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religion_n	law_n	liberty_n	parliament_n	4,902	5	6.1958	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77979	An exposition with practical observations continued upon the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of the prophesy of Hosea· Being first delivered in several lectures at Michaels Cornhil London. By Jeremiah Burroughs. Being the fifth book, published by Thomas Goodwyn, William Greenhil, Sydrach Simson William Bridge, John Yates, William Adderly.	Burroughs, Jeremiah, 1599-1646.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.	1650 (1650)	Wing B6070; Thomason E588_1; ESTC R206293	515,009	635

Lord calls to contend by fire Surely the Lord doth it at this day he calleth to contend with England by fire in a most dreadful way and who knows what the end shall be That he hath a most dreadful controversy against England at this day will appear if we further take these considerations First That a people complaining of bondage heretofore yet when God offered deliverance should be so far left of God as they shall now rather be willing to make themselves and their posterity bond-slaves Surely God hath a dreadful controversy against us it were else impossible that such a thing should be in the hearts of men Men love liberty they groan under bondage We did groan but a few yeers ago and the Lord was coming to help us and yet we are now so left of God that we even turn again to our former bondage and would have our ears to be bored that we might be perpetual slaves Secondly It is not only that we wil turn again to bondage but this is out of a spirit of enmitie against the yoke of Jesus Christ This is the very ground and bottom of it in a great part of the Kingdom whatsoever yoke they have upon them they are resolved they will not have the yoke of Christ out of a spirit of enmity against the Godly party who desire and endeavor Reformation At the beginning of this Parliament when we began to have hopes of some liberty and reformation Oh what a joy was there generally in the Kindom all men agreed together but when those that were wicked and carnal began to see that their godly neighbours rejoyced that they blessed God for what was done that they had their minds now they turn out of a spirit of malice against them rather than they shall rejoyce rather than they shall have their minds we will turn back again to the bondage we were in before and we will stand and oppose that which heretofore we rejoyced in Certainly here is the very ground of so much contradiction as there is at this day They have therefore turned Malignants against that Cause which a man would wonder that ever rational men should be against But there is a spirit of malice against Christ and his Ordinances fearing a reformation they would have their lusts and they think if reformation come they should not have them with that liberty they have had here is the very reason that the Gentry and others in the country are opposite Surely God hath a controversie with us Thirdly That men should so vily desert those whom they have chosen and trusted who have been faithful those Worthies in Parliament who have ventured their lives for them basely and unworthily now to desert them it is one of the greatest judgments of God upon the hearts of men and therefore upon a nation that ever was If they complain of them now they would much more have complained of them if they had complyed suppose the Parliament had made up a patched reformation and a crazie peace that uppon any occasion we had bin in danger to have had war broken out again would not the people of the land have cried out of their unfaithfulness But now they venture themselves and labour so hard for a sound peace therefore to be deserted An unworthy generation a generation that we have cause to fear is become the generation of Gods wrath and the people of his curse People are affected according as success is we complain of those in Parliament because of some difficulties that are in the work yet if they had not done what they did they would have complained much more So of Ministers sometimes Ministers speak and stir up people because their consciences tell them they should be unfaithful to their country and to the cause of God if they did not now they cry out as they did of Luther that they are the trumpets of sedition and rebellion whereas on the other side if they should say nothing then people would have cryed out that they had betraied their Country and that they were not so faithful in their places as they should therefore people were so bad as they were Thus hard it is for God or man to please people Again That not only people should desert them but that so many of Nobles and some Members of the Parliament themselves should desert their Brethren there and joyn with Papists French and Walloons When as not long since a company of vile wretches being gathered together to fight against our brethren of Scotland and yet those vile people could not be brought to fight against them by any means But now not the vile ones but Nobles Knights and Gentry can be brought to fight against the Parliament their own Brethren Is not here a mighty hand of God against us Could this ever be if God had not a dreadful controversie against England Fourthly That men should be so blinded as to think the Protestant Religion should be maintained by an Army of Papists that the Laws and Liberty of the subject should be maintained by an Army of Delinquents and strangers yea that the King with Papists Delinquents French and Walloons should better maintain the Liberty of the Subject and the Protestant Religion