Egypt yet stil they were my Sons Now we are ready to think that if God bring us into sore afflictions then we are no more sons No thou mayest be delivered up to the power of the enemy and yet a son of God still and no slave for all that and no enemy There 's a notable Scripture in Deut. 32. 10. where it is said of the people of Israel That they were in the waste howling wilderness and yet they were as the apple of Gods eye so thou maest be delivered up to the wast howling wilderness to suffer sore things to be banished from thy house and home and to wander up and down in the wilderness and yet remain as the apple of Gods eye It is a strange sight indeed to see a child of God an Heir of Heaven a Co heir with Jesus Christ one dearer unto God than Heaven and Earth to be under the power the humors the lusts of wicked men of base ungodly ones yet it is so yea for a time they may be slaves to Satan I say those that God hath an eternal love to even are for a season oft times slaves to Satan But then they have not the comfort of this Son-ship nor do not know it But now they may know themselves to be Sons and yet slaves to the humors of wicked and ungodly men there is not a stranger sight in the world I beleeve the Angels in Heaven do not see a stranger sight that they more admire at when they see a godly man to be under the lusts of wicked men but this is Gods work for the present God intends to manifest himself in another way hereafter but for the present he fetches about the glory of his own ends this way to let even his own dear sons to be in Egypt But God calls them out of Egypt God hath his time to deliver his people and call them out of Egypt and 't is but a Call and it 's done it is as easily done as a man that gives a call for such a one out of such a place let our bondage be never so great 't is but a word from God to deliver us Again It is a great mercy to be cal'd out of Egypt This the Lord here brings as a great testimony of his love to them that he calls them out of Egypt In Exod. 12. 42. It is a night to be much observed of all the Children of Israel in their Generations To be called from that Egypt was a fruit of Love and so to be called from spiritual Egypt for mans natural estate is a spiritual Egypt to be cal'd from Antichristian Egypt is a great fruit of Love and as 't is a fruit of love so it is an aggravation of sin for so it is brought I called my Son out of Egypt and yet they did thus and thus If God remembred this mercy of calling them out of Egypt so many years before as an aggravation of their sin how much more may the Lord make that an aggravation of our sin that called us of late out of that Egypt that we were in Many waies I might shew you that we were under a great if not a greater bondage than the Israelites were under in Egypt And there hath been as out stretched an arm though not so obvious to sence in calling of us out as in calling of them out of Egypt now let not this be an aggravation of our sin the sound of our cries under the yoke of our bondage is not yet out of our ears and the very sores of our shoulders through their yokes are not yet throughly healed and therefore if we now before the sound be out of our ears and our sores be healed yet grow to be wanton foolish vain proud cruel oppressing one another and abusing of our liberty Oh! our sin must needs be accounted exceeding great before God Well but yet we see not all the mind of God in this expression nor the chief part of his mind for we find in in Matth. 2. 15. that there the holy Ghost cites this Scripture that now I am opening to you and interprets it of Jesus Christ When Jesus Christ was fain to fly into Egypt to save his life the holy Ghost saith That it was to fulfil that Scripture I called my Son out of Egypt It is a very strange Interpretation as we have divers other such in the new Testament and Hierom upon the place saith That Julian takes advantage upon this and some of the Jews with others that hated Christian Religion did take much advantage upon this quotation of Matthew against the Authority of the Gospel and said surely it argued Matthew very unskilful in Scripture that he should make such a quotation as this when it is apparant that it is spoken of the calling of the people of Israel out of Egypt And truly we should never have thought that there had been such a meaning in this place of Hosea had we not found it so interpreted by the holy Ghost And by the way before we come to open that and shew how that was a right quotation of this Scripture I 'le but observe this one Note from it that we may see that by the interpretation both of Matthew and divers other places we find in the new Testament that there is much more of the mind of God in the old Testament than was ordinarily known to them that lived in those times Which of the Jews could have made such an Interpretation I have called my Son out of Egypt That is Jesus Christ after he is born he shall be persecuted and forced to fly for his life and that into Egypt and he shall come again out of Egypt who could have thought the holy Ghost could have intended such a thing as this is Things were not understood til they came to be fulfilled and then they were understood And the truth is as in the old Testament so in the new there are a great many Scriptures that we understand yet but little of And the time of our knowing the meaning of them is reserved to the time when they are to be fulfilled many Prophesies we have in the Revelations and other places that are I am confident as dark to us as this place of Hosea was dark to the Jews and there is as excellent a spiritual meaning in many places of the new Testament hidden from us that will hereafter to the Church of God be revealed cleerly as there were in the old Testament many places I know not whether I may say as many as those but are as much hidden from us Jesus Christ that was the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world in Rev. 5. 〈◊〉 he that shall open the Book that is seal'd and it is a fruit of the death of Christ it is the Lamb as he is a Lamb slain from the beginning of the world that shall open the Book that is sealed there are many
of this world so he way of the promoting of the Kingdom of Christ it is not by endeavoring the correspondencie of it with this world God hath laid the great work of mans salvation the greatest work that concerns the glorie of his Name in that which is foolishness to men and almost all the great works of God especially those that have a more immediate subservencie unto the Kingdom of his Son he brings those works about not by mans counsel but by waies and means that seems folly to the counsels of wise men of men carnally wise But we come now unto the Seventh Verse VER 7. My people are bent to back-sliding c. IT may be sometimes they begin to reform but they are quickly off again for there is a principle of Apostasie in them They are bent to back-sliding If they do any thing in the way of Reformation it is upon some external motive but their hearts are another way They are like a bough of a Tree that is bent contrary to the Nature of it by an external force it may be for the present yeelds such a way but there 's an inclination a propension in the Bough to go another way the way that its own nature carries it unto Thus it was often with Israel upon some extraordinary work of God they would do such and such things but they were as a deceitfâ—l bow that soon starts back My brethren let us search our hearts there was a great forwardness of Reformation in the beginning of the Parliament then how did men stir the Spirits of men did seem to be then of another way than now thy seem to be It appears that in many of them it was ony a spirit against those that had oppressed them and a 〈◊〉 umphing and rejoycing in having their wills upon them and in the novelty of change of things but their hearts remain as carnal drossie vain as ever and therefore when mens wills were a little satisfied and they saw that the godly people of the Land began to rejoyce hoping that now there should be a greater freedom for and countenance of the Religious party than ever and finding that there were some difficulties in the work of Reformation and that thereby their lusts should be curbed they should not have that licentiousness in their sinful waies as before upon this their hearts are bent to back-sliding that is they fall off from the godly people of the Land that they formerly closed with and seem'd much to rejoyce in now their hearts are against them as much as ever they were with them yea their hearts do vex and fret at any Liberties they may possibly enjoy or at any work of Reformation that is begun Thus it is in the publick mens hearts are bent to backsliding And privately for the particular mens hearts are bent to backsliding from the waies of godliness that they began to profess as thus Many yong ones and others who have had workings on their hearts and have made great profession of Religion yet not having their hearts changed First Gods waies have been unsutable to them and therefore have been hard and tedious to them Secondly Other things they have had a greater mind to only they have been kept from them by the strength of conviction and external motives But upon that they have grown wearie of the waies of God that 's a third degree weary of them Yea Fourthly They have watched all advantages how they might get off from what they have made profession of Yea Fifthly They have been sorry that they have engaged themselves so much as they did Yea Sixthly Any Objections against such waies they greedily imbrace and diligently improve Yea Seventhly They are very ready to take any offence Yea Eightly They watch for offences And Ninthly Any Opinion that will give them a liberty from that straitness they made profession of before they are willing to imbrace and entertain if there be any practice that may give them any more liberty they fall presently to it and so they come to backslide Now their actural backslidings are but a fruit of the bent of their spirits their spirits were bent to backsliding before and what they do now is but a fruit of the inward bent of their spirits Let such know that if they have no need of the waies of godliness the waies of godliness have no need of them the waies of godliness shall be justified and honored when they shal perish and be swept oft as filth and dung from the face of the earth I 'le leave only that Scripture with them in Heb. 10. 38. If any man draw back my Soul shall have no pleasure in him But I find the reading of these words bent to back-sliding very various and indeed the Hebrew doth seem to countenance divers readings and Calvin he doth reade it and Pareus and others of our later Writers Suspenst sunt they are as men in suspence hanging as it were in suspence for so the word translated Bent it is a word that signifies a propension to a thing and they turn it Men that are in suspence and so the Septuagints translation They are a people in suspence and it is very proper to the Hebrew word here to translate it thus They are a people in suspence Now then If the translation of the word be thus which is for ought I know as sutable or rather more than the other why then there are these two things mainly in it First They are in suspence that is They being in straits know not what to do I find in Deut. 28. 66. Thy life shall hang in doubt before thee The same word that here is translated Bent it is there Hanging in doubt and that makes me the rather think that this Interpretation may set out the mind of the holy Ghost in this Scripture so then the meaning must be this They see themselves in a sad condition that they know not which way to turn themselves they see their plots take not their designs prosper not they see God is out against them they would fain fal upon new plots but they see as great an unlikelihood to prosper in their new plots as in the former what the Issue of them may be they know not thus they are in suspence and in doubt not knowing which way to turn themselves And blessed be God that hath put our adversaries in suspence and doubt This is a judgment of God upon men who cannot trust God in his right and holy wayes they must have waies of their own they follow their own counsels and these counsels of their own insnares them and brings them into most miserable straights that they know not how to extricate themselves God makes the waies of the righteous plain to them But the counsels of mens hearts brings them into straights They thought to deal more wisely for themselves
he doth not say here Your King shall not save you nor your Cities shal not save you nor your Princes and Nobles shall not save you but where are they in a kind of Irony God loves to insult over the carnal confidences of men And we find in Scripture many such kind of Insultings over men in Deut. 32. 37. Where are your Gods that should deliver you And in Is 19. 12. Where are thy Wise-men What we have got States-men men known in State Affairs we have them with us But where are they saith God Thus the Lord insults over men that put their confidence in the flesh and especially when they have been confident in their own waies forsaking God and so bringing themselves to misery when they have brought themselves to misery by forsaking the waies of God now God insults now where are these things that you put such confidence in And truly even the Saints so be it they do it in an holy humble way they may have some kind of insulting over ungodly men only because they have so much flesh in them there 's danger therefore they had need keep their hearts very low But if they do it in the strength of God we have it in Scripture That the Virgin Daughter of Zion shall laugh at them and laugh them to scorn Only keep your hearts I say low and you may come to see the Glory of God even insult in this That God hath heard your Prayer and hath been with his People and that the Enemy hath had so much power and strength in the flesh and yet how the Lord hath disappointed them And then further This is the great confusion to carnal hearts when they shall be asked Where 's their Confidence and their Boasting and they shall be found speechless when this shall be ask'd them Where 's your bravery and pride and stoutness of your hearts and they shal be able to say nothing Oh! this wil be a great confusion and shame upon them Certainly ere long it will be so to all carnal hearts that make their boast in the pomp and glory of the world there shall be a confounding Where Asked them Where 's all your Bravery and Pride and Rage I say this confounding Where will be asked to every wicked and ungodly man What will they be able to say then In Judg. 9. 28. we reade of one Gaal the son of Ebed who said Who is Abimelech but in vers 38. when Abimelech came with strength against him Zebal said to him Where is now thy mouth wherewith thou saidest Who is Abimelech that we should serve him When men are in their pride bravery then they scorn at God and men they little regard any thing that is said to them but when God brings them down low then wheretis that mouth of thine that did so boast and speak so proudly as heretofore it did My brethren let us learn from hence therfore To seek after and rest upon those things which we may be able alwaies to give an accompt of where they are if it should be ask'd us the Saints if it should be ask'd them Where is their God they can give an accompt It 's the God of Heaven that we have trusted in it 's the God that is in the highest Heavens and in the hearts of the Saints we can tell where our God is It is just with God that wicked men should be insulted over because they insult over the Saints so if God do but seem to absent himself from his People they will presently insult over them yea where 's your God where 's your Prayers and Fastings Have not some of you heard such language many times in this Kingdom There 's no such time but the Saints of God can give an Answer to this Where they can tell where their Fastings and Prayers are but the wicked are not able to tell what is become of their Confidences and boastings Therfore O you Saints of God never be afraid of evil men for ere long it will be demanded of them where their Pomp and Glory and Pride is but they cannot answer And it follows Thy Judges of whom thou saidst Give me a King and Princes By Judges though sometimes Kings are meant as Amos 2. 