A10933:369
A commentary upon the whole book of Judges Preached first and delivered in sundry…A commentary vpon the vvhole booke of Iudges Preached first and deliuered in sundrie…
A commentary upon the whole book of Judges Preached first and delivered in sundry lectures; since collected, and diligently perused, and now published. For the benefit generally of all such as desire to grow in faith and repentance, and especially of them, who would more clearly understand and make use of the worthy examples of the saints, recorded in divine history. Penned by Richard Rogers preacher of Gods word at Wethersfield in Essex.A commentary vpon the vvhole booke of Iudges Preached first and deliuered in sundrie lectures; since collected, and diligently perused, and now published. For the benefit generally of all such as desire to grow in faith and repentance, and especially of them, who would more cleerely vnderstand and make vse of the worthie examples of the saints, recorded in diuine history. Penned by Richard Rogers preacher of Gods word at Wethersfield in Essex.
London: printed by Felix Kyngston for Thomas Man, 1615
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
And first, in that it is said in the eighteenth verse (for these three verses are 1to be joined and read together) that they groaned to the Lord under their oppressions, who saw nothing amiss in themselves before; it must teach us, 2that calamities will search and stir us up to grief, and to make our moan 3to God for very anguish of heart, how careless and jolly soever we have been before, when we boldly provoked him, and when we have been so careless and headstrong, as that nothing could serve to pluck down our stomachs, yet sore troubles have broken our hearts, as if we never had been otherwise. Therefore when his word will not prevail, the Lord is fain even to master men by strong hand, that at least he may tame them by violence, if he cannot bow them to repentance: even as men handle horses and such beasts as they cannot rule; they cast them, and keep them under by binding them, that so they may work their pleasure on them. The wild ⟨p. 130⟩Ass must be taken in her months, when she cannot resist: and this course 4the Lord is driven to take with us, to wit, to make our hearts to smart, and to load them with sorrows, or else there would be no rule with us: thus I say he is fain to take us down. According to that which is said in the Psal. When he smote them, they sought him, yea they sought him early: Pharaoh himself 5when he felt the smart of the plagues of Egypt, sought for Moses to pray for him to the Lord. Long it is before men are fitted and framed to hear the Lord speak unto them: but being bitten with sorrow, they are glad to 6cling to him. But alas what cometh of the most of these his corrections and sharp dealings with such? Nay, for that I can say no more but this, that the most of them do but bow for the time, as a bulrush with the wind, their goodness being as the morning dew, and so it goeth away, and they cry out only while the rod is held over them, and afterward they return again to their old bias.