The Song of the Beloved Concerning His Vineyard, Part 2 · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII.
The Lords appellation and his reques… of Iudgement in theſe words:
Now therefore ô Inhabitant of Ieruſale… and man of Iudah: iudge I pray yo… betweene mee and my Ʋineyard Verſe. 3.
WE hauehave heard before on the on… part, how the Lord ſhewed him ſelfe towards the people of Iſr… el and Iudah; namely as a good husban… or diligent Vinitor to his Vineyard: a… thereon what he expected of them, nam… ly that they would bee fruitefull in goo… workes, as is the good Vine in Grap… ▪ Then on the other part, wee hauehave hear… how much this Vineyard deceiued th… Lords hope and expectation, namely … this; that when he looked for Iudgement, yeelded him oppreſſion: & when he looke for Iustice, it yeelded a crying; it broug… forth nothing elſe but wickedneſſe an… iniquitie; that vineyard which yeelde… … the Vinitor ſowre Grapes & noiſome …uites. And all this the Lord yet behol…eth and ſuffereth, being ſlowe to anger, …nd of great long ſuffering, waighting for …e amendment of the people.
2. But now the vngodly, beeing ofThe wicked think all is ſafe & well, if God proceed not to puniſh thē by and by when they offend him. Gen. 4. and and reprobate mindes, hauing their …nſciences ſeared with h…re yrons, think …at all is ſafe and ſure inough: for they …erſwade as Cayn did when hee had killed …s brother Abel, that the bloud of the …or oppreſſed, crieth not to the Lord for …ngeance againſt thē; nor think they that …e graſhoppers wil ſing of their iniuries in …e fieldes: nor doo they beleeue that the …ord ſeeth thē, & that he will be auenged … them for al their ſins: yea, they imagin, …at god who is gentle, mercifull, and wil…g to expect their amendment, is very …ell pleaſed with whatſoeuer they doo. …ut yet thus ſaith the Lord (whichPſal. 50. …ey little regard) Thou thinkeſt wickedly, …at I am like thee: but I will reproue …ee, and ſet in order before thee, that which …hou haſt done. Againe: Is not this laid vp in Deut. 32. 34. 35.…ore with me? and ſealed vp among my trea…res? yea vengeance and recompence are mine, their foote ſhall ſlide in due time, for th… day of their deſtruction is at hand, and th… things that ſhall come vponupon them make haste… for the matter is not ſo forgotten nor neglectedEccles. 12. as they imagine, nor will the Lord omit to call them and the matter into an… examination and reckoning, and co… ſtraine their owne conſciences to beare witneſſe, and to condemne theyr guiltie ſoules.
3. But whom hath the Lord madeThe vngodly are made Iudges of their owne caſe. Iudges of the cauſe betweene him and his people? Surely hee maketh not an exquiſite choiſe of this or that friend, or of this or that eſpeciall Iudge: but he appealeth euen to the conſciences and knowledge of them, who had ſo egregiouſly abuſed his goodneſſe, and maketh them Iudges as they are wont to do, which are moſt aſſured of the truth and ſufficiencie of their cauſes, the which being manifeſt, can neither be concealed, nor denied by their very aduerſaries.
And this is a ſure Argument of the goodneſſe of the Lords cauſe, that he appealeth to the conſciences of his aduerſaries, & willeth them to giuegive ſentence, whether the matter be not ſo, as he hath de…ared it vntounto them? Therefore he ſayth:Verſe 3. …ow therefore, ô Inhabitant of Ieruſalem, …d thou man of Iudah, iudge (I pray you) …tweene me and my Vineyard.
