Israel had been a scourge to Judah When the Israelites were in their flourish as the grasse or wheat is in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter groweth they had been first mowed by Benhadad king of Syria but growing up again under Jeroboam their king they were devoured by Pul and his Army as by so many greedy locusts In the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth For in those fat and fertile countreys they used Luxuriem segetum tener â depascere in herba Virg. Georg. 1. Now if the latter growth were eaten up too what else could follow but extreme famine It was the latter growth after the kings mowings Or sheep-shearings as some read it but the former is better and Diodate here noteth that it is thought that the kings did take the first crop in esum usum jumentorum to keep their warre horses and for other services leaving the latter mowings for other cattle who were taught to say After your Majestie is good manners Verse 2. When they had made an end of eating Not the corn onely but the grasse to the very roots besides a pestilent stench left behinde them when I say they had done their worst Prayer is the best lever at a dead lift as is to bee seen Jam. 5.18 upon the prayer of Elias the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit after three years and a halfs drought when it might well have been thought that root and fruits and all had been dried up and that prayer had come too late But that 's seldome seen as all Gods people can say experimentally But what shall we think of Jamblicus Lib. 5. cap. 27. a Heathen Authour who hath such a commendation of prayer which might well beseem an experienced Christian He calleth it Rerum divinarum ducem lucem copulam quâ homines cum Deo conjunguntur the guide and light of divine duties the band whereby men are united to God Nay he proceedeth and saith that prayer is clavis instar qua Dei penetralia aperiuntur instead of a key wherewith Gods cabinet is opened and much more to the same purpose All this the Prophet knew full well and therefore sets to work in good earnest and as when a cart is in a quagmire if the horses feel it coming they 'le pull the harder till they have it out so He. Then I said O Lord God forgive I beseech thee Sin he knew was their greatest enemy the mother of all their misery Of that therefore hee prayes for pardon and then hee knew all should be well as when the sore is healed the plaister falleth off Of Christ it is said that He shall save his people from their sinnes Mat. 1.21 as the greatest of evils and the Church in Hosea chap. 14.2 cries Take away all iniquity Feri Domine feri saith Luther nam à peccatis absalutus sum Smite me as much as thou pleasest now that thou hast forgiven my sins By whom shall Jacob arise for he is small Here is much in few It is Jacob thy confederate and he is down upon all four and he is but small low and little and as some render it Quis stabit Jacobo Behold He whom thou lovest is sick Ioh. 11.3 They that are thine by covenant are at a very great under trodden on by the buls of Basan as a poor shrub of the wildernesse so the Psalmists word imports Psal 102.17 Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied that knowes not whether he had best help or not or as a mighty man that cannot save Jer. 14.9 Yet thou O Lord art in the midst of us and we are called by thy Name leave us not Thus the Prophets indeed prayed for their unkind countreymen so did Paul Athanasius Luther I have obtained of God said He that never whilest I live shall the Pope prevail against my countrey when I am gone let those pray that can pray And indeed he was no sooner gone but all Germany was on a flame Act. Mon. as when Austins head was laid Hippo was soon surprized by the enemy and when Pareus's Heidelberg Verse 3. The Lord repented for this it shall not be saith the Lord. Here was mutatio rei non Dei facti non consilij a change not of Gods will but of his work therefore by way of explication it followeth it shall not bee saith the Lord. To speak properly there can be no repentance in God 1 Sam. 15.20 but this is spoken after the manner of men and it notably setteth forth the power of faithfull prayer able after a sort to alter Gods minde and to transfuse a dead Palsie into the hands of Omnipotencie Exod. 32.10 where God is fain to be-speak his own freedom and Moses is represented as the great Chancellour of heaven Verse 4. And behold the Lord God whose Asterisk or starry Note this behold is saith Tarnovius stirring up to attention Another compareth it to an hand in the margent of a book pointing to some notable thing Another to the sounding of a trumpet before some proclamation or to the ringing of a bell before the sermon of some famous Preacher the Lord God called to contend by fire that is by parching heat and drought causing dearth as Joel 1.19 For which purpose God called his Angels those ministring spirits that execute his judgements upon the wicked as they did once upon Sodom to contend for him a metaphor from civil courts to plead for him by fire to destroy the perverse Israelites by fire and brimstone Esay 66.16 Ezech. 38.22 as they had done Sodom and Gomorrah so some interpret it according to the letter or by the woe of warre compared to fire 2 King 14.26 Esay 26.11 as being a misery which all words how wide soever want compasse to expresse Or by immoderate heat and drought as afore so great that it devoured the great deep as that fire of the Lord in Eliah's time licked up the water that was in the treuch 1 King 18.38 See Esay 51.10 and did eat up a part Or it devoured also the field Not onely the waters in and under the earth that serve to make it fruitfull but a part of the earth it self which was altogether above and against the common course of nature Kimchi Some render it and did eat up that part or that field sc that mentioned verse 1. the Kings field that as the King had chiefly offended so he should be principally punished Drusius Other interpret it by chap. 4.7 One piece was rained upon and the piece whereon it rained not withered Verse 5. Then said I O Lord God cease I beseech thee See verse 2. and persevering in prayer for the publike remember to plead not merit but misery Psal 79.8 9. and with all humility to acknowledge that it is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not Lam. 3.22 Verse 6. The Lord repented for this
had collected an elected Church 1 Epist 5.13 and thence he writeth his Epistle to the sojourning Jews scattered thorow those Eastern parts chap. 1.10 from whence also those kings of the East Rev. 16.12 the converted Jews as some expound it are expected And who can tell whether this land of Shinar be not the same with that land of Sinim Esay 49.12 Confer Esay 11.16 Zach. 10.11 Or by the land of Shinar here may be meant exilium totius orbis their generall rejection by all nations the whole world being to them a Shinar that is a land of excussion and it shall be established c. This denoteth the diuturnity or perpetuity of their punishment CHAP. VI. Verse 1. ANd I turned and lift up mine eyes i. e. I passed on to another vision and 1 lifted up the eyes of my mind higher to heaven saith Hierom to receive a further revelation from God And whereas he saith I turned he declareth that God from on every side giveth his Church clear testimonies of his care of her so that she will give heed unto them and lift up her eyes there came four chariots out i.e. four squadrons of Angels Gods Warriours and Ministers of his manifold decrees which are here set forth by the name of brazen mountains 2 King 2.11 2 King 6.17 So Hab. 3.8 See chap. 1.8 with the Note Chariots the Angels are called in many places but especially Psal 68.17 The chariots of God in the Hebrew it is chariot in the singular to note the joynt service of all the Angels are twenty thousand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 even thousands of Angels of chearfull ones so the Septuagint of such as serve the Lord readily and freely with joy and tranquillity and so do quiet his spirit Deut. 33.26 God rideth upon the heavens for Isra els help i.e. upon the Angels Heb. as it is said here vorse 8 give him full satisfaction The Lord is among them as in Sinai in the holy place that is the Angels by their swiftnesse and warlike prowesse make Sion the Church as dreadfull to all her enemies did not one of them so to Sennacherib as those Angels made Sinai at the delivery of the Law which was given in fire Deut. 33.2 The word rendred Angels in the above-cited Psal 68.17 and so the Chaldee plainly expresseth it is by some who derive it of Shaan to sharpen referred to chariots to note a kinde of chariots armed with sharp hooks used in warres as many humane Writers record And so it maketh something to the confirmation of this Interpretation Statius Macrob. Vegetius concerning Angels rather then the four Monarchies But the Angel himself is our best Interpreter verse 5. where being asked by Zachary what these chariots were he answereth These are the four spirits of the heavens which go sorth from standing before the Lord of all the earth a plain Periphrasis of the Angels chap. 1.10 See the Note there from between two mountains tanquam è carceribus as designed by Gods all disposing providence and power and ready prest at his appointment and pleasure to run their race do their office execute Gods judgements which are both unsearchable and inevitable and this the Poets hammer'd at in their ineluctabile Fatum as they called it Gods decrees lie hid under mountains of brasse as it were till they come to execution they run as a river under ground till they break out and shew themselves When he hath once signified his will then we understand it which before lay hid from us that is when these chariots come out from between the mountains of brasse when the event declareth what was the immutable decrce of God Hence the Psalmist Thy right cousnesse is like the great mountains thy judgements are a great deep this for the decree And for the execution Thou preservest man and beast Psal 36.6 but by such means and in such manner as to thee seemeth best It is our part to say Amen to his Amen and to put our Fâ—at and Placet to his The will of the Lord be done said those primitive Christians Act. 21.14 Here am I send me Esay 6.8 Verse 2. In the first chariot were red horses c. These severall colours seem to set forth the diverse ministrations of the Angels deputed to severall employments The black colour betokeneth sorrowfull occurrences and revolutions The white joyfull The red bloody The grisled sundry and mixt matters partly joyfull and partly sorrowfull But I easily subscribe to Him that said We must be content to be ignorant of the full meaning of this vision Tanta est profunditas Christianarum literarum saith Austin so great is the depth of divine learning that there is no fathoming of it Prophecy is pictured like a Matrone with her eyes covered for the difficulty For which cause Paulinus Nolanus would never be drawn to write Commentaries and Psellus in Theodoret asketh pardon for expounding the Canticles of Solomon Verse 4. What are these my Lord Difficulty doth but whet desire in Heroick spirites the harder the vision the more earnest was the Prophets inquisition he was restlesse till better resolved and therefore applieth himself again to his Angel Tutour rather then Tutelar whom for honour sake he calleth My Lord. See the Note on chap. 4.5 and take notice of the truth of Saint Peters Assertion concerning the Prophetick scrutiny 1 Pet. 1.11 with greatest sagacity and sedulity Verse 5. These are the four spirits of the heavens Angels are spirits Heb. 1.7 14. and spirits of heaven Mat. 24.36 Gal. 1.8 resembling their Creatour as children do their Father both in their substance which is incorporeall Hence they are called sons of God Job 1.6 and 38.7 and in their excellent properties Life and Immortality Blessednesse and Glory a part whereof is their just Lordship and command over inferiour creatures For like as ministring spirits they stand before the Lord of the whole earth who sends them out at his pleasure to serve his providence so they have as his Agents and Instruments no small stroke in the ordering and managing of naturall and civill affairs as may be seen in the first of Ezechiel The wheels that is the events of things have eyes that is something that might shew the reason of their turnings if we could see it And they are stirred but as the living creatures that is the Angels stirred them And both the wheels and living creatures were acted and guided by Gods spirit as the principall and supream Cause of all the Lord of the whole earth as he is here called that stand before c. As waiting his commands and ready to runne on his errand Mat. 18 10. Dan. 7.10 Jacob at Bethel saw them 1. ascending sc to contemplate and praise God and to minister to him 2. descending sc to execute Gods will upon men for mercy or for judgement Psal 103.20 For which purpose Ezekiel tells us that they have four faces to look every way when as
sword by his presence and preaching Surely his sanne is â—â— his hand though the devil and his imps would fain wring it out Augustin Mat. 3.12 Jer 23.20 and he will thâ—roughly purâ—ge his â—loo mali in area nobiscum esse possum in horrco non pessunt he will drive the chaff one way and the wheat another for what is the chiff to the wheat saith the Lord he will purifie the souls of his Saints in obeying the truth through the spirit unto unfained love of the brethren 1 Pet. 1.22 So that they shall be united to such and separated from sinners Fire we know congregat homog nea segregat heterogenea for what fellowship hath light with darknesse The spirit of Christ called a spirit of judgement and of burning washeth away lo here resiners fire and sullers 〈◊〉 the filth of the daughter of Zion and purgeth the blood of Jerusalem from the midest thereof Esay 4.4 By silth and blood understand their exceslive bravery mentioned chap. 3. which now they had learned to call by another name since their own names were written among the living in Jerusalem verse 3. And here God made good to them that he had promised Chap. 1.25 that he would purely purge away theeir drosse and take away all their tinne and that though their sinnes were as sear let they should be white as 〈◊〉 though red like crimson they should be as wooll verse 18. Fullers 〈…〉 as some render it is of singular use to fetch out stains and spots and to a biter wooll 5 Pâ—naria â—â—de Puin lib. 1â— chap. 3. 