literally It is also taken spiritually for the Church either militant here on earth or Triumphant in heauen For the Church Militant Psal 128.5 Thou shalt see the wealth of Ierusalem all thy life long And for the Church Triumphant Gal. 4.26 Ierusalem which is aboue is free The Catholique Church Militant and Triumphant is called Ierusalem because Ierusalem was a type thereof Ierusalem was a type of the Catholike Church in sundry respects 1. God did choose Ierusalem aboue all other places of the earth to r Psal 132.13 Psal 135.21 dwell in So the Catholike Church the company of the predestinate God hath chosen to be a peculiar people vnto himselfe 2. Ierusalem is a Citie Å¿ Psal 122.3 compact in it selfe by reason of the bond of loue and order among the Citizens So the faithfull the members of the Catholike Church are linked together by the bond of one Spirit 3 Ierusalem was the place of Gods sanctuary the place of his presence and worship where the promise of the seed of the woman was preserued till the comming of the Messias Now the Catholike Church is in the roome thereof In the Catholike Church we must seeke the presence of God and the word of life 4 In Ierusalem was the t Psal 122.5 the throne of Dauid So in the Catholike Church is the throne and scepter of Christ figured by the Kingdome of Dauid 5 The commendation of Ierusalem was the subiection and obedience of her citizens The Catholike Church hath her citizens too Eph. 2.19 and they doe yeeld voluntary obedience and subiection to Christ their King 6 In Ierusalem the names of the citizens were inrolled in a register So the names of all the members of the Catholike Church are inrolled in the booke of life Reuel 20.15 You see now what Ierusalem is literally and what spiritually Literally it is that much honoured City in Iudeâ— the u Psal 46.4 City of God euen the sanctuary of the tabernacle of the most High Spiritually it is the holy Church of Christ either his Church Militant on earth or his Church Triumphant in Heauen Now the Ierusalem in my text from whence the Lord is said to vtter his voice is either Ierusalem in the literall or Ierusalem in the spirituall vnderstanding it is either Ierusalem the mother City of Iudea or Ierusalem the Church of Christ Militant vpon earth or Ierusalem aboue the most proper place of Gods residence So that Ierusalem here is the same with Sion an Exposition of Sion The Lord shall roare from Sion that is in other words The Lord shall vtter his voice from Ierusalem Marke I beseech you beloued in the Lord The Lord shall roare not from Dan and Bethel where Ieroboams calues were worshipped but from Sion the mountaine of his holinesse and he shall vtter his voice not from Samaria drunken with Idolatry but from Ierusalem the x Zach. 8.3 city of truth wherein the purity of Gods worship did gloriously shine We may take from hence this lesson Sion and Ierusalem are to be frequented that thence hearing God speake vnto vs we may learne what his holy will is To speake more plainly This is the lesson which I commend vnto you The place where God is serued and the exercises of his religion are practised must be carefully frequented That I may the more easily perswade you to come vnto and to frequent this place this house of God his holy Church and Temple I bring you a guide This guide is a King and leads you the way the blessed King Dauid I beseech you marke his affection Psal 84.1 O Lord of hosts how amiable are thy tabernacles My soule longeth yea and fainteth for thy courts Marke his loue Psal 26.8 O Lord I haue loued the habitation of thine house and the place where thine honour dwelleth Marke the earnestnesse of his zeale Psal 42.1 2. As the Hart brayeth for the riuers of water so panteth my soule after thee O God My soule thirsteth for God euen for the liuing God when shall I come and appeare before the presence of God Let this holy King King Dauid be the patterne of your imitation Beloued you must haue an earnest loue and desire to serue God in the assembly of his Saints you must much esteeme of the publike exercise of religion It is Gods effectuall instrument and mean to nourish beget you to the hope of a better life In what case then are you when you absent your selues from this and the like holy assemblies when either you come hither carelesly or else doe gracelesly contemne this place Here is Sion here is Ierusalem here God speaketh to you in the language of Canaan and here may you speake to him againe with your owne mouthes It is euery mans duty the duty of euery one that loues God to come vnto Gods house his house of prayer In this respect thus saith the Lord Esay 56.7 Mine house shall bee called the house of prayer for all people For all people there is no difference betweene the y Galat. 3.28 Iew and the Grecian betweene the bond and the free betweene the male and the female for our Lord who is Lord ouer all z Rom. 10.12 is rich vnto all that call vpon him Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people To imprint this sentence in your hearts it is repeated vnto you Mat. 23.13 Where Iesus Christ to the mony-changers and doue-sellers whom hee found in the Temple vseth this speech It is written mine house shall be called an house of prayer but ye haue made it a den of theeues Iunius his note vpon the place is good Qui domo Dei non vtitur ad orationis domum is eò deuonit vt speluncam latronum efficiat eam Whosoeuer vseth not the house of God for a house of prayer he commeth thither to make it a den of theeues Let vs take heed beloeed in the Lord whensoeuer we come vnto the Church the house of God that we be not partakers of this sharpe censure Ecclesiastes chap. 4.17 giueth a profitable caueat Take heed to thy feet when thou â—nterest into the house of God intimaâ—ing thus much that of duty we are to enter into the house of God Though the Temple in Ierusalem and all the worship in ceremonies that was annexed to it are taken away yet is Salomons caueat good for vs still Take heed to thy feet when thou enterest into the house of God For we also haue Gods house where he is chiefly to be sought and worshipped euen in euery place appointed by publike authority for publike assemblies Wherefore I pray you hath God giuen his Church a 1 Cor. 12.27 some Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists some Pastors some Teachers Is it not as we are taught Ephes 4.12 for the gathering together of the Saints for the worke of the ministerie and for the edifying of the Body of Christ See you not here a forcible argument and
long before with holy premonitions he prouideth for them by his Prophets and either by promises he keepeth them in good courses or by threats he recalleth them from bad Be it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an exposition or a reason of what was said before it is all one for the matter But if we respect the forme of the sentence as it standeth in our now English translation Surely the Lord God will doe nothing but he reuealeth his secret to his seruants the Prophets it may be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Asseueration For such it is and is of a reuelation concerning which three things are to be obserued 1. Who is the Reuealer 2. What is Reuealed 3. To whom The Reuealer is the Lord God His secret is the thing reuealed They to whom the reuelation is made are his seruants the Prophets Of those in their order The Reuealer is first and is here set forth by two names of his Adonai Iehouih Lord God The first place of Scripture wherein these two names are ioyned together is Gen. 15.2 in the complaint made by Abraham for want of an heire Lord God what wilt thou giue me if I goe childlesse Lord God Lord in Hebrew is Adonai which signifieth My Lords or my stayes or pillars implying in it a mystery of the holy Trinity Matth. 11.25 It is one of the proper names of God the Lord of Heauen and earth who as a base sustaineth his faithfull children in all their infirmities It is written here with kametz or long A in the end and so is proper to God hauing the vowels of Iehouah when it is written with Patach or short A it is applied to creatures In the forme singular Adon Lord or sustainer is also ascribed vnto God the Lord of all the earth Psal 97 5. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth The Lord of the whole earth he is Adon Adonim in the forme plurall is likewise ascribed vnto God Malac. 1.6 If I be Adonim If I be a Lord where is my feare The other name of God in this place is Iehouih Iehouih It is vsually so written when it is ioyned with Adonai and it hath the consonant letters of Iehouah and the vowels of Elohim And where one Prophet writeth Adonai Iehouih as in the prayer of Dauid set downe 2 Sam. 7.18 another writing of the same prayer saith Iehouah Elohim 1 Chron. 