Worship service 02/15/26.
Greetings and call to worship.
Greetings and good morning, saints and beloved brethren. Grace, mercy and peace be multiplied unto you through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was sent for our salvation by the Father. We gather once more on this blessed Sabbath morning to rejoice and give thanks for the wonderful salvation bestowed so graciously upon us in the righteousness of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. 1 Thess. 5:9 says, “God hath not appointed us unto wrath, but to obtain salvation by the means of our Lord Jesus Christ.” and inasmuch as He hath delivered us from wrath, he hath delivered us from the cause of wrath, even sin by the imputation of righteousness for the removal of our guilt, and the implantation of a holy principle within our very hearts for the removal of our pollution that we might be well pleasing unto Him. Let us, therefore, come before Him and give thanks. A Puritan minister writes, “That I may press you to Sabbath-sanctification, consider what great blessings God has promised to the strict observers of this day. Isa 58: 14. (1) A promise of joy. ‘Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord.’ Delighting in God is both a duty and a reward. In this text it is a reward, ‘Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord;’ as if God had said, If thou keep the Sabbath conscientiously, I will give thee that which will fill thee with delight; if thou keep the Sabbath willingly, I will make thee keep it joyfully. I will give thee those enlargements in duty, and that inward comfort, which shall abundantly satisfy thee; thy soul shall overflow with such a stream of joy, that thou shalt say, ‘Lord, in keeping thy Sabbath there is great reward.”
Prayer unto the public reading of the Holy Scripture:
Our holy and righteous Father,
Full of all glory, justice, and righteousness,
Merciful and faithful—The Covenant God who will by no means clear the guilty, taking vengeance on them that follow after other gods, yet showing mercy to thousands that love thee with the whole heart and keep thy commandments:
We come before thee solemnly and sincerely, as those whom thou hast elected from before the creation of all worlds and purchased by the precious blood of thy Son, called out of darkness and brought into the fellowship of the gospel and the kingdom of Jesus Christ. We bow in all reverence before thy throne, knowing the severity of thy law, the holy requirements of the gospel, as well as our own vileness and unworthiness to draw so near unto thee.
We freely confess, O Lord, that apart from the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are denied access to the covenant promises, are under the wrath and curse of God, and must be cast from thy presence as an abominable thing. Moreover, we confess that without faith in the Mediator, consent to sound doctrine and a repentant heart, endeavouring to walk evenly and zealously for thee, which is the gracious work of the Spirit, we have no evidence of fellowship with thee. For we are by nature guilty and polluted, unable of ourselves to repent or return, and altogether unfit to render thee any service that is not defiled by sin. Therefore, do we confess our utter dependence on the Father’s love for our election, the Son’s righteousness for our justification and the Spirit’s work in our hearts for our sanctification. We believe that thou art our God, and the rewarder of them that diligently seek thy face. Therefore, inasmuch as we are convinced of our sin in Adam and the redemption in Jesus Christ alone, we cry out to thee for mercy: For pardoning mercy to cover our iniquities, And sanctifying mercy to make us meet for thy presence. Hear our prayers, deliver us from all trouble, cleanse us by the blood of Christ and the washing of the Spirit by the word. Sanctify us by the truth of thy word. Defend us from all evil, Strengthen our faith, subdue the lusts of the flesh that swell within us, And enable us to perform this holy service, Not in our own strength, But in the virtue which thou dost supply of thine own free goodness. And now, O Lord, as we come to the reading of thy holy word, we pray for a special blessing upon this portion of Scripture, that it may be effectual to build up thy holy church, which thou hast called thy special possession, and thy little flock. Open our hearts to receive it with meekness; Give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and cause us by thy grace to live by it; And may the same Spirit who breathed life into the church in all ages; the fathers, apostles and prophets, the reformers and Puritans, so guide our whole lives, That we may grow up in Him in all things, even He who is the Bridegroom and Head of the Church, Jesus Christ, our Prophet, Priest and King. All this we ask in his most worthy name, Amen.
