*D9R Many People, [27 [Ome, Rev. LC. 2.
= — _— — — _ "EEE EIS =
- 4 bona — —————— n—_— nt v= crane end Co I 0s
TR ARGUMENT.
Ithout Diſpute ouy Prophet is one of the obſcureſt and moſt difficult to unfold clearly and fully :, though he come nat
Ifaiah and Amos do ſometimes, nor as Ezekiel and Zechariah do frequently, with Yi/zons, yet his ſententigy
and conciſe Stile, peculiar tb himſelf, renders it many times difficalt to find out firſt, and to declare next the genuine an ug. doubted Sence of bis Words. In expounding this Prophet the Expoſitor needs the Candor of his Reader, and the Reader one bis Expoſitor Thanks, if he do make ſome dark Paſſages fairly Intelligible, though he do not demonſtrate his Expoſition tg be the only Senſe of the Place. This latter is not pretended to ; the former *tis hoped the Reader will find m the moſt, i; ny 211 every obſcure Paſſage, It was a very debauch'd Age our Prophet did live in and you will find bim very ſharp againſt the Fices of the ten Tribes, and very plain and open in his Threats for their Sins, whith he ſaw puniſh'd 3 for he lived to ſe Samaria faken, and Hoſhea made a Priſoner, and the People carried Captives, As *tis not agreed when he began, ſo wy 7s it agreed how long he continued to Propheſy. . The Kings of Judah and Iſrael, 'of in whoſe time he firſt appear'd a Prophet, were of long Reigns ;, the one forty one, thy other fifty two : in which long ſpace of time very different Beginnings may be conjettured. All agree thot he contmued a Pro. phet very long, ſeventy Tears at leaſt, and ſome add more Years, and make them up ninety. The Sum of what he Propheſy is here given us in ſhort Heads, rather than in a continued Diſcourſe. And as *twas preach'd in Iſrael, (chough we r244 not of the Places where Hoſea erther lived or died, or did Preach, it 15 moſt likely within the Hearing of the Court) ſo it di more particularly refer to Iſrael or the ten Tribes : Declaring to them what were their Sins, adviſing them to repent, proj. fmg them Mercy upon ſincere Repentance, threatning grievous Judgments on their Impenitence, foreteliing their Rejedtion i
they did not amend ; and, for the Comfort of the Godly, predifing Mercy to them, mtermixing many Promiſes of the jy.
ture Kingdom and Coming of the Meſſiah, to whom many ſhould be converted, and by him be faved, and eſpecially m.my
the two Tribes who hear from our Prophet a more comfortable Meſſage (viz. of which muſt not expet# any ſuch Return, i. e. for the whole Body of the People.
returning to their own Land ) than 1ſrae| And he cloſeth his whole Prophecy ether mith
Form of Confeſſion and Supplication for the Remnant retwrn'd, or a Prediftion in what manner they would return, confe; ſupplicate and rely upon God alone ; to which Duty per formed, he adjoined ſweet and excellent Promiſes, containing both tem.
poral and ſpiritual Bleſfings, Chap. 14.
ER AP. I:
The time when Hoſea prophecied, I. #e by marrying Gomer repreſenteth Irael's ſpiritual whoredom, and jheweth Gods judgment againſt it, 2, 2, begerteth Fexreel z the reaſun of his name, 4, 5. Lo-ruhamarh and Lo- ammt, the reaſon of their nam:s, 6 ——g, A promiſe of the glorious
converſing with Men,and dwelt in a ſeparate Houſe, retain'd theRojy Title and Authority 5 but it is uncertain how many Years this uz, Some ſay Fifteen Years 3 others ſay tour Years) for we read 2 Kin
15. 33: that he reigned ſixteen Years; and in ver. 30. we have his twentieth Year: now the four here mention'd ſeem to be thoſe Year of his Viceroyſhip or Government for Vzx/ab) yet others ſay his 6+ vernour's Power was of ſhorter Date, and that Vzz7ab was firuck wit the Plague of Leproſy in the laft Year of hisAge and Reign: This ſeens ſcarce confiſtent with the Report of Fotham's being over the Houſed
reſtauration of Fudah and Iſrael, 10, 11.
HE word a of the LORD that came c unto Hoſea d, the ſon of Beerie, in the days f of Uzziah g, Jotham h, Ahaz z7, and Hezeki- ah k, kings of Judah, and in the days of ſeroboam ! the
{on of Joaſh 7 king of Iſrael x,