the daies of Vzziah King of Iuda and in the dayes of Ieroboam the sonne of Ioash King of Israel two yeaâ—â— before the earthquake This first verse we may call the title of this booke or the preface vnto it It yeeldeth to our considerations sundry circumstances 1 The Prophets name Amos. 2 His former condition of life He was among the heardmeâ— 3 The place of his vsuall abode Tekoa 4 The matter or argument of his Prophecie implied in these words The words which he saw vpon Israel 5 The time of his Prophecie In the dayes of Vzziah King of Iuda and in the dayes of Ieroboam the sonne of Ioash King of Israel two yeares before the earthquake Amos Epiphanius in his booke of the liues and deaths of the Prophets holdeth this Amos to be Esayes father To which opinion a learned and late Diuine l Prolog in 12. Proph. min. Danaeus seemeth to giue his assent But S. Hierome is against it and so are most Interpreters so also is Drusius in his sacred obseruations lib. 4. cap. 21. And worthily For as much as the Hebrew writing of these two names m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the name of Esayes father and n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this our Prophets name is euidence and proofe sufficient that they were not one but two names and consequently not one but two men Againe Amos the father of Esay is by interpretation fortis o Hieronym Nic. de Lyra. robustus stout and valiant but Amos our Prophet is p Hieron ep ad Paulin. Onustus a man burdened and loaden or q Hier. Lyran. auulsus one that is separated from others These diuers interpretations of these two names the name of Esayes father and this our Prophets name is euidence and proofe sufficient that they were not one but two names and consequently not one but two men Besides Amos our Prophet is in the ancient monuments of the Hebrews surnamed r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est balbus a stutterâ—r stammerer or maffler as Drusius noteth vpon my Text. We finde not any such surname giuen Esayes father Therefore our Amos is not Amoâ— the father of Esay From our Prophets name let vs come tâ—â—s condition of life and vocation expressed by himselfe in these words Who was among the heardmen There are two sorts of heardmen the one is of such as doe vse the feat and trade of graziers or are sheep-masters such as haue vnder them in pay other heardmen and shepherds In this sense Mesa King of Moab 2 King 3.4 is called a heardman or shepherd and is registred to haue rendred to the King of Israel an hundred thousand lambs and an hundred thousand rammes with the wooll The other sort of heardmen is of such as are hired to keepe cattle to see to their feeding and safetie such we properly call heardmen or shepherds and such a one was Amos our Prophet witnesse himselfe cap. 7.14 I was no Prophet neither was I a Prophets sonne but I was a heardman or shepherd You see now his former condition of life profession and vocation see also the place where he liued At Tekoa This towne Å¿ Lib. dâ—vit Prophet Epiphanius ascribeth to the land of Zabulon t Apud Mercerum R. Dauid to the inheritance of the sonnes of Aser but S. Hierome whom with the rest of the expositors of this booke I chuse to follow placeth it in the tribe of Iuda six miles southward from Bethlehem Adrichom in his description of the holy land saith it is two miles from Bethlehem More or lesse it s not much pertinent to my present occasion For the place it selfe Tekoa is 2 Chron. 11.6 rehearsed among all those strong Cities which Rehoboam built in Iuda Beyond the City Tekoa as Saint Hierome obserueth there was not any little village no not so much as a cottage onely there was a great wildernesse called 2 Chron. 20.20 the wildernesse of Tekoa a fit place for a shepherds walke Here Amos for a time led a shepherds life At length God separated him to carry his word against Israel Which is the fourth circumstance of this verse the matter or argument of this prophecie implied in these words The words of Amos which he saw vpon Israel The Hebrew manner is to call sermons words as Ierem. 1.1 The words of Ieremie And Eccles 1.1 The words of the Preacher And Haggei 1.12 The words of Haggei And Luk. 3.4 The words of Esay By these words we vnderstand sermons the sermons of Ieremy Ecclesiastes Haggei and Esay So here the words of Amos are the sermons of Amos. Which he saw this adiection sheweth that these words of Amos were committed to him by that kinde of propheticall instinct and motion which is tearmed vision as Arias Montanus obserueth in his common disputes of the propheticall bookes Indeed vision is one of the kindes of prophecie In which regard as Sauls seruant beareth witnesse 1 Sam. 9.9 Prophets were in the old time called seers Well then doth Drusius expound this place The words which Amos saw that is the words which God did disclose or reueale vnto Amos in a vision These words which Amos saw this vision or prophecie was concerning Israel vpon or against Israel Vpon Israel Israel was a common name to the 12. tribes which issued out of Iacobs loynes and was so from the beginning of Sauls reigne to the end of Salomons After whose death a rent was made in the kingdome Ieroboam sonne of Nebat seduced 10. tribes Rehoboam Salomons sonne could keepe with him but two Thus of one kingdome Israel were made two Iuda and Israel A strange diuision Israel diuided from Israel ten tribes from the other two Two tribes the tribes of Iuda and Beniamin continued in their obedience to the house of Dauid the other ten forsooke it and fell away The two tribes Iuda and Beniamin called but one tribe 1 King 11.13 because of the mixture of their possessions these two tribes setled in their faithfulnesse and obedience to the seed of Dauid are in holy Scripture called sometimes u Amos 2.4 Iuda sometimes x Ierem. 6.1 Benjamin sometimes y Micah 1.1 Ierusalem sometimes z Amos 6.1 Sion sometimes * Zach. 12.7 the house of Dauid The other ten tribes which fell away from and forsooke their rightfull King and holy religion haue in like sort their diuers appellations a Hos 10.15 Bethel b Hos 10.5 Bethauen c Micah 1.1 Samaria d Hos 2.22 Iesreel e Amos 5.6 Ioseph f Hos 4.17 Ephraim g Hos 10.11 Iacob h Hos 10.1 Israel These are the names in the sanctified writings of the holy Prophets appropriate to signifie the 10. reuolted tribes Israel you see is one of them and that is the Israel in my text Thus was Amos by the holy spirit deputed and directed with his message peculiarly and properly to the kingdome of the 10.
our heads to the trickling of Å¿ Psal 56.8 teares downe our cheekes Why then are wee troubled with the vaine conceits of lucke fortune or chance Why will any man say this fell vnto me by good lucke or by ill lucke by good fortune or by misfortune by good chance or by mischance We may and should know that in the course of Gods prouidence all things are determined and regular This is a sure ground we may build vpon it The fish that came to deuoure Ionas may seeme to haue arriued in that place by chance yet the scripture saith the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Ionas Ion. 1.17 The storme it selfe which droue the pilots to his streight may likewise seeme contingent to the glimse of carnall eyes yet the Prophet saith I know that for my sake this great tempest is vpon you Ion. 1.12 The fish which Peter tooke might seeme to haue come to the angle by chance yet he brought in his mouth the tribute which Peter paid for his Lord and for himselfe Mat. 17.27 By the diuersity of the opinions among the brethren touching the manner of dispatching Ioseph out of the way wee may gather that the selling of him into Egypt was but accidentall and only agreed vpon by reason of the fit ariuall of the merchants while they were disputing and debating what they were best to doe yet saith Ioseph vnto his brethren you sent me not hither but God Gen. 45.8 What may seeme more contingent in our eies than by the glancing of an arrow from the common marke to strike a traueller that passeth by the way yet God himselfe is said to haue deliuered the man into the hand of the shooter Exod. 21.13 Some may thinke it hard fortune that Achab was so strangely made away because a certaine man hauing bent his bow and let slip his arrow at hap hazard without aime at any certaine marke t 1 King 22 34. strooke the King but here we finde no lucke nor chance at all otherwise than in respect of vs for that the shootâ—â— did no more than was denounced to the King by Micheas froâ— Gods owne mouth before the battell was begun 1 King 22.17 What in the world can be more casuall than lottery lyet Salomon teacheth that when the lots are cast into the lap the prouidence of God disposeth them Prou. 16.33 See now and acknowledge with mee the large extent of Gods good prouidence Though his dwelling be on high yet abaseth he himselfe to behold vs below From his good prouidence it is that this day we are here met together I to preach the word of God you to heare it and some of vs to bee made partakers of the blessed body and bloud of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ Let vs powre out our soules in thankfulnesse before God for his blessing You are now inuited to the marriage supper of the lambe euery one that will approach vnto it let him put on his wedding garment A garment nothing like the old ragges of the Gibeonites which deceiued Ioshua Ios 9.5 A garment nothing like the suit of apparrell which Micah gaue once a yeare to his Leuite Iud. 17.10 A garment nothing like the soft clothing worne in kings courts Mat. 11.8 But a garment something like the garment of the high priest which had all the names of the tribes of Israel written vpon his brest Exod. 28.21 For this your garment is nothing else but Christ put on in whose brest and booke of merits are written and registred all the names of the faithfull but a garment something like Elias Mantle which diuided the waters 2 King 2.8 For this your garment is nothing â—lse but Christ put on who diuideth your sinnes and punishments that so you may escape from your enemies sin and death but a garment something like the garments of the Israelites in the wildernesse which did not weare 40. yeares together they wandered in the desart and yet saith Moses neither their clothes nor their shooes waxed old Deut. 29.5 For this your garment is nothing else but Christ put on whose righteousnesse lasteth for euer and his mercies cannot be worne out Hauing put on this your wedding garment doubt not of your welcome to this great feast-maker If any that heareth me this day hath not yet put on his wedding garment but is desirous to learne how to doe it let him following S Paâ—â— his counsell Rom. 13.12 cast away the workes of darknesse and put on the armour of light let him walke honestly as in the day not in gluttony and drunkennesse neither in chambering and wantonnesse nor in strife and enuying let him take no thought for the flesh to fulfill the lusts of it so shall he put on the Lord Iesus u Psal 24.7 Lift vp your heads you gates and be you lift vp ye euerlasting doores that a guest so richly apparelled may come in and sup with the King of glory And the King of glory vouchsafe so to clothe vs all that those gates and euerlasting doores may lie open to vs all So at our departure from this vally of mourning we shall haue free and easie passage into the citie of God where our corruptible shall put on incorruption and our mortality shall be swallowed vp of life Euen so be it blessed Father for thy welbeloued son Iesus Christ his sake to whom with thee in the vnity of the holy spirit bee all praise and power might and Maiesty dignity and dominion for euermore Amen THE Second Lecture AMOS 1.2 And he said the Lord shall roare from Sion and vtter his voice from Ierusalem and the dwelling places of the shepherds shall perish and the top of Carmel shall wither IN my former Sermon vpon the first verse of this chapter beloued in the Lord I commended to your religious considerations fiue circumstances 1 Touching the Prophets name It was Amos not Amos Esaies father but another Amos. 2 Concerning his former condition of life He was among the heardmen that is he was a heardman or shepherd 3 Of the place of his vsuall abode At Tekoa a little village in the confines of the Kingdome of Iuda beyond which there was not so much as a little cottage onely there was a great wildernesse called 2 Chron 20.20 the wildernesse of Tekoa a fit place for a shepherds walke 4 About the matter or argument of this prophecie implied in these words The words which he saw vpon Israel Then you heard that Amos was by the holy spirit deputed and directed with his message peculiarly and properly to the 10. reuolted tribes the kingdome of Israel 5 Of the time of the prophecie which I told you was set downe in that verse generally and specially 1 Generally In the dayes of Vzziah king of Iuda and in the daies of Ieroboam the sonne of Ioash king of Israel 2 Specially Two yeares before the earthquakâ— After my exposition giuen vpon those fiue parts of that text I recald to
turned Good Lord open thou our eares that if it be thy holy will either to Roare vnto vs or to speake with a milder voice either to come against in iudgement or to visit vs in mercy wee may readily heare thee and yeeld obedience and as obedient children receiue the promise of eternall inheritance So when the time of our separation shall be that we must leaue this world a place of darknesse of trouble of vexation of anguish thou Lord wilt translate vs to a better place a place of light where darknesse shall be no more a place of rest where trouble shall be no more a place of delight where vexation shall be no more a place of endlesse and vnspeakable ioyes where anguish shall be no more There this corruptible shall put on incorruption and our mortality shall be swallowed vp of life Euen so be it THE Fourth Lecture AMOS 1.2 And hee said the Lord shall roare from Sion and vtter his voice from Ierusalem and the dwelling places of the shepherds shall perish and the top of Carmel shall wither IN my last exercise I entreated of the Speaker Now am I to entreat of the places from whence hee speaketh expressed in two names Sion and Ierusalem The Lord shall roare from Sion and vtter his voice from Ierusalem c. Sion I read in holy Scripture of two Sions The one is Deut. 4.48 a hill of the Amorites the same with Hermon Moses there calleth it a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sion by the figure b Iunius in Deut. 3.9 Syncope the right name of it is c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sirion and so recorded Deut. 3.9 The other d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sion is the Sion in my Text mount Sion in Iudah vpon the â—op whereof was another mountaine e Drusius obseru 14.21 Not. Iunius in Psal 48.3 Moria vpon which stood the Temple of the Lord. Before it was called the f 2 Sam. 5.7 Tower or Fort of Sion It was a fortresse a bulwarke a strong hold and place of defence for the Iebusites the inhabitants of the land against their enemies Against these Iebusites King Dauid came with a warlike power speedily surprised their fort built round about it dwelt in it and called it his g The City of Dauid owne City as appeareth 2 Sam. 5.9 This is the city of Dauid so much h 2 Sam 5.7 1 King 8.1 1 Chron. 11.5 2 Chron. 