170 The Book of the Prophet HOSE A. CHA P. I. to VI. Q. WH Hen didHofea prophesy? A. In the Days of Uziah, Fotham, Abaz, and Hezekiah, Kings of Fuda, and in the Days of Fereboam King of Ifrael, chap. i. I. Q. How long did he prophefy? A. Seventeen Years. Q. Wherein stood hisDoctrine? A. In alluring and deterring. Q. How did he allure the People? A. By the Sweetnefs of God's Promises. Q. What to do? A. To obey and love him. Q How did he deter them? A. By threatning God's Plagues to fall upon them for their vicious and wicked living. Q.Was Idolatry used in those Days? A. Very much, both in the Synagogue and other Places. Q. What doth the Prophet call the Synagogue? A. Diblaim, i. e. Rottennefs. Q. What doth be call the People? A. Gomer, i. e. Corruption, the Daughter of Rottennefs. Q. Why doth he use these Terms? A. To fhew the Filthiness of their Idolatry. Q. What is the Fruit of that Corruption? A. Lo-ammi, i. e. not my People. Q. What is understood by that? He will be our God, and we fhall be his People, ch. ii. 23. He will be join'd unto us as the Bridegroom to his Bride, never to befeparated, ver. 20. Q. But if we come not to him, what will he do? A. He will forfake us as we forfake him. Q. Of what Continuance are the Afflictions of his People? 4. Of but a Moment, of a very fhort Stay. Q. Give me a Proof? A. After two Days he will revive us, in the third he will raife us up, chap. vi. 2. Q.To what is the Righteoufnefs of Man compared? 4. To a Morning Cloud, which foon dries up. Q. For what doth the Prophet complain against the King. A. For Surfeiting and Excefs, chap. vii. 4. Q. What against the People? A. For flattering the King in his Wickednefs, ver. 1. Q. What else? A. When they cried they did not cry to him, ver. 4. when they fought Help, it was at the Hands of Men, ver. II. Q. How doth God deal with us, when we fly from him to the Help of Men? A. Spreads a Net before our Feet, and entangles us in our own Devices, ver. 12. Q. Whither did Ifrael fly for Help? A. To Egypt. Q. What found they there? A. Nettles in their pleatant Places, and Thorns in their Ta- ter. A. With Famine and Slaugh O. How with Famine? A. The Flour and the Wineprefs did not feed them, and the new Wine failed them, ver.2. Q. How with Slaughter? A. Ephraim (faith the Lord) fhall bring forth his Children to to the Murderer, ver. 13. and chap. xiv. 1. Was this the last of their Punishments? A. No; Samaria, the chief City of Ifrael, was destroy'd as the Foam upon the Waters, chap. x. 7. and the reft of the Cities the Sword fell upon and devoured them, chap. xi. 6. Q. What became of the People that furvived? A. They were led Captive into Affyria, ver.'s. Q. How doth God exprefs the Terror of bis Fudgments against the Wicked? A. In comparing himself to a Whirlwind, them to Chaff; himfelf to a Lyon, and them to his Prey, whom he will fcatter and devour, chap. xiii. 6, 7. Q. How doth be exprefs his Favour to the Godly? A. He will fay to Death, I will be thy Death, and to the Grave, I will be thy Deftruction, for their Deliverance, ver. 14. Q. How do the Wicked meafure the Favour of God? A. By outward Profperity, chap. xii. 8. -Q. How A a Q. How do the Godly measure the like Manner in thefe Days the Favour of God? A. By inward Graces. Q. How might Samaria, and the whole Kingdom of Ifrael, have avoided their Ruin? A. By hearkening to the Prophet, that told them of it 'long before. Q. Are not we admonished in A. Yes. Q. By whom? A. By God's Preachers. Hofea, Son of Beeri, prophefied before the Captivity of the ten Tribes, in the Days of Uzziah, A. M. 3194, and was the first of the minor Prophets, except Jonah; he continued to the Deftruction of Samaria, A. M. 3283, or perhaps longer? and, according to his Threatnings for the great and crying Sins of the Ifraelites, (of which they repented not) in all Probability he lived to fee it come brought them. The Example of the Marriage of the Prophet Hofea with a common Harlot and Adulterefs, by the Command of God, Chap. i. and iii. was only imaginary: For tho' it be not always pofitively laid down in these Narrations, that the Thing done was in a Vifion; yet the Nature and Scope of Prophecy require, that Things fhould be thus acted in Imagination, to imprint more deeply upon the Understanding of the Prophet, as by the Example of Abraham, when God appeared to him in a Vision, Gen. xxv 1. 