and vnlawfull pleasures Iosa 22. And it is good to cal ofteÌ„ to our minds such examples when we seeme to bée most happy that we may bethinke vs what hath befallen others and what may come vppon vs séeing no man is free from those thinges which are of the nature of man This consideration will make vs to be lesse puffed vpp with present happines and therfore the rather to stay vpon Gods fauourable goodnes 4. He thretneth their munition Fourthly they trusted in their strong Bulwarkes and Fortresses and therefore he adioyneth saying A day of the Trumpet and Alarum ouer the fenced cities and hye towers as though he should say You thinke that your countrie is inuincible and that none can come vnto it But it shall come to passe that yee shall heare the Hornes of your enemies rushing vppon you and not onely abroade in the fieldes but your enemies Trumpets shall sound their Tarra Tantara with a terrible noyse in your best fenced cities and highest towers of your strong holdes and no fortresses can defend you or put back the force of the enemie And surely it is well knowen that it falleth out very miserably with them that haue any hope in fenced places For it commeth too passe for the moste parte that eyther their munition togeather with all their furniture for their warre doe come into their enemies handes whilest they that haue prepared them dare not for feare defende them Or els they become vntoo them like a prison whilest the time of their besieging they fall without vppon the enemies swoorde But within are plagued with hunger sedition noysome and pestifferous stincke and in the ende perishe in moste horrible exile This came too passe vnder Zedechia when the Babylonians did besiege their citie and then after also when it was besieged by the Romanes which when they had taken it made it éeuen with the ground And in these dayes we are not without examples which prooue that vayne is the confidedce of munition Let vs say with Solomon The name of the Lorde is a most strong Tower whether when the iust man fleeth he is cleane without all gunshotte He taketh away all confidence of wisdome and distresse Fifthly they trusting too their wisdome did please themselues wonderfull well in their owne counselles in taking great paines to bring their abordering nations into league with them and by séeking outwarde assistance round about as we may sée in Ieremie he saith therefore And I will bring distresse vpon men they shall walke like blinde men that is I will bring their aboundance into such a streight that all their counselles being shuffled together they shall wander heere and there dash vpoÌ„ euerie thing as theÌ„ that be blinde And least he shoulde séeme to be cruel vniust in threatning these thinges he doeth againe by the way insinuate the cause which is They haue sinned against the Lorde For so he both vpbraideth theÌ„ with the contempt of Gods woord and spoyleth them of all hope because there can be no safetie vnto them against whom God is angry Therefore saith he Their blood shall be poured out like dust that is their enemies shall haue no more regard of their blood then if they straw abroad dust or sand And their fleshe as doung The hebrewe woord is Lechumaei deriued of the same radical that Laechaem commeth of which signifieth bread or meate and therefore some not vnfitly in my iudgement do expound it of the bodies of the delicate fed felowes which were accustomed to paÌ„per theÌ„selues with pleasures and daintie fare and God for the most parte is woont in that sorte to punish those vncleane swine of the Epicures herd that forasmuch as they make their belly and those thinges that belong to it their God they being slain like swine shoulde be throwne away after a shamefull manner or els wanting the rite of burial should become foode to the wilde and cruell beastes Or els being buryed shoulde féede so many more wormes by how much more foggie fatte and grosse their bellyes were That wée may speake nothing of them that being aliue are gnawn with wormes wherof Antiochus Herod Nero and many others are examples the consideration whereof ought to moue vs to forsake the pleasures of the filthy fleshe and to striue or contende to come to heauenly things He â—…eth from them the trust of riches Lastly they trusted in their riches as though they coulde with them redéeme their liues and auoide euery kinde of daunger as rich men are wont to doe and that sometime with betraying their common countrey but the Prophet answereth that their siluer and golde cannot saue them in the day of the wrath of the Lorde For God cannot be pacified with golde which so inflameth the mindes of the enemies that before Golde they thirst for the bloode of them that bee ouercome which selfe same thing Isay in his 13. Chapter threatneth against the Babylonians when hée speaking of the crueltie of the Medes and Persians saieth I will make a man more precious than fine gold yea euen a man more worth than much golde of Ophir But in this place hée addeth All the earth shal be deuowred in the fire of his gelosie Hée compareth the wrath of God vnto fire that he may shew that it should be such as cannot be pacified For he addeth because it shall make a riddance And that a very swift one euen with al the inhabitants of the earth And this is the conclusion of the first Sermon which ought to serue vs vnto this vse that we may learne to bee subiecte to Gods word to feare him and serue him in spirite and trueth by Iesus Christ to whom belongeth all thankes giuing honour glory and power for euer Amen The Contents of the second Chapter HE exhorteth the wicked to repentance that they may escape the punishment 1. 