outwardly better than themselves Oh! this was exceeding grievous to the heart of God and thence the Note is this That it is a very great evil when wicked men seem to prosper a little in their outward condition more than Gods People for those that are the people of God to begin to think that therefore those wicked ones are in a better condition than themselves this is an evil that doth go very much to the heart of God and very ordinarily it is in some degree or other among the People of God I appeal to your consciences in this very thing though at some time your souls have had sweet refreshing from the Lord in the enjoyment of communion with him but yet when Gods hand hath been out against you when you look'd upon others though you knew them to be wicked and ungodly yet they have prospered their Ships came home safely and richly and their trading goes on Do you not sometimes find such rising of your thoughts within you as if so be that these men were in a â—etter condition than your selves Oh! if you have but the least thought rising that way know it is that which doth exceedingly grieve the Spirit of God by which you are seal'd that because they have a few loaves more than you though you have all the riches of God and Christ though you have the inheritance of Saints yet that you should think them in a better condition than you are in As a child if he sees some stranger have a bit of meat better than he hath he should think presently that his father loves the stranger better than him this the father takes ill How ordinary is it upon this ground for those that have profest themselves to be godly rather to withdraw themselves from the afflicted Saints and seek correspondence with wicked men that prosper God would have his people see an al sufficiency in himself in their sadest condition so as they need not go out from him for help but still wait upon him and keep his way the Lord by his Prophet rebukes Jehoshaphat in 2 Chron. 19. 2. for loving the ungodly and helping them that hate the Lord. And is there not as great an evil to seek the love of the wicked and ungodly and help from them that hate the the Lord certainly the evil is very great it argues very little love that we have to God it charges God of unfaithfulness as if though he hath engaged himself to his people yet he would leave them in the lurch this encourages the wicked in their wicked waies and it charges God with that which is accounted one of the most vile things among men What is accounted one of the vilest things among men that a man should set another men about his work and then leave them in the lurch when they meet with troubles in their work It is as vile a thing as any is among men and we should look upon such men as should imploy others in any service and then leave them to shift for themselves in their straights we should look upon them as vile men unworthy to be dealt withal Now what would we but charge God with this even that which makes men to be most vile And this besides is a most desperaee folly so to do for when thou art thinking to provide for thy self by correspondence with ungodly men it may be thou wert just at the very point of deliverance at that very time it is Gods usual way to come to help his people when they are in the greatest straights and therefore it is the greatest folly that when we are in straights then to think of shifting courses so that then we must forsake our own mercy in thinking of shifting courses in straights above all times Christians should take heed of thinking of shifting courses because then above all times those are the times for God to shew his mercy and just then Wilt thou then be forsaking him Oh! it is that which should lie neer to your hearts if any of you have been guilty of this let but the Word of God bring this upon your spirits this day Oh! how do I know but at that very time when I took such a shifting course that was the very time that God was about to do my soul good and of doing good for my body and yet then I deprived my self of good that goodness and mercy of God It follows yet Now will I gather them This gathering among Interpreters hath reference either to the Nations whom they sought unto or to themselves I will gather them that is That Nation or I will gather you If to the Nation then the scope is thus Notwithstanding you hire the Nations yet I will gather them against you they shall be strengthened against you with the same money that you hyre them withal I will turn it against you and now you have provided fair for your selves have you not Many times when we think to provide best for our own peace we make the greatest provision for our own ruin God many times makes people work their own wo and ruin themselves and there is no means that doth more fully and directly tend to undo them than what they do themselves and thus God over rules the counsels and thoughts of men What a vain thing is it to plot against God when God can turn mens Arrows against themselves No men are greater instruments of Gods wrath many times against us than we are our selves yea and than those are that we seek most to correspond withal and it is just with God it should be so that if we wil leave him to seek correspondence with wicked men it is just with God that of all men in the world those should be the men that should be made the Executioners of Gods wrath upon us But now if it be to Israel I will gather them among the Nations Then the word here gathered is sometimes used for gathering dead corps in an Army when they are slain in Battel You go and think to have the Nations but you shall be as a company of dead corps in an Army and lie in heaps there But I find Calvin hath a further Note upon it and takes it as having reference to the former verse This people are wild and run up and down this way and that way to shift for themselves but I will gather them that is I will keep theâ— in so the words likewise may signifie I will keep them in I will gather-in their spirits there shall be some work of prudence or other to keep them in I will keep them from those waies wherein they would presently have ruined themselves People run many times headily on in evil waies that would certainly ruin them but when Gods time for the execution of his wrath is not yet come the Lord restrains them and keeps them in from such waies though their hearts be set upon such waies
