men see it not Surely Gods hand is out against us Seventhly That we should have so little fruit of our prayers as we have at this day yea that God should seem to be angry with the prayers of his people This argueth a fearful controversy and in this one particular among others what prayers in England have been sent up to God for the Palsgraves children and that now instead of answering our prayers God should send two Arrows as it were out of those loins to do us mischief that it should come from them for whom England hath done so much to maintain them and sent up so many prayers to God for them and in recompence of all they should come hither to make havoke of the Kingdom Surely the hand of God is out against us Eightly That our brethren should be so spoil'd and our selves in such danger of drinking the dregs of the cup yet where are our hearts The judgment of God is upon the hearts of men that they stir not and act not like men but they see their Brethren spoild before them and in the mean time all that which keeps them quiet is only that they hope they shall be the last Gods hand is upon the hearts of men this could not be else Could one ever have thought that English men could have born this If one had told them before that there should be an Army of Papists rise up with French Walloons and Irish to spoil the Kingdom to destroy our Brethren would one have ever imagined that English men should have born it and stirred no more than they have done You talk indeed of this and that and of going forth every fourth man but all such resolutions and such great words of men do usually sink and fall down and come to nothing aâ— if men were willing and content to lay down their necks upon the block Surely the guilt of the blood of our Brethren may justly come upon us and God may have a controversie with us for suffering their blood to be spilt Ninthly That God should put so many opportunities into our hands and we neglect all those opportunities of mercy this is the hand of God against us and a fruit of his controversy with us What shall I say more That God himself should take away our opportunities that when we are nigh to deliverance that God should drive us back this is an argument of a heavy controversie indeed Numb 13. when the people were come very neer to Canaan and were even ready to take possession God was resolved against them that none but Caleb and Joshua should enter they were beaten back again now Chap. 14.33 it is said that the people when they heard this mourned greatly they saw the hand of God out against them The truth is we have been even in Canaan Oh what an opportunity God put into our hands in the West I say not we lost the opportunity but there Gods own hand shewed it self against us Bristol then might have been saved but God would not And so when we were even at our deliverance God seemed to drive us back as if he told us well I like not the business in hand for this generation I have somewhat more to say to them it may be to their young ones I may shew mercy afterward but against this generation my wrath shall be let out Surely we may be afraid in regard of the waies of Gods present administration lest this should be in Gods heart Howsoever let us consider it and mourn greatly before the Lord. God hath a controversiy with the inhabitants of the land It is no time now to have controversies one with another to be wrangling one with another for this opinion and the other opinion It is time for us now to lay down all our private controversies and fall to the making up the controversie with our God It is no time now for Brethren to strive with Brethren but to strive and wrestle with â—od in prayer If we have any strength with us let it not be spent in contending one with another but let all our strength be spent in seeking to make peace with our God It is said of the Romans that they had a Temple of Concord and none were to go to offer any further sacrifice but those that came first to offer in the Temple of Concord The Lord looks it should be so with us we should come and agrâ—e one with another lay down all our own controversies and then give up our selves as one man to this great work to make up our controversie with him If two Chickins be fighting and the Kite come neer they will leave picking one another and run to the Hen for shelter We stand picking and snarling one at another and many men that say they will do thus and thus for the publick cause but they take exception against this man and the other man and at this thing and that thing and now their private grudges come in and that draws them away and takes them off Oh let us not be picking now the Kite is coming neer let us run and shelter our selveâ— uâ—der the protection of God that cannot be but by making our peace with him As for the controversie that is this day between the King and us we can in that appeal to God that there is no just cause the King should contend with us no hurt ever intended or done by us unto him Only we desire to deliver ouâ— selves from Tyranny and slavery Our Priviledges and Libeâ—ties are deer to us they are our Right as truly as his Honor is his That which he inheriteth it was his forâ—fathers that which his forefathers his predecessors inherited it was at first from the People they set up such a family to rule and govern over them and certainly they never set it up for any other end but only for the publick good not for their misery ruin We can appeal to God that we desired nothing else but to l ve peacably and to serve God in our land enjoying only wâ—at God and nature and the Laws of our land had made our own We know the relation between him and us and the bond it is mutual and if there be any thing done now that perhaps cannot be justified by any positive explicite Law of the land let men know that yet it may be justified by the very light of Nature and by the Law of Armes It cannot be imagined but if those that ought to be the protectors of the Law should come against Law so hardly upon us that we must have recourse then to the Law and light of nature it is impossible this should be otherwise and this God himself approves Whatsoever therefore becomes of this controversy between him and us whether reconciliation or not reconciliation yet we have peace in this that what we have done in the resisting of a deluge of misery that was coming upon us if we had not done
in the air Oh but let us rather frame our hearts to turn unto the Lord. If we will not frame God may put us into the fire again A workman you know puts the Iron into the fire because it might be framed to such a work as he would have it simile but still the iron is hard and it will not frame to his hand then he puts it into the fire again and then falleth a knocking again So the Lord hath begun to put us into the fire that we may frame our doings to turn unto him and if the fire we have been in will not bring our hearts to a framable disposition the Lord may put us into the fire again and again And let not us complain of the heat of Gods fire but rather let us complain of the unframableness of our own hearts that we do not frame our doings so as to turn unto the Lord. But yet through Gods mercy we cannot say but that there are many in Parliament many in the Assembly Parliam Assembly City Country many in the City and many in the Country that are framing themselves to turn unto the Lord and so far we are gone Let us take notice of Gods goodness therefore As. First It is one argument of a people framing themselves Notes of Framing 1. abolish what is sinful that they have abolished what is sinful It was a great plea among us first let us know what we shall have and then we will cast out this that we have This was a pleâ— fomented by the Antichristian party but certainly it was the way of God and we have cause to bless God for it that put it into the heart of the Parliament and of the Kingdom to be willing to put down and to cast out and that by a solemn Oath by lifting up hands unto the most High God whatsoever was naught The Covenant And further In that the Parliament hath called an Assembly Assembly such as I beleeve never yet was in this Nation nor scarce in any other Nation men of more gravity 2. Take advice and judgment and holiness such as they could possibly pick out and whom they thought might best direct them in the waies of God such they have chosen to help them to know what is the right way of God and they do profess that whatsoever shall be revealed to be the way of God they will walk in it That is a good frame of heart And then That the Assembly hath begun with a solemn day of humiliation 3. Humiliation to humble themselves before God that so the Lord might guide them in chusing a right way to direct those that had called them together for their assistance There was never such a work in England before that was begun with such a day of humiliation Did your Convocation Convocation ever keep such a day unto God to beg of him directions in the work Peoples discontent Let not people run away with thoughts of discontent or lay any kind of slanders and clumnies upon them because of some failings in particulars for you must know when God looks upon Kingdoms and States God looks not at particular failings of a State but at the publick work he doth not so much look at particulars as at the publick work Now that there is so much done in a publick way that there is so much framableness though there be much failing in particulars yet we have cause to bless God It is true those that would fain have a perfect Reformation they woul fain have men throughly frame themselves presently and set up all presently without any more ado Short spirits and banish all presently I suppose thiâ— cometh from a good intention from love unto Christ and his Ordinances but we must know it is not so easie to reform a whol Nation that hath been so corrupted and defiled therefore though there be not so perfect a Reformation at present yet let us bless God for what is done that there is so much framing of the doings of the Nation to turn unto the Lord and not murmur and repine because all is not done that we desire And though perhaps they may never bring the work thoroughly to the pitch we desire Though no perfection yet a foundation for posterity yet I make no question but what the Parliament and Assembly hath done will be enough to lay a foundation for another generation if they bring it not to perfection themselves Oh that the Lord would yet further frame our hearts and doings to turn unto him Hath God at any time put into your heart a framable disposition to turn unto the Lord Applic. 2 to partic persons 1. Our selves Hath God begun to make you think of your waies Hath he begun to stir fear in your hearts concerning your eternal estate Hath he wrought in you some desires to know him to attend upon him in the use of means Make much of this framable disposition for it is very much pleasing unto God God complains where it is not therefore he likes it where it is and improve it O happy had it been with many had they improved that framable disposition that God hath wrought in them Cannot you remember when sometimes you came to the word what a melting frame of spirit had you and in such an affliction you were as iron put into the fire and you know then it is in a framable disposition to be brought into any fashion and hath it not been so with you simile But what is become of this disposition Is it not worse with you now than before Have you not lost it The time was when the word wrought upon you and you have had good desires and dispositions and you have thought Oh now I hope God will turn me unto himself Now I hope I shall never be at such a pass again as I have been and thou begannest to abandon such and such a corruption This was a good frame and now if you had gone alone and sought God and Oh that the Lord would perfect this work and put it on and so improved this framable disposition it had been well with you but you have fallen upon other business and gone into company and it may be upon the next temptation you have bin overcome your hearts have been hardned Irâ—n is hâ—â—dâ—r afteâ— quenching and iron you know when it hath been once in the fire and is grown cold is more unframable than before so it is with many after they have had some workings by the Word and after some melting by affliction they have been more unframable than they were before And let us make much of it likewise in others Is there any friend or child or kinsman or acquaintance of yours brought into this framable disposition doth the Lord begin to melt them to soften their hearts Is the Lord by such a Sermon or by such an affliction beginning to
4 When the Lord is pleased to work grace in the heart that heart is taken off from all creature helps they dare not go with Ephraim to King Jareb How are they then to be blamed who seek to the Devil for help in distress they dare not go to Councels or to Armies for releef but to God it is too much to rest upon men much more upon the Devil Do any of you go to Inchanters or Wisards to find God you may seek him but shall not find him Obs 5 We are not to be discouraged in our seeking of God though our afflictions drive us to it This people sought God but their afflictions did drive them to it yet God accepted them Use Sit not down despairing in your afflictions saying God will never be gracious our seeking Him is to no purpose It is true God may justly say to us as Jeptha said to the people Do you now come to me in your distress So God may say do you now come to me in your sorrows and miseries and cast me off in your prosperity Caution I confess it is very dangerous venturing the putting off our seeking of God till then but if then God be pleased to work upon your hearts be not discouraged but seek him still So Joel saith That in his affliction he sought the Lord But did the Lord answer him Yea his requests were granted Note That every seeking of God is not sufficient it must be early Obs 6 seeking of Him Early seeking acceptable Now men are said to seek God early When 1. It is in the morning of their years 1. In youth when young ones shal make this text true in the letter of it it is wonderful pleasing to God It may be God laid his hand upon thee in thy youth and then God revealed the knowledge of Himself to thee thy misery by sin thy remedy in his Son so that the Churches prayer was thine Psal 90.14 O satisfie us early with thy mercie How many sins are by this prevented Your father or master if godly would give a world if they had it that they had begun sooner to serve the Lord and to seek him early therefore bless God who hath put it into your hearts to seek him John was the young Disciple and he in his youth began to know Christ and of all the Disciples none had that respect shewed them as John had for it is said that he lay in Christs bosom and Christ loved him 2. As this is acceptable in the morning of our years 2 At first enlightning so in the morning of Gods revealing Himself as soon as ever God begins to discover Himself we should then seek Him early when the soul saith as Paul said Acts 26.19 I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision neither consulted I with flesh and blood Hath God set up a light in your consciences and hath it discovered to you your misery and have you hearkened unto the voice of your consciences What have you done since Is sin reformed Are you changed in the inner-man Is Christ formed in you and exalted upon his throne in your hearts Is your will subjected to the will of God and your whole man delivered up to the government of God This were happy if it were so But contrariwise is sin let in and liked of as well as ever after these stirrings and convictions of consciâ—nce Then are you far from the number of those who are early seekers of God 3 With fervency and diligence 3. When we seek Him with diligence and with fervency not in a formal way When Gods hand is out against us He then looks that we should seek him with intentiveness of spirit See how the Church seeks God with diligence Isa 26.9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night season yea with my spirit within me will I seek the early When was this In a grievous night of affliction when they were in great troubles then to seek God early with their spirits within them this is most emphatical So Acts 12.5 prayer was made by the Church for Peter without ceasing it was continued prayer prayer stretched out even so ought our prayers to be lifted up with fervency true prayer is active and working the fervent prayer of the righteous prevails much with God Jam. 5.16 Lively working prayers are prevailing prayers Quest But what is it to seek God diligently Answ 1 When we seek God with all other things under our feet when all other things are sought in order to this Contemn all for God The soul is carried after the seeking of God with a panting and longing desire as the Hart after the water brooks Answ 2 To seek God early is to seek him with our whole heart The heart is not divided in the work With our whol heart every part is imployed as Jehoshaphat 2 Chron. 20.23 feared and set himself to seek the Lord he gave his whole self to the duty Answ 3 When the soul bears down all difficulties in seeking of God when nothing shall keep him off his wook Vanguishes all difficulties as Jacob wrestled with God and would not be put off without the blessing Gen. 32.24 So the woman of Canaan how earnestly did she seek to Christ for her daughter and would not be put off by difficulties Matt. 15.22 23 24 25. Answ 4 When no means is neglected to be used whereby that may be had which we seek for No means neglected The soul tries this means and the other duty and follows God in all his waies that it may find him as the poor woman which followed Christ from place to place to touch the hem of his garment Christ could not be hid from her Resolve to die in persuit of him 5. Resolutions for to die seeking of God is earnest seeking of God it 's our constant practice living and our resolutions dying as Jacob the nearer the dawning of the day approached the more earnest was he How contrary are the practises of too many who at the first seek God early and earnestly too yet after a while leave off and grow cold Oh that it were not thus with us at this day Use England the Lord hath brought us low at this time yea how sad is our condition at this time 'T is true there is a spirit of seeking abroad in the Land but now God calls for a quickning of this we should now put an edg upon our seeking of God Be fervent in spirit serving the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Seeking in the original 't is boyling in spirit let us so seek him now that hereafter we may praise him Psal 22.26 Ps 22.26 they shall praise the Lord that seek him your hearts shall live for ever illustrated How sweet are those mercies which are won by prayer and worn with praises Therefore now stir up the gift that is within you you that never prayed before pray
his Covenant with thee he never yet broke Covenant so long as Christ is thine and thou art his Gods faithfulnesse in keeping Covenant is also thine what if those that stand for Christ and his Cause be sometimes beaten must they therefore give over No but venture still and if our sins hinder not though we may lie dead to day and to morrow yet the third day we may live in his sight Obs 5 Mercies after two daies death are reviving mercies After two daies I will revive you Promises in times of afflictions are sweet indeed Oh then how much more deliverance Such mercies are resurection-resurection-mercies which God sends after killing afflictions And such mercies hath the Lord given us at this very day the Lord hath revived us when almost dead Applicat for Engl. therefore would we give God the glory of such mercies and render unto him due and seasonable praise for such seasonable mercies Let us observe these rules First Look back to your base unbeleeving hearts formerly and chide them upbraid them with this now Oh vile heart of mine did not I begin to say Alas I am undone all iâ— now lost my hopes are now abortive was not I sorry that ever I was so engaged as I am were it to do again I would be better advised did not I think newters which had never manifested themselves for God in his Cause in a far better estate than I and wish my self in their condition how hath the Lord been dishonored by me what secret pining and grudging thoughts have I had even against God Himself because of the various dispensations of providence Say now oh base vile unbeleeving heart how hath the Lord confuted thee and made thee to see thy shame and ignorance in beleeving sence rather than faith Secondly Hath God bestowed reviving mercies upon you then be willing to give God the glory of them and resign them up to him upon thiâ— ground because we have forfited them by our unbeleef an unbeleeving heart forfits all mercies before he hath them 't is true God gives many precious mercies to sad dumpish froward discontented spirits but you cannot have that comfort in your mercies which others have because they are forfited and though God through his bounty lets you enjoy them yet you are in fear continually lest God should take his forfiture Oh beleeve your mercies in the promise through the difficulties Thirdly Remember the Covenants which you made unto God in the times of your trouble and keep them 'T is a provoking sin to break Covenant with God God complains of it against Israel Psal 78.38 They flattered him with tâ—â—ir lips in making Covenants to him in their trouble but they were not sâ—eadfast in their Covenants Oh how usual is it with men in any misery to Covenant largely with God and presently to forget what they have done this is a sign of a false heart therefore take heed of it Lay more wait upon your Covenants which you make if ever you mean to give God real praise for any mercy Fourthly Consider how much better it is to give God the glory of a mercy willingly than force him to extort it from you in a way of wrath God is better pleased with active praise than passive for his mercies consider glory he will have for his mercies Oh put not God to that trouble to force his own glory so due to him from you if you give not God the glory of a mercy in possession he in wrath will take it from you and had not God given us this reviving mercy it might have been our case to have been forced to give God his glory in a passive way Fiftly Whatever God câ—lls for now from you be willing to give it up to him freely whatsoever we would have been willing to have given for such a mercy in our misery had God indented with us for it let us be ready and willing to give it to him now the mercy is come had we known our danger and the miseries which would have flowed in upon us had not mercy prevented if God should have said thus What would you do what would you suffer what would you part withal for me and you shall be delivered out of this danger and possess the contrary mercy Then seeing God hath given us such a mercy without this indenting make this an argument to come off freely in giving God that which he now calls for you have been perhaps in bodily fears and danger of death by some sickness now if God should have cald for your estates would not you have given them to him Do that now which you would then have done Lastly Lay up against unbeleef for time to come Hath God remembred us in our low estate let us say with David We will trâ—st in him so long as we live we will never determine so as formerly we have either against our selves or the cause of God we wil never entertain hard thoughts of God more but we are resolved to do what belongs to us as creatures and leave the success of the business to God apply this any way and it will be very useful hath God helped us in any soul-trouble revived thee in the depths of sorrow when God hid himself from thee lay up the passages of God towards thee in this case against all the risings of unbeleef whatsoever resolve upon this that thy soul shall relye upon him for help whatsoever becomes of thee this is to give God the glory of reviving mercies Psal 18.1 2. thus doth David apropriate God to himself and gathers strength from this to support him David at this time was in a great straight by Sauls persecution of him that he gave all for lost I shall one day perish by the hands of Saul but he soon recals himself again It was in my hast he said in his hast the Prophets of God Gad and Nathan they are lyars they tell me that I shall be King that I shall sway the Scepter in Israâ—l but 't is nothing so I am like to be kild and betrayed every moment such enemies wait to catch me and is it ever likely that I should fit upon the Throne and be King So men in their hast are ready to think that God will forsake them and leave his cause upon every frown and hard word which he speaks but David found a reviving mercy presently upon it in the 1. and 2. verses of the 18. Psalm where he praised God for that mercy which formerly he would not beleeve before in this 2. verse he sets out God in way of praise by eight titles 8. Relations of God in Psal 18.2 with the Believers propriety in them and all his propriety in them for strengthening of his faith 1. My rock 2. my fortress 3. my deliverer 4. my God 5. my strength in whom I will trust 6. my buckler 7. the born of my salvation 8. my high Tower from all these titles of God as his he
and lumpish And as God smiles Use 2 when we humble our selves So should we look cheerfully upon our children and servants upon their submission having committed a fault Obs 3 Gods people account their life to be in Gods favour not so much in what they receive from God as what they are in Gods favour and presence Hypocrits desires are only for the enjoyment of mercies if they obtain their desires they are contented though they have no presence of God at all in them but the Saints if they have precious mercies and no presence of God with them it contents not them if they have health and not Gods presence in it if they have peace and not their peace with God it satisfies not them this is their cry Lord let us hear thy voice let me see thy face Cant. 2.14 for thy voice is pleasant and thy countenance comely Obs 4 When the Lord delivers his repenting beleeving Israel he settles mercy upon them and settles their hearts in the possession of mercy He doth not only give them hints but real possessions of mercy We are revived and raised yea but we may die again No we shall live in his sight we shall live before him Mercies to the Saints are not the fruit of Gods patience for then they would not be setled mercies But they are such mercies as comes from the Covenant of grace and so they come to be setled therefore called the sure mercies of David Isa 55.3 Obs 5 Faith is such a grace as raises the soul high and will not be contented with small mercies He will revive us and He will raise us up A carnal heart Is that all No but we shall live in his sight It is an argument of a very carnal heart to be contented with low mercies when a man will be put off with any thing It pleaseth God very well when his people will not be put off with smal mercies Caution though it 's true we must be thankful for the least mercie and content with it in oppâ—sition to murmuring yet we must not rest therewithal satisfied but if thy faith be true it wil expect more and if it hath got a promise from God it wil improve it to the utmost extent that the promise wil bear and when it hath one promise fulfilled it wil look out for the answering of another we do not approve of such a craving disposition in a beggar but God is much delighted with it in his people Gods people rejoyce much in this That God sees them they Obs 6 have much comfort from Gods eye whereas 't is the greatest terror to the Hypocrites hypocrits that God sees them that they are continually in Gods eye Job 24.17 If one know them they are in the terrors of the shadow of death if man being a spectator is so terrible how much more is Gods eye It 's no wonder they would fain hide themselves from his presence for the face of the Lord is against them that do evil but his eyes are over the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer 1 Pet. 3.12 The Saints account it their priviledge that God sees them and it 's a very good sign of sincerity when the soul is not afraid that God should see him when the soul can look upon the cleer beams of the Sun of righteousness without dazeling simile as the Eagle when she would prove her young ones holds them up in the sight of the Sun and if they can endure the shining and look upon it then are they of the right Obs 7 kind It is the great care of the Saints to walk as in Gods sight and to have their eyes in Gods sight Psal 16.8 I have set the Lord alwaies before me because he is at my right hand I will not be moved I will not fear I have set him before me this text is spoken chiefly of Christ as a Prophetical expression of him And if Christ must be kept from falling Use by setting the Lord alwaies before him much more must we not that he was in danger of falling as we are but this is to be understood as that text is he learned obedience by his sufferings he looking at God helped him to obey and to stand in obeying as the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 2. ult What we speak it is as in the sight of God in Christ that is what we say it is in the power and efficacy of Christ but how comes this to pass that they thus preach why as in the sight of God We thus preach his power enables Obs 8 The eye of God upon his people is their safety and security The forenamed place testifies it 1 Pet. 3.12 The eyes of the Lord are the safety and guard of the righteous simile as a child thinks it self safe if it be in the parents eye so the Saints should look upon themselves very secure in the sâ—ght of God A Philosopher could say in danger of Shipwrack in a light starry night A notable speech of an heatheÌ„ in danger Surely I shall not perish there are so many eyes of providence over me Could a â—hilosopher say thus and may not a Christian say so much more that he shall not perish seeing Gods providential eye is over him VER 3. Then shall we know if we follow on to know the LORD His going forth is prepared as the morning and He shall come unto us as the rain as the latter and former rain unto the earth THIS Scripture is very full and hath much sweetnesse in it As an egg is full of meat so full are these words of marrow and sweetness and there is little difficulty in them We shall know if we follow on to know 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Incumbamus in id ut cognoscamus Dominum If is not in the original but it is thus read And we shall know and we shall follow on to know The word signifies to prosecute and persecute to follow one as eagerly as a man which persecutes another and persecutes him as Paul did the Saints with all intention and affection when men thus follow on to know God will reveal Himself more Luther applies these words to Christ and the Gospel revealing him setting mens minds on fire by the truth so cleerly discovered and inflamed with such love to it that they followed on to know it But although these words have reference to Christ yet first they are to be understood of Gods delivering his people out of Captivity Then they shall know What shal they know that they shall live in his sight When God delivers them then they shall know 1. Gods faithfulness in his Covenant made to our fathers What the saints shal know wheÌ„ they follow on to know the Lord. 't is very little that we know of it now but the time is coming that we shal know it cleerly 2. The works of Gods wisdom al working for his peoples good in
follow us on with mercies and all the good that we can wish for one after another God makes wicked men to know more wrath and the drops of his anger here are but the begining of the deluge of miseries which are their portion they sink and sink and their sinking must be to all eternity Oh the difference which there is between Gods dealing with the Saints and with the wicked Though the Saints may be under a cloud for the present yet they shall know the Lord the Sun will appear again the Lord will follow on his work though we neglect ours and glorious shall the issue of things be in the conclusion were it not a glorious thing if a man had lived from the beginning to this day and might live to the end of the world to see what God did in former times what God doth now and what he will do to the end of the world for his poor Churches The Saints shall live to all eternity to see these glorious things God did glorious things in the first six thousand yeers and surely the next six thousand yeers shall be most glorious but in eternity God will do most of all Eternity then the Saints of God those which follow on to know the Lord shall be put into the real possession of all those glorious things which God hath been a doing from all eternitie I come to the next words His going forth is prepared as the morning Hierom Hierom. conceived these words to be meant of Christ he shall come as the morning being cald the Son of righteousness in loc the morning-star and he conceives that it may have reference to the title of the 22. Psal A Psalm of David to the chief Musicion upon Aijeleth Shahar that is the morning hind to wit Christ who was sent forth as the morning hind◠and hunted in his infancy and in his life as the hinde is pursued by the hounds Expos If we take the words as they lie before us they are an expression of Israels confidence in God after a night of trouble the word prepared signifies also decreed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is decreed upon as the morning and the evening and as the day follows the night by a decree Children when they see the Sun a going down will many times cry because they think the Sun will never rise again but if a man should do so you would think him very simple Even thus it is with us 't is no wonder to see wicked men in their straits crying out we are undone this darkness will never be over yet such is the baseness of our unbeleeving hearts who think when the clouds of sorrow begin to arise and blackness begins to cover the sun of our prosperity mercy will never break through that we are undone past remedy and there is no help for us light will no more appear But more particularly observe That the times of the afflictions of Gods people are night-times This is implyed here we may have a long time of sorrow and misery a dark tempest may overtake us yet know that a morning will come They are called night-times for three reasons Because of the uncomfortableness of those times Darkness is very terrible Drexelius tels us of a young man who being very fearful of darkness God striking him with a dangerous sicknesse in so much that he could not sleep tumbling up and down in his bed he uttered these words If this darkness be so terrible what is eternal darkness and this proved the means of his conversion Wel therefore may affliction-times be called night-times times of darknesse Obs 1 These are times that often take off men from service from publick and private service The night is the time in which the brute creatures which in the day time keep close then come forth for their prey Therefore the Apostles exhortation is seasonable Let us work while it is called to day before the night comes when no man can work Night times are times of danger Many of our brethren can speak this truth in these times When is the time that wicked men prey upon the Saints and the wild beasts go out to devour but in the dark So when do men meditate upon terror and create fears to themselves but in the night of their afflictions and sorrows The time of Gods delivering his people is the morning the Obs 2 morning after the sad and dark night As light is comfortable in the morning after a sad dark and stormy night so is deliverance after trouble The morning is very desirable as appears Psal 130.6 Ps 130.6 My soul waiteth for the Lord in the morning watch Gods mercies after afflictions are very sweet as the light approaching in the morning is to the laboring-man going to his work When God hath work for men to do he expects that they should go forth to it and shew themselves in it as the Sun when it riseth begins to shew it self in its brightness and glory Use so ought every Christian to shine in the work and service of God after deliverance In a sickness or when some straight is upon thee thou art hindred in Gods service and in thy work well then when God shows thee and bestows upon thee the morning of a deliverance go forth and manifest thy working for God be not ashamed of his Cause under the shine of such a mercy The Church hath no such afflictions upon it but there comes a Obs 3 morning after them the morning wil come either to Churches in special or persons in particular and we hope this time is a coming unto us therefore let dominion be given unto the Lord in the morning yea and let dominion be given to the righteous in the morning and this seems to be the meaning of that place Revel 2.28 Rev. 2.28 To him that overcomes will I give the morning-star there may be great contentions opened grievous miseries in this night of afflictions but be encouraged To him that overcomes wil I give this morning-star of comfort and deliverance It is God presence which makes morning to the Saints all natural Obs 4 helps cannot do it as all the stars cannot make one day light some light they may give but not day light but when the Sun arises there is day presently so God may make some comfort to a arise to soul by secondarie and inferior means but 't is Himself alone by the shining of his face and the smiles of his countenance which causes morning Obs 5 Gods mercies to his people are prepared and decreed mercies They are set and determined thy going forth is prepared as the morning the word I shewed you in the Original signifies decreed Jer. 33.20 Thus saith the Lord If you can break my Covenant of the day and my Covenant of the night then also may my Covenant with David be broken Here we have both the text and the note from it the Covenant of Gods
