The Resurrection Revealed, Book 3 · Chapter 2 · Section 38
SECT. XXXVIII.
FRom the Propheſies of Daniel, next in order, we come to thoſe of the the Prophet Hoſea, wherein the firſt conducing to our main Theſis, is in chap. 1. v. 10, 11. Yet (or for all that, or after that *The foreign here put is of a vaſt comprehenſion, i… the Hebrew language. And therefore may be indifferently rendred as we expreſſe. Only then beſt when neareſt the ſence. Learned Grotius his note is, foreign bis poſitum apud Hebraeos ſape tempora connectit, ita ut Latine per POST QUAM reddatur optimè.) the number of the children of ISRAEL ſhall be as the ſand of the Sea, which cannot be meaſured nor numbered; And it ſhall come to paſſe, that in the place where (or inſtead of that †.Tis well our Tranſlators would at leaſt put in the margin [inſtead of that;] and had done better if they had turned foreign That, not where; which That would have ſerved both readings, as the Hebrew word is oft ſo uſed, although we rather imbrace the Marginal reading, not onelyonly for Grotius his reaſon, that Illud. foreign valer FRO EO QUOD, & ſic multi populi etiam nunc loquuntur [in the place] in the uſuall vulgar languages as well as in the Hebrew, ſignifies as much as we Engliſhmen ſay in our Engliſh ideom [in the room of, or in the ſtead] and imitating the French we ſay [in lieu of that] But principally for this reaſon; that the Prophet ſpeaking of the unmeaſurable and innumerable multitude of Jewes to be brought in to Chriſt, the Prophet could not point at this or that particular place where onelyonly ſome of them were.) it was ſaid unto them, yee are not my people, there (or leave out this there, not being in the Hebrew) it ſhall bee ſaid unto them, YEE ARE THE SONNES OF THE LIVING GOD. Then ſhall the children of JUDAH, and the children of ISRAEL bee GATHERED TOGETHER, and appoint themſelves ONE HEAD, and they ſhall come up out of the land; for great ſhall be the day of Jezreel.
§. 1 Leaſt the memories of any might miſtake, and ſtumble by like ſound of ſeverall Scriptures, let them heed well that this place of Scripture is not in any part or intent thereof, a minceing or littleing of the number of them of Iſrael that ſhall be ſaved (that the Apoſtle alledgeth: Rom. 9.27. out of Iſaiah chap. 10. v. 22.) Though few of them (as Iſaiah means) comparatively conſidered in relation to many paſt generations, wherein they have laine blind, and not owned Chriſt, ſhall be ſaved; yet looked upon abſolutely, as they are and ſhall be exſtant and ſurviving at Chriſts next appearance, or generall call of them, there ſhall be an innumerable multitude that ſhall be ſaved. And this is the intent, and to this pitch are formed the high phraſes of the prophet Hoſea, that thoſe of them that ſhall be called Gods people, ſhall be as the ſands of the Sea unmeaſurable, and innumerable, NOTWITHSTANDING that in former ages they were caſt off, and called of God [YEE ARE NOT MY PEOPLE.]
§. 2 So that Vatablus doth well hit the naile on the head, when he ſaith upon this place, foreign erit autem; ſolent Prophetae, &c. i. e. But it ſhall come to paſſe that the number of the children of Iſrael ſhall be as the ſand, &c. The Prophets are wont after they have threatned, by and by to ſubjoyn conſolation: Therefore this Text ought to be underſtood of beleeving ISRAEL, the true ſonnes of Abraham. As if the Prophet ſhould ſay, this that I ſpake before (in way of threatning) ought to be underſtood of thoſe that ſhall remaine in unbeleefe. For otherwiſe, the number of the children of Iſrael ſhall be as the ſand of the Sea, &c. For all the Iſraelites ſhall not periſh; yea, the number of the ſons or children of the Church ſhall be exceeding great.
§. 3 But to wind our ſelves a little deeper into the ſence of the text, that we may draw up thence the golden oare of comfortable inferences; ISRAEL muſt at leaſt ſignifie the Ten Tribes; (Hierom ſaith all twelve) our prophet naming ISRAEL and JUDAH diſtinctly in ver. 11. And in ver. 4. He ſets forth the Kingdome of Iſrael (conſiſting of the ten Tribes) by Jehu their King; threatning for his pouring out of the blood of the family of Ahab (his predeceſſor, King of Iſrael) in Jezreel, the royall City, where the Kings of Iſrael dwelt.
