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.]

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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.
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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 8, 2025.

Pages

VER. 15.
So shall Bethel do unto you, because of your great wicked∣ness.

SO shall Bethel.] What shall Bethel rise up against the rest of the ten Tribes, and come and destroy Mother and Children together? That's not the meaning.

But Bethel shall do it;* 1.1 that is, Bethel is the Cause of this, that dreadful slaughter that is like to be among you it shall come from Bethel. Who would ever have thought that?

Oh my Brethren!* 1.2 Miserable Judgments do many times a∣rise from causes we 〈◊〉〈◊〉 think of: that's the Note from thence. I say, miserable Judgments do many times arise from cau∣ses we little think of, From Bethel there should come this slaughter and dreadful blood-shed. And as that Note more generally, so more particularly this;

That from places of Idolatry comes the greatest evils to King∣doms.* 1.3 As 'tis very observable on the contrary, from the pla∣ces of Gods Worship comes the greatest good,* 1.4 so from pla∣ces of Idolatry the greatest evil. In Psal. 76. 2, 3. In Salem is his Tabernacle, and his dwelling place i Zion: There brake he the Arrows of the B••••, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Shield and the Sword, and the Battel. Did God break them there? Was there a Fight in Zion, and in Salem? No, that's not the meaning, but in Zion and

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Salem where Gods Tabernacle was, those Servants of God that were worshiping of God in Jerusalem, and in Zion, and praying to God they got the Victory: so we may say that such a place that was fasting and praying in the time of our battels,* 1.5 there God brake the Arrow and the Bow, in that place where they were praying and seeking God, it was in Salem and Zion: Where the true worship of God is, from thence comes the good of a Kingdom.* 1.6 And so in Isa. 31. 9. Whose fire is in Zion, and whose furnace is in Jerusalem: The Lord is there threatning the Enemies of his people, and he saith, That his fire is in Zion, and his furnace is in Jerusalem, there God hath his furnace and from thence it shall go to destroy the adversaries. And so on the contrary, where Idolatry is set up, and false worship maintained, from thence comes evils and miseries upon us.

Because of your great wickedness.

The word is,* 1.7 Because of the wickedness of your wickedness, so the Hebrews express the suparlative degree, by a genetive case, the evil of the evil, the wickedness of the wickedness. From whence observe,

Other sins are great sins,* 1.8 but this of false worship indeed is THE great sin that God is provoked against a people for. Whence, let us not make light account of the Worship of God, for how little soever Gods Worship is in our eyes, yet it is a great matter in Gods eyes, and though you think that the sins against God in the matter of his Worship be but small, yet God saith, it is the great wickedness, it is the wickedness of wickedness: And great wickedness it may be call'd not only in respect of the nature of it, but from ma∣ny aggravations, and long continuance in it, notwithstan∣ding all their means.

You may Note further from hence;* 1.9 God takes notice not only of mens sins, but of the aggravation of their sins. Oh! let us do thus, do not only look upon your sins and acknow∣ledg

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your selves to be sinners, but look upon the Aggrava∣tions of your sins; Oh! this sin committed against so ma∣ny Mercies, so many Prayers, and Resolutions, and Vows, and Covenants, and so many Deliverances that I have had; labor to lay the Aggravations of your sins upon your hearts, and this is the way to humble your hearts before the Lord. Indeed the Saints of God they need not seek to ex∣cuse their sins, be not afraid to lay the aggravations of sin upon your own hearts, according to what great aggrava∣tions there may be. Greaten your wickedness before the Lord, do not so as ordinarily people do, to extenuate your sins, for if there be any extenuation that possibly can be Jesus Christ will find out that in his pleading, Christ is your advocate who sits at the right hand of the Father, and it is his work to plead your cause, and therefore if there can be any thing to extenuate a sin he will do it; you know that when he was here in this world, when his Disciples did offend very much in that sleepiness of theirs, that when Christ was to suffer they could not watch with him one hour,* 1.10 that sin might have been aggravated with abundance of circumstances, but saith Christ, The flesh is weak, but the spi∣rit is willing; he falls to extenuate and excuse. Now that which Christ did there, he wil be ready to do in Heaven, for thou that art a Saint.

