirit is fit for the Devil to come to possess Mat. 12. 24. he found his place empty and then he comes in where the Devil sees an empty spirit there 's a fit place for him to come It is an evil thing for you to grow upon Gods ground and to cumber it to cumber any part of Gods ground it may be if thou wert gon there
of such poor things as they have in the Creature should imbolden their hearts against the great God of Heaven and Earth yet thus it is men little consider but even those things that their hearts do so much rest upon they are absolutely at the dispose of this God whom their hearts do not fear But note let the Saints of God take this Note with them Shall creature confidence take mens hearts off from Gods fear Then let Gods fear take your hearts off from creature confidence Certainly there 's a great deal more reason Oh! 't is infinitely irrational that creature confidence should take the heart from Gods fear but it 's infinitely rational that Gods fear should take our hearts off from creature confidence Thirdly Now they shall say We feared not the Lord. The taking from a People the protection of and benefit they might have by Kingly Power is a punishment of the want of the fear of God in them We have no King we are deprived of the benefit of the good that we might have the protection that we might have by Kingly power it is because we feared not the Lord what evil we feel in this let us attribute it to the want of the fear of God in our selves and in the people of the Land We complain of those that are about the King and of Her that lies in the Bosom of the King and of the evil of his own heart in part but whence is it that God hath left him either to them or to any evil in his own spirit The Lord in this punishes the sins of the People 't is usual for God to punish the sins of the People in leaving Governors unto evil courses in 2 Sam. 24. 1. you have a remarkable Scripture for this saith the text there And the Anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and what then And he moved David against them to say Go number Israel and Judah The Anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and he moved David against them to what God lets temptations be before David for to fall into that sin that might bring evil upon the people It was because the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel It 's because that a people fear not God therefore it is that the Lord leaves Kings leaves their Governors to those evil waies that they are left unto and therefore learn we when we hear of any evil that is done by countenance of Kings or any power learn we to lay our hands upon our own hearts and say even this is because we feared not the Lord how easie had it been with the Lord to have wrought upon his heart Oh! what prayers hath been sent up unto the Lord for the heart of one man never since the world began more prayers for the heart of one man but the Lord hath seem'd even to shut his ears against the prayers of his people now let us lay our hands upon our hearts God hath denied our prayers it is because we have not feared him now certainly there hath been but little fear of God amongst us and little fear of the great God is still to this day among us And that 's the third Observation We have no King because we feared not the Lord. And then the Fourth is this The times of Gods Wrath and Judgments forces acknowledgment from men that they did not fear God When God comes against them in waies of wrath now they can acknowledg that they feared not God should the Prophet have come to them before and told them Oh! you are a wretched vile people there is no fear of God among you Why wherein do not we fear God as in Malac. 1. they would not be convinced but Now shall they say c. Now when the wrath of God is upon men now they shall say we see now apparently we feared not the Lord. As it 's said of Cardinal Wolsie when he was in distress Oh saith he Had I but served God as well as I served the King it would have been otherwise with me than it is but I sought to please the King rather than God and now I am left in this distressed estate He would have scorned that any should have told him before that he pleased the King more than God but afflictions they will draw forth acknowledgment for in afflictions God appears dreadful to the soul it is no dallying and trifling and putting off then we see we have to deal with an infinite Glorious and dreadful God and in times of affliction now conscience will brave over men it will not be quieted and still'd so as in the times of prosperity but it will speak as we reade of Zebul in Judges 9. 