A77979:139
An exposition with practical observations continued upon the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters…
An exposition with practical observations continued upon the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of the prophesy of Hosea· Being first delivered in several lectures at Michaels Cornhill London. By Jeremiah Burroughs. Being the fifth book, published by Thomas Goodwin, William Greenhil, Sydrach Simson William Bridge, John Yates, William Adderly.An exposition with practical observations continued upon the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of the prophesy of Hosea· Being first delivered in several lectures at Michaels Cornhil London. By Jeremiah Burroughs. Being the fifth book, published by Thomas Goodwyn, William Greenhil, Sydrach Simson William Bridge, John Yates, William Adderly.
London: printed for Peter Cole, 1650
Title page typeset from the transcription.
AN EXPOSITION Of the PROPHESY of HOSEA. › Chapter 4 › Verse 1
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.
And the second reason why there was so little knowledge of God in that land at that time, is this, Because the pure Worship of God and his Ordinances were s•ut out of doors, and mens inventions were brought in in the ro•m of them. For so it was, after the ten Tribes defection from Judah, then they left the right worship of God, to worship in the Temple at Jerusalem, and they set up their Calves in Dan & Bethel, and so brought in their own ⟨p. 37⟩inventions instead of the true worship of God; And no marvel though there came dismal darkness upon the land when this was. That is certain my brethren, When ever the pure Ordinances of God and the right way of his worship is shut out from a Kingdom, there will come woeful darkness upon that Kingdom. The right knowledge of God vanisheth when mens inventions in his Ordinances come to be honoured. As painted glass in your windows hindereth the light, you may daub your glass by paint, but you will have the less light by that; so the more inventions of men there are in Gods worship the less light comes into the heart of the people. As some not contented with ordinary plain letters they make such flourishes about them that you can scarce tell what they are; you shall have some write their names with such flourishes that you can not tell what to make of them; so many men that will not content themselves with plain Ordinances, with the Ordinances of Christ, but they must have flourishes of their own inventions, at length you know not what to make of them, they come to darken the right understanding of the mind and truths of God. To the Law and to the Testimony, (saith the Prophet) if they speak not according to these it is because there is no light in them. If they will leave the Law and the Testimony and will go according to their own inventions in Divine Worship, it is because there is no light in them, they are in darkness, and they will bring darkness upon the people. Colos. 2.22. it is said of the rudiments of the world and the Ordinances of men, that they perish in th• use: that is, there is no efficacy at all in them to do any good unto the souls of men. Our adversaries call Images and Pictures lay mens books to teach them; but the Scripture tells us they teach a lye; And if they be lay mens books, there are many Erratas in them, they are full of Erratas in every Page and more Erratas than true lines.