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
shame to their children 222 Parents must give their children good education 266 Passions Disordered passions cause sad conclusions 284 Peace see Leagues People People give power to Kings 16 Common people follow the great Ones 381 Peace Many while they provide for peace provide for ruin 60 Perplexed Why the wicked are perplexed in the day of the Lords wrath 177 Persevere We ought to persevere in duties though we have no present comfort 428 Plow Wee should plow in hope all our lives 428 Wee must continue plowing 471 Plow-men see Ministers Policy see Reason Pomp see Superstition Popery Popery almost brought in at London 25 Pride There is much pride in dejection 169 Pride is the root of not hearing 295 See Stubborness Prayer Weak prayer may be strong 315 Preservation Gods preservation of us all our daies shewed 245 Princes Princes when they come first to the Crown promise faire 276 Princes are not to be trusted in 338 None so perfidious as Princes 338 Prophane see Idolaters Prosper We may prosper and yet have no cause to joy in it 141 Prosperity Take heed in prosperity 250 Professors Yong Professors should be kept down 308 Why Professors are empty 314 See Yong Question Q Question A Question answered by a Professor 180 Quick-sightedness The quick-sightedness of the enemy comes from the Lord. 20 R Racha The word Racha explained 303 Religion When Arms may be taken for Religion 21 Good acts in Religion may be evil in the doer 77 Religion is a Saints recreation 165 Reason Reason Pollicy and Experience may go one way and yet Gods Word another 85 Redemption see Sabbath Recreation see Religion Reformation Reformation cannot prosper except Justice be established 379 Revelations Revelations besides the Word are dangerous 91 Riches Riches in goods work is the best wealth 321 Righteousness What Righteousness is 479 Rod We must not chuse our sin and rod too 427 Romans see Crucifying Ruin Gods mercy prevents our ruin 67 False worship is the ruin of a Land 159 See Peace Rule A Rule to teach common people how to judge of their Ministers 197 Cautions to the same RULE 198 See Scripture S Sabbath The Sabbath was appointed for Commemoration of our Redemption 110 Saints The Saints prize the Law of God 100 The Saints should sorrow most for sin 151 How the Saints rejoyce in Gods vengeance 175 Saints admonished 219 The Saints should prize the enjoyment of God 251 Satan What Satans great design is 200 Scripture The Scripture is the Rule and the Expositor to understand the Rule 87 The Scripture should be looked upon as particular to our selves 92 Self People stick much at what comes from self 30 Self-denial God requirs self-denial in temporal things 119 Servants Great is the danger of servants at their own hand 54 Servants to great men exhorted 277 Service To be employed in publick Service is the making of a man 123 Service-book Service-book and Altars all some mens Religion 387 Sin God knows how to make use of mens sins 22 A man may commit the sin against the holy Ghost and yet continue in Duties 115 God remembers the sin of wicked men when they perform holy duties and why 122 See Altars Rod. Signs Signs of much wrath 126 Sound see Threatning Smiting Smiting with the Pen is worse than smiting with the Sword 281 Sinner God may damn a lesser sinner and save a greater sinner 152 Soul The Excellency of the Soulâ—â— 33 Soldiers Soldiers are Gods Priests 174 Sorrow see Lumpish Spirit The Spirit of God forsaw this generation 114 States States may judg of the right of a Kingdom 2â— Stubborness Stubborness is the fruit of pride 53 Strong Strong places are not to be trusted in 132 Success Sometimes God gives success in judgment 421 Succession Succession ads to Idolatry 80 Superstition How it was superstition in the Israelites to build temples 130 Who mourns most for superstition 391 Why carnal men contend for superstition 490 Superstitious Superstitious men regard outward pomp 27 A note to the Superstitious 204 Superstitious children admonished 258 Sword see Smiting T Taxes Taxes upon mens estates are but mean burdens 66 Teachers Teachers establish worship 84 Temple see Superstition Threatning The threatning of God is a terrible sound 3 Men should be sensible of the threatnings of God 68 Distance of time in commandements and threatnings is not to be heeded 80 Trumpet see Luther Themistocles The saying of Themistocles at his death Thoughts The shifting thoughts of carnal hearts in time of danger 181 Time Evil timâ— are good times to die in 265 Time for England to seek God 477 See Threatning V Vanity Scripture expressions of the vanity of great persons 403 Vessels Gods grace to the vessels of mercy 49 Vile Vile things are many times hid under glorious titles 191 Vileness see Diffidence Villany The villany of malicious Commanders against the Godly 257 Vine The fruitfulness of Vines 300 The Church compared to a Vine ibid. See Emptiness Unclean Why Mourners for the dead were so long uncleane 167 Use Use for the afflicted 440 W Waies see Follow Wealth Wealth is wicked mens glory 223 Wicked men Wicked men are as Eagles in their rage 5 Wicked men first serve their turns of the godly and then scorn them 47 Wicked men are wild upon their lusts 52 Wicked men are contemptible 53 See Perplexity Wind Who they are that sow the wind 37 Ministers must beware they sow not the wind 41 Rules how ib. See God Wine Wine in sacrifices what it signified 162 Wil-worship Will-worship an empty thing 303 Work see Ministers Works see Good Word It is a singular blessing to have the written Word 88 By whom the Word is counted strange 105 World see Christ Worship Gods Worship is an excellent thing 12 Gods Worship is cast off by carnal hearts ibid. Gods Worship must not be imitated 110 The Worship of God is a great matter 104 True Worship must be mourned after 388 See False and Invention Wrath The wrath of God is many times executed in answering our desires 150 The wrath of God called Wine and why 174 See Signs Writers see Men Y Yoke Christ's yoke easier than the yoke of the enemy 436 Young Young Professors their danger 45 Young Professors should be kept down 308 See Vine Young ones Young ones exhorted 214 Young ones the hope of a Nation Youth Youths sins are Ages terrors 121 FINIS 1. Text. 2. Apptic by paraphrase Obs 1 Luther called the trumpet of rebellion simile Pliny Why crucifying on a tree was so hateful to the Romans Expos 3. Obser 2. The paraphrase Obs 3. Luther Author The Assyrians Army why an Eagle Why the Eagle was unclean under the Law Obs Goâ— accepts not Eagles but Doves Obs 1. Gualt Applied to England Obs 2 Obs 3. Luther Author Obs 1. Obs 2. A true Church Use 'T is good dwelling in Gods house Ps 26. 8. explained Officers of the Church Obs 3. The good of Christians depends upon the Covenant
VERSE IX Opened 418 Obs 1 To comit the same sins our ancestors did is greater than theirs was 419 Obs 2 God takes it ill when those whom he hath used to punish others for sin commit the same sins themselves ib Obs 3 Children of iniquity may escape once and again 423 VERSE X Expounded 425 Obs 1 When God hath a mind to bring about a thing he will gather a people 427 Obs 2 God will chuse his rod he will scourg us with ib. VERSE XI Obs 1 Such as are divided in prosperity shall be bound together in bondage 430 Obs 2 It is a sign of a carnal heart to avoid any work God cals to because it is difficult 431 Obs 3 Hypocrites are content with such services as bring present comfort ib. Obs 4 It is a sign of a carnal heart to seek present accommodation 432 Obs 5 God looks with indignation upon such as mind nothing but ease and delicacy 455 Obs 6 It is an honor for men to go thorough difficultiâ—s for God 439 Obs 7 Let no men boast they live more at ease than others ib. Use Comfort for the afflicted Obs 8. Those that for sake the true Worship of God 't is well if they come into the meanest condition among Gods People 441 VERSE XII Obs 1. Though the sins of people be great and judgments near we know not what an exhortation may do 441 Obs 2 The actions of men are seeds 445 Obs 3 They shal come up in the same kind ib. Obs 4 The seed lies in the ground rotting a while yet afterwards comes up ib. Obs 5 The seed sowen comes up through the blessing of God upon it ib. Obs 6. The better the seed is the longer it lies under ground 446 Obs 7 The Ministers of God are sowers ib. Obs 8 Large oportunities of doing service for God should be our riches ib. Obs 9 It is not every seed will serve the turn 447 Obs 10 As a man sows so shall he reap 450 Use Let the Saints set a price upon the actions of Righteousness 451 Obs 11 God will give abundantly above our good works 455 Obs 12 The hearts of men naturally are fallow grounds 456 Obs 13 It is high time to seek the LORD 474 Reasons 1 God hath been a long time patient ib. 2 Mercy is even going ib. 3 It is an acceptable time ib. Obs 14 It is time for England to seek God 478 Obs 15 God will come to sow Righteousnes in time 480 Obs 16 Sometimes God doth not presently rain Righteousness upon his people that sow it 481 Obs 17 Those that seek aright will continue seeking till God comes ib. Motives to continue seeking 1. Thou art doing thy duty 482 2. Thou canst not do better ib. 3. While you are waiting God is working good ib. 4. While thou art seeking thou art not without some dews 483 5. When he comes he will come more fully ib. Obs 18 To those that are content to seek God till he comes he will come with plentiful showers 484 Obs 19 The help of those that seek God is from Heaven 485 Obs 20 When God comes he makes his people fruitful ib. Obs 21 God comes in righteousness to them that seek him 486 Obs 22 Though the good we do be our own good yet God rewards us as though he got by it ib. VERSE XIII Obs 1 The fruits of false worship is the encrease of sin 490 Obs 2 A man is ready to trust in his own way 492 Use What a shame is it Saints should not trust in Gods way 495 Obs 3 When great men go along with Religion men think it must needs be right 497 Obs 4 Great Armies are the confidence of carnal hearts 498 Use Examine what your confidence is 499 VERSE XIV Obs 1 Tumults are a token of great wrath of God 500 Obs 2 Pollicy will not prevail if God be against us 507 Obs 3. Great is the rage of war if God let it out 508 Obs 4 The sins of parents many times comes upon little ones ib. Obs 5. The judgments of God when neer us should awaken us 509 VERS XV. Obs 1 Miserable judgments many times arise from causes we little think of 510 Obs 2 From places of Idolatry come the greatest evils to a Kingdom ib. Obs 3. False worship is the great sin God is provoked against a Nation for 511 Obs 4. God takes notice not only of mens sins but their aggravations ib. Obs 5. According to the greatness of sin is the greatness of wrath 512 Obs 6 When people have some enlightening then Gods displeasure breaks out upon them 514 Vse for England ib. Obs 7 God loves to draw forth great sinners to the light 516 Obs 8 God will make quick work with great sinners ib. The Names of several Books printed by Peter Cole at the sign of the Printing-Press in Cornhil by the Exchange in LONDON A PHYSICAL DIRECTORY or a Translation of the London DISPENSATORY Whereunto is added The Vertues of the Simples and Compounds And in the second Edition are 784. Additions the general heads whereof are these Viz. 1 The Dose or quantity to be taken at one time and Use both of Simples and Compounds 2 The Method of ordering the Body after sweating and purging Medicines 3 Cautions to all ignorant people upon all Simples and Compounds that are dangerous With many Additions in every Page marked with the letter A. Five Books of M r Jer. Burroughs lately published As also the Texts of Scripture upon which they are grounded VIZ. 1. The rare Jewel of Christian Contentment on Phil. 4. 11. Wherein is shewed 1 What Contentment is 2 It is an holy Art and Mysterie 3 The Excellencies of it 4 The Evil of the contrary sin of Murmuring and the Aggravations of it 2. Gospel-Worship on Levit. 10. 3. Wherein is shewed 1 The right maÌ„ner of the Worship of God in general and particularly in Hearing the Word Receiving the Lords Supper and Prayer 3. Gospel Conversation on Phil. 1. 27. Wherein is shewed 1 That the Conversations of Beleevers must be above what could be by the light of Nature 2 Beyond those that lived under the Law 3 And sutable to what Truths the Gospel holds forth To which is added The Misery of those men that have their Portion in tbis life on Psalm 17. 14. 4. A Treatise of Earthly-mindedness Wherein is shewed 1 What Earthly-mindedness is 2 The great Evil thereof on Phil. 3. part of the 19. vers Also to the same Book is joyned a Treatise of Heavenly mindedness and walking with God on Gen. 5. 24. and on Phil. 3. 20. 5. An Exposition with Practical Observations on the 4 th 5 th 6 th 7 th Chapters of the Prophesie of Hosea Twelve several Books of M r Will. Bridge collected into one Volumâ— VIZ. 1. The great Gospel-Mysterie of the Saints Comfort and Holiness opened and applied from Christs Priestly Office 2. Satans power to tempt and Christs love to and care of
