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.]

VER. 9.

They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the daies of GIBEAH.

THeir wickedness hath deeply-rooted its self, so the word here signifies; there's little hope to prevail with them, labor what you can,* 1.1 their superstitious and Idolatrous waies have gotten such deep root in their hearts that there is no getting of it out. Sin, and especially that sin of super∣stion so deeply roots its self in the hearts of men if it be let alone but a little time that there is no getting of it out.

And indeed there is little hope of the Reformation that is now in hand,* 1.2 that ever we should see it come to the full beauty and perfection of it until even God himself,* 1.3 either by some extraordinary hand of his should root out those superstitious principles that there are in many men, or at least by his own hand root out those that have such super∣stitious

and Idolatrous principles rooted in them. We won∣der that men cannot be taken off from superstitious waies, Oh! they are deeply rooted, it's not an easie matter to era∣ditate those waies and vile words of theirs; it's a blessed thing to take sin betimes,* 1.4 and you that are young that have not other wickedness, and especially superstition roo∣ted in you, you are those that it's like God will make use of for the bringing this Reformation to perfection, you shall see the glory of it, it may be when others are gone and dead you shall come to see what God intended in all these stirs that have been among us, we find by experience the fruit of this in the hearts of men, what a deal of stir was there to take them off at first? Oh! but the root abides still in mens hearts, and there's this experiment of it, of the depth and root that superstition take, in mens hearts, That though men be content not to practice those supersti∣tious waies that they did before, because now the times do not favor them, yet this we find, that men cannot be brought to leave off those things as sinful, but as incon∣venient, they will be content to forbear the practice of them, but you have but few men, I had almost said but few Ministers, but so far I may be bold to say, that many Ministers,* 1.5 but especially those who were any thing for∣ward in superstitious waies, such as did not before account them a burden, those though they do leave them off at this time, yet not as things that are sinful, they never could be brought to that, to acknowledg them to be sinful, and so to charge themselves in sinning against God, but they are content to leave them off as things that are inconvenient and as may be burdensom to other men; but the leaving them off after such a way is no other, but if the times should favor them again there is a principle retained in their hearts, so as they would be in readiness to submit to them again, and to do them as formerly, this bitter root of Superstition abides in their hearts; that's the meaning of this phrase, they are deeply rooted, that is, their superstiti∣on

and false worship is deeply rooted in their hearts. Well, let their superstition be rooted as deep as it will,* 1.6 yet as Christ saith in Mat. 15. Every plant that my Father hath not planted shall be rooted out: God will either root thee out, or the superstition of thy heart out of thee.* 1.7 And seeing the false worshipers have superstition so rooted in their hearts, Oh! how should the true worshipers of God have the truth rooted in their hearts never to be rooted out; so Saint Paul in Col. 2. 7. Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith &c.

They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the daies of Gibeah.

This must cost us a little further time for the opening of it fully: Rooted in their evil waies as in the daies of Gibeah. What hath this reference to? the Scripture doth note the City Gibeah for two notable things; one, that it was the City of Saul, and so then upon that some carry it thus: That as heretofore they cast off my Government when they chose Saul to be their King over them,* 1.8 so now they cast me off as then formerly they did.

But I think that's not the scope, but rather, As in the daies of Gibeah; This hath reference to that notable story that you have in the 19. and 20. chapters of Judges,* 1.9 there you shall find what was done in the daies of Gibeah. You shall find the story of a Levite that had his Concubine gone from him and playing the whore, he went to fetch her a∣gain, and as he was returning home (the substance of the story is this) as he was coming home he would not go by no means (as his servant would have had him) to Jebus, be∣cause those that lived there were not of the Children of Is∣rael, but he would be sure to lodg in a City that did belong to the Children of Israel, and when he comes to Gibeah, there expecting to have protection from that City, being they were of the Children of Israel, yet he found it quite otherwise, the people of the City were notorious abomi∣nable wicked people and they came by violence in the night

to break open the doors where he lodged that they might commit sodomy and filthiness with him, but they obtai∣ning him not, get his Concubine and abuse her all night together one after another, till with a long abuse of her they kill'd her, and she lay dead at the door, upon which horrid thing, this being committed in a City that did be∣long to the People of God, this Levite takes a knife and cuts his Concubine (being dead) into twelve pieces, and sends them all abroad throughout the coasts of Israel, and bad them think upon it and consider what should be done. And upon the sight of that, and hearing the occasion of it, the people were amazed and said, Never was such a thing done, or seen since the people of Israel came out of the Land of Egypt. Wherefore all the People even from Dan to Beersheba th••y all assembled to consult what should be done, in the 20. chap. they resolved to go against the City of Gibeah; in the 11. verse the text saith, All the people were gathered together against the City, as one man: and in the 13. verse they required those Delinquents to be delivered up to them. Now those Children of Belial they stood it out and would not deliver them up; yea, and they got the Benjamites to joyn with them, twenty six thousand Armed men to joyn with them to stand in defence of these notori∣ous Delinquents, they got up an Army which one would not have thought that among the People God there should have been gotten up an Army to have defended such noto∣rious villains as those were, yet they did, but the people of Israel joyned all together and were resolved that they would have such notorious wickedness to be punished (there was four hundred thousand joyned together) Now in the 18. verse, they asked counsel of God what they should do, & God gave them leave to go, and bid that Judah should go up first, so they went to require these Delin∣quents and went up against them, but the Benjamites the first day got the victory and slew two and twenty thou∣sand men. Upon that the Children of Israel went up to

