A10933:1397
A commentary upon the whole book of Judges Preached first and delivered in sundry…A commentary vpon the vvhole booke of Iudges Preached first and deliuered in sundrie…
A commentary upon the whole book of Judges Preached first and delivered in sundry lectures; since collected, and diligently perused, and now published. For the benefit generally of all such as desire to grow in faith and repentance, and especially of them, who would more clearly understand and make use of the worthy examples of the saints, recorded in divine history. Penned by Richard Rogers preacher of Gods word at Wethersfield in Essex.A commentary vpon the vvhole booke of Iudges Preached first and deliuered in sundrie lectures; since collected, and diligently perused, and now published. For the benefit generally of all such as desire to grow in faith and repentance, and especially of them, who would more cleerely vnderstand and make vse of the worthie examples of the saints, recorded in diuine history. Penned by Richard Rogers preacher of Gods word at Wethersfield in Essex.
London: printed by Felix Kyngston for Thomas Man, 1615
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Sermon 61 › Chapter 10 › Part 2: The second part of the Chapter.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
But more particularly, in that it is said, they forsook the Lord, it may be 1marvelled at, that they should forsake him, whom they had loved and served before. But by this we may see, what force there is in sin to besot and make drunken, them who give over themselves thereto; be it whoredom, the love of the world, or any other: For it is able to bereave them of sound reason, to turn away their delight from prayer, and all good practise, and to forget the joy that they had in both, sometimes; and yet to blindfold them so, that they shall not suspect any danger to be toward them for all this, while they may merrily serve their humour therein. Sampson and other went far this way. And let the best of us fear, lest we be carried away of our lusts to love and like where we ought not, and tempt we not God, but let us resist the beginnings of evil: we know little what may befall us in time, if we 2dare deal loosely and unfaithfully with the Lord, and suffer our selves to belled away from our steadfastness. This boldness and carelessness, if it thus be suffered to bear sway in us, may cause this scripture in time to be said of and verified in us, that we have forsaken the Lord our strength. And yet because men are cunning to deceive themselves, hoping that as long as they embrace not another religion, they shall not become such, nor judged so hardly of, though they take up their delight in sins that please them; I thought it not therefore amiss, to give this caveat, that in vain do such men worship God, though they draw near to him with their bodies, while they suffer their hearts to go another way: and it is a kind of forsaking of God, ⟨p. 516⟩though not in so high a degree as the other, and as in time they themselves are like to come unto, and their labour is lost that they bestow in serving God, while it is accompanied with such annoyance and unsavouriness, he utterly abhorreth it. This phrase of forsaking God, is taken from wedlock, when either party renounceth interest and fellowship in the other, and departeth away: even as the phrase of [selling them away] used in the next verse on Gods part, importeth the like action in the Lord, as justly giving over his part in them. As they had resigned their right in him, their husband, (who had married himself unto them) unto strange Idols: