THESE Words have a neces­sary Dependence upon the Verse foregoing, as appears from those Words in the Text, from thence; that is, from the Wilderness, which God had said he would bring her into, and there speak to her heart, that is, speak to her effectually, in order to her Conversion to God, and thorow Reformation after her hor­rible Apostasie from God; and in the issue, speak comfortably to her upon her return to God by Repentance and Reformation. In the first Chapter of this Prophecy, and in the former part of this, God had been severely threat­ning the People of the Jews, denoun­cing Judgments against them for their [Page 2]Idolatry, and other crying Abomina­tions; yet intermixes Exhortations to Repentance, and prophesies and pro­mises of giving them Grace to return to him, and of his returning to them in Grace and Mercy, and bestowing upon them many both Temporal and Spiritual Mercies upon their return to him their only rightful Owner, their first Husband. In the second Verse he calls upon the Members of this Church of the Jews, to plead with their Mother. Particular Mem­bers of a Church and private Persons may and ought, to the utmost of their Power, and in their places (ha­ving begun at home, and first re­formed themselves and Families) set upon and further publick Reforma­tion: And as God calls on the Members of the Church to plead with their Mother, so he himself calls on her to put away her Whore­doms and Adulteries, threatning her if she did not, ver. 3.6, 9, to the 13th, and adds Promises too of reclaim­ing her by Afflictions: For tho' the Expressions here used, look like a Threatning, and are in part so, yet they are more a Promise than a [Page 3]Threatning, in regard of the gracious Issue and Effect of it; he says he will hedge up her way with Thorns, yet promiseth this shall be the Fruit of it, That she shall say, I will go and return to my first Husband, &c. and in the 14th Verse he says, he will bring her into the Wilderness, but it was to speak to her Heart effectually, both in way of quickening and Comfort. When in the Wilderness she had brought her self into by her Sins, and God had brought her into by his righ­teous Judgments; God promises, That he would then bring her to Repentance and Reformation; and thereupon, would restore to her the Mercies she had forfeited by her Sins, and give her the Valley of Achor for a Door of Hope. A Valley of sore trouble, as this Valley of Achor was to Israel at their first En­trance into Canaan; yet if they did re­form, if they did restrain and punish Sin and Sinners, as Israel then did, and in that Course found, even this Valley to be a Door of Hope to them; so it should be with the People of the Jews now, if they returned to God.

In these Words there is a plain Re­ference to that History, which we [Page 4]have in the 7th of Joshua; where you have the Relation of Israel's being worsted by the Men of Ai, upon Achan's Sin there recorded; for which, he and his whole Family were, in this Valley, put to Death, which had this Name, The Valley of Achor, given to it; partly from Israel's Trouble on the foremen­tioned Account, and partly from A­chan's Punishment there inflicted on him.

It was a very fruitful Valley between Jericho and Ai; their entring into which, and partaking of the Fruits of it, was a Door of Hope to them, a Pledge and Earnest, that God would give them full Possession of the Land of Canaan: But that Door of Hope was shut against them for Achan's Sin, till Judgment was executed upon him for it; but upon that being done, this Door of Hope was opened to them again, they succeeded against Ai, and had that given them as a renewed Earnest of their enjoying Canaan.

So God promised here in the Text, in the time of Hosea's prophecying, That tho' the People of Israel and Ju­dah, had by their Apostasie, Idolatry, and many other Sins, brought them­selves into a Wilderness, a Valley of [Page 5] Achor, a very troublous State, and dash­ed their Hopes of Mercy; yet if they would (as Israel did in the Days of Joshua) reform and return to God, re­strain and punish Sin, that should be to them a Door of Hope, that God would return to them in Mercy, and afford them an abundant Affluence of all Mercies temporal and spiritual. So that this Text, and what may be ga­thered from it, affords great Incourage­ment to all Societies and Persons, as do ingage to promote Reformation of Manners; by bringing to due legal Punishment Sin and Profaneness, Swear­ing, Drunkenness, Uncleanness, Sab­bath-Profanation, and those things and Practices that are the Causes and Oc­casions of, and Provocations to these and the like Enormities. The Doctrine I shall raise from these Words, and by God's Assistance speak to, as the time will permit, is this:

(Doctrine.) When a People have, by their Sins, brought themselves into a Wilderness-Condition, and into a Val­ley of Achor, into great Troubles and Distresses; yet if they be brought to Repentance and Reformation, and that Work be effectually set about and [Page 6]carried on, it will be a Door of Hope of God's continuing or restoring his gracious Presence among them, and bestowing upon them both spiritual and temporal Blessings. This Doctrine, both what is implied, and what is ex­pressed in it, doth clearly arise from the Text compared with the Context.

I. One Proposition implied in the Text and Doctrine is, That the Sins of a People, yea of a professing People, may and often do, bring them into a Wilderness-State, a Valley of Achor, into great Troubles and Distresses; the Sins of a People provoke God to bring heavy Judgments upon them, which, tho' to the true People of God, they are intended in Mercy and Issue so; God using their Troubles and Distresses as sanctified means, to bring them to Humiliation and Reformation, yet they are sharp Chastenings, and are for the present, and to Sense, a Valley of Achor, not joyous, but grievous, Heb. 12.11. This is clear, both from the History to which this Expression of the Valley of Achor relates, Josh. 7. and from the present State of the Church of the Jews, in the time when Hosea prophesied. In the History Josh. 7. [Page 7]we read, That upon Achan's taking the accursed thing, a Babylonish Garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, this brought Judgments upon Israel; so that they could not stand before the Men of Ai: Yea, God expressy threatens, That he would not be with them any more, unless the accursed were de­stroyed, and Judgment executed upon Achan for his Sin, so to prevent the like Sin in others for the time to come. And the thing is likewise clear, from the Case of the Children of Israel, in the time of this Prophecy: In this Chapter, ver. 2-14, and cap. 4. v. 1, 2, 3. when there is no Truth, nor Mercy, nor Knowledge of God, but swearing, lying, committing Adultery, Sabbath-Profanation, and the like break forth, God hath a Controversy with such a Land, and it shall be a Valley of Achor, it shall mourn.

