A30574:1307
An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eighth, ninth, & tenth chapters of the prophesy of Hosea being first delivered in several lectures at Michaels Cornhill, London / by Jeremiah Burroughs ; being the seventh book published by Thomas Goodwin ... [et al.]
London: printed by Peter Cole, 1650
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.
Suppose a man run to the Rock, cannot the enemies follow him and take him in the Rock? Therefore it is not only meant when it is said, God is as a Rock, not only because the faithfulness of God is steady as a Rock, but because they had caves and holes in the Rocks that they were wont to run to in time of danger, therefore God is called a Rock.1 And so, The strength of the Hills is his also, in Psal. 95. 4. These Scriptures we may understand by this, by understanding the manner what they were wont to do in their Mountains.2 In Psal. 94. 22. But the Lord is my defence, and my God is the Rock of my refuge.
Suppose a man run to the Rock, cannot the enemies follow him and take him in the Rock? Therefore it is not only meant when it is said, God is as a Rock, not only because the faithfulness of God is steady as a Rock, but because they had caves and holes in the Rocks that they were wont to run to in time of danger, therefore God is call'd a Rock.1 And so, The strength of the Hills is his also, in Psal. 95. 4. These Scriptures we may understand by this, by understanding the manner what they were wont to do in their Mountains.2 In Psal. 94. 22. But the Lord is my defence, and my God is the Rock of my refuge.
But yet further, that we may understand the meaning of this expression: Because when in times of danger they ran to the Mountains, and to the Rocks, and Holes, into their Caves, they considered when they were there, Oh! the enemy if he should come upon us, how sad would our condition be? Oh! that rather this Mountain that is now over us, I would rather that it should sink down and fall upon me than the enemy should take me, and this Hill that I am got into a hole of, for my refuge, it were well if this should sink down and press me to nothing. This I take to be the meaning of this Phrase, & the rise of it; they despised the Mountain of God, the going up to his Mountain, but now they would be glad to have so much use of these Mountains that they might crush them in pieces. From thence there are these Notes.
First,1 Oh! the Alteration that God can make in Cities and Kingdoms: They who were proud and scornful ere while, are now so distressed as would think themselves happy to be crushed by Mountains and Hills.
First,1 Oh! the Alteration that God can make in Cities and Kingdoms: They who were proud and scornful ere while, are now so distressed as would think themselves happy to be crush'd by Mountains and Hills.
Secondly,1 Hence we may learn how great is the misery of falling into the hands of our enemies, for that's the meaning; when the Assyrians should come against them, and they were besieged for three years together, they knew how savagely the Enemies had used others in the Country, so that they desired to die under the Mountains rather than to fall into their hands; the great misery there is in falling into the hands of Enemies.2 And I remember Josephus in one of the forenamed places gives us a notable story of this, he tells us of some that did run into the Mountains and Holes for safety, and Herod he pursued them, and among others there was an old man, and he had seven Children and his Wife with him,3 but rather than he would fall into Herod's hands, he called his Children one by one unto the mouth of the Cave that he had made in the Mountain, and when one came he killed that before the Enemy, and he called another and killed him, and so he did till he had killed all the seven, and killed them Himself, and afterwards his Wife, and when he had cast their dead bodies down the Rock, he threw himself down head-long after them, and so he slew himself, and all this rather than he would fall into the hands of his Enemies. Certainly there is wonderful misery. Some of you perhaps have seen or felt somewhat, but that that you have felt and seen hath been nothing to what was like to be, had the Enemies gotten full power; He was fain to deal fairly to get people to himself, but cruelty doth break out now and then, and by that you may see what should have been generally if the Lord should deliver you into the power of the Enemy: Let us bless God then that we are delivered from that, that we have no such cause to cry out to the Mountains to cover us and the Hills to fall upon us.
Secondly,
Thirdly,1 The wrath of God, Oh! how dreadful is it? there is nothing so fearful as the wrath of God: One would think that, that which these poor people should desire here should be dreadful enough, to have the Mountains fall upon ⟨p. 415⟩them, and the Hills to cover them: Oh! but 'tis not so dreadful as Gods wrath; take all the terrors in the world they are nothing to the wrath of the Almighty when that is apprehended: sometimes the wrath of God lies more heavy upon a mans Conscience than a thousand Mountains: And (my brethren) if it be so dreadful in outward judgments, how dreadful is it like to be when it shall come to be fully poured out upon the wicked and ungodly? In Revel. 9. 6. 2They shall seek for death, and shall not find it; they shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them (saith the text) Oh! when Gods wrath appears against the ungodly, it will be dreadful, especially when the full vials of it comes to be poured out.
