Hosea 3 commentary

The dislike of men to true religion is because they love objects and forms, which allow them to indulge, instead of mortifying their lusts. How wonderful that a holy God should have good-will to those whose carnal mind is enmity against Him! Here is represented God's gracious dealings with the fallen race of mankind, that had gone from him. This is the covenant of grace he is willing to enter into with them, they must be to him a people, and he will be to them a God. They must accept the punishment of their sin, and must not return to folly. And it is a certain sign that our afflictions are means of good to us, when we are kept from being overcome by the temptations of an afflicted state.

Here is the application of the parable to Israel. They must long sit like a widow, stripped of all joys and honours; but shall at length be received again. Those that would seek the Lord so as to find him, must apply to Christ, and become his willing people. Not only are we to fear the Lord and his greatness, but the Lord and his goodness; not only his majesty, but his mercy. Even Jewish writers apply this passage to the promised Messiah; doubtless it foretold their future conversion to Christ, for which they are kept a separate people. Though the first fear of God arise from a view of his holy majesty and righteous vengeance, yet the experience of mercy and grace through Jesus Christ, will lead the heart to reverence so kind and glorious a Friend and Father, and to fear offending him.

The substance of this chapter is, that it was God’s purpose to keep in firm hope the minds of the faithful during the exile, lest being overwhelmed with despair they should wholly faint. The Prophet had before spoken of God’s reconciliation with his people; and he magnificently extolled that favor when he said, ‘Ye shall be as in the valley of Achor, I will restore to you the abundance of all blessings; in a word, ye shall be in all respects happy.’ But, in the meantime, the daily misery of the people continued. God had indeed determined to remove them into Babylon. They might, therefore, have despaired under that calamity, as though every hope of deliverance were wholly taken from them. Hence the Prophet now shows that God would so restore the people to favor, as not immediately to blot out every remembrance of his wrath, but that his purpose was to continue for a time some measure of his severity.

We hence see that this prediction occupies a middle place between the denunciation the Prophet previously pronounced and the promise of pardon. It was a dreadful thing, that God should divorce his people and cast away the Israelites as spurious children: but a consolation was afterwards added. But lest the Israelites should think that God would immediately, as on the first day, be so propitious to them as to visit them with no chastisement, it was the Prophet’s design expressly to correct this mistake, as though he said, ‘God will indeed receive you again, but in the meantime a chastisement is prepared for you, which by its intenseness would break down your spirits were it not that this comfort will ease you, and that is, that God, though he punishes you for your sins, yet continues to provide for your salvation, and to be as it were your husband.’ We now perceive the intention of the Prophet. But I shall first run over the words, and then return to the subject

Jehovah said to me, Go yet and love a woman. There is no doubt but that God describes here the favor he promises to the Israelites in a type or vision: for they are too gross in their notions, who think that the Prophet married a woman who had been a harlot. It was then only a vision, as though God had set a picture before the eyes of the people, in which they might see their own conduct. And when he says, “yet”, he refers to the vision, mentioned in the first chapter. But he bids a woman to be loved before he took her to be the partner of his conjugal bed; which ought to be noticed: for God intends here to make a distinction between the people’s restoration and his hidden favor. God then before he restored the people from exile, loved them as it were in their widowhood. We now understand why the Prophet does not say, ‘Take to thee a wife,’ but, ‘love a woman.’ The meaning is this: God intimates, that though exile would be sad and bitter, yet the people, whom he treated with sharpness and severity, were still dear to him. Hence, Love a woman, who had been loved by a husband

The word רע, ro, is here to be taken for a husband, as it is in the second chapter of Jeremiah, [Jeremiah 3:20] where it is said, ‘Perfidiously have the children of Israel dealt with me, as though a woman had departed from her husband, מרעה, meroe,’, or, ‘from her partner.’ And there is an aggravation of the crime implied in this word: for women, when they prostitute themselves, often complain that they have done so through too much severity, because they were not treated with sufficient kindness by their husbands; but when a husband behaves kindly towards his wife, and performs his duty as a husband, there is then less excuse for a wife, in case she fixes her affections on others. To increase then the sin of the people, this circumstance is stated that the woman had been loved by her friend or partner, and yet that this kindness of her husband had not preserved her mind in chastity.

He afterwards says, According to the love of Jehovah towards the children of Israel; that is, As God loved the people of Israel, who yet ceased not to look to other gods. This metaphor occurs often in Scripture, that is, when the verb פנה“panah”, which means in Hebrew, to look to, is used to express hope or desire: so that when men’s minds are intent on any thing, or their affections fixed on it, they are said to look to that. Since then the Israelites boiled with insane ardor for their superstitions, they are said to look to other gods.

It then follows, And they love flagons of grapes. The Prophet, I doubt not, compares this rage to drunkenness: and he mentions flagons of grapes rather than of wine, because idolaters are like drunkards, who sometimes so gorge themselves, that they have no longer a taste for wine; yea, the very smell of wine offends them, and produces nausea through excessive drinking; but they try new arts by which they may regain their fondness for wine. And such is the desire of novelty that prevails in the superstitious. At one time they go after this, at another time after that, and their minds are continually tossed to and fro, because they cannot acquiesce in the only true God. We now then perceive what this metaphor means, when the Prophet reproaches the Israelites, because they loved flagons of grapes.

I now return to what the Prophet, or rather God, had in view. God here comforts the hearts of the faithful, that they might surely conclude that they were loved, even when they were chastised. It was indeed necessary that this difference should have been well impressed on the Israelites, that they might in exile entertain hope and patiently bear God’s chastisement, and rise that this hope might mitigate the bitterness of sorrow. God therefore says that though he shows not himself as yet reconciled to them, but appears as yet severe, at the same time he is not without love. And hence we learn how useful this doctrine is, and how widely it opens; for it affords a consolation of which we all in common have need. When God humbles us by adversities, when he shows to us some tokens of severity or wrath, we cannot but instantly fail, were not this thought to occur to us, that God loves us, even when he is severe towards us, and that though he seems to cast us away, we are not yet altogether aliens, for he retains some affection even in the midst of his wrath; so that he is to us as a husband, though he admits us not immediately into conjugal honor, nor restores us to our former rank. We now then see how the doctrine is to be applied to ourselves.

We must at the same time notice the reproachful conduct of which I have spoken, — That though the woman was loved yet she could not be preserved in chastity, and that she was loved, though an adulteress. Here is pointed out the most shameful ingratitude of the people, and contrasted with it is God’s infinite mercy and goodness. It was the summit of wickedness in the people to forsake their God, when he had treated them with so much benignity and kindness. But wonderful was the patience of God, when he ceased not to love a people, whom he had found to be so perverse, that they could not be turned by any acts of kindness nor retained by any favors.

With regard to the flagons of grapes we may observe, that this strange disposition is ever dominant in the superstitious, and that is, that they wander here and there after their own devices, and have nothing fixed in them. Lest, then, such charms deceive us, let us learn to cleave firmly and constantly to the word of the Lord. Indeed the Papists of this day boast of their ancientness, when they would create an ill-will towards us; as though the religion we follow were new and lately invented: but we see how modern their superstitions are; for a passion for them bubbles up continually and they have nothing that remains constant: and no wonder, because the eternal truth of God is regarded by them as of no value. If, then, we desire to restrain this depraved lust, which the Prophet condemns in the Israelites, let us so adhere to the word of the Lord, that no novelty may captivate us and lead us astray. It now follows —

Hosea 3:2-5

2. So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley:

2. Et acquisivi eam mihi quindecim argenteis et uno homer (vertunt, corum, Graeci interpretes; uno coro) hordei et dimidio coro hordei.

3. And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee.

3. Et dixi ad eam, Diebus multis sedebis mihi, non scortaberis et non eris viro (hoc est, manebis vidua vel coelebs) et ego etiam ad te (nempe, respiciam; vel, tibi spondeo me fore maritum, ubi expertus fuero tuam resipiscentiam: alii vertunt, Et ego ad te non accedam; sed videtur hoc esse nimis coactum: ideo magis arridet Hieronymi interpretatio, Ego te expectabo.)

4. For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim:

4. Quia diebus multis sedebunt filii Israel sine rege, et sine principe, et sine sacrificio, et sine statua, et sine ephod, et sine theraphim.

5. Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days.

5. Postea convertentur (vel, redibunt) filii Israel et quaerent Jehovam Deum suum, et David regem suum, et timebunt ad Jehovam et ad bonitatem ejus in extermitate dierum.

These verses have been read together, for in these four the Prophet explains the vision presented to him. He says, first, that he had done what had been enjoined him by God; which was conveyed to him by a vision, or in a typical form, that by such an exhibition he might impress the minds of the people: I bought, he says, a wife for fifteen silverings, and for a corus of barley and half a corus; that is, for a corus A Hebrew measure, containing 30 bushels, the load of a camel. —Ed. and a half. He tells us in this verse that he had bought the wife whom he was to take for a small price. By the fifteen silverings and the corus and half of barley is set forth, I have no doubt, her abject and mean condition. Servants, we know, were valued at thirty shekels of silver when hurt by an ox, (Exodus 21:32.) But the Prophet gives her for his wife fifteen silvering; which seemed a contemptible gift. But then the Lord shows, that though he would but scantily support his people in exile, they would still be dear to him, as when a husband loves his wife though he does not indulge her, when that would be inexpedient: overmuch indulgence, as it is well known, has indeed often corrupted those who have gone astray. When a husband immediately pardons an adulterous wife, and receives her with a smiling countenance, and fawningly humbles himself by laying aside his own right and authority, he acts foolishly, and by his levity ruins his wife: but when a husband forgives his wife, and yet strictly confines her within the range of duty, and restrains his own feelings, such a moderate course is very beneficial and shows no common prudence in the husband; who, though he is not cruel, is yet not carried away by foolish love. This, then is what the Prophet means, when he says, that he had given for his wife fifteen silverings and a corus and half of barley. Respectable women did not, indeed, live on barley. The Prophets then, gave to his wife, not wheat-flour, nor the fine flour of wheat, but black bread and coarse food; yea, he gave her barley as her allowance, and in a small quantity, that his wife might have but a scanty living. We now then understand the Prophet’s meaning.

Some elicit a contrary sense, that the Lord would splendidly and sumptuously support the wife who had been an adulteress; but this view by no means harmonizes with the Prophet’s design, as we have already seen. Besides, the words themselves lead us another way. Jerome, as his practice is, refines in allegorizing. He says, that the people were bought for fifteen silverings, because they came out of Egypt on the fifteenth day of the month; and then he says, that as the Hebrew homer contains thirty bushels, they were bought for a corus and half, which is forty-five bushels. because the law was promulgated forty-five days after. But these are puerile trifles. Let then the simple view which I have given be sufficient for us, — that God, though he favored her, not immediately with the honor of a wife and liberal support, yet ceased not to love her. Thus we see the minds of the faithful were sustained to bear patiently their calamities; for it is an untold consolation to know that God loves us. If a testimony respecting his love moderates not our sorrows, we are very ill-natured and ungrateful.

The Prophet then more clearly proves in these words, that God loved his people, though he seemed to be alienated from them. He might have wholly destroyed them: he yet supplied them with food in their exile. The people indeed lived in the greatest straits; and all delicacies were no doubt taken from them, and their fare was very sordid and very scanty: but the Prophet forbids them to measure God’s favor by the smallness of what was given them; for though God would not immediately receive into favor a wife who had been an adulteress, yet he wished her to continue his wife.

Hence he adds, I said to her, For many days shalt thou tarry for me, and thou shalt not become wanton, and thou shalt not be for any man, that is, ‘Thou shalt remain a widow; for it is for this reason that I still retain thee, to find out whether thou wilt sincerely repent. I would not indeed be too easy towards thee, lest I should by indulgence corrupt thee: I shall see what thy conduct will be: you must in the meantime continue a widow.’ This, then was God’s small favor which remained for the people, even a sort of widowhood. God might, indeed, as we have said, have utterly destroyed his people: but he mitigated his wrath and only punished them with exile, and in the meantime, proved that he was not forgetful of his banished people. Though then he only bestowed some scanty allowance, he yet did not wholly deprive them of food, nor suffer them to perish through want. This treatment then in reality is set forth by this representation, that the Prophet had bidden his wife to remain single.

He says, And I also shall be for thee: why does he say, I also? A wife, already joined to her husband, has no right to pledge her faith to another. Then the Prophet shows that Israel was held bound by the Lord, that they might not seek another connection, for his faith was pledged to them. Hence he says, I also shall be for thee; that is, ‘I pledge my faith to thee, or, I subscribe myself as thy husband: but another time must be looked for; I yet defer my favor, and suspend it until thou givest proof of true repentance.’ “I also”, he says, “shall be for thee”; that is, ‘Thou shalt not be a widow in vain, if thou complainest that wrong is done to thee, because I forbid thee to marry any one else, I also bind myself in turn to thee.’ Now then is evident the mutual compact between God and his people, so that the people, though a state of widowhood be full of sorrows ought not yet to succumb to grief, but to keep themselves exclusively for God, till the time of their full and complete deliverance, because he says, that he will remain true to his pledge. “I will then be thine: though at present, I admit thee not into the honor of wives, I will not yet wholly repudiate thee.”

But how does this view harmonize with the first prediction, according to which God seems to have divorced his people? Their concurrence may be easily explained. The Prophet indeed said, that the body of the people would be alienated from God: but here he addresses the faithful only. Lest then the minds of those who were healable should despond, the Prophet sets before them this comfort which I have mentioned, — that though they were to continue, as it were, single, yet the Lord would remain, as it were, bound to them, so as not to adopt another people and reject them. But we shall presently see that this prediction regards in common the Gentiles as well as the Jews and Israelites.

He afterwards adds, For many days shall the children of Israel abide He says, for many days, that they might prepare themselves for long endurance, and be not dispirited through weariness, though the Lord should not soon free them from their calamities. “Though then your exile should be long, still cherish,” he says, “strong hope in your hearts; for so long a trial must necessarily be made of your repentance; as you have very often pretended to return to the Lord, and soon after your hypocrisy was discovered; and then ye became hardened in your wilful obstinacy: it is therefore necessary that the Lord should subdue you by a long chastisement.” Hence he says, The children of Israel shall abide without a king and without a prince

But it may still be further asked, What is the number of the days of which the Prophet speaks, for the definite number is not stated here; and we know that the exile appointed for the Jews was seventy years? (Jeremiah 29:10.) But the Prophet seems here to extend his prediction farther, even to the time of Christ. To this I answer, that here he refers simply to the seventy years; though, at the same time, we must remember that those who returned not from exile were supported by this promise, and hoped in the promised Mediator: but the Prophet goes not beyond that number, afterwards prefixed by Jeremiah. It is not to be wondered at, that the Prophet had not computed the years and days; for the time of the captivity, that is, of the last captivity, was not yet come. Shortly after, indeed, four tribes were led away, and then the ten, and the whole kingdom of Israel was destroyed: but the last ruin of the whole people was not yet so near. It was therefore not necessary to compute then the years; but he speaks of a long time indefinitely, and speaks of the children of Israel and says, They shall abide without a king and without a prince: and inasmuch as they placed their trust in their king, and thought themselves happy in having this one distinction, a powerful king, he says, They shall abide without a king, without a prince. He now explains their widowhood without similitudes: hence he says, They shall be without a king and a prince, that is, there shall be among them no kind of civil government; they shall be like a mutilated body without a head; and so it happened to them in their miserable dispersion.

And without a sacrifice, he says, and without a statue. The Hebrews take מצבה, metsabe, often in a bad sense, though it means generally a statue, as a monument over a grave is called מצבה, metsabe,: but the Prophet seems to speak here of idols, for he afterwards adds, תרפים“teraphim”; and teraphim were no doubt images, (Genesis 31:19-30,) which the superstitious used while worshipping their fictitious gods, as we read in many places. The king of Babylon is said to have consulted the teraphim; and it is said that Rachel stole the teraphim, and shortly after Laban calls the teraphim his gods. But the Hebrews talk idly when they say that these images were made of a constellation, and that they afterwards uttered words: but all this has been invented, and we know what liberty they take in devising fables. The meaning is, that God would take away from the people of Israel all civil order, and then all sacred rites and ceremonies, that they might abide as a widow, and at the same time know, that they were not utterly rejected by God without hope of reconciliation.

It is asked, why “ephod” is mentioned; for the priesthood continued among the tribe of Judah, and the ephod, it is well known, was a part of the sacerdotal dress. To this I answer, that when Jeroboam introduced false worship, he employed this artifice — to make religion among the Israelites nearly like true religion in its outward form: for it seems to have been his purpose that it should vary as little as possible from the legitimate worship of God: hence he said,

‘It is grievous and troublesome to you to go up to Jerusalem; then let us worship God here,’ (1 Kings 12:28.)

But he pretended to change nothing; he would not appear to be an apostate, departing from the only true God. What then? “God may be worshipped without trouble by us here; for I will build temples in several places, and also erect altars: what hinders that sacrifices should not be offered to God in many places?” There is therefore no doubt but that he made his altars according to the form of the true altar, and also added the ephod and various ceremonies, that the Israelites might think that they still continued in the true worship of God.

But it follows, Afterwards shall the children of Israel return and seek Jehovah their God, and David their king. Here the Prophet shows by the fruit of their chastisement, that the Israelites had no reason to murmur or clamour against God, as though he treated them with too much severity; for if he had stretched out his hand to them immediately, there would have been in them no repentance: but when thoroughly cleansed by long correction, they would then truly and sincerely confess their God. We then see that this comfort is set forth as arising from the fruit of chastisement, that the Israelites might patiently bear the temporary wrath of God. Afterwards, he says, they shall return; as though he said, “They are now led away headlong into their impiety, and they can by no means be restrained except by this long endurance of evils.”

They shall therefore return, and then will they seek Jehovah their God. The name of the only true God is set here in opposition, as before, to all Baalim. The Israelites, indeed, professed to worship God; but Baalim, we know, were at the same time in high esteem among them, who were so many gods, and had crept into the place of God, and extinguished his pure worship: hence the Prophet says not simply, They shall seek God, but they shall “seek Jehovah their God”. And there is here an implied reproof in the word אלהים“Elohehem”; for it intimates that they were drawn aside into ungodly superstitions, that they were without the true God, that no knowledge of him existed among them; though God had offered himself to them, yea, had familiarly held intercourse with them, and brought them up as it were in his bosom, as a father his own children. Hence the Prophet indirectly upbraids them for this great wickedness when he says, They shall seek their God. And who is this God? He is even Jehovah. They had hitherto formed for themselves vain gods: and though, he says, they had been deluded by their own devices, they shall now know the only true God, who from the beginning revealed himself to them even as their God. He afterwards adds a second clause respecting King David: but I cannot now finish the subject.

Prayer

Grant, Almighty God, that as thou often dost justly hide thy face from us, so that on every side we see nothing but evidences of thy dreadful judgment, — O grant, that we, with minds raised above the scene of this world, may at the same time cherish the hope which thou constantly settest before us, so that we may feel fully persuaded that we are loved by thee, however severely thou mayest chastise us and may this consolation so support and sustain our souls, that patiently enduring whatever chastisements thou mayest lay upon us, we may ever hold fast the reconciliation which thou hast promised to us in Christ thy Son. Amen.

Lecture Ninth

We have now to consider the second clause, respecting King David. The Prophet tells us, that when the Israelites shall be moved with the desire of seeking God, they shall also seek David their king. They had, as it is well known, departed from their allegiance to him; though God had set David over the whole people for this end, — that they might all be happy under his power and dominion, and remain safe and secure, as though they beheld God with their own eyes; for David was, as it were, the angel of God. Then the revolt of the people, or of the ten tribes, was like a renunciation of the living God. The Lord said to Samuel,

‘Thee have they not despised, but rather me,’ (1 Samuel 8:7:)

this must have been much more the case with regard to David, whom Samuel, by God’s command, had anointed, and whom the Lord had honored with so many bright commendations; they could not have cast away his yoke, without openly rejecting, as it were, God himself. Hence Hosea, speaking of the people’s repentance, does not, without reasons distinctly mention this, that they shall return to David their king: for they could not sincerely and from the heart seek God, without subjecting themselves to that lawful authority to which they had been bound, not by men, nor by chance, but by God’s command.

It is indeed true that David was then dead; but Hosea sets forth here, in the person of one man, that everlasting kingdom, which the Jews knew would endure as the sun and moon: for well known to them all was this remarkable promise,

‘As long as the sun and moon shall shine in heaven, they shall be faithful witnesses to me, that the throne of David shall continue,’ (Psalm 72:5,18.)

Hence, after the death of David, the Prophet shows here that his kingdom would be forever, for he survived in his children; and, as it evidently appears, they commonly called their Messiah the son of David. We must now of necessity come to Christ: for Israel could not seek their king, David, who had been long dead; but were to seek that King whom God had promised from the posterity of David. This prophecy, then, no doubt extends to Christ: and it is evident that the only hope of the people being gathered was this, that God had testified that he would give a Redeemer.

We now then see what the Prophet had in view: the Israelites had become degenerate; and, by their perfidy, they ceased to be the true and genuine people of God, as long as they continued alienated from the family of David. The Prophet, speaking of their full restoration, now joins David with God; for they could not be restored to the body of the Church, without uniting with the Jews in honoring one and the same head. But we must, at the same time, remember, that the king, whom the Prophet mentions, is not David, who had been long dead, but his son, to whom the perpetuity of his kingdom had been promised.

This doctrine is especially useful to us; for it shows that God is not to be sought except in Christ the mediator. Whosoever, then, forsakes Christ, forsakes God himself; for as John says,

‘He who has not the Son, has not the Father,’ (1 John 2:23.)

And the thing itself proves this; for God dwells in light inaccessible; how great, then is the distance between us and him? Except Christ, then, presents himself to us as a middle person, how can we come to God? But then only we begin really to seek God, when we turn our eyes to Christ, who willingly offers himself to us. This is the only way of seeking God aright.

Some, with more refinement, contend, that Christ is Jehovah, because the Prophet says, that he is to be sought not otherwise than as God is. By the word, seeking, the Prophet indeed means, that the Israelites had no other way of being safe and secure than by fleeing under the guardianship and protection of their legitimate king, whom they knew to have been divinely ordained for them. This, then, would not be sufficient to confute the Jews. I take the passage in a simpler way, as meaning, that they would seek their God in the person of the king, whose hand and efforts God intended to employ in the preservation of the people.

It further follows, And they shall fear Jehovah and his goodness in the last day”. The verb פחד, peched, means sometimes; to dread, to be frightened as they are who are so terrified as to lose all courage. But in this place it is to be taken in a good sense, to fear, as it appears evident from the context. Then he says, They shall fear God and his goodness. The Israelites had before shaken off the yoke of God: for it was a proof of wanton contempt in them to build a new temple; to devise, at their own will, a new religion; and, in a word, to allow themselves an unbridled licentiousness. Hence he says, They shall hereafter begin to fear God, and shall continue in his service.

And he adds, and his goodness; by which he means that God would not be dreaded by them, but that he would sweetly allure them to himself, that they might obey him spontaneously and freely, and even joyfully: and doubtless God does then only make us really to fear him, when he gives us a taste of his goodness. For God’s majesty strikes terror into us; and we, in the meantime, seek hiding places; and were it possible for us to withdraw from him, each of us would do so gladly; but it is not to worship God with due honor, when we flee away from him. It is then a sense of his goodness that leads us reverentially to fear him. ‘With thee,’ says David, ‘is forgiveness, that thou mayest be feared,’ (Psalm 130:4:) for except men know God to be ready to be at peace with them, and feel assured that he will be propitious to them, no one will seek him, no one will fear him, for without knowing this, we could not but wish his glory to be abolished and extinguished, and that he should be without authority, lest he should become our judge. But every one who has tasted of God’s goodness, so orders himself as to obey God.

What the Prophet then means when he says, They shall then fear God, is this, that they shall understand that they were miserable as long as they were alienated from him, and that true happiness is to submit to his authority.

But further, this goodness is to be referred to Christ. Some take טובו thubu, for glory, as in Exodus 33 [Ex 32:19]; but the connection of this passage requires the word to be taken in its proper sense. And God’s goodness, we know, is so exhibited to us in Christ, that not a particle of it is to be sought for anywhere else: for from this fountain must we draw whatever refers to our salvation and happiness of life. Let us then know that God cannot from the heart be worshipped by us, except when we behold him in the person of his Son, and know him to be a kind Father to us: hence John says,

‘He who honors not the Son, honors not the Father,’ (John 5:23.)

Lastly, he adds, In the extremity of days; for the Prophet wished again to remind the Israelites of what he had said before, — that they had need of long affliction, by which God would by degrees reform them. He then shows that their perverseness was such, that they would not soon be brought into a right mind; but that this would be in the extremity of days. At the same time he relieves the minds of the godly, that they might not, through weariness, grow faint: for though they were not at first to taste of God’s goodness, the Prophet reminds them that there was no reason to despair, because the Lord would manifest his goodness in the extremity of days. We may add, that this extremity of days had its beginning at the return of the people. When liberty was granted to the Jews to return to their own country, it was the extremity or fulness of days, of which the Prophet speaks. But a continued series from the people’s return to the coming of Christ, must at the same time be understood; for the Lord then performed more fully what he declares here by his Prophet. Hence everywhere in Scripture, especially in the New Testament, the manifestation of Christ is placed in the last times. This chapter is now explained. The fourth now follows.

Chapter 4

Hosea 4:1-2

1. Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

1. Audite verbum Jehova, filii Israel, quia lis Jehovae cum incolis terrae; quia nulla fides, (aut, veritas, nulla fidelitas,) et nulla beneficientia, etnulla cognito Dei in terra.

2. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.

2. Maledicere, et mentiri, et occidere, et furari, et adulterium committere perruperunt, et sanguines sanguinibus fuerunt continui.

CHAPTER 3

Ho 3:1-5. Israel's Condition in Their Present Dispersion, Subsequent to Their Return from Babylon, Symbolized.

The prophet is to take back his wife, though unfaithful, as foretold in Ho 1:2. He purchases her from her paramour, stipulating she should wait for a long period before she should be restored to her conjugal rights. So Israel is to live for a long period without her ancient rites of religion, and yet be free from idolatry; then at last she shall acknowledge Messiah, and know Jehovah's goodness restored to her.

1. Go yet--"Go again," referring to Ho 1:2 [Henderson].

a woman--purposely indefinite, for thy wife, to express the separation in which Hosea had lived from Gomer for her unfaithfulness.

beloved of her friend--used for "her husband," on account of the estrangement between them. She was still beloved of her husband, though an adulteress; just as God still loved Israel, though idolatrous (Jr 3:20). Hosea is told, not as in Ho 1:2, "take a wife," but "love" her, that is, renew thy conjugal kindness to her.

who look to other gods--that is, have done so heretofore, but henceforth (from the return from Babylon) shall do so no more (Ho 3:4).

flagons of wine--rather, pressed cakes of dried grapes, such as were offered to idols (Jr 7:18) [Maurer].

2. I bought her--The price paid is too small to be a probable dowry wherewith to buy a wife from her parents; but it is just half the price of a female slave, in money, the rest of the price being made up in grain (Ex 21:32). Hosea pays this for the redemption of his wife, who has become the slave of her paramour. The price being half grain was because the latter was the allowance of food for the slave, and of the coarsest kind, not wheat, but barley. Israel, as committing sin, was the slave of sin (Joh 8:34; Ro 6:16-20; 2Pe 2:19). The low price expresses Israel's worthlessness.

3. abide for me--separate from intercourse with any other man, and remaining for me who have redeemed thee (compare De 21:13).

so will I also be for thee--remain for thee, not taking any other consort. As Israel should long remain without serving other gods, yet separate from Jehovah; so Jehovah on His part, in this long period of estrangement, would form no marriage covenant with any other people (compare Ho 3:4). He would not immediately receive her to marriage privileges, but would test her repentance and discipline her by the long probation; still the marriage covenant would hold good, she was to be kept separated for but a time, not divorced (Is 50:1); in God's good time she shall be restored.

4. The long period here foretold was to be one in which Israel should have no civil polity, king, or prince, no sacrifice to Jehovah, and yet no idol, or false god, no ephod, or teraphim. Exactly describing their state for the last nineteen centuries, separate from idols, yet without any legal sacrifice to Jehovah, whom they profess to worship, and without being acknowledged by Him as His Church. So Kimchi, a Jew, explains it. The ephod was worn by the high priest above the tunic and robe. It consisted of two finely wrought pieces which hung down, the one in front over the breast, the other on the back, to the middle of the thigh; joined on the shoulders by golden clasps set in onyx stones with the names of the twelve tribes, and fastened round the waist by a girdle (Ex 28:6-12). The common ephod worn by the lower priests, Levites, and any person performing sacred rites, was of linen (2Sa 6:14; 1Ch 15:27). In the breast were the Urim and Thummim by which God gave responses to the Hebrews. The latter was one of the five things which the second temple lacked, and which the first had. It, as representing the divinely constituted priesthood, is opposed to the idolatrous "teraphim," as "sacrifice" (to Jehovah) is to "an (idolatrous) image." "Abide" answers to "thou shalt abide for me" (Ho 3:3). Abide in solitary isolation, as a separated wife. The teraphim were tutelary household gods, in the shape of human busts, cut off at the waist (as the root of the Hebrew word implies) [Maurer], (Ge 31:19, 30-35). They were supposed to give responses to consulters (2Ki 23:24; Eze 21:21, Margin; Zec 10:2). Saul's daughter, Michal, putting one in a bed, as if it were David, proves the shape to have been that of a man.

5. Afterward--after the long period ("many days," Ho 3:4) has elapsed.

return--from their idols to "their God," from whom they had wandered.

David their king--Israel had forsaken the worship of Jehovah at the same time that they forsook their allegiance to David's line. Their repentance towards God is therefore to be accompanied by their return to the latter. So Judah and Israel shall be one, and under "one head," as is also foretold (Ho 1:11). That representative and antitype of David is Messiah. "David" means "the beloved." Compare as to Messiah, Mt 3:17; Ep 1:6. Messiah is called David (Is 55:3, 4; Jr 30:9; Eze 34:23, 24; 37:24, 25).

fear the Lord and his goodness--that is, tremblingly flee to the Lord, to escape from the wrath to come; and to His goodness," as manifested in Messiah, which attracts them to Him (Jr 31:12). The "fear" is not that which "hath torment" (1Jo 4:18), but reverence inspired by His goodness realized in the soul (Psa 130:4).

the latter days--those of Messiah [Kimchi].

Go ye, love a woman - This is a different command from that mentioned in the first chapter. That denoted the infidelity of the kingdom of Israel, and God's divorce of them. He gave them up to their enemies, and caused them to be carried into captivity. The woman mentioned here represents one who was a lawful wife joining herself to a paramour; then divorced by her husband; afterwards repenting, and desirous to be joined to her spouse; ceasing from her adulterous commerce, but not yet reconciled to him. This was the state and disposition of the Jews under the Babylonish captivity. Though separated from their own idols, they continued separated from their God. He is still represented as having affectionate feelings towards them; awaiting their full repentance and contrition, in order to renew the marriage covenant. These things are pointed out by the symbolical actions of the prophet.

