| xrÞoth ſpiritually and carnally, and this latter Adultery 1s that Pp which hece is charged on the Courtiers, and People of Jr7ael. » This Vice is grown raging hot among them, as you ſee the Fire in an Oven, when the Baker having called up thoſe that make the Bread to pre- yare all things ready, and the whole Mals is leavened,he doth by con- tinued ſupply of Fuel heat the Oven to the higheft Degree: So doth Adultery among this People grow by degrees to raging Flames. 'The whole Maſs of the People are leavened with this Vice allo, as well as the Court, and every one enflamed with this unclean Fire, as the Oren heated by the Baker.
5 In the day of our King =, the Princes a have made Im ſick with j| bottles of wine b, he ſtret-hed our his hand c with ſcorners d. |
3 Whether this Day were any occaſional Day,that the King of 1/rae! took to feaſt his Nobles as Aki rus did his 5 or whether the Anni- rerlary of his Birth or Corcnation,buth which were uſually celebrated amongſt moſt Nations, the Birth-day eſpecially. So 7h.iraoh,Gen.go. 20. and Herod, Mat. 14. 6. whether of rheſe we enquire not curiouſly, a Whoattended on the King to witnels their Joy inthe renembrance of that Day which made the Publick g/ad, ſo great a Blefling was be- ſowed upon them, and to wiſh many ſuch Days unto their King and the Kingdom. 6 In their excels of drinking Healths no doubt ; inſtead of a pious and thankful remembrance of God's Mercies, they zun into monſtrous Impieties of Luxury and Drunkeneſs, and with
# Bottles of Wine drank off probably at one Draught enflam'd them- & Jclves, and their King, and drink him almoſt to Death while they » drinkand wiſh his Lite. «c In theſe drunken Feaſts it ſeems the King of 1ſrae} forgat himlf, became too familiar a Companion, and uſed the Formalities of chele drinking Matches, ftretch'd out his Hand. « Who deride Religion, and wiſh Confuſion to the Profeſſors of it.
= 6 Fore they f have || made ready thzir heart like an Oven 7, whiles they lie in wait : their baker | * leepeth all the night, in the moruing it burneth as a | flaming fire &. |
e Surely, f Thoſe luxurious and drinking Princes, ver. 5+ g Do keep cloſe ſome fire of Ambition, Revenge or Covetouſneſs, like as '2 Baker keeps a hot Fire within his Oven. b Either againft the Lite vr Eſtate of ſome of their Fellow- Subjects, or it mas be, as appears were 7, againſt the Life which they ſeem'd in their Cups to pray for. ! He who ſhould watch and prevent Miſchicf, is [wallowed up in the day with Feaſting and Drunkenneſs, and fleeps in ſecurity all the Night, never ſuſpetting the Projedts of Conlpirators. k But when ie awakes too late, he ſceth all in Flames, and paſt quenching. Sedi 01 and Rebellion is among theſe, a Sin as hateful to Gad, as dange-
qi 05 to the Publick, yet frequently ated by the Uſurpers of thoſe diſ- ldlute times, J
| 7 Lheyl are all m hot as an oven 7, and have devour- | © otheir Judges p ; all their Kings q are fallen 7, * there
5 none among them that calleth unto me 5s.
This Verſe is a Key to the former, and helps us to underſtand the
p 1e Senſe thereof, 1 See ver, 6. let. f. mIn a larger, and more
"gar Senle, the moſt, or almoſt all of them, few excepted. mn See
"7.6. let.g. 0 As Eire deſtroys, {0 have theſe Conſpirators, when
fg laces , p
x "<c:v'u}, deſtroy'd. p Thoſe that were Magiſtrates and Rulers, who wy 0s ſumewhat of Integrity, wou'd not join with them, nor pro- Pa 'TLOTR 4 M -
: O Intereſt of Uſurpers. q All that had been ſince Feroboam
them, from firſt to laſt were addicted to vitious Prattices, and their |
EM Skalum, Pel akiah, Pekah ; theſe four fell by the Conſpiracy of ſuch hot Princes, only Menahem died a natural Death. r By Treaſon and Violence, from ſuch as would drink them fick with wiſhes of Health. s Not one of all the!e cither tear'd, truſted or wor}:ip'd God. By Profeſſion all were Tdolaters, in Prattice debauche.l, and by their Compeny they kept thele latter Kings of J]-ae! appear under a ſuſpi- tion of Men contemning God, and deriding Providence ; but they py lorg unce fallen, where they muft lie for ever under God's uſtice.
ple #; Ephraim is a cake not turned x,
t The Kingdom of J/rael. u By Leagues and Commerce, by imita» tion of their Manners, and by either entertaining their Gods, and ſa- crificing to them, or at leaſt worſhipping Idols as the Nations about them did ; direttly contrary to the expreſs Law of God, De ut. 7. 2, 3, 4+ and 12. 2, 3. this was their Sin, and the greater becaule Volun- tary ; the Expretiion ſeems to repreſent ir as a thing of their own ſeeking, they did mix themſelves with the Heathen, whereas had the Heathen ſought it, *rwow'd in likelihood have been ſaid that the Na- tions mixed themſelves with Ephraim z but this is in ct1er Words the ſame with chap. 2. 5,7. or this Paſſage may be ( as ſome conceive} a Threat that the Ephraimites ſhould be ſcatter'd among the Nations, be Captives to them,and diſperſed amongſt them,with whom to eaſe their Condition a little, they ſhould endeavour to mix by Friendi};ip and Al- liances ; if ſo, this is the Puniſhment of their former ſinful Confedera- cies. x Some interpret this of the Party-colour'd Temper of Zphraim, by {uch a Proverb as ours is, neither Fiſh nor Fleſh,neither J/a?lire nor Heathen, but a Mungril ; neither a Heathen Idolater, nor yet a Wor- ſhipper of God, a hotch potch of differeat Religions and Policies, like them, 1 Xzng. 18. 21+ and Zeph. 1. 5. neither Bread, nor yet Dough, but partly both, as the unturned Cake on the Coals is : But it better expreſſeth their Danger and ſudden Ruine, whoſe hungry Ene- mies will eat them up quickly as Men do, who for hafte will not ſtay the full baking of their Cake.
9 Strangers y have deyoured z his ſtrength 2, and he knoweth 7t not b: yea, gray hairs are - here and there upon him c, yet he knoweth it not d.