Devotional and doctrinal exposition on the Psalms:
Psalm 27 [18] (Verse 8): 1 David maketh this Psalm being delivered from great perils, as appeareth by the praises and thanksgiving annexed: 6 Wherein we may see the constant faith of David against the assaults of all his enemies. 7 And also the end wherefore he desireth to live and to be delivered, only to worship God in his Congregation.
A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I request; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.
5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his Tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8 When thou saidst, seek ye my face; my heart answered unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.
9 Hide not therefore thy face from me; nor cast thy servant away in displeasure: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
10 Though my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.
11 Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a right path, because of mine enemies.
12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as speak cruelly.
13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
Exposition:
We saw previously that it is of the very nature of faith to seek God, and to seek Him in His Word and the doctrine therein, for God is not known or found by the indolent, the idle, or the idolatrous. Surely it is written,
“Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Therefore, whether it be a Psalm, or a long historical discourse, we are to think upon Scripture and to meditate on it spiritually, seeking Christ and His kingdom therein; for that is our life and calling as Christians. As He Himself commands,
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
And again,
“Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”
Not that it is of ourselves to will or to do according to our own goodness or power, but that Christ dwelleth in us by faith, and causeth us to seek Him in all things, as it is written,
“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery… which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
But we must also take careful note of this: although we spend and are spent in the service of God, this seeking of Him is not always met with present comforts. Nevertheless, God will not terminate the plant in its growth, neither discourage us from seeking Him, but He Himself emphatically declares,
“Did I ever say unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain?”
And again,
“A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench. He will bring forth judgment in truth.”
—but we are not always sensible of His favour, His love, and His countenance. Indeed, often the contrary appears; for even when His love is truly and radiantly set upon us, He may withdraw the sense of it for a time, that we might seek it the more earnestly, and rest faithfully in the God of comforts, rather than securely in the comforts themselves.
William Gurnall writes,
“Remember thou dependest on God for the continuance of thy comfort. They are not the smiles thou hadst yesterday [that] make thee joyous to-day, any more than the bread thou didst then eat can make thee strong without more. Thou needest new discoveries for new comforts. Let God hide his face, and thou wilt soon lose the sight, and forget the taste, of what thou even now hadst. It is beyond our skill or power to preserve those impressions of joy, and comfortable apprehensions of God’s favour on our spirits, which sometimes we find; as God’s presence brings those, so, when he goes, he carries them away with him, as the setting sun doth the day. We would laugh heartily at him who, when the sun shines in at his window, should think by shutting that to imprison the sunbeams in his chamber; and dost thou now show as much folly, who thinkest, because thou now hast comfort, thou therefore shalt never be in darkness of spirit more? The believer’s comfort is like Israel’s manna. It is not like the ordinary bread and provision we buy at market, and lock up in our cupboards where we can go to it when we will; no, it is rained, as that was, from heaven. Indeed, God provided for them after this sort to humble them: ‘Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee,’ Deut. 8:16. It was not because [it was] such mean food, that God is said to humble them, for it was delicious food, therefore called ‘angels’ food,’ Ps. 78:25, such as if angels did eat, might serve them; but the manner of the dispensing it—from hand to mouth, every day their portion, and no more. Thus God kept the key of their cupboard—they stood to his immediate allowance; and thus God communicates our spiritual comforts for the same end, to humble us.”
Therefore David, immediately after declaring himself a seeker of God, saith,
“Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger.”
Forasmuch as God did not immediately answer him with present success or comfort, but suspended the light of His favour for a time, for the humbling of David and the stirring up of him unto habitual holiness.
Perhaps God doth withdraw Himself and appear to cast us off; yet this is not to lead us unto dejection and despair, but unto the continuation of holy duty and the mortification of sin, even amidst present difficulty. And who is a better example of this than our Lord Jesus Christ? When He was most accursed of God, He was most obedient. When most rejected of men, He was most willing to perform that which He was sent to do. When most tormented, He was most ready and willing to please God and to accomplish the salvation of His Church.