17.16 Say Iehouih or Iehouah the signification is the same But Iehouih as Tremelius and Iunius haue noted vpon the 15. of Genesis is the more patheticall the fitter to moue affection and is therefore vsed in passionate speeches and prayers that are very earnest by a Gen. 15.2 8. Abraham by b Deut. 3.24.9.26 Moses by c Cap. 4.14 c. Ezechiel and others as if they were sighing and sobbing So writeth Amandus Polanus in his Commentary vpon Ezechiel chap. 4.14 But Alsted in his Theologicall Lexicon is of another minde and thinks there is no more passion shewed in saying Iehouih than in saying Iehouah Yet may it be otherwise Adonai Iehouih the Lord God The first of these two names betokeneth his Maiestie his sustentation of all things and his dominion ouer all the second his Essence his existing or being The first Adonai Grammarians deriue from Eden which is as much as Basis or Stylobates the base or foot-stoole of a pillar the foundation thereof giuing vs thereby to vnderstand that the Lord our God is the sustainer the maintainer the vpholder of all things that he is most properly primarily and of himselfe Lord that he is the only true prime and supreme Lord of all things yea the Lord of Lords that he alone hath absolute full free and eternall right ouer all things that are contained within the circuit of Heauen and Earth The second Iehouih they deriue as they doe Iehouah from Hauah which signifieth He was The force of this name is opened in the Reuelation of Saint Iohn chap. 1.4 in that his sâ—lutation to the seuen Churches of Asia Grace be vnto you and peace from Him which is and which was and which is to come that is from God the Father Iehouah from him that is eternall immortall and vnchangeable from him who hath his being of himselfe and giueth being to all creatures In the same chap. vers 8. I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end saith the Lord which is and which was and which is to come the Almighty The words are the conclusion or shutting vp of the fore-mentioned salutation and are a confirmation of that grace and peace that was to come vnto the seuen Churches from Iehouah God alone from him who is the first and the last our Redeemer the Lord of Hosts besides whom there is no God Who was who was before all and gaue to euery creature the being Who is to come who is to come continueth for euer and supporteth all euen the Almightie who exerciseth his power and prouidence ouer all This same who is who was and who is to come as before in the distinguishing of the Persons of the Trinitie it was vsed to expresse God the Father so here it is vsed to declare the vnion of substance in the whole three Persons Father Sonne and Holy Ghost It is likewise vsed Reu. 11.17 where those foure and twentie Elders which sate before God on their seats fell vpon their faces and worshipped God saying Wee giue thee thankes O Lord Almightie which art and which wa st and which art to come So is it by the Angell of the waters Reuel 16.5 where he saith Thou art righteous O Lord which art and which wa st and which shalt be Thus in the Holy Reuelation of Saint Iohn is the force of the name Iehouah opened foure seuerall times and implieth thus much 1. That God hath his being or existence of himselfe before the world was Esay 44.6 2. That He giues being vnto all things For as much as in him all things are and doe consist Act. 17.25 Exod. 6.3 Esay 45.2 Ezech. 5.17 3. That Hee giueth being to his Word effecting whatsoeuer Hee speaketh We met with this name of God Iehouah in the first Chapter of this Booke nine times in the second seuen times and twice before in this Now by the change of a vowell it is Iehouih This change of a vowell changeth not the name Iehouah or Iehouih the name is the same the most proper name of God of God whose true Latitude is his Immensitie whose true Longitude is his Eternitie whose true Altitude is the Sublimitie of his Nature whose true Profunditie being sine fundo without bottome is his incomprehensibility Bernard in his fifth booke de Consideratione cap. 13. hath a discourse to this very purpose but with some variety The question there propounded is Quid est Deus What is God The answer is Longitudo Latitudo
saith they are Psal 14.1 The foole hath said in his heart there is no God Is it not all one as if he had said Whosoeuer saith in heart there is no God he is a foole Now that it may appeare to be no sudden or rash censure of his but a thing well conceited and meditated by him he iterateth the same againe Psal 53.1 The foole hath said in his heart there is no God In Prosolog c. 3. Tâ—m 3. But why saith he so Cur saith Anselme nisi quia stultus insipiens est Why is it that the foole doth say there is no God Surely euen for this reason because he is a foole But why saith he so in heart In Psal 51. rather than in mouth Saint Hilary will tell you why Because if he should vtter it in his words as he smothers it in his thoughts Stultus esse sicut est publici assensus iudicio argueretur he should publikely be taken to be a foole as he is euen by generall consent But leaue we these fooles these Cosmopolites to their heauen vpon earth sith they looke for no other heauen Leaue we them to their planting traÌ„splanting building rebuilding studying for roome to lay vp their fruits non in visceribus pauperuÌ„ not in the bowels of the poore but in their enlarged barnes We are sure they will build neither Church nor Hospitall either in cultum Christi or culturam Christiani either to the seruice of Christ or to the comfort of any Christian Wherefore leaue wee them and reflect wee our eyes for a while to our owne houses to see how we may build them faire to the Lord. These our houses whereof I now speake we build and God buildeth Nos bene vinendo Deus vt bene viuamus opitulando August de Ciuit. Dei l. 17. c. 12. We build by liuing well and God by assisting vs by his grace that we may liue well For Nisi Dominus aedificauerit Except the Lord build the house they labour in vaine that build it Psal 127.1 These our houses are not materiall but spirituall they are our hearts Domus nostrae corda nostra sunt so the same Father vpon the 74. â—â— Vulg. Psalme Our houses are our hearts Here is good dwelling if they be cleansed from iniquity If we loue the Lord Iesus and keepe his words his Father will loue vs they both will come vnto vs and make their abode with vs Ioh. 14.23 their abode will be by grace in these houses of ours our hearts Yet may they in a spirituall vnderstanding be those same houses of Iuory Psal 45. Houses of Iuory great and regall houses the tabernacles of God are corda sanctorum Aug. in Psal 44. they are the hearts of the Saints Other houses we haue for our solace as that Cant. 1.17 The beames of our house are Cedars our galleries are of Firre Such houses are the congregations of the Saints the places where we doe sweetly conuerse and walke together They are firme and during like Cedars among the trees not subict through Gods protecting grace to vtter corruption and they are like to galleries of sweet wood full of pleasure contentment through the favourable acceptance of God his word Those beames of Cedar and Galleries of Fâ—â—e haâ—â— respect vnto the buildings and places of Kings couered â—â—at with battlements with galleries on the top and do shew to vs by the similitude of these two odoriferous and not putrifying trees that the ioyning and coupling of the Bridegroom Christ Iesus and his Spouse the Church with-draweth vs from the stench and corruption of this vile world and maketh our soules and bodies so many houses and Temples dedicated vnto God And for this reasonâ— S. Paul calleth you the Temple of God 1. Cor. 3.16 Know ye not that yee are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you If any man defile the Temple of God him shall God destroyâ— for the Temple of God is holy which Temple yee are In the same Epist Chap. 6.19 Yee are the Temple of the Holy Ghost What Know yee not that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you which yee haue of God and ye are not your owne For yee are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your body in your spirit which are Gods Once more the same Apostle calleth you the Temple of God 2. Cor. 6.16 Ye are the Temple of the liuing God he proues it from the testimony of God himselfe I will dwell in you Leuit. 26.12 Ezek. 36.26 27. and walke in you and I will be your God and you shall be my people Is the testimony of God himselfe produced by the Apostle to proue that yee are Templum Dei viui the Temple of God of the liuing God and that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost O looke yee to the trimming vp of this house to the decking and adorning of this temple Your body it is the temple of the Holy Ghost it is the Temple of God defile it not Sweetly S. Ambrose Apud Lombard in 1. Cor. 6. Si non parcis tibi propter te vel parce tibi propter Deum qui sibi fecit te domum If thou spare not thy selfe for thine owne sake yet spare thy selfe for Gods sake who hath vouchsafed to make thee thy body a house a Temple for his holy habitation What shall I say more but put you in remembrance that we haue yet another house in store for the fulfilling of our ioy For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle we dissolued we haue a building of God and house not made with hand but eternal in the Heauens 2 Cor. 5 1. This same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this house not made with hand whether it be the glory of the soule and life eternal as a Photius Auselm Thomas Lyran. some doe vnderstand it or the body glorified in the resurrection as b Chrysost Theod. Theoph. Ambrose others it is the house full of contentment and beatitude And we haue it c Lombard Habemus spe habebimus re we haue in hope we shall haue it in possession We haue it saith the Apostle because we shall as certainly haue it as if we had it already in full fruition To this fullnesse of contentment and beatitude God in his good time bring vs all for Christ Iesus sake FINIS
