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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77979	An exposition with practical observations continued upon the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of the prophesy of Hosea· Being first delivered in several lectures at Michaels Cornhil London. By Jeremiah Burroughs. Being the fifth book, published by Thomas Goodwyn, William Greenhil, Sydrach Simson William Bridge, John Yates, William Adderly.	Burroughs, Jeremiah, 1599-1646.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.	1650 (1650)	Wing B6070; Thomason E588_1; ESTC R206293	515,009	635

They do to give evident demonstration to the contrary swear lustily and rap out Oaths one after another Oh what horrible opposition unto God and unto the Spirit of Christ is this Christ saith That our light must so shine before men that they seeing o●r good works m●y glorifie our heavenly Father Now they let their wickedness appear before men that they may be known what they are And hereby they give testimony that they can be brought to yeild unto any thing that is the very ground of it they do I say by that give testimony to the other party that they can be brought to yeild unto any thing and that they can serve their turns and this is the reason why willingly they would entertain no other than such as these for if they hear a man swear lustily then they think thus such a man surely either hath no conscience at all and then he is fittest for our turn he will not be a scrupulous fool or if he have a conscience he hath broke his conscience and now his conscience cannot prevail over him therefore now l●t us put upon him what we will if it may sute with his own ends and with his own profit this man will do it but as for your Puritans that are so consciencious we cannot have our own ends by them therefore we will have none of them that is the reason why they do so much hate them and others that they might be entertained by them and give full testimony that they are fit for their turns therefore they will swear Oh how black are mens mouths at this day by their cursed Oaths new execrations newly invented that the world never before heard of Wherefore then though God might ma●e these men as scorpions for a while to scurge us ye● if our spirits were up we need not fear them for certainly they are the people of Gods curse those that are so full of curses in th●ir mouths Thus much for the first I● follows By swearing And Lying These two go together There is no man that makes not conscience of an Oath that can make conscience of a Lye though the world would think to part them and say Oh you will not swear but you will lye but God saith otherwise Swearing and Lying go together those that will swear certainly will lye But for Gods own people God frees them from this sin from lying though the world would cast it upon them for there is no sin more against godliness than lying Isa 63.8 saith God of his people Surely they are my people children that will not lye God engageth himself for his people these are the people that will not lye saith God Are you in profession any of Gods people God doth engage himself for you in this that certainly you will not lye It is said of the Devil that he is a Lyar and the father of lyes And women that carry false tales up and down and are slanderers in Scripture they are called Devils 1 Tim. 3.11 Women must he grave and sober not sl●nderers Diabolus not Devils A women that is a slanderer that carries false tales up and down to the prejudice of her neighbor the Scripture cals that woman by the name of a Devil And the word that signifies Detractor in the Hebrew it is Rachil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and some think our English word Rake-hel comes from that word one that makes no conscience to speak falsly This sin of Lying is the breaking of all society there can be no converse between man and man where this i● Augustine writing to his friend that sent to him to have his Judgement concerning an Officious lye that is a ly that tends not to the hurt of any but of him that tels it he writes back his answer That a man must n●t tell a lye to save the whole world If it were saies he to save thy father or thy mother out of Hell if p●ssibly it could ●e thou must n●t tell a lye if it were to s●ve Kingdoms from destruction th●u must not tell a lye That is his opinion And certainly there is a truth in it for God will never be beholden to the Devil to do good through his means Surely then thou must not tell a lye to gain a groat or to gain a shilling or to gain a good bargain or to prevent the displeasure of thy Master or Mistris but rather willingly open the truth than to think to cover the fault by a lye The ground of that is Atheisme that servants and children when they have done amiss seek to cover it by a lye God is exceedingly displeased with this sin and hath a controversie against a Nation and against a family and against a particular person for this sin of lying and therefore Prov. 6.17 and so on you shall find if you read divers verses together that the Lord saith That six things he hateth yea seven is an abomination unto him now amongst those seven things you shall observe that he repeats lying twice though under seveval terms Prov. 6.17 Opened And that place i● famous that we have in Revel 21.8 that lyars shall have their portion in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone Take that