« Or the Command, and the thing commanded ; or the Predition expreſſed in the very Words God ſuggeſted by bis Spirit to the Pro- phet, and thr things too v. hich are now toretold ; for holy Men of God fpake as they were mover, Tr. 2 Pet. 1. 21. and the things that were ſhortl; to come to paſs were revealed alſo (in the Words of Rev. 1. 1.) Hoſes ſhews the things, and ſpea':s them in words which God hath ſug- geſted to him. 6 The Eternal, as Gallic; Jehovah, eb. which ex- prefleth the Eternity and Infinite Being of our God, together with his Soveraignty and abſolute Authority over all. This is expreſly added, to give Warning to the Prophet to command Audience, Attention, Re- verence and Submiſhon in the Hearers, and to intimate to them the Certainty of Execution if they repent not, and the Certainty of Per- formance of Promiſe it they believe; for it is Fehovah who changeth not, that ſpeaketh both. c Or, was with þim ; as it came to him, ſoit 4:d abide with him, made a deep Imprefiion upon his Mind. Prophets were too backward, rather than over-forward, to publiſh ſad Tidings to ſinning-People. Moſes was unwilling to go to Pharoah ; Feremiah pent up the Word till it grew like Fire in his Bowels, too hot, and he could hare no Eaſe till he gave it Vent. It is not unlikely the Prophet ea intimates by this Expreſhons ſome ſuch Effet the Word of God had on him, he was foll of the Prophetick Spirit, its Motions were ever with him, and ſtirring within him. d A Name that carrieth moff comtortable News in the Letter and ſignification of it, being the ſame with Foſhua or Feſu, and his Word or Meflage from God to the Good was comfortable, It was Aſſurance both of Preſervation and Salvation, as will appear in proceſs of his Prophecy. e Though ſome would have this Beer! to be the ſame with Be-rab, 2 Chorn. 5. 6. it hath no Probability, the Names heing different ; bzlide that Beerab was carried Captive by 7zglath Pileſcr, and *ris probable his Family was carried away with himz or if Aoſca had eſcaped his Father's Miihap, he would have given us at leaſt ſomeGround to believe by his Words that he reſented the Unhappinels of his Family in that reſp ; but we know the Name of the Prophet's Fatner, we know not his Tribe or Country, or of what Quality he was, where he lived, or when he di2d. f. 7. e. During the Reign, in the times it is a :.cripture-Epreſſion of times & Uzz1iah called i247tah, 2 Kings 14. 21. and - q145, Mat. 1. 8. the Bc- ginning of whoſe Reign is very varioully gueſſed at,and ater all is lefc uncertain; but this is clear that Fer2bo.72 was contemporary with V7- 2/ah, who began to reign in the twenty [evinth Year of F:roboam z rec- koning thence to the forty firſt Year of his Rejgn, which was the laſt of Feroboam, there will be fourtceu Years of U2ziib's Reign, in which Hojra prophetied : but if there was (as for ought I find there mizht be) ſome Years of Viceroy(bip in which Amaz:4h reigned with his Fa- ther FoaſÞ, and the like between Ferovoam and his Fatier, then a lon- ger Synchronilm ariſeth berween Uzz/ah and Ferob5am, and a larger ſpace of time for of 2 to prophecy in their Days which 1 ſearch not int, b Who ſucceeded Uriah as Governour, and judged £þ- /cople, vie Uzzfeh, Being a Leper, was, 2Ccording to the Law, retired 'rom |
the King, judging the People ; and the Leper King dwelling in a ſep rate Houle till the Day of his Death, 2 Xngs 15.5. and 2 Chron, 6, 21. They miſtake, I think, who place this Stroke of Leproſy ſo lae; and they do as much miſtake who place it at the twenty fifth of H- ziah, and make him a Leper, and ſeclude him 27 Years. Forkumhath the Charatter of a good King, 1 Chron. 27. 2,6. but he could not nuks his Subjetts good, 2 Chron. 27.2. # The worſt Son of a good Fathe, yet the Father of one of the beft of Kings. He finned more in hisD+ ſtreſs, 2 Chron, 28. 22. and haſtened God's Judgments on him and his + Who reformed Judah, and walked fo with God, that above any the Kings of Julah he was protetted and reſcued by the immediate Hand of Heaven. How long #oſea propheſied in this King's Reigt appears not, but that he did prophley a great while is moſt apparen, whether 50, or 65, or 70, Or 75, or 90; which different Computate ons have ſome to aſſert them, I determine nor. | | he great Grand ſon of Fehu, of whoſe Greatneſs and Sins you read, 2 A27gs 14. 24,2, 26, he was of the Religion of Feroboam Son of Nebat, m Whole to ry you mee? with, 2 Xs 13.5, 10. though a great Idolater, andre: proved for it no doubc by Eliſha, yet he gave a Vihit to the dying I'v phet, and with Tears bewail'd the publick Loſs by Eliſha's Death, and by the Prophet had a Legacy given him, three Vidtories over the 5 r14ns; and more they ſhould have been, had not Foaſh been {parity too much to his own great Loſs. I remember not any lingie Viſit {0 nobly and magnificently repaid. » Kingdom of the ten Tribes, tr tra-diftinguih'd to Fudah : by this then it appears, Hoſea was ſent t0 prophecy againſt the Sins of /ſrael, or the ten Tribes, as well as again the Sins of Fudab ; againſt //7ae} he prophefied during Fer059m Time, (and afterwards left them to their Obftinacy) but he continued to prophecy to Fudah untill his Death.
2 The beginning o of the word of the LORDpt)f!
Hoſea q: and the LORD faid r to Hoſea, * Go, key unto thee a wife of whoredoms t, and Children 0 W horedoms 4 : for * the land x bath committed gi
whoredom y, departing from the LORD =.