and Iſaiah 5 whether he preach'd to the Ten Tribes, or to the Two Tribes, or to both; whether the Locuſts are literal only or typical, and ſignificative of Enemies, or how many Years they continued ; what Nations they did prefigure, when the Execu-
| tion began, when it ended ; or when be began, or how long be continued to propheſy : We may well reſt our ſelves contented in
the undiſputable things of greater moment, ſuch as are, The Divine Authority with which he came, atteſted by himſelf,
0; chap. 1, ver. 1. and confirmed to us by the Apoſtle, AQts 2.17. and Rom. 10. 13. and by Chriſt himſelf, Matth. 24. 29. ; Mark 13. 24. and Luke 21. 25. All be ſpake is the Word of God. The pernicious Conſequences of National Sins, ſuch as were viſible on God's own People at this very time in parching Droughts, devouring Locuſts, and Famine. The only Me-
| thod for removing theſe Judgments, Faſting, Prayer, and Amendment of our Life, The ſucceſſive Sufferings of the Church ander the ſeveral Monatchies till the commg of the Meſſiah, with the wonderful Preſervation of the Good during thoſe Times, The juſt and final Deciſions God will make for his againſt their Oppreſſors in thoſe Kingdoms, doing it by raiſing ” the m__ Empire to puniſh and overthrow the Precedent. The Converſion of the ews, the Calling of the Gentiles. The Adv ent of the Kingdom of the Meſſiah, and Communication of Gifts and Graces to his Church, The final and
| univerſal Deciſion of all things that concern God and his Church on the one ſide, and their Enemies on the other. The ge- cral Judgment of Quick and Dead, are the great SubjetFs he doth in plainer or darker Terms ſet before us, In unfalding of © Zhe whole, whoſo excludes the Letter and Hiſtorical Reference, will fail on one band ; and whoſo excludes the Typical and © Myſtical Reference, will err as much on the other hand. In a due and juſt Application of both lieth the true mean, which hath © been aimed at in this Enterprize ; and how far attained, is ſubmitted to the Fudgment of thoſe that read the enſuing
- ns
| Annotations,
CHAP. L
Fuel by God's command, ſenteth before them ſudry fearful Fudgments z exhorterh 20 obſerve them, 1 » to mourn and lament, $ 13. Acommanid to faſt and pray, by "OY of their calamity, 14, —— 20»
1FFHE word of the LORD that came to a Joel b the
fon of Pethvelc.
a Since this Preface is word for word the ſame with that of Zoſea,chap. 1. ver. 1. ſee it there explained. b Suppoſed to be of the Poſterity of Reuben, therefore could not be (as the Jews ſuppoſe) S4- mue!'s Son, nor will his Time fit to 1 Chron. 5. 4,8. but of what Tribe lvever, we know he came from God, and with his Authority, and is
| fo cited by the Apoſtle, A#5s-2., 16. c More of this Man I know not, & and*tis poſſible he might be, as the Jews ſuppoſe, very eminent, be- # Cauſe he is named : however, *tis an Honour to be reported a Pro- { phet's Father. The time of his Propheſying,though not demonſtrable, Z 1S with greateſt Probability laid about the latter end of Feroboam the # Second's Reign over 1/rael, and in the days of Uzziab over Fudah. Z 2 Hearthis d, ye old mean e, and give ear, all ye 1n- © habitants f of the land g : hath this been in your days hb {: or even in the days of your fathers z ? '; dHeis ahout to report a very wonderful Occurrence,and defires all 7 to conſider it, mark it well, and tell me what you know. e The oldeſt ' among you, who can remember things done in your days, when you 2 were young, ſome ſcores of Years paſt, f Tt is an Appeal to all that = may poſhibly know more than others, and remember better than others © Can. g Viz. of Fudea ; whether of the two Tribes, or ten Tribes, or | beth. þ Did you perſonally ever know the like ? 7 Did your Fathers ever tell you of ſuch a thing happening in their days ? Was there ever ſuch a thing known among them ? Have you ever heard them peak of it ? :
3 Tell ye & your children of ir, and Jet your children el} their children, and their children another generati- On. x
t Declare it very particularly, or record it; write it as 1n a Book, that your Children may know it, and the Memory of it may be per- petuated * for as it was a very wonderful and unuſual thing, ſo it was or to mind us of the Caule of it, and what is taught, or ſhould have irught them and us.
4 + That which the palmer-worm hath left, hath the
Context, that there ſhould really have been ſuch Caterpillars, and other Vermin, and that they did devour all that was greer : and tho this is no where elſe mentioned, as I remember, in the {acres Hiſtory, yet it is likely *twas done, as here told, and as ſo done was 2 figure of ſome greater Devaftation made by foreign Powers, as by Tiglath Pileſer, Shalmaneſer, Senacherib and Nebuchadnezqar.
5s Awake I ye drunkards mm, and weep, and howl » all ye drinkers of wine o, becauſe of the new wine þ, for it is cut off from your mouth q.
I Great Drinkers of intoxicating Liquors are apt to ſleep, and be ſecure ; the Prophet doth therefore here call to them, as to Sleepers, and by one apt word exprefſeth a double Duty, Vigilance of Mind, as well as of the Body. ſo may this be parallePd with Rom. 13. 11. 1 Theſſ. 5. 6. 1 Pet. 5. 8. or Eph. 5. 14, m Riotous Livers, ſuch as Prov. 23+ 30,31, 32. and Jſa. 5. 11, 12. whoſe Life is nothing but a continued teafting with choiceſt Wines, and in Exceſs, ſuch as Amos 6. 4, 5, 6. deſcribeth. » Lament your Condition with ſober Tears, for the Sorrows coming upon you are juſt Matter of weeping, nor will an ordinary degree of weeping ſuffice : Cry out, and how! like Men ſurprized with unſupportable Miſeries, J/2. 13. 6. and 15. 2. 0 Who offend by an inordinate Uſe of Wine; for it is not to be underſtood of every one that drinks Wine, but of ſuch as before are called Drunkards, who are in love with Wine, p Which is ſweet and pleaſing to the Taſte, and no doubt drank without ſtint or mea- ſure by Men of that Age, againſt which Feel prophefieth. q Sudden- ily cut off, even when you are ready to drink it ; and totally, all cut off by theſe devouring Vermin : which as *twas a Narrative of what was already done, reters to that Waſte and Famine by the Locuſts as *tis allegorical and predittive, 'twill be more dreadfully fulfilled when the Enemies of Fudab ſhall deſtroy all.
6 For a Nation 7 is come vp s upon my Land t, ſtrong «, and without number x , whoſe teeth are the teeth of a Lion y, and he hath the cheek-teeth - of a great
Lion z.