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I found Israel like Grapes in the Wilderness: I saw your Fathers as the first ripe in the Fig-tree at her first time
THE scope of the holy Ghost in this, it is to upbraid the ten Tribes for their wretched ungrateful dealing with God, their sin is aggravated by Gods love towards them and their forfathers.
That's thus;* 1.1 look as a man that hath been travelling
in the parched wilderness, and is dry, and weary, and faint, he doth come to a place in the Wilderness unexpe∣ctedly and finds clusters of Grapes, from whence he hath a∣bundance of refreshment to cool and moisten him, and Oh how refresh'd is this poor man when he is parched in the dry Wilderness and beyond all expectation comes and finds a Vine full of clusters of Grapes? this would be the most pleasing thing to such a man that could be; thus saith God, Such kind of delight had I in your forefathers. He names Grapes and Figs here because they are the most delightful fruit of all kind of fruit to weary travellers: Now if this be so that God hath such delight in his people as a man would have in Grapes thus in the Wilderness, Oh! how should God be our delight when we are in the Wilderness?* 1.2 If we being his people are so delightful to him in the Wilderness, surely then God himself should be de∣lightful to us in our wilderness, Oh! let God in his Ordi∣nances be to us in our troubles and afflictions as Grapes to a traveller in his Wilderness; surely if God will account us to himself so delightful, there's great reason that we should account him to us as delightful: Some of Gods Ser∣vants have been forced to fly into the Wilderness, and though they have not had such outward refreshments as we have had here that have set under our own Vines, and Fig-trees, yet God hath made them to find Grapes in the Wilderness, they have sit under Gods Protection and his Ordinances, as a man in the Wilderness should sit under a Vine of Grapes and refresh himself with them.
We should lay to heart Gods Love to our Fathers,* 1.3 and seek to continue it to our selves: It's a sad thing to look up∣on degenerate Children who have had fathers whom God took delight in; Your Fathers were as clusters of Grapes that did refresh the very soul of God; as it is said of Wine,
that it doth chear both God and man; so the grace and holiness of your forefathers, Oh! how refreshing were they to the heart of God? But what are you, you are sowr in the tast of God, what delight can God take in your un∣savory and rotten corrupted spirits? Oh! it's a comforta∣ble thing when a child is able to say,* 1.4 as Exod. 15. 2. My God, and my fathers God, God was my Fathers God, and delighted in my Father, and blessed be his Name he is my God, and I hope he hath some delight in me: You who are the children of Fathers whom God delighted in as Grapes in the Wilderness, it's a mighty engagement for you to look to your selves that your hearts and lives be not corrupt, but follow the steps of your fathers, that God may delight likewise in you. But further;
There's a great deal of elegancy in these expressions. The Fig-tree bears twice in the yeer, and here it is, The first of the first time. Their Fathers were as delightful as Grapes in the wilderness, and as the Figs, the first Figs in her first time.
Now we know that we prize fruit that is first ripe, as Cherries when they are first of all come, when they come it may be two or three into the Market, and Pease, and such kind of things when they are the first ripe of all, how they are prized? you shall have many will give any price for them. We say when Cherries come at first, that they are Ladies meat, or Longing meat: Now the Lord is plea∣sed to condescend so much to express his love to his people, as the love of a longing woman to Cherries or other fruit, when they come first of all; as a woman hath a longing after things when they come and are first ripe; saith God, Never did woman long after any fruit when it was first ripe more than my soul hath longed after you to do you good, I have taken as much pleasure in you as ever woman could
take when she had her longing in the most dainty first ripe things: This is the meaning of the holy Ghost here, to shew the Love of God to his Saints.* 1.5 Many expressions we have in Scripture, as in Jer. 12. 10. they are call'd his Plea∣sant Portion,* 1.6 and the dearly Beloved of Gods Soul, Jer. 12. 7. and the peculiar Treasure of God,* 1.7 Exod. 19. 5. and here there are two as elegant expressions, as Grapes in the Wilderness, and as the first ripe of the Figs in the first time: Thus is Gods exceeding goodness to us, though we be sapless in our selves, and have nothing in us to procure delight, yet God in his own free Grace is willing to express himself thus to his People, Oh! what delight should we have in God who takes such delight in his Servants? And this expression of God we think may very well hint unto us a meditation concerning the delight that God hath in young ones that do begin to give up themselves unto him,* 1.8 the Lord loves the first fruits, and the first ripe of things: in Mich. 7. 