duty Use let us bring forth fruit unto God in season Seasonablenesse cōmend duty as the godly man in the first Psalm is said to do herein consists the excellency of service when it is in its place Therfore it is no other but a temptation of Satan that when men are cald to exercise in their callings they are then stirred up to prayer or hearing but these are not the motions of the Spirit for they are seasonable for God never puts the soul upon extreams the performing of two contrary duties at one and the same time A note o◠a good heart It is an excellent sign of a gracious heart to account a season for service a mercy and a misery to want an opportunity Certainly it is a great judgment of God upon a man to be unserviceable in a season of service Jude 12. A great judgment to be unservicable in times of service Jude describing those corruptions of the Gospel by life and doctrine in his time saies they were trees withered twice dead plucked up by the roots trees corrupt in the time of autumne then when their fruit should come in Even thus it is with many men at that time when God expects the most fruit from them show themselves most corrupt and vile These are such as mightily provoke God Reproof and how many such have we among us at this day who when God cals them to service manifest the rotteness which is in their spirits Many when they are in a poor condition think Oh had I such a mans estate what a deal of good would I do with it had I such parts and abilities as some have and so much time and many oportunities given as they have how would I lay them out for God Many that are now servants have many good resolutions Oh what will they do for God when God calls them to it O foolish hearts who when they can do nothing would do most and when they may do most do nothing at all Obs 4 Gods mercies to his people are according to the variety of their necessityes the former and the latter rain Towards the seed-time they wanted rain and God sends it them now let our duty be according to the variety of mercies God may call us to variety of service let not us content our selves in that we have don somthing in such services we have had our heads hands and purses such and such have been idle let them now appear Oh say not so be not weary of wel-doing God hath imployed thee this day in one service he hath another to do the next be willing and ready to be set on work and blesse God he will imploy thee in service Obs 5 When God hath begun in mercy with his people he will go on with them and will not leave them If God should give only the former rain it would not bring up the seed the seed would not fructifie and increase without the latter rain Faith will beleeve that God will not lose the glory of former mercies for want of succeeding mercies Faith beleeves that God wil never begin a work and there leave it Use Now let not us begin in waies of obedience with God and then leave off and lose all that we have done let us consider that the vows of God are upon us and many prayers we have put up now let us not lose the return of them How many in the daies of their youth followed on to know God and they found the sweetness of the Word to be as the former and the latter rain unto them Do not now lose all which you got in your youth by denying him service in your age let not slothful age lose the sweetness of those things which in youth through christian diligence we found sweet Obs 6 Gods mercies to his people procure much good They are not empty shels there is that good in them to the ful which they promise to have these Notes are observable from the words thus understood but now put al the sense of them together and then they afford us two or three usefull Observations more Obs 7 Note That Gods peoples deliverance comes from Heaven They spring not out of the earth if ever Gops people are delivered there must be a Divine Almighty power put forth else it will never be a deliverance in mercy Gods peoples deliverances cannot be hindered no not by all the Obs 8 powers in Hell or Earth Why because they come from above they are as the light of the Sun and as the rain that comes upon the earth who can hinder the Sun from shining the rain from falling who can interupt night and day so who can hinder the rain of mercy from a people prepared for it We should make a spiritual use of Gods works in his creatures We Obs 9 see after the coldest winter there comes a summer after a drought a spring-tide they take their turns let not us in the times of cold and dark afflictions which God may bring us into conclude that mercy is quite gone that God hath shut up his loving kindness in forgetfulness No but rest assured that there will be a return of mercy for thee again which shall revive thee VER 4. O Ephraim what shall I do unto thee O Judah what shall I do unto thee for your goodness is as a morning cloud and as the early dew it goeth away LUTHER upon this place Luthers Exposit carries on these words as a further expression of mercy to this people Israel and not in any way of reproof to them as if the Lord had said to them thus Oh Israel my people I have been very good and gracious to you in the Land of Egypt and delivered you from that tyranny and oppression which you were under and I have been with you in the wilderness and I have brought you into the Land of Canaan but what are these all but temporal mercies I have greater mercies than these to bestow upon you the Gospel it shall reveal other manner of things to you He carries it all along as in a way of mercy but if this be the meaning then this objection will arise What shall we understand by the next words your goodness is as the morning cloud how can this be said Luther to this answers thus Your goodness that is the goodness of God which is yours by Covenant and purchase prepared for you this mercy of God shall refresh your parched souls as the morning cloud doth the earth after a long drought thus he carries it declined But the words passing away and their goodness being but as the morning cloud taking these together the sense runs another way viz. to a breaking off from the discourse about the promise of mercy to a convincement of the generality of Ephraims and Judahs formality in their greatest pursute of reformation they al passed away as the morning cloud which vanisheth away and as the early dew that
the Ordinances and Communion with God But yet know that the maintainance of the subject is to be more regarded than the comfort of it though it be spiritual but now have a care of turning what I have said into poyson do not ye say that you may now do any thing for the preservation of the subject we must not do the least thing that can be by which an Ordinance may be polluted and defiled To be serviceable in publick use is more than to enjoy Ordinances as for a Minister to preach Jesus Christ to a people is a greater mercy than his particular good can be and this hath been the judgment of all the Churches yea it hath been the practice of the Churches to send forth men to preach the Gospel and to open the things of the Kingdom to them in which time they could not enjoy the Ordinance of the Sacrament Paul would have been content to have been Anathema for his brethren the being of publick use for the Churches good was a greater good to him and more in his esteem than private Thus far of the objections the observations follow answerable to these Ten. Obs 1 That carnal hearts who make little conscience of their duties towards men and are very cruel in their dealings towards them yet may be contented to submit to instituted worship This very Scripture I will have mercy and not sacrifice is a secret rebuke unto such people as these such were those in Jer. 7.4 who cried The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord yet very wicked in their dealings Isa 58. those Hypocrites they could be content to submit to instituted worship frequent in solemn duties of fasting and prayer yet were such as did smite with the fist oppress and grind the poor Ezek. 24.21 Ezek. 24.21 the sanctuary was accounted their strength opened the excellency of their strength and that which their eyes did pitie and yet these very wicked and in the 28. verse their minds were on it their hearts did love it yet themselves carnal Reas Because men may be exercised in instituted worship without any power of godliness it is a very easie work to flesh and blood there is little difficulty in it in respect of the outward act of performance 2. Because it hath the most shew of the power of godliness they seem to be as sincere as any in their worship there is a great shew in the flesh in the outward man whereas Gods worship is inward soul worship which carnal hearts cannot endure nor do they desire it 't is outside worship which they prize now God forbid that any should have low conceipts of Ordinances because wicked men joyn in them Obs 2 Carnal men by joyning in outward Ordinances think thereby to satisfie their consciences Thus did they in this place think to put off God and their own consciences by living in the external acts of worship and yet live in the love of known sinne what a deal of stir had the Prophet to convince these Hypocrites of this their wickedness Obs 3 God and mens consciences will not be put off with this God will despise both it and them the Heathen gods would not be put off with such outsides Plato in Alcitiade even the Heathens had such a conceit of their gods one saith What a vile thing is it to think that the gods will be put off with gifts no these are despised by them they look that the souls should be just Seneca And another saith It is not fat sacrifices but inward performances that God looks at The Lord hath a high esteem of mercy and it appears in this Obs 4 that he will have it preferred before sacrifice and this is called an acceptable sacrifice and a sweet savour in Gods nostrils Phil. 4 18 Chrysostom Chrysostom saith That he had rather work a work of mercy than a miracle and surely that must needs be high in Gods eyes and esteem which he paies so dear for Oh Christians immitate God in this Use Exhort to mercy let your esteems of mercy be raised higher than ever before from this that you have heard concerning the excellency of it The works of mercy are gloriouâ— works there is more in such acts of mercy than in those acts of religion which men think are more spiritual I speak the more of this because it is a scandal which is laid upon godly men by the men of the world that they are miserable and close handed now in this we should labor to convince the world by the practice of mercy It is the Christians skill when two Duties come together which to Obs 5 chuse This is a snare in which many Christians are caught and foiled they think both must be done at the same time when as the one is the duty the other not Though the object of an action be spiritual yet it is not a sufficient Obs 6 ground to prefer it before another action whose object may be but natural The Ordinances of God have God for their object and the enjoying of communion with him yet in other actions which may be only natural I may shew more obedience to God in the doing of them than in offering up of sacrifice If Gods own Worship may be forborn in case of mercy how much Obs 7 more mens institutions and inventions Oh what a vile spirit is there in those men which will not suffer their superstitious vanities to give place to mercy men must be undone in their bodies and estates rather than their wills be disobeyed the Prelates faction have confessed themselves that the Cross the Surplice and the rest of that trash were their own institutions yet Ministers must be silenced bodies imprisoned families starved and thousands of souls destroyed rather than their wills should not be fulfi'ld Oh the intollerable pride of these men had they been Gods institutions yet in this case they might have been forborn what did these men say in plain English but thus much Let Christ never be revealed to millions and thousands of souls rather than these ceremonies shall be omitted or neglected Obs 8 If God will have mercy rather than sacrifice Certainly he will have mercy rather than disputing about sacrifice Suppose there be a truth in that which is disputed about yet God in this case will have mercy rather than sacrifice rather than mercy shall be neglected he will have sacrifice omitted we have Ordinances and plenty of preaching but the Lord knows how soon we may be deprived of them let us not dispute and wrangle away our mercy Object But must we not enquire after truth and at this time also Answ God forbid we should deny or speak against any which shall search into or enquire after truth yea at this time when it is a case of mercy As in young converts as thus when young converts are taken off from fundamental truths and led into errors and souls hindered from coming
afflicted by the Assyrians plundering and spoiling of them and it is no strange thing to see men gray with very grief and sorrow Scaliger tells us of a young man who through the extream trouble of his spirit was turned all gray in one one night How much more should our spirits be affected with the miseries of our times Gray hairs That is their miseries were so long upon them that made them gray they were lasting sorrows they were old in sin and God made them old in miseries and punishments for their sins Thus Germany hath been gray-headed for many yeers together in respect of the length of their miseries Gray hairs that is They have been a long time and might have gained more knowledge of me and got large experiences of the goodness of my waies yet they know me not nor my waies the whiter mens heads are the blacker are their sins many times 't is a most dreadful sight to see a white head and an old sinner I have read of one Eleazer Eleazer which would not do any thing which might seem to be evil because he would not spot his white head Gray hairs should be a strong argument to move men to walk blamelesly in their lives Gray hairs that is They had many symtoms of their ruin and destruction upon them As gray hairs show that mens ends are near men that are gray and would not be thought to be old wil pluck out their white hairs but if there be gray hairs upon us let us know they are admonitions to us and warnings of our ruin Heb. 8. ult There are many symtoms of a kingdoms gray hairs I shall instance in some of them As 1. Oppression in Courts of Justice is a gray hair 2. Idolatry and superstition in Gods Worship and Ordinances 3. The secret curse of God upon men and their estates 4. The taking away of the valiant and righteous men out of the kingdom is a sad gray hair in that kingdom Such a kingdom where these gray hairs are is in a dying condition and happy were it for us if these gray hairs were not to be found amongst us we have lain a long time at the graves mouth and yet many gray hairs do continue still and what God will do with us we know not how covetous and self-seeking are men in these daies notwithstanding Gods wrath burns so hot threatning an utter desolation of al Had we not need therefore to prepare for a dying kingdom It follows And he knows it not Doth not this speak our condition likewise Gray hairs are here and there and we know it not how have the Mini-nisters of God forewarned us a long time since of these times but we would not regard them both they and their message was slighted this people was so stupified they knew not who it was that smote them nor for what it was they were smitten VER 10. And the pride of Israel testifies to his face and they do not return unto the Lord their God nor seek Him for all this IN the fifth Chapter we opened the same words with these only the scope of the place is different they would not take notice of Gods hands but braved it out in a proud way and would not learn his meaning in the rod. Let us learn the contrary humility to accept of the punishment of our iniquities submitting and acknowledging that our father hath smitten us and spit in our face and yet they return not to me Whence observe God expects we should turn upon afflictions Job 33.16 Sealed Obs 1 their instruction Chap. 36.10 Commands that they return repentance forced by afflictions Afflictions if not sanctified will never turn the heart Obs 2 It is a great aggravation of mens sins not to turn under afflictions Obs 3 Though when afflictions work repentance yet repentance is seldom Obs 4 true it will not oft times hold out the trying yet people should try and see what it will do repentance coming from afflictions hath a promise Levit. 26.14 If then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled if then even when my hand is upon them they accept of the punishment of their iniquities then will I remember my Covenant with Jacob and I will remember the Land True repentance is rather a seeking of Gods face than our Obs 5 own ease from afflictions VER 11. Ephraim also is like a silly Dove without heart they call to Egypt they go to Assyria 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THE word translated silly signifies easily seduced perswaded to any thing we use to say that children and fools are easily perswaded to any thing men that are hardly perswaded to beleeve in God and what God saith yet are easily perswaded to beleeve errors these are silly Doves yet they thought themselves very wise in going to Egypt but they have done very sillily 2 King 17.4 the leaving of Gods waies and following our own is very silly how many when it hath been too late have cryed out of this their folly From whence this Note may be observed Obs That although men by others may be misled and seduced yet are they not excused this will not excuse them before God at the great day to say others did thus and I followed them thinking them to be in the right Without heart That is without understanding Prov. 6.32 But who so committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding Prov. 10.21 The lips of the righteous feed many but fools die for want of understanding or for lack of wisdom Now of all creatures the Dove is the most silly as appears The Dove The Dove defends not her yong ones as other creatures do the Hen and other flying creatures will preserve their young ones but the silly Dove lets them go quietly so was Ephraim in this respect like unto the Dove they were destroyed and made a prey on by others yet they never laid it to heart The Lord in mercy look upon us Is not this our case we suffer our brethren to be destroyed and made a prey of and never lay it to heart because we for the present are quiet The Dove will keep her nest alâ—hough you take away her nest Yea Pliny Pliny reports of some Doves which will fly many miles to their lockers Even in this is Ephraim like unto a silly Dove also where he was â—any yeers ago there he is still And so it is with many men they know and are convinced that such company hath done them mischief which they have frequented and yet they cannot leave them here is a silly Dove without understanding indeed Doves though they be swift in their flying yet dull in preventing of danger it is easily caught with the net Plin. l. 10. c 37 so was Ephraim easily ensnared by his enemies at their pleasures and preyed upon by them The Dove is delighted in the beauty of her feathers and prides her self in the clapping of her wings IdeÌ„ l. 11. c. 36. and cutting
and force have ye ruled my people They have turned judgment to wormwood Amos 5.7 Their Courts of Juducature that should have been for right judgment have been turned into bitter wormwood and have been full of cruelty What have many of them cared for the lives for the comforts of thousands for the extremitie of all misery they shall suffer so be it their own humors and their own lusts might be satisfied as if all other men were but as dogs except themselves The Lord doth at this day charge this upon some of them and will charge it more I remember once a speech of a reverend Divine in this Citie now with God whom you all honored when he was alive being put into that Court the high Commission when he came home one day from thence he tells this story of what he observed there I heard saith he crying out much of Grace and please your Grace and much crying out of peace if there were any noise then peace peace but I saw no MERCY thâ—re saith he nothing at all but Cruelty Jer. 50.17 you may see in what indignation God doth take it for men though the greatest upon earth to be cruel to his people This Nebuchad rezzaâ— King of Babylon hath broken his bones Who was this Nebuchad rezzar A mighty great Prince yet God looks upon him with indignation when he sees him breaking the bones of his people We have amongst us those who as Psal 27.12 breath our cruelty and indeed they act nothing less there is cruel hatred in their hearts and waies according to that Psalm 25.19 No marvel therefore though heretofore our brethren left the Kingdome because they found such cruelty here there was no mercy in the land they did but according to that which the Church calleth the members of it to Cant. 4.8 Come with me from Labanon from the Lyons dens from the mountains of the Leobards When they went from us they went from the Lyons dens and from the mountains of the Leopards No marvel now the Lord is so severe against our Land because there hath been so little mercy in the land That is the second Article against Israel That there was no Mercy The third is Nor no Knowledg of God in the land In the Hebrew it is And no knowledg but now Vau that is there for And it signifies sometimes quia as well as et And so it may indeed be well rendred here Because there is no knowledg of God in the land the reason why there is no mercy is because there is no knowledg of God The knowledg of God will make wicked men to be merciful men Cruel men know not God These two are put together and joyned most elegantly in Psal 74.20 The dark places of the earth are ful of the habitations of crueltie saies the text The knowledg of God will make men civil and humane at least but when there is no knowledg of God men grow cruel and savage And do we not find this to be true at this very day From what places are men that do now rise up to be plunderers to shed blood to be cruel in most desperate outrages from what places are these men beholden for their assistors and abettors this way Are they not beholden to places where they are in ignorance where they have no knowledg of God where there is no preaching In the Countries round about observe those Parishes those Towns where there hath been least or worst preaching where they have had least knowledg of God there you have most malignants that are bloody and cruel No mervail then that our adversaries are such enemies to the faithful preachers of the word of God no marvel then they are made the But of their malice for indeed if they bring the knowledg of God into the land they will bring humanitie civilitie they will bring mercy and love and there wil be few or none that will be fit for their turns Indeed it is their complaint of the Parliament that they set ignorant men in places but certainly this complaint is but a pretence for it were better for their turns that all the congregations in England had but ignorant men had no men to bring the knowledg of God amongst people but they know well enough what ever they say that those that are sent are such as do bring the knowledg of God among people and there is nothing does them more hurt than this knowledg of God No knowledg of God This is a heavy charge indeed Powr out thy fury upon the Heathen that know thee not Jer. 10.25 Though they be Heathens and yet know not God the wrath of God is to be poured forth upon them surely then Gods wrath must be upon Israel that know not God And Isa 2â— 11 They are a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercy upon them he that formed them will shew them no favour 2 Thes 1.8 The Lord Christ shall come in flaming fire to render vengeance upon those that know him not What no knowledg of God what glory then can God have from such a people God hath done great things in the world he hath manifested himself an infinite and a glorious God and his end in all that he hath manifested himself in is that Angels and men might behold this might adore admire worship fear and praise him but where there is no knowledg of God there all Gods glory passeth by and there is no notice taken of it to what purpose is the world made such an one can never sanctifie the Name of God in any duty of worship in the use of any creature where there is no knowledg of God there al good is kept out there the unclean spirit a spirit of darkness dwels when the Crow hath picked out the eyes of the Lamb then it makes a prey upon it As in dark vaults there are toads and filthy creatures so in dark soul there are crawling and filthy lusts As in blind Alehouses there is abundance of disorder so in a blind heart there is abundance of distemper and disorder No knowledg of God The Septuagint turn this word Knowledg * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by a word that signifies acknowledgment there is no acknowledgment of God in the land People should walk so in all their waies as to hold forth the glory of that great God they do profess If they know God to be such as he is revealed in all his Attributes and works they should in their lives I say so walk as to hold forth this before the children of men I appeal to you in this Perhaps some of you can speak concerning God and tell us what God is and concerning his Attributes yet are your lives in your families in your conversations so as that one beholding them may see written the glorious Attributes of God upon them that you hold forth these glorious Attributes that in all your waies you carry with you the
prohibiteth this Deut. 12.13.14 Take heed to thy self that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest but in the place which the Lord shall chuse in one of thy tribes there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings God would limit them the place of his worship When the Ark was made and the Tabernacle they were bound to come to that and sacrifice there and no where else and so when the Temple was built they were bound to come thither and to sacrifice there and no where else Yea then the Lord commanded them to pull down the high place and to cut down the groves and trees Deut. 12.2 Ye shall utterly destroy all the places wherein the Nations which ye possess served their gods upon the high mountains and upon the hills and under every green tree When once God had appointed a place of worship then they were to destroy the other places where the Heathens were wont to worship their gods The Note is this from it When once God chuseth places or things when God once putteth a stamp of holiness upon places or things Obser then no men may chuse places or things and put such a stamp of holiness upon them as God hath put If God appointeth a way of worship of his own this stops us from all other of our own If God makes a place holy this stops us that we must never make any place holy but that so it is true of things of ceremonies any thing if once God sets a stamp upon a thing to make it holy we must confine our selves to that and not think to immitate God in it to make any thing of the same kind to be holy as God hath done It was now a sin for them and God stands much upon circumstances we see in his worship You shall have many men plead why should men be so strict and scrupulous to stand upon circumstances what must we have every circumstance in the word of God commanded My brethren that which is natural and moral and may be subservient to religious things may be left it's true unto prudence but whatsoever hath any Religion in it though it be but a circumstance God stands much upon it and we must have a Divine rule for it Natural circumstances moral civil circumstances prudence is enough to guide us in but any religious circumstance we must have a rule for it Here they are not accused for sacrificing the things they ought not to sacrifice no question but they offered those sacrifices which they were commanded sheep and beeveâ— and the like but only in the circumstance of place they did not sacrifice where God would have them sacrifice therefore God charged them in this thing that they went a whoring from under their God It is true we reade sometime of some godly mens sacrificing else where Gideon under an Oak Judg. 6. and Samuel upon an high place 1 Sam. 2. and so David in the threshing floor of Araunah 2 Sam. 24. Now to all those instances the answer generally is given by Divines that they could not be any way lawful for them to do thus but by some special dispensation of God himself some special revelation from God to give them order to do it there or elf it could not but be a sin For the Kings of Israel and Judah they also are charged for their sacrificing in the high places Even Solomon himself in 1 King 3.3 where when he is commended for loving the Lord and walking in the Statutes of David his father at first yet the text saith Only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places And amongst other high places we reâ—de in 2 Chron. 1.2 that Solomon went to Gibeon that was a great high place And though some excuse him because it is said the Tabernacle was there therefore he might go to Gibeon that great high place to sacrifice yet for al that Austin in his Questions upon Judges he thinketh Solomon is to be blamed though the Tabernacle was there Austin for he it seems sacrificed in other high places besides and though the Tabernacle was there yet it seems he put a more than ordinary respect upon that high place wherefore else is it called the great high place and he went there not only for the sake of the Tabernacle but became it was that great high place therefore he is to be blamed So that we may go to Gods Ordinances but if we do go to the Ordinances of God where yet there are other mixtures and we do the rather go and esteem of them because there is some addition of mans inventions Obser this is a sin against God And further this is observable though Solomon were blamable for going unto that high place though the Tabernacle were there having some more than ordinary respect unto that high place yet we find that God revealed himself unto Solomon in a wonderful gracious manner even in that place and bad Solomon ask what he would Solomon had very graciâ—uâ— manifestations of God unto him when he went to that high place though there was evil in it and he put more respect upon it than he should So certainly many of Gods people have found God so far indulge them that though sometimes they have been in the use of Ordinances where there hath been such mixtures as they have sinned against God that Ordinance hath been polluted unto them by those mixtures yet 〈◊〉 Lord hath been so gracious unto them that he hath accepted of the uprightness of their hearts and they have had many sweet manifestations of God unto them even in these Ordinances they can remember those times when they have been at Sacrament and they have known how they offended against God by reason of some pollutions yet they have found for all this God letting out of abundance of mercy unto them refreshing their souls with comfort and joy in the holy Ghost This was Gods meâ—cy Do not you think therefore that there was no evil in it because God let out himself so far unto you Use There was evil in Solomons respecting this high place so much yet God let out himself abundantly unto him Other Kings there were that are exceedingly blamed that they did not take down the high places which were all one with these mountains here spoken of Yet there were some of the Kings that were very careful in this thing As amongst the rest Hezekiah and Jehosaphat Hezekiah in 2 King 18.22 where he is charged by Rabshekah for taking down the high places Is it not he that hath destroyed the high places and Altars of God saith he God approveth of it well though Rabshekah thinks he hath done ill Oh saith he Hezekiah do you trust in him he hath taken down the high places He thought that Hezekiah had been an enemy unto Religion and to the worship of God for taking down the high places Thus it is with ignorant people at this day that do not know the