God again and wept before the Lord, and God gave them leave to go again, & they went, & the Benjamites came out again & slew eighteen thousand more of them: These wic∣ked Malignants got the Victory two daies and slew fourty thousand of the Children of Israel that went not only by Gods leave,* 1.10 but by his sending, and yet for two daies to∣gether they fel before those wicked and vile wretches; but yet afterwards they went and wept and fasted, they knew that their cause could not but be good, and they were re∣solved they would go to God again and humble their souls before God, and fast, and pray, and then they overthrew those wicked Bonjamites, and these of Gibeah; and where∣as there were twenty six thousand came out against them,* 1.11 there was twenty and five thousand and an hundred men slain by the sword, and the City of Gibeah was burnt with fire; so God executed wrath upon them at length. This is the story that the Prophet hath reference to.

Now these men are wicked, as in the daies of Gibeah; look how it was in the daies of Gibeah, so now it is; there's many remarkable things to be observed from that story, in reference to this which the Prophet doth quote it for, the story in general was thus, That they stood out to defend wicked ones so as they did; it doth concern us fully in our times,* 1.12 and our wars are almost the very same now as then they were, for what is the main cause of our War but to fetch Delinquents to the execution of Justice? and who would have thought that such Delinquents whose burdens we groaned under in former times, and we ac∣counted the great evil of the times, that these should find an Army to defend them? Yet perhaps sometimes we may be overcome by them, and they may for a while prevail, but let us fast before God and humble our selves more through∣ly, and certainly God will own his Cause in time as there he did. But particularly from the story first observe,

That when we make use of men as a shelter and to seek protecti∣on from them,* 1.13 if they shall deal vilely with us and accuse us, and

make a prey upon us, this is a most abominable and cursed wicked∣ness in the eyes of God; This Levite came from Jebus and would not lodg with them, but to Gibeah, thinking to have had protection there, and yet these deal vily: Doth any man put himself under any of you for protection, and do you deal falsely? Oh! this is an abominable thing in the eyes of God.

Secondly,* 1.14 That sometimes we may meet with worse usage from such who profess Religion and more strictness in their waies, than from those who outwardly are further off from profession. It may be if they had gone to Jebus they would not have met with such ill usage, as they did when they came to Gibeah: sometimes it is so that they that make profession of Religi∣on they are guilty of more ill usage to the servants of God than others that are prophane and ungodly, or of another Religion.

Oh! let men take heed of this,* 1.15 how they behave them∣selves towards their Brethren,* 1.16 that they may not have cause to say, Lord, were we among the Indians or among some moderate Papists, or under some of the Prelates again we should not find such hard usage as we do from some of our Brethren who profess thy Name and seek Reformation; this were a sad thing (I say) if ever there should be cause for the Servants of God to make their moans to Heaven and cry to God. God forbid.

Thirdly, Whereas Israel thought themselves holy and devout for God in the multitude of their sacrifices, and their devotion, and their services that they tendered up to God, yet God looks upon them as filthy and wicked, as the men of Gibeah were that committed sodomy and such kind of filthiness, saith God, You have corrupted your selves as in the daies of Gibeah; whatsoever your fair shews are, and your sacrifices be that you offer, yet you are lookt up∣on as thus vile and abominable before God.

From whence therefore the Note may be,* 1.17 That men may have very fair shews in the Worship of God, and do that which

may seem to be much for the honor of God, and yet God looking with other eyes than men do, God may behold them as filthy, a∣bominable, and loathsom in his sight. God will not be put off with words of Reformation and the Service of God, for men may have such base ends in it, and may mix so much of themselves to corrupt the right way of God, and to keep out the right service of God with shews of serving him, that this may make them and their services to be as odious to God as the most filthy thing in the world; that's the cleer and plain Note from thence. We do not reade of such abominable filthiness of body as was in the daies of Gibeah, but because of the corruptions of Gods Worship that they carried fairly, yet the Lord lookt upon it as fil∣thy, as that was in the daies of Gibeah.