2. The godly to be more zealous 3. Hee comforteth them by telling them of the destruction of theyr enemies vnto the ende of the Chapter The fifth Sermon The text 1 GAther your selues euen gather you O nation not worthy to be loued 2 Before the decree come forth and ye be as chaffe that passeth in a day before the fierce wrath of the Lorde come vpon you and before the day of the Lordes anger come vpon you 3 Seeke ye the Lord al the meeke of the earth which haue wrought his iudgementes seeke righteousnesse seeke lowlynesse if so be that yee may be hid in the day of the Lordes wrath 4 For Azzah shal be forsaken and Ashkelon desolat they shal driue out Ashdod at the noone day and Elkron shall be rooted vp The argument and vse of the second sermon IN the first Sermon the Prophet Zephaniah hath vnto those Iewes that fauoured Idolatrie and superstitioÌ„ denounced from God punishment that eueÌ„ now hanged ouer their heads The second Sermon followeth which being described in this Chapter containeth an exhortation vnto repentance and
it doeth consist wholy of three partes In the first parte hée dealeth with those Hypocrites that outwardly did allow of the reformation but in the meane season did secretly maintaine superstition and speaking more roughly to these he vrgeth them with new threatnings that they might be conuerted vnto the Lorde In the seconde part he commeth vnto the godly which from their heart did consent vnto the word of God that reformation that was established but notwithstanding they being deceiued by the example and familiaritie of others dealt ouer negligently and did from them euery day receiue some vncleannesse The Prophet handleth these more gently and exhorteth them to go about the Lordes businesse with great zeale and that they shoulde not suffer them selues once to be remoued from their duties Last of all for their behoofe hee propoundeth a consolation whereby hee remedieth that offence which he perceiued would grow from the victories of their wicked enemies and vnmeasurable triumphings of the nations next adioyning which tooke meruellous great pleasure in the destruction of Gods people For hee teacheth that the Iudgement of God shall also come vnto thē that as soone as he hath vsed their labor ministery in punishing of his own then they in like manner shal be punished for their sins He teacheth the hypocrits what they should do In the first parte hee speaketh vnto the Hypocrites in these words Search and gather your selues together yea search I saye and gather your selues together ye nation not worthy to be beloued Hee calleth them a nation not worthye to bee loued which may be vnderstood as wel actiuely that is in respecte of their doing or passiuely that is in respect of their suffering Actiuely in this manner that hee may shewe that in them there was no loue or desire of celestiall or heauenly thinges neyther that they did desire the kingdome of God wherevnto euery one ought to striue and contende passiuely thus that they were not worthy of any loue or mercy and that they could not any longer bee approued of God both these expositions doe very well agrée vnto Hypocrites For as for those thinges that belonge to heauen they may easily neglect them neyther doe they séeke for any thing in their religion sauing their owne praise namely that they may be séene of men And surely God cannot accepte nor away with those that prophane the profession of fayth with a lye and dissimulation the which that most excellent diuine power doth greatly abhorre But what is it that he doeth commaunde them Searche saith hee and gather your selues together In the Hebrewe there is but one word which the interpreters doe expounde two wayes For some doe deriue it out of that Hebrew Radical that signifieth stubble And they affirm that here is noted a very diligent enquirie or search such as men are wont to vse in gathering together stubble or other very smal things Others affirm that it is deriued simply and properly of the Hebrew Radical that signifieth to gather and congregate together because the matter is doubtfull and yet both senses agrée very well with the purpose of the Prophet I thinke that I shall not doe amisse if I shall lay open both the senses by translating that with two words which in the Hebrewe is spoken in one For hauing regarde to the first hée admonisheth the Hypocrites that they content not them selues with a vaine shadowe and outwarde ceremonies of benummed superstitions but for that they should descende more deeply into them selues and by the rule of Gods worde examine whatsoeuer was in them that so they might knowe theyr errors and amende them being known but hauing respecte to the other sense hee exhorteth that they which nowe were deuided into many superstitions and sectes woulde agree in one profession of fayth and true religion and that in the vnitie thereof they shoulde bee gathered vnto one GOD For hee had accused them before that they worshipped GOD and the host of heauen and that they did sweare by GOD and Malchom and wee knowe that this is proper to