vnto Amos in a vision These words which Amos saw this vision or prophecie was concerning Israel vpon or against Israel Vpon Israel Israel was a common name to the 12. tribes which issued out of Iacobs loynes and was so from the beginning of Sauls reigne to the end of Salomons After whose death a rent was made in the kingdome Ieroboam sonne of Nebat seduced 10 tribes Rhehoboam Salomons sonne could keep with him but two Thus of one kingdome Israel were made two Iuda and Israel A strange division Israel divided from Israel tenne tribes from the other two Two tribes the tribes of Iuda and Beniamin continued in their obedience to the house of David the other ten forsooke it and fell away The two tribes Iuda and Beniamin called but one tribe 1. King 11.13 because of the mixture of their possessions these two tribes setled in their faithfulnesse and obedience to the seed of David are in holy scripture called sometimes u Amos. 2.4 Iuda sometimes x Ierem â— 1. Benjamin sometimes y Micah 1.1 Ierusalem sometimes z Amos 6.1 Sion sometimes * Zach. 12.7 the house of David The other tenne tribes which fell away from and forsooke their rightfull King and holy religion haue in like sort their diverse appellations a Hos 10.15 Bethel b Hos 10.5 Bethaven c Micah 1.1 Samaria d Hos 2.22 Iesreel e Amos 5.6 Ioseph f Hos 4.17 Ephraim g Hos 10.11 Iacob h Hos 10.11 Israel These are the names in the sanctified writings of the holy prophets appropriate to signifie the 10. revolted tribes Israel you see is one of them and that is the Israel in my text Thus was Amos by the holy spirit deputed and directed with his message peculiarly and properly to the kingdome of the 10. revolted tribes the kingdome of Israel Some mention is made of Iuda incidently and by the way but the scope of the prophecie is Israel The time which was my last circumstcanâ— followeth In the daies of Vzziah King of Iuda in the daies of Ieroboam the sonne of Ioash King of Israel The time is she downe in generall and in particular First in generall thus In the daies of Vzziah c Vzziah or Ozias called also Azarias 2. King 14.21 succeeded his father Amazias in the throne of Iuda This he did in the 17th yeare of the reigne of Ieroboam in Israel as appeareth 2. King 15.1 That same Ieroboam that you may distinguish him from a former King of the same name is called in my text Ieroboam the sonne of Ioash Hereby we see in generall the time of his prophecie which is more particularly set downe in the last words two yeare before the earthquake Hee meaneth that same notable and famous earthquake mentioned also Zach. 14. â—5 Yee shall fly saith he like as yee fled from the earthquake in the daies of Vzziah King of Iuda In what yeare of Vzziahs reigne this earthquâ—ke happened it is not to be collected out of holy scripture Flavius Iosephus Lib. 9. antiq Iudaic. cap. 11. saith that this earthquake happened then when King Vzziah vsurping the Priests office went into the temple of the Lord to burne incense Ribera disproueâ— Iosephus his iudgement and saith that the earthquake happened within the fourteenth yeare of the reign of Vzziah Some doe hold it was in the 22th yeare And the Hebrewes whom Funâ—cius followeth in his Chronologie doe ascribe it to the 25. yeare For my part I say not in what yeare it happened Why should I speake where the holy spirit is silent It is out of doubt that there was such an earthquake in the daies of Vzziah witnesse the Prophet Zacharie two yeares after Amos had begun his propheticall function witnesse Amos here in my text Thus dearely beloved in the Lord haue I briefly run over the exposition of this first verse let me now vpon it build some doctrine for the building vp of our selues in our holy faith you will bee pleased to remember with mee that Amos of a heardmen or a shepheard became a blessed Prophet to carry a terrible word fearefull message from the living God to the King Nobles Priests and people of Israel The doctrine to be grounded herevpon I deliver in this proposition God chooseth vile and despised persons to confound the great and mightie Vile and despised persons I call such as to the world to humane wisdome and to the eye of reason are of no price esteeme or worth Such as Ioseph was when hee kept sheepe in Canaan with his brethren and was by them sold to the Ismaelites Gen. 37.2 27. Such as Moses was when first he was cast into the flags Exod. 2.1 Such as David was while he medled with sheepfolds and followed the ewes great with youÌ„g Psal 78.70 Such as were Peter Andrew Iames Iohn while they busied themselues about mending of nets and catching of fish Matth. 4.18 21. These Ioseph Moses and David shepheards Peter Andrew Iames and Iohn fishermen vile and despised in the accompt of the world were chosen by the wisdome of the great God of heaven one to be a ruler in Egypt another to be a leader of Gods people the third to be a King the rest to be Christs Apostles Heare now a word of eternall veritie and full of comfort You shall find it Psal 113.7 8. The Lord who is high aboue al nations and glorious aboue the heavens hee raiseth the needy out of the dust and lifteth vp the poore out of the dung to set him with Princes St Pauls discourse touching this point is more large and spacious You shall find it 1. Cor. 1.27 28. God hath chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise the weake things to confound the strong and vile things things despised and things which are not to bring to naught the things that are The reason of Gods dealing thus in the advancement of the foolish weake vile despised needy and poore to places of dignitie is expressed 1. Cor. 1.29 It is that no flesh should reioice in his presence that is that no man should glory before the Lord. In this reason are two things worthy our religious considerations as Musculus well observeth For hereby our God first suppresseth and beateth downe the pride of flesh takes from it all glory of wisdome power and nobilitie and secondly whatsoever glory there is of wisdome power nobilitie he doth claime and challenge it for his owne peculiar Thus haue you dearely beloved the confirmation of my doctrine The doctrine was God chooseth vile and despised persons to confound the great and mightie Be patient I beseech you while I point at some vses of it The first vse is to lift vp our mindes to the contemplation of Gods good providence Poore shepheards and fishermen God exalteth and advanceth into the highest places of dignitie in Church and common-wealth Hereby wee knowe that
peeces like potters vessels Wherefore dearely beloved in the Lord while God is pleased to withhold from vs his one hand of Iustice and to strech over vs his other of Mercy to the blessing of vs in our fields in our cattle in our stoare let vs not be wedded to the hardnesse of our owne heâ—rts let vs not dwell in our old sinnes nor heap new vpon them least so wee treasure vp vnto our selues wrath against the day of wrath Let vs rather even now while it is now cast away al workes of darknesse and put on the armour of light let vs take no further thought for our flesh to fulfill the lustes of it Let vs walke no more as formerly we haue done in gluttony in drunkennes in chambering in wantennesse in strife in envying in deceit in falshood in vanitie but let vs walke honestly as in the day and put we on the Lord Iesus Whatsoever things are true honest and iust and pure and doe pertaine to loue and are of good report if there be any vertue or praise thinke wee on these things Thinke we on these things to doe them and we shall not need to feare any desolation to our houses or barrennesse to our grounds our dwelling houses shall not mourne or perish the top of our Carmel shall not wither our fields shall bring forth increase vnto vs. For God even our owne God shall giue vs his blessing God will blesse vs to passe the time of our pilgrimage here in peace and plentie and when the day of our separation shall be that we must leaue the earth a vale of teares and miserie he will translate vs to Ierusalem aboue the place of eternall ioy and felicitie where this corruptible shal put on incorruption and our mortalitie shall be swallowed vp of life So be it THE SIXTH LECTVRE AMOS 1.3 4 5. Thus saith the LORD For three transgressions of Damascus and for foure I will not turne to it because they haue threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of yron Therefore will I send a fire into the house of Hazael and it shal devoure the palaces of Benhadad I will breake also the barres of Damascus and cut of the inhabitant of Bikeath-aven and him that holdeth the scepter out of Beth-eden and the people of Aram shall goe into captivitie vnto Kir saith the LORD THough in this prophecie there be mention made of Iudah yet was Amos by the holy spirit deputed and directed with his message peculiarly and properly to the ten revolted Tribes the kingdome of Israel The mention that is made of Iudah is made but incidently and by the way The scope of the prophecie is Israel as I shewed in my * Pag. 7. first Lecture If Israel bee the scope of this prophecie how commeth it to passe that the Prophet bestoweth the residue of this chapter and a part of the next in making rehersall of forraine nations their transgressions and punishments Why doth he acquaint Israel with his burdensome prophecies against the Syrians the Philistines the Tyrians the Edomites the Ammonites the Moabites why doth he not rather discharge his function and duty laid vpon him and checke the Israelites and terrifie them reproue them for their evill deeds The reasour◠〈…〉 seâ—â— of purpose with a message to the Israelites doth â—â—â—st prophecie against the Syrians other forraine nations are 〈◊〉 1 That he might be the more patiently heard of his country-men the Israelites The Israelites seeing their Prophet Amos so sharpe against the Syrians and other their enimies could not but with more quiet heare him when he should prophecie against theÌ„ also Consolatio quaedam est afflictio inimici some comfort it is to a distressed naturall man to see his enimy in distresse likewise 2 That they might haue no cause to wonder if God should at any time come against theÌ„ in vengeance seeing that God would not spare the Syrians and other their neighbour Countries though they were destitute of the light of Gods word and ignorant of his will 3 That they might the more feare at the words of this prophecie when they should see the Syrians and other nations afflicted and tormented accordingly Here might they thus haue argued Will not God spare our neighbours the Syrians and the rest Then out of doubt he wil not spare vs. They seely people never knewe the holy will of God and yet shall they be so severely punished How then shal we escape who knowing Gods holy will haue contemned it From the reasons why Amos first prophecieth against forraine nations then against the Lords people Israel I come now to treate particularly of his prophecy against the Syrians vers 3 4 5. Wherein I commend to your christian considerations three parts 1 A preface proeme or entrance vers 3. Thus saith the LORD 2 A prophecie In the 3 4 5. verses For three transgressions of Damascus and for foure c. 3 A conclusion In the end of the 5. verse Saith the LORD The preface and the conclusion do make for the authoritie of the prophecie vers 3. and 5. In the prophecie these parts may be observed 1 A generall accusation of the Syrians verse the 3. For three transgressions of Damascus and for foure 2 A protestation of Almighty God against them I will not turne to it 3 The great sinne by which they so offended God their extreame cruelty verse 3. They haue threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of yron 4 The punishments to bee laide vpon them for such cruelty These punishmentes are here set downe generally and speciallie Generally vers the 4. I will send a fire into the house of Hazael and it shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad Specially vers the 5. I will break also the barres of Damascus and cut of the inhabitant of Bikeath-aven him that holdeth the scepter out of Beth-eden and the people of Aram shall goe into captivitie vnto Kir Thus saith the LORD It is a very vsuall thing with the Prophets so to begin their special Prophecies to let the world vnderstand that they feigne nothing out of their owne braines but that whatsoever they speak they haue received it from the spirit of the LORD Thus saith not Amos but in Amos the LORD The LORD the powerfull IEHOVAH of whom you heard at large out of my third lecture vpon this chapter Thus saith the Lord the powerfull IEHOVAH * See Lect 3. who made the heavens and a Psal 104.2 spread them out like a curtaine to cloath himselfe with light as with a garment can againe b Esai 50.3 cloath the heavens with darknesse and make a sacke their covering who made the sea to c Psal 104.3 lay the beames of his chamber therein d Ierem. 5.22 placed the sands for bounds vnto it never to be passed over howsoever the waues thereof shall rage and roare and can with a word smite the pride thereof at his rebuke e Esai 50.2
iniustice to his charge quod bonis male sit malis bene for afflicting the godly when the wicked liue at ease by rebellion and contumacie in taking counsell together against the LORD against his CHRIST by blasphemy in doing despite to the Spirit of grace It may moue vs also to beware of those other sins crying sins too vsually committed against the second table that we provoke not Gods vengeance against vs by dishonouring our parents and such as God hath put in place of government aboue vs by grieving our children and such as are by vs to be governed by oppressing the fatherlesse and the poore by giving our selues over vnto filthy lusts Beloved in the Lord let vs not forget this though God bee good gracious mercifull and long suffering yet is hee also a iust God God the avenger and punisher Here we see he resolueth to send a fire into the house of Hazael which is the second thing to be considered How God punisheth By fire I will send a fire c. Albeit sometime God himselfe doth by himselfe immediatly execute his vengeance vpon the wicked as when he smote all the first borne of Egypt Exod. 12.29 and Nabal 1. Sam. 25.38 and Vzzah 2. Sam. 6.7 yet many times he doth it by his instruments c Wigand Syntagm Vet. Test Instrumenta sunt tota creatura Dei All the creatures of God are ready at his commaund to be the executioners of his vengeance Among the rest and in the first rancke is fire God sent a fire to lay wast Sodom and Gomorah and their sister cities Gen. 19.24 to eate vp Nadab and Abihu Levit. 10.2 to cut of the two hundred and fiftie men that were in the rebellion of Korah Num. 16.35 to devoure two captaines twise fiftie men 2. King 1.10 12. I will not load your memories with multitude of examples for this poynt My text telleth you that fire Gods creature becommeth Gods instrument executioner of his vengeance I will send a fire into the house of Hazael and it shall devoure the palaces of Benhadad By fire in this place the learned d Lyranus Drusius Ar. MoÌ„tanus Mercer Calvin Gualter expositors doe vnderstand not only naturall fire but also the sword and pestilence and famine quodlibet genus consumptionis every kind of consumptioÌ„ every scourge wherewith God punisheth the wicked and disobedieÌ„t be it haile or thunder or sicknes or any other of Gods messengers So farre is the signification of fire though not in the naturall yet in the metaphoricall vnderstanding extended The doctrine which from hence I gather is As is the fire so are all other creatures at the Lords commandement to bee imployed by him in the punishment of the wicked This truth well appeareth by that which I even now repeated out of Eccles 39. whence you heard that some spirits are created for vengeance as also are fire and haile and famine and death and the teeth of wild beasts and the scorpions and the serpents and the sword yea that the principall things for the whole vse of mans life as water and fire and yron and salt and meale wheate and hony and milke and the bloud of the grape and oile cloathing are all for evill vnto the wicked If that proofe because the booke whence it is taken is Apocryphall like you not giue eare I pray you while I proue it out of Canonicall Scripture The doctrine to be proued is Fire and all other creatures are at the Lords commandement to be imploied by him in the punishment of the wicked I proue it by the service of Angels and other creatures 2. King 19.35 we read of an hundred fourescore and fiue thousand in the camp of Ashur slaine by an Angell of the LORD The thing is related also Esay 37.36 This ministerie of Gods Angels David acknowledgeth Psal 35.5 6. where his prayer against his enimies is that the Angel of the LORD might scatter and persecute them 1. Sam. 7.10 we read that the LORD did thunder a great thunder vpon the Philistines Ezech. 14. wee read how the LORD punisheth a sinful land with his foure e Ezech. 14.21 sore iudgements the sword pestilence famine and noysome beasts The story of Gods visitation vpon Pharaoh and the EgyptiaÌ„s in Exod. chap. 8 9 10. is fit for my purpose You shal there find that froggs lice flies grashoppers thunder haile lightning murraine botehâ—s and sores did instrumeÌ„tally avenge God vpon man and beast in Egypt Adde hereto what you read Psal 148.8 fire and haile and snow and vapours and stormie winds do execute Gods commaundement Thus is my doctrine proued As is the fire so are all other creatures at the Lords commandement to be employed by him in the punishement of the wicked The vse of this doctrine is to teach vs how to behaue our selues at such times as God shall visit vs with his rodd of correction how to carry our selues in all our afflictions We must not so much looke to the instruments as to the Lord that smiteth by them Here set we before our eyes holy King Dauid His patience be it the patterne of our Christian imitation When Shimei a maÌ„ of the familie of the house of Saul came out against him cast stones at him railed vpon him calling him to his face a man of blood a man of Belial a murtherer a wicked man the good King did not as he was wished to doe he took not away the murtherers life but had respect to the primus motor even Almighty God the first mover of this his afflictie Shimei he knew was but the instrument And therefore thus sayth he to Abischai 2. Sam. 16.10 He curseth because the LORD had hidden him curse Dauid who dare then say wherefore hast thou done so Suffer him to curse for the Lord hath bidden him Here also set we before our eies holy Iob. His patience bee it the patterne of our Christian imitation The losse of all his substance and his children by the Sabeans Chaldeans fire from heauen and a great wind from beyond the wildernesse could not turne away his eyes from the God of heauen to those second causes They he knew were but the instrumeÌ„ts And therefore possessing his soule in patience he said Iob 1.21 Naked came I out of my mothers wombe naked shall I returne thither the LORD hath given and the LORD hath taken blessed be the name of the LORD To these instances of David and Iob adde one more that of the blessed Apostles Peter Iohn the rest Act. 4.27 Though Herod Pontius Pilate the Gentiles and the people of Israel had crucified and done to death the Lord of life our LORD and Saviour Iesus Christ Yet did not the Apostles therefore grow into a rage and bitter speeches against them In that great execution of the LORD Iesus they had regard vnto the hand of God Herod Pontius Pilat the Gentiles the Iews they knew were but
instruments For thus make they their confession before the LORD of heauen and earth verse the 28. Doubtlesse both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel gathered themselues together against thine holy Sonne Iesus to doe whatsoever thine hand and thy counsell had determined to be done To good purpose then is that question propounded by Amos chap. 3.6 Shall there be evill in a city and the Lord hath not done it It may serue for an anchor to keepe vs that we bee not carried away with the waues of tribulation and affliction It assureth vs that God who bad Shimei curse David who sent the Sabeans Chaldeans fire from heauen and a great wind from beyond the wildernesse to spoile and make an end of Iobs substance and his children who determined that Herod Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the Israelites should put to death the LORD of life that the same God hath his finger yea and his whole hand too in all our crosses and tribulations Is there any evill in the city and the LORD hath not done it Here beloued in the Lord must we be taxed for a vanity at least I had almost said a blasphemie deeply rooted too wel setled among vs. Vpon the accesse of any calamitie we cry out bad lucke bad fortune If the strong man come into our house and take from vs the flower of our riches our silver and gold then we cry What lucke What fortune If our sheep and cattle faile vs then also we cry What lucke What fortune Whatsoever crosse befalleth vs lucke and fortune is still in our mouthes Quasi Deus â—tium coleret in coelo non curaret res humanas as if we were to hold it for an article of our beleefe that God liveth idly in heaven hath no regard of mans affaires Whereas the holy Prophet Amos in propounding this question shall there be any evill in 〈…〉 and the LORD hath not done it and the holy Apostles in acknowledging Gods hand in the death of Christ and holy Iob in blessing the name of the LORD for all his losses and holy David in patiently taking Shimeis curses as an affliction sent him from the LORD doe all plainly shew this that the empire of this world is administred by Almighty God and that nothing happeneth vnto vs but by Gods hand and appointment Learne we then more patience towards the instruments of our calamities miseries crosses and afflictions let vs not be like the dogge that snatcheth at the stone cast at him without regard vnto the thrower Here we learne a better propertie even to turne our eies from the instrumentes to the hand that smiteth by them Thus farre of my second circuÌ„stance How God punisheth My third was whome he punisheth Hazael and Benhadad the house of Hazael and palaces of Benhadad If you wil know who and Hazael was you must haue recourse to the sâ—creâ— storie 2 King â— There 〈◊〉 you find him sent by Benhadad King of Syria with a present vnto Elizâ—us to knowe concerning his sicknesse whether he should recover of it and after his returne froÌ„ Elizeus with a thicke weâ— cloath to haue strangled and murdered his Lord Maister King Benhadad This was he whom Elizeus foretold of his hard vsage of the Israelites that hee should set on fire their strong cities should slay their young men with the sword should dash their infants against the stones and should rent in peeces their women great with child This was he who 2. Kings 13.7 so destroyed the children of Israel that hee made them like dust 〈◊〉 to powder This was he of whose death we read verse the 24. The house of Hazael either the familie flocke and posterity of Hazael as Arias Montanus Mercer Drusius expounde or some materiall house which Hazael had proudly and stately built for himselfe and his posteritie This later exposition is added to the former by Mercer and Drusius because of that which followeth the palaces of Benhadad Benhadad In writing this name I find three errours One of the Greeks who write 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if it were in the Hebrew Benader The second of the Latines who write it Benhadab The third of Ionathan the Chaldee paraphrast who writes it Barhadad whereas the right name is Benhadad Benhadad saith Mercer vpon this place was a name peculiar to the Kings of Syria as was first Pharaoh and afterward Ptolemee to the Kings of Egypt and Caesar to the Roman Emperours From this opinioÌ„ of Mercer Drusius in observat sacr 11. 14. varieth affirming that albeit diverse Kings of Syria were called by this name Benhadad yet doth it not therevpon follow that Benhadad was a common name to all the Kings of Syria In holy Scripture we read of three Benhadads Of the first 1. Kings 15.18 who was King of Syria at what time Asa raigned in Iudah and Baasha in Israel Of the second 2. Kings 8.7 who in his sicknesse sent Hazael to Elizeus the man of God for counsaile Of the third â— Kings 13.3 who was Hazaels sonne and his successour in the throne Now the Benhadad in my text is either Benhadad Hazaels predecessour slaine by Hazael or Benhadad Hazaels sonne successour The palaces of Benhadad to bee devoured by fire from the LORD These palaces of Benhadad are the goodly sumptuous proud and stately edifices made or enlarged by either of the Benhadads or by both Hazaels predecessour and successour Thus haue you the exposition of my third circumstance which was concerning the parties punished no meane parties parties of no lower rancke then Kings Hazael and Benhadad The LORD punisheth hee punisheth by fire hee punisheth by fire Hazael and Benhadad I will send a fire into the house of Hazael and it shall devoure the palaces of Benhadad Many profitable doctrines may be hence deduced I can but point at them 1 In that the Lord sendeth a fire into the house of Hazael against his 〈…〉 who are put in mind of a truth expressed in the secoâ—â— comâ—andement this God will 〈…〉 of the fathers vpon the children vnto the third and fourth generation Dearely 〈…〉 is that anger the flame of whose punishment 〈…〉 smoake so farre yet the meaning thereof is as Ezechâ—â— sheweth chap. 18. If the children doe follow the fathers wickednesse not otherwise To visite then is not to punish the children for the fathers offences but to take notice apprehend them in the same faults by reason they are giuen over to commit their fathers transgressions that for them they be punished The vse is to admonish you that are Parents not onely to liue your selues vertuously religiously while you haue your abode here but also carefully to see to the training vp of your children in vertue and true religion least partaking with you in your sinnes they proâ—e inheritours of your punishmentes also 2 In that the LORD sendeth a fire into the house and palaces of Hazael and Benhadad two Kings
needs follow In like case it is with men They that fall into familiarity with the wicked do couple themselues with them so are led out of the way and made to worke wickednesse before the LORD From this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this vnequall yoke with infidels frō conversing with the wicked the Apostle disswadeth the Corinthians and in them vs by sundry arguments drawne ab absurdo In each argument there is an Antithesis two things opposed the one to the other In the first righteousnes and vnrighteousnes in the second light and darknes in the third Christ and Belial in the fourth the beleever and the infidel in the fift Gods temple and Idols Every argument is set downe by way of question The first what fellowship hath rigteousnesse with vnrighteousnes The answere is negatiue none The answer may be illustrated by a similitude Eccl. 13.18 How cā the wolfe agree with the lambe No more can the vngodly with the righteous The second what communion hath light with darknes The answere is negatiue none No more then truth hath with a lie as Drusius well expoundeth the place Prov. class 1. lib. 3.78 Light hath no communion with darknes therefore the beleever ought not to converse with an vnbeleever This consequence is made good by Eph. 5.8 where the Apostle telleth the Ephesiās that they were once darknes but now are light in the LORD Tenebras vocat infideles saith Musculus vpon the text S. Paule calleth vnbeleevers darknes for their ignorance of God the blindnes of their hearts but he calleth the beleevers light for their knowledge of God by which their harts are through the holy Ghost illuminated Light hath no communion with darknes therefore beleevers are not to haue familiarity with vnbeleevers The third what concord hath Christ with Belial The answer is negatiue none The oppositiō betweene these two Christ Belial is most hostile Christ is the author of our salvation Belial of our perdition Christ is the restorer of all things Belial the destroier Christ is the prince of light Belial the prince of darknes In such hostile opposition there can be no concord no concord betweene the authour of our salvation and the author of our perdition no concorde betweene the restorer of all things and the destroyer of all things no concord betweene the prince of light and the prince of darknes therefore they that beleeue in Christ are not to haue familiarity with vnbeleevers The fourth what part hath the beleever with the infidell The answere is negatiue none The beleever hath no portion with the vnbeleever and therefore he is not to haue any familiaritie with him The fift what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols The answere is negatiue none There is none indeede Sacrilega est profanatio saith e Comment in 2. Cor. 16.6 Calvin it is a sacrilegious prophaning of God's Temple to place in it an Idole or to vse any idolatrous worship therein We are the Temple of God wherefore to infect our selues with any contagion of Idols in vs it must be sacrilegious There is no agreement betweene the Temple of God and Idols therefore wee are not to haue any familiaritie with the Idolatrous Remember I beseech you righteousnesse hath no fellowship with vnrighteousnes light hath no cōmunion with darknes Christ is not at concord with Belial the beleever hath no part with the infidell there is no agreement betweene the Temple of God and Idols therefore may we not enter into familiaritie with the wicked prophane and idolatrous we may not make any covenāt with them we may not giue them our children in marriage Thus is my doctrine confirmed It is not lawfull to commit the children of beleevers into the hands of infidels Now to the vses The first serveth for our instruction teacheth vs so to loue the soules of the righteous seed that we leaue them not resident among Infidels or Atheists or Papists or any prophane wretches but rather that to our labour and cost wee redeeme them out of the Devils tyranny We must haue a singular care for the children which are borne amonge vs that they be godly and vertuously brought vp and so provided for that they may doe Christ some service in the Church and Common wealth Our Saviour his words Mat. 18.6 are true without exception Whosoever shall offend one of these little ones which beleeue in me it were better for him that a milstone were hanged about his necke that he were drowned in the depth of the sea What measure then are we to looke for if wee bequeath our children to the service of men of corrupt consciences and wicked affections such as will compasse heaven and earth to make anie one the childe of damnation A second vse may be for the reproofe of such as do binde put their children the fruit of their bodies which they ought to consecrate to the LORD into the education of open enemies to the gospell of Christ most blasphemous and abominable Atheists or most blind and superstitious Papists Are not these as much to be complained of as those whom the LORD here condemneth for selling of Israels seed into the hands of the Edomites Yes much more For those sold their enemies but our men sell their children those did it by the law of warre but our men doe it contrary to the law of God those in doing as they did did not sinne against their knowledge but our men in doing as they do do sinne against their conscience Vnhappy parents which destroy your children in Popish and Atheisticall houses What are you inferiour to them that sacrificed their children vnto Devils If your selues be righteous and Christians cast not away your seed your children the price of the precious bloud of Christ You haue made them in their Baptisme whē they were yong to confesse Christ will you make them now growne to yeares to deny Christ O let the words of wise Ecclesiasticus chap. 13.1 be precious in your memories He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled therewith and doubtlesse your children placed in Atheisticall or Popish houses wil themselues become Atheisticall or Popish Suffer I beseech you a word of exhortation in your childrēs behalfe Binde them to none but to Christ put them to none but to Christians sell them to nothing but to the gospell commit not your yong ones into the hands and custody of Gods enemies A third vse Is it not lawfull to commit the children of beleevers into the hands of infidels for the reason aboue specified that they be not withdrawne frō the true service of God Thē neither is it lawfull for you of your selues to keepe away your servants frō the service of God It is reputed for a tyrannie in Pharaoh Exod. 5.3 4. That he would not suffer the children of Israel to go three daies iourney into the desert to sacrifice to the LORD their God how can you free your selues from the impeachment of