than with the Parliament That people should come to beleeve this is not the hand of God upon the people of this land Are they not infinitely besotted can we think that men indued with reason should do this Surely were not the Judgment of God fearfully upon their souls it could not be beleeved that ever this should be done by people that had any rationality in them Fiftly God surely calls to contend fearfully with us in that he should suffer such an ill cause to prosper so as it hath done and to get to that height as it is It is that which is the amazement both of England and the Countries about us that such an ill cause should get so high and prosper so much as it hath done Surely the Lord is against us or else it could not have been Sixtly When there shall be such a desperate design so long a hatching drawn forth in such a season and so driven on and now breaking forth in such violence and yet men cannot see it The tract of the design is a● cleer as the Sun at noon day and drawn on from one step to another by comparing of one thing with another we may see it as apparantly as the light Would you not think it a besotting thing if there should be a train of Gunpouder laied along in the streets from such a place to the Parliament House to blow it up and yet that men should pass by and say they see no such thing Certainly the drawing on of the design against our Religion and State to bring us under tyranny and slavery the tract is as evident and plain as ever there was train of Gunpruder laid to such a place that men would willingly blow up and yet

together in an unanimous way saying Come and let us set about the Lords work with one shoulder every one encouraging each other then there is hope the times of mercy are nigh that people Use a sad presage to But this is our misery the divisions and the rendings that are amongst us being di●-joynted each from other Oh the wantones of mens spirits now among us for which God is much displeased and certainly is one great stop in the way of mercy that notwithstanding God hath us in the fire and threatens even our consuming yet that we should not joyn and unite together Obs 4 True penitent hearts seek to get others to joyn with them Oh how glad are they to see any comming on to seek the Lord with them and how careful are they to give encouragement example they perswade them with al gentleness saying Come let us go up to the house of the Lord we have found the Lord very gracious to us Oh come he is good still yea and good to you if you wil come into him if the husband have found God good to him he will perswade the wife the child the servant to come to Christ Thus much of their resolution to return the reason follows For he hath smitten us and he will heal us Hence observe Obs 1 That in times of the greatest sufferings a true penitent heart retains good thoughts of God God hath torn wounded and smitten us what then run away from God think hardly of him No think well of him and bless his Name even when you God in former times have practised Nehemiah Ezra Ezra 9. Neh. 9. Dan. 9 Psal 44. and Daniel in all their miseries how careful were they to acquit and cleer God to be just in all that was come upon them yea the Church in the time of her desertion retains Christ as a King and calls him so so that they have as high esteems of God now in their low condition as in their prosperous estate and as they dare not entertain hard conceipts of God so neither of his Cause nor his People they are not sorry that they have been so far engaged for them Many people are like bad servants simile Use of reproof who while they have every thing fitting that becomes them can give their masters family a good report but let them be crost of their minds and go away in a discontent Oh how vily do they speak of it and as sturdy beggers while they find releef and succor they can give good words and they are their masters and best friends but let them be sent away empty and then what name is bad enough for them so when things goes well with the cause of God and his people they will be on Gods side Oh take heed of being sorry that ever you were engaged so far as you are or thinking to draw back that it had been better you had not been so forward as you have been this is a base and vile spirit see but how low the Church was in affliction and yet with what a gallant spirit she carried it out Psal 44.12 13.15 and 17. verses in these times how is this text fulfilled in the 15. verse how do they complain that men do blaspheam deride and scorn them and in the 17. verse All this is come upon us What then Is not God good and his Cause good that we maintain No God forbid such a thought should enter into us Although all this evil be come upon us yet have we not dealt falsly with thee in thy Covenant Oh let us lay up this truth and it would be a mighty comfort and stay to us in these times and it would be a very good rise to prayer for mark in the 23. verse Awake why sleepest thou Oh Lord arise and help us Those can pray to purpose who in the sorest afflictions can manifest the most fear of God and exercise the most love towards God and his waies notwithstanding Obs 2 A repenting heart is not a discouraged heart It is such a heart as sinks not down in discouragements saying as some do we are a lost people and undone there is no hope we had been better never to have ventured so far as we have but give over what we have done it dares not draw conclusions from what hath been to what is and what will be this is too much presumption for any man David in the Cave can trust in God and hide himself under Gods wing Psal 57.1 So long as there is a God in Heaven