let flye his arrowes of pestilence and yet they flye abroad to the killing of many round about vs yet haue wee not returned vnto him Not returned vnto him What Can no medicine that God applyeth mollifie our hard hearts Can none of his corrections amend vs Will we needs try whether he will send a sword vpon vs He shaked his sword ouer vs many of vs may well remember it when the great Spanish Armada floated on our Seas but then as S. Iames speaketh chap. 2.13 Super exaltauit misericordia iudicio mercy exalted it selfe aboue iudgement and we were spared Were we spared What shall we render to the Lord for so great mercy We will with Dauid Ps 116.13 We will take the cup of saluation we wil call vpon the name of the Lord and will offer vnto him the sacrifice of prayse Which sacrifice of ours that it may be acceptable to the Lord let vs cast away from vs all our transgressions whereby we haue transgressed and with a new heart and a new spirit returne we to the Lord our God But if we will persist with delight and goe on in our old wayes our crooked peruerse and froward wayes our wayes of wickednesse and will not bee turned out of them by any of God his milder chastisements and corrections what can we expect but the portion of these Moabites euen fire a sword from the Lord and with them to die with a tumult with a shouting and with the sound of a Trumpet Thus farre de modo poenae of the manner of this punishment to be inflicted vpon the Moabites The extent followeth I will cut the iudge out of the midst thereof and will slay all the Princes thereof with him I the Lord the Lord Iehovah yesterday and to day and the same for euer I am not changed all my words yea all the titles of all my words are Yea and Amen Exscindam I will cut off I will root out and destroy Iudicem the Iudge the chiefest gouernour and ruler in Moab the King Nam Reges quoque populum iudicabant For Kings also did iudge the people and it is euident by sundry places of holy Scripture that the state of the Moabites was swayed by Kings I will cut off root out and vtterly destroy the iudge the King out of the midst thereof Out of the midst of what Of Moab of Kerioth Both are mentioned vers 2. Dauid Camius and some other say of Kerioth which was Sedes Regum the cittie of the Kings habitation The meaning is there was no cittie in the Kingdome of Moab so strong but that from out the midst of it God would fetch the King and cut him off I will cut off roote out or destroy the iudge the King out of the middest of the strongest cittie of the Kingdome of Moab be it Moab Kerioth or any other I will slay all the Princes thereof with him together with the King I will root out all the Princes of the land None shall escape my iudgements neither Prince nor King You see the extent of this iudgement here denounced against Moab Not onely the meaner sort of people but the Princes also yea and King himselfe were to haue their portion in it and that as certainely as if they had alreadie had it For Iehovah the Lord hath spoken it For it s added for a conclusion to this Prophecie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sayth the Lord. The Lord hath said it that neither Prince nor King shall be exempt from his iudgements but shall as well as the lowest of the people be cut off and come to nought The doctrine to be obserued from hence is this God exerciseth his iudgements not onely vpon men of low and base estate but also vpon the great ones of this world vpon princes and Kings This truth I haue heretofore confirmed vnto you in my 21. Lecture on the former Chapter handling those words Chap. 1. vers 15. Their King shall goe into captiuitie he and his Princes together I proued vnto you this doctrine When God punisheth a nation with captiuitie for their sinnes he spareth neither Priest nor Prince nor King My now-doctrine for substance is the same but more generall God exerciseth his iudgements not onely vpon men of low base estate but also vpon the great ones of this world vpon Princes Kings The vses One is to admonish the great and mightie ones of this world that they presume not to sinne against the Lord as if they were priuiledged by their greatnes and might There is no such priuiledge He that is Lord ouer all will spare no person Princes and Kings must feele the smart of his iudgements A second vse is to minister comfort to such as are of low and base estate If the mightie by violence and oppression grind your faces and compasse you about yet be not yee discouraged God the iudge of all accepteth no persons He in his good time will auenge your causes be your oppressours neuer so mightie For Princes and Kings must feele the smart of his iudgements A third vse is a warning for our selues that we set not our hearts vpon the outward things of this world for as much as God the Creator of all will not respect vs for them Dost thou glory in this that thou art a mightie man or a rich man For both might and riches Princes and Kings