38. saith Zebul Where now is thy mouth wherewith thou saidest Who is Abimelech So saith conscience in times of affliction to wretched creatures Where now is that bold and presumptuous heart of thine Thou scornest at fearing and trembling before God and slightest his Word but where now is that proud wretched heart of thine And in times of afflictions now are mens hearts abased and humbled and therefore now they are ready to say It is because they feared not the Lord. Mark here they do not when they are in afflictions and troubles say I we may thank these kind of people there were a company of factious people and they would not yield to any thing and we may thank them for all this you hear no such words Oh no but it is Because we feard not the Lord. When the heart is in any degree humbled it will not put off the cause of evils to other men or other things but will charge its self as the cause of the evils that are upon it Oh how much better my Brethren were it for us to see the want of the fear of God by his Word to us and his Spirit in us than by his wrath against us or his stroke upon us Let us every day examine our hearts How hath the fear of God been in me this day hath the fear of God acted and guided me in al my thoughts counsels and actions this day How happy were it when we ever lie down to rest to have such a short meditation Hath the fear of God been the thing that hath Acted and Governed and Guided me in my course this day But it follows What then shall a King do to us or for us Suppose we had him now he is gone but if we had him what good would he bring to us if we had him As if they should say we speak much concerning our King but now we have not the King with us as he was but if he were with us again what should he do for us what would our condition be better than it is And indeed what good had their Kings done for them The People of Israel they were very desirous of a King they must
needs have a King God granted to their desires in giving them Saul then afterwards they must have a King again so they had Jeroboam and he must be the King of the ten Tribes Their first King they had it was in Gods wrath and every one of the Kings of Israel was a plague to them what had they done for them All the time they had Judges they were in a better case Israel was in a far better case when they were rul'd by the Government of God And Peter Martyr in his Preface to the Book of Judges observes three things wherein Israel was better when they were under Judges than Kings For first saith he All the time they had Judges they were not let Captive out of their own Country so as afterwards Secondly When ever they were oppressed and God raised them up a Judg he did alwaies prevail so as to deliver them from their oppression before he had done he delivered them from their oppression that 's to be observed in the story of the Judges but their Kings did not so And thirdly We find not any one of their Judges are charged or condemn'd by God for evil that they were evil Judges among them as the Kings are such a one did evil in the sight of the Lord and such a one did evil and every one of the Kings of Israel did so God doth not charge the Judges so it was otherwise therefore with them after they had Kings And the truth is that Christ hath been but little beholding to I may say almost to most of our Kings yea little beholding to most of the Kings that have lived upon the earth and he hath taketh as little care of the greater part of them As they have taken little care of his Honor so he hath taken little care of the Greater part of them of all the Roman Emperors that were declared by the Senate in Number sixty three Historians agree that there was but six of al them that had such protection from God as to die a natural death but six of three score and three there were twenty nine of the Emperors that did not reign above twenty five years and od months yea there were twelve of them that did reign but three yeers and od months see what havock was made of them they regarded not the Honor of Jesus Christ but were enemies unto him and he regarded as little their safety What then should a King do to us From hence the Notes are these First When God forsakes a People there 's nothing can do them good For they did most dote upon a King that should do them good and help them When God forsakes a People nothing then can do them good Psalm 127. at the begining Except the Lord build the house c. Secondly It 's just with God to make those things unuseful to men which they sinfully dote upon and put their confidence in They sinfully doted upon Kings and put their confidence in them God doth now justly make the power of Kings unuseful to them What shall a King do to us If we dote upon them it 's just with God to make them unuseful to us Or if we dote upon our Credit and Names and so upon Kings and Princes If men expect preferment from them it 's just with God to blast all their hopes that they should be forced to say Now I see God fights against him as wel as against me Thus the people spake in respect of their Kings This Scripture may well be a Comment upon that Text we have in Psalm 146. 