that hath but the Calves and hath not the right Ordinances of God among them whatsoever they do yet let not Judah offend that have the true Ordinances of God and the true Priests and Ministers of God among them Observ Oh those that enjoy Gods Ordinances in his own way and the Ministers of God in a right way of calling they should take heed of doing as other people do And then Thirdly Judah was not compell'd by her Governours to Reas 3 do so as Israel for Israel you know by Jeroboam and other of the Princes was compeld to do what they did and they might pretend that it was for their own safety to save their lives and to save their estates but there was no such necessity for Judah to do it for God many times sent godly and gracious Princes to Judah and there was not such waies there to compel them they were not so necessitated to that way of false worship as Israel was if we may call it any necessity to that which is evil Obser When people have liberty and are not forced but God doth give them liberty that they need not except they will be Idolaters yet for them to close with waies of Idolatry and superstition when they need not this is more sinful It is true heretofore there might have been some excuse we were forced to it it was as much as our estates were worth we must have been cast into prison and persecuted and that made us do that we did The Lord be merciful to us for that we rather than we would suffer would joyn in those superstitious waies that were amongst us But now thorough Gods mercy we are delivered from that bondage we are not so compel'd yet that now for all this our hearts should yet cleave to those old superstitious waies this makes our sin so much the greater Reas 4 Fourthly Let not Judah sin for what then should become of Gods worship For God had no other people upon the face of the earth but Judah and Israel to worship him well Israel is gone from him and will Judah go too what will become of the worship of God A mighty argument to those that make profession of godliness to keep them from the waies of false worship and wickedness in any kind Obser If you depart from God too as others do what honor will God have in the world what will become of the service of God in the world Is not God worthy of all honor and of all service from all his creatures It is pitie there should be any creature in the world that should not honor and serve the blessed and infinite God But we see most do not and there are but a few a handful of people that regard to worship God aright and shall this few this handful forsake God where then shall God have any honor in the world Shall Judah go away too then the Lord will have no Church no worship no service in the world Fiftly God had much mercy in store for Judah more than Reas 5 for Israel therefore let not Judah offend For Christ was to come from that Tribe of Judah and the Lord promised that he would shew mercy unto Judah when he had said he would reject Israel as indeed he did Though Judah was carried into captivity as well as Israel yet God was with Judah in their captivity and promised them a return from it but he never promised Israel a return in the like manner as Judah Therefore since God had the more mercy in store for Judah let not Judah offend From hence these Notes are to be observed First We must not do as others do especially in point of Obs 1 Gods worship we must not make the example of men not of any sort of men not of our brethren not of those that profess Religion not of those that prosper in the world we must not make them an exemplar or rule in any thing especially in the matters of Gods worship Indeed the consideration how others sin against God should be so far from being an argument to draw us unto sin as it ought to be the greatest argument to draw us from sin Thus every sin against God it is a striking at God simile It 's true if there be a common enemy come into a City or Town every one desires to have a blow at him and when men make this an argument for their sin because others do it they deal with God as those in a Town would deal with a common enemy that is thus why such and such and such go on in such wicked waies they strike at God therefore let me strike at God too when thou pleadest that argument and saiest because such and such do sin therefore I may sin thou doest in effect as much as say such and such strike at God let me have a blow at him too Is there any force in this argument For ever take heed of pleading the example of others in waies of wickedness and remember this one expression that thou doest in effect as if thou shouldst say others about me they strike at God and I must have my blow at him too as well as they In any sin we must take heed of example but above all in matters of worship Hence Deut. 12.30 Take heed to thy self that thou be not snared by following of the Nations after that they be destroyed from before thee and that thou enquire not after their gods saying How did these Nations serve their gods even so will I dâ— likewise Take heed saith God thou dost not so much as enquire how these people serve their gods and say I will do so likewise God would not have us use that argument Take heed therefore of pleading thus other people do so and so and other Nations why may not we do as other Nations do It is a very ill argument to plead example in matters of worship I mean that worship that here Judah is forewarned of that is worship that is by institution and above all things the examples of men are not to be followed in points of institution In any thing in the world there may be more plea for example than in instituted worship and the reason is this Note Because that other things have somewhat of them written in the Law of nature in mans heart all matters of morallity are in some degree or other written in mans heart by nature every man hath somewhat of the moral Law written in his heart but institutions they are such things as depend meerly upon Gods revealed will and are not written in the heart of man Therfore though we might have a plea to follow the example of others in point of morality yet there can be no just plea to follow the example of others in point of Institutions there we must be sure to keep to the rule of Gods Word to look above all things in points of Institution to what is written and
work upon them Satan Oh let me put it on as much as I can The Devil doth so when he see us in a framable disposition to sin he setteth tempters on work to improve it and we know it was the way of Idolaters Idolaters when they saw England in a framable disposition to Idolatry what abundance were sent amongst us to improve it Oh the mercy of God toward England that when we were framing our doings to return to Idolatry the Lord cometh and putteth the frame of England more from thence than before it was Oh let not us lose this framableness though it is not so much as we desire yet let not us lose what it is England would be in a lamentable condition if it should lose what it hath got from God already Yet further They will not frame their doings The Note from hence is That Obser Apostates seldom have any inclination to turn unto God No meltings of spirit no yeildings but their hearts are hardned and they depart further and further from God for so he speaks of Israel as an apostatizing people I dare almost challenge you all when did you ever know a notorious Apostate turn unto God very rarely I will not say it is impossible but especially for Apostates that are men of parts and have gone far from God if they have but proceeded so far as to turn to be persecutors of the truth or contemners of it as these Israelites here were when did you ever know any of them to turn unto God They will not frame their doings To turn unto their God Their God 1. By profession 2. Their God who hath shewed much mercy to them and hath done them much good 3. Their God who is yet willing to be their God They will not return unto Him This is the aggravation of their sin that they will not turn to such a God What not turn unto Him whom they profess to be theirs whom they flatter with their mouthes and they say that all their good and happiness is in Him Not to Him that hath done so much good as He hath done to them all their daies Not to Him who is yet willing to be reconciled unto them O this is a sore and bitter evil indeed that they will not turn unto this God But yet there is a furthâ—r thing observable here Their God that is this That True repentance it is not only to leave evil and to do good Observ True repentance to turn to as our God but to turn unto God as our God To turn unto God as a God in covenant with us as a God in whom is our portion and happiness as a God willing to be reconciled Here indeed is the very formality of repentance A man may by the terors of the Law turn from the practice of a sin not to live wickedly so as he hath don heretofore he may by the strength of natural conscience and self ends set upon good duties but here is no true repentance True repentance is this When we look upon God as a God tendring Himself unto us in the way of a covenant in Christ and so we turn unto Him In Jer. 3.22 Jer. 3.22 explained Return ye back-sliding Israel saith the Lord and I will heal your back-sliding Now mark the answer of true penitents Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Here is true repentance When God shall call upon a sinner O wretched vile sinner return O return unto the Lord for He is willing to be your God in an everlasting covenant He manifesteth His grace toward you in His Son and offereth mercy there yea He is willing to heal all your backslidings He is willing to be your portion He iâ— willing to be the happiness of your souls When a sinner shall answer unto this cal of God Bâ—hold we come unto Thee for Thou art the Lord our God True indeed we have sought after vanity but here is not our happiness and our portion Our good our happiness is in Thee We come unto Thee the Lord our God It follows For the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of her Here is the reason why they turn not unto the Lord The spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of her Expos 1 First That evil unclean spirit that did possess them So I find divers do take the words And then the Note is That Obser The danger of forsaking the truth It is Gods just judgement to give men over to the Devil to be blinded and hardâ—ed when they sâ—all forsake Him and His Truth Do not excuse thy sin by saying it is the Devil that tempts thee for this may prove to be the agravation of thy sin that by the just judgment of God thou art now given up to be under the power of the Devil and to be acted by him As in Eph. 2.2 the scripture speaks of the miserable estate that men are in by nature Dead in sin the children of wrath and amongst other aggravations of their misery this is not the least they walk according to the spirit that now workâ—th in the children of disobedience The word translated working there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies the greatest activity that can be the spirit that is the unclean spirit Satans temptation may be an aggravation of our sin the prince of the power of the air that now worketh in those children of disobedience This is an aggravation of their misery and not any excuse unto them for their sin Thou hast rejected the good Spirit the holy Spirit of God and now the spirit of whoredome an unclean vile spirit hath possest thee Expos 2 But rather thus The spirit of whoredoms A violent inclination of spirit unto uncleanness to spiritual and bodily uncleanness that they have got by custom We have had this phrase before in Chap. 4.11 The spirit of fornication that impetus of spirit that violent inclination of spirit So then saith the Prophet they will not turn unto the Lord for there is a violent inclination of spirit an impetus with which they are carried on in the waies of wickedness but there is little hope of turning them unto God The spirit of whoredoms that is that efficacy that there is in that wicked disposition of their hearts that carries them on so violently In 2 Thes 2.11 2 Thess 2.11 the Scripture saith that because men love not the truth the Lord gives them up unto the efficacy of error God saith he for this cause shall send them strong delusions that they should beleeve a lye so it is in your translations but the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifie the greatest active efficacy of errours to carry on with the greatest strength unto error that possibly may be We find sometimes men that are carried on to erronious opinions and come to speak with them about them and you shall perceive such an impetus of spirit such an efficacy of the error
prosperous way of sinning Page 597 Obs 10 God hath his time to punish openly ibid Obs 11 God will have his time to convince men ibid Obs 12. Gods judgements are gradual ibid Obs 13. The more powerful the Ministry is the more sharp shall the judgment be if despised Page 598 VERS VI. Opened Page 600 Objections answered Page 601 Obs 1 Carnal hearts are verie cruel in their dealings Page 614 Obs 2 Carnal hearts think to satisfie their consciences by observing outward Ordinances ibid Obs 3 God and mens consciences will not be put off ibid Obs 4 The Lord hath an highesteem of mercy Page 615 Obs 5 It is a Christians skill when two duties come together which to chuse ibid Obs 6. If Gods Worship may be forborn in case of mercy how much more mens Institutions ibid Obs 7 God will have mercy rather than desputing about sacrifice Page 616 Obs 8 Mercy must be preferred before our own wils Page 617 Objections answered Page 619 Obs 9 The duties of the first and second Table are joyned together ibid Use Instruct your children and servants in this knowledge Page 620 Obs 10 Men may be very diligent in worship and yet very ignorant ibid Obs 11. Soul-worship must be preferred before all other ibid VERS VII Obs 1 It is Gods goodness that He enters into covenant with such poor creatures as we are Page 623 Obs 2. God is constant in His Covenant with men ibid Obs 3 Mans nature is very weak Page 624 Obs 4 The apprehension of our obligation should keep us within covenant ibid Obs 5 Breach of covenant is a grievous agravation of sin ib. Obs 6 God expects that of His people which every one cannot do Page 625 Obs 7 Men may do many services and yet be Covenant breakers ibid Obs 8. The sins of Saints which break Covenant are sins of a double dye ibid Obs 9. The want of the right knowledg of God is the cause of breach of Covenant ib. Obs 10 There can be no Covenant kept where there is no mercy Page 626 Obs 11. We should be humbled because we break Covenant with God ibid VERS VIII Obs 1 Through mans wickedness the best of Gods Ordinances ar corrupted Page 628 Obs 2 We must not judg of places as they have been heretofore ibid Obs 3 Places of Religion if corrupted are the worst of all others ibid Obs 4 It is abominable to be a worker of iniquity ibid Obs 5 Clergie men if wicked are the worst of all others ib. Obs 6 Wicked Clergie men overthrow whol Nations Page 629 Obs 7 False worship and tyranny are joyned together ibid Obs 8 None so cruel as Clergie men ibid VERS IX Obs 1 Wicked Ministers are most outragious against those that leave them Page 630 Obs 2 Wicked Ministers wait to do mischief ibid Obs 3 Many men are neerest undoing when most secure ibid Obs 4 Wicked men abuse the esteem others have of them ib. Obs 5 Judges are least called to an accompt for wrongs ib. Obs 6. None plot mischief so much as Clergie men Page 631 Obs 7 Plotted wickedness is most vile ibid VERS X. Obs 1 Idolatry is a horrible sin Page 632 VERS XI Obs 1 The sins of the people are seeds for a harvest of judgment Page 635 Obs 2 God hath a set time for judgment ibid Obs 3 In judgment the Lord remembers mercy for his people ibid CHAP. VII VERS I. Obs 1 In great Cities there is all manner of evils Page 637 Obs 2 The sins of a Kingdom are the sores of a Kingdom Page 638 Obs 3 The Lord is the healer of a Kingdom Page 639 Obs 4 God doth not will things according to his omnipotency Page 640 Obs 5 Much wickedness lies hid many times in a Kingdom Page 641 Englands wickedness 1 Bitterness against the power of godliness Page 641 2 A sordid spirit Page 642 3 A trtacherous spirit ibid 4 A blasphemous spirit ib. 5 A bloody spirit ib. 6 A spirit of division ib. 7 An oppressing spirit Page 643 8 A spirit of envy ib. 9 A spirit of superstition ib. 10 A wanton spirit ib. 11 An unmerciful spirit ib. Obs 6 It is a forerunner of mischief when people are false in their relations Page 647 Obs 7 There is much secret wickedness in men of false Religions ib. VERS II. Obs 1 It is a good thing to be often speaking with ones own heart Page 648 Obs 2 God remembers wickedness a long time Page 649 Obs 3 Wicked men consider not that God remembers their wickedness ib. Obs 4 When God punisheth sin be manifesteth that he remembers it Page 650 VERS III. Obs 1 Wicked people are easily led aside by their Governors Page 655 Obs 2. Governors ought not to be obeyed when their comands are unlawful ibid Obs 3 It is a vile wickedness to flatter Princes Page 653 Obs 4 It is a vile thing to be made glad with wickedness Page 654 Obs 5 That King is in a sad condition when his ends must be accomplished by wickedness ibid Obs 6 Idolatry is a lye in Gods account Page 656 Obs 7 Idolaters further their worship with lyes ibid Obs 8 It is an evil thing to make men glad with lyes Page 657 VERS IV. Opened and applied Page 658 VERS V Obs 1 Festival daies are usually distempering daies Page 662 Obs 2 Drunkennesse is an old Court sin Page 663 Obs 3 Drunkennesse breeds diseases ibid Obs 4 Sensual Courtiers are for the most part great scorners Page 666 Obs 5 Times of feasting are times of contemning Religion ibid Obs 6 The right way of worship is slighted by carnal hearts ib. Obs 7 When Kings hearts are against Relegion they shall never want pestilent wits to further their designs Page 667 VERS VI. Obs 1 God will be hot in judgment as men are hot in sin Page 668 VERS VII Obs When Governors set up false worship it should quicken our prayers Page 670 VERS VIII Opened Page 673 VERS IX Obs 1 The hearts of wicked men work strongly after their lusts VERS X. Obs 1 God expects we should turn upon afflictions Page 679 Obs 2 Afflictions if not sanctified never turn the heart ib. Obs 3 Not to turn in Affliction is a great aggravation of sin ibid VERS XI Obs 1 Men are not excused though seduced by others Page 680 VERS XII Obs 1 It is just that those which go out of Gods way should be ensnared Page 682 Obs 2 God may for a time let wicked men prosper in their waies Page 685 Obs 3 Sinners had need regard what they hear out of Gods Word Page 684 Obs 4. When judgements come upon impenitent sinners 't is an humbling consideration ib. VERS XIII Obs 1 Gods redeeming mercies are great aggravations of our sins Page 687 Obs 2 Such as sin freely after deliverance give God the ly ib. Obs 3 For a man to urge another to a false opinion is a lying against God ibid Obs 4. The great evil of sin is that
together in an unanimous way saying Come and let us set about the Lords work with one shoulder every one encouraging each other then there is hope the times of mercy are nigh that people Use a sad presage to But this is our misery the divisions and the rendings that are amongst us being diâ—-joynted each from other Oh the wantones of mens spirits now among us for which God is much displeased and certainly is one great stop in the way of mercy that notwithstanding God hath us in the fire and threatens even our consuming yet that we should not joyn and unite together Obs 4 True penitent hearts seek to get others to joyn with them Oh how glad are they to see any comming on to seek the Lord with them and how careful are they to give encouragement example they perswade them with al gentleness saying Come let us go up to the house of the Lord we have found the Lord very gracious to us Oh come he is good still yea and good to you if you wil come into him if the husband have found God good to him he will perswade the wife the child the servant to come to Christ Thus much of their resolution to return the reason follows For he hath smitten us and he will heal us Hence observe Obs 1 That in times of the greatest sufferings a true penitent heart retains good thoughts of God God hath torn wounded and smitten us what then run away from God think hardly of him No think well of him and bless his Name even when you God in former times have practised Nehemiah Ezra Ezra 9. Neh. 9. Dan. 9 Psal 44. and Daniel in all their miseries how careful were they to acquit and cleer God to be just in all that was come upon them yea the Church in the time of her desertion retains Christ as a King and calls him so so that they have as high esteems of God now in their low condition as in their prosperous estate and as they dare not entertain hard conceipts of God so neither of his Cause nor his People they are not sorry that they have been so far engaged for them Many people are like bad servants simile Use of reproof who while they have every thing fitting that becomes them can give their masters family a good report but let them be crost of their minds and go away in a discontent Oh how vily do they speak of it and as sturdy beggers while they find releef and succor they can give good words and they are their masters and best friends but let them be sent away empty and then what name is bad enough for them so when things goes well with the cause of God and his people they will be on Gods side Oh take heed of being sorry that ever you were engaged so far as you are or thinking to draw back that it had been better you had not been so forward as you have been this is a base and vile spirit see but how low the Church was in affliction and yet with what a gallant spirit she carried it out Psal 44.12 13.15 and 17. verses in these times how is this text fulfilled in the 15. verse how do they complain that men do blaspheam deride and scorn them and in the 17. verse All this is come upon us What then Is not God good and his Cause good that we maintain No God forbid such a thought should enter into us Although all this evil be come upon us yet have we not dealt falsly with thee in thy Covenant Oh let us lay up this truth and it would be a mighty comfort and stay to us in these times and it would be a very good rise to prayer for mark in the 23. verse Awake why sleepest thou Oh Lord arise and help us Those can pray to purpose who in the sorest afflictions can manifest the most fear of God and exercise the most love towards God and his waies notwithstanding Obs 2 A repenting heart is not a discouraged heart It is such a heart as sinks not down in discouragements saying as some do we are a lost people and undone there is no hope we had been better never to have ventured so far as we have but give over what we have done it dares not draw conclusions from what hath been to what is and what will be this is too much presumption for any man David in the Cave can trust in God and hide himself under Gods wing Psal 57.1 So long as there is a God in Heaven this soul will expect help from him a true penitent will expect mercy notwithstanding Gods severity and justice the severity of justice in God cannot keep him from waiting for and expecting of what God hath promised if the soul can but get over this difficulty the deep gulf of Gods justice it will easily get over all other dreadfulness of mens displeasure a repenting heart is a purged heart and therefore not a discouraged but a supported heart those which are unclean of foul and filthy spirits are alwaies jealous of God and his dealings towards them Oh let it appear that we are not of discouraged and sinking spirits by the cleanness of our lives and the purity of our conversations carnal hearts are not discouraged when they have carnal helps to underprop them and shall we be afraid of any difficulty who have God for our help Remarkable is that place The Philistines motive to courage in the battel 1 Sam. 4.9 concerning the speech which was made to the Philistims upon the coming of the Ark into the camp of Israel what a fear were they put into yet how do they encourage themselves Let us fight valiently for our wives and children and estates that we and our little ones be not slaves to the Hebrews So say I let us be couragious in these times and fight for our Liberties Laws and Religion Did we but spend that strength in returning unto God which we do in discouragements Oh how soon would help come for us were we but thus resolved Now though we must not be discouraged when helps and means fail but yet humbled we must be for our sins which cause these breaches see how the Prophet Habackuk mannages this disposition c. 3. v. 16 17. we should improve our humiliation as they did Judges 20. who though in a good cause Judg. 20. a cause which God approved of yet lost fourty thousand men at two battels in the prosecution of it what do they now leave it off and run away No but put on courage and resolution fasted and prayed and humbled themselves before the God of their fathers and then they prospered Oh let us be humbled that we may not be discouraged And as we must not be discouraged so must we not falsly encourage our selves as they said The bricks are fallen down but we can build with hewen stone so say not this Army is lost but we can raise another quickly
pleasant is it It is like the dew of Hermon and like the dew that descended upon the mountain of Zion as that refreshed the grasse so is this affection of mercy and love in the Saints He compares it not to a dew that dried up presently but to a dew which descended down and there the Lord commanded his blessing Psa 133. expound Church-fellowship even life for evermore There Where Even in the communion of his Saints This is spoken particularly of Church fellowship Oh then take heed that your mercy and bounty in releeving your brethren and persecuted Saints be not as the dew that passeth away the Lord hath not made his mercie no not his mercy in dewing the earth as a morning cloud that vanisheth away and comes to nothing Oh let not our mercy and love be only in shows and proffers withot any truth and reality our mercies should come like showers upon those who have been parched with the burning rage nnd malice of the adversary help those that suffer for a good cause Now the Lord expects more from us in this duty than at other times we must not only pity them and give them good words saying Alas my Brother and alas my Sister and no more I would I could help you the Lord pity you and help you you must not only do thus but in actions and reality you must releeve them with your money and provisions Is it not with too to many of us as it was with those in James 2.15 who say to a brother Depart in peace be ye warmed and filled but give them not wherewith to do it what good doth this passing cloud do them it is but an overture but perhaps you will say that you have not been as an overture a cloud passing away you have bedewed the Saints in their need you have given something but perhaps t is but a poor pittance and that out of your abundance know that this is not sufficient it must be a constant dew and proceed on in degrees of mercy we should rejoyce that God gives us an opportunity to shew our love and mercy and not think much at it doing that you do forcedly or repiningly therefore let not our mercy be as the dew that passeth away Thus much of the words in this signification of mercie Now if we take the words in a large sense as in Scripture they are often taken and in this place also for their goodness and piety and in this sense there is much of the mind of God in the words they are so full of marrow and sweetness as can be desired Now in that God should express godliness and piety by such a word as mercy Note from thence The necessity of this grace of love and brotherly kindness in regard Obs 1 godliness it self receives its name from them though by nature men are passionate and rugged grace will mollifie them of covetous men it will change them to liberal and make them free-hearted for grace is part of the Divine Nature Nothing is so communicative as God the highest good The more excellent the nature the more cōmunicative and according to the height of any creature is the communicativeness of it as the Sun being sublime and excellent is most communicative so a gracious man hath he parts they are not for himself but for the Church hath he an estate he distributes and communicates of it to the Saints and according as grace ariseth in the soul wil communicativeness arise a true Christian is not close handed If grace hath its denomination from hence Then surely this Obs 2 grace of mercy is most excellent because the whol frame of the new man is set out by it and by this it is expressed When we use to set out the whol of any thing by a part we do not express it by an inferior part but in some thing which is eminent in it as by prayer many times is expressed the whol worship of God as be that cals upon the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved Rom. 10. Expos 1 As the morning cloud and as the early dew In these words God charges this people for three things in which their notorious hypocrisie was expressed Clouds and dew passing what they imploy For their vacuity and emptiness their words were empty sounds they were clouds without water as Jude expresses it Jude 12. 't is the high commendation of Christians to be full of God of Christ and ful of grace and knowledg of which Ephraim had a shew but it was but a shew Expos 2 For their falfness and desembling they had a heart and a heart towards God they dealt treacherously with God they were all in shows but in the bottom nothing but vanity Expos 3 For their unconstancy and sickleness As rain in the clouds shews much but is by the wind presently blown over the clouds now are all black and lowring but in a short time are blown over and there is a perfect cleer sky even thus it was in their goodness though they made glorious shows in their reformation yet were they all empty false and unconstant Thus it was in the general in the reformation of the Land when things were reformed in the Kingdom it was but by halves and in their particular turnings it was but as the morning cloud many times there was great appearences of reformation but they were like the early dew which presently goeth away The ten Tribes and Judah did make such beginnings in reformation and setting up the worship of God that if God were truly worshiped by any people in the world it would be by these that they would set God up high in their thoughts high in their practices and this was very burdensom to the Spirit of God therefore he saith What shall I do unto thee Ob Ephraim What shall I do unto thee Oh Judah We find glorious shows of reformation to come to nothing as appears in these many examples 2 King 1 9. and the 10. chapters Jehu made great shows when Joram asked him Is it peace Jehu he answered him What peace so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many And in the 10. chapter what a slaughter doth he make upon the Priests of Baal Well what came of this reade but on in the chapter verses 29. and 31. it is said That Jehu departed not from the sins of Jeroboam who made Israel to sin What a cloud of hopes was there in Ahahs time 1 Kings 18.39 all the people cryed The Lord is God the Lord he is the God upon the miracle which was wrought by Elijahs prayer when the fire came down and consumed the sacrifice but this all vanished in the people and for Ahab himself the text saith he did abominably in following of Idols so that there was none like unto him who sould himself to work wickedness 1 Kings 21.26 27. When the Prophet comes to him
cruel persecutor of the Christians who studied and invenâ—ed cruel deaths for them that when he came to the Crown could not endure blood to be shed no not for sacrifices 'T is also reported of Nero Nero. that for five years he was so pitiful and full of mercy that when they came to have his hand to the sentence of execution of a â—alefactor He would wish that he could not have writ Quam vellem literas non didicisse that so he might not be used in any such thing and yet where had the Common-wealth of Rome or the Church of God a more desperat enemy or cruel persecutor Oh that God would grant this may never be our case What had we at the first Applic. to the Parl. of Engl. in the beginning of the Parliament how did they show themselves and did great things stood against Arbitrary government impeached great ones executed justice upon a Peer or two and kingdom What a mighty spirit was raised in the countries to second and stand by the Parliament now where 's the man that ever thought there would be such a party of Lords and Commons found to joyn with a company of Papist Atheists Malignants and Irish Rebels against the Cause of God and the Gospel and every thing that is truly good Oh most horrid apostasie that this morning cloud which in the beginning shined so gloriously should thus vanish and come to nothing And for others that are not in publick places though perhaps not so bad as others And privat men yet how cold and flat spirited are they slack in their moving for publick good private interest self and their own ends ruling in them more than the prosperity of the publick nay so we can gain our own ends though with losse to the publick we care not Oh what shall God do with us who are such an untoward people Mutato nomine Change but the name and this Scripture is ours O England what shall I do unto thee Your spirits for Reformation are down you care not for a deliverance but are willing to crouch under your burdens but let me tell you should these beginnings of reformation end as and prove to be as the morning cloud and early dew we should be the most miserable people in the world losing the greatest opportunity to do our selves good that ever any people had procure the greatest curse to our selves and posterity that ever was upon a people the generations that are yet unborn may if we lose this opportunity curse the time that we lived before them therefore be encouraged to venture in this work and do you still own the cause for God will own it and never leave it that so the work may be finished and we may say with the Saints Lo this is our God we have waited for him and he hath heard us Isa we should consider that it is a mercy the Lord hath made use of such false spirited men in his work to do his people good by and seeing the Lord is gone so far in the work let us intreat him that he would follow it on and not only bedew us but even wet us to the root It is Gods promise very remarkable in the 14. chap. of this Prophesie and the 5. verse I will be as the dew unto Israel he shall grow as the lilie they shall have the dew and be like the lilly but the lillie is a poor weak fading thing but saith God I will moisten the roots of it like Lebanon my mercy shall be perfected towards them the Lord grant this promise may be made good to us And thus much of their reformation in the general as it concerned the publick State and Church Now touching the particular reformation of themselves and their hypocrisie in it The note from thence is 2. Reformation in particular persons Obser That for any man to make good beginnings and overtures in the waies of God and let all fall again and come to nothing is a thing very grievous to God and dangerous to himself Psal 78.36 37. Nevertheless they did flater him with their mouth and they lyed unto him with their tongues for their heart was not right with him neither were they steadfast in his Covenant what then ver 58 59. For they provoked him to anger with their Idols God greatly abhorred Israel they were as a deceitful bow hypocritical in all their waies which the Spirit of God cannot endure for these reasons Reas of the first part The Spirit of God is a holy Spirit but this is a slight fickle a very vain spirit no soundness in it The Spirit of God is unchangable and constant in all its motions but in this spirit there is nothing but changableness 't is said of God that there is no shadow of change in him and in such a heart as this is there is no shadow of constancy in it Such men as these stifle the very conceptions of the Spirit of God in them it is accounted murder in a woman to stifle the conception in her womb or any waies to hinder it now if this be such a vile thing is it not much more to stifle the conception and first breathings of the spirit in the soul Oh take heed of such a spirit as this is There can be no trust put in such men as these they are fit for no imployment neither God nor man can trust them or use them in any service they are up and down fickle and wavering we our selves cannot endure to have to deal with such a man as is so They manifest by this that there is no fear of God before their eyes for were the fear of the great God in them it would over-awe them so that they durst not do thus This is a great pollution of the Name of God Jer. 34.16 when they had let their servants go and in an hypocritical manner cald them home again in this thing God saith they polluted his great Name This is an argument that the things of God and matters of Religion are looked upon by you as things indifferent that there is no great matter in them things of little consequence when thou hast a mind to them thou canst use them or thou canst let them alone is not this a mighty dishonor to the Spirit of God This shews that such people never had any good beginnings or sound Principles in them at the first far from the life of Christ which is said to be a steadfast life and the life of every Saint should be like unto his their hearts were not right with him neither were they steadfast in his Covenant Now as it is grievous to God and to his Spirit Reas of the 2d so it is very dangerous to our selves For We lose many an opportunity many a soul-stirring which at our first awaking we have had When the soul is first convinced Oh the many stirrings and good motions which are put