are far beyond thee yet must Princes and Kings feele the smart of Gods iudgements Let vs make a fourth vse of this doctrine euen to poure out our soules in thankefulnesse before almightie God for his wonderfull patience towards vs. Our sinnes are as impudent as euer were the sinnes of the Moabites Our three and foure transgressions our many sinnes doe cry aloud to Heauen against vs as the sins of the Moabites cryed against them For their sinnes God sent a sword vpon them and did cut them off from being a nation Gods wrath against our sinnes hath not yet proceeded so farre We yet enioy our happie peace Euery man dwels vnder his owne vine and vnder his owne figtree and liues in the habitations of his forefathers in peace free from all feare of the enemies sword Such is our condition through the neuer-too-much admired patience of Almightie God O let vs not despise the riches of the bountifulnesse patience and long sufferance of our God St Paul tells vs. Rom. 2.4 That these doe lead vs to Repentance These doe lead vs shall we not follow Beloued while we haue time let vs betake our selues to Repentance It was good counsaile which Iudith gaue to Ozias Chabris and Charmis the ancients of the cittie Beâ—hulia Iudith 8.12 Quia patiens Dominus est in hoc ipso paeniteamus indulgentiam eius fusis lachrymis postulemus The counsaile is as good for vs. Beloued because the Lord is patient therefore let vs repent and with shedding of teares beg of him indulgence and pardon for our sinnes past It s no wisedome for vs any
Captaine and Iudge of Israel Iephte when he had iudged Israel six yeares as Iudg. 12.7 Against this city Hoseah prophesieth cap. 6.8 Gilead is a city of them that worke iniquity and is polluted with bloud Gilead or Galaad or Galeed is also a region or country called Dâ—ut 34 1. The land of Gilead possessed by the Reubenites Gadites and halfe the tribe of Manasseh as Num. 32.33 If Gilead the city be the Gilead in my text it is a figure the figure Synecdoche a part for the whole one city the Metropolitane city for the whole country If the land of Gilead bee the Gilead in my text it is a figure too the figure Metonymia the land of Gilead for the inhabitants thereof The inhabitants of the land of Gilead were Gods owne people his people Israel of the tribes of Reuben Gad and Manasseh against whom the Syrians of Damascus did so rage as that they are noted in my text to haue threshed them with threshing instruments of iron These threshing instruments are not in vse among vs. Yet will I as well as I may out of the ancient and learned describe them to you One of the Hebrew Doctors c Mercer Pagnin iâ— Lâ—â—â—t◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 R. Dauid Kimchi makes them to be planks of wood to the which on the nether side are fastned little stones to part the wheat from the huske and chaffe which cannot be the threshing instruments in this place because these were of iron Saint Hierome saith they were a kinde of waines or carts with wheeles of iron and toothed to beat out corne from the huske and to bray or bruise straw and stubble to be meat for cattle when hay is scarce Nicolaus de Lyrâ ioyneth with Saint Hierome in opinion d Iunius Some doe take these instruments to bee * Tribalis ferreis iron flailes or carres or corne carts or some such like instrument of old time in vse for the threshing out of corne Of this opinion Iunius by his translation seemeth to be and Caluin disallowes it not Here some doe â—â—â—er 〈◊〉 â—yâ—â—â—rakâ—◠〈◊〉 Gualtâ—â— â—â—â—re e Rastris ferreis f Trahis ferreis dreyes or sleddes of yron as Marinus in his Arca Noâ— â—â—ure g Rotis ferreis wheeles of yron as Theodotio and Symmachus some h Serris ferreis sawes of yron as the Septuagint and Caluin some * Auec herses de ser harrowes of yron as the French translation Whatsoeuer were the threshing instrumeÌ„ts in this place whether waines or carts or carres or dreys or sleds of yron or wheeles of yron or flailes of yron or rakes of yron or harrowes of yron or sawes of yron it is out of doubt that the holy Spirit by this kind of speech they threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of yron noteth the extreme cruelty practised by the Syrians against the people of God the Gileadites the Israelites of the tribes of Reuben Gad and Manasseh They threshed Gilead Winckleman here noteth a Metaphore or translation put by the holy Spirit to designe or signifie the notorious cruelty of the Syrian Kings vpon the Gileadites but I take it to be a proper speech of a true thing indeed acted by Hazael King of Syria against the Gileadites according to the word of God which came to Elizeus the Prophet touching Hazael 2 King 8.12 where Elizeus weeping thus speaketh vnto Hazael I know the euill that thou shalt doe vnto the children of Israel their strong cities shalt thou set on fire their young men shalt thou slay with the sword thou shalt dash their infants against the stones and rent in