An Exposition of Hosea 4-7

THIS Scripture is very full, and hath much sweetness in it: As an egg is full of meat, so full are these words of marrow and sweetness; and there is little difficulty in them.

[If] is not in the original, but it is thus read, And we shall know, and we shall follow on to know. The word signifies to prosecute and persecute, to follow one as eagerly as a man which persecutes another, and persecutes him, as Paul did the Saints, with all intention and affection: when men thus follow on to know, God will reveal Himself more. Luther applies these words to Christ, and the Gospel revealing him, setting men's minds on fire by the truth so clearly discovered, and inflamed with such love to it, that they followed on to know it. But although these words have reference to Christ, yet first they are to be understood of God's delivering his people out of Captivity: Then they shall know: What shall they know? that they shall live in his sight. When God delivers them, then they shall know.

1. God's faithfulness in his Covenant made to our fathers, 'tis very little that we know of it now, but the time is coming that we shall know it clearly.

2. The works of God's wisdom, all working for his people's good in their luster and beauty.

3. The excellency of God's power, how it over-rules all things, and how it is stretched out for the Saints good.

4. The mercy of God acting every way for their best advantage; we are now in great misery, and our troubles increase, and we cannot see how mercy is working for good; but then we shall know.

5. The mind of God we shall then know, that we are in darkness, not only in our troubles, for the outward man, but in our spirits; 'tis very little that we know of God now at the best, but we shall know him clearly.

6. The vanity of all worldly pomp, and glory, and the folly of all carnal confidence; men are now ready to call the proud happy, and bless the works of iniquity, and run to King Jareb; but then we shall know that God is able to deliver his people out of all straits.

7. That it is not in vain for the people of God to seek him, even then, when all human helps and hopes fail, then they shall know that there is a power and efficacy in prayer, as 'tis God's Ordinance, to help them in difficulties.

8. The meaning of many prophesies which are now very dark and obscure, and yet much sweetness in them for the Churches of God; and if this will be worth the knowing, let men that know anything be Judges.

9. The glorious purposes and decrees of God that he had from all eternity for our good, God hath glorious purposes, although we for the present know them not, but we shall know them, there is such a time that all these things and much more than these shall be revealed to them.

They shall know them, if they follow on to know them. [If] is not [Expos. 1] in the Original; but put in to fill up the sense; but if we take the • ords literally, we shall know if we follow on; then the sense runs thus; Doth God reveal himself to his people? and do his people lay hold of the opportunity? they shall [Expos. 2] know more. And if you take the words without If, thus, You know and follow on to know: the meaning is, That when God begins to show mercy he will go on to show more mercy; so that these words are a motive to turn to God, or an expression of their confidence in God, God was now in the dark, his presence was clouded towards them, and the enemies scoffed and mocked at them, saying where is now your God? The people answer, We shall know our God again, and he will discover himself to our comfort, but to your shame. The Notes are.

[Obs. 1] True penitents turn to God, that they might know God. As there must be some knowledge before turning to God, so turning to God that we may know him more; and the desire of knowing him should not be so much to deliver from hell, as to be fitted thereby to do him more and better service: the hypocrite if he have but as much service and knowledge to manage it as to attain his own ends he is satisfied; but a gracious heart dares not do so.

[Obs. 2] No man can turn to God, but as God's face is towards him: We cannot turn to God except that God turn first to us, when he giveth quietness who then can cause trouble, Job, 34.29.

[Obs. 3] When God comes to his people in mercy he reveals much of himself unto them! and according to the degrees of his coming unto them are the manifestations of himself unto them, either more or less, he gives them something in this life, an earnest penny at the beginning, and at death the full payment, the perfect enjoyment of all promised good; faith can see a glory in God, even in the darkest times, but in the times of light then it can see abundance of mercy.

[Use.] Therefore 'tis Christian wisdom to take notice of the mercies we enjoy, else we cannot glorify God's Name, Oh how much of the faithfulness, power, wisdom, goodness, and mercy of God in turning the counsels, plots, and devices of the wicked for our good we might have known, had we but diligently observed the mercies we have enjoyed. Those who see not the glory of God now shining brightly in the world, have very little light in themselves, but must needs be very dark, or wonderful negligent in the observation of the good things they enjoy from God; Revel. 11.19. John who saw the blessed estate of the Church which it should be in, he saith the Temple of God, the Ark of the Testament was kept in the holy of holies, and none of the people could see it, yet John saw the time when the holy of holies should be opened, therefore 'tis said, that John should prophesy again, Revel. 10.11. not that he should arise again and prophesy, but the time is coming that the Revelations shall be so clearly understood as if John had written a new Revelation, according to that in Is • . 30.26. a Scripture parallel to the text, the Lord promiseth when he bindeth the breach of the people & heals the stroke of their wound, In that day the light of the Moon shall be as the light of the Sun. Knowledge shall wonderfully increase, there shall be very glorious manifestations of God, to his people, and this text in Isa. shows plainly that my text hath an eye to that time in which God will exalt his Church and make it glorious in the eyes of all beholders.

The knowledge of God, is a very comfortable thing to the Saints; [Obs. 4] they speak here in a triumphing way; then shall we know if we follow on to know; anything of God makes gracious hearts to spring with joy and gladness; such a soul looks not so much at the quantity, the multitude of mercies which it enjoys; as how much of those mercies it enjoys: It is the happiness of the Saints in Heaven, to know •• d, and to have the sight of God, and so it is here, This is eternal life, To know Thee and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent; not only to know him, but to know him as he appears for his Churches deliverance: how many are there now in Heaven blessing God that ever their eyes beheld these days? Nay certainly, should God but let our forefathers out of their graves to see what a turn of things here is, and what an answer of their prayers, they would be as men astonished, in a maze: If it be so comfortable to see and know God in this life, what will it be in Heaven, where shall be nothing to darken this sight of God?

Those that turn to God shall know God, and the more they turn, the [Obs. 5] more, they shall know of him; yea, this they may be sure of, what ever else we here enjoy. Dan. 9.13. All this evil is come upon us; yet made we not our prayer unto thee, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand thy truth. If we understand thy truth and turn from our iniquities, we shall know more of the truth: the pure in heart shall see God, Mat. 5.8. Oh the sweet light which purified minds enjoy, to these God reveals his secrets and acquaints them with the mystery of his Covenant, Psal. 25.14. of which the great Rabbies of the world are ignorant of, these things are mysteries unto them; and this is the reason why they are so ignorant of them, Because they turn not unto God, neither labor to know God.

[Obs. 6] Those that truly know something of God, desire to know more of him: As he that is learned in something, covets after more still; and certainly, none but ignorant people are enemies to learning: those that never knew the worth of it, these are they that cry it down; therefore those which are contented with little, nay and think their little too much sometimes, are of poor, mean, and base spirits, far from following on to know the Lord.

[Obs. 7] A gracious heart is willing to put forth strong endeavors in the use of means to increase and get more knowledge of God; he will slip no time, neglect no opportunity in which knowledge may be increased; Dan. 9.13. This was Solomon's prayer, 1 King. 3.9. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart; in the Hebrew it is, Lord give 〈◊〉 a bearing heart. Though God had discovered himself wonderfully, yet he desires that God would discover himself to him more: therefore they are very foolish that think they know enough of God, and are contented with what they know; 'tis a great blessing of God to have a hearing ear, and an understanding heart: no marvel the Saints take so much pains to know the mind of God, therefore what a fond opinion is it, and what a sluggish spirit does it manifest to be sati • fied with that knowledge which hath been before in former times? therefore such speeches as these, What, shall we be wiser than our forefathers? we are to bless God for the knowledge of our forefathers, and say as Master Greenham did, I bless God for what our forefathers knew, saith he, I bless God also that hath kept back some of his counsels for this generation to be acquainted with. 'It is an argument of a poor spirit to rest satisfied with small measures of knowledge; the light three or four hundred years ago was small, and in these days our light is poor and small to that which shall be revealed, it is very little in the matter of worship in the ordering of his house, therefore had not we need to follow on to know the Lord? therefore God forbid that there should be any spirits scorn at the new lights which God discovers, therefore let us be humbled for our ignornace & now begin to follow on to know the Lord; it is true, there no new truth in respect of the word, but in respect of the manifestation of them to us they mey be said to be new.

It is a blessed thing for a man or woman, to take notice of God's revealing [Obs. 8] himself to them. Oh how happy a thing had it been for many of us, if when God first began to stir our hearts we had followed on to know the Lord! How sad is it for many to look back to former days? what glorious and sweet manifestations had they of God's love in former times? but through worldly cares and sluggishness of spirit have lost all and are now in the dark, and cannot speak of God in any savoury way? whereas many who are younger and have kept their communion with God, know more of God, and are able to speak more sweetly of the goodness of God than they; and you who thus know God in your youth, bless God that He hath entered you into this light, and make much of it; for as Christ said to Nathanael, Joh. 1.50. Dost thou believe, when I said I saw thee under the fig tree? Thou shalt see greater things than these. So do you bless God for what you do know, and God will reveal more.

Those who follow on to know the Lord, may be encouraged that they [Obs. 9] shall know more of Him. The diligent hand maketh rich; it matters not though thy parts are weak, thy abilities mean, thy failings many, if Christ be thy Teacher it matters not, thy weaknesses shall not hinder his instructions; Christ teaches the weak as well as the strong, nay Christ accounts it his glory to teach such; nay, the Father Himself is not ashamed to instruct them; nay, Christ gives thanks to his Father that He hath revealed these things to babes and sucklings, Christ is a meek, gentle, lowly teacher, very mild and loving, he will neither upbraid them with their weakness, nor discourage them in their dullness; Christ here speaks to poor, weak, burdened sinners: Who would be discouraged? Did not Christ teach thus mildly? I will not upbraid for thy ignorance: No, to thy soul will he give wisdom liberally, and infuse the principles of saving knowledge into thee: Col. 1.10. Being filled with every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. Great are the treasures of knowledge which a diligent Christian may obtain. Psal. 36.10. Draw out thy loving kindness O Lord, unto them that know thee. Thou hast some glimmering knowledge of God, some spark of Divine light; bless God for it, go on still, and follow on to know the Lord, and then thou shalt know more. It is a heavy curse upon those women in Timothy, that they are always learning, but never come to the knowledge of the truth.

[Object.] But many a poor soul may here object: That if this be thus, I fear it is my condition, that the means aggravares the sins that I commit, and leaves me inexcusable.

[Answ.] To answer thee, If thou art not one who follows divers lusts, and makes them thy practice, thou art not the man who art ever learning &c. if thou followest on to know God, God will follow thee on with mercy.

[Obs. 10] One mecey makes way for another: a lesser prepares for a greater: God beholds all things at once with one view of his providential eye, and 'tis his happiness so to do. But the Saints cannot do this, they must know a little now, & more at another time: And doth not our times make good this text? The Lord will grant one deliverance now, and another reviving the next day, and all to usher in a greater: The Lord first smote us, and within two days he did revive us, and the third day we lived in his sight, and since that deliverance we have followed on to know the Lord, and God hath revealed himself more in his power, wisdom, and faithfulness; the vanity of an arm of flesh, and the outward glory of the creature, and if it be not our fault we may know more of his workings, if we would follow on to know the Lord. O that we had hearts to follow on the Lord in repenting, believing, and turning to Him, He would follow us on with mercies, and all the good that we can wish for one after another: God makes wicked men to know more wrath; and the drops of his anger here, are but the beginning of the deluge of miseries which are their portion, they sink, and sink, and their sinking must be to all eternity: Oh the difference which there is between God's dealing with the Saints, and with the wicked! Though the Saints may be under a cloud for the present, yet they shall know the Lord, the Sun will appear again, the Lord will follow on his work, though we neglect ours, and glorious shall the issue of things be in the conclusion; were it not a glorious thing if a man had lived from the beginning to this day and might live to the end of the world, to see what God did in former times, what God doth now, and what he will do to the end of the world for his poor Churches? The Saints shall live to all eternity to see these glorious things; God did glorious things in the first six thousand years, and surely the next six thousand years shall be most glorious, but in eternity God will do most of all, then the Saints of God those which follow on to know the Lord shall be put into the real possession of all those glorious things which God hath been a doing from all eternity.

I come to the next words.

Jerome conceived these words to be meant of Christ; he shall come as the morning, being called the Son of righteousness, the morning-star; and he conceives that it may have reference to the title of the 22. Psal. A Psalm of David, to the chief Musicion upon Aijeleth Shahar, that is the morning hind, to wit, Christ, who was sent forth as the morning hind • , and hunted in his infancy and in his life, as the hind is pursued by the hounds.

If we take the words as they lie before us, they are an expression of Israel's confidence in God after a night of trouble, the word [prepared] signifies also decreed, it is decreed upon as the morning, and the evening, and as the day follows the night by a decree: Children when they see the Sun a going down will many times cry because they think the Sun will never rise again; but if a man should do so, you would think him very simple. Even thus it is with us, 'tis no wonder to see wicked men in their straits crying out, we are undone, this darkness will never be over, yet such is the baseness of our unbelieving hearts who think when the clouds of sorrow begin to arise, and blackness begins to cover the sun of our prosperity, mercy will never break through, that we are undone, past remedy, and there is no help for us, light will no more appear. But more particularly; observe.

That the times of the afflictions of God's people are night-times. This is implied here; we may have a long time of sorrow and misery, a dark tempest may overtake us, yet know, that a morning will come. They are called night-times for three reasons.

Because of the uncomfortableness of those times. Darkness is very terrible. Drexelius tells us of a young man, who being very fearful of darkness, God striking him with a dangerous sickness in so much that he could not sleep, tumbling up and down in his bed he uttered these words, If this darkness be so terrible, what is eternal darkness? and this proved the means of his conversion. Well therefore may affliction-times be called night-times, times of darkness.

[Obs. 1] These are times that often take off men from service, from public and private service. The night is the time in which the brute creatures which in the day time keep close, then come forth for their prey. Therefore the Apostles exhortation is seasonable, Let us work while it is called today, before the night comes when no man can work.

Night times are times of danger. Many of our brethren can speak this truth in these times: When is the time that wicked men prey upon the Saints, and the wild beasts go out to devour, but in the dark? So, when do men meditate upon terror and create fears to themselves, but in the night of their afflictions and sorrows?

The time of God's delivering his people is the morning; the [Obs. 2] morning after the sad and dark night. As light is comfortable in the morning, after a sad, dark, and stormy night; so is deliverance after trouble. The morning is very desirable, as appears Psal. 130.6. My soul waiteth for the Lord, in the morning watch. God's mercies after afflictions are very sweet, as the light approaching in the morning is to the laboring-man going to his work. When God hath work for men to do, he expects that they should go forth to it, and show themselves in it: as the Sun when it riseth begins to show itself in its brightness and glory, [Use.] so ought every Christian to shine in the work and service of God after deliverance. In a sickness, or when some straight is upon thee thou art hindered in God's service, and in thy work; well then, when God shows thee, and bestows upon thee the morning of a deliverance, go forth and manifest thy working for God, be not ashamed of his Cause under the shine of such a mercy.

The Church hath no such afflictions upon it, but there comes a [Obs. 3] morning after them: the morning will come either to Churches in special, or persons in particular; and we hope this time is a coming unto us, therefore let dominion be given unto the Lord in the morning, yea and let dominion be given to the righteous in the morning, and this seems to be the meaning of that place, Revel. 2.28. To him that overcomes will I give the morning-star: there may be great contentions, grievous miseries in this night of afflictions, but be encouraged, To him that overcomes will I give this morning-star of comfort, and deliverance.

It is God presence which makes morning to the Saints, all natural [Obs. 4] helps cannot do it; as all the stars cannot make one day light, some light they may give, but not day light, but when the Sun arises there is day presently, so God may make some comfort to a arise to soul by secondary and inferior means, but 'tis Himself alone by the shining of his face and the smiles of his countenance which causes morning.

[Obs. 5] God's mercies to his people are prepared and decreed mercies. They are set and determined, thy going forth is prepared as the morning, the word I shown you in the Original signifies decreed, Jer. 33.20. Thus saith the Lord, If you can break my Covenant of the day, and my Covenant of the night, then also may my Covenant with David be broken. Here we have both the text and the note from it, the Covenant of God's decree with day and night, morning and evening, called a Covenant because it is sure and certain, so also is the Covenant which God hath made to Christ and to his Church, firm and sure, and this is a ground of strong consolation to the Saints to consider, that mercies which they want are set and decreed mercies, therefore with patience wait for them.

