s The old true Prophets indecd were with God; heard what he ſpake, and told it to the People ; they were tor God, for his Henour, Law, Worſhip and Temple, and lo thould Prophets now be : Ephraim once had ſuch Prophets ; ſuch were Elijah and Elifha, but none ſuck now, or Ephraim carts not for them. # The Prophet ſpeaks of 09%, h
> - "ha Þ þ do- ne Safety to the true God, as his God, in oppoſition to Idols, on which EpFr4im on Utude of Chija ted now, whoſe pretended Oracles they believed. u The me Kt twill be b
now a-days, who call themſelves Prophets, and are fo accounice e) the People, have, as the Feople, let. God, and do no more comm with God. x Their pretended Prediftions and Promiſes arc but 4 Snare, ſuch as Fowlers lay to take Fowl in; and theſe Impoſtors _ conitious to themſelves that they are Deccivers, .at leaft they © but know that the tcue God never gave them anſwer at any 0”
844-430" 7
14 Give ave then; 4 -
wap. IX.
-, Images : Y ” them: ſo they
*n this Opinion and Hope» hate ſach DeCE1VETrs 3 the Sight
hets 3 W in their Temples themagainft ceturni tred, £6, i. & caule another.
WL -
iniquity, be will viſit their ſins f.
: The People of the'Ten Tribes, Prophets, Priefts, Princes and Peo- > b have ftrangely.and horribly debauched one another ; befide all "heir Idolatry, there is more than wie 4 ye" ny ter hereof you have Fudg. 19. 18. od who hateth ſuch
Apoongl J pardon their Iniquity, but
e He will nor
J f Ini uit . a PRs 3 —_ God ſaith he will not remember, 'tis a
charge it upon them 3 when
Promiſe of pardon ;_ when he threatens he will remember, 'tis a Threat
of not pardoning. f He will puniſh, ſee ver. 7, let. L
ſaw your fathers as the firſt-ripe in the fig-tree at her « 5: time & .- but they went to * Baal-peor 1, and ſeparat- ed m themſelves 1 unto that ſhame o : and their abomina-
tions þ were according as they loved q.
g the Lord ſpeaks of himſelf, b in the Perſon of a Traveller, who unexpettedly in the Wildernels findeth a Vine loaded with Grapes, which are moſt delightful and welcome to him ; ſach Love did God bear to J/4e!, 7. e, a very _—_ and hearty Love z the Simily expreſ- ſeth the Greatneſs,not the Cauſe of the Divine Love. i Not Abraham W or 1ſazc, and Facob, but your Fathers whom I brought out of Eg pt.
| þ As the earlieft ripe Fruit, either of the Fig-tree, as qur Verſion, or
” 1 This evinceth that the Prophet ſpeaketh not of Abraham, 1ſaac and > Facob, but of thoſe who were brought out of Egypt, as appeareth in the ' Story of their Deportment in Sbirtim, Numb. 25. 1, 2, 3+ where they ” committed Idolatry with Baal-peor,of whoſe Rites Authors do variouſly
10 I g found Iſrael like grapes in the wilderneſs þ : I
HOSE A
-t they pretend he hath done it, an} that he will proſper | enſnare the People firft in Sin, next in Puniſhment. | Irouble for the State of a finking undone Nation ; it isan Intercefion 3 And all they detign and endeavour by all means 15 to keep the Peopie tor them. þ As if he ſhould tay he knew not what to ask, or how to z SO is hated in the Sight of God, he doth | Pray tor them ; he knew God had peremptcrily d2termin'd to puniſh and be # hatred, 1.e, e're long will be hatred 1n of the People he deceived, they ſhall hate their falle Pro- ho from the Houſe of their God, by Anſwers from the Idols confirmed the Peopl= in their Rebellicn,and hardned rning to God, which ends in their Ruin : or elic Ha- of the Peoples Hatred againſt God, an:l one
9 They a have deeply corrupted themſelves b, as * in the days of Gibeah : therefore he d will remember e their
& the firſt ripe of any ſweet and delicious Fruitetree, as the Word will | & bear,which are moſt valued and deſired ; ſo was 1/rae! dear and valued. :
diſcourſe, ſome reporting them to have been prattiſed with ſhameleſs
© Looſene(s, as the Rites of Bacchus, Venus, or Priapus among the Ko- - mans; others ſay, this Idol of Moab had his Name from a-Mountain in © Moo where he was worſhipped, and had a fiately and famous Tem- Þ ple: this Mountain is mentioned Numb. 22. 41. with 23. 28. and this + is the more likely Opinion. m They did conſecrate, and dedicate themſelves. # Poſhbly ſome turn'd Priefts to the Idol ; however,they addited themſelves to, and worſhipp'd the Idol, and brought their Sacrifices.. o By way of Contempt and Deteftation the Prophet ſpeaks of this Idol, and gives it the name of Shame in the AbſtraRt, toexpre(s the greateſt degree of Neteſtation of it, and of that they dd. p Their Idols and Way of Worshipping them. q Either,as they fincied, or as the Idolatreſs Women whom they loved were multipli- el; ſq their Idols were, for they took the Idols with them,
It As for Ephraim, their glory r ſhall fly away like a bird s ; from the birth t, and from the womb «, and from
the conception x,
7 Their Children or Pofterity, which was as much the Glory of Jſreel, as their multiplying was above the common Rate' of other Na- tions multiplying z it was to them a ſingular Bleſſing, and performing | of promiſe, and they did greatly rejoice and glory in this Bleſſing , Pſal. 128. tot. Prov. 17. 6. $*Tis proverbial, and ſpeaks a ſudden and & unexpeRed Loſs of Children, which vaniſh, and are-gone as a Bird, # Prov. 23.5. where ſudden Loſs of Riches is expreſs'd in the ſame Pro- = verb, t Shall die ſo ſoon as born. u Prove abortive, their Mothers EF fball not bring the Fruit of the Womb to perfection, or alive into the & World. x Through Barrenneſs their Wives ſhal] not conceive.
. 12 Though. they bring up their children y, yet 3 will 1 bereave them &, that there ſhall not be a man left a : yea, wo alſo to them when I depart from
| WW themb. F Orſuppoſe neither of theſe, but that their Children'live,grow up, - 2 nd come td ſame maturity : 2 Yet God, provoked by their Sins, will
# deprive them of their Children by Famine, or by Civil Wars, which : vere long and bloody on each other ; or by Peſtilence,or by Captivity, | and diſperſing them among Enemles, to whom they ſhalt be Slaves ; and as Slaves beget Children not to themſelves, but to their Mafters. £ There ſhall be a total Extirpation of them, and their Memory,or elſe Twill cut them off from among Men, as the Phraſe will bear. 5 To cmpleat their Miſery, I will leave-them, I will depart from them. It blad to loſe Children, it is ſadder to loſe their God.
13 Ephraim c, as I ſaw Tyrus d, + planted in a plea- ſant place e: bur Ephraim ſhall bring forth his children {0 the murderer f.