An Exposition of Hosea 4-7

IN this Chapter we have 1. A suit commenced. 2. God declares. 3. Judgment is pronounced. 4. Exhortation to Jud • h to beware she comes not into the same condition. 5. Execution, the giving up Ephraim to himself, and unto God's wrath.

For the fi • st, Israel is cited, Hear ye the [ 1] W • rd of the Lord, ye children of Israel ]

The knowledge of any truth (hard and grievous to flesh and blood) to be the Word of the Lord, is a special means to prepare the heart to receive it with reverence and all due respect. It was a hard Message that Hos •• had to bring, to tell them of God's Controversy; he therrefore makes thi • preface. 〈◊〉 Word of the Lord. Hard truths are hardly born; but when the Authority of the Infinite God appears in them, be they either making for us or against us, our hearts must bow to them; they lay bonds upon the conscience and bind over to eternal death if you reject them. 2 Chron. 26.12. Zedekiah, a King, is charged that he did not humble himself before the Prophet Jeremiah. Though the Prophet be never so poor and contemptible in himself, yet if he brings the word of the Lord, Zedekiah the king must humble himself before him.

[ 2] Ye children of Israel] In this appellation God puts them in mind of the covenant he had made with them and the • with him; you are not Heathens you are the children of Israel, in covenant with me, a people near to me, yet I have a controversy with you.

The nearness of a people to God exempteth them not from God's contending with them for sin: Neither should nearness to us exempt any from our contending with them. Deut. 13.6. If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wise of thy bosom, or thy friend which is as thy own soul, entice thee secretly to worship a strange god, Verse 8. thine eye shall not pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him, but thou shalt surely kill him, thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death.

3. The nearer the •• lation is between any the more grievous is the controversy, if there be a controversy at all. Hear the Word of the Lord ye children of Israel. It is a sad thing for one Nation to have a controversy with another; much more for a people to be at controversy with itself; Yet more when when the controversy comes nearer, into the family, between husband and wife, between father and child, between dearest friends who were before to each other as their own souls, controversies there are very sore and grievous, Prov. 18.19. A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong City, and their contentions are like the bars of a Castle. Wind within the body is most troublesome and dangerous.

Hear ye.] O Prophet (says Oecoloppdius upon the place) what is it thou hast to say that with so much earnestness thou callest to have the word of the Lord heard; This is the solemn message of the Prophet to this people, The Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.

The word translated Controversy, signifies a debate, a contention, it comes of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Contendere vel privatim vel coram judice, to contend privately or to come before a Judge; sometimes a cause pleaded in Law. As Exod. 23.3. Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause. That's the same word with this here, a Controversy. The Lord hath a cause to plead with this people, it is the controversy of the Lord; the Prophet stands up for God in his Name to plead against them, he pleads for the King, the King of Heaven: So should all faithful Ministers be sure they be on God's side, pleading his cause; For all Ministers are God's Sergeants at Law, his Attorneys, his Soliciters. The Kings Lawyers are sworn, they shall never plead against him, or take fee on the other side; And yet how many even in the exercise of their Ministry show that they have taken fee on other side! How do many plead against God, against his Sabbaths, against his Ordinances, yea, plead sometimes against the power of Godliness, against those things wherein the chief dignity & glory of God consists! sometimes perhaps pleading for them but pleading more against them at another time. The Devil hath not more cordial Solicitors and pleaders for him than those who would be accounted the Prophets of the Lord.

The Lord.] As if the Prophet should say, Know, you have not to do with me, nor with Amos (who was contemporary with Hosea, & a Prophet to Israel) though you think you can make your parts good with me and with the other Prophets, know God will not now stand pleading with you so much by his Ministers, he will take the cause into his own hand and will plead, by his Judgments he will now take up the controversy himself. The Lord tells the people ( Gen. 6.3.) that his Spirit should no longer strive with them: what's that? That is, it should no longer strive in the way of No • h's Ministry, but he would come and strive himself after another manner, by bringing the flood upon them.

It is most dreadful for sinners for God to take the controverse into his own hand to contend with them in a way of judgment; It is a fearful thing to fall into the hand of the living God You think Ministers are hard, they preach terrible things; but if you have to deal with God immediately, if he should not speak to you by man but come himself and plead with you, you would find it harder to deal with him. When Jobs friends were pleadi • g with him, he could easily make his part good with them, but Chap, 38. ver. 1, 2. God himself comes and speaks out of the whirlwind, Who is he that darken • th counsel by words without knowledge? and so goes on in a chapter or two; Chap. 42. ver. 5. Job falleth down now and saith, I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye s • eth thee, wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and as • es. Psal. 130.3. is a notable scripture for this purpose, If thou Lord shouldest mark iniquity, Oh Lord who should stand? Mark the words, how Lord is twice here repeated, it would have been full sense thus, If thou Lord shouldst mark iniquity who shall stand? There would have been a mighty emphasi • in the word Jehovah, who shall stand, for it is thou oh Jehovah; but it comes in again, to Note that herein lies the Emphasis, if thou Lord shouldst mark iniqity, Oh Lord who shall stand? This Oh Lord seems to be a pleonasme, one would think that it breaks the sense, but the scope is to show that the sight of having to deal with God in our sins, is very terrible, If thou Lord ma • kest, then Oh Lord who shall stand?

But further, that which is the main thing in this, is, That sin causeth a most dreadful controversy between God and the soul, between God and a Nation: For this God comes to strive, to contend for his glory, & the siner strives & contends against God.

[ 1] It is God that is infinitely above the sinner, who hath the controversy wi • h him, Isa. 45.9. Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker. Let the pots • e • rds of the earth strive with the potsherds. Yet thus doth every sinful impenitent soul, and every sinful impenitent Nation, they strive with their Maker. The Lord is above them: therefore to intimate the distance between God and us in this controversy; saith the text, The Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, poor earth-creeping creatures that have dwellings here below whose houses are h • uses of clay, and God is the great God of Heaven and Earth.

The controversy that God hath with a sinner is a just controversy, [ 2] God ha h right on his side, and the injury is great that is done unto him.

Thirdly, It is a controversy that we have begun, God did [ 3] not begin it with us, but we began it with him, we have the worst of it.

Fourthly, It is an old controversy a controversy of our [ 4] forefather • , a controversy that God hath had with one generation after another, and we as a wretched generation stand forth to hold up the old controversy. As in England in formertimes there hath been wars for hundreds of years (as in the Barons wars) and when one generation was gone, the generation after stood forth to hold up that controversy; so it hath been between God and man, God hath had a controversy with the children of men ever since the fall of Adam, and one generation after another hath stood forth to hold up the controversy, and thou wretched sinner standest up in thy generation in thy place to hold up the controversy that mankind hath had with God since his calling out of Paradise.

Fifthly, It is such a controversy as stirreth up all the Power [ 5] all the Wrath of God against a sinner, if God have any power in him, it shall be put forth in making his cause good against a sinner, Levite. 26. diver • places in that chapter, If ye walk contrary unto me I will walk contrary unto you, my Power my Wisdom all mine Attribu • es are against you. A man that hath a controversy with another employs and improves all the strength he hath against him that he is at controversy with.

This controversy is a deadly controversy, it is such as [ 6] strikes at our lives, at our souls, at our eternal e •• ates.

A controversy with God who is set upon it to h • ve satisfaction [ 7] for all the wrong we have done to him, he will have it one way or other.

Such a controversy as only the Lord Christ that great Mediator, [ 8] that great Peace-maker is able to make up; None can reconcile God and a sinner but Christ God-Man, He must stand before God to satisfy for the wrong the sin of man hath done unto him.

[ 9] A controversy with him who hath thee at infinite advantage, who hath thee under his feet and the point of the sword of his Justice is at thy heart.

[ 10] A controversy (that if thou look not to it) is like to prove an everlasting controversy. Psal. 57.16. I will not contend forever, neither will I always be wroth, for the Spirit should fail before me. This is spoken to those that are in Covenant with God, in regard of the lesser controversies that after their reconciliation may be between God and them: But with thee if not reconciled to God in Christ who art yet in the great controversy that God hath with sinful man, (I say if thou lookest not to it) it may prove an everlasting controversy to thee: Certainly God will overcome thee, God will have the day of thee, the Lord will overcome when he judgeth. Julian strove a great while against the Lord, but at length Vicisti Galilae vicisti, he was forced to acknowledge with his blood cast up into the air, The Lord hath overcome, the Lord will overcome.

It is a vain thing for thee to stand out striving with this great God. Job 40.2. Shall he that comendeth with the Almighty instruct him? So it is translated in your books, but according to the words in the Hebrew, and so translated by Pagnin and others, Is there any wisdom, or any learning in contending with God? any knowledge shown in that? No certainly there is no knowledge, no wisdom, no learning in contending with the Almighty: Our greatest wisdom is to fall down, to be humbled before the Lord. The Lord hath appointed a certain period for thy coming in to make up thy peace with him, to satisfy him; if thou neglectest that time thou art lost, undone forever.

My brethren this is no time to have any controversy with God, to stand out against him in ways of enmity. It is time now when such blackness of darkness is upon us even storms of blood hang over our heads, It is time now (I say) however, to be at peace with Heaven, to make our peace with God. Job. 36.18. There is wrath, beware therefore that he take thee not away with his stroke. The Lord is come forth from his place, he is pleading his cause, and now in the ways of his administration he declares that he will have glory from his creature, he hath sworn by Himself and the word hath gone out of his mouth in righteousness that every knee must bow to him and every tongue confess his Name, he seems now to resolve he will have it so indeed, he will have all to bow before him. It is no time therefore now for us to have controversies with God, to have controversies with God and man both, with Heaven, and Earth, and Hell, and with our own consciences and all. What shall become us? Be not thou a terror O Lord unto me (saith Jeremiah) for thou art my hope in the day of evil. If God be a terror, and the days be evil, what will become of us? It is time to fall down and make peace with God.

Consider of this you who are so often in controversies with your Neighbors: Remember in all your controversies that God hath a great controversy with you; And satisfy not yourselves in this that you are able to clear yourselves before men, what is that so long a • this controversy continues?

It is a dangerous thing to go on long in this controversy with God; it is wisdom to make an end of it betime, Pro. 17.14. The beginning of strife is like the letting out of waters, wherefore leave off contention before it be meddled with. The beginning of strife especially with God is most dreadful, if thou goest on but a little while, thine heart may be most desperately set against God and forever left to strive against him, never to come in and be humbled before him. This is the reason (I verily believe) of the most horred wickedness of some men amongst us: we wonder at it that ever any man should dare to venture upon such horrid wickednesses, one after another; Surely here is the reason, at first it may be when they were young there was some dreadful breach between God and their souls, they fell (though the world perhaps knew it not) into some foul and abominable sin, and having made such a dreadful breach between God and their souls then, they now go on desperately and fight against the God of Heaven in such a desperate manner as never any age can cell us any examples of such desperate fighting against God as is in this age. God hath a controversy with Nations also for their sin. Those who are to suit for God may well charge us, that the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land at this day. If ever he had a controversy with a people he hath it with us. The Lord hath a fearful controversy with us, he hath most fearful things to charge this land with, I might instance in some things that are more peculiar to this nation than to any other upon the face of the earth.

[ 1] As the hatred, contempt, persecution of the power of godliness; No nation upon the face of the earth hath that guilt in this regard upon it that England hath, nor never had since the world began, Persecution of faithful & godly Ministers, of the same Religion holding all fundamental Truths, yea, all the Articles of Religion, every point of the Doctrine of Religion together with them; (I say) never any Nation was guilty of that persecution as we of this Kingdom are; Silencing many for • rifles and toys; Persecuting for keeping the Sabbath: It is true, other countries are loose in their practice or the Sabbath, but no country upon the face of the earth hath ever persecuted the keeping of it as England hath done; and that by the c • untenance of those in authority. We are si ner and others are sinners, but the Lord hath a controversy with us for these things in a more special manner than with any people upon the fac • of the earth this day.

[ 2] This controversy the Lord hath against us, is an old controversy too. I may apply that text Jer. 32.31. that God speaks concerning the City of Jerusalem unto us, This City hath been to me as a pro • ocation of mine anger and of my fury from the day that they built it even unto this day. So ever since the Reformation hath begun have we been a provocation to the Lord.

[ 3] Thirdly, A general controversy even with all sorts, a controversy with our Kings and Princes, with our Nobles, o • r Gentry, our Cities, Countries, Universities, Common people, with wicked people, with godly people, with the Saints, with all.

Fourthly, It is the most unkind controversy in regard of [ 4] our parts that ever was in any Nation; for God had dealt with us in such a loving way as he hath not done with any Nation in the world besides, he hath made us even as the dearly beloved of his soul, and yet for all this we have contended against him. This unkindness goes even to the very heart of God.

Fifthly, The Lord hath sent many faithful Ambassadors [ 5] to plead his cause with us. He never to any Nation upon the earth sent more faithful Ambassadors that have pleaded his cause with more power and evidence of the Spirit than to us in England, yet we have stood out.

Sixthly, We have had as many offers of mercy as ever people [ 6] had. Many a time we have been upon the brink of Judgment and the bowels of God have been towards us and he hath said, it shall not be.