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
in their speaking and in their writing I have written And I have written to him the great things of my Law From this manner of Phrase first we are to note this That we should look upon the Scripture as concerning our selves Here 's a letter written to you and you and you every man and woman therefore it is in the singular number every man woman must look upon the Scripture as written to him or her particularly God writes to thee he hath written a letter to thee that thou shouldest not commit Adultry nor swear nor steal and that thou shouldest keep the Sabbath and that thou shouldest not lye and that thou shouldest reverence him and love him and fear him and all such kind of rules that God from Heaven hath written to thee and it is a mervailous help to obedience and to awaken mens consciences when they apprehend them written to them Psal 119. 105. Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a light unto my paths It is not a light that I see at a distanc a great way off but as a light that is held to my feet that I make use of for the ordering of mine own steps Many there are that seem to rejoyce in the Word of God as a light to reveal Truths unto them for matter of discourse but they make it not as a light to their feet and a lanthorn to their steps as applying it to themselves and it follows I have sworn and will perform it That I will keep thy righteous judgments I have look'd upon thy Word as a Lanthorn to my feet as a thing meerly concerning me and then I have sworn and I will perform I have sworn that I will keep thy righteous judgments It 's a mighty means to stir up a mans spirit and quicken him up to obedience to look upon the Word as written to himself As thus when you come to hear out of Gods Word and God directs the Minister so that you apprehend it as spoken to you it will stir and awaken you Oh me thought this day every word the Minister spake it was to me And so every word in the Scripture that concerns thee God writes to thee and conceive it so and it will be a mighty means to stir thee up to obedience As if a man be asleep a great noise will not waken him so soon as if you call him by his name John Thomas c. So when the Word of God comes as to our selves in particular it 's a mighty means to stir the heart Again I have written to him To those that were the People of God though the Word concerns all men yet it is written to the Church in a more especial manner As you find in the Revelations all the Epistles were written to the Churches and indeed all the Word of God is in a more peculiar manner written to the Church there are some things concerning all mankind but that which God Aims at in a more especial manner it is to the Church first to the Church of the Jews they had that great priviledg that the Orracles of God were committed to them in Rom. 3. 2. when the Apostle had taken them off from resting in many of their outward priviledges he brings an Objection But then may some say What advantage hath the Jew He answers much every way chiefly because to them were committed the Oracles of God in this thing they had much advantage of all people in the world that to them were committed the Oracles of God God gave Jacob his Law it was the Inheritance of his people it is written to them to them is committed the Oracles of God and this is a great honor which God puts upon his Saints God makes his Church to be the Keeper of his Records the Court of Rolls as it were the Church is as it were the Court of Rolls and the great Records of Heaven God commits to his Church and therfore they should look to it that it be kept faithfully that there be no corrupting it for then they do falsifie their trust Shee hath the keeping of Scripture but gives no Authority to Scripture in John 5. 47. saith Christ there If ye beleeve not Moses writings how can ye beleeve my words Mark Christ would have the Authority of his words much to be strengthened by the writings that were before in Scripture If ye beleeve not his writings how can ye beleeve my words But now the Papists will say If ye beleeve not our words how can ye beleeve their writings quite the other way they will take upon them more than Christ Christ saith If ye beleeve not his writings how can ye beleeve my words Say they If ye beleeve not our words how can ye beleeve their writings For they take the Authority of the writing of Scripture to depend upon their words It is written to the Church and committed to the Church but the Authority comes not from the Church It follows I have written the great things of my Law By Law here we are to understand â—he whol Word of God and not in way of distinction of Law and Gospel but the whol Word of God and so the word signifies it comes from one signifying teaching the Law is a Doctrine that is taught and so though sometimes it may be distinguished from some other parts of Scripture yet now we are to understand the whol mind of God in his Word when you reade in Psal 119. how David loved Gods Law it is not the ten Commandements but the mind of God revealed in his Word The great things of my Law The Old Latin hath it the many Laws and the words in the Hebrew seems a little to favor the multiplicity of my Laws And then it should argue these two things First That the Word is full and perfect that we have rules for every thing that concerns the ordination of our lives to God in his Word there 's a multiplicity of Laws and Rules for all our waies Secondly That there are manifold excellencies in Gods Law as the manifold wisdom of God is in Christ so the manifold excellencies of God are kept up together in the Word of God The Seventy translates the word the Fulness or Multitude and according to that Tertullian hath an expression I adore the fulness of the Scripture Oh the multitude of excellent things there are there and the fulness that there is there I find divers turn this word by many words that have excellent significations in them and indeed the Hebrew word wil bear many expressions of it Some the Precious thing the Magnificent thing the Excellent thing the Honorable things of my Law as in Acts 2. 11. they spake the wonderful things of God it is more than the great things the magnificent great things of God Now the things of the Word they are glorious and honorable and very great they are to
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
so as you shall acknowledg a special hand of God even in their going But here specially the Jews did account it a great misery to die out of their own Land Buxtorfious in his book called the Jewish Synagogue relates such a Tradition that the Jews have They do beleeve that the Resurrection at the great day shall be at Jerusalem of the Jews that wheresoever any of the Jews have lived and died yet they shall rise up at Jerusalem therefore when many of them that lived a great way off did begin to grow old they would leave their station and go as neer to Jerusalem as they could for this is their Tradition that their bodies shall come through passages of the earth all along to Jerusalem and that they may prevent the trouble of coming so far under the ground therefore they remove their dwelling to dwell neer Jerusalem And this is the vanity of spirit that they are left unto But though that be a vanitie yet certainlie it 's an affliction to anie to be out of their own Countrie and there to live and die but if it be a great evil to flie from ones own Countrie for fear of destruction and to have the place they fly 〈◊〉 be made as their grave what a great evil is it then for men meerlie out of love for advantage to leave places where before they did or might enjoy communion with the Saints to leave the Ordinances of God to go into other places among Papists and Heatheâ—s where they cannot have the freedom of Gods Worship Now such as these are should find these places to be labyrinths of miserable perplexity to them it is just with God it should be so seeing they out of love to gain would thus venture themselves and therefore let men take heed of this how they go upon any private respects from places were Gods Worship may be had to places where they cannot enjoy it It follows The pleasant places for their Silver Nettles shall possess them Thornes shall be in their Tabernacles The word that is translated pleasant places for Silver it is the desire of their silver First It may have reference to this to their furniture of silver that nettles shall grow where they wear their fine silver things their fine Cupbords of plate and houshold stuff that they did take so much delight in as in Lament 1. 7. Jerusalem remembred in the daies of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the daies of old Mark but these two things from this text Jerusalem in the daies of her affliction and miserie My Brethren there may be daies of affliction and yet no daies of miserie the Saints may meet with daies of afflictions but not of misery the wicked when they meet with daies of affliction they meet with daies of misery but the thing I note that text for is this They shall remember all the pleasant things that they had Oh! they shall think then what fine Cupbords of plate they were wont to have and all their fine things so here here 's a threatning that there should nettles grow in the very place where their fine houshold stuff stood such a place of the house where such a fine Cupbord of plate was all shall be so demolished that perhaps Nettles and Thorns shall grow there And then secondly The places where they hid their Silver as you know in times of War men will hide their Silver and they think they may come back again and have them but saith God you shall go far enough from them and I make no question but another Generation may find treasures of silver in the Countries in the midst of Nettle bushes and Thorn bushes Thirdly It is their delightful houses adorned with silver that were so glorious to their eyes al now is gone saith God and Nettles and Thorns shall grow up they shall Inherit so the word is you hope to leave these brave houses to your children to inherit but now saith God I have other Heirs for your houses than your children I have Thorns and Nettles to inherit them for so the word is in the Hebrew They shall inherit It 's a lamentable spectacle to see places where fair buildings have been that now Nettles and Thorns should grow as it is like to be if these Wars hold in divers places of this Kingdom that was the complaint heretofore of Troy There was Corn grew where once Troy was it was made a plowed field but to have Nettles grow it is worse for where the plow goes there are inhabitants but where Nettles and Thorns are that 's a desolate wilderness Travellers tell us that in manie places of Germany when they go by where brave buildings were there 's nothing now but bushes and nettles the Lord deliver us from such a heavy stroke as this is this is threatned in Isa 32. 