shall make use of to that purpose shall spend those pieces of silver and gold as they please without any respect to the pretended sacred employment which they had before 7. Then shall men take up a Proverb against them and say They have sowen the wind and reaped the whirlewind They have busled and troubled themselves to their own further vexation rather than any advantage For what true fruit have they of that whereof they are now ashamed And the truth of this they will see in the fruites of the earth which will as much deceive their expectation For if the stalk come up it shall have no corn upon it or if it have that shall not make any good meale or if it do strangers shall come and eat it up Little of it shall come into their profane mouths 8. And such strangers shall devour the men of Israel themselves as well as their corn after a while And for their neglect of my service the Moabites and other forreign nations shall make as little account of them as they do of a broken or tainted vessel that a man hath no mind to make use of for the meanest occasion 9. In this distresse up will Israel get him to seek help of the Assyrian but he will find him slow enough to take Israel's burden upon his own shoulders For the Assyrian is like a wild Asse that feeds alone to himself he cares not to fit himself for others employment but for his own ease and profit Therefore Ephraims bribes may walk to make friends of the Assyrians but it will be to little purpose 10. For Imagine while they seek not me their onely true God and their best help that they have some fair hopes from those nations that are hired with their money yet those nations will I muster up against them chiefly the Assyrians whom they reckon in the number of their ablest and surest friends And then shall they begin to be troubled by little and little and oppressed with the heavy burdens layed upon them by that King and his Princes 11. And since Ephraim hath taken pleasure in building many Altars wherein to offend God they shall meet with Altars in Assyria that will give no little offence to them when besides their other grievances they are forced to convey wood and water and sacrifices to that service of the Assyrian 12. All which they might easily have prevented For to that purpose I gave them many good and worthy lawes in writing from the time of Moses upon which they set no more value then upon a thing that little concerned them or their felicity 13. The flesh of those sacrifices which they offer unto me for their own sweet sakes that must feast upon it let them offer it and let them eat freely of it if they will For I little regard either while they are done without amendment of life And for all them they shall know that ere-long I will call their sinnes to remembrance and punish their offences And this in particular that contrary to their solemn ingagement to the Assyrian they have entertained a resolution of applying themselves again to the Egyptians for an uncertain relief 14. In which as in other courses they forget their God that made them and dream of building more and more fair houses to their Gods from whom they expect deliverance Wherein also the kingdom of Iudah hath not been a little to blame which fearing the like incursions of the Assyrian built not her hopes upon God but upon the multitude-of her new fenced Cities and Palaces which I shall send a fire to consume by the hand of Sennacherib CHAP. IX 1. REjoyce not O Israel for joy as other people for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God thou hast loved a reward upon every corn floor 2 The floor and the wine-presse shall not feed them and the new wine shall fail in her 3 They shall not dwell in the Lords land but Ephraim shall return to Egypt and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria 4 They shall not offer wine offerings to the Lord neither shall they be pleasing unto him their sacrifices shall be unto them as the bread of mourners all that eat thereof shall be polluted for their bread for their soul shall not come into the house of the Lord. 5 What will ye do in the solemn day and in the day of the feast of thè Lord. 6 For lo they are gone because of destruction Egypt shall gather them up Memphis shall bury them the pleasant places for their silver nettles shall possesse them thornes shall be in their tabernacles 7 The dayes of visitation are come the dayes of recompense are come Israel shall know it the Prophet is a fool the spiritual man is mad for the multitude of thine iniquity and the great hatred 8 The watchman of Ephraim was with my God but the Prophet is a snare of a sowler in all his waies and hatred in the house of his God 9 They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the dayes of Gibeah therefore he will remember their iniquity he will visit their sins 10 I found Israel like grapes in the wildernesse I saw your Fathers as the first ripe in the fig-tree at her first time but they went to Baal-Peor and separated themselves unto that shame and their abominations were according as they loved 11 As for Ephraim their glory shall flee away like a bird from the birth and from the womb and from the conception 12 Though they bring up their children yet will I bereave them that there shall not be a man left yea wo also to them when I depart from them 13 Ephraim as I saw Tyrus is planted in a pleasant place but Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer 14 Give them O Lord what wilt thou give give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts 15 All their wickednesse is in Gilgal for there I hated them for the wickednesse of their doings I will drive them out of mine house I will love them no more all their Princes are revolters 16 Ephraim is smitten their root is dried up they shall bear no fruit yea they bring forth yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb 17 My God will cast them away because they did not hearken unto him and they shall be wanderers among the nations CHAP. IX 1. PLease not thy self too much O Israel in thinking thy prosperity as secure and permanent as they of other nations may hope for Idolatrie is not so great a sin in them as it is in thee Thou hast gone a whoring from the true God to whom thou hadst plighted thy troth And thou hast done it in expectation of a good reward for it in all thy corn-floors wherein thou hopest to find more plenty for doing that which will bring a greater plague upon thee 2. For the floore and the winepresse shall not be able to maintain