tyrannie if you deny your servants to go but one houres iourney to this place to serue their God Thinke it not enough that your selues come hither to performe some duty to Christ your LORD Master how cā you performe your duty to him if you deny him your servants You know what charge is given you in the fourth commandement not your selues only but also your sonnes and your daughters your servants men and maidens and the stranger that soiourneth with you are to hallow and Sanctifie the Sabbaoth day with the Lords service In this holy worke and service of God vpō the Sabbaoth day regarde not what the multitude and greater sort of men doe Suppose all the world besides your selues would be carelesse to performe this duty yet let your holy resolutiō be the same with Ioshua's chap. 24.15 I and my house wil serue the Lord. Thus far of my first doctrine groūded vpon God's dislike with the Philistines for selling away the Israelites his faithfull people into the hands of the Edomites an vnbeleeving nation To ground a second doctrine hereon wee are to note that the Philistines sold away the Israelites to the Idumaeans at such time as they were their captiues so did adde affliction to the afflicted The doctrine is It is a very grievous thing to adde affliction to the afflicted Witnesse the complaint made by the captiue Iewes against the insolencie of the Chaldeans Psal 137.3 They that led vs away captiue required of vs songs and mirth in our heavinesse saying sing vs one of the songs of Sion They the Chaldeans the Babylonians and Assyrians in whose country we were prisoners required of vs scornefully and disdainefully thereby to adde to our griefes they required of vs songs such songs as wee were wont to sing in Sion Ierusalem and our owne country before the destruction of the Temple and our captivitie They required of vs not songs only but mirth also they scoffingly desired vs to be merry when they saw vs so heavy hearted as nothing could make vs glad They required of vs songs mirth in our heavinesse saying sing vs one of the songs of Sion sing for vs or in our hearing some one or other of those songs which you were wont to sing in Sion when you were at home in your owne country Intolerable is the hard heartednesse cruelty and scoffing nature of the wicked when they haue gotten Gods children into their nets God cannot away with such vnmercifulnesse and want of pity He reproueth it in the Babylonians Esai 47.6 where thus saith the LORD I was wroth with my people I haue polluted mine inheritance and giuen them into thine hand thou didst shew them no mercy but thou didst lay thy very heavy yoke vpon the ancient therefore now heare destruction shall come vpon thee Magna abominatio coram Deo est afflicto addere afflictionem clamatque in coelum vox sanguinis The wordes are the observation of Oecolampadius vpō the now cited place of Esai It is a great abomination before God to adde affliction to the afflicted the voice of blood cryeth vp to heaven for vengeance Yea we are assured by Psalm 102.19 that the LORD looketh downe from the height of his sanctuarie and out of heaven beholdeth the earth that he may heare and so take pitie of the sighings groanings and lamentable cryes of such his people as are in affliction The time will not suffer me now to trouble you with more texts of Scripture let the now alleaged be sufficient to cōfirme my propounded doctrine that it is a grievous thing to adde affliction to the afflicted The vses of this doctrine I can but point at One is to reproue the Nimrods and tyrants of this world which haue no pitie no compassion vpon the poore and distressed Such in the end shall knowe by their owne lamentable experience that to bee true which Solomon hath vttered Prov. 21.13 He that stoppeth his eare at the crying of the poore shall cry himselfe and not bee heard A second vse is to stirre vs vp to the performance of this our Christian dutie even to take pity vpon all that are in any kind of miserie if our neighbours be destitute of ayd and helpe wee may not like wild beasts lift vp our selues against them and so tread them vnder foot No. How dare wee molest and trouble them whom by Gods appointment we are to relieue and succour We are commanded Deut. 15.11 to open our hands to the needy and poore that are in our land to open our hands to them for their helpe and succour It is not enough for vs to absteine from all iniury harme-doing but withall must we endevour to relieue the oppressed This service of ours will be acceptable vnto God God for it will giue vs his blessing God will blesse vs for the time of our being here and when the day of our dissolution shall be that wee must leaue this earthly tabernacle then will the Sonne of man sitting vpon the throne of his glory welcome vs with a venite benedicti Come yee blessed of my father inherite yee the kingdome prepared for you from the foundations of the world For I was an hungred and yee gaue me meate I thirsted and ye gaue me drinke I was a stranger and ye lodged me I was naked yee cloathed me I was sicke and yee visited me I was in prison and yee came vnto me in as much as you haue done these things to the needy and distressed yee haue done them vnto me Come yee blessed of my Father inherite the kingdome prepared for you from the foundations of the world THE THIRTEENTH LECTVRE AMOS 1.7 8. Therefore will I send a fire vpon the wals of Azzah and it shall devoure the palaces thereof And I will cut of the inhabitant from Ashdod WEe are come to the last part of this prophecie the description of the punishmēts to be inflicted vpō the Philistines The seaventh verse doth not much differ frō the fourth The same punishment which is there threatned to the Syrians vnder the names of Hazael and Benhadad is in this seaventh verse denounced to the Philistines vnder the name of Azzah And therefore as there I did so must I here commend vnto you three circumstances 1 The punisher the LORD I. 2 The punishment by fire I will send a fire 3 The punished the Azzites the inhabitāts of that city the Philistines vpon the wals palaces of Azzah The punisher is the LORD for thus saith the LORD I will send The note yeeldeth vs this doctrine It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sins This doctrine I proved at large in my eighth lecture vpō this prophecie Yet for their sakes who then heard me not or haue forgotten what then they heard I will by a few texts of Scripture againe confirme it vnto you It is proper to the LORD to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes This office
with the tongue of men and Angels and haue not loue yet are you as souÌ„ding brasse or a tinkling cimbal Though you haue the gift of Prophecie and know all secrets and all knowledge yea if you haue all faith so that you can remove mountaines and haue not loue yet are you nothing Though you feed the poore with all your goods though you giue your bodies to be burned and haue not loue yet it profiteth you nothing My exhortation must be vnto you in the same blessed Apostles words cha 14.1 of the same Epistle Follow after loue And I shut vp this exercise with a sweet Fathers sweete meditation o Bernard serm 9. in Coena Dom. Charitas te domum Domini facit DominuÌ„ domum tibi Loue it makes thee a house for God and God a house for thee according to that 1. Ioh. 4.16 God is loue he that dwelleth in loue dwelleth in God and God in him A happy artificer thou art sweet loue that art able to frame for thy selfe such a house as God is This house is not built of morter and bricke nor of stone nor of wood nor of silver nor of gold nor of precious stones It exceedeth and farre surpasseth silver gold in coÌ„parison of it precious stones are vile and of no reputation This house is an everlasting house before all ages before all times it containeth all things it comprehendeth all things it createth all things it giveth life to all things In this house the blind receiue light the lame strength to walke the crooked straitnes the weake health the dead their resurrection there is none wretched in it all therein are blessed for they are entred into their Masters ioy Into which ioy that we may in due time enter let vs follow after loue wee know that God is loue and that whosoever dwelleth in loue dwelleth in God and God in him Now God graunt that we may all dwell in him THE EIGHTEENTH LECTVRE AMOS 1.12 Therefore will I send a fire vpon Teman and it shall devoure the palaces of Bozrah I Am now come to the last part of this prophecie against Edom which is the denuntiation of Gods iudgments against Edom for his sinnes expressed in this 12. verse This 12. verse doth not much differ froÌ„ some precedent verses in this chapter 4 7 and 10. The same punishment which in the 4. verse is threatned to the Syrians vnder the names of Hazael and Benhadad and in the 7. verse to the Philistines vnder the name of Azzah and in the 10. verse to the Tyrians vnder the name of Tyrus is here in this 12. verse denouÌ„ced to the Edomites vnder the names of TemaÌ„ and Bozrah And therefore as in the fore-named verses I haue done so do I in this recommende vnto you three circumstances 1 The punisher the LORD I will send 2 The punishment by fire I will send a fire 3 The punished the Temanites and Bozrites the inhabitants of both cities I will send a fire vpon Teman and it shall devoure the palaces of Bozrah The punisher is the LORD for Thus saith the LORD I will send The doctrine naturally arising hence is this It is proper to the LORD to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes This truth hath heretofore once and againe beene confirmed vnto you The lesse need haue I now to insist vpon it Yet may I not passe it over vnsaluted It is proper to the LORD to execute vengeance c. This office of executing vengeance vpon the wicked for their sins God taketh vpon himselfe Deut. 32.35 Where hee saith Vengeance and recompence are mine This is coÌ„fessed to be God his due by S. Paule Rom. 12.19 It is written vengeance is mine I will repay saith the LORD and by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews chap. 10.30 Vengeance belongeth vnto me I will recompense saith the LORD and by the sweete singer of Israel Psal 94.1 O LORD God the avenger O God the avenger The Prophet Nahum chap. 1.2 to the terrour of the wicked proclaimeth it God is iealous and the LORD revengeth the LORD revengeth even the LORD of anger the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries and reserveth wrath for his enemies These places are so many pregnant proofes to make good my propounded doctrine namely that It is proper to the LORD to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes Many are the vses of this doctrine The first It may lesson vs to looke heedfully vnto our feete that we walke not in the way of sinners to partake with them in their sinnes Sinnes are not tongue-tied they cry vnto the LORD for vengeance Wee read in holy writ of foure sorts of sinnes which aboue other do cry vnto God and do call for his great and quicke vengeance The first is Homicide murther or manslaughter whereof Almighty God Gen. 4.10 thus speaketh vnto Caine The voice of thy brothers blood cryeth vnto me from the earth The second is Sodomie the sinne of Sodom the sinne against nature a sinne not once to be named among Christians Wherof thus saith the LORD vnto Abraham Gen. 18.20 Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorah is great and because their sinne is exceeding grievous I will go downe now and see whether they haue done altogether according to the cry which is come vnto me The third is oppression of the poore widowes fatherlesse and strangers Oppression of the poore cryeth Psal 12.5 Now for the oppression of the â—â—â—die and deepe sighes of the poore I will vp saith the LORD and will set at libertie him whom the wicked hath snared Oppression of the widowes and the fatherlesse cryeth Exod. 22.22 Yâ—â— shall not trouble any widow nor fatherles child if you vexe on trouble such and so he call and cry vnto mee I will surely heare his cry Then shall my wrath be kindled and I will kill you with the sword and your wiues shall be widowes and your children fatherlesse Oppression of strangers cryeth Exod. 3.7 The LORD said vnto Moses I haue surely seene the trouble of my people which are in Egypt haue heard their cry because of their taskmakers and verse the 9. Nâ—m loe the cry of the children of Israel is come vnto me and I haue also seene the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppresse them Thus is oppression whether it be of the poore or of the widowes or of fatherlesse children or of strangers a crying sinne and this was the third The fourth is the keeping backe of the labourers hire Whereof St Iames chap. 5.4 thus witnesseth Behold the hire of the labourers which haue reaped your fields which is of you kept backe by fraud cryeth and the cryes of them which haue reaped are entred into the eares of the LORD of hoasts You see dearely beloued foure crying sinnes murther Sodomie oppression and the detaining or keeping backe of the poore labourers wages These are crying sinnes and they cry aloud to the eares of Almightie God and
I will but point at thē Is it true beloued Doth God often humble his chosen children vnder the rod of the wicked It may first shew vs how great Gods anger is for sinne that he punisheth it so severely even in his dearest children and thereby may worke in vs a loathing hatred and detestation of sinne Never more need then now to smite our breasts pray with the publicane O God be mercifull vnto vs sinners Secondly it may teach vs not to measure the favour of God towards our selues or others by the adversities or crosses of this life Here we see that the women of Gilead of the race of Israel Gods owne lot and inheritance were most barbarously cruelly ript vp by the Ammonites Yet are we not to doubt but that Gods favour was great towards them even in this severe punishment Thirdly it may make vs poure out our soules in thankfulnesse before Almightie God for our present estate and condition It is not with vs as in the daies of Gilead we are not threshed with threshing instruments of yron our women with child are not ript vp Our daies are the daies of peace our King is a king of peace Peace is in our ports peace in all our borders and peace within our wals l Psal 144.12 Our sonnes doe grow vp as young plants our daughters are as the polished corners of the temple Our garners are full and plenteous with al maner of store Our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands Our oxen are strong to labour Here is no invasion no leading into captivitie no complaining in our streets Are not the people happy that are in such a case Yes saith the Psalmist Psal 144.15 Happy are the people that are in such a case The case you see is ours The God of peace which maketh an m Psal 46.10 end of warre in all the world and breaketh the bow and knappeth the speares asunder and burneth the chariots with fire hee doth now protect vs from warre and slaughter Quid rependemus What shall we render vnto the LORD for all his benefits towards vs We will take the cup of salvation and praise his holy name O our soules praise the LORD for hee onely maketh vs to dwell in safetie Thus farre of the cruell fact of the Ammonites in ripping vp the women with child of Gilead This their fact is amplified by the end wherefore they did it They haue ript vp the women with child of Gilead that they might enlarge their border That they might enlarge their border What could such crueltie against innocent and harmelesse women further them to the attaining of such an end Very much For hereby it might come to passe that there should not be any ofspring of the Gileadites to inherit and possesse the land so might the land without any resistance become the possession of the Ammonites This is by a propheticall contestation touched Ierem. 49.1 Vnto the children of Ammō thus saith the LORD Hath Israel no sonnes or hath he no heires Why then hath their King possessed Gad and his people dwelt in his cities So might this our Prophet Amos here contest and make complaint Hath Gilead no sonnes Hath Gilead no heires Why then haue the Ammonites possessed Gilead why haue they dwelt in the cities of Gilead The answer is plaine out of my text the Ammonites haue ript vp the women with child of Gilead they haue left them no sonnes no heires And so they possessed the land of Gilead so haue they enlarged their borders Wee see now the meaning of our Prophet Hee obiecteth to the Ammonites not only that they did cruelly rip vp the womē with child in Gilead but also that they did it for this end that they might enlarge their borders The doctrine is That nation which is not content with her owne borders but invadeth her neighbour countries sinneth grievously The Ethnickes of old taught but in Natures schoole did hold it for a wicked act detestable and inexpiable to remoue a neighbours land-markes In which respect the old Romans worshipped Terminus for a God Terminus which signifieth a bound limite meere buttle or land-marke was in their account a God God of their bounds limites or markes of their severall fields meadowes and pastures and such a God as should not giue place to Iupiter himselfe To this Terminus they held a feast in Februarie called it Terminalia as Austine witnesseth in his books de Civitate Dei Lib. 5.21 lib. 7. c. 7. Now if the heathenish blind superstitious Romans trained vp in natures schoole did so highly esteeme of the preservatiō maintenāce of bounds limits how are we trained vp in the schoole of Grace to esteeme thereof In the schoole of Grace a law is givē Deut. 19.14 Thou shalt not remoue thy neighbours marke To obey this law we are charged vpon a curse Deu. 27.17 Cursed be he that removeth his neighbours marke It is Gods own ordinance that bounds and limits and marks are appointed to every mans possessions This may be gathered out of Deut. 32.8 The most high GOD divided to the nations their inheritances he separated the sonnes of mē he did set the boūds of nations The meaning is the LORD pitched the boūds of kingdomes at such time as it pleased him that the nations should be divided asunder Yet we see how the covetous ambition vnsatiable desire of some Princes in the world haue put al out of order how there is nothing so holy that can stay them from incroaching vpon the bounds of their neighbours and next borderers Sēnacherib King of Assyria was a stout offender in this kind He boasted of his invasions and victories vpon his neighbour countries But that other princes may take example by him he was made a peculiar example of divine iudgement For as he transgressed the bounds of his neighbour princes to their overthrow so did his owne sonnes transgresse the bounds of nature to the losse of his their fathers life As it appeareth by Esai 37.38 As Sennacherib was in the temple worshipping Nisroch his God Adramelech Sharezer his sons slew him with the sword And by my text you see what iudgements God threatneth to the Ammonites for their vnlawful practises to enlarge their borders So my doctrine is established The nation that is not content with her owne borders but invadeth her neighbour countries sinneth grievously The vse of this doctrine may concerne vs here assembled As princes ought to hold themselues contented with their owne bounds so ought every private man also God hath also separated their possessions one frō another to the ende that al might liue and communicate one with another and that there might be no confused disorder But beloved in the Lord how do we stand to this order set by Almighty God Do we not seeke dayly to pervert it God would haue it kept most holy but we care not for it Our couetousnes carrieth vs away we would still be
belli against the day of battell So here the LORD threatneth against Rabbah a shouting in die belli in the day of battell This day of battell is that day of warre and time of trouble mentioned by Iob chap. 38.23 We see now the purpose of our Prophet in vsing these wordes With shouting in the day of battell It is to proclaime warre against Rabbah the chiefe city of the Ammonites and consequently against their whole kingdome This proclamation is more plainely delivered Ierem. 49.2 Behold the daies come saith the LORD that I will cause a noise of warre to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites and it shall be a desolate heape her daughters shall be burnt with fire FroÌ„ this proclamation of warre made by our prophet Amos as in the Lords owne words saying I wil kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah and it shall devoure the palaces thereof with shouting in the day of battell we may take this lesson God sendeth warre vpon a land for the sinnes of a people For proofe of this truth let vs looke into the word of truth In the 26. of Levitic ver 25. thus saith the LORD vnto Israel If ye walke stubbornly against me will not obey me then I will send a sword vpon you that shall avenge the quarrell of my couenant And Ierem. 5.15 vnto the house of Israel thus saith the LORD Lo I will bring a nation â—pon you from farre You heare the LORD speaking in his owne person I will send I wil bring as here I wil kindle Will you any other witnes Then heare what Moses telleth the Israelites Deut. 28.49 The LORD shall bring a nation vpon you from farre from the end of the world flying as an Eagle a nation whose tongue thou shalt not vnderstand a nation of a fierce countenance which will not regarde the person of the old nor haue compassion on the yonge the same shall eate the fruit of thy cattle and the fruit of thy land vntil thou be destroied and he shal leaue thee neither wheat nor wine nor oile nor the increase of thy kine nor the flockes of thy sheepe vntill hee haue brought thee to nought By this speech of Moses we plainely see that warre and all the evils of warre are from the LORD that warre is r Cominaeus Hist lib. 1. cap. 3. one of the accomplishments of Gods iudgemeÌ„ts and that it is sent by God vpon a land for the sinnes of the people as my doctrine goeth Let vs now make some vse of it Is it true beloved Doth God send warre vpon a land for the sinnes of a people How then can we looke that the happy peace which we now enioy should be continued among vs sith by our dayly sinning wee provoke Almighty God vnto displeasure Let the consideration hereof lead vs to repentance Repentance the gift of God the ioy of Angels the salue of sinnes the haven of sinners let vs possesse it in our hearts The Angels of heaven need it not because they sinne not the Devils in Hell care not for it for their iudgement is sealed It only appertaineth to the sonnes of men therefore let vs the sonnes of meÌ„ possesse it in our hearts that is let vs truely vnfeinedly forsake our old sinnes and turne vnto the LORD our God so shall this blessed peace all other good things be continued among vs. But if we will persist in our evill waies not regarding what the LORD shall speake vnto vs either in his holy word or by his faithfull Ministers we may expect the portion of these Ammonites that God should kindle a fire in our Rabbahs our best fenced cities which shall devoure the palaces thereof with shouting in the day of battaile Thus much of the terrour of this iudgemeÌ„t Now followeth the speed in the next circumstance With a tempest in the day of the whirlewinde Suiting hereto is the reading of Mercer cum tempestate in die turbinis and that of Tremellius cum procella in die turbinis with a storme or tempest in the day of the whirlewinde Calvin hath in turbine in diâ— tempestatis in a whirlewinde in a day of tempest Brentius in turbine in die tempestatis in a whirlewinde and in a day of tempest Gualter cum turbine in die tempestatis with a whirlewinde in a day of tempest And this reading Drusius rather approveth then the former Take which you wil the meaning is one the same Namely that the warre here denounced to the Ammonites in the former clause should come vpon them tanquam turbo in die tempestatis like vnto a whirlewinde in a tempestuous and stormie day Turbine nihil celerius a whirlewinde comes suddainely and with speed so was this warre to come vpon the children of Ammon Thus haue we the meaning of our Prophet let vs nowe take a view of such doctrines as may from hence bee taken for our further instruction First whereas the punishment here threatned to the Ammonites is to come vpon them with a whirlewinde in a day of tempest in a tempestuous and stormy day we may learne that Stormes Tempests Whirlewindes and the like are the Lords creatures ready at his commande to be employed by him in the avenging of his quarrell against sinners 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the primary principal efficient cause of stormes tempests whirlewindes and the like is God God as he is the sole maker totius vniversitatis rerum of this world and all that is in it so is he also a most free and omnipotent ruler of the same He alone is able to raise tempests and at his pleasure to allay them againe Who raised the storme that endangered the ship wherein Ionah was was it not the LORD Yes For so it 's written Ion. 1.4 The LORD sent out a great winde into the sea and there was a mighty tempest in the sea so that the shippe was like to be broken Neither was this tempest caâ—â—â—ed till rebellious Ionah was cast out of the ship into the Sea 〈◊〉 it appeareth ver 15. Well therefore is it â—â—â—ll of the Psalmist Psal 148.8 of fire haile and snow and vapours stormie windes that they execute Gods word they are all ready at his commandement to execute what he wil haue them to do Windes and tempests they depend not vpon chance or blind fortune but on the soveraigne power of the Almighty Creatour So true is my doctrine Stormes Tempests Whirlewinds the like are the Lords creatures ready at his command to be employed by him in the avenging of his quarrell against sinners One vse of it is for our instruction Whosoeuer hee bee that walketh by land or passeth by sea if windes stormes or tempests doe hinder his purpose or disquiet him in his enterprise hee must assigne it to the providence of Almightie God A second vse serveth for reproofe of such as are of opinion that witches sorcerers coniurers and the Devill can Å¿ Grynaeus in
