love unto his people and surely God intends yet further love unto us And then for our selves in particular It 's very good for us to look back unto his ancient love That is Now God hath loved some of you from your child-hood how the providence of God did work towards you then Some of you I suppose in this place may say that God loved you when you were children when I was a child I had such and such expressions of Gods love towards me It was love that I was born of Christian Parents and that I was brought up in Christian education That I was delivered from such and such dangers yea it may be God began to reveal himself to me betimes And if you would call to mind all the loving passages of Gods providence since you were children you might have matter of meditation sufficient There 's many of you that complain you cannot find matter for meditation I 'le give you a rule to help you in meditation at any time it 's this When you cannot meditate of other things but you are presently be wildered and know not whither to go then turn your selves to this meditation To think of all the gracious passages of Gods providence towards you ever since you were children and this the weakest may be able to go along in And that 's the third Note of Observation Fourthly All Gods old mercies remain engagements unto duty and aggravations to our sin I loved him when he was a child 't is brought to that end to aggravate their sin and further to engage them unto duty Remember that the love and mercies of God unto you when you were children are engagements to duty when you are old And they are aggravations of your sin The sins of those men and women that are against old mercies they are the greatest sins Oh! that you should sin against that love of God unto you when you were children God began with you then and hath continued his love and mercy to you ever since then Oh! make this an aggravation of your sin in the day of your humiliation charge it upon your own souls these and these sins have I committed though God loved me though Gods mercy and goodness was towards me when I was a child and hath gone along to me yet I have walked unworthy of all that love and mercy know that if you do forget the old love of God yet the Lord remembers it he remembers his old mercies and he remembers your old sins But then fiftly Let not our hearts sink in despairing thoughts though we see that we are able to do but little for God and though we are unworthy of love Though there be much vanity and folly in our hearts and in our lives yea though there hath been much stubbornness yet still let not our hearts sink in despairing thoughts I loved them when they were a child They could do little for me and they knew little of me and they were vain and foolish and stubborn and yet I loved them Certainly the waies of God towards Israel are as a type of his waies towards his Saints as the afflictions of Israel are Typical to the Church and we gather an argument to be patient in afflictions when we reade how God dealt with the people of Israel in the wilderness so we may gather an argument to help our faith when as we reade how God dealt with them though they were unworthy and were poor and weak yet God loved them Therefore you poor people that find your selves weak in understanding alas you know little and can remember little of that which is good and alas you can do little for God â—ea I find perhaps saith one much frowardness and stubborness in my heart against God but do you bewail it if so let not your hearts be discouraged do not think that these are things that will hinder the love of God Gods heart may be towards you notwithstanding this when God comes to love he doth not find the object to be lovely before he loves but his love makes the object to be lovely therefore God can love though thou knowest little and can do but little But you will say He can love I but Will He love If I did but know that this would satisfie my heart To that I answer First how ever when you hear that God did love Israel when he was such a child that none eye pitied him this is enough to help you against any concluding thoughts against Gods love for God did love his people when they were as unworthy as you are And then secondly But would you know whether God would love you the readiest way for you to know whether God will love you yea or no It is first To raise up your faith if you are able upon such grounds as these are Upon the consideration of his love to his people when they were unworthy And then secondly In quietness and meekness of spirit to lay thy self before the Lord as an object of his pity If thou doest not think thy self worthy to be an object of love yet lay thy heart before God as an object of pity and there resolve to wait til the time of love shall come till God shall make known that his heart is towards thee for good 't is not the way for thee to be froward and vexing because of thy unworthiness meanness poverty and baseness and so to determine that he will not love thee therefore but I say the way for thee to have the sence of Gods love is this When thou seest there is no worthiness in thee why he should love thee yet there is enough in thee to make thy self an object of his pity And sixtly Doth the love of God to his people begin so soon I loved Israel when he was a child Oh! let not thy love then to him be deferred too long Gods love begins betimes to his people let not his people love be deferred too long God is before hand with you in love and when ever we begin to love him it is upon this ground Because he loved us first You who are yong youths do you love God betimes for if you be such as ever shall be saved God did not only love you when you were a child but he loved you before you were born before the foundations of the world was laid Oh! it is pity that the first springing of your love should not be bestowed upon God Certainly old love is the best love as old love in God is sweet so old love in the Saints it 's a sweet thing to think that God loved me from a child but then if I can say this too I loved God from a child this will make it sweeter put but these two together Oh! when these two can be added what is wa 〈…〉 g to the comfort of ones life God loves that love that is from a child Jer. 2. 2.
is called by the Name Love it shews that Love is very amiable and very beautiful Secondly Love it hath much sweetness in it much power to insinuate its self into the heart As we know base love adultrous love it hath a great deal of power to insinuate into the heart in Eccles 7. 26. the hands of the whorish woman are called bonds If whorish love hath such power so to insinuate and to be bonds much more then hath True Love Cracious Love Thirdly Love it is generative Love hath a great generative power to beged Love Augustin saith There is no greater provocation to Love than to begin to love Love can draw iron hearts Love it is the Loadstone of Love it will draw Love and beget Love where ever it is Fourthly Where Love is got into the soul it cōmands all it commands all the Faculties and Understanding where Love is got Look what a man loves so accordingly his understanding will work It a man loves his sin his understanding will be working for his sin Oh what subtil Arguments will men have for their sin when they love it any way that a mans heart is engaged in Love he will be very subtil to argue for it So on the contrary when once the Lord hath taken the heart with Love this Love commands the understanding and then all reasonings are for God and the soul it hearkens after no reasonings that are against God or against his waies when once the heart is taken with Love If a mans heart be taken with love to a Woman he will hear nothing against her but if his love be taken off from her then every report that he hears against her he will aggravate to the uttermost he can and will soon beleeve it So it is when a mans heart is taken with the things of God and of Religion it will hear nothing against them but if a mans heart be off and do not love the waies of God then they are glad if they can hear any thing that makes against them Love commands all the Faculties of the Soul the Understanding and the Thoughts it commands the Will and Affections it commands the Body it commands the Estate it commands the Liberties it commands all that a man hath or is or can do Love hath the absolute commanding power of all Oh! Love hath strong Bonds And again Love it makes every thing that is done for the beloved to be delightful It doth not only command to do a thing but it makes it delightful I will rest in my love and rejoyce over them with singing saith God When the heart is once taken with love I say it doth not only do that which is good for that which it doth love but doth it with delight And then Love knows not any bounds it never sets its self any bounds at all but would do and do and do and do even infinitly for that it doth love so far as love prevails no bounds are set Yea and when it doth much it will not be wearie neither So far as the Soul is acted with Love it will never be wearie with what it doth Men that love their pastime all night they will sit up at it and never be tired so those that love the waies of God though the flesh may be weak yet not the spirit And then Love it is strong so as it stands out against all oppositions nothing that doth oppose can prevail against love in Cant. 8. 6 7. Love is as strong as death and many waters cannot quench the fire of love And then in the next place Love it rejoyces in suffering not only delights in doing but delights in suffering If one that loves another shall suffer for him that he doth love he will rejoyce in those sufferings And lastly Love it suffers not its self to be its self as it were to be at his own dispose Love doth wholly give its self into the possession of him that it doth love it is not his own no longer The heart that is once taken with love is no more its own but gives its self into the possession of that that it doth love so that put all these together and you may see that love it hath strong Bonds I drew them with the Bonds of Love And then a Second Note of Observation is this Let us do as God doth then that is Labor to cast the Bonds of Love upon those we have to deal with it 's Gods way to his people to bind them to himself to throw upon them Bonds of Love And then saith God I have enough I have them strong enough if I get them with the bonds of Love Oh let us do as God doth labor to draw people with bonds of Love If you would draw any to you let it be by Love do you desire to draw any to you you that are Ministers especially you are appointed to draw others to God it 's your work what should you do open the Love of God to them present the Grace of the Gospel to souls labor to work upon their hearts by all the mercies of God By the mercy of God tendered to them by the mercy of God received by them bestowed upon them There 's no such way to draw souls to God as this Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand that 's the preaching of the Gospel The first preaching of all Christs Sermons and of his Disciples was Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand As if he should say Oh! Sirs look about you Consider your waies there 's a glorious Kingdom now at hand a Kingdom of righteousness and mercy wherein the glory of the Grace of God comes to be revealed to the children of men in another way than ever formerly This is the way to bring men to repentance It 's true it 's good to use all means to shew the greatness and the justness and the holiness of God and the like But the prevailing argument above all to bring men to repentance it is That the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and indeed we would do so if we did consider that repentance it is a Gospel Grace it is not that that comes by the Law the Law takes no notice of repentance but the Gospel and therefore to present the Love of God as it is in the Gospel so there God manifests his love to the children of men and that 's the way to draw to repentance there 's a notable story that we have in the book of Martyrs not far from the beginning as also in the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius speaking of John the Apostle that did commit a yong man which was very hopeful unto a Bishop to take care of him but afterwards proved to be very wicked and got among a company of theeves and so came to be the Captain of a company of theeves and robbers
saith That Love bears all things I am loth to mention any further lest there should be any occasion of stirring up any spirits and so hindering the fruit of Love Let me say on the other side there may be too eager censure the other way that is to censure such as are of a different way and judgment that they do it altogether out of their self-ends and self-aims I verily beleeve that on the other side those brethren that do differ they may be consciencious in their way and do it out of zeal to God and to what they apprehend to be truth We should apprehend one another so if we see there be nothing else wherein they do manifest corruption of heart but meerly in their waies of difference in their judgments and opinions Now if both could but thus judg each of other that they both are upright in what they do pursue One side imagins that our part is Gods mind and the other side judges that that party is Gods mind let us judg now that they do it in uprightness except it apperrs some other way then we should quickly come to close and joyn hearts together if we had such upright opinions one of another therefore the more it is the design of the Devil to break those Bonds of Brotherhood and of Love the more should we labor to unight together And you who are Superiors labor you to gain your Inferiors by love Oh let those tie together do not say of your inferiors they are of untoward dispositions and how can my heart be towards them to love them Oh! none of your inferiors are more untoward unto you than you are unto Christ and Christ if he should not love you because of your untowardness what would become of you Now consider of this when your servants and children are untoward Why should that hinder love when as my untowardness doth not hinder the love of Christ to me I remember I have read of Monica Austins Mother her husband being an Heathen and that some of her neighbors that had Christian husbands wondred how they came to live so lovingly together saith other Christian women that were neighbors Our husbands are Christians and yours an Heathen and yet you live more lovingly with him than we do with our husbands She answered them It may be when your husbands do any thing that provokes you you are presently froward with them but I labor to overcome my husband by love so to gain his heart to me and upon that we live so lovingly together Christianity teaches me to perform the duties of a wife to my husband though my husband be an Heathen I verily beleeve there are many godly men and women that sometimes when the one is godly and the other is wicked You will say How can that be Yes though there be godliness yet there may be such frowardness and passion as may cause wonderful disturbance but on the other side where there is godliness and love there is such an overcoming with Love that though the man be wicked and never so harsh yet he hath the nature of a man in him and so long as he hath the nature of a man in him he will be overcome by Love and therefore that 's the way to bind men and women together Would you be united more than ever yet you have been labor to cast the Bonds of Love one upon another let the husband study how to overcome his wife with love and so the wife the husband and then there will be a sweet union indeed and so for Masters and servants there should be Love there to unite one to another though the master be above the servant yet the master should account it a happiness to him in that his servant doth love him there is not such a distance between you and your servants as there is between God and you Oh! it 's a sweet thing when a man can say in his family I bless God all my familie loves me And whatsoever they do they do it out of love to me It may be you are harsh towards your servants and you will make them do what you command them to do and they dare not do otherwise yea but what 's that but do your servants love you do they do all for you out of Love you might have as much obedience from your servants as you have and have it a great deal better than you have if you have it out of love and so likewise in a family when one servant loves another as it was said of David in 1 Sam. 18. 22. All his servants love thee all Sauls servants did love David so those that are servants should labor to live so in families as all the other servants should love them But you will say They are so wicked that how can I hope to have love from them Yes Though they cannot love thee as thou art godly yet godliness hath something in it that is common to the excellency of mans nature Yea and those that are in place of power in the Magestracie they should labor to gain those that are under them by love as the greatest in a family if he be a Lord or an Earl should not think it too much to gain a servant by Love so those that have the greatest power in Government they should not think it too much to gain their meanest Subjects in a way of Love we see it was thus with David 1 Chron. 28. 2. Then David the King stood up and said Hear me my Brethren and my People See what a sweet expression is here of a great Prince Then David the King stood up and he said Hear me my Brethren and my People he did not sit down Majesterially and say My People and you that are my Subjects and that are under me I command you to do thus and thus but he stands up unto them and saith Hear me my Brethren my People This was a way to gain the hearts of people unto him You know Absolom he sought in a false way to steal away the hearts of people by a gentle carriage I remember I have read of John the Second a King of Portugal he chose his Emblem to be a Pelican that he might express his love to his Subjects upon this ground for the Pelican when her yong ones have been bitten with Serpents she feeds her yong ones with her own blood and thereby cures them now upon this this King of Portugal chuses the Pelican to be his Emblem thereby he would testifie his readiness to let out his blood for the good of his Subjects for the healing of his Subjects He would not feed upon his Subjects blood but he would rather let out his own blood for their good This is the commendations of a Prince not to seek to feed upon Subjects blood and to raise up his Honor and Prerogative by his sheding of
Sun as the Sun is high above a piece of earth But now this we may know let there be never such excellent Creatures made they cannot have a greater fruit of love than mankind hath from God Oh! this is the love of God to mankind this cals aloud to the children of men to love God here 's a fruit of love beyond that which is to Angels for the Lord took not upon him the Nature of Angels but the Nature of man Fifthly God so loved his people as he hath given himself too as well as his Son Not only given the Second Person in Trinity but Himself He doth not think enough to give Heaven and Earth to thee to be thy Portion but he will make Himself to be thy portion he will be thy God You would think it a great matter if God should say Well all this world I will give to be thy portion yea that I might give a testimony that I love thee I will make another world for thy sake and make thee the Emperor of it all but in that God hath given thee his Son and given thee Himself this is a greater degree of Love and the soul of man were it enlarged indeed so as it might be yea so as grace doth enlarge the hearts of the Saints such a soul would say Lord what will thou give me if thou givest me not thy Son if thou givest me not thy Self though I be less than the least of thy mercies yet except I have thy self to be my protion this is not sufficient for me Well saith God That thou maiest know that my heart is set upon thee for good I 'le give thee my Son I 'le give thee my self and my Spirit Oh! what love is this to the children of men that ever we should live to have our ears filled with this sound from Heaven that God should do such things as these are for the children of men Sixthly God doth so love his people as in comparison of his Saints he cares not what becomes of all the world in Isa 43. 4. I loved thee therefore will I give men for thee and people for thy life If thy case be so that it shall not be well with thee without great evils that shall come upon the children of men the generality of men and many people and Nations I do not so much care for them saith God my heart is upon you so as in comparison of you I care not what becomes of all the world Oh the Love of God unto his Saints Yea further God hath loved thee so as he hath pardoned all thy sins here 's another twist of Gods Love in Rev. 1. 5. Vnto him that hath loved us and washed us from our sins by his own blood For his giving himself for us that is in Gal. 2. 20. He hath loved us and washed us from our sins by his own blood here 's a fruit of Love You do not hear it said that Christ hath loved us and hath purchased great Kingdoms for us hath made you Lords and Earls and Countesses and so hath loved you no But he hath loved us and washed us from our sins by his blood Now it 's a good argument that the Love of God is upon you if you account this to be a great fruit of Love to wash you from your sins by the blood of Jesus Christ Surely if he will do so much for you as shall cost him so dear as his own blood he loves you the Love Jesus Christ broke through these difficulties for when there were such transactions between the Father and Son about redeeming the Soul saith God If thou wilt take upon thee to deliver them from their sin thou must come thy self and be made a Curse for their sins What will you undertake such a thing as that to deliver them from their sin it will cost you thus much Saith Jesus Christ Lord thy will be done in it yet let me deliver them from their sin though I lose my life though it cost me my blood though I be made a Curse whatsoever it cost me yet let their sins be washed from them He hath washed us from our sins though it cost him his blood Oh! the Love of Christ to his Saints what Bonds of Love have we here I have seen some that they may twist and bind their cords the more fast they will wet them that so they may close and bind the more Oh the Cords of the Love of Jesus Christ are wet with his own blood Again Loved thee surely his Love hath been great he hath put loveliness upon thee he hath put upon thee his own Nature If one can say any thing greater than hath been said this one would think should be very high and great tor God so love us as to put his own Nature into us to make us partaker of the Divine Nature so to love us as to put his own Life into us to enable us to live the very same life that himself doth live so to love us as to put his own Image upon us Oh! this is the Love of God to his Saints Again He loves thee with the very same Love wherewith he loves Jesus Christ himself In John 17. about the latter end That thou maiest love them with the same Love wherewith thou hast loved me saith Christ to the Father Oh! to have the same Love that the Father loves Christ withal Is not this a strong Bond to bind thy heart to God If God had loved thee only so as to give thee an estate and honors here in this world this is no other love but that the Reprobate may have and will this Love satisfie thee Oh! the difference between the Love of God to his Saints and the Love of God to other men he loves the great ones of the world that are wicked with no other love but with the love that he loves a Reprobate but he loves the Saints with the same Love wherewith he loves his Son and this Love will bring thee one day to be one with the Father and the Son and is not here a strong Bond of Love to gain thy heaâ—t to Himself And further from this it must needs be that the Lord must delight in Communion with his Saints and indeed God doth all this for his Saints puts the Divine Nature into them and the Life of God and sets so much Love upon them why that he might have a people to enjoy everlasting Communion with him saith God I would fain have some Creatures that might live with me to enjoy communion with me that might live to see my face and see all the Glory that I intend to manifest to all eternity Oh blessed God! hast not thou the Angels that are with thee to enjoy thy Glory to have communion with thee no saith God but I would have these poor creatures that are so low and mean in the
and when thou art labouring for the mercy thou art as well labouring to prepare thy heart for it surely then when it comes it must be sweet indeed but when there 's no preparation before thou canst not know that it is in love We little think that we have need of preparation for mercies If indeed God should threaten some judgment we would think that we had need be prepared but certaialy there is as great need for preparation for mercies to be able to make good use of them as for afflictions to be able to bear them And this seventh Note I have likewise from Numb 11. 18. And say thou unto this people Sanctifie your selves against to morrow There 's a charge that they should sanctifie themselves against to morrow for God would give them flesh I do not find that they did do it but when God promised to give them sesh◠he bid them sanctifie themselves as if he should say If that your desires come before you have sanctified your selves it wil be in wrath not in mercy Oh therefore when as you are earnest to have your desires satisfied think thus The Lord charges thee to sanctifie thy self Oh! doest thou take care of this doest thou make it to be thy endeavor to sanctifie thy self before the mercy comes then thou maiest have comfort in it and not otherwise Eighthly When we seek greedily to have our desires satisfied but rest in the means we use and seek to be beholding to the creature only for it we do not lay the great weight upon prayer what ever it is that we enjoy and we do not get it by prayer we cannot know that it is in love When God intends a mercy from love he doth first fill the heart with the Spirit of Prayer when a mercy comes after much prayer then it 's a mercy from love When the Saints have been praying and then God hath come in with mercy Oh then they have gathered arguments of Gods love to them This I had because I sought thee as Hannah did concerning Samuel how did she rejoyce in Samuel Oh! this is the child that I prayed for saith Hannah unto Eli Oh! this is the mercy that I prayed for therefore she called her childs name Samuel one that was sought of God And so when we can call every gift we have we can call it Samuel that is a gift ask'd of God here 's a gift that 's got by prayer Whatsoever means was used yet prayer was the chief ingredient this is an argument of love But otherwise we can have no assurance that it is from love It 's true a King was not unlawful for them to desire because they had such hints in Scripture Oh but they did not so much mind them no but they come to Samuel and say Come Give us a King we do not reade that they go to God for it Such a great change of their State as that was one would think should have required divers daies in seeking of God It was a mighty change from such a Government as they had unto a new kind of Government and from a Government that was of Gods own appointment to another Government wherein now they would sute themselves according to the Nations And yet we find no daies of prayer for this and therefore it was in wrath that they had it Therefore when you would have any thing look not so much to come by it according to second causes but be much in Prayer according to the excellency of the thing that you seek for Ninthly When God gives our desires but doth not give a proportionable measure of Grace that so we might make a sanctified use of them when God gives you the shell but not the kernel surely it is not in love If your children should ask a Nut of you and you give them a Nut that hath no Kernel they wil not think if so be that you knew it that it is in any great love Truly all the good things that wicked men have they are but Shels without Kernels they are not in love The Kernel of every Blessing it is a proportionable measure of grace to use it for God You have a great desire that God should change your condition if he should change it and not give you a heart fit for that condition you had better be without that thing you have a desire that God should prosper you in such a business yea but if he doth not teach you how to abound you had been better never to have abounded Now it 's not in love for God to give any success except he gives a proportionable measure of Grace according to the success therefore that 's that which you should all examin the Lord hath altered my condition and many good things I have more than before but what Graces have I more than before what exercise of Grace what work of Grace more than before Certainly if it be in love it will be so Tenthly Surely our desires cannot be in love when God doth not only deny a proportionable measure of Grace 〈◊〉 there goes a secret curse with what we have If so be that 〈◊〉 man should be very hungry and hath a mighty desire to satisfie himself and he fals greedily upon his meat and eats it but assoon as he hath eaten it his body swels more and more till it be as big as two bodies surely he begins to think then that all is not well Lord have mercy upon me saith he he is afraid that he is poysoned So God gives you your desire and assoon as you have it you begin to swell you are bigger than you were before your hearts are proud and you can look scornfully upon others then Oh you are poysoned this is an ill satisfying of your hunger you are poysoned surely in this In Isa 10. 16. you have there a notable expression to this purpose Therefore shall the Lord the Lord of hosts send among his fat ones leanness and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire Even such things wherein there appears to be a great deal of glory such things perhaps as when your desires are satisfied in you can glory in Oh you glory in such and such a mercie such a good thing you have above others but under this glory there is a burning kindled there 's a great deal of the wrath of God in it a secret curse that goes along with it Eleventhly When we regard the satisfying of our desires so as we regard not what becoms of others sobeit we have our desires satisfied and this is from their example here Let 's have a King A King What shall become of Samuel then hath not he judged you and been faithful with you What will you shew your selves so ingrateful to him for all the good he hath done to you as to reject him and his house and family Oh! they cared not for
thew 49 Obs 2 The way to prevail with men is to deal with them in a rational way 50 Obs 3 It 's a great aggravation of sin not to be drawn dy these cords of men 52 Use 1 Saints should be eminent in courtesie 54 Use 2 We should draw our relations with gentleness ib. Use 3 Gentle means rejected aggravate sin 55 Obs 4 We must preserve the honor of our inferiors though their faults be great ib. Obs 5 It will aggravate the shame and confusion of men which disregarded Gods using them in an honorable way 56 Obs 6 Not to be drawn to our duty but by violence and strength it is beastial 57 Obs 7 As God deals with us according to our nature so we ought to deal with God as far as we are able sutable to his nature ib. Obs 8 That the Lord doth not alwaies stand upon number though the greatest 59 Obs 9 That Love it hath strong bonds 63 Obs 10 We should labor to cast the bonds of love upon those we have to deal with 66 Obs 11 Seeing Love hath such bonds in it we should make use of the Love of God to bind our hearts to him 78 Obs 12 There 's nothing more aggravats sin than that it is against Love 88 Obs 13 That deliverance from oppression is a great mercie 92 Obs 14 To abuse our ease when God is pleased to deliver us from yokes is very sinful 93 Obs 15 To oppress one another after we are delivered from oppression is likewise a great evil 97 Obs 16 Mercies prepared and provided for laid before us are to be prized 101 Obs 17 In receiving of our food we must look up to Heaven 102 Obs 18 The Service of Gods people is easie and their provision is bountiful ib. Use How great is the mercy of God to us who hath eased our yokes and laid meat before us 〈◊〉 103 VER V. Obs 1 That which bardens men hearts against threats in their sin is some shifts that they have in their thoughts 104 Obs 2 A stout heart cares not whether it goes rather than it will return to God 105 Obs 3 Stubborn hearts if any thing crosses them will foolishly and desperately wish their return to their former condition of misery ib. Obs 4 God knows how to cross wicked men of their wills to spoil them of their plots 106 Obs 5 If we will not do Gods Will God will cross us of our own 107 Obs 6 God is not so much displeased at our sins as at our not returning 108 Obs 7 To refuse to return notwithstanding means used and mercies tendered is a fearful thing ibid. Obs 8 Scornful spirits when they are called upon to return from their evil waies do not only deny returning but also scorn and slight what is said to them 110 VER VI. Obs 1 It 's time for a people to return when God doth whet or draw out his Sword 111 Obs 2 That the abiding of the Sword is a sore judgment ib. Use Against protractors of the War Obs 3 The sword shall abide as long as God will have it ibid Obs 4 That though it be sad for the sword to be in the Field yet for the sword to be in the City is sadder 113 VER VII Exposition 118 Application 1 Publick to England ibid 2 Private to particular persons 119 Why men start back Reasons 1 Gods waies are unsutable to them ibid 2 They have a greater mind to other things ibid 3 They are weary of the waies of God ibid. 4 They have watched advantages to get off from what they have formerly made profession of ibid 5 They are sorrie they engaged themselves so much as they did ibid 6 They greedily embrace any Objections against such waies ibid 7 They are very greedie to take any offence ib. 8 They watch for offences 120 9 They are willing to embrace any opinion that will give them liberty 121 Obs 1 That it is a great evil for men to strive against their conscienoes 122 Obs 2. Mens hearts sink down to low and mean things naturally 126 Obs 3. It is the end of the Ministry of the Word to call men to the Most High God who have their hearts groveling after low and base things ib. Obs 4 It is a great and sore evil to stop our ears against the calls of the Word 127 Obs 5 That the calling to the most high God is a special means to cause those that are in a suspence to come in to a full resolution ibid Obs 6 The true Worship of God is an elevating thing 129 An Exhortation 131 1 To great men ibid 2 To Saints ibid How God hath exalted the Saints 1 He hath raised them from the depth of miserie 131 2 He hath made them one with his Son ib. 3 Hath loved them with the same love wherewith he loved his Son ib. 4 Hath made them Co-heirs with his Son ib. 5 Hath given his Angels to be ministring spirits to them ibid 6 God intends to honor himself in their eternal good ib. 7 He hath prepared for them a Crown of Glory ib. Obs 7 God hath little honor in the world 132 VER VIII Exposition general 134 Exposition particular 135 Obs 1 The greatness of mans sin hinders not the work of Gods mercie 141 Use 1 If the bowels of Gods mercie work towards us let ours work towards our brethren 142 Use 2 Why should great afflictions for God hinder our hearts working to him when our great sins against God hinder not Gods heart from working towards us ibid. Obs 2 Sinners are at the very mouth of misery when they do not think of it ibid. Obs 3 Gods free mercie is that which keeps us from being destroyed ibid. Obs 4 Sinputs God to a stand ib. Obs 5 The salvation of a sinner breaks through manie reasonings and workings in Gods heart 143 Obs 6 According to the relation a sinful people have to God so difficult a thing is it for God to execute his wrath upon them 144 Why God is not readie at any time to execute Judgment upon a sinner 1 The prayers of the Saints stand against Justice 145 2 The Lord look upon the place with an eye of pitie ib. 3 God considers that he hath but little worship in the world 146 4 He looks upon the Service hath been formerly given him in that place ib. 5 There may be a remnant of Saints there ib. 6 He eyes the miseries they will endure ib. 7 The Lord sees how the adversaries will insult 147 8 He looks upon the Elect ones not yet born ib. 9 If my wrath must be satisfied let it run out upon others ib. 10. The affliction of the Saints is Gods own affliction 148 11 God will fetch good out of their evil ib. 12 Gods Justice is glorified by his patience ib. 13 Gods mercie may convert ib. Obs 7 A chollerick disposition is none of Gods Image 150 Use 1 Take heed of being passionate ib. Use 2 Let
beloved of my soul my Glory a Royal Diadem to my self I could shew you Scripture for every one of these expressions that this people were taken by God to be his chief Treasure his peculier Treasure and his Delight Deut. 7. 6. The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people to himself a special and he gives them all those Epethites Surely these are Bonds of Love And then in the fourth place If so be at any time they were in any afflictions I pitied them and looked upon them with the eye of mercie and releeved them redeemed them out of their afflictions in Isa 63. 9. In his love and in his pity he redeemed them And then fifthly I set on work all my Wisdom and my Power and my Mercy to do them good above all Nations working great wonders for them Now this we shall not need to mention any particular Scripture for the whol story of God carrying of them from Egypt along in the Wilderness to Canaan and there providing for them is a testimony for this so in Isa 63. we named before Gods redeeming of them he ads this too And carried them all the daies of old The Lord never was so glorious in his power towards any people as towards them the right hand of his Power and Excellencie was stretched out for them in Exod. 15. And then sixthly By the Bonds of Love I had a continual watchful eye over them and their Land mine eye was upon their Land where they dwelt for good above all other Lands that were upon the earth in Deut. 11. 12. A Land saith the text which the Lord thy God eareth for the eyes of the Lord thy God are alwaies upon it from the beginning of the yeer even to the end of the yeer Canaan was a Land that God cared as little for as any place of the earth before his people came into it a Land wherein God was as much dishonored as in any place of the Earth but now when his people came into it now it is a Land that mine eye is upon that the Lord takes care of from the beginning of the yeer to the end of the yeer this respect did God shew to his people Seventhly I gave them my Oracles the Revelation of my Will. This was another notable fruit of the love of God to this people In Judah was God known his Name was great in Israel in Psal 147. 19 20. He shewed his Word unto Jacob his Statutes and his Judgments unto Israel I dealt not so with any Nation And as for my Judgments they have not known them saith God This was a notable Priviledg that Israel had above all other people In Rom. 3. What advantage hath the Jew saith the Scripture or what profit is there of Circumcision Yes every way the Jew hath much advantage every way above al other people of the earth Why wherein for unto them were committed the Oracles of God Other men had the book of Nature they could see Gods Name as it were written in the Characters of the book of Nature yea but the special things of God the Counsels of God concerning the Eternal Estate of the Children of Men were not then revealed but saith he I gave to this people my Oracles they had those Counsels of mine concerning mans eternal estate revealed I opened to them my whol heart and soul all that I would have known to the children of men for that time I opened to them Oh this is a bond of love indeed to have the Oracle of God committed to a people And then the Eighth Twist as I may so say in this bond of love to make it a great Cable as it were to bind them unto God was this I set my heart so upon as to have the Messias to come from them in whom all the Nations of the earth should be blessed I rather chose this people than another to have my Son to be born of them to be of their stock And then Ninthly I gave them a Law the sum of which was nothing but love as I opened the last day That the Law of God had strength of Reason in it and so God drew them with the cords of a man his Law was rational So I drew them with bonds of love I gave them a Law the sum of which was nothing but love as thus What 's the sum of the first and second Table of the Law The sum of the first Table it is Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul And the sum of the second Table is Thou shalt LOVE thy Neighbor as thy self so that Love is the sum of the whol Law And then Tenthly I have out-bid all temptations whatsoever good pleasure delights honor they could expect in following any thing else I shewed them that they might have it and much more in my self there was nothing they could have in following after any of their false worship 〈◊〉 creature they would have any good in I made it appear that they might have as much in my Self I out bid all temptations for the encouraging of them in my waies that is in the full course of Scripture we find the Lord propounding himself to his people as a lovely object on purpose to draw their hearts away from all other things that might seem to be lovely that he might have the whol soul to himself Yea and in the Eleventh place Whensoever they were in any want if they did but cry to me I heard them What people is there so great as this people that the Lord is so nigh unto in all that they call upon him for saith Moses Yea and lastly I have done so much for them that it cannot be conceived that I should have done more What should I have done more for my Vinyard than I have done Isa 5. 4 Let any one speak what love they could conceive could be more from a God to his people than I have shewen So that put all these together and you see how God did draw this people with bands of love Now this for the Explication Now from hence our First Note is That Love it hath strong bonds Strong as strong as death Cant. 8. 6. None are so strongly bound together as friends that are bound in Love The bonds of Nature are not so strong as the bonds of Love A friend is nearer than a brother saith the Scripture The bonds of Love are the strongest bonds they are a twisted bond For First Love it is in its self a lovely thing to behold there 's an amiableness in Love to draw the eye and the heart to it In Cant. 7. 6. How fair and how pleasant art thou O Love for delights How fair and how pleasant is Love Take Love for the affection of love it is fair and pleasant for delight and when the beloved
and was wholly bent to slaughter and murder and extream cruelty and lived in the mountains Afterwards John comes to this Bishop to whom he had committed the yong man and bid him restore unto him the charge which he and Christ had committed into his Custody then the elder looking down with a heavy countenance sobbing and sighing said He is dead John enquiring how and what kind of death he answered he is dead to God for he is become the Captain of a company of theeves in such a place The Apostle then rending his garments in great sorrow said Prepare me a Horse and let me have a guide and so rode in post being come unto the place he is taken by the theevish watch he neither flieth nor resisteth but saith for this purpose came I hither bring me unto your Captain who being armed beheld him coming but when he knew that it was John he was strucken with shame and fled away The old man forgetful of his yeers pursueth him flying and crieth My son why fliest thou from me thy father unarmed and old O son tender my case be not afraid as yet there remaineth hope of salvation I will undertake for thee with Christ And thus he runs after him crying that yet there was hope of mercie and pardon and that he would die for him He hearing this first stood still turning his countenance to the ground next shoke off his Armor then trembled for fear and wept bitterly so that this broke his heart and he returns back and falls a weeping upon the neck of John and became an eminent Christian afterwards Whatsoever is to be thought of this story yet certainly there 's no such bonds as the bonds of Love to draw the hearts of people unto God Have you to deal with stony hearts the way it is to lay them upon the soft pillow of the Gospel and so you may break them lay a stone upon a stone and so it goes from you and doth not break but if you lay it upon a pillow you may presently break it with a hammer The Word is compared to a hammer yea but we must labor to lay the hearts of people upon the pillow as it were of Love upon the Grace of God in the Gospel and that 's the way to break their hearts there are none so bound to God as those that are bound to him by Love those that are bound to God by fear that hath not Love mixt withal their bonds will not hold they will seek quickly to break the bonds of fear there 's no men I say that are held to God by the bonds of fear but they will seek after any occasions to break those bonds and if they can but get any opportunity to get themselves out of those bonds they will and commonly at last they do break them and get themselves out of the bonds of fear but now those that are held by bonds of Love they are held for ever unto God I beseech you observe this Note When men cast off the sweet of their sin by the sweet of the Love of God then they will never return to their sin again Oh! but if it be only the bitterness of the Law of punishment that makes them cast off sin they will be ready to turn to their sin again as a dog will return to the vomit as a dog casts out the vomit meerly in regard of the pain he doth feel but when it is cast out by the sweet of Love when one sweet enters for another such hold on their way Austin hath a notable expression for that in the 9. Book of his Confessions about the beginning speaking of a sweeâ— of sin Thou Lord saith he didest cast out those sweetnesses and thou didest enter in thy self instead of them who art more sweet than any pleasure whatsoever And it was from hence that he held on so in his way because God casting out the sweet of sin instead of that sweet he had by sin before did himself I say enter into the soul that was more sweet to Austin's soul than all other sweetnesses whatsoever Oh! saith he afterwards The sweet it is to want those sweetnesses when he had the Love of God come in instead of whatsoever sweetness he had before No mervail though Grace be so persevering and we reade so much of perseverance especially in the times of the Gospel because that there 's none truly converted unto God but they have that sweet come into their souls through Love that is more delightful to them than all the sweet they had by sin before Never be afraid you that God is beginning to turn to himself never be loth to part with any sweetness you had in the waies of sin for by turning to God you shall find that sweetness in God and his waies that will be a thousand times more Oh they are things that they love and they are loth to part with them Yea but when you are turned to God God will be as lovely to you as ever any thing in the world was If the Ice be but broken over night by the Husbandman he comes the next day and it is frozen up again but let the Sun come with his warm beams and then it runs down with flakes then it breaks throughout many Countries together it breaks all at once by the beams of the Sun And so the beaking of the heart by the terrors of the Law it is but liâ— the breaking of the Ice with a pole by the Husbandmâ—â— to give the Cattel drink but when the Love of God co 〈…〉 to the heart then the corruptions of the heart dissolve even as the Ice dissolves when the warm Sun comes upon 〈◊〉 Th 〈…〉 ay therefore to gain the hearts of men it is by love And we should the rather do it because it is the great design of God in the Gospel To manifest his love to the Children of men he hath opened his heart and the treasures of love in the Gospel What is the Gospel but the treasures of the love of God opened those eternal loving kindnesse of God towards mankind they are opened in the Gospel and no Minister can be a faithful Minister of the Gospel but those that shall endeavor to open the heart love of God to the children of men in Jesus Christ and go to gain souls unto himself Oh! 't is a pleasant work to be a Minister of the Gospel in this respect to be alwaies searching into the treasures of Love and to make them known to souls for the gaining of them unto God And then likewise If you have to deal with men you must labor to draw them with the bonds of love in Phil. 2. 1. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ if any comfort of Love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowels and mercies fulfil ye my Joy that ye be like minded saith the Apostle Oh! let it be
through Love that you come to be like minded and do not think to force men into the same mind to use bitter language and expressions to men if they differ in judgment from your selves But if there be any Love be of the same mind labor to get into one anothers hearts if you would do good to one another As a Minister if he would do good to his People he must labor to get into their hearts that the people may love him therefore it hath been observed that your wrangling Ministers and bitter men that if they be but crost in any thing they presently went their own bitterness they never do any good at all But those that can be willing to deny themselves and willing to suffer for the Case of the Gospel they prevail most And so if you would do good for any of your kindred do what you ca 〈…〉 get into their hearts that they may love you and so 〈◊〉 may be a means to draw them to the waies of God 〈…〉 y Love you may come to have any liberty in their hearts that you would you may say what you will if once they be perswaded that you love them then you may ask more liberty to reprove any thing that is evil in them and to perswade them to any thing that is good then they take nothing ill from you and therefore 't is a great disadvantage that men of sowr and bitter spirits have in obtaining their own designs if they once speak any thing though never so good yet it is rejected because that people think it is not out of Love But on the other side it is a mighty advantage that a sweet and loving disposition hath let such an one speak never so though the thing be never so harsh yet the party will take it wel because he knows he loves him Oh! these bonds of love my brethren they are mighty strong When you meet together in any Society if you would have any thing do not seek to get your wil by wrangling and frowardness but by bonds of Love I confess there are some men that are of such perverse spirits that the neerer one comes to them the further they go from one that they have even lost all ingenuity but if you have to deal with men that you think to be gracious and to be ingenious then do not think to gain any thing from them but by Love These bonds of Love that here we have in the Text the Devil seeks to break the great design of the Devil it is to make men to have hard thoughts of God his waies and to make them beleeve that God hates them and that though they have some good things from God for the present yet that the heart of God is not towards them and so labors to make a separation between the soul and God And so the great design of the Devil is to break the bonds of Love between Christian and Chistian It was a fearful judgment that we reade of in Zach. 11. 14. when the staff that was called Bonds was broken even the Brotherhood between Judah and Israel he threatens it as a Judgment I 'le break the bonds of brotherhood And then you find that the staff of Beauty was broken when the staff of bonds was broken My brethren never was the bonds of Love more broken among Christians than they are now We reade of bands of Love but what 's become of them They are broken They were in former times so twisted as I told you the word in the Hebrew signifies love so twisted into so many Wreaths as one would have thought they could never have been broken but whatsoever the matter is we find they snap asunder Oh! how justly might God bind us with Iron bonds seeing that the bonds of Love will not bind us God hath cut the Cords of divers of our yokes asunder and hath broken the bonds of the oppressor and now behold we break the bonds of Love Oh! unworthy wretches that we are every one of us looks with a jealous eye one upon another every one shifting for himself there are no bonds of love in our hearts the wicked in Scripture are said to die without bonds that 's Gods patience that they shall die without bonds but wo to us we live without bonds and that 's our sin and the wrath of God upon us in Eccles 3. 8. There is a time to love when is the time Certainly if ever there were a time to love then this is a time to love And there is a time to hate Oh Divine Love whither art thou gone hast thou left the earth as unworthy of thy beauty and glory Oh! that thou wouldest come again unto the hearts of the Saints and bind them together The want of the bonds of Love every one complains of Oh! those soul-refreshing and soul-ravishing meetings that we were wont to have But especially more publickly we find the bonds of Love quite gone and quite broken reade but over the 1 Cor. 13. and see the effects of Love there and by that you will find the bonds of Love quite to be gone Love the Scripture tells us it thinks no evil it maks the best interpretation of things that can be Now surely there 's a great deal of want of love amongst us that when men in the uprightness and sincerity of their hearts shall desire to find out the mind of God and the will of God and meerly out of conscience because they dare not go any further than they see the mind of God to go before them therefore they shall be judged to be a stiff-necked people and to be the great hinderers of Reformation Is this the best interpretation that possibly can be made of things Is it not possible why there should be some other grounds why they differ from their brethren but meerly stiff-neckedness how if it should be owned by Jesus Christ at the great day That it was out of sincerity because they did desire to know the mind of Jesus Christ fully and yet they could not see what their brethren say they did We should make the best interpretation of things that possibly we can Love it cures all things and it bears all things now for such publick striking against any such forbearance and crying out that we would have a Tolleration of all things u◠Religion this is the great argument when they know in their consciences that their brethren do joyn with them in the Doctrinal part of Religion and in the main things and those things wherein they differ are things of no such great moment but may be forborn with peace enough if mens hearts were peaceable and still now to in fuse that into the peoples heads that if they were but in any thing forborn there must be a tolleration of all things surely this is not any fruit of Love this is not that which the holy Ghost
