pawne when there is some speciall thing done in way to that which wee make account of that we are not only promised it and have it under hand and seale and have an oath and a pawne but it is in a great degree begun and so begun as the difficulty is over Those who live under the Gospell see the greatest part of our salvation already done for us God made a promise of sending his Son into the world Now in Gods performing that promise that God-man should come into the world to be made a curse for sin this is the greatest worke of all that is to be done to all eternity and if God would have failed in any thing it would have been in that It is not so much for God to deliver us in this world it is not so much for him to bring us to heaven as it is to send his Son into the world to be made a curse for us Now when God hath done so great a work and hath beene faithfull in that great promise he hath taught us for ever to trust in him to beleeve his faithfulness in making good other promises If a man who owes five thousand pound and payes you foure thousand nine hundred of it you thinke surely hee will never breake for one hundred I may trust him for the rest seeing hee hath dealt so faithfully with me in the great summe God hath paid the four thousand nine hundred and much more in comparison of what God hath done for us take all the glory of heaven we have not one hundred of the five thousand left behince therefore we may well confide in him for the payment of the rest But is God able It is true God is faithfull This is seldome an objection at least an explicite objection in the mouths of people but surely an implicite one it is in the hearts of many that appears by those cautions God gives to take away that objection 1 Pet. 4. 19. Commit the keeping of your souls unto him as unto a faithful Creator as if he had not said enough in saying he is faithfull he adds faithfull Creator as if he should say f there be no means to help you I will create means I will put forth my Almighty power to create helpe for you but you shall have helpe Dan. 9. 27. The Lord will confirme the Covenant the word is used for a mighty man a Giant in Scripture Gen. 19. 8. He began to be a mighty one in the land as a Giant in the earth the word here is of the same root God will come forth as a Giant as a mighty man to make sure the Covenant he hath made with his people if there be any thing in the world wherein God will stirre up his infinite power the excellency of his power the glory of his right hand it will be in confirming his Covenant to his Saints Esay 26. 4. Trust ye in the Lord for ever for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength Esay 54. 5. Thy Maker is thy husband the Lord of Hosts is his name the God of the whole earth shall he be called Seeing God is so faithfull let not us be faithlesse But things goe very crosse and how shall we beleeve our faith shakes the true genuine love of the Saints is such as will love God without gifts for himself so the genuine art of faith is to beleeve in God without experience yea though things seem to goe contrary That love is but a lame love that loveth God onely for that which vve receive from him for the present and that is but a lame faith that beleeveth only in â—od for that which we see for the present Doe things goe crosse they are corrections and those may come from faithfulnes as well as any thing the Church enjoyes Psal 119. 75. I know O Lord that thy judgements are right and that thou in faithfulnesse hast afflicted me As God comes downe to you and sutes himself to you as his poor creatures so you should labour to raise your hearts to him to beleeve in him as a great God â—od deals with you as having to deale with weak creatures you should deale with him as having to doe with an infinite God You must give God leave to doe his worke his owne way The object of our confidence in God it is the thing will be done it is not how it will be done or when it will be done but that God will carry his worke thorough Shall our weakness be so much regarded as that things must not work so as to shew Gods power Certainly it is too too much for us to think our weakness must be so far condescended to One would think that it is enough that God condescendeth so much as to expresse himself so to you as you may beleeve would you have God condescend to expresse himselfe so to you as he should not have the glory of his worke nor you the glory of your faith this is too low Though we be bound to deny our selves much because of the weakness of our brethren Must God deny his glory because of our weakenesse We burden God too much with our weaknesse It is for Gods glory that things goe as they doe Lazarus was dead and dead so long that the work of God might appeare But I finde not things go so as I expected I thinke I have beleeved at such a time in prayer I thought my heart did close with the promises of God but yet things goe not so as I expect Though things be otherwise then thou expectest yet it may be God calls for new acts of thy beleeving and it is because there is no renewing of thy faith in his faithfulness You must know the continuall actings of Faith draw out the continuall actings of the power of God I will give you for that one famous Text perhaps you may reade it often and heare it but not perceive the strength there is in it Psal 31. 19. O how great is thy goodnes which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee but marke what followeth which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee Great is the goodnesse thou hast laid up Gods goodnesse is great to admiration for them that feare him but how It is laid up for them but now marke which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee All the goodnesse that is in God is for them that feare him but it is not fearing God that will bring it to work it is laid up in a treasury indeed do you feare God God hath laid up abundance of goodnesse in a treasury for you but you must not expect this will work for you unless you trust in him your Faith must bring it forth into work and that before the sonns of men thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of men Would you be hid in the secret of Gods presence from the pride of men you
his father and his friends But how mean and sinfull soever we are in our selves when once we are betrothed unto Christ he will not thinke it any dishonour no not before his Father that he hath such a Spouse but he will account it his glory before him and the blessed Angels that he hath betrothed her unto himself And again this communion makes the Afflictions of Christ the Churches afflictions and the afflictions of the Church the afflictions of Christ There is a communion in evill things as well as in good The very sins of the Church come to be charged upon Christ as a woman that was in debt before maryage and so subject to arrests if she be once maryed she is no more troubled with the Serjeants none can arrest her but all the debts are charged upon the man so though we be in debt owing a debt of punishment because we have not payed the debt of obedience and while we are out of Christ before this blessed marriage we may feare every moment to have some sergeant of the Lord upon us to arrest us to hale us to prison there to lye untill we have paid the uttermost farthing but when the soul is married unto Christ all debts all sinnes are all transacted upon Christ all charged upon him if the law come now and require satisfaction if justice comes you may send them unto your husband to answer all and he will not take it ill A husband perhaps may take it ill and thinke he hath brought himself to misery when arrests come upon him for his wives debts it may take off his heart from her but Christ will never love you the worse for all your debts when they are charged upon him he will willingly satisfie them and he will rejoyce in the satisfaction of them before his Father And if there be any affliction befall you Christ is afflicted with you Esay 63. 9. In all their afflictions be was afflicted So on the other side all the afflictions of Christ are the afflictions of the Church doth Christ suffer you take it unto heart as if it were your own suffering Christ takes your sufferings unto heart as if 〈…〉 his own 〈◊〉 And you take the sufferings of Christ unto heart as if they were your owne Thirdly In a married condition there is a mutuall intire love That is First loving the person more then what cometh from him True conjugall love is pitched upon the persons mutually rather then upon the estates or any thing they enjoy by the person So on Christs part his love is pitched upon the persons of the Saints Christ loves your persons more then al your actions It is true all these gracious actions you doe are lovely before Christ for they ate the fruits of his spirit but know the pitch of Christs love is upon your persons chiefly So the pitch of your love if it be a right conjugall love is upon the person of Christ rather then upon any thing that comes from him thou seest him altogether lovely in himselfe besides those riches of pardon of sin and precious promises that thou enjoyest by him his person is that which satisfies thy soule Secondly In prising the love each of other true love can be satisfied witht nothing else but love love villifies every thing that is tendered except it comes as a fruit of love and if there be love a little is highly prized if it be but a cup of cold water it is more then a kingdome without it the giving the body to be burned is nothing without it I will give you two Scriptures one wherein the Saints prize Gods love the other wherein God prizes the Saints love Psal 36. 7. How excellent is thy loving kindnesse O God Psal 91. 14. Because he hath set his love upon me therefore will I deliâ—er him I will set him on high Thirdly This intire love is a love in all conditions Christ loves his Church in their afflictions as intirely as he doth out of their afflictions Deut. 32. 10. He found him in a desart land and in the wast howling wildernesse he led him about he instructed him hee kept him as the apple of his eye Marke they were in the wildernesse in the wast howling wildernesse yet even there they were deare unto Christ they were kept as the apple of his eye The Church on the other side looks upon Christ in his afflictions as lovely still as ever Cant. 1. 12. A bundle of myrrhe is my well beloved unto me he shal lie all night betwixt my breasts Myrrhe is a bitter thing yet the Church professeth that Christ though bitter in his afflictions should lie as lovely betweene her breasts as a bundle of myrrhe I remember Herodotus reports of one Artemesia Queen of Halicarnaffus and Plinie speaks something of her too when her husband was dead she took his ashes drank it in wine out of respect to him though dead The Church loveth a crucified Christ as well as a glorified Christ A most notable example of the love of a Spouse to her husband wee have in our English Chronicle Elenor the wife of Edward the first the King having got a wound by a poysoned dagger she to shew the intire love she bare to her husband because she thought if the poyson did stay a while in the wound there would be no cure therefore with her own mouth she sucked out the poyson that was in the wound so ventured the losse of her own life to preserve her husbands Here was love in a Spouse to her husband There is the like love of the Church unto Christ if Christ be wounded with the poysonous tongues of ungodly men in reproaches and blasphemies let him be never so persecuted in the world they that are truly gracious are willing to suck in that very poyson to themselves so they may take it from him Let the reproaches of Christ fall upon me O let me suffer rather then Christ It was Ambrose his wish Oh that God would turne all the adversaries of the Church upon me that they might turne all their weapons upon me and satisfie their thirst with my blood this is the disposition of a true spouse of Christ The fourth is unspeakable delight communion hath delight the greatest communion the greatest delight the greatest delight that God hath is to communicate himselfe to his Son firstly and next in letting out himselfe to his Saints If there be delight in God in letting out himself to the Saints in reason one would thinke there must needs be delight in the Saints in letting themselves out into God in flowing into God God takes such delight in letting out his mercy to his Saints as that he was well pleased with the death of his own Son as a meanes conducing thereunto One would thinke that the death of Christ should be the most abhorring to the heart of God of any thing in the world yet the Scripture saith God was
in a visible church communion to the Jewes and in the spirituall communion of Christ with the soule for the present Of the visible form first Isa 60. 15. I will make thee an eternall excellency a joy of many generations I thinke this is not onely meant concerning the spiritual happines of the Saints but that God hath a time to make his visible church to be an eternall excellency and a joy of many generations an excellency that shall never have an end And this their perpetuall condition their enduring happinesse shall arise from three grounds First from the precious foundation that shall be laid upon that Church when it shall be Isa 54. 8. With everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord but mark the ground vers 11. Behold I lay the foundation with Saphires all the rubbish shal be taken away it shal not be raised upon a rubbish foundation God will lay the foundations of it with Saphires and then with everlasting mercy he will embrace that Church Secondly that Church shall be in a peaceable condition no rent no division there therefore in a perpetuall condition Esay 33. 20. A Tabernacle that shall not be taken down not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed Why the very words before shew the reason Jerusalem shall be a quiet habitation Thirdly this Church shall look wholly at Christ as their Judge and their Law-giver and their King Isa 33. 22. The Lord is our Judge the Lord is our Law-giver the Lord is our King Churches are ready to change while they mixe other things with the worship of Christ and the lawes of men with his laws but when they can look to him I mean in that which is spirituall as their Law-giver as their Judge and as their King then the happinesse of it shall be perpetuall never to cease in this world the Lord Christ will betroth this Church unto him for ever Though I verily think the holy Ghost aymeth at this in great part yet we are to understand this betrothing for ever further of the spirituall communion the soul hath with Christ When Christ betroths himselfe unto a soule it is for ever the conjugall love of Christ with a gracious soule shal never be broken At the first mans condition was such as man laid hold upon God and let goe his hold but now God lays hold upon man and hee will never let goe his The bond of union in a believer runs through Jesus Christ it is fastned upon God and the spirit of God holds the other end of it and so it can never be broken This union is in the Father who hath laid a sure foundation 2 Tim. 2. 19. Rom. 9. 11. In the Son who loves his to the end Iohn 13. 1. In the Spirit who abides in the elect for ever John 14. 16 17. Esay 54. 10. The mountains shall depart and the hills be removed but my kindnesse shall not depart from thee neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee My loving kindnesse shall be more stable with thee and endure longer then the mountains themselves It is as sure as the ordinances of heaven Jer. 31. 35 36. Thus saith the Lord which giveth the Sun for a light by day and the ordinances of the Moon and of the Stars for a light by night if those ordinances dopart from before mee then the seed of Israel shall cease c. And Jer. 33. 20 21. Thus saith the Lord if you can break my covenant of the day and my covenant of the night that there should not be day and night in their season then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant You have these three expressions of the abiding of Gods love to his people 1. The continuance of the mountains 2. The continuance of the ordinances of heaven and earth 3. Gods covenant with night and day Here is the bottome of consolation to the Saints They shall be kept by the power of God 1 Pet. 1. 5. As if God should say the speciall power that I meane to put forth in this world shall be to uphold the spirits of my Saints to bring them to salvation certainly it is so The speciall work that God hath in this world to exercise his power about is to keep Christ and the Saints together Though it be through Gods power that the heavens and the earth be kept up yet if God must withdraw his power from one hee would rather withdraw it from upholding heaven and earth then from upholding one gracious soule that hath union with his Son The union that is between Christ and his people it is too neere an union ever to be broken I remember Luther hath a notable expression about this As it is impossible for the leaven that is in the dough to be separated from the dough after it is once mixed for it turneth the nature of the dough into it selfe so it is impossible saith he for the Saints ever to be separated from Christ For Christ is in the Saints as neerly as the leaven in the very dough so incorporated as that Christ and they are as it were one lump Christ who came to save that which was lost will never lose that which he hath saved Heb. 7. 16. it is said that Christ was made a Priest not after the law of a carnall commandement That is he was not made a Priest as the Priests in the law after a ceremonial way but after the power of a indissoluble life Coeli virture by a celestiall vertue so Calvin upon the place The argument why Christs life is indissoluble rather then the Priests in the law is because they were made by the power of a carnall commandement not by a Celestiall power So those who professe godlinesse according to a carnall comandement in a ceremoniall way may faile vanish and come to nothing in their way of worship as many have done but such as are professors of Religion by the vertue of Gods Spirit in them they have the power of a life indissoluble There are two soul-staying and soul-satisfying grounds to assure of Christs betrothing himselfe for ever First when any soul is taken in to Christ it hath not onely all the sinnes that it hath committed heretofore pardoned but there is a pardon laid in for all sin that is to come There is forgivenesse with thee Psal 130. 4. There lyes pardon with God before hand for all that is to come as well as for that which is past There is no condemnation unto them which are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. That is there is no instant of time after they are once in Christ Jesus wherein it can be said they are under the sentence of condemnation Now were it not that there were a pardon laid before-hand for all sin that is to come there might upon commission of a new sinne be said at that time that now they
