punishment or affliction But why euill Surely euery reuengement euery paine euery punishment euery affliction that befalleth vs in this life is good It is good First because it is laid vpon vs by God who is of himselfe and absolutely good Secondly because it is iust and whatsoeuer is iust must needs be good Thirdly because it hath a good end the glory of God and the saluation of the elect For these reasons it cannot be denied but that euery reuengement paine punishment and affliction is good Why then is it in my Text and elsewhere called euill I answer according to my second distinction Reuengements paines punishments and afflictions are called euils not because they are euills indeed and of their owne nature but only in regard of our sense estimation and apprehension The very torments of Hell eternall fire and outer darknesse are not indeed and of their nature euill Mala sunt his qui incidunt in ea saith Irenaeus aduersus haereses lib. 4. cap. 77. they are euill to such as fall into them but Bona ex justitia Dei good they are as they are from Gods iustice What Irenaeus saith concerning Hell-torments the same is true of the aduersities the crosses the scourges the afflictions that befall men in this life Euils they are called and God is said to doe them But how euils Saint Hierome lib. 4. Com. in Ierem. will tell vs how they are called euills non quòd per se mala sint not because they are of themselues euill sed quod patientibus mala esse videantur but because they seeme euill to vs who suffer them With these two Irenaeus and Saint Ierome doe agree c Contr. Adâ—mantum Manich cap. 27. contr Epist Manich c. 38. lib. 1. contr aduers legis Prophet c. 23. Saint Augustine d Serm. 16. in Psal 118. Saint Ambrose e Lib. 3. Moral cap. 7. Gregory the Great f Lib. 1. in Gen. cap. 7. Eucherius Bishop of Lions g Cap. 4. de Diuinis nominibus Dionysius the Areopagite h Lib. 1. 10. Recognit Clemens the Romane i In Dialogo lib. de Monarchia Iustin Martyr k Homil. Quod Deus non sit autor malorum Great Basil and l Lib. 4. in Esaiam cap. 45. Cyril of Alexandria euen all the ancient and Orthodoxall Fathers All these with one consent doe teach that the aduersities the crosses the scourges the afflictions which befall men in this life though in the Scripture they are called Mala Euils yet indeed they are not Mala they are not euils suá naturâ simply of their owne nature but only are mala nobis euill in respect of vs euill in regard of our sense estimation and apprehension And such is the euill in my Text improperly euill but indeed good good in its owne nature but euill only as wee call euill whatsoeuer liketh vs not or is not for our ease I haue long stood vpon the second circumstance the Quid the Action which was a doing of euill I must be the shorter in the third the Vbi the place where this Action is performed In my Text its called a City Shall there be euill in a City In a Citie In ciuitatibus in Cities So Nicolaus de Lyrâ expoundeth it In ciuitate aliquâ in any City So Mercerus In habitatoribus ciuitatis among the inhabitants of a City So Petrus à Figueiro In populi communitate among the people of the world So Albertus Magnus I haue expounded it In ciuitate huius mundi in the City of this world This vniuerse and admirable frame of nature wherein Iehouah the Lord our God the m 1 Tim. 6.15 King of Kings n Psal 97.1 Psal 99. reigneth consisteth of two Cities the one is o Augustin Retract lib. 2. c. 43. Ciuitas Dei the City of God the other is p Idem de Temp. Serm. 106. Ciuitas hujus mundi the City of this world The one is q Idem de Ciuitate Dei lib. 14. cap. 28. celestiall the other is terrene The one is of r Idem de Catech Rud. lib. 1. cap. 19. Saints the other is of the wicked The one is Å¿ Idem in Psal 61. Ierusalem the other is Babylon In the first that most glorious City the City of God and his Saints the celestiall Ierusalem all teares are wiped away from the eyes of the inhabitants there they neither weepe nor lament there is neither death nor sorrow nor crying nor paine there is no euill there no not the euill of affliction So saith the Spirit Reuel 21.4 And therefore that City cannot be the City in my Text. In the other City the City of this world the terrene City the City of the wicked Babylon great Babylon the City of confusion there is no sure repose for the godly there There may they become a reproach to their t Psal 44.13 Psal 79.4 neighbours there may they bee a scorne and derision to them that are round about them They may bee a by-word u Psal 44.14 among the Heathen a shaking of the head among the people There they may x Hebr. 11.37 be tempted they may bee stoned they may bee slaine with the sword they may bee sawne asunder There may they daily y Psal 88.9 mourne by reason of affliction For euen the godly who are z August de Ciuit. Dei lib. 15. cap. 1. by grace Ciues sursum Citizens aboue Citizens of the supernall and celestiall City of God they are also by grace peregrini deorsum pilgrims or strangers here below in this terrene City the City of this world Here they must bee cut 1 Pet. 2.5 hewne and squared with sundry tribulations sicknesses and diseases before they can be made fit and as liuely stones for the Heauenly Ierusalem And this is the City in my Text my third circumstance the Vbi the circumstance of the place where the Agent Iehouah performeth his Action a doing of euill Shall there be euill in a City and the Lord hath not done it Thus is my Text for the vnderstanding thereof made easie as thus Shall there be euill any euill of reuengement paine punishment or affliction In a City in the terrene City in the City of this world Shall there bee any such euill any where and the Lord hath not done it or as the Marginall reading is Shall not the Lord doe somewhat The point of obseruation is There is no affliction any where in the world but it s from the Lord and either he doth it or doth somewhat in it By affliction in this my Thesis I vnderstand the suffering of any thing the sense or cogitation whereof our nature shunneth Whatsoeuer is any way grieuous or offensiue to our humane nature I call affliction The temptations of the flesh the world and the Deuill the diseases of the body a froward husband or wife rebellious children vnthankfull friends losse of goods
literally It is also taken spiritually for the Church either militant here on earth or Triumphant in heauen For the Church Militant Psal 128.5 Thou shalt see the wealth of Ierusalem all thy life long And for the Church Triumphant Gal. 4.26 Ierusalem which is aboue is free The Catholique Church Militant and Triumphant is called Ierusalem because Ierusalem was a type thereof Ierusalem was a type of the Catholike Church in sundry respects 1. God did choose Ierusalem aboue all other places of the earth to r Psal 132.13 Psal 135.21 dwell in So the Catholike Church the company of the predestinate God hath chosen to be a peculiar people vnto himselfe 2. Ierusalem is a Citie Å¿ Psal 122.3 compact in it selfe by reason of the bond of loue and order among the Citizens So the faithfull the members of the Catholike Church are linked together by the bond of one Spirit 3 Ierusalem was the place of Gods sanctuary the place of his presence and worship where the promise of the seed of the woman was preserued till the comming of the Messias Now the Catholike Church is in the roome thereof In the Catholike Church we must seeke the presence of God and the word of life 4 In Ierusalem was the t Psal 122.5 the throne of Dauid So in the Catholike Church is the throne and scepter of Christ figured by the Kingdome of Dauid 5 The commendation of Ierusalem was the subiection and obedience of her citizens The Catholike Church hath her citizens too Eph. 2.19 and they doe yeeld voluntary obedience and subiection to Christ their King 6 In Ierusalem the names of the citizens were inrolled in a register So the names of all the members of the Catholike Church are inrolled in the booke of life Reuel 20.15 You see now what Ierusalem is literally and what spiritually Literally it is that much honoured City in Iudeâ— the u Psal 46.4 City of God euen the sanctuary of the tabernacle of the most High Spiritually it is the holy Church of Christ either his Church Militant on earth or his Church Triumphant in Heauen Now the Ierusalem in my text from whence the Lord is said to vtter his voice is either Ierusalem in the literall or Ierusalem in the spirituall vnderstanding it is either Ierusalem the mother City of Iudea or Ierusalem the Church of Christ Militant vpon earth or Ierusalem aboue the most proper place of Gods residence So that Ierusalem here is the same with Sion an Exposition of Sion The Lord shall roare from Sion that is in other words The Lord shall vtter his voice from Ierusalem Marke I beseech you beloued in the Lord The Lord shall roare not from Dan and Bethel where Ieroboams calues were worshipped but from Sion the mountaine of his holinesse and he shall vtter his voice not from Samaria drunken with Idolatry but from Ierusalem the x Zach. 8.3 city of truth wherein the purity of Gods worship did gloriously shine We may take from hence this lesson Sion and Ierusalem are to be frequented that thence hearing God speake vnto vs we may learne what his holy will is To speake more plainly This is the lesson which I commend vnto you The place where God is serued and the exercises of his religion are practised must be carefully frequented That I may the more easily perswade you to come vnto and to frequent this place this house of God his holy Church and Temple I bring you a guide This guide is a King and leads you the way the blessed King Dauid I beseech you marke his affection Psal 84.1 O Lord of hosts how amiable are thy tabernacles My soule longeth yea and fainteth for thy courts Marke his loue Psal 26.8 O Lord I haue loued the habitation of thine house and the place where thine honour dwelleth Marke the earnestnesse of his zeale Psal 42.1 2. As the Hart brayeth for the riuers of water so panteth my soule after thee O God My soule thirsteth for God euen for the liuing God when shall I come and appeare before the presence of God Let this holy King King Dauid be the patterne of your imitation Beloued you must haue an earnest loue and desire to serue God in the assembly of his Saints you must much esteeme of the publike exercise of religion It is Gods effectuall instrument and mean to nourish beget you to the hope of a better life In what case then are you when you absent your selues from this and the like holy assemblies when either you come hither carelesly or else doe gracelesly contemne this place Here is Sion here is Ierusalem here God speaketh to you in the language of Canaan and here may you speake to him againe with your owne mouthes It is euery mans duty the duty of euery one that loues God to come vnto Gods house his house of prayer In this respect thus saith the Lord Esay 56.7 Mine house shall bee called the house of prayer for all people For all people there is no difference betweene the y Galat. 3.28 Iew and the Grecian betweene the bond and the free betweene the male and the female for our Lord who is Lord ouer all z Rom. 10.12 is rich vnto all that call vpon him Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people To imprint this sentence in your hearts it is repeated vnto you Mat. 23.13 Where Iesus Christ to the mony-changers and doue-sellers whom hee found in the Temple vseth this speech It is written mine house shall be called an house of prayer but ye haue made it a den of theeues Iunius his note vpon the place is good Qui domo Dei non vtitur ad orationis domum is eò deuonit vt speluncam latronum efficiat eam Whosoeuer vseth not the house of God for a house of prayer he commeth thither to make it a den of theeues Let vs take heed beloeed in the Lord whensoeuer we come vnto the Church the house of God that we be not partakers of this sharpe censure Ecclesiastes chap. 4.17 giueth a profitable caueat Take heed to thy feet when thou â—nterest into the house of God intimaâ—ing thus much that of duty we are to enter into the house of God Though the Temple in Ierusalem and all the worship in ceremonies that was annexed to it are taken away yet is Salomons caueat good for vs still Take heed to thy feet when thou enterest into the house of God For we also haue Gods house where he is chiefly to be sought and worshipped euen in euery place appointed by publike authority for publike assemblies Wherefore I pray you hath God giuen his Church a 1 Cor. 12.27 some Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists some Pastors some Teachers Is it not as we are taught Ephes 4.12 for the gathering together of the Saints for the worke of the ministerie and for the edifying of the Body of Christ See you not here a forcible argument and
arborum from the cutting downe or rooting vp of trees and signifieth vtterly to consume to waste to dissipate to destroy to extinguish So it 's vsed Psal 101.8 where Dauid purposing not to be negligent or slothfull in the execution of iustice against all malefactors in Ierusalem resolueth to cut off all the workers of iniquity from the city of the Lord Betimes will I destroy all the wicked of the land that I may cut off all the workers of iniquity from the city of the Lord. So it s vsed Ps 109.15 where Dauids prayer against the wicked is that their iniquity and sin be alwaies before the Lord that hee may cut off their memoriall from the earth So it s vsed Ezech. 14.13 Son of man when a land sinneth against me by committing a trespasse then will I stretch out mine hand vpon it and will breake the staffe of bread thereof and will send famine vpon it and will cut off man and beast from it I will cut off that is I will destroy both man and beast from a sinfull land I omit many like places of holy writ and commend vnto you but one more parallel to this in my text It is in the 3. ver of the 2. chap. of this prophecie There thus saith the Lord I wil cut off the Iudge out of the midst of Moab as here in my text I will cut off the inhabitant of Bikeath-Auen and vers the 8. I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod I will cut off whether the Iudge out of the middest of Moab or the inhabitant from Ashdod or the inhabitant of Bikeath-Auen the meaning is one and the same I will cut off that is I will vtterly destroy or extinguish Which to be the meaning of the word the author of the Vulgar Latine acknowledgeth translating the word in the originall not exeindam as indeed it signifieth I will cut off but disperdam I will destroy So doe the Seuenty Interpreters in their Greeke edition of the Bible here translating the Hebrew word not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as indeed it signifieth I will cut off but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will vtterly or altogether dâ—stroy ouerthrow and extinguish I will cut off the inhabitant the inhabitant what but one yes all and euery one of the inhabitants The Holy Spirit in the sacred Scripture vseth so to speake by a word of the singular number to vnderstand more than one yea all of that kinde which kinde of speech is analogically reduced to the figure Synecdoche Let vs see the truth of this in a few instances In Exod. 8.6 it is said when Aaron stretched out his hand vpon the waters of Egypt that then the frogge came vp and couered the land The frogge It were senselesse to thinke that one frogge could couer the land of Egypt and therefore by the frogge we are to vnderstand many frogges In Num. 21.7 the Israelites desired Moses to pray to the Lord that he would take away from them the Serpent The Serpent what but one It is out of doubt that the people meant all the fiery serpents sent among them by the Lord to sting them to death of which we read verse the 6. Ieremy in chap. 8.7 saith that the storke the turtle the crane and the swallow doe know and obserue their appointed times The storke the turtle the crane the swallow We may not think the Prophet singleth out one storke one turtle one crane one swallow from the rest but his meaning is of all storkes turtles cranes swallowes that they know and obserue their appointed times As in the now cited places so here in my text the holy Ghost vseth one number for another the singular for the plurall vnderstanding by one inhabitant all the inhabitants of Bikeath-Auen Of Bikeath-Auen the Greeke Translators taking the words partly appellatiuely and partly properly doe render them the field of On. In like sort Gualter the valley of Auen The author of the Vulgar Latine vnderstanding them wholly appellatiuely rendreth them the field of the Idoll and so they may signifie the plaine of Auen the plaine of griefe the plaine of sorrow as Caluin obserueth Iunius and Tremellius doe render it as before Gualter è conualle Auenis the vally of Auen vnderstanding thereby the whole coast of Chamatha which way Syria bordereth vpon Arabia surnamed the Desart Caluin saith it is vncertaine whether Bikeath-Auen be a proper name of a place or no yet saith he it is probable Drusius following the Hebrew Doctors affirmeth that it is the proper name of a city in Syria Mercer the learned professour of Paris ioyneth with him And our English Geneua Translation draweth vs to bee of the same minde that Bikeath-Auen is a proper name of a city in Syria The same opinion must we hold of Beth-Eden in the next clause that it is a proper name of a city in Syria of which opinion I finde Mercer and Drusius and our English Translators at Geneua to haue beene And Caluin holds it to bee credible though he translates it the house of Eden so Gualter doth so doth Tremellius who by the house of Eden vnderstandeth the whole country of Coelesyria wherein stood the city Eden The author of the Vulgar Latine takes Beth-Eden for an appellatiue and translates it the house of pleasure Such indeed is the signification of the word and it is by Arias Montanus and Ribera applied to signifie the city of Damascus as if Damascus were there called not only Bikeath-Auen that is the field of the Idoll because of the Idolatry there vsed but also Beth-Eden that is the house of pleasure because of the pleasant situation thereof But I retaine the proper name Beth-Eden and take it for a city in Syria wherein the King of Syria had a palace and mansion house Which I take to be plaine in my text where the Lord threatneth to cut off him that holdeth the scepter out of Beth-Eden Him that holdeth the scepter that is the King keeping his court at Beth-Eden For I see not any absurdity in it if I say that the King of Syria had a mansion house as well at Beth-Eden as at Damascus and that at this time the court lay at Beth-Eden Him that holdeth the scepter This is a periphrasis or circumlocution of a King A scepter is Regium gestamen and insigne potestatis Regiae a Kingly mace the proper ensigne or token of Kingly power Whence in the best of Greeke Poets Homer Kings are called * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3.86 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scepter-bearers Hereby wee vnderstand what we read in the story of Hester chap. 8.4 King Assuerus held out his golden scepter toward Hester And that Gen. 49.10 The scepter shall not depart from Iudah In the former place Assuerus maketh shew of his Kingly fauour vnto Hester by holding out his mace vnto her in the later Iacob prophesieth of the stability and continuance of the Kingdome in the tribe of Iudah
haue destroyed The reason hereof is because there is no strength but of God and from God The vse is to teach vs neuer to trust in any worldly helpe but so to vse all good meanes of our desense that still we rely vpon the Lord for strength and successe thereby Againe this fire of the Lord is sent to deuoure the palaces of Bozrah This Bozrah was also a Metropolitane and chiefe City seated in the confines of the lands of Edom and Moab and therfore in holy writ it is sometime attributed to Edom sometime to Moab here to Edom. Prodigious was the feare and great the pride of Bozrahs heart She dwelt in the clefts of the rocke and kept the height of the hisâ— But was she thereby safe No. For thus saith the Lord vnto her Ierem. 49.16 Though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the Eagle I will bring thee downe from thence This iudgement of the Lord against Bozrah is denounced with an Ecce of admiration vers 22. Behold he the Lord shall come vp and flye as the Eagle and spread his wings ouer Bozrah and at that day shall the heart of the strong men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in trauell Will you haue it confirmed by an oath Then looke backe to the 13. verse I sweare by my selfe saith the Lord that Bozrah shall be waste and for a râ—proach and a desolation and a curse and all the Cities thereof shall bee a perpetuall desolation Thus elegantly is Gods fearefull iudgement against Bozrah described by the Prophet Ieremy which our Prophet Amos thus deliuereth A fire shall deuoure the palaces of Bozrah Bozrah great Bozrah she who dwelt in the clefts of the rock and kept the height of the hill must shee bee deuoured by fire from the Lord Must shee become a reproach a desolation a curse a vastity We may hence take this Doctrine It is not the situation of a City vpon rocke or hill that can be a safegard to it if Gods vnappeasable anger breake out against it for her sinnes The vse of this doctrine is the same with the former euen to teach vs now and at all other times to put our trust only in the Name of the Lord who hath made Heauen and Earth It s neither wit nor wisdome nor strength nor height of Teman or of Bozrah or of all the best defensed Cities in the world that can saue vs in the day of visitation Wherefore â—et our song be as Dauids was Psal 18.2 The Lord is our rocke and our fortresse he that deliuereth vs our God and our strength in him will we trust our shield the horne also of our saluation and our refuge Thirdly in that the Lord sendeth his fire into the palaces of Bozrah to deuoure them we may learne this Doctrine God depriueth vs of a great blessing when he taketh from vs our dwelling houses A truth experimentally made good vnto vs by the great commodity or contentment that commeth to euery one of vs by our dwelling houses The vse is to teach vs 1. To be humbled before Almighty God whensoeuer our dwelling houses are taken from vs. 2. Since we peaceably enioy our dwelling houses to vse them for the furtherance of Gods glory 3. To praise God day by day for the comfortable vse we haue of our dwelling houses Thus is my Exposition of the Prophecie against Edom ended THE Nineteenth Lecture AMOS 1.13 14 15. Thus saith the Lord For three transgressions of the children of Ammon and for foure I will not turne to it because they haue ript vp the women with childe of Gilead that they might enlarge their border Therefore will I kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah and it shall deuâ—ure the palaces thereof with shouting in the day of battell and with a tempest in the day of the while wind And their King shall goe into captiuity he and his Princes together saith the Lord. THis blessed Prophet of Almighty God in this his prophecy against the Ammonites obserueth the same order as hee hath done in two precedent predictions the one against the Syrians verse the third fourth and fifth the other against the Philistines verse the sixth seuenth and eighth As in those so in this are three parts 1 A preface Thus saith the Lord. 2 A prophecie For three transgressions c. 3 A conclusion verse the fifteenth Saith the Lord. The Prophecie consisteth of foure parts 1 A generall accusation of the Ammonites who are here noted as reproueable for many sinnes For three transgressions of the children of Ammon and for foure 2 God his protestation against them for their sinnes I will not turne to it 3 A particular declaration of one sinne which with others procured this Prophecie This sinne was the sinne of cruelty expressed in these words Because they haue ript vp the women with childe of Gilead and amplified by the end of so foule a fact That they might enlarge their borders 4 A denuntiation of iudgement which was to come vpon them deseruedly for their sinnes vers 14. and 15. This iudgement is set downe First in a generality vers 14. Therefore will I kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah and it shall deuoure the palaces thereof Secondly with some circumstances as that it should be full of terror and speedy Full of terror in these words With shouting in the day of battell Speedy in the words following With a tempest in the day of the whirlewind This iudgement is further amplified by the extent of it It was to fall vpon not only the meaner sort of the people but vpon the Nobility also yea and vpon the King himselfe Which is plaine by the 15. verse Their King shall goe into captiuity be and his Princes together These are the branches and parts of this Prophecie I returne to the Preface Thus saith the Lord Iehouah This great and most honourable name of God we haue many times met with Wee haue heard what the Cabalists and Rabbines out of their too much curiosity haue thought of it With them it is nomen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a name not to bee pronounced not to bee taken within our polluted lips They call it Tetragrammaton a name in Hebrew of foure letters of foure letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by an excellence because the name of God a Alsted Lex Theol. cap. 2. pag. 76. Miâ—um certè est qâ—odomnes gentes tacito consâ—nsu praecipuum Dei nomen quatâ—or medò litâ—is enâ—neâ—ent Fluxiffâ—autem id existimatur è nomine Iehouah quod ipsum est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Latini dicunt Deus Graeci 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Germani GOTT Aegyptu 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Persae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Magi Orsi Habraei 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arabes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gâ—lli Dieu Jtali Idio Hispani Dios Dalmatiâ— siue Illyricis est Bogi Boiemiâ— Bohu Mabum tanis Abgd Gentibus in nouâ— mundo repeâ—tis
Let vs rather make our humble conâ—ession with King Nabuchodonosor Dan. 4.34 35. that the Most High liueth for euer that his power is an euerlasting power and his Kingdome from generation to generation that all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing to him that according to his will he worketh in the armie of Heauen and in the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand nor say vnto him what doest thou None can stay his hand This is it which before I noted namely that It is neither care nor policie that can stay Gods reuengefull hand when hee bringeth fire in it as here it is threatned vnto Rabbah I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah Thus farre by occasion of my first Doctrine which was It is not the greatnes of a citie that can be a safeguard vnto it if Gods vnappeasable wrath breake out against it for its sins And it was grounded vpon these words I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah It is further added of this fire that it shall deuoure the palaces of Râ—bbah Which branch repeated in each of the precedent prophecies as vers 4 7 10 12. hath formerly yeelded vs this Doctrine God depriueth vs of a great blessing when he taketh from vs our dwelling houses This truth is experimentally made good vnto vs by the great commoditie or contentment that commeth to euerie one of vs by our dwelling houses The vse whereof is to teach vs 1. To be humbled before Almightie God whensoeuer it shall please him by water by fire by wind by lightning by thunder by earthquakes or otherwise to ouerthrow our dwelling houses 2. Since we peaceably enioy our dwelling houses to vse them for the furtherance of Gods glory 3. To render all hearty thankes vnto Almighty God for the comfortable vse we haue of our dwelling-houses Thus farre of the commination or denuntiation of iudgement as it is set downe in generall The speciall circumstances whereby it is further notified or illustrated doe concerne partly the punishment and partly the punished Concerning the punishment it is full of terrour and speedy First full of terrour in these words With shouting in the day of battell With shouting in classico saith Brentius cum clangore saith Drusius that is with the sound or noise of Trumpets The Septuagint doe reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the vulgar Latine in vlulatu Mercer cum vociferatione Gualter cum clamore Caluin cum clamore vel Iubilo that is with a cry with a great cry with a vociferation with a shout such as souldiers doe make when on a sudden they surprise a Citie In the day of battell in die belli The like phrase we haue Psal 78.9 where it is said of the children of Ephraim that being armed and shooting with the bow they turned backe in die belli in the day of battell Dauid confesseth Psal 140.7 O Lord God the strength of my saluation thou hast couered my head in die belli in the day of battell Salomon saith Prou. 21.31 The horse is prepared in diem belli against the day of battell So here the Lord threatneth against Rabbah a shouting mâ—â—ie belli in the day of battell This day of battell is that day of warre and time of trouble mentioned by Iob chap. 38.23 We see now the purpose of our Prophet in vsing these words With shouting in the day of battell It is to proclaime warre against Rabbah the chiefe citie of the Ammonites and consâ—quently against their whole kingdome This proclamation is more plainly deliuered Ierem. 49.2 Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will cause a noise of warre to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites and it shall be a desolate heape and her daughters shall be burnt with fire From this proclamation of warre made by our Prophet Amos as in the Lords owne words saying I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah and it shall deuoure the palaces thereof with shouting in the day of battell wee may take this lesson God sendeth warre vpon a Land for the sinnes of a people For proofe of this truth let vs looke into the word of truth In the 26. of Leuit. vers 25. thus saith the Lord vnto Israel If yee walke stubbornly against me and will not obey me then I will send a sword vpon you that shall auenge the quarrell of my couenant And Ierem. 5.15 vnto the house of Israel thus saith the Lord Loe I will bring a Nation vpon you from farre You heare the Lord speaking in his owne person I will send I will bring as here I will kindle Will you any other witnesse Then heare what Moses telleth the Israelites Deut. 28.49 The Lord shall bring a nation vpon you from farre from the end of the world flying as an Eagle a nation whose tongue thou shalt not vnderstand a nation of a fierce countenance which will not regard the person of the old nor haue compassion on the young the same shall eat the fruit of thy cattell and the fruit of thy land vntill thou be destroyed and he shall leaue thee neither wheat nor wine nor oile nor the increase of thy kine nor the flockes of thy sheepe vntill he haue brought thee to nought By this speech of Moses we plainly see that warre and all the euills of warre are from the Lord that warre is r Cominaeus Hist lib. 1. cap. 3. one of the accomplishments of Gods iudgements and that it is sent by God vpon a Land for the sinnes of the people as my doctrine goeth Let vs now make some vse of it Is it true beloued Doth God send warre vpon a Land for the sinnes of a people How then can we looke that the happy peace which we now enioy should be continued among vs sith by our daily sinning wee prouoke Almightie God vnto displeasure Let the consideration hereof lead vs to repentance Repentance the gift of God the ioy of Angels the salue of sinnes the hauen of sinners let vs possesse it in our hearts The Angels of heauen need it not because they sinne not the Deuills in Hell care not for it for their iudgement is sealed It only appertaineth to the sonnes of men and therefore let vs the sons of men possesse it in our hearts that is let vs truly and vnfainedly forsake our old sinnes and turne vnto the Lord our God so shall this blessed peace and all other good things be continued among vs. But if we will persist in our euill wayes not regarding what the Lord shall speake vnto vs either in his holy Word or by his faithfull Ministers we may expect the portion of these Ammonites that God should kindle a fire in our Rabbahs our best fenced cities which shall deuoure the palaces thereof with shouting in the dâ—y of battell Thus much of the terrour of this iudgement Now followeth the speed in the next circumstance With a tempest in the day of the whirle-wind Suiting hereto
his fiue brethren by hearing of Moses and the Prophets might be saued It was a setled opinion of a Deut 8 3. old though vttered in fulnesse of time by our b Mat. 4 4. Luc. 4.4 Sauiour that a man liueth not by bread only but by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God The truth of which is confirmed by the practise of godly men in former ages I will not trouble you with many instances Many and excellent were the reuelations which God gaue vnto the Prophet Daniel yet notwithstanding all them as himselfe witnesseth cap. 9.2 he omitted not the reading of the Prophecie of Ieremie Much doubtlesse for the spirituall food of his owne soule yet for our ensample also that we should be conuersant in the Scriptures too It was a worthy commendation which Luke gaue the Beroeans Act. 17.11 for that as soone as they had heard the word preached by S. Paul they diligently conferred the scriptures to know whether it were so or no and thereby confirmed themselues in the truth which they had heard This their zeale and diligence should stirre vs vp also for the confirmation of our faith vpon the hearing of the word to search the scriptures That great heathen Lord Queene Candaces Eunuch as he was riding on the high way in his chariot did reade the Prophet Esay and the Lord of heauen had regard vnto him for it Act. 8.28 So Daniel by reading the Beroeans and the Eunuch by reading and hearing of the word were spiritually fed and nourished vnto euerlasting life To these holy exercises both of reading and hearing the scriptures the scriptures are full of exhortations fit for all estates for Vnbeleeuers that they would search the scriptures because in them they thinke to haue eternall life and they doe testifie of Christ Ioh. 5.39 for Beleeuers that besides other parts of their spirituall armour they would take vnto them the sword of the spirit which is the word of God Eph. 6.17 for young men that they would rule themselues after the word of God and so cleanse their waies Psal 119.9 for all men that they would meditate in the law of God day and night Psal 1.2 Now that the scriptures the sword of the spirit the word and law of God might be much vsed to the diuiding asunder of the soule and the spirit of ioints and marrow it was decreed in a c Nicena Synodus decretu suis cauit ne quis â— numero Chriâ—â—anorum sacris Bibliorum libâ—â—â— careret Corn. Agrippa de Van. Scient capâ—â—â— De verbo Dei councell of Nice that no house should bee without the holy Bible which d In capite Jeâ—â—nij Siue de Tempore Serm. 55. Feria quarta post dominicam in Quinquagesima Sic etiam autor Sermonum ad fratres in Eremo Serm. 56. Non vobis debet sufficere quod in Ecclesia lectiones diuinas audiatis sed in domibus in conuiniis vestris quando dies breues sunt etiam aliquibas horis in noâ—â— â—â—ctioni diuinae debetis insâ—stere Vt in horreo cordiâ— vestri spiritale possitis triticum comparare c. â—â— Homil. 2. vpon Esai S. Austen also intended saying Nec solum sufficiat quod in Ecclesia diuinas lectiones auditis sed etiam in domibus vestris aut ipsi legite aut alios legentes requirite Let it not content you to heare the holy scriptures read vnto you in the church only but in your houses also at home either read them your selues or cause other to reade them Vtinam omnes faceremus quod scriptum est scrutamini scripturas It is e Origens Would to God we all did as it is written search the scriptures Chrysostome f Homil. 9. vpon the Epistle to the Colossians saith Comparate vobis biblia animarum pharmaca seculares Ye lay mâ—â— get you Bibles for they are medicines of your soules Whereof the godly and first christened Emperour Constantine was well perswaded who therefore gaue g Euseb de vita Constantini lib. 4. cap. 36. Theodorit Hist Eccles lib. 1. cap. 16. commandement that the Bible should bee written out and sent abroad into all the kingdomes countries and cities of his dominion And what other might the perswasion of h Ieweâ— Replie Art 15. §. 13. 16. and Babington vpon the Lords praier pag. â—5 Before this K. Alfred began to translate the Psalter into English c. Fox in Maryâ—â—â—dan 899. ex Guliel de Regib Ang. king Adlestane here in England be when he caused the Bible to bee translated into the English tongue that all might reade it The much preaching and often reading of Gods holy word in the congregations of this land in the daies of her whom of late you loued Queene Elizabeth haue set vp and established her neuer dying praises And is not God much to be blessed for our good Iosiah our most dread Soueraign King Iames His heart is from aboue replenished with a religious zeale to free the passage of Gods most holy Gospell His desire to haue God sincerely worshipped throughout this land is made knowne by the good order he hath taken to set before you and all other his liege people Gods word if possible in greatest purity Let God be with the workmen I meane the Translators of the old and new testaments i This sermon was preached in the yeare of our Lord 1605. Nou. 3. Since the Translation is perfected and published the exactest that euer this Land had Let God be with them in their holy labours and let the remembrance of our King for it be like the composition of the perfume that is made by the art of the Apothecarie Hitherto beloued I haue by way of preface exhorted you to the reading and hearing of Gods word and I doubt not of your obedience to it Yet if any of you shall except against the reading of it for the hardnesse of the phrase being of the Eunuches mind Act. 8.31 that you cannot vnderstand what you reade except you haue a guide let it be your comfort that his Maiesty in giuing his royall assent to those laudable Canons and Constitutions Ecclesiasticall agreed vpon in the late k Synod at London * Begun at London Anno DoÌ„ 1603. hath by the 45. and 46. canons prouided guides for you such as are soberly and sincerely to diuide the word of truth to the glory of God and the best edification of his people And now it being my lot to be sent vnto you to you I bring an vnestimable pearle the word of the Lord which the Prophet Amos saw vpon Israel In diuiding it I promise you in the words of Paul 2 Cor. 12.19 by the helpe of God to doe all things for your edifying Wherefore beloued giue â—are I beseech you with reuerent regard and attention to the word of the Lord as it is written Amos 1.1 The wâ—â—ds of Amos who was among the heardmen at Tekoa which he saw vpon Israel in