this soul will expect help from him a true penitent will expect mercy notwithstanding Gods severity and justice the severity of justice in God cannot keep him from waiting for and expecting of what God hath promised if the soul can but get over this difficulty the deep gulf of Gods justice it will easily get over all other dreadfulness of mens displeasure a repenting heart is a purged heart and therefore not a discouraged but a supported heart those which are unclean of foul and filthy spirits are alwaies jealous of God and his dealings towards them Oh let it appear that we are not of discouraged and sinking spirits by the cleanness of our lives and the purity of our conversations carnal hearts are not discouraged when they have carnal helps to underprop them and shall we be afraid of any difficulty who have God for our help Remarkable is that place The Philistines motive to courage in the battel 1 Sam. 4.9 concerning the speech which was made to the Philistims upon the coming of the Ark into the camp of Israel what a fear were they put into yet how do they encourage themselves Let us fight valiently for our wives and children and estates that we and our little ones be not slaves to the Hebrews So say I let us be couragious in these times and fight for our Liberties Laws and Religion Did we but spend that strength in returning unto God which we do in discouragements Oh how soon would help come for us were we but thus resolved Now though we must not be discouraged when helps and means fail but yet humbled we must be for our sins which cause these breaches see how the Prophet Habackuk mannages this disposition c. 3. v. 16 17. we should improve our humiliation as they did Judges 20. who though in a good cause Judg. 20. a cause which God approved of yet lost fourty thousand men at two battels in the prosecution of it what do they now leave it off and run away No but put on courage and resolution fasted and prayed and humbled themselves before the God of their fathers and then they prospered Oh let us be humbled that we may not be discouraged And as we must not be discouraged so must we not falsly encourage our selves as they said The bricks are fallen down but we can build with hewen stone so say not this Army is lost but we can raise another quickly

way of Gods worship because some in authority as the Parliament seek to take away corruption in the worship of God Parliam abundance of people cry out that they are enemies unto all Religion that they will take away all Religion Thus it is reported by your countrey people that dwel far off as in Wales and in other places the people are there perswaded that the Parliament are a company of vile men that seek to take away all Religion out of the Kingdom But this is so but in the understanding of a Rabshekah that thinks the taking away of high places to be the taking away of Religion The other King is Jehosaphat that is commended for taking away the high places and it is noted of him that his heart was lifted up more than ordinary in the waies of God when he did it For this sacrificing upon the high places was such a thing that the people were so set upon it what say they is it not a brave decent thing that we should go up to a high place to offer unto the high God therefore when Jehosahhat took them away the text saith his heart was lifted up in a more than ordinary manner So it should be with Governours when they see corruptions in Gods worship though the people stick close to them yet they should have their hearts lifted up with courage and zeal to go on in the work Use In 2 Chron. 17.6 there you have it His heart was lifted up in the waies of God Moreover he took the high places and groves out of Judah Here is two things that Israel is charged for the high places and the groves Jehosaphat took away and he took them away out of Judah He was of a lift up mind and his heart took boldness for the waies of God so the old Latine hath it But mark what course what way did Jehosaphat take to remove the high places and the groves In the 7. verse of that chapter you find this He sent to his Princes to teach in the Cities of Judah Mark here Princes are become Preachers He sent to his Princes to teach in the Cities of Judah Princes preachers and with them Levites and Priests and they taught in Judah and had the book of the Law with them and they went about all the Cities of Judah and taught the people This is the course to take them away If he had only by an Edict removed them he could not have done so much but he took this wise course he sent faithful Preachers thoroughout all the Countrey in all the great Cities especially He was careful they should have faithful Preachers and then the work would be easily done So that it appears it was because of the ill Preachers they had before or because they had no Preachers at all that the high places were so hard to be taken away How easie would it be in England at this day to make a Reformation preaching the way to remove superstitiō to take away corruptions from the worship of God if in all Cities and Towns there were faithful Preachers For we see apparantly that people that have been brought up in ignorance they stick most to these things Let a faithful Minister come into a Congregation and take pains so that the people may see and be convinced that he takes pains and expound the Scripture unto them they will begin to confess we get more by this than by all the reading of prayers all this while and this is more painful to the Minister They would I say be convinced of this if they had teaching This was Jehosaphats way and Oh how happy were it if we took the same course But there is one thing more observable it is said in this 7. chapter that Jehosaphat took away the high places but in Chap. 20. ver 33. 