Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
enemy_n	death_n	destroy_v	resurrection_n	1,008	5	9.2410	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86936	A brief exposition on the XII. smal prophets the first volume containing an exposition on the prophecies of Hosea, Joel, & Amos. By George Hutcheson, minister at Edenburgh.	Hutcheson, George, 1615-1674.	1654 (1654)	Wing H3823; Thomason E1453_1; ESTC R202497	435,098	550

grave will be so destroyed at their resurrection as they shall neither have sting nor victory over them for so much doth this promise concerning the grave and death which is the last enemy 1 Cor. 15.26 as it is held out here and explained 1 Cor. 15. teach us 7. The mercies which were shewed of old unto Israel and more particularly to be fulfilled at their Conversion are not able evidences and pledges of Gods power to perform what he hath promised to perform to his own at the resurrection therefore are both held out in one promise the one being as a pledge of the other for their Conversion will be as life from the dead not only to themselves but to the world Rom. 11.15 which will notably confirme faith and the hope of a future resurrection 8. As Gods purposes of mercy toward his Elect are immutable and unchangeable so also are his purposes concerning the raising up and Conversion of Israel as a Nation therefore is it subjoyned to this promise concerning them repentance shall be hid from mine eyes that is not only will he plague death without pity but generally he will never repent nor change this purpose of raising them up See Rom. 11.28 29. Ver. 15. Though he be fruitful among his brethren an East-winde shall come the winde of the LORD shall come up from the wildernesse and his spring shall become dry and his fountain shall be dried up he shall spoile the treasure of all pleasant vessels The Prophet closeth this chapter with assuring them that however he would help them yet they should once be laid desolate which if it be joyned with the promises in chap. 14. doth make up another ample proof of that assertion v. 9. This assertion is held forth first in a threatening against Ephraim whose name is alluded unto here who is threatened here in borrowed termes that however both for number power and riches he was above other tribes yet God should send the enemy like a tempestuous winde which parcheth up the moisture of the earth and makes it barren to cut off his prosperity to the very root and to bereave him of what he delighted in Whence learn 1. God hath all lots in his hand to make one person or people increase and be fruitful above another as he pleaseth for Ephraim as his name imports is fruitful among his brethren according to Jacobs prophecie Gen. 48.19 See Psal 75.6 7. 2. Such as are most advanced by God in outward things do ordinarily ripen most for stroaks for fruitful Ephraim by his carriage draweth this judgement on himself 3. Mens prosperous condition or Gods bounty toward them of that kinde will not avail them when they ripen for judgements for though he be fruitful among his brethren an east-winde shall come 4. Judgements for sin will look very boisterous and dreadful-like especially to the guilty conscience for it shall be an Eastwinde which was tempestuous in these parts and a winde from the wildernesse where windes rage most or whence the Assyrians came 5. Judgements will be the more sad when God is seen a party in them and that this tempest is the winde of the Lord not only a great winde as this phrase often imports the greatnesse of a thing but raised by him to pursue them 6. Though the prosperous condition of sinners may seem to be such as will never faile as if it were a stream fed from a springing fountain yet wrath from God will soon reach the bottom of all these and utterly strip the sinner for his spring shall become dry and his fountain shall be dried up 7. Pleasures will not secure against wrath nor need men think that pleasures and pleasant things at used to sin will continue with them for he that is Ashur and the Lord by him shall spoile the treasures of all pleasant vessels or stuffe He shall take away what they treasured up as of most worth and to be kept in greatest safety Ver. 16. Samaria shall become desolate for she hath rebelled against her God they shall fall by the sword their infants shall be dashed in pieces and their women with childe shall be ript up Secondly the same sentence is given out in more proper termes against Samaria the chief City wherein is threatened that because of sin it should be totally laid desolate by the cruel enemy and sacked by the sword without any mercie even to Infants and women with childe Whence learn 1. Chief and eminent places are ordinarily chief in provocations and exemplary in punishments for them so much doth Samaria's example teach 2. Sin given way unto may lay strong and flourishing Cities even utterly desolate for Samaria shall become desolate 3. The great cause of Gods controversie against the visible Church or particular persons and societies therein is their rebelling against a received yoke and their declining after engagements for this is the quarrel here for she hath rebelled against God 4. The nearer that God draws to any in relations and offers and they to him by Professions the more hainous is their sin for this addes to the quarrel she hath rebelled against her God See Isa 58.1 2. 