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water_n	air_n	element_n	fire_n	13,062	5	7.1789	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17728	Tvvo and tvventie lectures vpon the fiue first chapters of Ieremiah With prayers annexed, at the end of euery lecture: by Master Iohn Caluin. Which being faithfully collected form him as hee vttered them in Latine, in the schooles of Geneua, were afterwards translated into French: and now newly turned out of French, into English, with a table at the end, containing the summe and scope of euery lecture.; Praelectiones in librum Prophetiarum Jeremiae et Lamentationes. English. Selections	Calvin, Jean, 1509-1564.; Cotton, Clement.	1620 (1620)	STC 4466; ESTC S107291	242,452	346

those barbarous nations whose language you vnderstand not shall take from you your goods and riches because you haue been disobedient and rebellious It followes Vers 20. Declare this in the house of Iacob and publish it word for word cause it to be heard in Iudah saying 21. Heare this I pray you ye foolish people that haue no heart they haue eyes but see nothing they haue eares but heare not word for word and shall not heare THe Prophet heere confirmes his former doctrine lest the Iewes should imagine he threatned and astonished them with words onely and in the meane while should be fearlesse in regard of the effect Hee saith then Declare Doubtlesse the Prophet alludes to the custome of those times for they were wont to make wars knowne by sound of trumpet and by heralds of armes The enemie put not himselfe forthwith in battell aray to sacke all but they first manifested the warre that the cause might be knowne to be iust God then affirmes heere that hee hath spoken aloud vnto them by his Prophet Ieremiah as if open war had been solemnly proclaimed and as if the enemie had been at the gates ready armed for the fight Declare this then And what is this declaration Giue eare O foolish nation In the first place the Prophet heere reprocheth the Iewes and Israelites for their carelesnesse in that they were void of common sense For by the word heart the Hebrewes signifie spirit or vnderstanding as we haue seene elsewhere He saith then this people is void of all vnderstanding First he calles them fooles or sots But in regard many are dull and blockish who yet are not wholly destitute of reason therefore he adds they were without hart I grant he seemes to adde this by way of correction that they had eares and eyes but yet by way of derision he aggrauates that which I haue said namely that they were no lesse senselesse than if they had been so many trunkes of wood or stone And why You haue eyes and eares but you neither see nor heare No question but he alludes to the Idols Vers 21. whereunto they were addicted For in Psalm 115.8 it is said That all they who make and trust in them are like vnto them This the Prophet alleageth after hee had said before They haue eares to heare and heare not eyes to see and see not Ieremiah then taxeth the Iewes closely heere for becomming so besotted in their superstitions that they had made themselues like to dead idols For there is some similitude of a man in an idoll and the parts of a man are there distinguished yet without any sense So in like manner saith he The Iewes haue some resemblance of men as touching their eyes and eares and the externall shapes which they haue of men but in the meane while they are no lesse senselesse than if they were stockes or stones Vers 22. Will ye not feare me saith the Lord and will ye not tremble before my face who have laid the sand for the bounds of the sea a statute of an age that is by a perpetuall decree and it shall not passe it some referre this to the bounds some to the statute or decree and his waues shall moue but shall haue no power and shall make a tumult or shall roare and they shall not passe ouer See vers 20. HEre God shewes the reason why he called this people foolish and without heart For it was a strange senselesnesse in them that they feared not Gods presence seeing the very dumbe and insensible elements subiect themselues vnder his command And aboue all hee proposeth the example of the sea for no creature is so hidious and terrible as the sea when it is tossed with tempests and waues Why so The whole world seemes to be turned topsie turuey when her waues arise with so great violence who is it that heares or sees the same that trembles not euery ioynt of him Though the sea be neuer so terrible yet it obeyes God quietly and yet the sea it selfe which terrifies the most resolute man on earth obeyes God quietly For let her flouds be neuer so furious yet doe they grow calme and still and keepe within compasse But if you would know the manner how truly it is a miracle and therefore who can giue a reason of it For the sea wee know as other elements are is round as the earth is round so is the element of water and so is the fier and aire in like manner Sith the forme of this element then is round let vs see whether it be lower than the earth or aboue it but her lightnesse shewes that she is aboue the earth Whence is it then The cause why the sea ouerwhelmes not the whole world See Iob 38.11 that the sea doth not forthwith ouerwhelme the whole earth For she is liquid and cannot stay in a place vnlesse she be restrained by some secret power mouing of God It followes then that the sea is shut vp within her place because it hath so pleased God as Moses also shewes in Genes 1.9 Let the dry earth appeare saith God For he there shewes that the earth was couered with waters so as not a fingers bredth thereof appeared till God had gathered them into their place Now this voice of God albeit we heare it not with our eares and that it sounds not in the aire yet doth the sea vnderstand it well enough because she is contained within her bounds Put the case the sea should alwayes be calme yet should this worke of God at all times be admirable in regard men haue some part of the earth dry wherein they may inhabite But when the tempest riseth as I haue said and that it seemes heauen and earth would goe together which of vs trembles not at the viewing of such a spectacle Then Gods power and out-stretched arme appeares more manifestly which thus composeth and quiets the boysterous sea Wee now see the scope of the Prophets words He shewes that the Iewes are become monsters and vnworthy to bee reckoned among men no not among the brute beasts For there is more vnderstanding in the sea tossed with furious tempests than in men who seemed to be endowed with sense and reason This is the drift and scope of this comparison But because this complaint was very bitter the Prophet hath vsed an interrogation Will ye not feare me As if God should say What meanes this Is it possible that I should not be feared nor reuerenced of you The sea obeyes me and by my secret command her fury is staid because I haue once ordained shee should keepe within her limits and albeit she be violently tossed vp and downe with her waues and tempests yet doth she not passe beyond the bounds which I haue set her And O yee sonnes of men that are reasonable creatures will not yee feare me will not yee tremble or feare before my face He adds that hee hath placed the