1. Wo is me,* 1.9 for I am as when they have gathered the Summer fruits, as the Grape gleanings of the vintage, there is no cluster to eat; My soul desired the first ripe fruits. So it's true, by way of allusion at least, we may apply it, the Soul of God is a longer, God is a longer; To what? To the first ripe fruits, to the first of your years, to you that are young ones: We prize highly Nettle buds when they bud out first; Oh! so graciousness when it buds out in youth at first, Oh how pleasing is it to God!* 1.10 in Exod. 23. 19. God would have the first of the first fruits, he would not only have of the first fruits, but the first of the first. God stands much about the first still.* 1.11 And in Leviticus, 2. 14. there you reade, that the Lord is so eager to have the first things? (as a lon∣ging woman) that he will not stay till they be ripe, he will have the green ears of Corn dried in the fire;* 1.12 as many wo∣men that long they will not stay untill the thing be ripe, but if they can have it ripened by any art, though not by the way of Nature they will seek to have it ripened so, and then they must needs have it; so saith God, my longing is
so after the first of things that I will not stay till they be fully ripe, but the Corn, though it be green ears, if they may be dried by the fire, I'le have them then. And so in Cant. 2. 12.* 1.13 The flowers appear on the earth, the time of the sin∣ging of birds is come, the Fig tree putteth forth her green Figs; and in Cant. 6. 11.* 1.14 I went down into the Garden of Nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the Vine flourished, and the Pomegranates budded. Oh! the Lord looks up and down in Congregations that are as the Gardens of God to see such:* 1.15 and so in Cant. 7. 12. Let us get up early to the Vine∣yards, let us see if the Vine flourish, whether the tender Grape appear, and the Pomegranates bud forth; there will I give thee my Loves. Oh let us go and see whether the tender Grape ap∣pear, or the Pomegranate bud; there will I give thee my Loves. Where God doth see grace beginning and bud∣ding in young ones,* 1.16 there God manifests himself; there will I give my Loves. And this only by occasion of Gods expressing himself like a longer after the first things. Oh! give God his longing you that are yong ones, and begin to be godly betimes, you satisfie the heart of God as the first fruits satisfie a longing woman. It follows:
But saith God here, What a But comes after all this? God doth manifest his delight in them as in the first ripe Grapes in the Wilderness, and the first ripe fruit, and yet behold, Oh! there's a but for all this.
It's not the greatness of Gods love that is enough to engage car∣nal hearts:* 1.17 this is an evil and a sore thing to see: there was a time that God accepted of this people and delighted much in them, but now they are departed: Oh! it's ordi∣nary for people to degenerate, though a few yeers since, how forward and zealous were they for God, and for Re∣formation, but within a while they grew cold, and dead,
and formal, and slight, and begin to leave off all their good beginnings, and decline from God, and from his Truth.
God complains of this people as a Husband of an Adul∣tress: Though I delighted in her, and loved her, though she had all the content she could desire, yet she goes and forsakes me, and gives up her self to a filthy unclean Whoremaster: God takes it exceeding ill that he loses his love. And I beseech you observe: There's nothing goes neerer to an ingenious heart, than the loss of Love; he had rather lose his Money than his Love (such an one hath requited me il for my love:) this (I say) goes to the heart of a man, and there's nothing more grieves him than that he finds his love is ill bestowed. So certainly it goes to the heart of God that his Love should be ill bestowed upon people.
Many loathsom and obscene things are reported con∣cerning this Baal-Peor,* 1.18 (this god that was the god of the (Moabites) that is unfit for chast ears to hear, therefore we shall not mention such things; Much filthiness was com∣mitted in the worship of this their Baal-Peor, and yet (saith God) notwithstanding all my love to their fore-fathers, whereby they might have drawn an argument that they should have had blessings upon themselves, if they had continued in the waies of their forefathers, yet they went from me & went to Baal-Peor. From whence the Notes are:
First,* 1.19 The more shameful any thing is, the more abominable is it to forsake God: It's an abominable thing to forsake God, for the gaining of Heaven and Earth (if it could be gained by it) but for to forsake God for a Baal-Peor, God takes this ••ll: (but that we met with before.)