5. It is righteous with God not to rest satisfied with spoiling the wealth or laying desolate the habitations of impenitent sinners but to pursue their persons also therefore it is added they shall fall by the sword 6. Impenitent sinners do provoke God to cut off themselves and their posterity also and that he should give up enemies to be destitute of all humanity and compassion in their dealing toward them for their infants shall be dashed in pieces and their women with childe shall be ript up Infants even in their mothers belly have in themselves sufficient guilt to deserve such judgements and so they may be inflicted without any imputation to God But in this stroak the Lord would have us chiefly look to the desert of that present generation and their Parents CHAP. XIV IN the close of this Prophecie the Lord giveth ample hope of the future conversion of Israel undertaking to stir them up unto it effectually to direct them in doing of it by giving them the spirit of supplication and then graciously to answer them The parts of the Chapter are 1. An exhortation wherein Israel are invited to repent and turne to God v. 1. together with a direction how to go about it by calling on God and ingaging themselves to him v. 2 3. 2. Gods gracious answer to that prayer which he shall put in their hearts and mouthes wherein he promiseth to pardon their iniquity and be reconciled with them v. 4. to make them flourish through his blessing and influence v. 5 6. and to blesse them who shall come in under their shadow v. 7. So that they shall see that there is no need to have recourse to Idols but they shall renounce them considering what they finde in God v. 8. 3. There is a conclusion subjoyned to this whole Prophecy

of many of them was accompanied with the ruine of many of the people and the Nation was cut off with the fall of the last King 6. All the courses and carnal policies that men can follow will not avail them in the least against Gods displeasure for though they sought a King and Princes that they might be a stately Monarchie yet where is there any other that may save thee in all thy Cities they could finde none any where that might so much as help in one City 7. When all refuges have failed the Lords sinful people yet he remains able and willing to supply what other means cannot and will take advantage to do for them because there is no other to do for them for I will be thy King or I will be to wit unchangeably still the same and the help as I have been Where is thy King that may save thee seeing there is no other help therefore he will appear Ver. 12. The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up his sin is hid 13. The sorrowes 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 The second proof and evidence of his assertion v. 9. is that his help shall be forth-coming when they are redacted to greatest extremities The extremitie is in these verses and his promise of help is v. 14. The summe of these two verses is that their sin though yet spared was laid up on record as a sealed bond put in a coffer to a day of payment and was treasured up as a growing summe to be counted for altogether in due time and that this long forbearance should end in sudden and bitter sorrow wherein they should perish because of their stupidity and their not extricating themselves by repentance Whence learn 1. Albeit a people may continue long sinning and God in the mean time forbear them yet their sin is but growing and heaping up to a day of vengeance for the iniquity of Ephraim is bound up his sin is hid like a thing that is safely laid up out of the way that it be not lost See Job 14.17 Rom. 2.4 2. The Lords long-suffering and patience toward impenitent sinners will at last break forth in sudden and extreme sorrow for the sorrowes of a travelling woman shall come upon him and these are both sharp and sudden 3. The greatest extremity of trouble upon the Lords people is travelling with mercy to them if they by repentance would labour to bring forth that birth for it is the sorrows of a travelling woman and there is a birth if they would endeavour to make it break forth 4. It is an usual plague upon impenitent sinners that they lie stupid under judgements not bestirring themselves to get the use and issue of them by conversion unto God for it is supposed he stayes long in the place of the breaking forth of children like a childe that sticks in the very birth and doth not struggle and move for its own relief 5. Stupidity under judgements is a great evidence of madnesse and folly and a very deadly token and an evidence of an hopelesse condition in it selfe for he is an unwise son who doth this and it is like the