Thirdly,1 The wrath of God, Oh! how dreadful is it? there is nothing so fearful as the wrath of God: One would think that, that which these poor people should desire here should be dreadful enough, to have the Mountains fall upon ⟨p. 415⟩them, and the Hils to cover them: Oh! but 'tis not so dreadful as Gods wrath; take all the terrors in the world they are nothing to the wrath of the Almighty when that is apprehended: sometimes the wrath of God lies more heavie upon a mans Conscience than a thousand Mountains: And (my brethren) if it be so dreadful in outward judgments, how dreadful is it like to be when it shal come to be fully powred out upon the wicked and ungodly? In Revel. 9. 6. 2They shall seek for death, and shall not find it; they shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them (saith the text) Oh! when Gods wrath appears against the ungodly, it will be dreadful, especially when the full vials of it comes to be powred out.
And further,1 To live in misery is worse than present dreadful death: to live in a lingering way of misery is worse than present death even in this world. 2I remember Suetonius tells of Tiberius Caesar, that there was one that he had adjudged to death, and he that was adjudged to die, petitioned to him, that he might have his dispatch. He answers him thus, Sir, you and I are not friends yet, you must not die, you must be kept in misery. It is worse than death many times to be kept in a lingering way of misery, it is so, even in regard of the miseries of this world, Oh! how much worse than death is it then to be kept under the wrath of God to all eternity? How fearful is it to live in misery for ever then, and never to die? Why it's better, certainly Sense would apprehend it better for a man to be dispatched presently than to live in lingering misery: yet, if we did know all, it were better to live in the greatest misery in the world (for a wicked man) than to die the fairest death; thou wert better to live as a Dog, a Toad, yea, as a stock-log at the back of the fire (if it were possible) than to die, if thou knewest all (being a wicked man) but however hereafter in Hell, then it were better if it were possible to perish than to live so as thou hast, yet then thou shalt not die, though it would be the greatest happiness to thee; if thou shouldest after a thousand ⟨p. 416⟩years cry to God, Oh Lord, that Mountains might fall upon me! The Lord would answer: You and I are not friends yet; and if after a thousand years more thou shouldest cry, Oh Lord that I might be crushed to pieces: the Lord would answer you still, You and I are not yet friends.3 Saith Bernard, Oh! I tremble to think of that, that I should fall into the hands of living death, and of dying life, where men do not die, that they might for ever die (saith he) they do die that they may for ever die, they are always dying,4 but never die, but are kept by the Almighty power of God on purpose that they might be fuel for his wrath, and subjects for his revenging Justice to strike upon.5
Fifthly observe,1 The wonderful misery of wicked men in their affliction, they have no whither to go for help, they have not God, they have no refuge, but to the mountains and hills, and what's their refuge there but that they may fall upon them? Oh the difference between a Saint of God and a wicked man in times of affliction? When in times of affliction thou (if thou beest wicked) shalt rage and be mad and know not whither to go, and the uttermost help that thou canst think to have is from the Hills and Mountains to fall upon thee, but then the Saints of God shall be able to look up to Heaven, and Cry, Heaven is open for us, open to receive my soul, Angels come and guide it, and bear it in, Oh Arms of Mercy, Bowels of Mercy, spread open your selves to embrace me: here's a difference. And is not this better than to cry to mountains to fall upon thee, and hills to cover thee? And yet such a difference in mens estates doth sin and godliness make.
Fifthly observe,1 The wonderful misery of wicked men in their affliction, they have no whither to go for help, they have not God, they have no refuge, but to the mountains and hills, and what's their refuge there but that they may fall upon them? Oh the difference between a Saint of God and a wicked man in times of affliction? When in times of affliction thou (if thou beest wicked) shalt rage and be mad and know not whither to go, and the uttermost help that thou canst think to have is from the Hills and Mountains to fall upon thee, but then the Saints of God shall be able to look up to Heaven, and Cry, Heaven is open for us, open to receive my soul, Angels come and guide it, and bear it in, Oh Arms of Mercy, Bowels of Mercy, spread open your selves to imbrace me: here's a difference. And is not this better than to cry to mountains to fall upon thee, and hills to cover thee? And yet such a difference in mens estates doth sin and godliness make.
