The Song of the Beloved Concerning His Vineyard, Part 2 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
Firſt, the louelove and merciemercy of God is expreſſed in theſe words: viz.
My Beloued had a Vineyard, verſe 1.
IN this Song or Parable, we heare the Prophet to tell of a certaine Vinitor or husbandman, and of his Vineyard: of the place of the Vineyard, of the hedging, cleanſing, and planting thereof with the beſt plants, and of a Towre and a Winepreſſe builded and made therein: of all the which, I mind and God will to ſpeake in order. For albeit that (after the iudgement of ſome men) it is not neceſſary that we ſhould exquiſitely ſift eueryevery word, or that the Allegories of the ſame ſhould be expounded: thinking it enough that only by the words we ſhould generally …nderſtand the Lords louelove and mercy to …is people, and their vnkindneſſe toward▪ …im: yet hauehave I thought it meete and …nuement to examine eueryevery word par…icularly, and thereof in the feare of God) …o yeeld the ſenſe, as of an Allegorie or Parable which cannot wel be vnderſtood without an expoſition: and that the ſoo…er, becauſe it may appeare euen to the …gnorant and vnlearned, with how many …ich and particular bounties the Lord had …leſſed and beawtified the people of Iſrael, and how carefull, prouident and watchfull he was ouer them at all times: …a vehement Argument to hauehave ſtirred them to thankefulneſſe. Neither ſhould we be ingratefull to the Lord, when (the rather by the cōſideration of theſe things) we meditate of the Lords louelove and mercies towards our ſelues, the which in very deede hauehave bene, and be right plentifull and moſt apparant in this our time.
1. Firſt therefore, in that the Lord GodThe Vinitor and his Vineyard. likeneth himſelfe to a man, and ſpeaketh after the maner of a man, thereby applying himſelfe and his words to our infirme and groſſe capacities, it argueth his louelove and fauour to man, who, as a Father louing and liking his little Sonne, will etiam in baculo equitare (as they ſay) ſhew himſelfe as a childe to teach his childe. And thereof ſingeth the Pſalmiſt: Who is like vntounto the Lord our God, that hath his dwelling on high? who yet abaſeth himſelfe to behold things in heauen and in earth? And who can but wonder with the ſame, that conſidereth how the Lord ſo highIſa. 9. and wonderfull vouchſafeth to encline himſelfe to our condition, to humble himſelfe to teach and inſtruct vsus: to be mindfull of vsus: to regard vsus? But yet, more apparant is his louelove and merciemercy to his people, in that he likeneth himſelfe not onelyonly to a man, but alſo to an huſbandman: yea, to a wiſe, carefull, and painefull Vinitor, and his people toGod is as a Vinitor. his Vineyard, which is alſo oftentimes ſpoken and repeated in the holy Scriptures.
2. There is not (in all the Scriptures) a meeter Compariſon to ſet forth the louelove and mercies of God to mankinde: for, as there is not any poſſeſſion of the husbandman more pretious and deareA notable compariſon to expreſſe the louelove of God to man. vntounto him, then is his Vineyard: ſo nei…her any, that requireth the like prouidence, care, labour, and dayly regard. By this the Lord would teach, that the people of Iſrael and Iudah were not only vntounto himſelfe a pretious inheritance: but alſo, that himſelfe hath a ſpeciall louelove, liking, and regard of the ſame, to conſolate and embolden them in all afflictions that put their truſt in him, and to ſtirre them vp to expreſſe their thankfulneſſe, by bringing forth and yeelding vntounto him the fruites of righteouſneſſe.