II. Another Proposition which may be gathered, both from the History Josh. 7. and the State of Israel, at the time of the delivering this Prophecy, is, That when God hath begun to shew Mercy to a People, hath brought them out of great Distresses, out of an [Page 8] Egypt, and a Wilderness, into a Ca­naan; a pleasant Land, and fruitful Valleys, such as this Valley of Achor was: Yet if a People then fall into pro­voking Sins, and do not humble them­selves, and reform their evil ways; yea, if every one in their several Places, do not endeavour to bring Sin and Sinners to Punishment, and restrain Sin and Profaneness in others what they can; it provokes God to turn a fruitful Land into a barren Wilderness, a pleasant Valley into a Valley of Achor. Thus it was with Israel in the time of Joshua: God had delivered them out of Egypt, carried them through the Red-Sea, and Wilderness, and out of it through Jor­dan, as on dry Land; delivered Je­richo into their Hands, given them Pos­session, Livery and Seism of a fruitful Valley, as a pledge of the full Posses­sion of the whole. These were won­derful Appearances of God for them; yet for the Sin of Achan, till by their punishing him for it, they had cleared themselves from the Guilt of it, God turned this pleasant Land and this fruit­ful Valley, into a Valley of Achor, a Valley of great Trouble, and threatens to make it still more and longer so, if [Page 9]they did not take away from the midst of them the accursed thing. And this Proposition is also proved from the Case of Israel, in the time of this Pro­phet Hosea, who prophesied in the Days of Jeroboam, the Son of Joash, King of Israel, cap. 1. v. 1. There was a Door of Hope opened to them in a Valley of Achor, in a time of great Trouble to the ten Tribes, as you may see, 2 King. 14.25. to the end; the Affliction of Israel was very bitter, there was not any shut up or left, nor any Helper for Israel; then God saved them by the hand of this Jeroboam the second, he restored the Coast of Israel, as God had foretold by the Prophet Jonah; yet by the Sins of Israel, this Door was soon shut, and they brought into a Valley of Achor again.

III. Another Proposition, which is that I shall most insist on, is, That when a People have sinned themselves into a Valley of Achor, in regard of Trouble, yet if it prove to them as the Valley of Achor did to Israel, a means to bring them to Repentance and Reformation of Manners, yea, both of Heart and Life, and that Work be throughly and effectually carried on, it is, and will be [Page 10]to them a Door of Hope, of the resto­ring of God's gracious Presence, and his bestowing temporal and spiritual, yea, and Eternal Blessings upon them.

Now in handling this Proposition, I shall speak somewhat, God assisting, to these particulars. (I.) Briefly shew what kind of Reformation of Manners that is, which will render a Valley of Achor a Door of Hope, and which all must endeavour to set on foot, and carry on to the uttermost, as they would have well-grounded Hopes that it will be so. (II.) Prove from Scrip­ture, That the right endeavouring, and much more the effecting such a Refor­mation, will open a Door of Hope. (III.) Give the Reasons of it. (IV.) Shew what it will be a Door of Hope of, and (V.) Apply it.

(I.) What kind of Reformation it is, and what Attempts and Endeavours to­wards it, are those, that will prove a Door of Hope of God's gracious Pre­sence with, and Blessing upon a People.

(1.) The Attempts and Endeavours after Reformation of Manners, that will be a Door of Hope to those that ingage in such a Work, whether Ma­gistrates, Ministers, or private Chri­stians; [Page 11]and whether in Societies, or single Persons, they must be vigorous, unwearied and persevering, not giving over upon any Discouragements they meet with. All that ingage in such a Work as the Reformation of the loose, profane Manners of a degenerate, de­bauched Age, had need be furnished with holy Courage and Resolution to go on against all Discouragements: Weak and faint Endeavours will never prevail against strong and rampant Sins, and raging Corruptions. Satan will rage and raise Opposition, when he sees his Kingdom struck at and sha­ken; and wicked Men will struggle hard, e'er they will part with their be­loved, reigning, pleasing, profitable Sins that they have been long accustomed to, and see them dethroned and re­strained, 2 Sam. 23.6, 7. The Men of Belial are such as cannot be taken with Hands, or gentle dealing, but he that toucheth them must be fenced with Iron, and the Staff of a Spear. See therefore, all you that ingage in this Work, that you, and your Endeavours for Reformation of Manners be, and pray that they may be, vigorous and unwearied.

[Page 12] (2.) The Reformation that will be a Door of Hope, and which you must endeavour to promote, must be tho­row, both in Heart and Life; not a Reformation by halves, not only re­forming the gross, outward Acts of more than ordinary heinous, scanda­lous Sins, such as Swearing, Drunken­ness, Uncleanness, open Sabbath-Pro­fanation, and the like; but even those that are lesser Sins, in the Esteem of Men, such as unruly Passions, Cove­tousness, Pride of Heart and Life, &c. These we must pray and endeavour to our utmost the Reformation of, first of all in our selves, and then in others, as ever we would open a Door of Hope for thorow Mercies, especially spiritual and eternal ones: There must be En­deavours to promote a Reformation in our selves and others, of Sins of Omis­sion as well as of Commission: To bring our selves and press others, to the conscientious Performance of Family-Worship, of constant daily reading the Word and Prayer, Morning and Even­ing; frequent instructing and catechi­sing Children and Servants; strict Sab­bath-Sanctification as well as reform­ing gross Sabbath-Profanation; and [Page 13]the Performance of secret Duties. It is true, we cannot reform others secret and Heart-Sins, the Laws of Men do not reach these; but we must earnestly pray for, and press this Reformation. Nor can we compel Men, by the Laws of Men, to Family and secret Duties, but we must exhort to these Duties. Those Governours of Families that are known to live in the Neglect of these Duties, may as justly be kept from Sa­craments, as Persons guilty of outward Acts of Sin, till they give Evidence of their Repentance and Reformation. I grant that even upon the Reformation of Manners, as to outward Acts of gross and scandalous Sins, God may suspend the Execution of temporal Judgments for a time, and may vouchsafe some temporal Mercies, as we see exempli­fied in Ahab's Humiliation, and Nine­veh's Repentance and present Reforma­tion; but these were but Reprieves, both in the Case of Ahab, who after­wards was cut off by an untimely and violent Death, 1 King. 22.34, 35, and so it proved with Nineveh, as the Pro­phecy of Nahum doth emphatically shew. It is only thorow Reformation that can open a Door of Hope, to ob­tain [Page 14]thorow Mercies, especially spiri­tual ones; this therefore you should be sure to labour after your selves, and pray for, press, and endeavour to pro­mote in others, yea, carry on outward Reformation in order to promoting this.

