men let all the men of war draw near let them come up 10 Beat your plow shares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears let the weak say I am strong 11 Assemble your selves and come all ye heathen and gather your selves together round about thither cause thy mighty ones to come down O Lord. 12 Let the heathen be wakened come up to the valley of Iehoshaphat for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about 13 Put ye in the sickle for the harvest is ripe come get you down for the press is full the fats overflow for the wickedness is great 14 Multitudes multitudes in the valley of decision for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision 15 The sun and the moon shall be darkned and the Stars shall withdraw their shining 16 The Lord also shall roar out of Zion and utter his voice from Ierusalem and the heavens and the earth shall shake but the Lord will be the hope of his people and the strength of the Children of Israel 17 So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion my holy mountain then shall Ierusalem be holy and there shall no strangers passe thorow her any more 18 And it shall come to passe in that day that the mountains shall drop down new wine and the bills shall flow with milk and all the rivers of Iudah shall flow with waters and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord shall water the valley of Shittim 19 Egypt shall be a desolation and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness for the violence against the children of Iudah because they have shed innocent bloud in their land 20 But Iudah shall dwel for ever Ierusalem from generation to generation 21 For I wil cleanse their bloud that I have not cleansed for the Lord dwels in Zion CHAP. III. A Prophesie of what shall happen after a longer and more uncertain time in the vally of Iehoshaphat which what particular place soever is chiefly intended signifies a place or several places wherein God will please to exercise his judgement upon his and the Churches enemies at several times and upon several occasions before the last Day of Iudgement but compleatly then 1. FOr Behold it shall come to passe saith the Lord in those dayes of the Messias the times of the gospel when I shall bring again the captivity of Iudah and Ierusalem â— reduce all the true Israelites Jewes and Gentiles into one fold to be all under one Shepherd 2. Then will I as occasion serves summon the enemies of the Church in all nations and I will make them appear before me in the vally of Iehosphaphat or in the place wherein I will execute my judgement and there will I avenge the injuries done to my own People the true Israel of God mine inheritance whose cruell enemies dispersed them through all the world as if they would have taken possession of my own peculiar portion and divided it as their own haereditary possession 3. In those particular dayes of Judgement which will be as types and forerunners of the Generall Iudgement that will at last overtake all the enemies of the Church it will appear what scornes and injuries have been put upon all the Saints of God Particularly it will be made evident that upon some of my People they have cast lots they have sold the children of Christians an ingenuous young man have they made away for the price of an harlot and a modest Virgin for a sum of money that might furnish them with wine to drink and be merry 4. And what have you to do with me and my Church saith the Lord. You that are as great and close adversaries to the Christians as ever the Tyrians and Sidonians and all the Tract of Palestine were to the Jewes Doth your ill usage come in as a return of some injury that I and my People seem to have offered unto you If you do either provoke me with your ventrous and first attempts or pretend any such requital upon me or mine I shall very speedily take order to return a just recompense upon your own heads 5. And I may then truely say that you have deserved it otherwise For both silver and gold and other precious things which I bestowed upon my People those it will appear that you took away thereby the better to furnish and adorn your own Temples and Palaces 6. Likewise the true Sons of mystical Iudah and Ierusalem the good and constant Professors of my gospel you sold to the Grecians and other Merchants with whom you had the like commerce and so dispersed them thorough severall remote countries that they might be far enough from returning to their own home 7. But I shall as surely recall them and reduce them safe out of those parts to which you thought they had been confined by your selling of them thither And then I will requite you in a like return of your deserts upon your own pates 8. For I will leave your Sons and Daughters upon the same termes in the hands of those good Professours whereof Iudah is the type And they shall have power to dispose of them into far remoter parts even as far off as the Sabeans Because I have so determined to do and have justly passed such a decree upon them 9. Against which decree if you can have any hope to prevaile Bestir your selves to the purpose and use all the meanes you can Publish or proclaim your war among what nations you think fit Provide your self of the ablest auxiliaries Put all your strength upon it And leave not out a man that can assist you in this enterprise When you have done all you can all will be but lost labour against those my Servants that I have resolved to defend 10. Sell your plow-shares and sythes and other necessary instruments and implements of your country-labour to supply your selves the better with weapons and engines of war And let the weakest of all be encouraged to do some proper service to the cause 11. Let your troopes and Regiments out of severall nations multiply into a mighty army and muster up all your forces together There and then the Lord of Hostes hath his greater forces of men and angels and the meanest creatures that will quickly and utterly rout the very flower and strength of your most daring Souldiers at the hearing of this short prayer out of the mouth of his afflicted Servants There let thy mighty ones descend O Lord to the releif of thy people 12. That Prayer will procure a Command that shall rouse all the nations that oppose the Church and summon them personally to appear in the vally of Iehoshaphat in the place which I shall appoint there to sit in judgement against all nations on every side that have been enemies to Me and my Church 13. Upon this summons Hear how God
were p. 298. v. 9. r. the wives p. 346. v. 14. r. of any longer p. 361. v 15. before encrease dele l. p 400 v. 6. r. sore troubled p. 413. l. 2. r. may be p. 463. v. 1. 466 v. 7. r. Darius Notbus as it is truly printed r. 439. where the note in calâ—e paginae gives a reason of it and 442. l. 1. p. 490. v. 9. r. if by his care p. 531. v. 8. r. Angels p. 546. l 2 r. So these Errata in the Notes in calce paginae Pag. 18. l. totum pop Isr. 45. l. in Hâ—ph 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 incipe incipere 79 for subest l. subesse 345. l. attondebantur 490 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 588 l. omni cibo 598. l. futurum pro Imperativo A Paraphrastical EXPLICATION Of the PROPHESIE OF HOSEA CHAP. I. 1 THe word of the Lord that came unto Hosea the son of Beeri in the daies of Uzzia Jotham Ahas and Hezekiah Kings of Judah and â—n the daies of Jeroboam the son of Joash King of Israel 2. The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea and the Lord said to Hosea Go take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms for the land hath committed great whordom departing from the Lord. 3. So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim which conceived and bare him a son 4. And the Lord said unto him Call his name Jezreel for yet a little while and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu and will cause to cease the Kingdom of the house of Israel 5. And it shall come to passe at that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel 6. And she conceived again and bare a daughter and God said unto him Call her name Lo-ruhamah for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel but I will utterly take them away 7. But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah and will save them by the Lord their God and will not save them by bow nor by sword nor by battel by horses nor by horsemen 8. Now when she had weaned Lo-ruhamah she conceived and bare a son 9. Then said God Call his name Lo-ammi for ye are not my people and I will not be your God 10. Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea which cannot be measured nor numbred and it shall come to passe that in the place where it was said unto them Ye are not my people there it shall be said unto them Ye are the sons of the living God 11. Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together and appoint themselves one head and they shall come up out of the land for great shall be the day of Jezreel CHAP. I. 1. THe word of the Lord which was made known to Hosea the son of Beeri in the daies of Uzziah Jotham Ahaz and Hezekiah Kings of Judah and in the daies of Jeroboam the son of Joash King of Israel 2. When first it pleased God to deliver his word by Hosea this it was which he said to that Prophet Go and take to thy self a woman that hath lived long in whoredom and take her children too that have been born to her in that time The fittest type of the children of Israel that have lived long in spiritual whoredoms against their Lord Iehovah 3. And accordingly the Prophet went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim which in the very names signifies the deficiencie of that people and that the two Houses of Iudah and Israel were like two baskets of dry figs in which there were but very few worth the keeping This Gomer conceived and bare a son to the Prophet 4. The Prophet also had a command from the Lord to call the name of his son Jezreel which name referred both to Iezreel the prime City in Israel and to their glorious title of the children of God which title God would shake by disseminating and scattering them in forreign Nations where those undeserved titles should serve them in little stead And this intimated in that name was to begin with a fore-running punshiment which the Prophet had command to expresse in these or the like terms That as a revenge of the innocent blood shed by Iehu in Iezreel God would shortlie send his visitations upon the house of Jehu by such a way as should not be much unlike that bloody slaughter that Jehu had made in Jezreel upon the house of Ahab And that one effect of these heavy visitations should be this That the kingdom of the house of Israel should cease to be any longer in the house of Iehu that Kingdom being thence translated to Sallum of another stock from Zacharias whom he succeeded 5. And this was further added concerning that time That God would then break the strength of Israel by those civil wars that should most appear in the valley of Jezreel 6. After this Gomer conceaved again and bare a daughter which by the like divine command had the name of Lo-ruchamah A name that carried in it the sad doom concerning the house of Israel which God would be so far from sheltring any longer under his merciful protection that he would utterly remove them out of that good land 7. While in the mean time he would gratiously defend the house of Judah in such a way as should visibly appear to be the miraculous work of the Lord their God no strength in the arm of man nor any Art or Instruments of war being ever able to atchieve so great and sodain a deliverie as they should have from the mighty Host of Senacherib the King of Assyria 8. Now after Gomer had weaned Lo-ruchamah she conceived a third time and bare a son 9. And God commanded the Prophet to give that son the name of Lo-ammi Which name implied that they should be no longer his people to enjoy any further happinesse under his service they should rather be the unhappy people and slaves of the Assyrian And God would no longer make his provident protection to speak him their God as he had done 10. Yet should it come to passe that when the children of Israel had increased into multitudes like the sand of the sea which is capable of no number then instead of their name Lo-ammi wherein God disclaimed many of them from being so much as his people they should have the high title of the sons of the living God 11. And then should the children of Judah and the children of Israel so much divided before make one Congregation under one head and Governour which was to be accomplished by Zerobabel in the letter and by Christ in the mystery For then should begin the great day of Jezreel that is of the seed of God or the sons of the living God as they were stiled before
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
you that while you think to escape from one you shall be overtaken by another As if a man should run from a roaring Lion that hath him in pursuit and in the way meet with an angry Bear with open mouth ready to devour him and tear him in pieces or if he should make shift to fly from the Bear too and get safely to his own house as his Castle of defense against all such wild beasts and there resting his weary body or leaning his hand on the wall instantly a serpent should come out thence and bite him and take him quite away by a present death 20. Will not that be a fearfull horrid dismall day and without any hope of light and solace for that time which will have such varieties of danger that can be no way prevented and must end at the last in the ruine of a flourishing kingdom and the slaughter or captivity of many thousands of men women and children 21. To prevent this sad day of the Lord the time of his vengeance upon impenitent and obstinate sinners make your peace with him In your own day while you may call it your day by amending your lives and ordering your conversation aright And do not think without that to please Him with your Sacrifices or Ceremonies or any outward Act of seeming Obedience that proceeds not from a faithfull and pure Heart For will you hear what the Lord himself saith of them I was so far from taking pleasure in them that I ever hated and abhorred your Festivall Dayes And your sweet incense or what else you offered in my house at the time of your solemn assemblies was not accepted by me as any sweet savour unlesse with all Piety and sincerity and integrity of life did commend you unto me 22 You thought that you did me great service in your Holocausts and other oblations but they never moved me so much as to look favourably upon them because you did not with them offer your selves your soules and bodies as a reasonable and lively sacrifice unto me That 's the oblation and holocaust which the other were but to figure and put you in mind of And for your fat peace-offerings which should have been the Interpreters of your thankfull hearts they never gained any good liking from me because the heart and life of them was wholy wanting 23. Away with the bawling noise and tedious iteration of your Songs and Hymnes that you do not sing with the spirit and with understanding as if you were truely affected with what you sing And such have yours commonly been The like I may say of your Psalteries and Harps and other Instruments which being accompanied with sweet voices you presented before me as rare melodious Musick But it was contradicted with such a discord in your lives and actions that it came into my eares like a harsh sound not to be indured For it is the harmony of good hearts and the constant exercise of holy Vertues that I account the sweetest Musick 24. Especially the constant execution of Iustice and Iudgement To see them passe smoothly and faeirly on in your publick Courts not like water onely but like a mighty torrent with such plenty and facility that every cause might have a just sentence freely and heartily delivered without bribes without delaies and unnecessary demurrs This would please me above all Musick above all Sacrifice 25. But how often did you offer me any such sacrifice and oblation in the time of your fourty yeares safe conduct about the wildernesse O house of Israel when I fed you and protected you from all evill though you many a time rebelled against me The wildernesse indeed could not often supply you with outward and legal sacrifices but who hindered you from offering the inward and spirituall sacrifice of Piety Obedience and Thankfulness which is the service that I chiefly desired For the main intention of your other sacrifices was onely to keep you from Idolatry and to exercise your obedience and thankful acknowledgements unto me 26. Though on the contrary many of your nation at that time in the wildernesse were exercised in flat disobedience and Idolatrie For you carried about with you the shrine of Moloch a King and Idol of the Moabites and Chiun or Remphan one of those Images which you represented in a star peculiar to them These were the types these the Deities which you made to your selves after your own idle fancies forgetting the true God that made you and those Creatures to which you exhibited divine honour 27. For those impieties I will cause you to be carried away captive not to Damascus or any place so near your own Countrey whence you have the more hope to return but far beyond Damascus saith the Lord whose name is the God of Hostes whose will and pleasure cannot be resisted CHAP. VI. 1. WOe to them that are at ease in Zion and trust in the mountain of Samaria which are named chiefe of the nations to whom the house of Israel came 2 Passe ye unto Calneh and see and from thence goe ye to Hemath the great then go down to Gath of the Philistins be they better then these kingdomes or their border greater then your border 3 Ye that put farre away the evill day and cause the seat of violence to come neer 4 That lie upon beds of Ivorie and stretch themselves upon their couches and eat the lambs out of the flock and the calves out of the midst of the stall 5 That chaunt to the sound of the violl and invent to themselves instrument of musick like David 6 That drinke wine in bowles and anoint themselves with the chief ointments but they are not grieved for the affliction of Ioseph 7 Therefore now shall they goe captive with the first that goe captive and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed 8 The LORD GOD hath sworne by himselfe saith the LORD the GOD of hosts I abhorre the excellencie of Iacob and hate his palaces therefore will I deliver up the citie with all that is therein 9 And it shall come to passe if there remain ten men in one house that they shall die 10 And a mans Vncle shall take him up and he that burneth him to bring out the bones out of the house and shall say unto him that is by the sides of the house Is there yet any with thee and he shall say No. Then shall he say Hold thy tongue for we may not make mention of the name of the Lord. 11 For behold the Lord commandeth and he will smite the great house with breaches and the little house with clefts 12 Shall horses run upon the rock will one plow there with oxen for ye have turned judgement into gall and the fruit of righteousnesse into hemlock 13 Ye which rejoyce in a thing of nought which say Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength 14 But behold I will raise up against you
corner of the Countrie to another from the entring in of Hamath near Epiphania to that which is called the river of the plain or of the wildernesse because of the barren and desert places through which it runs that you may be pursued in the very place which you boast that you have added to the Kingdom of Israel CHAP. VII 1 THus hath the Lord God shewed unto me and behold he formed grashoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth and lo it was the latter growth after the Kings mowings 2 And it came to passe that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land then I said O Lord God forgive I beseech thee by whom shall Iacob arise for he is small 3 The Lord repented for this It shall not be saith the Lord. 4 Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me and behold the Lord God called to contend by fire and it devoured the great deep and did eat up a part 5 Then said I O Lord cease I bseeech thee by whom shall Iacob arise for he is small 6 The Lord repented for this This also shall not be saith the Lord God 7 Thus he shewed me and behold The Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumb-line with a plumb-line in his hand 8 And the Lord said unto me Amos what seest thou And I said A plumb-line Then said the Lord Behold I will set a plumb-line in the midst of my people Israel I will not again passe by them any more 9 And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate and the Sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid wast and I will rise against the house of Ieroboum with the sword 10 Then Amaziah the Priest of Beth-el sent to Ieroboam King of Israel saying Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel the land is not able to bear all his word 11 For thus Amos saith Ieroboam shall die by the sword and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land 12 Also Amaziah said unto Amos O thou Seer go flee thee away into the land of Iudah and there eat bread and prophesie there 13 But prophesie not again any more at Bethel for it is the Kings chappel and it is the kings court 14 Then answered Amos and said to Amaziah I was no Prophet neither was I a prophets son but I was an herdsman and a gatherer of Sycomore fruit 15 And the Lord took me as I followed the flock and the Lord said unto me Go prophesie unto my people Israel 16 Now therefore hear thou the word of the Lord Thou sayest Prophesie not against Israel and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac 17 Therefore thus saith the Lord Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword and thy land shall be divided by line and thou shalt die in a polluted land and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land CHAP. VII 1. NOw I shall acquaint you with some afflictions which by way of punishment had fallen heavily upon the people if I had not interposed my earnest praiers as I was their Prophet For The Lord God was pleased to show me a vision It was in the Spring time when the earth was yet in her prime and glorie in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth of the fruit of the earth after the mowing of the hay or cutting down of the corn that belonged to the King Jeroboam the son of Joas Then appeared to me God himself forming of locusts that could never come at a worse time to do mischief to the fruit of the ground and were as an Embleme of his gathering a vast and pernicious armie that would quickly over-run and destroy a fruitful and pleasant land 2. And it came to passe When the locusts seemed very busie in cosuming the grasse and other fruit of the land and had done much harm already to it I said Lord God be favourable and gratious to thy people Let not these locusts that use to make the way to a terrible famine prove a Prophetical prediction of a numerous and destructive Hoste that shall for our sins invade and lay waste so rich and flourishing a Country For who shall then raise up again the Posteritie of Iacob which are already much exhausted and brought low by former calamities 3. Upon my humble petition the Lord repented of this great judgement saying it should not proceed He would alter or mitigate the intended burden of the vision by making Pul and his Souldiers be content to be appeased with money and voide the Kingdom 4. 5. I must not conceal another vision at which I was more amazed a vision and prediction of a more furious enemie that consumed all before him like a flaming fire an element that hath no mercie And in this manner it was revealed unto me by the Lord God himself Behold he called to his Angels and other Ministers for a judgement by fire to be brought upon his people This fire was so violent that it seemed to be devouring the great deep i. readie to lick up and consume manie of the people that are often compared to the manie boisterous and raging waters of the great deep and it had already devoured part of them or of the Countrie Then said I O Lord God stay thine anger For how shall the children of Iacob subsist after this Such a heavie judgement will so exhaust them that they will hardlie ever be able to recover their strength again 6. So the Lord repented of this also I will not now go on with this way of revenge saith the Lord God 7. Another time the Lord showed me a third Vision in this manner Behold the Lord stood upon a wall made by line and there was a line in his hand 8. And that I might give the more heed to it the Lord God said unto me Amos what seest thou And I said I see a line Then saith the Lord Behold I will now make use of the strict line of Iustice in examining the faults of my people Israel I will not so easily passe them by with such connivence as I did before taking little notice of many offences 9. Upon my strickt marking of what is done amisse it will soon follow that the high places of Israel erected to the honour of their false gods will be made desolate and the titular Sanctuaries consecrated to the calves in Dan and Bethel will be laid waste And before that I will rise against the house af Ieroboam the son of Joas with the sword And Zacharie his son shall perish by the sword of Shallum and in him shall that familie be extinct and the Kings of Israel decay more and more till they are quite ruined by the Assyrian 10. When Amaziah the chief idolatrous Priest of Bethel understood of
