thew 49 Obs 2 The way to prevail with men is to deal with them in a rational way 50 Obs 3 It 's a great aggravation of sin not to be drawn dy these cords of men 52 Use 1 Saints should be eminent in courtesie 54 Use 2 We should draw our relations with gentleness ib. Use 3 Gentle means rejected aggravate sin 55 Obs 4 We must preserve the honor of our inferiors though their faults be great ib. Obs 5 It will aggravate the shame and confusion of men which disregarded Gods using them in an honorable way 56 Obs 6 Not to be drawn to our duty but by violence and strength it is beastial 57 Obs 7 As God deals with us according to our nature so we ought to deal with God as far as we are able sutable to his nature ib. Obs 8 That the Lord doth not alwaies stand upon number though the greatest 59 Obs 9 That Love it hath strong bonds 63 Obs 10 We should labor to cast the bonds of love upon those we have to deal with 66 Obs 11 Seeing Love hath such bonds in it we should make use of the Love of God to bind our hearts to him 78 Obs 12 There 's nothing more aggravats sin than that it is against Love 88 Obs 13 That deliverance from oppression is a great mercie 92 Obs 14 To abuse our ease when God is pleased to deliver us from yokes is very sinful 93 Obs 15 To oppress one another after we are delivered from oppression is likewise a great evil 97 Obs 16 Mercies prepared and provided for laid before us are to be prized 101 Obs 17 In receiving of our food we must look up to Heaven 102 Obs 18 The Service of Gods people is easie and their provision is bountiful ib. Use How great is the mercy of God to us who hath eased our yokes and laid meat before us 〈◊〉 103 VER V. Obs 1 That which bardens men hearts against threats in their sin is some shifts that they have in their thoughts 104 Obs 2 A stout heart cares not whether it goes rather than it will return to God 105 Obs 3 Stubborn hearts if any thing crosses them will foolishly and desperately wish their return to their former condition of misery ib. Obs 4 God knows how to cross wicked men of their wills to spoil them of their plots 106 Obs 5 If we will not do Gods Will God will cross us of our own 107 Obs 6 God is not so much displeased at our sins as at our not returning 108 Obs 7 To refuse to return notwithstanding means used and mercies tendered is a fearful thing ibid. Obs 8 Scornful spirits when they are called upon to return from their evil waies do not only deny returning but also scorn and slight what is said to them 110 VER VI. Obs 1 It 's time for a people to return when God doth whet or draw out his Sword 111 Obs 2 That the abiding of the Sword is a sore judgment ib. Use Against protractors of the War Obs 3 The sword shall abide as long as God will have it ibid Obs 4 That though it be sad for the sword to be in the Field yet for the sword to be in the City is sadder 113 VER VII Exposition 118 Application 1 Publick to England ibid 2 Private to particular persons 119 Why men start back Reasons 1 Gods waies are unsutable to them ibid 2 They have a greater mind to other things ibid 3 They are weary of the waies of God ibid. 4 They have watched advantages to get off from what they have formerly made profession of ibid 5 They are sorrie they engaged themselves so much as they did ibid 6 They greedily embrace any Objections against such waies ibid 7 They are very greedie to take any offence ib. 8 They watch for offences 120 9 They are willing to embrace any opinion that will give them liberty 121 Obs 1 That it is a great evil for men to strive against their conscienoes 122 Obs 2. Mens hearts sink down to low and mean things naturally 126 Obs 3. It is the end of the Ministry of the Word to call men to the Most High God who have their hearts groveling after low and base things ib. Obs 4 It is a great and sore evil to stop our ears against the calls of the Word 127 Obs 5 That the calling to the most high God is a special means to cause those that are in a suspence to come in to a full resolution ibid Obs 6 The true Worship of God is an elevating thing 129 An Exhortation 131 1 To great men ibid 2 To Saints ibid How God hath exalted the Saints 1 He hath raised them from the depth of miserie 131 2 He hath made them one with his Son ib. 3 Hath loved them with the same love wherewith he loved his Son ib. 4 Hath made them Co-heirs with his Son ib. 5 Hath given his Angels to be ministring spirits to them ibid 6 God intends to honor himself in their eternal good ib. 7 He hath prepared for them a Crown of Glory ib. Obs 7 God hath little honor in the world 132 VER VIII Exposition general 134 Exposition particular 135 Obs 1 The greatness of mans sin hinders not the work of Gods mercie 141 Use 1 If the bowels of Gods mercie work towards us let ours work towards our brethren 142 Use 2 Why should great afflictions for God hinder our hearts working to him when our great sins against God hinder not Gods heart from working towards us ibid. Obs 2 Sinners are at the very mouth of misery when they do not think of it ibid. Obs 3 Gods free mercie is that which keeps us from being destroyed ibid. Obs 4 Sinputs God to a stand ib. Obs 5 The salvation of a sinner breaks through manie reasonings and workings in Gods heart 143 Obs 6 According to the relation a sinful people have to God so difficult a thing is it for God to execute his wrath upon them 144 Why God is not readie at any time to execute Judgment upon a sinner 1 The prayers of the Saints stand against Justice 145 2 The Lord look upon the place with an eye of pitie ib. 3 God considers that he hath but little worship in the world 146 4 He looks upon the Service hath been formerly given him in that place ib. 5 There may be a remnant of Saints there ib. 6 He eyes the miseries they will endure ib. 7 The Lord sees how the adversaries will insult 147 8 He looks upon the Elect ones not yet born ib. 9 If my wrath must be satisfied let it run out upon others ib. 10. The affliction of the Saints is Gods own affliction 148 11 God will fetch good out of their evil ib. 12 Gods Justice is glorified by his patience ib. 13 Gods mercie may convert ib. Obs 7 A chollerick disposition is none of Gods Image 150 Use 1 Take heed of being passionate ib. Use 2 Let
Reports to the dishonour of Religion 210 Use 2. Search out the truth first before you report at all ib. Obs 3 When people are guilty of a sin the Prophets should beat upon it again and again 212 VER II. Exposition 213 Obs 1 God commends and contends with his Church at once ib. VER III. Exposition 1. 219 Obs 1. We are to acknowledg God's Election of our Forefathers to be an Act of free grace 222 Obs 2 Those which receive great blessings from Gods mercy to their Ancestors are to acknowledg the free grace of God ib. Exposiston 2 223 Exposition 3 ib. Exposition 4 226 Exposition 5 228 Exposition 6 231 Exposition 7 232 Obs 3 That when God strives against his Servants he gives them sirength 234 Obs 4 It 's a great honour to manifest much strength in prayer ib Obs 5 The way to prevail with men is to prevail with God 236 Obs 6 That the time for the Church to prevail in is then when she is most weak 239 VER IV. Obs 1 Prayer is the great prevailing Ordinance with God 246 Ingredients to Prayer 1 Faith in the Covenant of God 248 2 To be in Gods way 259 3 To plead a particular promise ib. 4 Sence of our own unworthiness ib. 5 Acknowledgment of mercies and truth in promises 260 6 Remembrance of former means ibid. 7 Deep sence of the thing desired ibid. 8 Strong arguments 261 Obs 2 God finds his people many times when they little think of him 262 Obs 3 The foundation of the Saints comfort is in the Covenant of God 264 Obs 4 Mercies promised should beleeved when there is much unlikelihood 265 Obs 5 The multiplying of the Church is a great blessing ibid. Obs 6 The Saints have need of renewing promises ibid. Obs 7 The blessing that comes to the world comes by promised seed ibid. Obs 8 It was in Gods heart to do good unto us Gentiles thousands of yeers since ibid. Obs 9 God is still working towards the fulfilling of promises 166 Obs 10 The mercie and faithfulness of God is constant for continuance ibid. Obs 11 The Saints have need of the confirmation of mercies ibid. Obs 12 It 's a great help to fiath to have God present himself to the soul as God Almighty 267 Obs 13 God delights to revive his people in their fears with sutable mercie ibid. Use To learn tender-heartedness towards them that are in fears and troubles ibid. VER V. Exposition 269 Obs 1 That though God be never so strong and terrible in himself yet faith hath strength to wrastle with him 284 Use Christians should raise up their spirits when they have to deal with God ibid. Obs 2 God is the same to us if we forsake him not as he was to our forefathers 289 Obs 3. There 's no need of Images to keep Gods remembrance 288 Obs 4 God manifests his glory that he may be remembred from age to age ib. Obs 5 The meditation of the Name JEHOVAH is a useful Memorial of God 289 VER VI. Obs 1. The consideration of our godly forefathers is a great argument to turn us to God ib. Obs 2 That God is the Lord of Hosts is another argument to turn us to him 290 Obs 3. Because God is Jehovah we must turn to him 291 Obs 4 The Excellencie of the Saints is an Argument to turn us to God 293 Obs 5. We depart from God in the midst of our services when we perform them not in Gods way ib. Obs 6. In our turning to God we must reform our special sins 295 Obs 7 We must reform as well in Duties of the Second Table as in matter of Worship 296 Obs 8 There must be righteousness among men where there is a turning to God 298 Obs 9 Those that are in Authority must manifest their turning to God by Execution of Judgment ib. Obs 10 The mixture of Mercie Judgment is very comely 299 Obs 11. A turning heart to God is a waiting heart 303 VER VII Exposition 310 Obs 1. Men by their sin may lose the honor of their progenitors ib. VER VIII Exposition 324 Obs 1 Wicked men will have somthing to say for themselves ib. Obs 2 Wicked men may prosper a while in their evil courses ib. Obs 3 Wicked men attribute all that they get unto themselves ib. Obs 4 Carnal hearts account riches the only substantial things 325 Obs 5 Wicked men glory in the estates they have gotten ib. Obs 6 Carnal hearts seek to relieve their consciences with outward comforts 326 Obs 7 Wicked men beleeve not that God is so angry with them as they are told he is 327 Obs 8 Evil things many times have good names 330 Obs 9 It 's hard to convince covetous men of their iniquitie ib. Obs 10 It 's hard to convince them that they do not love to be charged with their sin 331 Obs 11 Men may in words profess the thing that they are guilty of to be abominable ib. Obs 12 Wicked men care not so other men cannot accuse them 332 Obs 13 A carnal heart extenuates his sins 333 Obs 14 If wicked men can but scape the danger of Law it 's all they care for 334 VER IX Obs 1 The prosperity of men in a sinful way makes them forget what God hath done for them in former times 336 Obs 2 God takes notice of mens unthanfulness ib. Obs 3 Old mercies are great engagements to duty and the neglect of dutie a great aggravation of sin 337 Obs 4 God gives hopes of mercie to sinners upon their Repentance 339 Use To persons offended by others 341 Doct. 2 The consideration of what God 〈…〉 h done should help our 〈◊〉 in beleeving what he will do ib. Applied to England VER X. Obs 1 It 's God that speaks by his Prophets 344 Obs 2 It is a great mercie to a people for God to speak to them by his Prophets 345 Obs 3 God will take account what becomes of the labor and pains of his Prophets 347 Obs 4 'T is a great mercie for God to declare his mind again and again ibid. Use How may God upbraid us with this 348 Obs 5 The Lord takes account of the manner of mens preaching as well as of the things they preach 349 Obs 6 The revealing the Word by similitudes is very useful and profitable ibid. Obs 7 Slight not the Word when it comes by a simile 350 Obs 8 Rest not in the pleasantness of the simile ib. VER XI Obs 1 Whatsoever is presented in the Worship of God if not of Gods appointment is meer vanity 352 Obs 2 When Gods Judgments have been against any for sin all sinners guilty of the same sins have cause to feare 353 Obs 3 Such whose principles are neerer to God than others if they be superstitious God will surely be revenged of them 354 VER XII Scope 357 Obs 1 Such as take pride in their Ancestors should look back to the mean condition of their Ancestors 392 Obs 2 Dependance
Lord long-suffering and of great mercy forgiving iniquity and transgression c why now Lord manifest thy glory now Lord shew thy self to be a glorious God in doing what mark in the 19. verse Pardon I beseech thee the iniquity of this people That 's the glory that God should shew forth and manifest his power in it one would rather think that the power of God should rather be manifest in the destruction of sinners no the power of God is manifest in Mercie as well as in miserie and destruction And we find that those that come up neerest to God they are the most loving and gracious merciful hearts yet if they do but come neer to God so as possibly natural men may to have but any magnanimitie that 's a little neerer to God than a base sordid spirit the magnanimousness of of any mans spirit appears in his love and forbearance and meekness and gentleness for so we know the Heathens could say The greater any one is the more placable is his anger a generous mind not easily mov'd and so he compares the Lyon and Bears and Wolves 〈…〉 the Lyon is a magnanimous Creature therefore saith the Heathen it 's enough for to fall down before a magnanimous Lyon but for Wolves and Bears they insult over those that falls down before them So those that have the most magnanimous spirits have the most patient spirits and forgiving spirits and pardoning spirits This is as cross a Note unto a carnal heart almost as any thing I mean to one that gives way to the lusts of his passion for he thinks himself only magnanimous when he can vent his anger and were it not for the thought that he thinks he should be a fool he would forbear his anger it is not thy honor but it makes thee base in the eyes of thy servants children and wife when thou comest into thy house like a mad fool it makes them look upon thee and despise thee when they see thee thus drunken in thy passion Secondly Such are the provocations of God caused by sin that if God were like to you sinners could not be forborn as if God should say The truth is your sins were such as were not I a God it were impossible that I could bear for so it is though we think not of it the evil of sin is so great that if all the patience that were in all the men that ever was since the world began were put into one man if he knew the great evil that there is in sin he would destroy the world he would not bear if his heart were but holy as here God saith himself Thirdly It 's a good way to exercise saith in Gods mercy to look upon God as a God beyond us beyond any creature for so this is therefore exprelled to the end that the people of God might exercise faith in beholding God as a God that 's the way to help thee in thy faith wouldest thou exercise faith upon God look upon him as a God 〈…〉 do not conceive him to be as a man It 's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 upon him somtimes as a compassion at man is a litle help 〈◊〉 that will not do it I suppose it would help a little some that are here suppose this Thou hadest to deal with the most merciful man that ever liv'd upon the face of the earth wouldest not thou hope then that thou mightest be sav'd if he had the dispose of thy eternal estate suppose there were a Judg that had the most relenting heart that ever was in the world and all relentings that ever were in all mens hearts were in him if this Judg had the dispose of thy eternal estate would it not help thee to know thou hast to deal with one that is infinitely above that Judg That Judg were a cruel Tyrant and Tyger in comparison of this God God is God and not man he is infinitely above man in the waies of his mercy We many times with looking upon God as our selves it makes us bold in sin first and afterwards it makes us despair in sin as thus in Psal 50. 21. Thou thoughtest I was like to thy self saith God there that is because I was patient and long-suffering towards thee thou thoughtest I was like unto a man and a man though he be a little offended you think you may please him again and so you thought I was like to your selves therefore you go on in your sins So the Devil first makes us look upon God like our selves and so we think that God hath no greater hatred to sin than we have but then turn the other side when we have once committed the sin when the Devil would tempt to despair then he makes us look to God like to our selves that 's thus I find that I could not forgive such an one if he had wronged me in such a manner and therefore they look upon God like a man nay like a corrupt man Oh! what a dishonor is this to God that because thou thy self hast a froward perverse cruel heart that thou canst not forgive therefore thou lookest upon God as if it were as hard for him to forgive as for thee My Brethren the looking upon God as a God it would help against many discouraging thoughts in poor sinners as first thus My sins are very great Men will forgive little offences but God is a God and not man and therefore great mercies are little in comparison to him A second discouraging thought is I have sinned against many offers of mercy but God is God and not a man and Gods mercy is such as brings in men that have refused the offers of Mercy And then Thirdly None is so sinful as I but God is a God and not a man and therefore he is above thee in the waies of his mercie God hath more mercy yet than ever he did manifest to any one creature in the world and though I be the vilest of all sinners yet let me look upon God as a God and not a man Fourthly I am unworthy saith the sinner of any mercy from God Indeed if you had to deal with a man it might hinder but God is a God and not a man therefore 't is not unworthiness that hinders mercy in God it is that mercy pleases him Yea But I am like to be of no use to God It 's true if you were to deal with a man he might not be pleased but God stands in no need of you or any of his creatures for he is a God and not man thou doest not honor God as a God if thou doest not cast thy soul upon his mercy as the mercy of a God If I put this unto thee I hope the glory of it will be so great as will keep it from being abused What doest thou think thy condition is grievous but doest thou think that such mercy would not serve the turn as