And then the last is,1 Oh the wonderful evil of despair! what a dreadful thing is desperation? It suggests nothing else, the greatest benefit it doth suggest it is to be crushed in ⟨p. 417⟩pieces:2 so the help that many have, it is a halter to strangle them, a knife to murder them, the water to drown them. Oh desperation is a dreadful thing. Francis Spira feeling the dreadfulness of desperation, Cries out, Verily desperation is Hell its self. Upon all this Luther concludes with this exhortation: Oh let us stir up our selves to the fear of God,3 let us fly Idolatry, let us beautify the Word by our holy lives, and pray to Christ that we might escape such things as these are, that God inflicts upon the contemners of his Word. If you would not come into this wonderful despairing condition, Oh learn to fall down before the Word, fear God now that you may not despair; you that contemn, and slight, and scorn the Word now, this may prove to be your portion ere long, that this desperate cry may be the greatest ease that your forsaken souls can have.
And then the last is,1 Oh the wonderful evil of despair! what a dreadful thing is desperation? It suggests nothing else, the greatest benefit it doth suggest it is to be crush'd in ⟨p. 417⟩pieces:2 so the help that many have, it is a halter to strangle them, a knife to murder them, the water to drown them. Oh desperation is a dreadful thing. Francis Spira feeling the dreadfulness of desperation, Cries out, Verily desperation is Hell its self. Upon all this Luther concludes with this exhortation: Oh let us stir up our selves to the fear of God,3 let us fly Idolatry, let us beautifie the Word by our holy lives, and pray to Christ that we might escape such things as these are, that God inflicts upon the contemners of his Word. If you would not come into this wonderful despairing condition, Oh learn to fall down before the Word, fear God now that you may not despair; you that contemn, and slight, and scorn the Word now, this may prove to be your portion ere long, that this desperate cry may be the greatest ease that your forsaken souls can have.
O Israel, thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah.
O Israel, thou hast sinned from the daies of Gibeah.
O ISRAEL, I am speaking this to you, it merely concerns you, you have sinned from the days of Gibeah, you think there is no great matter in your sin why there should be these dreadful threatenings, that you should come to this desperate condition; Why (say the men of Israel) what means the Prophet to be so terrible in his threatenings? pray what's our sin? Yes, you have sinned, as in the days of Gibeah. 1From the days of Gibeah, so it is in your Books, or it may be read, Beyond the days of Gibeah, or more than in them, as Ezek. 16. 52. From the days of Gibeah; From what time was that? You may read the story of Gibeah if you read the 19. and 20. of Judges, and their sin. I shall not need to spend much time now in opening what Gibeah was, or the sin of Gibeah was, because that in the 9. Chapter of this Prophecy, and the 9. Verse, there I met with those words; that, they had corrupted themselves as in ⟨p. 418⟩the days of Gibeah. But it is not only the 19. and 20. Chapters where we have the story of that horrible wickedness of the abusing of the Levites Concubine, but likewise that that we have in the 18. touching their Idolatry that there was among the people, there was Micahs Idol, so that the Prophet hath reference to the 18, 19, & 20. Chapters of the Book of Judges. 2Now you have sinned, as in the days of Gibeah: that is, you take it from the days of Gibeah that is of old: Oh your forefathers of old have committed Idolatry and sin against me, and you are grown rooted in your sin,3 and have taken it from your forefathers, for it was very ancient, that sin of the Levites Concubine: It doth seem to be before the time of the Judges, it seems to be committed between the time of Joshua and the time of the Judges. (For though things be set in Scripture so that one seems to be after another, yet it is not always so in the time.) But my reason why that sin of the Levites Concubine seems to have been then, is this: because you find in that story of the 19. of Judges, when the Levite was passing on, his servant would have had him gone into Jebus, but his master said unto him,4
of Judges you shall find that Jerusalem was taken, it was taken before you read of any particular Judg, therefore this sin was very ancient that was in the days of Gibeah. You have sinned of old (saith he) and you have continued in the succession of sin of old; that's the first, if you take it, From the days of Gibeah.
of Judges you shall find that Jerusalem was taken, it was taken before you reade of any particular Judg, therefore this sin was very antient that was in the daies of Gibeah. You have sinned of old (saith he) and you have continued in the succession of sin of old; that's the first, if you take it, From the daies of Gibeah.
But it's rather I think to be taken Pre than otherwise,1 i.e. Your sin is more than the days of Gibeah, it's greater, what ever you think of your sin, you think you worship and serve God. Yet the truth is, was that sin horrible that a whole City should come together to force a Levites Concubine till she was dead at the door, was that a horrible sin? Yea, ⟨p. 419⟩and was it horrible for them to stand to defend it?2 Your sin is greater.
But it's rather I think to be taken Pre than otherwise,1 i.e. Your sin is more than the daies of Gibeah, it's greater, what ever you think of your sin, you think you worship and serve God. Yet the truth is, was that sin horrible that a whol City should come together to force a Levites Concubine till she was dead at the door, was that a horrible sin? Yea, ⟨p. 419⟩and was it horrible for them to stand to defend it?2 Your sin is greater.