world I would have them to be raised up to enjoy communion with my self this is the end of Gods bestowing any Grace upon his Saints it is that he might raise them to enjoy communion with him and to delight in him and he to delight in them that he might have creatures to communicate the treasures of his goodness too and that thou mightest communicate what thou art able to him Surely Christ doth not account himself to be full without his Saints and therefore you find in Ephes 1. 23. that the Church is called the Fulness of Jesus Christ and therefore he praies Father let them be where I am I shall not account my self so full except they be with me and see my Glory Oh the Love of Jesus Christ to his Saints And then further This Love it sweetens and sanctifies all for good thou maiest see Love in every thing now though thou hast less of the creature than others have yet thou hast it out of Love when thou comest home it may be thou hast not so much as others have perhaps but a piece of bread and smal drink yea but I have it out of Love look upon all thy mercies and thou mayest see the eternal Love of God to thee in them They are all sanctified to me for the furtherance of eternal good the Lord from all eternity did see that such a kind of life was the best for me to further the eternal good he intended for me and therefore he hath disposed of me to this condition rather than another condition Oh! how sweet may the life of a man or woman be when as they can reason after this manner Well this condition that now I am in the Lord from eternity saw the fittest condition to work my heart to himself and therefore it is that I am in this estate rather than another And then Love thou findest daily by experience how hath the Lord helped thee in thy straights and heard thee in thy prayers and answered thy desires This I told you in the opening of the text was a fruit of Love to the people of Israel and so it hath been with thee And this love is very strange too for though the Lord did forsee all thy weakness and all thy unbeseeming carriages thy unworthines c. yea the Lord did not only foresee what thou wouldest be before he did manifest love but he did forsee how thou wouldst walk unworthy of his love after it was manifested to thee and though he forsaw all this yet still his love was not quenched towards thee but saith the Lord My love shal break thorow all this Many times you set your love upon some and they prove untoward and unworthy and you think with your selves Could I have but foreseen this untowardness they should never have had my love but now the Lord did foresee al thy il requitals and yet it did not hinder the love of God towards thee And then further In the love of God there is the love of all relations As now The love of a father towards a child the Lord takes upon him the relation of a father and the love of a husband the Lord takes upon him the relation of a husband and the love of a friend too that 's sweet And then that that crowns all it is this That it is an abiding love an everlasting love a love that shall never be quenched He that the Lord loves he loves unto the end he will rest in his love Zeph. 3. 17. Jer. 31. 3. 2 Thess 2. 16. If thou knowest that he hath loved thee in his Son thou hast hereby an everlasting consolation let Heaven and Earth meet together let there be what changes and alterations there will yet there is everlasting consolation for thee if thou knewest but this love of God Now my brethren all this I have done to that end that your hearts may be gained unto God And what wilt thou do now Wilt not thou now love the Lord thy God shal not al this love of God to thee in Christ constrain thee The love of Christ constrains me saith the Apostle Oh! love the Lord all ye Saints if the Lord hath thus loved you love ye the Lord all you his Saints Then God is Love himself he is the Element of Love And whither should love go but up to the Element Air it desires to be in its proper place and Earth will descend to its proper place the proper place of Love is God God is as it were the Element of Love for so the Scripture saith God is Love And he that dwels in God dwels in love Oh labor to be rooted and stablished in love in Ephes 3. 17. Being rooted and stablished in love you may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the length and breadth and depth and heighth and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledg Being rooted in love thereby ye come to comprehend with all Saints the breadth and length and depth and heigth and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge It is not the strength of natural parts Learning doth not so much teach us what the length and heighth and depth of the love of Christ is as Love get but your hearts rooted in Love and you wil come to understand the glorious things of the Gospel in another manner than ever you did And mark what follows That you might be filled with all the fulness of God Had we not such an expression in Scripture we should not dare to make use of it What for a poor creature to be filled with God to be filled with the fulness of God to be filled with all the sulness of God! This is the reason why Christians are so scant in their obedience and empty in their spirits because they are not acquainted with this breadth and length and depth and heighth of the love of Christ Oh know that God prizes thy love and he is satisfied with nothing but thy love in Cant. 7. 12. There will I give thee my loves saith the Spouse When thou comest to the Ordinances to hear the Word receive Sacraments or Prayer yet if thou comest not to give the Lord Christ thy loves it is nothing There will I give thee my loves Oh! Christ prizes love at an high rate and that love that will serve for other things certainly will not serve Christ He loves thee too little saith Augustan that loves any thing besides thee who loves not that thing for thee You may love Wife and Children and Friends yea but you must love them all for God when you see any thing lovely in Husband or Wife or children or Friends yea but think this is but a beam of the loveliness of God And thus I have endeavored now to raise your hearts to God by Love the Lord hath cast Bonds of Love upon your souls On that by the Ministry of his
Word this day these Bonds may be somewhat strengthened that you may feel some strength in these Bonds that you may go away with your hearts more strongly united to the Love of God than ever I drew them with the Cords of a man With Bonds of Love and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their Jaws and I laid meat unto them Part of the last Sermon it was spent in opening unto you these Bonds of Love And shewing First What were the Bonds of Gods Love towards the people of Israel the several expressions of Gods Love to them in several particulars And shewed you how that all those that had to deal with men to draw them to God should do as God doth labor to draw them with Bonds of Love I have especially directed my self unto the Saints of God and shewed to them what bonds of of Love God hath laid upon their hearts to draw them to himself I have not applied this point generally yet for indeed one principal Bond of the Love of God towards the Nation will follow in the words after But certainly the Lord hath sought to draw this Nation to himself with Bonds of Love We may say concerning God he hath loved this Nation Loved it It was the first Nation that ever received Jesus Christ by the countenance of publick Authority of the Supream Authority in the Nation And when Antichrist had darkned the light of the Gospel here the bowels of Gods Compassions yerned towards it and God wrought wonderfully to deliver this Nation from Antichristian Tyrannie Moreover The Lord hath not sent the light and power of the Gospel to any Nation under Heaven more fully nay without prejudice to any other we may say not so fully as to this Nation though there are many of the Saints of God else where yet in no place under Heaven hath God more yea so many Saints I might almost say put all the Nations of the earth together so many that know him so fully and have that power of godliness in the worshiping of him as here in this Nation Oh! the Bonds of Love that are upon us Yea If we look upon our outward mercies those liberties that we enjoy there 's scarce any Nation that hath the Commonalty of the people that live like men in comparison of ours for the most part of all the Nations in the world the generality of people are like slaves rather than any Free-men their Governors rule over them with Tyranny but here the Common people have Liberties and God works mightily for them for the vindicating of the Liberties that they have both for their bodies and outward estates and their souls likewise and Oh! the Love that God hath shewn unto us of late in working so miraculously for us as he hath done But there is one point more observable in these Bonds of Love that God draws people unto himself by The scope of the Prophet here in mentioning these Bonds of Love it is to aggravate their sin from whence there is this That there 's nothing more aggravates sin than that it is against Love God hath Three Bonds to bind us to Obedience There 's the Bond of his Law And the Bonds of Afflictions And the Bonds of Love But now to break all these Bonds The Bonds of the Commandements and the Bonds of Afflictions and Bonds of Love too this aggravates sin very much Oh charge thy sin with this aggravation Oh thou sinner What against such a God such Love Oh what a vile heart have I Saith Augustin Oh 't is too hard a spirit that though it will not bestow Love yet it will not requite Love O! let not there be such a hardness in the Spirits of the Saints Thou didest not begin with God to love thou didest not begin to bestow Love be not so hard towards God as not to requite Love Do not we see how base Love can gain upon mens hearts adulterous love what strong bonds that love is the giving of gifts and bribes what bonds they are to tie mens harts their hands and tongues and shall not the Love of God and the fruits of that be a stronger Bond to tie thy heart unto him Nothing goes more to the heart of Man of God than the abuse of Love A man can better bear the abuse of his mony the abuse of any thing he doth or hath than the abuse of his Love Gods Spirit is grieved with his Saints we do not reade that the Spirit of God is grieved with the Wicked God may be angry with the wicked every day but not grieved but when the Saints sin against him the Spirit of God is grieved because their sins are against Love when thou sinnest against God the Lord looks upon thee as Caesar once upon Brutus What thou my Son What thou whom I have so loved What break all those bonds When we reade in the second Psal of the Kings and Princes of the Earth that said Let us break their Bonds asunder and cast away their Cords from us We think that 's great Rebellion but for thou that professest thy self to be Gods it 's a greater evil to break these bonds of Love Oh! thou my Son my Child thou whom I have bestowed so much Love upon yet thou to sin against me when thou art committing of any evil conceive with thy self as if God were looking upon thee and pleading with thee by all those fruits of his love that ever thou hast received from him and wilt thou yet sin against him for all this We reade in Mark 14. 72. when Peter had sinned Christ did but look upon him and he wept bitterly Oh! Peter saw love in the looks of Jesus Christ and therefore we know after when Christ came to him he pleaded with him with this argument of love Doest thou love me and doest thou love me Oh! when he saw the eyes of Christ so sparkling of love and then considered that he had sinned against that Christ that had so loved him broke all those bonds of love then he went out and wept bitterly the word is in Mark 14. 72. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He did break out in weeping For so it may signifie that force that there is in doing any thing to lay a force upon ones self to do a thing He did break out break out in weeping he was not able to bear it his heart burst even in sunder when he considered how he had burst asunder the bonds of Love Oh that after such manifestations of Mercy and goodness such warmings of heart in Communion with Jesus Christ what thou Oh my soul what canst thou find in any waies like Gods waies canst thou find the like love and the like sweetness in any as thou hast done in God yet for all this unkind unloving dealings God follows thee with Love his heart is yet open unto thee
then the several Doctrinal Notes from them First How shall I give thee up Ephraim Or as some others reade it What shall I do to thee I am as it were at a stand what to do as the Father that hath the rod in his hand comes to correct and lets the rod fall out of his hand his affections work so strongly What shall I do As if God should say Oh! were there but any repentings were they but ever so little I would be glad of it I would take any little repentings could I but tell how to vindicate mine honor any other way I would do it Oh! what shall I do It is your foolish wilful stubornness going on in such a vile finful way that puts God to such a stand What shall I do God seems here to have his heart troubled in him much like that in Exod. 33. 5. when God was offended with the people there saith he Put off thine ornaments that I may know what to do with thee It 's a strange expression as if he should say come and fast and pray put off your ornaments and humble your selves before me that I may know what to do to you Oh! why may there not be some hope put off your ornaments if there be but any repentings and turning to me Or if you take it as it is in your books How shall I give thee up Then the scope is thus Thou art upon the very brink of destruction wrath and miserie it is prepared for thee thou art in the very mouth of ruin It 's nothing but only a giving thee up and thou art undone wrath and miserie stand waiting only for my giving thee up Oh! but how shall I do it I see thee upon the very brink of ruin thy very neck upon the block and thou now waitest for my giving up but I cannot tell how to find in my heart How shall I do it How shall I give thee up Ephraim Oh! here was a strong argument that mov'd the bowels of God Ephraim if thou wert indeed the refuse of the world I would not so much care for many thousand of them but thou art Ephraim Thou art my deer child Ephraim my deer son you know what God saith in Jer. 31. about the 18. verse How shall I give thee up Ephraim How shall I deliver thee Israel As if he should say Justice calls for thee that I would deliver thee up to him thou art call'd for to be delivered up to Justice Justice plead that thou art her due but How shall I do it How shall I do it How shall I deliver thee It goes much against me to do it The Septuagint they turn the words How shall I protect thee So the old Latin And the mistake comes from a little difference in the Hebrew word so that the same radical letters in the Hebrew word that is for delivering signifies a Shield likewise To protect as with a shield And therefore they translate it so How shall I protect thee but that comes to the same thus How shall I protect such a one as thou art How shall it be for mine honor that thou shouldest be under my protection Men indeed do abuse their power they have to give protection to others you know there hath been a great abuse since the Parliament begun by protections that have been given to others but saith he How shall I do it that is I who am a holy and infinite God how shall I protect such a one as thou art How shall I protect thee Israel Israel here 's another argument indeed Israel I remember thy Father I remember that mighty Prince who wrastled with me and prevail'd and I account it my glory to be the glory of Israel and his seed What art thou the posterity of Israel of such a one so deer to me and such a Prince that heretofore prevail'd with me in prayer What art thou his posterity Oh! how shall I deliver thee up Israel Oh when God looks upon them he sees them sinful and wretched but when he looks upon what they were in reference to their forefathers How shall I give thee up Israel How shall I make thee as Admah How shall I set thee as Zeboim Admah and Zeboim they were the names of two Cities that were two of the five Cities that were together with Sodom and Gomorah now four of these five Cities were destroyed by fire from Heaven for the wickedness of them and one of them only was spar'd for Lot's sake But this Admah and Zeboim were two of the Cities that the judgments of God was most terrible upon the Apostle Jude in his Epistle the 7. verse saith That they did suffer the vengance of eternal fire Now saith God here The truth is you have provoked me as much as Admah and Zeboim have done their sins were not greater than yours and there is as great wrath that belongs to you as to them but oh how shall I do it how shall I make thee as Admah and Zeboim how is it possible for me to find in my heart to yeeld to do it Hierom upon the place doth move this Question Why doth he mention Admah and Zeboim and not Sodom and Gomorah The Answer that he gives is this That Judab those Tribes they are compared in their sin to Sodom and Gomorah in Isa 1. and Ezek 16 for Judah had more means than Israel had Judah had the Temple with them and therefore their sin was the more aggravated Sodom and Gomorah they were the chief sinners and Admah and Zeboim they did but as it were follow them so he And by following their example they came to inwrap themselves in the same Judgments but yet altogether their sin was not like Sodoms and Gomorahs therefore Judah that had more means is compared to Sodom and Gomorah and the ten Tribes to Admah and Zeboim My heart is turned within me Luther hath a Note upon this according to his usual way in expressing the Grace of God to the height saith he 'T is as if it were that the heart that 's stir'd with anger for the sins of men were not the true heart of God and therefore saith he My heart is turned to me mine own heart now I have my own heart indeed when I have thoughts of peace when I had thoughts of wrath that was not as it were mine own heart sutable to that expression we have in Scripture That God calls his execution of Jugment his strange work So that 's Gods own heart that is affected with our evil and that doth even turn with mercie towards us so mine heart is come to me saith God as if it were gone before But My heart is turned within me The meaning is this As when a mans heart is much affected in love and compassion there 's the working of the Spirits and blood round about the heart and mighty motions and stirrings in the heart So saith
And that expression of God here My heart is turned it is not only to note according as I see several Interpreters go that God doth change the sentence of his wrath yet without any change in Gods Nature for the same God working upon divers objects works in a diverse way without any change in himself so that though there were those things that might have produced wrath and reasoning for it and God speaking after the manner of men as it were inclinations to it yet upon such considerations it should not be and though this would be a change in man yet God is infinitly above us and we are not able to know his Nature this is without any change in him But I think the words besides that it specially hath another scope and that is to note the strong affections as it were in God for so in all this we must speak of him after the manner of men to note the strong affections that there were in the heart of God as now We know that strong affections in us whether they be affections of Love or of Joy or of Anger They carry the heart along with them and cause very strong motions in the heart I 'le give you one Scripture that hath this very phrase that will shew you the meaning is not Turned within me that is in a way of change so much as to note strong motions that there are in the heart of God towards sinners Lam. 1. 20. there the Church is lamenting for her sin and expressing the mighty workings of heart that she did feel in her self by reason of her sin and of her affliction and you have there the same expression that you have here I am in distress my bowels are troubled mine heart is turned within me The meaning is not there that I am changed in my heart so as I am turned from my sin But My heart is turned within me that is I find a mighty moving in my heart through the mighty workings of it and the strong affections of my heart as we say sometimes You make my heart to leap in my belly or pant or ach within me Any kind of strong affections makes strong stirrings in the heart So 't is here My heart is turned within me I find mighty strong motions and stirrings in my heart The Notes First When there are strong movings of the heart of a penitent after God such an one may be very well encouraged to come to God for there are strong motions in Gods heart after him My heart is turned there are mighty strong movings in my heart for mercy to you do you find such movings in your hearts as you never were acquainted withal before before your hearts lay dead and dull and nothing would stir your hearts and now you find your hearts mightily stirring and working Doth your hearts work strongly towards God be encouraged in those stirrings there are as strong stirrings in Gods heart towards sinners And then secondly Let arguments to obedience for God cause stirrings in our hearts let them not lie dead and dull in us As Arguments for mercy Oh! how stirring are they in Gods heart If any argument for mercy towards finners be propounded the heart of God mightily stirs Oh! what arguments do you meet withal coming from the Word many times that one would think might work upon the heart of a Devil to draw to obedience and yet your hearts lie dead and dull under all those powerful arguments Oh! how unsutable are your hearts to God! Do you expect that Gods heart should work strongly towards you to do you good and yet nothing stir in you And then Thirdly My heart turned within me we must not cast out wholly the sence that 's given of it Turned in respect of the revoking of the sentence The Note is When we have resolutions strong resolutions to that that 's evil let us not think it too much to have our hearts turned to recall our thoughts and our determinations and our strong inclinations Many times men have strong resolutions to a thing and they see arguments that might turn them but only this They have resolved and they are loth to change their thoughts and resolutions Oh! take heed of this for God expresses himself after the manner of men there have been many times strong resolutions to have destroyed thee eternally but the Lord doth that which man would do when he changes his resolutions though there be no change in Gods Nature and he would by expressing himself after this manner to us hold forth this Note That we should take heed we stand not upon our resolutions when there are arguments to the contrary but be willing to have it known that now we are otherwise than before we were My repentings are kindled together Surely God repents not as man doth But you know the answer of Divines viz. That his administrations are such as if he did repent But the word here translated Repenting comes from root that signifies as well Comfort as Repentance noting that Repentance and Comfort are very neer a kin one to another as the Hebrews express Sin and Punishment with the same word so they express Repentance and Comfort with the same word My Repentings are kindled My bowels yern within me so that expression you have in Gen. 43. 30. Josephs bowels did yern within him And 1 Kings 9. 26. The mother of the child when she saw it would be cut pieces her bowels yerned the word yerned there is the same here with kindled her bowels kindled within her she found a heat in her bowels They are kindled together Whatsoever might cause any Repentings they all come together they lie glowing at the heart The Notes are these Three First Here 's mighty encouragement for prayer when we present arguments to God for mercy to think that those arguments we present and all other that possibly may be presented they lie glowing at Gods heart they lie glowing warm at the heart of God they are not only before God but there they lie as a company of sticks that are gotten together and so glow and are ready to flame out so all considerations that any way may serve to do good unto the Saints they do lie glowing at the heart of God altogether It may be sometimes we come in prayer alas we are straightned in our own bowels perhaps we cannot express our selves it may be but in one or two particulars we are able to express and that which comes out of our hearts comes very cold but when we are straigtned in our own bowels and can express but little for our selves and if we see such as belongs to Gods Covenant we must know that all considerations that possibly men and Angels can express that may do thee good they are all with God and are in a heat in Gods heart I do not know such a full expression as this is of Repentings kindled kindled together
nostrils you shall have enough of it even till it be loathsom to you Why Because you have despised the Lord which is among you The Lord gave them their desires because they had despised him So you are ready to bless your selves in this I have what I would have and think that therefore God regards you that God gives you what you would desire because you have sinned against him whereas if he were not angry with you he would not give it Saith Augustin God many times in giving is Angry in denying is Merciful It is because he is angry that he gives you such things as-you would have There 's the same in Psal 78. 29 30. and so on There it appears how God gave them flesh according to their desires but while the meat was in their mouths the wrath of God came upon them It is a most excellent point if we had time a little to open it Oh it might quiet our desires for that I had thought to have spoken to how we might know when a Thing is given in Gods Anger or in his Love the several waies of Gods giving you may come to know whether a thing be given in Love or in Anger by seeing the waies of things and comparing one thing with another you may come to know much of God in it But only now let me leave this with you about it Take heed of immoderate desires for any worldly thing To say I must and I will and I will have it when ever you find your hearts strongly rising to a thing that you must needs have then be afraid be afraid of having it as much as you were of having any thing in your lives no man or woman can have any comfort in anie thing as coming from Gods Love until they can first quiet their hearts and be willing to be at Gods dispose to be willing to be without it that 's one main sign of giving in Gods Anger or in Love When as a man or woman finds an eager desire after a thing Oh it is verie sutable to such and such a purpose yea but now if I can go alone and consider that God is wiser than I and knows what 's best for me if I can labor to work my heart to this Lord if it be good for me then I desire it but if thou seest it would not be good then Lord here I am do with me what seems good in thine eyes as David did Surely nature could not but work strongly yet saith David If the Lord hath any pleasure in me he will bring me again to this City c. but if he shall say I have no pleasure in thee lo here I am let him do what seemeth him good in his eyes Yea this was a thing indeed and no question this temper of Davids heart in his affliction was the thing that did so much help him in enlargement to praise God when he returned to the Ark and Citie again Had David kept a stir and fretting and vexing and what must I go from the Citie of Jerusalem and how doth God deal with me and I am resolved though it cost me my life I will return to Jerusalem and take possession of the Citie whatsoever comes of it perhaps David might have gotten thither but there would not have been so much love of God in it as when he could give up himself to Gods dispose And so if this people could have said thus It 's true Lord thou art our King but we are despised because we are governed by men of such mean qualitie and the truth is God had promised them a King also and therefore it was not such an evil thing to desire a King but so eagerly they would have him now if they had been but quiet and said Lord thou tellest us in thy Word of a King that we shall have Lord fulfil this thy Word and for the present we are content to submit to thee as long as thou thinkest fit now it may be God would have given them a King or presently after and so they might have had a holy and gracious King but they must have him now and so they had him with the anger of God You know the storie of Rachel Oh! give me children or else I die So she had a child and she died though it was not in Gods anger as an Enemie yet it was a Fatherly anger Oh! think but of this you women that are so desirous of children or any outward blessing you that are desirous of altering your condition How manie in altering their Estate as in Marriage they must needs alter it and to this partie and such a one they must needs have although they beg their bread all their daies and although Parents against it and though they cannot see evidences of grace Now saith God you shall have it you shall joyn together I and you shall work your own miserie by this eagerness of your spirit Oh Brethren let us learn to be moderate in our desires and commit our desires and heart to God I gave them a King in mine anger and took him away in my wrath The last Exercise there was only these Two or Three Observations named First That God may have a hand in things wherein men do sin exceedingly Secondly Things that are very evil may have success according to the hearts of men for a time The Third thing was this That Gods Gifts are not alwaies in Love Now because it is a great Point there are Two things that I shall desire to do First To shew to you How a man may know that what God doth give him it is in anger and not in love And then Secondly Some CORRALARIES to be drawn from it but very briefly in both For the First then How we may come to know a thing to be given by God in anger rather than in love It is a verie hard thing to convince men if they have their desires satisfied that it is rather from anger than love Men are so well pleased with the satisfying of their desires that they can verie hardlie be convinc'd but that God intends good to them in it and therefore you shall find in 1 Sam. 12. 17. that God was fain to do a great and wonderful work of his to convince this people that that which he gave them there Saul it was in anger rather than in love Is it not Wheat Harvest to day I will call unto the Lord and he shall send thunder and rain that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great which ye have done in the sight of the Lord in asking you a King Samuel had before in Chap. 8. told them of their sin in asking a King but they would not be convinced still they must have a King Now saith Samuel It is Wheat Harvest and whereas the people of the Jews were never wont to have rain in Harvest time it was a strange
