John Trapp on Amos 8:5

Verſe 5. Saying, when will the New-moon be gone, &c.] O, what a wearineſſe it is I and ye have ſnuffed at it, Mal. 1.13. See the Note there. This ye have ſaid, or thought at leaſt: and God knoweth the language of your hearts. He preſſeth upon no man; neither will he accept of that ſervice that is preſſed, out of people, as verjuice out of a crab. All his ſaints are free-hearted Pſal. 110.3. all his ſouldiers volunteeres: The ſabbath they call Deſiderium dierum. they welcome the ſabbath, as that holy man did, who went forth to meet and ſalute it with Veni ſponſa mea, Come my ſweet ſpouſe, I have dearely longed for thee. They alſo paſſe it over with ſingular delight, Eſay. 58.13. walking into Chriſts garden of ſpirituall duties, whereof there is ſo great variety for the good ſoule to breath it ſelf in and not be ſated:Cant. 2. and then are taken into Chriſts wine-cellar, 1 Cor. 2. and (after an holy manner) inebriated with divine conſolations: ſuch as the cock on the dunghil knowes not, ſuch as paſs all carnall mens underſtanding. They find no more relliſh in holy dayes and duties, then they do in the white of an egge or in a dry chip: the work they do at ſuch times, for faſhion-ſake or feare of law &c. is dead work, as the Apoſtle calleth it: they ſit in the ſtocks when they are at prayers, and come out of the Church when the tedious ſermon runs ſomewhat beyond the houre, as priſoners do out of a jayle &c. they cannot tell how to weare out the ſabbath, which therefore they wiſh over, and conſtantly violate either by corporall labour, or elſe (which is as bad, or worſe) by ſpirituall idleneſſe. Full ill would theſe men addere de profano ad ſacrum, (as the Jewes ſay we ſhould do,)Buxtorf. Synag. Jud. pronouncing thoſe happy, that begin the ſabbath with thoſe of Tiberias, and end it with thoſe of Tſepphore (the former began it ſooner then others, the later continued it longer. Full ill would they have liked our King Edgars law,Act. & Mon. that Sunday ſhould be ſolemnized from Saturday nine of the clock till Munday morning. Full loth would theſe men be to beg Davids office out of his hand, of being a doore-keeper in Gods houſe: that is, to be firſt in and laſt out. And what would they do to keep an everlaſting ſabbath in heaven, that are ſo troubled, and even tired out with ſo ſhort an attendance on the Lords-day: not without a world of wilfull diſtractions, ſuch as ſpoyle and fly-blow their performances, ſo that they ſtink in the noſtrils of the Almighty.

and the ſabbath] Not the ſabbath of the ſeventh yeare (called Shemittah Remiſſion Levit. 25.) as ſome would have it meant: but the weekly ſabbath, which the unrighteous Mammoniſts here cry out of, as if on that day the Sun proceeded a flower pace then on others; and they greatly grutcht lucellum ſuum Dei cultui cedere that God ſhould be ſerved, to their diſadvantage. Their fingers therefore itch to be ſetting out corn: and they as dearely deſire it as David did once to come and appeare before the Lord.O rus, quand[illegible: 1 letter] te aſpiciam? Horat. As He had his, when ſhall I come, by way of wiſh Pſal. 42.3. ſo they had their When ſhall we fell corn? when ſhall we ſet forth wheat? Surely as Davids ſoule longed ſore to go forth unto Abſalom 2 Sam. 13.39. ſo that he could have found in his heart, but for ſtark ſhame, to have gone himſelf and fetched him home: ſo was it with theſe gripple corn-maſters, theſe frumenti corraſores & veluti corroſores Prov. 11.26. They had a good mind to have been doing on the New-moones and ſabbaths,Exod. 20.8. & 34, 21. Lev. 23.3. Neh. 10.32. & 13.15. &c. Num. 10.1. 2 Sam. 20.5. but that they were flatly forbidden by the law, made on purpoſe for theſe lawleſſe and diſobedient, 1 Tim. 1.9. theſe maſterleſs monſters, theſe yokeleſs Belialiſts, to be to them as chaines and ſhackles, to confine them (as Solomons command did Shimei, that they may not leape over the pale after profit and pleaſure, or if they do, they may dye for it,) Eſay 66.23. it is prophecyed that, in the reſtitution of the church from one new-moon to another, and from one ſabbath to another (as oft as they come) without tire-ſomeneſſe, all fleſh ſhall come to worſhip before the Lord, they ſhall call the ſabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable, Eſay. 58.13. be rapt and raviſhed in ſpirit Rev. 1.10. be in the feare of the Lord and in the comfort of the holy Ghoſt all the day long, Epiſt. 3. ad Magneſ. [non-Latin text not transcribed], as Ignatius hath it. Sabbatize ſpiritually, rejoycing in divine meditations. This well practiſed would take men off from the worlds taſteleſſe fooleries (as his mouth will not water after homely proviſions, that hath lately taſted of delicate ſuſtenance) It would alſo bleſſedly free them from thoſe many fooliſh and hurtfull luſts 1 Tim. 6.9. thoſe heavy ſorrowes and ſelf-created miſeries, wherewith covetous caytiffes pierce them ſelves thorough, gall and gore-their own hearts and trouble their own houſes verſe. 10. taking no more reſt, then if upon a rack, or bed of thornes.

making the Ephah ſmall and the ſhekel great] Selling by ſmall meaſures, but for great rates: which was directly againſt the law Deut. 25.13, 14. and that golden Rule of right, the ſtandard of equity, the royall law of liberty Mat. 7.12. Whatſoever ye would that men ſhould do to you, do ye even ſo to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets: this is the ſum of what they have ſaid, for duties of the ſecond table.

and falſifying the balances by deceit] Heb. preverting the ballances of deceit, that is (by a metonymie as Job. 22.6.) making thoſe that were right, deceitfull. See Prov. 20.10, 23. with the Notes there. Such falſifiers are counted no better then Canaanites Hoſ. 12.7. and ſhall have ſmall joy of their curſed hoards of evill gotten goods.