A view of the threats and punishments recorded in the Scriptures, alphabetically composed with some briefe observations upon severall texts / by Zachary Bogan ...

Ministers, their Duty.

Ministers, if naught, have cause to feare these ensuing punishments.

Such as are Scandalous, and Corrupters of the word.

Contempt. For thus were the Priests a∣mong the Jewes threatned. But ye are de∣parted out of the way, ye have caused many to stumble at the law: yee have corrupted the co∣venant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. There∣fore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people according as ye have not kept my waies but have been partiall in the law. Mal. 2. 8. 9. In Samuel it is said, even of the servant of the Priests of Belial, Wherefore the sinne of the young man was very great be∣fore the Lord, viz: because it was scandalous: for by this means men abhorred the offering of the Lord. 1. Sam. 2. 17. See Ezek. 22. 26.

Such as Teach false doctrine, whereby they cause the wicked to presume, and the godly to despaire, (a practise very much to be lamented amongst us)

Being by some severe punishment or o¦ther made to leave their function. Wi•• yee pollute mee among my people for hand∣fulls of barley, and for peeces of bread, to slay the soules that should not die, and to save the soules alive that should not live, by your lying

to my people that heare your lies, Ezek. 13. 19. so, ver. 22. you have the same complaint. but it followes vers. 23. Therefore yee shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand, and yee shall know that I am the Lord.

For handfuls of barly, & for pieces of bread.] Hierom saies, this is most properly applied to Teachers of hereticall doctrines: who (as we have frequent experience in these dayes) doe not take whole places of Scripture, but broken pieces here & there, for the confirmation of their errors. His words are these. Non propter chorum & hemichorū hordei, ut in Hosea legi∣mus c. 5. sed propter pugillum hordei quo bruta vescuntur animantia: & fragmentum panis, non panem integrum, nec solida testimonia scri∣pturarum, sed quae haereticâ pravitate fracta & decurtata atque imminuta sunt, & sanctos quosque decipiant & ad mortem trahant, & pec∣catores vanis promissionibus vivificare conten∣dant. See the chapter of False-teachers.

Such as are covetous daubers, and Men-pleasers.

1 Ignorance, and Shame. Thus saith the Lord concerning the Prophets that make my p••ople to erre, that bite with their teeeh, & cry peace, and he that putteth not into their mouthes, they even prepare warre against hjm. therefore night shall be unto you, that yee shall

not divine, and the Sun shall goe down over the Prophets, and the day shall be darke over them. then shall the Seers be ashamed, and the divi∣ners confounded: yea they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer of God, Mic. 3. 5, 6, 7. That bite with their teeth and cry peace] Chald. Par. He that offereth them a feast of flesh; to him they prophecy peace. I am asha∣med to remember, how much it hath been the practise of many, to preach for enter∣tainment, and preferment. They even prepare warre] the Hebrew word will import, sancti∣fie * 1.1 warre: and though I know it be usuall in this sense, yet it puts me in minde of the Popish pretended holinesse, in denouncing warres, and excommunications against such as doe not stop their mouthes, by feeding them with gifts. They shall all cover their lips.] The Sept. translate, they shall all of them curse, for so I chuse to translate their translation, rather then as others do, all shal curse them; because of the Hebrew* 1.2 word for, all, with an affixe after it, signifying all of them reci∣procally: & because of that which follows viz: insteed of, because there is no answer, be∣cause there is none to heare them. Which puts me in minde of what we have known of la∣ter daies especially, both by false teachers amongst themselves, and by Papists from a∣broad; who having endeavour'd to seduce

the people with their false doctrines, when they see it is in vaine, how doe they bite their lips for vexation? If you translate it the other way, there is experience enough of that too, and, I doubt not, there will be more: when those who have been seduced with false doctrines, shall fret themselves, & curse their seducers, and Look upward* 1.3.

2 Destruction. For thus God spake to Ie∣remiah, when he sent him to prophecy to the Jewes, Be not dismaid at their faces, lest I con∣found thee before them, Ier. 1, 17. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. as if he had said, Be not confounded with feare, at their faces, lest I confound thee with destruction, before their faces: so that both thou, and they shall see what a folly it is, to feare men, rather thē God; and how unable they are to protect those that please them, when God who is displeased, is resolved to punish them. The word for dismayd and confound, in the He∣brew is the same; and so likewise the word for their faces, & before thē. which I thought good to intimate, because I have observed in divers places (in the prophecies especially) the like manner of expressing a threat, viz: by the same word, that was mentioned in the sin. perhaps the more to make the persons reflect upon, and keep in memory their sin, to repent of it, and be humbled for it; or to ac∣knowledge

God's justice. So Jer. 28. vers. 17. It is said to Hananiah 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 the Lord hath not SENT thee; and vers. 18, he is threatened thus, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 behold I will SEND thee. (or, I will cast thee,) from off the face of the earth. So ch 23. 26. for abusing and mocking at those words of the Pro∣phets (which they used when they delive∣red their messages) The Burden of the Lord; the people are threatned, that Every man's word shall be his burden* 1.4. so vers. 39, it is said, (if we read according to the Sept. and the Vulgar, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) I will BEARE you quite* 1.5 away, (meaning by captivity:) as if he alluded to the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Burden. I confesse the Vulgar translation in this verse pleases mee well, viz: In carrying I will car∣ry you (Portabo vos portans, &c. agreeing with the Septuagint their 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, answering to their word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which they use for bur∣then:) but not so well in the 33 verse, where they translate for, what burden? I will forsake you: vos estis onus projiciam, quippe vos, yee are the burden, I will fling you off: because I know not how to bring the Hebrew to it, unlesse instead of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 we read (as it is likely the author of that translati∣on did) 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: which are the same letters differently p••aced. The words both of the Latin and Greeke translation

may be thus paraphrased: If the people aske, what is the burden of the Lord? tell them, You are my greatest burden: and so you have beene a long time; but now I will fling you off, saith the Lord. or thus, I have let you lye still for a long time, but now I have taken you up, (as a man will take up a potters vessell) and I will dash you to pieces. for so the Septuagint seeme to have conceived of the meaning of this place; translating, for, I will forsake you, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, i. e. allidam vos, I will dash you in pieces, which is not unsuitable (especially if it were 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉a 1.6, which I thinke properly sig∣nifies breaking one thing with another, whereas 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉b 1.7 is breaking one thing upon another) with what is said vers. 29. of God's word (which he sends by his Prophets) viz. that it is like a hammer, which breaketh the Rocke in pieces. This their translation suites very well with their word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, (the word which they use for burden) comming from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to take. which expression is usually applyed to Prophecies, especially such as were bad; for the Prophets were bid to* 1.8 take up such or such a message, to such or such a people. i. e. either as a burden to lay upon

them; or as a stone, to fling at them. But it is likely, that they did read the Hebrew, not 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, as we read, (which signifies, I will forsake: but 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which signifies, as they translate, I will dash. You may see the like in severall other places, as Hos. 4. 6. &c.

Those words of Micah above quoted, (& the diviners confounded: they shall all cover their lips, ch. 3. 7.) some expound them not of confusion by shame (viz. to see the prophecy of the captivity fulfilled, which they had contradicted:) but of this confusion (as we usually call it) by destruction; making it a proverbiall speech, taken from the custome of covering the faces of such men as were condemned to die, in use (as I thinke) both with Jewes and Gentiles. See Esth. 7. 9. Ezek. 12. 6.

Nehemiah prayed, that God would think upon those Prophets who were hir'd by To∣biah and Sanballat to discourage him from his worke, chap. 6. 14. And Jude pronoun∣ces, Woe, to them that ranne greedily after the errour of Balaam for reward, ver. 11. And therefore certainly such men have cause to feare severe punishment.

Such as are Idle, and neglect their duty,

1 Woe. Necessity is laid upon mee, yea woe

is unto mee if I preach not the Gospel: 1 Cor. 9. 16.

2 God's requiring mens soules at their hands. For thus God told Ezekiel, (whom he made the peoples watchman.) When I say unto the wicked thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warne the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life: the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his bloud will I require at thine hand, Eze. 3. 18. The same wicked man shall die, &c.] Though it were not so; but such a wicked man might be suffered to live; yet such a watchman deserved to die, because his fault is alike though the other's successe be better. If a Sentinell suffer the enemy to come on, & give no warning: though the enemy doe not prevaile, the Sentinell shall lose his life. His bloud will I require, &c.] that is, the spilling of his bloud; or, the losse of his life. Idle Mi∣nisters are soule murderers. He that forbids not to sinne when he may, is as bad as he that bids. So, much more, he that saves not a soule when he may, and when he must too, is as bad as he that destroyes it. His blood] And therefore Paul (where he seemes to mee to rejoyce, like a man that hath narrow∣ly escaped danger of death) when he was going from Miletus, sent for the Elders of Ephesus, and told them, he was pure from

the bloud of all men, because he had not shun∣ned to declare unto them all the counsell of God, Act. 20. 26, 27. (as if otherwise he could not have been so;) and therefore strictly charged them to imitate him; and to ap∣prove themselves pastors indeed, in feeding the flocke: to be guilty of whose bloud was no ordinary murther: in regard that God (for so it is said; wherein the deity of Christ* 1.9 is as clearly proved as by any place that I know) had purchased them with his owne bloud, vers. 28. It would anger a man; if he had beene but at a little cost, or paine, to save a thing, but of a little value; by anothers negligence to have it lost. Read also Act. 18. 6. where you may see the like exulting ex∣pression of the same Apostle to the Jewes at Corinth; when he left preaching to them, and began to preach to the Gentiles.