called 1. King 11.5 where it is said of oâ—â— Solomon perverted by his wiues that hee followed Mâ—lchom the abomination of the Ammoâ—â—â—â— ver◠〈…〉 an high place 〈◊〉 Moloch the 〈…〉 of the 〈◊〉 of Ammon It is the God of the children of Aâ—â—â— So it 's called vers 3.3 where it is giuen for â—â—â—aâ—on why the 〈◊〉 would rent from Solomon the kingdome of Israel because he forsooke the LORD and worshipped Milchom the God of the Ammonites You see what Melchom is It is the God of the Ammonites not the true God for he is the God of all the world but the God of the Ammonites an abomination an Idole Yet did they worship it But how Moses tels you Deut. 12.31 They burnt their sonnes and daughters with fire and offered them to their Gods This abomination of the Painyme nations hatefull to the living God spread it selfe even to the corrupting of the Lords people For to the children of Israel to the children of Iudah it is obiected Ier. 32.35 That they built the high places of Baal which are in the valley of Ben-hinnom to cause their sonnes and their daughters to passe through the fire of Molech And the expostulation of God with the house of Israel Ezech 20.30 laies this home vnto them Are yee not polluted after the manner of your fathers Commit yee not whoredome after their abominations For when you offer your gifts and make your sonnes to passe through the fire you pollute your selues with your Idols It is registred among the praises of good king Iosiah 2. King 23.10 that he defiled or put downe and destroied Topheth which was in the valley of the children of Hinnom that no man should make his sonne or his daughter passe through the fire of Molech By this which hath beene spoken you see what Melchom is how it was worshipped An Idole-God worshipped with the effusion of the bloud of innocents mens sonnes and daughters were consecrated vnto it through fire So haue you two readings of my text one Their king shall go into captivity he and his Princes together the other Melchom shall go into captivity c. Let vs now see what profitable doctrines may be taken from either for our further instruction the reformation of our liues The first reading is according to the Hebrew Their king shal go into captivity he and his Princes together according to the Septuagint Their king shall go into captivity their Priests and Princes likewise The doctrine arising hence is When God punisheth a nation with captivity for their sinnes he spareth neither Priest nor Prince nor King That captivity is an effect or punishment of sin I haue heretofore made plaine vnto you in my 11. Lecture vpon this first chapter of Amos. Salomon saith it 1. King 8 46. When a people sinneth against the LORD and the LORD is angry with them the LORD delivereth them vp to be caried away prisoners into the laÌ„d of their enimies It is affirmed 1. Chron. 9.1 That the Israelites were caried away to Babylon for their transgressions And Deut. 28.41 among the curses threatned to such as will not obey the voice of the LORD their God Captivity is reckoned Thou shalt beget sonnes and daughters but shalt not haue them for they shall goe into captivity Looke backe but to the fifth verse of this chapter there shall you finde it denounced against the people of 〈…〉 And why 〈…〉 their three foure tran 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 and specially for â—hreâ—â—â—g 〈…〉 â—â—â—â—shing instâ—â—â—â— of 〈◊〉 as you haue heard out of the third verse Thus you see againe that captivity is an 〈◊〉 or punishment of sinne This punishment resteth not vpoÌ„ the meaneâ— sorâ— of the people it â—eacheth to the highest 〈◊〉 the Priests to the Princes to the King himselfe Of Priests and Princes câ—ryed away into captivity you will make no doubt when you see the faine proved of Kings Yet may you know by 2. King 17.27 that the king of Assyriâ— when he had vanquished Hoseah king of Israel did cary into captivity the priests of Israel You vnderstand of Priests â—â—â—ied into captivity see now the like of Kings and Princes See the 2 King 24.14 It is a verie eminent place There it is affirmed of Nabuchodonosor King of Bâ—bâ—l that 〈…〉 all Ierusalem and all the princes and all the 〈…〉 captivity in the verse following that he caried 〈◊〉 king Iohâ—iachim king of Iudah into Babâ—l 〈◊〉 this king 〈…〉 this kings wiues this 〈◊〉 and the â—â—â—gbâ—y of the land 〈◊〉 he away into captivity from Ierusalem 〈…〉 And all the 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 even seaven thousand and â—â—peâ—â—â—ers and lockesmithes a thousand al that were strong 〈…〉 did the king of Babel bring to Babel captiues I could tel you of the like misery befallen other kings of Iudah of king Manasseh â— Chro. 33.11 how he was taken by the â—â—ast of the king Asshur 〈…〉 in fâ—râ—â—ris was â—â—â—â—d in chaines and was caried to Babel And of king Zâ—dekiah 2. King 25.5 how hee was taken in the deserts of Iericho by the army of the Chaldees had his eies put out was bound in chaines and caried vnto Babel But what need I amplifie this point By the places alreadie brought you see my doctrine established namely When God punisheth a nation with captivity for their sinnes hee spareth neither Priest nor Prince nor King Is it true beloved Doth God punish a nation with captivity for their sinnes Let vs make this Christian vse of it â—â—en to poure out our soules in thankfulnesse before Almighty God for his wonderfull patience towards vs. The sinnes of such nations as haue beene punished with captivity were they more heinous in Gods eies then ours are Dearely beloved farre be it from vs to iustifie our selues Let the example of the proude Pharisee be a warning to vs. He for all his smoothe praier registred Luk. 18. â—1 O God I thanke thee that I am not as other meÌ„ extortioners vniust adulterers or even as this Publicane I fast twise in the weeke I giue tithe of all that ever I possesse for all this his smooth praier he found no favour with God No marvaile For his heart was swolne with pride with pride towards God towards his neighbour and in himselfe Gratias ago O God I thank thee there was his pride towards God Non sum sicut cateri I am not as other men there was his pride towards his neighbour Ieiuno his in sabbato I fast twise in the weeke there was his pride in himselfe O God I thanke thee He is not reprehended for giving thankes to God but for his proud and presumptuous boasting of himselfe The great Patriarch Abraham praieth leaue to speake vnto the LORD and giues a reason of his request Gen. 18.27 I am but dust and ashes so lowly was Abraham conceited of himselfe when he was to speake to God But this Pharisee puffed vp swolne with pride boasteth as though he were not made of the same
A COMMENTARIE OR EXPOSITION VPON THE FIRST Chapter of the Prophecy of AMOS delivered in XXI Sermons in the Parish Church of MEISEY HAMPTON in the Diocesse of Gloucester BY SEBASTIAN BENEFIELD DOCTOR of Divinity and fellow of Corpus Christi College in Oxford HEREVNTO IS ADDED A SERMON vpon 1. Cor. 9.19 wherein is touched the lawfull vse of things indifferent EPHES. 5.16 Redeeme the time because the daies are evill Printed at Oxford by Ioseph Barnes and are to be sold by Iohn Barnes dwelling neere Holborne Conduit 1613. TO THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHER IN GOD AND MY VERY GOOD LORD IOHN KING BY the Divine providence L. Bishop of London S. B. wisheth all grace and happinesse RIGHT REVEREND AND HONOVRABLE I Haue adventured this second time to commend my poore laboures to your Honourable protection My former were involued in a few paper leaues In presenting them to your Lordship I seemed not much vnlike the Samian Poet Choerilus who presumed to offer to great ALEXANDER a few harsh verses Your then favourable acceptance of that litle Sermō hath emboldned this larger volume to presse into your L. presence It conteineth coūtry Sermons They intend principally the reformation of māners in such as desire to liue a godly life in this present world This is the mite which for this time I cast into Gods treasurie If I haue done it with your Honoures good liking I shall the lesse regard what bitter tongues shall say Censurers I will not heed I know whose liveries they walke in It must be an admirable piece of worke that shall haue their approbation Against such I oppose a wall of brasse VVhat I doe I doe it only to discharge some little parte of that duty which I owe vnto Gods people through my Ministery I may not longer detaine your Lordship God Almighty so blesse your governement in his Church among vs that the bounds of the Gospell of CHRIST may be enlarged that faithfull Pastors may be comforted that the enimies of true religion may be suppressed that the glory of God in all may be advanced YOVR HONOVRES in all duty and service to be commaunded SEBASTIAN BENEFIELD From my Study in CORPVS CHRISTI COLLEGE in OXFORD Iuly 5. 1613. The Preface to the Christian Reader GENTLE READER These sermons were provided for the Pulpit not intended for the Presse Yet sith I liue in a prodigall age of the world wherein too many with their vnprofitable if not obscene Pamphlets doe runne a Ad prelum tanquam praelium to the Presse as a horse to the battell and are entertained with applause I haue the more willingly now published them to thy view Thou wilt say There is already great store of Sermons abroad more then we can well vse I deny it not Yet to the fulnesse of this Sea I adde more and repent not Is abundance a burden to thee If thy soule may be fed with variety as well by the eie as by the eare hast thou any reason to finde fault But weake stomackes may surfet at the sight of too much Let such favour their eie-sight They may easily looke of and please themselues with their old choise There is no reason that their daintinesse should prejudice that profit which others might reape from this abundance Wee that are called to be labourers in the Lords harvest must resolue with the LORD of the Harvest His resolution was b Ioh. 9.4 I must worke the workes of him that sent me while it is day the night commeth when no man can worke Our day is our life time the only time for vs to worke in If now in this our day time we will insteed of working onely treasure vp knowledge in our hearts as that horder in the c Cap. 11.26 Proverbs did his corne in his storehouse or will wrap vp the gifts wherewith God hath blessed vs in wast papers as the slothfull servant in the * Luk. 19.20 Gospell did his talent in a napkin the night will come vpon vs and we shall not worke Suffer vs therefore while it is our day to worke Our worke consisteth in the preaching of the Gospell The Gospell is preached as well d Ambo-verbū praedicant hic quidem scripto ille verò voce Clem. Alex. stromat lib. 1 interprete Gentiano Herveto p 57 edit Basil in fol. An. 1556. paulò pòst Praedicandi scientia est quodammodo Angelica vtrovis modo iuvans seu per manum seu per linguam operetur There is not any thing PVBLIKELY NOTIFIED but wee may in that respect rightly and properly say it is PREACHED Luk. 8 39. 12.3 Hooker Eccl. Polit. l. 5. § 18. pag. 28 Moses and the Prophets Christ and his Apostles were in their times all PREACHERS of Gods truth some by WORD some by WRITING some by BOTH Hooker ibid. § 19. pag. 29. The Apostles in WRITING are not vntruely nor vnfitly said to PREACH Hooker lib. 5. § 21. pag 39. vide ibid. plura Evangelizo MANV SCRIPTIONE Rainold de Rom. Eccles Idololat Praef. ad Com. Essex pag. 7. by writing as by speaking as well by pen as by tongue The word spoken for the time is most piercing but the letter written is of most continuance I shall account it my happinesse if I may doe good both waies My place in that worthy Foundation whereof I am an vnworthy member wearing me out in the reading of HVMANITIE now the fourteenth yeare hath hindred mee from doing that good I wished to haue done the one way by my speaking by my tongue If the other way by my writing by my penne I may redeeme the time past and by these my poore labours may doe some good not only to * The inhabitants of MEIS BY HAMPTON MARSTON and DVNFIELD in the Diocesse of Gloucester them among whom I first sowed this seed but also to other Congregations of my Country I haue enough If deare CHRISTIAN thou find in these my Sermons the same things iterated marvaile not thereat I haue my Prophets warrant for it He in this first chapter repeateth the same things fiue times over May not I after his ensample doe it once or twise I must professe vnto thee good CHRISTIAN that my cheefe intent in this Commentarie is the destruction of sinne If to any of the learned J seeme to haue failed of my purpose my earnest desire is that they will bee pleased to take the paines to amend it The rest who to this poore labour of mine shall afford their gratious and favourable good liking I heartily entreat to help me with their godly prayers that this worke whatsoever else of like kinde I shall hereafter attempt to publish to the censure of the world may wholy redound to the glory of God and good of his Church Now the God of peace that brought againe from the dead our Lord JESVS that great Shepheard of the sheepe through the blood of the everlasting covenant sanctifie thee throughout that enioying the peace
neither Empire nor Kingdome nor place in them of dignitie prioritie or preeminence Ecclesiasticall or politique is gottē by the industrie wisedome wit or strength of man but that all are administred ruled and governed by the deputation and ordination of the highest power God almightie A second vse is to stop blasphemous mouthes such as are evermore open against heaven with i Cic. de nat Deor. Epicurus and k Cic. ibid. Diagoras and their adherents to affirme that the God of heaven in as much as he is absolutely blessed is not to trouble himselfe with cares for this lower world that it standeth not with Gods maiestie to care for the vile abiect and despised things of this world This impious rabble and Sathans brood doe think that all things below the moone are ruled by their blind Goddesse Fortune and by Chance Heere must I beseech you to let your hearts bee ioined with mine in the consideration of God his sweet never sleeping care and providence over this lower world Let vs not suppose our God to be a God to halfes and in part only a God aboue and not beneath the moone a God vpon the mountaines and not in the vallies a God in the greater not in the lesser employments The holy scriptures doe teach vs that our God examineth the lest moments and titles in the world that we can imagin to a l 1 King 17.14 handfull of meale to a m Ibid. cruse of oyle in a poore widdows house to the falling of n Matth. 10.29 sparrows to the ground to the o Matth. 6.26 feeding of the birds of the aire to the p Psal 29.9 calving of hinds to the q Matth. 6.30 clothing of the grasse of the field to the r Luk. 12 7. numbring of the haires of four heads to the trickling of ſ Psal 56.8 teares downe our cheekes Why then are wee troubled with the vaine conceits of luck fortune or chance Why will any man say this fell vnto mee by good lucke or by ill lucke by good fortune or by misfortune by good chance or by mischance We may and should know that in the course of Gods providence all things are determined and regular This is a sure ground we may build vpon it The fish that came to devour Ionas may seeme to haue arrived in that place by chance yet the scripture saith the Lorde had prepared a great fish to swallow Ionas Ion. 1.17 The storme it selfe which droue the pilots to this streight may likewise seeme contingent to the glimse of carnall eies yet the prophet saith I know that for my sake this great tempest is vpon you Ion. 1.12 The fish which Peter tooke might seeme to haue come to the angle by chance yet he brought in his mouth the tribute which Peter paid for his Lord and for himselfe Mat. 17.27 By the diversity of the opinions among the brethren touching the manner of dispatching Ioseph out of the way we may gather that the selling of him into Egypt was but accidentall only agreed vpō by reason of the fit arrival of the merchāts while they were disputing and debating what they were best to do yet saith Ioseph vnto his brethren you sent me not hither but God Gen. 45.8 What may seeme more contingent in our eies then by the glancing of an arrow from the common marke to strike a travailer that passeth by the way yet God himselfe is said to haue delivered the man into the hand of the shooter Exod. 21.13 Some may think it hard fortune that Achab was so strangely made away because a certaine man having bent his bow let slip his arrow at hap hazard without aime at any certaine marke t 1. King 22.34 strooke the King but here wee finde no lucke nor chance at all otherwise then in respect of vs for that the shooter did no more then was denounced to the King by Micheas from Gods owne mouth before the battaile was begunne 1. King 22.17 What in the world can be more casuall then lottery yet Salomon teacheth that when the lots are cast into the lap the providence of God disposeth them Prov. 16.33 See now and acknowledge with me the large extent of Gods good providence Though his dwelling be on high yet abaseth he himselfe to behold vs below From his good providence it is that this day we are here met togither I to preach the word of God you to heare it some of vs to be made partakers of the blessed body and bloud of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ Let vs poure out our souls in thankfulnesse before God for this his blessing You are nowe invited to the marriage supper of the lambe every one that wil approach vnto it let him put on his wedding garment A garment nothing like the old ragges of the Gibeonites which deceived Ioshua Ios 9.5 A garment nothing like the suit of apparell which Micah gaue once a year to his Levite Iud. 17.10 A garment nothing like the soft cloathing worne in kings courts Mat. 11.8 But a garment something like the garment of the high Priest which had all the names of the tribes of Israel written vpon his brest Exod. 28.21 For this your garment is nothing else but Christ put on in whose brest and book of merits are written and registred all the names of the faithful but a garment something like Elias Mantle which devided the waters 2. King 2.8 For this your garment is nothing else but Christ put on who devideth your sinnes and punishments that so you may escape from your enimies sin and death but a garment something like the garments of the Israelites in the wildernesse which did not weare 40 yeares together they wandred in the desert yet saith Moses neither their clothes nor their shoes waxed old Deut. 29.5 For this your garment is nothing else but Christ put on whose righteousnes lasteth for ever and his mercies cannot be worne out Having put on this your wedding garment doubte not of your welcome to this great feast maker If any that heareth me this day hath not yet put on his wedding garment but is desirous to learne how to do it let him following S. Paul his coūsaile Rom. 13.12 cast away the workes of darknes put on the armour of light let him walke honestly as in the day not in gluttonie and drunkennesse neither in chambering and wantonnesse nor in strife envying let him take no thought for the flesh to fulfill the lusts of it so shall he put on the Lord Iesus u Psal 24.7 Lift vp your heads you gates and bee you lift vp yee everlasting doors that a guest so richly apparelled may come in sup with the King of glory And the king of glory vouchsafe so to cloth vs all that those gates and everlasting doores may lie open to vs all So at our departure from this vally of mourning we shal haue free and easie passage
in the holy Scriptures This he doth in foure positions 1. ſ Bellarm. de Rom. Pontif. lib 5. cap 7. § Probatur Tenentur Christiani non pati super se Regem non Christanum si ille conetur avertere populum à fide Princes if they goe about avertere populum à fide to avert their people from the faith the faith of the Church of Rome then by the consent of all they may and must bee dispossessed of their scepters and regalities 2. t Ibid § Quod si Quod si Christiani olim non deposuerunt Neronem Diocletianū Iulianum Apostatam Valentem Arianum similes id fuit quia deerant vites temporales Christianis If the Christians in times past deposed not Nero Diocletian Iulian the Apostata Valens the Arian and other like tyrants id fuit quia deerant vires temporales Christianis it was because they wanted power and force and were not strong enough for that attempt 3. u Ibid. § At non At non tenentur Christiani immo nec debent cum evidenti periculo religionis tolerare Regē infidelem Christians are not bound to tolerate a king that is an infidell or a King not a Papist Not bound to tolerate him Nay saith Bellarmine they must not tolerate such a one cum evidenti periculo religionis if the toleration of him be an evident danger to their religion 4. x Ibid. § At non De iure humano est quod hunc aut illum habeamus regem It is by the law of man that we haue this or that mā to bee our King This last positiō is formerly avowed by the same author in the same booke but in the second Chapter with oppositiō and disgrace to the soveraigntie of the Lord of hosts y § Quod ad primum Dominium nō descendit ex iure divino sed ex iure gentium Kingdoms and dominions are not by the law of God but by the lawe of nations It is an impious blasphemous and atheologicall assertion From these positions of the great Iesuite by a necessarie inference doe follow these two conclusions 1 That the Papists woulde most willingly depriue our most gracious Soveraigne of his royall throne and regalitie if they were of force and power so to do 2 That all subiects of this land may stand in manifest rebellion against their King because he is no Papist Both which are summarily acknowledged by his royall Maiestie in his excellent speach the 5. of November z Ann. Dom. 1605. last The a C. 2. ◠Romish Catholiques by the grounds of their religion do maintaine that is lawfull or rather meritorious to murther Princes or people for quarrel of religion By the grounds of popish religion it is lawfull yea meritotorious for Papists to murther Kings which are not Papists You see his Maiesties royall acknowledgement of impietie in the grounds of Romish religion You will not doubt of it if you rightly esteeme that same late thrise damnable diabolicall and matchlesse plot conceived in the wombe of that religion with a full resolutiō to consume at once our pious King and this flourishing kingdome You perceiue now in what contempt and disgrace the popish faction holdeth the holy Scriptures the written word of God The written word of God expreslie requireth obedience vnto Princes as placed in their thrones by Gods sole authoritie But the Popish religion mainteineth rebellion against Princes as placed in their thrones by mans sole authority Which will you follow the holy word of God or the doctrine of the Romish Church Beloved remēber what I told you in the beginning of this exercise though Amos spake yet his words were Gods words remember that God is the author of holy Scripture and then for his sake for the authors sake for Gods sake you will be perswaded to take heed vnto it to heare it and read it with reverence obsequie and docility We the branches of the same vine that bare our predecessours to whom by devolution the sacred Statutes of the eternall God the holy Scriptures are come must esteeme of them all for b D King B. of Lond. vpon Ion. lect 1. p. 2. Gods most royall and celestiall Testament the oracles of his heavenly Sanctuary the only key vnto vs of his reveiled counsailes milke from his sacred breasts the earnest pledge of his favour to his Church the light of our feete c Ierem. 15.16 ioy of our harts d Lament 4.20 breath of our nostrils pillar of our faith anchor of our hope ground of our loue evidence and deeds of our future blessednesse Behold the value and price of the words which Amos saw vpon Israel which God willing with all my diligence best paines I will expound to you hereafter as occasion shall be ministred Now let vs poure out our soules in thankfulnesse before the LORD for that hee hath beene pleased this day to gather vs together to bee hearers of his holy word and partakers of the blessed Sacrament of the body and bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ thereby to confirme our holy faith in vs. We thanke thee therefore good Father and beseech thee more and more to feed vs with the never perishing food of thy holy word that by it being made cleane and sanctified wee may in due time haue free passage from this valley of teares to the city of ioie Ierusalem which is aboue where this corruptible shall put on incorruption and our mortality shall be swallowed vp of life So be it THE THIRD LECTVRE AMOS 1.2 And he said the LORD shall roare from SION and vtter his voice from IERVSALEM and the dwelling places of the shepheards shall perish and the top of CARMEL shall wither VPon the preface to this prophecie these words and he said my last lecture was bestowed wherein because whatsoever Amos the heardman spake was the word of God I endeavored to shew forth the worth dignitie and excellencie of the word of God commonly called by the name of holy Scripture A point that yeeldeth a very harsh vnpleasant sound to euery popishly affected eare as then at large I made plaine our of popish mouthes practise Order now requireth that I goe on to the next generall part of this text to the prophecie it selfe The first point therein to bee recommended at this time vnto you is the LORD speaking The LORD shall roare and vtter his voice wherein I desire you to obserue with me who it is that speaketh and how hee speaketh Who speaketh It is the Lord. How speaketh he He roareth and vttereth forth his voice First of him that speaketh Hee is in the Hebrewe text called IEHOVAH which is the a D. King B. of London vpon Ionas Lec 11. p. 152. honorablest name belonging to the great God of Heaven Much might bee spoken of it would I apply my selfe to the curiositie of Cabalists and Rabbins as that it is a 〈◊〉 b 〈◊〉
the honour of this city they that were aliue wheÌ„ Ierusalem flourished to haue q Psal 48 1â— numbred her towers to haue considered her walles to haue marked her bulwarks and to haue told their posterity of it might haue made a report scarsly to haue beene beleeued This we knowe by Psal 48.4 5. When the Kings of the earth were gathered together and saw it they marvelled they were astonied and suddainely driven backe Thus is Ierusalem taken literally It is also taken spiritually for the Church either militant here on earth or Triumphant in heaven For the Church Militant Psal 128.5 Thou shalt see the wealth of Ierusalem all thy life long And for the Church Triumphant Gal. 4.26 Ierusalem which is aboue is free The Catholique Church Militant and Triumphant is called Ierusalem because Ierusalem was a type thereof Ierusalem was a type of the Catholike Church in sundry respects 1 God did choose Ierusalem aboue al other places of the earth to r Psal 132.13 Psal 135.21 dwell in So the Catholike Church the companie of the predestinate God hath chosen to be a peculiar people vnto himselfe 2 Ierusalem is a city Å¿ Ps 122.3 compact in it selfe by reason of the bond of loue and order among the Citizens So the faithfull the members of the Catholike Church are linked together by the bond of one Spirit 3 Ierusalem was the place of Gods sanctuarie the place of his presence and worship where the promise of the seed of the woman was preserved till the comming of the Messias Now the Catholike Church is in the roome thereof In the Catholike Church we must seeke the presence of God the word of life 4 In Ierusalem was the t Psal 122.5 throne of David So in the Catholike Church is the throne and scepter of CHRIST figured by the Kingdome of David 5 The commendation of Ierusalem was the subiection obedience of her citizens The Catholike Church hath her citizens too Eph. 2.19 and they doe yeeld voluntarie obedience and subiection to Christ their King 6 In Ierusalem the names of the citizens were inrolled in a register So the names of all the members of the Catholike Church are inrolled in the booke of life Revel 20.15 You see now what Ierusalem is literally and what spiritually Literally it is that much honoured City in Iudea the u Ps 46.4 City of God even the sanctuary of the tabernacle of the most High Spiritually it is the holy Church of Christ either his Church Militant on earth or his Church Triumphant in Heaven Now the Ierusalem in my text from whence the LORD is said to vtter his voice is either Ierusalem in the literall or Ierusalem in the spirituall vnderstanding it is either Ierusalem the mother city of Iudea or Ierusalem the Church of Christ Militant vpon earth or Ierusalem aboue the most proper place of Gods residence So that Ierusalem here is the same with Sion an exposition of Sion The LORD shall roare from Sion that is in other words The LORD shall vtter his voice from Ierusalem Marke I beseech you beloved in the LORD The LORD shall roare not from Dan and Bethel where Ieroboams calues were worshipped but from Sion the mountaine of his holines and hee shall vtter his voice not from Samaria drunken with Idolatrie but from Ierusalem the x Zach. 8.3 city of truth wherein the puritie of Gods worship did gloriously shine Wee may take from hence this lesson Sion and Ierusalem are to be frequented that thence hearing God speake vnto vs we may learne what his holy will is To speake more plainely This is the lesson which I commend vnto you The place where God is served and the exercises of his religion are practised must be carefully frequented That I may the more easily perswade you to come vnto and to frequent this place this house of God his holy Church and Temple I bring you a guid This guid is a King and leads you the way the blessed King David I beseech you marke his affection Psal 84.1 O LORD of hoasts how amiable are thy tabernacles My soule longeth yea fainteth for thy courts Mark his loue Psa 26.8 O LORD I haue loued the habitation of thine house and the place where thine honour dwelleth Marke the earnestnes of his zeale Psal 42.1.2 As the Hart brayeth for the rivers of water so panteth my soule after thee O God My soule thirsteth for God even for the living God when shall I come and appeare before the presence of God Let this holy King King David be that patterne of your imitation Beloued you must haue an earnest loue and desire to serue God in the assembly of his Saints you must much esteeme of the publike exercise of religion It is Gods effectuall instrumeÌ„t and meane to nourish and begâ—t you to the hope of a better life In what case then are you when you absent your selues from this and the like holy assemblies when either you come hither carelesly or else do gracelesly contemne this place Here is Sion here is Ierusalem here God speaketh to you in the language of Canaan and here may you speake to him againe with your owne mouthes It is every mans duty the dutie of everyone that loues God to come vnto Gods house his house of prayer In this respect thus saith the LORD Esay 56.7 Mine house shall bee called the house of prayer for all people For all people there is no difference betweene the y Galat. 3.28 Iew and the Grecian betweene the bond the free betweene the male and the female for our LORD who is LORD over all z Rom. 10.12 is rich vnto all that call vpon him Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people To imprint this sentence in your heartes it is repeated vnto you Mat. 21.13 Where Iesus Christ to the mony changers doue-sellers whom he found in the Temple vseth this speech It is written mine house shall be called an house of prayer but yee haue made it a den of theeues Iunius his note vpon the place is good Qui domo Dei non vtitur ad orationis domum is eò devenit vt speluncam latronâ—m efficiat cam Whosoever vseth not the house of God for a house of prayer hee commeth thither to make it a denne of theeues Let vs take heed beloved in the Lord wheÌ„soever we come vnto the Church the house of God that we be not partakers of thiâ— sharpe censure Ecclesiastes chap. 4.17 giuâ—â—â— a profitable caveat Take heed to thy feet when thou enterest into the house of God intimating thus much that of duty we are to enter into the house of God Though the Temple in Ierusalem and all the worship in ceremonies that was annexed to it are taken away yet iâ— Solomons caveat good for vs still Take heed to thy feet when thou enterest into the house of God For we also haue Gods house where hee is chiefly to be
