obey Our Saviour told the Pharisees If ye were blind ye should have no sinne you were in such a condition as that if you sinned perhaps through Godâ—s mercy you might have had noe sinne but it might have been taken away but now ye say we see therefore your sinne remaineth John 9. 41. Now certainely it remaineth and will remaine still at your doore and will not be taken away Seeing Jesusâ— Christ lived amonst them and did such miracles before their eyes if yet they would deny him to be the Christ I doe not see how they could be excused such willfull lying for Jesus his being the Christ is so plain a truth that I may say Who is a Lyar if he be not that denieth that Jesus is the Christ John 2. 22. For such a translation the Greeke will beare as well as BUT he especially if we render A Lyar and not The Lyar. 4 Temporall Destruction by enemies As it did in the Jewes perhaps the Scribes and Pharisees such as I mentioned but now I will get me unto the great men and will speak unto them for they have knowne the way of the Lord and the Judgment of their God But these have altogether broken the yoake and burst the bonds wherefore a Lyon out of the forrest shall slay them c. Jer 5. 5. 6. See v. 4. 5 Damnation Especially if it be against the knowledge of the truth that is the true religion by Apostacy the men are also adversaries to the truth For if we sinne wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth noe more sacrifice for sinne but a certaine looking for of Judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the Adversaries Heb 10. 26 27. 6 Greater damnation then others That Servant who knew his Lord's will and prepared not himselfe neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes Luk 12. 47. Those six men which Ezekiel saw in his vision who had a commission from God to goe thorow Jerusalem and to kill both old and young had this order from him viz to begin at the Sanctuary Ezek. 9. 6. Where it is also said that they began at the ancient men which were before the house See James 4. 17. Enticing or causing others to sinne Doubtlesse it shall be severely punished Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink that putteth thy bottle to him the Prophet changes the person for anger and makest him drunken also that thou maist look on his nakednesse Hab. 2 15 That putteth thy bottle to him or offerest the cup to him to tempt him How often is this sinne committed by us I meane our importunit with our freinds to eate and drink which we take no notice of as a sinne but practise it our selves and expect it from others as an act of civility and complement Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for ye compasse sea and land to make one Proselyte and when he is made you make him twofold more the child of hell then your selves Matt. 23. 15. The Lord in the prophecy of Amos being about to threaten the Israelites with most severe punishments and beginning to reckon up the mercies which he shewed them seemes to have had an intent after that of complaining of more sinnes then one as may be gathered by the expression afterward used of a cart load of sheaves But yet as soone as ever he had mentioned this ye gave the Nazarites wine to drinke and commanded the Prophets saying prophecy not as if the weight of it had forced him to speake he goes no further but presently breakes out Behold I am pressed under you as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift c. Am 2. 12 13 14. Such as are guilty of this Sin their condition is wofull their persons are cursed They are exceedingly detested by God as those are by men who endevour to set others against them Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way Deut 27. 18. They shall be called the least methinkes there is much detestation anger in this expression in the Kingdome of Heaven though it be but in the breach of the least Commandement Mat. 5. 19. Leaving of men in Sinne Threatened 1 For Not-seeking to God in difficulties And therefore Elisha said to Jehoram King of Israel What have I to do with thee Get thee to the Prophets of thy father and to the Prophets of thy mother 2 Kings 3. 13. But especially 2 For leaving God to serve Idols For for this are they left to serve idols longer 10 Judges 13. 14. Yet yee have forsaken me and served other Gods wherefore I will deliver you no more Goe and cry unto the Gods which yee have chosen let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation And so Hosea 8. 11 Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin altars shall be unto him to sin See Amos 4. 4. Jer 16 13. 2 After serving one or some Idols to serving of others As the Israelites for making worshipping the golden calfe were left to worship the hoast of heaven Act. 7. 42. God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven Nay 3 They are left and giuen up to other sinnes Rom 1. 24. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleannesse The Apostle hed mentioned the committing of Idolatry v. â— 3. and so he doth again in verse 25. and brings in this as by a parenthesis As if he were in hast to shew how this leaving them to those sinnes was the certaine effect of their Idolatry and as if that cause and this effect were inseparable See such another Parenthesis Ezek. 16. 23. Amaziah King of Judah for bringing home and worshipping the Gods of the Edomites after he had conquered them was left to pride uncharitablenesse and obstinacy so that he would not be diswaded by Joash King of Israel from the challenge which he made to fight with him But Amaziah would not heare it for it came of God that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies because they sought after the Gods of Edom. c. 2 Chr. 25. 20. So it is said of Zedekiah King of Judah for Idolatry especially among other sinnes Through the anger of the Lord it came to passe in Jerusalem and Judah untill hee had cast them out from his presence that Zedekiah rebelled against the King of Babylon 2 Kings 24. 20. 3 For despising his word Because they had not executed my judgements but had despised my statutes and had polluted my Sabbath and their eyes were after their idols Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good and judgements whereby they should not live Ezek. 20. 24 25. Hierom and Maldonate expound it in my sense And so doth the Chaldee Paraphrast But they expound Statutes of the Idolatrous lawes and rites of the Assyrians among whom the Jewes lived captive
better then I had these many yeares yea though I used no exercise or recreation But à diuerticulo to shew thee in what manner I have done every thing 1 I have produced onely those texts wherein mention is made either of a punishment inflicted or threatned for a sinne wherewith God punisheth it or of an evill fruit and effect of it whereby it punisheth it selfe The Attendants and Consequents of it I meddle not with except such as are necessary or ordinary and whereof there are severall examples also in Scripture 2 In the titles of the chapters when the chapters speake only of punishments threatened I have written Threatened VVhen of punishments Inflicted or of fruites and effects punished or have cause to fear When of both Threatened and punished 3 The subject threatned or punished for the most part I make the Sinne but sometimes the Sinner as Proud men c viz when the punishments mentioned were indeed inflicted upon such a sinner but of some of them it is not so particulary expressed that they were inflicted for that Sinne. 4 Sometimes I seeme to repeat one title twice as in Oppression Oathes c. And my reason is Because I find Scriptures speaking sometimes in generall against Oppression and sometimes but particularly of only such and such oppression and I would not willingly missapply any threat 5 In the Conclusion of many chapters after I have shewed what is expressed in Scripture concerning punishments I doe shew you what may be gathered from the Scripture concerning the odiousnesse or concerning the danger of it either by the names that are given it or the manner that the Scriptures speake of it And sometimes I shew you what may be conjectured from the nature of the sinne or from comparison of the like things among men 6 Some more notable threats and punishments as Being left to our selves c. I have inserted although the cause be not mentioned as taking them to be of use also as well as the rest not onely because the greatest sort of punishments may be the just reward of the least sinne but because reading of such a fearefull punishment without finding for what sinne it was inflicted may make men wary of committing any sinne for feare of committing that 7 Some prophecies of sinnes as Apostasie c. I have inserted for Threats because those sinnes are punishments too as well as sinnes and are so spoken of viz. in a threatening manner and because there can be no greater punishment then to be left to the Commission of them 8 In setting downe the places of Scripture I have not followed the order of the Bible but of the punishments placing them after God's method of mercy from lesse to greater But in mentioning the sins where there are severall titles under one subject as in Ministers Parents c. I have observed the contrary order the lesse after the greater the more to set forth the worth of that Subject and the greatnsse of the respect due to it Having in this manner digested my Collections I intended so to print them without saying any thing my selfe upon any place of Scripture till by the perswasion of a friend whom I very much esteemed I was induced to the contrary But I must earnestly entreat thee to beare with my weaknesse whensoever thou discoverest it And if upon any subject I have suffered my pen to run on too far as in the chapters of Covetousnesse Company-keeping Blasphemy c beare with that too And if thou hast not the patience to read thorow passe to the next Chapter and be not angry And so likewise doe when thou meetest with any criticall observations on the Greek or Hebrew if thou dost not like them or canst not understand them yet keep the book still in thy hand and passe on to other things I speake in this manner because I know how unwilling men are to read of threats and punishments and how forward and sawcy they are to catch at the promises I shall desire thee likewise when thou meetest with any thing that doth not satisfie thee or like thee to suspend thy judgement till thou hast read the Appendix I will but wipe off an aspersion or two then dismisse thee The first is that I was too bold to venture abroad so young unlesse I had more learning and Judgement And I confesse this was once my owne objection to my selfe But I thought it sufficently answered by replying It was not I that went abroad so much as the Scriptures or I and the Scriptures before me The second aspersion is that I was too hasty in printing a thing so suddenly attempted and performed in so little time as is declared in the former Epistle To this I answer 1 That there was not so much need of longer time most of the book being Scripture and not mine owne invention 2 I thought upon the want of a booke of this nature and the usefulnesse of it 3 I understood at every opportunity of hearing from my friends their earnest desire of seeing what I had done 4 I thought that although I had made such hast yet I might boldly say there would be found but litle signe of it perhaps thou wilt meet with some oversights in the printing but not many materiall and those I have affixed to the Appendix 5 I though upon the saying Nihil est inventum simul perfectum that never any thing was perfect at the first though there were never so much time spent about it Well I weigh not to censures So ten may read me I will give a hundred leave to censure me Under a good Conscience I care not what it cost me to convert a sinner My prayer to God is that he would incline thy heart to read the judgments of God written in his book when thou hast done to humble thy selfe under his mighty hand that so he may exalt the main◠thing which in the Composing of this book was aimed at by Thy Servant in Jesus Christ Z. B. THE TABLE A ADultery Affliction threatned Non Affliction Ambition Angels Anger Antichrist Apostacy threatned Apostacy punished Apparell See also Clothes Ashamed of Christ and his religion B Blasphemy against God See also Appendix Blasphemy against the Holy-Ghost Blessings turned into curses Boasters of holinesse Bribery C Carnall men Ceremonies and commandements of men Christ Such as reject Christ Such as forsake Christ Such as deny Christ Enemies of Christ Such as to whom Christ is a Scandall Threats and Examples of his being a scandall see Appendix Such as have no union or communion with Christ Church not heard Clothes of men and women promiscuously worne Communicating unworthily Company of wicked men Company of any too much kept Non-Confession of sins Copulation with beasts as likewise with men and women too neerly related Covenant breaking with God Covetousnesse Cruelty Curiosity Cursing of Blessings by God Cursing of Rulers Cursing of any Cursing of Parents See Parents D Deceitfulnesse
Delight in sinne See Sinne. Desertion Despising Discord Threats of Discord among all sorts Discord among the wicked as a punishment and for the good of the godly Threats to Discord or to those that cause and maintaine it Discouraging of men in holy exercises Distrust Divination Not Doing what we heare Doubting in prayer Drunkennesse Duties of Religion Such as performe them with resolution to retaine their sinnes E Enemies of God's children Envy Escape of Malefactours suffered Evill Calling it good Rendring it for good Extortion F False Prophets Threats to false Prophets Threats of false Prophets Threats or Prophecies of being seduced by false Prophets or false teachers Feare threatened and inflicted upon the wicked Feare of men and fearefullnesse out of distrust of God's goodnesse Flatterers with God with themselves with other men Forgiving one another Frowardnesse G Giving to the rich Glory given or taken to a man's selfe Gluttony God speaking ungodly for him Gospell opposed Governours Such as reject them Such as doe contrary to their sentence Such as did not serve them although heathen Such as perswade men to revolt from them Such as doe not endevour to preserve their lives Threatning punishing with unfit Governours With wicked Governours Threatening and punishing of wicked Governours Grace refused H Hardning of the Heart Hardnesse of heart Hastinesse See Rashnesse Hatred Hearing the word See Word Not helping the godly Helping the wicked Heresy See False teachers Hinderers of the good workes of others Hinderers of the conversion of others Hire detain'd Holynesse Not being humbled under judge ments I Idlenesse Idolatry Ignorance or Blindnesse threatened and inflicted Ignorance threatned punished Impatience and murmuring Impenitence Impudence threatened and punished Incorrigiblenesse under punishments I Incest Injurious dealing Injustice Insensiblenesse under punishments Instruments of punishing punished Intemperance Iudging of others Iudgement day putting it farre away K. Kings and governers threatned and punished L Law-Righteousnesse Leaving of men by God Libertinisme Love of life more then Christ Lovers of the World Lukewarmnesse Lying M Marriage with Idolatars Meanes of grace continued in Anger Means of grace not profited by Men pleasers Mercies Not bettered by See Unthankfulnesse Security and Prosperity Ministers their Duty Such as are scandalous such as teach false doctrin Such as are covetous daubers and menpleasers Such as are idle and neglect their