of buildings How then is it that our dwelling houses doe yet stand and flourish Our sinnes and iniquities are exceeding impudent and sawcie they are ascended into the presence of God and doe stand like Sathan among his children before his face Yet for all this impudencie and sawcinesse of our sinnes and iniquities God is pleased to suffer our dwelling houses to be in safetie The consideration of this point may stirre vs vp to a gratefull agnition and acknowledgment of Gods singular bountie and longanimitie It is out of the bountie of the Lord that the earth since the time it first was cursed for the fall of man doth to this day yeeld fâ—uit in abundance for the vse of man That our possessions habitations dwelling houses and Churches are not laid waste and made desolate it is to be ascribed to Gods long sufferance and long animitie Of which I shall God willing anon speake more fully when I shall haue considered the words of the second sequel or consequent of Gods speech which are The top of Carmel shall wither The top of Carmel There were two hils of this name as St Hierome teacheth both in Iudea the one in the southerne climate of that country where on Nabal the husband of Abigail did dwell 1 Sam. 25.2 the other neere vnto Ptolemais towards the sea coast vpon which Elias prayed for raine 1 Kings 8.42 St Hierome seemeth to doubt which of these two Carmels our prophet here intendeth But Ribera resolueth for that Carmel which was neere vnto Ptolemais because it did appertaine to the lot of the ten tribes against whom Amos in this booke prophecieth This Carmel was a hill of much fatnesse and fertilitie whervpon it may as proverbially be taken for any such place St Hierome writing vpon Esay 16. saith it is the Scriptures idiome and proper forme of speech euermore to compare the rich hill Carmel to fertilitie and abundance One of the Hebrew d R. Dâ—uid apud Draâ—uâ—â— Doctors saith that Carmel is a generall name for all fruitfull arable fields and vineyards A great e Pagnin Hebrician saith that because the hill Carmel had by it a valley of exceeding feracitie and fruitfulnesse therefore Carmel is appellatiuely taken for any place set with corne trees or vines and specially withstanding corne with new fat wheat while it is in eare though another f Marinus in Arca Noe. Hebrician of like note affirmeth that because Carmel collectiuely signifieth standing corne or new wheat yet in the eare therfore a certaine region in the prouince of Canaan of extraordinary fertility as also a hill city there was called after this name Carmel Whatsoeuer Carmel be in this place whether a proper name or an appellatiue out of doubt it betokeneth a place of much fruitfulnes Following the streame of expositors I am of opinion that Carmel in my text is that same fruitfull mountaine of Iudea by Ptolemais The top of Carmel A place fit by reason of the woodes there to lurke and lie hid in as is plaine by Amos 9.3 Though they hide themselues in the top of Carmel I will search and take them out thence The top of Carmel In the Hebrew it is the head of Carmel The head or top of Carmel is the Scripture phrase to expresse whatsoeuer is best in Carmel By the like phrase we say Caput vnguenti the head or the top of the ointment to signifie the best of the ointment The top of Carmel Pagnine thus translateth it vertex loci fertilis the top of the fruitfull place And Iunius thus prostantissimum aruorum the best of the fields Both Pagnine and Iunius doe take Carmel here for an appellatiue and not for a propper name The top of Carmel shall wither shall wax dry or be dried vp That is where most fruitfull fields and pastures are there shall be a defect and want of necessaries for mans life Thus haue you the exposition of this last clause Now bee patient I pray you while from hence I commend one lesson vnto you It is this For the sinnes of a people God will make the top of their Carmel to wither I speake it more plainly For the sinnes of a people God will make their best grounds to yeeld them little or no profit For proofe of this point you will bee pleased to heare the euidence of the holy Spirit giuen in the word of life Deut. 28.20 Thus saith the Lord because of the wickednesse of thy workes whereby thou hast forsaken mee the Lord shall smite thee with blasting and with mildew the Heauen which is ouer thy head shall bee brasse and the earth that is vnder thee shall bee iron in stead of raine the Lord shall giue thee dust and ashes euen from heauen shall it come downe vpon thee vntill thou be destroyed In the 2 chapter of Hosea and the 5 verse because Israel had plaid the harlot and done shamefully departing from the Lord thus saith the Lord I will take away from Israel my corne in the time thereof and my wine in the season thereof wil recouer my wooll my flax which I lent her to couer her shame Marke I beseech you the manner of the Lords speech my corne my wine my wooll my flax they are none of ours they are all the Lords The Lord hath lent them vs to serue our turnes and necessitâ—es if we abuse them to idolatrie or prophanes he will take them from vs recouer them againe vnto himselfe In the 4. Chapter of Hosea and the 3. verse because there is no truth nor mercy nor knowledge of God in the land but euery on breaketh out by swearing by lying by killing by stealing by whoring and blood toucheth blood thus saith the Lord the land shall mourne and euery one that dwelleth therein shall be cut off with the beasts of the field and with the fowles of heauen and also the fishes of the sea shal be taken away If so what good then comes to you from Carmel from your best most fruitfull grounds In the 8. chapter of Hosea and the 7. verse because Israel transgressing the couenant of the Lord and trespassing against his law had sowen the wind thus saith the Lord they shall reape the whirlewind it hath no stalke the bud shall bring forth no meale if so be it bring forth the strangers shal deuoure it If so what profit then can we matching Israel in their most grieuous transgressions trespasses expect from Carmel our most fruitfull and pleasant fields The wisest King that euer sacred writ made mention of hath this saying Prou. 13.25 The belly of the wicked shall want True great Solomon The belly of the wicked man shall be emptie His Carmel the very best of his possessions shal yeeld him little profit To make an end of this discourse I would I could write it in your harts what the sweetest singer Psa 107.34 deliuereth vnto you touching this point it is worthy your best remembrance A
earth euermore a remnant that shall be saued as it 's intimated by the Prophet Esay Chap. 1.9 Except the Lord of hosts had reserued vnto vs euen a small remnant we shouâ—d haue beene as Sodom and like vnto Gomorah You see a remnant reserued though a small one Yea sometimes there is a reseruation of so small a remnant as is scarcely visible As in the daies of Eliah who knew of none but himselfe I only am left saith he 1 King 19.14 Yet God tells him in the 18. verse of seuen thousand in Israel which neuer bowed their knees to Baal Hitherto belongeth that Ioel 2.32 In mount Sion and in Ierusalem shall be deliuerance as the Lord hath said and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call t Ierem. 25.34 Howle yee wicked and cry and wallow your selues in the ashes for your dayes of dispersion and slaughter are accomplished and yee shall fall like the Philistines euery mothers childe of you the u Ierem. 46.10 sword shall deuoure you it shall be satiate and made drunke with your bloud there shall not be a remnant of you left But you the elect and chosen children of God your Father take vnto you x Esay 61.3 beauty for ashes the oile of ioy for mourning the garment of gladnesse for the spirit of heauinesse reioyce yee and be glad together Let the prince of darknesse and all the powers of hell assisted with the innumerable company of his wicked vassals vpon the earth ioyne together to worke your ouerthrow they shall not effect it For God euen your God will reserue vnto himselfe a remnant This remnant is the chaste Spouse of Christ the Holy Catholike Church enriched from aboue with all manner of benedictions Extra eam nulla est salus whosoeuer hath not her for his Mother shall neuer haue God for his Father Of this remnant and Catholike Church notwithstanding the challenge of Romish Idolaters we beloued are sound and liuely members Happy are the eyes which see that we see and enioy the presence of him whom we adore happy are the eares that heare what we heare and the hearts which are partakers of our instructions No Nation vnder Heauen hath a God so potent so louing so neere to them which worship him as we of this Iland haue The many and bloudy practices of that great Antichrist of Rome so often set on foot against vs and still defeated are so many euidences that our soules are most precious in the sight of God He he alone hath deliuered vs out of the Lions iaw to be a holy remnant vnto himselfe Now what shall wee render vnto the Lord for so great a blessing We will take vp the cup of saluation and call vpon his Name THE Fifteenth Lecture AMOS 1.9 10. Thus saith the Lord For three transgressions of Tyrus and for foure I will not turne to it because they shut the whole captiuity in Edom and haue not remembred the brotherly couenant Therefore will I send a fire vpon the walls of Tyrus and it shall deuoure the palaces thereof THis blessed Prophet Amos sent from God in Embassage to the ten reuolted Tribes doth first thunder out Gods iudgements against neighbour countries the Syrians the Philistines the Tyrians the Edomites the Ammonites the Moabites Which he doth for certaine reasons giuen in my Sixt Lecture that he might be the more patiently heard of his country-men the Israelites that they might haue no cause to thinke much if God should at any time lay his rod vpon them and that they might the more stand in awe of the words of this prophecie When they should heare of such heauy iudgements to light vpon their neighbours they could not but enter into a consideration of their owne estate and thus reason within themselues Is it true which this Amos saith Will the Lord bring such heauy iudgements vpon the Syrians Philistines Tyrians and other of our neighbours In what a fearefull estate are we then They seely people neuer knew the will of God and yet must they be so seuerely punished How then shall wee escape who knowing Gods holy will haue contemned