Therefore, do not despair; but pray as David did, “Hide not thy face from me.” Yea, pray not only once or twice, but abide in prayer, and persevere in it, with all holiness and devotion of spirit, even though the sun should set a thousand times without shining upon us. You may go to heaven without comfort, but never without holiness and the fear of God. Seek this then above that.
As Thomas Watson says,
“Comfort is sweet—but grace is better than comfort, just as bread is better than honey. We may go to heaven without comfort—but not without grace. It is grace which makes us blessed in life and in death.”
Therefore, in all our seeking of God, let us seek Him for His own sake, and for His glory; and in so doing, we shall not be so discouraged if we are deprived of present comforts.
John Calvin,
The Psalmist elegantly continues the same form of speech, but with a different meaning. The face of God is now employed to describe the sensible effects of his grace and favor: as if it had been said, Lord, make me truly to experience that thou hast been near to me, and let me clearly behold thy power in saving me. We must observe the distinction between the theoretical knowledge derived from the Word of God and what is called the experimental knowledge of his grace. For as God shows himself present in operation, (as they usually speak,) he must first be sought in his Word.
Opening Prayer.
Our gracious and glorious Father in heaven,
righteous and true in all thy ways,
the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings,
dwelling in light and immortality which no flesh can approach unto nor behold—
yet look thou upon thy servants who fear thy name,
for we are oppressed and afflicted daily by the enemy.
The devil goeth about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour;
and our flesh riseth up in corrupt and vicious lusts,
staining our holy walk before thee.
But be thou our guide and our defence.
Enlighten us by thy truth,
and save us from temptation and from the snare of sin.
Grant unto us thy free and willing Spirit,
and frame our hearts unto a constant and diligent watchfulness,
that we may be ever mindful of thy commandments
and vigilant against iniquity.
Deliver us from our enemies,
and abase the pride of the men of this world.
Show them thy righteous judgments,
that they may know that all flesh is grass,
and all the glory thereof as the flower that fadeth,
a vapor that appeareth for a little time and vanisheth away.
But prepare us for thy holy habitation.
Make us zealous for thy kingdom and its righteousness,
for thy name’s sake.
For thou art our God,
and we are the people of thy pasture.
We ask all these things in humility,
confessing thy sovereign power and free grace,
through Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
who alone is able to save.
Amen.
Lesson 71. [1.2.45.] The Contents of Holy Scripture: The Prophets. Hosea. The Prophet against Spiritual Adultery.
Westminster Confession of Faith 1.2.
Under the name of holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now contained all the books of the Old and New Testaments,
Genesis—Daniel, Hosea.
All which are given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.
Intro. Hos. 1-4
I. Lessons from Hosea.
- All sin is spiritual adultery. (Hos. 1:2, Ecc. 1, Jer. 3:1.)
Sin is the corruption of the whole man, consisting in the wilful consent of the soul unto evil; whereby the understanding is darkened and deceived, the will is turned aside from God, and the affections are set upon unlawful objects. And though sin hath its principal seat in the heart, from whence proceed evil thoughts and desires, yet it commonly takes occasion by the senses; which, when not governed by the Word and restrained by the fear of God, become the inlets of temptation, and render the members of the body instruments of unrighteousness unto sin. (Rom. 6:12-13) Consider Adam in innocence.
He was given a good nature.
He was given a good environment.
He was given a good wife.
He was given a good commandment.
He being in covenant with God broke that commandment and gave heed to sinful lusts and the devil. All sins come forth and have their being from this fountain. All sins are treacherous, treasonous, and worthy of divine retribution. Therefore mortify and spare not. Root and branch, body and soul, actions, thoughts and words.
The Christian is in covenant with God. - Therefore, Sin is aggravated in the Christian.
