Lord said vnto Verse 1 me goe yet and loue a woman beloued of her husband and was an harlot according to the loue of the Lord towards the children of Israell yet they looked to other Gods loued the wine bottles In which words the loue of God is typically propounded The exposition and afterwards plainely expounded it is typically shadowed vnder another vision not much vnlike vnto the former Chap. 1. 2. wherein the Lord commaundeth the Prophet to loue an adulterous and vngratefull harlot not that indeed he would haue him to set his affection vpon such an one seeing it was a thing vnlawfull and dishonest for the Prophet of God to loue an Adultresse being another mans wife but that hee hauing receiued this commaundement by vision might propound it as a Parable vnto the people that hereby they who were dull of conceit might see both the loue and mercy of God and their owne wickednesse and vnworthynesse represented as in a cleare glasse or plaine picture As though he should say go yet againe vnto the Israelites and propound this parable vnto them that the Lord is like vnto a husband who continueth to loue his wife though she neglecting his loue and forgetting his benefits haue forsaken him committed whoredome with her louers and giuen ouer her selfe vnto all voluptuous pleasures But let vs come to the words more particularly And the Lord said vnto mee that is after I had deliuered the former Prophecie the Lord againe spake vnto me by vision saying goe yet againe that is content not thy selfe to haue spoken once of my mercy loue and gracious benefites and of the wickednesse and vnworthinesse of this people but againe repeate and reiterate these things vnto them that so eyther they may be moued at the second hearing or that their obstinacie and hardnesse of heart may be manifested and they left without excuse And loue a woman beloued of her husband and was an harlot that is by propounding vnto them this Parable shew them that I am a gracious Husband in that notwithstanding their manifold whoredomes I continue to loue them and withall conuince them of their grose wickednesse and vnthankfulnesse in that all my loue and gracious benefits will not restraine them from committing Idolatrie and spirituall adultery with false Gods In which Parable vnder the husband wee are to vnderstand God himselfe who loued his people from all eternitie and continued constant in his loue euen after the people had broken their mariage faith plighted vnto him in mount Sinai and committed spirituall whoredome with false Gods By the wife wee are to vnderstand the people of Israell and not the people of Iuda as some haue imagined for first in this first verse here mention is made of the children of Israell and secondly it is not true of the Iewes that they should be without Magistrates and gouernement for the Scepter might not depart from Iuda till the Messias came Gen. 49. 10 Gen. 49. 10. But is was verified in the ten tribes who had no Magistrates of their owne in the time of their captiuitie Yea but the ten Tribes were diuorced from God excluded out of the couenant and for euer debarred of mercy how then could it be said of them that God loued them as his spouse and that they should being conuerted seeke the Lord I answere that we are not to vnderstand these words generally of the whole people of Israell but of those onely amongest them which belonged to Gods election for of these alone it could truely be said that God loued them and that being conuerted they should seeke the lord And vnderstanding it of them we may easily answere the former obiections for though they were excluded out of the couenant of works yet this hindreth them not from being admitted into the couenant of grace though they were debarred of mercy in respect of their deliuerance out of a temporall captiuitie yet they obtained mercy in regard of their spirituall freedom out of the captiuitie of sinne and Sathan though they were for euer exiled out of the earthly Canaan yet being reconciled vnto God in Christ they might neuerthelesse become Citizens of the heauenly Ierusalem Lastly by the Prophet who is commaunded by God to loue this Adultresse beloued of her husband wee are to vnderstand Iesus Christ who loued these elect Israelites which were exculded out of the couenant of works and marryed them vnto himselfe by making with them the new couenant of grace and this appeareth in that hee willeth him to loue her with such loue as the Lord loued her namely with a constant most infinite and eternall loue which properly can be ascribed to no other sauing to our Sauiour Iesus Christ alone And this is the meaning of this parable The exposition followeth According to the loue of the Lord towards the children of Israell yet or when as they looked to other Gods and loued the wine bottles In which words the Lords loue is amplyfied by the wickednesse and vnworthinesse of the people and the peoples sinne aggrauated by the loue and goodnesse of God towards them The Lords loue is hereby commended in that he did not onely loue this people whilest they loued him kept their coniugall faith and serued him according to his word but euen when they dispised him forsooke him violated their faith and committed spirituall whoredome with false Gods the which he could neuer haue done had not his loue beene infinite most constant and eternall Secondly their sinne and wickednesse is exceedingly aggrauated in that they were so vngratefull and obstinate in their Idolatry that neyther Gods loue nor all his manifold benefits which he had multiplyed vpon them as pledges of his endlesse loue could moue them to loue him againe nor containe them in their fidelitie nor restraine them from committing spirituall fornication with false Gods If a wife doe not loue her husband who loatheth her and behaueth himselfe towards her cruelly and inhumanely though this doth not altogether take away her fault yet it doth much extenuate and excuse it but if she loue not such a husband as entirely loueth her nor will be restrained by his great kindnes and manifold benefits from breaking her faith and following her louers her fault is so haynous that it admitteth of no excuse but such a louing husband was the Lord to this Church of Israell and such a rebellious and vnfaithfull wife was she to him and therefore her wickednesse was so much the more grieuous and intollerable But let vs come to the particular branches of their sin the first whereof is expressed in these words Yet they looked to other Gods by which phrase with the Hebrewes is vsually signified loue and desire hope and trust reposed in that thing which they are said to looke after Wheras therefore they are said to looke after other Gods the meaning is that they set their hearts and affections vpon them and hoped and trusted in them and in these respects
remedies Secondly God beginneth here with legall comminations The best method of preaching for the conuerting â—f a sinner before he comforteth them with any euangelicall consolations because this is the best and fittest course for the conuersion of a sinner For first their sores and festered wounds must be lanched searched and drawne with the rasour and corrosiue of the law before they be healed with the plaisters of Gods promises in the Gospell for otherwise the wound being not healed to the bottom will breake out againe and become worse then it was First we must be beaten downe before we can be raised vp we must first see our sinnes and seeing bewaile them before God will shew vnto vs his sauing mercie wee must bee nothing in our selues before we can be something in Gods sight we must labour and grone vnder the heauie burthen of our sinnes desiring nothing more then to be eased of this intollerable waight before we will come to Christ or he relieue vs we must see our owne nakednesse before hee will clothe vs with the robe of his righteousnesse our owne emptinesse before he will fill vs our owne beggerlinesse before hee will inrich vs and our owne sinnes before he will pardon vs. All which preparation is begun by the preaching of the law and therefore the Lord beginneth with it here as also hee tooke the same course with our first parents Gen. 3. and with his Church Gen. 3. and people from time to time so Iohn the Baptist and our Sauiour Christ himselfe whose example all his faithfull Ministers are to imitate c. The third thing which we are to obserue is that he deciphereth Why idolatry is called fornication the idolatrie of the people vnder the name of fornication whoredome and adulterie and that for diuers causes first in that there is betweene them great similitude and likenesse For as the man taketh the woman to wife coniugall faith being on both sides promised so the Lord hath married vnto him the Church and in Iesus Christ the second person in Trinity hath assumed mans nature into yâ— Hypostaticall vnion and so hath inseparablie ioyned vs vnto himselfe Iesus Christ also being knit vnto vs in that mystical vnion and so becomming our head and husband And likewise there is a mutuall contract passed betweene vs for the Lord promiseth his grace loue fauour protection and all the benefits of this life and the life to come and the Church for her part promiseth her loue to God coniugall faith and dutifull obedience And of this mariage mention is made Hosea 2. 19. 20. Ier. 3. 1. 8. 20. 2. Cor. 11. 2. Hos 2. 19. 20. Ier. 3. 1. 8. 2. Cor. 11. 2. As therfore the wife breaking her coniugal faith and promise and withdrawing her loue obedience and bodie from her husband that she may communicate them to some other man becommeth an adulteresse so those who breake their faith and couenant made with God and withdraw their loue obedience and outward seruice from him that they may communicate them vnto false gods and idols doe go a whoring after them and commit spirituall adulterie with them And this is the reason why in the Scriptures idolaters are vsually called harlots fornicators and adulterers and idolatrie whoredome and adulterie as appeareth Exod. 34. 15. Exod. 34. 15. Leuit. 20. 5. 6. Deut. 31. 16. Psalm 106. 39 16. Leuit. 20. 5. 6. Deut. 31. 16. Psalm 106. 39. Secondly as the adulterers are so blinded with their burning lust and blind furie that though they bee naturally wise yet they fall into sottish folly running headlong and as it were blindfold in their vncleane and filthie courses though thereby they impaire their health ruine their state lose their credit shorten their life and destroy their owne soules so Idolaters though neuer so wise through their blind superstition are so infatuated that they beleeue more palpable lies and fall into more sottish follies then little children could be brought vnto not regarding their health wealth life nor credit and hazarding the losse of their soules so that they may goe forward in their blind deuotion The second cause why idolatrie is called adulterie is to shew the greatnesse of this sinne and how odious it is in Gods sight for as it is a most horrible fault and to any louing husband most abominable if a wife should prostitute her selfe vnto others and that in her husbands sight and presence so is this sinne of idolatrie no lesse grieuous or odious because the Idolaters doe prostitue themselues to idols to commit spirituall whoredome with them and that in the sight and presence of God who seeth all things and is present euery where But it may be obiected that idolatrie is a farre greater sinne then adulterie and therefore when it is called by that name the sin is rather extenuated then aggrauated I answer first the grieuousnesse of this sinne is so much the greater by how much more excellent the person is who is iniured and offended and therefore when this adulterie is committed against Gods glorious Maiestie it is infinitely more outragious and hainous then when man is thus wronged Secondly though idolatrie is a farre greater sinne then adulterie yet when it is called by this name it is aggrauated not in it own nature but according to mens conceit and opinion who make light account of the sins of the first table as idolatrie blasphemie breaking the Sabbath but thinke the sinnes of the second table very hainous in respect of the other as murther adulterie theft and such like And therfore the Lord calleth them by the names of these sinnes which we can better iudge of to make them as they are odious and hainous in their owne nature so also to appeare vnto vs. As if a man hauing to deale with a louing child and intending to aggrauate the hainousnesse of this sinne of murthering the prince should compare it to parricide he should to his conceit make it appeare much more grieuous although it be a farre more hainous and pernitious sinne to murther the prince who is the father of the countrie then a mans owne naturall parent And these are the things which are to be obserued out of Idolatrie and superstition know no limits the name The fourth thing to be obserued is that hee saith they had committed great whoredoms and also continued in them wherein we may note the nature as of all other sins so of this sin of idolatrie For if once it bee entertained it knoweth no limits nor bounds but with the heate of blind furie ignorant superstition it carrieth meÌ„ as it were hoodwinckt into all grosse and abominable impietie so that there is no creature in heauen or earth so base and contemptible which the Idolater in his blind deuotion wil not worship in the place of God as appeareth Rom. 1. 23. And this Rom. 1. 23. befalleth them by the iust iudgement of God that they should be carried
their sinnes without any check and controlement and to haue a prosperous course and wished successe in their wicked designes without any let or hinderance yet he dealeth not thus with those that belong vnto his election but if they through the corruption of the flesh either of ignorance or of infirmitie resolue to prosecute wicked courses though he may suffer them for a time yet in the end he will lay in their way the thornes of crosses and afflictions to hinder them from atchieuing their wicked ends that so being stayed they may returne backe againe vnto him by true repentance So he suffered the Gentiles to go forward without stop in their idolatries but when the Israelites forsooke him and followed idols he laid continually thornes of affliction in their way to cause them to desist in their course and to returne vnto him as appeareth in the historie of the Iudges and the Kings the like examples we haue in Ionas in Dauid 2. Sam. 11. 12. in reprobate Ieroboam 2. Sam. 11. 12. and elect Manasses in the Scribes and Pharisies and the Apostle Paul Act. 9. in the rich Glutton the prodigall Act. 9. Luk. 15. 16. sonne Luk. 15. 16. Whereby it appeareth that the Lord will not suffer those which belong vnto him to be so euill as they would be but when they resolue to go forward in sin he layeth in their way a hedge of thornie afflictions either trouble of mind or sicknes or losse in their state that so they may not go on in the pathes of sinne but returne againe by true repentance Whence wee may gather a notable signe whether we belong to Gods election or be in the number of the reprobate for if wee go forward in our wicked courses without stop or hinderance with ease and prosperitie it is a signe that wee belong not to God for then he would not suffer vs to go on in the way of perdition but if we no sooner resolue vpon some wicked designe but straight we are either crossed in it or afterward afflicted that we cannot proceed in it as we purposed surely it is a signe that the Lord hath a care of vs in that he holdeth vs backe from running headlong to euerlasting destruction Secondly because though the Lord lay these thornes in our way yet through our negligence and securitie though We do not acknowledge Gods hand in our afflictions we see the hedge and feele the prickes of affliction pearcing our soules and bodies we oftentimes neither consider who hath set this hedge in our way nor for what cause but are readie to ascribe our afflictions to chance and fortune to our owne want of prouidence to the malice of our enemies or some secondarie cause therefore the Lord willeth them to behold and to consider that he it was that set this hedge in their way and for this cause in that they had resolued to go forward in their sinnes that knowing the meritorious cause of their punishment to be their sinnes they might labour to take them away by true repentance and knowing the Lord to be the author of them they might humble themselues vnder his hand and implore mercie and forgiuenesse Thirdly we may here learne that it is impossible for Gods elect to perish for he will not suffer them to goe on in sin to their perdition yea though they will desire and resolue to liue in wickednesse the Lord will finde meanes to pull them out of it for his will is aboue their wils his eternall purpose and decree which is vnchangeable causeth a change in their wicked designes and vnlawfull purposes so that they shall not atchieue them according to their setled resolutions as we may see in the example of Ionas Dauid Paul and many others So that Gods elect may certainly be assured that seeing their sinnes are insufficient therefore nothing else is effectuall to separate them from the loue of God in Christ Iesus Rom. 8. 38. 39. Fourthly here we learne most carefully to take heed that We must not leape ouer the hedge of afflictions we doe not when the Lord setteth this hedge in our way to restraine vs from sinne leap ouer it for if the fence bee not strong enough hee will make it stronger and in stead of an hedge he will set a wall to restraine vs that is if lighter afflictions will not withhold and stay vs from going forward in the course of sinne he will inflict those which are heauier and more intolerable Lastly wee may here obserue the great benefit which our afflictions cause vnto vs for they serue for sharpe thornie Afflictions restrain vs from sinne hedges strong walles to containe vs in the waies of Gods commandements and to keep vs from leaping ouer into the pleasant pastures of sinne and wickednesse where we should but bee fatted to the slaughter the Lord laieth in our way these thornie afflictions not to kill vs but to prick vs and by pricking to restraine vs from going the broad way that leadeth to destruction for when we are thus iudged we are chastened of the Lord because wee should not be condemned with the world 1. Cor. 11. 31. He correcteth vs not because he hateth 1. Cor. 11. 31. vs but because hee entirely loueth vs euen as his owne children not for our hurt but for our profit that we might be partakers of hie holinesse Heb. 12. 7. 10. And though no chastening Heb. 12. 7. 10. 11. seemeth to be ioyous but grieuous for the present yet afterwards it bringeth the quiet fruit of righteousnesse vnto them which are thereby exercised Heb. 12. 11. Though these afflictions be bitter and vnpleasant to the flesh yet are they profitable to the spirituall part for whilest the outward man perisheth the inward man is renued daily 2. Cor. 4. 16. Though these thornes 2. Cor. 4. 16. pricke vs yet they doe not mortally wound vs only they let out the winde of vainglorie and humble vs that wee be not exalted out of measure Though they seeme tedious and intolerable 2. Cor. 12. 7. and tending to our destruction yet in truth they are but light and momentanie and cause vnto vs a superexcellent and eternall waight of glorie 2. Cor. 4. 17. 2. Cor. 4. 17. But yet wee are not to imagine that affliction in it owne Afflictions not good in themselues but through Gods blessing nature worketh al these benefits but by the secret operation of Gods Spirit inwardly applying it vnto our hearts and teaching vs to make a holy vse of it for such is our obstinate stubbornnesse that wee will like vntamed and wilde beasts rush thorow this hedge of afflictions that we may still continue our course in sinne and such is our senselesnesse in our securitie that either we feele not the pricking of these thornes or at least are not by the smart moued to sorrow for sinne as being the cause thereof or to flee vnto God
he will turne vnto vs his gratious countenance and whilest wee are in the confines of Gods kingdome the Church militant let vs patiently beare our crosse remembring that ere long wee shall haue full possession of our heauenly Canaan where we shall enioy a perpetuall rest from all troubles and be fully replenished with all ioy and happinesse Thirdly we here learne that the Lord bestoweth his temporall Gods temporall benefits are to the faithful earnest penies of those which are eternall benefits corporall and spiritual vpon the faithfull not only for their present vse and comfort but also for the confirming and increasing of their faith and hope in the assurance of farre more excellent gifts euen the vnualuable treasures of his eternall kingdome for hee giueth the valley of Achor for the doore of hope that is the benefits of this life that they may be pledges and earnest penies to assure vs of all his benefits belonging to the life to come The which as it may be vnderstood of all Gods gifts bestowed vpon the faithfull so especially of the inward graces of Gods sanctifying Spirit namely charitie zeale patience humilitie loue to the Gospell sanctification of life and the rest so that whosoeuer finde themselues indued therewith they may be assured that they haue so many pledges and earnest penies of their eternall happinesse and that it is not possible that their hope should become void and frustrate which the Lord hath confirmed with so many seales The consideration whereof should make vs to labour aboue all things for these spiritual gifts and graces whereby this doore of hope may be opened vnto vs and wee confirmed in the assurance of our election and saluation vnto which dutie the Apostle exhorteth vs 2. Pet. 1. 10. especially let vs by all meanes seeke to obtaine 2. Pet. 1. 10. the gift of Gods Spirit which giueth vnto vs an assured testimonie that wee are his children and heires of eternall life Rom. 8. 16. 17. sealeth vp this assurance in our harts and consciences Rom. 8. 16. 17. Eph. 1. 13. Eph. 1. 13. and also is the pledge and earnest penie of our heauenly inheritance 2. Cor. 1. 22. 2. Cor. 1. 22. We must meditate vpon Gods blessings new and old to increase our thankfulnes Fourthly whereas the Lord making new promises doth shadow them out vnder the allegorie of ancient benefits to the end that our assurance of future blessings by experience of his former goodnesse and truth may be ratified and confirmed and that in remembrance of pasted benefits in the fruition of his present blessings and in assured hope of his future goodnesse wee may be stirred vp to true thankfulnesse and obedience let vs learne hereby seeing we stand in need of all these helpes to make this profitable vse of them that is first let vs call to minde Gods mercies of old of which our selues haue had experience as also his goodnesse truth and power which he hath shewed towards others in preseruing sustaining and defending them and so shall we with greater affiance and confidence depend vpon his neuer failing promises and all ruling prouidence in the middest of all extremities And secondly let vs not only thinke vpon those benefits which we presently enioy but let them serue also to call to our remembrance Gods former goodnes towards vs as also those more excellent blessings and rich treasures of his heauenly kingdome wherof all these are but pledges and earnest penies that so this threefold cable of Gods gratious benefits being as it were twisted together in our memories may more strongly draw vs to true thankfulnes and obedience and that this infinite flame of his loue towards vs may at least kindle in our hearts some sparks of loue towards him againe And these are the doctrines to be obserued out of the benefits Whosoeuer haue part in spirituall blessings are filled also with ioy gladnesse and thankfulnesse here promised Now out of the Churches dutie wee may further obserue that whosoeuer are made partakers of the former benefits they are also hereby filled with ioy and gladnes the which they expresse by singing Gods praises not only with the voice but also with the heart and by glorifying Gods name not only with verball thankfulnes but also with the fruits of holy obedience in the whole course of their liues for as certainly as God promiseth our reconciliation conuersion and all other his benefits so doth hee likewise promise that those that are possessed of them shall laud and magnifie his name And therefore whosoeuer haue not this inward ioy gladnes in their harts nor expresse the same by lauding and magnifying Gods name it is certaine they haue no true taste of Gods spirituall benefits For this inward fire of ioy and thankfulnes will not be smothered in the heart but the flame thereof wil burst out into praises and thanksgiuing Now because euery one may say that he is filled with inward ioy and may faine and straine out a verball thankfulnes therefore we must labour to approue them by our outward actions and a continuall course of holy obedience to be true and sincere and so they will giue vs assurance that we haue indeed our part in al the former benefits which otherwise we cannot haue seeing the Lord giueth the one as well as the other and to this end bestoweth his benefits that we may glorifie his name by thankfulnes and obedience as appeareth 1. Pet. 2. 9. 1. Cor. 6. 20. 1. Pet. 2. 9. 1. Cor. 6. 20. We must not deferre our thankfulnesse Secondly we may obserue that this our thankfulnesse is not to be deferred but presently to be expressed euen whilest we are in the vineyards that is whilest our hearts are replenished with ioy in regard of the comfortable vse of Gods present benefits and our assured hope of those greater mercies in the time to come for negligent delaies cause forgetfulnes which is also the mother of the grossest kinde of vnthankfulnes But contrariwise then will our praises and thanksgiuings be most zealous and feruent when they issue from a hart presently inflamed with the ioyful sense of Gods benefits An example hereof we haue in Dauid 2. Sam. 7. 18. 2 Sam. 7. 8. Exod. 15. 1. Luk. 1. 46. in the Israelites Exod. 15. 1. in the Virgin Marie Luk. 1. 46. Thirdly we may here obserue that as the ioy so the praises The praises of the faithfull must not be slight but great and feruent Esay 9. 3. and thanksgiuings of Gods people are not slight and ordinarie but exceeding great and feruent not only like vnto the ioy in haruest that is in the fruition of Gods common benefits but like the ioy wherewith men reioyce after some famous victory obtained against their enemies yea and such enemies as haue in former times held them in most seruile and slauish seruitude for this was the ioy of the Israelites vnto which the Prophet compareth here the ioy and
as name idols to wit that they may no more be remembred by their names that is that hauing nothing to doe with idols neither in deede nor word the memorie of them may perish and men may be freed from all danger of falling into idolatrie which being preserued there remaineth a continuall baite to intice vs which in regard of our corruption and pronenesse to idolatrie we are apt to swallow to our perdition And this is the meaning of these words The doctrines The Do ∣ ctrines which arise out of them are these First out of the 16. verse we may obserue that as soone as we are conuerted and assured Assurance of Gods loue makes vs zealous in his seruice of Gods loue by the inward testimonie of his Spirit confirmed by innumerable his gratious benefits which are so many earnest penies and pledges of his fauour and our reconciliation then doth the Lord also giue vs this grace to shew our selues forward in the duties of his worship and seruice and in rooting out all superstition and idolatrie If therfore wee be truly conuerted and indued with Gods Spirit and with the graces thereof then will we also be zealous and deuout in performing seruice vnto God in hearing his word calling vpon his name receiuing the Sacraments c. as also in purging our selues from idolatrie and superstition and in remouing all false meanes of his worship but if this care and zeale be wanting it is manifest that as yet wee are not conuerted nor haue tasted of the comfort of Gods Spirit and the graces thereof for when God hath bestowed these then at that day also he stirreth vs vp to loue and serue him as our Lord and husband forsaking all idols and idoll worship as appeareth in this place Secondly we may obserue that those who are truly conuerted Those who are truly conuerted openly professe their conuersion and indued with Gods Spirit they doe not onely inwardly serue the Lord as their onely husband but also outwardly make a confession hereof to the glorie of God and edification of others for it is not said here that the Church and members thereof should onely in heart acknowledge but also by voice professe that God was her husband and forsake and disclaime with the like open plainnesse idols and idolatrous worship And surely this is a singular fruite of our saith and vnfained repentance when as we doe not only serue the Lord and embrace his true religion in our hearts and soules but also make an outward profession hereof to all the world though thereby wee expose our selues to the scoffes and contempt obloquie and slander malice and violence Matth. 5. 16. 1. Pet. 2. 12. and 3. 13. Rom. 10. 10. Psal 22. 22. Ioh. 9. Act. 5. of prophane and wicked men Which holy dutie is commended to Gods seruants in many places Matth. 5. 16. 1. Pet. 2. 12. 3. 15. Rom. 10. 10. An example whereof we haue in Dauid Psal 22. 22. in the blind man Ioh. 9. in the Apostles Act. 5. in Paul Act. 24. 14. With which holy profession whosoeuer Act. 24. 14. glorifieth God the Lord will giue glorie vnto him by professing and acknowledging him for his sonne and heire of heauen Matth. 10. 32. Matth. 10. 32. Thirdly wee may obserue that the Prophet speaking of Our spirituall mariage compriseth al coniugall duties those duties which the Church being conuerted and reconciled vnto God should performe vnto him comprehendeth them all vnder this one that she should call him husband because indeede it containeth all the rest as being the fountaine from which they spring For if wee embrace the Lord as our husband then haue we giuen him both our heart and hand then haue we plighted vnto him our faith and then do we also loue him aboue all feare his displeasure depend vpon his prouidence and shew our selues zealous in performing all good duties vnto him Of which inward graces and outward obedience whosoeuer are destitute they are not espoused vnto God c. Fourthly wee heere learne that it is not only vnlawfull to It is vnlawfull to worship God in Idols worship idols but also to worship the true God in them Neither did the Israelites worship the image of Baal or the false god Baal thereby represented but in the idoll they worshipped the true Iehoua for hee doth not heere forbid them to worshippe Baal the god of the Sidonians but that they should call him any more Baal that is call vpon and worship him in the image So that the Papists excuse vnder which they maske their idolatrie is vaine and friuolous for they say that they worshippe not the images before which they fall but God in them and likewise when they worship Saints departed they affirme that they worship God in and by them The which their assertion is false as appeareth by their falling downe before them their making of vowes offering oblations and their going on pilgrimage vnto them and though it were true that they did not worship them but God in them yet hereby they are not cleered seeing they commit the same idolatrie which God here condemneth in the Israelites Lastly wee here obserue that the Lord is now no more to be esteemed of the Church a seuere Lord or fearefull Iudge The Lord is a gratious husband of the Church but as a gratious and louing husband The consideration whereof serueth first to replenish our hearts with all ioy and comfort in that we who were enemies and strangers are admitted into so neere league of friendship and into so inuiolable a bond of loue and amitie with God as is betweene a most louing husband and his beloued spouse Secondly it serueth notably for the confirming our saith and affiance in God in the middest of all wants dangers and extremities in that we haue a husband who is most able and readie to protect and prouide for vs. Thirdly it serueth to confute the doctrine and practise of the Papists who dare not goe directly vnto God by prayer but by the mediation of Saints for if Christ be espoused vnto vs to whom may wee preferre our suites with greater boldnesse and confidence then vnto our gratious husband or who is more neere vnto vs then Christ or more deare vnto Christ then we his beloued spouse that we should make choice of to be out Mediatour betweene vs and him And lastly here we learne how we should performe our obedience vnto God not seruilely for feare as vnto a terrible and straight master but with loue and reuerence as vnto a gratious husband whose will wee performe rather to auoid thereby his displeasure then for any hope of gaine or feare of punishment And these are the doctrines to be obserued out of the 16. The Lord purgeth his Church from all idolatrie and superstition verse Out of the 17. verse wee may further obserue who it is that purgeth the Church from all idolatrie and superstition and restoreth Gods true
and were diuorced and cast off for their spirituall whoredoms it could not be fitly said of them that the Lord would espouse or contract them to himselfe seeing they only are properly said to be espoused who neuer before were taken to wife but rather he should haue said of them that he would againe be reconciled to her and receiue her to grace So that hereby wee are not to vnderstand that the Lord The properties of our spiritual mariage 1. it is not tēporarie but perpetuall would renue or confirme the old couenant of workes betweene himselfe and the Church of Israel for that was made frustrate by their spirituall whoredomes and rebellion for which they were diuorced and reiected but that hee would make a new couenant betweene himselfe and all the faithfull in the time of the Gospell receiuing them into this neere bond of mariage as pure and vndefiled virgins the which is inuiolably to continue for euer and euer Thirdly the parties contracted are Christ and his Church signified in these words I will marrie thee vnto me Where by thee wee are not to vnderstand the people of Israel according to the flesh but according to the spirit that is all the faithfull both Iewes and Gentiles and by me wee are to vnderstand Iesus Christ who in this spirituall mariage is vnited to his spouse the Church essentially and substantially bodie with bodie and spirit with spirit as before I haue shewed And so much for the contract it selfe The adiuncts hereof are first the perpetuall continuance of this mariage and secondly the conditions thereof which are as it were the mariage bands wherewith it is held inuiolable The perpetuall continuance is noted in these words for euer where the Lord maketh a secret opposition between the couenant of works made betweene him and the Israelites and the couenant of grace made betweene him and all the faithfull for that former mariage was not perpetual but temporarie and of short continuance because the Church of Israel perfidiously violated her mariage faith and persisted not in her loue and obedience towards the Lord her husband but forsaking him prostituted her selfe to commit spirituall whoredome with false gods and therefore was iustly diuorced from him as before we haue shewed but the new couenant of this spirituall mariage betweene Christ and the faithfull shall be perpetuall and inuiolable because he will write the lawes and conditions thereof not in tables of stone but in the fleshie tables of their hearts and will so rule and ouerrule them by his gratious Spirit dwelling in them that they shall neuer breake their couenant nor depart from the Lord their husband The like places of Scripture which may serue for an exposition of this wee haue Esa 54. 8. With euerlasting mercie haue I had Esa 54. 8. 9. 10 compassion on thee saith the Lord thy redeemer vers 9. For this is vnto me as the waters of Noah for as I haue sworne c. vers 10. For the mountaines shall remoue and the hilles shall fall downe but my mercie shall not depart from thee neither shall the couenant of my peace fall away saith the Lord that hath compassion on thee Ierem. 31. 31. Behold the daies come saith the Jere. 31. 31. 32 Lord that I will make a new couenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Iacob 32. Not according to the couenant I made with their fathers when I took them hand by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt the which couenant they brake although I was an husband vnto them saith the Lord. 33. But this shall be the couenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those daies saith the Lord I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people c. So chap. 33. 20. 21. 22. 25. 26. Iere. 33. 20. 21. Ezech. 16. 59. Iere. 32. 38. 39. Ezech. 16. 59. I will confirme vnto thee an euerlasting couenant Ierem. 32. 38. 39. 40. By all which places it is cleere and manifest that the couenant betweene the Lord and the faithfull is permanent and perpetuall and that both in respect of God and of the faithfull and not only on Gods part as the Papists would haue it who affirme that we may haue certaine assurance of the continuance of this couenant in respect of God because hee for his part will most certainly performe the conditions thereof Iere. 31. 32. howbeit there is cause of doubting that it will be violated and made frustrate by the faithfull because they may lose their faith and all other graces and so forsake the Lord but according to this doctrine there should be no difference betweene the old couenant of works and the new couenant of grace in respect of the perpetuitie thereof for that also on Gods part was most firme and permanent seeing there was not one tittle of his promises which was not accomplished neuerthelesse on the part of the Israelites it was made voide and frustrate because they performed not the condition of faith and obedience Whereas the Lord promiseth that his couenant with the faithfull should be perpetuall and euerlasting not onely on his part but also on the faithfuls because hee would by the finger of his Spirit write his lawes in their hearts Iere. 31. 33. and because hee would also put his feare Iere. 31. 33. 32. 40. into their hearts so as they should not depart from him as it is Iere. 32. 40. And so much for the perpetuitie of this spirituall mariage The meanes whereby the couenant of our spirituall mariage is made perpetuall In the next place he setteth downe the manner how and the meanes whereby hee would make his couenant perpetuall and euerlasting namely by remouing all causes and meanes whereby it might be violated and by tying the faithfull vnto himselfe by such inuiolable bands as it should not bee possible for any thing whatsoeuer to cause a diuorce and separation All which is signified in these words I will marrie 1. The church is maried in righteousnes thee vnto me in righteousnesse and in iudgement c. Where the Lord sheweth first that whereas sinne and vnrighteousnesse might be a sufficient cause to make a diuorce and breake off the perpetuitie of the Churches mariage with him for what communion hath light with darknesse righteousnesse with 2. Cor. 6. 14. vnrighteousnesse he would therefore marrie the Church vnto him in righteousnes that is he would make her righteous first by washing away her sinnes with his own most pretious blood and imputing vnto her his righteousnesse full satisfaction and perfect obedience Of which the Apostle speaketh Esa 54. 14. Rom. 5. 17. 19. And secondly by working in her inherent righteousnesse that is sanctification integritie sinceritie and Rom. 5. 17. 19. vprightnes of heart whereby it should come to passe that