3. Put not your trust in Princes c. Do not put your trust in Princes have no confidence in them If you put your trust in them they wil be unuseful to you And Chrysostom upon that very Psalm hath this Note Whereas they would say Oh! he is a Prince Saith Chrysostom Let me tell you that which you perhaps will wonder at Because he is a Prince therefore put not your trust in him saith Chrysostom And he gives this reason Because saith he who is in a more unsafe condition than they Are not they fain to have their Guards go about them to protect them They in times of peace when they are in a City that is ruled by good Laws yet they are fain to have the Instruments of War round about them to protect them and therefore put not your confidence in them because they are Princes but then in the Psalm they are call'd to put their confidence in the Lord who made Heaven and Earth the Sea and all that therein is which keepeth truth for ever Alas you may put confidence in Princes but they will not keep truth they wil make fair promises to you that you shall have some great matters by them but they use you for to serve their own turns but put your trust in the Lord and the Lord shall reign for ever as it is in the 10. verse Kings do not reign for ever they are the children of men the breath is in their Nostrils but the Lord shall reign for ever And again thirdly What shall a King do for us How great an evil is it to a people then whose complaints are what doth a King not do against us Musculus upon the forenamed Psalm those that reade his Coment shall find that Note in it saith he You are not to put your trust in Princes that are the children of men they are but men yea but what shall we say to those that are cruel oporessors that are rather like Tygers and such kind of wild beasts among men that seem not to be children of men how shall we put our trust in them Oh! it 's a sad condition indeed that a people is in when they have this cause to complain when they shall have cause to cry out and complain Oh how how doth he run from place to place plundering spoiling breaking tearing destroying wheresoever he comes That people is in a sad condition what shall he do for us Nay what doth he not do against us continually and all this because we have not feared the Lord. That 's the third Note The fourth is And what shall a King do to us See here the alteration of the spirits of these men towards their King King not long ago they put their confidence in their King and gloried in their King and now what shall a King do to us Hence the Note is God can soon make a great change in the hearts of people in reference to their Kings that even those that did dote and admire him and own no other God but their King shall even turn their hearts and say What can a King do for us the least turn of God upon the hearts of people will make such a change as this is Again here observe The difference between the blessed estate of Gods People and the wretched estate of wicked
much The mouth of a thing is used for the proportion and measure of a thing you shall have it thus in Lev. 27. 16. the same Scripture that I quoted before for another purpose Thy estimation shall be according to the seed thereof Now the word in the Hebrew is The estimation shall be to the mouth of the seed that is according to the proportion of the seed so shall the estimation be And so you have it in Exod. 16. 16. Gather every man according to what he shall eat It is the same here To the mouth of every man in a proportion according to what 's fit for every man You shall sow in Righteousness Thus Sow in Righteousness it 's a poor seed that we shall sow now God doth not say you shall reap in Righteousness but in Mercy from the mouth of Mercy You take out of the mouth of the sack and sow but your poor proportion that you sow when you come to reap if you be faithful you shall reap according to the proportion of Mercy what is fit for a merciful God to do what is sutable to the infiniteness of my Mercy so you shall reap not sutable to what you do and your proportion but look what is sutable to the infiniteness of my mercy that you shall reap It was so towards the Jews if their obedience was but external yet they should have mercy beyond their outward obedience but if it be applied to those that live in the times of the Gospel indeed that which comes from you being so mixt as it is is but poor yet you may expect to reap not according to what you do but according to what may manifest the infinite mercy of an infinite God every man that shall in the uprightness of his heart that is never so weak and is imployed in very poor and mean services yet if their hearts be upright they shall not reap according to the meanness of the work but look what glory and happiness is sutable for an infinite God in way of infinite Mercy to bestow that they shall have in the mouth of Mercy sutable to Mercy Thus you have the meaning of the word Now observe First As a man sows so shall he reap Though he shall reap more than he sows yet he shall reap in the same kind if he sows wickedness he shall not reap mercy but he that sows righteousness he shall reap mercy It is a mocking of God for men to think that though they sow wickedness yet they shall reap mercy therefore saith the Apostle in Gal. 6. 7. As a man sows so shall he reap God is not mocked if thou thinkest to reap mercy when thou sowest wickedness thou mockest God to his very face If a man should go and sow Tares and say I shall have a good crop of Wheat would not you think that man mad or he should think you a fool to tell you so and you beleeve him So for you to think that either God or man should beleeve that you should have mercy when you sow not righteousness I say it is to mock God and know God is not mocked for what a man sows that shall he also reap and they fruit shall be another manner of fruit Thou shalt rent that which shall be bound in bundels and thou bound together with it and cast into unquenchable fire But those that sow righteousness there 's never a seed of theirs shall be lost they shall be recompenc'd for all their pains labor sufferings for so saith the Lord Ps 126. 