An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eighth, ninth, & tenth chapters of the prophesy of Hosea being first delivered in several lectures at Michaels Cornhil, London / by Jeremiah Burroughs ; being the seventh book published by Thomas Goodwin ... [et al.]

You will say,* 1.1 How can this be?

Thus,* 1.2 There may be some sins that they have among them that may have greater aggravations than any sins that other people have, that may make their condition (all things considered) worse. We here in this Land have much rejoyced heretofore in this, that we have had the Doctrine of Religion so pure among us as no people more, and certainly except it hath been through some few that of late daies have sought to corrupt it, certainly that must be said, that the Doctrine hath been kept very pure, as the main things of Religion, and in some things we have gone beyond other reformed Churches, as in the point of the Sabbath a great deal beyond them; and so there hath been here in England for Family Duties, never had God more

honor from any people in the world than he hath had from us in many respects; but yet for all this it seems by Gods dealings with us at this day, that God is more pro∣voked with us than with other people, and the truth is, take these one or two things and I think that no people upon the face of the earth can paralel our guilt, not only no people that are now, but never any people since the world began, as that bitterness of spirit in the hatred of the power of godliness and the opposing of it, and persecu∣ting of it, never was any people so guilty as we have been; in other reformed Churches men may be as forward and zealous as they will and they are not persecuted as they are here, & though they kept the Sabbath more loosly, yet they never persecuted men that kept it strictly, & there was never heard that stopping of the mouth of the faithful Ministry so generally as here in England, if there were but any stir∣ring Ministry in any place, presently fly upon them; and so it may well be said to us at this day, Rejoyce not as other people. God hath spit in our faces, to tell us that our con∣dition is worse than the condition of other people.

Yea but still,* 1.3 If we be Idolaters (would the ten Tribes say) they are so too.

Here was one particular aggravation upon Israel that was not among other people,* 1.4 and that was this, There was no other people would forsake their gods as Israel had for∣saken theirs, Jer. 2. 10. there was never such a thing as for a Land to change their god,* 1.5 (the worst people, for Kedar was the worst sort of people, they were a vile peo∣ple, and yet) go to Kedar and see and search diligently whether any Nation hath ever forsaken their Gods, But you have forsaken Me. And from thence there may be this Note.

That to be constant to ill principles is not so great an evil,* 1.6 as to be false against good principles. (I say) God accounts it not to be so great an evil for men to be constant to their prin∣••les though they be evil principles as for men to forsake

good principles;* 1.7 as now if a man hath been brought up all his daies in superstition and thinks verily this is the right, certainly this man is not so guilty before God as a∣nother that hath been educated in the true worship of God, and hath made profession of the contrary and yet after∣ward doth apostatize, and backslide: God had rather that men should keep to their principles though they be evil, than entertain good principles and forsake them: There are none so vile in Gods eyes as Apostates, there is not so much sordidness and baseness of spirit in those men that will keep constant to their principles though they be evil as in such as will betray their principles that are good.

And then the Principal Observation is this;* 1.8 That the sins of Gods People are the greatest sins of all: the sins of the Saints are the greatest sins of all, and they are to mourn more than any.* 1.9 In Amos, 3. 2. You only have I known of all the families of the earth, therefore will I visit you for your i∣niquities;* 1.10 your sins are greater. And that in Rom. 2. 9. Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil, of the Jew first, and also the Gentile. And we have these two ex∣cellent texts in Jer. 18. 13.* 1.11 Ask ye now among the Heathen, who hath heard such things? the Virgin of Israel hath done a ve∣ry horrible thing; that's the aggravation that it is the Virgin of Israel that hath done such a horrible thing. But espe∣cially that text in Jer. 32. 30.* 1.12 For the children of Israel, and the children of Judah have only done evil from their youth. Now Hierom hath such a Note upon this. What, the children of Israel (saith he) and Judah only done evil from their youth? What, hath none done evil but they? he gives this answer, He that hath the knowledg of God and goes from it, he alone sins in the eyes of God, as for unbeleevers they sin too but it is as if God saw it not, and as if God minded it not, as he saith in the Acts, that he winks at the daies of their ignorance,* 1.13 but they only sin that have had the knowledg of God. We reade of this Philistims that they ventured to

carry the Ark upon Carts;* 1.14 God did not manifest himself provoked against them that carried the Ark so, but when the Levites would presume to carry it upon carts, the Lord makes a breach upon them and strikes Ʋzzah with death; he did bear with it in the Philistins, which was a little before, and it may be they presumed and thought the Philistins carried the Ark upon a cart, why may not we? That which God will beare from others he will not bear from his own, their sins are against Covenant, and that's a special thing, there hath not been that solemn Covenant between me and other people as between you and me: This is a mighty aggravation against the sins of Gods peo∣ple, more than against any people in the world, that they are against Covenant.

