Exposition of Hosea 6, Exposition · Verse 1 · Section 3
Thus much for the Exhortation. The Reaſons follow.
For hee hath ſpoyled, and hee will heale vsus: he hath wounded vsus, and hee will bind vsus vp.
WE hauehave heard already the godly perſwaſion of the beleeuing Iewes one to another,Reaſons to inforce the former exhortation. to turn to the Lord, from whom they had departed by their ſins. Now followes the reaſons of their exhortation; and they are twofold; The firſt, is drawn from the iuſtice of God, in theſe words, He hath ſpoyled vsus, hee hath wounded vsus. q. d. We hauehave beene plagued and ſmitten: Well it is the Lord that hath layd theſe heauy iudgements vponupon vsus, it is the correcting hand of God that hath brought theſe grieuous afflictions vponupon vsus; therfore let vsus now Returne vntounto him. The ſecond, is drawn from the mercy of God in theſe words: Hee will heale vsus, hee will binde vsus vp, q. d. Though the Lord hath ſmitten vsus, yet hee will helpe vsus, and heale vsus, if we will ſeeke to him for ſuccour. And ſurely, theſe two reaſons ought to be of force to moue eueryevery one of vsus to turne vntounto God: if his iudgements cannot compel vsus; yet his louing mercies ought to draw vsus, and allure vsus to turne vntounto him.
Doct. 1 Whereas the people of God in this place, do not onelyonly perſwade one another, ſimply to Returne vntounto God, Mans nature ſo corrupt, that it ſtands in need of many reaſons to perſwade to holy duties.but vſe reaſon vponupon reaſon to induce and to perſwade them thereunto: Hence wee may obſerue the frowatdneſſe and the vntowardneſſe, and great backwardneſſe that is in all men by natuae, to perform any holy duty: That wee thus ſtand in need of ſo many arguments, and ſo many reaſons to perſwadr vsus thereunto. In the whole Scriptures it is the vſuall manner of the Prophets and Apoſtles, and holy men of God, when they exhort to any vertue, or dehort from any vice; to adde ſundry reaſons, that by the force thereof, they might draw men to obedience. This is practiſed of the Prophet Dauid, when hee perſwaded his ſonne Salomon to hauehave a care to learne, and practiſe the will of God:1. Chro. 28.8. And thou Salomon my ſonne, know thou the God of thy Fathers, and ſerue him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind: (And hee addes reaſons to perſwade him thereunto;) For the Lord ſearcheth all hearts, and vnderstandeth all the imaginations of thoughts; if thou ſeeke him, hee will bee found of thee, but if thou forſake him, hee will caſt thee off for euer. Again, when Moſes doth exhort the people of Iſrael to obſerue & to keepe the commandements of the Lord, how many forcible arguments and reaſons doth hee alledge to moue the people, and to perſwade them thereunto, ſome taken from the mercies of God: If thou ſhalt obey the voyce of the Lord thy God, Deut. 28.1.2.3. & v. 15.16. &c. Leuit. 26.14. Mal. 2.2.and obſerue all his commandements which I command thee this day: all theſe bleſſings ſhall come on thee, and ouertake thee: Bleſſed ſhalt thou bee in the City, and bleſſed in the field, &c. Others, taken from the iuſtice of God: But if thou wilt not obey the voyce of the Lord thy God, to keepe, and to doe all his commandements and ordinances which I command thee this day, Deu. 6.5.curſed ſhalt thou bee in the towne, and curſed in the field, &c. And in all Pauls Epiſtles, it is his vſuall manner,Rom. 12.1. where he exhorts to any vertue, or dehorts from any vice, to adde ſundry reaſons, that by the force thereof, he might the better preuaile:2. Cor. 9.7. I beſeech you brethren by the mercies of God, that yee giuegive vp your bodies a liuing ſacrifice, holy and acceptable vntounto God. And againe, As eueryevery man wiſheth in his heart, ſo let him giuegive not grudgingly, or of neceſſity; for God loueth a cheerefull giuer. And in the Epheſians,Eph. 5.22.23. exhorting diuers eſtates and degrees of men, as husbands and wiues, Parents and children, maſters and ſeruants, to the performance of the duties of their ſeuerall callings, he doth ſtill ſecond the ſame exhortations with diuers arguments and reaſons.Eph. 6.5. Col. 3.22. 1. Pet. 2.11. Wiues ſubmit your ſelues to your husbands, as to the Lord; and he ads a forcible reaſon thereto: For the husband is the wiues head as Chriſt is the head of his Church; and ſo likewiſe of husbands, ſeruants, &c. This courſe is likewiſe practiſed of the Apoſtle Peter, when he ſayth: I beſeech you as Strangers and Pilgrimes, abſtaine from fleſhly luſts which fight againſt the Soule. Theſe and the like examples, whereof the Scriptures are plentifull, ſerue to manifeſt vntounto vsus the corruption that is in our nature, that are ſo backward in the performance of any holy duety, that we ſtand thus in need of reaſons to perſwade vsus to the ſame.