greatnesse and in respect of our owne base vilenesse and vnworthinesse Lastly the wiues ignorance of her husbands perfections 6. The Lord marrieth his Church in knowledge whereby shee neither knoweth nor acknowledgeth his excellencies and good parts and whereby as she is often ready to vnderualue his worthinesse so also with an ouerweening conceit to ouerprize the gifts and qualities of strangers is a notable meanes to alienate her mind from her husband as being vnworthie of her loue and to moue her to affect others so the ignorance of the spouse the Church of Gods excellencie mercie goodnes and all perfections is a chiefe cause that moueth her to leaue the Lord and to follow her louers for if she did but know the Lord she should need no other arguments to rauish her heart with his loue nor any further inducement to moue her to forsake all others and to embrace him alone with constant affection And therefore the Lord in the last place promiseth that he will eternize the mariage betweene him and his Church by illuminating her mind with a true knowledge of him whereupon it must necessarily follow that shee will preferre him aboue all idols and false gods seeing she clearely perceiueth that he infinitly excelleth them all in goodnesse perfection and all true worthinesse The like promise we haue Esay 54. 13. And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord Ier. 31. 34. And they shal teach Esay 54. 13. Jer. 31. 34. no more euery man his neighbour and euery man his brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them saith the Lord. So Ioel. 2. 28. 29. which was accomplished Act. 2. 17. Joel 2. 28. Act 2. 17. Now this knowledge of which he here speaketh is not so much what Christ is in himselfe namely most infinite most mightie most wise c. but especially what he is vnto vs to wit a carefull head and a most louing husband who hath not only created vs but also redeemed vs with his precious blood shead and hereby obtained for vs the pardon of our sinnes reconciliation sanctification and eternall saluation who giueth vnto vs also all benefits spirituall and temporal and protecteth vs frō all dangers With which sauing knowledge whosoeuer are indued it is impossible they should forsake Christ their husband or preferre a strange loue before the loue of him who hath so dearely loued them And thus haue I shewed the meaning of the words and The Do ∣ ctrines the chiefe points contained in them In the next place wee are to consider of those doctrines which arise out of them both for our instruction and consolation And first out of Gods couenant is grounded vpon his vndeserued grace goodnesse this contract of mariage wee may obserue that the couenant of grace betweene God and his Church is grounded vpon Gods free mercie and vndeserued goodnesse without any condition of our owne workes and worthinesse Neither is it here said that hee would marrie the Church if she were iust holy faithfull and worthie his loue but hee absolutely promiseth without all conditions that hee will marrie her and being married will endow her with righteousnesse iudgement pardon of her sinnes faithfulnesse so that these are not the causes mouing the Lord to espouse the Church but because in his free loue he hath married her therefore hee will prosecute her with his loue and bestow all these graces and benefits vpon her But this most cleerely appeareth whereas hee saith hee will marrie her in benignitie and mercie for benignitie presupposeth the Churches want and pouertie and mercie presupposeth her miserie neither if she were rich in her selfe should she neede the Lords beneficence nor if she were in happie estate should she neede mercie and compassion Secondly wee may obserue that the Lord alone is the author of this spirituall mariage for when wee neither seeke nor desire it hee wooes vs and also inclines vs to grant his suite And therefore let the Lord haue the whole glorie of his owne worke and let not vs rob him of any part thereof by ascribing it to our owne free will merits or worthinesse Thirdly we here leanre what is the great dignitie and excellencie The dignitie of the faithfull of the Church and of euery faithfull man for howsoeuer they are basely esteemed of in the world and accounted the very ofscouring of al things yet in truth there is none equall with them in honour and worthinesse seeing it hath pleased the Lord of Lords and King of Kings to espouse them vnto himselfe When Saul offered Dauid his daughter in mariage hee thought it such an high degree of honour as he was altogether vnworthie of so that in sight of his owne meannesse he crieth out What am I and what is my life or the 1. Sam. 18. 18. familie of my father in Israel that I should be sonne in law to the King how much more then may we filled with rauishing wonder exclaime what are we dust and ashes miserable and wretched men that wee should be aduanced to this royall dignitie as to be the spouse of the glorious King of heauen and earth The vse which we are to make hereof is that if we are not We must desire the spirituall honour of the faithful as yet inuested with this honour we labour to attaine vnto it for if we doe as it is the nature of all men desire honour and preferment why doe wee follow a shadow and neglect the substance why doe we like children runne after the bubble of vaine and momentanie glorie and in the meane time neuer seeke after that superexcellent and eternall glorie of being espoused vnto God especially considering that worldly honour is vncertaine both in getting and in the keeping and seeing if wee labour after this honour of being married vnto God wee shall most surely attaine vnto it for the Lord himselfe publisheth and offereth this contract and there can no impediment hinder it vnlesse we our selues forbid the banes And secondly those that are aduanced alreadie vnto this height of honour must neuer forget to be truly thankfull vnto him who is the author of their aduancement when they deserued by their sinner ignominie and disgrace Fourthly wee may heere learne that the poorest faithfull The poorest faithfull man richer then the wealthiest worldling man is in better estate and possessed of more rich treasures then the wealthiest Mammonist in the world for they haue Christ himselfe and all his benefits they are true owners of the treasures of his righteousnesse and obedience yea and by vertue of this spirituall mariage they haue right and interest not only to all the temporall benefits of this life but they also haue the ioynter of Gods kingdome assured vnto them Fiftly being espoused to God let vs euer remembring this We ought to behaue our selues as it becommeth the spouse of Christ honourable aduancement
of free grace rather iudgement condemnation the Lord had mercy vpon vs whē we were no people but aliants strangers yea enemies vnto God the Lord of his free grace made vs his people yea of his owne familie and this the Apostle plainly sheweth 2. Tim. 1. 9. As therfore no conceit of our own worthines should 2. Tim. 1. 9. make vs to derogate any from Gods free grace vndeserued loue so neither ought our vnworthines cause vs to doubt of thē seeing without respect of our deserts the Lord hath chosen vs. Sixtly we here learne that our saluation hath his beginning in Gods mercy for by reason of our sins we are in misery in the Gods mercie the beginning of our saluation state of condemnation the which our miserable condition is so much the more miserable in that of our selues we cannot possiblie come out of our miserie but God in mercy pardoning our sins for Christs merits freeth vs from our wretched estate and aduanceth vs to all glorie and happinesse Seuenthly this serueth notably for the consolation of euerie The faithfull are consident in Gods mercie true mēber of the Church in that they are assured that they haue obtained Gods mercy so that though they haue fallē through infirmity they need not with Adam to hide thēselues frō Gods presence but in cōfident assurāce of pardon forgiuenes go boldly vnto the throne of grace that they may receiue mercy find grace to helpe in the time of need as it is Hebr. 4. 16. 10. 22. Hebr. 4. 16. 10. 22. As God chuseth vs so we chuse him Lastly we here learne that as the Lord maketh choice of vs to be his people so we answerably must make choice of him to be our God as he sheweth his loue towards vs so we must be ready to expresse ours towards him by our holy obediēce zeale of his glory as he professeth that we are his people aboue before al other natiōs not called so we must not only inwardly know and beleeue that he is our God in our hearts performe seruice vnto him but we must say with the Church in this place O my God that is acknowledge cōfesse that he is our Lord Sauiour opēly and in the sight of mē publikely performe vnto him his pure worship seruice which he requireth in his word that not only whē by our professiō glorifying God we grace our selues but also when we incurre thereby shame reproch affliction and persecution In a word we must with the Church here in all our need and necessaries inuocate and call vpon Gods name and wholly depend vpon and expect from him all things necessarie for this life and the life to come FINIS LECTVRES VPON THE THIRD CHAPTER OF THE PROPHECIE OF HOSEA IN this Chapter the Lord sheweth that The argument of the Chapter howsoeuer the Church of Israell had grieuously offended him by her Idolatry vnthankfulnesse and voluptuousnesse yet hee did not cease to loue her and in his loue to seeke her conuersion and saluation and therefore because fond and cockering loue would but cause her to continue in those her sinnes to her vtter destruction his purpose was to afflict and chastice her with a miserable and tedious captiuitie wherein shee should liue in a poore and contemptible estate vnder the tyranny of her enimies without her owne lawes magistracy or any forme of gouernement and without the publike meanes of worshipping eyther God or her Idols Howbeit least shee should desperately sincke vnder the waight of this tedious and grieuous affliction hee promiseth that in the end after that by his chastisements he hath humbled her hee will conuert and turne her vnto himselfe by true repentance and so receiue her into his former grace and fauour And this is the maine argument of this Chapter out of The generall parts which wee may obserue the parts thereof which are two The first is a testification of Gods loue towards the Church of Israell verse 1. The second is an approbation of this loue by a two-fold fruit thereof the first is by inflicting on her fatherly chastisements that so she might be restrained from running on in her sinnes to her perdition The second is the sanctifying of this affliction to her vse and benefit namely for her true Repentance and conuersion to God And these are the generall parts of this Chapter Now the maine drift and scope of all is that the Lord might containe The scope of the Prophecie the people in an euen course so as they should neyther presumptuously and securely goe on in their sinnes without repentance nor desperately sinck vnder the guilt and punishment of them For whereas their present prosperity might cause them securely to promise vnto themselues immunitie from punishment and Gods former promises of inriching and multiplying the Church of Israell might cause them to imagine that though the Lord suffered them to be led into captiuitie yet hee would in some short time deliuer them and speedely aduance them to all happinesse by multiplying vppon them the former benefits the Lord meeting with this their security and presumption assureth them that he would not so easily forget their grieuous sinnes whereby they had so long and often prouoked him but before he would be reconciled vnto them his purpose was seuerely to correct them with a miserable Captiuitie wherein they should bee grieuously afflicted with pinching pouerty and base contempt and that not for a short space but for a long time euen vntill the comming of the Messias And on the other side whereas when they were grieuously afflicted they might easily be moued to doubt of gods loue and to thincke their estate desperate both because misery and calamitie doth cause men more clearely to see and more sensibly to feele the haynousnesse of sinne and to apprehend the wrath of God due vnto them and also in that they found and felt the fruites of Gods anger loading them with afflictions and withall might doubt that they should neuer againe be reconciled vnto God or be made partakers of any of his gratious promises seeing they were so long deferred and their punishments so tediously continued therefore the Lord giueth them some comfort in the middest of trouble by assuring them that notwithstanding their manifold sinnes yet hee loued them that in loue hee did chastise and correct them for their conuersion and amendement and that howsoeuer their afflictions were grieuous and tedious yet they should not continue for euer for after hee had by them made them to forsake their Idolatry and other sinnes he would admit them to be his Church and people and continue them in his feare and pure worship ANd this is the maine scope and chiefe end of this Prophecie In the next place we are to speak of the special parts thereof And first of the testification of Gods loue towards the Church of Israell Ver. 1. And the
hearing their sinnes reprehended Fourthly we are to obserue that this our Prophet was sent as Gods ambassadour when he was but young and continued No age exempted from Gods seruice it vntill his old age Whence we learne that no age is exempted from Gods seruice nor any time so vnfit but that if it please the Lord to grant the assistance of his Spirit a man may in it aduance the glory of God and benefit the Church And therefore we may not excuse our selues by our youth as though it were not time for vs to begin to serue God nor by our age as though that should exempt vs from Gods seruice as being too painefull and laborious but as we are to beginne betimes so we are to hold out to the end seeing nothing is more honourable then a gray head in the waies of righteousnesse Pro. 16. 30. Prou. 16. 30. More especially the people may here learne not lesse to The youth of Gods Ministers not to be despised esteeme Gods ambassage by reason of the youth of the ambassadour seeing the Lord hath called both young and old and fitted the one as well as the other for this seruice to the end that we should not rest and depend vpon the person of the Minister but vpon his owne ordinance the ministerie of his word and on the blessing of his holy Spirit whereby onely it is made effectuall for our saluation Ieremy was but a childe that is young in yeares when he was called to be a Prophet Ier. 1. 6. but yet he must not be afraid to speake to Jer. 1. 6. 8. the ancient and mighty because God was with him to deliuer him vers 8. Timothy was called to be an Euangelist whilest he was yong but yet no man might despise his youth 1. Tim. 4. 12. 1. Tim. 4 12. Hosea prophecied in his young daies but they were not excused hereby who would not heare him nor exempted from feeling Gods iudgements Fiftly we may here obserue that he did prophecie the ruine The ruine of Israel foretold when it most flourished of the kingdome of Israel not in the declining state thereof but in the raigne of Ieroboam vnder whom it most flourished when there was no appearance of such future calamities as were foretold by the Prophet for Iehoash his father had gotten the vpper hand of Amaziah King of Iudah and had carried away the treasures of the Temple and the Kings house and Ieroboam himselfe hauing obtained many notable victories against his enemies inlarged the borders of the kingdome to her ancient limits So that now the idolatry of those times might be defended in that it had more prosperous successe then the pure worshippe of God in the kingdome of Iuda but in these times God sendeth his Prophet being young of yeares to reproue King and people for their idolatrie and to denounce and foretell the vtter subuersion of the kingdome Where first we may obserue the vndoubted truth of this prophecie seeing he could by no other meanes but by the inspiration of Gods Spirit attaine to the knowledge of the ruine of the Kingdome when in respect of the present flourishing estate thereof there was nothing lesse feared or expected Secondly whereas it is said that the Prophet prophesied The Prophets courage in the time of Ieroboam and in that flourishing estate of the kingdome foretold the ruine thereof hence we obserue that notable boldnes and couragious fortitude of this Prophet who durst vndertake and go through a matter of such great difficultie and danger For seeing the victorious King and people were made drunke with prosperitie exceedingly lifted vp in pride in their good successe and long hardned with their customable liuing in all maner of wickednes it may easily be guessed with what scoffes and taunts they entertained the Prophet and vnto how many dangers hee exposed himselfe where he prophecied of their destruction which they not so much as feared The which serueth to teach Gods Ministers in these times boldly and couragiously to deliuer Gods embassage euen before Kings and great Potentates when they are called hereunto and not to be daunted with the face of man when they speake in the place of God nor to be discouraged with scoffes taunts and reproches difficulties and dangers which they vndergo in performing their dutie for hee that hath set them on worke will giue them their wages so that they shal not suffer the lest thing for his sake which he wil not recompence an hundred fould Thirdly wee obserue Gods maruelous and miraculous preseruation of this his Prophet in the middest of all these Gods power in preseruing his Prophet dangers for the space of many yeeres together so that though he was compassed about with wicked men and was vnder the gouernment of Idolatrous Kings against whose idolatrie he inueighed yet God deliuered him in the middest of all these perils and brought him in peace in his very old age vnto his graue as Epiphanius writeth The consideration whereof should encourage Gods Ministers to goe on in the performance of their dutie euen through the middest of dangers seeing the speciall prouidence of God watcheth ouer them and will preserue them in their waies though it seeme neuer so impossible so farre forth as God thereby may be glorified and their saluation furthered Examples of this marueilous preseruation wee haue in Noah Lot Moses Elias Iohn the Euangelist Martin Luther and many others Fourthly in the example of this Prophet Gods Ministers Vices are to be reproued when they most prosper may learne to set vpon and inueigh against vices not onely when they are discountenanced with Gods iudgements and vnder foote but then most especially when they are intertained with most prosperous successe and do seeme to be approued by God in regard of that peace and prosperitie which doth attend vpon them Lastly heere we learne that we are not to iudge of Gods loue and fauour nor of the vertues and religious godlinesse Prospertie no true signe of Gods loue of a State by their good successe and prosperous affaires for vnder the gouernment of this King Ieroboam such was the estate of this kingdome and people and yet the Lord sendeth his Prophet to shew them that they were out of his fauour and that he would diuorce them from him for their manifold adulteries that their religion which was accompanied with prosperitie and all worldly felicite was false idolatrous and superstitious and that they abounded in all sin and wickednesse ANd thus much concerning the inscription now it followeth that we speake of the legall comminations where first is set downe their sin and secondly their punishment Their maine and capitall sinne was idolatrie which is signified vnder the typicall mariage of the Prophet with a wife of fornications the which is enioyned by the Lord vers 2. and vndertaken by the Prophet vers 3. Vers 2. At the beginning the Lord spake by Hosea and the
remained in the wildernesse as a priuate man till the appointed time came that he should shew himselfe vnto Israel Luke 1. 8. Yea though our Sauiour Christ had the Spirit Luke 1. 8. of God and the gifts thereof without measure yet he executed not his publike ministery till the day which God had appointed came and til he was prepared thereunto by his fortie daies fast Matth. 4. None of the Pastors and Doctors Matth. 4. might take vpon them to discharge the works of those callings till they were allowed of the Church by the imposition of hands 1. Tim. 4. 14. 5. 22. Those therefore which are Gods true Prophets as they are furnished with gifts so they 1. Tim. 4. 15. and 5. 22. haue Gods speciall warrant and calling before they vndertake the execution of their office And contrariwise to speake before God sendeth is a note of a false Prophet as appeareth Ier. 23. 21. I haue not sent these Prophets saith the Lord yet they ranne I haue not spoken to them yet they prophecied Ier. 23. 21. 14. 13. 27. 15. 28. 8 9. Gods loue to his Prophets Ier. 14. 13 14. 27. 15. 28. 8 9. Thirdly we may obserue that before the Lord executed those punishments vpon the people which their sinnes deserued he first reuealeth his will vnto his Prophets Whence we learne Gods speciall loue towards them and their dignitie in that the Lord maketh choyce of them to be as it were his priuie counsellers without whose knowledge he will do no worke of great importance according to that Amos 3. 7. Amos 3. 7. The Lord will doe nothing but he reuealeth his secret to his seruants the Prophets The practise whereof wee may see towards Abraham Gen. 18. 17. Gen. 18. 17. Fourthly whereas the Lord vseth the ministerie of his The benefit of the ministerie to both Teachers and people Prophet for the manifestation of his will hereby he declareth his great mercy and goodnesse both to the Prophets and people to the Prophets in that he vouchsafeth them this dignitie to be his Ambassadours and Ministers of our reconciliation with God and eternall saluation which office belonged also to his most dearely beloued Sonne In which respect the Apostle saith that they were co-workers with Christ 2. Cor. 6. 1. To the people to whom he appointeth the ministerie 2 Cor. 6. 1. of man like vnto themselues because in respect of their sinne and corruption they could not indure the glorious voice of God vnlesse this glorious maiestie were as it were veiled and shadowed with the ministery of man as appeareth by their suit made vnto God Exod. 20. 19. The which is graciously granted Deu. 18. 16 17. And because we could Exod. 20. 19. Deu. 18. 16. 17 not conceiue and vnderstand his glorious and most wise speech he hath appointed his Ministers that they like nurses in their childish and broken language which is most fit for our capacitie might instruct vs in the knowledge of Gods will Fiftly whereas it is said that the Lord speaketh in the Prophets we learne with what feare reuerence and attention Reuerence required in hearing the word we are to heare and receiue the word of God in that the Lord himselfe speaketh vnto vs by them and vseth their mouth and tongue as his instrument and as it were the interpreter of his minde as it is Luke 1. 70. And in that they are Gods Ambassadours representing vnto vs his person Luke 1. 70. and in Christs stead bring vnto vs the glad tydings of the Gospell and of our reconciliation with God 2. Cor. 5. 20. 2. Cor. 5. 20. Whom if wee receiue wee receiue Christ himselfe whom if we contemne wee contemne not man but the euerliuing God as appeareth Luke 10. 16. Luke 10. 16. Lastly whereas he sendeth the Prophet with special commandements Gods mercy in denouncing punishments to the people to shew vnto them their sinne and to denounce such punishments as by them they had deserued We are to obserue a double mercy of God towards his Church For first before he will punish them hee giues them warning that by their repentance they might preuent his iudgements threatned And secondly if they went forward in their sinnes till the punishments were inflicted they might then call to minde who punished them to the end that then at the least they might forsake their sinnes and turne vnto the Lord by true repentance that so hee might haue mercy vpon them Where as otherwise such is our corruption they would neuer looke vnto the hand of God correcting them nor consider the cause of their punishment but ascribe all either to chance fortune or to some inferiour cause and so goe forward in their sinnes to their destruction And so much concerning the commander and the person Goe take vnto this a wife of fornications commanded Now wee are to speake of the commandement it selfe which is inioyned vnto the Prophet which is that he should goe and take vnto him a wife of fornications c. where first we are to cleare that question of great difficultie which hath troubled many namely whether the Whether Hosea was commanded actually to marrie an harlot or but in vision only Lord inioyned the Prophet indeede and truth to take to wise an infamous harlot or whether it were a vision onely and to be propounded by the Prophet by way of parable to the people Many thinke that it was inioyned by the Lord to be done indeede and that it was accordingly performed actually to which iudgement they are moued by the outward letter of the text And amongst these expositors are generally the Papists whose custome is to expound things done by allegories and allegories and parables as things done though innumerable absurdities follow thereupon But that this was onely shewed to the Prophet by vision and inioyned that by way of parable he should declare it to the people it appeareth plainely by these reasons First because God commandeth nothing which is contrarie Reasons prouing that the Prophets mariage was onely in vision to honestie the law of nature and good manners but that the Prophet of God should marrie with an infamous and common harlot is contrarie to all these and therefore God did not command it actually to be done but onely by way of parable But against this is obiected that God commanding it it becommeth honest and lawfull I answere that this is to beg that which is in question neither doth God command euill and vnlawfull things that so they may become good and honest but his will being the rule of goodnesse and iustice doth onely command things good and iust and therfore they are so to be esteemed because not onely they are good and iust in their owne nature but also because he willeth and commandeth them But it is further vrged that God commanded the Israelites to spoile the Egyptians of their gold siluer iewels
and therefore seeing the commandement of God made that action lawfull which otherwise would haue been theft in the people of Israel therefore the like commandement might make this mariage of the Prophet lawfull which in it selfe was vnhonest and vnlawfull To which I answere that there is great dissimilitude in these two examples for first God the soueraigne Lord and chiefe owner of heauen and earth and all that in them is in his own right and by his sole authority might take that which was his owne frō one and giue it to another Secondly this action was lawfull by the law of nature and nations that those who had long serued them as bondmen should haue some reward for their labours which because they tyrannically withheld the Lord like a Soueraigne monarch and iust iudge righted the cause of the oppressed and appointed vnto them this wages for their tedious seruitude And therefore there being no such equitie in this vnhonest mariage and seeing the Lord neuer by his sole authoritie commandeth things vnlawfull and dishonest this example maketh nothing for their purpose Againe they obiect that God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his owne sonne which action in Abraham should haue been vnnaturall and wicked I answere that this commandement in Gods purpose was a commandement of triall onely which he meant not should be put in execution Yea but though Abraham had slaine his sonne his action had been iust and lawfull I answere that this also is most true for seeing God who is absolute Lord of all creatures and chiefe iudge of heauen and earth hath vnlimited power of life and death and seeing the party was to be slame howsoeuer he was innocent towards his father yet had deserued not onely temporarie but also eternall death in respect of his sinnes against God Abraham being commanded by God to be his minister of iustice in executing deserued punishment vpon his sonne was to set aside fatherly affection and to yeeld obedience to Gods seruice but yet iust commandement Neuerthelesse because the outward administration of this act would haue seemed vnnaturall and against the law of nature and nations the Lord onely inioyned it by way of triall and neuer purposed that it should be put in execution although being the father of spirits it was easie for him to haue raised him againe from death to life And therefore this semblable commandement of a seeming vnlawfull thing affordeth no colour to proue that this dishonest marriage should bee actually inioyned and performed Secondly we may not giue such an exposition of one of Gods Commandements which contradicteth and crosseth an other but that one of such holy and high a calling as this Prophet should linke himselfe in marriage with an infamous and common harlot contradicteth and crosseth other commandements and therefore we are not thus to expound it The proposition needes no proofe the assumption is manifest by these reasons In that it was vnlawfull for the high Priest to take to wife a diuorced woman a woman polluted or an harlot nay he might not so much as marry a widowe Leuit. 21. 14. In that the Lord giueth speciall charge concerning Leuit. 21. 14. 1. Tim. 3. 11. Tit. 1. 6. the choyce of his Ministers that their wiues be honest sober and faithfull 1. Tim. 3. 11. and that they haue faithfull children not riotous or disobedient And therefore it is not likely that the Lord who hath had such speciall care of their marriages would inioyne his Prophet to take vnto him an harlot and her adulterous broode and so make his house which should be vndefiled a stewes or filthy brothell Thirdly by such a marriage God should haue made his Prophet contemptible and his ministery and that true religion which he professed should by this meanes haue beene despised and exposed to the slanderous reproach of vnbeleeuers who are apt to take all occasions whereby they may disgrace Gods Ministers and their ministery Fourthly whereas the Lord calleth not onely his wife a woman of fornications but his children also children of fornications hereby it is manifest that this was not actually done but in vision and parable for if we say that they were her children before marriage the text is plaine against it which affirmeth that she conceiued after marriage and bare these children vnto him if wee say that the Prophet had them by her in lawfull marriage how then could they bee truely called children of fornication though before marriage she had plaied the harlot Fiftly there was no necessitie why this should be actually done seeing if it onely appeared to the Prophet in vision and were deliuered to the people by way of parable it were sufficient to conuince them of their sinne which was the maine end the Lord aimed at Sixtly it should not haue been so fit for Gods purpose that this should be actually done seeing he could not marry her and haue by her three children one after an other in lesse time then almost three yeares whereas the Lord sendeth his Prophet to the end that hee should presently conuince the people of their sinnes and reclaime them from their corruptions which were so great that they needed present cure Lastly in the third chapter the Lord commandeth the Prophet to loue and take vnto him an adulterous harlot but this the Lord would not haue actually done for the Lord is a holy and pure Spirit who hateth and abhorreth adulterie and all vncleannesse but onely in type would haue the adulteries of the Israelites which they committed with their false gods discouered from which the great loue which he their Lord and husband had from time to time shewed vnto them could not restraine them And therefore seeing that is typically to be vnderstood why not this also But it is obiected that in the text this is plainely set down as an history of things actually done I answere that this Obiection 1 Answer is vsuall with the Prophets to the end that they may after a more significant and emphaticall manner expresse their mindes and leaue a more deepe impression in the mindes of their hearers to propound types and parables as histories of things done for the distinguishing whereof and the true expounding of such places we are to obserue this rule that where the litteral sense implieth any impossibility or grosse absurditie or any thing contrarie to the analogie of faith or some other plaine place of Scripture there wee are to expound it as a type or parable but in this place if wee take the litterall sense it implieth a grosse absurditie and contradicteth other places of Scripture as I haue shewed and therefore it is to be vnderstood typically and as a parable Neither are we to vnderstand this place so only but many other the like which seeme as plaine histories of things done as this here So Esay is said to haue walked naked and barefoote 3. yeeres Esa 20. 2. 3. So Ezechiel is commanded Esa 20. 2. 3. Ezech 3. 1. 2.
