of their natiuitie or of some dutie which by them was to be performed And so this name was giuen to the Prophet by his parents partly to signifie their desire and hope that he should helpe forward the saluation of the people and partly to put him in minde of the performance of this dutie And thus haue I shewed the signification of his name and the causes why it was giuen him The doctrines which hence we are to learne are these First whereas this name by Gods all-ruling prouidence is giuen to his Prophet hence wee learne how we are to esteeme of Gods true Prophets Apostles and Ministers namely as petty or instrumentall Sauiours because God vseth them as his instruments and means for the conuersion and saluation of his people and this the Apostle plainly setteth downe 1. Tim. 4. 16. 1. Tim. 4. 16 But how farre men are from this conceit of Gods Ministers appeareth by their vtter neglect of them neither yeelding vnto them the honour of reuerence nor the honour of maintenance c. 1. Tim. 5. 17. The Elders especially which labour in the word and doctrine are worthy of double honour 1. Tim. 5. 17. And good reason for if our carnall fathers are iustly to be honoured which beget vs in the flesh how much more our spirituall fathers who beget vs vnto God Furthermore if Gods Ministers saue vs by the ministerie of the word and by this liuely seede regenerate vs without which regeneration there is no saluation Iohn 3. 3. Hence John 3. 3. we learne highly to prize the Ministerie of Gods word and with all reuerence to giue heede vnto it seeing it is the onely ordinarie meanes of our regeneration and saluation Secondly we learne to giue vnto our children such names as may signifie our faith hope and earnest desire that they Fit names to be giuen vnto children may be gracious and vertuous and also put them in minde of some good dutie which when they come to age they are to performe according to the example of the godly in former times and not suffer them to bee called by heathenish and prophane names whom we desire should be godly and religious no though such names be contained in the Scriptures as Apollos Fortunatus Hermes Tychicus Syluanus and such like for although such names being giuen may lawfully be vsed because the chiefe end of a name is to distinguish one from another yet it is vnlawfull or at least very inconuenient to impose them But here it may be demanded whether it be not lawfull to name our children by our ordinary names which haue no signification I answer that although those significant names afore spoken of be the best and fittest yet I thinke these not vnlawfull or inconuenient in some cases as namely when as they put vs in minde of some of our neere and deere friends called by such names who haue beene or are vertuous and religious for as the other names signifie in themselues some good grace or duty to be performed so these put vs in minde of the like in the persons of our honest and godly friends whose example we are to propound vnto our selues for our imitation And so much for the Prophets name he is further described by his parent that he was the sonne of Beeri What this Beeri was there is no mention in the Scriptures For whereas The sonne of Beeri as the Hebrewes affirme that hee was that Beera mentioned 1. Chro. 5. 6. It is without warrant neither hath it any great 1. Chro. 5. 6. probability seeing their names are diuersly written There is mention also of one Beera 1. Chro. 7. 37. of the Tribe of Asher but neither can this be he if ancient writers truly affirme 1. Chro. 7. 37. him to haue beene of the Tribe of Issachar Leauing therefore to search in the darke for that which if wee found were not Hieron in gl ord Isidor greatly material let vs further consider why mention is made heere of one Beeri Some of the Hebrewes affirme because he was also a Prophet the which reason is grounded vpon a common obseruation amongst them that where the father of the Prophet is named we are to conceiue that he also was a Prophet Where the grandfather is also mentioned it is to signifie the dignitie and honour of his stocke The like rule they haue vnto this namely that where no mention is made of his countrey we are to conceiue that hee was a Citizen of Ierusalem But these obseruations being pressed vpon vs without any reason may without reason also bee denied especially seeing it is their vsuall custome stifly to affirme that which they weakely or not at all proue Others affirme that mention is made of his father because he was of famous and honourable parentage that hereby his 1. Cor. 1. 