it Of the iudgements denounced against the Syrians and Philistines you haue heard at large in former Lectures Now in the third place doe follow the Tyrians vers 9 and 10. For three transgressions of Tyrus c. These words containing a burdensome prophecie against Tyrus I diuide into two parts 1 A preface Thus saith the Lord. 2 A prophecies For three transgressions of Tyrus c. In the prophecie I obserue foure parts 1 A generall accusation of the Tyrians For three transgressions of Tyrus and for foure 2 The Lords protestation against them I will not turne to it 3 The declaration of that grieuous sinne by which they so highly offended This sinne was the sin of vnmercifulnesse and crueltie expressed in two branches 1 They shut the whole captiuitie in Edom. 2 They remembred not the brotherly couenant 4 The description of the punishment to befall them for their sinne in the tenth verse Therefore will I send a fire vpon the walls of Tyrus and it shall deuoure the palaces thereof The preface giues credit vnto the prophecie and is a warrant for the truth of it Thus saith the Lord The Lord Iehouah whose Throne is the Heauen of heauens and the Sea his floore to walke in and the Earth his foot-stoole to tread vpon who hath a chaire in the conscience and sitteth in the heart of man and possesseth his most secret reines and diuideth betwixt the flesh and the skin and shaketh his inmost powers as the thunder shaketh the wildernesse of Cades This Lord Iehouah so mighty so powerfull shall he say a thing and shall he not doe it Shall hee speake it and shall hee not accomplish it The Lord Iehouah the strength of Israel is not as man that hee should lye nor as the sonne of man that he should repent All his words yea all the tittles of all his words are Yea and Amen Heauen and earth shall perish before one iot or one tittle of his Word shall escape vnfulfilled Thus saith the Lord Out of doubt then must it come to passe And because it is the Lord that speaketh it is required of vs that we hearken to him with reuerence Thus briefly of the Preface whereof I haue more largely spoken in two former Lectures my sixth and twelfth Lectures vpon the third and sixt verses of this Chapter In which these very words are prefixed for a Preface to two prophecies the one against the Syrians the other against the Philistines I proceed to the present prophecie against the Tyrians It is much like the two former both for words and matter In regard whereof I shall be short in many of my notes For three transgressions of Tyrus and for foure Here is nothing new but the name of Tyrus This Tyrus is called in the Hebrew text * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tzor whence came the name
Christ but our owne bellies as S. Paul speaketh Rom. 16.18 Of such speaketh the same Apostle Phil. 3.19 Many doe walke as enemies to the crosse of Christ whose end is damnation whose God is their belly whose glory is their shame who mind earthly things Whose God is their belly Thus beloued you see what Idols are yet remaining among vs and how we are defiled with them What remaineth but that we suffer our selues to be exhorted in the words of Barnabas and Paul to the men of Lystra Act. 14.15 that we would turne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from those vaine Idols to serue the liuing God Thus farre of my second Doctrine which was Neither Melchom of the Ammonites nor any other Idoll of any other people can saue themselues in the day of captiuity much lesse can they saue the people that doe trust in them and worship them Which doctrine I grounded vpon the second reading of my Text Melchom shall goe into captiuity he and his Princes together Now followeth the third generall part of this prophecy against the children of Ammâ—n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Saith the Lord. This is the conclusion of this Prophecie and it redoubleth its authority and credit Authority and credit sufficient it hath from its very front and preface vers 13. Thus saith the Lord. It is here redoubled Saith the Lord. Hath the Lord said it and shall he not doe it Hath he spoken it and shall he not accomplish it The Lord Iehouah the strength of Israel is not as man that he should lie nor as the sonne of man that he should repent All his words yea all the tittles of all his words are Yea and Amen Heauen and earth shal passe before one iot or one tittle of Gods Word shall scape vnfulfilled Iehouah the Lord saith whatsoeuer our Prophet Amos hath here denounced against the Ammonites It is the Lord that saith it Amos is but the Lords Minister the Words are the Lords Whence we may take this Doctrine The Author of holy Scripture is neither man nor Angell nor any otber creature how excellent soeuer but only the liuing and immortall God This truth may likewise be grounded vpon the Preface to the ensuing Prophecy And therefore sith my houre is almost spent and your attention well nigh tired I put off the handling of this doctrine till God giue me opportunity to speake againe vnto you Meane time let this which hath beene deliuered vnto you Non meis viribus sed Christi misericordiâ not by any strength of mine but by the mercy of our Lord Iesus Christ serue for the exposition of this first Chapter 1 Tim. 1.17 Vnto the King eternall immortall inuisible the only wise God three persons Father Sonne and Holy Ghost be honour and glory for euer and euer Amen FINIS A COMMENTARIE OR EXPOSITION VPON THE SECOND Chapter of the Prophecie of AMOS Deliuered In XXI Sermons in the Parish Church of MEYSEY-HAMPTON in the Diocesse of GLOCESTER BY Sebastian Benefield Doctor of Diuinitie and Professor for the Lady MARGARET in the Uniuersitie of OXFORD IAMES 4.8 Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you LONDON Printed by EDWARD GRIFFIN for IOHN PARKER and are to be sold in Paules Church-yard at the signe of the three Pigeons 1629. TO THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHER in God and my very good Lord IOHN by the diuine prouidence L. Bishop of London Right Reuerend Honourable ONce more I make bold to present vnto your HONOR a testimonie of my most humble observance It is an Exposition of the second Chapter of the Prophecie of Amos. My labours vpon the first it pleased your Lordship heretofore fauourably to accept and patronize If these vpon the second may find the like entertainement they haue their end The beames of that splendour of goodnesse in you which long since haue shined vpon many in this Vniuersitie and me among the rest methinkes J still behold How can J then but in memorie thereof offer vp to your Honourable Name some Sacrifice of thankesgiuing This is the best I haue at this time Receiue it my good Lord such as it is the sincere token of a thankefull heart God Almightie who hath made you an eminent and an honourable pillar here in his Church militant for the comfort of his people giue you herein many dayes full of honour and comfort and reward you with a Crowne of neuer-fading glory in his Church triumphant From my studie in Christ Church in Oxford Februarie 14. 1619. Your Lordships in all dutie and seruice SEBASTIAN BENEFIELD A COMMENTARIE VPON THE SECOND Chapter of AMOS deliuered in XXI Lectures THE FIRST LECTVRE AMOS 2.1 2 3. 1. Thus saith the Lord for three transgressions of Moab and for foure I will not turne to it because it burnt the bones of the King of Edom into lime 2. Therefore will I send a fire vpon Moab and it shall devoure the pallaces of Kirioth and Moab shall dye with tumult with shouting and with the sound of a trumpet 3. And I will cut off the Iudge out of the midst thereof and will slay all the Princes thereof with him saith the Lord. HOw grieuous a burden sinne is you may well perceiue by the heauy punishments which God layeth vpon the committers of sinne Good store of examples the first chapter of this prophecie hath yeelded vnto you The Syrians the Philistines the Tyrians the Edomites and the Ammonites haue for their sinnes bin seuerally repayed with vengeance from Heauen the fire of the wrath of God hath seized vpon them and deuoured them their Cities are become desolate their memorie is perished from off the earth As it is befallen them so it befalleth the Moabites also against whom Amos in the beginning of this second chapter directeth his prophecie and to the same purpose whereto the prophecies of the former Chapter were directed The a See my sixth Lecture vpon Amos 1. reasons why Amos sent of purpose with a message to the Israelites doth first prophecie against the Syrians the Philistins the Tyrians the Edomites the Ammonites and the Moabites all forreine nations are three 1. That he might be the more patiently heard of his countrymen the Israelites The Israelites seeing their Prophet Amos so sharpe against the Syrians and other their enemies could not but with more quiet heare him when he should prophecie against them also Consolatio quaedam est afflictio inimici Some comfort it is to a distressed naturall man to see his enemie in distresse likewise 2. That they might haue no cause to wonder if God should at any time come against them in vengeance seeing that he would not spare the Syrians and other their neighbor countries though they were destitute of the light of Gods word and ignorant of his will 3. That they might the more tremble at the words of this prophecie when they should see the Syrians and other Nations afflâ—cted and tormented according to the heinousnes of their iniqâ—ities Here might the Israelites