home with you you servants and children and tradesmen that will tell lyes for gain God doth rank and chain up lyars together with notorious sinners that shall all have their portion in the lake of fire and brimstone which is the second death There are none in the world that make such advantage of lying as the Antichristian party doth either to draw a party to themselves or discourage those that are against them inventing all manner of lyes that possibly can be And because they invent so many themselves wh●tsoever is said against them you presently hear in m●lignants mouths That 's a lye they think all men are lyars because they are conscious unto themselves that they themselves are continually so And no mervail that the Antichristian party are so full of lyes for the very Doctrine of Popery take the lump of it it is altogether call'd a lye 2 Thes 2.7 2 Thes 2.7 Expounded God gave men over that did not entertain the truth in the love of it to bele●ve a lye that they might be damned Do you ask the question why so many Learned men Schollers understanding men turn to the Popish party Mark the reason here because they enter●●in'd not the truth in love God gave them over to beleeve a lye A lye what is that that is the Doctrine of Popery So the very quintessence of it it is a lye That being therefore the great lye in the world it must have a company of little lyes as I may say to underprop it to uphold that great Lye of Popery a company of lesser lyes Esa 28.15 they make lyes their refuge It is a text as notable for our times as any I know it shews the practice of our times when they cannot

we should fall in these times yet we shall fall into the bosom of our Father and into the arms of Jesus Christ How much better is it seeing that men are like to fal to take such a course before their fall cometh that when they do fall they may fall soft fall into the bosom of their Father and into the arms of Jesus Christ and not fall in their iniquity And if we fall thus if our fall be not in our iniquity but in the cause of God and rather for our grace than for our iniquity then we may be of more use in our fall than we were in our standing As it is with the Corn simile the Corn that falls into the ground doth fructifie and is of more use when it is fallen than it was when it was in the granary Young men fallen in this war And so many godly men many young ones that are fallen within these two or three yeers but God knows it hath not been in or for their iniquity but in the Cause of God and in the exercise of their graces they are fallen but they are fallen into the arms of God and into the bosom of Christ and they are as fruitful in their fall as they were in their standing for no question but there is much fruit to be reaped from their falls and God hath a plentiful harvest for England that will come out of their falls Judah also shall fall with them Mark Exposit first Ephraim shall fall and then Judah for indeed Ephraim was first in sin the ten Tribes they first forsake the true worship of God and they brought in Judah together with them and the text saith that Judah shall fall with them This is here mentioned to aggravate Ephraims sin and the judgment of it thus Oh this shall lie heavy upon Ephraim one day that not only he hath ruined himself but he hath ruined Judah too he hath brought Judah into his sin and involved him in plagues together with himself From hence the Note is That It is a great aggravation for any one to think what misery be Obs 1 bringeth others into If God do but enlighten any ones conscience it may be Gods hand is upon thee for thy sin This is grievous Oh but together with the sin have not I by my counsel by my example by my countenance brought others into s●n and I have brought them into misery as well as my self It may be there be many in hell at this time that I have holpen thither It is true Gods hand is upon me I am falling and whither I shall fall I know not I see hell open and I may fall into it how ever I am afraid of this that there are some fallen into hell already of whose sin I was the cause and is it possible that I should be preserved out of it must I not follow them and fall thither too when they are already fallen thither through my wickedness You therefore that have been Company-keepers and ringleaders to wickedness and many of your companions are dead and gone without any manifestation of repentance you had need to be throughly humbled Obser 2 Further It is no plea you see for any one to say I will follow the example of others If you will follow the example of others you must perish with others Judah followeth the example of Ephraim and Judah must fall with Ephraim Obs 3 And further If Gods people even Gods people I say if they comply with wicked men Gods people suffer if they sin with others defile themselves with their pollutions they must except to fall with them in outward judgments Judah was the only people God had upon the earth and as Israel is a type of the Apostate Church so is Judah a type of the true Church yet it seems that Judah though the true Church and the only people of God that did preserve the worship of God in the greatest intirenes that was in the world yet I say Judah they did very much comply with Israel and complying with Israel in false worship they must fall with them Come out from amongst them my people lest being partakers of their sins you be partakers of their plagues too And this I make no question is the reason why so many of Gods servan●s fall at this day Use why so many fall in these times they have complied with the times and defiled themselves though we cannot say so of every one of them that fall in this Cause yet it is to be feared in many And it may be though we dare not determin of Gods waies for the thoughts of Gods waies in mercy are higher than our thoughts higher than the Heavens are above the Earth yet we have cause to fear that many if not most of this generation shall fall before God bringeth forth this glorious work of his in saving Zion Chap. 1. 