John Trapp on Amos 4:11

Verſe 11. I have overthrown ſome of you] Some and not all: thus, in the midſt of judgement he remembred mercy, he did not ſtir up all his wrath Pſal. 78.38. he let fall ſome drops, but would not ſhed the whole ſhowre of it: for he remembred that they were but fleſh &c. Some he hang'd up in gibbets, as it were, for example to the reſt: as St. Jude ſaith he dealt by Sodome and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, thrown forth for an inſtance of divine vengeance to all ſucceeding ages Jude. 7. and as Herodotus telleth us, [non-Latin text not transcribed], that the ſparkles and aſhes of burnt Troy ſerved for a laſting monument of Gods great diſpleaſure againſt great ſinners. See the like threatened to Babylon Eſay 13.19.20.

as God overthrew Sodom] As Jehovah from Jehovah rained hell out of heaven upon them Gen. 14.24.De praepar. Evang. l. 5. c 23. Vide Socrat. hiſt. Eccleſ. l. 2. c. 30. that is, God the Son from God the Father: and ſo Euſ[illegible: 1 letter]bius obſerveth that the Father here ſaith of the Son, that he overthrew Sodome and Gomorrah: he condemned them with an overthrow 2 Pet. 2.6. he overthrew them and repented not Jer. 20.16 he overthrew them in a moment, and no hand ſtayed on them Lam. 4.6. And yet worſe ſhall be the condition of thoſe that deſpiſe the grace of the Goſpell, which is the great ſin of theſe laſt times Mat. 11.24. yea the devils will keep holy-day as it were, in hell, in reſpect of ſuch ſinners againſt their own ſoules.

and ye were as a ſire brand] Ambuſtus & fumigans titio ſmutchy and ſmoaky, and ſcarcely eſcaping with the skin of your teeth Iob. 19.20. as Lot out of Sodom, as the man of Benjamine out of the army 1 Sam. 2.12. as the young man that fled naked away at Chriſts attachment Mar. 14.52. or as Hunniades narrowly eſcaping with his life from the battel of Varna; where he had like to have fallen with that perjured Popiſh king, as good Jehoſaphat had for joyning with Ahab. It is as if God ſhould ſay: There are not many of you that are left, and have your lives for a prey: howbeit they are ill beſtowed upon you, for any good uſe you have made of my forbearance. Let favour be ſhewed to the wicked, yet will he not learne righteouſneſſe, Eſay. 26.10. and if thou deliver him once, yet thou muſt do it againe: and when all's done that can be done. A man of great wrath ſhall ſuffer puniſhment Prov. 19.19. and ſo (to be ſure of it) ſhall a man of great ſtomach and ſtubbornneſſe, that refuſeth to return as theſe of whom the fifth time it is here complained.

and yet ye have not returned &c.] O prorſus obſtinati! ſaith Tarnovius here:Act. 7.51. Prorſus indurati et contumaces, ſaith Mercer. Ye ſtifnecked and uncircumciſed in heart and eares, do ye thus alwayes reſiſt the holy Ghoſt: will ye needs be like horſe and mule uncounſellable, untractable? will ye, after conviction, needes run away with the bit in your mouths and take your ſwinge in ſin &c. If ſo reſolved, yet ſtay ſaith the Pſalmiſt,Pſal. 32.9.10. and take this along with you, Many ſorrowes ſhall be to the wicked: your preſervation from one evill ſhall be but a reſervation to ſeven worſe Lev. 26. as it fared with Pharaoh, Senacherib and others: God will ſurely ſubdue, or ſubvert you.