all they may and must be dispossessed of their scepters and regalities 2. t Jbid. §. Quod si Quod si Christiani olim non deposâ—erun Neronem Dâ—ocletianum Iulianum Apostatam Valentem Arianum similes id fuit quia dâ—erant vires temporales Christianis If the Christians in times past deposed not Nero Diocletian Iulian the Apostata Valens the Arian and other like tyrants id fuit quia deerant vires temporales Christianis it was because they wanted power and force and were not strong enough for that attempt 3. u Ibid. §. At non At non tenentur Christiani immâ— nec dâ—bent cum euidenti periculo religionis tolerare Regem infideleÌ„ Christians are not bound to tolerate a king that is an infidell or a King not a Papist Not bound to tolerate him Nay saith Bellarmine they must not tolerate such a one cum euidenti periculo religionis if the toleration of him be an euident danger to their religion 4 x Ibid. §. At non De iure humano est quod hunc aut illum habeamus regem It is by the law of man that we haue this or that man to be our King This last position is formerly auowed by the same author in the same booke but in the second Chapter with opposition and disgrace to the soueraigntie of the Lord of hosts y §. Quod ad primum D minium non descendit ex iure diuino sed ex iure genâ—ium K ngdomes and dominion are not by the law of God but by the law of nations It is an impious blasphemous and atheologicall assertion From these positions of the great Iesuite by a necessary inference doe follow these two conclusions 1 That the Papists would most willingly depriue our most gracious Soueraigne of his royall throne and regality if they were of force and power so to doe 2 That all subiects of this land may stand in manifest rebellion against their King because he is no Papist Both which are summarily acknowledged by his royall Maiesty in his excellent speech the 5. of Nouember z Ann. Dâ—m 1605. last The a C. 2. a. Romish Catholiques by the grounds of their religion doe maintaine that it is lawfull or rather meritorious to murther Princes or people for quarrell of religion By the grounds of popish religion it is lawfull yea meritorious for Papists to murther Kings which are not Papists You see his Maiesties royall acknowledgement of impiety in the grounds of Romish religion You will not doubt of it if you rightly esteeme that same late thrise damnable diabolicall and matchlesse plot conceiued in the wombe of that religion with a full resolution to consume at once our pious King and this flourishing kingdome You perceiue now in what contempt and disgrace the popish faction holdeth the holy Scriptures the written word of God The written word of God expresly requireth obedience vnto Princes as placed in their thrones by Gods sole authority But the Popish religion maintaineth rebellion against Princes as placed in their thrones by mans sole authority Which will you follow the holy word of God or the doctrine of the Romish Church Beloued remeÌ„ber what I told you in the beginning of this exercise though Amos spake yet his words were Gods words remember that God is the author of holy Scripture and then for his sake for the authors sake for Gods sake you will bee perswaded to take heed vnto it to heare it and reade it with reuerence obsequie and docility We the branches of the same vine that bare our predecessors to whom by deuolution the sacred Statutes of the eternall God the holy Scriptures are come must esteeme of them all for b D. King B. of Lond. vpon Ion. lect 1. p. 2. Gods most royall and celestiall Testament the oracles of his 〈◊〉 â—â—nly 〈…〉 â—led counsailes milke from his sacred 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 â—pledge of his fauour to his Church the light of our 〈◊〉 c Ierem. 15 1â— â—oy of our hearts d Lament 4.20 breath of our nostrils 〈…〉 of our hope groâ—nd of out loue 〈…〉 future blessednesse Behold the value and price of the words which Amos saw vpon Israel which God willing with all my diligence and best paines I will expound to you hereafter as occasion shall be ministred Now leâ— vs pâ—wre out our soules in thankâ—ulnâ—sse before the Lord for that he hath beene pleased this day to gather vs together to be hearers of his holy word and partakers of the blessed Sacrament of the body and bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ thereby to confirme our holy faith in vs. We thanke thee therefore good Father and beseech thee more and more to feed vs with the neuer perishing food of thy holy word that by it being made cleane and sanctified wee may in due time haue free passage from this vally of teares to the city of ioy Ierusalem wich is aboue where this corruptible shall put on incorruption and our mortality shall bee swallowed vp of life So be it THE Third Lecture AMOS 1.2 And he said the Lord shall roare from Sion â—nd vtter his voice from Ierusalem and the dwelling places of the shepherds shall perish and the top of Carmel shall wither VPon the preface to this prophecie these words and he said my last lecture was bestowed wherein because whatsoeuer Amos the heardman spake was the word of God I endeuoured to shew forth the worth dignity and excellency of the word of God commonly called by the name of holy Scripture A point that yeeldeth a very harsh and vnpleasant sound to euery popishly affected eare as then at large I made plaine out of popish mouths and practise Order now requireth that I goe on to the next generall part of this text to the prophecie it selfe The first point therein to be recommended at this time vnto you is the Lord speaking The Lord shall roare and vtter his voice wherein I desire you to obserue with me who it is that speaketh how he speaketh Who speaketh It is the Lord. How speaketh he He roareth and vttereth forth his voice First of him that speaketh He is in the Hebrew text called Iehouah which is the a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 King B. of London vpon Jonas Lect. 11. pag. 152. honourablest name belonging to the great God of Heauen Much might be spoken of it would I apply my selfe to the curiosity of Cabalists and Rabbins as that it is a name b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Zanch. de nat Dei lib. 1 c. 13. not to be pronounced or taken within polluted lips that it is a c Cael. Rhodiginus Lâ—ct antiq lib 2. cap. 9. Quem nos Deum nun cupamus Aegyptii Thâ—â—t Persae dicunt Syre Magorum disciplina Orsi vnde profluxit Oromasis Tam apud Hebraeorum gentem ellebre est quatuor vocalium Dei sacrâ—Ì„ nomen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod inde Tetragrammaton dicunt alia voce
turned Good Lord open thou our eares that if it be thy holy will either to Roare vnto vs or to speake with a milder voice either to come against in iudgement or to visit vs in mercy wee may readily heare thee and yeeld obedience and as obedient children receiue the promise of eternall inheritance So when the time of our separation shall be that we must leaue this world a place of darknesse of trouble of vexation of anguish thou Lord wilt translate vs to a better place a place of light where darknesse shall be no more a place of rest where trouble shall be no more a place of delight where vexation shall be no more a place of endlesse and vnspeakable ioyes where anguish shall be no more There this corruptible shall put on incorruption and our mortality shall be swallowed vp of life Euen so be it THE Fourth Lecture AMOS 1.2 And hee said the Lord shall roare from Sion and vtter his voice from Ierusalem and the dwelling places of the shepherds shall perish and the top of Carmel shall wither IN my last exercise I entreated of the Speaker Now am I to entreat of the places from whence hee speaketh expressed in two names Sion and Ierusalem The Lord shall roare from Sion and vtter his voice from Ierusalem c. Sion I read in holy Scripture of two Sions The one is Deut. 4.48 a hill of the Amorites the same with Hermon Moses there calleth it a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sion by the figure b Iunius in Deut. 3.9 Syncope the right name of it is c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sirion and so recorded Deut. 3.9 The other d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sion is the Sion in my Text mount Sion in Iudah vpon the â—op whereof was another mountaine e Drusius obseru 14.21 Not. Iunius in Psal 48.3 Moria vpon which stood the Temple of the Lord. Before it was called the f 2 Sam. 5.7 Tower or Fort of Sion It was a fortresse a bulwarke a strong hold and place of defence for the Iebusites the inhabitants of the land against their enemies Against these Iebusites King Dauid came with a warlike power speedily surprised their fort built round about it dwelt in it and called it his g The City of Dauid owne City as appeareth 2 Sam. 5.9 This is the city of Dauid so much h 2 Sam 5.7 1 King 8.1 1 Chron. 11.5 2 Chron. 5.2 mentioned in the sacred bookes of Samuel the Kings and Chronicles To this his owne City mount Sion Dauid accompanied with the Elders and Captaines of Israel i 2 Sam. 6.15 brought the Arke of the Lord with shouting with cornets with trumpets with cymbals with viols with harps as is plaine by the story 1 Chron. cap. 15. and 16. Now began the holy exercises of religion duly to be obserued in this city of Dauid mount Sion was now the place of the Name of the Lord of boasts Hitherto belongeth that same excellent description and commendation of mount Sion Psal 48.1 2 3. Mount Sion lying northward from Ierusalem is faire in situation It is the city of the great King the city of God Gods holy mountaine the ioy of the whole earth In the palaces thereof God is well knowne for a sure refuge In this city of Dauid the holy mount Sion the Lord of hoasts whom the k 1 Kâ—ng 8.27 2 Chron. 6.18 Heauens and the Heauen of Heauens are not able to containe is said to l Psal 74.2 dwell Psal 9.11 not that hee is tied to any place but because there were the most manifest and often testimonies of his residence Thus is Sion taken literally It is also taken spiritually by a Synecdoche for the Church Spouse and Kingdome of Christ as Psal 2.6 where God is said to haue annointed his King ouer Sion the hill of his holinesse Sion there is not to be vnderstood the terrestriall Sion by Ierusalem but another Sion elect and spirituall not of this world holy Sion so called for the grace of sanctification powred out vpon it euen the holy Church of Christ whereto doe appertaine the holy Patriarchs the Prophets the Apostles the vniuersall multitude of beleeuers throughout not only Israel but the whole world Sion in this signification is obuious in holy Scripture To which sense by the daughters of Sion in the m Psal 149. â— Psalmes of Dauid in n Cantic 3.11 Salomons song in the prophecies of o Esay 3 16 17. Psaâ— 4.4 Esay and p Ioel. 2.23 Ioel you may vnderstand the faithfull members of the Church of Christ There is yet one other signification of Sion It s put for Heauen as learned Drusius in his notes vpon my text obserueth The like obseruation is made by Theophylact and Oecumenius commenting vpon Heb. 12.22 Now the Sion in my text from whence the Lord is said to roare to speake terribly and dreadfully is either the Temple vpon mount Sion by Ierusalem or the Church of Christ wherof Sion is a type Sion the holy one of Israel whose walls are saluation and gates praise or the Heauen of Heauens the most proper place of Gods residence Ierusalem Of old this city was called Salem as Gen. 14.18 when Melchisedeck King thereof brought forth bread and wine to refresh Abram and his followers Afterward it was possessed by the Iebusites and named Iebus Iudg. 19.10 Peter Martyr in 2 Sam. 5.6 from both these names Iâ—bus and Salem supposeth that by the change of a few letters Ierusalem hath had her name and not from the mountaines called Solymi as some doe coniecture but erre for that the mountaines Solymi were in Pisidia not in Iudea Many were the names of this city Some of them Benedictus in his marginall note vpon Iosua chap. 10. nameth in a distich Solyma Luza Bethel Ierosolyma Iebus Helia Vrbs sacra Ierusalem dicitur atque Salem In this distich 9. names of this one city are couched together Solyma Ierosolyma Ierusalem Iebus Salem Bethel Helia Luza the holy City Drusius obseruat sacr lib. 14. cap. 21. noteth that Ierusalem did consist of two parts the one was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the lower city the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the higher city This higher city was Sion or mount Sion whereof you haue already heard and was diuersly tearmed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the city of Dauid the fort the fort of Sion the tower of Sion But I come not to preach names vnto you Will you heare of the honour of this city they that were aliue when Ierusalem flourished to haue q Psal 48.12 numbred her towers to haue considered her wals to haue marked her bulwarks and to haue told their posterity of it might haue made a report scarcely to haue bin beleeued This we know by Ps 48.4 5. When the Kings of the earth were gathered together and saw it they maruelled they were astonied and suddenly driuen backe Thus is Ierusalem taken
Though Herod Pontius Pilate the Gentiles and the people of Israel had crucified and done to death the Lord of life our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ Yet did not the Apostles therefore grow into a rage and bitter speeches against them In that great execution of the Lord Iesus they had regard vnto the hand of God Herod Pontius Pilat the Gentiles and the Iewes they knew were but instruments For thus make they their confession before the Lord of heauen and earth verse the 28. Doubtlesse both Herod and Pontius Pilat with the Gentiles and the people of Israel gathered themselues together against thine holy Son Iesus to doe whatsoeuer thine hand and thy counsell had determined to be done To good purpose then is that question propounded by Amos chap. 3.6 Shall there be euill in a city and the Lord hath not done it It may serue for an anchor to keepe vs that we be not carried away with the waues of tribulation and affliction It assureth vs that God who bad Shimei curse Dauid who sent the Sabeans Chaldeans fire from heauen and a great wind from beyond the wildernesse to spoile and make an end of Iobs substance and his children who determined that Herod Pontius Pilat with the Gentiles and the Israelites should put to death the Lord of life that the same God hath his finger yea and his whole hand too in all our crosses and tribulations Is there any euill in the city and the Lord hath not done it Here beloued in the Lord must we be taxed for a vanity at least I had almost said a blasphemie deeply rooted too well setled among vs. Vpon the accesse of any calamity we cry out bad lucke bad fortue If the strong man come into our house and take from vs the flower of our riches our siluer and gold then we cry What lucke What fortune If our sheepe and cattell faile vs then also we cry What lucke What fortune Whatsoeuer crosse befalleth vs lucke and fortune is still in our mouths Quasi Deus otium coloret in coelo non curaret res humanas as if we were to hold it for an article of our beleefe that God liueth idly in heauen and hath no regard of mans affaires Whereas the holy Prophet Amos in propounding this question shall there be any euill in the city and tâ—â— Lord hath not done it and the holy Apostles in acknowledging Gods hand in the death of Christ and holy Iob in blessing the name of the Lord for all his losses and holy Dauid in patiently taking Shimeis curses as an affliction sent him from the Lord doe all plainly shew this that the empire of this world is administred by Almighty God that nothing happeneth vnto vs but by Gods hand and appointment Learne we then more patience towards the instruments of our calamities miseries crosses and afflictions let vs not belike the dogge that snatcheth at a stone cast at him without regard vnto the thrower Here we learne a better propertie euen to turne our eies from the instrumentes to the hand that smiteth by them Thus farre of my second circumstance How God punisheth My third was whom he punisheth Hazael and Benhadad the house of Hazael and palaces of Benhadad If you will know who this Hazael was you must haue recourse to the sacret storie 2. Kings 8. There shall you find him sent by Benhadad King of Syria with a present vnto Elizeus to know concerning his sicknesse whether he should recouer of it and after his returne from Elizeus with a thicke wet cloath to haue strangled and murdered his Lord and Master King Benhadad This was he whom Elizeus foretold of his hard vsage of the Israelites that he should set on fire their strong cities should slay their young men with the sword should dash their infants against the stones and should rent in peeces their women great with child This was he who 2. Kings 13.7 so destroyed the children of Israel that hee made them like dust beaten to powder This was he of whose death we read verse the 24. The house of Hazael either the familie stocke and posterity of Hazael as Arias Montanus Mercer Drusius expound or some materiall house which Hazael had proudly and stately built for himselfe and his posteritie This later exposition is added to the former by Mercer and Drusius because of that which followeth the palaces of Benhadad Benhadad In writing this name I find three errours One of the Greeks who write 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if it were in the Hebrew Benader The second of the Latines who write it Benhadad The third of Ionathan the Chaldee paraphrast who writes it Barhadad whereas the right name is Benhadad Benhadad saith Mercer vpon this place was a name peculiar to the Kings of Syria as was first Pharaoh and afterward Ptolemee to the Kings of Egypt and Caesar to the Roman Emperours From this opinion of Mercer Drusius in obseruat sacr 11.14 varieth affirming that albeit diuerse Kings of Syria were called by this name Benhadad yet doth it not thereupon follow that Benhadad was a common name to all the Kings of Syriae In holy Scripture we reade of three Benhadads Of the first 1. Kings 15.18 who was King of Syria at what time Asa raigned in Iudah and Baasha in Israel Of the second 2 King 8.7 who in his sicknesse sent Hazael to Elizeus the man of God to counsaile Of the third 2 Kings 13.3 who was Hazaels sonne and his successour in the throne Now the Benhadad in my text is either Benhadad Hazaels predecessour slaine by Hazael or Benhadad Hazaels son and successour The Palaces of Benhadad to bee deuoured by fire from the Lord. These palaces of Benhadad are the goodly sumptuous proud and stately edifices made or enlarged by either of the Benhadads or by both Hazaels predecessour and successour Thus haue you the exposition of my third circumstance which was concerning the parties punished no meane parties parties of no lower ranke then Kings Hazael and Benhadad The Lord punisheth hee punisheth by fire hee punisheth by fire Hazael and Benhadad I will send a fire into the house of Hazael and it shal deuoure the palaces of Benhadad Many profitable doctrines may be hence deduced I can but point at them 1 In that the Lord sendeth a fire into tho house of Hazael against his family and posterity we are put in minde of a truth expressed in the second commandement this God will visit the sinnes of the fathers vpon the children vnto the third and fourth generation Dearely beloued sore is that anger the flame of whose punishment casteth out smoake so farre yet the meaning thereof is as Ezechiel sheweth chap. 18. If the children doe follow the fathers wickednesse and not otherwise To visit then is not to punish the children for the fathers offences but to take notice and apprehend them in the same faults by reason they are giuen ouer to commit their fathers transgressions that
wrongs done vnto vs we must wait vpon the Lord who in his good time will right all our iniuries For he hath said vengeance belongeth vnto me I will recompense Let vs proceed and see what doctrine may be gathered from the two next circumstances the circumstance of the punishment and the circumstance of the punished The punishment I noted in the breaking of barres and the punished in the word Damascus You haue already heard the meaning of these words I will breaks the barre of Damascus I the Lord will with my mighty power breake lay waste and consume the barre barre for barres euen all the munition and strength of Damascus of the chiefest city of Syria and the countrey adioyning Must Damascus the strongest Citie of all Syria haue her barres broken Must shee bee laid waste and spoyled Here fixing the eyes of our mindes vpon the power of the Lord learne we this lesson There is no thing nor creatuâ—e able to withstand Gods power or to let his purpose Nothing not gates of brasse nor barres of iron these hee breaketh asunder Psal 107.16 No creature What creature more mighty than a King Yet in the day of his wrath God woundeth Kings witnesse the Psalmist 110.5 Doth he wound Kings yea he slayeth mighty Kings Psal 135.10 and 136.18 My text auoweth the same in one of the next clauses where God threâ—â—heth to the mighty King of Syria a cutting off I cut off him that holdeth the scepter out of Beth-eden These few now alleaged instances doe sufficiently though briefly confirme my propounded doctrine There is no thing nor creature able to withstand Gods power or to let his purpose The reason hereof is because God only is omnipotent and whatsoeuer else is in the world it is weake and vnable to resist Of Gods omnipotency we make our daily profession in the first article of our beleefe professing him to be God the Father Almighty In which profession wee doe not exclude either the Sonne or Holy Ghost from omnipotency For God the Father who imparteth his Godhead vnto the Sonne and to the Holy Ghost doth communicate the proprieties of his Godhead to them also And therefore our beleefe is that as the Father is Almighty Symbolo Atharas so the Sonne is Almighty and the Holy Ghost is Almighty too Now God is said to be omnipotent or Almighty in two respects First because he is able to doe whatsoeuer he will Secondly because he is able to doe more than he will For the first that God is able to doe whatsoeuer he will who but the man possessed with the spirit of Atheisme and infidelity dares deny This truth being expresly deliuered twise in the booke of Psalmes First Psal 115.3 Our God in heauen doth whatsoeuer he will againe Psal 135.6 Whatsoeuer pleaseth the Lord that doth he in heauen in earth in the sea in all the depths For the second that God is able to doe more than he will doe euery Christian acquainted with the Euangelicall story doth acknowledge it It is plaine by Iohn Baptists reproofe of the Pharisees and Sadduces Matth. 3.9 Thinke not to say within your selues we haue Abraham to our Father for I say vnto you that God is able of these stones to raise vp children vnto Abraham Able but will not So likewise when Christ was betrayed the story Matth. 26.53 is that God the Father could haue giuen him more than twelue legions of Angels to haue deliuered him He could but would not The like may bee said of many other things The Father was able to haue created another world yea a thousand worlds Was able but would not You see for Gods omnipotency that he is able to doe whatsoeuer he will doe yea that he is able to doe more than he will doe God only is omnipotent whatsoeuer else is in the world its weake and vnable to resist which is the very summe of my doctrine already propounded and confirmed There is no thing nor creature able to withstand Gods power or to let his purpose For as Iob saith chap. 9.13 The most mighty helps doe stoope vnder Gods anger This is it which Nabuchodonosor Dan. 4.34 35. confesseth In comparison of the most high who liueth for euer whose power is an euerlasting power whose kingdome is from generation to generation all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing according to his will he worketh in the army of heauen and in the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand nor say vnto him what doest thou This is it whereat S. Paul aimeth in his question demanded Rom. 9.19 Who hath resisted the will of God And this is it which Iob intendeth chap. 9.4 demanding a like question who hath beene fierce against God and hath prospered I will not further amplifie this point it must stand good against all the might and strength of this world There is no thing nor creature able to withstand Gods power or to let his purpose Now let vs consider some duties whereunto we are moued by this doctrine of Gods omnipotencie 1 Is there no thing nor creature able to withstand Gods power or to let his purpose Learne we from hence true humiliation that same Christian vertue to which S. Peter 1 epist 5.6 giues his exhortation Humble your selues vnder the mighty hand of God What are we beloued but by nature in our selues most wretched conceiued and borne in sin hitherto running on in wickednesse and dayly rebelling against God against Almighty God against him who alone is able to doe whatsoeuer he will able to doe more than he will able to cast both body and soule into hell fire Let the consideration of this our wretched estate worke in vs the fruits of true humiliation This true humiliation standeth in our practice of three things Perkins Cas Coâ— â— lib. 1. ca. 5. §. 2. pag. 57. 1. The sorrow of our heart whereby we are displeased with our selues and ashamed in respect of our sins 2 Our confession to God in which we must also doe three things 1 Wee must acknowledge all our maine sins originall and actuall 2 We must acknowledge our guiltinesse before God 3 We must acknowledge our iust damnation for sin The third thing in our humiliation is our supplication to bee made to God for mercy which must be with all possible earnestnesse as in a matter of life and death A patterne whereof I present vnto you Dan. 9.17 18 19. O our God heare the praiers of vs thy seruants and our supplications and cause thy face to shine vpon vs. O our God incline thine eare to vs and heare vs open thine eies and behold our miseries we do not present our supplications before thee for our own righteousnesse but for thy great tender mercies O Lord heare vs O Lord forgiue vs O Lord consider and doe it deferre not thy mercies for thine owne sake O our God Thus beloued if we humble our selues vnder the hand of Almighty God God will
till the comming of the Messias Here then he that holdeth the scepter in Beth-Eden is the King abiding in Beth-Eden Hitherto beloued haue I laboured to vnfold the words of my text I will cut off the inhabitant of Bikeath-Auen and him that holdeth the scepter out of Beth-eden I the Lord with my mighty power will cut off will vtterly consume and destroy the inhabitant not one only but euery one that dwelleth in Bikeath-Auen the so named city of Syria There will I not stay my hand but I will also with my mighty power cut off vtterly consume and destroy him that holdeth the scepter not only the vnder-magistrate but the King himselfe out of Beth-eden another so named city of Syria Bikeath-Auen shall not be able to defend her inhabitants nor Beth-eden her King I will cut off c. Thus farre the exposition Now some notes of instruction You will be pleased to remember with me my three propounded circumstances 1 The punisher the Lord. 2 The punishment a cutting off 3 The punished the inhabitant of Bikeath-Auen and the King of Beth-eden From the first circumstance The Lord himselfe taking vengeance into his owne hands ariseth this doctrine It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes Which truth hauing beene often commended to your Christian considerations in former lectures I now let passe From all three circumstances of the punisher the punishment and the punished ioyntly considered arise other profitable doctrines First wee see that the cutting off of the inhabitant of Bikeath-Auen and of him that holdeth the scepter out of Beth-eden is the Lords proper worke The lesson which wee may take from hence is this No calamity or misery be falleth any one of whatsoeuer estate or degree by chance or at aduenture It was an errour of the Paynims to hold fortune in so high account b Iuuen. Sat. 10. Te facimus Fortuna Deam coeloque locamus They esteemed her as a goddesse assigned her a place in Heauen They presented her by the image of a woman sitting sometimes vpon a ball sometimes vpon a wheele hauing with her a rasour c Pierius Hieroglyph lib. 29. bearing in her right hand the sterne of a ship in her left the horne of abundance by the rasour they would giue vs to vnderstand that she can at her pleasure cut off and end our happinesse by the ball or wheele that she is very prone to volubility and change by the sterne in her right hand that the whole course of our life is vnder her gouernment by the horne of abundance in her left hand that all out plenty is from her This palpable Idolatry of the Gentiles giuing the glory of the most high to their baâ—e and inglorious abominations wee Christians must vtterly renounce We honor the Lord of hosts alone and to him alone doe we ascribe the soueraingty dominion and rule of the whole world Such is the extent of Gods wonderfull and eternall prouidence The whole world with all things therein is wholly and alone subiect to the soueraignty dominion and rule of Almighty God by his prouidence all things are preserued all things are ruled all things are ordered These are the three degrees by which you may discerne and take notice of the Act of diuine prouidence The first is Gradus conseruationis Trelcat Instit l b. 2 pag. 46. The second Gradus gubernationis The third Gradus ordinationis The first degree is of maintenance or preseruation the second is of rule and gouernment the third is of ordination and direction The first degree which I termed gradum conseruationis the degree of maintenance and preseruation implieth thus much that all things in generall and euery thing in particular are by Almighty God sustained ordinarily in the same state of nature and naturall proprieties wherein they were created This truth is excellently explained Psal 104. 145. 147. In which the Psalmist ioyfully singeth out of the wonderfull Prouidence of God in the maintenance and preseruation of man and euery other creature the beasts of the field the foules of the aire the fishes of the sea d Psal 104.10 11. He sendeth the springs into the vallies that all the beasts of the field may drinke and the wilde asses quench their thirst e Psal 147.8 Psal 104.13 Hee couereth the heauen with clouds prepareth raine for the earth and maketh grasse to grow euen vpon mountaines that cattell may haue food he hath made the mountaines f Psal 104.18 to be a refuge for goats and rockes for conies the Lions g Vers 21. roaring after their prey seeke their meat at him You see Gods care and prouidence for the preseruation of the beasts of the field see the like for the fowles of the aire He hath planted the h Psal 104 16. Cedars of Lebanon for birds to make their nests there and the firre trees for the storkes to dwell in the young i Psal 147.9 rauens that cry vnto him he feedeth Our Sauiour Iesus Christ Matth. 6.26 calls you to this consideration Behold saith he the fowles of heauen they sow not nor reape nor carry into barns yet your heauenly father feedeth them Gods care and prouidence for the preseruation of his creatures here resteth not it reacheth euen to the bottome of the sea There is great k Psal 104.26 Leuiathan there are creeping things innumerable small and great all which wait vpon the Lord that he may giue them food in due season In due season hee giues them food l Psal 104.24 and they gather it he openeth his hand and they are filled with good O Lord how manifold are thy workes In wisdome hast thou made them all the whole world is full of thy riches The prouidence I termed gradum gubernationis the degree of rule and gouernment It implyeth thus much that Almighty God for his vnlimited power gouerneth all things in the world and ruleth them pro libertate voluntatis suae euen as he listeth This point is deliuered not obscurely in many places of holy Scripture as in those generall and vniuersall sayings which doe proue God Almighty euen this day to work in the world and to doe all in all In Esa 43.13 thus saith the Lord Yea before the day was I am and there is none that can deliuer out of mine hand I will doe it and who shall let it Agreeable to this are the words of our Sauiour Ioh. 5.17 My father worketh hitherto and I worke From both these places wee may truly inferre that God worketh in the gouernment of this world day after day euen vntill the end thereof which Saint Paul Ephes 1.11 auoweth He worketh all things after the counsell of his owne will To the consideration hereof Elihu stirreth vp afflicted Iob Chap. 37. wishing him to consider the wonderous workes of God the Clouds and his light shining out of them the thunder Gods maruellous and glorious voice the
snow the frost the whirlewind the raine all these God ruleth and gouerneth after his good pleasure And who I pray you ruleth man and mans affaires but the Lord O Lord saith Ierem. chap. 10.23 I know that the way of man is not in himselfe neither is it in man to walke and to direct his steps King Salomon confesseth as much Prou. 20.24 The steps of man are ruled by the Lord. From this ruling prouidence of God King Dauid Psal 23.1 drew vnto himselfe a very comfortable argument The Lord feedeth me therefore I shall not want Let vs as comfortably reason with our selues The Lord feedeth vs therefore we shall not want It is spoken to our neuer ending comfort by our blessed Sauiour Matth. 10.29 Are not two sparrowes sold for a farthing and one of them falleth not on the ground without your father Feare ye not therefore ye are of more value than many sparrowes In the same place he further assureth that all the haires of our head are numbred Doth Gods care reach to the falling of the haires of our head and can we doubt of his perpetuall rule and gouernment in the world It must stand true Almighty God for his vnlimited power gouerneth all things in the world and ruleth them pro libertate voluntatis suae euen as he listeth The third degree by which we may discerne the act of diuine prouidence I called gradum ordinationis the degree of ordination or direction It implyeth thus much that God of his admirable wisdome ordaineth and setteth in order whatsoeuer things in the world seem to be most out of order he bringeth them all to his chiefly intended end all must make for his glorie In this diuine ordination three things doe concurre Constitutio finis mediorum ad finem dispositio and Dispositorum directio First God appointeth an end to euery thing secondly he disposeth meanes vnto the end thirdly hee directeth the meanes so disposed To discourse of these particulars seuerally would carry mee beyond my time and your patience I will but only touch the generall which was God of his admirable wisdome ordaineth or setteth in order whatsoeuer things in the world seeme to be most out of order he bringeth them all to his chiefly intended end they all make for his glory Hereupon dependeth the truth of my propounded doctrine inuiolable No calamitie or miserie be falleth any one of whatsoeuer estate or degree by chance or at aduenture For if it be true as true it is and the gates of Hell shall neur be able to preuaile against it that God by his wonderfull prouidence maintaineth and preserueth ruleth and gouerneth ordereth disposeth and directeth all things in this world euen to the very haires of our heads it cannot be that any calamity or misery should befall any one of vs by aduenture by hap-hazard by chance by fortune The Epicure in the booke of Iob 22.13 was in a foule errour to thinke that God walking in the circle of heauen cannot through the darke clouds see our misdoings and iudge vs for them Dearely beloued we may not thinke our God to be a m See Lect. 1. page 10. God to halfes and in part only a God aboue and not beneath the moone a God vpon the mountaines and not in the vallies a God in the greater and not in the lesser employments We may not thus thinke We haue liued long enough to haue learned better things out of Amos 9. Ierem 23. Psal 139. that God is euery where present and that there is no euasion from him Serm 4. in Iames 4.10 infra Lect. 14. pag. 159. No corner in Hell no mansion in heauen no caue in the top of Carmel no fishes belly in the bottome of the sea no darke dungeon in the land of captiuitie no place of any secrecie any where is able to hide vs from the presence of God Wee haue learned Zach. 4.10 that God hath seuen eyes which goe thorow the whole world You may interpret them with me many millions of eyes He is * Hieronymus in illud Psal 94.9 Qui plantauit aurem non audiet aut qui finxit oculum non considerat Ego autem dico quod Deus totus Oculus est totus Manus est totus Pes est Totus Oculus est quia omnia videt Totus Manus est quia omnia operatur Totus Pes est quia vbique est totus OCVLVS altogether eye for he seeth all things We haue learned Esai 40.12 that God hath hands to measure the waters and to span the heauens You may interpret it with me that he hath many millions of hands He is totus Manus altogether hand for he worketh all things We haue learned Matth. 5.35 that God hath feet to set vpon his foot-stoole You may interpret it with me that he hath many milions of feet He is totus Pes altogether foot for he is euery where We shall then be very iniurious to God if we deny him the ouersight of the smallest matters The holy Scriptures doe euidently shew that he examineth the least moments and tittles in the world that we can imagine n Supra pag. 10. to a handfull of meale to a cruse of oyle in a poore widowes house to the falling of sparrowes to the ground to the clothing of the grasse in the field to the feeding of the birds of the aire to the caluing of hindes to the numbring of the haires of our heads Wherefore dearely beloued in the Lord whatsoeuer calamity or misery hath already seized vpon vs or shall hereafter ouertake vs let vs not lay it vpon blinde Fortune but looke we to the hand that striketh vs. Hee who is noted in my text to cut off the inhabitant of Bikeath-Auen and him that holdeth the scepter out of Beth-eden euen He it is that for our sins bringeth vpon vs calamities and miseries The late fearefull floud raging vpon this land to the vtter destruction of great store of cattell and much people and the late rot of sheepe in this and other places of this land are Gods visitations vpon vs for our sinnes and admonishments for vs to amend our liues Shall there be euill in a city and the Lord hath not done it saith Amos chap. 3.6 It s out of question there is no euill in the city no not in the world but the Lords finger is in it and that iustly for our sinnes sake What remaineth but that we rent our hearts and turne vnto the Lord our God He is gracious mercifull slow to anger of great kindnesse and repenteth him of euill How know we whether he will returne and repent and leaue a blessing behinde him for vs Let vs therefore goe boldly vnto the throne of grace that wee may receiue mercy and finde grace to helpe in time of need THE Eleuenth Lecture AMOS 1.5 The people of Aram shall goe into captiuity vnto Kir saith the Lord. WEe goe on with that which yet remaineth vnexpounded in this 5. verse