[Obs. 6] The Saints in the night of their affliction can comfort themselves in this, That the morning is a coming. It is night yet, but the morning will come, 'tis approaching; the assurance the morning is coming upholds the Saints spirits in the night of their sorrows: the Marrener in tempestuous storms in the dark night, the traveler in his wearisome and dirty journey comforts themselves with this, the morning light is a coming; 'tis far better to be in darkness, and know the morning light is a coming, than to be in the light, and to know or fear that darkness is a coming, and light never to return more.

[Obs. 7] A little before the Saints deliverance out of their greatest disturbances of misery and trouble, the darkness of their night is the greatest. As a little before the dawning of the day, the darkness is the thickest, and the most terrible; thus it was in Egypt a little before Israel's deliverance, and their return out of captivity, and this should mightily encourage us, not to be disheartened in these times, though our miseries should increase, for the darker the cloud is and the bigger it grows the nearer it is to its period, therefore wait with patience.

[Obs. 8] God's delivering of his Church is gradual, by degrees, not all at once; as the day breaks by degrees, so the Saints shine gradually in their lives, answerable to the light which God hath let into them. We would have deliverance at an instant, light, and perfect noontime presently; but this is not God's way of dealing with his people: a child does not know that it is day till it be very light indeed; but wise discerning men can see day at a little hole (as we use to say,) Oh that we were so wise to discern God's dealings, in the workings of providence towards us. It follows.

God glories much in this creature of Rain, in so much that he wonders when men do not fear him who is the giver of rain: They did not say in their hearts, let us fear God who gives rain: there is so much of my glory in this very one creature, that men's hearts must be very hard that will not give God glory for it; Jer. 5.24. God is styled the Father of rain, this speech, the mention of it here hath reference to that country in which the Prophet spake; to Canaan, where they had rain, not so frequently as we have, but twice a year especially, viz. at seed time, to soften the ground, and a little before harvest, to plump and fill up the Corn in the ear. The Apostle James seems to allude unto this. Jam. 5.7. The husbandman waiteth patiently for the fruits of the earth, (so should we for God's time of delivering his people, God's deliverances to his people shall be as seasonable as the former and the latter rain) The Notes of observation from these words are.

Look what the rain is to the Corn, so is God's blessing to his people: [Obs. 1] We have the same dependence upon God for blessing & mercy, that the seed hath upon the rain for growing and increase, without the rain the Corn will be but as the parched ground in the wilderness, which is the curse and brand upon wicked men, Jer. 17.5, 6. hence we may see what poor creatures we are, having our dependence upon such a poor creature as the rain is, in its self, and by the dependence which we have on this creature we should learn to consider, what dependence we have upon the infinite God for all the good things which we enjoy.

[Obs. 2] As the Church is parched and dried up without the rain of God's blessing, so on the other side, all the earth and flowers in the field are refreshed and a beauty there is put on them; by the rain that coms from the Heavens, it makes them to increase. And as the earth is not unthankful for the rain, [Use] but sends forth Corn, Grass, and Flowers, so should we always after the receiving of mercies, return unto God in duties; we would think it strange if the earth after all the cost man hath bestowed upon it, and after the sweet and seasonable showers of rain it should be barren and fruitless; Oh man condemn thyself: the word is compared to rain; and how many times hath the sweet showers and droppings of the word lighted upon thee, and yet thou barren, all cost hitherto being lost upon thee? Deut. 32.2.

[Obs. 3] God's mercies to his people, are both seasonable and suitable: this promised in the text, They should come as the latter, and former rain. The Lord comes to wicked men in a general way of providence; but to the Saints as rain in seed-time and harvest, with much fullness; how should this teach us our duty to wait with patience upon God with the husbandman ( Jam. 5.7.) for the appointed weeks of harvest? so should we till mercies come seasonably; if mercies should always come when we would have them, they would prove judgments to us; that which in its self is a mercy, coming untimely proves an affliction, God sent his people Israel a King, but he proved a heavy judgment to them: if a woman should be delivered upon every pain and throwing she feels, what misshapen birth would she have? It is God's mercy unto you to prolong your births till the full time: we cry out, Oh our troubles are great and continue long, we had thought to have seen a period to these times, our wars at an end and peace settled in our Kingdom; Oh know, that if they had ended sooner when we would have them, what a plague would it have been to us? how many that observe God's dealings can say, that if such a mercy had come when they desired it, they had been undone by it, it had ruined them; therefore God's time is the best time: hence we find that the Saints have often blessed God when he hath crossed them in their desires, and hath denied them the thing which they so importunatly desired: The Lord hath sent us the former rain, at the beginning of the summer in its season to prepare the earth for fruit; but now there are scorching heats in the Kingdom, heats of displeasure in the Country, in the City, nay almost in every family: Now let us with patience wait, and the latter rain in its season will assuredly come.

Is God so seasonable in his mercies for us? Let us be seasonable and suitable in our duty, [Use] let us bring forth fruit unto God in season; as the godly man in the first Psalm is said to do: herein consists the excellency of service, when it is in its place: Therefore it is no other but a temptation of Satan that when men are called to exercise in their callings, they are then stirred up to prayer, or hearing; but these are not the motions of the Spirit, for they are seasonable; for God never puts the soul upon extremes, the performing of two contrary duties at one and the same time. It is an excellent sign of a gracious heart, to account a season for service, a mercy; and a misery to want an opportunity. Certainly it is a great judgment of God upon a man, to be unserviceable in a season of service. Jude, 12. Jude describing those corruptions of the Gospel by life and doctrine, in his time, says, they were trees withered, twice dead, plucked up by the roots: trees corrupt in the time of autumn, then when their fruit should come in. Even thus it is with many men, at that time when God expects the most fruit from them, show themselves most corrupt and vile. These are such as mightily provoke God: and how many such have we among us at this day, who when God calls them to service, manifest the rotteness which is in their spirits. Many when they are in a poor condition think, Oh had I such a man's estate, what a deal of good would I do with it? had I such parts and abilities as some have, and so much time, and many opportunities given as they have, how would I lay them out for God? Many that are now servants have many good resolutions, Oh what will they do for God, when God calls them to it? O foolish hearts, who when they can do nothing would do most, and when they may do most, do nothing at all.

[Obs. 4] God's mercies to his people, are according to the variety of their necessityes, the former and the latter rain. Towards the seed-time, they wanted rain, and God sends it them; now let our duty be according to the variety of mercies, God may call us to variety of service; let not us content ourselves in that we have don something, in such services we have had our heads, hands, and purses, such and such have been idle, let them now appear; Oh say not so, be not weary of well-doing, God hath employed thee this day in one service, he hath another to do the next; be willing and ready to be set on work, and bless God he will employ thee in service.

[Obs. 5] When God hath begun in mercy with his people, he will go on with them, and will not leave them. If God should give only the former rain, it would not bring up the seed, the seed would not fructify and increase without the latter rain: Faith will believe that God will not lose the glory of former mercies, for want of succeeding mercies; Faith believes that God will never begin a work, and there leave it.

[Use] Now let not us begin in ways of obedience with God, and then leave off and lose all that we have done, let us consider that the vows of God are upon us, and many prayers we have put up, now let us not lose the return of them. How many in the days of their youth followed on to know God, and they found the sweetness of the Word to be as the former and the latter rain unto them? Do not now lose all which you got in your youth, by denying him service in your age, let not slothful age lose the sweetness of those things which in youth through Christian diligence we found sweet.

[Obs. 6] God's mercies to his people procure much good; They are not empty shells, there is that good in them to the full, which they promise to have: these Notes are observable from the words thus understood; but now put all the sense of them together, and then they afford us two or three useful Observations more.

[Obs. 7] Note, That God's people's deliverance comes from Heaven. They spring not out of the earth, if ever Gops people are delivered there must be a Divine, Almighty power put forth, else it will never be a deliverance in mercy.

God's people's deliverances cannot be hindered; no not by all the [Obs. 8] powers in Hell or Earth. Why? because they come from above, they are as the light of the Sun, and as the rain that comes upon the earth: who can hinder the Sun from shining the rain from falling? who can interupt night and day? so who can hinder the rain of mercy from a people prepared for it?

We should make a spiritual use of God's works, in his creatures: We [Obs. 9] see after the coldest winter there comes a summer, after a drought a spring-tide, they take their turns; let not us in the times of cold and dark afflictions which God may bring us into, conclude, that mercy is quite gone, that God hath shut up his loving kindness in forgetfulness; No, but rest assured that there will be a return of mercy for thee again which shall revive thee.

LUTHER upon this place, carries on these words as a further expression of mercy to this people Israel, and not in any way of reproof to them; as if the Lord had said to them thus: Oh Israel, my people, I have been very good and gracious to you in the Land of Egypt, and delivered you from that tyranny and oppression which you were under, and I have been with you in the wilderness, and I have brought you into the Land of Canaan, but what are these? all but temporal mercies, I have greater mercies than these to bestow upon you, the Gospel it shall reveal other manner of things to you. He carries it all along as in a way of mercy, but if this be the meaning, then this objection will arise.

What shall we understand by the next words? your goodness is as the morning cloud? how can this be said? Luther to this answers thus; Your goodness; that is, the goodness of God which is yours by Covenant and purchase prepared for you, this mercy of God shall refresh your parched souls, as the morning cloud doth the earth after a long drought; thus he carries it.

But the words, passing away, and their goodness being but as the morning cloud, taking these together, the sense runs another way, viz. to a breaking off from the discourse about the promise of mercy, to a convincement of the generality of Ephraim's and Judah's formality in their greatest pursuit of reformation; they all passed away, as the morning cloud which vanisheth away, and as the early dew that comes to nothing.

Jerome thinks that it is God's mercies towards them which doth thus pass away; he would not leave them quite without hope, they should have some mercy, but it should not abide nor stay with them. But the genuine sense of the words I conceive to be, the generality of their formality in their pursuit of reformation, therefore, O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? As if the Lord should say, you put me to a stand you even non plus me in this thing, what therefore shall I do unto thee?

Here in the general, we may observe the change of the Prophets voice, in the beginning of the chapter it is all mercy, and their repentance sweetly joining with the mercy promised them; but now he falls to upbraid them for their hypocrisy, incorrigiblenels, and inconstancy in the ways of God; a very good pattern for Ministers who have to deal with varieties of people.

But now, to open the expression of the words more particularly: [Expos. 1] [What shall I do unto thee?] The manner of the expression is, either in a way of compassion or expostulation; compassion, as if he should say, Oh Ephraim, it is in my heart to do thee good, but nothing will work upon thee, therefore O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? Like that expression in Isa. 5.4. What could I have done more to my vineyard that I have not done? were there any other course further to be taken, anything else to do I would do it? Now from this sense thus taken of God's compassionating of them we may note.

That God doth not willingly grieve the children of men; he is even [Obs. 1] forced to it, at that very time they are grieved by afflictions, at the same time is God troubled for their miseries. Can any tell me, men of Angels, nay I appeal to yourselves, can you tell me what I should do more to you than I have done? If you can, I would do it, God expostulates with them, he comes not suddenly upon them, punishment is the last way God takes with his people.

And so it should be with us, to those that are under us, as to children or servants, all means must be tried to prevail with them before correction, exhort, advise, reprove, and pray for them, have you first taken this course? else you can have little comfort in correcting them: this is God's way, though you perhaps see it not; God here meets with an objection which repining Israel might seem to make, we are such as do believe, to whom the promise doth belong, why might not the Lord bring mercy to us without using such means of smiting, wounding, killing, and parching of us? no saith God, I could not bring about mine own ends but by this way, Oh therefore let us check ourselves at such thoughts as these, God brings us low by afflictions, he could do it by mercies, but then his end which he aims at would not be so fully accomplished.

We should not think much to lose our pains in the use of means to others. [Obs. 2] God he hath taken pains and been at cost with this people, and he hath lost all, God seems to mourn for the loss of his charges, I have used this admonition, the other counsel, yet still hypocritical, Oh what shall I do unto thee? but yet God's does not leave them or grow weary of his pains, he persists still in the means to do them good. In this should the Saints imitate God! if this course will not prevail, use a second; if not this use a third, perhaps that may, and if it does do good it will pay for all the pains. And thus much of the words by way of compassion.

[Expos. 2] Now by way of expostulation and so they are to be taken, to humble them, or to convince them of their sin. Hence observe;

[Obs. 3] That it's a speci • l means to humble men for sin, to put them to it, to consider what means they have had used to do them good. Would we be seriously affected with sin, and humbled for sin? then go alone and call our souls into examination, whether means have not been used sufficient to do us good? consider what means they have been, judgments, national, domestic, and personal: Mercies, reproofs out of the word, admonitions from friends, terror • and checks of conscience &c. when you have done thus, charge conscience to speak and tell thee the truth, and when it doth tell truth, give it leave to upbraid thee thus; what, so unprofitable, so stout, and stubborn, so froward, and impatient, so unthankful, and so unbelieving for all this? This would be a singular means to show the soul a view of sin in its colors. But alas most men put off and shun such a course as this is, and the Devil he knows the prevalency and efficacy of such a way as this, and he strives what he can to put the soul off from such a course, and puts men upon such excuses as these, Had I such and such means as others have, I should be more fruitful, I was reproved, but it was too open, had it been in private and with more love, by such a one and in such a place, it would have done more good. Infinite are the reasonings of a base heart, either to put it off with the want of means, or some defect in the means, and this is Satan's subtlety in the soul; but when the Lord comes truly to humble the soul, that soul will charge itself home thoroughly for its sins, in all the circumstances and aggravations of them.

[Obs. 4] These words, What shall I do unto thee? notes unto us, that God was as it were in a straight at this time about this people, the observation from them is, That such is the perverseness of men hearts many times that God knows not almost what to do with them: God was here even at a stand, he was fain to consult with himself about them; see in other Scriptures how God expresses this, Ezod. 33.5. Therefore now put off thy ornaments, that I may know what to do with thee: and Deut. 32.5. They have corrupted their ways, they are a perverse and a coooked generation. The words there signifies the way of wrastlers, who wave up and down, that if the one thinks to have the other here, he is winded the other way: so did this people when God dealt with them this way, they put him off another way. Therefore, Acts, 2.40. we are commanded to save ourselves from this untoward generation, such a people that none can do good unto; no marvel then God's Ministers are put to a stand with people many times, who are so crooked and gainsying, like those in Christ's time, who put him to a stand, they were so difficult and cross, that neither John nor Christ himself could please; when John came they cried out of him, that he was ridged and harsh, and when Christ came he was mild and gentle; and of him they said, he was a winebibber and a friend of publicans and sinners, John had that which Christ had not, and Christ had that which John had not, and yet neither of them could please these.

But it may be objected, God knew not what to do, [Object.] how is that? he could have put forth his almighty power and turned their hearts and that presently; how then is it said, God knew not what to do?

To this I answer, that God was not bound to do this, [Answ.] for God had used all means to prevail with Ephraim and Judah, which the most loving and compassionate friend could have done. Suppose a man were in such a condition that for his cure there were all the Doctors of Physic in the Country where he lived gathered together, and these should consult, advise, and p •• pound things for his recovery, and nothing do it, you would wonder what the matter should be, would not all this aggravate and set forth the danger of the disease and the difficulty of the cure? All this is in God and much more, and it is put forth for the good of souls; I have put forth more power, wisdom, love, and mercy than man can do, now shall this be an aggravation in respect of the creature, and not of the Creator? all means to do you good have been put forth excepting my almighty power, and yet the work is not done.

[Obs. 5] The condition of that people is very sad, when no means can do them good, then that fearful judgment may be pronounced upon them, Jer. 6.30. Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them. Ezek. 24.13. Because I have purged thee and thou wast not purged; thou shalt not be purged anymore, until I have caused my fury to rest upon thee.

[Obs. 6] It is a thing that goes very near the heart of God, to see those that are nigh unto him to be perverse in their ways. What, for Judah to forsake me? It is sad to find crosses and untowardness in Ephraim, but to meet with them in Judah where my Ordinances are in a special manner, and they so near unto me, and I so tender of them: 'tis much to behold of what knotty crabid spirits God's own people are? A piece of wood may be sound yet full of knots and very tough. What goes nearer a man, than to find crossness in his wife, his children, or friend? 'tis not so much from a stranger, as from one in relation. Even so God takes the unkindness of his people to heart more, than the wickednesses of the ungodly.

[Obs. 7] It is not enough to worship God better than others, if we be of perverse spirits. This was the sin of Judah, because they had the Ordinances in a purer way, and worshiped God better than Ephraim, they thought they might continue in this their sin: Oh that this were not England's sin at this day: Let us be humbled for it that we may escape their judgment.