7. and chap. 5. 5. reconcil'd But here is a difficulty In the first Chapter you heard there that God though he threatned Israel yet he saith I will have mercy upon Judah but here he saith Ephraim shall fall and Judah also shall fall with him Now for the reconciling of that we are to know that though Judah fall with Israel yet there shall be a great deal of difference in their falling Israel the ten Tribes shall fall be brought into captivity so as never to return again I mean never to return from their captivity in that way as Judah did Judah was to return again after seventy yeers so Judah fell with them Observ but they fell not as they fell Though the Saints therefore may be scourged with rods yea with scorpions as they are at this day as well as wicked men yet the Lord doth not he will not take his loving kindness from them There is yet one particular more to be observed and it is from the Hebrew particle Gam Judah also shall fall with them and I make no question but the Spirit of God holds forth this Note from it viz. That The falling of the Saints together with wicked men it is of special consideration Observ There is much in it some special matter to be considered of in the falling of Gods people together with the wicked Indeed it is that which in these daies puts us to a stand we admire at the waies of God his judgments are past finding out we must adore them in what we do not understand That the hand of God should be stretched out against wicked ones against such as have corrupted his worship by their own superstitious waies it is no mervail but that so many of his dear Saints so precious in his eyes in all Countries about should suffer such hard things and fall together with the wicked we are at a stand and we know not what it meaneth What Judah fall also with Israel when God had no other people upon the face of the earth surely there is some

He be never so blessed so glorious in himself and worthy of all honor yet so vile is mans heart that it will deal treacherously with God Himself To deal treacherously but with a friend with a fellow creature is an evil but to deal treacherously with the infinite and blessed God is a far greater evil Use When others therefore deal treacherously with you and you are vexed at them and you go to your friends and complain was ever any dealt so with as I am Oh consider how treacherously God is dealt withal in the world Thou thinkest none was ever so dealt with ever so wronged as thou art God is more wronged more contradicted more treacherously dealt withal than ever any was And how many are there that think it a dishonor to them to be suspected to deal treacherously and will often say what deal treacherously with my friend I were not worthy to live if I should yet these men deal treacherously with God every day Thus much for this charge For they have dealt treacherously against the Lord. Next he shews wherein They have begotten strange children Expos That is a further agravation that they have not only sinned themselves but they have sought to propagate their sin and their wickedness For it might otherwise be said It is true Israel hath sinned very grievous against the Lord but may there not be hope of another generation coming on No for they bring up their children in the same way of superstition Idolatry and wickedness that they themselves walk in That is the meaning They have begotten strange children they should beget children unto God but they beget them unto Idols and so this wickedness this treachery against God is propagated from one generation to another there is a succession of it as are the old so are the young When any draw others to evil waies they are said in Scripture to make them children of the Devil to beget them as children of the Devil Mat. 23.15 Ye compass Sea and Land to make one Proselyte and when he is made ye make him twofold more the child of the Devil than your selves you beget him to the Devil So parents first by way of natural generation they beget children to themselves and then by educating their children in waies of wickedness they beget them the second time to the Devil ●eas And they are called strange children because God will not own them they are none of mine saith God they are strangers from me I will have nothing to do with them The words being thus opened the Notes are these Obser First Parents have by God committed to them the charge of their children That is implyed here That is it is their duty to look to beget their children unto God and to take heed that their children be not begotten to the Devil For Ephraim here the ten Tribes are charged that whereas they should have brought forth their children for God and so they should belong to Gods Inheritance and God should have owned them now they beget them to their Idols and they are strange children God certainly doth not give you children to beget them for