5.2 mentioned in the sacred bookes of Samuel the Kings and Chronicles To this his owne City mount Sion Dauid accompanied with the Elders and Captaines of Israel i 2 Sam. 6.15 brought the Arke of the Lord with shouting with cornets with trumpets with cymbals with viols with harps as is plaine by the story 1 Chron. cap. 15. and 16. Now began the holy exercises of religion duly to be obserued in this city of Dauid mount Sion was now the place of the Name of the Lord of boasts Hitherto belongeth that same excellent description and commendation of mount Sion Psal 48.1 2 3. Mount Sion lying northward from Ierusalem is faire in situation It is the city of the great King the city of God Gods holy mountaine the ioy of the whole earth In the palaces thereof God is well knowne for a sure refuge In this city of Dauid the holy mount Sion the Lord of hoasts whom the k 1 Kâ—ng 8.27 2 Chron. 6.18 Heauens and the Heauen of Heauens are not able to containe is said to l Psal 74.2 dwell Psal 9.11 not that hee is tied to any place but because there were the most manifest and often testimonies of his residence Thus is Sion taken literally It is also taken spiritually by a Synecdoche for the Church Spouse and Kingdome of Christ as Psal 2.6 where God is said to haue annointed his King ouer Sion the hill of his holinesse Sion there is not to be vnderstood the terrestriall Sion by Ierusalem but another Sion elect and spirituall not of this world holy Sion so called for the grace of sanctification powred out vpon it euen the holy Church of Christ whereto doe appertaine the holy Patriarchs the Prophets the Apostles the vniuersall multitude of beleeuers throughout not only Israel but the whole world Sion in this signification is obuious in holy Scripture To which sense by the daughters of Sion in the m Psal 149. â— Psalmes of Dauid in n Cantic 3.11 Salomons song in the prophecies of o Esay 3 16 17. Psaâ— 4.4 Esay and p Ioel. 2.23 Ioel you may vnderstand the faithfull members of the Church of Christ There is yet one other signification of Sion It s put for Heauen as learned Drusius in his notes vpon my text obserueth The like obseruation is made by Theophylact and Oecumenius commenting vpon Heb. 12.22 Now the Sion in my text from whence the Lord is said to roare to speake terribly and dreadfully is either the Temple vpon mount Sion by Ierusalem or the Church of Christ wherof Sion is a type Sion the holy one of Israel whose walls are saluation and gates praise or the Heauen of Heauens the most proper place of Gods residence Ierusalem Of old this city was called Salem as Gen. 14.18 when Melchisedeck King thereof brought forth bread and wine to refresh Abram and his followers Afterward it was possessed by the Iebusites and named Iebus Iudg. 19.10 Peter Martyr in 2 Sam. 5.6 from both these names Iâ—bus and Salem supposeth that by the change of a few letters Ierusalem hath had her name and not from the mountaines called Solymi as some doe coniecture but erre for that the mountaines Solymi were in Pisidia not in Iudea Many were the names of this city Some of them Benedictus in his marginall note vpon Iosua chap. 10. nameth in a distich Solyma Luza Bethel Ierosolyma Iebus Helia Vrbs sacra Ierusalem dicitur atque Salem In this distich 9. names of this one city are couched together Solyma Ierosolyma Ierusalem Iebus Salem Bethel Helia Luza the holy City Drusius obseruat sacr lib. 14. cap. 21. noteth that Ierusalem did consist of two parts the one was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the lower city the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the higher city This higher city was Sion or mount Sion whereof you haue already heard and was diuersly tearmed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the city of Dauid the fort the fort of Sion the tower of Sion But I come not to preach names vnto you Will you heare of the honour of this city they that were aliue when Ierusalem flourished to haue q Psal 48.12 numbred her towers to haue considered her wals to haue marked her bulwarks and to haue told their posterity of it might haue made a report scarcely to haue bin beleeued This we know by Ps 48.4 5. When the Kings of the earth were gathered together and saw it they maruelled they were astonied and suddenly driuen backe Thus is Ierusalem taken
light they practise it because it is in the power of their hands And they couet fields and take them by violence and houses and take them away So they oppresse a man and his house euen a man and his heritage where you haue an imprecation against oppressors a woe thundred out against them It is enough to proue oppression to be vnlawfull The third place is 1. Thess 4.6 This is the will of God that no man oppresse or ouer-reach his brother in any matter Is it Gods will Then surely it is not lawfull for you to oppresse or ouer-reach one another in any businesse Men of trade may not gaine by their false weights false measures false speeches or false oathes neither may men in any other course of life gaine by violence or by colour of Law or by any other cunning dealing Thus is my doctrine confirmed It is not lawfull for any man to oppresse another First it may serue for a reproofe of the Oppressors of this age who make gold their hope and the wedge of gold their confidence as Iob speaketh chap. 31.24 S. Paul he taught 1. Tim. 6.6 that Godlinesse is great gaine but these men suppose the contrary that gaine is great godlinesse and therefore they feare not to gaine with the hurt of others They build their houses as the moth So saith Iob chap. 27.18 As the moth How is that The moth is made full by spoyling the barkes and bookes wherein it liueth So is it with these men they make themselues full by spoyling others with whom they liue and haue to deale I expresse it in Ieremies phrase chap. 22.13 They build their houses by vnrighteousnes and their chambers by wrong and in Habakkuks phrase chap. 2.12 They build them townes with blood and stablish their Cities by iniquitie Against these is that complaint of the Lord Esai 3.14 15. Ye haue eaten vp the vineyard the spoyle of the poore is in your houses What meane yee that yee beat my people to peeces and grinde the faces of the poore Woe to these men a woe from Micah a woe from Ieremie a woe from Habakkuk in the now-alleaged places a woe from Esay too Chap. 5.8 Woe vpon woe and yet will they not cease from ioyning house to house and laying land to land as if the way to the spirituall Canaan were all by Land and not through a red Sea of death as one wittily speaketh From this contempt of the Prophets of the Lord or rather of the Lord himselfe speaking by his Prophets it is now come to passe that many a poore tenant is thrust out of his house that Villages are depopulated that those streets which were wont to be sowen with the seeds of men are now become pastures for the sending forth of oxen and for the treading of sheepe as Esay speaketh chap. 7.25 Now may Hythlodaeus his complaint haue place m Mori Vtopia lib. 1. Our sheepe in England were sometimes the meekest beasts of the field and contented themselues with a litle but now are they become so fierce and greedy that they devoure men and Towne-fields and houses and villages and lay all waste Alas silly sheepe it is no fault of yours you are as meeke as euer you were Whose then is the fault It is yours yee grinding oppressors yours whose hearts are like the vast Ocean fit to swallow vp euery base commoditie that the earth is able to afford you O that these men would at length call themselues to a strict account of the oppressions wherewith they haue oppressed the poore either by depopulating or by raising rents or by hoysing fines or by interest or otherwise and would once begin to make some restitution Did they but know in what estimation they stand in Church and Common-wealth they would remit somewhat of their Cruelty The Church heretofore denied them Christian buriall It s apparant in the Canon Law Extra de Vsuris Cap. Quia in omnibus How the Common-wealth brooketh them they may perceiue by two instances Catillus a British King 170. yeares before Christ did hang them vp He hung vp all oppressors of the poore My n Stow in his Summarie Chronicler writes in the margent A good example Long after him King Edward commonly called good King Edward banished them his Land So writeth Glanvil lib. 7. de Leg. consuet Angliae c. 37. The same author in the same booke cap. 16. affirmeth that by the most ancient lawes of England the goods of a defamed oâ—pressor dying without restitution were escheated vnto the King and all his lands vnto the Lord of the towne Wherefore let the oppressor now at last forsake his oppressions What can all the wealth all the mucke of the earth auaile him if for it he loose the kingdome of Heauen Momentaneum est quod delectat aeternum quod cruciat The wealth he here heapeth vp may for a time yeeld him some delight but what is a moment of delight to the eternitie of sorrow that must follow Must follow Yea it must follow if amendment hinder it not If he amend not I say as God is God so certainely shall the oppressor be destroyed though not in the red Sea as the oppressing Aegyptians once were yet in a Sea a blacke Sea of Hellish deeps where he shall be pained vnspeakably tormented intolerably both euerlastingly Thus haue you the first vse of my doctrine My doctrine was It is not lawfull for any man to oppresse another The vse was a generall reproofe of our now-oppressors A second vse may be to admonish Iudges Iustices and other Magistrates and Rulers that they suffer not themselues to be stained with this sin of oppression It is the o Pilkinton exposit in Nehem. cap. 5. fol. 80. A. dutie of the Magistrate to deliuer the oppressed out of the hand of the oppressor This dutie is laid vpon him Ierem. 21.12 There thus saith the Lord to the house of Dauid Execute iudgemâ—nt in the morning and deliuer him that is oppressed out of the hand of the oppressor It is likewise laid vpon him Esai 1.17 Seeke iudgement releeue the oppressed iudge the fatherlesse and defend the widow Where first Gods commandement is that Magistrates should execute iudgement in the morning In the morning Therefore they are not to vse delayes in doing iustice Secondly Gods commandement is that Magistrates should seeke iudgement Must they seeke iudgement Therefore in cases of oppression they are not to stay till they be called for Thirdly God commendeth vnto Magistrates all that are oppressed but specially the fatherlesse and widow the fatherlesse because they want the defence of their parents and the widow because she is destitute of the helpe of her husband and we know euery man goeth ouer where the hedge is lowest Therefore are Magistrates to take vpon them the defence of the fatherlesse the defence of the widow the defence of euery one that is oppressed Is it so Then are Magistrates to take speciall heed that themselues
dust of the earth in a measure weighes the mountaines in a weight and the hils in a ballance God! incorporeall inuisible spirituall passing all measure there is nothing p Esai 46.9 like vnto him No thing And therefore O Idolaters not your old mans image For the truth of your antecedent we stand on your side It s very true the Scripture in expresse words attributeth vnto God many the members and offices of mans body It saith of him that he stands he sits he walkes it nameth his head his feet his armes it giues him a seat a throne a footstoole but all these and other like bodily offices parts and members being spoken of as belonging vnto God must be vnderstood figuratiuely It hath pleased the spirit of wisdome to deale with vs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to fit the holy Scriptures to our weake capacities to vse knowne familiar and sensible tearmes thereby to raise vp our conceits to some knowledge of the euerliuing God In this regard by the wisdome of the same spirit among many other members Hâ—nds are also ascribed vnto God and that in many places yet not in euery place to one and the same sense and vnderstanding It s noted by the q Cont. 13. cap. 4. Magdeburgenses out of Innocentius that the hand of God doth beare diuers offices among vs officia creatoris largientis protegentis minantis the offices of a Creator liberall giuer protector and threatner Hands are ascribed vâ—â— God sometime to shew that he is the Creator of all things 〈◊〉 Psal 119.73 Thy hands haue made me and fashioned me sometime to shew his liberality to all liuing things as Psal 145.16 Thou openest thy hand and fillest all things liuing of thy good pleasure sometime to shew the care he hath to protect and defend the faithfull as Esai 49.2 Vnder the shadow of his hand hath he hid me and sometime to shew his readinesse to bee auenged vpon the wicked as Esai 10.4 His hand is stretched out still But these and all other the significations of the hand of God I reduce to two heads to the loue of God and his displeasure vnder them comprehending all their consequents and effects That the hand of God betokeneth sometime his loue and the benefits redounding thence to man mans being and his well-being may easily be proued In the second chapter of the book of Iudges ver 15. we read that the Lords hand was against the Israelites for euill the collection thence may be that the Lords hand is sometime toward some for good It is made plaine out of Neh. 2.8 where the Prophet to shew how ready Artaxerxes was to doe him pleasure saith The King gaue me according to the good hand of my God vpon me I might by many like instances out of holy Scripture giue strength to this position but it may seeme to be a needlesse labour Therefore I proceed Now that the hand of God should betoken his displeasure and the effects thereof may be proued as easily When the Israelites forsaking God betooke themselues to serue Baalim the hand of the Lord was sore against them Iudg. 2.15 the Lords hand that is his iudgement punishment and reuengement was sore vpon them the wrath of the Lord was hot against them he deliuered them into the hands of the spoilers they were spoiled sold to the enemies and sore punished When the Philistines had brought the arke of God into the house of Dagon the hand of the Lord was heauy vpon them 1 Sam. 5.6 the Lords hand that is his iudgement punishment and reuengement was heauy vpon them * Psal 78.64 â—â— The Lord awaked as one out of sleepe and like a Giant refreshed with wine hee smote his enemies with Emerods and put them to a perpetuall shame Of like signification is the phrase in my text I will turne my hand to Ekron my hand shall be sore against Ekron I will come against Ekron in iudgement I will punish Ekron I will take vengeance on Ekron I will turne my hand Sometime this phrase betokeneth the good grace and fauour of God as Zach. 13.7 I will turne my hand vpon my little ones My little ones when the shepherd shall be smitten and the sheepe scattered I will recouer with my hand and preserue them for euer I will gather them together I will comfort them I will defend them rursus ad pastorem praeceptorem suum reducam saith Ribera though they be scattered I will bring them backe againe to their owne shepherd and master There you see Gods turning of his hand vpon his little ones is for good Here it s otherwise God turneth his hand to Ekron for euill This is auerred and iustified by the infallible predictions of other Prophets Zachary chap. 9.5 foretelleth that much sorrow shall betide Ekron Zephany chap. 2.4 saith that Ekron shall be rooted vp Ieremy chap. 25.20 takes the cup of the wine of Gods indignation and giues it Ekron to drinke to make Ekron like her neighbour countries euen desolation and astonishment a hissing and a curse So great is Ekrons calamity threatned in these words of my text I will turne my hand to Ekron Ekron Will you know what this Ekron was You shall finde in the booke of Ioshua chap. 13.3 that it was a dukedome in the land of the Philistines and 1 Sam. 6.16 that there was in this dukedome a city of the same name no base city but a Princes seat able at one time to giue entertainment to fiue Princes Against both city and dukedome Gods hand was stretched out I wi l turne my hand to Ekron Will God smite Ekron both city and dukedome We may take from hence this lesson There is no safe being in city or country from the hand of God when he is disposed to punish The reason is because there is no place to flie vnto from his presence None No corner in Hell no mansion in Heauen no caue in the top of Carmel no fishes belly in the bottome of the sea no darke dungeon in the land of captiuity no place of any secrecy any where can hide vs from the presence of God Witnesse two holy Prophets Dauid and Amos. The one Psal 139. the other chap. 9. You haue the reason of my Doctrine the vses follow Is it true Is there no safe being in City or Country from the hand of God when he is disposed to punish One vse hereof is to teach vs to take patiently whatsoeuer afflictions shall befall vs. Afflictions I call whatsoeuer is any way opposite to humane nature such as are the temptations of the flesh the world and the Deuill the diseases of the body an infortunate husband or wife rebellious children vnthankfull friends losse of goods reproaches slanders warre pestilence famine imprisonment death euery crosse and passion bodily or ghostly proper to our selues or appertaining to such as are of our bloud priuate or publike secret or manifest either by our owne deserts gotten or otherwise imposed