26 27 28. prophecie might receiue more authoritie and credit But this likewise hath no ground nay contrariwise we know that it is not the manner of Gods Spirit to seeke authority vnto his writings from the nobility of his penmen but rather sheweth his wisedome in mans foolishnesse and his glory in mans basenesse that God may be all in all Leauing therefore others opinions who leaue the light of Gods word and grope for the trueth in the darkenesse of their owne inuentions the likeliest cause why the Prophets father is here named is that hee might bee distinguished from others of his name for foure names being common to many surnames were added to put a difference betweene one and another which amongst the Hebrewes were vsually taken from their fathers and grandfathers as the manner among the Welchmen is at this day So Simon was called Peter Matth. 10. 24. to distinguish him from Simon the Cananite Iames the sonne of Zebedeus to distinguish him from Iames the sonne Verse 2 3. of Alpheus Whereby also it appeareth that this was vsuall not onely when they were of noble but also of meane and poore parentage And so much concerning the instrumentall cause of this The time wherein Hosea prophecied prophecie In the last place wee are to obserue the time wherein and how long hee prophecied expressed in these words In the daies of Vzziah c. That is in the raigne of these Kings of Iuda and Israel or in the yeares wherein they In the daies of Vzziah c. raigned which by a figuratiue speech common with the Hebrewes is called daies because raignes times and yeares consist of daies The Kings of Iudah in whose time Hosea prophecied are foure Vzziah Iotham Ahaz Hezechias of the Kings of Israel one onely is mentioned namely Ieroboam who is said to be the sonne of Ioash to distinguish him from Ieroboam the sonne of Nabat who first vsurped the Kingdome of Israel Not that hee raigned onely all this time for Hosea prophecied in the time of fiue other Kings of Israel if they may be all called Kings seeing some of them
reasoneth 2 Cor. 3. 6. 7. 8. 9. 2. Cor. 3. 6 7. The vse of this doctrine respecteth both Ministers and people the Ministers first for instruction that seeing the Lord hath aduanced them to such Honour and Dignitie they walke worthy this high calling thinking no paines too much which they shall take for the aduancement of Gods glory who hath so exceedingly honoured them Secondly for their consolation encouragement against all Consolation for Gods Ministers against contempt the miserie pouertie reproch contempt which they suffer in this life For though outwardly they are poore and destitute of all worldly pompe yet they are like the Kings daughter all glorious within though they are despised of men yet they are highly esteemed before God though the world esteemeth them as the very ofscouring of all things yet the Lord hath chosen them to be his chiefe Officers his Ambassadours his Stewards his Keepers of the inestimable Treasure of his Word and of his great seales the Sacraments of Baptisme and the Lords Supper The vse which concerneth the people is that they honour The people ought to reuerence Gods Ministers them whom God thus honoureth and that they behaue themselues towards their Ministers as it becommeth the rest of the familie to behaue themselues towards the steward or Treasurer the people towards the Ambassadour yea the children towards their fathers For looke what honor is done vnto them as being Gods Ambassadours that the Lord accounterh as done vnto himselfe whose person they sustain looke what disgrace and reproach is offred against them as being his Ministers the Lord esteemeth it as offred against himselfe and therefore will neuer let it goe vnpunished eyther in this life or in the life to come for if Dauid could not endure those insolent abuses which were by Hanun offered 2. Sam. 10. against his Ambassadours whom in loue and kindnesse he sent vnto him but reuenged them with the death and destruction of a great part of the people of Ammon how much lesse can the Lord endure that reproach injuries outrages should be offred against his Ambassadors and not reuenge these indignities which are not so much offred against men as in them against himselfe Fearefull examples hereof wee haue in the Scriptures as in the conspiracy of Corah and his associates whom the earth swallowed quick Numb 16. In Numb 6. 16. Ieroboam whose hand was withered vp for the contempt and violence which he offred against the Lords Prophet 1 Kin. 1. King 13. 13. In the two Captaines their fifties who were destroyed with fire from heauen because they came not to the Lords Prophet with that submissiue reuerence which beseemed them 2 King 1. 9. 10. 11. 12. In the fiftie two children 2. King 1. 9. 10 who were destroyed by Bears for scoffing at Elisha 2 Kin. 2 2. King 2. And the in people of Israell who because they mocked the messengers of God and despised their wordes and misvsed the Prophets therefore they were subjected to Gods heauie 2. Chro. 36. 16. 17. wrath and in the end vtterly destroyed 2 Chro. 36. 16. 