Your sin is greater; why? for first, That was but one §1particular act, it was all done in one night; but you go on in a constant settled way.
Your sin is greater; why? for first, That was but one §1particular act, it was all done in one night; but you go on in a constant setled way.
And then secondly, That sin was a sin but of some few §2of the people; your sin is more generally.
Thirdly, That sin they had not so much means against §3it, nor so much experience of the ways of God as you, and therefore your sin is greater, than the sins that were in the days of Gibeah.
Thirdly, That sin they had not so much means against §3it, nor so much experience of the waies of God as you, and therefore your sin is greater, than the sins that were in the daies of Gibeah.
And further,1 To live in misery is worse than present dreadful death: to live in a lingring way of misery is worse than present death even in this world. 2I remember Suetonius tels of Tiberius Caesar, that there was one that he had adjudged to death, and he that was adjudged to die, petitioned to him, that he might have his dispatch. He answers him thus, Sir, you and I are not friends yet, you must not die, you must be kept in misery. It is worse than death many times to be kept in a lingring way of misery, it is so, even in regard of the miseries of this world, Oh! how much worse than death is it then to be kept under the wrath of God to all eternity? How fearful is it to live in misery for ever then, and never to die? Why it's better, certainly Sence would apprehend it better for a man to be dispacht presently than to live in lingring misery: yet, if we did know all, it were better to live in the greatest misery in the world (for a wicked man) than to die the fairest death; thou wert better to live as a Dog, a Toad, yea, as a stock-log at the back of the fire (if it were possible) than to die, if thou knewest all (being a wicked man) but however hereafter in Hell, then it were better if it were possible to perish than to live so as thou hast, yet then thou shalt not die, though it would be the greatest happiness to thee; if thou shouldest after a thousand ⟨p. 416⟩yeers cry to God, Oh Lord, that Mountains might fall upon me! The Lord would answer: You and I are not friends yet; and if after a thousand years more thou shouldest cry, Oh Lord that I might be crush'd to pieces: the Lord would answer you still, You and I are not yet friends.3 Saith Bernard, Oh! I tremble to think of that, that I should fall into the hands of living death, and of dying life, where men do not die, that they might for ever die (saith he) they do die that they may for ever die, they are alwaies dying,4 but never die, but are kept by the Almighty power of God on purpose that they might be fewel for his wrath, and subjects for his revenging Justice to strike upon.5 Oh! consider of this you that are so ready to desire death, because you are in a lingering misery at any time. Is a lingering misery so evil? Then what will be the lingering evil of eternity?
O ISRAEL, I am speaking this to you, it meerly concerns you, you have sinned from the daies of Gibeah, you think there is no great matter in your sin why there should be these dreadful threatnings, that you should come to this desperate condition; Why (say the men of Isrrel) what means the Prophet to be so terrible in his threatnings? pray what's our sin? Yes, you have sinned, as in the daies of Gibeah. 1From the daies of Gibeah, so it is in your Books, or it may be read, Beyond the daies of Gibeah, or more than in them, as Ezek. 16. 52. From the daies of Gibeah; From what time was that? You may reade the story of Gibeah if you reade the 19. and 20. of Judges, and their sin. I shall not need to spend much time now in opening what Gibeah was, or the sin of Gibeah was, because that in the 9. Chapter of this Prophesie, and the 9. Verse, there I met with those words; that, they had corrupted themselves as in ⟨p. 418⟩the daies of Gibeah. But it is not only the 19. and 20. Chapters where we have the story of that horrible wickedness of the abusing of the Levites Concubine, but likewise that that we have in the 18. touching their Idolatry that there was among the people, there was Micahs Idol, so that the Prophet hath reference to the 18, 19, & 20. Chapters of the Book of Judges. 2Now you have sinned, as in the daies of Gibeah: that is, you take it from the daies of Gibeah that is of old: Oh your forefathers of old have committed Idolatry and sin against me, and you are grown rooted in your sin,3 and have taken it from your forefathers, for it was very antient, that sin of the Levites Concubine: It doth seem to be before the time of the Judges, it seems to be committed between the time of Joshua and the time of the Judges. (For though things be set in Scripture so that one seems to be after another, yet it is not alwaies so in the time.) But my reason why that sin of the Levites Concubine seems to have been then, is this: because you find in that story of the 19. of Judges, when the Levite was passing on, his servant would have had him gone into Jebus, but his master said unto him,4 We will not turn aside hither into the City of a stranger that is not of the Children of Israel, we will pass over to Gibeah. So that it seems Jerusalem was not taken in by the children of Israel; but if you reade the 1.