Your goodness] That is, your kindness, or your mercy, as the word signifies, in the Original it is [chesed] the same word which we have in the sixth verse, your mercy, I will have mercy, that is, your piety, and godliness in the strict signification of it, but mercy in the large sense: The Seventy Translators render the words, your mercy, your goodness: but why your goodness? yours, because either of God's goodness towards them, or their goodness, their holiness which was in them: God's goodness towards them; which is called ours, sometimes God's goodness, as in Rom. 11.31. That through your mercy they might obtain mercy; by that mercy which God bestowed on you, you may encourage the gentile; to come in; 2. Their goodness: which is double, either to their brethren, or their piety & holiness, both these were as the morning cloud, or as the early dew that goeth away. If the first signification of them be taken, then the sense runs thus.

God's goodness to them was as the morning cloud, that is, They by [Expos. 2] their sin had drove away God's mercy and goodness from them, even as the wind carries the dust before it: God was in the way of mercy to them in appearances, and they by their sins put them all away from them. Bernard saith, that the wind of their unthankfulness did drive away the floods of mercy from them, much more the dews of mercy. Now God forbid that this should be our condition, the clouds of mercy are over us, and the dews of mercy are upon us, now should we by our sins drive these away from us, what a woeful case should we be in? Therefore let us not only pray to have the dews of mercy, but also the clouds to shower down rivers of mercy.

Though I do not think this to be the principal scope and sense of the words, ye: it may be noted and afford us useful [Expos. 3] meditation; but the proper meaning of the words seems to signify their own goodness, which may betaken, 1. more strictly for mercy and compassion towards one another; because in the sixth verse God calls upon them so earnestly for mercy; notwithstanding all their shows and promises of reformation it was but in hypocrisy, like those in Jer. 34.15, 16. of whom God saith, That they were turned, and had done right in his sight in proclaiming liberty to their servants, but they had polluted his Name again, by causing those servants formerly set at liberty to return, and bringing them into subjection; so that people which are for a time pitiful and very merciful, afterwards grow cruel and hardhearted.

Let us take heed of such a disposition which is so great an evil; we when together sometimes can join in love and unity, pitying each other, and bearing with each others infirmities, bearing Christian admonition patiently, but these good words and fair shows are vanished & come to nothing, where are those refreshing showers of love & friendship which you were wont to water each other withal in your Christian societies? In the room of these there now grows nothing but the lusts of pride, passions, and sad dissensions among us, which parch and dry up all these good seeds of love and gentleness.

I desire to press this the more, because the Scripture is pleased to make use of this expression of the dew, to set out the sweetness of a Christian spirit, Psal. 133.3. Behold, how good and pleasant a thing it is, for brethren to dwell together in unity: How pleasant is it? It is like the dew of Hermon, and like the dew that descended upon the mountain of Zion; as that refreshed the grass, so is this affection of mercy and love in the Saints: He compares it not to a dew that dried up presently, but to a dew which descended down; and there the Lord commanded his blessing, even life for evermore. There: Where? Even in the communion of his Saints: This is spoken particularly of Church fellowship, Oh then take heed that your mercy and bounty in relieving your brethren and persecuted Saints, be not as the dew that passeth away; the Lord hath not made his mercy, no not his mercy in dewing the earth as a morning cloud that vanisheth away and comes to nothing; Oh let not our mercy and love be only in shows and proffers withot any truth and reality; our mercies should come like showers upon those who have been parched with the burning rage nnd malice of the adversary: Now the Lord expects more from us in this duty than at other times, we must not only pity them and give them good words, saying, Alas my Brother, and alas my Sister, and no more, I would I could help you, the Lord pity you and help you; you must not only do thus, but in actions and reality you must relieve them with your money, and provisions. Is it not with too to many of us as it was with those in James, 2.15. who say to a brother, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, but give them not wherewith to do it? what good doth this passing cloud do them? it is but an overture: but perhaps you will say, that you have not been as an overture, a cloud passing away, you have bedewed the Saints in their need, you have given something; but perhaps tis but a poor pittance and that out of your abundance, know that this is not sufficient, it must be a constant dew, and proceed on in degrees of mercy, we should rejoice that God gives us an opportunity to show our love and mercy, and not think much at it, doing that you do forcedly or repiningly; therefore let not our mercy be as the dew that passeth away. Thus much of the words in this signification of mercy.

Now if we take the words in a large sense, as in Scripture they are often taken, and in this place also, for their goodness and piety; and in this sense there is much of the mind of God in the words, they are so full of marrow and sweetness as can be desired; Now in that God should express godliness and piety by such a word as mercy; Note from thence.

The necessity of this grace of love and brotherly kindness, in regard [Obs. 1] godliness itself receives its name from them; though by nature men are passionate and rugged, grace will mollify them, of covetous men it will change them to liberal and make them free-hearted, for grace is part of the Divine Nature; Nothing is so communicative as God the highest good, and according to the height of any creature is the communicativeness of it: as the Sun being sublime and excellent is most communicative; so a gracious man, hath he parts? they are not for himself but for the Church; hath he an estate? he distributes and communicates of it to the Saints, and according as grace ariseth in the soul, will communicativeness arise; a true Christian is not close handed.

If grace hath its denomination from hence, Then surely this [Obs. 2] grace of mercy is most excellent, because the whole frame of the new man is set out by it, and by this it is expressed. When we use to set out the whole of anything by a part, we do not express it by an inferior part, but in something which is eminent in it, as by prayer many times is expressed the whole worship of God, as be that calls upon the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved.

[Expos. 1] As the morning cloud: and as the early dew.] In these words God charges this people for three things in which their notorious hypocrisy was expressed. For their vacuity and emptiness, their words were empty sounds, they were clouds without water as Jude expresses it; Jude, 12. 'tis the high commendation of Christians to be full of God, of Christ, and full of grace and knowledge: of which Ephraim had a show, but it was but a show.

[Expos. 2] For their falfness and desembling, they had a heart and a heart towards God, they dealt treacherously with God, they were all in shows, but in the bottom nothing but vanity.

[Expos. 3] For their inconstancy and sickleness; As rain in the clouds shows much, but is by the wind presently blown over, the clouds now are all black and lowering, but in a short time are blown over and there is a perfect clear sky; even thus it was in their goodness, though they made glorious shows in their reformation, yet were they all empty, false, and inconstant: Thus it was in the general, in the reformation of the Land, when things were reformed in the Kingdom it was but by halves, and in their particular turnings it was but as the morning cloud, many times there was great appearences of reformation, but they were like the early dew which presently goeth away. The ten Tribes, and Judah did make such beginnings in reformation and setting up the worship of God, that if God were truly worshiped by any people in the world it would be by these, that they would set God up high in their thoughts, high in their practices, and this was very burdensome to the Spirit of God; therefore he saith, What shall I do unto thee Ob Ephraim? What shall I do unto thee Oh Judah?

We find glorious shows of reformation to come to nothing, as appears in these many examples, 2 King 1, 9. and the 10. chapters, Jehu made great shows when Joram asked him, Is it peace Jehu? he answered him, What peace so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many? And in the 10. chapter, what a slaughter doth he make upon the Priests of Baal? Well what came of this? read but on in the chapter, verses 29. and 31. it is said, That Jehu departed not from the sins of Jeroboam who made Israel to sin. What a cloud of hopes was there in Ahahs time, 1 Kings, 18.39. all the people cried, The Lord is God, the Lord he is the God, upon the miracle which was wrought by Elijah's prayer, when the fire came down and consumed the sacrifice; but this all vanished in the people, and for Ahab himself the text saith, he did abominably in following of Idols so that there was none like unto him, who sold himself to work wickedness, 1 Kings, 21.26, 27. When the Prophet comes to him, after he had killed Nabal and telleth him of his sin, he falls down and humbleth himself, in so much that God himself takes notice of it, and upon it, pronounceth a transmission of his punishment, That he would not bring the evil in his days, but in his sons; God bids the Prophet see how he humbled himself, & that not in a show, as if his heart were not touched and affected, he did truly humble himself in his kind; but now, was there no reformation followed upon this? No, none at all, 'It is very hard to bring great men to reforming: where have we such an example since Theodosius the Emperor, who being a man guilty of rash effusion of blood, coming upon a Sabbath day to the place of public worship and would have received the Sacrament, Ambrose seeing him a coming goes and meets him at the door, and speaks thus to him; How dare those bloody hands of yours lay hold of the body and blood of Christ, who have been the sheders of so much innocent blood? Which speech did so startle him that he went away and was humbled for his sin, and afterwards came and made his public confession and then was received in. Whence we may see, that Kings, yea Emperors have been kept back from the Sacrament. But did this humiliation of Ahab come to nothing? If we look but into the 22. chap. we shall find him of a proud haughty spirit, resolved upon his own will, contrary to the will of God, he would go up to Ram • th Gilead, and when Jehoshaphat asked him if there were not a Prophet of the Lord more that they might inquire of him, and he said, there is one, but I hate him; and this was in the time of his humiliation. And is it not thus with us? many times when judgments are upon us, how penitent are we and then humbled presently? but if the rod be off us we grow proud and stout again presently. So in Judah, what beginnings did that young King Joash make? in the 2 Chron. 24.6., what care was there taken in reparing the Temple, gave commandment to the Priests and the Levites to gather money for the building the House of the Lord, and commanded it to be done speedily, he was a very young Prince, but very zealous, in so much that he blamed the high Priest for his want of zeal, and verse 10. 'tis said the Princes and all the people rejoiced and brought in, and cast into the chest; now what did this produce? surely some glorious effect, mark in the 17. verse, After the death of Jehoiadah came the Princes of Judah and made obeisance to him (and what then?) the King hearkened to them; they then began to get him on their side, by complying with him, for the text saith, that he hearkened to them, and then wrath came upon them; 'tis very likely they said after this manner to him; Consider who you are, a Prince, the head of a people, and you do all that the old man Jehoiada commanded; he was a subject to you, and you be commanded by him, and besides he is now dead and gone, therefore show yourself a man, like a Prince in your Kingdom, stand upon your own legs, be like unto the rest of the Princes about you: Now such words as these might please the King, and be hearkened to, and then they presently forsook the House of the Lord God of their fathers and served groves and Idols, they forsook their Religion; while they kept the truth it preserved them, and they followed the rule, but turning from the rule what outrages do they commit? verse 21, 22. conspire against Zaccariah and stoned him, the blood of a Prophets son is now nothing to them, they can down with it, and the King stood and saw him stoned; Oh what a height of sin is this young zealous Prince come unto! How many sad examples have we in these our days which second this of Joash? how many young ones are there who in their youth give very good hopes but it proves to be but a morning cloud, their timely beginnings, end in apostasy. Another example we have in Amaziah in the 2 Chron. 25.2. Amaziah in the 6. verse had hired an hundred thousand of Israel to go to the war with him, and for their hire he had given them an hundred talants of silver, now after he had hired them, and paid them all their monies, there comes a Prophet of God & tells him, that he must not use a man of them, why saith he what shall I do for my money the hundred talents which I have paid the Army with? the man of God answered, the Lord is able to give thee much more than these; he had no security for it, but only G •• s word for it and that from the mouth of a man; what now? Amaziah obeyed presently and separated the armies of Israel; But what became of this? Vers. 14. after he returned from the slaughter of the Edomites he brought the gods of the children of Seir and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down to them; and the 15. verse, God sends him another Prophet, and now see how the spirit of the man is changed; In the former verses the other Prophet coms to him and crosses his design and turns his mind, & he hearkens presently unto him, and obeys the command of God in that thing which was for his present and eminent loss; but this Prophet speaks as mildly, with as much love as possibly could be, and he speaks as much reason to him as a man can desire: Why hast thou relied and sought after the gods of the people which could not deliver their own people out of thy hand? they could not rescue or save their people from thee, and wilt thou serve them? yet in the 16. verse. mark what he saith, Medle not with this matter, Art thou made of the Kings Council? forbear, why shouldest thou be smitten? Dost thou know what a plot and design there is in this thing? The Prophet forbears, but what follows? I know by this, the Lord hath determined to destroy thee, Because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened to my counsel. The truth is, when we see men unruly, stubborn, and willful, rejecting counsel, and very unreasonable in their way, especially after some good workings and stirrings, it is a fearful sign God hath a purpose to destroy them: So that wicked King at one time could call the prophet his father, yet how was he afterward enraged against him? Some may be friends to the Saints at one time, and bitter enemies to them at another.

And as the Scripture is full of such examples as these, so also are Ecclesiastical histories: 'It is storied of Domitian a most cruel persecutor of the Christians, who studied and inven • ed cruel deaths for them, that when he came to the Crown could not endure blood to be shed, no not for sacrifices. 'It is also reported of Nero, that for five years he was so pitiful and full of mercy, that when they came to have his hand to the sentence of execution of a • alefactor, He would wish that he could not have writ, that so he might not be used in any such thing; and yet where had the Common-wealth of Rome, or the Church of God a more desperate enemy or cruel persecutor? Oh that God would grant this may never be our case: What had we at the first, in the beginning of the Parliament, how did they show themselves and did great things? stood against Arbitrary government, impeached great ones, executed justice upon a Peer or two? What a mighty spirit was raised in the countries to second and stand by the Parliament! now where's the man that ever thought there would be such a party of Lord's and Commons found to join with a company of Papist, Atheists, Malignants, and Irish Rebels, against the Cause of God and the Gospel, and everything that is truly good? Oh most horrid apostasy! that this morning cloud which in the beginning shined so gloriously should thus vanish and come to nothing! And for others that are not in public places, though perhaps not so bad as others, yet how cold and flat spirited are they? slack in their moving for public good, private interest, self, and their own ends ruling in them, more than the prosperity of the public; nay, so we can gain our own ends though with loss to the public we care not: Oh what shall God do with us, who are such an untoward people? Change but the name and this Scripture is ours, O England, what shall I do unto thee? Your spirits for Reformation are down, you care not for a deliverance, but are willing to crouch under your burdens; but let me tell you, should these beginnings of reformation end as, and prove to be as the morning cloud and early dew, we should be the most miserable people in the world, losing the greatest opportunity to do ourselves good that ever any people had, & procure the greatest curse to ourselves, and posterity that ever was upon a people, the generations that are yet unborn may (if we lose this opportunity) curse the time that we lived before them, therefore be encouraged to venture in this work, and do you still own the cause, for God will own it, and never leave it, that so the work may be finished, and we may say with the Saints, Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, and he hath heard us; we should consider that it is a mercy the Lord hath made use of such false spirited men in his work to do his people good by, and seeing the Lord is gone so far in the work, let us entreat him that he would follow it on, and not only bedew us, but even wet us to the root. It is God's promise very remarkable in the 14. chap. of this Prophesy and the 5. verse, I will be as the dew unto Israel, he shall grow as the lily: they shall have the dew, and be like the lilly: but the lily is a poor, weak, fading thing; but saith God, I will moisten the roots of it like Lebanon, my mercy shall be perfected towards them: the Lord grant this promise may be made good to us. And thus much of their reformation in the general, as it concerned the public State and Church

Now touching the particular reformation of themselves and their hypocrisy in it: The note from thence is;

That for any man to make good beginnings and overtures in the ways of God, and let all fall again, and come to nothing, is a thing very grievous to God, and dangerous to himself. Psal. 78.36, 37. Nevertheless, they did flater him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues, for their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his Covenant: what then? ver. 58, 59. For they provoked him to anger with their Idols; God greatly abhorred Israel, they were as a deceitful bow, hypocritical in all their ways, which the Spirit of God cannot endure, for these reasons.

The Spirit of God is a holy Spirit; but this is a slight fickle, a very vain spirit, no soundness in it.

[ 1] The Spirit of God is unchangeable, and constant in all its [ 2] motions; but in this spirit there is nothing but changableness: 'tis said of God, that there is no shadow of change in him; and in such a heart as this is there is no shadow of constancy in it;

[ 3] Such men as these stifle the very conceptions of the Spirit of God in them; it is accounted murder in a woman to stifle the conception in her womb, or any ways to hinder it; now if this be such a vile thing, is it not much more to stifle the conception and first breathings of the spirit in the soul? Oh take heed of such a spirit as this is.

[ 4] There can be no trust put in such men as these, they are fit for no employment, neither God nor man can trust them, or use them in any service, they are up and down fickle and wavering, we ourselves cannot endure to have to deal with such a man as is so.

[ 5] They manifest by this, that there is no fear of God before their eyes; for were the fear of the great God in them it would over-awe them so, that they durst not do thus.

[ 6] This is a great pollution of the Name of God, Jer. 34.16. when they had let their servants go, and in an hypocritical manner, called them home again, in this thing God saith, they polluted his great Name.

