An Exposition of Hosea 11-13, Exposition · Chapter 13 · Verse 9
VER. 9.
O Iſrael, thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf, but in me is thy help.
OH! do not find fault with the dreadfulneſs of God, that God appears thus dreadful to you, and do not you blame the Miniſters of God that they do render Expoſ.God in this dreadful manner before you; though it's true, that God appears in a way ready to deſtroy you, bu… the Lord yet is infinite holy, and bleſſed, and a God of mercy and goodneſs in himſelf, O Iſrael, thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf, thou maieſt thank thy ſelf for all this … many of you when you hear the terrors of God ſet before God to be preached as Terrible.you, perhaps your hearts riſe againſt them, and your ſpirits do exceedingly diſtaſt ſuch things as thoſe are, and why do Miniſters make God appear to be ſo terrible to people, when as he is ſuch a merciful and gracious God? Oh! rather lay thine hand upon thine own heart and ſay, God indeed is thus gracious and merciful, but it's through my wickedneſs that makes God appear ſo terrible, the judgments of God are call'd, ſtrange things, it's becauſe that God hath not ſuch delight in the execution of wrath, in appearing like a Lyon, a Leopard, and a Bear; It's that that pleaſes the heart of God to appear as a Father to do good to his people, Oh! but thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf.
And this is a main point indeed, that ſinful people ſhould charge themſelves with all the evil that doth befall Obſ.them, they deſtroy themſelves, Oh! this it is that will be the aggravation of mens judgments another day, that they are the cauſe of all the evils they ſuffer. You may think to put it off to God and ſay, Oh how dreadful is Gods Juſtice! but God knows how to put off all upon your ſelves, and the deſtruction of ſinners will appear to be from themſelves, and God will cleer it up to all the World, before Men and Angels, and will cleer it up unto their Conſciences: The damn'd in Hell ſhall not be able to ſpeak againſt Gods Juſtice at all, but they ſhall be forced to charge themſelves with all the evil that is upon them: Oh! it was through this wretched, and vile, wicked heart of mine, God was not wanting to me in any means of good, but I had a rebellious heart, and I have brought all this evil upon my ſelf, I have deſtroyed my ſelf. O Iſrael, thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf.
Deſtroyed himſelf! did not God in the words imme… Expoſ.… before ſay, that he would meet him as a Bear that is bereaved of her Whelps, and would rend the Caul of their hearts, and would be as a Lyon to them, and a Leopard? and yet O Iſrael, thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf!
Though God execute ſevere wrath, and makes uſe of inſtruments of wrath againſt a people, yet their deſtruction is to be attributed Obſ.to themſelves, Oh Iſrael thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf, thou mayeſt thank thy ſelf for all this.
The reading of the words I find to be ſomewhat different from what you have them in your books, Calvin Perdidt te Iſrael. Calv.and many others read it. It hath deſtroyed thee, Iſrael.
And in the old Engliſh Tranſlation, wherein Beza's [the Geneva] Notes are, there it is, One hath deſtroyed them, ſo the word may be read, ſo as it muſt be made up with ſomewhat elſe;
Either One hath deſtroyed them, or It hath deſtroyed them, or Somewhat hath deſtroyed them; as if God ſhould ſay, 'tis not I that have deſtroyed them, but as if ſomewhat elſe had done it.
Tremelius makes it up thus, Thy King hath deſtroyed thee. For ſo the words will bear, to reade it to be made up Perdidit te Rex tuus. Trem.with what the text and the dependance of other paſſages in the Prophet may help us to, hath deſtroyed us (ſo are the words) hath; what hath? why your King hath dedeſtroyed you, ſaith Tremelius? Saith the Hebrews, (moſt Vitulus tuus. Rabb.of them) your Calf hath deſtroyed you, your Idols have deſtroyed you. Aben Ezra, your fained comforts hath deſtroyed you. And Druſius he reades it Interogatively, Who Conſolatio fictitia. Ab. Ezr. Corrupit te. Druſ.hath deſtroyed thee? Your fulneſs, of which verſ. 6. or your own heart and wickedneſs hath deſtroyed you. The Greek thus, foreign? Who ſhall give help to the corruption of Iſrael? ſo that though the words be read ſo diverſly, yet that wherein moſt agree, it comes to the ſame effect as you have them in your books, Your own wickedneſs hath deſtroyed you, your ſ… ungodly, Idelatrous living, forſaking God and his … putting confidence in an arm of fleſh, that hath deſtroyed thee. In Me is Thine Help.
