Fourthly, Consider this, That this plea of yours (in making ⟨p. 67⟩your callings an excuse to neglect your effectual calling) it is the only way to provoke God to curse and blast all your outward callings to you, and to engage him to curse all you put your hands unto. Hagg. 1.6 9. Because they neglected Gods Worship, and Gods Ordinances, Therefore, saith God, you shall have much, but it shall come to nothing; and what you get, you shall put into a bag with holes: You shall lose all you get, and all you sow, and all you labour for, because you would not look after Gods worship. So Micah 6.13, 14. I will make thee sick in smiting thee, and desolate because of thy sins. Thou shalt eat, and not be satisfied: thou shalt sow, and not reap: thou shalt tread Olives, and not anoint thy self with oil; and make sweet wine, but shalt not drink it. For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the manners of the house of Ahab, and you walk in their counsels. As much as if the Lord should say, You will not hearken to my Statutes, and to my Counsels, but Omri's statutes, and Ahab's counsel you will hearken to, Therefore now, you shall eat, and not be satisfied; sow, and not reap: That is, God will curse what you have, and what you do, because you will not hearken to Gods call and counsel. So Deut. 28.38. to 46. Thou shalt carry much seed into the field, and gather but little, the Locusts shall consume it; there's one curse: And shalt plant Vineyards, but shalt not drink the wine, nor gather the grapes, the worm shall eat them; another curse. Thou shalt have Olive-trees throughout all thy coasts, but shalt not anoint thy self with Oil, for thy Olives shall fall; there's a third curse. Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but shalt not enjoy them; all the trees and fruit of the Land shall be consumed. Now what's the reason of all this, that God should thus blast their callings and their comforts to them? Verse 45. Yea all these curses shall come upon thee, and pursue thee, and overtake thee, because thou hearkenedst not to the voice of thy God, to keep his commandments, and his statutes which he commanded thee. Here is the reason, they would not hearken to God, nor obey God, and therefore God would blast their comforts to them. Now then, Beloved, think of this, you that make your callings a plea why you cannot hearken to the call of Christ;
Fourthly, Consider this, That this plea of yours (in making ⟨p. 67⟩your callings an excuse to neglect your effectual calling) it is the only way to provoke God to curse and blast all your outward callings to you, and to engage him to curse all you put your hands unto. Hagg. 1.6 9. Because they neglected Gods Worship, and Gods Ordinances, Therefore, saith God, you shall have much, but it shall come to nothing; and what you get, you shall put into a bag with holes: You shal lose all you get, and all you sow, and all you labour for, because you would not look after Gods worship. So Micah 6.13, 14. I will make thee sick in smiting thee, and desolate because of thy sins. Thou shalt eat, and not be satisfied: thou shalt sow, and not reap: thou shalt tread Olives, and not anoint thy selfe with oyle; and make sweet wine, but shalt not drink it. For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the manners of the house of Ahab, and you walk in their counsels. As much as if the Lord should say, You wil not hearken to my Statutes, and to my Counsels, but Omri's statutes, and Ahabs counsel you wil hearken to, Therefore now, you shall eat, and not be satisfied; sow, and not reap: That is, God wil curse what you have, and what you doe, because you wil not hearken to Gods cal and counsel. So Deut. 28.38. to 46. Thou shalt carry much seed into the field, and gather but little, the Locusts shall consume it; ther's one curse: And shalt plant Vineyards, but shalt not drink the wine, nor gather the grapes, the worm shall eat them; another curse. Thou shalt have Olive-trees throughout all thy coasts, but shalt not anoint thy selfe with Oyl, for thy Olives shall fall; there's a third curse. Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but shalt not enjoy them; all the trees and fruit of the Land shall be consumed. Now what's the reason of all this, that God should thus blast their callings and their comforts to them? Verse 45. Yea all these curses shall come upon thee, and pursue thee, and overtake thee, because thou hearknedst not to the voice of thy God, to keep his commandements, and his statutes which he commanded thee. Here is the reason, they would not hearken to God, nor obey God, and therefore God would blast their comforts to them. Now then, Beloved, think of this, you that make your callings a plea why you cannot hearken to the call of Christ;
