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.
Egypt yet stil they were my Sons Now we are ready to think that if God bring us into sore afflictions then we are no more sons No thou mayest be delivered up to the power of the enemy and yet a son of God still and no slave for all that and no enemy There 's a notable Scripture in Deut. 32. 10. where it is said of the people of Israel That they were in the waste howling wilderness and yet they were as the apple of Gods eye so thou maest be delivered up to the wast howling wilderness to suffer sore things to be banished from thy house and home and to wander up and down in the wilderness and yet remain as the apple of Gods eye It is a strange sight indeed to see a child of God an Heir of Heaven a Co heir with Jesus Christ one dearer unto God than Heaven and Earth to be under the power the humors the lusts of wicked men of base ungodly ones yet it is so yea for a time they may be slaves to Satan I say those that God hath an eternal love to even are for a season oft times slaves to Satan But then they have not the comfort of this Son-ship nor do not know it But now they may know themselves to be Sons and yet slaves to the humors of wicked and ungodly men there is not a stranger sight in the world I beleeve the Angels in Heaven do not see a stranger sight that they more admire at when they see a godly man to be under the lusts of wicked men but this is Gods work for the present God intends to manifest himself in another way hereafter but for the present he fetches about the glory of his own ends this way to let even his own dear sons to be in Egypt But God calls them out of Egypt God hath his time to deliver his people and call them out of Egypt and 't is but a Call and it 's done it is as easily done as a man that gives a call for such a one out of such a place let our bondage be never so great 't is but a word from God to deliver us Again It is a great mercy to be cal'd out of Egypt This the Lord here brings as a great testimony of his love to them that he calls them out of Egypt In Exod. 12. 42. It is a night to be much observed of all the Children of Israel in their Generations To be called from that Egypt was a fruit of Love and so to be called from spiritual Egypt for mans natural estate is a spiritual Egypt to be cal'd from Antichristian Egypt is a great fruit of Love and as 't is a fruit of love so it is an aggravation of sin for so it is brought I called my Son out of Egypt and yet they did thus and thus If God remembred this mercy of calling them out of Egypt so many years before as an aggravation of their sin how much more may the Lord make that an aggravation of our sin that called us of late out of that Egypt that we were in Many waies I might shew you that we were under a great if not a greater bondage than the Israelites were under in Egypt And there hath been as out stretched an arm though not so obvious to sence in calling of us out as in calling of them out of Egypt now let not this be an aggravation of our sin the sound of our cries under the yoke of our bondage is not yet out of our ears and the very sores of our shoulders through their yokes are not yet throughly healed and therefore if we now before the sound be out of our ears and our sores be healed yet grow to be wanton foolish vain proud cruel oppressing one another and abusing of our liberty Oh! our sin must needs be accounted exceeding great before God Well but yet we see not all the mind of God in this expression nor the chief part of his mind for we find in in Matth. 2. 15. that there the holy Ghost cites this Scripture that now I am opening to you and interprets it of Jesus Christ When Jesus Christ was fain to fly into Egypt to save his life the holy Ghost saith That it was to fulfil that Scripture I called my Son out of Egypt It is a very strange Interpretation as we have divers other such in the new Testament and Hierom upon the place saith That Julian takes advantage upon this and some of the Jews with others that hated Christian Religion did take much advantage upon this quotation of Matthew against the Authority of the Gospel and said surely it argued Matthew very unskilful in Scripture that he should make such a quotation as this when it is apparant that it is spoken of the calling of the people of Israel out of Egypt And truly we should never have thought that there had been such a meaning in this place of Hosea had we not found it so interpreted by the holy Ghost And by the way before we come to open that and shew how that was a right quotation of this Scripture I 'le but observe this one Note from it that we may see that by the interpretation both of Matthew and divers other places we find in the new Testament that there is much more of the mind of God in the old Testament than was ordinarily known to them that lived in those times Which of the Jews could have made such an Interpretation I have called my Son out of Egypt That is Jesus Christ after he is born he shall be persecuted and forced to fly for his life and that into Egypt and he shall come again out of Egypt who could have thought the holy Ghost could have intended such a thing as this is Things were not understood til they came to be fulfilled and then they were understood And the truth is as in the old Testament so in the new there are a great many Scriptures that we understand yet but little of And the time of our knowing the meaning of them is reserved to the time when they are to be fulfilled many Prophesies we have in the Revelations and other places that are I am confident as dark to us as this place of Hosea was dark to the Jews and there is as excellent a spiritual meaning in many places of the new Testament hidden from us that will hereafter to the Church of God be revealed cleerly as there were in the old Testament many places I know not whether I may say as many as those but are as much hidden from us Jesus Christ that was the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world in Rev. 5. 〈◊〉 he that shall open the Book that is seal'd and it is a fruit of the death of Christ it is the Lamb as he is a Lamb slain from the beginning of the world that shall open the Book that is sealed there are many
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