neerer to an ingenious heart than the loss of Love he had rather lose his Money than his Love such an one hath requited me il for my love this I say goes to the heart of a man and there 's nothing more grieves him than that he finds his love is ill bestowed So certainly it goes to the heart of God that his Love should be ill bestowed upon people They went to BAAL-PEOR Many loathsom and obscene things are reported concerning this Baal-Peor this god that was the god of the Moabites that is unfit for chast ears to hear therefore we shall not mention such things Much filthiness was committed in the worship of this their Baal-Peor and yet saith God notwithstanding all my love to their fore-fathers whereby they might have drawn an argument that they should have had blessings upon themselves if they had continued in the waies of their forefathers yet they went from me went to Baal-Peor From whence the Notes are First The more shameful any thing is the more abominable is it to forsake God It 's an abominable thing to forsake God for the gaining of Heaven and Earth if it could be gained by it but for to forsake God for a Baal-Peor God takes this â—ll but that we met with before Secondly This is the evil of mans heart That there is no evil so base and shameful but he is ready to forsake the blessed and glorious God that he may cleave to that As it is reported of the Panther that it doth love the dung of man so well that if it be hung up at a height it will leap and skip for it till it bursts in pieces So many there are that are set upon such base things that they are content to part with all good that there is in God and Jesus Christ if they may but have them they are content to undo themselves to all eternity Thirdly So to leave God as to give up our selves to baseness and wickedness Oh! this is most abâ—minable To be over taken with a sin is vile but for one to give up himself or her self to wickedness this is abominable and yet this is that that many are guilty of at first perhaps sin is fair-mannerd and saith Do but take some dallies with me at first but after the soul begins to give up its self in a most desperate way in sinful courses many an Apostate doth thus that had some comfort before in God but now having gotten a haunt of wickedness they have lost all their comforts in God and Christ and now saith this desperat soul I cannot have comfort in God and Christ and therefore I will have it in the satisfying of my lusts Oh! my Brethren what a shame is this So far as thou art able to be guilty of shaming even God Himself and Jesus Christ therfore in Heb. 6. 6. Apostates are said to put Jesus Christ to open shame and Apostate that leaves the waies of God and separates himself to his lusts he doth put the Lord Jesus Christ to an open shame Oh! how should Gods people separate themselves for the Lord and be wholly his seeing Idolaters separate themselves to their Idols let them look upon themselves as a people separated for the Lord. And their abominations were as they loved That is First as they loved so they were guided they were not guided by the Word nor by any Divine Rule not by right Reason but according as they loved they followed what they had a mind to never regarding what Gods mind was The judgment is soon gone when the heart is taken with a thing Ordinarily people love that way they go not that way the Rule guides them to but what way their affections carry them on in this is a very sinful thing for men to be acted with and carried upon meerly by the violence of their affections and especially this is evil in the matters of Gods Worship there we may not do things as we love that is because we think such things are very fair and there appears no hurt in them to us and they like us well yea but we must examine whether we have warrant out of the Word for that we must not do as we love but according as the rule is Secondly They were abominable as they loved they were turned into the very likeness of what they loved and indeed our loves what ever they are upon doth turn us into the likeness of the thing The understanding turns the object into a likeness to it but the heart is turned into the likeness of its object Austin hath a notable expression for this saith he Such is every man as his love is Doth a man love the earth he is earth doth a man love God what shall I say saith Austin he shall be even God too And indeed the Scripture saith we are partakers of the Divine Nature Oh! what care had we need have of what we love Doest thou love a base filthy thing then thy soul is base and filthy too Doest thou love the glorious and blessed God then thy soul is made like to God Chuse therefore good objects for thy love love the Lord and love his