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
eyes and was heard to speak these words I come I come I come and so gave up the ghost It had been much to be wished that the Author had been more concise brief in som Amplifications which though they were al exceeding useful yet they have deprived us of his Preaching and compleating both the former Sermon and the rest of the Prophesie But God was pleased for our sin no doubt to deprive us of that Mediator like Instrument between the divided Godly Parties of this Nation and of the further mind of the Holy-Ghost which be had revealed to this his Servant touching the Scope and Vse of this Prophesie in these daies God took him away in the strength of his Parts and Graces that he might not lose in the reputation of his Ministry or Piety as some have before their death Also though we cannot affirm as one of Josiah That he was taken away Ne malitia mutaret intellectum ipsius lest the evil of the time should have wrought upon his temper yet we may say as another doth He was taken away from the evil to come Moreover It is not an unuseful Note that the Preface to the Tigurine Bible hath whereof the inference is That whilst in some weighty point we labor for great exactness and preparation we are either disabled by our diligence or prevented by our tardiness and delay whereas moderat preparation seasonably applied might be more useful to the Church than such exactness so deferred Which is not spoken to reflect any thing on our reverend Author but to admonish others ut maturens Now among other arguments good Reader to commend this Excellent piece This is one That it hath been brought to thy hand through several Elements having been in danger part of it to be rotted in the Earth where it was buried part of it to be consumed in the Fire wherewith much of the Town where it was flamed part of it to be lost in by holes where it was hidden in the midst of Enemies Make special use therefore of what is come as it were through fire unto thee for that end to use the Prefacers words before Mr Cartwright's Answer to the Rhem. Test And if thou find that fruit the Supervisor did in preparing it for thee thou wilt not repent thy pains or peny Farewel FINIS AN ALPHABETICAL TABLE OF THE Eleventh Twelfth and Thirteenth CHAPTERS of the Prophesie of HOSEA A Abuse ABuse of Instruments of Deliverence a great evil Page 399 Affliction None of the Saints worse for affliction 453 Afflictions sometimes deepest when greatest Mercy is intended 231 Affliction see Difference Afflicted Wee may be sorely afflicted in doing Gods Commands 227 Aggravation The aggravation of provoking God 403 An aggravation of self destruction 513 Alteration Alteration of Government causeth Trembling 422 Anceston Ancestors see Mean condition Free-Grace Anger Anger see Difference The Effects of Anger 151 Apostats Apostats see Folly Apostats to return again 340 Apostacy Apostacy see Language Punishment Steps Apostacy brings a reproach on Gods waies 408 Arabian Arabian why taken for a Thief 310 Aright How to conceive aright of God 274 Armies Gods Armies 271 Astrologer Astrologer see Chaldean Awaking Saints need awaking before Reformation 185 B Baal-zephon Baal zephon what 30 Baptism Baptism see Church Base Base spirits most insolent 415 Beast Beast see Mark Beginning The Beginning of Superstition Ceremonies and Popery 437 Bethel Bethel see Jacob Bitterness Bitterness see England Blessing What 's the blessing in a married condition 392 Blessing see Peace Bonds Gods Bonds what 30 Blows To be forced by blows is to be drawn like a beast 57 C Canaanite Canaanite Why it signifies a Merchant 310 Carnal It 's mercy to be taken off from carnal props 104 Carnal heart see Difference A sore sign of a carnal heart 326 Cause The cause of corruption in Gods Worship 439 Caution A Caution concerning Earthly Kings 523 Chief The Chief work of the Ministry 177 Chaldean Chaldean why taken from an Astrologer 310 Child Child see Israel A Childs great disobedience Children How we may know whether God loved us when we were children 10 Christ God hath an eye to Christ in all he doth 19 Christians Christians see Love Church The Church one in Faith Spirit Baptism and visible Government 13 Comfort Comfort see Lives Comfort of a dying person 130 Common Comforts common to Hypocrites 433 Command Command see Promise Company Company heats whether it be goâ—d or evil 164 Confident Yong beginners not to be too confident 33 Confident men sink lowest if disappointed 201 Confidences The confidences of the ten Tribes 525 Congregation Congregation see Posture Conduct Gods Conduct of his people through the Wilderness 450 Conscience The conflict of conscience and corruption 122 Conscience oppression the most grievous 98 Convince Convince see Ministers It 's hard to convince men when they have their desires that it is not in love 539 Conviction Conviction see Parents Convert A true Convert what 333 Cords Cords of a man what 43 Correction Correction see Parents Covenant Covenant see Jews Covetousness Covetousness hard to be convinced 331 D Day Day of Judgment see Mercy Dangerous A dangerous sign of Reprobation 544 Deceiptful dealers Deceiptful dealers see Excuses Decree Decree what it is 511 The Decree of Election ibid. Gods Decree damns none ib. Devils The Devils Stratagem 175 An obstinate sinner worse than the Devil 109 Deliverance Deliverance from oppression a great mercy 92 Difference Difference between Spiritual and Temporal blessings 557 Difference between a carnal and gracious heart 329 556 Difference between the Churches and Gods Excommunication 436 Difference between God and man in point of anger 169 Difference in the Saints from others in time of affliction 308 Difference of Gods working for his people and for others 399 Disappointed Disappointed see Conceited and Confident Disobedience Disobedient see Child Drawn To be drawn by the Word is to be drawn like 〈◊〉 man 57 Doctrine Doctrine see False Drowsie A Drowsie spirit a great evil 133 Duty Duty see Ministers Dying Dying see Comfort E East Wind The East wind why hurtful 202 Effects Effects see Anger Effectual Effectual preaching what 349 Elect Elect see Thoughts Election Election see Decree Element God the Element of Love 85 England Gods ancient love to Engl. 6 England the first Nation that imbraced the Christian Religion ibid. God remembers the kindness of England's youth ibid. Publick love gone out of England 72 Gods special love to England Englands sin 93 Procession weeks in England 355 Englands bitterness aggravated 407 England see Instances Encouragement Encouragement to saith and prayer 151 Error Mens error in judging others 213 Evil Evil of licenciousness after deliverance 94 Men excuse their evil by their good 214 Evil of deceipt in Trading 315 Evil see Suspense Drowsie Company Excellency Excellency of the Name JEHOVAH 293 Excellency of Gods saving 449 Exalted We should not be exalted by prosperity and why 462 Excommunication
Excommunication see Difference Excuses Excuses of deceiptful dealers 319 Mens excuses 515 F Faith Faith see Church Encouragement Root Faculties Faculties see Love Families Families see Imperiousness False False see Encrease Fill Men fill themselves with sensual things 445 Forced Forced see Blows Wives Folly Folly of Apostats 307 Form A form of answering to Gods call 128 Forgiveness Healing with forgiveness a sweet Mercy 95 Free see Grace Free grace of God to our Ancesters 222 Fruit To understand the Scriptures is a fruit of love 20 Fruit see Way G Gift see Ministry God Gods great design is to magnifie free grace 25 God deals gently with his people 53 Gods great design in the Gospel 70 God deals roughly with the great and graciously with the grieved and oppressed 500 God will be a Lyon to them that forget him ibid. Why God compares himself to a Leopard 502 God is to be preached as terrible 508 God see Christ England Know Trembling Help Healer Merciful Godly heart Godly heart see Difference Good Good see London Company Good Cause Good Cause see Success Goods Goods ill got the third Heir enjoyeth not 319 Government Government see Church Guides Guides their changeableness 31 Guiding Why the soul needs Guiding 32 H Hear Hear see Reverence Healing Healing see Forgiveness Healer God will be acknowledged the Healer of his people 40 Help God delights to Help men in misery 519 High minded Why the rich are apt to be high minded 459 Honor Honor of our inferiors must be preserved 55 God hath little honor in the world 132 Hope Hope see Wind Host Host see People Humbles What humbles most effectually 287 Hurtful Hurtful see East Wind. I Jacob What God spake to Jacob at Bethel 264 Jacob's mean condition 356 Jacob's flying into Syria 358 Why Jacob is sent away so meanly 359 Jacob hath the blessing renewed at his going away 359 Why Jacob served seven years for Rachel 394 Jehovah Jehovah what it infer's 273 Jehovah what it should mind us of 274 Jehovah what terror is in the Name 291 Jehovah what Consolation in the Name 292 Jehovah see Excellency Jews One of Gods special Covenants with the Jews 427 Ill-got Ill-got see Goods Image Image see Wrath Imitate Imitate God in resisting temptations to sin 149 Immoderate Immoderat desires to be taken heed of 537 Imperiousness The Imperiousness of some in their families 416 Increase Whence such Increase of false Doctrine 205 Increasing see Lyes Inferiors Inferiors see Honor Ingratitude Ingratitude see Perverse spirit Insolent Insolent see Bass Israel What a child Israel was 3 Wherein Gods Love to Israel stood 4 Israel see Mercy Instances Instances of the working of Gods heart towards England 148 Instruments Instruments see Abuse Iron Iron Tools unfit to build God's Tabernacle 343 Israelites Why the Israelites would have a King and Princes 530 Judgment It may prove a Judgment to invent a way to satisfie Conscience 211 Judgment when to be Executed 300 Judging Judging see Error K Kingdom Kingdom see Troubles King King see Israelites Kings Kings see Caution Kissing Against kissing the Book in Swearing 443 Know What it is to know God 447 L Labor Labor see Prevailing Language The Language of the sin of Apostacy 409 Law Saints not under the Law 11 Liberty What use we should make of Liberty 96 Licentiousness Licentiousness see Evils Lives Lives how to compleat the comfort of them 10 Leopard Leopard see God Lyon The Lyons property 504 Lyon see God Little A little of Spiritual things serves mens turns 455 London Gods mercy to London all this War 114 London's good is to be labored for 115 Love Gods Love doth not find but make the person lovely 8 Love commands all the souls faculties 64 The Love of Christians formerly compared with our divisions 72 Love see Persons Children Fruit England Love see Superiors Convince Notes Magistrates Love see Servants Sanctifies Overcomes Love see Relations Element Lyes Several waies of encreasing Lyes 206 M Magistrates Magistrates must deal by Reason rather than by Violence 51 Magistrates should govern by Love 76 Mark The Mark of the Beast 313 Marriage Marriage founded on consent 391 Married condition Married condition see Blessing Mean condition The mean condition as well as the greatness of our Ancestors is to be regarded 392 The mean condition of Moses 396 Meditation A Meditation for passionate spirits 464 A Meditation ser Trades-men in London 469 Merchant Merchant see Canaanite Mercie Gods mercy towards Israel is a Type of his waies with his people 8 Mercy when to be shewn 299 Mercy see Carnal props London Plea Affliction Merciful hearts neerest to God 173 Ministers Ministers pattern 35 Ministers must convince not scare men 51 It's Ministers duty to open Gods Love 66 Ministers should be wary in using tartness 150 Ministry The Ministry a magnificent gift 346 Why men profit no more by the Ministry 345 In chusing our habitation we should have regard to a good Ministry 347 Monopoliz To monopolize Commodities is oppression 313 N Necessary Necessary see Truth New New Officers see Pride Notes Notes to know whether it he Love or Hatred by all that is before us 540 Note of Peprobation 3â—â— O Obstinate Obstinate see Devil Oppression Oppression of others after deliverance from oppression is a great evil 97 Oppression see Deliverance Monopolize Oppression see Conscience Trading Evil. Opression see Under-trades-men Overcome Gods Love overcomes all unworthiness 84 Outward Outward Comforts see Thoughts P Pardon Pardon see Restitution Parents Parents and Masters must use more conviction than correction 52 Particular Particular persons should remember Gods ancient Love 7 Particulars affect most 294 Passionate Passionate spirits see Meditation Peace A blessing for them that hastens peace 112 People Gods People are his Host 272 Perseverance Perseverance why more frequent under the Gospel than under the Law 69 Perverse A perverse spirit the punishment of ingratitude 401 Piety Piety raiseth the heart more than Pride 126 Plea The plea of Justice and Mercy 140 Popery Popery see Beginning Posture The posture of a Congregation 417 Prayer Prayer see Encouragement Priests Priests see Vanity Preserve Preserve see Honor Prevailing Prevailing recompenceth all our labor in seeking 242 Pride Notes of pride in some new Officers 461 Priviledg Priviledg see Saints Procession Procession see England Profit Profit see Ministry Promise No command in the Gospel without a promise 91 Prosperity Many Saints worse for prosperity 453 Prosperity see Exalted Proud Proud men see Vanity Providence Things accidental are under providence 18 Provoke How we should provoke one another 464 Provoking Provoking God see Aggravation Provoking sins expressed 465 Punishment The punishment of Apostacie 409 R Reason Reasons of Jacob's taking his brother by the heel 219 Reason see Magistrates Use Relations The love of all Relations in Gods Love 85 Religion Religion see England Reformation Reformation see Awaking Recreation Times for Recreation to be allowed to Servants 101 Repentance Repentance a Gospel-Grace not of the Law