Thomas Watson,
Secondly, this exhortation has an aspect to God’s children. You that are professors, and carry Christ’s colours, I beseech you, above all others, to take heed of sin; beware of any action that is scandalous and unbecoming the gospel. You have heard what a prodigious hyperbolical evil sin is. Come not near the forbidden fruit. ‘Though Israel play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend.’ Hos 4: 15. So, though wicked men run into sin, yet let not the spouse of Christ defile the breasts of her virginity. Sin ill becomes any, but least becomes professors. Dung is unsightly in the street; but to see it in the temple is much more offensive. Leprosy in the foot is ill, but to see a leprous sore in the face is much worse: to see sin break forth in those who have a face of religion, is most to be abominated. The sins of the wicked are not so much to be wondered at. ‘The wicked shall do wickedly.’ Dan 12: 10. It is no wonder to see a toad spit poison. It was not so wonderful to see Cain or Ahab sin; but to see Lot’s incest, to see David’s hands stained with blood, was strange indeed. When the sun is eclipsed every one stands and looks at it; so when a child of light is eclipsed by scandalous sin, all stand and gaze at such an eclipse.
The sins of God’s people do, in some sense, provoke him more than the sins of the wicked! We read of the provocations of his sons and daughters. Deut 32: 19. The sins of the wicked anger God, but the sins of his people grieve him. The sins of God’s people have a more malignant aspect, and are of a blacker dye than others. There are aggravations in the sins of his people, which are not to be found in the sins of the unregenerate, in eight particulars:
(1) The godly have something which may ponere obicem [set up a barrier], restrain them from sin. When wicked men sin, they have no principle to restrain them; they have wind and tide to carry them, they have nothing to pull them back from sin; but a child of God has a principle of grace to give check to sin; he has the impulses of God’s Spirit dissuading him from evil. For him, therefore, to commit sin is far worse than for others. It is to sin more desperately; it is as if a woman should go about to kill the babe in her womb. Christian, when thou sinnest presumptuously, thou doest what in thee liest to kill the babe of grace in thy soul.
(2) The sins of God’s people are greater than others, because they sin against more mercy. It is like a weight put in a scale to make sin weigh heavier. God has given Christ to a believer; he has cut him off from the wild stock of nature, and grafted him into the true olive; and for him to abuse all this mercy is to outdo the wicked, and to sin with a higher aggravation, because it is to sin against greater love. How was Peter’s sin enhanced and accented, by Christ having done more for him than others! He had dropped some of the holy oil upon him; he had taken him into the number of the apostles; he had carried him up into the mount of transfiguration, and shown him the glory of heaven in a vision. For Peter to deny Christ after all this mercy was heinous, and could not be forgiven but by a miracle and prodigy of love.
(3) The sins of the godly have this aggravation in them, that they sin against clearer illumination than the wicked. ‘They are of those that rebel against the light.’ Job 24: 13. Light is there taken figuratively for knowledge. It cannot be denied, but the wicked sin knowingly; but the godly have a light beyond them, such a divine, penetrating light as no hypocrite can attain to. They have better eyes to see sin than others; and for them to meddle with sin and embrace this dunghill, must needs provoke God, and make the fury rise up in his face. O therefore, you that are the people of God, flee from sin; your sins are more enhanced, and have worse aggravations in them, than the sins of the unregenerate.
(4) The sins of the godly are worse than the unregenerate; for, when they sin, it is against great experiences. They have felt the bitterness of sin in the pangs of the new birth, and afterwards God has spoken peace, and they have had an experimental taste how sweet the Lord is; and yet, after these experiences, that they should touch the forbidden fruit, and venture upon a presumptuous sin, enhances and aggravates their guilt, and is like putting a weight more in the scale to make their sin weigh heavier. The wicked have never tasted the sweetness of a heavenly life; they have never known what it is to have any smiles from God; they have never tasted anything sweeter than corn and wine; therefore no wonder if they sin: but for a child of God who has had such love-tokens from heaven, and signal experiences from God, for him to gratify a lust, how horrid is this! It was an aggravation of Solomon’s sin, that his heart was turned from the Lord, who had appeared to him twice. 1 Kings 11: 9.