whoredome departing from the Lord. The Hebrew text hath it From after the Lord that is forsaking the Lord and leauing to follow after him in the paths of true holinesse and righteousnesse and cleauing vnto their idols following them in the by-paths of superstition and idolatry The sense therefore of these wordes is this Goe and propound vnto the people of Israel this parable and thereby conuince them of their grosse idolatry for howsoeuer they may flatter themselues through selfe-loue yet the trueth is they are no better then common harlots for after that I haue vouchsafed them this dignity to espouse them to my selfe and they haue plighted vnto me their faith and vowed their obedience they both forgetfull of my mercie and of their owne dutie haue commonly impudently and continually committed spirituall whoredome with stockes stones and diuels forsaking me their Lord and husband and refusing to follow me in the waies of my commandements and prostituting their bodies and soules to commit spirituall fornication with their idols according to their owne inuentions and their burning and vnbridled lusts and appetites Where first we may obserue that the Lord intending to The vse of parables to conuince the sinner of his sins conuince this people of their sinnes doth before he plainely sets downe their sins propound it vnto them by way of parable to the end that they who were blinded with selfe-loue and partiall Iudges in their owne cases might better see their sinnes in the person of others and without partialitie condemne them when they appeared like strangers which they would suffer to passe without any hard censure if they discerned them to be of their familiar acquaintance And thus Nathan dealt with Dauid 2. Sam. 12. And our Sauiour Christ with the Scribes and Pharisies Matth. 21. 33. 2. Sam. 12. Matth. 21. 33. And here in this place the Lord maketh the people to condemne themselues and their sinnes in the person and practise of an adulterous harlot and so inticeth them as it were to wound and kill their beloued friend whilest it is masked and disguised in the habit of an enemy Out of which we may further gather how farre wee are naturally in loue with our sinnes so that we cannot be moued Our naturall and corrupt loue to sinne to hate condemne and mortifie them so long as they beare our owne names but rather are ready to mince excuse and defend them vntill we view them in the person of others and see them enrolled vnder their names Secondly wee may note our too too great loue of our selues and too too small loue towards our neighbours That self-selfe-loue makes vs exceeding partiall which maketh vs easily to discerne and heauily and seuerely to censure other mens faults whereas we are readie to excuse or defend the same or greater in our selues and therefore â—â—â— Lord when he would haue vs to see and condemne our sinnes doth not offer them to our censure as they are in our owne selues whom we loue too much but in the person of others whom for the most part we loue not so much as we should as appeareth in the former examples and in this place wherein the Lord is faine to deale with vs as tender mothers deale with their wanton and wayward children whom when they would as willingly amend as vnwillingly displease them they vse to chide and beate the standers by and sometime shadowes and pictures for those faults which their children haue committed to the end that so they may see and learne to dislike their faults in others which they would not so easily discerne nor so vnpartially condemne in themselues Thirdly we may obserue what exordium or beginning The thundring exordium of the Prophet of speech the Prophet here vseth namely hee doth not vse faire words and sweete inticing allurements to make them attentiue hee doth not first sweeten his seuere and bitter reprehensions and legall threatnings with any commendation of their persons or mitigation of their faults but by propounding vnto them this parable whereby he laboureth to make them vnpartiall Iudges of their owne sinfull and miserable estate he accuseth them to be no better then an adulterous generation of adulterous parents adulterous children and that by their often adulteries they had made the land as it were a common stewes and therefore that the Lord would no longer beare with their spirituall whoredomes but would withdraw his loue and diuorce them from him So that now our Prophet commeth not as an Ambassadour sent from God with conditions of peace and with gracious promises to allure them to obedience but as a sonne of thunder and like an Herauld sent from the Lord to denounce open warres against the people for their grosse idolatry and outragious rebellion hee beginneth his speech vnto them The reason why the Lord causeth his Prophet thus thunderingly to beginne his prophecie was because the Why the Prophet dealeth so roughly with the people people had a long time euen since the beginning of Ieroboams raigne continued in their sinnes especially their grosse idolatry notwithstanding that the Lord had sent diuers of his Prophets to reproue them for their sinnes of which their consciences were conuinced by Gods law and to draw them to repentance sometimes by propounding vnto them Gods sweete promises of gratious benefits if they would turne vnto them and sometimes by threatning punishments against those who went forward in their sinnes All which notwithstanding the people continued vncorrigible and grew worse and worse and therefore the Lord causeth the Prophet to deale with them in this hot and rough manner because they had a long time lien frosen in the dregs of their sinnes And this course haue other of Gods faithfull ambassadours vsed when they had to deale with such obstinate and incurable sinners As Iohn the Baptist with the Saduces and Pharises Matth. 3. 7. Peter with Ananias and Sapphira Act. Matth. 3. 7. Act. 5. 8. 13. 10. Matth. 21. 23. Gods Ministers must sit their speech to their auditory 5. and with Simon Magus Act. 8. Paul with Elymas Act. 13. 10. And our Sauiour Christ himselfe with the Priests and Pharises Matth. 21. 23. Out of which examples Gods Ministers may learne in the deliuerie of Gods word spirituall discretion in fitting their speech according to the condition of their auditorie and not to deale with ignorant and vntaught men after the same manner that they deale with wilfull and obstinate sinners but as Physitions put a difference in their patients applying to ordinarie sicknesses ordinarie remedies and to desperate diseases desperate physicke and as Chirurgions to small cuts applie healing plaisters and for the curing of deepe festered wounds vse eating corrosiues and the sharpe lancher So the Physition and Surgion of the soule for the curing of some desperate disease or healing of some festered sore which sinne hath made in mens consciences must vse bitter potions a rough hand and desperate
sentence is pronounced that execution may be delaied and we reprieued till the next assises that in the meane time by true repentance we may procure our pardon and so escape deserued punishment And this is notablie set downe Esa 30. 18. Yet therefore will the Lord waite Esa 30. 18. that he may haue mercie vpon you c. Secondly we may obserue Gods infallible truth in performing 2 Gods infallible truth in performing his promises his promises notwithstanding mans vnworthines of the least of them After that Iehu had executed Gods iudgements vpon the house of Ahab the Lord promised him that he would confirme the kingdome vnto him and his posterity vnto the fourth generation Now after this promise made by God Iehu who had shewed his hatred to Achabs person and posterity shewed notwithstanding his loue to his sinnes forsaking the Lord and betaking himselfe to the worship of idols And in his steps did his progenie walke adding one outragious wickednesse to another but yet neuer the lesse the Lord made good his promises to him and his posteritie The consideration whereof may comfort those that are cast downe in the sight of their vnworthinesse thinking that because they deserue not Gods mercie therefore they shall not be partakers of it seeing we haue his gratious promises of grace and mercie the which though there be no cause in vs why he should performe yet there is cause enough in God himselfe who is infinite in mercy and infallible in his truth Rom. 3. 3 4. Rom. 3. 3. 4. Thirdly we may obserue that this people at this time 3. Pride goeth before a fall when as the Prophet threatneth Gods neere approaching iudgements were in the top of their pride presumptuous and secure fearing nothing lesse then such dangers and yet at this time destruction hasted and vengeance watched at the doore to seise vpon them Whereby it appeareth that when the wicked is most proud presumptuous and secure he is neerest to destruction when he thinketh himselfe out Psalm 37. 35. 36. of the gunshot of all danger then is hee most ready to be ouertaken of it as appeareth by the examples of Nebuchadnezzer Haman Herod and many others Lastly we may obserue that though the Lord spareth for 4. Punishmēts deferred are in the end inflicted a time yet he will not for euer deferre punishment for as sinne increaseth iudgement approcheth and though the Lord long delay to visit mens wickednesse yet the time runneth on and expireth and that which remaineth in the end will be very short and little before vengeance be inflicted And therefore let not Gods patience and long suffering harden vs in sinne and cause vs to deferre but rather hasten our repentance let vs lay hold of the acceptable time and day of saluation whilest it lasteth otherwise if we delay our conuersion the Lord within a little while when we least looke for it will cause his iudgements suddainly to surprise vs. And thus much concerning the time the punishment it selfe is expressed in these words I will visit The which word The Exposition is of ambiguous signification for it is sometime taken in the best part when as the Lord visiteth in mercy to bestow a benefite which hath been promised but somewhile deferred So he is said to haue visited Sara Gen. 21. 1. And so he promiseth to visit the children of Israel Exod. 13. 19. And Luk. Gen. 21. 1. Exod. 13. 19. Luke 1. 68. 1. 68. God is said to haue visited and redeemed his people Sometimes it is taken in the worst part and signifieth to reuenge and punish as in the second Commandement So Exo. 32. 34. In the day of my vengeance I will visit their sin vpon Exod. 32. 34. Psalm 89. 32. thē Psal 89. 32. I wil visit their transgression with the rod. And in this latter signification it is to be vnderstood in this place The doctrines which from hence we learne are these First The Do ∣ ctrines we may obserue the mercifull iustice of God who doth not rashly punish but first visiteth and then finding the fault inflicteth 1. Gods mercifull iustice who examineth before he punish Gen. 18. 20 21. Esa 26. 14. the punishment in which respect his punishments are called visitations And thus the Lord visited the Sdomites Gen. 18. 20 21. And so he is said first to haue visited and then to haue scattered and destroyed the wicked Esa 26. 14. Whence we are not to gather that the Lord needeth any such visitation to finde out mans wickednesse or that before he can spy out our sinnes he must make a quest of inquirie or priuy search for he is omnipresent and omniscient so that all things though neuer so much cloaked and disguised lye open before him and appeare naked in his sight as it is Heb. 4. 13. But by such borrowed phrases God setteth forth his orderly proceedings and approueth vnto men his iust Heb. 4. 13. iudgements in that they are not rashly executed but with good aduice and deliberation teaching them also in his own example to follow the like practise Here therefore Princes Magistrates Masters of families and all superiours are to learne their lesson namely that Superiours must visit before they punish they visit before they punish and by due examination finde out the fault before they giue sentence or proceede to execution for if God thus behaue himselfe in iudgement before whose eyes all things lie open how much more should men who are oft mistaken and easily deceiued vnlesse they vse great deliberation in their iudiciall proceedings Let therefore all such consider that where there is the most power there should be the least passion that rashnesse is a fault in all dangerous but in superiours pernicious that reasonable men should first iudge before they punish because punishment deferred may be inflicted but being inflicted cānot be recalled that they sustain the honorable place of a Iudge whilest they examine causes but the place of an executioner when without iudgement aduice they inflict punishmēt that they are Gods deputies represent his person therfore are according to his example first to visit and then to punish lest for want of due examination they punish the innocent in stead of offenders The second thing which hence we learne is that though God doth not rashly punish yet he will not suffer the wicked altogether to escape for though the Lord doth not punish euery day yet in the day of his visitation he will not spare And therefore let vs keepe our selues vndefiled from sinne or if we haue stained our consciences with sinne and haue as it were in these bookes registred vp our faults let vs by a liuely faith apply vnto vs the blood of Christ whereby these spots and writings may be washed away for if they remaine vntill the day of Gods visitation they will giue in such witnesse and euidence against vs as will conuict and condemne vs. In
ouertaken with their punishments but they neglecting this example which the very sight and name of the place should haue continually called to their remembrance and going forward in their blinde superstition and idolatry the Lord in the verie same place brought vpon them the very like destruction The vse which we are to make hereof is this that we take warning by the example of others and make profitable vse of Gods iudgements which like a gracious Iudge he inflicteth on some that others being hereby admonished may escape which gracious warnings if we neglect he will likewise make vs examples of his iustice ANd so much concerning the first degree of the Israelites punishment signified by the birth of the Prophets first childe Now followeth the second degree the withholding of Gods mercy from them The which is first typically shadowed vnder the name of the second childe and after manifestly expressed first simply in the reason why this name was imposed verse 6. and afterwards amplified by way of comparison or dissimilitude verse 7. The second degree of their punishmēt is simply set down verse 6. Shee conceiued yet againe and bare a daughter And Verse 6 God said vnto him Call her name Lo-ruchamah for I will no more haue pity vpon the house of Israel but I will vtterly take them away Whereas the Prophet saith that his wife conceiued yet againe he sheweth that there was a certaine space or distance Exposition of time betweene the birth of the two children by which he signifieth that the Lord after that he had for their sinnes inflicted vpon them the first punishment would not presently bring vpon them his second and more grieuous iudgement but would giue them some respite and time of repentance that so turning vnto him hee might spare them and receiue them to mercy For if they had after they were ouerthrowne and led captiues vnfainedly repented of their sinnes the Lord would haue had compassion on them and receiued them into his loue and fauour But when they obstinately continued in their impenitency the Lord refuseth to shew mercy vnto them And this he signifieth by the birth of the second child Secondly by this second birth the Lord sheweth that they made no good vse of his former iudgements but grew from bad to worse and therefore his iustice required that he should lay vpon them a second punishment much more grieuous then the former And these things are to be gathered out of her second conceptiō It is further said that her secōd child was a daughter by which he intimateth their declining both in respect of their maners and state the former whereof was the cause of the latter First he sheweth their declination in manners for as the woman sexe is more weake and inconstant then the man so they were declined from that strength of faith vertue and constancy that was in Iacob and the rest of their godly ancestors and were become weake and inconstant in all good things Secondly he sheweth their declination in respect of the state of their Common-wealth For whereas their ancestors had valiantly defended and inlarged the Kingdome against all their enemies they were so weakened partly through their effeminatenesse the daughter of peace and plenty and partly through seditions and ciuill warres that they had made themselues a fit pray for their enemies being no more able to defend themselues then if they had been a Common-wealth of women And this weakenesse and infirmity is signified vnder the sexe of women in the Scriptures So when God would signifie that the Babylonians should not be able to stand in the hand of their enemies he saith that they should be like women that is weake and impotent Ier. 50. 37. Now this weakenesse in their state proceeded Ier. 50. 37. from their weakenesse in grace vertue faith and constancy for when they declined from holy obedience and after a weake and inconstant manner suffered themselues to bee withdrawne from God and were inticed to serue idols God tooke away from them their valour strength and manly courage and depriuing them of their hearts of men gaue them womens hearts which caused them to be so effeminate timerous and cowardly that they durst not indure the least incounter of their enemies And these are the things signified by the sexe The next thing to be considered is the name Call her name lo-ruchamah The signification whereof is without mercy or not obtaining mercy or as the Apostle Paul expoundeth it Rom. 9. 25. Not through Gods mercy beloued The which name is Rom. 9. 25. giuen to signifie that the people of Israel after they were led captiue by the Assyrians should neuer obtaine either presently or for the time to come Gods mercy to be restored againe into their Country And this is the meaning of these words concerning the Doctrine imposition of the name The doctrines which arise from Gods mercy euen in his punishments hence are diuers First me may obserue Gods gratious goodnesse in his manner of punishing men for their sinnes after he hath smitten them once he doth not presently strike againe but he pauseth and giueth time and respite that they may make profitable vse of his former visitation and amend their faults for which they were punished that so he may not be moued to redouble their punishment as it appeareth in his dealing with the Israelites in this place Whereby it is manifest that he taketh no pleasure in our paine and torment but in punishing aimeth at our amendment that so we may be eternally saued and therefore as he is hardly drawne to punish so when he hath begun he is loth to go forward but hauing like a gratious father giuen vs a few stripes he laieth the rod aside expecting our amendment that so he may no more punish vs. And thus he dealt with the Israelites in the time of the Iudges in the captiuity of Babylon and with vs likewise as at many other times so especially in the daies of Queene Mary and in our late visitation Secondly we may obserue in the example of the Israelites That we quickly forget Gods iudgements how soone we forget Gods iudgements when they are once past making no good vse of them nor amending those faults for which we were punished but when the affliction is once past we securely go forward in sinne and become worse then we were before as though now God had emptied his quiuer and had not one arrow of wrath and vengeance more to shoote at vs. A notable example hereof we haue in Pharaoh yea and in our owne times for how few is the number of those who haue made any profitable vse of Gods late visitation Nay how many are there who as though hauing escaped that they were priuileged from all others are growne worse and worse This is a miserable euill of which the Lord complaineth Esa 1. 5. and the forerunner Esa 1. 5. of vtter destruction For as the father
weake and in want of all things but want of misery Secondly because he was a Prophet sent not to the Iewes but to the Israelites he doth not meddle with their sinnes which were many nor denounceth Gods iudgements against them but leauing that to their owne Prophets he applieth himselfe to his owne people by all meanes seeking to humble and bring them to true repentance and because this promise of saluation and mercy vnto the Iewes was effectuall to this purpose therefore he reciteth it that their hearts being wounded with griefe and emulation and their pride and insolency being beaten downe they might in some sort be prepared for true repentance And thus much for the vnderstanding of the first point The doctrines which from hence we learne are these First Doctrines That in common calamities God hath aspeciall care ouer the faithfull that when the Lord exerciseth his iudgements vpon the wicked he hath in the meane time a speciall care of the preseruation of those that feare and serue him to deliuer them out of the middest of common calamities as appeareth in this place for though he suffered the people of Israel to be ouerthrowne by their enemies yet he so curbeth them in with the strong raine of his prouidence that they could not enter into the next bordring countrie of Iuda whom they hated with equall malice albeit they were much fewer in number and weaker in power and in outward appearance altogether vnable to make any resistance And this is manifest by many such examples of like deliuerances out of common euils So was Noah preserued in the common deluge Lot in the destruction of Sodom the Israelites from the plagues of Egypt For the iust Iudge of heauen and earth will not destroy the iust with the wicked Gen. 18. 25. And the Lord knoweth to deliuer the godly out of tentation and to reserue the Gen. 18. 25. 2. Pet. 2. 9. vniust to be punished Secondly we here learne that though our sinnes be great Gods mercy to those that repent and our imperfections and corruptions manifold yet this will not withhold from vs the course of Gods mercies if we turne to God by repentance The Iewes were not much behinde the Israelites in rebellion idolatry and all wickednes and yet because they often forsooke their wicked waies either when they were admonished by Gods Prophets or exercised with afflictions and turned vnto God by true repentance therefore the Lord promiseth vnto them mercy and deliuerance whereas the Israelites who continued obstinately in their impenitency were giuen ouer of God to vtter destruction The like example we haue in Saul and Manasse Peter and Iudas and many others Thirdly we learne that it is a notable argument to moue the Lord to spare a people when as they maintaine amongst God spareth those who maintaine his pure worship though they be polluted with many corruptions them Gods pure and sincere worship and seruice notwithstanding they are polluted with many corruptions and imperfections but when as true religion is banished or despised when Gods sincere worship is neglected and idolatry and superstition erected this is a strong motiue to cause the Lord to powre downe his fearefull iudgements as appeareth in the example of the Israelites and the Iewes Whilest the wise continueth her loue and mariage fidelity towards her husband he is content to beare with many infirmities and to put vp many iniuries but if she violate her faith and place her loue vpon a stranger he is kindled with rage and iealousie and will neuer indure such intolerable wickednesse so whilest the Church which is Gods spouse continueth in her loue and obserueth her mariage promise that she will obey and respect him aboue all he is content to spare her though she be full of corruptions and imperfections but when she withdraweth her loue and setteth it vpon idols and disclaiming her promised obedience neglecteth his pure religiō sincere worship and seruice then will his iealousie burne like fire and his wrath wil suddenly breake forth and vtterly consume her being now no better then an adulterous harlot It is true indeed that where Gods true religion is established and his Gospell sincerely preached there if the people doe not liue according to their professiō bring forth the fruits thereof it will not priuiledge them from afflictions and punishments nay rather the Lord will first visit them because they are of his owne family as appeareth 1. Pet. 4. 17. Ier. 25. 29. Heb. 12. 6. Apoc. 3. 19. But these visitations are in 1. Pet. 4. 17. Ier. 25. 29. Heb 12 6. Apoc 3. 19. 1. Cor. 11. 32. mercy that by his fatherly chastisements he may reclaime them lest running on in their sinnes they should be condemned with the world as it is 1. Cor. 11. 32. But yet so long as they doe not withdraw their loue from God nor violate their faith by neglecting Gods true religion and his sincere worship and seruice and erecting idolatry and superstition the Lord will not vtterly forsake them nor altogether withdraw his mercy from them as we may see in the example of the Iewes and haue sufficiently learned by our owne experience Fourthly we here learne that no vice is more intolerable God abaseth the proud in Gods sight then when by our prosperity and Gods gratious and free benefits we be puffed so vp in pride and selfe-confidence that we despise oppresse and insolently insult auer those who are in affliction and misery For this was the cause which moued the Lord to withdraw his mercies and benefits from the Israelites when as they abused them to pride and to bestow them vpon the Iewes who were contemned and oppressed by them And thus much for the first point The second is the benefits promised to the house of Iuda first in generall that he Exposition will haue mercie vpon them secondly that he will in mercy saue and preserue them from their enemies In which benenefits promised there is a secret antithesis vnto the iudgement threatned against the house of Israel in the former verse they should bee lo-ruchamah such as should haue no mercie but the house of Iuda should bee ruchamah that is such as should obtaine mercie they should be vtterly taken away and neuer returne out of their captiuitie but these how they should also be led captiue yet they should continue but a while in their seruitude and at the end of 70. yeeres be againe restored into their owne countrie The which benefits promised were accordingly performed First in the daies of Ahaz when they were deliuered out of the hands of Rezin King of Aram and Pecah the sonne of Remaliah as it is Isai 7. 1. and also in the daies of Ezechias when as the Lord gaue vnto them a meruailous deliuerance by sending his Angell to destroy the host of Senacharib euen 185000. men as appeareth 2. King 18. and 2. King 18. 19. Esa 36. 37.
of all and euery of them neither must we imagine that these two not my people and the sonnes of the liuing God are alike generall as though all and euery man amongst them of whom it might be said not my people of them it should be said that they were the sonnes of the liuing God but it is to be vnderstood of Gods elect onely who should be called from amongst them both and added to the Church For many were eternally reiected many who neuer heard of the Gospel and of Christ many outwardly called by the ministery of the word who were not called effectually and so neither iustified nor made Gods soones by adoption and grace The third thing which is signified in these words is the instrumentall cause or meanes whereby they should attaine vnto this dignity namely by the preaching of the Gospell the which is implied by the phrase of speech here vsed for he doth not say they shall begin to be or they shall be made or they shall be adopted the sonnes of God but it shall be said vnto them Yee are the sonnes of the liuing God to wit in the preaching of the Gospell which is the strong power of God to saluation vnto all that beleeue Rom. 1. 16. and the onely ordinary meanes of begetting faith Rom. 10. 17. by which Rom. 1. 16. 10. 17. Iohn 1. 12. 1. Cor. 4. 15. faith we attaine vnto this prerogatiue of being the sonnes of God Iohn 1. 12. And this the Apostle plainely sheweth 1. Cor. 4. 15. where affirming himselfe to be the Corinthians spirituall father who had begotten them vnto God he sheweth likewise whereby they were begotten and regenerate namely through the preaching of the Gospell Furthermore it is to be obserued that it is set down absolutely it shal be said vnto them without expressing by whom but we are to vnderstand it of God himselfe who had said ye are not my people for he onely after their reiection from being his people could make them his sonnes notwithstanding we are not to vnderstand it that this should be spoken by God himselfe immediately but as he said yee are not my people by the ministery of his Prophet so he saith yee are the sonnes of the liuing God by the ministery of his Apostles and Ministers in the preaching of the word The last thing to be considered is the dignity or prerogatiue it selfe expressed in these words Yee are the sonnes of the liuing God Where we are to note that he doth not obserue a perfect antithesis betweene these and the former words which should haue bin thus expressed In the place where it was said yee are not my people it shall be said vnto them ye are the people of God but in stead thereof he saith ye are the sonnes of the liuing God The reason whereof is this first because he would hereby signifie that through Christ in the couenant of grace we haue a far more excellent estate then vnder the law by the couenant of works for then they were but the people or subiects of God but now they are his sons adopted in Iesus Christ and being sonnes they are likewise Rom. 8. 17. heires and coheires with Christ as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 8. 17. Then they were the people of God on the condition of their perfect obedience to the Law which when they obserued not they lost this dignity and were reiected from being Gods people but now they are sonnes on the condition of faith and heires of an inheritance immortall vndefiled and that fadeth not away as the Apostle speaketh 1. Pet. 1. 4. because 1. Pet. 1. 4. they shall neuer fall from the couenant nor forsake or be forsaken of God seeing his seed remaineth in them 1. Iohn 3. 9. 1. Iohn 3. 9. Secondly by this phrase he excludeth in the worke of our saluation all kind of merit and sheweth that it is wholly to be ascribed to the free grace of God If he had said ye shall be called Gods people it had not so fully excluded all merit seeing there may be some desert in a people which mooueth the Prince to take them for his subiects but when he saith Ye shall be called sonnes it shutteth out all merit seeing no sonne can deserue of his father to be begotten of him before he hath his being Thirdly he vseth this phrase of speech because it containeth All the benefits of the Gospell comprised vnder this title The sons of God in it the summe of those benefits which are offered and bestowed in the Gospel is as it were a briefe abridgement of the whole worke of our saluation for those who are sons are likewise predestinate to eternall life seeing he hath therfore predestinate vs to bee adopted through Iesus Christ vnto himselfe as it is Eph. 1. 5. If we are sonnes then need we not Ephes 1. 5. to doubt of the loue of our heauenly father if we are sons then are we called to this high dignitie seeing before our calling we were strangers and enemies if sonnes then are we iustified in Gods sight freed from sinne and indued with righteousnesse and so fully reconciled vnto God seeing the Lord infinit in iustice would neuer admit any into such a high degree of fauour who were yet polluted in their sinnes and destitute of righteousnesse If we are sonnes then haue we receiued the spirit of adoption which leadeth and ruleth vs mortifieth our corruptions and quickneth vs in the inner man raising vs vp from the death of sin to holines and newnes of life Finally if we are sons then also we are heires and coheires with Christ of the kingdome of glorie Rom. 8. 17. Rom. 8. 17. Lastly as hereby he expresseth the inestimable benefits of The name of sonnes stirreth vs vp to all Euangelicall duties the Gospell so also doth he hereby stirre vs vp to all Euangelicall duties for sonnes more beleeue trust hope in loue their fathers then people their gouernours and with more alacritie and diligence performe obedience vnto their commandements and therefore if wee bee the sonnes of God wee must bee mindfull to performe these duties to our heauenly father The last thing to bee considered in this royall dignitie is that they shall be called the sonnes of the liuing God whereby the greatnesse of this benefit is amplified as though hee should say Ye shal be the sonnes of a God not like vnto the idols and Gods of the heathen which either neuer liued or but for a short time but of the eternall and euer liuing Iehouah who is and will be euer willing and able to defend and prouide for you who are his children And as hereby is signified the eternitie of our heauenlie father so there is implied also the eternitie of vs his children For as Christ saith God is not the God of the dead but of the Matth. 22. 32. liuing so may I say hee is not a father of the dead but of the liuing
is not enough that Christ should be appointed of God to be our king and head vnlesse we receiue him for our soueraigne yeelding vnto him our faith and obedience which if we neglect notwithstanding God hath appointed him king and head ouer his Church yet he is not so vnto vs. Now the Church receiueth Christ to bee their king first The Church receiueth Christ for their king by faith when as with free consent of will and by a liuely saith they doe acknowledge and imbrace him alone for their king head and Sauiour resting wholly vpon him and vpon no other whatsoeuer for their protection preseruation redemption and saluation promising and vowing vnto him alone their alleageance and obedience as being their onely Soueraigne For by true faith wee are ioyned and vnited vnto Christ as subiects to their king and members to their head and when wee doe beleeue in him wee doe as it were with our suffrages and voices choose and imbrace him for our king and head And secondly when as beleeuing this in their minde and heart they are readie with their tongues openly before men to make confession and profession thereof assembling Rom. 10. 10. themselues as his subiects in the publike congregation to worship and serue him their Lord and king in hearing his worde calling on his name and receiuing his Sacraments He further saith that they shall set ouer themselues a head Whereby he signifieth one should not choose a head for another but euery man for his owne selfe For as the iust shall Habac. 2. 4. liue by his owne faith and not by another mans so by his owne faith and not anothers hee receiueth and imbraceth Christ for his King head and Sauiour But what then shall wee thinke of infants who haue not How infants come to haue part in Christ Mark 10. 14. 16. actuall faith are they therefore deferred from hauing Christ their head and Sauiour I answere no for Christ blesseth and prayeth for them affirming that the kingdome of heauen belongeth vnto them And the promises of God are made not only to the faithfull but vnto their seede also Gen. 17. 7. Act. 2. 39. in all which they could haue no part Gen. 17. 7. Act. 2. 39. vnlesse they were vnited vnto Christ in whom alone is saluation What then are they saued by the faith of the Church or of their parents I answere no for euery man liueth by his owne faith vnlesse wee vnderstand it thus that the Church or their parents grounding their faith vpon the promises of God made to the faithfull and to their seede doe by their prayers obtaine faith or the seede and spirit of faith for their children whereby they liue Neither must wee imagine that they haue actuall faith before which goeth illumination and knowledge of Gods promises made in Christ which the beleeuer applieth vnto himselfe seeing then they should lose it againe before they come to age which is not incident vnto true faith which once had is neuer lost But wee are to know that the ordinarie course of vniting them to Christ by faith not agreeing to their age which is not capable therof God vseth extraordinarie meanes supplying all things needfull for this worke by the inward operation of his holy Spirit whereby he regenerateth and sanctifieth them as hee did Ieremie and Iohn the Baptist in their mothers wombe as appeareth Iere. Ier. 1. 5. Luk. 1. 15. 1. 5. Luk. 1. 15. and vniteth them vnto Christ their head it being the chiefe bond of this vnion and so being members of his bodie they haue part in the righteousnesse and merits of Christ their head whereby they are iustified and saued Furthermore speaking of the Kingdome of Christ ouer Christ the only head of the Church his Church he doth not say that they should set him ouer them for their King but for their head which he purposely doth to shew the neere vnion that is betweene Christ and his Church for there is a far more neere coniunction and vnion betweene the head and the body then is or can be betweene the King and his subiects Now this so agreeth to Christ to be the head of his church as that it agreeth to no other besides him for it was necessary that the head of the church should be both God and man for if he had bin God alone there could haue bin no proportion and consequently no communion betweene the head the members if man alone he could not haue quickned his body which was dead in sinne nor offered to God the Father a sufficient price for the redemption thereof nor vanquished the spirituall enemies of our saluation the diuell the world sinne death and the graue It was necessary therefore that our head should be of both the diuine and humane nature that he might be vnited vnto vs and vnite vs vnto God and so as the Father is his head so he might be head of his Church as the Apostle speaketh 1. Cor. 11. 3. 1. Cor. 11. 3. Christ then alone is the head of the Church and consequently the Pope doth falsly arrogate this title vnto himselfe for as the Church is but one body so it hath but one head otherwise it should be a monster And this the Prophet here sheweth when as he saith that they should set ouer them one head and not be like the Kingdome of Israel and Iuda who were rent and diuided vnder the gouernment of two heads Neither is Christ an idle head who hath referred all the gouernment of his body the Church to his visible and ministeriall head the Pope but he is in euery respect a true head indeed for he it is from whom we deriue our life sense and motion in all the actions of holinesse and righteousnesse he it is that quickeneth his body dead in sinne he it is that prouideth for it and protecteth it from all dangers and the malice and power of all enemies and he also it is who by the scepter of his word and the direction of his holy spirit guideth and gouerneth it as he promised Iohn 16. 13. Iohn 16. 13. And this is the meaning of the words The doctrines That God chuseth vs before we chuse him which from hence arise are these First out of the connexion of this with the former point we learne that we are first gathered together by God into his Church effectually called and chosen to be Gods people before we chuse Christ to be our King and head or will submit our selues to bee ruled by the scepter of his word and Spirit whereby it appeareth that we are not causes of this spirituall vnion with Christ nor of those royall dignities and excellent benefits which hereby are deriued vnto vs but the free grace and mercy of God which before we haue any desire of attaining hereunto preuenteth vs with his loue calling and chusing vs to this glorious and happy estate when we had neither ability nor will