Seventhly, The Lord hath been as patient, he hath stayed as [ 7] long as ever he did with any people before he came to execution. Where do we read of any people that have had a hundred years peace? (Ours is not much less;) Never that I know of in all the Scripture.

Eighthly, The Lord hath had us at advantages as much as [ 8] can be; we have broke as many treaties as ever people broke. When we seemed to yield unto God, we have but flattered him with our lips and dealt dissemblingly with him.

Ninthly, God hath broken the backs of others with whom [ 9] he hath had a controversy. He hath had a controversy with Germany, and how hath he dealt with them? Thus he beginneth to deal with us. It is reported that in Germany when the war was but twenty or thirty miles off them, they went on in their trading and followed their businesses, buying and selling and hoped that they should be safe; so it is with us, Is not some part of England at this day as desolate as Germany itself?

Tenthly, Those that knew most of God's mind, have been [ 10] so afraid of this controversy that they have fled for fear of the wrath of God, and we have slighted, jeered them for it, thought it was their foolish timerousness and melancholy conceit; The Lord now seems to justify their fear.

The Lord is now for the present out against us in as dreadful a way of wrath as ever he was against any people of the earth. I never read in Scripture nor in History of a more dreadful wrath of God against a people all things considered, than is against us at this day. Amos, 7.4. The Lord calls to contend by fire: Surely the Lord doth it at this day, he calleth to contend with England by fire, in a most dreadful way, and who knows what the end shall be? That he hath a most dreadful controversy against England at this day, will appear if we further take these considerations.

[ 1] First, That a people complaining of bondage heretofore, yet when God offered deliverance, should be so far left of God as they shall now rather be willing to make themselves and their posterity bond-slaves. Surely God hath a dreadful controversy against us, it were else impossible that such a thing should be in the hearts of men. Men love liberty, they groan under bondage: We did groan but a few years ago, and the Lord was coming to help us, and yet we are now so left of God that we even turn again to our former bondage, and would have our ears to be bored that we might be perpetual slaves,

[ 2] Secondly, It is not only that we will turn again to bondage, but this is out of a spirit of enmity against the yoke of Jesus Christ. This is the very ground and bottom of it, in a great part of the Kingdom, whatsoever yoke they have upon them they are resolved they will not have the yoke of Christ out of a spirit of enmity against the Godly party, who desire and endeavor Reformation.

At the beginning of this Parliament, when we began to have hopes of some liberty and reformation, Oh what a joy was there generally in the Kingdom! all men agreed together; but when those that were wicked and carnal began to see that their godly neighbors rejoiced & that they blessed God for what was done that they had their minds; now they turn out of a spirit of malice against them, rather than they shall rejoice, rather than they shall have their minds, we will turn back again to the bondage we were in before, and we will stand and oppose that which heretofore we rejoiced in. Certainly here is the very ground of so much contradiction as there is at this day; They have therefore turned Malignants against that Cause which a man would wonder that ever rational men should be against; But there is a spirit of malice against Christ and his Ordinances, fearing a reformation; they would have their lusts, and they think if reformation come they should not have them with that liberty they have had; here is the very reason that the Gentry and others in the country are opposite; Surely God hath a controversy with us.

Thirdly, That men should so vily desert those whom they [ 3] have chosen and trusted who have been faithful, those Worthies in Parliament, who have ventured their lives for them, basely and unworthily now to desert them; it is one of the greatest judgments of God upon the hearts of men, and therefore upon a nation that ever was. If they complain of them now, they would much more have complained of them if they had complied; suppose the Parliament had made up a patched reformation and a crazy peace that upon any occasion we had been in danger to have had war broken out again, would not the people of the land have cried out of their unfaithfulness? But now they venture themselves and labor so hard for a sound peace, therefore to be deserted? An unworthy generation, a generation that we have cause to fear is become the generation of God's wrath and the people of his curse. People are affected according as success is, we complain of those in Parliament because of some difficulties that are in the work, yet if they had not done what they did they would have complained much more. So of Ministers, sometimes Ministers speak and stir up people because their consciences tell them they should be unfaithful to their country and to the cause of God if they did not; now they cry out as they did of Luther, that they are the trumpets of sedition and rebellion; whereas on the other side if they should say nothing, then people would have cried out that they had betrayed their Country and that they were not so faithful in their places as they should, therefore people were so bad as they were. Thus hard it is for God or man to please people.

Again. That not only people should desert them, but that so many of Nobles, and some Members of the Parliament themselves should desert their Brethren there, and join with Papists, French, and Walloons; When as not long since a company of vile wretches being gathered together to fight against our brethren of Scotland, and yet those vile people could not be brought to fight against them by any means; But now not the vile ones, but Nobles, Knights, and Gentry can be brought to fight against the Parliament their own Brethren; Is not here a mighty hand of God against us? Could this ever be if God had not a dreadful controversy against England?

[ 4] Fourthly, That men should be so blinded as to think the Protestant Religion should be maintained by an Army of Papists, that the Laws and Liberty of the subject should be maintained by an Army of Delinquents and strangers, yea, that the King with Papists, Delinquents, French, and Walloons should better maintain the Liberty of the Subject and the Protestant Religion, than with the Parliament; That people should come to believe this, is not the hand of God upon the people of this land? Are they not infinitely besotted? can we think that men endued with reason should do this? Surely were not the Judgment of God fearfully upon their souls it could not be believed that ever this should be done by people that had any rationality in them.

[ 5] Fifthly, God surely calls to contend fearfully with us in that he should suffer such an ill cause to prosper so as it hath done and to get to that height as it is. It is that which is the amazement both of England and the Countries about us that such an ill cause should get so high and prosper so much as it hath done; Surely the Lord is against us or else it could not have been.

Sixthly, When there shall be such a desperate design so long [ 6] a hatching, drawn forth in such a season and so driven on and now breaking forth in such violence and yet men cannot see it. The tract of the design is a • clear as the Sun at noon day and drawn on from one step to another, by comparing of one thing with another we may see it as apparently as the light. Would you not think it a besotting thing if there should be a train of Gunpouder laid along in the streets from such a place to the Parliament House to blow it up and yet that men should pass by and say they see no such thing? Certainly the drawing on of the design against our Religion and State, to bring us under tyranny and slavery, the tract is as evident and plain as ever there was train of Gunpruder laid to such a place that men would willingly blow up; and yet men see it not. Surely God's hand is out against us.

Seventhly, That we should have so little fruit of our prayers [ 7] as we have at this day, yea, that God should seem to be angry with the prayers of his people, This argueth a fearful controversy, and in this one particular among others; what prayers in England have been sent up to God for the Palsgraves children, and that now instead of answering our prayers God should send two Arrows as it were out of those loins to do us mischief, that it should come from them for whom England hath done so much to maintain them and sent up so many prayers to God for them, and in recompense of all they should come hither to make havoke of the Kingdom. Surely the hand of God is out against us.

Eighthly, That our brethren should be so spoiled and our [ 8] selves in such danger of drinking the dregs of the cup, yet where are our hearts? The judgment of God is upon the hearts of men that they stir not and act not like men, but they see their Brethren spoild before them and in the mean time all that which keeps them quiet is only that they hope they shall be the last. God's hand is upon the hearts of men this could not be else. Could one ever have thought that English men could have born this? If one had told them before that there should be an Army of Papists rise up with French, Walloons, and Irish to spoil the Kingdom, to destroy our Brethren, would one have ever imagined that English men should have born it and stirred no more than they have done? You talk indeed of this and that and of going forth every fourth man, but all such resolutions and such great words of men do usually sink and fall down and come to nothing, a • if men were willing and content to lay down their necks upon the block. Surely the guilt of the blood of our Brethren may justly come upon us, and God may have a controversy with us for suffering their blood to be spilled.

[ 9] Ninthly, That God should put so many opportunities into our hands and we neglect all, those opportunities of mercy: this is the hand of God against us and a fruit of his controversy with us.

[ 10] What shall I say more? That God himself should take away our opportunities, that when we are nigh to deliverance that God should drive us back, this is an argument of a heavy controversy indeed. Numb. 13. when the people were come very near to Canaan and were even ready to take possession, God was resolved against them, that none but Caleb and Joshua should enter, they were beaten back again: now Chap. 14.33. it is said that the people when they heard this, mourned greatly, they saw the hand of God out against them. The truth is we have been even in Canaan, Oh what an opportunity God put into our hands in the West, I say not we lost the opportunity, but there God's own hand shown itself against us; Bristol then might have been saved, but God would not; And so when we were even at our deliverance God seemed to drive us back, as if he told us, well I like not the business in hand, for this generation, I have somewhat more to say to them, it may be to their young ones I may show mercy afterward, but against this generation my wrath shall be let out. Surely we may be afraid in regard of the ways of God's present administration lest this should be in God's heart. Howsoever let us consider it and mourn greatly before the Lord. God hath a controversiy with the inhabitants of the land.

It is no time now to have controversies one with another, to be wrangling one with another, for this opinion and the other opinion. It is time for us now to lay down all our private controversies and fall to the making up the controversy with our God. It is no time now for Brethren to strive with Brethren, but to strive and wrestle with • od in prayer. If we have any strength with us, let it not be spent in contending one with another, but let all our strength be spent in seeking to make peace with our God. It is said of the Romans that they had a Temple of Concord and none were to go to offer any further sacrifice but those that came first to offer in the Temple of Concord. The Lord looks it should be so with us, we should come and agr • e one with another, lay down all our own controversies and then give up ourselves as one man to this great work to make up our controversy with him. If two Chickins be fighting and the Kite come near, they will leave picking one another and run to the Hen for shelter. We stand picking and snarling one at another, and many men that say they will do thus and thus for the public cause, but they take exception against this man and the other man, and at this thing and that thing, and now their private grudges come in and that draws them away and takes them off; Oh let us not be picking now, the Kite is coming near, let us run and shelter our selve • u • der the protection of God, that cannot be but by making our peace with him.

As for the controversy that is this day between the King and us, we can in that appeal to God, that there is no just cause the King should contend with us no hurt ever intended or done by us unto him. Only we desire to deliver ou • selves from Tyranny and slavery. Our Privileges and Libe • ties are deer to us, they are our Right as truly as his Honor is his. That which he inheriteth it was his for • fathers, & that which his forefathers, his predecessors inherited, it was at first from the People, they set up such a family to rule and govern over them; and certainly they never set it up for any other end but only for the public good, not for their misery & ruin: We can appeal to God that we desired nothing else but to l ve peacably and to serve God in our land, enjoying only w • at God and nature and the Laws of our land had made our own. We know the relation between him and us, and the bond it is mutual; and if there be anything done now that perhaps cannot be justified by any positive explicit Law of the land, let men know that yet it may be justified by the very light of Nature and by the Law of Arms. It cannot be imagined but if those that ought to be the protectors of the Law should come against Law so hardly upon us, that we must have recourse then to the Law and light of nature, it is impossible this should be otherwise, and this God himself approves.

Whatsoever therefore becomes of this controversy between him and us, whether reconciliation or not reconciliation, yet we have peace in this, that what we have done in the resisting of a deluge of misery that was coming upon us, if we had not done it, our consciences would have upbraided us, the generation to come would have cursed us, the Nations about us and our very enemies would have scorned us and derided us for our base cowardliness, for our sordid spirits, for an unworthy generation that should see itself and posterity sinking into misery and brought under slavery, and out of base fear and sluggish litherness of spirit and effeminate softness, should suffer all to be brought into bondage to the humors and lusts of a few men. We can therefore with comfort and boldness stand at God's Tribunal and plead the uprightness of our hearts and justness of our cause in this Controversy whatever becomes of it. But in the controversy that God hath against us, there we fall down at his feet and acknowledge ourselves guilty before him, yea, we come with sackcloth upon our loins and ashes on our heads, with ropes on our necks, and plead only mercy for our lives. And this is the work that we have to do in all the days of our humiliation, to seek to make an Atonement between God and our souls and the Land in regard of that dreadful controversy he hath against us. Now blessed God, because thou tellest us in thy word, Because I WILL do this, therefore prepare to meet thy God O Israel: Thou threatnest hard, great and sore evils, and thou callest now to us, because Thou wilt do this, England, O England prepare to meet God; We come (Oh that this might be our answer) we come Lord and meet thee with our souls bowed towards thee, with our hearts bleeding that we have provothee to cause so much bloodshed of our brethren amongst us. O Lord our hearts are open to thee, and with trembling spirits we cry to the Lord, what wilt thou have us do? If thou proceedest against us in thy controversy we are undone, we are undone, Oh Lord forgive, Oh Lord arise and be merciful we beseech thee, for by whom shall Jacob rise for he is small? by whom shall the people arise? by whom shall the power of godliness and thine Ordinances be maintained?