mine And amongst other things by which God will make all the world to know that his people are his this is one in sâ—tting up the beauty of his Ordinances amongst them Ezek. 37. 27. My Tabernacle also shall be with them yea I will be their God and they shall be my people and the Heathen shall know that I the Lord doe sanctifie Israel when my Sanctuary shall be in the midst of them Thus they shall know saith God that they are my people and that I am their God when I have set my Sanctuary in the midst of them for ever Were it that the Ordinances of God might be set up in their purity amongst us in England were Reformation perfected and the Saints walked humbly peaceably as they should the whole world will be convinced that these are indeed the people of the Lord and that God is amongst them And they shall say thou art my God God must begin withus we cannot begin and say Lord thou art my God but God must begin with us first and say You are my people There are a great many who say God is their God but God never said they are his people Joh. 1. 12. it is said of those who beleeved in Christ that God gave them power to be the Sonnes of God the word signifies authority that they might with authority acknowledge themselves to be the sons of God and call God Father they had the broad Seale for it Will you call God Father where is your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 your authority if God call you children if he say you are my people you may give the Ecchoto Gods mercy and say thou art our God Secondly When God speakes mercy to us we must answer according to it Doth God say you are my people we must answer Lord thou art our God This is a great fault amongst Christians God manifests himselfe to many a gracious heart in abundance of love and mercy they give an answer to God in a way of dispaiting and discouragement Gods ways toward thee speake thus and say thou art one of my people but thy heart works as if God were none of thy God Hath not God done much for thee thou thinkest it is all in hypocrifie that thou dost whereas the truth is it is the fruit of his love and kindnes to thee He speakes aloud in what he hath done for thee that thou art one of his people and yet thy heart thinks that he is thy enemy that he haâ—â—s thee and will cast thee off at last The wayes of God are full of mercy to thee and he hath set his stampe upon thee by his ways of love he tels thee that thou belongest unto him O unbeleeving soul answer Lord thou art my God! lay aside these discouraging sinking thoughts of thine O that thou wouldst goe away with such an answer in thy mouth Doe not answer Gods loving kindnesse and his gracious dealings towards thee with discouragement and sinking of heart this is dishonorable to him and tedious to his Spirit Thirdly God works an answerable disposition in the hearts of his people unto him This is thy duty but God will work it in time if thou belongest to him As thus doth God chuse us to be his people then the hearts of the Saints chuse him to be their God Doth God say you are my people the Saints say Lord thou art our God Doth God say I will dwell with them they answer Lord thou art our habitation Doth God say I delight in them they say Lord our delight is in thee Doth God say I will rest in them for ever the Church saith O my soule returne unto thy rest Here is a sweet answer a rebound of all Gods loving kindnes Lastly the Saints must professe God to be theirs It is not enough to beleeve with the heart but thou must confesse with the mouth professe it outwardly of this before Further This is the highest happinesse of the Saints that God is their God when they can say this they have enough If we could say this house is mine this street this Lordship this City this Kingdome this World is mine What is all this A Christian comes at length and saith this God that made all is mine As it is reported of the French Ambassador and the Spanish meeting together saith the Spanish Ambassadour my Master is King of Spaine my Master replyed the French is King of France my Master said the Spaniard againe is King of Naples and my Master said the French is King of France my Master is King of Portugal and my Master is King of France still he answered with that my Master is King of France as being enough to answer all the several Kingdomes of the Spaniard So one saith I have this house this land this stock this estate this trade yea but saith a Christian I have God God is mine Surely having him thou hast enough And if God be thy God he will be a God to thee 1 Chron. 17. 24. The Lord of hosts is God of Israel even a God to Israel So it must be with thee if thou beest a Saint of God be a Saint to God Are we a people of God then we must be a people to God Blessed are the people that are in such a case yea happy are the people whose God is the Lord. Thus we had opened the gracious manifestation of God to his Church in part fulfilled spiritually to spiritual Israel here but more sensibly to be made good at the great day of Jezreel that is when the Jews shall be called then the Spouse of Christ in a visible way shall be thus married unto him and the Lord will be their God Jerome saith upon the Text All these things that are here promised to the Church the Jewes expect it at the end of the world after the time of Antichrist And I make no question though in a spiritual sence this Scripture is made good for the present unto the Saints yet in a more visible and sensible way all this Scripture will be made good to the people of the Jews the Gentiles then joyning with them even literally the glory of the Church shall be visible and apparant More whereof in the next Chapter HOSEA CHAP. 3. The First Lecture CHAP. 3. VER 1. 2. 3. Then said the Lord unto me go yet love a woman beloved of her friend yet an adulteresse according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel who looke to other gods and love flaggons of wine So I bought her â—o me for fifteen pieces of silver and for an homer of barley and an halfe homer of barley And I said unto her thou shalt abide for me many dayes thou shalt not play the harlot and thou shalt not be for another man so will I also be for thee THe close of the former Chapter had much mercy in it and this Chapter containes the
he should sinne against them this aggravateth the sinne exceedingly To wrong love is a very great sin Delicata res est amor love is a most delicate thing and it must not be wronged it is tender a precious thing A man who is of an ingenuous spirit had rather a great deale be wronged in his estate then in his love he cannot beare the injury that is done unto his love when his love is abused that goes to his very heart So it goes to the heart of God for his people to sin against his love therefore it is said of the Saints when they sinne that they grieve the Spirit of God he never saith so of wicked men they anger God but the Saints grieve him because they sinne so much against Gods love Charge this aggravation of your sinne upon your hearts and be humbled collect together all the expressions of Gods love to you and let them lye glowing at your hearts and melt them But in that God bids him take an Adulteresse beloved of her friend and calls not this friend Husband I thinke those who goe another way expresse the minde of the Holy Ghost in this more fully thus This friend is not meant of one who is fully married but rather one in a way of marriage Amongst the Jewes it was usuall for all women to be under the protection of some men or other Esay 4. 1. Seven women came and tooke hold of one man and said Let us be named by your name we will eate our own bread and weare our own cloathes onely let us be named by your name let us be under your protection Even whores were wont though they had many lovers yet to have some one speciall man under whose protection and care they would be who was to see them not to have wrong and to make provision for them and such a one they were wont to call their friend And many times these friends would so provide for them that if they would be reclaymed forsaking all their other lovers they would give them good hopes of marrying with them at length Arias Montanus refers us to one Propertius in his first Book and second Elegie to reade about the charge and care of such a friend The Grecians had that custome likewise they called him under whose protection they put themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the whore was called from it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is said of Plato that he had a whore one Archenassa who was called Plato's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Here the Lord would have the Prophet take an Adulteresse beloved of her friend that is one that was a common Adulteresse and yet under the protection of some speciall friend so as if he might come in place of that friend and gain the love and affection of this Adulteresse to himself and in time getting her to be reclaimed he might marry her unto himselfe This is according to the love of God to his people that is as if God should say This people is a going a whoring but I will be content to take them unto my selfe I will be as their friend and so love them as a friend to protect them to have care over them untill such a time that there may be some experience of their being reclaimed and then I will marry this Adulteresse fully unto my selfe for God is not now fully marryed unto the Jews neither will that marryage be untill that glorious time of their calling comes but yet God is as a friend to them to this day that is God takes this people yet under his protection though they seeme to be in a rejected condition and so as he gives hope yea makes many promises that upon their return unto him he will marry them unto himselfe yea there shal be a more glorious marriage between the Jews the Lord Christ then ever yet there was between him and any people upon the face of the earth This I thinke to be the very scope and meaning of the words Beloved of her friend Somewhat sutable is that we have Deut. 21. 12. 13. when one of the Jews took a captive woman he might not marry her presently to himself but if he had a love to her she was to continue a certaine time and to be so and so purified and then he was to take her The Jewes are for the present as that captive woman they are in bondage yet God hath a love to them unto this day but so as they must abide a while untill God be maryed to them they are beloved of God but yet with the love of a friend The Seventy reade these words Beloved of her friend One that loveth evill things upon the mistake of the Hebrew word for indead a friend and evill are the same letters only differing in the points so there might easily be a mistake Who looke to other gods Their eyes are upon other gods Where the heart is there the eyes is Timor figit oculum so Amor Feare fastens the eyes and so doth Love The workings of the soule appeares as much in the eye as in any member the workings of love of trust and confidence appeare much in the eye They looke to other gods that is they have confidence in other gods Looking up to a thing in Scripture phrase is to have some confidence in it Psal 121. 1. I lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence commeth my help That is I look for help I have confidence and expect help But how here to the hills then What doth Davids help come from the hills Some thinke this to be the place where afterward the Temple was built and was then the place of the Sanctuary but for that it is said that usually in Scripture is but in the singular number the hill of God not the hils therefore I finde Calvin Mollerus and others thinke that David here speakes of confidence in the creature because he presently retracts him selfe in the second verse My helpe is in Jehovah As if he should say I lift up mine eyes unto the creature for help this is the frailty of my nature and of the nature of man to look for auxiliary Forces from Jerusalem which was a hilly place I looke for Forces to come from Jerusalem but they doe not come well I will not rest any longer upon them Jehovah is my help so they carry it But now I would rather if it may be free the Prophet from vaine confidence in the creature and so the words being rightly understood may free him if you reade them thus doe I lift up mine eyes unto the hils doe I expect help from the creature God forbid I should doe it for my help is in God Further sometimes the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so it would bee translated above the hils other men look to the hils I look above the hils But rather thus I lift up mine eyes to the hils
qued Olynthum subverâ—erat Lacedaemonius respoudit â—talâ—m civitatem non possit condere Plut. l. de Trac Obser Obser Together with ptomiks somthing must be done presently Lect. 13 Obser Me â—cies are sweet wâ—en they come as fruits of our peace with Gâ—d Obser Obser Lect. 12 Obser Mercies comming out of great difficulties are very sweet Lect. 13 Why called the valley of Achro Lib. 5. c. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Turbavit Hoâ—â— the valley of Achor was a doore of hope 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quest Answ 1 2. 3. Obser Obser 1. Obser 2. Obser 3. Obser 4. Picrem nisi periissem Obser Quest Ans Quest Ans 2 2. 3. Object Ans 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Quest Answ Quest Answ Psal 24. 6. 7. Lect. 14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 humiliavit in Nipâ—aâ— humiliatus aâ—pitus 〈…〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 TheÌ„ excellency of Moses his song How may we rejoyce at the destruction of the wicked Enormi admiratione dignum miraculum August Ans 1. The differences betweene a slave and a free subject Isa 51. 11. Obser Obs Antichristian bondage worse then Egyptian Obser Obser Obser Obser The Saints should sing in the midst of their straitsâ— Obser We must reioyce at the beginnings of mercie though we have not al we desire Lect. 15 Obs Obser Fresh mercies affect much Gal. 4. 15. Lect. 14. Obser Obser Promised mercies are sweet Mercies got by prayers are sweet Lect. 15 Obser Mercies that make way for ordinances are sweet New mercies should renew the memory of old mercies Obser Former mercies must strengthen our faith in future Obs Obser Obser The danger of superstitious Idolatrous names Melior in ore christianc ritus loquendâ— Eeclesiasticus Aug. in praef enar in Ps 93. ep 200 non debemus consuetudinem serntonis humani in epta loquasitate confundare Obs The loathsomeness of Idolatry Principale crimen generis humani summusseculi reaatus tota causa judicii Idolatria Tertul. lib. de Idololat Little Obser things in matters of Religion must not be slighted We must take heed of coming too neer Idolatry Obser Tondendo aeque aeque atondebunt Ps 68. 21. Tredecim mensas lapidias in Airiis exterioribus fuisse quibus adstantes homines orarent fuere vero illae partem ad meridiem ad occasum ad septem trionem sitae ad orientem nulla Montan. de fabrica Templi l. 96. We must not imitate Idolaters in worship Obser Things abused to Idolatry must be reiected Object Answ Quest Ans Rules to know how far things abused to Idolatry are to be rejected Quid enim illae câ—remonia aliud fuerint quam totidem lenocinia quae miseras animas ad malumperducerent Object Answ Object Answ Object Answ Object Answ Non lapidem colimus sed virtutes Deï magni Tert. de coron milit Ignat. ep 3. ad Philip. Lect. 16 Sanctior caeteris sratribus qui duobus dominis servire se posse prasumunâ— Tertul de corone militis O militem in Deo gloriosum Vbi scriptum est ne coronemur at ubi scriptum est at coronemur Tertul. ibid. Melius mori fame quam I do lothytis v sci August de bono conjug c. 18. Obser Sin makes us lose the boldnesse of our claim in our interest in God Obser God delights to have his people look upon him with love Obser Obser Obs Pompous superstition will vanish come to nothing Obser Obser Mens hearts will cleave to superstâ—tious vanities till God takes them off God will destroy cities that he may destroy Altars Object Ans How a Covenant with beasts Ita ordinabo inviolabiter Obser Obser The stones of the field at league Object Answ Time coming when the beasts do no hurt Obser A wicked thing the more God is reconciled to men the more to hate them Obser Mercy that comes in by covenant is sweet Obser Gods covenant with his people is the satisfaction of their hearts in their deepâ—st sorrows Obser Obser The excellency of peace The evil of civill war Peace rightly prized War that brings peace is better then peace that brings war Peace may be bought at too dear a rate Obser God is the Prince of peace he is the disposer of it as he pleaseth Obser Thorough Reformation brings peace Only Gods peace brings safety Tranquillitas ista tempestas erit Hieron Obser The blessing of a quiet spirit in troublesome times Obser Lect. 17 Quest. Answ The strong union in marriage Conjugall communion the ful lest The Saints partake of Christs honour and they are an honor unto Christ Afflictions are mutual betweene Christ and his Church Intire love in a married condition in three things Vtinam dominus avertat adversarios ab ecclesia in me omnia sua tela convertant meo sanquine sitim suam expleant Ambr. Mutual delight betweene Christ and the Saints Christmar rying himselfe to the Church of the Iews The grounds of the enduring happiness of the Church Sicut impossibile est fermentom mixum a pasta separari quia immutabit pastae naturam it a impossibile Christianus rapi aChristo quia est in eis Christus fermentum it a incorporatus ut unum sit corpus una massa Luth. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Two soul-staying and soul-satisfying grounds for perseverance Obser Obser Obser â—lasphemiam inge it religioni quam colit qui quod confitetur noâ— ante omnes impleverit Cyper de sing Cler. Lect. 18 Secunda gemma marital is annuli Luther Vt judicium excerceat in hostes verbi jam multes annos hoe agit Sathan ut per impiâ—s magistratus ecclesia opprimatur doctrina per prophanos doctores depravetur sed videt Germania Deum indicentem Luth. in loc The match betweene Christ and his Spouse is in rash things it is out of judgement The Saints chuse Christ out of judgement Christas est novitas semper renovanda Sudden flashes of affections soone vanish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherein Gods kindnesse to us in Christ appeares Iam. 1. 5 Pro. 10. 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Kindnesse betweene man and wife kindnes to 〈◊〉 The loving kindness of the Saints one toward another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iust mar Non fructus tantum sed radicem non aquam sed fontem The reason why the Saints can so easily give up any comfort they have The bowels of Gods mercies searched into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Purcicum imperium quantum quantum est mica est quam pater families canibus pâ—eciicit Luther 7. Valde protestatus sum me nolle sic satiari ab eo Luther Our bowels must yerne towards God Lect. 19. Argutum sed srivolum Infide in constantia in stabilitate Christs love is steady and why 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Saints love to Christ steady The evil of a fickle unconstant spirit Providen tiam creaturis non negamus curam sibi