[ 7] This is an argument that the things of God and matters of Religion are looked upon by you as things indifferent, that there is no great matter in them, things of little consequence, when thou hast a mind to them thou canst use them or thou canst let them alone, is not this a mighty dishonor to the Spirit of God?

[ 8] This shows that such people never had any good beginnings or sound Principles in them at the first; far from the life of Christ, which is said to be a steadfast life, and the life of every Saint should be like unto his; their hearts were not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his Covenant.

Now as it is grievous to God and to his Spirit, so it is very dangerous to ourselves. For,

We lose many an opportunity, many a soul-stirring, which [ 1] at our first awaking we have had. When the soul is first convinced, Oh the many stirrings and good motions which are put into it, anything would then take impression upon the heart; but when we give back there is a hard brawniness upon the heart.

You that are so inconstant, shall never grow to any eminency [ 2] of grace, and godliness, though there should be truth at the bottom: It is said of Reuben, Gen. 49.4. Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel. Men that do but very little yet go on in a constant way of godliness, though their parts be weak, and their performances mean, many imperfections in them, yet going on they come to something; but those who at the first do a great deal, run very fast in their youth, and afterward grow cold again, are very bad; the cooling after heating is very dangerous, as to the body so more to the soul.

This hardens the heart very much; when the spirit is cooled [ 3] after a heating, it's like water which being hot and cold again, is more cold than it was before, or like iron heat and quenched, is harder than formerly.

This aggravates all other sinning; what, wilt thou sin [ 4] thus after God hath appeared thus?

This spoils the acceptation of all our other services, be [ 5] they never so specious; as a man that hath a child lunatic in his fits and moods he is very senseless and sottish, but in his Lucida intervalla he comes to himself and speaks sensibly and well; now if a man should see him at this time he would think he aild nothing: so there are many who seem to be eminent Christians for the present, but let a temptation come, or lust stir, and they are overcome.

There is nothing will more d • mp the heart when it comes before God in duty, than this inconstancy of spirit Go • may say to thee, Oh soul, how darest thou come be • o •• in such a duty as this, when thou knowest thou a •• 〈◊〉 breach of promise and falsefying Covenant with me? this will be an eating corrasive upon thy spirit, God may say to thee, how canst thou expect that I should be constant in my mercies towards thee, when thou art so inconstant in thy duty to me? this inconstancy towards God, brings wavering in faith, and unsettledness in our confidence in God, the one makes way for the other; inconstancy in duty, and wavering in believing; God shows himself to us, as we carry ourselves to him, To the pure, be will show himself pure, Tit. 1.15.

How should this stir us up to look to our own hearts, seeing they are so fickle and deceitful? let us watch over and daily suspect them; John 2.23, 24. 'tis said of the people, that many believed in Christ, because of the miracles which he wrought; yet Christ would not commit himself unto them: so Deut. 5.29. there is a people that made large promises to God, that they would walk in all the Statutes and Ordinances of their God; now saith God, this people say well, they are good words, but Oh that there were such an heart in them! God regards no work you do, except he find it rooted in you, John, 8.31. Then are you my Disciples indeed, if ye continue in my words; no true Disciple of Christ without abiding in Christ; all flesh is grass; that is, whatsoever is done by fleshly principles, every duty though never so well done to the outward appearance, if it come from a principle of flesh, it is but as the grass; and as the grass withereth and dies away so will these specious outside duties vanish away; therefore look to your hearts, and above all keepings, keep it very diligently, for if the root be sound the branches will be so too, and the fruit savory which comes of it.

'It is a very dangerous thing to let beginnings to die; Therefore would you be preserved from such an evil as this is, of fickleness and inconstancy? take my counsel in these particulars.

[ 1] Do not rest in sudden flashes and stirrings of spirit; perhaps at a Sermon some truth or other that nearly concerns thee is pressed home upon thy conscience and it begins to stir the heart and warm the affections, now do not think the work is now over, or that the hazard of miscarrying to all eternity is over; no thou must rise higher and go further than this, or else thou art undone forever; this is that rock upon which many poor souls split, and overthrow themselves forever: therefore look to your hearts in time.

Labor to get your hearts off from all earthly engagements; 'tis not [ 2] like that man should ever stand constant toward God who is entangled with the snares and cares of this world. That man whose heart is constantly fixed upon God, though he does but little in way of duty, in comparison of many an hypocrite, yet he shall hold out, when the most glorious hypocrite in the world shall fall to the ground.

Take heed of secret sinning: secret sins will undo thee, if they [ 3] are loved and maintained: one moth in a garment may spoil the garment; one leak in a ship may drown the ship; a pen-knife may stab and kill a man as well as a sword: so one sin may damn the soul, nay there is more danger of a secret sin causing the miscarrying of the soul than open profaneness, because they are not so obvious to the reproofs of the Word; therefore take heed that secret sinnings eats not out good beginnings.

Often take an account of your hearts how things stand with them; [ 4] say, Oh my soul, how is it with thee? how stand terms between God and thee? Come my soul, there was a time that there was such good stirrings and good motions in thee, what is now become of them? at the first beginning thou wert very forward and active for God, such a chamber, such a closet can witness the intercourse God and thou hadst, thou didst walk close with God and his fear was in thee; this would be a special help were it observed to keep the heart upright: but I fear many a Minister may say of his people as Paul did to the Galatians, Where is now the blessedness which you spake of?

Never trust your hearts after warmings with comfort and spiritual [ 5] revivings: when thou in any Ordinances hast met with God's presence, and he hath shined upon thee in love, if thou hast got a smile from Jesus Christ at that time, have a care of your hearts, and look for temptations and prepare for them; many when they have good desires, and hopeful beginnings in them, think that the work is past, and the danger is over, and and then for the most part comes a temptation of Satan and encounters with them and they are basely foiled, and lose their peace again, great consolations usually precedes great temptations. Mat. 3.17. when God testifies that Jesus Christ is his beloved son, This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased, in the very next chapter, how was he led into temptations? what a combat had he with the Devil? As after the greatest mercies many times follows the greatest miseries: See how Christ thinks of these temptations, all his glory and magnifficence could not put the thoughts of his sufferings out of his mind: John 12.12. Christ comes riding in pomp to Jerusalem, and the people they magnified him, crying out, Hosanna to the son of David, yet ver. 27. he cries out, Father, save me from that hour.

[ 6] When you find any stirrings of good desires to arise, any motion of the Spirit to affect you, work them downwards to humble your hearts, making you base and vile in your own eyes, that so you may grow downward in the root; 'tis very dangerous when beginnings run upwards presently, but when they show us our sins and unworthiness then they work kindly: If there be no moisture at the root of the tree, though there be never so many blossoms they will die, vanish, and come to nothing; so if your joys and secret raptures of soul are not moistened in the tears of sorrow and humiliation they will blow off and be shaken down by the next temptation; but when the inward workings of joy in the heart, do as well operate to humiliation as consolation, when they work both ways, then will not your goodness be as the early dew that goeth away, and as the morning cloud which soon vanisheth? Psal. 110.3. 'tis prophesied that in the times of the Gospel Christ's people shall be a willing people in the day of his power, Christ's power shall be put forth upon his people to subdue their wills to the will of God, so that if we find this effect of Christ's power in us, then may we be sure that our goodness shall not prove as the morning cloud.

Rest not in stirrings and beginnings, except you find them to work [ 7] you to union with Jesus Christ: therefore as soon as your hearts begin to work, you should stop a little and ask your hearts what of Jesus Christ is there in those beginnings; have I more of his righteousness, wisdom and love than I had before? only such stirrings of heart as bring Christ into the soul will hold and stand fast; that is very observable which we read of concerning the Manna, Exod. 16.14. that the dew which was upon the ground that passed away, but the Manna that stayed on still; so the good affections and desires which are in many are even like the dew, which as soon as the Sun is up is gone presently; now if you would not have the efficacy of them gone, try what Manna there is left behind, what of Christ is strengthened, is your faith propped, your love increased, your humility acted? then it's something; the Israelites could not feed upon the dew, but the Manna was their nourishment; so how is it with you when the heat of your desires and stirrings are over? can you then feed upon Christ this spiritual Manna; look what word of promise is left in your hearts after your stirrings are over, and how your hearts are affected with it; such as find the promise remaining when the dew is gone and that these promises are as sweet now as they were at the first working of the affections, such a soul will hold out, and his righteousness shall not be as the morning cloud or early dew that passeth away.

THerefore have I hewed them.] We would think there were little dependence upon these words, yet there is a very fit one. Therefore, that is, because they are so fickle and inconstant, so off and on, therefore have I caused my Prophets to deal sharply with them to cut them to the quick; I would not have dealt thus w ^th them, but that I have no other way to take with them, seeing that they are so vain, so slight in their spirits I deal thus with them, that if it were possible I might fit them, and they might be brought to see what a God it is they have to deal withal. The Apostle in Titus, 1.13. is commanded to reprove them sharply that they might be sound in the faith; sharply, that is, cuttingly, rebuke them cuttingly. My Prophets have been as an ax, [in Prophetis] as an ax that cuts hard knotty wood, or as the instruments of Carvers in stone, which cuts rough things. And have slain them by the words of my mouth; the seventy Translators carry these words thus, Have slain the Prophets, that is, have hewn the Prophets; and Jerome refers it to the time of Elijah, 1 Kings, 18.40. who slew so many of Baals Prophets, and unto J • hu's time, that slue also many of Baals Prists, 2 Kings, 10.25. thus they carry it; and in this you have an objection answered that the people might plead thus.

[Expos. 1] 'It is true we have been led aside and have not worshiped God as we should do, but it is our Priests and our Prophets which have led us aside, we did but as we were taught, and if we have been led aside our Prophets and our Priests have done it; Nay saith God you cannot plead so, for you have seen my hand against the Prophets sufficiently, I have cut them off. So that though I conceive not this to be the meaning of these words, yet from this sense this useful Note may be observed.

That when God comes out against false Prophets, and appears against them, then God looks especially that people should not follow them, nor do as they have been taught by them. Ezek. 13.10. there is a woeful judgment denounced against the false Prophets, for prophesying peace when God's purposes were set against Jerusalem, for destruction. Their judgment was, That they should not come into the Assemblies of his people, and my hand shall be against them; (and mark,) you shall know that I am the Lord God. They shall then know more particularly that I am the Lord God, when my hand is thus out against them. It is a mighty convincement of people, when they see the hand of God out against their false teachers; and if so, how may the people of England be convinced of the evil of that way they so admire and cry up, when the hand of God is so heavy upon the superstitious time-servers and maintainers of these ways?

But there are others who carry the word unto the good [Expos. 2] Prophets, as Pareus with some others, & so in a twofold sense they are said to be slain.

First, In their charge. I have sent them (saith God) to deliver my message to this people, and they have flown in their faces and have killed them, and destroyed them, and I account it as if I had done it, because I set them about their work: and this was spoken at that time when the Prophets were grossly abused, when Zaccariah the Prophet delivered his Message to King Joash, and was slain for it; and saith the text, Acts, 7.52. Which of the Prophets have not your fathers murdered? But now here is their encouragement against all the il usage & the hardships which they meet withal in their work: I look upon it saith God as I doing it, I had a hand in it: therefore certainly God will not let them go unrewarded. 1 Sam. 22.23. David said to Abiathar, Abide thou with me, fear not; for he that seeketh thy life, seeketh my life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard. David was the occasion of Abiathers fathers death, and because of that, what respect had David of him for this? and shall not God much more? So that, have you a friend, a brother, or a father slain for the Cause of God, or in it, standing for Him? shall not God take his part? yea He will. Ahim • lech was slain accidentally for the Cause of David, & yet he would deal well with Abiathar: but saith God, thy friend was slain, standing for Me, and owning My Cause; he shall lose nothing by it, for I will deal well with thee, and preserve thee alive for his sake.

I have slain them.] That is thus, Their Ministry hath been [Expos. 3] so heavy that it hath even killed them, I have followed them on so with work, that I have even slain them; so that this people cannot say, they have not been warned, or that they have had no Prophets among them, or that their Prophets have been idle, that they have had no work to do; and certainly it is a good death for a Minister to die preaching. Pareus makes much use of this, saith he, How much more honorable to die in doing God's work, than by committing sinful acts of intemperance, uncleanness, &c. they cannot spend their strength better than in God's service: O let that people who have such Ministers look to it, that they bring forth fruit answerable in some proportion to the cost that is bestowed on them: and if you take the sense thus, then God seems to speak grievingly, Oh what shall I do with this people? what means hath been used, what losses have I sustained by them? I have spent many choice Servants among them, the lives and strengths of such spirits have been spent upon them of whom the world was not worthy, Oh what shall I do unto such a people! Surely such a people, enjoying such a Ministry had need look to their profession: May not this be said of many Congregations in London? hath not God sent many choice spirits among you to do you good? and have they effected the end for which they were sent among you? If not, woe to you: God hath a special regard unto this, when he shall spend the lives of his choicest and most precious servants, and if he have not a considerable vallue and return in people's fruitfulness it will mightily provoke and incense him against them: God hath an high esteem of his Ministers lives and strengths, they are vallued more than so, to be spent and wasted upon unfruitful people, who neither care for them nor their Ministry.

[Expos, 3] But to come more particularly, and according to the genuine sense of the words; This slaying refers itself to the people: Now the Word slays in these two respects.

In its deonouncing of judgment upon men; for what the [ 1] Word threatens it is said to do, Jer. 18.7, 8. At what instant I speak concerning a Nation, or concerning a Kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy, and when God promises mercy & good he is said to give life; and we should look upon them as performing of it.

[ 2] In the operation and working of it, it hath a mighty efficasie in it, for the working impenitent sinners to ruin, it is as a twoedged sword which doth execution every way Isa. 11.3 It makes men of quick understanding in the fear of God; and God is said to consume Antichrist by the breath of his nostrils, and by the Word of his mouth, the Word is of such a force that sometimes if brings death in a literal sense to some who withstand and oppose it, Ezek. 11.2. Pelatiah gives wicked counsel in the City, and the Prophet is commanded to prophesy against him, and in the 13. verse we read that when the Prophet prophesied, Pelatiah died: so many times God makes the Word so powerful in the mouths of his servants that it strikes men dead presently: Gwalther hath this Note from hence, that the power of the Word appears in this, that it awakens, convinces, and terrifies the consciences of men, so that they go home and make away themselves, and become self-murderers, and the truth is, it is nothing else but the word working powerfully to the ruin and destruction of men.

Or the words may be taken hyperbolically; as men that [Expos. 4] are oppressed and in misery, Oh ye kill me, I am not able to endure it, you will be the death of me; the Prophets came so close to them, that they cried out, Oh they will kill us, we are not able to suffer them. Luther saith that these words Thou hast slain them, by the words of my mouth; that is meant the Law, by the Law thou hast slain them, and by the word Prophets he saith is meant, that part of Doctrine which is necessary to be preached, to prevent the abuse of the Doctrine of the Gospel, which otherwise men would be ready to pervert, and he further adds, that, those men which deny the use of the Law were not fit so much as to be suffered; I mention this of Luther the rather because those who deny the use of the Law urge him so strongly for the upholding of them in their way. It follows.

Thy judgments are as the light. That is, passively, thy threatenings [Expos. 1] upon them, or the execution of those threatenings upon them shall break out as the light; though they have slain my Prophets, and think thereby to free themselves from those judgments which they threatened against them; no saith God, for all this I will make known my threatenings, which they have denounced against them; when the Prophet Jeremiah had delivered the message of God to the Princes and the Priests they laid hold on him, and said, he should surely die, Jer. 26.8. Now see what the Prophet saith in the 14 and 15. verses, As for me, behold I am in your hands, do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you, but know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall bring innocent blood upon your heads; for of a truth the Lord hath sent me unto you. You think perhap • that when the Minister is gone his words are gone and there is an end of them; no, they shall lie upon you, and shall break out so perspicuously that they shall clearly convince you; though formerly they pleaded for themselves as they in Isa. 58. that let them be never so well conceipted of themselves, I will discover them to be but a company of base Hypocrites, I will then show you such clear demonstrations of the ways of righteousness in which you should have walked, that all shall discern what you are, it shall then appear as clear as the light wherein you have gone astray from the rule.

[Expos. 2] Again, the words may be taken actively, and then the sense is, That my power shall so appear upon them, that their righteousness and holiness shall appear as the light. And then though my judgments were smart and tedious at the first, yet you shall not repent it, you shall see so much good from them which will make amends and pay all charges: Or thus, I have sent my Prophets among this people for this very end and purpose, to make this people a righteous people, and that they may manifest this as clearly as the light. And thus you have the meaning of the words, the observations follow.

