The Song of the Beloved Concerning His Vineyard, Part 2 · Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI.
…e Lord threatneth to deſtroy his people. viz.
…ill conſume, tread downe, and lay waſte the Vineyard: Ʋerſ. 5. 6.
…He Lord hauing called audience … to his words, and plainly declared his diſpleaſure againſt his people for the… wickedneſſe: and therewithall threatne… vengeance which was in the due time t… be powred forth on them that would no… take the benefite of his long ſuffering, an… repēt; he now in certain particulars, ſheweth both the deſtruction of the vineyar… & the means to further the ſame. The deſtructiō is diſplaied in theſe 3. words, viz.The deſtruction of the vineyard.
1. I will take away the hedge. 2. I w… breake downe the wall thereof. 3. I will lay… waſte. The meanes thereof are diſcerne… in the other words conteined in the ſam… 5. and 6. verſe: whereof we will ſpeakei… the 2. Chapters following, and God wi… In this wee may conſider the deſtruction threatned, and the manner thereof.
2. There was a time when the Lord ſai… Malac. 3. 11. 1 A deuouring or conſuming. Ezech. 33. 27.he would reproue the deuourer, and withſtand him from hurting the vine: but no… he threatneth, that the vineyard ſhall be deuoured or eaten vp: whereby is ment, tha… the people ſhould be conſumed, ſome b… the ſword: ſome by peſtilences: ſome b… famine: ſome by wilde beaſt: the four… ordinarie plagues which the Lord w… wont to bring vponupon this rebellious and …thankfull people, according as he had …reatned them in Deut. 32. 23. I will …nd plagues vponupon them: I will beſtowe mine …rrowes vponupon them: They ſhall bee burnt …th hunger, and conſumed with heate, …d with bitter destruction: I will alſo …d the teeth of Beaſtes vppon them, with … venome of Serpents in the dust: The …ord ſhall ſlay them without, and in the …ambers feare: both the young man, …d the young woman, the ſuckling with Deu. 23. 21. Iſa. 1. 20.man of gray hayre. And this more …gely is ſet forth in the 28. Chap. of the …e; where the Lord telleth, that he will …ſe them to be conſumed from the land …erin he would plant them, if they wold … obey his voyce, to keepe and to do all commandements. Yea, euen as the fire …oureth the ſtubble, ſo they ſhould be …oured & conſumed. 3. Of this Ezechiel …aketh at large. And that thing might be ſooner accōpliſhed, he wold cauſe, that …raim ſhuld deuoure Manaſſes, and that …anaſſes alſo ſhould deuoure Iudah: Thus … Tribe ſhuld conſume an other, & by …l broiles they ſhuld work one anothers deſtruction within & among themſelu… then the which, no kind of contention more perillous and miſerable. The H… ſtories of the bookes of the Iudg… Samuel, the Kings, the Chronicles, an… finally, the ſtorie of Ioſephus, to… ching the latter ſtate of the Mach… bees, and of the Iewes, yeelde vsus man… lamentable examples of this matter. A… hereof was it, that the Pſalmist compl… nethPſal. 44. 11. Pſal. 80. 13. to the Lord; Thou giueſt vsus as ſhee… to be eaten vp, and thy Ʋineyard to b… deuoured of the wilde beaſts.
4. Next, the Lord ſaith, that the Vin… yard ſhall be troden downe: alluding to th… 2. A treading down.breaking in of wilde beaſts into a Vin… yard, which do not only eat and deuour… but alſo tread downe and ſpoile the vin… And this rightly noteth the maner of fo… raine enemies, which inuade with forc… and deuoure & ouerrun both the countr… and the people therof. By the which, th… Prophet ſignifieth, that the enemies of I… rael, which were as yet withſtood and r… ſiſted by the grace, power and prouiden… of God, from inuading and hurting t… Iſraelites, ſhould now at the length ha… entrance, and be able not only to fight … ſtand moſt ſtrongly againſt the Iſrae…, but alſo to conſtraine them to turne …r backes to flie, and fall before …m; who ſhould (as God would hauehave treade downe thoſe rebelllous chil…n on the ground: thus the Lorde alſo threatned to doo to them, by …oſes: Deut. 28. 25. ſaying: The Lord cauſe thee to fall before thine enemies: ſhalt come out one way againſt them, and flee ſeuen wayes before them: and ſhalt …attered through all the Kingdomes of the …. Againe Verſe. 48. Thou ſhalt ſerue … enemies which the Lord ſhall ſend vponupon in hunger and in thurſt, and in naked… ▪ and in need of all things: and he ſhall put …ke of Iron vponupon thy necke, vntill he hauehave …oyed thee. Againe, verſ. 52. hee ſhall …ge thee in all thy Cities, vntill thine high ſtrong walles fall downe, &c.