chemarims with the priests 5 And them that worship the host of heaven upon the house tops and them that worship and that swear by the Lord and that swear by Malcham 6 And them that are turned back from the Lord and those that have not sought the Lord nor enquired for him 7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God for the day of the Lord is at hand for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice he hath bid his guests 8 And it shall come tò passe in the day of the Lords sacrifice that I will punish the princes and the kings children and all such as are clothed with strange apparel 9 In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold which â—ill their masters houses with violence and deceit 10 And it shall come to passe in that day saith the Lord that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish-gate and an howling from the second and a great crashing from the hills 11 Howl ye inhabitants of Maktesh for all the merchant-people are cut down all they that bear silver are cut off 12 And it shall come to passe at that time that I will search Ierusalem with candles and punish the men that are setled on their lees that say in their heart The Lord will not do good neither will he do evil 13 Therefore their goods shall become a booty and their houses a disolation they shall also build houses but not inhabit them and they shall plant vineyards but not drink the wine thereof 14 The great day of the Lord is near it is near and hasteth greatly even the voice of the day of the Lord the mighty man shall cry there bitterly 15 That day is a day of wrath a day of trouble and distresse a day of waftnesse and desolation a day of darknesse and gloominesse a day of clouds and thick darknesse 16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities and against the high towers 17 And I will bring distresse upon them that they shall walk like blind men because they have sinned against the Lord and their blood shall be poured out as dust and their flesh as the dung 18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lords wrath but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousie for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land CHAP. I. 1. THe word of the Lord which was revealed to Zephaniah whose very name tells us that God would more clearly reveal by him some of his secret counsail concerning those heavy judgements that were now ready to fall upon the Iews and so needed this nearer and clear Interpreter of his will and pleasure as an other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Ioseph was called by Pharaoh This Zephaniah was the son of Cushi the son of Gedaliah the son of Amariah the son of Hizkiah And he prophesied in the daies of Iosiah son of Amon King of Iudah for even in the raign of that good King so pious and so eminent an example produced little amendment in a wicked and perverse generation Therefore 2. I will even sweep away all together out of this land saith the Lord and so make a quick and fair riddance of so rebellious a nation 3. I will make an end of man and beast I will consume the fouls of the air and the fishes of the sea I will quite take away both the wicked offenders and all their scandalous sins and offences And all by one sin or other being gone out of the good way wherein they promised to walk I will also by one means or other root out every man out of that land of promise which I had bestowed upon them saith the Lord. 4. And even against Iudah as I have done against Israel will I stretch out my powerful and revenging hand and therein against the proudest and worst of them the Citizens of Ierusalem And I will do what good Iosiah in all his care and industrie could not do in that stubborn and rebellious City which should have been a pattern and example to all the rest from that place will I cut off by the sword of my Justice all the reliques of Baal and the name of the Chemarims their downright idolatrous priests and their Cohanims too those priests of their own that will now and then be tampering with the accursed mysteries of Baal 5. Such as can find a time to worship the host of heaven upon the tops of their houses which were made flat for prevention of danger from thence and not to introduce so dangerous and flat idolatrie as that those halters between two religions that think they can do their homage to the true God and to the false and swear by Iehovah and by their Moloch the imaginarie Deitie of the Ammonites which they have now made to be theirs 6. And those also that otherwise and by other vanities and diversions fall away from following the Lord Iehovah and from seeking and inquiring after him alone in such holy places and waies of divine worship as himself hath prescribed 7. Wherein as being in the presence of him and before his all-seeing eye use all the reverence and holy fear and devotion that may best whosoever thou art that would live secure and without all fear and danger of a day of justice and vengeance For such 1 day is coming and it is near at hand when they that offer not such pious and chearful sacrifices to him shall find that he will make a merry and festival day of sacrificing them and bidding such guests to be entertained with that sacrifice as they would be loath to be dressed up for and to be devoured by such hungry companions 8. And in that day of the Lords sacrifice and that feast he will spare none that have not spared to serve and sacrifice to others besides him They must all to the pot the highest as well as the lowest the Princes and their royal race and all the gandy gallants that look so strangely upon it in their rich and costly apparel 9. Amongst all this fine irreligious rout I will not forget to punish them that follow the superstition of the Philistims in not presuming to tread upon the threshould for sooth but rather using the nimblenesse of their feet for a speedy conveyance which is no fit way of entring into the house of their God And with these contemners of their Gods house I will visit those that take too much care for the furnishing and enriching of their Masters house by hook or by crook and by all the violent and deceitful courses that they can imagine 10. And I will give you a more particular discoverie and prediction of what shall happen in three of the chiefest parts of the City in that day A great noise and crie shall then be
that of His Kingdom and that of His Priest-hood 14. There shall be crowns also as for the High-Priest so for the honorable memorie of others that have found favour with God for their good endeavours about the outward Temple now in hand by name for Helem for Tobijah for Iedajah and for Hen the Son of Zephaniah And these crowns shall be hung up in the Temple of the Lord as a memorial of them with their names to that purpose expressed upon the crowns 15. And to help on the work and the ornaments and honour of the Temple many foreiners and people of remote countries shall come and contribute towards this building as the praeludium to the whole crowds of Gentiles that shall help to build up the spiritual Temple And by this you shall know that I Zacharie that relate the prophesie of these things am a true Prophet of the Lord and have my Commission from the Lord of Hosts for what I promise to you judge of me by the event Provided alwaies that you be diligent in obeying the commands of the Lord your God For this promise runs under that condition CHAP. VII ANd it came to passe in the fourth year of king Darius that the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the nineth moneth even in Chisleu 2 When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regem-melech and their men to pray before the Lord. 3 And to speak unto the Priests which were in the house of the Lord of hostes and to the prophets saying Should I weep in the fifth moneth separating my self as I have done these so many years 4 Then came the word of the Lord of hosts unto me saying 5 Speak unto all the people of the land and to the priests saying When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh moneth even those seventy years did ye at all fast unto me even unto me 6 And when ye did eat and when ye did drink did not ye eat for your selves and drink for your selves 7 Should ye not hear the words which the Lord hath cried by the former prophets when Ierusalem was inhabited and in prosperity and the cities thereof round about her when men inhabited the South of the plain 8 And the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah saying 9 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts saying Execute true judgement and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother 10 And oppresse not the widow nor the fatherlesse the stranger nor the poor and let none of you imagine evill against his brother in your heart 11 But they refused to hearken and pulled away the shoulder and stopped their ears that they should not hear 12 Yea they made their hearts as an adamant stone least they should hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts 13 Therefore it is come to passe that as he cried and they would not hear so they cried and I would not hear saith the Lord of hosts 14 But I scattered them with a whirl-wind among all the nations whom they knew not thus the land was desolate after them that no man passed through nor returned for they laid the pleasant land desolate CHAP. VII 1. NOw in the fourth year of King Darius the second year after they had begun the structure of the Temple the word of the Lord was again revealed unto Zacharie in the fourth day of the ninth moneth which is called the Moneth Chisleu and containes part of November and of December And it did so upon this occasion 2. There was sent to the Temple and to the Priests there about that time Serezer and Regem-melech and some Attendants upon them to tender their humble devotions before the Lord in the behalf of those that lived out of the City and had sent them thither upon that service 3. And withall a message they had to the Priests that ministred in the Temple of the Lord of Hostes and to the Prophets who were to advise and direct them in matters of scruple or controversie This Message came in the name of the People who being desirous to be satisfied in some doubts about fasting in which it seems all had been well if their care to make it a true and acceptable fast unto God had been as much as their desire and power to enact it and enjoyn it as a holy Fast and being all considered as one body they ordered their message to be delivered in these or the like termes Shall I continue the times of fasting and mourning which I imposed upon my self under the captivity and have since most strictly observed whereof that is one in the fifth Moneth upon the tenth of July in the sad remembrance of the destroying and firing of the Temple by Nebuzaradan Captain of the guard to Nebuchadnezar Shall I still afflict my self and observe my wonted abstinence from pleasant meats and other matters of delight like a Nazarite for that day as I have now kept it upon the return of that day for many yeares 4. Then as I was saying came the word of the Lord of Hostes unto me furnishing me with an answer to that question of the People after some things to be premised upon occasion of their Fast and saying unto me 5. Speak to all the people of the land and among them to the Priests too to those of Jerusalem as well as to those out of the Citie that have sent these men hither and say When you fasted and mourned in the fifth Moneth in remembrance of the destruction of the Temple and in the seventh Moneth in memoriall of the death of Godoliah and so in the other Moneths in like pretended humble service for these seventy years of your captivity Did I require those Fasts or when they were voluntarily undertaken did they tend as they should do to my honour and glory by your true humbling and bettering of your selves upon those dayes For your Fasts without that are in themselves nothing so pleasing and acceptable to me as you may vainly conceive 6. For as at other times when you eat and drink at your liberty no advantage accrews to my honour out of that feasting of yours barely in it self considered without any other consequence of your due returnes of thankfulnesse and obedience for the blessing of that plenty so at these times when you fast that fasting in its self adds nothing to me nor is it any way considerable in my esteem 7. Should you not rather have observed the divine commands so plainly and openly delivered unto you by the Prophets that have gone before us when Ierusalem was at ease and abounded in peace and plenty And when the Cities and Townes all about her when the more mountainous and Southern parts that were then entirely possessed and when with them the lowest and fruitfullest countries in the
his field near the Temple of the Lord. 14. Then it pleased God to proceed to the breaking of the second staff and to say I will even break asunder my other Shepherds staff too to which I gave the name of Bands and so dissolve the unity and brotherly concord that formerly had been between Iudah and Israel the two tribes and the ten tribes as the Sons of one father coming all out of the loins of Iacob 15. Then said the Lord unto me yet we will have somewhat more of the Shepherd Go and get thy self the poor habit and furniture of some silly Shepherd such as he useth to carry abroad with him 16. For this is my meaning by that silly Shepherds provision that for the sins of the people I will often send amongst them silly Shepherds and Governors in the land that shal neither have skill nor will to attend any thing but the advancement of their own advantages They shall not do their office to take care for the reducing of that which is lost and stragled from the company nor seek after the weak lamb that is left behind because it cannot hold out the pace of the rest nor heal that which is hurt and wounded by some evil accident nor feed that which continues healthful and free from hurts But providing rather for themselves then their flock they shall feed upon the fattest and so hurry many of their sheep up and down at their pleasure as if they longed to wear out their very clams that they might not be able to stir about for that which their Shepherds will not provide for them 17. Wo to such Shepherds no Shepherds that will have the name and place of Shepherds and Governors but nothing else that is requirable in good Shepherds Such carelesse Shepherds as these leave their flock to look to themselves but my curse shall attend them Such a Shepherd will I strike with a bright and sharp sword that shall break his arm and dazle his right eye so that his arm shall wither and be unfit for action because he would be lazy where he should not and his right eye shall not be able to see any thing that tends to his own good because he he would not look after that which was for the good of his flock CHAP. XII 1 THe burden of the word of the Lord for Israel saith the Lord which stretcheth forth the heavens and layeth the foundation of the earth and formeth the spirit of man within him 2 Behold I will make Ierusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about when they shall be in the siege both against Iudah and against Jerusalem 3 And in that day will I make Ierusalem a burdensome stone for all people all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in piece though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it 4 In that day saith the Lord I will smite every horse with astonishment and his rider with madness and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Iudah and will smite every horse of the people with blindnesse 5 And the governours of Iudah shall say in their heart The inhabitants of Ierusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God 6 In that day will I make the governours of Iudah like an hearth of fire among the wood and like a torch of a fire in a sheaf and they shall devour all the people round about on the right hand and on the left and Ierusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place even in Ierusalem 7 The Lord also shall save the tents of Iudah first that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Ierusalem do not magnifie themselve against Iudah 8 In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Ierusalem and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David and the house of David shall be as God as the angel of the Lord before them 9 And it shall come to passe in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Ierusalem 10 And I will pour upon the house David and upon the inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his onely son and shall be in bitternesse for him as one that is in bitterness for his first-born 11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Ierusalem as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon 12 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart 13 The family of the house of Levi apart and their wives apart the family of Shimei apart and their wives apart 14 All the families that remain every family apart and their wives apart CHAP. XII 1. ANother Prophesie that carries a burden in it to be laid upon Israel by the command of the great Iehovah Thus saith the great Iehovah that stretched out the heavens like a curtain and fixed the vast globe of the earth upon nothing and created the breath of life which he breathed first into Adam and placed within him i. who made all and therefore governed all from the beginning 2. You will wonder at the time when you see all things so brought about by my providence that Ierusalem shall become like a drunken cup of giddinesse and astonishment to all the nations about her not so much that others which would greedily swallow her up shall tast of that cup which will work their own shame and confusion but in reference to her self that she shall do the actions of a giddie-headed people Therefore upon all Iudah there shall fall great tribulation by occasion of that punishment which shall light first upon Ierusalem 3. But about the close of that time when I have so punished my own people I will make Ierusalem prove like a huge weighty stone to all people that shall go about to disturb her All that lift hard at her shall sooner show their strength in breaking of their own veins in pieces then in removing her from that loyalty towards me and that state of tranquillity wherein I shall place her And this difficulty of so moving Jerusalem shall be thus though all the people of the earth should be mustered up against her And this may be a figure of what shall afterward happen to the fierce and ventrous opposers of the mystical Jerusalem and such as are Jews within They that will be lifting at them and heaving at the true Messias their corner stone will have but ill successe in their vain attempts but on whomâ—soever that stone falls it shall bruise him to powder 4. For at that time saith the Lord if