love unto his people and surely God intends yet further love unto us And then for our selves in particular It 's very good for us to look back unto his ancient love That is Now God hath loved some of you from your child-hood how the providence of God did work towards you then Some of you I suppose in this place may say that God loved you when you were children when I was a child I had such and such expressions of Gods love towards me It was love that I was born of Christian Parents and that I was brought up in Christian education That I was delivered from such and such dangers yea it may be God began to reveal himself to me betimes And if you would call to mind all the loving passages of Gods providence since you were children you might have matter of meditation sufficient There 's many of you that complain you cannot find matter for meditation I 'le give you a rule to help you in meditation at any time it 's this When you cannot meditate of other things but you are presently be wildered and know not whither to go then turn your selves to this meditation To think of all the gracious passages of Gods providence towards you ever since you were children and this the weakest may be able to go along in And that 's the third Note of Observation Fourthly All Gods old mercies remain engagements unto duty and aggravations to our sin I loved him when he was a child 't is brought to that end to aggravate their sin and further to engage them unto duty Remember that the love and mercies of God unto you when you were children are engagements to duty when you are old And they are aggravations of your sin The sins of those men and women that are against old mercies they are the greatest sins Oh! that you should sin against that love of God unto you when you were children God began with you then and hath continued his love and mercy to you ever since then Oh! make this an aggravation of your sin in the day of your humiliation charge it upon your own souls these and these sins have I committed though God loved me though Gods mercy and goodness was towards me when I was a child and hath gone along to me yet I have walked unworthy of all that love and mercy know that if you do forget the old love of God yet the Lord remembers it he remembers his old mercies and he remembers your old sins But then fiftly Let not our hearts sink in despairing thoughts though we see that we are able to do but little for God and though we are unworthy of love Though there be much vanity and folly in our hearts and in our lives yea though there hath been much stubbornness yet still let not our hearts sink in despairing thoughts I loved them when they were a child They could do little for me and they knew little of me and they were vain and foolish and stubborn and yet I loved them Certainly the waies of God towards Israel are as a type of his waies towards his Saints as the afflictions of Israel are Typical to the Church and we gather an argument to be patient in afflictions when we reade how God dealt with the people of Israel in the wilderness so we may gather an argument to help our faith when as we reade how God dealt with them though they were unworthy and were poor and weak yet God loved them Therefore you poor people that find your selves weak in understanding alas you know little and can remember little of that which is good and alas you can do little for God â—ea I find perhaps saith one much frowardness and stubborness in my heart against God but do you bewail it if so let not your hearts be discouraged do not think that these are things that will hinder the love of God Gods heart may be towards you notwithstanding this when God comes to love he doth not find the object to be lovely before he loves but his love makes the object to be lovely therefore God can love though thou knowest little and can do but little But you will say He can love I but Will He love If I did but know that this would satisfie my heart To that I answer First how ever when you hear that God did love Israel when he was such a child that none eye pitied him this is enough to help you against any concluding thoughts against Gods love for God did love his people when they were as unworthy as you are And then secondly But would you know whether God would love you the readiest way for you to know whether God will love you yea or no It is first To raise up your faith if you are able upon such grounds as these are Upon the consideration of his love to his people when they were unworthy And then secondly In quietness and meekness of spirit to lay thy self before the Lord as an object of his pity If thou doest not think thy self worthy to be an object of love yet lay thy heart before God as an object of pity and there resolve to wait til the time of love shall come till God shall make known that his heart is towards thee for good 't is not the way for thee to be froward and vexing because of thy unworthiness meanness poverty and baseness and so to determine that he will not love thee therefore but I say the way for thee to have the sence of Gods love is this When thou seest there is no worthiness in thee why he should love thee yet there is enough in thee to make thy self an object of his pity And sixtly Doth the love of God to his people begin so soon I loved Israel when he was a child Oh! let not thy love then to him be deferred too long Gods love begins betimes to his people let not his people love be deferred too long God is before hand with you in love and when ever we begin to love him it is upon this ground Because he loved us first You who are yong youths do you love God betimes for if you be such as ever shall be saved God did not only love you when you were a child but he loved you before you were born before the foundations of the world was laid Oh! it is pity that the first springing of your love should not be bestowed upon God Certainly old love is the best love as old love in God is sweet so old love in the Saints it 's a sweet thing to think that God loved me from a child but then if I can say this too I loved God from a child this will make it sweeter put but these two together Oh! when these two can be added what is wa 〈…〉 g to the comfort of ones life God loves that love that is from a child Jer. 2. 2.
weakness or wilfulness when they were disobedient I did not make it all one whether they disobeyd through weakness or wilfulness and so I dealt with them accordingly And then Sixtly In all afflictions that was brought upon them I considered that they were but men of weak natures and could not bear much I did not lay on as if I were laying on upon an Ox or such a creature that had so much strength to bear but I considered they were men and I laid on my strokes gently considering that they had tender natures as you know the Prophet speaks in Isa 57. 16. I will not contend for ever lest the spirit that I have made should fail before me The Lord looks upon the weaknesses of his people and therefore will not contend lest their spirits should fail before him Seventhly In their afflictions I was sensible of their afflictions as well as themselves so you know what the Lord saith In all their afflictions I was afflicted I was sensible so as a tender Father or wise Master if he doth strike the child or servant the very blows in a manner will be as sensible to him as to them but it is not so with you when you strike a beast So saith God I did not afflict them but it went to my very heart and I was afflicted as well as they Thirdly I drew them with the Cords of a man that is in an honorable way so as that honor and respect that was any way due to such a creature or that was sutable to such a creature it was preserved First My Instructions was ever more than my blows I never struck more blows than I gave them Instructions if I struck them one blow I gave them twentie fourtie instructions to one blow When you have children or servants and perhaps you will give them fourty blows to one instruction you deal with them not like men but like beasts That 's the first It 's a dishonor to mankind for any Superior to give more blows than instructions but I dealt with them like men sutable to that respect that is in a kind due to humane Nature Secondly Whatsoever spark of ingenuity remained in them I took care to preserve it that 's the second thing If there were but a spark of ingenuitie in any of them I took great care to preserve that ingenuitie and not to quench that spark in all my dealings towards them Thirdly I aim'd at their good as well as mine own as well as my glory there 's many Scriptures that way you do not do so when you strike beasts you do not consider of the good of the beast but at the benefit that you should have that he may further your work But now when you come to strike men you must look at their good as well as at your own good there 's no parent must strike the child but must look at the benefit of the child rather than to satisfie his humor When you strike meerly for your own advantage without aiming at the good of those you strike you deal not with them like men but like beasts Fourthly I did never any thing towards them but so as they might have hope still preserved in them of being reconciled to me upon their coming in though they deserved never so much and I seemed to come against them the most harshly yet I never so came against them but there was hope preserved that at any time of their coming in and repenting I would be reconciled to them this is to deal with them like men when you deal with any that offend you parents or Governors never be so harsh but though they be very evil there must be preserved som hope that upon their coming in they be reconciled to you Fiftly I was careful to maintain their honor as my people that is in all my dealings with them though they were hard somtimes to flesh and blood yet I put a difference between them and other people other people were to me in comparison but as dogs as it were but these as men and as free men in Jer. 2. 14. Is Israel a Servant is he a home born Slave why is he spoiled What Israel a servant a home-born Slave no he must be look'd upon as a free man So in Isa 27. 7. hath he smitten him as he smot those that smit him No I look upon them with some different respect and as men and as Free-men and deal with them so Sixtly Whensoever they began to return I met them half way I did not stand it out to the uttermost to discourage their hearts but I met them half way in all their returnings And did not God deal honorably with them Indeed if you would deal in a contemptuous way with another that hath offended you will say Let them wait yea but if we will deal with another in an honorable way if we see him but in coming a far off we will run and meet him as the father of the prodigal did so saith God I did not deal with them in a contemptuous way but I drew them with the cords of a man and in an honorable way I dealt with them Thus you have this expression opened I drew them with the cords of a man Now there are divers Observations from hence The first is That the waies of God are very rational so that they may draw any man of understanding to love them If mans nature were not degenerated were it that we did but stand right in regard of our principle of Reason it were impossible but the waies of God should draw us at least to an outward obedience to them there 's no reason in your waies but there 's reason in Gods waies and therfore if you had but the hearts of men though you had not the hearts of Saints yet to approve of Gods waies at least and for an outward conformity to them you might be drawn if men were not besotted with their lusts certainly they would never be so confident in their sinful waies as they are if men did but bethink themselves of the way of God Saith Solomon When thy people are carried away captive and shall bethink themselves there is so much reason in Gods waies that if one did but bethink himself Saith David I considered my waies and turned my feet unto thy testimonies Oh! it 's a great mercy to have a considering heart and it 's a great judgment of God to leave men and women to a slight and vain spirit not to weigh and ponder things most people are led on in a continued hurry of passion like to the Horse in the Battel and no man saith What have I done Oh! couldest thou but have so much power over thy passion and the violence of thy lusts as to get alone and weigh Gods waies surely thou couldest not but be convinc'd that the waies of God are