the Idolaters that as soone as they are departed from the true GOD euery one doeth inuent vnto him selfe newe Gods and so are rent in sunder into very contrary sectes Therefore this admonition of the Prophet was very necessary that al men should know the God did not allow of their worship except they should all bee turned vnto him onely What they must do that haue offended God in their superstition But from hence wee may gather a generall doctrine that wee shoulde thinke the same to bee spoken to all them that haue offended GOD with their superstition and vnlawfull seruing of him whatsoeuer they bee It is required of these that the iudgemēt of fleshe and the world being put of and reiected they should examine whatsoeuer they haue according to the rule of Gods worde For séeing they did content themselues so well with their owne fancies they will neuer suffer themselues to bée brought againe into the way excepte some sharper correction bée ministred But if they shall take the same out of Gods word who only can make lawes for his worship they shall quickly vnderstande that with one sentence shall bee dampned whatsoeuer thinges were inuented by them that were superstitious and receaued with authoritie and consent of all men for it is the worde of GOD alone which Christ in the Gospell hath allowed of In vaine doe they woorship me teaching the precepts of men And againe Euerie plant which my heauenly father hath not planted shall be rooted out Furthermore they shall vnderstand that God cannot be pleased with outward ceremonies which wil be woorshipped in spirit and trueth neyther doth he hearken to their prayers whose mindes are eyther wandering or farre away from him or whose handes are defiled with blood Moreouer when they come to deliberate vpon these matters it is no lesse needefull for them their wicked superstitions and perswasions being vtterly abandoned to be gathered together vnto God and to the vnitie of his Church This shal come to passe if they acknowledge God onely and alone submitting themselues to be ordered by his woord and shall giue too Christ alone the name and glorie of a Mediatour and vnder him being head growe together with all his chosen into one bodie of his Church This is the true and onely way of saluation which is taught in the woord of God and figured in the Sacraments namely Baptisme and the Lordes Supper the vse whereof among other thinges is to gather the Church together after a visible manner and to preserue the vnitie of the members thereof Besids this as Iesus Christ the only sonne of God is vnto vs the author of saluation so he doth not bestow saluation any where but vpon his Church which is his bodie and therefore they are without saluation whosoeuer they be that are without the fellowshippe of his Church For they wander about vnprofitable superstitions neyther can
inhabitant 7 I saide surely thou wilt feare mee thou wilt receiue instruction so their dwelling should not be destroyed how soeuer I visited them but they rose early and corrupted all thy workes 8 Therfore wait you vpon me saith the Lorde vntill the day that I ryse vp to the pray for I am determined to gather the nations and that I will assemble the kyngdomes to power vppon them myne indignation euen all my fierce wrath for all all the earth shall bee deuoured with the fire of my ielousie The argument and vse of the place THe vngodly are oftentimes so conuinced of their wickednesse that they cannot deny that that they haue done yet they neuer scarse acknowledge how grieuous their offences be but seeke euery where for starting holes that they should not be enforced to confesse that they haue deserued any punishment Wherfore the ministers must vse great diligence and seueritie that they may not onely reproue and accuse the déedes of the wicked but also shew of what sorte they be and also lay before them the iudgement of God that cannot be escaped This doeth Zephaniah very diligently For a little before hée reproued those sinnes that reigned in Ierusalem and as it were by name rebuked those that sinned principally But because he knew they would make many shifts to cloak their iniquitie withall and bring them selues into a fooles paradise hée goeth forwarde now And first he bereaueth them of their vaine hope wherewith they flattered them selues by reason of the adoption and promises of God After this he rebuketh very sharpely their remedilesse malice wherwith they being hardned were not once moued with many examples or admonitions whatsoeuer Lastly he denounceth those punishements which God would execute vpon them But this place serueth very well for our time for it teacheth how to iudge of the maners of our age and doth therwithall set out the vse of admonitions and examples wherewith GOD would stirre vs vp vnto repentaunce He answereth theyr boasting In the entraunce he méeteth with their boasting and vaine confidence wherwith they replied against the prophets For if at any time they reproued their sin and shewed the punishement thereto belonging they would obiect and say wee are the peculiar people of God whom it is wel known to abide among vs. For these are his owne wordes Leuit. 