17. The second thing to be obserued is the gorse ingratitude Our vngratefull abuse of Gods benefits of our corrupt natures whereby it commeth to passe that the more God multiplyeth his mercies the more ready we are to rebell against him and to prouoke his wrath by our sinnes for whereas Gods manifould benefits multiplyed vpon vs should make vs to humble our selues before him in that he hath made vs so deepely indebted to his infinite goodnesse we contrariwise abusing them make them serue as so many steps whereby we may ascend into the seate of pride whereas they should serue as so many common places to put vs in minde of Gods gracious goodnes towards vs we abusing them are made hereby more forgetfull of God as though now being throughly furnisht vve had no further neede of his helpe vvhereas they should serue as so many motiues to stirre vs vp to holy obedience that thereby vvee may glorifie God the author of all our good vve hereby grow more vndutifull like cockred children towards their Parents or pampred horses towards their maisters and are more ready to fall into the sinnes of pride voluptuousnesse loue of the world profanenesse and vtter neglect of religion and all religious dueties whereas the abundance of Gods blessings vvhich vve injoy should make vs to pittie and take compassion on those who want them they abused through our corruption doe make vs to disdaine contemne them furious and cruell in reuenge and insolent in offring wrongs and injuries And hence it is that the Lord doth so carefully vvarne the Israelites that when they did injoy all the blessings of Canaan they should not forget and rebell against him Deut. 6. 10. 11. 12. Into vvhich sinne they shamefully Deut. 6. 10. 11. Psal 62. 10. 1. Tim. 6. 17. fell notwithstanding they were thus admonished So Psal 62. 10. 1 Tim. 6. 17. Examples of this vngratefull abuse of Gods blessing we haue in Saul Ieroboam Naball Nebuchadnezzar Hos 10. 1. and 13. 6. the people of Israell but neuer vvas age more fruitfull of these examples neuer land more plentifull in these vngratefull presidents then this of ours wherein the more the blessings of God abound the more pride forgetfulnesse of God contempt of Religion and the vtter neglect of all holy duties abound likewise so that hard it is to finde a man bettered by Gods benefits or more zealous of Gods glory the more blessings they receiue from him but contrariwise the more they abound in honors riches peace health and all kind of prosperity the more they shew their profanenes irreligion worldlines and vtter neglect of all holy duties The vse of this doctrine is first that seeing through our corruption we are so apt to abuse Gods blessings we be made hereby more watchfull ouer our owne hearts when wee are in prosperitie that we be not ouertaken with this vnthankfulnesse and that wee bee no more earnest in begging these temporary benefits then in praying also for an holy vse of them that they may serue as helps and furtherances vnto vs in all holy and Christian dueties for if the more we abound in them the more we abound in sinne against God then doe they cease to bee blessings and benefits and become snares to intangle vs and thornes to choak in vs all vertue and godlinesse Secondly that we arme our selues with patience when as wee are not so much increased in these temporall benefits seeing the Lord herein respecteth the good of his children and with-holdeth worldly blessings from them because hee knoweth they would abuse them vnto sinne Thirdly that we be not vexed out of measure with impatiencie when as those of whom we haue best deserued doe shew themselues vngratefull to vs considering that wee continually shew our selues much more vnthankfull against God vnto whom we are
they the adjuncts as the vices the subject of the Soule And further this proannesse is called a spirit Metonimically to point out vnto vs the chiefe authour and fountaine from whence it is diriued euen Sathan the spirit of all wickednesse Moreouer it is called the spirit of fornications rather then the spirit of idolatrie not onely because he would persist in the former allegorie of marriage but also that hereby he might point out as it were in liuely colours the disposition of idolaters As though he would say it fareth with these filthy idolaters as with vncleane adulterers who are so blinded and inflamed with their lust and so besotted and hardned by their vice that without either shame or wit like brute beasts they runne headlong into their sinne and into all those mischeifes which doe accompany it as though they were vtterly depriued of all judgement and vnderstanding And for this cause also he vseth the plurall number fornications rather then the singular to note both their furious earnestnesse and their accustomed practise in committing this sinne Whereby he plainly sheweth that howsoeuer their Priests vtterly neglected their duty yet were not the people hereby excused of