the Devil and for Hell It should be a sad thing to parents to think here is a child coming from my loyns conceived in my womb and what shall an enemy unto God come out of my loyns shall a firebrand of Hel be conceived in my womb Certainly it should go to the heart of a parent to see his child to be estranged from God though he were not the cause of it But much more when a parent shall come to be convinced this child is thus wicked and ungodly and as he hath received the seed● of his corruption from me at the first so those seeds were nourished up by my example and encouragement I have led him to such wickedness Wo to such parents and such children may even curse the time that they were born of such parents and rather wish they had been of the generation of Dragons and off spring of Vipers than begotten of such parents God when he gives you children expects that you should labour that there may be a succession of godliness in the world that not only you should be godly but that you should bring up your children to be so too Psal 78.5 He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a Law in Israel which ●e commanded our fathers that they should make them Known to their children that the generation to come might Know them even the children which should be born who should arise and declare them to their children This is the way of God He commandeth you to make known His Statutes and Laws to your children that the generation to come might know them and not that you should bring up your children in waies of wickedness and superstition I have read of the Romans Roman Custoro that it was wont to be their way to sue such parents as were not careful of the education of their children The educating of children amiss bid bear an Action amongst the heathen Romans Therefore Cicero inve●gh●ng against Verres hath this expression Quod filium tuum c. You have not only done thus and thus your self saith he but you have educated your son amongst those that were intemperate in riotousness in feasting in drinking amongst wantons and unclean persons and by this means saith he you have not only wronged your child but the Common-wealth Thus he laid his action against him Now how might Heathens shame us in this thing they account those men to deserve punishment not only from God but from men that are not careful of the education of their children There is a great de●● of reason for it and it were very good now that there might be a Law enacted to that purpose upon this ground because the Common-wealth hath a part in the children as well as the parent and the parent not being careful to bring up the child in the fear of God he wrongs the Common-wealth as well as the child therefore to be punished by the Common-wealth The second is this That Obser 2. Children usually are as their parents are and as their education is The parents they were Idolaters they were ungodly and strangers from God their children are so too In many families we see that the father is an enemy unto God and the son an enemy unto God and his son is an enemy unto God and his son after him is an enemy unto God and so there goes a line and a succession of wickedness and profaness and enmity unto God It is usually so Use for those that are well educated Therefore let those children that are born of and brought up under godly parents bless God that they were not born and brought up by wicked parents It may be if thou hadst been born and brought up of Papists thou wouldst have been a Papist thy self If thou hadst been born of one that is a

willing to fully themselves with such vanities as their parents and masters before them did they do begin to know the Lord and to enquire after God Young ones the hope of a Nation And blessed are you of the Lord you are our hope that God intendeth good unto us and that He will not let out the wild beasts to devour us but will rebuke them for your sakes And although perhaps many of these gracious young ones may perish yea many have been slain already in this Cause yet let not others that remain behind be discouraged at it for it is in argument that there is some great and special mercy that God intendeth for us in that He is willing to venture such precious ones for the procuring of that mercy We may well reason so that if so much precious young blood that might have lived to serve God be shed in this Cause if God come to grant unto England mercy He wil grant such mercy as wil be worth al their blood and that mercy must needs be great that shal be worth all the blood of those that are so precious which might have lived to serve God so many years here in this world And seeing God makes use of them it is because the mercy that is to come for the next generation is so precious that indeed such as have defiled themselves with superstitious vanities are like to have no share in it and as they are not like to live to see it so God will not make use of them to prepare that mercy for the next generation But because God hath a love unto the young generation that are godly therefore He hath reserved much mercy for many of them that are like to see and enjoy it and others of them that are not like to see it yet he will be so gracious to them as he will imploy them in making way for that mercy And whether it is better to be made instrumental for the glory of God and the good of another generation or to live to see the fruit of this it is hard to determine Certainly those that in one