〈…〉 So much more is the blood and spirit of Christ to whiten sinfull 〈◊〉 and to make men his Candidates Such were those Corinthians 1 Eph. 6.11 Such were some of you that is as bad as bad might be lepers all over but ye are washed sc by that Fuller of soules Christ Jesus And if any ask How washed It sollowes but ye are sanctified but ye are just ified in the name that is 〈◊〉 by the merit of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God The Jews in their Talmud hammer at this when they question What is the name of Messias Their answer is Hhevara Leprous sc by imputation 2 Cor. 5. â—0 Esay 53.6 August de Râ—â—na in Concil Basil whence also he is said by one to be Maximus peccatorum the greatest of sinners and he sitteth among the poor in the gates of Rome carrying their sicknesses according to that Himself took our infirmities and here our â—â—knesses There are two things in guilt 1. The meit and desert of it 〈…〉 took not 2. The obligation to punishment this he took and so he 〈◊〉 that is bound to the punishment of sin which also he suffered even to the â—â—â—sion of his blood that true Pactolus or rather Jordan whereby he hath cleamed his people from sins both guiltinesse and filthinesse We have inveterate staines which will hardly be got out till the cloth be allmost rub'd to peeces 〈…〉 leaves so close to us Jer. 1â— 13 that fire and fullers sope is but needfull to setch it off Nature and custome have made our spots like that of the Leopard which no art can cure no water wash off because they are not in the skin only but in the flesh and bones in the sinews and in the most inner parts Hence David prayeth again and again to be washed thorowly to be purged with hyssop to be washed and wrung in this fullers sope of Christs blood and with the clean water of his holy spirit This is the only true Purgatory the Kings bath the fountain opened for sin and for uncleannesle Zach. 13.1 Here Christ washeth his not only from outward defilement but from their swinish nature that when washed clean they may not as else they would wallow in the next guzzle Here are those soveraign mundifying waters of the Sanctuary which so wash off the corruption of the ulcer that they cool the heat and stay the spred of the infection and by degrees heal the same Hither poor sinners need not come as to the poole of Bethesda one by one but as Turks to their Mahomet Papists to their Lady by troops and Caravans true Christians to their All-sufficient Saviour how much more In that poole of Bethesda the Priests used to wash their sacrifices because no unclean thing might come within the Temple Itinerar Scrip. pag. 20. The water was of reddish colour and ran into that place in great abundance and therefore it was called saith One the house of effusion This shadowed out that every of Christs sheep must be washed in the poole of his blood before they can be meet sacrifices an offering unto the Lord in righteousnesse as it is in the next verse Other blood slaines what is washed in it this blood of the spotlesse lambe whiteneth as fuilers sope and purifieth from all pollution of flesh and spirit Rev. 7.14 This is he that came by water and blood even Jesus Christ not by water only but by water and blood 1 Ioh. 5.6 The Priests of the old law were consecrated first with oyle and then with blood So was Christ first with the spirit Esa 61.1 and then with his own blood for our benefit Verse 3. And he shall sit as refiner i. e. he shall stick to the work and not start from it till he bring forth judgement to victory Mat. 12.20 that is till he have perfected the work of grace begun in his people for he is Authour and finisher of their faith Heb. 12.2 and by patience made them perfict and entire wanting nothing Iam. 1.4 Christ who is the God of all grace and hath called them to his eternall glory will after they have suffered 〈◊〉 in his fornace or fining-pot Pro. 17.3 of afflictions wake them perfect stablish strengthen settle them 1 Pet. 2 Cor. 9 8. 5.10 yea make all grace to abound toward them that they alwayes having all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work For which holy purpose Christ our Refiner hath his fire in Zion and his furnace in Ierusalem Isai 31.9 his conslatories and his crucibles wherein his third part being brought thorough the fire shall be resined as silver is resened and tried as gold is tried Zach. 13.9 that the triall of their faith who have glorified him in the very fires Isa 24.15 being much more precious then that of gold that perisheth may be found to praise and honour and glory 1 Pet. 1.7 True gold will undergoe the tâ—iall of the seventh fire which Alchymy gold will not Christ Jesus after that he hath been to his people as a refiners fire and fullers sope that is after that he hath justified and sanctified them also in some part will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver that is he will be serious accurate and assiduous in scouring them from corruption by correption in purging out the remnants of sin by affliction
the Saints are so set upon the thoughts of Gods Name they are taught and inabled thereunto by that holy spirit their domesticall Monitour and sweet inhabitant For know ye not that your bodies are the temples of the holy ghost that is in you p 1 Cor. 6 19 And if their bodies are the Spirits temples surely then their soules are his Holy of Holies wherein are continuall pillars of incense ascending q Cant. 3.6 good and holy thoughts I meane abounding by the operation of the Holy ghost whose immediate motions they are we being not able of our selves to think one good thought r 2 Cor 3.5 There never entred into the heart of a naturall man the things that God hath prepared for them that love him ſ 1 Cor. 2.9 10. ◠But God hath revealed them to us by is spirit whose worke it is 1. To enlighten 2. To enlarge the heart wherein he takes up His first work is to beat out new windows in the dark soules of men to let in a new light thereinto to give us thereby some fight of God some sense of his sweetnesse some glimpse of his glory Not as he is in himself in the brightnesse and perfection of his essence for so he is incomprehensible and the light whereby he should be seen inaccessible t 1 Tim. 6.16 Nor yet so perfectly here as he stands described unto us by his Attriutes and actions that 's reserved for a better life But his back-parts u Exo. 33.23 only with Moses that holy and reverend Name of his Jehovah Jehovah strong mercifull gratious longsuffering c. x Exod. 34.6 Thus much the spirit gives us to see of God though somewhat obscurely y 1 Cor. 13.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as through a grate only or as in a glasse in a riddle or as an old man through spectacles the greatest part of our knowledge being but the least part of our ignorance And Secondly having thus opened our eyes and turned us from darknesse to light he turnes us next from the power of Satan to God z Act. 26.18 that whereas heretosore we were acted and agitated by the Prince of the power of the ayre a Eph. 2.2 the God of this world who had first blinded our minds b 2 Cor. 4 4 and then set abroad upon our hearts and affections hatching out thence whole swarmes of evill thoughts and litters of lusts that fight against the soul c 1 Pet. 2 11 So now being possessed by a better spirit we are enlarged and enabled to captivate and conforme our thoughts to the soveraignty of Gods grace the rules of his word and the remembrance of his Name Fourthly their new Nature Reas 4 that blessed frame of Gods grace erected in them by the spirit that great Architect that plants the heavens and layes the foundation of the earth that he may say to Zion Thou art my people d Esay 57.16 This Divine Nature e 2 Pet. 1.4 as Peter calls it and renewed Image of God this habit of heavenly-mindednesse putteth Gods servants upon a continuall fresh succession of holy thoughts For besides that their phantasy or thinking-faculty being a chief inward sense of the soul is seizedupon for God to the utter dessolving of that old frame of vile thoughts and lusts those strong-holds wherein satan had entrencht f 2 Cor. 10.4 5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 himself the whole spirit soul and body of a Christian is sanctified throughout g 1 Thes 5.23 God writes his law in our hearts h Heb. 8.10 stamps his image upon the spirit of our minds i Eph. 4.23 makes us partake of the god-like nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world thorough lust k 2 Per. 1.4 c. Hence an ability of holy thoughts and affections for as the man is such are his dispositions and meditations The liberall man deviseth liberall things l Isa 32.8 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things m Mat. 12. And as from within out of the old heart proceed evill thoughts n Mark 7.21 c. so from the sanctified heart proceed sanctified thoughts and gracious considerations and respects to God and his Name Reas 5 Lastly we may argue for the truth and certainty of this point of the godly mans practise from the many near and dear relations he stands in to God together with the daily dealings he hath and often use he makes of his Name For God first he is the good mans friend and father Prince and portion God and guide his All in All o Colos 3.11 he hath given up his name to Gods truth devoted himself to his fear p Psal 119.38 sworne himself to his service q Psa 119.119 and endeavours nothing more then to love him with all his heart with all his soul and with all his thought which is that first and great commandement of the law whereupon the rest hang r Mat. 22.37 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a hing upon a nail or as beads upon a string And secondly for the name of God they run to it in any stresse as to a strong tower ſ Prov. 18.10 they walk in his name t Micah 4.5 as in a Garden or gallery they rejoyce in it as in all treasure u Psal 119 14 yea what ever they do in word or deed they do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ x Colos 3.17 c. Now can we possibly rejoyce in Gods name run to it upon all occasions walk in it talk of it do all in it and yet not minde it not be much in the thought of it Again can we acquaint our selves with the Almighty vouch him for our God set him up for our Soveraigne coverse familiarly with him as our friend walk before him y 1 King 9 4◠in uprightnesse and integrity walk with him z Gen. 6.9 in an humble familiarity walk after him a Deut. 13.4 by an entire obedience and ready conformity and yet not frequently think on him 't is not possible SECT III. Vse 1. Those that habitually think not upon God fear not God NOw for application Are all Gods people such as think upon his Name Use 1 This then serveth first to shut all such out of this holy society andto evince them void of Gods true fear that think not dayly and diligently upon God that make not his name the matter of their meditation that say not in their hearts Let us now fear the Lord our God b Ier. 5.24 c. The wicked saith David through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God God is not in all his thoughts c Psal 10.4 Eating and drinking buying and felling building and planting plowing and reaping c. are in his thoughts but God falls not into his thoughts the whole day thoroughout Or
several Kings reigns as did likewise Athanasius and Latimer Jeroboams especially the second of that name and here only named when six other Kings of Israel in whose time Hosea prophesied are not once mentioned but lie wrapt up in the sheet of shame because wicked idolaters such as God took no delight in and hath therefore written them in the earth And in the dayes of Jeroboam the son of Joash Not the son of Nebat that ringleader of the ten Tribes revolt from the house of Dauid but another little better and yet very prosperous and victorious 2 King 14.25 28. He reigned also fourty one years and did great exploits yet is Hosea sent to contest with him to declaim against his sin and wickednesse and to proclaim heavy judgements against him and his people This the Prophet did for a long while together with all fidelity and fortitude when the King was triumphing over his enemies and the people were not only drunk but even mad again by reason of their extraordinary prosperity as Calvin expresseth it Non tantum temulenti erant sed etiam prorsus insani Calvin Now that so young a Prophet should so sharply contend with so fierce a people in the ruffe of their pride and jollity that he should so rouse and repple up these drunkards of Ephraim with their crown of pride Esay 28.1 this shews him to have been of an heroical spirit Jonah his contemporary flinched when sent against Nineveh Micah the Morasthite another of Hosea's contemporaries prophesied in the dayes of Hezekiah King of Judah and spake to all the people of Judah saying Thus saith the Lord of Hosts Zion shall be ploughed like a field and Jerusalem shall become heaps and the mountain of the house the high places of a forest Yet did not Hezekiah King of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death c. Jer. 26.18 19. He and Hosea though they prevailed little with the people they preached to yet they were better dealt with then the Prophet Esay their contemporary too of whom Hierom tels us out of the Rabbines that he was sawn asunder because he said he had seen the Lord and secondly because he called the great ones of Judah Hieron in Isa 1. Princes of Sodom and rulers of Gomorrah Isaiah 1.10 Verse 2. The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea Heb. In Hosea to note that the Lord was both in his mind and mouth in his spirit and speech God spake in him before he spake out to the people His prophesie must therefore needs be divine and deep That 's the best discourse that 's digged out of a mans own breast that comes a corde ad cor from the heart to the heart And blessed are the pleople saith one that have such Ministers that shall speak nothing to them but what hath been first spoken by God in them saying with David and Paul We believe therefore have we spoken we also believe 2 Cor. 4.13 and therefore speak we have experimented what we deliver we believe and are sure that God is in us of a truth and that we preach cum gratia privilegio The beginning Hence some gather that Hosea was the first Prophet Hoseas videtur tempore majestate aliis prior saith O Ecolampadius Certain it is he began before Esay because he prophesied in the dayes of Jeroboam who was before Vzziah whether before Amos or no is not so certain Di praep Evang l. 20 â—ulut Eusebius tels us there was no Greek History extant before Hosea's time Well therefore might that ancient priest of Egypt say to Solon You Grecians are all boyes and babies in matters of Antiquity neither is there one old man amongst you Samuel is counted the first Prophet Acts 3.24 Plato in Timâ—o but Hosea was the first of those that lived in these Kings dayes and likely held out longest see the Note on Verse 1. as did father Latimer preaching twice every sabbath day Act. Mon. though of a very great age and rising to his study winter and summer at two of the clock in the morning Others read the words thus At the beginning when the Lord spake by Hosea he said to Hosea himself Go take unto thee c. An uncouth precept and a rough beginning for a young preacher whose youth might be despised and whose sharpnesse might be disgusted But truth must be spoken however it be taken and a preacher should take the same liberty to cry down sin that men take to commit sin Esay 58.1 Hierom was called fulmen Ecclesiasticum the Church thunderbolt And our Mr Perkins applied the word so close to the consciences of his hearers that he was able to make their hearts fall down Mr Fullers Holy State and their hairs almost to stand upright But in old age he was more milde and delighted much to preach mercy as did also our Prophet Hosea whose prophesie is comminatory in the fore-part consolatory in the latter part And the Lord said to Hosea This is now the third time inculcated for more authority sake which the people so rubb'd and menaced would be apt enough to question He therefore shews them his commission and that he hath good ground for what he saith that they may have no cause to cavil Melch. Ad. but reply as that good Dutch Divine did if God would give them a heart so to do Veniat veniat verbum Domini submittemus ei sexcenta si nobis essent colla Let the word of the Lord come yea let it come and we will submit there unto though we had six hundred lives to lose for so doing Go take unto thee a wife of whoredoms An arrant whore a stinking strumpet Calvin scortum obsoletum a known and trite harlot such as were Thais Lais Phryne c. yea and such a one as after marriage with a former husband at least went astray after other sweet-hearts for so the application of the figure to the subject Chap. 2. requireth it to be understood Whereby it appears saith Diodate that all this was done in a vision Others infer as much from that phrase in this verse The beginning of the word of the Lord in Hosea that is saith Polanus appearing and speaking to him by an inward vision as it were in an extasie Besides in the third chapter and three first verses the Prophet is bidden to marry another harlot to buy her for his own use and to keep her at his house for a time Now scimus hoc non fuisse completum saith Calvin we know that this was never really done It follows therefore that this figure was only proposed to the people that they might perpceive in the looking-glasse of this allegory first their duty toward God second their disloyalty thirdly their penalty for the same It is not an historical narration but a Prophetical vision Children of fornication a bastardly brood such as this evil and adulterous generation is