staying long in the place of breaking forth c. which is a deadly token both to the mother and childe and so their stupidity proved to them as is insinuate in the following promise Vers 14. I will ransome them from the power of the grave I will redeem them from death O death I will be thy plague O grave I will be thy destruction repentance shall be hid from mie eyes Gods helping of them in thir extremity is held forth in a promise of delivering them when they shall be as men dead and in their graves and of his triumphing over death and the grave to the utter undoing of their power of which purpose toward them he declareth that he will never repent This promise together with Isa 25.8 is applied to Christs giving a compleat and full victory to his people at the resurrection 1 Cor. 15.54 55. Partly because this deliverance is a notable pledge of that and partly because that spiritual promise is included here to be performed as well as the other to penitent Israel who flee to Christ for reconciliation and salvation as many of them will do when the Lord shall open their graves and bring them out to embrace the Gospel Doct. 1. The troubles that come upon Gods people for sin may bring them so low as to make them like dead men lying in their graves for so is imported here that they are under death and the power of the grave See Ezek. 57.11 all this is but little to the full desert of sin if God should pursue it in strict justice and even the Lords people may be driven to this before they be put from their carnal confidences to draw to God 2. A peoples being dead and buried under calamities is neither an argument that God will not help them nor any impediment to his Omnipotency to do for them but they may be as near help then as when their trouble is lesse for I will ransome them from the power of the grave I will redeem them from death See Ezek 37.22 John 11.25 40. 3. The Lords mercies and deliverances granted to the visible Church do flow from a purchase made of the Elect among them and so these mercies come to them and to the visible Church for their sake for so much is imported in that he will ransome and redeem them from the grave and death that is because a real ransome is paid to divine justice for the elect among them and because he hath a purpose to give unto these a compleat victory over death at last therefore he redeems or delivers all of them from their deadly difficulties that they may participate of the means which do promove these spiritual ends Compare Mic. 4.10 4. The Lord will not only preserve a people in whom he hath interest under trouble or simply give them deliverance from it but will deliver them by the utter destruction of the means and instruments of their trouble if it were even death and the grave for O death I will be thy plagues O grave I will be thy destruction imports so much as it relates to Israels deliverance that God will destroy all that may stand in the way of it 5. Temporal deliverances are then sweet when with them men by fleeing to Christ have assurance of spiritual and eternal mercies also for so much doth this promise in its full extent import that not only the Nation of Israel should be delivered from their deadly calamities but the Elect among them should at last be raised up to enjoy eternal salvation 6. It is the special comfort of such as flee to Christ that they will at last solidly triumph over all their enemies And particularly this death and the

will not availe against God when he pursueth for how formidable soever Moab thought to make himself by that horrid fact yet that availes not but even because of that I saith the Lord will send a fire upon Moab c. 2. Wicked and cruel Nations deserve not onely to be afflicted but to be utterly consumed for such is the threatning they shall be devoured and die 3. Albeit any kinde of death be dreadful enough to these against whom God hath a quarrel yet it is a sad calamity and judgement and an addition to the stroak upon them when they are cut off in the terrible confusion and heat of war in a storme and sack by enemies for it adds to this calamity that Moab shall die with tumult with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet intimating that they should not get quarters or conditions of enemies but should be cut off in the fury of war 4. It is a sad judgement on a Nation and portends the ruine thereof when it is left destitute of Rulers or they are cut off for it adds to the calamity I will cut off the Judge from the midst thereof c. 5. The word of him who is the true God is sufficient to assure us of vengeance if it were even on Kings and Princes and the greatest of the world who provoke him yea even albeit they had so much power as to attempt and prosper in a rebellion against them who are over them for albeit the King of Moab did succeed after some difficulties in his rebellion against the King of Israel 2 Kings 3 4 5 c. yet God passeth his word for cutting him off I will cut off the Judge from the midst thereof and will slay all the Princes thereof