duty Such as ordaine them Ministers their due Persecuters of them Such as Mock them Such as Despise or slight them Such as Believe them not Such as will not suffer them to reap their carnall things Such as doe not stand by them in persecution Ministery Such as intrude upon the worke thereof Bad Ministers threatned for a punishment Mirth i. e. worldly mirth Mockers of the godly Mockers at those that denounce Gods judgements Mockers at those that suffer them O Oaths not kept or taken falsely Old men their Duty Their Due Opportunities of grace neglected Oppressours of the poore of the fatherlesse widowes strangers and servants P Parents their Duty Their Due Such as curse them Such as mock them Such as slight them Such as are disobedient to them and incorrigible Such as doe not honour them Peace-breaking See Discord Persecution threatned and punished Pity not shewed Pledges kept Polititians see also VVisedome Prayer not heard Praying amisse Not-praying Preaching of the word threatned to be removed Such as hinder it Preparation neglected Presumptuous sinnes See in Sin Presumption of perseverance Pride see Proud men Professours in hypocrisie see also Hypocrites and Religion onely in shew Prosperity abused see also Vnthankfull sinning Punishments Such as are 〈◊〉 bettered by them see also Incorrigiblenesse R Rashnesse Reconciliation Regeneration Rejoycing at other mens miseries Relapsing see also Apostacy Religion and Religious Actions used for a cloak Religion only in shew Repenting late Reported well of by all Reproaching Reproof not given Not taken Revenging Riches wrongfully gotten Trusted in Loved too much Rich and wicked S. Sabbath breaking Sacriledge Scandalizing and Being Scandalized Scorning Scriptures not knowne VVrested Scrupling at Gnats and swallowing Camels Security as to Enemies as to Evill Seducers and Seduced Selfe conceited men Selfe-destruction â—elfe-Feare â—elling deceitfullly â—in in generall as sin threatned â—inning deliberatly and with delight With a high hand Against knowledge Enticing or causing others to sinne Gods leaving of men to sin Slanderers or False aecusers T Talebearers Talkativenesse Temple of God Tempting of God Thieves Thoughts of wickednesse Treacherous dealings Trusting in the arme of flesh Not-trusting in and distrusting of God V Unbeliefe as to promises As to the Gospell Uncharitablehesse to men in want Unfruitfulnesse Unthankfull sinning Voluptuousnesse W Warre VVatchfull VVeary in well doing VVhoremongers VVickednesse in Generall more notable texts against it VVill worship VVisedome neglected VVisedome i.e. carnall wisedome punished see also in Polititians VVord of God not obeyed Not believed Not heard VVords idly spoken Works of our own neglected VVorks of God not regarded VVorld loved VVorship of God neglected FINIS SEVERALL THREATS AND PUNISMENTS for severall Sinnes Adultery WHen the Punishments and Threats for this sinne are mentioned the Scriptures speake either in generall and then the punishment is aggravated first with certainty Whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent Prov. 6. 29. or rather unpunished according to the use of the Hebrew word Jer. 25. 29. and elsewhere for he is not innocent already secondly with severity for God telling the Jewes how severely he would deale with them sayes I will judge thee as women that breake wedlocke and shed blood are judged Ezek. 38. 16. Or else speaks in particular and then the punishments mentioned are first death both of the adulterer and of the adulteresse by the law of God This Law was expressed in generall termes against married women If a man be found lying by a woman married to an husband then they shall both of them die Deu. 22. 22. the Rabbines indeed say it is to be interpreted of strangling and so they say of every other law for putting the offender to death where no mention is made by what kind of death that it is to be meant of strangling which was the easiest kind of death in use among them because say they where the law for punishments doth not determine we ought to give the most favourable exposition which however is not so if the verse of Ezekiel but now quoted be to be interpreted by the next save one for then it might be as well stoning and running through with swords oâ— javelins which manner of punishment iâ— there expressed viz. vers 40. and with the latter whereof Zimri and Cozhi werâ— punished by Phineas Num. 25. 6. But againsâ— women who were but betrothd it was specified by stoning If a Damosell that is virgin be betrothed unto an husband and a man find her in the city and lie with her Then yee shall bring them both out unto the gate of the city and yee shall stone them with
are no Gods But my People have changed their glory for that which doth doth not profit Jer. 2. 11. I will punish all such as are clothed in strange apparell Zeph. 1. 8. Se Isa 3. 18 to the end Jonathan the Chaldee Paraphrast makes these words to have been spoken of Idolatry sayes he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 translated qui perstrepunt ad cultum Idolorum that make a noyse at the worsbip of Idols I believe hee meanes shouting and clapping of hands and such like expressions of exultation and joy in use not only amongst the Gentiles but among the Jewes themselves when they went about Divineworship Psalme 55. verse 14 where wee translate wee walked into the house of God in Company the Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with consent the Vulgar in terrore infeare the anonymous Paraphrast in hast the word in the Original is of the same roote with the word which this Paraphrast here useth viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies also noise it is not unlikely that the Prophet meant it of no other noise then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shouting clapping of hands that which he so often speakes of make a joyfull noise unto the Lord c. Ps 66. 1. Ps 95 1 2. Ps 98 4 6. Ps 100 1. Ps 47 15. I beleive we may doe well if we joine the exposition of this Paraphrast for such his Paraphrase is many times being nothing neer so bare a translation as that of Onkelos with our translation and thence gather a reproofe both of Idolatry and and wearing strange apparell together In regard it is not unlike that the Jewes had learnt of the Gentiles to worship the Moone whom they both called the Queene of Heaven the men in womens and the Woman in Men's apparell the reason whereof was because they tooke the Moone whom they made the same with Venus to have been both a man and a woman for she is as well one as the other and you shall finde in old Authors Lunus as well as Luna Ashamed of Christ and religion Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinfull generation then we ought to be lest asham'd when we are apt to think we have most cause of him also shall the Sonne of man be ashamed when he cometh in the Glory of his Father with the Holy Angels Mark 8 38. Luke hath almost the same words cap 9 26. This sinne is in part very often committed by many godly men in conversing with the men of the world they are ashamâ— to set them upon praying or hearing oâ— reading fearing or thinking it absurd 〈◊〉 word that occasions many a sinne and hinders many a good duty to interrupt theiâ— filthy coÌ„munication with godly discourse They are as much ashamed to talke oâ— God and Christ as they would be to goâ— into company that have gaudy clothes with a torn suit But take heed of doinâ— worse then he who said he knew not tâ— man by thus disowning Christ as if he weâ—â— a contemptible man now he has made it appeare that he is a powerfull God nay thâ—â— can'st not sinne lesse to be ashamed of Chriâ—â— notwithstanding his greatnesse and after 〈◊〉 exaltation then the Jewes did to scorâ— him for his meannesse in the time of his â—â—miliation Thou never loved'st thy freâ—â— truly if thou art ashamd to owne himâ—â— any company whatsoever Beloved Sins see Sins Blasphemers against God not pardoned in this world but punisht with Death for God made it a law that they should be ston'd to death upon occasioâ— of the blasphemy spoken by the sonne of the Israelitesse woman Lev. 24. He that blasphemeth the name of the Lord he shall surely bee put to death and all the congregation shall certainly stone him vers 16. He that blasphemeth c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that doth expresly name say some according to the use of the word Num. 1. 17. and Gen. 30. 28 and the translation of the Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that nameth the name of the Lord the Chaldeâ— Paraphrast goes further and saies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that shall any way expresse which yet me thinks does not so wel agree with what the Jewes commonly speak of the Schem Hamphorash whereby they meane the name Jehovah as if it were a thing allowable Pherosch to imparle or expresse the name Jehovah in other words but not Nekoâ— to pierce it thorow and thorow as I may say or speak it downe right As for them perhaps they gather something though I have not read so much for this distinction of Pherosch and Nekob from those words of this chapter vers 12. where the word Pherosch is used for the text saies they put him in ward 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which they may render according to their Rabbinisme that it might be expounded to them according to the word of God c. expounded I say for even the witnesses against such 〈◊〉 Blasphemer when they testified what hee said were not to speak the name as he spake it but only to explaine it or expound it some other way Now they explain'd it or paraphras'd it Sometimes by his other names as Adonai or Elohim which are names deriv'd from his power and strength and not from his very essence and therefore allow'd to be used and applied likewise to Angells Men. Sometimes by a certaine number of Letters made into one or more namesâ— and sometimes by severall words wherein the letters of the name were contain'd which were used only by some certain men of the wiser sort and by them privately convey'd by mouth to their own posterity Such receipts of words and letters the moderne Jewes say their Fathers made use of as charmes and spells for the defence of themselves and annoyance of their enemies you may call their practise the naming over a man the name of Jehovah or the schem Hamphorash as it is said the Jewish exorcists named the name of the Lord Jesus over these that had evill spirits Act. 19. 13. With such a charme they say Moses slew the Egyptian Exod. 2. 11. whose son they report this blasphemer above mentioned to have been and they ground their opinion up-these words in the 14 vers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render intendest thou but the words signifie speakest thou to kill me as thou killedst the Egyptian and whereas it is said vers 12. that Moses looked this way and that way and when he saw there was no man hee slew the Egyptian they say he feared if there had been some body present hearing what he said he might speake the same to him kill him in the like manner Now as I told you before how that sometimes they used a certaine number of Letters so they say Moses at that time made use of two and fortie which they have no other ground for but because the letters of the word
was wroth Isa 57 17. For the iniquity of his covetousnesse the iniquity of covetousnesse is much and commonly there is much iniquity also goes with it especially in men that exercize trades or are in places of power and trust I will stretch out mine hand upon the Inhabitants of the land saith the Lord for from the least of them even to the greatest of them every one is given to covetousnesse Jerem 6 13. In the eighth chapter vers 10. he shewes how he would punish their coveting to have more with the losse of what they had and their wronging others with being wronged themselves which is an usuall punishment of covetous men I will give their wives unto others their fields to them that shall inherit theÌ„ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that shall disinherit them may seem a better translation for so the Hebrew word is used sometimes with the accusative case of the person as Zachâ— 9 4. and elsewhere so that them shall relate to the men not to the fields unlesse you had rather say to their heires that is to the heires of those that marry their wives so the vulgar and the Chald Paraphrast 3. Exclusion out of the company of the Saints in this world or excommunication for so Paul would have them punished I have written unto you not to keep company If any man that is cal'd a brother be a fornicator or covetous c. With such a one no not to eat 1 Cor. 5 11. 4. Exclusion from their company in the world to come Nor theeves nor covetous men nor drunkards c. shall inherit the kingdome of God 1 Cor 6 10. The very rust of their mony which they have greedily gathered and niggardly kept if their owne consciences would not confesse their covetousnesse will come in judgment against them and testify it to their faces Your gold and silver is canker'd and the rust of them shall be a witnesse against you and shall eate your flesh as it were fire ye have heaped treasures together for the last dayes Jam 5 3. Covetousnesse must needes be severely punished if it be Idolatry as the Apostle sayes it is Col 3 5. Indeed it may well be counted so rather then other sins yet not so much because covetous men love their wealth more then God for so the gluttons love their belly and voluptuous men their pleasures and other sinners other things as because usually they put their hope and confidence in it which are acts to be exercised upon nothing but God and because they think their life consists in the abundance of things which they possesse for somuch our Saviour intimated in affirming the contrary when he charged the people so earnestly to beware of covetousnesse doubling the caveat Take heede and beware of covetousnesse for a mans life consisteth not in the abundance of things which he possesseth Luk. 12 15. doubtlesse those who are guilty of this sinne have cause to feare God's severe punishment for else our Saviour had never spoken in this manner I might produce many instances of severe punishments of other sinnes of which this sinne was the occasion as Samuel's sons 1 Sam. 8. Saul chap. 15. Nabal chap. 25. and Ananias and Sapphira Acts 5. But of these in their places Cruell men are threatned and punished 1 With hurting themselves The mercifull man doth good to his owne soule but he that is cruell troubleth his owne flesh Prov. 11 17. 2 A Curse or the prayers of godly men against them Jacob a little before he died thus cursed Simeon and Levi for being brethren not only in bloud but in blouds or bloudy-mindednesse and cruelty towards the Shechemites Cursed be their anger for it was fierce and their wrath for it was cruell I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel Gen. 49 7. for thus joyning in sinne division and scattering shall be their punishment 3 Like Cruelty from others Threescore and ten Kings having their thumbs and their great toes cut off gathered their meat under my table as I have done so God hath requited mee Thus Adonibezek himselfe a heathen confessed when the Israelites of the tribes of Judah and Simeon tooke him prisoner and cut off his thumbs toes Judg. 1 6 7. 4 Gods anger Heare me therefore and deliver the captives againe which yee have taken captive of your brethren for the fierce wrath of God is upon you thus spake Oded the Prophet to the Israelites for keeping the Jewes whom they had taken in warre in slavery 2 Chron. 28 11. and so vers 9. he tels them that in the battell also they had exercised such cruelty as called to heaven for vengeance Ye have slaine them in a rage that reacheth up to heaven 5 Certaine punishment without remedy though the cruelty be exercised upon wicked men Thus saith the Lord for three transgressions of Edom and for foure I will not turne away the punishment thereof because he did pursue his brother with the sword and did cast off all pity and his anger did teare perpetually and he kept his wrath for ever Amos 1 11. and thus the Moabites ch 2 1. Thus saith the Lord for three transgrâ—ssions of Moab and for foure I will not turne away the punishment thereof because they burnt the bones of the King of Edom in Lime Some say that that Son whom the King of Moab kill'd and offered for an offering upon the wall 2 Kings 3 27. was the King of Edoms Son whom he had taken prisoner when he endevourd to break thorough his army and apply this threat to him adding to this act of his cruelty here express'd that he burnt his bones into lime one more viz that he made use of this lime to plaister his palace withall 6 Severe punishment without mercy to cry him quits He shall have judgment without mercy that hath shewed no mercy James 2 13. Where it is added For mercy rejoyceth over judgment as mercy rejoyceth over judgmentâ— and love covereth a multitude of sinnes so judgment shall rejoyce over cruelty and where hatred is not one sin of a multitude but shall be discovered Cruelty even towards malefactors how odious it was among the Jews appears both by what they required in those that were to be Judges and by what they allowed to them it was required among other conditiâ—ions that those who were Judges should neither be Eunuchs nor such as had never any children because such were more likely to be cruel and it was allowed the malefactor even after he was sent to execution if he had any thing more to say then what he had said already to come back againe foure or five times Curiosity especially in Divine things Threatned The Lord said unto Moses Goe down charge the people lest they break thorow unto the Lord to gaze many of them perish Exod 19 21. Charge the people in Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 testify to