(3.) That Reformation of Manners, which will be an effectual Door of Hope, of obtaining thorow Mercies, especially spiritual ones, must be a sin­cere, unfeigned Reformation, such an one as hath the Heart ingaged in it, so as that Sin is not only left but loathed, Duties not only performed but loved and delighted in; Sin forsaken and Duty performed from Principles of Faith and Love. When Judah return­ed not with her whole Heart, but feign­edly, Jer. 3.10. out of Complyance with, or Fear of the Laws of Men, Judgment was suspended for a time, during the Life of a good Josiah, but was executed upon Judah after his Death: Therefore if any of you be re­formed from gross Sins, see it be not only from Fear of Men, or their Laws, or to procure their Favour, but that your Reformation be sincere and un­feigned, as ever you would have it to be a Door of Hope, of obtaining spiri­tual [Page 15]Mercies, or lasting temporal Mercies.

(4.) That Reformation that will be a Door of Hope of obtaining God's gracious Presence, and spiritual Mercies, yea, temporal Mercies in Mercy must proceed from and be accompanied with Faith in Christ. Men must not only come off from the allowed Practice of Sin, to the Performance of formerly neglected Duties, but they must come thorowly home to Christ; so as not to trust in their Reformation, as their justifying Righteousness, but trust in Christ and his Righteousness alone for their Justification; trust in him, and him alone, as the Lord their only Righteousness and their only Strength, Isai. 45 24. so as by Faith to fetch Strength from Christ, to forsake Sin, do Duty, and exercise Grace, and be able to say, as 2 Cor. 6.13. I have be­lieved and therefore have I spoken, I have forsaken such Sins, done such Duties, not only for Fear of Punish­ment by the Laws of Men, or to please Friends, gain Credit among Christians, or stop the Mouth of Con­science; but because I believed the Precepts, Threatnings and Promises in [Page 16]the Word, yea, do believe in and rest upon Christ for my Justification, San­ctification and Salvation; and rely up­on him for Strength against Sin, and unto Duty and the Exercise of Grace. It's true, such a Reformation we can­not produce in others, no, nor in our selves neither; for Faith is the Gift of God, but this you may, and should pray for, both for your selves and o­thers, and this you should press: And Ministers should in all their Exhorta­tions of People to Reformation, press them not to rest in any thing short of Christ, Faith in him, Union to him, and Communion with him, as our Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification and Redemption; and let us all see, that we take up in no Reformation short of this.

A Reformation in our selves and o­thers, thus qualified, will be a great and effectual Door opened to you, of Hope of obtaining spiritual and eter­nal Mercies, yea, and temporal too, so far as shall be for God's Glory, and your real good.

II. The second General Head is, to prove the Point, That the setting upon, and vigorously and effectually carrying [Page 17]on a Work of Reformation, opens a Door of Hope of God's Presence in and with, and Blessing upon a Place or People. It is abundantly proved out of this Chapter, from many other Texts of Scripture; but the Scripture-Proof, I shall refer to three Heads.

(1.) It appears, That when a People are in a Wilderness-Condition, in a Valley of Achor, and brought into such a State by their Sins; a right and tho­row Reformation is the way to make the Valley of Achor a Door of Hope, in that God doth in such Cases, require it as a Duty, and direct to it as a Means to open to a People a Door of Hope, of God's removing Judgments from, and bestowing Mercies upon a People: Thus, in the second Verse of this Chap­ter, he calls upon the Children to plead with their Mother (even private Christians are, in their place, to pro­mote Church-Reformation) and di­rects what should be done by Churches and particular Members, to prevent or remove Judgments, and obtain Mer­cies; let her put away her Whoredoms out of her Sight, as the way to prevent the Judgment mentioned in the follow­ing Verses.

[Page 18] (2.) It appears, That setting upon, and carrying on thorow Reformation in the Hearts and Lives of Men, is the way to make a Valley of Achor a Door of Hope, in that God promises to send Afflictions on his People, and vouch­safe a sanctified Use of them for this end: Thus the 6th and 7th Verses of this Chapter look like, and are deliver­ed in the Form of a Threatning for the most part of them; but they close with a precious Promise, That her ha­ving her way hedged up with Thorns, shall have this gracious Issue and Ef­fect, that she shall say, I will go and return to my first Husband, &c. and this was to give her a Door of Hope; so God promiseth, Ps. 89.30.—36. He will not take away his Loving-kindness, but bring Meat out of the Eater.

(3.) It appears, That God will make a Valley of Achor a Door of Hope, when by their Afflictions they are brought to Reformation, in that God hath made many gracious Pro­mises, That when a People return to him by thorow Reformation, he will return to them in Mercy. You have many such Promises in this Chapter, [Page 19]and many other Scriptures; thus in the Text, when the Names of Baalim were taken out of her Mouth, then God would give her her Vineyards, she should sing in the Valley of Achor, where before she was troubled and mourned; and in the 18th Verse, how many Blessings are promised God would betroth her to him in Righte­ousness, and Judgments in Loving-kindness, and Mercies and Faithful­ness; and in the end of the Chapter, adds temporal Mercies too, and closeth with the best at last. So 2 Chr. 7.13, 14. Isai. 1.16,—20, and 25, 26. Jer. 3.12, 13, 14, 15, and 22. Mal. 3.10, 11, 12. All these Promises, and many more such, hath God made to a Peoples thorow Reformation and Re­turn to God.