(5) The sins of the godly are greater than others, because they sin against their sonship. When wicked men sin, they sin against the command; but when the godly sin, they sin against a privilege; they abuse their sonship. The godly are adopted into the family of heaven, they have a new name. Is it a light thing, said David, to be son-in-law to a king? So, to be called the sons of God, to be heirs of the promises, is no small honour. For such to run into an open offence, is sinning against their adoption. They hereby make themselves vile, as if a king’s son should be tumbling in the mire, or lie among swine.
(6) The sins of the godly are worse than others, because they are committed against more vows and engagements. They have given up their names to God; they have bound themselves solemnly to God by oath. ‘I have sworn that I will keep thy righteous judgements.’ Psa 119: 106. In the supper of the Lord, they have renewed this sacred vow; and, after this, to run into presumptuous sin, is a breach of vow, a kind of perjury, which dyes the sin of a crimson colour.
(7) The sins of the godly are worse than others, because they bring a greater reproach upon religion. For the wicked to sin, must be expected from them, as swine will wallow in the mire; but when sheep do so, when the godly sin, it redounds to the dishonour of the gospel. ‘By this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.’ 2 Samuel 12: 14. Every one’s eye is upon a stain in scarlet; for the godly to sin, is like a spot in scarlet, it is more taken notice of, and reflects greater dishonour upon the ways of God. When the sun is eclipsed, every one stands and looks upon it; so, when a child of light is eclipsed by scandalous sin, all stand and gaze at it. How does the gospel suffer by the miscarriages of the godly! Their blood can never wash off the stain they bring upon religion.
(8) The sins of the godly are worse, because they encourage and harden wicked men in sin. If the wicked see the godly loose and uncircumspect in their lives, they think they may do so too. The wicked make the godly their pattern, not in imitating their virtues, but their vices; and is it not fearful to be the means to damn others? These are the aggravations of the sins of the godly. You, therefore, above all others, beware of presumptuous sin. Your sins wound conscience, weaken grace, and do more highly provoke God than the sins of others, and God will be sure to punish you. Whoever escapes, you shall not. ‘You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.’ Amos 3: 2. If God does not damn you, he may send you to hell in this life; he may cause such agonies and tremblings of heart, that you will be a terror to yourselves. You may draw nigh to despair, and be ready to look upon yourselves as castaways. When David had stained himself with adultery and murder, he complained of his broken bones. Psa 51: 8. This metaphor sets forth the grief and agony of his soul; he lay in sore desertion three quarters of a year, and it is thought he never recovered his full joy to his dying day. O. therefore, you who belong to God and are enrolled in his family, take heed of blemishing your profession with scandalous sin; you will pay dear for it. Think of the broken bones. Though God does not blot you out of his book, yet he may cast you out of his presence. Psa 51: 2: He may keep you in long desertion. You may feel such lashes in your conscience, that you may roar out and think yourselves half in hell. - National sins bring upon a people national judgment. (Hos. 1:2,4)
You call yourselves, “Israel” (prince with God) but I call you, “Jezreel”. (scattered) 1. Economic servitude. 2. Liberalism and license. 3. Multiculturalism and illegal immigration. All which national judgments are punishments for sin, and yet are themselves sins; for God, provoked by former iniquities, doth often punish a people by giving them up unto further corruption, so that the judgments whereby they are plagued become the very means by which they are further hardened, and thus serve as the just cause of heavier and more grievous punishment–death itself and the eternal torment of hellfire.
Witsius,
This spiritual death is both sin, and the natural consequence of the first sin, being at the same time threatened as the punishment of sin. For, as it renders man vile, and entirely incapable to perform those works which alone are worthy of him, as it makes him like the brute creatures, nay, and even like the devil himself, and unlike God, the only blessed being, and, consequently, renders him highly miserable, so it must be an exceeding great punishment of sin.