holy waies love things that are excellent and glorious and by the loving of those things thy heart will come to have excellency and glory put upon it but if thou lovest that which is drossy and filthy thou comest to have a base and drossy heart of thy own Mans soul is like to the Cameleon that is changed into the color of the object it looks upon They were abominable as they loved Every man or woman is as he loves Thirdly They were abominable as they loved That which is here translated of the Concrete I find it may be as well translated of the Abstract They were abominable as their love and so it 's carried by Interpreters that is they were abominable as their Idols were that they did love and their Idols were call'd Love in the Abstract as a man cals his Wife his Love so they call'd their Idols their Love and they were abominable as their Love was that is look how abominable Baal-Peor was so abominable were they so the Psalmist saith that they that make Idols are like unto them But fourthly which I think is especially the scope of the holy Ghost here They were abominable as they love though the other may be taken in this Scripture hath reference to that that you reade in Numb 25. 1. there you find that the people of Israel by the wicked counsel of Balaam when they could not be cursed yet Balaam did counsel them that they should come and bring their daughters before them and so to intice them to commit uncleanness with their daughters and then they should intice them to Idolatry that was the wicked counsel of Balaam they committed whordom with the daughters of Moab and they called the
opposed Do you not find many so that are in a violent way set upon wickedness and ungodliness that they will hear nothing they snuff at the wind and all that is said against them and run violently upon wicked waies and upon their own ruin It may be in their month you shall find them that hath reference unto the very last month which the wild Ass goes when it is with young then when it is so big and till then there is no dealing with them Some Historians say that the wild Asses are so fierce that they will tare asunder Armor of proof but only in the very month when they are so big that they cannot weld themselves then you shall find them So though sinners be never so stubborn yet God hath his month and perhaps then you shall find them When at any time you find your children or servants or others to be stubborn and stout against whatsoever is said to them and even rage in their madness for the satisfying of their wicked wills you may remember this text and creature they are as wild Asses that are alone by themselves and among all wicked men Idolaters are the most stubborn and stout in their wicked waies their hearts are set upon their Idols yea as the phrase of Scripture is in Jer. 5. 38 They are mad upon their Idols There 's nothing that can be said to those whose hearts are taken with false worship nothing will prevail with them without an infinite power of God put forth and there 's no sinners more bold more untamable and fierce in their waies then those that are superstitious and that 's their reason that if they be opposed in their way of false worship you know there will be such tumultuousness of people flinging of stones against windows where God is truly worshipped any thing in the world though they know not what they do yet because they think themselves condemn'd in their sinful waies therefore they run like wild beasts in a furious manner even against those that worship God better than themselves Secondly God compares the ten Tribes to the wild Ass in way of contempt of them As in the former place of Job 11. 12. Vain man would be wise though man be born like a wild Asses Colt he would fain think himself somebody yet he is a most base and vile creature And if any of you be not so fierce in your wicked waies as some others are if God hath tamed your spirits by His Word and Spirit bless God for it for all men are born like a wild Asses Colt they are mad upon their wicked waies to ruin themselves But because there 's no men that think higher of themselves than stubborn spirits for stoutness and stubborness doth evermore proceed from pride because they think it such a dishonor for their wills to be crost in any thing therefore the Scripture casts the more contempt upon them and calls such proud stout fools wild Asses and indeed there are none more contemptible in the eyes of God than stout sinners It follows A wild Ass alone by himself Alone The reason of this expression is to shew that Ephraim and the ten Tribes they would be at their own hands they would have their own wills alone There 's these two things exprest in it First That they would be under no government but alone by themselves and have liberty to frisk up and down and do what they list alone acknowledging no Commander and so the Chalde Paraphrase hath it Because that they would walk in the evil of their own lusts and would acknowledg no Comander And thus many at this day they love to be alone that is to live at their own hand to be from under Government Though it is here he was alone in the Wilderness he would rather be in the Wilderness alone so be it he may acknowledg no Commander than in the best pastors under any command Thus it is with many they love to be alone that is they are loth to come under any Government they had rather be in the wildernes and suffer never so great straights than come under any Government It is true of divers sorts of people even the lowest sort many that love to live at their own hand servants that are not able to provide for themselves that if they have but a little sickness are ready to starve yet that they might live without any command not under any Government they will chuse rather to endure abundance of hardship that they may live alone many times it is so especially in the foemale sex which ought to be under Government and some Protection yet they love to be alone at their own hand I say and meerly because they cannot endure to come under any kind of Government whatsoever And in the wilderness Their lives indeed are as in the wilderness when they are in any straights and distresses they have no body to look after them and regard them because they loved their liberties so much before So many had rather be without all Ordinances in the Church or many Ordinances only that they might live as they list at their own wills that they may not be under the Government of Christ they had rather live in the wilderness of the world so that they might have liberty rather than be in Gods Vinyard under the Government of Christ These come under the reproof here that Ephraim did in this place Secondly Alone by himself as unfit for Society they were so furious and fierce in their way Some are of such untoward and perverse dispositions that they can agree with no body so that they are only fit to live in the wilderness I suppose you have met with in your families that are so extreamly perverse in their waies and they are of such untoward and crooked dispositions that they are fit to live in no Society but alone in the Wilderness and this reproof of Ephraim comes likewise upon those Ephraim hath hired Lovers The Assyrians and Egyptians and others the words signifie Loves Before they put their confidence in the Assyrians and now they make them their loves The thing I note is this That where we place our confidence there our love should be placed If God be the confidence of our hearts let our love be placed there yea let God be our Loves in the plural number for so it is here they hired Lovers she would fain have the Assyrians to love her When God is forsaken when we have lost our Interest in Gods love no mervail though there be such a seeking after the Creatures love men that forsake God they seek to make up what they have not in God in the Creature as a dog when he hath lost his Master he is ready to follow every one he meets with Again He hath hired Loves Because they had nothing lovely in themselves therefore they hire the love of
Oh! you must not rejoyce as other people you look upon a Drunkard that reels in the streets and hear a Swearer blaspheme the Name of God yea but that may not be so great an evil as the vanity of thy spirit And why The loosness of thy heart and those secret sins thou art guilty of because thou hast so covenanted and bound thy self to God the Drunkard was never made sensible of his sin and wrath of God upon his conscience but the wrath of God hath been upon thy conscience and thou hast engaged thy self to God if he would shew mercy Oh! thou would'st walk holily and strictly before him Now doest thou think that thy sins are as the sins of other people They never had such Soul-quickning Ordinances but go up and down to Taverns and Alehouses and never know what a powerful Sermon meant upon their hearts and had they such means as thou hast then it 's like it would be with them far better than now and the Name of God is not so much polluted by them as by thee thou that art a Professor of Religion the eyes of all men are upon thee and in thy sin thou doest not only disobey God but thou doest pollute the Name of God thou art a stumbling block unto others and the cause of the hardning of many hundreds in their sins and therfore thy sin certainly is worse than others This would be a great Point to shew how the sins of the Professors of Religion are worse than others and therefore it is not enough for you to say We are all sinners No we must not excuse our selves in this that others are guilty as well as we Oh! but consider what aggravations there is of thy sin more than there is of the sins of others It is a sign of a very carnal heart to think to go away thus it 's true I sin and others sin as well as I do yea but a true penitent heart wil not only consider that he is a sinner but what aggravations are there upon his sin more than upon the sins of others and so will lay it upon their hearts It 's true such and such sin but had they what I have had it would not be so with them my sin that hath broken through so many terrors of conscience and that God hath sought by such means to keep me from my sin it is a sign of the violence of my spirit indeed that hath broken through so much as I have done it is therefore an abominable thing to make our profession in holy Duties a Medium to make our sins less Doest thou think that this is a means to make thee escape that wrath Certainly this is a great aggravation of thy sins We have a generation of men among us that because they are Beleevers therefore they need no sorrow for their sin they must have only joy Now certainly thy being a Beleever may aggravate thy sin so much the more and may make it so much the more vile and may pierce thy heart so much the more for if thou beest a Beleever thou knowest what the pardon of thy sins cost therefore certainly Gods mercies towards thee are the aggravation of thy sins The truth is suppose our sins were not so great as the sins of some other people are yet it is not alwaies an argument that we may rejoyce as other people Why so