A77979:728
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 5 › Verse 3
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.
No more powerful means in the world to humble the heart than to behold God looking upon our hearts and ways. The discovery of our evil to others may be some means to humble us. O how would it abase men if God should discover to all their friends and acquaintance all that evil that is in their hearts. And hereafter at the great day of judgment when the secrets of all hearts shall come to be disclosed, how will the wicked and ungodly be abased before men and Angels! We read of the adulterer in Job, •4.17. that the morning is unto them even as the shadow of death, and if any one know them they are then in the terrors of the shadow of death. Wicked men (especially adulterer• for it is spoken of them) they hate the light, and the morning is unto them as the shadow of death, and if they come once to be discovered they are terrified as with the shadow of death Now I argue thus, if the knowledge that me• h•ve of ou• sec••t wicked ways is so terrible unto a guil•• con••••nce, what is it then when this guilty conscience shall […] apprehensions of the infinite God? He hath s en thee […] ha•t been s••n• wretch in such an ••n, in […] T••••• in such a se•••t place. He hath seen wh•• thou […] and plotted, yea what thou hast thought and plotted. Look upon God thus seeing thee and ⟨p. 370⟩try if it will not humble thine heart. Oh labour to humble thy heart by this, How shy was I to know such a truth, how glad was I when I got such a thing out of my conscience, such a thing that would have put me upon that which I was loth to do? and whatever I pretended, love to my self to my case, to my estate, made me decline such a truth of God; and God saw all this. When we feel such base workings of our hearts, such plotting and contrivings of them for our own selves and for our carnal ends and aims, let u cast our eye upon God and consider that his eye is upon us. Let u conceive s if we heard the voice of God from Heaven saying unto us, I know what you are plotting, I know what your aims are, I know the base workings of your spirits. Did we but apprehend God thus speaking from Heaven unto us, as here He speaks by the Prophet, I know Ephraim, and Israel is not bid from me, it would be a special means to humble our hearts for evil present, and to prevent evil for the future.