did God say here mercy and not sacrifice Quest did not God require sacrifice as well as mercy Yea God did require sacrifice as well as mercy Answ But we must understand this with these limitations 1. I will have sacrifice but not without the spirit Sacrifices without the spirit joyned with them are nothing worth when spiritual worship is joined with their outward sacrifices then they are accepted of instituted worship separated from natural worship is regarded 2. Not sacrifices to make atonement for their sins The people thought by their sacrifices to make atonement for their lives though they were never so vile and base but saith God I wil not have it thus I will have it only typical in relation to Christ but they left out Christ in them therefore saith God in this sense I will have mercy and not sacrifice 3. Not sacrifice That is of your own They had many sacrifices of their own which God did neither require nor would He accept them from them I will have mercy and not c. 4. Not sacrifices That is such as are injuriously gotten the Jews were a very oppressing grinding people they would be much in sacrifices but it was out of the rights of the poor they would oppress and grind the poor and then think to make up all again by their sacrifices in this case I will have mercy and not c. 5. Not sacrifices that is comparatively mercy rather than sacrifice this negative in Scripture is often set out for half the thing it self as in Prov. 8.10 Receive instruction and not silver and the knowledg of God rather than fine gold Receive instruction not silver that is rather than silver Gods requiring of knowledg does not forbid men seeking estates but it shews us rather that knowledg is to be chosen before it So Paul is sent to preach the Gospel and not to baptize that is rather than to baptize for Paul did baptize in some places so saith God here I will have mercy and not sacrifice that is let me have both but if both cannot be had let me have mercy of the two I do so much delight in it that if I cannot have mercy and sacrifice together let me not miss of mercie Quest 3 Why should God require mercy rather than sacrifice Answ 1 Because mercy is good in it self but sacrifice is good only in reference to something else the good of sacrifices are only in their references to Jesus Christ Answ 2 Mercy is good in it self but sacrifice is good because commanded by Gods Prerogative Gods command puts its goodness upon it Answ 3 Mercy is part of Gods Image in man but sacrifice is not and by how much more excellent Gods Image is in man above any other excellency by so much is mercy more excellent than sacrifice Answ 4 All instituted worship was made for man not man for it but for natural worship man was made for it and not it for man therefore must needs be more excellent Christs reasoning thus warrants this reasoning saith Christ The Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath Now this cannot be said of Natural worship of the duties of fearing God loving of God trusting in God Answ 5 There is more self-denial in a duty of Mercy than in any Sacrifice to do good to the poor and that in obedience to Gods command argues more self-denial than to be offering up to God sacrifices it puts a great honor upon the creature to offer up sacrifice to God because then man hath to do with God in an imediate manner Mercy is Aeternae veritatis it is an eternal everlasting duty it Answ 6 was alwaies and shall be so and the habit of it shall be so to all eternity though in Heaven there be no objects to be delired out of misery yet this disposition of mercy remains in them Sacrifice is a typical duty for the obtaining of the pardon Answ 7 of sin but mercy is a moral duty now that which is a moral duty is better than that which is but to further us in the getting of pardon for a moral offence committed against the great God Because sacrifices are but to further us in natural duties Answ 8 to what end serve Sacraments and why do I receive Sacraments but to strengthen my faith encrease my love and to further my appetite in hearing Gods mind why do I hear the Word of God but that it may turn me unto God Now the end of a thing is better than the means for the attaining of that end therefore upon these grounds God may be said to desire mercy rather than sacrifice What are these cases in which God will have mercy and not sacrifices Quest 4 The principal cases are these ten Answ in 10. Cases Sometimes in the case of a beast he will have mercy and not sacrifice if a beast should be in danger of losing its life by any casualty upon the Lords day God doth allow us to forbear all Church Ordinances at that time rather than let the beast perish but because this liberty by God is allowed to men in this case yet you must not think that a beast is better than all Gods Ordinances In case of mercy to the poor and that I conceive to be the principal scope of the words of this text these people here they wronged oppressed and tyrannized over the poor and then they thought to make amends to God by their sacrifices and offerings men must not lay out so much of their estates either in superfluities or for the maintainance of Gods true worship as to hinder them in their benevolence and charity to the poor no Ordinance of God should hinder us in shewing mercy to the least member of Jesus Christ although those which are next us ought to be first relieved yet know 't is a shame that others should be neglected and forgotten yea it is a reproach to the waies of God that prophane men should be more liberal to the poor that more hungry bellies should be fed naked backs cloathed by them than by those which profess Religion and would seem to honor God most do not you think this will be sufficient to excuse you before God when the cry of the poor shall come up before him that you have been at such and such charges for the Ordinances and for Gods worship no in this case God will have mercy Mercy to parents to releive parents in their necessity is a case in which God will have mercy and not sacrifice if providence so cast it that parents should stand in need of our help if we are able to help them in their decay it is our duty to do it though by this means you are deprived of Gods Ordinances you ought rather to regard the releif of parents than the observation of the Sabbath if the case should so fall out you are ready to think thus Were not I better to let my parents alone I must obey the
in to Christ in this case we should abstain from contending Instance But young converts must abstain from all appearance of evil and labour to come to the knowledge of Christs will in everie point Answ It is true they must but this must be orderly they must first be established and grounded in fundamentals and then they have liberty in this that rule is perpetual and holds in this case Rom. 14 1 urged Rom. 14.1 Him that is weak in the faith receive you but not to doubtfull disputations Now let no man say the point was a case of indifferency some would eat herbs out of conscience others would forbear now certainly it is a sin to do that out of conscience which God doth not regard nor command the thing it self here was indifferent yet in this case they must not receive them to doubtful disputations now if not to doubtful disputations then surely not to disputation to hold up error and to ensnare and betray young beginners in godliness Acts 15.24 There were troublers crept in among them who were formerly of them and they laboured to subvert their souls The word in the Original signifies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if a man should have been packing up wares in a fat to send beyond the Seas and there should come another and scatter and undo all again which was packed up or as Soldiers who have packed up their artillery their bag and baggage and all forced to be undone of a sudden again so did these false teachers that did unvessel them scatter and bring them all into a confusion so they labored to subvert them from the faith If the duties of inward worship and mercy to men be preferred before Obs 9 sacrifice then surely before our own wills and lusts God is contented that we may perform our duties to our brethren to forbear his own Ordinances and what shall we stand upon our wills and humors Oh proud spirit that exalteth thy self against the Lord we must be content to deny our selves very far for the publick good and our brethren because in this case God is pleased to indulge with men so far as for a time to be without that honor which he should have from men in their acknowledgment of him in publick service As God is contented to forbear his Worship let men also be contented Obs 10 to forbear their Institutions with those which cannot yeeld in their consciences to them but let there be peace and quiet maintained by us we should indulge and bear each with other in such cases of mercy especially there should not be the urging of lesser things upon tender consciences with that severity as to undo them though they be Gods Ordinances But if this be so Object then what hinders but men may do what they list No. Answ What hath been said hath been limitted only to instituted worship and so it be not to the undoing of men punnish them they may but not to the ruin of them nay in these controversies in which men are so divided many sitting in consultation some thinking this to be the way others thinking another to be the way of Christ things ought not so to be urged as to undo the other party that oppose certainly such a practice as this is contrary to the rule of mercy in this text but men must unsatisfie themselves presently and lay down their opinions upon such a day as shall be appointed them Is not this cruelty Instance But you wil say It is sufficient that learned and godly men hold this opinion they find sufficient to satisfie them and we may mistake Answ To this I answer That those who are ignorant in this kind must understand the grounds of those men upon which they hold their opinion and if their grounds can satisfie you then it is something but to say I must hold such and such things because others do I ignorant of their grounds this is folly for as we must not have an implicit faith so we must not have an implicit judgment to hold an opinion because others hold it And thus I have given you the mind of God in this Scripture so far as God hath revealed it to me for the present It follows Text. And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings Expos For the understanding of these words I shall 1. Answer some Questions and then give you the Observations Quest 1 What knowledg of God is it that is here meant Answ Certainly not a knowledg barely notional but such as is joyned with faith and obedience a practical knowledge which brings the heart to love and imbrace the truth Isa 53.11 By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many Quest 2 Why is the knowledge of God joyned to mercy here was it not full enough before Mercy and not sacrifice Answ Because as God accepts not mercy without sacrifice neither doth he regard knowledg without mercy men are here in the extreams on both sides some are very merciful as the Papists but withal very ignorant of the knowledg of God and his waies that as the Apostle saith of love If I should give al my goods to the poor and my body to be burnt it were nothing so if we be never so merciful and ignorant it availeth nothing others have much knowledge yet very rugged and hard hearted now when these are separated God regardes them not but when mercy and knowledge meet together then are they pleasing Why is knowledg only named here when as there are many duties Quest 3 of the first Table as well as this Because both of the excellency and necessity of the knowledg Answ 1 of God the knowledg of God it hath an influence into all the duties of Gods worship Because many are very much exercised in instituted worship Answ 2 yet very ignorant in the knowledg of God it was so then and is so now in our daies many who contend for Ordinances and Christs Government in his Church yet are very ignorant of Christs redeeming the world the way of God in reconciling himself and sinners together ignorant of the Attributes of God and their working for his peoples good therefore he requires the knowledg of himself to be in men principally Why is the knowledg of God put after mercy it being better than Quest 4 mercy The knowledg of God is not set after mercy Answ because mercy is to be preferred before knowledg but because mercy is more apparent and most conspicuous it is most convincing to men now when people are convinced of one duty they are the sooner convinced of another conscience will easily convince them of what is Gods mind But why is it said burnt offerings rather than peace offerings Quest and sin offerings which we read of Because these have more respect unto God than other offerings have as hath been manifested to you at other times Answ with the differences between burnt offerings and other offerings as if
in the time of Gods judgments Page 443 Obs 7. In time of trouble superstitious people are in greatest perplexity ibid Obs 8 It is an ill thing to have ill neighbors Page 444 Obs 9. When the wrath of God is against our neighbors we had need look to it Page 445 Question What shall we do in such times Answer 1 Humble your selves before God Page 446 Answer 2 Rise up as one man and help your brethren Page 447 Answer 3 Meet your own danger before it cometh ibid VERS IX Obs 1. The day of Gods peoples affliction is the day of their rebuke Page 448 Obs 2. God hath his set times for rebuke Page 449 Obs 3. When wicked men stand out lesser judgments they have cause to fear greater ibid Obs 4 It is a dreadful time when God so rebukes a people that he destroies them ibid 1 All the wrath that was treasured up breaks out upon them Page 450 2 All their sins comes together into Gods remembrance ibid 3 The cries of justice prevail against such men ibid 4 Mercy leaves such a people ibid 5 The Lord intends hurt to them ibid 6 All the creatures dare not own them ibid 7 All their services are rejected Page 451 Obs 5. God smites not a people with judgment before he warns them Page 452 Obs 6 When God threatens he is real in his threatnings Page 453 Obs 7 The revealing of sin before judgment aggravates both sin and judgment Page 454 1 The goodness of God is not honored ibid 2 The truth of God is not honored ibid 3 It aggravates the sin ibid Obs 8. There is a time when there shall be no help to deliver from judgment Page 455 VERS X. Obs 1 We had need pray much for Princes Page 461 Obs 2. The bounds of Religion and Law keep in obedience and keep out judgments ibid Obs 3. God punisheth according to mens sins Page 462 VERS XI Obs 1. It is a great judgment for a people to be under oppression Page 466 Obs 2. Idolaters are great oppressors Page 467 Obs 3. God hath a righteous hand in delivering men into the hands of unrighteous oppressors Page 468 Obs 4 A special cause of oppression is peoples following of false worship Page 469 Obs 5. Our giving to much to men God oftentimes punisheth by making them the greatest instruments of our misery ibid Obs 6. It is Satans course to get false worship backed with authority ibid Obs 7. Mans authority is not a sufficient warrant for us 470 Obs 8. The more willing men are to sin the greater is the sin Page 472 Obs 9. Willing obedience in evil things brings guilt upon a people Page 473 Obs 10. Commands for false worship easily prevail ibid Obs 11 It is the duty of Christians willingly to obey God Page 474 Obs 12. Bad Princes give liberty to mens lusts ibid Obs 13. Idolatry is filthy stuff ibid VERS XII Opened Page 475 Obs 1. God may be in a way of wrath against a people and yet mean while be very patient Page 480 Obs 2. God many times letteth out his wrath against a people in little things Page 481 Obs 3. When God letteth out his wrath in smal things it is contemptible to carnal hearts ibid Obs 4. Though carnal men despise Gods wrath in smal things yet it shall eat them out at last Page 482 Obs 5. God is slow in punishing ibid Obs 6. God hath secret judgments to bring upon a people ibid Use Beware of secret sins Page 483 Obs 7 Our corruptions within us breed our trouble and undoing ibid Obs 8 Gods wrath though secret many times eateth out mens spirits Page 484 Obs 9 Though others go before them yet they shall follow not long after Page 485 Obs 10 What a poor creature man is ibid Obs 11 How long God condescendeth that he may express his meaning to men Page 486 VERS XIII Obs 1 The pride of mans heart will not easily acknowledg the hand of God Page 488 Obs 2 God will force men to be sensible of his hand against them Page 489 Obs 3 Men are more subject to see their wound than their sin ibid Obs 4 Carnal hearts seek to the creature in time of straits Page 491 Obs 5 There is much guilt contracted by resting on carnal helps Page 492 1 They will infect ibid 2 They cannot pray Page 493 Obs 6 Creature comforts avail little in the day of wrath Page 495 Obs 7 Of all things men rest on for help wicked men are like to prove most helpless Page 496 VERS XIV Opened Page 498 Obs 1 When Gods lesser afflictions work not God will be most terrible Page 499 Obs 2 Our seeking out shifting waies in times of extremities provokes God Page 501 Obs 3 When God in wrath causeth war in a Kingdom than God teareth Page 502 Obs 4 God hath a righteous hand in the worst actions of men Page 504 Obs 5 The hand of God is more immediate in some judgments than in others Page 505 1 Thereby the heart is humbled Page 506 2 It is a special means to quiet the heart with patience ibid 3 The soul is the more put upon enquiry Page 507 4 It causeth the soul to receive content in nothing but God ibid VERS XV. Obs It is a heavy judgment for God to tear and then to leave a people Page 509 Text opened Page 511 Obs 1 Sin desturbs Heaven and Earth ibid Obs 2 In times of publick judgment God leaves his Majestie in Heaven to set things in order on Earth Page 512 Obs 3 Gods administrations to his people sometimes may be such as if he regarded them not ibid Obs 4 When wicked men are in perplexity then God enjoyes himself in his perfection Page 513 Obs 5 Sometimes God turns his back upon sinners till they acknowledg their sins ibid Obs 6 God humbles himself to behold what is done upon earth ibid The words explained Page 514 Obs 7 So long as men prosper in their sins they will contest with God ibid Obs 8. Affliction sanctified brings men to see and acknowledg their sins Page 515 Obs 9. It 's a sign of a hard heart not to confess when Gods hand is upon us ibid Obs 10. God will have glory from us Page 516 The words opened ibid Obs 1 It is not enough to acknowledg our sin but we must seek Gods face Page 517 Obs 2 When God leaves his people he leaves something behind which causeth the heart to seek after him Page 518 Obs 3 True repentance is not so much to seek our own ease as Gods face ibid Obs 4 Gods Ordinances and Worship are his face Page 519 Obs 5 Repenting hearts solicitous about Gods Ordinances ibid Obs 6 The worship of God is his Name and Ordinances ibid Obs 7. What good God aims at in his administrations to his people he will have it Page 520 The words opened Page 521 Quaere 1 What time doth this seeking of God refer it self unto Answered 1 When
in the waies of his administration he declares that he will have glory from his creature he hath sworn by Himself and the word hath gone out of his mouth in righteousness that every knee must bow to him and every tongue confesse his Name he seems now to resolve he will have it so indeed he will have all to bow before him It is no time therefore now for us to have controversies with God to have controversies with God and man both with Heaven and Earth and Hell and with our own consciences and all What shall become us Be not thou a terror O Lord unto me saith Jeremiah for thou art my hope in the day of evil If God be a terror and the daies be evil Ier. 17. what will become of us It is time to fall down and make peace with God Consider of this you who are so often in controversies with your Neighbors Remember in all your controversies that God hath a great controversy with you And satisfie not your selves in this that you are able to cleer your selves before men what is that so long aâ— this controversy continues It is a dangerous thing to go on long in this controversy with God it is wisdom to make an end of it betime Pro. 17.14 The beginning of strife is like the letting out of waters wherefore leave off contention before it be medled with The beginning of strife especially with God is most dreadful if thou goest on but a little while thine heart may be most desperately set against God and for ever left to strive against him never to come in and be humbled before him This is the reason I verily beleeve of the most horred wickedness of some men amongst us we wonder at it that ever any man should dare to venture upon such horrid wickednesses one after another Surely here is the reason at first it may be when they were young there was some dreadful breach between God and their souls they fell though the world perhaps knew it not into some foul and abominable sin and having made such a dreadful breach between God and their souls then they now go on desperately and fight against the God of Heaven in such a desperate manner as never any age can cell us any examples of such desperate fighting against God as is in this age God hath a controversie with Nations also for their sin Those who are to suit for God may wel charge us that the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land at this day If ever he had a controversy with a people he hath it with us The Lord hath a fearful controversy with us he hath most fearful things to charge this land with I might instance in some things that are more peculiar to this nation than to any other upon the face of the earth As the hatred contempt persecution of the power of godliness No nation upon the face of the earth hath that guilt in this regard upon it that England hath nor never had since the world began Persecution of faithful godly Ministers of the same Religion holding all fundamental Truths yea all the Articles of Religion every point of the Doctrine of Religion together with them I say never any Nation was guilty of that persecution as we of this Kingdom are Silencing many for â—rifles and toyes Persecuting for keeping the Sabbath It is true other countries are loose in their practice or the Sabbath but no country upon the face of the earth hath ever persecuted the keeping of it as England hath done and that by the câ—untenance of those in authority We are si ner and others are sinners but the Lord hath a controversy with us for these things in a more special manner than with any people upon the facâ— of the earth this day This controversy the Lord hath against us is an old controversy too I may apply that text Jer. 32.31 that God speaks concerning the City of Jerusalem unto us This Citie hath been to me as a proâ—ocation of mine anger and of my fury from the day that they built it even unto this day So ever since the Reformation hath begun have we bin a provocation to the Lord. Thirdly A general controversy even with all sorts a controversy with our Kings and Princes with our Nobles oâ—r Gentry our Cities Countries Universities Common people with wicked people with godly people with the Saints with all Fourthly It is the most unkind controversie in regard of our parts that ever was in any Nation for God had dealt with us in such a loving way as he hath not done with any Nation in the world besides he hath made us even as the dearly beloved of his soul and yet for all this we have contended against him This unkindness goes even to the very heart of God Fiftly The Lord hath sent many faithful Ambassadours to plead his cause with us He never to any Nation upon the earth sent more faithful Ambassadours that have pleaded his cause with more power and evidence of the Spirit than to us in England yet we have stood out Sixtly We have had as many offers of mercy as ever people had Many a time we have been upon the brink of Judgment and the bowels of God have been towards us and he hath said it shall not be Seventhly The Lord hath been as patient he hath staied as long as ever he did with any people before he came to execution Where do we reade of any people that have had a hundred yeers peace Ours is not much less Never that I know of in all the Scripture Eightly The Lord hath had us at advantages as much as can be we have broke as many treaties as ever people broke When we seemed to yeild unto God we have but flattered him with our lips and dealt dissemblingly with him Ninthly God hath broken the backs of others with whom he hath had a controversy He hath had a controversy with Germany and how hath he dealt with them Thus he beginneth to deal with us It is reported that in Germany when the war was but twenty or thirty miles off them they went on in their trading and followed their businesses buying and selling and hoped that they should be safe so it is with us Is not some part of England at this day as desolate as Germany it self Tenthly Those that knew most of Gods mind have been so afraid of this controversie that they have fled for fear of the wrath of God and we have slighted jeered them for it thought it was their foolish timerousness and melancholly conceit The Lord now seems to justifie their fear The Lord is now for the present out against us in as dreadful a way of wrath as ever he was against any people of the earth I never read in Scripture nor in History of a more dreadful wrath of God against a people all things considered than is against us at this day Amos 7.4 The
only be upon him but upon all those that joyned with him and a bet him in the breaking of this covenant ver 21. All his fugitives with all his hands shall fall by the sword and they that remain shall be scattered towards all winds I know not two scriptures more full for Gods being set to contend with men for breach of promise Oh take heed all you that are intrusted in any publick trust that you break not covenant And as you have examples of this in the Scripture so there is also an example or two in History which are exceeding full for this purpose I suppose that is known unto you of Rodolphus who having set his hand to a Covenant with Henry the fourth which he afterward brake and his right hand coming to be cut off his conscience accused him Oh saith he This is that right hand that subscribed the Covenant and now God revengeth the breach of it upon this right hand But above all that is the most remarkable that is in the History of the Hungarians concerning Vdislaus the King of Hungary and Amurath the great Turk they report that Vdislaus making war with Amurath having before promised the contrary in a battle between them the Turk had the worst of it AMURATH being there and having with him the Covenant made between the King of Hungary and him and seeing himself put to the worst he plucked forth the Covenant out of his bosom and with his eyes fixed toward Heaven he speaks thus This Oh Jesus Christ is the Covenant that thy Christians have struck with me O holy Jesus they have done it in thy Name and sworn by thy Majestie and yet they have violated it they have perfidiously denied their God Now Oh Jesus if thou beest a God as they say and as we guess thou art revenge this wrong that is done unto me and unto thy self upon these that have violated their faith and promise and do thou shew unto us that do not know thy Name that thou art an avenger of such as betray their trust and then we shall know thee to be a God Now just upon this God so ordered it that the Hungarians having the better of the day they through covetousness of the prey broke off the fight fel upon the loaden Camels whereupon the Turks totally routed the Hungarians Vdislaus their King was slain and a famous Victory left unto Amurath Thus you see how God will be avenged for the breach of trust certainly God will follow those that have been guilty of it we see it apparantly how God follows them already And indeed if we have to deal with men that are popish * As Rodolphus Vdislaus were how is it possible that we can confide in them in any thing they promise in any thing they agree to For we know it is their very opinion that fides non servenda hereticis faith is not to be kept with hereticks This Is their opinion they hold that for the Catholick Cause they may break al their trust promises and covenants Certainly that people are besotted that shal so depend upon those that are Papists and carried away by Papists as to lay their lives their liberties and their outward comforts at their feet at their mercy for certainly there is no truth in them The Nations of the earth are even besotted in this that they will ever make any covenant any league with Papists who hold such an opinion that they may break all their Covenants for the Catholick cause What a case should we be in if we lie down at the mercy of those that have no truth in them when afterwards we shall find they break assunder al their bonds of agreement and all their covenants then we our selves know that this was their opinion before and that they would enter into league and make peace with us meerly to serve their own turns and when they have what they would have then to make our estates lives and liberties to be a prey to them But we must let that passe only this in a word added to it Nor no Mercy The Merciful God sets himself against Unmerciful men and hath a dreadful controversie against them And when this controversie cometh to be pleaded Unmerciful men will be confounded before the Lord For God will lay his plea thus What you that stood in so much need of mercy every moment to keep you out of Hell You that lived upon mercy continually as you breathed in the air You who are begging at my gates every day You who are undone for ever it you had not mercy supplied every hour and yet You unmerciful to your brethren This plea wil stop the mouths of all Unmerciful ones It was the controversie that God had with Sodom it self becâ—use they were Unmerciful Much more than hath God a controversie with the inhabitants of the land of Israel if they be unmerciful Ezek. 16.49 there God laies his charge his plea against Sodom That they did not strengthen the hands of the poor Unmercifulness it is a sin against the very light of nature Josephus in his 15. book of Antiquities Chap. 12. reports this of Herod that wicked and ungodly king that we reade of in the Gospel That there being a great famine in Judea he melted all his movables of Gold and Silver that were in his Pallace he spared nothing of his Plate either for the preciousness of the matter or for the excellency of the fashion of it no not so much as those vessels wherein he was daily served at his table but he melted them all and made money of them and sent this money into Egypt to buy Corn which Corn he distributed unto the Poor and he appointed Bakers to provide bread for such as were sick and he provided raiment for the naked because the sheep were likewise dead and the poor had no work yea he sent to his neighbors the Syrians Corn that might be Seed-corn for them to sow the ground with This was that wicked Herod and yet in time of publick calamity thus merciful was he to the poor Surely God must needs have a controversie with Israel then with Christians then that have received so much mercy from the Lord if they shall be unmerciful in times of common calamity And if ever unmercifulness were a vile sin and provoked God against a people it must needs do now at such a time as this when there are so many objects of pity and commiseration daily presented before us If this should but prove to be our charg that there is no mercy in the land at this day God must needs have a fearful controversie against us The whole land cannot be said to be charged now as at some time it might have been Not long since in England there hath been crying out of violence and wrong those which ruled over us have ruled over us with violence rigour and cruelty according to that complaint Ezek. 34.4 With cruelty
