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ries. He had watched over the seasons, from the time it was fown, till it was gathered in. [2.] Con, veniencies; for delight, wine; he bleffed their vintage. For ornament, oil, that makes the face to fhine, and which was ufual in their feasts, Pfal. xxiii. Secondly, for the purfe and coffer. ft, A variety of coin of the best, filver and gold. 2dly, He made it increafe, Heb. He bleffed them in trade, they flourished in it; the produce of their country did thrive, and brought in to them good prices for their commodities; so that they were a rich people. Thus they were in the reign of Jeroboam the Second, the most flourishing time they ever had, 2 Kings xiv. But what did they with it? They prepared it for their idol; they dreffed Baal's image with it.

(2.) On what terms they were thus furnished; on free coft their country was nourished, God gave them thefe things freely. They had them by free gift.

(3.) His liberality. They faid, ver. 5. their idols gave them bread. Suppofe it had been fo, God gave them corn, that was more. Their idols gave them water, but God gave them wine. And he added filver and gold, of which there is no mention in that verfe. So God had been kinder to them than their idols.

2. How they did not know this; For, Heb. And It is joined with ver. 5. She hath played the harlot, done fhamefully, and did not know. They laid it not to heart, and practifed accordingly, to ferve and honour God with his own good gifts, but ferved their own lufts and idols with them, and dishonoured him thereby. Thus, though they knew that God gave them these things, in a general fuperficial way, God reckons they did not know.

II. Ifrael's judgement; which is proposed,

1. More generally. Where we have, (1.) The heavy turn brought on their condition, I will return, i. e. change the way of my difpenfation to them.. As if he had faid, Whereas ye had both necef

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faries and conveniencies for the body, I will ftrip you of them both. Your purses that were filled, I will empty them again; your trade that flourished, I will blaft, and ye fhall go as fast down as ever ye rofe. Ye fhall have few pennyworths, and what ye have ye fhall get little for them. (2.). The reason of it, therefore. God will not change his kind way with a people, but for good reafon: fo when we fee it fo with us, let us fatisfy ourselves, that there is a cause; and juftify God in the blackest turn of our lot. In this therefore,

ift, There is judgement and indignation. It refers to their fin, ver. 8. They knew not that I gave them therefore I will return, and take them away. They have made an ill use of their plentiful provifion; therefore I will draw their table, and bind them up to fhort commons.

2dly, There is mercy and love in it. It refers alfo to ver. 6. 7. God fhews there he had a defign of love on them, to have them back to himself. That they may be made to return, therefore I will return: their plenty has been their fnare, therefore I will take it from them, that I may win them back again.

2. More particularly. He threatens that he will leave them neither in them, nor on them; but ftrip them of all. And,

ift, Of their maintenance; where obferve, (1.) He afferts his property in their corn and wine: The corn they have is my corn, the wine my wine, though ye call it yours, ver. 5. Though ye have fown the corn, and planted the vines; and they are come forward to the time of eating and drinking of them. (2.) He threatens to feize them accordingly as his own, I will take away my corn, &c. And who can quarrel his taking away his own? (3.) The timing of the stroke. He will let alone the corn till it be come to the hook, yea till it be for leading in, and then he will come and take it away in the time thereof, when nothing remains but for the husbandman to en

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joy the fruit of his labour. So he will take away the wine in its feason, when it is juft ready for the prefs.

2dly, Of their cloathing. Where observe, (1.) His property in the wool and lint. (2.) For what end he gave them them. (3.) How he will take them away; recover them as out of the hand of enemies, wrongous poffeffors, that fed their lufts with them, but they shall not have them to cover their nakedness.

Therefore I will return, and take away my corn— and my wine-.

Three doctrines may be obferved from thefe words. DOCT. I. God will certainly change his way with profperous impenitent finners.

DocT. II. God's taking away the corn, and depriving men of the use of neceffaries, is the just reward of the abufe of plenty.

DocT. III. God may have a defign of love in taking away his corn from a finful people, and depriving them of fuch neceffary mercies and comforts of life.

Ifhall explain each of thefe doctrines, and apply them in order.

DocT. I. God will certainly change his way with profperous impenitent finners: Therefore I will return. They may profper for a while; but if they return nct in the way of duty to God, God will return in the change of his difpenfation to them, making their fun to go down at noon-day with them..

The reasons of this difpenfation are,.

1. God's honour requires it, Pfal. I 2r. Thefe things haft thou done, and I kept filence: thou thoughtest that I was altogether fuch a one as thyfelf: but I will reprove thee, and fet them in order before thine eyes. He has tried them with profperity, and that will not do; he will vindicate his own honour, by taking a

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contrary

contrary course, that all the world may fee he does not approve their way.

2. It is neceffary to put a stop to their progress in wickedness. Wicked men, the more profperous they are, the more vile they grow; like a dunghill, the hotter the fun fhines on it, the ranker does it smell. Profperity to them is as the wind to the feas; the ftronger it blows, the waves rage the more: therefore he will bound it.

USE. 1. Let not profperity make you forget God, yourselves, and duty; and truft not in the uncertain fmiles of the world. For the frowns may yet be as heavy, as ever the smiles were pleasant, and things may go as faft wrong as ever they went right.

2. Let no body envy profperous wickedness, Pfal. xxxvii. 1. Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. It has put good men fore to it, to see despisers of God and godliness careffed by outward providence. But look to the word, and fee the end; that will be bitter, Pfal. Ixxiii. 17. 18.

DOCT. II. God's taking away the corn, and depriving men of the ufe of neceffaries, is the just reward of the abufe of plenty. This will appear, if ye confider,

1. That God is a God delighting in mercy, and does not willingly afflict, Lam. iii. 33. There is no delight in the mifery of his creatures to him, Ezek. xviii. 23. Juftice is his act indeed, but his strange act. It is with a kind of reluctancy that he reaches a ftroke to his people, Hof. xi. 8.

2. He has promised the contrary course to his people walking in his ways, Hof. ii. 21. 22. And it fball come to pass in that day, I will hear, faith the Lord, I will hear the heavens, and they fhall hear the earth, and the earth fhall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil, and they all hear Jezreel. It is a gene ral promife, To him that hath shall be given, i. e.

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The honouring of God with what we have is the way to get more; Prov. iii. 9. 10. Honour the Lord with thy fubftance, and with the firft-fruits of all thine increafe: fo fhall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy preffes fball burst out with new wine.

Object. But do not even the godly tender ones fmart in fuch a cafe? Anf. Indeed common calamities on a land or country do not just select the ungodly, and keep off from godly tender Chriftians: yet the latter have the advantage. There is as much guilt on the best, even of abuse of mercies, as will juftify God in reaching them a fhare of the common calamity: but they fhall get it moderated and fanctified, and God will bring good out of it to them, Pfal. xxxvii. 19. They fball not be afbamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be fatisfied. Ver. 3. Truft in the Lord, and do good, fo fbalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Noah's house and land was overflown with the flood, but God provided him an ark. Jeremiah and his remnant were to fall into the enemy's hand, but the Lord faid to him, Verily it shall be well with thy remnant, verily I will caufe the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil, and in the time of affliction, Jer. xv. II.

3. He has threatened to punish the abuse of plenty with the want of neceffaries, Deut. xxviii. 47. 48. Because thou fervedft not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things: therefore fbalt thou ferve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things : and he fball put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he bave deftroyed thee. Thus he dealt with a finning people, Amos iv. 6. I have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your palaces. The fins of a people in a foregoing time, often bring the harvest to a sorry account, If. xvi. 9. Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Fazer, the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears

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