that let us have a King let become of Samuel what wil come and of his house what care they And so when men are greedy in their desires Let us have such and such a thing but care not what becomes of others That 's another N 〈…〉 of desires not granted in love Twelfthly When God satisfying of our desires makes way for some judgment Now indeed the thing is comfortable that we have but stay a while and you shall see there is some judgment making way by that very thing that you have and when the judgment is come afterwards you will see how it made way for it there are very great judgments many times upon men that are made way for by the satisfying of their own desires God hath many waies to prepare a path for his anger by giving you your desires many times there 's nothing more ordinary in experience than this and therefore we need not stand upon it If you wil but examin the course of your lives sometimes you may see that if God had satisfied your desires in such and such things it would have made way for the greatest misery that ever you had in al your lives and when God denies sometimes to his People they can confess O Lord I see that had I had my mind in such a thing which I would have had I had been undone And on the other side You wil find that those things which you accompt the greatest mercies to you do make way for the greatest evils surely they were not given in love then Thirteenthly When men are greedy of things and never consider the inconvenients when they would have their desires satisfied in a foolish way never minding what inconveniences may follow in this thing more than in the other thing meerly looking upon that which is for the present sutable to them but never think what inconveniences may follow Thus it was here they would have a King but Samuel came and told them all the inconveniences that would follow upon it how that they should have this affliction and the other You that are so desirous of him if he comes among you he will bring you into slavetie your Estates and your Children shall be under his power you wil be in slaverie to everie Courtier Nay but we will have a King for al this they would needs change the way of Government O that we might have a king And they would be brought more under Law than before for indeed in the time of the Judges if you reade that storie you shal find that the People of Israel were in a great deal of Libertie then and they obeyed the Judges in a great measure in a voluntary way if you raade the storie you shal find but Two Tribes that followed Barach and Deborah and so of Jepihthah and Sampson those that were willing freely to offer themselves they followed them and those of Ephraim they did chide with the other and ask'd them Why did you not call us to it as noting that there was a great deal of freedom in the time of the Judges Yea but we will have a King and we wil all then be tied to the same thing and be under the same power and so there will be a great deal of union that way when this man shall not be in this way and the other shal not be in another way and men to have their freedom thus thus but al shal come in and joyn under the same Law and so we shall go on in one Certainly this was their reasoning in their desire of having a King Now this kind of union no question was verie good among the People but to have it in this way That whereas the People were governed in such a way before as stood with a great deal of Libertie It 's true they shall have a kind of union but they do not consider what inconveniences there will be in their being thus chain'd together Prisoners that are chained at a Post they are altogether all the day long But would you have such a kind of union to be united with such chains Consider that with the union there may come a slavery upon you But they did not consider of any such things no matter say they Come let us be all joyn'd in one and let the same Law be upon every one But now how this would bring them under bondage and slavery in those things they would be loth to be brought under in in that they considered not at all Fourteenthly When men seek to have their desires sarisfied meerly because they love change We cannot have any comfort that God doth it out of love when it is out of a foolish spirit that loves novelty They though they had bin long enough under that kind of Government and in a meer kind of novelty not knowing what might come of such a change but a change they would have And so people though there be never so much good in a way yet out of a novelty they would fain have a change And if God grant them a change when they have no other ground but that for it it is a sign that there is wrath in it and not love Further When it is through impatiency and want of heart to submit to God in a former condition It 's ill when it is through a meer novelty but when it 's through impatiency then it 's like to be in wrath and not in mercy if your condition be changed God hath put you in a lower and mean condition it 's true it 's lawful for you to desire a change yea but if you desire it because you cannot submit to Gods hand then it 's a sign that it is in wrath but when you have brought your hearts to this Lord here I am dispose of me as thou pleasest I am content to lie under thy hand but Lord I look up to thee for mercy Consider I am a poor weak Creature and it is fit that thou shouldest have thy will and not I mine then if God make a change you may have comfort that it is in mercy but if you have it through impatiencie you can have no comfort at all in it It was just so here they could not bear the hand of God that was upon them any present trouble that they had upon them and so thought to help themselves by having a King and God gave them one but it was in his anger Further When our desires of further mercies makes us forget the former mercies and makes us unthankful for former mercies they would have a King that might go before them and fight for them Fight for them Did not God fight for them before Oh wonderful and glorious Battels they had when they were under their Judges when they had Samuel to direct them they never had more glorious Victories afterwards than then Nay you shall find in the whol Story of the Judges that they did alwaies prevail and
Excommunication see Difference Excuses Excuses of deceiptful dealers 319 Mens excuses 515 F Faith Faith see Church Encouragement Root Faculties Faculties see Love Families Families see Imperiousness False False see Encrease Fill Men fill themselves with sensual things 445 Forced Forced see Blows Wives Folly Folly of Apostats 307 Form A form of answering to Gods call 128 Forgiveness Healing with forgiveness a sweet Mercy 95 Free see Grace Free grace of God to our Ancesters 222 Fruit To understand the Scriptures is a fruit of love 20 Fruit see Way G Gift see Ministry God Gods great design is to magnifie free grace 25 God deals gently with his people 53 Gods great design in the Gospel 70 God deals roughly with the great and graciously with the grieved and oppressed 500 God will be a Lyon to them that forget him ibid. Why God compares himself to a Leopard 502 God is to be preached as terrible 508 God see Christ England Know Trembling Help Healer Merciful Godly heart Godly heart see Difference Good Good see London Company Good Cause Good Cause see Success Goods Goods ill got the third Heir enjoyeth not 319 Government Government see Church Guides Guides their changeableness 31 Guiding Why the soul needs Guiding 32 H Hear Hear see Reverence Healing Healing see Forgiveness Healer God will be acknowledged the Healer of his people 40 Help God delights to Help men in misery 519 High minded Why the rich are apt to be high minded 459 Honor Honor of our inferiors must be preserved 55 God hath little honor in the world 132 Hope Hope see Wind Host Host see People Humbles What humbles most effectually 287 Hurtful Hurtful see East Wind. I Jacob What God spake to Jacob at Bethel 264 Jacob's mean condition 356 Jacob's flying into Syria 358 Why Jacob is sent away so meanly 359 Jacob hath the blessing renewed at his going away 359 Why Jacob served seven years for Rachel 394 Jehovah Jehovah what it infer's 273 Jehovah what it should mind us of 274 Jehovah what terror is in the Name 291 Jehovah what Consolation in the Name 292 Jehovah see Excellency Jews One of Gods special Covenants with the Jews 427 Ill-got Ill-got see Goods Image Image see Wrath Imitate Imitate God in resisting temptations to sin 149 Immoderate Immoderat desires to be taken heed of 537 Imperiousness The Imperiousness of some in their families 416 Increase Whence such Increase of false Doctrine 205 Increasing see Lyes Inferiors Inferiors see Honor Ingratitude Ingratitude see Perverse spirit Insolent Insolent see Bass Israel What a child Israel was 3 Wherein Gods Love to Israel stood 4 Israel see Mercy Instances Instances of the working of Gods heart towards England 148 Instruments Instruments see Abuse Iron Iron Tools unfit to build God's Tabernacle 343 Israelites Why the Israelites would have a King and Princes 530 Judgment It may prove a Judgment to invent a way to satisfie Conscience 211 Judgment when to be Executed 300 Judging Judging see Error K Kingdom Kingdom see Troubles King King see Israelites Kings Kings see Caution Kissing Against kissing the Book in Swearing 443 Know What it is to know God 447 L Labor Labor see Prevailing Language The Language of the sin of Apostacy 409 Law Saints not under the Law 11 Liberty What use we should make of Liberty 96 Licentiousness Licentiousness see Evils Lives Lives how to compleat the comfort of them 10 Leopard Leopard see God Lyon The Lyons property 504 Lyon see God Little A little of Spiritual things serves mens turns 455 London Gods mercy to London all this War 114 London's good is to be labored for 115 Love Gods Love doth not find but make the person lovely 8 Love commands all the souls faculties 64 The Love of Christians formerly compared with our divisions 72 Love see Persons Children Fruit England Love see Superiors Convince Notes Magistrates Love see Servants Sanctifies Overcomes Love see Relations Element Lyes Several waies of encreasing Lyes 206 M Magistrates Magistrates must deal by Reason rather than by Violence 51 Magistrates should govern by Love 76 Mark The Mark of the Beast 313 Marriage Marriage founded on consent 391 Married condition Married condition see Blessing Mean condition The mean condition as well as the greatness of our Ancestors is to be regarded 392 The mean condition of Moses 396 Meditation A Meditation for passionate spirits 464 A Meditation ser Trades-men in London 469 Merchant Merchant see Canaanite Mercie Gods mercy towards Israel is a Type of his waies with his people 8 Mercy when to be shewn 299 Mercy see Carnal props London Plea Affliction Merciful hearts neerest to God 173 Ministers Ministers pattern 35 Ministers must convince not scare men 51 It's Ministers duty to open Gods Love 66 Ministers should be wary in using tartness 150 Ministry The Ministry a magnificent gift 346 Why men profit no more by the Ministry 345 In chusing our habitation we should have regard to a good Ministry 347 Monopoliz To monopolize Commodities is oppression 313 N Necessary Necessary see Truth New New Officers see Pride Notes Notes to know whether it he Love or Hatred by all that is before us 540 Note of Peprobation 3â—â— O Obstinate Obstinate see Devil Oppression Oppression of others after deliverance from oppression is a great evil 97 Oppression see Deliverance Monopolize Oppression see Conscience Trading Evil. Opression see Under-trades-men Overcome Gods Love overcomes all unworthiness 84 Outward Outward Comforts see Thoughts P Pardon Pardon see Restitution Parents Parents and Masters must use more conviction than correction 52 Particular Particular persons should remember Gods ancient Love 7 Particulars affect most 294 Passionate Passionate spirits see Meditation Peace A blessing for them that hastens peace 112 People Gods People are his Host 272 Perseverance Perseverance why more frequent under the Gospel than under the Law 69 Perverse A perverse spirit the punishment of ingratitude 401 Piety Piety raiseth the heart more than Pride 126 Plea The plea of Justice and Mercy 140 Popery Popery see Beginning Posture The posture of a Congregation 417 Prayer Prayer see Encouragement Priests Priests see Vanity Preserve Preserve see Honor Prevailing Prevailing recompenceth all our labor in seeking 242 Pride Notes of pride in some new Officers 461 Priviledg Priviledg see Saints Procession Procession see England Profit Profit see Ministry Promise No command in the Gospel without a promise 91 Prosperity Many Saints worse for prosperity 453 Prosperity see Exalted Proud Proud men see Vanity Providence Things accidental are under providence 18 Provoke How we should provoke one another 464 Provoking Provoking God see Aggravation Provoking sins expressed 465 Punishment The punishment of Apostacie 409 R Reason Reasons of Jacob's taking his brother by the heel 219 Reason see Magistrates Use Relations The love of all Relations in Gods Love 85 Religion Religion see England Reformation Reformation see Awaking Recreation Times for Recreation to be allowed to Servants 101 Repentance Repentance a Gospel-Grace not of the Law
66 Reproach Reproach see Apostacy Reprobation Reprobation see Note Dangerous sign Restitution Why no pardon without Restitution 320 Scripture for Restitution 321 Repute Repute not to be trusted 421 Reverence We are with Reverence to hear the Lord speak 416 Rich Rich see High-minded Root What 's the immediate Root of Faith 177 Rule Rule for matter of Meditation 7 The general Rule of Worship 437 S Saints Priviledg of Israel refer to the Saints 11 Saints see Law Affliction Prosperity Satan Satan's great design 71 Sanctifie Gods Love sanctifies all things 84 Scare see Ministers Scripture What the Scripture presses much 297 Scripture see Restitution Self Wherein self appears in sin 512 Self destruction see Aggravation Sensual Sensual things see Fill. Servants Servants should love one another 76 Servants see Recreation Sign Sign see Carnal heart Similitude Similitudes what and how to be used 350 Sin Sin see Imitate Sinner A sinners duty 340 Soul Soul see Guiding Spirit Gods Spirit grieved only by the Saints 89 Spirit see Church Gods Spirit bitter to some 406 Slaves Gods Sons slaves for a time 14 Slavery God hath his time to call his sons out of Slavery ibid. Spiritual Spiritual things see Little State The State of the Saints is very secure 154 Steps The steps of Apostacy 432 Stout The Character of a stout heart 107 Stratagem Stratagem see Devils Success Success no note of a good Cause 536 Superiors Superiors should win by Love 74 Superstition Superstition see Beginning Suspense Suspence a cause of great evil 123 Swearing see Kissing the Book Sword For the Sword to be in a City a sad thing 113 T Tartness see Ministers Terror see Jehovah Terrible see God Their see Arabian Thoughts Gods Thoughts from eternity concerning his Elect 79 What thoughts we should have of outward comforts 456 Time see Slavery Tools see Iron Trading Oppression in Taading a great evil 313 Tradesmen Vnder Tradesmen to oppress is wicked 314 Tradesmen see Meditation Trembling Trembling due to God 416 Trembling see Alteration Tribes see Confidences Troubles Great troubles at the raising of Christs Kingdom 184 Truths Truths not necessary to be imposed 98 V Vanity The vanity of proudmen 445 Priests may be vanity that seem to be much for God 352 Vindicate How the Saints are to vindicate Reproaches 410 Violence see Magistrates Use The use of Reason in Religion 440 W Wait How we are to wait on God 303 Why we should wait 304 Way To be guided in our way is a fruit of Love 32 The way to Vniformity 70 A way of Holy Revenge 108 Gods waies not our waies 118 Weeping Weeping not sutable to a high Spirit 247 Wilderness Wilderness see Conduct Wind Creature-hopes are but winde 202 Wives Wives or Husbands not to be forced on Children 390 Word Word see Drawn Work Work see Chief One Work of the day of Judgment 511 World World see Honor Worship Worship see Rule Corruption Wrath Proneness to wrath not Gods Image 150 Y Yong Yong see Confident Z Zeal All men should shew Zeal 〈…〉 r God FINIS Heb. The scope of the Chapter Where the Chapter ends The cohâ—eâ—ence Obs 1. Tota Scriptura hoc praecip 〈…〉 è agit ne dubitemus sed certo speremus 〈…〉 danâ—u credamus Deum esse misericordeÌ„ benegnum patientem Luth. 〈…〉 Rom 9. 11. 12. The phrase opened Excussâ—◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 significat eum qui crebâ—ò sugum parentis vel Heri excutit quamvis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ternov in 〈…〉 c. What a child Israel was Ezek. 16. 1. c. applied Wherein the love of God to Israel stood Obs 1 Jer. 12. 7. Obs 2. 〈◊〉 3. Gods ancient love to England An instance of it England the first Nation in the world that God chose for the embracing Religion by publick Authority Lucius of England is said to be the first Christian King Centur. Cent. 2. Cap. 2. Tit. de Propagation Ecclesiiae 〈◊〉 J. Balai Catal. Who also by publick Authority established Christianity about the year 169. Lucius in lucem prodit de patre coello J. B. Author primus apud Britones Religiones erat Rossaei Britania God remembers the kindness of Englands youth first love Particul persons should recal Gods antient love unto them when they were children A Rule how we may never want matter of meditation Obser 4. Obs 5. Gods waies of mercy and affliction toward Israel a type of his waies toward his people in all ages Gods love doth not find but make the person lovely Object Answ How to know whether God will love us or no Obs 6. Youth What will compleat the comfort of our lives Jer. 2. 2. How we may know whether God loved us when children Nimis serò te amami Aug. Exod. 4 22. Jer. 31. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 70. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Obs 1. Priviledges of Israel refer to the Saints Malach. 3. 17. Saints therefore not under the Law Psal 89. 30 31. c. Obs 2. Jer. 2. 14. Use Obs 3. The Church one in Faith Spirit Babtism c. Eph. 4. 4 5. not in outward incorporation and visible Government Obs 4. Jer. 12. 17. Deut. 32. 10. observed Gods Sons slaves to Satan oft-times and for a season And to wicked men which is the admiration of Angels God hath his time to call them out of that slavery Obs 5. Exod. 12. 42. Applicat to England The Text as cited Mat. 2. 15 further expounded Hierom Matthew's interpretation seems strange to some * See Bucer on Matth. 28. P. 197. shewing that the Apostles allegations of Scripture were not proper unless to such as the holy Ghost enlightned to see the mystical sense of them and except we shall say that those Expositions were received things in those daies as are among the Jews now the Chaldae paraphrase expounding many places of Christ which according to the Letter have another sense and this perhaps may be the saâ—er to affirm because else it may seem the Apostles could not so well have charged the Jews with Obstinacy as Act. 13. and Chap. 28. and else where Opinions about the place in Matthew Junius in loc Paralel lib. 1. Paral. 6. Isa 2. 9. Isa 9. 6. 3. preferred so Hierom on Hos 11. 1. expounds it Exod. 12. 46. and Joh. 19. 36. compared Things accidental are under providene Great things intended of God by smal 2 Sam. 7. 14. Heb. 1. 5. compared also Obs God som way or other aims at Christin all his works which to see wil be one part of the Saints glory A similitude A fruit of Gods Love and of Christ's Spirit to understand the reach of God in Scripture A comfort to the Saints in their sufferings that they have a conformity with Jesus Christ by them Those that fly with their children The danger and length of Christs flight into Egypt The inward tentations of the parents 〈◊〉 Christ in thei 〈…〉 flight Expos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 70. 2 Cor. 5. 4. illustrated Calvin in
AN EXPOSITION WITH Practical Observations CONTINUED Upon the Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Chapters of the PROPHESY OF HOSEA Being First delivered in several LECTURES at Michaels Cornhil LONDON By Jeremiah Burroughs Being the Seventh Book published by Thomas Goodwin William Greenhil Sydrach Simpson William Bridge John Yates Will. Adderly LONDON â—â—inted by Peter Cole at the sign of the Printing-Press in Cornhil near the Royal Exchange 1651. To the READER GOD who alone is perfect in Himself hath reteined this Prerogative to Himself That His Work should be perfect as Moses speaks And as another Holy One hath it doth al his pleasure Paul though in what-ever he was to commit to writing in matters sacred had infalibility of assistance yet perfected not all be intended These things we will do if God permit said he to the Hebrews But we no where find extant any evidence that he accomplished what he there intended Namely A full Methodical Discourse upon those first Principles and Foundations of Religion which that speech had reference unto It is no wonder then that if such a kind of Imperfection accompanied the Works of so great a Master-builder if it attend those who build on this Foundation and are not priviledged as yet he was from building Hay and stubble This sort of Incompleatness hath befallen the Works of this worthy Author in respect to the finishing of this Prophesie which he intended and had performed wherein yet to the Church of God there shal be no loss there being no thoughts nor Notions suggested to any man which though for the present they die with him But the same Spirit that is the inspirer of all doth bring to light in some one or other servant of God in his own time What a Treasury of Thoughts seemed to be lost and to die with the Savior of the World which he had not could not then utter which yet the Spirit that fil'd him without measure distributed amongst the Apostles that came after him according to the measure of the gift of Christ in each There is no beam of Divine Light hath shone into any mans heart that shal finaly and for ever be put under a Bushel but in the end shall be set up to give light to the whol House The purpose of this Preface is To consign the Pasport thorough the World of these last Notes of the Author upon this Prophesie Namely The Eleventh Twelfth and Thirteenth Chapters and to assure the Reader That they are the best and most genuine that can be expected being collected out of those under his hand al along and the best Copies of those that took them from his mouth And to subjoyn this hearty prayr for a blessing from Heaven on these the rest of these our Brothers Labors that are published that his Works may follow him and he receive at latter day a full reward even according to the fruit of his doings Thomas Goodwyn William Greenhil Sydrach Simpson William Bridge John Yates Will. Adderly THE CONTENTS CHAP. XI VERS I. COhaerence Page 2 Observation 1 God stands much upon the cleering of himself to be a God of Love and Mercy Ibid. Obs 2 It is the Priviledg of the Saints to be beloved of God 4 Obs 3. It is a great aggravation of sin to sin against Love 5 Obs 4 It 's very useful to call to mind Gods old Love 6 Obs 5 All Gods old mercies remain engagements to duty and aggrations of sin 7 Obs 6 Let not our hearts sink though we are able to do but little for God 8 Obs 7 If God love us so soon our love to God ought not to be deferred 9 Obs 8 The Church is in the same relation to God as a Son is to a Father 11 Obs 9. Let wicked men take heed how they use the Saints for they are Gods Sons 12 Obs 10 The Saints are not only Sons in relation but in community ib. Obs 11. Gods Sons are not free from sore and grievous evils in this world 13 Obs 12 It 's a great mercie to be called out of Egypt 14 Obs 13. God hath an eye to Christ in all he doth 19 VER II. Exposition 22 Obs 1 It 's a mercie of God to have Gods Ministers calling us to obedience 23 Obs 2 When God hath called us out of affliction it 's a great addition of mercie to call us out of son unto duty ib. Obs 3 It 's a great aggravation of mens sins if they be called to duty after God hath called them out of misery and they do not obey it ib. Obs 4 For men not only to disobey Gods call but to turn away themselves from it and from those that speak to them in his name is very micked and a high degree of sinfulness 24 Obs 5 It is yet a higher wickedness to have our corruptions irritated by the Word and provoked ib. Obs 6 That Gods free grace is very great and very strong 25 Use Comfort against a stubborn heart 26 VER III. Exposition 27 Obs 1 When God calls his people out of afflictions yet they know no more how to guide themselves in their way than a little child doth 28 Vse for England 29 Obs 2 The way that God leades people in many times may be a way of much difficultie ib. Use We have cause to bless God that we are in his way 30 Obs 3 Though we meet with difficultys in our way yet God loves to teach his people how to go in their way and the more difficult their way is the more care hath God of them to teach them how to go ib. Use Be not discouraged at your difficulties but look up to God for guidance ib. Obs 4 Seeing God makes it a fruit of his love to teach them how to go when you see others slip and stumble in the way of profession of Religion Bless God then for his mercie towards you that he helps and teaches you in your way 33 Obs 5 Take heed you that have need of teaching that you be not wayward foolish wanton and unruly and that you do not wilfully run into rugged and slippery waies 34 Obs 6 Gods Ministers and all others should labor to follow God in this way of his that is To have a tender care of others ib. Obs 7 Gods Ministers must not be discouraged though they meet with those that are very froward 35 Obs 8 It is a great aggravation of sin when children requite not their parents for their education 36 Obs 9 God will not cast off his children though they get hurt 37 Use Be not discouraged when you have gone out of Gods way because the Lord will heal his people 38 Obs 10. God doth us much good we knew not of 39 Use Not to abuse our strength in the waies of sin and so manifest that you know not that God hath healed you 41 VER IV. Exposition 42 Obs 1 That the waies of God are very rational so that they may draw any man of understanding to love