the owners of them and the new wine shall faile in this land 3. For this is the Lords land by a peculiar title And he will not suffer them to be long Inhabitants of his land that have soon forgotten him that placed them in so rich and pleasant a soil when he brought them out of their Egyptian bondage No they shall many of them trot along to Egypt again to an other bondage there and the rest shall be carried into Assyria where they shall be forced to eat of those meats which their law doth account to be unclean So far shall their idols be from supplying of them with that plentie which they expected 4. For it is but just that they which would not bring their offerings to God when they should have done it should not now be suffered to present him with their wine-offerings usual sacrifices when they fain would do it Or if they would might then offer them yet would not God be any way pleased with such a service in a profane land They should have no better acceptance then those funeral-feasts whereof nothing was wont to be presented in the Temple All that eat of such presents how wel soever they relish to them would be thereby polluted Therefore sure they may keep the meat of such oblations for themselves For there would be no admittance of it into the house of the Lord if you suppose such a house then standing and them able to spare enough for that use 5. And if your offerings will be so little regarded what will you then resolve to do upon your New-Moons and other solemn and festival daies wherein you were wont to appear before the Lord Your new Masters will hardlie give you leave to make them holy daies or if they do and you would not appear empty before God Where and what can you then present unto God that shall be accepted as it hath been in your own Countrie But besides all this They that will make your blood a sacrifice to Gods justice and a feast to which God himself will invite such as you would not like They will find you out new holy daies that you dream not of What will you do upon those solemn and festival daies wherein they will triumph over your miseries and make you wearie of them and the place they live in 6. Will you now see what will become of them that escape out of this then-desolate land of your own by running from the Assyrians Egypt shall find them a place wherein to meet and Memphis shall furnish them with a place of burial while in the mean time those lovely places which they had purchased here with their good money shall be covered over with nettles and thorns shall grow in those habitations wherein they thought they had been richly and safely pitched without the likelihood of any sodain removal 7. I speak not now of mere speculations Doubt not but these daies of visitation and retribution will as certainly come as if they were come already and that you shall know it to your cost that I have foretold nothing but what is true And to represent my predictions in a way that may expresse the greater assurance of truth I speak of what shall be as of things present or already past The false Prophets that lulled you asleep with other dreams of securitie did but play the fools and your mad upstarts that pretended to be inspired did contribute much to the increase of your iniquities and specially of that your ill opinion or that great malice rather which you bare to all them that would have advised you better and withdrawn you from idolatrie 8. A true watchman of Israel is ever for my God doth not side with the people to their ruine but speaks the truth as in the presence of God and for their good but the Prophet that they cry up i. the pretended Prophet that we spake of He is but like a snare which the fowler laies to intrap you in all his waies And what mischief one of those false Prophets so doth against a true worshiper of God he doth it in meer spite against the Temple of his God where that true worship is performed 9. These are they that are profound sinners stark nought at the heart whatsoever they are in show Their corruptions are such as can not be matched but in the storie of the miserable corrupted times wherein we read of the villanie of those impudent men of Gibeah Which great sins of theirs with other their offences God will remember and punish in due time though they think he hath forgot them and little regards what is done below 10. But who would not grieve to think how soon Israel was fallen so deep into such foul enormities for When I found Israel at first in the deserts of Arabia in their passage out of Egypt into the holy land upon the first trial I found withal somewhat that was good in them and pleased me as well as the best grapes would please them that travail in those hot and barren places I could then have compared the goodnesse of your forefathers to the first fruit of the sig that which first appears to be now ripened and welcom to the tast But such sigs may be soon ripe soon rotten and so were they For it was not long e're they fell foul upon the worship of Baal Peor the abomination of the Moabites and Ammonites and separated themselves not to my service as did the true Nazarites but to the service of that shameful thing and so because as abominible as that whereon they doted 11. Their sin came on apace then so did Ephraims after them And so shall their punishment For the glorie of Ephraim shall sodainly and swiftly flie away like a bird Their glorie is their fruitfulnesse which they are proud to see in their very name But what glorie will they challenge from the birth of their little ones when they are still-born What glorie from the womb when their wives shall be abortive What glorie from conception when they shall have no joy of the fruit of their womb 12. For though they bring up their children till they are of good years yet will I more and more bereave them of those children till they have not a man left Part of this shall happen in their passage into Assyria and the worst and most woful part when I leave them there with a more sensible impression of my departure from them 13. I look upon Ephraim like an other Tyrus very populous and richly seated in a most pleasant place but thence shall Ephraim be fain to bring forth his children to be slaughtered by their enemies 14. And the passing of that heavie decree makes me that I cannot hold from praying for some mitigation at least of their punishment Give them O Lord since it must be so what thou hadst first threatned that thou wouldst