Sun as the Sun is high above a piece of earth But now this we may know let there be never such excellent Creatures made they cannot have a greater fruit of love than mankind hath from God Oh! this is the love of God to mankind this cals aloud to the children of men to love God here 's a fruit of love beyond that which is to Angels for the Lord took not upon him the Nature of Angels but the Nature of man Fifthly God so loved his people as he hath given himself too as well as his Son Not only given the Second Person in Trinity but Himself He doth not think enough to give Heaven and Earth to thee to be thy Portion but he will make Himself to be thy portion he will be thy God You would think it a great matter if God should say Well all this world I will give to be thy portion yea that I might give a testimony that I love thee I will make another world for thy sake and make thee the Emperor of it all but in that God hath given thee his Son and given thee Himself this is a greater degree of Love and the soul of man were it enlarged indeed so as it might be yea so as grace doth enlarge the hearts of the Saints such a soul would say Lord what will thou give me if thou givest me not thy Son if thou givest me not thy Self though I be less than the least of thy mercies yet except I have thy self to be my protion this is not sufficient for me Well saith God That thou maiest know that my heart is set upon thee for good I 'le give thee my Son I 'le give thee my self and my Spirit Oh! what love is this to the children of men that ever we should live to have our ears filled with this sound from Heaven that God should do such things as these are for the children of men Sixthly God doth so love his people as in comparison of his Saints he cares not what becomes of all the world in Isa 43. 4. I loved thee therefore will I give men for thee and people for thy life If thy case be so that it shall not be well with thee without great evils that shall come upon the children of men the generality of men and many people and Nations I do not so much care for them saith God my heart is upon you so as in comparison of you I care not what becomes of all the world Oh the Love of God unto his Saints Yea further God hath loved thee so as he hath pardoned all thy sins here 's another twist of Gods Love in Rev. 1. 5. Vnto him that hath loved us and washed us from our sins by his own blood For his giving himself for us that is in Gal. 2. 20. He hath loved us and washed us from our sins by his own blood here 's a fruit of Love You do not hear it said that Christ hath loved us and hath purchased great Kingdoms for us hath made you Lords and Earls and Countesses and so hath loved you no But he hath loved us and washed us from our sins by his blood Now it 's a good argument that the Love of God is upon you if you account this to be a great fruit of Love to wash you from your sins by the blood of Jesus Christ Surely if he will do so much for you as shall cost him so dear as his own blood he loves you the Love Jesus Christ broke through these difficulties for when there were such transactions between the Father and Son about redeeming the Soul saith God If thou wilt take upon thee to deliver them from their sin thou must come thy self and be made a Curse for their sins What will you undertake such a thing as that to deliver them from their sin it will cost you thus much Saith Jesus Christ Lord thy will be done in it yet let me deliver them from their sin though I lose my life though it cost me my blood though I be made a Curse whatsoever it cost me yet let their sins be washed from them He hath washed us from our sins though it cost him his blood Oh! the Love of Christ to his Saints what Bonds of Love have we here I have seen some that they may twist and bind their cords the more fast they will wet them that so they may close and bind the more Oh the Cords of the Love of Jesus Christ are wet with his own blood Again Loved thee surely his Love hath been great he hath put loveliness upon thee he hath put upon thee his own Nature If one can say any thing greater than hath been said this one would think should be very high and great tor God so love us as to put his own Nature into us to make us partaker of the Divine Nature so to love us as to put his own Life into us to enable us to live the very same life that himself doth live so to love us as to put his own Image upon us Oh! this is the Love of God to his Saints Again He loves thee with the very same Love wherewith he loves Jesus Christ himself In John 17. about the latter end That thou maiest love them with the same Love wherewith thou hast loved me saith Christ to the Father Oh! to have the same Love that the Father loves Christ withal Is not this a strong Bond to bind thy heart to God If God had loved thee only so as to give thee an estate and honors here in this world this is no other love but that the Reprobate may have and will this Love satisfie thee Oh! the difference between the Love of God to his Saints and the Love of God to other men he loves the great ones of the world that are wicked with no other love but with the love that he loves a Reprobate but he loves the Saints with the same Love wherewith he loves his Son and this Love will bring thee one day to be one with the Father and the Son and is not here a strong Bond of Love to gain thy heaâ—t to Himself And further from this it must needs be that the Lord must delight in Communion with his Saints and indeed God doth all this for his Saints puts the Divine Nature into them and the Life of God and sets so much Love upon them why that he might have a people to enjoy everlasting Communion with him saith God I would fain have some Creatures that might live with me to enjoy communion with me that might live to see my face and see all the Glory that I intend to manifest to all eternity Oh blessed God! hast not thou the Angels that are with thee to enjoy thy Glory to have communion with thee no saith God but I would have these poor creatures that are so low and mean in the
evil of kicking and spurning against God so soon as he hath taken off the yoke from their jaws than we are at this day Could any have beleeved that if it had been revealed from Heaven but Six years since That within six years this People of England should be delivered from those sore yokes that they cried to Heaven because of the burden of them and the Lord would work in a miraculous way to deliver them but upon their deliverance there shal be such wantonness such horrid blasphemous opinions and wicked licentious waies yea that those that make profession of Religion shall be guilty of presently upon the taking off of their yoke Could it have been beleev'd Certainly if our forefathers that were under the yoke that were godly and cried to God for deliverance if they should rise out of their graves now and assoon as ever they were risen out ye should make a full Narration of all that Libertie that God hath granted to his people in England in the breaking of all that yoke of Tyrannie in the Civil State and the yoke of Tyrannie in the Ecclesiastical State they would presently think that they should see wonderful glorious effects of this in England but if within a month or two after they should have conversed with men they should hear of such monstrous opinions they should see the extream licentiousness and wantonness in the hearts of men expressed in their waies Oh! they would be ready to spit in the very faces of their children of those that now live in such times as these are The wantonness and licentiousness of men hearts in abusing of our freedom from our yokes it 's very evil in these Respects First Because this hardens the hearts of former Oppressors Our former Oppressors our Prelats and others will not they say or do not you give them occasion to say Now you see what is the fruit of casting of us out Was there such wantonness before were there such horrid Opinions before when we had power We kept down all such things we could easily curb these when we had power but you see what extravegancies there are how men run wild assoon as our power is taken from us By this means they are hardened And others that are of Prelatical spirits they are hardoned and begin to think surely the other way is the better way and indeed if this be a good argument That the keeping men in union and the keeping down errors by violence shall prove the truth of any way or of any Government it may as well prove Prelatical as any other for we know that they kept men from venting of such notorious errors by violence but shall we because there is not this violence upon us shall be more erronious and more wanton in our spirits Secondly This wantonness and abuse of our Liberty and licentiousness it darkens the glory of this great work of God in our deliverance the Lord hath been pleased to magnifie his Name in the deliverance of these Kingdoms from the yoke Now what should be the care of all the people of God but to seek to magnifie the great work of God to make it beautiful and glorious before the eyes of all But now by this wantonness and licentiousness men do darken the Glory of God they take off the lustre and beauty of it Psal 149. 4. the Lord there promises to beautifie the meek with salvation He will beautifie them with salvation now the Lord hath wrought so towards us as to beautifie us with salvation and indeed there is a great beautie upon the work of salvation that he hath wrought but this doth I say darken the Glory of God and it takes away the beauty of the work of God in our salvation What hath God done all this for us that men might turn wanton and run wâ—ld into monsterous opinions and blasphemies Oh! wo to thee that thou shouldest live in such a generation as this is how unfit art thou to live in such a time as this is to darken the glory of such a glorious work as God hath wrought for us here in England Thirdly By abusing our liberties from our yokes you do wrong others wrong those who are wise and holy and peaceable and you make them to be denied that liberty that otherwise they might have It is for your sakes who are so wanton and run so wild in opinions and in the loosness of your lives that I say those that are otherwise discreet wise and holy and peaceable and that would make use of what liberty Christ would have given to his people they must be denied it for your sakes it will be upon your account one day what ever denial they have of that liberty that they would use in a gracious and peaceable way for the honor of God I say you must answer for it one day for 't is your wildness that is the cause of it Yea Fourthly This wildness and loosness and abuse of deliverance from bondage it will be the means to bring others to be under greater yokes again it were just with God at least that it should be so Yea It might make any that have but any Civility or Morality in them to think that they shall do God good service in yoking these men in another way than ever they were yok'd I say it might make them to think that they do God good service when they see the Name of God dishonored and Religion so abused I say by this means they may come to think it would be a good service to God to lay yokes upon such kind of men as these are If ever instead of the great strings that have tide yokes upon you you should have lesser strings if you should have them multiplied to tie yokes upon you yet thank your selves you are the cause of it in Lament 1. 14. The yoke of my transgression is bound by his hand The Lord may justly bind the yoke of your transgressions upon you Oh! that God would humble us for the abuse of our libertie of the freedom from our yokes Oh let us take heed of this and say with our selves Surely this is not the use that we should make of our deliverance from our yokes no but rather this use we will rather so much the more willingly take the yoke of Jesus Christ upon us In Exod. 12. 25. after the people of Israel were delivered from the yoke of Egyptian bondage presently upon it Thou shalt keep this service speaking of the passeover that was to be kept upon their deliverance from Egypt Thou shalt keep this service The word that is there Service it is the same that is used somtimes for their Service and Bondage under the Egyptians as if the Lord should say You were once in Service indeed there was a Service that the Egyptians requir'd of you a servile Service it was and your necks were under it
