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A45340 Samaria's downfall, or, A commentary (by way of supplement) on the five last verses of the thirteenth chapter of Hosea wherein is set forth, Ephraim's dignity, duty, impenitency, and downfall : very suitable to, and seasonable for, these present times, where you have the text explained, sundry cases of conscience cleared, many practical observations raised (with references to such authors as clear any point more fully) : and a synopsis or brief character of the twenty kings of Israel, with some useful inferences from them / by Thomas Hall ... Hall, Thomas, 1610-1665. 1660 (1660) Wing H440; ESTC R18060 150,640 184

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view of all 2 Sam. 12. 12. the onely way to have our sins hid indeed is plainly and sincerely to confess them psalm 32. 5. 2. Whereas thou gloriest that thou hast escaped so long unpunisht know that t is a sore punishment to go unpunisht for sin When the Lord was angry with Ephraim hee bids let him alone and tells him that he will not punish him for his sin Hos. 4. 14 17. q. d. Since Ephraim will go after Idols after Idols he shall go I will not by any punishment restrain him but I will let him go on and prosper in his abominations to his utter confusion and thus to be given up to ones own hearts lust is a signe of Gods highest displeasure Psalm 87. 11 12. in this sense not be stricken is the sorest stroke Isay 1. 5. and for God not to bee angry is the greatest anger as to bee stopt and corrected for sin is the greatest mercy Psalm 89. 32 33 34. and 94. 12 13. 3. Know that punishment is never neerer than when 't is least feared A great calm many times is a force-runner of a storm When men cry Peace Peace then comes sudden and swift destruction 1 Thes. 5. 3. When the old world was eating drinking buying building marrying and snorting in security then comes the flood When Agag thought the bitterness of death was past now saith Samuel hew him in peeces When men bee at ease in Sion there 's a woe hang over their heads Amos 6. 1. to 8. When men look upon judgements as a far off then God will defer no longer Ezek. 12. 27 28. Secure Laish becomes a booty to its enemies Iudg 18. 7 27. The Amalakites when they had taken Ziglag and were drunken fearing no danger they were suddenly surprised and slain 1 Sam. 30. 16 17. When the Philistims met to be merry and sport themselves with Sampson he brings the house upon their heads Iudg. 16. 25 29. Darius in the midst of his cups was ●lain by the Persians Dan. 5. 30. and Babylon that boasted shee 〈◊〉 as a Queen and should see no sorrow had sudden plagues 〈◊〉 on her Rev. 18. 7 8. Let no man then delude himself with the thoughts of impunity for though conscience may sleep for a time yet at last it will bee awakned and then the longer thy sins have been hid the more will it rage against thee especially at the day of judgement that day of revealing the hidden work of darkness God will then bring every work to judgement with every secret thing whether it be good or evil Eccles. 12. ul● God will then unlock his Treasury and those sins which are now sealed and bundled up shall then be brought to open light and those secret Villanies which men would not have known for all the world shall then be written as with a beam of the Sun upon their foreheads to their everlasting shame Sinners shall then have no cause to say where is the God of Iudgement Mal. 2. 17. Let us therefore make a right use and improvement of the Patience of God let it melt and humble us and lead us to repentance Let us in this our day know the things that belong to our everlasting peace whil'st the Patience of God yet waits upon us and hee stands knocking at the door of our hearts Rev. 3. 20. before the door of grace be shut against us for then 't will be too late To quicken you know that God in the end will reckon with you for all his Patience and forbearance the longer he hath borne with you the greater will your sin be He takes an exact account of every day and year that he hath borne with us Psal. 95. 10. fourty years long was I grieved with this generation He takes notice of every provocation Numb 14. 22. These ten times have they provoked me though you forget your provocations yet God doth not Yea hee records every Sermon that wee hear and the day and year that it was preached to us Hag. 1. 1. Lastly let us imitate God and be followers of him as dear children be Patient as he is Patient though wee cannot bee so by way of Equality yet by way of Analogy and resemblance in our degree and measure wee may and must if hee bear with us wee may well bear with our brethren if hee hath forgiven us Pounds wee may well forgive them Pence We should forbear one another and forgive one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven us Ephes. 4. 31. Colos. 3. 13. Let your moderation and quietness of minde be made known to all Phil. 4. 5. and if any man wrong us let us melt them with our kindnesses Rom. 12. 20. as David ●elted Saul and made him weep and confess that hee was more righteous than himself Even Nature could say it becomes a noble spirit to pass by injuries When one told King Iohn that his deadly enemie was buried there and advised him to deface his Monument no said the King but I wish all the rest of mine enemies were as honourably buried 'T was an excellent answer of Chrysostom to the Empress Eudoxa and savored of a sweet mortified frame of spirit If the Queen said he will banish me let her banish me The earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof If she will saw me asunder let her do it the Prophet Isay suffered as much If she will let her cast me into the sea and there will I remember Jonah VERSE 13. The sorrows of a travelling woman shall come upon him he is an unwise son for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children IN this Verse the Prophet goeth on to denounce judgements against an obstinate and rebellious people if by any means he might awaken them out of their security By the sorrows of a woman in travel he sets forth the sudden sure and sore destruction which was even now coming upon the heads of those carnally-confident sinners They promised themselves Peace and Prosperity they had made a league with death and had put the evil day far from their souls and therefore drew near to iniquity Amos 6. 3. No words nor warnings no mercies nor judgements could work upon them therefore the Lord resolves to bear no longer with them but speedily to surprize them with his judgements The sorrows of a travelling woman shall come upon them In this Verse we have 1. A commination or a judgement threatned set forth by the similitude of the sorrows of a Travelling woman a Metaphor very frequent in Scripture Wherein is set forth 1. Sudden 2. Sharp 3. Inevitable Sorrows 1. Pangs upon a woman in travel come suddenly and unexpectedly Sometime whil'st they are eating drinking sleeping playing and think not of the pains of travel So the Lord threatens to bring upon this stupid people such calamities which should be like the sorrows of a travelling woman sudden and une●pected 2. The
with the Prophets to intermingle comforts with their threatnings to keep Gods people from despaire So Hos. 1. and 2. and 11. Amos 9. 8 to 15. Before he had threatned destruction to the wicked now he comforts the Penitent In the words we have 1. The deep distress that Gods people were in they were in the hand of the grave and in the jaws of death i. e. they were as 't were dead and buried in captivity The word Sheol signifies both the grave and hell 1. 'T is taken for the grave so Gen. 37. 35. ●rov 30. 16. 2. For hell Metaphorical i. e. some deep distress Psal. 86. 13. 3. For the local hell Prov. 15. 11. Wee may take in all these for Christ hath Redeemed us from them all and triumphed over them on the Cross Colos. 2. 14. 2. Here is a Promise of their Redemption from this their misery I will ransom them from the power of the grave What is that why exegetically 't is added I will redeem them from death i. e. I will bring my Elect out of their captivity where they lay for dead as 't were and this deliverance shall bee to them a pledge of their Resurrection to eternal life 3. Here is the manner how this shall bee done set forth by a Prosopopeical Apostrophe to death and the grave whom he brings in as some living enemy and therefore calls to him saying O death I will bee thy death O grave I will bee thy destruction q. d. O death thou seemest to be mighty and powerful but I will disarm thee of it all I will not only bite thee but destroy thee 't is not morsus as the Vulgar but exitium an utter destruction of these enemies of our salvation 4. Here is the certainty of this deliverance drawn from the constancy of God in keeping his Promise and from the immutability of his decree Repentance shall be hid from mine eyes q. d. I will never repent of the mercy which I have promised them but my goodness to them shall be firm and unalterable This sense suits best with the Original and with the context wherein God promiseth a choice mercy to his people The Vulgar and the seventy render it consolation is hid from mine eyes 't is true the word in the Original signifies consolation as well as repentance but to render it as a threatning here as if God should say I am fully determined to destroy my people for consolation is hid from mine eyes This is very improper here for it confounds the context and the scope of the Verse which is to comfort and not to disquiet Gods people In it the Prophet the better to strengthen the faith of Gods people doth highly extol Gods Almighty power for when wee are in straights wee are very apt to question that Num. 11. 13 21 22 23. Psal. 78. 