taking heed vnto your wayes according to the word of God as you are aduised Ps 119.9 All men I know would be blessed but then must they delight in the word of God and make it their meditation day and night as it is Psal 1.2 If we leaue the word of God which is the lampe and light of God then are we forthwith in darknes we are in error Is it so beloued Then secondly let vs bring and offer to our gracious God the calues of our lips the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiuing for that it pleaseth him for our direction in this valley of darknes and shadow of death to giue vs the light of his most precious word He hath not dealt so with many nations of the earth Many there are that haue not the light of his word And where this light is not there can be nothing but darknes Is it so beloued Then thirdly is the Church of Rome very iniurious to the people of God to with-hold and keepe from them this light of the word of God Is it not plaine they do so when they forbid the Scriptures to be translated into any Vulgar tongue and so seale them vp from the vnderstanding of the ignorant and vnlearned They willingly send the Scriptures abroad in the Hebrew Greeke and Latine tongues but what are the common people of any Nation hereby benefited Do they vnderstand the Hebrew Greeke or Latin A Papist will answer there is no necessitie that the vulgar sort should vnderstand those ancient sacred tongues The f Raâ—ford Directorie cap. 56. Church hath appointed learned men alwayes to instruct the simple out of the booke of God with such histories and lessons as may be most fit to edifie and help them in the way to Heauen I grant there is no necessitie yea it cannot be that the common people should vnderstand the Hebrew Greeke and Latin tongues but I adde it is therefore necessarie that the Holy Scripture should be translated into vulgar and knowne tongues euen for the vnderstanding of the common people as this day through Gods goodnes we haue them in our English tongue nor dismembred and very much corrupted as Radford would beare the world in hand but more perfectly rendred then euer was that old vulgar Latin edition obtruded to the Christian world for Authenticall by the g Sess 3 cap. 2. Trent Fathers The exception taken against the translation of the Scriptures into vulgar and knowne tongues is vaine and ridiculous They say that great and marueilous inconveniences and discommodities haue fallen out through such translations How proue they this They will seeme to proue it by sundry instances 1. They tell vs of a h Staphylus de BiblioruÌ„ traÌ„slatione pag. 492. Painter of Prussia who because he had in Luthers German Bible read of Lot his incest aduentured to abuse his owne daughter 2. They tell vs of a i Idem ex Joh. Gastio Brisac lib. de Catabâ—pâ—â—siu woman of k Monastrij in Westphalia who hauing diligently perused the historie of Iudith and Holofernes attempted by the example of Iudith secretly to kill the Bishop of Munster 3. They tell vs of l Iâ—hannes â—ugdunensis Sarcinater Bâ—tavus Iohn of Leiden who would be as a King because m Staphylus vbi suprà p. 494. ex Sleidan lib. 10. Iosuah was such and would haue the toleration of many wiues because the Patriarchs had many 4. They tell vs of n Idem ex Aenea Sylvio in historia â—â—emorum Grubenheimer who because he had read in Genesis Encrease and multiplie approued that in their night conuenticles their lights extinguished they might commit filthinesse not to be spoken These foure instances are brought by Frid. Staphylus in his treatise of the translation of the Bible into vulgar idomes 5. They tell vs of Dauid George a Batauian who by reading the Scriptures in his mother tongue was perswaded of himselfe that he was the sonne of God and the Messias 6. They tell vs of an English woman who hearing the Minister of the Parish where shee liued read out of Eccles 25. somewhat against wicked women which pleased her not rose vp from her seate and sayd Is this the word of God Nay rather it is the word of the Deuill These two latter instances are brought by Cardinall Bellarmine lib. 2. de verbo Dei cap. 15. To these and the former vrged by Bellarmine and Staphylus to shew the inconueniences and discommodities of hauing the Bible in vulgar and knowne languages I thus briefly reply Shall sober men be forbidden the vse of meates and drinkes because many surfet of them This you will grant to be very absurd and vnreasonable So absurd is it and vnreasonable that the people of God should be forbidden the vse of the booke of God in their vulgar knowne languages because a few vnstable persons such as were the aforenamed the Painter of Prussia the Cobler of Leyden Grubenheimer Dauid George and two silly women the one of Westphaelia the other of England abused so rich a treasure to their owne ouerthrowes This my reply agreeth with that answere which o Animaduers in Bellarm. Controu 1. lib. 2. cap. 15. §. 63. Iunius giueth vnto Bellarmine Non conuenit vt propter eos qui abutuntur malè praecludatur aut eripiatur Scriptura eis qui sunt vsuri benè It s not conuenient that for their sakes who doe to ill purpose abuse the Scriptures the Scriptures should be sealed vp and barred from such as would vse them well The reason which Dr Bucknham sometimes Prior of the Black-fryers in Cambridge for this very purpose brought against Mr Latimer is altogether as vaine and friuolous The danger of hauing the Bible in our English tongue hee prooued after this manner The plowman hearing that in the Gospell by St Luke Chap. 9.62 No man that layeth his hand on the plow and looketh backe is meete for the kingdome of God may peraduenture cease from his plow likewise the baker hearing that Galat. 5.9 A little leauen corrupteth a whole lumpe of dow may per-case leaue our bread vnleauened and so our bodies shall be vnseasoned Also the simple man hearing that Math. 5.29 If thy right eye offend thee plucke it out and cast it from thee may make himselfe blind and so fill the world full of beggers This friarly and bald reason of Dr Bucknham is not worthy any other answere then the wish of Latimer p Fox Martyrol pag. 1904. Edit Lond. An. 1570. Latimers wish was that the Scripture may be so long in our English tongue till English men be so mad the plowman not to looke backe the baker not to leauen his bread the simple man to pluck out his owne eye See you not Beloued how iniurious the Papists would be towards you were they Lords ouer you The light of Gods word the incomparable and heauenly treasure they would seale vp from you in an vnknowne tongue
taxed for Crueltie and Couetousnesse for Cruelty because they sold the righteous and the poore for Couetousnes because they sold them for siluer and for a paire of shoes The lesson which we may take from hence is this Cruelty and Couetousnes in Iudges and Magistrates are two of the sinnes for which God bringeth States to ruine You see it plaine in my text God would not turne away his punishments from Israel because of the Cruelty and Couetousnes in the Iudges of Israel These sins are most eminent in Iudges and Magistrates but are reproveable in all sorts of men The Cruell and the Couetous be they of whatsoeuer rancke in a Common wealth they are very burdensome to God himselfe God himselfe in this chapter vers 13. cryes out against them Behold I am pressed vnder you as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaues The time will not suffer me to inlarge my meditations vpon the discouerie of these two sinnes Cruelty and Couetousnes I shall haue occasion to meete with them againe in the beginning of the next verse where they are amplified and may hope for the benefit of your new attention For the present let vs be admonished that we suffer not our selues to be ouercome of these or any other sins Sinne It produceth very sad and dolefull effects It blindeth our vnderstanding while it taketh from vs the supernaturall light of diuine grace it staineth and defileth our consciences with its filthinesse it accuseth vs before the Lord of grieuous iniuries done against his Maiestie it impouerisheth vs when it spoiles vs of all spirituall good it dishonoreth vs when it diffameth vs in the sight of the Angels and the whole Court of Heauen it holdeth vs captiue and depriueth vs of all liberty of well-doing it bindeth vs with the chaines of euill custome and brings vs within the danger of falling daily from bad to worse vulnerat nos in bonis naturalibus occidit in gratuitis saith Cornelius Mussus B. of Bitonto it woundeth vs in all the good faculties of our nature and slayeth vs in the free graces wherewith God hath beautified our soules You see dearely beloued in the Lord you see what a tyrant Sinne is It stoppeth vp the fountaines of Grace and hindereth the streames of heauenly comfort from comming to vs. Yet yet our life is nothing but a trade of sinning In vs in our flesh there dwelleth no good Day by day yea many times a day we transgresse Gods holy Commandements we heape sinne vpon sinne and repent not What remaineth but that we powre forth our prayers to Almightie God that he will be pleased to giue vs true repentance for the wickednes of our fore-passed liues and in his good time to loose vs from this bodie of sinne and to couple vs to himselfe in Heauen where we may with the whole multitude of Saints sing vnto him an Halleluiah Blessing saluation honor glory and power be vnto him that sitteth on the throne and to the Lambe for euer and euer Euen so be it THE IX LECTVRE AMOS 2.7 That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poore and turne aside the way of the meeke and a man and his father will goe in to the same maide to profane my holy Name And they lay themselues downe vpon clothes laid to pledge by euery Altar and they drinke the wine of the condemned in the house of their God OF those grieuous sinnes with which the people of Israel are in this Chapter charged two were touched in the former verse their Crueltie and their Couetousnesse They sold the righteous and the poore this