peeces their women with child But you will say what is this to the Gileadites I answer very much as you may see 2 King 10.33 where Hazael is said to smite the Israelites in all the coasts of Israel from Iordan Eastward euen all the land of Gilead the Gaditeâ— the Reubenits and them that were of Manasseh from Aroer which is by the riuer Arnon and Gilead and Bashan All these regions did Kng Hazael grieuously torment and bring to much woe and miserie but specially the Gileadites who therefore are twise mentioned in the fore-cited conquest of Hazael The Gileadites did Hazaell King of Aram destroy and make like dust beaten to powder 2 King 13.7 They threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of yron The like torments haue beene inflicted with the good approbation of Almightie God by King Dauid vpon the Ammonites 2. Sam. 12.31 where you shall find that King Dauid after his victorie ouer Rabbah a citie of the Ammonites carried away the Inhabitants that were therein and put them vnder sawes and vnder yron harrowes and vnder axes of yron and cast them into the tile kilne Thus did Dauid guided by Gods owne Spirit deale with the Ammonites His course was warrantable because hee was guided by Gods good Spirit whereof Hazael being destitute could not but grieuously offend God by threshing Gilead with threshing instruments of yron Dauid Gods friend dealt so with the Ammonites a people without God whereas Hazael Gods enemie dealt so with the Gileadites the people of God He threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of yron A course that God can bee content shall be taken with Moab Esai 25.10 Moab shall be threshed as straw is threshed but that his owne people Israel or any part of them as the Gileadites be thus vsed God likes it not Witnesse my text where the Lord protesteth that he will not turne Damascus that is that he will not recall the Syrians from their errour into the right way that he wil not bring them againe into his fauour that he wil leaue them to themselues because they haue threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of yron Now let vs see what lessons may bee taken from hence for our further instruction and meditation Gods dislike with Damascus for threshing Gilead with threshing instruments of yron yeeldeth vs this lesson God is neuer well pleased with too much crueltie This truth will well appeare vnto vs if we doe but consider how God hath euermore rewarded cruelty The cruell tyrant Adonibezek did cut off the thumbes and great toes of seuenty Kings and caused them to gather the crums vnder his table Iudg. 1.7 but what was his reward As he had done to those captiue Kings so did God doe to him againe The Israelites vnder the leading of their captaine Iudah tooke Adonibezek prisoner and cut off the thumbes of his hands and great toes of his feet verse the 6. Agag King of the Amalekites by his sword had made many a woman childlesse 1 Sam. 15.33 but what was his reward You may see in the same verse what Samuel said and did vnto him Samuel said As thy sword hath made women childlesse so shall thy mother be childlesse among other women and Samuel hewed Agag in peeces before the Lord in Gilgal The Babylonians were wonderfull cruell and hard hearted against the inhabitants of Ierusalem they
about publike matters You see what anciently were the vses of the Trumpet Now it will not be any hard matter for vs to giue an answer to the Interrogation which way soeuer it be made If it be made according to the reading in the margent Shall a Trumpet be blowne in a citie and the people not runne together the answer must be negatiue No a Trumpet shall not be blowne in a citie but the people will run together They will assemble themselues they will come together at the sound of the Trumpet either to heare what shall be deliuered to them from the Magistrate or to enter into consultation about the affaires of the citie or to prostrate themselues in deuotion before the Lord in his holy Temple If the Trumpet be blowne they will run together This our marginall reading Tremelius and Iunius haue embraced as the chiefest yet so that they reiect not the other Nay so farre are they from reiecting the other as that they ioyne both together They make the interrogation to be thus Shall a Trumpet be blowne in a city and populus trepidè non accurrerint shall not the people tremblingly run together The interrogation thus framed may haue an answer affirmatiue A Trumpet may be blowne in a city and the people shall not need tremblingly to run together For why should here be any trembling where there is no cause of feare There was a feast of Trumpets yearely to be obserued in the seuenth month on the first day of the month Leuit. 23.24 It was a day i Numb 29.1 of blowing the Trumpets vnto the people The Trumpets were blowne and the people ranne together but without feare without trembling There was a yeare of Iubile euery fiftieth yeare to be hallowed Euery fiftieth yeare on the tenth day of the seuenth moneth the Trumpet of Iubile was to sound Leuit. 