discouered his arme vnto them and had thence thundred downe vpon their heads And this is Ieremiahs meaning in this place Behold saith the Lord I will put my words in thy mouth as a fier that is there shall bee such force in thy words that the wicked shall well perceiue to their cost that thou art the executioner of my vengeance We ought aduisedly to bethinke vs of the doctrine of this place lest by our ingratitude wee prouoke Gods wrath so to be kindled against vs The word of God by our vnthankefulnesse may become a fier to consume vs which in it selfe is food to feede vs. that we cause his word to be conuerted into fier which otherwise is ordained for our food For to what purpose doth God send vs the ministers of his Gospell but to allure vs to life eternall and heereby sweetly to feed and refresh our soules The word of God therefore is vnto vs as the water wherewith our soules are besprinkled and washed It is indeed as a fier vnto vs but for our good It is a fier but it is to purge out our drosse not to consume vs. If wee then shall dare proudly to contemne this fier what will follow but that it be turned to the cleane contrary vse namely to deuoure and vtterly consume vs Now he saith the people shall be as wood in regard the wicked all the while they obstinately bend their iron brow against God thinke thereby to make his vengeance to recoyle a farre off from them But our Prophet derides this folly and saith they shall be consumed as wood or stubble It followes Vers 15. Behold I will bring vpon you O house of Israel a nation of a farre countrey saith the Lord an hard nation that is to say which shall be hardy an * or of an age ancient people a people whose language thou vnderstandest not or shalt not know neither shalt thou vnderstand what they shall say See Deut. 28.49 THe Prophet heere shewes how the people shall bee like to stubble or seare-wood namely because God shall send such a calamity as they little feared and the context is heere to be noted The Prophet told them in the former verse that his tongue should be as the fier now he applies this to the Assyrians Gods word and the efficacie thereof goeth alwaies together See Isa 55.10 11. 2. Cor. 2.14.15.16 and Caldeans It should seeme there is some repugnancy in these speeches But we haue formerly aduertised you that all Gods rods depend vpon the efficacie of the word When the City then was destroyed by the Assyrians and Caldeans then the fier according to the word which Ieremiah had foretold destroyed both the City and people In a word Ieremiah signifies that when the enemie shall approch respect must be had neither to their men nor munition nor yet to all the warlike powers they shall bring with them but that it shall be the execution of the doctrine which proceeded out of the Prophets mouth In another place we shall see how God sends Ieremiah to lay siege to the City but with what power None but himselfe alone without any munition at all True but this was a mystery to the reprobate and yet had it its effect For as the Prophet spake so did God execute that which proceeded out of his mouth We see heere then that the Caldeans came as it were out of Ieremiahs mouth euen as if the enemy minding to batter the walles of a City should shoot against it and play vpon the walles with Canon shot for which purpose we at this day haue new engins and inuentions for stratagems of warre to batter and raze Cities what are then all the engins of warre They are the fier which God casts out by the mouthes of his seruants and the doctrine by them taught The word of God hath greater force in it than is in all the engines of war brings forthwith with it all the preparations of warre that can be inuented not onely to destroy a City and people but the whole world also as oft as neede shall require I then will bring vpon you O house of Israel a nation from farre We haue told you elsewhere why the Prophet notes out this distance of place namely because the Iewes imagined they were safe enough in regard of these nations so farre remote from them as at this day if one should tell vs of the inuasion of the Turkes wee would reply Oh they haue enough to doe with many of other countreys let them that dwell neare them feare their incursions we hope it will be three or foure ages ere they come at vs. We see I say amongst vs such a carelesnesse to raigne in many The Prophet then that he might keep the Iewes from feeding their humours with this vaine confidence saith that this people shall bee in a readinesse at an instant though they come from farre He saith It is an hard or strong people The word Siecle is commonly vnderderstood of an 100. yeeres and a people which is wholly of an age by this word age he meanes not onely strong but hard or cruell For hee will say by and by they are all strong He calles this nation hard then in regard they were cruell afterwards he will also expresse their barbarity But first of all he saith it is of a whole age because when a nation hath ruled time out of mind it easily begets cruelty and pride in them This length of time often puffes vp mens hearts with pride and presumption and makes them the more cruell Now he speaks of their barbarity Thou saith he shalt not vnderstand their speech c. The tongue the image of the mind and a band that knits men together in humane society Wee know that in the tongue there is not onely a communication of words but also of affections The tongue is the liuely image of the mind as they vsually say and therefore it is a band that knits men together in humane society For were there no vse of the tongue wherein should men almost differ from beasts one would offer cruelty to another In a word there would be no humanity amongst them In as much then as speech vnites men together therefore the Prophet to terrifie the Iewes saith that this shall be a barbarous nation in regard there shall bee no community neither of speech nor of affections betweene them Whence it also followes that they should shew no pity in sparing the vanquished though they should vse neuer so many entreaties yea the poorer sort who peraduenture might find some fauour if their speech could be vnderstood euen those should obtaine no audience The Prayer Almighty God and heauenly father seeing thou maist iustly condemne in vs at this day that grosse and cursed impiety which in times past thou condemnedst by the mouth of thine holy Prophet in the ancient people the Iewes grant wee pray thee that we may not persist