Beloved of her friend - Or, a lover of evil; or, loving another: for the Hebrew words אהבת רע mean one who loves evil or a friend: because רע signifies a friend, or evil, according as it is pointed. The former seems to be its best sense here; רע rea is a friend; רע ra is evil.

According to the love of the Lord - This woman, who had proved false to her husband, was still beloved by him, though he could not acknowledge her; as the Israelites were beloved by the Lord, while they were looking after other gods. The flagons of wine were probably such as were used for libations, or drunk in idol feasts. Others think that the words should be translated cakes of dried grapes, sweet cakes, consecrated wafers.

Fifteen pieces of silver - If they were shekels, the price of this woman was about two pounds five shillings.

A homer of barley - As the homer was about eight bushels, or something more, the homer and half was about twelve or thirteen bushels.

Thou shalt abide for me many days - He did not take her home, but made a contract with her that, if she would abstain from her evil ways, he would take her to himself after a sufficient trial. In the meantime he gave her the money and the barley to subsist upon, that she might not be under the temptation of becoming again unfaithful.

So will I also be for thee - That is, if thou, Israel, wilt keep thyself separate from thy idolatry, and give me proof, by thy total abstinence from idols, that thou wilt be my faithful worshipper, I will receive thee again, and in the meantime support thee with the necessaries of life while thou art in the land of thy captivity. This is farther illustrated in the following verses.

Many days without a king - Hitherto this prophecy has been literally fulfilled. Since the destruction of the temple by the Romans they have neither had king nor prince, nor any civil government of their own, but have lived in different nations of the earth as mere exiles. They have neither priests nor sacrifices nor urim nor thummim; no prophet, no oracle, no communication of any kind from God.

Without an image ephod - teraphim - The Septuagint read, Ουδε ουσης θυσιας, ουδε οντος θυσιαστηριου, ουδε ἱερατειας, ουδε δηλων: "Without a sacrifice, without an altar, without a priesthood, and without oracles;" that is, the urim and thummim. The Vulgate, Arabic, and Syriac read nearly the same. Instead of מצבה matstsebah, an image, they have evidently read מזבח mizbeach, an altar; the letters of these words being very similar, and easily mistaken for each other. But instead of either, one, if not two, of Kennicott's MSS. has מנחה minchah, an oblation.

What is called image may signify any kind of pillar, such as God forbade them to erect Lev 26:1, lest it should be an incitement to idolatry.

The ephod was the high priest's garment of ceremony; the teraphim were some kind of amulets, telesms, or idolatrous images; the urim and thummim belonged to the breastplate, which was attached to the ephod.

Instead of teraphim some would read seraphim, changing the ת tau into ש sin; these are an order of the celestial hierarchy. In short, all the time that the Israelites were in captivity in Babylon, they seem to have been as wholly without forms of idolatrous worship as they were without the worship of God; and this may be what the prophet designs: they were totally without any kind of public worship, whether true or false. As well without images and teraphim, as they were without sacrifice and ephod, though still idolaters in their hearts. They were in a state of the most miserable darkness, which was to continue many days; and it has continued now nearly eighteen hundred years, and must continue yet longer, till they acknowledge him as their Savior whom they crucified as a blasphemer.

Afterward shall the children of Israel return - Shall repent of their iniquities, and seek the Lord; lay aside their mock worship, and serve the true God in spirit and in truth.

And David their king - Or as the Targum, "They shall obey the Messiah, the Son of David their King;" and thus look believingly upon him whom they have pierced, and mourn. And then shall their long spiritual darkness and dismal captivity have an end; but not before. The Messiah, as David, is promised in Jer 30:9 (note); Eze 24:23 (note); Eze 37:22-25 (note), and in this place of Hosea. Some think that the family of David is intended; but if we go to the rigour of the letter, the house of Israel was scarcely ever perfectly submissive to David. And we know that after the death of Solomon they never acknowledged the house of David till they were all carried away captive; and certainly never since. And to say that Zerubbabel is here meant, is not supportable, as the very short and imperfect obedience of the Jews to Zerubbabel can never comport with the high terms of this and similar prophecies. We are obliged, therefore, from the evidence of these prophecies, from the evidence of the above facts, from the evidence of the rabbins themselves, and from the evidence of the New Testament, to consider these texts as applying solely to Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, who has been a light to lighten the Gentiles, and will yet be the glory of his people Israel. There is a strange propensity in some men to deny these evidences of Christianity, while they profess to believe its doctrines.

Of her friend - Her husband. An adulteress - Either already tainted, or that certainly will be tainted with that vice. According to the love - Let this be the emblem of my love to the children of Israel. And love - Love the feasts of their idols, where they drink wine to excess.

Fifteen pieces of silver - It was half the value of a slave, Exod 21:32. An homer of barley - About fourteen bushels. Of barley - The meanest kind of provision; and suited to a low condition, all this is, to set forth Israel's indigence and ingratitude, and God's bounty to Israel.

Abide for me - Thou shalt wait unmarried, until I espouse thee.

For - Now the parable is unfolded, it shall be with Israel as with such a woman, they and she were guilty of adultery, both punished long, both made slaves, kept hardly, and valued meanly, yet in mercy at last pardoned, and re - accepted tho' after a long time of probation. Without a king - None of their own royal line shall sit on the throne. A prince - Strangers shall be princes and governors over them. Without a sacrifice - Offered according to the law. An image - They could carry none of their images with them, and the Assyrians would not let them make new ones. Ephod - No priest as well as no ephod. And without teraphim - Idolatrous images kept in their private houses, like the Roman household gods; in one word, such should be the state of their captives; they should have nothing of their own either in religious or civil affairs, but be wholly under the power of their conquering enemies.

Return - Repent. And David - The Messiah who is the son of David. And his goodness - God and his goodness; that is, the good and gracious God. God in Christ and with Christ shall be worshipped. The latter days - In the days of the Messiah, in gospel - times.

1 THen said the LORD unto me , Go yet , love a woman beloved of her friend , yet an adulteress according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel , who look to other Gods , and love flagons of wine .

Or And, Hebr. or furthermore.

Commanded.

Hosea.

Again, or once more, so it implyeth he had once already been commanded and done some such like thing.

In the former he was commanded to Marry, in this he is commanded to love; (the reason of which will appear in the applica[illegible: 2 letters]on of the parable,) a Woman though describ'd by her Character, yet not named; and though her Character would suit well enough to Gomer, yet it was not she, for this Woman was to abide v. 3. for him, but Gomer was presently married to him▪ or [illegible: 1 letter]t least so represented; this was brought Gomer was not:

Her Husband, though some think it may be some other person, or lover.

Either already tainted, or that certainly will be tainted with that vice, a divorced Woman separate from her Husband because of her fals[illegible: 1 letter]ness to him.

Let this be the Emblem of my love to the Children of Israel; by this I intend saith God, to let Israel know how I have loved, and how she hath loved; How greatly, dearly, constantly on my part. How slightly, inconstantly, falsely on her part.

When I adopted them to be a peculiar people to me, to take me for their God, and requir'd they shall have none other (which relation is well exprest by that of Husband and Wife;) they have look't, liked, loved other Gods, and depended on them, and their hearts have been estranged from me, they have turned down right Idolaters.

Loved the Feasts of their Idols, where they drank Wine to excess, by too great measures, which, without dispute, was usual in the Idol Feasts. Amos 2.8. 1 Cor. 10.21. or else these flagons of Wine speak their loose, drunken, and riotous living.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 word]. 1.2.; [illegible: 1 word] grapes.

2 So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley .

As I was commanded, I procured, or as we read it, bought:

Which exactly answers to the State of the Iews, [illegible: 1 letter]hen in Egypt tainted with Egyptian Idolatry, and poor, without a portion; bought or redeem'd to be affianced to God.

Whatever was the exact quantity and value of these pieces we need not here curiously enquire; but note we, it was half the value of aslave▪ Exod. 21.32. and was some [illegible: 1 letter]7 s. 6d.

This measure might be about 14 Bushel; so the who[illegible: 1 letter]e will, for her Diet, amount to twenty and one Bushel▪ no great Provision for her Diet.

And 'tis Barley in both places, the me[illegible: 1 letter]nest kind of Provision; and suited to a low condition. Iudges 7.13. Ezek. 4.9, 12. all this the [illegible: 1 letter]uller to set forth Israe[illegible: 1 letter]s indigence and ingratitude to God, and God's bounty to Israel.

Marginal references: Heb. [illegible: 1 word].

3 And I said unto her, thou shalt abide for me many dayes , thou shalt not play the harlot , and thou shalt not be for another man , so will I also be for thee .

Dwell with me, and expect and wait in an unmarried condition, until I see it fit to espouse thee.

'Tis not said how long, but a slave as she is represented here, may not think this severe. The preferment will compensate her waiting.

This the third condition she is to live chaste and modest, not to do as she had done. This was to settle her in a vertuous life, and to prove whether she would betake her self to a life praiseworthy.

She is bound to marry none other, nor to commit Adultery with any other.

In due time I will accomplish the contract, and as I wait, so I will be for thee: so the Deed is mutually seal'd and signed.

This verse is the form of Contract, or the Articles of Agreement between the Prophet and this Woman.

Marginal references: Deut. 21.13.

4 For the children of Israel shall abide many dayes without a king , and without a prince , and without a sacrifice , and without an image , and without an ephod , and without Teraphim .

Now the parable is unfolded, and made plain, it shall be with Israel much like as with such a Woman, They and She guilty of Adultery, both punisht with a Divorce, both punisht long with such afflicted State, both made Slaves, kept hardly, and valued meanly, yet in mercy at last pardon'd, reaccepted, and prefer'd, but this after long time of Probation. How long we cannot tell, nor list to dispute whether 70 years of Babylons Captivity, or whether these Seventy, and the One Hundred and Thirty years of Ten Tribes Captivity before the Two Tribes went Captives, i. e. Two Hundred years; or whether till Messiah's coming, or the general and last Conversion of th[illegible: 1 letter] Iews, long 'twas to be no doubt.

None of their own Royal Line shall fit on the Throne, and Rule them, but Foreigners, Enemies, and they that had conquer'd them, should be Kings over them. So the Kingdom ceased as chap. 1.4.

The Conquering Kings will not out of the Iews make their chief Officers to Rule the Iews, but Strangers shall be Princes and Governours over them.

Either right, and according to Law; (these Sacrifices they had long since cast off) or Idolatrous ones which they would choose.

They could carry none of their Images with them, and the Assyrians would not let them make new ones.

No Priest as well as no Ephod.

Idolatrous Images kept in their private Houses to Worship and Consult with like the Roman Lares and Penates, Houshold Gods; in one word, such should be the State of these Captives: They should have nothing of their own either in Kingdom and Civil Affairs, or in Church and Religion, but be wholly under the Power and Arbitrary wills of their Conquering Enemies.

Marginal references: chap. 10.3.; Heb. a standing, or, statue[illegible: 1 letter]

5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return , and seek the LORD their God , and David their king , and shall fear the LORD , and his Goodness in the latter dayes .

After these long and sore troubles have broken their hearts and opened their eyes.

Repent; 'tis not promise of return into their own Countrey.

To know his way, and to live under his protection and blessing, to worship him, and they shall pray to him, depend on him, consult with him, with ardency and earnestness of desire.

Not son of Iess, who was long since dead; no[illegible: 1 letter] Zerubbabel. But Messiah who is elsewhere called David, Psal. 132.10. Ier. 30.9. Ezek. 34.24. and 37.24, 25. which see; and Amos 9.11.

With Reverence shall pray, depend and consult their God, and worship his son the Messiah, whom the Father sent out of his infinite Goodness and kindness towards us.

God and his Goodness, i. e. the good and gracious God, such to us in Christ, God in Christ and with Christ shall be worship'd.

In the dayes of the Messiah, in Gospel times, and perhaps the last of these latter dayes.

Marginal references: I[illegible: 2 letters]. 2.2. M[illegible: 1 letter]ch. 4.1.

The Adulteress and Her Fresh Marriage - Hos 3:1-5

“The significant pair are introduced again, but with a fresh application.” In a second symbolical marriage, the prophet sets forth the faithful, but for that very reason chastising and reforming, love of the Lord to rebellious and adulterous Israel. By the command of God he takes a wife, who lives in continued adultery, notwithstanding his faithful love, and places her in a position in which she is obliged to renounce her lovers, that he may thus lead her to return. Hos 3:1-3 contain the symbolical action; Hos 3:4, Hos 3:5 the explanation, with an announcement of the reformation which this proceeding is intended to effect.

Hos 3:1 “And Jehovah said to me, Go again, and love a woman beloved of her companion, and committing adultery, as Jehovah loveth the children of Israel, and they turn to other gods, and love raisin-cakes.” The purely symbolical character of this divine command is evident from the nature of the command itself, but more especially from the peculiar epithet applied to the wife. עוד is not to be connected with ויּאמר, in opposition to the accents, but belongs to לך, and is placed first for the sake of emphasis. Loving the woman, as the carrying out of the divine command in Hos 3:2 clearly shows, is in fact equivalent to taking a wife; and 'âhabh is chosen instead of lâqach, simply for the purpose of indicating at the very outset the nature of the union enjoined upon the prophet. The woman is characterized as beloved of her companion (friend), and committing adultery. רע denotes a friend or companion, with whom one cherishes intercourse and fellowship, never a fellow-creature generally, but simply the fellow-creature with whom one lives in the closest intimacy (Exo 20:17-18; Exo 22:25, etc.). The רע (companion) of a woman, who loves her, can only be her husband or paramour. The word is undoubtedly used in Jer 3:1, Jer 3:20, and Sol 5:16, with reference to a husband, but never of a fornicator or adulterous paramour. And the second epithet employed here, viz., “committing adultery,” which forms an unmistakeable antithesis to אהבת רע, requires that it should be understood in this instance as signifying a husband; for a woman only becomes an adulteress when she is unfaithful to her loving husband, and goes with other men, but not when she gives up her beloved paramour to live with her husband only. If the epithets referred to the love shown by a paramour, by which the woman had annulled the marriage, this would necessarily have been expressed by the perfect or pluperfect. By the participles אהבת and מנאפת, the love of the companion and the adultery of the wife are supposed to be continued and contemporaneous with the love which the prophet is to manifest towards the woman. This overthrows the assertion made by Kurtz, that we have before us a woman who was already married at the time when the prophet was commanded to love her, as at variance with the grammatical construction, and changing the participle into the pluperfect. For, during the time that the prophet loved the wife he had taken, the רע who displayed his love to her could only be her husband, i.e., the prophet himself, towards whom she stood in the closest intimacy, founded upon love, i.e., in the relation of marriage. The correctness of this view, that the רע is the prophet as husband, is put beyond all possibility of doubt by the explanation of the divine command which follows. As Jehovah lovers the sons of Israel, although or whilst they turn to other gods, i.e., break their marriage with Jehovah; so is the prophet to love the woman who commits adultery, or will commit adultery, notwithstanding his love, since the adultery could only take place when the prophet had shown to the woman the love commanded, i.e., had connected himself with her by marriage. The peculiar epithet applied to the woman can only be explained from the fact intended to be set forth by the symbolical act itself, and, as we have already shown at p. 22, is irreconcilable with the assumption that the command of God refers to a marriage to be really and outwardly consummated. The words כּאהבת יי recal Deu 7:8, and והם פּנים וגו Deu 31:18. The last clause, “and loving grape-cakes,” does not apply to the idols, who would be thereby represented either as lovers of grape-cakes, or as those to whom grape-cakes were offered (Hitzig), but is a continuation of פּנים, indicating the reason why Israel turned to other gods. Grape or raisin cakes (on 'ăshı̄shâh, see at 2Sa 6:19) are delicacies, figuratively representing that idolatrous worship which appeals to the senses, and gratifies the carnal impulses and desires. Compare Job 20:12, where sin is figuratively described as food which is sweet as new honey in the mouth, but turns into the gall of asps in the belly. Loving grape-cakes is equivalent to indulging in sensuality. Because Israel loves this, it turns to other gods. “The solemn and strict religion of Jehovah is plain but wholesome food; whereas idolatry is relaxing food, which is only sought after by epicures and men of depraved tastes” (Hengstenberg).

Hos 3:2 “And I acquired her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver, and a homer of barley, and a lethech of barley.” אכּרה, with dagesh lene or dirimens (Ewald, §28, b), from kârâh, to dig, to procure by digging, then generally to acquire (see at Deu 2:6), or obtain by trading (Job 6:27; 40:30). Fifteen keseph are fifteen shekels of silver; the word shekel being frequently omitted in statements as to amount (compare Ges. §120, 4, Anm. 2). According to Eze 45:11, the homer contained ten baths or ephahs, and a lethech (ἡμίκορος, lxx) was a half homer. Consequently the prophet gave fifteen shekels of silver and fifteen ephahs of barley; and it is a very natural supposition, especially if we refer to 2Ki 7:1; 2Ki 16:18, that at that time an ephah of barley was worth a shekel, in which case the whole price would just amount to the sum for which, according to Exo 21:32, it was possible to purchase a slave, and was paid half in money and half in barley. The reason for the latter it is impossible to determine with certainty. The price generally, for which the prophet obtained the wife, was probably intended to indicate the servile condition out of which Jehovah purchased Israel to be His people; and the circumstance that the prophet gave no more for the wife than the amount at which a slave could be obtained, according to Ecc. 21:32 and Zec 11:12, and that this amount was not even paid in money, but half of it in barley - a kind of food so generally despised throughout antiquity (vile hordeum; see at Num 5:15) - was intended to depict still more strikingly the deeply depressed condition of the woman. The price paid, moreover, is not to be regarded as purchase money, for which the wife was obtained from her parents; for it cannot be shown that the custom of purchasing a bride from her parents had any existence among the Israelites (see my Bibl. Archäologie, ii. §109, 1). It was rather the marriage present (mōhar), which a bridegroom gave, not to the parents, but to the bride herself, as soon as her consent had been obtained. If, therefore, the woman was satisfied with fifteen shekels and fifteen ephahs of barley, she must have been in a state of very deep distress.

Hos 3:3 “And I said to her, Many days wilt thou sit for me: and not act the harlot, and not belong to a man; and thus will I also towards thee.” Instead of granting the full conjugal fellowship of a wife to the woman whom he had acquired for himself, the prophet puts her into a state of detention, in which she was debarred from intercourse with any man. Sitting is equivalent to remaining quiet, and לי indicates that this is for the husband’s sake, and that he imposes it upon her out of affection to her, to reform her and grain her up as a faithful wife. היה לאישׁ, to be or become a man’s, signifies conjugal or sexual connection with him. Commentators differ in opinion as to whether the prophet himself is included or not. In all probability he is not included, as his conduct towards the woman is simply indicated in the last clause. The distinction between זנה and היה לאישׁ, is that the former signifies intercourse with different paramours, the latter conjugal intercourse; here adulterous intercourse with a single man. The last words, “and I also to thee” (towards thee), cannot have any other meaning, than that the prophet would act in the same way towards the wife as the wife towards every other man, i.e., would have no conjugal intercourse with her. The other explanations that have been given of these words, in which vegam is rendered “and yet,” or “and then,” are arbitrary. The parallel is not drawn between the prophet and the wife, but between the prophet and the other man; in other words, he does not promise that during the period of the wife’s detention he will not conclude a marriage with any other woman, but declares that he will have no more conjugal intercourse with her than any other man. This thought is required by the explanation of the figure in Hos 3:4. For, according to the former interpretation, the idea expressed would be this, that the Lord waited with patience and long-suffering for the reformation of His former nation, and would not plunge it into despair by adopting another nation in its place. But there is no hint whatever at any such though as this in Hos 3:4, Hos 3:5; and all that is expressed is, that He will not only cut off all intercourse on the part of His people with idols, but will also suspend, for a very long time, His own relation to Israel.

Hos 3:4 “For the sons of Israel will sit for many days without a king, and without a prince, and without slain-offering, and without monument, and without ephod and teraphim.” The explanation of the figure is introduced with כּי, because it contains the ground of the symbolical action. The objects, which are to be taken away from the Israelites, form three pairs, although only the last two are formally connected together by the omission of אין before תּרפים, so as to form one pair, whilst the rest are simply arranged one after another by the repetition of אין before every one. As king and prince go together, so also do slain-offering and memorial. King and prince are the upholders of civil government; whilst slain-offering and memorial represent the nation’s worship and religion. מצּבה, monument, is connected with idolatrous worship. The “monuments” were consecrated to Baal (Exo 23:24), and the erection of them was for that reason prohibited even in the law (Lev 26:1; Deu 16:22 : see at 1Ki 14:23); but they were widely spread in the kingdom of Israel (2Ki 3:2; 2Ki 10:26-28; 2Ki 17:10), and they were also erected in Judah under idolatrous kings (1Ki 14:23; 2Ki 18:4; 2Ki 23:14; 2Ch 14:2; 2Ch 31:1). The ephod and teraphim did indeed form part of the apparatus of worship, but they are also specially mentioned as media employed in searching into the future. The ephod, the shoulder-dress of the high priest, to which the Urim and Thummim were attached, was the medium through which Jehovah communicated His revelations to the people, and was used for the purpose of asking the will of God (1Sa 23:9; 1Sa 30:7); and for the same purpose it was imitated in an idolatrous manner (Jdg 17:5; Jdg 18:5). The teraphim were Penates, which were worshipped as the givers of earthly prosperity, and also as oracular deities who revealed future events (see my Bibl. Archäol. §90). The prophet mentions objects connected with both the worship of Jehovah and that of idols, because they were both mixed together in Israel, and for the purpose of showing to the people that the Lord would take away both the Jehovah-worship and also the worship of idols, along with the independent civil government. With the removal of the monarchy (see at Hos 1:4), or the dissolution of the kingdom, not only was the Jehovah-worship abolished, but an end was also put to the idolatry of the nation, since the people discovered the worthlessness of the idols from the fact that, when the judgment burst upon them, they could grant no deliverance; and notwithstanding the circumstance that, when carried into exile, they were transported into the midst of the idolaters, the distress and misery into which they were then plunged filled them with abhorrence of idolatry (see at Hos 2:7).

This threat was fulfilled in the history of the ten tribes, when they were carried away with the Assyrian captivity, in which they continue for the most part to the present day without a monarchy, without Jehovah-worship, and without a priesthood. For it is evident that by Israel the ten tribes are intended, not only from the close connection between this prophecy and Hos 1:1-11, where Israel is expressly distinguished from Judah (Hos 1:7), but also from the prospect held out in Hos 3:5, that the sons of Israel will return to David their king, which clearly points to the falling away of the ten tribes from the house of David. At the same time, as the carrying away of Judah also is presupposed in Hos 1:7, Hos 1:11, and therefore what is said of Israel is transferred implicite to Judah, we must not restrict the threat contained in this verse to the Israel of the ten tribes alone, but must also understand it as referring to the Babylonian and Roman exile of the Jews, just as in the time of king Asa (2Ch 15:2-4). The prophet Azariah predicted this to the kingdom of Judah in a manner which furnishes an unmistakeably support to Hosea’s prophecy.

Hos 3:5 “Afterward will the sons of Israel turn and seek Jehovah their God, and David their king, and will go trembling to Jehovah and to His goodness at the end of the days.” This section, like the previous one, closes with the announcement of the eventual conversation of Israel, which was not indicated in the symbolical action which precedes it, but is added to complete the interpretation of the symbol. Seeking Jehovah their God is connected with seeking David their king. For just as the falling away of the ten tribes from the royal house of David was merely the sequel and effect of their inward apostasy from Jehovah, and was openly declared in the setting up of the golden calves; the true return to the Lord cannot take place without a return to David their king, since God has promised the kingdom to David and his seed for ever (2Sa 7:13, 2Sa 7:16), and therefore David is the only true king of Israel (their king). This King David, however, is no other than the Messiah. For although David received the promise of the everlasting continuance of his government, not with reference to his own person, but for his seed, i.e., his family; and on the ground of this promise, the whole of the royal house of David is frequently embraced under the expression “King David,” so that we might imagine that David is introduced here, not as an individual, but as signifying the Davidic family; yet we must not understand it on this account as referring to such historical representatives of the Davidic government as Zerubbabel, and other earthly representatives of the house of David, since the return of the Israelites to “their King David” was not to take place till 'achârı̄th hayyâmı̄m (the end of the days). For “the end of the days” does not denote the future generally, but always the closing future of the kingdom of God, commencing with the coming of the Messiah (see at Gen 49:1; Isa 2:2). Pâchad 'el Yehovâh, to shake or tremble to Jehovah, is a pregnant expression for “to turn to Jehovah with trembling;” i.e., either trembling at the holiness of God, in the consciousness of their own sinfulness and unworthiness, or else with anguish and distress, in the consciousness of their utter helplessness. It is used here in the latter sense, as the two parallels, Hos 5:15. “in their affliction they will seek me,” and Hos 11:11, “they shall tremble as a bird,” etc., clearly show. This is also required by the following expression, ואל־טוּבו, which is to be understood, according to Hos 2:7, as denoting the goodness of God manifested in His gifts. Affliction will drive them to seek the Lord, ad His goodness which is inseparable from Himself (Hengstenberg). Compare Jer 31:12, where “the goodness of the Lord” is explained as corn, new wine, oil, lambs, and oxen, these being the gifts that come from the goodness of the Lord (Zec 9:17; Psa 27:13; Psa 31:20). He who has the Lord for his God will want no good thing.

Idolatry of Israel; The Prophet's Remonstrances; Promises to the Penitent. (b. c.  760.)

1 Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine. 2 So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for a homer of barley, and a half homer of barley: 3 And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee. 4 For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: 5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days.

Some think that this chapter refers to Judah, the two tribes, as the adulteress the prophet married (ch. i. 3) represented the ten tribes; for this was not to be divorced, as the ten tribes were, but to be left desolate for a long time, and then to return, as the two tribes did. But these are called the children of Israel, which was the ten tribes, and therefore it is more probable that of them this parable, as well as that before, is to be understood. Go, and repeat it, says God to the prophet; Go yet again. Note, For the conviction and reduction of sinners it is necessary that precept be upon precept, and line upon line. If they will not believe one sign, try another, Exod. iv. 8, 9. Now,

I. In this parable we may observe,

1. God's goodness and Israel's badness strangely serving for a foil to each other, v. 1. Israel is as a woman beloved of her friend, either of him that has married her or of him that only courts her, and yet an adulteress; such is the case between God and Israel. We say of those whose affection is mutual that there is no love lost between them; but here we find a great deal of the love even of God himself lost and thrown away upon an unworthy ungrateful people. The God of Israel retains a very great love for the children of Israel, and yet they are an evil and adulterous generation. Be astonished, O heavens! at this, and wonder, O earth! (1.) That God's goodness has not put an end to their badness; the Lord loves them, has a kindness for them, and is continually showing kindness to them; they know it, they cannot but own it, that he has been as a friend and Father to them; and yet they look to other gods, gods that they can see, and to the love of which they are drawn by the eye; they look to them with an eye of adoration (they offer up all their services to them) and with an eye of dependence (they expect all their comforts from them); if they were restrained from bowing the knee to idols, yet they gave them an amorous glance, and had eyes full of that spiritual adultery. And they loved flagons of wine; they joined with idolaters because they lived merrily and drank hard; they had a kindness for other gods for the sake of the plenty of good wine with which they had been sometimes treated in their temples. Idolatry and sensuality commonly go together; those that make a god of their belly, as drunkards do, will easily be brought to make a god of any thing else. God's priests were to drink no wine when they went in to minister, and his Nazarites none at all. But the worshippers of other gods drank wine in bowls; nay, no less than flagons of wine would content them. (2.) That their badness had not stopped the current of his favours to them. This is a wonder of mercy indeed, that she is thus beloved of her friend, though an adulteress; such is the love of the Lord towards the children of Israel. "Go," says God, "love such a woman; see if thou canst find in thy heart to do it. No, thou canst not, the breast of no man would admit such a love; yet such is my love to the children of Israel; it is love to the loveless, to the unlovely, to those that have a thousand times forfeited it." Note, In God's goodwill to poor sinners his thoughts and ways are infinitely above ours, and his love is more condescending and compassionate than ours is, or can be; in this, as much as any thing, he is God, and not man, Hos. xi. 9.