Whatsoeuer things are true and honest and iust and pure and doe pertaine to loue and are of good report if there bee any vertue or praise thinke we on these things Thinke we on these things to doe them and we shall not need to feare any going into captiuity yea the destroying Angell shall haue no power ouer vs the raging waters shall not hurt vs our cattell and whatsoeuer else we enioy shall prosper vnder vs. For God euen our owne God shall giue vs his blessing THE Twelfth Lecture AMOS 1.6 7 8. Thus saith the Lord For three transgressions of Azzah and for foure I will not turne to it because they carried away prisoners the whole captiuity to shut them vp in Edom. Therefore will I send a fire vpon the walls of Azzah and it shall deuoure the Palaces thereof And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod and him that holdeth the scepter from Ashkelon and turne mine hand to Ekron and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish saith the Lord God THese words doe containe a burthensome prophecie against the Philistines I diuide them into three parts 1 A preface to a prophecie vers 6. Thus saith the Lord. 2 The prophecie vers 6 7 8. For three transgressions c. 3 The conclusion in the end of the eighth verse Saith the Lord God In the prophecie I obserue foure parts 1 An Accusation of the Philistines vers the 6. For three transgressions of Azzah and for foure 2 The Lords protestation against them vers the 6. I will not turne to it 3 The declaration of that grieuous sin by which the Philistines so highly displeased God vers the 6. They carried away prisoners the whole captiuity to shut them vp in Edom. 4 The description of the punishments to be inflicted vpon them in fiue branches One in the seuenth verse and foure in the eighth verse The great Cities Azzah and Ashdod and A hkelon and Ekron and all the rest of the Philistines are partners in this punishment This prophecy for the tenor and current of the words is much like the former against the Syrians the exposition whereof in sundry sermons heretofore deliuered may serue for the exposition of this prophecie also The preface is first Thus saith the Lord Not Amos but in Amos the Lord. The Lord Iehouah who made the heauens and spread them out like a curtaine to cloath himselfe with light as with a garment and can againe cloath the heauens with darknesse and make a sacke their couering the Lord Iehouah who made the sea to lay the beames of his chamber therein and placed the sands for bounds vnto it by a perpetuall decree neuer to be passed ouer howsoeuer the waues thereof shall rage and roare and can with a word smite the pride thereof at his rebuke the flouds shall be turned into a wildernesse the sea shall be dried vp the fish shall rot for want of water and die for thirst the Lord Iehouah who made the drie land and so set it vpon foundations that it should neuer moue and can couer her againe with the deepe as with a garment and so rocke her that she shall reele to and fro and stagger like a drunken man Thus saith the Lord The Lord Iehouah whose throne is the heauen of heauens and the sea his floure to walke in and the earth his footstoole to tread vpon who hath a chaire in the conscience and sitteth in the heart of man and possesseth his most secret reines and diuideth betwixt the flesh and the skinne and shaketh his inmost powers as the thunder shaketh the wildernesse of Cades Thus saith the Lord Hath he said it and shall he not doe it hath he spoken it and shall he not accomplish it The Lord Iehouah the strength of Israel is not as man that he should lie nor as the sonne of man that he should repent All his words yea all the titles of his words are yea and Amen Heauen and earth shall perish before one iot or any one tittle of his word shall escape vnfulfilled Thus saith the Lod Out of doubt then must it come to passe Here see the authority of this prophecie and not of this only but also of all other the prophecies of holy Scripture that neither this nor any other prophecy of old is destitute of diuine authority This point of the authority of holy Scripture I deliuered vnto you in my second and sixt Lectures vpon this Prophecie and then noted vnto you the harmony consent and agreement of all the Prophets Euangelists and Apostles from the first vnto the last not one of them spake one word of a naturall man in all their ministeries the words which they spake were the words of him that sent them they spake not of themselues God spake in them Whensoeuer were the time whatsoeuer were the meanes whosoeuer were the man wheresoeuer were the place whatsoeuer were the people the words were the Lords Thus saith the Lord Then must we giue eare vnto him with reuerence But what saith hee Euen the words of this Prophecie For three transgressions of Azzah and foure I will not turne it Azzah Palestina the country of the Philistines was diuided into fiue Prouinces or Dutchies mentioned Iosh 13.3 the Dutchies of Azzah of Ashdod of Askelon of Gath of Ekron These fiue chiefe and the most famous Cities of Palestina are recorded also 1 Sam. 6.17 where the Philistines are said to haue giuen for a sinne offering to the Lord fiue golden Emerods one for Azzah one for Ashdod one for Askelon one for Gath and one for Ekron Against foure of these Cities all saue Gath and against Gath too in the generall name of the Philistines this prophecie was giuen by the ministery of Amos. In the offence or blame Azzah is alone nominated but in the punishment are Ashdod and Askelon and Ekron and the residue of the Philistines remembred as well as Azzah Azzah It 's first named Gen. 10.19 In the vulgar Latine and in the Greeke it 's commonly called Gaza it hath no other name in the new Testament but Gaza It 's so called Act. 8.26 And you may call it by which name you will Azzah or Gaza it 's not materiall Now by this Azzah or Gaza you are to vnderstand the inhabitants of the City and not them only but also the borderers all the inhabitants of the country adiacent to all which our Prophet here denounceth Gods iudgements for their sins For three transgressions of Azzah and for foure These words containing an accusation of the Philistines for their sins and the protestation of Almighty God against them for the same I haue heretofore in my sixt Lecture at large expounded occasioned thereto by the beginning of the third verse and therefore I shall not need at this time to make any long iteration thereof Yet let me relate vnto you the summe and substance of them For three transgressions of Azzah c. It is as if the Lord had thus said If the
done these things to the needy and distressed ye haue done them vnto me Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundations of the world THE Thirteenth Lecture AMOS 1.7 8. Therefore will I send a fire vpon the wals of Azzah and it shall deuoure the palaces thereof And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod WE are come to the last part of this Prophecie the description of the punishments to be inflicted vpon the Philistines The seuenth verse doth not much differ from the fourth The same punishment which is there threatned to the Syrians vnder the names of Hazael and Benhadad is in this seuenth verse denounced to the Philistines vnder the name of Azzah And therefore as there I did so must I here commend vnto you three circumstances 1 The punisher the Lord I. 2 The punishment by fire I will send a fire 3 The punished the Azzites the inhabitants of that City the Philistines vpon the walls and palaces of Azzah The punisher is the Lord for thus saith the Lord I will send The note yeeldeth vs this doctrine It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes This doctrine I proued at large in my eighth Lecture vpon this prophecie Yet for their sakes who then heard me not or haue forgotten what then they heard I will by a few texts of Scripture againe confirme it vnto you It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes This office of executing vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes God arrogateth and assumeth to himselfe Deut. 32.35 where he saith Vengeance and recompence are mine This due is ascribed vnto the Lord by S. Paul Rom. 12.19 It is written vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord. By the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrewes chap. 10.30 Vengeance belongeth vnto me I will ecompence saith the Lord. By the sweet Singer Psal 94.1 O Lord God the auenger O God the auenger The Prophet Nahum trebleth the phrase Chap. 1.2 The Lord reuengeth the Lord reuengeth the Lord will take vengeance on his aduersaries These few texts of holy Writ doe firmely proue my doctrine It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes One vse of this doctrine is to teach vs heedfulnesse in all our wayes that we doe not worke wickednesse before the Lord and so prouoke him to execute his vengeance on vs. Beloued let vs not forget it though God be good gracious mercifull and long-suffering yet is he also a iust God God the auenger and punisher It is proper vnto him to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes A second vse is to admonish vs not to intermeddle in the Lords office It is his office to execute vengeance we therefore may not doe it If a brother or neighbour or stranger doe wrong vs it is our part to forgiue him and leaue reuengement to God to whom it appertaineth To this Christian and charitable course our Sauiour worketh vs by a strong argument Mat. 6.15 If ye doe not forgiue men their trespasses no more will your Father forgiue you your trespasses Forgiue and you shall be forgiuen forgiue not and yee shall neuer be forgiuen Wherefore dearely beloued suffer your selues to be exhorted as the Romans were by S. Paul chap. 12.19 Dearely beloued if it be possible as much as in you is haue peace with all men recompence to no man euill for euill auenge not your selues but giue place vnto wrath for it is written vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord. It is pâ—oper to the Lord to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes Here we see that for the sinnes of the Philistins God resolueth to send a fire to deuoure their wals and palaces This was my second circumstance the circumstance of the punishment I will send a fire Many desolations hath God wrought by fire By fire he laid waste Sodom Gomorrah and their sister cities Gen. 19.24 By fire he did eat vp Nadab and Abihu Leuit. 10.2 By fire he cut off the two hundred and fifty men that were in the rebellion of Korah Numb 16.35 By fire he deuoured two Captaines and twice fifty men 2 King 1.10 and 12. Why doe I load your memories with multitude of examples for this point My text telleth you that fire Gods creature becommeth Gods instrument and executioner of his vengeance for the sinnes of Azzah to consume her walls and deuoure her palaces I will send a fire a See Lect. 8. By fire in this place as vers 4. the learned Expositors doe vnderstand not only naturall fire but also the sword and pestilâ—nce and famine quod libet genus consumptionis euery kinde of consumption euery scourge wherewith God punisheth the wicked be it haile or thunder or sicknesse or any other of Gods messengers So large is the signification of fire in the metaphoricall vnderstanding The doctrine is The fire whether Naturall or Metaphoricall that is The fire and all other creatures are at the Lords commandement to be employed by him in the punishment of the wicked A truth heretofore proued vnto you as out of other places of holy Writ so out of the story of Gods visitation vpon Pharaoh and the Aegyptians Exod. 8 9 and 10. Chapters whereby you know that Frogs Lice Flies Grashoppers Thunder Haile Lightning Murraine Botches and Sores did instrumentally auenge God vpon man and beasts in Aegypt I stand not now to enlarge this proofe The vse of this doctrine is to teach vs how to behaue our selues at such times as God shall visit vs with his rod of correction how to carry our selues in all our afflictions We must not so much looke to the instruments as to the Lord that smiteth by them If the fire or water or any other of Gods creatures shall at any time rage and preuaile against vs we must remember that it is God that sendeth them to worke his holy will vpon vs. Here he sent a fire vpon Azzah to consume her walls and deuoure her palaces Here you haue my third circumstance the circumstance of the punished in these words the walls of Azzah and the palaces thereof Azzah one of the fiue Prouinces or Dutchies of Palaestina and a Citie of the same name as I shewed you in my last Lecture The walls and palaces here mentioned doe signifie thus much that the Citie Azzah was well fortified and beautified with sumptuous buildings Yet must Azzah notwithstanding the beauty of her buildings and strength of her strong holds be deuoured with fire I will send a fire vpon the wall of Azzah and it shall deuoure the palaces thereof The great Citie Azzah for all her strong walls must shee be spoiled The doctrine to be learned from hence is No munition can saue that city which God well haue destroyed The reason is because there is no strength but of God and from God For what are
all the munitions in the world to the great God of Heauen and Earth b Psal 68.2 As the smoake vanisheth so doe they vanish and as the wax melteth before the fire so melt they at the breath of the Lord. The munitions of Edom they faile before him Edom the kingdome of Edom vpon which God stretched the line of vanitie and the stones of emptinesse as witnesseth the Prophet Esay Chap. 34.11 it is no more a kingdome it bringeth forth thornes in her Palaces nettles and thistles in her strong holds The munitions of Edom are vanished as smoake The munitions of Moab they faile before him Moab the kingdome of Moab had a strong staffe and beautifull rod as speaketh Ierem. Chap. 48.17 but they are broken Moab is destroyed his Cities are burnt vp his strong holds are gone The munitions of Moab are vanished as smoake The munitions of Israel faile before him Israel the kingdome of Israel was Gods peculiar and shadowed vnder the wings of his protection yet at length infected with the leprosie of sinne they were spoiled of their strong holds so saith Hoseah Chap. 10.14 A tumult shall arise among the people and all thy munitions shall be destroyed The munitions of Israel are vanished as smoake The munitions of Iudah faile before him Iudah the kingdome of Iudah great among the Nations and a Princesse among the Prouinces she is now become tributary as complaineth the Prophet Lament 1.1 The Lord hath destroyed c Lament 2.2 all the habitations of Iaacob and hath not spared he hath throwne downe in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Iudah he hath cast them downe to the ground The munitions of Iudah are vanâ—shed as smoake Let these few instances in the states of Edom Moab Israel and Iudah serue for proofe of my doctrine No munition can saue that city which God will haue destroyed You will remember the reason of it because there is no strength but of God and from God The vse of this doctrine is to teach vs neuer to trust in any worldly helpe but so to vse all good meanes of our defense that still we rely vpon the Lord for strength and successe thereby See Serm. 4 vpon Iames 4.10 pag. 116. Beloued in the Lord we haue learned that a horse his helpe is vaine Psal 33.17 that mans helpe is vaine Psal 60.11 that the helpe of Princes is vaine Psal 146.3 that much strength is vaine 2 Chron. 25.7 that much wealth is vaine Psal 49.6 that all worldly helpes are vaine Esai 31.1 All vnder God is vanitie Wherefore now and all othertimes let our trust be onely in the name oâ— the Lord who hath made heauen and earth Thus much of my first doctrine grounded vpon the third circumstance of this seuenth verse the circumstance of the punished No munition can saue that citie which God will haue destroyed Againe this ouerthrow of the walls of Azzah in Gods anger teacheth vs thus much It is the good blessing of God vpon a kingdome to haue walls strong holds munitions fortresses and bulwarkes for a defe se against enemies The reason is because these be the meanes which God vsually blesseth to procure outward safety The vse is to teach vs carefully to prepare such against time of trouble yet with this caution that we rest not in them but depend wholly vpon Gods blessing And here we are to powre out our soules in thankfulnesse before Almightie God for blessing this our Countrey with the strength of walls of walls by sea and walls by land by sea with ships and at land with strong holds castles and fortresses by sea and land with men of wisdome and valour to bid battell to the proudest enemie that dare aduance himselfe against vs. Confesse we with Dauid Psal 18.2 The Lord is our rocke our fortresse hee that deliuereth vs our God our strength our shield the horne of our saluation and our refuge In him we trust and d Psal 56.11 feare not what man can doe vnto vs. Yet further The fire in Gods anger deuouring the palaces of Azzah teacheth vs that God depriueth vs of a great blessing when hee taketh from vs our dwelling houses This doctrine I commended to you in my Eight Lecture vpon this prophecie The truth is experimentally made good vnto vs by that great commodity or contentment that commeth to euery one of vs by our dwelling houses The vse of this doctrine is three-fold It teacheth vs 1. To be humbled before Almighty God whensoeuer our dwelling-houses are taken from vs 2. Since wee peaceably enioy our dwelling-houses to vse them for the furtherance of Gods glory 3. To praise God continually for the comfortable vse we haue of our dwelling-houses Thus farre of the seuenth verse The eighth followeth And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod and him that holâ—â—th the scepter from Ashkelon Ashdod and Ashkelon were two chiefe Cities of Palaestina One of them as here it appeareth was the place of residence for the chiefe Ruler ouer that State To both Ashdod and Ashkelon to the inhabitants of Ashdod and the Scepter-bearer in Ashkelon to King and subiect Gods sore iudgement euen a cutting off is here threatned I will cut off the inhabitant of Ashdod Of the like iudgement in the same words you haue heard before in vers 5. threatned to the Syrians I will cut off the inhabitant of Bikeath-Auen and him that holdeth the Scepter out of Beth-eden The words I then expounded at large the briefe or summe whereof is I the Lord Iehouah will cut off will vtterly destroy and root out the inhabitant not one alone but all and euery one of the inhabitants of Ashdod one of the fiue chiefe Cities of the Philistines And I will vtterly destroy or root out him that holdeth the Scepter the Philistines their chiefe Ruler their King making his residence at Ashkelon another of the fiue Cities of Palaestina I will cut off the inhabitant of Ashdod and him that holdeth the Scepter from Ashkelon In the words I obserue as before three circumstances 1 The punisher the Lord I. 2 The punishment a cutting off I will cut off 3 The punished the inhabitants of Ashdod and the Scepter-bearer of Ashkelon By the first circumstance the Lord himselfe taking vengeance into his owne hands you may be remembred of a doctrine often commended to you in this and other Lectures It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes From all three circumstances of the punisher the punishment and the punished ioyntly considered we may take a profitable lesson We see that the cutting off of the inhabitants of Ashdod and of him that holdeth the Scepter from Ashkelon is the Lords proper worke The lesson which we learne from hence is No calamity or misery befalleth any one or whatsoeuer estate or degree by chance or at aduenture This doctrine I handled at large in my tenth Lecture The truth of it dependeth vpon this
Sar and Sarra in Eunius Poenos Sarrâ oriundos he notes the Carthaginians to haue their beginning from Sarra which is Tyrus Tyrus was a very ancient Citie it was saith Drusius Vetustissimarum vrbrum parcus as it were the mother of very old Cities Plinie Nâ—◠〈◊〉 lib. 5. â— p. 19. saith that out of Tyrus came the founders and first inhabiters not only of Carthage but also of Leptis Vtica and Gades the Citie well knowne to our moderne Nâ—uigators by the name of Calis Malis and of late yeares conquered by some worthies of our English Nation The ancient glory of this Citie Tyrus is blazed abroad to the whole world by Ezechiel Chap. 27. Glorious was Tyrus 1. For her situation 2. For her riches 3. For the frame and beauty of her building 4. For her shipping 5. For her power in martiall affaires 6. For her merchandizing 7. For her great esteeme and report with forraine nations The Prophet Esay in like sort blazeth out her glory Chap. 23.7 8. He saith of her that her antiquity is of ancient dayes that shee is the crowne of the Sea that her merchants are Princes and her chapmen the Nobles of the world So glorious a Citie was this Tyrus Here shee is accused of disloyaltie to the God of heauen in the very same words wherein Damascus and Azzah are formerly accused Damascus vers 3. and Azzah vers 6. For three tran gressions of Tyrus and for foure And the Lords protestation vpon this accusation is the same I will not turne to it It is aâ—â—f the Lord had thus said If the inhabitants of Tyrus had offended but once or a second time I should haue beene fauourable to them and would haue recalled them into the right way that so they might be conuerted and escape my punishments but now for as much as they doe daily heape transgression vpon transgression and make no end of sinning I haue hardned my face against them and will not suffer them to be conuerted but indurate and obstinate as they are I will vtterly destroy them Albertus Magnus vnderstandeth by these three transgressions three sorts of sinnes peccatum in voluntate peccatum in consensu peccatum in opere sinne in will sinne in consent and sinne in action and by the fourth transgression he vnderstandeth cordis indurationem induration and hardnesse of heart which he defineth to be pertinaciam permanendi in peccato a pertinacie or stubborne resolution to perseuere in sin wherein the sinner lieth wallowing void of shame and all liking of goodnesse I doe rather approue Wincklemans iudgement who by these three and foure transgressions of Tyrus vnderstandeth pride disdaine luxuriousnesse of meats and drinkes costlinesse of garments wanton lusts and other like sinnes incident to Mart Townes and Townes of great trade That such were the sinnes of Tyrus witnesse that her sharpe and grieuous reprehension Ezech. 28. For these three and foure many transgressions and sinnes the Lord protesteth against Tyrus I will not turne to it I will take no pitie on them but will doe vnto them according to their workes For three transgressions of Tyrus and foure c. Here are you to be remembred of a doctrine more than once heretofore commended to your Christian considerations Many sinnes doe plucke downe from heauen the most certaine wrath and vengeance of God vpon the sinners God is pure of eies and beholdeth not iniquity Hee hath laid righteousnesse to the rule and weighed his iustice in a ballance The sentence is passed forth and must stand vncontrolable euen as long as Sun and Moone Tribulation and anguish vpon euery soule that doth euill The soule that sinneth it shall bee punished God makes it good by an oath Deut. 32.41 That he will whet his glittering sword and his hand shall take hold on iugdement to execute vengeance for sin His soule hateth and abhorreth sinne his law curseth and condemneth sinne his hand smiteth and scourgeth sin Sinne was his motiue to cast downe Angels into Hell to thrust Adam out of Paradise to turne Cities into ashes to ruinate nations to torment his owne bowels in the similitude of sinfull flesh Because of sinne he drowned the old world and because of sinne ere long will burne this Thus doe many sinne plucke downe from Heauen the most certaine wrath and vengeance of God vpon the sinners One vse of this doctrine was to teach vs heedfulnesse in all our waies that wee doe not by our many sinnes prouoke Almighty God to high displeasure A second vse was to moue vs to a serious contemplation of the wonderfull patience of Almighty God who did so graciously forbeare these Tyrians till by three and foure transgressions by their many sinnes they had prouoked him to indignaon These things I haue heretofore laboured to lay vnto your hearts Now followeth the third part of this prophecie wherein you haue the declaration of that grieuous sinne by which the Tyrians so highly offended the sinne of vnmercifulnesse and cruelty expressed in two branches 1 They shut vp the whole captiuitie in Edom. 2 They remembred not the brotherly couenant 1 They shut vp the whole captiuity in Edom The exposition of these words I haue formerly deliuered vnto you in my twelfth Lecture and my meditations vpon the 6. verse There the Philistines are condemned for carrying away prisoners the whole captiuity to shut them vp in Edom and here are the Tyrians condemned for shutting the whole captiuity in Edom. The sin seemeth to be the same in both the Philistines and the Tyrians Both did shut vp the whole captiuity in Edom that is as Ioel chap. 3.6 speaketh they both did sell away the children of Iudah and the children of Ierusalem vnto the Grecians that they might send them farre from their borders God his peculiar inheritance his owne seed and seruants the children of Iudah and Ierusalem were by the cruell and hard-hearted Philistines and Tyrians mancipated and sold away forbond slaues to the Grecians dwelling farre off that with them they might liue in perpetuall seruitude and slauery without all hope of liberty or redemption Arias Montanus noteth a difference betwixt that sinne of the Philistines and this of the Tyrians The Philistines carried away prisoners the whole captiuity to shut them vp in Edom. They did as they thought but what they might doe lawfully by the law of nations The Iewes were their captiues and prisoners conquered by a strong hand in open hostility and for this respect they shut them vp in Edom they sold them to the Grecians to be by them transported to the Idumaeans But these Tyrians had no such pretence of excuse They did not with a strong hand in open hostility conquer the Iews so take them prisoners but did surprise them by deceit and trecherie as they lay at Tyrus for trafficke and entercourse of merchandise and thus surprised they shut them vp in Edom they sold them to the Grecians to be by them transported to the Idumaeans farre from their
thy brother and then come and offer thy gift First be reconciled to thy brother Be reconciled What is that Reconciliatio saith n Gillebert super Cantica ser 32. one est iterata animorum dissidentium conciliatio Reconciliation is a renued agreement of dissenting mindes This is it into the commendation whereof the sweet Singer of Israel breaketh out Psal 133.1 Behold how good and comely a thing it is for brethren to dwell euen together If either profit or pleasure can allure you then behold consider well and weigh seriously how good how profitable and necessary and how comely how pleasant and excellent a thing it is for brethren not only naturall brethren but brethren in Christ all the sonnes of God the members of his Church and partakers of the selfe-same doctrine and life in Christ to dwell euen together not onely in one house but specially to be of one affection and consent to maintaine betweene themselues brotherly loue and mutuall consent Behold how good how comely a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in vnity It is as the sweet perfume and ointment that holy oile which was powred vpon the head of the high Priest and ran downe vpon his beard and so to the skirts of his garment it is as the dew of Hermon which fell vpon the mountaines of Sion Both these resemblances recommending vnto vs the pleasure and profit of vnity brotherly loue and concord I commended vnto you in my Sixteenth Lecture vpon the first Chapter of this prophecie and therefore now I say no more of them S. Paul 1 Cor. 12. treating of spirituall gifts and their diuersity there reckoneth vp the word of wisdome the word of knowledge faith the gift of healing the doing of miracles prophesying kindes of tongues the interpretation of tongues and sheweth how all these are wrought by the same Spirit who distributeth to euery man seuerally as he will Then vrging this seuerall distribution by way of interrogation Are all Apostles Are all Prophâ—ts Are all Teachers Are all doers of miracles Haue all the gifts of healing Doe all speake with tongues Doe all interpret He exhorts the Corinthians to couet after the best things and concludes his Chapter thus I will yet shew you a more excellent way This more excellent way is the way which now I shew you beloued This way is loue O striue yee to walke in it Let the remainder of your daies be spent therein Know ye that whatsoeuer good parts yee haue or whatsoeuer good workes ye doe it auaileth you nothing if you haue not loue Looke but to the beginning of the thirteenth Chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians There shall you finde it verified what I haue said vnto you Though you speake with the tongue of men and Angels and haue not loue yet are you as sounding Brasse or a tinkling Cimball Though you haue the gift of prophecie and know all secrets and all knowledge yea if you haue all faith so that you can remoue mountaines and haue not loue yet are you nothing Though you feed the poore with all your goods though you giue your bodies to be burned and haue not loue yet it profiteth you nothing My exhortation must be vnto you in the same blessed Apostles words Chap. 14.1 of the same Epistle Follow after loue And I shut vp this exercise with a sweet Fathers sweet meditation o Bernard serm 9. in Coena Dom. Charitas te domum Domini facit Dominum domum tibi Loue it makes thee a house for God and God a house for thee according to that 1 Ioh. 4.16 God is loue and he that dwelleth in loue dwelleth in God and God in him A happy Artificer thou art sweet loue that art able to frame for thy selfe such a house as God is This house is not built of morter and bricke nor of stone nor of wood nor of siluer nor of gold nor of precious stones It exceedeth and farre surpasseth siluer and gold in comparison of it precious stones are vile and of no reputation This house is an euerlasting house before all ages before all times it containeth all things it comprehendeth all things it createth all things it giueth life to all things In this house the blinde receiue light the lame strength to walke the crooked straightnesse the weake health the dead their resurrection there is none wretched in it all therein are blessed for they are entred into their Masters ioy Into which ioy that we may in due time enter let vs follow after loue wee know that God is loue and that whosoeuer dwelleth in loue dwelleth in God and God in him Now God grant that we may all dwell in him THE Eighteenth Lecture AMOS 1.12 Therefore will I send a fire vpon Teman and it shall deuoure the palaces of Bozrah I Am now come to the last part of this prophecie against Edom which is the denuntiation of God iudgements against Edom for his sins expressed in this twelfth verse This twelfth verse doth not much differ from some precedent verses in this Chap. 4 7 and 10. The same punishment which in the fourth verse is threatned to the Syrians vnder the names of Hazael and Benhadad and in the seuenth verse to the Philistines vnder the name of Azzah and in the tenth verse to the Tyrians vnder the name of Tyrus is here in this twelfth verse denounced to the Edomites vnder the names of Teman and Bezzah And therfore as in the forenamed verses I haue done so doe I in this recommend vnto you three circumstances 1 The punisher the Lord I will send 2 The punishment by fire I will send a fire 3 The punished the Temanites and Bozrites the inhabitants of both cities I will send a fire vpon Teman and it shall deuoure the palaces of Bozrah The punisher is the Lord for Thus saith the Lord I will send The doctrine naturally arising hence is this It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes This truth hath heretofore once and againe beene confirmed vnto you The lesse need haue I now to insist vpon it Yet may I not passe it ouer vnsaluted It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance c. This office of executing vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes God taketh vpon himselfe Deut. 32.35 Where hee saith Vengeance and recompence are mine This is confessed to be God his due by S. Paul Rom. 12.19 It is written vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord and by the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrewes Chap. 10.30 Vengeance belongeth vnto me I will recompense saith the Lord and by the sweet Singer of Israel Psal 94.1 O Lord God the auenger O God the auenger The Prophet Nahum Chap. 1.2 to the terrour of the wicked proclaimeth it God is iealous and the Lord reuengeth the Lord reuengeth euen the Lord of anger the Lord will take vengeance on his aduersaries and reserueth wrath for his
vengeance We therefore may not interpose our selues 3 It may serue for a comfort to the Godly against whom the wicked haue behaued themselues proudly and dispiteously God in due time for such their behauiour will render vengeance vnto them and punish them with euerlasting perdition The second circumstance concerneth the punishment which is by fire I will kindle a fire By fire here we are to vnderstand not so much a true and naturall fire as a figuratiue and metaphoricall fire The sword pestilence and famine quodlibet genus consumptionis euerie kinde of consumption quaelibet species excidij euerie kinde of destruction haile water thunder sicknesse or any other of the executioners of God his wrath for the sinnes of men may be signified by this name Fire The Doctrine The fire whether naturall or figuartiue that is the fire and all other creatures are at the Lords Commandement to be employed by him in the punishment of the wicked Of this Doctrine heretofore The vse of it is to teach vs how to behaue our selues at such times as God shall visit vs with his rod of correction how to carrie our selues in all our afflictions We must not so much looke to the meanes as to the Lord that worketh by them If the fire or water or any other of Gods creatures shall at any time rage and preuaile against vs we must know that God by them worketh his holy will vpon vs. Here wee see hee resolueth to kindle a fire vpon the wall of Rabbah for thus saith the Lord I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah and it shall deuoure the palaces thereof There was a Citie of this name Rabbah in the Countrie of Moab called Rabbath-Moab So saith Drusius But the Rabbah in my Text was a Citie in the Country of the Ammonites called 2 Sam. 12.26 Rabbah of the children of Ammon where it is named the citie of the kingdome For it was their metropolitical chiefe city In the verse following it is called the citie of waters because it was situate neere vnto the riuer Ieboc The destruction here threatned to this citie is likewise denounced by two other Prophets Ieremie and Ezechiel In Ieremie chap. 49.2 Thus saith the Lord I will cause a noise of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites and it shall bee a desolate heape and her daughters shall be burnt with fire Crie ye daughters of Rabbah gird you with sacke-cloth mourne and run to and fro by the hedges for their King shall goe into captiuitie and his Priests and his Princes likewise And Ezechiel Chap. 25.5 I will make Rabbah a dwelling place for Camels and the Ammonites a sheep coat By which two places of Jeremie and Ezechiel the meaning of my Prophet is opened Here in the person of God he saith I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah and it shall deuoure the palaces thereof It is as if he had said The a Ierem. 7.34 voice of mirth and the voice of gladnesse shall cease to be heard in Rabbah the noise of warre shall be heard there and I will make it a dwelling place for Camels a sheepe-coat an heape of desolation Must Rabbah the chiefe Citie of the Kingdome be measured with the line of desolation It yeelds vs this Doctrine It is not the greatnesse of a Citie that can be a safeguard vnto it if God his vnappeasable wrath breake out against it for its sinnes For confirmation of this Doctrine I need not send you to the old world to behold the ruines of cities there There may you see the citie which Caine built Gen. 4.17 and whatsoeuer other cities were erected between that time and the floud you may see them all swept away with the floud After the floud you may see Sodom and Gomorrah with other cities of that plaine ouerthrowne with brimstone and fire from the Lord out of Heauen Gen. 19.24 I need not present you with other like desolations of cities townes or villages wrought by Almightie God in the dayes of old This one chapter and first chapter of this prophecie of Amos yeelds vnto vs plentifull proofe for this point Here hâ—ue we seene desolation vpon desolation not the shaking only but the ouerthrow of foure states namely of the Syrians of the Philistines of the Tyrians and of the Edomites In the state of the Syrians we haue seene the ruines of the house of Hazael and of the palaces of Ben-hadad and of Damascus and of Bikeath-Auen and of Beth-eden and of Aram vers 4 5. In the state of the Philistines we haue viewed the rubbish of Azzah and the palaces thereof of Ashdod also of Ashkelon and of Ekron vers 7 8. In the state of the Tyrians we haue beheld the waste done vpon the proud Citie Tyrus and her palaces vers 10. In the state of the Edomites we haue considered the destruction of Teman and Bozrah vers 12. All which doe euidently and strongly proclaime vnto vs the truth of my propounded Doctrine namely that It is not the greatnesse of a Citie that can be a safeguard vnto it if God his vnappeasable wrath breake out against it for its sinnes One vse of this Doctrine is to lesson vs that wee put not any confidence in any worldly helpe but that so wee vse all good meanes of our defense that still we rely vpon the Lord for strength and successe thereby A second vse is to put vs in minde of the fearefull punishments which God layeth vpon men for sinne He deuoureth their Cities throweth downe their strong holds and spares them not Hath God dealt thus with strong Cities and shall poore villages escape If the secure worldling shall here obiect that our dayes are the dayes of peace that our King is a King of peace that peace is in all our ports in all our quarters in all our dwelling places and that therefore there is no need to feare the subuersion either of our cities or of our villages to such I must answer in the Prophet Esayes words Chap. 48.22 There is b Esa 57.21 no peace to the wicked saith the Lord. No peace to the wicked For though God the c Rom. 15.33 God of peace which d Psal 46.9 maketh an end of warre in all the world and breaketh the bow and knappeth the speare asunder and burneth the chariots with fire doth now protect vs from forraine inuasion and hostilitie yet being e Amos 3.13 Deus exercituum a God of hosts he hath armies of another kinde at command to worke the sudden subuersion and ouerthrow of all our dwellings Hereof hath God made good proofe in these our dayes To say nothing of his arrow of pestilence which is grandis terror mortalium the great terrour of men as being Deaths chiefe Pursuiuant and Sumner who in Iob 18.14 is called Rex Terrorum the King of feares to say nothing of this arrow how it hath for these f This Sermon was preached Ann. Dom. 1610. Ian.