Secondly,* 1.20 This is the evil of mans heart, That there is no evil so base and shameful, but he is ready to forsake the blessed and glorious God, that he may cleave to that. As it is reported of the Panther,* 1.21 that it doth love the dung of man so well that if it be hung up at a height, it will leap and skip for it till it bursts in pieces. So, many there are that are set upon such base things, that they are content to part with all good that there is in God and Jesus Christ, if they may but have them, they are content to undo themselves to all eternity.
Thirdly,* 1.22 So to leave God, as to give up our selves to baseness and wickedness, Oh! this is most ab••minable: To be over ta∣ken with a sin is vile, but for one to give up himself, or her self to wickedness, this is abominable: and yet this is that that many are guilty of; at first perhaps sin is fair-man∣nerd, and saith, Do but take some dallies with me at first, but after the soul begins to give up its self in a most despe∣rate way in sinful courses: many an Apostate doth thus that had some comfort before in God,* 1.23 but now having gotten a haunt of wickedness they have lost all their com∣forts in God and Christ, and now saith this desperat soul, I cannot have comfort in God and Christ, and therefore I will have it in the satisfying of my lusts. Oh! my Bre∣thren, what a shame is this? So far as thou art able to be guilty of shaming even God Himself and Jesus Christ; ther∣fore in Heb. 6. 6. Apostates are said, to put Jesus Christ to open shame; and Apostate that leaves the waies of God and separates himself to his lusts, he doth put the Lord Jesus Christ to an open shame. Oh! how should Gods people separate themselves for the Lord, and be wholly his, seeing Idolaters separate themselves to their Idols? let them look upon themselves as a people separated for the Lord.
That is, First, as they loved, so they were guided, they
were not guided by the Word, nor by any Divine Rule, not by right Reason, but according as they loved, they followed what they had a mind to,* 1.24 never regarding what Gods mind was; The judgment is soon gone when the heart is taken with a thing. Ordinarily people love that way they go, not that way the Rule guides them to, but what way their affections carry them on in;* 1.25 this is a very sinful thing for men to be acted with, and carried upon, meerly by the violence of their affections, and especially this is evil in the matters of Gods Worship, there we may not do things as we love, that is, because we think such things are very fair and there appears no hurt in them to us, and they like us well; yea, but we must examine whether we have war∣rant out of the Word for that, we must not do as we love, but according as the rule is.
Secondly,* 1.26 They were abominable as they loved; they were turned into the very likeness of what they loved: and indeed our loves what ever they are upon doth turn us into the like∣ness of the thing, The understanding turns the object into a likeness to it, but the heart is turned into the likeness of its object.
Austin hath a notable expression for this,* 1.27 saith he, Such is every man as his love is, Doth a man love the earth? he is earth; doth a man love God? (what shall I say, saith (Austin) he shall be even God too. And indeed the Scrip∣ture saith we are partakers of the Divine Nature,* 1.28 Oh! what care had we need have of what we love, Doest thou love a base filthy thing? then thy soul is base and filthy too. Doest thou love the glorious and blessed God? then thy soul is made like to God: Chuse therefore good ob∣jects for thy love, love the Lord, and love his holy waies, love things that are excellent and glorious, and by the loving of those things thy heart will come to have excel∣lency and glory put upon it;* 1.29 but if thou lovest that which is drossy and filthy, thou comest to have a base and drossy heart of thy own.* 1.30 Mans soul is like to the Cameleon that
is changed into the color of the object it looks upon.
Every man or woman is as he loves.* 1.31
Thirdly, They were abominable as they loved. That which is here translated of the Concrete, I find it may be as well translated of the Abstract, They were abominable as their love: and so it's carried by Interpreters, that is, they were abomi∣nable as their Idols were that they did love, and their Idols were call'd Love in the Abstract; as a man cals his Wife, his Love, so they call'd their Idols their Love, and they were abominable as their Love was, that is, look how a∣bominable Baal-Peor was, so abominable were they; so the Psalmist saith, that, they that make Idols, are like unto them.