sought and worshiped even in every place appointed by publike authoritie for publike assemblies Wherefore I pray you hath God given his Church a 1. Cor. 12 27. some Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists some Pastors some Teachers Is it not as we are taught Ephes 4.12 for the gathering together of the Saints for the worke of the ministerie and for the edifying of the Body of Christ See you not here a forcible argument and evident proofe for this your publike meeting There is Matth. 18.20 a speciall promise of a blessing to light vpon you as oft as you shall come to this place and thereof the author of all truth assureth you Where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them O weigh and consider this If you loue would haue the societie fellowship company of your sweet Saviour Iesus Christ you must frequent this place hither must you come Knowe this you cannot be right worshippers of God in private if you refuse or neglect to frequent this publike assemblie the Sion the Ierusalem from whence God is pleased to speake vnto you Much then very much to blame you whosoever doe for none or for smal occasions absent your selues from this place this house of God at appointed times where when your publike prayers should be as it were a publike renouÌ„cing of al sects and societie with idolatrie and prophanesse an acknowledgement and confession of the true God and a publike sanctification of Gods holy Name to the glory of God The time was and I dare avouch it Act. 21.5 when all the congregation of Tyre with their wiues and children bringing St Paul out of the towne to the sea shore kneeled downe with him and prayed Shall we in these daies finde this zeale among Christians I much doubt it and am perswaded men will bee ashamed in imitation of those Tyrians to kneele downe in an open place to pray vnto God publikely I will not rub this soare I know somewhat and you knowe more then I how backward many of you haue beene froÌ„ doing God due service in this place Shall I say you haue dishonoured him some by irreverence some by much absence some by wilfull refusall to bee made partakers of the blessed Communion of the body and bloud of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ I thinke should any one of you invite your neighbour to sup with you but once he refuse it you would take some displeasure at him and shall God Almightie the mightie creatour of Heaven of Earth of all you that heare mâ— this day invite you many times to come and suppe at the table of his blessed Sonne and you refuse it Beleeue it hee cannot take it well It is no indifferent or arbitrary thing to come or not to come to the Lords table Come you must of duty though of duty you are first to examine your selues Whosoever therefore wilfully refuseth to come he sinneth very grievously as a learned b Bucanus Loc. 48. Divine well noteth 1 Because he contemneth not any humane but a divine edict the expresse commandement of the Lord of life Doe this in remembrance of me 2 Because he little esteemeth the remembrance of Christ his death by which we are redeemed 3 Because he neglecteth the communion of the body and bloud of Christ 4 Because he sheweth himselfe to be none of the number of Christs disciples I beseech you dearely beloved lay vp these things in your harts let this day be the beginning of your reformatioÌ„ resolue from hence forth to perfourme your due obedience to God in this place to poure forth your praiers before him to heare his holy word and to frequent the Lords table whereby faith in his death and passion you may receiue many a gracious blessing forgiuenes of your sinnes your reconciliation with God the death of iniquity in you and the assured pledge of eternall life I haue now by occasion of SION and IERVSALEM the place from whence God will speake vnto yâ—â— exhorted every one of you in particular to come to the Church I pray you note this to be but a part of your duty It is not enough for you to come your selues to the Church you must sollicite and exhort others to come likewise Fathers must bring their children Masters must bring their Servants For old and yong should come My warrant for what I say I take out of Ioel. 2.15 16. Calla solemne assembly gather the people sanctifie the congregation gather the elders assemble the childreÌ„ those that suck the breasts Marke I beseech you Children and such as sucke the breasts must be assembled You must haue the spirit of resolution to say with Ioshua cha 24.15 I my house will serue the LORD Your duty is yet further extended beyond your children servants to your neighbours also strangers if they come in your way This we may learne out of the prophecies of Esay Micah and Zacharie First Esay 2.3 The faithfull shall say Come and let vs go vp to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob and he will teach vs his waies we wil walke in his pathes for the law shall go forth of SION and the word of the Lord from IERVSALEM Againe Micah 4.2 You shall finde the very same exhortation made by the faithfull and in the same words Come and let vs go vp to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob c. The Prophet Zachary chap. 8.21 for summe and substance speaketh the same thing They that dwell in one towne shall go vnto another saying vp let vs go and pray before the LORD seeke the LORD of hoastes I will go also Thus farre of the place from whence the Lord speaketh expressed by two names Sion and Ierusalem THE FIFTH LECTVRE AMOS 1.2 And he said the LORD shall roare from SION and vtter his voice from IERVSALEM and the dwelling places of the shepheards shall perish and the top of CARMEL shall wither OF the speaker place from whence he speaketh I haue heretofore spokeÌ„ Now proceed we to the sequels of the speech which shall for this time bee the ground of my discourse The dwelling places of the shepheards shall perish So doe the words sound for their substance Yet after the letter in the originall Hebrew copie we are to read otherwise the fruitfull or pleasant places of the shepheards haue mourned Let vs briefly take a view of the words as they lie in order The dwelling places So is the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 englished not vnfitly For though properly it signifieth fruitfull and pleasant fields and pastures yet because shepheards did vse in the wildernesse neere vnto such fields pastures to erect themselues little cottages and cabins that they might bee at hand to defend their harmelesse sheepe from savage and ravenous beasts it may here well be englished the dwelling places
ruinate nations to torment his owne bowels in the similitude of sinnefull flesh because of sinne he drowned the old world and because of sin ere long will burne this All this maketh for the truth of my propounded doctrine Three transgressions and fowre that is Many sinnes do pluck downe from heaven the most certaine wrath and vengeance of God vpon the sinners A lesson dearely beloved able to make vs if grace be in vs to be wary and to take heed that we bee not overtaken with three transgressions with fowre It is a very dangerous thing to adde sinne to sinne This is done h Perkins Cas Consc three manner of waies 1 By committing one sinne in the necke of another 2 By falling often into the same sinne 3 By lying in sinne without repentance Here we must remember that we are not simply coÌ„demned for our particular sinnes but for our continuance residence in them Our sins committed do make vs worthy of damnation but our living and abiding in them without repentance is the thing that brings damnation Great is the i D. King B. of London in Ion. Lect. 31. strength that sin gathereth by growing and going forwards The growth of sin k In Amos 1.3 Albertus Magnus shaddoweth in marshaling the order of sinning first is peccatum cogitationis next loquutionis thirdly operis then desperationis The beginning of sinne is inward an evil thought it hasteth out into an evil word then followeth the wicked worke what is the end of all Desperation waited on by finall impenitencie This growth of sin S. Hierome plainely expresseth The first step is cogitare quae mala sunt a wicked thought the next cogitationibus adquiescere peruersis to like wel of wicked thoughts the third quod mente decreveris opere complere to put that in action which thou hast wickedly imagined What is the ende of all Non agere poenitentiam in suo sibi complacere delicto even impenitencie and a delight or pleasure to do naughtely Hugo the Cardinall in sins proceeding noteth 1 Suggestion 2 Consent 3 Action 4 Custome and pleasure therein Suggestion is from the Devill who casteth into our hearts impure and vngodly thoughts the rest are froÌ„ our selues such is the corruption of our nature we readily consent to the Devils motion what he moues vs to we act accordingly we take pleasure in it and make it our custome This Custome is not only a graue to bury our soules in but a great stone also rolled to the mouth of it to keepe them downe for ever I say no more to this point but beseech you for Gods sake to be wary and heedfull that you bee not overtaken with three transgressions and with fowre You haue now my propounded doctrine and the first vse to bee made of it My doctrine was Three transgressions and foure that is Many sinnes do pluck downe from heauen the most certaine wrath and vengeance of God vpon the sinners The first vse is to make vs wary and heedfull that we be not overtaken with with three transgressions and with foure A second vse is to moue vs to a serious coÌ„templation of the wonderfull patience of Almightie God who did so graciously forbeare to punish those Syrians of Damascus till they had provoked him to displeasure by three transgressions and by foure God is mercifull and gracious long suffering of great goodnesse He cryeth vnto the fooles and are not wee such fooles Prou. 1.22 O yee foolish how long wil yee loue foolishnes He cryeth vnto the faithlesse and is our faith living Matth. 17.17 O generation faithlesse and crooked how long now shall I suffer you He cryeth 〈◊〉 the Iewes and are not we as bad as the Iewes O 〈◊〉 Iâ—â—â—salem 〈◊〉 often Hee dressed his vineyard with the bâ—â—t and â—â—â—dliest husbandry that his heart could invent 〈…〉 he looked for fruit hee required it 〈…〉 first hâ—â—â—e but â—arrying the full time hee looked that it should being forth grapes in the autumne and time of vintage He wayteth for the fruite of his l Luk. 13.6 figgtree three yeares and is content to be entreated that digging and dunging and expectation a fourth yeare may be bestowed vpon it Thus we see Gods patience is wonderfull He is mercifull gracious long suffering and of great goodnes Yet may we not hereon presume Our safest way shall be to rise at the first call if we differre our obedience to the second call we may be prevented Then may God iustly say to vs as hee said vnto the Iewes Esai 65.12 I called and ye did not answere I spake and yee heard not And albeit some fal seaven times a day rise againe albeit to some sinners it pleaseth the Lord to iterate his sufferance yet may not we take encouragement thereby to iterate our misdoings Wee know that God punished his Angels in heaven for one breach Adam for one morsell Miriam for one sclander Moses for one angry word Achan for one sacrilege Ezechias for once shewing his treasures to the Embassadours of Babel Iosias for once going to warre without asking counsell of the LORD and Ananias and Sapphira for once lying to the holy Ghost Is the Lords hand now shortned that he cannot be as speedy and quicke in avenging himselfe vpon vs for our offences Farre be it from vs so to thinke God is not slacke in comming as some count slacknes He maketh the clowds his Chariots he rideth vpon the Cherubins he flieth with the wings of the winde and so he commeth and commeth quickly and his reward is with him to giue to every one according as his workes shall be THE SEAVENTH LECTVRE AMOS 1.3 Because they haue threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of yron THis is the third part of this Prophecie the description of that great sinne by which the Syrians so much offended Let vs first examine the words Gilead Gilead or Galaad or Galeed in holy Scripture is sometime a hill sometime a city and sometime a regioÌ„ or cuntry A hill Gen. 13. So named as appeareth vers the 47. of the heape of stones which was made thereon as a witnesse of the league betweene Iacob and Laban for Gilead is interpreted an a Acervus testimonii heape of witnesse This mountaine Gilead is the b Adrichom greatest of al beyond Iordan it is in length 50 miles and as it is continued and runneth a long it receiueth diverse names From Arnon to the city Cedar it is called Galaad theÌ„ to Bozra it is named Seir afterward Hermon and so reaching to Damascus it is ioined to Libanus and therefore as St. * Comment in hunc locuÌ„ Hierome saith in the 22. of Ierem. verse 6. Lebanon is called the head or beginning of Galeed Gilead or Galaad or Galeed is also a city built vpon mount Gilead as St Hierome witnesseth Here was borne and buried the valiant captaine and iudge of Israel Iephte when hee had iudged Israel six yeares as
of Babel worthy to be destroyed blessed shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served vs blessed shal he be that taketh and dasheth thy children against the stones This reward of Babel is enlarged Esay 13.16 Their children shall be broken in peeces before their eies their houses shall be spoiled and their wiues ravished Thus not to trouble you with many examples we see by the reward of crueltie in the examples of Adonibezek Agag the Babylonians that God abhorreth it God abhorreth cruelty howsoever he doth punish it with another crueltie God repaieth crueltie with cruelty according to the wel known proverb Matth. 7.2 With what measure you mete with the same shall men measure to you againe The vse of the doctrine now confirmed is to work in vs the loue of clemency and mercifulnesse When we are wel assured that the cruell themselues shal tast of cruelty by way of punishment we will be afraid to behaue our selues towards any cruellie All crueltie is checked by the law of God by the sixt coÌ„mandement Thou shalt doe no murder or Thou shalt not kill The law that is written Deut. 25.3 touching fortie stripes not aboue to be giueÌ„ to an offender should draw our cruell rage and fierce affections to pitie compassion The tenour of the law is If a wicked man be condemned to be beaten the iudge shall cause him to lie downe and to bee beaten before his face according to his trespasse vnto a certaine number fortie stripes shall he cause him to haue and not past lest if he should exceed beat him aboue that with many stripes thy brother should appeare despised in thy sight We may be many waies guiltie of crueltie First if we exercise tyrannous cruelty in inflicting punishmeÌ„ts This we know by the aboue cited place out of Deut. 25. Secondly if we fight with or beate our neighbour or maime his body This is a 〈◊〉 a breach of the sixt commaundement but specially 〈◊〉 Levit. 24.19 20. If a man cause anie blemish in 〈…〉 hath done so shall it be done to him Breach for 〈…〉 for tâ—â—th such a blemish as hee hath make in any 〈◊〉 such shall be repaiâ—d to him Thirdly if we procure any way the death of our neighbour whether it be by the sword by famine by poison by false accusatioÌ„ or otherwise This is a cruelty and a breach of the sixt coÌ„mandement The offender in this behalfe may bee rankt with Cain Gen. 4.8 where it is said Caine rose against his brother slew him Fourthly if wee vse any of Gods creatures hardly This is a cruelty and a breach of the sixt commandement but speciallie controlled Deut. 22.6 If thou finde a birds nest in the way in any tree or on the ground whether they be yong or egs and the damme sitting vpon the yong or vpoÌ„ the egs thou shalt not take the damme with the yong but shalt in any wise let the damme goe and take the yong to thee that thou maist prosper and proâ—ing thy daies This speciall cruelty is taxed Prov. 12.10 where we are told That the righteous man regardeth the life of his beast Fiftly if because of our neighbours infirmities we vse him discourteously and make him our laughing stock or taunting recreation This is a cruelty and a breach of the sixt commandement but specially checked Levit. 19.14 Thou shalt not curse the dâ—â—st nor put a stumbling blocke before the blinde Sixtly if we iniurie a stranger This a cruelty and specially controlled Exod. 22.21 Thou shalt not doe iniurie to a stranger neither oppresse him Seaventhly if we molest any widowe or fatherlesse childe This is a cruelty and specially checkt Exod. 22.22 Yee shall not trouble any widow or fatherlesse child Eightly if we wrong the poore This is a cruelty a breach of the sixt commandement This cruelty we are guilty of many waies First if we lend mony to the poore vpon vsury This crueltie is taxed Exod. 22.25 If thou lend mony to the poore with thee thou shalt not be as an vsurer vnto him yee shall not oppresse him with vsury Secondly if we pay not the poore labourer his hire This cruelty is taxed Deut. 24.14 Thou shalt not oppresse a needy and poore hired servant thou shalt giue him his hire for his day the Sun shall not go downe vpon it for he is poore and therwith sustaineth his life lest he cry against thee to the LORD and it be sin vnto thee Thirdly if we restore not the pledge of the poore This cruelty is taxed Exod. 22.26 If thou take thy neighbours rayment to pledge thou shalt restore it vnto him before the Sun go downe For it is his only covering and garment for his skin Fourthly if we withdraw our corne froÌ„ the poore This cruelty is taxed Prov. 11.26 He that withdraweth corne the people will curse him Whosoever he be that withdraweth his corne froÌ„ the market where it should be sold keeping it against a deare time the people will curse him they will speake as they haue iust occasion all manner of evill of him as that he is a covetous and miserable wretch Now dearely beloved you haue beene taught out of the eternall word of trueth that many waies you may be guilty of cruelty and so breake the sixt commandement of Almightie God If you fight with or beat your neighbour or maime his body if by any meanes you procure the death of your neighbour if you vse your neighbour discourteously or make him your laughing stock or tauÌ„ting recreatioÌ„ if you vse any of Gods creatures hardly if you iniurie strangers if you molest fatherlesse children widowes if you be too severe in punishing your servants or children if you wrong the poore either by lending him your mony vpon vsury or by not paying him his hire or by not restoring him his pledge or by with drawing your corne from him if you offend but in the lest of these you are guilty of cruelty and transgressors of Gods holy commandement The coÌ„sideration whereof if it worke in you the loue of clemencie mercifulnesse happy are you if not I haue discharged my duety Thus 〈…〉 can câ—â—ried by my first doctrine grounded vpon these words They haue threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of 〈◊〉 My doctrine was God is never wel pleased with 〈…〉 Now be patient I beseech you while vpon the same words I ground a seâ—oâ—d doctrine They haue threshed Gilead with threshing instrumeÌ„ts of yron They that is the Syrians Gods enemies haue threshed Gilead that is some of the Israelites Gods own people with threshing instruments of yron The lesson we learne from hence is God often humbleth his servants vnder his foes and their adversaries This point is notably verified in Lot sore pressed vpon by the Sodomites Gen 19.9 in the Israelites hardly dealt with by the Aegyptians Exod. 1.11 c. in the 70. breâ—hren sons of Ierabbam persecuted by Abâ—molech most of the â—nto the death
Iudg. 9.5 in Ieremie twise evill entreated first beaten and put in the stocks by Pashare Ier. 20.2 and a second time beaten imprisoned by Zâ—dechias his nobles Ierem. 37.15 In the three children cast into the fiery fornace by Nabuchodonosor Dan. 5.21 Many more are the examples registred in the booke of God fit to proue this point which also may further appeare vnto you in those bloody persecutions after Christ his death by the Romane Emperours in those strange torments which they devised to keepe downe religion and religious professours men women they plucked of their skins quicke they boared out their eies with wimbles they broyled theÌ„ aliue on gredirons they scalded them in boiling liquors they enclosed theÌ„ in barrels and driving great nailes through tumbled them downe mountaines till their owne bloud so cruelly drawne out stiffled choaked them in the barrels womens breasts were scared of with burning yrons their bodies rent and their iointes racked Many more were the grievous torments endured by the faithfull in the time of the ten first persecutions in the primitiue Church All and every of which doe strongly proue my doctrine God often humbleth his servants vnder his foes and their adversaries The reason why God humbleth his servants vnder his and their enemies is their disobedience to his word This is plaine Deut. 28.36 37. If thou wilt not obey the voice of the LORD thy God to keepe and to do all his commandements his ordinances the LORD shall bring thee and thy king vnto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers haue knowne and there shalt thou serue other Gods wood stone And thou shalt be a wonder a proverb and a common talke among all the people whether the LORD shall carry thee Where you see captivity and banishment denounced to Gods owne people if they disobey his word You haue now my doctrine and the reason of it My doctrine God often humbleth his servants vnder his foes and their adversaries The reason is The disobedience of Gods servants to the word of God The vses of this doctrine 1 To shew vnto vs how great Gods anger is for sinne that doth punish it so severely even in his dearest children The coÌ„sideration hereof should worke in vs a loathing hatred detestatioÌ„ of sin Yet such is the perversity of our corrupt natures that we daily fleet from sin to sin like the fly that shifteth from sore to sore we tempt the LORD we murmur we lust we commit idolatrie we haue our eies full of adultery our hearts exercised with covetousnes our bodies weakned with druÌ„kennes by all meanes we serue the flesh sitting downe to eate rising to play Never more need then now to smite our brests pray with the Publicane Luk. 18.13 O God be mercifull vnto vs sinners 2 To teach vs not to measure the favour of God towards our selues or others by the blessings or adversities of this life seeing the wicked do often flourish wheÌ„ the godly are in great misery and on the other side the godly do prosper when the wicked are in distresse In my text we see the Gileadites a portion of ISRAEL threshed with instruâ—â—â—tâ— of 〈◊〉 by the â—ands of a wicked people and Gods enemies the Syrians of Damascus Behold the prosperity of the wicked In Exod. 14. we see the children of Israel passing through the red sea aâ— by dry land whereas the Egyptians assaying to do the like were drowned Behold the prosperity of the Godly Measure not therfore the favour of God by the blessings or adversities of this life Whatsoever our estate bee now or hereafter shall be let vs therewith be contented If God be pleased to blesse vs with peace plenty and prosperity blessed be his holy Name if he shall not like so to blesse vs but shall rather chastise vs with trouble want and adversity yet still blessed bee his holy Name and his will be done 3 To make vs power out our soules in thankfulnes before Almighty God for our present estate and condition We know that our sworne enemies the Popish crew and faction haue of long time envyed and malized our happy peace Had they had power according to their will how would they haue vsed vs Would they not haue threshed vs with threshing instrumentes of yron What mercy or pity could be expected from them who with so inhumane barbarous and cruel a plot their plot of gunpowder the like wherof was never before heard of would haue blowne vp and torne piecemeale the King Queene Prince Lords and Commons the fift of November i This SermoÌ„ was preached Sept. 21. 1606 last as you well know what shal we render vnto the LORD for this so great a deliverance Let vs render the calues of our lips applying Davids song of degrees Psalme 124. to our present purpose 1 If the Lord had not beene on our side may great Britaine now say 2 If the LORD had not beene on our side when the Popish sect rose vp against vs. 3 They had swallowed vs vp quicke when their wrath was kindled against vs. 4 Then had their k Seaven sparkes of the enkindled soule by R.B.P. Psal 2. pag. 33. fury flien forth as thunder the flame had burst out beyond the fornace 5 Then had we beene like l Ibid. stubble in their way 6 Praised be the LORD who hath not given vs a pray vnto their teeth 7 Our soule is escaped even as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers the snare is broken and we are delivered 8 Our helpe is in the name of the LORD who hath made heaven and earth To this thankefulnes I purpose further to incite you if God giue life and leaue vpon the fift of November next the day appointed by act of parliament for your publique thanksgiving for that most happy deliverance My text shall bee the Psalme now applyed vnto vs the 124. Meane time let vs beseech Almighty God to giue his blessing to that which hath beene spoken that it may fructifie and bring forth fruit in vs in some thirty in some sixty in some a hundred fold to the glory of Gods holy name and the salvation of our owne soules THE EIGHTH LECTVRE AMOS 1.4 Therefore will I send a fire into the house of HAZAEL and it shall devoure the palaces of BENHADAD c. THis is the fourth part of this prophecy against the Syrians wherein are set downe the punishments to be inflicted vpoÌ„ the Syrians for their sinnes as first I noted Generally verse the 4th Specially verse the 5th In the fourth verse wherein the punishments to be inflicted vpon the Syrians are generally set downe I note 1 Who punisheth 2 How he punisheth 3 Whom he punisheth The punisher is the LORD he punisheth by fire The punished are the Syrians to be vnderstood in the names of their Kings Hazael and Benhadad I will send a fire into the house of Hazael and it shall devoure the palaces of Benhadad