Secondly from the hypocrisy and cunning for usually they goe together of the Seducers as the Apostle saith speaking lies in hypocrisy 1 Tim 4. 2. I say cunning For as it is said of Antichrist that he shall come So it may be said of most false teachers that they doe come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Thess 2. 10 that is not only with all deceivablenesse as we render it meaning thereby deceitfullnesse for so they come even to the Elect who are not deceivable but with actuall deceit as those words litterally signifie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to those that are to perish Had not the Elect the Spirit to lead them and the word to light them they would never be able to avoid their snares for our Saviour saith of some of them And shall shew great signes and wonders insomuch that if it were possible they shall deceive the very Elect Matt 24. 24. Thirdly from God justice upon those who are seduced for their hypocricy Because they received not the love of the truth c. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lie 2 Thess 2. 10 11. Strong delusion or the efficacy of delusion for so the words in the Originall signifie i. e. Delusion that shall prevaile with them Them that is those that perish or those that shall perish for with the Elect sincere Christian it shall not prevaile I might name a great many more causes or occasions of mens being seduced but that I am loath to goe beyond my bounds There is one which I cannot forbeare to name because there hath been so frequent experience of it in these times and that is Covetousnesse according to the words of Paul For the love of mony is the root of all evill which while some coveted after they have erred from the faith c. 1 Tim 6. 10. The End for which God permits men to be thus seduced is said to be That they which are approved and are not hypocrites as they are but sincere may be made manifest 1 Cor 11. 19. which it seemes is so resolutely intended to be effected by this meanes that it is there said not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there shall be but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there must be heresies among you That those which are approved c. They who are thus seduced by them Shall have this punishment if they have no other viz To be befooled and decieved by them and receive no good at all of them as they expected God saith of the false prophets They make you vaine or they deceive you so Hierom and the Chald par Jer. 23. 16. and so verse 32 They shall not profit this people at all FEARE Threatned and inflicted upon the wicked 1 Of God It is said that when Jehosaphat fell to teaching the people the Law of God The feare of the Lord fell upon all the Kingdomes of the lands that were round about Judah so that they made no more war against Jehosaphat 2 Chron. 17. 10. Because though they did not acknowledge him themselves yet this they knew that whoever he was if he were able he would protect those that did acknowledge him when they were obedient to him see Chron. 20. 29. 2 Of The Godly Egypt was glad when they departed for the feare of them fell upon them Ps 105. 38. So that the favour which they had in the sight of the Egyptians to borrow their Jewels Exod 11. 3. seemes to have had more feare in it then love which made them to lend not so much to furnish them for their journey as that they might be the sooner rid of them For what love is so great as to make a man lend another a great deale of money just as he is running away Observe therefore God's wonderfull manner of making the enemies of his Children serviceable to them 3 Of Such as themselves are Behold I will bring a feare upon thee saith the Lord of Hoasts from all those that be about thee Jerem 49. 5. to the Ammonites and so of the Elamites verse 37. For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies I will indeed this worke is very proper to God and very much to be observed especially when we see it in such men as were otherwise bold and fearlesse 4 Of Any thing and for nothing With this fear God threatned the Israelites themselves if they persisted to walke contrary to him And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintnesse into their hearts in the lands of their enemies and the sound of a shaken leafe shall chase them and they shall fly as flying from a sword and they shall fall when none persueth Levit 26. 36. So Deut 28. 65 66 67. The Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart fayling of eyes and sorrow of mind c. Certainly this fearefulnes was a greater punishment to them then their captivity and is as great a punishment almost as can be inflicted as may be guessed by the Emphasis and estimate which seemes to be set upon the blessing that is contrary to it viz when none shall make us afraid For this blessing was promised to the Israelites if they would be obedient in the Chapter of Leviticus above quoted verse 6. It was promised by Job to the godly man chap. 11. 19. And it was promised and prophecyed by the Prophets to believers in the time of the Gospel Ezek 34. 28. Jer 30. 10. c. Neither hath the punishment of fearefulnesse been only threatned to the wicked or the blessing of boldnesse only promised to the godly but constant experience hath made it good that the wicked are seldome free of their punishment or the godly to seek of their blessing Bona conscientia prodire vult conspici ipsas nequitia tenebras timet which I cannot render in better english then this The wicked fly when noe man purfueth but the righteous is bold as a Lion Prov. 28. 1. Feare of men and Fearefulnesse out of distrust of God's goodnesse The feare of man bringeth a snare Prov 29. 25. A snare to make men fall into mischife and misery for it follows Who so putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe as well as or because it is a snare to make them fall into mischeife and sinne even as it was to Saul when he was commanded to destroy all the Amalekites according to his owne words I have sinned for I have trangressed the commandment of the Lord and thy words because I feared the people and obeyed their voyce 1 Sam 15. 24. I say according to his words because by these words it may be gathered that this feare was the cause of his sin but otherwise that which is immediatly intended in them seemes to be a Confession of that feare as a sin it selfe for the same word is prefixed to transgressed and to feared 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because I transgressed and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
Hypocrite whether to God or man is hated of all sorts of men good and bad 12 Subjection to them Thus God tells the Church of Philadelphia Behold I will make them of the Synagogue of Satan which say they are Jewes and are not but doe lie behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved thee Rev 3. 9. 13. Desolation Their heart is divided they shall be made desolate for so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also signifies Hos 10. 2. Their heart is divided halak Libbam For though the Chald. Paraphrast expound it is divided from the Law and the Septuagint translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that is God hath divided their heartes and others agreeing with them interpret it of the division or revolt from Shalmaneser King of Assyria in the reigne of King Hoshea mentioned 2 Kings 17 yet me thinkes I may all as well interpret it of the division of the heart in it's selfe and in respect to God viz. through Hypocrisy For first it is not so proper to say of one heart that it is divided from another but rather that it is separated and therefore the Septuagint though the Hebrew word be in the singular number used the plurall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hearts 2 In that chapter but now mentioned 2 Kings 17. there is a plaine reproofe of the peoples Hypocrisy and dividing of their heart viz. betwene God and their Idols in these words And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right v. 9. 3 This expression here of a divided heart to say nothing of the expression of the same Prophet c. 7. 8 where he compares the same people to a cake not turned as if they were for God but of one side is agreeable to the expressions of the Scripture elsewhere concerning Hypocrites viz that they have a double heart or as the Hebrew reads a heart and a heart so Psal 12. 2. with flattering lips a deceitfull heart or a heart and a heart doe they speake where the word which we translate flattering viz. halakoth signifies likewise divisions and comes from that word which we here translate divided insomuch that the Syriack renders the lips of divisions where I conceive that according to the Hebrew Idiom as you may see Jer. 51. 26. c. divisions is to be understood passively reciprocall as if it were lips divided because I believe David doth not so much complaine of his enemies their flattering Saul as of their flattering him viz telling him one thing and telling Saul another wherein their tongue was divided as well as their heart So in the Epistle of James ch 4. 8. they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 double souled or double minded For albeit in the first chapter verse 8. he seemes to meane by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 double minded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he calls him verse 6. him that wavereth in faith or doubteth in prayer whose heart is not as David saith Psal 112. 7 fixed trusting in the Lord but is partly on and partly off halting as it were between trust and distrust yet I believe in this place he is to be understood of Hypocrisie and the rather because of some expressions which he uses as of drawing nigh to God as if insteed of drawing nigh to God with the mouth and removing their hearts farre from him which is the property of a Hypocrite Isa 29. 13. he would have them draw nigh to him simply and indeed And of clensing and purifying as if he had respect espcially to the Leaven or contamination of Hypocrisy 4 This interpretation of a divided heart viz that it is meant of Hypocrisy seemes to be confirmed by the expressions applyed in Scripture to that which is opposite to it viz. Sincerity when those that serve God sincerely are said to seek him with their WHOLE heart Ps 119. 2. To follow the Lord WHOLY Josh 14. 9. 14. a To serve him with a PERFECT heart 1 Chr 28. 9 and many more of the like nature 14 Destruction without mercy And they remembred that God was their Rock and the high God their Redeemer Neverthelesse they did flatter him with their mouth and they lied unto him with their tongues For their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfast in his Covenant But he being full of compassion forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not c. Ps 78. 35 to 38 15 Destruction without mercy both they and theirs Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men neither shall he have mercy on their Fatherlesse and Widows for every one is an Hypocrite and an evill doer and every mouth speaketh folly for all this his anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still Isa 9. 17. Indeed this Hypocrisy seemes to have been the maine sinne that led the Jews into Captivity For in the next chapter when God speakes of sending the Assyrian against them he mentioneth no other sinne but this and he hath no sooner mentioned this but presently he cals them a people of his wrath Marke the angry expressions that are in his threat I will send him against an Hypocriticall Nation and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge to take the spoile and to take the pray and tread them downe like the mire in the street Isa 10. 6. See the angry expressions likewise in Jeremiah's prayer c. 12. 13 compared with verse 2. Why is not cutting off as due to us for having the Leaven of Hypocrisy in serving God as it was to the Jewes for having Leaven when they kept the Feast of nnleavened bread Exod 12. 15. For whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day till the seventh day that soule shall be cut off from Israel 16 Lastly Hell though not expressed downe-right yet in a worse manner such as whereby the certainty of falling into it and the difficulty of avoiding it is more fully expressed then if it were directly threatened viz thus And shall cut him asunder and appoint him his portion with the Hypocrites Mat. 24. 51. With the Hypocrites as if though others also come to hell yet it were chiefly intended for Hypocrites In chap. 21. 31 our Saviour tels the Priests and Elders whom he compares for their Hypocrisie and faire pretences to the sonne in the Parable that said I goe Sir and went not v. 30. Verily I say unto you that the Publicans and Harlots goe into the Kingdome of God before you Figge trees that have nothing on them but leaves onely Mat 21. 21. are neere unto cursing and burning and to those that are wells without water the mist of darknesse is reserved for ever 2 Pet 2. 17. I have held you long in relating the punishments of a Hypocrite and not without cause He must needs have more then one punishment for he hath necessarily more then one sin because otherwise he could
