e but 4s {or me, or, an! 7, f Or, chaſtiſed, as the Word will bear, or, inſiructed; either Notion will well ſute the Place. When T had chaſtiſed them for their vins, as in Fehoahax his time, I ftrength- ned them in Fetoaſp his time, and in F-roboam's time, and made them ſtronger than rhe'r Fnemies, Or I taught them, gave them Wife dom and Skill ro han.lic their Weapons; ſo David ſpeaks, Pſal. 18. 34. U koteacheth my has 19 war, and Pſal. 144 1- But the Senſe beft futes with what he took upon bim betore, if we retain it as our Ver- fon hath it, bound, as a Chirurgion binds up a weakned Member, or having ſet a broken cne, doth with Swathes end Bands bin it up ſo did God for Ephraim, when the Syrians and other Enemies had bro- ken their Arms. g As I took care to bind, fo I did what none elſe could, give ſtrength to them, both courage of Mind, and ftrength of Body, and Succeſs added to both ;z lo they ſubdued them that had formerly waſted and ſpoiled them: what Succeſſes Fehoaſh had, or Fe- r0b02m had, T gave, and they fhould have own'd it, and been thank- ful; bur + they contrived, latl rheir Heads together, and deiigned what L431 they could againſt mz, they imputed their Succefles to their Idols, to their way of Worſhip, and hardned them'elves againft all Thovghts of Repentance, and returning to me, and deviſed Milchiet againſt my Prophets, and let locſe the Reins to all Impicties. This is their Requital for all my Love !
16 They returu :, but not to the moſt High k:
* Plal. 75. they arc * like a deceitful bow 1: their Princes 12
ſhall tall by the ſword #w, for the * rage of their
”” tongue o - this p {hall be their derifion q in the land of EgyPr ”.
i 1 hcy tometimes have given ſome Signs of returning,as when Fehby deſtroyed 7a), or #ofhea gave liberty to 7/1421 to go up to Ferujalem, (it it be true which ſome afhrm of him) and if I were ſure #cſhea dil
+ Heb. {poll,
- 425 As F 4D CLAIRE ELITES »- oa i —og- REAC ro =" —
[| Or,
chaſtned,
57s * Pſal. 7 0.
& Feba tell off to the Calves, and 2/;ſhea's Reign was wicked too too nuch, though the Reigns 0i other Kings were more wicked 5 what jew {oever of Repentance among them, yet they never throughly re- pented, never fully embraced the Lnw of God. I All was done (as the Similitude clegantly 1cts it forth) in meer Hypocriſy ; though they 'L fzem'd bent for, and aiming, at the Mark, vet like a weak Bow they } carried not the Arrow home, ani like a falle- Bow they never carried td it ſtreight toward the Mark, m The Royal Family, principal Nobles and Magiſtrates, their brave Commanders an:l Leaders. 7 Be ſlain by ei- | ther Sword of baſe, talle and Bloody Traitors at home, or by Sword | ot Foreigners, as the Aſſrian. 0 Againſt God, his Prophets and Pro- vivence, Which to decry with Scorners was their uſual diverſion, ver. 5. 7 Ihis ſad End. q Shall be upbraided to them. r7 Among their Allies and feeming Friends.
HOSE
they ſhall certainiy fal}. T1 will bring them down as he did when they ;
thi-, I ſhould think the Prophet aim'd at it, in this they return. |
A.
CHART ve.
God 1lreatneth Iſrael for tranſgreſſing bis Law and Covenant ; for ſettivo y, a Xing of their own, 1----4. Their idolatry threatned by conſuming th. truit of the land, and their diſperſion among the Gentiles, 5 ---12, G;, refuſeth their ſacrifices, and threatnzth them jor their ſins, 15, yy
| Fudan alſo, I 4a
c COEt the trumpet to F thy mouth 2 - he b hall come I * as an caglec againſt d the houſe of the LORD «,
.
becauſe * they have tranſgreſſed my covenant paſled againit my law g.
and which from above ſeizeth his Prey, ſo ſhall the Aſſyrian Army come. d Or, up ro, as far as, ſo ſome ; but *tis better, as here, againſt, e Either ſo called becauſe the //raelites pretended their Temples were not Idols Houſes, but Houſes of Fehovah, and ſo the Prophet tor once calls them ſo, perhaps to intimate to them that their Sins would brin an Enemy againſt thoſe Houſes, tho they were indeed whar they pretend them to be, the Houſe of the Lord ; or ele by Houſe of the Lord is meant the Family of Jſrael, or the J/rae1itical Church, which till unchurch'd might be called the Houſe of the Lord: or it may be a Sarcaſm or Irony againſt their wilful brutiſh Ignorance, who woylq not underftand what was moſt plain, that his Houſe was only at 5e. ruſclem; or a ſofter derifion of them, one of whoſe principal Places g | Worſhip was Beth-el, which in Signification is near the ſame with this in the Text, #ouſe of God. f Taken other Gods inſtead of me, turned Idolaters. £ This explains and confirms the former, Coven; and Law are ſynonimous, and ſo are tranſgreſſiing and treſpaſſing, They have violated the whole Law and Covenant, and are Apoftate; from their God, Rebels againſt him their King.
2 Iſrael h ſhall cry + unto me, My God k, we know
thee 1,
h The ten Tribes. 7 In deep Diſtreſs, when the 4frian rangeth over their Country, when Samara is belteged, they will cry out aloud, but hypocritically ; they will roar, but not pray. kt Then they'l look to the antient Alliance and League between their Fathers and me. E An only Saviour, be ours, for we are thine. Thus in Hypocrily will they carry it. :
3 lirael m hath caſt off x the thing that 1s good 0: the enemy ſhall puriue him p.
This ſeems to he the Anſwer God by his Prophet gives to 1/741; in the firſt Part of the Verſe he doth refute their Pretence of a ye culiar Relation and Intercft in God, in the latter he tells them what they muſt expe&. m The whole Houſe of 7ſrael. » With an abhor- rence, as an adulterous Wiſe puts away her Husband. o Moral Good to be done, all Vertue and Goodneſs; and the ſupream Good to he enjoy'd, God, true Religion and Vertue, all caft off for Idols, falſe Re- ligion and Debauicheries. Such a Nation cannot be my People, nor do they know me. p That Enemy he would be deliver'd from, the Aſſyrian Army ſhall overthrow, and then purſue, till he hath coopt him up in Samaria,and till he have brought them Captives out of their own Land into Chalah, Chabor and Gozan, &c. By this they ſhali know that I know them, their Tranſgreſhons and Hypocriſy.
and their gold have they made them idols x,-that they
may be cut off y.