2. The method found for the bringing of a God so very good and a people so very bad together again; this is the thing aimed at, and what God aims at he will accomplish. To our great surprise, we find a breach thus wide as the sea effectually healed; miracles cease not so long as divine mercy does not cease. Observe here, (1.) The course God takes to humble them and make them know themselves (v. 2): I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and a homer and a half of barley, that is, I courted her to be reconciled, to leave her ill courses, and return to her first husband, as ch. ii. 14. I allured her, and spoke comfortably to her; as the Levite who went after his concubine that had played the harlot from him, and had run away with another man, spoke friendly to her, Judg. xix. 3. But here the present which the prophet brought her for the purchasing of her favour is observed to be a very small one; but it was all that was intended for her separate maintenance, and in it she is reduced to a short allowance, and, to punish her for her pride, is made to look very mean. When Samson went to be reconciled to his wife that had disobliged him he visited her with a kid (Judg. xv. 1), which was a genteel entertainment. But the prophet here visited his wife with fifteen pieces of silver, a small sum, which yet she must be content to live upon a great while, so long as till her husband thought fit to restore her to her first estate. She shall also have a homer and a half of barley, for bread-corn, and that is all she must expect till she be sufficiently humbled, and, by a competent time of trial, satisfactory proof given that she is indeed reformed. Let her be made sensible that it is not for her own merit that her husband makes court to her; it is but a lame price that he values her at. The price of a servant was thirty shekels, Exod. xxi. 32. This was but half so much; yet let her know that it is more than she is worth. God had given Egypt for Israel's ransom once, so precious were they then in his sight, and so honourable, Isa. xliii. 3, 4. But now that they have gone a whoring from him he will give but fifteen pieces of silver for them, so much have they lost in their value by their iniquity. Note, Those whom God designs honour and comfort for he first makes sensible of their own worthlessness, and brings them to acknowledge, with the prodigal, I am no more worthy to be called thy son. Time was when Israel was fed with the finest of the wheat, but they grew wanton, and loved flagons of wine, and therefore, in order to the humbling and reducing of them, they must be brought in the land of their captivity to eat barley-bread, and be thankful they can get it, and to eat that too by weight and measure, whereas they did not use to be stinted. Note, Poverty and disgrace sometimes prove a happy means of making great sinners true penitents. (2.) The new terms upon which God is willing to come with them (v. 3): Thou shalt abide for me many days, and shalt not be for another, so will I be for thee. He might justly have given them a bill of divorce, and have resolved to have no more to do with them; but he is willing to show them kindness, and that the matter should be compromised; he deals not with them in strict justice, according to the rigour of the law, but according to the multitude of his mercies; and it represents God's gracious dealings with the apostate race of mankind, that had gone a whoring from him; he bought them indeed with an inestimable price, not for their honour, but for the honour of his own justice; and now this is the proposal he makes to them, the covenant of grace he is willing to enter into with them—they must be to him a people, and he will be to them a God, the same with the proposal here made to Israel. [1.] They must take to themselves the shame of their apostasy from him, must submit to, and accept of, the punishment of their iniquity: Thou shalt abide for me many days in solitude and silence, as a widow that is desolate and in sorrow; they must lay aside their ornaments, and wait with patience and submission to know what God will do with them, and whether he will please to admit such unworthy wretches into his favour again, as they did Exod. xxxiii. 4, 5. Their father, their husband, has spit in their face (as God said concerning Miriam), has put them under the marks of his displeasure, and therefore, like her, they must be ashamed seven days, and be shut out of the camp (Num. xii. 14), till their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, Lev. xxvi. 41. Let them sit alone and keep silence, waiting for the salvation of the Lord, and in the mean time let them bear the yoke, Lam. iii. 26-28. Let them not expect that God should speedily return in mercy to them,; no, let them want it, let them wait for it many days, during all the days of their captivity, and reckon it a miracle of mercy, and well worth waiting for, it if come at last. Note, Those whom God designs mercy for he will first bring to abase themselves and to put a high value upon his favours. [2.] They must never return to folly again; that is the condition upon which God will speak peace to his people and to his saints (Ps. lxxxv. 8), and no other. "Thou shalt not play the harlot, shalt not worship idols in the land of thy captivity, while thou art there set apart for the uncleanness." Note, It is not enough to take shame to ourselves for the sins we have committed, and to justify God in correcting us for them, but we must resolve, in the strength of God's grace, that we will not offend any more, that we will not again go a whoring from God, after the world and the flesh. Blessed be God, though it is the law of the covenant, it is not the condition of it that we shall never in any thing do amiss: "But thou shalt not play the harlot; thou shalt not serve other gods, shalt not be for another man." In the land of their captivity they would be courted to worship the idols of the country; that would be a trial for them, a long trial, many days: "But if thou keep thy ground, and hold fast thy integrity, if, when all this comes upon thee, thou dost not stretch out thy hand to a strange god, thou wilt be qualified for the returns of God's favour." Note, It is a certain sign that our afflictions are means of much good to us, and earnests of more, when we are kept by the grace of God from being overcome by the temptations of an afflicted state. [3.] Upon these terms their Maker will again be their husband: So will I also be for thee. This is the covenant between God and returning sinners, that, if they will be for him to serve him, he will be for them to save them. Let them renounce and abjure all rivals with God for the throne in the heart, and devote themselves entirely to him and him only, and he will be to them a God all-sufficient. If we be faithful and constant to God in a way of duty, and will never leave nor forsake him, he will be so to us in a way of mercy, and will never leave nor forsake us. And a fairer proposal could not be made.

II. In the last two verses we have the interpretation of the parable and the application of it to Israel.

1. They must long sit like a widow, stripped of all their joys and honours, Lam. iv. 1, 2. They shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince; and a nation in this condition may well be called a widow. They want the blessing, (1.) Of civil government: They shall abide without a king, and without a prince, of their own. There were kings and princes over them to oppress them and rule them with rigour, but they had no king nor prince to protect them, to fight their battles for them, to administer justice to them, and to take care of their common safety and welfare. Note, Magistracy is a very great blessing to a people, and it is a sad and sore judgment to want it. (2.) Of public worship: They shall abide without a sacrifice, and without an image (or a statue, or pillar; the word is used concerning the pillars Jacob erected, Gen. xxviii. 18; xxxi. 45; xxxv. 20), and without an ephod and teraphim. The teraphim being here closely joined to the ephod, some thing the urim and thummim were meant by it in the breast-plate of the high priest. The meaning is that in their captivity they should not only have no face of a nation upon them, but no face of a church; they should not have (as a learned expositor speaks) liberty of any public profession or exercise of religion, either true or false, according to their choice. They shall have no sacrifice or altar (so the LXX.), and therefore no sacrifice because no altar. They shall have no ephod, nor teraphim, no legal priesthood, no means of knowing God's mind, no oracle to consult in doubtful cases, but shall be all in the dark. Note, The case of those is very melancholy that are deprived of all opportunities to worship God in public. This was the case of the Jews in their captivity; and it is so far the case of the scattered Jews at this day that, though they have their synagogues, they have no temple-service. Desolate indeed is their condition that are shut out from communion with God, that have no opportunity of directing their addresses to God by sacrifice and altar, and of receiving instruction from him by ephod and teraphim.

2. They shall at length be received again as a wife (v. 5): Afterwards, in process of time, when they have gone through this discipline, they shall return, that is, they shall repent of their idolatries and forsake them, they shall apply themselves to God and adhere to him, and herein they shall be accepted of him. Two things are here promised as instances of their return, and steps towards their acceptance with God in their return:—(1.) The enquiries they shall make after God: They shall seek the Lord their God, and David their king. Note, Those that would find God, and find favour with him, must seek him, must ask after him, covet acquaintance with him, desire to be reconciled to him, set their love on him, and labour in this that they may be accepted of him. Their seeking him implies that they had lost him, that they were lamenting their loss, and that they were solicitous to retrieve what they had lost. They shall seek him as their God; for should not a people seek unto their God? And they shall seek David their King, who can be no other than the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the root and offspring of David, whom David himself called Lord (Ps. cx. 1), and to whom God gave the throne of his father David, Luke i. 32. The Chaldee reads it, They shall seek the service of the Lord their God, and shall obey Messiah, the Son of David their king. Compare this with Jer. xxx. 9; Ezek. xxxiv. 23; xxxvii. 25. Note, Those that would seek the Lord so as to find him must apply to Jesus Christ, and must seek to him as their King, and become his willing people, and take an oath of fealty and allegiance to him. (2.) The reverence they shall have of God: They shall fear the Lord and his goodness. Some by his goodness here understand the temple, towards which they shall look, in worshipping God. The Jews say, There were three things which Israel cast off in the days of Rehoboam—the kingdom of heaven, the family of David, and the house of the sanctuary; and it will never be well with them till they return, and seek them all three, which is here promised. They shall seek the kingdom of heaven in the Lord their God, the royal family in David their King, and the temple in the goodness of the Lord. Others by his goodness understand Christ, the same with David their King. But it is rather to be taken for that attribute of God which he showed as his glory, and by which he proclaimed his name. Note, It is not only the Lord and his greatness that we are to fear, but the Lord and his goodness, not only his majesty, but his mercy. They shall flee for fear to the Lord and his goodness (so some take it), shall flee to it as their city of refuge. We must fear God's goodness, that is, we must admire it, and stand amazed at it, must adore it, and worship as Moses did at the proclaiming of this name, Exod. xxxiv. 6. We must be afraid of offending his goodness, of making any ungrateful returns for it, and so forfeiting it. There is forgiveness with God, that he may be feared, Ps. cxxx. 4. We must rejoice with trembling in the goodness of God, must not be high-minded, but fear. Now this promise had its accomplishment when by the gospel of Christ great multitudes both of Jews and Gentiles were brought home to God, and incorporated in the New-Testament church, served God in Christ, with a filial fear of divine grace, and were accepted of God as his Israel. And some think it is to be yet further accomplished in the conversion of those Jews to the faith of Christ who shall remain in unbelief, when they shall seek their Messiah as David their King, and by him all Israel shall be saved, when the fulness of the Gentiles is brought in. Time was when they sought him to put him to death, saying, We have no king but Cæsar; but the day is coming when they shall seek him to appoint him their head, and to lay their necks under his yoke. He that has here promised that they shall do it will enable them to do it, and bring about this great work in his own way and time, in the latter days of the last times, the times of the Messiah: but, alas! who shall live when God does this? How far we are to expect a general conversion of that nation I cannot say; but I am sure we ought to pray that the Jews may be converted.

CHAP. III.

Verſe 1. THen ſaid the Lord unto me, Go yet, &c.] This Yet is emphaticall: and it is as if he had ſaid Go over the ſame ſubject again in a ſhorter diſcourſe: and lay before them the ſame truthes, but in more lively colours, that the obſtinate may be left without excuſe, and the penitent may not be left without comfort. Iterum abi, [non-Latin text not transcribed] Go to them once more, and be inſtant with them or ſtand over them as Saint Paul ſaith. 2 Tim. 4.2. and as Saint Paul doth, in crying down the Jewes conceit of being juſtified by the works of the law, and in diſgracing the ſin of fornication ſo common at Corinth. Chryſoſtom at Antioch having preached ſundry Sermons againſt ſwearing, was at length asked when he would preach upon another ſubject? He anſwered when you leave ſwearing, Ile leave preaching againſt ſwearing. Auſtin would have a preacher ſo long to purſue and preſſe the ſame point,De Doct. Christian. Deut. 6.7. Shanan et Shanah repetere ſicut in acuende. untill by the geſture and countenance of the hearers he perceive tha[illegible: 1 letter] [illegible: 1 letter]hey underſtand it, and will practiſe it. This is to whet the word of God upon pe[illegible: 2 letters]le (as Moſes his phraſe is) by going oft over the ſame thing, as the knife doth th[illegible: 1 letter] whet-ſtone. A like type to the former is here firſt propounded, ſecondly expounded, that at length it might faſten. A preacher muſt not deſiſt, though at firſt he prevail not (as ſome from this ſecond injunction collect, that this Prophet would have done) but he muſt turn himſelf into all ſhapes and faſhions both of ſpeech and of ſpirit to win people to God, with all long ſuffering and doctrine, 2 Tim. 4.2. And this the Lord here teacheth Hoſea to do by his own example of patience and tolerance, notably ſet forth in this enſuing type.

Love a woman beloved of her friend yet an adultereſſe] This was an harder task then to take her chap. 1.2. in hope ſhe would prove honeſt. But now that ſhe hath plaid the adultereſſe and ſo deſerved to be diſcarded, yet to love her, yea and that when ſhe is habituated and hardened in her lewd practiſes (as the Hebrew word ſignifieth) Durus eſt hic ſerm[illegible: 1 letter], who can bear it? If none elſe can,Nontam actum quam habitum ſignificat. Rivet. yet God both can and will, as appeareth by this whole Parable wherein the Prophet is commanded to repreſent God, as in the former type Chap. 1. and by loving that wife which he had taken before, though ſhe had plaid falſe with him, to ſhew what was the love of God toward Iſrael. She forſaketh me, ſaith He, who give her all the good ſhe either hath or hopeth for, and followeth after thoſe that put bottles of wine to her mouth, ſhe loves thoſe flagons, &c. Ah ſinfull nation, a people laden with iniquity, &c. howbeit I will not relinquiſh her, but will love her freely as if ſhe had never offended me. O matchleſs mercy. O concio plena conſolationis! Mercer. O moſt comfortable Sermon. God ſo loved the world, the Mundus immundus, that he gave his onely begotten Son, &c. This was a Sic withouta Sicut, there being nothing in nature that can poſſibly parallel it. See Rom. 5.8. God loveth Apoſtates, idolaters, adulterers, yet not as ſuch, but as he intendeth and reſpecteth their converſion to himſelf: which nothing will ſooner effect then the ſenſe of ſuch an undeſerved love. I am not ignorant that another ſenſe is ſet upon theſe words, as thus; Go yet love a woman not married, as yet but eſpouſed unto thee, who may hereafter be thy wife; but is for her adultery rejected for a long ſeaſon: ſo God loved the Iſraelites as an adulterous ſpouſe: and therefore for a long while neglected, but yet at length to be taken by him to wife, according to Chap. 2.15.19.

Beloved of her friend] ſc. of ſome paramour, as Jer. 3.1. thou haſt played the harlot, with many lovers. Theſe the Greeks called [non-Latin text not transcribed] fellow-friends, the whore was called [non-Latin text not transcribed]: ſo they flattered their own vices putting gilded names on them, as our blades name drunkenneſs good-fellowſhip, harlots ſhe-ſinners, &c. The Septuagint render it a woman that loveth naughty things or naughty packs. But I like the former interpretation better; and it is agreeable to the Chaldee Paraphraſt.

Who look to other gods] Look and luſt, ut vidi! ut perij! the mind lodgeth in the eye, and looketh out at that window of wickedneſſe. If I beheld the Sunne when it ſhined,Job 31.26, 27. or the Moon walking in brightneſſe: And my heart hath been ſecretly enticed: or my mouth hath kiſſed my hand, &c. Job alludeth to the practiſe of thoſe old Idolaters, which was to kiſſe their Idols, if they could reach them, as 1 King. 19.18. (Cicero tels of the image of Hercules, cujus mentum oſculis adorantium attritum fuit: and the Papiſts ſo kiſſe their pictures, that hard Marble is worn with it,Spec. Europ. ſaith Sir Edwin Sands, an eye-witneſſe:) But when they could not come at the Idol to kiſſe it, they looked up and kiſſed their hand, in token of homage: and this was called adoration. Quaſt applicatio manus ados This looking to other gods, imports a turning toward them. Se Deut. 31.18, 20. a loving them, a longing after them, and an expectation of ſome good from them. No wonder therefore that ſuch whoriſh hankerings and honings were offenſive to the jealous and juſt God: but the unjuſt knoweth no ſhame, Zeph. 3.5. men are forbidden ſo much as to lift up their eyes to their Idols,Pſal. 121.1. Ezek. 23.27. And ſhall I lift up mine eyes unto the hills (ſaith David, as ſome read that Text) as if from thence came my help? Abſit. Chriſts Spouſe hath a Doves chaſt eye: and he would have her like that Perſian Lady,Cant. 4. who being at Cyrus his Wedding, and asked, how ſhe liked the Bride-groom? How? ſaith ſhe, I know not. I ſaw no body there but my husband.

and love flagons of wine.]See Judg. 9.27. & Amos 2.8. Bechive of Rome. Luxury is the ordinary companion of Idolatry, as Exod. 32.6.1 Cor. 10.7. Rovel. 18.13, 14. O monachi veſtri ſtomachi, &c. At Paris and Lovain, the beſhin vine is called Vinum Theologicum, the Divinity-wine: it is alſo called, Vinum Cos, [illegible: 1 letter]we. caloris, odoris, ſaporis, optims. Thoſe Clergy-Locuſts lick up all: thoſe Abby-lubbers are good for nothing but to devour grain, like vermine: thoſe wine-bibbers and fleſh-mongers (as Salmon calleth them) are no better then the execrements of humane ſociety, gelulim, belly-gods, and fit ſervants of thoſe dungy-gods, as idols are called, Hab. 2.18. with Ezek. 4.17, 18. And a ſcavenger whoſe living is to empty privies, is far to be preferred before ſuch an one, as looking to other gods, and making his gut his god lives but to fill privies. For a flagon of wine, or a meals-meat, any god may ſoon have the hearts and ſervices of ſuch as have (Poliphemus-like) no ſupream deity but their belly.

Verſe 2. So I bought her to me] God is to be obeyed, though it go never ſo much againſt the heart,Epictet. and the hair with us. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Follow God was a Heathen, but an honeſt precept. This he that would do, muſt firſt deny himſelf, and ſay with that Dutch Divine, Veniat, veniat, verbum Dei, &c. Let a word of command come forth from God, and we will ſubmit thereto, though we had ſix hundred lives to loſe, yea though we can ſee no reaſon for it. Indeed, in humane governments, where reaſon is ſhut out, there tyranny is thruſt in. But where God commandeth, there to ask a reaſon is preſumption, to oppoſe reaſon, is [illegible: 1 word] rebellion.

I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of ſilver,] That is, fifteen ſhekels, or ſhillings, or thereabouts: no great price it was that he gave for her, whether for hire or dowry: probably it was in order to marrying her, and in reference to that law, Deut. 21.11. Iſrael was once a precious people, Gods peculiar treaſure, ſuch as comprehended all his gettings. The Jews have a ſaying, that thoſe ſeventy ſouls, that went down with Jacob into Egypt, were more worth then all the ſeventy Nations of the earth beſide. But now behold, how cheap they are grown; they are valued all of them at fifteen pieces of ſilver, a goodly price. (Zach. 11.12. Matt. 27.9.) If the tongue of the righteous be as choice ſilver, yet the heart of the wicked is little worth, Prov. 10.20. There, (as in the Sea) is that Leviathan (the king of all the children of pride) and there are creeping things innumerable, crawling luſts, and lawleſſe paſſions; but for any thing of worth, it is not there to be had. Hence as at the laſt deſtruction of Jeruſalem, thirty Jews were ſold for one penny, ſo here the whole body of the Nation are bought and ſold for a ſmall ſum. How weak is thine heart, (how light-cheap) ſaith the Lord God to this light-huſwife, ſeeing thou doſt all theſe things,Ezek. 16.30. the work of an imperious whoriſh woman? God and his people reckon of men by their righteouſneſſe: He looked down from heaven to ſee who ſought after God, &c. Pſal. 14.3. As for others, he regards them no more then men do droſſe, draffe, chaffe, or ſuch like refuſe ſtuffe, Pſal. 119.119. Pſal. 1.3. &c. what ever great thoughts they take up of themſelves, and how ever the world rate them. Antiochus Epiphanes, that great king of Syria, is called a vile perſon, Dan. 11.21. And, the adverſary is this wicked Haman, ſaith Eſther: that was his true title, which he perhaps never heard till now.

And an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley.] God buyes not this people (though for never ſo little) to ſtarve them, but alloweth them alimony, though not ſo fine a food: barley and not wheat. See Revel. 6.5. priſoners pittance, courſe fare, ſuch as ſlaves and beaſts are fed with; as ſhe had been like horſe and mule, Pſal. 32. and leſt ſhe ſhould wax fat and kick, ſhe is held to ſtrait allowance. Whereby is ſignified the mean and low condition that the ten Tribes (and afterwards all the Jews) ſhould be in, till Chriſt came to marry them to himſelfe. Firſt, they ſhould be valued but at half the price of a ſlave. Secondly, they ſhould be courſly fed, as beaſts, with barley, or perhaps, not ſo well as the Jews beaſts: for among them, the mouth of the Ox treading out their corn, might not be muzled. But the Heathens were wont to put an Engin about their ſervants necks,This engin was called. [non-Latin text not transcribed] and it reached down to their hands, that they might not ſo much as lick of the wheatmeal, when they were ſi[illegible: 1 letter]ting it. Now they were ſcattered among the Heathen, and ſold to the Nations for nought, Pſal. 44.11, 12. They that were wont to feed delicately, were deſolate in the ſtreets: they that were brought up in ſcarlet, embraced dunghils, Lam. 4.5. their flagons of wine were turned into tankards of water, and their bellaria, or junkets (ſo the Septuagint render it, and not flagons) into brown-bread, horſe-bread: that ſo thoſe whom pride,Ezek. 16.49. fulneſſe of bread, and abundance of idleneſſe had undone, hardſhip and penury might reduce to duty. God would ſeem for a time to have forgotten them, that they might at length remember themſelves: he loves to chaſtiſe mens inſolency with indigency, as he did Hagars, Gen. 21.15. and the Prodigals, Luke 15. who for his ſwiniſh life, was brought to ſwines-meat, and thereby brought home to his father. It is the way of God to humble thoſe he intendeth good unto, to prepare them for mercy by cutting them ſhort of theſe outward comforts. Though this be here a threatning, yet there is a promiſe in it, verſe 3. that God will take off the ſmarting plaiſter, ſo ſoon as it hath eaten out the proud fleſh. It is in very faithfulneſſe that he afflicteth his people, becauſe he will be true to their ſouls, and ſave them. And hence it is that he ſo diets them, and keeps them ſhort, that he may do them good in the latter end, that he may change their bricks (made in their bondage) into Saphires, and Agates. See Exod. 24.10. with Iſai. 54 11.

Verſe 3. Thou ſhalt abide for me many dayes,] Even till the laſt dayes, verſe 5. or laſt year, as Ezekiel hath it, chap. 38.8. Thus they have abode, or ſat (as a deſolate widow, ſo the Hebrew hath it) 700. years before Chriſt, and above 1600. years ſince in a moſt forlorn condition; crying out in their daily prayers to God, Veniat regnum trum, bimherah, bejamenu, Let thy kingdom come ſpeedily, even in our dayes. And again, Aedificu templum tuum, aedifica, aedifica, citò, citò, citò; Lord build, build, build thy Temple quickly, quickly, quickly. But Gods time is not yet come; for they are not yet throughly humbled. Were they but ripe, he is ready: when help is ſeaſonable, his fingers itch (ſaith One) to be doing, as the mothers breaſt akes, when it is time the childe had ſuck, Exod. 12.40, 41. At midnight were the firſt-born ſlain, and Iſrael ſent away, becauſe then exactly the 400. or 430. years of their captivity in Egypt were expired. So Dan. 5.30. In that night was Belſhazzar ſlain: becauſe then exactly the ſeventy years were ended. God promiſeth to take this Church again to wife, but having found her formerly ſo fickle and faithleſſe, he would for a long time trie her, and keep her unmarried as a probationer: he would lay her (as we do filthy garments) a ſoaking, and a froſting, for many hundred years, to try them, and to purge, and to make white, even to the time of the end, becauſe it is yet for a time appointed, Dan: 11.35. And to preſume to preſcribe to him in this caſe, is to ſet the Sun by our Dial. As he never fails his in his own time, ſo he ſeldome comes at ours. Here then our ſtrength is, to ſit ſtill, Eſay 30.7. and not to ſtart up, and ſay as that impatient Prince did,2 Kings 6.30. What ſhould I wait for the Lord any longer? Shall Chriſt loſe his right in his wife, becauſe he takes her not by the day ſet down in our Calender? Poſſibly the Calender of heaven hath a poſt-date to ours. Sure it is, that we are apt to antedate the promiſes in regard of the accompliſhment: as thoſe Jer. 8.20. that looked for help that ſummer at furtheſt, but were deceived. See the diſeaſe and the remedy put together Hab. 2.2.3. and learn to wait. God will ſurely bring us to it if we belong to him: and thereby inure us both to patience and continence as here.

thou ſhalt not play the harlot &c.] thou ſhalt not haſten after another God, and ſo multiply ſorrowes upon thy ſelf Pſal. 16.4. as he that hath broke priſon gets but more irons to be laid upon him and a ſtricter watch, Pſal. 44.19. the Church though ſore broken in the place of dragons, and covered with the ſhadow of death, yet ſhe ſtretched not out her hands to a ſtrange God. She knew that was not the way to get off with comfort. Is it becauſe there is no God in Iſrael, that thou gaddeſt to the God of Ekron.Iſay. 20.19. 2 King. 1. Should not a people ſeek unto their God? from the living to the dead? Should they ſeek to ſlip out at a back-dore and to help themſelves by ſorry ſhifts, or ſiniſter practiſes. Is that ever like to do well? or will not ſuch be miſerable even by their own election, Ion. 2.8. Wherefore if God defer to help (as he doth uſually) hold out faith and patience. Wait upon him who even waits to be gracious,Eſay. 30.18. for he is a God of judgement and well knoweth how and when to deale forth his favours: Cito data cito vileſcunt, Manna being lightly come by, was as lightly ſet by. He therefore ſuſpends us, that he may commend his mercies to us: and when he comes with them, be the better welcome. The longer he holds us in requeſt, the more will he do for us at length: and if we abide for him many dayes, we ſhall be no loſers thereby.

for I alſo will be for thee] He will love thoſe that love him,Prov. 8.17. 1 Sam. 2.30. and honour thoſe that honour him. Yea, if any man love me, ſaith Chriſt, my Father will love him, and I will love him, and will manifeſt my ſelf unto him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. Joh. 14.21.23. I will gather them (ſc. into my boſome out of all nations) that are ſorrowfull for the ſolemn aſſembly who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burthen. Behold at that time I will undo all that afflict thee &c. Zeph. 5.18.19.20. God eſteems highly of thoſe that abide for him in their baniſhment, that ſtay for him till he minde marriage with them, that ſtick to him in affliction, that reſolve to reſerve themſelves for him, ſo as if they cannot have comfort in God they will have none elſewhere. The Cherethites and the Pelethites that were with David at Gath, and afterwards ſtuck to him when Abſalom was up, they were ever neare about him, as his guard, and dear to him as his favourites. God is All in all to thoſe that with the Spouſe will be his altogether: Jer. 29.13. he will do good to them with his whole heart, that ſeek him with their whole heart &c.

Verſe 4. For the children of Iſrael ſhall abide many dayes without a king &c.] They ſhall be as it is ſaid of the Braſileans, Sine rege, ſine lege, ſine fide, in a wofull confuſed eſtate, both for State and Church. This they had brought upon themſelves by their Idols ſet up at Dan and Bethel: that is, in the place of Judgment, and in the houſe of God (ſo Dan and Bethel ſignify.) Bethel was become Bethaven, and the place of judicature (called by Solomon the place of the Holy God Eccle. 8.10.) ſo corrupted, that people were ready to ſay as Themiſtocles once did, that if there were two wayes ſhew'd him, the one leading to hell and the other to the Tribunal, he would chuſe that which went to hell and forſake the other. That corruption cauſed this confuſion. The children of Iſrael ſhall be without and without, here are ſix withouts that they might be ſenſible of their abuſe of mercies, and ſee bona a tergo formoſiſſima good things faireſt behind, their worth beſt appearing by their want. The Perſian law commanded, that at the death, of their kings, there ſhould be [non-Latin text not transcribed] a ſuſpenſion of lawes,Stob. orat. 42. a lawleſſe liberty, for the ſpace of five dayes: that ſubjects might know the neceſſity of government, by being bereft of the benefit of it for a time: and the better prize it when they had it. The like cuſtome they have now in Turky at the death of the Grand Signor,Turk. hist. which is no ſooner known, but every man doth what is good in his own eyes, till his ſucceſſor be ſent for, and ſet upon his throne. Iſrael hath neither King nor Prince, Ruler nor Civil Magiſtrate of their own, (the ten tribes I meane: for Judah had both Prince and Prieſts after the captivity, till the laſt deſolation, ſince which they have) no forme nor face of Church or common-wealth, no not of a corrupt or depraved Church, meant here by Image and Teraphim, See 2 King. 17.10. Judg. 17.5. much leſs of ſuch an one as God had preſcribed, meant by ſacrifices and Ephod. Proſpers conceit was that this people were called Judaei becauſe they received jus Dei their law from Gods mouth. And Joſephus calleth their common wealth a Theocratie, or God-government. They received their order both for Church and common-wealth from heaven: which no other people ever did in the ſame manner; and might truly take up that of the Prophet Eſay; The Lord is our Judge, Eſay. 33.22. the Lord is our law-giver, the Lord is our King, he will ſave us. But man being in honour is without underſtanding &c. Jeſhurun waxed fat and kicked: then he forſook God which made him, and ſacrificed unto devils, not to God, to Gods whom they knew not, to new Gods, that came newly up &c.Deut. 32.15.17. When Ephraim ſpake and ſpake right there was trembling and none durſt budge againſt him: but when he offended in Baal, he died: Hoſ. 13.1. then every paltry adverſary trampled upon him as a dead man,Sanet. in Zech. 8.13. Heyl. Georg. 370. then every ſcurrilous Poet could inſult over him and cry, Credat Judaeus Appela Non ego: then every common Turk could by way of execration ſay, Judaeus ſim ſi fallo, and in deteſtation of a thing: I would I might die a Jew then, a diſperſed and deſpiſed people they are (none more) under the cope of heaven; partly for their former Idolatry, but principally for their rejecting of Chriſt crucified: whom they cannot but in their conſciences know to be the Shiloh that ſhould come, ſith the ſcepter is ſo longe ſince departed from Judah, and a Law-giver from between his feet Gen. 49.10. That for their ſins which are many (ſay the Talmudiſts) he yet hides himſelf in the caverns and ſecret places of the earth, is [non-Latin text not transcribed] a ſimple pretence, or rather a ſubtlety of Satan, to hold them ſtill in blindneſſe, till God unſeale their eyes: till when things that are never ſo clere will not be beleeved.

Verſe 5. Afterward ſhall the children of Iſrael return] They ſhall come out of the furnace more refined then ever. By this ſhall the iniquity of Jacob be purged: and this is all the fruit to take away her ſin: when he maketh all the ſtones of the Altar as chalk-ſtones that are beaten in ſunder: the groves and images ſhall not ſtand up. Eſay. 27.9. then indeed hath Jacob the right fruit of his ſufferings, when he makes all the ſtones of the Alter, as chalk-ſtones, crumbling them to crattle: when he puls down the groves and images, thoſe Balaams-blocks that lay in his way to God, and now reſolves to return,

and ſeek the Lord] from whom they had deeply revolted to ſeek his face and favour, to ſeek his ordinances & true worſhip, & laſtly, to ſeek to know & do what is well-pleaſing in his ſight. Their hearts ſhall rejoyce that thus ſeek the Lord: & theſe are true converts indeed, theſe are thoſe ſekers Pſal. 24.6. yea this is Jacob (as there) Jſraelites indeed, ſuch as cannot be (whereever they are caſt) without God in the world, without Chriſt,Jer. 30.9. Ezek. 34.24. 1 King. 12.6. who is here called David by a Patronymick (as alſo elſo where) no without alluſion to the Apoſtaſy of the ten tribes from the houſe of David, & ſo from the true God; which now alſo they ſhall bewail as the root of their ſin & ruine.

and David their King] Call'd by Daniel Meſſiah the Prince, Dan. 9. Act. 3. and by Peter, Chriſt the Lord. See Luk. 1.32. Some think he is here called the goodneſſe of God.

They ſhall fear the Lord and his goodneſſe] which also is his glory,Pavehunt ad Dominum. Exod. 33.19 The Hebrew is, they ſhall feare to the Lord, trepidabunt that is, trembling they ſhall make haſt to him (as frighted doves do to their columbaries, See Hoſ. 11.11.) they ſhall kiſs the Son, with a kiſs of homage: and with reverentiall feare ſubmit to he kingdome.

HOSEA, CHAP. 3.