was Crueltie they sold them for siluer and for a paire of shoes this was Couetousnesse Now in the beginning of this 7. verse are those two sinnes amplified Their Couetousnesse thus They were neuer satisfied till they had cast downe the righteous and the poore to the dust of the earth Their Crueltie thus They were not content thus to haue exhausted and spoyled them but did also conspire against and gape after their liues for They panted after the dust of the earth on the head of the poore Before we take a further view of these sinnes Crueltie and Couetousnesse let vs for a while examine the words themselues They may seeme to be very intricate and perplexed by the diuersitie of the readings The word in the originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Septuagint do render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that tread vnder foote vpon the dust of the earth the heads of the poore The Vulgar Latin hath Qui conterunt that breake or bruise vpon the dust of the earth the heads of the poore The Chaldee Paraphrast hath Qui contemnunt who despise as it were the dust of the earth the heads of the poore But these expresse the sense they render not the word For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly signifieth to fetch winde to draw breath and by a metaphor to swallow downe to sup vp to deuoure or earnestly feruently and with pleasure to desire to doe any thing By this phrase then our Prophet giueth vs to vnderstand that the Israelites the rich and the mighty among them did with delight behold the dust of the earth vpon the heads of the poore that to them it was a pleasure to see the poore by vniust exactors oppressed throwne to the ground trodden vnder foote Which sense our English Bibles seeme to point at The Geneva Bible hath They gape ouer the head of the poore in the dust of the earth The late Church Bible They gape for breath ouer the head of the poore in the dust of the earth or They presse vpon the head or They tread vpon the head of the poore in the dust of the earth The new translation That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poore This varietie varieth not the sense Howsoeuer for the the first word we read They gape or gape for breath or presse or tread or pant ouer on or vpon the head of the poore yet is not the sense varied The mention of the dust of the earth keepeth that entire The dust of the earth Old a Drusius Obseruat lib. 15. cap. 5. Samaeus in b Cap. 44. Ioseph Ben-Gorion tells vs of an ancient custome among the Hebrewes concerning such as were impleaded or arraigned before their Iudges They were to stand at the barre in mourning attire with dust vpon their heads If â—â— that custome our Prophet here alludeth as Drusius thinketh then are the Magisâ—â—ates of Israel here nipped and checked for selling the cause of the poore to their rich aduersaries thereby making to themselues vnlawfull and excessiue gaine and lucre The dust of the earth on the head of the poore The casting of dust or earth vpon the head was of old and long time a ceremonie whereby men in sad and dolefull plight were wont to expresse their griefe Mention is made of it Iosh 7.6 There it is said that
tongue in the Vniuersitie of Paris is of opinion that the Amorite here and else-where is aboue all and for all mentioned because he of all was the most terrible the most mighty and the strongest The like is affirmed by Arias Montanus that learned Spaniard Amorrhaeum potissimùm appellat The Amorite he especially nameth because that Nation multitudine copijs atque potentiâ in multitude in forces and in power excelled all the rest of the Nations that were cast out before Israell Here then where the Lord hath sayd Yet destroyed I the Amorite in the Amorite we are to vnderstand also the rest of those seauen Nations which the Lord draue out from before Israel the Hittites the Girgasites and the Canaanites and the Perezzites and the Hivites and the Iebusites Seauen they were in number greater and mightier then Israell was All seauen were cast out by the Lord from before Israel and so much are we to vnderstand by this that the Lord here sayth Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them Before them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say the Septuagint They well render the Hebrew which word for word is a faciè ipsorum from their face Mercerus sayth a conspectu eorum from their sight that is sayth he corum causâ ad eorum adventum for their sake or at their comming Albertus Magnus renders it à praesentia eorum from their presence Our English before them hits the sense The sense is God stroke such a terror into those seauen Nations the inhabitants of the land of Canaan that at the comming of the Israelites at the hearing of the name of Israel they vanished they fled away they forsooke their auncient habitations or else were suddenly slaine without much resistance Thus haue you the exposition of the first branch of this ninth verse which conteineth a generall touch of the ruine of the Amorites Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them The Israelites their vnthankefulnesse towards me is verie notorious yet haue I destroyed the Amorite before them Yet I the Lord their God who haue freed them from their bondage in Egypt and haue led them fortie yeares through the wildernesse I haue destroyed haue ouerthrowne haue driuen out haue brought to ruine The Amorite not onely the Amorites but also the rest of the Nations sixe other mightie Nations whose dwelling was in the land of Canaan all these haue I destroyed before them for their sake for Israels sake that Israel might without resistance take quiet possession of the land of Canaan the land that floweth with milke and honey The lesson which we may take from hence is this God is all in all either in the ouerthrow of his enemies or in the vpholding of his children For further proofe hereof we may haue recourse to the 15. chapter of the Booke of Exodus There Moses sings a song vnto the Lord a song of thankesgiuing wherein hee acknowledgeth the Lord to be all in all in the ouerthrow of his enemies Pharaoh and his host in the red Sea His acknowledgment is vers 6. Thy right hand O Lord is become glorious in power thy right hand O Lord hath dashed in peices the enemie In the greatnesse of thine excellencie thou hast ouerthrowne them thou sentest forth thy wrath which hath consumed them as stubble With the blast of thy nostrills the waters were gathered together the flouds stood vpright as an heape the depths were congealed in the heart of the Sea The enemie feared not to enter But thou Lord didst blow with thy wind the Sea couered them they sanke as lead in the mightie waters Who is like vnto thee O Lord Who is like thee God is all in all in the ouerthrow of his enemies He is also all in all in the vpholding of his children Moses in the same song auoucheth it vers 13. Thou Lord in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed Thou hast guided them in thy strength vnto thine holy habitation It was not their q Psal 44.3 owne sword that deliuered them neither did their owne arme saue them But the Lord He and his mercie He and his strength deliuered them God is all in all in vpholding of his children Is it thus dearely beloued Is God all in all in the ouerthrow of his enemies Then for the ouerthrow of that great Nauie called the inuincible Nauie the great Armada of Spaine which * This Sermon was preached A gust 27. 1615. twentie seauen yeares r Au. Ch. 1588. since threatned desolation to the inhabitants of this I le let God haue the glorie It was the right hand of the Lord not our vertue not our merits not our armes not our men of might but the right hand of the Lord it was that brought that great worke to passe Their ſ Exod. 15.4.5 chosen Captaines were drowned in the Sea the depth couered them they sanke into the bottome as a stone Some of them that were taken from the furie of the waues and were brought prisoners to the honourablest cittie in this land in their anguish of mind spared not to say t Letter to Mendoza pa. 17. that in all those fights which at Sea they saw Christ shewed himselfe a Lutheran Sure I am that Christ shewed himselfe to be little Englands u Psal 18.1 rocke and fortresse and strength and deliuerer Quid retribuemus What shall we render nay what can we render vnto the Lord for so great a deliuerance Let our song begin as the Psalme doth the 115. Psalme Non nobis Domine non nobis Not vnto vs Lord not vnto vs but vnto thy name giue the glory for thy mercie and for thy truths sake With like affection recount we the deliuerance of our King and State from that infernall and hellish exployt of the powder treason The contriuers thereof I now name not What could they expect but vpon the least discouerie of so execrable an action to incurre an vniuersall detestation to haue all the hatred of the earth poured vpon them and theirs to be the outcasts of the Common wealth and the Maranathaes of the Church they and their names for euer to be an abhorring to all flesh Yet they so farre proceeded in that their Diabolicall machination that they were at the poynt to haue giuen the blow that blow that should haue beene the common ruine of vs all But God our God who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Greekes describe him Psal 9.9 A helper at opportunities in the needfull times of trouble when we were thus x Ioh. 4.35 albi ad messem white for their haruest readie to be cut downe by them then euen then did our God deliuer vs. Quid retribuemus What what shall we render nay what can we render vnto the Lord for so great a deliuerance Let our song be as before Non nobis Domine non nobis Not vnto vs Lord not vnto vs but vnto thy name giue the glory for thy mercy and