5. He shall not return into the Land of Egypt but the Assyrian shall be his King because they refused to return He shall not return TO give you first a short paraphrase of the words for there 's no difficulty in them and then the Notes of Observation It is As if the Prophet should say Howsoever he thinks to help himself with ease to shelter himself there yet he shall not but he shall go into Captivity into Assyria for all means that have been used would not bring him to return So then the Observations First That which hardens mens hearts against threats in their sin is some shifts that they have in their thoughts let the worst come that can be yet I have such a relief My Brethren it 's a great mercy of God to take mens spirits off from all their vain shifts and hopes so as to be throughly convinced that there 's no help in any thing in the creature in Heaven and Earth but only in my turning to God and casting my soul down before Mercy if that saves me not I am undone for ever when the heart comes to this I say God is in a gracious and merciful way working I see my sin my affliction that is upon me and feel it though my heart would be shifting this way and that way yet God hath convinc'd me nothing can do me good but I am lost and undone what ever course I take except I return to God and humble my soul before him and seek his face and obtain meroie from him Secondly He shall not return to Egypt It was a verie strange perverseness to think of this shift to go back to Egypt why was not Egypt the place of his bondage and the Egyptians still retained their cruelty and yet they thought of this help that they would turn to Egypt rather than to God From whence the Observation is A stout heart cares not whither it goes rather than it will return to God As the Prodigal will rather go to the Swine to feed upon husks than to his father like some stout children they care not what miseries they suffer rather than they will come and humble themselves to their parents They will hang themselves and drown themselves and seek their fortune as they use to say rather than be perswaded to come in and submit themselves No never as long as they live though they die yet they will not and thus their hearts are stout and while they think they are stout against their parents they are stout against God too yet God hath waies to bring mens stout hearts to yeeld Thirdly A stubborn heart though God be in any way of mercy God calling them to waies of mercy yet if any thing crosses them they will foolishly and desperately wish their return to their former condition of misery If you make any thing that God doth an argument to a stubborn heart for duty if it pleases him not he will reject all that 's done for him and say he had rather be as he was before let me go into Egypt again stubborn hearts if they meet with any cross in their way this is their unthankfulness that because they are vext and crost in some one thing they will I say foolishly and desperately wish that they were in the the condition that heretofore they have been in Oh! thus it is with many of us how foolishly how wickedly have we thought and said it was better with us heretofore then now let us return to our former condition This is thy folly and thy desperat wickedness But saith the text He shall not return though he thinks of returning as if the holy Ghost should say do not please your selves to think it is but to return to Egypt you cannot be worse than now you are for God hath worser things for you And my brethren this is our case this day let not us think of returning to our former condition certainly if we should take such a course to return to our former condition we should be far worse than we were before our danger would be far greater this is certain to the view of any men that have their eyes open that our condition in England must either be far better than it was or far worse than it was There 's many say Oh! we were thus and thus in former times and if we were but as we were we should do well enough Oh! let 's not think of that we must certainly either be far better or far worse than we were for if we think of returning it will not be to Egypt but to Assyria which will be worse The Fourth Note is this God knows how to cross wicked men of their wills to spoil them of their plots they please themselves with this and the other thing they will do thus and thus if they be put to this shift then they have a second and a third yea but there 's a God in Heaven that hath determined otherwise Never were wicked men more cross in their plots than they are at this day They have said that they would do thus and thus but God hath said they should not and they have not done it Now God in his Mercy crosses his people of their wills that are set upon sin but when the wicked are crost upon their sin it is because God hath other waies to bring about greater evils to them To bring them to Assyria Well then whatsoever any mans thoughts and desires are the Lord deliver us from turning into Egypt again And likewise the Lord grant the Assyrian may not be our King It follows The Assyrian shall be his King The Lord deliver us from both That an Assyrian may not be our King Why an Assyrian why was he threatned to be their King You shall find that he was one of a cruel stout heart an hard heart and a proud heart the Assyrians were so They were a generation of men of cruel proud stout hard-hearted men Isa 10. 5. Oh Assyrian the rod of mine anger saith God and in the 7. verse It is in his heart to destroy saith God of the King of Assyria and in the 12. verse When the Lord hath performed his whol work upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Assyria and the glory of his high looks Oh! 't is a sore evil to be put under the rage of a proud and a stout hearted man who will set his heart against God himself who though God fights against him yet will stand it out though his design is crost yet he will not come in he will not give glory to God though his will cost him the blood of many thousands yet he goes desperatly on he regards more his own will and lusts than the blood or lives of millions For people to have such a stout heart armed with power raised with pride enraged with
cruelty to reign over them how sad and dreadful condition are those in This is that the Lord threatens here and why Because they refused to return I beseech you observe this saith he They shall not return to Egypt but the King of Assyria shall reign over them because they refused to return From whence the Observation is this If we will not do Gods will God will cross us of our own They would have their will they would return but they shall not saith God for they will not return to me therefore they shall not return whither they will themselves God can cross us in our own wills at every turn Foolish men who will presume to cross God in his will when God hath them at such infinite advantages to cross them every way in every thing If you cross God in that he delights in you may expect God will cross you in that you most delight in Oh! when you are crost in your minds in any thing that you have set your thoughts and heart most upon reflect upon your own hearts and think thus Have not I crost God in his mind in that which God hath set his heart and mind upon It 's a good way my Brethren to take a holy revenge upon our selves if we cannot get our hearts to work for God as they ought not to suffer them to work for our selves as they would Again For they would not return saith God God is not so much displeased at our sins as at our not returning He doth not say that the Assyrian should rule over them because they had sinned but because they refused to return It is too much that thou hast sinned but as soon as ever thou hast sinned it concerns thee to think of returning God expects presently as soon as ever the sin is taken notice of that thou shouldest begin to return it is dangerous to continue in sin in the least this aggravates thy sin dreadfully and endangers thy sealing up to wrath everlasting And then Thirdly He refuses to return after all means used after all mercies tendered after all callings after thee yet to stand out this is yet worse Not to return is evil but to refuse to return notwithstanding means used mercies tendered Oh this is fearful indeed Oh! lay this to heart thou convicted sinner what offers of mercie hath God made to thee what calling unto mercie hast thou heard outward calls inward calls of the the Spirit of God Oh! how hath God called after thee Return return thou Shulamite Return return return thou wretched wilful sinner Oh come in and return what means of all sorts hast thou had to cause thy heart to return to God and yet standest out think of that Scripture in Job 9. 4. Who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered What doest thou think to harden thy self against God and yet think to prosper Who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered and mark what follows Which removeth the Mountains and they know not which overturneth them in his anger which shaketh the Earth out of her place and the Pillars thereof tremble And yet cannot thy heart be overturned nor tremble In this that thou refusest to return thy sin is aggravated above the sin of the Devils themselves for we do not know that ever the Devils refused to return for they were never offered mercie God did never offer the Devils mercie God never sent to preach to them either by his Ministers or Spirit and to call them to return and you shall have mercie here 's a price paid here 's a salvation for you your sins may be pardoned the Devil had never such an offer Who knows what the Devil might do if such an offer were made to him But now these offers are made to thee and thou refusest to return Oh! return therefore O thou sinful soul who art wandering from God in the waies of death and destruction give in thine answer as we reade in Jer. 3. 22. where the Lord there calls his back-sliding children Return ye back-sliding children and I will heal your back slidings Mark the answer that they give to God Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Oh! that there might be such an answer given this day from some back-sliding soul that is turned from God! Oh poor soul whither art thou gone God calls this day to thy soul Return return and professes that he is willing to heal thy backslidings Oh! give in this answer Oh Lord behold we come for thou art the Lord our God Oh! that some soul might return and might refuse no longer to return Why wilt not thou return God is content to return to thee thou art turned from God and God in the waies of his Administrations is turned away from thee but mark the Promise in Jer. 8. 4 5. Thus saith the Lord Shall they fall and not arise shall he turn away and not return by then is this people of Jerusalem sliden back by a perpetual back-sliding they hold fast deceit they refuse to return Shall he turn away Some interpret this of God The Lord is not so turned back but he is ready to return Oh! why shouldâ—â— thou backslide with a perpetual back-sliding And then the last Note is They refuse to return The word that is translated they refused may signifie they scorned What talk to him of returning tell him of his sin against God the greatness of his sin and the greatness of the danger and the threatnings of God against his sin he despises all these things these are poor things to scare children withal Tell him of the mercies of God in pardoning his sin he slights all this humiliation now for sin this breaking off of sinful courses they deride the motions of them they scorn to return Scornful spirits when they are called upon in the bowels of mercy to return from their evil waies they do not only deny returning but they scorn and slight what is said to them Wel know there are some who admire at Gods mercies calling of them to return who admire at mercy tendred to them and prize it more than all things in the world they turn unto the Lord with all their souls nothing in all the world can stop them they bless God that ever their ears heard the call of God calling them to return and they would not for ten thousand thousand worlds but they had heard Gods call and felt the Spirit of God working their hearts to him to return howsoever thou dost scorn and contemn it Thus much for the 5th Verse It follows VER 6. And the Sword shall abide on his Cities c. THey relied upon their Cities and therefore refused to return but saith the Lord here The Sword shall abide on his Cities The old Latin hath it The Sword hath begun and Hierom in his Translation takes it so If we should take it
but the truth is their counsels in which their wisdom was much applauded brings them into most miserable straights and extremities that they know not what to do And then Secondly Luther hath a very good interpretation of this he reads the words thus My people doth doubt whether they would turn to me or no thus he reads it and interperets it thus They see they profit not in their way their Consciences misgive them they have some thoughts of returning to me sometimes they are perswaded it's best for them to return but the corruption of their own hearts stirs up Temptations Temptations present themselves to them so they are off and on they know not what to do they give many onsets but they came not off freely my people do doubt and hang in suspence and do not come off freely to my way And this is according to the Chaldae Paraphrase They have plots thus they do doubt to Convert themselves to my Law There are rowlings of their thoughts this way and that way but they are in doubt and come not to a full resolution Now my Brethren This is a great evil for men to strive with their consciences When their consciences puts them upon the waies of God they think There is good in Gods waies they think that God is not well pleased in the waies that they are in they think it might be very well if they did reform their way yea but then on the other side there comes in temptations I but there are such difficulties in the way I shall discountenance such and such great ones I shall have opposition by such and such in that they will be displeased I shall hazard my self and the like I must deny my self in many things I must go against the hair in these and these things I must cross my heart in such things that my heart is strongly bent upon why may I not do well enough in some other way without so much trouble to my self And thus their hearts reason within them and yet again at other times they have serious thoughts begin to work and their consciences begin to stir again but have not I to deal with a holy and glorious God how if things shall prove otherwise than they are apprehended by me what good will it do to me to cozen my own soul were it not better for me to return Oh! that I could but tel how to speak this day to such as are perhaps yet in suspence it may be there are some here this day that are in suspence in their own thoughts they cannot be quiet in that way that now they are in when they awake in the night season their consciences trouble them and yet when they come abroad among company then that carries them away again and thus their