Gods mercy by their own they think thus if any had offended us so as we have offended God though we might say wee would be reconciled to him yet wee could not bring our hearts fully to come off to it something would remain in our hearts they therefore think so of God they suspect God that he doth not mean really in his expressions of love and mercy to them But take heed of this doe not judge of God by your selves though you have a base and cruell heart and cannot be reconciled to those that provoke you it is not therefore so with God There are these two evils in sin first in the nature of it there is a departing from God secondly it causeth jealousies and suspitions of God and so hinders the soul from coming unto God again Secondly God is very carefull to prevent all these suspitions in the hearts of his people God desires that you should have good thoughts of him and this is that we plead with you for and do often open the riches of Gods grace to this end that you may have good thoughts of God and to take off your jealousies and suspitions of him as if there were no reall intention in all the proffers of mercy he makes to you doe not thinke that all those riches of Gods grace are meer words they are certaine intentions of Gods heart towards you I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness And for your parts I will give you a heart you shall return to mee bona fide you shal do it in the plainnesse of your hearts There was a time indeed as Psal 78. 34 35 36. God complained of his people that they sought him and returned unto him neverthelesse they did flatter with their mouth and lyed unto him with their tongues there was no reality in their returning unto him they made great promises that whatsoever God should say unto them they would do it but there was no reality in it yea but saith God there shall come a time that you shall have righteous hearts and that which you promise to me you shall promise really there shall not be that falsenesse in your hearts those shews and overtures that were heretofore but you shall return to me with all your hearts in righteousness God hath made adoe at first with us to make us believe that he is in good earnest with us in his proffers oâ— mercy and much adoe there is before our hearts can be gotten to work towards God in good earnest Further note this is one reason why God doth betroth for ever because he doth it in the plainnesse of his heart and this is also a good reason why the Saints continue for ever because what they do to God is in the plainness of their hearts Those who return to God in an hypocriticall way will fall off but they that return in uprightenesse will hold constant with him Prov. 8. 18. it is said of Wisdome that with her are durable riches and righteousnesse they are put together where there is true righteousnesse in the heart there is durable riches But yet there is another thing in this betrothing in righteousnesse and that I thinke hath more in it then the former God will be so reconciled to his Church as yet he will manifest himself to be a righteous God In the works of the riches of his grace he will manifest the glory of his justice too I will doe it in righteousnesse though indeed the Lord intendeth to glorifie rich grace yet so as he will declare his righteousnesse to men and Angels that in this very work of his he shall be acknowledged by them unto all eternity to bee a righteous God GOD will make such a way for this his love and goodnesse as that hee will have satisfaction to his justice in it That place Rom. 3. 25 26. is remarkable for our purpose Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood How To declare his righteousness for the remission of sinnes Marke it it is not that he had set forth Christ to be a propitiation to declare his mercy in the forgivenesse of sins you will say What is there in the forgivenesse of sins but only the mercy of God Yes there is somewhat else there is righteousnesse too and the Lord doth declare his righteousnesse in the forgivenesse of sins and therefore it is that he hath set forth Christ to be a propitiation that hee might declare his righteousnesse If the Lord should have said but thus Well you are great and grievous sinners I will be content freely to forgive you all your sins this would have declared Gods mercy but not his righteousnesse but now when the Lord hath set forth Christ as a propitiation and forgiveth sins through the blood of his Son in this God declareth as much righteousnesse as grace This text Luther had a great deale of do to understand and he prayed much before he could get the right meaning of it yea it is repeated again To declare I say his righteousnesse that he might be just the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus not that he might be mercifull in justifying him that believeth in Jesus but that he might be just in justifying him that believeth in Jesus And this is the great mystery of the Gospel this is that which the Angels pry into the Saints and Angels shal admire blesse God to all eternity for the reconciling riches of mercy and infinite justice both in one This was that which set the infinite wisdome of God on worke from all eternity how to find a way to save sinners and to be infinitely righteous notwithstanding If all the Angels in heaven and all the men in the world had been put to it to find out a way to answer this question How shall sin be pardoned the sinner reconciled unto God and God glorifie his justice they could never have done it but God in his infinite wisdome hath found out a way to doe it This cost God dear it cost him the heart blood of his own Son and that was a sign that Gods heart was much in it and indeed we are not Christians untill in some measure we see and have our hearts taken with the glory of God in this mystery We must looke at righteousnesse in our reconciliation as well as to loving kindnesse and mercy When God is reconciled unto a sinner there is not only his mercy glorified but in that way that God hath found out to save a sinner hee hath the glory of his justice as much yea more then if the sinner were eternally damned in hell How is that you will say I make that good three ways First when God appointed a surety his Son and charged his debt upon him to satisfie his justice in that God would not spare this Sonne of his the least farthing token I mean not the least degree of punishment he would not remit any thing to
his Son the Lord did hereby shew a stronger intense love unto justice then if he had damned tenne thousand thousand creatures Suppose a malefactor comes before a Judg the Judg will not spare the malefactor but requireth satisfaction to the law this shews that the Judg loves justice but if the Iudges own son be a delinquent and it appears before all the Country that the Iudg will not spare him but he must satisfie the law to the uttermost you will say the Iudge doth honour unto justice more in this then in condemning many other malefactors So when the Lord shall cast many thousands into hell there to be tormented for ever this sheweth that God loveth justice but when his own Son shall take our sins upon him but by imputation God will not spare him that is the very word of the Scripture He spared not his own Sonn saith the Text this declareth Gods love to righteousness more then if all the world had been damned Secondly suppose the sinner that is reconciled had been damned then the justice of God had been but in satisfying and never had fully been satisfied but in that way that God hath found out to save a sinner his justice is not only satisfying but it comes to be fully satisfied to have enough Now it is a greater honour to justice to be fully satisfied then to be in satisfying As for instance suppose a man be a Creditor to one who owes him five thousand pounds this man is poore and the utmost he can pay is but sixe pence or twelve pence a weeke suppose the Creditor should lay him in the Jayle untill he had payed all this man would be paying but would never be payed so long as the Debtor liveth but if another rich man should come and lay downe five thousand pound at once the man is presently satisfied Here is the difference between Gods satisfying his justice upon sinners and upon Jesus Christ God cometh upon the sinner he requireth the debt of punishment because he did not pay the debt of obedience God cast him into prison the uttermost he can pay is but twelve pence a week as it were that is but a little and thereforefore he must be still paying and paying eternally which is the very ground of their eternall punishment in hell because they cannot pay enough in any finite time Now commeth Christ and he fully payes the debt so that justice saith it hath enough it is satisfied this is the greater glory to the justice of God Thirdly If the sinner had been sent down to hell God had had the glory of his justice passively upon him hee should be for ever under the power and stroke of justice but in the mean time the sinner would have hated God for his justice and hated justice but when justice is honoured actively the sinner falleth down and acknowledgeth himselfe guilty putteth himselfe under the stroake of Gods justice and accepteth of the punishment of his iniquity now God is delighted more abundantly in this active way of glorifying his justice then if the sinner should have beene eternally in hell to have satisfied And now Devils and all wicked men must needs have their mouths stâ—pped for ever they cannot cry out of God becanse he will marry himselfe to such sinners this is mercy but where is his righteousness where is the glory of his justice here is an answer to them all though the Lord setteth his love upon vile sinners yet so as hee doth it in righteousnesse And this is a great encouragement to come in and believe as thus if the sinner be terrified with the apprehension of his sinne I see by them the wrath of God is incensed and infinite justice comes upon mee and I heare that crying for satisfaction this bids the sinner know likewise that God hath a way to satisfie infinite justice and yet to save thy soul he will marry thee unto himself and yet he will do it in righteousnesse And this is a mighty helpe unto a sinner against all faylings afterward a mighty establishment against a thousand objections the sinner may make against himself Thus we must seek to God when wee seek for reconciliation to be received againe when wee have departed from him whatsoever GOD doth for us hee must doe it in the way of righteousnesse as well as in the way of mercy Take this with you sinners if ever you have a pardon sealed unto you it must be sealed in the Court of justice as well as in the Court of mercy therefore thou needest not appeale from the Court of justice to the Mercy-seat for in that way of the mystery of godliness that there is in God reconciling himselfe unto a sinner there may be as much comfort in standing before the bar of justice as at the Mercy-seat that is by standing there in and through Christ for he hath made justice propitious to us and now it pleadeth to mercy for us And indeed this is the very work of Faith to go unto God this way when by Faith the sinner shall tender up unto God the Father the righteousness of JESUS CHRIST for an atonement and satisfaction for sins It brings the comfort of justification this way When you come to God in any other way but this it is but in a natural way not in a true evangelicall way A man by nature may know thus much that when he hath sinned he must seek unto God for mercy to pardon his sin or else he is miserable but to seek unto God for pardon with a price in our hand to tender up the merits of Christ for a satisfaction to Divine justice here is the mystery of faith faith is not onely to rely upon Gods mercy for pardon but this I see riches of grace in Christ and Christ my surety hath made an atonement hath laid down a price now by faith I tender up this unto God the Father and by this way I believe my soul shall be accepted in him What a mighty ingagement is this for us to be righteous with God the Lord betrotheth us unto himself in righteousnesse we should give up our selves to him in righteousnesse too O my brethren take this away with you what ever you forget If the Lord hath thus ingaged himselfe unto us in a way of righteousnesse and if it hath cost him so deare to shew himself righteous unto us what an infinite ingagement is this unto us to be righteous before him to glorifie Gods righteousnesse in our conversations I will doe it in righteousnesse and you shall have such a righteous heart as you shall never be a dishonour unto me before the people neither devils nor wicked men shal ever be able to upbraid me that I set my love upon such creatures as you because whatsoever you were you shall be now righteous When ever we expresse our selves to be the Spouse of Christ and be unrighteous in our conversations we upbraid Jesus Christ wee
Lord and I will receive you againe Gods mercies are beyond mans It is a most excellent and usefull observation that we have from hence There is no such dreadfull threatning against any in the word of God for any of their sins only we except that sin against the holy Ghost but there is a dore of hope left for those sinners Here seemeth to be the greatest sin of Idolatry and forsaking of God as could be the most dreadfull threatning she is not my wife shee is divorced from mee Yet here is insinuated a hope of mercy I will give you one Text which is as notable for this as any I know in the booke of God that is in Judges 10. 13. 14. compared with ver 16 In the 13. and 14. verses saith God You have for saken me served other gods What then I will deliver you no more I am resolved against you now I have delivered you often but now I will deliver you no more Go your wayes Cry unto the gods you have chosen let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation One would thinke this people to be in an ill case of whom God saith thus much For observe these foure things here First God chargeth them with the greatest sinne that could be they had forsaken God and turned themselves idols Secondly This great sin is aggravated with the most aggravating circumstance almost that could bee implyed here this they had done notwithstanding God was wonderfull mercifull to them and had often delivered them yet they had still forsaken him served other Gods Thirdly Here is one of the most peremptory resolutions against shewing mercy that we can imagine saith God I will deliver you no more now I have delivered you so oft Fourthly Here is a most bitter Sarcasme a biting upbrayding taunting speech for their serving other gods As if he should say what doe you come now Now do you cry howle to me now you are in trouble in your prosperity I was no God for you you leâ—t me then for other gods and now I will be no God to you to other gods I leave you go now and cry to those other gods and see whether they will help you Put these together and one would thinke this people were in a hopeless condition Is there any help for this people yet Are they not a lost people Is not repentance too late for this people No for all this repentance is not too late for such a people as this for mark the Text saith in the 15. ver And the children of Israel said unto the Lord we have sinned do thou unto us what seemeth good unto thee and ver 16. They put away their strange gods from among them and served the Lord. They do not now lye downe sullenly in their sinnes and say there is no help therefore we were as good go on in our sinfull wayes but they venture to put away their strange gods and crye unto the Lord and tell him that they had sinned What then the Text saith The soul of the Lord was grieved for the misery of Israel Though he had thus pronounced against them yet his soule was grieved for them they were not the same they were before It is true I will deliver you no more you impenitent ones I will deliver you no more but God did not say he would not give them repentance but when they had put away their strange gods though they had grieved Gods Spirit with their sinnes yet God was grieved for their affliction now and though God had thus threatned them yet his bowells now do yerne towards them and hee comes in again with mercie and subdues their enemies under them the children of Ammon were conquered and God gives them twenty of their Cities as Chap. 11. 33. God never threatneth any people but the condition of mercie upon repentance it is either expressed or implyed It is therefore the frowardness and the fulness of the hearts of sinners to give over all upon the thought of the greatness of their sins or the severity of Gods threatning against them O no you great sinners that have beene guilty of many horrible sins come in and repent I may say to you as Secaniah did to the people in another case of a grievous sin Ezra 10. 2. There is hope in Israel concerning this thing It is the cavill of many carnal hearts against many faithfull and Zealons Ministers that they do nothing but preach judgement and they threaten damnation and say people shall be damned and go to hell aud the like This they speak against them not mentioning at all the conditions upon which damnation and hell is threatned Certainly there can scarce a Minister in the world be found that threatneth damnation or hell absolutely but upon those termes of impenitency I will give you one Scripture to shew you the most absurd perverse spirits of men in this kinde how they will take a piece of the words of the Prophets and separate the threatning from the condition on purpose that they may cavill at the word it is in Jer. 26. 4. saith God to the Prophet there Thou shalt say to them Thus saith the Lord If you will not hearken to me to walke in my Law which I have set before you â—o hearken to the words of my servants the Prophets whom I sent unto you then will I make this house like Shiloh and will make their Citie a curse to all the nations of the earth See how fairely the words of the Prophet go If you will not hearken to me to walke in my lawes and the words of my Prophets whom I sent unto you then I will do so and so The Prophet delivers his message as faire as can be But see now their perversnesse in the 8. ver It came to passe that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord commanded him to speake unto all the people that the Priests and the Prophets and all the people tooke him saying Thou shalt surely dye What is the matter Why hast thou Prophecyed in the name of the Lord saying This house shall be like Shiloh They leave out if whereas he said If you will not return and heare the words of the Lord this house shall be as Shiloh They come and lay hold upon him with violence Why hast thou said this house shall be like Shiloh and leave out the other This is the perverseness of the hearts of men Well then the conclusion of this Observation is this that the worst pleading against any for their sinnes it is not to sinke the hearts in despaire but to turne their hearts towards God that they may receive mercy Let her put away her whoredomes Secondly Let her put away her whoredomes After such a kinde of pleading that included a most dreadfull threatning in it She is not my wife yet God exhorteth Hence the Observation is this While God is pleased to speak to a
