Exposition of Amos 4-9, Part 4 · Section 15
VER. 17.
Therefore thus saith the Lord, thy Wife shall be an Harlot in the City, and thy Sons and Daughters shall fall by the Sword, and thy Land shall be divided by Line, and thou shalt dye in a polluted Land, and Israel shall surely goe into Captivity forth of his owne Land.
IN this Verse we have a dreadful Judgement denounced against this High-Priest of Bethel, consisting of many Branches.
1 Constupration of his Wife, and that openly.
2 Loss of his Children.
3 Loss of his Lands.
4 Loss of his Liberty, and
5 Loss of Israel.
Loe, this is the fruit of silencing Preachers, and forbidding Gods Ministers to Prophesie.
2 Here is the confirmation, or ratification of all this, Dixit Dominus, the Lord hath said it, who will certainly doe it.
Thy Wife shall be an Harlot in the City.
Interpreters are divided about the meaning of these words;Zanah, fornicatus, scortatus fuit. It implies a voluntary act. So Gen. 38.24. Judg. 19.2. Ezek. 13.34. Hos. 4.13, 14. some take them Actively, and the Original seems to favour it, viz. that his Wife should be an open Harlot, and a common Strumpet, not so much forced by Souldiers, as voluntarily addicted to it.
Others take the words Passively, that she should be violently forced and ravished by the Assyrians when they should take the City, according to that threatning against disobedient ones, Deut. 28.30. So Iob 31.10. Isa 13.16. Lament. 5.11.
But if it were violent and involuntary, where were the Harlotry? Thy Wife shall be an Harlot, and to shew her impudency,Grandis dolor incredibilis que ignominia quando maritus in media civitate u…oris injuriam prohibere non potist; non est tanius dolor in filia construpata, quantus in uxore polluta; maritus enim libentius audit uxorem interfici, quam pollut. Hieron. she should act it not in the house, or in the fields, or in a forreign Land, but openly in the City.
This is the first Punishment, the second follows.
2 Thy Sons and thy Daughters shall fall by the sword.
Wicked Parents bring a Curse upon their Children, not only their Cattel, but all their Relations fare the worse for them.
3 Yet this is not all, Thy Land shall be divided by Line. Conquerours were wont to divide every one his Lot and portion by Lines and Cords;Chebel, funis, Metonymyc…s capitur pro parte seu tractu terrae funiculis mensurato. for of old they used Cords instead of Measuring-Rods, to divide their Land. Hence the Lines in Scripture are put for the Inheritance, or portion allotted to every one by Line, Deut. 32.9. 2 Sam. 8.2. Psal. 16.6. Micha 2.5. Thus he should not only lose his Heires, but his Inheritance also.
And thou shalt dye in a polluted Land.
This is the fourth Punishment, Thou shalt dye a Captive in Assyria, which was polluted with Heathenism and Idolatry.
This is reckoned as a Judgement, Levit. 26.38. against Pashur, Jer. 20.6. and Coniah, Jer. 22.25, 26. The Land of Promise was called the Holy Land, and in comparison of it all other Nations were called and counted unclean, and they looked upon it as a misery to be buried in a strange Land, and not in Canaan.
And Israel shall goe into Captivity.
Not only thou, but all Israel whom thou hast helpt to deceive, and hast hardned in their Idolatry and Sin, shall goe into Captivity with thee; and this men get by following Idolaters and Impostors, when the blind lead the blind both fall into the ditch.
Israel shall surely goe into captivity. God will no longer bear with them, since King and Kingdom are setled upon their Lees, and had so long sinned together, now the Lord tells them that they should suffer together, and goe Captives into Assyria as we see 2 King. 15.29. & 17.6, 18, 23, 24. & 18.11. since they had abused that good Land which the Lord had given them, now it should spew them out for their Idolatry.
OBSERVATIONS.
1 God useth to retaliate Sinners, and to pay them in their owne coyn.
This we see here excellently exemplified in Amaziah.
1 He inticed Israel to Idolatry, which is Spiritual Harlotry, therefore his Wife shall be an Harlot.
2 He had destroyed those that were Gods Children by external profession, therefore his Children were destroyed.
3 He made his Goods his God, and was all for gain, therefore now he shall lose all.
4 He that had polluted Gods People, shall now dye in a polluted Land. He that would not follow the true God to his Salvation, shall follow false ones to his own destruction.
2 Silencing and persecuting of Gods faithful Ministers is a God-provoking Sin.
Thou sayest, Prophesie not, what follows? therefore thy Wife, thy Children, thy State, thy Self, and the Land of thy Nativity shall smart for it. Now, if Amaziah paid so dear for endeavouring to silence one faithful Amos, what may they expect who doe actually blow out many burning and shining Lights? &c. let such remember Pashur, Jer. 20.2, 3, 4. and the men of Anathoth,See more on ver. 13. Obs. 1. Ier. 11.21, 22, 23. and Ieroboam the first with his withered hand, which was smitten for stretching it forth against the Prophet, 1 King. 13. and Elimas the Sorcerer, who was smitten blind for opposing the truth, Acts 13.10, 11. never any man hardned himself against God, especially in this kind that ever prospered, Iob 9.4. Amaziah had many other sins, as Idolatry, Superstition, Covetousness, &c. but this Persecuting of Amos was his fatal sin, and ruined both him and his.
3 Wicked Parents bring a Curse upon their Posterity.
God oft punisheth the sins of the Fathers upon the Children, to the third and fourth Generation of them that hate him,See more in Caryl on Job 5.5. p. 200. and on Heb. 11.28. Exod. 20.5. & 34.7. Deut. 28.18, 32, 41. Ier. 29.32. Hieron. on Exod. 34.7. & in my Com. on Hos. 13. ult. p. 80. and Dr. Gorge Lam. 5.7. the seed of evil-doers shall never be renowned, Isa. 14.20.
4 Goods ill gotten seldome prosper.
Malè parta male dilabuntur.Treasures of wickednesse profit not, Prov. 10.2. Amaziah had scraped much wealth together, but his enemies became his heirs. And so it is with many Usurers, and oppressing Cormorants, who treasure up riches for their enemies.
5 Marriage is lawful in Ministers as well as others.
The Apostle tells us, that Marriage is honourable not only in some, but in all sorts and degrees of men, Heb. 13.4. Marriage is honourable foreign in all men, and God himself hath appointed it for the comfort of all degrees, Gen. 1.28. & 2.18. and bids him that cannot contain, marry, 1 Cor. 7.2, 9. none can vow that which is not in his owne power; but continency is the gift of God, Matth. 19.11. all cannot receive this saying, and therefore not only Amaziah here, but the Priests and Prophets in the Old Testament had Wives; Zachariah the Priest hath an Elizabeth to his Wife, and shee descended of the Daughters of Aaron, Luke 1.5. Ieremiah was the Son of a Priest, Ier. 1.1. and Hophni and Phineas the Sons of Eli the Priest, 1 Sam. 1.3. and Iohn Baptist the Son of Zachariah the Priest; yea many of the Apostles had Wives, as Peter, Philip, Iames, and Barnabas, Mat. 8.14. Acts 13.2. Saint Ambrose affirms, that all the Apostles were married save Iohn and Paul, See th…s Point la…gely and learnedly debated. Pro & con, by Mr Bell in his surv…y of Popery Part 3. Char. 3. p. 218, &c. Gravius peccat Sac…dos si uxo…em ducat, quàm si domi concubinam foveat. Coster. Enchirid. cap. 17. propos. 9.and the Apostle expresly saith, that he had power to marry as well as Cephas, 1 Cor. 9.5. and he allows a Bishop to have one wife, Titus 1.6. It is one mark of Antichrist to maintaine that Doctrine of Devils, in forbidding the marriage of Ministers, 1 Tim. 4.1, 3.
This Prohibition of Marriage hath filled the VVorld with VVhoredome, Sodomy, Bestiality and Incest, and therefore Paphnutius a famous Primitive Confessor,Hist. Tripart. lib 2. c. 14. R…ffin. Hist. Eccles. l. 10. c 4. though himself were unmarried, yet mightily perswaded and prevailed with the Nicene Council, that they should not decree any thing against Priests Marriage.
The moderate sort of Papists have allowed of Priests Marriages, as Gratian, Panormitan, and others, even Bellarmine himself confesseth,Copula sacerdotalis, nec legali, nec Evangelicá, nec Apostolicá authoritate prohibetur Gratian. Q. 26. S. 2. Bellar. de Clericis, l. 1. c. 18. See Mr. Chancy his Ser. on Amos 2.11. printed 1655. that there is no Precept in the Old or new Testament against Ministers marriage; and we in England are bound to bless God for the married Clergy. How many Dods, Dykes, Wheatlies, Whitakers, Rogerses, Byfields, &c. and other eminent Lights is this Church furnisht withall, from the pious and reverend Clergy-men of this Land. It is a choyce Mercy to a Land, when the Lord shall raise up from amongst our selves Nazarites to serve in the Sanctuary, Amos 2.11.
Caut. Yet as all persons, so young Ministers especially should not be rash and hasty in their Marriages, but should get a competent Library first, and some gravity and solidity, that they may be able to walk exemplarily before their Flocks, and that they may not dishonour this honourable Ordinance of God, with any levity or vanity.
[For the lawfulness of Ministers Marriage, See B. Hall, Epis. 3. Dec. 2. and his Treatise stiled, The Honour of the Married Clerg. Zegedin loc. com. p. 444. Davenant. Determ. Quest. 43. Perkins 2. Vol. Demonstr. of the Problem, p. 574. Mornay de Missa. l. 2. c. 8. Erasmus Tom. 5. p. 513. D. Willet. Synops. Papis. Error 83. p. 291, &c. ☜ and Mr. Fox Martyrolog. Vol. 2. p. 464, &c. See more in the Index of the Book of Martyrs, in the word Marriage. B. Morton Protest. Appeal, lib. 1. c. 2. Sect. 32. p. 38. ad 46. An…es. Bellarm. enervat. Tom. 2. l. 3. p. 131. Osiand. Enchirid. Controv. contra Pap. Q. 21. p. 417. ad 456. Paraeus in 1 Cor. 7. Q. 3. col. 448, Gerard. Loc. Com. Tom. 6. col. 369. ad 434.
CORONIS.
Hic praesentis Historiae sit usus, ut Amasias, qui hodie sibi in Ecclesia dominium vendicant, caveamus, & constanter retineamus verae fidei confessionem, quam ex Dei verbo didicimus. Gualter.
The end of the Seventh Chapter.