13. seuen yeeres roued vp and downe to markes farre and neere from citie to village and from village to citie to the killing of many thousands of our brethren and sisters and yet is not put vp into the quiuer to say nothing now of this arrow because it strikes mens persons and spares their houses will you be pleased to looke backe vpon those swellings of waters which of late g Ann. Chr. 1607. within these foure yeeres brake out into the bosome of the firme land in diuers parts of this Realme Then must you acknowledge with mee that God hath an armie of waters whereby at his pleasure hee can ouerthrow our dwelling houses Beloued I could here make report vnto you from beyond the seas out of Germanie of strange and maruellous inundations deluges and ouerflowings of waters how about h Ann. Chr. 1595. Ianson Gallobelg Tom. 3. lib. 12. p. 173. this time fifteene yeeres in the plaines neere vnto Colen Mentz and Franckford by a sudden floud non modò horrea stabula nullo firmo nixa fundamento sed firmissima etiam aedificia not only barnes and stables which had no firme foundation but the surest and strongest edifices and buildings were violently câ—rried away I could tell you of much more hame of that yeeres floud how in i Ianson ibid. pag. 180. Berenburg a towne vpon the riuer Sala in the Principalitie of Anhalt k Ibid. p. 183. Centum sexaginta aedes funditù◠euersae fuerunt One hundred and threescore houses were vtterly ouerthrowne But what need we goe so farre for exâ—mples of this kinde whâ—reof Almightie God hath sent home vnto vs such plentie Reflect we our eyes vpon our owne harmes vpon the harmes done to many of our neighbours in the late fore-mentioned flâ—ud to the ouerthrowing breaking downe l See the Report of flouds in England Ann. Chr. 1607. of whole townes and villages yea of m See Wofull newes of flouds C. 1. a. 26. parishes in one n Monmouth-shire Shire and we cannot but grant it for a truth thaâ— God hath his armies of waters whereby at his pleasure he can ouerthrow our dwelling houses But what is this to some of vs who are seated vpon an hill farre enough from any dangers by inundations or ouerflâ—wings of waters Beloued in the Lord of such minde were they of the old world who did eat and drinke and maried wiues and gaue in mariage vnto the day that Noah went into the Arke But what became of them Our Sauiour Christ will tell you Luke 17.27 The floud came and destroyed them But God hath made a couenant with man and will remember it That there shall bee no more waters of a floud to destroy all flesh Genes 9.15 It is true there shall bee no more waters of a floud to destroy all flesh that is there shall bee no more an vniuersall floud to couer the face of the whole earth there shall be no more generale diluuium inundans obruens vniuersam terram But here is no exemption for particular cities no not for particular prouinces or countries Almightie God who once did breake vp the fountaines of the great deepe and did open the windowes of Heauen Gen. 7.11 he is the same God still Almightie still his arme is stretched out still He can at his pleasure command the clouds and they shall poure forth abundance of waters to the washing away of our dwelling houses But say he will not come against vs with his armie of waters yet being Deus exercituum a God of hosts hee hath armies of another kinde at command to worke the sudden subuersion and ouerthrow of all our dwellings I yet present you not with lightning with thunder with winds with earthquakes wherewith the Lord of Hosts the mightie one of Israel hath laid waste and made desolate many the habitations of sinfull men my Text presents you with fire and let it suffice for this time Say I beseech you is it not a fearefull thing that in stead of the fatnesse of the clouds of the greater and smaller raine of the sweet dewes of Heauen of comfortable showers which God hath engendered in the aire and diuided by pipes to fall vpon the earth in their seasons our grounds should be withered our fruits consumed our Temples and our buildings resolued into cinders Yea and sometimes our skins and bones too molten from our backs Yet Beloued this sometimes comes to passe when fire one of the executioners of Gods vengeance is sent vpon vs for our sinnes What became of Sodom and Gomorrah and other Cities of that Plaine Were they not turned into ashes by fire from the Lord The storie is knowne Gen. 19.24 But what need old stories to confirme so plaine a matter whereof we haue daily and lamentable experience Doe not the grieuous complaints of many of our neighbours vndone by fire seeking from our charitable deuotions some small releefe make good proofe hereof Dearely Beloued learne we by their example to cast away from vs all our transgressions whereby we haue transgressed and to turne vnto the Lord our God lest delighting and treading in the wickednesse of their wayes wee bee made partakers also of their punishments It is neither care nor policie that can stay Gods reuengefull hand when he bringeth fire in it To this purpose memorable is the example of a countryman of ours who in King Edwards dayes was a Professour of the true religion that religion which by Gods goodnesse wee doe this day professe This man in the o Fox Martyrolog p. 1893. Acts and Monuments of our Church is named p A Smith dwelling at Well in Cambridge-shire Richard Denton and is there noted to haue beene an Instructor of one q Of Wisbich in the I le of Elie sometime Constable of Well and dwelling there William Wolsey in the same his holy religion Not long after in Queene Maries dayes when fire and faggot were the portion of true Professours Wolsey was apprehended and imprisoned In time of his durance he sent commendations to Denton his Instructor withall demanding by his messenger why hee tarried so long after him seeing he had beene his first Instructor in the Scriptures Dentons answer was I cannot burne Cannot burne You see his policie he halted between God and man he dissembled the profession of his Christian faith because forsooth he could not burne Well Q. Maries dayes were soone at an end and God caused the light of the Gospell to shine againe vnder the peaceable gouernment of Queene Elizabeth Then did our dissembler thinke himselfe safe enough from any flame of fire But behold the hand of God His house was on fire and he with two others venturing to saue some of his goods perished in the flame Thus you see policie preuailes not when Gods reuengefull hand brings fire with it And thinke you that caâ—e will helpe What Care against the Lord Farre be it from vs beloued so to thinke
Syntagm Disput Sedan loc 2. De origine sacrae Scripturae §. 32. pag. 17. Telenus tels mee of a champion of that side as farre forward as he who saith Melius consultum fuisse Ecclesiae si nulla vnquam extitisset Scriptura that had there neuer beene any Scripture the Church had beene better prouided for then now it is Sedens in coelis ridet there 's a God in heauen that hath these wicked impes in derision vpon whom for their taunts contumelies and reprcches against his sacred word hee will one day poure out his full viols of wrath then will he crush them with his scepâ—er of iron and breake them in pieces like potters vessâ—ls You haue the fiâ—st vse A second followeth Is the liuing and immortall God the author of holy Scripture Heere then is a lesson for vs whom God hat set a part to be Preachers and Expounders of his will We must handle his sacred Scripture as his holy word wee must euer come vnto you as my Prophet heere did to the Israelites with Thus saith the Lord in our mouthes Wee may not speake either the imagination of our owne braines or the vaine perswasions of our own hearts We must sincerely preach vnto you Gods gracious word without all corruption or deprauing of the same To this S Peter well exhorteth vs in his 1. Epist and chap. 4.11 If any man speake let him speake as the word of God For if wee yea if an Angell from Heauen shall preach otherwise vnto you then from the Lords own mouth speaking in his holy word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let him be accursed let him be had in execration The third vse of this doctrine is peculiar vnto you Beloued who are auditors and hearers of the word Is the liuing and immortall God the author of holy Scripture Then Beloued it is your part to heare vs with attention and reuerence whensoeuer wee stand before you to expound Gods holy Scripture S. Paul commendeth the Thessalonians Epist 1. chap. 2.13 For that whensoeuer they receiued of the Apostles of Christ the word of the preaching of God they receiued it not as the word of men but as it was indeede the word of God In like sort if you receiue it it will saue your soules It is able so to doe S. Iames shall bee your pledge chap. 1.21 Receiue it therefore with meeknesse that by it your soules may liue God spake vnto Israel in a vision by night and sayd Gen. 46.2 Iaacob Iaacob Iaacob answered I am heere He was prest and ready with all reuerent attention to heare what his God would say vnto him and to follow the same with all faithfull obedience Such readinesse well becommeth euery childe of God at this day in the Church where God speaketh Thus must hee thinke within himselfe It is thine ordinance ô Lord by thy word preached to instruct me concerning thy holy will I am heere Lord in all humble feare to heare thy blessed pleasure what this day thou wilt put into the mouth of the Preacher to deliuer vnto me I am heere speake on Lord thy seruant heareth If a Prince of this world or some great man shall speake vnto you you will attend and giue eare vnto him with all diligence how much more then ought yee so to doe when the King of Heauen and Lord of the Earth the liuing and immortall God calleth vpon you by his Ministers What remaineth but that you suffer a word of Exhortation It shall bee short in S. Pauls words Coloss 3.16 Holy and beloued as the elect of God let the word of God dwell plenteously in you in all wisdome This word of God it is his most royall and celestiall Testament it is the oracle of his heauenly Sanctuarie it is the only key vnto vs of his reuealed counsels it is milke from his sacred breasts the earnest and pledge of his fauor to his Church the light of our feete the ioy of our hearts the breath of our nostrils the pillar of our faith the anchor of our hope the ground of our loue the euidence of our future blessednes Let this word of God dwell plenteously in you in all wisdom So shall your wayes by it be clensed and your selues made cleane Yet a very litle while he that shall come will come will not tarry euen our Lord Iesus Christ who finding your wayes clensed and your selues made cleane by his sacred word will in his due time translate you from this valley of teares into Ierusalem which is aboue the most glorious Citie of God There shall this corruptible put on incorruption and our mortalitie shall be swallowed vp of life Euen so be it THE II. LECTVRE AMOS 2.1 2 3. Thus saith the Lord for three transgressions of Moab and for foure I will not turne to it because it burnt the bones of the King of Edom into lime Therefore will I send a fire vpon Moab and it shall devoure the pallaces of Kirioth and Moab shall dye with tumult with shouting and with the sound of a trumpet And I will cut off the Iudge out of the midst thereof and will slay all the Princes thereof with him saith the Lord. IN the former Sermon I handled the Preface The Prophecie is now to be spoken vnto The first part therein is The accusation of Moab in these words For three transgressions of Moab and for foure Where we are to consider 1. Who are accused 2. For what they are accused The accused are the Moabites and they are accused of many breaches of the Law of God First of the accused Moab was one of the sonnes of Lot begotten in incest vpon his eldest daughter Gen. 19.37 From him by lineall descent came these Moabites a people inhabiting that part of the East which is commonly knowne by the name of Coelesyria but was formerly the possession of the Amorites These Moabites like their brethren the Ammonites were professed enemies to the people of God and did euermore very grieuously afflict and vex them In which respect they were for euer by God his singular commandment excluded from the Church Gods commandement is expressed Deut. 23.3 The Ammonites and the Moabites shall not enter into the Congregation of the Lord. And it s repeated Nehem. 13.1 The Ammonites and the Moabites shall not enter into the Congregation of God Thus haue you the accused euen the Moabites the posteritie of Moab who was Lots sonne inhabitants of Coelesyria and borderers vpon the Holy Land the possession of the Israelites Now what are they accused of Of many breaches of Gods law in these words For three and foure transgressions This phrase we met with fiue times in the former chapter and haue heard it diuersly expounded The most naturall proper and significant exposition commended to you was by three and foure a finite and certaine number to vnderstand many a number infinite vncertaine For three transgressions of Moab and for foure that is for many transgressions of the
region countrey or kingdome was likewise named Moab So saith b De locis Eusebius Moab in this branch of my text may signifie either either the Metropolis the chiefe and mother-city of the Kingdome of Moab or the Kingdome it selfe S. Hierome heere vnderstands both The other new name is in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the vulgar Latin Carioth in the English Geneua translation Kerioth in Vatablus Cerijoth in Tremellius and Iunius Kerijoth the Septuagint in their Greeke translation take the word for an appellatiue they translaate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 her cities According to them these words should thus be read I will send a fire vpon Moab and it shall deuoure the foundations of her cities But with S. Hierome and sundry others of the best Expositors we retaine the proper name Kerioth or Carioth Wee read in holy writ of two cities thus named One was belonging to the Tribe of Iuda and lay towards the coasts of Edom south-ward mentioned Iosh 15.25 The other was in the land of Moab so sayth Eusebius in his Hebrew places Carioth in regione Moabitarum sicut Ieremias scribit Carioth is in the countrey of the Moabites as Ieremy writeth And where doth Ieremy write so In his fortieth chapter which is wholly spent in denouncing destruction to the Moabites vers 24. it is sayd that iudgement is come vpon Kerioth And verse 41. that Kerioth is taken The same iudgement is heere and there denounced but heere more briefly there more fully Here we may obserue 1. The punisher the Lord I will send 2. The punishment by fire A fire 3. The punished the Moabites Moab and Kerioth The first circumstance concerneth the punisher the Lord for thus saith the Lord I will send a fire The Doctrine c See my Lectures vpon the first of Amos. It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes This truth hath sundry times been recommended vnto you Diuerse were the vses of it The first was to lesson vs to looke heedefully vnto our feet that wee walke not in the way of sinners to partake with them in their sinnes Sinnes are not tongue-tyed they cry aloud vnto the Lord for vengeance The second was to admonish vs not to intermeddle in the Lords office It s his office to execute vengeance Wee therefore may not interpose our selues The third was to minister a word of comfort to the godly against whom the wicked do behaue themselues proudly and despiteously God in due time for such their behauior will render vengeance vnto them and will punish them with euerlasting perdition The second circumstance concerneth the punishment which is by fire I will send a fire By fire heere wee are to vnderstand not so much a true and naturall fire as a figuratiue and metaphoricall fire The sword pestilence and famine quodlibet genâ—â—s consumptionis euery kinde of consumption quaelibet species excilij euery kinde of destruction hayle water thunder sicknesse or any other of the executioners of Gods wrath for the sinnes of men may bee signified by this word Fire Fire in this place is put for the sword for warre as its plain by the sequell of this text The Doctrine arising hence is this The fire whether naturall or figuratiue that is the fire and all other creatures are at the Lords commandement to bee employed by him in the punishment of the wicked Of this doctrine heeretofore The vse of it is to teach vs how to carry our selues at such times as God shall visit vs with his rod of correction how to behaue our selues in all our afflictions Wee are not so much to looke to the meanes as to the Lord that worketh by them If the fire or water or any other of Gods creatures shall at any time rage and preuaile against vs we must know that God by them worketh his holy will vpon vs. Heere wee see God resolueth to send a fire vpon Moab which should deuoure the palaces of Kerioth which was the third circumstance Must Moab and Kerioth two chiefe cities of the Kingdome of Moab through the fire of Gods wrath be brought to ruine it yeelds this doctrine No munition no fortification no strength can saue that city which God will haue destroyed One vse of this Doctrine is to lesson vs that we put not any confidence in any worldly helpe but that so we vse all good meanes of our defense that still wee rely vpon the Lord for strength and successe thereby A second Vse is to put vs in minde of the fearefull punishments which God layeth vpon men for sinne He deuoureth their cities throweth downe their strong holds and spares them not A third Vse is to stirre vs vp to thankfulnes for that it pleaseth God in mercy to spare not onely our Cities and strong holds but also our country villages and poore cottages It is not to be passed ouer without obseruation that the palaces of Kerioth are here threatned to be deuoured with this fire sent from the Lord. Were I now to speake before Princes or great Estates I could from hence giue them an Item that they set not their hearts ouermuch vpon their castles towers mansion houses faire palaces or other goodly buildings for as much as if their sinnes deserue it the fire of Gods wrath will deuoure all those But my auditorie is of another rancke Yet may you take a lesson hence Must the palaces of Carioth for the sinnes of the inhabitants be deuoured with fire from the wrath of God Your lesson is God depriueth vs of a great blessing when he taketh from vs our dwelling houses The great commoditie or contentment that commeth to euery one of vs by our dwelling houses hath experimentally made good vnto vs this truth The Vses of it are diuers One is to teach vs to be humble before Almighty God whensoeuer it shall please him to take from vs our dwelling houses A second is to admonish vs sith we peaceably enioy our dwelling houses that we vse them to the furtherance of Gods glory A third is to stirre vs vp to blesse and praise God day by day for the comfortable vse we haue of our dwelling houses These things I haue heretofore laboured to lay vnto your hearts occasioned by the like generall commination or denuntiation of iudgement fiue times repeated in the former chapter against the Syrians the Philistines the Tyrians the Edomites and the Ammonites Now we are to consider what is more specially prophecied against these Moabites For the easier explication whereof I obserued two points 1. The manner of the punishment 2. The extent of it Order requireth that first I speake to the manner of their punishment expressed in these words And Moab shall dye with tumult with shouting and with the sound of a trumpet Moab shall dye Moab is here put for the Moabites the people of Moab the inhabitants of the Kingdome of Moab Moab shall dye There is a ciuill death there is a
let flye his arrowes of pestilence and yet they flye abroad to the killing of many round about vs yet haue wee not returned vnto him Not returned vnto him What Can no medicine that God applyeth mollifie our hard hearts Can none of his corrections amend vs Will we needs try whether he will send a sword vpon vs He shaked his sword ouer vs many of vs may well remember it when the great Spanish Armada floated on our Seas but then as S. Iames speaketh chap. 2.13 Super exaltauit misericordia iudicio mercy exalted it selfe aboue iudgement and we were spared Were we spared What shall we render to the Lord for so great mercy We will with Dauid Ps 116.13 We will take the cup of saluation we wil call vpon the name of the Lord and will offer vnto him the sacrifice of prayse Which sacrifice of ours that it may be acceptable to the Lord let vs cast away from vs all our transgressions whereby we haue transgressed and with a new heart and a new spirit returne we to the Lord our God But if we will persist with delight and goe on in our old wayes our crooked peruerse and froward wayes our wayes of wickednesse and will not bee turned out of them by any of God his milder chastisements and corrections what can we expect but the portion of these Moabites euen fire a sword from the Lord and with them to die with a tumult with a shouting and with the sound of a Trumpet Thus farre de modo poenae of the manner of this punishment to be inflicted vpon the Moabites The extent followeth I will cut the iudge out of the midst thereof and will slay all the Princes thereof with him I the Lord the Lord Iehovah yesterday and to day and the same for euer I am not changed all my words yea all the titles of all my words are Yea and Amen Exscindam I will cut off I will root out and destroy Iudicem the Iudge the chiefest gouernour and ruler in Moab the King Nam Reges quoque populum iudicabant For Kings also did iudge the people and it is euident by sundry places of holy Scripture that the state of the Moabites was swayed by Kings I will cut off root out and vtterly destroy the iudge the King out of the midst thereof Out of the midst of what Of Moab of Kerioth Both are mentioned vers 2. Dauid Camius and some other say of Kerioth which was Sedes Regum the cittie of the Kings habitation The meaning is there was no cittie in the Kingdome of Moab so strong but that from out the midst of it God would fetch the King and cut him off I will cut off roote out or destroy the iudge the King out of the middest of the strongest cittie of the Kingdome of Moab be it Moab Kerioth or any other I will slay all the Princes thereof with him together with the King I will root out all the Princes of the land None shall escape my iudgements neither Prince nor King You see the extent of this iudgement here denounced against Moab Not onely the meaner sort of people but the Princes also yea and King himselfe were to haue their portion in it and that as certainely as if they had alreadie had it For Iehovah the Lord hath spoken it For it s added for a conclusion to this Prophecie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sayth the Lord. The Lord hath said it that neither Prince nor King shall be exempt from his iudgements but shall as well as the lowest of the people be cut off and come to nought The doctrine to be obserued from hence is this God exerciseth his iudgements not onely vpon men of low and base estate but also vpon the great ones of this world vpon princes and Kings This truth I haue heretofore confirmed vnto you in my 21. Lecture on the former Chapter handling those words Chap. 1. vers 15. Their King shall goe into captiuitie he and his Princes together I proued vnto you this doctrine When God punisheth a nation with captiuitie for their sinnes he spareth neither Priest nor Prince nor King My now-doctrine for substance is the same but more generall God exerciseth his iudgements not onely vpon men of low base estate but also vpon the great ones of this world vpon Princes Kings The vses One is to admonish the great and mightie ones of this world that they presume not to sinne against the Lord as if they were priuiledged by their greatnes and might There is no such priuiledge He that is Lord ouer all will spare no person Princes and Kings must feele the smart of his iudgements A second vse is to minister comfort to such as are of low and base estate If the mightie by violence and oppression grind your faces and compasse you about yet be not yee discouraged God the iudge of all accepteth no persons He in his good time will auenge your causes be your oppressours neuer so mightie For Princes and Kings must feele the smart of his iudgements A third vse is a warning for our selues that we set not our hearts vpon the outward things of this world for as much as God the Creator of all will not respect vs for them Dost thou glory in this that thou art a mightie man or a rich man For both might and riches Princes and Kings are far beyond thee yet must Princes and Kings feele the smart of Gods iudgements Let vs make a fourth vse of this doctrine euen to poure out our soules in thankefulnesse before almightie God for his wonderfull patience towards vs. Our sinnes are as impudent as euer were the sinnes of the Moabites Our three and foure transgressions our many sinnes doe cry aloud to Heauen against vs as the sins of the Moabites cryed against them For their sinnes God sent a sword vpon them and did cut them off from being a nation Gods wrath against our sinnes hath not yet proceeded so farre We yet enioy our happie peace Euery man dwels vnder his owne vine and vnder his owne figtree and liues in the habitations of his forefathers in peace free from all feare of the enemies sword Such is our condition through the neuer-too-much admired patience of Almightie God O let vs not despise the riches of the bountifulnesse patience and long sufferance of our God St Paul tells vs. Rom. 2.4 That these doe lead vs to Repentance These doe lead vs shall we not follow Beloued while we haue time let vs betake our selues to Repentance It was good counsaile which Iudith gaue to Ozias Chabris and Charmis the ancients of the cittie Beâ—hulia Iudith 8.12 Quia patiens Dominus est in hoc ipso paeniteamus indulgentiam eius fusis lachrymis postulemus The counsaile is as good for vs. Beloued because the Lord is patient therefore let vs repent and with shedding of teares beg of him indulgence and pardon for our sinnes past It s no wisedome for vs any
escaped from the sword were carried away to Babylon where they liued in seruitude and bondage to the Kings of Babylon for h threescore 2. Câ—ro 36.21 and ten yeares This was that famous deportation commonly stiled the Captiuitie of Babylon from which vnto CHRIST are numbred Matth. 1. fourteene generations When the yeares of this captiuitie were expired and the Monarchie of Persia was setled vpon King Cyrus King Cyrus stirred vp by the Lord made a proclamation whereby he permitted the Iewes to returne into their country and to i â—â—ra 1.3 reedifie the Temple of the Lord at Ierusalem The Iewes now returned from their captiuitie wherein they liued threescore and ten yeares without a King without a Prince without a sacrifice without an Image without an Ephod without Teraphim as it is witnessed Hos 3.4 could not but with much ioy and great alacritie vnder the gouernment of their new Prince k Ezra 3.2 Zerubbabel sonne of Shealtiel and their new High-Priest Iesbuah sonne of Iozadak betake themselues to the building againe of the Lords house in Ierusalem The building was begun it proceeded but was soone hindred by the decree of l Ezra 4.23 24. 1. â—sar 2.30 Artaxerxes King of Persia So the worke of the house of God at Ierusalem m Ezra 4.24 1. Esar 2.30 ceased for some ten yeares till the second yeare of the raigne of Darius sonne of Histaâ—pes King of Persia by whose gracious n Ezra 6.8 decree for the aduancement of the building the building was againe set on foote and so diligently attended that in the o vers 15. sixth yeare of the raigne of the same King King Darius it was finished as it is deliuered Ezra 6.15 Thus was the house of God the Temple of the Lord in Ierusalem after p Iohan. 2.20 46. yeares consummate and dedicated Now once againe was the Lord of hostes iealous of Ierusalem and for Sion q Zach. 1.14 8.2 with a great iealousie now againe were r Zach. 8.4 5. old men and old women to dwell in Ierusalem and boyes and girles to play in the streets thereof now againe was Ierusalem to be called Å¿ Zach. 8.3 a Citie of truth the mountaine of the Lord of Hostes the holy mountaine and the Iewes which in former times were t Zach. 8.13 a curse among the heathen now became a blessing now againe were they u Zach 8.8 the people of the Lord and the Lord was their God in truth and in righteousnesse Thus were the people of Iudah through God his speciall goodnes blessed with ioy and enlargment for so much we finde registred Zach. 8. What did the people of Iudah for so many streames of Gods bounty deriued vpon them render vnto the Lord their God Did they as meete was x Ps 116.13 14. take vp the cup of saluation did they call vpon the name of the Lord did they pay their vowes vnto the Lord Did they as they were commanded Zach. 8.16 did they speake the truth euery man to his neighbour did they execute the iudgment of truth and peace within their gates did they imagine no euill in their hearts one against another did they loue no false oathes What saith the Prophet Malachie to this He confesseth chap. 2.10 11. that the people of Iudah dealt treacherously euery one against his brother that they violated the couenant of their fathers that they committed abomination in Ierusalem that they prophaned the holinesse of the Lord that they married the daughters of a strange God and chap. 3.5 that they were sorcerers adulterers false swearers oppressors and vers 7. that euen from the dayes of their fathers they departed from the ordinances of the Lord and kept them not Is not enough said against them Then adde yet further they corrupted the Law they contemned the Gospell they beheaded Iohn Baptist they crucified Christ they persecuted the Apostles Impiety of such an height and eleuation could not but presage a fearefull downefall This their downefall is in a figure foretold by the Prophet Zacharie chap. 11.1 2. Open thy dores O Lebanon that the fire may deuoure thy Cedars Howle Firre tree for the Cedar is fallen howle yee Okes of Bashan for the forrest of the vintage is come downe What Zacharie doth in a figure that doth Christ foretell in words proper and significant Luk. 19.42 where beholding the Citie of Ierusalem and weeping ouer it he saith The dayes shall come vpon thee that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee and compasse thee round and keepe thee in on euery side and shall lay thee euen with the ground and thy children with thee and they shall not leaue in thee one stone vpon another This 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this vtter desolation of the Citie Ierusalem foretold by Zacharie and by Christ by the one in a figure by the other in plaine termes was brought vpon that stately Citie by Titus sonne of Vespasian after the incarnation of Christ threescore and eleuen yeares as Genebrard threescore and twelue as Funccius threescore and thirteen as y Pedro Mexia in vitis Imperat. in Vespasiano pag. 126. others in the second yeare of the Emperor Vespasian It was besieged for the space of fiue moneths in which time there passed many assaults many skirmishes much slaughter with wonderfull obstinacie and resolution The famine meane while afflicting the Citie was such as no historie can parallell When their ordinarie sustenance was spent the flesh of z Pedro Mexia ibid. horses asses dogs cats rats snakes adders seemed good vnto their tasts When this foode failed they were driuen to eat euen those things which vnreasonable creatures will not eat a Famâ— impellebantur vt vel equâ—rum lora suos baltheos calceos coria câ—mederent PoÌ„tan Bibliothec. Conc. Tom. 4. ad Domin 10. Trinit Of their lether lether bridles lether girdles lether shoes and the like they made for themselues meate b Fame impellebantur vt comederent stercora beum quodcunque stereus reperiebatur illiuâ— partum pâ—ndus quatâ—or nummis veâ—debatur PoÌ„t ibid. Oxe dunge was a precious dish vnto them Purgamenta olerum the shreddings of pot-hearbs cast out trodden vnder foote and withered were taken vp againe for nourishment c Egesippus de exciâ—io Hieroslym lib. 5. c. 21. Miserabilis cibus esca lachrymabilis Here was miserable meat lamentable foode yet would the childe d Rapiebant parentibus filij parentes filijs de ipsis fanâ—â—bus câ—bâ—s proferebatur Egesip ibid. snatch it from his parent and the parent from his childe euen from out his iawes Plerisque etiam vomitus esca fuit saith Egesippus some to prolong their liues would eat vp that which others had vomited Among many other accidents in this famine at Ierusalem one is so memorable that I cannot well passe it ouer e De bello Iudaico lib. 7. cap. 18. Iosephus an eye-witnes of this
