Ver. 1. Hear ye this word] A new sermon, as appeareth by this new O yes; not unlike that of St Paul, Acts 13:16, “Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience”: or rather, that of Diogenes, who cried out at Athens, Ακουσατε ανδρες, Hear, O ye men. And when as (thereupon) a great sort of people resorted to him, expecting some great matter, he looked about him, and said, ανδρας εκαλεσα, ου καθαρματα, I called men, and not slaves. They were no better surely that our prophet had to deal with; “Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers,” Isaiah 1:4, children that were corrupters; they had forsaken the Lord, provoked the Holy One of Israel, they had increased revolt. Hence this onerosa prophetia, this word, this weighty word, this burdensome prophecy. Which I take up against you] Heb. lift up, being scarce able to stand under the burden of it, א שׁ ג, from this א שׁ מ, onus. burden. [See Trapp on “Mal 1:1”] And it is against you, not for you; but that is your own fault; for “do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?” Micah 2:7. Excellently Austin, Adversarius est nobis quandiu sumus et ipsi nobis. The word of God is adversary to none but such as are adversaries to themselves; neither doth it condemn any but those that shall be assuredly condemned by the Lord except they repent. But we have in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, saith the apostle, 2 Corinthians 10:6, and if any man will hurt God’s faithful witnesses, for discharging their duties, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies; and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed, Revelation 11:5, for Elisha had his sword as well as Jehu and Hazael, 1 Kings 19:17. And when Elisha unsheatheth and brandisheth his sword, it is a fair warning that the sword of Jehu and Hazael are at hand, See Hosea 6:5 Jer 1:18. Even a lamentation] Heb. a very bitter lamentation, Ezekiel 19:14, like those of Jeremiah for Judah, or of the mourners in Jerusalem, Ezekiel 9:4, or of Christ weeping over that city, Luke 19:41,42. Or of Paul bewailing his wretched countrymen, Romans 9:3 10:1: or of the two witnesses clothed in sackcloth, Revelation 11:3, the habit of mourners: or of Athanasius, who by his tears (as by the bleeding of a chaste vine) sought to cure the leprosy, and prevent the misery of that tainted age. Heu, heu, Domine Deus, Alas alas, Oh God, God, was the cry of the ancient Christians. Flete nefas magnum, nam toto flebitis orbe (Cardan.). Their books are like that in Ezekiel, written on both sides, and there was written therein, “lamentations, and mourning, and woe,” Ezekiel 2:10. This of Amos was a sad song, a doleful ditty, a lamentable prophecy of Israel’s utter destruction, as it followeth in the second verse, where (prophet-like) he speaketh of it as already done, notwithstanding their present prosperity and tranquillity. And have not England’s turtledoves groaned out for a great while the sad and lamentable tunes of woe and misery to this sinful nation; and plainly foretold what we have felt already, and have yet cause enough to fear. Ah! great be the plagues that hang over England (said Mr Philpot, martyr, long since). Happy shall that person be whom the Lord shall take out of this world, not to see them, &c. And the like said Rogers, our proto-martyr, Bradford, Ridley, Lever, &c., besides the concurrent predictions of God’s faithful servants lately, whose hearts and tongues he hath so guided, as that they all, as one man, have denounced heavy judgments, and taken up loud lamentations against us. Now, as before great storms cocks crow loud and thick: so is it here; and so it should be, Exodus 32:31,32 Jer 18:20 Joe 2:17; else God will be displeased, Ezekiel 13:5 22:30,31.
Ver. 2. The virgin of Israel is fallen] i.e. Though of the spouse of God she be become the devil’s adulteress, Jeremiah 3:1 Ho 1:2, yet she will needs be counted and called a virgin still; as Sardis, she hath a name to live, but is dead, Revelation 3:1; as the Romish crew cry themselves up the only Church Catholic, and therein (like oyster wives) do much outcry us. But what saith the Lord by his prophet Jeremiah, Jeremiah 18:13? “Ask ve now among the heathen; who hath heard such things?” And “the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.” And the virgin of Rome may well say, as Quartilla the strumpet in Petronius doth, Iunonem meam iratam habeam, si unquam me meminerim virginem fuisse: I can hardly remember myself a maid. Israel may also be called a virgin, because she yet subsisted and flourished in her first liberty and splendour, till taken and defloured, as it were, by the Assyrian. And in this sense we read of the virgin of Babylon, Isaiah 47:1; of Egypt, Jeremiah 46:12; of Zidon, Isaiah 23:12; and now of Venice, whose motto is, Intacta maneo, I am still a maid; as having never yet fallen into the enemies’ power. Tournay, a town in France, was ever counted so invincible, that this sentence was engraven over one of the gates, Iannes ton me perdu ton pucellage, Thou hast never lost thy maidenhead. Yet was it yielded up to our King Henry VIII, with 10,000 pounds sterling, for the the citizens’ redemption. The virgin of Israel sped not so well. She is fallen] That is, she shall fall, surely, suddenly, utterly. She shall no more rise] i.e. Return out of captivity, and be restored to her pristine splendour; yet some think otherwise. She is forsaken upon her land] Proiecta est, prostrata iacet, she is thrown hard upon her ground, and as it were dashed against it, like an earthen pot against a rock; and all this, because she had left off righteousness in the earth, Amos 5:7. Those that forsake God shall be forsaken of him, 2 Chronicles 15:2. There is none to raise her up] God will not; and then, man cannot. “Behold,” saith Bildad, “God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he take the ungodly by the hand,” Job 8:20, and he will bring them into trouble, and there leave them, Ezekiel 22:20 29:5. His own he will not leave; or if he do, yet forsake them he will not, Hebrews 13:5; and if men do, he will relieve them the rather. “Because they called thee an outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after; therefore I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord,” Jeremiah 30:17.