and so terrible yet now behold the feete of him that bringeth good tydings that publisheth peace God abroad publisheth war yet he hath a messenger to publish life and peace to some Is it not so this day It is true the wrath of the Lord is kindled the wrath of the Lord burneth as an oven and it is hot but it is against the ungody but peace shall be upon Israel And let us sanctifie the name of God in this too for so it followes in this very Chap. of Nah. ver 15. Oh Iudah keepe thy solemne feasts performe thy vowes for the wicked shall no more passe through thee And because God revealeth such rich grace in the middest of judgement let this engage your hearts to the Lord for ever Yea a little further because it is an instraction of great use in these times and may be yet of further use in times we may live to see not onely when God threatneth judgements let us sanctifie Gods name in looking up to promises but when judgements are actually upon us Suppose we should live to have most fearful judgments of God upon us yet even then we must look up to promises and exercise our faith and have an eye to God in the way of his grace at that time this is harder then in threatnings You have an notable place for that in Esay 26. 8. In the way of thy judgements O Lord have we waited for thee the desire of our soule is to thy name Oh blessed be God my brethren the Lord calleth us to wait upon him in the wayes of mercy for the present It is true there was a time not long since that the Lord was in a way of judgement toward England and there were some of Gods people when he was in the wayes of his judgements amongst us yet would wait upon God and keepe his wayes though there were many because Gods judgements were abroad and they saw that they were like to suffer departed from God and declined his wayes Much cause of bitterness of spirit and of dread of humiliation have they that did so But others may have comfort to their soules that in the very wayes of Gods judgments they waited for him they can now with more comfort wait upon God when he is in the ways of his mercy But if God should ever come untous in the ways of his judgments let us learne even then to wait upon God keep his way And yet another Text that may seeme to be more notable than this for this purpose and that is Iere. 33. 24. Consider est thou not what this people have spoken saying the two families which the Lord hath chosen he hath even cast them off thus they have despised my people that they should be no more a nation Marke the low condition the people were in at this time Oh God hath cast them off they are despised contemptible not worthy to be accounted a nation This condition was very low but though they were brought low in a condition contemptible yet now God confirms his Covenant with them at this time For observe ver 25. Thus saith the Lord. If my Covenant be not with day night and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven earth then will I cast away the seed of Iacob ond David my servant As if God should say let them know that whatsoever their condition is now yet my love my mercy my faithfulness is toward them as sure as my covenant with day night and as the ordinances of heaven and earth An admirable Text to help not onely nations but particular persons when they are cast under contempt by wicked ungodly men yet at that time the Lord is most ready to confirm his covenant with them to be as sure as his covenant with day night and heaven earth This bringeth honour to God when at such times we can looke up to God and exercise our faith And indeed this is the glory and dignity and beauty of faith to exercise it then when Gods judgements are actually upon us But what promises are these They were not promises to any that then lived the promise that is here made was to be fulfilled in future Ages yet it is brought in by the Prophet as a comfort to the people of God living then in that time Hence this excellent note that nearly concerns us Gracious hearts are comforted with the promises of God made to the Church though not to be fulfilled in their dayes If the Church may prosper and receive mercies from God though I be dead and gone and rotten in the grave yet blessed be God When Jacob was to die saith he unto Joseph Behold I dye but God shall be with you and bring you again unto the land of your fathers he will fulfill his promises to you though I am dead Our fore-fathers that generation of the Saints that lived a while since how comfortably would they have dyed if God before their death had revealed to them that within 3. or 4. or 7. yeares so much mercy should come to England as we now have seen in these dayes Yea how comfortably should any of us have died I appeal to any gracious heart here suppose God should have taken thee away but this time two yeares and he should have said thus to thee Go and be gathered to thy fathers in peace within these two years such and such things shall be done for England as we now live to see would not we willingly have dyed would it not have been comfort enough against the fear of death but to have had revealed to us what should have been done in after time to our posterity what mercy then is it now that it is not onely revealed to us but enjoyed by us That is the second Note But thirdly What was this promise This promise was that Israel should be a multitude that the number of them shall be as the sand of the sea shore VVe shall examine the excellency of the mercy of God in this promise by and by Onely for the present enquire we a little why God would expresse himselfe in this that his grace should be manifested in this to multiply them as the sand of the sea shore If we compare Scripture with Scripture we shall finde that God therefore promiseth this because he would thereby shew that he did remember his old promise to Abraham for that was the promise made to Abraham that God would multiply his seed as the starres of heaven and as the sand which is upon the sea shore and now God along time after commeth in with renewing this promise Hence we are to observe this Note That the Lord remembers his promises though made a long time since God is ever mindful of his Covenant as it is Psal 111. 5. When we have some new and fresh manifestations of Gods mercy our hearts rejoyce in it but the impression of it is
be seene and another thing to do a thing that it may be seen And yet Gods people may do both not do good onely that may be seen but if they keepe still the glory of God above in their eye as the highest ayme they may desire and be willing too that it may be seene to the praise of God But this I confesse requireth some strength of grace to do it and yet to keep the heart upright The excellency of grace doth consist not in casting off the outward comforts of the world but to know how to enjoy them and to over-rule them unto God so the strength of grace doth consist not in forbearing of such actions as are taken notice of by men or not to dare to ayme at the publishing of those things that have excellency in them but the strength of grace consists in this in having the heart enabled to do this and yet to keepe it under too and to keep God above in his right place Thirdly It shall be said they are sonnes c. It is a great blessing unto Gods children that they shall be accounted so before others Not onely that they shall be so but that they shall be accounted so Blessed are the peace-makers for they shall be called the children of God This is a blessing not onely to be Gods children but to be called Gods children We must account it so and therefore we must walk so as may convince all with whom we do converse that we are the children of God and not thinke this sufficient well let me approve my heart to God and then what need I care what all the World thinks of me God doth promise it as a blessing to have his people called the children of God then this must not be slighted You shall find it often in the Gospel that Christ made a great businesse of this to make it manifest to the world that he was sent of God he would have them to know that his Father sent him and that hee came from him So the people of God should count it a blessing and walk so as they may obtaine such a blessing that the world may know that they are of God Further. In the place where it was said unto them Ye are not my people there it shall be said unto them Ye are the sonnes of the living God Marke It is not said thus that in the place where it was said they are not my people it shall be said to them they are my people No but further it shall be said they are sonnes and sonnes of the living God this goeth beyond being his people Hence then the observation is That The grace of God under the Gospell it is morefull and large and glorious then the grace of God under the Law For this is spoke of the estate of the Church under the Gospell They were Gods people indeed under the Law but the sonnes of the living God this is reserved for the times under the Gospel Sometime they under the Law are called by the name of sonnes but it appeareth by this Text that in comparison of that glorious son-ship that they shall have under the times of the Gospell that they in former times were rather servants then sonnes There is very little of our adoption in Christ revealed in the Old Testament No that was reserved for the Sonne of God to reveale for him that came out of the bosome of the Father and brought the treasures of his Fathers councel to the world the revelation of these things were reserved to the time of his comming both adoption and eternal life was very little made knowne in the time of the Law therefore Saint Paul saith that life and immortality were brought to light through the Gospel 2 Tim. 1. 10. 2. Sonnes Because in the time of the Gospell the spirits of the Saints are of son-like dispositions they are ingenuous not mercenarie In the time of the Law God carried on his people in offering rewards especially in outward things but in the time of the Gospell we have no such rewards in outwards but the Scripture speakes of afflictions most there is not spoken so much of afflictions in the time of the Law but much outward prosperity there was then but in the time of the Gospel more affliction because the dispositions of the hearts of people should not be so mercenary as they were before they should be an ingenuous a willing people in the day of Christs power 3. Sonnes Because of the son-like affection to be much for God their Father out of a naturall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they should have more then in the times of the Law I suppose some of you have heard of the story of Craesus his sonne though he was dumb all his dayes when he perceived a souldier striking his father his affection brake the barres of his speech and he cryed out to the Souldier to spare his rather This is the affection of a sonne and these affections doth God looke for from his children especially in the time of the Gospel that they should heare no wrong done to him but though they could never speake in their own cause yet their should be sure to speake in their Fathers cause 4. Sonnes Because they have not such a spirit of servility upon them as they had in the time of the Law Christ is come to redeem us that we might serve the Lord in holinesse and righteousnesse before him without feare all the dayes of our life to take away the spirit of feare Hence the Apostle saith We have not received the spirit of feare but of love and of a sound minde And Heb. 2. 15. Christ is come to redeem those who through feare of death were all their life time subject to bondage The spirit of a sonne is not be spirit of feare We have not received the spirit of bondage to feare again but the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father It is unbeseeming the children of God especially in the time of the Gospel to be of such servile spirits as to feare every little danger to be distracted with fear and presently to be amazed Hath not God revealed himselfe to us as a Father to his children that we must not feare He would not have us feare himselfe not with a servile sear as men do and therefore surely not to fear men be they what they will be We are sons Again Not only sons for so we might find in Scripture where the people of God under the Law perhaps are sometimes called so but elder sons sons come to yeares It is true they were before us and so in that respect we are not elder bnt sons that are come to our inheritance that is it I mean that we are such sons Not children under tutorage not under School-masters and governours as they were in the time under the Law You know what comparison the Scripture makes of the difference betweene
from the guilt of the generall corruptions of the place where they live For so this Ammi and Ruhamah were a remainder that God did deliver thorough his grace from the generall corruptions of the place where they were for otherwise they had not beene fit to have said to their brethren or to have spoken to their sisters in this sense Secondly those whom God delivers from the guilt of generall corruptions are to be acknowledged the people of God such as have receivâ—â— mercy from God in a speciall manner It is free grace that hath made this difference between you and others Augustin in his second book concerning preservation has a good note upon that Scripture 1 King 19. 18. I have left me seven thousand in Israel God sayes not there are left 7000 or they have left themselves but I have left It is the speciall work of God to preserve any for himselfe in evil times Thirdly the Lord takes speciall notice of such who are thus by his grace preserved in evill times Ammi Ruhamah There are a people amongst these that are Ammi my people that have obtained mercy from me mine eyes are upon them my heart is toward them there are a number that have kept their garments undefiled even in Sardis and I will remember this for ever for their good Noah was a just man prefect in his generation Gen. 6. 9. and what then Chap. 7. 1. Come thou and all thy house into the Ark for thee have I seene righteous before me in this generation Fourthly Such as keep themselves from the corruptions of the times wherin they live they and onely they are fit to exhort and reprove others Those that are not guilty themselves as others are are fit to speak to others to say to their brethren and to their sisters They are fit to exhort who performe the duties themselves that they exhort unto We say it is a shamefull thing for one to be teaching if he be guilty himself he cannot with freedom of spirit say to his brethren and sisters Fifthly It is the duty of those whom God hath delivered from the corruptions of the times to seeke to draw all others to God to seeke to convince others of their evil wayes and so bring them in to the truth We â—eade Levit. 19. 17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour not suffer sin to lye upon him Surely those who have obtained mercy have the impression of Gods mercy upon their spirits they are farre from having hatefull hearts now it is hatred for any to suffer sinne to lye upon his brother and not to doe what in him lyeth to help him It is desperate pride for men to triumph over others in their falls and it is wicked cruelty to suffer others to lye down when they are fallen if they can raise them 〈◊〉 faring men who are delivered themselves from shipvvrack and all is 〈◊〉 with them if they see another ship ready to sink in the sea and those on ship-board shoot out to have them come to helpe to save them though they be never so farre remote yet if it should be knowne that they decline to goe out to help them all the sea-men would cry out shame on such and be ready to stone them for etting a Ship sinke when they might have helped Certainly the same case-it is with those to whom God hath shew ed mercy if others lye in their sins they do not what they can for their help 6. Say to your brethren and to your sisters The neerer the relation of any is to us the more should our compassion be towards them in seeking to deliver them from their sins There is more likelihood of prevailing with your brethren and sisters Hath God converted you and have you a brother or a sister not converted or any of your kindred goe and say to them tell them of the danger of their evil wayes tell them of the excellency of the wayes of God exhort them to come in to make tryall of the blessed wayes of God When a brother speaks to a brother or a sister to a sister it is the bringing a hammer of gold to work upon gold and of silver to work upon silver Lastly Say to your brethren and sisters Exhortations unto and reprehensions of others should be with much love and meekenesse Say to your brethren and sisters yet look upon them as brethren and sisters though they have not yet obtained the like mercy that you have Saint Paul 2 Thes 3. 15. speaking of one that walketh inordinately from whom we are to withdraw in respect of any private familiar society yet saith he admonish him as a brother Those who reprove and admonish others with bitternesse of spirit and evill speaking are like a foolish fowler who seekes to get the fowle but he goes on boysterously and makes a noise the way if he would get it is to goe on quietly softly and gently so the way to gaine a brother is not by boisterousnesse and violence but sofness and gentleness It is observed by some of the Jews out of that 25. Exod. ver 3. where the matter of the Tabernacle is said to be gold and silver and brasse you doe not see nor hear of iron to be required for the building of it No iron rigid severe hard dispositions are not fit either to be matter of the Tabernacle themselves or to draw others to be the matter of it Yea but if saying will not be enough to doe the deed then there followes pleading That is the second Say to them admonish them exhort them but what if that will not doe doe not leave presently but Plead yea and Plead with your mother too not onely with your brethren and with your sisters but with your mother Plead with your mother plead for she is not my wife c. Pleade Litigate so some Contendite strive the old Latine hath Iudicate Iudge your mother It may seeme to be a hard and harsh phrase at first but we shall labour to acquaint you with the minde of God in it Here is an exhortation even to the private members of the Church to all one oâ— other to plead even with their mother to plead even with the Church of which they are members and so to plead as to deale plainly and to tell her that she is not the wife of God Pleade with her First here we see Gods condescension that he will have us pleade the ease betwixt others and himselfe as Esay 5. 3. Iudge between me and my Vineyard faith God This sheweth the equity of Gods dealing Pleade the case perhaps some of you might thinke I deale hardly with your mother in so rejecting of her in bringing such judgements upon her No not so but plead you the case plead rather with her then complaine of me for my dealing with her Secondly Plead with her When exhortations and
