A69234:1296
Lectures upon the four first chapters of the prophecy of Hosea Wherein the text…Lectures vpon the foure first chapters of the prophecie of Hosea Wherein the text…
Lectures upon the four first chapters of the prophecy of Hosea Wherein the text is expounded and cleared, and such profitable instructions observed, and applied, as naturally arise out of this holy Scripture, and are fit for these times. By John Downame Bachelor in Divinity, and preacher of Gods word.Lectures vpon the foure first chapters of the prophecie of Hosea Wherein the text is exponded and cleered, and such profitable instructions obserued, and applied, as naturally arise out of this holie Scripture, and are fit for these times. By Iohn Dovvname Bacheler in Diuinitie, and preacher of Gods word.
London: printed by Felix Kyngston and T. East for William Welby, 1608
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 so much concerning the meaning of the words: the The doctrines. doctrines which arise out of them are divers. First, we may observe that it is no true honour to grace us, nor any sound 1benefit to profit and comfort us, that we bear the title of Gods people, and abound in his temporal gifts and blessings, if our life be not conformable to our titles and privileges; and if we do not thankfully employ Gods benefits bestowed upon us, to the advancement of his glory, the good of his Church, and the furthering of our own salvation: yea contrariwise if we use them as encouragements to hearten us in our sins, and ungratefully abuse them to Gods dishonour and the disgrace of our profession, making them serve as veils under which we may more cunningly hide our leprous sores of sin and close acted wickedness; then are they so far from gracing us that they wholly tend to our discredit, and so far from being truly profitable, that they serve as so many arguments to aggravate our sins, and to approve the justice of Gods righteous judgements when as he taketh the most rigorous course in inflicting punishments. It was an high privilege of honour to the people of Israel to be entitled the people of God, but when they contemned his true worship, forsook the Lord, and consulted with Idols, all this tended to their utter disgrace, and to make their idolatry much more abominable then the idolatry of the Gentiles. So it was a great dignity to the wicked Angels, that they were created the most excellent of the creatures, and were made the immediate Ministers of God, and as it were courtiers to the great King of heaven and ⟨p. 231⟩earth; but when as they most ungratefully sinned against such as gracious creator, their excellency did not benefit them, but aggravated their sin and plunged them into the deepest bottom of just condemnation. It was a great mercy of God vouchsafed to the Sodomites, that they were placed in 2the garden of the world, where they abounded in all Gods temporal blessings, but when they abused Gods goodness and by his benefits became more rebellious, they were not hereby privileged from punishment, but inflamed Gods 3more fearful wrath against themselves, which caused fire and brimstone to rain down from heaven and consume them.