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…

Fourthly,¹ The mercies that God bestoweth upon a Nation, the ornaments that God putteth upon a people that are but common favours, not spiritual graces, they are such as a people may be stripped of. Great mercies that a people have, they may wholly loose. Here is the difference between true spiritual graces, whereby JESUS CHRIST doth adorn his spouse, when Christ, not only takes in an outward way a people to himself, but marries them to himself in a spiritual way, he decketh the soul with such ⟨p. 178⟩ornaments,² bestoweth such mercies upon them, as shall never be taken away. Such a soul hath no cause to fear that ever it can be stripped as in the day wherein it was born, you need not fear that you shall ever lose the jewels given you at that marriage day. It is true, common graces and gifts you may be stripped of and made naked; as it is usual in many professors that have not truth at heart, yet have excellent gifts, as of prayer and the like, but afterward they prove naught, God takes away their gifts from them, they have not that gift of prayer they were wont to have, though they have excellent words, yet a man may perceive a shuffling in them, and such an unsavouriness mixed with their gifts, that it breeds loathing in others to join with them. As when the King goeth away from his Palace, the hangings are taken down; so when God departeth from a soul (as from such he may) then their hangings, those excellent gifts are taken from them. But those gifts that are spiritual they are never stripped of them. We read in Ezek. 46. 17. when a King gave gifts to his servants, ³they were to return to him again at the year of Jubilee, but when he gave them to his sons, they were to be their inheritance. There are many that are outwardly in the Church Gods servants, they have many gifts, but God will take them away and strip them naked of those gifts: but then there are his children, they shall have their gifts as an inheritance for ever. It is true, God may stay a while, as when the King is gone from Court, if there be any thought of his return again the hangings do continue, but if the message come, the King will not be here this twelve months, or a long time, or it may be never any more, then the hangings are taken down; so though these gifts of the Hypocrite may stay a while,