you will say Thus Suppose our sins be but equal or less than the sins of other people yet it is more than we know whether God will pass by our sins so much as by the sins of others What if God out of his Prerogative damn thee for a little sin and save others that have committed great sins We have such examples in Scripture as in the example of Saul the thing that God cast away Saul for in its self it was not so much as that which David had been guilty of he had been guilty of groser sins than that which God cast away Saul for Saul might have said this is an offence but is this like Murder and Adultry What if it be not God will pardon David and cast away Saul Oh! do not you think to rejoice as other people do Why may not God do with his mercie as he pleases it is his own God may pardon one and damn thee eternally And therefore let no sinner please himself with what others do for he is not to do as others do Now it follows Thou hast loved a reward upon every corn-flour Israel saw the Nations have a great deal of plentie upon their Corn flours which they attributed to the serving of their Idol gods therefore Israel thought to comply with them out of the love to the plentie they had and since the time that she had complied with the Nations about her she prospered more she thought and this she loved by this she was exceeding hardned in her waies of Idolatry and blessed her self in them This is the scope God made many Promises for provision for Israel in his service but they made accompt to get more in following the waies of the Gentiles than in following Gods waies Like Harlots though they have liberal provision from their husbands yet they hoping to get more by others they love braverie and jolitie and they see that other Harlots they live more merrilie and go finer in cloaths and can be whol nights in chambering and wantonness and have good cheer and they love this and though they have allowance enough at home yet they leave their husbands and follow whoremasters Just thus it was with Israel though she might have Gods care over her and provision for her in the waies of his Worship yet she beholding the Gentiles living more bravely she would follow after them At first as you heard she hired Lovers her self but now she loves a reward upon everie Corn-flour now she expects greater advantage this indeed was the matter that put her on the loving a reward upon every corn-flour she might have many pretences Why she did not see but that she might do such and such things and they were not directly contrary to Gods Word but whatsoever she did pretend in the altering the way of Gods Worship yet this was the great matter that prevailed with her heart it was The loving a reward upon every corn flour And thus it is with very many that are superstitious come and speak to them of their waies they will have very many fair pretences they think that they have this and that warrant out of the Scripture for it but all the the while there is a pad in the straw there is their living and trading and estates and friends that they have an eye upon and it is that which byasses their hearts and spirits But divers things have been spoken to the same purpose of this that we met withal before only this one Note Idolaters do love their Corn and outward
people to the sacrifices of their gods So They were abominable as they loved that is they being inticed to bodily uncleanness by the Moabitish women these drew them likewise to the worship of their Idols And so their loves to their Whores was that which drew them to this wickedness They were abominable as they loved that is they setting their love upon these wicked women that did intice them to uncleanness according to that love of theirs were they brought unto the love of Idolatry Solomons wives drew him to Idolatry And it 's usuall for people to be of that Religion that those are that they love if so be that their hearts be taken with any if they love any it's usual for them to be of that Religion that those are of that they love according to their kindred according to their friends according to the stock that they marry in so is their Religion Many that have been forward in waies of Religion and yet marry into a carnal stock that hath no savour of Religion you shall find they will grow cold according to what their wives dispositions are according to what they love so their Religion either burns hotter or grows cooler as it was usually laid upon Ahab for his wickedness such a one was his wife and so other Kings the daughter of Ahab was his wife his Religion was according as he loved And my Brethren if those who are in a false way can draw whom they love to it then certainly those that are in the Truth should as wel labor to draw those who they love to the imbracement of the Truth Wives that are naught wil draw their Husbands to that which they love to Idolatry to false worship Popish wives have drawn more husbands to their Popery than Godly wives I fear have drawn husbands to the Truth Why should not gracious Wives labor to draw their Husbands to good by love as well as wicked Wives to draw them to wickedness by their love And indeed those who would gain others to good must first gain their love The women of Moab gained the love of the people of Israel and so gained them to themselves in the matters of Religion So if you would do any good to people first labor to gain their love let women that have evil husbands that they would â—ain gain how would you gain them not by reproachful speeches but do you though they be never so evil