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.]

Israel is an empty Vine.

The Church is often in Scripture compared to a Vine, in Psal. 80. 8.* 1.1 Thou hast brought a Vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the Heathen and planted it.* 1.2 And in that known place Isa. 5. 1. Now will I sing unto my well beloved a song of my be∣loved,

touching his Vinyard.

The Church is compared to a Vine.* 1.3

First,* 1.4 There's no plant hath a more unpromising out∣side than the Vine hath, the outside of it, how mean is it? looks as if it were weathered, rugged, grisled, weak, and hollow the stalk of it: and this is the Church, the out-side of it is very unpromising, little beauty and comliness; as Christ himself had little beauty and excellency in his out∣side.

But yet secondly,* 1.5 The Vine is the most fruitful plant that grows out of the earth; Pliny (that great Naturalist) tells of very strange fruitfulness of some kind of Vines, in his 14. Book,* 1.6 and 4. Chapter, he tells of ten Culei (that's his word) that an Acre of Vines brought forth in a year, which comes to a matter of eighteen hundred gallons: nay in the 1. Chapter of his 14. Book, he tells of one stock, one single Vine, that was planted by Livia the Empress, that yeelded an hundred and eight gallons of good Wine yeerly. The Vine is a very fruitful thing, though un∣promising in the out-side. And what fruit indeed is there brought forth to God in the world but by his Churches? and God expects much fruitfulness among his people; how ever, as you shall hear, they are charged with being empty.

Thirdly, No plant requires so great care as the Vine; What a deal of do is there in dressing the Vine and underprop∣ping of it, and pruning of it, looking to it continually? and the Lord hath the greatest care of his people, of his Church: himself accounts it no dishonor to be the Hus∣bandman, as he is said to be in John 15. and in Isa. 27. 3. you have a most admirable expression of Gods taking care of his Church, as his Vine. I the Lord do keep it: I will wa∣ter it every moment, lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. I will keep it and I will water it, and every moment lest a∣ny hurt it, I will keep it (again) night and day. And this is the Vinyard that he speaks of in the beginning of

this Chapter, and it was the Vinyard that brought out red Wine, the best sort of Wine. Those that bring forth the best sort of Wine shall have the best of Gods care and charge and protection over them.

Fourthly, The Vine it is the most depending creature in the world, it is not able to under-prop its self, but must have props more than other Plants,* 1.7 and therefore Nature hath given unto it strings by which it catches hold upon a∣ny thing next it: And so the Church, the Church is weak in its self, and is the most depending thing in the world, depends upon its props that God affords unto it; you have an excellent place to set out that in Isa. 27. 2, 3. ver. there the holy Ghost speaks of a Vinyard of red Wine, and in the 4. verse,* 1.8 Fury is not in me; which shews that there should come a kind of great storm and tempest, but he would not have his People to be discouraged. Fury is not in me. And then in the 5. verse, Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me, and he shall make his peace with me.* 1.9 Let him take hold of my strength; that is, speaking to his Church as a Vine, in the time when my fu∣ry is abroad, yet do you like the Vine, which catches hold upon a pole, and there under-props its self, so let him take hold of my power, let him act faith upon my power in time of storms and tempests and he shall make peace, though he hath never so much trouble abroad in the world with others, yet he may, he shall have peace with me. That's the nature of the Vine to catch hold upon that which is next it, and especially in time of storms, when the strongest Oaks are rent in pieces, yet the Vine catching hold upon the props it hath, rests there.

Fifthly, If it be not fruitful, it is the most unprofitablest thing in the world.* 1.10 I suppose you know that place in Ezek. 15. 2. What is the Vine-tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the Forrest? Shall wood be ta∣ken thereof to do any work, or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon? Behold, it shall be cast into the fire for fewel; It

is not meet for any work, the Vine is meet for nothing, not to make a pin if it be not fruitful. And no people in the world are so unprofitable as Professors of Religion if they bring not forth the fruit of godliness, and the world may be rid of them better than any people else if they bring not forth their fruit unto God.

And then further in the sixt place, A Vine is the most spreading plant that is, that spreads larger than other plants, and fills a great deal of room with the spreading of the branches of it, and so you have the Promise of the Church in Isa. 27. 6.* 1.11 Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.

And then lastly, The Vine is the most tender, soft plant, and it is the Emblem of peace, the sitting under our Vines, it is to set forth Peace. And so the People of God they should be of tender soft spirits, not like the Bramble, nor the Thorn full of pricks, if we sit under Thorns and Brambles we may be prick'd with them; but sitting under the Vine there is nothing but sweetness and delightfulness there: Israel is a Vine; yea but he is an empty Vine. The word in the Original is a Participle, an emptying Vine, and yet the sense will come much to one, an Empty Vine, or an Emptying Vine:* 1.12 that is, Though there be much cost bestowed upon Ephraim, so as he might be fruitful,* 1.13 yet he makes himself empty.

This shews how he comes to be an empty Vine; not be∣cause Gods mercy is scant to him, but he makes himself so by his sin, what juyce & moisture he hath he doth empty it forth into other things, and so is empty.