remoue a neighbours land-markeâ— In which respect the old Romans worshipped Terminus for a God Terminus which signifieth a bound limit meere buttle or land-marke was in their account a God God of their bounds limits or markes of their seuerall fields meddowes and pastures and such a God as should not giue place to Iupiter himselfe To this Terminus they held a feast in Februarie and called it Terminalia as Austine witnesseth in his bookes De Ciuitate Dei Lib. 5. c. 21. lib. 7. c. 7. Now if the heathenish blinde and superstitious Romans trained vp in Natures schoole did so highly esteem of the preseruation and maintenance of bounds and limits how are we trained vp in the schoole of Grace to esteeme thereof In the schoole of Grace a law is giuen Deut. 19.14 Thou shalt not remoue thy neighbours marke To obey this law we are charged vpon a curse Deut. 27.17 Cursed bee hee that remoueth his neighbors marke It is Gods owne ordinance that bounds and limits and marks are appointed to euerie mans possessions This may be gathered out of Deut. 32.8 The most high God diuided to the nations their inheritances hee separated the sons of men hee did set the bounds of nations The meaning is the Lord pitched the bounds oâ— Kingdomes at such time as it pleased him that the nations should be diuided asunder Yet wee see how the couetous ambition and vnsatiable desire of some Princes in the world haue put all out of order how there is nothing so holy that can stay them from incroaching vpon the bounds of their neighbours and next borderers Sennacherib King of Assyria was a stout offended in this kinde Hee boasted of his inuasions and victories vpon his neighbour countries But that other Princes may take example by him he was made a peculiar example of diuine iudgement For as he trangressed the bounds of his neighbor Princes to their ouerthrow so did his owne sons transgresse the bounds of nature to the losse of his their fathers life As it appeareth by Esai 37.38 As Sennacherib was in the temple worshipping Nisroch his God Adramelech and Sharezer his sons slue him with the sword And by my Text you see what iudgements God threatneth to the Ammonites for their vnlawfull practices to enlarge their borders So my doctrin is established The nation that is not content with her owne borders but inuadeth her neighbour countries sinneth grieuously The vse of this Doctrine may concerne vs here assembled As Princes ought to hold themselues contented with their owne bounds so ought euerie priuate man also God hath also separated their possessions one from another to the end that all might liue and communicate one with another and that there might be no confused disorder But beloued in the Lord how do we stand to this order set by Almightie God Do we not seek daily to peruert it God would haue it kept most holy but we care not for it Our couetousnesse carrieth vs away we would still be greater Wee ioyne house to house and field to field as it is in Esai 5 8 that we may be placed by our selues in the middest of the earth Were our Fathers so ambitious They were content with such bounds as their ancestors left them but we must haue them altered if not enlarged The diuinely-inspired Dauid tels vs Psal 37.3 that if we dwell in the land where God hath placed vs we shall verily be fed We should learne of S. Paul Philip. 4 11. in whatsoeuer state we are therewith to be content Knowing it to bee true which the same Apostle auoweth vnto Timothy Ep. 1. chap. 6. vers 6. that Godlinesse is great gaine if wee will be content with that we haue Thus much of the 13. verse THE Twentieth Lecture AMOS 1.14 15. Therefore will I kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah and it shall deuoure the palaces thereof with shouting in the day of battell and with a tempest in the day of the whirlewinde And their King shall goe into captiuitie he and his Princes together saith the Lord. HEre wee haue the denunciation of the iudgements of God against the children of Ammon for their sinnes This iudgement is in the 14. verse set downe 1. In a generalitie 2. With some circumstances First in a generalitie Therefore will I kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah and it shall deuoure the palaces thereof Secondly with some circumstances as that it should be full of terrour and speedy and of lâ—rge extent Full of terrour with shouting in the day of battell Speedy with a tempest in the day of the whirlewinde Of large extent For it was to fall vpon not only the meaner sort of the people but vpon the Nobilitie also yea and vpon the King himselfe which is plaine by the 15. verse Their King shall goe into captiuitie he and his Princes together First let vs weigh this iudgement of God as it is set downe in a generalitie I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah and it shall deuoure the palaces thereof This iudgement for substance is no other than that which you haue heretofore heard out of this Chapter to haue beene denounced from Almightie God against the Syrians Philistines Tyrians and Edomites Against the Syrians vers 4. I will send a fire into the house of Hazael and it shall deuoure the palaces of Ben-hadad Against the Philistines vers 7. I will send a fire vpon the wals of Azzah and it shall deuoure the palaces thereof Against the Tyrians vers 10. I will send a fire vpon the wals of Tyrus and it shall deuoure the palaces thereof Against the Edomites vers 12. I will send a fire vpon Teman and it shall deuoure the palaces of Bozrah Betweene those denunciations and this you see no great difference In those Thus saith the Lord I will send a fire in this thus I will kindle a fire I will send a fire and I will kindle a fire the substance in both is the same And therefore as in those I haue done so doe I in this I commend to your Christian and religious considerations certaine circumstances 1 Of the punisher the Lord I will kindle 2 Of the punishment by fire A fire 3 Of the punished The wals of Rabbah and the palaces thereof These circumstances are in this iudgement of God as it is set downe in a generalitie The first circumstance concerneth the punisher the Lord for thus saith the Lord I will kindle a fire The note yeeldeth this doctrine It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes This truth hath beene often confirmed vnto you Diuers â—e the vses of it 1 It may lesson vs to looke heedfully vnto our feet that wee walke not in the way of sinners to partake with them in their sinnes Sinnes are not tongue-tied they cry aloud vnto the Lord for vengeance 2 It may admonish vs not to intermeddle in the Lords office It is his office to execute
to his neighbour For as much as the Lord will destroy all such as speake lies This you know by the fift Psalme ver the 6. But how will he destroy them It is answered Reuel 21.8 All lyars shall haue their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone Thus haue you the third vse of my doctrine My doctrine was God is truth in himselfe in his workes and in his words The third vse is our holy imitation of God in truth There is yet a fourth vse of this doctrine of the truth of God It serues for a redargution or reproofe of such as deny God and his truth Deny God and his truth Can there be any endued with a reasonable soule so voyd of vnderstanding Yes There is a generation of men monstrously mishapen in the powers of the soule who spare not to break the cords of Religion asunder and to cast her yoke from them They dare auouch with those in Tullie Totam de Dijs immortalibus opinionem fictam esse ab hominibus sapientibus reipub causâ vt quos ratio non posset eos ad officium religio duceret judging the seruice of God to be a meere deuise of man for the better gouernment of the Common-wealth wherein inferiors sith they will not be ruled by reason must be ordered by religion Tell such of the Scriptures you may as well vrge them with Lucians narrations tell them of repentance they cast it behind them tell them of faith they regard it not Speake to them of baptisme they hold it of no greater price then the washing of their hands Let them heare of the Resurrection this feeds them with many a merry conceit They thinke pleasantly with themselues what manner of bodies they shall haue at that day of what proportion and stature their bodies shall be whether their nayles and haire shall rise againe Impious wretches thus they make a scoffe at God and religion whom were they vsed according to their deserts the Preachers should pronounce and the Prince proclaime the foulest leapers that euer yet sore ranne vpon very worthy to bee excluded the hoast and to haue their habitation alone yea to be exiled the land and to bee expelled from nature it selfe which so vnnaturally they striue to bring to naught I say no more against them but leaue them to the God of truth whom they haue denied that he in due time may repay them home with vengeance Thus farre am I guided by my first doctrine grounded vpon this essentiall name of God his name Iehouah importing his truth in himselfe in his workes and in his words Thus saith Iehouah Thus saith the Lord Is not this the prophesie of Amos Are not all the words of this prophesie chap. 1.1 called the words of Amos the heardsman What then meaneth this phrase Thus saith the Lord As Almighty God in olde time spake to our Fathers by the mouth of Moses Exod 4.12 So did hee in succeeding ages speake vnto them by the mouth of other his Prophets Luke 1.70 Heereto S. Peter beareth record 2. Epist 1.20 Know this saith he that no prophesie in the Scripture is of any priuate motion and he giues the reason heereof verse 21. For the prophesie in old time came not by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were mooued by the holy Ghost Hence sprang those vsuall and familiaâ— speeches in the bookes of the Prophets The word of the Lord came vnto me The Lord God hath spoken and this in my Text Thus sayth the Lord. This Lord who thus spake in old time by his Prophets did in fulnesse of time when he sent to consummate and perfect the worke of mans redemption speake by his blessed Euangelists and Apostles This appeareth by the faithfull promise made vnto them Matth. 10.19 Take no thought how or what yee shall speake It is not yee that speake but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you It must stand euer true what is recorded 2 Tim. 3.16 The whole Scripture is giuen by inspiration of God The whole Scripture and euery parcell of it haâ—h inward witnesse from the Spirit which is the author of all truth Sweet then is the harmony consent and agreement of all the Prophets Euangelists and Apostles from the first vnto the last Not one of them spake one word of a naturall man in all their ministeries the words which they spake were the words of him that sent them they spake not of themselues God spake in them Whensoeuer were the time whatsoeuer were the meanes whosoeuer were the man wheresoeuer were the place whatsoeuer were the people the words were the Lords Hence ariseth this doctrine The Author of holy Scripture is neither man nor Angell nor any other creature how excellent soeuer but onely the liuing and immortall God This truth is euident by this which I haue but now delired For if God in old time spake to our Fathers by the mouth of Moses if God spake by other his Prophets if God spake by the Euangelists and Apostles if all Scripture be inspired of God then it well followeth that God is the author of Scripture and therefore not man nor Angell nor any other creature how excellent soeuer I can but point at the vses of this doctrine The first vse is redargution Is the liuing and immortall God the author of holy Scripture Heere are all they to bee reprooued who doe vilifie and debase the sacred Scriptures and esteeme not of them as of the word of God Such are they who bearing in their fore-heads the stampe of Christians haue notwithstanding giuen their names to that Antichrist of Rome and the now-false Church there They shame not to affirme that setting aside the authority of that Church and her head the Pope the Scripture is no better then a l Collâ—q Wâ—rmâ—t doubtfull vncertaine and leaden rule then a m Colloq Râ—tâ—bon matter of debate then n Ludouic Matoranus dead inke then o Eskins inken diuinity then a p Pighius nose of wax then a r Colloq Worm booke of discord then a Å¿ Pighius dumbe Iudge then t Hosius Gretser Heereof see my second Lecture vpon Amos 1. Aesops fables Impious wretches had they not wip'd all shame from their faces they would neuer haue layd such load of disgraces vpon Gods holy word Their Cardinall Hosius stayes not heere he proceedes a degree further He coynes a distinction of Scripture as it s vsed by themselues whom he calleth Catholikes and as by vs whom hee calleth Heretikes His words are in the end of his third book against Brentius his Prolegomena The Scripture quomodo profertur à Catholicis verbuÌ„ est Dei quomodo profertur ab Haereticis verbum est Diaboli as it is alledged by vs so must it bee forsooth the word of the Deuill but as by them so onely shall it be the word of God Blasphemous Cardinall hee marcheth not alone u