13. Vpon the Land of my people shall come up bryâ—rs and thorns yea upon all the houses of joy in the joyous City Would it not be a sad spectacle to see such a City as this to have the buildings overthrown and to have Nettles and thorns in your fairest streets come up yet sin is such a ruinous thing as this And then in Isa 34. 13. Thorns shall come up in her Palaces Nettles and Brambles in the Fortresses thereof and it shall be a habitation for Dragons and a Court for Owls the Owls they shal keep Court there In our Courts we know what abundance of sin was there now the Owls shall keep Court there instead of these Courtiers that lived so bravely there formerly Oh my Brethren sin is a leprosie that infects the doors of our houses there 's a notable story in 2 King 25. 9. it said of Nebuchadnezzar That he burnt the House of the Lord and the Kings house and all the houses of Jerusalem and every gâ—eat mans house burnt be with fire There is a great deal of sin committed in great mens houses and at this day how have the great men of the Land almost in all places shewed a spirit of Malignity against the work of Reformation Oh how just with God is it that the houses of these great men should sâ—ffer this that here is threatned in my text and manie of them have been spoiled already and if God give them not hearts speedily to see the evil of their waies it 's very probable that within a few years this text of mine may be fulfilled upon them They shall possess them It may be they think though the War did keep us from our houses a while nay though they should be broken down yet our Lands will hold they cannot take away them Nay saith God flatter not your selves with thinking to come to it again for you shall never come to them for Nettles and Thorns shall possess it And thus we have done with the sixth Verse but
is a Curse that one should sow and another reap it is God that sows and shall the flesh reap now and shall the Devil reap Oh! let not these sweet fruits especially the fruit of enlargement in prayer and the fruit of abilities to do God service in any publick work Oh! take heed that this be not for your selves do not you take in the glory to your selves Oh! but let this fruit be for your beloved at any time when you find your hearts most fruitful graces most fully exercised Oh think thus I will lay up this for my beloved I will lay the experiences of the goodness of God unto me that may â—it me to glorifie God more than heretofore Oh that 's sweet indeed when God comes in with fruit and we lay it up for our beloved God he is to have all our fruit you shall observe in Cant. 8. that Solomon let out his Vinyard and mâ—rk in letting out his Vinyard he must have a thousand pieces of silver and the Husbandmen must have two hundred if God doth afford to us some wages for what we do let not us take the greater part unto our selves let Solomon have the thousand and let us be contented if we may have two hundred but ordinarily we take the greater sum and return the less to God in any fruit but if you observe the 12. verse the difference between Solomons Vinyard and Christs Vinyard Solomon let out his Vinyard But my Vinyard which is mine and there is noted this difference That Jesus Christ he takes the care of his own Vinyard he doth not let it out And therefore if we have any thing we must not have it so much for our wages as free gift for Christ doth not let out his Vinyard as Solomon did but he keeps it and dresses it himself and therfore it is fit that he should have all the fruit In Isa 61. 3. That they might be called trees of Righteousness the Planting of the Lord that he might be glorified Such should the Saints be they should bring forth fruits unto God And in Philip. 1. 11. Being filled with the fruits of Righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God So should the Saints be and all the fruits they bear But Carnal hearts they aim at themselves all that they do they act from a principle within themselves and no further and therefore they cannot go beyond themselves It 's an argument that all thou doest hath a principle not higher than self when thou actest for thy self whereas the principle that the Saints act by it is the principle of Grace that comes from Heaven and therefore it carries unto heaven as the water is carried as high as the Fountain from whence it comes A selvish heart is a narrow heart but a gracious heart is a heart enlarged it enlarges its self to infiniteness and that 's the property of Grace though it cannot be infinite yet it is enlarged to infiniteness Those that work for themselves the truth is they lose themselves in their working and lose all their fruit it is thy worst self that thou aimest at there is a kind of selvishness that we may aim at that is if we can make God to be our own end our happiness as the Saints do no men in the world do more for themselves than the Saints yea but how because they make more of their own good to be in God than themselves and they make themselves to be more in God than in themselves and therefore they have themselves more than any but they have themselves in God and no men looses themselves more than those that seek themselves most He that will lose his life shall save it those that will aim at themselves what is that but a little money and credit and esteem of men Oh poor base vile heart hast thou nothing else but this when as all the Glory that is in God Himself may be thy portion and thy self may be in it that if God Himself be happy thou maiest be happy because God Himself may come to be thy portion and is not that a better self to be emptied into God but therein thou darest not trust God nor thy self to empty thy self into God but certainly that is the way to enjoy thy self Every man cares for his own saith the Apostle but no man for the things of Jesus Christ Oh! this selvishness it is vile at all times but never so vile as at this time for men to look and aim at themselves especially for men that are in publick places now to be selvish is the most abominable and the most foolish thing in the world for Mariners in the time of a calm then they may look to their several Cabins but in the time of a storm then to be painting and making fine their Cabins how do they deserve to be pull'd out by the ears and to be cast into the Sea that shall then be looking to their own Cabins What is your joy more than the joy of others and what are you that you must have ease and content more than others In such times as these are if ever God calls us to be emptied from our selves certainly it is in such times as these are But the main Note is That it 's all one to be an empty Christian and to bring forth fruit to themselves Men think that which they bring forth to themselves is cleer gain but this is an infinite mistake for that which is for thy self is lost and that which is for God is gain'd Professors that are selvish are empty Many of you complain of emptiness and unfruitfulness here 's the reason You are so selvish that prayer is an empty prayer though never so full of words and excellent expressions whose end is self many of the Saints in joyning with such they find their prayers to be such though there be excellent words because they see selvishness men that aim at selvishness they had need be cunning to keep it from being seen let self be seen in a duty though it be never so glorious outwardly yet it is loathsom in the eyes of the very Saints let but a man appear to affected with himself in what he doth with the tone of his voice or carriage or gesture any thing affected we know how abominable it is in the eyes of all And so for Sermons where they are selvish certainly they are empty things and so I might instance in every other thing that men do the fulness of the Spirit in a PRAYER or SERMON or any other Duty it is the seeking to lift up the NAME of the Blessed GOD in the duty that 's the fulness of it many that are of weak parts very poor abilities to exercise themselves yet their hearts being upon God in a duty Oh! there 's a fulness in that duty there 's more in that weak expression
men those who fear God can say What shal a King what shall men what Devils do against us But other men in their straights what shall they do for us We are in a distressed condition and what shall they do for us But the People of God are never in such a distressed condition but they are able to say What shall Men or Devils be able to do against us for God is our Protector Again sixtly The more stoutness and sinfulness and creature-confidence there is in any the more do their hearts sink in desperation when they come to be crost in their hopes They were very stout and full of creature confidence before they were brought into misery and now what low sordid spirits have they now they sink in desperation There 's no men and women have their hearts sink in desperation more than those that in ruff of their pride are the most bold and presumptuous against God and his Servants Again What shall a King do to us Their hearts sink in regard of any hopes that they have from their King But yet you reade nothing of their hearts being set upon God and mourning and working towards God when they are taken from the creature they say not thus Now we see our vain confidence in our King and what hopes we had of preferment in him God hath crost us well we will go and seek to make the King of Heaven to be our portion No there 's no such thing comes from them as this A Carnal heart when it is knockt off of creature confidence and sinks in desperation in regard of the creature it doth not take advantage upon this To have the heart work after God so much the more but there it lies sullen sinking it hath no interest in God and cannot go to him to make up what it wants in the creature But it is otherwise with a gracious heart that acknowledges the hand of God hath taken off my confidence in the creature yea but I hope it is in mercy to my soul that my heart might have the more confidence in God and that God might have the more glory from me and therefore I hope that this taking off my heart from the creature will for ever unite my heart more to the Lord than ever heretofore it hath been Yea this is a gracious work indeed when the heart is taken off from creature confidence and brought neerer unto the Lord. And thus much for the third Verse It follows VER 4. They have spoken words THEY are convinced of their sin that they have not feared God they cry out of their misery what shall a King do to them But mark what follows this follows upon it they were not gain'd to God ever a whit the more But they have spoken Words swearing falsly in making a Covenant When they are taken off from their hopes one way see how they set upon another Luther upon those words saith it 's an Hebraism they have anxiously consulted It 's the way of the Hebrews so to express an anxious consultation and for that he quotes that place in Isa 8. 10. Take counsel together and it shall come to naught c. So then the meaning would be this They have spoken Words That is they get together and contrive one with another what they shall do in such a case as this how they may any way help themselves As we reade sometimes of the People of God in Malac. 3. 