unto the house of Israel Seek ye me and ye shall live 5 But seek not Bethel nor enter into Gilgal and passe not to Beer-sheba for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity and Bethel shall come to nought 6 Seek the Lord and ye shall live leâ—t he break out like fire in the house of Ioseph and devour it and there be none to quench it in Bethel 7 Ye who turn judgement to wormwood and leave off righteousnesse in the earth 8 Seek him that maketh the seven Stars and Orion and turneth the shadow of death into the morning and maketh the day dark with night that calleth for the waters of the sea and powreth them out upon the face of the earth the Lord is his Name 9 That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong so that the spoiled shall come against the fortresse 10 They hate him that rebuketh in the gate and they abhor him that speakketh uprightly 11 Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor and ye take from him burdens of wheat ye have built houses of hewen stone but ye shall not dwell in them ye have planted pleasant vineyards but ye shall not drink wine of them 12 For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sinnes they afflict the just they take a bribe and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right 13 Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time for it is an evill time 14 Seek good and not evill that ye may live and so the Lord the God of hosts shall be with you as ye have spoken 15 Hate the evill and love the good and establish judgement in the gate it may be that the Lord God of hostes will be gracious unto the remnant of Ioseph 16 Therefore the Lord the God of hosts the Lord saith thus Wailing shall be in all streets and they shall say in all the high-wayes Alas alas and they shall call the husband-man to mourning and such as are skilfull of lamentation to wailing 17 And in all vineyards shall be wailing for I will passe thorow thee saith the Lord. 18 Wo unto you that desire the day of the Lord to what end is it for you the day of the Lord is darknesse and not light 19 As if a man did flee from a Lion and a Bear met him or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall and a serpent bit him 20 Shall not the day of the Lord be darknesse and not light even dark and no brightnesse in it 21 I hate I despise your feast dayes and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies 22 Though ye offer me burnt offering and your meat offerings I will not accept them neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts 23 Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs for I will not hear the melody of thy viols 24 But let judgement run down at waters and righteousnesse as a mighty stream 25 Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wildernesse fourty years O house of Israel 26 But ye have born the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images the star of your god which ye made to your selves 27 Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus saith the Lord whose Name is the God of hosts CHAP. V. 1. HEar what I have to say unto you O you children of Israel Though it be a sad Propheticall Lamentation yet I must speak what I am commanded and if that were not I cannot but speak it over you while I consider the deep misery and affliction into which you have drawn your selves by the weight of your own grievous sinnes 2. Israel should be like a pure Virgin in the sincere profession and service of the true God But now her spirituall whoredoms represent her as a wanton and impudent Harlot Therefore her fall from that Virginity hath produced so deep and great a fall into calamity and desolation that if she do not speedily prevent it by Repentance there is little or no hope of her rising again and recovering her wonted peace and prosperity She is levelled with the Earth like one ready to be buried in silence and oblivion and knowes of none that are able to raise her up and reduce her to her former estate 3. In this misery and captivity which I foresee as certainly coming upon her very few will be left in her Cities and Villages For thus saith the Lord God A City in Israel that could send out a thousand valiant men well appointed shall scarcely be able to show the tenth part of them left alive And that City which could send out a hundred shall have as little a proportion left for the house of Israel Not the tenth part but nine parts of ten shall be taken away by the sword or the famine or the pestilence 4. Yet this sentence is not so irreversibly concluded by the Lord against the house of Isaael but that if you will now seek after your mercifull God in that way in which only he may be found which is in the way of Repentance you may either remove or at least mitigate the decree of your most just and deserved punishment that will otherwise cut off so many by death 5. This Repentance must not be verball onely but active and reall You must absolutely renounce the service of your golden calf in Bethel You must have no more to do in the Idolatry of Gilgal or Beersheba For the right service of God will not consist with the worship of Idols Therefore if you forsake not these places you must perish in them For Gilgal must go into captivity according to the omen in her name And Bethel that carries in the name of it the house of God shall be turned to Beth-aven which promiseth nothing but iniquity vanity and desolation 6. Therefore keep close to that way of Repentance wherein God is to be found That 's the onely way to preserve you in life and safety And if you be not found in that way you expose your selves to extream danger and know not how soon the house of Ioseph as you call your kingdom of Israel from the tribe of Ephraim the greatest part in it and the Royal tribe may be compassed with those flames of war that will break out on such a sudden that the best of you and your friends will find no time wherein to quench or prevent them no not in Bethel the Kings Court and the eminentest place of all the kingdom 7. And how can they look for a milder punishment that turn Iustice the sweetest and loveliest of all vertues into injury and oppression which is as unwelcome and distastfull as the bitter wormwood and when they should exalt Justice and prefer her before all other respects whatsoever do rather suppress her and leave her on the ground as a thing of no value with them that are bribed high for injustice in the pronouncing
