The Song of the Beloved Concerning His Vineyard, Part 2 · Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII.
The meanes to further the destruction of the Iewes, declared in theſe words:
I will take away the hedge thereof: I will breake downe the wall thereof: that is, of the Vineyard, verſe 5.
WHen the Husbandman hath employed his labour, coſt, and diligence on his Vineyard, in hope to receiue the timely fruits thereof accordingly, and after ſome yeares, doeth perceiue that his Vineyard proueth barraine and vnprofitable, and therefore purpoſeth thenceforth to giuegive vp his Vineyard to the ſpoyle, and to let that lye waſte; he neglecting all care thereof, teareth away his hedges, breaketh down the walls: he doth neither cut it, nor dig it, nor water it, but doth ſuffer bryers and thornes to grow vp in it, being indeede the meane… and occaſions that the Vineyard is deuoured of beaſts, is troden down and waſted. Euen ſo, foraſmuch as the Vineyard of the Lord was vnfruitfull as …ouching ſuch grapes as he required, nei…her would be corrected to yeeld him the …leaſant fruits of the feare of God, there…ore the Lord threatned a deſtruction to …he Vineyard, and the meanes and occa…ionsTheſe are Preambles to the deſtruction of the Iewes. Iſa. 5. 5. 6. to further the ſame ſhould be (as the Prophet teſtifieth) theſe which follow: …hat is to ſay, The hedge thereof ſhall be …aken away: the wall thereof ſhall be broken …owne: It ſhall not be pruned, nor digged, …ut bryars and thornes ſhall grow vp, and …he Cloudes ſhall be charged that they rayne …o rayne vponupon it.
2. Thus ſeeing that the Lord is minded …o giuegive ouer his Vineyard, the people of Iſrael, to the ſpoyle and deſtruction, for their abhominations, he taketh away and withdraweth frō them again in his wrathful diſpleaſure, all thoſe benefits and bleſſings y• which before of his louelove & mercy he had beſtowed on thē, for their beautie, ſtrēgth, preſeruation, defence & cōmoditie, making therby an open gap to the execution of his iuſt iudgements. Neither were there any of thoſe pure plants remaining, being alſo remoued away, as frō theThe good men were alſo taken away. Iſay. 57. 1. euill which was to come, as the ſame Prophet ſayth: The righteous periſheth, and no man conſidereth it in his heart: and mercifull men be taken away; and no man vnderſtandeth that they be taken away from the euill to come. Whereupon, nothing being left, but only that which was meete for the fier, the Lord would ſuffer his fierce wrath to fall vponupon it and conſume it. Thus did he on the old world, whenGen. 7. 16. 17 Noah was embarked in the Arke: thus did he on Sodom and Gomorah, when Lot Gen. 19. 23. 24.was departed from them: and thus he did on Iſrael and Iudah, when the choyſe plants, I meane the righteous and mercifull men were taken away: Iſa. 3. 1. 2. 3.
3. I will (ſayth the Lord) take away the The hedge, viz. the Lords protection, is withdrawen from them.hedge of the Vineyard; that is, ſeeing I hauehave a full purpoſe to neglect and giuegive ouer this rebellious people to ſpoyle and deſtruction; I will take away from them, not only my lawe wherewith I had bounded them in and kept them in order, but alſo my mercifull protection and defence of them which hath hitherto miniſtred vntounto them, ſafetie, proſperitie, and defence: they ſhall not any longer taſte and enioy the ſweetneſſe and commoditie of my lawe, defence, and grace, but ſhall be …tterly baniſhed and ſhut out from the …appy poſſeſſion and ſenſe of the ſame, …o their perpetuall ſhame and confuſion.
4. This hedge was gapped in the timeThe hedge is gapped. …f Manaſſeh the King of Iudah, who …ade Iudah, and the inhabitants of Ieru…alem, 2. Chro. 33. 11.to erre and to do worſe then the …eathen (whome the Lord caſt out be…re the children of Iſrael). At what time, … for the which cauſe, the Lord brought …on them the Captaines of the hoaſt of …e king of Aſſhur, which tooke Manaſ…h, and put him in fetters, and bound …m in chaines, and carried him to Babel. …gaine, this hedge was gapped in the2. Chro. 36. … 7. 17. …yes of Iehoahaz the ſonne of Ioſiah, at …hat time Neco the king of Egypt came …to the land of Iudah, and tooke him a…ay, and condemned the land in an hun…ed talents of ſiluer, and a talent of gold. …lſo there was a wide open gap in the …id hedge, in the time of Iehoakim, when Nebuchadnezar the king of Babilon en…ed and tooke him, and bound him with chaines to cary him captiue to Babel with the veſſels of the Lords houſe.
5. And in the dayes of Zedekiah, when there was a generall Apoſtaſie of the people from the Lord, theſe gaps were enlarged,The gaps are enlarged. and then the Lord brought in vponupon them the King of the Chaldees, who ſlew their yong men with the ſword in the houſe of their Sanctuary, and ſpared neither yong man, nor virgin, auncient nor aged, God gaue all into his hand. And all the veſſels of the houſe of God, great and ſmall, and the treaſures of the houſe of the Lord, and the treaſures of the King, and of his Princes, all theſe caried he to Babel: and ſo whenſoeuer the hedge was neglected and ruinous, that is, when God withdrew his defence and merciemercy from them, ſometimes the Medes and Perſians, ſometimes the Romanes and other enemies, ruſhed in and inuaded them, to their great griefe and miſerie, whereof the Saints were moued to complaine in the behalfe of this diſtreſſed people: Why haſt thou broken downe her hedge, ſo that Pſal. 80. 12.all they that go by the way plucke of her grapes? the wilde Boare out of the wood hath destroyed it: and the wilde beasts of …e field hauehave eaten it vp: that is, now …ou haſt left off to helpe, ſuccour, and …efend vsus, both they that hate our reli…on, and they that diſdaine our perſons, …aue ruſhed in vponupon vsus, and deuou…d vsus.