their Judges generally were good and guided them in Gods waies but the Kings did not so For the Kings of Israel were none of them good from the beginning of them to the end Oh unthankful wretches that they are so eager to have another condition never minding nor blessing God for what they had forgetful of all the good that ever they had Samuel could appeal to them Whose Ox or Ass have I taken he judged righteously in his judgment But they forget all Gods goodness and mercy towards them and must now be in another condition Oh! consider of this you that desire new conditions be not you unthankful for what you have had if you be so eager to have more so as to forget what you have had if God should send you more your case is like to be worse than now it is If one should go and take meat to eat befor he hath digested what he eat before he hath fill'd his stomach but there comes new dishes to the Table that pleases his pallate and he falls upon that and eats more and more but that doth not nourish him but turns to evil humors and so doth him hurt but if he would stay till he hath digested what he hath eaten before then he might eat and have good nourishment And you that would fain have more and more have you digested what you have had are you thankful for what you have had hath God had the glory of what you have had before then if God gives you any thing you may have comfort to your souls that it comes out of love Further When men desire new things out of distrust of God and make such conclusions of unbeleef Surely if God should not grant such and such things unto them then they are lost and undone and there 's no way in the world to help them and their desires are put on by distrust Whereas my Brethren Gracious desires are put on by faith it 's the prayer of Faith that doth â—ood it is Faith that doth inflame gracious desires that are sent up to God they are sent up by the strength of Faith and not the strength of Vnbeleef It is the strength of Vnbeleef that makes the desires of people so strong as they are as thus These people desir'd a King Why because they could not trust God to have but only Judges as they had before Samuel was an old man his sons were naught and they see themselves in a hard condition yea but now seeing God had nor spoken to them about a new Government they should have had it from God if they had it at all God should chuse them one but they thought that they must have one to go before them in their Battels or else their Battels would miscarry and they saw the Princes of the earth they went before their Subjects in their Battels and therefore they would be like unto them and durst not trust God in that way that they were in before and therefore it was in wrath that God gave them their desires Yet further If when God changes our condition we bring the sins of our old condition into our new we can have no comfort then that it is out of love our care should be when our condition is changed Oh but what were the fins of my former condition what were the sins of my afflicted my low condition let me take heed that I do not bring those corruptions into my new condition And then lastly If we seek to attain our desires by unlawful means certainly that is curs'd If God doth let us prosper in waies that are unlawful in themselves we cannot beleeve that what we enjoy comes out of love but out of wrath I was the willinger to enlarge this Point because of the great usefulness of it Now then by way of Corallary by all that hath been said First Learn we then from hence To take-heed that we quiet our selves in our desires be not too earnest in your desires remember that Scripture 1 Cor. 10. 6. Now these things were our ensamples to the intent we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted It hath reference even to their lusting for their Quails it was call'd lusting after evil things though the things themselves were good yet because of the way of their lusting it made them evil to them these are for our ensample because we should not lust so as they lusted Oh! when you reade but that 11. of Numb and the 78. Psal and there find how they lusted after evil things and how the wrath of God came upon them when they had their desires satisfied let these be ensamples for us that we take heed of lusting so And so when we reade of their desires so after a King and what they met withal when they had him I say it should teach us so far to moderate our desires as to labor to regulate them by the Word of God and not be headie in them but to order them according to the mind of God And then the Second is this Let us by all that hath been said learn to prepare our hearts for what we have and to seek proportionable grace for any thing that we do desire Treasure up this lesson when thou wouldest have a mercie from God Oh seek proportionable grace and prepare for the mercie Thirdly learn this Lesson Be not too much exalted when thou hast thy desires satisfied Me thinks this Point might be as a prick to prick the bladders of the pride of mens hearts Oh! take heed though you have prospered according to your desires Saul prospered a great while and yet it was in wrath Certainly there 's no great matter to be expected from such things as we may have in Gods wrath and therefore no cause to be exalted Fourthly Learn from hence Never to draw any arguments of Gods love by satisfying your desires in outward things It is a vain conceit of people to think thus God loves me why because I have desired such and such things and God hath given them to me If a man were to go and chuse a Wife if he knew her face were painted would he conclude Surely here 's one of an excellent complexion No he would rather suspect it truly the argument is as good That this womans complexion and the constitution of her body is whole and good as that argument that my condition is good because God satisfies me in my desires Fifthly draw this consequence likewise Learn never to envie at any men that have their lusts satisfied there 's little cause that you should envie them If you should see a man that loves Wine and you knew it were poisoned And a man that hath a Sattin Sute and you know it hath the Plague in it there were no cause of envying such a man a Leather Sute were a great deal better God satisfies men many times but it is in
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
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
that they understand not which get such falls and bruises that are like to stick upon them as long as they live Some of you it may be may remember when you were children you would use to venture upon the Ice and be sliding and you got such bruises then that now you feel them Oh! let yong ones take heed of venturing upon doubtful things let them look up to God to make their way plain before them and not lean to their own understandings lest they have falls I say by which they get bruises that they may feel another day And further Seeing God makes it to be a fruit of his love to teach them how to go when you see others slip and stumble in in the way of profession of Religion and spoil themselves Oh bless God then for his mercy towards you that he helps and teaches you in your way As when a man is riding upon the road in winter time it may be he sees some before him whose horses get into holes and stumble and it may be the man breaks his leg or shoulder before him if it proves not to be deadly to him now if you should see a man falling and breaking his leg or arms falling down with his horse in such dangerous waies as there is in many places would you not have cause to bless God that you are delivered from that that God hath preserved your limbs Thus when you see Professors falling in the way of profession of Religion Oh! bless God that he teaches you in your way that he guides you To women that are weak in waies that are slipery you will take hold of their hands to guide them and so God doth to you know the whol course of your way from spiritual Egypt to spiritual Canaan it is Ice and rugged al the way that God is fain to take you by the