lives do as it were hang in suspence and are vext and troubled in their own thoughts not knowing what to do Oh! that I could I say speak to these hearts this day that I could but tell how to present some determining thoughts to such as these that are in this suspence I 'le but in a few words present four or five Meditations to such that may help them to determine to come to a determination for the truth is This is the cause almost of all the wickedness of such as live under the means that have enlightned consciences They do not come to a full determination If thou beest in suspence let me cast into the scale these thoughts First These stirrings that are now upon thee that put thee thus to oppose the waies of sin and to bring thee so far as to be in suspence know they are the work of the holy Ghost in thee take heed of sinning against the holy Ghost I do not say that all going against such stirrings and workings is The sin that unpardonable sin but this I say the sinning against those stirrings and workings of thy conscience is A sin against the holy Ghost take heed of sinning against the good Spirit of God The holy Ghost hath begun to conceive in thee take heed thou doest not destroy the child in the womb We know it's murder to destroy a child in the womb when it is but beginning to be conceived And thou that art in this suspence thou hast a conception of the holy Ghost in thee take heed of murdering of it Secondly If the Spirit of God leaves thee after this thou wilt be more hardened than ever let this be in thy thoughts Thou hast stirrings of conscience and some propension to the waies of God but yet thy corruptions hang off look to thy self while these workings of God are upon thee if they leave thee they will leave thy heart harder than ever it was And then Thirdly Take this Meditation When thou art about matters of infinite consequence as now thou art certainly the safest way is the best way 't is not enough for thee to say it is necessary and why must I do thus and thus and what need it and may not I do wel enough without it But when thou art reasoning about matters that concern Eternitie though thou canst not fully satisfie thy self in this or the other way yet to take the safest way is the best way and that thou art upon the safest way it 's enough to countervail what ever trouble thou meetest withal Though it should not be absolutely necessary that thou shouldest take such a course in such a particular yet if thy conscience doth but dictate to thee that this way is safer than the other it 's the best way to go the safest way And the Fourth Meditation is this That there is more evil in the least sin than there can be good in whatsoever all the Creatures in the world can tender to thee Resolve upon this this is a certain principle that cannot be denied There is more evil in the least sin than there can be good in all that all the Creatures in the world can tender to thee And then Fifthly That it is best for me to do that now which I would wish I had done if I were now to die Put that Meditation into the scale Art thou in suspence hanging this way or that way whether fully to come off of those waies of sin that thou art upon or no Put this Fifth thing into the scale It is best for me now to do that that I would wish I had done if I were now to die This wil be a mighty thing to weigh down abundance of temptations that may be put into the other scale and so thou maiest come to a determination They are in suspence The old Latin reads it My People they hang in a kind of hope that I will return and that all may be well with them at last that though they do thus and thus yet all may be well with them at last God hath often delivered them out of great afflictions and why may not he
As Joseph you know it was his reasoning when he had as fit an opportunity to fin as almost a man could have had with his Mistris yet presently comes there this reasoning in his heart How shal I do this and fin against God Oh! there is reason it should be so with us when God hath fit opportunities to destroy us there comes the reasoning of Gods mercy into his heart so when we have our temptations to sin there should com these reasonings into our hearts Oh! how shall I do this and sin against the Lord our God Let us present al these reasonings to our souls Men wil gather reasonings for their sin and so we should gather al the reasons that possibly we can against our sins It were well my brethren if men after they have sinned would say Oh what have I done But it 's better if men before they have sinned would say How shall I do it Oh! certainly our mind are very barren that we have not upon every occasion when a temptation comes reasonings to move us against it Indeed after a sin is committed men then can think of this reasoning and the other reasoning Oh! if God should thus deal with us First deliver us up and and destroy us and then God should think of this and that what might have been to have preserved us it would have been ill for us therfore God just when the danger comes for our ruin then he thinks of all that might keep off ruin from us And so when the temptation to a sin comes then should we think of all things that might keep us from this sin How shall I give thee up Ephraim c. The last Exercise we opened unto you this verse and made some Observations from it to proceed now The next Note is this It is not the Image of God in any man to be prone to wrath to delight in wrath to be sudden in the execution of anger when God comes to execute anger he cannot do it but he must have a how shall I do it before he doth it he must make a stop proneness to anger suddenness to let out wrath it is not the Image of God in any man or woman When any of you are about to do any thing especially against your Brethren against those that you have relation to be not over passionate reason the Case first in thine own heart How shall I do this True I think such and such they are in the wrong but what good will come of it if I do thus and thus Are they not those that I have had sweet converse with and experience of their godliness would it not be more for the honor of God if I did forbear will any good come to the publick shall not I rather serve the designs of the enemies with such sharpness and bitterness will they not laugh and scorn at Religion Oh! How shall I do this Oh! when we have workings in our own thoughts as bitter as gall if before we vent them we would but put this to our selves how shall I do this with presenting all the arguments that possibly we can to stop it much good would come of it Yea Ministers when they are to preach when they have prepared to deliver something yet if there will be any tartness in it they should think how should I do this what may come of it I may vent my self but what good may come of it what glory to God what good to the Church We should make many pauses and many stops to our anger As somtimes when you are traveling abroad in the Country you come upon some steep hill you shall find that the Country men they lay here and there in several places something to stop the Current of the water for otherwise it would gore too much if it should run down swiftly but when it hath some stop it doth not do so much hurt Oh! how doth the anger of men gore deep why because it runs headily and violently down and it hath nothing to stop it Men in anger they are very full of thoughts and resolutions and continually all the reasonings of the hearts of men and women in their anger tend to nothing else but to heat their hearts more all their thoughts work that way till their hearts are made fiery hot and so they burst out and cannot stay they muse upon nothing else but that that may further their anger and displeasure And those that are barren enough in their thoughts otherwise yet are very quick in invention and wittie for the letting out of anger and wrath But this would be your wisdom had you the Image of God prevailing in you when you find anger stirring in your bosom you would rather muster up reasons that may allay your anger that may qualifie it you would muse upon those things that may serve to be a stop to it for the present as God doth here Oh! did men but do so say How shall I do this what peace and quiet might we have among us A Ninth Observation is this you see when God though he threatned very sorely and charges deeply yet How shall I do this He reasons in his own heart for waies of mercy towards his people The Note from it is this Here we have encouragement plentiful encouragement to come to God in prayer in seeking mercy notwithstanding our wretchedness and sinfulness yea encouragement for beleeving This Scripture may be a mighty help to faith in our prayers seeking of our resting upon God as thus What doth God find it hard to him to execute wrath doth God muster up all arguments that may be to stop his anger and how he may manifest goodness and mercy why then if thou hast any arguments to plead with God for mercy thou mayest come up with boldness and freedom to him he is ready to receive it for thou bringest unto him that which is exceedingly sutable to him sutable to his very heart thou bringest matter to him that is agreeable to what his heart is set upon what doest thou apprehend the displeasure of God out against thee or against the Land where God hath any relation hast thou any arguments at all in prayer to plead with God For so God gives his Creature leave to plead with him as if he were a man Oh! come I say with a free spirit come cheerfully come with encouragement for thou comest now to do that which Gods heart is full of If so be that a man could know the thoughts of other men know what thoughts their spirits are most full of and could come at that time and suggest thoughts unto them sutable to what their thoughts are upon what entertainment would they have why surely when poor sinners if they be penitent sinners shall come to God and suggest any arguments for mercy I say thou doest suggest that which the heart of God was full of and exceedingly sutable to it The same
at the examples of thousands of wicked men yea of carnal men of loose and carnal professors It 's true the example of no man is to be a rule but it is a mighty encouragement and hath much probability in it when the most gracious and holy Saints are in such or such a way And thus much for the opening of this Eleventh Chapter CHAP. XII VER 1. Ephraim feedeth on wind and followeth after the East wind WEE reade in the 8th Chapter of this Prophesie the 7th Verse that they had sown the wind and should reap the whirlwind and now they feed according to what they sowed and of what they reap'd according to our proverb They drink according to what they have brewed They did sow the wind and here they feed upon the wind By feeding on the wind is a proverbial speech to note the following after vain unprofitable things that 's to feed upon the wind when men please themselves in their own conceits and in their own counsels and plots and waies that are unprofitable and wil certainly be unprofitable to them these men feed upon the wind When men have vain confidences in such waies of their own leaving the waies of God and blessing themselves in foolish plots and hopes of their own these men feed upon the wind When men think to please God with their own inventions they feed upon the wind when they think to escape danger by their own shifts they feed upon the wind when they think to prevail against the Saints by their deep Counsels and fetches these men feed upon the wind when they promise to themselves great matters by waies of their own that are not Gods these men feed upon the wind And the Prophet rebukâ—h the ten Tribes for this They feed upon the wind and so their hearts come to be puft up to be filled with pride by such food you know according to the food of a man or woman so will the body be so those that feed upon wind must needs have puft-up hearts proud hearts puft up with conceitedness of themselves and contempt of others that are not in the way that themselves are in they lie sucking of imaginary content and sweetness in their own waies they are full of themselves wheresoever they come they must needs vent themselves they are so ful of their wind they feed upon the wind yet one prick of disapointment wil quickly let out all the wind from such bladders they are quickly amort and dead in the nest if they be disappointed Evil men that live upon comforts that are carnal in any creature upon the applause of men upon honors they likewise feed upon the wind and are puft up for a while but any prick of Gods appearing against them lets out the windy stuff and quickly they are dead any member of the body that is puft up with wind it seems to be greater than any other part but it is not stronger no it is the weaker for being puft up with wind And so it is with the hearts of men that are puft up with windy conceits and with the contentment of the creature they have no strength by this puffing up though they seem to be higher yet when they are call'd either to do or suffer for God they appear to be very weak then and therfore will change as the wind changes I remember Pliny observes this of the Chamaeleon a creature that feeds upon the wind and he cites Democrates for it that hath written a whole book upon that creature That there is no creature in al the world more fearful than the Chamaeleon is and the reason saith he that it is so changable that it will change into all kind of colours according to that that it joyns to is the