the face of all those that seekes the contrary doe what they can God needs no shifts no tricks nor devices to carry on his work but he can carry it on in the sight of his adversaries he will carry on his worke and shame them in the sight of their lovers and bring them downe low doe what they can God can make use of the wisedome and policy of men and hee can make as much use of their indiscretion as he hath done of late The great workes of God amongst us of late have been carryed on with a high hand in the sight of those that have been our adversaries what discoveries have there been of the filth of men how hath their nakedness been made naked what charges in their conditions what contempt hath God cast in the face of those that were the great champions sor lewdnesse and that in the very face of their lovers Their lovers looked on them and had as good a heart to them as ever there was little or no change in the hearts of their lovers and though their lovers were as eager for them as ever yet their shame hath been discovered This Scripture is as cleerely made good this day as any Scripture in the Book of God Againe In the face of their lovers Dishonour before those we expect honour from is a sad a great evill Oh saith Saul Honour me before the people Saul cared not much if hee were dishonored before strangers but he would be honored before the people It is such a thing to be dishonoured before those that we would be honoured before that the stronger a mans spirit is the more intolerable the burden is one of a mean and low spirit doth not much care for dishonour any where but a man that hath strength of spirit indeed counts it the worst thing that can be to be dishonoured before those that love him This we finde among many Tradesmen that are civill at home but if they get among strangers oh how lewd are they in an Inne those that love God and the Saints are most afraid to have their evill discovered before God and the Saints for a gracious heart desires honour from them most One that is godly can beare disgrace any contemptuous abuse from many of those that are profane rather then from one that is godly Wicked men care not for dishonour among the Saints because they care not for their love If dishonour before lovers be such a shame what will dishonour before God at the great day be and before the Saints and wicked men too who were your lovers I will discover their lewdness in the sight of their lovers When I take away their corne and wine and flaxe and these things their lovers will be ashamed of them The way of carnall friends are to esteem of men when they are in prosperity but when they are down in adversity then they contemn them Huntsmen when they would single out a Deer they shoot her first and as soon as the blood appears all the rest goe out of her company and push her from them It is so with carnall friends if a man be in affliction if they see their friend shot they look aloofe from him Wee have had wofull experience of this of late when many godly Ministers were persecuted those who before had seemed to be their lovers grew strange unto them In a sun-shine day men that passe by look on a dyall but in a darke stormy day a hundred may ride by it and never look to it When wee are in a Sun-shine day of prosperity men will look towards us but if the gloomy day of adversity come then they passe by without regard to us Iâ— a man of fashion come to a house the dogs will be quiet but when a beggar comes in raggs they flye upon him It is apparant by this that men in their prosperity are not regarded for any thing in themselves but for their prosperities sake for their moneys sake for their cloathes sake Suppose any of you have a servant goes up and downe with you and you know whither soever you goe the respect that is given is not for your sake but for your servants sake you go to such a house and they use you kindly only for your servants sake you take it very ill This is all the respect that men have from false lovers it is not for any good in them it is for their prosperity for their servants sake O how vaine is respect from the world If you be gracious God will not deal with you thus if you have your estates taken from you God will not despise you as carnall friends doe Psal 22. 24. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted When the Saints are afflicted God doth not hide his face from them but when they cry to him he hears them Yet further we see here carnall hearts have a great deale of confidence in many things they trust to in time of danger they will not believe but they shall escape Let us not be troubled at the confidence our enemies have they doubt not but to prevaile this is from the curse of God upon them their case is never so desperate but they have something to shelter themselves in their own thoughts Oh what a shame is it that any thing is rather trusted in then God! the husbandman casts seed-corn that costs dearer then any other corne into the ground The Merchant trusts all his estate to the winds waves of the sea if they saile all is gone you trust servants with busines of weight If you goe to Westminster you trust your lives in a boat halfe an inch thicke God is not trusted so much that blessed God who is the only true object of soule-confidence Lastly when God sets himselfe against a generation of men or any particular all the means in the world shall not help Ezek. 9. the Prophet had a vision of six men with weapons of war in their hands there were six principall gates in Jerusalem and God would set these sixe men with weapons in their hands at each gate that if they run to this or the other or any gate the man with the weapon in his hand should be sure to take them they should not escape Amos 5. 8. Seeke him that maketh the seven Stars and Orion Why are these named seven stars and Orion the one is the extreame of cold and the other of heate The Lord hath the power of both if they escape the heat the cold shall take them if the cold the heate shall take them and I likewise saith the Lord can make both these helpfull to you as I please Hence there is such blasting of means for the cursing of those whom God sets himselfe against let us not be afraid of the great assistance that our adversaries have though they have great assistance they are in Gods hand and none can deliver out of Gods
power going along with them so lately bringing them over Jordan so wonderfully and given them Jericho so miraculously yet now at the losse of 36. men their hearts begin even to faile Ioshua falls with his face upon the earth and Josephus in his hystory of the Jewish Antiquities sets down Ioshuahs prayer at large these are some expressions Beyond all expectation having received an overthrow being terrified by this accident and suspitious of thy promises to Moses we both abstaine from war and after so many enterprises we cannot hope for any successfull proceedings by thy mercy relieve our present sorrow and take from us the thought of despaire wherein we are too farre plunged Now God comes to him and askes him Why he lay upon his face and bad him get him up for Israel had sinned in the accursed thing upon search made Achan was found out whereupon Joshua tells him that he had troubled the Hoast of Israel and God would trouble him upon which they stoned him and from thence it was called the valley of Achor vers 26. that is Vaâ—â—is tribulation is the valley of trouble The third thing is the principall why this valley is called a doore of hope Herein two things First how it was a doore of hope to Israel then when they first came into Canaan Secondly how it is promised to be a doore of hope to repenting Israel in after-times For the first It was a doore of hope to them in two respects First because it was the first place wherein they tooke the possession of Canaan when they began to have outward means of substance to eate of the corne of the land all the while they were in the wilderness although God provided wonderfully for them by sending them Manna from Heaven yet because they had no way of substance by ordinary means they always feared lest they should want upon any strait they were brought into their hearts began to sinke Now in this valley God gives them outward means this raises hope in them that their danger was over and that they should do well enough This is our nature when ordinary means fayle our hearts fayle yea though in regard of Gods extraordinary workings we have never so many gracious encouragements and when God grants means againe then we hope Secondly God made their great trouble there a means of much good unto them for by that they were brought to purge their Campe they learned to feare the Lord and were prepared more then before for so great a mercy as the further possession of that good land The Septuagint instead of those words a doore of hope have these to open their understanding for there indeed they learned the dreadfulnesse of God who for one mans sin was so sorely displeased there they understood to purpose that the God that was amongst them was a holy God and that he would have them to be a holy people But how should this valley of Achor be a doone of hope to Israel in after times First the Jews think that Israel shall return into their own country againe yea and the same way they shall come again into Canaan by that valley which shall be a door of hope to them Secondly but rather by way of Analogy as God turned this valley of trouble to much good unto them so he would turn all the sore afflictions of Israel in after dayes to their great advantage grievous afflictions should make way for glorious mercies Thirdly But especially thus in this expression God followes the Allegory of marriage now it was the custome of the Jewes in their marriages that the Husband gave his Spouse according to his quality as a dowry some peece of ground rich as he was able and this he gave as a pledge of his love to her to assure her that whatsoever was his she should have the benefit of it so saith the Lord although you have gone a whoring from me and may justly expect that I should for ever reject you yet I will marry you to my selfe and I will fully perform all marriage rights for the expression of my love towards you to the uttermost you shall know that you are marryed to a Husband who is rich I will give you a rich and plentifull dovvry and this but as a token and pledg of further love mercy riches that you shall enjoy by me it shall be that valley of Achor that rich delightfull fruitfull valley By this he means he would bestow some speciall choise mercy upon them at his first taking them into his favour again and that should be a pledg of and making way to much more mercy that he intended for them a doore of hope to let in greater things as the first fruits of all those glorious things that he had treasured up for them From this valley of Achor as it concerned Israel before First Sometimes when God gives men their hearts desires when they think themselves happy as if all trouble were past then he comes in upon them with great and sore afflictions Secondly although God hath been humbling mens hearts with sore and long afflictions yet just before he bestows great mercies he afflicts againe to humble and break their hearts yet more Thirdly sin will make the pleasantest place in the world a place of trouble Fourthly the afflictions of the Saints do not only go before mercies but are doors of hope to let in to mercies means to further the way for mercies God commands light to shine not only after darknesse but out of darkness Josephs prison Davids persecution Daniels den made way for glorious mercy God had in store for them that which once The mistocles said to his children and friends the Saints may much more say to theirs I had beene undone if I had not been undone had it not been for such a grieyous affliction I had never come to the enjoyment of such a mercy Hence we must learn not only to be patient in tribulation but joyfull But the especiall thing intended in this expression is this When God is reconciled to his people then present mercies are doors of hope to let in future mercies the Saints may look upon all mercies received as in-lets to further mercies to be received Every mercy a door to another mercy and all mercies here put together are a door to eternall mercy When Rachel had a sonne she called his name Joseph Gen. 30. 24. saying The Lord shall add to me another sonn Every mercy the Saints have may well be called Ioseph it brings assurance of mercy to be added this is the high priviledge of the Saints every mercy that a wicked man hath he may look upon as his utmost as his all he may write a ne plus ultra upon it one misery one judgment upon a wicked man makes way toanother but not one mercy howsoever God in his bounty may lengthen out mercies to him
yet it is more then he can expect he rather hath cause to wonder he hath so much then expect more but God ever draws out his loving kindnesse to his Saints Psal 36. 10. Draw out thy loving kindnesse unto them that know thee and thy righteousnesse to the upright in heart First the good that others have from God is bounty patience but that which the Saints have is loving kindnesse Secondly that which others have is no ways tied to them by promise but that which the Saints have they have by promise it is righteousness Ps 23. Thou makest me lye down in green pasture thou anointest my head with fresh oyle my cup runneth over Here is a great deal but is here all no ver 6. surely mercy goodnesse shall follow me all the dayes of my life That we read of David 2 Sam. 5. 12. is very observable from Gods prospering him in his present way he draws an argment to confirm him in the assurance for the future that his Kingdome was established to him why did not Saul prosper at the beginning of his raign as well as David yet it was no evidence of his establishment but David could see Gods mercy coming to him after another manner then Saul could all mercies the Saints have come from the covenant in which there is a rich treasure of mercies a blessed connexion of the mercies The covenant between David Ionathan was 1 Sam. 20. 15. That loving kindnes must not be cut off from the house of Ionathan The covenant between God and the Saints is that loving kindnesse shall never be cut off from them but the links of mercies shall be fastned one to another so as they shall reach eternity Mercies to the Saints come from love amor nescit nimium love knows no such thing as excesse The Saints understanding this mistery in the way of Gods grace towards them hence they follow God in seeking his face then especially when he is most in the way of mercy whereas the men of the world who know not this seldome seek after mercy but in times of affliction when God is in a way of justice and wrath this is their folly Infinite reason there is O ye Saints of the Lord that one duty should for ever make way for another seeing on mercy makes way for another here lyes a great difference between doing duties from the strength of common grace and from sanctifying grace in the one the spirit by doing some things is wearied and thinkes now it may rest but in the other the very doing still encreaseth strength and puts the heart upon doing more But may not security promise continuance of mercy Yes but if so then when affliction comes the heart will sinke for feares of continuance in misery as well as before it hoped for continuance of mercy When then may we assure our selves that our mercies are doores of hope to further mercies First When they are created mercies wrought by a more imediate hand of God generation may be imperfect but creation never omne creatum est perfectum Esay 26. 12. Lord thou wilt ordaine peace for us What is the argument for thou hast wrought all our workes in us Secondly When they are spirituall mercies Ezek. 39. 29. Neither will I hide my face any more from them VVhat is the argument For I have powred forth my spirit upon the house of Israel but is not this your private opinion that this argument will hold No the words following are Thus saith the Lord God Thirdly When mercies carry us to the God of mercy and are turned duties as if we can turne our duties into mercies that is account every duty a mercy that is a good argument that we shall hold out in duty when wee can turne mercies into duties that is make every mercy an engagement to duty that is a good argument that mercy will hold out But are there not interruptions many times in the wayes of Gods mercy to his own people VVe sometimes think there is an interruption when if we knew all we should see a blessed concatenation but it must be granted that there may sometimes be some kinde of enterruption in such a particular After Israels returne from captivity and beginning to build the temple there were such enterruptions as it was seventy years before it was finished but though there may be enterruptions for a time yet not a quite breaking off there is yet a strength in the grace of the covenant that carries the work on and perfects it at last by ceasing in one way of mercy God prepares for another the very ceasing in such a way may be a mercy we our selves at this day are a sad spectacle of the interruption of the wayes of Gods mercies towards a nation Mercy that ere while shined in her beauty upon us hath now seemed in a great measure to have withdrawn the beames of her glory our doore of hope that we thought to be so wide open seems almost shut against us I dare not say that it is shut lest I should wrong the present grace of God yet continuing to us But First Sinne yea our many and fearfull sins lyes at this our door Gen. 4. 7. Secondly And now a crowd of difficulties seeme even to stop up the door they come thronging still to it as if they would certainly stop it up against us Thirdly As the Prophet Ezek. 11. 1. 2. saw at the door of the gate five and twenty men amongst whom there were some chiefe ones who devised mischiefe and gave wicked councell in the city so may we at this day see many even of the chiefe ones devising mischiefe and giving wicked counsel by which they labour to shut yea to lock and bolt up this our doore of hope Fourthly VVe hoped that this our door of hope would have been like the doors that entred into the oracle of which we read 1 Kings 6. 31. made of the olive tree yea the side-posts and lintels were of olive tree carvings of palm trees cherubims all overlaid with gold but now our door seems to be of Iron the way to our help and mercy must be through the Iron gate we must get to it by suftering hard things 5. Our door that was wide whereat mercy began to come flowing in apace freely now it seemes to be straitened it is now the strait gate we must be content to strip our selves of a great part of our estates of many of our outward comforts yea we must venture them all and well if possibly at length we may crowd in 6. Yea our door-posts are like the Israelites in Egypt besprinkled with blood the keeping up of our meanes of mercy hath cost much blood and may cost more 7. Now when we knock when we would step in the dogs bark at us and are ready to flye upon us yea it may be the servants yea some of our
