the praises due to his great name. And these two duties of humiliation and thanksgiving, are the most solemn duties, which in these times of judgments and mercies, so variously interwoven together, the Lord doth so frequently call us unto.

Places of scripture I have for brevity sake, for the most part, only quoted and referred thee unto, without transcribing all the words, and have usually put many parallel places together, because by that means they do not only strengthen the doctrine whereunto they belong, but mutually give light unto one another.

The Lord make us all in this our day so wise and prudent, as to understand the righteous ways of our God towards us that we may not stumble at them, but walk in them, and be taught by them to wait upon him in the way of his judgments, and to fix the desires of our soul upon his name as our great refuge, and upon his righteousness as our great business, till he shall be pleased by the dew of his grace, to revive us as the corn, to make us grow as the vine, and to let the scent of all his ordinances be over all our land, as the smell, and as the wine of Lebanon.

It will be an abundant return unto my poor and weak endea vours, if I may have that room in thy prayers which the apostle Paul desired to have in the prayers of the Ephesians, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly to preach the mystery of the gospel.

The Lord sanctify all the ways of his providence towards us, that when we are chastened, we may be taught, and may be greater gainers by the voice of his rod, than we are sufferers by the stripes.

A.D. 1658.

SERMON I.

O ISRAEL, RETURN UNTO THE LORD THY GOD, FOR THOU HAST FALLEN BY THINE INIQUITY. TAKE WITH YOU WORDS, AND TURN TO THE LORD, SAY UNTO HIM, TAKE AWAY ALL INIQUITY, AND RECEIVE US GRACIOUSLY: (OR GIVE GOOD:) SO WILL WE HOSEA XIV. 1, 2.

RENDER THE CALVES OF OUR LIPS.

THE blessing of Ephraim was according to his name, fruitfulness. The fruitfulness of the earth, a bough by a well, and the fruitfulness of the womb, and of the breasts, Gen. xlix. 22. 25. Deut. xxxiii. 13-17. Contrary unto which two blessings, we find in our prophet two judgments threatened against him for his sins, chap. xiii. 15, 16. "Though he be fruitful amongst his brethren, an east wind shall come, the wind of the Lord shall come up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up, he shall spoil the treasure of all pleasant vessels. Samaria shall become desolate, for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword; their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ript up." And throughout the whole prophecy, if you read and observe it, you will find the judgments of God against Ephraim to be expressed by weeds, emptiness, barrenness, dryness of roots, of fruits, of branches, of springs, and by a curse upon their children, as on the other side, the

blessings here in this chapter renewed unto Ephraim repenting, are all expressed by metaphors of fruitfulness, ver. 5-7.

From these two woful judgments, against the fruitfulness of their springs, and the fruitfulness of their wombs, by the desolations of a bloody sword, our prophet taketh occasion, once more for all, to awaken and drive them to a timely repentance; that so they may recover the blessing of their name, Ephraim may be Ephraim again, a plentiful, a fruitful, a flourishing people; that when God's judgments are in the earth, they would then at least set themselves to learn righteousness.

Of all nations under heaven, this land of ours hath had the blessing of Ephraim upon it, fruitfulness of the earth, abundance of plenty; fruitfulness of the womb, abundance of people. But our misery is, that the abundance of our sins hath mightily outvied the abundance both of our plenty and of our people: sins, too, parallel to those of Ephraim, if you will but read this prophet, and compare the behaviour of this nation with him. And this parity of sins hath no doubt called upon God for a parity of judgments. Though I must read my text, "O Israel," yet I must apply it, "O England," "return unto the Lord thy God, for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity, take with you words," &c.

The whole context contains two general parts. I. An invitation unto repentance, ver. 1. and, II. An instruction how to perform it, in the two verses following.

Before we come to the particulars of the invitation, let us first briefly observe, that in the midst of judgments proposed against sinners that are obstinate, God doth reserve and proclaim mercy unto sinners

that are penitent. When a consumption is decreed, yet a remnant is reserved to return, Isa. x. 22, 23. The Lord will keep his vineyard, when he will burn up the thorns and the briers together, Isa. xxvii. 3, 4. When a day of fierce anger is determined, the meek of the earth are called upon to seek the Lord, Zeph. ii. 3. When the Lord is coming out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, he calls upon his people to hide themselves in their chambers, until the indignation be overpast, Isa. xxvi. 20, 21. The angel who was sent to destroy Sodom, had withal a commission to deliver Lot, Gen. xix. 15. God made full provision for those who mourned for public abominations, before he gave order to destroy the rest, Ezek. ix. 4. 6. Men in their wrath will many times rather strike a friend than spare a foe; but God's proceedings are without disorder, he will rather spare his foes than strike his servants, as he showed himself willing to have done in the case of Sodom, Gen. xviii. 26. Moses stood in the gap, and diverted judgments from Israel, Psal. cvi. 23. Yea, God seeks for such, Ezek. xxii. 30. and complains when they cannot be found, Ezek. xiii. 5. And if he deliver others for them, certainly he will not destroy them for others. However it go with the world and with wicked men, it shall go well with the righteous, there shall be a sanctuary for them when others stumble, and they shall pass through the fire, when others are consumed by it, Isa. iii. 10, 11. viii.14—16. Zech. xii. 8, 9.

The reasons hereof are, first, God's justice-he will not punish the righteous with the wicked; he will have it appear that there is a "difference between him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not," Gen. xviii. 23. Mal. iii. 18. Also, God's love unto his people.

He hath a book of remembrance written before him, for them that fear him, and think upon his name; "And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels, and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him," Mal. iii. 6. 17. Here is a climax and gradation of arguments drawn from love. In a great fire, and devouring trouble, (such as is threatened, chap. iv. 1.) property alone is a ground of care; a man would willingly save and secure that which is his own, and of any use unto him; but if you add unto this, preciousness, that increaseth the care. A man will make hard shift to deliver a rich cabinet of jewels, though all his ordinary goods and utensils should perish. But of all jewels, those which come out of the body are much more precious than those which only adorn it. Who would not rather snatch his child than his casket or purse out of a flame: relation works not only upon the affection, but upon the most tender feelings of the heart, Jer. xxxi. 20. And lastly, the same excellency that the word jewel adds unto the word mine; the same excellency service adds unto the word son. man hath much conflict in himself to take off his heart from an undutiful son. Never was there a worse son than Absalom, and yet how did David give charge to the commanders to have him spared! How inquisitive after his safety! How passionately and unseasonably mournful upon the news of his death! But if any child be more a jewel than another, certainly it is a dutiful child, who hath not only an interest in our love by nature, but by obedience. All these grounds of care and protection for God's people in trouble are here expressed-property, they are mine; preciousness, they are jewels, treasures, ornaments unto me; relation, they are sons; usefulness, they are sons that

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