longed to the Ten Tribes, whoſe chiet City was Samaria» The * Mm word travſlated folly ſignifies unſavory, or an abſurd thing. Our Sa» viour compareth wicked Miviſters to unſavory Salt, Matth. 5. 13. Salr that is turned fooliſh ( as the Greek work ſignifies. ) The Mini- ſters of God's word are, or ought to be the Salt of the Earth, to ſeaſon People with ſound Do&rine, and by the geod Example of an Holy Life ; if they be corrupr in Do&trine, or, Manners, they be- come wunſavoury, and the very worſt of men. Such God ſays, the Prophets of the Ten Tribes were, before they were carried away Captive. r They propheſied, pretending they had their In- ſtruQtions and Revelations from Baal, and 1o cauſed the Ten Tribes to err, which after the diviſion of the Kingdom in Fereboam's time were Called 7[racl in contra-diſtinction to the two "Tribes and half cleaving go the Houſe of David, which were called 7:4ah after the Name of their principal Tribe.
14 I have ſeen alſo in the prophets of Jeruſalem 1 Or. [] an horrible thing /: * they commit adultery z, and rhineſs. 7 walk in lyes« : they ſtrengthen go the hands of evil * ch:p.
doers, that none doth return fr $3
m his wickedneſs , 29. 2 they are all of them unto me * as'Sodom, and the inha- SP
bitants thereof as Gomorrha *:.
J The word ſignifies filthineſs, ſtench, or an abominable thing, or things every whit as bad, in ſome kind worſe than whar I ſaw in the Prophets of the Ten Tribes. # They commit not Spiritual Adul- tery only, but Carnal Adultery, they are Whoremongers. « And they make it their buſineſs to inſti!) falſhoods into people, and er,” title me co them, and this is their Trade ; not a ſingle Act, bur their ordinary practice. w This 1s the great aggravation of rhe Sin of thoſe that occupy the place of Spiritual Guides, that they en- , Courage profane Men, either by their falſe Doctrine, extenuating ' Sin, and putting a fair gloſs upon them ; or at leaſt by their mealy mouths fearing or forbearing to rell Sinners of their wicked Cours ſes; or by their wicked Examples, the moſt of People thinking they may do what their Teachers do, by which means Sinners. in= ſtead of being brought to a ſenſe of their Sins, and a repentance for them, are hardened in their wicked Courſes, x By this means all of them, either of their Prophets and Prieſts, or all of the People, ( the firſt ſeemeth chiefly here intended ) are become to me as contemp= tible, and abominable as the People of Sodom and Gommerha, though they were the Sons of Faron,and of the Prieſtly Order,yetliving lewd lives, and acting quite contrary to the end of their Holy Caliing, God declares himſelf to value them no more than as the vileſt of Men, ſuch were the Sodomites. Or by thoſe words Ged threatens that he would deſtroy them with as notorious a deſtruction. as he defiroyed Sodom and Gommorrha, Thus the compariſon is uſed, 1/2. x. 9. and conſonant to this are the words in the next Verſe»
I5 Therefore thus faith the LORD of hoſts concer-
wormwood z, and make them drink the water of gall: > ; for from the prophets of Jeruſalem is || profanneſs gone || OF, xz
forth into all the land a. | pocriſie. y Underthe term Prophets, he comprohendeth all the Ecclefiaz ſtical Guides of Jeruſalem at this time, whether Prieffs or Prop/.cts. z He threatens to feed them with wo1mweed, ſome think the werd IS better tranſlated Poyſon ; by Weorn:word or Pcyſon, and the watcr of Gall, he threatens great and fatal Judgments thar he would bring | upon them. a And he gives the reaſon why God would deal fo ' ſeverly with that Order of Men, who ſeemed by their Office ard Imployment to have the neareſt Relation to himſelf, becauic they were the Fountain of wickedneſs, thoſe from whom wick- edneſs flowed out over the whole Land: This was either by their conniving at wicked Mens Sins, for fear of diſpleaſing than; or by teaching them Licentious DoQrine, thet gave a liberty to the Fleſh 3 or by their vile Lives ſetting the people parterns of Sin. and indeed thus it is generally, when Miniſters and ſuch as are to teach others, are wicked, either in their DoQrine or Practice, they are a Fountain of Wickedneſs; Wickedneſs fleweth from 1h: m to the whole City, Town, Pariſh where they are Imp'oyed : Ard | on the contrary it is obſerved, that where God gives a place a god Miniſtry, Goodneſs in one degree or other floweth from tiiem ro , the whole City, Town or Pariſh, 'Thovgh all are not Conve:red, | yet the generality are civilized and reſtrained ficm thoſe grojs and
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