spirits to think that the worship of God appointed in his word hath not solemnity enough in it That is the point naturally rising from thence It is the pride I say of mens spirits to think that Gods Ordinances are too plain Obs too mean for them they can find out a way that sets out the worship of God thus and thus they will shew more reverence of and respect to God than others shall But certainly if it be not Gods own whatsoever outward respect can be given unto God in it he â—bominateth it and abhorreth it A Lady in Paris I have read of a Lady in Paris that when she saw the bravery of a Procession to a Saint she cried out Oh how fine is our Religion beyond that of the Hugonites that is such as those who in England they call Puritans They have a poor and mean and beggarly Religion but we have a fine and brave Religion so your Papists with decking up their Churches and their Altars and their crings and bowings they have a fine and brave Religion their shadow is good there is bravery and solemnity in it Oh take heed of this in any point of Gods worship to think that any addition of mans makes it more solemn and more reverent It is the worst argument you can use to say can we do things in Gods worship with too great reverence Is it that which you have warrant out of Gods word for doth God enjoyn it Have you not either some rule or ensample at least for it If you think by your own addition to do it with more reverence this very argument spoils it though it were lawful in other respects Take some gesture suppose it were indifferent suppose it were lawful some way but if you take it up thus to think that by it you put more reverence and respect upon Gods worship than there is there you spoil it upon some other grounds it may perhaps be granted but upon that ground you spoil it quite Therfore the Lord â—orbad his people when they were to make an Altar to him to lift up a tool upon it for then saith he you pollute it They might have said Lord we would fain have thine Altar not so plain as other things simile we would fain bestow carving and some cost upon it and so shew some respect to it No saith God If you lift up a tool upon it you pollute it So if you think to put more reverence and solemnity upon Gods worship by any invention of your own certainly you defile it That was the sin of Israel at this time they would sacrifice here why because the shadow was good So much for that for their high places and their worshiping under trees Now follows the judgment threatened Therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom and your spouses shall commit adultery You commit adultery in going a whoring from mâ— you shall be punished in the like kind your daughters and your spouses shall go a whoring from you They shall commit adultery Take it first under this consideration as a judgment of God upon them Secondly under this As that which they themselves were the occasion to produce 1 Observ First It was the judgment of God upon them Hence note God sometimes punisheth sin with sin he punisheth spiritual adultery with corporal uncleanness Corporal pollutions are the fruit of spiritual filthiness So Rom. 1. They worshiped not God as God but in an Idolators way after the s militude of an Ox that eateth grasâ— therefore God gave them up to â—ncleanness If men be not careful to maintain purity in Gods worship God careâ— not for their bodily châ—stity If you â—olâ—uâ—e my worship be unclean then â—aith God Not that he doth permit it as lawful but in juâ—t â—udgâ—ent he leaveth them unto it What care I for all yâ—ur uncleaâ—ness otherwise in your bodies if you pollute â—y wâ—â—sâ—ip Roma Amor inversio That is preposterous love because of the unnatural filthinesse there practised Iohannes à Casá Arch Bishop of BendnutuÌ„ wrote a Book in commendation of Sodomy And it is usual for bodily and spiritual adultery to go together The word Râ—ma turn the letters and it is Amor there is a deal of unclean filthy love in Rome as I shewd bâ—fore Wâ—â—â—e thâ—re is most Idolatry there is most adultery But secondly The sin of Parents is punished many times in the children and in the family Your daughters and your spouses I will leave them saith God and mine hand shall be upon them When a parent or a husband sees the hand of God against his child or against his wife he should consider how doth God meet with me in this is it not a sâ—gn of Gods displeasure against me in this particular It is observable that of the woman of Canaan Mat. 15.22 when her child was vexed with an unclean spirit saith she Have mercy upon me O Lord my child is grievâ—usly vexed with a Devil she did not say Lord have mercy upon my child but Lord have mercy upon me for my child is vexed with an unclean spirit as if she should say O Lord my sin may be this unclean spirit it may be the punishment of my sin therfore Lord have mercy upon me forgive me my sin that hath caused such a thing as this yea Lord it may be I have had an unclean spirit and this my child did imitate me in somewhat that was evil and so thy hand is come upon it I am the Original therefore Lord have mercy upon me for my child is vexed with an unclean spirit So should you when you see the hand of God upon your children not only outwardly upon their bodies cry out Lord hâ—ve mercy upon me for my child hath such a disease hath such convulsion fits hath such pain and such extremity Lord pardon my sin And doth God leave your children in wickedness do you see unclean spirits in your children the spirit of filthiness Cry out Lord have mercy upon me perhaps it was by imitating of you that they came to have such unclean spirits Obs Thirdly It is a great reproach unto any family to have uncleanness committed in it Fornication and adultery is a great reproach unto a family especially when the daughter or the wife is unclean It is a reproach unto a family if a servant prove naught especially to some families more than others the family of a Minister or of a Magistrate or a man in publick place and esteem Use for Governors to have a servant prove naught which by the way should teach Governours to be more careful of their families than they are for many times thorough their carelesness God sends such a judgment puts this disgrace upon their families Many of you for your pleasure and delight can go to your countrey houses Country houses and while you are there your servants are doing wickedness You should have an especial eye over your families in
to go meerly out of curiosity it is just with God that we should come home maimed and not whol as we went In the Lords prayer we pray that God would not lead us into temptation How do men mock God when they pray to God daily Lead us not into temptation yet they will venture upon temptations go to brothel houses to many places where they know there will be wicked company yea even thrust themselves into wicked company needlesly only with this pretence Oh they will take heed to themselves and they mean no hurt Let not that excuse you Play-houses when you have a temptation to go to wicked places to play houses to brothel houses to wicked company satisfie not your selves with this I mean no hurt but have you any call from God can you approve it before God and say Lord thou hast call'd me hither Tertullian I suppose you have heard of that story that Tertullian hath of a Christian woman who being at a play was possessed of a Devil and other Christians coming to cast him out asked the evil spirit how he durst possess one that was a Christian He answered I found her saies he in my own place so if we would take heed of the Devil take heed of wicked places Obs 2 Secondly Whatsoever places have been heretofore yet when they grow corrupt in Gods worship they lose their honor Rome heretofore hath been a famous Church as in Rom. 1. Use we find that the faith of Rome was spread abroad thoroughout the world and so they will yet plead for the glory of Rome because once it was famous But it is no matter what it hath been what is it now suppose it hath been the seat of Peter what is it now If once they are corrupt in themselves they lose the honor of what once they had Oh let us take heed unto our selves in this It is true England England hath also been a famous place for Religion and Travellers that have come hither have blessed themselves and blessed God for seeing what they have done they never saw so much of God as in England But if we shall corrupt our waies and grow to be Idolaters and superstitious we may by Gods just judgment be made at infamous and vile as any people upon the face of the earth And so it is true of particular persons of persons that heretofore have had much honor among the Saints have been men of admirable parts and have been useful to the Church it may be temptation prevails so much with them I have had such a name I have done such and such things I now may be quiet I cannot but be esteemed of for what I have done But let a man in his younger time or afterward do never so worthily in the Church of God or Common-wealth if he decline afterward he loseth all his honor both with God and men and may be as unsavory salt and spurned out and troden under foot of men As Gilgal and Beth-aven though honored before yet now the people are charged not to come to them Some men one would have blest themselves before to be in their company in their families but now grown so loose so sapless in their spirits so carnal so malignant so superstitious so vain Note that it is dangerous now to come into their company so that now we may even hear a voice from God calling to us go not into such a mans company as here go not to Gilgal Thus you have these words opened unto you and what the mind of God is in them Come not to to Gilgal neither go ye up to Beth-aven It follows Nor swear the Lord liveth Swearing in it self is lawful yea it is a part of the solemn worship of God when God calls for it And it is such a part of Gods solemn worship as sometimes it is put for all the worship of God in Scripture Psal 63.12 Isa 19.18 Therefore oathes are to be esteemed so much the more sacred For as God puts an honor upon prayer that sometimes all the worship of God is called prayer He that calleth on the Name of the Lord shall be saved My house shall be called the house of prayer c. So God puts this honor upon Oathes that all his worship hath sometimes the name of an Oath Therefore the abuse of Oaths is much the more vile when swearing is called for it should only be by the Name of Lord An Oath what it implies we should swear by the Lord when it is lawful to swear and no other way for by this we acknowledg the Lord to be the searcher of all hearts the Judger of the heart the All-seeing God fit to witness to al mens waies and to be an avenger of all their unfaithfulness this we hold forth in an Oath And here is the reason that we must swear by none but by God because in swearing I say we do acknowledge him we swear by to be the searcher of our hearts the witness of all our secrets and the supream Judge if we be unfaithful Now this honor is only due to God whether secret or open God accounteth much of this his honor and will not give it to another And when we do swear by the Name of God the Life of God is the greatest title we can give to God in an Oath It is the greatest Oath of all Living God what it implies God himself doth often swear by his life and the Angel sweareth by the living God God loveth that his creature should acknowledge him to be the living God for ever that is to live to reward that which is good and to revenge that which is evil And therefore Jer. 4.2 there is an injunction Thou shalt swear the Lord liveth but it must be in truth in righteousness and in judgment And indeed it is Gods mercy to us that he will grant us the use of his Name that he is willing to be called to witness to our affairs But then you will say why doth God forbid it In that place of Jeremiah you see it is Thou shalt swear the Lord liveth and here Ierem. reconciled with Hos You shall not swear the Lord liveth How shall we reconcile these Thus because God would not have his Name and this his solemn worship abused by Idolaters When they were before their Idols yet still they would make use of Gods Name and would seem to honor God Oh Jehovah liveth we acknowledg him and honor him as a living God This was the guize of those Idolaters though they forsook the true worship of God and his commandement yet they would seem to honor God much the Lord liveth and we desire to honor this living God Now saith God what do you go on in such waies of Idolatry as these and take my Name into your mouths what have you to do to take my Name into your mouths seeing you hate to be reformed I will have none of
make such a man our friend of whom we can certainly say we shall one day have need of him Oh let us be sure to make God our friend for certainly one day we shall have need of Him Blessed are those souls who have an interest in that God whom all the world shall see one day they have need of Further They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord Thence this Note likewise Obs All pretend to seek God The most superstitious and Idolatrous and false worshipers they will pretend to seek God as well as any Whatsoever they do Oh they do it for the honor of God and for the service of God and out of respect unto Him and why should not we do this and this we have good aims and good intentions do we not seek to honor God in what we do When those Idolaters of Israel set up the Calf they proclaimed a day unto Jehovah a day for the honoring of God they pretended that what they did was out of respect unto God and to honor Him The worst men and the most superstitious will yet pretend the honoring of God So it is again in regard of those daies that men have set apart for God Use and it is that which hath setled men in the superstitious observation of them Christmasse that it is for the honor of Christ what say they shall we not honor the birth of our blessed Savior what a profaness what a disrespect is this unto Jesus Christ well let others do what they will for our parts we will do it for hereby we shall do honor unto our blessed Savior So the Papists for the adoration of Images Images say they What not regard not to reverence the Image the Picture of our blessed Savior Holydays Images have the same ground and of the holy Saints And the truth is if it be duly weighed there is the same reason of Images of Christ and the Saints and of daies set apart for the honor of Christ by mans invention and there is as fair a pretence of honoring Christ by setting up His Image before me to put me in mind of Him as of honoring of Him by keeping a day of mine own appointment There is I say the same reason of both and whatsoever argument any man shall bring me against the one I dare undertake to make it good to be against the other As now simile is not natural reason as strong to set up the picture of the King to honor him and you do it for that end is not this as much as to keep a day once a yeer to remember him So the reason may be as strong to honor Christ by way of picture as to honor Him by observing any day set apart for that end by the inventions of men We are my brethren to take heed of men that are pretenders to the honor of God Admonition These here will seek the Lord though in a false and superstitious way But those that are pretenderâ— to the honor of God they prevail much with weak spirits and with such as are moâ—t conscientious As your greatest Hereticks that have ever been in the Church have been great pretenders to godliness and many there are at this day that out of pretence to honor Christ have leavened the hearts of people with dangerous errors and especially leavened young converts for your young converts assoon as ever God is pleased to work upon them Young converts and weak Christians soon deceived to convert them first unto himself Oh they love Jesus Christ their hearts are taken with Christ and inflamed with love unto him and they honor free grace that hath pardoned the sins of their youth of which they have such fresh sense Now false teachers they take advantage of this and therefore if they shall bring any thing unto them that hath the Name of Christ and the Gospel with pretence of Christ Gospel free grace and free grace they know they will greedily drink it in and many dangerous errours that are sweetened with such pretences are strongly maintained By this means their leaders attain their own ends and they see it not Again Observ Superstitious and Idolatrous men in time of their afflictions and straights then above all they are abundant in their services They will go with their flocks and their herds when thâ— are in extremity O then God shal have any thing from them Self-love drives men far and enlarges them much Men in a storm are content to cast out much of that which is precious to them Isa 29.16 Self-love sinful Isa 26.16 opened They powred out prayer when thy chastening was upon them They are straitned in prayer before it commeth our by drops before but when thy chastening is upon them then they powre it out And this is the baseness of our hearts that we can find enlargment for God only then when it is sutable to our own ends Those whose hearts are more enlarged in adversity than in the enjoyment of mercies had need to examin their hearts Further Superstitious formal professors think to make God amends for former and present evils of their hearts and lives with outward performances Obser If they bring their flocks and their herds much sacrifice they think that will do it But let us learn to take heed of this take heed of this vanity to think to make God amends for former or present sins by any sacrifice thou performest to Him thus Some of you perhaps that are negligent in the duties of your relations you are wicked in your waies servants children Applic. stubborn stout against parents and governors and wives neglecting their duties to their husbands and so they theirs to their wives and you think though you take liberty in those things yet if you pray much and hear much and speak of good things and be forward in the profession of Religion that will make amends for the neglect of your duties Oh take heed of that for ever you that are forward in your profession and abundant in the performance of holy duties take heed of this deceit of your hearts to think to put off God with these things that that shal make up the neglect of your duties Other kind of people are accused for injustice and uncleanes much wickedness yet they think to put off al this by going with their flocks and their herds Here is their sinfulness they rest in the bare duties But the Saints they have a further sacrifice to offer to God to be a sweet savour in His nostrils Saints They have first the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that these sacrifices typified And then they have their souls and bodies which they tender up to God as a reasonable sacrifice But mark They shall go thus with their flocks and their herds but they shall not find him Observe from hence Obs God found no where if
honor him Thou mayest pray with comfort Lord do not utterly forsake me As those that are godly may depart from God Saints departing frō God but yet as in Psalm 18.21 I have not wickedly departed from my God they do not depart from God as other men do So God may depart from the godly but yet not so as he departs from the wicked Let us take heed of withdrawing from God Admonit of withdrawing our souls from any way of truth If we in prosperity withdraw from God and think we can live without him he will make us know in adversity that he can be blessed without us too It is usual for men in prosperity to rub out with God wel enough but when thou comest into adversity the Lord wil make thee know though thou perishest as dross and dung from the earth yet he will remain a blessed God without thee to all eternity God hath no need of us If thou thinkest thou canst do well enough without him he wil shew that he can do well enough without thee And thus much for this Sixth Verse VER 7. They have dealt treacherously against the Lord for they have begotten strange children now shall a month devour them with their portions IN the words before the Lord threatneth to withdraw himself from Israel When he shall be seeking of him with his flocks and herds he shall not find him A dreadful sentence that the God of mercy shall withdraw Himself in a time of mercy from his creature that seeks unto Him for mercy But what is the cause of all Why will God withdraw Himself from them though they seek Him with their flocks and their herds There is reason enough for it Conexiō They have dealt treacherously against the Lord. The word that is here translated Dealing treacherously 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 significat of the word signifies Perfide agere to deal perfideously they have been perfideous And it signifies likewise Decipere they deal deceitfully And it signifies especially that fraudulent dealing that there is in breaking of covenants that 's the propriety of the word and it is often applied unto men breaking of covenant with their wives as in Mal. 2.14 15. And I find Luther translate it they have contemned the Lord and so according to some it is divers times translated Sperno to contemn God And from thence Luther hath this note What saith he do they seek the Lord with their flocks and herds and yet despise God how can this stand together They seem as if they would honor God exceeding much yet here they are charged for contemning and despising God He answereth it to this effect Whatsoever men pretend saith he in honoring of God yet if they do not obey and keep to his word and that especially in the way of His Worship these are guilty of contemning and despising God We may be plentiful in outward services and yet in the mean time our hearts despise God despise the Authority and Majesty of God English translat But the word ordinarily is used according to that we translate it here they have been treacherous they have been false with me And mark the connexion They come to seek Me with their flocks and their herds Conexiō but I have withdrawn My self from them for they have dealt treacherously Hence the Note is briefly this That Obser When ungodly men come to seek God then God remembreth all their wickedness that they have formerly been guilty of and looks into the wickedness of their hearts as it is for the present They have dealt treacerously As if God should say Here comes a company of wretches base false-hearted hypocrites treacherous perfideous ungodly wretches to seek Mee with their flocks and herds Are they like to be heard are they like to be regarded in all their services No they are base perfideous wretches they have vile wicked and cursed hearts Oh consider this you that have not yet done away your sins in the blood of Christ and made up your peace with God Use of Admonit The guilt of your sin is yet upon you and the filthiness of it yet doth stick you will come to God in prayer and seek Him and cry unto Him for mercy Know that all the wickedness that ever you committed in all your lives is fresh in the presence of God God looks upon all as if it were now present Here cometh saith God a filthy old whoremaster Prosopopoeia an unclean wretch he cometh now to pray unto me and here comes an old drunkard a wicked scorner and blasphemer When thou comest to seek God then all thy wickedness is remembred before him and upon this God justly doth cast thy services back again in thy face Thus it is here Oh learn therefore to cleanse thy heart in the blood of Christ by faith in Him and by repentance and then though thou hast been vile heretofore when thou comest to seek the face of God thy sins shall not be remembred before Him That for the connection But for the words Themselves and first in that proper signification Expos 1 of them They have dealt trecherously the meaning is they make a great deal of shew of Religion but it is only for their own ends and under that shew of Religion they do that which dishonoreth me they betray my glory Here is treacherous dealing indeed treachery against the God of Heaven these are treacherous spirits to make profession of Religion to make protestations to make any use they can of Religion so far as it wil sute with their own turns but when it will serve their turns no longer to cast it off yea if it prove cross to them to persecute it This is trerchery against God in a high degree Again Treacherous in that they break their Covenant Expos 2 with God that is the special treachery here intended they have broken that Covenant in which they were engaged Treachery against God as our King Husband They did give up themselves to be the Lords O but they have basely forsaken the Lord and dealt treacherously with him So that this treachery relateth either to the Oath of allegiance unto God as our King or to the Covenant that we make with him as our Husband And from thence Note That Obs The sins of such as are engaged unto God in Covenant are sins of treachery They are sins of a more deep dye than other mens sins are Other mens sins are transgressions against God they are disobedience to the will of God yea but they are not so properly treachery but the sins of those that are engaged unto God in Covenant have another stamp put upon them than the sins of other men their sins are treachery against God And we know there is nothing accounted more vile amongst men than treachery Trechery the greatest sin It is the highest expression of our indignation against a man that can be to say such a man take
stranger to God of a Malignant of a contemner of God thou wouldst have been so too And seing this is ordinary for children to be as their parents Oh then what a mercy is it for any child that is born of wicked parents 2. to those that are born of wicked parents yet that God should work His grace in him This is not any ordinary mercy There are some that are born of godly parents that do bless God that they are kept from wickedness that way but there are some that are born of wicked parents and so brought up by them in the family yet so gracious is God unto them that in a more than ordinary way He goes further in mercy to them and works grace in their hearts notwithstanding This is His extraordinary mercy a mercy that thou art to admire at unto all eternity that notwithstanding thy birth and education yet God should reveal himself unto thee But how vile are they that being born of good parents are wicked It is ordinary for such as are born of wicked parents and have wicked education for them to be wicked to be strange children but for those that have godly parents and godly education for them to be wicked and strange children this noteth a notorious height of wickedness The third Note is this That It is a dangerous thing for children to follow the Example of their parents in wickedness Obser It is from hence that they are called strange children they are strangers to God It is not enough for them to plead I did as my father or as my mother taught me No if thy parents be wicked and superstitious and they bring thee up in wickedness and superstition and so thou art wicked and superstitious thy self know that notwithstanding this excuse God looks upon thee as a strange child thou hast no part nor porâ—ion in God thou art an Alien thou art estranged from God Children therfore had need to examin their parents waies and actions And above all Use the children of superstitious people for there is nothing more natural in succession in a line than Idolatry and superstition Never plead thus then we do but as our forefathers have done That place we have in Peter one would think should be a Scripture for ever to stop the mouth of that plea 1 Pet. 1.18 19. We are not redeemed by gold and silver nor such kind of things from our vain conversation received by tradition from our fathers but by the blood of Jesus Christ that imaculate Lamb. Mark the text that the being redeemed from our vain conversation received by tradition from our fathers is so great a mercy that it cost the blood of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.18 applied If God accounteth it such a mercy as that He is willing to lay down the blood of His Son to purchase that mercy for a poor creature shall not this creature prize this mercy And yet you think it rather to be a mercy to go on in these waies that you have received by tradition from your fathers and you think it a great plea because you have this by tradition from your fathers Mark what you do I say those men or women whether young or old that shall plead for any superstitious way upon this ground because they had it from their forefathers they do in effect say we look upon the blood of Jesus Christ as a common as a worthless thing He shed His blood to redeem thee from that which thou thinkest is worth nothing to be redeemed from Thou thinkest it a good thing to go the way of the traditions of thy fathers and Christ saith I account it so great an evil that rather than any that doth belong to Me shall go on in that way I will lay down My blood My life to deliver him from it The fourth Note is this That Obser When the succeeding generation is wicked there is little hope of such a people of such an Nation I have withdrawn my self saith God I have done with them and afterward he telleth us that they shal be desolate and this is the reason they have begot strange children The children the generation that is coming after they are idolaters too they go as their fathers did and what hope is there of them simile When in a Vineyard or an Orchyard not only the old trees are rotten but the young trees they likewise come to be corrupted and blasted by them then there is little hope of any great cost to be bestowed about it but it is likely to be digged up for the beasts to be let in up on it Use Much care is to be had therefore of the succeeding generation And there is no better argument whereby we may come to divine as we may say what God intendeth to do with a Nation The way to divine what shal become of a Nation than this look how the children are how the yong ones are that are coming up in that Nation and by that you may come to divine what God intendeth to do with the next We have much cause to bless God for His mercy toward us herein in that He hath in a great measure we hope taken away that sign of His dreadful wrath upon us in this particular I say in a great measure though the truth is we have a great many of the young generation extream rude abundance of Apprentises and others that are fit prepared and ready to make riots and tumults to maintain their Fathers their Masters old superstitions and if ever there be any stirs in a Kingdom about such things as seldom superstition and idolatry can be banished from a Kingdom but some stirs will be usually they are begun by the young ones What stirs upon the putting down of superstiâ—ion they are begun by young ones usually if you take away their Holy-daies from them you take away their lives I make no question but so far as is fit times of recreation will be allowed them and there is good reason for it though such kind of superstitious daies be taken from them But because they find liberty in those daies and their masters and many of their parents stick to the old waies of superstition therfore many young ones they do accordingly and had almost rather lose their lives than lose them and being heady and naught they wil soon be brought to raise tumults and make seditions for them But though there are many that are very vile that way and such as they are are the saddest Omen of Godâ— displeasure against a Nation yet on the other side we should wrong the grace of God if we should not observe His goodnesse towards us in the workings of His Spirit upon Young ones Yea many whose parents have been superstitions wicked and ungodly and their masters have bin so too yet we find that the Lord hath delivered a great number of the young generation from those old superstitions and they are not
willing to fully themselves with such vanities as their parents and masters before them did they do begin to know the Lord and to enquire after God Young ones the hope of a Nation And blessed are you of the Lord you are our hope that God intendeth good unto us and that He will not let out the wild beasts to devour us but will rebuke them for your sakes And although perhaps many of these gracious young ones may perish yea many have been slain already in this Cause yet let not others that remain behind be discouraged at it for it is in argument that there is some great and special mercy that God intendeth for us in that He is willing to venture such precious ones for the procuring of that mercy We may well reason so that if so much precious young blood that might have lived to serve God be shed in this Cause if God come to grant unto England mercy He wil grant such mercy as wil be worth al their blood and that mercy must needs be great that shal be worth all the blood of those that are so precious which might have lived to serve God so many years here in this world And seeing God makes use of them it is because the mercy that is to come for the next generation is so precious that indeed such as have defiled themselves with superstitious vanities are like to have no share in it and as they are not like to live to see it so God will not make use of them to prepare that mercy for the next generation But because God hath a love unto the young generation that are godly therefore He hath reserved much mercy for many of them that are like to see and enjoy it and others of them that are not like to see it yet he will be so gracious to them as he will imploy them in making way for that mercy And whether it is better to be made instrumental for the glory of God and the good of another generation or to live to see the fruit of this it is hard to determine Certainly those that in one generation are made so instrumental as to lay the ground work of mercy for another generation they are as happy as that other generation that comes to reap the fruit of their labours and sufferings and those that do come to reap the fruit of their labors shall bless God for them and when they enioy the good and liberty of the Gospel they shall say Oh blessed be God that stirred up such a generation of young ones to shed their blood and now we reap the fruit of it and blessed be God for them they will bless you to all generations Therefore let there be no discouragement to godly young ones though it pleaseth God to cut of many by death in this Cause for God hath some excellent end in it beyond all our reaches Thus much for these words Only one Note more and that is this That Obs God takes it exceeding ill at mens hands that they should corrupt young ones This Note is as full in the words as any other God takes it exceeding ill it is a part of treachery against God for any to be a means to corrupt young ones Take heed what you do in corrupting of young ones Those young people that are coming on and beginning to enquire after godliness take heed what you do that you hinder them not Especially parents and governors Oh let your consciences flie in your faces when you begin to curb them for their forwardness Many times your consciences cannot but misgive you when you think I have been wicked and naught most part of my daies I spent God knows many of my yeers in vanity and profaness here are young ones that begin betime to enquire after God and yet wretch that I am my heart riseth against them And as these people that hinder young ones are to be rebuked so such as seek to corrupt them by false opinions Certainly it is that by which God is much provoked at this day and as on the one side there is hope of mercy in regard so many young ones begin to enquire after God so I know no such dreadful argument of Gods displeasure against this Nation as this That assoon as young ones begin to come to know Jesus Christ there are presently corrupt erroâ—â— infused into them and that under the notion of honoring Christ and free grace and the Gospel so much the more whereas indeed they do no other than infuse principles of libertinisme and loosness and such as will even eat out the heart of godliness Certainly the Lord hath a quarrel against such as corrupt young ones by their false principles for there are none so ready to drink in false principles as young ones especially young converts who begin to enquire after the waies of God and these men that are their corrupters they have this advantage they come not to them to perswade them to profaness but they come to them with seeming pretences of giving honor unto Christ and of magnifying free grace and in the mean time sow seeds in them that will eat out the power of godliness Oh to corrupt children and young ones and when they begin to enquire after God and to know him for you to do that which may estrange them from God this is that which God will have a quarrel against you for And it is a greater argument of Gods displeasure against us A common evil that it is so common and frequent at this day than any one I know there is not any one argument that I know that is a greater discouraging argument to us of Gods displeasure than this thing But so much for those words They have begotten strange children It follows Now shall a month devour them with their portions Expos A month I find Interpreters have a great deal of do about this expression Many think that God aims at one special month and they tell uâ— of one month in the yeer which answereth to our July that there were many grievous things to befal the Jews in that month in former times and in latter times too as if that were a more Ominous month than any other I will not spend time to speak further of that But there is certainly somewhat else in this expression I find an expression paralel to this in Zech. 11.8 the holy Ghost there speaks of three Shepherds that God will cut off in one month these Idol Shepherds saith he My soul loathed them and their soul also abhorred me I will cut them off in one month There is the most exact description of your superstitious Idol Shepherds even such as we have at this day amongst us in many places saith God My soul loathed them and their soul abhorred me Who do more hate the power of godliness than those kind of men and against whom is the soul of God more than against those kind of men