[Obs. 1] Unconstancy in the ways of Religion causes God to be incensed against a people. Such men as are off and on, which make overtures in the ways of Religion had need to have cutting truths preached to them; Therefore have I hewed them (saith God) by my Prophets; and as God's Ministers must deal thus with their people, so must every man in particular who loves his own soul, and if so be • hy soul be precious in thy eyes thou wilt willingly deal sharply with thyself, say, Oh wretched heart that I have, to let such stirrings die, such motions of the spirit come to nothing, dost thou know whom thou hast to deal withal, the infinite great God? and for what thou hast to deal with him, for no less than eternity, and hast thou stirrings of heart about this? and dost thou let them die? this provokes God.

Many men's hearts are like knotty timber and rough stones. [Obs. 2]

I have hewn them. And the longer men continued in their sins the knottier they are; as timber which hath lain long soking in the water is tough & hardened; so men's spirits that are soaked in their evil ways, Oh how untoward are they, and how hard a thing is it to fasten anything that is good upon them? so that when we see men's spirits tough, stubborn and hard to be wrought upon think of this text, I have hewed them by my Prophets.

That this is spoken of a people whose goodness was as the morning cloud, and the early dew which passeth away: The Note is, That many people although their goodness be but as the dew, [Obs. 3] soon off, yet their evil is hard and settled: the goodness of many is like the softness of a plumb soon crushed; but their wickedness is like the stone in the plumb hard and unflexable; so that you may here see grace & truth doth not consist in good motions, stirrings, and desires, for these may be where the heart is not melting, soft, nor tender; the heart is not changed, for were the heart kindly wrought upon, it would kindly yield and buckle under the power of the Word, when it comes against their sins, there would be a taking part with the Word.

God's Ministers are hewers. I have hewed them by my Prophets; [Obs. 4] elsewhere they are called God's Workmen, and here Hewers, and that in these two respects: Either to prepare them for God's building, or to cast them into the fire, these are God's ends in sending His Ministers, His Hewers; now they hew all, good and bad, to take them off from their own rootings and make them as beams in God's building, or to be as an ax laid to the root of their souls. 'It is recorded that in the building of Solomon's Temple there was no noise of knocking with hammers or tools, the materials being prepared, fitted, and squared beforehand: so those which will be members of God's Temple hereafter, must be hewed and fitted for it here; therefore John is said to be one sent to make rough things plain, to level great mountains, mountains of sins, crabbed and rugged spirits.

By this work you may see what a hard task the Ministers labor is, this made Jeremiah to complain, when he saw the dullness and stupidity of the people, resolved that he would speak no more in the Name of the Lord to this people. The work of a Minister it is more laborious than the work of a Carpenter, as Chrysostom expresses it; for saith he, the Carpenter when he hath wrought hard all day he goes home and comes again in the morning and finds it as he left it; but we hew and take pains and leave our people, and come again we find them worse than before.

[Obs. 5] That the Ministers of the Gospel when they meet with such rough, cross, and untoward spirits must deal with them answerably.

I have hewed them by my Prophets, my Prophets have done their work upon them, God seems to speak to the Prophets to bid them sharpen their tools, make their instruments keen, preach suitably unto them, saving some with fear, as the Apostle Jude speaks, verse 23. I wonder what people can say to this Scripture, who cry out against Ministers for preaching the Law, when the text says plainly, and save some with fear: therefore let those that are the Ministers of the Word have a care that they sharpen their tools by the Word, putting an edge upon them that so they may encounter with the greatest oppositions.

When the Ministers hew, God hews. I have hewn them saith [Obs. 6] God, when as it was the Prophets that did it. Is the Word sharp, and doth it come close at any time? then look to God which makes it so. Is the tool sharp, and doth it smart? then look to the hand that directed the stroke, and know that if God hew thee, he will have his will upon thee, he will accomplish the end he aims at; when God hews thee, if thou dost not work under his hand to make something of for use, he will throw thee into the fire, as a work man in an angry fit of passion throws away the piece he is at work upon into the fire; so saith God, this man or this woman they are good for nothing, I will throw them into the fire: take heed, you who have stirrings and motions unto good, and yet have your secret lusts, beloved bosom-corruptions, know that God may cut you down for the fire, and thou mayest be already cut down for the fire, though thou livest in the bosom of the Church under the Ordinances; before thou art cut down by death, as we may see, the fig tree was cut down, yet had leaves for a while, green and flourishing; know, 'tis possible that a man which makes a glorious profession and performs many duties, yet may be but a vessel of wrath, one cut down by the stroke of the Word by wrath, this cutting down, is like unto that which we find in Luke 14.24. For I say unto, that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper; and yet these men had stirrings and motions in them. Oh! the consideration of this should make sinners to tremble, that it is possible for men, yea for men professing godliness to be cut down by the Word of wrath, and that while they are living and well; now God way be said to cut a man down for vengeance when he in judgment determines and secretly resolves against him, that no means nor mercies shall do him good, now woe to that man against whom God is thus resolved and determined. But that none may be discouraged and disheartened by this, but awakened, know, that so long as God still strives with thee, and is yet working upon thee by his Word, and by his Spirit, he hath not yet determined against thee, thou art not past hope of cure, therefore improve the seasons, and do not abuse this that hath been said, let it support you from dispair, but not encourage you to presume.

God's Ministers are God's Tools; and as tools by working are [Obs. 7] worn out, so are God's Ministers worn by working; but when the work goes on though the tools are worn, the laborer thinks not much: so God when he sees people come in and accept of mercy, he is content to bear the loss of the wearing of his tools; and as men reckon not only for the work done, but also for the wearing of the tools, and the more precious the tool is, the more he accounts of, and reckons for the wearing of it, so will God also, not only reckon for the lives of his servants but also for their strength and the weakening of their bodies by sweating and labor. Therefore people had need to look to it, that their fruit may answer the cost God is at with them; for know, that God sets a high price upon His choice servants lives, and he will have a valluable consideration for them, either in you or upon you; and woe be to you if God forceth the price of such blood as theirs is in your ruin.

[Obs. 8] God's Ministers are God's mouth to His people. I have slain them by the words of my Mouth: Jer. 15.19. If thou take forth the precious from the vile, then shall you be as my mouth. And look what is threatened by them, is threatened by God; and what promise they open and press upon a soul in distress, is done by God Himself, and it is to be looked upon as God speaking to thee in particular.

[Obs. 9] The Word of God is of great power, and full of efficacy. I have slain them by the words of my mauth. The word is like a two-edged sword which smites every way and doth execution: every time men hear the Word it is for life or for death, Deut. 32.46, 47. Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify unto you this day, for it is not a vain thing for you, because it is your life; it is your life which lies upon it, therefore look ye to it; so in Revel. 11.5. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouths, and devoureth their enemies: Though the witnesses be as Olive branches, yet if any wrong them they must be killed by devouring fire.

[Object.] But if the Word be of such efficacy, of a slaying nature, why should we hear it?

[Answ.] We are bound to hear the Word as our duty: and when we come we should present our lusts before the edge of the Word: were sin presented before it, it would only slay the sin and not the person. When the Word comes, it will slay the one, either your sins, or your souls; therefore if you would have your souls saved, put your sins to death: the upright man need not fear coming to the Word; but such as are resolved to keep their sins, the Word will slay both them and their sins too. It follows.

Hence observe: That God's judgments, while men go on in a [Obs. 1] prosperous way of sinning, lie in the dark, they see them not, they sin and judgment appears not, and therefore they take liberty and embolden themselves in their sins.

When judgments do come, they break out. Judgments were [Obs. 2] working their ruin before, they did not sleep: Judgments when they come they break out upon sinners: as mighty waters being stopped in their course of running, when they work over the interruption they run the faster.

God hath His time to punish sins openly by His judgments; as [Obs. 3] they sin secretly in the dark, God will punish openly in the light to make them ashamed.

God will have His time to convince men by His judgments; then [Obs. 4] their filthiness shall be punished.

Now God's judgments may be said to break forth (to convince men, and) as the light, three ways.

1. When the same thing threatened in the Word comes to pass.

2. When the judgment inflicted is suitable to the sin committed.

3. When it is executed by a remarkable han • upon the sinner, then that judgment breaks forth upon a man as the light.

God's judgments are gradual. They break forth as the light, [Obs. 5] not all at once, there is the morning light, and the mid-day; as mercies to the Saints are gradual, so judgments upon the wicked are but by degrees, dropping at the first.

There is much to be learned by the breakings out of judgment as the [Obs. 6] light. Isa. 26.8. When thy Judgments are abroad, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Mic. 6.9. The man of wisdom shall see thy Name: Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it. Pro. 28.5. Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the Lord, understand all things: they shall learn much. Examine your hearts by this, what you have learned by these judgments that are broken out so clear upon us, that the greatest Atheist in the world may learn this, That the Lord He is God, as the people cried out in 1 King. 18.39.

[Obs. 7] When God sends a Ministry to a people, it is to discover the way of God, and of His Worship to that people; The Lord makes their righteousness to appear and break forth as the light, and He will have His way and Worship to appear as clearly as the light, His way shall not be in the dark to them.

[Obs. 8] When God brings a powerful Ministry to a people, the more powerful and sharp that Ministry hath been, if they do not turn, the more terrible and sharp shall judgment be upon them. Your consciences shall echo upon this ground in your ears, The Lord is righteous in all His ways, justly am I punished. Oh the sad cries of many people in their sicknesses and death-beds! How many times have I been warned by the Word? but I slighted warnings, I did not regard them; warnings have been no warnings to me, therefore justly am I in misery.

[Use.] Oh that the consideration of this might be more prevalent and work more upon us, than ever God's quikness in His judgments wrought towards those that stand out against a quick, searching Ministry.

THis being a great Scripture, having much of the mind of God in it, and much difficulty in the understanding of it. I read no further at this time. Here we have a reason of God's severe expression in the former verse, where it was said that God had hewed them by his Prophets, and slew them by the words of his mouth. Why was God so severe against them? it was, because he would not be put off with their sacrifices, they boul • tered up themselves with these, objecting against the Prophet when he pressed them to mercy and to the knowledge of God: Why, are not we abundant in serving of God? burnt offerings are not neglected by us, and why should not we be accepted? No saith God, I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; never tell me of your sacrifices and burnt offerings, so long as there is no mercy among you; Therefore have I hewed them by my Prophets, & slain them by the words of my mouth; you are so glued unto these outward things, that I must hew you off from them. This sentence is most famous, quoted twice by Christ himself in the New Testament, which we do not find of any place again, which notes the eminency of it; the first time it is quoted you shall find in Mat. 9.13. and the second, in Mat. 12.7.

For the meaning of of the words: For I desired mercy ] the word signifies to desire and to will a thing with a great complacency, or delight; as if God should say, mercy is a thing so pleasing to me, that I desire it at my heart; the word in the Original is fuller than is expressed in our English translation, nothing in the world is so pleasing unto me as mercy. There is God's great mercy in reconciling the world unto himself by Jesus Christ, and this is more worth than all the sacrifices in the world; but this is not the mercy meant in the text, Heb. 10.5, 6, Burnt offerings, and sacrifices thou hadst no pleasure in, but a body hast th • u prepared: there is no mercy like this, the mercy of God in his Son Jesus Christ. But the mercy here meant in the text, it is the mercy of man, and the word here, mercy, is the same word in the Original with that in the 4. verse, your goodness is as the morning cloud that passeth away; so that I desire mercy, that is not the mercy of God, but mercy to Man, and that mercy to ourselves, so Chri • t interprets it, in Mat. 12.7. I • ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice, ye would not h • ve condemned the guiltless. As if Christ should say, God in some cases would have men provide for themselves, though they neglect the keeping of the Sabbath, I will have mercy, as to ourselves so to others, mercy to men, either to their bodies or to their souls; mercy to the body everyone will grant, but it ought to be especially to the soul: warranted from Christ's other quotation of these words, Mat. 9.13. Go ye, and learn what that mean • h, I will have mercy and not sacrifice; for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance: This word mercy is a synechdoche comprehending all the duties of the second Table under one, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice; by sacrifice is meant synechdocically all instituted Ordinances and Worship, all the affirmative precepts of the second and fourth commandments, all Ordinances commanded them then, or that ever should be commanded them hereafter are included in these commands; and this appears to be so by Christ's applying of the text in Mat. 12.7. where it is applied to the sanctification of the Sabbath, and in Mat. 9.13. there Christ applies it and quotes it under an Ordinance, whether true or not, human or divine, it matters not, the separation of the Jews from publicans and sinners, it being unlawful to eat with them, yet in a case of mercy they might, having thereby an opportunity to do good to their souls; so that from these two texts you see a clear warrant for the interpretation of this text.

Now in the further clearing of it, I shall answer some questions, satisfy some objections, and lastly, raise certain observations.

[Quest. 1] What is an instituted Ordinance? There are natural Ordinances, and instituted Duties: Now what is the difference between them? for natural worship, God stands so much upon it, that He will have it before all kind of mercy; inform us therefore of the difference of these two.

[Answ.] For the unfolding of this, know, that by Natural Duties we understand, such Duties as we ow to God, as God, and to be performed by us as to a God: Then there are other duties, to be performed by men, as unto men, which if there had been no law to bind them to the performance of them, yet they would be performed by men, & they were bound to perform them, they are radicated in the heart, such Duties as the first Commandment binds us unto; To have no other God's but the Lord, to fear this God, and Him alone, to love Him before all, and above all, to trust in Him for help at all times: these are Duties to be done as unto a God, Nature itself teacheth a man to perform these Duties.

Then there are Duties to be performed unto men, As honoring of parents, speaking the truth, not deceiving one another, defiling men's bodies, these Duties are radicated in the heart, that were there no Law of God to bind men, yet it were in men's hearts to do them: Now these Duties must not yield to mercy. But for instituted worship, such which if God had not revealed had not been duties, neither could men be bound unto them: As for their sacrifices under the Law, by Bullocks and Goats, these kind of sacrifices, were they not revealed by some Prophet to be the mind of God they had not been bound unto them: So for our Church Ordinances of Sacraments, Christian Admonition and the like, are such as flow from God's Prerogative, and not so much from God's Nature; the other duties lie in God's Nature and Holiness, and are to be performed unto Him as to a God so holy.

But how did God say here, mercy and not sacrifice? [Quest.] did not God require sacrifice as well as mercy?

Yea, God did require sacrifice as well as mercy: [Answ.] But we must understand this with these limitations.

1. I will have sacrifice, but not without the spirit: Sacrifices without the spirit joined with them are nothing worth; when spiritual worship is joined with their outward sacrifices then they are accepted of, instituted worship separated from natural worship is regarded.

2. Not sacrifices to make atonement for their sins. The people thought by their sacrifices to make atonement for their lives though they were never so vile and base; but saith God, I will not have it thus, I will have it only typical, in relation to Christ; but they left out Christ in them: therefore saith God in this sense, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice.

3. Not sacrifice. That is, of your own; They had many sacrifices of their own, which God did neither require, nor would He accept them from them. I will have mercy, and not &c.

4. Not sacrifices. That is, such as are injuriously gotten: the Jews were a very oppressing, grinding people, they would be much in sacrifices, but it was out of the rights of the poor, they would oppress and grind the poor and then think to make up all again by their sacrifices, in this case I will have mercy and not &c.

5. Not sacrifices; that is, comparatively, mercy rather than sacrifice; this negative in Scripture is often set out for half the thing itself, as in Prov. 8.10. Receive instruction, and not silver, and the knowledge of God rather than fine gold. Receive instruction, not silver, that is, rather than silver, God's requiring of knowledge does not forbid men seeking estates, but it shows us rather that knowledge is to be chosen before it. So Paul is sent to preach the Gospel, and not to baptize; that is, rather than to baptize; for Paul did baptize in some places: so saith God here, I will have mercy and not sacrifice: that is, let me have both, but if both cannot be had, let me have mercy of the two, I do so much delight in it that if I cannot have mercy and sacrifice together, let me not miss of mercy.

[Quest. 3] Why should God require mercy rather than sacrifice?

[Answ, 1] Because mercy is good in itself, but sacrifice is good only in reference to something else, the good of sacrifices are only in their references to Jesus Christ.

[Answ, 2] Mercy is good in itself, but sacrifice is good because commanded by God's Prerogative, God's command puts its goodness upon it.

[Answ, 3] Mercy is part of God's Image in man, but sacrifice is not, and by how much more excellent God's Image is in man, above any other excellency, by so much is mercy more excellent than sacrifice.

