our breaches, for repairing our ruins, for composing our distractions, for reducing this kingdom unto a happy constitution, for a right understanding between the king and his great council. These prayers we have not found yet return like Noah's dove, with an olive-branch, a gracious answer unto us again. What is the reason? where is the obstruction? Is not he a God that heareth prayers? Is it not his title? Doth he not glory in it? Certainly mercies stop not at God, but at us. We are not straitened in him, but in our own bowels." If there come but a little light into a room, the defect is not in the sun, but in the narrowness of the window if a vessel fill but slowly, the fault is not in any emptiness in the fountain, but the smallness of the pipe. If mercies ripen slowly, or stop at any time in the way, it is not because they are unwilling to come to us, but because we are unfit to enjoy them. Our prayers doubtless, in many of us, have not been words taken from him, but from our own carnal dictates. We would fain have things well in our country; but have we hitherto looked after our consciences? The distractions without us,-have they driven us to consider the distempers within, or to desire the things above? The unsettledness of peace in the kingdom,-hath it awakened us to secure our peace with God? We would fain have better times; but have we yet laboured for better hearts? We would fain have a right understanding between the king and his great council; but have we yet sadly set about it, to have a more clear and sweet communion between us and our God? We long to see more good laws; but are we yet come to the care of good lives? Every one cries out, "Who will show us any good?" but how few think on "the light of God's countenance." Hence, hence, beloved, is the miscarriage of all our prayers. If we would seek God's kingdom, we are promised other things by way of overplus and accession; as he that buyeth a treasury of jewels, hath the cabinet into the bargain. But when we place our kingdom in outward comforts, and let our daily bread' shut all the other five. petitions out of our prayers; no wonder if the promises of this life," i Semper dies mali in seculo, boni in Deo. Jug, in Psalm 33. which are annexed unto godliness, do not answer those prayers, wherein godliness is neglected. It were preposterous to begin the building of a house at the roof and not at the foundation: piety is the foundation of prosperity. If you would have your "children like plants and like polished stones, your garners full, your cattle plenteous, no complaining in your streets ";" if you would have the king happy, and the church happy, and the state happy, and peace and prosperity flourish again; let our chief prayer be, "Lord, make us a happy people by being our God." Give us thyself, thy grace, thy favour; give us renewed hearts, and reformed lives; let not our sins confute, and outcry, and belie our prayers, and pray them back again without an answer. And when we seek thee and thy Christ above all, we know that with him thou wilt freely give us all other things"." The spiritual good things which we beg, will either remove, or shelter and defend us from the outward evil things which we suffer. SECT. 21. Secondly, This serveth for an instruction unto us touching a sanctified use of God's judgements, or threatenings: when we "learn obedience," as Christ did, "by the things which we suffer ';"-when wadhuara are μadýμara, that we are chastened and taught together *;--when sufferings do quicken spiritual desires; and the more troubles we find in our way, the more love we have to our country;— when we can say, "All this is come upon us, and yet we have not forgotten thee ';"--when we can serve God as well in ploughing and breaking the clods,' as in 'treading out the corn ";'-when, with Jonah, we can delight in him, even in the whale's belly, and suffer not our love of him to be quenched with all the waters of the sea; when we can truly say to him, Lord, love me, and then do what thou wilt unto me; let me feel thy rod, rather than forfeit thine affection ;'-when we can look through the anger of his Psalm cxliv. 12, 15. h Quicquid mihi præter illum est, dulce non est ; quicquid mihi vult dare Dominus meus, auferat totum, et se mihi det. Aug. Enarr. 2. in Psalm xxvi.-Hic quod vinum est, non potest esse panis ; quod tibi lux est, non potest esse potus: Deus tuus totum tibi erit. Manducabis eum, ne esurias; bibes eum, ne sitias; illuminaberis ab eo, ne sis cæcus; fulcieris ab eo, ne deficias. I. in Psalm xxxvi. i Heb. v. 8. k Psalm xciv. 12. I Psalm chastisements unto the beauty of his commands; and to the sweetness of his loving countenance, as by a rainbow we see the beautiful image of the sun's light in the midst of dark and waterish clouds;-when by how much the flesh is the fuller of pain, by so much prayers are fuller of spirit; by how much the heavier are our earthly sufferings, by so much the stronger are our heavenly desires ;-when God threateneth punishments, and we pray for grace,-this is a sanctified use of God's judgements. And this we should all be exhorted unto in the times of distraction, to make it the principal argument of our prayers and study of our lives, to obtain spiritual good things; and the less comfort we find in the world, to be the more importunate for the comforts of God, that by them we may encourage ourselves, as David did in his calamity at Ziklag "; when the city Shechem was beaten down to the ground, then the men and women fled to the strong tower, and shut that upon them. "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous flee to it and are safe P." Herein we shall more honour God, when we set him up in our hearts as our fear and treasure, and mourn more towards him, than for the miseries we feel; and suspire more after him, than all the outward contentment which we want. Herein we shall more exercise repentance, for it is worldly sorrow which droopeth under the pain of the flesh, but godly sorrow is most of all affected with the anger of God. Herein we shall more prevail with God, the more heavenly the matters of your prayers are, the more prevalent they must needs be with a heavenly Father. We have five spiritual petitions unto one for bread; the more suitable our prayers are to God's will, the more easy access they will have to his ear. The covenant of grace turns precepts into promises, and the spirit of grace turns precepts and promises into prayers. It is not God's will, that we should live without afflictions, but 'our sanctification is God's will.' The more prayers proceed from love, the more acceptable to the God of love :-now prayer against judgements proceeds from fear; but prayer for grace and favour proceeds from love. Lastly, Hereby we shall more benefit ourselves: God's n 1 Sam. xxx. 6. • Judges ix. 51. P Prov. xviii. 18. 91 Thess. iv. 3. grace is much better than our own ease; it gives us meekness to submit, it gives us strength to bear, it gives us wisdom to benefit by, our afflictions. God's favour is much better than our own ease, and is a recompense for sufferings beyond all their evils. A man would be contented to be loaded with gold, so he might have it for the bearing; though it be heavy, yet it is precious, and God's favour turns affliction into gold. "If he gives quietness, nothing can give trouble ;" and if he keep back his grace and favour, nothing can give peace: neither wealth, nor honours, nor pleasures, nor crowns, nor all the world, with the fulness, or rather the emptiness thereof, can do us any good at all. Any thing which will consist with the reign of lust, with the guilt of sin, with the curse of the law, with the wrath of God, with horrors of conscience, and with the damnation of hell, is too base to be called the good of man, "To do judgement, to love mercy, and walk humbly with God," this is 'bonum hominis,' the good of man; "to fear God, to keep his commandments," this is 'totum hominis,' the whole end, and happiness of man'. O! then get remission and removal of sin; get this 'bonum hominis,' the oil of grace in your lamps, peace of God in your hearts, the streams of the rivers of God in your consciences and then, though the earth be moved, and the mountains shake, and the waters roar, whatever distractions, whatever desolations happen, Impavidum ferient ruinæ ;' thou shalt find a chamber in God's providence, a refuge in his promises, 'a pavilion in the secret of his presence,' to protect and to comfort thee above them all. Job xxxiv. 29. Mich. vi. 8. Eccles. xii, 13. THE SECOND SERMON. HOSEA XIV. 2, 3. So will we render the calves of our lips. 3. Asshur shall not save us: we will not ride upon horses; neither will we say to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods, &c. IN the whole context, we have before observed two general parts; Israel's prayer,' and 'Israel's promise.' The prayer we have handled; and do now proceed unto the promise, wherein are two things to be considered: 1. The covenant itself. 2. The ground upon which they make it; God's mercy to the fatherless.-First then, of the covenant, wherein they promise two things. 1. Thanksgiving, for God's hearing and answering of their prayers. 2. A special care for amendment of their lives. a "We will render the calves of our lips."] The apostle, out of the Septuagint, reads it," the fruit of our lips ." It is the use of the Scripture to describe spiritual duties by expressions, drawn from ceremonies and usages under the law; as repentance is called 'washing,'-and prayer, 'incense; and the righteousness of saints", fine linen,' being an allusion to the garments of the priests; and Christ', an altar,' whereby both our persons and services are sanctified and accepted. Thus here, the spiritual sacrifices of praise are called calves,' to show the end of all sacrifices, which were or a Pro cxli. 2. Rev. v. 8. Zach. iii. 4. Psalm xlv. 8. legisse videntur Heb. xiii. 15. d Rev. iii. 18. vii. 14. Psalm 6 b Isai. i. 26. c Psalm xxxii. 9. Exod. xxviii. 2. Vide Reynolds' Conference Habemus altare viz. corpus Heb. xiii. 10. Rom. xii. 1. 1 Peter ii. 5 with Hart, c. 8. div. 4. et Aquin. in Heb. xiii. 10. Christi. Hesych. in Liv. 1. 1. c. 4. Isai. lvi. 7. |