The Firſt Lecture. CHAP. 3. VER. 1. 2. 3. Then ſaid the Lord unto me, go yet, love a woman (beloved of her friend, yet an adultereſſe) according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Iſrael, who looke to other gods and love flaggons of wine. So I bought her [illegible: 1 letter]o me for fifteen pieces of ſilver, and for an homer of barley, and an halfe homer of barley. And I ſaid unto her, thou ſhalt abide for me many dayes, thou ſhalt not play the harlot, and thou ſhalt not be for another man, ſo will I alſo be for thee. THe cloſe of the former Chapter had much mercy in it, and this Chapter containes the expreſſion of much love alſo to Iſrael, but yet withall, God tells them of that meane and low eſtate they are like to be in before that time comes, for the fulfilling of all that good that God intends to them. God purpoſes great mercy for them, his heart is much ſet upon them, but they muſt for a long time beare their iniquity, they muſt be brought into a vile and deſolate condition in their captivity, even untill a ſecond appearing of Chriſt. But in all this time the heart of God would be toward them, his intentions would be ſtrong for good to that people above all the people upon the face of the earth: though they might ſeeme to be utterly rejected of the Lord, and that for many yeers, yet hee would look toward them as a people that he intended yet to marry unto himſelf, & in time mercy ſhould breake forth gloriouſly upon them, and his name ſhould be magnified in their returning unto him, ſo as their hearts ſhould melt toward his goodneſſe, they ſhould not abuſe it any more as formerly they had done, but they ſhould returne and ſeeke the Lord their God and David their King, and feare the Lord and his goodneſſe in the latter dayes. This is the ſcope of the Chapter. In which you have three things. 1. Gods love continued unto an adultereſſe, Iſrael. 2. The low and mean condition of this adultereſſe for a long time. 3. The returne of God in infinite mercy toward them at the latter day, together with their returne unto him. And the Lord ſaid unto me, goe yet, love a woman (beloved of her friend, yet an adulter eſſe.) We have here a new injunction to the Prophet, and that ſomewhat harder then his former. In the firſt Chapter God commanded him to goe and take awife of whoredomes, but here God commanded him to love an adultereſſe, which is ſomewhat more then to take her unto himſelf, What that was of taking a wife of whoredomes hath been opened in the former Chapter,Lect. 1. and may ſpare ſome labour in this. It is here a viſion as it was there; As if God ſhould ſay unto Hoſea, Hoſea it is juſt with me as it would be with thee, if thou ſhouldſt goe and have a wife an Adultereſſe, notwithſtanding all the love ſhe hath found, yet ſtill an Adultereſſe, & thine heart ſhould be upon her, ſo as thou couldeſt not take thy heart from her, but thou muſt needs love this Adultereſſe ſtill. This people whom I have loved, for whom I have done ſo much good, yet they have gone a whoring from me, they are an Adultereſſe, yet for all that my heart cannot be taken off from them, but is ſtill toward them, yet I love them. This is through the ſtrength of the Covenant that Gods love is ſo permanent. Others who are not in covenant with him, God caſts out for leſſer ſins for any ſins; but as for his people who are in Covenant with him, no not their adulteries, their idolatries takes not the heart of God wholly from them. Surely then, if thou canſt appeale to God. O Lord, thou knoweſt all things, knoweſt that there is nothing of thy mind revealed to me but my heart is ready to do it, and if I faile in any thing thou knoweſt it is the greateſt burden of my ſoul; O that I knew more of thy minde! and that I had power to doe more! ſurely God will love thee, you heare he loves his people though an adultereſſe, as before, ſo now take this leſſon, thy ſinnes cannot over come Gods goodneſſe, let Gods goodneſſe overcome thy ſinfulneſſe. An adultereſſe beloved of her friend. This is (as ſome carry it, Calvin, Vatablus, and many others) beloved of her husband, as if God ſhould ſay, had they any ſuch excuſe for their departings from me, that I have been a bitter husband to them, that I have uſed them hardly, and rigidly, then indeed they might have ſome plea; but I have loved them dearly, I have done much for them, they were beloved of me, & I have carried my ſelfe to them in the moſt friendly way that poſſibly could be, yet they are gone a whoring from me. The wife that followes other lovers, thinks if ſhe have but this to ſay, her husband is hard to her, hee cares not for her, he loves her not, it excuſes in part her adulteries; and ſo the husband, a company keeper, an adulterer, if he can ſay, what will you have me to doe, I never come home but my wife is alwayes b[illegible: 1 letter]awling and ſhe loves other men, he thinks this is plea enough for him. But Iſrael could not have this excuſe for her ſelfe, for ſhe was an Adultereſſe, yet beloved of the Lord. If we take the words thus, the notes briefly would be theſe. Firſt,Obſ. The husband ſhould be a friend to his wife. There ſhould be nothing but friendly carriage betweene man and wife; Yea the love of the husband to the wife ſhould farr ſurmount the love of any friend in the world, but a friend at leaſt to comfort her, to cherriſh her in time of ſorrowes, to beare the burthen of affliction with her, and ſo the wife towards the huſband. Secondly, Obſer. A baſe heart will be baſe againſt all bonds of love; beloved of her friend, yet an adultoreſſe; if you ſhould ask, who is he or where is he that is ſo baſe? Lay thy hand upon thine owne heart and conſider what the love of God hath been towards thee all the dayes of thy life, and how thou haſt carried thy ſelfe toward him, what love thou haſt had from God that might breake the heart of a devill, yet when any temptation comes to draw thee from God,Obſer. thy baſe heart liſtens to it. Thirdly, It is a great aggravation of ſin to ſinne againſt much love. We ought to doe our duties to thoſe that we ſtand in relation unto, though they doe not their duty to us; if a wife hath a froward husband, a bitter, churliſh rugged, wicked, ungodly husband, yet ſhe is bound to doe her duty to him, ſhe is bound to love him, to obey him, to be obſervant of him in what may give him all lawfull content. So if ſervants have froward,Love muſt not be abuſed. churliſh, cruel Maſters or Maſtreſſes, yet they are bound to be obedient to them. 1 Pet. 2. 18. Be ſubject to your maſters not onely to thoſe that rae good and gentle, but to the froward. It is no ſufficient excuſe for the wife to ſay, My husband is froward and unquiet, and therefore what ſhall I doe? Nor for the ſervant to ſay, My Maſter or Miſtreſſe are unreaſonable, they are cruell, what can I doe? You muſt doe your duty to them, though they doe not theirs to you, But if you have a loving husband, tender over you, then love is required much more. Love above all things ſhould draw the heart; the knowledge that it is duty may force obedience, but it is love that draws the heart moſt kindly. So if a ſervant have a godly Maſter and Miſtreſſe, who reſpects and tenders his good, if he ſhould ſinne againſt them, this aggravateth the ſinne exceedingly. To wrong love is a very great ſin, Delicata res eſt amor, love is a moſt delicate thing, and it muſt not be wronged, it is tender, a precious thing. A man who is of an ingenuous ſpirit, had rather a great deale be wronged in his eſtate, then in his love; he cannot beare the injury that is done unto his love; when his love is abuſed, that goes to his very heart. So it goes to the heart of God for his people to ſin againſt his love; therefore it is ſaid of the Saints when they ſinne, that they grieve the Spirit of God; he never ſaith ſo of wicked men; they anger God, but the Saints grieve him, becauſe they ſinne ſo much againſt Gods love. Charge this aggravation of your ſinne upon your hearts, and be humbled; collect together all the expreſſions of Gods love to you, and let them lye glowing at your hearts, and melt them. But in that God bids him take an Adultereſſe beloved of her friend, and calls not this friend Husband, I thinke thoſe who goe another way expreſſe the minde of the Holy Ghoſt in this more fully, thus: This friend is not meant of one who is fully married, but rather one in a way of marriage. Amongſt the Jewes it was uſuall for all women to be under the protection of ſome men or other. Eſay 4. 1. Seven women came and tooke hold of one man, and ſaid, Let us be named by your name, we will eate our own bread, and weare our own cloathes, onely let us be named by your name, let us be under your protection. Even whores were wont, though they had many lovers, yet to have ſome one ſpeciall man, under whoſe protection and care they would be, who was to ſee them not to have wrong, and to make proviſion for them, and ſuch a one they were wont to call their friend; And many times theſe friends would ſo provide for them, that if they would be reclaymed, forſaking all their other lovers, they would give them good hopes of marrying with them at length. Arias Montanus refers us to one Propertius, in his firſt Book and ſecond Elegie, to reade about the charge and care of ſuch a friend. The Grecians had that cuſtome likewiſe: they called him under whoſe protection they put themſelves, [non-Latin text not transcribed], the whore was called from it, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. It is ſaid of Plato that he had a whore, one Archenaſſa, who was called Plato's [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Here the Lord would have the Prophet take an Adultereſſe beloved of her friend, that is, one that was a common Adultereſſe, and yet under the protection of ſome ſpeciall friend, ſo as if he might come in place of that friend, and gain the love and affection of this Adultereſſe to himſelf, and in time getting her to be reclaimed, he might marry her unto himſelfe. This is according to the love of God to his people, that is, as if God ſhould ſay, This people is a going a whoring, but I will be content to take them unto my ſelfe, I will be as their friend, and ſo love them as a friend to protect them, to have care over them, untill ſuch a time that there may be ſome experience of their being reclaimed, and then I will marry this Adultereſſe fully unto my ſelfe, for God is not now fully marryed unto the Jews, neither will that marryage be untill that glorious time of their calling comes; but yet God is as a friend to them to this day, that is, God takes this people yet under his protection, though they ſeeme to be in a rejected condition, and ſo, as he gives hope, yea makes many promiſes that upon their return unto him he will marry them unto himſelfe; yea there ſhal be a more glorious marriage between the Jews & the Lord Chriſt, then ever yet there was between him and any people upon the face of the earth. This I thinke to be the very ſcope and meaning of the words, Beloved of her friend. Somewhat ſutable is that we have Deut. 21. 12. 13. when one of the Jews took a captive woman, he might not marry her preſently to himſelf, but if he had a love to her, ſhe was to continue a certaine time, and to be ſo and ſo purified, and then he was to take her. The Jewes are for the preſent as that captive woman, they are in bondage, yet God hath a love to them unto this day; but ſo, as they muſt abide a while untill God be maryed to them; they are beloved of God, but yet with the love of a friend. The Seventy reade theſe words, [non-Latin text not transcribed] Beloved of her friend, One that loveth evill things, upon the miſtake of the Hebrew word, for indead a friend and evill are the ſame letters, only differing in the points; ſo there might eaſily be a miſtake. Who looke to other gods. Their eyes are upon other gods. Where the heart is, there the eyes is. Timor figit oculum, ſo Amor: Feare faſtens the eyes, and ſo doth Love. The workings of the ſoule appeares as much in the eye, as in any member; the workings of love, of truſt and confidence appeare much in the eye. They looke to other gods, that is, they have confidence in other gods. Looking up to a thing in Scripture phraſe, is to have ſome confidence in it. Pſal. 121. 1. I lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence commeth my help: That is, I look for help, I have confidence and expect help. But how here to the hills then? What doth Davids help come from the hills? Some thinke this to be the place where afterward the Temple was built, and was then the place of the Sanctuary; but for that it is ſaid that uſually in Scripture is but in the ſingular number, the hill of God; not the hils; therefore I finde Calvin, Mollerus, and others, thinke that David here ſpeakes of confidence in the creature, becauſe he preſently retracts him ſelfe in the ſecond verſe, My helpe is in Jehovah. As if he ſhould ſay, I lift up mine eyes unto the creature for help, this is the frailty of my nature, and of the nature of man, to look for auxiliary Forces from Jeruſalem, (which was a hilly place) I looke for Forces to come from Jeruſalem, but they doe not come, well, I will not reſt any longer upon them, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Jehovah is my help, ſo they carry it. But now I would rather (if it may be) free the Prophet from vaine confidence in the creature, and ſo the words being rightly underſtood, may free him if you reade them thus, doe I lift up mine eyes unto the hils? doe I expect help from the creature? God forbid I ſhould doe it, for my help is in God. Further, ſometimes the Hebrew [[non-Latin text not transcribed]] is uſed for [[non-Latin text not transcribed]] and ſo it would bee tranſlated above the hils, other men look to the hils, I look above the hils. But rather thus, I lift up mine eyes to the hils, that is, I look to God, why? becauſe the place where the Temple was to be built, it was not onely upon one hill, but upon hils, and ſo this expreſſion hath reference to thoſe two hills it was built upon; the hill of Moriah and the hill of Zion (which were rather but two ridges of the ſame) as 2 Chron. 3. 1. Solomon began to build the houſe of the Lord upon mount Moriah; and Pſal. 2. 6. I have ſet my King upon my holy hill of Zion: I look ſaith David unto God, my Faith hath reference to that place that God hath choſen for himſelf;Ezek. 23. 27. that this is the meaning will appeare if we compare this with Pſal. 87. 1. His foundation is in the holy hils, not hill, but hils. The reſpect Idolaters had to their Idols, being manifeſted by lifting up their eyes to them, therefore God commanded them, that they muſt not ſo much as lift up their eyes to their idols; And indeed we had need take heed in what we doe in this, ſo much as to lift up our eyes to look upon the inticements of the fleſh; many will not commit their former ſins, but they love to be looking that way. I have read of a Lady, a loving wife, who being at the maryage of Cyrus, ſhe was askt how ſhe liked the Bridgeroom? how, ſaith ſhe? I know not, I ſaw no body but my Husband. Love and reſpect drawes the eye either to God or to the creature. According as our hearts are, ſo our eyes will be. And love flaggons of wine. [non-Latin text not transcribed] The word comes from a word that ſignifies fundavit. The old Latin turns it vivacia uvarum, the leaves, skinnes, and ſtones of the grape that remaines after preſſing, that ſinke down into the bottome of the veſſell. Noting thereby how ſapleſſe, and ſavourleſſe, and unworthy Idolatrous worſhip is in compariſon of the true worſhip of God. True worſhip of God is ſweet, and ſavoury, lovely, and excellent, but mans inſtitutions, how ſapleſſe are they! The ſpirits of ſuch men as pleade for and delight in ſuperſtitious vanities, the deviſes of men, how ſapleſſe and unſavoury do they quickly grow! though heretofore they have had ſome quickneſſe and livelineſſe in their wayes, yet if once they delight themſelves in the inventions of men, in Gods worſhip, their ſpirits grow very unſavory to thoſe with whom they converſe. But take the traſlation as it is in your books, flaggons of wine, called by this name in the Hebrew, becauſe that veſſell, the flaggon is broad in the bottome: That is, (as ſome carry it) thus, They are as drunkards that call for one flaggon after another. Superſtitious and idolatrous people, when they have one way of ſuperſtition, they call for another; and when they have got that, they will have another, and are ſtill greedy of more, they are never ſatisfied, as drunkards are greedy of their flaggons. Or rather, to note the ſenſuality of the wayes of their Idolatrous worſhip, their flaggons of wine are joyned to their gods. The Seventy tranſlate the word [non-Latin text not transcribed], Bellaria, fine Cates and junkets, delicate things made with wine and grapes together by all the art they can deviſe for the pleaſing the appetite.Obſer. From thence the note is cleare. Spirituall adultery and carnall ſenſuality goe together. They uſed flaggons of wine in their idolatrous ſolemnities, that made them love their Idols ſo much the rather. In the true worſhip of God there is abundance of ſweetneſs to ſatisfie the hearts of the Saints, they need not have ſenſual pleaſures to make up their delight, but in ſuperſtitious worſhip there is no ſuch ſweetneſs to ſatisfie the ſpirits, therefore they are ſaine to call for flaggons of wine, and other ſenſuall things to make up a full delight to themſelves. Superſtitious and idolatrous Rites bring with them pleaſure to the fleſh, hence how are they loved and followed by people? they can hardly ever be taken off from them.Idolatry and ſenſuality goe together. In their Idolatrous ſolemnities they were wont to have Feaſts to pamper the fleſh. Judg. 9. 27. They went out into the field, and gathered their vineyards, and trod the grapes, and were merry, & went into the houſe of their God, and did eate and drinke, and curſed Abimelech. So Amos. 2. 8. They drinke the wine of the condemned in the houſe of their God. What is that? By oppreſſion and violence they would rend the eſtates of men from them, and when they had gotten them, then they made merry, yea they would come into the houſe of their gods, and drinke bowles of wine that they had gotten from the eſtates of ſuch men whom they had wrongfully condemned, Let Idolaters have their luſts ſatisfied, and they care not what God they ſerve. 2 Cor. 8. 10. If any ſee them ſit at meate in the Idols temple; at meate, they had their fleſh ſatisfied in the Idols temple. Thus God complaines of his people here. As if he had ſaid, Let all bemoane my condition, for though I have loved Iſrael dearly, ſhe hath gone a whoring from me, and ſhe loveth flaggons of wine, becauſe ſhe hath more pleaſure to the fleſh in ſerving Idols, ſhe will ſerve them. What an abominable thing it is to forſake the bleſſed God meerly for the love of wine? How many are there in the world who forſake all that good that is in God, in Chriſt, in heaven, in eternity, meerely for flaggons of wine? Calvin hath a note from the word that carries ſome-what more with it, flaggons of grapes, ſo the words are in the Hebrew, not flagons of wine, and of grapes rather then wine ſaith he, becauſe there were artificiall wayes uſed by them to make their ſuperſtitious ways to be more pleaſant to them; As when drunkards have drunk even ad nauſeam, that they begin to loath what they delighted in, then they will uſe ſome artificiall way or other of mixture of grapes or ſome other thing with the wine to make it have a new taſt, that they may have ſtill delight in drinking; So (ſaith he) becauſe their old ſuperſtitions have nothing in them to ſatisfie the heart, therefore they are fain to invent new kinds of artificiall wayes to pleaſe themſelves withall, although (ſaith he) they brag of their antiquity, yet the truth is, they are fain to invent new things every day, to give a new luſtre and pomp to their worſhip, they are alwayes deviſing ſome new ceremony or other, or elſe it would grow loathſome to themſelves. This wee have ſeene in our owne experience, the wantonneſſe of mens hearts in ſuperſtitious ways is very great, they invent new ways to uphold their old moth-eaten vanities. So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of ſilver. The Prophet obeyeth God in this other hard command. God many times ſends his Prophets upon very hard buſineſſes, yet they muſt be willing to ſerve the Lord in the hardeſt work; and bought her to himſelfe for fifteen pieces of ſilver. The word that is here tranſlated bought, [non-Latin text not transcribed] ſignifies to digg, it is taken (as ſome think) from the piercing or boring into the ſervants eare, which was to be a ſlave untill the year of Jubile, to note the ſlaviſh condition of this people they ſhould be in for a long time. But ſometime the word ſignifies not only boring, but any kind of getting by buying or bargaining, taken from the manner of the Jews, it ſeems to be a hard expreſſion,Cognatum cum [non-Latin text not transcribed] Pagn. how diſtant do thoſe two ſeem to be, to dig and to buy? it ſignifies alſo to cut, ſaith Pagnine, (excidit) he hath cut a ſunder, becauſe in their bargainings they were wont to cut a beaſt in ſunder, & ſo to go between the two pieces;Contrabentes dextras invicem datas ut rem ratam eſs[illegible: 1 letter] ſignificarent percutiendo diſcinderent, ſicut & in faederibus beſtiae diſſe cabantur. Pagn. or becauſe in their bargaines they joyned their right hands together, and then another came and put his hand between theirs, as a ſpade is put into the earth, and ſo did as it were cut them aſunder, and from thence, though the word ſeem harſh, yet thoſe who underſtand the manner of their bargainings know the meaning of it. I bought her to my ſelf. This buying was in order to marrying, that ſhee might be under his care for a while, and then come to be his wife. It was the cuſtome of men in thoſe days to buy their wives. Iacob ſerved twice ſeven years for Rachel, and ſo bought her. David bought his wife for a hundred foreskins of the Philiſtims; and Chriſt purchaſed his Church to himſelfe at a dear rate, even by his own blood: But I bought her (ſaith hee) for fifteene Pieces of ſilver. There is a neceſſity for the opening theſe words, not onely that you may ſee the ſcope of the holy Ghoſt here, but likewiſe may the better underſtand ſome other Scriptures. Fifteen pieces of ſilver; How much is that? It is fifteen ſhekels, for that is a rule among the Hebrews, when a piece of ſilver is named, and not the ſumme; then a ſhekel is always underſtood, and when a ſhekel is ſet down, and the mettall not expreſt, the ſilver is underſtood, not gold or any other mettall. Now the common ſhekell was according to the account of ſome of the weight of 160. graines of barley. Joſephus ſaith it was about foure Drachmas (and ſo I find moſt carry it) about 18. or 20. pence of our money; though a great deale of difference there be among Interpreters about the ſum of that ſhekell; Jerome upon the fourth of Ezekiel, makes it half an ounce, but there is much difference you know about ounces. This was to ſignifie the vile and baſe condition that Iſrael had brought her ſelfe into, for thirty ſhekels of ſilver was to be given for the price of a maidſervant, Exod. 21. 32. If an oxe have puſhed a man-ſervant, or a womanſervant, he ſhal give to his Maſter thirty ſhekels. Thirty ſhekels muſt be given for recompence of loſſe of a ſervant who was but a ſlave; yet the Prophet muſt buy this adultereſs for half as much, fifteen ſhekels. Iſrael, all the tenn Tribes, yea the whole people of the Jews are ſignified by this adultereſs beloved of her friend: So that now the people of Iſrael, who heretofore the dear ly beloved of Gods ſoul, his only people upon the face of the earth, the peculiar treaſure of God, his portion, his inheritance, had now by their ſin brought themſelves into a meaner condition then any poore bond-woman in Iſrael, that they were worth but halfe as much now as a poor woman-ſlave. This thirty pieces of ſilver was the goodly price Chriſt was valued at by the Jews, Zech. 11. 12. Mat. 27. 9. This ſhewed how Chriſt was humbled, that he muſt bee ſold for no more then was the price of a ſlave. But the price of Iſrael was but 15. pieces, halfe as much. Iſrael was proud in the day of her proſperity, but now ſhe hath brought her ſelf by her ſin into a meaner condition then a ſlave. And for an homer of barley, and an halfe homer of barley. What that homer of barley was, and what the ſcope of the holy Ghoſt is in mentioning of it muſt be enquired. Firſt, an homer contained ten Ephaes. But by that (you will ſay) we know no more then we did. An Ephah then is neer upon as much as our buſhell, ſo that this homer is neer upon tenne of our buſhels. Ruth 2. 17. it is ſaid of Ruth that when ſhegleaned in the field after the Reapers, ſhe beat out that ſhe had gleaned, and it was an Ephah of barley. And by that you may know the meaning of that text, Eſay 5. 10. The ſeed of an homer ſhall yeeld an Ephah; why a homer was ten buſhels, how then ſhould the ſeed of neer tenn buſhels yield but one buſhell? It was a threatning of a famine, that though they did ſow much, they ſhould reape but little, they ſhould ſowe a matter of ten buſhels, and reape but one. Or thus, ſome interpret an homer to be about the burthen that an Aſſe was able to beare, for [non-Latin text not transcribed] in the Hebrew ſignifies an Aſſe, [non-Latin text not transcribed] ſo the burthen of that creature was called an homer; but Ezek, 45. 11. the Text telleth us plainly, that an Ephah is the tenth part of an homer. There is a great deale of difficulty to underſtand this, if we compare it with another Scripture, Exod. 16. 16, where the Text ſaith they were to gather of the Manna every man according to his eating, an homer for every man; and ver. 36. an homer is the tenth part of an Ephah. This ſeems quite contrary, here it is that an ephah is the tenth part of an homer, and there it is that an homer is the tenth part of an ephah. But for the ſalving of this, thoſe who are skilfull in the Hebrew tongue know that theſe words are written with different letters, though in our Engliſh the pronounciation is the ſame, for that in Exodus is written with [[non-Latin text not transcribed]] and the other [[non-Latin text not transcribed]] one thus Gnomer, the other Chomer, ſo it ſhould be read. Now this homer of Manna that God gave for every man for one day, was almoſt the tenth part of a buſhell, it was foure or five times as much as the Romanes were wont to allow their men, their Dimenſum which they called a Chaenix, which was their allowance for their ſervants, was but the fourth part of this, and ſcarce that; noting thereby, tha[illegible: 1 letter] God is exceeding liberall unto his people. But why an homer of barley; Becauſe it was a meane food, and in thoſe times rather the food of beaſts then of men; God promiſed to feed his people with the fineſt flower of wheate. Therefore Revel. 6. 5. A meaſure of [illegible: 1 letter]heate for a penny, and three meaſures of barley for a penny. But what doth this tend to, that there muſt be a homer of barley and halfe a homer of barley given for this Adultereſſe that the Prophet was to take unto himſelfe? The ſcope of all is, to ſignifie the meane condition, that the ten Tribes, and afterward all the Jews ſhould be in, till Chriſt came to marry them to himſelfe. Firſt they ſhould be in a contemptible condition, they ſhould be valued but at halfe the price of a ſlave. Secondly, they ſhould be fed but meanly and baſely, even as ſlaves, or rather as beaſts, this homer and half of barley ſhould be for their ſuſtenance, in which they ſhould be uſed very hardly for along time. And that you may ſee how this hath been fulfilled, (for it did not only refer to the time of their Captivity before Chriſt, but to all the Captivity they have been in ever ſince Chriſts time to this day, and ſhall be in untill their calling) the mean condition they were in before, in the time of their firſt Captivity, you may ſee Lament. 4. 5. Thoſe that were clothed in ſcarlet, embraced the dung-hill; they either lay in filthy places that had dung in them, like beaſts, or elſe they were imployed in carrying dung up and down. And to this day, Hiſtories tell us, that generally the Jews have a moſt ſtinking ſavour, and we know that they are the vileſt people in the eſteeme of others that are upon the face of the earth. An Hiſtorian tells us of an Emperour travelling into Egypt, there meeting with ſome Jews, he was ſo annoyed with the ſtink of them, that he cryes out, O Marco-mani, O Quadi, &c. At length, ſaith he, I have met with worſe, with viler men then ſuch and ſuch, reckoning up divers of the baſeſt people that were upon the face of the earth.O Mar[illegible: 1 letter]emani, O Quadi, O Sarmatae, tandem alios vobis deteriores inveni. Ammian. lib. 2. And to this day the Turks will admit of no Jew to turne to the Mahumetan Religion, unleſſe he firſt turne Chriſtian; they have much more honorable eſteeme of the Chriſtians, they think that Jeſus Chriſt though he was not God, yet he was a great Prophet; but for the Jews, they have ſuch vile thoughts of them, that they think it a diſhonour to the Turkiſh Religion that any of them ſhould turne Turk, unleſſe be firſt turned Chriſtian. And we reade of the Romanes, that when they conquered other Nations, they would permit them to call themſelves Romanes, after they had conquered them, but they would never permit the Jews to call themſelves Romanes, though the Jews would comply never ſo much with them and be their ſervants, (Auguſtine hath it upon Pſalme 58.) leſt there ſhould be ſome blot ſtick to the glory of the Romanes by that odious people.Alios Romanos appellari permitterent, non Iudaeos, ne quid labis ad haertſcenit nomini ab odioſo ac ſordido genere. Auguſt. in Pſal. 58. ad illud ne occidas. Suetonius in Domitian[illegible: 1 letter]. c. 12. Obſer. Thus we ſee what ſhame hath God caſt upon that nation even unto this day, that they are counted as the very off-ſcouring of all nations. Suetonius tels us that in the exactions that the Romanes require of people, they put upon the Jews more then upon all people. This that we reade of in hiſtories, & that which we finde by experience of the baſe condition theſe people are in, is the fulfilling this Scripture, that I am now opening unto you, ſhe ſhal be bought for fifteen pieces of ſilver, and fed with barly, ſhe ſhall be in a very low, baſe and meane condition untill Chriſt ſhall come and marry her to himſelf. Notes from hence are. Firſt, A people who have been high in outward glory, when they depart from God, make themſelves vile and contemptible, God caſts contempt upon wicked men, eſpecially upon wicked men who corrupt his worſhip. Do we not ſee it at this day? Mal. 2. 