walk lovingly towards them that they may be convinced that your souls do love them and so do you by your loving carriage gain their love and that 's the way to gain them to your God by that means So divers of the women in the primitive times that had Heathenish Husbands we have many stories of them that by their gracious loving carriage to their Heathen Husbands they gained them to the Truth of Religion And so Ministers if they would gain people to God they must gain their love so walk before them in such a gracious holy loving way towards them as they may gain their love and then they will gain their souls if there be wrangling between Minister and People there 's little hope that they will gain and do any good among that people for people wil do as they love very much And so your neighbors and friends if you would gain them to God any way gain their loves to you for it 's a mighty motive in matters of Religion for people to do as they love And thus much for this tenth Verse VER 11. As for Ephraim their glory shall fly away like a bird from the birth and from the womb and from the conception AS for Ephraim A Pathetical expression he makes a stop at Ephraim Oh Ephraim how sad how much to be lamented is thy condition As for Ephraim their Glory c. By it is meant all their pomp riches strength prosperity but especially by Glory here is meant their numerous progeny in which they did so much glory Ephraim the ten Tribes did prosper very much and were a very great multitude more than Judah This Scripture hath reference unto the prosperous estate especially in the time of Jeroboam the second of which you reade in 2 King 14. Ephraim was in a very prosperous condition and had prospered very much Their Glory Children and numerous progeny is accounted a glory unto people That in which they do much glory in Prov. 17. 6. Childrens children are the Crown of old men the Seventy are the Glory of old men Parents use to glory and pride themselves much in their children saith one Oh! lovely pride of the Mother so it may be said of many sons and daughters of children Oh! the delightful pride of the Father and the Mother in such and such children They accounted it their Glory For 1. By their children themselves are multiplied And 2. They see what excellency soever there is in the child they look upon it as their own as themselves the cause of it and men and women love themselves much and because they are pieces of themselves therefore they glory in them And 3. They have some hope of continuation from Generation to Generation in their children and this is their Glory But let Parents learn to give God the glory of their children and to bring them up to the glory of God then they may rejoyce in them indeed as a great mercy of God In Prov. 10. 1. A wise Son maketh a glad Father but a foolish Son is heaviness to his Mother Why is a wise Son said to be the gladness of the Father Why Doth not a Mother rejoyce in a wise Son too And why is a foolish Son said to be the sorrow of the Mother Why Doth not the Father sorrow and mourn for a foolish Son The holy Ghost not without reason doth express himself thus A wise Son makes the Father glad First because the Father usually hath a more strict hand over his Son in his education to bring him to wisdom more than the Mother ordinarily Mothers are tender over their children and they coâ—ker them and so make them fools some they cannot endure that they should suffer any hardship and hence their children proves foolish and fit for nothing and great sorrows to them And secondly A wise Son is fit for imployment abroad in the world therfore rejoyces the heart of his Father but a foolish Son is fit for nothing but to be at home in the Chimney corner with his Mother and as he grows up grows stout and stubborn against her there And if children be a glory to their Parents they should labor to be such as they may be a glory and not a shame to them indeed There are many which instead a glory to their parents are a great shame to them as it was said of Augustus Caesar he had three daughters that were wicked and
you should come into the very place where your children have been murdered or wives ravished would not you have your hearts rise with indignation in this place was my child murdered in this place was my child ravished so saith God every time he looks upon Gilgal Oh! here was this wickedness committed there I hated them Hence it is that many guilty consciences dare not go into the place where they have committed sin There I hated them It follows I will drive them out of my house They shall remain no longer in a Church-State they shall remain no longer so to be in my House Those who under the colour of being under the Church of God yet live in the waies of wickedness God will unchurch them even in regard of the outward appearance of a Church Estate I 'le drive them out of my House It 's a dreadful expression this for a father to take his child or servant and drive them out of his house notes great indignation to be driven out of Gods House is a sore evil that makes all other evils indeed to be evil as abiding in Gods House is a great blessing and recompences the want of many outward blessings If any of you that have been servants to great men and should be driven out of their houses and especially for your conscience yet if God takes you into his House you are well enough and for that you have a famous Scripture in Psal 52. 