a flaming fire that will burne the whole house it s like a wild Horse that will cast his rider into hell it s like a wild gourd that will poyson the whole pott it s like a plague that will destroy the whole cittie it s like a p Ecclus. 21.3 two edged sword the wounds thereof cannot be healed Flie therefore from sinne as from the face of a Serpent And euer remember what befell Iudah and Ierusalem for their sinnes They despised the Law of the Lord they kept not his commaundements their lies caused them to erre after which their fathers walked therefore hath the Lord sent a fire vpon Iudah which hath deuoured the palaces of Ierusalem Thus farre of my first doctrine A second followeth I take it from the condition of Ierusalem She had faire appellations She was called the Virgin and the daughter of Iudah Lament 1.15 The daughter of Sion ver 6. the cittie that was great among the nations and a Princes among the Prouinces ver 1. The holy Cittie Mat. 4.5 The Cittie of the great King Mat. 5.35 The Lord he chose it he desired it for his habitation he said of it This is my rest for euer here will I dwell for I haue a delight therein Psal 132.14 And yet notwithstanding Ierusalem is rased from the foundation shee is vtterly destroyed It is befallen her according to this commination in my text I will send a fire vpon Iudah which shall deuoure the palaces of Ierusalem My doctrine is God will seuerely punish sinne euen in his dearest children This S. Peter avoweth 1. Epistle 4.17 saying Iudgement must begin at the house of God Hiâ— meaning is that the punishment and chastisement of sinnes beginneth with the Saints and seruants of God in whom as it were in a house or Temple God dwelleth If they who are most familiar with vs do sinne against vs we fret and grow discontented The most familiar with God are his faithfull ones who fill the house of God which is his Church If these sinne against God can God take it well He cannot He will punish euen his faithfull ones So sayth St Austine Epist 122. Ad victorianum Propter peccata sua etiam sancti flagellantur the verie Saints of God are scourged for their sinnes You see my doctrine confirmed God will seuerely punish sinne euen in his dearest children The reason is giuen by S. Austine in his Booke of fiftie Homilies Homil. 21. because Iustitia est vt puniat peccatum it is a part of Gods iustice to punish sinne a part of his Actiue iustice So doe the Schooles call the Iustice of God by which he iudgeth and punisheth offenders Of this Iustice of God it is said in our English Liturgie It belongeth to God iustly to punish sinnes Yea so doth it belong to God that God is not iust vnlesse he punish sinne The vse of this doctrine is vrged to vs by S. Pet. 1. Epist Chap. 4. vers 17.18 If God will seuerely punish his owne children for their sinnes If iudgement must begin at the house of God what shall become of strange children children of Belial What shall be the end of them that obey not the Gospell of God And if the righteous scarcely be saued where shall the vngodly and sinner appeare To this purpose is that of our blessed Sauiour Iesus Christ Luk. 23.31 If they doe these things to a greene tree what shall be done to the dry It is as if he had said more plainly thus If God my Father suffer me who am innocent and without sinne who am like a greene and a fruitfull tree so grieuously to be afflicted and to be hewen downe as if I were a dry tree how much more will he suffer you who are sinfull and rightly compared to dry and barren trees to be afflicted and to be hewen downe The like argument doth the Lord bring against Edom. Ierem. 49.12 Behold they whose iudgement was not to drinke of the cup haue assuredly drunken and shalt thou altogether goe vnpunished Thou shalt goe vnpunished but thou shalt surely drinke of it What shall I more say Let vs diligently weigh what hath alreadie beene sayd Lay we it to our soules and consciences We haue seene that the infinite Iustice of God repayeth vengeance for sinne euen vpon the heads of his dearest children The inhabitants of Iudah Gods inheritance great Ierusalem the cittie of God the glorious temple there the house of God for sinnes pollution haue beene brought to destruction Christ himselfe the onely begotten sonne of God the well-beloued sonne of God he in whom alone God is well pleased because he q 2. Cor. 5.21 serued with our sinnes and was r Esai 53.5 made sinne for vs he was wounded for our transgressions he was broken for our iniquities his backe was loaden with stripes his head with thornes his bodie with crossing his soule with cursing Thus sweete Sauiour hast thou suffered for our rebellions for our transgressions for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was vpon thee and with thy stripes we are healed It fell out happily for vs beloued that Christ who knew no sinne should be made sinne for vs that we who bore about with vs a Å¿ Rom. 6.6 bodie of sin might be made the righteousnesse of God in him Being thus by Christ reconciled to God and washed and clensed from our sinnes through his precious bloud take we heed that it happen not to vs t 2. Pet. 2.22 according to the true Prouerbe The dog is turned to his owne vomit againe and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire Let vs not henceforth be u Rom. 6.6 seruants vnto sinne let vs not yeeld our members as x Ver. 13. instruments of vnrighteousnesse vnto sinne Why should we y Heb. 6.6 crucifie to our selues the sonne of God afresh and put him to an open shame Let vs rather yeeld our selues our soules and our bodies seruants vnto God for so shall our z Rom. 6.22 fruit be in holinesse and our end euerlasting life So be it THE VIII LECTVRE AMOS 2.6 7 8. Thus sayth the Lord For three transgressions of Israel and for foure I will not turne away the punishment thereof because they sould the righteous for siluer and the poore for a paire of shooes That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poore and turne aside the way of the meeke and a man and his father will goe in vnto the same maid to prophane my holy Name And they lay themselues downe vpon clothes layd to pledge by euery altar and they drinke the wine of the condemned in the house of their God FOr Israels sake Amos the peculiar Prophet of Israel hath hitherto made knowne vnto Israel what God his pleasure was concerning their neighbour-Nations The iudgements of God against the Syrians the Philistines the Tyrians the Edomites the Ammonites and the Moabites were first manifested then followed his iudgments
light they practise it because it is in the power of their hands And they couet fields and take them by violence and houses and take them away So they oppresse a man and his house euen a man and his heritage where you haue an imprecation against oppressors a woe thundred out against them It is enough to proue oppression to be vnlawfull The third place is 1. Thess 4.6 This is the will of God that no man oppresse or ouer-reach his brother in any matter Is it Gods will Then surely it is not lawfull for you to oppresse or ouer-reach one another in any businesse Men of trade may not gaine by their false weights false measures false speeches or false oathes neither may men in any other course of life gaine by violence or by colour of Law or by any other cunning dealing Thus is my doctrine confirmed It is not lawfull for any man to oppresse another First it may serue for a reproofe of the Oppressors of this age who make gold their hope and the wedge of gold their confidence as Iob speaketh chap. 31.24 S. Paul he taught 1. Tim. 6.6 that Godlinesse is great gaine but these men suppose the contrary that gaine is great godlinesse and therefore they feare not to gaine with the hurt of others They build their houses as the moth So saith Iob chap. 27.18 As the moth How is that The moth is made full by spoyling the barkes and bookes wherein it liueth So is it with these men they make themselues full by spoyling others with whom they liue and haue to deale I expresse it in Ieremies phrase chap. 22.13 They build their houses by vnrighteousnes and their chambers by wrong and in Habakkuks phrase chap. 2.12 They build them townes with blood and stablish their Cities by iniquitie Against these is that complaint of the Lord Esai 3.14 15. Ye haue eaten vp the vineyard the spoyle of the poore is in your houses What meane yee that yee beat my people to peeces and grinde the faces of the poore Woe to these men a woe from Micah a woe from Ieremie a woe from Habakkuk in the now-alleaged places a woe from Esay too Chap. 5.8 Woe vpon woe and yet will they not cease from ioyning house to house and laying land to land as if the way to the spirituall Canaan were all by Land and not through a red Sea of death as one wittily speaketh From this contempt of the Prophets of the Lord or rather of the Lord himselfe speaking by his Prophets it is now come to passe that many a poore tenant is thrust out of his house that Villages are depopulated that those streets which were wont to be sowen with the seeds of men are now become pastures for the sending forth of oxen and for the treading of sheepe as Esay speaketh chap. 7.25 Now may Hythlodaeus his complaint haue place m Mori Vtopia lib. 1. Our sheepe in England were sometimes the meekest beasts of the field and contented themselues with a litle but now are they become so fierce and greedy that they devoure men and Towne-fields and houses and villages and lay all waste Alas silly sheepe it is no fault of yours you are as meeke as euer you were Whose then is the fault It is yours yee grinding oppressors yours whose hearts are like the vast Ocean fit to swallow vp euery base commoditie that the earth is able to afford you O that these men would at length call themselues to a strict account of the oppressions wherewith they haue oppressed the poore either by depopulating or by raising rents or by hoysing fines or by interest or otherwise and would once begin to make some restitution Did they but know in what estimation they stand in Church and Common-wealth they would remit somewhat of their Cruelty The Church heretofore denied them Christian buriall It s apparant in the Canon Law Extra de Vsuris Cap. Quia in omnibus How the Common-wealth brooketh them they may perceiue by two instances Catillus a British King 170. yeares before Christ did hang them vp He hung vp all oppressors of the poore My n Stow in his Summarie Chronicler writes in the margent A good example Long after him King Edward commonly called good King Edward banished them his Land So writeth Glanvil lib. 7. de Leg. consuet Angliae c. 37. The same author in the same booke cap. 16. affirmeth that by the most ancient lawes of England the goods of a defamed oâ—pressor dying without restitution were escheated vnto the King and all his lands vnto the Lord of the towne Wherefore let the oppressor now at last forsake his oppressions What can all the wealth all the mucke of the earth auaile him if for it he loose the kingdome of Heauen Momentaneum est quod delectat aeternum quod cruciat The wealth he here heapeth vp may for a time yeeld him some delight but what is a moment of delight to the eternitie of sorrow that must follow Must follow Yea it must follow if amendment hinder it not If he amend not I say as God is God so certainely shall the oppressor be destroyed though not in the red Sea as the oppressing Aegyptians once were yet in a Sea a blacke Sea of Hellish deeps where he shall be pained vnspeakably tormented intolerably both euerlastingly Thus haue you the first vse of my doctrine My doctrine was It is not lawfull for any man to oppresse another The vse was a generall reproofe of our now-oppressors A second vse may be to admonish Iudges Iustices and other Magistrates and Rulers that they suffer not themselues to be stained with this sin of oppression It is the o Pilkinton exposit in Nehem. cap. 5. fol. 80. A. dutie of the Magistrate to deliuer the oppressed out of the hand of the oppressor This dutie is laid vpon him Ierem. 21.12 There thus saith the Lord to the house of Dauid Execute iudgemâ—nt in the morning and deliuer him that is oppressed out of the hand of the oppressor It is likewise laid vpon him Esai 1.17 Seeke iudgement releeue the oppressed iudge the fatherlesse and defend the widow Where first Gods commandement is that Magistrates should execute iudgement in the morning In the morning Therefore they are not to vse delayes in doing iustice Secondly Gods commandement is that Magistrates should seeke iudgement Must they seeke iudgement Therefore in cases of oppression they are not to stay till they be called for Thirdly God commendeth vnto Magistrates all that are oppressed but specially the fatherlesse and widow the fatherlesse because they want the defence of their parents and the widow because she is destitute of the helpe of her husband and we know euery man goeth ouer where the hedge is lowest Therefore are Magistrates to take vpon them the defence of the fatherlesse the defence of the widow the defence of euery one that is oppressed Is it so Then are Magistrates to take speciall heed that themselues
I deliuer in this position The ministerie of the word of God freely exercised in any nation is to that nation a blessing of an inestimable value I neede not be long in the proofe of this truth you already giue your assent vnto it The word of God it s a Iewell then which nothing is more precious vnto which any thing else compared is but drosse by which any thing else tryed is found lighter then vanitie it s a trumpet wherby we are called from the slippery paths of sinne into the way of Godlinesse It s a lampe vnto our feete it s a light vnto our paths Psal 119.105 It s the g Matth. 4.4 Luk. 4.4 Ierem. 15.16 Ezech. 3.3 Revel 10.9 Ezech. 2.8 Wisd 16.26 foode of our soules by it our soules do liue Deut. 8.3 It s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Pet. 1.23 incorruptible seede Seede committed to the earth taketh roote groweth vp blossometh and beareth fruit So is it with the word of God If it be sowen in your hearts and there take roote it will grow vp blossome and beare fruit vnto eternall life In which respect S. Iames chap. 1.21 calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an engrafted word engrafted in your hearts able to saue your soules Sith the word of God is such doth it not follow of necessitie that the ministerie of it freely exercised in any Nation will be to that Nation a blessing of an inestimable value Can it be denyed The Prophet Esay chap. 52.7 with admiration auoucheth it How beautifull vpon the mountaines are the h Nahum 1.15 feete of him that bringeth good tidings that publisheth peace that bringeth good tidings of good that publisheth saluation that saith vnto Zion Thy God reigneth S. Paul is so resolued vpon the certainty of this truth that Rom. 10.15 he resumeth the words of the Prophet How beautifull are the feete of them that preach the Gospell of peace and bring glad tidings of good things Conferre we these two places one with the other that of Esay with this of Paul and we shall behold a heape of blessings showring downe vpon them to whom God sendeth the ministers of his Gospell for they bring with them the word of saluation the doctrine of peace the doctrine of good things and the doctrine of the kingdome Such is the Gospell of Christ First it is the word of saluation The Gospell of Christ is called the word of saluation first because it is the power of God vnto saluation as S. Paul speaketh Rom. 1.16 It is the power of God vnto saluation that is it is the instrument of the power of God or it is the powerfull instrument of God which he vseth to bring men vnto saluation And secondly because it teacheth vs concerning the author of our Saluation euen Christ Iesus An Angell of the Lord appeared vnto Ioseph in a dreame and saith vnto him Ioseph the sonne of Dauid feare not to take vnto thee Mary thy wife for that which is conceiued in her is of the Holy Ghost And she shall bring forth a sonne and thou shalt call his name i Luk 1.31 Iesus for he shall saue his people from their sinnes Matth. 1.21 He shall saue his people that is he shall be their Sauiour Iesus he is the Sauiour of his people merito efficacia by merit and by efficacie By merit because he hath by his death purchased for his people for all the elect the remission of their sinnes and the donation of the holy Spirit and life eternall And by efficacie because by the Holy Spirit and by the preaching of the Gospell he worketh in the elect true faith by which they doe not onely lay hold on the merit of Christ in the promise of the Gospell but also they studie to serue God according to his holy commandements An Angell of the Lord relating the natiuitie of Christ vnto the Shepheards Luk 2.10 11. saith vnto them Feare not For I bring you glad tidings of great ioy which shall be to all people For vnto you is borne this day in the Citie of Dauid a Sauiour which is Christ the Lord. Vnto you is borne a Sauiour where you haue what you are to beleeue of the Natiuitie of Christ He is borne a Sauiour vnto you Vnto you not onely to those shepheards to whom this Angell of the Lord speakes the words but vnto you Vnto you not only to Peter and Paul and some other of Christs Apostles and Disciples of old but vnto you vnto you vnto euery one of you in particular and vnto me When I heare the Angels words Christ is borne a Sauiour vnto you I apply them vnto my selfe and say Christ is borne a Sauiour vnto me In this perswasion and confidence I rest and say with S. Paul Gal. 2.20 I liue yet not I now but Christ liueth in me and that life which I now liue in the flesh I liue by the faith of the Sonne of God who loued me and gaue himselfe for me Christ is borne a Sauiour vnto me Peter filled with the Holy Ghost seales this truth Act. 4.12 There is no Saluation in any other then in the name of Iesus Christ of Nazareth There is no other name vnder Heauen giuen among men whereby we must be saued then the name of Iesus Christ of Nazareth Againe Act. 15.11 he professeth it We beleeue that through the grace of the Lord Iesus Christ we shall be saued It must be our beleefe too if we will be saued We we in particular must beleeue that through the grace of the Lord Iesus we shall be saued We shall be saued What 's that It is in S. Pauls phrase we shall be made aliue 1. Cor. 15.22 As in Adam all dye so in Christ shall all be made aliue St Austine Ep. 157. which is to Optatus doth thus illustrate it Sicut in regno mortis nemo sine Adam ita in regno vitae nemo sine Christo As in the kingdome of death there is no man without Adam so in the kingdome of life there is no man without Christ as by Adam all men were made vnrighteous so by Christ are all men made righteous sicut per Adam omnes mortales in poenâ facti sunt filij seculi ita per Christum omnes immortales in gratiâ fiunt filij Dei As by Adam all men mortall in punishment were made the sonnes of this world so by Christ all men immortall in grace are made the sonnes of God Thus haue I prooued vnto you that the Gospell of Christ is the word of Saluation as well because it is the power of God vnto Saluation as also because it teacheth vs of the author of our Saluation Secondly it is the doctrine of Peace The Gospell of Christ is called the doctrine of peace because the ministers of the Gospell do publish and preach Peace This Peace which they publish and preach is threefold Betweene God and man Man and man Man and himselfe First they preach Peace
spake I vnto them yet they prophecie and chap. 23.21 I sent them not yet they ranne I spake not to them yet they prophecied Of the second sort were those Prophets in Israel whom men chose but God called not Of such some would haue these words Hos 9.8 to be vnderstood The Prophet is the snare of a fowler in all his wayes and hatred in the house of his God In opposition to these there are of true Prophets two sorts also Both of them are lawfully called to their holy function some by God alone some by God and man The holy Prophets in the Old Testament and the blessed Apostles in the New had their calling from God alone but Timothie Titus and the seauen Deacons and the residue of religious and godly Doctors and Pastors of the Church had and haue their calling both from God and man This distinction thus giuen it is now easie to define who the Prophets are that are meant in my text They are true Prophets such as had their calling immediatly from God and from him alone euen those holy men of God who liued in the time of the old Testament some of which had the honour to be the blessed pen-men thereof Such were the Prophets whom the Israelites commanded saying Prophecie not Prophecie not Speake not any more vnto vs in the name of the Lord. What No more Can there be any one so execrably audacious as vtterly to forbid the passage of the word of God any forhead so brasen as simply and precisely to reiect it It s not to be imagined The most wicked dare not doe it Yet would they by their wills haue lesse libertie of speach permitted to Gods Prophets Ministers and seruants they would haue their tongues somewhat tied that they might not by their crying out against sins vex and gall their seared consciences Hitherto we haue taken a view of the words It followeth that we examine the matter conteined in them Yee commanded the Prophets saying Prophecie not Hoc nimirum erat saith Rupertus non solum loqui sed etiam agere contra Spiritum Sanctum qui loquebatur per os Prophetarum This indeed were not onely to speake against but also to doe against the holy Ghost who spake by the mouth of the Prophets He noteth the disordered and franticke humour that was in the people of Israel to vilitie and neglect those Prophets and teachers which the Lord out of the abundance of his mercie had sent vnto them to be their guides and directors in the way of true pietie and religion The lesson we are to take from hence I giue in this proposition The wicked are euermore in a readinesse to doe all the disgrace and despite they can to the true Prophets of the Lord and his Ministers This truth grounded vpon my text and thereby sufficiently warranted may further be illustrated by other places of this volume of the Booke of God In the seauenth Chapter of this Prophecie we see what course entertainment our Prophet Amos receiueth from Amaziah a Priest of Bethel He there forbids Amos to prophecie any more in the kingdome of the tenne Tribes and aduiseth him to get him away by flight to the kingdome of Iudah where the Lords prophets were better welcome and more regarded and tells him that in Israel they needed no such Prophets nor cared for them nor would suffer them to preach so plainely to their King Ieroboam Will you haue Amaziahâ— owne words vnto Amos They are in the twelfth and thirteenth verses O thou Seer for he that is now n 1. Sam 9 9. called a Prophet was before time called a Seer O thou Seer goe flee thee away into the land of Iudah and there eate bread and Prophecie there But Prophecie not againe any more at Bethel For it is the Kings Chappell and it is the kings Court Was the entertainement of the Prophet Ieremie found in Ierusalem any whit better Not a whit In the 18. chapter of his Prophecie vers 18 I find the men of Iudah plotting against him Come say they let vs deuise deuises against Ieremiah Come and let vs smite him with the tongue and let vs not giue heed to any of his words In the 30. Chapter ver 2. I find him smitten and put in the stockes by Pashur the chiefe gouernor of the Lords house In the 26. Chapter vers 8. I see him againe apprehended threatned with death and arraigned In the 33. chapter vers 1. I see him shut vp in the Court of the prison In the 38. Chapter vers 6. I find him let downe with cords into a miry and dirtie dungeon And all this befell him because he prophecied in the name of the Lord. The vsage of Micaiah the Prophet is likewise memorable King Ahab K. of Israell o 2. Chro. 18.7 hateth him 1. King 22.8 Zedekiah p Vers 23. smiteth him on the cheeke vers 24. and Amon the gouernour of the Citie is commanded to put him q Vers 26. in prison and to feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction vers 27. There was a Seer a Prophet called r 2. Chro. 16.7 Anani He had a message from the Lord to Asa King of Iudah and did faithfully deliuer it But for so doing the King was in a rage with him and put him in a prison-house 2. Chron. 16.10 As ill affected to the Prophets of the Lord were the people of Iudah for the most part of them And therefore is Esay chapter 30.8 commanded to write it in a table and to note it in a Booke that it might be for the time to come for euer and euer an euidence against that people that they were a rebellious people lying children children that would not heare the Law of the Lord such as blushed not to say to the Seers See not and to the Prophets Prophecie not vnto vs right things but if you will needs be Seeing or Prophecying or Preaching or speaking vnto vs then speake vnto vs smooth things Prophecie deceits Get you out of the way turne aside out of the path cause the Holy one of Israel to cease from before vs. Strange that there should be in the people of the Lord such contempt such a detestation of the Prophets of the Lord But you see the lot of Gods Prophets vnder the old Testament Were they more regarded in the time of the New It seemes not For it could not but fall out with them according to that prediction of our Sauiour Christ Mat. 23.34 Behold saith he I send vnto you Prophets and wise men and Scribes and some of them yee shall kill and Crucifie and some of them shall yee scourge in your Synagogues and persecute them from citie to citie According to this prediction it came to passe Some they killed They killed Å¿ Euseb Histor Eccles lib. 2. ca. 9 Iames the brother of Iohn with the sword Act. 12.2 Some they crucified They crucified Christ himselfe the Lord of
are likewise vanished But may he not be accounted of for somewhat that is about him for his riches for his munition and weapons of defence for his honour and the reputation he holdeth in the state wherein thou liuest No no. For what cares the Almightie for these The Psalmist was not ill aduised Psal 146.3 Where he thus aduiseth vs Put not your trust in Princes nor in any sonne of man in whom there is no helpe his breath goeth forth he returneth to his earth in that very day his thoughts perish See man here pictured and drawne forth in liuely colours Put not your trust in Princes not in Princes Why Is not their authoritie and pre-eminence here exceeding great Yes But they are sonnes of men Well Be it so The sonnes of men are creatures not farre inferiour to the Angels True But there is no helpe in them no helpe in them Why so Their breath goeth forth They dye What if they dye Is there no place for them in Heauen among the starres No they returne to their earth there to participate with rottennesse and corruption What if corruption be in their flesh may not their intendments and deuises be canonized and kept for eternitie No they may not For in that very day their thoughts perish their thoughts are as transitorie as their bodies and come to nought And therefore put not your trust in them not in Princes nor in any son of man Wherein then shall we put our trust Euen in the Lord our God To this trust in the Lord we are inuited Psal 118.8 9. It is botter to trust in the Lord then to put confidence in man It is better to trust in the Lord then to put confidence in Princes Is one better then the other Why then both may be good and it may be good to put confidence in man Not so You may not take the word better in this place to be so spoken For if you put any confidence in man you rob God of his glory which to doe can neuer be good I therefore thus expound the words It is better by infinite degrees absolutely and simply better to trust in the Lord to trust stedfastly in him alone then to put any confidence any manner of trust or confidence in man of what estate or dignity soeuer he be though he be of the rancke of Princes who haue all the power and authoritie in the world It s euery way better to trust in the Lord then to trust in such euer good to trust in the Lord but neuer good to trust in man Trust we in the Lord and blessed shall we be but cursed is the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arme the Lord himselfe hath said it Ierem. 17.5 Now therefore O Lord since thou hast from hence taught vs that from the ayd of man there is no safetie to be expected neither from him that is of an expedite and agile bodie nor from the strong man nor from the mightie man nor from the bow-man nor from the swift of foote nor from the horseman nor from the couragious among the mightie nor from any thing else that is in man or about him giue vs grace we beseech thee that in thee alone wee may place all our hope and confidence In thee alone our God and Father of mercies doe we trust and doe thou according to the multitude of thy compassions looke vpon vs. Heare the supplications of vs thy poore seruants liuing far as banished men in a sauage Countrey Protect wee beseech thee and keepe our soules among the many dangers of this mortall life and bring vs by the conduct of thy gracious fauour into that thy sacred habitation and seate of eternall glory Grant this vnto vs most deare Father for thy best beloued Sonne Iesus Christ his sake FINIS A Table of such particulars as are contained in this Commentarie A Abraham his mild speech to Lot 29 Accesse to God 347 No accident in God 114 Adam 287. 360 Adulterie 148 Adulterers 148 Naturall Affection 28 Affliction 254 Alexander the sixth 157 An Altar of earth 169 of stone of Holocausts ibid. There was but one Altar 169 The Altar a tipe of Christ 170 Popish Altars 171 none such in the Primitiue Church ibid. Our Altar now not materiall 172 It is our heart 177 The Ammonites enemies to the people of God 18 Excluded from that Church 18 The Amorite 214 Destroied ibid. Amorites they were tale and strong 226 They were destroied 236 Amos. 307 Amos why he first prophecied against Forreine nations 2. 47 Antaeus 226 Antiochus 149 Antonius Caracalla ibid. Arias 344 Asaphel 343 Aspasia 149 Assurance of our faith 7. Atalanta 343 Atheists denying God and his truth 12 B Men of Base estate comforted 45 Beast worshipped for Gods 247 Beautie 229 Behold 322 Benefits the order of Gods Benefits Not obserued 242 We must remember Gods Benefits 252 The Bible the greatest treasure 54 The Bible must be had ibid. The Bible to be read ibid. Men Blaspheme God 152 Gods name Blasphemed 150 Our Bodies a sacrifice 174 The goods of our Bodies must be offered ibid. The Bond of bloud 28 of christianity ibid The greatest Bond betweene men ibid A Broken spirit 176 D. Bucknham 89 The Buriall of the dead 27 C Cain 360. 361 Camilla 343 A Calumniator 138 A Calumnie ibid. Carioth 33 Cedars 223 They grow high ibid. Cerijoth 33 We haue beene Chastised of God 42 Christ our altar 170 His benefits towards vs. ibid His death and passion ibid A Christian in name 106 A Christian who ibid The Church of God 253 A Citie not safe against God by munition c. 35 Consanguinitie 27 Contempt 64 Contempt of the law of the Lord. 67 Contempt may be a sinne and not 65 Couetousnesse 133 The causes of our Crosses is sinne 60 Crueltie 23. 133 Crueltie against the dead 25 Crueltie displeaseth God 23. 37 D Darius 98. 149 The naturall man in Darknesse 86 Dauid chosen king 230 Dauid George 89 The Day of the Lord. 134. 371 Crueltie towards the Dead 25 Buriall of the Dead 27 Death of 4. sorts 36 Death terrible 37 Death considered in a double respect 38 Death to be feared of whom 39 Death welcome to the penitent 38. 40 Of three things no Definition 112 The Denying of a contrary is somtime an affirmation 70 All must once Die 36. 37 Disobedience 74. 77. 289. 292 Dispensations Popish 155 Doggs thankfull 207 Draw nigh to God 347 A Drunkard 182. 286 described 182 Drunkennes the effects of it ibid c. Our Dwelling houses a blessing vnto vs. 35 E Eagle swifter then Eagles 224 The Edomites descended from Abraham 22 Egypt 345. 250 Where situate 245. The Egyptians superstitious 246 Their Gods ibid. Their crueltie 251 The Israelites brought vp from the land of Egypt 244. 245 Eliab Iesse his eldest sonne 228 liked by Samuell 229. 230 faire of countenance and of goodly stature 229 refused 230 No Escaping from God 342 Etham 255