Lord shall be king over all the earth in that day shall there be one Lord and his name one 10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Ierusalem and it shall be lifted up and inhabited in her place from Benjamins gate unto the place of the first gate unto the corner-gate and from the tower of Hananiel unto the kings wine-presses 11 And men shall dwell in it and there shall be no more utter destruction but Ierusalem shall be safely inhabited 12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Ierusalem their shesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet and their eyes shall consume away in their holes their tongue shall consume away in their mouth 13 And it shall come to passe in that day that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them they shal layhold every oneon the hand of his neighbour his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour 14 And Iudah also shall fight at Ierusalem and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together gold and silver and apparel in great abundance 15 And so shall be the plague of the horse of the mule of the camel and of the asse and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents as this plague 16 And it shall come to passe that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Ierusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King the Lord of hosts and to keep the feast of Tabernacles 17 And it shall be that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Ierusalem to worship the King the Lord of hosts even upon them shall be no rain 18 And if the family of Egypt go not up and come not that have no rain there shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles 20. In that day shal there be upon the â—els of the horses HOLINESSE VNTO THE LORD and the pots in the Lords house shall be like the bowls before the altar 21. Yea every pot in Ierusalem and in Iudah shall be Holinesse unto the Lord of hosts and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them feeth therein and in that day there shall be nâ— more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts CHAP. XIV 1. BUt before these things come to passe there is a sad day of the Lords wrath coming on that will more particularly touch thee O Jerusalem For they of the Gentiles shall make havock of all the Countries about thee and make division of those spoiles in the middest of thy land 2. And I will muster up all sorts of people to fight against Ierusalem and by their forces the Citie shall be taken upon which advantage the houses shall be plundered and the women ravished And the one half of the City shall go out and deliver themselves up as Captives for very fear and famine but as for the rest they shall show themselves more valorous and religious in defense of their Temple they shall neither be iusticed nor forced out of the Citie 3. After this the Lord Himself that suffered these Nations for a time to come thither and show their spite and furie against Jerusalem shall appear for his People and fight against those barbarous Nations as he hath often heretofore at the red Sea and elsewhere showed himself the Lord of Hostes and in our defense chose himself a day of Battle and Victory 4. In that day shall the feet of him that shall be leader of those Nations against Jerusalem stand upon Mount Olivet which hath the prospect of the East-part of the Citie that he may thence spy out a fit place wherein to pitch his camp And by his command they shall dig so much toward the East and West of that Mountain that it shall seem to have a great cleft and rupture in the middest Which earth being so digged and removed from thence to be used for severall military designes against the North and South part of the City there shall seem to be a very great Valley made out of that which was before a great part of the Mountain 5. Then shall you flee like men affrighted at the valley made as it were in a mountain For that valley so made out of the mountain shall reach as far as Asel the place that hath the name from the vicinity of that Mount Even so shall you flie from the sight of this vast rupture as you fled from the great Earthquake which made such a rupture in the same mountain in the dayes of Vzziah King of Iudah But then shall the Lord my God the Lord of hosts himself come to your defense and all his heavenly Host of holy Angels with Him 6. But in that day of their trouble and affrightment before the Lord shall thus appear there shall be no light of comfort and refreshment but cold and quaking horrour fear and astonishment 7. But this shall be as one day or a time whereof God hath determined in his foreknowledge and speciall providence and which I cannot well tell whether I should call it a Day or a night For the Day is a time of comfort but this shall have none the night is a time of rest and quiet but this shall have none Yet it shall come to passe toward the Eve and expiration of this sad time that when you would think your Sun is setting and the hope and joy of your life quite vanishing away then shall arise a new glimpse of recovering your former happinesse for you shall espie a light of comfort and joy appearing to you in the approach of those Angels of light that God shall bring for your succour 8. Then shall come a time of Peace and works of Peace You shall then have Aquaeducts and usefull passages for running water made from Ierusalem some of them towards the Eastern Sea the lake of Asphaltites and some of them towards the Western or Syrick Sea And they shall be constant supplies of water for your ordinary occasions as well in Summer as in Winter 9. And then shall of Judaea be free from the imperious commands of forrein Nations as when the Lord vouchsafed to stile Himself your King and you his People So shall you then be in all your land under that one gracious Lord whose name and his onely is honoured in Judaea no Usurper having power over you 10. This time of Peace shall make you populous All the places about Iudaea shall be compassed about with inhabitants even in the plaines and more desert places that have not yet been
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
debars us of the joy and pleasure that we were wont to take in our rich supply of sacrifices and offerings for the house of the Lord our God 17. For now not onely the corn above ground is destroyed but the very seed cast into the earth is putrisied under the clods so that our hope of a good harvest is buried with it and our garners are destroyed our barns emptied and ruined and our corn withered 18. O how the very cattel sensible of their wants in their loud bellowing seem to grone and cry unto God as elsewhere the hungry ravens are said to call upon Him who hath an ear for them and would much more be favourable to our prayers who are not so forward to bemoan our selves as the herds of bruit beasts are in their woful condition and perplexitie for lack of pasture And the flocks of sheep that as heavily though more remisly and silently expresse their sad and desolate case 19. I can not but crie unto thee O Lord the roaring of the poor beasts might put me upon it for that cruelty of our enemies that carrie all before them like a consuming fire destroying the fruitful places of the once-plentiful but now a most desert land and like a continued flame fearfully burning up all the trees of the field 20. And if I should leave crying and calling upon thee the beasts of the field every one of them as confuting the dulnesse and coldness of my affections and the too little pitty of my self and them would continue their louder and heavier cry unto thee because the great rivers of waters are dried up and the fruitful earth parched with heat is become like a drie and desolate wildernesse the pastures now deserve no other name among us CHAP. II. 1. BLow ye the trumpet in Zion and sound an alarm in my holy mountain let all the inhabitants of the land tremble for the day of the Lord cometh for it is high at hand 2 A day of darknesse and of gloominesse a day of clouds of thick darkness as the morning spread upon the mountains a great people and a strong there hath not been ever the like neither shall be any more after it even to the years of many generations 3 A fire devoureth before them and behind them a flame burneth the land is as the garden of Eden before them and behind them a desolate wilderness yea and nothing shall escape them 4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses and as horsemen so shall they run 5 Like the noise of charets on the tops of mountains shall they leap like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble as a strong people set in battle array 6 Before their face the people shall be much pained all faces shal gather blacknesse 7 They shall run like mighty men they shall climb the wall like men of war and they shall march every one on his wayes and they shall not break their ranks 8 Neither shall one thrust another they shall walk every one in his path and when they fall upon the sword they shall not be wounded 9 They shall run to and fro in the city they shall run upon the wall they shall climb up upon the houses they shall enter in at the windowes like a thief 10 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the Sun and the Moon shall be dark and the Stars shall withdraw their shining 11 And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army for his camp is very great for he is strong that executeth his word for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible and who can abide it 12 Therefore also now saith the Lord Turn ye even to me with all your heart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning 13 And rent your heart and not your garments and turn unto the Lord your God for he is gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse and repenteth him of the evill 14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent and leave a blessing behind him even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion sanctifie a fast call a solemn assembly 16 Gather the people sanctifie the congregation assemble the Elders gather the children and those that suck the breasts let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber and the bride out of her closet 17 Let the Priests the ministers of the Lord weep between the porch and the Altar and let them say Spare thy people O Lord and give not thing heritage to reproach that the heathen should rule over them wherefore should they say among the people where is their God 18 Then will the Lord be jealous for his land and pity his people 19 Yea the Lord will answer and say unto his people Behold I will send you corn and wine and oil ye shall be satisfied therewith and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen 20 But I will remove far off from you the Northern army will drive him into a land barren and desolate with his face toward the east Sea his hinder part towards the utmost sea his stink shall come up his ill savour shall come up because he hath done great things 21 Fear not O land be glad and rejoyce for the Lord will do great things 22 Be not afraid ye beasts of the field for the pastures of the wildernesse do spring for the tree beareth her fruit the fig-tree and the vine do yeild their strength 23 Be glad then ye children of Zion and rejoyce in the Lord your God for he hath given you the former rain moderately and he will cause to come down for you the rain the former rain and the latter rain in the first moneth 24 And the floors shall be full of wheat and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil 25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten the canker-worm and the caterpillar and the palmer-worm my great army which I sent among you 26 And ye shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord your God that hath dealt wonderously with you and my people shall never be ashamed 27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel and that I am the Lord your God and none else and my people shall never be ashamed 28 And it shall come to passe afterward that I will powre out my Spirit upon all flesh and your sonnes and your daughters shall prophesie your old men shall dream dreams your young men shall see visions 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids maids in those dayes will I powre out my Spirit 30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth bloud and fire and pillars of smoak 31 The Sun shall be turned into darknesse and the Moon into blood before the
great and the terrible day of the Lord come 32 And it shall come to passe that whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be delivered for in mount Zion and in Ierusalem shall be deliverance as the Lord hath said and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call CHAP. II. 1. NOw me thinks I see Ierusalem in danger of a siege Nabuchodonosars souldiers are on their march It is high time to leave your wonted mirth and musick Let the loud sounding of your trumpets in Sion which is a kind of summons and alarum to the Kings own house there and the beating of your drums in the holy Mountain which is a watchword to those about the Temple give notice of your necessary preparation for war And a terrible war it may prove to all the inhabitants of these parts They have had their day a long time of sin and liberty and now God will have his day a severe time of punishment which comes on faster then we think for 2. That destruction of Ierusalem by Nabuchodonosor shall be but the forerunner of a greater day and a heavier destruction by the Romans And that will be a terrible day indeed A sad and gloomy day a dismal and cloudy day which shall come with as much speed and as sodain danger upon Ierusalem in all their security as the clear light of the morning that in an instant spreds and diffuseth it self over the mountains and imparts his lustre to all the world And answerable to this will be the agilitiy and quick dispatch that shall be used by those Locusts with Lions teeth their numerous and potent enemies This will make it such a fearful day such á terrible army with such slaughter of men as was never yet seen nor ever shall be to the years of many generations 3. The fearful and utter davastation then made by the enemies will be like that of fire both before and behind that sodainly and totally consumes all about it so that this pleasant countrie of Judea that before the entrance of the enemie was as well stored and delight sâ—me to look upon as the garden of Eden shall before their vast army of locusts be removed be rather like a bare and desolate wildernesse In which if any shall be so fortunate as not to perish by the sword yet there would be no way to escape from hence nor any hope of continuance here without perishing by famine or submission to the pleasure of the enemy Who will no way be hindred from having what he comes for in the compassng of our ruine 4. Such will be the event of this coming of these locusts who by their courage and agility and specially by their cruel visage wherein they will rather be like fierce horses then locusts might fright us into death And yet like stout Horsemen they will fall upon us with that force and violence that the valiantest amongst us will never be able to resist 5. In which violence skipping with hast over our mountainous country they will make as great a noise as chariots would do if they were furiously driven over such high places Or which is yet more horrid to the ear like the noise of a slanting fire that devours the stubble In these or what else may be worse then these they will show themselves like an armie of lustie men sufficiently instructed ordered and prepared for war 6. This quick and rough way of onset will be terrible to our people and make all their sad faces contract a palenesse or rather blackness as visible as if they had lain among pots that have changed their natural colour over the fire 7. While this fear makes us at a stand they will on forward like strong men in their full speed readie to mount our walls with a valour befitting stout and true military persons Every man knowing his own way and his own task No man appearing so slow or carelesse as if he were ingaged either to stay there or to give way to any that would turn him out of his place 8. So will every one of them make sure to be no hinderance to his fellow in the execution of their charge either in their way or in their work For both which they shall be so well appointed and so strongly armed that if they chance to light unawares upon their enemies weapon whatsoever it is therewill be no such hazard unto them as to expose them to any dangerous wound So happy and successeful shall they be in their bold attempts 9. Their ventrous army being so well ordered they will resolve to make a fierce irruption into the city like skipping locusts running about the walls and by sodain invasion taking possession of them shaking their heels there and dancing as men secure of the victory and then entring into the houses if not at the doors yet at least climbing in at the windows like bold and desperate theeves that will neither be hindred from coming in nor driven out again till they have ransacked and plundered the secretest corners where there is any thing to be found worth the carrying away 10. After this rude and insulting demeanour of the souldiers it will the be easier to conjecture what misery must needs fall upon the poor people if we expresse it by an Earthquake and the shaking of the Heavens and the obscuring of the celestial lights The terrour of the lower and meaner sort of the people may be conceived by the fearful effects of an Earthquake So may the sad ruine of the Nobles by the shaking of the heavenly or higher powers And the woful confusion of all Order and Command that followed upon that by the darkning of the Sun and Moon and the Stars withdrawing their wonted lustre to the astonishment of all the Spectators as well as of those eminent persons that will be most concerned in that calamity 11. And that you may know the just and powerful author of all this miserie As God himself will have us know that he sends these signs before him so God himself in a signal victory will seem to own our enemies as his souldiers as plainly as if we had it from his own voice and declare openly that those mighty and numerous armies are his and come thither by his own command and irreversible decree and cannot be hindred from doing his pleasure in taking vengeance upon a sinful people that would take their liberty in their day and now must therefore be made sensible of the great and terrible day of the Lord. And who will be able to abide that time wherein he pleaseth to break the hearts of them that are assaulted and adde courage to their enemies 12. All this is threatned by him By him that would not be unwilling to have his hands stayed from such a severe execution of his justice It is therefore foretold that it may be timely prevented And O that even
wise Now these things were revealed to Amos concerning Israel in the time of Uzziah King of Judah and Jeroboam son of Joash King of Israel two years before the Earthquake that happened in the reign of Vzziah that was smitten with leprosie for attempting upon the Priests office 2. Amos being thus made a Prophet his name agreed with the sum of his Prophesie For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Amost signifies a burden And that is an ordinarie term in the holy Scripture for the Prophesie of a heavy punishment denounced against a Nation as this of Amos was against many specially against the ten Tribes Against whom what he had prophesied was fulfilled by Salmaneser that led them away captive into Assyria 4 Reg. 17. 6. But let us hear the Prophet himself speak Thus said Amos. The Lord that delighted so much in Sion and pleased to dwell between the Cherubims in his Temple at Ierusalem is now so offended with the sins of Iudah and Israel that he sends an angry threatning voice from Sion and Ierusalem that may terrifie them both specially those of Israel the greater offenders This terrible voice will have a doleful effect in the pleasant pastures of all those Shepherds that have neglected their flock and upon the Sheep that have turned Wolves against their Shepherds and raised up Shepherds of their own choice uncapable of the place Carmel among others even Carmel it self which had the fattest pasture and the most numerous sheep shall in the height and glory of it be withered and made no such place for their feeding 3 What shall we think will become of the Gentiles when Gods own people hear such sad tidings from the place of their joy and comfort Let us now hear that For Syria Damascena first Thus saith the Lord. For so many foul sins of Damascus as have filled up the full measure of their iniquity and may be brought against them in the perfect number of seven by the addition of four more to their first three that were bad enough For these I will not restore Damascus to my wonted favour or I will not recal that which I have decreed against that place Specially in that they heavily afflicted my people of Gilead Reuben Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh barbarously insulting over them and trampling upon them or rather laying on them like thrashers and abusing all alike As it was foretold by Elisaeus in his words to Hazael 4 Reg. 8 15. 4. Therefore in mine anger I will send a furious enemie against them which like a fire shall sodainly deface and ruine the royal structures erected by Hazael when they shall be the Palaces of his son Benhadad 5. And I will break the very strength of Damascus their gates fortresses and whatsoever else it is wherein they most confide And I will pack away the inhabitants of the Plain of Aven and with them the idolatrous Princes that rule over Beth-eden and the neighbour-cities devoted to riot and luxury For the Syrians shall be led captives into Kir saith the Lord by the hand of Tiglathpileser King of Assyria 6. When they of Gaza in Palestine have made up the like measure of their sins the like punishment shall be as peremptorily decreed against them specially because of their cruelty to those of Israel that fled into their parts for refuge upon the invasion of Sennacherib whom though they came peaceably and friendly to them onely for relief and no way to offer them any injury yet they most injuriously sold them into Edom as if they had been their own captives and by right of war taken by themselves Whereby they did as good as imprison them among their capital enemies and obstruct the means of their return unto their own home 7. Therefore I will cause such warlike forces to come from Hezekiah to the wall of Gaza as shall consume and burn that City and all the fair buildings within it 8. And the inhabitants of Azotus shall be turned out of doors and the Rulers of Ascalon shall partake of the same justice with their Country-men Then after that blow given to Gaza Azotus and Ascalon I will turn my striking hand against Ekron also and there the rest of the Philistims shall be destroyed by the Assyrians to the utter ruine of that people 9. Thus saith the Lord For the like overflowing of the transgressions of Tyrus in so full a measure I will not be reconciled unto them nor reverse the decree already passed against them Because they used the like cruelty that the Philistims did against the poor Israelites which came peaceably to them but were sold away to the Edomites as captives taken in war And the Tyrians shall fare the worse because they so easily forgot the league and friendship that was between their King Hiram and King David and Solomon and so between the succeeding Kings that used the stile and love of Brethren which no doubt was cause of much familiarity and many kind offices among the subjects of either Nation and was ill broken off for a matter of filthy lucre in the sale of their confederates 10. Therefore will I send an enemie from Chaldaea to the walls of Tyrus that shall set most of the stately buildings of Tyrus on such a fire as all the water above her shall not be able to quench 11. The like measure of sin will draw the like punishment upon Edom because he was so unnaturally cruel to his Brethren the posterity of Iacob shewing no bowels of compassion to these Brethren of the same belly but resting upon a violent obstinate implacable way of furious anger transmitted as an hereditary vice to Posterity for ever So did Edom strive to keep it ever alive to his immortal shame for such impiety and inhumanity against so near Allies 12. Therefore by Sennacherib and his Souldiers such flames of War shall be kindled in Teman and Bozra the two Cities of note in the Countrey of Edom as shall consume the fair Pallaces thereof 13. And of another Nation affianced to the people of God thus saith the Lord. For the full measure of the transgressions of the Ammonites the Children of Lot they shall receive the same Dâ—om with the Edomites the rather for their barbaroâ—s inhumanity which sharpned their weapons against the weaker Sex to the ripping up of the matrones of Gilead even when they were great with child Not out of any provocation in war but out of a mere covetous and ambitions desire to enlarge their territories 14. Therefore a fearful fire shall be kindled by the walls of Rabbah the gloriousest City of Animon that without difference of Sex or Age shall devour such as are found in the choicest Pallaces and Mansions of the Ammonites It shall come in a violent and fearful way with military clamours and shouting of some and skreeching of others It shall come of a sodain like a