5.19 The Trumpet sounded the people met but without feare without trembling You will say these were set times of festiuitie times of ioy and the blowing of Trumpets at these times was ordinary and therefore the people now had no reason to be afraid at the sound of the Trumpets but say the sound of the Trumpets were extraordinary would not the people then be afraid and tremblingly runne together No not euer then Extraordinary was the sound of the Trumpets when Dauid with great solemnity fetched the Arke from Kiriath jearim He brought vp the Arke from thence with songs and with Harpes and with Psalteries and with Timbrels and with Cymbals and with Trumpets 1 Chron. 13.8 The Trumpets were blowne Here was much ioy expressed here was no shew of feare at all Extraordinary was the sound of the Trumpets at the dedication of Solomons Temple Then besides the Leuites who had their Cymbals and Psalteries and Harpes there were an hundred and twenty Priests sounding with Trumpets 2 Chron. 5.12 The Trumpets were blowne much ioy was thereby expressed there was no shew of feare at all Extraordinary was the sound of the Trumpets at the restitution of religion by Hezekiah King of Iudah and then were the Leuites present with their Cymbals their Psalteries and their Harpes and the Priests with their Trumpets 2 Chron. 29.26 The Trumpets were blowne ioy was expressed no feare appeared Thus we see Trumpets haue been blowne not only at ordinary times but also at times extraordinary and yet haue the people had no cause of feare What shall we then say to this interrogation as it is made by Tremelius and Iunius Shall a Trumpet be blowne in a Citie and shall not the people tremblingly with feare run together The interrogation thus framed for the substance of it well agreeth with our new translation Shall a Trumpet be blowne in a City and the people not be afraid and therefore we may alike resolue for both Our resolution may be thus This Trumpet must be blowne not in time of peace when all is quiet but in time of warre when all is in combustion and it must be blowne not in the streets of the citie but from the watch-tower and it must be blowne not at an ordinary time but when men least thinke of it to giue warning of the sudden approach of the enemie vnto the citie To this vnderstanding we are directed by Ionathan the Chaldee Paraphrast who addes vnto my text non suo tempore to giue the meaning of it Shall a Trumpet be blowne in a citie non suo tempore out of its ordinary time and shall not the people be afraid So our Prophet here speaketh de clangore buccinae extraordinario of an extraordinary blowing of the Trumpet of its being blowne alieno tempore at a strange time Such a blowing of the trumpet at such a time was euer a sure token aduentantis hostis that the enemie was not farre of Vnde pauor metus saith Drusius whence feare and trembling were vpon the people Now to the interrogation Shall a trumpet be blowne in a citie and the people not be afraid or shall they not tremblingly runne together Our answer is negatiue No. It cannot be that in time of warre a trumpet shall be blowne in a citie at an extraordinary an vnusuall and a strange houre but the people will be afraid and will tremblingly run together Hitherto hath the reading beene cleared and the interrogation answered and now let vs see whereto this sixth similitude taken from warriours is appliable Saint Hierome applies it as he doth the former He applies it to such as liue in discord and variance He makes it to be their punishment Vt in ciuitate Domini constituti tubae sonitu terreantur that being placed in the city of the Lord they be terrified with the sound of the trumpet By this city of the Lord he meaneth the holy Catholike Church and by this trumpet the word of God sounding in the Church For thus he addeth Whatsoeuer is spoken in holy Scriptures it is tuba comminans a threatning trumpet that with a mighty voice penetrateth the eares of beleeuers If we be righteous this Trumpet of Christ calleth vs vnto blessednesse but if wicked vnto torments With the sound of this trumpet shall they be terrified that liue in discord and variance Of the foulenesse and leprosie of which sin I spake at large in my last Sermon out of this place Now therefore I leaue it and proceed to some other application of this sixth similitude Saint Cyril applies it to the Prophets of the Lord and his Ministers thus If a trumpet be blowne in a citie to giue warning of the approach of the enemy who is there so without all sense of griefe as not to conceiue exceeding feare of future euils But you you the people of Israel are so void of all sense and feeling that though my trumpets cease not continually to sound aloud in your eares and to fore-warne you of euils that shall come to passe you receiue no profit thereby Though you vnderstand by the sound of my trumpets that