Altars this was when their hearts were warmed with joy in blessing the name of God VVhen God once warmeth the hearts of people it is much what they will doe for God then They will not stand examining every nicety but they will fall upon the work directly the joy of the Lord was the strength of their hearts at this time as it is with the lusts of wicked men when they get into company at feasts in Taverns and there they are drinking while their lusts are warmed then what desperate resolutions have they to doe wickednesse So when Gods Saints are exercised in Gods Ordinances and are refreshed with the sweet love of God when that lies glowing at their hearts what strong resolutions have they for God! then they can doe any thing for God Now the very name of Baalim must be taken away VERSE 16. And it shall be in that day saith the Lord that thou call me Ishi and shalt call me no more Baali 17. For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth they shall be no more remembred by their name Here we have as full a Prophesie and promise of as thorough reformation of the Church as any I know we have in Scripture God hath a time to reforme his Church thorowly the very names of their Idols the very remembrance of them shall be taken away This reformation is â—ods worke I will doe it saith God I will take away the names of Baalim They shall call me Ishi and no more Baali Why what great difference is there betweene these two names Ishi and Baali that God will have one but not the other The truth is both of them signifie even almost the same thing Both of them are names very fit for a wife to call her husband by Ishi is my husband and Baali is my husband too But the word Ishi cometh from a word that signifieth strength the woman being the weaker vessel therefore shee calls her husband Ishi my strength for the husband should be strength to the wife he should live with her as a man of knowledge he should be a protection to her he should help her in all her weaknesses afflictions Baali signifieth my Lord as well as my husband it is a word that moteth rule and authority Ishi is a word that hath more love and familiarity in it Baali is a word that noteth the inferiority of the wife to the husband Now God saith he will be called Ishi but not Baali why there is no hurt in the word Baali it selfe the word Baali is a very good word and hath a good signification it is proper to God as any word that can be given to him by the Church but that God did forbid it here for it is no more when the church cals God Baali then if the Church should say O God that art my Lord my husband who art to rule govern me Yea and we find that God gives to himself this name Isa 54. 5. Thy Maker is thy husband so it is in your books but the word in the Hebrew is the same that we have here Thy Maker is thy Baali so that husband and Baal is the very same But now because they had abused this word Baal and given into their Idols therefore God would have no more of it though it was a good word a significant word and as proper to God as any was As the word Tyrannus was a name once for a King Kings were called Tyrants without any such ill signification as now it carries with it but because they had gotten the sole power into their hands they did so oppress abuse their power therefore oppressors were called Tyrants So the Latine word fur which is for a thiefe it was once the ordinary word for a servant Fures and Servi were wont to be the same and without any ill signification but because afterward many servants grew to be false to steale from their Masters therefore fures was altogether taken in the worst part onely for theeves So Sophista a Sophister was one that studied wisdome but because they did so much degenerate many under the colour of the study of wisdome deceived others therefore the name Sophister was used in the worst part I might instance in many other For further opening this May not the name Baal be mentioned God tells them that he would take away the name of Baalim out of their mouths VVhy may not we use this word Baali in our mouths To this I answer Yes it is not unlawfull for us to mention the word notwithstanding this for the holy Ghost a long time after this mentions the word in an historicall way Rom. 11. 4. hee speaks there of those that had not bowed their knees to Baal the word you see is mentioned remembred by the spirit of God therefore it was not a sin nay not only the word Baal bâ—r it is not unlawfull to mention the names of any Idols of the heathen for the holy Ghost doth so likewise Acts 18. 11. speaking of the ship that they sayled in he saith there whose signe was Castor and Pollux the names of two heathen Idols And you may observe that here in the text the remembring is as much forbidden as the mentioning Now if it were a finne meerly to mention the names of the heathen gods it were a sin to remember them Therefore God means the mentioning of them Honoris gratia any way for their honour or without detestation of them The words being thus opened you have many excellent observations out of them very usefull and seasonable for our times First There is a great deale of danger in words and names You shall call me Ishi I will not have you call me Baali I will not have that word used the Devill hath got much by words and names heretofore by the word Puritane though 〈◊〉 knew not what it meant now by this new name that he hath of late invented the devill hath alwayes some words some names for distinction of men in which he sees advantage is to be had The speakiâ—â—â—f the ways of 〈…〉 the language of superstition doth much hurt 〈…〉 a notabl◠〈◊〉 â—etion from the Papists themselves concerning that it is in the Rhemists Testament in their notes upon that place 1 Tim. 6. 20. Keep that which is committed to thy trust avoyding prophane and vaine bablings so we translate it they translate it prophane novelties this is their note upon it Let us say they keep our fore-fathers words and we shall easily keepe our old faith you shall see that wee had not long since the very spirit of these men breathing in many amongst us The Hereticks call repentance amendment but let us say they keep the old word Penance they say the Lords Supper but we will keep the old word Masse they say Communion Table but let us keep the old word Altar Was it not just thus with us the call Elders and Ministers
gods and goddesses This promise to take away the names of Baalim comes in upon Gods reconciliation to his people From whence the next note is when God is reconciled to his people there will be a thorow Reformation both outward and inward Idolatry is cast out not onely from the heart but from the mouth the taking away the names from their mouthes is a synechdoche and notheth the uttertaking away of all wayes of Idolatry in the outward practice as well as in the inward affection The more reconciliation there is with God the more enmity against Idols and superstitious worship A fruitfull signe then it is that we in England were never thorowly reconciled unto God because we never yet have cast off our Idols As some remaynders of superstition abiding amongst us did not long since break forth to most horrid and vile ways of false worship so some remainders of Gods wrath that hath been amongst us this day breakes forth into a most dreadfull flame When the people of the Iews shall be called again and God shall be perfectly reconciled to his Churches then Idolatry shall be perfectly rejected and there shall never be so much as mention of their Idols any more this Text aymes at those times and shall perfectly be fulfilled at that day that is the day when God will do it They shall call me no more Baali but Ishi my husband Thence the note is When a people is reconciled to God then they call God theirs my husband Isbi Psal 16. 3 4. David professeth that he would not so much as take up their names into his lips of which before Now mark what followeth presently upon that ver 5. The Lord saith he is my portion when the Prophet is so taken off from Idols as not to mention the names of Idols then The Lord is my portion So here now Ishi the Lord is my husband now can we claim a peculiar interest in God indeed This is the evil of sin it hindereth a nation a soule from clayming this interest in God God is a blessed and glorious God yea but what is that to this people to this apostatizing people what is that to this apostatizing soule but when the soule comes into God comes off throughly to the work of Reformation then this God is my God Ishi my husband Can any comfort any profit that you have in ways of sinne countervaile this great loss you gaine some contentment in the flesh some profit in your estate but you lose the comforts of your interest in God what is your gaine now thinke of this when any temptation comes I may be yeelding to this temptation get this contentment to the flesh but I shall lose this blessed priviledg of clayming an interest in my God I shall not be able to say Ishi my husband Thirdly Ishi The word compared with the former Baali is a word of more love then the former Baali is a word though it signifies my husband too as well as Ishi but it is husband under the notion of dominion under the notion of power that causeth feare but Ishi is a husband under the notion of love and protection Hence the note is God delights to have his people look upon him with love and delight It is Gods care and it is his good pleasure that his people should not looke upon him so much as one that hath dominion over them but that they should look upon him with joy and love and call him Ishi The more reconcyled we are unto God the more have we the use of the loving appellations of God For a soule to be alwayes under the spirit of bondage to looke unto God only as the Lord of all this is not so pleasing to God but when you come to have the spirit of adoption the spirit of grace an Evangelicall spirit that you can look upon him with love and say Ishi my husband that title of love and goodnesse this pleases God at the heart It is reported of Augustus that he would not have the title of Lord given to him he refused it and would rather have his people to looke upon him under the notion of love as a father rather then to feare him It were happy that all Princes were of this minde to desire that their people should rather love them then feare them It is a most villainous wicked and cursed principle that is in some who infuse into the spirit of Princes let your people feare you no great matter whether they love you or no. Suetonius relateth this passage of Augustus when a poor man came to present a petition to him with his hands shaking and trembling out of feare the Emperor was much displeased and said It is not fit that any should come with a petition to a King as if a man were giving meat to an Elephant that is afraid to be destroyed by him God doth not love the bread of mourners to be offered up in sacrifice hee loveth to have people come unto him with a holy boldnesse with a filiall not with a servile and slavish spirit Christ laid down his life to redeeme us that wee might serve the Lord without feare Fourthly They shall call me Ishi that is My strength The Church should looke upon Christ as the strength of it Thy maker is thy husband and who is he The Lord of Hosts is his name thy redeemer the God of the whole earth shall he be called When the people of God can look upon Christ their husband as the Lord of hosts and their Redeemer as the God of the whole earth then they finde quiet and satisfaction in their spirits Psa 89. 17. God is said to be the glory of the strength of his people Though we be weake in regard of our outward helps let us looke up to Christ our strength he hath been our strength he is the glory of it Fiftly I will take the names of Baalim out of their mouth and they shal be no more remembred by their name Repentance must be proportionable to mens sins How doth that arise before ver 13. God charged them that they had forgotten him They went after their lovers and forgat me saith the Lord. Now saith God your Idols shall be forgotten your hearts were so far set upon your idols as you forgat me now in your repentance your hearts shall be so much upon me as you shall forget your Idols Those men who have beene so wicked and ungodly heretofore that they have forgot God God hath not been in all their thoughts God expects now from them that their lusts should not be in all their thoughts It is not enough that you forbeare the act but you must not roule the sweet of them in your thoughts you must not so much as remember them except it be with the detestation of them If there be not a proportion between your repentance your former sins you may expect there will be a proportion
is a choyce mercy it is a fruite of the Covenant This mercy the Lord promiseth Pro. 3. 23. Then shalt thou walke in thy way safely thy foot shall not stumble Mark the 24 ver When thou lyest down thou shalt not be afraid yea thou shalt lye down and thy sleepe shall be sweet be not afraid of sudden feare for the Lord shall be thy confidence c. This made good to one in these dayes is a Text worth gold indeed So Ps 107. 3. So doth the Lord give his beloved rest others they labour and toyle and they eate the bread of carefulnes and are mightily perplexed but so doth the Lord give his beloved rest that is the Lord takes away care and thought from his beloved and gives them rest so that they can lye downe quietly as it were in his bosome There is a false â—est and security of the wicked when they make a covenant with death and with hell as Esay 28. 16. Ye have said we have made a covenant with death with hel when the overflowing scourge shal passe through it shall not come unto us for we have made lyes our refuge and under falshood have we hid our selves This text is as proper a text to our adversaries as any I know in the Scripture they promise to themselves all security and safety they make a Covenant with hell death but how they make lyes their refuge and under falshood have they hid themselves Here is a security and it is by a covenant with hell death but this Text holds forth a lying down safely by vertue of another Covenant even the Covenant of God therefore it followes ver 16. Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone a tryed stone aprocious corner stone a sure foundation he that believeth shall not make haste It is an Observable Text concerning our times there is a security upon that ground the overflowing scourge will breake down all but saith God I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone a tryed stone a precious corner stone a sure foundation he that believeth shal not make haste you may be secure though your enemies doe vaunt themselves and will boast in their own wayes they have made a covenant with hell death yet for you I lay in Zion a stone a sure foundation he that believeth shall not make haste Although God doth not come with his deliverance for the present yet you who believe quiet your selves lye downe safely and do not make haste A horse saith the Scripture Psal 33. 17. is a vaine thing for safety they trust in the creature ver 18. but behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that feare him they have a greater safety then if they had Troopes of horses lye about them to defend them and ver 20. Our soule waiteth for the Lord he is our help our shield so Pro. 21. 31. The horse is prepared against the day of battel but safety is of the Lord. Let us the resore cry with the Psalmist Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance vpon us then will we lye down in peace sleep for thou only makest us dwell in safety Would you have quiet sleepe in these troublesome times make your peace with God if there be peace within then you may lye downe safely notwithstanding all the rumors and tumults of war abroad but if there be no peace in the heart though you should live to see outward peace your sins would dog you they would pursue you the terrours of the Almighty would be upon you and you should not have one nights rest But Lord what is all this except we may have communion with thy selfe except we may have communion with JESUS CHRIST This is the voice of a gracious heart therefore follows that blessed promise as a further fruite of the Covenant that God would make with his people saith the Lord I will betroth thee unto my selfe I will be yours too there shall be a most blessed union and conjugall communion between you and me you shall enjoy me in all the sweetnesse and love that the wife enjoyeth the husband in though you have most wretchedly departed from me yet behold I will betroth you unto me in righteousnesse and in judgement in loving kindnesse and iu mercies The Seventeenth Lecture HOSEA 2. 19. 20. And I will betroth thee unto me for ever yea I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness and in judgement in loving kindnes in mercies I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness thou shalt know the Lord. BUt how betroth this phrase seems to be very strange she had been the wife of God before and was gone a whoring from him though God should be reconciled to her one would have thought it should rather have been I will receive you againe No but I will betroth you The reason of the phrase is to note that God would receive her with that love as if she had been a pure virgin and he would never upbraid her former departing from him you have beene an adulteresse beare your shame but for my own Names sake I will be content to receive you again No but I will beâ—roth you unto me you shall be as now taken to me and your sins shall be no more remembred they shall be as if they had never been committed When God pardoneth sin he will remember it no more the Lord will never charge upon sinners their former sins And if God will not remember the sins of his people of his repenting people to charge them upon them we should not remember them to up brayd them for them what ever they have been before if now converted it is too much boldnesse in any of us to upbraid them for any of their former sins I remember Beza tells of himselfe that the Papists upbraided him much for the sinnes of his youth for his lascivious Poems he made before his conversion but Beza answers them thus Hi homines invident mihi graciam divinam these men envy me the grace of God I will betroth thee unto mee yea I will betroth thee unto me I will even betroth thee unto me The repenting Church might say How is it possible that such an adulteresse who hath been so vile who hath been so impudent in her wayes of forsaking the blessed God her glorious husband who hath so long continued in filthy whordoms should yet expect to receive mercy What this mercy to be betrothed to God to be taken as if she were a chast Spouse before him Yes saith God I will do it and therefore it is repeated three times for the assurance of the humbled repenting Church that God will again betroth himselfe unto her and that with some Emphasis I will betroth yea I will betroth even I will betroth there is betrething and betrothing and betrothing and I and I and I shewing how much the heart of God is in this thing As if God