3. I will cut off the Judg out of the midst of thee he speaks saith Drusius of the King of Moab we are to understand here their Nobles and Great men upon whom they relied for so they are call'd in Scripture Judges they had indeed Judges before that time when they said Give us a King and Princes they had Judges but they were of meaner rank in comparison of those they had after they had Judges that by Gods appointment govern'd them but they were too mean for them no they must have a KING they must have PRINCES they must have such JUDGES that are Kings and Princes Great men for these that they had to rule over them they were but of their own rank and this would not satisfie them but they must have such as were great ones above them those were but ordinary men what were they but the Commons of the same ranke with other men and raised up but a little while ago from the ordinary way and rank of men and why should not we be rul'd and govern'd by them No we must have a King and Nobles and they must govern us Give us a King and Princes God had been much with these Judges reade but the story of the Judges and you shall find that God had ever more appeared with them I do not remember any one of the Judge but ever prevail'd when God raised him up but now this people they regard them not why because they were but meaner men they were but men of their own rank though God did assist them so exceedingly Oh my Brethren this is the ordinary guize of carnal hearts Though God be much with men yet if they be but of a low rank carnal hearts regards them not let them do never so great services and be never so instrumental for the Kingdom even those men that have had their estates preserved by them that have had their Liberties and all kept by them and by a mighty Spirit that God hath put into them yet when the work is over they look upon them but as mean ordinarie men men of a common rank and so let them go they after all the great things that God hath done by them still their thoughts and minds are upon others that are above them and Princes and Nobles such men they rely more upon men in whom they see outward pomp and glory then upon those that have the presence of God never so much with them and they regard them more and they do think that they shall receive more good by them and their hearts are more towards them if they have outward pomp and glory than towards such men that are in a meaner condition though there be never
when God loved him you may find in Ezek. 16. 4 5. c. And as for thy Nativity in the day that thou wast born thy navel was not cut neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee thou wast not salted at all nor swadled at all and then in the 5. verse None eye piâ—ed thee to do any of these unto thee to bave compassion upon thee but thou wast cast out in the open field to the loathing of thy person in the day that thou wast born then in the 6. verse And when I passed by tree and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Livâ— yet I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live Again and again and then in the 8. verse Now when I passed by thee and looked upon thee behold thy time was the time of love and I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakedness yea I sware unto thee and entred into a Covenant with thee saith the Lord God and thou becamest mine Well but wherein did God manifest that he did love Israel when he was a Child Mark the 8. verse When I passed by thee and looked upon thee behold thy time was the time of love and I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakedness yea I sware unto thee and entred into a Covenant with thee saith the Lord and thou becamest mine The Love of God to Israel i exprest in these three particulars First That God made a Covenant with him Oh 't is a great mercy of God and a fruit of great love that such an infinite God would be pleased to make a Covenant with his people to bring them into Covenant with him all man-kind was in Covenant with God at first but falling from that first Covenant there was but only a peculier people that God took into Covenant with himself and made it as a fruit of his great love to take a certain people into Covenant with himself more than others And secondly Thou becamest mine that is I had separated thee for my self and took thee for a peculier one to me and intended special mercy and goodness to thee Thou becamest mine so as that I should have a special propriety in thee and thou shouldest have a special propriety in me And then thirdly I confirmed all this by an Oath I sware this unto thee Was not here love for God to Covenant to take in to such propriety and to swear that we should be his Thus when Israel was a child I loved him that 's the meaning of this Scripture Now the Note of Observation is this First That it is the priviledg of the Church and of the Saints for God to love them God loves his people this is their priviledge he loves them with a special love In the 12. of Jer. 7. they are called the dearly beloved of Gods soul see how God loves his people God he delights in his Saints and there is nothing in the world that should sanctifie a gracious heart more than this That God loves him And as Gods love is extraordinary to them more than to other People so their love again should be reflected upon God in a more than ordinary way There 's nothing can be a recompence to Love but Love that 's certain Love is never satisfied but with Love And therefore seeing God professes love to his people he doth expect love from them therefore he will not be satisfied with any duties you perform whatsoever you do but it must be out of Love Love must have Love and know that you cannot prize Gods love more than God prizes yours there is nothing in Heaven and Earth that God prizes more than the love of his Saints and therefore if ever Gods love or Gods prizing of your love may gain love Oh you Saints love the Lord. That 's the first But Secondly It 's a great aggravation unto sin to sin against love For to that end God here shews that he loved them that he might aggravate their sin so much the more and cleer himself Many times you make in the daies of your humiliation and at other times many aggravations of your sin that your sin it is against knowledge this is great That your sin it is of an hainous nature that it doth a great deal of hurt that it brings you under dreadful threatnings that it provokes the wrath of an infinite God against you these are great things for the humbling of your hearts for sin But above all aggrevations for sin this is the great aggravation That your sin is against Love that though God hath shown much love to you yet you sin against a loving God and a gracious God God begins with this aggravation being his scope here to cleer himself and to charge his people of ungratefulness yet God loved them Oh! sins against love are great sins indeed But Thirdly I loved him when he was a child 〈◊〉 very 〈…〉 to mind Gods old love That 's the Third Note The love of God unto us when we were children yea the love of God unto our fore-fathers the love of God unto a people when they were at the first beginning the ancient love of God to a people 't is of very g 〈…〉 use it is of great use for al to consider of the love of God in former times to them nay brethren it would be of very great use for us to consider of ancient love of God to England And I will give you one remarkable Note of Gods antient love to this Nation that 's this That it was the first Nation that ever God set his heart upon for the chusing of the Gospel the first Nation in the world that by publick Authority did submit to the Gospel and certainly God remembers that love of England For we find it recorded it 's true we cannot expect Scripture for this because it was â—â—nce the time of any Scripture but so far as we may give any credit to Stories we find it of all Nations upon the face of the Earth the first that received the Gospel with the Countenance of Publick Authority And this is not a little matter Certainly the Lord remembers the kindness of our youth and the old love of England and the first love of England in receiving the Gospel Indeed God caused the Gospel to be preached to other places before it was to England I but there was no placâ— that by the countenance of Publick Authority 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it so soon as England did and therefore England may be said to be the very first fruits of the Gospel in that respect Oh! 't is good for us to consider of that and many good uses we may make of Gods old ancient love when we see any further expressions of Gods love it may encourage us upon the thoughts of his former love there was an old love and this God continues his old
things in the book of God that are sealed to us this day and 't is the purchase of the blood of Jesus Christ to open it and 〈…〉 hen his time comes it shall be opened to us I have called my Son out of Egypt Interpreters I do find do much weary and tire themselves and the readers about this point and those that will search into Interpreters about the aptness of this quotation may quickly spend daies in it I find the opinions reduced to these three heads Some think that Matthew quotes this but only by way of allusion and similitude that there is a similitude between Christs going to Egypt and returning as the people of Israels going to Egypt and returning but that is a fridged and a poor weak Interpretation and against what is said in Matthew which saith it was that the Scripture might be fulfilled But the second hath more in it which is of Junius that learned man he thinks that the very litteral sense of the place is rather a Prophesie of Christs going into Egypt and returning again than of the people of Israels going into Egypt and returning again So he saith in his Paralels in his 6th of the first book it is saith he as if God should say I have threatned that I will utterly destroy the King of Israel what shall I wholly destroy Israel therefore No no I will not do that for my Sons sake for though Israel is unworthy and receive not my Son and by my Sons going into Egypt it is declared that they are unworthy of him and that they should never have my Son come among them again yet he shall come amongst them again and that shall be an evidence to them that I will not cast off my people of Israel and it 's a very spiritual and good Interpretation and we find often that the Lord when he did promise mercy to his people and would give an evidence that he would not destroy them he would give a promise of Jesus Christ as in Isa 9. 6. Vnto us a Child is born unto us a Son is given he seals the Promise that he will not cast off his people by promising the Messias so Junius thinks that the Lord here doth seal this promise of mercy to the people of Israel that he will not utterly cut off his own people Why because he will call his Son out of Egypt But yet I cannot think that it will fully satisfie but I will give you that which may more cleerly appear to be the mind of God and that 's this That this Scripture in Hosea it was intended to be typical not only to shew what was past that God did indeed call his people out of Egypt but to be a type of what God did intend for the time to come as to give you other instances there are many things that are spoken in the old Testament that are spoken litterally of some other things and yet apparantly are meant typically of Jesus Christ first in Exodus 12. 46. compared with John 19. 26. in Exodus it is in the institution of the Pass-over where God saith Not a bone of it should be broken Now in John 19. 36. it is said when as the Soldiers came to break the bones of the two Theeves that were upon the Cross through a providence they find that Christ was dead and so they broke not Christs bones One would think now that this were a meer accidental thing but yet the holy Ghost saith there it was for the folfilling of that Prophesie that not a bone should be broken Thus you see things that are very accidental yet God hath a special work in them God intends great things by things that seem to be of little moment in our eyes What more light thing than that that they should not break the bones of Christ though meant cleerly at first litterally concerning the paschal Lamb yet typically concerning Jesus Christ Compare two other Scriptures together in 2 Sam. 7. 14. with Heb. 1. 5. in Sam. it 's apparantly spoken concerning Solomon I will be his Father and he shall be my Son But now the Apostle in Heb. 1. 5. he speaks of Christ there cleerly and saith To which of the Angels bath he said Thou art my son this day have I begotten thee and again saith he he shall be my Son and I will be a Father to him It 's meant firstly of Solomon and typically meant of Jesus Christ So the people of Israel going into Egypt and turning back again are meant litterally of Israel but God meant to Prophesie what would be done with Christ that he should go to Egypt and return back again And indeed God hath an eye to Christ in all things he doth in all his works some way or other they have reference to Jesus Christ that indeed was one of the greatest works of God for his people carrying them to Egypt and bringing them back again but God did not intend that so much but he had an eye to Jesus Christ in it And we shall see hereafter take this Note that it will be one great part of the Glory of the Saints to see how God had an eye to Jesus Christ in all his great works in the world now we look upon such a work and such a work to have such an influence upon such a business but we do not see the reference that it hath to Jesus Christ hereafter it will be a special part of the glory of the Saints that they shall see how in all the works of God he had an eye to Jesus Christ even the work of Creation God would not have created the world but for his Son and the fall and in every thing he had an eye to his Son for the magnifying the great work of his Son and such who had a special work of the Spirit of God in those times did understand Gods meaning though ordinarily they did not I remember one learned Interpreter hath this expression to shew how they might understand Gods mind by his types he expresses it thus As it was with Jonathan when he carried his Bow and Arrows into the field to give David a note whether he should fly away for fear of Saul or return back again Now when Jonathan shot his Arrows he said unto his youth It is beyond and on this side Now the youth knew no more but thus that he was to look at the Arrow yea but saith he David knew more that when he said it was beyond him then he should do thus and when it was on this side then he should do thus It is a very good expression in the difference of the types and the letter of things those who knew but meerly the letter they were but like Jonathans youth that did but only according to what Jonathan said but David he knew the reach of Jonathan and so was able to make use of it Oh!