LORD that he may out off their memorial from the earth So it 's vsed Ezech. 14.13 Sonne of man when a land sinneth against me by committing a trespasse then will I stretch out mine hand vpō it and will breake the staffe of bread thereof and wil send famine vpon it and will cut off man and beast from it I will cut off that is I will destroy both man and beast from a sinfull land I omit many like places of holy writte and commend vnto you but one more parallell to this in my text It is in the 3. ver of the 2. chap. of this prophecie There thus saith the LORD I will cut of the iudge out of the midst of Moab as here in my text I will cut off the inhabitant of Bikeath-Aven and verse the 8. I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod I will cut off whether the iudge out of the middest of Moab or the inhabitant from Ashdod or the inhabitant of Bikeath-Aven the meaning is one and the same I will cut off that is I will vtterly destroy or extinguish Which to bee the meaning of the word the author of the Vulgar Latin acknowledgeth translating the word in the originall not excindam as indeed it signifieth I will cut off but disperdā I will destroy So do the Seaventy Interpreters in their Greeke edition of the Bible here translating the Hebrew word not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as indeed it signifieth I will cut off but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will vtterly or altogether destroy overthrowe and extinguish I will cut off the inhabitant the inhabitant what but one yes all and every one of the inhabitants The Holy Spirit in the sacred Scripture vseth so to speake by a word of the singular nūber to vnderstand more then one yea all of that kinde which kind of speech is analogically reduced to the figure Synocdoche Let vs see the truth of this in a few instances In Exod. 8.6 it is said when Aarō stretched out his hand vpō the waters of Egypt that then the frogge came vp and covered the land The frogge It were senselesse to thinke that one frogge could cover the land of Egypt and therefore by the frogge we are to vnderstand many frogges In Num. 21.7 the Israelites desired Moses to pray to the LORD that he would take away from them the Serpent The serpent what but one It is out of doubt that the people meant all the fierie serpents sent among them by the LORD to sting them to death of which wee read verse the 6. Ieremie in chap. 8.7 saith that the storke the turtle the crane the swallow doe knowe obserue their appointed times The storke the turtle the crane the swallow We may not thinke the Prophet singleth out one storke one turtle one crane one swallow from the rest but his meaning is of all storkes turtles cranes swallowes that they knowe obserue their appointed times As in the now cited places so here in my text the holy Ghost vseth one number for another the singular for the plurall vnderstanding by one inhabitant all the inhabitants of Bikeath-Aven Of Bikeath-Aven the Greek Translators taking the words partly appellatiuely and partly properly doe render them the field of On. In like sort Gualter the valley of Aven The author of the Vulgar Latin vnderstanding them wholy appellatiuely rendreth them the field of the Idol and so they may signifie the plaine of Aven the plaine of griefe the plaine of sorrow as Calvin observeth Innius and Tremellius doe render it as before Gualter è convalle Avenis the valley of Aven vnderstanding thereby the whole coast of Chamatha which way Syria bordereth vpon Arabia surnamed the Desert Calvin saith it is vncertain whether Bikeath-Aven be a proper name of a place or no yet saith he it is probable Drusius following the Hebrew Doctors affirmeth that it is the proper name of a city in Syria Mercer the learned professour of Paris ioineth with him And our English Geneva Translatiō draweth vs to be of the same mind that Bikeath-Aven is a proper name of a city in Syria The same opinion must we hold of Beth-Eden in the next clause that it is a proper name of a city in Syria of which opinion I find Mercer and Drusius and our English Translators at Geneva to haue beene And Calvin holds it to bee credible though he translates it the house of Eden so Gualter doth so doth Tremellius who by the house of Eden vnderstandeth the whole country of of Coelesyria wherein stood the city Eden The author of the Vulgar Latin takes Beth-Eden for an appellatiue and translates it the house of pleasure Such indeed is the significatiō of the word and it is by Arias Montanus Ribera applied to signifie the city of Damascus as if Damascus were there called not only Bikeath-Aven that is the field of the Idol because of the Idolatrie there vsed but also Beth-Eden that is the house of pleasure because of the pleasant situation thereof But I retaine the proper name Beth-Eden and take it for a city in Syria wherein the King of Syria had a palace and mansion house Which I take to be plaine in my text where the LORD threatneth to cut off him that holdeth the scepter out of Beth-Eden Him that holdeth the scepter that is the King keeping his court at Beth-Eden For I see not any absurditie in it if I say that the King of Syria had a mansion house as well at Beth-Eden as at Damascus and that at this time the court lay at Beth-Eden Him that holdeth the scepter This is a periphrasis or circumlocution of a King A scepter is Regium gestamen and insigne potestatis Regiae a Kingly mace the proper ensigne or token of Kingly power Whence in the best of Greeke Poets Homer Kings are called * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 86. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scepter-bearers Hereby wee vnderstand what we read in the storie of Hester chap. 8.4 King Assuerus hold out his golden scepter toward Hester And that Gen. 49.10 The scepter shall not depart from Iudah In the former place Assuerus maketh shew of his kingly favour vnto Hester by holding out his mace vnto her in the later Iacob prophecieth of the stabilitie and continuance of the Kingdome in the tribe of Iudah till the comming of the Messias Here then he that holdeth the scepter in Beth-Eden is the King abiding in Beth-Eden Hitherto beloved haue I laboured to vnfold the words of my text I will cut of the inhabitant of Bikeath-Aven him that holdeth the scepter out of Beth-eden I the LORD with my mighty power will cut off will vtterly consume and destroie the inhabitant not one only but every one that dwelleth in Bikeath-Aven the so named city of Syria There will I not staie my hand but I will also with my mighty power cut of vtterly consume and destroy him that holdeth the scepter not only the
vnder-magistrate but the King him selfe out of Beth-eden another so named city of Syria Bikeath-Aven shall not bee able to defend her inhabitants nor Beth-eden her king I will cut of c. Thus farre the exposition Now some notes of instruction You wil be pleased to remember with me my three propouÌ„ded circumstances 1 The punisher the LORD 2 The punishment a cutting of 3 The punished the inhabitant of Bikeath-Aven and the King of Beth-eden From the first circumstance The LORD himselfe taking veÌ„geance into his owne hands ariseth this doctrine It is proper to the LORD to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes Which truth having beene often coÌ„mended to your Christian considerations in former lectures I now let passe From all three circumstances of the punisher the punishment and the punished iointly considered arise other profitable doctrines First we see that the cutting of of the inhabitant of Bikeath-Aven and of him that holdeth the scepter out of Beth-eden is the LORDS proper worke The lesson which wee may take from hence is this No calamity or misery befalleth any one of whatsoever estate or degree by chance or at adventure It was an errour of the Paynims to holde fortune in so high account b Iuven. Sat. 10. Te facimus Fortuna DEAM coeloque locamus They esteemed her as a goddesse and assigned her a place in Heaven They presented her by the image of a womaÌ„ sitting sometimes vpon a ball sometimes vpon a wheele having with her a rasour c Pierius Hieroglyph lib. 29. bearing in her right hand the sterne of a ship in her left the horne of abundance by the rasour they would giue vs to vnderstand that shee can at her pleasure cut of and end our happinesse by the ball or wheele that shee is very prone to volubility and change by the sterne in her right hand that the whole course of our life is vnder her government by the horne of abundance in her left hand that all our plenty is from her This palpable idolatry of the Gentiles giving the glory of the most high to their base and inglorious abominations we Christians must vtterly renounce We honor the LORD of hoasts alone and to him alone do we ascribe the soveraignety dominion and rule of the whole world Such is the extent of Gods wonderfull and eternall providence The whole world with all things therein is wholy alone subiect to the soveraignety dominion and rule of Almighty God by his providence all things are preserved all things are ruled all things are ordered These are the three degrees by which you may discerne take notice of the Act of divine providence The first is Gradus conservationis The second Gradus gubernationis The third Gradus ordinationis The first degree is of maintenance or preseruation the second is of rule and gouernment the third is of ordination and 〈◊〉 The first degree which I termed gradum conservationis the degree of maintenance and preservation implieth thus much that all things in generall and every thing in particular are by Almighty God sustained ordinarily in the same state of nature and naturall proprieties wherein they were created This truth is excellently explained Psal 104. 145. 147. In which the Psalmist ioyfully singeth out of the wonderfull ProvideÌ„ce of God in the maintenance and preservation of man every other creature the beasts of the field the foules of the aire the fishes of the sea d Psalm 104.10.11 Hee sendeth the springs into the valleys that all the beasts of the field may drinke and the wild asses quench their thirst e Psal 147.8 Ps 104 13 He covereth the heaven with cloudes prepareth raine for the earth maketh grasse to grow even vpoÌ„ mountaines that cattle may haue food hee hath made the mountaines f Psal 104.18 to be a refuge for gooâ—s and rockes for conies the Lyons g Vers 21. roaring after their prey seeke their meat at him You see Gods care and providence for the preservation of the beasts of the field see the like for the foules of the aire Hee hath planted the h Psal 104.16 Cedars of Lebanon for birds to make their nests there and the firre trees for the storkes to dwell in the young i Ps 147 9. ravens that cry vnto him hee feedeth Our Saviour Iesus Christ Matth. 6.26 calles you to this consideration Behold saith he the foules of heauen they sow not nor reape nor carry into barnes yet your heavenly father feedeth them Gods care and providence for the preservation of his creatures here resteth not it reacheth even to the bottome of the sea There is great k Psal 104.26 Leviathan there are creeping things innumerable small and great all which wait vpon the LORD that he may giue them food in due season In due season he giues them food they gather it he openeth his hand and they are filled with good O LORD how manifold are thy works l Psal 104.24 In wisdome hast thou made them all the whole world is full of thy riches The next degree whereby we may discerne the act of divine providence I termed 〈◊〉 â—â—bernation is the degree of rule and governement It implyeth 〈…〉 that Almighty God for his vnlimited power gouerneth all things in the world and ruleth them pro libertate voluntatis sua even as he listeth This point is delivered not obscurely in many places of holy Scripture as in those generall and vniversall sayings which doe proue God Almightie even this day to work in the world and to doe all in all In Esai 43.13 thus saith the LORD Yea before the day was I am and there is none that can deliuer out of mine hand I will doe it and who shall let it Agreeable to this are the words of our Saviour Iohn 5.17 My father worketh hitherto and I worke From both these places we may truly inferre that God worketh in the gouernement of this world day after day even vntill the end thereof which St Paul Ephes 1.11 avoweth He worketh all things after the counsaile of his owne wil. To the consideration hereof Elihu stirreth vp afflicted Iob chap. 37. wishing him to consider the wonderous workes of God the cloudes and his light shining out of them the thunder Gods marvailous and glorious voice the snow the frost the whirlewind the raine all these God ruleth and governeth after his good pleasure And who I pray you ruleth man and mans affaires but the LORD O LORD saith Ierem. chap. 10.23 I knowe that the way of man is not in himselfe neither is it in man to walke and to direct his steps King Solomon confesseth as much Prov. 20.24 The steps of man are ruled by the LORD From this ruling providence of God King David Psal 23.1 drew vnto himselfe a very comfortable argument The LORD feedeth me therefore I shall not want Let vs as comfortably reason with our selues The LORD feedeth vs therefore we
shall not want It is spoken to our never ending comfort by our blessed Saviour Matth. 10.29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing one of them falleth not on the ground without your father Feare yee not therefore yee are of more value then many sparrowes In the same place he further assureth that all the haires of our head are numbred Doth Gods care reach to the falling of the haires of our hâ—â—d 〈◊〉 can we doubt of 〈…〉 rule and government in 〈…〉 â—â—mightie God for his vnlimited power 〈◊〉 all things in the world and ruleth them pro liberâ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 sua even as he listeth The third degree by which wee may discerne the act of divine providence I called gradum ordinationis the degree of ordination or direction It implieth thus much that God of his admirable wisdome ordeineth setteth in order whatsoever things in the world seeme to be most out of order hee bringeth them all to his chiefly intended end all must make for his glorie In this divine ordination three things doe concurre Constitutio finis mediorum ad finem dispositio and Dispositorum directio First God appointeth an end to every thing secondly hee disposeth meanes vnto the end thirdly hee directeth the meanes so disposed To discourse of these particulars severally would carry mee beyond my time and your patience I will but only touch the generall which was God of his admirable wisdome ordaineth or setteth in order whatsoever things in the world seem to be most out of order he bringeth them all to his chiefly intended end they al make for his glorie Herevpon dependeth the truth of my propounded doctrine inviolable No calamitie or miserie befalleth any one of whatsoever estate or degree by chance or at adventure For if it be true as true it is and the gates of Hell shal never be able to prevaile against it that God by his wonderfull providence maintaineth and preserueth ruleth governeth ordereth disposeth and directeth al things in this world even to the very haires of our heads it cannot be that any calamitie or misery should befall any one of vs by adventure by hap-hazzard by chance by fortune The Epicure in the booke of Iob 22.13 was in a fowle errour to thinke that God walking in the circle of heaven cannot through the darke cloudes see our misdoings iudge vs for them Dearely beloued wee may not thinke our God to bee a m See Lect. 1. pag. 10. God to halfes and in part only a God aboue and not beneath the moone a God vpon the mountaines and not in the valleys a God in the greater and not in the lesser employments We may not thus thinke Wee haue liued long enough to haue learned better things out of Amos 9. Ierem. 23. Psal 139. that God is every where present and that there is no evasion from him No corner in Hell no mansion in heaven no caue in the top of Carmel no fishes belly in the bottome of the sea no darke dungeon in the land of captivitie no place of any secrecie any where is able to hide vs from the presence of God We haue learned Zach. 4.10 that God hath seaven eies which goe through the whole world You may interpret them with me many millions of eyes Hee is * Hieroymus in illud Psal 94.9 Qui plantavit aurem non audiet aut qui finxit oculum noÌ„ coÌ„siderat Ego autem dico quod Deus totus OCVLVS est totus MANVS est totus PES est Totus OCVLVS est quia omnia videt Totus MANVS est quia omnia operatur Totus PES est quia ubique est totus OCVLVS altogether eye for he saith all things We haue learned Esai 40.12 that God hath hands to measure the waters and to span the heavens You may interpret it with me that he hath many millions of hands He is totus MANVS altogether hand for hee worketh all things We haue learned Matth. 5.35 that God hath feete to set vpon his footstoole You may interpret it with mee that hee hath many millions of feet Hee is totus PES altogether foote for he is every where We shall then be very iniurious to God if we deny him the oversight of the smallest matters The holy Scriptures doe evidently shew that he examineth the least moments and titles in the world that we can imagine n Suprà pag. 10. to a handfull of meale to a cruse of oyle in a poore widowes house to the falling of sparrowes to the ground to the clothing of the grasse in the field to the feeding of the birds of the aire to the calving of hindes to the numbring of the haires of our heads Wherefore dearely beloued in the LORD whatsoever calamitie or miserie hath already seised vpon vs or shall hereafter overtake vs let vs not lay it vpon blind Fortune but looke wee to the hand that striketh vs. Hee who is noted in my text to cut off the inhabitant of Bikeath-Aven him that holdeth the scepter out of 〈…〉 that for our 〈◊〉 bringeth vpon vs 〈…〉 The late 〈…〉 â—â—ging vpon this land to the vtter destruction of greâ—â— store of cattell and much people and the late rot of sheepe in this other places of this land are Gods visitations vpon vs for our sinnes and admonishments for vs to amend our liues Shall there be evill in a city and the Lord hath not done it saith Amos chap. 3.6 It 's out of question there is no evill in the city no not in the world but the LORDS finger is in it and that iustly for our sinnes sake What remaineth but that we rent our hearts and turne vnto the LORD our God He is gracious mercifull slow to anger of great kindnes and repenteth him of evill How knowe we whether hee will returne and repent and leaue a blessing behinde him for vs Let vs therefore go boldly vnto the throne of grace that we may receiue mercy and finde grace to helpe in time of need THE ELEVENTH LECTVRE AMOS 1.5 The people of Aram shall goe into captivity vnto Kir saith the LORD WEe goe on with that which yet remaineth vnexpounded in this 5. verse The people of Aram Aram registred Gen. 10.22 to be one of the sonnes of Sem was the father author or founder of the Aramites or Syrians a Tremellius Willet in Genes 10.22 whereof it is that the Scythians after their return out of Asia and Syria were called Aramâ—â— Aramites Plin. lib. 6. cap. 17. This country of Aram or Syria was divided into sundry regions 2. Sam. 10.8 You may read of Aram Soba Aram Rehob Aram Ishtob and Arum Maacah from which provinces there went a multitude of Aramites to aid the Ammonites in their warre against King David The successe of their expedition is recorded ver the 18. David destroyed seaven hundred chariots of the Aramites and forty thousand horsemen So let them all perish who make head and band themselues together against the
LORDS annointed 2. Sam. 8.6 You may read of Aram of Damascus out of which part there went a great multitude to succour Hadadezer king of Soba against David Their successe is recorded in the same place David slew of the Aramites two and twentie thousand men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let them al likewise perish who make heâ—d 〈◊〉 themseluâ—s togâ—ther against the LORDS annointed 1. Chron. 〈…〉 which is by in◠〈…〉 lying betweene the 〈…〉 commonly knowne by the name of b Bertram Comparat Gram. Hebr. Aram. in Praefat. Mesopotamia And these Syrians gaue aid vnto the Ammonites against David and were partakers in their overthrow Gen. 28.5 You may read of Padan Aram whither the Patriach Iacob was by his father Isaac sent to make choise of his wife of the daughters of Laban Tremellius and Iunius in their note vpon Gen. 25.20 do make this Padan-Aram to be a part of Mesopotamia that part which is called by Ptolemee Ancobaâ—â— Thus doth the holy Spirit in the sacred Scriptures describe vnto vs the couÌ„try of Aram in its parts Aram Soba Aram Rehâ—b Aram Ishâ—â—b Aram Maacah Aram of Damascuâ— Arâ—m Nâ—â—araiâ— and Padan Aram. Here Aram put without any adiuncâ— to 〈…〉 oâ—e region may 〈…〉 all Syria devided by our Prâ—phet Amos in this one verse into three parts vnder the three 〈◊〉 of Damascus â—ikâ—â—th 〈◊〉 and â—â—th 〈◊〉 as Tremellius and Iunius haue noted vnderstaÌ„ding by Damascâ—â— the couÌ„try adioining the whole coast of Dâ—â—â—polis by Râ—kâ—â—th-Aneâ— the couÌ„try called Châ—â—â—â—thâ— which way Syria bordereth vpon Arabia surnamed the Dâ—sâ—râ— by Beth-edâ—n the whole couÌ„try of Coelesyria wherein stood the citie Eden The people that is 〈◊〉 of all sorts not only the ruder multitude but the â—â—ble also 〈◊〉 word is generall and conteineth all Shall go into captivity They shal be carryed away from their natiue couÌ„try into a strange lâ—nd in slâ—very and bondage Vnto Kir not vnto Cyrâ—â—â— c Ribera a noble city in that part of Africa which is called Pâ—â—â—apoliâ— the â—â—tiue couÌ„try of d Arias Montanus Callimachus the poet and Eâ—â—â—â—st hâ—â—es the historian as e Apud Drusium Ionathan Syâ—â—â—châ—â— and S. Hierome do seeme to vnderstand and Eusebius and the author of the ordinary glosse and Winckleman do expresly affirme but vnto Kir a city in the seigniories or dominions of the king of Assyria as the Hebrewes best approued expositors doe avouch Tremellius Iunius vpon the 2. Kings 16.9 doe vnderstand by this Kir that part of Media which from this captivitie was called Syromedia it was named Kir that is by interpretation a wall because it was round about compassed with the hill Zagrus as with a wall This deportation and captivitie of the Syrians was foretold by our Prophet f Anno regni Oziae 23. almost fiftie yeares before it was fulfilled It was fulfilled in the dayes of Ahaz King of Iudah who sent messengers to Tiglath Pileser King of Assyria for helpe Tiglath Pileser consented vnto him went vp against Damascus tooke it slew Rezin King of Aram and carried a way captiue the people of Aram into Kir Thus is the story expresly delivered 2. King 16. Thus farre the exposition of the words The people not only the ruder multitude but the nobles also of Aram not of Damascus onely but of all Syria shall goe into captivitie shall bee carried away captiue by Tiglath-Pileser King of Assyria vnto Kir a part of Media This accordingly came to passe For it could no otherwise be the LORD true in all his promises and threatnings whose words are yea and Amen he hath said it The people of Aram shal goe into captivitie vnto Kir saith the LORD Now to the notes of instruction Here must I commend vnto you as I haue done out of the precedent clauses three circumstances the punisher the punished the punishment 1 The punisher the LORD by his instrument Tiglath-Pileser King of Assyria 2 The punished the Aramites or Syrians of all sorts the ruder and the noble 3 The punishment a deportation or carrying into captivitie This third circumstance is amplified by the place Their captivitie bondage and slaverie was to be in an vnknown strange and farre countrey Kir in MEDIA From the first 〈…〉 of the punisher the LORD of hoasts imploying in his 〈◊〉 the King of Assyria for the carrying away of the Arâ—â—iâ—â—â— or Syriâ—â—s into captivitie wee are put in mind of a well knowne truth in divinitie Almighty God in his government of the world worketh ordinarily by mâ—anes or second causes I say ordinarily because extraordinarily hee worketh sometime without meanes sometime against meanes Ordinarily hee worketh by meanes And they are of two sorts Definite such as of their naturall and internall principles doe of necessitie produce some certaine effects So the fire burneth the water drowneth Indefinite such as are free and accidentall agents hauing in themselues freedome of will to doe or nor to doe In this rancke you may place Iosephs brethren at what time they sold him to the Israelites Gen. 37.28 they sold him not of necessitie they might haue done otherwise In this rancke you may place Shimei for his carriage towards King David 2. Sam. 16.6 His throwing of stones at the King and rayling vpon him was not of necessitie hee might haue done otherwise And the King of Assyria carried into captivitie this people of Aram not of necessitie hee might haue left vnto them their natiue countrie lands and possessions All these fire water Iosephs brethren rayling Shimei the King of Assyria and whatsoever else like these meanes or second causes definite or indefinite necessarie or contingent are but instruments by which Almightie God in his governement of the world worketh ordinarily God laid wast Sodom Gomorah and their sisâ—er cities he did it by fire Gen. 19.24 God destroyed every thing that was vpoÌ„ the earth from man to beast to the creeping thing and to the foule of the heaven only was Noah saved and they that were with him in the Arke the rest he destroyed by water Gen. 7.23 God sent Ioseph into Egypt to preserue his fathers posteritie and to saue them aliue by a great deliverance as Ioseph himselfe confesseth Gen. 45.7 This was Gods doing but hee did it by Iosephs owne brethren who you knowe sold him to the Ismaelites God sent an affliction vpon David for his good by cursed speaking throwing of stones where in David acknowledgeth Gods speciall singer 2. Sam. 16.11 The thing was Gods doing He did it by Shimei the sonne of Iemini God spake the word concerning the people of Aram that they should goe into captivitie as appeareth in my text God spake the word it was done God therefore sent the people of Aram into captivitie but he did it by Tiglath-Pileser King of Assyria All these though I said it before I say it againe All these fire water Iosephs brethren rayling Shimei the King of Assyria and whatsoever else like these meanes or
Hell vnder death vnder sin vnder the eternall malediction or curse of the law propounded to every one that doth not in all points and absolutely obey the law This Captivity is a heavy yoke to all mankinde considered without Christ Every one male and female that hath no part in Christ every vnbelieving and reprobate person is in this construction even to this day a captiue And such also were we by the corruption of our nature vpon our first father Adams default but now are we by the sacrifice of the â—â—â—aculate Lambe the LORD IESVS ransomed and freed Fâ—â— do this purpose was he sent into the world as it is evident Esai 61.1 and Luk. 4.18 In both places hee professeth himselfe to bee sent into the world for this end even to publish liberty and freedome to captiues and the imprisoned which his office hee hath graciously performed By his word of grace he hath so freed our consciences formerly oppressed with and captiue vnder sin that now there is no condemnation to vs to vs I say who are in Christ do walke after the spirit as S. Paule speaketh Rom. 8.1 This is it which our Saviour foretold the Iewes Iohn 8.36 If the sonne shall make you free you shall be free indeed Be it repeated againe to our eternall comforts If the son shall make vs free we shall be free indeed But he hath made vs free for therfore was he sent to publish liberty and freedome to captiues he hath paide our ransome his iâ—â—ocent and most precious blood by it are wee throughly washed and clensed from our sins Now there is no condemnation to vs. Thus freed from our spirituall captivity bondage and slavery vnder Hell death and sinne let vs with boldnes looking vp to the throne of Grace whereon sitteth the author finisher of our faith say with the blessed Apostle 1. Cor. 15.55 O death where is thy sting O Hell where is thy victory the sting of death is sin and the strength of sinne is the law But thanks be to God who hath given vs victory through Iesus Christ our LORD The Captivity in my text is of the other kind a corporal captivity a captivity of the body which vsually is accompanied with two great miseries pointed at Psal 107.10 The first they dwell in darknes and in the shadow of death the second they are bound in anguish and yron First they dwell in darkenesse and in the shadow of death that is they are put into deepe dungeons void of light whereby they are as it were at deaths doore Secondly they are bound in anguish and yron that is day and night they are loaden with fetters gyues or shackles of yron so loaden that they finde no rest vnto their bones Thus must it be with them who by sinnefull living provoke the LORD to high displeasure Thus is my doctrine confirmed For the sin of a land God oftentimes sendeth away the inhabitants into captivity Is it true beloved Doth God oftentimes for the sin of a land send away the inhabitaÌ„ts into captivity Let vs make this ChristiaÌ„ vse of it even to powre out our selues in thankfulnes before almighty God for his wonderfull patience towards vs. The sins of such nations as haue beene punished with captivity were they more grievous in Gods eies then ours are It is not to bee imagined Our sins are as crimson-like and as scarlet-like as ever were theirs the sins of our land crying sins Atheisme Irreligion Oppression Extortion Covetousnes Vsury Adultery Fornication Vncleannesse Drunkennesse and many like abominations of the old man in vs all our works of darknes they haue made head together and haue impudently and shamelesly pressed into the presence of Almighty God to vrge him to poure forth the viols of his wrath and indignation vpon vs. Yet our God good gracious mercifull long suffering and of great kindnes withholdeth and stayeth his revengeful hand from laying vpon vs his great punishment of Captivity and suffereth vs to possesse our habitations in peace to eat the good things of the earth O let vs therefore confesse before the LORD his loving kindnesse declare before the sonnes of men the good things that he hath done for vs. Here dearely beloved let vs not presume vpon God his patience to lead our liues as we list We cannot but see that God is highly offended with vs already though yet hee be not pleased to execute his sorest iudgements vpon vs. Gods high displeasure against vs appeareth in those many visitations by which he hath come neere vnto vs within our memories I may not stand to amplifie the Spanish sword shaken over vs the great famine brought vpoÌ„ vs in our late Queenes daies Our now gracious Soveraigne 〈◊〉 noâ— lâ—â—g sâ—â—e at the sterne of this kingdome But few yeares are passed and yet those few haue afforded manifest tokens of Gods sore displeasure at vs. Haue not many thousands of our brethren happily not so grievous sinners as we beene taken away by the destroying Angel and yet the plague is not ceased Vnlesse we repent amend our liues we may likewise perish Haue not many of our brethren too many if it might haue seemed otherwise to Almighty God haue they not partly perished themselues partlie lost their cattell and substance in n An. D. 1607. this yeares waters such waters as our forefathers haue scarcely observed the like If wee will not wash out selues from our evill doings we see God is able to wash vs extraordinarily The vnseasonable weather giveÌ„ vs from heaven to the rotting of our sheep is but Gods warning to vs of a greater misery to befall vs vnlesse we will returne froÌ„ our euill waies Wherefore beloved let vs with one heart and minde resolue for hereafter to cast away all works of darknes to put on the armor of light take we no further thought for our flesh to fulfill the lusts of it Walke we from henceforth honestly as in the day Whatsoever things are true and honest and iust and pure and do pertaine to loue and are of good report if there be anie vertue or praise thinke we on these things Think we on these things to do them and we shal not need to feare any going into captivity yea the destroying Angell shall haue no power over vs the raging waters shall not hurt vs our cattell and whatsoever else we enioy shall prosper vnder vs. For God even our owne God shall giue vs his blessing THE TWELFTH LECTVRE AMOS 1.6 7 8. Thus saith the LORD For three transgressions of Azzah and for foure I will not turne to it because they carried away prisoners the whole captivitie to shut them vp in Edom. Therefore will I send a fire vpon the walls of Azzah and it shall devoure the palaces therof And I will cut of the inhabitant from Ashdod and him that holdeth the scepter from Ashkelon turne mine hand to Ekron and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish saith the LORD