4. Thus Nathan the Prophet appea…d not to any other Iudge, then to Dauid …mſelfe, as he pleaded the caſe of Vriah; …d he drew in Dauid to pronounce the2. Sam. 12. …. …ntence of condemnation againſt him…fe, which ſayd; As the Lord liueth, the …en that hath done this thing ſhall ſurely …e. And thus, when Chriſt had propo…d a Parable of the like Argument to …e Princes, Prieſts, and Rulers of the …wes, he affixed to the ſame, as it were a …queſt of their owne iudgement in the …uſe, ſaying: Therefore when the LordMath. 21. 40. …f the Vineyard ſhall come, what ſhall he …o to thoſe husbandmen? and they whom …e Parable reproued, gaue the ſentence …ying: He will cruelly destroy thoſe wicked …es, and will commit his Vineyard vntounto o…hers, which ſhall yeeld him the fruites there…f in their ſeaſons. Neither can the con…cience refuſe to be both an vpright wit…eſſe, and an accuſer, and condemner of the ſinfull ſoule, euen againſt it ſelfe, eſpecially there, where the things are manifeſt: therefore he goeth no further fo… iudgement in the cauſe, then to the inhabitor of Ieruſalem, and the man of Iudah.
4. Some would, that by this Inhabitor of Ieruſalem, and man of Iudah, ſhould be ment the Lord Chriſt, becauſe the Prophet ſayth not Inhabitors, and men: but,The inhabitor of Ieruſalem, and man of Iudah: by this ſome vnderſtand Chriſt thou inhabitor, and thou man: as alſo, for that Chriſt was the ſpirituall head and inhabitor of Ieruſalem, the chiefe man of the tribe of Iudah, and the Sonne of God, to whom the Father had committed all Iudgement. Neither may we thinke otherwiſe, but that he ſhall be the Iudge of this matter, and of thoſe perſons in the generall Iudgement. But yet, it is plaine, that the Lord in this place appealeth by the Prophet to the Iewes themſelues. And in that he ſpeaketh in the ſingular number, thou inhabitor of Ieruſalem, and thou man of Iudah, his purpoſe was thereby not to craue iudgement as ſimply of them all together, butHe appealeth to eueryevery one particularly. particularly of eueryevery one of them. Neither would he that only one of them ſhould be Iudge of another: but that alſo …uery one of them, ſingularly ſhould en…r into his owne heart, his own conſciēce, …nd examine himſelfe, and iudge of him…elfe in this caſe.
5. Neyther did the Lord doubt any …hing to commit this iudgement to eueryevery …ne of them, the cauſe being indeede ſo …ſt and ſo honeſt of his part, and ſo ma…ifeſt and well knowne to eueryevery one of …hem, as could neither be reproued by …ny of them, nor denyed. Therefore …ayth he) I come now for iudgement in …is cauſe to thee, euen to eueryevery ſingular …erſon of Iuda and Ieruſalem: requeſting …hee, to diſcerne betweene me and my …ineyard. Such a thing we hauehave alſo in …he propheſie of Hoſeah, where the LordHoſeah. 6. 4. …sketh of Ephraim, and Iuda iudgement, …n theſe words: O Ephraim, what ſhall I …o vntounto thee? O Iudah, how ſhall I intreate …hee?
6. Surely, this could not but pierce …heir conſciences, and compell them to giuegive ſentence in the cauſe, not onelyonly generally,Yoni. Iniquitas mea. Gen. 4. 13. but ſingularly, as Cayn did, ſaying: My ſinne is greater then I can beare: he ſayth not, that mans ſinne, or ſuch mens faults; but looking into himſelfe, and iudging himſelfe, he ſayth; mine owne ſinne: the burthen whereof oppreſſeth my conſcience, which acknowledgeth, that for the ſame a greater puniſhment is due vntounto me then I am able to ſuſtaine: if he ieſted not at Gods threatnings, as ſome do thinke: or, as King Dauid did, who in the aſſured hope of merciemercy vponupon his heartie repentance, confeſſed and ſayd, I hauehave ſinned: Who? euen I: But thou art a King, a Prince, a Magiſtrate, the head of the people, a man of Authoritie, and canſt thou ſinne? or at the leaſt, wilt thou acknowledge and confeſſe thy ſinnes vponupon the words of Nathan a Prophet? a Miniſter? an inferior? a ſubiect? yea, my conſcience teſtifieth againſt me, and I muſt accuſe and condemne my ſelfe of ſinne againſt God; and of the abuſe of my authoritie which I hauehave from the Lord. And this is the requeſt of Iudgement on the Lords behalfe, by the miniſterie of his Prophet, his Miniſter, his Seruant.