Augustine,
The same thing is both sin and the punishment of sin. He says that “the matter of sin” is “vengeance, if the sinner is so weakened to this end, that he should sin yet more.” Nor does the transgressor of the law consider how justly the light of truth departs from him; and being thus forsaken, he is indeed made blind, and of necessity stumbles the more, and by falling is troubled, and being troubled rises not again—so that he hears the voice of the law only for this purpose, that he may be admonished to implore the grace of the Saviour. Or is there no punishment in the case of those of whom the Apostle speaks: “Because when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened”? Surely that darkening was already vengeance and punishment; and yet through this punishment—that is, through the blindness of the heart, which comes from the desertion of the light of wisdom—they fell into more numerous and more grievous sins. “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” This is a grievous punishment, if one rightly understands it; and see from this punishment whither they went: “And they changed,” he says, “the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of the image of corruptible man, and of birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.” These things they did from the punishment of sin, by which their foolish heart was darkened. And yet, because these acts, though penal, are nevertheless sins also, he adds and says: “Wherefore God also gave them up to the lusts of their own hearts, to uncleanness.” Behold how God more grievously condemned them, giving them up to the desires of their own heart, unto uncleanness. See also what they do from this punishment: “That they dishonour,” he says, “their bodies between themselves.” And because this is a punishment of iniquity, while it is also iniquity itself, he makes it yet more plain, saying: “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” “For this cause,” he says, “God gave them up unto vile affections.” See how often God takes vengeance, and from that same vengeance more and greater sins arise. “For even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly.” And to show that these sins are so ordered that they are also punishments of sins, he adds even this: “And receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.” Mark how often He takes vengeance, and how that same vengeance brings forth and multiplies sins. Observe yet further: “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful” (Romans 1:21–31). Here now let such a one say: “Sin ought not to have been so punished, that the sinner by the punishment should commit yet more sins.” - God will not have mercy on those outside the covenant of Grace. (Hos. 1:6-7, John 17:2, Rom. 9:18) “This is the conclusion of the full answer to the first objection. Since God does not save those whom He freely chose according to His good will and pleasure apart from means, but saves them by justifying and sanctifying them through His grace, His counsel in saving them cannot be judged unjust. Likewise, there is no injustice in the eternal counsel of God concerning the destruction of those whom He wills to destroy, for He hardens them before He destroys them. Therefore, the third answer for the vindication of God’s justice lies in the eternal counsel of reprobation, which is expressed in this word hardening. This term, though not stated in the former verse, is implied, since the history of Pharaoh was well known. The force of the word is great. For hardening, which is set in opposition to mercy, presupposes the same things that mercy presupposes: namely, a voluntary corruption in which the reprobate are hardened. And corruption itself presupposes an original state of integrity in creation. Moreover, this hardening is voluntary, for God so hardens—being justly offended with corruption—that He makes use of the very will of those whom He hardens, in executing that judgment. From this hardening follow its fruits, namely unbelief and sin, which are the true and proper causes of the condemnation of the reprobate. Why, then, does He appoint them to destruction? Because He wills it. Why does He harden them? Because they are corrupt. Why does He condemn them? Because they are sinners. Where, then, is unrighteousness? Indeed, if He were to destroy all in this same manner, to whom would He do injury? (1599 GNV)
- An Exhortation to repentance. (Hos. 2:2. Ezk. 18:28, Isa. 30:22.)
“Ye shall cast away your idols, which you have made of gold, and silver, with all that belongeth unto them, as a most filthy thing, and polluted.”
“Showing, that there can be no true repentance, except both in heart and deed we show ourselves enemies to idolatry.” (1599 GNV)
Watson, 1. Sight of sin 2. Sorrow for sin 3. Confession of sin 4. Shame for sin 5. Hatred for sin 6. Turning from sin.
Conclusion.
Closing Prayer.
Administration of the Supper.
Fearless Puritan: 