duty doth appertaine namely to all those who are made members of the That all the faithfull must labor to gaine others to the Church church whether they be publike or priuate persons for there is none which are in respect of their meannesse of gifts exempted seeing there is not any who hath receiued such a small talent but that if he will profitably imploy it he may thereby gaine some glory to his Lord and maister and in some respect or other bring some benefit to his brethren either by instruction consolation exhortatiō or holy example of life But howsoeuer this duty belongeth to all yet especially to Gods Ministers who are appointed of God both to be the spirituall fathers by whom men are begotten vnto God and conuerted to the faith and also to be the nurses who by the milke of the word are to nourish and bring vp in their spirituall growth those who are regenerate and added to the Church And therefore they are with all care and diligence to preach the word in season and out of season instructing the ignorant exhorting those that are backward perswading the obstinate confirming the weake and comforting and incouraging those which are ready to faint and by all meanes labouring that those who are not conuerted may be gained vnto Christ and likewise that those who are already added to the Church may bee more and more strengthened and confirmed in their spirituall vnion with Christ and communion with the Saints Fourthly we are to obserue to whom this duty is to be performed namely to our brothers and sisters that is those who are already and those that may be hereafter our brethren and sisters and in y◠we do not know who these are because Gods That we must labour to informe all in Gods trueth secret counsaile decree of election is known only to himselfe therfore we are to exhort instruct and perswade all to become members of the Church so far as in regard of our state and calling we possiblie can for the Spirit bloweth where it listeth and can easilie cause Lions Tigers and Cockatrices to become the sheepe of Christ hee can make idolatrous Abraham the fether of the faithfull bloodie and barbarous Manasses an humble conuert a persecuting Saul a preaching Paul and a leaud cheefe a holy confessor and therfore say not in thy heart I will spare my labour because this or that man is too wicked too worldlie too couetous too proud to make a Christian seeing the Lord is able of stones to raise vp children vnto Abraham to humble the most proud and obstinate and to sanctifie the most prophane neither is hee onely able to doe it but also often doth it to shew the infinite riches of his wisedome power mercie and goodnesse and that our saluation is not for our owne works or worthinesse but of his owne free grace and vndeserued loue that so he may be all in all and haue the whole glorie of his owne worke Fiftly we are to obserue the maine arguments which the The arguments which we must vse for the conuersion of others faithfull are to vse that they may perswade others to ascend with them out of the land of darkenesse into the kingdome and Church of Christ namely because they were the people of God and therefore they are to ascend into the kingdome of their Lord and redeemer And lest their sinnes and Gods iustice and wrath should discourage them it is further said that they haue obtained mercie and remission of their sinnes and are now reconciled vnto God in Christ Whence we learne what is the strongest inducement and most forcible argument to mooue any to leaue the kingdome of darkenesse and to adioyne themselues vnto the Church of God namely when they heare and hearing beleeue that they who were aliants and strangers are now in Christ become Gods subiects and seruants that they whom the law for their grieuous sinnes excluded from all mercie and made obnoxious to Gods wrath are now in Christ made partakers of Gods mercie whereby they haue the remission of their sinnes and are so reconciled to their Lord and Soueraigne So long as a malefactor who hath deserued death knoweth that his Prince is iustly displeased with him and intendeth to prosecute the law against him hee fleeth his kingdome and liueth in voluntarie exile but if hee heare that the princes sonne fauoureth him and hath obtained his fathers pardon and reconciled him vnto him this is a strong motiue to perswade him to leaue the strange countrie where he liueth and to returne againe into the kingdome of his Soueraigne So we who are grieuous malefactours which by transgressing Gods law haue made our selues subiect to to his wrath and obnoxious to the punishment of the law eternall death whilest wee remaine in this case flee from Gods presence and as much as in vs lieth though it neuer lieth in vs we banish our selues out of his kingdome and iurisdiction but when we heare that Christ his dearely beloued sonne hath obtained our pardon and reconciled vs to his father then and not before we approach his presence and adioyne our selues to his kingdome It is then the preaching of the Gospell which gathereth vs into Christs kingdome For it is Gods strong power vnto saluation to al that beleeue whereby he perswadeth vs to come out of Satans kingdome and to adioyne our selues vnto his Church And therefore those who seeke the conuersion of others they must not onely denounce legall threatnings against sinne for this will make men rather flee from God then come vnto him but hauing by the law brought them to a sight of their miserie in regard of the curse thereof the anger of God death and condemnation which they haue deserued then they are to preach the glad tidings of the Gospell whereby they may be assured of the remission of their sins and reconciliation with God and so be mooued to come vnto Christ and to adioyne themselues to his Church Examples hereof we haue Act. 2. 38. 39. 2. Cor. 5. 18. 19. 20. Act. 2. 38. 2. Cor. 5. 18. Gal. 3 26. That we must continuallie labour to conuert others to the faith Gal. 3. 26. 27. 28. Now we are further to obserue that we are not to deliuer this glad tidings of the Gospell for the conuersion of those who are not yet called once or twice or diuers times but continually till they be conuerted we must teach them perswade and exhort them to ascend out of the land of darkenesse into the kingdome of Christ for hee doth not define and determine a certaine number but indefinitely and absolutely commandeth vs that we should speake vnto them For God calleth not all at the same houre but some at one time and some at another neither doth he make the word effectuall for the conuersion of all sinners at the first hearing but in some he lets it often outwardly sound in their eares before by the inward working of
mother is that is to bee diuorced and thirdly the diuorce it selfe Concerning the first diuers are of diuers iudgements some vnderstand it of the faithfull in the time of the Gospell that they after they were added to the Church should plead with their mother the Church of the Iewes that laying her sinnes to her charge they might bring her to repentance But this cannot agree with the rest that followeth for they are commanded to accuse her for her idolatry in forsaking the Lord and worshipping the Heathen gods which sinne was not committed by the Church of the Iewes in the time of the Gospell nor after their returne out of the captiuitie of Babylon Others vnderstand it of the two Tribes of the kingdome of Iuda that euery one of them who were faithfull should admonish their mother that is their Church and synagogue that she should take example of the ten Tribes and forsake her idolatry lest shee should likewise be diuorced and reiected But this is not likely seeing the Prophet was not sent to the Iewes but to the ten Tribes and therefore to them he directeth his speech for their conuersion and not vnto the other who were not belonging to his charge Others expound it of the faithfull who liued in the Prophets time amongst the Israelites especially the Prophets and Priests called to this publike office that they fearing God and hating the wickednesse of the times should reproue the Church and Synagogue of Israel for her spirituall whoredomes The which their exposition though I reiect not yet I thinke an other more probable and better fitting the circumstances of the place And that is of those who expound it generally of the rebellious and hypocriticall Israelites who when they were reproued for their sinnes and heard Gods iudgements denounced against them by the Prophet in stead of laying them to heart that they might be humbled thereby were ready to plead against God himselfe and to condemne him of vntruth and cruelty For whereas the Lord had threatned that hee would vtterly reiect them they were ready to obiect first that this could not stand with the truth of Gods promises made to Abraham concerning the multiplying of his seede To which obiection the Prophet answereth in the two last verses of the former chapter as I haue shewed Now because the Prophet had deferred the accomplishing of that promise vnto the time of the Messias the hypocrits would be ready in the second place to obiect that God had promised perpetually and continually to be their God and that they should be his people and therefore if he did reiect them though it were but for a time he must needes be vntrue of his promise To this the Prophet answereth that this imputation was not to be laid vpon God but vpon their mother the Synagogue and Church of Israel for whereas the Lord had ioyned her in mariage vnto himselfe a mutuall stipulation being made betweene them on the Lords part that he would acknowledge her as his spouse protect her and multiply his benefits vpon her on her part that shee would keepe her coniugall faith plighted vnto him and wholly and onely reserue her selfe for his worship and seruice shee had broken her couenant and falsified her faith by forsaking the Lord and prostituting her selfe vnto idols and had most vnthankfully ascribed vnto them all those benefits which the Lord had bestowed vpon her And therefore their diuorce was not to be ascribed vnto any inconstancy or cruelty in God but to their owne whoredomes and vnthankfulnesse By the children then who are to pleade with their mother we are to vnderstand all those amongst the Israelites who vpon the hearing of the diuorce and reiection of the Church were ready to expostulate with God and to excuse themselues would not sticke to lay the fault of their reiection vpon him Secondly by their mother in this place we are to vnderstand the Synagogue and Church of Israel and more especially their rulers and gouernours both ecclesiasticall and ciuill for whereas they aboue others should haue maintained Gods pure worship seruice and contained their inferiours in holy obedience they were the first who did forsake God and betooke thēselues to the worshipping of idols drawing others by their authority and example into the like wickednesse and that in a twofold respect the first concerned their religion when as they were mislead by the false doctrine of their ecclesiasticall gouernours and drawne from God to their idols the other concerned their policy when as by their ciuill rulers they were moued to ioyne themselues in league and in neere friendshippe with idolatrous Nations whereby also they themselues were corrupted and seduced Now we are further to obserue that hee redoubleth the word pleade or contend whereby he implieth the importune impudency of the people which was such that their mouthes would not easily be stopped but still they would calumniate Gods iustice and truth and therefore with greater earnestnesse which is often expressed by such redoubled speeches he biddeth them to plead against their mother againe and againe and to lay the fault where it was not vpon God but vpon themselues As if he should haue said Doe not pleade and expostulate with mee in that your mother is diuorced and you reiected as an adulterous issue for the husband is not to be blamed for putting away an adulteresse but shee rather for her filthinesse and vnfaithfulnesse and therefore seeing your mother hath forsaken me and prostituted her selfe to idols acquit me of all wrong and iniury and contend and expostulate with her in that by her vnfaithfulnesse and vncleannesse she hath moued me iustly to diuorce her from me and to reiect you as being an adulterous issue of an adulterous mother The third thing to be considered is the diuorce it selfe betweene God and the Church of Israel expressed in these words for shee is not my wife neither am I her husband Which that we may vnderstand we must know what the mariage betweene them was namely a contract and mutuall stipulation on Gods part that he would be her Lord and husband to loue protect and prouide for her multiplying his gratious benefits from time to time as he should see most for her good on her part that shee would forsake all others and cleaue onely and wholly vnto the Lord louing obeying worshipping and performing all holy duties vnto him and finally keeping this her faith plighted vnto him inuiolable They are therefore said to be diuorced when as this contract is broken off and the couenants not performed as when the Lord not acknowledging her for his spouse doth cast her off and ceaseth to defend and prouide for her and when she withdrawing her loue from God and fixing it vpon idols breaketh her mariage faith refusing to worshippe and obey the Lord her true husband and prostituting her selfe by spirituall whoredome vnto false gods Now that the cause of this diuorce was not in the Lord but in the Church
of Israel appeareth by the order of the words where first it is said that she was not his wife and then that he was not her husband for the Lord did not forsake her before shee forsooke him hee did not deny to bee her husband before she refused to be his wife hee did not cease to performe his couenants which hee made with her of grace protection and preseruation before she withdrew her loue falsified her faith denied her seruice and obedience and went a whoring after strange gods And therefore there was no cause why for this diuorce they should expostulate with God and impute any fault vnto him but rather they were to lay the blame vpon themselues who by their spirituall fornications had broken off the mariage knot and had refused to be the Lords spouse so that hee was constrained to proclaime this diuorce because she had first refused him The like place vnto this we haue Esay 50. 1. Thus saith the Lord Where is the bill of your mothers diuorcement whom I haue cast off or who is the creditour vnto whom I haue solde you Behold for your iniquities are ye sold and because of your transgressions is your mother forsaken Where the Lord expostulateth with the Iews concerning the cause of their reiection and sheweth that the cause was not in him but in themselues and this he proueth by an olde rite and custome vnder the Law which was that those who were put away by the husband had a bill of diuorce giuen vnto them and that Deut. 24. 1. parents which were deeply indebted sold their children to satisfie their creditors as appeareth Exod. 21. 7. 2. King 4. 1. But I saith the Lord neuer put you away for if I did where Exod 21 7. 2. King 4. 1. is the bill of diuorcement neither did I sell you for where is the creditour to whom I stand indebted And therefore the fault is not in me but in your own iniquities and in the transgressions of your mother why you are sold and shee diuorced So Ier. 3. 8. Ezech. 16. Jer. 3 8 Ezech. 16. And this is the meaning of the diuorce which the Lord commandeth should be denounced The doctrines which The Law and the Gospell must be intermixed in the ministerie of the word hence arise are diuers First out of this mixture of Legall comminations with Euangelicall consolations Gods Ministers may learne spirituall discretion neither onely to thunder out the threatnings of the Law nor wholly to stand vpon Euangelicall promises but in their sermons to mixe the one with the other that whilest they beate downe the pride and presumption of secure hypocrites they doe not altogether exanimate deiect those who are truly humbled and contrariwise that whilest they comfort and raise vp Gods children who are afflicted in mind and deiected they doe not confirme proud hypocrites in their securitie and presumption Neither is this course profitable alone in respect of hypocrites and secure worldlings but also in respect of Gods deere children for being partly flesh and partlie spirit as in respect of their spirituall part they haue neede to heare the sweete comforts of the Gospell for the confirmation of their faith so had they in regard of the flesh neede to heare often of the threatnings of the Law to restraine them from sinne to beate downe pride presumption and securitie and to containe them in holy obedience Secondly we may obserue the nature of hypocrites who The nature of hypocrites to expostulate with God when they suffer the punishment due vnto their sinnes are ready to expostulate with God and to calumniate his iustice of crueltie as though their punishment were either altogether vndeserued or else at least farre greater then their sins To this purpose they vse all friuolous pretences to excuse their faults laying them of themselues vpon others yea rather then faile they will not sticke to accuse God that they may excuse themselues And therefore the Lord is faine oftentimes to expostulate the matter with them to cleare himselfe from all imputation of fault and to conuince them of their sinnes that they may be brought to true repentance An example hereof we haue in our first parents Gen. 3. 12. Gen. 3. 12. 4 19 Ier. 2. 35. Mal â— 8. 1. King 18. 17. Math. 25. 24. 13. In Caine Gen. 4. 13. In the Iewes Ier. 2. 35. Mal. 3. 8. In Ahab 1. King 18. 17. In the vnprofitable seruant Mat. 25. 24. 26. Thirdly we here learne when we suffer affliction or beare We must not murmure against God in our afflictions our punishment that we doe not murmure and expostulate with God as though he dealed more seuerely and rigorously with vs then we haue deserued but let vs descend into our selues and examine our owne hearts and consciences and so shall wee find that not the Lord but our selues are in fault that our punishment is farre lesse then our sinnes and that it is the great mercie of the Lord that we are not vtterlie consumed as the Church confesseth Lament 3. 22. And this Lament 3. 22. course must be taken of euery one of vs before we will euer be truely humbled and brought vnto God by vnfained repentance or before the Lord will euer bee mooued to pardon our sinnes or release our punishment For none will euer sorrow for those sinnes of which they thinke they are not guiltie there is none wil lay them to hart be humbled vnder the weight of them so long as they pretend excuses and seeke to put off their burthen from their owne to others shoulders and so long as wee content our selues with these fig-leaues we wil neuer looke after a better garment to hide our nakednesse Againe the Lord will neuer absolue vs before we condemne our selues he will not pardon our sinnes till we setting aside all excuses ingenuously and freely confesse them he will neuer case vs of this burthen whilest with false pretences we seeke to vnloade our selues neither will he euer make vs partakers of his mercy till we acknowledge that we haue deserued the extremity of his iustice as may appeare by the former examples Fourthly wee are to obserue that the children are commanded That particular men may expostulate with their mother the Church to expostulate not onely one with another but also with their mother the Church that so both the particular members and the whole Church in generall comming to a sight of their sinnes and condemning themselues for them they might bee brought to true repentance Whence wee learne what dutie is owed by children to their parents and by particular members to the whole body of the Church namely they are so to honour them that God bee not dishonoured so to excuse them that God bee not accused so to hide their faults from others that they doe not ignorantly foster them in themselues The Papists crie out vpon vs for discouering the nakednesse of their Church which
againe againe vpon the same point that at least by his importunity he might bring thē to repentance Whence we are to learne that it is not sufficient either in the publike ministery of the word or in priuate conference to reprehend and beate downe sinne once onely but considering how many shifts and deuices the hypocrisie of mans heart findeth to hide excuse and extenuate their sins and how soone they forget and cast behinde them the remembrance of their sinnes and Gods iudgements due vnto them it must not be thought much either of publike or priuate persons oftentimes to vse the same admonitions and reprehensions and to denounce againe and againe the same iudgements of God against the same sinnes which are not as yet forsaken by true repentance Secondly wee may obserue the infinite mercy of God who when his spouse the Church had innumerable times Gods mercy in inuiting the people to repentance committed spirituall whoredome with idols and professed her filthinesse like an impudent harlot openly to all the world yet laboureth to bring her to repentance that so hee might receiue her to grace and fouour againe for to this end he causeth her sinnes to be laid before her and the diuorce betweene him and her to be denounced not because he hated her or was delighted with her reiection and destruction but that she might forsake her idolatry which so impudently she professed and returne vnto him her Lord husband that so he might receiue her to grace and pardon her former wickednesse And therefore when we heare our sinnes sharply reproued and the iudgements of God denounced let vs not thinke that this is done for want of loue either in God or in his Ministers but to this end that wee should hereby bee brought to true repentance and so bee receiued into Gods grace and fauour Thirdly out of the metaphors and borrowed speeches here vsed we may obserue that the sinne of vncleannesse is Of the fornication of painted faces and naked breasts not onely committed in fact but that also there is a fornication of the face and an adultery of the breasts when as harlots with glancing and wanton lookes by painting of their faces and laying out of their breasts doe not onely by these signes testifie the adultery and vncleannesse of their hearts but also with these baits of lust indeuour to allure others to commit filthinesse and to inflame their hearts with the fire of vnlawfull concupiscence Whereby may appeare how common this sinne of adultery and vncleannesse is in our times wherein the signes and meanes thereof do so abound seeing not onely those who are harlots by profession but euen such as would be reputed pure virgins and chaste wiues shew these outward signes of their inward filthinesse and vse these baits to catch the foolish in the nets of vncleannes by painting their faces setting forth thēselues with adulterate beauty and by laying out their breasts after a whorish manner to be seene and touched for is it likely that those who lay thē out to the shew would haue them only seen Neither hath this corruption of manners entred into the court alone where wantonnesse and immodesty challenge vnto themselues a place by the right of prescription and long custome but it is crept also into the City and Country amongst those that should be modest virgins and graue matrons and examples of sobriety vnto others Euen here naturall beauty is hid with a painted vizard and naked breasts are laid out to the view if at least they may be called naked which are commonly couered with false colours or vncouered when as they are masked in a net But as there is no sin so vile which maketh not some kind of Apologie for it selfe so this against which I inueigh wanteth An excuse of vaine women answered not her excuses for whē those who are vain wanton in their attires haue their immodesty laid to their charge they are ready to say that whatsoeuer they seeme in shew yet their hearts are chaste and honest But to these I reply that if they haue the hearts of honest and chaste matrons what haue they to doe with the habit of an harlot why doe they Ezra 3 9. disguise themselues vnder the vizard of a false beauty vnlesse they meant to deceiue and allure why do they make shew of their wares vnlesse they would offer thē to sale why do they display the banners of lust vnlesse they meant to be at defiance with chastity and all honesty why doe they play the hypocrits by appearing that they are not if they be honest in deed why should they seeme harlots in shew if they be dishonest in shew and truth why doe they slander and disgrace the name of honesty and chastity by intitling themselues vnto it In a word if either they are pure virgins or chaste matrons and would haue others so to iudge of them let them take away their fornications from their face and their adulteries from betweene their breast But they further answer that though in their owne iudgement they like not of these practises yet they yeelde vnto A second excuse taken away frō those who paint their faces and discouer their breasts them in regard of the fashion because they must be like others of their sort and ranke To which I answere that if this be a fashion it is the fashion of harlots who first inuented it and most cōmonly practise it and therefore why should this moue any that are honest women to imbrace it not rather to detest it that we are commanded by God not to fashion our selues to the world nor to follow a multitude in that which is euill that if they will follow the fashion they must set themselues to worke wickednesse seeing no fashion is more common that those who for fashions sake are thus immodest and impudent would become farre worse if it were the fashion that those who professe themselues Christians should fashion themselues according to the example of those who are modest sober and religious and not of the wanton and lasciuious for otherwise they will plainely discouer themselues that their hearts are corrupt and wicked seeing they like and imbrace rather the fashion of prophane worldlings then of the faithfull and vertuous And lastly that if they sinne for company they are like for company sake to suffer the punishment of sinne in hell fire But they will say that they doe not thus adorne themselues A third excuse taken away either to shew their owne lust or to prouoke it in others but that their beautie which in it selfe is good and commendable may be liked and praised of the beholders To this I answer that vn◠si qua placet culta puellasat est graue Propert. lib. 1. eleg eleg 2. matrons are to thinke themselues beautifull enough when they please and content their husbands that by these wanton and lasciuious ornaments they doe not more commend
to haue any partners of his praises which are due to himself and therefore hee will haue all or none for well the Lord knoweth that they who serue praise him to the halues wil in the end neither serue nor praise him at all Wherby it may appeare that the seruice of the Church of Rome which they performe vnto God is no better then abominable idolatrie and their praises odious in his sight as sauouring of grosse ingratitude for though they serue God indeed yet not in spirit and truth but in their Idols though they acknowledge and praise God as the author of his gifts yet not him alone for they ioyne with him the virgin Marie and innumerable Saints many whereof are of their owne making as pettie gods and patrones vnto whom they yeeld a chiefe part of their thankes and praise though they acknowledge God to haue giuen vnto them the benefits which they enioy yet not of his meere mercie and grace but for their owne merits and through the intercession of Saints But the Lord esteemeth these halfe praises to be dishonors and this partie and shared thankfulnes to bee no better then grosse ingratitude 2. King 17. 32. 33. 41. 2. King 17. 32. 33. The excessiue cost which idolaters do bestow vpon their idols Fiftly we may obserue what excessiue cost idolaters are readie to bestow vpon their idols and images for though they highly esteeme their gold siluer and iewels yet doe they willingly bestow them vpon Baal that is for the making and adorning of their idols and for the furthering of their superstitions though they will hardly part with the least trifle in obedience to Gods Commandement to the aduancement of his glorie and furthering of his pure worship and seruice yet they thinke their whole substance little enough to be bestowed vpon their owne wil-worship for the maintenance of their idolatrie An example whereof we haue in this place and in the Israelites Exod. 32. 3. Ezech. 16. 16. to 21. And in the Papists who care not what they Exod. 32. 3. Ezech. 16. 16. 21. bestow vpon the making and adorning of their images in maintaining their Clergie the Priests of Baal in building Monasteries and Nunneries in Copes vestiments oblations in procuring pardons and such like their superstitions The which their bountie in their wil-worship and idolatrie should make vs ashamed of our base niggardlinesse in furthering setting forth and maintaining Gods pure worship and seruice which is enioyned in his word for what a reproach is this to our Christian profession that they should so much exceed in their blind zeale and forwardnes vnto idolatrie and wee bee so cold in Gods true religion that they should bestow such excessiue cost in building Churches in honor of their Saints and we be so backward in repairing of God house that they should so liberally maintaine such swarmes of locusts and innumerable numbers of the Priests of Baal and we suffer Gods true Prophets which in comparison are but few in number to liue in want that idolaters should endow the Church with goods and lands and professors of Gods true religion should rob and spoile it of necessarie maintenance Surely their fruitfull ignorance shall condemne our barren knowledge their superstitious deuotion our coldnesse and slackenesse their liberalitie in euil our niggardlines in that which is good and their great loue vnto their idols and idolatrie shall rise in iudgement against our little loue to God and his truth Lastly we may obserue that it is a grieuous sinne to abuse That it is a great sinne to abuse Gods gifts to his dishonor the gifts which wee haue receiued from God to other or contrarie ends then those for which the Lord hath giuen them for this is heere condemned in the Israelites in that they bestowed their gold and siluer vpon their idols which they should haue imployed to the glorie of God and good of his Church Thus the Papists offend who bestow their wealth vpon their Images Copes Monasteries Thus carnall Gospellers offend who spend their riches vpon gorgeous attire vnfitting their calling vpon excessiue cheere and vaine pleasures which they haue receiued from God to this end that out of their superfluitie they should releeue the penury of their poore brethren Thus do they offend who vse their tongue to the blaspheming of Gods name which is giuen them to glorifie him And thus doe they offend who abuse their wits and learning for the nourishing of contentions and the maintenance and vpholding of iniurie oppression and iniustice which were giuen them to make peace right wrongs and further iustice as it is the vsuall fault of the Lawyers of our times c. All which being not only vnprofitable seruants in not vsing the Lords talents but also wicked and malicious enemies who abuse them to his dishonour shall if they perseuere in this sinne without repentance haue their portion in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone ANd thus much concerning the sin of the people of Israel In the next place hee setteth downe their punishments for whereas he had vers 6. in generall threatned that he would hedge her in with afflictions now he proceedeth to specifie the particular kinds thereof First that he would depriue her of al those necessary benefits which appertained to the preseruation of their life vers 9. Secondly that hee would discouer her shame in the sight of her louers and expose her to reproch and contempt vers 10. Thirdly that he would cause to cease all her solemne festiuals and take away all cause of mirth and reioycing vers 11. Lastly that hee would destroy all her pleasant gardens and fruitfull vineyards and turne them into a vast wildernesse vers 12. After which comminations he repeateth againe their sins which were the causes of the punishments namely their vnthankfulnes in the latter part of the 12. verse and their idolatrie vers 13. and so hee concludeth the first part of this Chapter But let vs come to the particulars Vers 9. Therefore I wil Vers 9 returne and take away my corne in the time thereof and my wine in the season thereof and will recouer my wooll and my flaxe lent to couer her shame In which words hee threatneth that because The exposition the Israelites would not acknowledge the Lord to be the author and bestower of those manifold benefits which they enioyed but vngratefully ascribed the praise of them to their idols therefore he would strip them of all his blessings to the end that they who could not learne in the time of their plentie that the Lord had bestowed vpon them these his gifts might at least learne this lesson by the want of them I will returne and take away c. Some resolue these words thus I will receiue or resume my corne because the former verbe in the Hebrew phrase hath in it sometimes the nature of an aduerbe So Genes 26. 18. Isaak returning digged the Gen. 26. 18.