6. Next to the taking away of the …dge, he ſayth; I will breake downe the The wall is broken downe, the benefits of Gods great works are remoued and taken from them.…ll alſo which I hauehave made. And this is … be referred to the Tower, which, he …d before, he had built in the middeſt of … Vineyard. Now, as by this Tower, is …nified (as before it is ſayd) ſometimes …e Citie and Temple of Ieruſalem: …metimes the Common-wealth, and …uernment of Iſrael: ſometimes the …eat and wonderfull workes of God, …ought for and among this people: …metimes that great myſterie of godli…ſſe, whereof Paul ſpeaketh, 1. Tim. 3. …rſe 16. So by the breaking downe … this wall or Tower, is ſignified, that …e Iewes ſhould ſurely be depriued of … thoſe benefites, which in and through …ery of thoſe things were miniſtred vn… them.
And to note the vehemencie of t… wrath, and the terribleneſſe of the ve… geance, the Lord ſayth not thus: The w… ſhall fall downe, as he ſayth elſewhereIſa. 3. 8. The wall ſhall be broken downe violently. Ieruſalem is fallen, and Iudah is fallen: b… he ſayth; I will breake downe the wa… *Parotz.Parotz, the word ſignifieth, to teare an… breake downe any thing with violenc… or force, as mightie water-ſtreames d… fret and breake downe the walles an… banks of the earth by the which they … Dauid vſeth the ſame word, 2. Sam. 5. 20… when, comming to Baal Perazim, whe… he ſmote his enemies, he ſayd: The … hath torne aſunder mine enemies before … like the breach of waters. And Tobiah … the booke of Nehemiah, had that wo… when he ſayd: He ſhall breake downe th… ſtony wall.
7. Now, as this is applied to the Citi… The Citie and the Temple. Math. 21. 4.of Ieruſalem and the Temple, which a… indeede works of great excellencie an… moment (as the Diſciples ſayd to Chriſt… the Prophet Iſayah ſpeaketh in man… places thereof (as other Prophets do) bu… briefely and effectually in the laſt Chapter of his propheſie; where as we alſo ma… heare the ſound of the breach of this …all. A voyce (ſayth he) ſoundeth from Iſa. 66. 6.…he Citie: A voyce from the Temple: the …oyce of the Lord that recompenceth his …nemies fullie. And this is the voyce, …hat they are forced to heare, which …ould not heare the gentle words of the …ords Prophets, and be obedient vntounto …s word. But of the laſt and moſt noble breach of this wall, propheſied our …uiour in the Goſpell, ſaying: See yee …t all theſe things? Verely, I ſay vntounto you, …re ſhall not be here left a ſtone vponupon a …e, that ſhall not be caſt downe: Math. …. 2. Agayne, hee ſayth: They ſhall …ke thee euen with the ground, and thy …dren which are in thee, and they ſhall … leaue in thee a ſtone vponupon a ſtone, Luke …. 44:
…. How this was performed, the Scrip…es do teſtifie. Firſt, in the dayes of …dekiah king of Iuda, the Lord brought2. Chro. 36. 19. … Caldeans into the Citie of Ieruſalem, …o the rather at the inſtigation of the …omites, raſed and brake downe the …l of Ieruſalem, and burnt the houſePſal. 137. God. And this did Hanani afterward make report of before Nehemiah; wh… Neh. 1. 3.at the hearing thereof, ſate downe o… the earth, and wept and mourned certaine dayes. And laſt of all, about fortie yeares after the death of Chriſt, th… Lord gaue them into the hand of th… Romanes, who raſed the wall to the fou… dation, (as Ioſephus in his hiſtorie reporteth)Ioſephus. to the horror and feare of all the… that heard thereof.
9. Next, as by the Tower is ſignifiedThe Commonwealth of Iſrael, and the great workes of God, and myſtery of godlineſſe. thoſe other excellent things, … namely, the beawtifull and well goue… ned Common-wealth of Iſrael, the gre… works of God done in and for them, a… the moſt notable myſterie of godlineſſ… the Prophet comprehendeth all, as … were in theſe words: The Lord ſhall t… away from Ieruſalem and Iudah the ſta… Iſa. 3. 1.and the ſtrength, euen all the ſtay of brea… and all the ſtay of water, the ſtrong ma… and the man of warre, the Iudge and th… Prophet, the prudent and the aged, th… Captaine of fiftie, and the honorable, a… the Counſeller, and the cunning artifice… and the eloquent man. And thus ſay… the Lord: The ſtone which the bui… ders refuſed, the ſame is made the head …f the corner: But vntounto the Iewes he …yth; The kingdome of God ſhall be taken …om you. And this began to be verifiedWhen this breach was commenced, furthered and perfected. …en when Chriſt ſayd: I go away, and … ſhall dye in your ſinnes: Iohn 6. It …s furthered, then, when Paul ſayd; …, wee turne from you to the Gentiles: …ct. 13. 46. And it was perfected then, …en after the deſtruction of the Citie … Titus, they were vtterly depriued of … thoſe bleſſings and commodities both …rituall and temporall, to the horrour …d example of all them that come af…. Thus did the Lord breake downe … wall of his Vineyard, and it was …den downe.