not Ministers be tart in the Pulpit ib. Obs 8 Saints may be bold in seeking God in prayer 151 Obs 9 The Saints that walk close with God must needs be verie secure 154 Obs 10 When judgments come upon Gods own people there is some great matter in it 155 Obs 11 There is a difference between the day of patience and the day of wrath ib. Obs 12 If God do not hasten Judgment against us we should not hasten it against our selves ib. Obs 13 The people of God are subject to as sore evils as the worst of men 156 Obs 14 When sinners are neerest to judgment then the bowels of Gods mercie works towards them 157 Obs 15 Those that are in relation to God have a priviledg that others have not ib. Use Take heed of abusing Gods mercies 158 Obs 16 If God be unwilling to make his People like the Wicked in punishment let them not make themselves like them in sin ib. Obs 17 Though God be never so much inclin'd to mercy he doth not hide his eyes from the sins of his own People ib. Use Let not the encouragement of mercie hide our sins from us 159 Obs 18. Strong motions to repentance give strong encouragements to come to God 160 Obs 19 Let arguments of obedience to God cause stirrings in our hearts 161 Obs 20 Let us not think it too much to have our hearts turned from strong resolutions to do evil ib. Obs 21 God's repentings are mighty encouragements to Prayer 162 Obs 22 Wee must gather as many arguments as we can to kindle Repentance in us ib. Obs 23 Our mercies to others should not be cold but burning 165 VER IX Exposition 165 Obs 1 The stirrings of mercie in our hearts should rather prevaile with us than stirrings to wrath 166 Obs 2 Stirrings for God should rather prevail with us than temptations to sin 167 Obs 3 Gods mercies do not free his People from all fruits of displeasure ib. Obs 4 We should acknowledge mercie though we suffer hard things 167 Obs 5 Sinners should not be secure when evil is upon them and think Now we know the worst on 't 168 Obs 6 God is very gracious to his People when evil is upon them ib. Difference between God and Man in point of Anger 169 1 Man is not able to rule his Anger ib. 2 Man is of a revengeful and cruel disposition 170 3 Man is in a rage often-times with others because of the disquit of his own heart ib. 4 There is but very little if any mercie at all in man ib. 5. Man is of a fickle and unconstant disposition ib. 6 If man pass by an offence it is from some motive from without ibid 7 Man thinks it his dishonor to be reconciled to those that offend him ibid 8 Man cannot foresee the consequences that may follow upon his pardoning of offences 171 9 Man cannot work good out of what ill carriages are against him ibid 10 Though man promise much mercie yet upon any offence he will recall his promise again ibid 11. Man thinks it's best to take his advantage of offenders at the present time 172 12 Man is bound to positive Rules of Justice that are set to him But God is free He will have mercie on whom he will have mercie ibid Obs 7 God glories in the goodness and mercie that is in himself ib. Use Passion and anger debases man 173 Obs 8 If God were like Man sinners could not be forborn 174 Obs 9 It is a good way to exercise faith in Gods mercie ibid Use Let us labor to be holy in our anger 178 Obs 10 God delights to shew the glory of his holiness in mercie toward sinners 179 Obs 11 Gods faithfulnesse is a special part of the glory of his holiness ibid Use 1 We may see hence how holiness will help our faith ibid Use 2 Let us manifest our holiness in our faithfulness ibid Obs 12 God continues among a people for his Saints and Elects sake ibid Obs 13. The Saints are of great use where they live 179 Obs 14 Humiliation and reformation do often save a City from destruction 180 Use Let not our sin provoke God to destroy us ibid VER X Exposition ib. Obs 1 It is the Lords infinite goodness to be the Captain of his people 181 Obs 2 It is the honor safety and happiness of the Saints to have God go before them ibid Obs 3 That the Majestie and terribleness of God causeth the wicked guilty conscience to fly from him 182 Use Oh the blessing of a clean conscience ibid Obs 4 That when Gods time is come for a through reformation in the world he will make the earth tremble 184 Use 1 Despair not at the strength of the wicked 185 Use 2 Learn to prepare for those times ibid Obs ult There are like to be great stirrings in the West 186 VER XI Exposition 186 Obs 1 God hath his time to place his people in their own houses in peace and safetie 187 Obs 2 It 's a good work to be instrumental in this ibid Obs 3 They that walk after the Lord shall be placed in their houses ibid Use Trust God with your houses ib. VER XII Exposition General 188 Particular 189 Obs 1 Many profess to God the acknowledgment of his Greatness Glory Power c. but it is but as a lye to God ib. Obs 2 Many men beset the business and affairs that they mannage with lyes also 190 Obs 3 That when men are once engaged in shifts and lyes they grow pertinacious in them 191 Obs 4 The sin is the greater where there is no example of evil in others 192 Obs 5 To continue in a false way of worship when a right way is held forth is an aggravation of sin ib. Obs 6 It 's a great comendation to continue in the Truth when others fall off ib. Obs 7 We should be more severe to those that are nearest to us when they dishonor God than to others 193 Obs 8 To enjoy but little with God is better than to have much without enjoying God 194 Obs 9 To serve God is to reign 195 Obs 10. God hath never bin without som Witnesses to his Truth ib. Obs 11 It is unfaithfulness to forsake the true Worship which God hath appointed 196 Obs 12 God hath a special eye to a States faithfulness in point of Worship ib. Obs 13. Faithfulness consists in a constant persisting in good ib. Obs 14 We should look more at the example of a few Saints than of thousands of wicked men 198 CHAP. XII VER I Exposition 199 Obs 1 Creature-Comforts will prove but wind 202 Obs 2. It 's a grievous thing when troubles come to have nothing within us to help us but wind 203 Several waies of encreasing Lyes 1 By carrying about Reports 207 2 By mis-reporting of Reports ib. 3 By adding to Reports ib. 4 By inventing new Reports ib. 5 By maintaining Lyes by Lyes ibid. Use 1. Take heed of spreading
this is that now I am naming that thou shouldest have such mercie as an infinite God should therefore manifest to that end that he might shew to Men and Angels to all eternitie what the power of his infinite Mercy can do would not this mercie serve thy turn such a mercie as this is I 'le name it again abuse it at your peril Suppose thy condition so low yet would not this serve thy turn such mercy as an infinit God should shew to that end that he might appear to men and Angels to all eternity what he is able to do in the infinitness of his mercy Would not this serve thee and help thee and heal thee Now this is tendred to thee in the Gospel even this mercy is tendred to thee in Christ to be an object of thy faith and the very presenting of this is a work of the Ministry of the Gospel that it might draw acts of faith for it hath a power to draw forth faith yea to beget faith the very presenting such a thing as this is hath a quickness in it It 's true if you look upon God only as a merciful man this is no such glory as the shining of it upon the soul will ad life As now the shining of the Moon or a hundred Torches wil never beget life in a Garden but the shining of the Sun wil do it so the apprehending of the mercy of God any other way but as a God as a God in Christ will never beget life in the soul but look upon him in the infinitness of his mercy whose thoughts of mercy are beyond ours as high as the Heavens are above the Earth this is the way to beget faith And therefore those that cannot beleeve they take very il courses for themselves only to have their thoughts upon such things as may discourage them and they think that this is as pleasing to God but certainly the way to beget or raise faith in thy heart is to look upon God as a God in the waies of his mercy Yea but you will say The truth is this that you speak of that God is a God and not a man is rather a discouragement to my heart 't is a God that I have sinned against and not a man as one way it may encourage me so another way it may discourage me Against thee against thee only have I sinned saith David Psal 51. And indeed this is the most piercing thought in a true penitent heart My sin is against God I have lived so long a time without a God in the course of my life and I have struck at God himself in my sinful waies Oh wretch that I have been I have been guilty of the darkening of the glory of the great God in the world Now I 'le answer thee this in a word And is this that which doth aggravate thy sin in thy heart does this work upon thy heart most that thou canst appeal to God that of all the considerations of sin that ever thou hadest in thy life there is nothing grieves thee so much as that it is against God Because God is so glorious so infinitely worthy of honor from all his creatures be of good comfort and take encouragement from this point and mark what I am saying and with that I shall close all If the confideration of the glory of God above a man doth thus aggravate thy sin to thy humiliation then it will aggravate the mercy of God to thy consolation as well If thou workest this thought upon thy heart Oh my sin is against a God and not a man and therefore my heart is humbled then the Lord would have thee to make use of the consideration of his glory as a God for thy comfort God is a God and not a man in the way of mercy The Holy one in the midst of thee God glories much in his Holiness and that in the midest of his people Gods Holiness is He is here said to be the Holy One. 1. To shew that the anger He would let out should be such as should have no mixture of evil But what considerations might be to order and guide it should not be wanting Mens angers are very unclean there is much smoke and fil thy stuff together in their fire But here in Exod. 15. 11. God is said to be Glorious in Holiness Gods vials of wrath are golden Revel 15. 7. Let us labor to be holy in our anger This is a rare thing if there be any corruption in mans heart it usualappears in his anger 2. Because of his gracious carriage toward them in regard of his Covenant to make that good to them he would remember his faithfulness to Abraham Obs 1. God delights to shew the glory of his Holiness in mercy and in pardoning of sin rather than in revenging for sin Obs 2. Gods faithfulness is a special part of the glory of his Holiness Use 1. Hence see how Holiness will help our faith Use 2. Let us manifest our holiness in our faithfulness I am holy to make them holy to sanctifie them to my self In the midst of thee Casting the beams of his Glory on every fide of him But how in the midst when they so vile and cast off from being his people a sink of Idolatry and wickedness In respect of some of his Elect Saints Obs God continues among a people for his Saints his Elects sake The Saints should consider of God a holy God in the midst of them and accordingly behave themselves Levit. 26. 12. I will walk among you and I will be your God But 2 Cor. 16. 16. I will dwell among them and walk in them Obs Men of Place and Government should be in the midst of those that are under them carrying themselves holily though they should be froward pettish sinful yet they should carry themselves according to rule in all holiness gravity wisdom moderation c. Rivit Tarnovius with some others thinks that here is Enallage Numeri a change of the number Sanctus for Sancti Holy for Holy Ones or Saints and so hath reference to the destruction of Sodom because there were no righteons here are Obs The Saints are of great use in the places where they live They are the cause of mitigation of Judgments I will not enter into the City Luther thus God would signifie himself to be merciful to scattered Israeh among the Gentiles Vt tamen non redeant ad Politiam Mosaicam but so that they should not return to the Mosaical Law But rather it is to be taken in reference to the manner of Gods proceedings in the destruction of Sodom after he had done conferring with Abraham he entred into the City and destroyed it by fire and brimstone Obs God many times stands at the gates of a City ready to enter in and destroy it but humiliation in prayer and reformation keeps him out God
turn to God than others There are more arguments to perswade thy heart than others Turn Thou to God And this is a great mercy of God towards any man or woman when as God shall dare powerfully those special considerations and arguments that concern their souls to turn to God a man or woman comes to hear the Word and hears the nature of Repentance the motives to Repentance but that generally concerns all and this doth not much stir the heart but at another time it pleaseth God to hint something out of the Word that concerns them in particular and this gives a mighty turn to their hearts more than all the other As if a man be asleep though there be a great noise perhaps this doth not awaken him but let one come and call him by his name Thomas or Richard or John and speak particularly to him and that will awaken him when a greater noise will not do it so though there be general arguments of turning to God it doth not so much prevail with people as when God speaks to men and women by name and saies Turn thou to God There are these special arguments why thou shouldest turn to God rather than others Many times you will say If ever any were bound to God then I am then turn thou to God because thou art more engaged than others Turn thou to THY God That is Though you have departed from him yet he hath not wholly cast you off so but he may yet be thy God From whence the Note is That the sight of any Relation to God or hope of Mercy from him is a special means to draw the heart to turn to him Yet he may be thy God God hath not left thee O thou wretehed sinful soul who knows but that he may be thy God and thy God to all eternity Thou mightest have been past such an Argument of hearing any possibility of God's being thy God and therefore turn to God turn to thy God And keep Mercy and Judgment Want of Mercy in the Fourth Chapter of this Prophesie was charged upon this People That there was no Mercy in the Land and so in diverse other places want of Justice Now Turn to thy God and keep Mercy and Judgment The Note from the Connexion is this That in our turnings to God we must look to our special sins and reform them It 's not enough for men and women to turn to God and leave some gross sins But is there any sin more special than another that you have lived in before your turning unto God Reform in that sin above all A man or woman can never have any sure argument that their Repentance is true though they have left many sins if they have not left their special sins there 's som special sin that thou hast liv'd in what saiest thou to that Then Secondly It is nothing for people to reform in Gods Worship except they reform also in the duties of the Second Table that 's wonderful The duties of the Second Table Mercy and Judgmeut Turn to thy God and keep Mercy and Judgment Many men and women that seem to be forward in duties of Instituted Worship which is very good we are to honor God God is jealous in that business but now together with that if we be not conscionable in the duties of the Second Table of Mercy and Judgment too it 's nothing all will vanish and come to nothing except thou livest righteously and mercifully with men also as well as worship God do not think to put off thy conscience with the duties of Worship except thou doest keep Mercy and Judgment that 's more General And then Particularly Keep Mercy and then Keep Judgment be merciful unto thy Brethren A heart turning to God if it be a true turning it must needs be very merciful to men God expects that from all that do turn to him that upon thy turning to God thy bowels should yern towards thy Brethren and turn to them in Love and in Mercy and Meekness and Gentleness and Forgiveness for when thou turnest to God is it not the mercy of God that draws thy heart If it be not that thy turning is not right never any turned to God rightly but their hearts were taken with Gods mercy And can thy heart be taken with Gods mercy and thou not merciful to thy Brethren Many Professors of Religion think little of this but I find the Scripture makes as much of this as of any thing but faith its self faith in the Covenant of Grace These Three thingâ—â—he Scripture holds forth and urges very much upon men Faith Mercy and Vnity the two latter are thought to be little and of no moment with men but certainly the Lord Christ doth lay much upon mercy towards men that all that are his Members should be of merciful dispositions and of uniting dispositions one towards another Oh! 't is Mercy that the Scripture makes Religion to consist in Jam. 1. 27. Pure Religion and undefiled is To visit the Fatherless and Widdows and in Jam. 2. 13. Mercy rejoyceth over Judgment it is that which will help men and women in the time of straits and in times of danger that they have been merciful towards their brethren for that I take to be the meaning of that text Mercy rejoyceth over Judgment not that Gods mercy is more than his Judgment and that though a sinner hath deserved Judgment yet Gods Mercy will prevail and triumph over it but I take the meaning of that text to be Mercy in man and not Mercy in God that 's thus That when man hath had a merciful heart towards others towards his brethren that then if he should live to meet with affliction live to a time of Judgment times of common calamity common dangers that mercy that he hath exercised towards his brethren in the time of his prosperity will cause his soul to triumph in the midest of all dangers In the time of affliction mercy rejoyces over Judgment let Judgment come let afflictions come in the world let there be never such hard times abroad in the world yet I have a testimony to my conscience the Lord hath given me a merciful heart towards my Brethren that are in misery and I that am but a poor creature that have but a drop of mercy to that God that hath an infinite Ocean of Mercy will not that God be merciful to me much more Keep Mercy therefore you that turn to God be of merciful dispositions towards your brethren Oh! this is wanting among many that are Professors of Religion they are of cruel and harsh dispositions ridged sowr and severe dispositions towards others care not what becomes of others Oh! be merciful to your brethren You that are turn'd to God shew it in this That you keep MERCY The next is JVDGMENT Where there is a turning to God there must be righteousness
among men Judgment That is Righteous Judgment among men thou canst not turn to God from thy Unrighteousness and to a Righteous God and yet still not be Righteous towards men Certainly if thou beest turn'd to God from thy Unrighteousness towards a Righteous God then thou will be turn'd likewise from thy unrighteousnes towards men and will be righteous towards them Many texts of Scripture I might have shewn you that commend this Grace of Righteousness and it 's made the great Promise to the Glorious Church when that shall be That Righteousness shall prevail there that the People shall be a Righteous People And Judgment Not only Judgment in doing no man any wrong and being righteous in dealing But thus Judgment Execute Justice against Sin manifest thy hatred against Sin by the Execution of Judgment This is the Note from thence That those who turn to God will manifest their hatred against sin by the Execution of Judgment if they be in place of Power Though in thine own cause thou maiest forbear yea thou shouldest be merciful but when Publick Manifestation of hatred against Sin requires Justice then there 's no place for Sparing when God calls thee in any Publick Place to manifest hatred against Sin then I say thou maiest not think of Sparing But you will say Oh! I must pity and shew Mercy Well If you would be merciful be merciful in your own cause Many men that will pleade for Indulgence to Malefactors yet in their own business they have no Indulgence to those that offend them It beseems a Judg to be very pitiful when he is wronged himself but it beseems him to be very righteous and just when the Publick calls him Keep MERCY and JVDGMENT Mercy is first and Judgment afterwards The Scripture makes a difference between our respect to Mercy Judgment that place in Micah The Lord hath shewen thee O man what he would have thee to do LOVE MERCY and DO JVSTICE There should be a Preheminency in Mercy Mercy must not only be shown but loved and Justice must be done And then Keep MERCY and JVDGMENT The mixture of Mercy and Judgment is very comely The Scripture doth mix them very often Psal 101. 1. I will sing of Mercy and Iudgment and Prov. 21. 21. He that followeth after Righteousness and Mercy findeth Life Righteousness and Honor. Psal 112. 4. The upright man he is full of Compassion and Righteousness Jer. 9. 24. The Lord there doth seem to glory in this in his Righteousness aswel as Mercy saith the Lord Let no man glory in the flesh but let him glory in this That he knoweth Me that I am the LORD which exercise loving kindness Iudgment and Righteousness in the Earth Let him glory in this That he knows that I am such a God this is my glory That I am both Righteous and Merciful Now for the several Rules when Mercy should be Shown and when Judgment should be Executed that would be the Use here How men should be directed to mix both these together Mercy when men offend by Infirmity when I see it 's but a weakness it is not through wilfulness Mercy then should be shown Oh that we would consider of this our brethren that sometime differ from us in Judgment in practice consider Do they appear in any of their carriages any waies to be wilful in their way can you take it upon your consciences that it is through obstinacy and through any wicked principles that they have that they go against conscience doth it not appear in all their other waies that they walk humbly and conscionably that if they be in the wrong yet it is through meer weakness that they cannot see the Truth that thou thinkest thou doest see Now thou shouldest be merciful towards them and carry not thy self in a ridged severe bitter and harsh way towards them but in a Merciful way Mercy when the offence is by infirmity And then when the offender is already sensible of his offence then Mercy Or when there may be as much good done in a fair gentle merciful carriage as in a harsh ridged carriage And then especially at that time when any man or woman begins to feel passion arise in their hearts and a spirit of revenge to stir in them above all times then is the time for mercy examin thine heart thou hast to deal with thy brother now see whether there doth not begin to arise passion and revenge in thy spirit towards him now is the time for Mercy it 's not the fit time for Judgment it 's not a fit time to give Judgment nor for thee to execute Judgment but now is the time for Mercy And then there 's the time for judgment When thou art call'd to manifest hatred against sin when the publick good requires it when you cannot be merciful to one but you must be cruel to another As in many things wherein men would be merciful the truth is the Mercy they shew to some is cruelty to others and when thou hast the least interest in a business then there 's the most like to be the time for Judgment Well Keep Mercy and Judgment Keep it not only do some acts of Mercy and Judgment but keep it Many men in some good moods observe it Oh how pitiful are they how merciful are they but come to them at another time and Oh! how ridged are they then Oh! how sowr are they how bitter how cruel how harsh are they We have found it so by experience you can say such a man Oh! what sweet converse had we together and what a sweet temper'd man he was how loving how meek how gentle how pitiful But come to him now how harsh and how rugged in his expressions and extream bitter mightily turned as if he were not the man keep Mercy keep it Doth God at any time melt thy heart and make thee apprehensive of thy need of mercy doth thy heart begin to bleed towards thy Brethen Oh! keep it keep this temper the Lord keep this in the thoughts and purposes of thy heart for ever Oh take heed of change of heart It should be the care of Christians not only to do that that is good but to keep their hearts in such a constant frame Oh that some of you would but call to mind the dales of old Was there not a time that your hearts did melt towards your brethren and had sweet converse and communion with them what 's become of those spirits now Oh! turn to that gracious sweet temper again and if ever God bring you to that temper again keep it Consider what is it that hath changed my heart what hath brought me to it now if God doth discover how thou hast lost that sweetness of thy heart Oh! labor to repent and turn to God and resolve if ever God bring me to that temper again as sometimes