hand and Oh! the goodness of God to condescend thus to his poor Creatures to compare himself to a Nurse Oh! how often would we run into harms way as we use to say if God did not lead us And further Take heed you who are weak and have need of teaching that you be not wayward and wanton that you be not foolish and unruly and that you do not wilfully run into rugged and slippery waies God indeed is as a Nurse to teach you how to go yea but be not you as wayward and froward children that sometimes tire their Nurses it 's more difficult to teach some children than others how to go they are so froward and wilful that they will go their own way if the eye of their Nurse be but from them never so little they will go their own way Oh! take heed you be not among those froward wilful children that will be going their own way Again further I taught Ephraim to go Gods Ministers and all of us should labor to follow God in this way of his that is To have a tender care of others we should be like our Father God takes a delight in teaching weak opes how to go and in guiding of them in their way Truly we that profess our selves to be Gods children we should imitate our Father and especially Gods Ministers they should take a delight to help weak ones on in their way and to carry weak ones in their very arms that which God is said here to do Moses in another Scripture is said to do as in Numb 11. 12. Have I conceived all this people have I begotten them that thou shouldest say unto me carry them in thy bosom as a Nursing Father beareth a sucking child unto the Land which thou swearest unto their Fathers It seems Moses though he thought it to be very hard to bear so many people in his arms as it were yet God gave that Commission to him and he did it according as he was able he did carry the people as a Nurse or a Father or Mother carrieth the sucking child in their bosom Yea And though Gods Ministers meet with those that are very froward yet they must not be discouraged we are as froward in reference unto God as any can be in reference unto us and therefore you must consider you that are Ministers when you meet with yong Professors and others that are beginning in the waies of godliness and you find them untoward and peevish many times do not cast them off because of that if God should have cast off you because of that what would have become of you No instruct them with meekness even instruct them with meekness that oppose themselves though they kick and spurn yet instruct them with meekness though they oppose themselves and in 1 Thess 2. 7. we have a notable pattern of a Minister there how he should carry himself in this respect But we were gentle among you even as a Nurse cherishes her children Thus Ministers should be of gentle spirits and know that God doth put them in place to teach children how to go in their way and therefore we find it in Tit. 1. 7. that they must not be soon angry Ministers must not be of angry dispositions you would be loth to put your children to froward Nurses their very milk would some way favour of them and your children may get a great deal of hurt by Nurses that are pettish and froward it is a special qualification and necessarily required in a Nurse that she be of a gentle and patient disposition Now Gods Ministers are compared to Nurses and do not think the comparison too mean for God himself is compared to a Nurse when he saith he taught Ephraim how to go And then lastly Seeing the tender care of God like a Parent or a Nurse towards the Child is made an engagement to their duty and an aggravation of their sin because they were not what they ought to be As if the Prophet should have said Oh! therefore you should have served and loved the Lord that was so gracious to you as to teach you but you have not done so and therefore your sin is greater From whence the Note is That the love and tender care of Parents and Nurses in bringing up children and enduring much trouble with them is a great judgment to children when they grow up to requite with duty and due respect their Parents and Nurses and if they do not it's a great aggravation of their evil You that are grown up from children remember the care remember the sorrow remember the trouble of your bringing up and be ashamed of your undutifulness How is it that you have all your limbs but from the care of your Parents and Nurses you are to bless God for your Parents care and the care of those to whom you were committed when you were children and know that you owe due respect unto them for it He is an Apostate to the great Law of Nature who Violates Charities due unto Parents and Nurses I
this last Summer we have cause to look beyond all men and means though God hath used means yet it is God that hath healed us and they desire that we should attribute all the Glory to God our healing hath been such that except we even maliciously shut our eyes we cannot but know and acknowledg that God hath healed us in great measure Oh! let not us by our pride and stoutness our oppression our foolishness make it appear that we do not acknowledg that God hath healed us God stands much upon that because it is his Glory to heal his people therefore he stands much upon it to be acknowledged to be the healer of his people For bodily healings we are ready to acknowledg those that do heal us What thankfulness is given to Physitians when they have been Instruments to heal our bodies Before healing any body would say they would give Oh! what would they give al their estates that they might be healed of such a disease but when they are healed it may be they will neglect the Physitians but 't is those that are of base spirits but others are very ready to acknowledg thankfulness that way to the Physitians that heals their bodies how gainful therefore is the practice of Physitians that God makes use of to heal mens bodies I remember I have read of Lewes the Eleventh of France that for his Chaplins he allowed them twenty shillings a month but for his Physiâ—ian one John Cottiere his allowance was ten thousand Crowns a month four Crowns would serve his Chaplin and ten thousand for his Physitian that 's a gainful practice because men are more sensible of the healing of their bodies than the healing of their souls Well any of you who have been in great sickness and distresses of body yea and in distresses of soul too and are healed do not you now by the frolickness of your spirits and the abuse of your strength in the waies of sin manifest that you do not know that God hath healed you both in respect of National healing and in respect of Personal healing let every one make use of that of David in Psal 103. Bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me bless his holy Name and again Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits who forgiveth all thine iniquity who healteh all thy diseases Oh! that we were able to joyn these two together now Who forgiveth all thine iniquity and healeth all thy diseases Healing is a mercy indeed but then 't is a mercy to purpose when it is a fruit of forgiveness when we can make good the former who forgiveth thine iniquitie and healeth thy diseases when we can say our