Thirdly It 's a great aggravation of mens sins if they be called to duty after God hath called them out of misery and they do not obey it After thou comest out of an affliction whether bodily or spiritual God expects thou shouldest as diligently hearken to his call that calls thee to duty as thou doest take hold of his mercy when he held it to thee to deliver thee out of thine affliction charge thy soul thus Oh wrenched heart that I have I called to God and God hath heard my call and now God hath delivered me and calls me to a duty and shall I stop mine ears against Gods call Oh how just were it for God to leave me in misery when I turn my back to him when he cals me to a duty Fourthly For men not only to disobey Gods call but to turn away themselves from it and from those that speak to them in his Name this is very wicked a high degree of sinfulness before God In Jer. 2. 27. They have turned their back unto me but not their face and so in Jer. 32. 33. They turn their backs that 's more than not to obey Our backs that is to refuse to obey to resolve not to obey in Jer. 18. 17. God threatens them that in the day of their calamity he would shew them his back too as when a Traytor is petitioning to his Prince so long as the Prince is but willing to parly with him and reade his Petition there is hope but if the Prince turns his back and will not look upon his Petition there 's no hope then So there is hope of people that we may bring them to obedience so long as they will hearken to the Word but if once they turn their backs then there 's little hope so when God turns his back upon sinners there 's little hope then Remember you that turn your back upon calls to obedience Oh! remember that Scripture in Jer. 18. 17. that God threatens in the day of your calamity he will turn his back to you Now this wickedness men do not grow to on a sudden at first they are loth to be convinced that such a thing is a truth but at length when the evidence of truth comes cleer they in a desperate way turn their backs upon it and resolve not to hearken to it a famous instance you have of this in Jer. At first they said that Jeremiah did not speak the Word of the Lord but afterward As for the Word of the Lord that thou hast spoken we will not hear Fifhly It is yet a higher wickedness to have our corruptions irritated by the Word and provoked As they call'd so they went away When mens hearts grow as Lime that the showers of the Word shall inflame them this is a sad condition indeed when the more cleer evidence they have of the Word the more desperate wicked they grow We find it so in some places when the word comes with the greatest power this is all the effect it hath upon the hearts of men to make them the more desperate wicked You wonder sometimes that where the Word is preached with power men should grow more wicked wonder not at it for where the Word doth not convert sinners it doth harden them Sixtly From the extream perverseness and stubornness of the Jews we may learn this Lesson That Gods free Grace is very great and very strong the Lord was merciful to his people that were thus stuborn and stout but the more they were call'd to obedience the more wicked they grew and yet Gods mercy continued towards them for a long time together and indeed in that God should set his heart and love upon such a people as this it is one of the greatest helps against despair almost as any we know Do but look into the Book of God and reade of the people of the Jews what wretched froward perverse stuborn stout-hearted people they were and yet that God of all the people of the earth should chuse them to be his peculier people Oh! the free Grace of God! there 's nothing that God hath in his design more than to honor free Grace I confess I had thought to have spent some time in shewing to you the extream stubornness of the people of the Jews and all to this end to magnifie the free grace of God towards such an unworthy people you find that God doth so himself when he speaks of his Mercy to that people he doth give them this notice That he would have them to know that what he did for them was not for their own righteousness in Deut. 9. 6. Vnderstand therefore that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good I and to possess it for thy righteousness for thou art a stiff-necked people As if God should say I might magnifie free Grace whereas I might have chosen some other people that might have been more yeeldable to my hand I chose you that it might appear that all that I did was out of free Grace In Psal 78. 8. Be not stuborn as your forefathers were they are called stout-hearted stiff necked strong they seem to be of strong spirits but it is strong against the truth and though stubornness hath a kind of Glory in it yet the truth is there is nothing but weakness in it in Ezek. 16. 30. How weak is thy heart saith the Lord seeing thou doest all these things the work of an imperious whorish woman They are said to be strong-hearted stiff hearted but saith the holy Ghost how weak is thy heart and you shall find in Scripture that they are called stiff necked and Iron-â—inewed and that they walked contrary to God and that they are perverse and crooked and that they had hardened their hearts and made them like an Adamant and saith Stephen You have alwaies resisted the holy Ghost and impudent children and rebellious children It is very observable if you read those Scriptures presently after they came out of the Land of Egypt within three daies after God had shown them such a miraculous work they fell to murmuring nay they did not stay so long for it is said in Psal 106. They provoked the Lord at the Sea even at the red Sea And in Exod. 16. 2. 28. and in chap. 17. ver 2. the people did chide with Moses again so reade the story of Exodus Numbers Deuteronomy Judges and the Kings and you shall find them continually rebelling a people with an Iron sinew against God and yet for all that the Lord makes choice of this people and loves them Oh! free Grace the free Grace of God When your children are stuborn and stout against you consider of this you think it a grievous affliction to you Oh! but there is none in the world that are so crossed with stuborn children as God himself is And though you
reason that might convince not only you but all the Nations about you I drew you with the Cords of a man in a rational way Secondly God strengthened it with many Arguments which is some way beyond the manner of men If the Lord had but only given out his Law and left men to find out the meaning it had been enough yea but the Lord drew them with the Cords of a man that is added to his Law many Arguments and Reasons to shew the equitie of the Law that he had given to them now men think it enough if they give out a Law you do not use to have the proof of the Law and the reason of it yea but saith God I drew them with the Cords of a man I gave them a Law that had reason in it and explain'd that as if we should go no further than the very moral Law see how God begins I am Jehovah thy God that brought thee out of the Land of Egypt every word a Reason to back the Law I am Jehovah therefore obey I am thy God therefore obey I am thy God that brought thee out of the Land of Egypt therefore obey So you shall see how the Lord doth argue his Law by the strength of Reason Yea not only Reason but many Perswasions and Motives and Exhortations as man deals with man if you reade the 4 5 and 6. Chapters of Deuteronomy you shall find all those with Motives and Perswasions besides Reasons to draw them on to obedience Now Motives and Perswasions are the Cords of a man to draw man as a rational Creature Fourthly If there were any objections that they had I answered al their objections Do not you find when you come to hear the Word that the Word meets with every secret objection you can have no secret objection against any thing that God requires but at some time or other the Word meets with it Fiftly Yea I called them to reason with me therefore I dealt with them like rational Creatures as in Isa 1. 18. Come let us reason together saith God see how God deals with people after the manner of men As now If you should fall out with a neighbor and it may be your neighbor is froward and humorous but now you are able to overcome your own passion and you go to him and say I pray thee let us reason the case together and if it be yours take it now you deal with him like a man So God why saith he let us reason the case together be not carried on with humor and passion but let us come and fairly reason the Case one with another Further Sixtly God earnestly desires that they would but consider of things in Deut. 32. 29. Oh that they were wise that they understood this That they would consider their latter end Now when you have to deal with them that are humorous if you by the strength of reason have power over your own passion you would be ready to express your selves thus Oh that I could but find such a man in a way of reason that he were but wise that he would but weigh things thus God saith concerning his people Oh that they were wise and considered and understood things Seventhly God pleads with them after the manner of men in Jer. 2. 35. I will plead with thee because thou saiest I have not sinned thou art Righteous in thine own thoughts Come I will plead with thee and convince thee saith God As now If one wrongs you and they will not acknowledg that they have wronged you perhaps some are of turbulent spirits and they will make them know that they have wronged them by casting them into prison and by Law but God he doth not do so but he pleads the Case with them And then in the last place The Lord will appeal to their own consciences whether they have dealt well with him yea or no he will make them to be the Judges in Isa 46. 8. Remember this and shew your selves men bring it again to mind O ye transgressors do not be led on like beasts in your passion and humor shew your selves but men and do but remember and think of it I will leave it to you to Judg and so Judg between me and my Vinyard and then again Are not my waies equal and your waies unequal Now all these expressions are to shew how God did draw them with the Cords of a man in a rational way Secondly In a gentle way As if God should say I have not driven them on with rigor but I have dealt gently with them like men indeed if so be that one should be alwaies striking a youth or servant or man you would be ready to say you are not medling with a beast or a dog but with a man saith God I remembred I have to deal with a man and therefore I dealt in a gentle way There are these six or seven particulars how God expresses his dealing with them in a gentle way As first I have suted my self to their verie dispositions this is now to deal in a gentle way as a Schoolmaster he looks upon his Scholers not as a company of beasts but as the children of men and therefore he considers their dispositions and tempers and he sutes himself with their temper if he be a wise Schoolmaster and will draw them on with such waies and Cords as are sutable to humane Nature So I do saith God Secondly I have observed when they were in the best temper and have sought to work upon them then I have observed what their dispositions are but now though men and women are of such and such dispositions yet alwaies their good humor doth not work If you that are wives will deal with your husbands like men observe when they are in a good temper and then deal with them and seek to draw them God doth so I observed when they were in the best temper of all and then I came upon them with the most strength to draw them at such a time rather than another Thirdly I gave them time to consider though they were never so untoward yet I did not come instantly upon them with blows but I gave them time to consider to bethink themselves many Scriptures we might shew for either of these you do not give beasts time to consider Now when you fly upon others presently without giving them time to consider you deal not with them like men but beasts Fourthly I have hired them to obedience by my gifts I do not only in an imperious way command them to obey or else look to it at your peril but I have come and hired them to the waies of obedience and gave them gifts to draw them and so I dealt with them like men Fifthly I have had consideration when they did not obey whether it were through
better than thy waies they are so rational The Second Observation is this The way to prevail with men it is to deal with them in a rational way the way that I took with this people to prevail with them it was to draw them with the cords of men Certainly the way that God takes to prevail with people is the best way Therfore those men that would prevail with any people to bring them to any thing that they desire t is to deal with them in a rational way and so seek to prevail with them the Spirit of God doth so in Joh. 16. 8. And when he is come he will reprove the world of sin it is shall come with DEMONSTRATION for so the word Logically signifies it 's a word that signifies to convince in a way of demonstration that one cannot deny possibly and so the Apostle saith We came in the demonstration of the spirit and of power Mark Demonstration of the Spirit so it came to be in power and it concerns Ministers more especially If you that are Ministers would speak powerfully to people speak in demonstration the demonstration of the Spirit indeed it must be there is a spiritual Reason in the Scripture Ministers must not think to scare men into the waies of Godliness though I know some times God makes use of the bare terrors of the Law but the main thing whereby Ministers must have hope to do good to their people must be by preaching convincingly to overcome their very reason as much as possibly can be and to set the Law of God so before them as if they will but judg between God and their own souls they shall condemn themselves and approve of God That Ministry is like to be the best Soul-saving Ministry that meets with every objection of their hearts and at every turn the secrets of their hearts comes to be opened Oh! remember you preach to men and therefore you make use of that reason that you find in Scripture I know reason alone will never do it I but God when he works to the salvation of souls he works upon them after the manner of men and therefore the Ministers of God that are Co-workers with God they should work in such a sutable way And not only Ministers but Majestrates too they must labor to draw them with the Cords of men also that is not by violence in thing that men cannot be convinc'd of to think to force them in a way of violence I say in things that they cannot be convinc'd of in such things as they are not wilfully ignorant of they must not make prisons and fines to be arguments these are not the Cords of men indeed in things that have the light of common Equitie and Justice as Civil things that carry in the very face of them a light of common Equitie and Justice there Majestrates need not stay for any further convincement and there I say they need go no further but they may deal with them in a violent way if they break those but in all things that are of a more dubious nature and that are from connexions and consequences and more difficult to be understood and that are controversal even among godly men and wise men there they must look to it and people must have waies of instruction first and to be informed first and likewise if they do not oppose them in a wilful way but if they see that they do desire to understand what they are able and cannot they must not think to go on in a way of violence there that is not to deal with men like men in that thing to force them unto such waies that they do not see reason for and let them labor to the uttermost they can they are not able to understand then certainly there must be forbearance in such things and especially the rather because that Christ hath given us charge not to yeeld to any thing in matter of Religion till we do understand the rule of it Whatsoever is not of faith is sin when Chist gives that charge that we must not yeeld to it because such and such men do so till we do examine it and be able to understand the rule now then surely the uttermost that the power of violence and force can do is this To make men examin things but no further And so for you that have any under you your servants and children instruct them shew them the evil of their waies do not fly upon them with your rage and passion but deal with them like men in way of instruction The third Note is this It 's a great aggravation of mens sin not to be drawn by these Cords of men for a man to stand out against reason is a great aggravation so men stand out against many waies of God and yet their consciences fly in their faces and condemn them Oh! thou art a wretch that though the Lord hath sought to draw thee with the Cords of a man with Reason and hath convinc'd thee he hath gotten the cords into thy conscience and God pulls and thou pullest and wilt not be drawn with those Cords Oh! this is a wickedness for men to go on in waies that their own consciences do condemn them in Some vain reasonings can draw men to sin as a Cart-rope that 's the meaning of that place They draw iniquity as it were with a Cart rope that is their vain reasnings that they have for their sin twisted together make a strong Cart-rope to draw iniquity Oh! shall not Gods Cords be as strong as the Devils Cords or Mans Cords Manie there are though God seems to draw them with these Cords of a man yet their lusts are so strong like pamperd horses in a Team they will break the Cart-ropes break all their harness to peeces and so do manie unruly Spirits even say like those in Psal 2. Let us break his bonds and cast away his Cords from us Well thou shalt one day be held by the Cords of thine own sin as the Scripture speaks and thy conscience shall lash thee with those Cords of Conviction that did not draw thee Shall not the Cords of Conviction draw thee from thy sin they shall serve to be as whips to lash thy soul even to all eternity know that the Rules of Right-reason and Scripture-reason shall stand when thou and thousands of such wilful fools as thou art shall perish eternally And these are the Notes for Gods dealing in a Rational way And then the second was in a Gentle way First Mans Nature if it be not degenerated is of a loving gentle disposition 't is the nature of man to be of a gentle disposition that 's the Note from hence and I raise it thus I dealt with them with the Cords of a man that is Gently which is mans Nature such a gentleness as fair means will work upon it rather than ridged waies