9. It is threatned that the Prieſts who departed from the law, & corrupted their waies ſhould be baſe and contemptible before the people. Hath not the Lord done thus at this day? even thoſe that not long ſince gave themſelves the title of the triumphant Clergy and the triumphant Church, and went up and downe jetting as if they would out-face heaven it ſelf; They feared all men with the High Commiſſion Court. But what ſhame hath God caſt upon this generation? the people loath them, and we hope in time the Lord will ſweepe away the proud and haughty of them, as the reffuſe of the earth. Yea our whole nation hath been a proud nation;Sin puts into a vile condition. what vaunting hath there been of what a glorious Church we had? never ſuch a one upon the earth, we ſate as a Queen amongſt the nations; we have been a haughty people, and God may juſtly caſt contempt upon us. The Jewes were ſo (the Temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord) but God hath now made them the vileſt nation upon the earth. And the truth is, God hath begun to caſt much ſhame upon this nation. The time was when the Kingdom of England was a terror to other people, of late they have been the ſcorne and contempt of other nations. When Ephraius ſpake there was trembling; he exalted himſelfe in Iſrael, but ſinning it Baal he died, he became as a dead, poor, vile, contemptible people. Hoſ. 13. 1. The Lord loveth to name the pride of men. How many have you known who have been proud and lofty, and the Lord hath caſt ſhame and contempt in their ſaces? even before thoſe whom they looked upon heretofore with contempt, they have now been made objects of contempt. Secondly,Obſ. Though a people be under contempt, yet Gods heart may be towards them to doe them good at the latter end. There is the love of Gods election ſtill to this people, God remembers them, and intends good unto them for all this. VVho knowes what contempt God may caſt upon us? Perhaps he may let our proud adverſaries trample us under their feet, but we hope he will not, becauſe he ſees their hearts ſo proud as they are. But if he ſhould, we ſhould not deſpaire, we muſt not conclude God hath quite caſt off England, though he ſhould bring all his people under contempt, ſo as to betrampled under the foot of pride. And if there be any of you whom God hath ſo humbled as he hath made you contemptible; doe you humble your ſelves before God, but do not deſpaire, the Lord may yet have a love to you, though you are now under ſhame and contempt, who knowes but that this was the only way that God had to humble your hearts? God putteth his ovvn people under contempt, and yet it is all out of love unto them, and vvithan intent to do them good at laſt. Thirdly, (which is the moſt eſpecial note hence) After many promiſes of Gods mercy and of a glorious condition,Obſer. which he intendeth his people, he may yet hold a very hard hand over them a great while, God having promiſed ſo much mercy in the former Chapter, Iſrael might quickly grow vvanton, and ſay it is no great matter, though we be vile and wicked, yet God will marry us to himſelf, and we ſhall be a glorious people, and what need we take care? Nay ſaith God ſtay here, though my heart be toward you,Thoſe to whom God intends great mercy, may for a long time be in a ſad condition. yet this generation ſhall ſuffer, and the next generation, & the next generation after that ſhall ſuffer hard things, you ſhal be brought into the moſt vile condition that ever any people was brought into, yet my promiſe ſhall be fulfilled at the laſt. Here we ſee what care God taketh that people ſhould not grow wanton with his mercy, and think, Oh we are in covenant with God, and God hath pardoned our ſins, what need we care? take heed of growing want on, thou maiſt ſuffer fearfull things in this world. Though God may ſave your ſouls, yet you may be brought into as wofull a condition in your ovvn apprehenſions as ever any creature was upon the earth. And for England, though it is true, we have as many arguments of the love of God to [illegible: 1 word] as ever any nation had, but yet who knows what this generation may ſuffer that hath ſo ſullied it ſelf with ſuperſtitious vanities? We may be brought into vvefullſlavery, and then God may raiſe up unto himſelf another generation, upon whom he will be ſtow the mercy intended. Fourthly,Obſer. Thoſe who will take their fill of delight to the fleſh in a ſenſual uſe of the creature, it is juſt with God they ſhould be cut ſhort, & be made to live meanly and baſely, to be made to feed with courſe fare, with barley. The Jews had their delicates before, they fared deliciouſly, now they muſt be ſed worſe then their ſervants, and eare that which was meate for beaſts. How many hath God thus dealt withall, who not long ſince had their tables furniſhed with the choyſeſt ſare, with variety of diſhes, & now perhaps are glad of a harley loafe for themſelves and their children? Again,Obſer. If God will not utterly deſtroy a people as he might, but reſerve mercy for them at laſt, though they have never ſuch a meane ſubſiſtence for the preſent, yet they have cauſe to bleſſe God. Though this here be a threatning, yet there is a promiſe in it. The people of Iſrael (if they knew all) had no cauſe to murmur at Gods dealing, but to admire at his mercy, though they had but a little barley to ſuſtaine them. And ſuppoſe God ſhould bring us in England into a low condition, ſo as we may be glad of a barley loafe (we know famine commonly followes warre) (it was wont to be a phraſe; browne bread and the goſpell is good fare) and God may bring that upon us in another way then ever yet we or our fore-fathers were acquainted with, but yet if the Lord do not caſt us off utterly from being his people, though he feed us with brown bread, though we have never ſo mean a ſubſiſtance for the preſent, we ſhall have cauſe to bleſſe his name. Laſtly,Obſer. It is the way of God to humble thoſe he intendeth good unto, to prepare them for mercy, by cutting them ſhort of theſe outward comforts. If the Lord hath dealt ſo with any of you, you have lived full-handed, perhaps wives have brought good portions to their husbands, and now they are broke, and all is loſt, perhaps you had good friends in the Countrey, & many of them are plundered in their eſtates, & now you are faine to fare meanly, and if you have bread for your children you think it well; but conſider this, Is not God now humbling me, and thereby preparing my heart for himſelf? Oh bleſſed be God for this my condition, this bread is ſweeter to me then all the diſhes I have had in my life. VVhen you ſit in your houſes with your wives and children, and have nothing but barley bread to feed upon, have theſe thoughts, I hope God doth this in love & mercy he is making this my condition the beſt condition I was ever in, the greateſt bleſſing to me Verſe 3. And I ſaid unto her, thou halt abide for me many dayes, thou ſhalt not play the harlot, and thou ſhalt not be for another man, ſo will I alſo be for thee. You ſhall not only be in ſuch a low condition as a ſlave, and worſe then a maid ſervant, and be ſed with barley, but you ſhall abide thus, & abide thus many dayes. Thus they have abode theſe ſixteene hundred yeares ſince Chriſts time, beſides their former captivity. The Lord would have a full experience of Iſrael that their hearts were throroughly humbled, before he would take them to mercy again. There was never any people dealt more falſely with God in their humiliations then they had done before. How often when they were in miſery did they come with their ſeeming humiliation & cryed for mercy, and God [illegible: 3 letters]wed them mercy, and aſſoone as they were delivered, they fell off againe and went after their Idols, and then being in miſery again, they cryed to God and he delivered them, and then preſently to their Idols again; Well, ſaith God, I will not deale ſo with you hereafter, I will not truſt you ſo as I have done, you have beene in miſery, and I have delivered you when you cryed to me, and then you have fallen to your ſins againe, but now you ſhall be humbled to purpoſe, you ſh[illegible: 1 letter]l be [illegible: 1 letter]ow many yeers in this low and meane condition, and then your hearts [illegible: 2 letters]ll be th[illegible: 1 letter] rowly broken, ſo that when you ſhall returne to me againe, you ſhall never fall from me. God hath dealt ſo with many of you, you have been in affliction, God hath delivered you, you have gone to your ſinnes again, you have been in affliction againe, and he hath delivered you, & you have fell to your ſins again, and thus you have dallyed with the great God: God may bring a fore & long affliction upon you, that you ſhall be ſo thorowly humbled, that you ſhall never goe back againe to your ſins as you have done. This is the meaning, abide many dayes, When we would ſcoure & purge a filthy garment thorowly, we do not onely waſh it, but wee lay it a ſoaking a great while, and a froſting many nights; the Jews have lyne a ſoaking & froſtning many hundred yeeres, this is the hardneſſe of mans heart, afflictions wil not work preſently; though many wedges be put into, & many blows ſtruck upon knotty wood, it ſtirs not: ſome metals are long in melting, yea though the fire be very hot. Againe,Obſ. Here we ſee it is Gods ordinary way when he promiſeth mercy, to ſeeme to goe quite contrary to a people, to ſeem as if he would quite deſtory them. I will marry my ſelf unto them in loving kindneſs and in mercies, but yet I will let this people be above ſixteen hundred yeers in this forlorne condition. And ſo it hath been in all Gods adminiſtrations ſince the beginning of the world. When God comes to humble ſinners, they muſt be content to be humbled Gods own time, they muſt not out of a ſudden furious humor ſay, Lord how long? I have been thus long in a ſad condition, I have prayed thus long. Is your ſadneſs & affliction eternal? Oh no, a yeer or two perhaps, but you have deſerved eternity of miſery. Thou ſhalt abide for me many dayes, thou ſhalt not play the harlot, & thou ſhalt not be for another man, ſo will I alſo be for thee. That is, in all this time you muſt have a care of your ſelf that you do not ſeek after other lovers, let me have experience that you will now worſhip the only true God, and I will promiſe you to ſtay for you as you do abide for me. For the phraſe, Thou ſhalt not be for another man. The Hebrew phraſe to be to or for another man is to marry, thou ſhalt not marry another, Ezek. 16. 8. I entred into a covenant with thee and thou becameſt mine, fuiſti [illegible: 1 word], thou wort to me, that is, thou wert marryed to me, Levit. 21. 3. A virgi[illegible: 1 letter] [illegible: 1 letter]hich hath no hath and, quae non ſuit viro, a virgin that w[illegible: 2 letters]n to another [illegible: 1 word]. A uſefull note may be had from [illegible: 2 letters]nce, That husbands muſt be to their wives, and wives muſt be to their husbands, that is, live to them; whatſoever thou haſt, any knowledge, any parts, any grace, it muſt be to thy wife, for the benefit of thy wife, & what the wife hath muſt be to the husband. You ſhall abide for me many dayes, and take heed in all this time you doe not depart from me & worſhip another God: Hence we may obſerve. In the time of the ſoreſt affliction and trouble we muſt then take heed we forſake not God.Obſer. Though I uſe you hardly for a long time, yet you may not thinke to go and ſhift for your ſelves any other way. In time of affliction we muſt take heed of uſing ſhifting wayes, we muſt not ſeek to help our ſelves by falſe comforts, though trouble continue long. We have an excellent place for that, Pſal. 44. 11. Thou haſt ſcattered us amongſt the Heathens; and ver. 12, Thou ſelleſt thy people for nanght; and ver. 13. Thou makeſt us a reproach to our neighbours, & a deriſion to them that are round about us; & ver. 17. And all this is come upon us, yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falſely in thy Covenant; and ver. 19. Thou haſt ſore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the ſhadow of death, if we have ſtretched out our hands to a ſtrange God; as if he ſhould ſay, God forbid ſuch a thing as this is, though we be in the place of dragons, though we be under reproach, under great affliction; (you may find in that Pſalme the moſt wofull afflicted eſtate of Gods people deſcribed, as in any part of the Booke of God,) yet we have not lifted up our hands to another God. We muſt not ſay as King Jehoram, 2 King 6. 30. Why ſhould I waite for the Lord any longer? He ſeemed to be humbled, and put on ſackcloth, but he would not be contented to waite for the Lord any longer, but ſhift for himſelf. It is that which is in the ſpirits of men under affliction to thinke, why ſhould I waite for God any longer? I will now ſeeke to helpe my ſelfe in my owne way, to ſhift for my ſelf, The Lord forbid that ſuch thoughts ſhould be in any of our hearts. Sedebis mihi, thou ſhalt be quiet, though thou doeſt abide in this ſad condition a long while. Eſay, 30. 7. their ſtrength is to ſit ſtill, and ver. 17. In reſt ſhall ye be ſaved, in quietneſſe and confidence ſhal be your ſtrength. Alas, thou art now afflicted, where wilt thou mend thy ſelf poor ſoul? wilt thou go to falſe gods, to thy former ſinful luſts? that is not the way to help thee, thou muſt abide untill Gods time come that he wil ſhew mercy to thee, The heart of man is ſtrongly ſet upon good, and cannot be content to ſtay Gods time, but if God fubdue thy heart ſo far as that it is content to abide though never, ſo long for God, & will not go out to help it ſelfe in any unlawfull way, this is a good ſigne that there is much love in the bottom. It is a ſigne of a ſtrong affection in a woman, when there fall out things that hinder the match between her lover and her ſelf. Well ſaith ſhe, though there be this and that in the way, though you object never ſo many things, yet I will have him, I will never marry as long as I live except I have him: This argueth heat & power of affection. So here, I will marry you unto my ſelfe, ſaith God, but I will have you ſtay for me my time, many things are to be done before that day, and then after you have ſtayed, I will come to you in a glorious manner. As God dealeth with the Jews, ſo often it is in marrying himſelf to a particular people. Thou ſhalt do it. God doth not only command them to do it, but it is a promiſe and a propheſie that they ſhall doe it. But you will ſay, how have the people of the [illegible: 1 letter]ews abode for God? Thus, they have never to this day choſen any other God, though they have not been convinced of the Meſſiah, yet ever ſince the captivity they have hated Idolatry, & that was the thing GOD ſpecially meant in this, thou ſhalt not have any more Idols, thou ſhalt chooſe no other God, no other husband, though thou haſt been very wicked and ſinfull this way heretofore (the Jews formerly choſe all manner of gods, the gods of the Amorites, and Moabites, and of all the Heathens about them) yet now thou ſhalt chooſe no other gods but me; thus far this is fulfilled, to this day the Jews ſince the captivity have never choſe any other God, but have acknowledged the Jehovah to be the only true God, they cannot abide Images. There is a notable hiſtory for this in Euſebius, in the 18. Chapter of his Antiquities. Caius Caligula ſent one Petronius to ſet up an Image in the Temple of Jeruſalem; divers of the Jewes came to Petronius to plead with him, and ſaid, Sir, what is it that you do? we beſeech you do not do it, dep[illegible: 1 letter]ive us of our lives firſt, for ſay they, it is impoſſible ſo long as our ſoules are in our bodies to abide it, we will all dye firſt; But ſaith Petronius, it is the command of the Emperour, and there is no contradicting it, it muſt be done. They anſwered, ſeeing you will not tranſgreſſe Caeſars command, neither vvill we violate the command of our God, nor are we ſo fainthearted, or have wee ſuch a vaine deſire of the continuance of our lives, as to enjoy them upon ſuch terms to loſe the reward of eternall life, that is propoſed for the keeping Gods commands. This was their ſpirit then, and to this day they will not endure Idols; one main thing that hinders the converſion of the Iews is, they being ſcattered here and there among Papiſts, and ſeeing ſo much Idolatry among them, they are thereby ſtumbled at Chriſtian Religion, and if God would once pull down Popery, certainely the Jewes would quickly come in, God is now about that. Therefore all of us ſhould aſſiſt in what we can to take down all monuments of Idolatry, to make the worſhip of God more pure, this will be a means to bring about their converſion, and in this regard they have abode for God all this while; this I conceive to be the meaning of the Text. And I alſo will abide for thee. VVhat is the meaning of that? Firſt, in their captivity, ſaith God, though you ſhal be long in captivity, and in a low condition, be content, do not take any other god to be marryed unto as your husband; I will be content, I will ſtay, I will have no other people upon the earth but you all the while you are in captivi[illegible: 1 letter]y. But how doth God abide for Iſrael now? God hath choſen the Gentiles how the[illegible: 1 letter] doth he ſtay for them? Yes certainly, God ſtayes for Iſrael to this day, thus. Firſt, all the Gentiles that are called, they come into God, as being joyned to the people of the Jews; God honoured the Jews ſo farre, as that all the Gentiles that doe come in, are to be made the Iſrael of God. But rather further thus, God abides for the people of the Iews to this day, in this ſenſe, God never hath taken, nor never will take to himſelfe any Nation upon the earth to be a nationall Church, as the Jewes were, and as it is probable the Jews ſhall be at their calling again, though God takes the Gentiles that are converted, and ſeverall Congregations to be Churches, but to marry himſelfe to a whole Nation, in that way as the Iews were, that is, if a man be born of that Nation, it ſhall be ſufficient to make him a member of the Church, this God did never do ſince the Iews rejection, and never will do it till the Iews be called again; though God takes Kingdomes, and ſo in ſome figurative ſenſe a Nation perhaps may be called a Church, but to ſpeak properly and ſtrictly, to be a Church ſo as the Iews were, there is no ſuch nationall Church, nor never will be till the calling in of the Iews again; then God will be marryed to that Nation in a more glorious manner then ever, & God abideth to this day for that glory which hee intendeth for Ieſus Chriſt, untill they come in. And this I take to be a great reaſon why God for the preſent ſuffers his Churches to bee perſecuted ſo much as they are, herein God ſuffers himſelfe as well as they; the Church ever ſince Chriſts time hath been in a low and perſecuted condition, the wicked have prevailed; What is the reaſon? God abideth for this people of the Iews, and hee is pleaſed himſelf to undergoe many ſufferings, in the mean time do you abide for me, I will be content to ſuffer much diſhonour my ſelfe, many ſhall come in to Chriſt, but yet they ſhal be a poor contemptible people, the wicked of the world ſhall prevail againſt them, ſhall ſcorn them, ſhall contemne them, ſo that I ſhall not appear to the world to be their Husband, untill you be called again, I ſhall be as it were without a wife; but when the time ſhall come that you ſhall return to me, then I wi[illegible: 1 letter] manifeſt my ſelfe indeed, you ſhall be a moſt glorious Church, and then there ſhall be ſuch a full marriage between us, that all the world ſhall acknowledge it, then they ſhall all come and ſay, Come, behold the Bride, the Lambs wife, This is the ſcope of this Scripture; from whence theſe Obſervations. Firſt,Obſer. Husbands ſhould not require of their wives any thing but what they will anſwerably do for them. God doth ſo here, Abide for me, ſaith hee, and I will abide for you, there ſhall be parpari, like for like. Many husbands will require hard things from their wives, but will doe little themſelves; and on the other ſide wives expect great things from their husbands, but do little themſelves. There muſt be a proportion betweene what the wife expects from the husband, and what ſhee doth to or for her husband, and ſo mutually. 2. In our ſadde condition God ſuffereth as well as wee. This may helpe us in our ſufferings we ſhould thinke, though wee ſuffer much, God ſuffereth as much as we,Lect. 1. why then [illegible: 2 letters]ould we think much? the people of the Iews if they had hearts might ſee it now, God ſtayes for his honour till they come in. So in all the perſecutions of the Church, doth not Chriſt ſuffer, in that the great work of Reformation doth not go on? It is true, we are grieved, [illegible: 1 word] Spirit of God is grieved as well as we, and ſuffereth as much as we, God [illegible: 1 letter]oth as it were abide for us, and ſtays for his glory. Wee deſire (it is true) [illegible: 1 letter]hat God would come in and manifeſt himſelfe, then we ſhall be happy and [illegible: 1 letter]ejoyce; but ſo long as God ſtays our happineſſe, he ſtays his own glory. What abundance of glory doth God loſe in thoſe praiſes hee ſhould have, if the Reformation were preſently perfected? but God hath other ends, God is content to ſtay for his prayſes, let us be content to ſtay for what we deſire to have, it concerns God to haſten the work as much, yea farre more then it concerns us to deſire it, we ſuffer ſomething for want of it, but God ſuffers more. 3. That people,Obſer. or that ſoul that endureth hardſhip a long time for God, and reſolveth to reſerve it ſelf for him, ſo as if it cannot have comfort in God it will have none elſewhere, may aſſure it ſelfe that God reſerveth himſelfe for it. Certainly nothing ſhall take off the heart of God, but there will be a bleſſed marriage between that ſoule, that people, and him. Is there ever a poor creature here is in a ſad condition, & God ſeemeth to deal hardly with it, yet hee findeth in himſelfe this frame of ſpirit, well though God ſeem to leave me, and I am thus deſolate, yet if I can have no comfort here, I will have none elſewhere; I wil be content to ſtay and wait, no creature ſhal have my heart. It is true, I am not able to guide my ſelfe, but I am reſolved the Devil ſhal never guide me; I am not able to do the will of God, but I will never do the wil of the Devil; and if God ſhould leave me never ſo long, nay leave me eternally, I wil never have any other husband, I wil rather dye a widow, I wil never let out my ſelf to any; if he doe not come in and marry himſelf to me, I wil be without comfort as long as I live. Is thy heart in this frame? Peace be unto thee, certainly God intends thoughts of mercy to thy ſoule, there wil certainly be a marriage betweene God and thy ſoule. And this frame of heart where it is, oh how wil it help againſt temptation! when a poor ſoul is in diſtreſſe, and it may be God ſeemeth to go off further & further, I have prayed long and long, and yet God ſeems not to heare, afflictions, they prevail; why do you pray any more? why do you come and heare any more? you were as good leave off at firſt, God wil never come, you were as good take your pleaſure for a while, you can but periſh at the laſt: This temptation many times comes very ſorely upon poor diſtreſſed ſoules; But now when the heart can anſwer, it is true, the Lord indeed ſeemeth to be gone, and I have cauſe to fear leſt he ſhould reject me, but become of mee what wil, yet I wil never have any other husband, never any other comfort but God comfort, no other peace but the peace of God, and I am reſolved that if I [illegible: 1 word] I wil periſh crying for it; if thou beeſt in this frame waiting for GOD, GOD is waiting for thee in way[illegible: 2 letters] of his mercy, and at [illegible: 1 span] bowels of GODS mercy will yerne towards that, as the bowels of Joſeph yerned towards his brethren ſo that he could hold no longer. You know Joſeph for a long time uſed his brethren hardly, but his brethren yet behaved themſeves humbly and ſubmiſſively toward him, and at length he could not refraine; ſo it may be God uſeth thee ſome what hardly for a while, yet do thou keep in an humble and ſubmiſſive frame of ſpirit unto him, do that which beſeemeth a creature to do, whatſoever God doth to thee, it is fit God ſhould exerciſe his abſolute power over me, and that I ſhould do my duty to him, do this and be ſure thou art a ſoul that God will marry himſelf unto in the end. Fourthly,Obſer. So farre as we are willing to be for God, God is willing to be for us. God requires that you ſhould ſeek him with your whole heart, Jer. 29. 13. Mark how God anſwereth, I will rejoyce over them to doe them good, Ier. 31. 21. yea I will plant them in this land aſſuredly with my whole heart and with my whole ſoule; Will you ſeeke God with your whole heart? I will do you good ſaith God with my whole heart. God is as willing to doe for you as you are to do for him, if all the faculties of your ſouls work toward God,VVe may know what is done in heaven by by the beatings of our own hearts. all the attributes in God ſhall worke for your good. If thy eſtate be wholly given up for God, Gods riches ſhall be wholly for thee. VVouldeſt thou know how Gods heart works toward thee? do but lay thine hand upon thy own heart, according to the beatings of thine heart towards God, ſo are the workings of the heart of God toward thee; thou mayeſt determine it thus; thou canſt not goe up to heaven to know it, but go into thine owne heart and there thou mayeſt know. As a man may know by the working of an engine within, how the workings are abroad. That is the reaſon that the Saints, when they have had their hearts enlarged in prayer, they have come to be reſolved what God will do for them or for his Church; as it is ſaid of Luther, when he was in prayer one time more then ordinarily earneſt with God, he comes down to his frinds and ſaith, well it ſhall goe well with Germany all my dayes, look ye to it afterward: he knew what was done in heaven, by what was done in his own heart. We may know in a great meaſure what God meaneth to doe with his Churches according to the inward beatings of our own hearts.Obſer. Further, See here the happy advantage of the Saints, beyond the men of the world thus: Be you for me ſaith God, & I will be for you. The men of the world can ſay, I am for the world, & the world is for me, I am for my honour, and my honor is for me, I am for my whore, and my whore is for me, this is all their happines, but now a Saint can ſay, I am for God, and God is for me. Oh the goodneſs of God toward us, that he is willing to be for us as we are for him! for him, alas what can we be for him? we are poor worms, vile creatures in our ſelves, what can we do? he hath no need of us, we are bound to do all that we do. It is all one as if a king ſhould come to a poor beggar, & ſay thus, poor man thou haſt but little, yet do what you can for me, I will do what I can for you; this were a mighty diſproportion: Alas what can the beggar do for the King? If you will but uſe your ſtaffe or what you have for me, I will uſe my riches, & glory, and all for your good; ſaith the King to the beggar. So ſaith God to a poore creature, Be you for me, and I will be for you; ſtand for me, and I will ſtand for you; uſe any thing you have forme, and I will uſe what I have for you. Oh the bleſſed condition of the Saints! who would not be for God? Do not now ſay, alas! I am a poore vile and unworthy creature, ſo were the Jews, do not ſay I am gone a whoring from God, and dealt falſely with him, the Jews did ſo, yet ſaith God, whenſoever you will be for me, I will be for you, It is now the great queſtion amongſt us, who are you for? I will put the queſtion to you all, who are you for? Are your hearts wholly given up to God, or are you for your luſts for the creature? certainly the creature will deceive you ere long, you will have no good from the creature that now you are ſo much for; if you be not for God now, hee will ſend you to the creature in the time of your diſtreſſe. There is a time comming that every one of us ſhall ſee the need we have that God be for us; let us be for God now, that God may be for us then, when we come to cry to him, and ſay, Oh Lord, let thy mercy and goodneſſe be for us, he will ſay, who were you for? you were for your luſts, now goe to your luſts, you would have none of me before, I will have none of you now. Pro. 1. 26. 27. You would have none of my reproofe, I alſo will laugh at your calamity and mock when your feare commeth. Marke, They would have none of Gods reproofe, hee doth not ſay, they would have none of my mercy, they would have none of my grace, therefore I will laugh at their deſtruction; but they would have none of my reproofe; why? the reproofes of God are the bittereſt, the harſheſt things of all, yet becauſe they would have none of Gods reproofes, he laughes at their deſtruction. What ſhall become of them then, who will have none of the riches of Gods grace offered to them in Chriſt,