it would warme and refresh yea 〈…〉 The Text saith of Elies sonnes 1 Sam. 2. 12. that they knew not the Lord they were Priests of God yet they were sonnes of Belial and know not the Lord. Be not offended at great Schollars who have skill in the tongues Arts and Sciences do not you say these men that are great and knowing men would they do thus and thus if things were so as you speake they are not knowing men God saith that Elies sonnes did not know the Lord the things of God are hid from them I thanke thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth that thou hast hid thess things from the wise and prudent c. Sixthly They did not know that I gave them c. Affected ignorance comming thorough distemper of heart is no excuse but rather an aggravation It is a high degree of ingratitude not to prize Gods mercy but not to take notice of Gods mercies Oh what a high ingratitude is this That which shall be part of Gods charge against sinners can be no excuse of their sinne it is a part of Gods charge that they did not know therefore their ignorance cannot be their excuse God threatneth to cut people off to have no mercy upon them for want of knowing as well as for not doing They are a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will have no mercy upon them and he that formed them will shew them no favour Esay 27. 11. Ambrose hath this expression Thou doest sinne greatly if thou doest contemne the riches of Gods long suffering but thou sinnest most of all if thou doest not know it From the word for as depending upon the 5. ver for so it doth The Observation is The not taking notice and considering of Gods mercies and laying them to heart is the cause of vile and shamefull evils in mens lives Therefore they did shamefully therefore they went after their lovers because they did not know the cause of almost all the evill in the world it is from hence They that know thy name will trust in thee those who know the Lord will feare him and his goodnesse Esay 1. 4. Ah sinfull nation saith God God fetcheth a sigh under the burthen of it his spirit is laden and troubled with it Ah sinfull people c What was the matter The Oxe knoweth his owner and the Asse his masters crib but Israel doth not know my people doth not consider they were more stupid then the brute creatures Oh sinfull soul this is the cause of all thy inordinate walking of all thy profanenesse of all the ungodliness in thy wayes because thou dost not know thou dost not consider thou dost not lay to heart the wayes of God towards thee Ier. 2. 5. God chargeth his people that they were gone from him and ver 7. that they had made his heritage an abomination What is the reason that is given of both these It is in the 6. ver They did not say Where is the Lord that brought us up out of the land of Egypt c. They did not take notice of what the Lord had done for them therefore they were gone far from him c. If thou hadst but a heart to lay to heart what God hath done for thee it is impossible that thou shouldst goe so farre off from God as thou dost For these deductions are easie and obvious to any from such a principle 1. Justice common equity requires living to God seeing we live by and upon God 2. Common ingenuity calls for requiring good with good the Publicans and Heathens will do good to those that do good to them 3. If all be from God then all still depends upon God 4. How much good is there in God from whence all this good and mercy comes when God shall shew another day to men and Angels how hee was the fountaine of all good it will confound those who have not laid it to heart 8. She did not know that I gave her corne and wine and oyle and multiplyed her silver and her gold God is more bountifull to his people then the Idols can be The Idols by their owne confession gave them but their bread water and flax and oyle c. but God giveth them wine silver gold God gives them better pay a great deale then the Devill doth yet the Devill usually hath more servants to follow him then God hath though his wages bee lesse and worse It is usuall for men to get souldiers from adversaries by givâ—ng them more pay This is the way God takes he offereth a great deale better pay to those that will follow him then they have that follow the Devill yet God can get few to follow him This shews the vilenesse of mans heart against God 9. She did not know that I gave her c. which she prepared for Baal When men get abundance then they soon grow wanton When I gave them corn and wine and oyle and multiplyed their silver and their gold then they followed Baal This is the reason of so many solemne charges of God Take heed when thou art full that thou dost not forget the Lord. As they that are neerest the sun are the blackest so those to whom God is neerest in regard of outward mercies are many times blacker then others It is observed that the fatter mens bodies are the lesse blood and the fewer spirits they have so the fatter mens estates are many times the lesse spirit they have to any thing that is good God hath lesse spirit from them sinne hath much more We read of the sunne melting the Manna that fell downe but the same Manna was able to bear the fire so many a mans heart is able to beare affliction and the affliction doth good prepareth for much good as Manna was prepared to be eaten by fire but prosperity melteth them makes them useless Many men when they were poor and in a low condition were very usefull but when they grow high and rich they are of very little use in the places where they dwell Trajan the Emperour was wont to liken a man growing to a great estate to the Spleene in the body for as the Sâ—leene grows big the body growes lesse so when mens estates grow bigger they grow lesse usefull Euagrius noteth it as a speciall commendation of Mauritius the Emperor but notwithstanding his prosperity he retained his ancyent piety it is a very rare thing to see men advanced to high places do so 10. I gave her corne and wine and oyle and I multiplyed her silver and gold which they sacrificed to Baal Even those creatures that wicked men abuse to their lusts God gives them Though he doth not give them for that end yet those creatures that they use for such an end are given of God If thou beest a drunkard that wine or drinke that thou dost sacrifice to that lust of thine who giveth it thee Is it
and all to Baal but of that before The Seventh Lecture HOSEA 2. 9. 10. Therefore will I returne and take away my corne in the time thereof and my wine in the season thereof and will recover my wooll and my flaxe given to cover their nakednesse And now I will discover her lewdnesse in the sight of her lovers and none shall deliver her out of mine hand IN the former verse Israel is accused for abusing her silver and gold c. in the service of Baal now it followes Therefore I will take away my corne in the time thereof c. if there be a therefore we must enquire wherefore it was because they did prepare their corne c. for Baal Therefore I will returne 1. What is the meaning of returning 2. What the meaning of the time and season thereof I will take away my corne in the time thereof and my wine in the season thereof 3. What that phrase imports I will recover my wooll For the first therefore I will returne that is I will change the way of my administrations toward them I will goe out of my way of mercy and turne into my way of judgement I will goe back againe I was in a way of judgement toward them and they cryed to me and I turned into a way of mercy but I will goe back againe into a way of judgement I will returne Arias Montanus hath a good note upon the place Whereas God hath heretofore bid them not to be afraid of all the tokens of the Southsayers that is when they say by Astrology some signes of death that might follow they were afraid be not afraid saith the Lord but know your corne and wine and oyle depends on me not on the second causes though second causes make against yet feare not for I will give you come and wine and oyle but now it is quite contrary though second causes promise all kind of pleâ—ty whatsoever that there shall be abundance of corne and wine and oyle yet I will take away your plenty there shall be a dearth of all things amongst you I will take away my corne in the time thereof that is first in the times of harvest just when their corne is to be taken in and in the time of their vintage I will then take it away whereas I might take it away in the seed I will let it grow till the harvest and then take it away 2. In the time when they have most need of it when they are in the greatest straits and know not what to doe without these creatures 3. In tempore suo so some In the time I have appointed though I have let them goe on and enjoy the creatures in abundance yet my time is come that I will take away all And will recover the word signifieth I will snatch it away I wil spoyle you of it and it hath reference to two things First I will recover it as out of the hands of usurpers you have my corne and woâ—l and flaxe as usurpers but I will recover them out of your hands as a man that hath his goods taken away from him usurped hee by some meanes or other recovers his goods againe so saith God you have my corne and wine and as you have carryed the matter you are but usurpers I will sue you for them you shall not enjoy them long Secondly I will recover it hath a reference to prisoners and bondslaves when the enemy shall get any of ours into their power and make them bond-slaves a greater power goes against the enemy and recovers them out of his hands and gets them again As Abraham recovered Lot and his goods Gen. 46. 14. Or as if marriners should get those gally-slaves the Turks have gotten and recover them out of their hands as if he should say these creatures of corne and wine c. they are in bondage and I will recover them out of your hands you know the creatures groane under their bondage while they are in the possession of wicked men 8. Rom. my creatures are in bondage to you and they cry to me and I will recover them out of your hands There are many precious and choice truths to be presented to you out of the words First Therefore I will c. Whence observe Though God gives mercy out of free grace without cause in our selves yet he takes not away mercy without cause there is a therefore for taking away mercy but we have many mercies given without a therefore When God takes away mercy we have cause to look into our selves to finde out a therefore but you may find out thousands of mercies that God gives to us and you shall finde never a therefore for them It is not so great a wonder that thousand thousands are in misery as that any one enjoyes mercy for misery hatha therefore in our selves for mercy there is reason only in the breast of God Secondly I will returne Sinne causeth God to change the way of his administrations towards his people Though God be in wayes of mercy yet sinne may put him out of those wayes and make him returne and go in a way of judgement agnine how much better were it for sinners to returne then that sinnne should cause God to returne Oh sinner returne out of thy evill wayes if God returne it will be a sad returne Not long since God was in wayes of judgement against us and lately he hath come into wayes of mercy and now he seemes to returne againe to his former wayes of judgement Ier. 14. 9. Why art thou as a man astonished A man astonished stands still or if he moves it is up and down as if he knew not which way to goe though we have suffered hard things wee cannot yet say God is returned but he seemes as a man astonished and knowes not which way to go Thus God is pleased of himselfe after the manner of men to speake let us cry to him that he may not turne out of his way of mercy into those sad wayes of wrath that he seems to be looking towards I will take away my corne and my wine Abuse of mercy causeth the removing of mercy 11 Zach. 17. Woe to the idoll shepheard that leaveth the flocke the sword shall be upon his arme upon his right eye his arme shall be dryed up and his right eye shall be utterly darkned Hath God given any a right hand any abilities take heed God doth not strike that right hand or right eye any quickness of parts let them take heed that thorough abuse it be not put out how many shepherds when they were young had many excellent parts great abilities but having abused them to their lusts God hath taken them away So in children there is no such way to lose your children as to abuse them if your hearts be inordinately set upon them God takes them away I will tell you of a speciall passage of providence concerning this
of God and hence are put to it so much to make a connection betweene that that went before and this therefore but wee need not go so farre the right knowledg of the fulnesse and the riches of the grace of the Covenant will help us out of this difficulty and tell us how these two the greatnesse of mans sin and the riches of Gods grace may have a connection one to another and that by an Illative therefore I confesse the Hebrew word is sometimes conjunctio ordinis rather then causalis a conjunction that only sets out the order of a thing one thing following another rather then any way implying any cause but the reading here by way of inference I take to be according unto the scope of the Spirit of God and it gives us this excellent note Such is the grace of God unto those who are in Covenant with him as to take occasion from the greatnesse of their sinns to shew the greatnesse of his mercy from the vilenesse of their sins to declare the riches of his grace And the Scripture hath divers such kind of expressions as these as Gen. 8. 21. The Lord said in his heart I will not again curse the ground any more for mans sake VVhy For the immagination of mans heart is evill from his youth A strange reasoning I will not curse the ground for mans sake for the imagination of mans heart is evill from his youth One would have thought it should have been rather I will therefore curse the ground for mans sake because the imagination of mans heart is evill from his youth but the grace of God knowes how to make another manner of inference then we could have imagined So likewise Isa 57. 17 18. For the iniquity of his covetousnesse was I wroth and smote him I hid me and was wroth and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart I have seen his wayes saith God Now one would have thought that the next word should have been I will therefore plague him I wil destroy him I will curse him but mark the words that follow I will heale him I will 〈◊〉 him also and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners I will create the fruit of the lips peace to him This is a consequence at least if not an inference David understood this reasoning to be indeed the true reasoning of the Covenant of grace and therefore he pleadeth thus with God Psal 25. 11. Pardon my iniquity for it is great Lord my iniquity is great therefore pardon it Hearken you Saints hearken I say this is the great blessing of God unto you who are in Covenant with him whereas otherwise your sins should have made you objects of Gods hatred your sins now render you objects of his pitty and compassion this is the glorious fruit of the covenant of grace I would only the Saints heard me in this thing but why doe I say so I will recall my word let all sinners heare me let the vilest the worst sinners in the world heare of the riches of the grace of God in this his Covenant that if they belong to Gods election they may see the fulnesse the glory of Gods grace to be inamoured with it their hearts ravished with it that they may never be at rest till they get evidence to their soules that God indeed hath actually received them into this his Covenant If then God be pleased in the riches of free grace to make such an inference therefore let us take heed that wee make not a quite crosse inference from the greatnesse of our sins nor on the other side from Gods grace As thus You have followed your lovers you have forgot me therefore will I allure you An unbelieving heart would make this inference I have followed my lovers I have followed after vanity and folly and therefore God hath rejected mee therefore God will have no mercy upon me therefore I am undone therefore the gates of mercy are shut against me unbelieving heart do not sin against the grace of God he saith you have forgotten me therefore will I allure and speake comfortably to you doe not you say I have forgot the Lord and therefore the Lord will for ever reject me these discouraging determining despairing therefores are very grievous to the Spirit of God God would have us have all good thoughts of him It is a maine thing that God intendeth through the whole Scripture that his people should have good thoughts of him and that they should not think him a hard master It is an excellent expression of Luther saith he the whole Scripure doth principally aime at this thing that we should not doubt but that wee should hope that we should trust that we should believe that God is a merciful a bountifull a gracious and a patient God to his people It is an excellent expression that I have read of Master Bradford in one of his Epistles saith he O Lord sometimes me thinks I feel it so with me as if there were no difference between my heart and the wicked a blind mind as they a stout stubborn rebellions spirit a hard heart as they and so he goes on shall I therefore conclude thou art my Father nay I will rather reason otherwise saith he because I do believe thou art my Father I will come unto thee that thou mightest enlighten this blind minde of mine that thou mightest soften this hard heart of mine that thou mightest sanctifie this unclean spirit of mine I this is a good reasoning indeed and is worthy of one that professes the gospel of Jesus Christ Again as the inference of this unbelieving heart is grievous to Gods spirit so the inference of a prophane heart an unbelieving heart makes his therefore from the greatnesse of sin against Gods mercy and the prophane heart makes his therefore from the greatnesse of Gods mercy to the hardening of his heart in his sins what shall God make his therefore from our sin to his mercy and shall we make our therefore from his mercy back again to our sins where sin abounds grace abounds but where grace abounds sin must not abound because God is mercifull to us who are very sinfull let not us be very sinfull against him who is so mercifull God takes occasion from the greatnesse of our sins to shew the greatnesse of his mercy let not us take occasion from the greatnesse of his mercy to be emboldened in greatnesse of our sins Therefore behold Behold Here is a wonder to take up the thoughts of men and Angels to all eternity even that that we have in this inference behold notwithstanding all this yet you men and Angels behold the fulnesse the riches of Gods grace I will allure her what will not God cast us away notwithstanding the greatnesse of our sins let not us reject Gods ways notwithstanding the greatnesse of any sufferings we meet with in them there is a great deale of reason in