5. where he is fhewn the Stars of Heaven in the shutting up of the Evening; yet by the 12th and 17th Verses, we find it was in the Day time, and the Sun not gone down. Likewise Ezekiel eating a Roll given him of God, Chap. iii. his taking a Tile and drawing Jerufalem upon it, &c. Chap. iv. I doubt not but it will be univerfally allowed, according to my Argument to these Prophecies. The Book of the Prophet JOE L. Q. WHAT doth Joel reach ? A. Repentance. Q. How ? A. By telling Judab of her great Plague that was fallen upon them for their Sins. Q. What was the Plague? Q. In what Manner? A. Their Corn and Fruit Trees were deftroy'd by Caterpillars, and other cankerous Worms, chap, i..4. Q. What was the efficient Caufe of this Plague? A. Drunkennels and Surfeiting, ver. 5. Q. What was the Effect? A. Men howled, and Cattle pined, ver. 10, 18. Q. What is the Means to avoid fuck and the like Plagues? A. Repentance and Prayer, ver. 14. Q. But Judah not reforming by this Plague, what other doth Joel Joel prophesy shall fall upon, Q. What doth the Lord promife if we do repent. them? A. The Sword. A. One before whofe Face fhould ftand Terror, and behind his Back Destruction, ch. ii, 3,6. Q. How doth he teach them to avoid this Plague ? A. By Repentance likewife and Prayer. A. For Scarcity, Abundance : I will fend you Corn, and Wine, and Oil, (faith the Lord) and you fhall be fatisfied, ver. 19. and for War, Peace: I will remove far from you your Enemies, ver. 20. Q. What doth be promife be fide? A. Increase of fpiritual Grace, and the Confufion of them that were their Enemies,ch. iii. 17,18. Joel, Son of Pethuel, prophefied about the fame Time as Jeremiah and Zephaniah, under Jofiah, King of Judah. Arch-bishop Usher, in his Annals, A. M. 3197, maketh mention of thefe Prophets not being placed according to the Time wherein they lived. Joel might have prophefied before Amos, who was cotemporary with Uzziah; he likewife foretells that Drought, chap. i. which Amos mentions as actually come to pass, chap. iv. 7, 8, 9. But to that Argument it may be answered, that the Drought there spoken of might probably be peculiar to the Kingdom of Ifrael. Q. Where was he born? A. In the Days of Uzziah, Prophet A MOS. Q. Against whom doth he first prophesy? A.Against Damafcus,the Philiftines, Tyre, the Idumeans, Amorites and Moabites. Q. What was his Purpofe in that? A. To fhew, if God punished the Sins of fuch as had scarce any Knowledge of him, much more would he afflict the Jews, whom Q. How doth he procure Au- he had from Age to Age nursed thority to his Doctrine, confider- up in his Difcipline. ing he was of fo mean a Paren-Q. Against whom doth he next tage? 4. By faying that his Words are the Words of God, ck. iii. 3. prophely? A. Against the Kingdoms of Ifrael and Fudab. A a 2 Q. What Q. What Sins of theirs doth be find out? A. Cruelty, Prefumption, Security, and want of Pity, hoarding up of Corn, and Covetouf neis. Q. How were they cruel? A. They turned Judgment into Wormwood, i.e. inftead of Equity, they executed Oppreffion, chap. v. 7. Q. What was their Punishment for that Sin? A. They thould build Houfes, A. Because the Foundation was laid by the Ruin of the Poor. Q. How were they prefump tuous? A. Notwithstanding God's Threatnings, they ftill thought themfelves innocent. Q. How doth be reprove that Sin? A. By asking a Question. Q. What is the Question? A. Can a Trumpet be blown in the City, and the People not be afraid? i. e. Can God by his Prophets cry out against Sin, and the People think there is no Sin? chap. iii. 6. Q. How were they fecure? A. They ftretch'd themfelves upon Beds of Ivory, eat the Lambs of the Flock,, had Mufick, drunk Wine in Bowls; but no Man pitied the Poor, chap. vi. 4, 5, 6. QWhat is the Punishment of fuch People? A. Their Feafts fhall be turn- Q. How was that? ABy.hoarding up Things neceffary for Food and Cloathing, and fo procuring a Dearth, that they might fell dear, even the very Refufe of their Merchandise, and make their great Measure finall, and their Weight little, Amos began to prophefy about the fame Time as Hofea; tho' 'tis likely he did not live fo long, but died before the Reign of Hezekiah and the Captivity of the ten Tribes. St Jerom gives him this Character, That, tho' he was rude in Speech, yet not in Knowledge. Several of his Expreffions are taken from fuch Ob. fervations as are fuitable to the Business of a Shepherd, (which was his Employment) as when he compares God's Anger to the roaring of a Lion, chap i. 2. and iii. 8. the gigantick Stature of the Amorites to the Height of Oaks and Cedars, chap. ii. 9. fee 5. 8. But ftill there are many beautiful Paf |