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.]

About this Item

Title
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.]
Author
Burroughs, Jeremiah, 1599-1646.
Publication
London :: Printed by Peter Cole ...,
1650.
Rights/Permissions

To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.

Subject terms
Bible. -- O.T. -- Hosea VIII-X -- Commentaries.
Bible. -- O.T. -- Hosea VIII-X -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A30574.0001.001
Cite this Item
"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.]." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A30574.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed February 16, 2025.

Pages

He bringeth forth fruit to himself.

The old Latin is,* 1.1 even like himself, so they turn it, he brings forth fruit like to himself.

Men of base principles will do base things,* 1.2 corrupt hearts will have corrupt waies. An ingenuous spirit sometimes won∣ders to see the waies of many men so base and vile as they are,* 1.3 men imployed in publick imployment that have op∣portunity to do God a great deal of service and when it comes to it, how sordidly and basely do they carry them∣selves, not caring what becomes of the publick good, of God, and Kingdoms, and Churches, so be it they may scrape but a little to themselves? Yea, but do not wonder, it is fruit suitable to themselves, they are men of base spi∣rits, of base corrupt principles, and therefore they bring

Page 312

bring forth fruit like themselves, fruit like the stock that they are on.* 1.4 And so many times children are like their parents, their parents are wicked, and they wicked accordingly. Like an Imp or Branch of such a stock, such are the fruits of many.

But he brings forth fruit to himself.

That is,* 1.5 in all that he doth he aims at himself, he hath regard to his own ends, to fetch about his own designs, to bring his own plots to an issue, and all must be subservient to some design that he drives on; Ephraim had many de∣signs and plots that they drove on to make themselves to be rich, and all their strength, and what they were able to do it was for nothing but to be subservient to their own designs:* 1.6 It was said of Judah in their Captivity, in Zach. 7. 5, 6. They did fast, and eat, and drink to themselves; all that was done it was nothing but to themselves; whereas the fruit that they should have brought forth, it should have been to God, and not to themselves: There is a very sweet place for that in Cant. 7. 13.* 1.7 At our gates are all man∣ner of pleasant fruits new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved. Thus should every gracious heart say, and especially he should say so then when God makes your hearts most fruitful with pleasant fruit new and old; Have ye at any time found your hearts most enlarged to God,* 1.8 and you could melt towards God, and had full ex∣pressions in the presence of God, and acting of your gra∣ces? Take heed now that this pleasant and sweet fruit that you have, that is new from God, and your old experien∣ces that you have had heretofore of Gods goodness, let not corruption reap that that God hath sown, you know it is a Curse that one should sow and another reap; it is God that sows, and shall the flesh reap now? and shall the Devil reap? Oh! let not these sweet fruits, especially the fruit of enlargement in prayer, and the fruit of abilities to do God service in any publick work, Oh! take heed that this be not for your selves, do not you take in the glory to

Page 313

your selves, Oh! but let this fruit be for your beloved; at any time when you find your hearts most fruitful, graces most fully exercised, Oh think thus, I will lay up this for my beloved, I will lay the experiences of the goodness of God unto me that may it me to glorifie God more than heretofore. Oh that's sweet indeed, when God comes in with fruit,* 1.9 and we lay it up for our beloved; God he is to have all our fruit: you shall observe in Cant. 8. that Solomon let out his Vinyard, and mrk, in letting out his Vinyard, he must have a thousand pieces of silver, and the Husbandmen must have two hundred: if God doth af∣ford to us some wages for what we do, let not us take the greater part unto our selves, let Solomon have the thou∣sand, and let us be contented if we may have two hundred; but ordinarily we take the greater sum, and return the less to God in any fruit:* 1.10 but if you observe the 12. verse, the difference between Solomons Vinyard, and Christs Vinyard, Solomon let out his Vinyard, But my Vinyard, which is mine: and there is noted this difference, That Jesus Christ he takes the care of his own Vinyard, he doth not let it out. And therefore if we have any thing,* 1.11 we must not have it so much for our wages as free gift, for Christ doth not let out his Vinyard as Solomon did, but he keeps it and dres∣ses it himself,* 1.12 and therfore it is fit that he should have all the fruit. In Isa. 61. 3. That they might be called, trees of Righteousness, the Planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. Such should the Saints be, they should bring forth fruits unto God.* 1.13 And in Philip. 1. 11. Being filled with the fruits of Righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. So should the Saints be, and all the fruits they bear.

