The reformation of the church to be endeavoured more then that of the common-wealth,…The reformation of the church to be endeavoured more then that of the common-vvealth,…

This book containeth a wonderful alternation and vicissitude of the Israelites troubles, and their deliverances, as also of their sins, and prayers unto God; which old inconstancy of theirs, made Gregory compare them to the grasshoppers, that do on a sudden leap high, and then fall down again to the ground: Thus did the Israelites: and this Chapter containeth the fourth ⟨p. 2⟩change, wherein we have first described their sin, and then their punishment; Their sin, ver. 1. (The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord:) This evil was especially Idolatry; hence that is called in Scripture [Greek or Hebrew], the abominable thing; and this Idolatry is either when the true God is not worshipped, or when he is not worshipped in a true manner. It is not long since in England were found such abominable things, which made the faithful Ministers of God, so zealous for a Reformation; Omnis sermo adaptandus est contra Idolatriam. In the next place, you have their punishment, they were oppressed by the Midianites: and this was so great, that the Israelites, who had been beasts in their sins, were now made like them in their punishments; for they were forced to hide themselves in dens and caves; and this was not all, they were in danger of scarcity and famine; for they found it very difficult to get corn; now the words that do express the misery of war, as clades, strages and calamitas, are such as are taken from the hurt done to the husbandman, in his corn and grass, as if that were the great evil of war.

THis book containeth a wonderfull alternation and vicissitude of the Israelites troubles, and their deliverances, as also of their sinnes, and prayers unto God; which old inconstancie of theirs, made Gregory compare them to the grashoppers, that do on a sodaine leape high, and then fall down again to the ground: Thus did the Israelites: and this Chapter containeth the fourth ⟨p. 2⟩change, wherein we have first described their sinne, and then their punishment; Their sinne, ver. 1. (The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord:) This evil was especially Idolatry; hence that is called in Scripture 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, the abominable thing; and this Idolatry is either when the true God is not worshipped, or when he is not worshipped in a true manner. It is not long since in England were found such abominable things, which made the faithfull Ministers of God, so zealous for a Reformation; Omnis sermo adaptandus est contra Idolatriam. In the next place, you have their punishment, they were oppressed by the Midianites: and this was so great, that the Israelites, who had been beasts in their sinnes, were now made like them in their punishments; for they were forced to hide themselves in dens and caves; and this was not all, they were in danger of scarcity and famine; for they found it very difficult to get corne; now the words that do expresse the misery of warre, as clades, strages and calamitas, are such as are taken from the hurt done to the husbandman, in his corne and grasse, as if that were the great evil of warre.