Fourthly,* 1.18 For men after wickedness is committed, to stand impudently, and boldly in the defence of it, and to be so far from the acknowledgment of their sin, as they will rather venture despe∣rately the undoing of themselves than they will come in to acknow∣ledg or let Justice have its course: this is an abominable wicked∣ness in the eyes of God. Thus they did in the daies of Gibeah. And thus you are ready to do, not only to commit horri∣ble wickedness and sins, but to stand in the defence of it; there is this desperate stoutness of spirit, and hardness of heart in many men, that when they are once got into the way of sin, rather than they would yield and submit, they will venture the undoing of themselves: the men of Gibeah did so, and they were undone accordingly.

Yea further,* 1.19 Not only to stand out our selves in evil, but to joyn with others to defend them, though it be the venturing of our own undoing and others, this is further wickedness; yet how many have we of the Gentry and Nobility of the King∣dom,* 1.20 that do not only seek to defend themselves, but joyn with the greatest Malignants of the Kingdom, with those that are the greatest cause of evil, and were like to be the utter undoing of us all? to defend them from Justice will venture the ruin of their own families; whereas were it

that the Malignants were given up, they might have saved their estates families and all; Oh! that ever God should leave men in such horrible wickedness as this is! This is just as it was in the daies of Gibeah.

Sixtly,* 1.21 Those who do so stoutly stand to defend wickedness and other men who are wicked, yet they may for a while prosper; even the men of Gibeah and the Benjamites may prosper.

But yet in the next place,* 1.22 at last, these men shall perish, twenty five thousand and an hundred of these twenty six thousand perished, and all the men of Gibeah, and the City was burnt. So, let men stand out as stubbornly and stout∣ly as they will, and say, What care we? they will lose their lives and estates rather than they will submit and yeeld, well, they may lose all at lengh; you have yet (it may be) a day (some victory) and prevail'd at some time, yea, but let not mens hearts be hardened by that, nor let none of the other side be discouraged, for certainly those that stand desperately out in defending of wickedness they shall perish at last; so did the Gibeonites.

Yea, But what is this to us (might the Prophets Auditors say?)

Yes certainly it's much to you, for this aggravates your sins, the sins of forefathers (that's the Note that the Pro∣phet makes use of) what was done in daies of Gi∣beah.

From whence is this Note,

That the sins of forefathers is an aggravation of Childrens sins,* 1.23 when they commit the same and others like unto them. And yet such is the delusion of many poor people that they excuse the present sins by the sins of former times:* 1.24 As thus; suppose Ministers or others should complain of the sinfulness of the times, and declaim against the sinful∣ness of the times, you shall have some can say, Why do they keep such a stir of the wickedness of the times, were they not as bad as they are now heretofore? Oh delusion! This is the great aggravation when that thou livest in those

sins thy forefathers did, thou art it seems the child of a wicked parent, and how just had it been with God to have cut thee off presently for the sins of thy parents? and doest thou say, that thy wickedness is no other than the wicked∣ness of thy forefathers? Certainly if the times be as ill as they were heretofore, they are worse than they were here∣tofore,* 1.25 for the evil of our forefathers is an aggravation of our present evils, if we continue in them: As the treachery of a parent would be no excuse for the treachery of a child, for him to say, my father was a Traytor: for me to ex∣cuse the sins of the present times with the sins of the former times, and say, that they were as ill formerly as now; it is just for all the world such kind of reasoning; but this is not the reasoning of the Spirit of God,* 1.26 he aggravates the sins of Israel in Hosea's time with the sins that were in the daies of Gibeah. God may let men alone in their wicked∣ness for a long time, untill they grow to the heigth of their wickedness, and then God comes upon them. When the sins of the Amorites were full, Now, he will remember their i∣niquities, he will visit their sins. But for this phrase of Gods remembring, and visiting, that we have had before, there∣fore we pass it over, and come to the tenth verse.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Obser.
• * 1.2

  Use.
• * 1.3

  Englands reformatiō▪
• * 1.4

  Our young ones may see.
• * 1.5

  Ministers that coun∣ted the things now laid aside, only incon∣venient, will take them up again.
• * 1.6

  A Note for the su∣perstitious.
• * 1.7

  Us. to tru worshipers
• * 1.8

  Expos. 1.
• * 1.9

  2. Our Authors.
• * 1.10

  Malig∣nants may have great Victories one after another,
• * 1.11

  Yet a good cause reli∣giously ma∣naged pro∣spers at last▪
• * 1.12

  Our times such.
• * 1.13

  Obs. 1.
• * 1.14

  Obs. 2▪
• * 1.15

  Use.
• * 1.16

  Admonitiō to some Brethren now.
• * 1.17

  Obs. 3.
• * 1.18

  Obs. 4.
• * 1.19

  Obs. 5▪
• * 1.20

  Use for many of the Nobility and Gentry of Engl.
• * 1.21

  Obs. 6.
• * 1.22

  Obs. 7.
• * 1.23

  Obs. 8.
• * 1.24

  Applicat.
• * 1.25

  If present times be as bad as for∣mer, then they are worse.
• * 1.26

  simile▪