threescore and ten yeares for otherwise this had been no punishment and the time of the captivity was so many yeares was thus threatened Thou Pashur and all that dwell in thy house shall goe into captivity and thou shalt come into Babylon and there thou shalt die and shalt be buried there thou and all thy friends to whome thou hast prophecied Lyes Jer 20. 6. 7 Being given up by God to Continuance in it He that is unjust let him be unjust still Rev 22. 11. So Deiodate expounds the place comparing it with Ezek 3. 27 and 20 39. Dan 12. 10. Am 4. 4. 8 Destruction The robbery of the wicked shall destroy them because they refuse to doe judgment Prov 21. 7. destroy them the originalis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which some desire from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to draw to ground according to the Latin translation Rapinae impiorum detrahent eos as if it were said The weight of their money as bad as stollen by jnjustice bribery shall draw them out of their seat and sinke them to the ground 9 Damnation so certainly that Paul wonders if a Christian be ignorant of it Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdome of God 1 Cor 6. 9. The greatnesse of this sinne and the dangerousnesse of it may be yet further gathered out of the Scriptures 1 From the frequent Complaints made of it more frequent then almost any other sin in those Books where punishments are most threatened viz the Books of the Prophets 2 By the names that are given it as of robberie * Prov 21. 7. Mighty Sinnes Am 5. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so in the same verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which perhaps denoteth not so much many as large and as our English word very well expresses it Manifold transgressions as Samuel called the sinne of the Israelites in asking a King 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A manifold wickednesse Now the Sinne mentioned immediatly before and after is Injustice Sutable with the first of these expressions is that of the Fist of wickednesse spoken concerning the same sinne Isa 58. 14. and with the latter that of wickednesse simply v. 6 spoken also concerning the same sinne as if it were so large wickednesse as to comprehend all wickednesse in it or as if it were so great wickednesse that you need not call it by any other name to make men know what you meane But this might more properly have beene put in the chapter of Oppression Insensiblenesse under punishments threatened In their heat I will make their feasts and I will make them drunken that they may rejoyce and sleepe a perpetuall sleep and not wake saith the Lord. It is spoken of the Babylonians Jer. 51. 39. Instruments of punishing punished Instruments or men imployed by God in punishing his children punished themselves The Assyrians are the most notable example that can be produced All that found them meaning the Israelites haue devoured them and their adversaries said we offend not because they have sinned against the Lord c. Jer. 50. 7. but it followes vers 9. I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great Nations from the North country c. Though the godly are justly punished by God that they cannot be so by men nor the wicked neither without authority Though Christ were delivered by the determinate Counsell of God yet were those hand◠wicked wherewith he was taken and crucified Acts 2. 23. The reason why God punisheth the Instruments wich he thus employs is partly this Because though they are weapons of his indignation as he cals the Medes by whom he punished the Babylonians Isa 13 5 to execute his wrath yet they doe it not in obedience to him or respect to his ends any more then a sword as David called the wicked gods sword Ps 17. 13 or an axe or a saw or a rod as God calls the King of Babylon Isa 10 15 or any other Senslesse Instrument Nay they doe it only with respect to their owne ends and out of malice or covetousnesse or ambition or some such thing The Assyrian though God sent him and sent him against a people of his wrath and gave him charge to take the spoyle Isa 10 6 yet because his aime was not so much to punish the Israelites by destroying as to destroy by punishing nor so much to destroy the Israelites only and then to sit down as to make himselfe the Monarch of all the world because he meaneth not so neither doth his heart think so but it is in his heart to destry cut off nations not a few vers 7. in the 12. v. he is thus threatned Wherefore it shall come to passe when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Sion on Jerusalem I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Assyria the glory of his high looks When God's own wrath against his people is out he will make the former wrath of the wicked to praise him and not only restraine that which remaines of their wrath but according to the Chaldee Par. upon that place Ps 76. 10. employ the remainder of his own in their destruction Such Instruments are no way likely to escape punishment 1. Because in doing their work they doe alwaies sinne 1 Either in the manner as I have shewed you how and therefore it is said of Babylon All yee that bend the bow shoot at her spare no arrows For she hath SINNED against the Lord Jer. 50. 14. 2 Or in the matter That which they doe being a wrong to those that are punished and therefore in the place but now quoted vers 15. Babylons punishment is called vengeance For it is the vengeance of the Lord take vengeance upon her as she hath done doe unto her 3 Or in the measure In doing more then God would have done I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease for I was but a litle displeased and they helped forward the affliction Zach. 1 15. See Esa 47. 6. 2 Because after they have done their work most commonly they provoke God to punish them by pride and make themselves unfit to avoid punispments by security out of conceit that their successe was to be attributed to their own strength or the justnesse of their cause or the like and not to the sinnes of those whom they have hurted And the Heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivitie for their iniquities because they trespassed against me Ezek. 39. 23. For their iniquities as if he had added not because your were better they their cause was juster and to intimate that they being guilty of that which the Israelites were viz iniquities must take their turnes also and be punished in the same manner Intemperance This will seeme to have had a great stroke at least in occasioning the destruction of the world if we take the interpretation
given by divers to those words of God in Genesis Ch. 6. 3. thus translated by us My spirit shal not alwaies strive with man for that he also is flesh Which I know no reason but we may very well doe especially if insteed of following Arias and Symmachus and translating My spirit shall not alwaies strive c. we follow either Pagnin or the Septuagint Chald Par and the Vulgar and translate thus My spirit shall no longer remaine in man because they are flesh For so it will very well beare this paraphrase viz because I see they are altogether for their bodies to pleasure their flesh by gluttony and lasâ—iviousnesse and care not for their soules I am resolved to resume againe that breath which I put into them and not to suffer my spirit any longer to lodge in such filthy carcasses Our Saviour himselfe may seeme to have seconded this interpretation when he spake of this punishment and the security of the people in sinning before it was inflicted in this manner For as in the daies that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage c. Mat. 24. 38. not as if eating and drinking were a sin but either intemperance in eating and drinking or doing that nothing else So speaking of the destruction of Sodom and the security of the people in sinning before the inflicting of it he saies in the first place they did eat they dranke c. Luk. 17. 28. And in the like security he told the Jewes that many should be surprized by the day of judgement either Generall that which shall be to all or particular that which hath beene to them take it how you will Even thus shall it be in the day when the sonne of man is revealed Luk. 17. 30. See chap. 12. 45. Mat. 24. 49. And therefore Paul speaking to the Thessalonians to prepare for the day of the Lord bids them in especiall manner to be sober and temperate Epist 1. 5. 6. The intemperate man both his danger his hurt must needs be great especially from the Divell â— for men usually spare him out of pity or scorne and therefore the Apostle saith Be sober be vigilant because your adversary the Divell as a roaring Lion walketh about seeking whom he may devoure 1. Pet. 5. 8. 1 Because even while he is well he is not carefull to prevent it only sober men will be carefull to gird up the Loynes of their mind 1. Pet. 1. 13. or put on the brestplate of faith and love 1 Thess 5. 6. or watch unto prayer * 1. Pet. 4. 7. Sober in the Epistles may be meant also of being Sober-minded as we render it in Tit. 2. 6. or Grave Humble quiet serious circumspect as it is in Rom. 12. 3. 1. Tim. 3. 11. Tit. 2. 2. 4. But yet in these places the word in the original is different viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in those which I have quoted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in the place first quoted v. 12. 1. Thess 5. 6. seemes cleerly to be meant of Temperance properly so called because in the following verse there is mention made of sleeping and being drunken as of things opposed to watch and be sober For they that sleep sleep in the night they that are drunk are drunk in the night 2. Because when he hath â—urfeited he is not able to avoid it or receive it Receive it he cannot for want of strength of which he hath as litle in minde as he hath in Body avoid it he cannot because he is seldome so much as awake to foresee it Only the sober man can be watchfull and therefore the Apostle in the place above quoted viz Thes 5 6. knowing that a man caÌ„not be watchfull unlesse he be sober assoone as he had nam'd the former presently added the latter Let us watch and be sober Peter in the place above quoted puts them as neere together though not in the same order He must needs be taken napping that cannot keep himselfe waking But the greatest of these causes as being the cause of the latter I take to be the former viz Security All sinnes wherein men are secure must needs be dangerous and therefore there is no sin so dangerous as Intemperance because there is none wherein men are so secure You have had three notable examples hereof But of all the three the first is the most notable in regard that the people of the old world if they had not that time told them which God had limited for their continuance viz of a hundred and twenty yeares yet had they all that time given them after notice of the flood wherein the Arke was in preparing which could be no small time as Peter seemes to intimate When once the long suffering of God waited in the daies of Noah while the Arke was a preparing 1. Pet. 3. 20. Besides the time wherein the creatures were a gathering which were to be put into the Arke If the time allotted them had been never so short unlesse they had been worse then beasts they must needs have bethought themselves a litle and not have still continued in that manner as our Saviour saies they did eating and devouring till the very Day that Noah went into the Arke for then they believed certainly he was not in jest Nay he saies They knew not till the flood came and tooke them all away Beza observes how the word in that place used for eating is by the GraÌ„marians said to be properly used of beasts adding Vt etiam videatur magnae esse hujus verbi emphasis quo significatur homines brutorum instar fore ventri deditos There is one thing more that aggravates the security of those gluttons before the flood viz that although for those hundred and twenty yeares as it is probable they had had Noah 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Peter calls him 2. Pet. 2. 5. a preacher of righteousnesse or a publisher of that righteous judgement of God intended by him in the destruction of the world so that by knew not must be meant as Beza translates acknowledged not or did not consider yet notwithstanding all this they repented not but remained 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Apostl's word is i. e. disobedient or not perswaded to believe what Noah told them If you observe it you shall finde that the Intemperate man his pleasure is so bewitching and seemingly harmelesse is the hardest to be perswaded and the worst to be made either to believe a threat or feare a punishment or to leave his sinne of any in the world You may see more of this sin in the Chapters of Gluttony Whoredome Drunkennesse Adultery Iudging others threatned 1. With Judgement Judge not and yee shall not be judged Luk. 6. 37. For if that which is lesse likely be true that which is more likely is not likely
themselves pastors indeed in feeding the flocke to be guilty of whose bloud was no ordinary murther in regard that God for so it is said wherein the deity of Christ is as clearly proved as by any place that I know had purchased them with his owne bloud vers 28. It would anger a man if he had beene but at a little cost or paine to save a thing but of a little value by anothers negligence to have it lost Read also Act. 18. 6. where you may see the like exulting expression of the same Apostle to the Jewes at Corinth when he left preaching to them and began to preach to the Gentiles The Prophet Amos was so convinced of the danger of being negligent in an Embassie from God that he wondered how any one could dare not to tell the people what the Lord had told him The Lion hath roared who will not feare The Lord God hath spoken who can but prophecie Am. 3. 8. The shepheards dog that shall see the foxes the wolves the Lion himself come roaring close home to the flocke and never barke can deserve no lesse then hanging much more if he fall upon the sheep himselfe as those covetous pastours in the former chapter See the comparison of Greedy dogges Isa 56. 11. Ministers for shame should not be Idle were it but for their name's sake for they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 workmen or labourers Mat. 9. 38. But especially for the company helpe which they have being labourers with God 1. Cor. 3. 9. But yet I must confesse however that as heretofore it was the common fault to be Idle not only of such who had undertaken but of such who intended to undertake the worke of the Ministery insomuch that we had cause to pray not onely that God would utterly cast out the Idlers but violently cast forth the labourers into the harvest so now it is the common fault to be over busie Such as are Ignorant 1 The losse of their sheep of whom they are to give an account which is a sad evill though it may not seeme so as it is worse to loose what is another man's then what is mine own All the Beasts of the field come to devoure yea all the beasts in the forrest they are all ignorant they are all dumb dogges they caÌ„nnot bark c. Isa 56. 9. 10. It is able to break a man's heart to think how many poore ignorant silly soules by reason of the blindnesse or carelessenesse of their teachers are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Apostles word is like so many sheep made a prey of and taken captive alive by the Divell at his will Secondly Removall from their places Because thou hast rejected knowledge I will also reject theee that thou shalt be no Priest to mee Hos 4. 