rather Sharkes Are they protectours and not rather pillagers Latrones publici publike robbers as Cato called them These shields of the earth belong to God saith David Psal 47.9 should they not then be like him 2 Chron. 19.7 Now there is no iniquity with the Lord our God nor accepting of persons nor receiving of gifts neither by himself nor by his man Elisha nor by his mans man Gehezi without distaste By one period of speech by one breath of the Lord are they both forbidden Deut. 16.18 19 20. Thou shalt not respect persons nor receive a gift For why A gift doth blind the eyes of the wise yea it transformes them into walking Idols that have eyes and see not eares and heare not onely it leaveth them hands to handle that the very touching whereof will infect and venom a man as Pliny writes of the fish Torpedo Let such therefore shake their hands from bribes Isay 33.15 as Paul shoke off the viper and be so far from saying Give ye that he should rather say to those that offer it Thy mony perish with thee he that hateth gifts shall live Prov. 15.27 Jethro's Iustice of peace should be a man of courage fearing God hating covetousness Exod. 18. not bound to the peace as one phraseth it by a gift in a basket nor struck dumb with the appearance of Angels c. Verse 19. The wind hath bound her up in her wings The evill spirit saith Hierom hurries them towards hell which is the just hire of the least sin how much more of these fore-mentioned abominations Take it rather to be spoken of the suddennesse swiftnesse and unresistablenesse of Gods judgments set forth by mighty winds rending the rocks and tearing up the mountaines by the roots Job 38.9 How then shall wicked men compared to chaffe or dust of the mountaines stand before the tempest of Gods wrath the thunder of his power Well they may applaud and stroke themselves for a time but the wind shall bind them up in her wings God shall blow them to destruction Job 4.9 his executioners have the wings of a stork large and long and wind in those wings to note their ready obedience Zech. 5.9 And although Ezek. 1. God be represented as sitting upon a throne to shew his slowness to punish yet that throne hath wings hands under those wings to shew his swiftness readinesse to do seasonable execution upon his enemies and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices wherein they trusted but now see themselves disappointed their idols not able to help them Then shall they cast their idols of silver and of gold which they have made each for himself to worship to the moles and to the bats to go into the clefts of the rocks and into the tops of the ragged rocks Isay 2.20 21. See also Isay 30.22 If they be not thus ashamed of their former fopperies they are the more to be pittied Illum ego periisse dico cui periit pudor He is an undone man that shames not shents not himself for his evill practises that blusheth not bleedeth not before God for them lying down in his shame Jer. 3.25 as fully ashamed of his former hopes Psal 119.116 which now he seeth how far they have abused him CHAP. V. Verse 1. HEare ye this ye Priests For you are not so wise Prov. 1.5 but that ye may heare and increase learning Chap. 4.6 and besides from you is profanenesse gone forth into all the land Jer. 23.15 For you therefore in the first place I have a citation to appeare before Gods tribunall to heare your sin your sentence Jac. Ren. de vit Pont. your crime your doom God cited Adam immediately by himself Gen. 7.9 Adam where art thou so he did Cain Laban Nabal others when he sends for them by death saying as once to that Pope Veni miser in judicium Come away and heare thy sentence Centum revolutis annis Deo respon debitis mihi Mediately he citeth men by the mouth of his ministers as he did the Councill of Constance by his faithfull martyr John Husse and his word stood and as he doth here the three Estates of the kingdome Priests People and Princes by the Prophet Hosea That was very strange and extraordinary that Mr. Knox reporteth in his history of Scotland Hist of Scot. of one Sr. John Hamilton murthered by the kings meanes that he appeared to him in a vision with a naked sword drawn and strikes off both his armes with these words Take this before thou receive a finall payment for all thine impieties and within 24 houres two of the Kings sons died It is indeed but part of their punishment that wicked men here receive seem it never so grievous when God entreth into judgment with them as here it is said for judgment is toward you that is â—am about to pronounce sentence against you and to do execution and therefore hear harken and give-eare the first second and third time I admonish you that ye may know that my citation is serious and peremptory and that your damnation sleepeth not Priest and people are set before the house of the king Salvian because theirs was sedes prima vita ima an high place but a low life And besides Courtiers and great men though they be in other cases forward enough to take place of others yet in point of punishment they slink back and are well content that others should go before them God regards none for his greatnesse Potentes potenter torquebuntur neither spareth he any for his meannesse or because they were born down either by the lawes or lives of their Superiours The people are here placed betwixt the Priests and Princes and with them appealed and impeached to shew how frigid and insufficient their excuse is who plead that they did but as they were taught by their Ministers and as they were commanded by their Governours Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgement because hâ— willingly walked after the commandement as it is in the eleventh verse of this chapter See the note for judgement is toward you Vengeance is in readinesse for the disobedient be he what he will kesar or caytiffe Lord or losell Priest or people every whit as ready in the Lords hand as in the ministers mouth 2. Cor. 10.6 neither shall multitudes priviledge or secure them Though they be quiet or combined and likewise many yet thus shall they be cut down when he shall pass through Nah. 1.12 yea though they be briers and thorns that set against him in battle and those never so much confortuplicated and sharpened yet God will go through them and burn them together Esay 27.4 he will cut off the spirit of Princes and destroy a whole rabble of rebels that rise up against him because ye have been a snare on Mizpah That God may be justified and every mouth stopped a reason is here rendred of his most
so when he dies he can call his soul to rest and sing old Simeons Nunc dimittas Lord now let thy servant depart in peace c. for the mouth of the Lord of hosts And what better assurance can we desire sith God can neither die lie nor denie himself Sith secondly he is the Lord of Hosts and so armed with power to make good what he hath spoken Peter had a will to deliver Christ from the Jews but wanted power Pilate had power to have done it but wanted will God wanteth neither of these to do for his people and to deliver them out of danger Courage therefore Verse 5. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god They will do so they are resolved not to alter their religion as Tully said Me ex ea opinione quam à majoribus accepi de cultu deorum nullius unquam movebit oratio I will never be disswaded by any one from that way of divine worship which I have received from my forefathers How wilfull at this day are Jews Papists Pagans Heretikes And how much easier a matter do we finde it to deal with twenty mens reasons then with one mans will A wilfull man stands as a stake in the middest of a stream le ts all passe by him but hee stands where he was Nay but wee will have a king say they when they had nothing else to say Nay but I will curse howsoever though against my conscience said Balaam and do not the Popish Balaamites as much as this many of them As for the Vulgar sort of them they are headlong and headstrong resolved to retaine contra gentes the senselesse superstitions transmitted unto them by their Progenitours But what saith the Oracle Rev. 14.7 Feare God and give glory to him for the houre of his judgement is come and what ever your ancestours did worship you him that made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountaines of waters and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God This was well resolved and is as well practised by all Christs faithfull people who dare not follow a multitude to do evill Exod. 23.2 dare not walk by their fathers practise Iosh 24.2 14 15. for they consider that no commandement doth so expresly threaten Gods judgements upon posterity as the second They therefore resolve to walk in the name that is by the lawes and under the view of the Lord their God who is God of Gods and Lord of Lords a great God a mighty and a terrible as Moses describeth him in opposition to all other deities whether so reputed or deputed Deut. 10.17 for ever and ever We will not only take a turn or two in his wayes as temporaries who are hot at hand but soon tire and give in but we will hold on a constant course of holinesse and not faile to follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth Psal 1.2 Ioh. 8.12 and 10.4.14 Rev. 7.17 As for those Apostates that change their God that change their glory for that which doth not profit as they therein commit an horrible wickednesse such as the heavens have cause to be astonished at Ier. 2.11 12 13. so they could not chuse out for themselves a worse condition Heb. 10.37 38. for why they put the son of God to an open shame chap. 6.6 like as those that are carted amongst us are held out as a scorn and do in effect say that they have not found him such as they took him for Verse 6. In that day sc of grace and of the Gospel It is called a day and that day by an excellency in regard of Revelation Adornation Consolation Distinction speedy Preterition saith the Lord Whose word cannot be broken Ioh. 10.35 and is therefore the best security 2 Cor. 1.20 will I assemble her that halteth Heb. that goeth sideling that is maimed disioynted lamed Esa 35.3 torn Psal 35.15 and tired out with long journeys into captivity as the Jewes were by the Babylonians Greeks and Romanes before Christs comming that they might breath after those dayes of refreshing from the presence of the Lord Mal. 3.1 and I will gather her that is driven out Or rejected thrust away with a force that is the Gentles suffered to walk in their own wayes Act. 14.16 and carried away unto dumb idols even as they were led 1 Cor. 12.2 and her that I have afflicted Both Jewes and Gentiles the whole community of people for God shooke all nations then when the desire of all nations Christ Heb. 12.25 was to come Hag. 2.7 See verses 22 23. Junius after the Septuagint rendrâ—th it ut veniant desiderati omnium gentium that the Saints those desirable ones out of all nations may come for unto Shiloh in a most afflicted time when the scepter was departed from Judah c. was the gathering of all people to be Gen. 49.10 Esa 26.8 9. See Esay 66.20 rather in litters as lame people are carried should they come then not at all rather on one leg with Jacob should they wrestle then not prevaile Verse 7. And I will make her that halted a remnant Yea a renowned remnant Zeph. 3.19 Not many Jewes were converted in comparison of the Gentiles hence they are called a remnant They both killed the Lord Iesus and their own Prophets they have also persecuted us saith the Apostle or cast us out as by an Ostracisme and they please not God and are contrary to all men 1 Thess 2.15 16. forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles c. Thus the generality of them then and so to this day they continue crosse and cursing Christ and his followers thrice a day in their synagogues Hieron in Esai l. 12. c. 49. l 14. c. 42. Buxtorf Synag Howbeit at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace Rom. 11.5 and that remnant became the seminary of the Christian Church and her that was cast far off a strong nation Numerous and valorous Vide fidem passionem martyrum de gente robusta non ambiges saith Hierome here Consider the faith and patience of the Martyrs and you will easily yeeld them to be a strong nation indeed Christians have shewed as glorious power in the faith of Martyrdome as in the faith of miracles They can do that which others cannot turn their hands to they can suffer wrongs best of any Compell them to go a mile they 'le be content to go two yea as far as the shooes of the preparation of the Gospel of peace will carry them There is nothing that they date not undertake and undergo for the glory of their God Thi courage in Christians Heathens counted obstinacy Tertull. in Apologet. but they knew not the power of the spirit nor the privy armour of proof that the Saints have about their heart which maketh them insuperable more then Conquerours and the Lord shall raigne over them in mount Zion i. e. In the Christian