But fourthly,* 1.32 which I think is especially the scope of the holy Ghost here, They were abominable as they love, (though the other may be taken in) this Scripture hath re∣ference to that that you reade in Numb. 25. 1. there you find that the people of Israel by the wicked counsel of Ba∣laam,* 1.33 when they could not be cursed, yet Balaam did coun∣sel them that they should come and bring their daughters before them, and so to intice them to commit uncleanness with their daughters, and then they should intice them to Idolatry, that was the wicked counsel of Balaam, they committed whordom with the daughters of Moab; and they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods. So They were abominable as they loved: that is, they being inti∣ced to bodily uncleanness, by the Moabitish women, these drew them likewise to the worship of their Idols. And so their loves to their Whores was that which drew them to this wickedness.
They were abominable as they loved; that is, they setting their love upon these wicked women that did intice them to uncleanness, according to that love of theirs were they
brought unto the love of Idolatry. Solomons wives drew him to Idolatry. And it's usuall for people to be of that Religion that those are that they love,* 1.34 if so be that their hearts be taken with any, if they love any it's usual for them to be of that Religion that those are of that they love, according to their kindred, according to their friends, ac∣cording to the stock that they marry in, so is their Religi∣on. Many that have been forward in waies of Religion, and yet marry into a carnal stock that hath no savour of Religion, you shall find they will grow cold according to what their wives dispositions are, according to what they love, so their Religion either burns hotter or grows cooler; as it was usually laid upon Ahab for his wicked∣ness, such a one was his wife: and so other Kings, the daughter of Ahab was his wife, his Religion was according as he loved.* 1.35 And my Brethren, if those who are in a false way can draw whom they love to it, then certainly those that are in the Truth should as wel labor to draw those who they love to the imbracement of the Truth: Wives that are naught wil draw their Husbands to that which they love,* 1.36 to Idolatry, to false worship; Popish wives have drawn more husbands to their Popery, than Godly wives (I fear) have drawn husbands to the Truth;* 1.37 Why should not gra∣cious Wives labor to draw their Husbands to good by love, as well as wicked Wives to draw them to wickedness by their love. And indeed those who would gain others to good must first gain their love. The women of Moab gained the love of the people of Israel, and so gained them to themselves in the matters of Religion. So if you would do any good to people, first labor to gain their love; let women that have evil husbands that they would ••ain gain: how would you gain them? not by reproachful speeches, but do you (though they be never so evil) walk lovingly towards them, that they may be convinced that your souls do love them, and so do you by your loving carriage gain their love, and that's the way to gain them
to your God by that means.* 1.38 So divers of the women in the primitive times that had Heathenish Husbands, we have many stories of them, that by their gracious loving carriage to their Heathen Husbands they gained them to the Truth of Religion.* 1.39 And so Ministers, if they would gain people to God, they must gain their love, so walk before them in such a gracious holy loving way towards them, as they may gain their love, and then they will gain their souls; if there be wrangling between Minister and People, there's little hope that they will gain and do any good a∣mong that people, for people wil do as they love very much. And so your neighbors and friends if you would gain them to God any way,* 1.40 gain their loves to you, for it's a migh∣ty motive in matters of Religion for people to do as they love. And thus much for this tenth Verse.
Expos.
Applic. God should be our de∣light in his ordinances▪
Obser.
Exod. 15. 2.
Ier. 12. 10▪
Vers. 7.
Exod. 19▪ 5.
Gods de∣light is in yong ones.
Mic. 7. 1.
Exod. 23. 19.
Levit. 2. 14.
simile▪
Cant. 2. 12▪
Chap. 6. 11▪
••hap. 7. 12
An Exhor∣tation to yong ones.
Observ.
Baal-Peor Deus aper∣tionis, in∣dix inter∣pret. nom. vulg. lat. apud lati∣nos priapus vid. Hier. in loc. ne•• non Dru∣sium.
Obs. 1.
Obs. 2.
The Pan∣ther.
Obs. 3.
Apostates▪
Obs. Not what we see, but what God likes.
Perit ju∣dicium, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 quum res transit in affectum.
Expos. 2.
Quod per voluntatē resolutē & efficaciter vis, hoc ab∣solute es.
Non faci∣unt bonos vel malos mores, nisi boni vel mali amo∣res. Aug. Ep. 52. ad Macedon.
The Cha∣meleon.
Plin. Lib. 8. Cap. 33▪
Expos. 3.
Expos. 4 prefer'd.
Numb. 25. 1.
Obs.
Admonitiō to Saints.
Popish Wives.
To Religi∣ous Wives.
Women in the primi∣tive times.
Ministers must gaine the peoples love.
Neighbors & friends▪