26. I will pitch my tabernacle in the middes of you and my soule shall not abhor you I will walke in the middes of you and will be your God you shal be my people And the same God speaking of the Citie of Ierusalem saieth This is the place of my rest for euer Furthermore as Ieremy writeth They cryed who could cry most the temple of the Lorde the temple of the Lorde The Prophet graunting to these things maketh answer saying the iust lord is amōg you he will doe none iniquitie c. As if he should say I confesse in déede that the iust Lorde is in the mids of you and there is no néede why ye shoulde obiecte these thinges as though I knew them not But you must therewithall remember what propertie that God is of which you so cry out to bée among you As namely hee is iust and will do no iniquitie therefore although he haue bound him selfe vnto you and hath amonge you appoynted his dwelling place yet he wil be iust for euer more neither wil he chaunge his nature for your causes that hee should either frame himself vnto your sinnes or wincke perpetually at these your maners no but in the morning yea betims in the morning he wil declare his Iudgementes But the worde Iudgement is taken two waies when in the speach it is referred vnto God For first it signifieth his worde wherein he maketh his iudgemēts or statutes known vnto vs. And in this sense the Prophet Dauid saide My soule is brought lowe for the longing desire it hath vnto thy Iudgements at al times Againe I haue not erred from thy Iudgemēts for thou hast informed me Secondly the execution of the sentence of God is signified by the worde Iudgement Both senses agrée very wel to this present place and as I thinke I shal not vnfitly expound these words thus God wil neuer fail to do as he shold for early in the morning that is speedily as often as occasiō shal serue he wil declare his word whereby he will admonish vs of our dutie rebuk thē that erre from him but if hee profit not them he bendeth more sharp iudgement against them those whome he séeth remedilesse hee punisheth as they doe deserue and by and by after he bringeth in whereby he may more at large set abrode their stubborne frowardnes and yet the wicked will not learne to be ashamed that is although these thinges are knowne to all men although you haue seen not a fewe and those no common examples of iudgementes that testifie that he is a sharpe reuenger of vngodlines you boast also in his presence yet such is your frowardnes that as yet you knowe not to be ashamed that is that you should bee abashed in the presence of God himselfe But you perseuer without shame to doe those thinges before him whereof ye would be ashamed in the eyes of men It agreeth herevnto that God spake by Ieremie almost about the same time Iere. 3. Thou hast the foreheade of an harlot thou hast refused to be ashamed And in Ezechiel they be called men of an harde and stiffe forehead Ezech. 3. The vse of the presence of God But we are taught in this place what vse wee shoulde haue of the presence of God whereof we make no lesse bragge then the Iewes did in times past verily not that wee being proude thereof should promise too our selues safenes from all punishment as hypocrites vse to doe but that by often me ditating therevpon we should be spurred to an earnest care of Godlines and honestie Seneca long since admonished to the ende wee might auoyde secrete offences that wee shoulde alwayes thinke that some sowre fellowe as Scipio Lelius or Cato were a present beholder and a witnes of our doings But how much more shall we be prouoked therevnto if it neuer bee out of our minde that whatsoeuer we eyther speake or doe we doe it in the sight of God and his Angelles let this thought therfore be alwaies in our mind as it were pul vs by the eare vz. that God is present with vs and that we cānot deceiue his sight which searcheth the heart and reines Then let vs call to minde of what sort he is and that is hee is iust and holy who as Dauid sayth hateth all them that woorke iniquitie and falleth vppon the vngodly as it were a consuming fire according to that saying of the Apostle Our God is a consuming fire They that bethinke them of these thinges in good earnest will by and by if they haue any sparke of godlines within them begin in
the course of iudgement cannot bee broken of except offences be pardoned Secondly it is added He turneth away thine enemies namely those that haue held the captiuitie hitherto Moreouer the king of Israel euē the lord is in the mids of thee God is said then to be present with vs when by manifest arguments he doeth declare his goodnes and grace towards vs. And from hence hee bringeth in this saying Thou shalt see no euil any more That is to say there shal not herafter be any thing that can bring any trouble vnto thée And these things verily were in part performed whē being dismissed by Cyrus they cam to their own again For thē God took away their iudgements ceased to prosecute sute against them He turned also their enemies far from them when by the Medes Persians he bereaued the Babylonians Caldiās of their kingdome and all their strength Besides this hee shewed in deede his presence and fauour when to them being returned again he restored their temple and outward worship which consisted altogether in the sacraments or outward signes of his heauenly grace goodnes and did wonderfully defende them against the craftie deuises of those nations that lay next vnto them against the open force of foren enemies Redemption of Christ is common But because these things as we said