6. This is thought to be spoken to those who were unlawfully made Priests by Jeroboam being of the lowest of the people and not of the sonnes of Levi 1 Kings 12 31. And therefore let men look to it who doe not only reject a calling and so truly take upon them the Ministers office without which they should not undertake it but doe also reject knowledge without which they cannot discharge it 3 God's forgetting their children as it followes in the same verse Seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God I also will forget thy children I know not what the main fault is but that which the Papists attribute to the unlawfulnesse of their marrying it hath been generally observâ—d that Ministers are very unhappy in their children either for wickednes or poverty either they forget God only or else God forgets them too The sinnes of the Priests under the Law were lookt upon as farre greater then the sinnes of ordinary men and therefore their offering was to be no ordinary offering and the ceremonies used about it no ordinary ceremonies the offering was to be a Bullocke and the blood thereof to be sprinkled seven times before the Lord c. Lev 4. 3. 6. So no doubt Ministers sinnes are greater then others and and shall be more severely punished Such as ordaine them Have cause to feare their punishments Especially if they doe it rashly Lay hands suddenly on no man neither be partaker of other mens sinnes 1. Tim. 5. 22. Neither be partaker of other mens sinnes He seems to bid him take heed of this with abundance of caution as if he meant more to affright him with danger then disswade him from sinne To be partaker of other mens sinnes is a thing as dangerous as it is often committed and seldome taken notice of Better sinne thy selfe then thus be partaker of other mens sin Ministers their Due They that persecute them for there is a prophecy there shall be such Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of Wolves Mat. 10. 16. are punished and threatned In the OLD TESTAMENT 1 With making that member uselesse which they us'd to hurt them Jeroboam's hand which he did but put forth to lay hold of the Prophet of Judah for prophecying against his altar at Bethel was suddenly dried up so that hee could not drawe it in againe to him 1 Kings 13. 3 2 Being Beholding to them for their prayers as in the same example Entreat now quoth Jeroboam to the Prophet that my hand may be restored me againe vers 6. It is as great a punishment this as it is vexation viz. for a man to have need of his enemie whom he hates 3 Blindnesse The army which Benhadad King of Syria sent to apprehend Elisha for informing the King of Israel of his plots was upon his prayer smitten with blindnesse and led by him even into Samaria the chiefe city of their enemies where he made them believe they should finde him 2 King 6. 19. Blindnesse the Septuagint translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not-seeing as if they had not lost their sight but their seeing that is their power to see for the present Wherein me thinkes the hand of God doth more notoriously appeare then in making them quite blind The miracle would be greater for every one would wonder more at it and the punishment would be greater for it would vexe them more and punishments are aggravated by vexation as much as by any thing It is a sadder punishment to take away the use of a thing then to take away the thing and it is seldome inslicted but in anger It is a way of punishing as peculiar to God and as severe as any to make men not to perceive when they see and not to understand when they heare Isa 6. 9. The word in the originall is in the plurall number viz. Blindnesses and Aben Ezra a Jewish writer upon the Bible saith it is meant of two sorts of blindnesse viz. of the eyes and the heart And indeed unlesse they had been blind both wayes as it is likely they would not have been led in that manner by a
not pray but prophecie And his prophecie was fullfilled for the Canaanites being the posterity of Cham which came of Canaan who alone is mentioned of Cham's sonnes and the ejection of whose posterity by the Israelites Moses his maine designe was to relate so that there is some ground to thinke that Canaan the grandchild had a hand in the sinne as I have said before those that were used best I meane the Gibeonites were used as servants the rest as servants of servants and worse too by the Israelites who were of the posterity of Seth and their brethren or kinred for so the word is used in Scripture by whom they were utterly destroyed Whether Noah prayed or prophecied this is certaine The prayers of Parents both for and against their children are very powerfull and many times come to passe like prophecies Augustine speakes of ten children that being cursed by their mother went about quaking and trembling from one place to another like vagabonds In that manner as some conceive Cain did because the Septuagint in Gen 4. 12. for fugitive and vagabond translate groaning and trembling And there might be many other instances given Insomuch that as Ambrose saith Children should honour their parents if it were for nothing but for feare honoretpius patrem propter gratiam ingratus propter timorem 2 With a most fearefull Judgement what ever it be The eye that mocketh at his father and despiseth to obey his mother the Ravens of the valley shall pick it out the young Eagles shall eat it Prov 30. 17. The eye the same thing I believe that is meant by Lamp in c. 20 and so it is expounded alike viz of the Soule And accordingly it is thought that by the Ravens of the valley and the young Eagles are meant the black Divels of the lowest Hell and the Spirits subject to that Prince of the ayre who shall make a prey of such a mans Soule as soone as 't is got out of the Cage If these words be meant onely of blindnesse as the Sept. seeme to have taken the other ch 20 yet is the Punishment sad fearefull The EIE that mocketh though he say nothing but doe it so closely that his father shall not know it And despiseth to obey or despiseth the wrinkles for so one saith the Hebrew word * also signifies and the Septuagint render it Old age that is the markes of her old age hastened with paines and care in bearing and bringing him up so that herein he is both unreasonable in despising that which himselfe occasioned and unnaturall also and worse then the beasts for some of them will pay their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a great deale better then many Christians in feeding their old ones So that understand you by Ravens and Eagles what you will such a wretch as will mock his parents may well feare that the birds and beasts will rise up against him to punish him in this world and their naturall affection come against him in judgement co condemne him in the world to come Such as Set light by them threatned With a Curse Cursed be hee that setteth light by his father or mother Deut. 27. 16. Seteth light Doth not honour saith the Paraph. and the vulgar translation This sinne is ranked with very hainous sinnes in that Catalogue Ezek. 22. 7. after which follows a fearfull threat v. 13 14 15. Such as are Disobedient to them and Incorrigible With Stoning to death If a man have a stubborne and rebellious sonne which will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother and that when they have chastned him will not harken unto them Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him and bring him out unto the Elders of his city and unto the gate of his place And they shall say unto the Elders of this city This our sonne is stubborne and rebellious he will not obey our voice he is a glutton and a drunkard Being rebellious is the maine crime and being a glutton and a drunkard are brought in as evidences though crimes too And all the men of his City shall stone him with stones that he die So shalt thou put â—ill away froÌ„ among you all Israel shall hear and feare Deut. 21. 18 19. 20 21. Certainly rebellious children are grievous sinners in God's account and he will accordingly punish them because he aggravates the disobedience of the Israelites to his own self by it Isa 1. 2. I have nourished brought up childreÌ„ they have rebelled against mee And accordingly threatens them with grievous threats c 30. 1. c. Woe to the rebellious children Such as doe not Honour them Have cause to feare Shortnesse of life Because it is said Honour thy father and thy mother that thy daies may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee Ex 20. 12. I say shortnesse of life simply because it is usually so expounded otherwise I should say short injoyment of their inheritances which is no reason they should enjoy who will not honour those from whom they have them Indeed I rather thinke that in these words is promised that which is promised also in other places to other things upon the keeping of the command not so much living long as living long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee In that good good Land for so the Septuagint translate and so it is otherwise called out of which on the contrary they are every where threatned to be cast out and carried away by captivity if they kept not the coÌ„mandments As for living long only a promise of that is annexed only to Letting the damme goe when they rob'd a bird's nest ch 22. 7. And Dying in a polluted land though they lived never so long was a punishment Amos 7. 17. I placed Not-Honouring after not-Obeying because I take it to be lesse as I take Honouring to be more then Obeying So farre am I from taking it for no more then it is commonly made to be viz honouring with Cap and Knee forsooth which they think to be enough without doing any thing when they are bid viz yeelding them help and support and indeavoring to reward them with acts of piety Reward them I say for so the word in the Hebrew for honour will signifie as well as to honour according to the use of the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tim. 5. 3. and v. 17. Act 28. 10. The Jewes have a saying What honour is to bee given to parents To give them meat and drinke to cloath them and cover them Peace breaking see Discord Persecution Threats of it and for it All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution 2 Tim 3. 12. All from the Divell and most from men even for so living All that will but live honestly suffer by so living but not for
comes to them from themselves But yet in a more speciall manner doth God delight to make the devices and coâ—ncels of those that proudly presume confidently use their wisedome and strength against him his to prove destructive to themselves scattering them even by the imagination of their owne hearts Luk. 1. 51. Me thinkes I heare him speaking to such as he did once to the Assyrians Yee shall conceive chaffe yee shall bring forth stuble your own breath as fire shall devoure you Isa 33. 11. Prayer not heard For these causes among many other viz. 1 Not-hearing God He that turneth away his eare from hearing the Law even his prayer shall be abomination Prov. 28. 9. See ch 1. 24. vers 28. 2 Not-hearing the Poore Who so stoppeth his eares at the cry of the poore he also shall cry himselfe and shall not be heard Prov. 21. 13. 3 Apostacy from the true worship of God to Idolatry They are turned backe to the iniquities of their forefathers which refused to heare my words and they went after other Gods to serve them c. Therefore thus saith the Lord God Behold I will bring evill upon them which they shall not be able to escape and though they shall cry unto mee I will not hearken unto them Jer. 11. 10 11. See Ezek. 20. 31. ch 8. 17. 18. 4 Contempt of the worship of God and worshipping him negligeÌ„tly Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar and yee say wherein have we polluted thee In that yee say the table of the Lord is contemptible And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice is it not evill c. I have no pleasure in you saith the Lord of hoasts neither will I accept an offering at your hand Mal. 1. 7 8 10. 5 Blood guiltinesse and injustice in judgement When yee spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when ye make many prayers I will not heare your hands are full of blood Isay 1. 15. See c. 59. 2. 6 Oppression Who eat the flesh of my people c. Then shall they cry unto the Lord but he will not heare Mic 3. 3 4. 7 Hypocrisie Will hee heare his cry when trouble commeth upon him Job 27. 9. 8 Sinning with delight and without remorse They have loved to wander they have not refrained their feet therefore the Lord doth not accept them c. Jer 14. 10. It followes v 11. Then the Lord said unto me pray not for this people and vers 12. When they fast I will not heare their cry c. God heareth not sinners that sin in such a manner Joh 9 31. 9 Resolving to continue in sin when we pray If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not heare me Ps 66. 18. 10 Intending to make ill use of what wee pray for Yee aske and receive not because yee aske amisse that yee may consume it upon your lusts Jam 4. 3. 11 Having sinfully occasioned those evills from which we pray to be delivered And ye shall cry out in that day because of your King which you shall have chosen you and the Lord will not heare you in that day They are the words of Samuel to the Israelites when they desired a King 1 Sam 8. 18. You may see an experience of Gods refusing to heare prayer for this reason likewise in those Israelites who fighting with the Amorites against the command of God being overthrowne in the words of Moses returned wept before the Lord but the Lord would not hearken unto them Deut 1. 45. 12 Doubting in prayer But let him aske in faith nothing wavering for hee that wavereth is like a wave of the Sea driven with the wind and tossed For let not that man thinke that hee shall receive any thing of the Lord. Jam 1. 6 7. Praying amisse punished 1 With Not-obtaining the request Ye aske and have not because yee aske amisse that yee may consume it upon your lusts James 4. 3. which is a notable argument of the greatnesse of Gods love and that which wee have experience of oftner then we take notice It is more love to deny us a Scorpion when we aske for a Scorpion then not to give us a Scorpion when wee aske for a fish as it is a greater signe of love to doe good when there is greater excuse for doing hurt then where there is lesse 2 Obtaining with Anger God tells Israel I gave thee a King in mine anger and tooke him away in my wrath Hos 13. 11. 3 Obtaining with a vengeance as we say He gave them their request but sent leannesse into their soule Psalm 106. 15. the Septuagint translate for leannesse fulnesse or saciety 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whether they by fulnes meant fulnesse to loathing spoken of Num 11. 20. and so made it a cause of leannesse And so whether we by leannes be to be understood of an atrophy usually occasioned by too full feeding Againe whether they read the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 insteed of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or whether they read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same word that is in Numbers and whether this place and that in Numbers in ch 11. 20 be to be understood of a different punishment at a different time I cannot determine But only thus much I can determine from these words viz that the Israelites lusting sinfully after flesh when they should have been contented with what God had else provided for them had their desire in that indeed but were met with another way And perhaps all that the Prophet meant by calling it leannes was onely to allude to their fulnesse with flesh which they so eagerly desired and obtained and to shew that for a litle good they had a great deale of bad of what kinde soever the punishment were Not-Praying punished With Temptation For thus Jesus Christ told his Disciples when he found them asleep Arise or according to Marke Watch and pray lest you enter into tentation Luk. 22. 46. Lest So we translate the Greeke words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which yet may be rendered THAT yee may not enter As if because Christs enemies then were so eager in persecution he would have his Disciples to pray to God for his according as he had taught them to pray before Mat. 6. 9. that they might not be tented to forsake him through feare This is certaine for I have had experience of it to my great griefe not only if a man doe not forbear to pray now then but if he forbeare to pray often he will presently lye open to the assault of all manner of tentations Besides he will be in danger of utter falling away from goodnesse and not without abundance of difficulty bâ— brought to renew his wonted course of praying againe And here I had once concluded this Chapter but since I though good to adde two or three words in favour of the aforesaid interpretation to the end that