whether we understand it of the religious Iews both of Iudah and Israel that returned out of the captivity or of the devout Christians after them that are the true holy seed and the true Israel of God and were delivered from a greater bondage CHAP. II. 1. SAy ye unto your brethren Ammi and to your sisters Ru-hamah 2. Plead with your mother plead for she is not my wife neither am I her husband let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight and her adulteries from between her breasts 3 Lest I strip her naked and set her as in the day that she was born and make her as a wildernesse and set her like a dry land and slay her with thâ—â—st 4. And I will not have mercy upon her children for they be the children of whoredoms 5. For their mother hath played the harlot she that conceived them hath done shamefully for she said I will go after my lovers that give me my bread and my water my wool and my flax mine oil and my drink 6. Therefore behold I will hedge up thy way with thorns and make a wall that she shall not find her paths 7. And she shall follow after her lovers but she shall not overtake them and she shall seek them but shall not find them then shall she say I will go and return to my first husband for then was it better with me then now 8 For she did not know that I gave her corn and wine and oil and multiplied her silver and gold which they prepared for Baal 9 Therefore will I return and take away my corn in the time thereof and my wine in the season thereof and will recover my wooll and my flax given to cover her nakednesse 10. And now will I discover her lewdnesse in the sight of her lovers and none shall deliver her out of mine hand 11. I will also cause all her mirth to cease her feast-daies her new Moons and her Sabbaths and all her solemn feasts 12. And I will destroy her vines and her fig-trees whereof she hath said These are my rewards that my lovers have given me and I will make them a forest and the beasts of the field shall eat them 13. And I will visit upon her the daies of Baalim wherein she burnt incense to them and she decked herself with her ear-rings and her jewels and she went after her lovers and forgat me saith the Lord. 14. Therefore behold I will allure her and bring her into the wildernesse and speak comfortably unto her 15. And I will give her her vineyards from thence and the valley of Achor for a door of hope and she shall sing there as in the daies of her youth and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt 16. And it shall be at that day saith the Lord that thou shalt call me Ishi and shalt call me no more Baali 17. For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth and they shall no more be remembred by their name 18. And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven and with the creeping things of the ground and I will break the bow and the sword and the battel out of the earth and will make them to lie down safely 19. And I will betroth thee unto me for ever yea I will betroth thee unto me in righteousnesse and in judgement and in loving kindnesse and in mercies 20. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulnesse and thou shalt know the Lord. 21. And it shall come to passe in that day I will hear saith the Lord I will hear the heavens and they shall hear the earth 22. And the earth shall hear the corn and the wine and the oil and they shall hear Jezreel 23. And I will sow her unto me in the earth and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy and I will say to them which were not my people Thou art my people and they shall say Thou art my God CHAP. II. 1. YOu that are of the ten tribes say to your brethren those of the tribe of Iudah and Benjamin Ammi for now I acknowledge them for my people And say to your Sisters of those two tribes Ruchamah For my mercy shall watch over them 2. And when you have acknowledged their happinesse then every one of you may think of a quarrel a just quarrel you have to your own Mother i. to all the ten tribes For she hath not behaved her self like my Spouse Nor shall I answer her with the love of a Husband unlesse she make way for reconciliation of her self by a clean removal of her filthy pollutions and of her doting foolish demeanour in the idle love shewed to those imaginarie dieties that deserve it not 3. Which she had best to remove least by way of requital of her making her self gay for those her best beloved I strip her stark naked and expose her as bare as ever she was born to the injury of the weather in some open wildernesse or drie land where I may take that advantage to kill her with very thirst 4. When this severitie falls upon the Mother the whole nation the particular children have no reason to expect any mercy being no better then children of an adulterous bed and most foul Idolatrie 5. For their Mother hath played the harlot she that conceived them hath brought shame upon her self and them the rather because she hath not sticked to professe it openly that she would follow the example of her Paramours the Assyrian and Egyptian idolaters that give her forsooth a constant supplie of her bread and her water and her wool and her flax and her oyl and her drink and what not for all this she ascribes to their acquaintance and to the bountie of their gods 6. Therefore saith the Lord The time shall come when she shall brag of none of these courtesies received from them The time when her way thither shall be hedged in as with thorns and in everie corner so fenced about that there will be no evasion from the Assyrian slaverie to which she shall be led along in bonds and triumph 7. When her quondam-lovers have brought her to those hard embraces she will then strive to court them and wooe them but shall be able to work nothing upon their affections And finding by sad experience that she seeks in vain for what will not be found she will then fall if not too late upon this sad resolution I will now go and return to my right Husband He was the first and he was the best And I have since tasted of no such happinesse as I ever was sure of in the fruition of his favour 8. This she will then say But she should sooner have taken notice that I was the true Author of what she called her corn and wine