their sinnes both because they gaue themselues to voluptuous pleasures and thereby were depriued of their vnderstandings and became proane vnto all wickednes and also because they were not onely outwardly mislead by their false teachers but also had inwardly in themselues a spirit of fornications that is a vehement pronesse vnto idolatry wherwith they were wholy besotted Finally he addeth And they haue gone a Whoring from vnder their God that is they haue quite shaken off the marriage yoke and with-drawing themselues from vnder the gouernment and subjection of God their lawfull husband haue wholy giuen themselues ouer to spirituall vncleannes and to commit whordome with their impure Idols The which words may be vnderstood as a cause of the former that they therefore forsooke the Lord and gaue themselues ouer to be ruled by their Idols because they were possessed with a spirit of fornications which caused them to fall into these grosse and absurde errours or as an effect that therefore they were mislead by the spirit of fornications because hauing forsaken the Lord and his truth he had giuen them ouer to a reprobate sense suffred them to be deluded by a spirit of errour with strong delusions because they would not imbrace nor loue the truth For these are mutual and reciprocall causes to imbrace false worship idolatrie to forsake God for when the idolater beginneth to worship his idols hee renounceth the worship of God and when he will not loue nor delight himselfe in Gods true worship and seruice then the Lord giueth vp him to a reprobate sense and to be deluded with strong delusions as the Apostle sheweth Rom. 1. 23. 24. 2 Thes 2. 11. Rom. 1. 23. 24. 2. Thes 2. 11. And so much concerning the meaning of the words the The doctrines doctrines which arise out of them are diuers First we may obserue that it is no true honour to grace vs nor any sound The title of Gods people doth not grace or profit vs vnlesie we liue like the people of God benefit to profit and comfort vs that wee beare the title of Gods people and abound in his temporall gifts and blessings if our life be not conformable to our titles and priuiledges and if wee doe not thankfully imploy Gods benefits bestowed vpon vs to the aduancement of his glory the good of his Church and the furthering of our owne saluation yea contrariwise if wee vse them as incouragements to harten vs in our sinnes and vngratefully abuse them to Gods dishonour and the disgrace of our profession making them serue as vayles vnder which we may more cunningly hide our leprous sores of sinne and close acted wickednesse then are they so farre from gracing vs that they wholy tend to our discredit and so farre from being truely profitable that they serue as so many arguments to aggrauate our sinnes and to approue the justice of Gods righteous judgements when as hee taketh the most rigourous course in inflicting punishments It was an high priuiledge of honour to the people of Israell to be intitled the people of God but when they contemned his true worship forsooke the Lord and consulted with Idols all this tended to their vtter disgrace and to make their idolatrie much more abhominable then the idolatrie of the Gentils So it was a great dignitie to the wicked Angels that they were created the most excellent of the creatures and were made the immediate Ministers of God and as it were courtiars to the great King of heauen and earth but when as they most vngratfully sinned against such as gratious creator their excellencie did not benefit them but aggrauated their sinne and plunged them into the deepest bottome of just condemnation It was a great mercie of God vouchsafed to the Sodomites that they were placed in Gen. 13. 8. the garden of the world where they abounded in all Gods temporall blessings but when they abused Gods goodnesse and by his benefits became more rebellious they were not hereby priuiledged from punishment but inflamed Gods Gen. 19. more fearefull wrath against themselues which caused fire and brimstone to raine downe from heauen and consume them It was a great priuiledge to the Israelites to be the vineyard of the Lord which he had hedged in from the rest of the world for his owne vse and delight but when they answered not to Gods mercy in their obedience but in stead of the sweet grapes of righteousnes brought forth the sowre Esay 5. grapes of sinne the Lord did not onely forsake it but also pull downe the hedge and layde it open to the common spoyle It was a singular prerogatiue vnto them that they had amongst them the profession of Religion and the Temple of God the place of Gods worship but when they abused it as a visard of hypocrisie to countenance their sinne and as a shield to fence off all Gods threatnings of punishment God sendeth them to Shilo to see a patterne of his fearefull Ier. 7. 4. 