wisedome against their follie nor suffer their stubborne willes to crosse my will and eternall counsell but I will now begin to take care of them seeing they will take no care of themselues and because they haue nothing profited by all my threatnings and punishments I will mollifie their hard hearts and incline their stubborne and rebellious willes with my gratious promises and mercifull benefits So that the Lord behaueth himselfe like a tender hearted father and we demeane our selues like stubborne children though our stiffe harts relent not vnder his corrections yet his heart yearneth at our paine and he is sooner wearie of punishing then we of suffering punishment and when his chastisements will not ouercome our malitiousnesse hee laboureth to ouercome vs with his goodnesse and kindnesse and as the carefull and louing Physition is not moued by the desperate wilfulnesse of his impatient patient both refusing that which is good for him and eagerly seeking that which is hurtfull and pernicious to giue him ouer to himselfe but vseth the greater care and diligence by how much the lesse hee seeth that hee careth for himselfe and when he heareth for all his loue and labour nothing but distempered and railing speeches from his patient is rather thereby mooued to pitie then reuenge so dealeth the Lorde with vs who are sicke in sinne c. The vse which we are to make hereof is that we not onely praise the Lord for this his mercie and goodnesse but also that wee striue to follow his example not seeking reuenge when wee are iniured but striuing to ouercome euill with goodnes as the Apostle exhorteth Rom. 12. 19. 21. and so Rom. 12. 19. 21. shall wee indeed approue our selues to bee the children of our heauenly father as our Sauiour teacheth vs Matth. 5. Mat. 5. 44. 45. 44. 45. Thirdly we may heere learne that neither Gods terrible The Lord only leadeth to repentance threatnings nor sharpe afflictions are auaileable to worke in our hearts true repentance vnlesse the Lord allure and incline our harts with the inward operation of his holy Spirit for the more God punisheth the more naturally we repine and murmure and our steely hearts like the anuill with more blowes do waxe the harder and sooner will we breake then bow vnlesse the Lord incline vs as appeareth in the example of Pharaoh Saul the Israelites Esay 1. 5. and in our owne experience Esay 1. 5. Fourthly we here learne that the Lord is the principal and The Lord is the sole cause of our conuersion sole cause of our conuersion for vntill he incline and allure our hearts to leaue our sinnes and to returne vnto him neither his promises nor his threatnings neither his benefits nor his punishments will worke in our hearts vnfained repentance And as this is manifest in this place so also in diuers other places of Scripture Ieremie telleth vs that the Black-moore may as well change his skinne or the Leopard his spots as we can do good that are accustomed to euill Ier. 13. Jer. 13. 23. 23. And therefore the Lord when he would conuert his people saith that he will giue them a new spirit and taking the stoheart out of their bodies will giue them a heart of flesh Ezech. Ezech. 11. 19. 36. 26. 11. 19. so Ezech. 36. 26. And our Sauiour Christ teacheth vs that no man can come vnto him except the Father draw him Ioh. 6. 44. the Apostle likewise saith that before our conuersion Iohn 6. 44. we are not only sick but euen dead in our sins and therfore no more able to raise vp our selues from the death of sin to the life of righteousnes then a dead man to rise out of his graue Ephes 2. 1. Ephes 2. 1. But it may be demaunded that if this be so to what purpose serueth the ministerie of the Word and exhortations to repentance seeing he speaketh in vaine that perswadeth a dead man to rise to life I answere that the ministerie of the Word is the meanes of our conuersion which the Lord by the inward operation of his holy Spirit maketh effectuall for this purpose in the hearts of all his elect These exhortations therefore vnto repentance are not in vaine seeing the Lord worketh not vpon men as vpon stocks and stones but as vpon reasonable creatures whom he exhorteth to repentance and withall working vpon their hearts by his holy Spirit inclineth them to performe that vnto which hee exhorteth them and as he outwardly commandeth so inwardly he inclineth and enableth them to do that which he commandeth and hence it is that our Sauiour saith that the words which he spake were Spirit and life Ioh. 6. 63. because Ioh. 6. 63. they were not like the law which only commanded and did not enable to yeeld obedience but being made effectuall by the Spirit which gaue life vnto them they both enioyned and wrought in vs true obedience And this the Prophet implieth when as he saith that the Lord will allure or perswade them to turne vnto him so that his word is the instrument whereby he doth not only moue vs but throughly perswade vs to true repentance and this we may see verified Act. 13. 43. in the example of Lydia Act. 13. 43. 16. 14. 18. 4. 28. 23. chap. 16. 14. 18. 4. 28. 23. The vse which we are to make hereof is that we yeeld vnto him the whole praise of our conuersion and not with the Papists share with him ascribing part of the glorie vnto him and part to our selues Secondly seeing it is the work of God alone we must not rest in our owne power and strength for the effecting of this great worke but we must call vpon God for this grace saying with the Church Lament 5. 21. Conuert vs O Lord and Lament 5. 21. we shall be conuerted much lesse are we to deferre our conuersion from day to day as though it were a matter which we can easilie performe at our owne pleasure but considering it is the Lords free gift let vs receiue it when he offereth it and turne vnto him when he allureth and perswadeth vs to repentance And so likewise because it is the Lord alone who allureth and turneth the heart it behooueth al those who would conuert others not to rest too much in the force of their owne eloquence or the strength of their owne reasons but to ioyne with their earnest labour and endeauour humble and hartie prayers vnto almightie God desiring the assistance of his holy Spirit by which alone their perswasions are made effectuall to perswade Fifthly we here learne not to expect presently vpon our We must not expect secure peace after our conuersiō conuersion vnto God and adioyning to the Church secure peace and flourishing prosperitie for after the Lord hath allured and perswaded vs to turne vnto him he leadeth vs into the wildernesse of affliction before he bringeth vs to rest in our heauenly Canaan The
sauing those which the Lord miraculously bestowed and in this respect howsoeuer they were preserued by God yet had they stil the image of death before them and after they had been tried and humbled by many afflictions were in Gods appointed time brought into the confines of the land of Canaan the countrie of Iericho and the valley of Achor where they enioyed all these blessings with great comfort and contentation so that in respect of the great and sudden alteration they seemed newly transported from death to life So the Church in the time of the Gospell after she is reconciled vnto God and hath passed thorow a wildernesse of affliction for her triall and humiliation is not only sustained in the middest of all her troubles with the inward comfort of Gods Spirit but also is further assured of Gods loue by the outward testimonie of his manifold benefits wherewith she is replenished with such ioy and consolation that shee seemeth vnto her selfe restored from the death of sorrow and miserie to the life of comfort and happines But yet whilest she remaineth in the valley of Achor and but in the borders of the heauenly Canaan howsoeuer shee hath great cause of ioy and contentment in regard of the manifold benefits which God bestoweth vpon her yet is her ioy often intermixed with sorrow and trouble through that cursed Achan the flesh which eagerly coueting the pleasures of sinne and the golden baites of wickednes is thereby allured to sinne and to prouoke Gods wrath by seasing vpon vnlawfull pleasures and profits accursed by God by which inward rebell shee is betrayed vnto her outward enemies those cursed Cananites the world and the diuell so that for a time they preuaile against her But yet in the end she hath an happie issue out of all her afflictions for as when Achan was stoned Israel hauing hereby appeased Gods wrath obtained a famous victory against the men of Ai so when the flesh is mortified which betrayed vs we obtaine a glorious victorie ouer the world and the diuell and so enter into a full possession of the heauenly Canaan And thus appeareth the great similitude which is betweene the passage of the children of Israel out of Egypt into the land of promise and our passage out of the spirituall Egypt the kingdome of sinne and Satan into the heauenly Canaan the true countrie and inheritance of all the Saints which moued the Lord allegorically to allude vnto it in this place as also Esay 65. 10. Esay 65. 10. And this is the benefit here promised The second thing specified is the time when the Lord would bestow it in this phrase from thence which in the Scriptures is sometimes referred to the time and sometime to the place and accordingly here it is diuersly interpreted by some of the place referring it to the desert namely that as soone as they came out of the wildernesse of affliction they should enter into this valley of pleasure by others of the time vnderstanding it thus from thence forward or as soone as I haue brought her thorow the wildernesse and haue replenished her with the inward comfort of my Spirit I will giue her a reall assurance of my loue and not only speake comfortablie vnto her heart by my word and Spirit but also in effect and deed assure her further of my loue and fauour by multiplying vpon her my mercies and manifold benefits The which interpretation is not much different from the other but the rather to be embraced because it hath better dependancie with the former benefit for as soone as the Lord hath inwardly comforted his people by his word and Spirit then presently hee giueth them a true sense of his loue and fauour by bestowing vpon them innumerable benefits spirituall and temporall The third thing heere expressed is the end why God giueth and the Church receiueth these his gifts and graces not onely that shee may haue by them ioy and comfort in their present vse but that they may serue as pledges and earnest penies to confirme their hope and assurance of the possession of eternall happines the which is signified by this phrase For the doore of hope For that is said to be the doore of hope which giueth entrance vnto hope by offering some assurance that we shall obtaine the thing hoped for As therefore the Lord gaue to the people of Israel the valley of Achor that it should be vnto them a doore of hope because the possession of the borders was a pledge vnto them that they should enioy the whole land of promise so the manifold benefits which the Lord bestoweth vpon the faithfull whilest they be in the borders of Canaan the Church militant are vnto them a doore of hope being assured pledges that after we haue a while fought with our spirituall enemies wee shall haue full possession of the heauenly Canaan and the new Ierusalem And these are the benefits which are here allegorically promised Now the reason why the Lord speaking of the spirituall deliuerance and happines of his people alludeth to their temporall deliuerance out of Egypt and entrance into the land of Canaan was first that hereby he might strengthen their faith in the full assurance of his promises seeing they had alreadie experience of his truth power mercy and goodnes in their former deliuerance when as the grieuous sins and great vnworthines of their forefathers could not moue him to change his purpose nor frustrate his word because his couenant was grounded not vpon their deserts but vpon his owne vndeserued loue and meere good will And secondly in promising new benefits he doth by this allusion put them in minde of the old that by the remembrance of these and hope of the other they might be moued to true thankfulnes and obedience The second thing to bee considered in this verse is the Churches ioy and thankfulnesse in the present fruition of Gods gifts and future hope of greater benefits signified in these words And she shal sing there as in the daies of her youth and as in the day when as she came vp out of the land of Egypt In which words is expressed the Churches ioy and thankfulnes together with the place or time thereof their ioy and thankfulnes is signified by their singing of praises vnto God the author of all these benefits which continuing in the former allegorie and allusion he compareth to that reioycing and praising God which the Israelites vsed after their deliuerance out of Egypt when as they saw Pharaoh and his armie drowned in the red sea of which we may reade Exod. 15. vnder which speciall we are generally to vnderstand all Exod. 15. their reioycing and songs of praises for all Gods benefits especially when they were in the valley of Achor and had entred into the possession of the land of promise Whereas then he saith that she shall sing as in the daies of her youth and childhood we are hereby to vnderstand the time of her
comming out of the Egyptian seruitude which is fitly compared to the birth and infancie of the Church as before I haue shewed in vers 3. and therefore the words following are added exegeticâ—s by way of exposition plainly expressing what is meant by the time of her childhood namely the day when she ascended out of the land of Egypt The meaning therfore of these words is this that as the people of Israel after their deliuerance out of the Egyptian bondage and after that they enioyed Gods manifold blessings in the valley of Achor did reioyce before the Lord and expressed their ioy by singing his praises so the true Israel of God in the time of the Gospell after they are deliuered out of the spirituall bondage of sin and Satan and are made partakers of all Gods manifold blessings both spirituall and temporall being filled not onely with ioy but also with thankfulnes hauing nothing else to returne to the Lord for all his benefits they burst foorth into praises and thanksgiuings The time or place when the Church shall performe this dutie is expressed in this word there whereby is signified that they shall thus reioyce and praise God in the valley of Achor whilest they were in the vineyards which God had giuen them Where hee alludeth to the custome of grape-gathers in ancient time who whilest they gathered their grapes and trode in the Wine-presse sang praises vnto God vnto which custome the Prophet alludeth Esa 16. 10. wherby Esa 16. 10. is signified that great should be the Churches alacritie in praising God so as she should not defer this dutie or slothfully goe about it but euen in the fruition of Gods benefits she shall be so filled with ioy and comfort that not being able to containe her selfe she shall presently burst foorth into his praises and that not after a vulgar manner as those who haue receiued ordinarie benefits but like vnto those who are raised from death to life from sorrow and miserie to all ioy and happinesse And so much for the meaning of the words The doctrines The Do ∣ ctrines hence to be obserued are these First here wee learne that after the Lord hath allured vs and spoken vnto our hearts by We must labour after true conuersion if we would enioy Gods benefits his word and Spirit that is after that he hath conuerted and brought vs to repentance and giuen vnto vs inward comfort peace of conscience and ioy in the holy Ghost then doth hee giue vnto vs further assurance of his loue and our reconciliation by multiplying vpon vs not only corporall but also spirituall benefits Whence we learne first that if wee desire to be made partakers of Gods temporall benefits we doe aboue all things labour after true conuersion and to feele the kingdome of Iesus Christ erected in our hearts and the inward ioy and comfort of Gods Spirit and then will the Lord also giue vs vineyards and the valley of Achor that is abundance of his benefits not only sufficient for our necessarie sustenance but also for our honest delight according to that Matth. 6. 33. Matth. 6. 33. Yea but the faithfull sometimes want these things I answer if the Lord withdraw temporall benefits in stead of them he bestoweth more excellent gifts euen his spirituall graces faith hope patience c. as appeareth in the example of Iob. And though they haue no superfluitie yet they haue sufficiencie which they enioy with great comfort and contentation for either the Lord fitteth their state to their mindes or their mindes to their state as appeareth in the example of the people of God fed daily with Manna and water springing out of the rocke of Elias fed with Rauens of the poore widow sustained by her cruise of oyle and handfull of meale Yea and how little soeuer the faithfull haue yet are they better prouided for then the wicked in the middest of all their abundance for this may faile bee spent or taken away but Gods prouidence will neuer faile in prouiding for his neither will the fountaine of his bountie bee euer drie although it doe not at all times flow alike plentifully and with a full streame Psal 37. 16. 17. Psal 37. 16. 17 Our graces no cause of our conuersioÌ„ Againe whereas vnder these vineyards and valley of Achor are promised not only corporall benefits but also spiritual graces hence we learne that we are first allured and conuerted before these gifts of Gods Spirit are bestowed vpon vs and therefore our inward graces and vertues are no causes mouing the Lord to conuert and call vs but effects of our vocation neither doth the Lord allure and call vs because we are furnished with these graces but he therefore furnisheth vs with them because he hath called vs Rom. 8. 30. Rom 8. 30. And lastly from hence we learne not to expect full assurance of Gods loue and our reconciliation all at once but Full assurance of Gods loue not to be expected all at once by one degree after another for first God allureth vs and then speaketh comfortably vnto vs by his word and Spirit assuring vs that wee are his children the which assurance is more and more confirmed when he giueth vnto vs the portion of his children his spirituall graces and temporall benefits Secondly we may here obserue that howsoeuer the Lord God mingleth benefits with crosses giueth vnto the faithfull plentie of vineyards the valley of Achor that is innumerable benefits both spirituall and temporall yet not without the mixture of many crosses and calamities For as long as wee are in this life our prosperitie is mingled with affliction our ioy with sorrow and so long as we are but in the borders of our heauenly Canaan this valley of pleasure shall be vnto vs also Achor that is the valley of trouble partly in regard of our treacherous flesh which being allured with vnlawfull pleasures and profits doth moue vs to offend God whereby we are hindred in our iourney towards our heauenly countrie and wanting the feeling of our assurance of attaining to our eternall rest wee are turmoyled with feare and doubting and afflicted with much sorrow and heauinesse of spirit and partly in respect of those cruell assaults which the cursed Cananites the world and the diuell make against vs wherewith we are sometimes foiled and alwaies troubled But yet wee are not hereby to be discouraged for the Lord will giue a good issue to all our trials and in the end will grant vnto vs a glorious victorie ouer all our enemies and changing this valley of trouble into a valley of triumph will so bring vs into full possession of our heauenly Canaan where wee shall obtaine comfort without mixture of affliction ioy without sorrow and eternall rest from the assaults of all our enemies When as then wee are in any affliction let vs remember that though the Lord for a time seeme to frowne vpon vs yet in the end
thankfulnesse of the faithfull Yea in truth so much our ioy and thankfulnesse should exceed theirs as the greatnes of the benefit of our spirituall deliuerance out of the miserable captiuitie of sin and Satan exceedeth the deliuerance of the Israelites out of the bondage of Egypt We must then reioyce and be as thankfull as those ought to bee who haue passed from death to life from the greatest miserie to the highest happines and are exalted from being the firebrands of hell to be the sonnes of God and heires of heauen ANd so much cōcerning the second benefit In the third place the Lord promiseth that he will giue grace to his Church and people that they shall embrace his pure worship and seruice and abolish all idolatrie and superstition in these words Vers 16. And at that day saith the Lord you Vers 16. 17. shall call me Ishi and shall call me no more Baali Vers 17. For I will take away the names of Baali out of her mouth and they shall no more be remembred by their names In which words the Lord The exposition promiseth two things first that hee will restore his sincere worship secondly that he will roote out all idolatrie The former in these words And at that day saith the Lord shall you call me Ishi Where is set downe first the time when the Church should performe this dutie and secondly the dutie it selfe The time in these words And at that day that is when the Lord hath effectually called her spoken comfortablie vnto her and multiplied his benefits vpon her then should she in loue and thankfulnes shew her selfe zealous in offering vnto God his pure worship and in abolishing all reliques of idolatrie The dutie which the Lord promiseth she shall performe is that she shall call him Ishi that is my husband where the Lord alludeth to the couenant which is made betweene him and his Church wherein the Lord promiseth that she shall be his spouse and she promiseth that she will acknowledge the Lord alone to be her husband and performe all duties of a wife vnto him As though he should say Howsoeuer in former times thou hast run after thy louers yet when I haue called and conuerted thee thou shalt remember the couenant of mariage betweene vs made and so forsaking thy idols thou shalt acknowledge and professe that I alone am thy husband Now whereas he saith that she shall call him Ishi we are first hereby to vnderstand that the Church mindfull of her couenant shall embrace him as her only husband not verbally alone or with an idle shew but in deed and truth behauing her selfe towards him as it becommeth the Lords spouse that is first in generall she shall worship and serue him purely and sincerely according to his will more specially that she shall obserue coniugall fidelitie loue him aboue all depend vpon him alone with a true affiance for all blessings and call vpon his name the which dutie is implied in the text for it is not said she shall call me husband but Ishi O my husband namely inuocating his name by prayer Secondly he sheweth here that the Church shall not only internally worship the Lord as her only husband in Spirit and truth but also that she shall outwardly make profession hereof which is implied in that he saith shee shall call him husband and not onely acknowledge him so to bee in her heart and mind And this is the first dutie which the Lord promiseth that the Church shall performe The other is that as she should be carefull to aduance his pure worship so she should shew the like zeale in abolishing all reliques of idolatrie signified in these words And thou shalt call me no more Baali or O my Baal that is As I would not haue thee to ioine idols with me in my worship so I would not haue thee to worship and call vpon me in an idol or after an idolatrous maner but in spirit and truth purely sincerely Where the Lord sheweth first that the Church shall not only worship him but also that she should worship him alone and renounce all her idols and false gods Secondly that she shall not worship him after an idolatrous manner in images and idols as it was the manner of the Israelites who worshipped God in the idoll Baal as appeareth in this place but shall come vnto him immediatly and not by a substitute or inferiour patron and call vpon him who is a Spirit spiritually and not in an image But the image of Baal being abolished why would not the Lord be called vpon by the name of Baal seeing it signifieth a god lord or patron and sometime also a husband as well as Ish I answere the Lord would be called Ish rather then Baal first because Baal being a name of empire and dominion brought with it some seruile feare the other name Ish signifying properly a husband offereth nothing to our consideration but loue fidelitie grace and protection and therefore the Lord refuseth the former name in the time of the Gospell as being too austere sauouring only of authoritie and Lordship and will be called by the amiable name of Ish or husband to shew that he hath renewed his couenant is reconciled to his Church and is now become most louing and gratious vnto her The second cause which I take to be the more principall is that he might hereby shew his detestation of idolatrie in that hee would not endure to bee called by the name of an idoll though otherwise good in it owne signification And this his detestation he further sheweth when as he saith that they should bee so farre from worshipping idols or him in them that they should not so much as name them Vers 17. For I will take away the names of Baali out of her mouth c. Vers 17. Where is set downe who it is that thus purgeth the Church from all the relikes of idolatrie namely the Lord himselfe I will take away Secondly the manner or degree how it must be purged to wit from all the relikes of idolatrie and superstition so that it shall not be lawfull for the people of God so much as to name an idoll vnlesse it bee as they name the diuell with hatred and detestation The like places vnto this we haue Exod. 23. 13. Ye shall make no mention of the name of Exod. 23. 13. Deut. 12. 2. 3. other gods neither shall it be heard out of thy mouth Deut. 12. 3. Ye shall vtterly destroy all the places wherein the nations which ye shall possesse serued their gods vpon the high mountaines c. 3. Ye shall hew downe the grauen images of their gods and abolish their names out of that place An example whereof wee haue in Dauid Psal 16. 4. 5. Their offerings of blood will I not offer nor make mention of their names with my lips Psal 16. 4. 5. Thirdly hee expresseth the end why hee would not haue them so much
howsoeuer she might fall through infirmitie yet she should neuer fall away though she may offend her husband by her corruptions and imperfections yet she should neuer forsake him nor desist in her faith and holy obedience So that neither her sins past nor her sins to come should be able to separate her from the Lord her husband not her sins past because they should be blotted out of remembrance and washed away by Christs blood nor her sinnes to come for as much as shee should be endued with such sinceritie and indignitie of heart that she should neuer sin with full consent of will nor euer leaue the Lord to commit spirituall adulterie with sinne and Satan Neither should want of righteousnes cause her to be reiected seeing shee should bee adorned with the glorious robe of Christs righteousnes imputed vnto her and also by vertue of Gods Spirit dwelling in her she should be enabled to walke before the Lord in the integritie and vprightnes of her heart indeauouring to performe all duties of holines and righteousnes vnto him Secondly whereas error and blindnesse of iudgement is a 2 The Church is married vnto Christ in iudgement cause of diuorce and separation seeing thereby the wife is moued to preferre an adulterer before her lawfull husband therfore that this may not be a cause of separation betweene him and his Church the Lord promiseth that he will endue her with a cleare and wise iudgement whereby she shall bee able to discerne betweene good and euill right and wrong and how much more profitable will it be for her to embrace the Lord as her only husband louing reuerencing and obeying him in all things than to forsake him and to follow after her adulterous louers that is idols the world Satan and the pleasures of sinne which last but for a season and in the end bring euerlasting destruction and how much better it is to embrace his pure worship reuealed in his word then to follow humane traditions and her owne inuentions Thirdly the wife is moued to breake her coniugall fidelitie 3. The Church is maried to Christ in mercie and beneficence and to leaue her husband and follow her louers when as she is brought into doubt of his loue and good will in respect of his illiberall cariage towards her and when as by his niggardly restraining her of necessaries she is brought into extremitie and want for then being hopelesse at home she rangeth abroad and seeketh help of strangers when her husband neglecteth her Whereas contrariwise when shee hath assured testimonie of his loue by his readines to supplie all her necessities to the vttermost of his power it is a notable meanes to work in her loue towards him and to preserue her faith inuiolable And thus it fareth in this spirituall mariage when we doubt of Gods loue and fauour and are brought into extreame exigents through our spirituall or corporall wants then our corrupt nature inclineth vs to leaue trusting and depending vpon the Lord and to follow Idols Saints Angels and Images looking for by them a supplie of that wherein we thinke that the Lord is defectiue And therefore he heere promiseth that he will also marrie her vnto himselfe in mercie or as the word may more fitly in this place signifie in benignitie and beneficence that is that he will so multiplie vpon her mercies and benefits as thereby shee shall haue full assurance of his loue and prouidence watching ouer her and shall by his bountie be so furnished with all necessaries that she shall not need to depend vpon any other The which promise is accomplished both in respect of corporal and spirituall benefits for if the first be wanting the Lord giueth the other in such plentie and abundance that in the middest of worldly wants she shal haue little cause to doubt of Gods loue and liberalitie seeing he doth bestow vpon her these rich treasures and gifts of greatest value And thus haue we this prophecie expounded Ier. 32. 40. I will make an euerlasting couenant with them that I will neuer turne away Jer. 32. 40. 41. from them to do them good c. 41. Yea I will delite in them to do them good c. Fourthly because when the husband is of an austere rigorous and impacable nature so as he will not beare with his 4. The Church is married to Christs compassion wiues infirmities but punisheth euery fault in all bitternesse and extremitie it is a notable meanes to worke in her alienation of minde and to moue her to affect others more then him and contrariwise compassion and readines to pardon faults and passe by infirmities is a singular meanes to nourish loue and fidelitie therefore the Lord promiseth in the next place that he wil marrie the Church in mercy and compassion so that though through frailtie she fall and by her sinnes offend him yet this shall bee no sufficient cause to moue her desperately to forsake and flee from him seeing he is so full of mercie and compassion that she can be no more readie to repent then he to forgiue nor to aske pardon then he to grant it And that not only for light and veniall sinnes nor for offences seldome committed but for all her sinnes most grieuous and innumerable and this is implied in that he here vseth the plurall number saying that he will marrie her in mercies to note the multitude of his mercies whereby he is readie to forgiue a multitude of sinnes The like place vnto this we haue Ier. 31. 34. For I will forgiue their iniquitie Jer 31. 34. Esay 54. 10. and remember their sinnes no more So Esay 54. 10. The mountaines shall remoue and the hilles shall fall downe but my mercy shall not depart from thee c. Fifthly because all loue and benefits cannot restraine an 5. The Lord marrieth his Church in faithfulnes inconstant woman who is naturally addicted to lust and vncleannesse but that vpon euery occasion she is apt to forsake her husband and follow her louers therefore in the next place the Lord saith that he will marrie his Church in faithfulnes wherby we are to vnderstand that not only the Lord himselfe will continue faithfull and constant in his loue to the Church but that also he will by his holy Spirit wherewith his Church and he are ioyned in marriage so rule her affections mortifie her naturall lightnesse and pronenesse to spirituall adulterie and confirme and strengthen her in constancie and fidelitie that shee shall euer keepe her mariage faith inuiolable and reserue her selfe for him alone pure and vndefiled Where we may further note that he doth the third time repeate these words I will marrie thee vnto me to this end that we might by this his redoubling of his speech bee the more vndoubtedly assured of the certaintie of this holy and heauenly contract of which we are easily moued to make some question in respect of Gods glorious Maiestie and incomprehensible
had their eyes and mindes alwayes fixed vpon them Secondly he saith that they loued the wine bottles whereby wee may eyther generally vnderstand that besides their sinne of Idolatry they were also addicted to all manner of vnlawfull pleasures and luxurious excesse as surfetting and drunkennesse lasciuiousnesse and wantonnesse for with the corruption of Religion is vsually ioyned corruption of manners Pietie and Honesty being such twins as both liue and die together And if we take the words in this sence then we are to vnderstand them Synecdochecally dunkennesse being put for voluptuousnesse and all corruption of manners of which he maketh speciall choyse that he may persist in the former Allegory seeing Adultery Drunkennes are commonly ioyned together and are mutuall causes one of another Or els we may take them more specially and properly for that drunkennesse and those voluptuous delights which they vsed in their Idolatrous feasts for with their Idolatry they vsually ioyned feasting and reuelling as may appeare Exod. Exod. 32. 6. 32. 6. Iudg. 9. 27. vnto which custome the Prophet Amos alludeth Iudg. 9. 27. Chap. 2. 8. They drinck the wine of the condemned in Amos. 2. 8. the house of their God The which custome lasted vnto the Apostles time as appeareth 1. Cor. 10. 21. and this as I take 1. Cor. 10. 21. it is the more naturall and proper sence of this place namely that the people of Israell did not onely commit Idolatry but also by their drinking feasting and reuelling shewed the exceeding great delight which they tooke in their sinne And this is the meaning of these words The doctrines Our pronenesse to fall into desperation or presumption which arise out of them are diuers First we may obserue out of the generall scope of this Chapter our exceeding pronenesse to run into two extreams secure presumption abiect desperation in respect of our diuers estate and condition when we are in prosperity we are deafe to all reprehension admonion threatnings we flatteringly perswade our selues that this Sunne of Gods fauour will euer shine vpon vs notwithstanding that our sinnes continually ascend and as a thick cloud interpose themselues betweene vs the beams of Gods loue and when we heare Gods curses we blesse our selues in our hearts saying I shall haue peace although I walk Deut. 29. 19. according to the stubbernenesse of mine owne heart adding drunkennesse vnto thirst as it is Deut. 29 19. Yea when the Lord beginneth to punish we are ready in the securitie of our hearts to promise vnto our selues immunitie and to say with those wicked men Esay 28. 15. We haue made a couenant with Esay 28. 15. death and with hell we are at agreement though ascourge run ouer and passe through it shall not come at vs c. And on the other side when God withdraweth from vs his gracious countenance and taking away our prosperitie in stead thereof layeth vpon vs affliction and aduersitie then we are as ready to fall into the contrary extreame concluding that God hath vtterly reiected vs and cast vs off for euer foolishly imagining that when our Sunne of comfort is once set and the night of sorrow and aduersitie hath ouershadowed vs that it will neuer arise againe and replenish our hearts with ioy and consolation An example hereof we haue in the Israelites in this place and in Dauid Psal 30. 6. 8. The consideration whereof should moue all Gods Ministers according to the practise of the Prophet in this place wisely to intermixe comminations with consolations iudgement with mercy threatnings with promises and the Law with the Gospell that they may keep men in an euen course and in the golden meane neither presumptuously going forward in sin in regard of Gods mercies and benefits nor desperately sincking vnder the waight of sinne and punishment when they are ouertaken of Gods iudgements Secondly whereas the Lord commandeth the Prophet That Gods ministers must often inculcate their instructions and admonitions yet againe to put the people in minde of his mercyes and their owne sinnes and vnworthinesse hence we obserue that it is not sufficient for Gods Ministers once alone to stand vpon these points but considering how forgetfull men are of Gods benefits and how obdurate and obstinate in their wicked courses they must repeate beate vpon these things againe and againe neuer thinking any duety sufficiently taught which is not also sufficiently learned Neyther must they seeke to please the itching eares of phantasticall hearers who are impatient in hearing the same things twise deliuered nor seeke to delight such surfetted and cloyed appetites as cannot indure oftner then once to tast of the same food no nor yet take pleasure though varietie of food be offered vnto them if it be brought in the same dish desiring onely varietie and to heare continually new matter out of a new Text but they must like good Surgeons apply the same salues to the same sores till they be perfectly cured they must speake againe and againe of the same mercyes of God till they bee remembred teach the same doctrines till they be learned exhort to the same dueties till they be practised and reproue the same sinnes till they be amended And like good house-holders as they are to auoid the glutting of the family by the continuall vse of the same meate so also they must oftner then once set before them that spirituall food which they know is good and wholesome and think it no disgrace and disparagement to their plenty and hospitalitie if they feed twise of the same dish Thirdly we may obserue that the Lord propoundeth his The vse of Parables mercyes and the peoples sinnes by way of Parable that so he might in a liuely manner and as it were with reall words represent these things to their vnderstanding as it were in a plaine picture that so he might hereby more effectually approue his owne vndeserued goodnesse and conuince them of their vnworthines and this forme as it is alwayes delightfull so is it sometimes most profitable as when Gods Ministers are to deale with Magistrates or with obstinate and impudent sinners who wil not know nor condemne sinne vnlesse it be in another mans person See Chap. 1. Ver. 2. Fourthly wee may obserue that the Lord intending to The assurance of gods loue our chiefe comfort in afflictions arme his children with such patience as might inable them to beare those grieuous afflictions which he purposed to lay vpon them doth in the first place assure them of his loue notwithstanding he seuerely corrected them for their sinnes yea that he therefore did chastice them because he loued them and would not suffer them to goe on in their sinnes to their destruction whence we learne that to attain patience in afflictions and aduersitie the best way is earnestly to labour that we may discerne with the eye of faith the beames of gods loue and fauour through the cloud of our
sinnes and chasticements and not onely to looke vpon the rod but also vppon the hand of our louing father who beateth vs that he may correct and amend vs. For if wee bee perswaded with Paul that afflictions cannot seperate vs from the loue of God Rom. 8. 35. Rom. 8. 35. Then shall we also with Paul reioyce in tribulations Rom. 5. 3. And conclude with Iob that though he kill vs yet we will trust in him Iob. 13. 15. If in our greatest extreamities we haue this hope and assurance that we are beloued of God it will be a sure anker-hold to preserue vs from making ship-wrack of our soules vpon the sands of desperation though we be tossed and turmoyled with the tempests of tribulations and the surging waues of troubles it will be a sure piller to vnder-prop our fainting soules so as they shall not ruinously sincke vnder the waight of affliction and an impregnable for t into which being retired as our last place of refuge we shall easily beare off and beate back the most violent battery that affliction and aduersitie can make against vs. Fiftly we may obserue how hainous and odious this sin of Idolatry is in the sight of God in that he compareth it to The hainousnesse of Idolatrie Adultery for as nothing can be more detestable in the eyes of a louing and iealous husband then that his wife should affect others more then him and prostitute her selfe to commit whoredome euen in his sight and presence so nothing can be more odious in the sight of God then that his church should thus desile her selfe with spirituall Adultery euen in his presence See Chap. 1. Ver. 2. Sixtly in the example of the Israelites wee may behold our exceeding great ingratitude in that being dearely beloued Our ingratitude of God we doe not loue him againe but are ready to prefer Idols and Images before him Who would not wonder at the vnthankfulnesse of such a woman who being base and beggerly deformed diseased and full of ill qualities should be chosen and espoused to a prince of great worth and dearely beloued of him if notwithstanding his excellency and loue she should defile her mariage bed and preferre some base groome before him but such is our ingratitude if being aduanced from such a base condition to such high dignitie by our husband Iesus Christ we set our mindes vpon Idols more then on him Seauenthly wee may heere obserue the Constancie of The Constancie of Gods loue Gods loue towards his elect in that notwithstanding their grieuous sinnes and great vnworthines he continueth to loue them for though the Israelits after they were espoused vnto God committed spirituall whoredome forsooke the Lord yet he sendeth his Prophet to assure them of the continuance of his loue So neither the fall of our first parents nor the originall corruption which was propagated from them vnto vs nor our own manifold actuall transgressions could break off his loue wherewith he had loued vs from all eternitie but that still euen whilst we were sinners he sent his sonne to dye for Rom. 5. 8. 10. vs and whilest we were enimies vnto him he reconciled vs vnto himselfe by the precious death and bloodshed of our Sauiour as Iohn 3. 16. the Apostle sheweth Rom. 5. 8. 10. Ioh. 3. 16. The consideration whereof serueth notably for our consolation when as we labour and groane vnder the heauy burthen of our sinnes for if the Lord so dearely loued vs euen whilest we were enimies how much more will he continue this loue when we are made friends If when we were wicked and vnrighteous he would not ouerwhelme vs with his iust displeasure much more then being iustified by his bloud we shall Rom. 5. 9 be saued from wrath through him as the Apostle reasoneth Rom. 5. 9. If he so loued vs when as we were wholy wicked that our sinnes could not change the constancie of his loue how much more will he now continue constant when wee are made perfectly righteous through the righteousnesse of Christ imputed vnto vs and haue true inhaerent righteousnes and sanctification begun in vs by his holy spirit whereby at least we desire indeauour in the vprightnesse of our harts to serue and please him If he loued vs whilest like rebellious enimies we neyther could nor would obey him how much more will he loue vs when like children we would willingly doe his will although we often fayle of our desire through our weaknesse and imperfection Eightly we here learne that if in our necessities we flee vnto Affiance in creatures is Idolatrie the creatures as vnto Idols Images Saints Angels gold and riches trusting depending vpon them for help and deliuerance more then vpon the Lord we may truely bee said with the Israelites to looke after idols to commit spiritual adultrie with them for that we make our God vpon which we most depend for reliefe in time of want for protection in time of dāger hence it is that not only those who worship Images are called Idolaters but also the couetous man who putteth more affiance in his gold then in his God Ephe. 5. 5 Ephe. 5. 5. Lastly we may heere obserue that with contempt of Religion Contempt of religion and corruption of manners inseperable companions and Gods pure worship neglect of honesty and corruption of manners with idolatrie and superstition drunkennesse and all manner of voluptuousnesse are ioyned together for as soone as men looke after Idoll Gods they also loue the wine bottles And this commeth to passe principally through Gods iust iudgement that they who worship the creatures and forsake the creator not regarding to know him nor his truth should be giuen ouer of God vnto vile affections and a reprobate minde whereby they run headlong into all maner of wickednes as the Apostle sheweth Rom. 1. 2. 1 to 31. Rom. 1. 21. Partly also through the violence of our corruption which if it bee not bridled and curbed in with true pietie the feare of God and conscience of our wayes carrieth vs swiftly into all manner of sin partly through the malitious subtiltie of the chiefe ring-leaders vnto idolatry who either inioyne as lawfull or permit as tollerable or dispence with as veniall all manner of voluptuousnes and vnlawfull pleasures that with these baytes which are so delightfull to the flesh they may catch the more and allure them to ioyne with them in their idolatrie and superstition A notable example whereof we haue in the Papists who The Papists patrones of licentiousnesse either allow or dispence with all maner of voluptuous pleasures that so they may gaine the more to the imbracing of their Religion for haue they not brought euen into the seruice of God whatsoeuer may be pleasing delightfull to the sences as goodly shewes sweet musick odoriferous smels c. Is it not the chiefe solemnity of their festiuals and holy dayes to