19. To an eye of sense Gods people lying in captiviy were as dead men and past all hope of recovery I but saith the Prophet though ye were dead yet God can raise you again for hee 's Lord of death and hell and hath a sovereign power over them all though death conquers all yet hee conquers death though it be mighty yet God is Almighty and there 's nothing too hard for him he will be the death of death and if none will redeem you thence yet he will Quest. The Question is of what Redemption and deliverance doth the Prophet here speak whether of a corporal or spiritual Redemption Ans. Of both 1. Literally the Lord promiseth to free his Elect and penitent people from the grave of their captivity Banisht men are counted as dead men especially in a civil sense and the place of their banishment is as the grave Now many of the remainders of Israel after the destruction of their Kingdom joyned themselves to the Jews and with them came out of Babylon Though for their Idolatry and ingratitude hee threatned perpetual banishment to them yet for the comfort of his people that then were and after should arise hee promiseth a Redemption for them Hos. 1. 10. which was fulfilled about two hundred years after that Samaria was taken when Cyrus proclaimed liberty to the Jews to go build the Temple Ezra 1. 2. Typically it alludes to our Spiritual and eternal Redemption by Christ and our conquest over death and hell by him By Adams sin death came upon all men Rom. 512. but Christ by his Resurrection hath freed us from the power of death and hath led it captive which formerly led us captive Ps. 68. 18. Eph. 4. 8. This is the Redemption saith Zanchy which is principally and properly here meant for though the people of Iudah after seventy years captivity in Babylon did return again out of it yet the people of Israel after that Samaria was taken never returned again to their own land for it was laid waste and inhabited by strangers 'T is usual with the Prophets to use such Metabases sudden digressions and passings from their history to Christ who was their scope delight and love so that every hint and shadow in the Old Testament brought him to their remembrance and then from Christ they fell to the continuance of their history again Thus 't is here and so Esay prophecying of C●rus who should deliver Israel out of B●bylon in the same Chapter prophesieth of Christ the Redeemer of his Church Esay 45. So Ezekiel having enveyed against Idle and Idol Shepherds presently turns his speech to Christ who is the true Shepherd of his people Ezek. 34. 2 16. so Zach. 9. 9. and 13. ● 7. In this Verse the Prophet brings in death and the grave as it were two tyrannical enemies to whom he speaks in the Name of the Lord Christ as the Apostle expounds it 1 Cor. 15. 55. as a Conquerour saying O death I will be thy death Or as the Apostle from the Septuagint though in this Text the Apostle in some things varies from the present Septuagint and so do the allegations in the New Testament which shews the folly of those who do equalize it with the Original Hebrew O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory The first Adam brought death into the world but the second Adam hath abolish'd it There is some difficulty in the words and therefore I shall open them particularly and break every clod that I may finde out the golden Oar. In these words we have a glorious triumph over death and a notable Encon●ium of the Resurrection of the dead Piscator and others read the words Interrogatively thus O death where are thy plagues O grave where is thy destruction 'T is an insulting and triumphing Interrogation q. d. They are no where to be found for Christ hath removed them and taken them out of the way of his people so that now there is no hurt in death This various reading comes from the ambiguous signification of the word Ehi which is rendred truly ero I
Sacraments good books corrections and all other rich means which God hath afforded us in these latter daies Oh what Gyants might wee have been in waies of grace and goodness if every Ordinance had been effectual upon our hearts hee that is weak amongst us might have been as strong as David and hee that is strong as David might have been as an Angel of the Lord for wisdome and purity Zach. 12. 8. Like Saul we might have been taller by the head and shoulders in the waies of Grace than other men Our leanness and our lewdness our barrenness and unfruitfulness our unanswerable walking to the rich means of Grace that wee enjoy doth certainly fore-tell a storm approaching 10 Ingratitude and abuse of Gods mercies to the promoting of Idolatry The more God did for them the less they did for him their fulness bred forgetfulness and the more they were increased the more they sinned Hence the Lord so oft complains of this sin as provoking him more than all the rest Hos. 2. 8. 4. 7. 10. 1. 11. 3 4. 13. 5 6. It was this sin especially that brought the sword upon them Hos. 2. 9. 13. 7. The Prophet Amos also who was contemporary with Hosea doth notably set forth the great Ingratitude of this people in abusing Gods mercies Amos 2. 