[Answ, 4] All instituted worship was made for man, not man for it; but for natural worship man was made for it, and not it for man; therefore must needs be more excellent. Christ's reasoning thus warrants this reasoning, saith Christ, The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath: Now this cannot be said of Natural worship, of the duties of fearing God, loving of God, trusting in God.

[Answ, 5] There is more self-denial in a duty of Mercy than in any Sacrifice; to do good to the poor, and that in obedience to God's command argues more self-denial than to be offering up to God sacrifices, it puts a great honor upon the creature to offer up sacrifice to God, because then man hath to do with God in an imediate manner.

Mercy is, Aeternae veritatis, it is an eternal everlasting duty, it [Answ, 6] was always, and shall be so, and the habit of it shall be so to all eternity; though in Heaven there be no objects to be delired out of misery, yet this disposition of mercy remains in them.

Sacrifice is a typical duty for the obtaining of the pardon [Answ, 7] of sin, but mercy is a moral duty; now that which is a moral duty is better than that which is but to further us in the getting of pardon for a moral offense committed against the great God.

Because sacrifices are but to further us in natural duties: [Answ, 8] to what end serve Sacraments and why do I receive Sacraments but to strengthen my faith, increase my love, and to further my appetite in hearing God's mind? why do I hear the Word of God, but that it may turn me unto God? Now the end of a thing is better than the means, for the attaining of that end, therefore upon these grounds God may be said to desire mercy rather than sacrifice.

What are these cases in which God will have mercy and not sacrifices? [Quest. 4]

The principal cases are these ten.

Sometimes in the case of a beast he will have mercy and not sacrifice; if a beast should be in danger of losing its life [ 1] by any casualty upon the Lord's day, God doth allow us to forbear all Church Ordinances at that time rather than let the beast perish; but because this liberty by God is allowed to men in this case, yet you must not think that a beast is better than all God's Ordinances.

In case of mercy to the poor; and that I conceive to be the [ 2] principal scope of the words of this text; these people here they wronged, oppressed, and tyrannized over the poor, and then they thought to make amends to God by their sacrifices and offerings; men must not lay out so much of their estates either in superfluities, or for the maintenance of God's true worship, as to hinder them in their benevolence and charity to the poor, no Ordinance of God should hinder us in showing mercy to the least member of Jesus Christ; although those which are next us ought to be first relieved, yet know, 'tis a shame that others should be neglected and forgotten, yea it is a reproach to the ways of God, that profane men should be more liberal to the poor, that more hungry bellies should be fed & naked backs clothed by them than by those which profess Religion and would seem to honor God most; do not you think this will be sufficient to excuse you before God, when the cry of the poor shall come up before him, that you have been at such and such charges for the Ordinances, and for God's worship: no in this case God will have mercy.

[ 3] Mercy to parents, to relieve parents in their necessity, is a case in which God will have mercy and not sacrifice; if providence so cast it, that parents should stand in need of our help, if we are able to help them in their decay, it is our duty to do it, though by this means you are deprived of God's Ordinances, you ought rather to regard the relief of parents than the observation of the Sabbath if the case should so fall out: you are ready to think thus, Were not I better to let my parents alone, I must obey the command of Christ who saith, That he which forsakes not father and mother for my sake and the Gospel, and follows not me, is not worthy of me. Here now is a mistake in this, Is not worthy of me, that is, if your parents should counsel, advise, persuade, entice, or command you to the practice of evil to the omission of any good, to the breach of any command, and upon your refusal they should be angry with you, that you will not obey them, but follow the command of God and not go out of God's way, in this case father and mother is to be forsaken for Christ and the Gospel, but in no case if they stand in need of your help; this is grounded upon that text in Mark, 7.11. which text I shall open to you, but ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free: Now what is the meaning of this word Corban? The word signifies a gift consecrated to God; now the Jews thought that if they could say the word Corban, they were exempted from all duty to their parents in this kind; 'tis true, I had an estate, but I have consecrated it to God, and Church services, and though I owe duty and respect to you as my parents, yet more to God, as my Creator: this is most vile and abominable, and reproved by Christ himself, Possidonus in the life of Austin reports that Austin condemned parents, who used to give their estates away to Monastries, and pious uses as they thought, and neglected their children: so for children to neglect and slight parents in the time of their necessity, and think to excuse it with this they have given to the Church, and now they are not able to do any m • re, this will not do it; and this was the old way of Papists, to get people to give to their Mother, the Church. I find cited a tradition by some of the Jews used by them, when they fell out and were thoroughly angry one with another, they would tell him he should never have any benefit in anything which they had, and this they called Corban, and this in Mat. 15.5. is called a gift, The gift of the Altar: therefore some of the Heathens forbad this Oath Corban; and yet this was the Oath that these did swear by, and by some is used (upon the matter) even at this day as an Oath, as thus, when any that we have relation unto, having thoroughly angered us, we use to say, well, you shall never be a penny the better for me, this is no other than this oath Corban which they used to swear by in this place.

In the case of the good of souls, and this is Christ's case, [ 4] Mat. 9.13. Go ye and learn what that meaneth; I will have mercy and not sacrifice, for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance: though men ought to prize Ordinances, and to set a high esteem of God's worship, yet if it should so fall out, that instituted worship and mercy to souls come together, and both cannot be done together, instituted worship may be left undone so not slighted, and the work of mercy to the soul must be vallued before it: we are ready to think that nothing must give way to instituted worship, but certainly immortal souls are of more worth than Ordinances. Paul was of such a disposition, that he could wish himself out of Heaven and become an Anathema for his brethren, that souls might be saved.

[ 5] In case of human societies, and for the quiet state of Kingdoms, and yet this no prejudice to God's Ordinances: God hath allowed to men the art of Navigation; we read Solomon sent ships to Tharshis to fetch gold, which were it not for this text I could not see any warrant there were for that employment of Navigation; when men shall be three or four years out perhaps and never hear Sermons, nor receive Sacraments; and yet it is lawful upon this ground, that God will have the peace of Sates and quiet of Kingdoms preserved and maintained, he will rather suspense with men in the use of his own Ordinances, for the prosperity of Civil States: therefore Solomon is not reproved for sending Ships to Ophir for gold.

[ 6] In the case of Church societies, when the People of God are scattered, and cannot meet together, God is content in such cases His people should be without Ordinances, and yet no sin to them: as is clear in the case of the children of Israel all the time the Church was in the wilderness even for forty years together they wanted Circumcision; but when they came into Canaan, that they enjoyed any settlement than they were circumcised again, and had the Passover which before they could not partake of; so that in some cases and upon some grounds the people of God may be without Ordinances, and that for a long time, and yet without sin to them; and upon this ground in the text, I will have mercy and not sacrifice: therefore this may be the reason of those words which Christ spake to His Disciples: I have many things to say unto you, but you are not able to bear them: so may we say, Christ hath many truths to reveal which yet people are not able to bear, therefore he with-holds the revelation of them until that time.

[ 7] In case of mercy to our bodies: And this is Christ's case in the 12 ^th of Matthew, 7. verse, If ye had known what this meaneth, ye would not have condemned the guiltless: yet, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice. God's care of the bodies of men is such, that he will rather have men do the one than the other, He will rather have mercy than the duty: Christ doth not plead here for the Disciples, that this was not a breach of the Sabbath; but the case was such that their bodies required it, it was a case of mercy, and now God would rather have mercy than the duty: A servant perhaps thinks much to stay at home to tend a child, or look to the house upon the Lord's day, he objects, Why should not I go to the Church? Is not my soul of greater worth and price than this child, or this house? Now these people go upon a good principle; yet here they er in their acting of it: as to instance; A father commands his child to do two services for him, the one to wait on him at the table, the other to make clean his shoos; to wait upon his father at the table he is willing to do, because this is creditable, but the other he grumbles at and is disconted: now in which doth he show most obedience in? Surely in obeying of the meanest command. So God requires of us two sorts of Duties, one the more honorable, the other more mean, yet perhaps the meaner, a work of mercy: God is wonderful careful of our bodies, and would have us also careful of the bodies of others, men ought not to massacar their bodies, God doth not require weak sickly bodies, to spend whole nights in fasting and prayer: God in this case will have mercy, and not sacrifice of us.

Mercy in case of our own estates. But here some may say, [ 8] What, may we regard our own particular estates before the service of God? Yea, in some cases we may; as thus, Suppose we were in the Assembly at public Ordinances, and there should be a fire in the Town or thieves breaking into a house, we might lawfully leave the Ordinances to quench the fire, or to apprehend the thieves, and save our goods. Numb. 9.13. If a man were in a journey, and in the mean time the Passover were to be delivered, he might go on in his journey, and do his business, and yet no sin to him. So may we, if in a journey or special business, if not on purpose we go about this in slighting or contemning of the Ordinance, we may go on in our business without sin, God will have mercy.

[ 9] In the times of persecution, God doth allow his people the forbearing of some Ordinances; as is clear in Acts, 8.1. There was at that time a great persecution against the Church which was at Jerusalem, so that the Church was scattered and could not be together to enjoy Church-fellowship, and yet it was no unto them; it had been an unjust charge if any should have come and said, What, do you prize your lives so highly, and fear the loss of them, more than the Ordinances of God? will not you join together in Church-fellowship and constant assembling yourselves together, because you think you shall suffer by it? No, in such case, God will have mercy, and not sacrifice.

[ 10] In the case of some eminent service for God. As in the case of Nehemiah, he being the Kings Cup-bearer he must attend it, and when he was to go up to Jerusalem by the Kings leave, when he had finished his work he returns to the King again to serve in his place, though he wanted the Ordinances there in the Kings Court, which he might have enjoyed at Jerusalem, yet that he might be more serviceable in the Churches Cause he is contented to deny himself in his own comforts. These are the cases, with others of the like nature, in which God will have mercy, and not sacrifice.

I shall answer some Objections that may be made against this.

[Obj. 1] But men's hearts are deceitful, and they may pretend cases of mercy when there is no such thing in hand.

[Answ.] Know, though in such a case thou couldst not do it, yet do not thou judge another man that may or can do it; the rule is difficult, that's true, yet do not thou envy another man's grace, to whom God hath given power to manage his business with Christian wisdom; thou thinkest that if thou wert in such places and hadst such temptations as others have, thou shouldst miscarry, and aim at self in them; yet do not thou judge another man, that may do it in sincerity, do not thou judge another man's duty through thy weakness: God's servants in this world are as his stewards; now we know that a steward hath not everything given him in a particular command by his Lord, but only general rules given him to order particulars according to prudence, faithfulness, and zeal, for the exercise of these three graces are required in a steward: Prudence and wisdom, faithfulness and trust, care and zeal, in all these. So doth God give general rules for the ordering of a Christian life, and these general rules being observed, particular cases are to be ordered, in prudence, faithfulness, and zeal; wisdom to judge, faithfulness in doing, zeal to keep up life and spirit in action, and where there is a miscarring through frailty God will have mercy.

But it may be asked, Can any duty of the sec • nd Table be more [Obj. 2] excellent than the duties of the first Table? of the one God being the object; of the other man is the object.

The duties of the first Table, are to be understood, [Answ.] either for the substantial and internal duties of the heart, or some super added duties of the first Table, joined with the internal and substantial duties; then there are duties of the second Table, some more substantial some superadded; now if we compare the internal and substantial duties with the superadded duties, there the substantial are above them, and to be preferred before them, they having God for their immediate object, yet in some cases God is pleased to indulge with men so far, that he will let the duties of the second Table, duties of mercy towards men go before the more substantial duties of the first Table; so in the duties of the second Table to men, some duties which are but circumstantial and not so necessary God allows should be done when others more fundamental shall lie still omitted, yet without sin.

But if God's Ordinances are duties, can they he omitted at any [Obj. 3] time and that without sin? Are they duties or not duties?

For answer, Take notice, there are two sorts of Precepts, [Answ.] Negative and Affirmative; a negative binds semper, & ad semper, always and at all times, but an affirmative doth bind only semper, but not ad semper, always, but not at all seasons; at one time we may omit a thousand actions which are to be done, but we cannot do many actions at one and the same time, therefore for affirmative duties, if they be done in their season, God accepts of them as done continually; as for that command, Pray continually; if it be done in its season God looks upon it as done continually, and always done; if providence should so order it, that another duty be brought to be done at this instant, that duty which I was going to perform ceaseth then to be a duty to me at this time; if two good things come together, the one can be done but at a time, so that the other is not a duty at that time to you, which otherwise is a duty, else if this were not, man would be necessitated to sin, and all the grace and mercy and assistance of God could not help in this case, if that two affirmative precepts must bind at the same time, to be done, therefore this must be remembered for a truth, that when two • ffirmative precepts come together, the one is a duty to be performed, the other not.

But what say you to the case of Daniel, when he knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house and prayed more earnestly, Dan. 6.10. Might not he have saved his life according to this rule? I will have mercy and not sacrifice; yet his was a sacrifice that he tendered up to God, it was more than a prayer.

Daniel at this time was called to manifest Jehovah to be the true God, for he was forbid at this time by a Decree, to pray to any God, or ask a petition of any man save of the King, in thirty days: now had he done this he had denied the true God, and acknowledged Nebuchadnezzar to be God; the thing he had to profess was higher than the sacrifice, it was a duty of the first commandment, a manifestation of God to be the true God, and the case coming thus, who is the God that must be prayed unto? Daniel resolves the case saying, I will pray to no God but the true God. And surely in this high case, profession is to be made whatever becomes of mercy, yea in a lesser case of sacrifice than this, if it comes to profession, it is turned from a duty of the second Table, to a duty of the first, and must be done as a duty of the first; as thus, Suppose a man be forbid the doing of such a duty which formerly he hath constantly performed, and held lawful, and his forbearing of it shall be to them a testimony of his denial of that truth which he formerly held, in such a case he is called to suffer the hardest things that can be, yea life itself, if it come to it, rather than to omit that duty, or to do the least thing that may be, which to the enemies of the truth may interpretatively be a sign of denial, the doing of such a duty against such a command is a witnessing to the truth, and not offering up of sacrifice; it is not always that a man is called to this, but if it ever come to this case, interpretatively to deny a truth of God, then must we suffer, rather than obey in such a thing, though never so small: and this was the case of the Primitive times, they would rather suffer the loss of life, estates and all, than do that which interpretatively should be a profession of the denial of any of the least truth of God. Turtullian reports of a Soldier who when all the rest of his fellows carried Baies on their hats, in testimony of their worship to the false god, he carried a sprig in his hand, and being asked the reason why he did so, he answered thus, I am a Christian, and this manifested him to be so, and being further questioned about it, he at the last suffered for it rather than he would yield. How many among us would think this a small matter, and had it been their case they would have done it, yet this man considering it was a note of distinction, chose rather the loss of life than yield to do it; and this act of his was approved of by learned and godly men, to be lawful; if we should have lived in those times as many of our forefathers did, that the question should be, who is a Christian, or who is not? and this by way of distinction the case is different changed from a sacrifice to a precept and duty of the first commandment: there was a time that the Saints would not assemble together because of the persecution, Acts, 8.1. but at another time they would not forsake joining together, whatever become of them; when their assembling was made a note of distinction, who was a Saint, who not, who held for such a truth, who would not, in this case for them not to have assembled together had been a great sin in them, and interpretatively a denial of the truth.

[Obj. 4] But if God will have mercy in case of outward things, saving our estates and preservation of our pers • ns, rather than his own Ordinances, Is not this to prefer the body before the soul? &c.

[Answ.] The preservation of a man's outward estate and condition is to be considered in a threefold respect.

[ 1] As it is in its self, and when a man shall love his estate only in reference to its self, certainly it is sin, to regard it before sacrifice.

[ 2] It is to be considered as it enables us to do service for God and our brethren; and this is in a higher respect than the other, of loving our estates for ourselves.

[ 3] It is to considered as a duty in such and such cases, that so I may be made more serviceable for God, and for his people: Now in this case it is an act of Religion, the saving of our estates, as well as praying or hearing of a Sermon, in this case it is act of sacrifice, for I do it in obedience to God, for Relious ends; though the thing itself be an outward act, yet thus done it is an act of Religion, for by this I manifest both my love to God and Religion.

[Obj. 5] But is not a man bound to part with much of his estate, yea and to suffer much for the enjoyment of the Ordinances?

[Answ.] Yea certainly very much, we ought both to give and to suffer much for the enjoyment of Ordinances, yea we should choose rather to live in a poor condition so we may enjoy the Ordinances in their purity, than to be in a rich condition and want the Ordinances; we are to be liberal ourselves and careful in putting on others to be so, even till it come to the case of unmercifulness, and then God will have mercy and not sacrifice.

[Quest.] But when may it be said to come to a case of unmercifulnes in which God will have mercy and not sacrifice?