hath done for them in former times As if he should say You do not remember that I am the Lord thy God from the Land of Egypt Now you are frolick and merrie and have your hearts desires but remember there was a time when you were low enough and cried and made your moan to me in your affliction Oh! remember those daies Oh! how ordinarie is it for us in our prosperitie to forget Gods mercies in delivering of us from Affliction We have been low enough not long since but the Lord hath in great measure delivered us from our Egypt and presently assoon as God hath delivered us everie man begins to think of enriching themselves and are plotting for estates presentlie I say we have forgotten our sad condition the time of our mourning our praying Oh what disposition is there in our hearts now contrarie to what seem'd to be a while ago when we were under sore and sad afflictions New sins that we commit doth as it were occasion God to remember afresh his mercies that he hath done for us The Second Note is this When you walk unthankfully it doth occasion the fresh remembrance of Gods mercy to you God looks upon such a people that walk so vilie What are these the people that I have done such things for it's as fresh in Gods memorie to speak after the manner of men what he hath done for us And if we could have what God hath done for us afresh in our minds upon the commission of new sins it would be a mightie means to humble us And the next is Old mercies are great engagements to duty and great aggravations of our sin or neglect of duty But we have had occasion to speak of these things for merlie It follows And I will yet make thee to dwell in Tabernacles By way of Interogation some reade it thus What shall I the Lord that brought thee out of the Land of Egypt make thee to dwell in Tabernacles Shall I yet continue my wonted love to you as to make you to keep your Feast of Tabernacles still with joy as you were wont to do yeerly shall I do thus saith God Or as Calvin hath it and it 's a peculier interpretation that he hath different from all it 's as if God should say thus It is a wonderful thing that you should be so forgetful of my great mercie in bringing of you out of Egypt it is so out of your minds that I had need work over that deliverance again What shall I cast you out of your houses and bring you into captivity again and then deliver you again and bring you into the wilderness to dwell in Tabernacles again shall I go over my work again It is so much gone out of your minds and hearts as I had need to quicken up your spirits to go all over it again this is Calvins Interpretation upon this place and he commonlie hits as right as any And this Interpretation may be of verie good use to us thus Let us consider our selves that if all Gods merciful dealings towards us were to begin again if we were to go through all those straits and fears and sorrows that we have passed through our hearts would shake within us as a Marriner that hath past through dangerous Seas Oh he thinks if I were to pass over these again it would be hard and grievous Now let us consider of this if God should but put us into the same condition that we were in seven yeers ago and say you shall pass through all those straights that you have been in and you shall come into the same condition that you have been in it would be very sad to us to think of it would make our hearts quake to think of it I verily beleeve there 's scarce any of you who have been any way observant of the providence of God towards you but would be very loth to venture all again would be loth that God should be to go over with you in all those providences and yet God is the same God still and may do it yea but flesh and blood would shake at it now do not show your selves so unworthy of Gods gracious dealings with you as to put him to it to bring you into straits again to renew what he hath done unto you Thus he Many carrie the words in a meer threatning way and no otherwise I did indeed bring you from the Land of Egypt but I 'le bring you into Tabernacles again as if God should say I 'le cast you out of your brave stately Pallaces your City and Country Houses and you shall come into the wilderness again and dwell in Tents and Tabernacles Thus many But rather I think the scope and meaning of the words is a consolatory Promise whereby the holie Ghost invites them here to-Repentance as if God should say thus Though you have indeed deserved to be cast out of your dwellings you have deserved to be brought into Tents and Tabernacles in the Wildernes again yet I remember my ancient goodness towards you and my Covenant with your Father Abraham I am the same God that brought you out of the Land of Egypt and therefore return and repent and I 'le be with you in as much mercy as ever I was what ever the breaches have been for time past I 'le be as gracious to you as ever I was as you have celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles with abundance of rejoycing so I 'le continue this your prosperous estate you shall from yeer to yeer have cause to rejoyce havâ—â—ause to rejoyce in the Feast of Tabernacles For this Feast of Tabernacles it was the principal Feast of their rejoycing that they had and therefore all their Feasts were Feast of rejoycing in Lament 2. 7. They have made a noise in the House of the Lord as in the day of a solemn Feast There was Triumph and Joy in their solemn Feasts But now this Feast of Tabernacles was a special Feast of rejoycing and that you have in Deut. 23. 40 there they are commanded to rejoyce in this Feast for it was after the gathering in of their Corn and Wine in Deut. 16. 13 14. there you shall see further and in the end of the 15 verse Thou shalt surely rejoyce it is not only you may but a Command look to it that you do rejoyce in this Feast of Tabernacles so that the Feast of Tabernacles was a very joyful Feast Now saith God I am the Lord thy God from the Land of Egypt and I will yet make thee rejoyce as in the Feast of Tabernacles From hence we have these Notes First God loves to give hopes of mercy to sinners upon their repentance God loves to draw the hearts of wretched vile sinners by giving them hopes of mercie upon their repentance so you have it in 1 Sam. 12. 21 22. there they confest their sin and their special sin in asking a King
from the men of Shechem and from the house of Millo and devour Abimelech As if he should have said God will avenge this What did God make my Father an Instrument of so great good to you and do you so ill requite all his kindness and service that he did for you The Lord judg and if it be so indeed as now I charge you let this be a manifestation of Gods displeasure That fire come from Abimelech c. As if he should say Do not think that you can have peace and quiet in such kind of waies as you are in you think you have provided well for your selves in setting up of Abimelech and now you bless your selves We shal have peace and go on and be quiet Oh no the displeasure of God will go on and pursue you and there wil be a fire among your selves and it 's just with God that it should be so for this ingratitude of yours towards those that have bin so instrumental for your good The Scripture holds out this that this is one way for God to avenge himself upon a People that shall be ungrateful to such as have been instrumental for good to them that they shall have a perverse spirit mingled among themselves that when they think to provide for their own ease and peace they shall have a fire mingled among themselves so as in the conclusion to devour themselves These people were very zealous for Gideon in Judg. 8 22. when God had delivered them they came to Gideon and said unto him Rule thou over us both thou and thy son and thy son's son also they made great promises Oh how were the people affected Come Rule over us thou and thy son and thy son's son c. Oh! we were in a dangerous condition and were like to have been in a perpetual bondage under our enemies but God hath stirred up thee and blest thee and therefore thou and thy son and thy son's son shall rule over us they were mightily affectd with this mercy of God when it was fresh but presently after you shall find they were off and forgot what an Instrument of God Gideon had been unto them and required the posterity of Gideon as ill as if he had been one of their greatest enemies Oh my brethren this is a sore and grievous evil the Lord cannot endure ingratitude And thus much for the 13. Verse It follows VER 14. Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly IT 's true saith God by the Prophet I loved your Father Jacob and I have magnified my self towards his posterity in great and wonderful things which I have done for them But you have been a wretched people and provok'd me most bitterly as if he should say I have a spirit of gentleness sweetness and love as indeed there is nothing else in God if he be not provok'd If there be any anger it is from mens provoking him You have provok'd me bitterly in bitterness You have provok'd you have imbittered my Spirit against you by your sins that are bitter you make my Spirit that is so sweet of it self you have made it to be bitter The word signifies sometimes to Exalt and make high And I find Tremelius Vatablus Calvin and others translate it High places You have provoked me with the High Places so it 's true And indeed that was a special sin the sin of Idolatry that did provoke God most bitterly against them and he will come to one in the main if we take it so But it is more full to translate it according to that that the word doth signifie more properly You have provok'd me in bitternesses you have been very bitter against my Saints that would go from Samaria to worship at Ierusalem I have shewn in this story of the Prophet how bitter the ten Tribes were against any that would separate from them and go worship at the Temple you have provok'd me in that kind of bitterness you have provok'd me in that bitter sin of abusing my Prophets you have provok'd me in that ingratitude of yours towards those that I have made Instrumental for your good you have provok'd me in finning against such great mercies Oh! you have provok'd me bitterly you have for saken the living God the fountain of all good and have turned your selves to vanity you have provok'd me to anger most bitterly From whence the Notes are First That God is not angry but when he is provok'd neither should we be let us be as our Heavenly Father is saith God You have provok'd me to anger And then Secondly It is sin that provokes God it puts God to stir up his anger it puts it to tryal to see whether there be any anger in God or no in Heb. 3. 9. Your Fathers provok'd me they tryed me they would put it to tryal whether there was such anger in me yea or no. Wicked men indeed do so they hear much of the anger of God against sin and they put it to tryal they will see whether it be so or no they dare not say so in words but their actions do so Oh! it 's a dreadful evil to provoke God 1 Cor. 10. 22. Do ye provoke the Lord to jealousie are you stronger than he Can you stand it out with God Is it not folly to provoke a man that is a Superior that hath power over you and can crush you Oh wretched bold heart that darest stand it out to provoke the eyes of his Glory to provoke the holy one of Israel What to provoke him that can stamp you into Hell presently to provoke him that hath the point of the Sword of Justice at your hearts but yet this is the boldness of ungodly men a man that dares not provoke his Landlord yet will dare to provoke God My brethren it 's a great evil to provoke one another to wrath but a greater evil to provoke God to wrath in Ephes 6. 4. Parents are charged not so much as to provoke their Children to wrath And wilt thou provoke God then If we will be provoking one another let us be provoking to love and to good works as in Hebr. 10. 24. unto a kind of Acrimony of love If there be a kind of sharpness let it be that which puts us on with an eagerness of spirit to love and so provoke one another as much at you will provoke one another to love and to good works In Gal. 5. 26. Be not desirous of vain glory provoking one another Calling forth one anothers corruptions that 's the meaning of it Let there not be a desire of vain glory provoking one another calling sorth one anothers corruptions Oh! 't is an evil thing that we do call forth the corruptions of one another so Was there ever times of provoking so as there are now every man provoking one another and stirring up one another to envy wrath and malice Oh take heed
things in the book of God that are sealed to us this day and 't is the purchase of the blood of Jesus Christ to open it and 〈…〉 hen his time comes it shall be opened to us I have called my Son out of Egypt Interpreters I do find do much weary and tire themselves and the readers about this point and those that will search into Interpreters about the aptness of this quotation may quickly spend daies in it I find the opinions reduced to these three heads Some think that Matthew quotes this but only by way of allusion and similitude that there is a similitude between Christs going to Egypt and returning as the people of Israels going to Egypt and returning but that is a fridged and a poor weak Interpretation and against what is said in Matthew which saith it was that the Scripture might be fulfilled But the second hath more in it which is of Junius that learned man he thinks that the very litteral sense of the place is rather a Prophesie of Christs going into Egypt and returning again than of the people of Israels going into Egypt and returning again So he saith in his Paralels in his 6th of the first book it is saith he as if God should say I have threatned that I will utterly destroy the King of Israel what shall I wholly destroy Israel therefore No no I will not do that for my Sons sake for though Israel is unworthy and receive not my Son and by my Sons going into Egypt it is declared that they are unworthy of him and that they should never have my Son come among them again yet he shall come amongst them again and that shall be an evidence to them that I will not cast off my people of Israel and it 's a very spiritual and good Interpretation and we find often that the Lord when he did promise mercy to his people and would give an evidence that he would not destroy them he would give a promise of Jesus Christ as in Isa 9. 6. Vnto us a Child is born unto us a Son is given he seals the Promise that he will not cast off his people by promising the Messias so Junius thinks that the Lord here doth seal this promise of mercy to the people of Israel that he will not utterly cut off his own people Why because he will call his Son out of Egypt But yet I cannot think that it will fully satisfie but I will give you that which may more cleerly appear to be the mind of God and that 's this That this Scripture in Hosea it was intended to be typical not only to shew what was past that God did indeed call his people out of Egypt but to be a type of what God did intend for the time to come as to give you other instances there are many things that are spoken in the old Testament that are spoken litterally of some other things and yet apparantly are meant typically of Jesus Christ first in Exodus 12. 46. compared with John 19. 26. in Exodus it is in the institution of the Pass-over where God saith Not a bone of it should be broken Now in John 19. 36. it is said when as the Soldiers came to break the bones of the two Theeves that were upon the Cross through a providence they find that Christ was dead and so they broke not Christs bones One would think now that this were a meer accidental thing but yet the holy Ghost saith there it was for the folfilling of that Prophesie that not a bone should be broken Thus you see things that are very accidental yet God hath a special work in them God intends great things by things that seem to be of little moment in our eyes What more light thing than that that they should not break the bones of Christ though meant cleerly at first litterally concerning the paschal Lamb yet typically concerning Jesus Christ Compare two other Scriptures together in 2 Sam. 7. 14. with Heb. 1. 5. in Sam. it 's apparantly spoken concerning Solomon I will be his Father and he shall be my Son But now the Apostle in Heb. 1. 5. he speaks of Christ there cleerly and saith To which of the Angels bath he said Thou art my son this day have I begotten thee and again saith he he shall be my Son and I will be a Father to him It 's meant firstly of Solomon and typically meant of Jesus Christ So the people of Israel going into Egypt and turning back again are meant litterally of Israel but God meant to Prophesie what would be done with Christ that he should go to Egypt and return back again And indeed God hath an eye to Christ in all things he doth in all his works some way or other they have reference to Jesus Christ that indeed was one of the greatest works of God for his people carrying them to Egypt and bringing them back again but God did not intend that so much but he had an eye to Jesus Christ in it And we shall see hereafter take this Note that it will be one great part of the Glory of the Saints to see how God had an eye to Jesus Christ in all his great works in the world now we look upon such a work and such a work to have such an influence upon such a business but we do not see the reference that it hath to Jesus Christ hereafter it will be a special part of the glory of the Saints that they shall see how in all the works of God he had an eye to Jesus Christ even the work of Creation God would not have created the world but for his Son and the fall and in every thing he had an eye to his Son for the magnifying the great work of his Son and such who had a special work of the Spirit of God in those times did understand Gods meaning though ordinarily they did not I remember one learned Interpreter hath this expression to shew how they might understand Gods mind by his types he expresses it thus As it was with Jonathan when he carried his Bow and Arrows into the field to give David a note whether he should fly away for fear of Saul or return back again Now when Jonathan shot his Arrows he said unto his youth It is beyond and on this side Now the youth knew no more but thus that he was to look at the Arrow yea but saith he David knew more that when he said it was beyond him then he should do thus and when it was on this side then he should do thus It is a very good expression in the difference of the types and the letter of things those who knew but meerly the letter they were but like Jonathans youth that did but only according to what Jonathan said but David he knew the reach of Jonathan and so was able to make use of it Oh!