I forme the light and create darknesse I make peace and create euill I the Lord doe all these things I create euill In this place by Euill we are not to vnderstand malum culpae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not robbery not couetousnesse nor any like wickednesse but malum poene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Saint Chrysostome speaketh Homily 23. vpon Matthew the stripes or wounds that we receiue from aboue Gasper Sanchius doth here reckon vp whatsoeuer disturbeth our tranquillity or quiet whatsoeuer externall or domesticall vexation we haue whatsoeuer taketh from vs the faculty and opportunity of those things that are necessary for our life as warre and exile and depredation and seruitude and want and the like Of all these it may be truly affirmed that the Lord createth them the Lord doth them all Of such euils is that also to be vnderstood which our Prophet Amos hath in the sixt verse of this Chapter Shall there be euill in a City and the Lord hath not done it The interrogation is vsed the more to vrge the point Shall there be euill in a City and the Lord hath not done it There shall be none No euill of punishment no calamity no misery no crosse no affliction shall bee in any City or in any other place of the world but the Lord is the actor of it he doth it Hereof was holy Iob well aduised The checke hee giues his Wife shewes it She seeing him all smitten ouer with sore biles from the sole of his foot vnto the crowne of his head falls a tempting him Doest thou yet retaine thine integrity Curse God and die Iobs reply vnto her is Chap. 2.10 Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh What Shall wee receiue good at the hand of God and shall we not receiue Euill Shall we not receiue Euill By Euill hee meaneth the Euill not of sinne but of punishment as calamities miseries crosses afflictions and the like which he calleth euill not because they are so indeed but because many thinke them so to bee For things may be tearmed Euill in a two-fold vnderstanding Some are indeed Euill such are our sinnes and of them God is not the cause Some are not indeed Euill but onely in regard of vs in regard of our sense of our feeling of our apprehension of our estimation Such are the punishments the calamities the miseries the afflictions whereto we are in this life subiect and of these God is the cause This is it which Iob acknowledgeth in the reproofe of his wiues folly Shall we receiue good at the hand of God and shall wee not receiue Euill and it fitly serueth for the establishment of my doctrine Whatsoeuer punishment befalleth any one in this life it s from the Lord. The reason hereof is because the Lord is the principall doer of all things He is the primary agent the chiefest actor in all things and therefore in all the punishments which doe befall vs in this life The vses of this obseruation are two One is to reproue some Philosophers of old and some ignorant people now adaies for a vaine opinion of theirs whereby they attribute to accident chance and fortune all those their afflictions from the least to the greatest whereof they fee not any apparant cause The other is to admonish vs that when any affliction is vpon vs we take it patiently as comming from the Lord and repine not at the instruments by whom we are afflicted They without him could doe nothing against vs. Whatsoeuer they doe they doe it by his permission The hand of his particular prouidence is with them to appoint the beginning and end and measure and continuance of all our afflictions Wherefore in all our afflictions let our practise be as holy Dauids was Psal 39.9 euen to hold our peace and say nothing because the Lord hath done it From the Agent and his Action I passe to the Patient You. I will punish You. You mine owne possession You my peculiar treasure You my chosen people aboue all the Nations of the earth I will punish you My obseruation from hence is The Lord doth punish his seruants in this life aboue others This truth I further proue out of Saint Peter Epist 1. Chap. 4. Vers 17. He there saith The time is come that iudgement must beginne at the house of God At the house of God it must beginne His seruants therefore must haue the first taste of it and the time is come for them to haue it Is the time now come Was it not before Yes it was euer Nadab and Abihu two of Aarons sonnes they offer strange fire before the Lord and a fire comes out from the Lord and deuoures This is it that the Lord spake saying In propinquis meis sanctificabor Leuit. 10.3 I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me If they that come nigh vnto me transgresse my lawes I will not spare them they euen they shall feele the heauinesse of my hand So saith the Lord Ierem. 25.29 Loe I beginne to bring euill on the City in which my name is called vpon And there you see It is not the seruice of God not the calling vpon his holy Name that can exempt a place from punishment if it be polluted with iniquity Beginne at my Sanctuary It is the Lords direction for the punishment of Ierusalem Ezech. 9.6 Goe thorow the City and smite Let not your eye spare neither haue yee pity Slay vtterly old and young yea maids and little children and women But come not neere any man vpon whom is the marke the rest slay vtterly old and young Spare not Pity not and beginne at my Sanctuary Now lay we all this together Beginne with them that are nigh vnto me beginne at my City at my house at my Sanctuary spare none pity none smite all You see my obseruation made good The Lord doth punish his seruants in this life aboue others I say in this life One reason hereof may bee because the Lord out of his loue to his seruants will not suffer them to goe on in sinne A second may be eternall punishments are prepared for the wicked hereafter and therefore here in this life are they the lesse punished And the vses may be two One to lessen vs that in the multitude and the greatnesse of our afflictions we acknowledge Gods great mercy and endeuour to beare them all with patience and contentment Whensoeuer Gods hand shall be vpon vs in iudgement for our sinnes let that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 11.32 be our comfort When we are iudged we are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world A second vse may be to shew vnto vs how fearefull their case is who passe all their time here in this world without any touch of affliction Affliction it is the badge of euery sonne of God Whosoeuer hath no part herein he is a bastard he is no sonne So saith the Apostle Heb. 12.8 I haue done with
the Patient with the parties punished Now a word or two of the cause of their punishment which is the last circumstance in these words For all your iniquites I will punish you for all your iniquities for all your sins for all not onely originall but also actuall and for all actuall not onely of commission but also of omission not onely of knowledge but also of ignorance not onely of presumption but also of infirmity I will punish you for all your sinnes For all The obseruation is The Lord will not suffer any sinne to escape vnpunished Sinne It is causa 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is the impulsiue cause of punishment It plucks downe vengeance from the Maiestie of Heauen It s true of euery sinne euen of the least sinne Cognatum immo innatum omni sceleri scelaris supplicium The wages of sinne is death As the worke is ready so the pay is present Nec aufertur nec differtur If impiety no impunity It s impossible any sinne should be without punishment Impossibl The reasons are two One is taken from the iustice of God It is a part of Gods iustice to punish sinne and therefore he cannot but punish it The other is taken from the truth of God God who is euer true hath threatned to punish sinne and therefore he will not leaue any sinne vnpunished The consideration of this point Beloued should be vnto vs a barre to keepe vs in that we be not too secure too presumptuous of our owne estate We cannot bee ignorant for we haue learned it out of Gods Word that wee haue whole armies of enemies to encounter withall not only out of vs in the world abroad but also within vs lurking within our owne flesh euen our sinnes These sinnes of ours are our cruelest enemies They are euer hurring vs on to punishment Wherefore let vs be at vtter defiance with them and vse wee all holy meanes to get the victory ouer them by the daily exercises of prayer and repentance and by a continuall practise of new obedience to Gods most holy Will according to that measure of grace which wee haue receiued So shall our sinnes all our sinnes lye drowned in the most precious bloud of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ as in a bottomlesse Sea from which they shall neuer be able to rise vp against vs for our hurt THE Third Lecture AMOS 3.3 Can two walke together except they be agreed Will a Lion roare in the Forrest when hee hath no prey Will a young Lion cry out of his dâ—â— If he haue taken nothing Can a bird fall in a snaâ—e vpon the earth where no gin is for him Shall one take vp a snare from the earth and haue taken nothing at all Shall a Trumpet be blowne in the City and the people not be afraid Shall there be euill in a Citie and the Lord hath not done it OF the three parts which heretofore I haue obserued in this third Chapter and second Sermon of Amos concerning the kingdome of the ten Tribes this is the third and is continued from this third verse to the end of this Chapter I termed it an Enarration a Declaration an Exposition an Expolition Call you it as you will Here shall you finde the Proposition whereof you heard in my last Lecture powerfully and elegantly made good The substance of the Proposition was God hauing beene good and gracious to a people if he be repaid with vnthankfulnesse will assuredly visit that people and punish them for all their iniquities For the polishing and adorning hereof we haue here diuers similitudes by diuers Interpreters diuersly expounded I finde among them fiue different expositions Some will haue all these similitudes all six to be brought to proue one and the same thing namely That no euill can befall any citie except the Lord command it Of this exposition Saint Hierome makes mention It is the exposition of Theodoret and Remigius and may runne thus As it cannot be that two should walke together except they be agreed or that a Lion should roare in the forrest when he hath no prey or that a Lions whelpe should cry out of his den if he haue gotten nothing or that a bird should fall in a snare vpon the earth where no gin is for him or that a Fowler should take vp his snare from the ground before he haue taken somewhat or that the Trumpet should sound an Alarum in the City and the people not feare so it cannot be that there should be any euill any euill of punishment any plague in a Citie except the Lord command it so to be Some there are that expound these similitudes of Gods agreement with his Prophets for the denouncing of some euill that is eminent and neare at hand Lyra Hugo and Dionysius doe so expound them Their exposition runnes thus As it cannot be that two should walke together for the dispatch of a businesse except they be first agreed or that a Lion should roare in the forrest when he hath no prey and so forth of the rest So it cannot be that Gods Prophets should forewarne vs of any iudgement that shall befall vs except they be first agreed with God and God speake in them This exposition Christophorus à Castro takes for good because it is said vers 7. of this Chapter Surely the Lord God will doe nothing but he reuealeth his secret vnto his seruants the Prophets By his seruants the Prophets the Lord roareth as a Lion he layeth his snares as a Fowler he soundeth an alarum as with a trumpet and proclaimeth euill to a Citie Others there are that referre these similitudes to the disagreement that is betweene God and Israel Albertus Rupertus and Isidore doe so referre them Their exposition may runne thus as it cannot be that two should walke together except they be agreed so it cannot be that God should walke with Israel The time indeed was when God walked with his people Israel and Israel with God It was then when they of Israel were desirous to please God to doe his holy will and to depend vpon him But afterward when they forsooke God and betooke themselues to the seruice of strange gods Idoll-gods Deuils it could not be that God should walke any longer with them or they with God No maruell then if vpon this disagreement the Lord by his Prophets doe roare at Israel as a Lion roareth at his prey nor maruell if he lay a snare for them as a Fowler doth for birds no maruell if he sound an alarum as with a Trumpet and proclaime against them There is yet a fourth exposition the exposition of Arias Montanus He vnderstands these similitudes of the disagreement that was betweene the two peoples of Israel and Iudah Notorious was the reuolt of Israel from Iudah notorious the rent of the ten Tribes from the other two By this reuolt or rent of one kingdome were made two the kingdome of Israel and the kingdome of Iudah Here was much a
if he restore the pledge and giue againe that he hath robbed and walke in the statutes of life without committing iniquitie he shall surely liue he shall not die Secondly the threatnings of God against sinners are for the most part conditionall because he is a God of mercies a gracious a Psal 86.15 Exod 34.6 Numb 14.18 Psal 103.8 Psal 145.8 God a God of long suffering and much patience a God of vnspeakable kindnesse euer ready to receiue vs to mercy as soone as we returne vnto him This is it that the Lord commandeth to be proclaimed by Ieremy chap. 3.12 Returne thou back-sliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall vpon you for I am mercifull saith the Lord and I will not keepe mine anger for euer Thirdly the threatnings of God against sinners are euermore conditionall because in his threatnings God aimeth not at the destruction of them that are threatned but at their amendment Their amendment is the thing he aimeth at It s plaine by that Ezech. 18.23 Haue I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die saith the Lord God and not that he should returne from his waies and liue This by way of question But it s out of question and confirmed by oath Ezech. 23.11 As I liue saith the Lord God I haue no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turne from his way and liue turne ye turne ye from your euill waies for why will ye die O house of Israel Why will ye die Returne and liue I take no pleasure in your death Hitherto you haue heard of Gods threatnings that they are of punishments either corporall or spirituall either temporall or eternall and that they are either absolute or conditionall and if conditionall that then the condition is either expressed or only vnderstood Expressed or vnderstood and that for three reasons first because repentance washes away sinne the cause of punishment secondly because God is mercifull and will not keepe his wrath for euer thirdly because he aimeth especially at the amendment of the wicked It is now time that we make some profitable vse hereof Our first vse may be to consider that in the greatest and most fearefull threatnings of Gods heauy iudgements there is comfort remaining hope of grace and mercy to be found life in death and health in sicknesse if we repent and amend Thus did the Princes of Iudah profit by the threatnings of Ieremy Ieremie chap. 26.6 comes vnto them with a threatning from the Lords owne mouth I will make this house like Shiloh and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth He threatned desolation to the Lords house and destruction to their city and therefore the Priests and the people would haue put him to death But the Princes of Iudah were better aduised they pleaded the practise and example of King Hezekiah for the comfort of himselfe and the people of his time and thereby stirred vp themselues to feare the Lord and to turne from their euill waies And thus did the same King Hezekiah profit at the threatning of Esay and the King of Nineueh at the threatning of Ionah as you haue already heard They repented of their euill waies and God repented of the euils which he threatned to bring vpon them and he brought them not vpon them Here we are to meet with an obiection The obiection is If God threaten one thing and doth another if he threaten to bring euill vpon any one and repents him of the euill it may seeme his will is changeable or he hath two wills For answer I say The will of God is euer one and the same as God is one but for our capacities and for the weaknesse of our vnderstandings who cannot conceiue how God doth after a diuers manner will and not will the same thing the will of God is called sometimes secret or hidden and sometimes reuealed as the Church is called sometimes visible and sometimes inuisible yet is but one Church Deut. 29.29 The secret will of God is of things hidden in himselfe and not manifested in his word the reuealed is of things made knowne in the Scriptures or by daily experience The secret will is without condition its absolute its peremptory it s alwaies fulfilled no man hindreth it Rom. 9.19 no man stoppeth it the very reprobate yea the Deuils themselues are subiect vnto it His reuealed will is with condition and therefore for the most part is ioyned with exhortation admonition instruction and reprehension Now to the obiection my answer is Though God threaten one thing and doth another though he threaten to bring euill vpon any one and repents him of the euill yet is not his will therefore changeable nor hath he two wils but his will is euer one and the same The same will is in diuers respects hidden and reuealed It s secret at first before it be reuealed but as it is made knowne to vs either by the written Word of God or by the continuall successe of things so it is called the reuealed will of God Our duty in regard of the will of God as it is secret or hidden is not curiously to pry into it but reuerently to adore it Whatsoeuer this secret this hidden will of God is concerning vs whether to liue or die to be rich or poore to be of high estimation or of meane account in this world it is our part to rest in the same and to be contented and giue leaue to him that made vs to doe with vs and dispose of vs at his pleasure and then aftewards when by the continuall successe of things it shall be reuealed vnto vs what our lot our portion our expectation here must bee much more are we to be therewith contented and to giue thankes to God howsoeuer it fareth with vs. The obiection thus answered our recourse should be to the profit that is yet further to be made by the threatnings of Gods iudgements You haue heard that in the greatest and most fearefull there is comfort remaining hope of grace and mercy to be found health in sicknesse and life in death if we repent and amend I proceed to a second vse It concernes the duty of the Minister It s our duty to propound vnto you the threatnings of the Lord with condition Should we propound them without condition we should be as if we went about to bring you to despaire and to take from you all hope of mercy and forgiuenesse We therefore propound them with condition with condition of repentance and amendment of life and doe offer vnto you grace and mercy to as many of you as be humble and broken-hearted Thus we preach not onely the Law but also with the Law the Gospell thus we bind and loose Mat. 16.19 thus we reteine and forgiue sins We preach and by our preaching we shut vp the Kingdome of Heauen against the obstinate sinner but doe open the same
about publike matters You see what anciently were the vses of the Trumpet Now it will not be any hard matter for vs to giue an answer to the Interrogation which way soeuer it be made If it be made according to the reading in the margent Shall a Trumpet be blowne in a citie and the people not runne together the answer must be negatiue No a Trumpet shall not be blowne in a citie but the people will run together They will assemble themselues they will come together at the sound of the Trumpet either to heare what shall be deliuered to them from the Magistrate or to enter into consultation about the affaires of the citie or to prostrate themselues in deuotion before the Lord in his holy Temple If the Trumpet be blowne they will run together This our marginall reading Tremelius and Iunius haue embraced as the chiefest yet so that they reiect not the other Nay so farre are they from reiecting the other as that they ioyne both together They make the interrogation to be thus Shall a Trumpet be blowne in a city and populus trepidè non accurrerint shall not the people tremblingly run together The interrogation thus framed may haue an answer affirmatiue A Trumpet may be blowne in a city and the people shall not need tremblingly to run together For why should here be any trembling where there is no cause of feare There was a feast of Trumpets yearely to be obserued in the seuenth month on the first day of the month Leuit. 23.24 It was a day i Numb 29.1 of blowing the Trumpets vnto the people The Trumpets were blowne and the people ranne together but without feare without trembling There was a yeare of Iubile euery fiftieth yeare to be hallowed Euery fiftieth yeare on the tenth day of the seuenth moneth the Trumpet of Iubile was to sound Leuit. 5.19 The Trumpet sounded the people met but without feare without trembling You will say these were set times of festiuitie times of ioy and the blowing of Trumpets at these times was ordinary and therefore the people now had no reason to be afraid at the sound of the Trumpets but say the sound of the Trumpets were extraordinary would not the people then be afraid and tremblingly runne together No not euer then Extraordinary was the sound of the Trumpets when Dauid with great solemnity fetched the Arke from Kiriath jearim He brought vp the Arke from thence with songs and with Harpes and with Psalteries and with Timbrels and with Cymbals and with Trumpets 1 Chron. 13.8 The Trumpets were blowne Here was much ioy expressed here was no shew of feare at all Extraordinary was the sound of the Trumpets at the dedication of Solomons Temple Then besides the Leuites who had their Cymbals and Psalteries and Harpes there were an hundred and twenty Priests sounding with Trumpets 2 Chron. 5.12 The Trumpets were blowne much ioy was thereby expressed there was no shew of feare at all Extraordinary was the sound of the Trumpets at the restitution of religion by Hezekiah King of Iudah and then were the Leuites present with their Cymbals their Psalteries and their Harpes and the Priests with their Trumpets 2 Chron. 29.26 The Trumpets were blowne ioy was expressed no feare appeared Thus we see Trumpets haue been blowne not only at ordinary times but also at times extraordinary and yet haue the people had no cause of feare What shall we then say to this interrogation as it is made by Tremelius and Iunius Shall a Trumpet be blowne in a Citie and shall not the people tremblingly with feare run together The interrogation thus framed for the substance of it well agreeth with our new translation Shall a Trumpet be blowne in a City and the people not be afraid and therefore we may alike resolue for both Our resolution may be thus This Trumpet must be blowne not in time of peace when all is quiet but in time of warre when all is in combustion and it must be blowne not in the streets of the citie but from the watch-tower and it must be blowne not at an ordinary time but when men least thinke of it to giue warning of the sudden approach of the enemie vnto the citie To this vnderstanding we are directed by Ionathan the Chaldee Paraphrast who addes vnto my text non suo tempore to giue the meaning of it Shall a Trumpet be blowne in a citie non suo tempore out of its ordinary time and shall not the people be afraid So our Prophet here speaketh de clangore buccinae extraordinario of an extraordinary blowing of the Trumpet of its being blowne alieno tempore at a strange time Such a blowing of the trumpet at such a time was euer a sure token aduentantis hostis that the enemie was not farre of Vnde pauor metus saith Drusius whence feare and trembling were vpon the people Now to the interrogation Shall a trumpet be blowne in a citie and the people not be afraid or shall they not tremblingly runne together Our answer is negatiue No. It cannot be that in time of warre a trumpet shall be blowne in a citie at an extraordinary an vnusuall and a strange houre but the people will be afraid and will tremblingly run together Hitherto hath the reading beene cleared and the interrogation answered and now let vs see whereto this sixth similitude taken from warriours is appliable Saint Hierome applies it as he doth the former He applies it to such as liue in discord and variance He makes it to be their punishment Vt in ciuitate Domini constituti tubae sonitu terreantur that being placed in the city of the Lord they be terrified with the sound of the trumpet By this city of the Lord he meaneth the holy Catholike Church and by this trumpet the word of God sounding in the Church For thus he addeth Whatsoeuer is spoken in holy Scriptures it is tuba comminans a threatning trumpet that with a mighty voice penetrateth the eares of beleeuers If we be righteous this Trumpet of Christ calleth vs vnto blessednesse but if wicked vnto torments With the sound of this trumpet shall they be terrified that liue in discord and variance Of the foulenesse and leprosie of which sin I spake at large in my last Sermon out of this place Now therefore I leaue it and proceed to some other application of this sixth similitude Saint Cyril applies it to the Prophets of the Lord and his Ministers thus If a trumpet be blowne in a citie to giue warning of the approach of the enemy who is there so without all sense of griefe as not to conceiue exceeding feare of future euils But you you the people of Israel are so void of all sense and feeling that though my trumpets cease not continually to sound aloud in your eares and to fore-warne you of euils that shall come to passe you receiue no profit thereby Though you vnderstand by the sound of my trumpets that
your cities which are now inhabited Ezech. 12.20 shall be laid waste and your Land shall be desolate yet you take courage to your selues against such terrours Amos 6.3 you put far away from you the euill day you say within your selues Ezech. 12.27 the vision which this man seeth is for many daies to come and he prophesieth of the times that are far off To this purpose Saint Cyril With him agree three great Rabbins R. Dauid R. Abraham R. Selomo They make the Lord here to speake after this manner If a trumpet be blowne in a citie at an vnseasonable houre to giue warning that the enemie is comming the people will exceedingly tremble and be afraid Why then are not you afraid why tremble yee not at the voices of my Prophets My Prophets are my trumpeters by them I giue you warning of the euils that hang ouer your heads and will ere long fall vpon you Why are you not afraid why tremble you not To this application of this sixth similitude our new Expositors for the most part haue subscribed They vnderstand by this Citie the Church of God by the Trumpet the Word of God by the people the bearers of the Word and so thus stands the application When a trumpet giueth a sudden signe by the sound of it out of a watch-tower all the people harken and are troubled and prepare themselues this way or that way according as the trumpet giueth the token So at the voice of God founding by his Ministers we ought to giue eare and be attentiue and be moued at the noise of it and as he giueth warning prepare our selues and looke about vs while it is time lest afterward it be too late Now the lesson which we are to take from hence is this The word of God vttered by his Ministers deserueth more reuerence feare and trembling then doth a trumpet sounding an alarme from a watch-tower For the word of God is a trumpet too and a trumpet of a farre shriller sound The blowers of this trumpet are the Ministers of the Word who in this regard are called sometimes Tuba Dei and sometimes Speculatores They are Gods trumpet and they are watch-men They are Tuba Dei Gods trumpet and hereby are they put in minde of their dutie euen to denounce perpetuall warre against the wicked and to excite men euen to fight against the Deuill and to bid defiance vnto sinne And they are Speculatores they are Watch-men placed by God in his holy Citie the Church Velut in speculâ as in a Watch-tower to watch for the safetie of the people and to blow the trumpet vnto them when any danger is at hand Both appellations are met together in Ierem. 6.17 Constitui super vos speculatores audite vocem tubae I haue set ouer you watch-men hearken to the sound of the trumpet Bishops Pastors Ministers they are these watch-men and wee are to hearken to the sound of their trumpets Their trumpets True For Ministers haue trumpets Their trumpets are two One is Territoria the other is Consolatoria One is a terrifying trumpet the other trumpet is comforting Of the former God speaketh by his Prophet Esay chap. 58.1 Crie aloud spare not lift vp thy voice like a trumpet and shew my people their transgression and the house of Iacob their sinnes So doth hee by Zephania chap. 1.16 A day of the Trumpet and alarme against the fenced cities and against the high towers And I will bring distresse vpon men that they shall walke like blinde men because they haue sinned against the Lord. This trumpet you may call tubam legis the trumpet of the Law because by if the Minister denounceth the curses of the Law the wrath of God misery and calamitie to euery vnrepentant sinner Of the other trumpet of the ministery we may vnderstand that Esay 27.13 The great Trumpet shall be blowne and they shall come which were readie to perish in the Land of Assyria and the out-casts in the Land of Aegypt and shall worship the Lord in the holy Mount at Ierusalem This trumpet you may call tubam Euangelij the trumpet of the Gospell because by it the Minister pronounceth the blessings of the Gospell the loue of God a quiet conscience and true felicity to euery true beleeuer These two trumpets terrifying and comforting that of the Law this of the Gospell are still of vse in the Church of Christ the Minister sounding sometimes woe sometimes weale according as our sinnes shall giue him cause But why is it that the ministery of the Word and the preaching thereof is compared to a trumpet Hector Pintus in his Comment vpon the eight and fiftieth of Esay giueth hereof two reasons One is because as the materiall trumpet calleth and encourageth vnto warre so this spirituall trumpet the preaching of the Word calleth and encourageth vs to fight valiantly against the world the flesh and the Deuill The other is because as the materiall trumpet is blowne at solemnities to betoken ioy so this spirituall trumpet the preaching of the Word should stirre vs vp ad laborem in praesenti ad gaudium in futuro to labour in this life and to ioy in that to come For as he addeth hic est locus vincendi ibi triumphandi hic breuis laboris illic sempiterna quietis hic poenae transeuntis ibi gloriae permanentis Here is the place for ouercomming there for the triumph here of some little labour there of eternall quiet here of paine that passeth away there of glory that endureth The comparison standing thus betweene the preaching of the Word and a trumpet warranteth the truth of the doctrine propounded which was The word of God vttered by his Ministers deserueth more reuerence feare and trembling then doth a trumpet sounding an alarme from a watch-tower This representation of the word of God by a trumpet should euer sound and as it were goe before vs in all our actions in warre in peace in all meetings and ioyfull feasts that all our doings may be acceptable to the Lord our God The doctrine now deliuered standing vpon the comparison that is betweene the preaching of the Word and a trumpet may in termes absolute be thus The preaching of the word of God is to be harkened vnto with all reuerence It is the point I handled in my first Sermon vpon this third Chapter of Amos. My Thesis then was The word of God is diligently to be harkened vnto What proofes and reasons out of Scripture I then produced for the confirmation of that truth and what vse was made thereof I now stand not to repeat Nor need I so to doe The holy Scripture being as the Ocean of waters which can neuer bee exhausted yeeldeth vs great varietie of matter though we speake againe and againe to the same point I proceed then with my Thesis as it is giuen in termes absolute The preaching of the word of God is to be harkened vnto with all reuerence I
Word which I haue spoken vnto you You are cleane not for your Baptisme but for the Word So Saint Augustine Tract 80. in Iohannem Detrahe verbum quid est aqua nisi aqua Accedit verbum ad elementum sit sacramentum Take away the Word and what is the water but water the Word commeth to the element and it is made a Sacrament You are cleane then not by your Baptisme but by the Word And you are cleane by the Word Non quia dicitur sed quia creditur You are cleane by the Word not because the Word is preached vnto you but because you beleeue it when it is preached The Pharisees and other hypocrites did heare the Word of Christ yet were they not thereby made cleane because they did not beleeue the Word of Christ And so doth Rupertus expound these words You are cleane You are cleane because you beleeue that which I haue said vnto you concerning my death and resurrection how I must die for your sinnes and rise againe for your iustification and goe away to prouide a place for you You haue not only heard but also haue beleeued the Word which I haue spoken vnto you and therefore are yee cleane The fruit then and the profit that ariseth vnto vs from our reuerent hearing of the Word preached is by our faith It is faith that purifieth our hearts saith Peter Act. 15.9 Faith it is by which we apprehend the bloud of the Lambe of God and are thereby cleansed from all our sinnes But I may not hold you ouer-long with the prosecution of this point Let it please you to be remembred that wee haue hitherto beene moued to the performance of a holy dutie euen to the reuerent hearing of the word of God and this first for the honours sake of him that speaketh secondly for the danger sake of him that heareth negligently thirdly for the profits sake of him that heareth diligently and that wee vnderstand this profit to be three-fold that it softeneth our hard hearts that it sweâ—teneth them that it cleanseth them What now remaineth but that wee pray God to dismisse vs with a blessing Wee humbly beseech thee most gracious God so to open our hearts and to vnlocke the cares of our vnderstanding that now and euer hearing thy Word profitably we may obserue learne and embrace such passages therein as are necessary to the confirming of our weake faith and the Amendment of our sinfull liues Grant this deare Father for thy best beloued Sonne Iesus Christ AMEN THE Eighth Lecture AMOS 3.6 Shall there be euill in a City and the Lord hath not done it THis short sentence you may call the Conclusion or the explication of the similitudes that went before The similitudes were six all taken from vulgar experience and such as is incident to a Shepherds walke The explication as it is giuen by Theodoret and Remigius stands thus As it cannot be that two should walke together except they bee agreed or that a Lion should roare in the forest when he hath no prey or that a lions whelpe should cry out of his denne if he haue gotten nothing or that a bird should fall in a snare vpon the earth where no ginne is for him or that a fowler should take vp his snare from the ground before he haue taken somewhat or that the Trumpet should sound an alarme in the City and the people not feare so it cannot be that there should bee any euill in a City except the Lord command it so to be This dependance of these words vpon the former is approued by Christophorus à Castro in his Paraphrase Conrad Pellican and others looke not so farre backe for the coherence of these words but confine them within this sixth verse thus As a trumpet is not blowne in a City but that the people thereof should be afraid and runne together so neither is there any euill sent by the Lord to any place city or country but that the people thereof should repent and amend their liues The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the reddition suiting with the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the proposition of the similitude here drawne from the sound of the trumpet should be thus Shall a Prophet in the name of the Lord foreshew any future euill and shall not the people bee afraid But because whatsoeuer euils a Prophet foretelleth he foretelleth from the Lord and the euils which he foretelleth fall not out but by the Lord therefore Amos here omitting the Antecedent sets downe the consequent Shall there be euill in a city and the Lord hath not done it Shall there be euill c. Some yeeres haue passed away since I handled this Text in the chiefest assembly of this Diocesse My then endeuours were to arme my selfe and that deuout auditory with patience against the day of affliction And because that day is a day which euery child of God must looke for I was induced to publish what I then deliuered if it might be for the comfort of such as then heard me not and I did it vnder the title of the hauen of the afflicted What need then is there that I should at this time recommend the same Text vnto you What the wise sonne of Syrach in the eighteenth of his Ecclesiasticus vers 6. saith of such as search into the workes of God is true of vs whose office is to search into the words of God Cum consummauerit homo tunc incipiet When a man hath done what he can hee must beginne againe For as Saint Hierome hath well obserued in his Comment vpon the 90. Psalme Singula verba Scripturarum singula Sacramenta sunt euery word in Scripture is a Sacrament and containeth a mystery Euery word a Sacrament The Rabbins stay not here they say as much of euery letter Nullum est iota in Scripturâ à quo non pendeant mont es doctrinarum there is not an iota any the least letter in the Scriptures but thereon doe depend mountaines of doctrines Saint Hierome in the second booke of his Commentaries vpon the Epistle to the Ephesians yet goes further Singuli apices singula puncta in diuinis Scripturis plena sunt sensibus there is not a tittle not a point in the diuine Scriptures but its full of spirituall meaning full of senses Not a word but it s a Sacrament not a letter but it yeelds mountaines of doctrines not a point but its full of senses Well then may the words which I haue now read vnto you yeeld variety of matter fit for our deepest meditations a second time and because they follow in course in this Chapter the exposit on whereof I haue for this place vndertaken I may not in silence passe them ouer but must take a reuiew of them and recommend them to your Christian and deuout attentions Shall there be euill in a City and the Lord hath not done it Herein obserue with me three circumstances Quis Quid Vbi Quis the
