A30574:1469
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.
Break up your fallow ground &c.] The Prophet exhorted them in the words before, to sow in Righteousness, that they might reap Mercy.
But you must not sow without ploughing,1 that were a preposterous way, therefore though the words come after, yet the thing is to be done before. Look that you plough up the fallow ground: you have been sinful and ungodly in your way, It will not be enough for you now to set upon some good actions, we will do better, we will do such and such good things that God requires of us: No, that's not the first work you must fall upon, but it must be to plough, to plough up your fallow grounds.
But you must not sow without plowing,1 that were a preposterous way, therefore though the words come after, yet the thing is to be done before. Look that you plow up the fallow ground: you have been sinful and ungodly in your way, It will not be enough for you now to set upon some good actions, we will do better, we will do such and such good things that God requires of us: No, that's not the first work you must fal upon, but it must be to plow, to plow up your fallow grounds.
In this expression you have here implied,1 first, That the hearts of men naturally are as follow grounds, nothing but thorns and briars grows upon them, they are unfit for the Seed of the Word. And by this word is here meant these three things; when he bids them plough up their fallow grounds.
In this expression you have here implyed,1 first, That the hearts of men naturally are as follow grounds, nothing but thorns and bryars grows upon them, they are unfit for the Seed of the Word. And by this word is here meant these three things; when he bids them plow up their fallow grounds.
First, The work of humiliation, the Truths of God, both of the Law and of the Gospel must get into their hearts, and rend up their hearts, even rend it up as the plough doth rend up the ground.
First, The work of humiliation, the Truths of God, both of the Law and of the Gospel must get into their hearts, and rend up their hearts, even rend it up as the plow doth rend up the ground.
And secondly, That weeds, thorns, and briars must be turned up by the roots, the heart must be cleared of them; It is not enough to weed out a weed here and there, and to pluck out a thorn here and there, but plough up the ground, turn all upside down, and get up all the baggagely stuff and thorns that was in your hearts heretofore.
And secondly, That weeds, thorns, and bryars must be turned up by the roots, the heart must be cleer'd of them; It is not enough to weed out a weed here and there, and to pluck out a thorn here and there, but plow up the ground, turn all upside down, and get up al the baggagely stuff and thorns that was in your hearts heretofore.
And then thirdly, Get a softness to be in your hearts; ⟨p. 467⟩as when the ground is ploughed, that which was before hard on the outside, and baked by the heat of the Sun, being now turned up there is a soft mould of the ground, and so by the softness of the mould of the ground it is prepared to receive seed.
And then thirdly, Get a softness to be in your hearts; ⟨p. 467⟩as when the ground is plowed, that which was before hard on the outside, and bak'd by the heat of the Sun, being now turned up there is a soft mould of the ground, and so by the softness of the mould of the ground it is prepared to receive seed.
There are many evils in us that we would reform,1 but we have not been humbled for them, for our ceremonies, and subjection to* false Government of the Church, Who hath bin humbled for these things, as sin? We reform them as things inconvenient,3 but not being humbled for them as sin, the very roots of these things are in the hearts of many, so as if times should change, a distinction would serve their turn to come and submit to them again, so that we sow before we plough.4 I find in Jer. 4. 3. you have this exhortation even in termiminis, That, They must plough up the fallow-ground of their hearts (only expressed a little further) They must not sow among thorns. They must not think to mingle that which is good with that which is evil, it may be a few good seeds are brought into a business, yea, but there is a great deal of evil. My Brethren, take heed of being deceived that way; many though they do not intend to deceive you, yet they may deceive you by mixing some good things with a great many evil, and therefore examine things. But I note this place in Jeremiah the rather from the consideration of the time of Jeremiahs Prophecy. ⟨p. 468⟩You shall find that the time of Jeremiahs Prophecy was in Josiahs time. Now the time of Josiah was a time of great reformation, there was very much reformation in his time, yea, but saith Jeremia•, What though you did reform, what though you do many things, you sow among thorns, you do not plough up the ground, you are not humbled, the roots of your sin are not got out of you, and therefore though there be a great deal of ill stuff that seems to be cast out, and many good things are set upon in the Worship of God that was not formerly, yet you must plough, plough up your fallow grounds. The holy Ghost joining of them together, Sow Righteousness, and plough up your fallow ground.