The Prophet Amos, was so convinced of the danger of being negligent in an Embas∣sie from God, that he wondered how any one could dare, not to tell the people, what the Lord had told him. The Lion hath roared, who will not feare? The Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophecie? Am. 3. 8. The shep∣heards dog, that shall see the foxes, & the wolves, & the Lion himself come roaring close home to the flocke, and never barke; can de∣serve no lesse then hanging. much more if

he fall upon the sheep himselfe, (as those covetous pastours, in the former chapter.) See the comparison of Greedy dogges, Isa. 56. 11.

Ministers, for shame, should not be Idle, were it but for their name's sake; for they are called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, workmen or labourers, Mat. 9. 38. But especially for the company, & helpe which they have, being labourers with God, 1. Cor. 3. 9. But yet I must confesse however, that, as heretofore it was the common fault to be Idle: (not only of such, who had un∣dertaken; but of such who intended to un∣dertake, the worke of the Ministery; inso∣much that we had cause to pray, not onely that God would utterly cast out the Idlers, but violently* 1.10 cast forth the labourers into the harvest:) so now it is the common fault to be over-busie.

Such as are Ignorant.

1 The losse of their sheep, of whom they are to give an account. which is a sad evill, though it may not seeme so; as it is worse, to loose what is another man's, then what is mine own. All the Beasts of the field come to devoure, yea all the beasts in the forrest they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogges, they cānnot bark, &c. Isa, 56. 9. 10. It is able to break a man's heart, to think how many poore ig∣norant

silly soules by reason of the blind∣nesse or carelessenesse of their teachers are 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 (as the Apostles word is) like so many sheep made a prey of, and taken cap∣tive alive by the Divell at his will* 1.11.

Secondly, Removall from their places. Be∣cause thou hast rejected knowledge; I will also reject theee, that thou shalt be no Priest to mee, Hos. 4. 6. This is thought to be spoken to those, who were unlawfully made Priests by Jeroboam, being of the lowest of the peo∣ple, and not of the sonnes of Levi, 1 Kings 12, 31. And therefore let men look to it, who doe not only reject a calling (and so truly* 1.12 take upon them the Ministers office) without which they should not undertake it: but doe also reject knowledge, without which they cannot discharge it.

3 God's forgetting their children: as it followes in the same verse. Seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children. I know not what the main fault is; but (that which the Papists attribute to the unlawfulnesse of their marrying) it hath been generally observ••d, that Ministers are very unhappy in their children; either for wickednes, or poverty; either they forget God only, or else God forgets them too. The sinnes of the Priests (under the Law) were lookt upon as farre greater, then the sinnes of or∣dinary

men: and therefore their offering was to be no ordinary offering; and the ceremo∣nies used about it, no ordinary ceremonies: the offering was to be a Bullocke, and the blood thereof to be sprinkled seven times before the Lord, &c. Lev: 4. 3. 6. So no doubt Ministers sinnes are greater then others, and and shall be more severely punished.

Such as ordaine them.

Have cause to feare their punishments. Especially if they doe it rashly. Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of o∣ther mens sinnes, 1. Tim. 5. 22. Neither be par∣taker of other mens sinnes.] He seems to bid him take heed of this with abundance of caution, as if he meant more to affright him with danger, then disswade him from sinne. To be partaker of other mens sinnes is a thing as dangerous, as it is often committed, and seldome taken notice of. Better sinne thy selfe, then thus be partaker of other mens sin.

Notes

• * 1.1

  So the Septua••. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.2

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 which (if the Septug did not meane so) seemes to be more genu∣inely ren¦dred, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, then 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.3

  Isa. 8. 19, 21.
• * 1.4

  See Such as Mock them.
• * 1.5

  Our tran∣slation is, I will utter∣ly forget you, fetch¦ing the word from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• a 1.6

  From 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• b 1.7

  From 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.8

  This word w••h I TAKE UP (〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) against you, Am. 5. 1. TAKE VP a lamentation, Ezek. 28. 12. So it is said of any unpleasing speech, which a man casts at another; he takes it up; TAKE VP a proverbe against, Isa. 14. 4. and, take up a parable against, Mic 2. 4.
• * 1.9

  His owne name is not mentioued, for foure verses be∣fore.
• * 1.10

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 So the word signifies. which wee render, send forth. Mat. 9. 38. Yet perhaps by this word is no more meant, then by 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which the Sept. many times ren∣der by it: as, 2 Chro. 29. 16, &c.
• * 1.11

  2 Tim. 2. 26.
• * 1.12

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Heb. 5. 4.