remember I have read of the Pisidians a certain Heathen people that when they were a Feasting at any time the first fruit of all their Feast they would offer to their Parents as thinking it unseemly for them to rejoyce in the use of the Creature without shewing due honor to their Parents from whom they had their being and education Heathens have ever condemned undutifulness in children to be unnatural and liable to punishment and they have punished undutifulness and the Law of God we know doth punish a stuborn child with death But they knew not that I healed them Many times children though there be a great care to teach them how to go yet they will venture themselves and by their venturousness and wantoness they get many a knock and bruise So it was with this people indeed my care was towards them but they would go their own way and they often bruised themselves Well did God therefore reject them and say It is through your own fault that you have gotten these bruises and maims No I healed them saith God Though he were never so froward and he got by that many bruises yet my pity was so great that I healed those very bruises and maims that he got by his wilfulness Though in the reading of this we may pass it easily by yet it is as notable a Scripture as most we have in the Book of God What 's the reason our consciences do so misgive us and that we are so afraid that the Lord will leave us to our selves when our consciences accuse us of this Oh! we may thank our selves for it the Lord shewed us another way but we through our sinfulness and frowardness would go in our own way Can we think that the Lord should have care of us in our sores that we got our selves by our wilfulness yes saith God such was my compassion towards Ephraim that I taught him how to go and yet they got bruises But I healed them afterwards That 's the Note from it God will not cast off his children though they get hurt yea though they get hurt by their own sin yet the Lord is so gracious as to heal thm You have a notable Scripture for this in Isa 57. 17 18. For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wrath and smote him I hid me and was wrath and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart He went on frowardly when I smote him what then in the 18. verse I have seen his waies One would have thought that should have followed I have seen his waies and I 'le smite him and plague him and make him to know what it is to deal so frowardly and perversely with me but behold the goodness of the Lord Gods waies are not the waies of men his thoughts are not our thoughts for he saith I have seen his waies and will heal him and restore comforts to him I will not say I will never leade him more because he would not regard my teaching but goes his own waies and gets many bruises No I have seen his waies and will heal him and lead him notwithstanding Oh! be not discouraged when you have gone out of Gods way but be troubled and ashamed make use of this promise the Lord sees the frowardness of his people and yet will heal them and lead them and restore comfort to them And my brethren thus hath the Lord dealt graciously with us in our inconsiderate foolish sinful courses how often we in this Land have been brought low by our inconsiderate foolish waies we have been sore wounded we have been in danger to bleed to death by the falls that we have got we have often given all for gone as it were mens waies have been so perverse and cross as there hath been little hope of any good that sometimes when we have met together we have even said al is gone we are but betraied and therefore there is little hope of any good Have not we oftentimes said thus but the Lord hath come in and healed us and that Scripture in Isa 57. hath been made good unto us the Lord hath beheld the frowardness of our waies and yet hath healed us and yet hath led us You have gone one in such and such waies saith God and you have even undone your selves in them and you were made but fools and others squandered away your estates and nothing came of it well you knew not what to do I 'le leade you in waies that you do not think of in such waies as you have the least hopes of good by I wil lead you on in those waies and restore comfort to you My Brethren the waies that the Lord hath this last Summer restored comfort to England by were they waies that any of you did think of this time twelve month Certainly it was never in the imaginations and thoughts of men to be brought in such waies as the Lord hath lead us in and restored comforts to us by the Lord did see that the way of the old Soldery was not the way to restore comforts to England but the Lord hath led us in other waies well let Gods healing of our bruises that we get in walking in our own waies make us thankful and careful that we run not wilfully into any such waies any more that we be not still more ventrous and more careless if we be God may suffer us to break our bones for though God be patient and loving and merciful yet he hath times to leave men in the perversness of their waies it may cost us dear before we are healed if God doth leave us though God may not take away his love to cast us wholly off I but we may be forced to cry again and again with David in Psal 51. Restore to me the joy of thy salvation that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce David would go out of his way and he got such a fal as he broke his bones Oh! that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce When God heals us he expects that we should take notice of his work that we should acknowledg him But mark what follows But they knew not that I healed them I healed them saith God but they knew not that I healed them My Brethren that 's the Note from it God doth us much good that we know not of I say God doth us much good that we know not of not only in preventing mercies in a day that we know not of but in healing mercies we attribute our healing to this and the other cause but it is God that comes in in the use of means somtimes comes in beyond means though means oftentimes hath been used and no good hath been done by them at last God by a secret and invisible blessing he comes and heals us we must not envie at the honor that is due to Instruments But certainly by the healing that we have had
beloved of my soul my Glory a Royal Diadem to my self I could shew you Scripture for every one of these expressions that this people were taken by God to be his chief Treasure his peculier Treasure and his Delight Deut. 7. 6. The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people to himself a special and he gives them all those Epethites Surely these are Bonds of Love And then in the fourth place If so be at any time they were in any afflictions I pitied them and looked upon them with the eye of mercie and releeved them redeemed them out of their afflictions in Isa 63. 9. In his love and in his pity he redeemed them And then fifthly I set on work all my Wisdom and my Power and my Mercy to do them good above all Nations working great wonders for them Now this we shall not need to mention any particular Scripture for the whol story of God carrying of them from Egypt along in the Wilderness to Canaan and there providing for them is a testimony for this so in Isa 63. we named before Gods redeeming of them he ads this too And carried them all the daies of old The Lord never was so glorious in his power towards any people as towards them the right hand of his Power and Excellencie was stretched out for them in Exod. 15. And then sixthly By the Bonds of Love I had a continual watchful eye over them and their Land mine eye was upon their Land where they dwelt for good above all other Lands that were upon the earth in Deut. 11. 12. A Land saith the text which the Lord thy God eareth for the eyes of the Lord thy God are alwaies upon it from the beginning of the yeer even to the end of the yeer Canaan was a Land that God cared as little for as any place of the earth before his people came into it a Land wherein God was as much dishonored as in any place of the Earth but now when his people came into it now it is a Land that mine eye is upon that the Lord takes care of from the beginning of the yeer to the end of the yeer this respect did God shew to his people Seventhly I gave them my Oracles the Revelation of my Will. This was another notable fruit of the love of God to this people In Judah was God known his Name was great in Israel in Psal 147. 19 20. He shewed his Word unto Jacob his Statutes and his Judgments unto Israel I dealt not so with any Nation And as for my Judgments they have not known them saith God This was a notable Priviledg that Israel had above all other people In Rom. 3. What advantage hath the Jew saith the Scripture or what profit is there of Circumcision Yes every way the Jew hath much advantage every way above al other people of the earth Why wherein for unto them were committed the Oracles of God Other men had the book of Nature they could see Gods Name as it were written in the Characters of the book of Nature yea but the special things of God the Counsels of God concerning the Eternal Estate of the Children of Men were not then revealed but saith he I gave to this people my Oracles they had those Counsels of mine concerning mans eternal estate revealed I opened to them my whol heart and soul all that I would have known to the children of men for that time I opened to them Oh this is a bond of love indeed to have the Oracle of God committed to a people And then the Eighth Twist as I may so say in this bond of love to make it a great Cable as it were to bind them unto God was this I set my heart so upon as to have the Messias to come from them in whom all the Nations of the earth should be blessed I rather chose this people than another to have my Son to be born of them to be of their stock And then Ninthly I gave them a Law the sum of which was nothing but love as I opened the last day That the Law of God had strength of Reason in it and so God drew them with the cords of a man his Law was rational So I drew them with bonds of love I gave them a Law the sum of which was nothing but love as thus What 's the sum of the first and second Table of the Law The sum of the first Table it is Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul And the sum of the second Table is Thou shalt LOVE thy Neighbor as thy self so that Love is the sum of the whol Law And then Tenthly I have out-bid all temptations whatsoever good pleasure delights honor they could expect in following any thing else I shewed them that they might have it and much more in my self there was nothing they could have in following after any of their false worship 〈◊〉 creature they would have any good in I made it appear that they might have as much in my Self I out bid all temptations for the encouraging of them in my waies that is in the full course of Scripture we find the Lord propounding himself to his people as a lovely object on purpose to draw their hearts away from all other things that might seem to be lovely that he might have the whol soul to himself Yea and in the Eleventh place Whensoever they were in any want if they did but cry to me I heard them What people is there so great as this people that the Lord is so nigh unto in all that they call upon him for saith Moses Yea and lastly I have done so much for them that it cannot be conceived that I should have done more What should I have done more for my Vinyard than I have done Isa 5. 4 Let any one speak what love they could conceive could be more from a God to his people than I have shewen So that put all these together and you see how God did draw this people with bands of love Now this for the Explication Now from hence our First Note is That Love it hath strong bonds Strong as strong as death Cant. 8. 6. None are so strongly bound together as friends that are bound in Love The bonds of Nature are not so strong as the bonds of Love A friend is nearer than a brother saith the Scripture The bonds of Love are the strongest bonds they are a twisted bond For First Love it is in its self a lovely thing to behold there 's an amiableness in Love to draw the eye and the heart to it In Cant. 7. 6. How fair and how pleasant art thou O Love for delights How fair and how pleasant is Love Take Love for the affection of love it is fair and pleasant for delight and when the beloved
cruelty to reign over them how sad and dreadful condition are those in This is that the Lord threatens here and why Because they refused to return I beseech you observe this saith he They shall not return to Egypt but the King of Assyria shall reign over them because they refused to return From whence the Observation is this If we will not do Gods will God will cross us of our own They would have their will they would return but they shall not saith God for they will not return to me therefore they shall not return whither they will themselves God can cross us in our own wills at every turn Foolish men who will presume to cross God in his will when God hath them at such infinite advantages to cross them every way in every thing If you cross God in that he delights in you may expect God will cross you in that you most delight in Oh! when you are crost in your minds in any thing that you have set your thoughts and heart most upon reflect upon your own hearts and think thus Have not I crost God in his mind in that which God hath set his heart and mind upon It 's a good way my Brethren to take a holy revenge upon our selves if we cannot get our hearts to work for God as they ought not to suffer them to work for our selves as they would Again For they would not return saith God God is not so much displeased at our sins as at our not returning He doth not say that the Assyrian should rule over them because they had sinned but because they refused to return It is too much that thou hast sinned but as soon as ever thou hast sinned it concerns thee to think of returning God expects presently as soon as ever the sin is taken notice of that thou shouldest begin to return it is dangerous to continue in sin in the least this aggravates thy sin dreadfully and endangers thy sealing up to wrath everlasting And then Thirdly He refuses to return after all means used after all mercies tendered after all callings after thee yet to stand out this is yet worse Not to return is evil but to refuse to return notwithstanding means used mercies tendered Oh this is fearful indeed Oh! lay this to heart thou convicted sinner what offers of mercie hath God made to thee what calling unto mercie hast thou heard outward calls inward calls of the the Spirit of God Oh! how hath God called after thee Return return thou Shulamite Return return return thou wretched wilful sinner Oh come in and return what means of all sorts hast thou had to cause thy heart to return to God and yet standest out think of that Scripture in Job 9. 4. Who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered What doest thou think to harden thy self against God and yet think to prosper Who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered and mark what follows Which removeth the Mountains and they know not which overturneth them in his anger which shaketh the Earth out of her place and the Pillars thereof tremble And yet cannot thy heart be overturned nor tremble In this that thou refusest to return thy sin is aggravated above the sin of the Devils themselves for we do not know that ever the Devils refused to return for they were never offered mercie God did never offer the Devils mercie God never sent to preach to them either by his Ministers or Spirit and to call them to return and you shall have mercie here 's a price paid here 's a salvation for you your sins may be pardoned the Devil had never such an offer Who knows what the Devil might do if such an offer were made to him But now these offers are made to thee and thou refusest to return Oh! return therefore O thou sinful soul who art wandering from God in the waies of death and destruction give in thine answer as we reade in Jer. 3. 22. where the Lord there calls his back-sliding children Return ye back-sliding children and I will heal your back slidings Mark the answer that they give to God Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Oh! that there might be such an answer given this day from some back-sliding soul that is turned from God! Oh poor soul whither art thou gone God calls this day to thy soul Return return and professes that he is willing to heal thy backslidings Oh! give in this answer Oh Lord behold we come for thou art the Lord our God Oh! that some soul might return and might refuse no longer to return Why wilt not thou return God is content to return to thee thou art turned from God and God in the waies of his Administrations is turned away from thee but mark the Promise in Jer. 8. 4 5. Thus saith the Lord Shall they fall and not arise shall he turn away and not return by then is this people of Jerusalem sliden back by a perpetual back-sliding they hold fast deceit they refuse to return Shall he turn away Some interpret this of God The Lord is not so turned back but he is ready to return Oh! why shouldâ—â— thou backslide with a perpetual back-sliding And then the last Note is They refuse to return The word that is translated they refused may signifie they scorned What talk to him of returning tell him of his sin against God the greatness of his sin and the greatness of the danger and the threatnings of God against his sin he despises all these things these are poor things to scare children withal Tell him of the mercies of God in pardoning his sin he slights all this humiliation now for sin this breaking off of sinful courses they deride the motions of them they scorn to return Scornful spirits when they are called upon in the bowels of mercy to return from their evil waies they do not only deny returning but they scorn and slight what is said to them Wel know there are some who admire at Gods mercies calling of them to return who admire at mercy tendred to them and prize it more than all things in the world they turn unto the Lord with all their souls nothing in all the world can stop them they bless God that ever their ears heard the call of God calling them to return and they would not for ten thousand thousand worlds but they had heard Gods call and felt the Spirit of God working their hearts to him to return howsoever thou dost scorn and contemn it Thus much for the 5th Verse It follows VER 6. And the Sword shall abide on his Cities c. THey relied upon their Cities and therefore refused to return but saith the Lord here The Sword shall abide on his Cities The old Latin hath it The Sword hath begun and Hierom in his Translation takes it so If we should take it
God Me thinks I find all the blood as it were and my spirits so working and stir'd that I find my heart even turning up and down within me when I come to the execution of wrath And then My repentings are kindled together It is a very notable phrase Here by Repentings I take is meant those thoughts of God by which he came to do such things as men do in their repentings My repentings together That is All the thoughts that I could as it were possibly muster up that could be mustered up together for to turn my heart from the waies of Truth to the waies of Mercy they are all come up together to me saith God and being all joyned together they make a fire and have set my heart on fire As a company of brands being laid together make a great flame so all those thoughts that possibly may be any means to work my heart to good to this people they are all presented together and being come and joyned all together in one they set my heart even of a flame and mightily are stirring in my heart Oh! this is the goodness of God to his people to have all things that any way may be a motive to do good to his people to come up all together before God all in one and when they come in one there to make a fire in the very bosom of God all the reasonings as it were of my heart being joyned together for them have kindled a fire so that I cannot hold but I must needs vent my self thus How shall I give thee up Ephraim But you wil say Why doth God express himself thus God might without any more ado pardon and help or deliver why should he express himself in this manner It 's the Answer of Mr. Calvin here He doth accommodate himself saith he to our rudeness God who disdained not to take mans nature upon him disdained not to act in the person of a man who being much wronged is reasoning in himself what to do his heart is full of pity his bowels yern and he would fain find a way for mercy and when provocation of execution comes in in his mind it is as a dagger to his heart Oh! how shal I do this As if you would imagin any merciful man in the world that were put to a straight would fain have a way for mercy to save a wretched sinner God takes upon him the person as it were of this man and saith How shall I do it God doth as it were in this bring Mercy and Justice both together to plead the Case both against and for Ephraim Justice comes in and pleads Lord their Sins are great and many their Mercies have been great their Means that they have had hath been exceeding much thou hast been exceeding much thou hast been patient a long time towards them and this hath been abused their hearts are still hardened thy Name is blasphemed because of them These Arguments come up against them But now there comes up Arguments for them I but than Mercy steps up and pleads But Lord art not thou a God thou art a God These actions indeed may overcome men but shall they overcome thee And this is Ephraim Are not they thy People are they not in relation to thee are they not in Covenant with thee Spare them Lord for their for fathers sake for Abrahams sake for Israels sake who was so mighty with thee remember Lord the kindness of their youth the wonders that thou hast done heretofore for them when they were stuborn and rebellious Lord thou hast many of thine Elect among them and therefore wilt thou utterly consume them Oh! when the Lord hears these prayers of Mercy on the other hand How shall I do it I cannot do it Thus you have seen the opening of the words with the paraphrase But now for the Notes If any one of you should have any thoughts that I do not briefly pass over this Scriptur in an Expository way I may even answer you How shal I do it It were a very great burden upon one to meddle with such Scriptures as these are in an Auditory that doth desire to have something spoken to their hearts and meerly to pass it over in a meer Expository way therefore for the Notes the first Observation is this The greatness of mans sin hinders not the work of the bowels of God towards them There was none exalted him but they followed their own Counsels and did what they list yet how shall I give thee up this from the Connexion I will give you an instance and that 's a very famous one as we have in all the book of God What sins were greater than the sins of Jerusalem against Christ when he lived and yet Christ looks on Jerusalem and weeps over it weeps over it when he considered of the destruction of it Yea and mark Though Jerusalem were guilty of the Blood of Christ took away the very Life of Christ yet when Christ was risen again one of the first things that Christ doth in the 24. of Luke 47. when he was going there to Emaus Christ saith That Repentance and Remission of sins was to be preached in his Name among all Nations begining at Jerusalem Repentance and remission of sins preached to all Nations Oh! but surely Jerusalem must be left Jerusalem that did slay the Prophets and was so injurious yea Jerusalem that put Jesus Christ to death though all Nation should have Repentance and Remission of sins preached to them yet one would think Jerusalem now should be excepted No saith Christ begining at Jerusalem Jerusalem shall be the first place where I 'le have preached Repentance and Remission of sins even that Jerusalem that took away my life I 'le have preached Repentance and Remission of sins there in the very first place of all Oh! Gods mercies are beyond mans iniquities My brethren If the bowels of Gods mercies shal work toward us notwithstanding our great sins why should not the bowels of our compassions work towards our Brethren notwithstanding their infirmities why should we upon every little discontent cast off all pity and love to our Brethren What such great things in us and yet moves not God to cast us off but still How shall I cast thee off Oh! when you look upon your Brethren that once your hearts did close withal and that were as your own souls and if now you should be any instruments of evil to them you should have such reasonings as this How shall I do it I see infirmities in them I but notwithstanding my great sins God saith of me How shall I give thee up And then Secondly Why should great afflictions for God hinder your hearts working to him seeing great sins against God doth not hinder Gods heart yerning to you Why should any great afflictions for God hinder your hearts working twards him Surely if God will he merciful to us
