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Apostates, even whole nations may just∣ly feare, 1. Gods heavy wrath. Ezra told the King of Babylon, the hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him, that is, that seek him constantly, for it fol∣lows, but his power and his wrath is against
all them that forsake him, Ezra 8. 22. his power & his wrath &c. If Gods wrath edge his power, and his power back his wrath; then wo to that man, or nation with whom he is angry. See also Psalm 78. 57. 58. where they are compared to a broken bow.
2 Ʋnavoidable punishment, though their apostacy be never so secret. If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange God, shall not God search this out? For he knoweth the secrets of the heart Ps. 44. 20, 21. And yet sometimes Gods anger against this sin is so great, that as if punishment were too good for it, he re∣solves to throw away the rod, and not to punish, which is the worst punishment of all; They have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the holy one of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward, why should yee be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more, Isa. 1. 4. 5.
3 Being depriv'd of Gods ordinances, & publike worship. God appeared to Solomon in a vision by night, and told him, But if ye turne away and forsake my statutes and com∣mandements which I have set before you, and shall goe and serve other Gods, and worship thē then will I pluck them up by the roots (them insteed of you; Mark how he* 1.2 changes the Pronoune, as if he were so angry at the very
mention of this sin, as to turne away from them) out of my land which I have given thē; and this house which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a Proverb, and a by-word to all nations, 2. Chron. 7. 19. 20. It was said to the Angel of Ephesus. Neverthelesse I have some∣what against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and doe thy first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, & will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. Rev. 2. 5.
4 God forsaking of them. (which is but retaliation for their forsaking of him) God said to Moses concerning the Israelites, When thou art dead, this people will forsake me, & break the covenant which I have made with them: Then my anger shall be kindled a∣gainst them in that day; and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, &c. Deut. 31. 16, 17. The spirit of God in Azariah thus spake to King Asa: The Lord is with you, while ye be with him, and if ye seek him, hee will be found of you; but if you forsake him, he will for¦sake you, 2. Chron. 15. 2. See chap. 12. 5.
5 Conquest and Captivitie. In the book of Judges, in most places where there is mention made of any Conquest had over
the Israelites, you shall find this mentioned for a reason, viz. that the people forsooke, or forgat the Lord their God. See chap. 3. 7. and chap. 10. 6, 7. 9, 10. 11. &c. When Reho∣boam had establishd the kingdome, and had strengthned himselfe, he forsook the Law of the Lord, and all Israel with him: & it came to passe that in the fift yeare of Rehoboam, Shi∣shak King of Egypt came up against Jerusa∣lem, because they had transgressed against the Lord. 2. Chr. 12. 1. 2. See vers. 5. So the spirit of God in Zachariah told King Ioash, and his Princes, Because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you, 2. Chron. 24. 20. and according to his word, the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, & the Lord delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their Fathers: So they executed* 1.3 judge∣ment against Israel, vers. 24.
6 Destruction. Thou hast forsaken mee saith the Lord, thou art gone backward; ther∣fore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary* 1.4 with repen∣ting. Jeremiah. 15. 6. Tis spoken to the Jews. so chap. 16. 11. the Prophet is bid to an∣swer the people, if they asked him the rea∣son
of Gods judgements upon them, thus, Because your Fathers have forsaken me, saith the Lord and have walked after other Gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law: Forsaken me is repeated; as if it went very neere Gods heart to be forsaken by a people whom he had chosen: or as if going to other Gods, did not anger him so much as going from him, or forsaking him. Under the old Testament, when God made the Law that if any one enticed another to wor∣ship Idols he should be stoned to death, hee added this for a reason of the punishment, or at least for an aggravation of the sin, viz: because he hath sought to thrust thee a∣way from the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage, Deut. 13. 10. See the words of Hezekiah, 2. Chron. 29. 6, 7, 8. Psal. 13. 27.
Particular persons, as Kings and others, have been punished or threatned.