generation are made so instrumental as to lay the ground work of mercy for another generation they are as happy as that other generation that comes to reap the fruit of their labours and sufferings and those that do come to reap the fruit of their labors shall bless God for them and when they enioy the good and liberty of the Gospel they shall say Oh blessed be God that stirred up such a generation of young ones to shed their blood and now we reap the fruit of it and blessed be God for them they will bless you to all generations Therefore let there be no discouragement to godly young ones though it pleaseth God to cut of many by death in this Cause for God hath some excellent end in it beyond all our reaches Thus much for these words Only one Note more and that is this That Obs God takes it exceeding ill at mens hands that they should corrupt young ones This Note is as full in the words as any other God takes it exceeding ill it is a part of treachery against God for any to be a means to corrupt young ones Take heed what you do in corrupting of young ones Those young people that are coming on and beginning to enquire after godliness take heed what you do that you hinder them not Especially parents and governors Oh let your consciences flie in your faces when you begin to curb them for their forwardness Many times your consciences cannot but misgive you when you think I have been wicked and naught most part of my daies I spent God knows many of my yeers in vanity and profaness here are young ones that begin betime to enquire after God and yet wretch that I am my heart riseth against them And as these people that hinder young ones are to be rebuked so such as seek to corrupt them by false opinions Certainly it is that by which God is much provoked at this day and as on the one side there is hope of mercy in regard so many young ones begin to enquire after God so I know no such dreadful argument of Gods displeasure against this Nation as this That assoon as young ones begin to come to know Jesus Christ there are presently corrupt erro●● infused into them and that under the notion of honoring Christ and free grace and the Gospel so much the more whereas indeed they do no other than infuse principles of libertinisme and loosness and such as will even eat out the heart of godliness Certainly the Lord hath a quarrel against such as corrupt young ones by their false principles for there are none so ready to drink in false principles as young ones especially young converts who begin to enquire after the waies of God and these men that are their corrupters they have this advantage they come not to them to perswade them to profaness but they come to them with seeming pretences of giving honor unto Christ and of magnifying free grace and in the mean time sow seeds in them that will eat out the power of godliness Oh to corrupt children and young ones and when they begin to enquire after God and to know him for you to do that which may estrange them from God this is that which God will have a quarrel against you for And it is a greater argument of Gods displeasure against us A common evil that it is so common and frequent at this day than any one I know there is not any one argument that I know that is a greater discouraging argument to us of Gods displeasure than this thing But so much for those words They have begotten strange children It follows Now shall a month devour them with their portions Expos A month I find Interpreters have a great deal of do about this expression Many think that God aims at one special month and they tell u● of one month in the yeer which answereth to our July that there were many grievous things to befal the Jews in that month in former times and in latter times too as if that were a more Ominous month than any other I will not spend time to speak further of that But there is certainly somewhat else in this expression I find an expression paralel to this in Zech. 11.8 the holy Ghost there speaks of three Shepherds that God will cut off in one month these Idol Shepherds saith he My soul loathed them and their soul also abhorred me I will cut them off in one month There is the most exact description of your superstitious Idol Shepherds even such as we have at this day amongst us in many places saith God My soul loathed them and their soul abhorred me Who do more hate the power of godliness than those kind of men and against whom is the soul of God more than against those kind of men

in the least degree Lastly Because then all services are rejected and God will Reas 7 be no more intreated for them now conscience smites and torments the spirits and al the miseries that come upon them are but the beginning of eternal sorrows and this is a most sad case therefore let us pray with David Psal 6.1 Lord rebuke us not in thy wrath And as the Prophet in Jer. 17.17 Use Be not a terror unto me O Lord. But now because tender consciences are ready to think when God rebukes them or lays any affliction upon them that it is to ruin and destroy them as the Israelites said in Deut. 1.27 Because the Lord hated us therefore he brought us out of Egypt In every strait they were in they conceited God hated them in it though God had done them good so many times And hath not this been the reasonings of our unbeleeving hearts and the murmuring of our spirits in our afflictions Oh take heed of such unbeleeving reasonings they are very much displeasing unto God There