three-hours darknesse especially but he delivering himself as a mighty Conquerour their horns stick fast as it were in his crosse as Abrahams ramme by his horns stuck fast in the brier c. and he stood among the myrtle-trees that were in the bottom Myrrhe-trees some render it Here Christ that horseman and head of his Church keepeth himself as touched with the feeling of our infiunities Heb. 4.15 as suffering and sorrowing with his people who are fitly compared to myrtles that grow in a shady grove in vallies and bottoms and by waters sides amantes littorae myrtos Virg. Georg. Blessed are ye that sowe beside all waters Esay 32.20 Myrtles also are odoriferous and precious Esay 41.19 and 55.13 so are the Saints Esay 43.4 Colos 4.6 they cast a good scent where-ever they go by the grace of God that is in them as Alexander the Great is said to do by the excellent temperament of his body Lastly Levit. 23.40 with Neh 8.15 the Jews at their joyfull feast of Tabernacles used myrtle-branches among others to testifie their thankfulnesse for a settlement in the promised land after so long wandring in the wildernesse The Gentiles also in their solemn feasts enterludes and cingebant tempora myrto wore garlands made of Myrtle Virg. Georg Let us keep the feast Let us keep holy-day saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 5.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who himself did over-abound exceedingly with joy had an exuberancy of it at that constant feast of a good conscience Diogenes could say that a good man keeps holy-day 2 Cor 7.4 all the yeer about Christ crowneth the Kalendar of his peoples lives with continuall festivals here how much more in heaven Pliny tells us Plin. lib. 15. cap. 29. that ex myrto facta est ovantium corona subinde triumphantium of Myrtle was made among the Romans the crown or garland of those that did shout for victory or ride in triumph and behind him were there red horses i. e. horse-men Nam nimis crassum est illud commentum fuisse locutos equos saith Calvin here These horse men are Angels as verse 10. deputed to severall offices and executions for judgement foâ—mercy or both shadowed by the divers colours of their horses Verse 9. â—alvin Then said I O my Lord what are these Thus the Prophets enquired and searched diligently as saith Saint Peter 11 Epist 1.11 for the truth of things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as hunters seek for game and as men seek for gold in the very mines of the earth who not content with the first oar that offereth it self to their view dig deeper and deeper till they are owners of the whole treasure See Prov. 2.4 and rest not till ye see that blissefull sight Ephes 1.18 19. and the Angel that talked with me Or in me as the Vulgar rendreth it This was some created Angel who might reveal things to the Prophet by working on the phantasie and spirit by way of information and instruction as Dan. 9.21 Luk. 1.11 Apoc. 1.1 I will shew thee what these be How ready are the holy Angels to serve the Saints Heb. 1.14 rejoycing more in their names of office then of honour of employment then preferment to be called Angels that is Messengers or Internuntio's then Principalities Thrones Dominions Ephes 1.20 accounting it better to do good then to be great to dispense Gods benefits then to enjoy them Hence they are with and about the Saints as their companions guides protectours monitours and rulers of their actions as here Verse 10. And the man that stood among the myrtle-trees The man Christ Jesus that is ever with his Church and in the midst of his people that feedeth among the lillâ—es and walketh in the middest of the seven golden candlesticks He being asked by the foresaid Angel answered him in Zacharies hearing for he is Palmoni hammedabber that excellent Speaker as Daniel calleth him and therefore asketh him of the vision Dan. 8.13 These are they whom the Lord hath sent As his Epoptai or Overseers and Intelligencers Not that God needeth them as Princes need the counsell and aid of their subjects The holy Angels receive möre from God then they performe or bring to him But he maketh use of their service about us 1. For the honour of his Majesty and comfort of our infirmity 2. To make out his love unto us by employing such noble creatures for our good 3. To make and maintain love and correspondency between us and Angels till we come to walk arm in arm with Angels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Zach. 3.7 and to be like unto them yea their equals Luke 20.36 if not more Ephes 1.23 Verse 11. We have walked to and fro thorow the earth Itavimus we have coursed up and down with incredible swiftnesse Hence they are called the charrets of God Psal 68.17 Heb. Gods-charret to note out their joynt-service as of one as here his horsemen ready prest to do his pleasure and behold all the earth sitteth still and is at rest excepting the Church alone which like Noah's Ark is ever tossed up and down till it rest at last on the everlasting mountain then she shall have her happy Halcyons then she shall see her enemies afar off as Lazarus did Dives or as the Israelites at the red-sea did their persecutours dead upon the shore Mean-while she must not expect to be calm and quiet for any continuance Joh. 16.33 Joh. 16.20 Esth 3.15 Esay 21.10 1 Cor. 3.9 In the world ye shall have trouble And ye shall weep and lament but the world shall rejoyce they shall revel and laugh themselves fat The king and Haman sat down to drink but the city Shushan was perplexed The Church is called Gods threshing-floor because threshed with continuall crosses and Gods-husbandry because he will be sure to plow his own ground and to make long furrows upon their backs whatsoever become of the waste and to weed his own garden though the rest of the world be let alone and grow wild Moab is not poured from vessell to vessell Jer. 48. Job 10.10 â— but setleth upon the lees when the Israel of God is poured out as milk and crudled like cheese as Job speaketh in another case Verse 12. Then the Angel of the Lord That Advocate with the Father Jesus the Juft One 1 John 2.2 who appeareth for his afflicted people and feelingly pleads for them as being afflicted in all their afflictions even the Angel of his presence that saveth them Esay 63.9 It much moved him to hear that Gods enemies were in better case then his people and this put him upon the following passionate expostulation O Lord of Hosts How long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem c. Vsquequo Domine Calvin had these words much in his mouth thereby breathing out his holy desires in the behalf of the afflicted Churches Melch. Adam in vita with whose sufferings hee was more affected
regno graviore regnum est See Eccles 5.7 with the Note there CHAP. II. Verse 1. I lift up mine eyes againe and looked i. e. I looked wishly not sluggishly as betwixt sleeping and waking as chap. 4. I saw further by the spirit then common sense could have carried me I beheld Ierusalem in her future glory I looked intently I took aime not by the things which are seen but by the things which are not seen 2 Cor. 4.18 Heb. 11.27 Gal. 4.26 and behold a man The Man Christ Jesus as his Mother is called a Virgin Isa 7.14 the Virgin that famous Virgin that conceived and bare a Son that gat a man from the Lord Gen. 4.1 This Man called before and after an Angel as appearing in humane shape is here seen and set forth as an Architect or Master-builder going to take the plot of his Church see Rev. 21.15 and observe by the way how in that book the holy Ghost borrows the allegories and elegancies of the Old Testament to set out the story of the New in succeeding ages Verse 2. Whither goest thou This was great boldnesse But the Prophet understood himself well enough and Christ approves and assents to it in a gracious answer here and especially verse 4. Great is the confidence of a good conscience toward God See Esay 63.16 17. Hab. 1.12 We may come boldly to the throne of grace Heb. 4.16 1 Pet. 3.23 to measure Jerusalem This had been promised before Chap. 1.16 But for their further confirmation who saw a little likelyhood of such a reedifying and repeopling it is repeated Thus the Lord tendering our infirmity seals to us again and again in the holy Sacrament what he had said and sworn to us in his word Verse 3. And behold the Angel Zacharies Angel as One calleth him Went forth to take direction from Christ and to give the prophet further information See the Note on Chap. 1.9 and another Angel went out to meet him So ready is Christ to answer prayers and to satisfie his weak but willing people that draw near unto him with a true heart Heb. 10.22 If any such ask and misse it is because they ask amisse Jam. 4.3 Verse 4. Run speak to this young man Not go but Run yea fly swiftly with wearinesse of slight as Dan 9.21 Christ thinks it long ere his praying people hear from him Onely he will be enquired of by them Ezek. 36.37 Zachary seemes to have been a young Prophet and Christ remembred the kindnesse of his youth and became a wonderful counseller to him He gave to this young man or green-headed stripling knowledge and discretion Prov. 1.4 Epiphanius saith he was an old man and that he is called a young man because a client and disciple of the Angel that communed with him Where Angels are called men it was no dis paragement to Zachary to call himself a lad or servant considering his distance Thus Abrahams servant though old is called his boy Gen. 24.52 by a Catachresis That 's a good Note that One gives here That the Angel tells the prophet Mr. Pemble but the prophet must tell the people God using not the Ministery of Angels but men earthen vessels to bear his Name to his people Acts 8.26 and 9.6 and 16.9 Jerusalem shal be inhabited as towns without wals Or shall dwell in towns without walls viz. in the suburbs or villages there being not room enough within the walls to receive them This seemed an incredible thing to this poor remnant now returned from Babylon But it is the property and duty of beleevers to trust God upon his bare word and that against sense in things invisible and against reason in things improbable for the multitude of men and cattel therein That is saith Augustine of spiritual and carnal persons in the Chuch Catholike Verse 5. For I saith the Lord Igneus qui cominus arceat eminus terreat Theodor. will be unto her a wall of fire The Church Christs garden may seem to lie open to all incursions and disadvantages but as it hath a well within it Cant 4. So it hath a wall without it yea round about it better and stronger then that about Babylon or Susa in Persia the stones whereof were joyned together with gold as Cassiodorus testifieth Lib. 7. Var. Epist The Lacedemonians were forbidden to wall in their city of Sparta as being sufficiently fortified by the valour of the inhabitants The Hollanders will not wall the Hague though it have 2000 housholds in it as desirous to have it counted rather the principal village of Europe then a lesser city China is said to be surrounded with a strong wall of stone and England with walls of wood sc A puissant Navy But what 's all this either for defence or offence to a wall of fire who dare venture to scale such a wall It is not valour but madnesse to fight with a flame Fire is terrible to the fiercest creatures as Lions Leopards c. Shepheards and travellers were used to guard themselves by making great fires round about their night-lodgings to keep of wild beasts Some think the prophet alludeth to that custome others to the Angel guarding of Paradise with a flaming sword Instit Lib. 2. Cap 13. that is saith Lactantius with a wall of fire The Church may sit and sing we have a strong city salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks Esay 26.1 Heb 1.7 Gen. 32.1 He maketh his Angels spirits his ministers a flame of fire These met and ministred unto Jacob at Mahanaim making a lane for him These are the watchmen over the walls of the new Ieru salem and of the mountains about the same Isai 62. as the word importeth These fiery charets and horsmen appeared for Elisha by whole legions 2 Kin. 6.17 and do still pitch their camp round about the godly Psal 34.8 Who therefore cannot but be safe as being guarded by the peace of God within them and by the power of God without them through faith unto salvation and will be the glory in the midst of her God is the Churches both bulwark and beauty her muniment and ornament His presence his worship his Grace his protection is that tower in the midst of her Esay 5. that golden head of the picture that tower of the slock and strong hold of the daughter of Gods people Mic. 4.8 Hence the Ark is called the glory Rom. 9.4.5 and all comforts without it but Icabods 1 Sam. 4.20 Hence Judea is called the glorious land and Heathens are brought in saying Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people For what nation is there so great that hath God so nigh unto them as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for Deut. 4.5 6 7 And what nation is there so great that hath statutes and â—udgments so righteous as all this law c. Surely as Samsons strength and glory lay in
igne ereptus newly snatcht out of the Babylonish furnace Psal 68.12 where they have long lain among the pots where they have been not only sullied but scorched and half-burnt should they then be cruelly cast again into the flames which they have strangely scaped like as the barbarous Persecutours ran Polycarp through the bowels with a sword when the beasts would not devour him nor the fire burn him Or as the bloody Papists in Queen Maries dayes Act. Mon. fol. 1392. cast the woman of Garneseys babe again into the fire that sprang and sprawled out of his mothers womb as she was in burning This was clean contrary to that Apostolical precept Of some have compassion pulling them out of the fire Jude 21. Ean 3.30 And far short of Nebuchadnezzars practises who taking the three worthies out of the burning fiery furnace promoted them to great honour and offices Verse 3. Now Joshuah was clothed with filthy garments The tottered rags of the old Adam the nasty filthynesse and superfluity of naughtinesse that yet remained in him though in part regenerate and intermingled with his best works Sin is the Devils excrement it defiles the soul worse then any jakes can do the body as the Hebrew word here signifieth and as our Saviour shews Mar. 7.20 or then the Sanies of a plague-sore doth a garment Hence that of the Church We are all as an unclean thing Esay 64.6 and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags And that of Job If I wash my self with snow water and make my hands never so clean yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch and mine own cloathes shall make me to be abhorred Job 9.30.31 1 Cor. 4.5 this is the same in effect with that of Paul I know nothing by my self yet am I not hereby â—ustified but he that judgeth me is the Lord who when he coms to turn up the bottom of the bag as the steward did Benâ—amins he will manifest the hidden things of darknesse finde out our thefts that we dreamt not of open all fardles on that great fair-day Saccâ— soluto 〈◊〉 argentum Ambr. the day of judgement As in the meanwhile should Lord but break open that filthy sink of sin that is in the very best of us we should not onely be lothsome to God Zach. 11.8 and to good men Prov. 29.27 but even to our own selves also as Job was hap 42.6 Judas was not able to abide is own stench Mat. 27.4 5. Yea and some holy men as Mr. Lever for one when they have desired to see their utmost uncleannesse their corruptions in the most ugly colours God hath heard them But yet his hand therewith was so heavy upon them that they went alwayes mourning to their graves and thought it fitter to leave it to Gods wisdom to give them a sight of their sins and to mingle the the potion of sorrow then to be their own choosers See that excellent text Iob 15.14 15 16. And then stand aloof with the Leper and say I am unclean I am unclean yet Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean and stood before the Angel His filthy garments notwithstanding Though we cannot say our hearts are pure and our performances perfect yer if we wallow not in sin allow it not if with the daughters of Zion we look upon our former neatnesse as nastinesse and finenesse as filthinesse if we be in any measure purged from the love and liking of sin by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burnning Isai 4.4 Christ will neither abhor our presence nor reject our services Aaron was to bear the iniquity of the holy offerings Exod. 28.38 Christ is this Aaron c. And though there be an inequality of expressions in duty quoad nos in us yet there is a constancy of intercession by Christ propter nos for us Verse 4. And he answered and spake to those that stood before him i. e. to the Angels that waited upon him Est autem hoc humanitùs dictum saith Iunius This is â—â—â—ken after the manner of men for properly men are washed justified and sanctified by the Merit and Spirit of Christ alone 1 Cor. 6.11 But the Lord Christ speaketh thus to the created Angels his Ministers to shew that He who onely hath power to for give sins doth yet therein imploy the holy ministery for an instrument See 2 Cor. 9.18 and Iob 33.33 24. take away the filthy garments Those symbols of his sinfulnesse see the Note on verse 3. so his sins were pardoned in heaven But because it is small comfort to a condemned person to have a pardon granted him unlesse he know it and be assured of it therefore it followeth and unto him he said behold By whatthou hast seen in the Angels stripping of thee I have caused thine iniquities to passe from thee Transtuli peccatum as he once said to David I have taken away thy sin I have tranferred it upon my self speaking to my Father for thee as once Paul did to Philemon for his son Onesimus Philem. 