2 Chron. 17. with cap 20.33 reconciled it is said he took them not away but how is it It is put upon the people the text saith The high places were not taken away for as yet the people had not prepared their heart unto the God of the●● fathers The people were the cause Now for the reconciling of these two places it seems Jehosaphat did what lay in him In chap. 17. therefore God accounts it as being done for his part but because when he had done what he could yet the people were so stubborn and stout and would not yeild to the command of the King therefore in this 20. Chapter it is all layed upon the people As if God should say they were not taken away because the people had not prepared their hearts but as for Jehosaphat he did what lay in him for the taking them away God will accept of the intention of Governours Let them do what they can in it and if it be not done the fault will lie where the cause is You may see by this that people may hinder the work of Reformation much their hearts were not prepared that is they were not fit to receive such instructions as were sent unto them And truly in England many people are not yet prepared to receive the work of Reformation We never read that is observable too of any difficulty of any of the Kings either of Judah or Israel to bring in any false worship observe it in all the stories of the Kings or Chronicles when there was any King that would bring in any false worship there was never any difficulty in it Obser But when good Kings did seek to bring in true worship and to cast out false it was too difficult a work for them Thus mens hearts do cleave more to false worship than they do to true And this is one thing further observable for the high places that it is not said here in the Text only that they sacrificed upon the Mountain● but upon the top of the mountains There are two things very observable from hence First It noteth the publickness of their way of Idolatry They would not do it in a corner in a hole but they would go to the mountains Observ to the top of the mountains and were not ashamed Idolatry is brazen faced it is impudent and loveth to be publick Use Oh why should we not have the true worship of God as publick It is a lamentable case when the true worship of God must get into holes and corners and dare not appear in publick yea when they are persecuted because they are in corners and they say they get into holes and corners and there they do thus and thus Well my brethren let us pray and endeavor what we can to bring in the true worship of God to the most publick way that may be that we may not be ashamed of it in publick before the world In Revel 14.6 Revel 14.6 there is mention of an Angel flying in the midst of Heaven having the everlasting Gospel in his hand to preach unto them that dwell on the earth Now

it self As thus His glory was as the Son of God The Princes of Judah were those that removed the bound by the light of Nature and the Law of God it was a wicked thing to remove bounds you may see it forbidden by the Law of God Deut. 27.17 It was a custom among the Heathens and the Romans That Obser 2 if any man removed the bound the antient Land-mark if they were poor they were adjudged to slavery to dig in deep pits if rich men to be banished and lose a third part of their estates The Princes of Judah broke down the bounds in a Fourfold way 1. They took away mens estates that were none of their own God appoints men their bounds and estates therefore 't is not in the power of Princes to take them away at their pleasure It was not in the power of Ahab to take away Naboths Vinyard nay nor to force him to sell it though a King he thought it too much to take it by violence and Jezebel though a cruel woman yet would not take his Vinyeard without some coulor of Law Therefore Princes have no right to the Subjects estates and liberty for to take them away at their pleasures though such principles of late have been infused into them by some for which we at this day suffer so heavily In Isa 1.23 Their Princes are said to be rebellious and companions of theeves Now if all were their own they could not break bounds We would think that they of all men should not break bounds for what is it they may not have if they would I have read a story in Plutarch concerning Cyneas and Pyrrhus who was mightily set upon war with Italy Cyneas speaks thus unto him What shall we get if we overcome the Romans Saith Pyrrhus We shall subdue our great enemy and be made possessors of a brave Country Cyneas asked him what he would do then Saith Pyrrhus Then we will subdue Affrica Carthage and Sicila And what then Then saith Pyrrhus we wil feast drink and be merry Cyneas answered Why may you not do so now without sheding so much blood putting your self to so much trouble and endangering your person If Princes would keep within their bounds what hinders but that they may enjoy themselves and their comforts with peace and quiet without the sheding of so much blood 2. They break all bounds That is They break all Laws and Liberties they wil not be bound by Laws saying thus Laws were made for subjects and not for Princes And thus these Princes broke the bounds Hence we may see what corruption there is in the hearts of men naturally and this is furthered by evil Counsellors I have read of Cambyses who had a desire to marry his Sister but questioning whether he might do it or no he cals his judges together to give him their advice they told him there was a Law against it but say they Ye Princes