The Second Lecture. HOSEA 3. 4. 5. For the children of Iſrael ſhal abide many dayes without a King, and without a Prince, and without a ſacrifice, and without an image, and without an Ephod, and without a Teraphim. Afterward ſhall the children of Iſrael returne, and ſeek the Lord their God. HEre is much privation, ſix withouts, 1. without a King, 2. without a Prince, 3. without a ſacrifice, 4. without an image, 5. without an Ephod. 6. without a Teraphim, but the laſt verſe makes all up, They ſhall return and ſeeke the Lord their God, and David their King. Theſe withouts ſhew the wofull confuſed eſtate that Iſrael was to be in for many dayes, many years, both in regard of their Civill, and of their Church ſtate. The Civill State, without a King, without a Prince. Their Church, in the four that follow after. Though once they were the happieſt people upon the face of the earth both in regard of their Civil and Church eſtate, yet now they ſhall be moſt miſerable. This they had brought upon themſelves, they had ſet up their Idols in Dan and Bethel, Dan is the place of judgement, Bethel the houſe of God, ſo the words ſignifie; there was abundance of corruption both in places of judgement, and in the houſe of God, and now there comes upon them abundance of confuſion both in their Civill and in their Church ſtate. They received their order for both from God himſelf, from heaven, and their Laws as well for Cvill as for Church Government, which no other people yet ever did in the ſtate manner; but they leave Gods inſtituions, and ſo they are brought into all confuſion. They ſhall be without a King. How without a King? When they were in captivity, yet they were under a King, the King of Babylon and the Aſſyrian, and now they are ſcattered under the Government of Kings and Princes ſtill where ever they are. They have Kings over them,Anſw. but they have none of their own Nation to be their King, and that is the judgement; Neither are they governed by their own (or rather) by Gods Laws, and for them to be in ſlavery under Kings, was to them as ill (yea worſe) then to have no King at all. It is a ſad condition for a people to be ſo without a King, to protect them, without a King to maintaine their Laws, their Priviledges and Liberties. When men reject God from ruling over them, it is juſt with God to put them under the rule of Tyrants, of Oppreſſors, of publike enemies unto their ſtate, of deſtroyers. The bleſſing of government is very great, if it be right, and therefore the Perſians were wont after their Governor dyed to let all the people for five dayes be without any governour at all, that ſeeing the inconvenience and miſchiefe of being without it, they might the more willingly yeeld themſelves under Government, and be obedient to it when they came under it. It is a queſtion among Polititions, whether Tyrannie or Anarchy be the better, Tyrannicall Government, or no Government at all. Though Tyrannie (except it come to a great extremity) may be better then Anarchie, yet certainly it is not better then to bring power to be regulated, though it be with ſome trouble, That power that at firſt raiſeth power, that deſignes ſuch perſons and families to have the power, that limiteth that power, ſurely cannot want power to regulate that power that it ſhould not be to its owne deſtruction. But here it is not onely to be without a King, [non-Latin text not transcribed] but without a Prince too. The word that is here tranſlated Prince, ſignifieth a Ruler, Judge, or Governour, and ſo I finde it often uſed in Scripture. 1 Chron. 27. 31. All theſe were rulers of the ſubſtance, Princes, the ſame word that is here uſed; and Nehem. 3. 9. The ruler of the halfe part of Jeruſalem, the Prince. So that by Prince here is meant Judges or any kind of Rulers, they ſhall be without Prince, without any Judges or Rulers. Though they had no Kings,Lect. 2. yet if the government had been in the hand of eminent men, of Judges over them, their condition had not beene ſo ſad. Time was (not long before) that their happineſſe did not conſiſt in being under the government of Kings, they were in a happy condition before ever theſe were over them, and the firſt time that ever they came under their government, it was upon their own choice: and ſo as God profeſſeth they had rejected him, and God ſent them their firſt King in his wrath. Therefore their miſery certainly did not depend wholly upon being without a King. If God reſtraine not Kings, they often deſire to encroach upon the Liberties that the Laws of the Land, the light of Nature, and God himſelfe gives Subjects. Plutarch tells us a ſtory of Pyrrhus, who comming to Athens, the Athenians to ſhew their reſpect, and to give honour to King Pyrrhus, let him come into their Caſtle, to ſacrifice there, to Minerva, which was a place they were not wont to let ſtrangers into. VVhen he came out of the Caſtle, he told them that he was much engaged to them for that great favour; in requitall of which, Plutarch in the life of Pyrrhus. hee told them he would give them this good counſell, Take heed, ſaith he, that you never let King come more into this place; Immitating how eaſily they may be perſwaded to internch upon the liberties of thoſe who come under their power. And this ſhould abide for many dayes. It did abide for 700. yeares and upward before Chriſts time in regard of the ten Tribes, for from the ſixt of Hezekiab to Chriſt it was ſo long, the tenne Tribes never came under any Governour of their owne in all that time: And ſince Chriſts time neither Judah nor Iſrael have had either King or Prince of their own. Oh what a blindneſs is there upon this people! how dreadfull is that darkneſs they are now in! That notwithſtanding the Propheſie was ſo cleare, that the ſcepter ſhould not depart from Judah untill Shiloh came; and yet now they have been without Prince theſe 1600. yeares, and yet they will not believe that Shiloh is come. Thus when God giveth over to blindneſs and hardneſſe, things that are never ſo cleare will not be believed. But their confuſion in their Church ſtate is more grievous then the other, They ſhall be without a ſacrifice, and without an image, and without an Ephod, and without a Teraphim. Two of theſe foure, expreſſe their being deprived of Gods own Ordinances, and the other two their being deprived of their falſe worſhip. They made a mixture in worſhip, they would have their ſacrifice & their Ephod, but together with them their image and their Teraphim. Obſer. This is mans perverſneſs to make mixtures in Gods worſhip, they will keep ſomething of that which is Gods, but they will bring in ſomething of their own too, and that ſpoiles all. I have read of an Emperour of Rome, that in one Temple he would have Chriſt and Orpheus worſhipped both together. And thoſe who were ſent into Samaria by the King of Babylon, of vvhom we reade, 2 Kings 17. 33. They feared the Lord, and ſerved their own gods: but verſe 34. it is ſaid, they feared not God, that is, though they would acknowledge the true God, yet they would mix the worſhip of Idols with the true God, and ſo God rejected all, they did not feare [illegible: 1 word] God at all; It is no feare of God except we feare him onely; it is no worſhip of God that is accepted, unleſs we worſhip him onely. It is true, the Heathens are content with mixture in their worſhip; you may worſhip one God, and have the worſhip of another God mixed with it, becauſe there is not any one of them who challengeth to himſelfe to be the univerſall good, but God being the univerſall good, he muſt be worſhipped alone without mixture. There are two things wherein we muſt take heed of mingling;2. Things in which wee muſt take heed of mixture. The one is in Divine worſhip, the other is in that great point of Juſtification. It is as much as our lives are worth to mingle in either of theſe, we muſt keep to the Rule very cloſe and ſtrict in theſe two, rather then in any thing. Theſe people had both, and God threatens they ſhould be without both; ſeeing they would not keep themſelves fully to his inſtitutions, they ſhould have none at all, they ſhould have neither Gods inſtitutions nor their own. VVe are this day much like to Iſrael. In regard of our Civill ſtate, much confuſion there is in that, though not altogether ſo much as was in theirs. And in our Church ſtate wee are very like them; we have neither the right way of worſhip, nor the falſe, in regard of the Government of the Church; The falſe is caſt away and profeſt againſt, yet we have not the true; Onely here is the mercy of God that we are inquiring after the true, & ſeeking the Lord, and David our King. The Lord give us hearts to inquire to purpoſe. Thoſe who underſtand the Septuagint, ſhal finde that they tranſlate theſe foure here,Some coples. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Sacrifice, Image, Ephod, and Teraphim, by words that onely ſignifie the true worſhip, and therefore for Image they put [non-Latin text not transcribed] an Altar, and for the Teraphim [non-Latin text not transcribed] Prieſthood, and for the Ephod, [non-Latin text not transcribed] manifeſtation; a word uſed for the Vrim and Thummim. But the Hebrew is other wayes, S[illegible: 1 letter]crafice, Image, Ephod, and Teraphim, as in your bookes. Firſt then to enquire after that which was right, the true worſhip, Sacrifice and Ephod, what that was, and then the other, Image and Teraphim. Sacrifice. They ſhould have no ſacrifice at all, for ſince their Temple was deſtroyed they could never have any. That is the reaſon that they pray with that mighty fervency of ſpirit that God would build the Temple again, (as I remember I formerly ſhewed you out of Buxtorfius.) Aedifica, aedifica, aedifica; cito, cito, cito, Lord build, build, build thy Temple, in our dayes, &c. Becauſe they knew they could have no ſacrifice ſo long as their Temple was downe; And this was a ſad condition they were in; this is their lamentable eſtate to this day, they have not the legall ſacrifices, nor that which was typed out by them. There were theſe three things in their ſacrifices. 1. Their tendring up of themſelves to God, the ſhewing their reſpect to him in that way he required, that was in their Burnt-Offering. 2. Seeking the expiation of ſinne, that was in their Sinne-Offering. 3. Seeking for mercy and thankſgiving, that was in their Peace-offering. Now to have no ſacrifice in either of theſe three kinds, that is, to have nothing to tender up to the high and bleſſed God to ſhew our reſpect to him; to have no means to expiate our ſins when we have offended him; to have no way to ſeeke to God for mercy when we need, nor to returne praiſe, this muſt needs be a ſad thing. This the Jews have not for the preſent, we have Chriſt who is to us all theſe, the tendring up of him. to God, is the tendring the greateſt reſpect to God that poſſibly can be, the tendring of him is the expiation for our ſins, it is the ſeeking of whatſoever mercy we would have, and it is our Euchariſticall ſacrifice too for all our mercies.The evill condition of thoſe who are out of Chriſt. But thoſe who are without Chriſt, are to this day without ſacrifice, they have nothing to tender up to God. If thou wilt tender up thy eſtate, thy body, or thy liberty, or thy name, this is no ſacrifice acceptable unto God, except thou haſt Chriſt to tender up to him, and canſt tender up all in him and through him, then indeed God accepts of theſe. When thou haſt ſinned what ſacrifice wilt thou offer to God to explate thy ſin? all thy prayers, thy teares are nothing, except they come with this ſacrifice, Jeſus Chriſt; in him indeed a contrite heart is a ſacrifice very acceptable to God. But ſo long as thou art without Chriſt, the judgement of the Iews is upon thee, thou art without a ſacrifice. And without an Ephod.] By this he meaneth, firſt, that they ſhould be without the Prieſthood. They ſhould not have any Church Officers, And ſecondly, they ſhould have no meanes to know the mind of God. That is the ſcope, which appeares thus. Firſt, That by the Ephod is meant the Prieſts, is cleare by that expreſſion 1 Sam. 22. 18. where it is ſaid that Doeg ſlew four-ſcore & five perſons that did we are a limen Ephod, that is, four-ſcore and five Prieſts. Secondly, Without the meanes of knowing Gods minde, for the Vrim and the Thummim, was upon the pectorall, upon the breaſt-plate thas was faſtned upon the Ephod; So that when they were without the Ephod, they muſt needs be without their breaſt-plate, for the breaſt-plate was annexed to the Ephod, and could not be uſed for the knowing the minde of God but onely by applying it to the Ephod, 1 Sam. 30. 7. David ſaid to the Priest, Bring me hither the Ephod, and David inquired at the Lord, ſaying, ſhall I purſue after this troope? It was by the preſence of the Ephod, that he did enquire vvhat the minde of God was what he ſhould do in this buſineſſe that he was now about, whether he ſhould follow the troope, yea or no. And the Text is very obſervable in the ſixt verſe, you may ſee at what time it was that David was ſo carefull to make uſe of the Ephod, to know the minde of God what he ſhould doe, he was in an exceeding diſtreſſed condition, for Ziglag his owne City that he had the charge of was burnt, and the men of the City were all in a fretting mood, and talked of ſtoning him, becauſe the Amalekites had come in his abſence & taken away their goods, their wives and children, and burnt the Towne. This is the condition of men in publique places, if any thing fall out unſucceſfully, the people are ready in rage to fall upon them; this makes men in publicke places to be in a hard condition, very dangerous and troubleſome. We had need pray much for them, we are ready to envy thoſe that are above us, & employed in publique ſervices; but conſidering what danger they are in, & how every thing that falleth out amiſſe, otherwiſe then we deſire, the blame is preſently laid upon them, their condition is not ſo happy as we imagine. This was Davids condition, nay the Text ſaith, that being in this condition, he and the men that were with him wept, ſo as they had no more power to weep their hearts were ſo broken, yet in this ſad and grievous condition, he encourageth himſelf in the Lord his God,God is ſought in ſtraits. and he calleth for the Ephod to enquire, and know the mind of God what he ſhould do in it. You ſhall obſerve that this is the firſt time we read that David in his VVars and Battells called for the Ephod, when he went to Achiſh, then he did not enquire, when he invaded the Geſhurites, and Amalekites before, he did not enquire, but now when he was brought into ſtraits, when his heart was broken, when he was in a weeping condition, now he calleth for the Ephod: VVhen God brings men into ſtraits, and humbles them, then they will enquire of God to purpoſe. VVe are now about to enquire of God, to know his mind but we are not humbled enough, our ſtraits have not broken our hearts, and perhaps we ſhall not ſo readily know Gods mind, God may yet humble us more, and then when we come to enquire Gods mind, it may be to further purpoſe. But to open this garment a little. [non-Latin text not transcribed] The word Ephod is that Hebrew word, which ſignifies to cloſe in, and to compaſſe about, to gird about, becauſe of the fitting garment to the Prieſts, and the girding of it about them. There were divers ſorts of theſe Ephods, one peculiar to the high Prieſt, that you have Exod. 28. 6. Others that the ordinary Prieſts had, that you have in the former places I named about the fourſcore and five Prieſts ſlain by Doeg; What the Ephod was. A third was common for the ordinary Levites, thus Samuel, 1 Sam. 2. 18. miniſtred before the Lord girded with a linnen Ephod. And there was a fourth that other people did we are in their holy actions, eſpecially before Kings, David danced before the Lord, girded with a linnen Ephod, 2 Sam. 6. 14. And to this day the Jewes have a kind of linnen garment, but not of the faſhion of our Ephod, but ſome little kind of reſemblance to it, they wear it upon their heads, and ſo downward. VVhen Alexander came to Jeruſalem, I addus the high Prieſt came with all his Prieſtly garments to meet him, which cauſed him to fall down, proſtrating himſelfe before him, out of reverence to him; Ioſephus tels us in that ſtory, that the people came with white garments, garments that had ſome kind of reſemblance to this Ephod: Ioſephus ſaith that this Ephod was a garment but of a cubite long, only covering the ſhoulders and the breaſt, open above and on either ſide, and girt about the breaſts; others make it a longrobe, reaching down to the very feet, But there was a robe beſide the Ephod, the Ephod was over another robe ſo Chriſt appeared unto John, Rev. 1. 13. Cloathed with a garment downe to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle, like the Prieſts, for ſo they were wont to be arrayed; And Revel. 15. 6. the Miniſters of the Churches called by the name of Angels, are deſcribed, cloathed in white linnen, having their breaſts girded with golden girdles; not girt about their loynes, but about their breaſts, near their hearts. That which makes Miniſters of the Goſpel ready prepared for the work, is the girdle of truth, and this muſt be about their hearts; if their owne plottings and ſelf-ends ſhall gird them, that is, put them on to a readineſs to do what may ſerve for thoſe ends; this girdle is not the golden girdle, but like that rotten girdle of Jeremiahs, Chap. 31. 7. that was profitable for nothing. This garment of the Ephod was a holy garment then, and others muſt take heed of medling with ſuch garments, or of ſeeking to imitate to make the like garments. We read of Gideon, Judges 8. when God had given him a great victory over the Midianites, he would imitate this Ephod, of the ſpoil he had gotten of the Midianites, he made a rich and glorious Ephod, but the Text obſerveth that thing proved to be the deſtruction of Gideons houſe, for the people went a whoring after it; he made it with a good intention to teſtifie his thankfulneſſe to God for his victory, not thinking that ever it ſhould be worſhipped. It is a dangerous thing for governours to imitate Gods ordinances in garments or the like, and to preſerve them amongſt people, though it be with never ſo good an intention, their good intention will not excuſe them; Gideons preſumption in making an Ephod, in imitation of the Ephod appointed by God proved to be the deſtruction of his houſe, yet this was Gideon who a little before had deſtroyed the altar of Baal, though he was ſo much againſt Idolatry before, yet now he doth that which furthereth Idolatry: ſo many Governours, if they take not heed, they may pull down one kind of falſe worſhip, and ſet up another. The Iewes have many myſteries about this garment, it would weary you to hear them. I ſhall only obſerve that which is moſt uſefull for you, wee muſt not read the books of the old Teſtament, as if they concerned us not. Firſt, upon the ſhoulders of the Ephod there were ſet ranks of precious ſtones, upon them were in graven the names of the twelve Tribes according to their generations: What to be obſerved from the precious ſtones upon the Ephod. Obſer. And in the middle of the Ephod upon the breaſt-plate, which was to be four-ſq[illegible: 1 letter]are, there were four rowes of precious ſtones, upon thoſe likewiſe were ingraven all the names of the Tribes of Iſrael, & he bore them upon his heart. There is much to be obſerved in this. Firſt, Let the Tribes be what they will be in themſelves, though never ſo mean, yet upon the Ephod they were precious ſtones. The Prieſt wearing the Ephod was a type of Chriſt; let thoſe who are godly, be never ſo meane in themſelves, yet in Chriſt God looks upon them as precious ſtones. Secondly,Obſer. Theſe precious ſtones that were upon the ſhoulders of the Ephod are called a memoriall, Exod. 28. 12. that was to ſignifie Chriſt, bearing the names of all the Saints before his Father for a memorial, thoſe 12, tribes preſenting all the Churches that ſhould be unto the end of the world. When God remembers his Church, it is thorow Chriſt; God never remembers his Church, but it is by Chriſt carrying it before him, that is the comfort of the Saints; therefore he can never remember them to revenge himſelf upon them, for he never thinketh of them but only as Chriſt preſenteth them unto him. And further, A memoriall (ſay the Jewes) not onely becauſe the Prieſts were to beare the names of the twelve Tribes ingraven in thoſe ſtones for a memoriall before the Lord, but to ſignifie that the Prieſts themſelves were to remember to pray for the Tribes. And thirdly, A memoriall to ſignifie that both the Prieſts and all the people were to remember their godly Anceſtors and Predeceſſors, and to follow their vertues, and not to be any diſhonour unto them. But the firſt is the chiefe, theſe precious ſtones with the names of the tribes were firſt upon the ſhoulder, and then upon the heart: upon the ſhoulder, this notes that Chriſt carryes his Church upon his ſhoulder, hee beares the burthen of his Church, all their weight, all their afflictions upon his ſhoulder, the ſhoulder of Chriſt ſtandeth under the Churcher, certainly therefore they ſhall never ſinke. But may they not be ſo burthenſome to Chriſt as that he may ſhake off his burthen? No, therefore he hath them upon his breaſt-plate too as well as upon his ſhoulder, there was upon the breaſt-plate in the middeſt of the Ephod the names of the twelve Tribes, Chriſt carryes the memoriall of his Churches at his heart as well as upon his ſhoulders, & that makes Chriſt put his ſhoulders to the good of the Churches becauſe they are ſo neare his heart. An infinite comfort it is in the ſpirituall meaning of this Ephod that belongs to all the godly, Chriſt night and day hath thee upon his ſhoulder, and upon his heart as a precious ſtone before God the Father. This one thing further is obſervable about it, you ſhall finde if you reade that place in Exodus, that the names of the twelve Tribes were to be ingraven upon theſe ſtones in order according to their birth, now in Revel. 21. the twelve Apoſtles who in regard of their Doctrine are made the twelve precious ſtones of the foundation of the new Jeruſalem, you ſhal reade that they are all the very ſame precious ſtones by name excepting four, and thoſe foure I finde that Interpreters think to be the ſame that the other were, only with different names, for precious ſtones either in regard of the places where they are found, or in regard of their quality or colour carry divers names, ſo that it is very probable that thoſe precious ſtones in Rev. were the ſame with theſe in Exo. but there we do not finde that they are ſet according unto any dignity of one Apoſtle before another, as they were in the ſetting of the names of the Tribes, for the firſt precious ſtone that was to be ſet of the foundation of the new Ieruſalem, of the glorious Church that ſhould be, it is the ſtone of Benjamin who was the youngeſt; And if there might be any myſtery in it, we may think it ſignifies thus much, at leaſt we may make uſe of it by way of alluſion, that the Lord wil uſe of the young ones of this generation, who ſhal make way for the new Jeruſalem before any of the other tribes; God will cull out them to the firſt ſtone of the foundation of that glorious Church. In that we find there was not ſuch order ſet of the Apoſtles as was of the Tribes, we are taught that Chriſt would not have us look upon the Apoſtles as one above another; therefore you ſhall find the Apoſtles are never named in one and the ſame order; in one Evangeliſt they are ſet down in one order, and in another, in another, as Mat. 10. Mar. 3. Luc. 9. ſo Act. 1. In all theſe they are named in a different order, noting thereby that there is no ſuperiority nor inferiority in the Miniſters of the Goſpel. Upon the Ephod there was likewiſe the Vrim and Thummim. It is very hard to tell you what this Vrim and Thummim was, it coſts a great deal of time to find out what men think it was, and if I ſhould tell you the variety of the gueſſes of men about this, it would be tireſome unto you and me. Auſtin in his 117. queſtion upon Exod. In venire quid ſint deficile, what this Vrim and Thummim was, it is hard to find, and Cajetan ſaith, none ever yet explained what it was, and they tell us that even the Rabbins themſelves ſay, the Jewes were very ignorant of this.Faetentur Rabbini ſum mam eſſe apud Hebraeos harum rerum ignorantiam. But moſt probable one of theſe two, eſpecially the latter. Some think that they were ſome ſtones ſet in the breaſtplate, which by their brightneſs or darkneſſe did give an anſwer to what they demanded of God, that is thus; when the high Prieſt went to demand of God what was to be done in any great and publique affairs, hee preſented this breaſt-plate with theſe ſtones before the Lord, and if God would give an affirmative anſwer, the ſtones gave a more then ordinary brightneſs and luſtre; but if he would give a negative anſwer, then the ſtones were darker then they were before; but we are not certain of this, we may rather conclude upon the other, viz. that the Vrim and Thummim, (though we know not what matter they were made of, no more then we know what Manna was made of) it was ſomwhat that God gave Moſes to put into the breaſt-plate, which by him was appointed as an ordinance which was to be preſented before the Lord by the Prieſt when they would know the mind of God, & when this was preſented before the Lord, God did then uſually give an anſwer to the Prieſt, either by an audible voyce, or by ſecret inſpiration, yet not always tying himſelf to give it thus; for we find in Scripture, ſomtimes God did not give an anſwer when he was ſought by Vrim and Thummim, as when Saul enquired of God by Vrim & Thumim there was no anſwer from God; and it is like Joſiah would not have ſent onely to Huldah the propheteſſe if hee could have had anſwer by Vrim and Thumim; but when God pleaſed he would give an anſwer this way. The word Vrim & Thummim ſignifies light and perfection, ſome would make it to ſignifie the knowledg and integrity of life that is to be in Miniſters, but I rather think the meaning is, that they were bright precious ſtones which were of a great perfection, and fit to doe that which God did appoint them for. The Septuagint calls this [non-Latin text not transcribed], the Oracle. Hence 1 Pet. 4. 11 Let [illegible: 1 word] ſpeak [non-Latin text not transcribed], as the Oracles of God. Now this muſt be upon the breaſt-plate of the Prieſt, which the Prieſt making uſe of, thereby the people came to know the minde of God. This was to ſignifie that we muſt look for the mind of God by Chriſt.we muſt know Gods mind by Chriſt. It is Chriſt who is come from the Father to reveale his counſels to us; if we look to have the mind of God any other way but through him, we are miſtaken. And further, this Vrim and Thummim, this breaſt-plate of judgment, was to be upon the heart of the high Prieſt, and that when he went in before the Lord, as Exod. 28, 30. There are two notable morall obſervations to be obſerved from thence. Firſt,Obſ. The anſwer that any Miniſter of God in the name of Chriſt ſhould give his people, ſhould be ſuch an anſwer as ſhould lie at his very heart, hee muſt ſpeak nothing but his very heart unto them; when he would anſwer any caſe of conſcience, or make known any thing of the mind of God, his anſwer muſt lie at his heart. Secondly,Obſer. It muſt be as in the preſence of the Lord, it muſt be as before God, he muſt conſider in whoſe place he ſtandeth to anſwer as from God, from the great Prophet of the Church. It is a great judgment threatned to be without Vrim and Thummim, ſeeing it was of ſo great uſe to them. And this ſhould be for many dayes. Joſephus ſaith, that they were without this two hundred years before he wrote his Antiquities, that was an hundred and five years before Chriſt; but it appears that they had no Vrim and Thummim long before that time, for at their return from captivity, Ezra 2. 63. the Tirſhatha, that is, the Ruler, ſaid unto them, that they ſhould not eate of the moſt holy things till there ſtood up a Prieſt with Vrim and Thummim, therefore they had not then a Prieſt with Urim and Thummim, they expected to have one, but whether ever they had one after it is not know. This was the reaſon of that complaint of Aſaph, Pſa. 74. 9. We ſee not our ſignes, there is no more any Prophet, neither is there any among us that knoweth how long; that is a grievous complaint. Now it is like that Pſalme was made about the very time of their return from captivity; for Ezra 2. 41. Aſaph is named among thoſe that came to Jeruſalem from the captivity, The ſingers, the children of Aſaph, an hundred twenty and eight. But let it be then or after, by this Pſalme wee may finde that it was a very lamentable complaint to be without Urim and Thummim. The reſult of all is,Obſer. that it is a grievous thing to the Saints, that in the time of their ſtrait they dono[illegible: 1 letter] know Gods mind. At any time when God brings his people into ſtraits, yet if they can know the mind of their God, they are refreſhed and encouraged; but when they ſhall ſeeke to know Gods minde, and the Lord reſuſeth to diſcover it to them, this is a ſad condition indeed. I find one note more of Jeroms about their being without an Ephod. We may obſerve, ſaith he, the hardneſs of the hearts of the Jews, that they ſhould be ſo many hundred years without ſacrifice and without Ephod, without the true worſhip of God among them, and ways to know Gods mind, and [illegible: 1 page] [illegible: 1 page] [illegible: 1 page] [illegible: 1 page] yet they are not guilty of any greater ſin then the ſin of Idolatry, except it be of the killing of JESUS CHRIST, that they ſhould not reaſon thus,Quae ſit cauſa tam grandis offenſa ut tanto tempore relicti ſunt? maxime cum idolae non colant praeter interfectionem ſalvatoris, aliam non valent invenire. Hieron. in loc. what ſin is it that thus provokes God againſt us more then ever he was provoked? Surely there is ſome greater ſinne then ever yet we have committed; but ſaith he, they can never finde any other offence, beſide the killing of Chriſt, to be a greater offence then Idolatry, and yet they have a greater judgement upon them then ever they had, though they are not guilty of that ſinne as they were formerly; ſurely were they not extreamly hardned, they would be convinced that all this is becauſe of our rejecting & crucifying Chriſt the Son of God. As they had the Ordinances of God, ſo they had wayes of falſe worſhip of their owne, Images and Teraphim. I muſt ſhew you what thoſe were, and then how it is a threatning that they ſhould be without thoſe. Image, What Teraphim was. That ſeemeth to refer to the two calves they had ſet up in Dan & Bethel, which they ſo much gloryed and rejoyced in, they ſhould be taken away. Teraephim, that likewiſe ſhould be taken away. Now if you aske what this Teraphim was? in the general, Taraph is a divining image;Quem admodum per Ephod Deo conſecratum quid agendum eſſet conſule[illegible: 1 letter] illbus ſignificabatur, ita per Teraphim Idolorum praedictiones declarabantur. Procop. in Sam. 15. 23. as the Ephod was Gods Ordinance to know the minde of God by, ſo the Teraphim was a way of the Devil, an idolatrous way to know things that were to come. It was an Image made after this faſhion, ſo I finde thoſe that write of it tell us, The Teraphim was the image of the head of a man wrung off his body, ſalted and beſpiced with precious ſpices,Mactabant hominem, cujus caput terquendo preſcin debant, quod poſtea [illegible: 1 letter]ale & aromatibus condiebant, ſcribebantque ſuper laminam auream nome[illegible: 2 letters] ſpirit[illegible: 2 letters] immundi, qua ſoppoſita capiti ejus, ponchant illud in parict[illegible: 1 letter] intendentibus coram eo candelas, & adorantes coram eo, ſupponebant nomen ſpiritus immundi ſub lingua ipſius, & ille alloquebatur eos, Sic. R. Eliez. and then upon this head there was a plate of gold with the name of that ſpirit they would divine by, (or, as ſome) the name of the uncleane ſpirit was to be put un der the tongue of this head, and this being ſet upon a wall, there were burning candles and incenſe offered to it, and that under the conſtellation of ſome ſtar, and ſo enquiring to know ſomething that was to come, by it the devill was uſed to anſwer, and to tell them of ſuch things as were to come; it was an oracle of the devil that told them what ſucceſſe they ſhould have in this or the other buſineſſe; ſometimes it hit right. See the ſuperſtition of the Jewes; they deſired much to know the minde of God, now becauſe they were afraid they ſhould not know all by the Ephod, which was the ordinance of God, they would joyne with the Ephod, the Teraphim. From hence there is this profitable note. It is a very great and fearfull evil for men in ſearching to know any thing of Gods mind, not to keep themſelves to Gods ways of knowledg, to Gods own Ordinances. It concerneth us much now at this day. We are about enquiring the mind of God, that wee may know it about matters concerning the Commonwealth, but more eſpecially about Religion, I ſuppoſe there is none of us but will acknowledge that way that God hath appointed for the revealing of his will in the Scripture; that we muſt look into the Scripture, and ſeek to know Gods minde there; that is good, but let us not joyne Teraphim with it; then do we joyne Teraphim, when we reſt not upon Scripture alone, but ſearch after rules of mans deviſing, and what will ſtand with our own carnal ends. The Lord may juſtly meet with us in wrath, if we preſume to joyne our Teraphim with his Ephod. Pray that at this day where there is ſo much ſearching after Gods mind, that thoſe who are employed in it, may keepe themſelves to the Ephod, to the Scriptures, to that which is Gods Ordinance for the revealing his minde, that they may not joyne the Teraphim, their own fancies and inventions of men with the Scriptures; ſo long as we keepe to that rule, we may hope to do well enough; but if the Teraphim be joyned with the Ephod, if any thing be joyned with the Scriptures, though it may ſeeme to be never ſo rationall, we have cauſe to feare God will leave us. We finde this word Teraphim uſed ſometime in Scripture for the image of any man: as 1 Sam. 19. 13. when Michael took an image, and laid it in the bed inſtead of David, the word in the Hebrew is Teraphim: ſo when Rachel ſtole away her fathers images, the word is, ſhe ſtole away her fathers Teraphim, and ſome thinke they were her fathers Divining Images, & that ſhe did rather ſteale thoſe then any others, becauſe ſhe would not have her father Divine which way they were gone. Zachar. 10. 2. it is ſaid the Idols have ſpoken vanity; the word is the Teraphim. By which we may ſee they were wont to aske of their Idols about their ſucceſſes. And ſometime wee find in Scripture that Idolatry is called by this name, as 1. Sam. 15. 23. ſtubbornneſſe is as Idolatry, the word is, is as Teraphim. But here comes in the queſtion,How the taking away the Image and the Teraphim is a threatning. God threatneth to take away the Sacrifice and the Ephod, that plainly is a threatning, but how is this a part of the threatning to take away the Image & the Teraphim? You may underſtand it as a threatning by this ſimilitude; It is as if God would threaten to bring Iſrael into ſuch a deſolate condition as a ſtrumpet is brought into, not only when all her friends leave her which were her kindred, her true friends, but when all her lovers leave her too, even thoſe who were filthy with her, thoſe who pretended the moſt love to her, in whom ſhe took abundance of comfort, and from whom ſhe expected protection; yet now ſhe is brought into ſuch a condition, as ſhe ſitteth deſolate, for lorne and helpleſſe: So ſhall ye be, ſaith God, your Sacrifice and your Ephod, yea and Teraphim ſhall leave you. Or rather thus, Howſoever it is a mercy for God to take away falſe worſhip from a people, Images and Teraphim, yet in this regard it comes in a way of threatning, becauſe it would croſſe and vex them to bee deprived of theſe Images and Teraphim, it would bee a Judgement in their apprehenſion: As for inſtance, what a deal of ſtir have we with people, when they conceive that any falſe worſhip ſhall be taken away from them, they think they are undone in it; when the inventions of men in Gods worſhip are but queſtioned, what a do is there! men think their gods are taken away; as Judges 18. when the children of Dan came to the houſe of Micah, and took away his Ephod and his Teraphim, he cryed out after them, Yee have taken away the gods that I have made, and what have I more? what worſe thing could you have done more? I had rather you ſhould have taken away all I had, and yet you ſay unto me, What aileth thee? Is it not ſo at this day? What is it that now breedeth ſuch diſturbance in England at this time, but that people thinke their Teraphim ſhall bee taken from them? whereas they have heretofore worſhipped God in a falſe way, after the inventions of men, and now God is pleaſed to diſcover light, and thereis an enquiring after the government of the Church in the right way, and the true manner of worſhipping God, they are even mad upon this, and would rather loſe their lives and their eſtates, then their Teraphim ſhould be taken away; let that be taken away, and how shall they be able to pray? what, will you take away their Religion? How violently mens hearts are ſet upon ſuperſtitious wayes. This is the language of men in many ignorant places in this Kingdome, yea, the very language of many even amongſt us here, they are verily perſwaded that the Parliament are intended to take away all Religion in the Kingdome, and ſuch principles the adverſaries go about to infuſe into men, that the Parliament are a company of Browniſts, meerly becauſe they goe about to enquire after the true way of worſhipping God, and would have the Land purged of all ſuperſtitious vanities; Thus people cry out for their Teraphim, Great is Diana of the Epheſians. You may read the like in the hiſtory of the life of king Edward the ſixth, when he had but banished the Maſſe, there was an Army roſe in Devonſhire, and they ſent ſeverall Articles unto the King about their grievances, as cauſes of their riſing; Firſt, they ſaid that their children were denyed to be baptized, as now they cry out that none but a company of Anabaptiſts doe all this; the Popish Prieſts did then infuſe into the people that were in thoſe remote Countryes, that they were to have no more children baptized, thinking this would exaſperate the people then againſt King and Parliament: And then they complained that their Service was taken from them (meaning the Maſſe) King Edward was fain to write to them, to tell them that they were exceedingly abuſed, that they ſhould ſtill enjoy what was according to the word of God, that their children ſhould be baptized; and for the Maſſe, ſaith he, the Common-prayer Book is that Maſſe the ſame that it was before, only whereas it was in Latin before, now it is turned into Engliſh, and ſo he quieted the people of that Countrey. Thus it comes to be a threatning, that God will take away their Image and Teraphim, becauſe the hearts of people are ſo vexed when their ſuperſtitious ways are taken away. Now upon this confuſion, when they are without King, Prince, Sacrifice, Ephod, Image and Teraphim, when all is come to this confuſion, then comes the time that they ſhal return and ſeeke tho Lord their God, and David their King. When Gods time is come to raiſe the moſt glorious Church that ever was in the world,Obſer. a little before that there is like to be the greateſt confuſion that ever was in the world: Lactantius (I have made uſe of before in ſpeaking of the firſt Chap. Great ſhall be the day of Jezreel) tels us, that juſt before the glorious Church (he ſpeaks of it at large, in lib. 7. c. 15. 24. & 28.) all right ſhall be confounded, Laws ſhall periſh, men ſhall poſſeſſe all things by force, good men ſhall be ſcorned & contemned: and though theſe times, ſaith he, wherein we live be naught, ſo that one would thinke that wickedneſſe were grown up to the height, yet in compariſon of thoſe evill dayes that ſhall be a little before this glorious time, theſe days may be called the golden age. God will bring all into a Chaos firſt, as he did in the firſt Creation, & then bring a glorious building out of that Chaos. We know the raiſing of that glorious Church that is ſo much propheſied of, is called a creation, a creating a new heaven and a new earth; and it is probable enough, that as the heavens and the earth were firſt made out of a Chaos, ſo thoſe new heavens and new earth that God is about to make, will be raiſed out of a Chaos, out of that which ſeemeth to us to be but confuſion. VVhat do people cry out of at this day but of confuſion? all things they ſay are brought into confuſion: It is true, confuſion is an evill thing, and we are to grieve for it, and to ſeek to prevent it, yet let us not be too much troubled, for you ſee when the greateſt confuſion comes upon the people of the Jewes, then follows the greateſt mercy, then they ſhall return and ſeeke the Lord their God, never return before that time. Indeed till men be taken off from all, they will not return to God, if they have any thing to go unto, they will never return to God. VVhen Saul had but a witch to go to, he would rather go to her, then ſeek the face of God in way of repentance. Let not this be our way, becauſe God ſeems to leave us for the preſent, and letteth us be in a confuſion, and we know not what to do, let not our hearts fiet and vex, let us not go to unlawful means; For mark, it was juſt a little before Sanl was to be deſtroyed that he was growne to that height of evill. There was a time that Saul did enquire after Gods mind, and God refuſed to anſwer him, but yet hee would not take ſuch an unlawfull courſe then, but he ſearched to ſee whatſin was amongſt the people that cauſed God to refuſe to give him an anſwer, ſo you have it in the caſe of Jonathan, 1 Sam. 14. 33. when he took the honey, he enquired of God, and God anſwered not, and Saul ſaid, draw neere and ſee wherein this ſin hath beene this day. But afterward he grew to a greate[illegible: 1 letter] height of evill, when he was in a ſtrait, and God anſwered him not, preſently he goeth to the witch, but it was when he was near deſtruction. The note from thence is,Obſer. VVicked men neare deſtruction (as Saul was) finding things in a confuſion, and God not ſhewing them what is to be done, preſently are in a rage againſt God, then they frer, and ſeeke after unlawfull means to help them. The Lord forbid that this ſhould b[illegible: 1 letter] our condition. Let not us ſay, things are now in ſuch a confuſion that we know not how to find out the mind of God, we conſult with Miniſters and they know not what to ſay, they have caſt out ſuch a government, and they know not what to bring in, and therefore it were better we were as before. If this ſhould be our teaſoning, it is a ſigne we are like Saul nigh to deſtruction. Let us be content to wayte, they ſhall be many dayes without a King, &c. and then they ſhal return; this ſhall be the fruite of being without a King, and Prince▪ & Ephod, and Sacrifice, not vexing and raging, but returning to God and repenting. It things be worſe, & we be brought into greater ſtraits then ever we thought of, let us not murmur, but let us repent. Every one is complaining, but who is repenting? If there were as much repenting as there is murmuring, then we ſhould ſoone know the minde of God. Then they ſhall returne. Here is the uſe of ſanctified affliction, it is to cauſe returning to God. Jerome expreſſes the life of an impenitent ſinner by a line ſtretched out,Obſer. he goes ſaith he from the center in a right line, and ſo goes in infinitum from it, but a penitent ſinner is like a line bent, and turning back to the center, though by ſin he goes from it, yet by repentance he turnes to it again, they are gone from me a great way ſaith God, but I will give them a turne, they ſhal bend back again and return to me. They ſhall returne. Repentance is ſet out by this vvord,Obſer. to note the folly of ſinne. In ſin thou goeſt out of the way, and the truth is though you thinke you chooſe a good way for your ſelf, yet you muſt either come back again or periſh. It is juſt like a man travelling in a rode, and he ſees a dirty lane before him, which he is told is the way, he muſt goe there, but on the other ſide of the hedg he ſeeth a green and pleaſant vvay, and he gets over into that way, and ſo perhaps rides on a mile or two, at length he is compaſt about with ditches and rivers ſo that he muſt either return back or elſe lie there & ſtarve, he returnes back, with ſhame, and if any one that before told him of the other way ſee him, he tells him now of his folly, I told you that the other was the way, and that if you went over the hedge you muſt come back again: So it is with ſinners, there are wayes of God that go directly to heaven, but becauſe thoſe wayes are rugged, and they meet with trouble and perſecution in them, & they ſee by-ways that leade to hell that are more plaine & ſmooth, they get over, they will tranſgreſſe, (for that is the word for ſinne) they are got over, now they are merry & ſriske up and down for a while in this fine way; but friend you muſt come backe again, and if ever you mean to be ſaved, you muſt goe in the way that you have refuſed.Obſer. Further, they ſhal return and ſeeke the Lord their God. Here is an encouragement for old ſinners. The Jews have been above 1600. years in this wofull condition, for ſaking God, but in their latter dayes they ſhall returne and ſeeke the Lord, and God ſhall be mercifull to them. Haſt thou been forty, fifty, ſixty years going from God? there is hope for thy ſoul, Oh returne, return you old ſinners, But further,Obſer. [illegible: 1 word] ſhall return to Jehovah, and ſeeke him, Jer. 4. 1. If thou wilt returne O Iſrael, ſaith the Lord, return unto me. They ſhal not return from one falſe way of worſhip to another, but from the falſe way to the true, they ſhall return to God. It is that we had now need look unto. We muſt not think it enough to caſt one falſe way of government out of the Church, and turn to another, though not ſo ill yet not Gods, if out of any politicke pretence we reject the way of God it will prove a ſore evil unto us, it is one thing not to be able to bring in the way of Chriſt, and another to reject it, They ſhall ſeek Jehovah, not their Idols, but God himſelf. The word ſignifies conatu ac ſtudio quaerere, to ſeek with endeavouring, with ſtudy rather then meerly to ask and enquire, they ſhall be ſtudious in asking after God. They ſhall ſeek the Lord, that is, Firſt, They ſhall ſeeke his face and favour for the pardon of all their evill wayes, they ſhall come and acknowledge their falſe wayes and their doings which have not been good, and ſeek mercy for pardon. Secondly, They ſhall ſeek the Lord, that is, they ſhall ſeeke the true worſhip of the Lord. Calvin in a Sermon upon that place Seeke ye my face, interprets it to be ſeeking the Ordinances of God, the true worſhip of God, ſo Pſal. 105. 4. Seeke the Lord & his ſtrength, what is meant by the ſtrength of God there? It is the Arke, for that Pſalme was made at the bringing in of the Arke into the place that David had prepared, as you may ſee by comparing that Pſalme with the 1 Chron, 16. the Arke of God is called the ſtrength of God, Pſal. 78. 61. He gave his ſtrength into captivity. Surely if the true worſhip of God be the ſtrength of God, it is our ſtrength too, a people are then ſtrong when they entertaine the Arke of God, the true worſhip of God, and then indeed we ſeeke God aright when we ſeeke to know the way of his worſhip. Laſtly,Obſer. They ſhal ſeek the Lord, that is, they ſhall ſeeke to know his will in all their wayes, and to do it. It is not enough for them to be content to do juſt that which ſhall be put upon them, but they ſhall ſeek to know what his minde & his worſhip is. Some yeeld thus far to God, if any come to them and convince them that this is to be done, then they will do it, they dare not then but yeeld to it; but when the heart is in a true repenting frame, it is then in a ſeeking frame, it is laborious and induſtrious to know the mind of God. Whereas the heart of a ſinner heretofore lay dead & dull, never ſtirred after God, now it is in a ſtirting, in an inquiring, in a ſeeking way, this is a ſigne of much good: though thou haſt not what thou ſeekeſt for, yet be comforted in this that thou art in a ſeeking way, Their hearts ſhal re[illegible: 1 letter]oyce that ſeeke the Lord. If thou beeſt ſeeking God in his ways, though thou complaineſt, I have beene ſeeking a long time, but I know not the minde of God, I cannot apprehend the love of God, the pardon of my ſins, yea, but the hearts of thoſe ſhall rejoyce that ſeek the Lord, if thou beeſt in a ſeeking way thou art in a ſaving way, there is cauſe thou ſhouldſt rejoyce in this, that God hath brought thee into ſuch a way. They ſhall ſeeke the Lord, and that not ſaintly but to purpoſe, auxiouſly, Jer. 50. 4. 5. They (the children of Iſrael, and the children of Judah, when they ſhall be both together) ſhall goe weeping, and ſeeke the Lord their God, and they ſhall aske the way to Zion with their faces thitherward. Many of you come to aske queſtions, but your hearts are not right, your faces & the ſtrength of your ſpirits are not ſet to yeeld to the will of God when it is revealed to you. And mark how it appeares that their faces are thitherward, Come (ſay they) let us joyne our ſelves to the Lord in a perpetual Covenant that ſhall not be forgotten. This is to ſeeke God, it is not meerly to goe to a Miniſter and aske him a queſtion, but it is to goe with our faces, with the ſtrength of our ſpirits ſet to know the minde of God above any thing in the world, and ſo to reſolve to obey what ſhall be revealed to be Gods mind, as to be willing to enter into a perpetual Covenant, to binde our ſelves to yeeld to whatſoever God ſhal reveale. When you come to a Sermon, you muſt not come to get a little notional knowledge, but come with your faces towards Chriſt and his truth, before you come you ſhould get alone (if you be a true ſeeker) and enter into Covenant with God, that whatſoever God revealeth to be his minde you will yeeld to it & obey it, though you have heretofore gone againſt many truths revealed to be the minde of God, but Lord no more now, here I am ready and willing to enter into an everlaſting covenant to be under the command of every truth. Here is the right ſeeking of God. They ſhall ſeeke the Lord their God; [their God] this hath two references, either to what is paſt, or to what is to come. To what is paſt, their God, that is, the God who was once the God of the Jews, the God of their forefathers, the God of Abraham. of Iſaac, and of Jacob. And ſecondly, their God, that is, that God that is yet ready and willing to be reconciled to them, not withſtanding all their ſinnes. Thus they ſhal ſeek the Lord their God. Theſe two references afford two excellent Obſervations. Firſt,Obſer. This prevailes much with the heart of an Apoſtate, when he can but think what God was once unto him before he did Apoſtatize, and what he was unto his godly parents and predeceſſors. There was a time that I enjoyed God ſweetly, when I went to prayer I had bleſſed communion with him, it is otherwiſe with me now, I have apoſtatized. Let this conſideration catch h[illegible: 1 letter]ld upon thy heart and turn it this day; Oh turne, turn thou apoſtate ſoul. God who was once thy God in a gracious manner is that God that thou haſt vilely forſaken, yea thy fathers God alſo. Thou haſt a godly father, a godly grand-father, remember what a bleſſed God he was unto them, and return. Secondly,Obſer. Their God, that God that yet they may have hope to enjoy, notvvithſtanding all their departings from him. Hence the note is this, The apprehenſion o[illegible: 1 letter] a poſſibilty to obtaine mercie from the Lord, is a ſtrong means to draw the heart to returne to him; when they look upon God as a God in covenant with them yet, and there is nothing to the contrary but he may be their God. Let this be an argument to catch hold upon the ſpirits of all ſinners who are departed from God, thou haſt departed from God in a ſoule and vile manner, but Men and Angels know nothing to the contrary but that he may be thy God for all this. Let me ſpeake to the vileſt ſinner that is in this place before the Lord this day, thou haſt indeed moſt deſperately and wickedly ſinned againſt God, the Jews have done ſo; Haſt thou crucified Chriſt? they have done ſo; haſt thou denied the truth and followed falſe waies? they have done ſo; Notwithſtanding all thy wicked and evil waies, ſeeing thou art yet alive, I doe this day yet once more pronounce thee in the name of the great God, that there is nothing to the contrary that either Angels or Men can poſſibly know, but that God may be thy God, and that this day God may enter into covenant with thee, & thou with him, this night he may come in and ſup with thee, and thou with him, there may be a bleſſed reconciliation between God and thee, return, return thou ſinful ſoul.