How happy were we think some if the controversy between the King and us were at an end, that we might have peace. Oh if the people were happy that were in such a case, how happy the people that were at peace with the King of Heaven! If the controversy between God and us were at an end we should be happy indeed. The Lord and the Land is at a controversy, and this controversy makes us cry out unto God; but yet woe unto us, here is the misery, we yet keep our sins that make the controversy. Jer. 35. Will the Lord reserve his anger forever? will he keep it unto the end? Mark what the answer is, Behold thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest. Thus you have said, but what is the fruit of this? You have done evil as you could. We in the days of our Fasts cry, Lord wilt thou reserve thine anger forever? wilt thou keep it unto the end? Behold thus we speak, but yet we continue to do evil as we can. Isa. 59.9. We looked for light (saith the text) but behold obscurity, for brightness but we walk in darkness, we grope for the wall like the blind: We indeed grope as if we had no eyes and we stumble at noon day as if it were night. Men to this day are ready to cry out and say, what shall we do? as if the way were not clear before us what we should do; The way is clear enough if we had hearts, but we grope as if we had no eyes and we stumble at noon day as in the night. In many places of the Kingdom they roar out as bears, and they have cause to do so, For they are miserably spoiled, their wives ravished, their houses plundered, themselves imprisoned; and for the rest of us we mourn like doves night and day, and we look for judgment and there is none, and for salvation but it is far from us; Mark what follows, For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, (there is the ground of all the controversy between God and us) and as for our sins they testify against us, and our transgressions are with us. Surely my Brethren God is willing to be at peace with England again; the controversy is great and sore, yet we may confidently speak that the Lord is yet willing to be at peace with England, and the sufferings of England go as near the heart of God as ours. Oh that we knew then what it is that is the great make-bate between God and us that we might get rid of it! Would you know it? 2. Sam. 20.21. saith Joab there, Deliver us Sheba the son Bichri and we will depart from the City and go everyone unto his tent. If amongst us Delinquents were punished as they ought, if the hearts of people were prepared to have the remainders of superstition and Idolatry cast out, if they were willing to receive Jesus Christ as King among them, the sound of retreat would soon be heard, the controversy would soon be at an end; and except this be the foundation of our peace, either there will be no peace at all, or it will not hold long. In our raising of forces therefore to help ourselves and our brethren (seeing we pretend we will do more than before, and it is time we should if we be not a people destinated to destruction and ruin) be sure we begin here, let us do more than ever we did before to make up this controversy with God. It is reported of Achior one of Holopherness his Captains that he counseled Holopherness to inquire first whether the Jews had offended their God before he attempted to make war against them, for if they had, he then assured him that that would be their ruin and he might go up and overcome them, but if he could not hear that they had sinned against their God it was in vain for him to strive against them. Truly it concerns us nearly to make up our peace with God that when our adversaries come out against us they may not indeed be made use of to avenge God's quarrel upon us, for then they will easily improve all their advantages this way, and say indeed that they are not come out against us without the Lord; Every victory they now get they are ready to please themselves in this and say that God fighteth against us, and God approveth them, they tell us the reason they prevail is because God is against us, and so we know Rabshakeh did though a foul railer, yet saith he, Are we come up without the Lord? And the enemies of David Psalm, 71.12. Mine enemies have said, God hath forsaken him, now persecute and take him, for there is none to deliver him: Thus they will be ready to say upon any occasion, now the Lord hath left them, now let us take them: And certainly if the Lord should suffer them to prevail many of them would think they do God good service to slay and to root out that generation of God's people that is here in England, and they would be confident that it is the mind of God that they should be rooted out. Therefore we had need look to it to make up our peace with God that the controversy between him and us may not prove to be their victory.

There are only two notes to be further observed hence. God having to deal with poor earthen creatures, he might presently have let his wrath out against them and destroyed them: But Mark, God is willing to have his cause pleaded with vile creatures, so that all the while he is pleading there is time and space for them to come in. This teacheth us this excellent lesson: [That men should be willing that the cause that is between them and their inferiors should be pleaded, and not stand so much upon their superiority, and scorn to humor an inferior so much as to have any matter debated between them.] As husband and wife if a controversy be between them, though the one be superior and the other inferior, think it not much to debate it between themselves with meekness and love, Job, 31.13. professed he did not despise the cause of his man-servant when he contended with him, but he would have that pleaded and made out. Jehovah, the mighty God condescendeth to put his cause to a suit, he will not pass sentence upon poor creatures til it come to a trial. Be not surly and scornful towards your inferiors.

Another Note, [The inhabitants of the Land] lies a little more couched. The inhabitants of the Land, what Land? The inhabitants of the Land of Canaan, a controversy with them. Mark, God fulfilled his promise in bringing them into the Land of Canaan, and now he pleadeth with them for the forfeiture of their promise. Psal. 105.44, 45. he tells them that he had given them the lands of the Heathen, that they might observe his Statutes and keep his Laws, that was their condition. God fulfilled hi • part, he bringeth them into the land, but when they were in the land they minded not their part. You know God often gave them charge when they came into the land to do this and this, they promised they would do it, but when they were once brought into the land they forgot it, they forsook God. God now comes and pleads with the inhabitants of this land; As if he should say, I have done my part in bringing you into the land, now I come to plead with you for breaking your promise and covenant. Take this note from hence. [Whatsoever mercy you have from God you are to look upon it as a fruit of God's faithfulness to you (if you be God's) and as a ground of your obedience to him, and his pleading with you if you walk not answerable to it.

The inhabitants of the Land.] Jerome hath another note upon it, but that is further off, I will only name it. Rightly saith he are they called to answer and to judgment that are the inhabitants of the land, and do not look upon themselves as sojourners and strangers in the land; But he that can truly say with the Prophet, I am a pilgrim & a stranger here, such a one can never do that which may cause God to have a controversy against him. This is the reason men do that which causeth God to have a controversy with them, because they look upon themselves as possessors of the land, and not as pilgrims and strangers. But this is too far off.

The second part followeth. [God declareth.] A suit first is entered against such a man, when the Court day comes, there is calling for a declaration, the Lawyer declares: God doth so, and the Prophet is God's Lawyer, and here are three Articles put in thi • declaration, Because there is no Truth, no Mercy, no knowledge of God in the land.

First in general, that there is a declaration, take these two useful notes from thence.

First, God contendeth not with a people without a cause. How many are there that strive and contend one with another without any cause at all! they vex and rage, contend and sue and great controversies there are, but if we come to examine the cause we can find nothing at all; great dull is raised but whence is it? if we look to the bottom and examine wherefore it is, we can see just nothing, they themselves know no cause, they can give no rational account of all their pleading, one against another. As David said to Elijah his eldest brother, 1 Sam. 17.29. when Elijah came and wrangled with him, saith David, What have I now done? is there not a cause? Elijah's spirit was up through his envy, chiding and wrangling with David; but what have I done saith David, have not I cause for what I did! Thus many have their spirits up, chiding and wrangling, but examine the cause, and they can show none at all. How many are there of bitter spirits, who even go about like mad-dogs, snarling at everyone, even at those they know not, with whom they had never anything to do, yet cry out against them, railing upon them everywhere! Ask them, do you know the man? can you prove any hurt against him? The truth is they know him not, they are not able to make good what they say, only there is a general noise of such and such men that they do thus and thus, and so they bite and snail, and rage against them, but when all comes to all they know no cause. Such and such men they say disturb the Kingdom and trouble the people, a grea • deal of cry but little wool, the foundations of the earth are out of order, but what hath the righteous done? You would think when you hear such railings and cryings out against such and such men, that they were the most monstrous men upon the earth, but examine what it is that they have done, there is nothing. God doth not so with you, God never contendeth with man but for a just cause.

Secondly, Because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land, but by swearing, and lying, and stealing &c. From whence in the general there is this, God contendeth not against a people for little things, when God saith he hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land it is not for trifles, for ordinary infirmities, for daily excursions, but for great notorious things. Not that little things do not deserve a controversy, but it is from the virtue and fruit of the Covenant that this comes to pass; in others that are not in Covenant little things make a controversy, but between God's children and himself they are not little things that make a controversy. But men are of froward spirits, every trifle is enough to make a controversy between them. Yea, usually th • greatest controversies between nearest friends is some trifle or other. Is there a man and his wife live lovingly and sweetly many years, do they fall out afterwards? Is there a bitter controversy? Examin it, it is but about some toy. So between one brother and another. I could give you examples in Histories of great and bitter controversies that have been between nearest friends upon small and trivial grounds. I remember Camerarius tells us a story of two brethren, these two walking out in a star-light night, saith one of the brethren would I had a pasture as large as this Element, and says the other would I had as many Oxen as there be Stars; says the other again, where would you feed these Oxen? in your Pasture, replied he; what whether I will or no? Yea said he whether you will or no; what in spite of me? yes said he; and thus it went on from word to word till at length each sheath'd his sword in the others bowels. This verifieth that saying of James, Chap. 3.5. Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth! So it is in many families, sometimes perhaps a look is the beginning of a great controversy, one thinks such a one doth not look lovingly upon him, and then he begins to suspect that things boil within him, perhaps afterward some words come forth that may seem to argue discontent, and then that word begetteth another, and that other a third, and so a miserable breach cometh to be in a family. It is an argument that these people have Gunpouder spirits that a little spark of fire can so quickly blow them up. Truly the controversy here in England the ground of it at the first beginning was little enough on our parts; Only were it not that there had been a desperate design in our adversaries, it were impossible that such a little beginning should ever come to that height. But God doth not so, they are great things for which he hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.

But what is it? what is the declaration? No truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. These three especially, the first doth exceeding nearly concern us.

First, No Truth. God is a God of Truth, he is true in all his ways. He justly pleads with them that have dealt falsely with him. No truth; No reality in their Religion, that is something, but that is not all. God comes upon them for the breaches first of the second Table; for they ar • more convincing; we have greater advantage against a natural man to convince his conscience in those than in matters of Religion. If you speak to them concerning sins in matters of Religion, they will say they acknowledge the true God and they worship him. Well, therefore the Prophet begins first herein the matters of the second Table, concerning the want of truth between man and man; As if he should say, Talk what your will concerning your worshiping of the true God, there is no truth between one another, you deal falsely and cruelly, and are merciless to your brethren, never therefore talk of Religion and of acknowledging the true God. Thence the Note is this. [That it is in vain for any man to talk of his Religion, if he make no conscience of the second Table as well as the first.] For a man to talk of praying, and hearing Sermons, if he be cruel and hard hearted, and false in his dealings, the Lord rejecteth all let him talk what he will.

No truth in your dealings one with another. First there is abundance of flattery amongst you. You flatter one another in your sin, you do not deal unfeignedly one with another. You flatter your Princes, and your Princes have little truth in their Courts. It was once a speech of one, All things were plentiful in the Court but only truth. And this is the unhappiness of great men that those that are about them usually deal falsely with them. You shall seldom know one that deals truly with great men, they tell them that their bloodshedding and ruining of Kingdoms is but the maintaining of their just Honor and Prerogative. I have read of Dionisius his flatterers, that when he spit upon the ground they would lick it up and then tell him that that spittle was sweeter than any Ambrosia and Nectar, the sweetest that ever they tasted, merely to please him: And so you have many that are near to great men, though they see them do things never so abominable; things that make never so great breaches between God and them, between them and people, yet they tell them that they do more bravely than ever any of their Ancestors did. There is no truth.

Truth here some take for Justice. Thus it is sometimes taken in Scri • ture. Zech. 8.16. Speak ye everyone the truth to his neighbor, execute the judgment of truth and peace. As if he should say, you do not execute justice upon Malignants that are in your power; you speak of raising Arms to fetch in Delinquents, but you execute not judgment upon those that you have in your hands, you will have God in a solemn manner to be blessed because he hath delivered you from them, but judgment is not executed in truth as it should be. Nor No Mercy: That is, you show no mercy to the innocent; you talk of indulgence, your indulgence to Delinquents is cruelty to innocents, Oh how many of our brethren in Oxford and other places suffer most dreadful things because these here enjoy so much liberty and have so much favor as they have. So there is neither mercy to the Innocent not justice to the Nocent.

But the special thing here intended is, That you are not true in your dealings nor in the trust committed to your charge; There is no equity in your dealings. Isa. 59.14. And judgment is turned backward, (it is turned upon those that it should not be executed upon) And justice standeth a far off. If one be greater than another, the meanest shall come under the stroke of justice and be executed, and the greater not: And truth is fallen in the streets; how comes that in? Thus, as if he should say, It is true, they that are in place of Authority will not execute judgment and justice, but are not the common people faithful in their dealings one with another, No, Truth is fallen in the streets: this seems to refer to the multitude; And equity cannot enter; the word that is here translated Equity, comes of a word that signifies a thing that is just before one; As if he should say, those very things that one would think were as plain (as we say) as the nose on a man's face, things that are so evident, that are just before us, that have so much equity and reason in them, yet those things cannot enter, those things cannot be entertained, there is such a general confusion amongst the people, such a corruption among them, they are so set upon wickedness, that things that are equal and plain according to common sense and reason, yet it cannot enter into their hearts, they will not receive it. And is not this in a great measure our condition at this time?