Agent Quid the Action Vbi the place of performance The Agent is the Lord the Action is a doing of euill the place of performance is a City Shall there bee euill in a City and the Lord hath not done it You see the bounds of my present discourse I will goe ouer them with as much breuity and perspicuity as I may Gods holy grace assisting me and your Christian and accustomed patience giuing leaue The first point I am to handle is Quis it is the Agent His name in my Text is Iehouah and it is the most proper name of God Is his name Iehouah How then is it that Iacob the Patriarch Gen. 32.29 asking after the name of God receiues answer in the Vulgar Latine Cur quaeris nomen meum quod est mirabile Wherfore is it that thou doest aske after my name seeing it is wonderfull And how comes it to passe that the like answer is giuen vnto Manoah Iudges 13 18. Cur quaeris nomen meum quod est mirabile Why askest thou thus after my name seeing it is secret And why doth Agur enquire with admiration Prou. 30.4 Who hath ascended vp into Heauen or who hath come downe from thence Who hath gathered the wind in his fist Who hath bound the waters in a garment Who hath established all the ends of the earth Quod nomen eius What is his name Canst thou tell as if it were impossible to finde out a fit name for God Much disputing is there in the Schooles about the name of God which they reckon vp by a threefold diuinity The first is a Salmeron Disp 4. in 1. Ephes Tom. 15. pag. 187. Et in 1. Ioan. 1. Disp 5. Tom. 16. pag. 170. Theologia affirmatiua an affirmatiue Diuinity the second is Theologia mystica siue negatiua a mysticall or negatiue diuinity the third is Theologia Symbolica a symbolicall diuinity In the affirmatiue diuinity God is called by such names as doe sound out his perfection such as are b Gen. 17.1 Omnipotent c Gen. 21.33 Euerlasting Good d Rom. 16.27 Wise e Apocal. 15.4 Holy f Deut. 32.4 Iust and g Exod. 34.6 True In the mysticall or negatiue diuinity no certaine name is giuen him to describe him what he is but to shew what he is not Such appellations are these h 1 Tim. 1.17 Immortall Inuisible i Rom. 1.23 Incorruptible k Bernard Ser. 6. Super Cantic Incorporeall l Aug. Tom. 10. de verbis Apost Serm. 1. Ineffable Inestimable Incomprehensible Infinite m Bernard paru Serm. 51. Immense Vndiuided Vnuariable Vnchangeable In the symbolicall diuinity any name may be giuen him he may be called n Salmeron Dâ—sp 5. in 1 Ioan. 1. To. 16. p. 170. a Lion a Lambe a Worme a Calfe Light Heauen a Starre any thing else by o Trelcat instit lib. 1. pag. 20. Analogie or similitude Nulla p Salmeron in Ephes 1. Disp 4. pag. 187. Apud Aquin. 1. q. 13.11 in C. siquidem res est quae in aliquo Deum non referat for there is not any thing but in somewhat it resembles God To the first of these three belongeth this name of God in my Text his name Iehouah Iehouah is among the affirmatiue names of God and is of them the most principall So saith Damascene lib. 1. Orthodox fidei cap. 12. And well For it comprehendeth totum all in it selfe Velut quâ—ddam pelagus as a Sea of substance infinite and indeterminate Iehouah It is the essentiall name of God the name of his essence for three reasons First because God is of himselfe not of any other Secondly because other things are from God not from any thing else nor from themselues Thirdly because God giues Esse reale a reall being to and is euer true in his promises and his threats All this is confirmed Esay 43.10 Yee are my witnesses saith Iehouah that yee may know and beleeue me and vnderstand that I am he before me there was no God formed neither shall there be after me I euen I am Iehouah and besides mee there is no Sauiour Yea before the day was I am he and there is none that can deliuer out of my hand I will worke and who shall let it It is from hence plaine that the Lord Iehouah is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is of himselfe alone and euer of himselfe and of no other the beginning and fountaine of all things else that haue any being See then here his Essence vers 10. I am he vers 11. I euen I am the Lord vers 12. Ye are my witnesses that I am God vers 13. I am he See here his Eternity vers 10. Before me there was no God formed neither shall there bee any after me and vers 13. Before the day was I am See also his Omnipotency vers 13. Beside me there is no Sauiour vers 13. There is none that can deliuer out of my hand Againe in the same verse I will worke and who shall let it Great is the comfort that this name of God his name Iehouah may administer vnto vs. Our God is Iehouah of himselfe eternall and omnipotent and therefore will not faile to giue vnto vs the good things which he hath promised in his holy Word Much too blame then are the Iewes who through their vaine superstition holding this name of God this great name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as they call it to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ineffable and not to be pronounced doe neither write it nor reade it nor speake it but as oft as they meet with it in holy Scripture they either reade for it Elohim or Adonai or doe only name the foure letters of which it consisteth Iod He Vau He whereas yet God hath therefore made knowne this his name to men that men might reade it and pronounce it with a reuerent and an holy feare This our God the Lord Iehouah who is of himselfe alone and giueth a reall being to all things else who is euer true true in himselfe true in his workes and true in his words this our God is a good God Good in himselfe and good out of himselfe Good in himselfe of his owne essence and the highest degree of goodnesse He is suâ essentiâ bonus good of his owne essence For his goodnesse is not by participation of good from any other but naturally of himselfe from euerlasting nor is his goodnesse accidentall but hee is suâ ipsius bonitas Hee is his owne goodnesse And he is Summè bonus he is good in the highest degree oâ— goodnesse For he is that same Summum Bonum that same chiefest good that is of all men to be sought for He is good also Extrase out of himselfe For he is the Author of all good as well in making so many good creatures as in doing good to them being made And this his goodnesse is either generall or speciall His generall
goodnesse extends it selfe to all his creatures not onely to such as haue continued in that goodnesse wherein they were created but also to such as haue fallen away from their primigeniall goodnesse euen to euill Angels and to wicked men Of this goodnesse I vnderstand that Psal 33.5 The earth is full of the goodnesse of the Lord. His speciall goodnesse I call that by which he doth good to the holy Angels confirmed in grace and to his elect children among the sonnes of men Such is that whereof wee reade Psal 73.1 Truly God is good to Israel euen to such as are of a cleane heart He is good that is hee is gracious fauourable and full of compassion to Israel to his elect and holy people his holy Church yet militant vpon the earth deliuering her from euill and bestowing good vpon her Now if hony of its owne nature and essence sweet hath no bitternesse in it if the Sunne of its owne nature and essence light hath no darknesse in it then out of doubt it cannot be that our God the Lord Iehouah who is euer good good in se and good extra se good of his owne nature and essence and good towards all his creatures should haue any euill in him No Lord Wee confesse before thee with thy holy seruant Dauid Psal 5.4 Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickednesse neither shall euill dwell with thee Thus you see Quis who this Agent is He is our God the Lord Iâ—houah He who is his owne being and giueth a reall being to all things else He who is absolutely good good of his owne essence and good to all his creatures He in whom there is no staine of euill This is He the Agent Now followeth his Action which seemeth to be a doing of euill and is my second circumstance For my Text is Shall there be euill in a City and the Lord hath not done it Mat. 7.18 It is an obseruation in Nature that a good tree cannot bring forth euill fruit And there is an axiome in Philosophy Omne agens agit sibi simile Euery Agent produceth the like vnto it selfe God the Agent here being absolutely good good in se good extra se good in himselfe good to all his creatures cannot but produce a like action euen very good How then is it that here he is said to doe euill For the vntying of this knot I will produce a few distinctions from them I will gather some conclusions and the doubt will bee cleered My first distinction is Things may bee termed euill two manner of waies some are euill indeed and of their owne nature in this ranke we must place our sins some are euill not indeed and in their owne nature but in regard of our sense apprehension and estimation and in this ranke we must place whatsoeuer affliction God layeth vpon vs in this life for our sinnes This distinction is Saint Basils in his Homily wherein he proueth that God is not the Author of euils The next distinction is out of Saint Augustine chap. 26. against Adimantus the Manichee There are two sorts of euils there is malum quod facit homo and there is malum quod patitur There is an euill which the wicked man doth and there is an euill which he suffereth That is sinne this the punishment of sinne In that the wicked are Agents in this they are Patients that is done by them this is done vpon them They offend Gods Iustice and God in his Iustice offends them This is otherwise deliuered by the same Father De fide ad Petrum cap. 21. Geminum esse constat naturae rationalis malum vnum quo voluntariè ipsa deficit à summo Bono creatore suo Alterum quo iuuita punietur ignis aeterni supplicio illud passura iustè quia hoc admisit iniustè It is saith he manifest that there is a two-fold euill of the reasonable nature that is of man One whereby man voluntarily forsaketh the chiefest good God his Creator the other whereby he shall against his will be punished in the flames of euerlasting fire So shall he iustly suffer that vniustly offended In his first Disputation against Fortunatus the Manichee he speaketh yet more plainly Sith saith he there are two kinds of euill Peccatum poena peccati Sinne and the punishment of sinne the one namely sinne pertaines not vnto God the other the punishment of sinne belongs vnto him Tertullian lib. 2. contra Marcionem cap. 14. more than a hundred yeeres before Saint Augustines time deliuers this distinction with much perspicuity There is malum delicti and malum supplicij or there is malum culpae and malum poenae There is an euill of sinne and an euill of punishment and of each part he nominateth the Author Malorum quidem peccati culpae Diabolum malorum verò supplicij poenae Deum creatorem Of the euils of sinne or default the Deuill is the Author but of the euills of paine and punishment hee acknowledgeth the hand of God the Creator This second distinction of euills Rupertus well expresseth in other termes There is malum quod est iniquitas and there is malum quod est Afflictio propter iniquitatem There is an euill of Iniquity and an euill of Affliction So he agreeth with the ancient Fathers My third distinction is of the euills of punishment Of these there are two sorts Some are onely the punishments of sinne either eternall in Hell or temporall in this world and some are so the punishments of sinne that they are also sinnes and causes of sinnes My fourth distinction is De malo culpae it concernes the euill of sinne The euill of sinne may bee considered three manner of waies First as it is a sinne repugnant to the Law of God and so onely is it malum culpae the euill of sinne Secondly as it is a punishment of some precedent sinne for God vseth to punish sinne with sinne So did he punish it in the Gentiles when hee gaue them ouer to a reprobate minde Rom. 1.28 to vncleannesse to the lusts of their owne hearts to doe such things as were not conuenient because when they knew God they glorified him not as God Rom. 1.12 Thirdly as it is a cause of some subsequent sinne such as was excoecatio in Iudaeis whereof we reade Esay 6.10 Excoeca cor populi huius Make thou the heart of this people blind or make it fat make their eares heauy and shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes and heare with their eares and vnderstand with their hearts and conuert and be healed This same excoecation or blindnesse in the Iewes was the punishment of a prâ—cedent sinne namely of their infidelity towards Christ and it was a sinne because euery ignorance of God is a sinne and it was the cause of other sinnes so Saint Augustine teacheth lib. 5. cap. 3. contra Iulianum And this distinction is found in Saint Greg. Moral lib. 25.
cap. 9. My fifth distinction concerneth also the euill of sinne In sinne there are two things to be obserued there is Ens and there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is Actio and there is Actionis malitia or there is Actio and there is Actionis irrectitudo which is declinatio à rectitudine voluntatis Dei in lege reuelatae In euery sinne there is an entitie being or action and there is of that entitie being or action a crookednesse obliquity or naughtinesse Euery entity being or action as such is good from a good author Act. 17.28 God Almighty in whom we liue moue and haue our being But the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the crookednesse obliquity and naughtinesse of our Actions the swaruing of them from the line of Gods reuealed will as such is wicked from a wicked Author Gen. 6.5 mans decayed nature All the imaginations of the thoughts of mans heart are onely euill continually Thus haue you my distinctions I promised to draw from them some conclusions The first is God is the Author of euery euill of punishment Euery such euill God willeth The will of God is the primarie efficient cause thereof It may thus be proued Euery good thing is of God Now euery euill of punishment euery punishment is a good thing for it is a worke of iustice by which sinnes are punished and so a iust worke and therefore euery punishment is of God and God willeth it The second conclusion The euill of sinne as it is a punishment of some former sinne God willeth and inflicteth This is that same receiued and much vsed axiome in Diuinty God punisheth sinnes with sinnes In so doing hee doth no more then what becommeth a iust Iudge to doe Hereof Saint Augustâ—ne Contra aduersarium legis Prophetarum lib. 1. cap. 24. thus speaketh It is a fearefull iudgement when God takes course Vt crimina criminibus vindicantur supplicia peccantium non sunt tormenta sed incrementa vitiorum Fearefull is the iudgement when God taketh course that sinnes be reuenged with sinnes and the punishment of euill doers bee no torment to them but additions to their euill doings O this is a fearefull iudgement which Saint Gregory Moral lib. 25. cap. 9. expresseth after this manner Hoc quippe agitur vt culpae culpis feriantur quatenus suplicia fiant peccantium ipsa incrementa vitiorum It is the most admirable iudgement of God and most dreadfull of all other when he taketh course that sinne be stricken with sinne so as that the increase of sinne is the punishment of the sinner it being ordered by disposition aboue but yet by reason of the confusion of iniquity beneath both that the former sinne is the cause of the latter and the latter is the punishment of the former This of all the iudgements of God is the most admirable the most dreadfull My third conclusion The euill of sinne as it is an Action God willeth he worketh it he doth it For whatsoeuer God properly willeth the same he worketh he doth it either immediatly by himselfe or Sua virtute through his power by others Now if Quaecunque voluit fecit as it is Psal 115.3 if God hath done whatsoeuer he hath willed then surely Quaecunque fecit vult whatsoeuer he doth that hee willeth And the truth is not in Philosophy onely also in the holy Scriptures that God is the primary cause of all actions whatsoeuer they are as farre forth as they are actions This is that which Saint Paul affirmeth 1 Cor. 12.6 God worketh all in all For though he speaketh concerning the gifts of the holy Ghost yet is his proposition generall God worketh all in all like to that Rom. 11.36 God is he of whom are all things through whom are all things and to whom are all things All things He meaneth not onely all substances but also all the actions of all things For as all actions are gouerned by him and doe tend vnto him so also are they all of him as of the first mouer according to that Act. 17.28 In him we liue and moue and haue our being The fourth Conclusion The euill of sinne as it is sinne God properly willeth not neither indeed can he will it For Sinne as it is sinne is that same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereof I spake in my fifth distinction it is the crookednesse the obliquity the naughtinesse of an action it is the swaruing of an action from the line of the will of God reuealed in his holy Word whereof to make God a doer or author is execrable and blasphemous impiety Non Deus volens iniquitatem tu es Psal 5.4 is a description of God according to his proper nature God is not a God that willeth iniquity It is proper vnto him Nolle inquitatem Not to will iniquity Habbakkuk auoucheth it Chap. 1.13 O Lord my God mine holy one thou art of purer eyes than to behold euill and canst not looke on iniquity Mundi sunt oculi tui thine eyes are pure free from all spot and vncleannesse that thou canst not behold euill to approue it nor canst looke on iniquity to allow it So true is my fourth Conclusion The euill of sinne as it is sinne God properly willeth not neither indeed can he will it Now out of these conclusions and the fore-alleaged distinctions I frame the resolution to the doubt propounded The doubt was How is it that God absolutely good good in Se and good Extra se good in himselfe and good to all his creatures is here in my Text said to doe euill The resolution is The euill in my Text is not malum culpae delicti aut iniquitatis it is not the euill of default the euill of sinne or the euill of iniquity but it is malum poenae supplicij sine afflictionis It is the euill of paine the euill of punishment the euill of affliction Not of that but of this is my Text to be vnderstood Shall there be euill in a City and the Lord hath not done it No there shall be no euill in a City no euill of paine punishment or affliction but the Lord hath done it And thus you are to vnderstand that Esay 45.7 I the Lord create euill And that Ierem. 18.11 I the Lord frame euill against you I create euill I frame euill By euill in both places Tertullian against Marcion lib. 2 cap. 24. vnderstandeth mala non peccatoria sed vltâ—ria he vnderstandeth euill not of sinne but of reuengement So likewise are we to vnderstand by the name of euill in all those places of holy Scripture in which God either a 1 King 9.9 Iudg. 9.56 1 Sam. 6.9 Dan. 9.13 bringeth or b 1 King 14.10 1 King 21.21 2 King 21.12 2 King 22.16 threatneth to bring euill vpon any By euill in all such places as here in my Text we are to vnderstand the euill of reuengement the euill of paine punishment or affliction The euill of reuengement The euill of paine
reproches slanders warre pestilence famine imprisonment death euery crosse and passion bodily and ghostly proper to our selues or pertaining to our kindred priuate or publike secret or manifest either by our owne deserts gotten or otherwise imposed vpon vs I call afflictions To be short the miseries the calamities the vexations the molestations of this life from the least to the greatest from the paine of the little finger to the very pangs of death I call afflictions Of euery such affliction whatsoeuer it betideth any one in this life God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee is the primary efficient cause thereof he doth it or doth somewhat in it Vpon the proofe of this point I haue now no time to spend nor needs it any proofe it is so firmely grounded vpon my Text. Nor will I recount vnto you the many vses it affordeth Let one suffice for the shutting vp of this exercise Is it true Beloued Is there no affliction that betideth any one any where in this world but it s from the Lord Here then we haue wherewith to comfort our selues in the day of affliction Whatsoeuer affliction shall befall vs it s from the Lord. The Loâ—d whose name is Iehouah who is himselfe and of none other whose being is from all eternity who only is omnipotent who is good in himselfe and good to all his creatures he will not suffer vs to be tempted aboue our abilities but will with the temptation also make away to escape that we may be able to beare it Saint Paul is our warrant for it 1 Cor. 10.13 And 2 Cor. 4 8. he sheweth it by his owne experience We are troubled on euery side yet are we distressed We are perplexed yet are we not in despaire We are persecuted yet are we not forsaken we are cast downe yet are we not destroyed In such a case was Saint Paul What if we be in the like If we be troubled perplexed persecuted and cast downe what shall we doe We will support our selues with the confidence of Dauid Psal 23.4 Though we walke through the valley of the shadow of death yet will we feare no euill for thou Lord art with vs. Thou Lord art with vs Quis contra nos Who shall be against vs We will not feare what man can doe vnto vs. I draw to a conclusion Sith there is no affliction that betideth any one any where in this world but it s from the Lord and as the Author to the Hebrewes speaketh chap. 12.8 He is a bastard and not a sonne that is not partaker of afflictions let vs as Saint Iames aduiseth chap. 1.2 account it exceeding ioy when wee are afflicted The Patriarches the Prophets the Euangelists the Apostles the holy Martyrs haue found the way to Heauen narrow rugged and bloudy and shall we thinke that God will strew Carpets for our nice feet to walke thither He that is the doore and the way our blessed Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ hath by his owne example taught vs that we must through many afflictions enter into the Kingdome of Heauen There is but one passage thither and it is a streight one If with much pressure we can get thorow and leaue but our superfluous ragges as torne from vs in the throng it will be our happinesse Wherefore whensoeuer any aduersity crosse calamity misery or affliction shall befall vs let vs with due regard to the hand of the Lord that smiteth vs receiue it with thankes keepe it with patience digest it in hope apply it with wisdome bury it in meditation and the end thereof will be peace and glory the peace of our consciences in this life and eternall glory in the highest Heauens Whereof God make vs all partakers THE Ninth Lecture AMOS 3.7 Surely the Lord God will doe nothing but he reuealeth his secret vnto his seruants the Prophets GOds dealing with his owne people the people of Israel was not as it was with other Nations Others he punished and gaue them no fore-warning The Idumaeans the Ammonites the Egyptians the rest of the Heathen dranke deepely of the viols of his wrath though thereof they receiued no admonition by any Prophet of his It was otherwise with the Israelites If the rod of affliction were to light heauie vpon them they were euer foretold thereof God euer preuented them with his Word Hee sent vnto them his seruants Ierem. 35.14 15. the Prophets he rose early and sent them with the soonest to let them vnderstand of the euills which hung ouer their heads that returning euery man from their euill wayes and amending their doings they might be receiued to grace and mercy This difference betweene Gods care and prouidence towards his owne people and other nations is thus expressed Psal 147.19 20. God! He sheweth his word vnto Iacob his statutes and ordinances vnto Israel He hath not dealt so with any Nation neither haue the Heathen knowledge of his Lawes Yet was hee knowne to the Heathen Hee was knowne to them partly by his workes by his creatures in which the power and Deity of God shined and partly by the light of Nature and power of vnderstanding which God hath giuen them Both wayes their Idolatry their Atheisme their disobedience were made before God vnexcusable But to his owne people the people of Israel was he knowne after another manner To them pertained the adoption and the glory and the couenants and the giuing of the Law Rom. 9.4 and the seruice of God and the promises To them were committed the oracles of God To them at sundry times Rom. 3.2 Hebr. 1.1 and in diuers manners God spake by his Prophets He gaue them time and space to repent them of their sinnes and was ready to forgiue them had they on their parts bin curable Vncurable though they were yet did God seldom or neuer send among them any of his foure sore iudgements either the sword or the famine Ezech. 14.21 or the noysome beast or the pestilence or any other but he first made it knowne vnto his holy Prophets and by them fore-warned the people This our Prophet Amos here auoucheth Surely the Lord God will doe nothing but hee reuealeth his secret vnto his seruants the Prophets The words according vnto some are an Exegesis and exposition or a declaration of what was said before Before it was said There shall be no euill in a citie but the Lord doth it no euill of paine punishment or affliction but the Lord doth it The Lord doth it as well for that he sendeth iust punishments vpon men that are obstinate in their euill courses as also for that he reuealeth those euils to his Prophets that by them they may be published Or the words are an Aitiologia and doe conteine a reason of what was said before Shall there be euill in a Citie and the Lord hath not done it Surely no there shall be none All euill of punishment is of the Lord. Yet will not the Lord oppresse his people vnawares but
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are not farre from the meaning nor is Oecolampadius with his annunciate for which our countryman Tauerner hath Preach Preach in the Palaces at Ashdod Caluin Iunius Brentius with his Clamate Gualter with his Diuulgate Vatâ—blus Marcer Drusius and others with their Promulgate are all for the Proclamation Cry Diuulge Publish or Proclaime Proclaime Where In Ashdod and in the Land of Aegypt First in Ashdod Pâ—laestina the Countrey of the Philistines was diuided into fiue Prouinces Dutchies or Lordships mentioned Iosh 13.3 the Prouinces of Azzâ—h of Ashdod of Askelon of Gath of Ezron Those fiue the chiefe and most famous Cities of Palastina are recorded also 1 Sam. 6.17 where the Philistines are said to haue returned for a trespasse offering vnto the Lord fiue golden Eâ—â—rods one for Ashdod one for Azzab one for Askelon one for Gâ—th and one for Ekron Ashdod In the first diuision of the holy Land it was in the lot of the Tribe of Iudah and is so described Iosh 15.47 Afterward it tell to the lot of the Tribe of the Children of Dan who had their inheritance as the Children of Simeon had within the inheritance of the Children of Iudah I sh 19.1 is accordingly described by Adrichom and Schrot in their tables of the Holy Land The more familiar name of it is Azotus In it were left Giants those that were called Enakim It is to this day a famous Citie of Palaestina Apud Hieron Tâ—â— 3. So saith Eusebius lib. de locis Hebraicis Another learned Author writing of the Hebrew places in the Acts of the Apostles saith Azotus is a famous towne of Palaestina called in Hebrew Ashdod and is one of the fiue cities of the Allophyli of the Philistines For the Etymologie of the word Saint Hierome saith it signifieth as much as ignis vberis or ignis patrui the fire of an vdder or of an vncle The words are in his Commentary vpon Amos chap. 1. where he refuteth those that say it is ignis generationis the fire of generation And well for they mistake Resch for Dâ—leth taking it for Aschdor when it is Aschdod The Author of the booke De nominibus Hebraicis vpon Ioshua saith Asdod is dissolutio vel effusio siue incendium a dissolution or an effusion or a burning A little after ignis patrui mei vel incendia my vncles fire or burnings Ignis patrui so I reade with Drusius obseru 6. 8. not Gens patrui as it is in the old bookes by the like mistake of Resch for Daleth Buntingus in his Itinerarie vpon the old Testament saith it is Ignis dilectus a beloued fire There is no agreement betweene these Etymologizâ—rs The more familiar and Greeke name of this Citie Azotus is by Stephanus in his booke of Cities deriued from Azâ— a woman that was the Foundresse of this Citie But I rather thinke that Azotus is so called from the Hebrew Asdod by the change of some letters Azotus for Asdotus as Ezâ—as for Esdras and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Dâ—ricke Dialect This same Citie Asdod or Azotus was made famous by the Ark of the Lord brought thither wheÌ„ it was taken by the Philistines and by the house of the Idoll Dagon there 1 Sam. 5.2 This is that Azotus where Philip the Deacon was found after he had baptised the Aethiopian Eunuch Act. 8.40 And this that Asdod whereof you heard in my thirteenth Sermon vpon the first Chapter of this booke vpon the eight verse these words I will cut off the inhabitant from Asdod Yet I take it not that Ashdod is here put so precisely for the Citie but that it may by a Synecdoche comprehend the whole region or Country of the Philistines Commonly it is so vnderstood by Ancients Saint Hierome Remigius Albertus Rupertus Hugo Lyra Isidorus and by moderne Writers Montanus Christophorus à Castro Petrus Lusitanus and others But I must from Ashdod and goe on to the Land of Aegypt for there is this proclamation likewise to be made Proclaime in Ashdod and in the Land of Aegypt To this Land of Aegypt we came twice before in our view of this Prophecie Cap. 2.10 3.1 and therefore need not at this time stand long vpon it Yet may we not leaue it altogether vnsaluted It is here called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eretz Mitzrajim the Lâ—nd of Mitzrajim Saint Hierome Comment in Esai cap. 18. saith that with the Hebrewes an Aegyptian man and an Aegyptian woman and the Country of Aegypt haue all one name Mefraim Obser lâ—b 5. c 25. for so Drusius readeth out of a Manuscript of Saint Hieromes Workes Apud Ebraeos Aegyptius Aegyptus Aegyptia vno vocabulo nuncupantur Mâ—sraim But this cannot be so For the Aegyptian man hee is Mesri the woman Mesrith the Countrey only Mesraim And if by the name of Mesraim the Aegyptians bee sometime signified it is by a figure of speech as when Iudah is put for the Iewes or Ephraim for the Ephraimites Iosephus in his first booke of the Antiquities of the Iewes cap. 7. saith that Egypt was called Mesrâ— and the Aegyptians Mâ—sraei he alludeth to the Hebrew name Mitzrajâ—m And Aegypt was so called from Mitzrajim one of the sonnes of Chum his second sonne as we finde him Gen. 10.6 He first inhabited that part of Africa which was afterward called Aegypt from Aegyptus sonne of Beliâ—s King of that Land Now because this same Mitzrajim was one of the sons of Cham the Land of Mitzrajim or of Aegypt is in the Psalmes of Dauid entitled the Land of Cham Psal 105.27 106 2â— as Psalm 105.23 Iaacob was a stranger in the Land of Cham and in other places And for the same reason is Cham put for Aegypt Psal 78 51. He smote all the first borne in Aegypt euen the beginning of their strength in the tabernacles of Cham. The latter part of that verse being an exposition of the former makes it manifest that Cham is there put for Mitzrajim or Aegypt Enough for this time of Aegypt The Palaces of both Ashdod and Aegypt are here specified not barely the houses as the Vulgar Latine here readeth but the Palaces to shew that this proclamation was to be made not in obscure houses or poore Cottages but in their Princes Courts And quod in aulis principum diuulgatur latere non potest what is published in Princes Courts it will abroad There is the greatest confluence of honourable persons and men of note who haue euermore some about them that will not spare to tell abroad what is either said or done by the Princes themselues in their most secret closets Their very vices cannot be hid So Honorius the Emperour in the Panegyricke tells his son Theodosius Claudian de 4. Cons Honorij vers 271. cunctis tua gentibus esse Facta palam nec posse dari regalibus vsquà m Secretum vitijs Whatsoeuer thou doest it is knowne abroad nor can