reconciled God or a provoked God 545 7 When the mercy is given whether we be fitted for it or no 546 8 When we rest upon the means we use and not upon God 547 9 When God gives our desires but not a sanctified use of them 548 10 When there goes a curse together with what we have ib. 11 When we regard not what becomes of others so we may have our desires satisfied 549 12 When God satisfying our desires makes way for some judgment 550 13 When men are greedy of things and never consider the inconvenience ib. 14 When men seek to have their desires satisfied meerly because they love change 551 15 When it comes through impatiency to submit to God in a former condition 552 16 When desire of further mercies make us forget former ib. 17 When men desire new things out of distrust of God 553 18 If God change our conditition we bring the sins of our old condition into our new 554 19 If we seeek to attain our desires by unlawful means ib. Corralaries drawn from the former Notes 1 Be sure you quiet your desires 555 2 Let us prepare our hearts to seek proportionable grace for what we have ib. 3 Be not too much exalted when your desires are satisfied ib. 4 Never draw arguments of Gods love by satisfying our desires 556 5 Envy not at men when their lusts are satisfied ib. 6 Learn to deny your selves in your desires ib. 7 Never rest in what you enjoy before you know from what principle it comes ib. 8 Look after what God never gives but in love 557 9 Bless God when you find what you have in love ib. Notes of another Sermon prepared by the Author but not preached 562 The Names of several Books printed by PETER COLE at the sign of the Printing-Press in Cornhil by the R Exchange in LONDON Seven Books of Mr JER BURROUGHS lately published as also the Texts of Scripture on 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 Aggravation of it 2. Gospel-Worship on Levit. 10. 3. Wherein is shewed 1 The right manner 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 this life on Psalm 17. 14. 4. A Treatise of Earthly-mindedness on Phil. 3. 19. Wherein is shewed 1 What Earthly-mindedness is 2 The great Evil thereof Also to the same Book is joyned A Treatise of Heavenly-mindness and Walking with God on Gen. 5. 24. and on Phil. 3. 20. The Fifth Sixth and Seventh Books are An Exposition with Practical Observations on the 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 and 11. Chapters of the Prophesie of HOSEA AN EXPOSITION Of the PROPHESY of HOSEA CHAP. XI VERS 1. When Israel was a child then I loved him and called my Son out of Egypt THIS Chapter is made by some the sixth Sermon of Hosea's Prophesie The scope of it is this To cleer God from severity and to upbraid Israel for ungrateful and stuborn carriage against Mercies and Means and yet to promise mercy to the remnant to his Elect ones which is to the end of the 11. verse As for the 12. verse though it be made a part of this Chapter yet it were more aptly a great deal joyned to the 12. Chapter and so it is by some There were in the end of the former Chapter dreadful threatnings against Israel that the Mothers should be dashed in pieces upon their Children and the cutting off of the King utterly this was in the close of the last Chapter But now doth not this argue God to be a God of ridgedness and severity Where is the Mercy Goodnese and Clemency of God towards his people What! to have the Mother dasht in pieces against her Children To cut off the King of Israel u 〈…〉 terly Yes saith God for all this I am a God of Mercy and Goodness for I have manifested abundance of Mercy already and am ready still to manifest more but you have been a stubborn and a stout hearted people against me And from that General scope Note That God stands much upon the cleering of Himself to be a God of love and mercy Whatsoever becomes of wicked men yet God will be cleered before all the world that he is a God of much mercy God takes it very ill that we should have any hard thoughts of him let us not be ready to entertain such thoughts of God as if he were a hard Master I remember Luther hath such an expression That all the Scripture the general scope of the Scripture it is to declare the Lord to be a God of mercy and goodness saith he The whol Scriptures aim at this That we should beleeve and be confident that God is a gracious and merciful God And this is the scope of this Chapter Let us rather charge our selves of wickedness and ungrateful dealings with God and let us for ever justifie God and acknowledg him to be not only a Righteous God but a Gracious God though thou and thousands such as thou art shall perish to all eternity yet the Lord shall be acknowledged a God of Mercy before his Angels and Saints for evermore But thus much for the scope When Israel was a Child At his first beginning to be a people that 's 〈…〉 In his yong time my heart was towards him Indeed the heart of God was to Israel that is Jacob the Father of the Tribe before he was born before he did either good or evil But here 't is spoken not of the Father but of the Tribes Israel when they were first a people In their yong beginnings then I loved them When he was a Child That is First When he knew little of me Secondly When he could do little for me Thirdly When there was much vanity and folly in him as there is in children Fourthly When he was helpless and succo 〈…〉 ss and shi 〈…〉 ess and knew not how to provide for himself And further Tarnovius a learned Commentator upon this Prophesie thinks that the Hebrew word that is here translated a Child is a word that notes the stubbornness of Israel against God one that hath often shaken off the yoke of parents or of a master and so Ky that is translated when is sometimes although Although Israel was a Child a Froward and Perverse Child that shook off the Yoke yet then I loved him And what a child Israel was
when God loved him you may find in Ezek. 16. 4 5. c. And as for thy Nativity in the day that thou wast born thy navel was not cut neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee thou wast not salted at all nor swadled at all and then in the 5. verse None eye piâ—ed thee to do any of these unto thee to bave compassion upon thee but thou wast cast out in the open field to the loathing of thy person in the day that thou wast born then in the 6. verse And when I passed by tree and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Livâ— yet I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live Again and again and then in the 8. verse Now when I passed by thee and looked upon thee behold thy time was the time of love and I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakedness yea I sware unto thee and entred into a Covenant with thee saith the Lord God and thou becamest mine Well but wherein did God manifest that he did love Israel when he was a Child Mark the 8. verse When I passed by thee and looked upon thee behold thy time was the time of love and I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakedness yea I sware unto thee and entred into a Covenant with thee saith the Lord and thou becamest mine The Love of God to Israel i exprest in these three particulars First That God made a Covenant with him Oh 't is a great mercy of God and a fruit of great love that such an infinite God would be pleased to make a Covenant with his people to bring them into Covenant with him all man-kind was in Covenant with God at first but falling from that first Covenant there was but only a peculier people that God took into Covenant with himself and made it as a fruit of his great love to take a certain people into Covenant with himself more than others And secondly Thou becamest mine that is I had separated thee for my self and took thee for a peculier one to me and intended special mercy and goodness to thee Thou becamest mine so as that I should have a special propriety in thee and thou shouldest have a special propriety in me And then thirdly I confirmed all this by an Oath I sware this unto thee Was not here love for God to Covenant to take in to such propriety and to swear that we should be his Thus when Israel was a child I loved him that 's the meaning of this Scripture Now the Note of Observation is this First That it is the priviledg of the Church and of the Saints for God to love them God loves his people this is their priviledge he loves them with a special love In the 12. of Jer. 7. they are called the dearly beloved of Gods soul see how God loves his people God he delights in his Saints and there is nothing in the world that should sanctifie a gracious heart more than this That God loves him And as Gods love is extraordinary to them more than to other People so their love again should be reflected upon God in a more than ordinary way There 's nothing can be a recompence to Love but Love that 's certain Love is never satisfied but with Love And therefore seeing God professes love to his people he doth expect love from them therefore he will not be satisfied with any duties you perform whatsoever you do but it must be out of Love Love must have Love and know that you cannot prize Gods love more than God prizes yours there is nothing in Heaven and Earth that God prizes more than the love of his Saints and therefore if ever Gods love or Gods prizing of your love may gain love Oh you Saints love the Lord. That 's the first But Secondly It 's a great aggravation unto sin to sin against love For to that end God here shews that he loved them that he might aggravate their sin so much the more and cleer himself Many times you make in the daies of your humiliation and at other times many aggravations of your sin that your sin it is against knowledge this is great That your sin it is of an hainous nature that it doth a great deal of hurt that it brings you under dreadful threatnings that it provokes the wrath of an infinite God against you these are great things for the humbling of your hearts for sin But above all aggrevations for sin this is the great aggravation That your sin is against Love that though God hath shown much love to you yet you sin against a loving God and a gracious God God begins with this aggravation being his scope here to cleer himself and to charge his people of ungratefulness yet God loved them Oh! sins against love are great sins indeed But Thirdly I loved him when he was a child 〈◊〉 very 〈…〉 to mind Gods old love That 's the Third Note The love of God unto us when we were children yea the love of God unto our fore-fathers the love of God unto a people when they were at the first beginning the ancient love of God to a people 't is of very g 〈…〉 use it is of great use for al to consider of the love of God in former times to them nay brethren it would be of very great use for us to consider of ancient love of God to England And I will give you one remarkable Note of Gods antient love to this Nation that 's this That it was the first Nation that ever God set his heart upon for the chusing of the Gospel the first Nation in the world that by publick Authority did submit to the Gospel and certainly God remembers that love of England For we find it recorded it 's true we cannot expect Scripture for this because it was â—â—nce the time of any Scripture but so far as we may give any credit to Stories we find it of all Nations upon the face of the Earth the first that received the Gospel with the Countenance of Publick Authority And this is not a little matter Certainly the Lord remembers the kindness of our youth and the old love of England and the first love of England in receiving the Gospel Indeed God caused the Gospel to be preached to other places before it was to England I but there was no placâ— that by the countenance of Publick Authority 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it so soon as England did and therefore England may be said to be the very first fruits of the Gospel in that respect Oh! 't is good for us to consider of that and many good uses we may make of Gods old ancient love when we see any further expressions of Gods love it may encourage us upon the thoughts of his former love there was an old love and this God continues his old
I remember the kindness of thy youth saith God For yong people to love God Oh! God loves that God loves the love of yong ones the love of children how sweet will old age be to thee if thou canst say thus Lord through thy mercy I have loved thee from a child and that 's an evidence that thou didest love me when I was a child How many are there now that are old whom God loved when they were yong that would give ten thousand worlds if they had them that they had known and loved God sooner than they have done Though it 's true I lived in wickedness almost all my daies and yet at length God manifested himself to me and by that I know God hath loved me from eternity but Oh! that I had loved God from a child I say those whose eyes God enlightens and hearts God converts to himself would give ten thousand thousand worlds that they could but say this Oh that I had but loved God from a child You who are children and yong ones do you begin betimes to love God that if you live to be old you may say that God loved you from a child It was an excellent speech of Austin when God pleased to work upon his heart Lord I loved thee too late And so it will be with any that do begin to love God they will say that they loved God too late and it will be the great burden to their souls that they loved God so late as they did And called my Son out of Egypt I call'd him that is by Moses and Aaron I sent them to call them out of Egypt and bring them from thence and this seems to have reference to that Scripture in Exod. 4. 22. where the Lord saith Israel is my Son even my first born Moses comes to Pharaoh in the Name of God to have Israel out of Egypt and he coms to Pharaoh after this manner and Tell him that God saith Israel is my son even my first born so in Jer. 31. 9. I am a Father to Israel and Ephraim is my first born My son The Seventy have it in the plural My sons his sons out of Egypt but in the Hebrew it is in the singular I called my son out of Egypt and although the holy-Ghost speaks of al the people in general yet he puts them in the singular number and in their very community they are cal'd the son of God The Church that 's the Note from hence is related to God as a son to the father yea the very first-born what God speaks of the people of Israel is especially intended towards his Saints which are the true Israel of God they have the priviledg to be sons unto God to be children Is it a light matter saith David to be the son in Law to to a King but then what do you think it is to be the son to the King of Heaven and Earth and the Heir of Heaven and Earth Is Ephraim my dear son Jer. 31. 20. Ephraim my dear son This is the priviledg therfore of the Saints that God deals with them as sons I 'le spare them as a Father spareth his own son that serveth him in the third Chapter of Malachy the 17. verse And the special priviledg that they have from this is that they are not under that Law that slaves are under in reference to God those that are in the state of slaverie they are under this Law Do or Die if thou doest offend but in the least thou shalt perish for ever the curse of the Law is upon thee But the Sons of God are brought into another condition not to be under that Law they indeed if they do offend may be corrected and chastized but they are never under the Law of the sentence of eternal death for their offence there 's a great deal of difference between the administration of God towards Slaves and towards Sons This is the great priviledg of Son-ship That thou art not under the Law thou art brought under another Law under the Law of Jesus Christ that though thy sin indeed of its own nature if God should deal with thee in Justice would be enough to put thee under an eternal Curse yet being a Son God puts thee under another Law and doth not deal with thee by that Law that pronounces a Curse against every sin They are Sons Secondly Let wicked men who have to deal with Gods people when any of the Saints of God are under their power let them take heed how they use them For they are Sons they are not Slaves they are the Sons of the eternal God in Jer. 2. 14. Is Israel a Servant is he a home-born Slave why is he spoiled How comes it to pass that Israel is dealt withall so as he is What is not Israel a Son When as any of the people of God are under the power of any men God looks upon them as Sons and if they deal hardly with them God will enquire and will say thus Is such a one a slave had he been a slave I would not so much have car'd for your dealings thus with him but he is a Son You find in the Acts that they were afraid when they heard that Paul was a Roman When thou knowest thou hast to deal with a Son of God know that thou hast not so much liberty to misuse him as thou hast to misuse another man though no liberty to misuse any Thirdly The Saints are not only Sons in their particular relation but in their Community they are sons too Take them joyn'd together as the members of the Church and so the whole Community of the Church now is but as one Son I called my Son out of Egypt He speaks of the whole Body of Israel Now the Lord looks upon the Community of his Church as one Son in the singular number There are many priviledges that do belong to the Church of God in their Community as well as in their particular relation And they should labor to unite themselves much together seeing God puts them altogether in the singular number Oh! the Lord loves unity in his Church Though a Son yet in Egipt That 's the Note further from thence That Gods Sons are not free from sore and grievous evils in this world though they be Sons yet they may go into Egipt In Jer. 12. 7. I have for saken mine house I have left mine heritage I have given the dearly beloved of my Soul into the hands of her enemies Though the dearly beloved of Gods Soul yet given into the hands of enemies Though Gods Son yet goes into Egypt So the Church under Antichrist for above twelve hundred years God gave up his Sons into that spiritual Egypt We must not think therefore as soon as we come under greivous afflictions that God hath cast us off from being Sons though they were in
Thirdly It 's a great aggravation of mens sins if they be called to duty after God hath called them out of misery and they do not obey it After thou comest out of an affliction whether bodily or spiritual God expects thou shouldest as diligently hearken to his call that calls thee to duty as thou doest take hold of his mercy when he held it to thee to deliver thee out of thine affliction charge thy soul thus Oh wrenched heart that I have I called to God and God hath heard my call and now God hath delivered me and calls me to a duty and shall I stop mine ears against Gods call Oh how just were it for God to leave me in misery when I turn my back to him when he cals me to a duty Fourthly For men not only to disobey Gods call but to turn away themselves from it and from those that speak to them in his Name this is very wicked a high degree of sinfulness before God In Jer. 2. 27. They have turned their back unto me but not their face and so in Jer. 32. 33. They turn their backs that 's more than not to obey Our backs that is to refuse to obey to resolve not to obey in Jer. 18. 17. God threatens them that in the day of their calamity he would shew them his back too as when a Traytor is petitioning to his Prince so long as the Prince is but willing to parly with him and reade his Petition there is hope but if the Prince turns his back and will not look upon his Petition there 's no hope then So there is hope of people that we may bring them to obedience so long as they will hearken to the Word but if once they turn their backs then there 's little hope so when God turns his back upon sinners there 's little hope then Remember you that turn your back upon calls to obedience Oh! remember that Scripture in Jer. 18. 17. that God threatens in the day of your calamity he will turn his back to you Now this wickedness men do not grow to on a sudden at first they are loth to be convinced that such a thing is a truth but at length when the evidence of truth comes cleer they in a desperate way turn their backs upon it and resolve not to hearken to it a famous instance you have of this in Jer. At first they said that Jeremiah did not speak the Word of the Lord but afterward As for the Word of the Lord that thou hast spoken we will not hear Fifhly It is yet a higher wickedness to have our corruptions irritated by the Word and provoked As they call'd so they went away When mens hearts grow as Lime that the showers of the Word shall inflame them this is a sad condition indeed when the more cleer evidence they have of the Word the more desperate wicked they grow We find it so in some places when the word comes with the greatest power this is all the effect it hath upon the hearts of men to make them the more desperate wicked You wonder sometimes that where the Word is preached with power men should grow more wicked wonder not at it for where the Word doth not convert sinners it doth harden them Sixtly From the extream perverseness and stubornness of the Jews we may learn this Lesson That Gods free Grace is very great and very strong the Lord was merciful to his people that were thus stuborn and stout but the more they were call'd to obedience the more wicked they grew and yet Gods mercy continued towards them for a long time together and indeed in that God should set his heart and love upon such a people as this it is one of the greatest helps against despair almost as any we know Do but look into the Book of God and reade of the people of the Jews what wretched froward perverse stuborn stout-hearted people they were and yet that God of all the people of the earth should chuse them to be his peculier people Oh! the free Grace of God! there 's nothing that God hath in his design more than to honor free Grace I confess I had thought to have spent some time in shewing to you the extream stubornness of the people of the Jews and all to this end to magnifie the free grace of God towards such an unworthy people you find that God doth so himself when he speaks of his Mercy to that people he doth give them this notice That he would have them to know that what he did for them was not for their own righteousness in Deut. 9. 6. Vnderstand therefore that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good I and to possess it for thy righteousness for thou art a stiff-necked people As if God should say I might magnifie free Grace whereas I might have chosen some other people that might have been more yeeldable to my hand I chose you that it might appear that all that I did was out of free Grace In Psal 78. 8. Be not stuborn as your forefathers were they are called stout-hearted stiff necked strong they seem to be of strong spirits but it is strong against the truth and though stubornness hath a kind of Glory in it yet the truth is there is nothing but weakness in it in Ezek. 16. 30. How weak is thy heart saith the Lord seeing thou doest all these things the work of an imperious whorish woman They are said to be strong-hearted stiff hearted but saith the holy Ghost how weak is thy heart and you shall find in Scripture that they are called stiff necked and Iron-â—inewed and that they walked contrary to God and that they are perverse and crooked and that they had hardened their hearts and made them like an Adamant and saith Stephen You have alwaies resisted the holy Ghost and impudent children and rebellious children It is very observable if you read those Scriptures presently after they came out of the Land of Egypt within three daies after God had shown them such a miraculous work they fell to murmuring nay they did not stay so long for it is said in Psal 106. They provoked the Lord at the Sea even at the red Sea And in Exod. 16. 2. 28. and in chap. 17. ver 2. the people did chide with Moses again so reade the story of Exodus Numbers Deuteronomy Judges and the Kings and you shall find them continually rebelling a people with an Iron sinew against God and yet for all that the Lord makes choice of this people and loves them Oh! free Grace the free Grace of God When your children are stuborn and stout against you consider of this you think it a grievous affliction to you Oh! but there is none in the world that are so crossed with stuborn children as God himself is And though you
Covenants to God and then sin again and God comes upon them again and they fall a crying out of their sin again Well they are raised and the hearing of the Word that never prevails with them but in their afflictions then they will repent and cry out Oh! cry out of their companie Oh! that we had spent our time in praying and in lamenting for our sin that we spent in such and such company Yea this is when Gods hand is upon you But what do you do upon the hearing of Gods Word that 's to be like a man to be drawn by the Word and not to be mov'd only by blows Oh! thou hast a beastial heart and brutish heart and charge your selves with that brutish heart I fear some of you have cause to say That in all the course or my life my heart hath never yeelded to God but just when blows hath been upon me I beseech you brethren deal with God like men God deals with you like men And that might have been another Note in windâ—â—g up all I drew them with the Cords of a man and with the bonds of Love The Lord deals with us sutable to our Nature Oh let us deal with God as far as we are able sutable to his nature Why doth God regard us as men let us regard him as God then let us glorifie God as a God when the Lord hath to deal with us he considers we are men when we have to deal with God let us consider he is God and as the Lord is pleased to condescend to us as men Oh! let us labor to ascend up to him as God With Bonds of Love The word here translated Bonds it is Thick Cords not only with Cords as you have it before but with Thick Cords so the word that is translated Bonds signifies for it comes of a word that signifies to Wreath and to thicken with wrea hing that as you see those that make Cords and Lines they take their Hemp and wreath one Wreath and then they take another and wreath that and so another and wind many Wreaths together and so make a strong Cord that 's the propriety of this word With the Bonds of Love That is with such Bonds as have many Wreaths in them have many things joyned together to make it to be a strong Cord a Cord as strong as a Cart rope for so I find the same word is used in Isa 5. 18. where it is said They draw iniquity with the Cords of vanity and sin as it were with a Cart rope The word that is trranslated there Cords it is the same that is in the former part of our verse The Cords of a man But now the other And sin as it were with a Cart rope that 's the same word that here you have in the text translated The Bonds of Love With a thick Rope of a Cart with a Rope that hath many Wreaths in it so that though the former word in your English CORDS seems to have as much as the latter BONDS yet according to the Hebrew this latter hath more in it and signifies such Cords as have many twisted and wreathed together As indeed we shall find when we come now to open the Bonds of Love that God did draw this people withal we shall find many Cords wreathed and twisted together to bind this people fast to God you have a sutable expression somewhat paralel to this in Jer. 31. 3. With loving kindness have I drawn thee saith God I have drawn them with the Bonds of Love that is thus I have used them in a loving way If love would have gained them if love would have overcome them if love would have bound them to me they have wanted no love saith God whereas they had deserved the bonus of iron to be upon them instead of those iron bonds that their sins deserved they have had the bonds of love If you ask me what were those Bonds of Love that God drew this people of Israel unto Himself by The first was this God did wonderfully separate this people from all the Nations in the world unto Himself to be a people unto himself and that out of love and this was a great fruit of love and a strong Wreath this was had there been nothing else That God should set his heart upon this people above all other people in the earth to be his people in Exod. 33. 16. Wherein saith Moses shall it be known that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight if thou goest not with us for thereby saith he shall ne be separated from all Nations of the Earth it is in your books only shall be separated but the Hebrew word signifies wonderfully separated we shall wonderfully be separated from all the Nations of the earth Indeed the Lord he did wonderfully separate the people from all the Nations of the earth and this was only out of love it was not from any excellencie he saw in this people In Deut. 7 6. The Lord did not chuse thee c. but in the 7. verse He did not set his love upon you nor chuse you because you were more in number than other people for you were the least of all people Observe my brethren by the way That the Lord doth not alwaies stand upon number upon the greatest this indeed is our argument that so many go in such a way and so few in another way and so surely God is most like to approve of that that the most go on in No God doth not alwaies stand upon number saith he I did not chuse you because you were most in number for I knew that you were the least therefore it was only love that made the Lord chuse this people at first and separate them from other Nations And then the second Bond of Love is I chose you and your seed also And this was a great mercie If I had but only set my heart upon your selves it had been somwhat but it was upon you and your seed so as to bring you and your seed into Covenant with me There 's two twists as I may so say in this Bond of Love that he should chuse them and their seed and bring them both into Covenant for thus you have it in Deut. 4. 37. Because he loved thy fathers therfore he chose their seed after them and in Ezek. 16. 8. there the text saith It was a time of love and I took you and entered into Covenant with you It was a time of Love and that made the Lord to enter into Covenant with this people God shewed it was a time of love indeed that he would take such a people as this was and enter into Covenant with them And then the third Twist I set my heart upon them to delight in them too I made them my portion my inheritance my Treasure the Deerly