But Carnal hearts they aim at themselves,* 1.14 all that they do they act from a principle within themselves, and no further, and therefore they cannot go beyond them∣selves. It's an argument that all thou doest hath a princi∣ple not higher than self, when thou actest for thy self;

Page 314

whereas the principle that the Saints act by, it is the prin∣ciple of Grace that comes from Heaven,* 1.15 and therefore it carries unto heaven, as the water is carried as high as the Fountain from whence it comes. A selvish heart is a nar∣row heart; but a gracious heart is a heart enlarged, it en∣larges its self to infiniteness; and that's the property of Grace, though it cannot be infinite, yet it is enlarged to infiniteness. Those that work for themselves, the truth is, they lose themselves in their working, and lose all their fruit; it is thy worst self that thou aimest at; there is a kind of selvishness that we may aim at, that is, if we can make God to be our own end, our happiness, as the Saints do, no men in the world do more for themselves, than the Saints; yea, but how? because they make more of their own good to be in God than themselves, and they make them∣selves to be more in God than in themselves, and therefore they have themselves more than any, but they have them∣selves in God; and no men looses themselves more than those that seek themselves most: He that will lose his life, shall save it; those that will aim at themselves, what is that, but a little money, and credit, and esteem of men? Oh poor base, vile heart, hast thou nothing else but this, when as all the Glory that is in God Himself may be thy portion, and thy self may be in it, that if God Himself be happy, thou maiest be happy, because God Himself may come to be thy portion; and is not that a better self to be emptied into God? but therein thou darest not trust God, nor thy self to empty thy self into God, but certainly that is the way to enjoy thy self.* 1.16 Every man cares for his own (saith the Apostle,) but no man for the things of Jesus Christ. Oh! this selvishness it is vile at all times, but never so vile as at this time, for men to look and aim at themselves, especially for men that are in publick places, now to be selvish is the most abominable and the most foolish thing in the world:* 1.17 for Mariners in the time of a calm then they may look to their several Cabins, but in the time of a storm, then to be

Page 315

painting and making fine their Cabins, how do they de∣serve to be pull'd out by the ears, and to be cast into the Sea, that shall then be looking to their own Cabins? What is your joy more than the joy of others? and what are you that you must have ease and content more than others? In such times as these are if ever God calls us to be emptied from our selves, certainly it is in such times as these are.

But the main Note is,* 1.18 That it's all one to be an empty Chri∣stian, and to bring forth fruit to themselves. Men think that which they bring forth to themselves is cleer gain; but this is an infinite mistake, for that which is for thy self is lost, and that which is for God is gain'd. Professors that are selvish are empty. Many of you complain of empti∣ness and unfruitfulness,* 1.19 here's the reason; You are so sel∣vish, that prayer is an empty prayer though never so full of words and excellent expressions whose end is self, many of the Saints in joyning with such they find their prayers to be such though there be excellent words, because they see selvishness, men that aim at selvishness they had need be cunning to keep it from being seen, let self be seen in a duty though it be never so glorious outwardly yet it is loathsom in the eyes of the very Saints;* 1.20 let but a man ap∣pear to affected with himself in what he doth, with the tone of his voice, or carriage, or gesture, any thing affected, we know how abominable it is in the eyes of all; And so for Sermons,* 1.21 where they are selvish, certainly they are empty things; and so I might instance in every other thing that men do, the fulness of the Spirit in a PRAYER, or SERMON,* 1.22 or any other Duty, it is the seeking to lift up the NAME of the Blessed GOD in the duty, that's the fulness of it; many that are of weak parts, very poor abilities to exercise themselves, yet their hearts being upon God in a duty, Oh!* 1.23 there's a fulness in that duty, there's more in that weak expression, in their sighs and groans than in all the eloquence of your empty hypocrits,

