rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." These things has God established by his Almighty will, desiring that all his beloved should come to repentance. 9. Wherefore let us obey his excellent and glorious will, and imploring his mercy and goodness,(p) let us fall down upon our faces before him, and cast ourselves upon his mercy :) laying aside all vanity(r) and contention, and envy which leads unto death. Let us look up to those who have the most perfectly ministered to his excellent glory. Let us take Enoch for our example; who being found righteous in obedience, was translated,* and his death was not known.(s) Noah being proved(t) to be faithful, did by his ministry preach regeneration to the world, and the Lord saved by him all the living creatures that went with(u) one accord together into the Ark.† 10. Abraham who was called God's friend, was in like manner found faithful; in as much as he obeyed the commands(w) of God. By obedience he(x) went out of his own country, and from his own kindred, and from his father's house; that so forsaking a small country, and a weak affinity, and a little house, he might inherit the promises of God. For thus God said unto him ;§ "get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee. And I will make thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be blessed. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed." And again when he separated himself from Lot, God said unto him, "lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art (p) Becoming suppliants of, &c. Gen. vi. vii. viii. James ii. 23.-Isaiah xli. 8. (w) Words. Gen. xii. 1. ) Vain labour. (t) Being found. (u) In unity. (x) This man, * Gen. xiii. 4 northward and southward, and eastward and westward:(y) for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered." And again he saith :* “ and God brought forth Abraham, and said unto him, look now towards Heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them; so shall thy seed be. And Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness." Through faith and hospitality he had a son given(z) him in his old age; and through obedience he offered him up in sacrifice to God, upon one of the mountains which God shewed unto him. 11. By hospitality and godliness was Lot saved out of Sodom,† when all the country round about was destroyed(a) by fire and brimstone: the Lord thereby making it manifest, that he will not forsake those that trust in him, but will bring the disobedient to punishment and correction :(b) for his wife who went out with him, being of a different mind,(c) and not continuing in the same obedience, was for that reason set forth for an example, (d) being turned into a pillar of salt unto this day. That so all men may know that those who are double minded, and distrustful of the power of God, are [become] prepared for condemnation, and to be a sign to all succeeding ages. 12. By faith and hospitality was Rahab the harlot saved. For when the spies were sent by Joshua the son of Nun to search out Jericho, and the king of Jericho knew that they were come to spy out his country, he sent men to take them,(f) that so they might be put to death. Rahab(g) therefore, being (y) Towards the sea. (z) A son was given unto him. † Gen. xix.-2 Pet. ii. 6.-Jude 7. (a) See not. Junii in loc. or punished with. * Gen. xv. 5. (b) But those that turn another way, he puts, &c. (c) Not in concord. (d) Put for a sign. (f) He sent men that should take them, that being taken, &c. ́ (g) Therefore hospitable Rahab. hospitable, received them, and hid them under the stalks of flax on the top of her house. And when the messengers(h) that were sent by the king came unto her, saying, there came men unto thee to spy out the land, bring them forth, for so hath the king commanded:" she answered, the two men whom ye seek came unto me, but presently they departed and are gone: not discovering them unto them.(2) Then she said to the spies, (4) "I know that the Lord your God has given() this city into your hands; for the fear of you is fallen upon all that dwell therein.. When therefore ye shall have taken it, ye shall save me and my father's house.' And they answered her saying: 'It shall be as thou hast spoken unto us. Therefore when thou shalt know that we are near, thou shalt gather all thy family together upon the house top, and they shall be saved: but all that shall be found without thy house shall be destroyed.' And they gave her more over a sign, that she should hang out of her house a scarlet rope."* Shewing thereby, that by the blood of our Lord there should be redemption to all that believe and hope in God.(m) Ye see, beloved, how there was not only faith, but prophecy too in this woman. 13. Let us therefore humble ourselves, brethren, laying aside all pride, and boasting, and foolishness, and anger, and let us do as it is written, for thus saith the Holy Spirit: "let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the rich man in his riches; but let him that glorieth, glory in the Lord, to seek him, and to do judgment and justice." Above all, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, which he spake concerning equity and long suffering, saying,(a) "be ye merciful, and ye shall obtain mercy: forgive, and ye (h) Men being sent by the king, and saying. (i) Vid. Conjectur. Coteler. in loc. (7) Given you this city. (k) Men. *Josh. ii. 1, 2, &c. (m) Many of the Fathers have applied this to the same pur-. pose. See not. Coteler. in loc. Jer, ix. 23. Comp. 1 Cor. ix 31. (0) For thus he saith, : shall be forgiven: as ye do, so it shall be done unto you: as ye give, so it shall be given unto you: as ye judge, so shall ye be judged: as ye are kind to others, so shall God be kind to you with what measure ye meet, with the same shall it be measured to you again."* By this command, and by these rules, let us establish ourselves, that so we may always walk obediently to his holy words, being humble minded : for so says the holy Scripture :(p) "upon whom shall I look, even upon him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and that trembles at my word."t 14. It is therefore just and righteous, (q) men and brethren, that we should become obedient unto God, rather than follow such as through(r) pride and sedition, have made themselves the ringleaders of a detestable emulation. For it is not an ordinary harm that we shall do ourselves, but rather a very great danger that we shall run, if we rashly give up ourselves to the wills of men, who promote(s) strife and seditions, to turn us aside from that which is fitting. But let us be kind to one another, according to the compassion and sweetness of him that made us. For it is written, "the merciful shall inherit the earth, and they that are without evil shall be left upon it; but the transgressors shall perish from off the face of it."t And again he saith, "I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like the cedars of Libanus. I passed by, and lo he was not; I sought his place, but it could not be found. Keep innocency, and do the thing that is right, for there shall be a remnant to the peaceable man.” § 15. Let us therefore hold fast to those who religiously(t) follow peace, and not to such as only pretend to desire it. For he saith in a certain place, this people honoureth me with their lips, * Luke vi. 36. (h) Holy word. † Isaiah Ixvi. 2. (1) Holy. (r) In. (8) Prick on to. See Junius Ann. + Psalm xxxvii. 9.-Prov. ii. 20.. (t) With religion or godliness. Psal. xxxvii. 6. but their heart is far from me."* And again, "they bless with their mouth, but curse in their heart." And again he saith, "they loved him with their mouth, and with their tongue they lied to him: for their heart was not right with him, neither were they faithful in their covenant."‡ "Let all deceitful lips become dumb, and the tongue that speaketh proud things. Who have said,(y) with our tongue will we prevail: our lips are our own, who is Lord over us? For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety, I will deal confidently with him."§ 16. For Christ is their's who are humble, and not who exalt themselves over his flock. The sceptre of the majesty of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, came not in the shew() of pride and arrogance, though he could have done so; but with humility, as the Holy Ghost had before spoken concerning him. For thus he saith: "Lord, who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground. He hath no form nor comeliness, and when ye shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from him: he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the Isaiah xxix. 13. Psal. Ixii. 4. (y) We will magnify our tongue. Psal. xii. 3. () Boasting. |