came out of the fathers loynes or out of the bowels of the mother the fruite of the wombe shall not be so neere now to thee nor must it love thee so much as this party that not long since it was a meere stranger unto Whence cometh this but meerly from the power of an Ordinance One would thinke that the affection of a mother to the fruite of her own bowels should be more then it were possible for her to have to a stranger she had never seen before in her life but it is not so when a woman cometh under this Ordinance she now commeth to have according to that which is her duty more affection to one that was ere while a stranger then to the child that came forth of her owne bowels so a man then to one that came out of his owne loynes Here is the power of Gods Ordinance though but civill Now then if an Ordinance of God though but civill hath such an efficacy in it what efficacy have divine Ordinances then Certainly they have mighty efficacy upon the soule when they are administred in the way of God So it is here I will betroth thee as if God should say thou wast not long since as a stranger unto me one cast off yea thou wast as an enemy unto me but now all the creatures in heaven and in earth the very Angels themselves shall not be more deare unto me in a nearer communion then you This is true of a wretched sinfull creature that hath not onely been as a stranger unto God but an enemy unto him he cometh now upon conversion and union with Christ to be in a nearer conjunction and further communion with God then the very Angels in heaven are in some regard for they are never said to be the Spouse of the Son of God so as the Saints are This is the mighty power and love of God in uniting his Saints to his Son Secondly There is in nothing in the world that full communication of one creature to another as there is in that condition of marriage so in our spiritual marriage with Christ there is an inconceiveable communion of one to another â—â—ally God hath two wayes of communication of himselfe one is infinite that is to his Son in that inconceivable mysterie of the generation of the Son he hath other wayes of communication of himself after a finite manner but of al the finite ways this is the greatest his comunication of himself to his Saints in Christ God hath no such comunication of himself to all the creatures as he hath to his Saints in his Son God in comparison communicateth little or nothing of himself to the frame of heaven earth so as he doth to any one of his Saints So far as there wants communion in a married estate so far there wants the blessing of it it should be full The communion of God to his Church is a full communion his wisdome power riches are made over to the Saints the merits the righteousnesse of Christ are made all over to them This is mutuall there is no such communication of any creature to another as there is of the hearts of the Saints to God one converted to God le ts out his heart into God in a fuller way then any creature can let out it selfe to another creature Suppose all the creatures in the world should have their beauty and excellency put together in one and present it self wholly unto thee to be an object of thy delight yet it were not possible that thou shouldst communicate thy self so fully to it as thy soul will communicate it selfe to God upon thy conversion The soul gives up it selfe to God as into an infinite ocean of goodnesse so as it would not retaine any thing of its owne as a drop of water into a tun of wine it retains not its savour or colour that it had before but it is as it were turned into wine And hereby you may know whether your conversion be right yea or no As that which is Christs cometh to be thine so that which is thine cometh again to be Christs My beloved is mine and I am his saith the Church Hence it is that the honour that Christ the Husband hath reflects upon the Saints they shine with the brightnesse of his beams Esay 43. 4. Since thou wast precious in my sight thou becamest honourable It was wont to be the custome among the Romanes in their marriages when the wife was brought home she had this speech Where you are Caâ—us I am Caja How meane soever the woman was before yet being married she partakes of the honour of her husband So the Saints whatsoever they were before they are now looked upon as honourable in the eyes of the Father in the eyes of Christ in the eyes of the holy Ghost aud in the eyes of the Angels and the rest of the Saints who are able to discerne their excellency And so on the other side for still it is mutuall as the Church hath honour from the lustre of the beams of Christs glory so even the Church is a glory unto Christ As the Scripture saith The wife is the glory of the man which place heretofore you have had opened unto you so the truth is the Church is the glory of Christ How is that you will say It is true Christ is the glory of the Church but that the Church who is a company of poore creatures should be the glory of Christ how can that be yes it is so Christ accounteth himselfe glorified before the Father that he hath such a Spouse Mark that place 2 Cor. 8. 23. Whether you inquire of Titus he is my partner or of our brethren the messengers of the Churches the glory of Christ Titus and the brethren are there called the glory of Christ And Ephes 1. 23. the Church is said to be the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all Howsoever we are to be low in our own eies yet this is certaine that it is the glory of Christ before the Father and the blessed Angels that he hath such a Spouse as he hath Hence Rev. 21. 9. Come Behold the Bride the Lambs wife The very Angels rejoice in this O come behold the Bride the Lambs wife Certainly had it not been for the glory of Christ the Angels would not in such a triumphing way have called all to behold the Bride the Lambs wife They call to behold the glory of Christ in his Bride Psalm 45. the Church is described to be brought in to the King all glorious and beautiful with araâ—ment of needle-worke c. Christ rejoyceth and his very heart even springs againe to present his Church unto his Father Father here behold my Spouse that I have married unto my selfe It is true a childe may sometimes marry against his fathers consent such a one as he may be ashamed to think of bringing to his fathers house because she will be a disgrace to
well pleased with it Esay 53. 10. Why was God pleased with it Because the Lord saw this was the way for him to communicate himself in the fulnesse of his grace unto his Church and therefore though it cost him so deare as the death of his own Son yet he was well pleased with it And as for Christ he takes delight in letting out himself to his people after he had suffered the Text saith he was satisfied when he saw of the travell of his soul As if Christ had said O let me have a Church to communicate my self unto though I see it hath cost me my blood it hath cost me all these fearfull sufferings yet I am satisfied I thinke all is well bestowed so I may have a people to partake of my love and mercy for ever Cant. 4. 9. Thou hast ravished my heart my sister my spouse thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes Then for the Saints the delight they have in communicating themselves unto Christ is unutterable Stay me with flaeggons comfort me with apples for I am sick of love saith the Church Cantic 2. 5. Psal 63. 5. My soul shall be satisfied with marrow and fatnesse and my mouth shall praise thee with joyfull lips when I remember thee upon my bed and meditate of thee in the night watches Take this note the more fully you lay out your selves for Christ the more comfort you shall have in your lives Here is the great difference between hypocrites and others in the comfort of their lives It is impossible that any hypocrite can have that comfort in his life as a gracious heart can have upon this ground because a hypocrite reserveth somewhat of himself for something else there is not a full comunication of himself unto Christ he alwayes keepes somewhat back and thereby loseth his comfort But a gracious heart fully letting out himselfe into Christ from thence cometh the comfort sweetness that he hath in the ways of Christ above all hypocrites in the world Perhaps you thinke that the onely comfort you can have is by receiving some benefit some mercy from God you are much mistaken the comfort of letting your hearts out to God is a greater comfort then any comfort you have in receiving any thing from God And now Oh how happy are they unto whom Christ is thus espoused How comfortably may you live being made sure to Christ and how comfortably may you die It is our work to seeke to draw soules to Christ to allure soules to be in love with him Gen. 24. 35. You may see what course Abrahams servant took in drawing the love of Rebekah and her friends to his Masters son he begins wiâ—h telling them that he is the servant of Abraham and that the Lord had blessed his Master greatly so that he was become great and that the Lord had given him flocks and herds and silver gold and that he had an onely soone that was to be heire of all this This is the work of Ministers to tell people what riches of mercy there are in God and that all the treasures of those infinite riches of the infinite God are in JESUS CHRIST and to be let out in him this gaines the heart Yea it is not onely the work of Ministers but it should be worke of every gracious heart thus to seek to draw souls to Christ as Rev. 22. 17. not onely the Angels there say Come but the Bride saith Come and let him that hea eth say Come and let him that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely VVere I not in such a way of explication as I am surely wee could not get off such a point as this but that which I shall say for the present is onely this Know that it is not want of any worth in you that can hinder communion with Jesus Christ doe not reason in that manner I am a poor wretched sinfull creature will ever Christ be married unto me It is not thy sinfulnesse it is not thy base condition that can hinder thee Christ never joynes himselfe to any because they are worthy but he joynes himself to them that they may be worthy hee makes them to be worthy in joyning himselfe unto them The woman is not married unto the King because she is a Queen but the King maryeth her to make her a Queene And further know if your hearts be not taken with Christ to joyne with him in his holy mariage if he be not your husband to enjoy conjugall communion with you he will be your judge to condemn you But besides this betrothing between Christ a soul there is a betrothing between Christ a visible Church especially the Church of the Jews when they shall be called God shal appeare in his glory when this maryage shall be between Christ and the Jewish Church the King will then be in his Robes if a man of estate have a sonne to marry and intends to solemnize the maryage according to his estate if he have any better cloathes then other he puts them on that day so at the calling of the Jewes the King of heaven will be in his robes God will appeare in a most glorious manner to the world then ehe did since the creation Yea and you know the Bridegroome too will be very fine upon the mariage day so Jesus Christ will then appeare whether personally or otherwise wee say not but certainly hee will gloriously appeare at that day Tit. 2. 15. We looke for the glorious appearance of the great God and our Saviour jesâ—s Christ And 2 Thes 1. 10. Christ shall come so as to be admired in all them that believe the Church likewise shall then be arrayed in her fine cloaths shee shall be then cloathed in white cleane and fine liâ—nen as it is Rev. 19. 8. all in the righteousness of Christ the great doctrine of justification by Christ shall be made out full and cleare Yea and the creatures her servants shall put on the best rayment as in a great marriage the servants in the house have new cloathes at that day there will be a change in all the creatures and another kind of face in the world then now there is Then will be the marriage supper and happy shall those be that shall then be found worthy to enter into the bed-chamber let us now love Christ let us now cleave to him let us now suffer for him we may perhaps be some of those who beside our eternal enjoyment of christ in heaven may enjoy him in this mariage upon the earth But we must leave this argument we spake something of it in the end of the first chapter And I will betroth thee unto me for ever For ever This adds to the mercy to make it glorious this for ever makes a misery though never so little an infinite misery and a mercy an infinite mercy This betrothing for ever shall be fulfilled
Gods mercy by their own they think thus if any had offended us so as we have offended God though we might say wee would be reconciled to him yet wee could not bring our hearts fully to come off to it something would remain in our hearts they therefore think so of God they suspect God that he doth not mean really in his expressions of love and mercy to them But take heed of this doe not judge of God by your selves though you have a base and cruell heart and cannot be reconciled to those that provoke you it is not therefore so with God There are these two evils in sin first in the nature of it there is a departing from God secondly it causeth jealousies and suspitions of God and so hinders the soul from coming unto God again Secondly God is very carefull to prevent all these suspitions in the hearts of his people God desires that you should have good thoughts of him and this is that we plead with you for and do often open the riches of Gods grace to this end that you may have good thoughts of God and to take off your jealousies and suspitions of him as if there were no reall intention in all the proffers of mercy he makes to you doe not thinke that all those riches of Gods grace are meer words they are certaine intentions of Gods heart towards you I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness And for your parts I will give you a heart you shall return to mee bona fide you shal do it in the plainnesse of your hearts There was a time indeed as Psal 78. 34 35 36. God complained of his people that they sought him and returned unto him neverthelesse they did flatter with their mouth and lyed unto him with their tongues there was no reality in their returning unto him they made great promises that whatsoever God should say unto them they would do it but there was no reality in it yea but saith God there shall come a time that you shall have righteous hearts and that which you promise to me you shall promise really there shall not be that falsenesse in your hearts those shews and overtures that were heretofore but you shall return to me with all your hearts in righteousness God hath made adoe at first with us to make us believe that he is in good earnest with us in his proffers oâ— mercy and much adoe there is before our hearts can be gotten to work towards God in good earnest Further note this is one reason why God doth betroth for ever because he doth it in the plainnesse of his heart and this is also a good reason why the Saints continue for ever because what they do to God is in the plainness of their hearts Those who return to God in an hypocriticall way will fall off but they that return in uprightenesse will hold constant with him Prov. 8. 18. it is said of Wisdome that with her are durable riches and righteousnesse they are put together where there is true righteousnesse in the heart there is durable riches But yet there is another thing in this betrothing in righteousnesse and that I thinke hath more in it then the former God will be so reconciled to his Church as yet he will manifest himself to be a righteous God In the works of the riches of his grace he will manifest the glory of his justice too I will doe it in righteousnesse though indeed the Lord intendeth to glorifie rich grace yet so as he will declare his righteousnesse to men and Angels that in this very work of his he shall be acknowledged by them unto all eternity to bee a righteous God GOD will make such a way for this his love and goodnesse as that hee will have satisfaction to his justice in it That place Rom. 3. 25 26. is remarkable for our purpose Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood How To declare his righteousness for the remission of sinnes Marke it it is not that he had set forth Christ to be a propitiation to declare his mercy in the forgivenesse of sins you will say What is there in the forgivenesse of sins but only the mercy of God Yes there is somewhat else there is righteousnesse too and the Lord doth declare his righteousnesse in the forgivenesse of sins and therefore it is that he hath set forth Christ to be a propitiation that hee might declare his righteousnesse If the Lord should have said but thus Well you are great and grievous sinners I will be content freely to forgive you all your sins this would have declared Gods mercy but not his righteousnesse but now when the Lord hath set forth Christ as a propitiation and forgiveth sins through the blood of his Son in this God declareth as much righteousnesse as grace This text Luther had a great deale of do to understand and he prayed much before he could get the right meaning of it yea it is repeated again To declare I say his righteousnesse that he might be just the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus not that he might be mercifull in justifying him that believeth in Jesus but that he might be just in justifying him that believeth in Jesus And this is the great mystery of the Gospel this is that which the Angels pry into the Saints and Angels shal admire blesse God to all eternity for the reconciling riches of mercy and infinite justice both in one This was that which set the infinite wisdome of God on worke from all eternity how to find a way to save sinners and to be infinitely righteous notwithstanding If all the Angels in heaven and all the men in the world had been put to it to find out a way to answer this question How shall sin be pardoned the sinner reconciled unto God and God glorifie his justice they could never have done it but God in his infinite wisdome hath found out a way to doe it This cost God dear it cost him the heart blood of his own Son and that was a sign that Gods heart was much in it and indeed we are not Christians untill in some measure we see and have our hearts taken with the glory of God in this mystery We must looke at righteousnesse in our reconciliation as well as to loving kindnesse and mercy When God is reconciled unto a sinner there is not only his mercy glorified but in that way that God hath found out to save a sinner hee hath the glory of his justice as much yea more then if the sinner were eternally damned in hell How is that you will say I make that good three ways First when God appointed a surety his Son and charged his debt upon him to satisfie his justice in that God would not spare this Sonne of his the least farthing token I mean not the least degree of punishment he would not remit any thing to
his Son the Lord did hereby shew a stronger intense love unto justice then if he had damned tenne thousand thousand creatures Suppose a malefactor comes before a Judg the Judg will not spare the malefactor but requireth satisfaction to the law this shews that the Judg loves justice but if the Iudges own son be a delinquent and it appears before all the Country that the Iudg will not spare him but he must satisfie the law to the uttermost you will say the Iudge doth honour unto justice more in this then in condemning many other malefactors So when the Lord shall cast many thousands into hell there to be tormented for ever this sheweth that God loveth justice but when his own Son shall take our sins upon him but by imputation God will not spare him that is the very word of the Scripture He spared not his own Sonn saith the Text this declareth Gods love to righteousness more then if all the world had been damned Secondly suppose the sinner that is reconciled had been damned then the justice of God had been but in satisfying and never had fully been satisfied but in that way that God hath found out to save a sinner his justice is not only satisfying but it comes to be fully satisfied to have enough Now it is a greater honour to justice to be fully satisfied then to be in satisfying As for instance suppose a man be a Creditor to one who owes him five thousand pounds this man is poore and the utmost he can pay is but sixe pence or twelve pence a weeke suppose the Creditor should lay him in the Jayle untill he had payed all this man would be paying but would never be payed so long as the Debtor liveth but if another rich man should come and lay downe five thousand pound at once the man is presently satisfied Here is the difference between Gods satisfying his justice upon sinners and upon Jesus Christ God cometh upon the sinner he requireth the debt of punishment because he did not pay the debt of obedience God cast him into prison the uttermost he can pay is but twelve pence a week as it were that is but a little and thereforefore he must be still paying and paying eternally which is the very ground of their eternall punishment in hell because they cannot pay enough in any finite time Now commeth Christ and he fully payes the debt so that justice saith it hath enough it is satisfied this is the greater glory to the justice of God Thirdly If the sinner had been sent down to hell God had had the glory of his justice passively upon him hee should be for ever under the power and stroke of justice but in the mean time the sinner would have hated God for his justice and hated justice but when justice is honoured actively the sinner falleth down and acknowledgeth himselfe guilty putteth himselfe under the stroake of Gods justice and accepteth of the punishment of his iniquity now God is delighted more abundantly in this active way of glorifying his justice then if the sinner should have beene eternally in hell to have satisfied And now Devils and all wicked men must needs have their mouths stâ—pped for ever they cannot cry out of God becanse he will marry himselfe to such sinners this is mercy but where is his righteousness where is the glory of his justice here is an answer to them all though the Lord setteth his love upon vile sinners yet so as hee doth it in righteousnesse And this is a great encouragement to come in and believe as thus if the sinner be terrified with the apprehension of his sinne I see by them the wrath of God is incensed and infinite justice comes