Page 316

they not being fill'd with the Will of God:* 1.24 in Colos. 4. 12. it is in your books, That you may stand compleat in all the Will of God;* 1.25 but it is, being fill'd with the will of God; if thou wouldest have a fulness in what thou doest, a fulness in a Prayer, a fulness in thy Service, in any thing thou do∣est, be fil'd with the Will of God, and not with thy self-ends.* 1.26 You know empty vessels will break when you set them at the fire, and so will selvish spirits, those that are selvish they quickly grow empty. You that are Merchants, if you have Factors abroad that trade for themselves, they seldom do any great matters for their Masters; I have known Merchants that have been chary of that, for their men to be trading for themselves. And God doth not love to see us trading for our selves, but only as we trade for him, and so account that to be for our selves. And here is an evident demonstration that your selvishness will make you empty for God;* 1.27 how many are there that complain of emptiness? Oh! they cannot do this, and they cannot do that, why? because except they find comfort, and that coming in which they aim at, they have no mind to any duty, they go to prayer, and strive to pray, and they come away and say, Oh! the empty prayers that we make; but what is the reason that you cannot pray as you would? you have no heart to pray, if you would have enlarge∣ment in prayer, and present answer of your prayer to get what you would have, Oh! then your hearts would be much let out in prayer, and then you would have a mind to pray; but now though it be your duty to pray, because you shall tender up the worship that a creature owes to God, that is no argument that puts you upon prayer, so it appears that it is selvishness that appears in prayer;* 1.28 but now trie this way, trie this way but to get above your selves once, and be emptied of your selves, and look with a more single eye to God when you go to prayer, let this be the great motive, O Lord, this is that Worship that I as a Creature owe to thee, and the strength of my body and

Page 317

soul is due to thee, and I let out what I can, though I have not enlargements and comforts, though I feel not that I get by duty to my self, yet in obedience to thee, and that I might lift up thy Name, and that I might worship thee, I am resolved to go on in such duties as thou requi∣rest of me; trie but this way, and see whether you will not grow more fruitful in prayer than you did before.* 1.29

But to pass that, I find that some turn the words thus, (as Pareus) An empty Vine he is, although he treasure up fruit unto himself: and so we may understand emptiness by that word that I have opened to you, a spoiled Vine, he is a spoi∣led Vine, and he is emptied of all his prosperity, and ri∣ches, and glory, that he had, although he seeks to trea∣sure up unto himself. And indeed in such a kind of rea∣ding there is a very profitable Note.

They seek to treasure and enrich themselves, to lay up and provide for themselves now, that they may have store by them come what will come, but this will not do saith God, Israel must be a spoiled empty Vine for all this.

Now that's the Note or Meditation hence,* 1.30 That when God is spoiling and emptying a Nation, it is a vain thing for men to think to provide for themselves: This certainly is not the time when God is spoiling and emptying of a Nation, or other parts of the Kingdom for men to have their thoughts now to scrape an estate to themselves and get even from the evils of the times to enrich themselves,* 1.31 by Places and by Offices to enrich themselves, certainly there can be little ho∣nor in such an estate, or little comfort: It is the frame and guize of a vile spirit to think of enriching of themselves in such times as these are, certainly it must needs be a very low spirit that minds the enriching of its self in such times as these are;* 1.32 what God may cast men in by extraordinary providence at any time we speak not of that, or by some e∣minent service; but certainly if it shall prove that God in his mercy shall put an end to such times as these are, when

Page 318

men shall prove to be rich after this storm is over, that had not some eminent providence of God to cast it upon them but only in his ordinary way, (I say) whosoever should ap∣pear to be rich after these times, it will be little honor to him, or his posterity, it will be the most dishonorable ri∣ches that ever was in the world. In Jer. 45. 4. saith the Lord to Baruch there (he was a good man and yet much o∣ver seen in this) Behold,* 1.33 that which I have built, will I break down, and that which I have planted, will I pluck up, even this whol Land. And seekest thou great things for thy self, seek them not. I am breaking down that which I have built, and plucking up what I have planted,* 1.34 And doest thou seek great things for thy self? seek them not. In Acts, 8. 20. saith Peter to Symon Magus, Thy money perish with thee. So may I say to many, is this a time for men to treasure to them∣selves, for men to have their chief care now to gain riches? Oh!* 1.35 it is just with God to say to thee, Thy riches perish with thee; whosoever now will make it his chief care, and think now it is a time of trouble, and now I may gain thus and thus, and it will not appear; (I say) those that shall make this to be their care now, to take advantage of these times to treasure up to themselves, just were it with God to say of them and their riches, Thy money and thy riches pe∣rish with thee. It follows.

Notes

Do you have questions about this content? Need to report a problem? Please contact us.