and oil And it was I that gave her that rich plentie of silver and gold which she thought fitter to bestow in the service of Baal then in mine 9. For that unseasonable abuse of what I gave her I will come to her again with an armie of enemies raised up against her and by them I will take away the corn and the wine which I had given her in the right season of them And when she thinks she is in a fair way of enjoying my wool and my slax which she would not acknowledge to come from my bountie I will snatch them both so sodainly and so far out of her reach that she shall not have enough so much as to cover her nakednesse 10. So shall I give way to the discoverie of her follie and shame in the open view of them that she most shamefully doted upon in the time of her plentie And neither they nor any other shall then be able to deliver her out of my hands 11. There shall I put an end to all her jollity to all her festival daies and new Moons and Sabbaths and all her solemn feasts because she looked more to her outward worship in them then to her inward sanctitie 12. And then also her vines and her fig-trees shall vanish in a general desolation which she never dreamed of when she was wont to boast of them as of presents bestowed upon her or made surer for her use by the benefit of her union with those her unfortunate Lovers But I that could not be acknowledged for the true founder of that her happinesse and the onelie means to preserve it will now show that I was so by turning those pleasant vineyards and other so profitable delights into a rude forest and when they are so taken from their unthankful mouths the verie beasts of the field shall eat them up or their rude destructive enemies that may be described by a parable of wild beasts 13. Such will I make my sad visitation of those merry daies wherein she honoured her Baals instead of her own Husband burned her incense to them and for their sakes like a proud strumpet tricked her self up in her gaudie ornaments her ear-rings and her jewels In which garb she footed it after those her dearest dieties and thought little of what I deserved or what I could bring upon her for all this saith the Lord. 14. For this good behaviour of hers shall not I use her kindlie conduct her fairly into some solitary wildernesse in a loving posture and in that privacie accost her in some amorous language to the solace of her good heart yes I warrant you I will lead her thence to her kind Assyrian Adulterers that shall prune her vines to the purpose She shall have her fine valley of pleasure turned into a valley of Achor a dismal place And there will I first open the way to her new instruction wherein she shall learn a new lesson that she never learned before And because she hath formerlie been so musicallie merrie in their sweet companie Let her there learn to sing her meriments over again if she can and trie if her voice will be framed to as merrie a tune as ever she warbled out in her younger daies and equal her merry sits that she had after her safe deliverie out of Egypt 16. But alas in that sad time her mouth will not rellish those sweet and merry ditties nor will she have any mind to her old language of Baal Though it signifie a Husband yet because it is the name of her Idol too I can tell her she will then be so warie as rather to use the terms of Ishi then Baali in the ordinarie salutations of a Husband 17. For I will teach her mouth to leave her wonted names of Baalim They shall have small comfort in the use of that name hereafter which so much abused it heretofore 18. After the amendment which shall attend this alteration I will make a league and covenant in their behalf and such as shall tend to their good It shall be a covenant with the beasts of the field and the fowls of the aire and the creeping things of the earth And then for a covenant with men too I will put as clear an end to their former wars and dissentions as if in their sight I should break the bow and the sword and all the instruments of battel And they shall quietly take their rest without any fear of danger 19. I will adde this too by way of a kind Apostrophe to my people If thou wilt keep thy faith with me for the time to come though thou hast gone a whoring after other gods yet will I espouse thee to my self again for ever And that espousal shall be made by my goodnesse and by moderation of my judgements and that in loving kindnesse and in much mercy 20. And it shall be faithfullie done with full resolution of keeping all promises on my behalf and by that thou shalt know me to be Iehovah i. that he to whom thou art espoused is the powerful God that ever doth reallie make good what he hath said which is the chief notion and reason of the name of Iehovah V. 21 22. Then shall there be as much plentie of corn and wine and oil and all necessaries as can be desired by my people Israel which shall now have the name of Jezreel as being a holy seed and a Mother-Church And no blessing that can come from heaven or earth shall be dutifullie asked in her behalf but it shall be as readilie granted 23. And I will disseminate and disperse her far abroad in the earth with happie enlargement like seed that is cast about with expectation of a large increase And as I will therein make good the best notion of Iezreel so in great mercy I will change the names of Loruchamah and Loammi into Ruchamah and Ammi For she shall tast of my mercy and be my people and resume the priviledge of calling me her God CHAP. III. 1. THen said the Lord unto me Go yet love a woman beloved of her friend yet an adulteresse according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel who look to other gods and love flagons of wine 2. So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver and for an Homer of barley and an half Homer of barley 3. And I said unto her Thou shalt abide for me many dayes thou shalt not play the harlot and thou shalt not be for another man so will I also be for thee 4. For the children of Israel shall abide many daies without a King and without a Prince and without a sacrifice and without an image and without an Ephod and without a Teraphim 5. Afterward shall the children of Israel return and seek the Lord their God and David their kings and shall fear the Lord and his goodnesse in the latter dayes