their blood but to love them so as to be willing to let out his blood for their good if it might be The maxim that some have labored to infuse into Princes I had rather be feared than be loved it is a maxim only beseeming Tyranny and no way sutable to an ingenuous spirit but to a base and sordid spirit Certainly that man be he what he will that is acted by that principle is a man of a sordid and low spirit a man of a generous spirit and of an ingenuous spirit would rather be beloved than be feared Let every man seek to gain another by love If you strive otherwise to gain any but by love First You are not likely to prevail Secondly If you do prevail there will be so much trouble before you do prevail that it will not be worth the having when you do prevail Thirdly When you have your will upon them they do the thing that you would have them they dare not do otherwise I but they hate you though What good is this for a man to have his will upon another if in the mean time he hates him Then Fourthly If you do not prevail by love They will do no more than just needs must and this is the reason indeed why Hypocrites do so little for God God hath never gained their hearts by Love but only by fear and therefore they will do no more for God than they must of necessity whereas as I said before love never propounds bounds And then Fiftly If you do not get them by Love they watch for all opportunities to fling off Now what a poor gain is this to gain one with a deal of trouble and for him to do what I would have him and yet to hate me and to do no more than needs must and then to wath for all opportunities to appear against me Where fore my Brethren for the close of this Note let us follow after Love and provoke one another to Love you will find sweetness in your own Love and sweetness that you get by Love in the very exercise of Love you will find sweetness and then the Love that you get by others you will find that sweet and you will find it so much the sweeter because you get it by Love And then further another Note is this Seeing Love hath such bonds in it Let us make use of the Love of God to bind our hearts to him You have heard that Love hath bonds And then you have heard that we should do as God doth And then Thirdly Is this Gods way Oh! let us make use of all the Love that ever God hath shewen unto us for to gain our hearts unto himself And this would be a large Theam to speak of if we should lanch into it if I should come to open unto you what the Love of God hath been to you how much Love God hath shewn to the Nation and to our selves for the gaining of our hearts Oh the many twists of this Cord 't is a strong Cord indeed to bind us to God In Deut. 11. 13. If thou shalt diligently love the Lord thy God there 's that that he requires of them after what he hath done for them If thou wilt but diligently love the Lord thy God That 's that that God seeks by al his love to work our hearts to Love Not to speak now of the Love of God to you as you are Creatures nor as you are Men But a little to speak of the Love of God to you as you are Saints I shall shew you very briefly what strong Cords of Love God hath cast upon you to gain your hearts to himself to love him As first Gods Love to you if you be Saints it is eternal Love before ever you were born the bowels of God yerned towards you as I may so speak with holy reverence God was twisting these bonds of love from all eternity that he might gain your hearts God was thinking that in such a time there shall be such and such men and women that shall live upon the earth I 'le make preparation by such bonds now as shall unite and fasten them close to my self when ever it comes to be revealed to them It was love from eternity Oh! the Transactions that were between the Father and the Son from all eternity for to manifest love to your souls the great Counsels I say that were transacted between the Father and the Son before the world was were about these Bonds of Love to you Secondly It 's choise Love when he left many thousands he set his heart upon you Mal. 1. 2. Was not Esau Jacob's brother saith God Yet I loved Jacob. So wert not thou of such a Familie and yet thou seest how God hath cast off a great part of that Familie and yet hath he loved thee Wert not thou such a ones brother such a ones sister that remained wicked and ungodly and it may be died so and yet God hath loved thee he hath past by so many great ones in the world and so many of thy kindred and rather pitcht his Love upon thee It 's choise Love and therefore this might gain thee to himself Thirdly It is free Love the Love of God is free so you have it in Hos 14. 4. I will love them freely and in Deut. 7. 7. The Lord did not set his love upon you nor chuse you because you were more in number than any people for you were the fewest of all people God there would manifest his love to his people to gain their hearts to him saith he The Lord did not set his love upon you because you were more Why then did God set his love upon us in the 8. verse but because he loved thee It 's a strange arguing The Lord did not set his love upon you because you were more but the Lord did set his love upon you because he loved you he could go no higher There can be no other reason why the Lord should love you but because he did love you We use to say it 's a womans reason to say I will do such a thing because I wil do it Now if any of you would have a reason why God loved you why thus He loved me because he loved me The Lord did not set his love upon you for this reason but he did set his love upon you because he loved you So it is a free love Oh! let the freeness of it be another Ingredient so as to bind your hearts unto him Fourthly God hath so loved you as he gave his Son for you So God loved us Sometimes it hath been in the thoughts of men whether there might not he more worlds than this world Certainly God in his infinit power he might make a thousand worlds more glorious than this such worlds as the meanest Creature in those worlds might be as high in excellencie above the
As a man that goes from the Sun yet he hath the warm beams of the Sun that follows him and doth warm him so the hearts of the Saints do many times go from God decline from him yet they have the warm beams of Love that follows after them to draw their hearts again to him Oh! return return into this bosom of infinite Love here thy soul may have everlasting imbracings And I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws and I laid meat unto them Here 's a fruit of Love in delivering them from their bondage as a Husband-man who is merciful to his beast he will not tire it too much with hard labor but takes off the yoke lifts up the yoke with his hands and gives it food so did I saith God I did not tire Epbraim with labor and servitude When you were in Egypt and often afterwards when under your enemies yokes I freed you from your bondage as the Husband-man when the beast hath been plowing and begins to be hot lists the yoke up to cool the neck that the beast may refresh its self From their jaws Because of some Instruments some bridle that was fastened to the yoke that was on their neck and put into their jaws Therefore there 's this phrase Lifting up the yoke from their jaws Luther upon the place understands this of that spiritual ease that there is in the yoke of Jesus Christ so saith he The Lord by his Spirit doth help us to obey he doth not only command and tel us what to obey but assists us with his Spirit and gives us power and lifts up the yoke and bears it together himself with us and hence Christ tells us that his yoke is easie and his burden is light Indeed it 's an easie yoke in comparison of the Law the Law saith Do this and live do not and die the Law takes advantage upon every infirmity It admits not of endeavors without performances It gives no strength to what it commands Oh! but the yoke of Christ is easie Christ continues strength there 's never a Command without a promise to give strength As an artery that runs together with the veins And Christ accepts of endeavors Oh! the yoke of the Gospel is far easier than the yoke of the Law So I have taken off the yoke We must not think this too far fetcht because we find that the holy Ghost in the new Testament interprets the beginning of this chapter concerning Christ that we would never have thought to have been meant of Christ I called my Son out of Egypt I opened there how this was to be understood of Christ Now if so be that God had an eye to Christ when he said I have called my Son out of Egypt why should we not think that there might be an eye to Christ in this when he saith I took the yoke from off their Jaws I delivered them from the yoke that neither they nor their fathers could bear and I brought a more easie yoke of the Gospel upon them But though the holy Ghost had an eye to this yet that that is firstly and litterally meant it is the deliverance from oppression I delivered them from the oppressions that were upon them From whence then the Observation is this First That deliverance from oppression is a great mercy Oh! what ease is there in it Oh! how doth it cool our necks In Levit. 26. 13. I have broken the bonds of your yoke and made you go upright There was a time that we had heavie yokes upon us that made us stoop we stoop'd under them but through Gods mercy these bonds of our yokes are in a good measure broken that we may go upright and wo to us if we go not upright now In Ezek. 34. 27. They shall know that I am the Lord when I have broken the bonds of their yoke and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them My brethren If ever God manifested himself to be the Lord towards us it hath been in breaking the bonds of our yoke of the yokes that were upon us and in delivering us from those who served themselves of us we were under a proud and cruel generation of men that minded themselves and car'd not what became of the Consciences of the Estates Liberties and Lives of men so be it that they could have their humors their lusts served upon us and what means could we see for the deliverance of our selves from their yoke But the Lord hath appeared and then saith the text They shall know that I am the Lord If we did not know that God was the Lord before yet now we may know him and the truth is such hath been the wonderful works of God towards us in the breaking of our yokes that it were enough to convince an Atheist me thinks those of you that have been heretofore troubled with temptations of Atheism The strange waies of God towards this Nation in freeing of us from those yokes that have been upon us may convince you of a God may make you say Surely there is a God in Heaven that beholds the waies of the children of men the Lord is God Then shall you know that I am the Lord. Oh! that upon the manifestation of God in this way of mercy we may come to know that God is the Lord the Lord might have forced us to have known that he was the Lord by laying more grievous yokes upon us by bringing us under more dreadful evils than ever yet we were but the Lord hath rather been pleased to chuse a way to make us to know that he is the Lord by taking our yokes off from us This God hath done The Second Observation is from the Scope that the Prophet brings this for which is to aggravate their sin so much the more as if he should say I have taken off the yoke from your jaws and yet now you are wanton and kick and spurn with the heel against me From whence Note That to grow wanton to abuse our ease when God is pleased to deliver us from yokes is very sinful a very great evil What now when we come to have a little libertie more than we had before to be freed from that yoke and bondage that we were in and begin to feel our necks freed of those yokes that were before upon them What! now to begin to frisk and spurn and kick and against God Himself that hath taken the yoke from off us Oh! this is very dreadful What to abuse our libertie that we have from our bondage to all manner of licentiousness in horrid and wanton Opinions in wicked and abominable practises certainly this is an ill requittal of this fruit of Love in lifting up the yoke from off our jaws This is a very great evil which we are this day guilty of if ever there were a people guilty of this
had there it 's impossible but flesh and blood would suggest many thoughts to Abraham to keep his heart in suspence But what took Abrahams heart off from suspence to resolve fully what to do in such a case the text saith The God of Glory appeared to him it was not only God but the God of Glory My Brethren when God is calling you off from all Creature comforts from all things that may quiet your hearts in the world and you have strong temptations to keep you in the waies of sin let but the God of Glory appear to you and this will take up your hearts this will bring your hearts to a full resolution Oh! blessed blessed are those souls though they have continued long in suspence yet at length the God of Glory appears to them in the midst of their doubts and temptations and hangings off And if there be such a force in this then learn to present before thy soul that is in such a suspence the Glorie of the great God look up to this great God 't is the infinite high God that I am called to Oh! thou suspending thou wavering soul look up to this most high and answer this call of God unto himself answer it thus Oh Lord Thou art an Infinite Blessed Glorious Being the Supream Being of all I am a poor vile worm that lie under thy feet it 's mercie that thou wilt vouchsafe to look towards me thou mightest have let me gone on in base waies and perished to all eternity without giving me any call to thy self but now that thou shouldest give me a call to thy self the high and glorious blessed Lord this is mercy Lord I come and with fear and trembling fall down before thee saying Lord what wilt thou have me to do Those who have been wavering and afterwards setled they have found that this hath been the thing that hath setled them some dreadful authoritie of the high God that hath come to their hearts in some truth beyond what formerly he hath done and this hath fully taken off their souls to him And then Fifthly The true Worship of God is an elevating thing Then are they called to the most high when they are called to the true Worship of God for it raises the soul to the most high Mens inventions are low things are base and unworthy things Oh consider whether thou findest this in the Worship of God doest thou find thy soul raised up to the most high in his Worship thou doest never worship God aright except thou findest in some measure thy soul raised up to the most high in his Worship let no man look upon the Worship of God as a low mean thing know when thou art to come to worship God thou hast now to deal with the high God whom Angels worship and adore 't is that God who is far above all Creatures in Heaven and Earth thus thou art to look upon the Worship of God Oh! how far are most men from this when they are worshiping of God! very few there are that lift up their hearts to the most high even in the duties of Worship And so it follows in the words None at all would exalt him Why If God be the most high God how can he be exalted I answer He is so high as he cannot be more high than Himself God cannot be more excellent than he is in Himself God cannot make Himself better than He is nor more glorious in Himself than He is Therefore no creature can make him more than he is all that all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth can do for God can ad nothing to him In Nehem. 9. 5. He is exalted saith the text above all blessing and praise Yet then God accounts Himself to be exalted First When he is known and acknowledged for the High Supream First being of all things when we fear Him as a God when we humble our selves before him as before a God when we are sensible of the infinite distance there is between him and us when we are willing to lay down what we are or have or can do for the furtherance of his praise when his Will is made the Rule of all our waies and especially of his Worship when we make him the last end of all when 't is the great care of our souls and work of our lives to do what possibly we can that he might be magnified lifted up in the world and when we account the least sin a greater evil than can be recompenced by all the good that Heaven and Earth can afford unto us and now God accounts Himself exalted by us And this is the Work that all of us have to do to give up our selves to the exalting of the Name of this blessed God He is worthy so worthy of honor from us creatures that though ten thousand millions of Men and Angels should perish eternally for the furtherance of the least degree of his honor he is worthy of it all so high is this God and therefore know it to be our work to endeavor in our places to exalt him and blessed is that man or woman that when they are to die are able to say Oh Lord thou hast been high in my heart thy Wisdom I have adored and submitted mine unto it thy Will I have honored and yeelded mine likewise to it and it hath been the great care of my soul that I might do somthing in my place to lift up thy Name according as I have been able I say thou maiest go out of the world in peace as having done in some measure that thou camest into the world for Oh! you whom God hath exalted let it be your care to exalt this God and especially the Saints of the Lord know God hath exalted you on high and expects that you should lift up his Name he hath lifted up you out of the depth of miserie from the nethermost Hell he hath joyned you to his Son he hath made you one with his Son He hath loved you with the same love wherewith he loveth his Son he hath made you Heirs Co-heirs with his own Son he hath given his Angels to be ministring Spirits to you he hath made it his great design to honor himself in your eternal good the greatest work that God hath to do in the world it is the honoring himself in your Glory he hath prepared a Crown of glory for you Oh then do you joyn together to exalt the Name of this God who hath lifted up you who were such poor vile worms let the high praises of this God be in your hearts and mouths for ever in Psal 108. 4. Thy mercy is great above the Heavens and thy truth reacheth unto the Clouds mark what follows in the 5. verse Be thou exalted O God above the Heavens and thy Glory above all the Earth Oh Lord we see thy mercy is exalted above the Heavens and thy truth
Lord long-suffering and of great mercy forgiving iniquity and transgression c why now Lord manifest thy glory now Lord shew thy self to be a glorious God in doing what mark in the 19. verse Pardon I beseech thee the iniquity of this people That 's the glory that God should shew forth and manifest his power in it one would rather think that the power of God should rather be manifest in the destruction of sinners no the power of God is manifest in Mercie as well as in miserie and destruction And we find that those that come up neerest to God they are the most loving and gracious merciful hearts yet if they do but come neer to God so as possibly natural men may to have but any magnanimitie that 's a little neerer to God than a base sordid spirit the magnanimousness of of any mans spirit appears in his love and forbearance and meekness and gentleness for so we know the Heathens could say The greater any one is the more placable is his anger a generous mind not easily mov'd and so he compares the Lyon and Bears and Wolves 〈…〉 the Lyon is a magnanimous Creature therefore saith the Heathen it 's enough for to fall down before a magnanimous Lyon but for Wolves and Bears they insult over those that falls down before them So those that have the most magnanimous spirits have the most patient spirits and forgiving spirits and pardoning spirits This is as cross a Note unto a carnal heart almost as any thing I mean to one that gives way to the lusts of his passion for he thinks himself only magnanimous when he can vent his anger and were it not for the thought that he thinks he should be a fool he would forbear his anger it is not thy honor but it makes thee base in the eyes of thy servants children and wife when thou comest into thy house like a mad fool it makes them look upon thee and despise thee when they see thee thus drunken in thy passion Secondly Such are the provocations of God caused by sin that if God were like to you sinners could not be forborn as if God should say The truth is your sins were such as were not I a God it were impossible that I could bear for so it is though we think not of it the evil of sin is so great that if all the patience that were in all the men that ever was since the world began were put into one man if he knew the great evil that there is in sin he would destroy the world he would not bear if his heart were but holy as here God saith himself Thirdly It 's a good way to exercise saith in Gods mercy to look upon God as a God beyond us beyond any creature for so this is therefore exprelled to the end that the people of God might exercise faith in beholding God as a God that 's the way to help thee in thy faith wouldest thou exercise faith upon God look upon him as a God 〈…〉 do not conceive him to be as a man It 's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 upon him somtimes as a compassion at man is a litle help 〈◊〉 that will not do it I suppose it would help a little some that are here suppose this Thou hadest to deal with the most merciful man that ever liv'd upon the face of the earth wouldest not thou hope then that thou mightest be sav'd if he had the dispose of thy eternal estate suppose there were a Judg that had the most relenting heart that ever was in the world and all relentings that ever were in all mens hearts were in him if this Judg had the dispose of thy eternal estate would it not help thee to know thou hast to deal with one that is infinitely above that Judg That Judg were a cruel Tyrant and Tyger in comparison of this God God is God and not man he is infinitely above man in the waies of his mercy We many times with looking upon God as our selves it makes us bold in sin first and afterwards it makes us despair in sin as thus in Psal 50. 21. Thou thoughtest I was like to thy self saith God there that is because I was patient and long-suffering towards thee thou thoughtest I was like unto a man and a man though he be a little offended you think you may please him again and so you thought I was like to your selves therefore you go on in your sins So the Devil first makes us look upon God like our selves and so we think that God hath no greater hatred to sin than we have but then turn the other side when we have once committed the sin when the Devil would tempt to despair then he makes us look to God like to our selves that 's thus I find that I could not forgive such an one if he had wronged me in such a manner and therefore they look upon God like a man nay like a corrupt man Oh! what a dishonor is this to God that because thou thy self hast a froward perverse cruel heart that thou canst not forgive therefore thou lookest upon God as if it were as hard for him to forgive as for thee My Brethren the looking upon God as a God it would help against many discouraging thoughts in poor sinners as first thus My sins are very great Men will forgive little offences but God is a God and not man and therefore great mercies are little in comparison to him A second discouraging thought is I have sinned against many offers of mercy but God is God and not a man and Gods mercy is such as brings in men that have refused the offers of Mercy And then Thirdly None is so sinful as I but God is a God and not a man and therefore he is above thee in the waies of his mercie God hath more mercy yet than ever he did manifest to any one creature in the world and though I be the vilest of all sinners yet let me look upon God as a God and not a man Fourthly I am unworthy saith the sinner of any mercy from God Indeed if you had to deal with a man it might hinder but God is a God and not a man therefore 't is not unworthiness that hinders mercy in God it is that mercy pleases him Yea But I am like to be of no use to God It 's true if you were to deal with a man he might not be pleased but God stands in no need of you or any of his creatures for he is a God and not man thou doest not honor God as a God if thou doest not cast thy soul upon his mercy as the mercy of a God If I put this unto thee I hope the glory of it will be so great as will keep it from being abused What doest thou think thy condition is grievous but doest thou think that such mercy would not serve the turn as