9 10 11. And is not this that crying sin of England Do wee not●fight against God with his own blessings abusing our health wealth wit peace plenty corn wine gold silver Scriptures Ordinances yea all our comforts and creatures to the dishonour of the giver of them His mercies make us proud his riches covetous his peace secure his food intemperate and all his benefits serve us but as weapons to rebel against him And do wee thus require the Lord O foolish and unwise is this the thanks wee give him for all his patience preservations success and deliverances Will not the Lord visit for these things and shall not his soul bee avenged on such a Nation as this Had England no more sins to answer for but this even this were sufficient to make it a desolation as it did Samaria 11 Covenant-breaking God had betrothed them to himself and chosen them from the rest of the world to become his people But they like men transgressed the Covenant there did they deal treacherously against him Hos. 6. 7. 10. 4. Like Sons of Adam they walkt in his steps though they were abundantly blest by God yet they revolted from him and transgrest the Covenant there even th●re it is put emphatically where they should have been most faithful viz. in the Covenant there they dealt most falsly and perfidiously with him And is not this one of the crying sins of England Never was there a wiser and better composed Covenant in the Nation and never any worse performed wee have lifted up our hands to the most High that wee will in our places and callings extirpate heresies and yet many walk as if they had taken a Covenant to propagate them many amongst us make no more of their Covenants than an Ape doth of his coller which hee can put off or on at his own pleasure Let any man but read all the branches of the Covenant and then compare our contrary walking to it and hee cannot but admire the infinite patience of the Lord that hee hath not long since sent a sword to avenge the quarrel of his Covenant upon us Levit. 26. 25. wee must not think to do such things and escape or to break our Covenants with God and then bee delivered Ezek. 17. 15 to 20. If the Lord so sadly avenged the breach of Covenant with a man yea with a Heathen and Idolater what shall bee done to him who breaks his Covenant made with the great God of Heaven and Earth and if a good man will perform the Covenant which hee made though it bee to his disadvantage how great is their sin then who perform not the conditions of such Covenants as tend to their everlasting welfare Psal. 15. 4. The Jews have a saying That there is no punishment that befalls them but there is a dram of the golden Calf in it so there is no misery that befalls England but there it a dram of Covenant-breaking in it 12 Security Though strangers had devoured his strength yet hee knew it not the Syrian and Assyrian had consumed him and made a prey of him yet such was his stupidity that hee knew it not viz. with a practical saving knowledge so as to repent and make a right use of it Yea gray hairs were sprinkled here and there upon him which were a sign of weakness and old age and death approaching yet they laid it not to heart Hos. 7. 9. but they were at ease in Sion and trusted in the Mountain of Samaria putting the evil day far from them and therefore a woe is denounced against them Amos 6. 1 3. 9. 10. And was there ever more security and sensless stupidity in England than at this day Do not the Ministers of Christ generally complain that they see not that life zeal activity tenderness compunction c. in their people as formerly Many applaud and flatter themselves with their gifts and external profession of sanctity but the power of it is very much wanting amongst us A great calm oft times is a fore-runner of a storm and great security is a great fore-runner of some great judgement When the old world was eating drinking buying building marrying and thought not of a flood then it came and swept them all away when men cry peace peace then comes sudden and swift destruction 1 Thes. 5. 3. 13 Anarchy They devoured all their Iudges all their Kings were fallen Hos. 7. 7. They discovered their rage in their seditious and frequent conspiracies to the devouring and destroying of their Judges and Magistrates as appears in the frequent murders of their Kings What Anarchy and confusion is amongst us hee is a great stranger in our English Israel that knows not 14 Lukewarmness This is another sin that helpt to ruine Ephraim Hos. 7. 8. Ephraim is a cake not turned and so but half-baked or dough-baked neque crudus neque coctus neither hot nor cold neither fish nor flesh but of a middle mongrel Religion halting between two partly for God and partly for the Devil partly for Christ and partly for Baal but God hates such halting 〈◊〉 doings and therefore spues them out of his mouth and sends them packing into captivity And is not this the sin of England Are wee not a luke-warm generation neither hot nor cold that halt not between two but two hundred opinions Wee have a knee for God and a knee for Baal a tongue for Christ and a tongue for Antichrist a tongue for Truth and a tongue for Falshood Like the harlot wee are all for dividing But God will bee served truly and totally without halting or halving hee hath made our whole