give them Their unthankfulnesse for the contrarie benefits deserve no lesse Give them that which sufficientlie crosseth the fair omen of their name barrennesse Let it suffice that they shall have a barren womb and drie breasts For that other is a more sad and fearful punishment to give up their children to the mercie of the enemy when their growth and strength promise much help and comfort to their Parents 15. Yet I must confesse they deserve no such mitigation of their punishment when I call to mind all their wickednesse in Gilgal That very place might have put them in mind of the favours which I showed them there presently after their miraculous passage through Iordan and first entrance into the land of promise There I forgave the long neglect of their circumcision and did not onely take away that reproach but began my work of higher mercy and protection over them in that land This place therefore of all other should have been made a place of thankful acknowledgements and good resolutions of amendment of life and holy obedience for the future They should never have chose to make the Devila Chappel where they were first obliged to show their service to me The circumcision of their flesh there should have been seconded with the circumcision of their hearts and expressed in such actions as might have gained more of my love But they have so ordered it that I cannot but hate those things that have been done in that place And me thinks I hear God saying thus of thom For the wickednesse of those their doings and specially the erection of a house there for idolatrie I will drive them far from my house and show them no more tokens of my love The rather because all their Princes and Governors that should have prevented these mischiefs have bin as deep as any other inrebellion against me 16. We have now seen the stroke of justice come so heavily upon Ephraim that the verie root of that fair and far-spreading tree is like to be dried up and withered Or if they of Ephraim do bring any store of fruit and so hold out like their name yet that is a heavy sentence which God himself hath spoken in these sad terms I will slay the most amiable fruit of their womb that which they so much long for place so much affection upon when they have it because they spoil their fair beauty with the imitation of their fathers ugly sins 17. Thefore my God will cast them off with scorn because they have not been obedient unto him And they shall be scattered about like vagabonds among other nations All which I speak not as desirous to deliver a curse but as bound to make known a Prophesie against this nation CHAP. X. 1. ISrael is an empty vine he bringeth forth fruit unto himself according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars according to the goodnesse of his land they have made goodly images 2 Their heart is divided now shall they be found faulty he shall break down their altars he shall spoil their images 3 For now they shall say we have no King because we feared not the Lord what then should a King do to us 4 They have spoken words swearing falsly in making a covenant thus judgement springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field 5 The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Beth-aven for the people thereof shall mourn over it and the priests thereof that rejoyced on it for the glory thereof because it is departed from it 6 It shall be also carried unto Assyria for a present to King Iareb Ephraim shall receive shame and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsell 7 As for Samaria her King is cut off as the some upon the water 8 The high places also of Aven the sin of Israel shall be destroyed the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars and they shall say to the mountains Cover us and to the hills Fall on us 9 O Israel thou hast sinned from the daies of Gibeah there they stood the battail in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them 10 It is in my desire that I should chastise them and the people shall be gathered against them when they shall bind themselves in their two furrows 11 And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught and loveth to tread out the corn but I passed over upon her fair neck I will make Ephraim to ride Iudah shall plow and Iacob shall break his clodâ— 12 Sow to your selves in righteousnesse reap in mercy break up your fallow ground for it is time to seek the Lord till he come and rain righteousnesse upon you 13 Ye have plowed wickednesse ye have reaped iniquity ye have eaten the fruit of lies because thou didst trust in thy way in the multitude of thy mighty men 14 Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled as Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the day of battel the mother was dashed in pieces upon her children 15 So shall Bethel do unto you because of your great wickednesse in a morning shall the King of Israel be utterly cut off CHAP. X. 1. ISrael is like a Vine that lies wast and fruitlesse to Him that is true owner of it Her enemies help to lay it wast and they that should dresse her and look to her by their carelessenesse leave it without good sap and moisture which makes the fruit accordingly little enough and bad enough Yet even that little fruit which Israel hath he makes use of for himself to be sent spent after his own humour And which is worse the more God encreaseth him with the fruits of temporal prosperitie in a goodlie soile He is so far from returning a thankful acknowledgement to God the good Author of it that he doth so much the more increase the number of Altars and Statues in remembrance of his false gods that do nothing for him and bestow the more cost upon them 2. Thus the heart of Israel is now clean departed from the observance of their dutie Therefore shall they be laid fullie desolate And he that I will make the instrument of that desolation will break those Altars of theirs in pieces and spoile their Statues 4. For nothing will reduce them to their dutie unto God and their King Hosheah But this will be their conclusion we will neither have Hosheah nor any other King over us For we that durst forsake the service of God what should we fear the forsaking of the Kings service who hath no great power now to do any thing for us nor much power to do any thing against us if we be resolute and hold close to our selves 4. In the progresse of such a violent and treasonable conclusion they will not stick at a false oath and covenant Therefore to answer