before were foreshewes and entraunces of that redemption which shoulde be in Christ in him also they haue their accomplishment and do containe the whole matter of our saluatiō For we were all offenders and most cruell enemies hunge on euery side ouer our heades Satan accused vs and did ouercome vs not onely by the law but by the testimonie of our owne conscience Death gaped for our soules which entred in by the fal of our first parents and the sentence was pronounced vpon vs miserable sinners Cursed is he that doth not fulfill the words of this Lawe to do them al the people shall say Amen And there remained no other thing but that the execution should followe this sentence which would sinke al men in eternal destruction But here Christ came betwéene who that he might take our cause vpon him put on man of the Virgin Mary and soone after tooke away and vtterly abolished all that whole proceeding of Gods Iudgement For he purged our sinnes by the worthines of his death hee put away the hand writing of the law our own conscience fasted it to the crosse Moreouer he tyed vp our enemie the diuell and the head of the old serpent being altoo brused spoyled him of his kingdome Col. 1. and ouercame the world that it might not preuaile any more against vs but as for our flesh he kéepeth it vnder by the spirit of regeneration holdeth it in duetie and that hee might leaue nothing vndone he hath made death which was the punishment of sinne as it were the doore of euerlasting life For by it we passe out of this valley of teares and wretchednes into the places of the blessed Al which things Paul throughly perceiuing wrote long since Rom. 8. There is now no cōdemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus Wherewith those wordes agrée which Christ himselfe spake in Ihon Iohn 5. Verely verely I say vnto you he which heareth my worde and beleeueth him that sent me hath eternall lyfe and shal not come into iudgement but hath escaped from death to life And the sonne of God hath not only performed these thinges for vs but also is present with vs euen in the mids of vs as he hath promised although hée hath caryed his bodie away vp to heauen that hee might be there as an interest or pledge to beare witnesse of that heuenly and blessed life of our bodies which in time to come they shall haue yet he neuer forsaketh his church but is present with it with his worde his spirit his grace and desert with his protection and safegarde wherevpon it followeth very necessarily that we can sée none euill namely such as can destroy vs. The crosse verily must be borne and as Dauid saide Psal 34. Many are the troubles of the godly but God deliuereth them out of all who also causeth that all thinges for them worke together vnto God He promiseth the continuall abod and comfort of the word But the Prophet goeth forwarde and addeth newe promises whereby the godly may bee confirmed in the fayth Nay he affirmeth that there shall neuer want faythfull Preachers of GOD which may alwayes offer set before thē those promises For in that day saieth he it shall be sayde to Ierusalem feare not and to Syon let not thine hands be let downe And so he repeateth that Prophecie which erstwhile wee brought out of Isay and the meaning is this That your king Messias which I sayde should alwayes be amongst you will at all times stirre vp Prophets teachers which may comforte and incourage thee being in daunger that you giue not ouer for any temptations c. And truely as appertaining to their returne from Babylon there wanted not then such as might cheere them being tyed many wayes and with new exhortations daily confirm them Of the nūber were Ezra Nehemia Haggey Zachary many others But this promise doth principally belong to the kingdom of Christ who to his Church as the Apostle witnesseth alwayes giueth some Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists som pastors some doctors c insomuch that he wil haue the ministerie of his word to remain for euer with his Church whereby it may be both gathered together and preserued And it is worth the diligent marking that both here in many other places the ministrie of the word is reckoned among the argumēts of cōsolatiō that we may learn to iudge of it rightly regarde it as we ought to doe But vnto many it séemeth a matter of small weight and the godly themselues doe not alwaies acknowledg the gret goodnesse therof especially when they haue peace and quietnes at will But when either the daungers of persecution or inward broylings doe aryse by and by with great and carefull desire of the minde they aske after the word which before they despised and cared not for The summe of the doctrine of the Church But let vs in like manner note the summe of that doctrine which must continually bee reteined in the church The Prophet in these two poyntes doth comprehend it Luke 24. Feare thou not let not thine handes be letten down And they agrée with that parting which Christ himselfe made who deuided the preaching of his Gospell into like many partes when hee commaundeth to preach repentaunce and remission of sinnes in his name For herevnto belongeth which he saith Feare you not For as much as the tremblinges of the conscience can no other way be pacified then by sure remission of sinnes which we obtaine in Christ alone Of that part the Angell beginneth when to the shepheardes