The Song of the Beloved Concerning His Vineyard, Part 2 · Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
The briefe Summe and dispoſition of this ſecond part.
AS the Song of the Beloued concerning his Vineyard, hath in it a Parable (as it is declared in the former part: ſo, in the Parable, the Prophet couertly deſcribethA deſcription of the ſtate of Iſrael and Iudah. the ſtate and condition of th… people of Iſrael and Iudah: to the en… that ſeeing their owne ſinnes and i… gratitude, and for the ſame, their futu… miſerie (as in a Glaſſe) they might be … ſhamed, and be driuen to repentanc… thereby to eſchue that heauy iudgeme… hanging ouer their heads. And in th… part, the Prophet ſetteth foorth theſe ſix… memorable points to be conſidered, v… 1. The great louelove & merciemercy of God towar… Sixe points to be conſidered in this part.the people of Iſrael and Iudah: 2. his expectation of their good works and thankfulneſſe. 3. their horrible vnkindneſſe t… wards him. 4. his appellation and requ… of iudgement in the caſe. 5. his complai… 6. his ſentence and commination again… them.
2. And theſe points are gathered o… of the Song: The firſt, of theſe word… My Beloued had a Vineyard in a ve… Verſe 1.fruitefull hill: and he hedged it, and gath… red out the ſtones of it, and he planted Verſe 2.with the beſt plantes: and he built a Tow… in the middes thereof, and made a Win… preſſe therein. The ſecond of theſe words Then he looked that it ſhould bring foorth …apes. The third of theſe words: And brought foorth wilde Grapes. The fourth … theſe words: Now therefore ô inhabi…ts Verſe 3.of Ieruſalem, and men of Iudah, …ge I pray you betweene me and my Vine…d. The fift of theſe wordes: What …ld I hauehave done any more to my Vine…d, Verſe 4.that I hauehave not done vntounto it? Why …e I looked that it ſhould bring foorth …apes, and it bringeth foorth wilde Grapes? …e ſixt and laſt of theſe words: And Verſe 5.… I will tell you what I will do to my Vine…d: I will take away the hedge there… and it ſhall be eaten vp: I will breake … wall thereof, and it ſhall be trodden …ne: And I will lay it waste: It ſhall Verſe 6.… be cut, nor digged: but bryars and …nes ſhall growe vp: and I will alſo com…nd the cloudes that they rayne no rayne …n it.
3. And theſe points our Lord Ieſus … the Goſpell worthely obſerueth in … Parable (which he propoſed to the …es) of the perfidious husbandmen, …ch (indeede) touched not onelyonly the … Prieſts, Scribes and Rulers of the people, to whom the Lord had committed the charge of his Vineyard, tha… is, of the people of Iſrael and Iudah, bu… alſo, the whole ſtate of the Iewes. An… therein it cannot be denied, but that th… Lord alludeth to this Parable which th… Prophet hath propoſed, and the ſam… both expoundeth and applieth to themChriſt obſerued thoſe ſixe points in his Parable propoſed to the Iewes. Math 21. 33. as of the concluſion may be gathered for firſt, the louelove and mercy of God is ſ… forth, in that Chriſt ſayth, There was … certaine houſholder which planted a Vineyard, and hedged it round about, and made Wine-preſſe therein, and built a Tower, a… let it out to husbandmen. 2. His expect… tion is expreſſed in this: And when th… Verſe 34.time of the fruit drew neere, he ſent his ſe… uants to the husbandmen, to receiue t… fruites thereof. 3. Their ingratitude appeareth in this, that the husbandmen to… Verſe 35. 36 37. 38. 39.his ſeruants and beat one, and killed anothe… and ſtoned another, &c. 4. His appellatio… and requeſt of iudgement, is declared … theſe words, When therefore the Lord … Verſe 40.the Vineyard ſhall come, what ſhall he do … thoſe husbandmen? 5. The complaint … conſidered of theſe words: Reade ye neu… Verſe 42.in the Scriptures, the ſtone which the builders refuſed, the ſame is made the head of the corner. Complayning as it were, that thoſe high Prieſts, Scribes and Elders of the Iewes, who were accompted the builders of the Church and common wealth of Iſrael, had reiected Chriſt, and ſo denyed the mercies of God, who had …eene moſt bountifull towards them. 6. The ſentence and commination is conteined in theſe words: Therefore I Verſe. 43.ſay vntounto you, that the kingdome of God ſhall …e taken from you, and ſhall be giuen to a Nation which ſhall bring forth the fruites …hereof. And this is the ſumme of the whole.
4. Surely, as the Lord God hath de…lared his louelove, and ſweete mercies on allThe mercies of God. …he Nations of the earth (howſoeuer they …aue acknowledged the ſame, and beha…ed themſelues): ſo hath not any one Na…ion vnderunder the heauens more felt and in…oyed the ſweetneſſe and happy fruites …hereof, then the children of Iſrael, and …hiefely them of Iudah, to whom he had …ndeede) dealt in his louelove more bounti…ull then to others. And this is witneſſed firſt by Moſes, who telleth with whatDeut. 32. wonders and tokens the Lord had freed this people from the Egyptians, and preſerued and mainteined them in the Wilderneſſe; and how the Lord had bene vntounto them, as a Father to his Sonne, as an Eagle to her yong, and as a moſt gratious King to his true and obedient people. Of this the Pſalmiſt alſo modulateth in many places, and after report of many the Lords wonderfull workes of merciemercy towards them, he concludeth, ſaying: He hath not done ſo with euer… nation, neither hauehave they knowne his iudgements, Pſal. 147. 20.
5. After this, Iſayah was bolde an… vrged this argument before the face o… Kings and Princes. Ieremy alſo was plentifull in theſe things: and (to let paſſ… the reſt) how copious and eloquent i… Ezechiel in his 16. Chapter? he commenceth there with the originall of this people, and declareth moſt amplie, ho… wonderfull the Lord hath bene in hi… mercy towards them from time to time… Therefore of this people, farre beyon… all the nations vnderunder the heauens, di… he moſt expect to be ſerued in SpiritWhat God expected of them. and truth, who indeede (beyond all others) ſhould in this declare themſelues gratefull to him for ſuch his great bleſſings. But (alas) as there is no Nation which hath not angred God by great abhominations and ſinnes, ſo was thereBut no Nation angred him more then the Iewes. neuer any that more deceiued the Lords expectation, then this people of Iſrael: …ea, they did not onelyonly decipher their …orrible ingratitude towards him, but alſo farre paſſed all the Nations of the earth in wicked abhominations & ſinnes …ginſt God, to his great diſpleaſure and …heir owne woe.
Therefore the horrible ingratitude ofThey be made a Glaſſe to all poſterities. …his people, and their finall deſtruction …or the ſame, is made a glaſſe and example …o all poſterities, not to be commended …nd followed; but to be loathed & abandoned of them that mind to reteine the grace of God, & to enioy the ſweet fruits …nd comfortable effects of his louelove, for …he eternall conſolation of their ſoules.
6 But now, ſeeing it pleaſed the Lord to …et forth all theſe things by his Prophet …nder the Parable of the Vinitor and his Vineyard, let vsus examine the perticular circumſtances; and firſt, thoſe which do expreſſe the great louelove and mercies of the Lord, towards the houſe of Iſrael and Iudah.