2. God does not use to bring all His Judgments on a People at once, but He is wont to begin with lesser and so to proceed unto greater Judgments. If a lesser Judgment will not awaken, then He brings another Seven times greater: and if that won't do, then another Seven times greater then the former. Thus did the Lord threaten His People, Lev. 26.21. If you will walk contrary to me, & will not hearken to me, I will bring Seven times more Plagues upon you, according to your Sins. And again, he says, 23. If you will not be reformed by these things, I will punish you yet seven times for your si•s. We find in the Prophets, that the Lords proceeding with His people, were according to those holy Threatenings of His word. Isa. 9.1. At the first He lightly afflicted the Land of Zebulon, and the Land of Naphtali, and afterwards did more grievously afflict her. Thus it was, first one of the Kings of Assyria came against the Ten Tribes, and put them under Contribution, making them to pay a Thousand Talents of Silver, which amounted unto above Three Hundred ⟨p. 50⟩and Forty Thousand Pounds Sterling. After that, there came another King of Assyria, and depopulated a considerable part of the Country, making the Inhabitants his Captives. After that, there came a third King of Assyria, viz. Shalmanasser, and he destroyed the Capital City, and proved a sweeping Judgment to the whole Land. So was the Glory Totally and Eternally removed from all the Ten Tribes. To the like purpose does the Lord speak by the Prophet Hosea, saying, I will be to Ephraim as a Moth. You know a Moth does leisurely and by degrees consume and mar mens Clothes. In like manner, from the Death of Jeroboam, God had been weakening Ephraim, viz. the Ten Tribes by various Judgments, especially by Divisions among themselves. And to the House of Judah as Rottenness; or as a Worm, as the Original word imports. A Worm does not Rot the wood all at once, but gradually. Thus was it with the Two Tribes, called The House of Judah: Lesser Judgments were the forerunners of, and but preparatory to Greater, which issued in a Total removal of the Glory. It is therefore ⟨p. 51⟩further added in the Fourteenth verse, I will be to Ephraim as a Lion, and as a Young Lion to the House of Judah, I even I will Tear and go away. Thus we see, that lesser make way for Tearing Judgments at last.
2. God does not use to bring all His Iudgments on a People at once, but He is wont to begin with lesser and so to proceed unto greater Iudgments. If a lesser Judgment will not awaken, then He brings another Seven times greater: and if that won't do, then another Seven times greater then the former. Thus did the Lord threaten His People, Lev. 26.21. If you will walk contrary to me, & will not hearken to me, I will bring Seven times more Plagues upon you, according to your Sins. And again, he sayes, 23. If you will not be reformed by these things, I will punish you yet seven times for your si•s. We find in the Prophets, that the Lords proceeding with His people, were according to those holy Threatnings of His word. Isa. 9.1. At the first He lightly afflicted the Land of Zebulon, and the Land of Naphtali, and afterwards did more grievously afflict her. Thus it was, first one of the Kings of Assyria came against the Ten Tribes, and put them under Contribution, making them to pay a Thousand Talents of Silver, which amounted unto above Three Hundred ⟨p. 50⟩and Forty Thousand Pounds Sterling. After that, there came another King of Assyria, and depopulated a considerable part of the Countrey, making the Inhabitants his Captives. After that, there came a third King of Assyria, viz. Shalmanasser, and he destroyed the Capital City, and proved a sweeping Judgment to the whole Land. So was the Glory Totally and Eternally removed from all the Ten Tribes. To the like purpose does the Lord speak by the Prophet Hosea, saying, I will be to Ephraim as a Moth. You know a Moth does leasurely and by degrees consume and marr mens Clothes. In like manner, from the Death of Iereboam, God had been weakning Ephraim, viz. the Ten Tribes by various Judgments, especially by Divisions among themselves. And to the House of Judah as Rottenness; or as a Worm, as the Original word imports. A Worm does not Rot the wood all at once, but gradually. Thus was it with the Two Tribes, called The House of Judah: Lesser Judgments were the forerunners of, and but preparatory to Greater, which issued in a Total removal of the Glory. It is therefore ⟨p. 51⟩further added in the Fourteenth verse, I will be to Ephraim as a Lion, and as a Young Lion to the House of Judah, I even I will Tear and go away. Thus we see, that lesser make way for Tearing Iudgments at last.