16. those that feared God met one with another and spake together so these wicked wretches that were thus disappointed of their hopes they met together and spake one to another some such kind of word as these Our Case is very sad Oh! who would have thought such things should have befallen us We are as much crost of our hopes as ever any men were we made account we should have over run them and they would have been but as bread unto us we should have made a prey upon them and all their estates would have been ours long before this time Oh but now those Prophets that told us that God was against us those Ministers that encouraged people in the Name of God and those people that were different from us now we see that their words are fulfilled and what they thought would come is now come upon us now it 's come to pass what such precise ones among us whose consciences would not submit to our waies the way of our King said surely they cannot but look upon us as a most wretched miserable forsaken people now we are like to lose our Houses Estates Honors and all those delightful things that we hoped to have had we shall lose all those things that we hoped might have made our lives to have been brave and prosperous and merry and jocund Oh! what shall we do in such a distressed state as this We had almost as good die as to endure such a miserable life as we are like to live to be at the mercy of such men whom we know scorn us and hate us Is there no way to help our selves cannot we get some or other to joyn with us cannot we call in no help from any strangers no matter what we yield to them in Thus they toss up and down and wrig up and down not knowing what in the world to do in their conference Or thus May we not yet possibly make up some peace though we be in this distressed coudition Whatsoever propositions they shall profer to us we will rather than fail yield to them all we may perhaps get some advantage hereafter â—r be in some means in a better case to revenge our selves than now we are If they will have us take the COVENANT nothing else will satisfie them we will do it and when we have taken it perhaps they may put some of us in places of trust and so we may privately work about our own ends that way and drive on our own designs that way better than in any hostile way and if together with their Covenant they will have Oaths we will take them too and if we cannot agree to their Oaths or Covenant hereafter we will say we were forced to it and therefore they do not bind us Some such kind of communication it 's like they had And could you hear the communication of our Adversaries when they get together in those straights that God hath brought them into it 's like you would hear some such kind of stuff as this is they spake these words one to another They have spoken Words According to others thus They spake words that is those speaking words hath reference to the times of the Prophets threatning or when they saw their danger eminent and not fully upon them so some carry it and I find the Chaldee Paraphrase hath it thus They spake violent words and then the sense is thus they rage and fret they speak
proud swelling words they swear and curse for so the curse in swearing signifies cursing as well as swearing they swear and curse what our Images be broken down what shall we be brought under and made to serve our enemies We scorn it we defie all that shall have such a thought as this is we will do this and that we will have our minds we will die for it else we will enter into Leagues with such and such we will get such and such to conjure together with us I 'le warrant you we shall make our party thus and thus thus they speak great things that they will do yea that they will thus they speak words in making a Covenant with Oaths of Vanity so you may reade it And indeed if men could prevail with great Words and daring Expressions and bold Resolutions and desperate Oaths and wicked Curses then may some hope to prevail against the God of Heaven and his Saints but saith he These things shall do them no good And indeed these things should never move us though we hear our Adversaries speak proud swelling words and say what they will do threaten Monsterous things let us not be troubled at it for they do but hasten the Wrath of God against themselves In the mean time while they are swearing and cursing and making brags and boast what they will do the counsels of the Lord they work their ruin and work the good of his people they spake words such kind of Words They speak words swaring falsely in making a Covenant What hath this reference to What Covenant did they make And wherein did they swear falsely Some think it hath reference to the Covenant that the People did make with Jeroboam at the first and so with his Successors that is thus The People came to him and took their Oaths and entred into solemn League that they would stand by him in the breach that he made from the house of David that they would stand by him in opposing those that would not yeeld to him in the Alteration of Worship For their Princes would not probably have been so strongly set upon the Alteration of the waies of Worship had not the People joyned themselves freely to him by way of Oaths and Covenant now when he saw that the People came in floking and willing to yeeld to the Oath which he would give them upon this he was confirm'd in the way that he went in and so they took Oaths in Covenanting with Jeroboam which were but Oaths of vanity for so the same word that signifies False signifies Vain in the Hebrew tongue so I find Arias Montanus and Vatablus take the words as having reference to that But now others and that more probably understand this Covenant and Swearing to be the Covenant that they took with the Assyrians and with the Egyptians the story of which you have in the fornamed place in 2 King 17. Hoshea sent Messengers to So King of Egypt and brought no present to the King of Assyria as he had done year by year First he had Covenanted with the King of Assyria and that was broke and then they would Covenant with So King of Egypt and so they swore falsely in in making a Covenant with the Assyrians and the Egyptians Now the Observations are That Carnal hearts in their straights have no God to go to therefore they take shifting courses As a Dog that hath lost his Master will follow after any for relief And secondly It 's an evil thing in straights for men that profess Religion to combine with wicked men God professed he will not take the wicked by the hand neither should we it 's a sign the cause is evil when men can have no other help but by combining with wicked and ungodly men Just thus it is for all the world with our adversaries at this day to the Parliament all men generally that have any profession of Godliness they see they cannot have help that way therefore combine and bring into Covenant Irish Rebels Papists any People in the world If it were Turks or Jews or any in the world to help themselves withal this is the wickedness of mens hearts And then thirdly There is no trust to be had to wicked men in their Oaths and Covenants let their Protestations be never so solemn their Oaths their Covenants it is but only to gain time to work about some advantage that they cannot work about for the present while they have any opposition If they have not things under their power as they desire they will promise you any thing in the world but when once they come to get power in their hands then who shall require the fulfilling of their Promises their Oaths their Covenants And therefore certainly when we have to deal with those that we have had experience to be false we must ever retain this conclusion except we see an apparent change in their hearts for that 's not enough that they are willing to take Covenants that 's no new thing but till we see that God hath wrought some mighty work upon their hearts we must carry this conclusion Certainly if they can they will ruin us therefore our condition cannot be safe but to be so as they can do us no hurt That 's the third Note And then the fourth is this That Breaking Covenant though with wicked men is a very great wickedness God will be revenged for it I have heretofore spoken of falseness and falseness in Covenant and Promises and shewen you the example of Saul and Zedekiah therefore I shall not look back to those things God loves humane societies which cannot be preserved but by faithfulness Faithfulness it 's the speech of a Heathen it 's the common safety of all men I remember I have read of the Romans that they did so esteem of Faithfulness by the light of Nature in Covenants that they accounted Faithfulness to be a Godess and they built and dedicated a Temple unto fidelity as to a Godess in which Temple all their Leagues Truces Covenants and Bargains were sworn which were so Religiously observed that whosoever broke them was to be held as a cursed and damned creature unworthy to live in humane societies And the Egyptians would punish Perjury with death Among the Indians the fingers and toes of Perjured persons were cut off And I have likewise reade when Tissaphernes the Persian warred against the Grecians he broke Covenant with the Grecians Now Agesilaus when he saw that they had broke their Covenant he rejoyced at it greatly saying thus For saith he by this means he hath made the gods to be his enemy and our friend wherefore let us boldly give him battel We know how our enemies have broken their Covenants from time to time and their Conditions that they have made themselves yea even lately in that Town that we hear such good of now
for the merciful God that delights so much in doing of mercy yet now to look upon a sinner under his wrath and delights in it and loves it and is wel pleased to see the creature even the work of his own hands to be under his wrath Hereafter there will be pure Justice God wil delight in the destruction of sinners in Hell in the execution of his Justice upon them he wil there do nothing else but rejoyce in it there shal be nothing but joy in Gods heart to see the execution of his Justice upon sinners to all eternity yea and God will call all the Angels and Saints to come to rejoyce with him Come ye Angels and Saints and rejoyce with me here 's a wretched sinner that was stubborn rebellious against me in the time of his life and see how my Power hath overtaken him see the dreadfulness of my wrath come and rejoyce with me for ever in this wrath of mine This will be the condition of sinners eternally in Hell Consider this you that have a desire to sin a mind to sin to delight in sin that are comforted in sin Is it in your will to sin It is Gods will to punish Can you rejoyce in sin God can rejoyce in the execution of his wrath Are you resolute upon your sin God can be resolute in the waies of his wrath When God chastises his Servants for their infirmities he doth it as a thing he hath no mind at all to and therefore saith the Apostle If need be we fall into many temptations and it is but seeming grievous And himself is afflicted in all their afflictions David would have Joab go against Absolom but saith he Use the young man kindly for my sake So when God doth chastise his Servants he sends an affliction Go saith he and scourge such an one yea but use him kindly for my sake for all that The bowels of David did yern towards Absolom even when he sent Joab to fight against him So the bowels of God do yern towards his People when he sends afflictions upon them But when he comes to deal with wicked and ungodly men I wil do it to purpose saith God I wil delight in it I will be comforted in it it is my desire c. The People shall be gathered against them That is I will chastise them after this way By gathering of people against them The Assyrians when they gathered against them they did it meerly out of their own ends Yea but saith God I have an hand in it I will gather them against them And certainly God had a mind to chastise them when he would gather enemies against them the Assyrians it's like would never have dar'd to presume to come against Israel if God had not had an hand in it And certainly we could never have imagined that it were possible that so many should be