And then further,* 1.11 According to greatness of sins so is the great∣ness of wrath; great wickedness and great wrath they go to∣gether, and therefore according to the greatness of sins should the greatness of our humiliation be. For so it is said of Manasses, That he humbled himself greatly, and in Lament. 1. 20.* 1.12 where the Church is humbling its self before God for the great wickedness and the great wrath that was upon them. Behold, Oh Lord, for I am in distress; my bowels are troubled, mine heart is turned within me; for I have grevously re∣belled. Mark, here you have these two points together, [ 1] The Church aggravates her sin, I have grievously rebelled; [ 2] and what then? Oh Lord, I am in distress; my bowels are trou∣bled,

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my heart is turned within me. Oh! remember this text you whose consciences do tell you of grievous Rebellions.

The last words follow;

In a morning shall the King of Israel be utterly cut off.

Now for the understanding of this, we must consider to what this refers,* 1.13 what King of Israel this was, and when this was fulfilled. For that if you reade 2 King. 17. it hath reference to the story there; and this King of Israel that is here spoken of, is Hoshea that was the last King of Israel, and therefore it's said,* 1.14 That he shall be utterly cut off: For he, and all his family was utterly cut off, there was an end of the Kingdom of Israel that had continued so long provoking God; saith he, I have forborn the Kings of Israel a long time, but now they shall be utterly cut off in Hshea.

This King of Israel his spirit was stout enough against God and his Prophets,* 1.15 and he would, and he would. My Brethren, It is not the stoutness of the greatest men upon earth to say, They will, and they will, and they will ven∣ture their Lives, and Kingdoms. Why, if they Will, God Will too, he hath a Will as well as they, at length Gods Will grows as strong as theirs, and proceeds against them, and against their very families: The King of Israel shall be utterly cut off.

Kings of the Earth they suffer little from men. What a brave business i it for a man that he shall be able to go up and down in Countries, and rend, and tear, and oppress, and bring thousands into woful miseries and extremities, and yet be afraid to suffer nothing at all Himself, therfore it is fit for God to take in hand those men that are above the power of men; when men cannot deal with them, it is the Lord himself he takes them into hand, and they are so much the more under the imediate Justice of the Infinite God.

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Shall be utterly cut off.

But when shall this be?* 1.16 In a morning: There is a sad morning coming.

But I find Cyril carries it thus:* 1.17 God in his Patience is compared to a man asleep, and in the execution of Judg∣ment is said to awake; God brings his Righteous Judge∣ments to light every morning. But that's a little too forced.

But Secondly, In a morning: that is, Early, betimes; so in Jer. 21. 12. O house of David, thus saith the Lord, Execute Judgment in the Morning. So the King of Israel shall be early cut off; And indeed this King of Israel he was early cut off, he did not reign above eight or nine yeers at most. God doth take some in the morning of their time, in their youth, when their day is but as it were dawning, he takes some sinners sooner than others: In the morning he shall be cut off.

But Thirdly,* 1.18 In the morning, which comes yet neerer and more full to the sense and the scope of the Spirit of God here; that is, even when the light comes, when they have hopes of further good, then he shall be cut off. And so you shal find if you reade the story in the book of Kings, at this time when Hoshea was to be cut off, that it was when he had entred into League with the King of EGYPT, and now Hoshea thought a morning would arise, and he should have a brave day, and live many merry daies now; and when he thought the light began to come, in a morning doth God come to cut him off.