thing that thou pleadest mercy is pleading already and mercy carries on those arguments with a great deal more strength than thou art able to do but it takes it well at thy hand to present any to it Thou art loth to perish and God is as loth thou shouldest perish if God give thee a heart to come to him to stop wrath thou comest to him to do a work exceeding acceptable to him 't is as acceptable to God such a work as it can be acceptable unto thee when thou apprehendest Judgment ready to be executed look up to mercy it may 〈◊〉 the holy Ghost may raise an act of faith and this act of faith will set bowels on work the bowels of God are very ready to work That which is very ready to work a little thing will set it on work I say Gods bowels are very ready to work in the waies of grace and mercy towards sinners and the least act of faith in that mercy would certainly set bowels on work a main Mercy calls thee to help Mercy hath been pleading a great while and Justice pleading Mercy calls thee in to help and assist her to plead for thee and who knows but the casting voice staies for thy coming in though there hath been pleadings in Gods heart yet the dispensations of God may be such as the casting voice shall not come till thy pleadings be come in and then the business may be determined as it was here The Tenth Observation is this Oh consider the different dealings of the Father with his Son let our Meditations be raised from this Doth the bowels of God thus work towards poor sinners pleading for them when wrath is ready to be executed then we may here see the great difference between Gods dealings with his Saints and with his Son When God comes to deliver his people these that he had relation to where he had some of his Saints and for their sakes he speaks this he saith How shall I deliver thee We do not find that God said so concerning his Son God did deliver up his Son unto wrath without a How shall I do it yea the Heart of God was in it there 's no such expression of reluctancie about this work but the Scripture saith that it pleased God to bruise him It pleased him well it was an act that pleased God to bruise his Son Indeed it was for glorious ends that he had in it why so God might have ends enough for to bring forth his glory in our bruising but yet notwithstanding any ends that he might bring about he saith How shall I do it God doth not delight to grieve the children of men but God did grieve his Son he bruised him and it pleased him to bruise him You shall find such an expression in Isa 53. and in Psal 40. In the volumn of the book it is written of me that I should do thy will It was the will of God that Christ should come and suffer what he did when Ephraim was bemoaning himself Góds bowels were troubled within him he doth let the rod fall out of his hand in Jer. 31. 19 20. When Ephraim was bemoaning himself mark how Gods bowels there works but the Scripture saith That God did not spare his Son God would spare Ephraim Jesus Christ did bemoan himself when he cried out If it be possible let this Cup pass from me and Oh God my God why hast thou forsaken me Oh what a bemoaning of himself was this and yet in Rom 8. 32. God spared not his own Son he did not spare him notwithstanding all the moans that he made unto him but he delivered him up Here we reade of the repentings of God that are kindled and divers times in Scripture of Gods repenting of the execution of Justice upon sinners but when he speaks of Chist I have made him a Priest for ever that is so as he should be a Sacrifice both the Priest to offer and the Sacrifice its self in Heb. 7. 21. The Lord sware and will not repent Oh certainly it was from this work of God the delivering up of his Son that the Lord hath such working of bowels towards sinners when wrath comes to be executed to say How shall I give thee up Yet further If the heart of God doth thus work towards sinners when they are ready to be given up yea towards those that are very evil for so these were Their hearts bent to back-sliding Hence then we may learn That the State of the Saints that walk close with God must needs be very secure If the Lord deals thus with rebellious Sons what will he do with a Son that serves him that walks close with him though a Son very vile very sinful yet there is a how shall I give thee up Oh then thou whose conscience witnesses of thy sincere endeavor in walking close with God continually know that thy estate must needs be secure Yea further if this be so Surely whensoever God delivers up his own people to any judgments there 's some great matter in it some great matter in it for never doth any affliction come unto them but it breaks through many reasonings of Gods heart God intends some great matter Doth judgment begin at the house of God It is because the Lord hath some great intents to bring forth it is not because the Lord takes pleasure in the moans of his people in the sorrows and sufferings of his Servants but it is because he intends some great things for certainly these bowels of compassion would not let such sore and grievous evils pass if there were not some great ends and purposes of God to bring about And yet further hence observe The difference between the day of patience and the times of wrath for the sakes of those that were godly here Gods patience speaks thus towards the body of the People and so was patient and long-suffering towards them There is a time that God wile laugh at the destruction of sinners and he will mock when their fear cometh when he will execute his wrath and be comforted as the Scripture speaks There is a time indeed when God saith How shall I give them up but there is another time wherein God doth give forth the wine of his wrath The Wine it doth delight the Lord as Wine doth unto a man when indignation shall be as Wine to God then mercy and patience shall hold their peace for they have then their glory already they will never speak more but turn over the sinner unto Justice yea pleads unto Justice against the sinner And then lastly Seeing that God comes off thus when he is about the letting out of wrath making such stops as he doth then surely we should not hasten Judgment against our selves but let us make use of these dealings of God for the breaking of our hearts and causing them to return unto him let not us assist Justice
Then Secondly Let us gather as many arguments as we can to cause repentance and lay them together and never leave working them upon our hearts till we find them kindled Surely there 's all the reason for it in the world Doth the Lord gather all together that may be for our good and lay them upon his heart and there keep them to his heart till they kindle and work powerful workings upon his heart for good to us then when we would repent for there 's reason that we should repent as well as expect that God should for us we should be gathering all arguments that possibly can be and never leave till we find them kindled and warm at our hearts Oh! many of you at some times you have one argument that sticks at your hearts and at another time there 's another at such a time there was some one truth darted in and it took your hearts and you would say as those that went to Emaus Did not we find our hearts burn within us so you found Truths coming in at such a Sermon and at another and another yea but now could you get but all those arguments that ever God did dart into you to waies of repentance could you but get them together and work them upon your hearts and never leave till they be kindled and be crying to God as Elisha did till he got fire to come from Heaven to consume the Sacrifice Oh Lord my heart hath a deal of waterie stuff in it that will not kindle till the fire of the holy Ghost come to kindle these arguments and make them to burn Oh! if it were with us as David in Psal 39. 31. saith he While I was musing my heart was hot within me and the fire burned so we should go into our closets and be gathering all things together that we can to work upon our hearts and continue mufing till we find the fire burning within us Nay our hearts heat so as to break forth with our tongues and even to say from our souls Well the Lord is God it is he that is worthy for ever to be feared and honored and serv'd I have lived like a base and sinful wretched creature without a God in the world but it 's the Lord that is God that is worthy to be honored from my Bodie and Soul and Estate and Name and Liberty and Life and whatsoever I am or can do now if it would break forth in such a resolution how excellent would it be Oh! let us be humbled I beseech you for the coldness of our hearts that nothing can kindle there What a damp is there upon our spirits that when any argument is laid it goes out presently We have Truths laid upon us when we come to the Word but our dampie hearts quenches them all they do not kindle many are wittie enough to gather arguments for sin and lay them upon their hearts and so to kindle wickedness in their hearts as in Psal 41. 6. you have a notable Scripture there of wicked men that came to David They gathered iniquity in their hearts all things that might sute with their wicked hearts and for the furtherance of their ungodly waies they gathered them together for the encouraging and strengthening of them in their evil waies But it should be the care of the Saints to gather all things that might further repentance in them That 's the reason why wicked men are so hot in that that 's evil They gather arguments together and hence it is that wicked men when they have been in wicked company they come from it so hot in their resolutions to sin Why because they have gathered a great deal together for the heating of their hearts in their sin and so should the Saints when they are together in a holy communion and fellowship they should be gathering one from another every one come and afford something to lay as it were to kindle the fire But how laying their light ends together and not their dead ends together And then the Third Note is this Our mercies to others should not be cold but burning Let us be merciful as our Heavenly Father is merciful That is Not only wishing good to others but let there be kindled mercies in our bowels that we may not be able to keep them in I suppose many of you especially of estates have had many thoughts that you would do this and this for such good uses and you see some reason why it should be so yea but now have these arguments burnt in your hearts so as to cause you to break forth into resolutions Well though I have had thoughts and inclinations to make use of my estate thus and thus yet I have been kept off but now they are kindled in my heart and I am resolved upon it Thus it was with God and let it be so with you And thus much for the Eighth Verse The Ninth follows VER 9. I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger I will not execute the burning of mine anger so the words are IT 's true your sins and arguments against you did lie at my heart and did even burn it but I will not execute that I will execute the kindling of my mercy but not the kindling of mine anger Mark the several phrases Bowels was kindled in way of mercy and Wrath was kindled there was burning Wrath and burning Mercy but that which prevails It is the burning Mercy that prevails I will not execute the burning of mine anger why For I have kindlings of mercy in my bowels But how was this true Was not Israel carried into captivity and continued there many yeers and never yet returned again as some think and when they were carried into captivity for three yeers together there was a siege at the City and yet God saith here He will not execute the sierceness of his anger For the Answer That which before was said will give sufficient answer to it How shall I make thee as Admah and Zeboim that is though God did suffer them to be carried away captive and their enemies prevail'd against them yet he did not make them as Admah and Zeboim though There was not the fierceness of Gods anger the Burning of the anger of God out against them And the Lord had even in their carrying into Captivity yet he had respect to his Elect Ones and hath to this very day an intention to do them good afterwards And so we shall find in the next verse that there is a promise of the returning from their Captivity and therefore though they were for a long time to continue in Captivity yet still God did not execute the fierceness of his anger Sin indeed stirs up anger and fierce anger in God The Septuagint translate the words thus I will not do according to the anger of my wrath that is in extremity I will not do thus with you
therefore here he names Jacob to take away that vain plea of their hearts whereas they would say Why were not we the posterity of Jacob Have not we Jacob to be our Father Well saith he I 'le punish Jacob and I 'le shew you by and by that you have no such cause to boast your selves that you have Jacob to be your Father and so I take it and most Interpreters that by Jacob he means the ten Tribes Now for the other part of the text I shall speak nothing concerning that because in Chap. 4. Ver. 9. we had the very same words there It follows VER 3. He took his brother by the heel in the womb and by his strength had power with God c. THis Prophet enveighing against the sins of these ten Tribes and threatning Judgments in these words He takes away the plea that he saw was in their hearts against what he had said We are the children of Jacob and why do you thus charge us and threaten us in the Name of God was not Jacob our Father As in Christs time they pleaded that Abraham was their Father Now in these words read unto you the Prophet takes away this plea and the scope of them comes to this as if he had said you may bless your selves in that Jacob was your Father but it will do you little good for you are a degenerate off-spring from him It 's true God was very gracious to Jacob and Jacob was very deer to God it 's otherwise with you Jacob worshiped God after another manner than you do The Prophet therefore sets before this people here in the words read Gods mercy to Jacob and Jacobs graciousness in his behavior towards God that he might upbraid those children of Jacob who walked so unworthy of such a gracious Father as Jacob was that 's the scope Now how this is set forth we shall speak to presently only for the scope of the Prophet in these three Verses read unto you we take notice only of this one instruction That it is a great upbraiding of children that are wicked to hear of the graciousness of their parents and should be a matter of much humiliation to wicked children to hear of the relation that their parents had to God and what worshipers of God their parents were children that have had gracious parents should look upon it as a shame to them when at any time the graciousness of their parents is but mentioned before them I remember I have read of a King of Poland that was wont to carry the picture of his Father in a plate of Gold about his neck that he had honorable esteem of and when he was to do any matter of great importance he would take this picture and kiss it and use these words God grant that I may do nothing now remisly that I may do nothing now unworthy of my Father because his Father was so good a man Oh! you that have had gracious Ancestors think often of them and when you are tempted to sin think this Is not this unworthy of my Ancestors would they have done thus Children should so walk as the vertues of their Fathers should not die in them but they should hold them forth As Ambrose in an Oration of his upon the Commendations of Theodotius saith he Though Theodotius be gone yet surely so long as his Son lives Theodotius will live among us He meant thus that the vertues of that vertuous Emperor would certainly live in his Son that was so hopeful Oh! it 's an excellent thing when the vertues of gracious parents do live in their Children and it is a very evil thing when the Parents are dead yea and their vertues are dead in respect of their children there 's nothing of them appears in them they love to inherit their Lands and Estates but it was a great deal better to inherit their vertues and their godliness But the people of Israel did not inherit the godliness of Jacob and did not so much take to heart the goodness of God towards their Father Jacob that the Prophet doth here now lay open before them and to that end he makes use of three Histories There is three famous Histories in the two first verses that I have read to you that the Prophet here makes use of and there 's much of the mind of God in them I shall open much Scripture in the first two verses for they refer unto three Histories that we have in the book of Genesis The First History of Jacobs taking his brother by the heel you shall find in Gen. 25. 26. He took his brother by the heel And then the Second History you shall find in Gen. 32. And the Third History partly in the 28 and partly in the 35. of Gen. The first is He took his brother by the heel You must refer to that Scripture in Gen. to know the mind of God in this there you shall find that in the womb of Rebekah there was a striving between Iacob and Esau this was before they were born and at their birth Iacob put his hand out and takes his brother by the heel from whence he had his name Iacob that signifies a heel and from thence a Supplanter And Esau he hath his name of Acting or Doing he was made a man that is because he was hairy when he was born he was as it were a man already from whence he had his name Esau he is as it were a man made in the womb Saith Luther here 's the man that will do all things famously when Esau was born and they saw him so hairy they thought he was the man that would do very great and famous things in the world and from thence he had his name Esau Now Iacob in his birth he takes this Esau that every one thought when he was born would have been a famous man and done famous things he takes him by the heel saith Luther upon the place a most wonderful History this taking his brother by the heel But what 's the meaning of this you will say why doth the Prophet instance in this to what purpose is this to the ten Tribes that Iacob took his brother by the heel what good would this do to the People that Hosea was prophesying to he tells them that their Father Iacob take his brother by the heel what did he aim at Was this story to be a means to humble the people for their sins how could it do it Therefore we must know that the scope meaning of this great work of God in taking his brother by the heel it was this First It shewed That though Esau was the first born and so in an orderly course the birthright should have descended upon him and upon his posterity for so it did the blessing did use to go along with the first-born and with their posterity in which the first-born was a type of Christ who