(4.) The Truth of the Doctrine ap­pears from the Instances of God's deal­ing with his People, and the Experien­ces of God's People to this purpose recorded in the Scripture: What they by their Sins, had made to themselves a Valley of Achor, God, when he hath brought them to Repentance and Re­formation, hath made a Door of Hope to them; this is clearly proved from [Page 20]that fore-mentioned 7th of Joshua, when Achan had sinned in the accursed thing that Valley, which was a Door of Hope of their full possessing the Land of Ca­naan, was turned into a Valley of Achor; but when Israel reformed and executed Justice upon Achan, the Valley of Achor became again a Door of Hope to them. Another Instance of this you have in Judges the 10th; Israel by their Sins, had brought themselves into a Valley of Achor, into great Distresses, ver. 6,—10. and yet more, when notwith­standing their Confession, they received that cutting Answer from the Lord, ver. 10,—15. yet when they not only confessed and prayed, but heartily re­formed, and put away the strange Gods from among them, and served the Lord, then there was a Door of Hope opened to them, and God's Soul was grieved for the Misery of Israel, ver 16. But so much for the Scripture-Proof of the Doctrine.

(III.) The Third Head propounded to be spoken to, in the handling of the Doctrine, was the Reasons of it.

(1.) One Reason why, when a Peo­ple that by their Sins have brought themselves, and God for their Sins, [Page 21]hath brought them into a Wilderness, and a Valley of Achor, into great trou­ble; yet when Repentance and Re­formation are set upon, and vigorously and effectually carried on, there is a Door of Hope opened them, is, because by true Repentance, and right and thorow Reformation, the deserving, procuring, Cause of God's Judgments and a Peoples Troubles, are removed out of the way. Now the Cause be­ing removed, the Effect ceases; Sins unrepented of and unreformed, are the Causes of God's Judgments on a Peo­ple, and the great hindrances of God's Mercies to them; these are they that bring them into a Valley of Achor, and keep them there, that shut the Door of Hope, and keep it shut against them, till they are removed by Faith, Repen­tance and Reformation. They are the Sins of a People that separate between them and their God, Isai. 59.2. and cause him to hide his Face from them that he will not hear; therefore Israel could not stand before their Enemies, Josh. 7.12. Jer. 5.24, 25, 26. Hos. 4.1, 2, 3. it is for unreformed Sins the Land mourns, and God hath a Con­troversy with them; these shut the [Page 22]Door of Hope, but when these are re­moved by a right Reformation, the Door is opened again.

(2.) Another Reason of the Doctrine, is drawn from the Free Grace of God, the Satisfaction and Merit of Christ, and the free and gracious Promises of the Gospel; these are the only moving Causes, the chief ground and reason, why a People's Reformation opens a Door of Hope to them. God's free Grace in making Promises to Repen­tance and Reformation, and his Truth and Faithfulness in fulfilling them, is the only moving Cause, and Christ's Satisfaction the only meritorious pur­chasing Cause of a People's Reforma­tion, being a Door of Hope to them; it is not from any Worth or Merit in a returning, reforming People, as tho' they deserved Mercy at God's Hand, or as if their Reformation was any part of their justifying Righteousness; no, that belongs only to the Righteous­ness of Christ. Sin indeed, is the true and proper, deserving, and meritorious Cause of God's Judgments on People and Persons; and while the allowed Practice of them is continued, shuts the Door of Hope against them, but [Page 23]our Repentance and Reformation is no meriting Cause of God's Mercy, or of opening a Door of Hope to us; this is reserved as the Prerogative of the Satisfaction, Merit, and Righteousness of the dear Lord Jesus. Repentance and Reformation, Faith and Holiness, God doth absolutely and peremptorily re­quire, and certainly work in all that he pardons and saves, or in special Mercy vouchsafes even temporal Deliverance to, and suspends the actual conferring of Saving-Mercy, till these are at least seminally wrought in Men in Rege­neration and effectual Calling, to ren­der them willing to accept of Christ, and of Mercy from God through Christ, to make Christ, and the Mercy of God through him precious, and to fit them rightly, to improve Mercy when they receive it: But he never intended these for justifying Righteousness; there­fore, in pressing Reformation on our selves or others, we must be very care­ful not to trust in it as our justifying Righteousness, or the Cause of God's Mercy, but to ascribe the opening of a Door of Hope to us, only to the free Grace of God, the Merit of Christ, and the Faithfulness of God in making [Page 24]good his free and gracious Promises, which he hath made to Faith, Repen­tance, and Reformation.

(IV.) A Fourth general Head to be spoken to in handling the Doctrine, is, what a right Reformation vigorously carried on, opens a Door of Hope to a People of obtaining: What such Peo­ple or Persons may hope to receive from God, of his free Grace and Mercy; which Particulars may, by way of An­ticipation, serve as Motives to every of us in our places to set upon, and to our utmost, forward a thorow Reformation in our own and others Hearts and Lives.

(1.) When a People do sincerely and vigorously endeavour their own and o­thers Reformation, and God blesses these Endeavours, so that they take ef­fect, there is a Door of Hope set open, that God will remove and turn away his Judgments, which by their Sins they have brought upon themselves. Repen­tance and Reformation is a Door of Hope, as it is a Means of God's prescri­bing, to prevent Judgments feared and threatned, and to remove such as are actually inflicted on, and felt by a Peo­ple; thus in the often fore-quoted 7th of Joshua, when Israel took away the [Page 25]accursed thing, then God removed the Judgment that was upon them, and now the Men of Ai fall before them; whom, till then, they could not stand before.

(2.) Sincere Attempts and vigorous Endeavours for thorow Reformation, open a Door of Hope of God's vouch­safing his gracious Presence with a Peo­ple, even after he was departed from them for their Sins, and his returning to them in Mercy, and that both in Spirituals and Temporals.

