ſhe gave him no juſt cauſe, andſhe ſhould beftow hey ſeif on. anos ther, he would not be reconciled to her, neicher might he take her a» gain ; but you have gone a Whoring from m-/, and i: icntly pro. voked me to rejeCt and turn you off. I will diſpenſe with my own Law for. your fakes, and will a& by my prerogative : I 2m ready to be reconciled, to follow them that flee from me, as in the cloſe of the Verſe ; and Zec 1. 3. and Mal. z. 7. God will pardon Sins of Apoſtacy, and fails after Rep:ntance., 9 Heb. Jn being profane be pro= faned. Would not ſo great a Sin greatly poliute 2 Stare or N-tion, Lev. 18. 27, 28. It muſt needs be po'Juted by ſuch Marriages to and fro, and promiſcuous Couplings, Devt. 24. 4. » Not with. one only, as being ſufficient to make thee an, Adulrereſs, but a © common Strumpet, joyning in Fellowſhip with divers Aſſociats and Compan:ons, or many Idols. | : Z | 2 Lift up thine eyes [unto the high places z, and ſee where thou haſt not been lien « with: * in the ways * 6; x haſt chou ſat for them, as the Arabian y in the wil- 38, :4- derneſs : and thou haſt polluted the land with thy whoredoms, and with thy wickedneſs z. 1 Do but look, and cenſider, whether I do charge thee wrong- fully or no. . 5 He dire&s her to the vlaces of her Whoredoms and Idolatries, called High Places, being principally upon Hills, 2 Kings 2T. 3. and diversother places, though ſometimes in Valleys, Chap. 2+ 23- Which notes alſo her Impudence, that whereas other Whores affe&ed privacy, the ſhould be filthy in the open view. « Thy Filthineſs has beenevery where ſo frequent, that thou tanſt ſcarce ſhew a place that hath been free from thy Pollutions, Verſe 6. 13. where there are not the Footſteps of thy Fornications and Idolatries; x Viz, To allure Paſſengers, ( ſee Ezek. 16. 24, 253) and waiting for them, wiz. thy Aſſociats; not being drawn by others Allure ments, but tlrine own Laſciviotſneſs. y An Allufion to the Man= ner and Cuſtom of that People, either lying in waic by the way for Paſſengers, as Robbers uſe ro do, Hoſ* 6. 9. they being noted for Robbers. Or rather, in way of Traffick, that were went to pitch their Tents by the way ſides, that they ,might meer with their - Cuſtomers ro trade, as they paſſed along, very properly pointing out the Prattice of Harlots. See Prov. 7. 11, i2. z Not only thy IdolJatries, bur all other thy wicked Courſes. | - 3 Therefore the * ſhowers have been withholden a, * Chap. and there hath been no latcer rain b: and thou hadſt a 9. 12- * whores forehead c, thou refuſedſt to be aſhamed. , CO Fl s Vize By me. according to my threatning, Lev. 26. 19, and Deut, Ze Y < 138i 28. 23, 24+ 7. &, A drought ſent upon, thee, either as a puniſhs EY | ment of thy Wickedneſs ; thus publick Sins bring, publick Judge- | ments: or as an aggravation of it ; and thenir muſt be read though, as it often 1s, q+d, notwithſtanding the great drought 3 and this the laſt words of the Verſe ſeem to favour. b This added to Showers, before mentioned, ſeems to imply, there had been no former noe latter Rain, the former for the ſpringing of the Corn, the 7atter for the plumping and ripening it; this coming a little before Harveſt: c For all this, thou didſt {till remain impudent and obſtinate: as aſhamed of nothing, Chap. 6 15. thus proverbially expreſſ.d, be-
1 ” " . . 41 || : : Cha c I o ' . 13% 1 . m ial :
turning to. him: but thou chuſeſt rather obſtinately to adhere F to thy other Confidences, wherein #hou {halt not proſper. Bur if we look upon them as beginning anew Argument, then here God : declares his Readineſs ro receive them again upon their Repentance, | though it be very unuſual for Husbands ſo to do, when their Wives | have proved treacherous unto them, in betaking themſelves to o- : ther Husbands: And ſo this Chapter may very well begin with ſuch a proverbial Speech, they ſay, ormen ſe to ſay, or it iscommons | ly ſaid. o Or give her a Bil) of Divorce, Deut. 24 IT. þ 4. d. He;
cannot take her again according to the Law, Deut. 24+ 1, 2, 3, 4.
it, would any Mari be ſo eaſily wrought upon, as to take her again? No certainly, it is an Argument from theleſs to the greater, to ſer
forth God's great Lenity towards them, qa d. if an Husband Prophet, from God, 1. Declares 1/rae!s Apoſtacy, and how it fared ſhould turn away his Wife meerly begauſs he pleaſed her not, the With them for it. 2. Aggravates Zu434s Sin, for not taking
cauſe Shame doth firſt and moſtly appear in the Forehead, Thus Antichrifts Impudence 1s expreſſed Rev. 17. 5. And ſome ancient Hereticks were called Efrontes. SM ; | 4 Wilt thou not. from this time 4.cry unto me, My Father e, thou art the guide of my youth f?
d Viz. That IT have withbolden Showers. Some refer this, r. To the Time tocome: Wilt thou not yet be wiſe ?. and for the future ſeekto me, having found all thy other ways ſucceſsleſs, ſs. 9. 13. Chap 8.14. 2. To the Time preſent : How canſt thou challenge me for my preſent Severity, and continuing it towards thee, wheti thou ſti1] retaineſt rhy Fil:hineſs, thy Whores Forchead, Verſe 3 Thou ſtill continueſt worſhipping Idols, and yer fanſieſt thy ſelf faithful ro me. 3. To the Time paſt, 5. e. Haſt thou not all along pretended Kindneſs ro me, and as if thou hadſt walked cloſe with me,
2 Kings 87. 32.33. Exek. 23. 39. e Will thou notas a Child call upon me, whom thou haſt thus greatly provoked, and own me as a Father, Verſe 19. ferſuchT have been to thee, Pſal. 103. 13 Mal. 1, 6 and3- 17. f Either on whom Ihave depended, 3s being brought up by thee, or the ſubmiſſive Expreſſion of a Wife ſeeking to be re« conciled to her Husband, that God would be ro her as he had been in the days of her Youth: ſuch a Caſe as is expreſſed 1 Cor. 7. 1x
words of Flattery uſtal with Hypocrites; or rather, being married to thee in thy Youth; a Periphrsſis for Husband, Prov. 2. 17. which argues great Tenderneſs towards her, wer. 2. Thus the Tenderneſs of this Relation is expreſſed, Mal. 2. 14. and ſo God is ſaid to eſpouſe them to himſelf, Ezek. 168. : | ;
5 * Will he reſerve g his anger for ever ? will he keep , _.- -_ it to the end 4 ? Behold, thou haſt ſpoken and done Fog hh evil things as thou couldeſt. = rc