1. He is but a creature.
2. He is an enemy.
280 THE BETURNING BACKSLIDER. [SeRMON HL
3. He is an idolater.
So that, take him in all these three relations, he is not to he trusted.
1. He is a creature. What is a creature ? Nothing, as it were. Saith the prophet, ' All creatures before him are as nothing, and as a very little thing.' And what it is, when he pleaseth, he can dissolve it into nothing, turn it into dust. Man's breath is in his nostrils, Isa. ii. 22. ' All flesh is grass, and all his glory as the flower of grass,' Ps. ciii. 15. If a man trust the creature, he may outlive his trust. His prop may be taken from him, and down he falls. Asshur must not be trusted, therefore, as a crea- ture, nor as a man, for that brings us within the curse. Thus saith the Lord, ' Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm,' &c., Jer. xvii. 5. So trusting in the creature not only deceives us, but brings us within the curse. In that respect, Asshur must not be trusted.
2. But Asshur likewise was an enemy, and a secret enemy. For howso- ever the ten tribes unto whom Hosea prophesied were great idolaters, yet they were somewhat better than Asshur, who was without the pale of the church, and a wholly corrupted church. Therefore, they were enemies to the ten tribes, and, amongst other reasons, because they were not so bad as they, nor deeply enough dyed with idolatry.
Many think they may comply with popery in some few things, to gain their love, and that there may be joining with them in this and that ; but do we think that they will ever tinist us for all this ? No ; they will alway hate us, till we be as bad as they, and then they will despise us, and secure themselves of us. Therefore, there is no trasting of papists, as papists ; not only creatures, but as false, and as enemies. For this is the nature of wicked men. They will never trust better than themselves, till they be- come as bad as they are, after which they despise them. Say they. Now we may trust such and such a one ; he is as bad as we, becom'd* one of us. Which is the reason why some of a naughty dispositson take away the chastity and vu-ginity of men's consciences, making them take this and that evil course, and then they think they have such safe, being as bad as themselves. Wherein they deal as Ahithophel's politic, devilish counsel was, that Absalom should do that which was naught, and then he should be sure that David and he should never agree after that, 2 Sam. xvi. 21 ; and that then by this discovery the wicked Jews, set on mischief, might secure themselves of Absalom. So they, now that they join with us, God will forsake them ; we shall have them our instruments for anything. Fu'st, they would have the ten tribes as bad as they, and then give them the slip whensoever they trusted them.
3. Again, neither were they to be trusted as idolaters, to have league and society with them. There may be some commerce and traffic with them, but amity and trust, none. Asshur and Egypt were horrible idolaters, and therefore not to be trusted in that respect. As we see the prophet in this case reproved good Jehoshaphat, when he had joined with wicked Ahab, king of the ten tribes, ' Shouldst thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord ? therefore wrath is upon thee from before the Lord,' 2 Chron. xix. 2. So we see it is a dangerous thing to be in league with idolaters, even such as the ten tribes were, who had some religion amongst them. This good king was chidden for it.
* We will not ride upon horses.'
What kind of creature a horse is, it is worth the seeing. What a descrip- tion God gives of him, that we may see what reason the Spirit of God hath * That is, ' become.' — G.
HOSEA XrV. 2, 3.] THE EETUBNING BACKSLIDER. 281
to instance in the horse. Saith God to Job, ' Hast thou given the horse strength ? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder ? canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper ? the glory of his nostrils is terrible. He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength : he goeth on to meet the armed men. He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted ; neither turneth he back from the sword. The quiver rattleth against him, the ghttering spear and the shield. He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage : neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha ; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting,' Job xxxix. 19-21. A notable and excellent description of this warlike creature. And yet for all this excellency, so described by the Spirit of God, in another place the psalmist saith, 'A horse is a vain thing for safety, neither shall he deliver any by his great strength,' Ps. xxxiii. 17. ' Some trust in chariots, and some in horses ; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God,' Ps. xx. 7. So in another place,