(1.) In succeeding their Attempts a­gainst God's and their Enemies, either preventing them, or turning their Hearts, making them to be at Peace with them, or giving them Success a­gainst them, delivering them out of the Hands of their Enemies; yea, de­livering their Enemies into their hands, Prov. 16.17. Josh. 7.12, and 8.1, 2. tho' God said, I will not be with you any more, unless the accursed thing be taken away; yet when that was done, God saith to Joshua, Fear not, I have given Ai into thy hand.

(2.) When a People are rightly and thoroughly reformed, it opens a Door of Hope of God's Presence with them, [Page 26]in blessing them with able, wise, and faithful Counsellours, Rulers and Go­vernours, and blessing their Counsels and Government, both for the tempo­ral and spiritual good of such a People, Isai. 1.16,—20, and ver. 25, 26. And this is a great Mercy.

(3.) This Reformation opens a Door of Hope to a People, that God will bless them with Peace, Plenty, and Success in their Undertakings, so far as shall be for God's Glory and their good: This second of Hosea proves this, ver. 17, 18, 21, 22. When God takes away the Name of Baalim out of her Mouth, he makes a Covenant for them with the whole Creation, so Job 5.19, — to the end.

(4.) It opens a Door of Hope, that God will continue the Gospel, and Go­spel Ordinances among them in Pow­er, Purity and Liberty, and his Blessing upon them; for they are the Sins of a People that provoke God to remove the Candlestick, Rev. 2.5. I will re­move it, saith God, there, except thou repent; which implies, That if they did repent, God would graciously con­tinue it, Isai. 55.7, and 10 to the end.

[Page 27] (5.) True Repentance and Reforma­tion opens a Door of Hope, and is an Evidence, that God is, and will be the God of such a People: Thus Hos. 2. v. 16. Thou shalt call me Ishi, my Husband, and v. 19, 20. God would bettoth them to him in Loving-kindness and Faith­fulness: Their Maker will be their Hus­band, Isai. 54.5. and in the last Verse of this second of Hosea, I will say to them, Thou art my People, and they shall say, Thou art my God, and you have heard very well; on a like occa­sion to this, that happy is the People whose God is the Lord, such have a Door of Hope opened to them large enough, as wide a Door and effectual, as they need or can desire. I now come to the 5th and last thing propo­sed, viz. the Application.

And the only use I shall make of this Doctrine, shall be of Exhortation: To all that bear the Name of Christians. Seeing when a People have brought themselves into a Valley of Achor by their Sins, a thorow Reformation is a Door of Hope, for obtaining God's gra­cious Presence, and Blessing both in temporals and spirituals. Be ye all prevailed with, to set upon and pro­mote [Page 28]this Work of Reformation, both in your own Hearts and Lives, and to the utmost of your power, in the Lives, yea, in the Hearts of others; every one of you in your places, all joining Hearts and Hands in it.

(1.) Magistrates must be exhorted in their places duly, impartially, and vi­gorously, to put in Execution the Laws against Sin; yea, and to give all due Incouragement to all such as regularly endeavour to stem the strong Tide of Irreligion and Profaneness, by bringing to Conviction and legal Punishments, such as are guilty of Tipling, Drunken­ness, Swearing, Uncleanness, Sabbath-Profanation, and those things, Persons, and Places, that are Occasions of, and Provocations to such Sins. If God stir up, and spirit Magistrates to do their Duty in this Matter, it will be a Door of Hope, of God's continuing and fur­ther vouchsafing Mercy to us, and our Land, Jer. 5.1. If you can find a Man that executes Judgment, I will pardon; a Man, i. e. a Magistrate, or great Man, as ver. 5. Blessed be God, we are not altogether without this Door of Hope, God having stirred up our late Parlia­ment to address to His Majesty, our [Page 29]Rightful, Gracious, King William, to issue out his Gracious, Religious Pro­clamation, for restraining and punish­ing Loosness and Profaneness; and bles­sed be God, that hath inclined our Gra­cious Sovereign to issue out such a Pro­clamation: But the Execution of such Laws, for restraining and punishing loose and profane Persons and Practi­ces, lies in the Hands, and at the Doors of Inferiour Magistrates, such as are Justices and Magistrates in Corpora­tions. And blessed be God, we are not without such in many places; and in this place in particular; and so not without this Door of Hope. Magistrates therefore must be exhorted, prevailed with, and incouraged to go on vigo­rously, impartially, and unweariedly in this Work.

(2.) And as Magistrates, so Ministers are hence to be exhorted, to promote Repentance and Reformation in Peo­ple, both by their Doctrine, Instru­ctions, Reproofs, yea, Discipline, keep­ing Persons guilty of any Imunfalities from the Sacrament of the Lord's Sup­per, till they profess, and give Evi­dence of their sincere Repentance and Reformation. And this the very [Page 30]Rubrick of the Liturgy gives them power to do, at least for a time, and in order to further Prosecution: And they must especially, be sure to forward this good Work of Reformation, by their burning and shining Examples, the peculiar Unblameableness, Convincing­ness, Holiness, and Spirituality of their Conversations; and Ministers should incourage and strengthen the Hands of their People in vigorous attempting the Reformation of others, as by the ways just now mentioned; so by inci­ting them to tell the Church, yea, and the Magistrate too, in case of Obsti­nacy, and this for the good of Offen­ders, both of their Souls and Bodies; and for the turning away of Judgments, and obtaining Mercies upon the publick.

