E y-en very much indulged herein, God had given them all abun-
F Qance and Proſperity, and with little Labour or Care ; and he
= expedted Thankfulneſs for it, but no ſuch thing was done by Ephraim,
je grew more infolent, untraftable and gerfidious. # When I found ” itſo, I did paſs'over upon her fair Neck, laid ſome lighter Yoke upon
EZ her, brought ſome gentler Afict 10ns upon that People to tame them
and make them ſerviceable, but this hath not prevailed. 0 I will now
deal more rigorouſly, I will try another courſe ; and as Horſes are brought to work by one that can bring them to bear and carry the
Rider, ſo 7 will deal with Ephraim, I will ride on Ephraim, and tame
kim, 7. e. by the 4ſ7icns who ſhould ſubdue and enflaye them. p u-
dah, tho leſs ſinful, hath been uſed to harder Labour, and more rug-
oed Treats ; hath plow*'d when Ephraim hath reap'd,yet I have ſpared
Ephraim more. - q The ſame in another Proverbial Speech, repeated,
their work at preſent harder, but there isan Harveſt follows ; tho Fu-
{zþ plow, and Facob break his Clods, labour hard, and for their Sins
ſuffer, yet they ſow in Tears when harafſed by Ephraim, or going un-
to Babylon, and ſhall reap in Joy at the return. But Ephraim who a-
buſed all my Bounty and Kindneſs, who work'd only for his own Pro-:
ft, ſhall be more ſeverely puniſh'd, and when he gocth forth ſhall re- turn no More, 12 Sow to your ſelves in righteouſneſs r, reap in mer-
E cy s; * break up your fallow ground t : for zt & time to
&: ſeek the LORD , till he come x and rain righteouſneſs y
Upon you 2.
7 The Prophet continueth his care of their Welfare, by exhorting
” them yet at laſt to repent, which, as learned Interpreters obſerve,
> the Prophet doth here in the ſame elliptick Speech which 1s uſed be-
© fore thele Imperatives, and is to be made up thus, The Lord hath ſaid > by bis Prophets, Sow, &c. this ſame Duty hath been preſſed on them
formerly, and is again commended to them z ſo in Righreouſneſs, in u-
niverſal Righteouſneſs, towards God in Piety, toward Man in Equi-
ty; and herein ſee that ye ſow plentifully, that is, exerciſe your ſelves in theſe Works, s This is referr'd both to the Divine Mercy, and ſo amounteth to a Promiſe, and to the Mercy we ſhould ſhew to Man, and ſv is Dire&ion for another part of Duty. both may well have place here. # Yonr Hearts, O ye Ephramites ! have heen, and ftill are, as Ground over-run with Weeds, which needs be plowed and broken up, that good Seed may be ſfowed in them, that you may bring torth Fruit in a holy Lite, trom a holy Heart, and obtain Mercy of
God, u Tt is full time it yon conſider it aright, or it is yet time, you
may ſeek and find he is not quite gone, ftill he calls you, therefore
hearken, and follow ſeaſonable Advice ; ſeek ye the Lord whilſt he may be found. x Seck with Patience and Faith until he doth, as certainly | | he will, come ; for this Paſſage 1s a vertual or implicit Promiſe, that
God will come to them if they ſeek him, 7. e. he will bleſs, favour
and love them, in theſe he wiil appear to them, which is his coming
to them, » Plentifu'ly pour out the Fruits of his own Goodneſs and tercy which he hath promiſed, and having promiſed, *cis a righte- ous thing they ſhould be given according to Promiſe z thus the Mer-
7;
H OS & M
> 5 => ” } An onct o _ 4 ve Ga 4-4 C 4? % F ap F Y- the Fnemy that dares beiiege them ; theſe every one of them a5 77e%, _ 4
Conſtruction bears it) shall be wafted. m1 It is moſt provably fpolen of Shati ineſer, tho abbreviated, which is uſual in all Writings of Hi- ttory, lo 47.xt42r or Pomp:;, without the addition of Great, and fo here Shalmay without eſer, or firnamed Prince. # Polhbly 4-521 here may be the Name of a Man whoſe Houſe and Family 5khzlmen dcftrey- eu, and fo this Paſſage might be read, the H9uf;: of Arbel, . but the inore lively reading 18 as we 1cat it, lo 'tis thc Name of ſome Coun- try, or City, or both. We meet witi a City cf this Name famous ior tne (verthrow which Alexander gave to Darius ; ani] probable it is, thar this might be that bel or Berk-arbe! here ſpoken of, rebuilt: and grown great again ſince the ſack of it by Sha/man, which was at leaft 490 Years before the Overthrow of Darius : It was a City of Ajſyria, and gave Name Arv-lis to a Country or Region, part of A{jy- 712, and lay ſomewhat below Arpad. o Of this \Var we no-where ele read, it i5 likely *twas not long b<fore the War with Samzriz and the ten Tribes, that the Memory of that Severity was fresh, and the Particulars then well known. p All were put to the Sword, and the City utterly deſtroyed.
I5 SO q ſhall Beth-el » do s unto you t, becauſe of
of Iſrae] y utterly be cut off z.
q Mercilelly and univerſally ruine. » One place put for every one, anc the Place put for the Idolatry committed there. s Procure, bring upon you, do all this Evil againſt you. r 0 Samaritans, and th- teſt of the ten Tribes. « This Idolatry, and the concomitant Sis are here ſummed up in their total Sum, great Wickednels, exceeding great x Suddenly, or ſo ſoon as *tis day, poſſibly the 4fſyrians might alfault, the City towards Morning, and maſter it. y 2oſhea. 2 His Pow- er broken, ſor his Life was ſpared, aud he made a Priſoner, 2. Kings I7. 4+
CHAT. xt.
God's love and kindneſs ſhewn to Iſrael ſince their being in Egypt : their contrary abuſe of mercy, diſobedience and ingratitude, 1=--4, His judg- ment upon them, their captivity in Aſſyria, 5---7. A promiſe of mercy, and their converſion to him : the deceitfulneſs of Epkraim and Jirael,
bus the faithfulneſs of Fudah, $---1 26 |
I We Iſrael was a child a, then I loved him b, and