I may make you more seriously then usually we do to think of these two things one as great an evill as we can be delivered from viz. Temptation and the other as necessary a duty as we can practise viz prayer against it which I never heard practised since the disuse of the Lord's Prayer 1 In the 40. v. of this ch it is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which cannot be otherwise translated then it is viz. without a point after Pray Pray that yee enter not into temptation 2 In the 31. v. our Saviour saith that Satan had desired yea and obtained liberty to tempt them 3 In the 32 v. he saith that hee had prayed for Peter that in that temptation his faith might not faile 4 He had told them all the day before what danger they should be in that night of being offended at him through temptation and he had absolutely told Peter being confident to the contrary that he should deny him 5 He himselfe had prayed for the same in effect viz. That the cup might passe from him v. 39. And I must confesse I doe not think that by the preposition in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is meant as some say their being delivered up to temptation but only their coming into that temptation in which our Saviour already was viz. of being put to it either to depart from God or to part with life 6. There was not any thing which they had so much need to pray against at such a time as that was viz. when the shepheard himselfe should be smitten then that the sheep might not scattered from him and forsake him 7. It was that which the shepheard had long before prescribed to them especially to pray for viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that God would not LEAD or BRING them into temptation Matth. 6. 13. an expression to which this answers that ye may not enter into temptation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And whereas it is there presently added And deliver us from evill so in this chapter it is said that Satan that evill one had begged them to winnow them therefore now if ever they had cause to pray to be delivered from him 8 The words added immediately after these Mat 26. 41. The Spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weake seeme to make much for it For I doe not thinke as some doe that they are spoken in a favourable manner to excuse their drowzinesse because the contrary appeares by the verse next before where there is a reason mentioned why they were not to bee excused viz because Christ had as yet watched but one houre which was urged by our Saviour very sharply 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What or is it possible could yee not watch with mee one houre But rather in a friendly monitory manner to minde them of their weaknesse especially because hee saw how confident they were of their strength to hold out in temptation as if hee had spoken the whole thus Doe yee sleep as if you were secure against and as if you would expose your selves to temptation you had more need watch and pray that you may not be tempted and all litle enough I deny not but according to your profession 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to will may be present with you and you may be resolv'd in the spirit to hold it out with me even to die with mee But know this your flesh is weak So that unlesse my father doe extraordinarily strengthen you when it comes to you will not tell how to finde in your heart to perform what you would therfore by all means pray that ye may not be brought to temptation So that If to be free from Temptation it be needfull not only to pray but to pray against it you have no cause to wonder if They who doe not pray do meet with it Preaching of the VVord threatened to be removed Behold the dayes come that I will send a famine in the land not a famine of bread nor a thirst of water but of hearing the word of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea and from the North even to the East they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord and shall not finde it Am 8. 11 12. A famine of bread or A hunger for bread So the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the threat is not only of a want or scarcity but of an hunger earnest desire proceeding from that want as is plaine by the 12 verse by the word for of hearing which signifies literally To heare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which aggravates the punishment very much for they shall have paine and griefe whiles they hunger and in the end shal be starv'd to death for want of what they would have And yet as we render it famine it makes the threat sufficiently dreadfull because it implies a necessity of this food for the life of the Soule For we doe not call it a famine although other things be never so scarce and deare unlesse there bee a scarcity of corne or bread which we cannot be without Such as Hinder it have cause to feare 1 Removall of good preachers and havinâ— bad in their stead which is a worse punishment then if they had none Prophecy yâ— not say they to them that prophecie They shâ— not prophecie to them that they shall not taâ—â— shame Mic 2. 6. And it follows vers 11. If man walking in the spirit and falshood doe lyâ— saying I will prophecie unto thee of wine 〈◊〉 of strong drinke he shall even be the prophet 〈◊〉 this people If you translate this verse witâ— the vulgar thus I could wish I were not man that had the spirit that which I speak were not true but yet I will prophecy to you 〈◊〉 I have made you drunk as it were with winâ— even a full cup of judgments which I shall denounce unto you it will amount to thus much viz that when men endeavour to hinder the faithfull Ministers of God's word from preaching the truth God will punish them with fearefull judgements and make even those very Ministers in spite of all their opposition his instruments to denounce them Prophecy In the originall it is drop in both verses And it is not unlike the people did indeed use this very word in a jeere because it was a word which the Prophets much used as you may see Ezek 20. 46. ch 21 2. Even as they did the words Line upoâ— Line Isa 28 10. The burden â—f the Lord Jer 23 34. And so likewise that Amaziah thus used it Amos 7. 16. Drop not thy word c. 2 Death and ruine of their families That Amaziah but now mentioned who was a Priest of Bethel in Jeroboam's time is thus threatened by Amos Thou sayest Prophesie not and drop not thy word against the house of Isaack Therefore thus saith the Lord thy wife
Thus much is implied viz that pride is commonly both a signe or a means of a man's ruine in these words Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall Prov 16. 18. See c 18. 12. Jeremiah knew this very well and that was it that made him mourne so bitterly for the pride of the Israelites But if yee will not heare it my soule shall weep in secret places for your pride Jer 13. 17. Why because he was certaine now that their captivity was determined as certaine as if it were already fulfilled for so he speaks in the same verse Because the Lords flock Is carried away See his mourning for he was a man of a very pitifull spirit witnesse his Lamentations otherwise hee would never have mourned for proud men above any for Moab's destruction for the like cause c. 48 28. 31. It was said above If yee will not heare it my soule shall weep for your pride Now give me leave upon these words to take occasion to tell you that as I take it both here and in severall other places of the Prophets when complaint is made of the pride of the Israelites it is chiefly meant of stiffenesse and stoutnesse of spirit in not believing and fearing God's threats and judgements And so in the Proverbs and elsewhere I believe it is many times meant of stoutnesse of spirit in refusing to heare instruction as ch 13. 10. c. I say pride in the Scripture is many times meant of pride towards God as well as towards men 5 Being condemned to hell if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be rightly rendred Not a Novice lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the divell 1 Tim 3. 6. Yea though you should in this place translate otherwise then we have translated yet neverthelesse will proud men have cause to feare this punishment because it was the Divels punishment and inflicted upon him for this sinne as most Divines say and as it may seeme to be proved by those wordes of Jude vere 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the Angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitation c. For though the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 kept may seem to imply rather regard then contentednesse in keeping aâ— in keeping the Commandements or the like for so it is oftenest used and so consequently that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may not be translated otherwise then with Beza Originem or with us first estate cautiously and dubiously yet it being said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their OWNE first estate and not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it is afterward 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their OWNE habitation though this be not so much yet it may be of some moment to make us incline to the translation of the Vulgar who translate it principatuÌ„ principality so that we may render it first STATE as well as first ESTATE making 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be understood of honour Now hereby the ambition of the Angels in desiring to be equall with God having an honourable condition of their owne already is not onely expressed but aggravated What ever the Divel's sinne was First he could not deserve such a punishment as he had for any sinne better then for such pride ambition if being as high as heaven already he desired to be higher yet 2 No other punishment could have beene so suitable either to the sinne of pride or to that rule of Gods providence of abasing the proud c. If being as high as heaven he was abased as low as hell Thus you see what a numerous traine of Pursuyvants attend the proud man enough to frighten him in for all his stomack if he would but vouchsafe to look behind him And therefore well might David say that God PLENTIFULLY rewardeth the proud doer Ps 31. 23. and I may justly cry with Isaiah Woe to the crowne of pride c. 28. 1. But were there never a one of these places of Scripture to threaten a proud man withall yet hath he just cause of fearing many evills and punishments even from the very nature and quality of his sinne that which the Scripture also takes notice of as 1 Because it makes him contentious and he that is so can never live a quiet life Only by pride cometh contention Prov 13. 10. 2 Because it makes him hated Him that hath a high looke and a proud heart I will not suffer Ps 101. 5. I did not EATE with him some translate Others I could not BE with him 3 Because it makes him thinke he is secure and so deceives him as it did Edom The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rocks Obad 3. 4 Because it makes them impudent in sinning so that they declare their iniquities and cause God to punish many times when else he would not The pride of Israel doth testifie to or in his face Hos 5. 5. Hebr. The pride of Israel doth answer in his face now whether by answer be here intended Ephraim and Israel their likenesse one to another in pride as it may seeme to be because in the verses before they are complained of together and here in this verse it is immediately added Therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity or whether it be meant of a defending of sinne in not hiding it but acknowledging it and replying in the defence of it when they were reproved as it is said in Esaiah c. 3. 9. The acknowledgement of their face doth answer in them or against them or as we translate The shew of the Countenance doth witnesse against theÌ„ Either way it will be impudence enough for they should have beene ashemed of one another and layne their hands upon their mouthes No sinner can be so easily condemned for sinne as a proud man becâ—use he needs no witnesse He will confesse it shall I say or rather boast of it of himselfe A manâ—s pride will bring him low Prov. 29. 23. you need have nothing else to do it Proud men reward evill to themselves none like them And therefore woe unto them Isa 3. 9. See of this Pride towards God in the Chapter of Impudence Punishments * Such as are not bettered by them have cause to feare 1 If the punishments are other mens the same or rather worse especially if they knew they were inflicted for the same sinnes that they commit For when Judah committed the same sinnes of spirituall adultery for which God had put away Israel into captivity before having an intention thus to punish them hee made his complaint in these words But shee returned not and her treacherous sister Judah saw it And I saw when for all the causes whereby back-sliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away and given her a bill of divorce yet her treacherous sister Judah