gathered together in this Publick Cause in this Land to maintain wickedness and to fight to make themselves slaves but only that God had a mind to chastise England But I find by others that it 's read thus I will chastise them according to my mind and so the word will bear it The Septuagint they reade it According to my desire So Oecolampadius upon the place saith God prescribed a certain time to have this people come in and repent but saith God you shal not prescribe me how long I shal stay but I will do it when I please both for the time of the chastisment and for the degree of the chastisement God when he hath a mind to bring about a thing he will gather the people when his mind is come I remember it is said in the life of Pompey a proud speech he was wont to have when they askt him what they should do when the enemies came against them Oh saith he let me but stamp upon the ground of Italy and I shall have men enough that was a proud speech of him but it 's a true one in God let him but stamp with his feet and he can gather people enough together And then further God will chuse with what rod he will scurge us according to his mind for the degree and the kind too Many afflictions when they are upon us we mourn and repine and these discontented expressions comes from us Oh! I could bear any thing but that But is it fit for thee to chuse thine own rod God might have said also I had rather you had committed some other sin It may be because that 's the affliction that is most cross to thy spirit therfore God wil have it God sees that that 's more for his honor and perhaps for thy good because it is the crossest affliction that God could find out therefore thou hast that affliction that God might strike thee in the master-vain Therefore let us learn to submit to the will of God Is it fit that thou shouldest chuse thy sin and thy rod too No stay there If thou wilt chuse thy sin God will have liberty to chuse thy rod. When they shall bind themselves in their two furrows These words have very great obscurity in the first view of them and I find a mighty deal of puzling among Interpreters about them The difficulty is in the word that is here translated Furrows the same letters of the word take away the points of the Hebrew and they may be for these two sins or their two eyes there 's a little difference in the Vau and the Jod which are much like one another And in all these three waies according to to the signification of the word Either Furrows Sins or Eyes the sense may go reasonable well As thus First For Sins And they shal bind themselves You may turn it as well of Gods Threatning what he would do for it is bind them or in binding them so it is translated by others in binding them for their two sins I will bind them for their two sins so I find Arias Montanus hath it Bind them for their two sins And I find the Septuagint translate it so too Chastise them for their two sins for so it may be Chastise as wel as Bind for the words are very near together that signifies either binding or chastising I will chastise them for their two sins When he binds them he will chastise them And so I find that Luther hath it for he doubles these And then they think that it hath reference to the two Calves of Dan and Bethel Or the two Sins of Bodily and Spiritual Adultery Or otherwise it hath the same sense with that in Jer. 2 13. My people have committed two sins They have forsaken me the fountain of Living Waters and hewed them out Cisterns broken Cisterns that can hold no water Or if you wil have it in the second place according as it is in your books They shall bind themselves
in their two furrows then the meaning of it is this That I wil bring their Enemies upon them and they shall yoke them like Oxen that are yok'd to plow they shall bring them into servitude and into bondage they shall make them plow in their two furrows double work So Polanus because they shall put double work upon them and make them work in a servile way And the rather do I think this is the meaning of it because the holy Ghost doth follow the metaphor of it An Heifer as it follows And Ephraim is as an Heifer that is taught and loveth to tread out the Corn. And so take it in the third way the word that signifies an eye only altering the letter Vau for Jod and then this is the sense they shall yoke them as the Oxen are yoked eye to eye They yoke the Oxen even and set eye to eye so the enemies shall come and yoke them so that they shall be like beasts to do their work and this shall be the condition of Ephraim that hath this fair neck I find others that take this They shall bind themselves in their two furrows That is They shall Covenant together When the enemy comes upon them then they shal Covenant together and joyn together as Oxen that are yok'd together and Judah and Israel shall joyn together and they shall be in their furrows in their trenches as in reference to us that when the people are gathered together England and Scotland shall bind themselves together and lie together in their several Trenches So I find others take it But rather from the chief and genuine scope I suppose the meaning is this That they shall be brought into miserable bondage they shall be like Oxen and so saith one Interpreter upon the place When you see Oxen yok'd together then be put in mind of the yoke of the enemies you live daintily and bravely now but when God shall let out the enemies upon you you shall serve as slaves yea as beasts VER 11. And Ephraim is as an Heifer that is taught and loveth to tread out the Corn but I passed over upon her fair neck I will make Ephraim to ride Judah shall plow Jacob shall break his clods IN the 2. verse you heard much of the divisions of Ephraim and of the ten Tribes but in the latter end of the 10. verse you heard how God would joyn them together But how should they be joyned it should be in their bondage they should be bound together in their furrows now though it be in your books They shall bind themselves which hath likewise a sense which we spake to then yet you may as well reade the words They shall bind them together and so carry the sense That they should be bound in their furrows like Oxen in the Plough there they should be yok'd they would not come in together under Gods yoke but they shall come intogether under the yoke of the Adversaries and that I think is the principal scope of the words They shall bind them in their two furrows They that were so divided in their prosperity when they come into bondage there they shall by their enemies be bound together It was said of Ridly and Hooper they could not agree together till they were in Prison and then they could agree together And so when we were heretofore in our bondage we could agree better together than now Oh! it were just with God to bring us again under the bondage of our enemies and bind us in our furrows together But Ephraim thought her self far from this No Ephraim is not for plowing work Ephraim loves to tread out the Corn but not to plow They were wont in those times instead of threshing out the seed from the chaff to have beasts to tread out the seed or to draw instruments whereby the seed was seperated from the husk Now it was the Command of God that while he was treading out the Corn that they should not muzzel the mouth of the Ox. First There was no yoke upon them while they were treading out the Corn. And secondly then they were not to be muzzel'd but to feed all the while as they pleased while they were treading out the Corn this by the Command of God Now this was a very easie work for them to be without yoke to run up and down in the Corn and so they could feed themselves fat They had enough to feed on certain food and present food whereas those Heifers that went to plow were fain to be abroad in the storms and cold and wind and work all day long and it may be not have a bit of meat till night and this was a hard work and Ephraim did not love that work and it seems to have reference to some of the ten Tribes who would stay in their Country and worship at Dan and Bethel and would not go to Jerusalem Oh! that was hard and it was better for them to stay in the Land where they might enjoy their possessions their shops their tradings their friends that was easie but for them to go to Jerusalem that might cost them their estates it would raise an opposition against them and they must leave all and go for the Worship of God to worship him according to his own way this was a plowing-plowing-work in respect of the other Now Ephraim those that live among the ten Tribes they loved no such hard work as that was From whence there are many excellent points observable As The first It 's a sign of a carnal heart for to be set upon easie work in Gods service and to avoid any work that God calls to because it is difficult Ephraim loves to tread out the Corn. It 's a dangerous thing to desire more easie in Gods Work than God would have us Secondly Those services that bring present contentment and present comfort that there is present encouragement goes along with even such as are carnal and Hypocrites can be content withal for when they tread out the Corn there was present supply So it is with men when they can have present supply in maintenance I remember it 's a speech of a learned man even upon this very Scripture saith he Where men see not present gain coming in they despise Christ there It 's a speech of Iernovius Where they may have to eat for the present there they may be easily brought to beleeve such a way of service and worship that is countenanced by the State for the present Numb 7. 9. 2 Sam. 6. God allowed no Cart to the children of Kohath to carry the Ark and that was their sin in putting it upon one 1 Sam. 6. And where men may enjoy certain comings in whether they work or no or whether they work negligently or no there 's a great temptation lies in this there 's not such a temptation lies in a mans enjoying encouragement if it be
upon uncertainties and that he shall have it no longer than he doth labor and labor to purpose but when men shall have their estates coming in in a certain way though they labor by themselves or other or though negligently or industriously here 's a great temptation in this And then further For it is a sign of a carnal heart only to mind things presently to labor for an accommodation to themselves for the present A generous spirit will labor for the posterity that is to come If none should plow how would there be Corn to tread out We must be willing to plow though we have not present food though we should have nothing till night yea though we should have nothing till the night of death yea in all our lives we should be willing to plow in hope Ephraim loved not that work That 's a generous spirit that is willing to endure difficulty here though he finds no present comings in though it be for afterwards And it may be applied it to soul-soul-work in our seeking to God Many men and women they are content to pray and follow God and his Ordinances so long as they may have present comfort but if that fails they have no heart to the duty Now we should be willing to plow that is to endure difficulty though we have nothing coming in This is that which caused so many to perish in the world they must have that which is present content whereas the Saints of God are willing to trust God though they have nothing in this world to trust him to have their wages in the world to come It 's a Scripture of very excellet use unto us It follows But I passed over upon her fair neck I will make Ephraim to ride But I passed over upon her fair neck By her easie work in treading out the Corn and not having the yoke upon her neck to plow she became to be very delicate her skin was white and tender Her fair neck The Goodness of her Neck so it is in the Hebrew or her goodly white Skin delicate and tender she was The