§. 4 The number of theſe ten Tribes (that are to come in, to make up the glorious Church on their part, in the laſt times) muſt not (ſaith our Text) be a ſmall number, a picking, or gleaning of a few, here, and there, but muſt be a moſt mighty multitude, even as the ſand of the Sea, that cannot bee meaſured, or numbered. A mighty expreſſion.
§. 5 The ſtate to which theſe Iſraelites ſhall be reſtored, ſhall not onelyonly be a goodly temporall eſtate, in their owne Land (as it is intimated in the next verſe, viz. the eleventh) but unto a gracious ſpirituall ſtate of converſion, this being the introduction to that; ſo that they ſhall be truely called Gods people, and the Sonnes of the living God; though before they were ſaid [not to be his people.]
§. 6 The height that this ſhall amount to is this, in theſe ſteps; That theſe ten Tribes of Iſrael being converted, they with the two Tribes called Judah ſhall Firſt, Be gathered together: Secondly, Appoint themſelves one Head, in common over them all; Thirdly, Shall come up out of the Land. Hebrew foreign up out of the earth, or from the earth, where ever they were ſcattered. Fourthly, It muſt be to returne into their owne land, even to Jezreel &c. named in the Text. To which two laſt ſteps Vatablus notes well. foreign From the earth (ſaith he) that is, from under captivity; that is, they ſhall be delivered from under captivity. For they that returned from captivity were ſaid to aſcend up out of the earth, or land of their capivity. Oecolampadius alſo ſaith, that from the land, or earth, ſignifies from that diſperſion, 1 Pet. 1.1.
§. 7 This HEAD they ſhall appoint over both, is variouſly expounded; the moſt are lead away by the aptneſſe of the terme, and truth of the thing in ſome ſence, that Chriſt is here meant to be the Head. But whether this be the ſence of the Prophet I doubt: partly becauſe, by the order of the Text they had Chriſt for their ſpirituall head afore, being by his means (Act. 4.12. Joh. 1.12.) made the ſonnes of God: partly becauſe this Head is but to lead them up from their diſperſion, in oppoſition to the way-laying Turke, that they may come into their owne Country, there to ſit downe under Chriſts Regiment in his viſible Kingdome. In which expedition whether Chriſt will be a perſonally viſable, or a viſible perſonall conductor, I doe not know. If he would, I am apt to thinke that the ſtruggle againſt the Jewes enemies the Turke, &c. need not be ſo long as five and forty yeares, according to Daniel 12.11, 12. The Chalde paraphraſe ſaith that this Head ſhall be foreign one Prince, or Cheifetain: of the houſe of David. R. Jarchi ſaith David: likely to the ſame ſence as the Chalde. Grotius ſaith Zorobabel. And Aben Ezra names another. And Alapide another. And our new Annotations doe not ſpeake abſolutely that only Chriſt is here meant, but cautiouſly, thus, one Head of the houſe of David, Hereby is PRINCIPALLY meant the Meſsiah Chriſt, the Head of the Church. So they. Now it is a true rule, ſubordinata non ſunt contraria. I confeſſe, ſeeing after their call to the faith, (for till then they ſtirre not,) they gather together, and they appoint, and this for their orderly and ſafe returne; I can thinke no other to be here meant, then ſome worthy fit man, to be their Commander in cheife. At the ſound of the ſeventh Trumpet, Chriſt takes his Kingdome Revel. 11.15. The laſt wraſtling of the Church againſt their enemies to ruine them, is (it ſeems to me) in the latter end of the ſixth Trumpet, Rev. 11.13. And juſt ſo is the order of the Vialls, Rev. 16. viz. to deſtroy the Beaſt: ſee the expoſition, Rev. 17.1. and chap. 18. and chap. 19. And then Satan is bound, and the Saints reigne with Chriſt chap. 23. As for Chriſts ſpirituall headſhip, it doth as well make other places great in the day of their call, as it doth Jezreel: Of which next.
§. 8 The eminency of this expedition is, that great ſhall be the day of Jezreel, which is brought in as a reaſon, and proofe (Heb. foreign Chalde foreign Sept. foreign, Latines all ſuitable, quia) BECAUSE great ſhall be the day of Jezreel; That is, whereas (ſaith God) I took away the Kingdome of Iſrael, for the blood ſhed in Jezreel.