Thoſe words are ſomewhat different in the Original from what you have in your Books; for there are two Inn's, In Me, In thy help, ſo 'tis in the Hebrew. And you ſhal obſerve it, that in your Books [Is] hath another foreigncharacter, which notes that it is not directly according to the Original, In Me, in thy help.
Now (in me) ſaith Learned Druſius upon the text, I Ego in auxiliotuo, & auxiliū tuum eſt in me. Druſ.am in thy help, and thy help is in me, therefore there is two Inn's, In me, In thy help, that is, I am in thine help, and thine help is in me; ſo in a way of elegancie he expreſſes it: And it ſeems to be according to the intention of the holy Ghoſt, Whatſoever help thou haſt, I am in it, and Expoſ.thy help it is in me, In me is thy help.
And Pareus he read it, Againſt thy help, and ſo ſupplies Pareus. Quod in me in auxiliatorem rebellaſti.the word, Thou haſt rebelled againſt thy help, Oh thou haſt deſtroyed thy help; Why? Becauſe thou haſt rebelled againſt thy help: And the words in the Original will bear this, to be read, againſt thy help.
But the other more full, according to the general ſtream of Inerpreters, and according to the words, Thy help is wholly in me, and I am wholly in thy help.
Thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf, but thy help is wholly in me. That ſhall ſuffice for the reading of the words.
Now for the ſeveral Truths that are to be here held forth to us out of the words.
Firſt this, Men would fain put off from themſelves to God Obſ. 1.what evil is upon them. Men naturally are loth to charge themſelves with the evil that coms upon them, It's their ill-hap, their ill-fortune, their ill-lock; or they could not help … they did what they could, and ſo think to …ll to God; 'tis for want of means, for want of this or that thing that God did deny to them, it's becauſe God put them into ſuch and ſuch a condition, but never come to charge themſelves: but the Propet ſpeaks here in a compaſſionat way, Oh Iſrael (ſaith he) never ſtand charging it upon God, thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf.
Secondly, God knows how to turn all the evil upon our Obſ. 2ſelves, God knows how to right himſelf; Though we may think to leſſen our evil by putting it upon God, God will turn it all upon our own heads, and make it out to all the world that we were the cauſe of al the evils that were upon us, both temporal evils, and all the evil that ſhal come upon thoſe that ſhall periſh eternally, it will be One work of the day of Judment.one of the great works at the day of Judgment, To make it out to men and Angels, that all the miſery that comes upon the damned it is from themſelves, and their Conſciences will acknowledg it, and God wil be cleered before all; it will be found that the cauſe of mans perdition it is not the Decree of God, Gods Decree it damns none, 1 Gods Decree damns none. What it is.It is their Sin that damns them, not the Decree. The Decree of Reprobation it is but the leaving of men to be dealt withal in a way of Juſtice: whereas ſaith God, here's a company I am reſolved to magnifie my Grace upon to all eternity, The Decree of Election.Whatſoever comes between to hinder it, I am reſolved that theſe ſhal be the ſubjects for me to exerciſe my Grace on toal eternity, that's Election: But there are others that I wil have to a way and courſe of Juſtice, they ſhal have what they earn, and no otherwiſe; ſo that the Decree is not the cauſe of mens damnation, their ſin comes in between that and their damnation, ſo that they deſtroy themſelv….
Secondly, It's not the infuſion of any evil into them. You 2.will ſay, …n comes in between Decree and Damnation: But how comes ſin in? Certainly not by any Infuſion from God, …t comes in by man himſelf, man himſelf is the author o….