border the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee and prevailed against thee they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee there is none understanding in him 8 Shall I not in that day saith the Lord even destroy the wise men out of Edom and understanding out of the mount of Esau 9 And thy mighty men O Teman shall be dismayed to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter 10 For thy violence against thy brother Iacob shame shall cover thee and thou shalt be cut off forever 11 In the day that thou stoodest on the other side in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces and forreiners entered into his gates and cast lots upon Ierusalem even thou wast as one of them 12 But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger neither shouldest thou have rejoyced over the children of Iudah in the day of their destruction neither shouldst thou have spoken proudly in the day of distresse 13 Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity yea thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity 14 Neither shouldst thou have stood in the crosse way to cut off those of his that did escape neither shouldst thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distresse 15 For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen as thou hast done it shall be done unto thee thy reward shall return upon thine own head 16 For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain so shall all the heathen drink continually yea they shall drink and they shall swallow down and they shall be as though they had not been 17 But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance and there shall be holinesse and the house of Iacob shall possesse their possessions 18 And the house of Iacob shall be a fire and the house of Ioseph a flame and the house of Esau for stubble and they shall kindle in them and devour them and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau for the Lord hath spoken it 19 And they of the south shall possesse the mount of Esau and they of the plain the Philistines and they shall possesse the fields of Ephraim and the fields of Samaria and Benjamin shall possesse Gilead 20 And the captivity of this hoste of the children of Israel shall possesse that of the Canaanites even unto Zarephath and the captivity of Ierusalem which is in Sepharad shall possesse the cities of the South 21 And Saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau and the kingdom shall be the Lords 1. THe vision or Prophesie of Obadiah Thus saith the Lord Iehovah and we his Prophets from him concerning Edom. 2. We have heard that which you may take for a sentence as absolutely determined and pronounced by God himself against the Countrey of Edom as if you had seen an earthly King confirm the like by his Embassadours sent to the severall nations of the Assyrians and Chaldaeans with commission to raise up an army and come in battle against her 3. And this I have to say in his name to Edom. See and wonder at thy self what a weak and silly thing I will make thee appear to be in the account of these nations and how miserably despicable in their eies 4. For though I know thee in thy high thoughts to be otherwise perswaded yet that pride of thy heart shall at last deceive thee which promises to thy self great matters but ever falls short in the performance or rather thy idoll whereof thou art so proud and confident shall faile thee in the event I speak it to thee that art roosted in the clefts of those high rockes of Arabia Petraea and thinkest in thy heart that no power on earth can pull thee out of thy strong inaccessible places in mount Sâ—ir 4. Thou that mountest up thy self like an Eagle as if thou wouldst set thy nest among the stars I have many waies among which that of famine alone were sufficient to bring thee down from thence and lay thee low enough saith the Lord. 5. If theives and robbers had come upon thee by night and how do I see thee more than miserably undone by the sudden surpriz all of such notable shavers and cutters But had they so stolne upon thee they would have been content with the filching of so much as would have served their turn And if the grape-gatherers had come upon thee they would have left thee some gleanings But thou shalt have to do with them that will cut and sweep all away root and branch 6. Nay and thy close hoording up will be to no purpose for How narrowly will those riches that belong to Esau be searched after and what hath he so carefully hidden in the closest corners which shall not be sought out and discovered 7. When all is gone and thy self art ready to be packing into a strange land At the borders of thy countrey will thy own Confederates fairly take their leaves of thee they that be in league with thee will cheat and deceive thee they that come to thee with pretenses of peace and concord will be as ready as any other to prevaile against thee and thy entirest acquaintance that have been often entertained as friends as thy table will lay a stumbling-block in thy way to hinder all the good proceedings and proposals that may tend to thy advantage So that all that judge by the event must needs say there is no foresight or understanding in this people of Edom. 8. And shall I not then make it good by destroying those of Edom that have been so famous for wisedome And those especially of mount Seir of the posterity of Esau that have been thought to exceed all the rest in matter of deep policie and understanding shall not I turn their wisdom into foolishness and catch the wiliest of them in their own craft 9. Yes and amongst them thine O Teman the stoutest of all that use to build most upon the strength and reach of their own knowledge they shall be strangely brought under to their own amazement so that not a man of any account but shall be more then brought under they shall be utterly ruined and destroyed from their high mountains of Esau Because of that slaughter O Edom. 10. And because of that apparent injury which thou wast not ashamed to offer unto thy Brethren the Sons of Iacob when you said of Jerusalem Down with it even to the ground therefore shalt thou be covered with shame and cut off for ever from being a nation as they shall be 11. I speak of the time