And I will destroy them in a month saith God Wherefore by this Month I take the meaning of the holy Ghost to be in these two things First It seems to have some reference to the way of the Jews in those times they were wont to have their daies of reckoning with their workmen and with their debters usually at the beginning or ending of every month and this expression seems to allude that way of theirs A month shall devour them that is the time of their month shall come when I will reckon with them and when that fixed time shall come of my reckoning they shall be undone they shall be devoured and destroyed So that it noteth First That God hath a set time to reckon with sinners Though Obs 1 He be patient for a long time yet He hath a month a set time that He appointeth and He will not go beyond that time Secondly When God cometh to reckon with wicked men that is Obs 2 the time of their destruction The time of their reckoning will be the time of their destruction Secondly A month shall devour them I find yet many Interpreters Expos 2 go this way that is a little short time shall devour them it shall not be long it shall not be an hundred and twenty yeers as it was when He threatned the old world but it shall be very speedy As if God should say when once I begin with them a month shall make an end of the work And indeed what will a month do when God letteth the sword come upon a Nation for that the sword was the judgment here threatned As in many parts of England what a great deal of havock have the enemy made in a month How many that were rich and had great estates yet before a month went about into what a miserable condition were they brought so that God seemeth to have reference to the Assyrians that were let out upon them let them but once come saith He and they will not be long about the work a months time shall devour them Luther Luther hath another Note and so some agree with him Expos 3 by the month he thinketh is here meant their Solemnities and new Moons and so it hath reference to their superstition and Idolatry But that I think to be too far from the meaning I rather conceive that by a month is meant the short time of their destruction when once the adversary cometh in upon them And their portions I find the Seventy translate it Cleros 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their lots And it may be turned their lots upon this ground because in the division of the land of Canaan that which they had for their estates was given unto the ten Tribes at first by Lot Well saith God I did give you your estates by such a special providence of mine by lot but though I did in another way measure out your estates than I do measure out the estates of any men upon the earth yet a month shall devour your Lot all that you had in that way of my special providence it shall now be devoured From thence then the Note is this and of exceeding use to us That Obser The more special the providence of God is toward us in bringing any mercy to us the more grievous is it after if God be provoked in his judgment to come and take that away from us That mercy that I had by a special hand of Gods providence that I can relate Gods providence how it wrought about from this passage to the other passage how strangely the Lord did work about His ends to bestow such a mercy and such a mercy upon me Well thou canst speak of Gods providence and bless His Name thou dost well in it but take then heed thou dost not abuse that mercy that thou enjoyest by the special hand of Gods providence take heed of provoking God to come and devour that mercy So it is threatned here a month shall devour their portion their estates that they had by special lot it shall now come to be destroyed because of their sin Expos 2 But then secondly Take it according as we translate it in your books and so likewise it is sutable to the Original A month shall devour their portion that is all their portion that they have here in their outward estates all their riches all their outward comforts what ever they have that which they account to be their portion a month a little time shall destroy it And from thence there are these two Notes Obs 1 First That all the portion of a carnal heart it is the enjoyment of a few outward things in the world Carnalists portion outward Here is his portion he hath his portion in this world And then Obs 2 Secondly Here we may see the poor condition of the greatest in the world poor condition of the worldly rich for why his portion is no other but a month may devour it If thou hadst the whol Kindom and many Kingdoms for thy portion if this were all thou hadst a poor pittance for thee that hast an immortal soul who art made for eternity a month may devour it That man is but a poor man that hath no other portion but that which a month may devour But now the Saints they have God Himself for their portion that portion that neither month can devour nor time destroy but that portion which they shall enjoy fresh and green lively and full and that unto all eternity that portion which liveth for ever and that portion which will keep them safe to live for ever too VER 8. Blow ye the Cornet in Gibeah and the Trumpet in Ramah Cry aloud at Beth-aven after thee O Benjamin THE Prophet seeing how little impression his words of threatning made in the hearts of this people Conexiō O these are but words of wind that we should be devoured c. therfore in the Name of the Lord he putteth upon himself another person He speakes now in this verse rather as a Captain as a General of the field calling an Allarm presently as if the enemy were now come to the gates Blow ye the Cornet in Ramah and the Trumpet in Gibeah as if he should say you have often heard that the Lord would bring the sword upon you now it is come it is come the enemy is even ready to break into your Cities to riflle your houses to ravish your wives to murder your children Blow ye the Cornet in Gibeah and the Trumpet in Ramah and howl ye and cry out O ye of Beth-aven after thee O Benjamin It is a summoning of them as if one should come to the City and cry The enemy the enemy is come to the gates Arm Arm So the Prophet here that he might strike into the hearts of those that are stupid and senceless saith he I have often in the Name of God threatned His wrath that He will
indeed in this heavy judgment that is upon us 2. tearing of Gods Name never was Gods Name so torn as now it is by bloody Oathes and hideous and unheard of blasphemies And what do our adversaries desire but to tear the Saints and to trample them under their feet My brethren time it is for us all to rend our hearts even to tear and rend our very hearts within us because the Lord is come out against us as a tearing Lyon rending and tearing this way and that way The Jews were wont when they heard the Name of God blasphemed to rend their garments presently We hear of the dreadful blasphemies of our adversaries rending and tearing of the Name of God Oh how should we rend our hearts rather than our garments It is dreadful to hear of the tearing of mens estates and bodies but much more dreadful should it be to us to hear of the tearing of the Name of God It 's time then for sorrow to be in our hearts and not ordinary sorrow neither but rending of our hearts now and now we should even be ready to tear the heart out of our bowels to see that we have been no more affected hitherto than we have And the rather because we have scaped for the present our estates and bodies are yet whole Our sins have had an influence into the miseries of our brethren our sins have been those claws and teeth that have torn our brethren Thus the Lord is raised from a moth and worm even to a tearing Lyon Obs 2 And note Though the Assyrians and cursed Babylonians did this yet saith God I will be as a Lyon to tear them Hence another observation That God hath a righteous hand in the worst actions of men We cry out of men that they are thus and thus Oh never such vile and wicked men But you must look upon God He hath a hand in all The most horrid wickedness that ever was done in the world the betraying of Christ and the crucifying of the Lord of life Act. 2. the Scripture saith it was done by the fore-determined counsel of God Therefore let those that have been sensible of the tearing of their estates and have had their husbands and their children torn from them by wicked men let them not only cry out of such vile and ungodly men but let them know that the Lord hath had a hand in it Though men be wicked yet the Lord is righteous let them justifie God in all This is Gods glory that He can have a hand in the most hideous wickedness in the world and yet remain righteous notwithstanding Therefore He saith here I even I will do it He doth not only own it but He would have people to take special notice that He hath a hand in all Oh the use that we might make of this to our selves if in all those dreadful judgments that are upon us if in all those tearing judgments that some of our brethren have felt we could but take notice that the hand of God hath done it I even I I even I have done it here is the Emphasis in this And in this one verse here is I four times together Let the thing be never so hideous unto you yet know that I am the great orderer and disposer of all and I have some great thing to bring to pass in all this that is come upon you And certainly though the misery be great that some parts of the Kingdom endure yet because Gods hand is so much in it therefore we must know that God hath some great thing to bring to passe by this that He hath begun to doe amongst us What the wicked Assyrians and cursed Babylonians did that God is said here to do Hence observe That God hath a righteous hand in the worst actions Obs 3 As in the sin of Judas the most horrible that ever was Act. 2.23 God doth not only permit but order all and so far as an evil of punishment works in it and so far as any natural action is in the sin as in opening the mouth the natural act of speaking drawing the sword the natural act towards fighting c. This is Gods glory and yet to be free from the evil of sin Many knots there are about this that men exercise their wits to untie but cum veneit Elias as the Hebrews use to say when they are gravel'd when Elias cometh we shall understand there is a time when all difficulty shall be easie to reconcile let us look to Gods hand not cry out on such and such wicked men You whose estates have been torne from you and it may be many of your dearest friends consider that it is God that is the Lyon tearing From the duplication of the words we may observe this Note That the hand of God is more imediate in some judgments than Obs 4 in others and the more imediate the more remarkable there shall not only come judgments upon you but I will bring them they shall be such that you shall see that I am in them In some judgments upon men God makes so much use of the creature that sinners can see little of Gods hand in them but in some others they can easily see the hand of God in them Belshazzer trembled at the hand-writing and his thoughts were troubled within him why so the hand struck him not at all only he saw it to be the hand of God the hand of the Deity was in it Dan. 5.5 6. and this made him to tremble Gen. 6.17 Behold I even I do bring a floud And that wrath which is out against us at this time especially our adversaries is the hand of God in a special manner God may well say to us Applic. England I even I wil tear ye O England O how hath God manife-fested Himself to us in these latter yeers since the wars began As we ought to take notice of Gods tearing and rending Kingdoms so also in familes and particular persons God would have us take notice that it 's He as a godly heart takes notice of Gods hand in mercies and then they are most sweet so on the contrary he takes notice of Gods hand in every judgment to be humbled under it I will establish my Covenant with you Gen. 9.11 and Isa 43.19.25 I even I am he which blotteth out thine iniquities Mercies are then most sweet when we see them come from Gods immediate hand in a special providence Gods hand-remarkable in judgments must be taken notice of For Reas 1 1. Hereby the heart comes to be humbled when it considers that 't is God which appeareth against him It humbleth not devils nor men but God that God upon whom I live and enjoy every mercy that I have this it was that troubled Christ more than all the wrong which the Scribes and Pharisees did to him when he considered that it was His God My God my God why hast thou forsaken me
now and you that have prayed before quicken up your diligence and double your care How much better it it to seek God than men to cry to God for mercy than to cursed men God might have made your condition to have bin the condition of your brethren How many are this day running for their lives and begging of their lives at the hands of barbarous merciless blood-sucking monsters and you are yet in peace seeking your God for your selves and them But it may be asked Why should we seek God Quest Can we do any thing to move God Will God be ever the sooner intreated by us I answer No that is not the meaning of the words Answ that we can alter or change Gods mind but such exhortations as these are to make us fit and to prepare us for mercy to boyl and raise our spirits to a sutable frame and disposition for mercies expected and looked for And thus we leave this rich Mine of the fifth Chapter which hath been so fruiâ—ful in affording many choice truths and come to the sixt Chapter a rich Mine also of heavenly and most seasonable Directions no less useful than the former THE CONTENTS CHAP. VI. VERS I. Observ 1. WHen Gods time of mercy is come He puts a spirit of seeking into men Page 531 Obs 2 A joynt turning to God is very honorable Ibid Obs 3 Times of mercy are joyning times Page 532 Obs 4 A true penitent heart seeks to get others to joyn with him ibid Obs 5 A penitent heart retains good thoughts of God in time of suffering ibid Obs 6 A penitent heart is not discouraged Page 534 Obs 7 When God intends good to a people he leaves them intimation of his love Page 536 Obs 8. Apprehension of mercie causes the heart to turn Page 537 Obs 9 The Saints make their healing not a fruit of their returning but of Gods mercy ib. VERS II. Opened Page 538 Obs 1 Gods own people may lie for dead in their own eyes Page 540 Use 1 Do not draw dark conclusions from Gods dealing ibid Use 2 Be not impatient in prayer Page 541 Obs 2 Gods reviving his people is not long in Gods nor the Saints eyes Page 542 Obs 3 Faith makes Gods reviving real in the saddest condition ibid Obs 4 Mercies after two daies death are reviving mercies Page 544 Obs 5 The real sight of deliverance puts the soul upon returning Page 547 Obs 6 The apprehension of the death and resurrection of Christ is a special help to faith in affliction Page 549 Obs 7 When God grants mercies he would have his people to be of lively spirits Page 549 Obs 8 When God is reconciled to a people his face is towards them ibid Obs 9 The eye of God upon his people is their safety Page 550 Obs 10 Gods peoples life consists in Gods favor ib. Obs 11 Faith raiseth the soul high ibid Obs 12 It is the care of the Saints to walk as in Gods sight Page 551 VERS III. Obs 1. True penitents turn to God that they may know God Page 554 Obs 2 No man can turn to God but as Gods face is towards him Page 555 Obs 3 The knowledg of God is a very comfortable thing to the Saints ibid Obs 4 The more men turn to God the more they shall know of him ibid Obs 5 Those that know somthing of God desire to know more Page 556 Obs 6 A gracious heart endeavors strongly after the knowledg of God ibid Obs 7 It is a blessed thing for a man to take notice of Gods revealings Page 557 Obs 8 Those that follow on to know God shall know more of him ib. Obs 9 One mercy makes way for another Page 558 Obs 10 The times of Gods delivery is in the morning Page 561. Obs 11 The Church hath no afflictions but there comes a morning after them ibid Obs 12 It is Gods presence that makes the morning to the Saints ibid Obs 13. Gods mercies to his people are prepared and decreed Page 562 Obs 14 The Saints in affliction comfort themselves that morning is coming ibid Obs 15 The Saints night is darkest a little before their deliverance ibid Obs 16 Gods delivery is by degrees ibid Obs 17 Gods deliverance is like rain to the corn ibid Obs 18 Gods mercies to his people are seasonable and sutable Page 563 Use Let us be seasonable in duty Page 565 Obs 19 When God hath begun with mercy to his people he will go on Page 566 Use Let us do so with God in obedience ibid Obs 20 Gods mercies to his people procure much good ib. Obs 21 Gods peoples deliverance comes from heaven ib. Obs 22 Gods peoples deliverance cannot be hindred Page 567 Obs 23 We should make a spiritual use of Gods works in his creatures ibid VERS IV. Obs 1 God doth not willingly grieve men Page 569 Obs 2 We should not think much to lose our pains with others ibid Obs 3 It it a speceal means to humble men to consider what means hath been used to do them good Page 570 Obs 4 God many times seems to be in a straight what to do with men ib. Obs 5 The condition of people is sad when no means will do them good Page 572 Obs 6 It goes nigh the heart of God to see men perverse ibid Obs 7 For a man to make good beginnings and let them fall is grievous to God and dangerous to a mans self Page 581 Grievous to God 1 Because God is holy Page 582 2 He is unchangable ib. 3 It stifles the conceptions of the spirit ibid 4 Such people cannot be trusted ibid 5 There is no fear of God before their eyes ibid 6 It pollutes Gods Name ib. 7 Religion is looked upon by such as a thing indifferent ibid 8 They never had good beginnings ibid Dangerous to a mans self 1 Because we lose many opportunities Page 583 2 We shall never grow to any eminency ibid 3 It hardens the heart ibid 4 It aggravates sin ibid 5 It spoils the acception of our services ibid 6 It damps our hearts in duty ibid Means to persevere 1 Trust not in suddain flashes Page 584 2 Get your hearts off from earthly engagements Page 585 3 Take heed of secret sins ib. 4. Take often accompt of your hearts ib 5 Never trust your hearts after reviving ib. 6 Humble your selves after good desires Page 586 7 Rest not in beginnings Page 587 VERS V Obs 1 When God comes against false Prophets he looks the people should not be led by them Page 588 Obs 2 Inconstancy in Religion provokes Gods anger Page 592 Obs 3 Many mens hearts are like knotty timber Page 593 Obs 4 Gods Ministers are hewers ibid Obs 5 When Ministers hew God hews Page 594 Obs 6 Gods Ministers are Gods tools Page 595 Obs 7 Gods Ministers are Gods mouth Page 596 Obs 8 The Word of God is of great power ibid Obs 9 Gods judgments lie dark when men go on in a
Let us only encourage our selves in the Lord our God let us take heed of the goodness of our cause thereby too much to rest upon it 1 Sam. 4.3 the people said Let us fetch home the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord that when it cometh it may save us they thought the bare having of that among them would deliver them Know that it is not the goodness of our cause that can bear us up and carry us through difficulties if we do not turn to the Lord. Now that your spirits may not sink under these troubles Motives to courag let me give you a few props to lean upon If we have been faithful in our work we may have this testimony that what iâ— our place to do as creatures is performed by us Gods part is only remaining to be done and know though there were much weaknesses in our performances yet we have to deal with a God who loves sincerity in infirmities If we suffer God suffers more this should mightily encourage us in sufferings when God is contented to be our partner Know that God sees further than we and knows what is best for us when the wars first began we promised our selves a present end of them and we thought it would be best but God saw it was not had we had peace at the first we should not have known what to have done with it it would even have undone us by that time Consider things are no more difficult now than they were at the first unto God God knows as well how to deliver in the greatest straits as if there were none at all God usually works by contrary means bringing light out of darkness saving Israel in the red Sea when in the greatest danger of drowning Know that God will be seen in the Mount God hath his time his set time to appear for his people and before that time come he will not shew himself the soul is very prone in misery to run into a double extream either of presumpâ—ion or dispairing by unbeleef presumption that puts the evil day far off and unbeleef that puts the good day far off therefore take heed of both these Object But could we have the encouragement of this people could we say that we have returned it were something Answ Now for this know that if the consideration of Gods healing mercy is more prevailing with us to turn than any misery whatsoever if we are willing and desirous to turn the other may be made good that God is willing to heal and bind us up Can we but make out the first part of our turning I dare affirm the second of Gods healing though perhaps it may be very painful the Lord hath put a deep tent into us to eat out our putrified flesh therefore we ought more earnestly to desire a through and sound healing than an easy and sudden cure Obs 3 When God intends good to a people he gives them an intimation of his love to them How did this people know that God would heal them and that He would bind them up Thus they argued it out from Gods goodness from his Name and from his Covenant Oh would God but put into our thoughts to consider the mercy of God to us in the Covenant Quest But I fear this would be presumption in me may some say Answ I answer No if thy beleeving and resting upon the promise sanctifies the heart and not make it secure if thy laying hold upon the promise doth more break the heart and make it humble and submissive it is a right supporting the heart upon the promise and not presumption Os The apprehension of what mercy is to come will readily cause the heart to turn to him Many say God will not be gracious mercy is past there is no hope therefore we will give over waiting No but we will seek him still and wait longer for mercy to come Lastly This people being turned to God do not make the hopes of Obs 5 their healing a fruit of their returning but a fruit of Gods mercy Many poor souls think that they must not beleeve till they are so far humbled and so much broken This is an errour we should exercise our faith more upon Gods healing than our returning and this will cause us to be humbled Works Faith humiliation will soon follow after this Good works are a good nurse to faith but if we make works the mother of faith that faith is not right it 's a bastard faith VER 2. After two daies will he revive us in the third day he will râ—ise us up and we shall live in his sight GODS Works are Comments upon his Word and it hath been so frequently in the opening of this Prophesie as Christ said of that Scripture Luke 4.21 This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears so may I say of this Scripture at this time how hath God litterally fulfilled it The last Exercise you heard of Gods wounding and of his healing How hath he healed us in a gracious manner and how are these words fulfilled in the litteral sence After two daies he will revive us But two daies after our humiliation he revived us and the third day we lived in his sight and if we follow on to know the Lord we shall know more of his counsel and though the darkness of the night be not yet over yet the morning is prepared But may we have such ground to think so as this people when any people may apply the promise that God will revive uâ— and that we shall live in his sight If we can prove our turning unto God and our returning from sin the other may be made good that he will revive us in our sorrows The scope of these two verses is to express a further confidence scope and sum of repenting beleeving Israel in Gods goodness before he smote them and now he would revive them but before this reviving comes perhaps we may be as dead men yea lie a day that is a certain time as dead men forsaken of God quite out of his minde yea we may lie the second day also that is a second time wherein we expected help yet then also the enemy may triumph over us yet shall we live in his sight that is all shall see that the eye of God was on us for good he will revive us and God shall be in our sight as we shall be in his glorious things is he about to make known to us though it be night now yet know his mercy is a coming even as the morning followeth the dark night this is the sum of these words Yet for the further opening of them know that interpreters differ they keep a great stir to know what 's meant by two daies some think it spoken of the Jewish captivity others of the second coming of Christ the Messias therefore Luther Luther seems to contemn their inceties saying he thinks them not worthy to
their lustre and beauty 3. The excellency of Gods power how it over-rules all things and how it is stretched out for the Saints good 4. The mercy of God acting every way for their best advantage we are now in great misery and our troubles increase and we cannot see how mercy is working for good but then we shall know 5. The mind of God we shall then know that we are in darkness not only in our troubles for the outward man but in our spirits 't is very little that we know of God now at the best but we shall know him cleerly 6. The vanity of all worldly pomp and glory and the folly of all carnal confidence men are now ready to call the proud happy and bless the works of iniquity and run to King Jareb but then we shall know that God is able to deliver his people out of all straits 7. That it is not in vain for the people of God to seek him even then when all humane helps and hopes fail then they shall know that there is a power and efficacy in prayer as 't is Gods Ordinance to help them in difficulties 8. The meaning of many prophesies which are now very dark and obscure and yet much sweetness in them for the Churches of God and if this will be worth the knowing let men that know any thing be Judges 9. The glorious purposes and decrees of God that he had from all eternity for our good God hath glorious purposes although we for the present know them not but we shall know them there is such a time that all these things and much more than these shall be revealed to them They shall know them if they follow on to know them If is not Expos 1 in the Original but put in to fill up the sense but if we take the â—ords litterally we shall know if we follow on then the sense runs thus Doth God reveal himself to his people and do his people lay hold of the opportunity they shall Expos 2 know more And if you take the words without If thus You know and follow on to know the meaning is That when God begins to show mercy he will go on to shew more mercy so that these words are a motive to turn to God or an expression of their confidence in God God was now in the dark his presence was clouded towards them and the enemies scoffed and mocked at them saying where is now your God The people answer We shall know our God again and he will discover himself to our comfort but to your shame The Notes are Obs 1 True penitents turn to God that they might know God As there must be some knowledg before turning to God so turning to God that we may know him more and the desire of knowing him should not be so much to deliver from hell as to be fitted thereby to do him more and better service the hypocrite if he have but as much service and knowledg to mannage it as to attain his own ends he is satisfied but a gracious heart dares not do so Obs 2 No man can turn to God but as Gods face is towards him We cannot turn to God except that God turn first to us when he giveth quietness who then can cause trouble Job 34.29 Obs 3 When God comes to his people in mercy he reveals much of himself unto them and according to the degrees of his coming unto them are the manifestations of himself unto them either more or less he gives them something in this life an earnest penny at the beginning and at death the full payment the perfect enjoyment of all promised good faith can see a glory in God even in the darkest times but in the times of light then it can see abundance of mercy Use Therefore 't is Christian wisdom to take notice of the mercies we enjoy else we cannot glorifie Gods Name Oh how much of the faithfulness power wisdom goodness and mercy of God in turning the counsels plots and devices of the wicked for our good we might have known had we but deligently observed the mercies we have enjoyed Those who see not the glory of God now shining brightly in the world have very little light in themselves but must needs be very dark or wonderful negligent in the observation of the good things they enjoy from God Revel 11.19 John who saw the blessed estate of the Church which it should be in he saith the Temple of God the Ark of the Testament was kept in the holy of holies and none of the people could see it yet John saw the time when the holy of holies should be opened therefore 't is said that John should prophesie again Revel 10.11 Rev. 10.11 opened not that he should arise again and prophesie but the time is coming that the Revelations shall be so cleerly understood as if John had written a new Revelation according to that in Isâ— 30.26 a Scripture paralel to the text the Lord promiseth when he bindeth the breach of the people heals the stroke of their wound In that day the light of the Moon shall be as the light of the Sun Knowledg shall wonderfully encrease there shall be very glorious manifestations of God to his people and this text in Isa shews plainly that my text hath an eye to that time in which God will exalt his Church and make it glorious in the eyes of all beholders The knowledg of God is a very comfortable thing to the Saints Obs 4 they speak here in a triumphing way then shall we know if we follow on to know any thing of God makes gracious hearts to spring with joy and gladness such a soul looks not so much at the quantity the multitude of mercies which it enjoyes as how much of those mercies it enjoyes It is the happinesse of the Saints in Heaven to know â—â—d and to have the sight of God and so it is here This is eternal life To know Thee and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent not only to know him but to know him as he appears for his Churches deliverance how many are there now in Heaven blessing God that ever their eyes beheld these daies Nay certainly should God but let our forefathers out of their graves to see what a turn of things here is and what an answer of their prayers they would be as men astonished in a maze If it be so comfortable to see and know God in this life what will it be in Heaven where shal be nothing to darken this sight of God Those that turn to God shall know God and the more they turn the Obs 5 more they shall know of him yea this they may be sure of what ever else we here enjoy Dan. 9.13 All this evil is come upon us yet made we not our prayer unto thee that we might turn from our iniquities and understand thy truth If we understand thy truth and turn from our iniquities we shall