with him saith the Lord. 6. The supream Magistrate of Moab who had the Princes under him is onely named the Judge though elsewhere the name of King be given to him it may be because they had no King but a Regent when they were destroyed or because they deserved not that title after their rebellion being no lawfull Kings but Judges or Deputies to Israel who had revolted and assumed the title of absolute Kings Or rather this designation given even to their King should teach that even these who are in highest place of authority should look upon themselves as bound to judge and to doe justice to the people otherwise they are not worthy of their place Verse 4. Thus saith the Lord for three transgressions of Judah and for four I will not turne away the punishment thereof because they have despised the law of the Lord and have not kept his commandements and their lies caused them to erre after the which their fathers have walked 5. But I will send a fire upon Judah and it shall devoure the palaces of Jerusalem The Lord having thus spoken his minde concerning severall Nations about he seeth it meet also before he come to speak of Israel to speak a word concerning Judah that so he might not onely use meanes for warning and reclaiming of them but might prevent all occasion of carping at Amos as partial and sparing toward his Countrymen And might take from Israel all occasion of hardning themselves in sinne by reason of the wickedness of Judah who kept the worship of God more pure as was frequently objected to Israel by the Prophets The Lord doth here chalenge and threaten Judah for their many and multiplied sins and specially that they did despise and not observe the Law of God in the matter of worship and conversation as if it were not a sufficient rule for either and that they did deceive themselves and one another in their debordings with false excuses and pretences of good intentions and particularly with the pretence of imitating the customes of their Progenitors Because of which the Lord threatens to punish and destroy the Nation and their chief City as was accomplished by the Chaldeans Whence learn 1. The visible Church not entertaining communion with God nor emproving her spiritual advantages may fall into provocations nothing inferiour for number and hainousnesse to the iniquities of Nations about her for there are also three transgressions of Judah and four as if they had striven with the prophane Nations to have as many and grosse sins as they 2. If God do not spare heathens who sin without law and have but little knowledge of God or his will far lesse will he spare his people who are as lewd as they therefore is that same sentence justly pronounced against Judah for the three transgressions of Judah and for four I will not turn away the punishment thereof 3. The contempt of the word of God is the great sin of the Church comparable to the hainous debordings of others as being a great sin of it self to contemn the authority of the Great Lord and the great mercies offered to themselves upon obedience to his word and a sad aggravation of all their other transgressions therefore in place of the atrocious crimes laid to the charge of heathens Judah is in particular chalenged for this because they have despised the Law of the Lord. 4. When men do not make conscience of keeping close by the Commandements of God in their conversation and worship but do walk as they list and do corrupt Religion by their devices God doth justly reckon that to be a contempt of his word therefore it is sub-joyned by way of confirmation and explication of the former chalenge and have not kept his Commandements For albeit men may professe a respect to the word when yet their carriage is loose and they dare follow their one devices in the matter of Religion yet such practices are upon the matter a contempt of it and it will come at last to an expresse contempt for when the word inculcates their duty upon them and yet they resolve to goe on they cannot but at last loath and hate it 5 Albeit men will not want pretexts and shifts to palliat their ill courses and harden them in them notwithstanding the admonitions of the word yet all these are but deceiving lyes and snares to mislead them and will be so far from justifying a sinful course that they heighten Gods quarrel against it and against sinners because of it for it is added as a part of the quarrel and their lyes caused them to erre Where by lyes I do not so much understand their idols and fair expectations in serving them which did draw them away as their pretences and excuses whereof they wanted not abundance and that was a judgement upon them for hereby they were confirmed in their defection and at last should be miserably disappointed when all these were found vain and frivolous 6. However men labour to justifie their corrupt courses by the example and practice of their Progenitours yet that will not extenuate but rather aggravate sin and serve such sinners heirs to the sins of their fathers which they imitate and to the