of Hamath unto the Sea of the plain And ver 28. He recovered Damascus and Hamath which belonged to Judah for Israel This Hamath that he speaks of was of great use it was the in-let of the Assyrians and for Jeroboam to conquer that place land to recover Damascus and to add that to the Crown of Israel which belonged to Judah it shews that after their bitter affliction God granted a great mercy by Jeroboams means and that now Israel flourished greatly and grew exceeding prosperous There is much of Gods mind held out to us in this As in that the people of Israel had been under sore affliction and delivered yet God sent Hosea to them to shew them their horrible wickednesse and to threaten destruction Hence see the perversenesse of the children of men that after great deliverances granted them from bitter and sore afflictions yet they will continue still in their wickednesse and rebellion The Lord grant this may not be true concerning us God hath delivered us in great measure from those sore and bitter afflictions and heavy oppressions under which wee lately vvere and many gracious liberties are restored to us Now have we not need of an Hosea to be sent unto us to rebuke us and to threaten judgment for the evill of our wayes This is a sad thing Further God may let a sinner continue a long time in the way of his sin and when he hath flourished many years and thinks surely the bitternesse of death is past then God may come and threaten judgment Jeroboam reigned 4â— years and it cannot be but that Hosea prophesying so long after Jeroboams death came in the latter end of Jeroboams time Jeroboam might think what doth he come to contest with me and to tell me of my sin and wickednesse and to threaten judgment have not I continued these 40 years King and have prospered and surely God hath been with me Well a sinner may hold out long and yet afterward judgment may come Thirdly A people in a flourishing condition when they prosper most and overcome their Enemies and have all according to their hearts desire even that may be the time for God to come out in his wrath against them So it was here therefore we must not judg our Enemies to be happy nor feare them because of their flourishing estate for the present neither let us be secure our selves because of the mercies wee enjoy God doth not alwayes so but sometimes he is pleased thus to deale with sinners to stay till they be at the height of their prosperity and then to come upon them as here he did Sometimes God is more sudden it is like Zechariah the son of this Jeroboam thought he might venture as well as his Father his Father prospered in such wayes 41 years and why may not I No God came upon him in six moneths 2 King 15. 8. Fifthly Hosea when he came to prophesie against Israel he saw them in their prosperity and yet continueth to threaten judgment against them It was a further argument of the Spirit of God that taught him and of a speciall insight he had into the mind of God that he should thus prophesie destruction to them when they were in the height of their prosperity It is true if Hosea had come afterward in Zachariah his dayes when the Kingdome was declining or if Hosea had pophesied in Shallums time and others after him then he might have seene by the working of second causes that the kingdome was going downe indeed No but he comes in Jeroboams time when there was no appearance of second causes at all of their destruction and then prophesieth destruction unto them It is a sign of speciall insight the soule hath in the wayes of God that can see misery under the greatest prosperity The Prophet did not think Israel in a better condition because of their outward prosperity A signe his prophesie was from God Yet further this being in the reign of Jeroboam when they were in great prosperity surely their hearts were exceedingly hardned against the Prophet and it cannot be imagined but that they entertayned his prophesie with scorn and contempt for it is an usuall thing when men are in the height of their pride and in their ruffe then like the wild asses colt to scorn and contemn all that comes against them It is nothing for a Minister of God to deale plainly with people in the time of adversity when they are down the wind but when men are in the ruffe of their pride and in all their jollity to deale faithfully with them then this is something and thus the Prophet Hosea did That their great prosperity did raise up harden their hearts with pride against the Prophet it appears plainly if you will but read Amos 7. 10. for we must finde Gods minde by comparing one place with another there you shall find what the fruit of Jeroboams prosperity was for Amos and Hosea were contemporary When Amos was prophesying Amaziah the Priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam King of Israel saying Amos hath conspired against thee the land is not able to beare his words This was said of Amos it is like that Hosea did not meet with better measure then this Amaziah the Priest of Bethel did this If there be any enemies against the faithfull Ministers in a place they are the Priests of Bethel idolatrous and superstitious Ministers And what course doe they take They send to the King to the Governours O they have conspired against the King they are seditious persons factious men that keep a stirre in the kingdome and break the peace of the Church the Land cannot bear their words Such a message as this you see did Amaziah send concerning Amos he turns off all from himself to the King and all the punishment that must be inflicted upon Amos must be in the name of the King And mark the 12. ver of that Chap. Also Amaziah said unto Amos O thou seer goe flee away into the land of Judea and prophesie there We are not holy enough for you forsooth we are Idolaters we doe not worship God aright we are no true Church get you to Judah among your brethren and prophesie not any more here at Bethel why Because it is the Kings Chappell it is the Kings Court It seems then in those times that the Kings Chappell the Kings Court could not beare with a faithfull Prophet And what was the ground of it but because at this time Jeroboam prospered in his way and the kingdome was in such a flourishing condition as it never was before Here then was the tryall of the faithfulnesse of Hosea's spirit yet to goe on in the work of his Prophesie Yet further In that Hosea did prophesie in the time of Jeroboam by that it will apppear that he was the first Prophet that ever brought these hard tidings to them of the utter destruction of Israel It will appeare by that
time for the decree to come forth against a kingdome when God will not be intreated a time when though Noah Job and Daniel should stand before him yet he will not be intreated though they cry cry â—arly cry aloud cry with teares cry with fasting yet God will not be intreated Gods mercy is precious and he will not let it run out to waste he will not be prodigal of it a time wherein God will say Now I have done I have done with this people mercy hath had her turn It is true except we had that immediate revelation that the Prophets had we cannot now determine of the particular time yet by examining Gods way toward his people in former times the truth is that those that laboured most to search Gods minde in his word they were even afraid that this decree had been gone out upon us in England It is true God hath seemed for the present to tell us that hee hath a prerogative and he will have mercy upon whom he will have mercy But yet neither are those altogether to be blamed that even in their own hearts determined as it were that mercy was gone except they did wholly limit God and left nothing of prerogative at all to him but because it was Gods ordinary way and except God had wrought with us in a way of prerogative otherwise than ever he did with any nation before they did then conclude that the decree was gone forth and so it might be true and what God may do with us yet we do not know But this we can say if the decree be not gone forth if there be mercy for us God hath shewed his prerogative that he will now goe on in such a way otherwise than formerly he hath done in the world and if God will do so who can say against it A time there is likewise for God to say against particular persons he wil not have mercy upon them a time when God will say those men that were bidden shall not tast of my Supper he that will be filthy let him be filthy still my spirit shall no longer strive with them God hath no need my brethren that we should receive or entertain his mercy we had need that God should grant it God many times is quick in the offer of his mercy Goc and preach the Gospel he that believeth shall be saved he that believeth not shall be damned A quick worke God makes many times in the effects of mercy Yet 3. I will not have mercy This is pronounced as the most dreadfull judgment What not have mercy upon them then indeed is a State or a Kingdom in a dreadful condition when God shall say of them that he will not hve mercy Wo to you saith the Lord when I depart from you wo then to you when my mercy is for ever gon then all judgments miseries must needs flow in upon a nation or a particular soul when the Sea-bank is broken up then the waves will all flow in Isa 56. 9. All you beasts of the field come to devour yea all you beasts in the forrest why what is the matter His watchmen are blind c. I argue thus from thence if the prudence of the watch-men being taken away which should stop misery then all evils come flowing in upon a Nation What then if the mercy of God that should stop misery be taken away whither should the poore creature goe if mercy be gone to what creature should it look for help if it cryes to any creature the creature saith I can afford no comfort because God affordeth no mercy what shall uphold the heart then when it hath no hope at all It must needs sink I will not add mercy saith God shewing that what good they had received before it was from his mercy though they would take no notice of it well saith God you shall have no more you have taken no notice that it was my mercy that helped you before but when my mercy is gone then you will know it but then I will not add more Men best know what the worth of mercy is when mercy is taken away from them when God addeth no more Again I will not adde mercy God doth not use to take away his mercy fully from a people or from a soul but when mercy hath been shewed and abused after much mercy hath been received and that being abused then God saith hee will not adde more You have a parallel place to this Iudg. 10. 16. I will deliver you no more saith God I have delivered you many times my mercy hath been abused I will deliver you no more It is just with God when mercy is abused that wee should never know farther what mercy meaneth Mercy as it is a precious thing so it is a tender thing and a dangerous thing to abuse it There is nothing that more quickly works the ruine of a people or of a soule then abused mercy But further I will utterly take them away Before it was only that they should be scattered the name of the first child before was but Iezreel that they should be the scattered of the Lord but the 2. is Loruhamah that they shall have no more mercy from the Lord. Gods 2. strokes usually are more dreadfull then the first God beginneth first with the house of Correction before he bringeth to the gallows There is branding first before hanging there are warning pieces before murthering peeces God makes way for his wrath by lesser afflictions before hee cometh with destroying judgments I remember Mr. Knox in his History of Scotland hath this story of one Sir Iames Hamilton that having been murthered by the Ks. means there he appeared to him in a vision with a naked sword drawn and strikes off both his arms with these words Take this before thou receive a finall payment for all thy impieties and within 24. hours 2. of the Ks. sons dyed God cometh to nations particular persons with a sword cutteth off arms before he takes their lives he commeth by degrees upon them As the Lord when he cometh in a way of abundance of mercy lesser mercies make way for greater mercies When Manna was rained down the dew ever came before it So lesser judgments to the wicked are forerunners of and makers way for greater judgments first they are parboild before they come to be rosted in the fire Further I will not adde mercy to the house of Israel He doth not say I will not adde mercy to this or that particular man of Israel but to the house of Israel A Multitude of sinners with God is no argument for their escape of judgment It is a rule indeed with man Multitudo peccantium tollit peccatum Multitude of offenders take away their offences Men know not how to execute the offenders when they are in Multitudes here and there some of the ring-leaders may be taken for example sake But it is no
concern the outward man except God will come in with his owne institution But when it cometh to the ordering of the heart and there is a spirituall efficacy expected as in all Church ordinances there must be and that authority by which they are executed giveth a great influence into them now nothing can goe beyond its principle therefore it must have a divine institution to give it its efficacy It may here be demanded whether hat not God appointed over us a particular civill government as he did over the Jews That our government and all lawfull government of other Nations is appointed by God we must conclude is a certain truth But not so appointed by God as the government of the Jewes was And the reason is this because the Church and Common-wealth of the Jewes was involved in one and therefore the Apostle speaking of the Church hee saith they were Aliens and strangers from the Common-wealth of Israel It was meant of the Church state There was such a kind of Paedagogy under the Law that the Church and State were involved in one for Christ would be the head of the Church and Common-wealth too and appoint them lawes And so their government was imediately from heaven Now for us That we should have a government according to the rules of wisdome and justice that indeed is appointed by God God would have us have a government But he leaveth the ordering of that government to generall rules of prudence and justice So that now it is lawfull for any Kingdome or Country to agree together and according to the rules of wisdom and justice to appoint what government they wil as vvhether it shall be a Monarchy or an Aristocracy or a Democracy and to limit this according to Covenant of agreement as whether that the fundamentall povver shall be vvholly put out or any part reserved hovv farre this or that Man or society of Men shall have the Managing of it and the like then so farre as it is agreed upon vvee are bound in conscience to obey either actively or passively but no further are vvee bound to obey any Man though he be in authority yet vvee are not bound to obey him either actively or passively conscience is not tyed Though those men be in authority yet it is no resisting of authority at all not to do what they would have Yea though the thing be lawfull they would have yet if it be not according to the law of the kingdom to the first agreement I may be bound by the rules of prudence to save my selfe but it is not authority that binds me to obey out of conscience For we must of necessity distinguish between men in authority and the authority of those men Wherefore so long as wee seeke but to keepe authority in the right channell that it flows not over the banks we cannot be charged for resisting the government God hath set over us though we do not obey the wills of those who are set over us and therefore there is no cause that we should fear that God should say to England upon this ground Loruhamah hee will have no mercy To proceed But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah The people of Israel they might say Hosea thou art a Preacher indeed what preach nothing but judgment nothing but wrath to be utterly taken away Is there no mercy at all Is not God a mercifull God Yes saith the Prophet though you be taken away God knoweth how to glorifie his mercy he hath others that he can make to be objects of his mercy though you be destroyed From whence first you see that though God utterly reject some yet in the mean time he hath others to shew mercy unto Therefore it is no plea for any sinner to say thus well I have sinned indeed but God is mercifull What if God be mercifull so he may be though thou be damned and perish everlastingly Yea whole kingdoms nations may perish yet God may be mercifull God hath stil infinite ways to glorifie his mercy Many people in desperate moods lay violent hands upon themselves certainly there is a kind of spirit of revenge in it as if they thought there would be some trouble about it and so God should lose some honour But if you will have your will in this or in any thing else though you be dead and rotten and your souls perhaps in chains of darkness God will have wayes to be glorious in his mercy whatsoever come of you But 2. I will have mercy upon the house of Judah God will alwayes have a Church he will never destroy his Church at once the Lord loveth publique worship in the world Though he will utterly take away the house of Israel yet he will have mercy upon the house of Judah Again Israel might say what will not God be mercifull to us why I pray you what doth Judah get by her worshipping of God in that which you say is the only right way Judah indeed keepeth her selfe to Ierusalem keepeth her selfe to worship in the Temple but what doth she get by it for ought we see Iudah is in as hard an estate and in as low a condition as we nay as we shall see afterward Iudah was in a lower condition than Israel and certainly such kind of expressions as these they would be ready to have against the Prophet Well saith God let Iudah be what she will I will have mercy upon her Though carnal hearts when they look upon the low condition of the true worshippers of God think that there is no difference between those that are in a good way and themselves that are in the ways of sin yet God will make a difference I will have mercy upon Iudah but not upon Israel Many carnal men please themselves with this I see others that are strict that pray in their families that run to Sermons and wil not do thus and thus as others do yet they are as poor in as mean a condition as any others what do they get by their forwardness in religion Are not we in as good a condition as they Well friend though thy carnal heart think there is no difference between him that serveth God him that serveth him not God hath a time to manifest a difference There shall a time come saith God Mal. 3. 18. that you shall returne and discerne between the righteous and the wicked between him that feareth God and him that feareth him not I will not have mercy upon Israel but I will have mercy upon Iudah Fourthly Judah had at this time many grosse and fearful evils amongst them yea scarcely delivered from Sodomy it will aske a great deale of time to shew you the state of Judah in regard of the horrible wickednesse that was in it yet God saith I will have mercy upon the house of Iudah What is the reason of this Because though Iudah had many grosse evils yet Iudah kept