are likewise vanished But may he not be accounted of for somewhat that is about him for his riches for his munition and weapons of defence for his honour and the reputation he holdeth in the state wherein thou liuest No no. For what cares the Almightie for these The Psalmist was not ill aduised Psal 146.3 Where he thus aduiseth vs Put not your trust in Princes nor in any sonne of man in whom there is no helpe his breath goeth forth he returneth to his earth in that very day his thoughts perish See man here pictured and drawne forth in liuely colours Put not your trust in Princes not in Princes Why Is not their authoritie and pre-eminence here exceeding great Yes But they are sonnes of men Well Be it so The sonnes of men are creatures not farre inferiour to the Angels True But there is no helpe in them no helpe in them Why so Their breath goeth forth They dye What if they dye Is there no place for them in Heauen among the starres No they returne to their earth there to participate with rottennesse and corruption What if corruption be in their flesh may not their intendments and deuises be canonized and kept for eternitie No they may not For in that very day their thoughts perish their thoughts are as transitorie as their bodies and come to nought And therefore put not your trust in them not in Princes nor in any son of man Wherein then shall we put our trust Euen in the Lord our God To this trust in the Lord we are inuited Psal 118.8 9. It is botter to trust in the Lord then to put confidence in man It is better to trust in the Lord then to put confidence in Princes Is one better then the other Why then both may be good and it may be good to put confidence in man Not so You may not take the word better in this place to be so spoken For if you put any confidence in man you rob God of his glory which to doe can neuer be good I therefore thus expound the words It is better by infinite degrees absolutely and simply better to trust in the Lord to trust stedfastly in him alone then to put any confidence any manner of trust or confidence in man of what estate or dignity soeuer he be though he be of the rancke of Princes who haue all the power and authoritie in the world It s euery way better to trust in the Lord then to trust in such euer good to trust in the Lord but neuer good to trust in man Trust we in the Lord and blessed shall we be but cursed is the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arme the Lord himselfe hath said it Ierem. 17.5 Now therefore O Lord since thou hast from hence taught vs that from the ayd of man there is no safetie to be expected neither from him that is of an expedite and agile bodie nor from the strong man nor from the mightie man nor from the bow-man nor from the swift of foote nor from the horseman nor from the couragious among the mightie nor from any thing else that is in man or about him giue vs grace we beseech thee that in thee alone wee may place all our hope and confidence In thee alone our God and Father of mercies doe we trust and doe thou according to the multitude of thy compassions looke vpon vs. Heare the supplications of vs thy poore seruants liuing far as banished men in a sauage Countrey Protect wee beseech thee and keepe our soules among the many dangers of this mortall life and bring vs by the conduct of thy gracious fauour into that thy sacred habitation and seate of eternall glory Grant this vnto vs most deare Father for thy best beloued Sonne Iesus Christ his sake FINIS A Table of such particulars as are contained in this Commentarie A Abraham his mild speech to Lot 29 Accesse to God 347 No accident in God 114 Adam 287. 360 Adulterie 148 Adulterers 148 Naturall Affection 28 Affliction 254 Alexander the sixth 157 An Altar of earth 169 of stone of Holocausts ibid. There was but one Altar 169 The Altar a tipe of Christ 170 Popish Altars 171 none such in the Primitiue Church ibid. Our Altar now not materiall 172 It is our heart 177 The Ammonites enemies to the people of God 18 Excluded from that Church 18 The Amorite 214 Destroied ibid. Amorites they were tale and strong 226 They were destroied 236 Amos. 307 Amos why he first prophecied against Forreine nations 2. 47 Antaeus 226 Antiochus 149 Antonius Caracalla ibid. Arias 344 Asaphel 343 Aspasia 149 Assurance of our faith 7. Atalanta 343 Atheists denying God and his truth 12 B Men of Base estate comforted 45 Beast worshipped for Gods 247 Beautie 229 Behold 322 Benefits the order of Gods Benefits Not obserued 242 We must remember Gods Benefits 252 The Bible the greatest treasure 54 The Bible must be had ibid. The Bible to be read ibid. Men Blaspheme God 152 Gods name Blasphemed 150 Our Bodies a sacrifice 174 The goods of our Bodies must be offered ibid. The Bond of bloud 28 of christianity ibid The greatest Bond betweene men ibid A Broken spirit 176 D. Bucknham 89 The Buriall of the dead 27 C Cain 360. 361 Camilla 343 A Calumniator 138 A Calumnie ibid. Carioth 33 Cedars 223 They grow high ibid. Cerijoth 33 We haue beene Chastised of God 42 Christ our altar 170 His benefits towards vs. ibid His death and passion ibid A Christian in name 106 A Christian who ibid The Church of God 253 A Citie not safe against God by munition c. 35 Consanguinitie 27 Contempt 64 Contempt of the law of the Lord. 67 Contempt may be a sinne and not 65 Couetousnesse 133 The causes of our Crosses is sinne 60 Crueltie 23. 133 Crueltie against the dead 25 Crueltie displeaseth God 23. 37 D Darius 98. 149 The naturall man in Darknesse 86 Dauid chosen king 230 Dauid George 89 The Day of the Lord. 134. 371 Crueltie towards the Dead 25 Buriall of the Dead 27 Death of 4. sorts 36 Death terrible 37 Death considered in a double respect 38 Death to be feared of whom 39 Death welcome to the penitent 38. 40 Of three things no Definition 112 The Denying of a contrary is somtime an affirmation 70 All must once Die 36. 37 Disobedience 74. 77. 289. 292 Dispensations Popish 155 Doggs thankfull 207 Draw nigh to God 347 A Drunkard 182. 286 described 182 Drunkennes the effects of it ibid c. Our Dwelling houses a blessing vnto vs. 35 E Eagle swifter then Eagles 224 The Edomites descended from Abraham 22 Egypt 345. 250 Where situate 245. The Egyptians superstitious 246 Their Gods ibid. Their crueltie 251 The Israelites brought vp from the land of Egypt 244. 245 Eliab Iesse his eldest sonne 228 liked by Samuell 229. 230 faire of countenance and of goodly stature 229 refused 230 No Escaping from God 342 Etham 255
the valour of their souldiers their fenced Cities the strength of Samaria and the succour of Damascus Thus haue you the reasons of my Doctrine why there is not any confidence to be put in creatures either in the strength of man or the munition of 〈◊〉 â—s The vse is to admonish vs that we depend not vpon the vaine and transitory things of this life but vpon God alone who onely is vnchangeable and vnmoueable that we resigne our selues wholly into his hands and confesse before him in the words of the Psalme 91.9 Tu es Domine spes mea Thou art O Lord my hope Serm. 9. in Psal Qui habitat Sweet is the meditation of Saint Bernard vpon the place Let others pretend merit let them bragge that they haue borne the burden and heat of the day let them tell of their fasting twice a weeke let them glory that they are not as other men Mihi autem adhaerere Deo Psal 73.28 bonum est ponere in Domino Deo spem meam but its good for me to cleaue fast vnto God to put my hope in the Lord God Sperent in aliâ—s alii Let others trust in other things one in his learning another in his nobility a third in his worth a fourth in any other vanity Mihi autem adhaerere Deo bonum est but its good for me to cleaue fast vnto God to put my trust in the Lord God Dearely beloued if we shall sacrifice to our owne nets Habak 1.15 16. burne incense to our owne yarne put our trust in outward meanes either riches or policie or Princes or men or mountaines forsaking God God will blow vpon these meanes and turne them to our ouerthrow Wherefore though we haue all helpes in our owne hands to defend our selues and offend our enemies as that we are fenced by Sea fortified by ships blessed by Princes backed with friends stored with munitions aided with confederates and armed with multitudes of men yet may we not put our trust herein for nobis etiam adhaerere Deo bonum est it s also good for vs to cleaue fast vnto God to put our trust in the Lord God who alone giues the blessing to make all good meanes effectuall There is not much remaining The small number of the Israelites that were to be deliuered from the fury of the Assyrian resembled by the two legs or the tip of the eare taken by the shepheard out of the Lions mouth yeelds vs this obseruation that In publike calamities God euermore reserueth a remnant to himselfe When God punished the old world the world of the vngodly 1 Pet. 2.5 bringing the floud vpon them he saued Noah the eighth person the preacher of righteousnesse When God condemned the Cities of Sodome and Gomorrah with an ouerthrow turning them into ashes making them an ensample vnto those that after should liue wickedly he deliuered iust Lot from among them There is a remnant left Esay 1.9 Except the Lord of hosts had left vnto vs a very small remnant we should haue beene as Sodome and we should haue beene like vnto Gomorrah You see a remnant reserued though it be very small Yea sometimes there is a reseruation of so small a remnant as is hardly visible as in the daies of Eliah who knew of none but himselfe I only am left saith he 1 King 19.14 Yet God tells him vers 18. of seuen thousand in Israel which neuer bowed their knees to Baal I finde Ioel 2.32 deliuerance in mount Sion deliuerance in Ierusalem and deliuerance in the remnant when