through Love that you come to be like minded and do not think to force men into the same mind to use bitter language and expressions to men if they differ in judgment from your selves But if there be any Love be of the same mind labor to get into one anothers hearts if you would do good to one another As a Minister if he would do good to his People he must labor to get into their hearts that the people may love him therefore it hath been observed that your wrangling Ministers and bitter men that if they be but crost in any thing they presently went their own bitterness they never do any good at all But those that can be willing to deny themselves and willing to suffer for the Case of the Gospel they prevail most And so if you would do good for any of your kindred do what you ca 〈…〉 get into their hearts that they may love you and so 〈◊〉 may be a means to draw them to the waies of God 〈…〉 y Love you may come to have any liberty in their hearts that you would you may say what you will if once they be perswaded that you love them then you may ask more liberty to reprove any thing that is evil in them and to perswade them to any thing that is good then they take nothing ill from you and therefore 't is a great disadvantage that men of sowr and bitter spirits have in obtaining their own designs if they once speak any thing though never so good yet it is rejected because that people think it is not out of Love But on the other side it is a mighty advantage that a sweet and loving disposition hath let such an one speak never so though the thing be never so harsh yet the party will take it wel because he knows he loves him Oh! these bonds of love my brethren they are mighty strong When you meet together in any Society if you would have any thing do not seek to get your wil by wrangling and frowardness but by bonds of Love I confess there are some men that are of such perverse spirits that the neerer one comes to them the further they go from one that they have even lost all ingenuity but if you have to deal with men that you think to be gracious and to be ingenious then do not think to gain any thing from them but by Love These bonds of Love that here we have in the Text the Devil seeks to break the great design of the Devil it is to make men to have hard thoughts of God his waies and to make them beleeve that God hates them and that though they have some good things from God for the present yet that the heart of God is not towards them and so labors to make a separation between the soul and God And so the great design of the Devil is to break the bonds of Love between Christian and Chistian It was a fearful judgment that we reade of in Zach. 11. 14. when the staff that was called Bonds was broken even the Brotherhood between Judah and Israel he threatens it as a Judgment I 'le break the bonds of brotherhood And then you find that the staff of Beauty was broken when the staff of bonds was broken My brethren never was the bonds of Love more broken among Christians than they are now We reade of bands of Love but what 's become of them They are broken They were in former times so twisted as I told you the word in the Hebrew signifies love so twisted into so many Wreaths as one would have thought they could never have been broken but whatsoever the matter is we find they snap asunder Oh! how justly might God bind us with Iron bonds seeing that the bonds of Love will not bind us God hath cut the Cords of divers of our yokes asunder and hath broken the bonds of the oppressor and now behold we break the bonds of Love Oh! unworthy wretches that we are every one of us looks with a jealous eye one upon another every one shifting for himself there are no bonds of love in our hearts the wicked in Scripture are said to die without bonds that 's Gods patience that they shall die without bonds but wo to us we live without bonds and that 's our sin and the wrath of God upon us in Eccles 3. 8. There is a time to love when is the time Certainly if ever there were a time to love then this is a time to love And there is a time to hate Oh Divine Love whither art thou gone hast thou left the earth as unworthy of thy beauty and glory Oh! that thou wouldest come again unto the hearts of the Saints and bind them together The want of the bonds of Love every one complains of Oh! those soul-refreshing and soul-ravishing meetings that we were wont to have But especially more publickly we find the bonds of Love quite gone and quite broken reade but over the 1 Cor. 13. and see the effects of Love there and by that you will find the bonds of Love quite to be gone Love the Scripture tells us it thinks no evil it maks the best interpretation of things that can be Now surely there 's a great deal of want of love amongst us that when men in the uprightness and sincerity of their hearts shall desire to find out the mind of God and the will of God and meerly out of conscience because they dare not go any further than they see the mind of God to go before them therefore they shall be judged to be a stiff-necked people and to be the great hinderers of Reformation Is this the best interpretation that possibly can be made of things Is it not possible why there should be some other grounds why they differ from their brethren but meerly stiff-neckedness how if it should be owned by Jesus Christ at the great day That it was out of sincerity because they did desire to know the mind of Jesus Christ fully and yet they could not see what their brethren say they did We should make the best interpretation of things that possibly we can Love it cures all things and it bears all things now for such publick striking against any such forbearance and crying out that we would have a Tolleration of all things u◠Religion this is the great argument when they know in their consciences that their brethren do joyn with them in the Doctrinal part of Religion and in the main things and those things wherein they differ are things of no such great moment but may be forborn with peace enough if mens hearts were peaceable and still now to in fuse that into the peoples heads that if they were but in any thing forborn there must be a tolleration of all things surely this is not any fruit of Love this is not that which the holy Ghost
thing that thou pleadest mercy is pleading already and mercy carries on those arguments with a great deal more strength than thou art able to do but it takes it well at thy hand to present any to it Thou art loth to perish and God is as loth thou shouldest perish if God give thee a heart to come to him to stop wrath thou comest to him to do a work exceeding acceptable to him 't is as acceptable to God such a work as it can be acceptable unto thee when thou apprehendest Judgment ready to be executed look up to mercy it may 〈◊〉 the holy Ghost may raise an act of faith and this act of faith will set bowels on work the bowels of God are very ready to work That which is very ready to work a little thing will set it on work I say Gods bowels are very ready to work in the waies of grace and mercy towards sinners and the least act of faith in that mercy would certainly set bowels on work a main Mercy calls thee to help Mercy hath been pleading a great while and Justice pleading Mercy calls thee in to help and assist her to plead for thee and who knows but the casting voice staies for thy coming in though there hath been pleadings in Gods heart yet the dispensations of God may be such as the casting voice shall not come till thy pleadings be come in and then the business may be determined as it was here The Tenth Observation is this Oh consider the different dealings of the Father with his Son let our Meditations be raised from this Doth the bowels of God thus work towards poor sinners pleading for them when wrath is ready to be executed then we may here see the great difference between Gods dealings with his Saints and with his Son When God comes to deliver his people these that he had relation to where he had some of his Saints and for their sakes he speaks this he saith How shall I deliver thee We do not find that God said so concerning his Son God did deliver up his Son unto wrath without a How shall I do it yea the Heart of God was in it there 's no such expression of reluctancie about this work but the Scripture saith that it pleased God to bruise him It pleased him well it was an act that pleased God to bruise his Son Indeed it was for glorious ends that he had in it why so God might have ends enough for to bring forth his glory in our bruising but yet notwithstanding any ends that he might bring about he saith How shall I do it God doth not delight to grieve the children of men but God did grieve his Son he bruised him and it pleased him to bruise him You shall find such an expression in Isa 53. and in Psal 40. In the volumn of the book it is written of me that I should do thy will It was the will of God that Christ should come and suffer what he did when Ephraim was bemoaning himself Góds bowels were troubled within him he doth let the rod fall out of his hand in Jer. 31. 19 20. When Ephraim was bemoaning himself mark how Gods bowels there works but the Scripture saith That God did not spare his Son God would spare Ephraim Jesus Christ did bemoan himself when he cried out If it be possible let this Cup pass from me and Oh God my God why hast thou forsaken me Oh what a bemoaning of himself was this and yet in Rom 8. 32. God spared not his own Son he did not spare him notwithstanding all the moans that he made unto him but he delivered him up Here we reade of the repentings of God that are kindled and divers times in Scripture of Gods repenting of the execution of Justice upon sinners but when he speaks of Chist I have made him a Priest for ever that is so as he should be a Sacrifice both the Priest to offer and the Sacrifice its self in Heb. 7. 21. The Lord sware and will not repent Oh certainly it was from this work of God the delivering up of his Son that the Lord hath such working of bowels towards sinners when wrath comes to be executed to say How shall I give thee up Yet further If the heart of God doth thus work towards sinners when they are ready to be given up yea towards those that are very evil for so these were Their hearts bent to back-sliding Hence then we may learn That the State of the Saints that walk close with God must needs be very secure If the Lord deals thus with rebellious Sons what will he do with a Son that serves him that walks close with him though a Son very vile very sinful yet there is a how shall I give thee up Oh then thou whose conscience witnesses of thy sincere endeavor in walking close with God continually know that thy estate must needs be secure Yea further if this be so Surely whensoever God delivers up his own people to any judgments there 's some great matter in it some great matter in it for never doth any affliction come unto them but it breaks through many reasonings of Gods heart God intends some great matter Doth judgment begin at the house of God It is because the Lord hath some great intents to bring forth it is not because the Lord takes pleasure in the moans of his people in the sorrows and sufferings of his Servants but it is because he intends some great things for certainly these bowels of compassion would not let such sore and grievous evils pass if there were not some great ends and purposes of God to bring about And yet further hence observe The difference between the day of patience and the times of wrath for the sakes of those that were godly here Gods patience speaks thus towards the body of the People and so was patient and long-suffering towards them There is a time that God wile laugh at the destruction of sinners and he will mock when their fear cometh when he will execute his wrath and be comforted as the Scripture speaks There is a time indeed when God saith How shall I give them up but there is another time wherein God doth give forth the wine of his wrath The Wine it doth delight the Lord as Wine doth unto a man when indignation shall be as Wine to God then mercy and patience shall hold their peace for they have then their glory already they will never speak more but turn over the sinner unto Justice yea pleads unto Justice against the sinner And then lastly Seeing that God comes off thus when he is about the letting out of wrath making such stops as he doth then surely we should not hasten Judgment against our selves but let us make use of these dealings of God for the breaking of our hearts and causing them to return unto him let not us assist Justice