that hard employment as the heart of a strong man newly refreshed with wine Their very children shall take notice of their fathers alacrity and readinesse to the war and expresse it in their own joy and forwardnesse Thus all of them shall heartily rejoyce in the favour and protection of the Lord. 8. I will whistle for them that are not yet returned from Babylon and Egypt as the Shepherd doth for his flock and gather them together into my own fould the place that I haee chosen out for my own worship For I have resolved to redeem and deliver them from their enemies and here they shall be as numerous and as prosperous again as ever they were 9. For I dispersed them obroad into several and remote nations and there they remembred to serve me Therefore now will I remember them and theirs They and their children shall survive and return to their own home and their antient possessions 20. I will bring them back from the land of Egypt and gather them together from the land of Assyria by several waies and instruments of my providence and reduce them to their Gilead that furnished them with rich balms and Lebanon that stored them with strong timber And upon their return they shall swell into such multitudes that upon their own inheritance there will hardly be found room enough wherein to contein them 11. And to accelerate and facilitate their return they shall find passage through the streights of the sea for God shall represse the waves of the sea by his mighty power as if his own stroke made them give way to these passengers And he shall drie up the deeper chanels of the river Euphrtaes i. rather then they shall not have an easie passage the waves shall give back and the deeps shall be dried up to make way for them All which may represent in a figure a more conspicuous conduct over that great river of Assyria in the latter times And as you come forward to your prosperity so the pride of the Assyrian shall go downward and the scepter of Egypt to which you were subject while you were sojurners there shall vanish away the Egyptians shall have no more power and command over you 12. And I will make my people strong and chearful in the Lord their God And all their actions shall they prosperously undertake and finish in that name saith the great Iehovah CHAP. XI 1 OPen thy doors O Lebanon that the fire may devour thy cedars 2 Howl fir-tree for the cedar is fallen because all the mighty are spoiled howl O ye oaks of Bashan for the forrest of the vintage is come down 3 There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds for their glory is spoiled a voice of the roaring of young lions for the pride of Iordan is spoiled 4. Thus saith the Lord my God Feed the flock of the slaughter 5 Whose possessors slay them and hold themselves not guilty and they that sell them say Blessed be the Lord for I am rich and their own shepherds pity them not 6 For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land saith the Lord but lo I will deliver the men every one into his neighbours hand and into the hand of his king and they shall smite the land and out of their hand I will not deliver them 7 And I will feed the flock of the slaughter even you O poor of the flock and I took unto me two staves the one I called Beauty and the other I called Bands and I fed the flock 8 Three shepherds also I cut off in one moneth and my soul loathed them and their soul also abhorred me 9 Then said I I will not feed you that that dieth let it die and that that is to be cut off let it be cut off and let the rest eat every one the flesh of anoanother 10 And I took my staff even Beauty and cut it asunder that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people 11 And it was broken in that day and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the Lord. 12 And said I unto them If ye think good give me my price and if not forbear so they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver 13 And the Lord said unto me Cast it unto the potter a goodly price that I was prised at of them And I took the thirty pieces of silver and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord. 14 Then I cut asunder mine other staff even Bands that I might break the brotherhood between Iudah and Israel 15 And the Lord said unto me Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd 16 For lo I will raise up a shepherd in the land which shall not visit those that be cut off neither shall seek the young one nor heal that that is broken nor feed that that standeth still but he shall eat the flesh of the fat tear their claws in pieces 17 Wo to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock the sword shall be upon his arm and upon his right eye his arm shall be clean dried up and his right eye shall be utterly darkened CHAP. XI 1. BUt your hearty obedience unto me and to these pleasant daies of victory and prosperity will not last for ever Some daies of heavy suffering there will be and a sad visitation of the Temple and of the City When thou O Ierusalem that hast brought so much of Lebanon within thy gates for the fabrick of thy Temple and other stately buildings that thou maiest borrow the name too of another Lebanon must be forced to open thy gates and with other delights expose all the store which thou broughtest from Lebanon to the pleasure of a cruel enemie that with fire and sword will consume thy Palaces of Cedar and destroy the rich owners of those fair habitations 2. There will be matter of fear and lamentation for you of the poorer sort in the lesser towns and villages that stand so thick about Jerusalem like the firre-trees about the tall Cedars For some of your fairest Cedares in Lebanon the rich and great ones that are nestled so high must fall as how as the ground And the gallant Citizens that looked so big upon it must be humbled and seek abroad for another place of habitation while Jerusalem is laid desolate You were mounted before like the oaks of Basan but you will stoop and howl to see your Lebanon your mighty forrest cut down your populous City where the rich buildings were mounted to the height of the proudest trees in the forrest 3. This lamentation in the forrest will cause the howling of the shepherds l. the ruines about the Temple and City must needs be accompanied with the miserable cry of the Princes and of the Governours both Ecclesiastical and Civil whose glory is quite spoiled