And this the Lord remembred in his …ds to Salomon, when hee appeared to after the finiſhing of the houſe of god, …ng: If ye turne away & forſake my ſta…s and my cōmandemēts which I hauehave2. Chro. 7. 19. 20. 21. 22. before you, and ſhall go and ſerue other Gods, and worſhip them: then wil… plucke them vp by the rootes, out of … land which I hauehave giuen them; and th… houſe which I hauehave ſāctified for my nam… wil I caſt out of my ſight, & wil make it t… be a Prouerbe & a ieaſt among all natiō … And this houſe which is moſt high, ſhalb… an aſtoniſhmēt to eueryevery one that paſſe… by, & ſhal ſay: why hath the Lord dealt … this faſhiō with this lād, & with this houſ… and they ſhal anſwer, becauſe they forſoo… the lord god of their fathers, which brog… thē out of the land of Egypt, & caught hol… on other gods, & worſhipped thē: therfor… hath he brought all this euill vponupon them▪
6. Laſtly, the Lord in his Goſpell Pr… pheſiedLuk. 21. 24. of this thing, and ſaid in plai… words; that this people ſhould fall wi… the edge of the ſword: and ſhould be l… away captiue into all nations; and that I… ruſalem ſhould be troden vnderunder foote … the Gentiles.
How theſe propheticall comminatio… of the iudgements of God hauehave bene pe… formed in the time and times appointe… as ſometimes by the Philiſtins, ſometim… by the Egyptiās, ſometimes by the Aſſiri… ſometimes by the Babylonians, ſometimes …y the Medes and Perſians, ſometimes by …e Graetians, and laſtly by the Romans, the …iſtories of thoſe times truly report.
Hereof was it, that the Pſalmiſt partly … the ſpirit of Propheſie, and part… in the bitter ſenſe of thoſe Iudge…ents, complaineth; ſaying: Thou ma…t Pſal. 44. 10. & 80. 13. 15. 16.vsus to turne our backs from the aduerſa…, and they which hate vsus, ſpoyle vsus at their …aſure.
7. The Lord proceedeth yet one de…ee3. Awaſting of the people. farther, and ſaith of his Vineyard: I …l lay it waſte. And this word compre…deth not onelyonly all that which hath …e ſaid before, touching the conſuming …d treading downe of the vineyard; but …vtter contempt and neglect therof, by …n who had before this, takē regard and …e to defend & maintain it: namely, that …nceforth the vineyard, that is▪ the Citie … Ieruſalem, the land of Iudah, the land of …ael, with al the inhabitors thereof, be…g moſt ſinful & execrable before God, …ould be vtterly deſtroyed, according … the Lord by the ſame Prophet ſpea…th in an other place more plainely: The Cities ſhall be wasted without an inhabitor, Iſa. 6. 11. 2.and the houſes ſhall be voyd of men, an… the land ſhall be reduced into a wilderneſſe… the Lord ſhall take men away, and there ſhal… be an vnmeaſurable waſting in the midde… o… the earth.
8. The word ſignifieth a concauitie… and voyd place, a place without any contents, as waſted Deſart, and good for nothing. Batath. The meaning is, that th… land ſhall be made voyd, deſolate Deſart… and wilde for want of inhabitors, and tillers of the ſame. And herein the Prophe… alludeth to that comination in Deut. 28▪ 63. Yee ſhall be rooted out of the land: an… Chapt. 29. 23. The land ſhall burne wi… Brimstome and Salte: it ſhall not be… ſowen nor bring foorth, nor any Graſ… ſhall growe therein: like as in the ouerthrowing of Sodome and Gomorah, Admah & Zeboim, which the Lord ouerthre… in his wrath and anger. And thus did th… Lord to his ingratefull vinyard in the appointedIſa. 17. 8. & ca. 3. 30. time: it was deuoured: it was trod… down: yea, it was waſted: for why the wra… of God was kindled againſt his people f… their abhominations: hee ſtretched out h… hand vpō them, & ſmote them, that their …ountaines did tremble, their carkaſſes …ere torne in the middes of the ſtreetes, …nd their land was layd waſte: yea, theEzech. 7. 25 27. & 8. 18. …nd became darke (as the Prophet ſayth) …nd moſt ſorrowfull, and the light was …arkned in the heauens thereof; that is, …e whole land was ouerwhelmed with …moſt dangerous blindneſſe, and a ſorowfull affliction: then the King mour…ed, the Prince was cloathed with de…lation, the hands of the people in the …nd were troubled, and there was a …ngſome & remedileſſe miſerie. Then, …hen deſtruction was come vponupon them,Hoſ. 5. 15. … their trouble, they ſought peace, but …ey found none: they cryed in the …ords eares with a lowd voyce, but he …eard them not; neither did his eye ſpare …hem, nor did he in mercy pitie them; nor …urned he his wrathfull diſpleaſure from …hem: but his heauie hand againſt them was ſtretched out ſtill, as ſayeth the Prophet.