great evil thou canst have little comfort in the enjoyment of thy desires for this is the meaning of the Prophet as if he should say Israel rules but how did they get and maintain their rule it was in false sinful waies It may be thou hast thy will over thy brother yea but thou hast it in a sinful way thou blessest thy self in that thou hast thy will but thou hast little cause if thou knewest all Israel did not rule with God Luther upon the place saith Papist dare not venture to i 〈…〉 the true Doctrine for fear their Rule should be lost so 't is in many people they are afraid of the loss of their Rule if they should entertain the true waies of Gods Worship they think that the true waies of Gods Worship cannot stand with their Ruling and Power and therefore they had rather have their Rule and Power and let the true Worship of God go Thus it was with Israel Or thus Judah yet rules with God That is Judah continuing in a right way of Worship and doth so reform as he rules in an honorable condition Judah rules with God Judah reforming as he doth why Judah rules with God is in an honorable condition To serve God is to Reign the Kingdom that serves God reigns indeed yea that man or woman that serves God reigns It 's an honorable thing to serve God the Lord Christ hath made us Kings unto his Father because the service of God is so honorable Judah rules with God This saies Meisnerus and others hath reference to Hezekiahs notable Reformation and Victory thereupon over the Assyrians of which 2 King 18. c. The old Latin hath it they translate Ruling with God thus He doth descend or come down as a witness with God so they render it And indeed the difference though it may seem to be very much in our English tongue yet in the Hebrew the letters that are for ruling with God and for coming down to be a witness for God there is very little difference it is in the pointing not in the Hebrew letters Ribera maintains this reading and hath these two meditations hinted from that reading first others they leave the true Worship of God but Judah continues and so witnesses for God God hath never been without some witnesse to his Truth And in evil times when others do forsake God and his worship then for people to be willing to venture and appear any way to witness for God is a very honorable thing Oh! 't is a blessed thing to be a witness to the Truth therefore was I born saith Christ that I might bare witness to the truth for those that are faithful and upright in evil times they are Gods witnesses That 's his first Note And then Secondly He descends that is he is content to be in a lower condition so be it he may witness for God though Israel be in a more flourishing condition and we be kept low it 's no great 〈◊〉 so be it we may be Gods Witnesses thus doth a gracious heart I indeed see others in the world they are brave and have the countenance of the times and have all things according to the desires of the flesh here but we are kept low it 's no matter so be it we may but witness for God let others take the outward glory and bravery of the world let us be witnesses with our God It followâ— And is faithful with the Saints He is faithful that is he continues in the right Government God would have him and in his true Worship To forsake the true Worship and Government God hath appointed is unfaithfulness And cleaving to it 〈…〉 lly through much difficulties and suffering is a special p 〈…〉 of faithfulness 't is an evil not to be 〈◊〉 with the State in Civil 〈◊〉 but not to be 〈◊〉 with God in matters of Religion is a greater evil Again God hath a 〈…〉 to a S 〈…〉 faithfulness with him in point of Worship though there may be many evils otherwise yet if they be 〈◊〉 â—o him in point of Worship God hath a special eye to that Lastly 〈…〉 in good it is not faithfulness only to profess good but to continue in our profession Judah is faithful with the Saints I find divers learned men to take this to be an Eâ—â—ll age of the number and reade for with the Saints with the Holy One for we may find such examples in Scripture that the plural number is used sometimes for the singular as I 'le give you an instance in this very word how the Saints is used for the Holy One for God himself in Joshua 24. 19. For be is a Holy God The word that is translated Holy there is in the plural number as here and yet it must be understood and read in the singular He is a holy God and so faithful with the holy God so some reade it But to take it as you find it in your books Faithful with the Saints that is with Abraham Isaac and with Jacob with Moses with the Prophets with the Forefathers he doth continue faithful with them Or Secondly Faithful with such as are sanctified the true Priests of God that God had sanctified to himself faithful with the Sanctified Ones whereas Jeroboam took off the lower sort of the people and made Priests to God Judah he would have no other Priests but the Sanctified Ones of God Thirdly He 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 faithful with the people of God for all of Israel that were holy that were godly that were the Saints that were not detain'd by some special hand of God as much as they could they went from the ten Tribes and went to Judah to the true Worship of God now Judah entertain'd them and used them well and were faithful to them But on the contrary Israel the ten Tribes they were unfaithful by using the Saints of God evilly that would worship God according to Gods own way they were cruel and oppressing and unfaithful to them but Judah was faithful towards such imbracing and encouraging of them For us to go on in faithfulness though we have none to joyn with it is a commendation and the waies of God are excellent whether any or no do joyn with us in them But it is a great encouragement to be faithful with the Saints that is to go on in those waies that we see the Saints go on in and â—o joyn with the Saints of God with such as are the choice Saints of God to joyn with them that 's a great â—ncouragement it strengthens the people of God in their way very much Faithful with the Saints Oh! 't is good to be with the Saints to be with a few of the Saints a great deal better than to be with abundance of the men of the world Judah is faithful with the Saints You should look more at the example of a few Saints than
Parents were gracious and godly were greedy of the things of God now you should make use of that for the humbling of your souls Oh! how negligent have I been how careless is my spirit and slight and vain yea though I be come to yeers do little regard that which my Parents were greedy upon when they were very yong That 's a second thing And then yet further Jacobs taking his brother by the heel in the third place it was a type of the prevailing of the Church of the people of God against the wicked at last God made Iacob a famous and notable type in this work That certainly the Saints though they may seem to be low and mean for the present yet they shall get advantage over the men of the world The men of the world are set out by Esau they are ruffling abroad in the world of fiery hot spirits as Esau was they have great things in the world for a time and the Saints are under them as Iacob was under Esau but certainly the Saints shall prevail against all the Edomites all the Esaus as I may so speak there is a time that they shall supplant them and get the power over them this was typified in this work of God upon Iacob in the womb in taking his brother by the heel the godly shall prevail at length against all the wicked and ungodly in the world You should consider it as if the Prophet should say to them you are seeking to provide for your selves in the sinful way you are in Oh! if you did but consider that the faithful though they be persecuted for a time what low condition soever they are yet they shall get the power over all the great ones in the world it would be otherwise with you than now it is So we find in Scripture that though indeed the way of the Saints be such as they are kept low for a long time yet the Scripture tells us that at length they shall have the dominion in Dan. 7. 18. The Saints of the most High shall take the Kingdom and in the 21. verse I beheld and the same horn made war with the Saints and prevailed against them but how long Vntil the Antient of daies came and judgment was given to the Saints of the most High and the time came that the Saints possessed the Kingdom And verse 17. The Kingdom and Dominion and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whol Heaven shall be given to the people of the Saints of the most High There is a time that it shall be given to them And Psal 49. 14. The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning This was typified in this notable work of God in Iacob's taking Esau by the heel to supplant him Fourthly Here we may see the providence of God how it extends towards infants even in the very womb the very striving of children in the womb is not without providence there was a mighty providence of God in this to set out the greatest things of God that are revealed in the Scripture Now though there be such extraordinary and great things set forth by the ordinary stirrings of infants in the womb yet certainly there is no stirring of the child in the womb but it is with some providence of God and God he hath his eye upon and his hand in the working even of the very child in the womb And yet further Luther observes the secret waies of God in working upon infants and though they have not the use of Reason yet saith he there may be mighty workings of God even upon their spirits in a secret way that we are not able to understand And upon that occasion he falls a crying out upon such as do deny baptism to them upon that very ground because they are not capable of any work of God upon them and the denying of it upon that ground he calls it a very odious opinion to think that because of that they should not have it for saith he as it is with children they have their nourishment in the womb in another manner than when they are born and so the works of God upon their spirits may be such as when they are in the womb and when they are little ones before they come to the use of Reason that may be far different to what the work of God is upon them when they come afterwards to have the use of Reason And then the last thing that is to be noted from hence is this That men who prove notable in their lives have many times notable presages of their notable exploits in their very birth of what they should do after as it was a notable exploit that Jacob should do in supplanting his Brother By some notable providences God shews many times what men shall do that he chuses to be eminent in the world as Moses by what was done upon his birth there was a presage of his strange and wonderful kind of deliverance when he was both and being brought into Pharaoh's Court and so John Baptist a Presage of what should be afterwards and so other stories tell us of men that have been famous for good or evil there hath been presages at their birth I remember it is said of Nero that did such monstrous things that when he was born he was born with his heels forward and it is said of Dominicus that great persecuter of the Saints that when his Mother was with child she dream'd that she had in her womb a Wolf with a fire-brand in his mouth and he even proved to be so for he was one of the first that stirred up Persecution against the SAINTS by FIRE and your Papists they turn it quite otherwise I remember one of the Papists interpreting this providence of God that the Mother of Dominicus who was the father of the Dominicans should have such a dream it was to signifie saith he That by the Splendor of his holiness and Doctrine he should inflame the whol world and that was signified say they by the fire-brand in his mouth whereas experience taught otherwise Now I note this only to shew the vanity of mens spirits in interpreting waies of providence meerly according to their own humors And thus much for that notable story of Jacobs taking his brother by the heel Now follows the next and that is He had strength with God Now this story refers to Gen. 32. you shall find if you cast your eyes upon the Chapter before the 31. that God having bid Jacob return into the Land of his Fathers and to his kindred he promised him that he would be with him in his journy yet mark though God had made him go this journy and had promised that he would be with him in the journy yet Jacob for all that doth meet with as hard things in the journy as almost a man can reade or hear of that ever man did hear of or meet
mercies we have had already but when thou comest to prayer whatsoever thy condition be though in never such great straits yet acknowledg what thou hast already be willing to praise God in the lowest condition that thou art in And then he doth proceed further and looks back to his former meanness that once he was in For with my staff passed I over this Jordan and now I am become two band 〈…〉 that 's a further expression of his humility and God 〈◊〉 ther mercy And then the next thing is the great sence of what he praies for Deliver me I pray thee from the hand of my Brother from the hand of Esau for I fear him lest he will come and smite me and the mother with the children Lord I do not speak words that have expressions in them without sence of my heart for Lord as I am crying to thee for help against my Brother I do apprehend my great extremity Lord I fear him lest he come and smite me with the mother and the children When we come to prayer we must not have words that are puft-up words and have little in them but there must be as much sence of the thing that we pray for as the words that we speak do seem to import carry with them many times we have great words and little sence and that makes our prayers to be so empty And then the next thing in his prayer it was The strong arguments that he did use with God though it 's true That what we can say to God cannot move God yet it may move our own hearts and God would have us to use strong arguments in prayer And thou saidest in ver 12. I will surely do thee good and make thy seed as the sand on the Sea which cannot be numbred for multitude As if he should say Lord how will thy promise be fulfill'd didest thou not say that my seed should be as the sand of the Sea now if the mother and children be cut off what will become of thy Promise God is so indulgent as to suffer us to plead our cause with him And these pleading prayers are strong prayers he wept and made supplication so he prevail'd with God Now labor you if you be of the seed of Jacob to pray as your Father Jacob did But so much shall suffice for that Second History about Jacob's prevailing with the Angel Now the Third History follows He found him in Bethel and there he spake with us The words in the Hebrew are He will find us in Bethel and there he spake with us As if it were an encouraging word of the Angel to Jacob that God would find him in Bethel and indeed the Gramatical sense of the words would carry such a sense but rather because the Learned know that the word is often used for the Preter tense in the Hebrew and it 's more according to the scope of the place to reade them as you have them in your books He found him in Bethel and there he spake with us That is He found Jacob in Bethel and spake to Jacob and in speaking to Jacob he spake unto us all Now for the opening of this History and the shewing how it sutes with the scope of the Prophet in this place We reade in Scripture of two Meetings that God and Jacob had together at Bethel and this Text in Hosea doth refer to them both God finds him in Bethel two times and spake with Jacob and spake to us both those times The First time for fear of danger he fled from his brother when his brother had mischievous thoughts against him after he got the blessing from him And the Second time again after his wrastling with the Angel God meets him in Bethel The First of these you have in Gen 28. 10. and the Second in Gen. 35. 1. and so on And it 's necessary to refer to those two Scriptures for the interpretation of this Scripture you will not know what it means else 1. He finds him in Bethel Gen. 28. 10. yea indeed for Jacob he lay asleep with a stone under his head he saw a vision of Angels ascending and descending from Heaven and God speak excellent things unto him But the Note is That God finds his People many times when they little think of him He comes unto his People in waies of mercy when they scarce dream of it Jacob was but in a dream at this time and yet God came in very wonderful waies of mercy towards him Oh! how often hath God found us in this way how often may many of you say that the Lord hath come unexpectedly to you in waies of mercy that you never made account of such mercies as you have met withal Oh! when unexpected mercies come we should consider that God found us whereas our sins might have found us but the mercies of God have found us out And the other time that God found Jacob it was when he was in great distress after his daughter Dinah had been defloured and his sons Simeon and Levi had committed that great outrage against the Shechemites so great an outrage as to kill the City and upon that Jacob and all his family was in great danger of being destroyed for the act was so foul that it could not but make all the people as Jacob thought to abhor him and would be a cause that they should all rise against him and utterly to cut him off therfore in Gen. 34 30. Jacob tels his sons that they had made him to stink among the inhabitants of the Land so that he was afraid they would gather together and destroy him and his house no question the distress that Jacob was in was very great that his daughter should be defloured by the uncircumcised ones and that his two sons should commit such an outrage and should endanger him to be destroyed utterly by them For who would have thought but that all the Inhabitants of the Land should have risen against him and have cut him off Now the next thing that we hear of God meets with him at Bethel and speaks very gracious things to him there and he did not only speak to him but there he spake with us That is God meeting with Jacob in Bethel that which he spake to him there concern'd us aswel as it concern'd Jacob. An expression to the same purpose we have in Psal 66. 6. He turned the Sea into dry land they went through the Floud on foot there We did rejoyce in him For indeed the mercy of God towards the Isralites at that time that did rejoyce them was a matter of Rejoycing for us Whatsoever is written is written for our learning 't is as if God spake to us That which God spake to Abraham I am God Alsufficient walk before me and be upright he spake that to us he spake that to thee and me That that God spake to Joshua