There is no Truth, they are false in the trust committed to their charge. Oh here is a controversy indeed that God may have against us. Was there ever a time that either England or any other country knew when there was so much falseness in men in the trust committed to them? All things in Israel at this time were come to that confusion, that through the falseness of men anything of the greatest consequence that might be was betrayed. It is a sign of God's fearful wrath upon our Nation that there is no truth in men, when people are lest to the treachery and perfidiousness of others; that such whom one would think one might be confident of their truth, nay venture their lives upon it, yea, such as a long time before were trusty; yea, trusty to admiration, yet at last when they think they may suffer, [their own ends are not so clear to attain to as at first] they will betray all that trust that is committed to them and venture even their own undoing rather than endure further hazard in that way of trust. Such cursed selvishness is there in the hearts of men that have not the grace and true fear of God to balance their hearts; they will even betray God himself and a whole Kingdom for their own private ends. But what an unworthy thing is this for men to betray public trust when so much mischief may come upon it merely for their own ends; It is as if a man should set an house on fire to roast an egg: what are men's own particular ends in comparison of a Kingdom? not so much as an egg in comparison of an house. This was the complaint in Micah's time of Judah as well as of Israel here, Micah was contemporary with Hosea, Mic. 7.5. Trust not in a friend, put ye no confidence in a guide, keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy b some: A man's enemies (ver. 6.) are the men of his own house. But though there are many of them thus corrupt and there is no truth in them, you cannot tell how to put any trust in them, are there not some of them better? Mark the 4. verse. The best of them is a briar, the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge. In evil times you shall find those whom you most confide in to be so froward in some of their ways, so perverse, that if you go to them for shelter, they will prick you; even those men that you cry most up, those whom you think to receive most from, yet when evil times come their spirits will be so stirred that if you come to them for shelter you shall find them extreme perverse: And this indeed is the day of the perplexity of a Kingdom, what sh • ll we do in this case? Mark the 7. verse Therefore will I look unto the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation, My God will hear me; As if he should say, If I look unto man I have little help there, little comfort there, the best of them is a briar, if I trust in men and look for any help from men, I see what they will do, verily every man is altogether vanity; therefore our condition is very sad and miserable, Lord what shall we do? I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation, My God will hear me; Men cannot save me, God will hear me though they will not.

God's controversy with Covenant-breakers, with those that betray their trust, is very dreadful. I will show you an example or two out of the Scripture and out of History.

First that notable place in 2 Sam. 21. when there was a famine in the days of David three years together, David would know what the matter was, God gave him this answer, That twas for Saul and his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites; Because Saul would not keep that trust to the Gibeonites that was promised them, God therefore brings a famine upon the whole Land for three years together: And I beseech you mark the aggravation here of God's displeasure against any that break trust; first this promise was not made by Saul, but by Saul's Progenitors, and it was made above three hundred years before his time, And then to whom was it made? unto a Heathenish people, to the Gibionites; And this promise they got deceitfully, they deceived Joshua and so got it by craft; further it was a promise made them without asking counsel of God, so the text saith, Josh. 9.14. Again, this promise was against the mind of the congregation, verse 18. All the congregation murmured against the Princes: Again, Saul when he slew the Gibeonites he did not do it out of a perfidious spirit, but out of a good intent, for so the text saith, 2 Sam. 21.2. He slew them in his zeal to the children of Israel, because he thought that the Gibeonites remaining amongst them would perhaps prove some hindrance to the good of Israel. Further, this work of God comes not upon Saul then when he broke the trust, but upon his posterity afterward, and that shows it to be greater wrath. Lastly it comes so upon them as it will not be appeased till it hath their lives: you may see then how God is set upon it to revenge promise-breakers.

Another example as notable as that, is in Ezek. 17 15. when Zedekiah the King of Judah had made a Covenant with the King of Babylon, and broke it, he rebelled against him in sending his Ambassadors into Egypt that they might give him horses and much people; Shall he prosper saith the Lord? shall he escape that doth such things, or shall he break the covenant and be delivered? This covenant was made with a wicked man with a Tyrant, and yet God calls it his Oath and his Covenant, ver. 18. And then with what an Emphasis doth God speak this. He despised the Oath by breaking the Covenant when lo he had given his hand yea ver. 16. God professeth it shall cost him his life, Surely saith the Lo d, in the place where the King dwelleth that made him King, wh • se Oath he despised, a • d whose Covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon shall he die: yea further, God sweareth against him and that by his own life, ver. 19. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, at I live surely mine Oath which he hath despised, and my Covenant which he hath broken, even it will I re • ompense upon his own head: Then further, God tells him that all the strength that he had got to him and all his policy and all his cunning devices should not help him, ver. 20. I will spread my net upon him and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him unto Babylon and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me: And lastly, the wrath of God shall not only be upon him, but upon all those that joined with him and a bet him in the breaking of this covenant, ver. 21. All his fugitives with all his hands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered towards all winds. I know not two scriptures more full for God's being set to contend with men for breach of promise. Oh take heed all you that are entrusted in any public trust that you break not covenant.

And as you have examples of this in the Scripture, so there is also an example or two in History which are exceeding full for this purpose. I suppose that is known unto you of Rodolphus, who having set his hand to a Covenant with Henry the fourth which he afterward brake, and his right hand coming to be cut off, his conscience accused him, Oh saith he, This is that right hand that subscribed the Covenant, and now God revengeth the breach of it upon this right hand. But above all that is the most remarkable that is in the History of the Hungarians, concerning Udislaus the King of Hungary, and Amurath the great Turk; they report that Udislaus making war with Amurath, having before promised the contrary; in a battle between them the Turk had the worst of it, AMURATH being there and having with him the Covenant made between the King of Hungary and him, and seeing himself put to the worst, he plucked forth the Covenant out of his bosom and with his eyes fixed toward Heaven he speaks thus, This Oh Jesus Christ is the Covenant that thy Christians have struck with me, O holy Jesus they have done it in thy Name and sworn by thy Majesty, and yet they have violated it, they have perfidiously denied their God; Now Oh Jesus if thou beest a God as they say and as we guess thou art, revenge this wrong that is done unto me and unto thy self upon these that have violated their faith and promise, and do thou show unto us that do not know thy Name that thou art an avenger of such as betray their trust, and then we shall know thee to be a God. Now just upon this God so ordered it that the Hungarians having the better of the day, they through covetousness of the prey broke off the fight & fell upon the loaden Camels, whereupon the Turks totally routed the Hungarians, Udislaus their King was slain, and a famous Victory left unto Amurath.

Thus you see how God will be avenged for the breach of trust, certainly God will follow those that have been guilty of it; we see it apparently how God follows them already. And indeed if we have to deal with men that are popish how is it possible that we can confide in them in anything they promise, in anything they agree to? For we know it is their very opinion, that fides non servenda hereticis, faith is not to be kept with heretics; This Is their opinion they hold, that for the Catholic Cause they may break all their trust, promises and covenants. Certainly that people are besotted that shall so depend upon those that are Papists and carried away by Papists, as to lay their lives, their liberties, and their outward comforts at their feet, at their mercy; for certainly there is no truth in them. The Nations of the earth are even besotted in this, that they will ever make any covenant, any league with Papists who hold such an opinion that they may break all their Covenants for the Catholic cause. What a case should we be in if we lie down at the mercy of those that have no truth in them, when afterwards we shall find they break asunder all their bonds of agreement and all their covenants, & then we ourselves know that this was their opinion before, and that they would enter into league and make peace with us merely to serve their own turns, and when they have what they would have then to make our estates, lives, and liberties to be a prey to them? But we must let that pass, only this in a word added to it.

Nor no Mercy.] The Merciful God sets himself against Unmerciful men, and hath a dreadful controversy against them; And when this controversy cometh to be pleaded, Unmerciful men will be confounded before the Lord; For God will lay his plea thus, What you that stood in so much need of mercy every moment to keep you out of Hell; You that lived upon mercy continually as you breathed in the air; You who are begging at my gates every day? You who are undone forever it you had not mercy supplied every hour, and yet You unmerciful to your brethren? This plea will stop the mouths of all Unmerciful ones. It was the controversy that God had with Sodom itself, bec • use they were Unmerciful: Much more than hath God a controversy with the inhabitants of the land of Israel if they be unmerciful. Ezek. 16.49. there God lays his charge, his plea against Sodom, That they did not strengthen the hands of the poor. Unmercifulness it is a sin against the very light of nature. Josephus in his 15. book of Antiquities, Chap. 12. reports this of Herod that wicked and ungodly king that we read of in the Gospel, That there being a great famine in Judea, he melted all his movables of Gold and Silver that were in his Palace, he spared nothing of his Plate either for the preciousness of the matter, or for the excellency of the fashion of it, no not so much as those vessels wherein he was daily served at his table, but he melted them all and made money of them, and sent this money into Egypt to buy Corn, which Corn he distributed unto the Poor, and he appointed Bakers to provide bread for such as were sick, and he provided raiment for the naked, because the sheep were likewise dead and the poor had no work; yea he sent to his neighbors the Syrians Corn that might be Seed-corn for them to sow the ground with. This was that wicked Herod, and yet in time of public calamity thus merciful was he to the poor. Surely God must needs have a controversy with Israel then, with Christians then that have received so much mercy from the Lord if they shall be unmerciful in times of common calamity. And if ever unmercifulness were a vile sin and provoked God against a people, it must needs do now at such a time as this, when there are so many objects of pity and commiseration daily presented before us: If this should but prove to be our charge, that there is no mercy in the land at this day, God must needs have a fearful controversy against us. The whole land cannot be said to be charged now as at some time it might have been. Not long since in England there hath been crying out of violence and wrong, those which ruled over us have ruled over us with violence, rigor, and cruelty, according to that complaint Ezek. 34.4. With cruelty and force have ye ruled my people. They have turned judgment to wormwood, Amos, 5.7. Their Courts of Juducature that should have been for right judgment have been turned into bitter wormwood and have been full of cruelty. What have many of them cared for the lives, for the comforts of thousands, for the extremity of all misery they shall suffer, so be it their own humors and their own lusts might be satisfied, as if all other men were but as dogs except themselves? The Lord doth at this day charge this upon some of them, and will charge it more. I remember once a speech of a reverend Divine in this, City, now with God, whom you all honored when he was alive, being put into that Court, the high Commission, when he came home one day from thence he tells this story of what he observed there. I heard (saith he) crying out much of Grace, and please your Grace, and much crying out of peace, if there were any noise, then peace peace, but I saw no MERCY th • re saith he, nothing at all but Cruelty.

Jer. 50.17. you may see in what indignation God doth take it, for men though the greatest upon earth to be cruel to his people, This Nebuchad rezza • King of Babylon hath broken his bones; Who was this Nebuchad rezzar? A mighty great Prince, yet God looks upon him with indignation when he sees him breaking the bones of his people. We have amongst us those who as Psal 27.12. breath our cruelty, and indeed they act nothing less, there is cruel hatred in their hearts and ways, according to that Psalm, 25.19. No marvel therefore though heretofore our brethren left the Kingdom, because they found such cruelty here there was no mercy in the land; they did but according to that which the Church calleth the members of it to, Cant. 4.8. Come with me from Labanon from the Lions dens, from the mountains of the Leobards. When they went from us, they went from the Lions dens, and from the mountains of the Leopards; No marvel now the Lord is so severe against our Land, because there hath been so little mercy in the land. That is the second Article against Israel, That there was no Mercy.

The third is, Nor no Knowledge of God in the land.] In the Hebrew it is, And no knowledge; but now Vau that is there for And, it signifies sometimes quia, as well as et; And so it may indeed be well rendered here, Because there is no knowledge of God in the land; the reason why there is no mercy is because there is no knowledge of God: The knowledge of God will make wicked men to be merciful men. Cruel men know not God. These two are put together and joined most elegantly in Psal. 74.20. The dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty (says the text.) The knowledge of God will make men civil and human at least, but when there is no knowledge of God men grow cruel and savage. And do we not find this to be true at this very day? From what places are men that do now rise up to be plunderers, to shed blood, to be cruel in most desperate outrages, from what places are these men beholden for their assistors and abettors this way? Are they not beholden to places where they are in ignorance, where they have no knowledge of God, where there is no preaching? In the Countries round about observe those Parishes, those Towns, where there hath been least or worst preaching, where they have had least knowledge of God, there you have most malignants, that are bloody and cruel. No mervail then that our adversaries are such enemies to the faithful preachers of the word of God; no marvel then they are made the But of their malice; for indeed if they bring the knowledge of God into the land they will bring humanity, civility, they will bring mercy and love, and there will be few or none that will be fit for their turns. Indeed it is their complaint of the Parliament that they set ignorant men in places, but certainly this complaint is but a pretence, for it were better for their turns that all the congregations in England had but ignorant men, had no men to bring the knowledge of God amongst people; but they know well enough what ever they say, that those that are sent are such as do bring the knowledge of God among people, and there is nothing does them more hurt than this knowledge of God.

No knowledge of God.] This is a heavy charge indeed: Powr out thy fury upon the Heathen that know thee not, Jer. 10.25. Though they be Heathens and yet know not God, the wrath of God is to be poured forth upon them, surely then God's wrath must be upon Israel that know not God. And Isa 2 • .11. They are a people of no understanding, therefore he that made them will not have mercy upon them, he that formed them will show them no favor. 2 Thes. 1.8. The Lord Christ shall come in flaming fire to render vengeance upon those that know him not. What no knowledge of God? what glory then can God have from such a people? God hath done great things in the world, he hath manifested himself an infinite and a glorious God, and his end in all that he hath manifested himself in is, that Angels and men might behold this, might adore, admire, worship, fear, and praise him; but where there is no knowledge of God, there all God's glory passeth by and there is no notice taken of it, to what purpose is the world made? such an one can never sanctify the Name of God in any duty of worship. in the use of any creature: where there is no knowledge of God, there all good is kept out, there the unclean spirit a spirit of darkness dwells: when the Crow hath picked out the eyes of the Lamb then it makes a prey upon it; As in dark vaults there are toads and filthy creatures, so in dark soul there are crawling and filthy lusts; As in blind Alehouses there is abundance of disorder, so in a blind heart, there is abundance of distemper and disorder.