6. That those that sow in tears they shall reap in joy there shall be an assuring fruit to those that sow in Righteousness for Righteousnss it is the most pretious thing in the world if it be true Gospel Righteousness it is I say more worth one right act is more worth than Heaven and Earth God will not lose that seed it 's precious seed there is more of God in one righteous Act of a Godly man than there is in all the works of Creation and Providence except Angels and Saints than in all the whole frame of Creation The reason is this Because in all the Creation Gods Glory is there but passively God works there and it is passively and holds forth his glory But now when it comes to the Righteous Acts of the Saints there is an Active way of glorifying God there 's an act of Gods life There 's an Act of the very Image of God and the Life of God and the Divine Nature is there and therefore there is more of God in the working of Righteousness than in any thing else besides Oh! let the Saints get a price upon the actions of Righteousness though there be much evil mingled yet there 's a great deal of the glory of God in every Action If we were but grounded in this principle it would make us abound in the work of the Lord so in the morning and in the evening let not thy hand rest trust God with thy seed do not be deterred with this difficulty and the other He that observes the wind in Eccles 11. he shall not sow and he that regards the clouds he shall not reap Is it a duty that God requires of thee do not think Oh! but it 's windy weather and ill weather no but sow it Sow it in righteousness and commit it to God and thou shalt reap Oh! blessed are those who have sown much for God in their life time Oh! the glorious harvest that these shall have the very Angels shall help them to take in their Harvest at the great day and they need not take thought for Barns the very Heavens shall be their Barns and Oh the joy that there shall be in that Harvest and the Angels will help to sing the Harvest song that they shall sing that have been Sowers in Righteousness but the confusion of face which will be upon those that were not willing to endure difficulty in plowing and sowing The sluggard will not plow because it 's cold and therefore shall beg in Harvest and shall have nothing in Harvest he will be crying for mercy Lord mercy now But what fruits of Righteousness No fruits of Righteousness no Mercy Oh! Reap in Mercy that 's a very observable expression as we have in all the Book of God Not reap in Righteousness but reap in Mercie From whence our Note is That after all we do yet we have need of Mercy Let us be the most plentiful in sowing the seeds of Righteousness yet we are unprofitable servants after we have done all It is true An Act of Righteousnesse hath much in it Yea but it's Gods so much as there is in it it 's bad and after we have done all we had need come to God as beggars to cry for mercy those men that have liv'd the most holy lives that ever men did live in this world yet wo to them
them into your hearts As first That such is the vileness of every sin as it seperates the soul from God and puts it under an eternal Curse This one Truth you must get this into your hearts and get it deep into your hearts it will help to unloosen the roots of the thorns and bryars that are there the setled apprehension of this Truth And then secondly This Truth That there is such a breach between God and my soul by sin that all the power in all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth is not able to make up this breach here is a sharp plow-share to get into the heart And then thirdly This Truth that by nature I am full of this sin my heart is full of it all the faculties of my soul are filled with sin that is of such an hainous nature Here is a sharp plow-share to get into the heart And then fourthly That every action that ever I have done in all my life in my unregenerate estate it is nothing else but sin nothing else but sin that hath such a vile nature Yea further That if any sin be pardoned to me it is by vertue of a price paid that is more worth than ten thousand worlds This Truth Now here 's the Gospel as well as the Law for the plowing is but the spiritualness of the Law the Truths of the Law in a Gospel way for you must take notice that the Law as Law accepts of no humiliation for sin it is as it is reveal'd in a Gospel way in a Gospel way it doth tend to humiliation for let men be humbled never so much the Law never accepts of them for their humiliation but the Law in a Gospel way so it comes to humble the soul so as to do it good Now therefore the Consideration of the Truths that the Law requires having reference to the Gospel they serve for the humbling of the soul Now get in these truths and see what they will do in thy Soul you must work them in And let conscience be put on to draw this plow These are as the Plow-share and the working of Conscience is the drawing of this plow while the plow stops as when it meets with a