1. Of the blood of Naboth by Jezabel.
2. Of the blood of Jezabel by Jehu, he doing it extrajudicially, for his owne ends, to eſtabliſh the Kingdome to himſelfe, and ſet up, or at leaſt, continue Idolatry; not for Gods ends, to rule for him, and ſet up Reformation;
now great ſhall be the day of delivering Jezreel; that is, of Iſrael both by a Synechdoche, a part for the whole, Jezreel being the royall City of Iſrael: as alſo by the notation of the word Jezreel; which Jerom interprets the ſeed of God: for ſuch the Iſraelites ſhall be through Chriſt his ſonne, at their great call. And others interpret, the ſowing, or ſcattering of God (to which our new Annotations incline (and ſo Jezreel ſhall be Iſrael, viz. they having been ſowne or ſcattered into all Countryes as ſeed into ſo many fields, ſhould be brought together in the granary of their owne Country, as ſeed growne up to ripe corne at the time of Harveſt. And ſo the Chalde renders it, Great ſhall be the day of their gathering together. For Iſrael of a Jezreel a ſcattering, ſhall againe be an Iſrael, a Prevailer with God. I omit many other notations of the name Jezreel, as rather purſuing matter, and that which is moſt pertinent.
§. 9 The Text is now ready for inferences, but onelyonly I would interpoſe the thoughts of a late learned writer upon this place, as glad of his company as far as he goes my way. It is Dr. Mayer; Who having quoted divers Authours, as Auſtine, Hierome, Lyra, Calvin, and Gualter, varying more or leſſe from the literall ſence, turns againſt them all upon ſound reaſon thus. I ſee no reaſon ſaith he) why by Jezreel may not be underſtood the Kingdome of the Ten Tribes, and their day of converſion ſaid to be a great day; ſeeing the firſt ſon of Hoſea by his wife had his name Jezreel, that herein he might figure out this Kingdome; which thought it ſelfe ſtrong, but for ſinne was adjudged to diſſipation; yet being by Gods mercy gathered together againe with Judah, under the Goſpell, Iſrael ſhould be as famous and honourable, as before miſerable, and infamous; and the day when this ſhould be done, ſhould be counted a great day of Jezreel; formerly ſo called in deriſion, but now ſeriouſly, they coming to be the ſeed of God, as it is expreſſely faid, they ſhall be called the Sons of the living God; and therefore I reſt in this, it is here propheſied, that not onelyonly ſome of the Kingdom of Judah, who returned from the Babyloniſh captivity, ſhall imbrace the faith of Chriſt, thus becoming the ſons of God, Joh. 1.12. which began alſo to be fulfilled in the Apoſtles, and ſeventy Diſciples ſent out to preach, and in thouſands of other faithfull people of the Jews, of whom we read Act. 2. Act. 5 Act. 21. But moreover it is propheſied of the Kingdome of Iſrael, ſo long continuing no people, that the time ſhall come, that they ſhall be enlightned alſo, and come up, or aſcend to this high honor out of the Land, wherein they have ſo long lain dead, as it were; for which, Saint Paul calleth their converſion a reſurrection from the dead; and Ezekiel chap. 37. ſets it forth by the reviving of dead bones. And ſaith Dr. Mayer, a little above this, "Here (ſaith he) it ſeemeth plainly propheſied, that not onelyonly Juda, but alſo Iſrael, even they of the Ten Tribes, who were formerly divided from the Kingdom of Judah, ſhould return out of the Land, whereunto they were carried, and then be united under one King, Chriſt Jeſus, never to be divided any more. And about their uniting under him, the Prophet ſpeaketh ſo, as that it cannot be underſtood ONELYONLY OF SOME OF THE TEN TRIBES, who lived mixt with Judah, but of them that were never before, after their diviſion, again mixed, till the time here ſpoken of: For it is ſaid, They ſhall gather themſelves together; intimating they lived at a diſtance, all the time afore, and appoint over them one head; intimating that they did not ſo till now. And therefore Saint Paul ſpeaketh ſo confidently, that there ſhall come a time of their converſion, Rom. 11.25. applying hereunto, Iſai 59.20. ſpeaking of the Redeemer coming to Zion, and to Jacob; as here both are comforted by the like promiſe. So Doctor Mayer.
§. 11 Now lay altogether, and think if you can, with any ſhew of reaſon, that this Text hath been duly fulfilled according to the purport thereof, to this very day, ſince the firſt ſcattering of the Ten Tribes; For when, ever ſince that, to this time, was there ſuch a multitude of Iſrael, like the ſands of the Sea, &c, gathered from all the Earth, and called the ſons of the living God; and they and Judah to put themſelves under one Head, and returning to their own countrey, are ſetled in Chriſts viſible Kingdom? The Apoſtle Paul in his time, tells us, Rom. 11.25. That even to that very then, that blindneſs in part was happened to Iſrael; ſo that the converſion of the fulneſs of them was to his time, ſtill behinde; As in Acts 13.46. & 28.25. we have inſtances.