There are many evils in us that we would reform,
This Note I would have you observe, That there are some that do Sow, and not Plough, and there are others that do Plough, and not Sow, but we must join both together.
This Note I would have you observe, That there are some that do Sow, and not Plow, and there are others that do Plow, and not Sow, but we must joyn both together.
There are that do Plough, and not Sow; that is, They (it may be) are troubled for their sin, it may be much humbled for their sin, but they do not reform, after their Humiliation there doth not follow Reformation.
There are that do Plow, and not Sow; that is, They (it may be) are troubled for their sin, it may be much humbled for their sin, but they do not reform, after their Humiliation there doth not follow Reformation.
Now as Reformation, where Humiliation hath not gone before, usually comes to little purpose, so Humiliation where Reformation follows not after, comes likewise to little purpose.1 In Isa. 28. 24. Doth the Husbandman plough all day to sow?
Now as Reformation, where Humiliation hath not gone before, usually comes to little purpose, so Humiliation where Reformation follows not after, comes likewise to little purpose.1 In Isa. 28. 24. Doth the Husbandman plow all day to sow?
The text is brought to note thus much,1 That God observes his times; and that is the scope of the text, that we must not be offended because that the Lord doth not do things as we would have him always, that is, he lets wicked men prosper sometimes, and the godly suffer afflictions, but as if the holy Ghost should say here, let God alone with his work, God observes his times and seasons, as the Plough-man doth, he doth not always plough; so God hath his times and seasons and knows when to relieve his Church and afflict his Church, and when the wicked shall prosper and ⟨p. 469⟩be brought into adversity, God instructs the Plough-man to know his season, and so doth he, and therefore be not offended. And so should we know our seasons, we should observe our times to be humbled and reform, to reform and be humbled. But this for the Reformation of a State.
The text is brought to note thus much,1 That God observes his times; and that is the scope of the text, that we must not be offended because that the Lord doth not do things as we would have him alwaies, that is, he lets wicked men prosper sometimes, and the godly suffer afflictions, but as if the holy Ghost should say here, let God alone with his work, God observes his times and seasons, as the Plow-man doth, he doth not alwaies plow; so God hath his times and seasons and knows when to relieve his Church and afflict his Church, and when the wicked shall prosper and ⟨p. 469⟩be brought into adversity, God instructs the Plow-man to know his season, and so doth he, and therefore be not offended. And so should we know our seasons, we should observe our times to be humbled and reform, to reform and be humbled. But this for the Reformation of a State.
But the ploughing of the heart, that's the thing that is here especially intended, and I desire to apply it particularly to every man and woman. Those who have such sore necks who cannot bear the yoke, yet you must be Plough-men and Plough-women, for Alice Driver that I told you of, her father brought her up to plough, and both men and women, the daintiest Ladies of all must hold this plough that is here spoken of. Now for this ploughing of humbling your hearts it is for the getting in of Truths into your spirits, that may rend up your hearts, I'll name some few Truths that are as it were the Plough-share, that you must not only know them, but labour to get them into your hearts.
But the plowing of the heart, that's the thing that is here especially intended, and I desire to apply it particularly to every man and woman. Those who have such sore necks who cannot bear the yoke, yet you must be Plow-men and Plow-women, for Alice Driver that I told you of, her father brought her up to plow, and both men and women, the daintiest Ladies of all must hold this plow that is here spoken of. Now for this plowing of humbling your hearts it is for the getting in of Truths into your spirits, that may rend up your hearts, I'le name some few Truths that are as it were the Plow-share, that you must not only know them, but labor to get them into your hearts.
As first, That such is the vileness of every sin, as it separates the soul from God and puts it under an eternal Curse. This one Truth, you must get this into your hearts, and get it deep into your hearts, it will help to unloosen the roots of the thorns and briars that are there, the settled apprehension of this Truth.
As first, That such is the vileness of every sin, as it seperates the soul from God and puts it under an eternal Curse. This one Truth, you must get this into your hearts, and get it deep into your hearts, it will help to unloosen the roots of the thorns and bryars that are there, the setled apprehension of this Truth.
And then secondly, This Truth: That, there is such a breach between God and my soul by sin, that all the power in all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth is not able to make up this breach, here is a sharp plough-share to get into the heart.
And then secondly, This Truth: That, there is such a breach between God and my soul by sin, that all the power in all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth is not able to make up this breach, here is a sharp plow-share to get into the heart.