through his mercy I have felt I hope through his Grace that I shall keep my self in that temper Oh how happy were it with us if when God brings our hearts into a good temper if we had but hearts to keep them in that temper keep Mercy And keep Judgment too In some acts you shall find men very just and take them in other acts and there they will be false enough But now It should be our care to be as it 's said of God in Jer. 50. 6 7. God is said there to be the habitation of Justice so it should be in the Courts of Justice there should be the habitation of Justice Perhaps sometimes in some one Cause a man may have Justice in a Court yea but if it be not so in all Causes at all times there is not the keeping of Justice Justice should be alwaies at home sometimes you may come to a Court and not find Justice at home but it 's gone abroad but it should be alwaies the habitation of Judgment And so it should be in Families and in particular Persons It may be at some times thou wert just in thy waies yea but then thou hadest not a temptation the tempration came not for unjust dealing There are some men that by a temptation are brought to such unjust dealing that if a man should have said some divers yeers ago that thou wouldest have done such things you would have been ready to think Am I a dog that I should do such things but now when a man is once engaged in any unjust way then he must go on and therefore keep Judgment It follows Keep Judgment and wait on thy God continually That 's thus Do not satisfie your selves in duties of Mercy and Judgment only but worship God For by waiting on God is meant the exercise of spiritual Graces wherein the Worship of God consists wherein we come to make God to be our God As it is not enough for men to think they worship God and yet make no conscience of the Second Table so neither is it enough for men to make conscience of the Second Table and not to worship God It may be there is som of you that are very just yea but what worship of God is there in your Families and in your own hearts Do your souls worship God and sanctifie the Name of God in all your waies Therefore this is added Turn to the Lord thy God and keep Mercy and Judgment and wait on thy God continually Wait on God The bases or foundation of waiting is Faith Beleeve there is good in God help supply here and that in God alone however things seem to be contrary let things go how they will I beleeve there is help in God alone and not in those former base waies that I have taken before that my corrupt heart hath led me into here 's help and not in the other way Secondly Waiting on God is To attend God in the use of what means God hath appointed for the attaining of such a thing that I expect from him Thirdly A looking out for Mercy I beleeve here is Mercy and no where else I attend on God for it in the use of these means and I look out for mercy Fourthly I quietly submit in the mean time though God staies long that 's to wait so as not to be discontent not to have my heart sink though God staies long Fifthly I keep in the way of seeking of God all the while That soul that doth this may be said to wait on God A turning heart to God is a heart that is a waiting heart the heart that turns truly to God is taken off from all Creature contentments so as to rest in them and looks up to God for all help and for all supply And this waiting is of very great use to those that are turning to God Consider of it Is any of you about the work of turning to God hath God begun to make a turn to any of your hearts Know that when you are turning to God you are very like to meet with a great many things that may discourage you many suggestions of the Devil and your own hearts Why should not I go back again what good have I gotten by reading and praying I get nothing by it and all will come to nothing at last Temptations are like to come thick and three-fold upon the heart of a sinner turning to God I am confident I am speaking in this to the hearts of all that knows what it is to turn unto God there was a time that thou wert departing from God and then thou wentest on quietly but ever since the time that God hath begun to turn thy heart Oh! the thick and three fold temptations of the Devil that come to thee Now this is a very seasonable exhortation turn to God and wait upon him be not discouraged not withstanding all difficulties fears temptations and discouragements from Men and Devils and thine own heart yet wait upon God and keep in his way Oh! it had been happy that this exhortation had been set home upon the spirits of many that the Lord was beginning to give a turn to their hearts not long since the Lord was beginning to turn thy heart to himself and thou mettest with some things that discouraged thee which hath turned thee quite off again Oh! had but this exhortation come seasonably then Turn to the Lord and wait upon him Oh! it had been happy for thee The Lord make it seasonable now to thee Oh! remember this text Turn to God and wait upon him Wait. Oh! there 's reason that thou shouldest wait upon God Oh! thou saiest if I had comfort and if I were sure I should be saved at last though I have discouragements from men yet if I had but comfort from God then I could be content yea but wait wait for comfort wait for peace wait for assurance God is a great God and is worthy to be waited on Men that are above others will take state upon them and they will be waited on God is great and therefore wait upon him And we are vile creatures and unworthy and therfore let us wait Beggers if they should rap and rap and you come and see it to be a begger your heart rises upon him if he beg he must wait if you be busie We are Beggers and therefore it is fit for us to wait And Thirdly God hath waited on us a long time how long did God wait upon thee it may be thou wert twenty yeers old before thou didest begin to turn to God perhaps thou wert thirty or fortie yeers old and God was waiting upon thee to be gracious all that time God was waiting for opportunity to do thee good and therefore wait thou upon God And Fourthly What we wait for it is worth our waiting If a man did beleeve there were nothing but
scraps to be had at last then he would not wait so long but if he did hope there was some great thing to be gotten then he would wait Beggers if they come to some mean house they knock at the door and stay a little and if they give them nothing away they will go but if they come to great Houses or Coaches they will wait though it be long and run a great way after them So that which we wait for it is worth thousands of worlds we wait for the pardon of Sin and wait for the assurance of Gods Love we wait for the shedding abroad of the holy Ghost in our hearts we wait for rich Treasure and know that there is enough to be had in God your waiting will pay for all Know also 'T is a great part of Gods Worship to wait upon him 't is not the Worship of God only to Pray and hear the Word and receive Sacraments but when you are waiting you are worshiping of God Further God is all this while preparing mercy for you Suppose you come to have a Scrivener write somthing for you Well the thing is not yet done yea but he is writing as fast as he can know O thou soul who art turning to God all the while thou art waiting God is working God is setting all his Attributes on work for thy good while thou art waiting and therefore wait on thy God And know God is infinitly wise and he knows when 't is best for us to have the mercy he knows the times and seasons wait upon God for the Lord is a God of Judgment Alas we are hasty we cannot judg when the time is fittest but God is a God of Judgment and therefore wait upon him should we have a mercy just when we would our mercy would undo us and therefore let us wait Oh my Brethren we have as much encouragement here in this Land to wait upon God as ever any people had we would fain have had the Wars ended and we began to murmur and repine because it was not done Oh! but we will not wait therefore we will not turn and those that turn to God least will wait least upon him and those that turn to God most will wait most upon him Do not you see that God hath wrought abundance of good for us by deferring what we would have had we had no opposition at the beginning of the Parliament and suppose the King and Parliament had agreed and said You shall have your desires What would we have desir'd we would have desir'd some few things as taking away Ship-mony Tonnage and Poundage Monopolies c. and to have a Triennial Parliament and the like Now what abundance hath God wrought by deferring what we would have had Oh it is good for people to wait upon God Oh let us look back to our murmurings and repinings all this while It 's true we have suffered something yea but hath not God wrought good out of our sufferings and suppose there should be fears of new storms arising Oh let us not say we will wait no longer Oh I take heed of foolish resolutions of your own God is wisest leave God to do his own work keep the way of God and go on in your duty and then let God work his own ends either by War or Peace any way as he pleases wait upon God and mark Wait upon God Continually Wait It 's fit for us to wait Yea but we have waited a long time Well but yet know that you are at the right door Suppose a man be knocking at a door and he hath knockt a great while and no body comes he begins to think it 's not the the right door but some body tells him that it is the right door and then he staies so we may assure our heares thus much we are at the right door certainly and let us not think to go away and we shall find somebody within God wil appear at length What shal we lose all for want of waiting a little while longer Thus it is with many wretched Apostats that have taken a great deal of pains in seeking after God a great while and for want of waiting a little longer they have lost all Oh! let there be this resolution in your hearts If I die and perish yet I 'le die and perish waiting upon God Certainly that soul that hath this resolution will never come to dispair yea there 's no such way for the hastening of Mercy as for a soul to lie flat at the feet of God let God do what he will with me if I perish I 'le perish waiting upon him though he kills me I 'le trust in him and stay upon him You have waited how long I pray Oh! you have been waiting and seeking of God it may be this half year or twelve months What 's that I pray O thou wretched soul thou hast deserved eternal flames and wilt thou grudg at God for waiting a few years If God would keep thee waiting all thy daies and at the last manifest Himself unto thee thou hadst cause to bless God for ever and therfore do not grudge though thou hast been waiting a while and it may be though Thy time is come yet Gods time is not come the time that you call long God doth not call it so One day with God is as a thousand years it 's no time with God and therefore do not complain of the length of thy time And your betters have waited longer Reade but the 88. Psalm and there you will find your better waited all his time The Lord was pleased to work Grace upon him when he was yong his heart was turned to God then and you may find in the text that from his youth up the terrors of God was upon him Wait upon God continually And you cannot better your self Whither wilt thou go poor soul Now you are seeking God you have not what you would have Whither will you go Can you mend your self any way if you cannot then wait upon God continually It may be before God began to turn thy heart thou thoughtst Mercy was easie to be obtain'd thou thought'st then it was nothing to beleeve thou wondrest that people spake so much of the hardness of beleeving thou thought'st it easie Wel the Lord is now working upon thy heart and the Lord would humble thee for those slight thoughts thou hadst of Faith the Lord will have thee to know That beleeving in his Grace it requires a mighty work of God even the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead Be humbled for thy slight thoughts about the work of Faith and know that this it may be is the thing that God intends in keeping thee so low so long That thou maiest come to see that Faith requires the mighty Power of God to work it that so thou maiest give glory to God when
above all but saith Samuel Though you have sinned yet do not depart from the Lord Yet there is hope in Israel concerning this thing as in Ezra 10. God sees that if there be not hope men will grow desperate in their wickedness Jer. 2. 25. They said there was no hope and therefore they would go on still Oh! it 's good for sinners to see there may be hope And Gods Ministers when they have to deal with sinners though very wicked yet to give them some line of hope to catch at though they be even drown'd in their Covetousness in the world and in their guiltiness yet to cast a line of hope there is nothing reveal'd to the contrary but there may yet be possibility for thy sonl at length to be saved Oh! let men take heed of dispa 〈…〉 g determining conclusions against themselves It 's not the greatness of any sin that can be ground enough for a desperate determining conclusion for any man or woman to say God wil never shew mercy I say there 's no greatness of sin there 's no circumstances to aggravate that can be ground enough for thee to say God will never shew mercy it is a proud sullen desperate spirit of thine to make such conclusions thou maiest indeed and thou oughtest to say It were just with God not to shew mercie the Lord might justly cast me out of his sight but to say That he will not shew mercie it 's more than thou or any Angel in Heaven can say therfore O wretched sinful guilty Consciences and especially you that have been Apostats that have forsaken God and his Truths yet return return O return thou Shulamite thou maiest possibly find God as merciful to thee as ever he was there 's hope of mercy for thee still and if thou doest perish eternally it will rather be for some sin to come than for any past If God let thee live if God let thee live to night I say thou wilt rather perish for the sins cōmitted this moment than for all the sins committed in all thy life time before But now for thy continuance in Impenitency that 's a new sin for thy continuing in rejecting the Grace of God for thy continuing in thy unbeleef this indeed may cause God to bring over again all thy former sins and reckon for them Oh! this Consideration might draw the hearts of the wretchedest wicked sinner to God Is it so that it is not for any sins that have been past that I am like to perish but if I perish I shall perish for continuing rather in evil than for what evil I have committed Oh! the Lord forbid then that I should continue let me this day make a stop in evil The Lord would have hopes of mercie cast to wicked and vile sinners And let us be merciful as our Heavenly Father is merciful That is Let servants and children that have offended you let them see that upon their returning they shall find as much favor from you as ever they did sometimes Governors when they are provok'd behave themselves so ridgedly towards them that it makes them even desperate God deals not so with you do not you deal so with your inferiors And as God shews himself not to be changed but wil be the same towards this people as ever he was in goodness and so it beseems us to be that if we have shewn respect anie way to other either in speeches or otherwise if they appear to be what they were it beseems us to be towards them as then let them but appear to be what they were when such respect were shown to them and according to the example of God it beseems us to shew our selves to them again and again to what we then did I that am the Lord thy God from the Land of Egypt will yet make thee to dwell in Tabernacles That 's another Note The Consideration of what God hath done should help our faith in beleeving what yet he will do he that hath delivered us thus far may he not deliver us further I am the Lord that hath delivered you from Egypt Oh! let us make use of what God hath done for us to help our faith in confidence of him for doing further The truth is God hath done so much for England as there is not more to be done than hath been done and if there be but as much of the Power Goodness and Mercie of God towards us for the next five or six yeers ' as hath been for these last six years ecrtainly it will be as glorious a Nation as ever was upon the face of the earth it will be the beginning of the new Jerusalem if God should continue so as he hath done And why may not the Lord that hath brought us out of Egypt bring us to rejoyce as in the feast of Tabernacles And so Spiritually God who at first did enlighten thy mind brought thee from Egyptian darkness Certainly that God he is able to do as great things for thee still and to finish the work for thee How many are there that though they have found Gods mighty hand upon them in giving a turn to their hearts and bringing them out of the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquitie and yet at any time when they feel but their corruptions a little stirring Oh they are readie to think that they shall perish one day by the hand of those corruptions When we were enemies were we not reconcil'd to him God hath struck the deadly wound to it he hath mortified thee and the truth is consider but of this I say there is not more to be done to bring thee to Heaven thou that hast the least degree of Grace than God hath alreadie done by giving thee the least measure of grace he hath made a greater alteration in thy estate from one that is in an estate of nature than the alteration will be from thy Conversion to the height of glorie that alteration wil not be so much neither will it require such a great Power of God to make thee a glorious Saint in Heaven as it did require to make thee of one that was a child of wrath to be a child of God thou hast the better half and the most eminent power of God is put forth alreadie for our change from Grace to Glorie will be but gradual but our change from Nature to Grace it is Total and therefore let thy faith be helped from what God hath done to beleeve what he will do I will yet make thee to dwell in Tabernacles Divers Learned men carrie this I will yet make thee to dwell in Tabernacles to be a Promise of their return from captivity that they must again in the Land of Jewry keep the Feast of Tabernacles I confess were this a Promise to Judah I should think it to be the meaning of it but because it is to Israel who
condition but you are proud and haughty you can bear nothing but be high and brave and must sute your selves with other Nations your Father JACOB was content to serve a long time for a Wife seven years and seven yeers again and went on in a humble and patient way and kept close to God all that while it 's not so with you who are his posterity Thirdly He brings in the example of Jacob to shew how wonderful the providence of God was towards him in carrying him to his Uncles house and providing there for him in protecting of him against his Uncle Laban is raising of his estate for he went over with his staff in his hand but the Lord raised him to be two Bands The providence of God was that towards your father Jacob as if the Prophet should say You speak of your Father Jacob Oh that you would but consider of him to be as he was to be patient and humble under Gods hand and wait upon Gods providence to work good for you no but you will be providing and shifting for your selves and you dare not trust to God as your father Jacob did and thus you see the scope why the Prophet brings in Jacob. But this will not suffice for the opening of this notable Scripture we must have some reference to the story this Scripture is taken out of You shall find the story of Jacob's flying into Syria in Gen. 28. 2. and then there 's a second story in Gen. 29. about the 15. For this verse hath two stories in it the story of his flying into Syria from the house of his father Isaac to Labans house and then the story of his serving for his Wives those two seven yeers Now for the First you shall find matter of much instruction The First story of his flying into Syria it was for two ends That was the First to fly for his life because Esau did threaten the life of Jacob and by the counsel of his Mother he fled to his Uncle Labans until the wrath of Esau should be appeased Yea but there was a Second Reason God made advantage of that flight of his As many times God is pleased to turn the flights of his people to abundance of good unto them they may fly because of the danger of their Enemies and they may think that if they can but have their lives for a prey if they can avoid the danger of the Enemy it will do well yea but God may have a further end and intend abundance of good to them that they shall find more mercy in that place where they fly but to get a shelter for their lives than ever they had in all their lives before many that have fled from persecution of ungodly men they have found greater mercy in the place they have fled unto though they have fled from their Fathers house and from their own Country yet they have found greater mercies there than ever they did in all their lives they can tell great stories of the mercies of God unto them in the places of their flight So it was here with Jacob that was one end of God that he should fly that he might provide a Wife for himself out of his Mothers kindred for so he was charged you shall find in the story of Gen. 28. that he was charged there by his Father to get a Wife of the Daughters of Laban And now observe it in Gen. 28. 3. ver when as Jacob did thus fly into Syria because Isaac did see that he was like to endure a great deal of trouble and affliction in this his flight Isaac doth renue the blessing upon him And thus God doth use to do when he sees his people to be in such a way wherein they are like to suffer sore and hard afflictions the Lord prepares them by renewing his blessing upon them by a fresh manifestation of himself unto them and the renewing of Gods blessing is enough to carry a man or woman through abundance of afflictions for that did help much to carry Jacob through all his afflictions Further Observe in the Second place when Isaac sent Jacob away he sent him away in a very mean condition without any such provision as Abrahams servant was sent with when he went to seek a Wife for Isaac we reade in Gen. 24. 10. where Abraham sent his servant to find out a Wife for his son Isaac Abraham sent him with a great deal of provision with ten Camels and with Earings and Bracelets and the like but Jacob is sent away to seek for a Wife and sent with a staff in his hand If it be said That this is the reason why he was sent so meanly that it was for privacie because he would not be discovered in regard of the rage of Esau Though that might be a reason of his first going away in so mean a condition yet that could not be the reason why Isaac should not send after him afterwards for we never reade that Isaac sent any servant after him but sent him away with his staff in his hand having only the blessing of God upon him Therefore it is more probable this That God did mean to train up Jacob in a low condition in an estate of affliction to train him up to patience and humility and in dependance upon God Well then he goes to Laban he flies to Syria that is to his Uncle Laban when he comes there he serves him yea he was a Servant to him for twenty yeers together in a low condition so you find it in Gen. 31. 38. he saith there He had served him twenty yeers and in all this time he found Laban though his kinsman very rough to him as many times yong people coming to their kindered find them very rough and hard towards them Laban was very churlish towards him and very false to him yet Jacob goes on and endures all the heat of the day and the cold of the night and Isaac his Father was alive all this while and yet we never reade that Isaac sent to him all this time a thing much to be wondered at there was never any intercourse that I read of between his Father Isaac and him all this while but lives from his Father though his Father a rich man and a great man and yet he goes on in a humble patient and quiet way depending upon God to make an issue out of all his sufferings and God did at length make a very glorious issue out of all though Laban used him hardly Now being Isaac's son and he had the blessing one would have thought that Laban should have been willing to have bestowed a daughter upon him nay but he serves for a Wife and when he had served him yet he was deceived with a Leah which was a very great injury to Jacob Laban urged her upon him and it 's a very great part of roughness and ridgedness
