A77979:171
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 2
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.
The fifth is, [Committing Adultery.] The generation of a rational creature who must live unto all eternity, is a work that God challengeth a special hand in, to appoint it to all at his pleasure, therefore the breach of Gods Order in this, and the casting filth upon this to satisfy the brutish lust of a man or woman, it is a most cursed evil, against which God hath a most dreadful controversy. It is a breach of the blessed Covenant of God, and a sin that is most opposite to Gods Nature. And take that text all you that are guilty of this; ⟨p. 56⟩for perhaps many seem not to be guilty, that are professors of Religion and live fairly amongst their neighbours, & yet may be secretly guilty of it too; take that text home with you, Prov. 22.14. That the abhorred of the Lord shall fall into the pit of the whore. Go thy ways in that condition wherein thou art, thou canst know no otherwise by thy self but that thou art the man or the woman that art abhorred of God. Thou art beloved of thy Whore, but God abhorreth thee. And Tertullian speaking upon that place Eph. 5.6. Let no man deceive you with vain words; 1he that expression which I confess I would not dare to have; These are (saith he) vain words, be that preacheth of repentance to adultery, especially adultery in a forcible way, he deceiveth men with vain words. You may see how he apprehended the sin; we dare not justify what he saith in that, but only show you how dreadful he apprehended the sin to be. And in another place, speaking of the sin that is unpardonable, in Heb. 6. he hath this expression, We never read, (saith he) or ever knew a second repentance promised to an adulterer or fornicator. These were his thoughts of Adultery. The Athenians made a law, That if any man found his wife in the act of adultery, he might presently kill her. And I have read of a people among the Heathens, that have punished this sin for the filthiness of it, by putting the adulterers head into the paunch of a beast where the filth of it lay, and so stifled him. If Heathens hated it so much, surely God must have a controversy with those that profess themselves Christians because of this sin. And the greater controversy because it is so little punished by men. And though many great ones can get beyond punishment by man, yet they cannot get beyond this controversy. I remember Mr.