thorn and bryar now a strong Conscience will draw it on and will make the thorns and bryars to be rent up by the roots if the Conscience be put upon with strength to draw these Truths in the soul and though they put you to pain yet you must be content to draw them on in the soul And if these and the like Truths be got into thy soul and thou beest at plow and thy Conscience be drawing This is that I shall say God speed the Plow yea God speed these Truths that Conscience is drawing on in the soul for it may tend to a great deal of good to prepare thee for the seed that may bring forth Righteousness and Mercy to thy soul for ever I confess it is a hard work to be thus plowing Indeed for men and women only to hear Sermons and be talking and conferring of good things these things are pretty easie but to go to plow to plow with such Truths as these are to get up the thorns and bryars by the roots this is a very hard task but we must be willing to do it and to continue plowing as the fallow ground must not only be plowed once but it may be it may stand in need of plowing the second and third time before it may be fit for the seed to be cast in and so it must be with our hearts It may be some of you have got in some Truths and you have been plowing yea but since that time you have had many weeds and thorns grown up and you must to plowing again it may be it is divers yeers ago since you have been thus plowing and your hearts have lain fallow all this while do not think it enough that once you have been humbled but be often plowing up this fallow ground you were as good have the plow get into your hearts though it be sharp as to have the Sword of Gods Justice be upon you We have in these times a wanton generation that have risen up that cannot endure to go to plow they would be doing nothing but taking in the sweet as I told you before in a former Exercise Treading â—ut the Corn. But this plowing they cry out of meerly through a wantonness and tenderness of their spirits a sinful tenderness because they would have nothing but jolity and licentiousness in their hearts and waies yet the Scripture in Luke 9. 62. compares the Ministers of the Gospel to the plow He that puts his haud to the plow and looketh back is not fit for the Kingdom of God not fit to be imployed in the administration of the Gospel Though these men cry out so much of humiliation for sin which is as strange a Generation as ever have risen up that should cry out of that when there 's nothing more humbles for sin than the price that was paid for sin in the blood of Jesus Christ and there is no such sharp plow-share as that If I were to preach one Sermon in all my life for the humbling of men for sin I would take a text that might shew the great price that was paid for it and therein open the breach that sin hath made between God and mans soul But they will not make use of the Gospel neither so much as to be a plow to plow the heart for the work of humiliation Well God hath prospered this work heretofore and notwithstanding al the wantoness of mens spirits this way yet I say still God speed the plow God speed this way of plowing the hearts of men and getting in those Truths that do humble the hearts of men for their sins these were the Truths that God hath blest in former times and there 's none that ever did live to the honor of the Gospel so much for this generation that is come up they talk of the Gospel but they live not to the honor of it the Gospel hath not honor by them nor Jesus Christ hath not honor by them But the former generation of men though in some things they might fail yet certainly God blest them in their way so far as it was according to Truth No mervail though these men bring forth such little fruit of Righteousness it is because they sow among thorns presently they are up at the top and so confident presently in their way their seed is among thorns and therefore it doth not prosper And thus much for this expression about the plowing up of fallow grounds both in reference to general Reformation and Humiliation and concerning mens Souls in particular It follows For it is time to seek the Lord. It is time First Yet you have time to seek the Lord 'T is well for you that you have
That though the Fig-tree shall not blossom neither the fruit be in the Vines the labor of the Olive should fail and the Field should yeeld no meat the Flock should be cut off from the fold and there should be no Herd in the stalls yet they will rejoyce in the Lord and joy in the God of their salvation Let Heaven and Earth meet â—â—â—ether whatsoever becomes of Armies and of the Policies of men of Friends and all outward respects yet I will bless my self in the Lord and bless the time that ever I knew God and his waies my heart yet is confident it is the way of God and I can venture my state upon it and my libertie and my life and soul upon this way let all things seem to be under a cloud and never so dismal yet my heart is steady and is fixed in this way of God that the Lord God graciously hath drawn my heart into Oh! this is an excellent thing Examin your hearts in that when at any time you have seen things go very cross yet then whether you have not had your hearts to shake I remember it 's