turn to God than others There are more arguments to perswade thy heart than others Turn Thou to God And this is a great mercy of God towards any man or woman when as God shall dare powerfully those special considerations and arguments that concern their souls to turn to God a man or woman comes to hear the Word and hears the nature of Repentance the motives to Repentance but that generally concerns all and this doth not much stir the heart but at another time it pleaseth God to hint something out of the Word that concerns them in particular and this gives a mighty turn to their hearts more than all the other As if a man be asleep though there be a great noise perhaps this doth not awaken him but let one come and call him by his name Thomas or Richard or John and speak particularly to him and that will awaken him when a greater noise will not do it so though there be general arguments of turning to God it doth not so much prevail with people as when God speaks to men and women by name and saies Turn thou to God There are these special arguments why thou shouldest turn to God rather than others Many times you will say If ever any were bound to God then I am then turn thou to God because thou art more engaged than others Turn thou to THY God That is Though you have departed from him yet he hath not wholly cast you off so but he may yet be thy God From whence the Note is That the sight of any Relation to God or hope of Mercy from him is a special means to draw the heart to turn to him Yet he may be thy God God hath not left thee O thou wretehed sinful soul who knows but that he may be thy God and thy God to all eternity Thou mightest have been past such an Argument of hearing any possibility of God's being thy God and therefore turn to God turn to thy God And keep Mercy and Judgment Want of Mercy in the Fourth Chapter of this Prophesie was charged upon this People That there was no Mercy in the Land and so in diverse other places want of Justice Now Turn to thy God and keep Mercy and Judgment The Note from the Connexion is this That in our turnings to God we must look to our special sins and reform them It 's not enough for men and women to turn to God and leave some gross sins But is there any sin more special than another that you have lived in before your turning unto God Reform in that sin above all A man or woman can never have any sure argument that their Repentance is true though they have left many sins if they have not left their special sins there 's som special sin that thou hast liv'd in what saiest thou to that Then Secondly It is nothing for people to reform in Gods Worship except they reform also in the duties of the Second Table that 's wonderful The duties of the Second Table Mercy and Judgmeut Turn to thy God and keep Mercy and Judgment Many men and women that seem to be forward in duties of Instituted Worship which is very good we are to honor God God is jealous in that business but now together with that if we be not conscionable in the duties of the Second Table of Mercy and Judgment too it 's nothing all will vanish and come to nothing except thou livest righteously and mercifully with men also as well as worship God do not think to put off thy conscience with the duties of Worship except thou doest keep Mercy and Judgment that 's more General And then Particularly Keep Mercy and then Keep Judgment be merciful unto thy Brethren A heart turning to God if it be a true turning it must needs be very merciful to men God expects that from all that do turn to him that upon thy turning to God thy bowels should yern towards thy Brethren and turn to them in Love and in Mercy and Meekness and Gentleness and Forgiveness for when thou turnest to God is it not the mercy of God that draws thy heart If it be not that thy turning is not right never any turned to God rightly but their hearts were taken with Gods mercy And can thy heart be taken with Gods mercy and thou not merciful to thy Brethren Many Professors of Religion think little of this but I find the Scripture makes as much of this as of any thing but faith its self faith in the Covenant of Grace These Three thingâ—â—he Scripture holds forth and urges very much upon men Faith Mercy and Vnity the two latter are thought to be little and of no moment with men but certainly the Lord Christ doth lay much upon mercy towards men that all that are his Members should be of merciful dispositions and of uniting dispositions one towards another Oh! 't is Mercy that the Scripture makes Religion to consist in Jam. 1. 27. Pure Religion and undefiled is To visit the Fatherless and Widdows and in Jam. 2. 13. Mercy rejoyceth over Judgment it is that which will help men and women in the time of straits and in times of danger that they have been merciful towards their brethren for that I take to be the meaning of that text Mercy rejoyceth over Judgment not that Gods mercy is more than his Judgment and that though a sinner hath deserved Judgment yet Gods Mercy will prevail and triumph over it but I take the meaning of that text to be Mercy in man and not Mercy in God that 's thus That when man hath had a merciful heart towards others towards his brethren that then if he should live to meet with affliction live to a time of Judgment times of common calamity common dangers that mercy that he hath exercised towards his brethren in the time of his prosperity will cause his soul to triumph in the midest of all dangers In the time of affliction mercy rejoyces over Judgment let Judgment come let afflictions come in the world let there be never such hard times abroad in the world yet I have a testimony to my conscience the Lord hath given me a merciful heart towards my Brethren that are in misery and I that am but a poor creature that have but a drop of mercy to that God that hath an infinite Ocean of Mercy will not that God be merciful to me much more Keep Mercy therefore you that turn to God be of merciful dispositions towards your brethren Oh! this is wanting among many that are Professors of Religion they are of cruel and harsh dispositions ridged sowr and severe dispositions towards others care not what becomes of others Oh! be merciful to your brethren You that are turn'd to God shew it in this That you keep MERCY The next is JVDGMENT Where there is a turning to God there must be righteousness
ever thy heart shall be raised by the work of Faith to beleeve in him and to be enabled to triumph in him and say Lo this is our God we have waited on him and this is the God of my salvation And therefore you that are turning to God wait upon him continually But besides The Use of Exhortation he hath a Use of Reprehension and that 's in the 7. and 8. Verses Notwith standing all this as if the Prophet should say Oh! your hearts are set upon your Covetousness upon the pelf of this world these vanities that are here below You are not saith he as your Father Jacob I exhort you thus to turn unto the Lord and to keep Merey and Judgment but it 's otherwise with you VER 7. He is a Merchant the ballances of deceipt are in his hand he loveth to oppress THis Scripture though it seems to be somwhat a harsh one and hard to reade yet it may be a good providence of God that did bring it to hand at such a time as this is That 's the scope of the Prophet We may exhort long enough saith he yet so long as their hearts are covetous and set upon their way of getting gain they will never regard what I say they will not turn to God they will not hear of turning to God but will turn a deaf ear rather This indeed is the guize of men that have great dealings in the world and their hearts are set upon their riches let there be the most glorious Truths set before them that ever were yet they are as nothing to them we reade in Luke 16. of Christ himself preaching before a company of men and some of them being very covetous mark what the Text saith vers 14. The Pharisees also who were covetous heard all these things and they derided him they blew their noses at him so the word signifies they scorn'd him Christ he spake of Excellent and Divine Misteries and there were some of his Auditors that had dealings in the world and great estates and they scorn'd at whatsoever he spake Tel us of such things as these are tell us of waies of gain how we may come to enrich our selves This seem'd to be the disposition of some of the Auditors of Hosea at this time therefore saith he He is a Merchant The word that is here translated a Merchant it signifieth a Cananite and may be translated if you would translate it according to the very letter of the word He is a Cananite for the same word that signifies a Cananite signifies a Merchant in the Hebrew tongue You have the like in other places of Scripture Job 41. 6. Shall they part him among the Merchants among the Cananites so is the word in the Hebrew and in Prov. 31. 24. She delivereth Girdles to the Merchants the word is to the Cananites Now the reason why that a Merchant and a Cananite hath the same name in Scripture it is because the Country of Canaan was much given to Merchandize and indeed much to deceipt As the Mathematicions were cal'd Caldeans from the Country because the Country was so full of Mathematicions so Arabia Robbers and Theeves were call'd by the name of Arabians because that it was so full of them and so because Canaan had so many Merchants therefore it hath the denomination A Cananite and a Merchant But here the holy Ghost calls them not Israelites mark God he doth not say you are an Israelite but a Cananite and that is by way of upbraiding of them because they had degenerated so much from Israel that was spoken of before so he would not call them Israelite but calls them Cananite Observe that Men by their sin may lose the honor of their Progenitors And further Though it 's true that the calling of a Merchant is not only Lawful but a very honorable imployment yet the abuse of it may make it very contemptible if it be abused and corrup ed it may grow to be very contemptible for so here the holy Ghost doth cast such a word upon them to shew how through their corruption they had made a calling that was honorable to become contemptible and they had brought contempt upon their own persons for though Merchants that are subtil may in the pride of their hearts rejoyce in their subtilty and cunning and think that they can circumvent others by their deceipt and get money that way in going beyond them they may glory in this as if it were a great excellency in them but the holy Ghost casts contempt upon those he is a Merchant a Cananite and the ballances of deceipt are in his hand The ballances of Deceipt are in his hand The Lord abhor'd their ballances of deceipt yea and professed that they are an abomination to him if you reade Levit. 19. 35 36. Ye shall do no unrighteousness in Judgment in Metyard in Weight or in Measure Just Ballances just Weights a just Ephah and a just Hin shall ye have I am the Lord I am Jehovah This lies upon it if you will acknowledg me to be the Lord to be Jehovah be just in your dealing have no unjust ballances let there be no injustice in your trading And in Deut. 25. 13. and so on to the 16. Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights a great and a smal thou shalt not have in thy house divers measures a great and a smal But thou shalt have a perfect and a just weight a perfect and a just measure shalt thou have c. For all that do such things and all that do unrighteously mark are an abomination to the Lord thy God There 's much laid upon it you think you may take liberty in such things no saith the text all that do such things they are an abomination to the Lord thy God 't is not only a thing that God forbids but a thing that God abominates to be deceiptful in trading Doest thou profess any interest in God hast thou any hope that God should be merciful to thy soul to do thee any good doest thou think that God is thy God know this is an abomination then to thy God to that God that thou professest to have any interest in nay in Prov. 11. 1. there 's likewise a Scripture to the same purpose A false ballance is an abomination to the Lord but a just weight is his delight God takes pleasure in that Now saith the Prophet here The ballances of Deceipt are in his hand as if he should say let him have riches any way he doth not mind turning to God but he regards the ballances of deceit We are to understand this for all kind of deceit in trading though only ballances are here mentioned yet here 's a synechdoche one special thing is mentioned in a business to set out all of that nature not only Deceitful Ballances but Measures and Tale and Lights and Mixtures when they shall
mix water and other things with any Commodity to make it heavier or mix ill ware with good ware deceiptful glosses and appearances to make wares that are ill to seem to be good by many Arts that Trades-men have to put a gloss upon their wares deceiptful words to tell them what they cost and what the goodness of it is to make many protestations yea and deceiptful Oaths all such things are here condemned and deceiptful Books and deceiptful Reckonings So that by Ballances of deceipt are alwaies of Merchants of Trades-men whether by Ballances Weights Measures Tale Lights Words Protestations Oaths Appearances Glosses Mixtures Books and Reckonings all kind of deceiptfulness is here condemn'd He is a Cananite Yet those have their due honor that are righteous in their dealing but such as make profession of Merchandize and are not righteous in their dealings they cannot think much that the Scripture should call them in the way of upbraiding a Cananite Or if he doth but joyn with others in deceipt that comâ— in here As if there be any men and the way they take he knows it is to cozen others yet to get gain he wil be content to joyn with them to partake a part of their gain these things and perhaps your own consciences would tell you of abundant more that you know of of the mysteries of iniquity that there is in trading As we reade of those in the Revelation that were under the power of Antichrist they might not buy nor sell except they had the Mark of the Beast upon them And the truth is among a great part if not most of our Buyers and Sellers there is the Mark of the Beast upon them deceiptfulness and falsness among them and because this is thought to be so light a matter therfore the Scripture laies the more weight upon it And so much as the time will give me leave I shall labor to lay some weight upon this Of deceiptfulness in waies of Trading The ballances of deceipt are in his hand That is saith a Learned Interpreter upon the place By this that they are in his hand is intimated a continual and perpetual study and endeavor to deceive he hath it at hand and it is in his hand continually In the forenamed place Deut. 25. 13. and so on There men are forbidden to have a false weight in their bag you must not keep a false weight in your house much less in your hand Or it may be he alludes to those that have a slight of hand to make the ballances turn one way or the other way so as their Customers shall not perceive it And he loveth to oppress What oppression is there in Trading If I buy a commodity and sell it again what oppression can there be There may be oppression in Trading As thus 1. Oppression in Monopolizing of Commodities that poor men that have been brought up to such a Trade and that have no other livelihood at all but that that a few men get into their own hand and make such use of it themselves that poor men are not able to live by them this is oppression Certainly this monopolizing in Trading is a great oppression the Lord hath in great measure delivered us but not wholly delivered us from that there is a great cry in many parts of the Land still of that And then Secondly Oppression in Trading when as men take the advantages of mens weaknesses that they deale withall in their Trading but especially when they take advantages of mens necessiries that is If I know that such a man must sell his Commodity now for men to take advantage of his necessity and therefore beat it down so as even almost to undo a man because he is necessitated for the selling of it I verily beleeve you know the meaning of such things as these are Or now Those that work upon the necessity in buying as sometimes when men bring over Commodities and must bring over such Commodities you will let them lie to the last period that so you may have them at any rate and so when you come to know that men must needs have a Commodity of you then to raise the price so as they cannot live upon it this is even to drink their very blood this is Oppression They love to oppress that is The poor of their wages There are many poor men that are servants to you that are Merchants and Trades-men they live upon their labor and they must come and fetch Commodities of you that they must live by now you knowing their necessity that they must have your work therfore you beat down their wages and not give unto them according as they may maintain their families you will say I do not wrong them If he doth not another will I but that will not serve the turn Or otherwise They love to oppress Trades-men oppress their debtors when they have gotten poor men into their debts then they will make them that they shall buy of them and of none other and so will put off any of their braided ware to them and put it off at a deer rate You will say We sell it them yea but you force them to buy of you for if they should go from you then you fall upon them and put them into prison or evil intreat them some other way This is to love to oppress to take the advantages of mens necessities when they are grown poor Certainly these things are grievous to the Spirit of God and are abominable in the eyes of God these are rebuked here and that you may see that there is a great deal of evil in these Ballances of deceit and oppression in trading do but consider these particulars First Observe how this is brought in in my text as opposite to turning to God Turn to God then presently He is a Merchant the ballances of deceipt are in his hand he loveth to oppress Those men that live in any way of deceipt or oppression to get gain to themselves by those waies these are men that yet have not turned to God thou hast not turned to Jehovah thy heart is not turned to him thy heart is turned to the earth the earth is thy portion thou art to look for the things of the earth to be thy portion it is not God that thou hast chosen nor turned unto him Then Secondly Thou doest certainly not know what sin doth mean that darest venture the least sin for the greatest gain had God ever enlightened and awakened thy conscience to see what sin doth mean thou wouldest rather lose all thy estate and be cloathed with rags all thy daies than willingly to commit the least sin to get the greatest estate It was a speech of Austin That there must not be so much as an officious lye that is a lye when a man intends no hurt but good yet this must not be told saith
