An exposition of the prophecy of Hosea begun in divers lectures upon the first…An exposition of the prophesie of Hosea begun in divers lectures vpon the first…

For thought it is true it be meant here of Judah and Israel literally, yet Israel and Judah is to set out to us all the Churches of God that shall be afterwards among the Gentiles: and as God will fulfil this Scripture literally, ⟨p. 96⟩so he will fulfil it in the spiritual sense, to bring Judah and Israel, that is, all the Churches of God to be under one head. Isa. 11. 13. Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not envy Ephraim. Ephraim envied Judah, because Judah challenged to himself the true worship of God, and Judah on the other side envied Ephraim, because he was the greatest, there was vexing spirits one against another: this shall not always be, saith God, but the envy of Ephraim shall depart, I will take away this envious, this vexatious spirit. Those two staves the holy Ghost speaks of in Zach. 11. 10, 11. 14. the staff of beauty, and the staff of bands, they were both broken, but God hath a time to unite together again, and for that mark that excellent prophecy in Ezek. 37. 16, 17. 22. 24. There you shall find fully set out Gods bringing Judah and Israel together, and joining those sticks together again. Son of man (saith the Text there) take thee one stick and write upon it, for Judah and for the children of Israel his companions, & then take another stick, & write upon it, for Joseph the stick of Ephraim, & for all the house of Israel his companions; and join them one to another into one stick, & they shall become one in thy hand. And then ver. 19. this is interpreted of the union of them, Behold I will take the stick of Joseph which is in the hand of Ephraim, & will put them with the stick of Judah, & make them one stick, & they shall be one in mine hand: And vers. 22. I will make them one Nation in the land upon he mountains of Israel, & one King shall be King to them all: And in the 24. ver. that King is said to be David which we shall afterward show more fully, when we shall come to show this head that they shall be under. Now this God hath never yet fulfilled, that the ten Tribes, and Judah and Benjamin should come together, and be set in one stick, he hath never set together the staff of bonds that was broken, and yet this must be done, and it is the great blessing of God upon his Churches, the bringing about of this union one with another. Mark that Text for this purpose,