turn to God than others There are more arguments to perswade thy heart than others Turn Thou to God And this is a great mercy of God towards any man or woman when as God shall dare powerfully those special considerations and arguments that concern their souls to turn to God a man or woman comes to hear the Word and hears the nature of Repentance the motives to Repentance but that generally concerns all and this doth not much stir the heart but at another time it pleaseth God to hint something out of the Word that concerns them in particular and this gives a mighty turn to their hearts more than all the other As if a man be asleep though there be a great noise perhaps this doth not awaken him but let one come and call him by his name Thomas or Richard or John and speak particularly to him and that will awaken him when a greater noise will not do it so though there be general arguments of turning to God it doth not so much prevail with people as when God speaks to men and women by name and saies Turn thou to God There are these special arguments why thou shouldest turn to God rather than others Many times you will say If ever any were bound to God then I am then turn thou to God because thou art more engaged than others Turn thou to THY God That is Though you have departed from him yet he hath not wholly cast you off so but he may yet be thy God From whence the Note is That the sight of any Relation to God or hope of Mercy from him is a special means to draw the heart to turn to him Yet he may be thy God God hath not left thee O thou wretehed sinful soul who knows but that he may be thy God and thy God to all eternity Thou mightest have been past such an Argument of hearing any possibility of God's being thy God and therefore turn to God turn to thy God And keep Mercy and Judgment Want of Mercy in the Fourth Chapter of this Prophesie was charged upon this People That there was no Mercy in the Land and so in diverse other places want of Justice Now Turn to thy God and keep Mercy and Judgment The Note from the Connexion is this That in our turnings to God we must look to our special sins and reform them It 's not enough for men and women to turn to God and leave some gross sins But is there any sin more special than another that you have lived in before your turning unto God Reform in that sin above all A man or woman can never have any sure argument that their Repentance is true though they have left many sins if they have not left their special sins there 's som special sin that thou hast liv'd in what saiest thou to that Then Secondly It is nothing for people to reform in Gods Worship except they reform also in the duties of the Second Table that 's wonderful The duties of the Second Table Mercy and Judgmeut Turn to thy God and keep Mercy and Judgment Many men and women that seem to be forward in duties of Instituted Worship which is very good we are to honor God God is jealous in that business but now together with that if we be not conscionable in the duties of the Second Table of Mercy and Judgment too it 's nothing all will vanish and come to nothing except thou livest righteously and mercifully with men also as well as worship God do not think to put off thy conscience with the duties of Worship except thou doest keep Mercy and Judgment that 's more General And then Particularly Keep Mercy and then Keep Judgment be merciful unto thy Brethren A heart turning to God if it be a true turning it must needs be very merciful to men God expects that from all that do turn to him that upon thy turning to God thy bowels should yern towards thy Brethren and turn to them in Love and in Mercy and Meekness and Gentleness and Forgiveness for when thou turnest to God is it not the mercy of God that draws thy heart If it be not that thy turning is not right never any turned to God rightly but their hearts were taken with Gods mercy And can thy heart be taken with Gods mercy and thou not merciful to thy Brethren Many Professors of Religion think little of this but I find the Scripture makes as much of this as of any thing but faith its self faith in the Covenant of Grace These Three thingâ—â—he Scripture holds forth and urges very much upon men Faith Mercy and Vnity the two latter are thought to be little and of no moment with men but certainly the Lord Christ doth lay much upon mercy towards men that all that are his Members should be of merciful dispositions and of uniting dispositions one towards another Oh! 't is Mercy that the Scripture makes Religion to consist in Jam. 1. 27. Pure Religion and undefiled is To visit the Fatherless and Widdows and in Jam. 2. 13. Mercy rejoyceth over Judgment it is that which will help men and women in the time of straits and in times of danger that they have been merciful towards their brethren for that I take to be the meaning of that text Mercy rejoyceth over Judgment not that Gods mercy is more than his Judgment and that though a sinner hath deserved Judgment yet Gods Mercy will prevail and triumph over it but I take the meaning of that text to be Mercy in man and not Mercy in God that 's thus That when man hath had a merciful heart towards others towards his brethren that then if he should live to meet with affliction live to a time of Judgment times of common calamity common dangers that mercy that he hath exercised towards his brethren in the time of his prosperity will cause his soul to triumph in the midest of all dangers In the time of affliction mercy rejoyces over Judgment let Judgment come let afflictions come in the world let there be never such hard times abroad in the world yet I have a testimony to my conscience the Lord hath given me a merciful heart towards my Brethren that are in misery and I that am but a poor creature that have but a drop of mercy to that God that hath an infinite Ocean of Mercy will not that God be merciful to me much more Keep Mercy therefore you that turn to God be of merciful dispositions towards your brethren Oh! this is wanting among many that are Professors of Religion they are of cruel and harsh dispositions ridged sowr and severe dispositions towards others care not what becomes of others Oh! be merciful to your brethren You that are turn'd to God shew it in this That you keep MERCY The next is JVDGMENT Where there is a turning to God there must be righteousness
to their Masters much more then will the Masters themselves leap and rejoyce in the having their hearts desires fill'd They glorie in it And then Sixthly and that 's especially to be observed here That carnal hearts that get estates in sinful waies they seek to relieve their consciences that are full of guilt with the consideration of the outward comforts they do enjoy The Prophet charges them with their sin charges the guilt of their sin upon them But we are rich say they and we inherit substance Wicked men will seek to relieve their consciences their guiltie consciences in the rejoycing in their riches and in their estates and in what they have got in Isa 57. 10. you have a Scripture somewhat sutable to this Thou hast found the life of thine hand therefore thou wast not grieved It may be if a man goes on in an evil way and doth not prosper in it if God crosses him in it then he begins to bethink himself Is not this a finful way doth not God oppose me in it and then he begins to be griev'd But if he can find the life of his hand go on and he prosper and have what he desires then he will not be griev'd then his heart is hardened Wicked men will set their riches and estates against all their guiltiness and think it will countervail it I beseech you consider this Note There is no more full and sure sign of a man of the world of a worldlie man than this That he can think to relieve his conscience in the guilt of the least sin by the enjoyment of all the things of the world that he can set the good of the things of the world against the guilt of sin that he can put any thing in the world in the ballance to down weigh the least guilt of any sins here is a worldly heart here 's a man of the world a wretched heart thou doest bless thy self in a great estate thou g 〈…〉 test but hath there been no guilt at all that thou hast contracted by that estate which thou hast got Thou canst not say but some guiltiness hath been contracted yea but this contents thee there is so much gain comes by it Oh! thou art a wretched man that canst set the gain in the world to the least guilt that thou hast contracted Oh! it hath been an ill bargain riches got by guilt thou hast made I say an ill bargain for thy self thou knowest not God knowest not with whom thou hast to deal that canst set any gain by sin for to countervail the evil of that guilt that thou hast committed for the getting of that gain of thine And further Wicked men labor to satisfie their consciences with the prosperitie they are in and what they have got by their sin as they set it against their guilt so in the Seventh place They perswade themselves that God is not at least so much displeased with them as many would bear them in hand Surely if my condition were so dangerous as you would perswade me to I should not prosper so much in my way as I do I should not get riches so as I do upon this they begin to think that God is of their mind as in Psal 50. 21. Thou thoughtest I was like unto thy self we find it by experience that when men are under affliction when Gods hand is upon men then they begin to think that God doth not like of their waies but when they go on and prosper they are readie to think that God approves of their waies that they walk in There 's a notable storie concerning the Mother of Lumbard Gratian and Comestor The first the Master of the Sentences as they call them The Second the compiler of a great part of the Popes Law the Decretal Epistles the third the Author of the Scholastical Historie the best man and book of the three All famous men and all three of them were Bastards Now the Mother of them being a Whore when she came to make her confession to the Priest she could not acknowledg much evil in it and she profest she could not find her heart griev'd or troubled much about it when the Priest urged her penance and repentance for it because though it 's true that the thing was evil that she did yet that she did prosper so wel that they were three such eminent men of such great use as those were Thus it 's ordinarilie men think that it may lessen the-greatness of their sin if they get any thing by it if they prosper in their sinful way there is no such cause of trouble and grief for it The people they may laugh at me saith a covetous man but I applaud my self at home when I behold the money in the Chest so long as I see comings-in let men talk what they will I cannot beleeve that things are so bad as they report that God is so much against me but I hope God loves me These are the reasonings of a carnal heart and all because he prospers in his sin I remember it 's reported of Dionisius that when he had committed Sacriledg and had a good voyage after it saith he See what a good Navigation the Gods hath granted me you tell me of Sacriledg but I am sure I have had a good Voyage after it Oh! these are Heathenish reasonings and yet I fear they are not altogether rooted out of such as profess themselves Christians You that have good Voiages abroad observe it it may be if you meet with an ill Voiage then you begin to recollect your self What sin have I been guiltie of but now if you have a good Voiage though you have contracted much guiltiness upon your spirits while you were at Land yet prospering in your Voiage you never think of anie danger but all is well because you have a good Voiage Oh no a good Voiage is no sign that there is not guiltiness As sometimes I have told you that a painted face is no sign of a good complexion it may be it is the Curse of God upon thee that doth let thee so to prosper and if God had anie love unto thee he would not let thee to prosper so as he doth he would cross thee in thy waies that so thou mightest bethink thy self There 's another man perhaps that was as wicked as thou and yet the Lord had a love to him and he crost him in his waies so that he hath begun to bethink himself and not to be at rest till he gets the guilt of his sin done away but for thee Gods heart it seems is not yet towards thee he hath no love to thee and if he lets thee go on and still prosper in a sinful way this is from the fruit of Reprobation and certainlie there cannot be scarce a greater note of a Reprobate than for a man to prosper in a sinful way This is that we should all pray to
from the men of Shechem and from the house of Millo and devour Abimelech As if he should have said God will avenge this What did God make my Father an Instrument of so great good to you and do you so ill requite all his kindness and service that he did for you The Lord judg and if it be so indeed as now I charge you let this be a manifestation of Gods displeasure That fire come from Abimelech c. As if he should say Do not think that you can have peace and quiet in such kind of waies as you are in you think you have provided well for your selves in setting up of Abimelech and now you bless your selves We shal have peace and go on and be quiet Oh no the displeasure of God will go on and pursue you and there wil be a fire among your selves and it 's just with God that it should be so for this ingratitude of yours towards those that have bin so instrumental for your good The Scripture holds out this that this is one way for God to avenge himself upon a People that shall be ungrateful to such as have been instrumental for good to them that they shall have a perverse spirit mingled among themselves that when they think to provide for their own ease and peace they shall have a fire mingled among themselves so as in the conclusion to devour themselves These people were very zealous for Gideon in Judg. 8 22. when God had delivered them they came to Gideon and said unto him Rule thou over us both thou and thy son and thy son's son also they made great promises Oh how were the people affected Come Rule over us thou and thy son and thy son's son c. Oh! we were in a dangerous condition and were like to have been in a perpetual bondage under our enemies but God hath stirred up thee and blest thee and therefore thou and thy son and thy son's son shall rule over us they were mightily affectd with this mercy of God when it was fresh but presently after you shall find they were off and forgot what an Instrument of God Gideon had been unto them and required the posterity of Gideon as ill as if he had been one of their greatest enemies Oh my brethren this is a sore and grievous evil the Lord cannot endure ingratitude And thus much for the 13. Verse It follows VER 14. Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly IT 's true saith God by the Prophet I loved your Father Jacob and I have magnified my self towards his posterity in great and wonderful things which I have done for them But you have been a wretched people and provok'd me most bitterly as if he should say I have a spirit of gentleness sweetness and love as indeed there is nothing else in God if he be not provok'd If there be any anger it is from mens provoking him You have provok'd me bitterly in bitterness You have provok'd you have imbittered my Spirit against you by your sins that are bitter you make my Spirit that is so sweet of it self you have made it to be bitter The word signifies sometimes to Exalt and make high And I find Tremelius Vatablus Calvin and others translate it High places You have provoked me with the High Places so it 's true And indeed that was a special sin the sin of Idolatry that did provoke God most bitterly against them and he will come to one in the main if we take it so But it is more full to translate it according to that that the word doth signifie more properly You have provok'd me in bitternesses you have been very bitter against my Saints that would go from Samaria to worship at Ierusalem I have shewn in this story of the Prophet how bitter the ten Tribes were against any that would separate from them and go worship at the Temple you have provok'd me in that kind of bitterness you have provok'd me in that bitter sin of abusing my Prophets you have provok'd me in that ingratitude of yours towards those that I have made Instrumental for your good you have provok'd me in finning against such great mercies Oh! you have provok'd me bitterly you have for saken the living God the fountain of all good and have turned your selves to vanity you have provok'd me to anger most bitterly From whence the Notes are First That God is not angry but when he is provok'd neither should we be let us be as our Heavenly Father is saith God You have provok'd me to anger And then Secondly It is sin that provokes God it puts God to stir up his anger it puts it to tryal to see whether there be any anger in God or no in Heb. 3. 9. Your Fathers provok'd me they tryed me they would put it to tryal whether there was such anger in me yea or no. Wicked men indeed do so they hear much of the anger of God against sin and they put it to tryal they will see whether it be so or no they dare not say so in words but their actions do so Oh! it 's a dreadful evil to provoke God 1 Cor. 10. 22. Do ye provoke the Lord to jealousie are you stronger than he Can you stand it out with God Is it not folly to provoke a man that is a Superior that hath power over you and can crush you Oh wretched bold heart that darest stand it out to provoke the eyes of his Glory to provoke the holy one of Israel What to provoke him that can stamp you into Hell presently to provoke him that hath the point of the Sword of Justice at your hearts but yet this is the boldness of ungodly men a man that dares not provoke his Landlord yet will dare to provoke God My brethren it 's a great evil to provoke one another to wrath but a greater evil to provoke God to wrath in Ephes 6. 4. Parents are charged not so much as to provoke their Children to wrath And wilt thou provoke God then If we will be provoking one another let us be provoking to love and to good works as in Hebr. 10. 24. unto a kind of Acrimony of love If there be a kind of sharpness let it be that which puts us on with an eagerness of spirit to love and so provoke one another as much at you will provoke one another to love and to good works In Gal. 5. 26. Be not desirous of vain glory provoking one another Calling forth one anothers corruptions that 's the meaning of it Let there not be a desire of vain glory provoking one another calling sorth one anothers corruptions Oh! 't is an evil thing that we do call forth the corruptions of one another so Was there ever times of provoking so as there are now every man provoking one another and stirring up one another to envy wrath and malice Oh take heed
and wonderful thing for them to have rain then But though it be Harvest-time yet it shall rain and thunder and all to the end that you may be convinced of yourgreat wickedness in asking you a King They had not only had their desires granted before this time but as they thought had some confirmation of their desires for Saul had prospered after he had been a King but yet for all that saith he I will give you an evident demonstration that it is not in love that you have him but it was your great wickedness in seeking you a King And Samuel called upon the Lord saith the text and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day And then in vers 19. All the people said to Samuel Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God that we die not for we have added unto all our sins this evil To ask us a King Now we do acknowledg it to be a very great and sore evil indeed though our King hath prospered a while yet God shews us now that it is an evil And by this you may see that it is hard for men to be convinced when they have according to their hearts desires that it is in Anger rather than in Love But to give you some Notes whereby you may be helped to come to see whether what you have granted by God according to your desires be in anger or love As First When you desire a gift rather than God in it when your desires are for the Gift rather than the Giver you can have no comfort that there 's love in it There 's no man that hath to deal with another if he knows that what he doth desire from him it is not out of love to him but meerly from the love of the gift certainly though he may give him for some other ends yet he doth not give it out of love Those desires that are not out of love are not satisfied from love Love satisfies no desires that are not raised by love love it acts alwaies upon love Now God knows what the ground of our desires are if we desire the Gift rather than the Giver rather than God in it I say we can have no comfort that it is from love what we do enjoy A gracious heart whatsoever it would have from God yet this is the main thing in its desires Oh! let me have God in it such is my condition here in this world that God appoints that I shall not enjoy him immediately altogether but I shall enjoy him through such and such mercies Oh then that I might have these mercies that I might enjoy him in them Certainly any thing that thou hast in way of satisfaction to these desires is out of love but when thou lookest no further than the Creature thou wouldest have the thing but lookest not at God in it thou canst not expect the love of God to be conveyed by it That 's the first thing Secondly When our desires are imoderate and violent then we have cause to suspect if God satisfies them that they are not out of love when we are in a hurry in our desires This was just the case of this People here Nay but let us have a King say they we must needs have him whatsoever comes of it we will have him When God doth use to satisfie the desires of his People in his love he doth first quiet their hearts he brings their hearts into a sweet and blessed moderation but when mens hearts are violent that the thing they desire they must have God doth manie times say You shall have it then take it but then he speaks not in love that 's verie remarkable The desires of the People in the 11. of Numbers for Quails it 's a notable Scripture to confirm our Point here That God doth not alwaies satisfie in love Reade Psal 78. 30. and so on there you have the same story recorded of their desiring of Quails they were mightily violent in their desires But that 's the thing I would observe there That the Lord after he had shewed that he did not answer their desires in love but in wrath then in vers 34. after the judgments of God had come upon them in the satisfying of their desires that many of them were slain by God then saith the Text he called the name of that place Kibroth-Hattaavah because there they buried the people that lusted that is The Sepuleres of the lusts of the desires that they had God sets a Brand upon that place saith he Here are the Graves of the desirers Oh! the desirers they must needs have flesh and they stood upon their desires their desires must be satisfied And here 's the Graves of the desirers saith God Oh remember you that lust after evil things remember when your desires are immoderate and violent it 's just with God to set a brand by som remarkable hand of his against you and say Here 's the mark of these desires that were so immoderate and so violent That 's the Second Note Thirdly When God grants unto men their desires but it is before the due time They have what they would have Oh! but they have it not in Gods time Children they long and desire after green Fruit but if they could stay but a few weeks or months one Apple then would be worth an hundred when they are green but they cannot stay they must have the Fruit when it is green They have it but it breeds Worms in their bellies and doth them no good So when we have our desires satisfied before the due time it 's not in love then Certainly a Mother intends little good to her Child though her Child should cry for green Apples from off the tree to fill the belly of her Child with those green Apples No it 's not the due time God had promised that Israel should have a King in due time that there should come KIngs from the loins of Abraham And in Deut. 17. 14. There 's a prophesie of a King that they should have yea but they would not stay Gods time and therefore it was not out of love in Psal 106. 13. it is said there That those that did so lust God gave them their lusts in his wrath They did not wait for his Counsel That 's that which is noted there Oh! we should be willing to wait for Gods Counsel We would have the thing presently done yea but Gods Counsel works one thing after another and one thing depends upon another and we should be willing to wait for his Counsel If we will not mind Gods Counsel but must have our desires satisfied and that now we cannot expect love in them but it 's rather wrath He gives unto them in his Anger and that 's the Third Note Fourthly When God grants us what we would have but there comes no blessing at all with what we enjoy he doth grant the thing but takes away the
wrath and to prepare them for slaughter Sixthly Learn from hence To be content to wait and to be denied of your desires Oh! this is a point of verie great use to teach us patience when God denies us be patient and content when God denies you your desires for you do not know what God may aim at in it Seventhly Learn from hence Not to rest in what you enjoy but to seek to know the principle from whence it comes And this I take to be as special a difference between a Carnal heart and a Gracious heart as any I know A Carnal heart thinks this If I have the thing I care not for any more but a Gracious heart looks at the principle from whence it comes he loves to look at the root and principle of all A Gardener that oweth the Flowers regards the root more than the flower a great deal but a stranger is moâ—e pleased with the Flower than with the Root So Carnal hearts look only at Flowers but gracious hearts look at the Root I have such and such a thing but have I an evidence of Gods love Look how high the head of the Fountain is so high the Water will go and no higher Water will ascend as high as the place was from whence it did descend And so everie mercie we have wil carry us as high as from whence it came If from common general bounty it carries us to God but it came in a general way but if it comes in a special love in Christ it carries us to God in Christ Eighthly Learn hence To seek those gifts that God never grants to any but in love There are some things that are of such a noble and excellent nature as God doth never grant to any but in love they are precious things indeed And this one Consideration doth shew the difference between Spiritual blessings and Temporal blessings as much as any one thing I know Temporal blessings though they are in themselves good and have manie sweet accomodations with them yet they are of such a low nature as many times they come to men and come out of Gods wrath they may stand with wrath yea they may flow from wrath But come to Spiritual blessings the Graces of Gods Spirit come to those Spiritual blessings wherewith we are blest in Jesus Christ and these are of such a nature as they can never com but from love and out of love From this point you see That a little Grace is more worth than the enjoyment of all the world God may give a man the Empire of all the world and he may do it in wrath and tend to the furtherance of wrath but now if you have but the least drachm of Grace if you have but any spiritual knowledge of God in Christ This is eternal life to know thee and thy Son whom thou hast sent into the world If thou hast any Faith Oh! this is Precious Faith If thou hast any knowledg Oh it 's the Divine Nature it comes from the infinite Ocean of eternal love and will carry thee to the infinite Ocian of love Oh! prize Grace and seek after Grace You whose hearts have been so eager and desirous after outward things turn now the stream of your desires Oh I have been eager after such and such things if I have them yet I may have the wrath of God with them and what good will they do me then Oh! but I hear that there are such and such things to be had that I can never have them but in love they are the priviledges that come to the Saints in Jesus Christ Ninthly Oh bless God you that know and find that what you have it is in love You are to bless God for what you have but in that he hath given you your desires and given them out of love too here God blesses his blessings and your blessings should be double trible seven an hundred fold Oh that the Lord hath delivered me from such an affliction and I find it is in love as Hezekiah could say when he was delivered from his sickness In love to my soul hast thou delivered me from the pit of corruption So I make no question but there 's many of the people of God even many of you that are before him this day that are able to say Well upon these arguments that I have heard this day upon this point thus opened I can say to the glory of God Out of love to my soul hath he delivered me out of such an affliction from such a sickness out of love to my soul hath he granted me such a mercy I had been praying and crying to him for such and such mercies and out of love to my soul hath he granted them to me Oh! you may go away with comfort in what you have if it be but a very little that God hath given you Oh the Lord hath given you a good portion your lot is fallen into a good ground you have a goodlie inheritance Certainlie you have a childs portion and go away and be satisfied in it And now my Brethren though this part for the practical part of it is the chief I confess I have not yet come upon that that is held forth in the verie words and that is about giving of Governors in his wrath I only have spoken to the Point hitherto as it concerns the giving of our desires whatsoever it be But now for the particulars as the specification of their desires That God had given them a King in his wrath That I confess is a point that I think there may be much of the mind of God known in it and a point that will require some time in opening it And it will be hard to speak of such a point as this is without very great deliberation and to have full scope when at any time I speak of it and therefore I do not intend at this time to meddle with this point of Gods giving Kings in wrath I shall rather defer it to the next day Only one Note further and that 's this A hint of a meditation upon Gods giving our desires in his wrath when men by the violence and strength of their spirits do get their desires from God though in wrath it hath hinted to me this Meditation which may be of very great use to you Many men they do get from their consciences those things they have a mind to have as they get from God that they have a mind to have many men are very violent in their desires and would fain have God grant them such and such things at length though it be a thing that is very displeasing to God saith God let them have it Just so it is in regard of conscience for conscience is Gods Vice-gerent in the soul of man Now there are many men that are verie desirons of such things as their consciences at first are very