is a great difference between the rebukes of God upon the godly and the wicked though perhaps rebuked both in one and the same affliction as the Apothecary breaks Bezar stones to pouder but is very careful of it simile and will not lose the least grain of it So the Lords people even in the fornace are as dear to him have the most experience of Gods love to them then that ever they had Jacob when he lay upon the ground and had the stone for his pillow even then he had that heavenly vision from God But now the question is Quest How shall we know whether those rebukes that are upon us are intended for our good or our hurt our desolation or our restoration It may be known thus If Gods displeasures be such Answ that we find Him more set against our sins than our persons 't is an arument He intends our good not our hurt in His rebukes upon us But you will say This is as difficult as the other How shall we know God aims at our sins and not our persons Thus If His rebukes work us to a humiliation for our sins a resignation of our selves up unto Gods dispose and to accept of the punishment of our iniquities this is an argument God aims at our sins and not at our persons in His rebukes and so in them our good and not our hurt But 't is usual for wicked men in their rebukes to cry out of their sins 't was their sins that brought this upon them But here the difference is thus discerned First They cry out of their sins but per accidence but of the judgement per se as we use to say the judgement troubles them more than their sins the cause of the judgment but the godly cry out of their sin● per se and of the judgment per accidence their sin troubles them Secondly A child of God more desires the sanctification of an affliction than the removing of it but the wicked care not for removing the cause of judgment even sin so the smart the correction may be taken off It follows Expos 1 Among the Tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be Some conceive that these words are spoken as the aggravation of this peoples misery and if so the Notes from them are Obs 1 That God smites not a people with judgment before he w●●ns them off judgment Among the Tribes of Israel have I made known this Obs 2 When God threatens He is real in His threatnings That which shal surely be Ephraim thinks that God intends not him Sinners think that when God warns them he is not in good earnest it shall not be but God saith it shall be God esteems more of His Word than Heaven and Earth besides nay Heaven and Earth shall pass away before the least jot or tittle of it shall fail and cursed be that peace that hath no other ground or foundation than this hope that those things are not true which the Ministers of the Word from the Word threaten against sinners And yet this is the condition of many people which doth mightily provoke God as you may see in Deut. 29.19 20 21. If notwithstanding what is written in this book he bless himself saying He shall have peace the anger of the Lord shall smoke against such a man Oh the bitter aggravating circumstances in this Scripture against such a sinner as this Use Now if God will be so punctual in His threatning word that it shall be made good how much more His promising word for God hath not done so much to make His threatning word good as His promi●ing word For 1. God hath not cal'd such witnesses to His threatning word as to His promising word there are Three in Heaven and Three on Earth who are Witnesses but not to the threatning word sometimes in the general he calls the Heavens to witness to His threatning Hear oh heavens and hearken oh earth I have nourished up a people and they rebel against me 2. To the verifying of a promise there is not only Gods faithfulness but 't is His faithfulness in Christ all the promises are in Him yea and Amen there is in Gods promising word not only His faithfulness but His faithfulness in Christ all the promises are made in Christ so are not the threatnings Judgments have not such immediate relation to Christ 3. More sure because promises are not only Gods Covenant with His people but His Testament and so more sure than a Covenant for a Covenant may be broken on the one party but a Testament cannot it being confirmed by the death of the Testator the promise on our part may be broken but when we look upon them as confirmed by the death of the great Testator Jesus Christ we have stronge consolation as 't is a great evil not to beleeve the threats of God so 't is also a great evil not to credit the promises of God Christians you wonder when wicked men beleeve not Gods threatnings and His judgments to tremble at them Know Oh Christian that not only men but Angels stand and wonder when thou dost not beleeve the promises of God when they be so confirmed that we might beleeve them and walk comfortably The revealing of sin before a judgment comes aggravates Obs 3 both the sin and the judgment the punishment will be so much the heavier it aggravates the sin because then there is the greater contempt against God If a father should desire his child not to do such a thing nay not only desire him but forbid him yea threaten him with punishment if he doth it now if he shall after all this gainsay his fathers will he puts a greater contempt upon his father for now he breaks through hedges and fences which should have kept him in so when God shall forbid yea threaten if we will break out it puts a great contempt upon God 1. The