§. 12 It is true, That the ſame Apoſtle Paul, in the ſame Epiſtle to the Romans, but two Chapters afore, viz. Rom. 9. doth cite in Verſ. 25, 26. this place of Hoſea, Chap. 1. v. 10, 11. But to what effect, and degree? The Text and Context (if we keep cloſe to that) will plainly ſhew us.
1. The effect to which Paul alledgeth it, is to ſhew us, the riches of Gods glory on the veſſels of mercy, in them whom he calls, not onelyonly of the Jews, but alſo of the Gentiles, as he ſaith in Hoſea; and where it is evident (let ſome Authors talk what they pleaſe that the Apoſtle in this ninth to the Romans, mindes chiefly the call of the Jews: Inſomuch, that he did ſuſpect others, leaſt they ſhould ſuſpect him to mean onelyonly the Jews; For ſo the very phraſe here [Not ONELYONLY of the Jews, but ALSO of the Gentiles] doth plainly ſhew. As if the Apoſtle ſhould ſay, leaſt any ſhould think by my diſcourſe, that I mean onelyonly the Jews, take notice, That I exclude not the Gentiles. For moſt evidently his heart was carried out mainly in this Chapter, towards the Jews, as ye have it there before your eyes; For Verſ. 1. he begins as paſſionately affected, for the converſion of the Jews, ready even to wiſh himſelf accurſed, for their ſalvation; and ſo goes on minding them to Verſ. 16. yea, never mentioning or hinting the Gentiles, but twice in all the Chapter, and that is Verſ. 24. & 30. But concludes the Chapter touching the Jews. And in the next Chapter, viz. the tenth, he is mainly upon the ſtate of the Jews; and again in the eleventh Chapter. Adde to all, That the Apoſtle prevents our drowning this multitude of Iſrael to be ſaved, according to Hoſea, in our main comprehenſion of the Gentiles converſion; in that, preſently to the quotation of Hoſea, he addes a citation or two, out of the Prophet Iſaiah, that are even altogether concerning the Jews.
2. For the degree of the preſent ſtate of the call of the Jews; When Paul in that ninth to the Romans, quoted this place of Hoſea, it is moſt evident, that the Apoſtle did not think that then when he quoted it, that it was commenſuratly fulfilled, according to the comprehenſiveneſs of the Prophets phraſe. For after he had ſaid, Verſ. 24. That God hath ſhewed the riches of his glory, even on US whom he hath CALLED, not onelyonly of the Jews, but alſo of the Gentiles; he cloſeth up this ninth Chapter with a Na…rative, how ISRAEL had not attained to the Law of Righteouſneſs, becauſe they ſought it not by Faith, but as it were by the Works of the Law; and begins the next Chapter, viz. the tenth, with this, That his deſire and prayer to God was, that ISRAEL might be ſaved, and cloſeth up that tenth Chapter, with the complaint that God thitherto had ſtretched forth his hand to Iſrael a gain-ſaying People, all the day long, all in vain. And the buſineſs of the next Chapter, viz. the eleventh is Pauls propheſie, that in aftertimes All ISRAEL ſhall be ſaved, when the fulneſs of the Gentiles ſhall come. Therefore moſt clearly, Pauls minde in this quotation of Hoſea, in the ninth of the Romans, was not, that it was then fulfilled proportionably to the minde of the Prophet, in the compariſon of the ſand of the Sea; but onelyonly ſome firſt-fruits of Iſrael were then brought in.
§. 12 Beſides, let ſome ſtrain this ninth to the Romans unto the vocation of the Gentiles, what they can, ſo as they tear not to peeces the main body of the Text, that (as Calvin and Paraeus note) contains this vocation of the great number of the Jews and Gentiles, to be not onelyonly unto ſalvation, but into union; and then let them, if they can, even from thence declare unto me, when ever yet was this Propheſie of Hoſea juſtly fulfilled? when did ever any eye behold any conſiderable number, or incorporated body of Gentiles, joyned, in a Religious notion, as under one Head, Chriſt, unto any numerous Body, or Church of Jews? For this the leaſt that can be made (according to their principle) or nothing can be made of this Text, and keep the Text entire.