horrible storm and tempest to the ruine and devastation of the Country of Ammon 15. Which shall be the sadder and more irrecoverable by the captivity of the King and his Princes and their titular Deitie and his Priests For Moloch himself for all his Royal title shall escape no better then the meanest of the people that must yeeld to the furie of the war For The Lord hath spoken it CHAP. II. 1 THus saith the Lord For three transgressions of Moab and for four I will not turn away the punishment thereof because he burnt the bones of the King of Edom into lime 2 But I will send a fire upon Moab and it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth and Moab shall die with tumult with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet 3 And I will cut off the Iudge from the midst thereof and will slay all the Princes thereof with him saith the Lord. 4 Thus saith the Lord For three transgressions of Iudah and for four I will not turn 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 Iudah and it shall devour the palaces of Ierusalem 6 Thus saith the Lord for three transgressions of Israel and for four I will not turn away the punishment thereof because they sold the righteous for silver and the poor for a pair of shooes 7 That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor and turn aside the way of the meek and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid to profane my holy Name 8 And they lay themselves down upon cloathes laid to pledge by every Altar and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their God 9 Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them whose height was like the height of the Cedars and he was strong as the Oakes yet I destroyed his fruit from above and his roots from beneath 10 Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt and led you fourty yeares thorow the wildernesse to possesse the land of the Amorite 11 And I raised up of your sons for Prophets and of your young men for Nazarites Is it not even thus O ye children of Israel saith the Lord 12 But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink and commanded the Prophets saying Prophesie not 13 Behold I am pressed under you as a cart is pressed that is ful of sheâ—ves 14 Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift and the strong shall not strengthen his force neither shall the mighty deliver himself 15 Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself 16 And he that is couragious among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day saith the Lord. CHAP. II. 1. THus saith the Lord. Because Moab hath fil'd up the same measure of sin with the Ammonites therefore I pronounce the same punishment to them of Moab who to their other sins added that which showed their arrogance and malice to Edom in burning the bones of one of the Kings of Edom and so most inhumanely and barbarously mingling the ashes with the lime and mortar that they used in dawbing and plaistering of their walls which was an act of much pride and scorne and contempt and a contumelious way of revenge 2. Therefore I will raise up an insolent and cruell enemy against the country of Moab that shall kindle such a war as shall be the sudden fearfull and totall ruine of Kerioth their chiefest City for such is commonly a destruction by fire And in the hurry and tumult of that war shall many of the Moabites die amidst the confused noise of the trumpets and shouts of the enemy and their own sighes and groanes and heavy lamentations 3. So will be cut off from Moab and especially from Kerioth or the chief Cities in the heart of the Countrey their eminentest Governours and Commanders and all their Princes and the greatest of their Nobility shall have their share in this punishment that shall sweep them all away saith the Lord that neither can nor will be hindred or intreated in the execution of this sentence upon Moab 4. And while these acts of Divine Justice appear among the Heathen least Judah because of the open profession of the true Religion and worship of God among them should take themselves to be in a fair way of escaping the like severe revenge that God might take upon their sins thus saith the Lord concerning his own people Because Iudah presumed to make up such a high measure of sinne as cried to heaven for Justice therefore they also shall have their doom run in the same termes Specially because they forsook the most holy lawes and statutes of God as if they contemned that to which they had promised obedience aud were chiefly led by their own phansies and lying vanities and strange inclination to idolatry as the ill example of their Forefathers and their many revolts toald them on and deluded their foolish hearts 5. Therefore Nabuchadnezar's puissant and victorious army shall raise an unquenchable fire in Iudaea that shall not end without the firing of the Temple and the Palaces and other costly pieces of building in their Mother-City of Ierusalem by Nabuzaradan 6. Which severity threatned to be exercised upon the two Tribes among whom was the Temple and the purer worship of God may terrifie the kingdom of Israel and be a clear evidence of their speedier and heavier ruine Of whom thus saith the Lord. For the full measure of iniquity made up by the Israelites and running over I will make good the sad irreversible Sentence passed against them and foretold by severall Prophets The rather because of their extream and cruell Avarice which blinded their eyes and induced them not onely to circumvent and defraud but down-right to sell men better than themselves and righteous persons at poor rates as if the least summe of money or a pair of shooes were more highly to be prised than the keeping of a poor man from perpetuall servitude 7. Nor will I conceale some other of their faults In respect of their malice they are as stomachfull against the poor as if they could eat them up like bread And their pride is such that they think it not enough to throw them as low as the dust of the earth unlesse they take of that dust and cast it upon their heads as a signe of greater scorn and contempt where they cannot so insult over the poor yet at least that they may be doing of some mischief if they meet with modest humble and quiet men they disturb them in the way that is in the course of their life and occasions of their severall
a nation O house of Israel saith the Lord the God of Hosts and they shall afflict you from the entring in of Hemath unto the river of the wildernesse CHAP. VI. 1. WOe be to you both of Iudah and Israel that taking no pitie upon others in great want and distresse nor abating any thing of your jollitie and luxurie to relieve them nor so much as being thankful to God for what you enjoy do live in ease and security in Sion and Samaria never troubled with any remorse for your sins or any fear of the punishment that hangs over your heads You that trust not in God but in the strength of Mount Sion and the mountain of Samaria securing your selves in that you have found out a shelter in Syria Egypt and other conntries and are called by the names of the chief of those great men in other nations to whom the house of Israel use to apply themselves as to their noble Patrons and Protectors in time of danger 2. That you may know how you do but flatter your selves in relying upon such forein hopes go to Chalne a famous Citie in Assyria and Hamath the great once the glorie of Syria Thence come nearer unto Gath the chief strength of the Philistims Inquire first what happened to them then let this question be asked of your selves Are you in a better estate then these eminent places in those Kingdoms or do you extend your borders wider then they did have you larger possessions then they had Why then do not you admonish your selves by their example that your glorie may be laid in the dust as theirs was 3. Wo be to you that perswade your selves the time of affliction is far enough from you and therefore you may be the bolder with your too-much authority over others and domineer as in a throne of ease and liberty and oppression 4. Wo be to them that lie upon sumptuous and large Ivorie beds where they have room enough to stretch themselvss in wantonnesse and lazinesse And after that ease are wont to pamper themselves at a full and costlie table feeding upon the tenderest choicest lambs that can be found in all the flock and calves purposely fatted for them in the stall 5. Wo be to them that spend too much of their time in mirth and jollitie singing division to the sound of the Psalterie and other rare instruments of Musick which they have made special choice of for themselves And to which they think they have as fair a pretense in the abuse of Musick as King David had to delight himself in his Heavenlie Hymns or otherwise to recreate and refresh himself with it when he was tired with his more serious employments 6. Wo be to them that make too much of themselves and show no pitie of others drinking their wine not in little cups as others do but in great bowls to drown the memorie of all sorrow and annointing themselves with costly ointments not moderatelie for health and neatnesse as is the custom in the Eastern parts but wantonlie in excesse As not ashamed to show their vanitie and profusenesse in expenses upon themselves while they spare litle or nothing for the relief of their own countrymen that are in need and miserie 7. Therefore after a little while they shall go in the head of the captives among them that are first carried into captivitie because they were ever ready to be the first ringleaders to all sin And there will be a speedy end of all the banquets even the funeral banquets of those luxurious feasters that stretched themselves as they pleased upon their beds 8. For the Lord God hath sworn by Himself saith the Lord God of Hosts i. He himself hath assured us that He hath passed this as an unchangeable decree saying I abhor the pride of all the children of Israel and whatsoever they use to boast of though it be the Temple it self Therefore not that onelie but their Palaces and greatest buildings raised out of briberie and extortion and for that cause hated by me Their Cities also and People or whatsoever it is wherewith they are now plentyfully stored will I when I see my time give up into the power of a cruel enemie 9. And if it chance that some few escaping the furie of war be left in one house they also shall perish by famine or pestilence or some other untimelie death 10. Then if the Vncle or any near kinsman to one that dies in the house shall come thither to order that the dead corps may be thence removed and burned to prevent the infection of others If he shall say to any one that is within the house Be there any more left alive with thee One of the house shall answer None are left they are all dead or unlikelie to live Then he shall reply Say no more if that be the case of them Leave thy tears and complaints and be quiet and patient It is too late for us now to betake our selves by praiers to the name of Almighty God This is the time of his just vengeance for our mentioning him so little before and having our idols so often in our mouths 11 Now we must all look for a heavy blow For God will command our enemies the executioners of his wrath to smite all houses Palaces and Cotages alike with such breaches and ruines as shall not easily be repaired utter ruines will be seen in Israel and great breaches in Judah 12. But I prophesie to them that have no ears to hear nor hearts that can be mollified It is as hard and unlikely a thing to move them to repentance as to make horses run upon slipperie rocks or oxen plow there with good successe He must change the course of nature that can do so And he must work as great a miracle that will prevail with them for repentance and satisfaction that have turned Iustice and Righteousnesse the sweetest of all vertues into tyrannie and oppression which are as bitter and unwelcome to the honest afflicted heart as gall and wormwood to the taste 13. Wo be to you that from the root of pride have brought forth such cruelty and injustice and yet are not humbled at the reproof it You triumph in your own wealth and puissance and command which are as a matter of nothing For you say Have not we by our own strength and power pushed down the strong forts of our enemies as it were with horns which they were not able to resist and so made our selves glorious conquerours But this arrogance will not arme and defend you against such adversaries as I shall send 14 For behold I will raise up against you the Assyrians a fierce and potent nation O house of Israel saith the Lord God of Hosts And as you have persecuted and oppressed the poor righteous man so they shall oppresse and hunt after you and drive you before them from one
these three unwelcom prophesies likely to be many waies prejudicial to him his fellow Priests if it should be known and believed by the people He sent to Ieroboam the son of Joas then King of Israel saying Amos hath done that which tends to rebellion and hath ventured to do it within thy own kingdom in the middest of thy leige Subjects the house of Israel divulging such strange prophesies and in such plain terms as the land cannot and should not endure being they do apparantly tend to intestine sedition and are sufficient to provoke the people to usurp that authoritie for the punishment of Amos which properlie belongs to the King or such as he shall please to impower Therefore it were not amisse to advise quicklie what shall be done with such a one 11. For thus saith Amos of the King King Ieroboam shall die by the sword and of the people he saith Israel shall be led away captive into a strange land as if God would cast off your Majestie and his people and forget the great cost and diligence which is bestowed in Bethel upon his publick service 12. Thus Amaziah accused the Prophet Amos with much subtiltie and impudence and verie falslie for he said nothing of the person but of the house of the King Yet least this his malicious accusation of the Prophet should not succeed according to his desire he fell to foul words and menacies and said Heark you you Seer You had best be packing hence into Iudah and there get a poor living as you may by your heretical doctrine and false prophesies For here is no place for such as you are 13. Let us hear no more of you at Bethel For here is the Kings Chappel and the Kings Court Therefore it cannot but be verie dangerous for you to hanker hereabouts but in Iudah I believe your prophesies against us may passe with the good liking and applause of all 14. To this virulent and threatning speech Amos made answer with an humble but an undaunted spirit and said to Amaziah I did neither usurpe nor ambitiously affect the place or title of a Prophet nor had I by birth or succession or education in the Schools of the Prophets any claim or pretense unto it For indeed I was brought up among flocks of sheep and herds of cattel not in the Schools not in the Court but as a gatherer of sycomores for bruit beasts rather then an instructer of men 15. Though it pleased God to take me from following the stock and lay this necessitie upon me of prophesying to his people of Israel Therefore I must obey the divine calling rather then your pleasure and advise or the command of the King if he should so injoine me as you would have him For who shall excuse me when he saith Go prophesie unto this people 16. Now therefore hear thou the word of the Lord. Thou that saiest Drop not thy Prophetical words against Israel We desire not that one drop of them should fall upon our nation For we take them to be no drops from heaven but meerlie from your own lips 16. Therefore as imperious and peremptorie as thou art I will prophesie a little plainer of what will nearlie concern thee Thus saith the Lord. Thy wife in this very City shall have her body abused before thy face by the Assyrian souldiers This will rub the memorie of that spiritual whoredom that hath been practised and maintained by thee as chief Priest in this Citie Thy sons also and thy daughters all nuzled in the same idolatrie shall be cut off by the Assyrian swords And thy idolatrous Country shall be divided by line among those strangers which the King of Assyria will send hither And thou shalt die not in this holy Citie as thou accountest it but in a prophane land among the heathen And all Israel as I foretold shall be carried captive from hence into Assyria for contenming the fair predictions and gracious admonitions that were afforded to them CHAP. VIII 1 THus hath the Lord God shewed unto me and behold a basket of summer fruit 2 And he said Amos what seest thou And I said A basket of summer fruit Then said the Lord unto me The end is come upon my people of Israel I will not again passe by them any more 3 And the songs of the Temples shall be howlings in that day saith the Lord God there shall be many dead bodies in every place they shall cast them forth with silence 4 Hear this O ye that swallow up the needy even to make the poor of the land to fail 5 Saying When will the new Moon be gone that we may sell corn and the Sabbath that we may set forth wheat making the Ephah small and the shekel great and falsifying the balances by deceit 6 That we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of shooes yea and sell the refuse of the wheat 7 The Lord hath sworn by the excellency of Iacob Surely I will never forget any of their works 8 Shall not the land tremble for this and every one mourn that dwelleth therein and it shall rise up wholly as a flood and it shall be cast out and drowned as by the floud of Egypt 9 And it shall come to passe in that day saith the Lord God that I will cause the Sun to go down at noon and I wil darken the earth in the clear day 10 And I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation and I will bring up sackcloath upon all loins and baldnesse upon every head and I will make it as the mourning of an onely son and the end thereof as a bitter day 11 Behold the daies come saith the Lord God that I will send a famine in the land not a famine of bread not a thirst for water but of hearing the words of the Lord. 12 And they shall wander from sea to sea and from the North even to the East they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord and shall not find it 13 In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst 14 They that swear by the sin of Samaria and say Thy God O Dan liveth and the manner of Beer-sheba liveth even thy shall fall and never rise up again CHAP. VIII 1. A fourth vision likewise did the Lord God show unto me And behold It was a basket of ripe summer-fruit 2. And that I might the more heedfully observe the meaning of the vision the Lord said What seest thou Amos I answered A basket of ripe summer-fruit Then the Lord said unto me The end is coming upon my people of Israel For as when fruit is fully ripe men use to pluck it from the tree least it should rot and corrupt the sooner so they being ripe for judgement shall be taken from their Countrie I will passe by their sins no more in such patience