Prophets signifieth consilium certum certámque sententiam as Arias Montanus vpon this text obserueth To say signifieth a certaine a determined sentence or iudgement it implieth not so much any verball speech as the strength and efficacie of reason and cogitation Saith the Lord that is the Lord hath in his secret and infallible counsell decreed and determined to effect what is by the Prophet here denounced Thus saith Adonai Iehouih the Lord God With these two names of God Adonai Iehouih wee haue met twice alreadie in this Chapter verse 7. and 8. Sith they are here againe they are againe by vs to be saluted but briefly Adonai the Lord. The name is found in holy Scripture 134. times It is the obseruation of the Massorets R. Mosche ben Maimon Rambam maketh this name to be equiualent to the name Iehouah so doth the Talmud Yet is there a difference betweene them Lib. Kâ—ddâ—sch in cap. Esre Iochasin c. Adonai is the name of God of his sustentation and dominion but Iehouih is his name of existing or being By Adonai wee know that God alone is absolutely Lord Ruler and Gouernour of all things yea and our Lord. By Iehouih that of himselfe and by himselfe He euer was is and shall be Reuel 1.4.16.5 Act. 17.28 Rom. 11.36 that of him all creatures haue their being and that he giueth a reall being to all his promises and threats Adonai Iehouih the Lord God he that is iudex iustissimus the most iust Iudge and suffereth not a sinne to passe without due punishment He is here presented vnto you for the Author of the punishment here denounced The obseruation is Of all the euill that befalleth man in this life God is the Author And here by euill I vnderstand as in my former obseruation the euill of punishment or the euill of affliction priuate or publike internall or externall God is the Author of all It is proued aboue in this Chap. vers 6. Shall there be euill in a citie and the Lord hath not done it No there shall be none no euill of paine punishment or affliction but the Lord doth it This is it the Lord assumeth to himselfe Esai 45.7 I the Lord I forme the light and create darknesse I make peace and create euill I the Lord doe all these things It is thus in the Paraphrase I am the Lord and there is none else I send into the world light and darknesse prosperity and aduersitie I giue peace and with it tranquillity and abundance and I giue that which is contrary to peace euill warre and misery and perturbation and pouertie I the Lord doe all these things It is no more than what he takes vnto himselfe Ier. 18.11 For there also thus saith the Lord Behold I frame euill against you and deuise a deuice against you where by euill vnderstand with Tertullian lib. 2. aduersus Marcionem cap. 24. Mala non peccatoria sed vltoria Euill not of sinne but of reuengement In which sense wee are to take euill in all those places of holy writ wherein God either bringeth or threatneth to bring euill vpon any By euill in all such places as in this my Thesis we are to vnderstand the euill of reuengement the euill of punishment or the euill of affliction Of euery such euill God is the Author God is the Author of punishment I say of punishment non quòd poena sit ens quoddam not as if the euill of punishment had a being as other things haue which God made For God is improperly said to be the efficient of punishment sith punishment of its owne nature Aquin. 1. qu. 48. Art 1. C. is nothing else than priuatio boni the priuation or absence of that we call good or the with-holding of Gods blessings from vs. The Father of the Schooles thus deliuers it Idem 1. qu. 49. Art 2. C. Cum summum bonum perfectissimum sit mali causa esse non potest nisi per accidens God being the chiefest good and most perfect cannot be the author of euill but by accident The author of euill by accident How is that Why thus When God withdraweth from the earth his heauenly benedictions forbidding the clouds to giue their raine or the Sunne his influence and taking from vs our health our peace or any other temporall blessing hee is the author of euill And this may serue for the proofe and explanation of my second Doctrine which was Of all the euill that befalleth man in this life God is the Author The reason hereof is because nothing is done in the world but God is the principall doer of it and therefore no euill can befall vs but God is the author of it Is it thus Hence then in the first place are they to be reproued who thinke that the Lord doth onely suffer many things to be done He is not only a sufferer but an orderer guider and gouernour of all things and actions Secondly from hence may be confuted the vaine opinion of Fortune whereunto many Philosophers and carnall ignorant people vse to ascribe those things whereof they see not an apparant cause What more casuall in this world than Lottery Yet therein nothing falleth out by fortune but all is wholly and altogether directed by the infinite and eternall prouidence of Almighty God Salomon expresly affirmeth it Prou. 16.33 The lot is cast into the Lap but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Thirdly from hence wee learne that all our afflictions are from God and are therefore by vs to be borne with patience God verily loueth those that are his and yet notwithstanding he suffereth them to be afflicted because it is expedient for them so to be yet in their afflictions he yeeldeth them comfort Saint Paul blesseth God for it 2 Cor. 1.3 Blessed be God euen the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort who comforteth vs in all our tribulation Who comforteth vs in all our tribulation he saith not who suffereth vs not to be afflicted but who comforteth vs while we are afflicted It is the obseruation of S. Chrysostome and Theophylact. God though he suffer vs to be afflicted yet he comforteth vs wheÌ„ we are afflicted Our afflictions they are Emendatoriae potiùs quà m interfectoriae as Saint Augustine speaketh lib. 3. de lib. Arbit cap. 25. They tend rather to amend vs than to destroy vs. And sweetly Saint Cyprian Ep. 8. Deus quem corripit diligit quando corripit ad hoc corripit vt emendet ad hoc emendat vt seruet Whom God correcteth him he loueth when he correcteth him hee doth it to amend him and he amendeth him that he may saue him And thus much be spoken of my second generall the Author of this punishment The Lord God My third followeth the punishment here denounced which is a conquest by warre and is described by the Siege by the victory and by the spoile Of the Siege first for
the children of Israel be taken out of the hands of Salmanassar The things compared are First a Lion and Salmanassar King of Assyria Secondly a Sheepe and the Children of Israel Thirdly some fragments of a deuoured sheepe two legs or a peece of an eare and the small number of the Israelites that should escape These Israelites are here described ab ipsorum securitate from their security or lacke of care They liue nicely aâ—d delicately in all pleasure and delight full of confidence that no euill shall at any time touch them They dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed and in Damascus in a couch Samaria and Damascus Cities of strength and fortification were vnto the Israelites as their beds of repose and rest They thought themselues safe and out of danger by the aid and succour of Ciâ—ies so well fenced but were deceiued For thus saith the Lord As the Shepheard taketh out of the mouth of the Lion two legs or a peece of an eare so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed and in Damascus in a couch Such is the diuision of this Text. I now descend to a speciall handling of the parts The first is the Introduction to the Similitude Thus saith the Lord. This Introduction I heretofore copiously handled I met with it in the first Chapter of this booke fiue times Vers 3 6 9 11 13. Vers 1 4 6. in the second thrice and once before in this and therefore the lesse need is there that now I insist vpon it Yet may I not leaue it vnsaluted sith our Prophet here repeateth it And he repeateth it to iustifie his calling to shew that albeit he formerly liued the life of a Shepheard yet now he haâ—h his calling to be a Prophet from the Lord Iehouah Whence my obseruation is It is not lawfull for any man to take vpon him ministeriall function in the Church without assurance of calling from God This truth is by the Apostle Hebr. 5.4 thus deliuered No man taketh this honour to himselfe but he that is called of God as Aaron was Now that Aaron and his sonnes were consecrated to the Priests office by the authority and appointment of God it is plaine by the eighth Chapter of Leuiticus wherein are set downe the sacrifices and ceremonies vsed at the Consecration together with the place and time thereof Thereby it appeareth that the office of holy Priest-hood was not of man nor from man but God Almighty did first institute and ordaine it by his owne expresse commandement Then being ordained he confirmed the honour and reputation of it by that great miracle of the budding of Aarons rod Num. 17.8 The rod of Aaron for the house of Leui brought forth buds and bloomed blossomes and yeelded Almonds Thus was the institution of holy Priesthood from God alone This honour the holy men of God of old time tooke not to themselues Nor Esay nor Ieremy nor Ezechiel nor any of the residue tooke this honour to themselues but were all called of God and in the name of God they declared vnto the people his visions and his words which is intimated by those passages very obuious in the writings of the Prophets as a â—say 1.1 the vision of Esaiah b Cap. 1.1 the vision of Obadiah the burden of Nineueh in the booke of the vision of c Cap. 1.1 Nahum the burden which Habakkuk the Prophet did see the burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachy the word of the Lord which came to Hosea to Ioel to Ionah to Micah to Zephaniah to Haggai to Zachariah d Esay 1.2 The Lord hath spoken e Ierem. 10.1 Heare yee the word of the Lord Thus saith the Lord Saith the Lord. By these and the like passages they shew their calling to haue beene from God Not one of them tooke this honour to himselfe Nor did Christ himselfe take this honour to himselfe but with warrant of his Fathers calling For so I reade Heb. 5.5 Christ glorified not himselfe to be made an High Priest but he that said vnto him Thou art my Sonne to day haue I begotten thee He euen God the Father gaue him this honour And hereunto doth Christ himselfe beare witnesse in all those places of the holy Euangelists wherein he acknowledged himselfe to be * Matth. 10.40 Mark 9.37 Luk. 4.18 43. Ioh. 3.17 34 c. sent of God The holy Apostles of Christ whence had they their calling were they not all openly ordained by Christ himselfe Neuer did any of them execute that office but with protestation that they had their calling from God and therefore their writings beginne Rom. 1.1 Paul a seruant of Iesus Christ called to bee an Apostle not of men neither by man but by Iesus Christ and God the Father Iames a seruant of God Gal. 1.1 and of the Lord Iesus Christ Peter an Apostle of Iesus Christ Cap. 1.1 Iude the seruant of Iesus Christ the reuelation of Iesus Christ which God gaue vnto him to shew vnto his seruant Iohn Thus had Christs Apostles the assurance of their calling from God So had the blessed Euangelists So all those whom Christ gaue vnto his Church for the instruction thereof Ephes 4.11 He gaue some Apostles and some Prophets and some Euangelists and some Pastors and Teachers It is true that Christ himselfe is the chiefe builder for so he saith Matth. 16.18 Super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam vpon this rocke will I build my Church and he builds it through his holy Spirit yet he doth vse Prophets and Apostles and Euangelists and Pastors and Teachers as vnderwork men for this building euen vnto the end of the world And all these haue the assurance of their calling from God Who so hath it not he is not to be vouchsafed the name of Prophet or Apostle or Euangelist or Pastor or Teacher for he is an Intruder And great is the danger of Intrusion Euery Intruder was to be put to death The Law for it is Num. 1.51 Euery stranger that commeth nigh vnto the Tabernacle shall be put to death The stranger any one that is not of the tribe and family of Leui that breaketh into the Leuites function and medleth with holy things beyond his calling he is to bee put to death An example hereof we haue in the Beth-shemites 1 Sam. 6.19 who because they had looked into the Arke of the Lord contrary to the Law were smitten with a great slaughter to the number of fifty thousand and threescore and ten men The like we haue in Vzzah sonne of Abinadab 2 Sam. 6.6 who because he touched the Arke of God contrary to the Law was punished with sudden death and stricken with the immediate hand of God that fell vpon him to the terrour of others and to worke reuerence in the hearts of all men toward the sacred things of his seruice Adde hereto the
the valour of their souldiers their fenced Cities the strength of Samaria and the succour of Damascus Thus haue you the reasons of my Doctrine why there is not any confidence to be put in creatures either in the strength of man or the munition of 〈◊〉 â—s The vse is to admonish vs that we depend not vpon the vaine and transitory things of this life but vpon God alone who onely is vnchangeable and vnmoueable that we resigne our selues wholly into his hands and confesse before him in the words of the Psalme 91.9 Tu es Domine spes mea Thou art O Lord my hope Serm. 9. in Psal Qui habitat Sweet is the meditation of Saint Bernard vpon the place Let others pretend merit let them bragge that they haue borne the burden and heat of the day let them tell of their fasting twice a weeke let them glory that they are not as other men Mihi autem adhaerere Deo Psal 73.28 bonum est ponere in Domino Deo spem meam but its good for me to cleaue fast vnto God to put my hope in the Lord God Sperent in aliâ—s alii Let others trust in other things one in his learning another in his nobility a third in his worth a fourth in any other vanity Mihi autem adhaerere Deo bonum est but its good for me to cleaue fast vnto God to put my trust in the Lord God Dearely beloued if we shall sacrifice to our owne nets Habak 1.15 16. burne incense to our owne yarne put our trust in outward meanes either riches or policie or Princes or men or mountaines forsaking God God will blow vpon these meanes and turne them to our ouerthrow Wherefore though we haue all helpes in our owne hands to defend our selues and offend our enemies as that we are fenced by Sea fortified by ships blessed by Princes backed with friends stored with munitions aided with confederates and armed with multitudes of men yet may we not put our trust herein for nobis etiam adhaerere Deo bonum est it s also good for vs to cleaue fast vnto God to put our trust in the Lord God who alone giues the blessing to make all good meanes effectuall There is not much remaining The small number of the Israelites that were to be deliuered from the fury of the Assyrian resembled by the two legs or the tip of the eare taken by the shepheard out of the Lions mouth yeelds vs this obseruation that In publike calamities God euermore reserueth a remnant to himselfe When God punished the old world the world of the vngodly 1 Pet. 2.5 bringing the floud vpon them he saued Noah the eighth person the preacher of righteousnesse When God condemned the Cities of Sodome and Gomorrah with an ouerthrow turning them into ashes making them an ensample vnto those that after should liue wickedly he deliuered iust Lot from among them There is a remnant left Esay 1.9 Except the Lord of hosts had left vnto vs a very small remnant we should haue beene as Sodome and we should haue beene like vnto Gomorrah You see a remnant reserued though it be very small Yea sometimes there is a reseruation of so small a remnant as is hardly visible as in the daies of Eliah who knew of none but himselfe I only am left saith he 1 King 19.14 Yet God tells him vers 18. of seuen thousand in Israel which neuer bowed their knees to Baal I finde Ioel 2.32 deliuerance in mount Sion deliuerance in Ierusalem and deliuerance in the remnant when the Lord shall call There is then a remnant to be called euen in greatest extremity Wherefore you the Elect and chosen children of God the Father be ye full of comfort take vnto you beauty for ashes Esay 61.3 the oyle of ioy for mourning the garment of gladnesse for the spirit of heauinesse reioyce ye be glad together and be ye comforted Let the Prince of darknesse and all the powers of Hell assisted with the innumerable company of his wicked vassals vpon the Earth ioyne together to worke your ouerthrow they shall not be able to effect it For God euen your God will reserue vnto himselfe a remnant And what is this remnant but pusillus grex It s a little flock the chaste Spouse of Christ the holy Catholike Church Extra cam nulla est salus Out of it there is no Saluation for hee that hath not the Church for his Mother shall neuer haue God for his Father So much for the explanation of this twelfth verse And Gods blessing be vpon it THE Fifteenth Lecture AMOS 3.13 14 15. Heare yee and testifie in the house of Iacob saith the Lord God the God of hosts That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel vpon him I will also visit the Altars of Bethel and the hornes of the Altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground And I will smite the winter house with the summer house and the houses of Iuory shall perish and the great houses shall haue an end saith the Lord. THe words of the Lord are iust by whom soeuer they are vttered and the authority of the holy Spirit is wonderfull by whom soeuer he speaketh Non minùs de ore pastoris quam de ore Imperatoris pertonat he thundereth or he speaketh with as much Maiestie from the mouth of a shepherd as from the mouth of an Emperour Amos our Prophet is this shepherd from whom the holy Spirit here thundereth Before he came with a proclamation to the palaces of Ashdod and to the palaces of the Land of Aegypt Now he comes with a Contestation to the house of Iacob Hereafter you may heare his message to the King of Bashan that are in the mountaines of Samaria Chap. 4.1 If Amos had from a shepherd beene aduanced to the Maiestie of a King as Dauid was what could we wish should haue beene added to the greater maiestie of his elocution The contestation is the thing whereupon I shall at this time principally insist The words are a Prosopopaeia the Almighty is brought in calling vpon his Priests and Prophets to giue eare vnto him and to beare witnesse of the calamities which he was purposed to lay vpon the house of Iacob that when he should punish them for their euill deeds he would visit their Temple and proudest buildings with desolation The parts are two One is a mandate for a Contestation or Testification The other is the matter to be testified That vers 13. This vers 14 15. For the first these particulars may be obserued 1. Who it is that giues the mandate It is he that best may doe it Euen the Lord. The Lord God the God of Hosts 2. To whom he giues it Sacerdotibus Prophetis to his Priests and Prophets for to them is this by an Apostrophe directed 3. How he giues it thus Audite contestamini Heare and testifie 4. The place where this testification is to be
there to visit is taken in the worse part for to visit in iudgement in anger or displeasure for as much as it bringeth a rod and stripes with it It is to correct it is to punish There is Esay 10.12 a commination against the King of Assyria that same rod of hypocrites that his pride should be broken It is thus deliuered I will visit vpon the fruit of the proud heart of the King of Ashur and the glory of his high lookes And there also to visit is in the worse part for to visit in iudgement in ire anger or displeasure It is to correct it is to punish As in the now alleaged places to visit signifieth in the worse part to visit in iudgement in ire anger or displeasure and by a consequent to correct or punish so doth it in my Text. And therefore for Visitabo Iunius hath animaduertam This same visiting is with him a punishing In the day that I shall visit or punish What Prauaricationes Israel saith the Vulgar Latine The preuarications of Israel The preuarications of Israel are his swaruings from truth reason and honesty Iunius translates them Defectiones the reuoltings or slippings of Israel Our English hath the transgressions of Israel by which name sinnes are called because they exceed the bounds and markes which God by his Law hath appointed vnto vs Drusius Caluin Oâ—aller Breâ—tiâ—s for the moderating of our desires and affections Some here haue Scelera Israel the wickednesse lewdnesse or naughtinesse of Israel These generall appellations doe direct vs to particular sins to couetousnesse to pride to cruelty to vniust exactions to robbing and spoiling of the poore these were the sinnes that reigned and raged in Israel in the Kingdome of the Ten tribes or the Kingdome of Israel called in the precedent verse The house of Iacob and these were the sinnes for which the Lord was resolued to punish Israel as it is also signified in the second verse of this Chapter There is a Visitabo as well as here Visitabo super vos omnes iniquitates vestras I will visit vpon you or I will punish you for all your iniquities Visitabo I will doe it I will visit I will punish I the Lord God the God of Hosts will visit the transgressions of Israel vpon him Whence ariseth this obseruation Whatsoeuer visitation or punishment befalleth any of vs in this life it is laid vpon vs by the hand of God by his good will and pleasure The Visitabo in my Text doth warrant this truth A day there shall be wherein Visitabo I shall visit the transgressions of Israel vpon him I shall doe it When the world was growne so foule with sinne that it deserued to be washed with a floud God himselfe vndertooke the visitation Gen. 6.7 I will destroy man whom I haue created from the face of the earth And vers 17. Behold I euen I doe bring a floud of waters vpon the earth to destroy all flesh Concerning the sinne of the people that great and grieuous sinne when they made them Gods of gold the Lord saith vnto Moses Exod. 32.34 In the day when I visit then will I visit their sinne vpon them When I see good to punish them I my selfe will punish them For the disobedient and despisers of the will of the Lord the Lord hath a Visitabo too Leuit. 26.16 Visitabo vos velociter I will visit you quickly with terrours with consumptions with burning agues that shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart with the sword with famine and with pestilence Visitabo vos velociter I will quickly visit you I will doe it Monstrous and grieuous were the sinnes of Sodome and Gomorrah that were to be reuenged by so fearefull a iudgement as is a raine of brimstone and fire But how fell that raine vpon them The Text is Gen. 19.24 The Lord rained vpon Sodome and vpon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of Heauen The Lord rained saith the Text. Then not man not deuill not necromancy not any thing in nature was the cause that this befell those Cities but the very power and wrath of God of a displeased God at so great abomination as was there committed sent downe that raine vpon them The Lord was he that gaue that raine Prodigious were the plagues wherewith the land of Aegypt was visited I looke into the Sacred story and there I see aboue them a Exod. 9.23 thunder haile lightning tempests one while b Exod. 10.22 no light at all another while such fearefull flashes as had more terrour than the darknesse I see vnder them c 7.20 the waters changed into bloud the earth swarming with d 8.6 frogs and e 10.13 grashoppers I see about them f 8.24 swarmes of flies by which the land was corrupted I see their g 9.23.10.15 fruits destroyed their h 9.6 cattell dying their i 12.30 children dead Turning mine eyes vnto themselues I see them very loathsome with k 8.17 lice and deformed with l 8.10 scabs boiles and botches Grieuous indeed were these visitations but who was he that wrought them It was the Lord. For so the Text runneth Exod. 7.5 The Aegyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch forth mine hand vpon Aegypt Who was it but the Lord that smote Nabal that he died 1 Sam. 25.38 Aske of Esay who it is that formeth the light and createth darknesse that maketh peace and createth euill he will tell you it is the Lord that doth all these things Chap. 45.7 It is the Lord doth all Light and peace are the symbols of prosperity darknesse and euill of aduersity so the meaning of the place will be that the Lord is a doer not only in the prosperity but also in the aduersity wherewith this life is seasoned Thus haue you the confirmation of my obseruation which was that Whatsoeuer visitation or punishment befalleth any of vs in this life it is laid vpon vs by the hand of God by his good will and pleasure One reason hereof is because nothing is done in this world but the Lord is the principall doer of it Nothing is done without him no not in the carriage of a lottery which in mans iudgement seemeth of all things to be the most casuall yet therein doth Gods hand appeare Salomon auoucheth it Prou. 16.33 The lot is cast into the lap but the whole disposition thereof is of the Lord. Let Lots be cast into the lap some hat or cap or pot or box some secret and close place from whence the drawing of them forth may seeme to be meerely accidentall yet it is nothing so For God by his infinite and eternall prouidence doth both generally and particularly wholly and altogether direct and order them Now if Gods hand be found in the disposing of Lots shall it not be found in the ordering of the visitations and punishments that are incident to vs in this life for our
blesse them that curse you doe good to them that hate you and pray for them that hurt you and persecute you Leaue ye vengeance to the God of vengeance so shall ye be the vndoubted children of your heauenly Father And thus farre of the second vse which was to admonish vs not to intermeddle in the Lords office of executing reuengement A third followeth Is it true Is it proper to the Lord to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes Here then in the third place is a treasury of comfort and of terror of comfort to the godly of terror to the wicked For though the Lord doe vse the wicked to correct the godly yet will he in due time ouerthrow the wicked with a large measure of his iudgements and free the godly Gods holy practice in this kinde must bee hereof a warrant vnto vs. The Israelites were kept in thraldome and bondage many yeeres by the Aegyptians The Aegyptians they were but the weapons of Gods wrath wherewith hee afflicted his people They were Gods weapons Were they therefore to escape vnpunished No. Witnesse those ten great plagues which at length God wrought vpon them and their fearefull ouerthrow in the red Sea at large set downe in the booke of Exodus from the seuenth Chapter to the fourteenth This was it which God said to Abraham Gen. 15. vers 13 14. Know for a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs foure hundred yeeres and shall serue them notwithstanding the Nation whom they shall serue will I iudge Ahab the most wicked of the Kings of Israel who sold himselfe to worke wickednesse in the sight of the Lord and his accursed wise Iezebel were Gods instruments to afflict Naboth with the losse of his life and vineyard Ahab and Iezebel were Gods instruments were they therefore to escape vnpunished No. Witnesse both their ends The end of Ahab recorded 1 King 22.38 In the place where dogs licked the bloud of Naboth did dogs licke the bloud of Ahab also And the end of Iezebel registred 2 King 9.35 She was eaten with dogs all sauing her skull her feet and the palmes of her hands It w s a part of Daniel his afflictions to be cast into the den of Lions his accusers vnto Darius were the instruments of this his affliction These his accusers were the Lords instruments for this businesse Were they therefore to escape vnpunished No. Their fearefull end is set downe Dan. 6.24 By the commandement of King Darius they with their wiues and children were cast into the den of Lions the Lions had the mastery of them and brake all their bones in peeces ere euer they came to the ground of the den Here might I recall to your remembrances other iudgements of God of this quality written downe in the register of Gods workes his holy word How and what he rendred to Haman to Seâ—nacherib to Ioachim to the Ammonites to the Chaldeans and other wicked worldings for their hard measure offered to the godly though they were therein Gods instruments But I must hasten and the aforementioned instances of the Aegyptians of Ahab and his wife Iezebel and of Daniels accusers are sufficient to worke terror to the wicked and to the godly comfort and to assure vs when the Lord shall shew himselfe from Heauen with his holy Angels in flaming fire that then to the wicked whose behauiour to the godly hath beene proud and dispiteous he will render vengeance and punish them with euerlasting perdition Thus farre of the first circumstance and doctrine thereupon The second circumstance is the punishment I will send a fire By fire in this place as vers 4 7 10. learned Expositors doe vnderstand not so much a naturall fire as a figuratiue fire For in the name of fire they vnderstand the sword pestilence and famine quodlibet genus consumptionis euery kind of consumption quamlibet speciem excidij euery kind of destruction be it haile or thunder or sicknesse or any other of Gods messengers So large is the signification of fire taken figuratiuely The Doctrine arising hence is this The fire whether naturall or figuratiue that is the fire and all other creatures are at the Lords commandement to be employed by him in the punishment of the wicked This Doctrine hath heretofore beene commended and confirmed vnto you The vse of it is to teach vs how to behaue our selues at such times as God shall visit vs with his rod of corrections how to carry our selues in all our afflictions Wee must not so much looke to the instruments as to the Lord that smiteth by them If the fire or water or any other of Gods creatures shall at any time rage and preuaile against vs we must remember that it is God that sendeth them to work his holy will vpon vs. Here he sent a fire vpon Teman and vpon Bozrah to deuoure her palaces For thus saith the Lord I will send a fire vpon Teman and it shall deuoure the palaces of Bozrah Here haue you the third circumstance the circumstance of the punished Teman and the palaces of Bozrah Teman was the Metropolitan the chiefe City of Idumaea so named from Teman who was son of Eliphaz the son of Esau Gen. 36. 10 11. Renowned and famous was Teman for her wisdome witnesse the Prophecie of Obadiah vers 8.9 and Ierem. 49.7 whereby it is credible shee omitted no opportunity no meanes to make her selfe strong by bulwarkes and fortresses against whatsoeuer incursion or siege of enemies Yet could she not hereby be secured against the day of Gods visitation when for the complement of her sins God should lay his heauy rod vpon her What the wit of man could inuent for safety no doubt but Teman had it But what can mans wit doe against the Almighty Behold here in my Text thus saith the Almighty I will send a fire vpon Teman And can all the water of the huge Ocean quench the fire of the Almighty This resolution of the Lord for the ouerthrow of Teman is excellently set downe by the Prophet Obadiah vers 8 9 10. Shall not I in that day saith the Lord euen destroy the wise men out of Edom and vnderstanding from the mount of Esau And thy strong men O Teman shall be afraid because euery one of the mount of Esau shall bee cut off by slaughter For thy cruelty against thy brother Iacob shame shall couer thee and thou shalt be cut off for euer The Prophet Ieremy to this purpose Chap. 49.7 bringeth in the Lord of hosts thus questioning with Edom Is wisdome no more in Teman Is counsell perished from their children Is their wisdome vanished As if he had said the wisdome of Teman is become foolishnesse their counsell is nothing worth And why But because as my Text saith God will send a fire vpon Teman The doctrine hence arising is No wisdome no counsell no humane inuention can saue that City which God will