of Persia may do what you will They were so far from diswading him from that wicked act that they gave him incouragement to it And hath not our time afforded such Counsellors to our Princes 2. They break the bonds of Religion Therefore Interpreters conceive that our Prophet Hosea prophesied in Ahaz his time when he provoked God so by Idolatry setting up the abomination of desolation And this is the great breach of bonds when people must provoke God God hath set bounds to His Word for His Worship and Service Now take heed that you go not beyond those bounds for any pretence of decency or comlinesse sutable to the state in which we live and such like God hath given great liberty in Civil things for men to use but none in hi● Worship and waies Oh what evil have Popish Princes done in this thing in removing these bounds and this is the main reason which makes Papists so to labour for the upholding and setting up an arbitrary government having thereby ●ull liberty to break all bounds in Religion Lastly They brake the bonds of their own Covenants and regarded them not These were the corruptions of these Princes they brake all sorts of bonds Civil Spiritual Covenanting bonds nothing will keep them in But hath God left no means to keep these in bounds Quest Princes as well as Subjects To this I answer Yea certainly Answ Those who at first gave power for families and persons to keep these never tollerated the great ones to break them The Law of Nature never gives power to destroy it self especially in a Kingdom where there are defensive offencive means to be used against any means that the greatest in power may raise against the Laws and Liberties of men for there is no man who is a subject to the Prince but is also to the State and the State may deal with his instruments that he imploys either defencively or offencively Trajan after he was made Emperor put a sword into his Officers hand to defend him while he defended the Laws but if he did fail in his duty gave the Officer leave to deale with him as a delinquent It will be worth our pains and cost if after all our troubles we can but get the Kingdom setled in its true rights and liberties though our workmen who are making up our breaches through some negligence or miscarriage suffer the wild beasts to break in yet let not us murmur and repine but be content and bless God that we have means for to help our selves few yeers since we thought our breaches to be so wide that none could help or deliver us now then that God hath raised up for us helpers contrary to our expectation bless God for them and be content let us stir up our selves and joyn with them for their assurance If the Sea should break in upon a Country would you sit stil or let any rest quiet by you that would not stir to make up the breach A Farmer is contented to suffer Cattel and see them to run up and down in his ground while his workmen are making up his hedges and fences for to keep them out So our workmen are making up the hedges let us be contented to suffer a while patiently The truth is those most complain of confusions and disturbances who have been most instrumental to make our breaches and distractions and thus the Princes of Judah were like them that break the bound and for thus doing the Lord threatens in the following words to powr out his wrath upon them like water They have past their bounds in sinning and my wrath shall pass its bounds upon them they kept no bounds in sinning and my wrath shall keep no bounds in punishing The Hebrews use to express anger by a word that signifies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 going beyond bounds noting thus much that ordinarily in our anger we are apt to go beyond bounds and besides the rule The sence then is I will powr my wrath upon them in great abundance like waters The judgments of

God in Scripture are often set out unto us by this similitude of water as in Isa 28.17 Nahum 1.8 look as their anger ran like water so my wrath shall run upon them until they are consumed That Gods wrath is very hot against wicked Governours such as break the bounds of Religion Laws and Covenants the Lord is much displeased against great ones when wicked Numb 25.4 the people of Israel committed a great evil in provoking God by their Idolatry joyning themselves to Baal-Peor and the Lord said Take the heads of Israel The people offended and it was by the encouragement of the Governors therefore their heads must off the people sin and the Governors must suffer because they reproved them not nor restrained them but countenanced them Hence we may note That we had need to pray much for Princes Fearful are the examples which historiaans report of concerning the judgments of God upon wicked Princes Leander in the discription of Italy reports of a cruel Tyrant who perswaded himself that he must give an account to no man none could call him to an account for what he did at last God gave him into the hands of the people who strip'd him naked bound him upon a planck and drew him through the streets in the sight of all the people then made a great fire by him and heated tongs red hot in the fire when they had done thus then proclaimation was made in the Market place that seeing he had wronged so many that he was never able to make satisfaction for the wrong he had done therefore all that had suffered by him should come and have a pull at his flesh with the red hot tongs Another fearful example we have of latter times concerning Charls the 9th about the massacre in France who at that time pretended great love and kindness to the Protestant party invited them to a great marriage feast and at that time by