of provoking one another wonderful mischiefs have come of provoking out another What mischief do you think will come then of provoking God to anger Consider this especially you that are of passionate spirits if a Wife a Servant a Child doth any thing a mise you are presently all on fire Oh that you would have this meditation What shall I a poor worm be so soon provok'd with a fellow creature if he doth displease me O Lord what a wretch am I then that dare provoke the infinite God! What can I think my anger to be so terrible to a Child a Neighbor a Servant Oh! how terrible is the anger and wrath of an infinite God against a Creature when he is provok'd I cannot beat it whoever provokes me why should I think that the infinite God should bear with me when I provoke him Oh! that passionate men and women would have these considerations But further They provoke me bitterly Bitterly I remember Gualter hath a very good expression about this and specially speaking of the way of Idolatry provoking of God Just as if a Wife that had plaid the whore and had used many dalliances with the Whoremaster and this Wife should come to manifest respect to her own Husband in the same way of dallyance as she did with the Whoremaster before and he knew what love tricks and sports she had with him and she makes use of the same waies when she comes home to her Husband Oh what a bitter provocation would this be a Husband would not bear that Just so did this people do in the way of Idolatry in Idolatry they go a whoring to Idols and they will tender up to God himself that kind of worship that they give to their Idols Oh this is a bitter provocation The Note from whence is this That though sin of its own nature doth provoke God yet there are some sins provoke him bitterly In Heb. 3. 8. Harden not your hearts as in the day of provocation in the time of bitterness so the word is do not harden you hearts as in the provocation as in the bitterness of my spirit Oh! some things doth imbitter Gods Spirit as Hardness of heart doth imbitter God Spirit and False worship yea many times even those things wherein we think we do God a great deal of service doth imbitter Gods Spirit Oh! there 's many men that think they serve God in doing that which provokes him bitterly we know what the Scripture speaks of men that when they shall deal thus and thus with the Saints they shall think that they do God good service They may have a good intention in what they do and yet they shall provoke God bitterly Oh let us not rest in good intentions I make no question but this people did say so to the Prophet Wel whatsoever their intentions were yet God was provokt biterly by what they did And as there are some sins that are as bitter clusters as the holy Ghost speaks in Deut. 32. so God will be as bitter against those that do provoke him bitterly in Deut. 32. 24. he threatens bitter destruction Oh! for the creature to forsake God is an evil and a bitter thing in Jer. 2. 19. and it will be bitterness in the end As Abner said to Joab in 2 Sam. 2. 26. Will it not be bitterness in the end Oh those dalliances of thine will be bitterness in the end those sins of thine that are the most pleasing to thee as they are bitter to God so God will make them bitter to thee one day in Prov. 5. 4. Her end is bitter as Wormwood though the beginning is as pleasant as Sugar to you yet the holy Ghost saith that her end is as bitter as Wormwood In Jer. 4. 18. Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee and this is thy wickedness because it is bitter My Brethren we are charged in Scripture to take heed of being bitter one against another the Husband in Colos 3. 19. is charged not to be bitter against his Wife It is an evil thing when in a family there is bitterness Oh! but when the Spirit of the eternal God is bitter against a people You Wives who have such a bondage upon you and you find it evil to have such bitterness from your Husbands Oh but then look up to God is Gods Spirit sweet to you Oh! it is a blessing to have the Spirit of God sweet There is a Generation of men that hath Gods Spirit bitter towards them it 's one way whereby we provoke God bitterly by being bitter one against another in Ephes 4. 31. Let all bitterness wrath and evil speaking be put away there 's a charge of God As we would obey him in any thing we are charged to put away all bitterness anger and evil speaking Oh what a spirit of bitterness prevails among us what bitter words and speeches are there among us in Psal 64. 3. there the tongues of wicked men are said to be as Arrows They shoot their Arrows even bitter words If ever bitter words did fly like Arrows about our ears then they do at this day I verily beleeve that England never understood what bitter words meant as lately it hath known we reade in Revel 8. 11. it 's said That the third part of the waters became wormwood and men died of them because they were bitter My Brethren sometimes the third part of Sermons are Wormwood are bitter Oh! I would to God that sometimes we could not say that the third part of prayer were not bitter bitterness in prayer in writing in speaking in conferring one with another Do not you think that this provokes God bitterly yea even those men that were wont to sweeten one anothers spirits and there was a sweetness came upon one anothers spirits in their prayers and yet now what do they do but imbitter one anothers spirits so that they cannot meet together now but they come with bitter spirits one imbittering the other as if there were nothing but Gall and Wormwood among us Let me apply that Scripture in Jam. 3 11. Doth a Fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter What those that were of such sweet natures and dispositions and by grace much more sweet and now nothing but bitterness come out of such Fountains one would wonder to see mens natures so changed besides the work of grace Oh! shall out of the same Fountain come forth sweet water and bitter It follows Therefore shall be leave his blood upon him That is he shall bring his sin upon his own head Those that will be wilful in sin the blood be upon their own heads that 's the meaning Never stand excusing any more you have warning enough if you will go on in your way the blood be upon your own head you wil undo your selves and there is no help Mark the phrase He shall leave his
hath fasted to starving almost he had need be very careful what he doth when he comes to a full Table Physitians will not suffer men that have fasted long to eat much It 's that which brings many diseases in Souldiers and others because sometimes they want much and sometimes they have abundance and so they spoil themselves As we read of Saul's men that they fell upon the Cattel so as they did eat the blood they were so greedy of it Oh let us take heed of this this should be a seasonable Lesson to those that have known what emptiness hath meant in these times and now they are going into their Countries again and to enjoy their Possessions Oh let them take heed how they fal upon the comforts of the Creature greedily Oh they should rather prepare themselves before hand and season their hearts with those thoughts that may keep them from the danger that there is in fatness and when they come to their Houses and Lands and begin to stock them again they should think Oh! what were those sins of mine when I was here before in my house and enjoyed fulness how little honor had God by my fulness before Oh! let me now remember all my murmurings and repinings when God took away my estate and let me seek to make peace with God even for them In the time of my distress I cried to God then and I was afraid that I should never come to enjoy my estate again and hath God given it to me again Oh let me improve it better for his Service than ever I have done Such kind of thoughts men should have when they come to their estates again and not to fall upon them and only seek to make up all again and think of nothing else There 's a great deal of danger here God hath waies to make men cast out their sweet morsels when they regard nothing but the filling of themselves It follows And their hearts were exalted This their fulness puft them up Pride is an ordinary disease that follows fulness Saith an Ancient It 's hard to be in honor without swelling Pride is the disease of prosperity in Psal 73. 3. I saw the prosperity of the wicked and so on he describes their prosperity and in the 6. vers Therefore pride compasses them about as a chain violence covereth them as a garment and hence that caveat of the Apostle 1 Tim. 6. 17. Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high minded Charge them saith the Apostle for it 's usual for men that are rich that are full to be high minded Charge them First Because that these things in the world they are great things in their eyes yea they are the only good things to a carnal heart they are his happiness and therefore he blesses himself in them and that puffs him up Secondly When they enjoy fulness in the world then their lusts are satisfied then they have fewell for their lusts and their lusts grows mighty high Thirdly They can live of themselves and depend upon none and this it is that puffs them up in Psal 10. 5. speaking of proud men in prosperity They puff at their Enemies they care for no body in the world they can live of themselves others depend upon them and they depend upon none and this puffs them up Fourthly They conceive some excellency in themselves why they have more than others as if it were because they had more excellency in themselves and were more worthy than others and they are not every body but are culd out among others as the prime and chief as if there were more worth in them this puffs them up Fifthly They see all others desire what they have they see a great distance between them and others and those that are under them do highly esteem of them They call the proud happy they have many flatterers They were fill'd and their hearts were exalted not only above men but above God Psal 73. 9. They set their mouths against Heaven and their tongue walketh through the Earth speaking of wicked men in prosperity They wil speak against every one when they are high themselves scorning at the waies of God and at his Saints When is the time wherein wicked men that are of scornful spirits do scorn and speak most roughly against the people of God and the waies of God but when they are fill'd when they are at Taverns and have fill'd themselves with Wine and good Cheer then they scorn and blaspheme and set their mouths against Heaven and their tongues walk throughout the City and Country against Parliament and all their tongues are free at that time it is when they are filled Hence that Scripture in Psal 35. 16. With hypocritical mockers in feasts they gnashed upon me with their teeth in the time of their feasts when they were filled then they were mockers and then they gnashed upon me Oh abundance of evil is done by scorning and contemning at Feasts and in that respect their Wine that then they fill themselves withal may be called by the name of that in Deut. 32. 33. Their Wine is the poyson of Dragons and the cruel venem of Asps for as it fills their bodies with heat so then their spirits are fill'd with rage and mallice and especially those who were heretofore low if They come to be fill'd Their hearts are most exalted Oh! the sad examples we have of this at this day many that were not long since we know in a low and mean condition and they have gotten places they have got estates and power in their hands Oh how are their hearts exalted Would you ever have thought to have liv'd to the time to have seen such a change in their spirits as at this day how do they discover their pride now they are got up First in their estrangement towards those that they were familiar with heretofore they go aloof off from you they are fill'd and now their hearts are exalted And then Secondly their carriage is very high and lofty you must wait now if you would but speak to them Thirdly now they need no advice or counsel they were wont to communicate themselves to you and to be willing to hearken to advice and counsel yea but they are fill'd now and their hearts are exalted as if the exaltation of their estates put more wit into their heads Fourthly Now they are harsh to those that are under them they speak harshly and ruggedly and care not for any under them when they lived formerly among their neighbors then they would complain of harshness and ridgidness of others but since they are filled they are as harsh as any and so before when they were low they cryed out of oppression but when they come once to be in place themselves and be filled then they go the same waies that others go hence that in Psal 73. 8. Concerning