1 With being murdered. And he forsook the Lord God of his Fathers, and walked not in the way of the Lord. And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and slew the King in his own house, 2. King. 21, 22, 23. Speaking of Amon King of Israel. After the time that Amaziah did turne away from following the Lord, they made a conspiracy a∣gainst
him in Jerusalem, and he fled to La∣chish: but tbey sent to Lachisb after him, and slew him there 2 Chron: 25, 27.
2 Being left to ruine themselves in their owne wayes. The backe slider in heart shall be filled with his owne wayes Proverbs, 14, 14.
3 Impenitency, and incurablenes. It is impossible* 1.5 for those who were once enlightned, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and and were made pertakers of the holy ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the pow∣ers of the world to come. (who have gon so farre, and received so many good things) If they shall fall, to renew thē unto repentance Hebr: 6, 4, 5, 6. If they shall fall &c. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, not fall forward viz: remaining still in the right way: but fall aside, into another way: fall off, or fall away viz: by a totall de∣fection, and revolting* 1.6 from the Faith. for otherwise, if it should be ment of only sin∣ning againe as the Syriack translation ren∣ders, (unlesse it mean that great sin where∣of we speake called in Hebrew Maal, a Sin, and usually renderd by the Septuagint 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉* 1.7 * Apostacy) it were a very hard saying, and who could heare it?
4 Rejection.—if thou continue in his good∣nesse: otherwise thou shalt bee cut* 1.8 of. Rom. 11, 22.
5 Noe pardon (if they sin wilfully and a∣gainst knowledge) For if wee sin wilfully af∣ter wee have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice* 1.9 for sin. Heb: 10. 26. and so verse. 38 If any man draw* 1.10 back my Soule shall have no plea∣sure in him. David in his charge to his Sonne Solomon told him, If thou seek him hee will be found of thee; But, if thou forsake him, hee will cast thee of for ever: 1 Chron. 28. 9.
6 Distruction temporall, and eternall. Con∣sider this, yee that forget God, least I tea•• you in peices and there be none to deliver Ps. 50 22. Wee are not of them that draw back to perdition Heb: 10. 39. Those wandring starres (to whom is reserved the blacknesse•• of darknesse for ever Jude. 13.) are by the glosse interpreted Apostates; and it 〈◊〉〈◊〉 thought to be meant of the Corpocratian•• who denie the Divinity of Christ. No•• only if a man doe returne back▪* 1.11 but if h•• doe but looke back, it may bee as much a•• his life is worth (as it was with Lots wife
Remember Lot's wife. Luke. 17. 32.) Noe man having put his hand to the Plow, and looking back, if fit for the Kingdome of God Luke the 9. 62. How grevious a thing A∣postatizing, or back sliding, is in the sight of God, may be gathered by his angry expres∣sions concerning it; especially such as we find in the Prophets directed to the Jewes calling them grievous revolters* 1.12 Jerem: 6, 28 &, Trecherous Judah, four times in one chap∣ter, viz: chap: 3. v. 7. 8. 10. 11. verse 20. He compares them to a wife that leaves her husband: And therefore his anger against this sin being exceeding great is usually cal∣led by the name of Jealousy (which is the greatest anger that can be,* 1.13 and the hardest to be appeased) as you may see in an hun∣dred places Deut. 32. 16. &c. The very heathen their constancy to their Idols, will rise up in judgement against them that for∣sake God, Hath a Nation changed their Gods which are no Gods? But my People have changed their glory* 1.14 for that which doth doth not profit. Jer. 2. 11.