2 If they are our enemies God's turning away his wrath from them and perhaps to us Rejoyce not when thine enemie falleth and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth lest the Lord see it and it displease him he turn away his wrath from him Prov. 24. 17 18. Job puts it among those sinnes which if hee were guilty of he wisht or would be contented that any misery might fall upon him If I rejoyced at the destruction or misery of him that hated me or lift up my selfe when evil found him Job 31. 29. as if he had added I would have been contented God should have done to me what he would Lift up my selfe The Sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if my heart onely did say 't is good enough for him a speech too often used At the destruction in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 IN the destruction as if he would not rejoice so much as at such a time when his enemie was destroyed Which is more then Solomon's at or for in the place above quoted And indeed they are no ordinary acts of piety which Job commends himselfe for in that Chapter But not more then David practised to the purpose not only not rejoycing but mourning at such times WHEN they were sicke my clothing was sackcloth Psal 35. 13. But if the men are godly it is threatned With God's exceeding great anger and the like miseries as they suffered For now it is true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 At the miseries of wicked men wee may The Philosopher saies wee must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be without sorrow but at these we may not There are severall instances for this as 1. the Ammonites who rejoyced at the captivity of the Jewes Because thou hast clapped thine hands and stamped with the feet and rejoyced in heart with all thy despite against the Land of Israel Behold therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee and will deliver thee for a spoyle to the heathen and I will cut thee off from the people and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries I will destroy thee thou shall know that I am the Lord Ezek 25. 6 7. 2 The Tyrians though they rejoyced because it would be for their owne good Because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem Aha she is broken that was the gates of the people she is turned unto me I shall be replenished now she is laid wast Therefore thus saith the Lord I am against thee O Tyrus c. 2 6. 2 3. 3 The people of Seir. As thou didst rejoyce at the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate so will I do unto thee Thou shall be desolate O mount Seir and all Idumea even all of it they shall know that I am the Lord. c 35. 15. Such insulting wordes at the affliction of the godly though for shame of the world men will not cōfesse they intend it so yet do indeede strike at God for I am sure he would not complaine without cause and yet in the chapter last quoted vers 13 you finde him thus complaining Thus with your mouth yee have boasted against me and have multiplied your words against me I have heard them Relapsing into sinne * Punished With a worse condition For the Vncleane Spirit when he comes again to a house which he hath left will bring seven more spirits along with him keep it so strongly that he will hardly be cast out When the uncleane spirit is gone out of a man he walketh thorow dry places seeking rest or habitation and findeth none Then he saith I will return unto my house from whence I came and when he is come he findeth it empty swept and garnished then goeth he and taketh with himselfe Seven or as many as can be gotten other Spirits worse then himselfe and they enter in and dwell therein before he did but lodge there but now he will dwell and the last state of that man is worse then the first Mat 12. 43 44 45. Our Saviour saies thus to the Jewes and his saying hath been verified in them according to his prophecy in the same place Even thus shall it be also unto this wicked generation This Parable-like speech of his you have delivered by Peter in plainer termes as if hee had it in his minde to interpret it For if after they have escaped the pollution of the world pollution unclean spirit answer very well through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ they are entangled again therin and overcome the latter end is worse with them then the beginning 2 Pet. 2. 20. The clean spirit if I may so call the Holy Ghost when it hath left a man for a while as many times in a manner it doth when it returnes againe it comes with a great deale more efficacy for it finds a man humbled for the want of it and empty Souldiers that have kept a Castle and lost it if they take it againe will goe neere to make it impregnable If you consider it you will finde it hold in Spirituall Civill and Naturall things that Returnes to former conditions or actions for the most part improve them Threatned With a worse punishment Our Saviour said to the man whom he had cured of an infirmity of 38 yeares Sinne no more lest a worse thing come unto thee Joh 5. 14. Religion and religious actions used for a cloak Threatned 1 With Not-being accepted Though they be of the best sort even free-will offerings nay the best of that sort I meane the fairest and best to look to Thus was threatned Saul's sparing forsooth the best of the Oxen and Sheep to sacrifice to the Lord 1 Sam 15. 21. which was but a pretext to cover his covetousnesse his disobedience for Samuel told him To obey is better then sacrifice verse 22. Thus the Israelites their fasting for strife Isa 58. 3 4 5. Is it such a fast that I have chosen v. 5. So in Jeremy saies God What hath my beloved to doe in my house seeing shee hath wrought lewdnesse with many ch 11. 15. Our Saviour speaking of those who denied to profit or help their decaied parents upon pretence that they had given their goods to the Korban for the use of the Church the poore applies the complaint of the Prophet Isay In vaine doe they worship me Mark 7. 7. See what an Epiphonema John puts upon Judas his charity forsooth to the poore when he would have had the ointment spent upon our Saviour's feet to have beene spent upon them Joh. 12. 6. This he said not that he cared for the poore but because he was a thiefe and had the bag and bare what was put therein 2 God 's not rewarding or satisfying them such as Trust Reliance The heads thereof judge for reward and the Priests thereof teach for hire and the Prophets thereof divine for mony yet will they leane upon the Lord
laying judgment to the line and spoken after the same manner viz in answer to the peoples opinion that there was no divine providence to take notice of mens actions that things should continue as they were without alteration But saith God they shall know the contrary for I will not only punish them but I will doe it very exactly so that not only not all but none shall escape Josephus saith that the Romane Souldiers under Titus when he tooke Jerusalem searched the very sinks and graves and dens for men and put to death those that they found That say in their heart you have had the expression twice before in this chapter of Security And indeed it is proper to all Secure men so to say and the best of us are guilty of it oftner then we take notice of In their heart That is enough with God to provoke him and we dare not say otherwise then in our hearts for feare of provoking men 3 Death by the sword All the sinners of my people shall dye by the sword which say the evill shall not overtake nor prevent us Amos 9. 10. 4 Sudden unavoidable destruction For when they shall say peace and safety then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travaile upon a woman with child and they shall not escape 1 Thess 5. 3. 5 All the curses written in the booke of the Covenant And it come to passe when he heareth the words of this curse that he blesse himselfe in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walke in the imagination of my heart to adde drunkenesse to thirst The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his Jealousy shall smoak against that man and all the curses that are written in this booke shall lie upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven Deut 29. 19 20. No wonder then that the Prophet Amos should say Woe to them that are at ease in Sion Amos 6. 1. Seducers and seduced See False teachers Selfe conceited men punished 1 By their own sin deceiving them For if a man think himselfe to be something when he is nothing he deciveth himselfe Gal 6. 3. 2 By God detaining from them that which they think they have Whosoever hath not from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have Luk 8. 18. Selfe-destruction Threatned to Sinners In generall as for the prime and remote cause any sins whatsoever are mens owne snares and stumbling blocks so that you may say to a man of any of them as Moses does of serving Idols It will surely be a snare unto thee Ex 23. 33. Sinners will run themselves fast enough in and hang themselves sure enough with the Cords of their owne sins of their own accord although or rather indeed If God let them alone His own iniquities shall take the wicked himselfe and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins Prov 5. 22. Wickednesse is the fire and they are the briars and thornes Isa 9. 18. Punishment by God is but their own way brought back again upon their own head The Scripture useth this expression for it 1 Kings 8. 32. as likewise that of eating the fruit of their own waies Pr. 1. 31. David prayed that the way of his enemies might be dark and slippery Psal 35. 6. Jeremy threatned that the way of the false Prophets should be so chap 23. 12. I make no doubt but I may say that the way of every sinner is so Which if it be there needs none to throw him downe for hee will fall soone himselfe and fall most dangerously as a man must needs doe in such waies Many are the places of Scripture which speake to this purpose especially in the Psalmes and the Proverbs You may see at your leasure Psal 64. 8. 140. 9. 141. 10 * Prov. 11. 5 6 19. ch 13. 6 14. 14. 21. 7. 29. 6. I say that every sinner will punish himselfe with his own courses when once God leaves him or gives him leave to take those courses and so to punish himselfe Now the main cause of God's leaving him in this manner is his leaving God first and refusing to hearken to the counsell of his word So that still the sinners destruction is from himselfe and he is his own greatest enemy They would none of my Councell they despised all my reproofe Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their owne devises Prov 1 30 31. If hee will not take God's Counsell he must needs take his owne and his own is never good Such as will not follow advice though it bee but man's advice we see but few of them prosper See more to this purpose in the Chapter of God's Leaving men to sin in the Title Sin Now by any sin as I told you before men do hurt theÌ„selves remotely in the end by just desert But there are some sins by which they are more immediatly their own executioners And of such sins and the manner of being punished by them mention is made in severall places of this book And therefore I will instance onely in two or three that are more noted and these are 1 An unruly tongue A fooles mouth is his destruction and his lips are the snare of his soule Prov 18. 7. 2 Anger and Envy For wrath killeth the foolish man and Envy slayeth the silly one Job 5. 2. 3 Frowardnesse The integritie of the upright shall guide them hut the perversnesse of transgressours shall destroy them Prov 11. 3. 4 Confidence and wantonnesse in prosperity The turning away of the simple shall sâ—ay them and the prosperity of fooles shall destroy them Prov 1. 32. Of these you may see more in their severall Chapters This way of punishing men by themselves is a way that God uses very much whether it be by giving them up to such sins as are most hurtfull to the parties that commit them Or by causing them to be whâ—pt by those scourges which they made themselves and intended for the backs of others Insomuch that if you see men punished this way you have very good cause to think that God hath a speciall hand in it and that he is very angry As David saith The Lord is known by the judgement which he executeth the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands Ps 9. 16. Selfe-Feare See Feare and Enemies of Gods people Selling deceitfully See deceitfull dealing Sinne. I meane to give you two or three of the more remarkable texts of Scripture which speak of Sin in generall as Sin Now we find in the Scriptures First that by Sin there comes no good no not in this world every thing considered What fruit had yee then then in those things whereof yee are now ashamed Rom 6 21 and therefore sinnes are called the unfruitfull workes of darknesse Eph. Secondly that for Sin there will be certain punishment It was so
Which puts me in mind of a saying among the Jewes The doore that is not opened to the poore shall be opened to the Physicians Vnfruitfullnesse God punisheth men for it 1 With leaving them to the wide world What could I have done more to my vinyard that I have not done in it wherefore when I looked that it should bring forth grapes brought it forth wild grapes and now goe to I will tell you what I will doe to my vinyard I will take away the hedge thereof and it shall be eaten up and break downe the wall thereof and it shall be trodden downe Isa 5. 4 5. 2 Taking away the means of making them fruitfull It shall not be pruned nor digged but there shall come up briars and thornes I will also command the cloudes that they raine no raine upon it ib. v. 6. 3 Taking away the power and meanes of being fruitfull gifts and talents Take therefore the talent from him and give it unto him that hath ten talents Mat. 25. 28. So that for unfruitfullnesse the sinne they have unfruitfullnesse the punishment When he saw a fig-tree in the way he came to it and found nothing thereon but leaves only and said unto it let no fruit grow on thee hence forward for ever and presently the figtree withered away Mat. 21 19. 4 Cutting downe as trees that have left bearing It was John the Baptist's doctrine every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen downe and cast into the fire Mat. 3. 10. And it was our Saviours too in in the same wordes chap. 7. 19. Luk 13. 7. He that had hid his talent in the ground had his doome to be cast into outer darknesse Mat. 25. 30. Vnthankfull sinning I meane sinning against more then ordinary mercy For otherwise all sinning hath Vnthankefulnes in it It hath been threatned 1 With God's anger although the party were one that God loved exceeding well Hezekiah rendred not againe according to the benefit done unto him for his heart was lifted up therefore there was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem 2 Chr 32. 25. 2 God 's not pardoning them or forbearing to punish them How shall I pardon thee for this Thy children have forâ—aken me sworne by them that are no Gods When I had fed them to the full they then committed adultery and assembled themselves by troupes in the harlots houses Jer 5. 7. 3 God's punishing them severely You only have I knowne of all the families of the earth therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities Am. 3. 2. How tenderly does God take it to have hatred thus returned him for his good will even as a father does to be hated by his children whom he hath not onely begotten but bred up with a great deale of love and paines and care One may plainly see it in the manner of his expressions Of the rock that begat thee thou art unmindfull and hast forgotten God that formed thee And when the Lord saw it he abhorred them because of the provoking of his sons of his daughters Deu 32. 18 19. Because of the provoking of his sons and his daughters If they had been strangers their Provoking had not been so odious nor their Sins so provoking Deu 32. 18 19. Heare O heavens and give eare O earth for the Lord hath spoken I have nourished and brought up children and they have rebelled against me The Oxe knoweth his owner and the Asse his masters crib but Israel doth not know my people doth not consider Isa 1. 2 3. Heare O Heavens As if creatures onely naturall would be sensible of such an unnaturall thing viz for children to forget him that nourished and fed them In that place of Deuteron last quoted where we translate formed the Sept. translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that nourished thee So in Hos 11. 3. in the Latine translation the words are I as Ephraim's nursing father bare them in my armes And indeed these expressions viz of nourishing and a nursing father doe aggravate ingratitude much more then making or begetting or being a father For many fathers doe hate their children and many cause them to be made away as soone as they are borne Being a father is not so much a matter of love At least there is no love in so being but only from unlesse it be by adoption so as God is a father in Jesus Christ For they to whom he is so may well say Behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God 1 Joh 3. 