meaning of it is by her fair Neck is the beauty of her prosperity and so the delicacy of her Neck through her prosperity nothing must trouble her let works that are troublesom and hard let others come to them if they will But for her part she was tender and delicate and must endure no burdens at all nor no difficulty at all First Her fair Neck Many are proud of their fair Necks and Skins so proud as they grow extream wanton by reason of it they must lay open therefore their fair necks that others may see them see how white they are what fair Skins they have and put black Patches likewise to set out their beauty and the whiteness of their fair Skins and if that will not serve even laying over a paint to make it fair if it be not otherwise so nothing but Ease and Delicacy and pleasure is for them as if they came into the world for no other end but to live bravely and be look'd upon as if man-kind and all creatures must work and suffer to provide for these nice and delicate wantons who yet are of no use at all in the world certainly God never gave any great estates in the world for no other use but only to be brave withal and keep their Skin white Whatsoever estates men and women have yet except they endeavor to be useful in the world in a proportionable way unto those estates that they have they can have little true comfort of what they do enjoy the comfort of the lives of rational creatures certainly it 's not in a fair Skin in a white Skin their comfort is in being useful in the places where God hath set them their good consists in that Man is born to labor and there must be labor one way or other every one is bound to labor these fair white Skins and fair Necks Oh! what foul souls many of them have their beauty is but Skin-deep Oh! filthy and abominable in the eyes of God and in the eyes of those that know the corruptions of their hearts How would these fair necks be able to bear Iron chains for Christ to be naild to the stake to have such a Neck-kercher put upon them as Alice Driver had You have it in the story of the Book of Martyrs when they put the chain about her neck to nail her to the stake she gloried in it and blest God for it I but this Alice Driver was wont to plow for so she saith a little before in the story her father did bring her up to plow she was not brought up so delicately as others were and she could endure an iron chain upon her neck for Christ It follows But I passed over upon her fair Neck Some carry the words as expressing Gods indulgence as if he was content to let Ephraim to prosper and thrive in their way and not to bring any hard bondage upon them but it 's more like the other way that I find others to go i.e. I came upon her fair neck and made the yoke to pass over So Hierom upon the place saith when it 's spoken of God this Phrase to pass over It 's not only meant here in a way of threatning but it 's alwaies so meant in Scripture in a way of threatning of Gods passing over and it may very well be here a threatning expression following the similitude for God is in a way of Allegory expressing himself after the manner of Husbandry as when he threatens that they shall be yok'd And then Ephraim is compared to a Heifer that is taught as if he should say he would not willingly work From whence the Note is That God looks upon dainty tender delicate people that mind nothing but their ease and delicacie with INDIGNATION What! Ephraim must be so tender and delicate that nothing must come upon her neck I 'le make the yoke to come upon it saith God When people through their delicacy they must live in the world and altogether be tended and all things must be serviceable to them and they of no use at all God cannot bear it And as for the eminency of any of you either in estates or honors in the world above others it ought not to be the cause of envy for it is God that puts the difference between one and the other we do not envy that some should go finer than others but this is that which neither God nor man can endure That men and women should have so much in the world and yet be so little useful to the world should be through their delicacy as if they were born for nothing else but like Babies to play withal Saith God I 'le make the yoke to pass over them But now there are other manner
deal according to the proportion of infinite Grace Take this one Meditation That where there is any uprightness when thou shalt come to reap from God thou shalt reap so much from God as must manifest to all Angels and Saints to all eternity what the infinite Mercy of an infinite God can do and that'â— enough one would think the poorest Christian that doth but the least for God when he comes to reap shall have an Harvest that must manifest the infinite riches of the infinite mercy of God and what he is able to do for the raising up of a Creature to glory Comfort thy self in this in thy poor low condition in which thou art and in the performing of thy poor services Thus for the manner of the Phrase Break your fallow ground for it is time to seek the Lord till he come and rain Righteousness upon you Break up your fallow ground c. The Prophet exhorted them in the words before to sow in Righteousness that they might reap Mercy But you must not sow without plowing that were a preposterous way therefore though the words come after yet the thing is to be done before Look that you plow up the fallow ground you have been sinful and ungodly in your way It will not be enough for you now to set upon some good actions we will do better we will do such and such good things that God requires of us No that 's not the first work you must fal upon but it must be to plow to plow up your fallow grounds In this expression you have here implyed first That the hearts of men naturally are as follow grounds nothing but thorns and bryars grows upon them they are unfit for the Seed of the Word And by this word is here meant these three things when he bids them plow up their fallow grounds First The work of humiliation the Truths of God both of the Law and of the Gospel must get into their hearts and rend up their hearts even rend it up as the plow doth rend up the ground And secondly That weeds thorns and bryars must be turned up by the roots the heart must be cleer'd of them It is not enough to weed out a weed here and there and to pluck out a thorn here and there but plow up the ground turn all upside down and get up al the baggagely stuff and thorns that was in your hearts heretofore And then thirdly Get a softness to be in your hearts as when the ground is plowed that which was before hard on the outside and bak'd by the heat of the Sun being now turned up there is a soft mould of the ground and so by the softness of the mould of the ground it is prepared to receive seed There are many evils in us that we would reform but we have not been humbled for them for our ceremonies and subjection to false Government of the Church Who hath bin humbled for these things as sin We reform them as things inconvenient but not being humbled for them as sin the very roots of these things are in the hearts of many so as if times should change a distinction would serve their turn to come and submit to them again so that we sow before we plow I find in Jer. 4. 3. you have this exhortation even in termiminis That They must plow up the fallow-ground of their hearts only exprest a little further They must not sow among thorns They must not think to mingle that which is good with that which is evil it may be a few good seeds are brought into a business yea but there is a great deal of evil My Brethren take heed of being deceived that way many though they do not intend to deceive you yet they may deceive you by mixing some good things with a great many evil and therefore examin things But I note this place in Jeremiah the rather from the consideration of the time of Jeremiahs Prophesie You shall find that the time of Jeremiahs Prophesie was in Josiahs time Now the time of Josiah was a time of great reformation there was very much reformation in his time yea but saith Jeremiaâ— What though you did reform what though you do many things you sow among thorns you do not plow up the ground you are not humbled the roots of your sin are not got out of you and therefore though there be a great deal of ill stuff that seems to be cast out and many good things are set upon in the Worship of God that was not formerly yet you must plow plow up your fallow grounds The holy Gost joyning of them together Sow Righteousness and plow up your fallow ground This Note I would have you observe That there are some that do Sow and not Plow and there are others that do Plow and not Sow but we must joyn both together There are that do Plow and not Sow that is They it may be are troubled for their sin it may be much humbled for their sin but they do not reform after their Humiliation there doth not follow Reformation Now as Reformation where Humiliation hath not gone before usually comes to little purpose so Humiliation where Reformation follows not after comes likewise to little purpose In Isa 28. 24. Doth the Husbandman plow all day to sow The text is brought to note thus much That God observes his times and that is the scope of the text that we must not be offended because that the Lord doth not do things as we would have him alwaies that is he lets wicked men prosper sometimes and the godly suffer afflictions but as if the holy Ghost should say here let God alone with his work God observes his times and seasons as the Plow-man doth he doth not alwaies plow so God hath his times and seasons and knows when to relieve his Church and afflict his Church and when the wicked shall prosper and be brought into adversity God instructs the Plow-man to know his season and so doth he and therefore be not offended And so should we know our seasons we should observe our times to be humbled and reform to reform and be humbled But this for the Reformation of a State But the plowing of the heart that 's the thing that is here especially intended and I desire to apply it particularly to every man and woman Those who have such sore necks who cannot bear the yoke yet you must be Plow-men and Plow-women for Alice Driver that I told you of her father brought her up to plow and both men and women the daintiest Ladies of all must hold this plow that is here spoken of Now for this plowing of humbling your hearts it is for the getting in of Truths into your spirits that may rend up your hearts I 'le name some few Truths that are as it were the Plow-share that you must not only know them but labor to get
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