The Third Lecture. HOSEA 3. 5. —And David their King,I[illegible: 1 letter]daos in Chriſtum nostrum credituros celeberrimum eſt in ſermonibus cordibuſ que fidelium. Auguſt. 1. Nihil iſta propheta manifeſtius quam David Regis nomine ſignificatus intel[illegible: 1 letter]igitur Chriſtus. Auguſt. de civit. lib. 18. c. 28. and ſhall feare the Lord and his goodneſſe in the latter dayes. THat the Jews ſhall returne and believe in Chriſt, is moſt ordinary and famous both in the words and hearts of thoſe that are faithfull, ſaies Auguſtine. In this their returne and ſeeking God, they ſhall ſeek David their King. For the opening this, there are theſe five things to be inquired into. 1. Who this David was. 2. Why David is rather named then any other. 3. Why he is mentioned in this place. 4. Why joyned with ſeeking Jehovah, 5. Why this Epithet is added to David here. David their King. For the firſt, David clearly is meant JESUS CHRIST, Nothing is more manifeſt then that Chriſt is meant by the name of David, ſayes Auguſtine. The Scripture is cleare in this, it is uſuall in the Goſpel to call Chriſt by the name of David. Compare Eſay 55. 3. with Acts 13. 34. Eſay 55. I will give you the ſure mercies of David; what are thoſe? Act. 13. that place in Iſaiah is quoted, and there the word is Sancta Davidis, the holy things of David; the holy Ghoſt there going according to the Tranſlation of the Septuagint, as it is uſuall in the New Teſtament. And that Pſalm 16. 9. 10. where David ſeemes to ſpeake in his owne perſon, Thou wilt not leave my ſoul in grave, Lect. 3. nor ſuffer thy holy One to ſee corruption: this is interpreted of Chriſt, Act. 13. 36. 37. Act. 15. 16. In the Aſſembly the Church of Jeruſalem, together with meſſengers of the Church of Antioch, James makes a ſpeech to the Aſſembly, & tels them of a propheſie that God would raiſe the tabernacle of David, that is, convert the Gentiles to the profeſſion of Chriſt. But you will ſay how is this quoted right, for that was James his intention in the Aſſembly (and it concerns thoſe who are of ſuch a grave Aſſembly as that was, to ſpeake what they ſpeake to purpoſe) But how doth James here ſpeake to the purpoſe? for the point he was to ſpeake to, was that the Gentiles were to be called, and he proveth it by that Scripture where it is ſaid that God would raiſe the Tabernacle of David, how doth that prove that God would call the Gentiles? You may ſee if you looke into the propheſie whence this was quoted, that this text was right to the purpoſe▪ The Propheſie is Amos 9. 11. 12. there it goeth thus, after he had ſaid that he would raiſe the tabernacle of David, it followeth, that they may poſſeſſe the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen which are called by my Name: So that the Tabernacle of David indeed is the Tabernacle of Chriſt, and it ſhall be raiſed to this end that he may poſſeſſe the remnant of Edom, and all the Gentiles that were to be called by the name of God. David is Chriſt becauſe he was his type, and Chriſt was the ſeed of David. The ſecond Queſtion, but why is David rather named then any other, rather then Abraham, Iſaac, or Jacob? others were types of Chriſt as well as he and Chriſt was, their ſeed as well as Davids, The reaſon is, becauſe David typified Chriſt eſpecially in his Kingly power over his own people,Anſw. David was the firſt godly King that ever was over Gods own people; Melchiſedech was a King, King of Salem, but over the people of God David was the firſt type of Chriſt. Thirdly, Why doth the holy Ghoſt adde this to ſeeking the Lord, that they ſhall ſeeke David? Why was it not as full if the holy Ghoſt had ſaid, When Iſrael, theſe ten Tribes (for he ſpeakes of them eſpecially) when they ſhall return they ſhall ſeeke the Lord, and the Meſſiah, but that they ſhall ſeek the Lord and David? The reaſon is, the expreſſion is brought to this end, to put theſe Tribes in minde of that great ſinne of theirs, in their defection from the houſe of David, there was an intimation in this expresſion of that defection they had from David, when they ſhall repent this will lye neere their hearts, they will mourne for this their ſinne, when they chooſe Chriſt to be their King, they ſhall do it under the name of David; As if they ſhould ſay, we indeed have caſt off the houſe of David ſinfully, but we now come and chooſe the Son of David to be our King. Thereby putting us in minde of this note of inſtruction. True penitents in mourning for their ſinne and returning to God,Obſer. will go to the roote of their ſin as much as they can, to their firſt defection & mourn for that, and labour what lies in them to reforme in that very thing wherein the root and beginning of their ſin lay. The fourth is, why ſeeking the Meſſiah (under what name ſoever) is here joyned to ſeeking the Lord, the very marrow of all the Goſpel is in theſe words, they ſhall ſeeke Jehovah, and David their King. It is added for this end, to ſhew us, that none can ſeek God rightly but through Chriſt, they muſt ſeek God in Chriſt; This is eternal life to know thee and thy Son, to know God alone is not eternall life, but to know God and his Son; ſo to ſeek God alone is not eternal life, not will it ever bring to eternal life, except there be a ſeeking of God in Chriſt, ſeeking Jehovah and David, putting them together. Grace from God the Father, and from Jeſus Chriſt, thoſe muſt goe together, no grace from God the Father, but from him through Chriſt;Non ſolum periculoſum, ſed horrtbile eſt de Deo extra Chriſtum cogitare. Luther. ſo no ſeeking of God the Father, Jehovah, but it muſt be with ſeeking of David likewiſe: it is not only dangerous, but it is a horrible thing to think of God without Chriſt; the very thought of God not through Chriſt is a moſt dreadfull thing to the heart of any who knows God. Indeed there are a company who have bold preſumptuous hearts, who will go into Gods preſence though reeking in the very guilt of their ſin lately committed, and ſeeke to God for mercy, and never think of Chriſt the Mediator; they underſtand not the necesſity of ſeeking God in Chriſt, becauſe indeed they know not with what a God it is they have to deale; but that ſoul that knows what God is,Ego ſape & lib[illegible: 1 letter]nter hoc inculco ut extra Chriſtum oculos & aures claudates, & dica[illegible: 2 letters] nullum vos ſcire Deum niſi qui fuit in graemio Mariae & ſuxit [illegible: 1 letter] bera ejus. Luther. dares not think of God, much leſſe come into his preſence & ſeek him but only through Chriſt. It was wont to be the way (as Plutarch in the life of Themyſtocles reports) of ſome of the Heathens, the Molosſians, when they would ſeek the favour of the Prince, they tooke up the Kings Son in their armes, and ſo went and kneeled before his Altar in his Chappell; ſo Themyſtocles did when he ſought the favour of King Admetus. It ſhould be the way of Chriſtians in ſeeking the face of God the great King, to take up his Sonne in the armes of Faith. A notable ſpeech Luther hath in Pſal. 130. Often and willingly, ſaith he, doe I inculcate this, that you ſhould ſhut your eies & your eares, and ſay you know no God out of Chriſt, none but he that was in the lap of Mary, and ſucked her breaſts; he means none out of him. We muſt not, we ſhould not dare to looke upon [illegible: 1 letter]od but through Chriſt, and ſeeke him together with David. This is the Evangel[illegible: 1 letter]call way of ſeeking God; when we have ſinned, if there be any way of help, it muſt be by ſeeking this mercifull God; thus farre nature goes, and moſt people goe no further, yea moſt Chriſtians, though they have the name of Chriſt in their mouths, yet the worke of their hearts is no further then natural principles carry them on. But the ſeeking God in Chriſt, is the true ſupernaturall way, the Evangelicall way, that is the myſtery of godlineſſe, to tender up a Mediator to God every time wee come into his preſence. I feare that many of our prayers are loſt for want of this. There is much Faſting and Prayer thorough Gods mercy amongſt us, and I would to God there were no abating that way; but though wee thinke, will God leave his people when there is ſuch a ſpirit of Prayer? If it be not a ſeeking of God in his Son, know it is our own ſpirits rather then the Spirit of God. VVee may be earneſt in prayer, and cry mightily to God, yet if we take not up his Son in the armes of faith, and tender him to the Father, thouſands of prayers and faſting days may be all loſt for want of this. The truth is, wee muſt not depend ſo much upon our prayers, though we are to rejoyce and to bleſſe God that there is ſo much prayer; but Gods wayes towards us ſeeme as if hee would take us off from means, and make us look up to free grace, not take us off from the practiſe of any, but from relying upon any, onely to rely upon free grace in Chriſt. As this is the ſupernaturall ſeeking God, ſo it is the moſt powerfull way of ſeeking him. It is not enough to ſeeke God by vertue of a promiſe, except vve ſeek him by vertue of Chriſt, who is the foundation of all the promiſes. VVe ſeek him becauſe he is mercifull, that is one way; yea we ſeek him becauſe he hath promiſed mercy, this is a higher degree; but we muſt go higher yet, we muſt look to his Son, in whom all the promiſes are Yea & Amen; otherwiſe, though we ſeek him never ſo earneſtly, though we chalenge his promiſes, and cry to him to remember his promiſes, yet if we do not act our faith upon his Son, wee may miſſe in all, And herein we ſanctifie that great name of God in that which is the great work of his, his maſter-piece as we may ſay, or the great deſigne hee hath to honour himſelf in the world here, and everlaſtingly hereafter. Certainely, though God hath made the creature for his own glory, & expects we ſhould honour him in beholding him in the creature, yet the great deſign God hath to honour himſelfe in and by, is in that glory of his that is manifeſted in his Son, to have the children of men behold this his glory, and reflect it upon his own face; except you give God his glory in this, he cares not much for what ſoever glory you can give him otherwiſe. You muſt not therfore expect when you ſeek God, that you muſt have good things from him meerly becauſe he is mercifull, you muſt not thinke that the mercy of God ſerveth to eike out our righteouſneſſe. Perhaps ſome will ſay, it is true, we are poor ſinfull creatures, and what can wee expect from God being fin full? but we hope that God will pardon our ſin, and ſo will accept of the poor ſervices that we perform; This is the way that moſt goe, they do as it were imploy Gods mercy in ſuch a worke that God never intended it for, that is, they would make the mercy of God to eike out their owne righteouſneſſe, and ſo both put together, they think they will ſerve to be a means of atonement: No, you miſtake Gods mercy; the worke of Gods mercy is not this, but it is to ſhew us our unrighteouſneſſe, our miſery, our unclearneſſe, to ſhew us Jeſus Chriſt, to draw our hearts to him, to emptie us of our ſelves, that wee may wholly rely upon that righteouſneſſe that is by faith in him, and tender up that to the Father for ſanctification and attonement, that is the work of Gods mercy; when it hath this work, then it hath the true genuine work indeed. The fifth is, why here added King. True, wee muſt ſeeke the Lord and Chriſt, but why Chriſt the King? The reaſon is, becauſe Chriſt in the latter dayes ſhall be fully honoured in his Kingly power: they ſhall looke upon him not only as Prophet and Prieſt, but as King. Hitherto Chriſt hath bin much honoured in his Propheticall and Prieſtly office, but not ſo much in his Kingly; but in the latter dayes when God ſhall call home his people (the Jewes) then Chriſt ſhall be fully honoured in his Kingly office. The Tabernacle of Chriſt was raiſed in the Primitive times, according to that ſpeech of St. James we had before, Acts 15. 16. God ſhall raiſe the tabernacle of David, hee puts it as fulfilled then; but there is a time when God ſhall not only raife the tabernacle of David, but the throne of David; Chriſt the King ſhall appeare in glory. Ezek. 37, 24, 25. And David my ſervant ſhall be King over them. It was ſpoken upon the union that there ſhould be between Judah and Iſrael, then David my ſervant ſhall be King over them. David was dead a great while before, there is a time that David muſt again be King, that is, Chriſt, upon the union of all the Tribes together; And againe, David ſhall be Prince for ever, when they are brought againe into their owne land, David ſhall be Prince over them for ever, ſaith the Text: ſurely this propheſie is yet to be fulfilled. And Luke 1. 32. The Lord ſhall give him the throne of his father David, and he ſhall reign over the houſe of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdome there ſhall be no end. I know we uſually think that this is meant only of his ſpirituall reign, but there is a miſtake in it, certainly there is to be a fulfilling of this propheſie in a reign that ſhall outwardly appeare before the children of men, which will appea more in comparing this with other Scriptures. Revel. 11. 15. The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of the Lord & his Chriſt, and ſo he ſhall reign for ever and ever. VVhy in a ſpirituall ſenſe the kingdoms of this world are always the kingdomes of the Lord and of Chriſt, but there is ſpoken of ſome famous notable time when the kingdomes of this world ſhall appeare to be the Lord, and his Chriſts, and then he ſhall reigne for ever and ever, after another manner then now he doth. Revel. 3. 21. To him that overcometh will I give to ſit with me in my throne, as I alſo overcame, and am ſet down with my Father in his throne. Mark this Text, as one of the moſt notable of any wee have. That kingly rule that Chriſt hath for the preſent is upon his Fathers throne; he is not yet upon his own in compariſon of what he ſhall be, the kingdome that Chriſt hath now is the joynt reigne of him with the Father, but there is a time for Chriſt to have a Throne himſelfe. Now that Throne of Chriſt it may be you will thinke it is in heaven at the day of judgement; but we finde 1 Cor. 15. 24. that at that day he comes to refigne the kingdome, the words do not ſeeme to import as if hee came to take it, but that then hee doth give up the kingdome unto God the Father, therefore there is a time for Chriſt himſelf to have a Throne, with whom the Saints shall reign. Matth. 21. 9. The children cryed out Hoſanna to the ſonne of David, becauſe they looked upon the ſonne of David as one who was to reign. In theſe latter dayes CHRIST ſhall breake the Kings of the earth who ſtand againſt him, as indeed many, yea moſt of the Kings of the earth have ever ſtood out to hinder this kingdome of his. There will be a mighty ſhaking of the kingdoms of the earth when this ſhall be, Heb. 12. 26. Whoſe voyce then ſhook the earth, but now he hath promiſed, ſaying, yet once more I ſhake not the earth onely but alſo the heaven; quoted out of Hag. 2. 6. 7. God in giving the law ſhooke the earth, but he will ſhake the earth and the heaven[illegible: 1 letter], which ſome Interpreters expounds thus, not only the meaner power of people, but the powers of Kings and Emperours the higheſt powers in the world, whatſoever is lofty in the world ſhall be ſhaken when Chriſt comes to take the kingdom to himſelf, the Father will ſet him King upon his holy hill; Though the Kings of the earth ſet themſelves, and the Rulers take counſell together againſt the Lord & againſt his Anoynted, ſaying, Let us break their bonds aſunder, and caſt away their cords from us; he that ſitteth in the heavens ſhall laugh, the Lord ſhall have them in deriſion, then ſhall he ſpeake to them in his wrath, and vex them in his ſore diſpleaſure, Yet have I ſet my King upon my holy hill of Zion, yet have I done it, though the kings of the earth and great ones of the world fret, vex, and rage, and gather power together, though they blaſpheme and ſay he ſhall not raigne, the Lord ſitteth in heaven and laugheth at them, let them do what they can, and gather what ſtrength they can, & oppoſe to the uttermoſt they can, Yet will I ſet my King upon my holy hill. This is acceptable news, it is the joyfull voyce of the Goſpel to tell you of Chriſts comming to raigne in the world, Eſay, 52. 7. How beautifull upon the mountaines are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings? What are thoſe good tidings? this tidings, that ſaith unto Zion, Thy Godraigneth, This is the triumph of the Church, Eſay 33. 22. The Lord is our judge, the Lord is our law-giver, the Lord is our King, for then ſhall the Churches be delivered from the oppreſſion of all Tyrants in the world. David and Chriſt paraleld in their exerciſe of kingly power. And this Kingdom of Chriſts ſhall indeed be like Davids kingdome, Chriſt ſhal be David the King. I might ſhew you the parallels in many things, but I will only parallel the kingdome of Chriſt and of David in theſe two particulars. Firſt, David of all the Princes that ever were was one of the moſt gentle, he was exceeding loving and ſweet unto his ſubjects; that you ſhal finde 1 Chron. 28. 2. Then David the King ſtood up upon his feet, & ſaid, he are me my brethren, and my people. Marke how a King ſpeaks ſpeaking to his people, he ſtood upon his feet, and ſaid, heare me my brethren, and my people. Thus the kingdome of Chriſt is ſet out to us, Pſal. 45. 4. In thy Majeſty ride proſperouſly becauſe of truth and meekneſſe. Chriſt ſhall be a moſt meeke King, hee ſhall not be a bloody King to his people, he ſhall not be a King [illegible: 3 letters]ing in viòlence and harſhneſs, ſo as not to care for the love of his people, his ſinger ſhall not be heavier then the loynes of others, but he ſhall rule his people with all gentleneſs. Therefore the government of Chriſt is ſet out [illegible: 1 word] a ſhe[illegible: 1 letter]he [illegible: 1 span] leading thoſe that are with young; & [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 letter]his, David David and CHRIST are parallel, Pſal. 78. 70. 71. He choſe David his ſervant, & tooke him from the ſheep-folds, from following the ewes great with young, he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Iſrael his inheritance. So the Kingdome of Chriſt, Eſay 40. having ſpoken ver. 9. of the glad tidings of the Kingdome, it followeth, He ſhall feed his flocke like a ſhepheard, he ſhall gather the lambs with his arme, and carry them in his boſome, and ſhall gently leade thoſe that are with young. When Chriſt ſhal raigne he shal have great reſpect to the good and comfort of his people over whom heraigneth, he ſhall not raigne over them without regard to their liberties, and what may be for the comfort of their lives, the good of his people, and his own glory ſhall be put both in one. Secondly, David their King, in regard of faithfulneſſe. David was exceeding faithfull to his people, and therefore the mercies of God in Chriſt are called the ſure mercies of David, becauſe David was found faithfull before the Lord. Pſal. 45. 4. is the Propheſie of Chriſts Kingdom, the Text ſaith, In thy majeſty ride proſperouſly, becauſe of truth, and meekneſs, and righteouſneſſe; there ſhall be righteouſneſs in the Kingdome of Chriſt. This is a bleſſed thing when we may confide and fully venture our eſtates, liberties and our lives upon the promiſes of thoſe who are above us. VVe know how many there are about great perſonages to take them off from thoſe things that they have promiſed, though never ſo ſeriouſly, and with never ſuch ſolemne proteſtations to performe them. I will give you a ſtory or two remarkable for this, to ſhew what danger people have been in when they have confided upon the promiſes of Princes, when there have beene thoſe about them that endeavoured to take of their hearts from performing what they had ingaged themſelves to. You ſhall finde in the life of Edward the ſixth this ſtory; The King ſends his Letters to London in the behalfe of the Duke of Somerſet the then Protector; there were divers of the Lords roſe up againſt him, thinking he did oppreſſe the people, and they ſent the ſame time their Letters to London for their aide and aſſiſtance; hereupon there was a Common Counſell called in the City, and amongſt them there was one that the ſtory ſaith was a wiſe and an honeſt man, one George Stadlowe, and he ſpeakes thus to the Counſell, I remember, ſaith he, a ſtory written in Fabians Chronicle, of the wars between Henry the third and his Barons, at which time the Baronsdemanded aide of the City of London, as our Lords do now, and that in a rightfull cauſe, for the good of the Common-wealth, for the execution of divers good lawes againſt the King, who would not ſuffer thoſe lawes to be put in execution, and the City did aide them, and it came unto an open bartell, and the Lords prevailed againſt the King and tooke the King and his ſonne priſoners, and upon certaine conditions the Lords reſtored the King & his ſon again to their liberties, amongſt other conditions this was one, that the King ſhould not only grant his pardon to the Lords, but alſo to the Citizens of London, which was granted, and the condition of their accommodation of peace were ratif[illegible: 1 letter]ed by act of Parliament; but ſaith the ſtory, what followed of it? was it forgotten? no ſurely, nor forgiven neither, during the Kingslife, the libeties of the Cities were taken away, ſtrangers were appointed to be our head & governours, the Citizens, their bodies and goods were given away, and ſo from one perſecution to another they were moſt miſerably afflicted. Again, in the hiſtory of Queen Maries time we find, that Qeene Mary, becauſe there was ſome diſpute about her comming to the Crowne, at that time ſhe went down into Suffolke, to the place where the Duke that then roſe up for another was moſt hated, and ſhe being at Framingham Caſtle the Suffolke men came to her, and promiſed their [illegible: 1 letter]ide, upon condition that ſhe would not attemp the alteration of Religion, which her brother King Edward before had eſtabliſhed; ſhe promiſed them there ſhould be no innovation of Religion, no God forbid, yea ſhe ſo promiſed that the ſtory ſaith, no man would or could miſdoubt of the performance: But afterward when ſhe came to get the power in her hand, the Suffolk men came to make ſupplication to her, that ſhe would be pleaſed to performe the promiſe ſhe made them, ſhe anſwered them thus, Foraſmuch as you being but members deſire to rule your head, you ſhall one day well perceive that members muſt obey their head, and not looke to beare rule over the ſame; And not only ſo, but to cauſe the more terrour, a Gentleman one Maſter Dobs that lived about Windſor, who did but in an humble requeſt advertiſe her of her promiſe made to the Suffolke men, he was three times ſet on the Pillory, and others for the ſame cauſe were ſent to priſon. We may ſee what hold hath been heretofore in the promiſes of thoſe who had power to breake them, you know what temptations they have to withdraw their hearts from what they have ingaged themſelves unto. But when this our Prince comes, David our King we ſhall finde the ſure mercies of David, we ſhall finde nothing but faithfulneſſe in all his dealings. And they ſhall feare the Lord and his goodneſſe in the latter dayes. They ſhall feare the Lord. Obſer. The words are, they ſhall feare to the Lord, pavebunt ad dominum. The feare of God is ſtrong in a repenting [illegible: 1 word]. The feare of God is much upon the heart of a ſinner in his returne to God. Such a ſinner hath high and honourable thoughts of God, They ſhall returne and feare the Lord. The ſlightneſſe, the vanity of his ſpirit, the boldneſſe of his heart, it is taken off, and the feare of God ruleth in it. The Majeſty, the power, the authority of the great God is ſtrong upon him, when he comes to worſhip him, the feare of God makes him to worſhip God as a God, and in all his converſation he walkes in the feare of God, even all the day long, you may ſee written upon his life the feare of the great God, And this not a ſervile ſlaviſh feare, but a holy, reverenticall, fil [illegible: 3 letters] feare, Jſaac had ſuch a feare of God that God hath his dominion from Iſaac[illegible: 1 letter] feare, He is called the feare of Iſaac. This is a moſt precious feare, others feare poverty, feare impriſonment, feare diſgrace, feare men, but ſaith a true repenting heart, I feare the Lord; this feare is the well-ſpring of life to him, it is the very treaſure of his ſoul, Eſay 33. 6. I ſhall ſpeake of the feare of God here onely as it concerns this place, the intent of bringing it in here, that is to ſhew that in the time when this glorious Church ſhall be, when God ſhall call home his own people the Jewes, and bring in the fulneſſe of the Gentiles, then ſhall the feare of God mightily prevayle upon the hearts of people more then ever, and the greater Gods goodneſſe ſhall be, the more ſhall the feare of God be upon their hearts, this we ſhall finde almoſt in all the Propheſies of the glorious condition of the Church (which is very remarkable) there is ever ſpeaking of the feare of God that ſhould be upon the hearts of people. One would rather thinke there ſhould be ſpeaking of the joy that they ſhould have, that there ſhould be nothing but mirth and triumph in thoſe times; but the Scripture ſpeakes exceeding much of feare that ſhall be then, and more then, then at any other time. Thus Revel. 11. 18. a moſt famous Propheſie of Chriſts comming, and taking the kingdomes of the earth,The fear of God wil be moſt ſtrong when the Church shall bee moſt glorious. and bringing his reward with him, he ſhall come and give a reward to thoſe that feare him. And Revel. 14. 7. I ſaw an Angel flee in the middeſt of heaven having the everlaſting Goſpel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, ſaying with a loud voyee, feare God and give glory to him. Marke, an Angel when he comes to preach the verlaſting Goſpel, how doth he preach it? what, now caſt away fear and rejoyce in this everlaſting Goſpel? No, preaching this everlaſting Goſpel, ſaith with a loud voyce, feare God and give glory to him. So Rev. 15. 3. 4. There is the ſong of the Saints when they are delivered from the power of Antichriſt, what is it, be jocund and joviall? No, Great and marvailous are thy workes, Lord God Almighty, juſt and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints, who ſhall not feare thee, O Lord, and glorifie thy name? for thou onely art holy, for all Nations ſhall come and worſhip before thee, for thy judgements are made manifeſt. And again Rev, 19. 5. And a voyce came out of the Throne, ſaying, Praiſe our God all ye his ſervants, and yee that feare him both ſmall and great. But feare the Lord now in theſe times,Foure grounds of the feare of God in the times of he Churches deliveranc[illegible: 1 letter] why ſo? Upon theſe foure grounds, Firſt, Feare the Lord now, becauſe of the glory of Chriſt their King, they ſhall behold their King in that glory that ſhal cauſe fear, Rev, 19. 12. Chriſt is deſcribed with his eyes as flames of fire, and on his head many Crownes, cloathed with a veſture dipt in blood, at wo-edged ſword out of his month, and on his veſture and on his thigh written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Thus they ſhall behold Chriſt, and therefore they ſhall feare. Secondly, in thoſe times the feare of God will much prevaile in the hearts of people, becauſe of the great workes of God that ſhal be then, the heavens ſhall depart like a ſcrole, and the elements melt with fervent heate. This is meant of the time when there ſhal be new heavens & a new earth, which referreth to the Propheſie of Eſay, and it is apparantly) and ſo generally Interpreters carry it) meant of the eſtate of the Church, then the heavens ſhall depart like a ſcrole. Heb. 13. 26. quoted out of Hag. 2. 6. The Lord did ſhake the earth once, but he hath promiſed, ſaying, Yet once more, I ſha[illegible: 1 letter] not the earth onely, but alſo heaven. There ſhall be wonderfull workes of God in the earth when thoſe dayes come, therefore there ſhall be much of the feare of God. Thirdly, Much of the feare of God then, becauſe of the holineſs of the worſhip of God and of his Ordinances, the purity of them ſhall cauſe fear: Did we ſee the Ordinances in the true and native purity and holineſſe of them, it would ſtrike much feare in us. Some have but ſeene the execution of that one Ordinance of Excommunication in a ſolemn gracious way, and it hath daunted their hearts, it hath ſtruke feare in a moſt proud, profane, ſtubborn, wicked heart, the beholding then of all the Ordinances, and all duties of worſhip in their true native purity, holineſs and glory, cannot but cauſe much feare, Pſal. 68. 