No knowledge of God.] The Septuagint turn this word Knowledge by a word that signifies acknowledgment, there is no acknowledgment of God in the land. People should walk so in all their ways as to hold forth the glory of that great God they do profess. If they know God to be such as he is revealed in all his Attributes and works, they should in their lives (I say) so walk as to hold forth this before the children of men. I appeal to you in this: Perhaps some of you can speak concerning God, and tell us what God is, and concerning his Attributes, yet are your lives in your families, in your conversations, so as that one beholding them may see written the glorious Attributes of God upon them, that you hold forth these glorious Attributes, that in all your ways you carry with you the glory of the great God holding forth your fear of this God, your love of this God, and giving up yourselves to this all-sufficient God who is worthy of all. There should be thi • acknowledgment of God as well as knowledge, and God hath a controvers •• e with a land with a-family, with a particular soul when there is not an acknowledgment of God in their ways.

But no knowledge of God in the Land.] In the land, here is the Emphasis. Oh this is a very sad thing: What not in the land of Israel no knowledge of God? Psal. 76.1. In Judah is God known, his Name is great in Israel. It is expected that God should be known in their land, and for God not to be known there; he was not known to any people in all the world but Judah and Israel; and here ten Tribes are charged for not having the knowledge of God in their land. Surely they refused to know the Lord, they shut their eyes against the knowledge of God, they say to God, depart from us we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. Men may live where there is the means of knowledge and yet be ignorant all their days. How many men of excellent parts in respect of all outward affairs, in the country and City, come and speak to them about matters of State, they will speak understandingly about them, they have deep reaches for State affairs; speak to them about the affairs of Merchandize, of their trades, they will speak understandingly; but speak to them about God, about Christ, about the things of eternal life, how poorly, how weakly, how childishly, how sottishly shall you have them speak about those things! Men of parts and living under much means yet may be very ignorant of the knowledge of God. Howsoever the want of knowledge may seem to be a little matter, even in pl • ces where there is means, yet let men know that it is a fearful brand of reprobation for people to live under the means and not to have the knowledge of God, 2. Cor. 4.3. If our Gospel be hidden, it is hidden to those that are lost. And it is pronounced as a great curse for a man to live without knowledge, Job, 36.12. They shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge. Oh how many at this day do perish by the sword and die without knowledge? It concerns us now to get the knowledge of God because the sword may be nearer us than we are aware of, and what will become of us if it fall out to be our portion to perish by the sword and to die without knowledge?

But though they had some means of knowledge, yet their means did grow very short. And there are two special reasons why Israel at this time was without knowledge, why there was no knowledge of God in the land of Israel.

First, Because that Jeroboam had in the defection of these ten Tribes of Israel, set up the lowest of the people in the place of the Priests Office. Any man that desired to be a Priest though never so base and vile, Jeroboam would set him up. In the 1 of King. 12.31. there you shall find it, He made an house of high, places, and made Priests of the lowest of the people which were not of the sons of Levi; no mervail then they had not the knowledge of God amongst them. Thus it hath been in Ireland, and therefore no mervail so little knowledge of God there, any tradesman that scarce understood right reason, les • divinity, he was set up there to be a Priest, and what horrible cruelty hath been there! So in England: howsoever some of them complain of ignorant men that are in the Ministry, the truth is they have set up men of far less understanding in former times: for a little money to a Bishops Clark might not any tradesman, any cast butlar from a gentlemans house, any cast servingman, might they not come into orders and read their prayers and so become a Priest? This hath been the cause of much ignorance. How many cast Servingmen have had places in doing what they can do, when as learned and godly Divines must be cast out of the Kingdom and denied to have any liberty to preach the knowledge of God unto his own people! Here is the reason of our ignorance even that which was Jeroboams sin, the letting of the lowest of the people in the Ministry; And now that there is an examination of men, we find what abundance of vile men there are in places, and those people in those places are alike to them, such Prophet such People, and the truth is people love to have it so. That which is complained of, in 2 Chron. 15.3. that for a long season Israel had been without the true God, and without a teaching Priest. This Israel includeth both Judah and Israel, for sometimes it doth so in Scripture. Israel had been (saith he) without the true God and without a teaching Priest: thi • was a sad condition indeed that Israel should be without a teaching Priest, and without the Law; And mark how they are joined, and without God; A people are without God that are without a teaching Priest, without the Law. If they have not means to instruct them in the knowledge of God they are a people without God. But now ma • k what follows upon this, ver. 5. In th • se times the • e was no p • ace to him that went out, n • r to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries, and Nation was destroyed of Nation, and City of City, for God did vex them with all adversity. Truly our condition comes to be almost like to the condition of Israel at that time. And here we may see what the fruit of this controversy was, they were without a teaching Priest and without Law, and in those time; there was no peace to him that went out and to him that came in, but great vexation there was, City destroying City, and Nation destroying Nation, for God did vex them with all adversity. Oh how doth the Lord even vex us at this very day! and this as a fruit of God's controversy with us, because there is so little knowledge of God in the land.

And the second reason why there was so little knowledge of God in that land at that time, is this, Because the pure Worship of God and his Ordinances were s • ut out of doors, and men's inventions were brought in in the ro • m of them. For so it was, after the ten Tribes defection from Judah, then they left the right worship of God, to worship in the Temple at Jerusalem, and they set up their Calves in Dan & B • thel, and so brought in their own inventions instead of the true worship of God; And no mervail though there came dismal darkness upon the land when this was. That is certain my brethren,

The right knowledge of God vanisheth when men's inventions in his Ordinances come to be honored. As painted glass in your windows hindereth the light, you may daub your glass by paint, but you will have the less light by that; so the more inventions of men there are in God's worship the less light comes into the heart of the people. As some not contented with ordinary plain letters they make such flourishes about them that you can scarce tell what they are; you shall have some write their names with such flourishes that you cannot tell what to make of them; so many men that will not content themselves with plain Ordinances, with the Ordinances of Christ, but they must have flourishes of their own inventions, at length you know not what to make of them, they come to darken the right understanding of the mind and truths of God. To the Law and to the Testimony, (saith the Prophet) if they speak not according to these it is because there is no light in them. If they will leave the Law and the Testimony and will go according to their own inventions in Divine Worship, it is because there is no light in them, they are in darkness, and they will bring darkness upon the people. Colos. 2.22. it is said of the rudiments of the world and the Ordinances of men, th • t they perish in th • use: that is, there is no efficacy at all in them to do any good unto the souls of men. Our adversaries call Images and Pictures lay men's books to teach them; but the Scripture tells us they teach a lie; And if they be lay men's books, there are many Errataes in them, they are full af Errataes in every Page and more Errataes than true lines. The best that we can say of any Ceremonies brought into the Church by men, (because people would strive and study to excuse the first Reformers) that they thought at that time there was some use of them in reg • rd of the dullness of men, for so they say in the Preface to the Common Prayer Book, that it was to stir up the dull minds of men. But mark, if it could possibly be imagined that there could be any use of them at the first, in the first Reformation (which indeed there was not, but rather they did hurt and made men's minds more dull, as I dare appeal to you, those that have lived continually under such inventions of men in God's worship.) But if possibly (I say) there could be imagined any use of them at the first, the best is that they were but as Horn book, and fistcue • for the childhood and infancy of the Church. They say themselves that they needed such things, but to put the best gloss on them, they needed them but as children need Horn books and fistcues. And is it seemly always to learn upon them? what knowledge shall be got if when you set your children to learn to read they shall be kept ten, twenty, or thirty years to their Horn books? Now thus would our Prelates have debased people to keep them continually to learn the knowledge of God by their Horn-books and fistcues.

Now take these two reasons together, Unteaching Priests, and Mans Inventions, they keep out the knowledge of God from a people; And they are brought on purpose to bring blindness, because that is most fit and suitable to the design that men have to bring people under slavery. So it was here, Jeroboam at that time when Hosea prophesied, his design was to bring the people under slavery, to keep them from the house of David to be his slaves, and what course doth he take? He first sets up the basest and lowest of the people to be their Priests: and secondly he introduceth false worship, and that brings in blindness and ignorance, and so by this means he knew he should soon bring them under slavery. And nothing is more clear than this, that it hath been the design of many that would have been Rulers of the Church, they have labored with all their might, (as serviceable unto others) to b • ing blindness and ignorance into the Land, that so they might bring the land under sl • very and there is nothing hath vexed them more, than that there is so much knowledge in the land, therefore their spiries were so enraged at people's flocking unto Sermons? it was even matter enough to silence any Minister to have people flocking to hear him preach; so they were enraged at people's repeating of Sermons in their private families, because it was a way to bring in knowledge. Any thing that was a way to bring in knowledge, their hearts were enraged against it, why? Because they knew knowledge would keep men that they would never bear slavery; And truly it is a very strange thing, that though in some Countries (as in Wales and in other places) where men have not knowledge they are contented to come under slavery; but that in these parts where there is, though not so much as should be, yet such a degree of the knowledge of God as there is, one would think it impossible that men should suffer themselves to be brought into slavery here; and that they fear most. We read of the Philistines that when they had taken Sampson, they put out his eyes, and then they made him to grind in the Mill. So these men would fain make us to grind in the Mill, (as it is said some have threatened to make the Dames of London to work for a penny a day in Bridewel ) They would fain make you all slaves, but first they would put out your eyes, they would take away knowledge and then they know they shall soon make you slaves. Well, the Lord hath promised, Isa. 25.7 That he will destroy the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all Nations; And mark: In that day (ver. 9.) it shall be said, Lo, this is our God, we have waited f • r him, and he will save us. O come Lord Jesus, come quickly and destroy the covering, the veil that is upon the eyes and hearts of a great part of the people of this Lrnd. The work would soon be done if the Lord would but destroy the veil of darkness that is upon the eyes and hearts of people, and we should triumph in our God and say, Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, and he will save us, yea he hath saved us. And thus much for that third Charge of this people here, That there was no knowledge of God in the land. Now we come to the second Verse.

YOU see what a Catalogue of gross sins are here mentioned. And indeed when Idolatry doth prevail in any Country, there will be all manner of wickedness. We found it so here in England, that the more superstitious wai • s prevailed amongst us, the more abominable wickedness there was generally spread about the country.

First, For Swearing. The word here translated Swearing, it is of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and signifies Maledicere, Execrare; and likewise P • rjurare. It signifies these three things, to Curse, and to be Perjured, and to Swear. Any of these three this word importeth. And likewise it signifies sometimes to howl out, Ejulare, Joel 1.8. Lament like a Virgin girded with sackcloth &c. It is the same word, Lament, or howl out. So that the same word that signifies cursing and swearing and forswearing, signifies to howl and cry, for God hath a time to make cursers and swearers and forswearers to howl and cry out. An Oath is a sacred thing, a part of God's worship, and therefore the abusing of this is a dreadful sin; Especially if it be abused to swear to that which is false. Paulus Phagius in his Comment upon Genesis, 42. saith it is reported of the Egyptians, that if any man did but swear by the life of the King and did not perform his Oath, that man was to die, and n • gold or anything in the world could redeem hi • life, so did Heathens hate that sin of per • urie. Yea we have found others that have not had much Religion in them, yet have extremely hated the sin of ordinary swearing. I have read of Lewis the 9. of France, that he punished that sin by searing the lips of swearers with an hot Iron which Law being executed upon a Citiz • n of Paris, some said it was two cruel, which he hearing of, gave this answer, I would to God saith he, that with searing mine own lips with an hot Iron, I could banish out of my Realm all abuse of Oaths. He could be willing to sea • his own lips that he might banish the abuse of swearing. Chrysostom in some 16. Homilies together if not more, whatsoever his text was he always concluded against swearing, as being such a vile and notorious sin: And amongst other things because some pleaded custom, he putteth them upon this, saith he, if you would but punish it thus, that if there were an oath sworn in your house, he that swore should but abstain but from one meals meat; that that servant or that child that swore an oath should not dine that day, that would do somewhat, yet saith he, the command of God will not do so much as that. Divers other expressions I might name, but I must hasten. That place Jer. 23.10. is remarkable for this and suitable to this text, For because of swearing the land mourneth, the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.

It is a sin that hath more malignancy in it against God by how much the less the temptation is unto it. I verily believe that if God had never made the third Commandment, there would never have been so many Oaths in the world, but it springs from a mere malignancy of spirit that is in men against God because he hath forbidden it; For there is no profit that can come by it.

If men be guilty of thi • sin merely thorough a vain custom, what high indignity is this against God? what slighting and neglect of God is there? As if sinning against God were an argument of no more weight but that the using of a thing without any reason, when nothing can be got by it, could down-weigh that argument. Custom indeed is enough to prev • il in things that are of no moment, a now, some man that hath by custom gotten such a kind of posture of his body, or taking hold of hi • beard and the like, such a kind of gesture he hath gotten by custom and he cannot leave it, why? becau • e the thing in its own nature hath no great consequence in it, and so custom prevaileth; But that custom should be enough to be set against the high displeasure of the blessed God or be set • gainst his solemn professi • n that he will not hold that soul guiltless that takes his name in vain, this argueth a most insufferable vilifying his sacred Majesty.

