1 'Now Micah in the Name of the Lord, foretels what ſhall become of falſe Prophets 3 he had frankly dealt with the Seculars,now he deals as plainly with the Ecelefiaſticks, b Though he gave them the Titl- they aflume to themſelves, yet he doth very fully deſcribe them, aud ſhews they are falſe Prophets; they err, and make others to err with them : Jſ72el is too apt to miſtake his God, and his Ways ; theſe fall: Prophets make them err more, both concerning their former Wa\'s 6f Religion and Civil Policy, and concerning their preſent Danger ad Duty, and concerning future Judgments and Puniſhments. c Wien they are furniſhed with Gitts, and well fed- d They promiſe great Proſperity ; they pretend to give Aſſurance from God,that all ſhall go well with J/72el, and none of the diſmal Woes threatned by Micab,and ſuch like Prophets, ſhould ever be verified on them. e But thoſe who will not feed theſe falſe Prophets, that bid them not welcome to their Tables, nor make good Chear for them. f They do threaten with War, and all Calamities that attend it 3 or elſe as Enemies prepar::d, they work them all the Miſchief they can, and ſhew what God they
4 ſerve, even the God of this World, and their own Bellies.
Ezcko & * "Therefore g night þ /hall be unto you 3, | that 734.2: 4 Je ſhall not h ifion &, and it ſhall be dark! Zecki13.4. JE Mall not have a viſion &, and 1t Iha ark } unto + Heb. you, | that ye ſball not divine mm, and the ſun ſhall go from £ downover the prophets #, and the day ſhall be dark o over viton. them.: | # —_— 2 Becauſe of their irreligious and atheiftical Pretences to Divine Re-
om 4t- velations,and to come from Heaven with Promiſes direWly contrary to vmmge God's Purpoſe and Word, even when their Conſciences told them they did lie therein. b Of Ignorance, and loſs of Gifts ; but fince they had none ſuch as they pretended to, I ſee not how they could loſe them. rather take this Night to be a Night of Diftreſſes;a Time of great Ca- lamities upon thele Prophets more than ordinary, and upon all the People they ſeduced. i Deceivers, and falſe Prophets. & You ſhall no more pretend to have a Viſion,you ſhall not dare any more to fore- tel any thing to this People. 1 Very calamitous time to all, but moſt to you wholived ipon lying Viſions, and now ſhall ſtarve tor want of them. m Have neither Skill, nor Will any more to ſet up for your ſelves in that Trade, being found great Impoſtors, and ſuch as have ſeduced this People into Sin firſt,and Miſery next ; they will be inraged againſt you,and you ſhall not ſafely appear among them. 7 A prover- bial Speech,and contains much the ſame that Night and Dark do con- tain; Perhaps this intimates the viſible Hand of God extraordinarily againft them, and making their Sorrows the more dreadful, as Dark- nels by the Sun going down at Noon,would ſpeak it ſelf an extraordi- nary Judgment, and moſt terrify the World. o The beſt Circumſtan- ces any ot them ſhall be in, shall be ſo ſad and woful, that they hall not know which way to take for themſelves, or dirett for others.
+ Iſa. & 6%
7 Then ſhall the ſeers q be aſhamed r, and the diviners
confounded s : yea, they ſhall all cover their - lips ?, for there 5 no anſwer of God «.
p In the days of this Calamity, which shall confate all the flattering Promiſes of theſe Prophets. q Who called themſelves, were accounted
by others, and were adviſed with as Men that had Viſions from God,'
were Prophets in Name and Repute with the undeceived People. r Their Impoftures being deretted, they hall be covered with Shame z the People $hall talk what they are,and tell them to their Faces where- ever they meet them, that they are falſegnd lying Varlets, not wor- thy to live ; and the very Conſciences of theſe Men $hall then fly in their Faces, and upbraid them. $s Divers here are Seers, and being confounded, the ſame with aſhamed ; this Ingemination adds to the thing ſpoken, at leaſt a fuller Verification of it. s So Lepers did, £ev.12 45. and Men ashamed ; and Mourners did thus, Ezeb.24.17,22. So theſe $hall mourn and pine in their Shame. # God doth not auſwer them, rather becauſe the Anſwer they had formerly given and preten- ded to be from God, now appears not to have been from lam ; they Should therefore by the Sentence of the Law be ſtoned, Deur. 13. 10. and Zech. 13. 3. ſo Elijah dealt with Baal's Prophets ; and *'tis like =_ my Prophets deredted, might fear the like from thoſe they had deceived,
8 © But truly x I am full of power y by tke ſpirit of
L the LORD z, and of judgment a, and of might b, to
*H258.1« 4 _—_— unto Jacob his tranſgreſſion c, and to Iſrael his in d.
x Notwithſtanding this Sha ne, and Silence covering theſe fa!ſe Prophets, yet aith M.c&þ. » Courage, Viracity, and Ability becom-
God given to him, and duly qualifying him to the faithful D; of the Prophetick Office ; and without Fear, Flattery, BY-reſpefts Self-ſeeking, I have already, and ftill do, and will declare the Lig Duties and Dangers of this People, that they may repent and jy ſaved, or my God may be juſtified when he judgeth, and this Pegr1. may know the Difference between a falſe and true Prophet, {x Spirit of Judgment to diſcern a-right Times and Seaſons, to aig 9 Ri: from Wrong, Truth from Lies, and pure Worship of God froin Tdolatry ; and what are the Conſequents of all the "as People who decline from the Way of Truth and Purity, or A. to it. b Reſolution, undaunted in ſpeaking God's Word tg * greateſt of Men; as I have dared, I fill do dare to tell the Heaqsp F4cob, and Princes of J/rael, what they do againft God, ang ws God will do againſt them. c With impartial Reproofs, with "ow: Menaces from God, to preach againft Facob's Tranſgreſſions, p _ _ repeated : All the Twelve Tribes have finned, and Gy will viſit, |
9 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the houſe of Jacob and princes of the houſe of lſrael, that abhor judgmen;, ?
and pervert all equity f.