healing is a fruit of our forgiveness God hath in great measure healed the Land and Nation Oh that we could say that he had forgiven us our healing without our forgiveness will be to little purpose and therefore in the times of our greatest wounds we should cry for forgiveness in the first place and not be satisfied with anie healing without forgiveness of our sins And so particularlie God hath healed some of your diseases in body it may be your families have had the Plague or some other disease Pox or Measels why the Lord hath been pleased to heal you you were in a sad condition then and the Lord hath healed your families yea but can you put both together bless the Lord who hath forgiven the iniquitie of my familie and healed the diseases of my familie And so for your own particulars do not satisfie your selves with this that you have your healths restored you except you can bless the Lord who hath forgiven mine iniquity and healed my diseases when thou findest the one that thou art healed be not satisfied except by faith thou canst see the other that thou art likewise forgiven all thine iniquities And thus much for the third Verse VERS 4. I drew them with cords of a man with bonds of love THis Verse is a great Verse and it will be very hard to pass over this in an Expository way only I drew them with cords of a man with bonds of love Here 's a fourth or fifth expression of Gods love for there was two in the former Verse Taught them to go and healed them Now here 's the fifth I drew them with cords of a man with bonds of love God still aggravates his mercy that they might see their sin As there 's no such way to be kindly humbled for sin as to see it against much mercy I drew them with cords of a man Some would carry this as if it were a proper name with the cords of Adam for so the word is for the word Adam signifies a man of red earth But it 's rather to be taken appellatively with the cords of a man that is I did not deal with them like beasts which must be drawn or put on with violence my way was not thus with them to draw them and to have Iron Chains about them or strong cords to force them on in their way no saith he I dealt with them like men I drew them on with the Cords of a man It doth note these three things First I dealt with them in a rational way as men not as beasts and sought to draw them in that way as men Secondly I dealt with them in a gentle way not with rigor and violence but as a man for they were humane so my waies were waies sutable to their humanity as the Scripture sometimes speaks of the Rods of men I 'le chastise them with the Rods of men by which some think is meant that is more gentle I dealt with them gently And then thirdly With the Cords of a man that is I dealt with them in such waies as were honorable to them as were sutable to that respect that is due to a man I considered that they were men made at first according to my Image and they were the most excellent Creatures that I had upon the earth here and therefore I dealt with them in a way sutable to their Nature to preserve the honor of their humane Nature Rationally Gently Honorably First Consider how Rationally God dealt with this people First The Law that I gave to them it was according to the Principles of right Reason there was nothing in my Law but was sutable to the very principles of right reason in Deut. 4. saith he The Nations shal hear al these Statutes and say Surely this great Nation is a wise and understanding people why in the 8 verse What Nation is there so great that hath Statutes and Judgments so righteous as all this Law which I set before you this day Mark all the Nations that are about you shall say What Nation is there so wise that hath Statutes and Judgments like this Nation Surely then my Law it had abundance of Reason in it it had the
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
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
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
in the assurance of Gods love it would not be much to me but when all these outward comforts are gone and I never saw God appearing like an enemy to me so as at this time Doth God deal thus with any of his people Am I not a Reprobate For God doth use when his People are in affliction then to appear with the light of his face to comfort and encourage them but he hath not done so to me even at this time I find God more terrible to my soul than ever yet I found him and therfore surely I am but a cast-away I make no question but some of you may know the meaning of such temptations as these are in the time of your afflictions or if you have not known the meaning of them hitherto you may come to know the meaning of them hereafter and you that have known or hereafter if you shall know what these things mean Oh! treasure up this Scripture it will be worth a world to you For the Devil wil mightily strengthen himself with this What are not you a cast-away surely God hath rejected you he would never appear against you in your afflictions if he had any love to you Or you may answer the temptation thus Yes yes I have read in the Book of God and heard that even thus God dealt with my father Jacob that was so precious Yea but was not he in some way of sin No he was in the way that God bad him go on in and yet even then when he was in so great a distress God wrastled with him never wrastled more with him than then and seem'd to come against him like an enemy and such a time as that was Oh! treasure up this that your hearts may not sink in despair in the greatest afflictions and spiritual dissertions that are both together Only this by the way He had power with God It appears that when God came thus against him to wrastle with him God intended no hurt to him it was but to stir up his strength and to prepare him for great deliverance and for choice mercies God at this time did intend to Jacob as great a mercie as ever he gave to any of the children of men in this world and that was this That he should have strength to prevail with God and as a Prince to prevail with God and that he should in this be a type of all his people hereafter that they should prevail with God that he should have his name changed and be called Israel because he was a Prince prevailing with God and in this he should be honorable to the end of the world and be set up as a type for the comfort of al the Saints to the end of the world I say it was as great a mercy as ever any meer child of man had in this world at this time when Jacob was in the greatest depth of affliction almost as you can conceive a man to be in Therefore oh remember this that it is the way of God when he doth intend the greatest mercy to any of his people sometimes to bring them into the depth of affliction and therefore do not conclude that never any was so afflicted as I have been why Jacob might have said so and yet at that time God had never greater thoughts of mercy than he had to him then and therefore remember this again when such kind of temptations work never any was so afflicted as I have been grant it yet it may be there is mercy intended for you at this time that never yet was granted to any of the children of men before 't is possible it may be so it was so with Jacob and therefore let not your faith flag He had power with God in this great distress that he was in he doth not lie down as a man discouraged but he 〈…〉 rs up what strength he had and he falls a wrastling a wrastling with this man even with God thus appearing against him as an enemy Oh! thus should the seed of Jacob do you that are the seed of Jacob for so specially your praying Christians in time of distress are call'd by the seed of Jacob I said not to the seed of Jacob seek ye me in vain They are not call'd the seed of Abraham but of Jacob because Iacob was so eminent in praying in so great extremity the seed of Iacob should do so every little opposition that comes upon a sluggish heart a heart that hath low and mean principles sinks him presently I say take a man or woman that hath but low and mean principles every little opposition presently damps his spirit and maketh him yeeld and bows him down and they are ready to say al is gone if they are but opposed a little Oh! art thou of the seed of Iacob the seed of Iacob should never think their condition to be so sad but there may be recovery Is it a great affliction that is upon me am I in great distress let me so much the more stir up my strength As I remember it was said of Alexander that when he was in a great danger saith he Now there 's a danger fit for the mind of an Alexander So doth God bring into great straights now there 's a straight fit for a gracious heart for one that is partaker of the Divine Nature to incounter with stir up therefore what strength thou hast do not say I shall never be table to overcome this difficulty do not say so for you are not in greater straights than Iacob was at this time and yet mark Iacob had power and stirs up his power It may be you have that strength that will do more than you are aware of the grace of God is mighty in the hearts of his Saints Have you never been enabled to do more than ever you thought you should have been enabled to have done he stirs up his strength he doth not lie down sullen and discouraged as it 's usual for Christians to do if God doth but afflict them and specially if he draws but the light of his face a little from them presently they lie down discouraged and will not be comforted Oh! thou doest not shew thy self to be of the seed of Iacob thou hast not the spirit of thy Father Iacob in thee By his strength he prevailed with God Strength What strength you will say He had very great bodily strength he wrastled partly with bodily strength as in Gen. 29. 8. 10. you shall find that Jacob was a very strong man of his body for the Stone of the Well that the Shepherds was fain to meet together to roul away Jacob took it and roul'd it away presently but certainly he had strength beyond his ordinary bodily strength at this time God raised a bodily strength beyond what ever he had and it 's like beyond what ever man had before God raised Sampsons bodily strength to be very great and
gives him two hundred pounds ten shillings and he hath this homelie expression Restore what you have gotten else you will cough in Hell and the Devils will laugh at you Certainly it is that that will lie heavie upon conscience Gravel in the kidnies will not grate so upon you as a little guiltiness that is upon your consciences I my self knew one man that had wronged another but of five shillings and it seems he did not much regard it being but five shillings yet God awakening his conscience fiftie yeers after he comes and could not be quiet till he had restor'd that five shillings And therefore know that though it be manie yeers since you have gotten any thing by deceipt and wrong yet God will if he hath a love to you put you to restore it again Oh! what foolish lusts are the lusts of covetousness as the Apostle saith Those that will be rich they fall into many foolish lusts this sin of covetousness and deceiptfulness it doth bring men into foolish lusts and makes men pierce themselves with manie sorrows and Oh! that God would pierce them with some sorrow this day that they might never have one nights rest quiet till at least they do resolve in their hearts that they will set upon a way to make Restitution And even those of you that have made false agreements with your creditors if God awakens your consciences I see not how you can satisfie your conscience till you satisfie them these things will not be peace another day Now the Lord convince those that hearing the Word of God are guilty and know that God will call for an account of this thing and of this text that through providence you have come to hear of this day VER 8. And Ephraim said Yet I am become rich c. IN the Verse before Ephraim is charged for being a Merchant for having the Ballances of Deceipt in his hand and Loving to oppress but yet Ephraim saith I am become rich Yet The Particle here is nevertheless as if they should say Let the Prophet say what he will let him enveigh against me as he pleaseth I know not what he means by his Deceipt and Oppression I am sure I gain well by it Yet I am become rich I am sure I prosper in this way and that 's enough for me I have found me out substance The Hebrew word that is here translated Substance it signifies sometimes Iniquity Labor Violence Rapine Affliction Riches an Idol and Substance all these things this word signifies for indeed most of them if not all are usually joyned together with Riches where men are wicked that do enjoy them I have found substance The Greeks they have a word Rest Refreshing to my soul They account the great refreshing and rest to their souls to be in the riches that they have gotten however they get them I have found Substance Those things that the Prophet tels us of they are but Notions Imaginations but in what I have found there 's Substance to have an Estate and Riches and Comings-in there 's Substance I have found substance First from this observe Wicked men will have something to say for themselves though their waies be never so foul The Prophet charges them of very foul things the Ballances of Deceipt and loving to oppress and other sins before were named Yet Ephraim saith He hath somewhat to say It 's a very hard thing to stop the mouths of wicked men and especially Rich wicked men wicked men that prosper in their wicked waies say what you wil you cannot stop their mouths The work of Conversion is not so much as begun till the mouths of sinners be stopt till they be so convinc'd of their evil waies as they have nothing to say for themselves Secondly Men though very wicked and going on in very sinful courses yet they may prosper for a while Ephraim said I am become Rich. It 's true sometimes God meets with wicked men and curses them in their way that they have not their desire satisfied but many times they have they do become rich they get their hearts desires Job 21. Psal 73. with other places sufficient for this Thirdly Wicked men in their prosperity and riches what they get they attribute to themselves I am become rich and I have found substance I have got They do not look up to God indeed they dare not those that get by a sinful way they dare not acknowledge God in it and this is the evil of getting any thing in a way of sin that a man cannot come to God and say Lord I bless thee that thou hast given me this no his Conscience would fly in his face wicked men attribute all to themselves This is a very wicked and vile thing Deut. 6. 12. Beware lest thou forget the Lord thy God speaking of their having Houses and Lands Beware lest thou forget the Lord thy God and only look at thy self atribute al to thy self that 's the meaning Then Fourthly Carnal hearts they account outward things Riches to be the only substantial things I have found substance they think there is no substance in other things you speak of Spiritual things of Communion with God of Faith in Jesus Christ and of the Promises they are but poor dry things that have no substance in them but tell me of Gain and Comings-in there 's some savour there there 's substance there For indeed there 's nothing gives substance unto Spiritual things but Faith in Heb. 11. 1. Faith is the evidence of things not seen and the substance of things hoped for Faith doth give a substance to spiritual things a Beleever looks upon spiritual things as the most substantial and looks on these outward things as imaginary Carnal hearts think spiritual things imaginary and an outward estate substantial it 's quite contrary in those that are spiritual in the 8. of Proverbs vers 21. saith Wisdom there That I might cause them that love me to inherit substance to inherit that that is as if there were nothing had a substance but only that which comes in by Wisdom by Grace We call rich men substantial men such a man we say is a substantial man for indeed all the substance that the world looks after it is riches they make account that 's substance And then Fifthly When carnal heats have got estates they much glory in what they have got I am become rich and I inherit sustance They make their boast in what they have got they bless themselves in their way in Zephan 1. vers 9. it is spoken of the verie servants of rich covetous men that seek to get an estate but to their Masters in a way either of violence or of deceipt They leap upon the threshold the text saith They triumph and leap and skip in their rejoycing that they have circumvenced others that they have got such and such things
will be unto them as a Lyon as a Leopard by the way will I observe them THere 's most dreadful expressions that here follows God is exceedingly provok'd with the exaltation of mens hearts and their forgetfulness of him in time of their prosperitie Is this the same God that spake so of Ephraim heretofore Is Ephraim my dear Son Ephraim my pleasant Child How shall I give thee up Ephraim my bowels are turned within me ever since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him and my bowels are troubled within me Is this the Lord that now will be a Lyon a Leopard a Bear a tearing Lyon a wild beast unto Ephraim What is this the God that heretofore carried them as Eagles do their yong upon their wings and nourished them as the Eagle nourisheth her yong ones Is this the God that was as a Hen to the Chickin that was as a gracious Father unto them to whom this people were as the dearly beloved of Gods Soul and now God a Lyon a Leopard a Bear a wild Beast to come and tear them Is this the merciful God is this that God that is love and mercie it self thus to appear Oh my Brethren how dreadful doth sin render God unto his creature But all this while there 's no change in Gods heart God is the same in himself as before the change is in the Creature The Sun that softens the Wax the same Sun hardens the Clay the same Infinite blessed Being that doth good to his Creature in one condition the same Blessed Infinite Glorious Being is dreadful to the Creature in another condition With the froward he will shew himself froward and with the upright upright Therefore above all doth God set himself out in a most terrible manner here against those men that were in prosperity whose hearts were exalted and forgot him My Brethren The Lord pities men yea sinful men in the time of their adversity but when they are at the height and forget him Oh the anger of God is against them now above any men I 'le give you one Scripture to shew how God hath regard to men in low conditions but to tho 〈…〉 that are fatted up in prosperity Gods anger is most against them Ezek 34. 16. 20. I will seek that which was lost I will bring again that which was driven away and will bind up that which was broken and will strengthen that which was sick but I will destroy the sat and the strong I will feed them with judgment saith he Those that are lost I 'le seek them those that are broken I 'le bind them up those that are sick I 'le heal but I 'le destroy the fat and the strong I will feed them with Judgment Oh here 's an excellent Scripture for the comforting of the hearts of those that are in an afflicted condition See how God regards such but God hath not such regard to fat ones and strong ones he will feed them with judgment and destroy them The care and protection of God is more over the lost ones and the broken ones and the sick ones than the fat ones and the strong ones they are to be fed with Judgment I 'le be to them as a Lyon and the reason of this is First Because their hearts are very much hardened in their sin their sin is grown to a height Secondly Because there are so many creatures that they have use of more than others that do cry against them Poor people have not so many creatures to cry against them as the rich have Further They can make friends to avoid the stroke of Justice from men but the poor people they are more punished therefore God takes them into his hands and deals with them more severely And when Judgment comes upon them it 's more observed and therefore God to them will be as a Lyon As a Lyon You have a paralel Scripture in Psal 50. 22. I held my tongue and ye thought I was like unto you but consider this ye that forget God lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver their hearts were exalted they forgot God therefore will I be to them as a Lyon First A Lyon is the most terrible creature Amos 3. If the Lyon roar the Beasts tremble Oh my Brethren the threats of God should be to us as the roaring of a Lyon and our hearts should tremble at them Secondly None can take away the prey from a Lyon Mich. 5. 8. as a yong Lyon among the flocks of Sheep who if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces and none can deliver none can deliver out of Gods hand Thirdly A Lyon is strong and crushes the whol compages of a mans bones at one crush Alas man what is he In Job 4. 19. he is crushed before the Moth much more before a Lyon then Oh then much more before the Lord God when he comes to be as a Lyon Fourthly It is observed of the Lyon that she will narrowly mark any one that wounds her if there were hundreds of men together and one did but wound it or shoot at it or do any thing to it she will be sure to mark that man Oh! the Lord mark out those that sin against him and that wounds his Name they must not think to escape among others The Lords eye is upon them particularly And it is observed of the Lyon that she sleeps but little and with her eyes open so the Lord As he that keeps Israel neither slumbereth nor sleepeth so he that destroies his enemies doth not slumber nor sleep Further The Lyon will fall upon no creature except it be in hunger or be provok'd the Lord though his wrath be terrible as a Lyon yet he is not so ready to fall upon his creature it must be from some special end that he hath or some provocation that he hath but then he falls terribly indeed Again It is observed of the Lyon that if you do but fall down on the ground and submit and yeeld the Lyon doth use to pass by and will not tear and rend where there is an humble submission to him whereas other creatures will Oh thus God is a Lyon terrible but yet only to those that stand out against him And the Naturalists observe of the Lyon that it cannot endure to be look'd asquint upon by any thus it is with the Lord the Lord loves no squint-eyed Christians I mean none that have by ends of their own the Lord loves uprightness in our waies and dealings And lastly They say of the Lyon that it is a great enemy to Apes and Welves so is God to Flatterers and Tyrants Thus God is compared a Lyon Secondly To a Leopard And as a Leopard by the way will I observe them The Seventy reade the words otherwise By the way of the Assyrian say they And indeed the Hebrew word
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
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
saying Lay hold on him 12 Extream stout notwithstanding such a hand of God upon him vers 33. After this Jeroboam returned not from his evil way but made again of the people Priests for the high places 13 Slighting God and his Worship 1 King 14. 9. Thou hast cast me behind thy back 14 He did evil above all that were before him 1 Kings 14. 9. 15. He trusted to his many men and policie not regarding what is said to him about fighting against God 1 Chron. 13. 8. 12 13. 16. Though conquered before Gods Servants who relied on the Lord 1 Chron. 13. 18. so as he lost five hundred thousand men at one time yet he continued in his evil 17. For his own ends he would make use of Gods Prophets 1 King 14. 18. A man of a base spirit God threatens he will take him away as man takes away dung 1 King 14. 10. 19. His familie was such as except in one little child there was no good at all found in it 1 King 14. 13. 20. He made Israel to sin The common Epethite the Scripture gives him 21. He ruined the Kingdom by his sin 1 King 14. 16. He shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam Yet for al this he continued his reign two and twenty years 1 King 14. 20. Seing Governors are sometimes given in wrath let us pray that they be given to us in love But it follows I took them away in my displeasure As if he should say though they were evil yet I took them away to make way for worse Whence note Oppressors are taken away and greater Oppressors came in their room Cavlin thus I wil take away this Kingdom from you which I see to be an occasion of blindness to you for if it remain I shal be no body with you nor wil my word be of any Authority Obs 2. What God gives in anger never prospers Expect not therefore help from those men or things that God gives in wrath Sometimes God accepts of repentance when it is unfeigned as in Davids taking Bathshebah to wife of whom he had Solomon c. Viz. if the thing it self be good What God gives in anger cannot hold long with us Caut. yet this Kingdom of Israel continued twentie yeers Those things that begin ill prosper not usually Initium maledictum finis maledictus Calvin in loc The beginning is accursed and so is the end Thus many businesses beginning in anger end in wrath this Kingdom of Israel is an example of this from the beginning to the end But yet here also that holds the Author noted above vers 9. that no condition is so bad but there is help in God for it and if so be that the continuance in it be not with sin or the thing a sin in it self When men have enjoyed their desires in wrath a while God rends them in fury from them this is terrible indeed for as it was given in indignation All the while it was enjoyed it was abused Psal 78 30 31. While the meat was yet in their mouths the wrath of God came out against them But yet we must here Note the difference that Pareus observes That these calamities upon what God gives in displeasure are indeed wrath to his own people but in fury to his enemies When God takes away what he gave in wrath it is more wrath ofti 〈…〉 But here are two Questions 1. How we may know when God takes away and not in wrath First When the comfort or creature he takes from us began to draw the heart from God and now he seasonably takes it away with a sanctified use 2. When we can bless God and be thankful 3. When God makes it up in himself and in the comforts of his Spirit When does God take away in wrath First When 't is given in anger Secondly When he takes them away by violence in some terrible manner Psal 58. 9. Before your pots can feel the thorns he shall take them away as with a whirl wind both living and in his wrath Psal 52. 5. God shall destroy thee for ever he shall take thee away and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place and root thee out of the Land of the living Lam. 2. 6. He hath violently taken away his Tabernacle As a man that is angry snatches away what he had given Thirdly When we have most need of the comfort of it Zeph. 2. 4. I will drive out Ashdod at noon day when they should have taken the benefit of their houses for shelter and their meat for refreshment Fourthly When we murmur and complain inordinately of our affliction Fifthly When we shift and shark out for succor Sixthly When there is nothing but bitterness and only evil in the removal Seventhly When one evil makes way to another evil and none sanctified Psal 78. 50. He made way to his anger Eighthly When it carries with it the marks of special sins yea when as the sin it self deprive us of a mercie a when in emperance takes away health ambition brings into disgrace glottonie takes away the stomach greediness takes away 〈…〉 ches Rom. 11. 27. This is my Covenant with them when I shall take away their sins Ninthly When it happens according to those misgiving thoughts we have had and yet would not take warning Tenthly When it brings sin into remembrance Job 13. 26. Thou makest me to possess the sins of my youth 1 King 17. 18. Art thou come to call my sin to remembrance and to slay my son Wherefore seeing this is so fearful let us pray with David Psal 6. 1. O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger neither chasten me in thy heavy displeasure Again note that our sin may bring us to this That whether we have our desires or whether they be taken away yet still all may be wrath Change of oppressing Government by forreign Power is a sign of wrath Gods hand in a business excuses not mans sin he can make use of mans sin to the furtherance of his ends and yet be innocent Lastly We must not judg by success of which above Thus far the Authors Notes The Supervisor to the READER THE Author was prevented by several providences from preaching the fore going Sermon for some months together insomuch as himself wondred what purpose God had in it till at last God visited him by sickness whereof he fell on sleep in the Lord His Disease was thought to be Infection but without any sore yea and as the Gentlewoman his wife hath related without any spots or tokens only there was a black setling of blood on one side of his back which she supposed might have come with a Fall from a Horse which he had taken not long before This is mentioned by occasion of some contrary reports concerning his death About the time of his imediate dissolution be lift up his