as the story of this last six yeers will be if it be faithfully recorded and yet though the Lord be going on in his waies and hath not yet finish'd it we have forgotten Oh doth it not appear so what do men look after everie man his own advantage and own ends and seeks to fill themselves minding nothing else And what mighty haughtiness of spirit there is in many men within this six yeers Oh how have we forgotten the Lord and forgotten those Instruments that God hath made use of for good unto us God had more honor from us when there was not the hundredth part done for us as now there is now we as it were shake our ears and let God do as he will we hope we can do prettie well to shift for our selves Oh! the Lord deliver this Citie out of this and from this evil of forgetting the Lord when we are fill'd You begin to have more full trading now than formerlie now the Countrie begins to be open and they repare to the Citie for all Oh the Lord deliver this Citie from surfetting by their fulness and from this of forgetting the Lord Oh that we could but say that the Lord having restored the trading to the City having such ful trading as now they are like to have Oh to sanctifie the Name of God more than ever they did Oh how do you remember God everie time you see Customers come into your Shops everie time you see the Waggons come out of the Countrie into your Streets how do you bless God and how is God honored among you Oh that it were so it 's a sore and grievous evil to forget the Lord after the Lord hath granted us fulness it 's a horrible ingratitude as if there were nothing to be regarded but our selves First It 's against many charges that God gives beforehand to forwarn us of it If you reade the 6th of Deuteronomy 11. Vers and the 8. Chap. 12. Vers you shall find there how the Lord charges this people When you come into the Land and your houses are full of good things and you eat of the good of the Land beware you forget not the Lord beware and forget not beware and forget not again and again this is inculcated shewing how prone we are to forget the Lord in our fulness Oh! that those of you that providence hath brought this morning would consider of these Scriptures now God is beginning to come in with more fulness than before Oh beware that you forget not the Lord God in the midst of your fulness Oh! let there be as much or more prayer in your familie than there was in former times that you may have a sanctified use of the fulness that now you enjoy yea it 's worse than beastlie The Ox knows his Owner and the Ass his Masters crib but Israel hath forgotten me If the Ox be but fed he knows his Owner Who is it that feeds you is it not the Lord and will you forget him Oh! this will lose the blessing of all you do enjoy and your hearts will grow very wicked beyond what you can imagine you cannot imagine the evil that your hearts will grow to if you forget God in the enjoyment of that estate that God sets you in And it is a sin that God knows not how to pardon for so he expresses himself Ier. 5. 7. How shall I pardon thee for this Why is it that God should say so as if he should say Though I be a God of infinite mercy yet here 's a sin I know not how to pardon why saith he when I had fed them to the full they committed a dultry and they abused that fulness Oh! how shall I pardon thee And if ever you have need of God again how will conscience be stop'd With what face can you go to God again to seek for help if God should bring you low Conscience will presently say You were once emptie and God fill'd you and what honor had God from you no your hearts were exalted and you forgot God And 't is a most foolish thing for you to do so you depend upon God in the midst of all your fulness as much as before everie moment you lie at Gods mercie though perhaps you are not sensible of it yet certainly it is so A foolish thing it is then to forget the Lord Your forgetting God will make you forget your selves and just it may be with God to forget you and to change the waies of his administration towards you Oh take heed then of being exalted and of forgetting the Lord in your fulness Truly Brethren God had rather have his people fall into any sin almost than into the sin of pride and forgetfulness of him and specially that of pride Therefore you find in Scripture That God will rather set the Devil upon his people than to have their hearts exalted as Paul lest he should be lifted up above measure he had a prick in the flesh the buffeting of Satan God had rather see the Devil buffeting of his people than to see the hearts of them to be exalted Yea he had rather suffer them to fall into any other sin Charge your souls then against this as David in Psal 103. at the beginning Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy Name bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits See what a charge he puts upon his soul Oh my soul thōu hast received many benefits from the Lord and there is this deadness in thee if thou beest but left to thy self thou wilt forget the Lord and this will be a sore evil in thee Oh my soul forget not all his benefits Oh that you would go home and charge your souls not to forget the Lord and all his benefits let Husband put Wife in mind with this charge and Wife the Husband but especially your selves in secret between God and your selves to charge your souls not to forget his benefits The more we remember God in the blessings we have the more sweet will our blessings be to us You have a great many mercies but when you forget God you lose the verie sweetness of all your mercies Oh! when you can see a mercie and see the God of that mercie then it 's sweet when I can see a mercie and the Fountain from whence it comes and whither it tends then the mercie is sweet Oh! therefore you deal foolishlie in forgetting the Lord. And the more safe you will be And the more eminent you will be in grace Oh what a lovely object is it to behold a man or woman in the midest of all outward enjoyments to be Heavenlie and Spiritual I say the Graces of such Oh! they glister like Diamonds like most precious Pearls indeed and therefore remember the Lord in al the good things that you do enjoy It follows VER 7. Therefore I
that is here translated observing is very neer to that which is Assyrian The she Leopard it all one with that they call Panther And First They say it is so fierce that presently it flies in the eyes of a man I 'le be a Leopard I 'le fly in the very faces of such Oh! such manifest much pride in their faces and I 'le fly in their very faces saith God Secondly The Leopard is a very swift creature Hab. 1. 8. so the Lord will swiftly come against wicked and ungodly men as a Leopard swiftly and overtake them Thirdly A Leopard to watch his prey is very subtil to observe his fit times and opportunities to fall upon the prey so you have it in the text As a Leopard will I watch them Oh this set out much of the fearful wrath of God against wicked men you have the discription in Jer. 5. 6. A Leopard shall watch over their Cities I say there 's much of Gods wrath in this it 's very terrible the Lord sets his infinite wisdom on work to watch fit times and opportunities for to let out his wrath upon ungodly men I 'le watch over them for evil that we have in another Scripture threatned Oh those are in a sad condition that the Lord watches over them to do them evil God watches over his people for good But such as when they are fled exalt themselves and forget the Lord God watches over them for evil they should be destroyed soon but saith God I have a fitter time than now wherein I 'le get my self a greater Name wherein it shall be worse for them In due time shall their feet slide this is the reason why men live so long in their prosperity and go on and satisfie their wills Because God is watching over them and his time is not yet come Further It is observed of the Leopard that when it comes upon its prey it leaps upon it suddenly and so doth the Lord to ungodly men he comes in a sudden way and leaps upon them and therefore you must not think that you are as wel because you are in as safe a condition as you were a year since or seven years since It is as wel with me saith one as it hath been with me in all my life-time what then you may be never a whit the further off from dangers for the way of God in bringing his wrath it is sudden many times Lastly It is observed of the Leopard that sometimes it will sleep a very long time together it is said to sleep three daies together but after it awakes it is more fierce than before And so the Lord though sometimes he may be patient towards sinners yet when he comes to awake out of his sleep as he speaks of himself Psal 78. 65. he is more terrible VER 8. I will meet with them as a Bear bereaved of her whelps and will rent the caul of their heart and there will I devour them like a Lyon the wildbeast shall tear them THE Third Creature is the Bear I will meet with them as a Bear bereaved of her whelps c. This Creature you know is very fierce and terrible too therefore we reade in the 2d of Kings that there were two she Bears came out of the wood and tore in pieces forty two Children Prov. 17. 12. Let a Bear robbed of her whelps meat a man rather than a fool in his folly She is fierce at all times but above all if she be robbed of her whelps As it is observed that there 's no Creature loves her yong ones more than the Bear and yet the mo 〈…〉 deformed of any and an emblem it may be of a man that loves his own deformed fancies it 's a Note that one Interpreter hath upon it Oh how will the Lord be in an holy rage if his Children be wronged if you do any hurt to his own Children that hath his Image in them when the instinct of Nature is so in this Creature the Bear to be in such a rage when she is robbed of such ugly things as her whelps are 2 Sam. 17. 8. saith Hushai to Absalom Thou knowest thy father and his men that they be mighty men and they be chafed in their fury as a Bear robbed of her whelps in the field Thus the Scripture often discribes exceeding fierceness and rage to the fierceness of a Bear bereaved of her whelps therefore saith he here I will rend the very caul of their bearts and there will I devour them like a Lyon Here he mentions the Lyon the second time The word in your Books is the same but in the Original it is somewhat different It is observed of the Lyon when he comes upon the prey because it 's named here the second time that it rends the body asunder and loves to suck the blood and the fat that is about the heart and as for other parts of the body except it be in very great hunger it leaves them for other beasts to prey upon but the heart and the blood and the fat that is about the heart that the Lyon loves to suck and therefore saith God here I will rent the caul of their heart and there will I devour like a Lyon Luther hath an excellent Note upon this saith he The Lord here will do as a Lyon doth he more immediately will strike out their hearts and punish them with spiritual Plagues and Judgments and as for their estates and bodies he will leave them to other beasts and they shall plague them and punish them that way they had a film upon their hearts saith he and instructions could not get to their hearts but God will tear that caul will tear that film from off their hearts that kept off instructions Oh! let us take heed of this film of our hearts that keeps out the Word of God take heed of that for ever for God hath waies to tear this film from off thy heart As I remember Bernard saith concerning his Brother when he gave him many good instructions and admonitions and his brother was a Soldier and did not mind them he puts his fingers to his sides and saith he Oh! one day a speer shall make way to this heart for instructions and admonitions to enter So I may say to such whose hearts have a film upon them that whatsoever the Preacher saith it cannot get in God may justly come and tear the film from off thy heart that keeps out the Instructions of God And Arias Montanus hath a Note further upon this of sending the Plague upon their hearts and to leave their estates and comforts to the Assyrians And the wild Beasts shall tear them Why Did he not name wild beasts enough before There was the Lyon and the Leopard and the Bear and the Lyon again and yet he comes over again with wild Beasts as if he should say if there by any terror any dreadfulness in
your King and will do that which beseems me as the great King of Heaven and Earth I will not be born down by you with all your boisterousness I will govern you 〈◊〉 will have mine own ends do what you can things shall not go as you will but they shall go as I will have them you would cast off my Authoritie but I wil maintain it I wil be your King This is a sad condition to a people when God rules over them in spight of their heart And yet God doth do so many times God rules over people in spight of their hearts whether they will or no while they are plotting and striving for themselves this way and that way God is bringing about his own ends in their ruin The Lord is King be the people never so unquiet saith the Psalmist Psal 99. 1. It 's not thy fretting and wilfulness that wil hinder the course of Gods ordering things in the world he will be King at last do what thou canst while thou and thousand thousands of such as thou art shall perish eternally God will be King Oh it 's infinitly better for thee to fal down before the Lord and say Lord thou shalt be our King thou art above us thou hast power over us thou shalt be our King for ever It 's just with God alwaies to say thus I will be King But certainly God hath not made such a distance between man and man that any man should say so that whatsoever injustice he doth whatsoever misery he brings people into yet I will be thy King I will have mine own ends mine own will The Bonds between Kings and States certainly is mutual But further thus I will be their King I will not cast off all care of them I will not leave them to the mercy or rather to the crueltie of others but let them come and return to me and I will deal with them as a King to defend them to govern them to do good to them That God should be King over a people it 's his Mercy and it's mans felicitie this should be our prayer Lord give us not up to be rul'd by our lusts but do thou rule over us and Lord give us not up to be rul'd by the lusts of wicked men of unjust and cruel men to rule over us but do thou reign over us Let the Kingdoms of the earth be the Lords and his Christs and he shall reign for evermore But there is another reading of the words and that 's thus You that have books of the old-Translation where Beza's the Geneva Notes are you shall find the reading thus I am and there 's a stop where is your King that should save your City I find most Interpreters go so So the Septuagint Translation Where is your King say they and the Chaldae Paraphrase Where is your King that should save you in all your Cities The Chaldae Paraphrase the Septuagint and very many Interpreters reades it so it 's so translated in the old Translation and according to the Original I will be there may be a stop your King Where is he that should save you in your Cities Yea and many Learned men in speaking of this text in their Comments upon it say they it 's but a transposition of the letters which is ordinarily in the Hebrew tongue and though the word that is I will be it is as much as where upon a transposition of the letter but though we do not make the transposition of the letter in the first words I will be but take them as they are there But if you make a stop there I will be your King where is he that shall save you in your Cities The sense comes to one As if he should say I am the same God that ever I was but where is your King that should save you in your Cities Oh the words read so may pierce the hearts of some if ever they have had any acquaintance with God and known what communion with God hath meane heretofore to hear but these words for God to say I am I am the same God that ever you knew me to be that ever you found me to be but where is your King that should save you and if you reade it as here I will be and there make the stop so Pareus I will be saith he and so refers it then I will be what he had said before as a Lyon a Leopard and as a Bear bereaved of her Whelps and then Where is your King that should save you This is Gods Name in Exod. 3. 14. I am that I am or I will be what I will be so saith God here I am Lord I will be but then where is your King where is your King that should save you in your Citie and your judges of whom you said Give us a King and Princes My Brethren I am no Prophet and have not the spirit of a Prophet that could prophesie of things before or could order Scripture when it should be preached of and when not I am you see in an ordinary course and way and meeting with this Scripture am bound according to my ability to demonstrate unto you wherein the force of it lies I hope your consciences shal be witness that there shal not be the least straining of it but to give you the storie of the thing and the temper of the people at this time it appears plainly that there was three things that they much rested upon say they Let the Prophet say what he will we have the King for us and the Citie for us and the Nobles for us put King and Citie and Nobles together and who can prevail saith God Where 's your King that should save you in your Cities and your Judges of whom ye said Give us a King and Princes and Nobles There 's these three put together If our King come to the Cities he will have a partie there and there will be strength in the Citie and we know the Cities are able to command all the Country and Kingdom there 's the Militia and a numerous company of men and there 's riches in the Cities and therefore the King together with them and then having the Nobles of the Land and the Princes we are sure in a safe condition and yet in the midst of this he asks them by way if derision and insultation For so it is Where is your King that should save you in your Cities The Notes from the words are these First Those things that carnal hearts rest upon will vanish Where are they saith God what 's become of them you would encourage one another and say Come we shall have a day yet for we have this strength and the King and Nobles for us Where are they those things that carnal hearts rest upon will vanish and come to nothing Yea Secondly God loves to insult over men in their carnal confidences For so