Now, this comes to paſſe by reaſon that the Theoricke part of man, his will, Reaſon. vnderſtanding and knowledge (ſince the fall of man) is ſo blinded and corrupted, that it vnderſtands not the things that are of God, but the will and vnderſtanding are ſo depraued, of grace, that now they are direct oppoſite to Gods will: And this is the curſed nature of all men vnregenerate, as the Apoſtle ſayth: The wiſdome of the fleſh is enmitie againſt God, Rom. 8.7.for it is not ſubiect to the law of God, neither can be: Where the Apoſtle ſhewes plainely, that the wil of a natural man,2. Cor. 3.5. that liues in ſinne vnregenerate,Phil. 2.13. Gen. 6. Rom. 3.7. is flat contrary; nay, Enmity it ſelfe againſt God, and neyther will nor can be ſubiect to Gods will: So that whatſoeuer God wils, man wils not: Wee are not able of our ſelues to thinke a good thought. It is God alone that muſt touch our hearts, and worke in vsus power, either to will well, or worke well: Nay, the Lord ſayth more:Pro. 14.12. That the whole frame of mans heart is altogether euill continually. The whole frame of mans heart, the mind, will, vnderſtanding, conſcience, reaſon, affection, yea, the whole frame of mans heart is euill onelyonly, and that continually: ſo that it is cleare, our wils are contrary to Gods will by nature, and wee can no more ſet our ſelues to the performance of any good duty, then a dead man can of himſelfe riſe out of his graue and performe any action: but our wils are ſo infected and poyſoned with ſinne, that we now onelyonly ſeeke and deſire that which is euill, and againſt the will of God, and the good of our owne ſoules.
Vſe. 1 Oh how ſhould this humble vr, when we ſhall conſider what wee are by nature, Euen vntounto eueryevery good worke, Reprobate: that we are not able not ſo much as to moue one finger to the performance of any ſpirituall duty:Ibo. 42.6. This ſhould make vsus to Abhor our ſelues in duſt and aſhes: Oh, in the matters of the world we are quicke of conceit. If a man ſhould tell vsus, how we ſhould get ſome profite, or enioy ſome pleaſure, or come to preferment: Theſe things are wee ready to conceiue of: They ſhall not need to alledge any reaſons to perſwade vsus to ſeeke after them, nor arguments to moue vsus. But, how eagerly doe we hunt after theſe temporall things, and that with great delight: but when we ſhall be taught out of the Word of God, how we may attain that true treaſure, that the ruſt and moath cannot corrupt, and which ſhall neuer be taken from vsus, euen the Kingdome of heauen, and the euerlaſting ſaluation of our owne ſoules: how careleſly doe we liſten after it: Nay, the Miniſters of Gods word had need to vſe reaſon vponupon reaſon, and all to little to perſwade vsus, to ſeeke after them? Oh, that wee ſhould be ſo careleſſe, when we are exhorted to Returne vntounto the Lord for the pardon of our ſins; that wee ſhould thus ſleepe ſtill in ſinne, and bleſſe our ſelues in our euill and vngodly wayes: Nay, that which is worſt of all, how many bee there that when they are exhorted to any holy duty, that are ſo farre from yeelding vntounto them, that they obiect againſt them fleſhly reaſons, as it were, laying ſtumbling blockes in their owne wayes to keepe them from God! We ſee this cleare in many, who being exhorted vntounto a new courſe of life, and told of the neceſſity of labouring, to get knowledge, and hearing the Word of God: They can obiect for themſelues, I ſhall then loſe my time, neglect my buſines, hinder my eſtate, & make my ſelfe a laughing ſtock vntounto the world. Theſe are like thoſe Gueſts in the Goſpell,Mat. 22.5.6 Mat. 13.22. who being bid to the banquet, made excuſes, and would not come, but made light of it: Yea, our Sauiour teacheth, that when the Word of God is preached vntounto vsus, the cares of this world, the deceitfulnes of riches, and the luſts of or her things choke the Word, and it is made vnfruitfull. Oh, let vsus beware, that wee be not led aſide duplicate page duplicate page by the ſubtilty of Sathan, and theſe corrupt imaginations of our owne hearts: but when the Word of God reproueth any ſin in vsus, though the ſame ſeem neuer ſo ſweet vntounto the fleſh; Oh, ſtride ouer all the rockes of offence that ſtand before vsus to make vsus fall; that ſo, we may hearken vntounto the voyce of God, and that God may delight in vsus, and take pleaſure in our obedience, proceeding from the heart.
Ʋſe. 2 Secondly, as this ſhewes the backwardnes and vntowardnes that is in mans nature, to the performance of any holy duty that we ſtand in need of; ſo many reaſons and arguments to perſwade vsus: So it ſhewes vsus alſo, what courſe the Miniſter of Gods Word muſt take in preaching the Word; That is, not onelyonly ſimply to propound, and ſhew men their duties; but hee muſt exhort them, call vponupon them; nay, he muſt ſtudy how hee may ſpeake, and vſe all perſwaſions, reaſons and arguments to draw men to obedience, & to Turne vntounto the Lord; Ioh. 15. Mat. 13. Ioh. 10.1. Mat. 3.10. Luke. 8.4.they muſt exhort, they muſt intreat, they muſt perſwade, and vſe reaſon vponupon reaſon, and argument vponupon argument, and all will bee too little to draw men to ſeeke vntounto God, and to obey his bleſſed Word: This hath beene the courſe which the Prophets from time to time hauehave obſerued in their Sermons vntounto the people, that hauehave ſtooped downe to the capacity and vnderſtanding euen of the ſimpleſt, raiſing diuers Similes and Compariſons to illuſtrate the doctrines vntounto the people, & to preſſe the ſame with diuers reaſons and arguments, to the end, that all men might be left without excuſe, & that as the Apoſtle ſayth:2. Cor. 4.3. If the Goſpell be hid, it is hid vntounto them that be loſt.