f Rom. 11.36 of him and in him and by him are all things Thirdly it is the memoriall of God vnto all ages so God himselfe cals it Exod. 3.15 the memoriall of his faithfulnesse his truth and his constancie in the performance of his promises And therefore whensoeuer in any of the Prophets God promiseth or threatneth any great matter to assure vs of the most certaine euent thereof he adds vnto it his name Iehovah So here in my text Thus sayth Iehovah Thus sayth the Lord not Thus sayth Amos but Thus saith the Lord. The Lord then is the author of this Scripture and not of this onely but also of the whole bodie of Scripture The doctrine The author of holy Scripture is neither man nor Angell nor any other creature how eminent or excellent soeuer but onely the liuing and immortall God This doctrine I haue heretofore commended vnto you in my first lecture vpon this Chapter The vses of it were three The first concerned vs whom God hath set apart to be the Preachers and expounders of the Scriptures We must handle them as the holy word of God As my Prophet here comes to Iudah so must we to you with thus saith the Lord we may not speake either the imagination of our owne braines or the vaine perswasions of our owne hearts we must sincerely preach vnto you Gods gracious word without corrupting or deprauing it A second vse concerneth you who are auditors and hearers of the word preached It is your parts to giue eare vnto it with attetion and reuerence and like the Thessalonians commended by St Paul 1 Thess 2.13 to receiue it not as the word of vs men but as it is indeed the word of God A third vse concerned the aduersaries of the truth the Papists who doe vilifie and debase the sacred Scriptures and esteeme not of them as of the word of God How shamfully they haue loaded this holy word of God with disgracefull termes calling it a doubtful vncertaine and a leaden rule a poore kinde of element a booke of discord a matter of debate dead inke inken divinitie a dumbe iudge a nose of waxe Aesops fables I haue g Lect. 2. in Amos 1. pag. 18. c. heretofore deliuered vnto you But who are they out of whose mouths and pens such bitternesse against Gods holy word hath beene vented Are they our Countrymen Are they not rather strangers to vs Papists of other Nations Pighius Hosius Gretser Canon Lewis of Lateran the collocutors at Wormes and Ratisbon What are these to vs It may be our English Papists doe esteeme of the Scriptures more reuerently More reuerently Let one speake for all Dr. h Fox Martyrel vol. 2. l. 7. An. 1513. pag. 735. Bennet a Lawyer Chauncellour and Vicar generall to Richard Fitz-Iames Bishop of London called before him one Richard Butler for being of that Religion which we this day through Gods goodnesse doe maintaine and professe This Butler vsed much to read the Bible for which an article was thus framed against him We obiect to you that diuerse times and especially vpon a certaine night you erroniously and damnably read in a great Booke of heresie certaine Chapters of the Euangelists in English conteining in them diuerse erronious and damnable opinions and conclusions of heresie What Christian eare can endure such blasphemie that the Booke of God should be called a great booke of heresie that some Chapters of the Euangelists should be said to conteine in them diuers erronious and damnable opinions and conclusions of heresie What Christian care can endure this Must that Booke to which we are so often sent by i Deut. 17.11 Moses by the k Esa 8.20 Mâ—lac 2.7 Psal 1.1 and 119.2 Prophets by l Joh. 5.39 Christ himselfe by his holy m Luk. 16.29 Euangelists and n Act 17. â—1 2. Tim. 3 1â— Apostles must that Booke be noted for erronious and damnable opinions and conclusions of heresies St Paul thought much otherwise He in the 2. Tim. 3.15 speaking of the holy Scriptures sayth that they are able to make men wise vnto saluation Hee addeth further ver 16. that the whole Scripture is giuen by inspiration of God and is profitable to teach to improue to correct and to instruct in righteousnesse that the man of God may be absolute being made perfect vnto all good workes Magnificum testimonium A most sufficient testimonie for the authoritie dignitie and worth of holy Scripture First it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 diuinely inspired of God giuen immediately from God to men Secondly it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 profitable Profitable many wayes for doctrine for reproofe for correction for instruction Doctrine is of things to be beleeued Reproofe of things to be refuted Correction concerneth vices Instruction vertues Euery way the whole Scripture is profitable and is able to make men wise vnto saluation And yet must this holy Scripture be noted for a great Booke of Heresie for conteining erronious and damnable opinions and conclusions of heresie 2. Pet. 1.19 St Peter thought much otherwise He in his 2. Epist and 1. Chapter hauing proued the certaintie of Euangelicall doctrine by two arguments one drawne from his owne experience the other from the testimonie of Almightie God in a voice from Heauen vers 16 17 18. addeth vers 19. a third argument drawne from the consent of the Prophets We haue also a most sure word of the Prophets to the which yee doe well that ye take heed as vnto a light that shineth in a darke place vntill the day dawne and the day star arise in your hearts So that yee first know this that no prophecie in the Scripture is of any priuate motion For the prophecie came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were mooued by the Holy-Ghost Where first the blessed Apostle calls the writings of the Prophets 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a most sure word Secondly he aduiseth vs to be diligently conuersant in those writings yee shall doe well to take heed vnto them Thirdly he shewes the necessitie and vse of them by a comparison they are as a light that shineth in a darke place Fourthly he prescribeth the time of our diligence we must take heed vnto them vntill the day dawne and the day starre arise in our hearts Fiftly he noteth their difficultie Difficultas stimulus debet esse diligentiae the more hard they are to be vnderstood the greater must our diligence be No prophecie in the Scripture is of any priuate motion It is not in mans power rightly to vnderstand the Prophets The Treasurer to the Queene of Ethiopia confesseth as much Act. 8.31 Sixtly he poynteth at the author of Holy Scripture not mans will but the Holy-Ghost For the prophecie in olde time came not by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were mooued by the Holy-Ghost What St Peter in this place affirmeth of the
Propheticall Bookes is true also of the Euangelicall and Apostolicall what he affirmeth of the old testament is true also of the new The new and the old differ not in substance In veteri Testamento est occultatio novi in novo Testamento est manifestatio veteris So saith St Austin lib. de Catechizandis rudibus cap. 4. In the old Testament the new is trid and in the new the olde is manifested The like the same good Father hath Qu. 37. super Exodum In vetere novum latet in novo vetus patet in the old the new is couered and in the new the old is opened Old and new both doe agree in substance Now make we our collection The whole Scripture conteining both Testaments olde and new is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a most sure word to it we must take heed as to a light that shineth in a darke place till the day dawne and the day starre arise in your hearts and this we must know that no Scripture in eyther of the Testaments old or new is of any priuate motion and that neither old nor new Testament came to vs by the will of man but that holy men of God haue conueyed them vnto vs as they were mooued by the holy Ghost And yet must this holy Scripture be noted for a great Booke of Heresie for conteining erronious and damnable opinions and conclusions of Heresie The first pillars of the Primitiue Church the auncient Fathers thought much otherwise Because I cannot stand long vpon this poynt one shall serue for all Sweete Saint Chrysostome in his ninth Sermon vpon the Epistle to the Colossians thus speaketh to his hearers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yee my secular and lay auditors heare me I beseech you Get you Bibles your soules physicke if you be vnwilling to be at charge for the whole yet at least buy the new Testament the Euangelists and Apostles will be your daily and diligent teachers If any griefe befall you make your repaire hither as to an Apothecaries shop here shall you haue varietie of medicines fit to cure you If any damage if losse of friends if death come here may you finde comfort In a word the cause of all euill is not to know the Scripture You see how far this good Father is from calling the Bible a Booke of heresies as some late Papists haue done He holds it to be the greatest treasure this world hath and thinkes it for you very expedient to haue one of them in your houses that at euery opportunitie you may be reading in it If any shall here obiect I am towards the Law I am employed about publike affaires I am a tradesman I am a marryed man I haue children to maintaine I haue a Familie to care for I haue worldly businesses to looke vnto it is not my part to read the Scriptures this office belongs to them rather who haue bidden the world farewell to such St Chrysostome shall answer Homil. 3. de Lazaro Quid aâ— homo What sayst thou man Is it not a part of thy businesse to turne ouer the Scriptures because thou art distracted with many cares Immo tuum est magis quam illâ—rum Yea the reading of the Scripture belongeth to thee rather then to them who haue bidden the world farewell because they need not so much the helpe of Scripture as you doe who are as it were tossed in the waues of troubles To conclude this poynt Let Papists set light by the Sacred Scriptures let them debase vilifie and disgrace them to their owne vtter confusion and perdition wee through Gods goodnesse haue learned a better lesson that the word of God which we call Scripture is o Chrysost hom 7. de poenitentia a hauen free from raging surges a well fortified bulwarke a toâ—re not staggering an aduancement not to bee taken from vs by violence no not any way to bee diminished a stable blissefulnesse at no time languishing a neuer-failing pleasure whatsoeuer good a man can speake of Sacrâ comperiet in Scripturâ he shall finde it in the Holy Scripture So saith sweet Chrysostome Homil. 7. De poenitentia In my first Sermon before you vpon this chapter I deliuered vnto you the same effect thus The word of God which we call Scripture it is his most royall and Celestiall Testament it is the Oracle of his heauenly Sanctuary it is the onely Key vnto vs of his reuealed counsels it is Milke from his sacred brests the Earnest and Pledge of his fauour to the Church the Light of our feet the Ioy of our hearts the Breath of our nostrils the Pillar of our faith the Anchor of our hope the ground of our loue the Euidence of our future blessednesse Now therefore as the Elect of God holy and beloued let this word of God dwell plenteously in you in all wisdome frequent this place to heare it read and expounded vnto you and at home teach and admonish your owne selues in Psalmes and hymnes and spirituall songs My exhortation is the same that S. Paul made vnto the Colossians Chap. 3.16 Thus much of the preface The prophesie followeth The first part thereof is a generall accusation of Iudah For three transgressions of Iudah and for foure Wherein we are first to consider who are the accused in the name Iudah Secondly whereof they are accused For three trasgressions and for foure First of the accused The accused are the inhabitants of the Kingdome of Iudah The Kingdome of Iudah is taken sometimes latè sometimes strictè sometimes in a large sometimes in a strict sense In the large it betokeneth all the twelue tribes of Israel in the strict sense it betokeneth onely two tribes Iudah and Beniamin Iudah and Israel at first were but one kingdome which afteward was diuided into two the Kingdome of Iudah and the kingdome of Israel When and how this was done it is expressely deliuered in 1 Kings 12. in 2 Chro. 10. It was after the death of King Salomon and thus Rehoboam King Salomons sonne censured by Ecclesiasticus chap. 47 23. to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the foolishnesse of the people and one that had no vnderstanding succeeding in his fathers throne did vpon aduise giuen him by his young counsellours promise sharpe vsage and hard measure vnto his people My least part my little finger shall be bigger then my fathers loynes whereas my father did burden you with a grieuous yoke I will make it heauier my father hath chastized you with rods but I will correct you with scourges This his vnkinde and euill entreating of a people which of late in King Salomons time saw good and peaceable daies did cause a rebellion and reuolt Ten of the twelue tribes much discontented brake forth into speeches of impatiency What portion haue we in Dauid We haue no inheritance in the sonne of Ischai to your tents O Israel now see to thine owne house Dauid So they forsooke Rehoboam their rightfull Lord and set vp
the Iewes for their prerogatiue nor Ierusalem for her goodly buildings From this vnpartialitie of God in his workes of iustice my proposition stands good Whosoeuer doe imitate the Heathen in their impieties are in the Lords account no better then the Heathen and shall be punished as the Heathen Will you a reason hereof It is because the Lord takes impietie for impietie wheresoeuer he finds it and for such doth punish it And he finds it euery where For the eyes of the Lord Å¿ 2. Chrâ—n 16.9 runne to and fro throughout the whole earth and are in t Prâ—u 15.3 euery place to behold as well the euill as the good His eyes are u Iere. 16.17 vpon all our wayes he seeth x Iob 34.21 all our goings he y Iob 31.4 counteth all our steps no iniquitie is z Iere. 16.17 hid from him This doth the Prophet Ieremie Chap. 32.19 wall expresse Thine eyes O Lord are open vpon all the wayes of the sonnes of men to giue euery one acccording to his wayes and according to the fruit of his doings This the very Ethnickes guided onely by Natures light haue acknowledged Sybilla in her Oracles could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Almightie and inuisible God he onely seeth all things Hesiod could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God hath an All-seeing eye Plautus could say a Capte ivi Est profecto Deus qui quae nos gerimus auditque videt Doubtlesse there is a God who both heareth and seeth whatsoeuer we doe And b Metamorph. lib. 13. Ovid could say Aspiciunt oculis superi mortalia iustâ—s There is a God aboue who hath iust eyes beholdeth all the doings of mortall men c Thales interregatus an furta â—â—mâ—â—um Deos fallerent Nec cogiâ—ata â—nqâ—it Valer. Mar. lib. 7 cap. 2. Dioge Laert. lib. 1. in Thal s. Thales of Miletum the wisest of the seauen being asked whether mens euill deeds could be kept close from God! No sayd he nor their euill thoughts The Hieroglyphicke the mysticall or aenigmaticall letter whereby the Egyptians would haue God to be vnderstood was an eye And why so But as d Hierâ—glyph lib. 33. Pierius saith because Deus ille optimus maximus the great God of Heauen is mundi oculus the eye of the world It may be such was the conceit of that auncient e Augustin Father who sayd of God that he was totus oculus wholy an eye He giues his reason quia omnia videt because hee seeth all things All things are to the eies of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 naked and opened seene as well within as without So saith the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews chap. 4.13 All the impieties of man in deed word or thought are manifest vnto the Lord he seeth them all and for impieties will punish them Well saith f De constantiâ lib. 2. cap. 16. Lypsius Culpae comes iustissimè poena semper est Paine is alwayes the companion of a fault And g Jbid. cap. 14. againe Cognatum immo innatum omni sceleri sceleris supplicium Euery wickednesse brings a punishment with it As the worke is so is the pay if the one be readie the other is present h Lipsius de constant lib. 2 c. 13. Neuer did any man foster within his breast a crime but vengeance was vpon his backe for it If there be impietie there cannot be impunitie Witnesse the blessed Apostle S. Iames chap. 1.15 Sinne when it is finished bringeth forth death And S. Paul Rom. 6.23 The wages of sinne is death Many are the texts of holy Scripture which I might alledge to this purpose I will for this present trouble you but with one It is Psal 34.16 The face of the Lord is against them that doe euill to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth From these now-touched considerations first that Almightie God in iudgement accepteth no persons then that his Al-seeing eye beholdeth whatsoeuer impietie is done not onely in our workes and words but also in our most retyred thoughts thirdly that in iustice euery impietie is to receiue a due punishment from these considerations my position stands firme and vnmoueable Whosoeuer doe imitate the Heathen in their impieties they are in the Lords account no better then the Heathen and shall be punished as the Heathen Here let all good Christians be admonished with their greatest carefulnesse to looke vnto their wayes that they walke not in the by-pathes of sinne to imitate the Heathen in their impieties Qui attrahit ad se culpam non potest effugere poenam sayth i Comment in Hebr. 12. Hugo Cardinalis Thinke not that thy prerogatiue of being a Christian can be a shield vnto thee Christianus k August enchir ad Laurent ca. 5. nomine non opere A Christian in name not in deed may be called a Christian but is no Christian l Bernard Sentent Christianus as he is haeres nominis Christi so must he be imitator sanctitatis A Christian is heire to the name of Christ and therefore must be a follower of Christ in holinesse A Christian sayth S. Austine if he be the Author of the Booke m Lib. 1. cap. 6. de vita Christianâ A Christian is a name of iustice of goodnesse of integritie of patience of chastitie of prudence of humilitie of courtesie of innocencie of pietie A Christian is he who is a follower of Christ who is holy innocent vndefiled vnspotted in whose brest there is no wickednesse who hurts no man but helpeth all He that can truely say I hate not mine enemies I doe good to them that hurt me I pray for them that persecute me I doe wrong to no body I liue iustly with all men hic Christianus est he is a Christian But if in the profession of Christianitie a man liues the life of a Heathen the name of a Christian shall doe him no pleasure If he take delight in the n Galat. 5.19 workes of the flesh in adulterie fornication vncleannesse laciuiousnesse drunkennesse hatred variance wrath strife or any like sinne God will forsake him the holy Angels will flie him the blessed Saints will detest him the Reprobate shall bee his companie the Deuils his fellowes hell his inheritance his soule a nest of scorpions his bodie a dungeon of foule spirits and at last both bodie and soule shal eternally burne in fire vnquencheable Wherefore dearely beloued suffer a word of exhortation o Ecclus. 21.1.2.3 Haue you sinned Doe so no more Flee from sinne as from the face of a Serpent For if you come too neere it it will bite you the teeth thereof are as the teeth of a Lyon slaying the soules of men So sayth Ecclus chap. 21.2 Flee from sinne as from the face of a Serpent Sinne It s like a leauen that will leauen the whole lumpe It s like a scab that will infect the whole flocke It s like
against Iudah These might haue serued Israel in stead of so many mirrours or looking glasses wherein they might haue beheld the iudgements that hung ouer their heads also From the iudgements of God denounced to forreine nations the people of Israel might thus within themselues haue reasoned Our God! All his a Deut. 32.4 wayes are iudgement he is a God of truth without iniquitie iust and right is he The Syrians the Philistines the Tyrians the Edomites the Ammonites and the Moabites must they for their misdoings be punished How then shall we escape They sillie people neuer knew the holy will of God and yet must they be measured with the line of desolation What then shall be the portion of our cup who knowing Gods holy will haue not regarded it Againe from the iudgements of God pronounced against Iudah the people of Israel might thus within themselues haue argued God b Psal 9.7 ministreth his iudgements in vprightnesse He threatneth destruction to our brethren the people of Iudah that people whom all that saw them acknowledged to be the c Esa 61.9 blessed seed of the Lord that people that was the d Esa 5.7 plant of the Lords pleasures that people with whom God placed his e Psal 114.2 sanctuarie vpon that people will the Lord send a fire to deuoure them What then shall be the end of vs They our brethren of Iudah haue preserued among them Religion the worship and feare of the Lord in greater puritie then we haue done and yet will the Lord send a fire vpon them to deuoure them Certainly our iudgement cannot be farre off Amos hauing thus prepared his auditors the Israelites to attention maketh no longer delay but beginneth to deliuer his message to them in the words which I haue now read vnto you For three transgressions of Israell and for foure I will not turne away the punishment thereof c. Herein for our more direct proceeding may it please you to obserue with me 1. Autoritatem sermonis The authoritie of this Prophecie Thus sayth the Lord. 2. Sermonem ipsum The Prophecie it selfe For three transgressions of Israel c. In the Prophecie as farre as this Chapter leadeth vs we haue 1. Reprehensionem A reproofe of Israel for sinne vers 6 7 8. 2. Enumerationem A recitall of the Benefits which God had heaped vpon Israel vers 9.10.11 3. Exprobrationem A twitting of Israel with their vnthankefulnesse vers 12. 4. Comminationem A threatning of punishment to befall Israel for their sinnes ver 13. to the end of the Chapter The Reprehension is first and first by vs to be considered In it we may note 1. A generall accusation of Israel For three transgressions of Israel and for foure 2. A protestation of Almightie God against them I will not turne away the punishment thereof 3. A rehearsall of some grieuous sinnes which made a separation betweene God and Israel Because they sold the righteous for siluer and the poore for a paire of shoes and so forward to the end of the eyghth verse You haue the deuision of my Text. Now followeth the exposition The first thing we meete with is Autoritas sermonis the authoritie of this prophecie Thus saith the Lord Iehovah Now the thirteenth time is this great Name of God Iehovah offered to our deuoutest meditations We met with it in the first chapter of this book nine times and thrise before in this and yet by this name Iehovah is not God knowne to vs. We know him by the name of a strong omnipotent and All-sufficient God but by his Name Iehovah we know him not Abraham Isaac Iacob by this Name knew him not it is so recorded Exod. 6.3 Nor can we by this Name know him For this Name is a Name of Essence It designeth God vnto vs not by any effect of his but by his Essence and who euer knew the Essence of God who was euer able to define it The f Pet. Galatinus de arcanis Cathol verit lib. 2. cap. 1. schoole-men say there are three things whereof they can giue no definition One is that first matter out of which all things were produced The second is Sinne that hath destroyed all The third is God who preserueth all The first which is the Philosophers Materia prima they define not obsummam informitatem because it is without all forme The second which is mans bane Sinne they define not ob summam deformitatem for its exceeding deformitie The third euen God the prime cause of all his creatures they define not ob summam formositatem for his transcendeÌ„t beautie It pleaseth the Schoolmen sometimes thus to play with words For the matter they are in the right It is true g Aquin. par 1. qu 1. art 7. ad â—â— De deo non possumus scire Quid est We cannot attaine to so great a measure of the knowledge of God as to define what he is When the Poet h Cic. de Nat. Deorum lib. 1. Simonides was asked of K. Hiero what God is He wisely for answere desired one dayes respite after that two then foure still he doubled his number at last of his delay he gaue this for a reason Quanto diutiùs considero tanto mihi res videtur obscurior the more I consider of this matter the more obscure it seemeth vnto me Cotta in i Ibid. Tullie said not amisse Quid non sit Deus citiùs quà m quid sit dixerim I can with more ease tell what God is not then what he is This goeth for a truth in the schooles k Aquin. par 1. qu 3. in principio De Deo scire non possumus quid sit sed quid non sit we cannot know of God what he is but what he is not So saith Saint l In psal 85. Augustine Facilius dicimus quid non sit quam quid sit Deus We can more easily say what God is not then what he is And what is he not The same father in his 23. Tract vpon the Gospell of S. Iohn will tell you Non est Deus corpus non terra non coelum non luna non Sol non Stellae non corporalia ista God is not a bodie he is not the earth he is not the Heauen he is not the Moone he is not the Sunne he is not the Starres he is not any of these corporall things From hence sprang those Negatiue attributes of God which we meete with either in the sacred volumes of the New Testament or in the writings of the ancient Fathers from hence is God said to be m 1. Tim. 1.17 immortall invisible n Rom. 1.23 vncorruptible o Bernard serm 6. Supra Cantica incorporeall p Aug. de verb. Apostoli Serm. 1. ineffable inestimable incomprehensible infinite q Bernard paruorum sermonum serm 51. immense vndiuided vnuariable vnchangeable All these shew vnto vs not what God is but what he is not And
ordinarily without feare or shame commit filthinesse with the same young woman and so doing doe prophane my holy name they cause my name to bee blasphemed and ill spoken of Two things are heerein remarkable One is the sinne heere obiected to the Israelites the other is the consequent of this sinne The sinne is poynted at in these words A man and his father will goe in vnto the same mayde the consequent in these to prophane my holy name The sinne is vnlawfull pleasure taken either in incest or in adultery or in fornication or in any other vncleannesse the consequent is the prophaning of the holy name of God The doctrine arising from both I deliuer in this one position Incestuous persons adulterers fornicators otherwise shamelesse sinners are oftentimes the cause of prophaning the holy name of God Incestuous persons adulterers and fornicators all are starke naught but the first are the worst Incest adultery and fornication each of them is a sinne that throweth the sinner into the euer-burning lake yet the most greeuous of them is incest Incest It is one of the grossest vices of lust Euery mixture of man and woman of the same kinred within the degrees forbidden by the law of God is Incest It is forbidden in the seuenth Commandement wherein although adulterie be onely mentioned yet vnder that kinde of vncleannesse are comprehended and noted Sodomitrie incest rape simple fornication all the rest together with their causes occasions effects antecedents and consequents But more precisely is incest forbidden in the eighteenth of Leuiticus from the sixth verse to the eighteenth In the sixth verse the inhibition is generall None of you shall approach to any that is neere of kinne to him to vncouer their nakednesse I am the Lord. It is then the Lord that speaketh to you None of you shall come neere to any of your kinne to vncouer their shame But what kinred meaneth hee There is a kinred by society of bloud it is called consanguinity there is also a kinred by marriage it is called Affinitie And to both these kinreds will the Lord haue his inhibition to extend You shall not approch to any that is neere of kinne to you to vncouer their nakednesse that is you may not marry with or otherwise lustfully abuse any of your kinred be they of your kinred either by Consanguinity or by Affinity Now to treat of all these degrees that are in the eighteenth of Leuiticus forbidden were needlesse at this time One aboue the rest will fit my text It s that in the eighth verse The nakednesse of thy fathers wife thou shalt not vncouer Thy fathers wife that is thy step-mother not thine owne mother Her nakednesse though shee bee but thy mothâ—r in law thou shalt not vncouer This might haue beene the sin of these Israelites in my text Heere you see A sonne and his father went in vnto the same maide If this maide were wife vnto the father then was shee stepmother to the sonne and the sonne was incestuous This vncleannesse the very Heathen haue detested S. Paul acknowledgeth as much 1. Cor. 5.1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you and such fornication as is not so much as named amongst the Gentiles that one should haue his fathers wife Not so much as named amongst the Gentiles What doe not Heathen histories yeeld examples of this vncleannesse They doe They giue vs to vnderstand of n Plutarch in Demetrio Antiochus sonne of Seleucus how he burning with the incestuous loue of his mother in law Stratonice got her by his Fathers assent to be his wife They tell vs of o Plutarch in Artaxerxes Darius sonne of Artaxerxes how he obtained of his father by request that he might take to wife his mother in law Aspasia They relate vnto vs how p Aelius Spartianus in Antonino Caracalla Peretius in Mellificio historico parte 2. pag. 202. Antoninus Caracalla Emperour tooke to wife his mother in law Iulia. Antoninus bewitched with her beautie and desiring to marrie her with sighes said vnto her Vellem si liceret Mother if it were lawfull I would make you my wife Shee monster as she was shamefully replyed Si libet licet An nescis te Imperatorem esse leges dare non accipere Sonne you haue called me mother if you list to make me your wife you may Know you not that you are Emperour you giue lawes you take none With this her answere Antoninus inflamed matrem duxit vxorem he married his mother Other examples of this vncleannesse Heathen histories haue affoorded vs. How then is it that S. Paul in the but now-alledged place saith that this vncleannesse is such as is not so much as named among the Gentiles We need not fly to an Hyperbole to excuse the Apostles assertion His meaning is that though such vncleannesse were sometime practised among the Gentiles yet that among the very Gentiles lawes were made against it and that the better sort of the Gentiles did detest it as a filthie strange and monstrous villanie Was this vncleannesse held in such detestation by the Gentiles who were guided onely by natures light No maruaile then is it if the Lord here in my text do so sharply reproue Israel for this vncleannesse among them Israel They were the people of the Lord they were his inheritance they had the lampe of the word of God to be their guide Yet Israel rebellious and disobedient Israel hath played the harlot A man and his father went in vnto the same maide Vnder this one kinde of incest are comprehended all the rest And not incest onely but adulterie also yea and fornication too So that indeed the Israelites are here reproued in generall for their filthie lusts They were so inordinately vicious and so disolute that they blushed not once to pollute themselues with fornication with adulterie with incest with all manner of filthinesse and hereby was the holy name of God prophaned It is true Peccatorum turpitudine violatur nomen Dei sanctum such is the filthinesse of sinne that through it the holy name of God is often violated It was violated by Dauids sinne Dauid the man after Gods owne heart yet conuicted of murther and adultery Of murther for q 2. Sam. 12.9 killing Vriah the Hittite with the sword and of adulterie for taking to wife the wife of Vriah is by the Prophet Nathan reprooued for prophaning the name of the Lord. In 2. Sam. 12.14 they are the expresse words of Nathan vnto Dauid By this deed thou hast giuen great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme Dauid you see was the sinner others thereby tooke occasion to blaspheme the name of God The name of God was likewise blasphemed for the sinnes of the Israelites The Israelites r Ezech. 37.23 defiling themselues with the Idols of the Heathen with their abhominations with their iniquities are in the Bookes of the Prophets reprooued for prophaning the name of