(3.) Private Persons are to be exhort­ed in their several Scations and Capaci­ties to their utmost, to promote the Re­formation of evil Manners, and to re­strain and bring to legal Punishment loose and profane Persons, in order to their Reformation and the publick good. They must promote this good Work by their Prayers, Tears, Counsels, Re­proofs and Examples, and when the Offence is gross, and of publick Scan­dal, [Page 31]by telling the Church as a spiritual Means to bring them to Repentance; and by applying themselves also to the Magistrate for the executing the Laws upon them, in order to the reclaiming the Parties offending, the warning of others, and preventing God's Judgment on the Land and Places where such Sins are committed. Dread not being re­proached as Informers: It is one thing to be Informers for filthy Lucre, and against Persons for their Conscientious­ness, and in Matters of Religion, where the difference is not in Fundamental and necessary Doctrines, or in Matters of Practice and Worship, wherein good Men may differ; there is a great deal of difference between malicious and vexatious Informations and Convictions of that nature; and endeavouring to put good Laws in Execution against Profaneness and Blasphemy, and such things as are undeniably sinful, and pro­voking, and angering the Sinners them­selves and many others. As the Curse caufless shall not come, so you need not fear (and must not be frighted from plain Duty, by) groundless Slanders and Reproaches. It is no Matter of Reproach, but on the contrary, of in­ward [Page 32]Satisfaction, and outward Repu­tation, with all serious, yea, sober Per­sons, to be instrumental in restraining and punishing the Impieties of the Age, in order to the reclaiming, yea, possi­bly eternally saving the Offenders, ho­nouring and pleasing God, and secu­ring his Blessing upon the publick, which should be your ends in all you do in this way. But I shall not further insist on this, nor at all mention several things which might have been instanced in, because it is so well and fully done in those many excellent Sermons preached by several, both Conformists and Nonconformists to the Societies for Reformation in London; and also in that Sermon, which you of this Place lately heard, and have also now in Print to recur to. All I shall there­fore further do, is to back this Duty with some Motives, and guide it by some Directions, for your so ordering the Matter, as to open a Door of Hope to your selves and the Nation.

They shall be fetched from the Text and Context, and the Particulars laid down in the handling of the Doctrine.

(I.) For Motives.

[Page 33] (1.) Consider (as hath been shewn in the Doctrinal part) that they are the unreformed Sins of a People that pro­voke God, and bring down Judgments; these bring into a Valley of Achor, of great Distress, and shut the Door of Hope of God's gracious Presence with a People; as therefore you would pre­vent or remove the Judgments of God, and Tokens of his Displeasure feared or felt, Magistrates, Ministers or Peo­ple should set themselves every one in their Places rigorously, to stem the Torrent of Loosness and Profaneness, and promote the Reformation of the Manners of Men, by furthering the Execution of good Laws for the Re­straint and Punishment of Sin.

(2.) Consider, the more to stir you up to the Duty before you, that the un­reformed Sins of a People provoke God, even after he hath begun to shew Mer­cy to them, and opened a Door of Hope; yet to shut that Door again, and being them into a Valley of Achor, as hath been proved under the second Proposition in the Doctrinal part; and may be further proved from Ps. 107.33, 34. and Jude v. 5. O therefore, as you would not have God thus to deal with [Page 34]us, do what you can to further the Work of Reformation. God hath o­pen'd to us a Door of Hope many times formerly, but our Sins have shut it a­gain; and God hath lately, in a very gracious and peculiarly remarkable manner, opened a Door of Hope again to us, even in a Valley of Achor, in bringing, in preserving, directing and succeeding our Gracious Rightful So­vereign King William. Was it not a Valley of Achor with us, when we were so fast going back to the Egypt of Popery and Slavery; but God open­ed a Door of Hope, delivering us from that Egypt, and those Iron-Yokes; but if we remain an unreformed People, God can soon shut this Door again, and bring us back into a Wilderness: There­fore, as you would not have God, after he hath begun to do us good, turn his Hand against us, and lead us back into deep Distresses. Let every one of us set our Hands and Hearts to promote this Work of Reformation of Manners God hath so graciously begun amongst us, in the great City, and many other places, and to our Comfort, in this place also.

(3.) Consider, (what was also told you in the clearing of the Doctrine) [Page 35]that this Reformation if right and tho­row, will open a Door of Hope of God's Continuance of his gracious Pre­sence with us, yea, of his restoring of it; when, for a People's Sins, he had with­drawn it. Would you have God's Pre­sence with us in our Land, and the place we live in; O promote this, re­turn to God, this reforming Work, both in your selves and others.

(1.) This is the way to have God's Presence so far with a People, as to blast the Attempts of God's and their Enemies against them, and bless them in their Attempts against such. We are, praised be God, at present at Peace, but Enemies both at home and abroad, question-less, are and will be at work, and our Peace is like to be but short­liv'd, if God do not keep up in and a­mongst us a War against our Sins, our worst Enemies. As ever you would have your Peace continued, the De­signs and Attempts of Enemies defeat­ed and broken, and our Attempts a­gainst God's and our enemies succeeded, carry on begun Reformation to further Degrees to higher pitches.

(2.) Would you have God's Presence amongst us, to bless us with able, faith­ful [Page 36]Counsellours, and bless their Coun­sels? Would you have God's Blessing up­on publick and Parliamentary Counsels, that under God, the Welfare of the Nation, and the Security of Religion, Laws and Liberties do so much depend upon? Would you have it with us as God promiseth, Isai. 1.25, 26, that he will give Judges as at the first, and Counsellours as at the beginning; then do as they are exhorted to do in the 16th and 17th Verses of that Chapter, Wash you, make you clean, put away the Evil of your doings from before his Eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do well, carry on Reformation thoroughly.

(3.) This is the way to procure Plen­ty; it is for the Sins of a People that God sends Scarcity and Cleanness of Teeth, viz. for the Abuse of Plenty by Gluttony, Drunkenness, and feeding Men's Lusts. We have had some Scar­city, and if God with hold a Season for the remaining Harvest, we may yet feel more of that sore Judgment. O prevent it by doing your utmost, to reform the gross Abuse of God's Mer­cies, and all other Sins amongst us.

(4.) As you would have God's Pre­sence continued in the Enjoyment of [Page 37]the Gospel, and Gospel Ordinances, vigorously prosecute this Work of Re­formation; for they are the unreform­ed Sins of a People, that provoke God to send the worst sort of Famine (a far worse than that which the last Head mentioned) a Famine of the Word of the Lord, Amos 8.3, 9, 10, 11, 12. All this is threatned for the Sin of Sabbath-Profanation, ver. 5, 6.