to torment his own bowels in the similitude of sinfull flesh Because of sinne hee drowned the old world and because of sinne ere long will burne this Thus doe many sinner plucke dâ—â—â—e froÌ„ heauen the more â—â—rtaine wrath and vengeanes of God vpon the sinners Oâ—â— vse of this doctrine is to teach vs heedfullnesse in all our waies that wee doe not by our many sinnes provoke Almightie God to high displeasure A second vse is to moue vs to a serious contemplatioÌ„ of the wonderfull patience of Almightie God who did so graciously forbeare these Philistines of Azzah â—ll by three and foure transgressions by their many sinnes they had provoked him to indignation It 's true our God is a good God a gracious God a mercifull God a God of wonderfull patience yet may not wee thereby take encouragement to goe on in our evill doings The LORD who punished his Angels in heaven for one breach Adam for one morsell Miriam for one sclander Moses for one angrie word Achan for one sacrilege Ezechias for once shewing his treasures to the embassadours of Babel Iosias for once going to warre without asking counsell of the LORD Ananias with his wife Sapphira for once lying to the holy Ghost out of doubt wil not spare vs if we shall persist to make a trade of sinning day after day heaping iniquitie vpon iniquitie to the fulfilling of our sinnes If so wee doe it shall bee with vs as the Apostle speaketh 1. Thes 2.16 The wrath of God must come on vs to the vtmost Now therefore as the elect of God holy and beloued let vs walke in loue even as Christ hath loued vs. As for the workes of the flesh cast we them farre from vs adulterie fornication vncleanenesse wantonnes hatred debate emulation wrath contentions envie drunkennesse gluttonie such like for which the wrath of God commeth vpoÌ„ the children of disobedience let them not once be named among vs as it becoÌ„meth Saints But the fruits of the Spirit let vs wholy delight in them hauing layd vp in the treasurie of our memories this lesson Three transgressions and foure Many sinnes doe plucke downe from heauen the most certaine wrath vengeance of God vpon the sinners It followeth Because they carried away prisoners the whole captivity to shut them vp in Edom These wordes are the third part of this prophecie doe 〈…〉 by which God was provoked 〈…〉 the men of Azzah 〈◊〉 the rest of the Philistiâ—â—◠〈…〉 the sinne of â—â—ailtie rigour vnmercifulnesse hardnesse of heart They carried away prisoners the whole captiviâ—â—â— to sâ—â—t 〈…〉 Here the abstract is put for the 〈…〉 or persons in captivitie aâ— Psal â—â— 1◠〈…〉 captiue The whole 〈◊〉 It 's well translated for the sense the word in the originall signifieth absolute perfect and compleat By this whole captivitie the holy Spirit meaneth an absolute perfect and compleat captivitie â—â—ram captivitatâ—â— apâ—rtam atque manifâ—â—â—â—â— saith Ariâ—â— Montaâ—â—â— a captivitie indeed open manifest such a captivitie faith Calâ—â—â—â— as wherein they spared not either â—â—men or children or the agâ—d they tooke no pitie no compassion vpon either sexe or age but all of al sorts male and female young and old they carried away prisoners What was their end and purpose in so doing Even to sâ—â—t theÌ„ vp in Edom that is to sell them for bondâ—â—â—ues vnto the Idameans In Edom Esau Iacobs brother and Isaackâ— son by his wife a Gen. 25.21 Rebekah for selling his birthright for a messe of b vers 30. red broath was surnamed Edom and of him lineally descended the Edomites or Idâ—means Gen. 36 4â— Of this posterity of Esau or Edom the land which they inhabited was called the land of EdoÌ„ or Idumaea and it was a southerne province of the land of promise devided as c Theatr. Terrae SaÌ„ctae Adricham and d Observat lib. 14 cap 13. Drusius haue observed out of Iosephus his â— book of the Iewish antiquities into two parts Idumaeam Superiorem and Inferior 〈◊〉 the higher and the lower Idumaea The higher wherein were two of the cities meÌ„tioned in my text Gaza and Askelon in the division of the land of Canaan fell to the lot of the tribe of Iudah The lower Idumaea coÌ„monly known by the name of Idumaea fel to the lot of the tribe of Simeon and this lower Idumaea I take to be the Idumaea in my text Esau pursued Iacob with a deadly hate so did the posteritie of Esau the posterity of Iacob the Edomites were evermore most maliciously beÌ„t against the Israelites Here then appeareth the heinousnes of that sin wherwith the Philistines are charged It was the sin of cruelty in a very high degree It is a cruell deed to carry away any one froÌ„ his natiue couÌ„try but him that is so carried away to sell to his mortall enemy this is a cruelty then which there cannot be a greater Such was the sin of those Philistines the inhabitants of Azzah They sold whether the Iewes or the Israelites the posterity of Iacob and servants of the living God to their professed enemies the Edomites with this policie that being carried far froÌ„ their own country they should liue in eternal slavery bondage without hope ever to returne home againe This very crime of cruelty is in the prophecie of Ioel also ch 3.6 laid to the charge of these Philistines The children of Iudah and the children of Ierusalem haue yee sold to the Grecians that yee might send them far from their border that is Gods inheritance his owne seed and servants the children of Iudah Ierusalem the cruell and hard hearted Philistines did mancipate and sell away for bondslaues to the Grecians dwelling farre of that with them they might liue in perpetuall servitude and slaverie without all hope of liberty or redemption Now in this that the LORD calleth the Philistines to a reckoning because they had solde away his people though they were their captiues vnto infidels we may learne this lesson It is not lawful to coÌ„mit the children of beleevers into the haÌ„ds of infidels The vnlawfulnesse hereof appeareth by the charge which Moses giveth the Israelites Deut. 7.3 His charge is coÌ„cerning the Hittites the Gergasites the Amorites the Canaanites the Perizzites the Hivits and the Iebusites that they should not at al make any covenant with them nor giue theÌ„ their children in marriage And why so Because by such covenants marriages they might be withdrawn from the true service of God to the prophane worship of Idols For so it 's saide verse the 4. They will cause thy sonne to turne away from me to serue other Gods The danger of such covenants and marriages S. Paule knew to be very great and therefore from such he dehorteth the Corinthians 2. Cor. 6.14 Be ye not vnequally yoked with the infidels He vseth the similitude of Oxon coupled together The yoke holdeth them so together that looke which way the one draweth the other must
God is a BODY This his erroneous and false opinion died not with him It was on foot many a yeare after him in the time of Arius patronised by those Hereticks which by Epiphanius are called Audiani and by Augustine k Augustin de haeres cap 50. Vadianis after whom also it was egerly maintâ—ined by certaine Monkes of Egypt who were there vpon called Anthropomorphita But all these are dead gone their monstrous errour lies buried with them There is no man of any knowledge now a daies so blinded as to fall into errour with them It is an axiome in divinitie Quaecunque de Deo corporaliter dicuÌ„tur dicta sunt symbolicè whatsoever is spoken of God bodily that same must be vnderstood figuratiuely Bellarmine saith as much lib. 2. de imag sanct cap. 8. Membra quae tribuuntur Deo in Scripturâ metaphoricè esse accipienda that those members which the Scripture assigneth vnto God are to bee taken in a Metaphor Thus farre we are yours Bellarmine We maintaine with you that the members attributed vnto God in holy Scripture are to be takeÌ„ figuratiuely But you build herevpon chaffe and stubble Should we doe the like it could never abide the tryall of the fire To proue a non licet to be your licet Licere pingere imagineÌ„ Dei patris in formâ hominis senis to proue it to bee lawfull to represent God the Father by the image of an old man you drawe an argument from those places of Scripture which doe attribute vnto God bodily members Your conclusion is by way of question The Scripture in words attributeth vnto God all man's members while it saith that he stands he sits he walkes and nameth his head his feet his armes giueth to him a seat a throne a footstoole therefore why cannot a picture bee made to represent God Why not an image in the shape of man Why It is easily answered Because every such picture or image or stocke call it as you will is censured by Ieremie to be a doctrine of vanitie chap. 10.8 by Zacharie to be a speaker of vanity chap. 10.2 by Habakkuk to be a teacher of lies chap. 2.18 and Gods expresse commandemeÌ„t is against it Deut. 4.16 You shall not make you a grauen image or representatioÌ„ of any figure A reason of this prohibition is adioined vers 12. and 15. by which it is manifest that God simply and absolutely forbiddeth any image at all to bee made of himselfe For yee saw no similitude in the day that the LORD spake vnto you in Horeb out of the middest of the fire yee saw no similitude only yee heard a voice The Prophet Esai is plentiful in this demonstration to shew how vnseemly and absurd it is to l Rom. 1.25 turne the truth of God into a lie as they doe who forsake the blessed Creator to worship the creature to turne the Maiestie of God invisible into a picture of visible man to m vers 23. turne the glory of the incorruptible God to the similitude of the image of a corruptible man His vehement expostulation with idolaters to this purpose is in the 40. chapter of his prophecie and the 18. verse To whom will yee liken God or what similitude will yee set vp vnto him the workeman melteth an image the goldsmith beats it out in gold or silver plates the poore see now the rage fury madnesse of idolaters though they haue not wherewith to suffice their own necessities they will defraud themselues to serue their idols the poore chooseth out a tree that will not rot for an oblation puts it to a cunning workeman to prepare an image that cannot be moved The like expostulation the same Prophet ascribeth to God himselfe chap. 46.5 To whom will yee make me like or make me equall or coÌ„pare me that I should be like him They draw gold out of the bagge weigh silver in the ballance hire a goldsmith to make a God of it and they bow downe and worship it they beare it vpon their shoulders they carry him set him in his place so doth he stand and cannot remoue from his place RemeÌ„ber this and be ashamed ô yee Idolaters n Esai 40.21 Know ye nothing haue yee not heard it hath it not beene told you from the beginning haue yee not vnderstood it by the foundation of the earth God sitteth vpon the circle of the earth and beholdeth the inhabiters thereof as grashoppers he stretcheth out the heavens as a curtaine and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in He o Esai 40.12 measures the waters in his fist counts heaveÌ„ with his span comprehends the dust of the earth in a measure weighes the mountaines in a weight and the hils in a ballance God incorporeall invisible spirituall passing al measure there is nothing p Esai 46.9 like vnto him No thing And therefore O Idolaters not your old mans image For the truth of your antecedent we stand on your side It 's very true the Scripture in expresse wordes attributeth vnto God many the members and offices of mans body It saith of him that he stands he sits he walkes it nameth his head his feet his armes it giues him a seate a throne a footstoole but all these and other like bodily offices parts and members being spoken of as belonging vnto God must be vnderstood figuratiuely It hath pleased the spirit of wisdome to deale with vs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to fit the holy Scriptures to our weake capacities to vse knowne familiar and sensible tearmes thereby to raise vp our conceipts to some knowledge of the everliving God In this regard by the wisdome of the same spirit among many other members Hands are also ascribed vnto God and that in many places yet not in every place to one and the same sense and vnderstanding It 's noted by the q Cent. 13. cap. 4. Magdeburgenses out of Innocentius that the hand of God doth beare divers offices among vs officia creatoris largientis protegentis minantis the offices of a Creator liberall giver protector and threatner Hands are ascribed vnto God sometime to shew that he is the Creator of all things as Psal 119.73 Thy hands haue made me fashioned me sometime to shew his liberality to all living things as Psal 145.16 Thou openest thy hand and fillest all things living of thy good pleasure sometime to shew the care he hath to protect and defend the faithfull as Esai 49.2 Vnder the shadow of his hand hath hee hid me and sometime to shew his readines to be avenged vpon the wicked as Esai 10.4 His hand is stretched out still But these and all other the significations of the hand of God I reduce to two heads to the loue of God and his displeasure vnder them comprehending all their consequents and effects That the hand of God betokeneth sometime his loue the benefits redounding thence to man mans being and his well-being
and bloudy practises of that great Antichrist of Rome so often set on foot against vs and still defeated are so many evidences that our soules are most precious in the sight of God He he alone hath delivered vs out of the Lyons iaw to be a holy remnant vnto himselfe Now what shall we render vnto the LORD for so great a blessing We wil take vp the cup of salvation and call vpon his name THE FIFTEENTH LECTVRE AMOS 1.9 10. Thus saith the LORD For three transgressions of Tyrus and for foure I will not turne to it because they shut the whole captivity in Edom and haue not remembred the brotherly covenant Therefore will I send a fire vpon the wals of Tyrus and it shall devoure the palaces thereof THis blessed Prophet Amos sent from God in embassage to the ten revolted tribes doth first thuÌ„der out Gods iudgments against neighbour countries the Syrians the Philistines the Tyrians the Edomites the Ammonites the Moabites Which he doth for certaine reasons given in my sixt lecture that he might be the more patiently heard of his country men the Israelites that they might haue no cause to thinke much if God should at any time lay his rod vpon them that they might the more stande in awe of the wordes of this prophecie When they should heare of such heavy iudgements to light vpon their neighbours they could not but enter into a consideration of their owne estate thus reason within theÌ„selues Is it true which this Amos saith Will the LORD bring such heavy iudgements vpon the Syrians Philistines Tyrians and other of our neighbours In what a fearefull estate are wee in then They seely people never knew the will of God and yet must they be so severely punished How then shall we escape who knowing God's holy will haue contemned it Of the 〈…〉 the Syrians and Philistines you haue 〈…〉 lectures Now in the third place do follâ—â— the Tyrians ver 9. and 10. For three transgressions of Tyrus c. These wordes containing a burden some prophecy against Tyrus I divide into two parts 1 A preface Thus saith the LORD 2 A prophecy For three transgressions of Tyrus c. In the prophecie I obserue 4. parts 1 A generall accusation of the Tyrians For three traÌ„sgressions of Tyrus and for foure 2 The Lords protestation against them I wil not turne to it 3 The declaration of that grievous sin by which they so highly offended This sin was the sin of vnmercifulnes and cruelty expressed in two branches 1 They shut the whole captivity in Edom. 2 They remembred not the brotherly covenant 4 The description of the punishment to befall them for their sinne in the 10. verse Therefore will I sende a fire vpon the wals of Tyrus and it shall devoure the palaces thereof The preface giues credit vnto the prophecie and is a warraÌ„t for the truth of it Thus saith the LORD The LORD IEHOVAH whose throne is the heaven of heavens and the sea his floore to walke in and the earth his footstoole to tread vpon who hath a chaire in the conscience and sitteth in the heart of man possesseth his most secret reines and divideth betwixt the flesh and the skin and shaketh his inmost powers as the thunder shaketh the wildernes of Cades This LORD IEHOVAH so mighty so powerfull shall he say a thing and shal he not do it shall be speake it and shall he not accomplish it The LORD IEHOVAH the strength of Israel is not as maÌ„ that he should lie nor as the son of man that he should repent All his words yea all the titles of all his words are Yea and Amen Heaven and earth shall perish before one iote or one title of his word shall escape vnfulfilled Thus saith the LORD Out of doubt then must it come to passe And because it is the LORD that speaketh it is required of vs that we harken to him with revereÌ„ce Thus briefly of the Preface whereof I haue more largely spoken in two former lectures my sixth and twelfth lectures vpon the thirde and sixt verses of this chapter In which these very words are prefixed for a Preface to two prophecies the one against the Syrians the other against the Philistines I proceed to the present prophecie against the Tyrians It 's much like the two former both for words and matter In regard whereof I shal be short in many of my notes For three transgressions of Tyrus for foure Here is nothing new but the name of Tyrus This Tyrus is called in the Hebrew text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Tzor whence came the name Sar and Sarra in Ennius Poenos Sarrâ oriundos he notes the Carthaginians to haue their beginning from Sarra which is Tyrus Tyrus was a very ancient city it was saith Drusius Vetustissimarum vrbium parens as it were the mother of very old cities Plinie nat hist lib. 5. cap. 19. saith that out of Tyrus came the founders and first inhabiters not only of Carthage but also of Leptis Vtica and Gades the city well knowne to our moderne navigators by the name of Calis Malis and of late yeares conquered by some worthies of our English nation The ancient glorie of this citie Tyrus is blazed abroad to the whole world by Ezechiel chap. 27. Glorious was Tyrus 1. for her situation 2 for her riches 3. for the frame and beauty of her buildings 4. for her shipping 5. for her power in martiall affaires 6. for her marchandising 7. for her great esteeme and report with forraine nations The Prophet Esai in like sort blazeth out her glory chap. 23.7 8. Hee saith of her that her antiquitie is of ancient daies that she is the crowne of the Sea that her merchants are Princes and her chapmen the nobles of the world So glorious a city was this Tyrus Here shee is accused of disloyaltie to the God of heauen in the very same words wherein Damascus and Azzah are formerly accused Damascus vers 3. and Azzah vers the 6. For three transgressions of Tyrus and for foure And the Lords protestation vpon this accusation is the same I will not turne to it It is as if the LORD had thus said If the inhabitants of Tyrus had offended but once or a second time I should haue beene favourable to them and would haue recalled them into the right way that so they might be converted and escape my punishments but now for as much as they doe daily heape transgression vpon transgression and make no end of sinning I haue hardned my face against them and will not suffer them to bee converted but indurate and obstinate as they are I will vtterly destroy them Albertus Magnus vnderstandeth by these three transgressions three sorts of sinnes peccatum in voluntate peccatum in consensu peccatum in opere sin in will sin in consent and sin in action and by the fourth transgression he vnderstandeth cordis indurationem induration and hardnes of heart
vnto the LORD into the education of open enimies to the gospell of Christ most blasphemous and abominable Atheists or most blind and superstitious Papists 3 Sith it is not lawfull to commit the children of beleevers into the hands of infidels for the reason aboue specified that they bee not withdrawne from their holy faith religious worship and true service of God then neither is it lawfull for vs to keepe away or send away our servants from the service of God Let no man say vnto me such a mans servant and such a mans are employed in temporall affaires at the time of divine service and why should not mine be likewise Dearely beloved a good Christians part is to be of like resolution with Ioshuah chap. 24.15 Howsoever all the world besides shall be affected in this busines yet to resolue for himselfe and his familie as Ioshuah did for his I and my house will serue the LORD I doe but touch these points because I haue heretofore in this place more at large insisted vpon them Now followeth the second branch expressing the sin of the Tyrians their sinne of vnmercifulnesse and crueltie They haue not remembred the covenant of brethren For this time I note that men may be called brethren six māner of waies 1. By nature as Iacob and Esau 2. By kindred affinitie or alliance as Abraham and Lot 3. By nation or country as all Iewes 4. By religion as al Christians 5. By friendship as Solomon and Hiram King of Tyre 6. By calamitie or miserie as many poore distressed people who haue not wherwith to support their weake natures The covenant of brethren here mentioned some doe referre to that league of amitie which was concluded betweene King Solomon Hiram King of Tyre recorded 1. King 5.12 Some doe properly vnderstand these words to signifie that naturall league which should haue beene betweene Iacob and Esau naturall brethren and their posteritie in lineall descent the Iewes Israelites and Edomites Vnderstand it which way you will the Tyrians were both wayes blameable First they remembred not the covenant made betweene their King K. Hiram King Solomon Secondly they remembred not the couenant made by nature betweene the Iewes Israelites and Edomites brethren lineally descended from two naturall brethren Iacob and Esau From both expositions ariseth profitable doctrine First is Almighty God here displeased with the Tyrians because they did ill intreate the Iewes and Israelites not remembring the ancient covenant betweene Hiram their King Solomon King of Israel Hence we may take this lesson Ancient leagues are not rashly to bee violated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 breakers of leagues truces and covenants are Rom. 1.31 ranked among such whom God in his secret iudgement hath given vp 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to a reprobate sense Foederum tutor vindex Deus est God is as it were a tutor or protector of leagues and severely revengeth himselfe vpon the breakers of them The Gentiles of old by the light of nature did acknowledge as much and fearefull examples in all ages do proue as much I will instance but in few Ioshuah made a league with the Gibeonites and sware that he would suffer them to liue Iosh 9.15 long after Saule and his bloody house slew some of them Hereat was the wrath of the LORD kindled and for this cause he punished the people with three yeares famine and was not appeased with the land till seaven of Saules sonnes were delivered vp into the hands of the Gibeonites to be hanged vp in Gibeah 2. Sam. 21.1 Zedechiah king of Iudah made a covenant with Nabuchodonosor king of Babel sware a 2. Kings 24.17 2. Chr. 36.13 Ierem. 52.2 subiectiō to him But Zedechiah notwithstanding his oath tooke part with the kings of the Egyptians Idumaeans Moabites Ammonites and Tyrus against Nabuchodonosor what followeth this breach of his oath and covenant Even vtter ruine to himselfe his kingdome the city of Ierusalem and the glorious temple there 2. Chron. 36.17 Vladislaus King of Poland and Hungary concluded a peace for ten yeares with Sultan Amurath the sixt king of the Turks Vladislaus tooke his oath vpon the holy Evangelists and Amurath his by his embassadors vpon their Turkish Alcorā b Knolles Hist Turc p. 289. This was the most honorable peace that every Christian Prince had before that time made with any of the Turkish Kings and most profitable also had it beene with like sincerity kept as it vvas with solemnity confirmed Vladislaus c pag. 292. absolved from his oath by Cardinal Iulianus the Popes Legate and agent in Hungary breaketh the concluded peace d pag. 297. invadeth a fresh the Turkes dominions The Turke ioines battle with him at e pag. 297. Varna in Bulgaria and beholding the picture of the crucifixe in the displaied ensignes of the Christians pluckes out of his bosome that writing wherein the late league betweene him and Vladislaus was comprised holding it vp in his hād with his eies cast vp to heaven saith Behold thou crucified Christ this is the league thy Christians in thy name made with me which they haue without cause violated Now if thou be a God as they say thou art and as we dreame revenge the wrong now done vnto thy name and me shew thy power vpon thy periurious people who in their deeds denie thee their God What followed herevpon The victorie was the Turkes Vladislaus lost his life there eleven thousand Christians besides The successe of this great bloudy battle of Varna fought the 10. of November 1444. doth it not plainly shew that God cannot away with league-breakers These few instances of Saul Zedechiah and Vladislaus may suffice for the clearing of my propounded doctrine Ancient leagues are not rashly to be violated The vse of this doctrine is to admonish all subiects to bee very respectiue and mindful of that league covenant which they haue by their solemne oathes made and confirmed to their Kings Princes and other governers according to that exhortation made by S. Paule Rom. 13.1 Let every soule be subiect to the higher powers It is not a bare or naked exhortation it is backed with a good reason For there is no power but of God and the powers that are are ordained of God it followeth in the secōd verse Whosoever therefore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God Whosoever they are that resist power men in authority princes rulers and governours they resist God God will confound them their infamie shall remaine vpon perpetuall record for a spectacle to all posterity What else meaneth the Apostle in the same place where he saith They that resist shall receiue to themselues iudgement And here dearely beloved I beseech you to beware of Romish Locusts I meane Iesuits Seminary Priests who are sent from beyond the seas to inveigle you to make you vnmindfull or at least carelesse of your covenant confirmed by your sacred oathes
Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he did violate the mothers wombe which reading may haue reference to the nativity of Iacob and Esau borne at one birth of their mother Rebekah And then the meaning is that the Edomites Esau's posterity neglecting that bond knot of brotherhood and consanguinity did exercise rigour and cruelty against the Israelites Iacobs posterity or it may haue reference to a savage and outragious cruelty as if the Edomites were here noted for ripping vp mothers wombs or women with childe in Israel That such cruelty was vsed by the Ammonites it is plaine by the 13. verse of this chapter But this text in the original doth not fasteÌ„ this blame vpon the Edomites and I loue not to force my text I wil not trouble you with other expositions The originall 〈…〉 â—â—rrupt his compassions The sense and meaning is wâ—ll â—â—ndâ—ed and delivered in our receiued English Bibles He did cast of all pitie Is Edom here condemned for corrupting his compassions for casting of all pitie The lesson hence to be commended to your Christian considerations is this Vnmercifulnesse is a sinne hatefull vnto God I could bring you many places out of holy writ for the confirmation of this doctrine But two only or three and they but touched shall serue for this present In Iob 6.14 the vnmercifull are noted to haue forsaken the feare of the Almightie In Rom. 1.31 among such as God hath giuen vp to a reprobate minde to commit things worthy of death the vnmercifull are named In Iames 2.13 a punishment is denounced to the vnmercifull There shall be iudgement mercilesse to him that sheweth no mercy These few texts of Scripture doe plentifully establish my doctrine Vnmercifulnesse is a sinne hatefull vnto God If any will aske me what is this vnmercifulnes whereof I now speake my answer shall be out of the learned Out of o Apud Aquin 22. qu. 118.8.3 Isidore that it is one of the nine daughters of covetousnesse Out of p 22. qu. 159 1. 2. 2. Aquinas that it is the withholding of a deed of charitie an q 22. qu. 118.8.3 obduration or the hardning of the heart against mercy Out of r Comment in hunc locuÌ„ Mercer that it is a breach of natures law and an abolishing of all kindnesse And so I come to make some vse of this doctrine The vse is to stirre vs vp to the exercises of humanity mercy I will not now make any long declamation against inhumanitie and vnmercifulnesse yet my text requireth that I speake somewhat to it There was a time when righteousnesse seemed to be taken vp into the clouds and the earth to be void of it It was in the daies of the Prophet Esay He then cryed out chap. 45.8 O yee heavens send the dew from aboue and let the cloudes drop downe righteousnesse The time is now when loue seemeth to be taken vp into the cloudes and the earth to bee void of it Now may we cry out O yee heavens send the dew from aboue let the cloudes drop downe Iouâ— that the 〈…〉 obâ—rlisâ—â— Nabals of this present generation may now at length knowe that they are not borne for themselues only but for their poore neighbours also Your poore neighbours who stand in need of you by very prerogatiue of mankind haue an interest in your succour and service But it may be that some are so farre from all humanitie that this prerogatiue of mankind will not moue them to doe any worke of charitie Such hard hearts let them heare what the law is Deut. 15.7 If one of thy brethren with thee be poore within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giâ—eth thee thou shalt not harden thine hearts nor shut thine hand from thy poore brother But thou shalt open thy hand vnto him shalt lend him sufficient for his need I knowe flesh and blood will obiect Shall I lend my neighbour sufficient for his need I soone exhaust my substance and liue in wâ—nâ— my selfe I reply O thou of little faith why fearest thou Looke backe vpon the blessing of God relie vpon it he through his benediction will make thee large recoÌ„pense Of this thou maist be assured if thou wilt haue recourse to the fore cited chapter Deut 15.10 There art thou infallibly promised for thy almes deeds done to the needy that the LORD thy God shall blesse thee in all thy workes and in all that thou puttest thine hand to My exhortation is no other then that of the Prophet Esai chap. 58.7 Deale thy bread to the 〈◊〉 bring the poore wanderer to thine house If thou seest him naked cover him hee is thine owne flesh hide not thy selfe from him Thy liberalitie will bring thee great advantage whereof thou wilt not doubt if thou consider the â—ext verse Thy light shal breake forth as the morning thy health shall grow speedily thy righteousnesse shall goe before thee the glorie of the LORD shall embrace thee Seest thou not an heape of blessings one vpon another Looke into the booke of Psalmes In the beginning of the 41. Psal many a sweet promise is made thee coÌ„ditionally that thou 〈…〉 LOâ—D shall deliver thee in the 〈…〉 preserue thee aliue hee shall bliâ—◠〈◊〉 â—pon 〈◊〉 earth he will not deliver thee to the will of thine 〈…〉 will strengthen thee vpon thy bad of sorrow and will 〈…〉 of thy sickâ—â—â—se I might wearie you and my selfe in the pursuit of this point Here I stop my course with recommendatioÌ„ of one only place that a very remâ—â—keable one Prov. 19.17 He that hath mercy vpon the poore â—â—deth to the LORD and the LORD will recompense 〈◊〉 â—hat which he hath giuen Behold and â—ee how gracious and good the LORD is If you show pitie and compassion vpon the poore God will recoÌ„pense you to the full yea in the largenes of his mercies he will reward you plentifully It wâ—â— grâ—â—e â—xhortation of a Å¿ Tobitto his sonne Tobias cap. 4.7 father to his sonne Giue 〈…〉 gâ—â—st almes let not thine eie 〈…〉 poore lâ—â—st that God turne his 〈…〉 according to thy substance if thou haâ—◠〈◊〉 a little 〈◊〉 not afraid to giue a little So shalt thou lay vp a good store for thy selfe against the day of necessitie Almes will 〈…〉 from death and will not suffer thee to come into the place of darknesse Almâ—s is a good gift before the most high to all them which vse it Vse it I beseech you in the bowels of our LORD and Saviour Iesus Christ Bee yee not like Edom in my text Corrupt not your compassions cast not of al pitie suffer yee one with another loue as brethren be pitifull be courâ—â—ous doe yee good to all men and faint not great shall be your reward in heaven This your service will bee acceptable vnto God God for it will giue you his blessing God will blesse you for the time of your being here and when the day of
rendred to Haman to Sennacherib to Ioachim to the Ammonites to the Chaldeans and other wicked worldlings for their hard measure offered to the godly though they were therein Gods instruments But I must hasten and the aforementioned instances of the Egyptians of Ahab and his wife Iezebel and of Daniels accusers are sufficient to worke terror to the wicked to the godly comfort and to assure vs when the LORD shall shew himselfe from heaven with his holy Angels in flaming fire that then to the wicked whose behaviour to the godly hath beene proud dispiteous hee will render vengeance and punish them with everlasting perdition Thus farre of the first circumstance doctrine therevpon The second circumstance is the punishment I wil send a fire By fire in this place as vers 4 7 10. learned expositors doe vnderstand not so much a naturall fire as a figuratiue fire For in the name of fire they vnderstand the sword pestilence and famine quodlibet genus consumptionis every kind of consumptiō quamlibet speciem excidij every kind of destruction be it haile or thunder or sicknesse or any other of Gods messengers So large is the signification of fire taken figuratiuely The doctrine arising hence is this The fire whether naturall or figuratiue that is the fire all other creatures are at the Lords commandement to be employed by him in the punishment of the wicked This doctrine hath heretofore beene commended and confirmed vnto you The vse of it is to teach vs how to behaue our selues at such times as God shall visite vs with his rod of correction how to carry our selues in all our afflictions We must not so much look to the instruments as to the LORD that smiteth by them If the fire or water or any other of Gods creatures shall at any time rage and prevaile against vs we must remember that it is God that sendeth them to worke his holy will vpon vs. Here he sent a fire vpon Teman and vpon Bozrah to devoure her palaces For thus saith the LORD I will send a fire vpon Teman and it shall devoure the palaces of Bozrah Here haue you the third circumstance the circumstance of the punished Teman and the palaces of Bozrah Teman was the metropolitan the chiefe city of Idumaea so named from Teman who was son of Eliphaz the son of Esau Gen. 26.10 11. Renowned and famous was Teman for her wisedome witnes the prophecie of Obadiah vers 8 9. and Ierem. 49.7 whereby it is credible shee omitted no opportunity no meanes to make her selfe strong by bulwarkes and fortresses against whatsoever incursion or siege of enimies Yet could shee not hereby be secured against the day of Gods visitation when for the complement of her sins God should lay his heavy rod vpon her What the wit of mā could invent for safety no doubt but Teman had it But what can mans wit do against the Almighty Behold here in my text thus saith the Almighty I will send a fire vpon Teman And can all the water of the huge Ocean quench the fire of the Almighty This resolution of the LORD for the overthrow of Teman is excellently set down by the Prophet Obadiah ver 8 9 10. Shall not I in that day saith the LORD even destroy the wise men out of Edom vnderstanding from the mount of Esau And thy strōg mē O Temā shall be afraid because every one of the moūt of Esau shall be cut of by slaughter For thy cruelty against thy brother Iacob shame shall cover thee and thou shalt be cut of for ever The Prophet Ieremie to this purpose chap. 49.7 bringeth in the LORD of heasts thus questioning with Edom Is wisdom no more in Teman Is counsaile perished from their children Is their wisedome vanished As if he had said the wisedome of Teman is become foolishnesse their counsaile is nothing worth And why But because as my text saith God will send a fire vpon Teman The doctrine hence arising is No wisdome no counsaile no humane invention can saue that city which God will haue destroyed The reason hereof is because there is no strēgth but of God from God The vse is to teach vs never to trust in any worldly helpe but so to vse all good meanes of our defence that still we relie vpon the LORD for strength and successe thereby Againe this fire of the LORD is sent to devoure the palaces of Bozrah This Bozrah was also a metropolitane and chiefe city seated in the confines of the lands of Edom Moab therefore in holy writ it is sometime attributed to Edom sometime to Moab Here to Edom. Prodigious was the feare and great the pride of Bozrahs heart Shee dwelt in the clefts of the rocke and kept the height of the hill But was shee thereby safe No. For thus saith the LORD vnto her Ierem. 49.16 Though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the Eagle I will bring thee down from thence This iudgement of the LORD against Bozrah is denounced with an Ecce of admiration vers 22. Behold hee the LORD shall come vp and fly as the Eagle and spread his wings over Bozrah and at that day shall the heart of the strong men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in travell Will you haue it confirmed by an oath Then looke backe to the 13. vers I sweare by my selfe saith the LORD that Bozrah shall be wast and for a reproach and a desolation and a curse and all the cities thereof shall be a perpetuall desolation Thus elegantly is Gods fearefull iudgment against Bozrah described by the Prophet Ieremy which our Prophet Amos thus delivereth A fire shal devour the palaces of Bozrah Bozrah great Bozrah she who dwelt in the clefts of the rock and kept the height of the hill must she be devoured by fire from the LORD Must shee become a reproach a desolation a curse a vastity We may hence take this doctrine It is not the situation of a city vpon rocke or hill that can bee a safegard to it if Gods vnappeasable anger break out against it for her sinnes The vse of this doctrine is the same with the former even to teach vs now and at all other times to put our trust only in the Name of the LORD who hath made heaven earth It 's neither wit nor wisedome nor strength nor height of Teman or of Bozrah or of all the best defensed cities in the world that can saue vs in the day of visitation Wherefore let our song bee as Davids was Psal 18.2 The LORD is our rocke our fortresse he that delivereth vs our God our strength in him wil we trust our shield the horne also of our salvation and our refuge Thirdly in that the LORD sendeth his fire into the palaces of Bozrah to devoure them we may learne this doctrine God depriveth vs of a great blessing when he taketh from vs our dwelling
houses A truth experimentally made good vnto vs by the great coÌ„modity or contentment that commeth to every one of vs by our dwelling houses The vse is to teach vs. 1. To be humbled before Almighty God whensoever our dwelling houses are taken from vs. 2. Since wee peaceably enioy our dwelling houses to vse them for the furtherance of Gods glory 3. To praise God daie by day for the comfortable vse wee haue of our dwelling houses Thus is my exposition of the prophecie against Edom ended THE NINETEENTH LECTVRE AMOS 1.13 14 15. Thus saith the LORD For three transgressions of the children of Ammon and for foure I will not turne to it because they haue ript vp the women with childe of Gilead that they might enlarge their border Therefore will I kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah and it shall devoure the palaces thereof with shouting in the day of battle and with a tempest in the day of the whirlewinde And their king shall goe into captivity he and his Princes togither saith the LORD THis blessed Prophet of Almighty God in this his prophecie against the Ammonites observeth the same order as he hath done in two precedent predictions the one against the Syrians verse the thirde fourth and fifth the other against the Philistines verse the sixth seventh and eighth As in those so in this are three parts 1 A preface Thus saith the LORD 2 A prophecie For three transgressions c. 3 A conclusion verse the fifteenth Saith the LORD The prophecie consisteth of foure parts 1 A generall accusation of the Ammonites who are here noted as reproueable for many sinnes For three transgressions of the children of Ammon and for foure 2 God his protestation against them for their sinnes I will not turne to it 3 A particular declaration of one sinne which with others procured this prophecy This sinne was the sinne of cruelty expressed in these words Because they haue ript vp the vvomen vvith childe of Gilead amplified by the end of so foule a fact That they might enlarge their borders 4 A denuntiation of iudgement which was to come vpon them deservedly for their sinnes ver 14 and 15. This iudgement is set downe First in a generalitie verse 14. Therefore will I kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah and it shall devoure the palaces thereof Secondly with some circumstances as that it should be full of terrour and speedy Full of terrour in these words With shouting in the day of battle Speedy in the words following With a tempest in the day of the whirlewinde This iudgement is further amplified by the extent of it It was to fall vpon not only the meaner sort of the people but vpon the nobility also yea and vpon the King himselfe Which is plaine by the 15. verse Their King shall goe into captivity he and his princes together These are the branches and parts of this prophecy I returne to the Preface Thus saith the LORD IEHOVAH This great and most honourable name of God wee haue many times met with We haue heard what the Cabalistes and Rabbines out of their too much curiositie haue thought of it With them it is nomen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a name not to bee pronounced not to be taken within our polluted lips They call it Tetragrammaton a name in Hebrew of foure letters of foure letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by an excellence because the name of God a Alsted Lex Theol. cap. 2. pag. 76. MiruÌ„ certè est quòd omnes gentes tacito consensu praecipuum Dei nomen quâ—tuor modò literis enuncient Fluxisse autem id existimatur è nomine IEHOVAH quod ipsum est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Latini dicunt DEVS Graeci 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Germani GOTT Aegyptii 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Persae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Magi ORSI Hebraei 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arabes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Galli DIEV Itali IDIO Hispani DIOS Dalmatis sive Illyricis est BOGI Boiemis BOHV Mahumetanis ABGD Gentibus in novo mundo repertis ZIMI Chaldaeis Siris 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Certè hoc sine singulari Dei O. M. provideÌ„tiâ factum non est Ego existimo illo significari nomen Dei in quatuor mundi plagis decantandum esse in all tongues and languages generally consisteth of foure letters More they speake of it You haue heard it before IEHOVAH b Deut. 10.17 God of Gods Lord of Lords a God c Eccles 43.29 most wonderfull very d Deut. 10.17 great mightie and terrible a God that e Eccles 43.31 caÌ„not either be conceived in thought or expressed by word f Aug. Soliloq cap. 34. of whom all the Angels in heaven doe stand in feare whom al dominations and g Revel 5.11 thrones doe adore at whose presence all powers doe shake A God in greatnes infinite in h August meditaâ—e 21. goodnesse soveraigne in wisdome wonderfull in power Almightie in counsailes terrible in iudgements righteous in cogitations secret in works holy in mercy rich in promise true alwaie the same eternall everlasting immortall vnchangeable Such is the LORD from whom our Prophet Amos here deriveth authoritie to his prophecie Thus saith the LORD Hath the LORD said and shall he not doe accordingly hath hee spoken it and shall he not accomplish it Balaam confesseth vnto Balak Num. 23.19 God is not as man that he should lye nor as the sonne of man that he should repent Indeed saith Sam. 1. Sam. 15.29 The strength of Israel wil not lie nor repent for he is not as man that he should repent All his words yea all the titles of his words are Yea Amen Verily saith our Saviour Matth. 5.18 Heaven and earth shall perish before one iot or one title of Gods word shall escape vnfulfilled Thus saith the LORD Amos is here a patterne to vs that are preachers of the word of salvation We must ever come vnto you with Thus saith the LORD in our mouthes we may not speake either the imaginations of our owne braines or the vaine perswasions of our own hearts We must sincerely preach vnto you Gods gracious word without all corruption or depraving of the same This is it whereto S. Peter exhorteth vs 1. ep chap. 4 11. If any man speake let him speake as the word of God For if we yea if an Angell from heaven shall preach otherwise vnto you then from the LORD' 's owne mouth speaking in his holy word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let him be accursed let him bee had in â—â—â—â—ntion This note beloved dâ—th also concerne you that are the auditours hearers of Gods word For if we the preachers thereof must alwaies come vnto you with Thus saith the LORD theÌ„ are you to heare vs with reverence and attention And this for the authoritie of him that speaketh It is not you that speake saith our Saviour Iesus Christ to his blessed Apostles
Matt. 10.20 but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you And againe Luk. 10.16 He that heareth you heareth me S. Paule coÌ„mendeth the Thessalonians 1. ep chap. 2.13 for that when they receaved of the Apostles of Christ the word of the preaching of God they receaved it not as the word of man but as it was indeed as the word of God Well therefore did S. Iames chap. 1.21 thus to exhort the Iewes Receiue with meeknes the word that is grafted in you which is able to saue your soules God spake vnto Israel in a vision by night Genes 46.2 and said Iacob Iacob Iacob answered I am here Hee was prest and ready with all â—â—â—ient attentioÌ„ to heare what his God should say vnto him and to follow the same with all faithfull obedience Such readinesse well becommeth every child of God eveÌ„ at this day in the Church where God speaketh Thus must hee thinke within himselfe It is thine ordinance o LORD by thy word preached to instruct me concerning thy holy will I am here LORD in all humble feare to heare thy blessed pleasure what this day it shall please thee to put in the mouth of the preacher to deliver vnto me I am here speake on LORD thy servant heareth If a Prince or some great man of this world shall speake vnto you you will attend and giue eare vnto him with your best diligence how much more then ought yee so to doe when the King of Heaven and LORD of the earth calleth vpon you by his ministers Thus farre by occasion of the preface Thus saith the LORD For three transgressions of the children of Ammon for foure Whether these children of Ammon wore distinguished from the Ammonites as Drusius would proue 2. Chron. 20.1 and as R. David avoweth filij Ammon nusquam vocantur Ammonitae the children of Ammon are no where named Ammonites I hold it needlesse to dispute in this place It is one of doubt that these children of Ammon or Ammonites did lineally descend from Ben-ammi who was Dots sonne begotten in meest vpon his yonger daughter Gen. 19.38 Lot was Abrahams brothers sonne Gen. 14.12 Whereby it is evident that the posteritie of them both the children of Israel and the children of Ammon the Israelites and the Ammonites were linked together by affinitie and alliance The more to blame were those Ammonites without all respect of kindred to exercise such crueltie as they did against the Israelites for which cause Almightie God here sent his blessed Prophet to thunder out his threates against them For three transgressions of the children of Ammon for foure In the front of this prophecie you haue the generall accusation of these children of Ammon For three transgressions and for foure Three of these transgressions if you will beleeue Albertus Magnus are Crueltie Avarice and persecution the fourth is an obstinate pertinacie a constant stubbornesse ever to dwell in those sinnes Againe three of these transgressions are a coveting of other mens goods an vnlawful seeking for those things that are not our owne and a hardnes of heart to retaine them so sought for the fourth is the vnsatiable desire of a covetous man Many are the expositions of the learned vpon these words three and foure transgressions The most naturall proper significant I take to bee if by three and foure a finite and certaine number you vnderstand a number infinite vncertaine God as often as he will forgiueth though wee sinne tenne thousand times It is but a custome of the Scripture thus to speake God waiteth for vs twise and thrise that is a long time to see if wee will returne froÌ„ our evill waies vnto repentance but the fourth time that is at length when he seeth vs persist in our impeniteÌ„cie he reproveth vs casteth vs away leaveth vs in our sinnes Thus haue you the generall accusation of the children of Ammon for their many sinnes for which the LORD'S protestatioÌ„ against them followeth I will not 〈…〉 Those 〈◊〉 are diversly rendred by expositors by the author of the vulgar Latin and by Gualtâ—r NoÌ„ convert 〈…〉 I will not turne the Ammonite that is I wil not recall the children of Ammon to the right way they shall run on to their owne perdition By Calvin Non â—rocipropitius I wil not be favourable to the Ammonites By Mercer Non parcam ei I will not spare the Ammonites According to their deserts so shall it be vnto them By Iunius Non avertam istud I wil not turne away the punishment wherewith I haue resolued to punish them I am the LORD I am not changed The summe is if the Ammonites had offended but once or a second time I would haue beene favourable to them would haue recald them into the right way that so they might be coÌ„verted and escape my punishments but now whereas they doe dayly heape transgression vpon transgression and make no end of sinning I haue hardned my face against them and will not suffer them to be converted but indurate and obstinate as they are I will vtterly destroy them For three transgressions of the children of Ammon and for foure I will not turne to it Here are you to be remembred of a doctrine sundry times heretofore commended to your christian considerations Many sinnes doe plucke downe from heaven the most certaine wrath and vengeance of God vpon the sinners God is of pure eies and beholdeth not iniquity Hee hath laid righteousnes to the rule and weighed his iustice in a balance The sentence is passed forth and must stand vncontrouleable even as long as the sunne and moone Tribulation and anguish vpon every soule that doth evill The soule that sinneth it shall be punished God makes it good by an oath Deut. 32.41 That he will what his glittering sword and his hand shall take hold on iudgement to execute vengeance for sinne His soule hateth abhorreth sinne his law curseth condemneth sinne his hand smiteth scourgeth sinne Sinne was his motiue to cast downe Angels into Hell to thrust Adam out of Paradise to turne cities into Ashes to ruinate nations to torment his own bowels in the similitude of sinnefull flesh Because of sinne he drowned the old worlde and because of sinne ere long will burne this Thus do many sinnes plucke c. One vse of this doctrine is to teach vs heedfulnesse in al our waies that we doe not by our many sinnes provoke Almightie God to high displeasure A second vse is to moue vs to a serious contemplation of the wonderfull patience of Almighty God who did soe graciously forbeare these children of AmmoÌ„ til by three foure transgressions by their many sinnes they provoked him to indignation These thinges I haue heretofore laboured to lay vnto your hearts Now therefore I proceede to the thirde part of this prophecie wherein you haue the declaration of that grievous sinne by which the children of Ammon so highly offended This their sinne was the sinne of cruelty
