As men, specially great men, will have their houses aired, before they come to lie ⟨p. 4⟩there; so this contrition is the airing, or sweeping of the soul, that so it may be inhabited.1 This was typified and foretold in the old law. When the people of Israel were to go into the Land of Canaan (which shadowed the kingdom of grace here, and of glory hereafter) they must go through the vast, terrible, troublesome, and roaring wilderness, and through those straits and extreme hazards, before God brought them to the Land of Promise. Whereby the Lord typified thus much unto us, that before the soul can be truly possessed of Christ, it must go through these rocky ways of contrition and humiliation, Hos. 2.14. Therefore behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, 2and speak comfortably to her. And in vers. 15. I will give her the valley of Achor for the door of hope, and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the days when she came out of Egypt. Compare that 15. verse with Joshua 7.25.3 The door of hope is nothing else, but the expectation of all good things from God, which he hath promised. And here remember the story of Achor: Achan had stolen the wedge of gold, and the Babylonish garment, and therefore God departed away from the Camp. Now the Lord pursued him, and caused the people to stone him with stones; and they called the ⟨p. 5⟩place, The Valley of Achor, to this day, .i. The Valley of trouble and affliction. The Lord hath reference to his former dealing As he did before in the time of Joshua; he first subdued Achan, and then he gave them success against all their adversaries: (As if he had said, I will give them the Valley of contrition and humiliation for the Gate to all comfort and sweet refreshing, here and hereafter:) So you must go through the wilderness to this Valley of Achor, before you can come to this door of hope, to this Land of Canaan: you must stone these corruptions of yours, which have troubled the Spirit of God, and then there is a door of hope set open for you.
As men, specially great men, will have their houses ayred, before they come to lie ⟨p. 4⟩there; so this contrition is the ayring, or sweeping of the soule, that so it may be inhabited.1 This was typified and foretold in the old law. When the people of Israel were to goe into the Land of Canaan (which shadowed the kingdome of grace here, and of glory hereafter) they must goe through the vast, terrible, troublesome, and roaring wildernesse, and through those streights and extreme hazzards, before God brought them to the Land of Promise. Whereby the Lord typified thus much unto us, that before the soule can bee truely possessed of Christ, it must goe through these rockie wayes of contrition and humiliation, Hos. 2.14. Therefore behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wildernesse, 2and speake comfortably to her. And in vers. 15. I will give her the valley of Achor for the dore of hope, and shee shall sing there, as in the dayes of her youth, and as in the dayes when she came out of Egypt. Compare that 15. verse with Ioshua 7.25.3 The doore of hope is nothing else, but the expectation of all good things from God, which hee hath promised. And here remember the story of Achor: Achan had stollen the wedge of gold, and the Babylonish garment, and therefore God departed away from the Campe. Now the Lord pursued him, and caused the people to stone him with stones; and they called the ⟨p. 5⟩place, The Valley of Achor, to this day, .i. The Valley of trouble and affliction. The Lord hath reference to his former dealing As he did before in the time of Ioshua; hee first subdued Achan, and then hee gave them successe against all their adversaries: (As if he had said, I will give them the Valley of contrition and humiliation for the Gate to all comfort and sweet refreshing, here and hereafter:) So you must goe through the wildernesse to this Valley of Achor, before you can come to this doore of hope, to this Land of Canaan: you must stone these corruptions of yours, which have troubled the Spirit of God, and then there is a doore of hope set open for you.
- 1Foretold.
- 2Ad aperiendam spem. Hieron.
- 3The sloodgate of sorrow, a door of hope.The sloodgate of sorow, a dore of hope.