upon mee and I heare that crying for satisfaction this bids the sinner know likewise that God hath a way to satisfie infinite justice and yet to save thy soul he will marry thee unto himself and yet he will do it in righteousnesse And this is a mighty helpe unto a sinner against all faylings afterward a mighty establishment against a thousand objections the sinner may make against himself Thus we must seek to God when wee seek for reconciliation to be received againe when wee have departed from him whatsoever GOD doth for us hee must doe it in the way of righteousnesse as well as in the way of mercy Take this with you sinners if ever you have a pardon sealed unto you it must be sealed in the Court of justice as well as in the Court of mercy therefore thou needest not appeale from the Court of justice to the Mercy-seat for in that way of the mystery of godliness that there is in God reconciling himselfe unto a sinner there may be as much comfort in standing before the bar of justice as at the Mercy-seat that is by standing there in and through Christ for he hath made justice propitious to us and now it pleadeth to mercy for us And indeed this is the very work of Faith to go unto God this way when by Faith the sinner shall tender up unto God the Father the righteousness of JESUS CHRIST for an atonement and satisfaction for sins It brings the comfort of justification this way When you come to God in any other way but this it is but in a natural way not in a true evangelicall way A man by nature may know thus much that when he hath sinned he must seek unto God for mercy to pardon his sin or else he is miserable but to seek unto God for pardon with a price in our hand to tender up the merits of Christ for a satisfaction to Divine justice here is the mystery of faith faith is not onely to rely upon Gods mercy for pardon but this I see riches of grace in Christ and Christ my surety hath made an atonement hath laid down a price now by faith I tender up this unto God the Father and by this way I believe my soul shall be accepted in him What a mighty ingagement is this for us to be righteous with God the Lord betrotheth us unto himself in righteousnesse we should give up our selves to him in righteousnesse too O my brethren take this away with you what ever you forget If the Lord hath thus ingaged himselfe unto us in a way of righteousnesse and if it hath cost him so deare to shew himself righteous unto us what an infinite ingagement is this unto us to be righteous before him to glorifie Gods righteousnesse in our conversations I will doe it in righteousnesse and you shall have such a righteous heart as you shall never be a dishonour unto me before the people neither devils nor wicked men shal ever be able to upbraid me that I set my love upon such creatures as you because whatsoever you were you shall be now righteous When ever we expresse our selves to be the Spouse of Christ and be unrighteous in our conversations we upbraid Jesus Christ wee
of God VVould you be so Learne then to exercise faith much about the infinite riches of the mercy of God in Christ this will fill you with all the fulness of God you complain of barrennes and emptines in your hearts and lives it is because you exercise so little Faith in these mercies of God in Christ God betrotheth his Church unto himselfe in mercies in bowels Let us learne to pleade these mercies before the Lord to pleade them when we are in any strait to pleade with God for bowels Esay 63. 15. Looke downe from heaven and behold from the habitation of thy holi esse and thy glory where is thy zeale and thy strength the sounding of the bowels and of thy mercies towards us are they restrained Lord hast thou not said that thou wilt betroth thy Church unto thy self in bowels Where is the sounding of thy bowels Lord let us have these bowels of thine in which thou hast betrothed us through Christ Oh what confusion will there be one day unto those that shall misse of all these mercies of God in which the Lord hath betrothed himselfe unto his Church VVhat will you content your selves now with crums that God casteth to dogs with the fruits of Gods generall bounty and patience when you heare of such glorious mercies as are in Jesus Christ These things should so raise our hearts that wee should protest as Luther did I protest saith hee God shall not put mee off with these things of the world with my portion here Oh no the Lord hath shewed me greater riches though I be unworthy of any yet I know his mercy is free why then should not I have my portion in these glorious things Come in then come in oh sinfull soule be in love with Jesus Christ the ways of godlinesse know that all these mercies are tendred unto thy soule this day to break thy heart even that hard heart of thine and they are as free for thee as for any There is nothing more pleasing unto God then for thee to be taken with the glory of the riches of his mercy Thou canst perform no duty so acceptable unto God as this to have thy heart break upon the codsideration of his bowels to have thy bowels yern again and to come in and close with this infinite rich and glorious grace of his Which if thou dost know that the first moment thou art united to Christ thou dost lanch into the infinite Ocean of mercy now thou breathest in the element of mercy now thou livest upon nothing but mercy Is it so Then know God expects a mercifull disposition from thee too God betrotheth thee in righteousnesse and putteth righteousnesse into thee in judgment and gives thee judgment too in loving kindnesse and makes thee loving and kind likewise in mercies and putteth mercies into thee bowels into thee also First toward himself Why can we be mercifull unto God what good can wee doe to God God expects you should have bowels toward him How Thus Dost thou see the name of this blessed God thy husband to be dishonoured in the world Oh thy bowels should yern thou shouldst have bowels working now What doth God look upon thee in thy blood in thy misery and doth his bowels yern toward thee Canst thou look upon God in his dishonour and his cause trampled under foot and do not thy bowels yern toward him It should pitie thy soule to see this blessed God to be so much dishonoured in the world as he is to see that there are so few in the world that love and feare this God who is thy God and hath done thee so much good VVhat is there any good cause up wherein the name of God should be honoured Thy bowels should work presently toward it Cant. 5. 4. My beloved put his hand by the hole of the doore and my bowels were moved for him VVhen Christ did but begin to open a door put but in his hand when there was any good but beginning to be done Oh my bowels were moved saith the Church and I could never be at quiet untill I had enquired after yea and found my beloved Is there any beginning to let in Christ into the Kingdome in his government amongst us Dowe feele him putting in his hand at the door certainly if we be skilled in the way of Christ we may seele him putting his hand in at the door Oh that our bowels would yern and cause our hearts to flow to the boâ—ntisulnesse of the Lord and joyn with Christ in that blessed work of his that he is about Our bowels must also be toward the Saints It is extreamely against the spirit of Christ for a Christian to be hard-hearted toward his brethren Christ expects bowels And as you would account it â—grievous misery to have your bowels rotten to have diseases in your bowels know it is as great an evill to have your hearts unmercifull that is to have a disease in your bowels so the Scripture phrase is Amos 1. 11. He cast off all pitie his anger did tear perpetually so it is in your bookes but the words in the Originall are And corrupted his bowels their bowels were corrupted when they were not pittiful toward their brethren in misery It was a grievous condition that Iehoram was in 2 Chron. 21. 15. when his bowels came forth by reason of his disease An unmercifull heart is a worse disease then this What are wee and who are we that Gods mercies should be shewen towards us why not our mercies toward our brethren then The Scripture calleth exceedingly for mercy in the Saints toward one another Col. 3. 17. Put on as the Elect of God bowels of mercy and kindness VVould you have an argument unto your selves that you are Gods Elect put on bowels then Never was there time since you lived or your forefathers lived wherein God called for bowels more then now Do you hear of the miseries of your brethren their goods spoiled houses burnt wives children ravished themselves imprisoned their bodies wounded and yet no bowels all this while what you hard-hearted in the meane time Are you the elect of God why I pray you what is your flesh more then the flesh of others what are your comforts more then the comforts of others why should you lie soft and safe more then others Is there any such difference betwixt you and your brethren that they should be in misery and you must be pampered and scarce feele the very wind to blow on you and yet in the meane time your hearts hardned towards them It is true God it is that hath made the difference you will say and God may make a difference where he pleaseth I grant it and it would not grieve God to make such a difference betweene you and them if he saw your bowels yern towards them But if God layes such afflictions upon your brethren who are better then you and have done more for him then
much unconstancy fickleness in our love one to another but the love of God to his people is stable setled firm constant love That is the meaning in the first place though not all Esay 62. 5. As the Eridegroome rejoyceth over the Bride so shal thy God rejoyce â—ver thee that is the love of Christ after thousands of yeers is still but as the love of a bridegroome upon the wedding day then ordnarily love is hot appears much not the love onely of the husband but as the Bridegroome There is no moment of time but Christ rejoyceth not onely as a husband but as a Bridegroome over every gracious soule Christs love is steady because it is pure without mixture it is a holy love Observe the comparing of two Texts Esay 55. 3. The sure mercies of David are promised there In Acts 13. 34. that Scripture is quoted and there it is The holy things of David As noting because the love of God is holy therefore it is sure and stedfast Christs love unto his people is in righteousnesse as before and in judgement and in loving kindnesse and mercies It is from the sweetness of his nature and therefore it is steady firm With him there is no shadow of change It is grounded upon a sure covenant therefore firme Though indeed the love of Christ may be to us as the shining of the Sun not alwayes in the fruits of it shining out so gloriously but the Sun keepes his course in a steady way though sometimes it is clouded and we have it not so gloriously as at other times The Saints should fasten upon the love of Christ in the Covenant and though other things be never so uncertaine yet they should quiet their hearts in this that their happiness in the Covenant of grace is certaine Perhaps the love of our friend is uncertaine very fickle and inconstant those who will glavor upon you and seeme as if their hearts were with you but what sullen moods and fits will there be at times and when you have most need of them you know not where to finde them But the love of Christ is certaine and stable 2 Sam. 23. 5. Marke how David comforted himself in the stablenesse of the love of God in the covenant Though he doth not cause my house to grow yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure and this is all my desire all my hope that is that the Covenant is sure and stedfast And as we have opened it in all the former so here it must be mutuall I will betroth thee in faithfulnesse and make thee faithfull too that is thou shalt have a steady firme stable spirit in thy love to me though not in that degree that Christs is yet there is a stability in the hearts of the Saints unto Christ they are not carried up and down with every wind of doctrine with every puffe of temptation as other men are The righteous is an everlasting foundation Pro. 10. 25. The upright holdeth on his way Iob. 17. 9. It must needs be so because the affections of the Saints unto Christ are holy affections too though not perfect they have indeed some mixture therefore some instability but they have holiness therefore stability And they choose Christ in righteousnesse and in judgement And they have the Divine Nature in them and as that hath no shadow of change so they come to have something like to the immutability of the Divine Nature some shadow of it Esay 26. 3. A godly man is described thus Whose minde is staid upon God he hath a stable spirit not a wandring fickle roving spirit he hath fixed himself upon God he can say My heart is fixed The men of the world because they have not that which can satisfie run up and downe first after one contentment then after another they have no where to fix but the Saints finde all-sufficiency in God when they are there their hearts are satisfied and there they fix As a Bee lighting upon a flower finding but a little honey gets away to another and to another and to another but when it comes to a flower where it may suck honey enough it fixeth it stayeth there The hearts of the Saints find a fulnesse of good in God and there they fixe A fickle wavering unstable spirit is exceeding unbeseeming a Christian As it is in the body some who have flushings of heat have a very good colour for a while but when we know this good colour is but a flush it is rather an argument of a disease then of a good complexion An end of a candle that burnes in the socket gives some flashes of light now and then but a candle that is set upon a table gives a steady and constant light Mad people you know have their Iudicia intervalla some times wherein they doe acts of reason but you may perceive they are not in their wits because there is not constancy and evennesse in their actions This stablenes this evenes in a Christian way is the beauty and glory of it Though you be never so forward sometimes in that which is good yet if at other times your hearts be off there is no beauty in your conversation But give me a Christian whose wayes are even that you may finde a constancy in him in all his wayes Those who have such fickle uncertaine inconstant hearts are never like to excell if they have any truth in them yet they will never be eminent Christians Gen. 49. 4. it is said of Ruben Ruben unstable as water but hee shall not excell so it may be said of a Christian unstable here is one of good affections at sometimes very forward but unstable as water he shall not excell Constancy in love is exceeding comely and beautifull between man and wife from thence is the expression of the holy Ghost here it adds much unto the lustre and comfort of their lives For men to seeme sometimes to be mighty fond other times to be bitter and sowre like Nabals or the wife to be very fond sometimes and to be grievous irkesome at other times this takes away the beauty the comfort of their lives But there is more in this faithfulnesse then stability and firmeness I will betroth thee in faithfulnesse I will certainly performe all the good you can expect from me which is befitting a husband yea such a husband as I am to doe to my Spouse you may confide in me I will be faithfull to you not onely my love but my faithfulnes shall binde me to you My loving kindness my mercifull disposition is a great bond but my faithfulnes shall binde me also I will be content to ingage my selfe to you that you may certainly confide in me so as you may not only expect it from my love but challenge it from my faithfulness We deny not Gods providence to other creatures but the Spouse challengeth
expression of much love also to Israel but yet withall God tells them of that meane and low estate they are like to be in before that time comes for the fulfilling of all that good that God intends to them God purposes great mercy for them his heart is much set upon them but they must for a long time beare their iniquity they must be brought into a vile and desolate condition in their captivity even untill a second appearing of Christ But in all this time the heart of God would be toward them his intentions would be strong for good to that people above all the people upon the face of the earth though they might seeme to be utterly rejected of the Lord and that for many yeers yet hee would look toward them as a people that he intended yet to marry unto himself in time mercy should breake forth gloriously upon them and his name should be magnified in their returning unto him so as their hearts should melt toward his goodnesse they should not abuse it any more as formerly they had done but they should returne and seeke the Lord their God and David their King and feare the Lord and his goodnesse in the latter dayes This is the scope of the Chapter In which you have three things 1. Gods love continued unto an adulteresse Israel 2. The low and mean condition of this adulteresse for a long time 3. The returne of God in infinite mercy toward them at the latter day together with their returne unto him And the Lord said unto me goe yet love a woman beloved of her friend yet an adulter esse We have here a new injunction to the Prophet and that somewhat harder then his former In the first Chapter God commanded him to goe and take awife of whoredomes but here God commanded him to love an adulteresse which is somewhat more then to take her unto himself What that was of taking a wife of whoredomes hath been opened in the former Chapter and may spare some labour in this It is here a vision as it was there As if God should say unto Hosea Hosea it is just with me as it would be with thee if thou shouldst goe and have a wife an Adulteresse notwithstanding all the love she hath found yet still an Adulteresse thine heart should be upon her so as thou couldest not take thy heart from her but thou must needs love this Adulteresse still This people whom I have loved for whom I have done so much good yet they have gone a whoring from me they are an Adulteresse yet for all that my heart cannot be taken off from them but is still toward them yet I love them This is through the strength of the Covenant that Gods love is so permanent Others who are not in covenant with him God casts out for lesser sins for any sins but as for his people who are in Covenant with him no not their adulteries their idolatries takes not the heart of God wholly from them Surely then if thou canst appeale to God O Lord thou knowest all things knowest that there is nothing of thy mind revealed to me but my heart is ready to do it and if I faile in any thing thou knowest it is the greatest burden of my soul O that I knew more of thy minde and that I had power to doe more surely God will love thee you heare he loves his people though an adulteresse as before so now take this lesson thy sinnes cannot over come Gods goodnesse let Gods goodnesse overcome thy sinfulnesse An adulteresse beloved of her friend This is as some carry it Calvin Vatablus and many others beloved of her husband as if God should say had they any such excuse for their departings from me that I have been a bitter husband to them that I have used them hardly and rigidly then indeed they might have some plea but I have loved them dearly I have done much for them they were beloved of me I have carried my selfe to them in the most friendly way that possibly could be yet they are gone a whoring from me The wife that followes other lovers thinks if she have but this to say her husband is hard to her hee cares not for her he loves her not it excuses in part her adulteries and so the husband a company keeper an adulterer if he can say what will you have me to doe I never come home but my wife is alwayes bâ—awling and she loves other men he thinks this is plea enough for him But Israel could not have this excuse for her selfe for she was an Adulteresse yet beloved of the Lord. If we take the words thus the notes briefly would be these First The husband should be a friend to his wife There should be nothing but friendly carriage betweene man and wife Yea the love of the husband to the wife should farr surmount the love of any friend in the world but a friend at least to comfort her to cherrish her in time of sorrowes to beare the burthen of affliction with her and so the wife towards the husband Secondly A base heart will be base against all bonds of love beloved of her friend yet an adultoresse if you should ask who is he or where is he that is so base Lay thy hand upon thine owne heart and consider what the love of God hath been towards thee all the dayes of thy life and how thou hast carried thy selfe toward him what love thou hast had from God that might breake the heart of a devill yet when any temptation comes to draw thee from God thy base heart listens to it Thirdly It is a great aggravation of sin to sinne against much love We ought to doe our duties to those that we stand in relation unto though they doe not their duty to us if a wife hath a froward husband a bitter churlish rugged wicked ungodly husband yet she is bound to doe her duty to him she is bound to love him to obey him to be observant of him in what may give him all lawfull content So if servants have froward churlish cruel Masters or Mastresses yet they are bound to be obedient to them 1 Pet. 2. 18. Be subject to your masters not onely to those that rae good and gentle but to the froward It is no sufficient excuse for the wife to say My husband is froward and unquiet and therefore what shall I doe Nor for the servant to say My Master or Mistresse are unreasonable they are cruell what can I doe You must doe your duty to them though they doe not theirs to you But if you have a loving husband tender over you then love is required much more Love above all things should draw the heart the knowledge that it is duty may force obedience but it is love that draws the heart most kindly So if a servant have a godly Master and Mistresse who respects and tenders his good if