appeareth Ezech. 45. 11. and the Epha was almost a pottle lesse then our bushell whereby is signified first the slauish condition of the people in their captiuity for Barley was eaten onely of slaues and captiues and not of free women secondly their pouerty which is noted by the small quantitie of this course fare alotted vnto them as their onely sustenance for a long time so that their fare was both course and sparing thirdly here is imployed the Lords loue in that he gaue them some maintenance for the preseruation of life and but a sparing measure of course foode that hereby hee might humble and reclaime them The meaning then of this part of the vision is as the Prophet bought the adultresse so shall the people be bought and sould and liue like slaues and seruants as he bought her at a low base rate euen for halfe the price of a seruant so they shal be basely esteemed and meanly valued more like vassels and slaues then the spouse of God as he doth not giue vnto her Wheate but Barley and that in small quantitie so the Lord will afflict them with course dyet whereof they shall not eate vnto saciety but sparingly by measure as if the Lord should haue said seeing you haue abused your liberty vnto licentiousnes and when the reigne was laied on your owne necks haue runne away from me like vnrulie colts therefore I will bridle and curbe you in with captiuitie and make you to returne vnto mee seeing euery base trifle hath moued you to sell your selues to be slaues to sinne I will also cause you like slaues to be bought and sould at vile rates seeing you haue abused your honourable estate vnto which I called you namely to be my Church and people and haue thereby bene puffed vp in pride I will humble you with your enimies contemptible disdainefull vsage of you seeing your plentie and prosperitie hath made you to forget and neglect me I will rub your memorie with pouerty and want but yet I will not leaue you comfortlesse for I will not vtterly forsake you and suffer you to perish in your penurie but will allow vnto you some poore maintenance and by my hard vsage I will not destroy you but buy you that is reclaime and reduce you againe vnder my gouernment And this is the meaning of the words The instructions hence to be gathered are these First wee may obserue that the Lord approueth his loue to the people of Israell by Afflictions a signe of Gods loue those afflictions which hee layeth on them to the end that he may reclaime them from their sinnes For as there is no greater signe of Gods hatred and our rejection then when the Lord giueth vs ouer vnto our selues to doe what we list to prosper in our sinnes and without any checke to run forward in the wayes of wickednesse to our destruction so can there not be a more euident signe of his loue then when like a carefull father he correcteth vs that he may not disinherite vs and maketh the pleasures of sinne loathsome vnto vs by mingling them with the Wormewood of afflictions And hence it is that the Apostle sayth that whom the Lord loueth he chasteneth and he scourgeth euery sonne whom he receiueth Heb. 12. 6. Apoc. 3. 19. Heb. 12. 6. So Apoc. 3. 19. For the Lord aymeth not at our hurt and punishment but at our good and profit that we might be pertakers of his holinesse Heb. 12. 10. And Heb. 12. 10. when wee are iudged we are chastened of the Lord because wee should not be condemned of the world as it is 1. Cor. 11. 32. 1. Cor. 11. 32. The Lord bridleth vs with afflictions that we may not run headlong in the course of sinne and like a good scholemaister he correcteth vs that he may teach vs in his wayes and make vs more diligently apply our lessons And this Dauid well knew by his owne experience and therefore he sayth Psal 119. 67. Before I was afflicted I went astray but Psa 119. 67. 71 now haue I kept thy word And verse 71. It is good for me that I haue beene afflicted that I may learne thy statutes When our heauenly Physition dyeteth vs from the pleasures of sinne which we loue better then out meate and drincke giueth vs the bitter pils and loathsome potions of afflictions it is a signe that he intendeth the cure and that there is some hope of our recouery but when he letteth vs haue whasoeuer we lust after and letteth our appetite bee the onely rule of our diet it is a shrewde token that he hath giuen vs ouer as being a desperate cure when our father suffereth vs to goe on in all wicked and licentious courses it is a signe he neglecteth vs and meaneth to disinherite vs when our Lord and maister lets vs neglect all dueties without controlement and suffers vs to goe on in our stubbornenesse and disobedience without any reproofe or correction hee makes it manifest that his purpose is to turne vs out of his seruice and when he lets vs feed at will in the pleasant pastures of sinne it is more then probable that hee hath destinated vs to the slaughter The vse which we are to make hereof is first that wee The vses faint not in our afflictions imagining that they are signes of Gods hatred and our rejection but beare them with patience considering the Lord hereby sheweth his loue and care ouer vs especially let vs be not onely patient but also ioyfull and thankfull when the Lord crosseth vs in our sins and restraineth vs from going forward in any course of wickednesse for such afflictions are blessed which preserue vs from Gods eternall curse and that is a sweet chastisement which keepes vs from being condemned with the world Secondly seeing the Lord in loue correcteth vs that hee may reclaime vs from our sinnes let vs when we suffer any affliction labour to finde out our sinnes bewayle them and turne from them vnto the Lord by true repentance and then the same loue which moued the Lord to correct vs will also moue him when we are reformed to ease vs of our affliction neyther will he cause vs any longer to drink these bitter potions when hee hath already recouered vs of our health Thirdly wee learne to iudge charitably of those whom the Lord exerciseth with afflictions and not to imagine that because any are extraordinarily afflicted therefore they are more then ordinary sinners as the Iewes did Luke 13. 1. 2 Luk. 13. 1. 2. And the Barbarians Act. 28. 4. For then we shall condemne Act. 28. 4. the generation of Gods children Psal 73. 15. Yea euen the Son Psal 73. 15. of God himselfe as it is Esa 53. 3. 4. Esa 53. 3. 4. Secondly wee may here obserue what fearefull punishments The punnishment of Idolatrie the Lord inflicteth vpon those Idolaters whom hee purposeth to conuert and saue first
himselfe in marriage Now because this tedious captiuitie and confused anarchie should not be without comfort therefore the Lord giueth them some testimonie of his loue by assuring them that hee would as well waite for their true conuersion as they for his mercy and that in the meane time he would not reject them and make choyse of some other people to be his Church but would stay his choyse till vpon their true repentance hee might receiue them into his former loue and fauour And this is emphatically signified in these words And I wil be so vnto thee wher the Lord not doth explicate his meaning at large but like those whose mindes are exceedingly perturbed with griefe indignation or some singular commiseration he vseth this abrupt and broken speach as though it so much grieued him to deferre reconciliation and to withhould the outward testimonies of his loue from his people that he was not able to pronounce this his definitiue sentence at large but in these abrupt and broken speeches So that here is Iudgement mixed with Mercie Iudgement in that he with-houldeth from them the signes of his loue for a time Mercie in that he with-houldeth them not for euer Iudgement in that he would not as yet admit them to be his people Mercy in that for their sakes he wil make choyce of no other but expecteth their repentance that thereupon hee might be reconciled vnto them But against this there may be made two obiections first An answere to a two-fold obiection that this testimonie of Gods loue and hope of their future reconciliation will not stand with Gods former threatnings namely that hee would no more haue mercy vpon them Chap. 1. Ver. 6. That they should not be his people nor he their God Ver. 9. That hee had vtterly diuorced and rejected them Chap. 2. Ver. 2. And secondly that it will not stand with the euent seeing the Lord did neuer after espouse this whole people nor yet them alone Both which obiections are taken away with one answere namely that this Prophecie is not to be vnderstood of the whole body of the people but of the faithfull amongst them which belonged to Gods Election of which it is truely verified so as it may well stand with the former Prophecie and the future euent For though he rejected the whole body of this people yet he reserued a remnant according to the Election of grace Rom. 11. 5. whom after their repentance and conuersion he did espouse to him and for these hee reserued his grace so as he would not after the people were excluded from the outward couenant admit of any other neyther before the comming of Christ nor after he was come till he had called and reconciled them and so vpon occasion of their calling and conuersion hee called also and conuerted the elect Gentiles amongest whom they were scattered and to them both who only were the true Israelites according to the spirit he made good his promises of mercy and grace and this appeareth Math. 10. 5. 6. 15. 24. 26. Act. 13. 46. Mat. 10. 5 6. 15. 24 26. Act. 13. 46. And so much for the exposition of the words the doctrines which from hence arise are these First whereas the Lord saith that he will not presently be reconciled vnto the Length of affliction no signe of our rejection Church of Israell but she shall waite his pleasure and bee content to liue in an afflicted estate vntill hee saw fit time of giuing vnto her assurance of his loue and fauour hence we learne to arme our selues with patience when our afflictions are tediously continued and not desperately to cast aside all hope as though the length of our afflictions were a signe of our vtter rejection for as it appeareth in this place the Lord causeth the afflictions euen of those that belong to his Election to endure for a long time together and maketh them to wayte and expect till hee seeth the fit time for their deliuerance Examples hereof we haue in the captiuitie of Aegypt and Babilon in Dauid Iob and many others The vse hereof is that though our afflictions be of long We must waite vpon God for deliuerance frō our afflictions continuance we waite the Lords leasure and possesse our soules with patience and so in the end wee shal be assured of deliuerance An example hereof we haue in Dauid Psal 40. 1. I wated patiently for the Lord c. In the faithfull grieuously Psal 40. 1. and 123. 2. Esay 8. 17. afflicted Psal 123. 2. Esay 8. 17. in Iacob Gen. 49. 18. Which duety that we likewise may performe let vs consider first that the Lord inioyneth and requireth it at our hands Psal 37. 34. Wayte thou on the Lord and keepe his Psal 37. 34. way Secondly that the Lord wayteth vpon vs that hee may finde vs fit to receiue his mercy that is humbled in the sence and feeling of our owne misery and want and earnestly hungring after his grace Esa 30. 18. Yet therefore will the Lord Esay 30. 18. wait that he may haue mercy vpon you Seeing then the Lord wayteth on vs to shew mercy great reason haue we to wait that we may receiue mercy for waiting and attending better becommeth suiters then benefactors Thirdly let vs waite vpon the Lord because the holy Ghost commendeth it vnto vs as a good thing Lamen 3. 26 Lamen 3. 26. It is good to trust and to waite for the saluation of the Lord. Fourthly if being afflicted we doe not onely watch but also wayte in prayer it is a good argument to confirme our faith in this assurance that our prayers shall be heard and our petitions graunted and therefore the Church vseth this reason for the strengthening of her faith Esay 33. 2. O Lord Esa 33. 2 haue mercy vpon vs we haue wayted for thee And Mich 7. 7. Mich. 7. 7. she joyneth these two together I will wait for God my sauiour my God will heare Of this Dauid had experience Psa 40. 1. Psal 40. 1. I waited patiently for the Lord and hee inclined vnto mee and heard my cry Fiftly because our waiting and patient abiding the Lords leasure shall assuredly haue a good issue for he will not suffer those that wait vpon him to goe away ashamed Esay 49. 23. And howsoeuer the hope of the afflicted may bee Esa 49 23. deferred yet it shall not perish for euer Psal 9. 18. But those Psa 9. 18. that attend the Lords leasure in the end shall be exalted haue the land in possession Psal 37. 34. They shall be saued and deliuered Psal 37. 34. from all euill Pro. 20. 22. Yea they shall be eternally Pro. 20. 22 blessed Esay 30. 18. The Lord is the God of iudgement blessed Esa 30. 18. are all they that wait for him Howsoeuer therefore the hope of the afflicted being deferred is for the present bitter and irkesome yet
that vve highly valew and esteeme these outward signes of Gods presence namely a ciuill and That the magistracie and ministerie are highly to be esteemed peaceable gouernment in the common-wealth vnder a lawfull Prince and a faithfull and painefull ministrie in the Church by vvhose meanes vve injoy the publike vvorship seruice of God For vvhilest both these are setled amongst vs vve haue assured testimonies that God hath joyned himselfe vnto vs in a neere communion And on the other side when these for our sinnes are taken away then doth the Lord hide his face from vs and maketh a visible seperation betweene vs and him The consideration vvhereof should make vs rejoyce and magnifie the name of the Lord vvhen vve injoy these vnualuable blessings and to sit downe and mourne like a desolate vviddow vvhen vve are depriued of them Secondly this serueth for the reproofe first of Popish Popish traitors reprooued Traytors who are euer plotting and contriuing the death of Christian Princes and continually labour to disturbe and ouerthrow all peaceable and vvell setled gouernment that so bringing in all disorder and confusion they may haue better opportunitie of fishing in these troubled waters For what doe they else herein but euen offer violence vnto Gods own person when as they hurt Princes whom he hath placed as his liuely Images to represent his presence in the common wealth What doe they else but as much as in them lyeth seuer that communion which is betweene God and the people and bring their country into the mournefull estate of an afflicted Widdow How farre are these from the precept of the Apostles Rom. 13. 1. 5. 1 Pet. 2. 13. 17. And from the Rom. 13. 1 5. 1 Pet. 2. 13. 17. practise of Dauid whose heart throbbed because he had but cut the garment of the Lords annoynted though hee were already rejected of God and himselfe chosen to his place 2 Sam. 24. 6. 2 Sam. 24. 6. Secondly hereby are reprooued sedicious Mal-contents Seditious mal-contents rebuked who neuer thinke nor speake of the manifold blessings and benefits which the land injoyeth by the gouernment of their lawfull Princes as Peace Plenty Safety the Preaching of the Gospell and such like but are euer talking of the infirmities of their gouernours and of the defects and imperfections of their gouernment the which seditious murmurings work no reformation of things amisse but incense the Prince and discontent the people Lastly hereby is condemned the practise of the Brownists who depriue themselues of the outward signes of Gods presence the Ministrie of the word and the outward meanes of his publike worship and seruice because of some blemishes and corruptions remaining in the Church from which the Church in no age was euer perfectly purged ANd so much concerning the first fruite of Gods loue whereby he approueth it vnto the people namely by inflicting vpon them his fatherly chastisements now followeth the second fruite which is the sanctifying of these afflictions for their conuersion Verse 5. Afterwards shall the Verse 5 children of Israell conuert seeke the Lord their God and Dauid their King and shall feare the Lord and his goodnesse in the latter dayes In which words is set downe the conuersion of the people of Israell and the time thereof Their conuersion it selfe is first expressed and then a two-fold effect thereof their conuersion in these words Afterwards shall the people of Israell conuert or rather shall be conuerted The which words haue relation to their former afflictions as though he should say after they haue beene long exercised with grieuous afflictions at length the Lord will so sanctifie them to their vse as that hereby they shall be truely humbled conuerted and brought to vnfained repentance The which promise tended to the singular comfort of the afflicted Israelites when as being almost ouerwhelmed with miseries they were assured not onely that at length they should haue an end but also that they should bring forth this notable fruit of their true conuersion The effects of their conuersion are shewed in the words following first That they shall seeke the Lord their God and Dauid their king Where by this phrase of seeking the Lord we are to vnderstand that hauing bewailed their former apostacy and forsaken their sinnes by true Repentance they should labour to be reconciled vnto God in Christ worship and serue him according to his Word inuocate his Name make profession of his true Religion and imbrace the true Iehouah as their onely God by a liuely faith And this large signification hath this phrase of seeking the Lord not onely here but also else where So Psal 24. 6. and 27. 8. Esay 55. 6. Psal 24. 6. and 27. 8. Esay 55. 6. It is further added And Dauid their King In which words are implyed two things First that the Israelites had formerly made a defection from the kingdome of Dauid namely vnder the raigne of Rehoboam 1 King 12. And secondly 1 Kings 12. that now they should make vp this breach by readjoyning themselues as obedient subiects to this kingdome Where by Dauid we are not to vnderstand the sonne of Ishai who was long agoe dead but our Sauiour Iesus Christ who vsually in the Prophets was called Dauid as appeareth Ezech. 34. 23. 24. And I will set vp a Shepheard ouer Ezech. 34. 23. and 37. 24. them and he shall feed them euen my seruant Dauid And 37. 24. Dauid my seruant shall be king ouer them c. Ier. 30. 9 Ieremie 30. 9. They shall serue the Lord their God and Dauid their king The reason hereof is first because Dauid was a Type of Christ secondly because he came out of his loynes and in this respect is vsually called the sonne of Dauid thirdly because the promise made to Dauid concerning the eternitie of his kingdom was knowne commonly to all the people of which they are here put in minde for the better strengthening of their faith So that by seeking the Lord and Dauid their king is meant that they should know and acknowledge worship and serue both God the father and his sonne Iesus Christ according to that Iohn 17. 3. This is life eternall that they Iohn 17. 3. know thee the onely very God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ For as when they were said to haue made a defection from Dauid the meaning was not that this defection vvas made from his person seeing hee was dead many yeeres before but from his kingdome established in his posteritie so when they are here said to seeke Dauid their king the meaning is that they should not seeke his person which was dead but his kingdome established for euer in his seed Iesus Christ The second effect of their conuersion is expressed in these Morrall words And shall feare the Lord and his goodnes or as the Hebrew hath it shall feare vnto the Lord. Wherby we are not to vnderstand that they should performe that
hereby hee implyeth when he saith there was no simplicitie in the land that it was full of hipocrisie and dissimulation and when he affirmeth that there was no veritie he implyeth that there was lying and when he accuseth them to be without truth or justice in their actions he intimateth also that they were full of all manner of fraud and deceit The second sinne whereof he accuseth them is that they The second sinne that they wanted mercy were without mercie the word signifieth either benignitie or beneficence and in the former signification it is referred to the minde and hart and so is called mercy and compassion and in the latter to the words and works and then it is called beneficence and comprehendeth in it all workes of charitie and christianitie as when in our words we are ready to help and benefit our brethren by exhortation counsaile consolation admonition and reprehension and in our workes by defending them with all our power and relieuing them with our riches Whereas therefore he chargeth them to be without mercy his meaning is that they were destitute of all these vertues and neglected all these christian duties and contrariwise he implyeth that their minds were full of malice and cruelty their words rotten and vnsauorie their workes replenished with oppression violence and barbarous inhumanitie And these were the sinnes which respected their neighbours and the breach of the second table their sinnes which immediately respected God are all comprehended in this that there was no knowledge of God in the land vnder The third sin no knowledge of God which particular he compriseth the neglect of all the duties injoyned in the first table and of all religion piety for as from the true sauing knowledge of God as from the root of all graces there springeth Faith affiance hope loue the feare of God obedience and all true worship of God so contrariwise ignorance is the roote of all impietie infidelity diffidence presumption despaire hatred of God contempt disobedience superstition idolatrie And therefore whereas he chargeth them that they were without the knowledge of God he necessarily implyeth that they were vtterly destitute of all grace piety and all true religion and guilty of the breach of all the commandements of the first table for where the roote is dead there the braunches must needes perish Now these their sinnes are aggrauated in that hee saith that there was no veritie mercy nor knowledge of God in the Land First in that it was a Land which God in great mercy had bestowed vpon them to the end that therin they should worship and serue him a land wherein he had protected and preserued them a land wherein he had plentifully afforded vnto them the meanes of attaining these graces of truth mercy and knowledge namely his Word and Sacraments Secondly in that this impietie and neglect of Religion did not onely lurke in some few corners but ouerspread the whole land neyther were there onely some few men tainted with these vices and corruptions but generally the whole body of the people So that they did not onely hide these sinnes as being ashamed of them but being come to bee as it were a common fashion they impudently professed and defended them And so much for the meaning of this first Verse the That the Lord himselfe will contend with those who contemne the ministerie of his Prophets doctrines which are to be obserued are these First we here learne that if Gods Prophets haue long contended vvith a people in Gods cause as his aduocates and doe not preuaile with them by causing them to humble themselues before him by true repentance then the Lord will take his cause into his owne hands and ceasing to contend with them any longer by his word and spirit will prosecute his controuersie with them by afflictions and punishments and if hauing often sent his Ambassadours with reasonable conditions of peace men neglect them and refuse to hearken vnto their ambassage then will this powerfull king march against them with an armie of his judgements and neuer cease encountring them with his plagues till he hath eyther humbled or destroyed them And this appeareth in this place as also Gen. 6. 3. In the example of the Iewes led captiue into Babilon Gen. 6. 3. and afterwards destroyed by the Romaines So that God first dealeth with men by his word and then if this will not preuaile by his chastisements and lastly if these will not reforme them by his destroying plagues and punishments Would we therefore escape his corrections then let vs suffer our selues to be reformed by his word would we not be destroyed by his fearefull punishments then let vs labour to profit by his gentle chastisements The vse hereof serueth for the comfort of Gods faithfull A comfort for Gods ministers Ministers when their persons are disgraced and contemned and their Ministerie neglected and dirided by wicked men then they are to remember that they being the Lords aduocates to pleade his cause against an impenitent people are sure to be strongly backed by the Lords own power wherby those shall be brought vnder who would not submit them selues to be ruled by the scepter of the word Secondly it serueth for the terrour of all those scoffers A terror for contemners of Gods word and desperate wicked men who contemne and deride those threatnings which they heare denounced in the ministerie of the word against them for their sinnes for let such know that if they will not be reclaimed from their wicked courses by the ministery of Gods Prophets the Lord himselfe will follow his owne cause and ceasing any longer to contend with them with his word and spirit he will prosecute them by his judgements and punishments The second thing to be obserued is Gods judiciall course The just administration of Gods iudgements of proceeding in the execution of his Iudgements although being infinite in wisedome power and justice he might sodainely inflict his punishments vpon sinners as soone as they haue offended yet first to approue the justnes of his judgements hee doth in the Ministery of his word summon them before his seate of Iustice arraigne and conuince them that so they may be moued to sue for a pardon by turning vnto God by true repentance hereby preuent deserued punishments So he sent Noah to the old world before he brought the Deluge Lot to Sodome before he destroyed it with fire and brimstone Moyses to Pharaoh before he drowned him in the red sea The Prophets to the Iewes and Israelites before he brought them into Captiuitie and our Sauiour Christ and his Disciples before their vtter destruction and desolation All which as it serueth to commend Gods mercifull justice so also to condemne the hardnes of mens harts and to leaue them without excuse who will not after so manifold warnings turne from their sinnes by vnfained repentance that so they might escape these fearefull punishments Thirdly
for not entertaining him not for stripping the clothed but for not clothing the naked not for hurting and iniuring the sicke and prisoner but for not visiting and comforting them Verse 41. 42. c. The reason hereof is because we being the Lords seruants it is not sufficient Mat. 41. 42. that we doe not serue Gods enimies or that we spend our time in idlenesse and serue no body but wee must doe faithfull seruice to him our Lord and Maister for which end he hath created and redeemed vs and spend our liues not onely in abstayning from euill but also in doing of good Moreouer vertue and vice being extreames without meane hereof it followeth that the absence of the one in a subject capable of it argueth the presence of the other so that if we be destitute of vertue we are replenished with vice If our houses be cleane swept and empty of Gods graces they become forthwith fit habitations for vncleane spirits if we be Mat. 12. 44. not indued with knowledge we are blinded with ignorance if we be destitute of faith we are full fraught with infidelitie if we cease to doe good immediately we beginne to doe euill And therefore our sinnes of omission being alwayes accompanied with sinnes of commission are sufficient matter of inditement for our iust condemnation whensoeuer the Lord shall summon vs to appeare before him The vse hereof is that wee doe not with simple ideots That we must not blesse our selues in our harmlesnes blesse our selues because we are harmelesse and doe no man wrong and because we abstaine from such grosse impieties as we see others commit for the Lord requireth that we not onely refraine from euill but also that we doe good so that it is not sufficient that we doe not scorne Gods worship if we doe not also religiously serue him nor to abstaine from biaspheming Gods name if we doe not also glorifie it nor to forbeare doing wrong to our neighbour vnlesse also wee be ready to performe the duties of justice charitie and christianitie towards them Secondly out of the order which the Prophet vseth in The duties of Iustice the true Touchstone of the duties of Pietie reprehending the peoples sinnes vve may obserue that hee first conuinceth them of their sinnes against their neighbors and then of their sinnes commited against God and this methode is vsuall in the Scriptures which the holy Ghost obserueth first that he may beate downe the pride and vaine boasting of hypocrites who are ready to brag of their knowledge faith loue of God and other hidden graces though they be destitute of the loue of their brethren and barren of good workes And therefore he bringeth such as these who make a golden shew of spirituall and inward graces in respect of God to the true touchstone of outward obedience and the externall works of charitie and mercy towards their brethren to the end that if they will not abide this tryall it may appeare that though they make neuer so glittering a shew of spirituall and hidden graces yet they are nothing but drosse and Copper guilt And this is the Touchstone which Christ giueth vs to discerne a Hypocrite from a sound professor namely by their fruits Mat. 7. 16. By their fruites ye shall know them And the Apostle Iames. Chap. 2. 18. Shew me thy faith by thy works The Apostle Iohn likewise 1. Ioh. 4. 20. If any man say I loue God and hate his brother hee is a lyar c. And Chap. 2. 4. He that saith I know him and keepeth not his commandements is a lyar and the truth is not in him Verse 9. So our Prophet knowing how ready the hypocrites of his time were to brag of their Religion towards God doth conuince them of the want hereof by laying open their injuries and cruelties towards their neighbours Secondly this is done for the behoofe and benefit of Gods children who by reason of their naturall blindnesse and selfe loue cannot easily spye out their secret and hidden corruptions but contrariwise are ready to flatter themselues with an opinion of a great measure of their spirituall graces these also are to examine themselues by this touch-stone for their loue of God is not much if their loue of their neighbour be but a little their faith is not strong if their obedience be but weake their knowledge is not great if their practise be but small and their Religion is rootelesse if it bee but fruitlesse Thirdly whereas he includeth the breach of the first table The true know ledge of God the fountaine of all sound Obedience and all manner of impietie against God vnder this one particular that there was no knowledge of God in the land hence we gather that as true knowledge of God is the fountaine of all true obedience so contrariwise ignorance is the cause of all neglect of Religion of all impietie and wickednesse And this may further appeare both by reason and Ignorance the root of all sin also by manifold examples By reason for they that know neyther God nor his will they are ignoraunt of that which pleaseth him and displeaseth him and therefore though they had some good intention to serue God yet they must needs displease him through ignorance and errour Againe whosoeuer sinneth he also erreth according to that Prou. 14. 22. Prou. 14. 22. Doe they not erre that imagine euill and those that erre doe erre eyther through ignorance or wilfull maliciousnesse Thirdly for this cause sinners are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is such as are ignorant and through ignorance are deceiued And sinnes are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Ignorances Heb. 5. 2. and 9. 7. Heb 5. 2. 9. 7 So also this appeareth by examples For this was the cause of Adams transgression because hee knew not Gods truth both in his promises and threatnings Gen. 3. Of the sinne of Gen. 3. the Israelites for the Lord himselfe rendreth this reason why his people erred because they had not knowne his wayes Psal 95. 10. This made the Iewes to erre because they knew not Psal 95. 10. the Scriptures Mat. 22. 29. This caused them to crucifie the Lord of life Act. 3. 17. And to become proud iusticiaries testing Act. 3. 17. in their owne righteousnesse because they knew not the righteousnesse of God Rom. 10. 3. This was the cause of the Rom. 10. 3. Gentiles Idolatry Gal. 4. 8. But when yee knew not God yee Gal. 4. 8. did seruice to them which by nature were not Gods And of Pauls persecuting Gods Saints 1 Tim. 1. 13. 1 Tim. 1. 13. And as this Ignorance is the cause of all vice and sinne Ignorance turneth good inclinations into sinne so it maketh all our inclinations which are good and vertuous being guided with the light of knowledge to degenerate and become euill for example Religion joyned with ignorance bringeth forth Idolatry deuotion joyned with
mercy we injoy in that we are the Church of God and haue his word and Sacraments amongst vs. For if we securely rest in these titles and priuiledges and thinke it sufficient that we haue the kingdome of God amongst vs but bring forth no fruits of it nor liue like his subjects but the vassals of Sathan this kingdome shall likewise be taken from vs and giuen to a nation which will bring forth the fruits thereof If we continue in our sinnes loose our first loue and will not repent and amend our Candlestick shall be remoued if wee remaine stubbornely rebellious and will not endure admonition and rebuke the Lord will destroy our mother as here he threatneth the Israelites and make vs like the Churches of the Iewes and Asia Secondly it serueth for the confutation of the Papists The Church of Rome no true Church of God who invest their mother the Church of Rome in the royall ornaments of her ancesters grace her with their titles and priuiledges and aduance her aboue others in the glorious chaire of antiquitie But seeing she hath fallen from her first loue and repenteth not seeing she hath voluntarily excluded her selfe out of Christs kingdome and will not indure to be gouerned by the scepter of his word but hath seruilely submitted her selfe to Antichrist and is content to take his marke and beare his yoke seeing she hath banished out of her Gods pure worship the ministerie of his word and hath wholy corrupted and depraued his Sacraments and now worshippeth Idols Saints Angels their breadden God of the Aulter and if they worship the true God at all yet not according to his word but after their owne wils in humaine inuentions and traditions and seeing they are so desperately resolued to continue in these their sinnes that they will here of no admonition but rebuke their reprouers yea persecute vnto the death all that labour to reclaime them it is hereby manifest that long agoe they are ceased to be the spouse of Christ and are now become an infamous harlot euen the whoore of Babilon they are no more the Church of God but the Sinagogue of Sathan and slaues of Antichrist For if the Church of Israell who had Gods law couenant promises and all royall prerogatiues ceased to bee the Church when as they did wholy degenerate and abandoned Gods pure worship and if those famous Churches mentioned in the new testament planted by the Apostles themselues making the like apostacy were subiect to the same punishment then what can priuiledge the apostate Church of Rome which is wholy degenerate from her ancestours both in puritie of doctrine and holynesse of manners and conuersation from the like fearefull judgement seeing she hath matched them yea and exceeded them all in desperate and audatious wickednesse ANd so much concerning the second bill of inditement and the sentence thereto annexed Now followeth the third bill and sentence which from the 6. verse to the 11. verse are intermixed one with the other wherein hee inditeth accuseth and condemneth the whole body of the Church and common wealth both priests and people and this he doth first joyntly and after more particularly he setteth downe both the sinnes and punishments of the Priests and people But I will speake of them as they lie in order Verse 6. My people are destroyed for want of knowledge Verse 6 Because thou hast refused knowledge I will also refuse thee that thou shalt bee no Priest to mee and seeing thou hast forgotten the Law of thy God I will also forget thy children In which Exposition words he doth more particularly exaggerate that sinne of omission whereof he accuseth them verse 1. namely that there was no knowledge of God in the land by shewing that not onely the people but also the priests who should instruct them were vtterly destitute of this knowledge and withall specifieth Gods reall controuersie and particular punishments which he was purposed to inflict vpon them In handling whereof we will first consider of their sinne and then of their punishment Their sinne and punishment are joyntly expressed in these words My people are destroyed for want of knowledge Their sinne was want of knowledge or ignorance of God and his true Religion the which sinne did lye heauie both vpon the Priests and people vpon the Priests not onely in that they were culpable of the same ignorance of which he speaketh afterwards but also as they were causes of the peoples ignorance and consequently accessary to their destruction For whereas they were bound by Gods law and ordinance to instruct the people in the knowlegde of God and his true religion for which they had great honour and large maintenance allowed them they seazing vpon the reward and wages vtterly neglected the duty either through their owne ignorance because they could not or through their idlenesse or maliciousnesse whereby they would not informe them in the knowledge of Gods truth but suffered them to run headlong to their destruction So likewise this sinne of Ignorance did lye heauy vpon the people for howsoeuer the Priests vtterly neglected their duety in teaching and instructing them yet the people were not hereby excused First because they willingly suffered themselues to bee hud-winckt by their Priests and were contented to be nuzled in ignorance by these blinde guides chusing rather to goe on securely in their sinnes without admonition or reproofe then to be troubled by any meanes in their euil courses Secondly because though the Priests neglected their duetie yet they had Gods Prophets sent vnto them to informe them in the knowledge of gods truth whom they despised and refused to heare as hath beene shewed Thirdly in that they had the word and Law of God written deliuered vnto them out of which through painfull reading and meditation they might haue attained vnto some knowledge So that their case was vnlike the case of the Gentiles who had onely the light of nature and so remained in ignorance because they wanted the meanes of sauing knowledge whereas they had the law and oracles of God committed vnto them the which were faithfully expounded vnto them by Gods Prophets but they neglected the reading of the Law and contemned the admonitions and instructions of the Prophets and so were ignorant because they would be ignorant and loued the darknesse of errour better then the light of Gods truth And this is Emphatically implyed whereas the Lord doth say not the people but my people that is this my people with whom I haue made my Couenant and vnto whom I haue giuen my Law and sent my Prophets to instruct them in my truth euen they are destroyed for want of knowledge The punishment inflicted both vpon Priests and people is destruction whereby we are to vnderstand not onely that temporarie destruction of their body state and country by their enimies but also their spirituall and euerlasting destruction both of body and soule for as it is eternall life to Iohn 17.
