010% Tn this Verſe, by a double Similitude, Amos certifieth the Jews of
near and inevitable Puniſhment: Firſt by Similitude of a Lion roaring
at fight of his Prey, which ſeldom eſcapes when the Lion roareth a-
ainſt it ; The Lion uſually 2s ſo nigh to his Prey when he roareth,that
he leapeth on It preſently, and teareth it. So here God would have
finning 1/rael know that their Sins ' had provoked him to Wrath,
and that his Judgments were near at hand : Nay nearet yet, like a
Frey dragged by the old Lion into theBen for the youngLions to feed
on ; ſo was their Cale, their Enemies, the 4ſrzans, ſhould” as certain-
ly devour them as the young Lions 1n the Den do devour the Prey
which is brought to them. If the Departure of God from them affedt
them not, perhaps the Fiercenieſs of Lion-like Enemies may affect them.
Can a bird # fall in a ſnare o upon the Earth where no
in is for him 2 ſhall ozetake up a ſnare from the Earth,
and have taken nothing at allp? _ | 1 A Sparrow' properly, one kind put for all ſorts. o Theſe are ta- ken by Nets ſpread on the Earth for that End; and theſe Nets are watched by the Fowler, attending till the Birds are within the Shrape, then he draws the Net over them ; So here, for your Sins, O J/rael ! God will ſpread his Net z he will, as a watchful Fowler, attend and keep his Eye upon you, and caft the Net over you. þ Flatter not your Glves as if you ſhould finally eſcape, becauſe you have ſo long been fafe and proſperous z though the Fowler doth long wait, he will not take up the Snare before all the Prey, or ſome of it at keaft, be taken in it: ſo the Lord, againſt whom you have ſinned, and who hath ſpread his Net for you, will certainly let it lie till you are taken in it, 743 6 Shall a trumpet be blown q in the City 7, and the Peo- + ple not || be afraid s? * ſhall there be evil # in a City #, ||
Tand the LORD * hath not done y, zt ? | |
q When an Alarm is ſounded, by which notice is given of Danger 5 7 approaching, of an Enemy invading the Land. r Any City, but par- - ticularly in a Frontier City, in which were Watchmen on the Wal!i: and Towers to give notice of an Enemy, 1/a. 52. 8. Exek. 3. 17. and 33-7. 5, Affetted with the Danger, to weigh how great 'tis, how near *tis, whether it be beft to prepare to relift it, or to fly from it ; ſuch like Affe&ions doth the Alarm of War work in the Min: of +en ordinarily, and there is £ood Reaſon for it : But though God hath founded the Alarm, yet brutiſh, ſtupid, ahd ſinful Jae! fear aor, nei- ther conſult what is the beſt Courſe to prevent the danger. rt Of Afiiftion and Sorrow, ſuch as Plague, Famine, &c. u Or any where elle. x The eternal, holy, and righteous Governor ot all in Heaven and on Earth. y Either immediately by his own hand, or mediately by the hands of thoſe he employs ; the Evil of Puniſhment he will exe- cute and bring upon 1ſraet by the hands of the Afſyrians, in due time.
6. 7 Surely y the Lord GOD will do nothing z, but * he revealeth a- his ſecret b unto his ſervants c the Pro-
| phets d. | |
' YSince that, or for as much as, +4 Uſually the Lord doth no great thing for or againſt his People, neither brings great Judgments upon them for Sin, rior beſtows great good upon them for their Encourage-
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Ne ment to daty. & But he foretelleth the one and the other. by his Pro- a phets to his. People, that they may by Repentance prevent the Evil threatned, and by conſtancy in Obedience attain.the Good promiſed. bHis Purpoſe and determinate Counſel, which would never be known aforehand if he did not reveal it. c Who fear the Lord, and do his th Will in the midſt of worſt of times, they are holy Men of God to itd whom the Lord revealeth his Will. 4 By Office called of God to this, a2 and by Gifts fitted for this, and by extraordinary Aſhffance carried o through this Work. ar 8 The Lion hath Roared e, who will not fear f ? ſe the Lord GOD hath ſpoken 2, who can but Prophe- an fieh? |
e God hath threatned, and as a Lion roareth when near his Prey ; ſo God hath terribly threatned—what is near to be done ; Amos lived and prophefied in Feroboarm's time about the 3150th Year, of the
tit World; and theſe threatned Judgments began to come upon J/rael, Our when the Conſpiracies and Uſurpations of Shallum, Menabem, &c. fil- led all with Blood and Confuſion about the 3177th Year of the World. ws, f What wiſe Man, who that is ſolicitous for his own Good and Safety, hot or that hath any Affe&tions for the Good of others, will do leſs than inf Teverence and fear, and prevent by a ſpeedy Repentance ? g This is tet plainly what was before figuratively ſet forth, God had ſpoken to his " Prophets, but dreadful things againft Iſrael. b They dare not con- -n0 WY <2! them 3 Amos cannot but ſpeak what he had heard, Fer. 1. 17. Ats oink 4+ Ig, and 5. 25, % 9 T Publiſh þ in the Palaces at Aſhdod 7, and in the Pa- $ laces in the Land of Egypt k, and ſay, Aſſemble your 4s It {; [ : 9 9 roy elves ] upon the Mountains of Samaria m : and behold bo WF "the great tumults 0 in the midſt thereof, and the || op- at preſſed p in the midſt thereof 9. pu b You Prophets whom I have ſent to threaten the Sins of my Peo- T3 ple /74el, now invite Strangers to come and obſerve what juſt Cauſe I x f haveto do what I threaten. #7 One of the principal Cities of the Phi- Jon liftines, chap. 1, ver. $. lets 1, and Zeph. 2. 4+ Let thoſe that are in the out Court at Aſþdod, and have a mind to travel a while out of their own Ie! Land, let them know what ſtrange Sights they may ſee in their Neigh- ur Land, *k Let the young Noblemen of Egypt come too, let as ! many as will come. 1 By an Appointment ( if it may be ) let them g meet together, and make their Obſervations, and then judg between { doll their Doings and their Sufferings z my Judgments, ani the Czuſes of
coull | them, mEither the whole Kingdom of Samaria, or the Ten Tribes ; x (1 7 Elle it may denote the Great Men and Cities of Samaria : let Eg yp- | wal _ and Philiſtines in their Travels up and down over the Kingdom on n ſra!], affociate them{elves with the Great Men, and converſe in OS: 2 Take an exa@ View of all done by them and in them.
© {editions Counſels and Revellious Conſpiracies, begun amongft
the on the Death of Feroboam 2. and continued one atter another
AMOS: