Page 351
VER. 12.
Shall Horses run upon the Rock? Will one plow there with Oxen? for yee have turned judgement into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock.
IN the precedent Verse the Lord threatned a general Judg∣ment against these general Sinners, but they trusting to their owne strength and glory, feared no Judgements, but concei∣ted that the Lord who had taken them into Covenant with himself, and adopted them for his owne peculiar people, and adorned them with many Priviledges above the rest of the Na∣tions round about them, would not deal so sharply with them as the Prophet threatned; but would take some gentler course, plowing them still by his Prophets, and labouring to reclaime them by their Ministery.
To this the Lord answers in this Verse, by a Prolepsis, he prevents this evasion and vain conceit, telling them, that it was to no purpose to take any more pains with them, or to cor∣rect them with gentler rods, for they remained still obstinate and perverse, falling away more and more, growing worse and worse; so that he did but plow the rocks, and so break his Plows without any increase; and sow the sands, losing his la∣bour on them; and therefore he is now resolved, that his Spirit should no longer contend with such rockey rebellious Sinners nor his patience wait any more upon them. The Interrogation is a strong Negation▪ Shall Horses run upon the rock, or Oxen plow there? No, they will not, they are not fit places for such purposes; and doe you think that I will alwaies sing to deaf men, and bestow my cost and care upon such rockey and hard∣ned Sinners, that will bring forth no fruit?
It is a Proverbial speech, and signifies lost labour, and there∣fore we use to say of such as labour in vaine, They goe about to plow the rocks, and sow the sands.
Interpreters vary much in their Exposition of this first branch of the verse. See five various senses in a Lapid••, and