heard him quietly till he came to that word Depart for I wil send thee far hence unto the Gentiles the Text saith they gave him audience unto this word and then they lift up their voices said Away with such a fellow from the earth for it is not fit that he should live What to disgrace us thus and to think that the Gentiles should come to have more mercie then we Away with such a fellow from the earth We have such an expression likewise in Luke 4. 26. Our Saviour Christ told the Jews of the Widow of Sarepta that Elias the Prophet was sent onely to her and that Naaman the Syrian of all the Lepers in Israel was cleansed They of the Synagogue when they heard these things the Text saith They were filled with wrath and rose up and thrust him out of the Citie and led him to the edge of the hill whereon their Citie was built that they might cast him down head-long They were so vexed at Christs Sermon there that they could have broke his neck as soon as hee had done preaching It was at this word There were many Widows in Israel in the time of Elias but unto none of them was Elias sent save unto the Widow of Sarepta many lepens were in Israel in the daies of Elisha and none of them were clensed saving Naaman the Syrian The meaning is this Christ intimated thus much that though there were many of the people of Israel yet the Lord would have mercy but upon a few of them yea that God would choose rather other people to shew mercy to then themselves at this they were inraged And certainly this wil be the aggravation of the misery of the damned in hell When a damned soul in hell shall there come to know the mercy of God to others It may be wicked parents shal see their children that came out of their loyns or out of their wombes at the right hand of Iesus Christ in glory and themselves cast down into eternal torment this will be a stinging aggravation of misery no mercy unto thee but mercy unto thy gracious child the child that thou snibbedst and rebukedst for being forward he is now at the right hand of Christ thou cast into everlasting misery So it may be a poor servant a poor boy in a family may stand at the right hand of Iesus Christ hereafter and ascend with him in glory and his rich Master that was that murmured at him would not suffer him to have the least time for to do God service in but checked him in every thing and cast it upon his conscience oh this is your preciseness perhaps he sees himself cast down into eternal misery when that poor servant of his that poor apprentise shall go up to eternal glory But yet further God saith I will have mercy upon the house of Judah Here is another note very observable much concerning our present condition too God promiseth to Judah mercy after Israels rejection yet if we search the Scriptures we shal find that after this promise both before the rejection of Israel was executed and after the execution thereof I say we shal finde that even Judah was under very sore afflictions and a sad condition she was put into after this promise was made As if you will turn but to that Scripture for we must look to one Scripture and compare it with another 2 Chron 28. 6. you shall see there the Text saith that Pekah the Son of Remaliah slew in Iudah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day We never heard of such a battel such a slaughter wee wonder when we hear of five or ten thousand slain in the field here we have 120000. slaine and this was after this promise that this slaughter was made yea further ver 8. There were besides carried captives 200000. women sons and daughters yea further ver 17 The Edomites came and had smitten some of Iudah and carried away captives And ver 18. The Philistims had invaded the Citties of the Low-country and of the south of Iudah and they dwelt there And ver 19. it is said the Lord brought Iudah low And ver 20. it is said that Tilgath-Pilneser King of Assyria whom Ahas had sent to help him he came distressed them but strengthened them not Here was Pekah the son of Remaliah slayes 120000 and carries away captive 200000. then there comes the Philistims and they invaded the countrey and then the Edomites they carried away Captives and God bringeth them low and then comes Tilgath-Pilneser and he instead of helping distressed them What a case were they in now yet this was after this promise for this promise was made to Judah in the beginning of Hosea's Prophesie for it is ver 2. The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea and it was before the rejection of Israel for it was in the reigne of Ahas that Judah was brought into this low condition which was about 22. yeers before the execution of the sentence against Israel for that was fulfilled in the sixth yeere of the reigne of Hezekiah which if you take it from the beginning of the reigne of Ahaz who reigned 16. yeers make 22. yeers Now this promise to Iudah as I told you in the beginning was made in the dayes of Vzziah King of Iudah and of Jeroboham King of Israel which was at least 76. yeeres before the rejection of Israel and yet after the making of this promise Judah you see cometh to be in this so sad a condition Yea and wee shall finde besides that presently after Israels rejection though God had said he would reject Israel and be mercifull to Judah so that a man would think now that Iudah should come into a better condition than ever yet see how Iudah was dealt with And for that marke the 2. king 18. 13. the Text saith that in the thirteenth yeer of Hezekiah Senacherib king Assyria came up against Judah and this was after the casting off of the ten Tribes for that was in the sixth yeer of Hezekiah as ver 10. and seven yeers after came Senacherib against Iudah thinking to prevaile against them as they had done before against Israel and then Hezekiah was faine to give him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasures of the Kings house Yea the Text saith ver 16. that Hezekiah was faine to cut off all the gold from the doores of the Temple of the Lord from the pillars and to give it to the King of Assyria Now the Lord keepe our Kingdom our Parliament from giving the gold of the Temple doores in any way of compliance with any malignant party that have any evil eye at the beauty of our Sion Yea after Senacherib had gotten this not content with it he sendeth Rabshekah from Lachish with a great host against Ierusalem You may see the adversaries of the Church are never
Gods patience when their sins are grosse and vile afterwards upon some lesser sins they are utterly undone VVhat is the name of his son The name of this son is Lo-ammi and the word signifieth as it is interpreted here by God himselfe You are not my people and I will not be your God The people to whom Hosea prophesied they might have objected against him thus What Hosea doe you say that God will not have any more mercy upon us what will not God have mercy upon his own people Is not God our God What doe you threaten such-things as these are The Prophet answers It is true God hath been your God and you have been his people but there is an end of those dayes God now degradeth you from those glorious priviledges that formerly you had he willowne you no more to be his and you shall have no further right to own him to be yours From whence First this A people that have been once a people dear to God may be so rejected as never to become a people of God more For so these did not though afterwards wee shall bear of the promise for others in other Ages God hath no need of men God is able to raise up a people what wayes he pleases even from the very stones in the street to raise up children unto Abraham Though Rome may boast that they have been a glorious Church True there hath been heretofore a glorious Church in Rome what then Those that were his people are now no more his people VVe shall meet further with this in the next Chapter Only in this Note observe but this thing The great difference betweene the estate of a Christian in communion with Christ by grace and a Church estate Men and women may loose their Church estate and that for ever but their estate in communion with Jesus Christ by grace they can never lose that And this is a great difference and affordeth abundance of comfort True our Church state I mean in regard of an instituted Church in Congregations it is a great priviledge a great mercy but our Communion with Jesus Christ is a higher priviledge and that priviledge gan never be lost we may be cut off from the one but never cut off from the other Secondly yet it is a most heavy judgemenâ— for any to have been heretofore the people of God now to be unpeopled for God to be no more theirs and for them to be no more the Lords A heavy judgement for the Lord to say Well I will be no more a God to you whatsoever I am to others no more yours in my goodnesse in my mercy in my power or whatsoever I am in my selfe The being cast off from God First takes us off from that high honour that was before upon a people for so in Esay 4. 4. Since thou wast precious in my sight thou host beene honourable The people of God gathered together in Church Communion certainly are in an honourable condition when they are dispeopled they are cast off from this their priviledge from their honour Secondly They have not the presence of God with them as before not the care of God towards them nor the protection of God over them not the delight of God in them nor the communication of God to them What should I speake of all these particulars But among other priviledges they want this namely that great priviledge of pleading with God for mercy upon this relation which was the usuall way of the Prophets to pleade with God because they were the people of God So Esay 64. 9. Be not wroth very sore O Lord neither remember iniquity for ever upon what ground Behold see we beseech thee we are all thy people This is a good Argument Againe Jer. 14. 9. Why doest thou stand as a man astonished amongst us as a mighty man that cannot save Yet thou O Lord art in the middest of us and we are called by thy name leave us not This Text is ours this day and well may we say O Lord why doest thou stand as a man astonished Oh yet if we can but take up the second part and say We are called by thy name we may make more comfortable use of the former Why doest thou stand as a man astonished How doth a man astonished stand He stands still in a place as if he knew not which way to goe he is in a kinde of destraction first he goes one way and by and by he returns again The Lord we know knoweth his purpose from eternity but the Scriptures are pleased to expresse Gods wayes towards us in the similitude Hath not God stood amongst us as a man astonished God hath beene in a way of mercy and then stood still and then gone forward a little and afterward gone back again and yet back and back still and we have prayed and cryed and God hath stood as a man astonished as if he were not yet resolved which way to goe Let us pray earnestly to God that he would not stand as a man astonished but that the way of the Lords mercy may be made cleare before him and cleare before us But this I bring in to shew that the relation that people have to God is the ground of their encouragement to pray to God and when a people is rejected they lose this priviledge Our relations to God are very sweet things though ordinarily they are exceedingly abused yea they are glorious things As it is said of other relations Relations are of the least entity but of the greatest efficacy so it is here Our relations to God are of very great efficacy whatsoever the entity be and therefore to lose our relations to God especially this relation of Gods being ours and we being his is a sore and he avy curse Again You are not my people and I will not be your God Marke here the first is you are not my people before the second commeth I will not be your God VVe first begin with God in our apostacy before God begins with us in his rejection I would not have withdrawn my self from being your God if you had not first rejected me and would not be my people When God loveth he begins first we love not him but he loveth us first But when it comes to departing it then begins on our side wee first depart before the Lord doth and this is that which will be a dreadful aggravation to wicked men another day to think with themselves This evil is come upon us God is gone mercy is gone but who began this first where is the root and principle Thy perdition is of thy selfe I begin first and therefore all the losse of that grace and mercy which is in God I may thanke this proud this distempered this base passionate wretched heart of mine owne for it Again I will not be your God He doth not say you shall not have the fruite
it shall come to passe that at evening time it shall be light Mark what shall be in that day ver 8. And it shall be in that day that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem ver 9 In that day shall there be but one Lord and his name one and then ver 20. In that day shal there be upon the bels of the horses holiness to the Lord and ver 21. In that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of Hosts Certainly my brethren these Scriptures speakes of a glorious day that is a comming but yet in the beginning of it is just like such a day as we have now for the present wherein the light is neither cleere nor darke It is true not long since it was darke now this darkenesse beginneth to be a little dispelled but it is not cleere yet many things for the present darken the light and there is opposition and many dampes upon the hearts of Gods people and things go not oâ—â—s we desire but blessed be God it is not night with us though it be not 〈◊〉 day it is not darke as it was though it be not as cleere as we desire therfore this is now a day which is neither cleer nor darke but even as it were twilight Well but it shall be one day that is one special day and indeed it is our day now it is the greatest day that ever yet England had It shall be one day which shall be knowne to the Lord a day wherein the Lord hath great thoughts and purposes to do great things and certainly this our day is known to the Lord great things God is about to do for his Churches laying a foundation of glorious things for the good of his people And then mark though it be neither day nor night yet at the evening time it shall be light What a strange expression is here It shall be a duskie cloudy day all day and then a man would thinke that at evening it should be quite dark what to be cloudy at noone and to be darkish at three or foure of the clock in the afternoone what then will it be in the evening surely then it must needes be more darke No though it be not cleere now though it be a cloudy day and part of it darke yet at the evening time it shall be light When it shall be least expected to have light and when we shall most feare darknesse when wee shall be ready to conclude O our day is gone once indeed God did bring a day to England a comfortable day though it was a little darke yet there was a glorious light in comparison of what we had before but now it is grown towards evening the evening begins to shut upon us we looked for light but behold darknesse Perhaps many will be complaining if they see things go on with any difficulty and opposition they will be ready to have their hearts sink within them and to cry out now our day is gone and the evening is comming we must look for darkness yea and feare a dismall darknesse Now my brethren be of good comfort for at evening time it shall be light when we think it shall be evening when it is most unlikely to be light then shall the light of the Lord breake forth most gloriously