(5.) Would you have God to be our God, our Husband; our Land married to him, and us to be his People, his peculiar Treasure further this Work of Reformation, do as Israel is directed, Hos. 2.2. and as it is promised she should do, ver. 7. Put away our Sins, and our Iniquities far from us, and return we to our first Husband, and use all the Advantages and Means you have for forwarding others doing so.

(II.) I now come very briefly to speak by way of Direction, to all those that are ingaged in, or wish well to the car­rying on this Work of Reformation, and shew what it is, that the Attempts for Reformation of Manners, give Hopes of in themselves, and others, which if they do produce, will open a Door of Hope of God's Presence a­mongst, and Blessing with us.

[Page 38] (1.) These Attempts for Reformati­on give Hope, That they who attempt the reforming of others, and restraining and punishing the loose and wicked Practices of others, their Drunkenness, Swearing, Uncleanness, Sabbath-Pro­fanation, &c. — will be very careful to keep themselves from the Guilt and Practice of these Sins, yea, to keep very far from an evil Matter, from all Ap­pearances, and Occasions of these Sins, vain Words, tipling, sitting with any loose Companions, and the like. As you would have your Attempts for Refor­mation be a Door of Hope, look very carefully to your own Conversations. If Magistrates, that should punish these Sins, be guilty of them themselves, how should it be expected that they should punish others, or that what they do in it, should reform others, while they by their evil Example, harden them in the very Sins they punish them for. If Mi­nisters preach against these Sins, and yet allowedly commit them, they are more like to draw Men into Sin by such their wretched Practice, than to reform and turn Men from Sin by their Doctrine: And so private Persons, if they prosecute others, and are guilty of the same Sins themselves, how can they [Page 39]hope to be instrumental in reforming others. — Then will Endeavours for Reformation be a Door of Hope, when they begin in those Persons themselves that promote it in others.

(2.) Attempts to reform the evil Man­ners of others, do give Hopes that all ingaged in this Work, will endeavour not only to keep from these gross Sins, punishable by the Laws of Men, but even from all Sin whatsoever; from every thing that may give just Offence and Scandal, and cause Men to reproach Religion and the Professours of it; such as are Pride, indulging unruly Passions, Injustice, deceiving, over-reaching in our Dealings, making no Conscience of Mens Words in buying and selling, in making good our Promises, and paying of just Debts as far as able; yea, Hard­ness and Uncharitableness in their Deal­ings: These things Men do oft' charge Professours with; see that you give not any, no not the least just ground for such Charges: But be very just in your Dealings, true to your Word and Pro­mises, yea, merciful and compassionate, as you would have your Endeavours for reforming the gross Sins of others effectual, and to open a Door of Hope to our Land.

[Page 40] (3.) Mens Attempts to reform the Manners of others, give ground of Hope, that they will vigorously endea­vour to reform in themselves even Heart-sins, and the inward as well as outward Acts of Sin. I am sure it should ingage you to this, and to set upon the conscientions, religious Per­formance of Duties; of Family duties daily, Morning and Evening-Prayer, and Praises, and reading the Scriptures in your Families, and frequent instruct­ing and catechising those under your Charge, and to see to secret Duties, and to Sabbath-sanctification, in Atten­dance on publick Ordinances and in Family and Closet-duties of divine In­stitution, and Acts of Worship, as well as abstaining from positive Sub­bath profanation, by Thoughts, Words or Actions about worldly Employments or Recreations. Yea, we justly hope, and expect from you, that you will endeavour after Heart-holiness, after true Grace and growth in, and Exer­cise of it, as well as keeping up the Form of Godliness, and the outward part of Religion, in your Conversation before Men. As ever you desire your Attempts for the Reformation of others, may open a Door of Hope of God's [Page 41]Mercy to the Land, see that you set upon this thorow-heart and Life-Re­formation in your selves.

(4.) The attempting, and especially the effecting the Reformation of the loose and profane Manners of Men, gives hopes in relation to those whose Reformation you seek, that it may, through God's gracious Blessing upon, and setting in with it, bring them to sound Conversion to Faith in Christ, and a reform and change of the Heart; this you should aim at, pray for, and press, that outward Reformation may be a step in them to this thorow and inward Work, and to the setting upon the Duties of Religion, and getting rid of that Hardness of Heart, which their profane Practices had so deeply riveted. Tho' outward Reformation may re­move at present, some outward Judg­ments, or at least, reprieve from the present full Execution of them, yet nothing can secure God's gracious, sa­ving Presence, but Faith in Christ ac­companied with, and evidenced by Conscience of Duties of our general and particular Calling, Exercise of Grace and Holiness of Heart. In all your Attempts to amend the Manners of others, endeavour to promote this [Page 42]thorow Heart-deep Reformation, pray for this, press to it. And you that are reformed from, or have not been guilty of, those gross Sins of Swearing, Drunk­enness, Uncleanness, Sabbath-profana­tion, and other such like enormous Crimes, but are brought to Civility, and moral Honeity, yet see that you rest not in this, no, nor in any thing short of Christ, an Interest in him by a true living Faith, and a thorow Work of Grace, and the Practice of Holi­ness in Heart and Life: For tho' out­ward Reformation, a civil sober Con­versation, and moral Honesty be com­mendable, and your indispensible Du­ty, without which, you can have no Evidence of the Truth of Grace, what­ever your Profession and Performances may be; yet if you go no further, such a partial Reformation will never prove saving to your own Souls; nay, meer Civility, Morality, yea, Gifts and ex­ternal Performances rested in, are like to prove hindrances of sound Conver­sion: Hence Christ tells the Scribes and Pharisees, Mat. 21.31. That Publicans and Harlots repenting and believing, went into the Kingdom of God before them who stayed and trusted in their Pharisaical Righteousness. Promote [Page 43]therefore outward Reformation, but also to your utmost, press and forward thorow conversion in others. Let Mi­nisters press this on People, and let private Christians press this too in their places; and you who are more parti­cularly ingaged in this good reforming Work, do you press on those Sinners you have to do with, to this thorow Reformation, to Faith in Christ, the Practice of Religion, and the Power of Godliness. This is the way to make Reformation a Door of Hope of God's Saving-mercy to your Souls, and of his gracious Presence with the Land, and the Churches of Christ in it.