35. O God thou art terrible out of thy holy places; God will be terrible out of his holy places and out of all his holy Ordinances. Fourthly, Much feare there will be at that day, becauſe of the holineſs of the Saints, there ſhall be ſo much holineſs that ſhall appeare bright in the very faces and converſations of the Saints that ſhal ſtrike great feare. Holy & reverent is thy n[illegible: 1 letter]me; you know it is ſaid of God, and ſo it ſhall be ſaid of the Saints in that day, their graces ſhall be much raiſed, they ſhall ſparkle with abundance of the graces of Gods Spirit in them; their wiſdome & holineſs ſhall make their faces ſhine, holy and reverent shall be their names, Pſal. 89. 7. God is greatly to be feared in the aſſembly of the Saints, thoſe Saints of his who walke cloſe with him, have a daunting power in their appearance. I appeale to guilty conſciences, to apoſtates, to profeſſors who have ſecret haunts of wickedneſs, ſometime when you come but into the preſence of one who is a truly gracious godly man or woman, whom your conſcience tels you walkes cloſe with God, doth not even the very ſight of ſuch a one terrifie you? the very luſtre of that holineſs you ſee in ſuch a one ſtrikes upon your conſcience, then you thinke ſuch an one walkes cloſe with God indeed, but I have baſely forſaken the Lord, and have had ſuch a haunt of wickedneſſe, I have brought dreadfull guilt upon my ſoul ſince I ſaw him laſt. Eccleſiaſticall ſtories tell us of Baſil, when the officers came to apprehend him, he being then exerciſed in holy duties, that there was ſuch a majeſty & luſtre came from his countenance, that the officers fell down backward (as they did who came to apprehend Chriſt) they were not able to lay hold of him. Surely when the Saints ſhall be raiſed in their holineſs, when every one of them ſhall have their hearts filled with holineſſe, it will cauſe abundance of fear even in all the hearts of thoſe that converſe with them. But wicked ones ſhall feare too as well as the Saints. Luke 21. 26. Mens hearts ſhall faile them for feare, it ſhal be true in theſe dayes as it was in the deſtruction of Jeruſalem. The Saints shall feare the Lord and his goodneſs; [non-Latin text not transcribed] the words in the original are they ſhall feare, ad Dominum to the Lord, & ad bonum, to his good. It is all one in effect, that good that God ſhall manifeſt shall cauſe this feare to be in their hearts. You will ſay, what goodneſſe? what shall that goodneſs of God be that ſhall move the hearts of this people with ſo much feare? I will tell you briefly, I need not ſpend much time in it, for I have ſpent a whole Sermon about it when I ſpake of the laſt words of the firſt Chapter of this Propheſi[illegible: 1 letter], great ſhall be the day of Jezreel; I ſhal now adde to what I had then. This ſhall be the goodneſs of God in that day that they ſhall feare. Firſt,What is that goodneſſe they shall feare. The goodneſſe of God that ever he ſhould regard ſuch a wretched people as we are, and pardon all our ſins! What Iſrael, the ten Tribes, who had moſt wretchedly forſaken God, who had crucified Jeſus Chriſt, crucified David their King, yet that blood they have ſhed is applyed to them for the pardon of their ſin; Oh the goodneſs of God! they ſhall feare this goodneſs in being mercifull to ſuch a hard-hearted, ſuch a ſtubborne, ſuch a ſtiffe-necked people as they have been, this goodnes of God will break their hearts. Secondly, then God ſhal make the difference between him that feareth God, and him that feareth him not. Then ſhall God take away all the reproach of his Saints. What bitter reproach hath been upon the Saints ſince the beginning of the world, eſpecially ſince the times of the Goſpel[illegible: 1 letter] Reproach, firſt becauſe they are meane people, of the lower ſort. 2. Reproach, becauſe they ſuffer much, and God lets his adverſaries prevaile over them. 3 Reproach, becauſe they waite upon God, and God ſeems not to come,God will take away the reproach of his Saints. the adverſaries ſay, where is your God? No marvaile you pray and Faſt, what is become of all? Here will be the goodneſs of God at that day to wipe off all this reproach. They ſhall have ſo much mercy, ſo much honour from God, that it ſhall appeare before all the world that it was good to waite upon him, ſo much as ſhall countervaile abundantly all their ſufferings, they ſhall bleſſe God that ever it was put into their hearts to ſuffer for him, to waite upon him. And becauſe God foreſeeth this, what goodneſs he hath laid up for his people, that they ſhall enjoy ere long, (and we know a thouſand years with him are as one day) that is the reaſon why he ſuffereth his people to be ſo under for the preſent, he knows he hath that goodneſs for them hereafter, yea in this world, that all the world ſhal ſay that God hath dealt well with them, that he was not a hard Maſter to them to make them waite ſo long, and to let them ſuffer ſo much as they do. I will give you for this one excellent Scripture, perhaps you have not conſidered of the emphaſis of the argument that is in it. It is Heb, 11. 16. They deſired a better Countrey. that is, an heavenly; wherefore God is not aſhamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a City. The poor perſecuted Saints wandred up & down, they were content to leave their own Country, their eſtates here, and ſought another Country, an heavenly, but they had it not, their enemies prevailed over them, as if God had forſaken them; but God is not aſhamed to be called their God, what is the argument? For he hath prepared for them a City; Marke the force of the argument, for he hath prepared for them [illegible: 1 word] City: This City is this text I am now ſpeaking of; ſometimes it is deſcribed as a Tabernacle, The Tabernacle of God ſhall come downe from Heaven; ſometime a City, ſometime a Countrey, ſometime a Kingdome, ſometime an Inheritance. Here God hath prepared for them a City: that is, there is a glorious time for Gods people, when they shall have the new Jeruſalem come down from heaven unto them. Now then, ſaith God, though my people be in a ſuffering condition, I am not aſhamed to be called their God. I am not aſhamed to own this people, for I have glory enough for them, as if God ſhould be aſhamed that he ſhould ever profeſſe ſuch an intereſt in his people, and this people profeſſe ſuch an intereſt in him, if there were nothing to come for them, if there were not a time to recompence all their ſuffering. As if a Maſter ſhould own a ſervant, or a Prince a ſubject, if this ſervant or ſubject ſuffer extreamely, and hath no help, but ſtill when he expects help, there comes none, and when he thinketh, ſurely now it will come, ſtill it fayls him; yet if you know that at ſuch a day you ſhall recompence all this, you ſhall advance him and bring him to ſuch honour that he will bleſſe God that ever he was in your ſervice; you will not be aſhamed to owne this ſervant: But if this ſervant ſhall ſuffer in your cauſe, and you have no time, nor no ability to recompence him, but he muſt ſuffer and ſuffer for ever, it would be a ſhame to you to owne him. So God is pleaſed to ſpeake here, becauſe I have prepared for them ſuch a City, though they be in preſent perſecution, I am not aſhamed to own them for my people, and I doe not account it any diſhonour to me, for there is a time coming that will anſwer all objections whatſoever. This is the goodneſs of God. They ſhall feare his goodneſſe. Feare it, how? In theſe ſeverall regards.How the goodneſſe of God is to be feared. Firſt, They ſhall admire at his goodneſſe, and in their admirations even ſtand amazed at it, the feare of amazement. 2 Theſ. 1. 10. When Chriſt ſhall come, he ſhall come to be admired of his Saints; Luke 5. 26. The text ſaith they were all amazed, and glorified God, and were filled with feare, ſaying, We have ſeene ſtrange things to day. VVhen this goodneſſe of God ſhall come, all the Saints ſhall ſtand admiring it with amazement, & ſay one unto another, we did heretofore heare of Propheſies and promiſes, and we thought when they were opened to us, our hearts did burn within us, O they were bleſſed things! but now here is goodneſs we never thought of, this is higher and more glorious then ever we imagined. Thus they ſhall feare the Lord & his goodneſs. You have ſuch a place Jer. 23. 9. It ſhal be to me a name of joy, apraiſe, and an honour before all the Nations of the earth, & When people ſhal heare of all the good that I do unto them, they ſhal fear & tremble for all the goodnes, & for all the proſperity that I procure unto it. Secondly, Feare this goodneſs; they shall upon this fall down and worſhip this God with feare: Oh how ſhall their hearts adore this God; becauſe of this his goodneſſe! As we reade of Moſes, Exod. 34. 8. God had told him that he would make all his goodneſſe paſſe before him; now when God came and paſſed by before him, and proclaimed his goodneſs, The Lord, the Lord God; mercifull and gracious, long-ſuffering, and abundant in goodneſſe and truth, keeping mercy for thouſands, forgiving iniquity, and tranſgreſſion, and ſinne; The Text ſaith, When Moſes heard this, he made haſte, and bowed his head and worſhipped before the Lord. There is nothing will cauſe a gracious heart to make more haſte to worship God then the beholding the glory and luſtre of Gods grace and goodneſſe: then the heart will not ſtand dallying and triffling any longer, but will make haſte to worship before the Lord. Many times God shews his greatneſs unto you, and that convinceth your conſciences a little, and you think you muſt leave your ſinfull wayes, then temptation prevailes over you againe; but when God comes and makes known his goodnes, then the heart ſtands out againſt the Lord no more, but it gives up it ſelfe to the Lord in an everlaſting covenant. Thirdly, They shall feare his goodneſs, they shall feare to offend this goodneſs of God. It shal be a mighty ingagement upon their hearts to walke cloſe with God becauſe of his goodneſs. This is a ſweet diſpoſition indeed. Then it is a ſweet diſpoſition when the heart hath been likewiſe humbled before God and his juſtice, and now feares God and his goodneſs, Mark a note in this by the way: Whereas many will ſay, O the goodnes of God will breake our hearts; if Miniſters did preach onely his goodneſ[illegible: 1 letter]; but when they preach the Law, when we heare of terrour, that hardneth our hearts. Take heed of this, there is more evil in this then you are aware. A heart that is truly gracious will fall down before the Lord any way, and it is not a good ſigne to be wrought upon only by the goodneſs of God, it may come through much ſtubbornneſs of heart for one to be of ſuch a diſpoſition, to be onely wrought upon by kindneſs. Did you never know a ſtour ſervant or a ſtout child, that ſo long as you are diſpeaſed with him, he would ſtand out againſt you ſtill, but perhaps if you yeeld to him a little, he would yeeld to you? Is this a good diſpoſition? is not this ſtoutneſs and pride in a child, or in a ſervant, or in a neighbour, that will never yeeld to you till you yeeld to him? This is juſt for all the world the diſpoſition of many people, ſo long as they heare of Gods greatneſs, and terrours of the Law, and Gods juſtice, they are hardned; what is that? that is, they ſtand it out ſtoutly againſt God, notwithſtanding his wrath is revealed from heaven: But ſay they, when Gods goodnes is preached, then they yeeld, that is as much as to ſay except God yeeld to them they will not yeeld to God. But when I can yeeld hoth ways, fear his goodnes & his juſtice, then it is as a ſigne of a gracious diſpoſion indeed. They ſhal feare his goodneſs, ſo as they shall be no longer wanton upon the goodnes of God, they ſhal not ſlight Gods goodneſs, they ſhal not do evil becauſe God is good, but they shall fear his goodneſs. We have a generation of men who doe extreamely abuſe the goodneſs of God at this day, even Gods goodneſs in the Goſpell, in thoſe bleſſed things revealed to us in JESUS CHRIST. As thus, VVe finde this revealed in the Goſpel,Wantons who abuſe Gods goodneſſe. that it is God that muſt worke the will and the deed, the Covenant of grace is ſuch, as that God doth not only require but work all for us; how is this goodneſs miſ-interpreted and abuſed! Therefore ſay they, what need we do any thing? Why doe Miniſters urge people to duties? Your principle is good, the truth is good, that it is God that works all in the Covenant of grace, but this diſtinction is very abſurd and vile, and an abuſe of Gods goodneſſe, and therefore you muſt not work together with the Lord as rational creatures. Again, The Goſpel reveales to us the righteouſneſs of God in Chriſt, that we muſt not ſtand before God in our own righteouſneſſe, but it muſt be in the righteouſneſs of Chriſt; this principle is good; O but what abuſe of this goodneſs is there [illegible: 1 word] falſe doctrines, and abſurd conſequences drawn from it; therefore to make conſcience of duties, what is it but legall? they are but duty whore-mongers; ſuch kinde of bold and abſurd expreſſions come from them. Oh wanton, wanton ſpirits who do not feare God and his goodneſs, but abuſe God & his goodneſs! Agaiu, The Scripture tells us in the Goſpel that all ſins unto believers are pardoned in Chriſt, all ſins both great and ſmal, there is no condemnation to them that are in Chriſt, no not one moment of an houre after they are once juſtified; this is Gods goodneſſe, and thou ſhouldeſt feare it, here is the principle right, but the deductions & conſequences are vile, therefore to preach that we muſt be humbled for ſin, this is legall preaching, neither will theſe men ever confeſſe their ſins becauſe of this goodneſs of God. This is to be wanton, not to fear the goodnes of God. The goodnes of God in the goſpell telleth us that the grace of God is ſtrong, that the Saints ſhall perſevere, that thoſe that are once in Chriſt ſhall never fall away; therefore let us take liberty to our ſelves, what need we be carefull of our wayes, ſeeing the grace of God will carry us through? Oh to abuſe this goodnes of God thus is wicked, the heavens may bluſh to behold it, and the earth tremble under it. But we have not ſo learned Chriſt, the more of the goodnes of God in Chriſt is made known to us, the more ſhould we fear him. The goodneſſe of God in the Goſpel is ſo rich that the truth is becauſe the hearts of men are ſo vile, and ſo ready to abuſe it, we are almoſt afraid to preach it. Oh is this the fruit of the preaching of the Goſpel? Never was the Goſpel ſo cleare as in England, and in no Age ſo as in this Age, and is this the fruit of all, that men ſhould draw ſuch abſurd conſequences from this goodneſſe of God, that men should goe away harder from that which is the ſoftning word? VVhen we come to preach the Goſpell, the goodneſſe of it, we come I ſay with feare; with what feare? trembling leſt it should coſt the damnation of ſome ſoule. The preaching the goodnes of God in the Goſpel, doth certainly cauſe, ex accidente, the damnation of many a ſoul. Therefore in the mean time you who are Gods Saints, know how dearly God tendereth you, God will have the goodneſſe of the Goſpell preache[illegible: 1 letter] to you though it coſt the damnation of [illegible: 1 word] a ſoul; you had need it therefore, & make a good uſe of it. Let this meditation cauſe you to improve to the uttermoſt what you hear of all the goodneſs of the Lord. That which I hear is coſtly to ſome, it coſts the periſhing of many a ſoule that I may have it, though God ſees that many ſouls will be hardned by it, well, ſaith God, let them be hardned, theſe my ſervants ſhall not want it, though they periſh for ever. When a man hath a thing in his houſe, and he hears that it coſt dear, even the lives of many men, he hath other thoughts of it then before. David had a reverent reſpect to the water of the well of Bethlem, becauſe it coſt the hazard of the mens lives, learne then to feare God and his goodneſſe. 4. Fearing God and his goodneſſe is this, in all rejoycing in, and prayſing God for his goodneſſe, there ſhall be a mixture of feare. They ſhall be well skilled in this myſtery of godlineſſe, when they enjoy ſo much of Gods goodneſs, and are called upon to ſing and rejoyce, they ſhal ſing with a mixture of feare. Their hearts ſhall be very ſerious and ſpirituall in all their joy. It is very hard for us to rejoyce in Gods goodneſs, and not to have our hearts grow ſlight and vain, it is a hard thing to keepe a day of thankeſgiving with a ſerious ſpirit, joy commonly cauſeth vanity in the hearts of men. But now the goodneſſe of God ſhall be ſo ſtrong in their hearts, that though they ſhall ſeek Gods goodneſs, and rejoyce abundantly in it, yet with a mixture of abundance of feare, their hearts ſhall be kept very ſerious, holy, and ſpirituall in the ſervice of God. I will give you a text or two for this. Exod. 15. 11. when Moſes was bleſſing God for that goodneſs in delivering his people out of Egypt (which was a typicall ſong as appeareth in the Revelation, that bondage typifying Antichriſtian bondage) mark the expreſſion, Who is like unto thee O Lord among the gods, who is like unto thee, glorious in holineſs, fearful in praiſes? God is to be prayſed, but ſo prayſed as his name muſt be fearfull in prayſes. Conſider this in all your joyfull celebrating the memoriall of Gods goodneſs, you muſt ſo rejoyce and bleſſe God, as you muſt hold forth this before all you converſe with, that the name of God is fearfull in theſe praiſes you tender to him: this a ſlight heart cannot doe. So Pſal. 52. 6. The righteous alſo ſhall ſee and feare, and ſhall langh at him. Mark what a mixture here is, the righteous ſhall ſee, and feare, and laugh, he ſhall rejoyce, but with trembling, Pſalm 2. 11. God much delights to have the glory of his goodneſſe thus. We have much goodneſſe of God at this day, and God calleth us to feare him and his goodneſſe; if we give him not his glory in this, God may ſoone call us to feare him and his greatneſſe; to feare him and his juſtice, to feare him and his wrath. This is the argument now, there is forgiveneſſe with thee that thou maiſt be feared. But how ſoon may God juſtly turn this argument, there is wrath with thee, vengeance with thee, there is ſword, fire, blood, ſtorm, an horrible tempeſt with thee, therefore ſhalt thou be feared? Our conſciences are ready to miſgive us when wee have any evill tidings, for wee have much guilt upon our ſpirits, we [illegible: 1 word] had much goodneſſe indeed from God, (who ever thought to have lived to ſee that goodneſſe you have ſeen) but becauſe you have not feared God and his goodneſſe,Differen ces between legall feare & evangelicall. here is the reaſon of thoſe miſgiving thoughts, when you heare of any ill newes, oh now God is coming againſt us with his wrath, that he may be feared. Something might be ſaid to open a little the difference betweene fearing God and his goodneſſe, and fearing God and his wrath and juſtice in a legall way. Only thus in a word. The fearing God and his goodneſſe is ſuch a feare as enlargeth the heart. Other feare contracts the heart. We have an excellent text for this, Iſa. 60. 1. compared with ver. 5. Ariſe, ſhine, for thy light is come, the glory of the Lord is riſen upon thee, and ſo he goeth on deſcribing Gods goodneſſe, that referreth to theſe times that we are ſpeaking of; then (verſ. 5.) Thou ſhalt ſee and flow together, and thy heart ſhall feare upon that, and be inlarged. When the heart ſo feareth, as it is inlarged unto God, this is the fearing God and his goodneſſe aright. Again, It is ſuch a feare as yet the heart clings to God for ever; It drives not from God, but makes the heart cleave cloſer to him, that is the phraſe in the Text in the Hebrew, They ſhall feare to God and to his goodneſſe, I will put my fear in their hearts that they ſhal not depart from me. This keeps the heart to God. Further, This fearing God and his goodneſſe workes the heart to a high degree of ſanctification. 2 Cor. 7. 1. Seeing we have ſuch precious promiſes, let us perfect holineſs in the feare of God: And Heb. 12. 28. Wherefore we receiving a Kingdome that cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we may ſerve God acceptably with reverent and godly feare. Laſtly, It is a feare that is joyned with love, whereas the other fear makes the heart to have hard thoughts of God; take heed for ever of that feare of God that makes you to have hard thoughts of him. In times of danger many begin to feare, then preſently they wiſh they had never ingaged themſelves ſo much in theſe wayes that have ſuch ill ſucceſſe, they now cry out of others, you would needs do thus, you ſee what is become of it. But feare of God and his goodneſſe is joyned with bleſſing God, that ever you knew his wa[illegible: 1 letter]es, and were ingaged in them. This ſhall be in the latter dayes. God is content to ſtay for his glory untill the latter dayes, that which is indeed his chiefe glory; for though in theſe former dayes God hath had glory, yet hee hath had but very little. God is content to ſtay for that which is his chief glory untill the latter dayes. Let this be an argument for our patience, though we have ſufferings now, let us wait as God waiteth. But the latter dayes, when are theſe? The times of the Goſpell are generally called the latter dayes; but this, though it referreth indeed to the whole time of the Goſpel, yet eſpecially unto the latter times of thoſe latter dayes. If you would know what theſe latter dayes are, though I will not take upon me to give you the day, or [illegible: 1 span] I will ſhew you that it is like theſe latter dayes are at hand. For giving light unto this, that is a good help to us that we have in Daniel, concerning the four Kingdoms, there we have a propheticall Chronologie from the Captivity of the Jews unto the time when the counſell of God ſhall be fulfilled. You have a deſcription there of four ſeverall Monarchies, the Babylonian, Aſſyrian, Grecian, and Roman: Now in the laſt of theſe Daniel ſaith, Chap. 2. 44. The God of heaven ſhall ſet up a Kingdome which ſhall never be deſtroyed, but it ſhall breake in pieces, and conſume all the other Kingdomes, and it ſhall ſtand for ever. In this latter (namely the Roman) hath the Kingdom of Chriſt begun to appear already, but God telleth Daniel, chap. 12. 13. Thou shalt ſtand in thy lot at the end of the dayes. Now obſerve, the chiefe Propheſies wee have about the time of theſe latter dayes, when they ſhall be ſet out in that expreſſion of time, and times, and halfe a time, 1260. dayes, or 42. months, all comes to the ſame three years and a halfe, reckoning every day in thoſe yeares for a yeare, compare theſe propheſies, Dan. 7. 25. And they shall be given into his hand, untill a time and times, and dividing of time. Rev. 11. 2. The holy City shall they tread under foote forty and two moneths. Verſ. 3. The witneſſes shall propheſie 1260. dayes; Now 1260. days are the days of three years and a halfe, ſo the dayes of 42. moneths. Then the woman in the wilderneſſe, Rev. 12. 6. She shall be fed there 1260. dayes, ſtill the ſame number; the witneſſes ſhall propheſie 1260. dayes; the holy Citie that ſhall be trodden under foote 42. months; and the woman in the wilderneſſe ſhall be there 1260. dayes And againe, Dan. 12. 11. From the time of the abomination that making deſolate, there shall be 1290. days, there are a few days more, not many, but about this time you ſee the Scripture propheſieth of ſome great things to be done, at the end of this time are theſe latter dayes. But all the difficulty is to know the beginning when the three years and a halfe, or 42. moneths, or 1260. dayes begun, then we may know when theſe latter dayes ſhall be. Brightman makes the beginning of the 1290. days from Julians time, when he would have ſet up the abomination, that is, ſet up the Jewiſh worſhip again, by re-edifying the Temple, that is, ſayes he, the abomination of deſolation, reckoning 1290. dayes, for 1290. years, hi[illegible: 1 letter] time by computation will come out about the year 1650. The other wee have in the Revelation (and that in Daniel likewiſe refers to the ſame) notes the time that the Churches ſhall be under the perſecution of Antichriſt, for a thouſand two hundred and ſixty years, ſo long the Beaſt ſhall prevail, and the witneſſes ſhall ſo long propheſie in ſackcloath, and the woman ſhall be in the wilderneſſe for ſo long a time. But when did Antichriſt begin to reign? For that take this rule, It muſt be at that time when the Roman Emperour was broken, and when the Dragon giveth up his power to the Beaſt; when the power of the Dragon that perſecuted the Chriſtians under the Roman Empire is given to Antichriſt, ſo that now they come to be perſecuted under him; here is the beginning of the 1260. dayes. That the Roman Empire muſt be given up firſt, appeareth, 2 Theſ. 2. 7 For the myſtery of iniquity doth already worke, only he who now letteth, will let, untill he be taken out of the way; that is, as generally Expoſitors carry it, the power of the Roman Empire, when that is taken out of the way, then ſhall that wicked one be revealed; the[illegible: 1 letter]e were many Antichriſts before, but then that wicked one that ſhall exalt himſelfe above all that is called God, ſhall have power to perſecure the Church. Hence it is obſervable, that the cuſtome of the Church was to pray for the continuing the Roman Empire upon this ground, becauſe they knew when that was broken Antichriſt would come. Now the breaking of the Roman Empire was at the raiſing up of thoſe ten ſeverall ſorts of governmens called in the Revel. tenn Kings, and the raiſing up of thoſe Kings was 400. yeares and ſomething more after Chriſt, as Chronologers tell us, between the 400. and 500. years. It is hard to reckon to a year, there is ſo much difference in Chronologers computations; after that time there muſt be 1260. days, that is 1260. years. Make this computation, and compare all theſe Scriptures one with another, it cannot be long, but in this century that is now currant, theſe latter dayes are here meant, when the people of God and the Jews ſhal return to Jehovah, and David[illegible: 1 letter] heir King, and fear the Lord & his goodneſſe. The nearer the time comes, the more will theſe things be cleared. Dan. 12. 9. Goe thy way Daniel, for the words are cloſed up and ſealed till the time of the end, and none of the wicked ſhall underſtand, but the wiſe ſhall underſtand. Take but one note and we have done, why the Scripture ſets [illegible: 2 letters]is out rather by many dayes, then by ſo many yeares? The reaſon is, becauſe God would have his people think that time untill his goodnes ſhould be revealed, but a ſhort time, if he had ſaid they ſhould be 1260. years under Antichriſts perſecution, this founds harder; No, ſaith he, it ſhall be but ſo many dayes, (though fleſh and blood may think this time long) yet look upon it as dayes, it is but a ſhort time to me, it will be but a ſhort time to you, within 1260. days you ſhall be delivered from his tyranny, and then you ſhall have this voyce from heaven, The kingdoms of the earth are become the kingdomes of the Lord and of his Chriſt, and hee ſhall reign for ever, and then ſhall ye together with the Jews ſeeke the Lord, and David your King, and fear the Lord and his goodneſſe. Now through Gods goodneſſe wee have gone through theſe three Chapters. Tertullian hath this expreſſion of the fulneſs of the Scriptures; Ador[illegible: 1 letter] plenitu d[illegible: 1 letter]nem Scripturarum, I adore the fulneſſe of the Scriptures; By ſearching thus into the Scriptures, we may come to ſee rich treaſures in them, and ſo adore the fulneſſe of them; how do we read over texts, as if there were nothing in them? but certainly God hath revealed much more of his mind in Scripture then wee are aware of, let us all be in love with the ſtudy of the Scriptures.