Thirdly, It is not by any coaction. You will ſay, Though 3.ſin is in men for the cauſe of it, yet men cannot help it, man cannot but ſin. Now to that; Firſt, God made man in ſuch a condition, that he might not have ſinned, and though there be a neceſſity, that man fallen cannot but ſin, yet it excuſes not this neceſſity, He ſins as freely as if he could do otherwiſe. Men, though it's true, through Note.their fall they cannot do that that is good, they cannot but ſin, Eyes full of Adultry that cannot ceaſe from ſin, as the Apoſtle ſaith of ſome, yet they ſin as freely as if they had power to keep from ſin, It's that that pleaſes their wills, it's that that is ſutable unto them, It's true, that the Saints in Heaven they cannot but glorifie God, but yet they glorifie God with freedom too, they are ſo ſet in an eſtate of glory, as they cannot ſin, but yet they honor God freely, that is, They do that that's ſutable to their own ſpirits in the honoring of God; if ſo be that there be a neceſſity of ſinning from mans fall. Yea, 2. From a judicial act of God in giving men over to ſin, yet that's but in a way of puniſhment for former ſins, and they bring this upon themſelves, ſo ſtill they deſtroy themſelves. Every ſinner that periſhes, murders himſelf. And all that are damn'd eternally, they all of them are Self murderers, this is a grievous thing, O Iſrael, thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf. The more there is of Self in mens deſtruction, the more grievous is their condition; It would make our hearts to pity any Fowl that ſhould be ſhot with an Arrow that was feathered from her own body: all the Judgments of God, all the Arrows of the Almighty that come againſt ſinners, they are a it were feathered by that that comes from ſinners themſelves, they are the cauſe of their own evils: The moreſelf in ſinners deſtruction the more hard is our condition.
As Firſt, When men do ſo bring miſerie pon themſelves Wherein Self appears in ſin. 1.without any temptation, the leſs temptation, the more ſelf in any thing, and ſome deſtroy themſelves ſo, it comes meerly from themſelves without any temptation.
Secondly, When mens ſins are plotted ſins, contriv'd 2.ſins, …he more plotting and contriving about ſin, the more art thou the Author of thine own evil or deſtruction.
Thirdly, When men ſin, and yet are warn'd beforehand 3.of their ſin, they are told beforehand of the evil yet ſtill are wilful in it, and will go on in it, they may thank themſelves for their deſtruction.
Fourthly, When men notwithſtanding they are often 4.ſtop'd in the way of their ſin, and though God doth many times come in the way of his providence, and in his Word to ſtop them in their way of ſin, and yet ſtill they will go on, thank thy ſelf if thou beeſt undone.
Fifthly, The more means they have to the contrary, 5.the more enlightenings they have, the more drawings of the holy Ghoſt they have to draw them from their ſin, and yet ſtill will go on.
Sixthly, When mens ſins are of that nature, that 6.they do not only deſerve their deſtruction, but they do work their deſtruction; all ſins deſerves it, but ſome ſins works it: as drunkenneſs works diſeaſes in mens bodies, brings them to Poxes, and Feavers, and ſo they deſtroy them, their very ſin deſtroies them: and ſo ſome others might be named.
Seventhly, When men ſhall preſume to venture further 7.in any danger than they can help themſelves out of, they think they will go but ſo far, and ſo far, and ſo they venture further than they can help themſelves out of; they deſtroy themſelves.
Now this evil of Self deſtruction is ſo much the more An Aggravation of ſelfdeſtruction.grievous, when men deſtroy themſelves in things that they moſt bleſs themſelves in, in things that they do moſt ſeek themſelves in, they moſt glorifie themſelves in, I mean, in which they do moſt glory, and in which they do promiſe to themſelves greater good, if this proves to be their deſtruction, it is ſo much the more grievous.