18 19. if he hath wronged thee or oweth thee ought put that on mine account I will repay it This is the greatest happinesse that can befal a man in this world Psal 32.1 2 and could not but be a singular comfort to these poor Jews priest and people amidst their manifold afflictions A man that hath got his pardon is not troubled though he lose his glove or hankercheife nor though it should prove a rainy day Being â—ustified by faith we glory in tribulation Rom. 5.1.3 Feri domino eri nam a peccatis absolutus sum saith Luther Strike Lord strike while thou wilt my sins are pardoned I thank thee O Lord said Another in his great extremity for all my pain and I beseech thee if thou think good to adde to it an hundred-fold But behold a further honour as mercies seldom come single and I will cloath thee with change of raiment i. e. I will change thy rags into robes thy stained clouts into clean cloathing Thou shalt be arraied with the righteousnesse of the saints Rev. 19.8 that twofold righteousnesse imputed and imparted that of justification and this other of sanctification that as an undercoat this as an upper that clean and pure this white and bright both must be had from Christ who is made unto us of God not onely wisdom but righteousnesse sanctification and redemption 1 Cor 1.30 2 Cor. 5.19 Surely as our apparrel is not bred of us neither grows out of our bodies so neither doth this change of raiment in the Text. But the blessed Lamb of God cloatheth us with his own fleece which is long enough and large enough to cover all our defects and deformities and to set us forth to the admiration of Angels As he taketh upon him our sins so he putteth upon us his righteousnesse This is a blessed exchange indeed a sure pledge of our peace with him and with God by
Gods watch-men they stand sentinell in heavens turret And that the sole of their feet is like the sole of Calves feet round and ready to go either forward or backward with greatest facility that as they see every way so they are apt to go every way for the dispensing of Gods benefits and executing of his chastisements toward the Elect and vengeance on the reprobates All this they do justly 2 Sam. 24.17 2 King 19.35 Gen. 19.11 Acts 12.23 Rev. 16.16 diligently and purely with faith in receiving Gods commands Rev. 15.6 clothed in pure white linen and having their breasts girded with golden girdles Let us labour to obey God as Angels do else we may be Angels for gifts and yet go to hell Verse 6. The black horses which are therein c. These Angels are appointed to severall Countries The black horses to Babylon which lay North from Judaea to inflict vengeance The white horses are sent with them to deliver the Church out of Babylon and to bring their brethren for an offering unto the Lord upon horses and in chariots and in litters and upon mules and upon swift beasts to Gods holy Mountain Jerusalem Esay 66 20. And the grisled go forth toward the South countrey To shew that the punishments of Egypt and Arabia which lay South-ward from Judaea should be somewhat mixed and mitigated they should be in better case then Babylon yet not so good as that the Jews should dream of a happy estate in those countries but rather repair to Judaea and there keep them sith those that are out of Gods precincts cincts are out of his protection Psal 91.9 10 11 12. Verse 7. And the bay went forth c. Junius reads it And the strong or confirmed ones that is the Angels armed with power and authority from God for the execution of his will Esay 10.34 Lebanon shall fall by a mighty One that is by an Angel 2 Thess 1.7 they are called the Angels of Gods power and elsewhere principalities and powers and sought to go that they might-walk to and fro thorow the earth Not onely toward the South as verse 6. This doth not teach that the Angels are more carefull of this world then God is of whom they desired it But first that they can do nothing without commission from Him Secondly that they are ever ready to offer their service and to yeeld obedience upon the least intimation of the Divine pleasure Verse 8. Then cried he upon me That I might the better observe it sith he spake it with so great vehemency Have pacified my spirit i.e. perfecerunt voluntatem meam as the Chaldee here hath it they have done my work thoroughly to my great content When the Churches enemies are slaughtered God inviteth the birds and beasts to a feast as it were for joy and taketh as much delight in their just punishment as any man can do in a cup of generous wine whence it is called the wine of Gods wrath Rev. 14.10 See Deut. 28.63 Verse 9. And the word of the Lord came unto me saying This second part of the Chapter is not a vision but a Sermon or an historicall prediction of what was really to be done For as Gods Spirit was quieted and as it were comforted by the Angels faithfull execution of their offices so He seeks by this Prophecy to quiet and comfort the spirits of his people the Iews that were returned out of Babylon For these finding themselves beset with enemies and exigencies might possibly despair of ever seeing the accomplishment of those promises and prophecies of the kingdome restored to the house of David and of the great glory of the second Temple above the first To keep up their hearts therefore is this declaration made them of the kingdome and priestood of Christ under the typicall coronation of Jehoshuah the High-priest Vers 10. Take of them of the captivity i. e. Of the returned captives even of Heldai Num. 16.2 of Tobijah and of Jedaiah Men famous in the Congregation men of renown That these four mentioned here taking in Josiah who is also called Her verse 14. were Embassadours from the godly Jews in Babylon and brought their gists as Junius thinketh I cannot affirm But that they were the same with Daniel Shadrach Meshach and Abednego as the Jews and Hierom tell us I do not beleeve Josiah seemeth to be the Hoste to the other three as Gaius was to St. Paul and other good people Though some think rather he was either treasurer for the Temple or else a gold-smith and one that could make crowns Calvin conjectures from the fourteenth verse where it is said that the crowns shall be to these men for a memoriall that being men of authority they were deeply guilty of infidelity and impatiency because they â—aw not a present performance of the promises they were discontented themselves and discouraged others Ye have need of patience saith the Apostle to those short spirited Hebrews chap. 10.36 who found it more easie to suffer evil thento wait for the promised good and come thou the same day Either the same day these men came from Babylon Or the self-same day that the Lord spake to the Prophet is hee commanded to go not to put it off a day longer for the people needed a speedy and hasty comfort No sooner had God prepared the people but the thing was done suddenly as 2 Chron. 29.36 No sooner were they ripe but he was ready He is a God of judgement a wise God that knowes when to deal forth his favours As till then he waits to be gracious Esay 30.18 His fingers itch to be doing good in his good pleasure to Sion as the mothers breasts ake when now it is time the child had suck He exalteth the lowly he filleth the hungry with good things When once David is poor and needy God will make no tarriance Psal 40.17 when his soul is even as a weaned child then he shall have the kingdom Psal 131.2 Verse 11. Make crowns Two saith Piscator one of gold for the Kingly dignity another of silver for the Priesthood Three saith A Lapide who makes it a type as of Christs threefold office so of the Popes triple crown which later relateth rather to Prides picture drawn by the old Romanes with three crowns on her head On the first whereof was in scribed Transcendo on the second Non obedio on the third Perturbo Danaeus thinks it likely by the 14. verse that here were foure crowns made according to the number of the foure persons here mentioned that brought in the gold and silver Ribera will have it to be all but one crown made of both metalls and called crowns for the greatnesse of it Chald. vertit Facies coronam magnam as Wisdomes for singular wisdome Pro. 1. Behemoth Beasts for an huge beast Iob 40. The Verb singular tihieh ver 14. seemes most to favour this conceit of his But in Hebrew the singular is oft put for the
this it was reinhabited for that bloody Herod that slew the Infants was borne there being sirnamed Ascalonita and at this day it is a strong garison of the Saracens Saladine pulled down the walls of it but our Richard the first set them up again as Adrichomius telleth us out of Gul. Tyrius Verse 6. But a bastard shall dwell at Ashdod Perhaps he meaneth Alexander In descripâ— Tur. sanâ— who was a bastard by his mother Olympia's confession The Greek here hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a stranger an alien or one of another generation as the Greeks under Alexander and afterwards the Jews under the Maccabees Whence the Chaldee turnes this Text thus The house of Israel shall dwell in Ashdod and shall be there as strangers which have no father In the Acts we find that the Jewes were scattered up and down Palestina and some found at Azotus or Ashdod chap. 8.40 and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines that is their wealth strength and whatsoever else they gloried in and grew insolent and injurious to the Church Verse 7. And I will take away his blood out of his mouth That is his bloody prey for saith Aben-Ezra these Philistines did according to the salvage custome of those times eat of the flesh and drink of the blood of their slain enemies and I will keep them from devouring my people any more and his abominations Hoc est praedas abominabiles saith Calvin his abominable spoils his bloody robberies and pillages and he that remaineth The small remnant of Jews not yet altogether devoured by these cruell Canniballs the Babylonians Philistines and other enemies even he shall be for our God Though they be but an Hee a small poor company of them yet God will both own them and honour them and he shall be as a governour in Iudah They shall all be Magnifico's little Princes of high rank and dignity even as Governours in Iudab God will honour them in the hearts of all men See chap. 12.8 and Ekron as a Iebusite i. e. either slain or slave and tributary I know this Text is otherwise expounded by Iunius and others but I now like this Interpretation as most proper Verse 8. And I will encamp about mine house Though it be otherwise but ill fenced and fortified yet I will see it safegarded and secured from the inrodes and incursions of enemies who are ranging up and down and not onely robbing but ravishing Psal 10.9 For what was Alexander but an Arch-pirate a strong theef as the Pirate whom he had taken told him to his teeth And whether here be intimated by these words because of him that passeth by and him that returneth something of Alexanders voyages who passed by Judaea into Egypt and to Ammons Oracle with his Army and thence returned to Persia by the same way not hurting the Jewes or something about the many expeditions of the Seleucidae and Lagedae to and fro from Egypt to Syria and back again among which hurly-burly the Jewes State stood fast though sometime a little shaken I dare not say saith a learned Interpreter It may be both those and all other the like dangers are here generally comprized and no oppressour shall passe thorow them any more Chald. No Sultan not the Turkish tyrant Lord of Greece as verse 13. say those that take the text of the Jew glorious state at last Calvin thinkes that by this clause he only expounds what he had figuratively said before Danaeus takes it of violence and oppression among themselves or of wringing and vexing by their own rulers they shall be free from violence both abroad an at home for now have I seen with mine eyes i. e. I have taken good notice of it I have seen I have seen as Exod. 3.7 and mine eye hath affected mine heart I have well observed that the enemy is grown unsufferably insolent and therefore come to rescue and relieve my people The Chaldee hath it thus I have now revealed my power to do them good Ahen-Ezra makes these to be the Prophets words of himself q. d. I have seen all this in a manifest vision But this is frigidum imo insulsum saith Calvin and odd conceit unlesse we refer it with Montanus to the following words and make this the sense which yet I like not so well Behold I see in the spirit with the eyes of my mind the Lord Christ comming and entring with state the city and temple Verse 9. Rejoyce greatly O daughter of Zion Draw all thy waters with joy out of this welspring of salvation Loe here is the summ of all the good news in the world Ier. 31.12 and that which should make the saints everlastingly merry even to shouting and singing in the height of Zion that their king commeth This should swallow up all discontents and make them sing Hosanna in the highest Blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord. behold thy King commeth Not Zorobabel or Judas Maccabeus as some Jewes interpret it nor yet Alexander the Great as some others but a greater then he even Messiah the Prince as Christ is stiled Dan. 9.25 who shall cut off the charret c. as it followeth in the next verse yea all the 4 charret or Monarchies as some expound chap. 6. how much more Tyrus Gaza Ekron Damascus c. of which he spake before in this chapter unto thee i. e. meerely for thy behoof and benefit and not for his own Other kings are much for their own profit pleasures pomp c. Christ emptied himself of all his excellencies that we might be filled with his fulnesse he is just and having salvation That he may justifie thee by his righteousnesse and save thee by his merit and spirit The Vulgar rendreth it Iust and a Saviour so doth the Chaldee Salvation properly denotes the negative part of mans happinesse freedome from all evils and enemies but it is usually taken for the positive part also viz. fruition of all good because it is easier to tell from what then unto what we are saved by Jehovah our righteousnesse lowly Or poor afflicted abject See them set together Zeph. 3.12 and Phil. 4.12 I have learned to want and to be abased Poverty rendreth a man contemptible and ridiculous Pauper ubique jacet men go over the hedge where it is lowest the poor are trampled upon and vilipended as Luke 16.30 This thy Son he scorned to call him brother because he was poor Now Christ became poor to make us rich 2 Cor. 8. Rom. 2.7 a worm and no man nullificamâ—n populi as Tertullian phraseth it that we might be advanced to glory and honour and immortality Neither was he more low and mean in his estate then lowly and meek in mind as farr from pride and statelinesse as as his state was from Pomp and magnificence riding upon an asse A poor silly beast used by the meaner sort of people yea upon a colt the foale of an asse Heb. asses