8. But I saith David am like a green Olive tree in the House of God I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever Upon what occasion was this Psalm pen'd It was when David was driven out of the house of Saul by the occasion of Doeg there was a Doeg that did exasperate Saul against him and David was driven from his house so he dared not come into it but what comfort had David But I am like a green Olive tree in the House of God though I cannot be in Sauls house and enjoy the priviledges of his house yet blessed be God that I may be in His House and there thrive and prosper as a green Olive tree I will drive them out of my house God cannot endure wickedness in his house neither should we God accounts it his dishonor to have wickedness and wicked men in his house and so should we as in the Church ungodly men should be driven out of the house of God we must not make Gods house an Hogs-sty an unclean place for all Swine to come in but they should be driven out as Christ drave out the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple yea and so should all Christians drive out of their families wicked and ungodly servants Psal 101. 7. He that worketh deceit shall not dwel within my house saith David And he that telleth lyes shall not tarry in in his sight It 's a dishonor for any who make profession of Religion that though themselves be not scandalous in their own lives yet there are those in their house that live scandalously they have as wicked servants in their houses as any this is a dishonor to Religion God drives out wickedness out of his house and do you do so to yours And I will love them no more By Love here is meant the communication of outward good things for that carnal hearts account to be the only love of God Indeed if they may have but outward prosperity here in this world they make that an argument of Gods love unto them Well saith God though you have had many such kind of arguments of my love such fruits of my love yet I will love you no more I will take away all those priviledges and good things that you have enjoyed There are priviledges and good things that come from no other love but that which may be taken away Oh! let not us be satisfied with those let us be satisfied with nothing else but that which comes from everlasting love You may have your outward estates you may have comely Bodies Health Strength Success in your labors comings-in plentifully yea you may have Church Priviledges and yet all this not come from the everlasting love of God that can never be taken away these fruits of Gods love may be taken from you and God may say as concerning all these I will love you no more but there are fruits of love the sanctifying Graces of Gods Spirit the fruits of Electing love and God can never say of these I will love you no more No more After many deliverances that this people had in a way of love God resolves with himself that he will have done with them he will love them no more he wil deliver them no more God may withdraw the sence of his love from his people for a while but he manifests his love again the afflictions of the Saints they are but a little cloud that soon passes over the Sun soon breaks in again upon them and Love shines but the Sun of the wicked and ungodly sets and never rises again this is dreadful when a mans ruin or a peoples ruin is thus seal'd by God whatever mercies you have had heretofore yet now there 's an end of all Adieu mercie adieu love I had gracious manifestations of them once to my soul but they are now gon I must never enjoy them more now God hath changed his administrations towards me I must expect nothing but wrath the hand of his sore displeasure to cause ruin and to be sunk everlastingly Oh! let thy provocations of God be no more do not thou ad unto them I have dealt falsly with God dallied and trifled with the Lord many times promising fair but when I was delivered then have dealt wickedly with thee but no more Lord Oh! take heed if thou add'st any more unto thy wickedness lest that this dreadful sentence be pronounc'd in Heaven against thee I will love thee no more The words are in the Original I will add no more I have done enough already I will do good to this wretched creature no more my Goodness and Mercy hath had their turn no more Spirit strive with them no more Ordinances no more do them any good Mercy meddle no more with them I will love them no more All their Princes are revolters This is a very strange expression What all Yes even from Jeroboam to Hoshea's time every one of them thâ— Princes of Israel were wicked men for two hundred and fifty yeers space in all successions every one were naught and false and ungodly all were revolters It 's an elegant Paranomasia that in the Original Princes revolters the words have a greater elegancy in the Original than in our English the Seventy they turn it by this word Men that could not be perswaded they were all of them men that could not be perswaded they were set upon their own way their own ends and would have their own