Israel are not you in that point the same to me saith the Lord as any other as they for instance that came from the Cushites a base and servile nation in your account To me your Creator and Lord you are the same though you may be more excellent in respect of some other people that have not receaved so much from me as you have There is nothing in your selves but in my favour onely that distinguisheth you from all others Nor have my favours been wanting to others though they have exceeded towards you For as I brought you out of Egypt where your servitude though you have almost forgot it was greater then that of the Cushites so I brought the Philistims also from Caphtor or Cappadocia and the Syrians from Kir or that part of Media that lies by the river Cyrrus 8. My care and providence hath extended to others but much more to you that have been most ingratefull and disobedient Yet have you larger promises of mercie then any other For Behold and you have great reason to take notice of it The eies of the Lord God that created and governs all and sets up or puls down kingdoms at his pleasure are intent upon every sinful kingdom to destroy it from the face of the earth unlesse they repent Yet for my promise sake to your Forefathers I will not utterly destroy the whole nation and people of Israel saith the Lord. 9. I will indeed by my own command so order it that the Israelites for their sins shall be dispersed and tossed about among the nations as corn is shaked and moved about when it is sifted in a sieve or winnowed with the fan but the chaff onely shall flie away the least grane or scruple shall not fall to the earth Afflictions may purge or trie the best amongst them but they shall not consume them 10. The worst and most obstinate of my people I shall cut off by the sword that amend not their lives upon fair admonition and yet presume that God will not let the evil day so hastily overtake and prevent them but that God will deliver them at last as he hath done their forefathers in many feares and dangers which they have fallen into 11. Their securitie may undo them But there is a day coming wherein I will By Zorobabel restore the state of the Church and kingdom of David and whatsoever under his Successors was gone much to decay Which you may look upon as a type of the kingdom of the Messiah and setling of religion by him Which will be the true repairing of all breaches and raising up the ruines made by Scribes and Pharises and other enemies of the Church and building up the Kingdom of the true Israel of God in greater perfection then ever it saw before 12. That my people or they that are called mine i. my Apostles and Servants and their Successors whom I shall use in the restauration of the Church may take a kind of spiritual possession of the Gentiles in my name bringing them within the pale of the Church and fould of the great Shepherd of our souls Even of the greatest enemies of the Church as the Edomites were to the Iews At least of a remnant of them i. so many of them as shall return by true repentance and obedience from their opposing of the truth So saith the Lord Himself that will be the main Agent in this great work and make use of his Messengers as instruments for that purpose to effect what he hath often and most gratiously promised for the restoring and enlarging of his Church by the conversion and accesse not of Gentiles onely but of enemies too to be incorporated into one mystical body whereof the Messias shall be the head 13. Behold that joyful time is at hand wherein the abundance of Gods spirituall graces shall be prefigured in the plenty of all outward blessings The harvest shall be so long that it shall extend till the time of plowing the earth again And from the beginning of vintage to the sowing of new seed there will be employment enough in gathering of grapes and treading the Winepresse and furnishing all the Cellars with wine Of which there shall be such store as if the mountains dropped and distilled sweet wine and the hills that use to be drie and barren were resolved and moistened with the overflowings of milk Which may figure the plenty of spiritual food and heavenly comforts that shall attend the coming of the Messias 14. And I will bring the captives home again i. such as have been detained under the power of sin and Satan and they shall rebuild the waste Cities and re-inhabit them i. restore and settle the true worship of God where it was neglected And they shall plant Vineyards and drink the wine thereof i. found Churches and tast the fruit of their labours bestowed upon the Church and they shall make gardens and eat the fruit of them i. the maledictions of the Law being taken away they shall be blessed in propagating the Gospel and the true service of God for the increase of those spiritual graces that are like fragrant flowers in the garden of the Church 15. And I will plant them upon their land which I will give them out of which they shall be no more plucked up again i. In the Paradise of the Church they shall be like Trees of Righteousnesse so planted that they shall take deep and firm root Nothing shall separate them from the love and service of God Neither shall the gates of hell the extreamest dangers or terrors be able to prevail against them Thus saith the Lord thy God to thee O Amos or to thee whosoever that art in the number of the true Israel of God Thou maist safely believe it and undertake that all these things shall certainly come to passe A Paraphrastical EXPLICATION Of the PROPHESIE OF OBADIAH 1. THe vision of Obadiah Thus saith the Lord God concerning Edom We have heard a rumour from the Lord and an Ambassadour is sent among the heathen Arise ye and let us rise up against her in battell 2 Behold I have made thee small among the heathen thou art greatly despised 3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock whose habitation is high that saith in his heart Who shall bring me down to the ground 4 Though thou exalt thy self as the Eagle and though thou set thy nest among the stars thence will I bring thee down saith the Lord. 5 If theives came to thee if robbers by night how art thou cut off would they not have stolne till they had enough If the grape gatherers came to thee would they not leave some grapes 6 How are the things of Esau searched out how are his hid things sought up 7 All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the
speak what God had put into his mouth 11. Yet not venturing rashly to make away an Ebrew and so near a Servant to the great Creator and Governour of all things they advised with himself what was fittest to be done to him that they might appease the wrath of God and so quiet the raging Sea which seemed still more and more to swell and beget more trouble to them 12. Then spake the Prophet as from the oracle of God and told them that their safety could not be otherwise procured than by casting him over board and so committing him to the mercy of God And that this their execution of divine Iustice upon him would calm and still the roaring Sea which called aloud for vengeance against him and would not be silent but upon his patient offering himself to the mercy of Almighty God and so becoming some means of their deliverance from what himself had been a main instrument to bring upon them wherein he was a type of Christ that offered himself to a crueller death for the salvation of the world 13. Neverthelesse Jonas his readinesse to die for them melted the hearts of the rude Mariners I wish our Saviours offering himself for us could work the like effect in us all They resolved now to venture themselves a little further for his sake rather than secure themselves by his death And casting about in their minds all the waies by which they might preserve him they pitched upon this as the likeliest to try whether by rowing the ship to dry land they might not save themselves and him too But after much labour they see that they could not do it For the more they strived to gain the land the more fiercely did the wind and weather beat them into new danger upon the Sea 14. At last though forced unto it yet they would not be executioners of the death of a Prophet till they had prayed to Almighty God whose power the Prophet had made known to them that they might not be called to account for the losse of his life nor his innocent blood any way laid to their charge because all these things the extraordinary tempest the event of the lottery and Jonah's own confession appeared plainly to fall out and be wholly ordered and directed according to his own divine dispensation and holy will and pleasure In all which prayer of the Mariners they were no types of the cruelty of the Jewes to our Saviour when he died for us 15. After this but much against their wills they took up Jonah that willingly yeilded himself and cast him into the Sea which being done there followed a sudden and great calm The boisterous waves and whistling winds were laid As the fury of Death and Sathan was quelled upon our Saviours exposing himself to Death for our Salvation 16. These things wrought in the Seamen a wonderfull Fear and Reverence of the true God the Creator and Lord of all things Of whom they might have heard something in Joppe and other places of the holy land but these passages concerning Jonah and the words that he spake to them wrought so powerfully in their hearts that upon their safe landing again they offered sacrifice to the Lord after the way of Israel according to the vowes which they had made unto him when they were in danger adding other vowes which they intended afterwards to perform at their first opportunity 17. But God that is able to rescue us in all places and useth to be a present help in the greatest times of difficulty by his good providence and mercy had prepared a whale to swallow up Ionah alive and be as his prison or his keeper for a time And Ionah continued in the belly of the Fish three dayes and three nights and so again became a type of our Saviour that was three dayes and three nights in the heart of the earth CHAP. II. 1 THen Ionah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fishes belly 2 And said I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord and he heard me out of the belly of hell cried I and thou heardst my voice 3 For thou hadst cast me into the deep in the midst of the seas and the flouds compassed me about all thy billows and thy waves passed over me 4 Then I said I am cast out of thy sight yet I will look again toward thy holy temple 5 The waters compassed me about even unto the soul the depth closed me round about the weeds were wrapt about my head 6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains the earth with her bars was about me for ever yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption O Lord my God 7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord and my prayer came in unto thee into thine holy temple 8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy 9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanks-giving I will pay that that I have vowed salvation is of the Lord. 10 And the Lord spake unto the fish and it vomited out Ionah upon the dry land CHAP. II. 1. JOnah in the time of his abode within the Whale considering the miraculous securitie that he had being scarce out of the very mouth of one danger of being swallowed up by the sea and yet presently in the middest of another in the bellie of a vast and monstrous Fish did not forget to make his humble and yet confident prayer to the Lord his God a kind of Prophetical assurance of his deliverie from the Fish as well as from the Sea 2. And he framed his prayer to this purpose I cried unto the Lord out of that fearful affliction of mine that streightly compassed me about on every side and by the life yet left in my bodie with some degree of inward repose and quiet in my soul I quickly and easily perceived that he had accepted and answered my prayer Yes O my Gracious and Merciful God Out of the innermost parts of the Whale wherein I lay as in a kind of Grave or a shadow of darknesse like Hell it self for the time Even thence I cried and thou wert pleased to give ear to the voice of my groaning in my importunate prayer 3. Though what relief could I then in any reason have expected when thou hadst cast me into the innermost receptacles and bosome of the vast Seas where the overflowing of the waters circled me about and which was more terrible unto me my accusing thoughts in reflection upon thy heavy displeasure and my rebellious sin were like so many waves and surges that passed over me and afflicted my heavy soul. So that what the Royal Prophet once speak in a figure I find in a more literal and both sensible and spiritual way made good upon me 4. How could I then but take up those other words of the same Prophet wherein betwixt hope and discomfort he complains that he was cast
fields 5 Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in the congregation of the Lord. 6 Prophesie ye not say they to them that prophesie they shall not prophesie to them that they shall not take shame 7 O thou that art named the house of Iacob is the spirit of the Lord straitened are these his doings do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly 8 Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that passe by securely as men averse from war 9 The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses from their children have ye taken away my glory for ever 10 Arise ye and depart for this is not your rest because it is polluted it shall destroy you even with a fore destruction 11 If a man walking in the spirit and falshood do lie saying I will prophesie unto thee of wine and of strong drink he shall even be the prophet of this people 12 I will surely assemble O Iacob all of thee I will surely gather the remnant of Israel I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah as the flock in the midst of their fold they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men 13 The breaker is come up before them they have broken up and have passed through the gate and are gone out by it and their king shall pâ—sse before them and the Lord on the head of them CHAP. II. 1. THese woes and sorrows that are threatned before are the just rewards of sin And they must look for a great share in that wo that studie to be evil and upon their beds devise iniquity and plot several waies wherein they may bring their wickednesse into act as soon as the opportunity of the morning light and their own power and ability will give them leave 2. This kind of men do no sooner fasten theiâ— covetousnesse upon other mens fields but all the violence that can be must be used for the gaining of them no sooner do they entertain a desire of other mens houses but they think they may take them as their own Such violence and oppression do they use against other men and their houses and whatsoever descends to them by no lesser right then that of inheritance 3. Therefore thus saith the Lord these plots and devices of this family of the house of Iacob shall be answered with somewhat that I will devise against them They contrived the evil of sin and would not be taken off from the execution of it so will I in my thoughts resolve of the evil of punishment from whence none of you shall shrink your necks out of the collar to escape it And I will lay such a yoke upon you that you shall be ready to sink under it and shall not be able to go upright That will be an ill time unto all the time of their going into captivity and bearing the yoke of a forein Prince and Conqueror 4. In that day shall men take up a proverb against you and deliver it in terms of a most bitter lamentation saying We are utterly spoiled and the land that was the lot and portion of my people is changed to other uses And how strangely hath the enemy removed and taken away whatsoever he could carrie with him and now returns again to share our lands and tenements 5. Thus will they abuse us in songs and short parables taken up in scorn and sung as personating of our God and us But now to speak plainly and without parable of our selves there is too much truth in their abusive song For I may say to my dear Country Thou shalt never have any again that shall divide thy several inheritances unto thee as they have done heretofore in the congregations of the Lord. 6. And now since I have told you others mocks against you let me tell you how you were wont to mock us that are your Prophets and say Do not you drop and distil such prophesies into us as other Prophets have used to be free of Well the time will come when such Prophets as you so abused will drop no more of such prophesies upon you like the rain or dew from heaven And when you know what it is to want them you will resolve that no Prophet that comes after shall carry away such reproaches instead of rewards and have his heavenly doctrine answered with such base and ignominious speeches 7. This which I tell you is said to the house of Iacob by commission from God himself And when these and the like threats in our prophesies are declared unto you think ye that the merciful spirit of the Lord is any way shortned and contracted Or doth he these things out of any ill intentions to you Nay are not my words in the mouth of my Prophets intended to the good of every one that walks uprightly for I speak to you now as from God himself and in his person and so I go on to speak to you in the same person 8. They that went awhile ago under the title of my people and called me their God do now as if I were become their enemie rise up in hostile manner against me and they that were indeed my people I speak it to you who have used them so kindly that according to your proverb you have pulled off their robe with their under garments and so left them to the naked world And no otherwise do you take any thing from those that passe on peaceably by you then you do from those that are returned as captives from the battel over whom you have a fairer pretense from the priviledge of war for rifling of them 9. And not the men onely but the weaker sex too do you use after this rude and barbarous manner for you have against all law ejected wives of my people out of their poor houses wherein they took pleasure to be as good women should do without gadding abroad And so do you put them upon the inconveniences which they must suffer that are turned out of doors to shift for themselves and bring up their children as they may and not as they should Wherein you take away for ever that honour and glorie which I should have had from their children if their education had been answerable to the will and means of their godly parents 10. Therefore as you ejected their mothers so will I eject you Come then and prepare your selves to be packing out of this land which your sins have so pulluted It shall be no dwelling place for such as you It shall rather be a means utterly to destroy you and vomit you out as a matter of most filthy corruption that hath been a long time troublesom unto her 12. Is not this a fit people to shake up their best Prophets as they do But I can tell you what Prophets would please
the edicts and precepts of Omri that wicked King of Israel are observed with thee more readily than the precepts of the God of Jacob and so are all the workes of the house of Ahab the sonne of Omri after whose advise and example you have so framed the course of your lives as if you intended that I should make you a desolation and all your inhabitants a hissing Therefore shall you bear the reproach of my people They that passe by and see the ruine of your Citie shall lay all the blame and shame of it upon the rapine of her rich Citizens and the lying cozening and dissembling of the other inhabitants CHAP. VII 1 WO is me for I am as when they have gathered the summer-fruits as the grape-gleanings of the vintage there is no cluster to eat my soul desired the first ripe fruit 2 The good man is perished out of the earth and there is none upright among men they all lie in wait for blood they hunt every man his brother with a net 3 That they may do evil with both hands earnestly the prince asketh and the judge asketh for a reward and the great man he uttereth his mischievous desire so they wrap it up 4 The best of them is as a brier the most upright is sharper then a thorn-hedge the day of thy watch-men and thy visitation cometh now shall be their perplexity 5 Trust ye not in a friend put ye not confidence in a guid keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom 6 For the son dishonoreth the father the daughter riseth up against her mother the daughter in law against her mother in law a mans enemies are the men of his own house 7 Therefore I will look unto the Lord I will wait for the God of my salvation my God will hear me Rejoyce not against me O mine enemy when I fall I shall arise when I sit in darknesse the Lord shall be a light unto me 9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him until he plead my cause and execute judgement for me he will bring me forth to the light and I shall behold his righteousnesse 10 Then she that is mine enemy shall see it and shame shall cover her which said unto me Where is the Lord thy God mine eyes shall behold her and now shall she be troden down as the mire of the streets 11 In the day that thy walls are to be built in that day shall the decree be far removed 12 In that day also he shall come even to thee from Assyria and from the fortified cities and from the fortresse even to the river and from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain 13 Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein for the fruit of their doings 14 Feed thy people with thy rod the flock of thine heritage which dwell solitarily in the wood in the midst of Carmel let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the daies of old 15 According to the daies of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things 16 The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might they shall lay their hand upon their mouth their ears shall be deaf 17 They shal lick the dust like a serpent they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth they shall be afraid of the Lord our God and shall fear because of thee 18 Who is a God like vnto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage he retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy 19 He will turn again he will have compassion upon us he will subdue our iniquities and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depth of the sea 20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Iacob and the mercy to Abraham which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the daies of old CHAP. VII 1. YOu have heard what you should justly have said to God and what he hath said as justly against you Will you now hear what I or any good man might as well say of the sad estate wherein you shall shortly be under the raign of Manasses a most dissolute and idolatrous Prince that will succeed the good Hezekiah Wo is me that I am fallen upon so unhappy an age wherein there are few or none to be seen that love and fear God! I am in a time like that wherein men have gathered in their summer fruits and there are onely a few grape-gleanings left of the vintage a time when there is no cluster to eat I may long and desire with all my soul to taste some of the first-ripe fruits but there is none to be had 2. Such a scarcity of goodnesse is there in this wicked age wherein the best men are all dead and taken out of the earth there is not a just and upright person to be found among men They are all such as lie in wait for blood They hunt every man after his brother and seek his utter ruine and destruction 3. So do they hunt and lay snares with both hands when they are to do mischief but when they do any good for others the very Prince and Magistrate knows how to ask for his reward and the judge for his bribe and retribution from him that hath the cause to go on his side And if a great man speak out of that wickednesse that is in his heart as in some false relation at a trial before the Judge he orders it so that he will thereby intricate and intangle the businesse the more to puzle those that have interest in the thing to be decided by the Judge 4. And for this matter of briberie he that is accounted the best of them is no better then a brier that catcheth at what can be had from all that come near it and he that hath the name of the uprightest man is without that reward no kinder then a thorny hedge that hath prickles to fetch blood out of all that meddle with it But when the day comes which the watchmen thy Prophets have foretold thee of O Jerusalem and the time of thy visitation then shall these men of all other be in great perplexity as a just reward of that intangling and perplexing of causes with their unjust relations and seeking after bribes 5. In such a wicked age for briberie and injustice take heed what friend you trust and put no great confidence in Princes and Magistrates And keep the door of thy mouth from being too open in deliverie of thy secret thoughts to thy own wife that lies in thy bosom whence they are to be picked out 6. For what is done by the rest of thy family may be done by thy wife in time and now adaies it is ordinarie for the son to dishonour his father in disclosing of