12. vengeance which should also ouer-take them vnlesse they repented Finally it was a great dignitie and royall priuiledge to the people of the Iewes that they injoyed all earthly benefits in the land of Canaan that they were Gods peculiar people with whom he had made his couenant his chosen nation his royall Priest-hood the treasurers of his word the keepers of his seales and that they had the first offer of eternall saluation by Christ and of the joyfull tidings of the Gospell but when they abused this rich mercy by continuing in their rebellion by stopping their eares to Christs heauenly Sermons by crucifying the Lord of Life and by continuing in finall impenitencie after they were long called there vnto by the preaching of the Apostles all Gods patience long-suffering
because hee dishonoured GOD and caused his holy name to be blasphemed amongst the Gentiles by his sinnes of adulterie and murther as also by his indulgency towards his Children whom he not onely corrected not but not so much as reproued the Lord punished him not onely as hee was a King but also as hee was a Father by suffering both Children and Subjects to neglect their duetie and as both by the sword of the Children of Ammon and his owne vncleanesse hee had dishonoured God so the Lord vsed both the sword and filthines of his owne Children to his dishonour and disgrace For Ammon his Sonne defiled Thamar his Daughter and then Absalon murthered Ammon because his Father had not as hee ought duely punished his abhominable filthinesse And then againe when as justice was not executed against Absalon for his murther according to Gods Law hee liued to the dishonour of his Father who had not giuen glory to God by inflicting deserued punishments for sinne defiling his Concubines in the sight of the people and thrusting him for a time out of his kingdome with extreame perill of his life The vse of this Doctrine serueth first to teach vs that aboue all things wee labour in the performance of all holy Dueties to aduance the glory of Gods holy Name whereby it will come to passe that the Lord will bee carefull of our honour and reputation and so guide and direct by his holy Spirit all those who belong vnto vs that they shall performe all good Dueties vvhich may both credit and comfort vs. Whereas on the other side if wee dishonour God by neglecting such duties as hee requireth he will withdraw his spirit and giue ouer our inferiours to their owne vnnaturall stubbornesse and perversnesse and then they by neglecting all good duties will dishonour and disgrace vs. 1 Sam. 2. 30. 1 Sam. 2. 30. Secondly from hence wee learne whence originally Whence chieflie proceede all disorders in families proceede all disorders and enormious Crimes in families namely because the chiefe heads neglect their duety towards God and so dishonour his holy Name It is an vsuall complaint which soundeth in euery mans eares in these our dayes that children are vndutifull to parents stubborne and disobedient and that Seruants vvere neuer so negligent in performance of all dutyes towards their superiours and men wonders to see such a great difference betweene these times and those which went before But if wee would goe to the fountaine of these euils and finde out the core of all these corruptions wee shall finde that howsoeuer inferiours cannot be excused yet the fault is principally in the Superiours and gouernours Either because they neglect their dutie towards them from whom they expect dutie as by being like Elie indulgent not correcting the vices of their Children and so honouring them more then God or by being loose in their gouernment or lewde and scandalous in their example or finally because they doe not like Abraham instruct their familie in the wayes of the Lord themselues nor take care that they may be instructed by others and so liuing in ignorance and neglecting all duties which they owe to God it is no meruaile that they are vndutifull and disobedient to parents and gouernours seeing the loue and feare of God is the fountaine of all loue and dutie towards men Or if so be men can pleade not guiltie in all these inditements yet if they be arraigned at the barre of Gods iudgement and haue their owne consciences produced as witnesses against them they will bee forced to confesse that they haue ben exceeding negligent in performing all good duties towards God himselfe and through their coldnesse backwardnesse want of zeale and disobedience they haue beene wanting to God in the aduancement of his glorie and contrariwise haue dishonoured his name and scandalized their profession and therefore it is most just with God that hee exposeth them to shame and reproach by suffering their children and seruants to liue in such infamous sinnes and rebellious wickednesse as disgrace and discredite the whole familie without any inward restraint of his spirit or any outward