penally 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And why She is become the habitation of devils that is of idols See Rev. 9.20 1 Cor. 10.20 Verse 3. Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds Pastores Impostores the greedy priests and false prophets main causes of the captivity because through their default there was no knoledge nor fear of God in the land Esay 5.13 Hos 4.6 7. See Ier. 23.1 Ezek. 34.1 and I punished the goats The Grandees and Governours temporall and Ecclesiasticall See Ezek. 34.17 They should have been as the hee-goats before the flock Ier. 50.8 worthy Guides to God But they were goats in another sence unruly and nasty and lascivious as those two filthy fellows for instance whom for their adultery the kind of Babylon roasted in the fire Ier. 29.22 and such as begat kids of their own kind men of their own make and went before them in wickednesse as the goats lead the flocks for the Lord of hosts Better to read it but the Lord of hosts c. And this is spoken for the comfort of those that called upon God and abhorred Idols and Idol-shepherds that were in speciall covenant with him and therefore owned by him as his flock or peculiar charge Now to such he promiseth to feed them as him sheep and to furnish them as his horse for service his goodly warre-horse mainly respected by his Master as Bucephalus was by Alexander Plin. l. 8. c. 41. This may in part be understood of the Maccabees victories but principally of the Apostles those white horses upon which they rode thorow the world conquering and to conquer Rev. 6.2 Saint Paul is fitly compared to that war-horse in Job chap. 39.20 whose neck is clothed with thunder and the glory of his nostrils is terrible He mocketh at fear and turneth not back from the sword He goeth on to meet the armed man and swalloweth the ground with fiercenesse and rage c. Verse 4. Out of him came forth the corner Angulus not Angelus as some Vulgar Latine translations have it and A Lapide justly finds fault with it Chap. 35. A like fault Surius and Caranza his fellow-popelings are content to wink at nay to defend in the Laodicene Councell because it makes for their Angel-worship For whereas the Councell truely saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christians must not pray to Angels They make the words to be Non oportet Christianos ad angulos congregationes facere Christians ought not hold their meetings in corners and they make the title say the same thing but is this fair dealing thus to falsifie antiquity for their own ends and to maintain their own errours As for the Text. Out of his came forth c. That is Out of Judah shall be had all things necessary both at home and here the Prophet proceeds from the foundation to the nails or fastening of the house together and abroad both for the mastering of the enemy by the Battle-bowe c. and the making of him tributary for Out of him shall come every exactour sc Of homage and tribute as the fruit of their victory Danaeus senceth it thus Out of Judah shall go every oppressour which did vex his people before God driving him forth Verse 5. And they shall be as mighty men Or as Giants as Gabriels they shall be strong in the Lord Ruth 2.11 and in the power of his might they shal do worthily in Ephratas and be famous in Bethlehem their bow shall abide in strength and the armes of their hands be made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob from thence is the shepheard the stone of Israel Plutarch Gen. 49.24 If it could be said of Mithridates a meer Atheist that he never wanted any courage nor counsel how much of Gods warriours such as Iudas Maccabeus especially Messiah the Prince who treads down his enemies as the mire of the streets setting his feet in their necks and making them to be found liars unto him that is to yeeld him at least a forced and fained subjection and they shall sight because the Lord is with them This is enough to make them fight up to the knees in blood that they have God to stand by them not onely as a spectatour or Agonotheta though that 's somwhat dogs and other baser creatures will fight lustily when their masters are by and to set them on but as a Captain of the Lord Hosts as Christ is called and a Coadjutor a Champion a man of war Exod. 15.3 Yea he alone is a whole army of men he is Van and Reiâ—e both Isai 52.12 The shields of the earth belong to him the Militia of the world is his Psal 47.9 he hath magnleh choloth and matteh choloth as the Rabbins well observe armies both above and beneath as his horse and foot to fight for him people and the riders on horses shall be confounded As they were in the conquest of Canaan where the enemies had horses and chariots when the Israelites had neither as Origâ—n observeth and as they were in all Davids wars and the rest of the victorious kings of Israel who according to the Law Deut. 17.16 made no use of horses but said An horse is but a vain thing for battel c. God takes no delight in the strength of an horse and ever fought on foot with singular successe So did the Maccabees Zisca and after his the Bohemians the English in France at the battle of Spurres so the battle of Terwin was called in Henry the eighth his time from the French posting away to save their lives Spied 1000. Verse 6. A Lapide And I will strengthen the house of Judah Robustos as quasi Gabricles efficiam See Chap. 12.8 Esay 10.34 See verse 5. of this chapter The Saints shall be strengthened with all migh according to his glorious power Col. 1.11 at the Resurrection especially when Christ shall change their vile bodies and make them like unto his glorious body in strength agility beauty c. The bodies of the Saints saith Luther shall have that power as to tosse the greatest mountains in the world like a ball Auselme saith such as they shall be able to shake the whole earth at their pleasure Our Saviour saith that they shall be as the Angels of God Luk. 20.36 more like spirits then bodies while they are here In quiet and confidence is their strength Esay 30.15 and again in the same chapter verse 7. their strength is to sit still They expected much strenght from Egypt but the Prophet tells them that by siting still and waiting for the salvation of God by faith they shall have an Egypt Heb. 11.34 and better out of weaknesse they should be made strong wax valiant in fight turn to flight the armies of the aliens as the Maccabees did and as Michael and his Angels Rev. 12. the noble Army of the Apostles who were more then Conquerours and Martyrs who tired their tormentours and laughed at
not of the head the wife must not usurp authority over her husband nor yet of the foot she may not be trampled upon or disregarded as an underling A bone not of any anterior part she is not â—raelaâ—a preferred before the man neither yet of any hinder-part she is not postposita set behind the man but a bone of the side of the middle of the indifferent part to shew that she is thy companion and the wife of thy covenant A bone she is from under the arm to put man in mind of protection and defence to the woman A bone not far from his heart to put him in mind of dilection and love to the woman Neither can the rib challenge any more of her then the earth can do of him And as he was ignorant when himself was made so he knew as little when his second-self was made out of him both that the comfort might be greater then was expected as also that he might not upbraid his wife with any great dependance or obligation he neither willing the work nor suffering any pain to have it done Shine she must with the beams of her husband Share she must with him in his masterly government of the family as Sarah did with Abraham by Gods allowance Gen. 16. and as the Roman Ladies were wont to say to their husbands Vbi tu Caius ibi ego Caia where you are Lord I am Lady That over-lordly carriage of husbands towards their wives and that usage of them as drudges is condemned by the Heathen Philosophers in the very Barbarians themselves as a great ataxy and disorder in the family and the wife of thy covenant And is it nothing to be covenant-breaker with a wife especially where God also is ingaged as above said Foedus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab eadem radice perform your trust make good the troth you have plighted Otherwise if the fruits of the flesh grow out of the trees of your hearts surely Ser. of Rep. p. 70. surely saith Master Bradford Martyr the devil is at inne with you you are his birds whom when he hath well fed he will broach you and eat you chaw you and champ you world without end in eternall wo and misery Verse 15. And did not he make one Another forcible argument against Polygamy and adultery See our Saviours explanation of it Mat. 19.4 5 6. with the Notes there The onely wise God made but one woman for one man at the first creation and ordained that those two should be one flesh two in one flesh not three or four or as many wives as a man is able to maintain as among the Turks who as a just hand of God upon them are grievously vexed with jealousie not suffering their women to go to Church nor so much as look out at their own windows Bâ—unt 106. Or if they go abroad upon any occasion they must go muffled all but the eyes Sardus tells us that the old Brittains would ten or twelve of them take one woman to wife Belike women were rare commodities with them As likewise men were in Judaea when seven women took hold of one man saying We will eat our own bread and wear our own apparrel onely let us be called by thy name to take away our reproach Esay 4.1 That is we will maintain our selves and thee onely be thou an husband to us and let us have children by thee yet had he the residue of the spirit Or breath so that he could as easily have made more and breathed into their faces the breath of life And although it is not said of the woman that God breathed into her the breath of life as of Adam whence Tertullian concludes that she had both body and soul too from Adam yet Austin rightly gathereth that their souls were both alike imbreathed by God 10. Lib sup Genes Otherwise the scripture would not have been silent in it no more then it is in the new manner of the creation of her body Thence also it is that Adam saith not This is soul of my soul but bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh Gen. 2.23 Souls are not propagated by the Parents but created of God and joined to the body by an occult operation Augustine following Origen held the contrary for a long time At length he began to doubt and after a while changed his opinion Hierom stoutly defending the contrary against him Aristotle also understood the truth hereof and concluded that the soul was divine and came from above and. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lib. 2. c. 9. de gen anim though of nothing yet is it made a matter more excellent then the matter of the heavens in nature not inferiour to the Angels An abridgement it is of the invisible world as the body is of the visible And why may we not say that the soul as it came from God being divinae particula aurae so it is like him One immateriall immortall understanding spirit distinguisht into three powers which all make up one Spirit In this respect it is said Gen. 9.6 that in the image of God made he man There is a double image of God in the soul One in the substance of it this is never lost and of this that text is to be understood The other is the supernaturall grace which is an image of the knowledge holinesse and righteousnesse of God and this is utterly lost and must be recovered This the ancient Heathens hammered at when they fained that the soul once had wings but those being broken it fell head long into the body where when it hath recovered it's wings it flies up to heaven again That was very good counsell given by a godly man to his friend not to busie his brains so much in enquiring how the soul entred into the body as how it may depart comfortably out of the body And seeing the soul is more excellent then the body saith another grave Divine like as Jacob laid his right hand upon the younger but his left upon the elder so our best care and the strength of our thoughts should be for the soul younger as much as it is then the body they should be but left-hand thoughts for the body and wherefore one that he might seek a godly seed Heb. a seed of God not a bastardly brood a spurious issue a Mamzer as the Hebrews call such that is labes aliena a strange blot a seed of the adulterer and the whore Esay 57.3 but such as God appointeth and approveth such as may be holy with a federall holinesse at least if not sanctified from the womb as some have been and are lastly 1 Cor. 7.14 such as in and by whom the Church and religion may be propagated and not idolatry spread and increased therefore take heed to your spirit that is to your wife which is the residue of your spirit keep and cherish her so Remigius and Lyra interpret it