decree with day and night morning and evening cald a Covenant because it is sure and certain so also is the Covenant which God hath made to Christ and to his Church firm and sure and this is a ground of strong consolation to the Saints to consider that mercies which they want are set and decreed mercies therefore with patience wait for them Obs 6 The Saints in the night of their affliction can comfort themselves in this That the morning is a coming It is night yet but the morning will come 't is approaching the assurance the morning is coming upholds the Saints spirits in the night of their sorrows the Marrener in tempestuous storms in the dark night the traveller in his wearisom and dirty journy comforts themselves with this the morning light is a coming 't is far better to be in darkness and know the morning light is a coming than to be in the light and to know or fear that darknesse is a coming and light never to returne more Obs 7 A little before the Saints deliverance out of their greatest disturbances of miserie and trouble the darkness of their night is the greatest As a little before the dawning of the day the darkness is the thickest and the most terrible thus it was in Egypt a little before Israels deliverance and their return out of captivity and this should mightily encourage us not to be disheartned in these times though our miseries should encrease for the darker the cloud is and the bigger it grows the neerer it is to its period therefore wait with patience Obs 8 Gods delivering of his Church is gradual by degrees not all at once as the day breaks by degrees so the Saints shine gradually in their lives answerable to the light which God hath let into them We would have deliverance at an instant light and perfect noontime presently but this is not Gods way of dealing with his people a child does not know that it is day till it be very light indeed simile but wise discerning men can see day at a little hole as we use to say Oh that we were so wise to discern Gods dealings in the workings of providence towards us It follows His going forth is prepared as the morning Text And he shall come unto us as the rain God glories much in this creature of Rain Rain in so much that he wonders when men do not fear him who is the giver of rain They did not say in their hearts let us fear God who gives rain there is so much of my glory in this very one creature that mens hearts must be very hard that will not give God glory for it Jer. 5.24 God is stiled the Father of rain this speech the mention of it here hath reference to that country in which the Prophet spake to Canaan where they had rain not so frequently as we have but twice a yeer especially viz. at seed time to soften the ground and a little before harvest to plump and fill up the Corn in the ear The Apostle James seems to allude unto this Jam. 5.7 Jam. 5.7 illustrated The husbandman waiteth patiently for the fruits of the earth so should we for Gods time of delivering his people Gods deliverances to his people shall be as seasonable as the former and the latter rain The Notes of observation from these words are Look what the rain is to the Corn so is Gods blessing to his people Obs 1 We have the same dependance upon God for blessing mercy that the seed hath upon the rain for growing and encrease without the rain the Corn will be but as the parched ground in the wilderness which is the curse and brand upon wicked men Jer. 17.5 6. hence we may see what poor creatures we are having our dependance upon such a poor creature as the rain is in its self and by the dependance which we have on this creature we should learn to consider what dependance we have upon the infinite God for all the good things which we enjoy Obs 2 As the Church is parched and dried up without the rain of Gods blessing so on the other side all the earth and flowers in the field are refreshed and a beauty there is put on them by the rain that coms from the Heavens it makes them to encrease And as the earth is not unthankful for the rain Use but sends forth Corn Grass and Flowers so should we alwaies after the receiving of mercies return unto God in duties we would think it strange if the earth after all the cost man hath bestowed upon it and after the sweet and seasonable showers of rain it should be barren and fruitless Oh man condemn thy self the word is compared to rain and how many times hath the sweet showers and droppings of the word lighted upon thee and yet thou barren all cost hitherto being lost upon thee Deut. 32.2 Obs 3 Gods mercies to his people are both seasonable and sutable this promised in the text They should come as the latter and former rain The Lord comes to wicked men in a general way of providence but to the Saints as rain in seed-time and harvest with much fulness how should this teach us our duty to wait with patience upon God with the husbandman Jam. 5.7 for the appointed weeks of harvest so should we till mercies come seasonably if mercies should alwaies come when we would have them they would prove judgments to us that which in its self is a mercy coming untimely proves an affliction God sent his people Israel Israel a King but he proved a heavy judgment to them simile if a woman should be delivered upon every pain and throwing she feels what mishapen birth would she have It is Gods mercy unto you to prolong your births till the full time we cry out Oh our troubles are great and continue long we had thought to have seen a period to these times our wars at an end and peace setled in our Kingdom Oh know that if they had ended sooner when we would have them what a plague would it have been to us Saints experience in this how many that observe Gods dealings can say that if such a mercy had come when they desired it they had been undone by it it had ruined them therefore Gods time is the best time hence we find that the Saints have often blessed God when he hath crossed them in their desires and hath denied them the thing which they so importunatly desired The Lord hath sent us the former rain at the begining of the summer in its season to prepare the earth for fruit but now there are scorching heats in the Kingdom heats of displeasure in the Country in the City nay almost in every family Now let us with patience wait and the latter rain in its season will assuredly come Is God so seasonable in his mercies for us Let us be seasonable and sutable in our
comes to nothing And Jeroms Hierom thinks that it is Gods mercies towards them which doth thus pass away he would not leave them quite without hope they should have some mercy but it should not abide nor stay with them But the genuine sense of the words I conceive to be The genuine meaning according to the English the generality of their formality in their pursute of reformation therefore O Ephraim what shall I do unto thee As if the Lord should say you put me to a stand you even non plus me in this thing what therefore shall I do unto thee Obser Here in the general we may observe the change of the Prophets voice in the beginning of the chapter it is all mercy and their repentance sweetly joyning with the mercy promised them but now he falls to upbraid them for their hypocrisie incorrigiblenels and unconstancy in the waies of God a very good pattern for Ministers For Ministers who have to deal with varieties of people But now to open the expression of the words more particularly Expos 1 What shall I do unto thee The manner of the expression is either in a way of compassion or expostulation compassion as if he should say Oh Ephraim it is in my heart to do thee good but nothing will work upon thee therefore O Ephraim what shall I do unto thee Like that expression in Isa 5.4 What could I have done more to my vinyard that I have not done were there any other course further to be taken any thing else to do I would do it Now from this sense thus taken of Gods compassionating of them we may note That God doth not willingly grieve the children of men he is even Obs 1 forced to it at that very time they are grieved by afflictions at the same time is God troubled for their miseries Can any tell me men of Angels nay I appeal to your selves can you tell me what I should do more to you than I have done If you can I would do it God expostulates with them he comes not suddenly upon them punishment is the last way God takes with his people And so it should be with us to those that are under us Use all means before correctioÌ„ as to children or servants all means must be tried to prevail with them before correction exhort advise reprove and pray for them have you first taken this course else you can have little comfort in correcting them this is Gods way though you perhaps see it not God here meets with an objection which repining Israel might seem to make we are such as do beleeve to whom the promise doth belong why might not the Lord bring mercy to us without using such means of smiting wounding killing and parching of us no saith God I could not bring about mine own ends but by this way Oh therefore let us check our selves at such thoughts as these God brings us low by afflictions he could do it by mercies but then his end which he aims at would not be so fully accomplished We should not think much to lose our pains in the use of means to others Obs 2 God he hath taken pains and been at cost with this people and he hath lost all God seems to mourn for the loss of his charges I have used this admonition the other counsel yet still hypocritical Oh what shall I do unto thee but yet Gods does not leave them or grow weary of his pains he persists still in the means to do them good In this should the Saints imitate God! if this course will not prevail use a second if not this use a third perhaps that may and if it does do good it will pay for all the pains And thus much of the words by way of compassion Expos 2 Now by way of expostulation and so they are to be taken to humble them or to convince them of their sin Hence observe Obs 3 That it's a speciâ—l means to humble men for sin to put them to it to consider what means they have had used to do them good Would we be seriously affected with sin and humbled for sin then go alone and call our souls into examination whether means have not been used sufficient to do us good consider what means they have been judgments national domestick and personal Mercies reproofs out of the word admonitions from friends terrorâ— and checks of conscience c. when you have done thus charge conscience to speak and tel thee the truth Form of expostulatioÌ„ with a mans own foul and when it doth tell truth give it leave to upbraid thee thus what so unprofitable so stout and stubborn so froward and impatient so unthankful and so unbeleeving for all this This would be a singular means to shew the soul a view of sin in its colors But alas most men put off and shun such a course as this is and the Devil he knows the prevalency and efficacy of such a way as this and he strives what he can to put the soul off from such a course and puts men upon such excuses as these Had I such and such means as others have I should be more fruitful I was reprooved but it was too open And of mens excuses had it been in private and with more love by such a one and in such a place it would have done more good Infinite are the reasonings of a base heart either to put it off with the want of means or some defect in the means and this is Satans subtilty in the soul but when the Lord comes truly to humble the soul that soul will charge it self home throughly for its sins in all the circumstances and aggravations of them Obs 4 These words What shall I do unto thee notes unto us that God was as it were in a straight at this time about this people the observation from them is That such is the perversness of men hearts many times that God knows not almost what to do with them God was here even at a stand he was fain to consult with himself about them see in other Scriptures how God expresses this Ezod 33.5 Therefore now put off thy ornaments that I may know what to do with thee and Deut. 32.5 They have corrupted their waies they are a perverse and a coooked generation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Contortiss of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luctori contorquer i The words there signifies the way of wrastlers who wave up and down that if the one thinks to have the other here he is winded the other way so did this people when God dealt with them this way they put him off another way Therefore Acts 2.40 we are coÌ„manded to save our selves from this untoward generation such a people that none can do good unto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a crooked piece no marvail then Gods Ministers are put to a stand with people many times who are so crooked and gainsying
punished Oh the sad cries of many people in their sicknesses and death-beds How many times have I been warned by the Word but I slighted warnings I did not regard them warnings have been no warnings to me therefore justly am I in misery Use Oh that the consideration of this might be more prevalent and work more upon us than ever Gods quikness in His judgments wrought towards those that stand out against a quick searching Ministry VER 6. For I desired Mercy and not sacrifice and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings THis being a great Scripture having much of the mind of God in it and much difficulty in the understanding of it ConexioÌ„ I reade no further at this time Here we have a reason of Gods severe expression in the former verse where it was said that God had hewed them by his Prophets and slew them by the words of his mouth Why was God so severe against them it was because he would not be put off with their sacrifices they boulâ—tered up themselves with these objecting against the Prophet when he pressed them to mercy and to the knowledg of God Why are not we abundant in serving of God burnt offerings are not neglected by us and why should not we be accepted No saith God I desired mercy and not sacrifice never tell me of your sacrifices and burnt offerings so long as there is no mercy among you Therefore have I hewed them by my Prophets slain them by the words of my mouth you are so glued unto these outward things that I must hew you off from them This sentence is most famous quoted twice by Christ himself in the new Testament which we do not find of any place again which notes the eminency of it the first time it is quoted you shall find in Mat. 9.13 and the second in Mat. 12.7 For the meaning of of the words Exposit For I desired mercy the word signifies to desire and to will a thing with a great complacency or delight as if God should say mercy is a thing so pleasing to me that I desire it at my heart the word in the Original is fuller than is exprest in our English translation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nothing in the world is so pleasing unto me as mercy There is Gods great mercy in reconciling the world unto himself by Jesus Christ and this is more worth than al the sacrifices in the world but this is not the mercy meant in the text Heb. 10.5 6 Burnt offerings and sacrifices thou hadst no pleasure in but a body hast thâ—u prepared there is no mercy like this the mercy of God in his Son Jesus Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mercy goodness and rigâ—teousness But the mercy here meant in the text it is the mercy of man and the word here mercy is the same word in the Original with that in the 4. verse your goodness is as the morning cloud that passeth away so that I desire mercy that is not the mercy of God but mercy to Man and that mercy to our selves so Chriâ—t interprets it in Mat. 12.7 Iâ— ye had known what this meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice ye would not hâ—ve condemned the guiltless As if Christ should say God in some cases would have men provide for themselves though they neglect the keeping of the Sabbath I will have mercy as to our selves so to others mercy to men either to their bodies or to their souls mercy to the body every one will grant but it ought to be especially to the soul warranted from Christs other quotation of these words Mat. 9.13 Go ye and learn what that meaneâ—h I will have mercy and not sacrifice for I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance This word mercy Mercy is a synechdoche comprehending all the duties of the second Table under one I will have mercy and not sacrifice Sacrifice by sacrifice is meant synechdocically all instituted Ordinances and Worship all the affirmative precepts of the second and fourth commandements all Ordinances commanded them then or that ever should be commanded them hereafter are included in these commands and this appears to be so by Christs applying of the text in Mat. 12.7 where it is applyed to the sanctification of the Sabbath and in Mat. 9.13 there Christ applies it and quotes it under an Ordinance whether true or not humane or divine it matters not the separation of the Jews from publicans and sinners it being unlawful to eat with them yet in a case of mercy they might having thereby an opportunity to do good to their souls so that from these two texts you see a cleare warrant for the interpretation of this text Now in the further cleering of it I shall answer some questions satisfie some objections and lastly raise certain observations Quest 1 What is an instituted Ordinance There are natural Ordinances and instituted Duties Now what is the difference between them for natural worship God stands so much upon it that He will have it before all kind of mercy inform us therefore of the difference of these two Answ For the unfolding of this know that by Natural Duties we understand 1. Natural Duties such Duties as we ow to God as God and to be performed by us as to a God Then there are other duties to be performed by men as unto men which if there had been no law to bind them to the performance of them yet they would be performed by men they were bound to perform them they are radicated in the heart such Duties as the first Commandement binds us unto Duties of Natural worship To have no other Gods but the Lord to fear this God and Him alone to love Him before all and above all to trust in Him for help at all times these are Duties to be done as unto a God Nature it self teacheth a man to perform these Duties Then there are Duties to be performed unto men Natural duties of humanity As honoring of parents speaking the truth not deceiving one another defiling mens bodies these Duties are radicated in the heart that were there no Law of God to bind men yet it were in mens hearts to do them Natural duties must not yeeld to mercy 2. Instituted duties Now these Duties must not yeild to mercy But for instituted worship such which if God had not revealed had not been duties neither could men be bound unto them As for their sacrifices under the Law by Bullocks and Goats these kind of sacrifices were they not revealed by some Prophet to be the mind of God they had not bin bound unto them So for our Church Ordinances of Sacraments Christian Admonition and the like are such as flow from Gods Prerogative and not so much from Gods Nature the other duties lie in Gods Nature and Holiness and are to be performed unto Him as to a God so holy But how
command of Christ who saith That he which forsakes not father and mother for my sake and the Gospel Matt. 10.37 Christs speech of neglect of parents expounded and follows not me is not worthy of me Here now is a mistake in this Is not worthy of me that is if your parents should counsel advise perswade intice or command you to the practice of evil to the omission of any good to the breach of any command and upon your refusal they should be angry with you that you will not obey them but follow the command of God and not go out of Gods way in this case father and mother is to be forsaken for Christ and the Gospel but in no case if they stand in need of your help this is grounded upon that text in Mark 7.11 by Mark 7.11 which text I shall open to you but ye say If a man shall say to his father or mother It is Corban that is to say a gift by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me he shall be free Now what is the meaning of this word Corban Corban The word signifies a gift consecrated to God now the Jews thought that if they could say the word Corban they were exempted from all duty to their parents in this kind 't is true I had an estate but I have consecrated it to God and Church services and though I owe duty and respect to you as my parents yet more to God as my Creator this is most vile and abominable and reproved by Christ himself Possidonus in the life of Austin Austin reports that Austin condemned parents who used to give their estates away to Monastries and pious uses as they thought and neglected their children so for children to neglect and slight parents in the time of their necessity and think to excuse it with this they have given to the Church and now they are not able to do any mâ—re this will not do it and this was the old way of Papists to get people to give to their Mother the Church I find cited a tradition by some of the Jews used by them when they fell out and were throughly angry one with another they would tell him he should never have any benefit in any thing which they had and this they called Corban and this in Mat. 15.5 is called a gift The gift of the Altar therefore some of the Heathens forbad this Oath Corban and yet this was the Oath that these did swear by and by some is used upon the matter even at this day as an Oath as thus when any that we have relation unto having throughly angred us we use to say well you shall never be a peny the better for me this is no other than this oath Corban which they used to swear by in this place In the case of the good of souls and this is Christs case Mat. 9.13 Go ye and learn what that meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice for I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance though men ought to prize Ordinances and to set a high esteem of Gods worship yet if it should so fall out that instituted worship and mercy to souls come together and both cannot be done together instituted worship may be left undone so not slighted and the work of mercy to the soul must be vallued before it we are ready to think that nothing must give way to instituted worship but certainly immortal souls are of more worth than Ordinances Paul was of such a disposition that he could wish himself out of Heaven and become an Anathema for his brethren that souls might be saved In case of humane societies and for the quiet state of Kingdoms and yet this no prejudice to Gods Ordinances God hath allowed to men the art of Navigation we reade Solomon sent ships to Tharshis to fetch gold which were it not for this text I could not see any warrant there were for that imployment of Navigation Navigation when men shall be three or four yeers out perhaps and never hear Sermons nor receive Sacraments and yet it is lawful upon this ground that God will have the peace of Sates and quiet of Kingdoms preserved and maintained he will rather suspence with men in the use of his own Ordinances for the prosperity of Civil States therefore Solomon is not reproved for sending Ships to Ophir for gold In the case of Church societies when the People of God are scattered and cannot meet together God is content in such cases His people should be without Ordinances and yet no sin to them as is cleer in the case of the children of Israel all the time the Church was in the wilderness even for fourty yeers together they wanted Circumcision but when they came into Canaan that they enjoyed any settlement than they were circumcised again and had the Passover which before they could not partake of so that in some cases and upon some grounds the people of God may be without Ordinances and that for a long time and yet without sin to them and upon this ground in the text I will have mercy and not sacrifice therfore this may be the reason of those words which Christ spake to His Disciples I have many things to say unto you but you are not able to bear them so may we say Christ hath many truths to reveal which yet people are not able to bear therefore he with-holds the revelation of them until that time In case of mercy to our bodies And this is Christs case in the 12th of Matthew 7. verse If ye had known what this meaneth ye would not have condemned the guiltless yet I will have mercy and not sacrifice Gods care of the bodies of men is such that he will rather have men do the one than the other He wil rather have mercy than the duty Christ doth not plead here for the Disciples that this was not a breach of the Sabbath but the case was such that their bodies required it it was a case of mercy and now God would rather have mercy than the duty A servant perhaps thinks much to stay at home to tend a child or look to the house upon the Lords day he objects Why should not I go to the Church Is not my soul of greater worth and price than this child or this house Now these people go upon a good principle yet here they er in their acting of it as to instance A father commands his child to do two services for him the one to wait on him at the table simile the other to make clean his shoos to wait upon his father at the table he is willing to do because this is creditable but the other he grumbles at and is disconted now in which doth he shew most obedience in Surely in obeying of the meanest command So God requires of us two sorts of Duties one the more honorable the other more mean yet perhaps the
meaner a work of mercy God is wonderful careful of our bodies God careful of the body and would have us also careful of the bodies of others men ought not to massacar their bodies God doth not require weak sickly bodies to spend whol nights in fasting and prayer God in this case will have mercy and not sacrifice of us Mercy in case of our own estates But here some may say What may we regard our own particular estates before the service of God Yea in some cases we may as thus Suppose we were in the Assembly at publick Ordinances and there should be a fire in the Town or theeves breaking into a house we might lawfully leave the Ordinances to quench the fire or to apprehend the theeves and save our goods Numb 9.13 If a man were in a journey and in the mean time the Passeover were to be delivered he might go on in his journey and do his business and yet no sin to him So may we if in a journey or special business if not on purpose we go about this in slighting or contemning of the Ordinance we may go on in our business without sin God will have mercy In the times of persecution God doth allow his people the forbearing of some Ordinances as is cleer in Acts 8.1 There was at that time a great persecution against the Church which was at Jerusalem so that the Church was scattered and could not be together to enjoy Church-fellowship and yet it was no unto them Church assemblys not alwaies safe it had been an unjust charge if any should have come and said What do you prize your lives so highly and fear the losse of them more than the Ordinances of God wil not you joyn together in Church-fellowship and constant assembling your selves together because you think you shall suffer by it No in such case God will have mercy and not sacrifice In the case of some eminent service for God As in the case of Nehemiah he being the Kings Cup-bearer he must attend it and when he was to go up to Jerusalem by the Kings leave when he had finished his work he returns to the King again to serve in his place though he wanted the Ordinances there in the Kings Court which he might have enjoyed at Jerusalem yet that he might be more serviceable in the Churches Cause he is contented to deny himself in his own comforts These are the cases with others of the like nature in which God wil have mercy and not sacrifice I shal answer some Objections that may be made against this Obj. 1 But mens hearts are deceitful and they may pretend cases of mercy when there is no such thing in hand Answ Know though in such a case thou couldst not do it yet do not thou judge another man that may or can do it the rule is difficult that 's true yet do not thou envie another mans grace to whom God hath given power to mannage his business with Christian wisdom thou thinkest that if thou wert in such places and hadst such temptations as others have thou shouldst miscarry and aim at self in them yet do not thou judge another man that may do it in sincerity do not thou judge another mans duty through thy weakness Gods servants in this world are as his stewards now we know that a steward hath not every thing given him in a particular command by his Lord but only general rules given him to order particulars according to prudence faithfulness and zeal 3. vertues requisiâ— in a steward for the exercise of these three graces are required in a steward Prudence and wisdom faithfulness and trust care and zeal in all these So doth God give general rules for the ordering of a Christian life and these general rules being observed particular cases are to be ordered in prudence 1. Prudence faithfulness 2. Faithfulness and zeal 3. Zeal wisdom to judge faithfulness in doing zeal to keep up life and spirit in action and where there is a miscarring through frailty God will have mercy But it may be asked Can any duty of the secâ—nd Table be more Obj. 2 excellent than the duties of the first Table of the one God being the object of the other man is the object The duties of the first Table are to be understood Answ either for the substantial and internal duties of the heart or some super added duties of the first Table joyned with the internal and substantial duties then there are duties of the second Table some more substantial some superadded now if we compare the internal and substantial duties with the superadded duties there the substantial are above them and to be preferred before them they having God for their immediate object yet in some cases God is pleased to indulge with men so far that he wil let the duties of the second Table duties of mercy towards men go before the more substantial duties of the first Table so in the duties of the second Table to men some duties which are but circumstantial and not so necessary God allows should be done when others more fundamental shall lie still omitted yet without sin But if Gods Ordinances are duties can they he omitted at any Obj. 3 time and that without sin Are they duties or not duties For answer Take notice there are two sorts of Precepts Answ Negative and Affirmative a negative binds semper ad semper alwaies and at all times but an affirmative doth bind only semper but not ad semper alwaies but not at al seasons at one time we may omit a thousand actions which are to be done but we cannot do many actions at one and the same time therefore for affirmative duties if they be done in their season God accepts of them as done continually as for that command Pray continually if it be done in its season God looks upon it as done continually and alwaies done if providence should so order it that another duty be brought to be done at this instant that duty which I was going to perform ceaseth then to be a duty to me at this time if two good things come together the one can be done but at a time so that the other is not a duty at that time to you which otherwise is a duty else if this were not man would be necessitated to sin and all the grace and mercy and assistance of God could not help in this case if that two affirmative precepts must bind at the same time to be done therefore this must be remembred for a truth that when two â—ffirmative precepts come together the one is a dutie to be performed the other not Instance But what say you to the case of Daniel when he knew that the writing was signed he went into his house and prayed more earnestly Dan. 6.10 Might not he have saved his life according to this rule I will have mercy and not sacrifice yet his was a sacrifice
large but especially that Covenant which God made with them when they came into the Land of Canaan They transgressed the word is They went over it They transgressed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Covenant was betwixt them and their sins and they went over it to their sins the banck was not high enough to keep them and their sins asunder Expos 1 There they transgressed the Covenant There 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there in that good Land of Canaan into which God had brought them and given them possession so the Chaldae Expos 2 Again There they transgressed the Covenant Psa 14.5 ibi tinuerunt i. e. tunc there when God had hewed them by his Prophets and thought to work them to good Lastly There that is in the Covenant it self and that in Expos 3 those things wherein they thought they kept the Covenant and thought they honored me most in those things they broke the Covenant They dealt treacherously The Greek renders it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they have despised me they have forsaken me and chosen other lovers and left me even as a woman leaves her own husband to whom she was engaged and goes to other men It notes the hearts joyning to some other rather than God so as to be willing to leave the Lord and either out of affection to some other or for private advantage to forsake God and his Cause to promote and further that which is against God The Notes of Observation from the words are these That it is Gods goodness that he will please to enter into Covenant Obs 1 with such poor creatures as we are It is made an aggravation of their sin here that they did falsifie the Covenant the love of God in entering into Covenant with such mean worthless creatures should command dutie from us in the most difficult precepts that are and that with willingness God is constant in his Covenant with men This is in opposition Obs 2 to their unfaithfulness they deal falsly with God in the Covenant but God is constant in his Covenant he confirms his Covenant with the strength of a Gyant Dan. 9.27 expounded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dan. 9.27 And he shall confirm the Covenant with many for one week The word there signifies he confirms the Covenant like a Gyant or a mighty strong man they as weak men break Covenant with me but I with strength confirm my Covenant therefore David saith 2 Sam. 23.5 Yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure it is immovable Obs 3 Mans nature is very weak and unsetled They like men have transgressed the Covenant We must not lay too much upon men for when they are most unfaithful they do but like men Oh what folly is it in men to forsake the eternal God and run to the creature We trust our servants in our businesses and shall we not trust God much more the Word saies all men are lyars nay every man in his best estate is vanity Psal 62.9 God is our refuge men of low degree are vanity men of high degree a lye if they be laid in the ballance they are lighter than vanity it self Obs 4 The apprehension of our obligations to obey should keep us within Covenant Oh never let it be said that our sins are so strong as to break Covenant to get our own desires it is a sign of a most vile wretched spirit so to desire sin as to break over this bond of the Covenant think of this all you that are so easily overtaken with sin when a temptation comes to any sin say thus such a sin I would have and my desires are after it but did I never Covenant against it and what shall I be so wicked as to break my Covenant for it Obs 5 The breach of Covenant with God is a most grievous aggravation of our sin it provokes God highly against that people or person there have they dealt treacherously against me Deut. 29.24 25. Why hath the Lord brought all this evil upon this people Then men shall say because they have forsaken the God of their fathers and the Covenant in which they were bound to him in What cause have we to bless God that he hath not destroyed us for breach of Covenant with him why should not our condition be the condition of this people here in Deuteronomy had God turned his hand and let our enemies prevail this might have been our case God expects something from his people which cannot be done by every Obs 6 one they must not plead they are flesh and blood as other men God would have you more than men you must remember that you are Saints and Members of Christ and therefore must live as the redeemed of the Lord in the first of the Corinthians 3.3 Are you not carnal and walk as Men 1 Cor. 3.3 explained The Apostle rebukes the Corinthians for this God looked that they should walk beyond other men and that which the Apostle makes the ground of his reproof they make their excuse Jesus Christ descended from on high to this end to purchase a peculiar people to himself that might honor him in the world beyond that which he hath from other men we should live as those which have the Divine Nature in them we should beware of passion and anger even as God is slow to anger how far are those from doing any eminent thing for God which cannot deny themselves in their wills and passions and have not so much as humanity in them If God at any time give us hearts to keep Covenant with him it is Obs 7 more than is in us we have not that power of our selves therefore bless God for this mercy Men may go on in multitudes of services and yet be Covenant Obs 8 breakers 'T is possible for a man to have committed the sin against the holy Ghost and yet be a professor of Christ and and the Gospel therefore we had need look to our hearts Many times in those things which we seem to be most Religious in Obs 9 there we may be false and Covenant breakers But may this be in the duties of Gods worship yea thereby this may be thus When men shall think by this to cover any sin they live in by their performing of duties this is treacherous dealing and playing false in the Covenant The sins of the Saints which break Covenant with him are sins of Obs 10 a double dye other mens sins are rebellions against God but theirs are treacheries The want of the right knowledg of God is the main cause of breach Obs 11 of Covenant with God Dan. 11.32 And such as do wickedly against the Covenant shall be corrupt by flatteries but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits Who shall be corrupted by flatteries those that know God No they shall be strong and do great exploits such shall be imployed by him in his