I will punish all such as are clothed in strange apparell: Zeph. 1. 8. Se Isa 3. 18, to the end. Jonathan the Chaldee Paraphrast makes these words to have been spoken of Idola∣try: sayes he, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 translated, qui perstrepunt ad cultum Idolo∣rum that make a noyse at the worsbip of I∣dols. I believe hee meanes shouting and clapping of hands and such like expressions of exultation and joy, in use, not only a∣mongst the Gentiles, but among the Jewes themselves, when they went about Di∣vineworship. Psalme 55. verse, 14, where wee translate, wee walked into the house of God in Company; the Septuagint, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, with consent; the Vulgar, in terrore, infeare; the anonymous Paraphrast, in hast; the word in the Original is of the same roote with the word which this Paraphrast here useth: viz. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which signifies also noise & it is not un∣likely that the Prophet meant it of no other noise then 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, shouting & clapping of hands, that which he so often speakes of (make a joyfull noise unto the Lord &c. Ps. 66. 1. Ps. 95, 1, 2. Ps. 98, 4, 6. Ps. 100, 1. Ps. 47, 15.) I beleive we may doe well if we joine the exposition of this Paraphrast (for such his Paraphrase is many times, being no∣thing neer so bare a translation as that of
Onkelos) with our translation, and thence gather a reproofe both of Idolatry, and and wearing strange apparell together: In regard it is not unlike that the* 1.15 Jewes had learnt of the Gentiles to worship the Moone (whom they both called the Queene of* 1.16 Heaven;) the men in womens, and the Woman in Men's apparell: the reason whereof was, because they tooke the Moone, whom they made the same with Venus, to have been both a man and a wo∣man (for she is as well one as the other,) and you shall finde in old Authors Lunus as well as Luna.
See also Christ de∣nyed, and Relapse.
Such changes are usuall in threat∣ning ex∣pressions.
The La∣tine transla¦tion igno∣miniosa exercuere judicia, executeth disgrace∣full judg∣ments for because of his Apo∣stacy, he was buried only with his fathers, as other ordinary men were, and not in the sepul∣chers of the Kings, 2. King. 12. 21.
Laboravi rogans (the Latine translation) I am weary of intrea∣ting, as if they were the Prophets words resolving to intreat no more for their peace, See v, 5.
For these words es∣pecially the Church of Rome (who was more milde to∣wards those that fell, then o∣ther chur∣ches) for a long time refus∣ed to ad∣mit the E∣pistle to the Hebrews into the number of Canonicall bookes: for it was their practise to receive into Communion againe after long repentance such as had fallen after baptisme, though they had committed Idolatry: which occasiond the schisme of Novatus, and Novatianus
By which name the sin of apostacy is usually called. Esa: 31, 6. Jer: 5, 23. &c.
2 Chr: 28, 19, c. 33, 19. & 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. ch: 29, 19.
God's 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
Gro∣••ius upon this place smells of Poland and Rome too: per nullas vi∣ctimas ali∣as as bo∣nam fru∣gem revo∣cabuntur, ut veniam consequi possint.
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 pull a∣way the shoulder: Zach: 7. ••1. Like a backslid∣ing heifer in the yoke Hos: 4. 16.
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifies alsoe the things that are behind, for thou•••• they be good, we should with Paul forget them, and be still pressi•• and stretching forward toward the goale: Phil: 3. 14.
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Cheifest of revolt∣ers or their Princes are revol∣ters as Hos. 9. 15. if the first 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 be for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 els revolt∣ing revol∣ters:
Prov. 6. 34. for Jealousy is the rage of a man therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
The Cald. Paraphrast, But my people have forsaken my wor∣ship, for which I bring glory to them. It seemes in his time it was 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 their glory, but at first (they say) it was 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 my glory; the Jewes having thus alterd it, lest the glory and majesty of God should be vili••id, So Chebodam for Chebodo Ps. 106, 20.
See Clo∣thes.
It is not unlikely, that by Mal∣cheth ha▪ Shamaiim which signi∣fies Queen of Heaven: Jer: 7, 18. was meant the moone, who was called also Baaleth and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which signifies, Lady. nor that by Molech which signifies King, and Baal which signifies Lord, was meant the Sun. Macr. Sat l. 3. cap. 5.