For whensoever this day of Iezreel commeth there must be such a glorious work of God as may magnify his name before the eyes of all men and therefore at evening it shall be light And in that day living waters shall go out from Jerusalem We have had some drops of living waters in this our day but there is a day a comming wherein living waters shall even flow out of Jerusalem Now to winde up all There is a day for the Saints a rest for the people of God a day wherein God will deliver them from all afflictions I have met with one that speaking of the Sabbath that the Jewes might kindle no fire upon their Sabbath because that rest was to signifie the rest of the Saints he applyeth it thus That was saith he a type that there is such a time of rest for the Saints that they shall be delivered from all fiery tryals all their afflictions shall be gone and taken away Great shall be the day of Iezreel The consideration of this me thinks might be a strong argument to draw in all people to the wayes to the love of godlinesse and Religion to come and joyne with the Churches in appointing Christ head over them All you wicked ones that hath forsaken the Lord hitherto come in joyn now and submit unto Jesus Christ as your Head for great shall be the day of Iezreel There is a great day for the Church of God a day of glory a day of abundance of wonderfull mercy of God to the Churches They shall have their day come you in and embrace Religion that you may partake of their glory Certainly the Saints of God shall have the better of it shall have the day of all the world let the world strive against them what they can Every man desires to follow the stronger party and to cleave to that would you cleave to the stronger part Cleave to the Saints of God to the Church for certainly it is the stronger part It is a going up it is rising and will rise more and more till it be risen unto the heighth Though there be some opposition yet it is such as shall make the glory of the day so much the more Those men that 〈◊〉 shall stand to pleade for Antichrist and to oppose the work that God is about certainly they are men borne out of time borne in an ill hour Your Papists and superstitious people that heretofore stood for that way they prospered in their way because the day of God was not so neare but the day of his patience in permitting Antichrist to continue was then But doest thou come now what superstitious now what opposing the work of God now when God is comming out to fight against Popery and superstition when God is about to do such great things for his Churches as he certainly is Thou fightest against God and God will fight against thee and thou shalt be throwen upon thy backe Thou art borne in the worst time that possibly could be worse then all the adversaries of the truth in former times And if there be such a day let us be willing to suffer for a while let us be willing to mourne for the Churches a while in that way of mourning that God calls us unto for there is a recompence comming glory enough comming even in this world There is a time of triumphing let us be content with our warfare here for a while Thirdly Let us study these things These things are usefull for people in these times to look into to search into these truths of God that so they may be the better
Feast of Pentecost to be kept Now in this first day wherein they began to count their weeks for the preparation to this Feast of Pentecost you shall find that the first fruits were to be offered up to God it was a kinde of distinct Feast called the East of the First-fruits in which they were to bring a sheafe of the first fruits of their harvest unto the Priest to be offered to God And the reason was because new their harvest began Assoone as ever the Passe-over was killed and they had kept the first Sabbath of the Passe-over for they were to keepe it seven dayes they began their harvest they must not put a Sickle into the corne nor reape any thing of their ground untill they had kept the Passe-over it affordeth auto us this instruction We cannot enjoy any sweetnesse nor any blessing from any fruits of the earth but through the blood of Jesus Christ After they had solemnized the memorial of the blood of Christ then they might put a Sickle into the corne reape it and not before as soone as they had solemnized the remembrance of Christ in the Passe-over they might goe with comfort and take the fruits of the earth rejoyce in them but not before Now this was in the month of Abib that is part of our March part of April then began their harvest thence it hath its name for Abib signifies an eare of corne Now their harvest began so soone in the land of Canaan not only because it was a hot Country for it is observed that Africa was a hotter Country then theirs and yet their harvest began not so soone but because of the blessing of God upon that land therefore Ier. 3. 19. it is called a goodly heritage because of the timely bringing forth the fruit the words translated goodly heritage signifies an heritage of comlinesse the same word that is here for goodly signifies a Roe-Buck to which this land was compared and so it may be said to be a land of a Roe-Buck because of the speedy and swift ripening of the corne The observation is It is the blessing of the Church to have their fruit ripe betimes not to stay too long before they be ripe for Canaan was a type of the Church You young ones consider of this the Lord loveth to have the fruits of Canaan ripe betimes if you grew in the wildernesse though you did not bring forth fruit in your young time God did not so much regard it but if you live in his Church in Canaan the Lord expects you should beg in betimes in the very spring of your yeeres you should bring forth fruit un to God Men doe much rejoyce in timely fruits they are lovely Yea and God rejoyceth in them too Micah 7. 1. My soul desireth the first ripe fruits this is true of God himselfe Your parents and Godly friends may say our soule desires that grace may spring up betimes in these young ones so it may be said of God the very soul of God desireth to see the first fruits fruit in young ones is that which is pleasing to Gods soule We may further note when we have had communion with God in holy things then we may have a holy and more comfortable use of the creatures As before we noted when we have solemnized the blood of Christ then we may enjoy sweetnesse from the comforts of the earth so now when wee have enjoyed communion with God in his Ordinances then it is a fit time to have a holy use of the creatures yea then you must be carefull of having a holy use of the creatures as soone as ever they came from the Passe-over the first day they were to celebrate the first fruits unto God From whence Thirdly After the blood of Christ is sprinkled upon the conscience then men will be ready to dedicate things unto God Then as Zacheus said Halfe my goods I give to the poore here are my goods here is my estate doth the Church doth my brethren stand in need of helpe Loe wee are ready to offer them up unto God Fourthly The first of blessings are to be offered up unto God God gives them a charge that the first of the first of all the fruits of their land should be offered unto him all that commeth afterward should be the more blessed Learne this you young ones dedicate the first of your years unto God the very first of your first the dawning of your years Now assoone as they had dedicated their first fruits when harvest was done then comes the Feast of Pentecost then they rejoyced in the consummation of harvest If you dedicate your young dayes unto God when the consummation of your years comes how may you keepe a Feast of Pentecost The Jews first deditated the first fruits fifty dayes before and then at the fifty dayes end they kept their joyfull Feast of Pentecost so might you if you dedicated your young yeares unto God On the other side what a sad thing will it be for old men that but now begin to thinke of God and Christ it is well you do so but you cannot doe it comfortably as you might have done if you had begun in your younger yeares If the Jewes when their harvest was done had brought two loaves unto God might God say why did you not bring the first fruits unto me God might so upbraid you but however come into God and he will not upbraid you he upbraideth no man but yet the comfort will not be so much because your consciences will upbraid you Fiftly note this Happy is the man that when he comes to reap the fruit of his actions shall have a feast of joy Thus is was with the Jews the very beginning of their harvest was with a Feast and the conclusion with a Feast toe All the actions of our lives are a sowing of seed if you sow sparingly you shall reap sparingly and happy those men when they come to reap that both the beginning and conclusion of their reaping shall be a joyfull feasting Many sow merrily but they reap horrour and anguish but when the Saints come to reap they shall have a Feast of joy At thy right hand are joyes and pleasures for evermore 6. At the fiftieth day then they were to solemnize the mercy of God in giving to them the fruits of the earth for their harvest Hence this Note Much praise is due to God for the Fruits of the earth for outward comforts How much praise then is due for JESUS CHRIST and all spirituall mercies in him Though we ought to blesse God for the things of the earth yet we should be so swallowed up in blessing God for his word Ordinances and spirituall mercies as in comparison our hearts should be above the Fruits of the earth Therefore it is observeable that in Ezekiel where there is a Prophesie of the state of
cleansed that God may be pacified in regard of the filth and uncleanness that hath cleaved even to them You are not in the day of a Fast onely to confesse your notorious sins to God those that in their own nature are sinfull but you are then to examine all your holy duties and to humble your selves before God and to seek to make peace with God in regard of the uncleannesse that hath been in them This few thinke of they 〈◊〉 the day of a Fast confesse such sins as are vile in themselves but to be made sensible of the uncleannesse of holy duties that is little thought of in the day of their Fasts 4. In their day of Atonement the Priest was to lay the sins of the congregation upon the scape goat The story of the scape goat was this The Priest must come and confesse the sins of the congregation laying his hand upon the head of the goat and then he must send this goat into the wildernesse The meaning is of great use to us Jesus Christ he is the scape goat and we are in the dayes of our humiliations to come and lay our hands upon Iesus Christ and to confesse all our sins over him and look upon all our sins as laid upon him Now the scape goat was to be sent into the wildernesse What is that That is sent into a land of forgetfulness so as the Iews should never come to see that goat again that their sins were laid upon it signified to them that their sins were now so forgiven them that they should never hear of their sins againe Thus are our sins upon Christ as we shall never come to see nor heare more of them In the day of our Fasts we should thus exercise our Faith upon Christ A fift thing that was to be done was to sprinkle the blood of the slaine goat upon the mercie-seat and before it It is the blood of Christ that is upon and before Gods mercie-seat that procures mercy from thence for us The sixt thing In the 16 of Leviticus ver 12. the Priest must take a censer full of burning coales of fire from off the Altar and his hanfull of sweet incense beaten small This he must doe in the day of Atonement to teach us That in the day of our solemne Fasts we must be sure to get our hearts full of burning coales from the Altar full of affection and zeale full of mighty workings of spirit to God although you that are godly and so are Priests to God at other times come with few coales from the Altar a little affection your affections are scarce heated but in a day of Atonement you must come with your hearts full of coales and be sure it be fire from the Altar doe not satisfie your selves in naturall affections then but be sure you be full of spirituall affections and then full of incense VVhat was that it typically represented our prayer you must be sure to have your hearts full of prayer to send up abundance of incense before God the incense must be of spiceâ— beatou small what is that the prayerâ— that we are to send up to God in the day of Atonement must come from much contrition of spirit our hearts must be beaten small to powder when the hearts of men are beaten to powder then they are able to send forth such incense as is a sweet favour in the nostrills of God Many of you in the day of a fast seem to be full of prayer but is this prayer a sweet incense to God or no how shall I know that by this God hath appointed the incense upon the day of atonement to be that that must come from spices beaten if thy heart be beaten to powder and thy prayers be but the savour and the odour of thy graces that are as spices and heated by the fire of Gods spirit then here is the incense that pleases God First graces which are the spices the contrition that is the beating small then the fire of Gods Spirit to cause the incense to rise up in the nostrills of God as a sweet savour Further a seventh thing in the day of atonement was the cloud of the incense must cover the Mercy seate ver 13. and then the blood both of the bullocke and the goate must be sprinkled upon the Mercy seate and that seven times and ver 15. the blood of the goat must be sprinkled not onely â—pon the Mercy seate but before the Mercy seate what is the meaning of this must our mercy seat be clouded in the day of atonement wee had need have it appear to us and not be clouded yes in the day of atonement it must be clouded but clouded with incense the incense that was sent up was a type of the sweet perfume of the merit of Jesus Christ Now in the day of atonement we must look up to the mercy seate as clouded with the merit of Christ clouded that is the merit of Jesus Christ round about it as a cloud and covering the Mercy Seat to teach us that no man must dare to look upon the Mercy Seat of God as it is in it selfe but he must have the incense of the merit of Christ round about it the reason was given why the Lord must have the incense as a cloud to cover the Mercy Seat lest hee die if he had entered into the holy place and there looked upon the Mercy Seat and not clouded by the incense he must have died for it those men that think to come into Gods presence and look upon God out of Christ and think to receive mercy from God out of Christ they die for it this is the damnation of mens soules to look upon God as mercifull out of Christ mercy is an attribute of God but if we dare who are sinfull creatures to looke upon this attribute of mercy and not have the incense of Christ merit it is the way to destroy our souls O how many thousands are in hell for this many who are afflicted for their sins and cry to God to forgive their sins and believe he is mercifull and think to exercise their faith upon God as mercifull and yet not looking upon the mercy seat as clouded with the merit of Christ it proves the destruction of their soules In a fast when you come to look upon God you must not look upon God as the Creator of heaven and earth or as mercifull in himself barely but look upon Gods mercy in his Sonne and so exercise your faith or else you can never make an atonement but rather will procure Gods wrath It is not only dangerous but horrible once to think of God without Christ sayes 〈◊〉 Again the blood of the Bullocke and the Goate must be sprinkled seven time 〈◊〉 the mercy seate when wee come to make our atonement with God we must exercise our faith in the blood of Christ and sprinkle it seven times again and again upon the mercy seat wee
looking upon God when we pray to him as a God of mercy and we present our selves in our humiliations before the mercy seat but know this that the mercy seat will doe us no good without the blood of Christ faith must take this blood of Christ and sprinkle it tender it up to God his Father for the atonement of our souls and procuring mercy to us and not only so the blood of the Bullock the Goat must be sprinkled upon the Mercy seat but before the Mercy seat we must not only thinke there can be no mercy obtained from God but by the blood of Christ but we cannot so much as have accesse to Gods Mercy seat without the bloud of Christ we must not dare to enter but by the bloud of Christ by him we have accesse to God we must all know that all sinners are banished from the presence of God and must not have accesse to Gods presence as they are in themselves Lastly this day divers times is called A Sabbath of rest that is A Sabbath of Sabbaths so it is in the Originall as one of the principall Sabbaths that they had I did not handle it amongst the Sabbaths because it comes in now more fully amongst these solemne Feasts there must be more rest in the days of atonement then in other of their solemn days There was that permitted in other solemn days that was not permitted in that day this may teach us that in the dayes of fasting above any dayes we must get our souls now separated from the world there must be a rest in our hearts a rest from sinne a rest from the world it must be a Sabbath of Sabbaths unto us Now notwithstanding God had given this solemne charge for this day of atonement yet Theodoret tels us that in his time they did so degenerate that they spent this day in sports and made it a day of mirth God grant that the ordinariness of our days of atonement do not grow to this abuse as in some places it is amongst us the most solemne things that ever God gave charge of yet in time degenerates this is the wickedness of mens natures One note more from this Feast of Expiation it is very probable that the Grecians did use yearly in expiation of their Cities in this manner from this we find amongst the stories of the Grecians that yearly they were wont to have a kind of Expiation in imitation of the ways of the Jewes the Devill is Gods Ape for their Cities there was this custome amongst them certaine condemned persons were brought forth with garlands in manner of Sacrifices and these they were wont to tumble down from some steep place into the middst of the Sea and so offer them up to Neptune the God of the Sea with these words Be thou a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for us The like was used by them in the times of publique infection when they had a publique plague in their Cities they used such a custome to make an atonement betweene them and their gods there were certain men brought to be sacrificed to their Gods for an expiation for ther whole City and they were caled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this word was used to signifie that that man that was to expiate for all the sins of their Cities to their gods ing all their sins upon him was as filth and 〈◊〉 scouring and from these two words it is probable the Apostle in the first to the Corinthians 4. 13. hath that expression by which we may come to understand the meaning of those two words there We are saith he made the filth of the world and off-scouring of the people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in these alluding to the manner of the Grecians We for our parts saith he are made as despicable and odious in the sight of the people and are as much loaded with the curses of the people as those condemned persons that had all the sins and curses of the people put upon them and so were offered to their Gods for expiation The Feast of Tabernacles The history of this Feast is Leviticus 23. 34. soon In this Feast the Iews were to take boughes off the trees and make booths of them and those that write the history in their manners they tell us they used to carry boughs in their hands because they could not make booths Tabernacles for all the people therefore some of them thought it sufficient to carry boughs in their hands and those boughes they carried in their hands they used to call Hosanna Do thou fold or prepare the Hosanna so they used to speake therefore when Christ came to Ierusalem they cryed Hosanna to the Sonne of David the meaning was not a prayer Save us O thou Son of David as some would have it but Hosanna to the Son of David that is we hold forth these boughs to the honour of the Messiah the Son of David the Feast of Tabernacles was to point at the Messiah now for those boughs ver 40. there was a command of God they should be goodly trees palme trees or willowes of the brooke but why so it noted that thereby they were to acknowledge Gods goodnesse to them that whereas they had lived forty yeares in the wildernesse in a dry place they were now brought to a fruitfull land that had much water which was a great matter in those hot countries and therefore they were to bring the willows of the brooke and goodly trees those that might most testifie the goodnesse of God to them in delivering them from the wildernesse and in bringing them to a land filled with sweet and pleasant brookes Things observable in this Feast are First The end why God would have this Feast kept he aimes at these three things chiefly First God would have them to blesse his name for his mercies to them in the wildernesse when they dwelt in boothes it was appointed by God that they should once a yeare call to minde the great mercies of God while they were in the wildernesse and there dwelt in boothes and had no houses for so was the dispensation of God towards his people for forty yeares they were to be in the wildernesse and not to have a house in all that time but dwelt in Tabernacles this was a mighty worke of God and manifested his exceeding protection over them and provision for them and his providence every way to provide necessaries for them even as well as if they had had the strongest houses that so many hundred thousands should live forty 〈◊〉 and never have a house built all that time was a great work of God God â—ould declare thereby that the Church in this world is not to expect any certaine habitation any setled condition but to be as men that dwell in tents removing up and downe and so seeke after a City that hath foundations as it is said of Abraham At this Feast the Jewes were wont to reade the
that mercy of his therefore he gives these fields this title calls them by this name and this custome of the Jews seemes to have warrant from Scripture it self Canticles 8. 5. Who is this that commeth up from the wildernesse leaning upon her beloved That was the way of marriage they came out of the fields leaning upon their beloved and so were brought unto the Bridgegroomes Fathers house So Christ brings his Spouse through this world which is as the wildernesse and Christ is here solemnizing his espousals and hath his nuptiall songs in this world and the Church leanes upon Christ all the while she is in the world but Christ is carring her to his Fathers house and ere long we shal be with him there solemnizing the marriage of the Lambe in a more glorious way This expression goes on clearly thus I will allure her and bring her into the wildernesse As the Bridegroome speakes sweet and comfortable words to his Bride and carries her abroad into the fields and there solemnizes the nuptials and so comes back againe having his Spouse leaning upon him and bringing her to his Fathers house so I will deale with you in the fulnesse of my grace I will performe all the nuptiall rites with you I will be married againe unto you and looke what the most solemnity in your City of Jerusalem or any of your Cities there is in any nuptials I will make as great a solemnity in the nuptials betweene you and me It is true when a marriage is such as people are loath to make it known then there is no such solemnity but when it is a great marriage indeed and such as marry together with their friends would glory in it then there is the more full solemnity so saith God I will not be ashamed to take you againe but I will take you openly I wil have the solemnity of my marriage with you as publickly as may be I will carry you abroad into the fields and look what rights soever there are in the most solemne marriages amongst you those rights I will performe unto you that it may be a most glorious marriage solemnity between you and me again thus I will bring into the wildernesse and speake comfortably unto them And speake comfortably to her These words that are translated here speake comfortably in the Hebrew are loquar super cor or ad corejus I will speake to her heart I will speak to her either so as to prevaile with her heart or speake to her so as to do her good at the very heart Many Scriptures may be brought to shew that speaking kindly friendly or comfortably the Hebrews expresse by speaking to the heart I will give you two or three instances Genesis 34. 3. Shechem spake kindly to the Damosell the words are in the Hebrew Shechem spake to the heart of the Damosell So Ruth 2. 13. Thou hast comforted me for that thou hast spoken friendly to thy handmaid thou hast spoken to the very heart of thy handmaid there are two more remarkable places for this one is Esay 40. 2. Speak comfortably to Jerusalem the words are speak to the heart of Jerusalem What should be spoke to the heart of Jerusalem Cry unto her her warefare is accomplished her iniquity is pardoned These are the comfortable words that God required should be spoke to the heart of Jerusalem O that God would speak thus to England this would do good at the very heart if God would speake thus from heaven Her iniquity is pardoned and her warefare is accomplished But yet a place that is more suitable unto this expression in the text it is Iudges 19. 3. There you have the story of a Levite whose wife having played the harlot yet he was willing to be reconciled to her the text saith that he went spake friendly to her Now the words are in the Hebrew Hee went and spake to her heart And indeed it is a word to the heart of an adulterous spouse if her heart be humbled when she knows that her husband will be willing notwithstanding her playing the harlot to be reconciled to her this was the condition of Israel who had gone a whoring from God yet when God promises a renewall of the marriage rites he saith he will speake to her heart from whence we might observe this note That an Apostatizing people or an Apostate soul had need have words of comfort spoke to their hearts or else there can be little ease to their terrified consciences We read of Spira that famous Apostate he had words of comfort enough spoke to his eare but they did him little good God did not come in and speak to his heart therefore his conscience could not be quieted the throbs of it could not be eased How many lie under the troubles of an accusing conscience and have the throbs and bitings of a guilty spirit because they have been back-sliders from the truth and though they come to Sermons one after another hear the Covenant of grace opened to them in the fulnesse of it the riches of Gods goodnesse set before them in the beauty of it yet they goe away without comfort why the words come to the eare God all this time speaks not to the heart sometimes it pleases God to take but the hint of a truth and dart it upon the heart of a troubled sinner that he feeleth it at the heart and sayes Well this day God hath spoken to my heart so he goes away rejoycing eased comforted pacified when as perhaps such an one had heard a hundred Sermons before wherein there were blessed and glorious truths presented to him and it did no good untill Gods time and when the time of Gods love is come some little hint of a piece of a truth God darteth to the hearts and that doth the thing God shews hereby that it is not in the word of man to comfort an afflicted conscience Hence an expression Luther hath in his Comment upon Genesis It is far harder to comfort an afflicted conscience then to raise the dead you think it is nothing to Apostatize from the Lord you thinke it is easie to receive comfort you will find it is not so easie you will find it as easie to raise the dead as to comfort your afflicted consciences But you told us before how rich the grace of God was that God tooke advantage from the greatnesse of our sins to shew the riches and greatness of his mercy grant it let the grace of God be never so rich but till this grace be applyed to the heart till God be pleased to speak himself to the heart of a sinner it will not do I remember a story of one who had made profession of Religion and afterwards Apostatised and made little of it when his acquaintance told him that those things he now did he would smart for one day he thought because he had some knowledg in the Gospel that it
brethren are discontented at us frowne upon us speake against us 8. Alas we have rejected the right key that should have opened this our door no marvaile then though we stand blundring at it and it opens not unto us VVhat is that right key that would have opened it before this time had we made use of it That key of David that we reade of Apoc. 3. 7. That openeth and no man shutteth This key the Church of Philadelphia had therefore it followes ver 8. I have set before thee an open doore that no man can shut But what is this key of David It is the ruling power of Jesus Christ in his Church David in his government was a speciall type of Christ the first godly King over his people that ever was Government is emblematically set forth by a key Esay 22. 22 God promised Eliakim to commit the government to him by that expression The key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder Esay 9. 6 7. The government is said to be upon Christs shoulder and he sits upon the throne of David that is observable that to Eliakim there was promised but the key of the house of David but to Christ the key of David himselfe the one was to governe but as a steward the government of the other was to be Princely If we had been the Church of Philadelphia united in brotherly love and had had this key of David amongst us we might before this time had had a door set open amongst us that no man could have shut against us but woe unto us how many amongst us say of Christ We will not have this man to rule over us Mr. Brightman more then thirty years since paralelld this Church of Philadelphia with the Church of Scotland he made it in a typical way to set forth the wayes of God towards that Church in after times and indeed they have been very like one another divers wayes and God ways towards the one hath been the same with his ways towards the other in many things 1. They are both Philadelphians united so in a brotherly covenant as no Churches in any kingdome more 2. It was said of Philadelphia it had but a little strength and yet it kept Gods word VVhat Churches in any Nation have beene more contemptible then those in Scotland They have beene accounted a poore beggerly people despised of all and yet God hath enabled them to doe great things 3. God hath caused their enemies to come and bow before them and to know that he hath loved them even those who said they were lews and were not that they were the onely Church when indeed they were the Synagogue of Satan they have rejected false government and have received much of the government of Christ the key of David is more received among them then in any kingdome in the world no marvaile then though their doore be so opened that none could shut it thorow Gods mercy our Houses of Parliament have cast away the false key The Lord deliver them and us for ever medling with it any more whatsoever come of us They have further professed their desires to enquire after the true key This door of hope we hope will open to us in due time so as none shall shut it 9. We have lost many opportunities for the opening this door never had a people fairer opportunities for mercy then we have had we cannot looke back upon them without trembling hearts we may see cause to lament the losse of them with teares of blood even this hath cost much and is yet like to cost more blood 10. Yea woe unto us out father comes forth and seemes to be angry with us and bids shut the doore against us yea hee shuts us out himselfe is not that complaint of the Churches Psal 80 4. truly ours O Lord of Hoasts how long wilt thou be angry with the prayer of thy people If God be angry with out knocking what shall we doe 11. And well may God bid shut the doore against us for we have shut it upon our selves This our doore of hope hath a spring lock it is easily shut too but it cannot so easily be opened againe we have stood wrangling and strugling one with another and have clapt to the doore upon our selves before we were aware That Scripture Hos 7. 1 is as truly ours as ever it was Israels When I would have healed Israel then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered and the wickednesse of Samariah VVhen the Lord would have healed England then the iniquity thereof hath been discovered more then ever There is the vilest spirit of malignity against godlinesse against the Saints against the way of Christ in his Ordinances that ever was upon the face of the earth Now men care not though they ruin themselves though they bring themselves and posterity to be bondslaves so they may but have their wills upon those that are godly to suppresse them The controversie now is almost grown to that height that the kingdome divides it selfe into those who have some shew of Religion and the haters of it Those times complained of in Micah are even ours Chap. 7. 5. Trust ye not in a friend put no confidence in a guide keepe the doores of thy mouth from her that lyeth in thy bosome Yea it is almost come to that in the fourth verse The best of them is a bryar the most upright is sharper then a thorny hedg There is much frowardnesse much perversnesse even in the best many contentions and grievous breaches even amongst them they cannot endure you should be jealous of them and they give cause of jealousie daily This generation for a great part of it shew themselves to have such sullied such puttid spirits so defiled with superstitious vanities so imbittered with a spirit of malignity that we may feare God hath no pleasure in the generality of it yea Moses and Aaron have sinned the best have so sullied themselves with Antichristian pollutions that just it were with God that this whole generation should be first taken away and that the young generation that is comming on who have not so defiled themselves should have this doore that lets into Canaan opened to them that they onely should goe into and possesse that good land but our carcasses should fall in the wildernesse You who are godly young ones whose hearts began betimes to yerne after Jesus Christ know the heart of Jesus Christ yernes after you and although some of you may fall in fighting for your brethren so be received to heaven yet you are of that generation God will open this door of mercy unto you shal go in possesse Canaan all this valley of Achor is but a door of hope to you continue you on in your sincerity God will reveale himselfe more fully to you then he hath done to us if we be cut off before those treasures of mercy that God has ready for
depth swallowing up the greatest evill of sin or affliction If you should poure a paile of water upon the planchers in your chamber it seems a great deale of water like a little sea but take a paile of water and poure it into the deep Ocean and it is there swallowed up and appears nothing Our afflictions that are upon us and our sinnes in themselves appear great but when they come to be swallowed up in these bowels in these depths of Gods mercies in which he betrotheth himself unto us they are as nothing in comparison Therefore the Scripture hath such strange expressions of the wonderfulness of Gods mercies to his people in Christ The Scripture hath three notable words to expresse the fulnesse of Gods mercies in Christ The first is Ephes 2. 7. the abundant riches of his grace the riches that are cast in over and above The second word is in Rom. 5. 20. The grace of God hath been more then exceeding there is a second 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And a third is 1 Tim. 1. 14. The grace of God was exceeding abundant it had a pleonasme asore yea but here is a super-pleonasme Here are three 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 put upon Gods mercy to note the riches of the glory and depth of the mercy of God in Christ Secondly consider these mercies in the effects They set on worke all that is in God for the good of his people If there be any thing that Gods wisedome or power that all that blessednesse that is in GOD can doe for the bowels of mercy yerne toward thee and they will set all on worke for thy good if thou beest in Christ Yea further know that it is such mercy as it is the great designe yea the greatest designe that ever God had from all eternity to honour this his mercy to set out the infinite glory and the riches of this his mercy in Christ Certainly God had great designs in doing such great things as he hath done but above all the designs that ever God had in all his works that is the chief to glorifie the riches of his mercy in Christ They are indeed bowels of mercy when they are such as in the glory of which God attaineth his great designe in making the world he would never have made the world had it not been for that Fourthly They are the heart-blood mercies of JESUS CHRIST they are such mercies as are worth all the blood of Christ and his blood was certainely most precious blood when Christ sees any converted and brought home to him to be made a subject of Gods mercy hee thinks his blood well bestowed The text saith he shall see his seed and his soule shall be satisfied I have enough for all the blood I shedde Indeed I came from my Father and was made a servant a curse I suffered the wrath of my Father my blood was shed but if this be the fruit of it that such and such a soule shall have this mercy I have enough for all my blood I am glad that ever I shed it Yea God the Father is well pleased with it he thinks the blood of Christ but a valuable price to purchase such mercies as these As for all the glory of the world God can give that unto men that he hates to reprobates as Luther saith of the whole Turkish Empire it is but a crum of bread that the Master of the house throws to his dogs but when it cometh to his mercies in Christ they are such as are worth the blood of his Sonne that must goe to be the price for the purchasing of them 6. They are such mercies as God bestows on purpose that hee may declare to all eternity before Angels and all his Saints what God is able to doe for a creature to what a height of excellency and glory these infinite mercies are able to raise a poor creature unto These must needs be great Yea they are such as must be the object for Angels and Saints to admire at adore and magnifie the name of God for everlastingly What shall I say more in naming any fruits of these mercies Such mercies as whereas before sin made thee to be the object of Gods hatred it makes thee now to be an object of his pity God takes the rise from thy sin to shew his mercy Take heed of abusing it it is childrens bread that which I now speak let us not sinne that grace may abound God sorbid seeing thy sin cannot overcome Gods goodnesse let Gods goodness overcome thy sin Only let us learn to admire at these riches of mercy in Christ and let us exercise much faith about them Certainely wee should thrive in godlinesse much more if we did exercise faith in the bowels of God in Christ Those kind of fruits as your Apricocks and your May-cherries that grow up by a wall in the open sun-shine and have the hot reflection of the sun come to be sooner ripe have more sweetness then those that grow in shady places your grasse you know that is shaded by the trees in Orchards is sowre So that fruit that Christians bring forth under discouragements and dispairing thoughts is very sowre some things they do conscience hales them to duties but alas it is sowre fruit though it be better to doe what conscience requires then not for we must not go against conscience but to doe it meerly because conscience hales to it it is but sowre grasse But when a Christian can by Faith set himselfe before the Sun-shine of these mercies of God in Christ and continually live in the midst of the lustre of the grace of God in Christ he groweth ripe sooner and his fruit is sweeter You may know whether it be the Sun of righteousnesse or no that you are set in Doth your fruit grow ripe and is it sweet fruit Those who talke of mercy and of Christ who have the name of Christ in their mouths but is their fruit sowr does nothing come from them but crabbed fruit these men are not in the Sun they are blinde they cannot see the Sun they are but in a light of their own fancy and in a heat of their own making Ephes 3. 18. 19. The Apostle prayes for the Ephesians that they may be able to comprehend what is the bredth and length and depth height of the riches of God in Christ Marke the Phylosophers tells us but of three demensions but here are foure but what is the fruit of this And that you may know the love of Christ that passeth knowledge that ye might be filled with all the fulnesse of God Here is the effect of it when we come to know the bredth and length and depth and height of Gods love and have that knowledge by the Spirit of God that passeth all naturall knowledg then we come to be filled with all the fulnesse of God Here now is a glorious Christian a Christian filled with all the fulnesse
of God VVould you be so Learne then to exercise faith much about the infinite riches of the mercy of God in Christ this will fill you with all the fulness of God you complain of barrennes and emptines in your hearts and lives it is because you exercise so little Faith in these mercies of God in Christ God betrotheth his Church unto himselfe in mercies in bowels Let us learne to pleade these mercies before the Lord to pleade them when we are in any strait to pleade with God for bowels Esay 63. 15. Looke downe from heaven and behold from the habitation of thy holi esse and thy glory where is thy zeale and thy strength the sounding of the bowels and of thy mercies towards us are they restrained Lord hast thou not said that thou wilt betroth thy Church unto thy self in bowels Where is the sounding of thy bowels Lord let us have these bowels of thine in which thou hast betrothed us through Christ Oh what confusion will there be one day unto those that shall misse of all these mercies of God in which the Lord hath betrothed himselfe unto his Church VVhat will you content your selves now with crums that God casteth to dogs with the fruits of Gods generall bounty and patience when you heare of such glorious mercies as are in Jesus Christ These things should so raise our hearts that wee should protest as Luther did I protest saith hee God shall not put mee off with these things of the world with my portion here Oh no the Lord hath shewed me greater riches though I be unworthy of any yet I know his mercy is free why then should not I have my portion in these glorious things Come in then come in oh sinfull soule be in love with Jesus Christ the ways of godlinesse know that all these mercies are tendred unto thy soule this day to break thy heart even that hard heart of thine and they are as free for thee as for any There is nothing more pleasing unto God then for thee to be taken with the glory of the riches of his mercy Thou canst perform no duty so acceptable unto God as this to have thy heart break upon the codsideration of his bowels to have thy bowels yern again and to come in and close with this infinite rich and glorious grace of his Which if thou dost know that the first moment thou art united to Christ thou dost lanch into the infinite Ocean of mercy now thou breathest in the element of mercy now thou livest upon nothing but mercy Is it so Then know God expects a mercifull disposition from thee too God betrotheth thee in righteousnesse and putteth righteousnesse into thee in judgment and gives thee judgment too in loving kindnesse and makes thee loving and kind likewise in mercies and putteth mercies into thee bowels into thee also First toward himself Why can we be mercifull unto God what good can wee doe to God God expects you should have bowels toward him How Thus Dost thou see the name of this blessed God thy husband to be dishonoured in the world Oh thy bowels should yern thou shouldst have bowels working now What doth God look upon thee in thy blood in thy misery and doth his bowels yern toward thee Canst thou look upon God in his dishonour and his cause trampled under foot and do not thy bowels yern toward him It should pitie thy soule to see this blessed God to be so much dishonoured in the world as he is to see that there are so few in the world that love and feare this God who is thy God and hath done thee so much good VVhat is there any good cause up wherein the name of God should be honoured Thy bowels should work presently toward it Cant. 5. 4. My beloved put his hand by the hole of the doore and my bowels were moved for him VVhen Christ did but begin to open a door put but in his hand when there was any good but beginning to be done Oh my bowels were moved saith the Church and I could never be at quiet untill I had enquired after yea and found my beloved Is there any beginning to let in Christ into the Kingdome in his government amongst us Dowe feele him putting in his hand at the door certainly if we be skilled in the way of Christ we may seele him putting his hand in at the door Oh that our bowels would yern and cause our hearts to flow to the boâ—ntisulnesse of the Lord and joyn with Christ in that blessed work of his that he is about Our bowels must also be toward the Saints It is extreamely against the spirit of Christ for a Christian to be hard-hearted toward his brethren Christ expects bowels And as you would account it â—grievous misery to have your bowels rotten to have diseases in your bowels know it is as great an evill to have your hearts unmercifull that is to have a disease in your bowels so the Scripture phrase is Amos 1. 11. He cast off all pitie his anger did tear perpetually so it is in your bookes but the words in the Originall are And corrupted his bowels their bowels were corrupted when they were not pittiful toward their brethren in misery It was a grievous condition that Iehoram was in 2 Chron. 21. 15. when his bowels came forth by reason of his disease An unmercifull heart is a worse disease then this What are wee and who are we that Gods mercies should be shewen towards us why not our mercies toward our brethren then The Scripture calleth exceedingly for mercy in the Saints toward one another Col. 3. 17. Put on as the Elect of God bowels of mercy and kindness VVould you have an argument unto your selves that you are Gods Elect put on bowels then Never was there time since you lived or your forefathers lived wherein God called for bowels more then now Do you hear of the miseries of your brethren their goods spoiled houses burnt wives children ravished themselves imprisoned their bodies wounded and yet no bowels all this while what you hard-hearted in the meane time Are you the elect of God why I pray you what is your flesh more then the flesh of others what are your comforts more then the comforts of others why should you lie soft and safe more then others Is there any such difference betwixt you and your brethren that they should be in misery and you must be pampered and scarce feele the very wind to blow on you and yet in the meane time your hearts hardned towards them It is true God it is that hath made the difference you will say and God may make a difference where he pleaseth I grant it and it would not grieve God to make such a difference betweene you and them if he saw your bowels yern towards them But if God layes such afflictions upon your brethren who are better then you and have done more for him then
yet ordinarily he makes use of second causes not only to work ad praesent iam as Biel the Schoolman and others say that is only together with the creature but there is say they no efficacie at all of them issuing into the effect but the truth is God doth make use of second causes otherwise so that there is some vertue and efficacy in them to work the thing that God intends Fourthly there is a concatenation of second causes not onely an use of them but every one in their order supplyes the other the heavens heare the earth and the earth hears the corne one after another If we could see the comely order of the creatures wee should see them all hang together in a golden chaine as it is in the joynts of the body one bone supplyeth another one place is hollow to take in another so one cause in nature supplyeth and cometh in to the other As in our salvation there is a golden chain which we have Rom. 8. So in the creatures there is a golden chain of comely order and mutuall supplyance Fiftly God is at the higher end of the chaine and nothing can be done by any link of the chaine of second causes but by Gods being at the uppermost link Jezreel must cry to the corn and wine and oyle and they must cry to the earth and the earth must cry to the heavens he must be the highest cause Sixtly It is most comely and a great blessing when the right order and chaine of second causes hold As it is in Nature so in any Society in a Common-wealth in a City when all keep their due subordination as when the Trades-man works in his way the Magistrate in his way the Minister in his way and every Officer in his place every one keeping his order But when it is otherwise when they are out of order it is a great misery upon a City or Kingdom As it was once among the Athenians Themistocles saith of his son a bolâ— youth This boy can do more then any man in all Greece Why For saith he the Athenians command the Grecians and I command the Athenians and my wife commands me and my son commands my wife here was the concatenation of that government God deliver all societies from such a concatenation that the beginning of any publick work I meane the lower link of the chain should be perhaps in a whoremaster he should command one and that one another and so one after another This is a fearfull judgment where soever it is 7. God is the giver of all plenty hee accounts it his glory to give raine Ier. 5. 24. God there wonders that men will not feare him because of that Neither saith he doe they say in their hearts Let us feare God that giveth raine As if hee should say It is a strange impudence in men what will they not say in their hearts Let us feare God seeing he gives us raine Thus God gloryeth in this great work when hee heareth the heavens and the heavens heare the earth the heavens will be as brasse over us and the earth as iron unlesse GOD heare them and send raine Therefore let God be acknowledged in that rain we have had of late the creatures wanted grasse and the grasse cryed to the heavens and the heavens cryed unto God and God hath heard the heavens and sent downe raine and so we see the earth hath been refreshed abundance of good hath come to us by those showers Give God the glory of this 8. All plenty is given for the sake of the Saints How God heares the heavens and the heavens hear the earth and the earth hears the corn and the wine and the oyle and they hear Jezreel It is for Jezreels sake that the earth heares the corne and the heavens hear the earth and God hears the heavens Were it not for the Saints the earth wauld soon come to a confusion They are the blessing of the earth Isa 18. 24. 9. If the creatures work so graciously for us how should wee then worke for God and one for another What shall the creatures cry one to another and heare one another for our good and shall God cry to us and wee not heare God The senseless corn cries to the earth O earth help me that I may help Iezreel and the earth cryes to the heavens O heavens send down your influences and the heavens say We will heare and the earth saith I will heare Shall the earth heare and the heavens heare for our good and shall not we hear when God cryes for help God cries to you many times to helpe in his cause and wilt not thou hear to work for him O vile creature how unreasonable are thy ways before the Lord Again how should we hear the cries of the poor When wee are in want the corn cries to the earth and the earth cries to the heavens and the heavens cry to God for us VVhen the poore I mean Gods poore whom Gods hand hath made poore cry will not you heare VVill you be more hard-hearted then the earth and the heavens are seeing they heare you doe you hear the cry of your poor brethren Further if God will hear the creatures when they cry for us how much more will he hear Jesus Christ when hee cries for us It is our happinesse in part that we have all the creatures cry to God for our good but the top of our happinesse is this that wee have Iesus Christ the Mediatour of the new Covenant making intercession at the right hand of God continually for us Lastly Gods mercies go through when they work for the Saints the corn beginneth to cry to the earth that stays not here but the earth goes on and cryes to the heavens the heavens go on and cry to God Gods mercies to his Saints never leave till the thing be done And I will sow her unto me in the earth VVhat great mercy is this for God to grant plenty if he destroy his people Our Country is plentifull but if God should consume us out of the land what good wouâ—d our plenty do us Therefore saith God I will sow her unto me in the earth Indeed she is now a poor contemptible people there are but few of them remaining upon the earth but I will make them a seede and a seed that the Lord hath blessed I will sow her Here the Lord alludeth to the name Iezreel which signifies the seed of the Lord the sowen of the Lord. It was used in the first Chapter in an opprobtious way and in the latter end of that Chapter in a way of mercy I speak of it there therefore I shall not need say much now only this God makes use of the word here to put her in mind of what shee deserved as if he should say though thou beest a Jezreel and deservest to be scattered yet I will be mercifull to thee out of free grace
