A12190:579
The returning backslider, or, A commentary upon the whole XIIII. chapter of the prophecy…The returning backslider, or, A commentarie upon the whole XIIII. chapter of the prophecy…
The returning backslider, or, A commentary upon the whole XIIII. chapter of the prophecy of the prophet Hosea Wherein is showed the large extent of Gods free mercy, even unto the most miserable forlorn and wretched sinners that may be, upon their humiliation and repentance. Preached by that learned and judicious divine, Dr. Sibbs, late preacher to the honourable society of Gray's Inn, and master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge. Published by his own permission before his death.The returning backslider, or, A commentarie upon the whole XIIII. chapter of the prophecy of the prophet Hosea Wherein is shewed the large extent of Gods free mercy, even unto the most miserable forlorne and wretched sinners that may be, upon their humiliation and repentance. Preached by that learned and judicious divine, Dr. Sibbs, late preacher to the honourable society of Grayes Inne, and master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge. Published by his owne permission before his death.
London: printed by George for George Edwards, 1639
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.
And as this is true of the Church in general, so it is true of particular families that are little Churches, there is rest and happiness in them: ⟨p. 268⟩God blesseth all under the roof of a godly man, whosoever comes under that shadow comes for a blessing or for further hardening: we see in the current of Scripture ordinarily, that when God converted any one man, he converted his whole family,1 Salvation is this day come to thy house, (saith Christ) to Zaccheus; when salvation came to his heart, it came to his house,2 all was the better for it. So the Jailer, when he believed, he and his whole house were Baptised: when God blesseth the governor once, then it is supposed all the house comes under the covenant of grace. Abraham and his house were blessed. But this holds not always, for there was a Ham in good Noah's family, still there will be Ravens and wild beasts, among the tame beasts: there will be an Ishmael in Abraham's family, a Doeg in the Church of Judah, a Judas in Christs family, and a Demas among Gods people. That is, let the family be never so good, you shall have some by Gods judgement naught in the same. As it is said of Jeremiahs figs,3 the good figs were exceeding good, and the bad exceeding bad. There is none so good as those that are in a gracious family, and none so nought, as such who are naught there. Because they are cursed and under a curse being bad under such gracious means: being like the ground which receives the rain and showers from Heaven,4 and yet is not the better for it, and so is accursed. If a man who is untoward were in a gracious family, ⟨p. 269⟩it is supposed he would be better, but those who are naught where they should be good, under abundance of means, such are in danger to be sealed to eternal destruction. Such being bad, are very bad, who though they break not out to dangerous enormities, because of the place; yet to have a barren untractable heart under abundance of means, is to be hardened to destruction, without a special mercy to make it work afterwards. For some who have lived in gracious families, though for the present the seed fructified not; yet have afterwards found that seed fructify after a long time, and have blessed God that ever they came under such a shadow: therefore though such barrenness be a dangerous sign, yet must we not suddenly either condemn our selves or others in this case.