his Commission calls in those bloody miscreants who cruelly murdered the Protestant party there he broke bounds but see how God met with him in a most grievous disease through the violence of which there spurted out blood from him in several parts of his body so that he wallowed in his blood before he died God powred out His wrath upon them in blood who in their life time thirsted after blood Secondly The bounds of Religion and Laws as they keep in obedience Obs 2 so they keep out judgments Pure Religion and good Laws as they are bounds to keep us in duty so they keep judgments and wrath from us And we ought to look upon Laws in both these notions not only to keep us in order and duty but also to keep out wrath if we break our bounds we must look that wrath should break in upon us therefore we had need to do as men that live neer the Sea when the Sea breaks in upon them they presently leave all their other businesses and go about that Our bounds are broken and who is the occasion of it the Lord knows and wrath is broken in upon u● at our breaches therefore let us now as one man set about the making up of our breaches Obs 3 Thirdly God punisheth according to mens sins They break the bounds God breaks in with wrath upon them are they resolute in sinning God will be as resolute in his judgments upon them see that text Jer. 44.25 You have sworn and vowed to your superstitions and I have sworn to bring judgment upon you and it shall come to pass Therefore when judgments are upon us Use if we would have them removed we should diligently observe what sins we are guilty of which answereth to the judgment which is upon us for many times we may trace the cause of a judgment by the sin that we are guilty of and if we ever look to have troubles removed we must first remove sin the cause of them VER 11. Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment because he willingly walked after the commandement WRATH in the former verse was threatned against the Princes of Judah who removed the bound And here the Lord returns again to Ephraim in this 11. verse and the 12. verse to Judah and Ephraim both together they being both a provocation to God are plagued both together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word Oppressed in the original is Nashuk translated by Hierom Calumnia Ephraim suffered and was oppressed by false accusations and slanderings for there is an opposition in mens names and estates which the Seventy usually translate by Sycophantia The 70. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and then we may render i● thu● Ephraim by Sychophants doth suffer a great deal of wrong When there are false reports raised against men they suffer wrong by it false reports are as a false Medium which represents things in another manner than they are As put a staff into the water simile and it shews to be crooked but take it out and 't is not so So the actions of men in the reports of others may seem crooked when in themselves are strait and good And thus was Ephraim broken in judgment though his cause was good yet 't was made bad if he were wronged he could have no releef for himself So that good causes by bad men are many times perverted but the Sain●s may support themselves with Pauls comfort who passed not much for mans judgment In this signification the Seventy Translators do often take the word but in this place they express it by another word thus * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 English translatiō Ephraim hath over-powered his adversaries and so hath trod down judgment they interpret it actively But the words are well rendred in your books in the passive participle and so they are to be read Ephraim is broken in judgment Concussus judicio concussio is a Law word signifying such a kind of breaking and oppression as threatneth the utter ruine and undoing of a man by Law As many rich men threaten poor men when they do them any wrong I 'le be even with you I 'l ow you a good turn Or as Magistrates that are corrupt and wicked when they cannot bring poor men to say or do what they would have them they will threaten to undo them or if ever it lie in their power they wil ow them a good turn of which carriage Samuel cleers himself 1 Sam. 12.3 Crimea cōcussionis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whom have I defrauded or whom have I * oppressed the word is the same here That is used my power to threaten men to yeeld up their liberties their rights their enjoyments by any power which was in my hands This was the sin of the great Princes here of the ten Tribes Broken in judgment That is Expos Not in Gods judgment upon them but in the judgment of their own cause they were crushed in their estates liberties and laws and that not only by their own Magistrates

prohibiteth this Deut. 12.13.14 Take heed to thy self that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest but in the place which the Lord shall chuse in one of thy tribes there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings God would limit them the place of his worship When the Ark was made and the Tabernacle they were bound to come to that and sacrifice there and no where else and so when the Temple was built they were bound to come thither and to sacrifice there and no where else Yea then the Lord commanded them to pull down the high place and to cut down the groves and trees Deut. 12.2 Ye shall utterly destroy all the places wherein the Nations which ye possess served their gods upon the high mountains and upon the hills and under every green tree When once God had appointed a place of worship then they were to destroy the other places where the Heathens were wont to worship their gods The Note is this from it When once God chuseth places or things when God once putteth a stamp of holiness upon places or things Obser then no men may chuse places or things and put such a stamp of holiness upon them as God hath put If God appointeth a way of worship of his own this stops us from all other of our own If God makes a place holy this stops us that we must never make any place holy but that so it is true of things of ceremonies any thing if once God sets a stamp upon a thing to make it holy we must confine our selves to that and not think to immitate God in it to make any thing of the same kind to be holy as God hath done It was now a sin for them and God stands much upon circumstances we see in his worship You shall have many men plead why should men be so strict and scrupulous to stand upon circumstances what must we have every circumstance in the word of God commanded My brethren that which is natural and moral and may be subservient to religious things may be left it's true unto prudence but whatsoever hath any Religion in it though it be but a circumstance God stands much upon it and we must have a Divine rule for it Natural circumstances moral civil circumstances prudence is enough to guide us in but any religious circumstance we must have a rule for it Here they are not accused for sacrificing the things they ought not to sacrifice no question but they offered those sacrifices which they were commanded sheep and beeve● and the like but only in the circumstance of place they did not sacrifice where God would have them sacrifice therefore God charged them in this thing that they went a whoring from under their God It is true we reade sometime of some godly mens sacrificing else where Gideon under an Oak Judg. 6. and Samuel upon an high place 1 Sam. 2. and so David in the threshing floor of Araunah 2 Sam. 24. Now to all those instances the answer generally is given by Divines that they could not be any way lawful for them to do thus but by some special dispensation of God himself some special revelation from God to give them order to do it there or elf it could not but be a sin For the Kings of Israel and Judah they also are charged for their sacrificing in the high places Even Solomon himself in 1 King 3.3 where when he is commended for loving the Lord and walking in the Statutes of David his father at first yet the text saith Only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places And amongst other high places we re●de in 2 Chron. 1.2 that Solomon went to Gibeon that was a great high place And though some excuse him because it is said the Tabernacle was there therefore he might go to Gibeon that great high place to sacrifice yet for al that Austin in his Questions upon Judges he thinketh Solomon is to be blamed though the Tabernacle was there Austin for he it seems sacrificed in other high places besides and though the Tabernacle was there yet it seems he put a more than ordinary respect upon that high place wherefore else is it called the great high place and he went there not only for the sake of the Tabernacle but became it was that great high place therefore he is to be blamed So that we may go to Gods Ordinances but if we do go to the Ordinances of God where yet there are other mixtures and we do the rather go and esteem of them because there is some addition of mans inventions Obser this is a sin against God And further this is observable though Solomon were blamable for going unto that high place though the Tabernacle were there having some more than ordinary respect unto that high place yet we find that God revealed himself unto Solomon in a wonderful gracious manner even in that place and bad Solomon ask what he would Solomon had very graci●u● manifestations of God unto him when he went to that high place though there was evil in it and he put more respect upon it than he should So certainly many of Gods people have found God so far indulge them that though sometimes they have been in the use of Ordinances where there hath been such mixtures as they have sinned against God that Ordinance hath been polluted unto them by those mixtures yet 〈◊〉 Lord hath been so gracious unto them that he hath accepted of the uprightness of their hearts and they have had many sweet manifestations of God unto them even in these Ordinances they can remember those times when they have been at Sacrament and they have known how they offended against God by reason of some pollutions yet they have found for all this God letting out of abundance of mercy unto them refreshing their souls with comfort and joy in the holy Ghost This was Gods me●cy Do not you think therefore that there was no evil in it because God let out himself so far unto you Use There was evil in Solomons respecting this high place so much yet God let out himself abundantly unto him Other Kings there were that are exceedingly blamed that they did not take down the high places which were all one with these mountains here spoken of Yet there were some of the Kings that were very careful in this thing As amongst the rest Hezekiah and Jehosaphat Hezekiah in 2 King 18.22 where he is charged by Rabshekah for taking down the high places Is it not he that hath destroyed the high places and Altars of God saith he God approveth of it well though Rabshekah thinks he hath done ill Oh saith he Hezekiah do you trust in him he hath taken down the high places He thought that Hezekiah had been an enemy unto Religion and to the worship of God for taking down the high places Thus it is with ignorant people at this day that do not know the