therefore blessed are they that wait for him Think of this and deny your own Judgments and your own thoughts and know that you are waiting upon God that is a God of Judgment that is infinitely wise to come to his People in a fit season and to come so that at last you would not wish that he had come sooner And know That all the while you are waiting God is working good We are waiting upon mens doors and they take no notice of it but if we knew that all the time we are a waiting our Petition were a reading and they in consultation about it and we only waited for the issue of the consultation it would satisfie us And so a gracious heart may be assured of this Hast thou sought the Lord in the truth of thy heart The thing is not come yet but ever since thou hast sought the Lord the heart of God hath been thinking of that thing which thou soughtest him for and wilt not thou be seeking God still till He doth come And then While thou art seeking God thou art not altogether without some dews Indeed God doth not come and rain in showers that Righteousness that he will hereafter but surely thou hast dews thou hast some encouragements and do not slight those dews of Gods Grace that thou hast for then thou maiest stay the longer before the showers of Righteousness come prize the dews of Gods Grace and the showers of Righteousness they will come the sooner Many Christians though they have many dews of Gods Grace upon their hearts to refresh them yet because they have not showers they think it is nothing what hast thou no dews of Grace What is it that keeps thy heart so tender as it is Thou wouldest not for a thousand worlds wilfully sin against God certainly if thy heart were hardened the Truths of God would not get into thy heart so as they do Indeed the rain comes in a visible way yea but there are dews of Grace that come in a secret way Thou doest not indeed see the comings in of those dews of Grace upon thy heart yea but others may see the effect of those dews And then lastly Seek the Lord till he comes why Because when he comes he will come more fully a great deal It was a notable speech of Mr. Glover the Martyr when he had been seeking God for the raining of Righteousness he was willing to give his life for God and yet God had absented himself from him Oh! God was not come he complain'd to his fellow Austin that God was not come well but saith his friend he will come and give me a sign before you die if you feel the Spirit of God come to your heart well the poor man continued all night when he was to be burnt the next day and yet he was not come yea the Sheriff came to carry him to the Stake and yet his heart was dead But he goes on till he came within the sight of the stake and then the holy Ghost came into his heart and fil'd him with joy so that he lifts up his hands and voice and cries He is come he is come Now there came a shower of Righteousness upon his heart he was content to seek the Lord till he came And that may be a fourth Note That those that are content to seek God till he comes when he comes he will come with plentiful showers in raining Righteousness Oh! how many how many cursed Apostates are there that will curse themselves one day for not continuing seeking of God till he comes Perhaps there are some that have had some convictions of conscience and because they have not had encouragement presently they were discouraged and so thou hast basely gone back and now God hath left thee and thou art become a base useless Hypocrite and art a dishonor and disgrace to Religion and all because thou wouldest not stay till God came Oh! but others staied till God came and God came at length so fully that now they bless his Name that they did stay I remember I have read of Columâ—us that was the first that found out the West Indies and the story saith of him that his men were even weary he was so long in sailing so they were resolved they would come back again that they would so that then all their labor had been lost But Columbus he came to them with all intreaties to go on a little time and at length prevail'd with them to go on but three daies longer So they were content to venture three daies and within that three daies they came to see Land and so discovered those parts of the world that were so little known to these parts Now what a miserable thing had it been if they had come back and lost all their Voyage Thus it is with many a soul sailing towards Heaven and eternal life Thou hast been a long time tost up and down in the waves of the Sea the waves of Temptation and of Trouble and thou thinkest it's best to come back again Oh! stay a while do not limit three daies but go on yet it may be said of some that had they proceeded in their voiage but three daies more they might have come and seen whereas now they have lost all Oh! seek the Lord then till he comes and rains Righteousness And then the fifth is this The help of those that seek God it is from Heaven Till HE Rain They do not so much expect help from Creatures as from Heaven they look up to Heaven for their help when all comforts in creatures fail they look upwards and there see their help And then the sixt Note is this That the fruit of Gods coming to his People after seeking it is To make them fruitful that 's the end of Gods coming the end of the Mercy of God in coming to people it is to make their seeds to grow up and be fruitful It may be you would have God come but wherefore to bring comfort to you No the end of Gods coming to his Saints it is To make them fruitful and this would be an Argument of the sincerity of your hearts in seeking God When you are seeking him what do you seek him for only for comfort and peace and to ease you from troubles Yea but do you seek God that you may be fruitful The Hypocrits seek to have Grace that they may have Comfort and the godly seeks Comfort that they may have grace so it is That God may rain Righteousness I am as a dry ground Oh! that God would come with the influence of his Grace to make me fruitful in the works of holiness Many of you would have comfort as now in these daies mens ears are altogether set upon comfort but is your comfort the showers of God doth it make the seeds of Righteousness fructifie in your hearts Certainly you can have little comfort of that comfort that
whence the Note and Point is That which is a mans own way he is very ready to trust in to make much of Whatsoever is a mans own way we have for this a notable Scripture in the Book of Judges 2. 19. Oh the strength of spirit that there is in men when the way is their own saith the text there They cease not from their own doings nor from their stubborn way I beseech you observe it 't is but a several expression own doings and own way the doings were their own such things as they had contriv'd to themselves Their own way and then they ceased not from they would stick to their own way they were stubborn in their way because their way was their own Prov 12. 15. The way of a fool is right in his own eyes but he that hearkeneth to counsel is wise A fool one that understands little yet if the way be his own he will not hearken to counsel he thinks he is sure he needs not counsel with any he is so strong in it because it is his own way It 's a hard thing to get men out of that way that they have contriv'd to themselves in matters of Religion and therefore it 's observable what God saith of all the Heathen in Jer. 2. 10 11. Have any of the Nations changed their gods but my people hath saith he No Nation would change their gods whom they had chose only Gods People they were peculiar in this to make change of their God Why because the gods of the Nations were of their own making What waies are of mens own that they stick exceeding much to They trusted in their own way as when an object is too neer the eye the eye is not able to see it to see any evil in it If a foul thing be put too neer the eye the eye cannot see it so the evil that is neer ones self very neer that is ones own that is very hard to see and yet what great difference is it between ones being defil'd by ones own dung and by the dung of another If a mans heart be engaged in a way of his own he will be ready to father it upon God himself and say It is Gods way and he will be ready to think that all other waies different from his are mens own No men are more ready to charge others of pride than proud men and no men more ready to charge others of going to their own way than those that do most stick to their own waies it 's one fruit of a mans heart sticking to his own waies and conceits to think that whosoever differs from him doth stick to his own conceits and his own waies It 's a hard thing to make a man or woman that sticks much to their own waies to own it that it is their own but how ever men wil not own what is theirs but put it upon God many times yet the Lord he will one day discover all the waies of men discover all the waies of men and women and shew how much is their own in it It 's a notable text for that in Prov. 21. 2. Every way of man is right in his own eyes but the Lord pondereth the heart or the Lord weigheth the heart for pondering and weighing is all one Mark every way of man is right in his own eyes but the Lord pondereth the heart that is Though we chuse waies to our selves and think they are right and we are ready to think that our waies are Gods that we might justifie our selves so much the more but saith the text God pondereth the heart that is God weigheth exactly how much there is of his own and how much there is of our own in it Oh! it were a happy thing if we were able to do so it 's a great part of the skill of a Christian to be able so to ponder his own waies as to know how much of God how much of himself is in a thing There 's very few in the world knows this there 's scarce any action that the best of us do but there is somewhat of self in it there is somewhat of God and somewhat of self but now here 's the skill to be able to weigh how much of God and how much of our selves is in an action It 's a great skill that your Goldsmiths have they can presently tell you how much gold and silver is in a vessel an unskilful man looks upon it and thinks it 's all gold but your Refiners will tell you even how much to a drachm is mixed with it Oh! it were an excellent skil to be able in all our actions thus to ponder al our waies to know how much of God and how much of our selves is in our waies for want of thiâ— it is that we do miscarry so much in our waies as we do every way of man is right in his own eyes but God ponders God weighs mens actions to see how much of himself and how much of us there is in our actions But now then Is it so that it is in the hearts of men to trust so much in their own way because it is their own Oh! what a shame is it then that we should not have our hearts close with and trust in Gods way Let a way be never so base and vile yet if it be a mans own his heart doth close and trust and is strong in it Oh then when the way is apparently Gods why should we be so fickle and unsteadie as we are almost alwaies in the way of God Make but the way of Religion to be thy own and then thou wilt be strong enough in it but till that time is till we have given up our Wils to the Will of God and we have made Gods Wil to be our own Wil we are never like to be strong in the Waies of God When there is but one Will between God and us that Gods Will is our Will then we are strong when Gods Interest is our Interest when Gods Glory is our Glorie then we come to be strong Oh! happie are they that have so given up themselves to God as that they look upon their own good to be more in God than themselves this is the work of Grace to look upon ones own good and Wil and comforts of our hearts and happiness of our lives to be more in God than in our selves that 's the way to persevere in Godliness as thus As it is between man and wife when the wife comes to make the Will of her husband her own then she loves him strongly and constantly so when Gods will is made to be our own then we will fol Gods will strongly and shall persevere in it It follows And in the multitude of their Mighty Men. This made them very confident in their way Why they had an Army to back them they had an Army to fight for
