But now secondly, 1To such as cannot evidence to their own Souls that chastening hath been accompanied with divine teaching in any Gospel-proportion, or at least are not deeply sensible of the want of it; here is a word of Exhortation for them, suffer it I beseech you; Roll your selves in the dust before the Lord; smite upon your thigh; sigh with the breaking of your loins, and cry out with Ephraim, Thou hast ⟨p. 268⟩chastised me, 2and I was chastised, as a Bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: I have felt the blows of God, but that is all; I have received no more instruction by all my correction, then a brute beast; or if I had, I have quickly lost it; it is fled like a bird, from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception: It is like the untimely fruit of a woman that never saw the Sun. Truly thou hast cause to sit down, and even wish for thy affliction again: God had put himself into thy hands (as it were,) and thou hast let him go without THE Blessing, the blessing of saving Instruction: how mayst thou even wish, I say, O that I were in prison again, in my sick bed again, in banishment again, et sic in caet. However humble thy self greatly before the Lord, and wrestle mightily for the AFTER TEACHINGS of God upon thy heart; pray, Turn me Lord, and I shall be turned, for thou art the Lord my God; what affliction hath not done, Lord do thou; set Omnipotency ⟨p. 269⟩on work, and it shall be done; turn me, and I SHALL BE turned; that so thy Soul may yet speak to the praise of free grace: AFTER that I returned I repented, 3and AFTER that I was instructed, I smote upon the thigh, I was ashamed, yea even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. Urge the Lord, as Sampson did after his victory, Judg. 15.18. Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant, and shall I now dye for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised? Say thou, Lord, thou hast given thy servant this great deliverance from danger and death, and shall I now perish for want of teaching, and go down to Hell among the uncircumcised? TEACH me thy way, 4O Lord, I will walk in thy truth: Unite my heart to fear thy Name. TEACH me to do thy will, 5for thou art my God, thy Spirit is good; lead me into the Land of uprightness. In a word, desire the Lord that He would do all the work, and then ⟨p. 270⟩take all the glory:
But now secondly, 1To such as cannot evidence to their own Souls that chastening hath been accompanied with divine teaching in any Gospel-proportion, or at least are not deeply sensible of the want of it; here is a word of Exhortation for them, suffer it I beseech you; Roul your selves in the dust before the Lord; smite upon your thigh; sigh with the breaking of your loyns, and cry out with Ephraim, Thou hast ⟨p. 268⟩chastised me, 2and I was chastised, as a Bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: I have felt the blows of God, but that is all; I have received no more instruction by all my correction, then a brute beast; or if I had, I have quickly lost it; it is fled like a bird, from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception: It is like the untimely fruit of a woman that never saw the Sun. Truly thou hast cause to sit down, and even wish for thy affliction again: God had put himself into thy hands (as it were,) and thou hast let him go without THE Blessing, the blessing of saving Instruction: how mayst thou even wish, I say, O that I were in prison again, in my sick bed again, in banishment again, et sic in caet. However humble thy self greatly before the Lord, and wrestle mightily for the AFTER TEACHINGS of God upon thy heart; pray, Turn me Lord, and I shall be turned, for thou art the Lord my God; what affliction hath not done, Lord do thou; set Omnipotency ⟨p. 269⟩on work, and it shall be done; turn me, and I SHALL BE turned; that so thy Soul may yet speak to the praise of free grace: AFTER that I returned I repented, 3and AFTER that I was instructed, I smote upon the thigh, I was ashamed, yea even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. Urge the Lord, as Sampson did after his victory, Judg. 15.18. Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant, and shall I now dye for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised? Say thou, Lord, thou hast given thy servant this great deliverance from danger and death, and shall I now perish for want of teaching, and go down to Hell among the uncircumcised? TEACH me thy way, 4O Lord, I will walk in thy truth: Ʋnite my heart to fear thy Name. TEACH me to do thy will,
- 1Exhort. to them that have been corrected, but not instructed.
- 2Reader, excuse the frequent use of this Scripture, Jer. 31.18. Nunquam satis dicitur, quod nunquam satis discitur; that cannot be too often spoken, which cannot be sufficiently learned. Sen. Epist. Hosea 9.11 Psal. 58.8Reader, excuse the frequent use of this Scripture, Ier. 31.18. Nunquam satis dicitur, quod nunquam satis discitur; that cannot be too often spoken, which cannot be sufficiently learned. Sen. Epist. Hosea 9.11 Psal. 58.8
- 3Jer. 31.19Ier. 31.19
- 4Psal. 86.11
- 5Psa. 143 10