his secrets and for the daughter to rise up as a witnesse against her mother and the daughter in law against the mother in law And a mans enemies are they of his own house as usually as any other 7. But be the world never so bad I that speak all this against these wretched times will still look up unto God in my hearty prayers for patience and perseverance in doing good and a happy deliverance in due time from the perils of a disordered state I will constantly wait for the God of my salvation And I doubt not but my God will hear me 8. After this Prophetical discourse of my own in the foresight and contemplation of the miseries and disorders that shall happen in the reign of Manasses you shall now hear my own Country the Iewish nation her self bemoaning of her great affliction under Zedekiah and the Babylonish Captivity and somewhat too of their return out of captivity under Nehemiah and Ezra For thus she bespeaks the Country of the Chaldeans first Do not triumph over me O thou mine enemie When I am fallen into a low estate I shall rise again and when I sit in the darknesse of a sad affliction there shall the Lord be as a light and comfort unto me 9. I will patiently bear the heavy punishment laid upon me in the fierce indignation of the Lord because I drew it upon my self by those sins which I committed against him This will I do till he please to take notice of my cause to plead for me and to revenge the injuries which I have received from the Babylonians As in his justice I know he will do in his good time And he will bring me out of this sad and gloomy time of affliction into the chearful lustre and glorie of my former prosperity And in that light I shall once again be able to see the goodnesse of the Lord. 10. And my enemie the whole nation of the Chaldeans shall see it as well as I when she shall be ready to hide her self for shame as impudent as she was in the time of my captivity to say unto me Where is now the Lord thy God what is now become of that help which you expected from him Mine eies shall see her then with comfort when she will be ashamed to look upon me And when I am raised out of my low estate then shall she be cast down and trampled under feet by the victorious Persians and made no more account of then the mire in the streets 11. The time will then come for repairing of thy breaches and rebuilding of thy walls O Jerusalem And at that time the proud commands of the Babylonian shall be out of date instead of sending abroad his high edicts to other nations he shall have one above him the conquering Persians that shall over-master and command him 12. About those daies men shall begin to stock again unto thee O Jerusalem Some from Assyria and the strongest Cities there Shortly after thou maiest discover them from all parts coming towards thee Some from the strongest forts beyond Euphrates towards that river and so towards thee And in like manner from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain shall they come to thee 17. For the countries from whence they shall thus come to thee shall fall to ruine and desolation for the sinful inhabitants thereof which shall have that fruit of their wicked works and so many of them for very need be forced to repair unto thee 14. So be it O Lord for their chastisement and for our return and recovery of our former estate Feed thine own people again as their careful Shepherd go before them with thy Shepherds hook as the peculiar flock of thine heritage They that have lodged long like as in a barren and solitary place in a wood let them now come to feed again in as pleasant places as those of Mount Carmel and in as rich pastures as those of Basan and Gilead as in the daies of old 14. And say to thy people O Lord I will show thee again as wonderful things in mercy as I did heretofore when I brought thee out of the land of Egypt And I will show as great a punishment upon thine enemies as I then did upon the Egyptians 16. So let the nations all about be confounded at all the might and power of the Jews Let them lay their hands on their mouths in silent admiration and their ears be made deaf with the noise and fame of thy wondrous acts 17. Like men amazed at them so let them fall down with fear and astonishment and lick the dust like a serpent Let them be forced to creep out of their secret holes and refuges where they had hid themselves like wormes out of the earth And in the complishment of these things which our prophesies have foretold let them learn to fear the Lord our God and stand in awe of thee O Lord. 18. Who among the gods is like unto thee that pardonest iniquity and removest the punishment thereof upon our repentance and passest by many of the transgressions of the poor remnant of thy people as one that is unwilling to take notice of them if they may be amended For He is not so implacable as to continue in his anger for ever though our sins extort a punishment His delight is rather in mercy and loving kindnesse 19. Therefore will he have mercy upon us again He will trample all our offences under his feet as things he would see no more and cast them into the bottom of the sea as things that he will not care for hereafter nor make any more account of 20 So Lord wilt thou perform the truth of thy promises to Iacob and thy tender mercies to Abraham and what thou hast confirmed by oath to our forefathers from the daies of old A Paraphrastical EXPLICATION Of the PROPHESIE OF NAHUM CHAP. I. 1 THe burden of Nineveh The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite 2 God is jealous and the Lord revengeth the Lord revengeth and is furious the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries and he reserveth wrath for his enemies 3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power and will not at all acquit the wicked the Lord hath his way in the whirl-wind and in the storm and the clouds are the dust of his feet 4 He rebuketh the sea and maketh it drie and drieth up all the rivers Bashan languisheth and Carmel and the flower of Lebanon languisheth 5 The mountains quake at him and the hills melt and the earth is burnt at his presence yea the world and all that dwell therein 6 Who can stand before his indignation and who can abide in the fiercenesse of his anger his furie is poured out like fire and the rocks are thrown down by him 7 The Lord is good a strong bold in the day of trouble and he knoweth them that trust in
him 8 But with an over-running floud he will make an utter end of the place thereof and darknesse shall pursue his enemies 9 What do ye imagine against the Lord he will make an utter end affliction shall not rise up the second time 10 For while they be folden together as thorns and while they are drunken as drunkards they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry 11 There is one come out of thee that imagineth evil against the Lord a wicked counsellour 12 Thus saith the Lord Though they be quiet and likewise many yet thus shall they be cut down when he shall passe through though I have afflicted thee I will afflict thee no more 13 For now will I break his yoke from off thee and will burst thy bonds in sunder 14 And the Lord hath given a commandment concerning thee that no more of thy name be sown out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image the molten image I wil make thy grave for thou art vile 15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good things that publisheth peace O Iudah keep thy solemn feasts perform thy vows for the wicked shall no more passe through thee he is utterly cut off CHAP. I. 1. THe heavy doom against Nivive and with her against the whole Assyrian Empire foretold in this book of the Prophesie of Nahum who was of Kessi or Elkesai a little village in Galilie 2. God is a jealous God and so cannot suffer his Servants to be too long and too much oppressed and he is the God to whom vengeance belongeth and so cannot suffer his enemies too long to prosper and triumph in their wicked waies When he comes to take vengeance his heavy anger against sin goes along with it as the executioner of his Justice And when that comes he will not fail to be revenged of his adversaries against whom he laid up his wrath as in a treasure to be drawn out and spent upon them in due time 3. Indeed he comes slowly to those times of the execution of his wrath in great patience and long-suffering expecting their repentance but when he comes he shows himself to be great in power and one that will not acquit the impenitent and suffer them to passe unpunished for what they have done but rather by heavinesse of the punishment make a recompense for the slowness of his anger Which he shows all the way he comes to it making it like a way in a whirlwind and mighty storm and walking upon the clouds as we do upon the dust of the earth which he commands as he doth the boisterous winds and all other creatures to be mustered up against us at his pleasure 4. In these times if he check and rebuke the great Sea that cheek of his dries it up and makes it instantly vanish and fly away for fear as the children of Israel found it in the red sea needs must all the lesser rivers then be dried up with the least angry breath of his as they found it also in the river Iordan And when his just anger will show it self by land as well as by water a little passe granted by that authority will make the rich corn fields of Carmel and the fat meadows of Basan and all the green flaurishing woods in Lebanon sodainly to fade and wither away as once a word of his did it from the mouth of Elijah 5. And to show himself the God of the hills as well as of the valleys he can make the strongest mountains to quake for fear of him and the highest hills to stoop and melt away like the rock that at his striking hand wept it self into rivers And what should I speak of Hills or Vales that yeeld to his anger Any part of the earth for fear of him and at the breath of his nostrils would be soon put into as great a heat and flame as that of Sodom and Gomorrha and the whole world with all that dwel therein may easily be consumed in the fire of his wrath as the greatest part will in the last conflagration before the day of doom 6. For who can stand firm that is shaked by his indignation or if he be once cast down who can raise himself again to oppose the fiercenesse of his anger which when it breaks out like fire is able to rend and cast down the hardest rocks at the fear of him 7. This infinite power may be a terrour to his enemies but as great a comfort and support it is to his servants for the gratious Lord is a sure refuge and fortresse unto all his in the time of trouble and will ever f acknowledge and take notice of those that put their trust in him 8. But like an universal deluge he will sodainly overtake and utterly overwhelm him whosoever he is that rises up against him and all his enemies shall be pursued with the horror and darknesse of affliction 9. Wherwith can you devise to stay this effect of the anger of the Lord while he is working of that which will prove no lesse then an utter destruction to be given at one blow one heavy afflicting blow that shall never need to be repeated in a second affliction to make all sure for a final ruine 10. Which may well be compared to the sodain consuming of thorns that are tied up together before they are cast into the fire or the sodain conquest that drunkards make over their own understanding when they sit tipling over the sweet liquor For so sodainly shall they perish as stubble doth in the flame when it is fully drie before it be cast into it 11. And the lesse should be the wonder at the severity of these judgements because out of thee O Assyria there hath ever come some back-friend or other some most wicked counsellor and plotter against the people of God some Phul or Tiglath-pelezer or Sennacherib or Rabsace that studying to oppose the peculiar people of God proved himself therein no better then a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an opposer and contriver of mischief against God himself 12. But thus saith the Lord against those insulting enemies though they had attained to the perfection of power and policy and so to be a numerous and great people likely enough to execute their malitious designes yet would it be like easie for me when they are ripe for justice to cut them down And this will prove true by the event when one that I shall chuse out i. the Chaldaean as wise and populous a nation as they shall begin to make his way thorough them without any resistance When that day comes it will not be long ere I smite thee O Ninive with a blow that shall come so close and home that it shall not need to be reiterated by any second attempt 13. With that blow shall I break his yoke the troublesom
mother-City shall be led away captive and in that capacity shall the inferiour townes like so many of her handmaids attend upon her driven along like so many herds of cattle lowing as they go or like so many mournfull doves all the way lamenting and striking upon their hearts and breasts to a heavier sound within than their enemies could beat upon their drums 8. Thus do they lament the emptying of Nineveh which anciently indeed was very populous and in that like a Fish-pond richly stored with water if that Citie may be compared to a pool so inclosed as the people are often compared to water And to follow the metaphore when it is let open this people will be as mute as fishes They will run all out of their Citie as fast as water out of a pond A man may cry to them stay stay run not so fast from your richest Citie but not a man will look back to give a word of retreat 9. Will you now hear the commission and power that God himself will give to the Babylonians for the compleating of this work upon the Ninevites It is as much as if he should say to them Take all their silver and gold as a spoil that I allot to you for this service with all the infinite store which the Ninivites have hoorded up and the pompous and stately furniture which they abounded withall above all that a man might desire 10. With no other commission is Niniveh so emptied and laid open and exposed to all injury and miserie In the sense of it their hearts shall melt within them and their knees smite together and extream pain seize upon their loines as upon a woman in travaile which shall turn their very faces into a black and mournfull hew 11. When this Prophesie comes to be fulfilled you may well ask the question What is now become of the high and mighty Assyrians that domineered over other nations as the Lion doth over other creatures and made their Court like the Lions den where their young ones were crammed and enriched with all variety of spoiles There the Lion was wont to strut himself the old crafty Lion and the youngsters the Lions whelps which none could make afraid 12. This Lion hunted and preyed sufficiently where he list for his young ones He strangled other creatures at his pleasure to be made food for his Lionesses and so filled his dens and every corner in them with rapine 13. This I winked at for a while saith the Lord of hostes but now have at thee For Nineve's chariots that were wont to fetch home her prey shall now at my command be consumed and vanish in their smoak and her young gallants which were as her fierce young Lions shall perish by the sword in which weapon they gloried and presumed so much and by which I will cut off all her ability of ranging about the earth to prey upon whom she list so that Nineveh's proud messages and commands hereafter shall find none that will give them the hearing CHAP. III. 1 WO to the bloody city it is all full of lies and robberies the prey departeth not 2 The noise of a whip and the noise of the ratling of the wheels and of the praunsing horses and of the jumping chariots 3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear and there is a multitude of slain and a great number of carcas's and there is none end of their corpses they stumble upon their corpses 4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wel-favoured harlot the mistress of witch-crafts that selleth nations through her whoredomes and families through her witchcrafts 5 Behold I am against thee saith the Lord of hosts and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face and I will shew the nations thy nakednesse and the kingdoms thy shame 6 And I will east abominable filth upon thee and make thee vile and will set thee as a gazing-stock 7 And it shall come to passe that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee and say Nineveh is laid waste who will bemoan her whence shall I seek comforters for thee 8 Art thou better than populous No that was situate among theâ— rivers that had the waters round about it whose rampart was the sea and her wall was from the sea 9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength and it was infinite Put and Lubim were thy helpers 10 Yet was she carried away she went into captivity her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets and they cast lots for her honourable men and all her great men were bound in chains 11 Thou also shalt be drunken thou also shalt be hid thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy 12 All thy strong holds shall be like fig-trees with the first ripe figs if they be shaken they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater 13 Behold thy people in the midst of thee are women the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies the fire shall devour thy bars 14 Draw thee waters for the siege fortifie thy strong holds go into clay and tread the morter make strong the brickkil 15 There shall the fire devour thee the sword shall cut thee off it shall eat thee up like the canker-worm make thy self many as the canker-worm make thy self many as the locusts 16 Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven the canker-worm spoileth and fleeth away 17 Thy crowned are as the locusts and thy captains as the great grashoppers which camp in the hedges in the cold day but when the sun ariseth they flee away and their place is not known where they are 18 Thy shepherds slumber O king of Assyria thy nobles shall dwel in the dust thy people is scattered upon the mountains and no man gathereth them 19 There is no healing of thy bruise thy wound is grievous all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee for upon whom hath not thy wickednesse passed continually CHAP. III. 1. WO to the bloody City that hath filled up her measure in the heaviest sins of lying and extortion and when she had got a trick of spoil and rapine could never be brought to leave it 2. For this must they hear the sound of the lash held over them and the noise of the ratling wheels in the Chariots of war and of the fierce galopping steeds in those swift chariots that seem to skip and dance as they passe along in their speedy pace 3. Among these the horseman shall advance his glittering spear with his sparkling sword After which so great multitudes of the slain and so many heaps of dead carkasses shall be thrown np together that by the continual accesse of the dead corpses a man shall not stir but he shall be ready to stumble upon them 4. And all this is but the just recompense of the
heard from the Fish-gate which is in that part which you call the City of David Then a sad and doleful howling from the second part of the City And as woful and crashing a noise from the highest and most eminent part wherein is the Temple and the Palace places that have been often acquainted with sweeter sounds 11. When the three chief places in Ierusalem have thus begun to expresse their sad condition then you that dwell in the hollower part of the City may second them with as doleful an eccho to bewail the ruine of the multitudes of Merchants thereabouts and the many fair heaps of silver that they must leave behind them 12. Then will I suffer every rich corner in Ierusalem to be as narrowly searched and ransacked by the Chaldaean souldiers as a man would peep and prie into the closest places with the help of candles that he might be sure to let nothing escape him that he hath a mind to bear away And so shall my justice meet with those that have lived in ease and plenty and without any disturbance like wine that hath been long setled on the lees without any removal out of one vessel into another These are they that soothed up themselves in their own foolish perswasion that God took no great care of humane affairs either to reward or to punish us here below according to our good or bad life and conversation 13. But this is the day wherein I will confute them by exposing their ill-gotten goods as a prey to the enemie and bringing their houses wherein they nestled themselves so securely to utter ruine and fearful desolation or at least by changing the owners so that other men shall dwell in those goodly buildings which they have erected and drink up the fruit of those costly vineyards which they had planted for themselves 14. This great day of the Lord is near very near and withal it flies swiftly towards us as a time that hath quicker wings then ordinarie to convey it self It will be such a bustling day that you may hear it as well as see it and the stoutest man that hears the approach of that day will not passe it over so quickly but that he will be heard to expresse the bitteruesse of the day in most bitter lamentations 15. This day will be a day of wrath and a day of trouble and yet a day wherein we shall be so streightned and penned in that there will be no way of evasion It will be a day of desolation of utter desolation without hope of recoverie to most of them A dark and gloomy day without the least appearance of comfort and a cloudie and thick-cloudie day wherein the heavens whither we use to cast up our eyes for relief will seem continually to frown upon us 16. A day that will fright us with the sound of the trumpet and the alarm of war against the strongest Cities and highest Towers that we have 17. In this day saith the Lord I will cause men to be in such pressure and such streights that they shall see no more then blind men which way to turn themselves or what course to take that may rid them out of this distresse And in the midst of those streights because they have sinned against the Lord their enemies shall make no more scruple of shedding their blood then of treading upon the dust that is under their feet and their bodies shall have no better esteem then the dung of the earth 18. In this day of Gods wrath their silver and gold shall not be able to purchase their ransome but the whole land shall be sodainly consumed by the fierce and jealous wrath of the Lord wherein he will make a full and speedy riddance of all that dwell in the land CHAP. II. 1 GAther your selves together yea gather together O nation not desired 2 Before the decree bring forth before the day passe as the chaff before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you before the day of the Lords anger come upon you 3 Seek ye the Lord all ye meek of the earth which have wrought his judgement seek righteousnesse seek meeknesse it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lords anger 4 For Gaza shall be forsaken and Ashkelon a desolation they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day and Ekron shall be rooted up 5 Wo unto the inhabitants of the sea-coast the nation of the Cherethites the word of the Lord is against you O Canaan the land of the Philistines I will even destroy thee that there shall be no inhabitant 6 And the sea-coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds and folds for flocks 7 And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Iudah they shall feed thereupon in the houses of Ashkelon shall they ly down in the evening for the Lord their God shall visit them and turn away their captivity 8 I have heard the reproach of Moab and the revilings of the children of Ammon whereby they have reproached my people and magnified themselves against their borders 9 Therefore as I live saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel surely Moab shall he as Sodom and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah even the breeding of nettles and salt-pits and a perpetual desolation the residue of my people shall spoil them and the remnant of my people shall possesse them 10 This shall they have for their pride because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the Lord of hosts 11 The Lord will be terrible unto them for he will famish all the gods of the earth and men shall worship him every one from his place even all the isles of the heathen 12 Ye Ethiopians also ye shall be slain by my sword 13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria and will make Nineveh a desolation and dry like a wildernesse 14 And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her all the beasts of the nations both the cormorant and the Bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it their voice shall sing in the windows desolation shall be in the thresholds for he shall uncover the cedar-works 15. This is the rejoycing city that dwelt carelesly that said in their heart I am and there is none beside me how is she become a desolation a place for beasts to lie down in every one that passeth by her shall hiss and wag his hand CHAP. II. 1. THe day so foretold being so terrible and so near at hand Make an exact scrutinie and examination of your selves first and then of what else may conduce to your safety O nation little worthy the love and good liking of those that know your waies 2. Do this before Gods peremptorie and irrevocable decree produce the certain and final resolution for this day which shall be like one of his fanning and winnoing daies wherein he will separate