worldly riches then would we also neuer forget it but meditate therein day and night The third cause of the forgetfulnesse of Gods Law is Gods mercies make vs vnmindfull of him our pride of heart through the vnthankfull abuse of our prosperitie for such is our corruption that whereas Gods benefits should make vs mindfull of his Law that in lue of thankfulnesse we might obey it contrariwise the abundance of Gods mercies makes vs to forget not onely the Law but euen God himselfe so the Lord complaineth Hos 13. 6. Hos 13. 6. As in their pastures so were they filled they were filled and their heart was exalted therefore haue they forgotten me Hence it is that the Lord giueth the Israelites so oft warning that when they abounded in Gods blessings they should not suffer their hearts to be lift vp so to forget him the authour of all their good Deut. 8. 11. 12. A man would thinke that as tokens Deut. 8. 11. 12. sent serue to put vs in minde of an absent friend so the innumerable tokens of Gods loue which as it were from heauen he sendeth vnto vs should serue as so many remembrancers to put vs in minde of him who sendeth them vnto vs but though against all reason it falleth out otherwise for the tokens of Gods loue as riches pleasures and honours make vs forget the sender and therefore wise Hagur seeing this corruption in himselfe doth intreat the Lord to restraine his bountie and not to bestow too much vpon him least being full he should denie him say who is the Lord. Prou. 30. 8. 9. Pro. 30. 8. 9. Seeing therefore our corrupt nature is so inclinable to The greatnesse of this sinne of forgetfulnesse this vice of forgetfulnesse let vs labour not onely to see it but also to subdue and mortifie it which that we may the rather performe with the greater care and conscience let vs consider the grieuousnesse of the sinne and the greatnesse of the punishment which doth attend it The grieuousnesse of the sinne herein appeareth in that it is not onely in it selfe haynous but a cause also of innumerable other sinnes In it selfe it is a haynous sinne as appeareth by the Lords often and earnest forbidding of it So Deut. 4. 23. Take heed vnto Deut. 4. 23. and 8. 11. your selues least you forget the couenant of the Lord your God and 8. 11. Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God not keeping his commaundements And when the people notwithstanding these admonitions did forget the Lord he grieuously complaineth of this neglect So Deu. 32. 18. thou hast forgotten Deut. 32. 18. Esay 57. 11. Ier. 2. 32. the mightie God that begat thee and formed thee Esa 57. 11. Ier. 2. 32. Can a maide forget her ornament or a bride her attire yet my people hath forgotten me daies with out number Secondly to forget God and his word is a kinde of Athisme seeing they haue not God nor his law in their principall parts namely their heart minde and soule for they who so haue them doe also remember them Thirdly this forgetfulnesse is ioyned with singular contempt of Gods word for they who regard it doe also remember it they that can say with Dauid that they delight in his statutes may also adde that which hee addeth that they will not forget his word Psal 119. 16. Psal 119. 16. Fourthly as this forgetfulnesse is in it selfe a sinne so it is the cause of almost all sinne Whereof it is that forgetfulnesse and the transgression of the law are often joyned together as the cause and effect Deut. 8. 11. Beware that thou Deut. 8. 11. forget not the Lord thy God not keeping his commaundements Ier. 3. 21. They haue peruerted their way and haue forgotten the Lord their God Prou. 2. 17. Which forsaketh the guide of Ier. 3. 21. Pro. 2. 17. Ezech. 22. 12 her youth forgetteth the couenant of her God Ezech. 22. 12. Iud. 3. 7. The children of Israell did wickedly in the sight of the Lord and forgat the Lord their God The reason is because Iud. 3. 7. they who doe not so much as remember the law of God can much lesse obserue it and those vvho neuer thinke neyther on gods promises nor threatnings are neither incouraged to that which is good nor discouraged from that which is euill But as this forgetfulnesse is to be auoyded in that it is a The punishment of the sinne of forgetfulnesse grieuous sinne so also because God inflicteth vpon it grieuous punishments As in this place he threatneth the Priests that because they had forgotten his Law he would not onely forget them but their children the which was a fearefull judgement whether we consider it in the generall or in this particular In the generall for if in God we liue and moue and haue our being Act. 17. 28. If when hee but hideth his face Act. 17. 28. we are troubled Psal 104. 29. If when he neglecteth vs we are straight depriued of all good and exposed vnto all euill Psal 104. 29. then what is Gods forgetfulnesse but our destruction so likewise in this particular where by Gods forgetting their children is meant his neglect of them the with-drawing of the signes of his loue the disinheriting of them of the honour of Priest-hood as if he would call backe his commission and suffer them no more to beare the name of his ambassadours turne them out of their stewardship and make them more base then common seruants make them of shepheards worse then the meanest of the flocke and of Captaines common souldiers which also with the rest should be casheerd out of his Campe the Church militant Besides this heauie judgement there are diuers others threatned against this sinne of forgetfulnesse in the booke of God and these both temporall and eternall Of the first sort is the punishment of barrennesse and dearth Esay 17. Esay 17. 10. 11 10. 11. Desolation and destruction of their cities Hos 8. Hos 8. 10. 10. Bondage and subjection vnder tyrannicall enimies 1. Sam. 12. 9. The Lord scattereth those that forget him and 1 Sam. 12. 9. his word as stubble before the winde Ier. 13. 24. 25. Hee Ier. 13. 24. Ier. 18. 17. ouerthroweth them in the day of battaile Chap. 18. 17. But the most grieuous punishment of all is that they shall beare their wickednesse which is a burthen intollerable and presseth all that are vnder it euen down to hell Ezec. 23. 35. Ezech. 23. 35. So likewise it is punished with eternall punishments for as it is Psal 9. 17. The wicked shall turne into hell and all the nations that forget God And therefore I conclude this point Psal 9. 17. and 50. 22. with the Psalmist Psal 50. 22. O consider this O ye that forget God least I teare you in peeces and their be none to deliuer you And these are
reasoneth 2 Cor. 3. 6. 7. 8. 9. 2. Cor. 3. 6 7. The vse of this doctrine respecteth both Ministers and people the Ministers first for instruction that seeing the Lord hath aduanced them to such Honour and Dignitie they walke worthy this high calling thinking no paines too much which they shall take for the aduancement of Gods glory who hath so exceedingly honoured them Secondly for their consolation encouragement against all Consolation for Gods Ministers against contempt the miserie pouertie reproch contempt which they suffer in this life For though outwardly they are poore and destitute of all worldly pompe yet they are like the Kings daughter all glorious within though they are despised of men yet they are highly esteemed before God though the world esteemeth them as the very ofscouring of all things yet the Lord hath chosen them to be his chiefe Officers his Ambassadours his Stewards his Keepers of the inestimable Treasure of his Word and of his great seales the Sacraments of Baptisme and the Lords Supper The vse which concerneth the people is that they honour The people ought to reuerence Gods Ministers them whom God thus honoureth and that they behaue themselues towards their Ministers as it becommeth the rest of the familie to behaue themselues towards the steward or Treasurer the people towards the Ambassadour yea the children towards their fathers For looke what honor is done vnto them as being Gods Ambassadours that the Lord accounterh as done vnto himselfe whose person they sustain looke what disgrace and reproach is offred against them as being his Ministers the Lord esteemeth it as offred against himselfe and therefore will neuer let it goe vnpunished eyther in this life or in the life to come for if Dauid could not endure those insolent abuses which were by Hanun offered 2. Sam. 10. against his Ambassadours whom in loue and kindnesse he sent vnto him but reuenged them with the death and destruction of a great part of the people of Ammon how much lesse can the Lord endure that reproach injuries outrages should be offred against his Ambassadors and not reuenge these indignities which are not so much offred against men as in them against himselfe Fearefull examples hereof wee haue in the Scriptures as in the conspiracy of Corah and his associates whom the earth swallowed quick Numb 16. In Numb 6. 16. Ieroboam whose hand was withered vp for the contempt and violence which he offred against the Lords Prophet 1 Kin. 1. King 13. 13. In the two Captaines their fifties who were destroyed with fire from heauen because they came not to the Lords Prophet with that submissiue reuerence which beseemed them 2 King 1. 9. 10. 11. 12. In the fiftie two children 2. King 1. 9. 10 who were destroyed by Bears for scoffing at Elisha 2 Kin. 2 2. King 2. And the in people of Israell who because they mocked the messengers of God and despised their wordes and misvsed the Prophets therefore they were subjected to Gods heauie 2. Chro. 36. 16. 17. wrath and in the end vtterly destroyed 2 Chro. 36. 16. 17. The second thing to be obserued is the gorse ingratitude Our vngratefull abuse of Gods benefits of our corrupt natures whereby it commeth to passe that the more God multiplyeth his mercies the more ready we are to rebell against him and to prouoke his wrath by our sinnes for whereas Gods manifould benefits multiplyed vpon vs should make vs to humble our selues before him in that he hath made vs so deepely indebted to his infinite goodnesse we contrariwise abusing them make them serue as so many steps whereby we may ascend into the seate of pride whereas they should serue as so many common places to put vs in minde of Gods gracious goodnes towards vs we abusing them are made hereby more forgetfull of God as though now being throughly furnisht vve had no further neede of his helpe vvhereas they should serue as so many motiues to stirre vs vp to holy obedience that thereby vvee may glorifie God the author of all our good vve hereby grow more vndutifull like cockred children towards their Parents or pampred horses towards their maisters and are more ready to fall into the sinnes of pride voluptuousnesse loue of the world profanenesse and vtter neglect of religion and all religious dueties whereas the abundance of Gods blessings vvhich vve injoy should make vs to pittie and take compassion on those who want them they abused through our corruption doe make vs to disdaine contemne them furious and cruell in reuenge and insolent in offring wrongs and injuries And hence it is that the Lord doth so carefully vvarne the Israelites that when they did injoy all the blessings of Canaan they should not forget and rebell against him Deut. 6. 10. 11. 12. Into vvhich sinne they shamefully Deut. 6. 10. 11. Psal 62. 10. 1. Tim. 6. 17. fell notwithstanding they were thus admonished So Psal 62. 10. 1 Tim. 6. 17. Examples of this vngratefull abuse of Gods blessing we haue in Saul Ieroboam Naball Nebuchadnezzar Hos 10. 1. and 13. 6. the people of Israell but neuer vvas age more fruitfull of these examples neuer land more plentifull in these vngratefull presidents then this of ours wherein the more the blessings of God abound the more pride forgetfulnesse of God contempt of Religion and the vtter neglect of all holy duties abound likewise so that hard it is to finde a man bettered by Gods benefits or more zealous of Gods glory the more blessings they receiue from him but contrariwise the more they abound in honors riches peace health and all kind of prosperity the more they shew their profanenes irreligion worldlines and vtter neglect of all holy duties The vse of this doctrine is first that seeing through our corruption we are so apt to abuse Gods blessings we be made hereby more watchfull ouer our owne hearts when wee are in prosperitie that we be not ouertaken with this vnthankfulnesse and that wee bee no more earnest in begging these temporary benefits then in praying also for an holy vse of them that they may serue as helps and furtherances vnto vs in all holy and Christian dueties for if the more we abound in them the more we abound in sinne against God then doe they cease to bee blessings and benefits and become snares to intangle vs and thornes to choak in vs all vertue and godlinesse Secondly that we arme our selues with patience when as wee are not so much increased in these temporall benefits seeing the Lord herein respecteth the good of his children and with-holdeth worldly blessings from them because hee knoweth they would abuse them vnto sinne Thirdly that we be not vexed out of measure with impatiencie when as those of whom we haue best deserued doe shew themselues vngratefull to vs considering that wee continually shew our selues much more vnthankfull against God vnto whom we are
infinitely more indebted The third thing to be obserued is that the Lord condemneth Vngratefulnes condemned as a great sinne this vngratefull abuse of his blessings and benefits as a great sinne not onely in this but also in many other places So Esay 1. 2. 3. he condemneth it as a vice worse then brutish Esay 1. 2. 3. 5. 5. Esay 5. 5. he complaineth that when he had done what hee could for his vineyard yet still it brought forth wilde grapes so Ezech. 16. 16. 17. that the people abused his blessings Ezech. 16. 16. as meanes to further them in Idolatry So Hos 10. 1. Hos 10. 1. and 13. 6. and 13. 6. But as this sinne is in all men grieuous so it is in Gods Ministers most haynous both because the blessings which they injoy being extraordinary doe require extraordinarie thankfulnesse and also in that they are daylie informed out of Gods word both whence they haue these benefites and that the Lord for all onely requireth a thankfull heart wee hauing nothing else to returne vnto him Now this vnthankfull abuse of Gods benefits vnto sinne Ingratitude diuers wayes committed is committed diuers wayes First when as wee doe not acknowledge God the authour of the benefits which we injoy but ascribe them vnto some other things as vnto Idols an example vvhereof vvee haue in the Israelites Ierem. 44. 17. Ier. 44. 17. Hos 2. 5. 8. Hos 2. 5. 8. or vnto a mans owne wit power industrie and labour an example whereof vvee haue in the King of Ashur Esay 10. 13. and in Nebuchadnezzar Dan 4. 27. Esay 10. 13. Dan. 4. 27. Hab. 1. 16. and this is to sacrifice to our owne nets as is is Hab. 1. 16. Secondly when as knowing God to be the authour of the blessings which we enjoy we doe not praise him with thankfull hearts nor imploy his gifts to the aduancement of his glory which are the chiefe ends for which he hath bestowed them Psal 105. 45. Psal 105. 45. Lastly vvhen as vve abuse Gods blessings as meanes and motiues to with-draw vs from performing the dueties which God requireth of vs and to incite vs to the committing of the contrary vices As vvhen by Gods blessings vvee are made more slack and negligent in the dueties of his worship and seruice as those are who to maintaine state come not to the assemblies of Gods Saints to heare the Word and call vpon his name when as injoying prosperitie we be moued thereby to with-draw our hearts from God and to set them vpon the world when as honours make vs neglect him who hath aduanced vs when as riches like thorns choak in vs the seede of the word so as Gods spirituall graces cannot spring in vs when as injoying pleasures we wallow in these worldly delights and spend that precious time wholy in them which should bee bestowed in Gods seruice when as by worldly prosperitie we are made more proud insolent disdainefull impatient reuengefull cruell vnmercifull voluptuous spending we care not what vpon back belly and vpon the filthy lusts of the flesh And this is the chiefe and most vngratefull abuse of Gods benefits when as we doe not onely not glorifie him but dishonour and injure him in his owne gifts as if the poore Subject being inriched by his Prince should imploy his riches in furnishing himselfe for the seruice of the Princes enimie or as if the wife hauing from her husband abundance of all things should abuse his gifts for the hiring and rewarding of filthy adulterers as Ezech. 16. 16 17. 33. The ingratitude of this land it is Ezech. 16. 16. 17. 33. The vse of this doctrine serueth to conuince the greatest part of our land of this sinne of vnthankfulnesse seeing the more the Lord multiplyeth his benefits of peace prosperitie and abundance of all good things the more we multiply our sins abusing his grace vnto wantonnesse and his manifold blessings as arguments to continue vs in our impenitencie securitie and hardnesse of hart For are not those most colde in all dueties of religion who most abound with these benefites doe they not choake the seed of the Word in the most and make it vnfruitfull and in stead of louing and praysing God the more for his blessings doe not men hereby grovv louers of the world and forgetfull of God doe not those vvho abound most in wealth honours and pleasures imploy all to the dishonour of God and the seruice of sinne and sathan spending Gods gifts in pride excessiue brauerie surfetting drunkennesse and filthy lusts of the flesh so that the Lord may in our time justly take vp this complaint of England that the more he hath increased it in his benefits the more it hath sinned against him The last thing to be obserued is the punishment of this vngratefull abuse of Gods blessings and that is wheresoeuer The punishment of ingratitude Gods gifts are thus abused by any there he will strip them of them and not onely so but will also bring vpon them the contrarie euils as in this place because they abused their honour and aduancement hee doth not onely threaten to take it from them but to turne it into shame and reproach So he threatneth his vineyard that because in stead of the sweete grapes of righteousnesse it brought forth nothing but the sower grapes of sinne after he had bestowed all his cost and labour about it he would not onely abandon and let it alone but pull downe the hedge and lay it waste to be deuoured of the beasts of the field So when as the children Esay 5. of Israell were not moued by Gods benefits to loue and obedience but sinned and prouoked him with their rebellions he doth not onely with-draw his blessings but his wrath being inflamed against them he bringeth vpon them his fearefull judgements Wherevpon one maketh this conclusion Quantò maiora beneficia sunt hominibus constituta tantò grauiora peccantibus iudicia the greater benefits that Chryso super Math. wee receiue from God the greater shall bee our punishments if we abuse them vnto sinne Mat. 11. 21. Mat. 11. 21. The vse hereof is that seeing the Lord with a liberall hand That we must returne thankfulnes to God for his benefits hath sowen the seed of his benefits amongst vs wee returne vnto him the haruest of loue obedience and thankfulnesse otherwise if wee vnthankfully abuse Gods blessings vnto sinne the Lord will not onely strip vs of them but also bring vpon vs the contrary euils he vvill turne our peace into war our libertie into tharldome our health into sicknesse our plentie into penurie vvant our glory into shame and that vvhich vve most feare shall come vpon vs or else vvhich is worst of all if he continue these his gifts yet he vvill make them of blessings curses of benefits punishments by giuing vs ouer to our owne wayes and suffering vs to goe on as in
them to see their sinnes or bring them to repentance Where hee taketh away an objection vvhich might bee made by the hipocrites namely that it would not stand with the justice of God to deale so seuerely vvith the people for they had a good meaning in all their deuotions and if they fayled in the manner of vvorshipping God it was through ignorance and therefore to bee excused To which objection the Prophet seemeth to answere that they were ignorant indeede and by reason hereof they fell into all manner of sinne but their ignorance did not excuse their faults neyther was it selfe to bee excused seeing they contemned the meanes of knowledge and remayned ignorant because they would be ignorant and affected the darknesse of superstition more then the light of Gods truth The punishment denounced is that they shall fall that is because they are indocible and will not by any meanes bee informed in the right course therefore the Lord will giue them ouer to their owne blindnesse of minde that so they may goe on in their superstition and Idolatryes and remaine perplexed in their reprobate errours vntill at length they stumble and fall into the pit of vtter ruine and destruction And this is the meaning of the words The Doctrines The doctrines which arise out of them are these First we here learne that it is a fearefull judgement of God vpon eyther a Common wealth or familie when as hee suffereth sinne and wickednesse It is a fearefull judgement when God doth not restraine vs from sinne by his chastisements to abound and doth not restraine men by his punishments nor reclaime them by his corrections And contrariwise that it is a signe of Gods loue and fatherly care ouer those whom hee doth chastise with manifold afflictions for their sinnes that so hee may reclaime them from their euill wayes whereas if they should flourish in their wickednesse it would be a notable meanes to hearten them in their sinne and to make them securely to goe forward in their euill courses without euer calling themselues to a reckoning And this may appeare both by testimonies of Scripture by Examples and by Reason For the first the Apostle Paul sayeth that the Lord doth suffer with long patience Rom. 9. 22. the vessels of wrath prepared to destruction to shew his wrath and to make his power knowne that is hee suffereth them to goe on in their sinnes without punishment that when they abuse his patience and long suffering as incouragements in their wickednesse hee may haue just occasion to manifest his power and wrath in taking due vengeance on them So when the Israelites did goe on in their sinnes and would neyther bee reformed by his mercyes nor his judgements hee threatneth that hee will correct them no more Esay 1. 5. Wherevpon it would follow Esay 1. 5. that being left vnto themselues they would desperately and securely liue in sinne for when as God doth not visite men for their sinnes they goe forward in them as though they should neuer bee called to a reckoning as it appeareth Ecclesiast 8. 11. Because sentence against an euill worke is Eccles 8. 11. not executed speedely therefore the heart of the Children of men is fully set in them to doe euill So the Lord rendreth this reason why the people did not reuerence nor feare him nor remember him nor his word Esay 57. 11. Is it not saith Esay 57 11. hee because I hold my peace and that of long time therefore thou fearest not me But on the other side it is a notable signe of Gods mercy It is an notable signe of mercy when God correcteth vs for sinne and loue when as hee crosseth vs in our wicked courses and will not suffer vs to prosper in our sinnes that being by these afflictions discouraged in our euill wayes wee may returne backe and preuent his heauy judgements by true repentance To this purpose the Apostle sayth that when wee are iudged wee are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world 1 Corinth 11. 32. And 1. Cor. 11. 32. therefore hee maketh it a signe of Gods loue and an argument of our adoption when as wee are chastened of the Apoc. 3. 21. Heb. 12. 6. 10. 11. Lord. Hebrew 12. 6. Whom the Lord loueth hee chasteneth and scourgeth euery sonne whom hee receiueth And on the other side concludeth that those who liue in sinne and are not chastised they are bastards and no sonnes For as impunitie causeth these to goe on in wickednesse to their destruction so affliction howsoeuer for the present it is not ioyous but grieuous yet it is profitable because it helpeth to mortifie our sinnes and bringeth forth the quiet fruit of righteousnesse vnto them which are thereby exercised as it is Hebrewes 12. verse 10. 11. This also appeareth by examples When the Sodomites The former doctrine confirmed by examples liued in their sinnes hee suffered them still to injoy their pleasures and abundance and neuer reclaymed them from their wickednesse by his chastisements but suffered them to continue in their sinnes till the cry of them ascended into heauen and called for that last and fearefull vengeance whereby they were vtterly destroyed So hee suffered the Cananites to possesse that pleasant land which flowed with Milke and Honie in great peace and securitie till the measure of their sinnes being full hee powred out vpon them the full Viols of his Wrath. So Diues liued in all pompous pleasures till Death brought him into hell torments And thus Iob doth at large describe the great prosperitie of the wicked euen to the time of their funerals Iob. 21. 7. to the 13. And Dauid often obserueth Iob. 21. 7. 8. how exceedingly the wicked flowrished in their wickednesse euen to their vtter destruction Psal 37. 35 and Psal 37. 35. 73. 3. 4. 5. 12. 73. 3. 4. 5. 12. c. But the case of Gods Children and Seruaunts is farre otherwise for vvhen they sinne the Lord doth chastise them for their amendment and will not suffer them to goe on in their sinnes to their destruction Wee read but of one sinne which Noah committed that is to say his sinne of drunkennesse and yet the Lord punished it by exposing him to the derision of his owne wicked sonne so wee read but of three crimes which holy Dauid fell into though hee were a King exposed to manifould tentations his adulterie murther and pride in numbring the people and yet the Lord suffered none of the three to goe vncorrected for hee punished his adulterie committed in secret with anothers mans wife by letting his sonne defile his concubines in the sight of all the people his murthering of his seruant with the death of his child and by not suffring the sword to depart from his house his numbring of the people by an exceeding plague and pestilence so that if Dauid a man according to Gods owne hart doe but step
a side out of the way of righteousnesse the Lord is readie to whip him into it againe by the scourge of afflictions and that not for want but in the abundance of his loue because hee should haue no incouragement to goe on in sinne which would bring him to destruction And this Dauid himselfe well knew and therefore saith that before hee was afflicted hee went astray but being afflicted hee kept Gods word Psal 119. 67. And therefore hee saith that it was good for him that hee had beene afflicted seeing hereby hee had Psal 119. 67. and 94. 12. learned Gods statutes verse 71. And Psalme 94. 12. Hee pronounceth them blessed whom God doth chastise and teach in his Law So the Lord telleth Dauid that if his sonne Salomon sinned hee would chasten him with the rod of men but his mercy should not depart from him 2 Sam. 7. 14. giuing vs to vnderstand that hee will not let his children escape 2. Sam. 7. 14. in their sinnes without correction and yet neuerthelesse remaineth mercifull vnto them Finally howsoeuer the gentiles were suffered to goe on in their idolatrie and to flowrish in their sinnes yet as soone as his owne people Israell did leaue his pure worship and follow Idols hee did seuerely punish them as appeareth Exod. 32. and in the History of the Iudges and Kings Exod. 32. Lastly this appeareth by cleare euidence of reason for The former doctrine prooued by reasons as impunitie is a manifest signe that God giueth men ouer to goe on in their sinnes to their destruction because he denyeth them the meanes whereby they might come to the sight of their sinne and vnto true sorrow for it so it is a good signe that God loueth vs as his Children when hee vseth vs like his Children that is correcteth vs for our faults and affordeth vnto vs the meanes whereby wee may bee reclaymed Wee are so blinded with carnall securitie and selfe loue that wee cannot see our transgressions and iniquities and afflictions are that sharpe but yet soueraigne water which helpeth to the recouery of our sight when as therefore the Lord denyeth to afflict vs liuing in sinne what doth he else but leaueth vs to our own naturall blindnesse to goe on in our sins till we fall into the pit of destruction They are those precious salues which serue to draw out the core of our corruptions and those wholesome though vnpleasant potions whereby wee are purged from our sinnes when as therefore the Lord afflicteth vs hee intendeth to cure and purge vs but when he with-holdeth these meanes his purpose is to let vs fester and rot in our sin and to let vs abound in these grose humours which will bring the sicknesse and death of the soule vnto vs they are those purging fires which purifie vs from the drosse of our corruptions and therefore when the Lord casteth vs into them his purpose is to make vs pure gold fit for his treasurie of eternall happinesse but when he letteth vs alone in the drosse of our sinnes his meaning is to let vs rust and canker and to cast vs away as refuse siluer The vse hereof serueth to confute the vaine bragges of The Papists confuted who glory in the outward pomp of their church the Papists who boast of the glory pompe riches and the flourishing estate of their Church vsing it as an argument of Gods loue towards them and of the truenesse of their Church and Religion that they are blessed with great prosperitie and on the other side objecting the crosse and manifold persecutions which the professours of the Gospell are subject vnto as a reproach to their Religion But seeing so many sinnes are not onely committed but also tollerated yea defended and countenanced in that Church their immunitie from afflictions and punishments can bee no signe of Gods Loue but rather that in his heauie displeasure hee hath giuen them ouer as a desperate cure and because by no meanes they vvill bee reclaymed from their Superstitions Idolatryes Adulteries and other enormious crimes that therefore they are giuen vp to a reprobate sense and to their owne filthy lusts that so committing sinne with greedinesse they may treasure vp against themselues wrath against the day of wrath and of the declaration of the iust iudgement of God And the like vse also may secure Worldlings make of this Doctrine who blesse themselues in their sinnes because they are not crossed in their euill courses seeing nothing ought to bee a greater terrour vnto them then this that the Lord leaueth them to themselues and with-holdeth from them this wholesome meanes of their amendement Lastly it serueth for the comfort of Gods Children when as they are sharply afflicted for their sinnes seeing this is no signe of Gods hatred and of their rejection but rather of his Loue and Fatherly care ouer them which causeth him to lay vpon them these chastisements that hereby they may bee reclaymed from their sinnes and not suffered to runne on in their euill courses to their destruction The second doctrine which wee here learne is that if If we dishonor God he will dishonour vs. wee doe neglect our dutie to GOD hee will make those who owe vs dutie to neglect this dutie when we most expect it and if wee dishonour him by our sinnes hee will cause vs to bee dishonoured and disgraced not onely by our enimies and strangers but also by our nearest and most familiar friends So because the people of Israell who professed themselues the spouse and children of God did by forsaking the Lord their husband and father and adhaeâ—ing vnto Idols grieuously dishonour his holy name the Lord layeth vpon them a proportionable punishment that their wiues and daughters should neglect to them all loue conjugall duties and filiall obedience whereby they should not onely inwardly bee vexed and grieued in their minds but also outwardly in their names be exposed to infamie and reproach The like example wee haue else where in the booke of God when Noah neglected the duty of temperance and sobriety towards God his wicked sonne C ham neglected the dutie of reuerence towards him When Elie was so indulgent towards his sonnes that hee would rather displease God by suffering them to dishonour his name then hee would displease his sonnes by giuing them due correction whereby they might haue beene reclaymed from their sinnes they neglected all dutie to their father contemned his holy admonitions and so brought shame and reproach vpon the whole familie For the Lord caused in one day not onely the glory to depart from Israell when the Arke was taken which chiefly redounded to the dishonour of Elie who then was the Iudge of Israell but also tooke away his sonnes which were to be the glory of his house and togeather with them the office of the Priesthood and so made him inglorious both in the Common-wealth Church and in his owne priuate familie The like may be sayd of Dauid who
what agreement hath the Temple of God with idols Secondly because the Lord is not capable of any copartnership for whereas there are three sorts of men who can abide no sharing nor partnership a King in his kingdome a master in his familie a husband in his mariage bed the Lord is both our King master and husband Hee is a King yea a glorious King Psal 24. and last verse and he will not giue his Psal 24. 10. Esay 42. 8. glorie to another Esay 42. 8. and therefore he will rule vs alone by the scepter of his word or he will thrust vs from vnder his gouernment and giue vs ouer to be ruled by the tyrannie of Satan and our owne corrupt wils He is our master Malac. 1. 6. who requireth all our seruice or else will haue Malac. 1. 6. none of it at all because we cannot performe faithfull seruice to two masters especially being of a contratie disposition Matth. 6. 24. He is the husband of the Church Esa 54. 5. Matth. 6. 24. Esay 54. 5. yea a iealous husband who can endure no cotriuals in his loue and therefore if she will needs play the harlot with others the Lord will diuorce her from him as being altogether vnworthie to enioy his loue The vse of this doctrine serueth to admonish vs that wee Wee must make no mixture betweene Christs true religion and Popish superstition carefully beware of making a mixture betweene that true religion which we professe and Popish superstition that is the religion of Christ and the religion of Antichrist for seeing they match yea and far exceed euen the Gentiles themselues in their multitude of idols they hauing for euery day in the yeare for euery little village in a whole kingdome and for euery occasion and imployment a seuerall Saint to whom they giue diuine honor by praying vnto them by erecting statues images and temples for their honor by dedicating and setting apart holy daies for their seruice by making vowes and offering oblations vnto them seeing they worship the Idoll of the Masse and creepe to the crosse and to magnifie their owne merits extenuate the al-sufficient merits of Iesus Christ therefore it is as possible to reconcile truth and falshood light and darknesse God and Belial as Christian religion with Popish superstition And therfore let those whom God hath in mercie seuered from this Romish synagogue hearken to the Prophets admonitiō Come yee not at Gilgal nor go vp to Beth-auen and let those who are alreadie amongst them hearken to that voice which came downe from heauen Go out of her my people and bee not pantakers in her sinnes that yee receiue not of her plagues Apocal. Apoc. 18. 4. 18. 4. ANd thus much cōcerning the admonition Now follow the reasons wherby it is inforced the which are of two sorts the first are taken from their sinnes the other from their punishments Their sinnes are first generally propounded namely that they were vndutiful stubborne and rebellious vers 16. And then they are more specially expounded to wit that they had grieuously transgressed the first table by their grosse idolatrie vers 17. and the second also both by intemperancie against themselues and by their adultery and extorsion against their neighbours vers 18. Their punishments which should discourage Iuda from imitating their sinnes were two the first was captiuitie vers 16. the other ignominie and confusion vers 19. And these are the particular branches of this last part of the Chapter Now we will entreate of them as they lie in order Vers 16. For Israel is rebellious as an vnrulie heyfer now the Vers 16 Lord wil feed thē as a lambe in a large place In which words are The exposition contained two reasons to disswade Iuda frō associating thēselues in too neere familiaritie and friendship with the Israelites especially frō ioyning with them in their idolatrous worship The first whereof is taken from their sin the other from their punishment Their sinne is contained in these words For Israel is rebellious as an vnrulie heyfer The meaning is that the Israelites were exceedingly contumacious and stubborne and euen wanton in their rebellion and that they were become like out-lawes who had shaked off the yoke of Gods gouernment for so the word Sorerah which is heere translated rebellious is taken elsewhere as Deut. 21. 18. If any man haue a sonne that is Sorer stubborne and rebellious 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deut. 21. 18. that is to say who will not submit himselfe to his fathers gouernment c. Now this their rebellious stubbornnesse is in liuely manner expressed by a similitude taken from an vnruly heifer the which is here contracted but may be thus explicated as the heifer which is well fatted by running in a fruitfull pasture groweth in time so wanton that she contemneth her master shaketh off the yoke gaddeth abroad and skippeth ouer hedge and ditch into other pastures rather for wantonnesse then for hunger so the Israelites being fatted by Gods manifold benefits grew thereby so wanton and rebellious that they despised the Lord who sed them shooke off the yoke of his gouernment denying to submit themselues to be ruled by his holy word forsooke the Temple which was appointed by the Lord to be their pasture wherein hee would feede them with his word and Sacraments and broke into forbidden places euen the hils groues and idolatrous Temples where for wantonnesse and not for hunger they fedde themselues with the poysonous hemlocke of idolatrie and Heathenish superstition refusing in the meane time the wholesome food of their soules Gods pure and sincere worship whereby they should haue been fed to eternall life In which similitude diuers things are implied first that the Israelites were contumatious and rebellious against the Lord and that beyond all bounds and limits of humanitie and therefore they are compared in their rebellion not with reasonable men but with vnreasonable beasts to shew their stupiditie and brutishnes in this their sinne Secondly hee intimateth their audacious stubbornnesse whereby they were readie to resist God to his face in that he compareth them not to such beasts as shew their contempt of their master by their flight and running away but to a stubborne and vnruly heifer which will not only shake off the yoke but also put at her master with her hornes Thirdly here is implied their vnruly wantonnesse which would not suffer them to continue in one and the same Church with the Iewes as it were in one heard and one pasture but caused them after a wilde fashion to seuer themselues from the rest and to leape as it were ouer Gods fence to associate themselues with the Gentiles in their more then brutish idolatrie and damnable superstitions Lastly hee heere intimateth their wicked abuse of Gods blessings wherewith being as it were fatted and pampered to the full they did not only vngratefully forget and forsake the Lord but also rebelliously cast