First they should be in a contemptible condition they should be valued but at halfe the price of a slave Secondly they should be fed but meanly and basely even as slaves or rather as beasts this homer and half of barley should be for their sustenance in which they should be used very hardly for along time And that you may see how this hath been fulfilled for it did not only refer to the time of their Captivity before Christ but to all the Captivity they have been in ever since Christs time to this day and shall be in untill their calling the mean condition they were in before in the time of their first Captivity you may see Lament 4. 5. Those that were clothed in scarlet embraced the dung-hill they either lay in filthy places that had dung in them like beasts or else they were imployed in carrying dung up and down And to this day Histories tell us that generally the Jews have a most stinking savour and we know that they are the vilest people in the esteeme of others that are upon the face of the earth An Historian tells us of an Emperour travelling into Egypt there meeting with some Jews he was so annoyed with the stink of them that he cryes out O Marco-mani O Quadi c. At length saith he I have met with worse with viler men then such and such reckoning up divers of the basest people that were upon the face of the earth And to this day the Turks will admit of no Jew to turne to the Mahumetan Religion unlesse he first turne Christian they have much more honorable esteeme of the Christians they think that Jesus Christ though he was not God yet he was a great Prophet but for the Jews they have such vile thoughts of them that they think it a dishonour to the Turkish Religion that any of them should turne Turk unlesse be first turned Christian And we reade of the Romanes that when they conquered other Nations they would permit them to call themselves Romanes after they had conquered them but they would never permit the Jews to call themselves Romanes though the Jews would comply never so much with them and be their servants Augustine hath it upon Psalme 58. lest there should be some blot stick to the glory of the Romanes by that odious people Thus we see what shame hath God cast upon that nation even unto this day that they are counted as the very off-scouring of all nations Suetonius tels us that in the exactions that the Romanes require of people they put upon the Jews more then upon all people This that we reade of in histories that which we finde by experience of the base condition these people are in is the fulfilling this Scripture that I am now opening unto you she shal be bought for fifteen pieces of silver and fed with barly she shall be in a very low base and meane condition untill Christ shall come and marry her to himself Notes from hence are First A people who have been high in outward glory when they depart from God make themselves vile and contemptible God casts contempt upon wicked men especially upon wicked men who corrupt his worship Do we not see it at this day Mal. 2. 9. It is threatned that the Priests who departed from the law corrupted their waies should be base and contemptible before the people Hath not the Lord done thus at this day even those that not long since gave themselves the title of the triumphant Clergy and the triumphant Church and went up and downe jetting as if they would out-face heaven it self They feared all men with the High Commission Court But what shame hath God cast upon this generation the people loath them and we hope in time the Lord will sweepe away the proud and haughty of them as the reffuse of the earth Yea our whole nation hath been a proud nation what vaunting hath there been of what a glorious Church we had never such a one upon the earth we sate as a Queen amongst the nations we have been a haughty people and God may justly cast contempt upon us The Jewes were so the Temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord but God hath now made them the vilest nation upon the earth And the truth is God hath begun to cast much shame upon this nation The time was when the Kingdom of England was a terror to other people of late they have been the scorne and contempt of other nations When Ephraius spake there was trembling he exalted himselfe in Israel but sinning it Baal he died he became as a dead poor vile contemptible people Hos 13. 1. The Lord loveth to name the pride of men How many have you known who have been proud and lofty and the Lord hath cast shame and contempt in their saces even before those whom they looked upon heretofore with contempt they have now been made objects of contempt Secondly Though a people be under contempt yet Gods heart may be towards them to doe them good at the latter end There is the love of Gods election still to this people God remembers them and intends good unto them for all this VVho knowes what contempt God may cast upon us Perhaps he may let our proud adversaries trample us under their feet but we hope he will not because he sees their hearts so proud as they are But if he should we should not despaire we must not conclude God hath quite cast off England though he should bring all his people under contempt so as to betrampled under the foot of pride And if there be any of you whom God hath so humbled as he hath made you contemptible doe you humble your selves before God but do not despaire the Lord may yet have a love to you though you are now under shame and contempt who knowes but that this was the only way that God had to humble your hearts God putteth his ovvn people under contempt and yet it is all out of love unto them and vvithan intent to do them good at last Thirdly which is the most especial note hence After many promises of Gods mercy and of a glorious condition which he intendeth his people he may yet hold a very hard hand over them a great while God having promised so much mercy in the former Chapter Israel might quickly grow vvanton and say it is no great matter though we be vile and wicked yet God will marry us to himself and we shall be a glorious people and what need we take care Nay saith God stay here though my heart be toward you yet this generation shall suffer and the next generation the next generation after that shall suffer hard things you shal be brought into the most vile condition that ever any people was brought into yet my promise shall be fulfilled at the last Here we see what care God taketh that people should not grow wanton
frame it is laborious and industrious to know the mind of God Whereas the heart of a sinner heretofore lay dead dull never stirred after God now it is in a stirting in an inquiring in a seeking way this is a signe of much good though thou hast not what thou seekest for yet be comforted in this that thou art in a seeking way Their hearts shal reâ—oyce that seeke the Lord. If thou beest seeking God in his ways though thou complainest I have beene seeking a long time but I know not the minde of God I cannot apprehend the love of God the pardon of my sins yea but the hearts of those shall rejoyce that seek the Lord if thou beest in a seeking way thou art in a saving way there is cause thou shouldst rejoyce in this that God hath brought thee into such a way They shall seeke the Lord and that not saintly but to purpose auxiously Jer. 50. 4. 5. They the children of Israel and the children of Judah when they shall be both together shall goe weeping and seeke the Lord their God and they shall aske the way to Zion with their faces thitherward Many of you come to aske questions but your hearts are not right your faces the strength of your spirits are not set to yeeld to the will of God when it is revealed to you And mark how it appeares that their faces are thitherward Come say they let us joyne our selves to the Lord in a perpetual Covenant that shall not be forgotten This is to seeke God it is not meerly to goe to a Minister and aske him a question but it is to goe with our faces with the strength of our spirits set to know the minde of God above any thing in the world and so to resolve to obey what shall be revealed to be Gods mind as to be willing to enter into a perpetual Covenant to binde our selves to yeeld to whatsoever God shal reveale When you come to a Sermon you must not come to get a little notional knowledge but come with your faces towards Christ and his truth before you come you should get alone if you be a true seeker and enter into Covenant with God that whatsoever God revealeth to be his minde you will yeeld to it obey it though you have heretofore gone against many truths revealed to be the minde of God but Lord no more now here I am ready and willing to enter into an everlasting covenant to be under the command of every truth Here is the right seeking of God They shall seeke the Lord their God their God this hath two references either to what is past or to what is to come To what is past their God that is the God who was once the God of the Jews the God of their forefathers the God of Abraham of Isaac and of Jacob. And secondly their God that is that God that is yet ready and willing to be reconciled to them not withstanding all their sinnes Thus they shal seek the Lord their God These two references afford two excellent Observations First This prevailes much with the heart of an Apostate when he can but think what God was once unto him before he did Apostatize and what he was unto his godly parents and predecessors There was a time that I enjoyed God sweetly when I went to prayer I had blessed communion with him it is otherwise with me now I have apostatized Let this consideration catch hâ—ld upon thy heart and turn it this day Oh turne turn thou apostate soul God who was once thy God in a gracious manner is that God that thou hast vilely forsaken yea thy fathers God also Thou hast a godly father a godly grand-father remember what a blessed God he was unto them and return Secondly Their God that God that yet they may have hope to enjoy notvvithstanding all their departings from him Hence the note is this The apprehension oâ— a possibilty to obtaine mercie from the Lord is a strong means to draw the heart to returne to him when they look upon God as a God in covenant with them yet and there is nothing to the contrary but he may be their God Let this be an argument to catch hold upon the spirits of all sinners who are departed from God thou hast departed from God in a soule and vile manner but Men and Angels know nothing to the contrary but that he may be thy God for all this Let me speake to the vilest sinner that is in this place before the Lord this day thou hast indeed most desperately and wickedly sinned against God the Jews have done so Hast thou crucified Christ they have done so hast thou denied the truth and followed false waies they have done so Notwithstanding all thy wicked and evil waies seeing thou art yet alive I doe this day yet once more pronounce thee in the name of the great God that there is nothing to the contrary that either Angels or Men can possibly know but that God may be thy God and that this day God may enter into covenant with thee thou with him this night he may come in and sup with thee and thou with him there may be a blessed reconciliation between God and thee return return thou sinful soul The Third Lecture HOSEA 3. 5. And David their King and shall feare the Lord and his goodnesse in the latter dayes THat the Jews shall returne and believe in Christ is most ordinary and famous both in the words and hearts of those that are faithfull saies Augustine In this their returne and seeking God they shall seek David their King For the opening this there are these five things to be inquired into 1. Who this David was 2. Why David is rather named then any other 3. Why he is mentioned in this place 4. Why joyned with seeking Jehovah 5. Why this Epithet is added to David here David their King For the first David clearly is meant JESUS CHRIST Nothing is more manifest then that Christ is meant by the name of David sayes Augustine The Scripture is cleare in this it is usuall in the Gospel to call Christ by the name of David Compare Esay 55. 3. with Acts 13. 34. Esay 55. I will give you the sure mercies of David what are those Act. 13. that place in Isaiah is quoted and there the word is Sancta Davidis the holy things of David the holy Ghost there going according to the Translation of the Septuagint as it is usuall in the New Testament And that Psalm 16. 9. 10. where David seemes to speake in his owne person Thou wilt not leave my soul in grave nor suffer thy holy One to see corruption this is interpreted of Christ Act. 13. 36. 37. Act. 15. 16. In the Assembly the Church of Jerusalem together with messengers of the Church of Antioch James makes a speech to the Assembly tels them of a prophesie that God would raise the
sponsa vendicat Bern. Christ stands much upon this that the harts of his Saints should confide in him God a sure object for our faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Our faith must rayse us above difficulties Renowned acts of faith drawes forth God power to worke foe the Saints Faith will hold God to his word Evidences that we do not trust in Gods faith fulness We must be faithfull to god so as God may confide in us We must be faithfull one toward another Obser Quia ego dominus Obser The right knowing God is a fruit of the covenant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The light of the Saints is three stories high Ephes 4 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Obser Obser Obs Obser Obser Obser Obser Obser Lect. 19 Obser Obser Obser Obser Obser Obs Obser Obser Obser 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Obser Obser Obser 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Obser Obser Obser Obser Quae omnia Iudei post Antichristum in fine mundi prestolantur Hieronym in locum Lect. 1. Obs Obser Obser Love must not be abused 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ezek. 23. 27. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Obser Idolatry and sensuality goe together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cognatum cum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pagn Contrabentes dextras invicem datas ut rem ratam essâ— significarent percutiendo discinderent sicut in faederibus bestiae disse cabantur Pagn O Marâ—emani O Quadi O Sarmatae tandem alios vobis deteriores inveni Ammian lib. 2. Alios Romanos appellari permitterent non Iudaeos ne quid labis ad haertscenit nomini ab odioso ac sordido genere August in Psal 58. ad illud ne occidas Suetonius in Domitianâ— c. 12. Obser Sin puts into a vile condition Obs Obser Those to whom God intends great mercy may for a long time be in a sad condition Obser Obser Obser Obs Obser Obser Lect. 1. Obser Obser Ier. 31. 21. VVe may know what is done in heaven by by the beatings of our own hearts Obser Answ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lect. 2. Plutarch in the life of Pyrrhus Obser 2. Things in which wee must take heed of mixture Some coples 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The evill condition of those who are out of Christ God is sought in straits 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What the Ephod was What to be observed from the precious stones upon the Ephod Obser Obser Faetentur Rabbini sum mam esse apud Hebraeos harum rerum ignorantiam we must know Gods mind by Christ Obs Obser Obser Quae sit causa tam grandis offensa ut tanto tempore relicti sunt maxime cum idolae non colant praeter interfectionem salvatoris aliam non valent invenire Hieron in loc What Teraphim was Quem admodum per Ephod Deo consecratum quid agendum esset consuleâ— illbus significabatur ita per Teraphim Idolorum praedictiones declarabantur Procop. in Sam. 15. 23. Mactabant hominem cujus caput terquendo prescin debant quod postea â—ale aromatibus condiebant scribebantque super laminam auream nomeâ—â— spiritâ—â— immundi qua sopposita capiti ejus ponchant illud in parictâ— intendentibus coram eo candelas adorantes coram eo supponebant nomen spiritus immundi sub lingua ipsius ille alloquebatur eos Sic. R. Eliez How the taking away the Image and the Teraphim is a threatning How violently mens hearts are set upon superstitious wayes Obser Obser Obser Obser Obser Obser Obser Obser Obser Iâ—daos in Christum nostrum credituros celeberrimum est in sermonibus cordibusque fidelium August 1. Nihil ista propheta manifestius quam David Regis nomine significatus intelâ—igitur Christus August de civit lib. 18. c. 28. Lect. 3. Answ Obser Non solum periculosum sed horrtbile est de Deo extra Christum cogitare Luther Ego sape libâ—nter hoc inculco ut extra Christum oculos aures claudates dicaâ—â— nullum vos scire Deum nisi qui fuit in graemio Mariae suxit â—bera ejus Luther David and Christ paraleld in their exercise of kingly power Obser The feare of God is strong in a repenting 〈◊〉 The fear of God wil be most strong when the Church shall bee most glorious Foure grounds of the feare of God in the times of he Churches deliveranc◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What is that goodnesse they shall feare God will take away the reproach of his Saints How the goodnesse of God is to be feared Wantons who abuse Gods goodnesse Differen ces between legall feare evangelicall