greater Wee ioine house to house and field to field as it is in Esai 5.8 that we may be placed by our selues in the middest of the earth Were our Fathers so ambitious They were cōtent with such bounds as their ancestors left them but we must haue them altered if not enlarged The divinely-inspired David tels vs Psal 37.3 that if wee dwell in the land where God hath placed vs we shall verily bee fed We should learne of S. Paule Philip. 4.11 in whatsoever state we are therewith to be content Knowing it to be true which the same Apostle avoweth vnto Timothy Ep. 1. chap. 6. ver 6. that Godlinesse is great gaine if we will be content with that we haue Thus much of the 13. verse THE TWENTIETH LECTVRE AMOS 1.14 15. Therefore will I kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah and it shall devoure the palaces thereof with shouting in the day of battle and with a tempest in the day of the whirlewinde And their king shall goe into captivity he and his Princes together saith the LORD HEre wee haue the denuntiation of the iudgements of God against the childrē of Ammon for their sinnes This iudgement is in the 14. verse set downe 1. In a generality 2. with some circumstances First in a generality Therefore will I kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah and it shall devoure the palaces thereof Secondly with some circumstances as that it should be full of terrour and speedy of large extent Full of terrour with shouting in the day of battle Speedy with a tempest in the day of the whirlewinde Of large extent For it was to fall vpon not only the meaner sort of the people but vpon the nobility also yea and vpon the king himselfe which is plaine by the 15. verse Their king shal goe into captivity he and his princes together First let vs weigh this iudgement of God as it is set downe in a generality I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah it shall devoure the palaces thereof This iudgement for substance is no other then that which you haue heretofore heard out of this chapter to haue beene denounced from Almighty God against the Syrians Philistines Tyrians and Edomites Against the Syrians vers 4. I will send a fire into the house of Hazael and it shall devoure the palaces of Ben-hadad Against the Philistines ver 7. I will send a fire vpon the wals of Azzah and it shall devoure the palaces thereof Against the Tyrians ver 10. I will send a fire vpō the wals of Tyrus and it shall devoure the palaces thereof Against the Edomites vers 12. I will send a fire vpon Ternan and it shall devoure the palaces of Bozrah Betweene those denunciations this you see no great difference In those Thus saith the LORD I will send a fire in this Thus I will kindle a fire I will send a fire I will kindle a fire the substance in both is the same And therefore as in those I haue done so do I in this I commend to your Christian and religious considerations certaine circumstances 1 Of the punisher the LORD I will kindle 2 Of the punishment by fire A fire 3 Of the punished The wals of Rabbah and the palaces thereof These circumstances are in this iudgement of God as it is set downe in a generality The first circumstance concerneth the punisher the LORD for thus saith the LORD I will kindle a fire The note yeeldeth this doctrine It is proper to the LORD to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes This truth hath beene often confirmed vnto you Divers are the vses of it 1 It may lesson vs to looke heedfully vnto our feete that we walke not in the way of sinners to partake with thē in their sinnes Sinnes are not tongue-tied they cry alowd vnto the LORD for vengeance 2 It may admonish vs not to intermedle in the LORDS office It 's his office to execute vengeance We therefore may not interpose our selues 3 It may serue for a comfort to the Godly against whom the wicked haue behaved themselues prowdly and dispiteously God in due time 〈◊〉 such their behaviour will render vengeance vnto them 〈◊〉 them with everlasting perdition The second circumstance cōcerneth the punishment which is by fire I will kindle a fire By fire here we are to vnderstand not so much a true and naturall fire as a figuratiue and metaphoricall fire The sword pestilence and famine quodlibet genus consumptionis every kind of consumption quaelibet species excidij every kinde of destruction haile water thunder sicknes or any other of the executioners of God his wrath for the sinnes of men may be signified by this name Fire The doctrine The fire whether naturall or figuratiue that is the fire all other creatures are at the Lords commandement to be employed by him in the punishment of the wicked Of this doctrine heretofore The vse of it is to teach vs how to behaue our selues at such times as God shall visit vs with his rod of correction how to cary our selues in all our afflictions We must not so much looke to the meanes as to the LORD that worketh by them If the fire or water or any other of Gods creatures shall at any time rage and prevaile against vs we must know that God by them worketh his holy will vpō vs. Here we see he resolueth to kindle a fire vpon the wall of Rabbah for thus saith the LORD I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah and it shal devoure the palaces thereof There was a city of this name Rabbah in the country of Moab called Rabbath-Moab So saith Drusius But the Rabbah in my text was a city in the country of the Ammonites called 2. Sam. 12.26 Rabbah of the children of Ammon where it is named the city of the kingdome For it was their metropolitical chiefe city In the verse following it 's called the city of waters because it was situate neere vnto the river Ieboc The destruction here threatned to this city is likewise denounced by two other Prophets Ieremy and Ezechiel In Ieremie chap. 49.2 Thus saith the LORD I will cause a noise of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites and it shall be a desolate heape and her daughters shall be burnt with fire Cry yee daughters of Rabbah gird you with sackecloath mourne and runne to fro by the hedges for their king shall goe into captivity and his priests his princes likewise And Ezechiel chap. 25.5 I will make Rabbah a dwelling place for Camels and the Ammonites a sheepcoate By which two places of Ieremy Ezechiel the meaning of my Prophet is opened Here in the person of God he saith I wil kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah and it shall devoure the palaces thereof It is as if he had said The a Ierem. 7.34 voice of mirth and the voice of gladnes shall cease to be
no not for particular provinces or countries Almightie God who once did breake vp the fountaines of the great deepe and did open the windowes of Heaven Gen. 7.11 he is the same God still Almightie still his arme is stretched out still He can at his pleasure command the cloudes and they shall poure forth abundance of waters to the washing away of our dwelling houses But say he wil not come against vs with his armie of waters yet being Deus exerciâ—â—â— a God of boastes he hath armies of another kind at command to worke the suddaine subversion and overthrow of all our dwellings I yet present you not with lightning with thunder with windes with earthquakes wherewith the LORD of Hoasts the mightie one of Israel hath laid wast and made desolate many the habitations of sinfull men my text presents you with fire and let it suffice for this time Say I beseech you is it not a fearefull thing that insteed of the fatnesse of the cloudes of the greater and smaller raine of the sweet dewes of heaven of coÌ„fortable shewers which God hath engendred in the aire and divided by pipes to fall vpon the earth in their seasons our grounds should be withered our fruits consumed our temples and our buildings resolved into cinders yea and sometimes our skinnes bones too molten from our backes Yet beloued this sometimes comes to passe when fire one of the executioners of Gods vengeance is sent vpon vs for our sinnes What became of Sodom and Gomorah other cities of that plaine Were they not turned into ashes by fire from the LORD The storie is knowne Gen. 19.24 But what need old stories to confirme so plaine a matter whereof we haue daily and lamentable experience Doe not the grievous coÌ„plaints of many of our neighbours vndone by fire seeking from our charitable devotions some smal reliefe make good proofe hereof Dearely beloved learne we by their example to cast away from vs all our transgressions whereby we haue transgressed and to turne vnto the LORD our God lest delighting and treading in the wickednesse of their waies we be made partakers also of their punishments It is neither care nor policie that can stay Gods revengeful hand when he bringeth fire in it To this purpose memorable is the example of a country man of ours who in K. Edwards daies was a professour of the true religion that religion which by Gods goodnesse we doe this day professe This man in the o Foxe Martyrolog pag. 1893. Acts Monuments of our Church is named p A Smith dwelling at WELL in Cambridge shire Richard Denton and is there noted to haue beene an instructour of one q Of Wishich in the I le of Elie. Sometime Constable of WELL and dwelling there William Wolsey in the same his holy religion Not long after in Queene Maries daies when fire and fagot were the portion of true professours Wolsey was apprehended and imprisoned In time of his durance hee sent commendations to Denton his instructour withall demaunding by his messenger why he tarried so long after him seeing hee had beene his first instructour in the Scriptures Dentons answere was I cannot burne Cannot burne You see his policie hee halted betweene God and man he dissembled the profession of his Christian faith because forsooth he could not burne Well Queene Maries daies were soone at an end and God caused the light of the Gospell to shine againe vnder the peaceable governement of Queene Elizabeth The did our dissembler thinke himselfe safe enough from any flame of fire But behold the haxd of God His house was on fire and he with two others ventring to saue some of his goods perished in the flame Thus you see policie prevailes not when Gods revengefull hand brings fire with it And thinke you that câ—re will helpe What Care against the LORD Farre be it from vs beloved so to thinke Let vs rather make our humble coÌ„fession with king Nabuchodonosor Dan. 4.31 32. that the Most High liveth for ever that his power is an everlasting power and his kingdome from generation to generatioÌ„ that all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing to him that according to his will he worketh in the armie of heaven and in the inhabitants of the earth none can stay his hand nor say vnto him what doest thou None can stay his hand This is it which before I noted namely that It 's neither care nor policie that can stay Gods revengefull hand when hee bringeth fire in it as here it 's threatned vnto Rabbah I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah Thus farre by occasioÌ„ of my first doctrine which was It is not the greatnes of a city that can be a safegard vnto it if Gods vnappeaseable wrath breake out against it for its sins And it was grounded vpon these words I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah It 's further added of this fire that it shall devoure the palaces of Rabbah Which branch repeated in each of the precedent prophecies as vers 4 7 10 12. hath formerly yeelded vs this doctrine God depriveth vs of a great blessing when he taketh from vs our dwelling houses This truth is experimeÌ„tally made good vnto vs by the great commodity or coÌ„tentment that coÌ„meth to every one of vs by our dwelling houses The vse whereof is to teach vs. 1. To be huÌ„bled before Almighty God whensoever it shall please him by water by fire by winde by lightning by thuÌ„der by earthquakes or otherwise to overthrow our dwelling houses 2. Since wee peaceably enioy our dwelling houses to vse them for the furtherance of Gods glory 3. To render all hearty thankes vnto Almighty God for the comfortable vse we haue of our dwelling houses Thus farre of the commination or denuntiation of iudgement as it is set downe in generall The speciall circumstances whereby it is further notified or illustrated do coÌ„cerne partly the punishment partly the punished CoÌ„cerning the punishment it is full of terrour speedy First full of terrour in these words With shouting in the daie of battell With shouting in classico saith Brentius cum clâ—ngore saith Drusius that is with the sound or noise of trumpets The Septuagint do read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the vulgar Latin in ululatu Mercer cum vociferatione Gualter cum clamore Calvin cum clamore vel Iubilo that is with a cry with a great cry with a vociferatioÌ„ with a shout such as souldiers do make when on a suddaine they surprise a citie In the day of battell in die belli The like phrase we haue Psa 78.9 where it is said of the children of Ephraim that being armed shooting with the bow they turned backe in die belli in the day of battell David confesseth Ps 140.7 O LORD God the strength of my salvation thou hast coverd my head in die belli in the day of battell SalomoÌ„ saith Pro. 21.31 The horse is prepared in dieÌ„
Ion. cap. 1.4 lect 13. pro libidine suâ at their pleasures raise vp tempests It is nothing so Nothing so Why then doth S. Paul Ephes 2.2 call the Devil the prince that ruleth in the aire I answer S. Paul calleth the Devill the Prince that ruleth in the aire not because he caÌ„ at his pleasure raise teÌ„pests but because he theÌ„ doth it wheÌ„ God giues him license I easily grant that witches sorcerers coniurers by the helpe of the Devill can raise stormes tempests in the aire though t K. Iames Daemonolog lib. 2. cap. 5. pag. 46. not vniversally yet in such a particular place prescribed bounds as God will permit them so to trouble u Arch B. Abbot in Ion. lect 3. pag. 51. The Devill and his factours worke their exploits onely by limitation and by leaue for they depend vpon the LORD and as if they were tied in a chaine they cannot exceed one haires breadth of that which is granted vnto them Witnesse the story of Iob. The Devill could not raise a wind to overthrow the house wherein Iob's children were but by leaue from the LORD as it appeareth Iob. 1.12 And this may be our comfort that Sathan the Devill that x 1 Pet. 5.8 roaring Lyon who walketh about seeking whom he may devoure hath y Esai 37.29 a hooke put into his nostrils a bridle in his lips and is bound z Iud. 6. with everlasting châ—ines so that he cannot hurt vs no not so much as by raising of a tempest vnlesse Almightie God for our sinnes doe let him loose Wherefore let vs commend our selues wholy to the protection of the Almightie he will * Esai 49.2 hide vs vnder the shadow of his hand For it 's he only that maketh vs to dwell in safetie Thus much of my first doctrine Againe whereas the punishment here threatned to the Ammonites was to come vpon them as a whirle-wind in a tempestuous or stormie day that is speedily we may from hence take this lesson The destruction of the wicked commeth suddainely vpon them This truth is a vowed by David Psal 37.2 Where to perswade the godly not to fret or hee grieved at the prosperitie of the wicked he brings this reason They shall soone be cut downe like grasse and shall wither as the greene hearbe which in other words vers 20. of the same Psalme he thus delivereth They shal perish and shall hee consumed as the fat of lambes even with the smoake shall they consume away They shall be consumed at the fat of lambes there is vtter destruction for them they shall bee consumed as smoake there is the suddennesse of their destruction The state of the wicked is very ticklish and vncertaine For as it is Psal 73.18 God hath set them in slipperie places and casteth them downe into desolation Their end is there described to be wonderfull suddaine and fearefull Quomodo vastabuntur Subitò deficient consumentur terroribus How shall they bee destroyed They shall quickly perish they shal be consumed with terrours Solomon speakes to this purpose as plainly as may be Prov. 6.15 The destruction of the wicked shall come speedily he shall be destroyed suddenly without recoverie He shall be destroyed suddenly without recoverie that is to speake in my prophets phrase Hee shall be destroyed as if he were caried away with a whirlewind in a tempestuous and stormy day or in Solomons phrase Prov. 1.27 Their destruction shall come like a whirlewind Th◠〈…〉 in this point 〈◊〉 this which hath 〈…〉 â—ay seâ—ne for the â—stablâ—shment of my propoâ—◠〈◊〉 â—â—ine that The 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 wicked 〈◊〉 suddenly vpon them One vse of this doctrine is to admonish vs that wee giue all diligence to walke in the LORDS â—ay the sanctified holy way the way of perfection that we be not reputed among the wicked and so partake with them in the sâ—â—lenesse of their downefalls A second vse is to minister a word of comfort Doe the wicked prosper and increase in riches Is pride a chaine vnto them Is crueltie their garment Doe their eies stand out for fatnesse Haue they more then heart can wish Art thou meane while in trouble Art thou in want Doe they oppresse thee Doe they wrong thee Yet bee of good coÌ„fort Say not I haue cleansed my heart in vaine in vaine haue I washed my hands in innocencie but coâ—â—â—â— thy way vnto the LORD trust in 〈◊〉 wait patiently vpon him yeâ— a 〈◊〉 while and the wicked shall not appeare thou 〈◊〉 booke 〈◊〉 his place â—â—alt not fâ—â—de 〈◊〉 For sudden destruction shall befall him he shall be caried away as with a whirlewind in a â—â—â—posâ—uous and stormie day Thus much of the 14. verse THE XXI LECTVRE AMOS 1.15 And their king shall goe into captivity he and his Princes together saith the LORD IN my last lecture I began the expositioÌ„ of the fourth part the commination or denunciation of iudgement then I noted that this iudgement was set downe first in a generalitie Therefore will I kindle a fire c. vers 14. and secondly with some circumstances as that it should be full of terrour and speedy and of large extent Full of terrour With shouting in the day of battell Speedy With a tempest in the day of the whirlewind Of large extent For it was to reach vnto not only the meaner sort of people but to the nobles also yea vnto the King himselfe verse 15. Their king shall goe into captivitie hee and his Princes together Of this iudgement as it is delivered in a generalitie as also of the terrour and speedinesse of it I discoursed in my last exercise The extent was left vntouched whereof at this time Their King shall goe into captivitie he and his Princes together King and Princes both must into captivitie What shall become of the Priests They shall be caried away too The Septuagint in their translation doe expresly affirme it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Kings of Ammon shall goe into captivitie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their priests and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their princes Their King shall goe into captivitie their priests 〈…〉 â—od this the Prophet â—â—â—â—mie precisely 〈…〉 where thunâ—ring inâ—â—â—t the threats of 〈…〉 the children of 〈◊〉 he saith Their King 〈◊〉 goe into captivitie and his priests and his princes likewise The vulgar Latin and S. Hierome for their King doe reade Melchom Melchom shall goe into captivitie And what is Melchom It is the same with Milchom with Molech with Moloch Diverse wordes of one signification though differing in sound and termination Be it Melchom or Milchom or Molech or Moloch all is one It 's but an Idole So it 's called by the author of the vulgar Latin Levit. 18.21 De semine tuo non dabis vt consecretur Idolo Moloch Thou shalt not giue thy childreÌ„ to consecrat them to offer them to the Idolâ— Moloch It is the 〈…〉 of the Ammonites So it 's
mould with other men O God I thanke thee I am not as other men c. But leaue we the Pharisee in his pride he is not to be a patterne of imitation for vs. The Publicane is he whom we must follow Gerit typum omnium poenit entium all that will truely repent must take him for an ensample He stood a farre of would not lift vp so much as his eies to Heaven smote his breast and said O God be mercifull to me a sinner He stood a farre of I a B. King in Ion. lect 38. pag. 514. not daring to approach to God that God might approach to him He would not lift vp his eies to Heaven for he knew heaven to be the seate of that Maiesty which by sinning he had provoked vnto displeasure He smote his breast as the arke of all iniquity as it were punishing himselfe 〈…〉 to punish him And 〈…〉 heare and trembling tongâ—â— he called vp 〈…〉 and find O God be mercifull to me a sinner b Pet. de Palude Dom. 2. post Trin. â—â—â—r p. 364. Oratio 〈◊〉 〈…〉 It is a short praier but full of fruit O God 〈…〉 mercifull I say not to 〈◊〉 thy 〈…〉 thy 〈◊〉 or thy 〈◊〉 but be merciful to 〈…〉 sinner My whole câ—â—posâ—â—â—on 〈…〉 whatsoever I am in body or soule so farre as my manhood and humanity goeth a Sinner and not only by mine â—ffice and â—â—lling because I am a Publicane but even by â—â—ture and kiâ—de it selfe a Sinner O God be mercifull to me a sinner This Publicanâ— is set for a 〈◊〉 vnto vs. We must with him confesse our sinnes vnto the LORD Let no 〈◊〉 boast himselfe of his owne innocencie inâ—â—gâ—ity or vprightnes Quando mare sâ—ne proâ—â—â—is 〈◊〉 sine peccaâ—iâ— saith c Apud Pet. de Palude Dom. 11. Trinit p. 356 Chrysostome wheÌ„ the seâ— is without 〈◊〉 are we without sinnes But the sea is never free 〈…〉 In vaine thâ—â— is 〈◊〉 O 〈…〉 when thou exaltesâ— thy selfe as if thou were 〈…〉 what 〈…〉 at his closing vp of this parâ—â—â—e of the Publicaâ—â— and Pâ—â—risee Omnis qui se exaltat 〈◊〉 every one that exalts himselfe shall be brought low 〈◊〉 exalted himselfe and death was his recoÌ„pence Gen. 3.19 〈◊〉 exalted himselfe and he was drowned in the 〈◊〉 Exod. 14.28 â—â—rah Darhan and Abicam exalted the 〈…〉 the â—ardropened her mouth swallowed them vp Num. 16.32 Sâ—â—le exalted himselfe and an evill spirit was sent to vexe â—â—m 2. Sâ—â— 16.15 Absolon exalted himselfe he was hanged in 〈◊〉 â—â—ke 2. Sam. 16.9 Nabuchâ—donâ—sor exalted himselfe he was driven to seeke his dwelling with the beasts of the field Dan. 4.29 Amiâ—chus exalted himselfe and he died a miserable death consâ—â—ed of wormes â— Mach. 9.9 Herodâ— Agrippa exalted himselfe and the Angell of the LORD smote him so was he also eaten of wormes gaue vp the ghost Act. 12.23 It is out of all controversie Omnis qui se exaltat humiliabitur every one that exaltâ—â—â— himselfe shall be brought low Let the consideration hereof beloved worke in vs a vigilancie to keepe the proud Devill vnder that we swell not vp through a vaine perswasion of fleshly righteousnes that we lift not vp our Peacocks feathers nor extoll our eie lids through a conceite of our owne deserts but in all humility pray wee ever with the Publicane O God be mercifull vnto vs sinners and ascribe we vnto him all laud and praise for suffring vs notwithstanding our manifold sinnes every man to dwell d 1. King 4.25 vnder his vine and vnder his figgetree to liue in our owne land in peace free from all feare of being led into captivity Thus much of my first vse A second followeth My doctrine was When God punisheth a nation with captivity for their sinnes hee spareth neither Priest nor Prince nor King Will you haue a reason hereof Heare then what Elihu saith Iob 34.19 God accepteth not the persons of Princes he regardeth not the rich more then the poore He accepteth no mans person saith S. Paule Gal. 2.6 No mans person Then neither the person of the Priest nor of the Prince nor of the King If these sinne like others of the people these shal be punished as wel as others and if others be caried into captivity these must into captivity also The vse of this doctrine is to admonish the great mightie ones of this world that they presume not to sinne against the LORD as if they were priviledged by their greatnes might No priviledge can serue their turnes when they must e Iob 21.20 drinke of the wrath of the Almighty Then shall they be as f Iob 21.18 stubble before the winde and as the chaffe that the storme carieth away Consider this all yee who take your selues to bee mightie among your neighbours yee whom God hath blessed with this worlds good aboue your neighbours Thinke not your wealth or authority can protect you when Gods sore displeasure shall breake out against you for your sinnes but rather let it ever be written in your hearts what is written Wisd 6.6 The mighty shall be mightily tormented And remember what is added in that place He that is Lord over all will spare no person neither shal he feare any greatnes for he hath made the small and the great and careth for 〈…〉 the sâ—â—orâ—â—al And hence ariseth a 〈◊〉 vse It is to minister a word of comfort to the inferiour and poorer sort of people If the mighty shall g Amos 2.6 sell the righteous among you for silver the poore for shoes if they h Amos 2.7 gape over your heads in the dust of the earth if they i Esai 3 15. grinde your faces if by violence oppression they k Habak 1.4 compasse you about yet be yee of good coÌ„fort God the iudge of al accepteth no persons He in his good time will avenge your causes bee your oppressours never so mightie for when he punisheth a land for the sinnes of a people he spareth neither Priest nor Prince nor King There is a fourth vse of this doctrine It is to warne vs not to set our hearts vpon the outwarde things of this worlde for as much as God will not respect vs for them Neither Priest nor Prince nor King can stand before the displeasure of Almightie God And shall a mighty man shall a rich man stand No. l Psal 68.2 As the smoake vanisheth so shall he be driven away and as the waxe melteth before the fire so shall he perish at the presence of God Wherefore dearely beloved in the LORD let vs only and earnestly seeke after such things as may make vs accepted with God as righteousnesse peace and ioy in the Holy Ghost For whosoever in these things serveth Christ hee is acceptable to God saith S. Paule Rom. 14.18 Thus farre by occasion of my first doctrine which was When God punisheth a nation with captivitie for their
sinnes he spareth neither priest nor prince nor king And it was grounded vpon the first reading of the words of my text after the Hebrew thus Their King shall goe into captivitie he his princes together after the Septuagint thus Their Kings shall goe into captivitie their priests and Princes likewise I commended vnto you another reading out of the Vulgar Latin Melchom shall goe into captivitie he and his princes together I told you in the beginning of this exercise what Melchom was I said it was the same with Milchom or Molech or Moloch an abomination of the Ammonites their Idol their God to whom they yeelded divine worship consecrated their children through fire All this I made plaine vnto you out of the sacred Scriptures The doctrine Neither Melchom of the Ammonites nor any other Idol of any other people can saue themselues in the day of captivity much lesse can they saue the people that doe trust in them worship them First they cannot saue themselues Secondly nor them that put their trust in them They cannot saue themselues For what is become of Succoth-benoth the God of Babel of Nergal the God of Cuth of Ashima the God of Hamath of Nibhaz and Tartack the God of the Avims of Adrammelach and Anammelech the God of Sepharvaim Their names indeed remaine vpon record 2. King 17.30 31. but theÌ„selues are vanished they are come to nought Hezekiah King of Iudah hee who brake in pieces the brasen serpent which Moses made because his people offered incense to it he put downe those Idol Gods hee tooke away their high places he brake their images he cut downe their groues 2. King 18.4 What is become of Ashtoreth the Idol of the Zidonians of Chemosh the Idol of the Moabites of Milchom the abomination of the children of Ammon Their names indeed remaine vpon record 2. King 23.13 but themselues are vanished they are come to nought Iosiah King of Iudah that good King hee put downe those Idol Gods he brake their images in pieces hee cut downe their groues and filled their places with the bones of men 2. King 23.14 I could here repeat vnto you many other Idols Idol Gods whose names are particularly recorded in the register of Gods holy word which also are vanished and come to nought But the time wil not suffer me Let it suffice what is spoken in a generalitie of the Kings of Assyria 2. Kings 19.18 that they did set on fire the Gods of the nations Gods And yet set on fire True But they were but Idol Gods and therefore could not helpe themselues Not helpe themselues Why not The reason is given in the same place for they were no Gods 〈◊〉 Idol God is no God they were no Gods but the worke of mans hands even wood and stone therefore the kings of Assyria destroyed them The very same reason is delivered in the very same wordes by the Prophet Esai chap. 37.19 They were no Gods but the worke of mens hands even wood and stone therefore the Kings of Assyria destroyed them The holy Prophets are very zealous in Gods cause against those Idols Esai chapter 41.29 saith they are all vanitie their worke is of nothing they are wind they are confusion Ierem. chap. 10.15 saith They are vanitie they are the worke of errours in the time of their visitation they shall perish I should wearie my selfe your attention would I produce whatsoever the Prophets of the LORD haue spoken to the viâ—ifying and debasing of Idols This which I haue already deliuered out of Esai Ieremie and from out the second booke of Kings doth make good the former part of my propounded doctrine namely that neither Melchom of the Ammonites nor any other Idol of any other people can saue themselues 〈◊〉 the day of captivitie Can they not saue themselues in the day of captivitie much lesse can they saue the people that doe trust in them and worship them which was the second part of my doctrine And it is pregnantly confirmed out of the 46. chapter of the prophecie of Esai vers 7. where the Prophet out of his zeale for the LORD of hoasts against Idols and Images assureth all people that though they cry vnto Idols and Images yet can they not answer them nor deliver them out of their tribulations Ieremie likewise chap. 11.12 le ts the cities of Iudah and the inhabitants of Ierusalem to vnderstand that though they cry vnto their Idols and Images yet they shall not bee able to helpe them in time of their trouble Adde hereto what S. Austine saith in his soliloquies or heavenly meditations chap. 5. An Idol or an Image it 's m 1. Cor. 8.4 nothing it hath n Psal 135.16 17 Psal 115.5 6 7. eares and heareth not a nose and smelleth not eies and seeth not a mouth speaketh not hands and feeleth not feete walketh not and all the proportion of members and yet liveth not and what helpe can be expected from such an Idol such a Nothing My doctrine stands firme Neither Melchom of the Ammonites nor any other Idol of any other people can saue themselues in the day of captivitie much lesse can they saue the people that doe trust in them and worship them Now let vs see what vse wee may make hereof for our further instruction and benefit First this doctrine serueth to reproue all Papists for their blind superstition in worshipping their Idols and Images For what do they make of their Images but meere Idols while they fall downe before them and doe them reverence with capping with kneeling with knocking with creeping with crossing with kissing with lighting of candles and with other like beggarly trash and trumperie as is yet this day in vse in the Church of Rome with great observation The time was when this Church of England subiected it selfe to that of Rome and was drunken with the wine of her fornication Then were the people of this land defiled with Idols No Parish Church but was polluted with Images Then was Gods providence and due honour neglected For the cure of diseases not God but Saints were invocated and sought vnto For the plague o Rainold Idol 1 6 7. S. Sebastian for the pox p Homilies Tom. 2. Serm. 3. against perill of Idolatrie F. 8. b. S. Roch for the falling evil S. Cornelius for sore eies S. Raphael for the toothache S. Apolonia for other crosses and afflictions S. Hippolytus S. Christopher S. Catherine Every artificer and profession had a speciall Saint as a peculiar God Scholers had S. Nicbolas yea and S. Gregorie painters S. Luke shipmen S. Marie Souldiers wanted not their Mars nor lovers their Venus eveÌ„ among vs Christians Yea our beasts and cattle had their Gods too S. Loy was the horseleech and S. Antome the swineheard If sometimes we remembred God yet as if we doubted of his abilitie will to helpe wee vsed to ioine to him another helper The young scholer was