Oh!* 1.19 so it is many times (my Brethren) That at that time when people have some enlightening, and they think that now light is breaking out,* 1.20 when after a long night of darkness, then Gods displeasure breaks forth upon them. We cannot but ac∣knowledge that the Lord hath granted us a morning light, but let us fear and tremble; for the time of Gods displea∣sure, somtime it is in the morning; when we think we have light breaking forth, God may have other waies to bring

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darkness upon us than we are aware of; we know how dreadful a day it was with Sodom after a Sun-shine mor∣ning. It's very observable, the difference of Gods dealing with his own People, and with those that are carnal and of the world:* 1.21 compare this Scripture with Zach. 14. 7. Here, In a morning shall he be utterly cut off. But in Zach. 14. 7. where God is speaking of mercy to his People, he speaks of a day that should be known to God, and saith he, At evening time it shall be light; He comforts his People thus. But when he threatens the wicked (saith he) When the mor∣ning comes it shall be darkness. The Lord doth use to turn the darkness of the Saints into light, and to turn the light of the wicked and ungodly into darkness. Oh! let us learn to fear that God then that is able to turn light into darkness,* 1.22 and darkness into light. Amos, 5. 8. Seek him (saith the text) that turneth the shadow of death into the mor∣ning, and maketh the day dark with night. He can turn the shadow of death into morning. Suppose there be the greatest darkness upon you, God can make that a mor∣ning of light: and suppose there be a morning of light, God can turn that into darkness. Many men they set up∣on some waies, and because they have a morning they bless themselves and think all must needs go on according to their way; it is a very ordinary thing in the hearts of men, especially that are compassing some notable design of their own, if it doth prosper in the begining they think al wil go on: Oh! thou maiest be utterly deceived, thy designs may have a morning, and then God may cut thee off and thy designs, and all thy thoughts may then perish. We reade that Saul had many Victories after that God had pronounced that he should be rejected. And therefore we had need fear that God, that can turn the morning into darkness, and darkness into light.

Fourthly,* 1.23 God did not discomfit the Host of the Egyp∣tians until the morning. God loves to draw forth great sinners to the light; not to come upon them in the dark,

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but to bring forth his judgments in the morning openly and cleerly.

And lastly,* 1.24 In the morning he shall be cut off. That is, Sud∣denly, God will be quick at his work: They thought by their power to hold it out: No, saith God, I will not make a daies work of it,* 1.25 it shal be in the morning, so the old Latin turns it, It shall pass as the morning, as the light of the morning quickly passes over; as you heard before, as the King of Israel is compared to the foam, so he is here compared to the morning. Now my brethren to close this Chapter, Oh! what alteration of things God is able to make in a morning! They (it may be) the day before, and over night were jolly and merry, and blest themselves in their way; they had confidence in their way, and mul∣titude of their mighty men; but in a morning all is spoi∣led. God can make mighty alterations in a Kingdom in a morning, and in Cities, and Families, and particular Persons, mighty alterations in a morning: My Brethren, Who knows what a day may bring forth? who knows what a morning may bring forth?* 1.26 Ezek. 7. 5, 6, 7. Thus saith the Lord God, An evil, an only evil, behold, is come. An end is come, the end is come, it watches for thee, behold, it is come. The Morning is come unto thee, O thou that dwellest in the Land; the time is come, the day of trouble is near. As if God should say, Al this while that thou hast bin in the act of the pride of thy heart, and vanity of thy spirit, I did determin, that such a morning, such an evil should come, and it's come, it is come, it is come, saith God: Again, again, and again, the morning is come.* 1.27 O! think, when you lie down at night, think what thou hast done this day, do not dare to lie down, but first make thy peace with God, thou knowest not what may be in the morning, and when thou risest up in the morning,* 1.28 look up to God, and seek blessing and mercy from the Lord; for though thine eyes be opened, and thou come to see the morning light, yet before the morning be quite gone, thou knowest not what may befal

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thee, and therefore seek to make thy peace with God, both in the night and in the morning; for great changes may come to thee both in the night and in the morning, that thou never thoughtest of in all thy life. And thus (through Gods blessing) we have finished the Tenth Chapter.

FINIS.

Notes

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