there you may see how these reformed and yet they suffered much difficulty Strange is the Counsels of God concerning men For the first That Judah is said to plow That is They shall endure a great deal of trouble in the reforming what is amiss among them From whence our Note is this That it is an honor for men to labor and go through difficulties for God while others are laboring for taking their ease Be not troubled that you see other people can take liberty to themselves to provide for their estates and comings in and to live bravely Doth God give you an heart in the mean time to be willing to go through hard work for God Envie not at them thou art in the better condition thou art plowing for God while they are providing for their own ease thou art doing God service and they are only providing for themselves Oh! thou art far the happier man the happier woman And then in the second place Take the plowing for the hard things they suffered for God aswel as the hard things they did for God Then the Note of Observation is this Let no men boast they live more at ease than others Others suffer more hardship than thou do not think that God loves thee more than others God loved Judah at this time more than Ephraim and yet Ephraim lived bravely and prevailed over Judah and Judah was brought under in such a manner as this Judah was Gods true Church and Israel did apostatize from God and yet one had more outward prosperity than the other Thus many times those upon whom Gods heart is more set they suffer hard afflictions And those that Gods heart is not so much upon they enjoy their prosperity Oh! I beseech you consider of this point for at this day how many of our Brethren in the Western parts Oh! the Plowers have plowed deep furrows upon their backs while we have been here as it were treading out the Corn let not us think that God loves us more than them they may be more dear to God than we Judah was far more dear to God than Israel and yet Israel must live jocundly and bravely Oh! consider of this you that are of greater rank all your life is treading out the Corn you see your poor neighbors endure much hardship Oh think not that you are higher in Gods thoughts than they they may be more dear to God than you and yet they may be put to difficulties and you may live bravely all your lives But that that may seem to weaken this Note is only this viz. They shall plow But the Hebrews do ordinarily make use of the Tenses the Future and the Preter promiscuously but if you put it to the Future that they shall plow hereafter they interpret it to signifie the Captivity of Judah that they shal be carried into Captivity and so be brought under by the Babylonians Yea but Jacob shall break his clods By Jacob we must understand the ten Tribes As if God should say here That Judah shall be put to some difficulties yet Jacob the ten Tribes must be put to more Judah shall be carried into Captivity yea but Jacob shall break the clods Though Judah shall plow yet the breaking the clods is worse than the plowing for that 's more servil For the Work-Master he is the chief he goes on in plowing but it is his Servant or Boy he may set to breake the clods after him So though Judah shall be brought to difficulties yet Jacob shal be put to more difficulties for the Captivity of Judah was great yet it was not so great as Jacobs Or others thus Judah shall plow and Jacob shall break her clods That is Judahs clods The expression we have here with the reference it hath to Judah seems to carry this with it That there shall be a time though now you that are the ten Tribes you are so delicate and proud above Judah Judah is lower than you and you despise them yet time shall come that you shall be glad to joyn with Judah and be as a servant to Judah to break her clods when God shall restore his people again Judah shall return from his captivity and shall be taking pains in the Service of God and it shall be well for you if you can but come and be as their servant Those that do forsake the true Worship of God though God may have mercy upon them afterwards to joyn them with his People yet it is well if they may come to be in the meanest condition among Gods People they should be willing to submit unto it those that have dishonored God and sham'd themselves in times of tryal to forsake the Truths of God it 's mercy that ever God will bring them to joyn with his Church again But if he doth bring them to joyn with his Church they should think it a great mercy and be willing to be in the meanest condition what must those men think to be Masters Lords that have forsaken God and his Truth and have been very false for their own ends to save themselves and states in time of tryal shall they think in times of Reformation to bear all before them Oh! it 's mercy if they may be but admitted to break the clods to joyn with those Servants of God that have been faithful and willing to serve him through difficulties It follows VER 12. Sow to your selves in Righteousness reap in Mercy THE holy Ghost still goes on in this Allegory of Husbandry continuing the metaphor that he had in the Threatning when he comes to exhortation In the midst of his threats he falls to exhorting Though the sins of a people be great and Judgments neer yet who knows what an exhortation may do who knows what an exhortation may do to the worst people in the world Oh! there were many things spoken concerning Israel that one would have thought it should have discouraged the Prophe to meddle with Exhortation But God would have him yet exhort one cannot tell what an Exhortation may do in the most desperate hardness of mens hearts and pride and stoutness of mens spirits therefore the Prophet exhorts them as if he should say Well if you would not plow if you would not come under the yoke and be put into the furrows as you were threatned before why then sow to your selves Oh! be willing to break up the fallow ground of your hearts and sow to your selves in Righteousness and so you shall reap in Mercy Sow in Righteousness and reap in Mercy I find some of the Antients they interpret this somewhat wildly Sow in Righteousness that is saith Hierom upon the place Sow in the Law in obedience to the Law and reap in the Grace of the Gospel that 's his Interpretation you shall sow in the works of the Law and reap in the Gospel This is far fetcht I find Luther
upon the place as Hierom goes somewhat too legal so Luther because his heart was much in the Gospel and he brings all Scriptures to the uttermost he can for expressing the Grace of the Gospel he goes somewhat at the furthest the other way Sow in Righteousness what 's the seeds of Righteousness that is saith he The Doctrine of the Gospel tendering the Righteousness of Jesus Christ the attending unto this Doctrine of the Gospel and imbracing this that there is Righteousness in Jesus Christ alone this is sowing in Righteousness for saith he what other Righteousness is there but this When Reason would come to the highest degree of Righteousness what is it that it doth only this to conclude Righteousness to be to depart from evil and do things that are good but what Righteousness is this But the Scripture Righteousness is this for a man to know that he hath no good at all in himself that all his evil is pardoned in Jesus Christ this is the Righteousness of the Gospel and this is the seed the seed of all good works I name this though I can hardly think that this is the scope of the Prophet at this time yet there is a very good meditation from this which I see that useful man in the Church of God Luther goes on in saith he What madness and blindness in the Adversary is there that will urge people to sow and yet they do reject and cast off this seed that they should sow That is the Doctrine of the imputation of the Righteousness of Christ by faith why saith he in all Pulpits there 's crying out to men for good works that they would sow in Righteousness but saith he where have they their seed The thing certainly is an excellent truth that he hath upon the place how vain is it for men to be taught to sow good works till they have got the seed And the seed of all good works is The Righteousness that we have by Jesus Christ and therefore he falls a rebuking those that shall blame the Doctrine of the Gospel as the means of licentiousness saith he there 's a great many when we preach of the Righteousness of Jesus Christ think that we preach licentiousness and that men may live as they list it 's quite contrary when we preach the Righteousness of Jesu Christ we preach the seed of all good works and those that have this seed good works will come out of them But saith he further They would have Righteousness but what they slight the Righteousness of God making the Righteousness of his Son but they must have Righteousness of their own to tender up to God then when they come to good works they wil slight Gods good works and they will be giving to God of their good works the world doth neglect those as light things that is the works of mercy to receive the Saints c. No but they will have other brave works to build Churches and Temples and Monastries and to lavish out gold about them and they are the chief good works they will not come to do the work as it were of a Servant but rather the work of a Benefactor to God for in relieving thy poor brother when none but thy self and God knows it thou dost the work of a servant then but to build brave Temples and Monastries and lavish out Gold upon them this is for you to be a Benefactor to God But thus much for his speech Sow in Righteousness We know that the Prophet though he would lead the People to Christ yet his preaching was most in a Legal way Sow Righteousness that is Go on in the works of Righteousness those works that are right and just and equal such as you may give a good accompt of them before God and man as if he should say Do not you think to put me off meerly with outward services with offering sacrifices and with this kind of pompous worship in this superstitious way I will never accept of these things but let me have Righteousness let there be the works of Righteousness according to the Rules of Righteousness so work And the Jews if they did but perform the the external works of Righteousness they might have external Mercies if so be there were a proportion between one work and another If indeed they did some works of Righteousness and not the other then they could not expect mercy from God but though there were no saving Grace in them yet if they did but perform external works of Righteousness and there was a proportion between one and another there doth seem to be an external Covenant that they were under for outward Mercies that they should have for their outward Righteousness Not but that I think for Heaven there they must have true Grace and Godliness as the Saints must have now but external Mercies were more annexed to external Duties than now among us You will say We have external Promises too Yea but that 's made to Godliness in Christ Jesus Now from the words we may note First That the Actions of men they are Seeds such seeds as wil certainly come up other seeds may die in the ground rot and never come up but there is never an Action that thou performest but it will come up one way or other it will come up to something And secondly It will come up in the same kind the seeds of Tares will not come up to Wheat but it will be a Tare and so the Wheat a Wheat all our actions will come up in the same kind Men neglect their actions and think that when they have done it 's over they forget what they did yesterday or the day before but though you may forget it yet it will come up in the same kind though you think not of it I remember Pliny reports of some parts in Affrica that when they sow their seeds they go away and never look after it for many months together So â—t is in many men they sow but they never mind what they have done and quite forget what they have done till they must come to reap But certainly thy actions there they lie and will grow up to something Thirdly The seed lies in the ground rotting a while but afterwards comes up so it is in our actions they seem as if they were quite forgotten but they will come up yea and good actions they seem as if they were wholly lost many times well though the seed doth rot rot in the ground for a time yet it will come up afterwards Fourthly The seed when it is sown it comes up through the blessing of God upon it it 's no endeavor of the Husbandman can make the seed come up but he must leave it to the blessing of God So the seeds of our Actions must be left to God Gods Justice will make the seeds of the wicked come up and his goodness and mercy