Israel was a Vine full of clusters, refreshing God him∣self, as you heard in the ninth Chapter, that he was to the Lord as Grapes in the Wilderness, as a Vine that did bring forth Grapes in the Wilderness, that was so sweet to a weary and thirsty traveller. Israel was once such a one, yea, but now he is come to be an empty Vine, though he grows in the Vinyard of God, and not in the Wilderness.

Empty] and no mervail,* 1.14 for as you have heard in the lat∣ter end of the former Chapter, he would not hearken to the Lord, he would not hear the Word of the Lord, the Lord threatens to cast him away, because he hearkened not to him,* 1.15 from whence Luther hath this Note, The Word is like a fruitful rain, there can no true fruit be without the Word, those that will not hearken to the Word, no mervail though they be empty, it is the Word that makes fruitful, it is that that is as the fruitful rain: Those that leave and for∣sake the Word, observe them how fruitless they are, what empty spirits they have;* 1.16 many that heretofore were for∣ward in hearing the Word, and loved it, the Word was delightful to them, Oh! then they were fruitful; but since they have been taken off from the Word, converse with them now and you shall find their spirits empty, and their lives empty;* 1.17 and there's no men in the world so emp∣ty as those that would worship God in another way than the Word appoints, men that would think to worship God after their own fancies, and waies, Oh! how empty are they in all their Worship they tender up to God?

But the main Note and Observation is,* 1.18 That emptiness in those that profess themselves to be Gods People, is a very great evil. Oh! it is a great charge upon those that grow in Gods Vinyard, that profess themselves to be Gods, to be charged with this, That they are empty, an empty Vine. When we would speak of a man contemptuously, as one that hath no natural or aquisite excellency in him, we say such a one is an empty,* 1.19 or a slight fellow; and that's the meaning of the word that you have in Mat. 5. 22. Whosoever calls his Brother, Racha, shall be in danger of the counsel; the word Ra∣cha, it is empty, it is as much as if he should call his Bro∣ther an empty fellow, for that's the signification of the word Empty.* 1.20 And in Jam. 2. 20. Knowest thou not, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? The words▪ are, Oh empty man, knowest thou not, O empty man, that faith without

works are dead? There's many that keeps a great deal of noise of Faith, and of Gods free-Grace, and yet are extream empty men and understand little of the true excellency of the Covenant of Grace;* 1.21 Knowest thou not, O empty man, that Faith without Works is dead? Speak as much as thou wilt of Faith and Gods Grace, yet if there be no Works, thou art an empty man. Nature will not endure emptiness; some of the Phylosophers have said, that the world would rather be dissolved than there should be any vacuity;* 1.22 crea∣tures will move contrary to their nature rather than they will suffer a vacuity. Certainly an emptiness in the souls of Gods people, it is the worst emptiness that is in the world:* 1.23 For,

First, It is the most unnatural thing for a Vine to be empty.

And secondly, For the Saints to be empty, they are a dishonor to their Root that they do profess they are upon: Christ he hath all the fulness of the God-head in him, And of his Fulness we are to receive Grace for Grace: To grow up∣on him, upon such a root and yet to be empty, Oh! what a dishonor is this to Jesus Christ!

Thirdly, This frustrates the Lord of all the care, and cost, and charge that he is about, if thou wert another plant that grew in the wilderness it were not much, but a Vine, and one in Gods Vinyard, and yet fruitless, Oh this is a sore evil! Fourthly, There's no blessing upon thy soul if thou beest an empty Vine in Isa. 65. 8.* 1.24 As the new Wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it. If there be Wine in the cluster, then a blessing is found in it, but otherwise destroy it. No blessing is found in those that are of empty spirits.

Fiftly, If there be grace, it is the Divine Nature its self, and cannot that bear fruit? It is an evil in a Vine to have but a little moisture, to shoot forth in leaves and bear no fruit; yea but what is that unto Grace that is the Divine Nature its self, the most glorious thing in the world?

Therefore for Christians to be without fruit is an excee∣ding great evil, Doest thou know what fruit is? One gra∣cious action that comes from the sap of the Root that is in Christ, it is more worth than Heaven and Earth; any one gracious Act (I say) it is more worth than Heaven and Earth, Oh the fruit of the Saints is fruit to eternity, and to be without this fruit must needs be a great evil, those that are empty and without fruit (you know) they are said in John 15. to be but as branches,* 1.25 not branches, they that bear no fruit are said to be but as a branch, and then such a branch as must be cut off, God will cut them off, cut off those branches,* 1.26 he will cut them off from their pro∣fession and suffer them to fall so as they shal not continue in their eternal profession, and they shall wither, he will curse their very common gifts that they have.