you afterwards Yea but now did not you behaue your selves proudly and stubbornly and so make your service so much the more hard by provoking your Governors Oh! look back to these things and consider how far you are from being of the disposition of Iacob that you proâ—â—ss to be your father Many Apprentises in their hard services have don that that they have cause to repent of afterwards He served for a Wife First the Note is That Love will carry through long service Love is ashamed to complain of difficulties Oh! so it wouid be if we loved God do not complain of the service of God to be difficult The Second is this That a good Wife is a great blessing of God though she hath no portion though a man serve for her yet it is a great blessing of God there is a more special mercy of God there than there is in giving men an Estate he served long and long even for a Wife Luther upon the place speaks much about the blessing in Marriage and of a good Wife Saith he Certainly Iacob did not serve so long that he might have a Companion of his life with whom there should be nothing but railing scolding and wrangling no but he look'd upon an estate of Marriage at the School of all Vertue for so should a married estate indeed be And then further another Note that is very observable He served these two seven years This may be one ground why Iacob served so long for a Wife and a special ground why Because that he had a charge from his father Isaac to take a Wife in La 〈…〉 's family and therefore he would rather serve seven years and seven years after that to have a Wife from him than to go to seek a Wife any other where in obedience to the charge of his Father Luther in his Comment upon this very Scripture he doth much urge that very Note That Children should be obedient to their Parents in their matches and take heed of matching against their Parents consent If you profess your selves to be of the seed of Jacob for so the godly are set out in Scripture be like unto your Father Jacob in this In being obedient to your parents in your matches there is no greater disobedience in the world than the disobedience of a Child in the case of marriage in the flinging off of the yoke of subjection to your Parents in this kind Luther urges this exceeding much from hence Civil Laws require the consent of Parents in all Lawful marriages and so the Authority of sacred Scripture declares to us that those marriages have been ever happy that have been with the consent of their Parents And again saith he experience doth testifie that those marriages have been for the most part unhappy that have been without consent of Parents certainly the blessing of God is not upon them you may to satisfie your lusts think to please your selves for a week or two but it 's just with God that you should live miserably all your daies that make no more conscience of disobedience to your Parents in your matches And any of you that are here present if you be guilty this way know that the Lord rebukes you this day and you are taught to go alone and humble your selves and to bewail that sin of yours which is certainly a very great sin and you had need both Husband and Wife together both fast and pray to get away the guilt of that sin that so you may have a blessing upon your married estate and upon your posterity without which you cannot expect it therefore did Jacob serve thus that he might be obedient to his Father Isaac which did charge him to go and take a Wife in that place And thus much for that Twelfth Verse It follows VER 13. And by a Prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt and by a Prophet was he preserved STILL the Prophet goes on in shewing their meanness in their Ancestors your Father Jacob was thus mean a poor exile he was fain to serve thus for his Wife It 's true Joseph was a while in prosperity but when Joseph was dead all your Ancestors then they were in Egypt as miserable bondslaves they were there as bondslaves and how should they get out there was no way in the world Pharaoh a mighty King they had no friends abroad nor no Armies to help themselves only a Prophet God sent them a Prophet Moses and what was this Prophet one that had been a poor Shepheard for forty yeers together in the Wilderness and when this Prophet was to go into Egypt to be a deliverer of them was it ever like that he should be the man in Exod. 4. 20. the text saith He took his Wife and his Sons and set them upon an Ass we reade but of one Beast that he had and so he went into Egypt in a mean and low condition and when he came there he was not owned and we never read that Moses did declare who he was and the children of Israel would not own him and Pharaoh begun to buslâ— and would not let Israel go how should this one Moses deliver them nay their bondage did encrease when Moses came unto them Yet by a Prophet the text saith the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt and by a Prophet was he preserved This was a mighty work of God to bring Israel out of Egypt by a Prophet and to preserve them in the Wilderness and be the way there is on useful Note you reade in Exod. 38. 26. There was six hundred thousand and three thousand five hundred and fifty males from twenty yeers old and upwards And in Numb 1. 46. that was the second yeer after they went out from Egypt and there you shall find that there was just so many besides Levi after God had taken Levi for himself to be his portion thereby God would shew that none should lose any thing that they did for him How often when men have been willing to give any thing to God God hath made it up in one yeer but that by the way This that I bring this for it is To shew the great work of God that by a Prophet he brings such a number out of Egypt and he preserves them in the Wilderness uses no means for their preservation for the guiding of them which way they should go but a mean Prophet for the providing water for them for the providing meat for them for the providing of cloathes for them for the defending of them against their Enemies that they should not come and destroy them when they were in any danger to help them when they were stung by the Serpents to shew them what they should do to heal them and to keep them all in peace that they should not mutiny one against another To compose all their differences this Prophet had the great stroke in all these
things this was the mighty work of God towards them He doth not say he brought them out of Egypt but by a Prophet he brought them out of Egypt and by a Prophet was he preserved This was first to shew their very low and mean condition that they had no succor nor help in the sight of humane reason humane reason could no way help them they had none but a poor Prophet Secondly It was to shew this That God in their deliverance would appear himself and would work such a glorious work by his own hand Thirdly It was to upbraid this people that Hosea did preach unto at this time for the abuse of his Prophets there was a time saith he a Prophet stood you in stead now you care not for the Prophets they may speak what they will but you care not for them but there was a time that a Prophet stood you in stead how ever stout and proud you are now I find divers Interpreters observe this and among the Ancients especially Cyril of Alexandria hath it shewing how Instrumental a Prophet had been after good unto them Had not God blessed the endeavors of a Prophet for good unto your forefathers where had you been at this day First note That the consideration of the shiftless estate of our Ancestors should humble us much And if the consideration of our Ancestors should humble us thus how much more when we consider of our own shiftless estate Oh! lately how shiftless were we And the truth is though there were Armies raised yet God would not so much look at them but rather look'd at his Prophets and his Servants the praying people were the main and principal means that did help us in that condition and this should humble us we should take heed of growing haughty and proud when we are delivered considering how shiftless we were but a little while ago and therefore if now we have gotten peace and prosperity we think is coming in take heed of pride now look back to that shiftless poor condition that you were in a little while ago Secondly God shews here mercy to his people by a Prophet that notes this That when God works great things for his Church his way is to work it by very smal means little means God uses when he intends the greatest mercies to his Church Gods deliverance of his people from Egypt it was a type of the deliverance of his Churches to the end of the world from their bondage and afflictions and God sends them a Prophet and he must deliver them Though God did it yet God puts it upon the Prophet as the great Instrumental means for their help God takes delight in this when he doth good to his people not to make use of such great means as when he doth work his own ends other waies towards other people when God intends good towards other people he will do it in a more natural way by natural means but when he comes to work good for his own he will do it in a more supernatural way For mercies are so much the sweeter by how much the more God is in them so much the more as we see the finger of God in a mercy so much the sweeter it is And above all things the Lord accounts himself glorified in his peoples depending upon him in the want of all means the Lord accounts this his Glory that he may be an object of the rest of the souls of his people that when they are in any straights in any afflictions that yet they can look upon God as an object for their rest and can say My soul return unto thy rest Oh consider of this you that are the Servants of God when you are in straits and difficulties remember this Note That God accounts it to be the great glory that he rejoyces in the special glory of his Name that his Servants shall make him in their straiâ—s to be the rest of their souls and this is the reason why he hath used to work so much good for his people by such poor and weak means as he hath done Thirdly It is a great aggravation of mens sins if they grow naught and wicked after God hath in a more than ordinary manner appeared for their good If then they grow naught and wicked when God hath appeared from Heaven for their good and wrought beyond all natural means and set them upon their legs again and delivered them it much aggravates their sins Fourthly which is a principal thing that I verily beleeve the holy Ghost aim'd at in this place and that is this That the Unkindness to and Abuse of such as have reference though but in a way of succession unto such as God hath used to be Instruments of our deliverance is a very great evil that 's the Note By a Prophet the Lord brought them out of Egypt and by a Prophet he preserved them and what do you abuse them now and are so much against them Divers good things God hath done for his People by Prophets As by Moses here so afterwards by Samuel and Eliah and Elisha great things in the matters of State God had done for this People by Prophets and therfore he takes it very ill that they should so abuse and slight the Prophets as they did This shews for people to do thus 1. A base levite of spirit 2. An abominable ingratitude of spirit and vile injustice and God will avenge these things We have a notable Scripture in Judg. 8. 34 35. and in Judg. 9. 16. In the 8. Chapter of Judges you reade there how God charges the People And it came to pass assoon as Gideon was dead that the Children of Israel turned again and went a whoring after Baalim and made Baalberith their god and the Children of Israel remembred not the Lord their God who had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies on every side neither shewed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal namely Gideon according to all the goodness which he had shewed unto Israel Gideon had been a famous Instrument of good to Israel that they received forty years prosperitie by him but assoon as he was gone the people went a whoring from God and then they were unkind towards his posteritie so you find in Chap. 9. Vers 16. All the men of Shechem gathered themselves together and all the house of Millo and went and made Abimelech King And one of Gideon's Sons goes and expostulates the matter with them and tels them the Parable of the Trees that did desire a King but saith Jotham to them afterwards in the 19. Vers If ye have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day then rejoyce in Abimelech and let him also rejoyce in you but if not let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and the house of Millo and let fire come out
any wild Beasts whatsoever there is that in my wrath if you escape one wild beast another shall tear you and that 's the reason that the Bear is added to the Lyon and the Leopard because the Bear runs up a tree so much which the others do not and now he comes to all wild Beasts put them all together and my wrath is as fierce as them And this is one excellent meditation from hence That put all the dreadfulness of all creatures in the world together and all that it is in the wrath of God As put all the good things that are in all creatures together all this is in the Love and Mercy of God so put al things that any way may bring any torments or tortor to us and the quintessence of all this is in Gods wrath The wild Beasts shall tear them Lyra thinks that this Prophesie was fulfill'd when they were carried captive and in their journey many died and so they were cast into fields and devoured by wild Beasts and it 's likely it may be fulfill'd in part so as usually when Soldiers carry an Enemy captive Why if they be sick let them die and if they die throw them into a ditch there 's all they care for them and so it was with this people that the Lord though he knew them in the wilderness and his protection was over them yet now to forget them and lets them be carried into captivity and cast to wild beasts and so their carkasses was torn And some think that the expression of Gods wrath by these Beasts hath reference to the four Monarchies which God would make use of to be very terrible to his Saints In Dan. 7. you shall find the four Monarchies of the world the Babylonian the Persian the Grecian and Roman Monarchies set forth in the same manner as here the holy Ghost sets out the wrath of God against Israel for the truth is Those things that we have here in Hosea were to set forth Gods waies to his people in after-times not only when they were to be carried captive In Dan. 7. 3. there appeared four great Beasts the first li 〈…〉 Lyon by which was signified the Babylonish Empire the second like a Bear by that the Persian the third like a Leopard and that 's the Graecian for Alexander was as a Leopard exceeding swift all his exploits he did in twelve yeers he was but thirty three yeers old when he died And moreover they observe of the Leopard which hath the name from a Panther that it smels exceedingly the very body of it smels sweet above all Beasts and so it doth invite the Beasts to it and so it was said of Alexanders body that it had a sweet smell with it And then the fourth being the Roman Empire mark how that 's set out just as Gods sets out his wrath he doth not name any particular Beast but the wild Beast this is dreadful terrible and strong exceedingly and it had great iron teeth it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped the residue with the feet of it and it was diverse from al the beasts that was before it and it had ten horns you know now that that was divided into ten Kingdoms or ten sorts of Civil Governments at several times This is the Roman Empire the power of whom Antichrist was to have by both whom the Lord would exercise his people and be very terrible to his people especially those people of his that were Apostatizing people that would worship him according to their own waies God would be thus terrible to them where ever they lived under any of the former Empires they should have God either as a Lyon a Leopard a Bear or like this dreadful Creature at the last unto them Oh but you will say Why do you speak thus Or it may be people would speak thus to the Prophet Oh why do you speak of God in this terrible manner Is not our God a gracious God and a merciful God why then will you render God thus terrible Why saith the Prophet then comes in VER 9. O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self but in me is thy help OH do not find fault with the dreadfulness of God that God appears thus dreadful to you and do not you blame the Ministers of God that they do render God in this dreadful manner before you though it 's true that God appears in a way ready to destroy you bu 〈…〉 the Lord yet is infinite holy and blessed and a God of mercy and goodness in himself O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self thou maiest thank thy self for all this 〈◊〉 many of you when you hear the terrors of God set before you perhaps your hearts rise against them and your spirits do exceedingly distast such things as those are and why do Ministers make God appear to be so terrible to people when as he is such a merciful and gracious God Oh! rather lay thine hand upon thine own heart and say God indeed is thus gracious and merciful but it 's through my wickedness that makes God appear so terrible the judgments of God are call'd strange things it 's because that God hath not such delight in the execution of wrath in appearing like a Lyon a Leopard and a Bear It 's that that pleases the heart of God to appear as a Father to do good to his people Oh! but thou hast destroyed thy self And this is a main point indeed that sinful people should charge themselves with all the evil that doth befall them they destroy themselves Oh! this it is that will be the aggravation of mens judgments another day that they are the cause of all the evils they suffer You may think to put it off to God and say Oh how dreadful is Gods Justice but God knows how to put off all upon your selves and the destruction of sinners will appear to be from themselves and God will cleer it up to all the World before Men and Angels and will cleer it up unto their Consciences The damn'd in Hell shall not be able to speak against Gods Justice at all but they shall be forced to charge themselves with all the evil that is upon them Oh! it was through this wretched and vile wicked heart of mine God was not wanting to me in any means of good but I had a rebellious heart and I have brought all this evil upon my self I have destroyed my self O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self Destroyed himself did not God in the words imme 〈…〉 〈◊〉 before say that he would meet him as a Bear that is bereaved of her Whelps and would rend the Caul of their hearts and would be as a Lyon to them and a Leopard and yet O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self Though God execute severe wrath and makes use of instruments of wrath against a people yet their destruction is to be attributed to themselves