Secondly, To swear that thereby the words of men may be graced, this is more horrid impiety; As if the polluting of the holy Name of the most holy God were the best ornament of thy speech, as if the dishonor put upon God were the best grace to thy language.

Thirdly, To swear out of a conceit that this argueth braveness of spirit, a braver spirit than other men have, a spirit of valor and courage, as if according to the fullness of mouthing of Oaths there were a braveness of spirit, this yet is more hideous wickedness; As if that were the courage and excellency of our spirits to fly in the very face of God. Whence it is that many men if any anger them, what do they do? they fall a cursing and swearing, that is, when others displease them they will fly in God's face, that is the language of it though you will not dare to say so, but that is the language of your practice, others displease and anger me and I to revenge myself will fly in the very face of God. A hiddeous wickedness there is in this that you do not think of. You that are passionate spirits when you come home and your wives and children or servants anger you, you fall to cursing and swearing, Know you do no other but this, this is the language of your practice, they displease me and to revenge myself I will fly in the very face of God; And whence it is that Gentlemen and Noble-men and those that belong unto them are such great swearers, because they imagine that it is an argument of some braveness of spirit, and that thereby they express a spirit of a higher strain than other men. Oh hiddeous and abominable wickedness! This is all the valor that many men have that they da • e sin against the glorious God and never be troubled at it; wherea a godly man is described in Scripture, Eccles. 9.2. To be a m •• th • t feareth in Oath; but for these it is not for them to fear, it is for tim • rous melanch • lly poor spiri • s, but they are m • n of b • ave spirits, • nd they would have men know th • t they can swear and not be troubl • d at it, they have stronger spirits than o her m • n h • ve. Thu • is the bless ••• God di • honored by this sin more than we are aware of.

There is a fourth sort that are higher than these, and those are they that swear that they may not be accounted Puritans or of the number of such a faction; Because where they go if they be but suspected to be savorers of such kind of men as were heretofore named by that nick-name and now are by another; (I say) if they go into company where they think they may be suspected to be inclined to that party, what do they? They do, to give evident demonstration to the contrary, swear lustily, and rap out Oaths one after another. Oh what horrible opposition unto God and unto the Spirit of Christ is this, Christ saith, That our light must so shine before men that they seeing o • r good works m • y glorify our heavenly Father; Now they let their wickedness appear before men that they may be known what they are: And hereby they give testimony that they can be brought to yield unto anything, that is the very ground of it, they do (I say) by that give testimony to the other party, that they can be brought to yield unto anything and that they can serve their turns; and this is the reason why willingly they would entertain no other than such as these, for if they hear a man swear lustily then they think thus, such a man surely either hath no conscience at all and then he is fittest for our turn he will not be a scrupulous fool, or if he have a conscience he hath broke his conscience and now his conscience cannot prevail over him, therefore now l • t us put upon him what we will if it may suit with his own ends and with his own profit, this man will do it; but as for your Puritans that are so conscientious we cannot have our own ends by them, therefore we will have none of them, that is the reason why they do so much hate them and others that they might be entertained by them and give full testimony that they are fit for their turns, therefore they will swear. Oh how black are men's mouths at this day by their cursed Oaths new execrations newly invented, that the world never before heard of! Wherefore then, though God might ma • e these men as scorpions for a while to scurge us, ye • if our spirits were up we need not fear them, for certainly they are the people of God's curse, those that are so full of curses in th • ir mouths. Thus much for the first.

I • follows, By swearing,

— And Lying.] These two go together: There is no man that makes not conscience of an Oath, that can make conscience of a Lye; though the world would think to part them and say, Oh you will not swear but you will lie; but God saith otherwise. Swearing and Lying go together, those that will swear, certainly will lie. But for God's own people, God frees them from this sin, from lying though the world would cast it upon them, for there is no sin more against godliness than lying. Isa 63.8. saith God of his people, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie. God engageth himself for his people, these are the people that will not lie saith God. Are you in profession any of God's people? God doth engage himself for you in this, that certainly you will not lie. It is said of the Devil, that he is a Lyar and the father of lies. And women that carry false tales up and down and are slanderers, in Scripture they are called Devils, 1 Tim. 3.11. Women must he grave and sober, not sl • nderers; Diabolus, not Devils; A women that is a slanderer, that carries false tales up and down to the prejudice of her neighbor, the Scripture calls that woman by the name of a Devil; And the word that signifies Detractor in the Hebrew it is Rachil, and some think our English word Rake-hell comes from that word, one that makes no conscience to speak falsely.

This sin of Lying is the breaking of all society, there can be no converse between man and man where this i • . Augustine writing to his friend that sent to him to have his Judgment concerning an Officious lie (that is, a lie that tends not to the hurt of any but of him that tells it) he writes back his answer, That a man must n • t tell a lie to save the whole world, If it were (says he) to save thy father or thy mother out of Hell, if p • ssibly it could • e, thou must n • t tell a lie; if it were to s • ve Kingdoms from destruction, th • u must not tell a lie. That is his opinion: And certainly there is a truth in it, for God will never be beholden to the Devil to do good through his means. Surely then thou must not tell a lie to gain a groat, or to gain a shilling, or to gain a good bargain, or to prevent the displeasure of thy Master or Mistress, but rather willingly open the truth than to think to cover the fault by a lie. The ground of that is Atheism that servants and children when they have done amiss seek to cover it by a lie. God is exceedingly displeased with this sin, and hath a controversy against a Nation, and against a family, and against a particular person for this sin of lying, and therefore Prov. 6.17. and so on, you shall find if you read divers verses together, that the Lord saith, That six things he hateth, yea seven is an abomination unto him; now amongst those seven things you shall observe that he repeats lying twice, though under seveval terms; And that place i • famous that we have in Revel. 21.8. that liars shall have their portion in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone; Take that home with you, you servants, and children, and tradesmen that will tell lies for gain; God doth rank and chain up liars together with notorious sinners that shall all have their portion in the lake of fire and brimstone which is the second death.

There are none in the world that make such advantage of lying as the Antichristian party doth, either to draw a party to themselves or discourage those that are against them, inventing all manner of lies that possibly can be. And because they invent so many themselves, wh • tsoever is said against them, you presently hear in m • lignants mouths, That's a lie; they think all men are liars because they are conscious unto themselves, that they themselves are continually so. And no mervail that the Antichristian party are so full of lies for the very Doctrine of Popery, take the lump of it. it is altogether called a lie, 2 Thes. 2.7. God gave men over that did not entertain the truth in the love of it to bele • ve a lie that they might be damned. Do you ask the question why so many Learned men, Scholars, understanding men turn to the Popish party? Mark the reason here, because they enter •• in'd not the truth in love, God gave them over to believe a lie, A lie, what is that? that is the Doctrine of Popery; So the very quintessence of it, it is a lie. That being therefore the great lie in the world it must have a company of little lies (as I may say) to underprop it, to uphold that great Lye of Popery, a company of lesser lies, Esa. 28.15. they make lies their refuge. It is a text as notable for our times as any I know, it shows the practice of our times, when they cannot get anything by any fair way, then they invent lies and make lies their refuge. It is the Maxim of the Jesuits, C • lumniare audacter, aliquid herebit, Calumminate and lie stoutly to purpose and somewat will stick, for everyone that shall hear of the report shall not come to hear of the answer that can be given to it. And that is their policy, to spread abroad lies as much as they can, and especially to invent lies of those that are most eminent and active in public affairs; and that is the reason of those strange inventions that are raised of such as are most active in Parliament, and also in the City and in the Ministry, things so hideous, that if they were true would render men altogether unfit to be entertained in a Common-wealth. But you will say, what can they get by it when it proveth to be false? Yes, because their lie • spread a great way further than the answer to them can spread: And those in Jer. 20.10. do fully set out the condition of these men; I heard the defaming of many (saith the Prophet) how? Report say they, and we will report it. This was their plot against Jeremiah; the truth i • we must defame Jeremiah, we see he hath got a great deal of credit and prevails with the people, and we know not how to help ourselves, only if we can but defame him, if we can but raise up something that may take away his esteem with the people, we may then have our end, therefore devise somewhat, report and we will report it, we will spread it abroad, we will put it into a frame and print it: As now, if a company of Malignants get into a Tavern, there they will talk against this Minister and the other, against thi • Parliament man and the other, against this Citizen and the other, what shall we do say they? we see they prevail, let us devise somewhat that may defame them, report somewhat and we will spread it. This hath been the way to this day to maintain that Antichristian party, that great Lye. Jer. 9.3. They bend their tongue like their bow for lies, and ver. 5. They have taught their tongue to speak lies; They are now become artificial in it, and they do it the rather because they know it will please some great ones. It was so in former times, Pro. 29.12. If a Ruler he ken to lies all his servants are wicked; If any Officer, or any that are about him see that it will humor him to raise ill reports against God's servants, the servants of such a Ruler will be wicked and raise lies enow. And amongst other places that is famous, Hos. 7.3. the text saith there, They make the King glad with their wickedness, and the Princes with th • ir lies. It is spoken of J • roboam and the other Kings that followed him, that set up false worship; How there were a great many in Israel whose consciences would not give them leave to follow that way of false worship; upon that there were a company of Promoters and Apparitors and Baylifs, and some Courtiers, they would invent lies against those that would needs go up to Jerusalem to worship and would not content themselves with the Calves that the King set up; Now when they had invented lies of some of the most zealous men amongst the people, they brought these tales to the King, and said thus, Did your Majesty hear such a thing? There are such men in your Majesty's dominions that dwell in such To • ns, and they are forsooth so scrupulous, they will not be content with that Religion that the Law hath established, but they must go up to Jerusalem to worship, yea, and at s • ch a • m • they get into a corner and there they commit s • ch and such wickedness, and they live in these and these wicked way • ; And thus they came and told the King t • les of them, and the text sai • s, They mad • the King glad with their tales, the King was tickled with it and rejoiced at it, and he gave them his hand, gave them encouragement. Cert • inly amongst u • there hath not been wanting men that have endeavored this, that w •• ld have accounted this their happiness to get a t • i • • o tell of a Puritan or of a godly Mini •• er, though it were never so false. Thus we have briefly pa •• over this second charge in this second verse, • wea • ng, and Lying.

The next follows. The Lord hath a contr ••• 〈◊〉 with 〈…〉 of the land for Murder, for Killing. Murder, that is a provoking sin, God seldom suffers it to go unrevenged in this world. Whence are all those discoveries of Murders; scarce any one but can tell strange stories of the discovery of murder. We have a vain distinction of murder & man-slaughter as 'tis called, that forsooth if a man be angry and in a passion kills another, thi • is man-slaughter and no murder: God will not own that distinction, for if you shall by your passion make yourself a beast, and so kill a man, God will require this at your hand, for Gen 9.5. God saith that he will r • quire the blood of man at the hand of every beast, much more at the hand of a man that by his passion makes himself a beast. The life of a man is precious to God and God will not suffer any creature to have absolute power over it, he keeps the dominion of men's lives unto himself. Mr. Ainsworth upon Gen. 9.6. citeth the the Jewish Doctors, affirming that a Murderer though it were possible for him to give all the riches of the world, yet he must be put to death, because the life of the murdered is the possession of the most holy God; this is their argument. Certainly it is not in the power of any man upon earth to save a murderer be he what he will be. The greatest man upon earth hath no liberty from God, no prerogative to save a Murderer, but he that sheds blood by man must his blood be shed. God avengeth the blood that Manasseh shed a long while after his death, 2 King. 24.4. And for innocent blood that he shed which God would not pardon. Though Maness • h did repent and so we have cause to hope well in regard of his soul and his eternal estate, yet the Lord came upon the Nation after his days and would not pardon his shedding of innocent blood. What ado do we find in the Law concerning the killing of a man? When a man was found dead in the field nigh unto a City the Elders of that City they must come to the dead body, wash their hands over the heifer to be slain and • ache a solemn Oath that they had no hand in the murder and so clear the City from the guilt of it. This shows how precious the life of man is in God's esteem and that God hath a controvers • e with a land for shedding of blood.

And if this be so, what a controversy think you hath God against many in this Kingdom at this day? How fearful is God's controversy against some that must feel it for that blood that hath been shed in Ireland? There is upon record one hundred and forty thousand that have been murdered there since the beginning of this rebellion, and everybody will say, it is plain murder. And they whosoever they are that have had a hand in this, and abetted it, and strengthened the hands of the Murderers, what will they be able to answer unto God? Shall the blood of one righteous Abel cry loud in the ears of God and never leave crying until it hath had vengeance, and shall not the blood of one hundredth and forty thousand innocents? (I mean innocents in this regard, in regard of the cause for which they were murdered:) We now in England begin to be somewhat sensible of the guilt of Murder what it is to have it lie upon a Nation. In the last Declaration of the affairs of Ireland, the Parliament giveth an intimation of some fear they have that possibly the guilt of the blood of King James may some way be upon US. God hath a controversy for murder wheresoever it lies, if it be not punished accordingly. And for all that blood that hath been shed here of late, where ever the cause lies, God will find it out one day. Oh the blood that will be upon the head of some! Jer. 51.35. The violence done to me and to my flesh, be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitants of Zion say, and my blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say. So let all Christians (they may do it and they have warrant from God to do it) let all Godly people in this Kingdom that have had their Husbands killed, their Children killed, their Apprentices killed, their Friends killed in these unhappy wars, let them say, the violence done to my flesh be upon the Babylonish party, the Popish party, and the blood that hath been shed of our husbands, of our children, of our servants, of our friends be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, the inhabitants of the Popish party that are risen up and shed so much blood as they have done. Oh how vile and cursed are men's hearts even in this thing, that are so set upon their designs, that to attain them they will go thorough streams of blood that lie in their way, and no matter for the liv • s of thousands of men so their lusts may be satisfied! How are men vilified in this thing, that their lives and bodies must go to be serviceable unto the lusts of a few other • ! Certainly God never made such a difference, he never put such a distance between one man and another.