6. Oh! how many that heretofore seemed to flourish, yet but leaves, and bearing no fruit, now their leaves are gon too, and their common gifts are taken away from them, and not only withered, but shall be cast away, cast away from God, and out of the hearts of the Saints, and men shall gather them, the men of the world they shall catch them, and so they shall joyn with them, and they shall make use of them, and they shall be cast into the fire and burnt; cast into the fire, not for a fiery tryal, but cast into the fire that they may be burned: these are the threatnings against those that bear no fruit.* 1.27 It is the glory of Gods People,* 1.28 to be filled with the fruits of Righteousness, Phil. 1. 11. To be filled with the Spirit, Ephes. 5. 18. Yea, to be filled with all the fulness of God,* 1.29 Ephes. 3. 19. So it is expected of the Saints, that they should be filled with al the fulness of God: Oh! how contrary is this to emptying? And surely fil'd the Saints should be with fruit, because they are the very fulness of Christ, the fulness of him that fills all in all: In Ephes. 1. last verse,* 1.30 the Church is said, to be the fulness of Jesus Christ himself; And shall the Church be an empty Vine, when as it is the very fulness of Him that fils al in al?

7. An empty spirit is fit for the Devil to come to possess; Mat. 12. 24. he found his place empty, and then he comes in: where the Devil sees an empty spirit, there's a fit place for him to come. It is an evil thing for you to grow up∣on Gods ground and to cumber it, to cumber any part of Gods ground; it may be if thou wert gon, there might be another in thy family, or place, that might bring forth fruit to God; but thou hinderest, God might have more Rent (as I may so say) for all his possessions in the world, the great Rent is, the fruit that the Church brings forth; in Cant. 8. 11. it is said,* 1.31 that Solomon let out his Vineyard, and it brought him in a thousand pieces of Silver for the fruit of it. And God he lets out his Vinyard, and his Rent (I say) it is the fruit that the Saints bring forth to him; What glory hath God in the world, if those that profess themselves to be his people should be empty?

8. God doth not let us sit under empty Vines; our Vines they have bin fruitful Vines, shall we then be empty Vines our selves?

9. The Lord hath justly struck this Vine here in England, and our Vine bleeds; it bleeds, and is in danger to bleed to death, and what though it doth, it hath brought forth little fruit, and therefore it's just with God that he should let this Vine even bleed now to death.

10. According to the greatness of the opportunities that a∣ny man hath, or any society of men, so is the greatness of the evil of emptiness: Oh! now to be empty, when God puts great opportunities of great service into our hands, now to be empty when God expects great services, Oh! it is the most vile thing of all. Oh my brethren, that we were but sensible of this.

But if this be an evil thing to be empty,* 1.32 than what is it to bring forth the Grapes of Sodom, and the Clusters of Go∣morrah? to bring forth the Wine of the Gall of Asps, wild Grapes? And yet a great deal of such fruit there hath been brought forth; And truly the fruit that most men have

brought forth now, they are wild Grapes at the best. If men do any thing, yet they do so mingle the vanity of prid, the sowreness of their own spirits, the rigedness of their own nature with what they do, that all is but sowr before God.

Well,* 1.33 To conclude this, about the emptiness of the Vine: Oh! let us prize fruitfulness more, and say as the Vine that is brought in,* 1.34 in the 9^th of Judges, Shall I leave my Wine which cheereth God and man, and go and reign over you? Oh so, Shall we leave our fruitfulness upon any earthly advantage in the world? Let us account it a greater advantage to bring forth much fruit to the glory of God, than to glory in any earthly advantage: No matter what becomes of us, so we may be but fruitful; though God dung us, though he cast all the filth and reproaches in the world upon us, yet if God will make this but cause us to be fruitful, it is no great matter.

But further from the manner of the Phrase.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ps. 80. 8.
• * 1.2

  Isa. 5. 1••••
• * 1.3

  Obs. 1.
• * 1.4

  Reas. 1.
• * 1.5

  2. Plin. lib. 14. 4.
• * 1.6

  one Cul••us is 20. Am∣phorae, and 1. Ampho∣ra is a Tan∣kard of 18 Gallons, so that the sum is a∣bout 1800 Gallons.
• * 1.7

  the strings in the Vine
• * 1.8

  Isa▪ 27. 2, 3
• * 1.9

  explained.
• * 1.10

  Ezek. 15. 2
• * 1.11

  Isa. 27. 6.
• * 1.12

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• * 1.13

  Expos.
• * 1.14

  Chap. 9. the last V.
• * 1.15

  Verbū tan∣quam foe∣cunda plu∣via, sine verbo, nulli possunt ve∣ri fructus.
• * 1.16

  Luther.
• * 1.17

  Wil-wor∣shippers empty.
• * 1.18

  Obs. 1.
• * 1.19

  Mat. 5. 22 Racha ex∣plained.
• * 1.20

  Iam. 2. 20 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.21

  some Anti∣nomians.
• * 1.22

  vacum non datur.
• * 1.23

  Reasons.
• * 1.24

  Isa. 65. 8.
• * 1.25

  Ioh. 15. 6. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.26

  explained.
• * 1.27

  Phil. 1. 11
• * 1.28

  Eph. 5. 18
• * 1.29

  Cap. 3. 19
• * 1.30

  Cap. 1. ult.
• * 1.31

  Caut. 8. 11
• * 1.32

  Use. 1.
• * 1.33

  Use. 2.
• * 1.34

  Iudg. 9.