an Observation that one hath about John Baptist After he was cast into prison he sends two of his Disciples to know whether Christ were the Messias or no They think that though before he was cast into prison he did know that he was so Behold the Lamb of God! but when once he came to sufferings some think that there was some shaking of his Spirit So it is many times with men that when they begin to set upon a way and things do somewhat shine upon them and they have some encouragements outwardly then they go on and are perswaded that it is a right way but when things fall cross that they are like to suffer in that way and the hearts of men are against it and they are like to meet with more evils than ever they made account of then they begin to call things into question And is this the right way Oh! it is a sign that there was much failing in thy heart at first when in the time of outward afflictions thou comest to call into question whether it be the way of God yea or no. It follows VER 14. Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled AS if the Prophet should say you have the Militia on your side and you think you shall be able to drive on your design this your trust is you have all the strength with you but saith he what if there should be seditious tumults within you What if the power of the enemy without you should not come upon you cannot God work your ruin that way that you think not of Oh! how suddenly may God suffer the discontentments of people to break forth into rage and fury so that a tumult should arise among them to make tumults and bring all into a most miserable confusion It 's a great fruit of the wrath of God and a plague upon a City or Country when God shall suffer tumults to arise among them Therefore shall a tumult arise among them as a threatning of Gods severe wrath among these people that were so confident in their way A man may avoid external dangers for his body yea but the distempers within his body may be his death There 's fearful miseries comes upon Cities and Countries when tumults rises and there are these two main things that have been the cause of tumults First Great Oppressions Secondly Engaging numerous parties in matters Controversal These going both together are very dangerous for men they will carry on what they have begun if once they be engaged in it To engage a rude multitude in a business especially if it be controversal it 's a very dangerous thing for they being once engaged we do not know what they may do to pursue and follow their engagements the evil it is inconceivable When the multitude is in a rage they are like to a tiled house that is on fire when houses are on fire in the Citie the great part of the evil is if the flame have gotten to the tiles you cannot come neer the house the tiles flies so about your face so it is in tumults there 's no coming neer to talk to them to convince them but they are ready to fly presently upon you And there are none so cruel as the vilest of people when they are got together in a head men of no blood care not what blood they shed In Prov. 28. 3. A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food When a poor man comes to oppress it 's true Oppressions are great the evil of Tyranny it 's very great but the evil of Tumults is greater than the evil of Tyrannie We see it many times in men that are of mean rank sometimes in those Committees that some of you complain of Now men could bear oppression a great deal more if it were from those that are much above them rather than from those that are their equals or it may be under them in estate and those that are most under men if they come to get power any way they are like to be more oppressing than others we have cause to bless God for delivering of us from tumults in this regard I might shew you most dreadful examples of tumults in stories Josephus he speaks of many for when God was about to destroy the Jews at last by the Romans their utter ruin was prepared by tumults and seditions that were among themselves In his second Book of the Jewish Wars the 11. Chap. he speaks of one Eleazar and Alexander that raised a Tumult and murdered as they went men women and children and so made havock of the Country that the Nobles of Jerusalem were fain to come out cloathed with sackcloath and ashes upon their heads to beseech them that they would have pitie upon their Country and upon their wives and children and the Temple The Nobles with sackcloath and ashes upon their heads came to aswage the rage of this Tumult so grievous was it And I find in his sixt Book and 11. Chap. another story of Tumults and seditious Spirits that they being in some straights for food if there were but any places in the City that had their doors shut up they did suspect there was meat and would presentlie break in and assoon as ever they came in catch whosoever they found by the throat so as to take the meat out of their very mouths that was half chewed they would not stand to ask them whether they had any thing or no but would run and catch them by the throat and pull the meat half chewed out of their mouths and if any of them should let it go down before they could get hold upon their throats they would use them most cruelly