A30574:1297
An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eighth, ninth, & tenth chapters of…
An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eighth, ninth, & tenth chapters of the prophesy of Hosea being first delivered in several lectures at Michaels Cornhill, London / by Jeremiah Burroughs ; being the seventh book published by Thomas Goodwin ... [et al.]An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eighth, ninth, & tenth chapters of the prophesy of Hosea being first delivered in several lectures at Michaels Cornhil, London / by Jeremiah Burroughs ; being the seventh book published by Thomas Goodwin ... [et al.]
London: printed by Peter Cole, 1650
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.
This expression is, to note, the great vastation that shall be made in those places where they had Altars in Bethel: (especially, Samaria being besieged for 3. years together.) The enemies had Bethel in their own hands and they manifested their rage upon their Altars,1 and upon all their Religious things presently, they pulled them down and made them lie in heaps of rubbish, that in the space of three years the very thistles and thorns grew up in the place where they had their Alters. It's a usual expression of the devastation of a place, that the grass shall grow where their houses were, shall Corn grow where the City was, here there shall be Thistles and thorns grow where their Altars were.
This expression is, to note, the great vastation that shall be made in those places where they had Altars in Bethel: (especially, Samaria being besieged for 3. years together.) The enemies had Bethel in their own hands and they manifested their rage upon their Altars,1 and upon all their Religious things presently, they pull'd them down and made them lie in heaps of rubbish, that in the space of three yeers the very thistles and thorns grew up in the place where they had their Alters. It's a usual expression of the devastation of a place, that the grass shall grow where their houses were, shall Corn grow where the City was, here there shall be Thistles and thorns grow where their Altars were.
- 1Expos.
And secondly, It's an expression of indignation, as if God should have said, I'll take more delight to see the Thorns and Thistles grow out of the very rubbish of the Altars than of all the Images and brave pictures and gildings that are about them. Just as if it should have been said about the Service-Book, Oh now you honour it much, and it must be bound bravely, and gilt bravely, and strung curiously, if one should have said about seven or eight years ago, This that you do so Idolize now, within a while it shall be but wast papers, it shall be thrown to the Mice and Rats to eat, this would have been an expression of indignation against it.