fearfulness of its nature And truly it is a very good discription of men that feed upon the wind they seem big when they have no opposition and ô what they will do they will do thus and thus and great matters but the truth is no men are of more fearful hearts than those men that are puft up with the wind of their own conceits when God comes to cross them or they are call'd to suffer in the way that they go in they will quickly turn to any colour this way or that because they do but feed upon the wind therefore they come to be feeble creatures they have no strength at all in them And we know that the wind raises tempests and storms and so men that are puft up with the wind of their own conceits they are the men that raise such tempests and storms in the places where they live My brethren the Saints have better food to feed upon that that makes them more sollid and more staid while the men of the world feed upon the wind of applause upon their own conceits and upon their own vain counsels and plots and upon the creature and think to fill their bellies that way the Saints they feed upon the Mercy of God upon Gods Al-sufficiency they feed upon his Word and Promises and upon the Covenant of Grace they feed upon Jesus Christ whose flesh is meat indeed and whose blood is drink indeed and so they come to have strength in them for their food is â—great deal better than the food of others other men feeding upon the wind their stomachs are fill'd and hence it is that they cannot savor nor relish heavenly things the breathings of the Spirit of God are not entertain'd by them because they are fill'd with their own wind but the Saints are willing to empty themselves and to receive in the holy Ghost into their souls and the blessed things that the holy Ghost doth bring Christ comes in to sup with them and they to sup with him and thus they come to be nourished to eternal life and fitted for any service or any suffering that the Lord is pleased to call them to their food is different It follows And followeth after the East wind This East Wind especially in those Countries it is noted to be a very hurtful Wind exceedingly hurtful to man and beast and so we have a proverb of the East Wind The East wind blows neither good to man nor beast but more especially in that Country So we find it in Scripture in Gen. 41. 6. the text saith The seven thin Ears that Pharaoh saw of Corn that came up but were blasted with the East wind and in Ezek 17. 10. Shall it not wither when the East wind toucheth it and in Job 15. 2. Should a wise man utter vain knowledg and fill his belly with the East wind When you see men talk and utter vain things they do but seek to fill their bellies with the East wind The East wind was so hurtful because there came a heat of the Sun that made it dry and scorching in those Countries and therefore the Septuagint translate this the scorching Wind
blood upon him When God comes to bring the guilt of sin and the punishment of sin on a mans own head and there leaves it upon him that 's sad indeed We reade in 2 Sam. 12. 13. there it is said when Nathan came and rebuk'd David for his sin David confest his sin and saith Nathan to him The Lord hath put away thy sin the word is translated by some thus The Lord hath made thy sin to pass away Oh that 's a happiness indeed when it may be said of God he doth make the sin and the guilt to pass away from the sinner that 's a happiness But on the other side when God shall leave the sin upon the sinner leave the guilt of the sin upon him as if God should say here 's the guilt of sin upon the head of such a man and let it abide and lie he shall leave his blood upon him as in Ezek. 22. 20. the Lord saith He will bring them into the fire and leave them there the Lord many times brings his Saints into the fire of afflictions Oh but he will not leave them there but when he brings the wicked into the fire he leaves them there And his reproach shall his Lord return unto him His reproach That 's thus They do what lies in them to bring a reproach upon me the living God as if there were not an Alsufficiency in me but I 'le make the reproach to turn upon their own heads yea they reproach my Saints too but I 'le make this to return upon their own heads Oh take heed of doing any thing to bring a reproach upon God You will say Can the Creature bring a reproach upon God I might shew you divers waies I 'le instance but in this one thing Apostatizing from God when professors of Religion that have been very forward and seem'd to rejoyce in the waies of God and to relie upon God and they shall forsake God to follow after their vain lusts I say these do bring a reproach upon God himself in Heb. 10. 29. they did despite to the Spirit of Grace they wrong and bring a reproach upon the Spirit of Grace And then Heb. 6. 6. They put the Son of God to an open shame saith the text they make him a reproach before all As when you cart people up and down the City you hold them out as a scorn so they put the Son of God to open shame they do as it were hold forth the Son of God to open shame so what thou professest There is more good to be had in a Whore than in Jesus Christ and God and the blessed Spirit that 's the language of a Whoremaster Well you that are Apostates and think to bring a reproach upon Religion and upon the Saints and they all suffer for you from whence is it that the people of God are reproach'd but because of Apostates Well do you bring a reproach upon God upon his Name upon Profession upon his Saints the Lord hath waies to turn the reproach upon your selves and usually such men as these before they die God doth put to open shame he leaves them to such vile courses as they come to be a shame a by-word a scorn and cast out as dung and filth not only to the Churches but from such as have any kind of civility or morality at all Oh! take heed of bringing a reproach upon God and so by bringing reproaches upon his Saints Oh! let the Saints go on in a constant way of holiness and faithfulness God will wipe away their reproach the Lord will return the reproach upon the heads of such as seek to reproach them And when there comes a reproach upon the wicked it shall be another manner of reproach than upon the Saints it 's call'd a perpetual reproach the reproach of the Saints is not a perpetual reproach but when it 's upon the ungodly it shall be a perpetual reproach and in Jer. 41. 18. those two things are joyned together a Curse and a Reproach Nehem. 4. 4. Hear O God for we are despised and turn their reproach upon their own heads saith Nehemiah Sanballat and Tobiah did reproach the Servants of God that did seek in the uprightness of their hearts to honor God but Lord return their reproach upon themselves saith Nehemiah And truly this is the best way when the Servants of God are reproached though they may by lawful means seek to vindicate their names yet their chief way is to pray Lord turn the reproach upon the heads or bosoms of our adversaries And then the last Note is this And his reproach shall His LORD return unto him His Lord What is God the Lord of this people his Lord shall turn it yes saith he 't is as if the Prophet should say thus you reject God and will not be in subjection to him you will not own him to be your Lord but he will be your Lord in spite of your heart God will be God and he will be Lord let wicked men do what they can and what they will he will be their Lord Christ hath purchased to be Lord over the world and he will be Lord over all over all Apostates Hypocrits wicked men let them do what they can against Jesus Christ Jesus Christ will be Lord over them in spite of their hearts Oh it s a blessed thing to give up our selves willingly to the subjection of Jesus Christ If we say we will not have thiâ— man to rule over us Christ will say but I will rule over you the Lord hath sworn by Himself and the word hath proceeded out of his mouth in righteousness that every knee shall bow unto him and every tongue confess his Name be still saith God and know that I am the Lord So I say to the most troublesome and tumultuous spirit that would cast off the yoke of God Oh! be still thou wretched thou proud spirit and know that God is the Lord he will prevail against you God made Julian to know this that when a dart was struck into him he cast his heart blood into the Air with an O than Galilean thou hast overcome me And so all wicked men shall be forced to say one day Well though I would cast off the Commands of God behind my back and break his Cords yet the Lord hath overcome me and though I perish to all eternity yet God will be God blessed for ever and Lord of the whol Earth And thus through Gods mercy we have gon through this Twelfth Chapter CHAP. XIII VER 1. When Ephraim spake trembling he exalted himself in Israel but when he offended in Baal he died THis Chapter is partly Legal and partly Evangelical Legal charging this people with their fin of Idolatry and of Ingratitude shewing them Gods wrath partly already inflicted and further threatned them to the 14. Verse and again in the
of him and did much regard what they spake yet they falling to sin and wickedness it 's just with God to bring their honor and esteem down to bring it into the dust and to make them vile and contemptible in the eyes of those that ere while did reverence them we find this threatned both to those in the place of Magistracy and in the place of Ministry For Magistracy in Job 12 21. He powreth contempt upon Princes God powers contempt though they had very great honor and esteem yet through their sin contempt is thrown upon them And then for those in the Ministry in Mal. 2. 9. Therefore also have I made you contemptible and base before all the people The Priests lips should preserve knowledg and they were very honorable those that were faithful but when they come to be partial in the Law that is when they come to turn the Word of God to their own ends it 's a remarkable Scripture that the Lord made them vile in the eyes of the people It was that they were partial in the Law that was a main thing that is they would handle the Word of God partially what they could get to drive on their own waies by they would improve that to the uttermost and turn the Word which way they pleased upon this though they thought to prevail that way and to get esteem of the people by this means yeâ— this was the thing that God threatens to make them to be vile and contemptible in the eyes of the people because of this When people come to discover this that men do indeed drive on their own designs and their own ends in the waies of God there 's nothing will take away their repute and their honor more Oh the great change that there is in the honors and esteem of men God for their sin casts them out and their names as vile men and women who have out-liv'd their honors even in the very hearts of the Saints Indeed when there is a change in an outward condition from prosperity to afflictions then wicked and carnal men will not regard those that they did honor before As in Job's case in Job 29. Job tells us how he was honored and regarded and reverenced where he liv'd in prosperity but when he was in affliction in Job 30. 1. Now those who are yonger than I have me in derision that 's a wickedness to change our minds of the esteem of men because of their prosperity or adversity it shews a great vanity of spirit and where the heart is right if one that hath been godly and in publick place heretofore and now God by his providence hath brought him down in regard of his outward estate yet he is to be honored still continuing in his integrity and holiness But now this is that which I speak of as a Judgment of God upon men when God casts out their names from the very hearts of the Saints and that worthily too when they shall be worthy to be look'd upon as dead carcasses though heretofore much honored and respected heretofore they were as Gardens that had many sweet Flowers excellent common gifts they had for which they were respected but now like Gardens over-grown with Weeds that no body doth regard As Houses that were hung with costly Hangings but afterwards pull'd down and nothing left but the bare walls so their gifts were very precious but now as those Houses having their Lord and Prince gone away there 's nothing but bare walls and it may be Mice and Vermine run up and down in those rooms that were hung so bravely So it is with many that had excellent gifts which were highly honored and esteemed of by people that knew them but now the hangings are gone now there 's nothing but Vermine running up and down in their spirits Oh! what a mighty havock sin will make in the honor and esteem of men Let men therefore take heed of trusting in their former repute for let them have done what they will heretofore yet if they depart from God their honor will be gone Men that are in place of Authority or in place of Ministry had need consider this point well for it 's a matter of great moment for men in place of Authority to keep up their repute and esteem that they may be the more useful and do service not only for themselves but that they may be of the greater use to do service for God And it is one of the great designs of the Devil to seek to cast dirt upon those that God doth use as Instruments for good Oh! it concerns them to look to it that there be nothing justly cast upon them It 's very observable how God remembers Ephraim a long time after to put dishonor upon him You shall reade in the Book of the Revelations where the Tribes are reckoned up in chap. 7. there 's only two Tribes left out Dan Ephraim Ephraim is not mentioned there by his own name but by the name of Joseph and the reason that is given is because those two Tribes were Ring-leaders in waies of Idolatry as Dan if you reade Judg. 18. you shall find him there a Ring-leader and you know the great change of things that Ephraim made in the Worship of God by Jeroboam's setting up of Calves and so afterwards sinnâ—ng in Baal and so the great dishonor that God put upon him afterwards When Ephraim spake Spake what What did Ephraim speak when he caused trembling All this hath been only from the general but what did he speak referring it to Jeroboam that was of Ephraim and so to the Courtiers that were with him these spake these two things and so caused trembling in the hearts of the people First When Jeroboam spake about the altering of the way of Government about the taking off of the ten Tribes from the house of David What portion have we in David and in the house of Jesse When this was mentioned then there was trembling it did certainly at first cause the peoples hearts to shake they thought it was a very great matter they knew not what would come of it What for to forsake the house of David and to have a change of Government in another way this caused many thoughts of heart and much trembling fearing that there might come very ill consequence of it When he spake there was trembling But he exalted himself Notwithstanding such concussions of spirit as there was yet Jeroboam went on in his way and would venture the worst let come of it what would he would on He exalted himself But then afterwards he sins in the way of his Idolatry and so his successors sin in Baal and then he died God struck him and his Familie and so the ten Tribes From whence our Notes of Observation are First That alteration in the matter of Government is a matter of very great hazard and difficulty men