[Answ, 1] When a subsistence is so denied, that the subject would be destroyed; in this case God will rather have mercy than instituted worship performed to him.

[Answ, 2] When a greater opportunity is denied, to do good to our own souls and brethren, than this is of enjoyment of the Ordinances, then surely God will have mercy and not sacrifice; it is impossible, to give particular rules in everything, this is left to the sanctified prudence of the Saints.

But is not this the justifying of, and consenting with those that took [Obj. 6] up Innovations, and read the Service book?

I answer, No; [Answ.] This Scripture gives no warrant for any such, for there is a great difference between the yielding to that which may pollute and defile the Ordinances, and to forbear an Ordinance; we must not do anything to pollute an Ordinance, though it were to save our lives, but the forbearing of an Ordinance and that for long time may be, and yet without sin.

But is it not a greater mercy to enjoy Ordinances, than estates, we [Obj. 7] think it a great mercy, yea and we have many mercies in the enjoyment of them, though we suffer many hard things, in the mean time we enj y communion with God and Jesus Christ in them.

Certainly the mercy is very great, [Answ.] and much communion is thereto be had with God in his own Ordinances rightly administered, and happy are those souls which find this effect by the Ordinances and Communion with God.

But yet know that the maintenance of the subject is to be [ 1] more regarded than the comfort of it, though it be spiritual: but now have a care of turning what I have said into poison, do not ye say that you may now do anything for the preservation of the subject, we must not do the least thing that can be, by which an Ordinance may be polluted and defiled.

To be serviceable in public use is more than to enjoy Ordinances; [ 2] as for a Minister to preach Jesus Christ to a people is a greater mercy than his particular good can be; and this hath been the judgment of all the Churches, yea it hath been the practice of the Churches to send forth men to preach the Gospel, and to open the things of the Kingdom to them, in which time they could not enjoy the Ordinance of the Sacrament: Paul would have been content to have been Anathema for his brethren, the being of public use for the Churches good was a greater good to him and more in his esteem than private. Thus far of the objections, the observations follow answerable to these, Ten.

[Obs. 1] That carnal hearts who make little conscience of their duties towards men, and are very cruel in their dealings towards them, yet may be contented, to submit to instituted worship: This very Scripture, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, is a secret rebuke unto such people as these; such were those in Jer. 7.4. who cried, The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, yet very wicked in their dealings, Isa 58. those Hypocrites they could be content to submit to instituted worship, frequent in solemn duties of fasting and prayer, yet were such as did smite with the fist, oppress, and grind the poor. Ezek. 24.21. the sanctuary was accounted their strength, the excellency of their strength, and that which their eyes did pity, and yet these very wicked, and in the 28. verse their minds were on it, their hearts did love it, yet themselves carnal.

[Reas.] Because men may be exercised in instituted worship without any power of godliness, it is a very easy work to flesh and blood there is little difficulty in it, in respect of the outward act of performance.

Because it hath the most show of the power of godliness, they seem to be as sincere as any in their worship, there is a great show in the flesh, in the outward man; whereas God's worship is inward, soul worship, which carnal hearts cannot endure, nor do they desire it, 'tis outside worship which they prize; now God forbid that any should have low conceits of Ordinances because wicked men join in them.

[Obs. 2] Carnal men by joining in outward Ordinances think thereby to satisfy their consciences. Thus did they in this place, think to put off God and their own consciences by living in the external acts of worship, and yet live in the love of known sin; what a deal of stir had the Prophet to convince these Hypocrites of this their wickedness?

[Obs. 3] God and men's consciences will not be put off with this; God will despise both it and them: the Heathen gods would not be put off with such outsides, even the Heathens had such a conceit of their gods: one saith, What a vile thing is it to think, that the gods will be put off with gifts? no, these are despised by them, they look that the souls should be just: And another saith, It is not fat sacrifices, but inward performances that God looks at.

The Lord hath a high esteem of mercy; and it appears in this, [Obs. 4] that he will have it preferred before sacrifice; and this is called, an acceptable sacrifice, and a sweet savor in God's nostrils. Chrysostom saith, That he had rather work a work of mercy, than a miracle: and surely that must needs be high in God's eyes and esteem which he pays so dear for.

Oh Christians! imitate God in this, let your esteems of mercy be raised higher than ever before, from this that you have heard concerning the excellency of it. The works of mercy are gloriou • works, there is more in such acts of mercy, than in those acts of religion which men think are more spiritual: I speak the more of this, because it is a scandal which is laid upon godly men by the men of the world, that they are miserable and close handed; now in this we should labor to convince the world by the practice of mercy.

It is the Christians skill, when two Duties come together, which to [Obs. 5] choose: This is a snare in which many Christians are caught and foiled, they think both must be done at the same time, when as the one is the duty, the other not.

Though the object of an action be spiritual, yet it is not a sufficient [Obs. 6] ground to prefer it before another action whose object may be but natural. The Ordinances of God have God for their object, and the enjoying of communion with him, yet in other actions which may be only natural I may show more obedience to God in the doing of them, than in offering up of sacrifice.

If God's own Worship may be forborne in case of mercy, how much [Obs. 7] more men's institutions and inventions? Oh what a vile spirit is there in those men which will not suffer their superstitious vanities to give place to mercy, men must be undone in their bodies and estates rather than their wills be disobeyed; the Prelates faction have confessed themselves, that the Cross, the Surplice, and the rest of that trash were their own institutions; yet Ministers must be silenced, bodies imprisoned, families starved, and thousands of souls destroyed rather than their wills should not be fulfi'ld; Oh the intolerable pride of these men, had they been God's institutions, yet in this case they might have been forborne, what did these men say in plain English but thus much? Let Christ never be revealed to millions and thousands of souls, rather than these ceremonies shall be omitted or neglected.

[Obs. 8] If God will have mercy rather than sacrifice, Certainly he will have mercy rather than disputing about sacrifice. Suppose there be a truth in that which is disputed about, yet God in this case will have mercy rather than sacrifice, rather than mercy shall be neglected he will have sacrifice omitted; we have Ordinances and plenty of preaching, but the Lord knows how soon we may be deprived of them, let us not dispute and wrangle away our mercy.

[Object.] But must we not inquire after truth, and at this time also?

[Answ.] God forbid we should deny or speak against any which shall search into, or inquire after truth, yea at this time, when it is a case of mercy: as thus, when young converts are taken off from fundamental truths, and led into errors, and souls hindered from coming in to Christ, in this case we should abstain from contending.

But young converts must abstain from all appearance of evil, and labor to come to the knowledge of Christ's will in every point.

[Answ.] It is true, they must, but this must be orderly, they must first be established and grounded in fundamentals, and then they have liberty in this; that rule is perpetual and holds in this case, Rom. 14.1. Him that is weak in the faith, receive you, but not to doubtful disputations: Now let no man say, the point was a case of indifferency, some would eat herbs out of conscience, others would forbear; now certainly it is a sin to do that out of conscience which God doth not regard, nor command; the thing itself here was indifferent, yet in this case they must not receive them to doubtful disputations: now, if not to doubtful disputations, then surely not to disputation to hold up error, and to ensnare and betray young beginners in godliness, Acts, 15.24. There were troublers crept in among them, who were formerly of them, and they labored to subvert their souls: The word in the Original signifies, as if a man should have been packing up wares in a fat to send beyond the Seas, and there should come another and scatter and undo all again which was packed up; or as Soldiers who have packed up their artillery, their bag and baggage, and all forced to be undone of a sudden again; so did these false teachers, that did unvessel them, scatter, and bring them all into a confusion, so they labored to subvert them from the faith.

If the duties of inward worship and mercy to men be preferred before [Obs. 9] sacrifice, then surely before our own wills, and lusts: God is contented, that we may perform our duties to our brethren, to forbear his own Ordinances; and what shall we stand upon our wills and humors? Oh proud spirit that exalteth thyself against the Lord; we must be content to deny ourselves very far for the public good, and our brethren, because in this case God is pleased to indulge with men so far, as for a time to be without that honor which he should have from men in their acknowledgment of him in public service.

As God is contented to forbear his Worship, let men also be contented [Obs. 10] to forbear their Institutions with those which cannot yield in their consciences to them; but let there be peace and quiet maintained by us, we should indulge and bear each with other in such cases, of mercy especially, there should not be the urging of lesser things upon tender consciences with that severity as to undo them, though they be God's Ordinances.

But if this be so, [Object.] then what hinders but men may do what they list?

No. [Answ.] What hath been said hath been limited only to instituted worship, and so it be not to the undoing of men, punnish them they may, but not to the ruin of them; nay in these controversies in which men are so divided, many sitting in consultation, some thinking this to be the way, others thinking another to be the way of Christ, things ought not so to be urged, as to undo the other party that oppose; certainly such a practice as this, is contrary to the rule of mercy in this text; but men must unsatisfie themselves presently, and lay down their opinions upon such a day as shall be appointed them: Is not this cruelty?

But you will say, It is sufficient that learned and godly men hold this opinion, they find sufficient to satisfy them, and we may mistake.

[Answ.] To this I answer: That those who are ignorant in this kind must understand the grounds of those men upon which they hold their opinion, and if their grounds can satisfy you, then it is something, but to say, I must hold such and such things because others do & I ignorant of their grounds, this is folly; for as we must not have an implicit faith, so we must not have an implicit judgment, to hold an opinion because others hold it. And thus I have given you the mind of God in this Scripture, so far as God hath revealed it to me for the present.

It follows.

For the understanding of these words, I shall, 1. Answer some Questions, and then give you the Observations.

[Quest. 1] What knowledge of God is it that is here meant?

[Answ.] Certainly, not a knowledge barely notional, but such as is joined with faith, and obedience, a practical knowledge which brings the heart to love and embrace the truth; Isa. 53.11. By his knowledge, shall my righteous servant justify many.

[Quest. 2] Why is the knowledge of God joined to mercy here? was it not full enough before, Mercy, and not sacrifice?

[Answ.] Because as God accepts not mercy without sacrifice, neither doth he regard knowledge without mercy; men are here in the extremes on both sides; some are very merciful, as the Papists, but withal very ignorant of the knowledge of God and his ways, that as the Apostle saith of love, If I should give all my goods to the poor, and my body to be burnt, it were nothing: so if we be never so merciful and ignorant it availeth nothing; others have much knowledge yet very rugged and hard hearted, now when these are separated God regards them not, but when mercy and knowledge meet together then are they pleasing.

Why is knowledge only named here, when as there are many duties [Quest. 3] of the first Table, as well as this?

Because both of the excellency and necessity of the knowledge [Answ. 1] of God, the knowledge of God it hath an influence into all the duties of God's worship.

Because many are very much exercised in instituted worship, [Answ. 2] yet very ignorant in the knowledge of God, it was so then and is so now in our days, many who contend for Ordinances and Christ's Government in his Church, yet are very ignorant of Christ's redeeming the world, the way of God in reconciling himself and sinners together, ignorant of the Attributes of God and their working for his people's good, therefore he requires the knowledge of himself to be in men principally.

Why is the knowledge of God put after mercy, it being better than [Quest. 4] mercy?

The knowledge of God is not set after mercy, [Answ.] because mercy is to be preferred before knowledge, but because mercy is more apparent and most conspicuous, it is most convincing to men, now when people are convinced of one duty, they are the sooner convinced of another, conscience will easily convince them of what is God's mind.

But why is it said burnt offerings, rather than peace offerings, [Quest.] and sin offerings which we read of?

Because these have more respect unto God than other offerings have (as hath been manifested to you at other times, [Answ.] with the differences between burnt offerings and other offerings) as if the holy Ghost should say, I require mercy and not sacrifice, and the inward worship of God, faith and knowledge rather than any natural worship. The Notes from hence are these.

The duties of the first and second Table are to be joined together. [Obs. 1] Mercy, and sacrifice, knowledge of God, and burnt offerings when in their place are acceptable, therefore let us take heed of separating that which God hath joined.

[Obs. 2] The knowledge of God is a most excellent thing. This is that which sanctifies God's Name, and manifests him to be very glorious in the world; Paul accounted all things but loss and dung in comparison of the excellency of this knowledge of Christ.

[Use.] Instruct your children and servants in this knowledge, else how can God have his glory from them; how few are there which glorify God as God, and the reason is, because of the ignorance which is in their minds. Eph. 4.18.

[Obs. 3] Men may be very diligent in instituted worship, and yet very ignorant: none so acted in their instituted worship as these people, ye • none so ignorant as they.

[Use.] That you are forward in instituted worship it is your commendation, but take heed this be not your sin, to be ignorant of fundamental things. It is the great design of the Devil to set up the man of sin, to keep men in darkness and ignorance; many who think themselves, and would be thought to be opposers of Antichrist, even in this, by their questioning of fundamentals of Religion, and disputings about their new Opinions, they raise him up; when as the truth is, it is the way the Devil useth to darken the truth of Christ and Religion, by casting a veil over it, therefore you that are guilty of this distemper, take heed though you have light in some things, yet take heed that a veil be not drawn over those things which do more nearly concern you, and are of greater consequence.

[Obs. 4] Soul-worship must be preferred before all other worship: we must not give God a carrion service, a carkeise without a soul; strong are the expressions in Scripture which are used against such outside, formal worship, Isa. 1.11, 12, 13. God professes of them, that he regards them not, he is full of them, his soul loathes them, they are iniquity, and a trouble to him, they are looked upon as a burden to him, such as God will hide his eyes from, and when they make many prayers, he will not hear them; in this one Scripture we have fourteen expressions against outside, formal duties, besides those four which we find in Isa. 66.3. Thus you have the mind of God in this short, but full sentence.

Now God forbid that what hath been said out of this Scripture should be abused to liberty in a sinful way.

HEre is an argument, that mercy in the former verse is to be understood in a large sense: Why? Because it is the very substance of the Covenant; they have been hard-hearted, cruel and unmerciful, and thereby they have transgressed the Covenant: I am merciful in the Covenant, and my grace is free and full to sinners there; but they have transgressed the Covenant by being cruel and unmerciful, for they like men have transgressed the Covenant.

Like men] That is, like Adam, these men have sinned after [Expos. 1] the similitude of Adams transgression; Rom. 15.14. speaks of those who had not sinned after the similitude of Adams transgression: But these, as they have old Adam in them, so they have dealt with me as he did; and as he for his sin was cast out of Paradise, so these men have deserved to be cast out of [Expos. 2] the good Land. But Vatablus, & Tremellius and others, read the words thus; They have broken my Covenant as a man, they thought that I had been as their fellow creature; as they made it their practice to break covenants with men, so they thought to do with God: so they have transgressed my Covenant. This sense may be taken, and so the note of Observation would be seasonable.

That the cause of breach of Covenant with God, is, because we consider not that it is with God that we make our Covenants.

But the words are more usually read, as in our books, But [Expos. 3] they like men have transgressed my Covenant: that is, Not as I, who like a God have kept Covenant: but they like such men as themselves, i. e. weak, inconstant, frail, unfaithful creatures have transgressed, Job, 31.33.

[Object.] But may not this seem to be an excusing or diminution of their sin, to say, They like men, (implying the common frailty of human nature) have transgressed?

No, 'tis rather an aggrav • tion of their sin. Therefore the word here translated Men, is used for man in his corrupt estate, for weak men, frail men, not men at their strength, but weakness, and so distinct from that which signifies, generous and strenuous men; and so the comparison is not only between God and man, but between the several degrees of men.

Or thus: They have transgressed my Covenant like men. That is, not like my people. Saints that are of my Church, they have not transgressed my Covenant so. Their ways have been the ways of ordinary men, and as such they have transgressed my Covenant. The two last senses are principally meant here.

My Covenant] The Covenant of God we usually divide into two parts; but the Scripture to me seems to hold forth a threefold Covenant: the one of Works, that which was made with Adam in Paradise. The other Covenant is that which was made with Abraham, the Covenant of Grace, the tenor of which is this, I will be thy God, and the God of thy seed after thee. Then there was a Covenant which was made with them upon mount Sinai. Now the Covenant here cannot be meant immediately of the Covenant of works, nor of the Covenant of grace, for this Covenant here implied, is one especially made with them, and therefore must be understood of that at mount Sinai, made many hundred years after the others, yet it hath reference to that of Works, and of Grace.

And were this knot rightly understood and untied, the Antinomians and we might easily be reconciled; for we grant that Believers are delivered from the Law in respect of the power of it, as condemning; from the riger of it, but not from the duties of the Law; for the things commanded in the Law were duties before the Law was given, the Law was written in the hearts of the Saints from the beginning. But the opening of this point would require a whole Exercise, and I shall reserve this to some other time.