And ſuch a thing intended our Sauiour when he ſayd to his diſciples: I am the Iohn. 15. 1. 5. 8.Vine, and my father is the Husbandman. Againe: I am the Vine, and yee are the Branches. Againe, Herein is my Father glorified, that yee beare much fruite, and become my diſciples. This ſimilitude doth aptly ſet forth the louelove and merciemercy of God to his people: but to amplifie and enlarge the ſame, the Prophet bringeth in certaine particulars, numbring vp certain ſpecial benefites that the Lord of his goodnes had beſtowed on his Vineyard: that is, on the people of Iſrael and Iuda…
3. Obiection. But here it is ſaid: What? is no… God the Lord of all people, kindreds, an… Pſal. 24. 1.tongues? ſayth not the Pſalmiſt: Th… Earth is the Lords, the plenty of the round world, and they that dwell therein? HowGod is ſayd to hauehave one Vineyard: and how? Anſwere. then is it ſayd, that God hath this one Vineyard? as if therefore in reſpect of this one, all other Nations did nothing belong vntounto him? I anſwere: As thoſe things which men affect, and vſe either little or nothing, are ſayd to be not their owne, in reſpect of thoſe things which they moſt louelove and vſe dayly; ſo, albeit the Lord knoweth who be his, and hath alſo other ſheepe which are not of this folde, yet becauſe it pleaſed the Lord to elect & chooſe thoſe ſheepe of the houſe of Iſrael from and before all others, and to fauour and feede them with right good paſture, and to be preſent and dayly helping them, and to accompt and recken them for his peculiar people: therefore they are called his Vineyard: his ſheepe, and his peculiar people, and he is called their God.
4. And indeed, the Lord God hath not one only Vineyard, but many Vineyards,God hath many Vineyards: but yet one aboue all: euen of and among the Gentiles alſo: And the time is come, that thoſe ſheepe which are without, are alſo both called and brought into the right ſheepfold vnderunder the chiefe Shepheard, according to that deſire of Noah whē he prayed thus, O that God would perſwade Iaphet to dwell in the Tabernacles of Shem! But vntill that came to paſſe, the Gentiles were excluded (as it were) from the people of God, and the Iſraelites were chiefely accompted and called the Vineyard of the Lord, as the ſame of whom he had moſt regard, and to whome he expreſſed his louelove by large benefits before all other Nations, as Eſdras alſo ſayd to the moſt high. O Lord, Lord of eueryevery foreſt of the 2. Eſd. 5. 23.earth, and of all the trees thereof, thou haſt choſen thee one onelyonly Vineyard: And of all lands of the world, thou haſt choſen thee one pit: and of all the flowers of the ground, thou haſt choſen thee one Lilly: and of all the depthes of the Sea, thou haſt filled thee one Riuer: and of all builded Cities, thou haſt ſanctified Sion to thy ſelfe. And among all the fowles that are created, thou haſt named thee one Doue: and of all the cattell that are made, thou haſt appointed thee one Sheepe: and among all the multitude of people, thou haſt gotten thee one people: and vntounto this people (whom thou loueſt) thou gaueſt a law, which is approued of all. And this is approued by many teſtimonies and examples in the Law, in the Prophets, in the Pſalmes, and in the Goſpell.
5. In this reſpect Chriſt ſayd to the Syropheniſſan, It is not meete to giuegive the bread which belongeth to the children vntounto dogs. Mat. 10. 5. 6.Againe, I am not come, but to the loſt ſheepe of the houſe of Iſrael. And ſending forth his Diſciples, he charged them ſaying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into the Cities of the Samaritanes enter ye not: But go rather to the loſt ſheepe of the houſe of Iſrael. This was (I ſay) vntill the time of the Gentiles, who then alſo came by faith, and made a challenge of the merits of Chriſt, according as the Prophets, and Salomon in his Songs had propheſied. Of this alſo, Peter, by the viſion he ſawe was fully certified, and Paule to the Romanes, Chap. 11. at large diſputeth.
But the purpoſe of the Prophet wasThe purpoſe of th… Prophet. …o ſet forth the louelove and merciemercy of God, …hiefely towards the houſe of Iſrael and …he Iewes, whom he had wonderfully …leſſed and enriched with benefites, and …nto whom the Prophet preached and …xpounded, and applyed the Parable …ccordingly.