1. He did not love us as fathers love their naturall children which is usually by force of nature so that they cannot help it But he bestowed his love upon us freely To have been indeed the sons of God had not been matter of love but being not the sons of God but the children if wrath yet to be called the sons of God here was love It may be seen likewise viz how tenderly God takes sinning against his love in another comparison which God often useth viz of a wife forsaking her husband Among other places I refer you especially to Ezek. 16. 32. For in that Chapt. the Prophet seems to have made it his businesse to set forth the greatnesse of the peoples ingratitude recounting first Gods mercies from vers 4. to 14. and after that their sins notwithstanding those mercies See the complaint concerning Ephraim Hos 7. 13. 15. and the threat pronounced against them vers 16 See also Ch. 11. 3. 4 Deniall of mercy under punishment which is a very sad thing When the Israelites cried ro the Lord for help being invaded by the Ammonites his answer was this Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites from the children of Ammon and from the Philistines The Zidonians also and the Amalekites and the Maonites did oppresse you and yee cryed unto mee and I delivered you out of their hand Yet yee have forsaken mee and served other Gods wherefore I will deliver you no more Judg 10 11 12 13. It hath been punished and threatned 1 With many sorts of judgements Such as the Jewes at severall times met with before theiâ— captivity The Levites in their confession at the time of the fast after the peoples returne to Jerusalem relating the manner of God's dealing with their ancestors by mercies and punishments and their behaviour towards him still made the cause of their punishments to be their sinnes after the receit of mercies as you may see in Nehemiah c. 9. Not once nor twice nor twenty times in the Old Testament when there is either an exhortation to the Jewes to remember or a reproofe for forgetting the Lord their God their deliverance out of the land of Egypt is presently mentioned in these words Which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt See 2 King 17. 6 7. Deut. 13. 5 10. c. The mention of this mercy alone God knew
and the Hireling making the oppressing of such people as great a sinne as we count it little or as great as we count drunkennesse and swearing for we hardly count ony other sinnes great See the Chapter of oppression and Poore And setteth his heart upon it The Chaldee paraphrast renders ventures his life for it as if it had beene said he puts his body and soule and all his strength to it to earne it and therefore doe not detaine it from him seeing he payes so deare for it The Hebrew indeed signifies He carrieth his life or soule to or for it and so it may have the same signification with that phrase shum nephesh be Chaph to put a man's life in his hands used in Judg. 12. 3. and 1 Sam. 28. 21. That for which a man ventures life or that wherewith he sustaines life any thing that concernes life take heed of medling with it That for which a man ventures life because it were an argumēt of an Hard heart David though he longed so earnestly for some of the water of the well of Bethlehem where the Philistines had a garrison yet when it was brought by the three mighty men who brake thorow the Philistines army to fetch it he refused to drinke it because it was the bloud of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives 2 Sam 23. 17. That with which a man sustaines life because it would be an argument of a Cruell heart In this chapter of Deuteronomic v. 6 where a man is forbidden to take a milstone for a pledge the reason added is Because he taketh life to pledge we render it man's life but in the Originall it is only life which doth more emphatically set forth what account God makes of life and how carefull he is to have it preserved whosoever the man be The Septuagint seeme to fetch the force of the reason from this last sort of things translating the words above quoted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because he hath his hope in it it is all he hath to trust to or it is that which he depends upon for his maintenance But methinkes however they had done better if they had gone as neere the originall as they could at lest as to the preposition and translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to or of it which would have suited wel with the litterall signification of the other word he lifteth his soule or as our translation very well paraphrases it setteth his heart upon it And it is a very good argument to be used to a man to make him pay the hireling his hire viz. because it is that which he agreed for first and it is that which his mind and his hopes ran upon all the while he was working And therefore be not so hard-hearted and cruell to let him lose his hope and expectation than which there can be no greater cause of griefe and vexation As the desire of the slothfull killeth him Prov. 21. 25. viz. because he cannot enjoy it and as hope deferred maketh the heart sicke ch 13. 12 so it must needs be a grievous heart-breaking to a poore man and consequently cruelty in his master whose fault it is to have laboured hard and long perhaps cheerfully in hopes of a little reward and to be deceived at last surely if God heare not such a man's prayer to avenge him yet doubtlesse he will see his master's oppression to punish him accordingly for it followes Lest he cry against thee unto the Lord and it be sinne unto thee Cry against thee And so the Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for as the Scriptures as I told you before have very high and tender expressions of the Poore the Fatherlesse the Widow the Stranger and the Hireling so it may be gathered out of them that God hath a speciall eye to their conditions to pitty them and a speciall eare to their prayers to heare them and grant their desire I cannot wish mine enemy a worse thing then to have any one of these pray against him Their praying to God when they are oppressed is usually expressed in Scripture by Crying because it is so loud and their crying because of oppression is in God's eares like so much praying every cry of the oppressed is a powerfull prayer and every prayer a loud cry This defrauding the poore hireling of his livelihood is a murderous bloody sinne and therefore sure to be puished As God said to Cain The voyce of thy brothers blood cryeth unto me from the ground Gen. 4. 10 So James saith to the rich oppressours Behold the hire of the labourers which have reaped downe your fields which is of you kept backe by fraud cryeth and the cryes of them which have reaped are entred into the eares of the Lord of Sabaoth James 5. 4. as if he had said The Lord will surely heare them and punish you The Lord of Sabaoth or the Lord of Hoasts he names him by the same name that Malachy doth when he speakes of the same sinne Mal 3. 5. to shew that God will come as a God of power and in a terrible manner against such as are oppressours And it be sinne to thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or there be punishment against thee for besides that the same preposition is used to signifie against as well as in or unto as Gen. 16. 12. Exod. 14. 25. the same word is used both for sinne and punishment see the chap. of Sinne and it comes all to one to render it either way For as long as a thing is sinne to a man or as long as it is not pardoned for when it is pardoned it is taken away so long it is certaine there shall be punishment you have the like expression ch 15. 9. joyned also with the other expression here used viz. and he cry unto the Lord against thee and upon the like occasion viz. of covetousnesse and hardheartednesse in refusing to lend to a brother in want so ch 23. 21. 2 As the punishment of such men is certaine so it is likely to be speedy And I will come neere to you in judgement and I will be a swift witnesse against the Sorcerers and against the Adulterers and against False-swearers and against those that oppresse the Hireling in his wages the Widdow and the Fatherlesse and that turne aside the stranger from his right and feare not me saith the Lord of Hoasts Malac. 3. 5. The reason why I have beene so long in this chapter is because I love to speake most of those sinnes of which the world speakes least and thinke most slight of Holinesse There is no getting into heaven without it Follow peace with all men and holinesse without which no man shall see the Lord Heb. 12. 14. Not being Humbled by Iudgements Such as are not Humbled by God's Judgements upon themselves or others Have cause to feare The inflicting of more punishments as may be gathered by
these ensuing instances 1 When Daniel told Belshazzar the King of Babylon of the taking away of his Kingdome the first sinne that he mentioned after he had related the heavy judgements of God upon his father Nebuchadnezzar was this And thou his Sonne O Belshazzar hast not humbled thy selfe though thou knewest all this Dan. 5. 22. The Septuagint render it Didst thou not know all these things as if it were such a strange thing or such a shame or such a crime to know of so many fearfull judgements of God inflicted by reason of sinne upon his owne father and yet not to lay it to heart or be any whit moved for it Knewest If a man doe but know or be but told of God's judgements upon another God expects hee should Humble himselfe thereupon 2 Had not Jeroboam and the Princes of Judah Humbled themselves when Shishak King of Egypt had taken their fenced cities and was come to Jerusalem instead of being onely plundered by him and made his servants doubtlesse they had been destroyed altogether for God himselfe mentioneth it as a reason why he did not permit their destruction and there is no other reason mentioned 2 Chron 12. 6 7 12. 3 It is likely Manasseh had he not Humbled himselfe and that greatly having greatly sinned during his imprisonment in Babylon though he had prayed never so much had never beene brought againe to Jerusalem 2 Chr. 33 12 13. It is that which the Spirit of God commendeth in him afterward when he speakes of his son Amon whom he discommends for the contrary saying that he Humbled not himselfe before the Lord as Manasse his father had Humbled himselfe v. 23. which perhaps is added to shew that the punishment intended by God against him and mentioned presently after in these words And his servants conspired against him and slew him in his owne house v. 24 was therefore executed because he used not those meanes to prevent it which his father had used to remove his 2 It is not unlikely that Josiah himselfe though he did that which was rigâ—ht in the sight of the Lord had not his heaâ—t beene tender and had he not Humbled himselfe before the Lord when he heard what he spake against Jerusalem and the Inhabitants thereof he had suffered those miseries himselfe which his successours afterward suffered by the King of Egypt and the King of Assyria For this reason God himselfe mentions and none else why he deferred his punishments 2 King 22. 19 20. Doubtlesse Not-being Humbled by Judgements either our owne or of others is a sin wherewith God is exceedingly provoked And it may be gathered by this that he is so well pleased with being Humbled though in an Hypocrite as you may see in the example of Ahab 1 King 21 29. See complaints of not being Humbled concerning Zedekiah 2 Chron. 36 12. and concerning the Jewes Jer. 44. 10. But especially if the Judgements be our owne and whilst they are yet upon us or for a while after before God be gone out of sight as it were if we are not Humbled this is a most confronting sinne and therefore in other places in the Scriptures where mention is made of not Humbling ones selfe it is aggravated with these words Before the Lord 2 Chron. 33. 23. c. as if he must needs be a most desperately and maliciously hardhearted impudent wretch who is not Humbled Before the Lord or while he is under such a mighty hand as God's 1 Pet. 5. 6. but is ready to laugh in his face Our Humiliation is one of Gods maine ends in punishing and it angers him to misse of it as much as it will a master to misse his blow by a boyes running away from him when he is going to strike him Humiliation and Afflicting of our soules by our selves and the Humiliation and Affliction of our bodies by God must goe together The same word in Hebrew viz. Hanah is used for both and so is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greeke Jam. 4. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be afflicted or behave your selves like men afflicted like 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be subject 1 Pet. 2. 13. that is behave your selves like those that are subject Being afflicted in prosperity pleases God as much as any thing and Not being afflicted in adversity displeases him as much as any thing for it is possible to be not afflicted in the midst of affliction not to receive correction though a man have it Likewise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is thus used Jam. 4. 10. 1 Pet. 5. 6. Luk. 1. 48. I will conclude with a Promise and a Threat together And the afflicted people thou wilt save but thine eyes are upon the haughty that thou mayest bring them downe 2 Sam. 22. 28. Hypocrisie Hypocrisie is in generall threatned with Woe In the Old Testament thus Woe unto them for they have fled from me destruction unto them because they have transgressed against me though I have redeemed them yet they have spoken lyes against me And they have not cried unto me with their hearts when they howled upon their beds Hos 7. 13. 14. They have spoken lyes against me or to me for the Hebrew preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will beare it being many times thus used but so as that withall it signifie against Now I conceive the Prophet as in other places of this chapter so likewise in those wordes now mentioned to have especially reproved the Israelites of Hypocrisy which may very well be thus described by speaking lyes or lying to God and I believe is usually so described in the Scriptures as likewise by flattering as you may see Ps 78. 36 see Rev 2. 2 ch 3. 9. The reason is because Hypocrites speak to God or promise him one thing and not only doe afterward but meane another all the while They draw neere unto him with their mouth and honour him with their lips but remove their heart farre from him this is God's complaint concerning the Jewes by Isaiah chap 29. 1 and therefore you may see in the next chapter v. 9 he cals them Lying Children In like manner Hypocrisy towards men is thus expressed by lying as Ps 62. 4. They delight in Lies For I suppose David in that place complaines not so much of his enemies telling Saul what he never did as of their telling him what they never meant and the words immediatly following are a good ground for my supposition viz. They blesse with their mouth but they curse inwardly Now the proper worke of Lying is to deceive and therefore Idols which deceive those that trust in them are called Lyes Isa 44. 20 and as I think Lying vanities Ps 31. 6. Jon 2. 8. And so likewise any child of man in whom we put confidence Ps 62. 9. The Hypocrite towards God also does what he can to deceive him and therefore in the sixteenth verse of this chapter of Hosea the Ephraimites are compared