such varietie of statures in the world may be to let vs vnderstand that a mans stature of it selfe is not to be reckoned as a part of his felicitie or glory For if a great and a goodly stature be as common nay more common to the wicked then to the godly as S. Austin seemes to proue De Civit. Dei lib. 15. cap. 9. why should a godly man boast himselfe of his great and goodly stature Especially sith for the most part men that are conspicuous for their elegant and well featured bodies are defectiue for vnderstanding wisedome and pietie Baruch obserues it Chap. 3. ver 26.27.28 There were sayth he Gyants famous from the beginning that were of so great stature and so expert in warre Those did not the Lord choose neither gaue he the way of knowledge vnto them But they were destroyed because they had no wisedome and perished thorow their owne foolishnesse His obseruation is there were gyants men of great stature yet were they without knowledge without wisedome Great men and yet fooles Whereas pumiliones dwarfs little men men of very little stature sometime scarse a cubite high doe excell in fortitude vnderstanding and wisedome as the but now cited Franzius hath noted Tydeus corpore animo Hercules It s an old prouerbe Tydeus was a man of very little stature but as Menander the Historian sayth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was Hercules for his minde The prouerbe appliable to such as being of little stature are of an vndaunted courage sheweth that many a little man is such Many a man of little stature is of the liuelier wit So it pleaseth God our most wise and prouident God to temper the gifts of the bodie and minde in men of diuers statures He doth not alwayes giue all to one but for the most part he recompenseth the defects of the body with the endowments of the minde Giue me the endowments of the mind what care I for the stature of my bodie Aequè enim brevis longus viuit sayth Musculus Comment in Matth. 6. As long liues the short man as the tall man Nihil detrimenti habet brevis statura nec plus aliquid habet longa The short stature hath no losse neither hath the long stature any aduantage for Heauenly affaires Be my stature what it will let me be transformed by the r Rom. 12.2 renuing of my mind I am well For so shall I proue what is that good that acceptable and perfect will of God which is our ſ 1. Thes 4.3 sanctification Blessed is that man whatsoeuer his stature be that shall be so transformed by the renuing of his mind that he may proue what is that good that acceptable and perfect will of God which is his sanctification I haue stood long vpon the second part of this verse the description of the Amorites the time requireth that I goe on with the third part It is the explication or the amplification of the ruine of the Amorites The words are Yet I destroyed his fruit from aboue and his rootes from beneath The words are prouerbiall they are figuratiue they are metaphoricall I destroyed his fruit from aboue and his rootes from beneath The meaning is exterminavi eum totum t Drusius quantus quantus erat I haue wholy cast him out I haue vtterly destroyed him The like phrase we meet with Iob 18.16 It s there said of the wicked man His rootes shall be dried vp beneath and aboue shall his branch be cut off The comparison stands betweene a wicked man and a dry tree A dry tree may seeme to be firmely rooted and may haue faire and wide spreading bowes when its good for nothing but to be cut downe and cast into the fire So it is with the wicked man All his pompe all his power all his excellencie all his honor all his glory which are to him as the fruit and the rootes are vnto a tree shall more then suffer an Eclipse they shall vtterly vanish His roots shall be dried vp beneath and aboue shall his branches be cut off I cannot giue you an easier or plainer exposition of the Allegorie then Bildad the Shuhite doth in the same chapter of the booke of Iob and the verse following His remembrance shall perish from the earth and he shall haue no name in the street He shall haue no name in the street What 's that It s this His old friends and acquaintance shall not so much as speake of him but to vilifie him as to say He was a wicked wretch an adulterer an vsurer a thiefe a drunkard a slanderer a swearer a blasphemer a man that neither feared God nor loued his neighbour Vpon such a man the wicked man Salomon hath passed his censure Prov. 2.22 He shall be cut off from the earth he shall be rooted out of it This also may serue for an exposition of the Allegorie His rootes shall be dried vp beneath and aboue shall his branch be cut off The like Allegorie you see is in my text I destroyed his fruit from aboue and his rootes from beneath Fruit and rootes That is saith Lyranus patres filios fathers and their sonnes Paulus de palatio by the fruit and the rootes vnderstandeth viros mulieres parvulos men women and the litle ones The litle ones are the fruit men and women are the roote Albertus Magnus will haue the fruit to be divitias aedificia culturam their riches their buildings their husbandry and the rootes to be tribus familias successionem filiorum nepotum their tribes families kinreds and the succession of their sonnes and nephewes Arias Montanus takes the fruit and the rootes to signifie omnem illius gentis familiam posteritatemque all the linage of that nation and their posteritie I passe by other like interpretations these few may giue vs the true meaning of the words we haue in hand The words are an explication or rather an amplification of the first part of this verse concerning the destruction of the Amorites There the Lord saith I destroyed the Amorite before them here he saith I destroyed his fruit from aboue and his roots from beneath From hence we know that it was not any gentle stripe which the Amorites receiued not any light incisiō not any small wound but that it was their extermination their contrition their vniuersall ouerthrow their vtter ruine Fruit and root Prince and subiect Parents and children old and yong they were all destroyed For thus saith the Lord I destroyed their fruit from aboue and their roote from beneath But when did this great destruction befall the Amorites It befell them in the dayes of Moses when the Lord deliuered ouer into the hands of Israel t Deut. 2.33 Sihon King of the Amorites and Og the King of Bashan Then did Israel smite both those Kings u Num. 21.34 Deut. 3.3 Sihon King of the Amorites and Og the King of Bashan Them they smote with the edge of the
earth and they haue returned vnto him nothing but vnthankfulnesse the Lord will surely punish them for all their iniquities The parts are two 1 A Commemoration 2 A Commination The Commemoration is of benefits the Commination is of punishments The Commemoration is for words short yet for matter very copious It hath reference to the many singular and exceeding great benefits which the Lord hath bestowed vpon his people Israel You onely haue I knowne of all the families of the earth The Commination is sharpe but very iust It may serue thus farre to instruct the Israelites that if the Lord should at any time with his strong hand a Iob 30.21 oppose himselfe against them and make their b Vers 15. welfare to passe away as a cloud and lay terrors vpon them yet they should not calumniate and c Iob 1.22 charge God with folly but should lay the whole blame thereof vpon themselues and their owne deseruings Therefore will I punish you for all your iniquities Of both in their order First of the Commemoration You onely haue I knowne of all the families of the earth You onely Onely you How can this be so Did not the knowledge of God extend it selfe to other Nations as well as to the Israelites It may not be denied It extends it selfe not to men only but to whatsoeuer else is in the world You may consider it two manner of waies either in it selfe or as it hath reference to things knowne If it be considered in it selfe it is most certaine and is euer the same as necessary and immutable as is the very diuine Essence from which it differeth not indeed but onely consideration For that axiome of the Schooles is true Quicquid est in Deo est ipsa Dei Essentia Whatsoeuer is in God is Gods owne Essence And therefore the knowledge of God is his diuine Essence and God is his owne knowledge Whence it followeth that wheresoeuer God is and his holy Essence there is his knowledge Now God is euery where his Essence is euery where his knowledge therefore must be euery where It s impossible that any thing should be concealed from it Againe the knowledge of God may be considered as it hath reference to things knowne and so also nothing can bee hid from it For it knoweth it selfe and euery thing else Things vniuersall and singular things past present and to come things which neither are nor haue beene nor euer shall bee things necessary and contingent naturall and voluntary good and euill atchieued and thought vpon finite and infinite all are knowne vnto him So saith the Apostle Heb. 4.13 There is no creature that is not manifest in the sight of God No creature Nay vnto his eyes all things are naked and open All things How then is it that here he saith to the Israelites You onely haue I knowne of all the families of the earth For the cleering of this doubt we are to note that knowledge attributed vnto God in holy Scripture doth not euer betoken a bare and naked knowledge but sometimes his loue his fauour his care his prouidence his choice his approbation his allowance his acceptance or the like As Psal 1.6 The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous Hee knoweth that is he loueth he approueth he accepteth he is well pleased with and graciously directeth the way of the righteous And so are we to expound that of the 37. Psal Vers 18. The Lord knoweth the daies of the vpright He knoweth that is He doth not onely foresee but also he alloweth he careth and prouideth for the life of the vpright So I vnderstand that branch of Dauid prayer which he made in the caue Psal 142.3 When my spirit was ouer-whelmed within me then thou knewest my path Thou knewest that is thou didst approue and allow of the order of my life and innocent conuersation In the booke of Exodus Chap. 33.17 the Lord said vnto Moses Thou hast found grace in my sight and I know thee by name I know thee by name that is I haue respect vnto thee I approue thee I care and prouide for thee In the first Chapter of the Prophesie of Nahum vers 7. it is said of the Lord that he knoweth them that trust in him And there to know is to loue to defend to approue to regard Them that trust in him he knoweth he suffers them not to perish In the second Epistle to Timothy Chap. 2.19 we reade of a foundation a foundation of God a sure foundation the seale whereof is Nouit Dominus qâ—â— sunt ejus The Lord knoweth those that are his The Lord knoweth vnderstand not onely a knowledge in generall but a speciall knowledge such a knowledge as is ioyned cum applicatione cordis ac voluntatis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a learned Diuine well speaketh such a knowledge as is associated with the applying of the heart and will and good pleasure of the Lord. The Lord knoweth who are his He so knowes them as that they d Ioan. 10.28 shall neuer perish neither shall any man plucke them out of his hand Other like places I could produce yet further to shew this idiotisme of the holy tongue that verba notitiae words of knowledge doe not euer betoken a bare and naked knowledge but sometime such a e Mat. 7.23 Luk. 13.27 Mat. 25.12 Rom. 7 15. knowledge as is ioyned with some f Vorflius aâ—ica Duplicat cap. 4. pag 225. decree of him that knoweth with some action of his will with his approbation But I shall not neede to doe it From the Texts of Scripture before alleaged ariseth a distinction of the Schoolemen their distinction of the knowledge of God The knowledge of God say they is two-fold the one is the knowledge of his g Aquin. â—â— 2â— qu. 188. 5. 1. apprehension the other the knowledge of his h Ripa in 1. Th. qu. 14. Art 13. Dub. 4. cap. 4. fol. 83. col 3. Wendalin Suppl in 4. Sentent Dist 50. qu. 1. approbation That they call his absolute and speculatiue knowledge this his speciall and practicall and this not that is the knowledge to bee vnderstood in the places euen now by me expounded And this not that is the knowledge intended in my Text. Thus is the doubt resolued The doubt was How it is here said that the Lord onely knew the Israelites aboue all the Nations of the Earth The answer is Hee knew them not onely as he knew other Nations by his absolute and speculatiue knowledge but also by his speciall and practicall not onely by the knowledge of his apprehension but also by the knowledge of his approbation Some there are that by knowledge here doe vnderstand a possession To know say they is to possesse to haue in our power to inioy as our owne For proofe whereof they bring that Psal 50.11 I know all the fowles of the mountaines and the wild beasts of the field are mine The words are