harvest is ripe But where was this captivity in 2 Chron. 28.8 And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand men sons and daughters But when was their return in the 9. verse the Prophet comes to them and tells them in the 11. verse they must deliver up their captives which they had taken from their brethren these were brethren as is cleer yet behold the rage of brethren yet in the 15. verse see how this took with them they cloathed fed and restored all their captives again presently See the mighty power of the Word to still the rage of the stoutest spirits Oh that it might do so with us at this time as it did here with this people this would be a kindly work indeed so that by this you may see what the harvest is here in the text The Notes which we may observe from hence are That the sins of a people are seeds for a harvest of judgment as good Obs 1 actions are seeds for a harvest of mercy God hath a fixed set time for a harvest of judgment and though Obs 2 you have a time yet know it is fixed therefore sow as fast as you can there will come a harvest ere long In the time of Gods judgments the Lord remembers mercy for his Obs 3 people He hath set a time for the return of their caâ—tivity Thus you have I conceive the genuine sense of these words There are some that reade these words thus Judah A 2d Interpretattion since you are guilty also you shall not enjoy your peace nor your lands in quiet till God return your captivity Israel shal not enjoy their harvest but Judah shall Now that which makes me think this is not the meaning is this Because the Lord still goes on to threaten Judah still I have set an harvest for thee Some others reade it thus A 3d. When God was about to turn away their captivity Judah did so harden Isarel in their way that it was the cause of my hardening my heart against them and not to return their captivity Israel might think thus Though we are bad in many things are amisse yet Judah is also filthy in such and such things who are a people neerer to God than we yet they do so Many are ripened for judgment by the example of others Obs especially of great professors and chiefly of professing and reforming Churches that have the name of pure worship in them Let such be very wary what they practice especially in a time of reformation lest they harden others in their corruption Thus I have finished the Sixth Chapter HOSEA CHAP. VII VER 1. When I would have healed Israel then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered and the wickedness of Samaria for they commit falshood and the thief cometh in and the troup of robbers spoileth without THIS Chapter is filled with complaints wholly against Israel The two former Chapters brought in Judah with them but this Chapter is spent wholly against Israel Luther Luther saith that by the reading of this Chapter we may see that the Church hath alwaies evils of one and the same kind even at this day that it had in those times even as one eg is like to another eg We have had a cleer and lively pattern of this held forth to us in our times concerning our evils Expos When I would have healed Israel Before God took upon him the person of a husband that would have recalled his adultrous wife but in this Chapter He compares Himself to a Chyrurgion who would have cured a wounded person and His people He compares unto such But coming to cure them He found the wound in them worse than He expected as when a Chyrurgion sometimes first comes to a wound he thinks it not so bad and dangerous as indeed it is upon the searching of it and all this while perhaps the patient is very mild and quiet and strugles not at all but when they are put to pain by searching of their wound then they are froward and strugle so saith God so many waies and means have I used to do them good judgments reproofs and exhortations and nothing doth them good but they grow worse and worse then the sinnes of Ephraim did break forth the sins of the Court they work out and the sins of Samaria which was the chief City shew themselves in Isa 7.9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria as if the wickedness of the Court should be complained of by some in the Country When I would have healed Israel the iniquity of Ephraim and Samaria did appear the Prophet looks upon Ephraim the wicked Court and Samaria the prophane City and sees death in the face of both the sin of Ephraim and Samariah it is in the head which speaks them in a dangerous condition Leuit. 13.44 they ad iniquity to iniquity which shews their perversness and he that is of a perverse spirit shall be dispised Prov. 12.8 Their wickednesses In the Original it is in the plural number When I would have healed Israel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then the sin of Ephraim did break out and the wickedness of Samariah appeared In great Cities where there is such concourse of people Obs there is all manner of evils But now when was the time that God was about to heal these ten Tribes to what time doth this refer some interpret this to be the time when God went about to cure the evils and the abominations that were in Rehoboams time which was a very sad time Time of this Prophesie had he hearkened to the counsel of his wise grave Counsellers it had been well for him and his people but he giving credit to the counsel of his young green heads he indangered the very life of his Kingdom by it and when he would not hearken through the pride of his heart God rent the greatest part of the Kingdom from him and gave it to Jeroboam and now when there were such hopes of delivering them from these their oppressions Note then the iniquity of Ephraim did appear then did they oppress and crush up and healed presently and then they putrifie and are worse than ever But the Lord is the healer of his people and when he heals he doth it to purpose and many encouragements we have in Scripture to seek to God for healing the promise of God 1 Chron. 7.13.14 If my people which are called by my Name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from the evil of their waies then will I hear from Heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land Mark the conexion of these words first seek to be forgiven and then healed if we should be healed before pardoned wo be to us we should then be undone Isa 57.16 17 18. verses The Lord will not contend for ever neither will he be angry for ever lest the spirit should fail before him For
upon the sin VER 14. And they have not cried unto me with their heart when they howled upon their beds they assemble themselves for corn and wine and they rebel against me AND they have not cried unto me The Seventy have it thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 70. Heart-prayer Their hearts have not cried to me Where we may see that it is not enough to cry with with the mouth except the heart cry as well as the mouth We reade of Moses who though he spake not a word that is expressed in the text yet it is said he prayed It is the working of the heart that is the heart of prayer Oratio est res ardua magni laboris est opus difficillimum ideo rarissimum Luther Therefore when Elijah prayed 't is said he prayed in praying Jam. 5.17 And by this we see the great difference there is in praying Heart-prayer pleaseth God A work-man which wants words to express himself yet may be able to perform his business very wel in Gods account so he that is able to express himself in fine language eloquent sentences and multitudes of words may yet not pray at all therefore when you pray look that your hearts go along with the duty otherwise your cries wil be but as their prayers here in the text which are called howlings and that in these four respects Prayers howlings why In regard of the hideousness of their crying unto God as the Heathens used to their Idols and so the Hebrew seems to carry it and to express something remarkable setting a letter more than ordinary to this word howling 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the letter י is super added And thus the Heathen Indians at this day howl to their gods And in this manner were the cries of Israel looked at but as howlings They were howlings in regard of their distempered and unquiet spirits they were in their spirits very turbulent and unquiet in their lives and froward in their carriage in prayer Even thus it is with many in trouble of conscience they are very boisterous and make troublesom noises the shallowest waters makes the greatest noise but the deepest rivers run the stillest so those that have the deepest sence of sin and are kindly troubled for it are quiet still and submissive under Gods hand and certainly such a boisterousness of spirit under the sence of sin is not from the Spirit although there may be some legal terrors but when God hath subdued the heart to himself the heart will seek earnestly for mercy and yet in a quiet humble way They howled upon their beds in regard of their pain The bruit beasts in their pain and trouble will cry out and roar even thus did these men here the extremity of the misery they were in forced howling from them There are no men cry more out of judgments when they are executed than those that were least sensible of them when they were threatned Carnal hearts cry out altogether of the miserie of the times the judgment it is that troubles them more than the sin the procurer of them See this between Pharaoh and David Saul and David Saul cries he cries to Samuel saying I have sinned and done foolishly yet honor me I pray thee before the people David he confesseth his sin and accepts of the punishment of his iniquity Lord 't is I that have sinned as for these sheep what have they done Pharaoh he cries to Moses that he would pray to God to deliver him from the plagues that were upon him David he cries to God Lord take away the iniquity of thy servant If iniquity be done away judgment will soon be removed sin being the cause of all misery Howling to note that God regarded their cries no more than the howlings of beasts Amos 8.3 Amos 3.8 opened The songs of the Temple shall be howlings in that day as the prayers so the sacrifices of such how pleasing they are to God we find Isa 66.3 they are but as the cutting off a dogs neck and their cryes were but as the cries of that dog whose neck was cut off They in their pride were wont to speak contemptibly of God his waies and servants contemning them and God he contemns and scorns them their prayers and their sacrifices therefore that in Prov. 1.26 is verified here He will laugh at their destruction and mock when their fear cometh Oh how vile are wicked men in God eyes when they are in trouble and misery None so vile but we pity them and releeve them but for the infinite merciful pitiful God who is full of goodness and hath bowels of tender love and compassion for him to have them in derision and to jeer as we may so speak the cries of his creature Oh the consideration of this is most sad Oh vile is the sin which makes man thus odious And here we see what little use there is of wicked mens spirits they are of no use there is for them in the places where they live nothing that they can do Wicked men of no use thou canst easily sin and bring down judgments by thy sins but when they are come upon thee what wilt thou do perhaps thou wilt pray and cry to God God he abhors thy prayers thy cries are abomination unto him it is the Saints prayers that are so acceptable unto him the prayer of the upright is his delight Prov. 15.8 the least sigh which come◠from a godly heart is such a strong cry that it fills heaven and earth so that as I may speak with reverence God can hear nothing else but that because he both prepares their hearts to pray and prepares his ear to hear therefore we find in Scripture such expressions as these Psal 10.17 and Nehem. 1.7 the good man praies that Gods ear would be attentive and his eyes open that he might hear the prayers of his servant Psal 86.1 Bow down thine ear O Lord hear and help me for I am poor 1 Pet. 3.12 His ears are open to their prayers And Psal 86.6 God gives his ear to their prayers and attends to the voice of their supplication what doth all this hold forth unto us but this that the prayers of Saints are very delightful to him they are pleasant musick in his ears were there no other difference between the godly and the wicked than in their prayers it were sufficient to make men out of love with the waies of sin and joyn with the Saints in the waies of holiness the Saints they send up sweet breathings and God takes pleasure in them the wicked they howl and cry out and God rejects them They howl upon their beds Men in their prosperity go up and down uncontrowled in their wicked waies but when God confines them to their chambers annd their sick beds then they howl It follows They assemble themselves for corn and wine The old Latin Ruminabant not Comedebant like beasts they feed the Hebrew word that
197 Cause A good Cause may be lost by too much depending on it Page 388 Comfort see beasts Commands Commands to superstition usually find obedience Page 473 Communion How communion is defiled by the presence of wicked men Page 373 Creature The good or evil of the creature depends upon man Page 67 Contend God contends not without cause Page 21 God contends not for little things Page 22 Condition The condition of the person offending aggravates the sin Page 118 The poor condition of such as are rich only in this world Page 434 Conscience How pride of conscience may be discerned Page 395 Contempt Contempt of the word a constant companion to Idolatry Page 363 Controversie Controversies between them that are neer are grievous controversies Page 2 The controversie of Gods with sinners is very grievous Page 5 Gods controversie against England Page 8 Gods controversie with Covenant-breakers is dreadfull Page 26 Covetousness The covetousness of Priests Page 93 Counsels Perplexed counsels are a fearful judgment to a Nation Page 170 Court see Evil Curiosity see Superstition Carnal see Agreements Carthaginians The Carthaginians Law concerning Magistrates Page 660 Christ Christ became miserable for our consolation Page 548 Christs speech of neglect of parents expounded Page 604 Choice see Spirits Clouds Clouds and dew passing what it implies Page 576 Communicative see Nature Consolation Consolation to those whose friends have perished in Gods Cause Page 589 Comfort see God Consideration What considerations move men best to turn to God Page 536 Correction see Means Court see Idolatry Church see Assemblies Courage Motives to courage Page 535 Covenant The Covenant which God hath made with man is three-fold Page 622 The portion of Covenant-breakers Page 686 Cut-down How to know when a man is cut down Page 595 D Danger The danger of forsaking the truth Page 386 The danger of depending upon duties Page 403 Dangerous It is dangerous to venture upon the beginnings of false worship Page 354 It is dangerous to be deeply rooted in superstition Page 355 Defiled Defiled worship defiles the soul Page 372 Defiled see Nation Defilement A twofold defilement Page 371 Deny We should deny our selves to promote the true worship of God Page 357 Disappointment Disappointment brings shame Page 326 Distinction There ought to be a distinction made between the children of wicked and of godly Ministers Page 130 Disrespect Disrespect breeds shame Page 325 Divination How the Heathens were wont to divine by staves Page 134 Dogs Wicked men are dogs Page 73 Duty What the duty of Ministers is Page 141 What the duty of Christians is Page 474 Dying What a dying and terrified conscience is Page 500 Danger Danger see Night Daies see Festival Difference Dangerous It is dangerous to men to let good beginnings fall Page 583 See Hypocrisie Daniels case in prayer opened Page 611 Deliverance All deliverance comes from heaven Page 566 Destruction see wilfulness Difference Difference between Gods setting daies apart and mans setting daies apart Page 661 Discovery see Morning Duties see Natural Drunkenness Drunkenness brings diseases Page 663 E Education The custom of the Romans concerning the education of their children Page 421 Emperor Emperors called and accounted the Popes Dogs Page 117 England England admonished Page 86 A warning for England Page 375 see Controversie End The end of duties is to find out God Page 411 Evil The reason why there was so much evil at Court Page 115 See Punishment Example The example of wicked parents is not to be followed by their children Page 429 Excellency The excellency of grace makes sin the worse Page 179 Experience Experience of our late Prelates Page 358 Emperor An Emperor may be kept from the Sacrament Page 577 England The men of England of perverse spirits Page 572 Englands superstition reproved Page 589 England guilty of blood by calling murder manslaughter Page 627 Englands wickedness Page 641 Evil see Slander Excuses Mens excuses Page 570 Exhortation Exhortations to mercy Page 615 Experience The Saints experience Page 564 Expostulation see Form Expressions Scripture expressions against formality Page 621 F False worship The evils false worship doth in a Nation Page 138 Families The families of wicked Ministers are many times forgotten Page 97 Failings God looks not at the particular failings of a State Page 382 Flower The glory of the world is but as a flower Page 64 Formal God delights not in formal professors Page 412 Framing Notes of framing ones heart to the will of God Page 381 Faith Faith makes God real in the saddest condition Page 542 An eminent prop of faith Page 548 See Unworthiness and Repentance False Prophets False Ptophets are not to be followed Page 588 False Worship False Worship is to be trembled at Page 633 Festival daies Festival daies are usually distempering daies Page 664 Form A form of expostulation with ones soul Page 570 G Gilgal Wherein Gilgal was famous Page 183 Given A dreadful thing to be given over of God and why Page 207 Glory see Flower God God is a God of truth Page 23 God is no respecter of person Page 118 We should seriously mind what God doth Page 338 Gods pleading with man is not to be neglected Page 345 How God rebukes men Page 363 God will deal with men according to their present waies Page 370 God is not engaged to any Page 402 God delights most in his second right Page 405 God will not alwaies be found Page 411 God never smites a people before he warns them Page 452 God is a moth and rottenness and how Page 477 See Real Controversy Contend Punish Wrath Holiness Good works The good works of the Saints shall return unto them Page 121 Governors Governors of families should be careful of their families Page 154 The Governors of the people are usually the causes of the evils of the people Page 198 See Rulers Grace see Excellency God God will have glory from men Page 516 Gods usual way of comforting his people Page 520 God works by contraries Page 540 God doth not willingly grieve men Page 669 See Heart Keep Leave Penitent Mercies bound Governors see Wicked Great-men Great men are not easily reformed Page 577 Grounded We must be well grounded in the cause we suffer for Page 540 H Hard Hard truths are hardly born Page 2 The signs of an hard heart Page 515 Heathens Why the Heathens sacrificed undrr trees Page 149 A notable speech of an Heathen Page 552 Heart The secrets of mans heart are known to God Page 367 The heart of man is knotty Page 593 See Framing Argument Hard Note Herod Herods mercy in time of famine Page 30 Holiness God putteth a stamp of holiness upon the places he chuseth Page 143 Hope There is little hope of private means when publick means fail Page 85 Humble An humble man knows much of the mind of Christ Page 396 Help We should help those that suffer for a good cause Page 574 Heal How God healeth Page 640 Hypocrites see
it is against God ibid Obs 5. The more directly a sin is against God the greater is the sin Page 688 VERS XIV Opened Page 689 Obs 1 The vilest men will assemble to prayer in publick miseries Page 691 Obs 2 When hypocrites assemble 't is for themselves not for God ibid Obs 3 Hypocrites seek God more for sensual things than for others ibid VERS XV. Obs 1 It is God only can bind up broken arms Page 693 Obs 2 To be sinful after mercies is a great aggravation of sin ibid Obs 3 It is an excellent thing to glorifie God after strength is restored ibid Obs 4 A true repenting sinner should have God alwaies before his eyes Page 605 For then 1 He would be serious ibid 2 He would abhor himself ib. 3 He would see the infinite evil of sin ibid 4 There is no standing out against God ibid 5 God is worthy of all he can do ibid 6 Slight sorrow will not serve the turn Page 696 7 God hath power to raise the soul ibid 8 There is enough in God to make him blessed ib. AN EXPOSITION Of the PROPHESY of HOSEA CHAP. VI. VERSE I. Come and let us return unto the LORD for He hath torn and He wil heal us He hath smitten and He wil bind us up IN this Chapter we have these things considerable First Parrs of the Chap. The work of Israels true repentance from the first verse to the third verse Secondly A sad complaint of the overly repentance of many in Israel in the fourth verse Then here is a further upbrading of Israel for their unkind dealing with God The first part sets out Gods peoples resolution to return to Him who had smâ—tten them their confidence in His mercy and their blessing themselves in their happy condition now they were returned to him To come to the first verse Come and let us return c. These words are an excitation of the mind not the body to return to God as also they shew the mighty spirit which came upon this people at this time what a turn there was in them as if they had said Well our Princes have deceived us and our Prophets have deluded us and led us aside we have been false in our worship wrong in our practises for which God hath been displeased with us but now Come and let us return we are resolved to fall down and humble our selves He hath smitten us and he will bind us up The Seventy Translators and also Hierom take these words from Chyrurgions which use to put deep and long tents into great sores Septuag Hierom. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But the common Septuag saith not this word but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the former is in Hierom. simile who intends not to skin but throughly to heal it by eating out the corrupt flesh and filthy matter so that these words note Israels dangerous disease and their great corruptions and that in their afflictious but God would not let them die of this disease or perish under his hand in the curing but he would heal them and that throughly A woman whose breasts are sore must be throughly tented before it be healed and she bids the Chyrurgion cure her well and thoroughly though it be long and painful So saith God this people are very sorely wounded but I will take them in hand and heale them but their cure will be very long and teadious sore and painful Now saith this people seeing it is thus Come let us return it matters not though our healing cost us dear and it be painful it is enough that God will heal us Let our disease be never so grievous Come and let us return A man that hath a mortal wound about him what pain will not he be willing to endure in healing so he may be sure of cure This people conceived themselves so wounded that if God had not taken them to cure they must have perished but in that God had undertaken the cure they were confident they should be healed When Gods time of mercy is come to a people He puts a mighty Obs 1 spirit upon them to seek to Him Gods time was come for Israels deliverance now God put an active stiring spirit into them therefore they say Come let us return before their spirits were dull and lumpish like unto men in a Lethurgie but now they have a spirit quickened for God like unto those in Isa 2.3 And many people shall say Come and let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob. The like prophesie we have Isa 60.1 and 44.3.5 they shall come off very willingly cheerfully and subscribe themselves by the name of Jacob simile As a Ship which is filled with a full strong wind in the sails goes against all oppositions of wind and stormes there is such a spirit put into them as the Apostle prayes to be in the Colossians chap. 4. ver 12. that ye may stand perfect and compleat in all the will of God Now is reformation like to go on to some purpose Fall of Antich At the time of Antichrists destruction God hath promised to put such a spirit into the hearts of the people that all his tyranny shall not be able to stand before them God will blow upon the spirits of men and they shall be very powerful Now considering Gods power let not us despair concerning the great Works adoing in our times Use Let men be never so base and perfideous yet when Gods time is come He will speak the word for deliverance What a miserable sottish condition was the world in a little before Luthers time But when he came what a spirit was raised in the people And what a spirit hath there been raised amongst us and that on a sudden To consider what bondages we were in and greater like to fall into and that we were not made for slavery to be slaves and vassals subjected to the wills of some Twenty or Thirty men And what a spirit did God raise in our brethren of Scotland when he was about to do them good and to break the neck of the yoke of their tyranny Oh then what a cursed thing is it for any to quench keep under or resist such a spirit as this when it arises in people A joynt turning to God is very honorable to God Come and let Obs 2 us return It is much honor to God when but one soul is turned to him but when many are converted there is much glory a multitude of praises then are offered up to God aâ— in Revel 5.11 And the number of them which stood about the throne was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands And so Revel 19 6. The multitudes of voices saying The Lord God reigneth Allelujah to the highest Obs 3 Times of mercy are joyning times Oh 't is very sad when men will go every one their own way but when men joyn
know more of the truth the pure in heart shall see God Mat. 5.8 Oh the sweet light which purified minds enjoy to these God reveals his secrets and acquaints them with the mystery of his Covenant Psal 25.14 of which the great Rabbies of the world are ignorant of these things are mysteries unto them and this is the reason why they are so ignorant of them Because they turn not unto God neither labor to know God Obs 6 Those that truly know something of God desire to know more of him As he that is learned in something covets after more still and certainly none but ignorant people are enemies to learning Learning those that never knew the worth of it these are they that cry it down therefore those which are contented with little nay and think their little too much sometimes are of poor mean and base spirits far from following on to know the Lord. Obs 7 A gracious heart is willing to put forth strong endeavors in the use of means to encrease and get more knowledg of God he will slip no time neglect no opportunity in which knowledg may be encreased Dan. 9.13 This was Solomons prayer 1 King 3.9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart in the Hebrew it is Lord give 〈◊〉 a bearing heart Though God had discovered himself wonderfully 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet he desires that God would discover himself to him more therefore they are very foolish that think they know enough of God and are contented with what they know 't is a great blessing of God to have a hearing ear and an understanding heart no marvail the Saints take so much pains to know the mind of God therefore what a fond opinion is it and what a sluggish spirit does it manifest to be satiâ—fied with that knowledg which hath been before in former times therefore such speeches as these What shall we be wiser than our forefathers we are to bless God for the knowledg of our forefathers and say as Master Greenham M. Greenham did I bless God for what our forefathers knew saith he I bless God also that hath kept back some of his counsels for this generation to be acquainted with 'T is an argument of a poor spirit to rest satisfied with smal measures of knowledg the light three or four hundred yeers ago was smal and in these daies our light is poor and small to that which shall be revealed it is very little in the matter of worship in the ordering of his house therefore had not we need to follow on to know the Lord therefore God forbid that there should be any spirits scorn at the new lights which God discovers therefore let us be humbled for our ignornace now begin to follow on to know the Lord it is true there no new truth in respect of the word but in respect of the manifestation of them to us they mey be said to be new It is a blessed thing for a man or woman to take notice of Gods revealing Obs 8 himself to them Oh how happy a thing had it been for many of us if when God first began to stir our hearts we had followed on to know the Lord How sad is it for many to look back to former daies what glorious and sweet manifestations had they of Gods love in former times but through worldly cares and sluggishness of spirit have lost all and are now in the dark and cannot speak of God in any savoury way whereas many who are younger and have kept their communion with God know more of God and are able to speak more sweetly of the goodness of God than they and you who thus know God in your youth blesse God that He hath entered you into this light and make much of it for as Christ said to Nathaneel Joh. 1.50 Dost thou beleeve when I said I saw thee under the fig tree Thou shalt see greater things than these So do you blesse God for what you do know and God wil reveal more Those who follow on to know the Lord may be encouraged that they Obs 9 shall know more of Him The diligent hand maketh rich it matters not though thy parts are weak thy abilities mean thy failings many if Christ be thy Teacher it matters not thy weaknesses shall not hinder his instructions Christ teaches the weak as wel as the strong nay Christ accounts it his glory to teach such nay the Father Himself is not ashamed to instruct them nay Christ gives thanks to his Father that He hath revealed these things to babes and sucklings Christ is a meek gentle lowly teacher very mild and loving he will neither upbraid them with their weaknesse nor discourage them in their dulnesse Christ here speaks to poor weak burdened sinners Who would be discouraged Did not Christ teach thus mildly I will not upbraid for thy ignorance No to thy soul will he give wisdome liberally and infuse the principles of saving knowledge into thee Col. 1.10 Being filled with every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God Great are the treasures of knowledge which a diligent Christian may obtain Psal 36.10 Draw out thy loving kindness O Lord unto them that know thee Thou hast some glimmering knowledge of God some spark of Divine light blesse God for it go on still and follow on to know the Lord and then thou shalt know more 2 Tim. 3.7 It is a heavy curse upon those women in Timothy that they are alwaies learning but never come to the knowledge of the truth Object But many a poor soul may here object That if this be thus I fear it is my condition that the means aggravares the sins that I commit and leaves me inexcusable Answ To answer thee If thou art not one who follows divers lusts and makes them thy practice thou art not the man who art ever learning c. if thou followest on to know God God will follow thee on with mercy Obs 10 One mecey makes way for another a lesser prepares for a greater God beholds al things at once with one view of his providential eye and 't is his happiness so to do But the Saints cannot do this they must know a little now more at another time And doth not our times make good this text The Lord will grant one deliverance now and another reviving the next day and all to usher in a greater The Lord first smote us and within two daies he did revive us and the third day we lived in his sight and since that deliverance we have followed on to know the Lord and God hath revealed himself more in his power wisdom and faithfulness the vanity of an arm of flesh and the outward glory of the creature and if it be not our fault we may know more of his workings if we would follow on to know the Lord. O that we had hearts to follow on the Lord in repenting beleeving and turning to Him He would