self as is above said it noteth out also 1. all that is or can be known concerning God by the reasonable creatour * Rom. 1.19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as are his essentiall Attributes communicable and incommunicable Indeed they are all incommunicalbe to speak properly and as the thing is for they are infinitely otherwise in God then thy are in the creature in whom they are only by some 〈◊〉 resemblance and proportion These are his Simplenes Infinitenes Life Love Wisdome Power Holinesse Justice Goodnesse c. All which are but one in God for whatsoever is in God is God they are distinguished only for our better apprehension the Lord speaking to us of these things as divers one from another only in regard of our shallow capacities And this truth though we cannot so well comprehend yet we are bound to beleeve n Philip. 3.12 Credise vult Deus non examinari non judicari Aug. Our safest eloquence concerning God is our silence Hooker Deus sphaera est cujus centrum ubique peripheria nusquam Empedocles though we cannot subdue it to our understandings yet we must strive to be subdue unto it Here then think of God as one not to be thought of as one whose wisdome is his justice whose justice is his power whose power is his mercy and all himself Good without quality great without quantity everlasting without time present every where without place contayning all things and yet sustayn'd of nothing And here the well is deep and we want a bucket o Joh. 4.11 A wise ignorance therefore in these high points is better then a foolish wisdome It is sufficient here that we be of Gods Court thogh we be not of his Councel * We cansee but his back-parts and live and we need see no more that we may live But secondly Gods Name as it notes out the properties of God so his Ordinances also I mean all these means whereby he is pleased to manifest himself unto the world As 1. his works whether common to the world as Creation and providence the making and maintyning of all things by both which he may be groped out p Act. 17 27. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Apostle speaketh in the dark or rather he is made visible q Rom. 1.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We cannot see the Sun in rota as the School-men speak that is in the eircle wherein it runs but only the beams of it No more can we see God in his essence you may see him in his word in his works c. Preston of Gods Attributes as the same Apostle saith elsewhere to the dimmest eye as the beams of the Sun are by reflection or as letters refracted and broken in a pair of spectacles And here in contemplating these generall works of God remember to tast the sweetnesse of God in the creature and to delight thy self more in a spirituall then in a naturall use of the same Secondly those works are Gods Name that are more proper and peculiar to the Church such as are Predestination Redemption Justification Sanctification c. Precious blessings and never enought thought upon and admired no though we should think upon nothing else all the dayes of our lives nay as long as the dayes of heaven shall last as that Martyr once said These are the works of God Secondly his word r Act. 9.15 Mal. 1.9 7 11 12 Micah 4.5 and all other means of salvation as the Sacraments Prayer discipline c. with whatsoever belongeth else to Christian religion is comprised under this Name of God Her 's a large field then of matter you see wherein you may freely and fruitfully expatiate and feed your thoughts with these sweetest varieties and most necessary pleasant profitable and excellent objects And to them that think upon these good things shall be mercy and truth ſ Prov. 14.22 SECT IX 2. For the manner of doing this duty well both for substance and circumstance BUt then secondly see as wel to the manner as matter of your meditaion For it is the manner that makes or marrs every action of religion and as a good garment may be marr'din the making so may a good duty in the doing The rules here to be observed if we would do this good work well concerne 1. the circumstances 2. substance of this service The circumstances are time and place For the time first there must be a taking heed lest at any time there be in us an evill heart of unbeleef to depart away from the living God t Heb. 3.12 But besides a continuall care of keeping alwayes a good conscience and communion with God and of raysing up the heart by occasionall meditation taken up from matters ever where occurring and offering themselves to our senses that may minde us of God as the spirituall mans fire will ever be aspiring Nehemiah u Neh. 2.2 for instance that man of ejaculations and much acquaintance with God But besides this I say there must be a set and solemn thinking upon Gods Name on sett purpose all the powers of the soul being concentricke and drawn into one point that we may attend upon God all the while as near as may be without distraction x 1 Cor. 7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And therefore I should judge it fit that some convenient portion of time should be redeemed from other occasions and purposely allotted and appointed for the better and more thorough discharge of this most necessary but yet much neglected duty Secondly for the place where we meditate let it be retired and secret for the preventing of distraction which else will certainly grow upon us by the singular policy and malice of the devil who taking all advantages of our carnality and knowing how near and familiar earthly things are to our senses how remote and supernaturall heavenly things y Prov. 24.7 he labours therefore all he can by outward objects to distract and divide * Divide regna Machia Anima dispersa fit minor the faculties of the soul by uncomely motions and impertinent thoughts so to slaken the earnestnesse of our affections and bereave us if possible of the benefit of our best meditations Retire we therefore into some secret place whensoever wee would meditate Peter did it upon the leads z Acts 10.9 Isaac in the field a Gen. 24 63 David in his closet b Psal 4.4 Jacob upon the high-way to Mesopotamia c Gen. 21.12 to whom therefore so good a day was followed with so sweet a night For he saw the blessed Angels climbing up and down that sacred ladder at the top whereof is the Father the whole length whereof is the Son the Spirit firmly fastning all such thereunto as duely meditated that they may bee transported unto blisse eternall Now in the next place for the substance of this duty let it be done in manner and form following First cheerfully for God
away his stomack as he did also for 40. dayes together in the mount of God In a word the Lord of hosts hath a thousand means ready and at hand to provide for his people his strength and wisdome ever busieth and bestirreth it self for their comfort The Lord saith Peter who had tried it knowes how to preserve his own 2 Pet 2.9 Phil. 4.12.13 1 King 22. Heb. 11. Act. 7. and to deliver the godly out of temptation And I can do all through Christ that strengtheneth me saith Paul whether it be to be full or to be hungry to abound or to be abased A beleever walks about the world like a Conquerour as Michaiah did after he had seen the Lord on his throne with all the host of heaven about him So Moses after he had by faith seen him that is invisible and Steven after he had seen the son of man on the right hand of God Angels authorities and powers being made subject unto him 1 Pet. 3.22 And as in temporall so in spirituall regards also this holds true for the soul and inward man of the heart much distressed many times by wicked spirits in high places Ephe. 6.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 about our interest in heavenly priviledges 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 De Xerxis exercitu Aristi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 1.19.2 Cor. 12 9 Luke 22.31 Rev. 12.8 11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom 8 37 They have the upper ground of us which is no small advantage they assault us out of the air and there-hence buffet and batter us with their fiery darts so called for the dolour and distemper they work in us like a fire in the flesh and the likest hell of any thing with the haile-shot hell-shot of their temptations But God succours us by the supplies of his spirit and by the visible ministry of his angels as he did our Saviour in his agony and after his great temptations His grace is sufficient for us his strength made perfect in our weaknesse The serpents head is broke his work dissolved his trenches thrown down and himself driven out of the field by the Captain of our salvation the author and finisher of our faith who hath also prayed that our faith fail not even at such times as Satan desires to have us as a challenger Goliath-like desires to have one of the other side to combate with Michael and his angels have disarmed and driven out the dragon and his angels they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb yea the saints do overcome or are more then conquerours because through faith in Christ they overcome before they fight they are sure of victory aforehand And although Satan is said to make warre upon the Saints and to overcome them Revel 13.7 yet this is but spoken according to humane conceit and in regard of outward persecutions But thanks be to God who maketh us alwayes to triumph through Christ 2 Cor. 2.14 The gates of hell shall not prevail against us that is Mat. 16.18 all the power and policy of hell combined for in the gates sate the Elders to consult in time of peace and at the gates was planted the best munition in time of warre Impostours should deceive if it were possible the very Elect as that third part of the stars of heaven but that cannot be Object not here that Satan with a full mouth as a fell Lion roars upon you Obj and threatens to ruin you It is a Spanish Proverb The Lion is not so fierce as he is painted Sol. Satan in sidiis tanquam Leo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 5 8. Christus insub sidiis tanquam Leo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thes 1.10 Obj. Rev. 12.15 Draco multis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Scaligero 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quia animal venenatum homini infestū Sol. Rom. 16.20 Colos 2.15 1 Cor. 15.55 1 Joh. 4 nor is the Devil so powerfull 〈◊〉 he makes himself well he may shake his chain at us but he cannot set his fangs in us well he may nibble at the heel but he cannot hurt us in the head He that is born of God keepeth himself and that wicked One toucheth him not that is Tactu qualitative saith Cajetan with a deadly touch Besides Christ is a Lion also even the Lion of the Tribe of Judah the victorious Tribe that can out-roar Satan and easily over-master him As for thee that humblest thy self at his feet for mercy assure thy self he will never trample on the yeelding prey Oh but Satan is not onely a Lion but a dragon hee not onely roars but spets poyson yea spews out of his mouth floods of venemous and violent temptations yea he is a great red dragon colour'd and died red as it were with the blood of souls he hath swallowed and besides he hath seven heads to plot and ten horns to push me into the pit of perdition Rev. 12.3 True all this but Mi-ca-el who is as the strong God Christ our onely Michael hath with his sore and great and terrible sword punished Leviathan that crooked piercing serpent and slain the dragon that is in the sea Esay 27.1 Under our feet he will tread him shortly as he hath done already under his own triumphing over him on the crosse with Death where 's thy sting hell where 's thy victory To be brief The Lamb with his two horns can do more then the dragon with his ten Stronger is he that is in you then he that is in the world Christ is that stronger man that casts out the strong man armed out of his castle and spoils his goods Oh but he hath so strongly entrenched himself in my heart Obj by a herd of base lusts and a frame of evil thoughts that he will hardly ever out if at all The weapons of our warfare are not carnall Sol. but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong-holds or trenches casting down imaginations and every thing that exalts it self against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10.4 5. Christs Ministers are called his white horses whereon he rides about the world conquering Rev. 6.2 and to conquer And although for their persons they be mean and contemptible yet their message and ministery is that power of God to salvation Rom. 1.16 Luk. 10 which the Devil cannot stand before Our Saviour saw Satan falling as lightning from the heaven of mens hearts when the Apostles were abroad preaching the Gospel We preach Christ crucified saith St. Paul unto the Jews a stumbling-block and to the Gentiles foolishnesse But unto them that are called both Jews and Greeks Christ the power of God and the wisdome of God 1 Cor. 1.22 23. And a verse or two before It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that beleeve As unlikely a means in the worlds eye to do such a feat as the blowing of rams horns to over-turn
but not given me up to death The plowers plowed upon my back but thou hast cut asunder their traces and provide liberally for them in the land of their captivitie as he did for Ezekiel Daniel and others he will be a little sanctuary unto them there and supplie the defect of all other comforts Or if he call them to higher sufferings he will give them an higher spirit if he free them not from the common destruction yet certainly from the common distraction If they resist unto blood yea unto losse of life yet in the midst of death they shall live conquer and raigne For blessed are they that dye in the Lord especially if withall they dye for the Lord for they shall rest from their labours rest in their beds each-one walking in his uprightnesse Esay 57.3 Heb. 4 There remaineth then a rest unto the people of God an eternall Sabbatisme such a day as knowes no evening or end or toile of travell that great Sabbath-day that comprehends and accomplishes all the Sabbaths of the law These were first the weekly Sabbaths wherein they rested from their week-day labours Secondly the seven-yeares-sabbath for every seventh yeare the ground also rested from tillage and manuring Thirdly the fifty-yeares-sabbath for every seventh seventh year was a year of Jubilee And then all debts were remitted all prisoners released and all mortgages restored to their right inheritours Heaven involves all these And that great day of the Resurrection when God shall chiefly make up his Jewels and redeeme Israel out of all her troubles called therefore the day of Redemption of the purchased possession for Gods peculiar Rom. 8.21 Psal 16.11 Rev. 3.21 2 Tim. 4.8 Rev. 2.26 2 Pet. 3.13 Heb. 12.22 Psal 16 9 10 11. 17. ult Rom. 8.19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a bird out of a cage as longing for liberty or as a prisoner out of a grate looking for a pardon or as one out of a turret expecting his friends coming the people of his purchase This day I say shall set Gods people at rest from their labours and the creatures which now lye bed-ridden as it were waiting the good houre at rest from all their burdens and bondages into the glorious Jubilee of the children of God Who shall then have all their wrongs righted all their sins pardoned debts discharged bonds cancelled graces perfected desires satisfied and that heavenly inheritance mortgaged in paradise and long since forfeited shall be then restored Where they shall be possesed of all the pleasures at Gods right hand seated as Princes in thrones of Majesty crowned with diadems of immarcessible glory having power over all creatures and plenary possession of that now heaven and that new earth wherein dwelleth righteousnesse Beholding and being filled with the vision and fruition of Gods glorious presence amidst a world of blessed angels and crowned saints even all the court of heaven who shall joyfully meet and welcome them Oh let the forethought of those unutterable varieties felicities eternities lighten our spirits smooth our countenances and chear up our hearts as it did Davids and doth all the servants of God who with stretcht out necks look up long after and even hasten that happy day crying all with one minde and with one mouth Come Lord Jesus come quickly and exhaling their broken spirits in continuall sallies and egressions of love affecting not only a union but a unity with Christ SECT X. Reproof of forwardnesse and saintheartednesse in affliction SEcondly will the Lord indeed finde a set time to free his poor people of all their sorrowes and sufferings this then serves sharply to reprove that impatiency and shortnesse of spirit found in not a few of Gods dearest Jewels who because they are vilipended and undervalued by the blind world who know not the price of a heavenly Jewel and for that they are trode under foot for a time by these swine and slurried with the mire of their contempt and cruelty are drawn thereupon one while to fret and another while to faint begin to be out of all heart and hope of a better condition and to make against themselves these or the like desperate conclusions Surely I shall never winde out of these disgraces and distresses Esay 38.15 I shall go softly all my yeers in the bitternesse of my soul My state is past recovery I never look to see joyfull day more Abraham had a spice of this disease when he could enjoy nothing because he wanted one thing Gen. 15. 1 2. But Iacob was farr over-gone with it when together with his wife Rachel he refused to be comforted Gen. 37.35 and would needs go down into the grave unto his son Ioseph mourning as if all his merry dayes were past So the children of Iacob in Egypt Exod. 6.9 that could not take comfort in the sweet words of Moses and Aaron for the greatnesse of their oppressions The eare that tryeth words as the mouth doth meat Psal 34. was so imbittered with their extreme bondage that they could not relish any thing nor tast how good and sweet the Lord was This was Iobs fault when he cursed his day and the consolations of God were small unto him Elias also wisht himself dead in a passion and wist not that he was to be carried up ere long in a fiery charret And what can we say for David when he repented him of his repentance Psal 73.13 and another time said I shall surely fall one day by the hand of this same Saul notwithstanding Gods promise to me of the kingdome 1 Sam. 27.1 Gen. 25.32 Were it not better for me to save one Behold I am going to dye and what profit shall this birth-right do to me and to shift for my self by flying to the Philistines 1 Sam. 27.1 Psal 116.11 then by ' biding longer here to hazard my life upon the hopes of a kingdome being a mere uncertainty sith all men are liars not the Prophets themselves excepted Thus he in hast And thus the whole Church upon as little good advice Lam. 3.18 19. I said my strength and my hope is perished from the Lord Remembring mine affliction and my misery the wormwood and the gall Lam. 3.18 19 Lam. 4.22 Fidei murus tentationem ariete durius aliquantò pulsatus concussus facilè nutare acruinam minari incipit nisi divinitus sustentetur Bucholc Psal 43.7 This made her desperately conclude the book But thou hast utterly rejected us thou art very wroth against us And the very truth is the best faith long tried will something flag and hang the wing The best minds when troubled yeeld inconsiderate motions as water that is violently stirred sends up bubbles Adoò nihil est in nobis magni saith One quod non queat minui But for this we must take up our selves roundly and chide our hearts out of these distempers with Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me Why
their immortall happinesse 2 Cor. 4. ult yet from glory to glory they shall be transformed and translated till at length they become like the Ancient of dayes It doth noâ— yet appear saith Saint John what wee shall bee hence the world so much mistaketh and misuseth us but we know that when he shall appear we shall bee like him in the quality of our glory though not in an equality 1 Joh. 3.2 For we shall shine as the most radiant Jewels and Jaspers Rev. 21.11 Nay that 's not all we shall shine as the firmament with its glittering furniture Dan. 12.3 nay as the Sun in his strength Mat. 13.43 nay like Christ the Sun of righteousness Col. 3.4 And this 1. In regard of our souls which shall be filled with knowledge wisdome purity as the ayr is with light 1 Cor. 13.11 Moses and Elias appeared in the transsiguration Luke 9.31 and conferred with Christ concerning his death the mystery whereof they understood far better now then when they were in the flesh 2. In regard of our bodies which though now muddy and massy shall then shine as transparent-glasse Rev. 21.11 or clearest chrystall partly from the glory about them and partly from the spirit within them as a lanthorne shines from the candle put into it being clarified from all dregs fashioned like Christs most glorious body the standard in respect of incorruption and immortality beauty and brightnesse grace and favour strength Ecclesia in fine saeculi expectat quod in Christi corpore praemonstratum est Aug. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vbi tu Caius ibi ego Caia 1 Cor. 3.21 22 and nimblenesse majesty and such Angelicall excellency as shall render them rather like heavenly spirits then earthly bodies for the surpassing glory that shall be put upon them Lastly for our totum compositum the whole person together considered Every true Christian is the spouse of the Lamb and so actually invested into his dignity and made partaker of his glory For Vxor fulget radiis mariti it 's a Maxim in the civil law the wife shines with the beams of her husband and whatever he hath she hath all is in common between them so that as Luther saith there is nothing differenceth man and wife but sex onely Think the same to be true in the mysticall marriage betwixt Christ and his people All is yours because you are Christs His treasures riches beauty glory power kingdome all is yours so farre as you are capable For you shall bee next unto Christ Luk. 22.30 yea one with Christ Joh. 17.21 even as He and the Father are one and so above the most glorious Angels for are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to them that shall be heirs of salvation Heb. 1.14 Bucan loc coâ—n p. 76. This according to some the devil and his black guard once bright Angels could not brook or bring their hearts to and therefore fell through envy and malice to the known truth Joh. 8.48 from their first estate and left their own habitation to dwell in darknesse rather then they would endure to honour such a Mordecai as man a clod of clay a bag of wind so poor a thing merely made up of soul and soil of breath and body a puff of wind the one a pile of dust the other nay now since the fall a very mixture and compound of dirt and sinne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But whether the devil will or no the Church shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needle-work the virgins her companions also shal be brought unto him With gladnesse and rejoycing shall they be brought they shall enter into the kings palace and be set on his right hand a place of dignity and safety in whose presence is fulnesse of joy and at whose right hand there are pleasures for evermore Psal 45.14 15 9. Psal 16. vlt. For quality ther 's joy and gladnesse for quantity a fulnesse of both for certainty at Gods right hand and for perpetuity for evermore SECT VI. It shall be far otherwise with the wicked NOw for Application this in the first place Vse 1 is no good newes to the wicked that persecute Gods people and cast dirt on his Jewels to hear that they shall one day be so dearly acknowledged and highly honoured by the God of heaven For as in a pair of buckets when the one is at well top the other is down at bottom as when David grew stronger and stronger the house of Saul waked weaker and weaker and as Mordecaies rise was Hamans downfal so when God shall make up his Jewels he shall put away the wicked of the earth as drosse and of-scouring and when soever he doth best to his chosen Psal 119.119 then doth he worst of all to reprobates This is so constant a thing with God that could we but go as far back with the feet of our mindes as Gods decrees and then come hand in hand with him again and view all his particular acts of Execution we should soon see that when he is chusing the one he is refusing the other when he is redeeming one he is renouncing another when he is comforting one he is terrifying another when he is converting the one he is hardning the other when he is rewarding one he is revenging another when he is quickning one he is killing another when saving one he is damning another And yet all his works are holy and just and good though he do not alwayes as often he doth give a reason of his proceedings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Job 33.13 This day of the Lord here mentioned in the text wherein God shall mercifully make up his Jewels as it shall be to them a day of light life liberty prosperity and victory Chap. 4.1 2 3. so shall it be to the wicked a day of blacknesse and darknesse for it shall burn them as an oven and themselves shal be as stubble whereof neither root nor stalk shall be left untou ht but all turned to ashes in the day that I shall do this saith the Lord under the feet of those that fear my name Then shall the sinners in Sion be afraid horrour shall surprize the hypocrites who shall run away with those sad words in their mouths Who amongst us shall dwell with the devouring fire who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting burnings But whither alasse will they run from him that is every where Esay 33.14 If to the creature a horse is a vain thing for help the Egyptians are men and not God their horses flesh and not spirit c. If to the creatour he doth utterly disclaim and disown them for if any have not the spirit of Christ the same is none of his Rom. 8.9 be he whose he will be These indeed shall be mine saith the Lord of Hosts c. such a good man I know and such a godly woman I know but who are ye Then
Iohn Careles 110.1 When the righteous shine as bright as silver upon the celestiall shelf as that martyr said and surpass us as farr as the lily doth the thorns Cant. 2.2 or as the gold doth the coals in the goldsmiths shop yea they are the throne of Christ Exod. 17.16 his Iewels Mal. 3.17 his ornament Ezek. 7.20 the beauty of his ornament and that set in majesty ib. a royall diadem on the head of Jehovah Esay 62.3 and so they shall one day appear to be though now they do not 1 Ioh. 3.2 it shall be no hard matter to discern them Between the righteous and the wicked Here they are together in the church militant and ever have been Sinners in Sion Isa 33.14 sacrificing Sodomites Isa 1.10 a devill in Christs family Ioh. 13.10 All men have not faith 2 Thess 3.2 all the Lords people are not holy Num. 16.3 that any are 't is just wonder What is man that he should be clean and he which is born of a woman that he should be righteous Iob 15.14 None are so but such as are arraied with that fine white linnen and shining the righteousnesses of the saints Rev. 19.8 that twofold righteousnesse Imputed and Imparted of Justification and of Sanctification See both 1 Cor. 6.11 and seek after both by Christs Merit and Spirit by his Value and Vertue He is Iehovah our righteousnesse Ier. 23.5 and of his fulnesse we all receive Ioh. 1.16 He it is that makes us to differ from the wicked of the world that have hearts full of hell and are ever either hatching cockatrices eggs or at best weaving spiders webbs vanity or villany is their whole practise The best among them would serve god and yet retain their lusts too as Solomon thought he could follow sinfull pleasures and yet keep his wisdome And with such we must converse whiles in this world Tares will be with the wheat goats among the sheep righteous and wicked together God permits it so to be for the glory of his free grace and for the triall and exercise of his people Our care must be the greater for evill men indanger good men as weeds do the corn as bad humours the blood or an infected house the neighbourhood We must resolve as Ioshuah to serve the Lord howsoever because a difference shall be one day set between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not Where we see that not serving of God not sacrificing is a sinne Eccles 9 2. Not robbing onely but the not relieving of the poor was the rich mans ruin Not gluttony onely but overmuch abstinence may overthrow the body Omission of diet breeds diseases so doth omission of duties and makes work for hell or for the Physitian of our souls Let us therefore have grace whereby we may serve God with reverence and godly fear Heb. 12.27 Serve him as old Zachary in his Canticle saith we should do Luke 1.74 75. First out of sense of his dear love in our deliverance by Christ whereinto the deeper we dive the sweeter Servati sumus ut serviamus This will make us love to be his servants Esay 56.7 fervent in spirit serving the Lord Rom. 12.12 Secondly serve him without fear slavish fear serve him with an holy security in full assurance of his gracious assistance and acceptance yea though thorough infirmity we misse or marre his work yet he will spare us Mal. 3.17 Thirdly serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse in all parts and points of duty shew your integrity both for subject and object not picking or chusing ' your work nor sticking at any thing but willing in all things to please God He doth not Gods but his own will that doth no more then himself will Fourthly serve him sincerely in holinesse and righteousnesse before him or as in his presence Set the Lord ever at your right hand look him full in the face approve your hearts and lives unto him do him but eye-service and it sufficeth Fifthly serve him constantly all the dayes of your lives hire your selves to him for terme of life why should you desire to shift or fleet where can you mend your selves either for fairnesse of work or fulnesse of wages Can the son of Iesse give you vineyards c. said Saul to his servants so may God say Can the world do for you as I both can and will if you cleave to me with full purpose of heart Sure it cannot c. FINIS An Alphabeticall Table of all the Principall things contained in this whole WORK A ABstinence Pag. 265 Admonition rejected p. 60 61. the best need it p. 480. Râ—ch 1. admonished by an Hermite p. 321 Adoption the whole Doctrine of it p. 912 913 914 915 916 c. Adultery goeth along with idolatry p. 69 70 71. punished p. 57 664 Affliction is Gods thorn-hedge p. 27. 't is usefull p. 26. humblâ—th us p. 89. teacheth us 90. maketh us pray ib. is Gods vocall instruction to us 377. Comforts under it 385. Difference of afflictions that befall saints and sinners 414 421. Saints are thereby purged 591 592 661 662. tried 593. gratified 593. How to live by faith in affliction 888 889. Despondency under affliction reproved 890. Suffer it patiently 891 892. though not presently delivered 893. Helps thereunto ib. 894. God a Father to his afflicted 928 Alchymy a pick-purse p. 420 Alexander M. meeting the high-priest p. 520 Ambition unsatisfiable p. 422 Amos who p. 221 Amurath 3 stabbed to death p. 579 Angels readily serve the Saints p. 504 537. and why 504. they are our Gardians 512. heavenly spirits c. 537 Anger rash the evil of it p. 326 Antiquity falsified by Papists p. 561 Apostasie p. 67. Apostates 74â— it is very dangerous 178 Apparrell pride in it condemned p. 448 Assurance labour after it p. 153 208. be not unsetled 618 Astrologie judiciary condemned p. 446 Atheists practicall p. 450 B BAal who p. 30. Baalim what 37 B. Babingtons three-leaved book p. 686 Baptisme promised p. 583 Bastards reproached p. 652 Bath of Christs Blood p. 660 Beauty lovely p. 281. stained with evil manners 408 Be Best in worst times and why 695 696 697 698 c. Blasphemy punished p. 676 Blood-guiltinesse wofull p. 406 Borbonius anagrammatized p. 23 Bribery condemned p. 73 354 382 C CAlling of the Gentiles p. 623 Get a lawfull Calling p. 309 Calvins Institutions when and why written p. 273. Calvin belied by A Lapide p. 601 Cardinals pompous creation p. 25 Censure not others harshly p. 936 937 940 Chemarims who p. 446 Children soon corrupted p. 83. unnaturall children 384. degenerate children 642. a fathers huge love to his children 585. Sennacherib why slain by his own sons 399 Church described by her afflictions p. 594. restlesse here 504. is invincible 527 576. is under persecution 594. she shall be delivered 887. onely she must pray for it 888. she is married to Christ 897 hath him for her Head 13 Christ his yoke is