Oh! remember this, you that do often covenant with God, when you are in Prayer, Oh! how do you renew your Covenant with God? What promises do you make with God in Prayer, and yet you grow again loose, and false, and vile afterwards? Oh! you must not rejoyce as other people; you look upon a Drunkard that reels in the streets, and hear a Swearer blaspheme the Name of God, yea, but that may not be so great an evil as the vanity of thy spirit, And why? The loosness of thy heart, and those secret sins thou art guilty of, because thou hast so covenan∣ted and bound thy self to God: the Drunkard was never made sensible of his sin and wrath of God upon his con∣science; but the wrath of God hath been upon thy con∣science, and thou hast engaged thy self to God, if he would shew mercy, Oh! thou would'st walk holily and strictly before him: Now doest thou think that thy sins are as the sins of other people? They never had such Soul-quickning Ordinances, but go up and down to Taverns and Alehou∣ses, and never know what a powerful Sermon meant upon their hearts, and had they such means as thou hast, then it's like it would be with them far better than now; and the Name of God is not so much polluted by them as by

thee; thou that art a Professor of Religion the eyes of all men are upon thee, and in thy sin thou doest not only dis∣obey God, but thou doest pollute the Name of God, thou art a stumbling block unto others, and the cause of the hardning of many hundreds in their sins, and therfore thy sin certainly is worse than others. This would be a great Point to shew how the sins of the Professors of Religion are worse than others, and therefore it is not enough for you to say, We are all sinners: No, we must not excuse our selves in this, that others are guilty as well as we, Oh! but consider what aggravations there is of thy sin more than there is of the sins of others; It is a sign of a very car∣nal heart to think to go away thus, it's true, I sin, and o∣thers sin as well as I do; yea, but a true penitent heart wil not only consider that he is a sinner, but what aggravati∣ons are there upon his sin more than upon the sins of o∣thers? and so will lay it upon their hearts, It's true, such and such sin, but had they what I have had, it would not be so with them; my sin that hath broken through so ma∣ny terrors of conscience, and that God hath sought by such means to keep me from my sin, it is a sign of the vio∣lence of my spirit indeed that hath broken through so much as I have done: it is therefore an abominable thing to make our profession in holy Duties a Medium to make our sins less, Doest thou think that this is a means to make thee escape that wrath? Certainly this is a great aggrava∣tion of thy sins.

We have a generation of men among us,* 1.15 that because they are Beleevers, therefore they need no sorrow for their sin, they must have only joy. Now certainly thy being a Be∣leever may aggravate thy sin so much the more,* 1.16 and may make it so much the more vile, and may pierce thy heart so much the more; for if thou beest a Beleever thou know∣est what the pardon of thy sins cost; therefore, certainly Gods mercies towards thee are the aggravation of thy sins: The truth is, suppose our sins were not so great as the sins

of some other people are, yet it is not alwaies an argument that we may rejoyce as other people.

Why so?* 1.17 (you will say.)

Thus:* 1.18 Suppose our sins be but equal, or less than the sins of other people,* 1.19 yet it is more than we know whether God will pass by our sins so much as by the sins of others, What if God out of his Prerogative damn thee for a little sin, and save others that have committed great sins? We have such examples in Scripture, as in the example of Saul, the thing that God cast away Saul for, in its self it was not so much as that which David had been guilty of, he had been guilty of groser sins than that which God cast away Saul for,* 1.20 Saul might have said, this is an offence, but is this like Murder and Adultry? What if it be not, God will pardon David, and cast away Saul. Oh! do not you think to rejoice as other people do; Why, may not God do with his mercie as he pleases, it is his own; God may pardon one, and damn thee eternally: And therefore let no sinner please himself with what others do, for he is not to do as others do. Now it follows.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Object.
• * 1.2

  Answ.
• * 1.3

  Object.
• * 1.4

  Answ, No Nation but Israel forsook their gods.
• * 1.5

  Ier. 2. 10. explained.
• * 1.6

  Obs. 3.
• * 1.7

  A special note.
• * 1.8

  Obs. 4.
• * 1.9

  Amos 3. 2▪
• * 1.10

  Rom. 2. 9.
• * 1.11

  Ier. 18. 13. expounded▪
• * 1.12

  Ier. 32. 30. opened.
• * 1.13

  Act. 17.
• * 1.14

  1 Sam. 6. 7. with 2 Sam. 6. 3. noted.
• * 1.15

  Some An∣tinomi∣ans noted.
• * 1.16

  Saints should sor∣row must for sin.
• * 1.17

  Quest.
• * 1.18

  Answ.
• * 1.19

  God hath liberty to damn one for a lesser sin, and save one that is guilty of a greater.
• * 1.20

  Instanced in the ex∣amples of Saul and David.