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
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
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
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
evil of kicking and spurning against God so soon as he hath taken off the yoke from their jaws than we are at this day Could any have beleeved that if it had been revealed from Heaven but Six years since That within six years this People of England should be delivered from those sore yokes that they cried to Heaven because of the burden of them and the Lord would work in a miraculous way to deliver them but upon their deliverance there shal be such wantonness such horrid blasphemous opinions and wicked licentious waies yea that those that make profession of Religion shall be guilty of presently upon the taking off of their yoke Could it have been beleev'd Certainly if our forefathers that were under the yoke that were godly and cried to God for deliverance if they should rise out of their graves now and assoon as ever they were risen out ye should make a full Narration of all that Libertie that God hath granted to his people in England in the breaking of all that yoke of Tyrannie in the Civil State and the yoke of Tyrannie in the Ecclesiastical State they would presently think that they should see wonderful glorious effects of this in England but if within a month or two after they should have conversed with men they should hear of such monstrous opinions they should see the extream licentiousness and wantonness in the hearts of men expressed in their waies Oh! they would be ready to spit in the very faces of their children of those that now live in such times as these are The wantonness and licentiousness of men hearts in abusing of our freedom from our yokes it 's very evil in these Respects First Because this hardens the hearts of former Oppressors Our former Oppressors our Prelats and others will not they say or do not you give them occasion to say Now you see what is the fruit of casting of us out Was there such wantonness before were there such horrid Opinions before when we had power We kept down all such things we could easily curb these when we had power but you see what extravegancies there are how men run wild assoon as our power is taken from us By this means they are hardened And others that are of Prelatical spirits they are hardoned and begin to think surely the other way is the better way and indeed if this be a good argument That the keeping men in union and the keeping down errors by violence shall prove the truth of any way or of any Government it may as well prove Prelatical as any other for we know that they kept men from venting of such notorious errors by violence but shall we because there is not this violence upon us shall be more erronious and more wanton in our spirits Secondly This wantonness and abuse of our Liberty and licentiousness it darkens the glory of this great work of God in our deliverance the Lord hath been pleased to magnifie his Name in the deliverance of these Kingdoms from the yoke Now what should be the care of all the people of God but to seek to magnifie the great work of God to make it beautiful and glorious before the eyes of all But now by this wantonness and licentiousness men do darken the Glory of God they take off the lustre and beauty of it Psal 149. 4. the Lord there promises to beautifie the meek with salvation He will beautifie them with salvation now the Lord hath wrought so towards us as to beautifie us with salvation and indeed there is a great beautie upon the work of salvation that he hath wrought but this doth I say darken the Glory of God and it takes away the beauty of the work of God in our salvation What hath God done all this for us that men might turn wanton and run wâ—ld into monsterous opinions and blasphemies Oh! wo to thee that thou shouldest live in such a generation as this is how unfit art thou to live in such a time as this is to darken the glory of such a glorious work as God hath wrought for us here in England Thirdly By abusing our liberties from our yokes you do wrong others wrong those who are wise and holy and peaceable and you make them to be denied that liberty that otherwise they might have It is for your sakes who are so wanton and run so wild in opinions and in the loosness of your lives that I say those that are otherwise discreet wise and holy and peaceable and that would make use of what liberty Christ would have given to his people they must be denied it for your sakes it will be upon your account one day what ever denial they have of that liberty that they would use in a gracious and peaceable way for the honor of God I say you must answer for it one day for 't is your wildness that is the cause of it Yea Fourthly This wildness and loosness and abuse of deliverance from bondage it will be the means to bring others to be under greater yokes again it were just with God at least that it should be so Yea It might make any that have but any Civility or Morality in them to think that they shall do God good service in yoking these men in another way than ever they were yok'd I say it might make them to think that they do God good service when they see the Name of God dishonored and Religion so abused I say by this means they may come to think it would be a good service to God to lay yokes upon such kind of men as these are If ever instead of the great strings that have tide yokes upon you you should have lesser strings if you should have them multiplied to tie yokes upon you yet thank your selves you are the cause of it in Lament 1. 14. The yoke of my transgression is bound by his hand The Lord may justly bind the yoke of your transgressions upon you Oh! that God would humble us for the abuse of our libertie of the freedom from our yokes Oh let us take heed of this and say with our selves Surely this is not the use that we should make of our deliverance from our yokes no but rather this use we will rather so much the more willingly take the yoke of Jesus Christ upon us In Exod. 12. 25. after the people of Israel were delivered from the yoke of Egyptian bondage presently upon it Thou shalt keep this service speaking of the passeover that was to be kept upon their deliverance from Egypt Thou shalt keep this service The word that is there Service it is the same that is used somtimes for their Service and Bondage under the Egyptians as if the Lord should say You were once in Service indeed there was a Service that the Egyptians requir'd of you a servile Service it was and your necks were under it