long before with holy premonitions he prouideth for them by his Prophets and either by promises he keepeth them in good courses or by threats he recalleth them from bad Be it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an exposition or a reason of what was said before it is all one for the matter But if we respect the forme of the sentence as it standeth in our now English translation Surely the Lord God will doe nothing but he reuealeth his secret to his seruants the Prophets it may be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Asseueration For such it is and is of a reuelation concerning which three things are to be obserued 1. Who is the Reuealer 2. What is Reuealed 3. To whom The Reuealer is the Lord God His secret is the thing reuealed They to whom the reuelation is made are his seruants the Prophets Of those in their order The Reuealer is first and is here set forth by two names of his Adonai Iehouih Lord God The first place of Scripture wherein these two names are ioyned together is Gen. 15.2 in the complaint made by Abraham for want of an heire Lord God what wilt thou giue me if I goe childlesse Lord God Lord in Hebrew is Adonai which signifieth My Lords or my stayes or pillars implying in it a mystery of the holy Trinity Matth. 11.25 It is one of the proper names of God the Lord of Heauen and earth who as a base sustaineth his faithfull children in all their infirmities It is written here with kametz or long A in the end and so is proper to God hauing the vowels of Iehouah when it is written with Patach or short A it is applied to creatures In the forme singular Adon Lord or sustainer is also ascribed vnto God the Lord of all the earth Psal 97 5. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth The Lord of the whole earth he is Adon Adonim in the forme plurall is likewise ascribed vnto God Malac. 1.6 If I be Adonim If I be a Lord where is my feare The other name of God in this place is Iehouih Iehouih It is vsually so written when it is ioyned with Adonai and it hath the consonant letters of Iehouah and the vowels of Elohim And where one Prophet writeth Adonai Iehouih as in the prayer of Dauid set downe 2 Sam. 7.18 another writing of the same prayer saith Iehouah Elohim 1 Chron. 17.16 Say Iehouih or Iehouah the signification is the same But Iehouih as Tremelius and Iunius haue noted vpon the 15. of Genesis is the more patheticall the fitter to moue affection and is therefore vsed in passionate speeches and prayers that are very earnest by a Gen. 15.2 8. Abraham by b Deut. 3.24.9.26 Moses by c Cap. 4.14 c. Ezechiel and others as if they were sighing and sobbing So writeth Amandus Polanus in his Commentary vpon Ezechiel chap. 4.14 But Alsted in his Theologicall Lexicon is of another minde and thinks there is no more passion shewed in saying Iehouih than in saying Iehouah Yet may it be otherwise Adonai Iehouih the Lord God The first of these two names betokeneth his Maiestie his sustentation of all things and his dominion ouer all the second his Essence his existing or being The first Adonai Grammarians deriue from Eden which is as much as Basis or Stylobates the base or foot-stoole of a pillar the foundation thereof giuing vs thereby to vnderstand that the Lord our God is the sustainer the maintainer the vpholder of all things that he is most properly primarily and of himselfe Lord that he is the only true prime and supreme Lord of all things yea the Lord of Lords that he alone hath absolute full free and eternall right ouer all things that are contained within the circuit of Heauen and Earth The second Iehouih they deriue as they doe Iehouah from Hauah which signifieth He was The force of this name is opened in the Reuelation of Saint Iohn chap. 1.4 in that his sâ—lutation to the seuen Churches of Asia Grace be vnto you and peace from Him which is and which was and which is to come that is from God the Father Iehouah from him that is eternall immortall and vnchangeable from him who hath his being of himselfe and giueth being to all creatures In the same chap. vers 8. I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end saith the Lord which is and which was and which is to come the Almighty The words are the conclusion or shutting vp of the fore-mentioned salutation and are a confirmation of that grace and peace that was to come vnto the seuen Churches from Iehouah God alone from him who is the first and the last our Redeemer the Lord of Hosts besides whom there is no God Who was who was before all and gaue to euery creature the being Who is to come who is to come continueth for euer and supporteth all euen the Almightie who exerciseth his power and prouidence ouer all This same who is who was and who is to come as before in the distinguishing of the Persons of the Trinitie it was vsed to expresse God the Father so here it is vsed to declare the vnion of substance in the whole three Persons Father Sonne and Holy Ghost It is likewise vsed Reu. 11.17 where those foure and twentie Elders which sate before God on their seats fell vpon their faces and worshipped God saying Wee giue thee thankes O Lord Almightie which art and which wa st and which art to come So is it by the Angell of the waters Reuel 16.5 where he saith Thou art righteous O Lord which art and which wa st and which shalt be Thus in the Holy Reuelation of Saint Iohn is the force of the name Iehouah opened foure seuerall times and implieth thus much 1. That God hath his being or existence of himselfe before the world was Esay 44.6 2. That He giues being vnto all things For as much as in him all things are and doe consist Act. 17.25 Exod. 6.3 Esay 45.2 Ezech. 5.17 3. That Hee giueth being to his Word effecting whatsoeuer Hee speaketh We met with this name of God Iehouah in the first Chapter of this Booke nine times in the second seuen times and twice before in this Now by the change of a vowell it is Iehouih This change of a vowell changeth not the name Iehouah or Iehouih the name is the same the most proper name of God of God whose true Latitude is his Immensitie whose true Longitude is his Eternitie whose true Altitude is the Sublimitie of his Nature whose true Profunditie being sine fundo without bottome is his incomprehensibility Bernard in his fifth booke de Consideratione cap. 13. hath a discourse to this very purpose but with some variety The question there propounded is Quid est Deus What is God The answer is Longitudo Latitudo
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are not farre from the meaning nor is Oecolampadius with his annunciate for which our countryman Tauerner hath Preach Preach in the Palaces at Ashdod Caluin Iunius Brentius with his Clamate Gualter with his Diuulgate Vatâ—blus Marcer Drusius and others with their Promulgate are all for the Proclamation Cry Diuulge Publish or Proclaime Proclaime Where In Ashdod and in the Land of Aegypt First in Ashdod Pâ—laestina the Countrey of the Philistines was diuided into fiue Prouinces Dutchies or Lordships mentioned Iosh 13.3 the Prouinces of Azzâ—h of Ashdod of Askelon of Gath of Ezron Those fiue the chiefe and most famous Cities of Palastina are recorded also 1 Sam. 6.17 where the Philistines are said to haue returned for a trespasse offering vnto the Lord fiue golden Eâ—â—rods one for Ashdod one for Azzab one for Askelon one for Gâ—th and one for Ekron Ashdod In the first diuision of the holy Land it was in the lot of the Tribe of Iudah and is so described Iosh 15.47 Afterward it tell to the lot of the Tribe of the Children of Dan who had their inheritance as the Children of Simeon had within the inheritance of the Children of Iudah I sh 19.1 is accordingly described by Adrichom and Schrot in their tables of the Holy Land The more familiar name of it is Azotus In it were left Giants those that were called Enakim It is to this day a famous Citie of Palaestina Apud Hieron Tâ—â— 3. So saith Eusebius lib. de locis Hebraicis Another learned Author writing of the Hebrew places in the Acts of the Apostles saith Azotus is a famous towne of Palaestina called in Hebrew Ashdod and is one of the fiue cities of the Allophyli of the Philistines For the Etymologie of the word Saint Hierome saith it signifieth as much as ignis vberis or ignis patrui the fire of an vdder or of an vncle The words are in his Commentary vpon Amos chap. 1. where he refuteth those that say it is ignis generationis the fire of generation And well for they mistake Resch for Dâ—leth taking it for Aschdor when it is Aschdod The Author of the booke De nominibus Hebraicis vpon Ioshua saith Asdod is dissolutio vel effusio siue incendium a dissolution or an effusion or a burning A little after ignis patrui mei vel incendia my vncles fire or burnings Ignis patrui so I reade with Drusius obseru 6. 8. not Gens patrui as it is in the old bookes by the like mistake of Resch for Daleth Buntingus in his Itinerarie vpon the old Testament saith it is Ignis dilectus a beloued fire There is no agreement betweene these Etymologizâ—rs The more familiar and Greeke name of this Citie Azotus is by Stephanus in his booke of Cities deriued from Azâ— a woman that was the Foundresse of this Citie But I rather thinke that Azotus is so called from the Hebrew Asdod by the change of some letters Azotus for Asdotus as Ezâ—as for Esdras and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Dâ—ricke Dialect This same Citie Asdod or Azotus was made famous by the Ark of the Lord brought thither wheÌ„ it was taken by the Philistines and by the house of the Idoll Dagon there 1 Sam. 5.2 This is that Azotus where Philip the Deacon was found after he had baptised the Aethiopian Eunuch Act. 8.40 And this that Asdod whereof you heard in my thirteenth Sermon vpon the first Chapter of this booke vpon the eight verse these words I will cut off the inhabitant from Asdod Yet I take it not that Ashdod is here put so precisely for the Citie but that it may by a Synecdoche comprehend the whole region or Country of the Philistines Commonly it is so vnderstood by Ancients Saint Hierome Remigius Albertus Rupertus Hugo Lyra Isidorus and by moderne Writers Montanus Christophorus à Castro Petrus Lusitanus and others But I must from Ashdod and goe on to the Land of Aegypt for there is this proclamation likewise to be made Proclaime in Ashdod and in the Land of Aegypt To this Land of Aegypt we came twice before in our view of this Prophecie Cap. 2.10 3.1 and therefore need not at this time stand long vpon it Yet may we not leaue it altogether vnsaluted It is here called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eretz Mitzrajim the Lâ—nd of Mitzrajim Saint Hierome Comment in Esai cap. 18. saith that with the Hebrewes an Aegyptian man and an Aegyptian woman and the Country of Aegypt haue all one name Mefraim Obser lâ—b 5. c 25. for so Drusius readeth out of a Manuscript of Saint Hieromes Workes Apud Ebraeos Aegyptius Aegyptus Aegyptia vno vocabulo nuncupantur Mâ—sraim But this cannot be so For the Aegyptian man hee is Mesri the woman Mesrith the Countrey only Mesraim And if by the name of Mesraim the Aegyptians bee sometime signified it is by a figure of speech as when Iudah is put for the Iewes or Ephraim for the Ephraimites Iosephus in his first booke of the Antiquities of the Iewes cap. 7. saith that Egypt was called Mesrâ— and the Aegyptians Mâ—sraei he alludeth to the Hebrew name Mitzrajâ—m And Aegypt was so called from Mitzrajim one of the sonnes of Chum his second sonne as we finde him Gen. 10.6 He first inhabited that part of Africa which was afterward called Aegypt from Aegyptus sonne of Beliâ—s King of that Land Now because this same Mitzrajim was one of the sons of Cham the Land of Mitzrajim or of Aegypt is in the Psalmes of Dauid entitled the Land of Cham Psal 105.27 106 2â— as Psalm 105.23 Iaacob was a stranger in the Land of Cham and in other places And for the same reason is Cham put for Aegypt Psal 78 51. He smote all the first borne in Aegypt euen the beginning of their strength in the tabernacles of Cham. The latter part of that verse being an exposition of the former makes it manifest that Cham is there put for Mitzrajim or Aegypt Enough for this time of Aegypt The Palaces of both Ashdod and Aegypt are here specified not barely the houses as the Vulgar Latine here readeth but the Palaces to shew that this proclamation was to be made not in obscure houses or poore Cottages but in their Princes Courts And quod in aulis principum diuulgatur latere non potest what is published in Princes Courts it will abroad There is the greatest confluence of honourable persons and men of note who haue euermore some about them that will not spare to tell abroad what is either said or done by the Princes themselues in their most secret closets Their very vices cannot be hid So Honorius the Emperour in the Panegyricke tells his son Theodosius Claudian de 4. Cons Honorij vers 271. cunctis tua gentibus esse Facta palam nec posse dari regalibus vsquà m Secretum vitijs Whatsoeuer thou doest it is knowne abroad nor can
example of Vzziah King of Iudah 2 Chron. 26.16 He for inuading the Priâ—sts office for burning Incense vpon the Altar of Incense in the Temple of the Lord Carthus in Num. 1. was stricken with a leprosie And Gedeon that valiant man who iudged Israel for forty yeeres intermedled too farre with the Priests office when he made the golden Ephod Iudg. 8.27 All Israel went a whoring after it and it became a snare to Gedeon himselfe and to his house Now from the danger of intrusion thus laid open we may inferre the vnlawfulnesse of medling with ministeriall function in the Church without assurance of calling from God The same may be inferred vpon the blame which God layeth vpon false Prophets Ierem. 14.14 I sent them not neither haue I commanded them neither spake I vnto them yet they prophesie And Chap. 23.21 Ierem. 29.9 I haue not sent these Prophets yet they runne I haue not spoken to them yet they prophesied They haue prophesied What but lies though in my name they haue prophesied false visions and diuinations things of naught and the deceit of their owne heart Thus haue they done but I sent them not nor commanded them nor spake vnto them This blame thus laid by the Lord vpon wicked and false Teachers for running before they are sent and preaching before they are called enforceth the acknowledgement of the point hitherto deliuered that It is not lawfull for any man to take vpon him ministeriall function in the Church without assurance of calling from God This calling the assurance whereof we are to haue is either immediate and â—xtraordinary or mediate and ordinary The first is where God calleth immediatly without the ministery of man so were the Prophets and Apostles called The other is wherein God vseth the ministery of man as at this day in the designment of euery Minister vnto his function Both these callings as well the mediate as the immediate the ordinary as the extraordinary are of God that of God alone this of God by man and of this especially is the doctrine hitherto proued to be vnderstood we cannot expect a blessing vpon our labours except Gâ—d hath called vs so necessary is Gods calling to the ministery of the Church The point hitherto handled serueth for the confutation of the Anabaptist and other fanaticall spirits who runne without calling and preach though they be not sent contrary to that of Saint Paul Rom. 10.5 How shall they preach except they bee sent And yet will these men if they meet with a Minister that is lawfully and orderly called demand of him Quis te elegit Sir Who hath chosen you though themselues haue no calling at all no not from their blind Church as Gastius hath obserued in his first booke of the errors of the Catabaptists Yea their assertion is that if a man vnderstand the doctrine of the Gospell be he either Cobler or Botcher or Carpenter or what else he is bound to teach and preach This is obserued of them by Chemnitius in his Treatise of the Church Chap. 4. With these Anabaptists I may ioyne the Photinians who deny the nec ssity of vocation in the Ministers of the Church Socinus in his Treatise of the Church Theophilus Nicâ—laides in his defence of that Treatise a Institut â—ap 42 Osterodius b â—n Notis ad lib. Sâ—â—gâ—â—â—â—ip 3. Radeccius c In â—â—â—ut Thes D. Frantz p. 2. Diâ—p 4. Shemalizius and the d â—it de Eccleâ— caâ— 2. Catechist of Racow all these are against a necessity of calling in the Ministery and doe here stand conuicted of that their error So doe all those lay people men or women who in the case of â—uppâ—sed necessity doe aduenture to administer the Sacrament of Baptisme which together with the preaching of the word the Lord hath inuested in the persons of Ministers duly called Mat. 28.19 Goe ye and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost Goe ye teach and baptize Goe ye It is our Sauiours precept to his Apostles and in them to their successors Ministers duly called None of the Laity nor man nor woman hath part in this function And how can it bee imagined that women whom Saint Paul hath excluded from preaching 1 Cor. 14 34. should be permitted to administer any Sacrament They may not so much as Baptize It s obiected women may teach their families therefore they may also baptize Our answer is that the Consequent holds not Women may teach as they are priuate Christians but not as Ministers Baptize they cannot but as Ministers this being euery way in euery respect and manner proper to a Minister It is further obiected from the example of Zipporah Exod. 4.25 Zipporah Moses wife circumcised her sonne In the place of Circumcision Baptisme hath succeeded why then may not women now adaies Baptize I answer Circumcision was not of old so appropriated to the Leuites as Baptisme is now to the Ministers of the Gospell And therefore it s no good Consequence Some that were not Leuites did Circumcise therefore some that are not Ministers may Baptise Againe what if Zipporah sinned in Circumcising her child Must she be a patterne to other women to Baptize Caluin is not afraid to proue she sinned and his proofe is sound in the fourth of his Institutions chap. 15. § 22. Lib. 1. de Sacr. Baptismi c. 7. §. 