stop by afflictions and punishments Thirdly whereas hee saith that this people who did Ignorance doth not free vs from the punishment of sinne not vnderstand that is who continued ignorant of God and his will should fall and bee ouerwhelmed with Gods judgements hence wee obserue that ignorance will not free vs from punishment but rather will make vs to bee swallowed vp of vengeance in the day of wrath For the better vnderstanding whereof wee are to consider what ignorance is lawfull and good and what is sinfull and wicked what ignorance excuseth and extenuateth sinne and mittigateth punishment and what doth aggrauate them Of diuers kinds of ignorance 1 Commendable ignorance And first wee are to know that there is a lawfull and commendable kinde of ignorance when as wee doe not presume to vnderstand aboue that which is meete to vnderstand but that wee doe vnderstand according to sobrietie as God hath dealt to euery man the measure of Faith as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 12. 3. And when as wee leaue the secret things Rom. 12. 3. not reuealed in Gods word to the Lord and earnestly labour to informe our selues in those things which are reuealed as it is Deut. 29. 29. not curiously prying into Gods hidden Deut. 29. 29. Mysteryes but rather drawing before them the curtaine of reuerent ignorance For example it is no sinne to bee ignorant of Gods secret will and counsaile and of his works before the Creation of the orders and degrees of the Angels or not to comprehend by a cleare and distinct knowledge the Mysterie of the Trinitie the hypostaticall Vnion of Christ two natures nor the Vnion betweene Christ and his Church seeing some of these are not manifestly reuealed but as it were in a darke Myrrour and some being infinite and incomprehensible can no more bee comprehended by our shallow vnderstanding then the whole world can bee grasped in a mans hand or the maine Ocean can be contained in a nut-shell The sinfull ignorance is of two kindes The first necessary Of sinfull and necessary ignorance the other voluntary and affected Necessary ignorance is eyther that darknesse of vnderstanding and blindnesse of minde deriued from our first Parents which is one of the branches of originall sinne or that actuall ignorance which continueth in vs after wee come to yeares when as we are depriued of the meanes of knowledge both which cannot bee excused much lesse defended in that wee are ignorant of those things which wee ought to know and that through our owne default as being guilty of the sinne of our first Parents for God in them indued vs with a cleare light of knowledge but wee in them did fall into sinne and thereby put out the light and defaced the image of God in our vnderstanding But howsoeuer this ignorance is the euill of
their idolatrous and false worship Againe as our Sauiour saith in another case they had Moses and the Prophets the Luke 16. booke of Gods law faithfull Expositors to make it cleare to their vnderstandings and to admonish them of their euill waies and therefore it was likely if they would not giue them the hearing then much lesse would they regard their priuate admonitions And this is the meaning of the words The doctrines The do ∣ ctrines which arise out of them are these First we here learne that the greatnes of those that offend either in respect of honor The greatnes of the sinner doth aggrauate the sinne power riches or other Gods blessings doth not take away or extenuate the fault guilt or punishment of sinne but rather doth increase and aggrauate them Because Ephraim was the principall Tribe amongst the ten and most abounded with all maner of Gods blessings therefore in the first place he is accused as being more sinful then all the other Tribes and in the generall inditement hee beareth the name of all his confederates as being in respect of his greatnesse more guiltie of sinne then any of his brethren So because the Lord had aduanced the people of Israel aboue all the nations round about them and had priuiledged them with extraordinarie blessings both temporall and spiritual aboue al their neighbour countries therefore their sinnes and rebellions were much more haynous and abominable in Gods sight and their punishments much more grieuous as appeareth Ezech. 5. 5. 6. 9. 10. In these respects also the Prophet matcheth Ezech. 5. 5. 6. 9. 10. cap 6. them yea and giueth them the preheminence in wickednes aboue Sodome it selfe especially in that they had abused Gods more rich mercie and wilfully withstood the meanes of their conuersion and saluation which the other wanted as he sheweth at large Ezech. 