shall sit and rule upon his throne and he shall be a priest upon his throne and the counsel of peace shall be between them both 14 And the crowns shall be to Helem and to Tobijah and to Iedajah and to Hen the son of Zephaniah for a memorial in the temple of the Lord. 15 Aud they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the Lord and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you And this shall come to passe if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God CHAP. VI. 1. WHen I lift up mine eyes again to look about me I saw four warlike Chariots passing from between two strong mountains that appeared like mountains of brasse a type of four warlike troops under the conduct of their famous Commanders that made all their passage through the streights of Anti-taurus which are between the fastnesse of the rough and craggy hills in Cilicia and through which the Babylonians and Persians and Alexanders forces and the armies of the Commanders that succeeded him were wont to make their way into Syria and Iudaea and other parts thereabout 2. The first Chariot was drawn by red horses figuring the bloody actions of the Babylonians which we had felt already The second Chariot was furnished with black horses which sad and mournful colour made them apt to represent the frequent famines and other heavy calamities that many were to suffer under the Persian Monarchie 3. In the third Chariot I observed they were white horses which colour in opposition to the former of the Persians sable hue might figure the joyful triumphs and victories that the forces of the great Alexander who commanded that Chariot were to have over the vast armies and countries of the sad and mournful Persian that was at last to tast of that sorrow which himself before had brought upon others The fourth Chariot consisting of divided forces was brought along by Horses of several colours some speckled with round white spots like hail-stones other of a pale colour like ashes the emblem of the Syrian and Egyptian forces which fell so often and sodainly like hail-shot in several places before they were looked for and by policie and subtilty concealed and covered their intentions like fire under the ashes till by the sodain breath of their boisterous commands they would have it to break out And these armies of the Syrian and Egyptian Kings were the rather joyned together in this vision because they came both from Alexander and the sufferings of the Iews under them should be much alike some full of sad storms other of greater miseries that would turn many of them to their last dust and ashes sometime under the one sort of Commanders and sometime under the other 4. Then I applied my self again to the Angel by whose instructions I had been all this while informed and said unto him What are these my Lord 5. And he answered me to this purpose that these were for their busling in the world and the large compasse they take up like the four winds under heaven i. the four Empires under several Commanders dispersed toward the four climates of the known habitable world And though the winds may show their boisterous and uncertain dispositions in themselves considered yet they shall execute nothing but according to the providence and wisdom and pleasure of the Lord of Hosts and therefore it is said that they go not forth till they have presented themselves before the Lord of all the earth to receive his commands 6. That which hath the black horses is the Persian Armie which took their progresse not long since toward the Northern countries And the white those of Alexanders troops shall follow as hard after them of Persia when the time of their Commission for that service is is come But the speckled the various expeditions of Alexanders forces under Ptolomaeus Lagi shall take their way toward the Southern parts and be setled in Egypt 7. And the pale horses i. those troops of Alexanders followers that shall take their name and rise from Seleucus they shall have many several plots and essayes about these parts of the world and in all the countries hereabouts they will make their several attempts And the Commission which they recovered from the Almighty Commander of all runs in these terms Go make your several per ambulations and assayes in several Countries of the earth And so accordingly they wil dispose of themselves here and there in the several progresse of their military forces 8. While I was intent upon the Visions the Angel called me nearer to him as if he had some new observation to impart and this it was Mark these Armies of the Persians saith he that took their journies into the North they have revenged the injuries you received from the Babylonian and so abundantly satisfied the anger which I justly conceaved against those Northern parts 9. Then came a particular commmand to me from the Lord to this effect 10. That I should take to me some of them that were newly returned from the captivity of Babylon which God had so powerfully revenged by the hand of the Persian And amongst those that I was to make choice of Hulday al. Helem was to be called by name From whom and from Tobijah and Iedajah my self making my appearance at the same time in the house of Iosiah the son of Zephaniah 11. From them I was to receave silver and gold which lay in their hands for the ornaments of the Temple and employ it to the making of several crowns whereof one to be set upon the head of Iosuah the Son of Iosedeck the High-Priest that herein he may be like the High-Priests his Predecessors that were wont to be honoured with a crown in times of publick joy and gratulation 12. And then shalt thou say unto him Behold the man whose name is the BRANCH from the root of Iesse Fix your eies upon your Messias your great Deliverer of whom and whose deliverie all other deliverers and deliverances as this of Babylon are but little shadows He shall bud forth and flourish in due time answerable to his name of BRANCH and it shall be out of that place which himself shall make choice of and he shall build the Church of God into a just fabrick your Temple now to be raised and your Builders that are now in hand with the work shall be Types and Figures of it 13. It is he that shall build that spiritual Temple of the Lord. It is he that shall purchase to Himself great Honour and Glory and a name above every name And he shall have not a crown onely like your High-Priest but a throne of Glory upon which he shall sit and rule remaining a Priest for ever and a Kingly Priest a Priest upon his throne And the counsail of Peace shall proceed in virtue of both those Titles and Dignities
plain had the same benefit of a quiet and secure repose and a rich habitation 8. And the word of the Lord came again unto me saying 9. Thus spake the Lord of Hostes by former Prophets saying In your publick places of Judgement proceed according to the rules of true Iustice and Equity without any regard to silthy lucre or to the prejudice of Affection And in your private actions and commerce with one another show that kindnesse and compassion that should be expected among Brethren of the same stock and alliance and of the same Religion and Profession 10. Let there be no injuring or oppressing of the widow the orphan the stranger or any that are poor and afflicted amongst you And do not so much as in your hearts devise or conceive any mischeivous intention against one another All this I commanded your Fathers by the former Prophets 11. But they would not hear of that ear they shrunk up the shoulder and in plain rebellion turned their backs upon their good guides and followed those courses that would make their cares duller for any holy counsaile that called for this obedience 12. And thus by degrees they made their hearts as it were in a set opposition to all exhortations of obedience as hard as flint or any the hardest and most durable stone that there might be no admittance for the voice of the law and the precepts which the Lord of Hostes sent them by those that were to that purpose raised up and enlightened by his holy Spirit for such were all your former Prophets And this wilfull and obstinate rebellion of theirs could not but draw down the heavie and just indignation of the Lord of Hostes. 13. And accordingly you see it came to passe that as they suffered God to call upon them and would return him no answer of obedience so when their own miseries forced them to call for divine assistanee then did I refuse to answer their desires saith the Lord of Hostes. 14. And I dispersed them in mine anger as if it had been with a mighty whirl-wind into severall nations which they never knew before and their own land after their deportation into other parts was left waste and desolate like a wildernesse behind them There was not so much as a passenger to be seen either going thither or returning from that place that had been so much frequented Such and so heavie was the solitude and barrennesse of that land that had been accounted the delight and Paradise of the whole earth CHAP. VIII 1. AGain the word of the Lord of hostes came to me saying 2. Thus saith the Lord of hosts I was jealous for Zion with great jealousie and I was jealous for her with great fury 3 Thus saith the Lord I am returned unto Zion and will dwell in the midst of Ierusalem and Ierusalem shall be called a Citie of truth and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain 4 Thus saith the Lord of hosts There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Ierusalem and every man with his staffe in his hand for very age 5 And the streets of the citie shall be full of boyes and girls playing in the streets thereof 6 Thus saith the Lord of hosts if it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these dayes should it also be marvellous in mine eyes saith the Lord of hosts 7 Thus saith the Lord of hostes Behold I will save my people from the east-countrey and from the west-countrey 8 And I will bring them and they shall dwell in the midst of Ierusalem and they shall be my people and I will be their God in truth and in righteousnesse 9 Thus saith the Lord of hosts Let your hands be strong ye that hear in these dayes these words by the mouth of the prophets which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid that the temple might be built 10 For before these daies there was no hire for man nor any hire for beast neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction for I set all men every one against his neighbour 11 But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former daies saith the Lord of hosts 12 For the seed shall be prosperous the vine shall give her fruit and the ground shall give her encrease and the heavens shall give their dew and I will curse the remnant of this people to possess all these things 13 And it shall come to passe that aâ—â— ye were a curse among the heathen O house of Iudah and house of Israel so will I save you and ye shall be a blessing fear not but let your hands be strong 14 For thus saith the Lord of hosts As I thought to punish you when your fathers provoked me to wrath saith the Lord of hostes and I repented not 15 So again have I thought in these dayes to do well unto Ierusalem and to the house of Iudah fear ye not 16 These are the things that ye shall do Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates 17 And let none of you imagine evill in your hearts against his neighbour and love no false oath for all these are things that I hate saith the Lord. 18 And the word of the Lord of hosts came unto me saying 19 Thus saith the Lord of hosts The fast of the fourth moneth and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Iudah joy and gladness and chearfull feasts therefore love the truth and peace 20 Thus saith the Lord of hosts it shall yet come to passe that there shall come people and the inhabitants of many cities 21 And the inhabitants of one city shbll go to another saying Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts I will go also 22 Yea many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hostes in Ierusalem and to pray before the Lord. 23 Thus saith the Lord of hostes In those daies it shall come to passe that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Iew saying We will go with you for we have heard that God is with you CHAP. VIII 1. ANd the commands of the Lord of Hostes were thus expressed further upon the same occasion and to make way for a satisfactory answer to their question 2. Thus saith the Lord of Hostes. As my great wrath and justice upon my own people followed upon the greatnesse of those sins which were mentioned before so now the greatnesse of my jealousie for Sion the seat on my Jewish Church and my great anger no now against her but for her shall be
they come against my people with their great forces of horse wherein they put their confidence I will strike all their horses with astonishment and their riders with furie as Jerusalem was struck before when she had drunk of that cup of giddinesse that exposed her to ruine But toward the house of Iudah at that time will I open my watchful and favourable eye while I smite their enemies horse-forces with blindnesse that they may rather ingage themselves more and more in their own danger then see how to effect what they subtilly plotted and contrived against my people 5. Then shall the Princes and Champions of Iudah say within their hearts that the strength of the inhabitants of Ierusalem must be in me even in the Lord of Hosts their God 6. About that time I will make the Governors of Iudah like a live coal of fire compassed about with drie wood that can quickly set all about it in a flame or like a torch of fire that is compassed about with sheafs of corn that will soon convey the heat and danger to all that is near Like such a fire shall they sodainly and fearfully consume all their enemies that compasse them about on the right hand or on the left And Ierusalem all the while shall remain immoveable like the stone we spake of before in her own place where Jerusalem was ever seated And so shall that larger Church whereof Jerusalem is but a figure It shall not be removed from that rock which gives it such support that the gates of hell shall not be able to prevail against 7. And the Lord will save the inhabitants of his people in Iudaea as he ever did from the beginning i. by himself and his own power and wisdom that the honour may be his own and man may have no part in it and that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the Inhabitants of their great City of Ierusalem do not magnifie it self for the protection of the people of Iudah as if it were to be ascribed unto them 8. Thus in those times shall God defend with his people of Iudaea the inhabitants also of Ierusalem that we may account them not our Guardians but the partakers of the same divine protection with us and the infirm and inferiour sort among them that you think likeliest to fall from their station shall then prove another David for valour to go before them And they of the house of David like men of the House of God which is nearest to his care and defense and like an Angel of God that being in near attendance upon his person and in his holy Temple above cannot but be near to all safety and freedom from danger 9. Then shall any justice find out waies for the destruction of all those nations that have come in hostile manner against Jerusalem 10. But I will pour upon the house of David and the inhabitants of Ierusalem the graces of my spirit in such plentiful manner that many of them shall in hearty sorrow and contrition and in humble prayer and supplication beg my gratious pardon for what they have done amisse And in a sad repentance they shall look upon me whom they have pierced not in my hands and feet and head and side onely but in my very heart too with their wicked and blasphemous words more then with their spear And they shall mourn for Him that suffered so much by them before they knew him to be what he wasâ— As bitterly shall they mourn as one would mourn for his first-born son or his onely son that hath the greatest share in his love and affection with such sorrow shall they look upon his Passion that they may learn to look upon it with love and with resolution to forbear the piercing him afresh by continuance in sin Or else there will come a time when they will weep and howl too late at the sight of him when he comes in his glory 11. But in the first and more seasonable time then will there be a great and heavy lamentation in Ierusalem which shall be seconded in the Church that Jerusalem yet resembles It shall be like the great mourning for the death of good Josiah called the mourning of Hadadrimmon a City in the valley of Mageddon 12. And the whole land shall have cause to mourn every family apart The families of the house of David apart and their wives too apart as your custome is in times of great sorrow and repentance The families of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart For what family hath not been guilty of piercing their Messias It is not the issue left of the Royal Family nor the posterity of the Princely Tribe that can plead an exemption from that guilt 13. The Families of the house of Levi apart and their wives apart For even the Priests and Levites had as great a hand in it as any other The Familie of the house Shemei apart and their wives apart 14. And so in summe all the several families that remain un-named every family apart and their wives apart as all some way or other guilty of that great offence against the Messias whom they have pierced by contributing much to his heavy sufferings and therefore should pierce their own hearts with some deep remorse and impression of sorrow With these shall the several Families of all the nations in the world sooner or later bewail their sins the chief murderers of our Messias which make them all accessorie or rather Principals in the Death of Him that is the God of Life And the sooner the better but still as one eye looks upon the grief the other looking upon the love wherewith he was pierced For CHAP. XIII IN that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem for sin and for uncleannesse 2. And it shall come to passe in that day saith the Lord of hosts that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land and they shall no more be remembred and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to passe out of the land 3. And it shall come to passe that when any shall yet prophesie then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him Thou shalt not live for thou spakest lies in the name of the Lord and his father and â—his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth 4. And it shall come to passe in that day that the Prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision when he hath prophesied neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive 5. But he shall say I am no prophet I am an husband man for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth 6. And one shall say unto him What are these wounds in thine hands then he shall answer These with