the Lord shall call There is then a remnant to be called euen in greatest extremity Wherefore you the Elect and chosen children of God the Father be ye full of comfort take vnto you beauty for ashes Esay 61.3 the oyle of ioy for mourning the garment of gladnesse for the spirit of heauinesse reioyce ye be glad together and be ye comforted Let the Prince of darknesse and all the powers of Hell assisted with the innumerable company of his wicked vassals vpon the Earth ioyne together to worke your ouerthrow they shall not be able to effect it For God euen your God will reserue vnto himselfe a remnant And what is this remnant but pusillus grex It s a little flock the chaste Spouse of Christ the holy Catholike Church Extra cam nulla est salus Out of it there is no Saluation for hee that hath not the Church for his Mother shall neuer haue God for his Father So much for the explanation of this twelfth verse And Gods blessing be vpon it THE Fifteenth Lecture AMOS 3.13 14 15. Heare yee and testifie in the house of Iacob saith the Lord God the God of hosts That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel vpon him I will also visit the Altars of Bethel and the hornes of the Altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground And I will smite the winter house with the summer house and the houses of Iuory shall perish and the great houses shall haue an end saith the Lord. THe words of the Lord are iust by whom soeuer they are vttered and the authority of the holy Spirit is wonderfull by whom soeuer he speaketh Non minùs de ore pastoris quam de ore Imperatoris pertonat he thundereth or he speaketh with as much Maiestie from the mouth of a shepherd as from the mouth of an Emperour Amos our Prophet is this shepherd from whom the holy Spirit here thundereth Before he came with a proclamation to the palaces of Ashdod and to the palaces of the Land of Aegypt Now he comes with a Contestation to the house of Iacob Hereafter you may heare his message to the King of Bashan that are in the mountaines of Samaria Chap. 4.1 If Amos had from a shepherd beene aduanced to the Maiestie of a King as Dauid was what could we wish should haue beene added to the greater maiestie of his elocution The contestation is the thing whereupon I shall at this time principally insist The words are a Prosopopaeia the Almighty is brought in calling vpon his Priests and Prophets to giue eare vnto him and to beare witnesse of the calamities which he was purposed to lay vpon the house of Iacob that when he should punish them for their euill deeds he would visit their Temple and proudest buildings with desolation The parts are two One is a mandate for a Contestation or Testification The other is the matter to be testified That vers 13. This vers 14 15. For the first these particulars may be obserued 1. Who it is that giues the mandate It is he that best may doe it Euen the Lord. The Lord God the God of Hosts 2. To whom he giues it Sacerdotibus Prophetis to his Priests and Prophets for to them is this by an Apostrophe directed 3. How he giues it thus Audite contestamini Heare and testifie 4. The place where this testification is to be
turned Good Lord open thou our eares that if it be thy holy will either to Roare vnto vs or to speake with a milder voice either to come against in iudgement or to visit vs in mercy wee may readily heare thee and yeeld obedience and as obedient children receiue the promise of eternall inheritance So when the time of our separation shall be that we must leaue this world a place of darknesse of trouble of vexation of anguish thou Lord wilt translate vs to a better place a place of light where darknesse shall be no more a place of rest where trouble shall be no more a place of delight where vexation shall be no more a place of endlesse and vnspeakable ioyes where anguish shall be no more There this corruptible shall put on incorruption and our mortality shall be swallowed vp of life Euen so be it THE Fourth Lecture AMOS 1.2 And hee said the Lord shall roare from Sion and vtter his voice from Ierusalem and the dwelling places of the shepherds shall perish and the top of Carmel shall wither IN my last exercise I entreated of the Speaker Now am I to entreat of the places from whence hee speaketh expressed in two names Sion and Ierusalem The Lord shall roare from Sion and vtter his voice from Ierusalem c. Sion I read in holy Scripture of two Sions The one is Deut. 4.48 a hill of the Amorites the same with Hermon Moses there calleth it a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sion by the figure b Iunius in Deut. 3.9 Syncope the right name of it is c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sirion and so recorded Deut. 3.9 The other d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sion is the Sion in my Text mount Sion in Iudah vpon the â—op whereof was another mountaine e Drusius obseru 14.21 Not. Iunius in Psal 48.3 Moria vpon which stood the Temple of the Lord. Before it was called the f 2 Sam. 5.7 Tower or Fort of Sion It was a fortresse a bulwarke a strong hold and place of defence for the Iebusites the inhabitants of the land against their enemies Against these Iebusites King Dauid came with a warlike power speedily surprised their fort built round about it dwelt in it and called it his g The City of Dauid owne City as appeareth 2 Sam. 5.9 This is the city of Dauid so much h 2 Sam 5.7 1 King 8.1 1 Chron. 11.5 2 Chron. 5.2 mentioned in the sacred bookes of Samuel the Kings and Chronicles To this his owne City mount Sion Dauid accompanied with the Elders and Captaines of Israel i 2 Sam. 6.15 brought the Arke of the Lord with shouting with cornets with trumpets with cymbals with viols with harps as is plaine by the story 1 Chron. cap. 15. and 16. Now began the holy exercises of religion duly to be obserued in this city of Dauid mount Sion was now the place of the Name of the Lord of boasts Hitherto belongeth that same excellent description and commendation of mount Sion Psal 48.1 2 3. Mount Sion lying northward from Ierusalem is faire in situation It is the city of the great King the city of God Gods holy mountaine the ioy of the whole earth In the palaces thereof God is well knowne for a sure refuge In this city of Dauid the holy mount Sion the Lord of hoasts whom the k 1 Kâ—ng 8.27 2 Chron. 6.18 Heauens and the Heauen of Heauens are not able to containe is said to l Psal 74.2 dwell Psal 9.11 not that hee is tied to any place but because there were the most manifest and often testimonies of his residence Thus is Sion taken literally It is also taken spiritually by a Synecdoche for the Church Spouse and Kingdome of Christ as Psal 2.6 where God is said to haue annointed his King ouer Sion the hill of his holinesse Sion there is not to be vnderstood the terrestriall Sion by Ierusalem but another Sion elect and spirituall not of this world holy Sion so called for the grace of sanctification powred out vpon it euen the holy Church of Christ whereto doe appertaine the holy Patriarchs the Prophets the Apostles the vniuersall multitude of beleeuers throughout not only Israel but the whole world Sion in this signification is obuious in holy Scripture To which sense by the daughters of Sion in the m Psal 149. â— Psalmes of Dauid in n Cantic 3.11 Salomons song in the prophecies of o Esay 3 16 17. Psaâ— 4.4 Esay and p Ioel. 2.23 Ioel you may vnderstand the faithfull members of the Church of Christ There is yet one other signification of Sion It s put for Heauen as learned Drusius in his notes vpon my text obserueth The like obseruation is made by Theophylact and Oecumenius commenting vpon Heb. 12.22 Now the Sion in my text from whence the Lord is said to roare to speake terribly and dreadfully is either the Temple vpon mount Sion by Ierusalem or the Church of Christ wherof Sion is a type Sion the holy one of Israel whose walls are saluation and gates praise or the Heauen of Heauens the most proper place of Gods residence Ierusalem Of old this city was called Salem as Gen. 14.18 when Melchisedeck King thereof brought forth bread and wine to refresh Abram and his followers Afterward it was possessed by the Iebusites and named Iebus Iudg. 19.10 Peter Martyr in 2 Sam. 5.6 from both these names Iâ—bus and Salem supposeth that by the change of a few letters Ierusalem hath had her name and not from the mountaines called Solymi as some doe coniecture but erre for that the mountaines Solymi were in Pisidia not in Iudea Many were the names of this city Some of them Benedictus in his marginall note vpon Iosua chap. 10. nameth in a distich Solyma Luza Bethel Ierosolyma Iebus Helia Vrbs sacra Ierusalem dicitur atque Salem In this distich 9. names of this one city are couched together Solyma Ierosolyma Ierusalem Iebus Salem Bethel Helia Luza the holy City Drusius obseruat sacr lib. 14. cap. 21. noteth that Ierusalem did consist of two parts the one was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the lower city the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the higher city This higher city was Sion or mount Sion whereof you haue already heard and was diuersly tearmed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the city of Dauid the fort the fort of Sion the tower of Sion But I come not to preach names vnto you Will you heare of the honour of this city they that were aliue when Ierusalem flourished to haue q Psal 48.12 numbred her towers to haue considered her wals to haue marked her bulwarks and to haue told their posterity of it might haue made a report scarcely to haue bin beleeued This we know by Ps 48.4 5. When the Kings of the earth were gathered together and saw it they maruelled they were astonied and suddenly driuen backe Thus is Ierusalem taken