16. And surely not without reason are those to be condemned as the most grieuous malefactours who being most highly aduanced by God in the fruition of all his gifts and blessings do notwithstanding dishonor him by their sinnes and with an high hand rebell against him First because to their other sinnes they adde horrible ingratitude a vice odious to God and man for whereas Gods bountie should oblige them to dutie and obedience they forgetting or neglecting the author of their preferment abuse his owne gifts to his dishonour and like vnthankfull rebels being aduanced and inriched by their Soueraigne vse all their credit power and wealth to strengthen them in their rebellion Secondly because those who are aduanced aboue others in honour power and riches are seated as it were vpon a hill and in the eye of all men whereby it commeth to passe that their sinnes are exemplarie and so they doe not only offend God themselues but also draw others to imitate their wickednes and hereby their single sinnes are doubled and redoubled vpon their sinfull soules according to the number of those who are corrupted by their euill example The vse hereof serueth to stirre vp all whom the Lord hath The more we are aduanced the more should be our thankfulnes aduanced aboue others in his blessings that they earnestly labour to exceede others in thankfulnes and obedience Otherwise if they being vnmindfull of Gods benefits rebell against him and dishonour his name by their sinnes they shall be condemned and punished not only as ordinarie sinners but also as vngratefull rebels and as chiefe captaines and ringleaders who by their example haue drawne others into the like transgressions Secondly those who are of a meane estate may here learne The smalnes of our receits causeth short accounts contentation seeing by the smalnesse of their receits they haue the benefit of short accounts and the lower their condition is the more they are priuiledged from the guilt of other mens sinnes For whereas those who are in eminent places are exposed much more to the boisterous stormes of manifold tentations and when they fall like high buildings beate downe inferiours as it were vnder cottages with their ruines those who are but of meane qualitie doe not lie so open to these blasts of triall or though they be ouerthrown in the day of tentation yet commonly they are only guiltie of their owne fall there being few or none that by their example are drawne into their sinne Secondly we here obserue that such is the neere coniunction betweene idolaters and their idols that they most The neere coniunction betweene idolaters their idols hardly admit of any separation for as in corporall fornication the adulterer is so ioyned with the adulteresse that they become one flesh whereby it commeth to passe that they so desperatly dote one vpon another that neither the losse of their credit nor the impouerishing of their estate nor the manifold mischiefes which accompanied their sinnes in this life nor the eternall torments of hell fire which are threatned against adulterers in the life to come can weane them one from another so in this spirituall whoredome the idolater doth in his hart and affections so cleaue vnto his idols that he neglecteth his fame and reputation with the godly consumeth his wealth and substance contemneth Gods heauie iudgements denounced against idolaters both in this life and the life to come And this was the estate of Ephraim in this place who so firmely cleaued vnto their idols that they could by no meanes be seuered neither by Gods alluring promises nor terrifying threats neither by his mercies nor by his iudgements neither by the publike preaching of Gods Prophets nor by the priuate admonitions of their brethren and therefore the Lord commandeth the men of Iuda not to intermeddle with them as being now become a desperate cure of whom there was no hope of amendment and reformation Many such examples we haue in the book of God Although Laban long enioyed the companie of holie Iacob and plainly saw the manifold blessings which the true Iehouah multiplied vpon him yea and vpon himselfe also for Iacobs sake yet all this could not withdraw him from worshipping his idols So although the Lord made choice of the Israelites for his peculiar people and gaue vnto them his law wherein he prescribed his true worship and restrained them from idolatrie and confirmed this law by powerfull miracles and by continuall experience gaue them to vnderstand that he blessed them with all his benefits whē they worshipped him according to his reuealed will and contrariwise multiplied his plagues vpon them when they worshipped idols yet so wholly were they possessed with a spirit of fornications that all this would not restraine them from this sin nor reclaime them from their idolatrie when they had addicted themselues vnto it So although the Lord had punished the land of Iuda with captiuitie and desolation and had sent his Prophets vnto them that remained to ascertaine them that their idolatrie was the chiefe cause of all their miseries yet they rebelliously