Now then the Covenant which they transgressed, was the Covenant at large, but especially that Covenant which God made with them when they came into the Land of Canaan.

They transgressed] the word is, They went over it, the Covenant was betwixt them and their sins, and they went over it to their sins, the banck was not high enough to keep them and their sins asunder. [Expos. 1]

There] they transgressed the Covenant, there in that good Land of Canaan into which God had brought them, and given them possession, so the Chaldae. [Expos. 2]

Again, There they transgressed the Covenant, there when God had hewed them by his Prophets, and thought to work them to good.

Lastly, There, that is, in the Covenant itself, and that in [Expos. 3] those things wherein they thought they kept the Covenant, and thought they honored me most; in those things they broke the Covenant.

They dealt treacherously] The Greek renders it, they have despised me; they have forsaken me, and chosen other lovers, and left me; even as a woman leaves her own husband to whom she was engaged and goes to other men. It notes, the hearts joining to some other rather than God, so as to be willing to leave the Lord, and either out of affection to some other, or for private advantage, to forsake God and his Cause, to promote and further that which is against God. The Notes of Observation from the words are these.

That it is God's goodness that he will please to enter into Covenant [Obs. 1] with such poor creatures as we are. It is made an aggravation of their sin here, that they did falsify the Covenant, the love of God in entering into Covenant with such mean worthless creatures should command duty from us in the most difficult precepts that are, and that with willingness.

God is constant in his Covenant with men. This is in opposition [Obs. 2] to their unfaithfulness, they deal falsely with God in the Covenant, but God is constant in his Covenant, he confirms his Covenant with the strength of a Giant, Dan. 9.27. And he shall confirm the Covenant with many for one week: The word there signifies, he confirms the Covenant like a Giant, or a mighty strong man; they as weak men break Covenant with me, but I with strength confirm my Covenant, therefore David saith, 2 Sam. 23.5. Yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant, ordered in all things, and sure, it is immovable.

[Obs. 3] Mans nature is very weak and unsettled.

They like men have transgressed the Covenant. We must not lay too much upon men, for when they are most unfaithful they do but like men, Oh what folly is it in men to forsake the eternal God and run to the creature! We trust our servants in our businesses, and shall we not trust God much more? the Word says, all men are liars; nay, every man in his best estate is vanity. Psal. 62.9. God is our refuge: men of low degree are vanity, men of high degree a lie: if they be laid in the balance, they are lighter than vanity itself.

[Obs. 4] The apprehension of our obligations to obey, should keep us within Covenant. Oh never let it be said, that our sins are so strong as to break Covenant, to get our own desires; it is a sign of a most vile wretched spirit, so to desire sin, as to break over this bond of the Covenant; think of this all you that are so easily overtaken with sin; when a temptation comes to any sin, say thus, such a sin I would have and my desires are after it, but did I never Covenant against it? and what, shall I be so wicked as to break my Covenant for it?

[Obs. 5] The breach of Covenant with God, is a most grievous aggravation of our sin; it provokes God highly against that people or person, there have they dealt treacherously against me, Deut. 29.24, 25. Why hath the Lord brought all this evil upon this people? Then men shall say, because they have forsaken the God of their fathers, and the Covenant in which they were bound to him in. What cause have we to bless God that he hath not destroyed us for breach of Covenant with him? why should not our condition be the condition of this people here in Deuteronomy? had God turned his hand and let our enemies prevail this might have been our case.

God expects something from his people which cannot be done by every [Obs. 6] one; they must not plead they are flesh and blood as other men, God would have you more than men, you must remember that you are Saints and Members of Christ, and therefore must live as the redeemed of the Lord, in the first of the Corinthians, 3.3. Are you not carnal, and walk as Men? The Apostle rebukes the Corinthians for this, God looked that they should walk beyond other men, and that which the Apostle makes the ground of his reproof, they make their excuse; Jesus Christ descended from on high, to this end; to purchase a peculiar people to himself that might honor him in the world beyond that which he hath from other men; we should live as those which have the Divine Nature in them, we should beware of passion and anger, even as God is slow to anger: how far are those from doing any eminent thing for God, which cannot deny themselves in their wills and passions, and have not so much as humanity in them?

If God at any time give us hearts to keep Covenant with him, it is [Obs. 7] more than is in us; we have not that power of ourselves, therefore bless God for this mercy.

Men may go on in multitudes of services and yet be Covenant [Obs. 8] breakers. 'It is possible for a man to have committed the sin against the holy Ghost, and yet be a professor of Christ and and the Gospel; therefore we had need look to our hearts.

Many times in those things which we seem to be most Religious in, [Obs. 9] there we may be false and Covenant breakers. But may this be in the duties of God's worship? yea, thereby this may be; thus, When men shall think by this to cover any sin they live in, by their performing of duties, this is treacherous dealing and playing false in the Covenant.

The sins of the Saints which break Covenant with him are sins of [Obs. 10] a double die; other men's sins are rebellions against God, but theirs are treacheries.

The want of the right knowledge of God, is the main cause of breach [Obs. 11] of Covenant with God. Dan. 11.32. And such as do wickedly against the Covenant, shall be corrupt by flatteries; but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. Who shall be corrupted by flatteries? those that know God? No, they shall be strong and do great exploits, such shall be employed by him in his work.

[Obs. 12] There can be no keeping Covenant with God, where there is unmercifulness to men: let there be never such professions and expressions of Religion in words, if there be cruelty and unmercifulness there can be no keeping of Covenant with God, Heb. 3.10.

[Obs. 13] The consideration that it is God that we break Covenant withal, is a humbling consideration. It is against Me who am their God, who have protected them from dangers, delivered them in straights, 'tis against Me that they have thus sinned; as a man that should bring up a poor child and take care, for him, and when he comes to years, this child should abuse him and wrong him, would not this be ingratitude and unkindness indeed? so the consideration of what a God it is that we break Covenant withal, doth wonderfully set forth our unkindness to God.

WEE read in Numb. 32.1. of the Land of Gilead which was on the other side of the river, which Reuben and the false Tribe of Manassah possessed, in it were divers Cities of refuge, which were the Cities of the Levites, and one of them the most famous which had the name of the whole Country, was Gilead: which thing is usually among us at this day, that whole Countries receive their names from some eminent place in that Country, as Northampton, Northamptonshire, Leicester, Leicestershire: in this City of Gilead the Priests were, and should have been holier than the rest, but it was polluted, and from thence the rest of the places of the Kingdom.

The word translated [They have wrought] is drawn from a word that signifies, they have wrought iniquity, that is, vain things. And is polluted with blood, or supplanted with blood, or overturned with blood; the Levites which had their abode there have undone the City, how many Cities, are supplanted and overturned by the Priests which live in them, by their cruelties, and by their distinctions and subtle pretences for sin and wickedness? they have supplanted these Cities of refuge: these Cities of refuge were for those which had shed blood at unawars, they flying to them were secure: but these Cities were supplanted, and polluted; now this was done these four ways.

1: By taking those in which were willful murderers, when as the City was for the shelter of those which had killed any by accident; now these men they would judge willful murder to be but manslaughter (as we call it) and I wish our Kingdom be not deeply guilty of this sin, even by this distinction as it is used, when men in their passions shall make nothing to kill a man, and this shall be accounted for manslaughter; certainly God will never account it so, but even willful murder.

2. By refusing to take in those, which of right they should, except they had good store of money to give them, when some that were poor came to be let in, they would refuse them and put them by, and by that means they were often taken by the pursuer of blood: for these priests were to judge of it.

3. By casting those out which were in, and could not be gainful to them, and many times they did deliver those out to the avenger of blood, when they should have protected them.

4. By their cruelty to those that would not join with them in their false worship; perhaps they might some of them be men of tender consciences and could not join with them in their superstitious worship? now these Priests perhaps would make complaints of them to the Magistrate, that they were troublesome persons and bred divisions, and by this means they got them out of the Cities of refuge. And hath not this been our case of late? thus they supplanted these Cities of refuge. The Notes of Observation are,

[Obs. 1] That through man's wickedness the best Ordinances of God for the good of his people are corruted and abused. These Cities of refuge were for special use, Ordinances of God set apart for the saving of blood, and they made it a means and instrument for the shedding of blood. The Sacrament is an Ordinance set apart by God, for union and communion; and what doth more separate from this, than the abuse of this Ordinance? men's coming unprepared separates tender consciences from joining with them: so likewise in Civil Ordinances for men's outward good, how have they been perverted? where have they tyrannized more, and used more cruelty and injustice than in those Courts of Justice, where Justice should have been done? and such as should have seen equity performed, were the greatest instruments of oppression and mischief.

[Obs. 2] We must not always judge of places as heretofore they have been. Gilead was a City famous for God's worship, yet now how defiled with blood. So in Rome, how famous was it for the worship of God? yet now it is become the very filth of abomination.

[Obs. 3] Places set apart for God's worship, and Religion, if they are corrupted, they are the worst of all others. Gilead a City of refuge, yet where was there ever such a defiled and corrupted place as it was? so in our Universities, and Colleges, what superstitions, and vanities did abound among them? even like Augeus Stable, a place of filthiness, and vileness, and this is no new thing, for Gr • gory Nazenzine reports of Athens, that it was the plaguest place in the world for superstition, and he acknowledgeth it a great mercy that God did preserve him and Bazil from those infections.

[Obs. 4] To be a worker of iniquity is a most abominable thing. Gilead is a City of them that work iniquity, God's people sometimes be overtaken by sin, but they are never workers of iniquity, for the Scripture tells us, that he which works iniquity is of the Devil.

[Obs. 5] That of all wicked men, Clergy men (if wicked) are the worst. No men can work out or bring to pass their own ends so as they can, the Priests were in Gilead, and they were the men, which wrought the mischief: and hath not our times sealed to this truth? Who have been so vile and wicked as our corrupted Clergy? but how hath God broken the plots, and crossed the designs of these vermin?

The cunning plots of the wicked Clergy over-whelm whole Cities [Obs. 6] and Countries: These were they which over-turned this City of Gilead: And thus would they have done to us, had not God in his infinite wisdom and mercy prevented their hellish plots.

False worship and tyranny are joined together: Where ever you [Obs. 7] see tyranny, there conclude is false worship; therefore we had need to pray hard for the Ordinances in their purity, that we may not have false religion, and so have tyranny ushered in. Luther tells us, that the Devil is is a liar, and a murderer, so that where there is a lie in God's religion there is murdering.

There are none so cruel to the lives of men as wicked Clergy; so [Obs. 8] they may have their wills and lusts satisfied, though it cost the blood of thousands of souls they care not.

That of all cruelties, cruelty in the Clergy is the worst; for it is [Obs. 9] required of them to be men of peace: But who are the great Incendiaries of our times, and Fomenters of these wars, but the vile, wicked Clergy? And thus much for the 8. verse.

THis Verse hath much of the former in it. [Troups of robbers] The Kingdom of Israel had their troupers robbing and spoiling up and down; and who were these robbers, but their Priests? their Priests were turned robbing Troupers? And have not we this Text literally fulfilled at this day, in our Kingdom? The Gown is cast off, and the Armor is put on, and now they are turned Troupers. They were before murderers of souls, and now they are turned murderers of 〈2 pages missing〉 Think of this all you that do plot, and think of your sins before you do commit them, in those sins there is lewdness.

Luther turns the word lewdness a little from the Original, which may be the meaning also of the word lewdness, they do whatsoever they think, he saith that they had a proverb in Germany, that the Monks were so wicked, that there was nothing so bad which they could think of, but they would dare to do it. None so bold in sin, and dare to venture themselves in it, as wicked Clergy men, many men are vile and wicked enough, but they want capacity and audacity to vend and utter it, but these wicked Priests could do it, calumniate and reproach without fear, these have impudent bold faces, and concerning such, I say no more but this: The Lord rebuke them.

THE Lord proceeds futher in His complaint against Israel.

I have seen an horrible thing] The word signifies a thing that may make the hairs of our head to stand an end, the Seventy turn it something to the same purpose, by a word which signifies a storm in the Sea, this word sometimes signifies the Devil, Levite. 17.7. They shall no more offer their sacrifices unto Devils after whom they have gone a whoring.

Tr • melius in his coment observes that the letters are more than ordinary in this word here, to increase its signification: as if he had said, 'tis a horrible thing, a very horrible thing: what is this horrible thing? it was this, Ephraim had defiled himself.

From whence note, That Idolatry is a very horrible thing; to worship a false God, and that for politick ends, as they did here, is a most horrible thing, they to preserve their estates and their liberties, fell from the true worship of God, to worship at Dan and Bethel, Jer. 2.11, 12. and Jer. 18. Will a nation change their gods, for those which are no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. Be ye astonished oh ye Heavens at this, and be ye horribly afraid, be ye very desolate saith the Lord. Jer. 18.13. The Virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing. Jer. 44.4. Do not that abominable thing which I hate. God doth not put an aggravation upon this sin, beyond what is in it; as it is usual with men, they, if anything be done against them, make it very horrible with circumstances and aggravations, but God never doth so: a notable example we have of man's aggravating an offense. Dan. 3.14. Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, O Shedrack, Meshach and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, the golden Image which I have set up? Is it true, the words in the Original are, what desolations have these made, not to obey me; this is the manner of proud hearts, but this is not God's way and manner, he never speaks more against a sin, or punisheth men for sin, than it deserves, we can look upon God's judgments as horrible, but where is the man that looks upon sin as horrible? it may be you tremble at gross sins, but where is the man that trembles at false worship? the apparitions of the Devil are very horrible to us; and sin is here set out by the same words that the Devil is.

I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Judah.

Though we may seem to color it over, yet God he sees it.

I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Issrael.

Idolatry is a provoking sin, but especially in the house of Israel.

There is the whoredom of Ephraim. Ephraim was the Tribe of Jeroboam, and by Ephraim is to be understood, the Court, and the Nobles, there (saith God) did I see this abominable thing, that Nation where the common people are wicked for the generality, it is a sign of much evil, but if the Gentry are profane, it is much worse, but if the Nobility and those at the Court are Idolaters it is night indeed, if Ephraim be vile it is no mervail if Israel be so also. It follows.

THese words are something difficult, I shall show the meaning of them, thus; Judah hath wrapped up herself in the same offense, in the same transgression received from Ephraim, (the ten Tribes) and it was grown up to an harvest of judgment, which was set, had its fixed time. But when? When I returned the captivity of my people. This refers to that time in 2 Chron. 28.6. where you shall find these three things: 1. The harvest set for Judah. 2. The captivity of Judah. 3. The return of their captivity. The harvest was set when Pekah, the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand men in one day, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers; what a harvest was here set? and the text saith, They were all valiant men for the war.

Idolatry is a horrible sin, and God makes it as horrible for judgment. But what was it that provoked the Lord thus against them? because they had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. God's judgmemts in Scripture cutting down a people, are compared to a harvest, Joel, 3.13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. But where was this captivity? in 2 Chron. 28.8. And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren, two hundred thousand men, sons and daughters. But when was their return? in the 9. verse, the Prophet comes to them, and tells them in the 11. verse, they must deliver up their captives which they had taken from their brethren; these were brethren as is clear, yet behold the rage of brethren! yet in the 15. verse, see how this took with them; they clothed, fed, and restored all their captives again presently. See the mighty power of the Word to still the rage of the stoutest spirits. Oh that it might do so with us at this time, as it did here with this people, this would be a kindly work indeed; so that by this you may see what the harvest is here in the text.

The Notes which we may observe from hence are.

That the sins of a people are seeds for a harvest of judgment, as good [Obs. 1] actions are seeds for a harvest of mercy.

God hath a fixed set time for a harvest of judgment; and though [Obs. 2] you have a time, yet know it is fixed, therefore sow as fast as you can, there will come a harvest ere long.

In the time of God's judgments, the Lord remembers mercy for his [Obs. 3] people. He hath set a time for the return of their ca • tivity.

Thus you have (I conceive) the genuine sense of these words.

There are some that read these words thus: Judah, since you are guilty also, you shall not enjoy your peace nor your lands in quiet, till God return your captivity; Israel shall not enjoy their harvest, but Judah shall.

Now that which makes me think this is not the meaning, is this, Because the Lord still goes on to threaten Judah still; I have set an harvest for thee.

Some others read it thus: When God was about to turn away their captivity, Judah did so harden Isarel in their way, that it was the cause of my hardening my heart against them, and not to return their captivity. Israel might think thus, Though we are bad, & in many things are amiss, yet Judah is also filthy in such and such things, who are a people nearer to God than we, yet they do so.

Thus I have finished the Sixth Chapter.

HOSEA, CHAP. VII.