where it was said God was the only Savior In Me is thy help In me That is Thy continued help not only help for the present but whatsoever help thou hast continued it is all in God Isa 33. 2. Be thou their Arm every morning our Salvation also in the time of trouble not only their help for the present but they need stil a continued supply and help every morning But further In Me is thine help though thou hast destroyed thy self Observe There 's no misery that man can bring himself to here in this world but there is help in God for it though thou hast destroyed thy self yet in me is thine help there may yet be help in God As if God should say I do glory in it to be an helper It is God glory to help men in miserie let it be ours It 's the glory of many men to destroy to do mischief but it 's the glory of God to be an helper Saith Luther upon the place I desire to defend thee to preserve thee this indeed is to be a God saith he To be an helper God glories in this that he is a God for this end to be an helper Oh that we could account it our glory to be helpful unto others Let us also look upon God in this his Glory and make him the Object of our Faith in times of distress let us not lie vexing and fretting under our misery b 〈…〉 â—ift up our eyes to God that is the helper let no want of means no unworthiness in us cause our hearts to sink those despairing temptations that saith to us There is no help in God they are very sinful at any time let the condition be never so bad You will say I am a wretched creature I have undone my self Well though thou hast yet such kind of thoughts as these to say There is no help in God they are wicked and sinful God accounts it his glory to help men even when they have destroyed themselves There is a time indeed when there will be no help for sinners but for the time in this world we may say as Shechaniah in Ezra 10. 2 Yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing Oh make use of that Scripture when thou seest thy self sink down even to the very gulf Oh yet there is hope in the God of Israel for this very thing Suppose my condition be worse I think than any in the world yet you know it hath not been known what God hath laid up for them that love him there is help in God Yea But whether he will help or no Do but carry it now in this notion That there is help in God and he accounts it his Glory to be an Helper he accounts it not his Glory to be a Destroyer so much no that 's his strange work but to be an Helper that 's his great Glorie And again Even at that time when men are most undone then is the time for God to help Thou hast destroyed thy self in me is thine help Oh! come and return yet there may be help for thee though thou hast destroyed thy self Thou hast destroyed thy self in Me thy help It may be in a way of aggravation of their sin and stubbornness Why doest not thou come in to me have not I alwaies been a help to thee in all times of straights and distresses You are in great miserie now I am the same that ever I was yet there 's help enough in me from whence the Note is this Those that heretofore have seen help in God and yet if now their misery grows upon them and they sink yet lower and lower they had need examin themselves throughly Surely they have shut the door against themselves for help for God is never wearie of doing good his arm is not shortened as in Isa 59. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God I beseech you mark but this there is a great difference between God and man in this thing of Helping Men that are verie kind sometimes and helpful yet at other times they will be very surly and harsh towards those that they have been very helpful to in former times and that not from any cause without but meerlie from the temper of their own hearts and the change that there is in their own spirits not because those that they have been kind to are worse now than before no but because of a froward surly harsh humor that is risen up in themselves you shall see such a difference in men that have been very sweet loving and helpful to you at some times but come to them at other times and you shall find them dogged and surly and harsh and you cannot tell what hath provok'd them no it is nothing but from a surlie distemper that is risen in their hearts Oh! thus it is with men but it is not so with God Thou hast destroyed thy self but in Me is thy help it is still I have been thy helper all thy daies and still am the same God ready to do good unto thee and to help thee And then the last thing that I would note is this The more God hath been helpful to any the greater aggravation will it be to their destruction if they be destroyed at last Thou hast destroyed thy self but in me is thy help I have been a help alwaies I am ready to help and to do good and yet thou art undone Oh to be destroyed when God is at hand to help to perish when there is a Fountain just before us as Hagar this will be sad indeed Oh to perish in the midst of means and in the midst of mercies Oh what an aggravation will it be to mens sins another day when they are past the time of mercie to help but then to think Oh! but how gracious was God to me while I liv'd at such and such a time And so concerning our selves again from this In me is thine help It will be the aggravation of our misery if we should yet perish Oh my Brethren Consider of it What shall all the great stories and notable famous stories that we have told of Gods mighty working in helping us shall they be of no other use but to aggravate our miseries at last It would be a sad thing But to proceed VER 10. I will be thy King Where is any other that may save thee in all thy Cities and thy Judges of whom thou saidst Give me a King and Princes FIRST To speak a little to the words as you have them in your books for the words will bear them so in the Original And yet I shall shew you another reading by and by that is as sutable to the Original text as this I will be thy King What ever you do contrive plot keep never such a stir fret vex and rage I will govern you for all that I will be
your King and will do that which beseems me as the great King of Heaven and Earth I will not be born down by you with all your boisterousness I will govern you 〈◊〉 will have mine own ends do what you can things shall not go as you will but they shall go as I will have them you would cast off my Authoritie but I wil maintain it I wil be your King This is a sad condition to a people when God rules over them in spight of their heart And yet God doth do so many times God rules over people in spight of their hearts whether they will or no while they are plotting and striving for themselves this way and that way God is bringing about his own ends in their ruin The Lord is King be the people never so unquiet saith the Psalmist Psal 99. 1. It 's not thy fretting and wilfulness that wil hinder the course of Gods ordering things in the world he will be King at last do what thou canst while thou and thousand thousands of such as thou art shall perish eternally God will be King Oh it 's infinitly better for thee to fal down before the Lord and say Lord thou shalt be our King thou art above us thou hast power over us thou shalt be our King for ever It 's just with God alwaies to say thus I will be King But certainly God hath not made such a distance between man and man that any man should say so that whatsoever injustice he doth whatsoever misery he brings people into yet I will be thy King I will have mine own ends mine own will The Bonds between Kings and States certainly is mutual But further thus I will be their King I will not cast off all care of them I will not leave them to the mercy or rather to the crueltie of others but let them come and return to me and I will deal with them as a King to defend them to govern them to do good to them That God should be King over a people it 's his Mercy and it's mans felicitie this should be our prayer Lord give us not up to be rul'd by our lusts but do thou rule over us and Lord give us not up to be rul'd by the lusts of wicked men of unjust and cruel men to rule over us but do thou reign over us Let the Kingdoms of the earth be the Lords and his Christs and he shall reign for evermore But there is another reading of the words and that 's thus You that have books of the old-Translation where Beza's the Geneva Notes are you shall find the reading thus I am and there 's a stop where is your King that should save your City I find most Interpreters go so So the Septuagint Translation Where is your King say they and the Chaldae Paraphrase Where is your King that should save you in all your Cities The Chaldae Paraphrase the Septuagint and very many Interpreters reades it so it 's so translated in the old Translation and according to the Original I will be there may be a stop your King Where is he that should save you in your Cities Yea and many Learned men in speaking of this text in their Comments upon it say they it 's but a transposition of the letters which is ordinarily in the Hebrew tongue and though the word that is I will be it is as much as where upon a transposition of the letter but though we do not make the transposition of the letter in the first words I will be but take them as they are there But if you make a stop there I will be your King where is he that shall save you in your Cities The sense comes to one As if he should say I am the same God that ever I was but where is your King that should save you in your Cities Oh the words read so may pierce the hearts of some if ever they have had any acquaintance with God and known what communion with God hath meane heretofore to hear but these words for God to say I am I am the same God that ever you knew me to be that ever you found me to be but where is your King that should save you and if you reade it as here I will be and there make the stop so Pareus I will be saith he and so refers it then I will be what he had said before as a Lyon a Leopard and as a Bear bereaved of her Whelps and then Where is your King that should save you This is Gods Name in Exod. 3. 14. I am that I am or I will be what I will be so saith God here I am Lord I will be but then where is your King where is your King that should save you in your Citie and your judges of whom you said Give us a King and Princes My Brethren I am no Prophet and have not the spirit of a Prophet that could prophesie of things before or could order Scripture when it should be preached of and when not I am you see in an ordinary course and way and meeting with this Scripture am bound according to my ability to demonstrate unto you wherein the force of it lies I hope your consciences shal be witness that there shal not be the least straining of it but to give you the storie of the thing and the temper of the people at this time it appears plainly that there was three things that they much rested upon say they Let the Prophet say what he will we have the King for us and the Citie for us and the Nobles for us put King and Citie and Nobles together and who can prevail saith God Where 's your King that should save you in your Cities and your Judges of whom ye said Give us a King and Princes and Nobles There 's these three put together If our King come to the Cities he will have a partie there and there will be strength in the Citie and we know the Cities are able to command all the Country and Kingdom there 's the Militia and a numerous company of men and there 's riches in the Cities and therefore the King together with them and then having the Nobles of the Land and the Princes we are sure in a safe condition and yet in the midst of this he asks them by way if derision and insultation For so it is Where is your King that should save you in your Cities The Notes from the words are these First Those things that carnal hearts rest upon will vanish Where are they saith God what 's become of them you would encourage one another and say Come we shall have a day yet for we have this strength and the King and Nobles for us Where are they those things that carnal hearts rest upon will vanish and come to nothing Yea Secondly God loves to insult over men in their carnal confidences For so
their Judges generally were good and guided them in Gods waies but the Kings did not so For the Kings of Israel were none of them good from the beginning of them to the end Oh unthankful wretches that they are so eager to have another condition never minding nor blessing God for what they had forgetful of all the good that ever they had Samuel could appeal to them Whose Ox or Ass have I taken he judged righteously in his judgment But they forget all Gods goodness and mercy towards them and must now be in another condition Oh! consider of this you that desire new conditions be not you unthankful for what you have had if you be so eager to have more so as to forget what you have had if God should send you more your case is like to be worse than now it is If one should go and take meat to eat befor he hath digested what he eat before he hath fill'd his stomach but there comes new dishes to the Table that pleases his pallate and he falls upon that and eats more and more but that doth not nourish him but turns to evil humors and so doth him hurt but if he would stay till he hath digested what he hath eaten before then he might eat and have good nourishment And you that would fain have more and more have you digested what you have had are you thankful for what you have had hath God had the glory of what you have had before then if God gives you any thing you may have comfort to your souls that it comes out of love Further When men desire new things out of distrust of God and make such conclusions of unbeleef Surely if God should not grant such and such things unto them then they are lost and undone and there 's no way in the world to help them and their desires are put on by distrust Whereas my Brethren Gracious desires are put on by faith it 's the prayer of Faith that doth â—ood it is Faith that doth inflame gracious desires that are sent up to God they are sent up by the strength of Faith and not the strength of Vnbeleef It is the strength of Vnbeleef that makes the desires of people so strong as they are as thus These people desir'd a King Why because they could not trust God to have but only Judges as they had before Samuel was an old man his sons were naught and they see themselves in a hard condition yea but now seeing God had nor spoken to them about a new Government they should have had it from God if they had it at all God should chuse them one but they thought that they must have one to go before them in their Battels or else their Battels would miscarry and they saw the Princes of the earth they went before their Subjects in their Battels and therefore they would be like unto them and durst not trust God in that way that they were in before and therefore it was in wrath that God gave them their desires Yet further If when God changes our condition we bring the sins of our old condition into our new we can have no comfort then that it is out of love our care should be when our condition is changed Oh but what were the fins of my former condition what were the sins of my afflicted my low condition let me take heed that I do not bring those corruptions into my new condition And then lastly If we seek to attain our desires by unlawful means certainly that is curs'd If God doth let us prosper in waies that are unlawful in themselves we cannot beleeve that what we enjoy comes out of love but out of wrath I was the willinger to enlarge this Point because of the great usefulness of it Now then by way of Corallary by all that hath been said First Learn we then from hence To take-heed that we quiet our selves in our desires be not too earnest in your desires remember that Scripture 1 Cor. 10. 6. Now these things were our ensamples to the intent we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted It hath reference even to their lusting for their Quails it was call'd lusting after evil things though the things themselves were good yet because of the way of their lusting it made them evil to them these are for our ensample because we should not lust so as they lusted Oh! when you reade but that 11. of Numb and the 78. Psal and there find how they lusted after evil things and how the wrath of God came upon them when they had their desires satisfied let these be ensamples for us that we take heed of lusting so And so when we reade of their desires so after a King and what they met withal when they had him I say it should teach us so far to moderate our desires as to labor to regulate them by the Word of God and not be headie in them but to order them according to the mind of God And then the Second is this Let us by all that hath been said learn to prepare our hearts for what we have and to seek proportionable grace for any thing that we do desire Treasure up this lesson when thou wouldest have a mercie from God Oh seek proportionable grace and prepare for the mercie Thirdly learn this Lesson Be not too much exalted when thou hast thy desires satisfied Me thinks this Point might be as a prick to prick the bladders of the pride of mens hearts Oh! take heed though you have prospered according to your desires Saul prospered a great while and yet it was in wrath Certainly there 's no great matter to be expected from such things as we may have in Gods wrath and therefore no cause to be exalted Fourthly Learn from hence Never to draw any arguments of Gods love by satisfying your desires in outward things It is a vain conceit of people to think thus God loves me why because I have desired such and such things and God hath given them to me If a man were to go and chuse a Wife if he knew her face were painted would he conclude Surely here 's one of an excellent complexion No he would rather suspect it truly the argument is as good That this womans complexion and the constitution of her body is whole and good as that argument that my condition is good because God satisfies me in my desires Fifthly draw this consequence likewise Learn never to envie at any men that have their lusts satisfied there 's little cause that you should envie them If you should see a man that loves Wine and you knew it were poisoned And a man that hath a Sattin Sute and you know it hath the Plague in it there were no cause of envying such a man a Leather Sute were a great deal better God satisfies men many times but it is in
eyes and was heard to speak these words I come I come I come and so gave up the ghost It had been much to be wished that the Author had been more concise brief in som Amplifications which though they were al exceeding useful yet they have deprived us of his Preaching and compleating both the former Sermon and the rest of the Prophesie But God was pleased for our sin no doubt to deprive us of that Mediator like Instrument between the divided Godly Parties of this Nation and of the further mind of the Holy-Ghost which be had revealed to this his Servant touching the Scope and Vse of this Prophesie in these daies God took him away in the strength of his Parts and Graces that he might not lose in the reputation of his Ministry or Piety as some have before their death Also though we cannot affirm as one of Josiah That he was taken away Ne malitia mutaret intellectum ipsius lest the evil of the time should have wrought upon his temper yet we may say as another doth He was taken away from the evil to come Moreover It is not an unuseful Note that the Preface to the Tigurine Bible hath whereof the inference is That whilst in some weighty point we labor for great exactness and preparation we are either disabled by our diligence or prevented by our tardiness and delay whereas moderat preparation seasonably applied might be more useful to the Church than such exactness so deferred Which is not spoken to reflect any thing on our reverend Author but to admonish others ut maturens Now among other arguments good Reader to commend this Excellent piece This is one That it hath been brought to thy hand through several Elements having been in danger part of it to be rotted in the Earth where it was buried part of it to be consumed in the Fire wherewith much of the Town where it was flamed part of it to be lost in by holes where it was hidden in the midst of Enemies Make special use therefore of what is come as it were through fire unto thee for that end to use the Prefacers words before Mr Cartwright's Answer to the Rhem. Test And if thou find that fruit the Supervisor did in preparing it for thee thou wilt not repent thy pains or peny Farewel FINIS AN ALPHABETICAL TABLE OF THE Eleventh Twelfth and Thirteenth CHAPTERS of the Prophesie of HOSEA A Abuse ABuse of Instruments of Deliverence a great evil Page 399 Affliction None of the Saints worse for affliction 453 Afflictions sometimes deepest when greatest Mercy is intended 231 Affliction see Difference Afflicted Wee may be sorely afflicted in doing Gods Commands 227 Aggravation The aggravation of provoking God 403 An aggravation of self destruction 513 Alteration Alteration of Government causeth Trembling 422 Anceston Ancestors see Mean condition Free-Grace Anger Anger see Difference The Effects of Anger 151 Apostats Apostats see Folly Apostats to return again 340 Apostacy Apostacy see Language Punishment Steps Apostacy brings a reproach on Gods waies 408 Arabian Arabian why taken for a Thief 310 Aright How to conceive aright of God 274 Armies Gods Armies 271 Astrologer Astrologer see Chaldean Awaking Saints need awaking before Reformation 185 B Baal-zephon Baal zephon what 30 Baptism Baptism see Church Base Base spirits most insolent 415 Beast Beast see Mark Beginning The Beginning of Superstition Ceremonies and Popery 437 Bethel Bethel see Jacob Bitterness Bitterness see England Blessing What 's the blessing in a married condition 392 Blessing see Peace Bonds Gods Bonds what 30 Blows To be forced by blows is to be drawn like a beast 57 C Canaanite Canaanite Why it signifies a Merchant 310 Carnal It 's mercy to be taken off from carnal props 104 Carnal heart see Difference A sore sign of a carnal heart 326 Cause The cause of corruption in Gods Worship 439 Caution A Caution concerning Earthly Kings 523 Chief The Chief work of the Ministry 177 Chaldean Chaldean why taken from an Astrologer 310 Child Child see Israel A Childs great disobedience Children How we may know whether God loved us when we were children 10 Christ God hath an eye to Christ in all he doth 19 Christians Christians see Love Church The Church one in Faith Spirit Baptism and visible Government 13 Comfort Comfort see Lives Comfort of a dying person 130 Common Comforts common to Hypocrites 433 Command Command see Promise Company Company heats whether it be goâ—d or evil 164 Confident Yong beginners not to be too confident 33 Confident men sink lowest if disappointed 201 Confidences The confidences of the ten Tribes 525 Congregation Congregation see Posture Conduct Gods Conduct of his people through the Wilderness 450 Conscience The conflict of conscience and corruption 122 Conscience oppression the most grievous 98 Convince Convince see Ministers It 's hard to convince men when they have their desires that it is not in love 539 Conviction Conviction see Parents Convert A true Convert what 333 Cords Cords of a man what 43 Correction Correction see Parents Covenant Covenant see Jews Covetousness Covetousness hard to be convinced 331 D Day Day of Judgment see Mercy Dangerous A dangerous sign of Reprobation 544 Deceiptful dealers Deceiptful dealers see Excuses Decree Decree what it is 511 The Decree of Election ibid. Gods Decree damns none ib. Devils The Devils Stratagem 175 An obstinate sinner worse than the Devil 109 Deliverance Deliverance from oppression a great mercy 92 Difference Difference between Spiritual and Temporal blessings 557 Difference between a carnal and gracious heart 329 556 Difference between the Churches and Gods Excommunication 436 Difference between God and man in point of anger 169 Difference in the Saints from others in time of affliction 308 Difference of Gods working for his people and for others 399 Disappointed Disappointed see Conceited and Confident Disobedience Disobedient see Child Drawn To be drawn by the Word is to be drawn like 〈◊〉 man 57 Doctrine Doctrine see False Drowsie A Drowsie spirit a great evil 133 Duty Duty see Ministers Dying Dying see Comfort E East Wind The East wind why hurtful 202 Effects Effects see Anger Effectual Effectual preaching what 349 Elect Elect see Thoughts Election Election see Decree Element God the Element of Love 85 England Gods ancient love to Engl. 6 England the first Nation that imbraced the Christian Religion ibid. God remembers the kindness of England's youth ibid. Publick love gone out of England 72 Gods special love to England Englands sin 93 Procession weeks in England 355 Englands bitterness aggravated 407 England see Instances Encouragement Encouragement to saith and prayer 151 Error Mens error in judging others 213 Evil Evil of licenciousness after deliverance 94 Men excuse their evil by their good 214 Evil of deceipt in Trading 315 Evil see Suspense Drowsie Company Excellency Excellency of the Name JEHOVAH 293 Excellency of Gods saving 449 Exalted We should not be exalted by prosperity and why 462 Excommunication