the coming of Christ yet I do not think that the Carcass is Christ and the Saints like Eagles and so will be where Christ is yet it hath been carried so by divers now though it 's spoken there of Christs coming yet it 's meant of his coming against Jerusalem there 's a great part of that Chapter of the coming of Christ in his Judgments against the people of the Jews and now they were as a dead carcass God having forsaken them And the Eagles Birds of prey would come upon them And it might have reference to the Romans coming upon them whose Ensign is the Spread Eagle those Eagles would come The body of the Jews that had forsaken God and his Truth and so was but as a dead carcass the Eagles would make prey of them A people or family that forsakes God and his Worship is as a dead carcass And then Sixthly 'T is corruption of Worship that causes God thus to withdraw from a people and make them to be as a dead carcass When they sinn'd in Baal As it was said of Troy so long as they kept the Palladium the Image of Minerva it was safe and could not be overcome but when that was gone then they were overcome and spoiled So when Gods Worship which is the life and safety of a place when that 's gone and Worship is corrupted then there doth come death Though I do not think that God alwaies observes the strict rule for matters of worship as towards the Jews for the Jews certainly though they had a Covenant of Grace that God dealt with them in yet they had a special Covenant that God made with them for their being in the Land of Canaan now indeed God goes by general rules that is to punish the disobedient and to reward those that are godly the waies of God now towards Nations and People for his outward punishments and mercies are but according to general rules but Gods administration towards the Jews besides general rules were according to a special Covenant that God made with them about their living in the Land of Canà an either prosperously or in adversity But then further When wicked men are most active in their evil way and violence yet then they may be under the sentence of death when they seem to have the greatest power to do what they list I say then they may be as a dead people When he sinned in Baal then he died If you will but observe the story for these Prophets cannot possibly be understood without reference to the story of Kings and Chronicles observe but the story of the Kings When was it that Ephraim did sin in Baal It was in Ahab's time you shall find that they were never more active for their way of Idolatry than then nor never more violence never more cruelty to the Prophets of the Lord than there was at that time For then Jezebel she had her 100. Prophets set at her table but the Prophets of God were fain to be hid in a cave and Eliah to shift for his life And yet when he sinned in Baal he died Died why he seem'd to be full of life and activity and vigor and thought to do what he list and to trample all under feet that would stand against that way of worship but for all this their bravery and pride they were dead saith the holy Ghost they were under the sentence of death and a base people God was gone from them and they were decaying and so should deny more and more till he did perish When he sinned in Baal he died VER 2. And now they sin more and more and have made them molten Images of their silver and Idols according to their own understanding all of it the work of the Craftsmen they say of them Let the men that sacrifice kiss the Calves THE Family of Ephraim and the ten Tribes for so Ephraim is taken for Jeroboam sometimes and sometimes for the whol Tribe and sometimes for the Governors and sometimes for all the ten Tribes as distinct from Judah Now they sin more and more From whence I beseech you observe the taking in the people now together with Ephraim now the number is changed at first it was When HE sinned in Baal then he died But now 't is said THEY sin more and more all the people joyn with him in way of sin At first when he hegan to speak about the alteration of Religion the people trembled to think of it but it seems afterwards they could swallow it down well enough they could joyn with Jeroboam yea and Ahab too more and more let them impose what they would upon them they could yeeld to it From whence the Note is That men at the first apprehension of things they are much affected and it may be think that they will never yeeld to them yet within a while when they have been a little used to them then there 's a mighty alteration in mens spirits both to yeeld to this and indeed to yeeld to any thing How many mens hearts and waies are so different from what they seem'd to be If one had mentioned hereto 〈…〉 uch things as now they do they would have trembled at them If about six yeers since one could but have presented in a Map all our speeches and waies one against another and told us how things should be our hearts would have shaken and we would have trembled at the thought of it but now more and more we go on and God knows whither we shall go Oh! the alteration that a little time makes in mens spirits now saith he they are a dead heartless people now you may do what you will with them now they will do things so disagreeing to their former principles as nothing can be more a man would wonder What that this people that were so astonished at the very thought of the change of Religion now that they should be swallowed up in Idolatry My Brethren Let us never regard much the sudden affections and sudden expressions of people though people may seem to be up and very forward in their affections and expressions yet I say never rest too much upon them There is nothing more uncertain than the spirits of the multitude and therefore it is the most irrational thing for any of wisdom to think to carry things that way if he thinks to carry it constant you may get them in a hurry in one way at one time but they will be quickly off again and that which one time they will cry up at another time they will cry down and such a kind of alteration of spirits these times will be a witness to I beleeve as great as ever times were from the beginning of the world Now they sin more and more And now There 's a great emphasis in this Particle Now They sin more and more that is even now when the very sentence of
5. They loathing Manna had fiery Serpents sent Vers 22. Sion King of the Amorites coms out against them and fights Vers 33. Og King of Bason fights against them Chap. 22. Then Balac sends to curse them Numb 25. The People committed whoredom with the Daughters of Moab upon which a plague and went to the sacrifice of their gods at Baal-Peor upon which all the Heads of the People which joyned to Baal-Peor were hung up before the Lord. Numb 31. They war with Midian slay their five Kings destroy their Cities Women Children Flocks Thirty two thousand Women that had not known Man they take captive And in this war they had not lost one man Vers 29. Now 1. From their sin that God knew and yet destroyed them not for it Observe mans wickedness and Gods goodness 2. From the provision God made for them Observe First It 's a great mercy for God to know a man in time of distress This is Gods way Men know in prosperity But let us make God our friend he wil be a friend otherwise than men will be Let not us be dejected in times of trouble that 's the time for God to know thee be willing to follow God in any estate Gods knowing of us in distress is a mighty engagement Let us look back to the times when we were in trouble Let us know Gods Cause when it suffers and know our Brethren when they suffer Gods knowledg is operative and working It does us good Our knowledg of God should be so too To sin against our knowledg of God is evil but to sin against Gods knowing of us is worse VER 6. According to their Pasture so were they filled they were filled and their heart was exalted therefore have they forgotten me YOU have formerly heard the gracious providence of God towards his people while they were in the wilderness I knew them in the wilderness in the Land of great drought God glories much and mentions often the care over and goodness to his people in the wilderness when they had got out of the wilderness into the Land of Canaan where there were much Pastures they thought themselves to be well now they could live of themselves they could provide for themselves and so they liv'd to themselves and in a little time destroyed themselves the truth is they were in a worse condition then than when they were in the wilderness for saith he According to your Pastures so you were filled and then you forgot me and therefore I 'le be as a Lyon to you and as a Leopard and a Bear We do not hear such terrible things against them when they were in the wilderness I knew them in the wilderness but now it 's otherwise From the connexion note first It 's better to want the comforts of the creature and to have Gods care and protection than to have abundance of the creature and to live of our selves We do not love a depending life but it 's safest many have more of Gods presence with them and protection over them when they are in the wilderness when they are in adversity than they have when they come into prosperity when they come to enjoy abundance of the creatures God knows them when they are in afflictions and they knew God but when they come into prosperity God doth neither know them so much nor they know God so much Examin I beseech you when you were low any of you say had you not more of Gods presence with you then than you have now did not God know you more then did not you know God more then had not you more sweet communion in those times than now you have Oh! God made you know him by gracious visitations of his Spirit and there were gracious workings of your spirit towards him Are not you grown flat dead and drossie and carnal now more than before do not you seek greedily after the world to fill your selves and do not you begin to be exalted in your own hearts do not you begin to be puft up have you none of your friends so If you know but any of your friends that when they were lower than now they are knew God better than now they do and God knew them and there was more sweet converse between God and them than now there is put them in mind of this text I knew them in the wilderness in the Land of great drought but now according to their Pastures they are filled and their hearts are exalted and they have forgotten me God deliver them from the remaining part of the text I 'le be a Lyon and a Leopard and Bear to them to tear them You seldom find in Scripture any of Gods Saints worse for afflictions give me any one example for my part I know not one in all the Book of God that came worse out of an affliction than when they went in But I can tell you of many even of Gods dear people that came worse out of prosperity than when they came in therefore it 's observable in 2 Chron. 17. 3. it 's spoken in commendation of Jeboshaphat it 's said that Jeboshaphat walked in the first waies of David his Father David his Father at first was in an afflicted estate afterwards in a more prosperous estate he was hunted like a Partridg at first but when he came to prosperity his waies were not so good therefore the holy Ghost doth put a commendation upon his first waies rather than upon his after waies I fear it may be said so of some that their first waies when they were low were a great deal better than their after waies This for the connexion According to their Pastures so were they filled According to the fatness and riches of the Land when they came into it they were filled they fell upon whatsoever sensual content they could enjoy to the uttermost according to what means they had for to satisfie the flesh According to their Pastures They would improve all the means and opportunities they had for to give content to the flesh so that they were filled Thus you see men that love to live in the satisfaction of the flesh up to the height of their means according to all means that they have to satisfie the flesh this way or the other way they will be sure to have satisfaction if it be to be had therefore you shall see men that have estates they please the flesh to the uttermost they can think of if they go abroad and see any thing that may give content to the flesh they resolve to have it if they can when they come home According to all the means that they have so they will have the flesh satisfied Oh! how happy were men if they were so wise for their souls if according to the means of grace we sought to fill our souls Oh how doth the Lord lead us in green Pastures and yet what
