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…

The first is in that 34. of Exod. 6. 7. The Lord there when he passed by before Moses proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, for giving iniquity, & transgression and sin. What abundance of mercy is here expressed? Now it follows. And that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children unto the third and fourth generation. Here is an expression of great wrath. And then for our sanctifying of Gods name in this, it follows, ver. 8. And when Moses heard this, he made hast and bowed his head toward the earth and worshipped before the Lord. Thus we must bow and worship before God in our sanctifying his Name in both together, both his mercy and justice.

The first is in that 34. of Exod. 6. 7. The Lord there when he passed by before Moses proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in goodnesse and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, for giving iniquity, & transgression and sinne. What abundance of mercy is here exprest? Now it followes. And that will by no meanes cleare the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the childrens children unto the third and fourth generation. Here is an expression of great wrath. And then for our sanctifying of Gods name in this, it followes, ver. 8. And when Moses heard this, he made hast and bowed his head toward the earth and worshipped before the Lord. Thus we must bow and worship before God in our sanctifying his Name in both together, both his mercy and justice.

On the other side, Nahum. 1. 2. and soon, God is jealous and the L•rd revengeth, the Lord revengeth and is furious, the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies, dreadful expressions, yet ver. 8. The Lord is slow to anger; there is a mitigation at first. Then he goeth on still in expressions of wrath, But he is great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: and ver. 5. The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burnt at his presence, yea the world and all that dwell therein: who can stand before his indignation, and who can abide the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the Rocks are thrown down by him. What more terrible expressions of wrath then these that come from God here? Now mark. ver. 7. The Lord is good and a strong hold in the day of trouble, and he knoweth those that trust in him. What a strong expression of grace is here? observe it my brethren, that in the middest of Gods anger, yet God is good still; a gracious heart must acknowledge God, though he be provoked to anger, yet to be a good God still; and it is a good sign for the soul to fall down before God when he is in the way of his wrath; and to say, the Lord is good. As that good old man Eli did after the denunciation of that dreadful sentence against him and his house by Samuel, The word of the Lord is good, let him do what seems him best.