An exposition of the prophecy of Hosea begun in divers lectures upon the first…An exposition of the prophesie of Hosea begun in divers lectures vpon the first…

First takes us off from that high honour that was before upon a people; for so in Isaiah, 4. 4. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou host been honourable, The people of God gathered together in Church Communion, certainly are in an honourable condition; when they are dispeopled, they are cast off from this their privilege, from their honour.

First takes us off from that high honour that was before upon a people; for so in Esay, 4. 4. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou host beene honourable, The people of God gathered together in Church Communion, certainly are in an honourable condition; when they are dispeopled, they are cast off from this their priviledge, from their honour.

Secondly,¹ They have not the presence of God with them as before, not the care of God towards them, nor the protection of God over them, not the delight of God in them, nor the communication of God to them. What should I speak of all these particulars?² But among other privileges they want this, namely that great privilege of pleading with God for mercy upon this relation, which was the usual way of the Prophets to plead with God, because they were the people of God. So Isaiah, 64. 9. Be not wroth very sore O Lord; neither remember iniquity for ever: upon what ground? Behold, see we beseech thee, we are all thy people. This is a good Argument Again, Jer. 14. 9. Why doest thou stand as a man astonished amongst us, as a mighty man that cannot save? Yet thou O Lord art in the middest of us, and we are called by thy name, leave us not. This Text is ours this day, and well may we say, O Lord why doest thou stand as a man astonished? Oh yet if we can but take up the second part, and say, We are called by thy name, we may make more comfortable use of the former, Why doest thou stand as a man astonished? How doth a man astonished stand? He stands still in a place, as if he knew not which way to go, he is in a kind of distraction. first he goes one way, and by and by he returns again. The Lord, we know, knoweth his purpose from eternity, but the Scriptures are pleased to express Gods ways towards us in the similitude. Hath not God stood amongst us as a man astonished? God hath been in a way of mercy, and then stood still, and then gone forward a little, and afterward gone back again; and yet