Now, who would not be in such an estate and condition as this, as to have title to all these gracious promises, for ' the dew ' of grace to fall upon him, ' to grow as lilies ' in height, and to spread as other plants do, to grow upwards and downwards, to be ' rooted as cedars ' and ' fruitful as vines ' ? The Spirit of God sets himself here to shew spiritual things by earthly comparisons, to make us the more capable of them. The misery of the contrary condition may well stir us up to seek after the forementioned. For what a miseiy is it to have the curse of God upon one's soul, to have it like the barren wilderness, void of all grace and comfort that may delight others, or is spiritual, savoury, or savingly good. So all these promises tend * That is, ' wondering.'— Q. ■{• That is, ' consciousness.'— Ed.
866 THE EETURNING BACKSLIDER. [SeRMON X.
to encourage us to be in the condition of God's children, that when we are in that estate we may comfort ourselves, and be able to claim our part, por- tion, and interest in these excellent promises.
Thus, by God's blessing, we have passed over the particulars of God's gracious promises to his church and all that shall come under the church, all which should encourage us to go to God, and do as the church doth here, ' take words to ourselves,' and desire God ' to take away all iniquity, and heal all our backslidings,' and that we may renounce all vain confidence, as the church doth here, who is taught to trust horses no longer, ' Asshur shall not save us.' And then let us, as was said, cleave unto the blessed promises, that we may improve them and make them our own every day more and more. Therefore, let us have in the eye of our soul the excel- lency of gi'owth, or else we shall not value these promises. Let us consider what an excellent condition it is to gi'ow, flourish, and be fruitful, having a due esteem of all these promises beforehand. Do but consider how excel- lent a Christian is that groweth above others, what a majesty he hath in his carriage, how undaimtedly he walks in all oppositions whatsoever, as a lion in his courses, Prov. xxvhi. 1 ; how he overlooks hell, wrath, death, damna- tion, and all ; what a sweet communion he enjoyeth with God in all the dis- consolations that the world puts upon him. He carrieth his heaven in his heart and a paradise within him, which is planted with all graces ; whereas another man carrieth his hell about him.
Wherefore, let us take such courses to help ourselves as the church doth here, trust in God, and not in man or in the arm of flesh, and be en- couraged, from all that hath been said, to have a good conceit* of God, to be fruitful, and draw on others to goodness, that God, his saints, and angels may be delighted with the scent of our graces, and ourselves comforted ; that we may rejoice in our portion and lot that God hath dealt so graciously to us, and glory more that he hath made us members of Christ and heirs of heaven than in any condition of this world. 0 the incom- parable, excellent state of a Christian, above all the glory of this world ! who not only groweth, but shall grow to heavenwards still ; and as he hath begun to hate sin, shall hate it more and more. God hath undertaken it shall be so. Ephraim, after all these sweet promises and dew of grace, shall say, ' What have I any more to do with idols ? ' &c., the prosecution whereof must be referred f until the next time.
THE TENTH SERMON.
Ephraim shall say, What hare I any more to do with idols ? I have heard him and observed him: I am like a green fir-tree: from me is thy finiit found. — Hos. XIV. 8.
We have heard at several times heretofore, how God, out of the largeness of his goodness, goeth beyond those desires which he putteth into his people's hearts. They briefly entreat him to ' do good ' to them, and to deal gra- ciously with them ; and he answereth them largely, ' That he \xi\l be as the dew to them, that they shall grow as the lily, and cast forth then- roots as Lebanon.' All set out by most excellent comparisons, helping grace by natiire, our souls by our bodies, and oui* spirits by our senses. As we have * ' That is, ' conception.' — G. t That is, ' delayed.' — G. •
HOSEA XrV. 8.] THE EETURNING BACKSLIDER. 367
souls and bodies, so God applieth himself to both : ' His branches shall spread ; his beauty shall be as the olive, and his smell as Lebanon.'
Then in the seventh verse, his gracious promise reacheth unto those who dwell under the church. ' Those that dwell under his shadow shall return, they shall re^^ve as the corn, and grow as the vine,' &c. The new church that shall come under the shadow of the old, shall flourish as the ancient did. ' They that dwell under his shadow,' that is, under Ephraim's and Israel's shadow, ' shall return,' and be partakers of the same dew of grace.