But now in the ways of execution of justice there we must not account the shedding of blood to be killing. God hath not a • ontroversie with a land for bloodshed in the execution of Justice; nay on the contrary the Lord hath a controversy against a people when there is not shedding of blood that way Jer. 48.10. Cursed be the man that withholds his hand from blood. such a case may be. And 1. King. 20.42. when Ahab let Benhadad go, the text saith that a Prophet came to him, in the name of the Lord saying, Because thou h • st let go out of thy hand, a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people. So when we have men in our hands whom God hath appointed to destruction, who are guilty of death, who have sought not the blood of some few but the massacring of a City, if for private ends of our own we let them go, God may require our lives for theirs. And this is the cause it may be amongst others, that there is so much bloodshed at this day amongst us, because there is no execution of Justice upon offenders, and God requires the blood of many for many. It is true, Papist • for their Religion are not to be put to death: that we acknowledge, but the Lord because he intendeth the ruin of that party, will leave them to those ways that they shall be guilty of death by the Law of the Land, and by the Law of Arms, and then the putting them to death in that kind is the execution of Justice and not the breach of the sixth Commandment.

[Quest.] But will some say, Oh killing is a grievous thing, we never were acquainted with killing as we have been of l • te; were it not better we were all at peace than that still so much blood should be shed?

[Answ.] God forbid any of us should be bloody men or desire the shedding of blood. No, let us all labor to have peace tha • there may be no more bloodshed. Take this speech barely considered and it is a good speech, and we are all I hope of the same mind, Cursed be that man I say that shall not yield to this. But certainly peace though upon hard terms, it were to be desired, if that peace would save blood; though half our estates went for it; But what if it prove that that peace we talk of should be a means of more bloodshed? If you should let in such men into your City as bloody Papists, French, Walloons, and Irish Rebels, and that merely upon their bare word that they would do you no hurt, do not you think if they were once in, that you would every night be in danger of massacring? and would there not be much more bloodshed than yet hath been? Therefore let not men say that those are bloody men that will not yield up their throats to bloody men, that will stand up to defend their brethren from being massacred; but they stand up and take up Arms, not to shed blood but to prevent the shedding of blood: For certainly if the City and Country had in the beginning of these wars rose up as one man and gone into the field, they might have saved abundance of blood that hath been shed. Many thousands that have now lost their lives might have been preserved if you had took up Arms to more purpose sooner than you did: But when every County looks to itself, and the enemy goes to such a County and there sheds blood, and then to another and there sheds blood, and you sit still and do nothing, God may require the blood of your brethren at your hands; and you cannot clear yourselves from being guilty of the shedding of the blood of your Brethren when you do not appear to the uttermost you are able to subdue the power of those that shed their blood. We cannot see any way to keep the blood that i • now in our veins, but by subduing the Malignant and Antichristian party that have already tasted so much of the blood of the Saints, that they are like the Country-man's dog—

And so those Irish Rebels that in Ireland have tasted so much blood, and now are come over hither to join with Papists, you cannot in any way of sense and reason imagine any safety but by subduing that party. Is that a way to prevent the shedding of your blood to lay your necks upon the block, for that which cometh under such a specious name, may be in truth no other but a laying your necks upon the block, and giving up your wives and children to be a sacrifice to their malice.

The Lord hath a controversy for Blood. We know when we have to deal with Papists what they have been of old, and therefore we hope God hath a controversy with that party, that as they have drunk the blood of the Saints, so they shall at last swell and burst themselves in pieces. In France they had as good terms of Agreement as we can expect in the time of that Massacre, and yet Histories tell us of more than ten thousand Protestants that were murdered in one night in Paris, and that at that time when they were in as fair a way of peace as possibly could be, and there was a Marriage solemnized and a great deal of rejoicing for the Union of one party with another, and yet (I say) in that night so many were slain; and you may expect no other if the Malignant party get power. You will say, They have not done so to other Cities which they have taken. No, they have not got the day yet, they are but in their design yet if once they get this City, then they have got the day, and having gotten the day, you may expect all manner of cruelty from them. And this Massacre in France went on to other Cities, for within a few days after there were forty thousand more computed to be murdered. I remember that History of France tells us of that King Charles the 9 ^th by whose Commission this was done, that afterward God struck him with such a disease, as that there issued out of his body at several places nothing but blood, so that in that sickness he would sometimes fall down and wall-himself in his own blood, Be men great or small, yet being guilty of blood, at one time or other the Lord will manifest that he hath a controversy against them. And so much for that third Charge.

The fourth follows, and that is, [Stealing.] God setteth bounds as to men's habitations, so to men's estates, and he will not have one break, in upon another; no not so much as to covet that which is another's. In seeking therefore an increase of our estates, to get in any sinful way, in that we do as it were say God's care is not over me to provide needful things for me, seeing I cannot have them from God I will see if I can have them from the Devil. This is the language of all kind of gain that we get by any unlawful way; you do not say so in words indeed, but this is the language of your actions. Saith a poor body, well, I see I am in want, I want bread for my family, and clothes, and many outward comforts, money to pay my Rent &c. I see in God's providence he doth not provide for me, well, I will go unto the Devil then, I will see whether the Devil will do more for me than God; I cannot have it by God's allowance, for if I might have it by his allowance I might have it by lawful means, therefore saith he I will have it whether God will or no. This is the language of all kind of stealing; And the curse of God is upon that that is got so unjustly, and all the repentance in the world is not sufficient for such a man as hath gotten his estate unjustly, unless he make restitution of it again to the uttermost of his power.

And this stealing is not only meant of your Pilferers or Robbers by the high way, or such as cut purses, but any wrongful gain that is gotten by way of trade. If I were preaching of this argument at large, much might be said to those that live by a way of trade. But for the present take that one Scripture, Ezek. 28.18. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick. Let Merchants and Tradesmen that have gotten anything unlawfully, take this text home with them, Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries, by the iniquity of thy traffick. It may be by trafficking unjustly you have gotten such an estate, and you come to God's sanctuaries as if you were very holy, and nobody should suspect you for your false books and gettings that way, God saith in this Text that you defile all the Ordinances by the iniquity of your Traffick. Perhaps you think after you have gotten unjustly, to give somewhat to adorn such a place as this 'tis well enough; but you do defile them.

So for all kind of oppression, that is meant by stealing too. Latimer in one of his Sermons before King Edward, saith, that the greatest man in the Kingdom cannot hurt an oppressing man, so as a poor widow may; and with what arms I pray saith he? Can he bring the Judges skin over his ears? The arms are these, the tears of the poor run down from their cheeks and go up to Heaven and there cry for vengeance. So that the text here speaks not of the meanest but of the greatest thieves. Saith Calvin upon the place, those that had the most power by their honor and riches and were oppressors of the people, they are the thieves here spoken of. And Isa. 1.23. Your Princes are rebellious and companions of Thieves. And Isa. 33.1. When you shall cease to spoil you shall be spoiled: This is a text for our spoilers at this day, it may be God will let them go on till they have done their work, and then God cometh upon them, and then, not at the first when they begin to spoil, but when they have done spoiling they shall be spoiled. Oh this controversy seems to be upon England that was threatened and was upon the people in that place we read of, Isa. 42.22. This is a people robbed and spoiled, they are all of them snared in holes. If they had come into the field, perhaps it had been better with them, but they crept into holes and they are snared and spoiled: They are a prey and none delivereth them, they are for a spoil and none say, restore; Who amongst you will give ear to this? Mark what the text saith, Who amongst you will hearken and hear for the time to come? Who gave Jacob to the spoil and Israel to the robbers? Did not the Lord, he against whom you have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his Law; therefore he hath poured upon them the fury of his anger, he hath set them on fire, and who hath laid it to heart? We are a people robbed and spoiled, and it is upon this, because we have not walked in the ways of God nor been obedient to his law, and the Lord hath poured his fury upon England at this day, and his fire burneth, and who hath laid it to heart? No body stirs, because the fire is not kindled in the City you lay it not to heart and you suffer your brethren one Country after another to be spoiled. Take heed, if you stir not more than you have done, as many of you may answer for the blood of your brethren, so for the spoiling of their goods, because you do not lay to heart this heavy judgment that is upon the land at this day, The execution of this controversy.

But yet in times of war you must know, that the taking away of all men's goods otherwise than merely by the positive Law of the Land, is no stealing, nor no breach of the eighth Commandment, for it is against common sense and reason that in times of war we should be wholly tied to those positive Laws of a State that are made for times of peace: But it is according to the Law of Nature, to the Law of God, to the Law of Arms that our enemies should be deprived of what may strengthen them against us. Therefore let none cry out of stealing and robbing in these times; Indeed it is not fit that any should be suffered to be as robbers, but yet it is just that those that will not be on one side should be taken as enemies to the other; and (I say) it is agreeable to the Law of Nature, and to the Law of God, and to the Law of Arms, that in times of war, when the war is just (in which I hope you cannot but be fully satisfied) that what may strengthen the enemy, may be taken away. Indeed they plead for Law who wholly break it themselves, because they would have all the privilege they can to strengthen themselves by our goods and the goods of others; but certainly God giveth us allowance, being in a lawful war, to strengthen ourselves by the estates and goods of those that appear enemies unto us, without breach of peace or the positive Law of the land, or his own Commandment. Thus much for the fourth charge.

The fifth is, [Committing Adultery.] The generation of a rational creature who must live unto all eternity, is a work that God challengeth a special hand in, to appoint it to all at his pleasure, therefore the breach of God's Order in this, and the casting filth upon this to satisfy the brutish lust of a man or woman, it is a most cursed evil, against which God hath a most dreadful controversy. It is a breach of the blessed Covenant of God, and a sin that is most opposite to God's Nature. And take that text all you that are guilty of this; for perhaps many seem not to be guilty, that are professors of Religion and live fairly amongst their neighbors, & yet may be secretly guilty of it too; take that text home with you, Prov. 22.14. That the abhorred of the Lord shall fall into the pit of the whore. Go thy ways in that condition wherein thou art, thou canst know no otherwise by thyself but that thou art the man or the woman that art abhorred of God. Thou art beloved of thy Whore, but God abhorreth thee. And Tertullian speaking upon that place Eph. 5.6. Let no man deceive you with vain words; he that expression which I confess I would not dare to have; These are (saith he) vain words, be that preacheth of repentance to adultery, especially adultery in a forcible way, he deceiveth men with vain words. You may see how he apprehended the sin; we dare not justify what he saith in that, but only show you how dreadful he apprehended the sin to be. And in another place, speaking of the sin that is unpardonable, in Heb. 6. he hath this expression, We never read, (saith he) or ever knew a second repentance promised to an adulterer or fornicator. These were his thoughts of Adultery. The Athenians made a law, That if any man found his wife in the act of adultery, he might presently kill her. And I have read of a people among the Heathens, that have punished this sin for the filthiness of it, by putting the adulterers head into the panch of a beast where the filth of it lay, and so stifled him. If Heathens hated it so much, surely God must have a controversy with those that profess themselves Christians because of this sin. And the greater controversy because it is so little punished by men. And though many great ones can get beyond punishment by man, yet they cannot get beyond this controversy. I remember Mr. Cleaver reports of one that he knew that had committed the act of uncleanness, and in the horror of conscience he hung himself, but before when he was about to hang himself, he writes in a paper and left it in a place, to this effect, Indeed saith be, I acknowledge it to be utterly unlawful for a man to kill himself, but I am bound to act the Magistrates part, because sin punishment of this sin it death. God would have that sin punished with death, but the Magistrate did not punish it accordingly, therefore he in horror of conscience lays violent hands upon himself. We justify not his act, but it shows what a controversy God hath with men that commit this sin. Thou committest that abominable sin, and thou hast some pleasure and delight in it, Go thy way, thou art a dead man in God's eyes, look to thyself, one way or other God may bring death upon thee, and though man's Law take not hold upon thee, God may thou knowest not how soon. I have read of a King of Navarre that by adultery had weakened his body very much, and in regard of that, his Physicians caused his body to be wrapped about with a Cerecloath dipt in Aqua-vitae, and the party that sowed the Cerecloath, having done, went to burn off the thread with a candle, which presently took hold of the clothe and consumed both it and the King.