Oh! it is a ſad thing to be a ſelf-deſtroyer, for what 1.pity can there be? Who will pity a man or woman that is the cauſe of all their own evil, wilfully brings it upon themſelves? You will ſay, Thank your ſelves, who will pity you? Oh! this will be the condition of all that periſh; Neither God, nor Angels, nor Saints ſhall pitie them: neither the Father out of whoſe loyns they came Note.ſhall pitie them, nor the Mother out of whoſe bodie, for they ſhall ſee that they have undone themſelves.
And beſides, Oh the extream vexation that there will be in mens ſpirits, when they ſhall be convinc'd of this, 2.when the Lord ſhall preſent to them all the means they have had, and all the mercies they have enjoyed, ſo that their conſciences ſhall fly in their faces and tel them, Oh you may thank your ſelves for this, it was that wretched heart of thine that thou haſt ſo talk'd of, I told you of this before, Oh! that pride, and that hypocriſie, and that Self ſeeking, and that falſneſs of thine hath brought thee to all this. Oh this will be an eternal vexation, it will be the matter for the worm to gnaw upon in Hell hereafter, Oh! that we have deſtroyed our ſelves!
And beſides, God will revenge this upon men: for no man hath the power over himſelf; thou deſtroyeſt one 3.of Gods creatures in being a ſelf-murderer, thou ſhalt be puniſhed for deſtroying thy ſelf. Becauſe they have not the diſpoſe of themſelves, they are Gods Creatures; And here it is a greater ſin for a man to murder, Himſelf, than his Father or Mother. It was a Speech of Auſtin that way, Auſtin.It's a greater ſin than paracide, to be a ſelf-murderer, and the reaſon he gives is this, For ſaith he, the neerer any one is to one, the greater is the ſin of murdering that one; As Note.it's a greater ſin for me to murder a kinſman than a ſtranger, It's a greater ſin to murder a brother than a kinſman more remote, than yet higher, a greater ſin for me to murder a father then a brother, but then it's a greater ſin for me to murder my ſelf than my father, Why? For I am neerer my ſelf than my father: and ſo the …is greater for any one to lay violent hands upon ones ſelf, than upon another: You think it a horrid thing if the Devil ſhould come with a temptation, Go and take a halter and hang up your mother that bore you, or take a knife and cut your fathers throat; but when you are tempted to murder your ſelves it is a greater ſin. Self-murder it is a great evil, and yet all people in the world that periſh are ſelf murderers, when we do but hear of a man that hangs or drowns himſelf, we think it's a very ſad thing; now when you look upon wicked men going on in the waies of ſin and deſtruction, look upon them as ſo many men running to drown themſelves, and plunge themſelves into the bottomleſs gulf, and as ſo many men cutting their own throats, and hanging themſelves, for certainly ſo they do.
Then learn we to charge our ſelves of all the evil that is upon Applic. 1. To Perſonsus, do not put it off, neither to God nor the Devil ſo much, but charge our ſelves ſtil, for certainly we cauſe more evil to our ſelves than all the Devils in Hell can do, All the Devils in Hell could not undo us, if we did not undo our ſelves; we are ready to charge it upon wicked Note.men, or temptations of the Devil, and if not ſo, then upon God; for ſo you do, when any man or woman thinks to excuſe his ſin thus, God knows I do what I can; that's as much as if you ſhould ſay, for my part I am free of any evil that comes upon me, if I periſh I am free, I do what I can, and it's becauſe God doth not give me grace, thus you put it from your ſelves to God: Mens Excuſes.No, learn to charge your ſelves of evil; a tender heart will take even that which is the Devils to himſelf, and a carnal heart will put off that which is from himſelf to the Devil: Obſerve the difference between one that hath a tender ſpirit, and another; when any temptation of the Devil comes, that are indeed the Devils rather than his own, he preſently charges his own heart, Oh! what a wretched vile heart have I! when as it may not be it, but meer ſuggeſtions and temptations of the Devil and not the ſteam and filth of his heart, but he doth judg his heart from thoſe temptations, and thinks it is nothing but the uncleanneſs and filthineſs of his heart: but you ſhall have another man that hath a moſt filthy wicked heart, and there comes moſt abominable ſteams which break forth into filthy diſeaſes, and though it comes altogether from himſelf, yet ſaith he, Oh the temptations of the Devil doth leade me aſide, and I cannot tell how to reſiſt him, it's from temptations, it's from thy ſelf, from that wicked unclean heart of thine, and were there no Devils in Hell at all, thou haſt the ſeeds of all ſin in thy heart, it's from thy uncleanneſs.
Oh! Let's learn to be afraid of our ſelves, and to pray to God to be delivered from our ſelves, Better to be given 2.up to the Devil than to ones ſelf. You know the inceſtuous perſon was delivered up to Satan, but it was for the deſtruction 1 Cor. 5.of the fleſh, and the ſaving of his ſoul; but when one is given up to himſelf, it is for the damning of his ſoul: then, that's no way for to ſave ones ſelf to be given up to himſelf: Thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf.
And my Brethren, we have cauſe to think of this point 2. Applied to England.very ſeriouſly, in another notion, in reſpect of the Kingdom and Nation; certainly if ever this Kingdom be deſtroyed, it muſt needs be written for the Generations to come, Here's a Kingdom, a Nation that hath deſtroyed its ſelf. Certainly we cannot ſay 'tis from God, if we periſh, what God will do with us we know not, but truly, this we may plainlie ſee, That if God leaves us but a little Note.more to our ſelves, we are in a very fair way to deſtroy our ſelves, and that after God hath wrought ſo for us, God hath wrought like a God for us, but we, how do we deal for our ſelves! like men ſhall we ſay? Oh no, like brute-beaſts, if men, mad men, men that are appointed to deſtruction. If we be deſtroyed, it will be the ſaddeſt ſtorie that ever was in the world againſt a people, if ſo be that at length we ſhould periſh after God hath done ſo much for us, truly now God hath wrought like a God to deliver us from our common Enemies, God had need to Note.work as much for us like a God to deliver us from our ſelves: great hath the works of God been in delīvering of us from the rage of thoſe that we thought intended to deſtroy us, and ſurely did: Well, now God hath done ſuch works, if God ſhould ſay, Well, I have done my work, I have delivered you from thoſe you were afraid of, and now I will leave you to your ſelves, Oh! we had cauſe to fall upon our faces, and ſay, O Lord, do not ſo, for it had been better that they had deſtroyed us: For if Note.thou ſhouldeſt leave us to our ſelves, our deſtruction would be a more bitter deſtruction. Do not we ſee how faſt we run towards deſtruction, being but a little left to our ſelves, what a perverſe ſpirit is there now among our ſelves? We ſay ſometimes of the Prelates, Oh the hand of God is againſt them; how they brought themſelves into a ſnare? Now they may ſtand and look upon us, and even laugh almoſt at us, and ſay, Well, let them alone, as we ſpeak of ſome, Give them line enough and they will quickly hang themſelves, Let them alone and they will fall out one with another, and deſtroy one another, they will quickly Noteruin themſelves if they be let alone. Oh we have as much experience of the vanitie of mens hearts, and the follie, and pride, and hypocriſie, and ſtoutneſs, and frowardneſs of mens hearts, as ever there was experience ſince the world began. Who could ever have thought this five or ſix yeers ago? if this could have been preſented as it were in a Map unto us, Oh you ſhall be in great dangers, you ſhall have mighty enemies riſe and readie to ſwallow you up, but I will appear and work for you, I will put forth my glorie, the right hand of my power and excellencie ſhall appear for you, and when all this is done, You ſhall undo your ſelves, and out of your own ſelves Note.ſhall be your ruin, even from thoſe that you truſted in much, and thoſe that you much applauded, they ſhall be cauſe of the A Propheſie.evil, yea, And even you that now think your hearts are ſo right, and have ſaid, Oh! If God would but deliver us, how Note.we would magnifie his Name! you ſhall be the cauſe of the evil of the Kingdom. Had any ſaid ſo of ſome, that we have cauſe to have our hearts ſhake within us when we think (as the Prophet did of Hazael) you ſhall do thus and thus, they would have been readie to anſwer you, What, are we dogs? are we dead dogs that we ſhould do ſuch things? Well, the Lord deliver us from our ſelves. In Me is Thy Help.
We can eaſily deſtroy our ſelves, but can we ſave our ſelves? A Child can break a Glaſs that all the men in the Country cannot make it up again. Everie fool may Similedo miſchief to himſelf, yea, and to others, but can he help? 'tis God onlie that is the help of his People, 'tis not means that help, but God; yea, 'tis that that God doth much glorie in, To be accounted the cauſe of all good; he would have all evil caſt upon men, but al good from Himſelf, even preſent good, and eternal good he would have attributed to himſelf.Inde ſequitur, Praedeſtinationem, Vocationem, & Gratiam; non eſſe ex praevijs praedeſtinatorum meritis; ſed ex Deo praedeſtinanter, vocanter, gratiâ ſuâ praedeſtinatos praevenicute; haec enim ſunt AVXILIVM Dei. Cornel à Lapidè in loc.
In the reading of this Scripture, I find a very ſtrange Expreſſion of one Commenting upon it, that one would think had ſome knowledg of the freeneſs of Gods Grace and Goodneſs, and yet a Jeſuit. [In me is thy help] Hence it follows (ſaith he) That Predeſtination, Vocation, and Grace, do not come from the foreſight of the Merits of thoſe that are Predeſtinated, but from Gods Predeſtinating, Calling, Preventing with his Grace: Theſe things are the help of God: even from the mouth of a Jeſuit we have this, acknowledging ſometimes in their Writings, and when they are ſerious, that neither Predeſtination, nor Vocation, nor Grace comes from any forefight of what man would do, but only from Gods Prediſtinating, Calling, Preventing with his Grace, and this is the help of God, all good it is in God, both for the preſent, and our eternal good.
It was a ſpeech of Auguſtin, God doth many good things Multa bona facit Deus in homine, quae non facit homo; nul…la facit homo, quae Deus non facit, us faciat homo. Auguſt.in a man that a man doth not himſelf, but there are other things that God works in man; but (ſaith he) Though he works them … him, and man doth them, yet it is God that doth them. This point we muſt not ſpeak at large to, but paſe it preſently, for we met with that before in the Propheſie, where it was ſaid, God was the only Savior. In Me is thy help.
In me] That is, Thy continued help; not only help Expoſ.for the preſent, but whatſoever help thou haſt continued it is all in God. Iſa. 33. 2. Be thou their Arm every morning, our Salvation alſo in the time of trouble; not only their help for the preſent, but they need ſtil a continued ſupply and help every morning. But further; In Me is thine help, though thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf.
Obſerve, There's no miſery that man can bring himſelf to Obſ.here in this world but there is help in God for it: though thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf, yet in me is thine help, there may yet be help in God; As if God ſhould ſay, I do glory in it, to be an helper.
It is God glory to help men in miſerie; let it be ours.
It's the glory of many men to deſtroy, to do miſchief; Uſe 1.but it's the glory of God to be an helper.
Saith Luther upon the place, I deſire to defend thee, to Cupio te detendere, te ſervare, hoc verè eſſe, Deum eſſe. Luth. in loc.preſerve thee, this indeed is to be a God ſaith he: To be an helper, God glories in this, that he is a God for this end, to be an helper. Oh that we could account it our glory, to be helpful unto others.
Let us alſo look upon God in this his Glory, and make Uſe. 2.him the Object of our Faith in times of diſtreſs, let us not lie vexing and fretting under our miſery, b… …ift up our eyes to God that is the helper, let no want of means, no unworthineſs in us cauſe our hearts to ſink, thoſe deſpairing temptations that ſaith to us, There is no help in God, they are very ſinful at any time, let the condition be never ſo bad.