11. though Bellarmine labour to refute him It was doubtlesse an vnexcusable temerity â—â—her to circumcise her childe in the presence of her Husband Moses not a priuate man but a prime Prophet of the Lord than whom there arose not a greater in Israel which was no more lawfull for her to doe than it is at this day for a woman to Baptise in the presence of a Bishop And how can she bee excused from sinne in that her act sith she murmured against the ordinance of the Lord and reuiled her husband weigh but the bitternesse of her speech Surely a bloudy husband art thou to me because of the Circumcision Thirdly say she sinned not in circumcising her childe which yet I may not grant then I say the fact might be extraordinary and therefore not to be imitated without like dispensation Fourthly some thinke she was onely the hand of her husband in his weaknesse and so the fact shall be not hers but her husbands For these reasons the example of Zipporah doth not aduantage the a Bellarm. vbi supra Salmeron in Mat. 28. Papist or b Eckhard fascit contr c. 19. qu. 4. Gerhard Loc. Theol. 23. n. 24 c. Lutheran in their errour about Gyâ—aecobaptismus or womens Baptisme But may they not Baptise in case of extreme necessity No not then Why then the childe may die vnbaptized and so be in certaine danger of damnation We make a great difference betweene want of baptisme and the contempt thereof The contempt euer damneth so doth not the want By
the Lord ô my soule and forget not all his benefits Forget not All Nay Forget not any of his benefits Remember them all either first or last Now from the non-obseruance of the order of the Historie in this enumeration of Gods benefits vpon Israel we are particularly to speake of the benefit mentioned in the second place It is their deliuerance out of Egypt The words are Also I brought you vp from the land of Egypt I Iehovah It is his name ver 6. 11. I Iehovah the onely true euerlasting and Almighty God I a Trinitie in Vnitie and the Vnitie in Trinitie Father Sonne and Holy Ghost I who destroyed the Amorites before you and for your sakes I also brought you vp from the land of Egypt I brought you vp It well expresseth the originall which word for word is ascendere vos feci I made you to ascend Nam ex Aegypto ascenditur Iudaeam versus sayth Drusius from Egypt to Iudaea you must ascend and it is a tradition of the Hebrews Iudaea est altior Egypto Iudaea stands higher then Egypt It s affirmed Deut. 10.22 It s there sayd that Iacob with threescore and ten persons went downe into Egypt Iacob with his familie went from Canaan from Iudaea and went dâ—â—ne into Egypt Canaan therefore and Iudaea stood higher then Egypt I brought you vp or I made you to ascend from the land of Egypt From the land of Egypt a Maginus in descrip Aegypti pag. 203. a Egypt is a most noble region and famous much spoken of by writers sacred and prophane Some would haue it to be one of the parts of the world a diuerse part from Asia and Africa and to be betweene them both Others supposing the riuer Nilus the great riuer of Egypt to be the fittest bound to part Asia from Africa doe make Egypt to pertake of both Asia and Africa One part of Egypt they place in Asia the other in Africa The Iesuite Lorinus Comment in Act. Apost cap. 2. 10. makes it a part of Asia Maior He sayth it is a well knowne region of Asia the greater neere vnto Africa But b Lib. 4. Geogr. cap. 5. Tab. 3. Aphricae pag. 98. Ptolomee and the greatest part of Geographers and other writers holding the gulfe of Arabia or the Red Sea to be the fittest bound to sever Asia from Africa haue placed Egypt in Africa This is the most receiued opinion and worthiest to be embraced The land of Egypt is in Africa and is by an c Georg. Abbot the description of the world I. 4. b. Isthmos or a narrow streit of ground ioyned to the Holy land It was of old a land very fruitfull as fruitfull as any almost in the world though in these dayes it doth not answere to the fertilitie of former times From the land of Egypt The Hebrew cals it the land of Mizraim It s so called in my text and else-where generally in the holy Scriptures and hath its name from Mitzraim one of the sonnes of Ham of whom we read Gen. 10.6 He first inhabited that part of Africa which was afterward called Egypt When it first began to be called Egypt it s not easily defined Some say it was first called Egypt in Moses his time when Ramesses surnamed Egyptus sonne of Belus and brother of Danaus was King of the land Ramesses otherwise called Aegyptus began his raigne in the 29 yeare from the going of Israel out of Egypt Of this opinion is d Ad annum Mundi 2482. Funccius in his Chronologie S. e Willet vpon Gen. c 10. p. 120 Perâ—t in Gen. Tom. 2. lib 15. Disp 1. p. 412. Augustine lib. 18. de civ Dei cap. 11. following f Ad annum Mundi 3720. Eusebius in his Chronicle sayth this happened in Iosuahs time more then eight hundred yeares after the floud According to the computation of Manethon an Egyptian Chronographer cited by Iosephus in his g Pag. 451. b first book against Apion It was three hundred ninetie and three yeares after Moses leading Israel out of Egypt Whensoeuer it was first called Egypt it s not much materiall Were it first so called in Moses his time or after in Iosuahs time or yet after 393. yeares from Israels going vp from thence it was many a yeare so called before our Prophet Amos wrote this his Prophecie And yet our Prophet here retaineth the old Hebrew name Mizraim Also I brought you vp 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the land of Mizraim it is in our Language from the land of Egypt But what benefit was it for Israel to be brought vp from the land of Egypt Had they not there a sweete habitation Were they not planted in the best of the land in the land of h Gen. 47.11 Ramesses in the land of i Vers 6. Goshen It may not be denyed but that Egypt of it selfe was a very goodly fruitfull and commodious countrey yet was it very beneficiall to the Israelites that they were thence deliuered and that in two respects one was because the people of the land were superstitious the other because they were full of crueltie First the Egyptians were a superstitious people They had as the Greeks and Romans had their Gods maiorum gentium and their Gods minorum gentium Gods of greater authoritie and Gods of lesse They had for their Gods manie a beast Athenagoras a Christian Philosopher in his embassage or apologie for the Christians to the Emperours Antoninus and Commodus witnesseth that they bestowed diuine honors vpon Cats and Crocodils and Serpents and Aspes and Dogs Arnobius in his first Booke against the Gentiles sayth they built stately Temples felibus scarabaeis buculis to Cats to Beetles to Heyfers Cassiodore in his tripartite historie lib. 9. cap. 27. tels of the Image of an Ape which they adored and cap. 28. hee sayth that a nest of Rats was their God Many other k Accipitres Noctuas Hircos Asinos Hieronym in Esai 11. Tom. 5. p. 51. a Cironius Hieron in Ioel. 3. Tom. 6 pag. 67. d. beasts did they adore Here their superstition rested not it proceeded to the plants of the earth to base plants to leekes and onyons Leekes and onyons were to them for Gods Porrum l Hieron in Esai 46. Tom. 5. pag. 172. a caepe nefas violare Iuvenal Sat. 15. could note it O it was a wicked and detestable act to doe any hurt to a leeke or onyon At such their ridiculous superstition he by and by scoffeth O sanctas gentes quibus haec nascantur in hortis Numina Surely they are holy Nations that haue such Gods growing in their gardens Mad Egypt So the Poet stiles it in the beginning of his Satyre And could it be lesse then mad when it was besotted and bewitched with such foule and monstrous adoration Well might Minutius Felix in his Octavius call those Gods of the Egyptians non numina sed portenta Gods they were not they were monsters Well might
m Geverharl Elmenhorst com ad Minutium Felicem pag. 41. Salisberiensis in his first Booke de nugis cvrial cap. 10. call Egypt Matrem superstitionis the mother of superstition For as n Tom. 5. pag. 170. c. S. Hierome in his Comment vpon Esay 45. witnesseth Neuer was there any Nation so giuen to Idolatrie or worshipped such a number of monsters as Egypt did This notorious superstition and Idolatrie of the Egyptians so much spoken of by Christian writers and others is also in the sacred volumes of Holy writ censured and controlled In Exod. 12.12 the meanacing of the Lord is against them Against all the Gods of Egypt I will execute iudgment I the Lord. The gods of Egypt that is the Images and the Idoles which the Egyptians adored and worshipped Concerning which o De quadraginta duabus mansionibus Mans 2 Tom. 3. pag. 42. S. Hierome in an Epistle of his to Fabiola reporteth out of the Hebrew writers that in very same night the Children of Israel departed out of Egypt all the Temples of Egypt were ouerthrowne siue terrae motu siue iactu fulminum either with earth quakes or thunderbolts These Hebrew writers say further eâdem nocte lignea idola putrefacta fuisse metallica resoluta fusa lapidea comminuta that in the same night all the wooden Images were rotten all the mettall Images were dissolued and moulten all the stone Images were broken If so it were it was doubtlesse a great worke a great iudgement of God vpon those Egyptian monsters In Esay 19.1 their confusion is againe foretold Behold saith the Prophet the Lord rideth vpon a swift cloud and shall come into Egypt and the Idoles of Egypt shall moue at his presence and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it Where the Idoles of Egypt are the heart of Egypt They are called the heart of Egypt because the heart of the Egyptians did wholy depend vpon them for reliefe and succour The Lord rideth vpon a swift cloud and shall come into Egypt and the Idoles of Egypt shall moue at his presence and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it The Idols of Egypt shall moue and melt at the presence of the Lord. In Ierem. 43.13 their desolation is likewise denounced There the Lord threatneth to send Nabuchadnezzar the K. of Babylon his seruant into Egypt What shall he doe there He shall breake the Images of Bethshemesh that is in the land of Egypt and the houses of the Gods of the Egyptians shall be burnt with fire Thus you see it confirmed not onely by Christian writers and others but also by the sacred volumes of holy Scripture that the Egyptians were a superstitious and an Idolatrous people Superstitious were they and Idolatrous Happie then wast thou O Israell that the Lord brought thee vp from the land of Egypt Liue in Egypt thou couldst not with a good conscience nor would the Egyptians willingly suffer thee to worship God otherwise then themselues did To haue worshipped as they did must needs haue beene a Hell vnto thy soule and to haue done otherwise must needs haue brought certaine daunger to thine outward estate Acknowledge it therefore for a great benefit and blessing of God vpon thee that he brought thee vp from the land of Egypt God in reckoning vp this fauour of his his bringing vp Israel out of the land of Egypt teacheth vs what an intollerable thing it is to liue among Idolaters and what a speciall fauour it is to be deliuered from amongst them And this should stir vs vp to a thankfull recognition of Gods goodnesse towards vs who hath deliuered the Church wherein we liue from the Babylonish and Romish Idolatrie wherein our auncestors were nus-led and trained vp to worship and adore not the true and liuing God but Angels and Saints damned â—â—â—les it may be silver and gold stocks and stones Images and Idoles and what not From such grosse and palpable Idolatry we are by Gods goodnesse deliuered and now doe as a long time we haue done enioy the bright Sunne-shine of the p 1. Tim. 1 11. glorious Gospell of the blessed God our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ Being now deliuered from the q Colos 1.13 power of darknesse vnder Antichrist and translated into the light of Christs Gospell Let it be our daily care for it is our dutie to walke worthy the light h Ephes 5.8 as children of light to walke in truth Ep. 3. Ioh. ver 3. to walke in loue Colos 5.2 to walke in newnesse of life Rom. 6.4 to walke not after the flesh but after the spirit Rom. 8.1 If we walke after the flesh we shall mind the things of the flesh we shall be carnally minded and our end shall be death but if we walke after the spirit we shall mind the things of the spirit we shall be spiritually minded and our end shall be life and peace The choise is not difficult Life is better then death If you chuse life you must abandon and forsake the i Gal. 5.19 workes of the flesh which cause death Adulterie fornication vncleannesse lasciuiousnesse k Vers 20. hatred variance emulations wrath strife l Vers 21. envyings murthers drunkennesse revellings vsurie extortion oppression and such like are workes of the flesh and doe shut you out from life Yet may life be yours if you will be m Vers 18. led by the spirit n Vers 22. Loue ioy peace long suffering gentlâ—nesse goodnesse fayth meeknesse temperance are the fruit of the spirit Let these dwell among you and life shall be yours The God of life shall giue it you Hitherto you haue the first respect why it was beneficiall good for the people of Israel that they were brought vp from the land of Egypt It was good for them because the people of the land were superstitious and idolatrous and among such there is no good liuing The other respect now followeth It was beneficiall and good for the people of Israel that they were brought vp from the land of Egypt because the people of the land were full of crueltie and held Israel in subiection and seruitude Egypt was long a harbour to the Israelites but at length it prooued a Gaole vnto them The posteritie of Iacob finds too late what it was for their forefathers to sell Iacob a slaue into Egypt There arose vp a new Pharaoh a new king ouer Egypt he knew not Ioseph Then then were the Israelites contemned as drudges o Exod. 1.11 Task masters must be set ouer them to afflict them with their burdens Why so How had they offended They prospered too fast For thus sayth Pharaoh to his people Exod. 1.9 Behold the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier then we Come on let vs deale wisely with them lest they multiplie and it come to passe that when there falleth out any warre they ioyne also v to our enemies and fight