I will sow thee there shall come a blessing upon thee and though thou beest scattered up and down in the earth yet in all places thou shalt be as seed from whence my Church shall spring Hence the notes are First that Gods people are the seed of the earth But of that before in the latter end of the first Chapter onely I will adde a note of Ribera about it The seed saith he lies under the clods and at length fructifies so should the Saints be content to lie under the clods and though they may seem in regard of their afflicted condition to be dead to be rotten yet they shall be glorious and fructifie afterward Before the time of the Churches glory times of great calamity and distresse come which this rotting of the seed before the fructifying sets out unto us Secondly every godly man should so live as either in life or death hee should be as a seed from whence many may spring he should be a meanes that many should be begotten to God It is reported of Cicilia in the history of the Church a poore Virgin that by her gracious behaviour in her mattyrdome she was the means of converting four hundred to Christ As in the Indies one corn bringeth forth divers hundreds so we should labour to convert as many as wee can that some that live after may continue to beare up the name of Christ and the profession of his truth Especially be carefull of your children leave them as seed to hold up the name of God in thy family when thou art dead and gone And further I will sow her to my selfe The Saints are sowen unto Christ they are seed for Christ therefore all their fruit must be given up unto Christ Christ must have all the fruit we bear who should have the fruit but he that soweth it Therefore Cant. 7. 13. All manner of pleasant fruits new old which I have laid up for thee O my beloved Are we able to bear any fruit Let us lay it up all for Jesus Christ for it is he that soweth us unto himselfe we must not sow to our selves not to the flesh for then wee shall reap corruption but all for Christ And I will shew mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy Divers things about Gods shewing mercy after rejection were spoken of in the first Chap. Only these notes for the present There are none so rejected as that they can conclude that they shall never have mercy those that have committed the sinne against the holy Ghost excepted though Israel had not obtained mercy though they were cast out yea cast out to the beasts to be devoured yea saith God I will shew mercy upon her 2. Children of wicked parents may at length obtain mercy from God Though Israel be cast off yet her children shall have mercy A comfort to us in regard of the Idolatry of our fore fathers yea a comfort in the regard of the children that are to come Our fore fathers have broken the Covenant why may not we obtaine mercy But suppose we should be the generation of Gods wrath and not obtaine mercy yet we may have hope that the posterity following shall have mercy Thirdly Mercy after it is thought to be past if then it come Oh it is sweet mercy indeed when she seemed to be utterly rejected then to have mercy shewed this is sweet Fourthly Mercy is the cause of all the good the Saints have One Scripture for it Psal 57. 3. Send from heaven saith David David was in the Cave in a poor condition hunted for his life persecuted by Saul I see little hope from earth saith he therefore O Lord send from heaven What shall God send Angels from heaven to deliver thee David No but mark what followeth God shal send forth his mercy his truth as if he should say Lord though I have no help in earth though I see no Angels from heaven to helpe me yet let me have thy mercy and truth and that is enough This satisfies a gracous heart if he may have Gods mercy and his truth that is Gods mercy revealed in a promise Lastly God hath a speciall day of mercy for his people for his Churches I will have mercy upon her that hath not obtained mercy Let us cry to God for the hastening of this day let us open the miseries of our own Kingdome and of Ireland Oh when shall this day come that thou wilt shew mercy to thy owne people which thou hast told us of Oh that that day may hasten Come Lord Jesus come quickly And I will say to them which were not my people This is that we had in the first Chapter onely with some differences there it is In the place where it was said yee are not my people And I shewed you when I opened that place both out of the Romanes and out of Peter how the Apostle makes use both of that in the first Chapter and this here in the second onely take a hint of the truths in it First God hath a special interest in his people they are his people they are called his peculiar people Tit. 2. 14. The word hath this emphasis in it God lookes upon all other things as accidents in comparison and his substance is his people they are his very portion as Deut. 33. 19. and Exod. 19. 5. they are his peculiar treasure above all people in the world and Esay 19. 25. Assyria the worke of my hands and Israel mine inheritance I have made all people but Israel is mine inheritance This is the happines of the Saints therefore they are not as other people are Num. 23. 9. This people shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the Nations this is a great ground of prayer Lord leave us not we are thy people called by thy name we have an interest in thee Againe This is an argument to walke so as God may not be dishonored by us for we are his people If those in a mans family walke disorderly it is a dishonour to the Master of the family it is no dishonour to him for a stranger or one who hath little reference to him to walke disorderly It is not so much dishonour to God for the wicked to walke disorderly as for the Saints in regard of their neerenesse to God And besides their light is as I told you three story high and if they sin they sin against a greater light then others doe their sin is greater then the sinne of the wicked in that regard Further I will say to them which were not my people thou art my people I will own them before all the world It is a great mercy for God to make it knowne to the world that his people are his people The world will not beleeve it they think they are a poor contemptible people but there shall come a day that I will make it knowne they are
with his mercy and think Oh we are in covenant with God and God hath pardoned our sins what need we care take heed of growing want on thou maist suffer fearfull things in this world Though God may save your souls yet you may be brought into as wofull a condition in your ovvn apprehensions as ever any creature was upon the earth And for England though it is true we have as many arguments of the love of God to 〈◊〉 as ever any nation had but yet who knows what this generation may suffer that hath so sullied it self with superstitious vanities We may be brought into vvefullslavery and then God may raise up unto himself another generation upon whom he will be stow the mercy intended Fourthly Those who will take their fill of delight to the flesh in a sensual use of the creature it is just with God they should be cut short be made to live meanly and basely to be made to feed with course fare with barley The Jews had their delicates before they fared deliciously now they must be sed worse then their servants and eare that which was meate for beasts How many hath God thus dealt withall who not long since had their tables furnished with the choysest sare with variety of dishes now perhaps are glad of a harley loafe for themselves and their children Again If God will not utterly destroy a people as he might but reserve mercy for them at last though they have never such a meane subsistence for the present yet they have cause to blesse God Though this here be a threatning yet there is a promise in it The people of Israel if they knew all had no cause to murmur at Gods dealing but to admire at his mercy though they had but a little barley to sustaine them And suppose God should bring us in England into a low condition so as we may be glad of a barley loafe we know famine commonly followes warre it was wont to be a phrase browne bread and the gospell is good fare and God may bring that upon us in another way then ever yet we or our fore-fathers were acquainted with but yet if the Lord do not cast us off utterly from being his people though he feed us with brown bread though we have never so mean a subsistance for the present we shall have cause to blesse his name Lastly It is the way of God to humble those he intendeth good unto to prepare them for mercy by cutting them short of these outward comforts If the Lord hath dealt so with any of you you have lived full-handed perhaps wives have brought good portions to their husbands and now they are broke and all is lost perhaps you had good friends in the Countrey many of them are plundered in their estates now you are faine to fare meanly and if you have bread for your children you think it well but consider this Is not God now humbling me and thereby preparing my heart for himself Oh blessed be God for this my condition this bread is sweeter to me then all the dishes I have had in my life VVhen you sit in your houses with your wives and children and have nothing but barley bread to feed upon have these thoughts I hope God doth this in love mercy he is making this my condition the best condition I was ever in the greatest blessing to me Verse 3. And I said unto her thou halt abide for me many dayes thou shalt not play the harlot and thou shalt not be for another man so will I also be for thee You shall not only be in such a low condition as a slave and worse then a maid servant and be sed with barley but you shall abide thus abide thus many dayes Thus they have abode these sixteene hundred yeares since Christs time besides their former captivity The Lord would have a full experience of Israel that their hearts were throroughly humbled before he would take them to mercy again There was never any people dealt more falsely with God in their humiliations then they had done before How often when they were in misery did they come with their seeming humiliation cryed for mercy and God â—â—â—wed them mercy and assoone as they were delivered they fell off againe and went after their Idols and then being in misery again they cryed to God and he delivered them and then presently to their Idols again Well saith God I will not deale so with you hereafter I will not trust you so as I have done you have beene in misery and I have delivered you when you cryed to me and then you have fallen to your sins againe but now you shall be humbled to purpose you shâ—l be â—ow many yeers in this low and meane condition and then your hearts â—â—ll be thâ—rowly broken so that when you shall returne to me againe you shall never fall from me God hath dealt so with many of you you have been in affliction God hath delivered you you have gone to your sinnes again you have been in affliction againe and he hath delivered you you have fell to your sins again and thus you have dallyed with the great God God may bring a fore long affliction upon you that you shall be so thorowly humbled that you shall never goe back againe to your sins as you have done This is the meaning abide many dayes When we would scoure purge a filthy garment thorowly we do not onely wash it but wee lay it a soaking a great while and a frosting many nights the Jews have lyne a soaking frostning many hundred yeeres this is the hardnesse of mans heart afflictions wil not work presently though many wedges be put into many blows struck upon knotty wood it stirs not some metals are long in melting yea though the fire be very hot Againe Here we see it is Gods ordinary way when he promiseth mercy to seeme to goe quite contrary to a people to seem as if he would quite destory them I will marry my self unto them in loving kindness and in mercies but yet I will let this people be above sixteen hundred yeers in this forlorne condition And so it hath been in all Gods administrations since the beginning of the world When God comes to humble sinners they must be content to be humbled Gods own time they must not out of a sudden furious humor say Lord how long I have been thus long in a sad condition I have prayed thus long Is your sadness affliction eternal Oh no a yeer or two perhaps but you have deserved eternity of misery Thou shalt abide for me many dayes thou shalt not play the harlot thou shalt not be for another man so will I also be for thee That is in all this time you must have a care of your self that you do not seek after other lovers let me have experience that you will now worship the
and make us look up to free grace not take us off from the practise of any but from relying upon any onely to rely upon free grace in Christ As this is the supernaturall seeking God so it is the most powerfull way of seeking him It is not enough to seeke God by vertue of a promise except vve seek him by vertue of Christ who is the foundation of all the promises VVe seek him because he is mercifull that is one way yea we seek him because he hath promised mercy this is a higher degree but we must go higher yet we must look to his Son in whom all the promises are Yea Amen otherwise though we seek him never so earnestly though we chalenge his promises and cry to him to remember his promises yet if we do not act our faith upon his Son wee may misse in all And herein we sanctifie that great name of God in that which is the great work of his his master-piece as we may say or the great designe hee hath to honour himself in the world here and everlastingly hereafter Certainely though God hath made the creature for his own glory expects we should honour him in beholding him in the creature yet the great design God hath to honour himselfe in and by is in that glory of his that is manifested in his Son to have the children of men behold this his glory and reflect it upon his own face except you give God his glory in this he cares not much for what soever glory you can give him otherwise You must not therfore expect when you seek God that you must have good things from him meerly because he is mercifull you must not thinke that the mercy of God serveth to eike out our righteousnesse Perhaps some will say it is true we are poor sinfull creatures and what can wee expect from God being fin full but we hope that God will pardon our sin and so will accept of the poor services that we perform This is the way that most goe they do as it were imploy Gods mercy in such a worke that God never intended it for that is they would make the mercy of God to eike out their owne righteousnesse and so both put together they think they will serve to be a means of atonement No you mistake Gods mercy the worke of Gods mercy is not this but it is to shew us our unrighteousnesse our misery our unclearnesse to shew us Jesus Christ to draw our hearts to him to emptie us of our selves that wee may wholly rely upon that righteousnesse that is by faith in him and tender up that to the Father for sanctification and attonement that is the work of Gods mercy when it hath this work then it hath the true genuine work indeed The fifth is why here added King True wee must seeke the Lord and Christ but why Christ the King The reason is because Christ in the latter dayes shall be fully honoured in his Kingly power they shall looke upon him not only as Prophet and Priest but as King Hitherto Christ hath bin much honoured in his Propheticall and Priestly office but not so much in his Kingly but in the latter dayes when God shall call home his people the Jewes then Christ shall be fully honoured in his Kingly office The Tabernacle of Christ was raised in the Primitive times according to that speech of St. James we had before Acts 15. 16. God shall raise the tabernacle of David hee puts it as fulfilled then but there is a time when God shall not only raife the tabernacle of David but the throne of David Christ the King shall appeare in glory Ezek. 37 24 25. And David my servant shall be King over them It was spoken upon the union that there should be between Judah and Israel then David my servant shall be King over them David was dead a great while before there is a time that David must again be King that is Christ upon the union of all the Tribes together And againe David shall be Prince for ever when they are brought againe into their owne land David shall be Prince over them for ever saith the Text surely this prophesie is yet to be fulfilled And Luke 1. 32. The Lord shall give him the throne of his father David and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever and of his kingdome there shall be no end I know we usually think that this is meant only of his spirituall reign but there is a mistake in it certainly there is to be a fulfilling of this prophesie in a reign that shall outwardly appeare before the children of men which will appea more in comparing this with other Scriptures Revel 11. 15. The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of the Lord his Christ and so he shall reign for ever and ever VVhy in a spirituall sense the kingdoms of this world are always the kingdomes of the Lord and of Christ but there is spoken of some famous notable time when the kingdomes of this world shall appeare to be the Lord and his Christs and then he shall reigne for ever and ever after another manner then now he doth Revel 3. 21. To him that overcometh will I give to sit with me in my throne as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne Mark this Text as one of the most notable of any wee have That kingly rule that Christ hath for the present is upon his Fathers throne he is not yet upon his own in comparison of what he shall be the kingdome that Christ hath now is the joynt reigne of him with the Father but there is a time for Christ to have a Throne himselfe Now that Throne of Christ it may be you will thinke it is in heaven at the day of judgement but we finde 1 Cor. 15. 24. that at that day he comes to refigne the kingdome the words do not seeme to import as if hee came to take it but that then hee doth give up the kingdome unto God the Father therefore there is a time for Christ himself to have a Throne with whom the Saints shall reign Matth. 21. 9. The children cryed out Hosanna to the sonne of David because they looked upon the sonne of David as one who was to reign In these latter dayes CHRIST shall breake the Kings of the earth who stand against him as indeed many yea most of the Kings of the earth have ever stood out to hinder this kingdome of his There will be a mighty shaking of the kingdoms of the earth when this shall be Heb. 12. 26. Whose voyce then shook the earth but now he hath promised saying yet once more I shake not the earth onely but also the heaven quoted out of Hag. 2. 6. 7. God in giving the law shooke the earth but he will shake the earth and the heavenâ— which some Interpreters expounds thus not only the meaner power of