no other Root but only Parts and common Gifts and Morality raised and this Root is dried up this day many fair and glorious Professors how are they this day blasted sapless dry spirits and useless in the world in this time when there is so much service required of them And by by being dried up what are they but prepared for the fire Old withered sapless Professors I say whose root is dried up they are fitted for nothing but the fire they are like those in Jude corrupt trees trees that are corrupt in the Autumn Thus it is with many Professors at the time when God expects fruit now they are sapless now they are corrupt fruit they are dried up by the root and what are they fitted for but for the fire And then God hath his time to dry up the root of Nations in Isa 5. 24. Now we might seek to understand what the Root of a Nation is but I think we need not in this place because it is sufficient only for the Metaphor to shew that God doth not only afflict a Nation but intends the utter ruin and destruction Yet a word or two thus What was the root of Ephraim The Covenant that God made with him that was his Root in the first place And when God intends to break his Covenant with them because they broke theirs then he dries up the Root and therefore in the next Chapter you shall find that God charges them with dealing falsely in making a Covenant And then The Godly among a People are as the Root of that People in Isa 6. 13. But yet it shall be a tenth and it shall return and shall be eaten as a Teyle Tree and as an Oak whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof So here the holy seed shall be the substance of it The holy seed in a Kingdom is as the root and substance of it and yet such is the wretchedness of men that what do they do but in stirring against them they would root out the very Root of the Nation And the vigor and power of the fundamental Laws in a Kingdom is as the Root of it from whence flourishes all their outward Peace and Comfort And the blessing of God upon the wisdom and faithfulness of those that are put into place that 's as the Root of the good of a Nation in these things especially consists the Roots of a Nation We hope that God will not wholly dry up our Root only let us take heed of this though there be indeed a difference between the Covenant of God with the Nation of the Jews and any Covenant that God makes with any Nation at this day yet if we be false in the Covenant that we make with God this may root us out let us look to it that the vigor and power of the Fundamental Laws of the Kingdom be maintained and that the godly be maintained let us not set our selves to root out them for in so doing we do but seek to root out our selves and let us pray that the blessing of God may abide upon those that are in place of power and while these things continue we may hope that the Lord intends though he may scatter and break us in pieces yet that there may a Root stay and there is little question I think we may make that God wil preserve our Root howsoever and that there wil be a Root of the Saints that shall flourish till Jesus Christ comes again The Root of the Righteous shall not be moved though the Righteous may be lopt from all their outward comforts yet their Root must not be moved that lies deeper than my Creature-power is able to reach unto But there is a Root Oh! that God would dry up that a Root that the Scripture speaks of a Root of Bitterness that brings forth Gall and Wormwood Oh! what bitter fruit doth that Root bring forth Oh! that God would dry up that root It follows They shall bear no fruit They would bring forth fruit to themselves and seeing they would bring forth no other fruit but to themselves they shall bring forth no fruit saith God How happy were we if God would say the root of bitterness that we speak of as he said of the Fig-tree Never fruit grow on it more Oh! that that Curse of God might be upon the root of bitterness that there is in the hearts of many that God would say we shall never hear the evil Language the evil Speeches of People and the bitter expressions as heretofore we have done Yea though they bring forth yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their Womb. The word translated Beloved fruit it is Desirable the Desires of their womb Children are the desires of the womb that is women are very strong in their desires after them Give me children or else I die saith Rachel Indeed Harlots are not they care only for their lust and would have no fruit of their womb It 's an excellent Emblem for the expression of the vanity of many Preachers that care for nothing but to satisfie their lusts and shew their wit and parts but care not for any fruit at all care not for beget-any children to God like Harlots they desire not the fruit of the womb but Wives that are faithful to their Husbands they do desire it And the same word that is here for desires and translated beloved it is likewise in other Scriptures translated beloved that in Dan. 9. 23. Oh man greatly beloved Oh man of desires And so in Dan. 10. where the Angel saith great beloved it is a man of desire And so in Prov. 31. 2. What my son and what the son of my womb and what the son of my vows You may see how Solomons Mother speaks with a great deal of affection Oh my Son the Son of my Womb and the Son of my Desires But indeed the word signifies properly the Son of my Vows Oh! I made Vows to God if God would give thee me and since I have given thee up to God and by Vows dedicated thee to God what the Son of my Vows Women therefore they should look upon their children as the children of their Vows and shew forth their love unto them in the right way that God would have them It is a strange place that we have in Titus where aged women are commanded to teach the young women to love their huâ—bands and to love their children it is a strange thing that a mother must be taught to love her children thy child is the beloved fruit of thy womb but yet thou must be taught by God taught by his People taught by his Word to love thy children to love them in a right and holy way take heed of loving them so as to provoke God to take them from you take heed that