eyes and was heard to speak these words I come I come I come and so gave up the ghost It had been much to be wished that the Author had been more concise brief in som Amplifications which though they were al exceeding useful yet they have deprived us of his Preaching and compleating both the former Sermon and the rest of the Prophesie But God was pleased for our sin no doubt to deprive us of that Mediator like Instrument between the divided Godly Parties of this Nation and of the further mind of the Holy-Ghost which be had revealed to this his Servant touching the Scope and Vse of this Prophesie in these daies God took him away in the strength of his Parts and Graces that he might not lose in the reputation of his Ministry or Piety as some have before their death Also though we cannot affirm as one of Josiah That he was taken away Ne malitia mutaret intellectum ipsius lest the evil of the time should have wrought upon his temper yet we may say as another doth He was taken away from the evil to come Moreover It is not an unuseful Note that the Preface to the Tigurine Bible hath whereof the inference is That whilst in some weighty point we labor for great exactness and preparation we are either disabled by our diligence or prevented by our tardiness and delay whereas moderat preparation seasonably applied might be more useful to the Church than such exactness so deferred Which is not spoken to reflect any thing on our reverend Author but to admonish others ut maturens Now among other arguments good Reader to commend this Excellent piece This is one That it hath been brought to thy hand through several Elements having been in danger part of it to be rotted in the Earth where it was buried part of it to be consumed in the Fire wherewith much of the Town where it was flamed part of it to be lost in by holes where it was hidden in the midst of Enemies Make special use therefore of what is come as it were through fire unto thee for that end to use the Prefacers words before Mr Cartwright's Answer to the Rhem. Test And if thou find that fruit the Supervisor did in preparing it for thee thou wilt not repent thy pains or peny Farewel FINIS AN ALPHABETICAL TABLE OF THE Eleventh Twelfth and Thirteenth CHAPTERS of the Prophesie of HOSEA A Abuse ABuse of Instruments of Deliverence a great evil Page 399 Affliction None of the Saints worse for affliction 453 Afflictions sometimes deepest when greatest Mercy is intended 231 Affliction see Difference Afflicted Wee may be sorely afflicted in doing Gods Commands 227 Aggravation The aggravation of provoking God 403 An aggravation of self destruction 513 Alteration Alteration of Government causeth Trembling 422 Anceston Ancestors see Mean condition Free-Grace Anger Anger see Difference The Effects of Anger 151 Apostats Apostats see Folly Apostats to return again 340 Apostacy Apostacy see Language Punishment Steps Apostacy brings a reproach on Gods waies 408 Arabian Arabian why taken for a Thief 310 Aright How to conceive aright of God 274 Armies Gods Armies 271 Astrologer Astrologer see Chaldean Awaking Saints need awaking before Reformation 185 B Baal-zephon Baal zephon what 30 Baptism Baptism see Church Base Base spirits most insolent 415 Beast Beast see Mark Beginning The Beginning of Superstition Ceremonies and Popery 437 Bethel Bethel see Jacob Bitterness Bitterness see England Blessing What 's the blessing in a married condition 392 Blessing see Peace Bonds Gods Bonds what 30 Blows To be forced by blows is to be drawn like a beast 57 C Canaanite Canaanite Why it signifies a Merchant 310 Carnal It 's mercy to be taken off from carnal props 104 Carnal heart see Difference A sore sign of a carnal heart 326 Cause The cause of corruption in Gods Worship 439 Caution A Caution concerning Earthly Kings 523 Chief The Chief work of the Ministry 177 Chaldean Chaldean why taken from an Astrologer 310 Child Child see Israel A Childs great disobedience Children How we may know whether God loved us when we were children 10 Christ God hath an eye to Christ in all he doth 19 Christians Christians see Love Church The Church one in Faith Spirit Baptism and visible Government 13 Comfort Comfort see Lives Comfort of a dying person 130 Common Comforts common to Hypocrites 433 Command Command see Promise Company Company heats whether it be goâ—d or evil 164 Confident Yong beginners not to be too confident 33 Confident men sink lowest if disappointed 201 Confidences The confidences of the ten Tribes 525 Congregation Congregation see Posture Conduct Gods Conduct of his people through the Wilderness 450 Conscience The conflict of conscience and corruption 122 Conscience oppression the most grievous 98 Convince Convince see Ministers It 's hard to convince men when they have their desires that it is not in love 539 Conviction Conviction see Parents Convert A true Convert what 333 Cords Cords of a man what 43 Correction Correction see Parents Covenant Covenant see Jews Covetousness Covetousness hard to be convinced 331 D Day Day of Judgment see Mercy Dangerous A dangerous sign of Reprobation 544 Deceiptful dealers Deceiptful dealers see Excuses Decree Decree what it is 511 The Decree of Election ibid. Gods Decree damns none ib. Devils The Devils Stratagem 175 An obstinate sinner worse than the Devil 109 Deliverance Deliverance from oppression a great mercy 92 Difference Difference between Spiritual and Temporal blessings 557 Difference between a carnal and gracious heart 329 556 Difference between the Churches and Gods Excommunication 436 Difference between God and man in point of anger 169 Difference in the Saints from others in time of affliction 308 Difference of Gods working for his people and for others 399 Disappointed Disappointed see Conceited and Confident Disobedience Disobedient see Child Drawn To be drawn by the Word is to be drawn like 〈◊〉 man 57 Doctrine Doctrine see False Drowsie A Drowsie spirit a great evil 133 Duty Duty see Ministers Dying Dying see Comfort E East Wind The East wind why hurtful 202 Effects Effects see Anger Effectual Effectual preaching what 349 Elect Elect see Thoughts Election Election see Decree Element God the Element of Love 85 England Gods ancient love to Engl. 6 England the first Nation that imbraced the Christian Religion ibid. God remembers the kindness of England's youth ibid. Publick love gone out of England 72 Gods special love to England Englands sin 93 Procession weeks in England 355 Englands bitterness aggravated 407 England see Instances Encouragement Encouragement to saith and prayer 151 Error Mens error in judging others 213 Evil Evil of licenciousness after deliverance 94 Men excuse their evil by their good 214 Evil of deceipt in Trading 315 Evil see Suspense Drowsie Company Excellency Excellency of the Name JEHOVAH 293 Excellency of Gods saving 449 Exalted We should not be exalted by prosperity and why 462 Excommunication
loc Obs 1 Obs 2. Obs 3. How we should charge our souls if we answer not Gods call to duty after deliverance Obs 4. Jer. 2. 27. Chap. 32. 33. Chap. 18. 17. illustrated Use to Ministers Jer. 18. 17. to be remembered by those that turn their backs on the Word How men come to that height Ier. 43. 2. with Chap. 44. 86. Obs 5. Simile Why men most wicked where there is great means Obs 6. The Jews a very wicked people yet notwithstanding God makes them his peculier people Gods greatest delign is to magnifie his free-grace Deut. 9. 6. illustrated Psal 78. 8. Ezek. 16. 30. Act. 7. 52. Psal 106. 7. Exod. 14. 11 12. Exod. 16. 2. 28. Chap. 17. 2. with the continual story of the Israelites confirm the doctrine A meditation for parents vexed with stuborn children Use Comfort against a stubborn heart Exod. 34. 9. Expos Psal 77. 20. The Tâ—xt referred to Deut. 1. 31. Psal 107. 7. observed Obs 1. Use for England Our path untroden Obs 2. Exod. 14. 9. Baal-zephon what Use Obs 3. Use Psa 107. 6. 7. England The changableness of those that have been our guides Jer. 31. 22. enligntned and applied Jer. 31. 9. illustrated It 's a fruit of fatherly love to guide us in our way Applied to the guidence of the soul Why the soul needs guiding Yong beginners not to be too confident An apt simile A prophesie touching the proof of much of the profession of these times Obs 4. Simile Obs 5. Obs 6. Num. 11. 12. Obs 7. 1 Thes 2. 7. Ministers pattern Tit. 1 7. An apt simâ—le A Nurses qualification Obs 8. Be ashamed undutiful children The Pisidians Expos The text one of the most remarkable in Scripture Obs 9. Isa 57. 17. 18 Use Applicat to England The New-Model of the Army 1645. Psal 5 〈…〉 Obs 10â— God stands much upon it to be acknowledged the healer of his people Lewis the 11. of France Use Psal 10. 3. Healing with forgiveness a sweet mercy Applied to visited families persons Expos 1. 2. Cords of a man what 1. How God dealt rationally with the people of Israel 1. A Law in its self rational Deut. 4. 8. explained 2. Backt with Reasons Preface to the Decalogue 3. Urg'd with Motives Deur Chap. 4 5 6. 4. Cleered from Objections 5. God desires conâ—erence with us Isa 1. 18. Simile 6. Would have us consider Deut. 32. 29. Simile 7. Pleads with them Simile 8. Appeals to their own consciences Isa 48. 8. illustrated Isa 5. Ezek. 18. 2. How God deals gently with his people 1. Sutes himself to their dispositions Simile 2. Observed when they were in a good temper Wives 3. Gave them time to consider Use 4. Hired them to obedience 5. Distinguished of weakness wilfulness 6. Afflicted in measure as their natures might bear Isa 57. 16. 7. was aflicted in al their afflictions Isa 63. 9. Simile 3. How God drew his people in an honorable way 1. Instruction more than correction 2. Preserved their ingenuity 3. Aimed at their good in all 4. Stil held forth hope of reconciliation Admonition to parents and governors 5. Kept up their honor Jer. 2. 14. Isa 27. 7. 6. Met them half way Simile Obs 1. 1 King 8. 47. observed Psal 119. Obs 2. Use Joh. 16. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 2. 4. Ministers must convince not scare men The most convincing Ministry the most powerful Majestrates 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must deal by reason rather than violence in difficult cases of consience Why Reason and not Violence is to be used to tender consciences Parents and Masters must use more Conviction than Correction Obs 3. Psal 2. Who wil nor be drawn by the Cords shal be whipt with them 2. How God deals with his people in a gentle way Use 1. Saints should be eminent in courtesie 2. Draw our relations with gentleness And why An apt simile Harsh natures should observe this 3. Gentle meaus rejected agravate sin Evidenced 3 How God deals honorably with men Obs 1 Preserve the honor of our inferiors Yea though the faults be great Dan. 12. 2. illustrated Masters that have Apprentices in the City Obs 2. Obs 3. To be drawn by the Word is to be drawn like a man to be forced by blows is to be drawn like a beast Obs 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in densis 〈…〉 bus a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contorsit condensavit torquendo Expos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isa 5. 18. The Hebrew of the Teâ— empharical Jer. 31. 3. The Text paraphrased The bands of love to Israel 1. Separation from all other people Exod. 35. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mirisicemut prae omnibus pop Munster Deut. 7. 6 7. Obs 1. 2. Election of the Parents their seed Deut. 4. 37. 3. Made them his inheritance portion treasure c. Deut. 7. 6. 4. Pitying theÌ„ in their afflictions Isa 63. 9. 5. Engaged al his Attributes for their good Isa 63. 6. A continued watchfuley over them Deut. 11. 12. 7. Gave them his Oracles Psal 147. 19 20. Rom. 3. 8. The Messiah to come of them 9. A law of Love The sum of the Law 10. Gave theÌ„ more than any else could offer 11. Heard theÌ„ in all their prayers Deut. 4. 7. 12. It could not have been conceived God should have done more Obs 1. Cant. 8. 6. The bonds of Love 1. Cant. 7. 6. illustrated 2. Eccles 7. 26. observed 3. Nulla est major ad amorem provocatio quam praerentre amando Aug. * Magnes amoris amor Love commands al the souls faculties 5. Makes all services delightful 6. Hath no bounds 7. Caution 8. Song 8. 6 7. 9. Rejoyce in sufferings 10. Seeks not its own 1 Cor. 13. Obs 2. Ministers duty to open Gods love Mark 1. 15. applied Repentauce a grace of the Gospel not of the Law Book of Martyrs lib. 1. Euseb lib. 3. cap. 20. Simile Simile Aust Confess lib. 9. cap. 1. Ejiâ—â—â—bas eas à me tu vera ac sumum suavitas ejiciâ—bas pro 〈◊〉 omni voluptate dulcior Why perseverence more frequent under the Gospel than under the Law Use to yong converts An apt simile Gods great design in the Gospel 2. Gain men with love in dealing with them Phil. 2. 1 2. The way to uniformity Spleenful Ministers Deal with kindred in Love A sowr disposition doth disadvantage much But perverse spirits are otherwise to be dealt with Satans great design Zach 11. 14. The love of Christians one to another in England formerly compared with our divisions now Eccles 3. An Apostrophe to Love Publick Love gone out of England A conviction of the consciences of some Many of both sides in mater of discipline and Churchgo â—rnment sincere Caution We should countermine Satan 3. Superiors should win by love Monica the mother of Austin Godly couples for want of love live worse than when one yoke-fellow is carnal oft-times The distance betwixt Christ and us greater than betwixt us
our servants A masters comfort 1 Sam. 18. 22 Servants should love one another Object Answ Magistrates shold govern by love 1 Chr. 28. 2. The difference betwixt the gesture language of David the Princes of these times John 2d King of Portugal The property of the Pelican A Princes pattern Timeri quà m diligi A pernitious state maxime The evils of striving otherwise than by love Why Hypocrites are hide-bound towards God The benefits of love Obs 3. Deut. 11. 13. The cords of Gods love to his people 1 Eternal Gods thoughts from eternity concerning his Elect. 2 Elective and separating Malach. 1. 2. Use 3 Free Hos 14. 4. Deut. 7. 7. discoursed 4 He gave his Son for them Which he did not for Angels 5 And Himself also This is set forth by gradation and prosopopie 6. Regards nothing else Isa 43. 4. illustrated 7 Pardoned all their sins Revel 1. 5. Gal. 2. 20. observed A representation of the love of Christ in coming to take away our sin An apt simile 8 Puts loveliness upon them 9 Loves them with the love he hath to Christ Joh. 17. 23. 10. Hence God delights in his Saints Why God does all the former things for his Saints Eph. 1. 23. illustrated by Joh. 17. 24 11 Gods love sweetens and sanctifies all A meditation for afflicted Saints 12. Gods love overcomes all our unworthiness both before after conversion which he foresaw 13 Gods love hath in it the love of all relations 14 An everlasting and unchangable love Zeph. 3. 17. Jer. 3. 13. 2 Thess 2. 16. Application 2 Cor. 5. 14. God the Element of Love 1 Joh. 4. 16. Eph. 3. 17 18 19. The rarity of the expression in Eph. 3. 19. Why Christians ar so scant in their obedience and empty in their spirits Cant. 7. 12. noted God regards nothing but love Our love should be eminent toward Christ Minus te 〈◊〉 Deus diligit qui praeter te aliquid diligit qui propter te non diliget August Confess Gods special love to Engl. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The scope of the Text. Obs 4. Three sorts of Gods Bonds Use Niâ—â—â— durus est animus qui amore si nolebat impendere noltt rependare August Adulterous love Gifts The Spirit grieved only by the Saints 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A meditation for a Saint about to sin Mark 14. 72. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Erupisset Beza Ovelatione capitis he covered his head as Marriners use to do Theophylact. Simile Simile Expos Luther No coÌ„mand in the Gospel without a promise Simile Obs 1 Deliverance from Oppression a great mercy Levit. 26. 13. Ezek. 34. 27. Expounded A cure for Atheistical thoughts Obs 2. To grow wanton after deliverance from yokes is very sinful Englands sin The Evils of licentiousness after deliverance 1 It hardens our Adversaries Suppression of Errors by violence no argument of the truth of Church-government Omnes licentiâ deteriores sumus 2 It obscures the work of God Psal 149. 4. enlightned 3 Deprives others of just liberty Which wil be charged on the ocasioners of it 4 It â—aâ— bring the yoke on again 5 It justly provokes men against liberty Lam. 1. 14. What use we should make of our liberty Exod. 12. 25. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 illustrated Obs 3. Oppression of others after deliverance from oppression a crying sin Deut. 28. 48. Conscience oppression the most grievous What Statesmen should consider in imposing things Object Answ Such Truths as are not of necessity not to be imposed Men of latitude in judgment A meditation for such And necessary at this time Isa 58. 6. 9. We should make the lives of Beleevers comfortable In what things we should bear with our brethren And why Use To Magistrates and Governors of families Times of Recreation to be permitted to servants 1. It would drown the memory of the superstitious Holydays 2. It would forward the sanctification of the Sabbath Expos Faciam eos edere quietè Luth. Obs 1. Use To the Rich. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 descendere ferit Obs 2. Obs 3. Use to Hard Masters Use 2. The misery of other places cy mer 1. The Text paraphrased Obs 1. Use A great mercy to be thorowly taken off from carnal props 2. Obs 2. Obs 3. Use for England Englands condition must be far worse if it think of returning Obs 4. Who the Assyrian was Isa 10. 5. 7. 12. A Character of a stout heart Obs 1. Use A way of holy revenge Obs 2. Obs 3. Use to the convicted Job 9. 4. to be observed by such An obstinate sinner worse than the Devil in some respect Jer. 3. 22. should be our example An exhortation to backsliders Jer. 4. 5. expounded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 renuit fastidinit Pâ—el Obs 4. Expos 1. Caepit vulg Hierom. of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Hiphil Obs 1. Jer. 18. 7 8. England Expos 2. Obs 2. Isa 34. 5. 6. Jer. â—6 1â— Use Against protractors of the War The War taken by the great The New-Model of the Army Anno 1645 1646. A blessing for those that hasten peace Obs 3. Use for Engl. How men were deceived at the begining of this war Jer. 47. 6 7. Obs A sad thing for the sword to be in a City Ioseph de Bello Iudaic. lib. 7 cap. 7. 1100000. slain in the siege at Jerusalem The mercy of God to London all this War The Butt the enemy aimed at Isa 37. 33. 34. 35. Ezek. 14. 17. Jer. 25. 15. Not only preserved but made the City of Refuge for the kingdom Expos Isa 14. 31. This the caus why London hath been so aimed at Every good patriot ought to labor the the good of London By prayer and all good endeavors Psal 55. 9. 17. explained Our own Counsels a cause of Englands lasting war Expos Comâ—det capita torum Vulg. Propter consilia eorum Pagn Ezek. 11. 2. When Parliament Army City and Kingdom wil give over their own Counsels Good intentions may be seduced A false religious and State principle Gods waies not our waies Expos Application 1. 〈…〉 England Why some were 〈◊〉 w 〈…〉 at the begining of this Reformation Why they started off again 2. Private particular persons Why these start back 1. 2 3 4 5 6. 7 8. 9. Admonition to such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Suspenst sunt Calv. Parâ—us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 70. In suspence here what Applicat to England Populus meus dubitat au velit redire ad me Luth. * Populus meâ—s haesitat se convertere ad Legemmeam Chald. Paraphrase Obs The conflict of conscience corruption Suspence a caus of much evil Considerations tending to settle the unresolved about the waies of God Simile Populus meus pendebit ad reditum meum i. e. pendulus sperabit vulg Montanus Expos 2 3. 4. Obs 1. Piety raises the heart more than pride Obs 2. Obs 3. Simile Obs 4. Psa 97. 9 10. illustrated Abrahams
blessing of the thing he takes away the comfort of it the satisfaction in it They shal eat but they shall not be satisfied So in Psal 106. 15. There he gave them their request but sent leanness into their soul the text saith He filled them according to their desires with flesh but sent leanness into their soul the meaning of the text is this It is a similitude transfer'd from the bodie to the soul that as many times men may have a dogs appetite as the Physitiaus cals it that is a mightie greedie stomach but they cannot digest what they eat and so the body is lean so here they had a mightie desire but as in the bodie manie times there is such a disease that the meat turns not to nourishment so in their souls they had even that their souls desir'd yea but their souls could not be satisfied there was that distemper in the soul as in the bodie the bodie doth not thrive with what it eats when it hath such a disease upon it so though the soul hath what it did desire for the matter of it yet it had a distemper in it thus it could not be satisfied nor thrive nor prosper with what it had Oh he sent leanness into their soul How many times are men and women mightie greedie and desirous after such and such contents and think thus Oh how happy should I be if I had this and the other thing it may be God lets you have what you would here but when he hath let you have it he snatches away the comfort of it you shall have a Well but it shall have no bottom you shall not be able to get out the good and comfort in what you have And that 's the Fourth thing Surely God is not in it for the blessing of God makes rich and ads no sorrow with it no he brings comfort Fifthly When that which we desire is meerly to satisfie our lusts meerly that we might have our humors and lusts satisfied that 's all we do not desire such and such comforts that by them we may be fitted for the Service of God in our places not so much because we have need of them to help us in our work but because we would have our lusts satisfied there 's all we cannot give an account why these and these things should help us in the work of the Lord but that we may go on as well without them But these and these things are sutable to our lusts Oh! if God doth give thee any thing to satisfie thy lusts certainly he gives it in his wrath as now If a man that hath a disease in his bodie if he hath an enemie comes to him and knows what will feed his disease the Enemie will give it him that he might dispatch him the sooner there 's no faithful Physitian nor no loving friend will give unto any that that will feed their disease but will take it from them and take it from them in love because it will feed theirdisease Oh! the Lord sees mens hearts set upon such and such lusts and if they have such and such things granted them their lusts will be fed by them they shall have them saith God It 's as dangerous a sign of Reprobation as any thing to give them that that shall be most sutable to their lusts that shall most harden them And on the other side The greatest love when God shall take that from his children that he knows will but feed their lusts there 's many diseases are such that the only way to cure them is to keep the Patient in a short dyet though they crie for food and be very hungry yet they must be kept very sparing why because the nature of the disease is such as will draw all nourishment to it self to feed it and so God is fain to do with his own people when he sees them sick of such a disease the Nature of which will draw all nourishment for the feeding of it Sixthly When men desire that they would have and are eager upon it but they take no great care whether they do enjoy it from a reconciled God or a provoked God it 's all one to them let me have it but whether it comes from God reconciled or God provoked they do not much stand upon that that 's very remarkable here in Numb 11. there is this notable story of Gods satisfying desires in his wrath If you turn to the beginning of the Chapter you shall find that God was very much provoked with the people here The people complain'd it displeased the Lord and the Lord heard it and his anger was kindled and the fire of the Lord burnt among them and consum'd them and the people cried to Moses and so the judgment was got off from them but then presently after they fell to murmuring before ever any thing was done to reconcile God and their souls together you do not reade of any work of humiliation to seek reconciliation with God between the time that God did manifest his sore displeasure against them and the time that God satisfied them in their desires no they look'd not upon that God indeed was displeased but it was off now and for any matter of atonement or making up their peace with God that they look'd not at but let them have their desires hence it came to be in wrath the satisfying of their desires Doth thy conscience tell thee that there hath been a time wherein God hath been displeased with thee the anger of God hath burst out against thee perhaps thou art in a better condition now than thou wast before Oh but tell me hast thou humbled thy soul before God to make up thp peace with him hath there been a day of atonement between God and thy soul hath Gods displeasure been out against thee and now doth he come and satisfie thee in what thou doest desire before any thing hath been done in falling down before him and seeking his face and making peace thou canst not have comfort in this satisfying of thy desires but it 's rather in wrath than in mercy Seventhly When God regards not our preparation for a mercy he gives it whether we be fitted for it yea or no no great matter And carnal hearts take no great care themselves of it let me have it whether my heart be in a fit condition that 's not the thing It 's your sin and wickedness not to regard the preparation of your hearts for what you have and it 's Gods Judgment to give it to you before you be prepared A gracious heart when it would have a mercy it is as careful to get the heart prepared for the mercy as to obtain it Oh! there 's such and such things that indeed would be sutable to me but is my heart fit for such a deliverance is my heart fit for such a mercy as this when as it is thy care to prepare thy heart