(5.) Endeavours for Reformation of Manners, are a Door of Hope, as the joining together of serious, sober, and religious Persons (tho' differing in their Perswasions in some lesser Matters) in this Work, gives hopes of uniting them in Love and Affection one to another, and so far as they have attained walk­ing by the same Rule, and minding the same thing, Phil. 3.16. and bearing with each other where there may be some difference in Judgment and Pra­ctice, while they agree in the main, in all necessary things in Doctrine and Worship, and the Practice of Holiness. [Page 44]When Divisions are healed, Animosi­ties, Censoriousness and Uncharit able­ness laid aside, there will be a Door of Hope opened, that we shall enjoy the gracious Presence of God and his Bles­sing upon us, in our personal and more private, and in our National and Church-Capacity: Now joining toge­ther in promoting Reformation, is a likely Means to this desireable Chri­stian-Union of Affections; for one great Cause of differences is the Pre­judices in Mens minds against one ano­ther, occasioned by Strangeness, and not conversing together; but when so­ber Religious Persons join in promo­ting Reformation, and see that they drive on the same good and holy ends, it breeds better Thoughts of one ano­ther. Therefore labour to set open, and keep open this Door of Hope, viz. Union in the main, among all that fear God, tho' differing in some lesser Matters; for truly there is nothing that shuts the Door of Hope against us more, than the Divisions, Heart-burn­ings, and Animosities, among those that agree in the Essentials and Fundamen­tals of Doctrine, Worship, and Chri­stian Practice: Oh then, as you would have the Reformation that is set on [Page 45]foot, be a Door of Hope, pray for and promote the healing of the Divisions among Persons, professing the same Truth and Godliness; endeavour to preserve the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace, speaking the Truth in Love, Eph. 4.3, 15. Speak the Truth, and contend earnestly for the Faith (Jude v. 3.) yet speak it in Love. Put not the worst Construction on Mens Words and Actions; but put the best Interpretation upon doubtful Expressi­ons, and Actions, that they will admit of, especially when in other places and at other times, they explain what was possibly at first delivered, so as to be somewhat liable to Exception. Fasten not upon Men Consequences of Do­ctrine, which they never intended, nor ever saw in them: Men may shew the true Consequences of Doctrines, but should not charge the Persons with in­tending and embracing those Conse­quences, which they renounce: Thus heartily desire and endeavour to reform and heal the lamentable, sinful, mischie­vous, and very threatning Divisions a­mong Professors of the same Religion, and serious in their Profession of Godli­ness.—This would be a Door of Hope indeed.

[Page 46] (6.) And lastly, Endeavours for Re­formation of Manners, will be a Door of Hope when they do (as to be sure they should) excite all those that are God's People to be more eminent in the Profession of Religion and Godliness, more lively in every Grace, more ready to and in ever good Work, when by see­ing Sinners reformed from Acts of Pro­faneness, true Saints are excited to more eminent. Degrees of Holiness, to greater Exemplariness of Conversation, to repair their Decays in Grace, to reform their Pride, and their too great Conformity to the Spirit of the World, then (to allude to that passage, 1 Cor. 16 9) a great Door and effectual of Hope will be opened up­on us, as to the Continuance of God's gracious Presence with us: And this should be a sour to Saints to great Cir­cumspection in their walk, and greater Fruitfulness in every good Word and Work; for truly the Unreformedness of Professours, their Pride, Formality, De­cays in Grace, conformity to the world; their covetous, selfish frame of Spirit, their losing their Zeal, and leaving much of their first Love, doth as much shut the Door of Hope, as any other sins, even the sins of profane Persons, Rev. 2.5. Therefore all you that are Professours [Page 47]of more than ordinary Strictness in Re­ligion, while you would reform the Drunkenness, Swearing, Filthiness, and Sabbath-profanation of gross Sinners, and see them in some degree reformed: For shame, do you reform your Pride of Heart and Life, your Conformity to the Customs, the garish Fashions and Dresses of the world; that Pride that testifies to the Face of many Professours both Men and Women; Womens high Heads, and Mens flanting Perukes, that hide their Faces, as if they were asha­med, (as well indeed they may in such effeminate Dresses) to shew them, and make them look as out of a Prison­grate; so likewise, the Worldliness and Selfishness of Professours, is much to be bewailed, and should be with the great­est Vigour reformed. If you would do as the Church of Ephesus is by Christ di­rected to do, Rev. 2.5. remember from whence you are fallen, and repent, and do your first Works, it would be a Door of Hope. If while you desire and at­tempt to break the Knots of Swearing, Tipling, revelling Companions, you would also improve your Meetings to­gether, and your friendly Visits, to spi­ritual Purposes, to the sharpening and advancing Grace mutually, to the pro­voking [Page 48]one another to love and good Works, Heb. 10.24. to the exhorting one another daily, while it is called to day, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of Sin, Heb. 3.13. to the lifting up of weak Hands and feeble Knees, Heb. 12.12. to the build­ing up one another in our most holy Faith; this would open a Door of Hope indeed. Be prevailed with therefore all of you, especially such as profess strict­ness, and such as ingage in this good and necessary Work of Reformation of Manners, labour to follow these Di­rections; and then tho your and others Sins may have brought us and the Na­tion, in some respects, into a Valley of Achor, on account of Afflictions and Distresses; yet if it thus prove a Valley of Achor, in regard of Humiliation, and thorow effectual Reformation above described and pressed, it will be a com­fortable blessed Door of Hope to us, that God will yet dwell among us, and be our God, and that we shall be his People.