oppression they speak loftily If you complain of oppression you have lofty expressions from them It 's spoken of wicked men in prosperity Fifthly They shew their pride when they are filled they cannot beat contradiction now as they were wont to do they cannot endure reprehension now Again Those mercies that not long since they would have highly prized now they slight them now they are mean things And lastly All the use they make of what they do enjoy now more than before it is to get higher and higher there 's all the use they make of all Those that have bin low and mean in their estates heretofore now they begin to be filled their hearts are exalted and thus do they discover the exaltation of their hearts Oh! but this is a great and a sore evil for so 't is rebuk'd by the Prophet Oh thou that hast thy heart exalted being fill'd it is a sign thou hast a poor low spirit of thine own to be lifted up with those things that thou doest enjoy For First What low and mean things are they What are they but crums that the Master of the Familie casts to Dogs They are such things as make thee never a whit the better nor the more excellent Indeed it 's said that knowledg puffs up the heart for that puts an excellency upon the man The heart of the wicked is little worth let him have never so much prosperity Those things that thou pridest thy self in they are no other than may be the portion of a Reprobate and have been they are no other than may stand with Gods eternal hatred of thee and Gods eternal wrath against thee Yea they are such things as may come from Gods wrath and like enough they do and it 's a sign they do when thou art filled with them and thereby puft up by them it 's a sign that there 's a curs mixed with what thou hast filled thy self withal If a man comes to a Table and eats and then he swels presently upon it God be merciful to me am I poisoned saith he If thou fillest thy self and art puft up it is an argument thy prosperity is poisoned there 's the curse of God in it Had not you rather have the coursest dyet that is wholsom than the daintiest dish with poison in it Is it not better to have the Russet Coat that is not dangerous than a Velvet Coat that hath the Plague in it Thy condition if thou knewest it it may be was a great deal better before Oh that any Considerations might prick the bladders of mens spirits that are so puft up with outward prosperity Thou art les filled with spiritual good than before That that is substance thou hast lost and thou art filled with wind Ere long what thou hast must be taken away And perhaps the right to what thou daest enjoy it is but the right that a Malefactor hath to his supper before the day of his execution The evil of any one sin is a greater evil than all thy prosperitie is a good If it doth but occasion any one sin to thee it doth bring more evil upon thee than all the filling thou hast is good unto thee Thou art filled but often-times it falls out so that the very time for God to let out his wrath upon wicked men it is when they are mostfilled We have a notable Scripture for that in the 20. of Job 22 and 23. Verses In the fulness of his sufficiencie he shall be in straights It is an excellent phrase they think they have sufficient now to live of themselves but in the fulness of their sufficiency they shall be in straits and in vers 23. When he is about to fill his belly God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him And in Psal 78. 29 30. So they did eat and were filled for he gave them their hearts desire they were not estranged from their hosts but while the meat was yet in their months the wrath of God came upon them and slew the fâ—â—test of them saith the text Oh there 's no cause of lifting up thy heart because of thy fulness that thou hast for when thou art fullest then is the time of Gods hottest wrath to be let out upon thee it doth but prepare thee for slaughter How much better is it for the Beast to feed upon the Common and live then to be brought into fat Pasture and prepared for the Butcher When thou wert feeding upon the Common thou wert in a way of preservation but now thou art come into the fat pasture it is to prepare thee for slaughter be not exalted in thine own heart because of thy fulness And it may be God hath respect to others in thy fulness it 's not in regard to thee And hereafter thou mayest perhaps curse the time that ever such an estate befell thee curse the time for thy fulness Perhaps upon thy sick bed thou maiest lie and wish Oh that I had kept my shop still and been in my low condition still I had gone out of the world with a great deal less guiltiness than now I am like to go out of the world withal Oh be not exalted because thou art full Therefore have they forgotten me Proud men forget God Psal 10. 4. the wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God They have forgotten what need they had once of of me They have forgotten what cries they sent up to me what moans they made before me They have forgotten how gloriously I wrought for the helping of them They have forgotten all their Engagements to me They have forgotten to acknowledg me or sanctifie my Name in all the good they do enjoy Oh this is a sore and a great evil and yet an ordinary evil assoon as we have our turns served God is minded no more Psal 78. 42. They remembred not his hand nor the day when he delivered them from the Enemy they remembred it not Oh! it should have been in their memory to have Sanctified the Name of God in their great deliverance but when they were delivered they remembred it not Call upon me in the time of trouble and I will hear you and you shall glorifie me saith God We call upon God in the time of trouble and God hears us and delivers us but the latter part is forgotten And they do it soon too in Psal 106. 13. They soon forgot his works saith the text somtimes before the work is quite accomplish'd Oh! the Lord deliver us from this great evil shall I say Deliver us I may say Not deliver us from this evil only but out of it for it is upon us alreadie Oh! the great things that God hath don for this Land w th in this six years never since Joshua's time or Moses's time was there a story of Gods wonderful working for a people so
and when thou art labouring for the mercy thou art as well labouring to prepare thy heart for it surely then when it comes it must be sweet indeed but when there 's no preparation before thou canst not know that it is in love We little think that we have need of preparation for mercies If indeed God should threaten some judgment we would think that we had need be prepared but certaialy there is as great need for preparation for mercies to be able to make good use of them as for afflictions to be able to bear them And this seventh Note I have likewise from Numb 11. 18. And say thou unto this people Sanctifie your selves against to morrow There 's a charge that they should sanctifie themselves against to morrow for God would give them flesh I do not find that they did do it but when God promised to give them sesh◠he bid them sanctifie themselves as if he should say If that your desires come before you have sanctified your selves it wil be in wrath not in mercy Oh therefore when as you are earnest to have your desires satisfied think thus The Lord charges thee to sanctifie thy self Oh! doest thou take care of this doest thou make it to be thy endeavor to sanctifie thy self before the mercy comes then thou maiest have comfort in it and not otherwise Eighthly When we seek greedily to have our desires satisfied but rest in the means we use and seek to be beholding to the creature only for it we do not lay the great weight upon prayer what ever it is that we enjoy and we do not get it by prayer we cannot know that it is in love When God intends a mercy from love he doth first fill the heart with the Spirit of Prayer when a mercy comes after much prayer then it 's a mercy from love When the Saints have been praying and then God hath come in with mercy Oh then they have gathered arguments of Gods love to them This I had because I sought thee as Hannah did concerning Samuel how did she rejoyce in Samuel Oh! this is the child that I prayed for saith Hannah unto Eli Oh! this is the mercy that I prayed for therefore she called her childs name Samuel one that was sought of God And so when we can call every gift we have we can call it Samuel that is a gift ask'd of God here 's a gift that 's got by prayer Whatsoever means was used yet prayer was the chief ingredient this is an argument of love But otherwise we can have no assurance that it is from love It 's true a King was not unlawful for them to desire because they had such hints in Scripture Oh but they did not so much mind them no but they come to Samuel and say Come Give us a King we do not reade that they go to God for it Such a great change of their State as that was one would think should have required divers daies in seeking of God It was a mighty change from such a Government as they had unto a new kind of Government and from a Government that was of Gods own appointment to another Government wherein now they would sute themselves according to the Nations And yet we find no daies of prayer for this and therefore it was in wrath that they had it Therefore when you would have any thing look not so much to come by it according to second causes but be much in Prayer according to the excellency of the thing that you seek for Ninthly When God gives our desires but doth not give a proportionable measure of Grace that so we might make a sanctified use of them when God gives you the shell but not the kernel surely it is not in love If your children should ask a Nut of you and you give them a Nut that hath no Kernel they wil not think if so be that you knew it that it is in any great love Truly all the good things that wicked men have they are but Shels without Kernels they are not in love The Kernel of every Blessing it is a proportionable measure of grace to use it for God You have a great desire that God should change your condition if he should change it and not give you a heart fit for that condition you had better be without that thing you have a desire that God should prosper you in such a business yea but if he doth not teach you how to abound you had been better never to have abounded Now it 's not in love for God to give any success except he gives a proportionable measure of Grace according to the success therefore that 's that which you should all examin the Lord hath altered my condition and many good things I have more than before but what Graces have I more than before what exercise of Grace what work of Grace more than before Certainly if it be in love it will be so Tenthly Surely our desires cannot be in love when God doth not only deny a proportionable measure of Grace 〈◊〉 there goes a secret curse with what we have If so be that 〈◊〉 man should be very hungry and hath a mighty desire to satisfie himself and he fals greedily upon his meat and eats it but assoon as he hath eaten it his body swels more and more till it be as big as two bodies surely he begins to think then that all is not well Lord have mercy upon me saith he he is afraid that he is poysoned So God gives you your desire and assoon as you have it you begin to swell you are bigger than you were before your hearts are proud and you can look scornfully upon others then Oh you are poysoned this is an ill satisfying of your hunger you are poysoned surely in this In Isa 10. 16. you have there a notable expression to this purpose Therefore shall the Lord the Lord of hosts send among his fat ones leanness and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire Even such things wherein there appears to be a great deal of glory such things perhaps as when your desires are satisfied in you can glory in Oh you glory in such and such a mercie such a good thing you have above others but under this glory there is a burning kindled there 's a great deal of the wrath of God in it a secret curse that goes along with it Eleventhly When we regard the satisfying of our desires so as we regard not what becoms of others sobeit we have our desires satisfied and this is from their example here Let 's have a King A King What shall become of Samuel then hath not he judged you and been faithful with you What will you shew your selves so ingrateful to him for all the good he hath done to you as to reject him and his house and family Oh! they cared not for