You will ſay, I am a wretched creature, I have undone my ſelf.Queſt.
Well, though thou haſt, yet ſuch kind of thoughts as Anſw.theſe, to ſay, There is no help in God, they are wicked and ſinful. God accounts it his glory to help men even when they have deſtroyed themſelves. There is a time indeed when there will be no help for ſinners; but for the time in this world, we may ſay as Shechaniah, in Ezra, 10. 2 Yet now there is hope in Iſrael, concerning this thing. Oh A uſeful Scripture.make uſe of that Scripture when thou ſeeſt thy ſelf ſink down even to the very gulf, Oh yet there is hope in the God of Iſrael for this very thing. Suppoſe my condition be worſe I think than any in the world, yet you know, it hath not been known what God hath laid up for them that love him, there is help in God.
Yea, But whether he will help or no?
Do but carry it now in this notion, That there is help Queſt.in God, and he accounts it his Glory to be an Helper; he accounts Anſw. 1it not his Glory to be a Deſtroyer ſo much, no, that's his ſtrange work, but to be an Helper, that's his great Glorie.
And again, Even at that time when men are moſt undone, 2.then is the time for God to help. Thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf; in me is thine help. Oh! come and return, yet there may be help for thee, though thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf. Thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf, in Me thy help.
It may be in a way of aggravation of their ſin and Expoſ.ſtubbornneſs, Why doeſt not thou come in to me? have not I alwaies been a help to thee in all times of ſtraights and diſtreſſes? You are in great miſerie; now I am the ſame that ever I was, yet there's help enough in me: from whence the Note is this:
Thoſe that heretofore have ſeen help in God, and yet if now Obſ.their miſery grows upon them, and they ſink yet lower and lower, they had need examin themſelves throughly: Surely they have ſhut the door againſt themſelves for help, for God is never wearie of doing good, his arm is not ſhortened, as in Iſa. 59. But your iniquities have ſeparated between you and your God. I beſeech you mark but this, there is a great difference between God and man in this thing of Helping. Men that are verie kind ſometimes and helpful, yet at other times they will be very ſurly and harſh towards thoſe that they have been very helpful to in former times, and that not from any cauſe without, but meerlie from the temper of their own hearts, and the change that there is in their own ſpirits; not becauſe thoſe that they have been kind to are worſe now than before, no, but becauſe of a froward, ſurly, harſh humor that is riſen up in themſelves: you ſhall ſee ſuch a difference in men that have been very ſweet, loving, and helpful to you at ſome times, but come to them at other times, and you ſhall find them dogged, and ſurly, and harſh, and you cannot tell what hath provok'd them; no, it is nothing but from a ſurlie diſtemper that is riſen in their hearts. Oh! thus it is with men, but it is not ſo with God. Thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf, but in Me is thy help; it is ſtill, I have been thy helper all thy daies, and ſtill am the ſame God ready to do good unto thee, and to help thee.
And then the laſt thing that I would note is this: The Obſ.more God hath been helpful to any, the greater aggravation will it be to their deſtruction, if they be deſtroyed at laſt. Thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf, but in me is thy help, I have been a help alwaies, I am ready to help and to do good, and yet thou art undone; Oh to be deſtroyed when God is at hand to help, to periſh when there is a Fountain juſt before us, as Hagar; this will be ſad indeed. Oh to periſh in the midſt of means, and in the midſt of mercies, Oh what an aggravation will it be to mens ſins! another day when they are paſt the time of merciemercy to help, but then to think, Oh! but how gracious was God to me while I liv'd, at ſuch and ſuch a time!
And ſo concerning our ſelves again, from this, In me is thine help. It will be the aggravation of our miſery, if Applied to England.we ſhould yet periſh. Oh my Brethren, Conſider of it, What, ſhall all the great ſtories, and notable famous ſtories that we have told of Gods mighty working in helping us, ſhall they be of no other uſe but to aggravate our miſeries at laſt? It would be a ſad thing. But to proceed.