But the second was their Sacrifices that they offered, and their Devotion, their Religion, they were a Religious people, and they were very costly in their Devotion, they confided much in that: Well for the second, saith the Lord, The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel shall be destroyed, the Thorn and the Thistle shall come up on their Altars. Though they were never so pompous in their eyes, yet they are the high places of Aven; 1they were called before Beth-aven [the house of Vanity,]2 now it is called Aven, 3[vanity it self:] That place was no other than Bethel, whose name signified the house of God, where one of the Ca•ves was set up; Now the name of this place did a great deal of hurt among the people; Oh! to go up to Bethel, the house of God; therefore God would take away that name, and calls it Beth-aven first, and then calls it Aven, that is, instead of calling it the house of God,4 I will have it called the house vanity, yea, vanity it self. Aven signifieth vanity, yea iniquity it self; from whence note, That God stands much upon taking people off from specious and glorious names, that are put upon any things that are made use of in ways of false worship,5 he stands much upon it For, whereas before he had changed it from Bethel to Beth-aven, he changes it now from Beth-aven to Aven; God would obliterate the name of Bethel, and would make it to be accounted by the people to be nothing but iniquity and vanity. As for The high places, we have spoken to formerly.
But the second was their Sacrifices that they offered, and their Devotion, their Religion, they were a Religious people, and they were very costly in their Devotion, they confided much in that: Well for the second, saith the Lord, The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel shall be destroyed, the Thorn and the Thistle shall come up on their Altars. Though they were never so pompous in their eyes, yet they are the high places of Aven; 1they were called before Beth-aven [the house of Vanitie,]2 now it is called Aven, 3[vanitie it self:] That place was no other than Bethel, whose name signified the house of God, where one of the Ca•ves was set up; Now the name of this place did a great deal of hurt among the people; Oh! to go up to Bethel, the house of God; therefore God would take away that name, and calls it Beth-aven first, and then calls it Aven, that is, instead of calling it the house of God,4 I will have it called the house vanitie, yea, vanitie it self. Aven signifieth vanitie, yea iniquitie it self; from whence note, That God stands much upon taking people off from specious and glorious names, that are put upon any things that are made use of in ways of false worship,5 he stands much upon it For, whereas before he had changed it from Bethel to Beth-aven, he changes it now from Beth-aven to Aven; God would obliterate the name of Bethel, and would make it to be accounted by the people to be nothing but iniquitie and vanitie. As for The high places, we have spoken to formerly.
- 1Bethaven.
- 2Aven.
- 3Bethel.
- 4Vanitas [Greek or Hebrew] iniquitas, labour.Vanitas 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 iniquitas, labor.
- 5Obs. 1.