which I was wounded in the house of my friends 7. Awake O sword against my shepherd and against the man that is my fellow saith the Lord of hosts smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones 8. And it shall come to passe that in all the land saith the Lord two parts therein shall be cut off and die but the third shall be left therein 9. And I will bring the third part through the fire and will refine them as silver is refined and will try them as gold is tried they shall call on my name and I will hear them I will say It is my people and they shall say The Lord is my God CHAP. XIII 1. ALl this mourning wherein their eyes become like fountains of teares if it be seasonably undertaken may end in a great blessing For even them shall a fountain be opened to the House of David and the Inhabitants of Ierusalem the mourners that were named before as a particular instance for the rest a fountain that shall wash away the guilt of all their sins though they be such as have made them most foule and polluted Soules 2. And then also will the time come saith the Lord of Hostes wherein I will begin to take away the very name of Idolatry from off the Earth by the conversion of the Gentiles so that in many places there shall be no more mention of Idols And with them will I make the false Prophets and the Divinations by help of unclean Spirits to vanish out of the lands that have been polluted with them 3. And such shall be the common zeal against Idolatry and false Prophets that if a man should yet venture upon that way of pretended Prophesie even his own Parents shall be ready to call for Justice against him and tell him that he is not worthy to live because he broacheth false doctrine under the colour of a message in the name of the Lord. Thus shall his own Father and Mother that were the meanes of his life become the meanes of his death too and in a zeal like that of Phineas presently run him through as one not to be suffered any longer to breath after such a fault against the God of the spirits of all flesh 4. And in these dayes you shall see it often come to passe that the divulgers of false and erroneous doctrine under the pretence of a Vision to usher in what they teach or foretell shall soon be confuted and made ashamed of those waies Neither shall they venture any more to take the outward Habit of a Prophet as a sufficient cloak for their deceiving and misguiding of others 5. Nay when any one of them is examined whether he be a Prophet or no he shall not dare to avouch it but he shall rather confesse and say I lay no claim to the spirit of Prophesie I am but a plain Husband-man fitter for plowing than prophesying and one man or other hath still trained me up that way and had me as a servant under him in that kind of drudgerie from my youth upward till now 6. And if any one say but what is the meaning of these markes that have taken such deep impression in thy hands Are they not such marks and figures as the false-Prophets have that acknowledge themselves devoted to some false Gods Or shall we call them blows or wounds that have been otherwise received Then to purge himself from all suspition of Idolatrie he shall say These were blows indeed that have made some impression in me for the better the signes of such correction as I deserved while I was in the house of my Friend Therefore I shall take them for no other than love-tokens 7. But now I will go on with the Prophesie of the death of the Messias to show what more the Lord is pleased to have foretold concerning those passages of his Passion that will be like a sword to pierce him to the heart Arise O sword against the Shepherd of my flock saâ—th the Lord of Hostes and against my dear Companion that is nearest to my love Smite the Shepherd and let the Sheep be scattered Yet for the same hand that dispersed them with that sword will I return my gentle hand to that little innocent stock that forsook their good Shepherd out of mere infirmity while the storm fell about them 8. And for the greater flock through the whole Earth this shall come to passe saith the great Iehovah that of those that shall professe themselves to be of my fold two parts therein will be cut off and perish for want of perseverance but a third part in it shall continue to the end in obedience unto me 9. And that third part will I lead along under a fiery triall for by many temptations I will prove them of what mettall they are as the Goldsmith makes proof of his silver and gold to see what drosse there is in them till they are refined as he would have it And he that under this tryall will call upon my name and so endeavour to improve himself I will acknowledge he is one of my people and he shall persevere to professe me to be his God CHAP. XIV 1 BEhold the day of the Lord cometh thy spoil shall be devided in the midst of thee 2 For I will gather all nations against Ierusalem to battle and the city shall be taken and the houses rifled and the women ravished and half of the city shall go forth into captivity and residue of the people shall not be cut off from the Citie 3 Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations as when he fought in the day of battle 4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives which is before Ierusalem on the east and the mount of Olives shall â—leave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west and there shall be a very great valley and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north and half of it toward the south 5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountaines for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal yea ye shall flee like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the dayes of Vzziah king of Iudah and the Lord my God shall come and all the saints with thee 6 And it shall come to passe in that day that the light shall not be clear nor dark 7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord not day nor night but it shall come to passeâ— that at evening time it shall be light 8 And it shall be in that day that living waters shal go out from Ierusalem half of them toward the former sea and half of them toward the hinder sea in summer and in winter shall it be 9 And the
Gilgal forsooth And for those tithes which should be paid every third year in the right place let your mistaken devotion pay them to your imaginary gods in three daies if you will and where you like best 5. If you would yet be at more cost in your will-worship offer also a sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving to your idols and in an offering by fire make use of leaven which I commanded to be left out in such cases And be sure that notice be taken of your voluntary offerings Blow a trumpet before you when you go to them some way or other proclaim it to the world For this pleaseth you well O ye children of Israel saith the Lord God and you may therefore do it at your peril 6. But remember that for this your forsaking of my altars at your pleasure and showing your selves so free and liberal in your idol-service I also pleased my self in sending such scarcity of meat in all your Cities that there was nothing of it to be seen sticking in your teeth And it was accompanied as great a want of bread in all places Yet did not these punishments produce such a repentance as brought you throughly home to me 7. Nor did I punish you onely with want of food for the present but I threatned a lasting famine and thirst by keeping the rain from you too whereby in your mountainous Countrie your corn-fields were parched with heat and your grasse withered and those places dried up wherein you expected your water which is a great part of your drink This drought you had even in the three moneths before harvest when you had most need of rain And that you might see this was caused immediatelie by my self not by any power in the stars not by anie cause in nature not by anie accident or chance I granted rain to some Cities and Towns when I denied it to other neighbour-cities Nay which was more miraculous one piece of ground was rained upon and another hard by it for want of rain was dried up and became utterlie unfruitful and barren 8. So that in this great defect of water two or three Cities were forced to travail to some other Citie that had the benefit of some few showers there to quench their thirst Yet was not that City so well stored as to let them have water in so large a supply as they desired Neither would this plague work so much upon you as to bring you to a serious repentance and acknowledgement of those sins that drew these miseries upon you saith the Lord. 9. Therefore I proceed against you by another plague of blasting the corn by a drie East-wind and of mildew which is a kind of jaundis in the fruit proceeding from too much moisture What one of these did not consume the other commonlie corrupted of that which came out of the earth with some hope And as you more and more multiplied and bestowed cost upon your gardens and vineyards and your fig-trees and olive-trees so did I more and more increase the number of locusts and canker-worms to spoile and devour them So that all your cost and labour came in the end to little or nothing Yet so foolish and obstinate you were and so hardened in all sin and impiety that still you continued as impenitent as you were before saith the Lord. 10. And when you thought in these streights to help your selves with corn and other supplies out of Egypt whither I had often charged you not to return In your way to Egypt and from thence I took away some of you with the pestilence and some with the sword of the enemy and among them some of the youngest and lustiest men that thought they were able to make the best resistance This misery was increased by the losse of your horses which I had charged you not to multiply to your selves you got them in Egypt and I took them from you in the way from Egypt to you Nor did I cause you to be troubled with the fight onely but with the stinking smell of your troops so many waies disturbed and spent with robberie and mortality Yet were not you so sensible of these judgements as to stop and reâ—al your selves and be converted unto me saith the Lord. 11. Beside all this I brought a desolation upon some others among you somewhat like unto that of Sodom and Gomrrah so that the few that escaped were like firebrands with much ado here and there plucked out of a terrible flaming fire And still you were far enough from making your humble addresses unto me for mercie and forgivenesse 12. Now therefore since none of these sad calamities had the intended effect of your Reformation I have reason to continue my resolution of bringing those and the like plagues upon you of which I have either already forewarned you by the mouth of my Prophets or with which I have even now expressed how I made trial of you heretofore Therefore because you see I am coming against you with such variety of punishments if you will not repent be wise now at last O Israel and carefully fit and prepare your selves to meet me with bended knees and weeping eyes and broken hearts and unfaigned resolutions of amendment of life 13. Consider who it is that so graciously invites thee to meet Him by repentance the onely means which is now left to turn away the execution of his wrath He so invites thee O Israel that hath all things in his power and at his command By vertue whereof He created the mighty mountains and at his pleasure raiseth the violent winds By his infinite knowledge and all-seeing eye He can discover the innermost conceipts meditations and intentions of the heart of man as well as what himself intends to do with him if he do not amend his life and return to him It is he which makes the glorious light of the morning that grows brighter and brighter as he mounts himself and can cloud or eclipse that light with sodain darknesse at his pleasure as the sole Author and Commander both of Light and Darknesse It is he that walks upon those eminent places of the world that are no way pervious or passible to us and so subdues and subjects to himself whatsoever is exalted to the highest pitch to which it can arrive The Lord God of Hosts is his name and all creatures are but as his souldiers and servants where his Mercie or Justice will please to employ them CHAP. V. 1. Hear ye this word which I take up against you even a lamentation O house of Israel 2 The virgin of Israel is fallen she shall no more rise she is forsaken upon her land there is none to raise her up 3 For thus saith the Lord God The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten to the house of Israel 4 For thus saith the lord
the chaff from the good corn Do this before the fierce anger of the Lord and this terrible day of the execution of that fierce anger of the Lord come upon you 3. And for you that are of the good corn and not of the chaff you that are of a meeker and gentler disposition then others of the land are and obey his commands in your best devotions and endeavours seek after God and implore his merciful protection over you And still seek after the exercise of goodnesse and meeknesse if so perhaps you may prevail so far as to be hid under the shadow of his defense in this day wherein the fierce anger of the Lord shall be poured out upon several parts of this wicked nation and few or none shall escape 4. For Gaza shall be forsaken by her fearful inhabitants Ashkelon shall be laid desolate and forced to the like And as for Ashdod the enemie shall be so secure of the conquest of that that in the very noon day they shall attempt to drive them out of their own holds and habitations with happy successe And Ekron according to the bad omen in the name it self shall be rooted out 5. Then wo to you of the nation of the Cherethites that dwel all along upon the sea-coast for I can cite the word of the Lord against you And no lesse against you the Cananites and Philistims that are left in the land The word of the Lord from his own mouth concerning you is no other then this that he will utterly destroy your land and all that dwel within it 6. And the Sea coast that is made choice of as the fittest place of habitation for the richest Merchants shall be taken up with no better then cottages for poor Shepherds and folds for their flocks 7. For I have allotted that coast to those of the house of Iudah that shall be left behind in the land when their brethren are carried into captivity that it may serve for the feeding of their cattle They that constantly attend upon their innocent charge all the day shall there have a place to retire to when they are weary In those mansions that belonged to Ashkelon shall those Shepherds of the house of Iudah repose themselves in the evenings when the Lord their God in that conquest of Iudaea by the King of Babylon shall lay his visitation upon the Ashkalonites and reiterating their captivity cause them to be carried again and again into the land of Chaldaea 8. After I have showed this justice upon the land of Iudaea and the remnant of the Cananites in those parts I will then go on to do the like justice upon the enemies of Iudaea of whose wickednesse I have not been ignorant nor have I forgotten it though hitherto I have deferred the execution of my wrath in expectation of their amendment For I heard â—nd took notice of the proud opprobrious speeches of the Moabites and the reviling and blasphemous taunts of the children of Ammon wherein they have reproached my people and with which foul language they presumed to make a most bold and violent invasion upon those territories of the children of Israel which I my self had measured out for them as the lot of their inheritance 9. Therefore as I live saith the Lord of Hosts the God of Israel I will not fail to make as absolute a ruine of Moab and Ammon as I did of Sodom and Gomorrha Their populous Cities shall lie wast overgrown with netles and over-spread with salt-pits as a place destined to perpetual barrennesse and desolation And the reâ—idue of my people that shall survive and return after their great captivity shall in due time invade and make spoil of the territories of that people and take possession of theirs as they did first so proudly attempt to make themselves Masters of a part of Iudaea 10. This shall be the issue and the reward of their proud reproachful speeches and of their as haughty and insolent attempts against the peculiar people of the Lord of hosts who will therefore show his power and vengeance upon their gods as well as upon them 11. For in so fearful and terrible a manner shall God come in judgement against them that not they onely but their very gods too shall be brought to as poor and miserable condition as men that are ready to be starved for hunger And the like doom shall fall upon many idolaters and their titular gods in other parts of the earth So that multitudes of people shall come out of their Countries to Ierusalem to worship before the true God and such converts and proselytes shall there be from divers places beyond the seas and from the Isles of the heathen 12. You of Cush shall be of this number of which Countrie many shall die by my sword in the hand of Nebuchadnezer 13. And he that I make my Deputy for the execution of my judgement i. the same Nebuchadnezer shall stretch out his hand also as far Northward and make use of my sword in those parts till he hath destroyed the Assyrians and made their royal Ninive a place of utter desolation like a drie and barren wildernesse 14. Flocks of sheep shall have their folds where the Ninivites had their fair houses And all kind of other living creatures too shall find admittance and entertainment about the ruines of that City Both the Pelican and the Owle shall pick oâ—t their nights-lodging about the knops and carved prominent works upon the tops of their houses while other birds securely sing over their several tunes in their windows And yet other signs of desolation shall appear in their doors and thresholds and in their curious seiled rooms where the rich Cedar-work shall be laid open to the injurie of the weather and the use of ravenous fouls of the air 15. This is the end of that jovial citie that dwelt in wealth and confidence of a lasting prosperity and said within her self I am the onely she and none will presume to come in comparison or competition with me How is she now become a verie picture of desolation and a place for beasts to lie down in All that passe by her will hisse and wag their hands at her in wonder and astonishment CHAP. III. 1 WO to her that is filthy and polluted to the oppressing city 2 She obeyed not the voice she received not correction she trusted not in the Lord she drew not near to her God 3 Her princes within her are roaring lions her judges are evening wolves they gnaw not the bones till the morrow 4 Her prophets are light and treacherous persons her priests have polluted the sanctuary they have done violence to the law 5 The just Lord is in the midst thereof he will not do iniquity every morning doth he bring his judgement to light he faileth not but the unjust knoweth no shame 6 I have cut off the nations their towers are
desolate I made their streets wast that none passeth by their cities are destroyed so that there is no man that there is none inhabitant 7 I said Surely thou wilt fear me thou wilt receive instruction so their dwelling should not be cut off howsoever I punished them but they rose early and corrupted all their doings 8 Therefore wait ye upon me saith the Lord until the day that I rise up to the prey for my determination is to gather the nations that I may assemble the kingdoms to pour upon them mine indignation even all my fierce anger for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousie 9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language that they may all call upon the name of the Lord to serve him with one consent 10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants even the daughter of my dispersed shall bring mine offering 11 In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings wherein thou hast transgressed against me for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoyce in thy pride and thou shalt no more be haughty because of mine holy mountain 12 I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. 13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity nor speaks lies neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth for they shall feed and lie down and none shall make them afraid 14 Sing O daughter of Zion shout O Israel be glad and rejoyce with all the heart O daughter of Ierusalem 15 The Lord hath taken away thy judgements he hath cast out thine enemy the king of Israel even the Lord is in the midst of thee thou shalt not see evil any more 16 In that day it shall be said to Ierusalem Fear thou not and to Zion Let not thineâ— hands be sâ—ack 17 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty he will save he will rejoyce over thee with joy he will rest in his love he will joy over thee with singing 18 I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly who are of thee to whom the reproach of it was a burden 19 Behold at that time I will undo all that afflict thee and I will save her that halteth and gather her that was driven out and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame 20 At that time will I bring you again even in the time that I gather youâ— for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth when I turn back your captivity before your eyes saith the Lord. CHAP. III. 1. BUt that Israel applaud not themselves too much in the ruine of their enemies royal City let them now hear the woes pronounced against their own Jerusalem Wo to the City that grew fat with her gluttony and polluted with all those sins that accompanie a full table and with all kind of rapine and oppression that were made the means to maintain it 2. She would not hear the voice of those that foretold her ruine if she did not amend She would not entertain any such good instruction before the blow came Nor would she trust in the Lord Iehovah and make her devout approaches and addresses unto her God in the time of her extremities but to the Egyptians and Assyrians and who not rather then to him that was ever her surest friend in the time of trouble 3. And to say somewhat again of that oppression that we named before The threats and menaces of her Princes and Governors within the City were grown to be as high and terrible as the roaring of a lion and her Iudges that instead of doing justice put these unjust threats in execution became like those ravenous wolves that seek out for their prey in the evening when their hunger makes them to be more greedily and fiercely set upon it so that what they lay hold on is presently devoured they leave not so much as a bone to be gnawed and examined again in the morning 4. Their pretended Prophets for their lives and for their opinions too are as various and inconsistent as water that will not stay long in his own bounds but must be kept in by some other bodie that is not so fluid as that And which is yet more they are persidiously wicked persons in betraying that trust which is reposed in them that should be the patternâ— and maintainers of true religion and not the bare outward professors of it for their own private interests And the Priests come not much short of the Prophets for instead of hallowing they pollute the Sanctuary and all holy things and instead of keeping and expounding they do most violently both in their actions and expositions wrest and abuse the sense of the law to what it was never intended by the Law-maker 5. But the righteous Lord whose Laws and Sanctuaries are thus abused observes all that is done in this wicked City and He will not deflect from doing right as they do that should be the Patrons of right and justice in his stead Every morning will he show some examples of his justice upon them that should every day be the executioners of it upon others Thus will God never fail to show his justice And yet the unjust and wicked men that know this are so past shame and fear that they will not repent when they see my judgements upon their own and their neighbour Countries saith the Lord. 6. But when I destroyed those Gentiles for so I may call your ten tribes that had nothing in them of Israel I made their strong towers desolate and their populous streets I laid wast and left none to walk about them Even upon their greatest Cities did I bring that solitude and desolation so that there was not left a man nor any of mankind to dwell within them 7. You should have learned to take heed by their punishment And so I said within my self Surely thou my land of Iudah wilt thence at least learn to fear me by what thou seest inflicted upon Israel Their correction will be thy instruction that the Cities of Judah and other places of her habitation may not be cut off in the same manner but that all the good that in my best and kind visitations I have made profer of may come upon her But they deceived my expectation and instead of rising early to seek me they rose early to currupt their own waies more and more as if they were so eagerly set upon mischief that they would break their sleep to be at it 8. Therefore after my expectation deceived I will give you an item before hand to expect that which you shall not be deceived of i. my rising to answer yours and my rising out of the place