off the yoke of his gouernment and stubbornely opposed his will and as it were in sauage and brutish manner made head against him Now what could be a more forcible disswasion to restraine all amongst the people of Iuda in whō there was any sparke of grace or dramme of goodnesse from consorting with the Israelites in neere familiaritie and much more in their Heathenish idolatrie then this that they were barbarous yea brutish rebels against the soueraigne Maiestie and most mightie King of heauen and earth who after an audacious manner resisted and opposed against God as it were to his face and who had separated themselues from Gods true Church and from the communion of Saints to ioyne with the Heathen people in their idolatrie and that not being vrged through any necessitie but of a waiward will and vnruly wantonnesse vnto which they were come through the wicked and vngratefull abuse of Gods blessings and plentifull benefits wherewith they were fed and pampered according to that Deut. 32. 15. But he that should haue bin vpright when hee waxed fat spurned with his heele Thou art fat thou art Deut. 32. 15. grosse thou art laden with fatnesse therefore hee forsooke God that made him and regarded not the strong God of his saluation Amos 4. 1. And this was the first reason to disswade the men of Iuda Amos 4. 1. from consorting with the idolatrous Israelites The second argument is taken from their punishment in these words Now the Lord will feed them as a lambe in a large place Wherby is signified that the Lord would bring vpon the people of Israel all kinde of miserable calamities in the land of their captiuitie wherewith he would tame their stubborne vnrulinesse and humble their haughtie pride But let vs descend vnto more particulars In this punishment here threatned two things are to be considered first the time whē it should be inflicted secondly the punishmēt it selfe The time is expressed in the present tense Now the Lord will feede them Whereby is signified that seeing they were growen to such haughtie stubbornnesse in their rebellion God would no longer indure it but would take a speedie course to abate their pride master their vnruly stubbornnesse and to tame their wantonnesse by loading them as it were with calamities The punishment it selfe is expressed by way of allegorie for as before he had signified their vnrulinesse and rebellion by a similitude of an vnruly heifer so now he setteth downe their abiect and miserable condition vnder the similitude of a sillie wandring lambe in a desert place As though hee should say Because whilest I fed them plentifully with my benefits they behaued themselues like wanton stubborne and vnruly beasts I will out of hand strip them of my gifts wherewith they are too much pampered and so loade them with miseries and calamities that they shall become as mild and tame as sillie lambes wandring in the wildernesse and forsaken both of damme and shepheard By which similitude the Prophet doth in most liuely maner decipher the miserable condition of the people of Israel for first whereas sheepe being sociable creatures delight in companie and loue to be in the flocke it is vnto them irksome and tedious when being straied from the rest they wander alone in desert places but such tediousnesse of life the Lord threatneth against the Israelites for seeing they would not associate themselues with the rest of his flocke the people of Iuda nor would bee content to be infolded in his Temple as it were in their safe sheepfould but behaued themselues rather like wanton heifers then like the Lords sheep taking delight in gadding from the rest of their companie and leaping into forbidden pastures therefore the Lord threatneth that seeing through wantonnesse they delighted in separation he would so scatter them amongst the Heathen that they should not haue any flock to ioine themselues vnto nor no fellowship or communion one with an other but should become like single sheepe scattered here and there in vast and desert places And this is implied whereas hee vseth the singular number saying that they should be feede not as lambes flocking together but as a lambe seuered from the rest of his companie Againe the good and saferie of the sillie lambe herein consisteth when as hee is vnder the gouernment and protection of his carefull shepheard and may satisfie his hunger either by sucking his damme or by nibling the sweet grasse in a pleasant pasture on the other side no greater miserie can befall the sillie lambe then to be forsaken of the shepheard abandoned of the damme and to goe wandring in the wildernesse amongst wolues and other sauage beasts especially being sillie and simple in wit vnable to make any shift by policie to escape danger feeble and weake not able to make resistance against the least violence and slow of pace hauing no hope to saue himselfe by flight For what can the poore lambe doe in this case but wander vp and downe fearing euery shadow and trembling at euery noise till he haue spent his strength with bleating and crying for hopelesse helpe or is pined with hunger or is made a pray of some rauenous beast But this the Lord threatneth should be the condition of the rebellious Israelites for because they would not bee ruled by him their louing and carefull shepheard hee excluded them out of his fould and thrust them from vnder his gouernment and protection because they despised their mother the true Church he seuers and scatters them from her so as they could not any longer sucke her breasts nor receiue the milke of the word and Sacraments for the relieuing their spirituall hunger because they could not be content to liue in that fruitfull pasture the land of Canaan but like vnruly heifers tooke their chiefe pleasure in ranging abroad hee threatneth that hee would prouide a place for them large enough for they should haue the whole world to wander in after they were led into captiuity where their commons should be no lesse hard then full of danger for it should not be vnto them like the land of Israel and Iuda which was like a pleasant pasture hedged about on euerie side with the strong fence of Gods mightie power and euer watching prouidence but like a vast and desert wildernesse which being drie and barren should affoord vnto thē but bare and slender prouision to sustaine their liues and being full of cruell and wicked men as it were with so many wolues beares tigres and lions should giue vnto them continuall cause of feare of being deuoured and destroyed both in respect of their rauenous rage and powerfull malice and also their owne feeble weaknesse in making any resistance And this also was an effectuall argument to disswade the men of Iuda from associating themselues with the wicked Israelites seeing if they were copartners with them in their defection and rebellion forsaking Gods true Church Temple and religion to ioyne with them
they pray vpon them And finally when they made no end of prouoking the Lord to anger by their sinnes how miserably were they scattered like sheepe without a shepheard and made a pray to the sauage beasts the cruell Heathens as the Lord threatneth in this place The vse hereof is that we carefully keep our selues in Gods safe sheepfold and pleasant pasture the true Church and attentiuely hearken and diligently obey the voyce of our great shepheard and so wee shall not only be safe vnder his protection but also be plentifully fedde with his abundant blessings Otherwise if we leaue our sheepish nature and become vnruly like vntamed heifers the Lord will let vs range at large pinch vs with penurie and expose vs to all the former dangers ANd thus much in generall concerning the sinnes of the Israelites namely their stubborne rebellion which the Prophet vseth as an argument to disswade the men of Iuda from associating themselues with them In the next place he doth more specially expresse the particular sinnes which most raigned amongst them the which are of two sorts first their sins against the first table in this verse and secondly their sinnes against the second table in the verse following Their sinne against the first table was their idolatrie in these words Vers 17. Ephraim is ioyned to idols Vers 17 let him alone Which words containe two things first a reason The exposition to disswade the men of Iuda from accompanying the Israelites in these words Ephraim is ioyned to idols and secondly a repetition of the generall dehortation whereby it is reenforced in the words following let him alone Concerning the former here by Ephraim we are Synecdochically to vnderstād the ten Tribes of Israel which made a defection from the house of Dauid and ioyned with Ieroboam But Ephraim one of the ten is here and elsewhere principally named first because it was at this time chiefe of all the rest both in honor and wealth Secondly he nameth Ephraim only to vpbraide his vnthankfulnes in that hee had abused Gods extraordinarie mercie towards him for wheras he had of the meere mercie and loue of God receiued the preheminence before his elder brother Manasses in his great grandfather Iacobs blessing and the priuiledge of the birthright the which also the Lord verified by the euent this should haue moued him to extraordinarie thankfulnes and obedience he contrariwise did not onely himselfe make a fearefull defection from God and his pure religion but polluted also the whole kingdome with his superstition idolatrie and became the head and first mouer of this horrible Apostasie Lastly he here nameth Ephraim rather then any other Tribe because Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat and other idolatrous Kings which were the setters vp and maintainers of idolatrie were herehence descended so that as hereby he taxeth the whole Tribe as being principall ringleaders to idolatrie so especially the Kings Nobles of this Tribe which by their authoritie example and practise drew not only them but the other Tribes also to idolatrie and superstition It is further added that this Ephraim is ioyned to idols the word signifieth a continued act of time namely as they had in former times so they continued to ioyne themselues to their idols where he vnderstandeth such a ioyning and coniunction as is betweene the fornicatour and the harlot who by their whoredome so ioyne together as that they become one flesh implying hereby that they and their idols were vnited together in such a neere and inseparable knot that there was scarce any possibilitie that they would euer admit of any disunion and separation And this was the maner of their coniunction The things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to which they were ioyned were their idols The word here vsed is deriued from an Hebrew roote which signifieth sorrow griefe and terror and therefore Iunius translateth it Coniunctus est terriculis Ephraim wherby is implied that the worshipping and seruing of idols neuer bringeth any sound comfort peace of conscience or cheerefull deuotion but griefe and seruile feare anxietie and trouble of mind And this is the meaning of the first part of this verse Now vpon this reason alledged the former dehortation is vrged and inforced in these words Let them alone The which many learned Expositors vnderstand as the speech of God to the Prophet as though the Lord seeing the stubborne peruersnes of the people who by no meanes would bee reclaimed should enioyne his Prophet to surcease his labours and to giue them ouer as being a desperate cure But I rather take it to bee the speech of the Prophet himselfe to the people of Iuda disswading them from intermedling with the Israelites because they were such grosse idolaters as were now become past hope of amendment And I thus expound it first because the maine drift of this second part of the chapter is to disswade the men of Iuda from associating themselues with the idolatrous Israelites and therefore as in the 15. verse he dehorted them from comming into their company so now he admonisheth them not to intermeddle or haue any dealings with them And secondly we see that after this restraint the Prophet still continueth his labours in the worke of his ministerie which hee would not haue done had the Lord by his prohibition enioyned him to desist for it is a fault to fight when the Lord soundeth the retraite as well as to stand still or flee backe when hee soundeth the alarum to battell And Hosea should haue offended if hee had preached when the Lord had enioyned him silence as well as Ionas in detracting his labours and in not speaking that which God had put into his mouth when he sent him on his message although I deny not but that the Lord doth sometimes vse rhetorical and semblable prohibitions in this kind not that he would haue the euent accord with the outward letter but to put the secure people in mind of the desperatenesse of their condition and to awake them out of their spiritual lethargie but I see no reason why we should run to figures when the plaine sense better accordeth with the scope of the place The meaning then is that Iuda should let the Israelites alone and haue no manner of familiaritie or entercourse of dealing with them For whereas they might pretend that they therfore conuersed with them that by their admonitions they might reclaime them from their idolatrie hee taketh away this obiection by shewing that they were so desperately addicted to their idols and so as it were glewed vnto and incorporated with them that there was no hope of any separation and therefore seeing there was no likelihood of their reclaiming it was the best course not to meddle with them for well might they make them worse but it was not like they could make the other better well might they allure them to communicate with them in their superstitions but it was scarce possible to disswade them from
nor cast yee your pearles before swine lest they treade them vnder their feet and turning againe all to rent you And secondly because there is much more danger that they will make vs worse then hope that we shall make them better For sooner will these incurable leapers taint vs with their leprosie of sinne then we shall cleanse them by our best approued medicines and being so deepely infected with the plague of wickednes that the markes and tokens of death and destruction appeare vpon them there is no shew of hope that we should restore them to their spirituall health but there is great cause of feare lest they infect vs with their contagion It is true indeed that though their pestilent vices were apt to taint vs yet if we were not as apt to be tainted there were no such great danger but here it is far otherwise for as their poisonous contagion is fit to infect vs so in respect of the grosse and corrupt humours of sinne which remaine euen in all those who are regenerate we are as apt to receiue the infection and therefore we haue small reason to thrust our selues into their companie when it euidentlie appeareth that their diseases are desperate and past our cure Againe if we haunt the companie of wicked men and entertaine The euils that redound to those who frequent euill companie neere familiaritie and friendship with them either we must be silent when we see their faults or else admonish and reproue them if we smother them in silence and can be content to heare and see God dishonored then do we shew our want of the loue of God and zeale of his glorie haue a manifest argument against our owne soules that wee are none of his children for what sonne hauing any naturall affection in him can heare his father slandered and abused and hold his peace yea and we shew our hatred also against the partie what shew of loue soeuer we pretend if we neglect seasonable admonitions and reproofes and become accessaries to his sins as the Lord plainly implieth Leuit. 19. 17. Leuit. 19. 17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy hart but thou shalt plainly rebuke thy neighbour and suffer him not to sinne On the other side if we reproue desperate sinners we shall not onely cast these holy things vnto dogs and pearles before swine who will treade them vnder their vncleane feete but we shal our selues bee endangered lest like furious bandogs they turne againe and all to rent vs either by rayling speeches and vnciuill taunts or by open violence and desperate furie If we like of their wicked courses wee are not much better then they if they be irkesome and grieuous vnto vs why do we by haunting their companie seeke our owne sorrow The vse of this doctrine serueth to teach vs that vnder no colour of excuse we frequent the company of such who are so far spent in the sicknesse of sinne that there is no probable hope of their recouerie for seeing they are strong in euill we weake in good they wholly corrupt we but in part regenerate they striuing with all the powers of their heart mind and soule to draw vs vnto their sinnes and we faintly opposing either to perswade them from their wickednesse or to stand in our owne vprightnesse in a word seeing wee labour against the streame in our course of righteousnesse and they haue both winde and tide in their course of sinne let not vs grapple with thē foolishly imagining that we can force them vpward seeing vpon so much aduantage as they haue against vs they are much more likely not only to hinder our progresse in godlinesse but to carrie vs with them downe the streame of vice and wickednesse ANd thus much concerning their sinnes of idolatrie against the first table In respect of the second they sinned two waies First against themselues by intemperance Secondly gainst their neighbours And these sinnes were either common to all the people to wit their whoredomes and vncleannesse or peculiar to their Magistrates namely their bribing and extortion Al which are comprised in these words Vers 18. Their drunkennesse stincketh they haue committed Vers 18 whoredome their Rulers loue to say with shame Bring ye Or thus Their drinke putrifieth and stincketh or as others reade Their drinke is refractarious rebellious they continually commit whoredome their Princes loue to say with shame Bring yee Which words are not in number so many as are The exposition the interpretations diuers which are by diuers Expositors giuen of them but I will propound only those which seeme most probable and insist in that which best agreeth with the drift of the Prophet and circumstances of the place Some expound these words allegorically vnderstāding by drinke or drunkennesse that they were made spiritually drunken with their vnbridled loue of superstition and being thus besotted they committed spirituall whoredome that is idolatrie without shame But as I take it allegories in expounding the Scriptures are like oathes in speech neuer good but when they are necessarie Besides he had spoken of their desperate loue towards their idols in the former verse comprehending vnder it the sinnes of the first table and therfore it is not likely that in this breuitie of speech he doth inculcate and reiterate the same thing but rather vseth a new argument to disswade the men of Iuda from frequenting their company namely because they were guiltie of the breaches of the second table also of which he giueth three instances to wit their drunkennesse adulterie and briberie vnder which he compriseth all the rest But let vs come to more particulars Their drunkennesse stincketh or their drinke putrifieth and stincketh as the word heere vsed signifieth Which words amongst many others haue these three interpretations Some reade thē thus Their Drusius in Hosea drinke is gone backe namely from his first quality and condition and so sowreth and corrupteth for in the proper and Sur. primary signification the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth to goe backe Whereby they vnderstand by a metonymie of the cause that they were gone backe and degenerate from their first state of integritie and had made a defection from God according to that Esay 1. 22. Thy siluer is become drosse thy wine is Esa 1. 22. mixt with water But as I take it this doth not so well agree with the scope of the Prophet nor fitly cohereth with the words following as after shall appeare Others reade them thus Their wine is refractarious or Iunius rebellious that is vnderstanding them by the same metonymie their excessiue drinking of wine and strong drinke maketh them refractarious and rebellious according to that Prou. 20. 1. Wine is a mocker and strong drinke is raging that Pro. 20. 1. is it maketh men to mocke and rage And this translation is very probable first because the word may well beare it for strong drinke maketh men refractary and to
wicked and discountenancing of the iust for the cleering or acquitting of the faultie and for the condemning of the innocent And this is the meaning of the words The doctrines which wee learne out of them are these first that drunkennesse The do ∣ ctrines is an odious and loathsome vice which strinketh in the That drunkennesse is an odious sinne nostrels of God and men It is abominable to God as in many other respects so especially because the drunkard maketh his bellie his god vnfitteth himselfe for all duties of Gods worship and seruice and most grosly and vngratefully abuseth his good creatures to the furthering of him in wickednesse as I haue elsewhere more largely prooued So likewise it is loathsomely stinking before men for not only do they offend mens eyes in beholding their filthie cariage and behauiour and their eares by their foolish railing or ribald speeches but also their smell for their noisome sluttishnes euen infecteth the aire and their very breath is a strong argument to make this sin odious so that though there were no impietie in it yet wee were to abhorre it because it is so loathsome The vse hereof is the same which the holy Ghost maketh in this place namely that it serue for a strong disswasion to restraine vs from such companie as are addicted to this sinne of drunkennesse for not only are they to be auoided as wicked 1. Cor. 5. 11. men both in regard of this sinne it selfe and all other abominable wickednesse which is the vsuall fruite thereof lest accompanying them we be allured to ioyne with them in their sinne but wee are to auoid these liuing carrions because they infect the aire with their breath and annoy their companie with their loathsome slutrishnes The second thing which wee here learne is that wee are We must carefully auoid the companie of adulterers with like care to auoid the companie of such as are addicted to the sinne of whoredome though wee had no other reason to restraine vs. For this the Lord himselfe vseth as an effectuall reason in this place to disswade the men of Iuda from accompanying the Israelites because they continued in the sinne of whoredome wherewith they were likely to taint and infect those who entertained neere familiaritie with them The force of which reason will more cleerely appeare if we consider not onely that the euill example of vncleane persons both by their ribald words and vnchast behauiour is apt to corrupt and that in regard of our pronenesse and naturall inclination to this vice wee are as apt to be corrupted but also that adulterers haue many wiles to beguile vs many baites to allure vs and impudent foreheads in venturing to giue the assault to our chastitie as appeareth in the example of Iosephs Mistresse who hauing gotten the aduantage of his companie solicites him to this sinne in a plaine and shamelesse manner in Lots daughters who came to that height of impudencie that they shamed not to intice their owne father in the people of Israel inueigled with the Numb 25. 1. alluring charmes of the cursed nations in Ammon defiling his owne sister and in the shamelesse harlot described in the 2. Sam. 13. Prouerbs who hauing inticed a yong man to come into her companie vsed such an art of lust to abuse him and so many bewitching inticements to allure him that at last hee yeelds vnto her and followes her as an oxe to the slaughter and as a foole to the stockes as it is Prou. 7. 10. 11. 13. 21. 22. Prou. 7. 10. 11. The vse hereof is that if wee desire to preserue our chastitie we auoid the companie of adulterers and vncleane persons seeing in it self it is sufficient to corrupt vs and to make vs copartners with them in this sinne For as there needeth no bellowes to blow the fire when it toucheth gunpowder because the one is no more fit to fire then the other to be inflamed so there needeth no other helpe to inflame the heart with lust then the touch and familiar acquaintance of vnchast persons because as they are fit with the fire of their lust to inflame vs so wee carrie in our selues such combustible matter as is no lesse readie to take the fire to be inflamed Thirdly we here learne that it is one of the highest degrees That it is an high degree of wickednes to be in loue with sinne of sinne when as we doe not only fall into wickednesse but also grow into loue and liking with it for this is the sinne of the Princes of Israel in this place who did not only bribe but also tooke delight in bribing and not only said but loued to say Bring yee Which as it argued that they had brasen faces so also that their hearts were rotten and wholly corrupted with sinne So long as the sicknesse is seated in the outward parts only there is great hope of recouerie because whilest the heart is whole and sound it ministreth and conueigheth life spirits and strength to the exteriour members whereby they are inabled to incounter the disease and in the end to expell it and get victorie but if it haue once seazed vpon the heart and taken thorough possession of it there is no hope of any recouerie so whilest our spirituall diseases of sinne enter no further then the imaginations thoughts words or outward actions our hearts continuing sound in their integritie vprightnes there is assured hope that they ministring continually spirituall life and strength to all the rest of the regenerate parts they will in time expell the corrupt humours of sinne and obtaine a full conquest ouer these spirituall diseases but if sinne haue taken possession of the heart so that hauing committed it we like and loue and highly value it in our affections then remaineth no hope of recouering spirituall health or of escaping death and vtter destruction vnlesse the Lord cure vs by miracle and taking away the corrupted heart out of our bodies doe giue vnto vs new hearts which are sound and vpright It is the top of our perfection and the farthest progresse which we can make in Christianitie when we cleaue vnto the Lord with all our hearts louing him intirely and our neighbour for his sake and when being inflamed with the fire of this holy loue we labour to performe all good duties vnto them both and take our chiefe delight in this performance and so contrariwise it is one of the deepest degrees of sin when we set our hearts vpon it and loue it as our dearest darling and not only willingly transgresse Gods commandements but also delight in our transgression The first is an euident signe of the childe of God though hee haue neuer so many infirmities and imperfections the latter an apparent token of the childe of the diuell though hee be graced with neuer so good a nature neuer so many counterfeit morall vertues neuer so glorious a shew of honestie and ciuilitie It is
common to those that are regenerate to slippe into the puddle of sinne but being defiled they are neuer at rest till they be washed and cleansed from their pollution with the blood of Christ applied vnto them by a true and renued faith but it is proper to the vnregenerate after they are fallen into this filthie sinck to wallow in it and to take their chiefe delight in their pollution It is incident to the faithfull to bee lead Rom. 7. 24. captiue of sinne howbeit being in captiuitie they are neuer quiet till they come out of this thraldome and obtaine desired libertie but it is peculiar to the wicked being made slaues to loue their bondage and being imprisoned as Satans vassals to delight in their prison and to be in loue with their greues setters and chaines of sinne wherewith they are held in his captiuitie The godly may do the euil they would not and neglect the good which they would do neuerthelesse they take no pleasure in their transgressions but they are delighted in the law of God in the inner man and it is as sweete vnto them as the honie or hony combe but to commit wickednes with the full swinge and consent of will to loath vertue and to be in loue with vice to offend God and to be well pleased when he is offended is the diuels badge whereby his seruants are knowne and distinguished from the seruants of God Lastly we here obserue that the Lord condemneth it as a great sin in the Rulers of Israel to take bribes and rewards in that not only thereby themselues were corrupted but also the whole state of gouernment disioynted and disordered because their bribing peruerted iustice and brought in impunitie and together with it all manner of sin and wickednesse But of this sinne my purpose is to speake more largely elsewhere and therefore I will heere passe it ouer ANd thus much concerning their sins Their punishmeÌ„t followeth Vers 19. The winde hath bound theÌ„ vp in her Vers 19 wings And they shall be ashamed of their sacrifices In which The exposition words he denounceth against them a double punishment the latter whereof is the effect of the former the first is captiuitie in these words The winde hath bound them vp in her wings the other is shame and confusion in the words following and they shall be ashamed of their sacrifices The former is expressed in a loftie allegorie wherein he resembleth the wrath of God pursuing the wicked Israelites to a swift winde or an vnresistable tempest and the people to dust or chaffe which thereby is caught vp and scattered ouer the face of the earth This similitude is here contracted but may be thus explicated As the wind catcheth vp the chaffe and carrieth it aloft with vnresistable swiftnes as though it were fast bound vnto his wings and hauing tossed it to and fro doth at last scatter it abroad vpon the earth so the anger of God stirred vp with the sinnes of the Israelites should seaze vpon them like a furious tempest and scatter them here and there in a miserable captiuitie amongst the Gentiles and nations who should be Lords ouer them The persons then thus to be scattered were the people of Israel signified by this word them which in the originall is expressed in the feminine gender and singular number ligauit eam hath bound her towit the nation of the Israelites or the tribe of Ephraim of which the former words are to be vnderstood The meanes whereby they should be thus scattered was the winde of Gods furie and fierce displeasure prouoked by their sinnes The like allegorie is vsed Iob 21. 18. Psal 1. 4. where it is Job 21. 18. Psalm 1. 4. Ezech. 5. 3. said that the wicked are as chaffe which the winde driueth away Ezech. 5. 3. Now the cause why he vseth this similitude was not only because these darke speeches were fit for a prophecie which is as a booke sealed vp vntill it be opened and expounded by the euent but also because in these few words being rightly vnderstood those heauie iudgements which were inflicted vpon the Israelites were most fully and fitly signified For first hereby is implied the suddennesse of this iudgement which should befall them when they least expected it for as a foule storme suddenly followeth a faire calme and the winde which commeth we know not from whence rusheth vpon vs with vnexpected speed so the Lord surprizeth the Israelites at vnawares with his heauie punishment of a miserable captiuitie and whilest they pampered themselues with the fleshly pleasures of drunkennesse and vncleannesse and hoarded vp the riches of iniquitie by bribing and extortion as though they were assured that they should neuer be dispossessed of them euen then suddenly the wrath of God attached them and brought vpon them the Assyrians who spoiled the land and led them into cruel bondage Secondly hereby is implied the swiftnesse of this iudgement which is here compared to the swiftnes of the winde and that wheÌ„ it goeth on Gods message with posting speed for as though the swiftnes of the winde were not quicke enough to expresse the speedines of Gods vengeance he giueth wings vnto it to double as it were his hast And thus this similitude is commonly vsed to signifie the hastie speedinesse of an action So when Dauid would in liuely manner expresse the speedie swiftnes which the Lord vseth in assisting his seruants and destroying his enemies he saith that He rode vpon the Cherub and did flie and he came flying vpon the wings of the winde Psal 18. 10. 2. Sam. 22. 11. and Psalm Psalm 18. 10. 104 3. 2. Sam. 22. 11. 104. 3. He maketh the clouds his chariot and goeth vpon the wings of the winde And in the same sense this similitude is vsed with prophane writers So Virgil Et ventis fulmiâ—â—s ocyor alis swifter then the winde or lightning Thirdly hereby is implied that this iudgement should come vpon them with such vnresistable furie that they should not be able by any meanes to withstand it and this is signified whereas it is said that the winde should binde them in his wings that is as they who are bound hand and foote are vtterly vnable to make resistance so they should bee so ouermatched and hampered by the Assyrians that it should be but folly to striue against their streÌ„gth seeing they should be debarred of all meanes whereby they might either defend themselues or offend the enemie And thus the vnresistable power of the Chaldeans is at large described Ioel. 1. 6. 7. 2. 2. 3. c. Joel 1. 6. 2. 2. 3. Fourthly hereby is signified the nature of their captiuitie namely that being led away by their enemies they should not haue any set place wherein they might rest and assemble themselues together for the performance of ciuill and diuine duties but that they should be tossed to and fro from post to pillar and be scattered and