And as God hath a controversy for this sin which is so little punished by man's Law, which by God's Law is death; so the rather hath God a controversy for this sin if it be committed by men of knowledge, by learned men, by men that are in public places, by men that carry a show of holiness, by men that are in the Ministry, If they commit it God hath a dreadful controversy with them in a special manner. Jer. 29.23. The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the King of Babylon roasted in the fire, because they committed villainy in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors wives. It was a proverb, The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and Ahab whom the King of Babylon roasted in the fire: This was not King Zedekiah and King Ahab, but two false Prophets that were called by that name, and they were unclean wretches, and though it were the King of Babylon, a Heathen, yet he so hated that sin of adultery that he caused them to be roasted in the fire, for that was the punishment of that Nation for capital offenses, to burn or roast the offenders in the fire. Therefore those who are Ministers that are learned men, that have any show of holiness more than others, if they be guilty of this sin God hath a most dreadful controversy with them.

And see how we should have a controversy too ag •• nst this sin of uncleanness, especially when it is in a forced way. Judge. 20.27. you shall read there that there was four hundred thousand men, all men of war that were raised up as one man, and they all said (verse. 8.) we will not any of us go to his t • nt, neither will we any of us • urn into his house: And upon what did all these men rise? Chap. 19. the cause was only this, that there was a Levite that had a Concubine, which C • ncubine had plaid the harlot and had gone from the Levite, he going to fetch hi • Concubine whom the men of Gib • ah a City of Benjamin, came in a violent way and ravished his Concubine until she died, upon thi • , the Levite took the dead body and divided it into twelve several pieces, and sent them into all the coasts of Israel, and wisht them to consider what i • don • . Upon this the hearts of all the men of Israel were rais • d a • one man, and covenanted among themselves that they • old none of them turn into their houses until they had brought those Delinquents that had committed that horrible offense to condign punishment. Mark now, that the hearts of people should be so set upon it and think it cause enough to gather an Army of four hundred thousand to bring to condign punishment those that had but ravished a whore (for she was no other) and resolved never to go home til those Delinquents were punished. Have not we heard of worse than this amongst us? Oh what adulteries, what rapes have there been wheresoever the Soldiers come! what horrible villainies are committed that way, taking not men's concubins and whores, but grave m • trons and on purpose those whom they think to be most godly, and defile them before the eyes of their husbands, and then when they have done murder them! And yet we stir not for all this to fetch in these Delinquents. Now we have rapes and ravishments of thousands amongst us, and yet our hearts stir not, though no question the same thing is intended against us here that is done to our brethren in other Countries, for you can expect little else from such as these, Judge. 5.20. it is the speech of Siseras Mother, Have they not divided the prey, to every man a damsel or two? They aim as much to satisfy their lusts upon you as upon your goods, you must not think your lives will satisfy them, but their lusts must be first satisfied; Yet O Lord the deadness of men's hearts, that though there hath been such horrible villainy committed in Ireland, in England, which certanily if there were no more but that, God requireth the people of the land should rise up to avenge such a thing as that is, that there should not be such horrible wickedness committed in Israel, but that the offenders should be brought to condign punishment. If you regard not your lives and estates and liberties, yet regard such a horrible villainy as this, as is committed in the open heavens. These here resolved not to go to their tents nor to turn into their houses till this was done;

Though our adversaries meet with success in their ways, let us not be discouraged, they that • ood to defend this horrible wickedness of the Men of Gibeah, they got the first day and the second day; yet they went on in their way till they had brought the offenders to condign punishment; We should resolve never to follow our business, nor regard our houses and private estates until we have got this wickedness punished in this land and wiped off the guilt from the Kingdom. So much for that fourth charge. A word of the last.

They break out.] Erumpunt; That is, like the erruption of waters; As waters break over the banks wh • n it hath been kept in a while, so they break out thus, they overflow all bounds. When sin is not mortified, though it be restrained for a while, it will break out: As many young men that have lived in good families and have had good governors, then their sin was restrained, but afterward when they come to live at their own hand then they break out, Erumpunt then; sin groweth to that strength that nothing can res • rain it, like that man that had an unclean spirit and lived among the graves ( Mark, 5.) no man could bind him no not with chains.

Secondly, Breaking out is a great aggravation of a man's sin. It argueth strength in sin, impudency in sin, desperatness in sin. And this breaking out of sin is not breaking out only as water in an overflowing time or tide or so, but like breaking out of the fire indeed rather, or if you will like water breaking out of some fountain; now you know if a water break out of a fountain, there is not the less water in the fountain, but rather an increase of it. And as the fire when it breaks out, the breaking out makes it not less but more, as when an house is on fire it will keep in a long while, but when it breaks out at the roof or so then it flames the more and increaseth with more violence; So it is no diminution to sin that it breaks out, as many foolish people are ready to say, that will speak horrible wickedly in their passion, I will let it go, as good out as in; they foolishly think there is so much less corruption within, and that is a diminution of sin, but it is an aggravation of sin, and noteth impudence in sin.

And blood toucheth blood.] That is, as some will have it, one gross and abominable sin, that is accounted a bloody sin, follows another. But some take it thus, one murder follows another, one oppression follows another; Blood toucheth blood, now thy wickedness is broken out there is no end of it, but one murder follows another. Pareus thinketh it hath reference to those times in the 2 King 15. where you may read what murders there were and how blood touched blood at that time, as if the Prophet here had said, they being used to murder, there is now nothing but murders, you hear of murders in this place, and in that place, and in the other place. Thus we may soon have it amongst us, if the Lord did not raise up means to keep in and subdue the rage of ungodly men, if it get head and overcome the opposition that it hath, blood will then touch blood, one messenger shall not have done his relation of one horrid and cruel murder, but another messenger will be at his heels to tell you of another more horrid and vile than that. So it is in some countries, there comes one and saith in such a place such a man and all his family were murdered, there comes presently another and tells you in such a Town such a friend of yours was murdered: Thus the messegers come at the heels one of another and tell the relation of blood touching blood. So some carry it.

But I rather thus, they defile themselves incestuously (So that this is somewhat more than bare adultery) not regarding the nearness of blood, but blood toucheth blood, they that were nearest in blood one to another they mingled themselves one with another in filthy and abominable lusts. So the Septuagint they translate it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 they mingle; so Jerome Sanguis sanguinē tetigit, they mingle and touch blood with blood, those that are near of kin yet they come near one another in filthy lusts. Now this was a sin that God cast the Heathen out of Canaan, out of that good land for, and therefore well may God have a controversy with the people of the land now; for God cast out the Heathen even for this very sin; As you may find it Levite. 18.6. None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him to uncover their nakedness: And so in many verses afterward he shows what degrees of consanguinity we must not come near, and then ver. 24. Defile not yourselves in any of these things, for saith he in all these the Nations are defiled that I cast out before you, and the land i • defiled, therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out the inhabitants of it. This the rather still hath God a controversy with a people for this sin, because there is so little punishing of it. I would but know at thi • day what punishment there i • for Incest, or for any uncleanness among us only the man must keep the child; And what ever punishment hath been it was that which did as little good a nothing at all, they were to come to the Court and that would enjoin them a white sheet which they could take off with a very little money. That was the most then, and little it is that is now, and in that regard we may fear that God's controversy is so much the more against us, and pray to God that speedily the land may deliver itself from this guilt by having severe Laws for the punishment of this horrible wickedness lest God come and punish it himself, and then woe unto us.

Now it follows upon all this charge; Thus God hath declared: and then follows, the Land mourneth. Well may a land mourn when God hath such a controversy with it.

YOU have heard that God in this Chapter commenceth a suit against the ten Tribes. He putteth in his Action, and he declareth, and then judgeth. The Articles of his Declaration or Charge against them we had some of them the last day. Hereupon Judgment is past, upon this Declaration, Therefore shall the land mourn.

The Land.] How can the Land be said to mourn? As when the Land is fruitful it is said to laugh and sing. Meadowes that are green and fruitful laugh: And it is the Scripture phrase, Psal. 65.13. The valleys are covered with corn, they shout for joy, they also sing. So when a land is desolate and God bringeth famine, then it is said to mourn. Jer. 12.4. How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? The beasts are consumed and the birds, because they said, he shall not see our last end: I warrant you as long as his eyes are in his head he shall never see that fulfilled that he speaks of, therefore shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither. And likewise when a place is left disolate of people that were the beauty of it before, then it is said to mou •• , Isa. 3.26. Her gates shall lament and mourn: Lament. 1.4. The ways to Zion mourn, because n • ne come to her solemn feasts. As now in time of Plague, the streets of your City may be said to mourn because they are desolate, they look in a desolate way when the grass grows between the stones; her gates s • all lament and m • urn. The end of thi • expression here is to upbraid the hardn • ss of the hearts of the ten Tr • bes. As if God should say, Notwithstanding all their d • eadful sins that should break their hearts and make them howl and cry out, yet they will not mourn, therefore their Land shall mourn. When God will upbraid men for stopping their ears and refusing to hear, and th •• they were not obedient, he calls to the Heavens, Isa. 1.2. H •• r, O He •• ens, and give ear, O E • rth: to upbraid the deafnes of men that will not hear: And Jer. 2.12. Be astonished O ye Heavens: Because men will not fear, therefore for their upbraiding God calls to the Heavens to be astonished; so because men's hearts are hard, therefore God calls to the Land to mourn, yea says, it shall mourn: The ugly gastly face of your sin (that is the meaning) shall appear in the miserable desolation of your Country. There is an ugly face of sin, and it were well if you saw it as it is in your own hearts, the guilt that you have brought upon your own spirits? but seeing you will not apprehend that ugly face of sin in your own hearts, you shall see the sad face of it in all things of the land. God will have sin appear vile and ugly unto us one way or other. The Lord this day is making our Land to mourn because we have not mourned, because we do not mourn. Many Countries know what this expression meaneth, their Country mourns, their Land mourns. The very sight of the dreadful effects of sin upon many parts in England is that which would break any man's heart: As it hath been formerly in Germany, Travelers that have travelled there and have seen Towns and places of great riches and traffick, now to be over-grown with nettles it breaks their hearts, they see the Land to mourn: And it beginneth to be so amongst us in many places of England, in York-shire, and so in the West.

But we must not give liberty to ourselves in pathetical or affectionate way, but keep ourselves as near as we can to an Explicatory course.

And everyone shall languish.] That follows. The word translated languish here, signifieth the withering of a flower, or the withering of herbs and trees; And so it is in Nahum, 1.4. The flower of Labanon languisheth; it is the same word with this here, Everyone shall languish. and the signification of the word doth hint us this useful Note, That all the glory and the pomp of the men of the world it is but as a flower, and even as soon as a flower withereth so soon doth it pass away.

Again, Times of affliction they take down the jollity and bravery of men's spirits, and make them fade, wither, and pine away.

The word it is translated by some, infirmabitu, they shall be made weak. When wicked men are in prosperity their hearts are stout and strong to sin, they can stand out against God and against all threats, but when the hand of God is upon them then their spirits are poor, they are weak, they are presently down. Oh the difference between the jolly, brave, stout spirits of wicked men in their prosperity against God, and their poor, weak, withered, dejected spirits in the time of their adversity, In Ps. 39.11. When with rebukes thou corrects man for iniquity thou makest his beauty c • nsume away like a moth, surely every man is vanity, Selah.

And a notable expression we have of the withering, the languishing of the spirits of wicked men in the time of their adversity, that whereas now in their prosperity their tongues are their own and they must speak and will speak, who is the Lord? &c. they are loud then in their Oaths and blasphemies, but mark now in their adversity how they are, Esa. 21.4. Thou s • alt be brought d • wn and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech s •• ll be •• w out of the dust, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust This is the fruit of the languishing of their spirits in the time of their trouble. As many a riotous and boisterous g • llant that would so mouth it when he wa • in prosperity, yet set God but lay his hand upon him in sickness and his conscience then accusing of him, he whispers and speaks low out of the dust. It follows,

Jerome here allegorizeth it, and would not take it literally, but to be the expressions of several sorts of men suitable to this. But we must not stand to that, but rather take the words at they are literally. Only for the reading of them a word or two first.

With the beasts of the field] In the Hebrew [Be] which is translated with, is as much sometime as, for, in that tongue, for the beasts of the field; so it is in the 5. chapter and the 5; verse. Israel and Ephraim shall fall in their iniquity, or, for their iniquity, there it is Be too. So that if we should translate it so, for the beasts of the field, then we might have this Note;

The comforts of natural men depend upon poor things, upon the beasts of the field, the fishes of the Sea, the fowls of the air, if God's hand be but upon them, they languish for them; Now the cups are taken from their mouths and their full dishes from their tables, now they languish. It is otherwise with a gracious heart, according to that in Habak. 3.17. Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labor of the Olive shall sail, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls; yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. A gracious 〈◊〉 doth not languish because the beasts of the field and th • 〈◊〉 of the air are taken away: let them be taken away yet he can rejoice in God, his spirit will be kept up.

Another word in the re • ding is to be observed, [they shall be taken away.] The word in the Hebrew is, they shall be gathered, for it is observable both in fowls and in fishes when they perceive anything noxious unto them or that they are in any danger, they gather themselves together: And that is the reason that fishes at some time of the year are in such sholes as they are; they going from one place to another, finding one place noxious and hurtful and perceiving some danger, they gather together: And so it is observed in countries where there are fowls, that in the winter time they go to some other place. I have heard many in Holland say of the Storks that in one week they all of them go away together, they gather them