Amos 9

I Saw As before chap. 7.1, 4, 7. and cap. 8.1. so here the Prophet has a fifth vision, the LORD The great, glorious, just and holy God in some visible tokens of his Majesty; standing either ready to execute sentence, or ready to depart, Ezek. 9.3. and 10.1, 4. indeed here he will do both, execute his own sentence, and depart from this people. upon the altar Of Burnt-Offering before the Temple at Ierusalem; here the scene is laid, this Altar and Temple Israel had forsaken, and set up others against it; and here God in his jealousie appears prepared to take vengeance; possibly it may intimate his future departure from Iudah too. There Ezekiel chap. 9. ver. 2. saw the slaughter-men stand., and he said Commanded., Smite the lintel of the door Or the chapiter, knop, ornament, that was upon the lintel of the door, which is supposed to be of the Gate of the Temple or possibly door of the Gate that led into the Priests Courts, and though the Party that smites be not named, 'tis likely 'twas an Angel, or possibly the Prophet seemed to do it, for this is to do in vision., that the posts may shake Which were the strength and beauty of the Gate.: and cut Wound deep. them The people which were visionally represented as standing in the Court of the Temple, in the head That it may more fully signifie the destroying of the chief of the heads of this sinful people. all Spare not one of these. of them: and I will slay the last God will slay by the Enemies Sword, the meanest of them, or the last, i. e. the posterity of them. of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away Or get out of danger, and he that escapeth for present out of Battel or besieged City, of them, shall not be delivered shall yet at last fall into the Enemies hand, or by his Sword..

Though they dig into hell The deepest recesses, the heart and center of the Earth or the Grave, or literally, for so we may lay the supposition, were it possible to be done to hide in the center of the Earth, or the depth of Hell, thence shall mine hand take them For Hell is naked to God, and the Grave did not hide some of these sinners, when dead and buried, the rage of Famine, or of the Enemy might dig some out of their Graves.: though they climb up to heaven Could they fly up to Heaven, they would be out of the reach of men:, thence will I bring them down But there they would meet an offended God, and he would cast them down.. When David would describe the omnipresence of God, Psal. 139.7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. he does it most elegantly in almost the same manner as our inspired Herdman here does, wherever these seek to hide themselves from the pursuing vengeance they shall be found, he is with them, from whom they hide.

And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel One high woody Mountain, shelter and hiding place for wild Beasts, by a figure put for all the rest, if they think to be safe where wild Beasts find a refuge, they are deceived., I will search and take them out thence I will says God hunt them out, and take them.; and though they be hid from my sight This an Ironie, like brutish Atheist they think to hide themselves in the bottom of the Sea., in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent Crocodile or Shark, some Sea Monster,, and he shall bite devour them. Miserable Israel to whom nor Sea, nor Mountains, nor Heaven nor Hell will afford an hiding place. them.

And though they Those excluded from safety every where else, may perhaps hope that yet the Enemy may spare. go into captivity Captives are the slaves, the possession of their conquering Enemies, these make profit of them by selling them to others, or imploying them in labour and service. before their Enemies This seems to intimate some voluntariness in these people going before the Conquerour, whom they hope hereby to mollifie and sweeten that he may use them well; yet this hope shall fail them too., thence will I command the sword and it shall slay them The Enemy should either out of cruel humour, and hatred against them, or on any slight occasion and disgust slay them as if they had commission from me so to do, neither propriety in them, nor service by them, nor profit in the Sale of these poor and miserable Captives should be safety to them, they should be accounted as sheep for the slaughter.: and I will set my eyes upon them I will perpetually watch over them, and then be sure no opportunity will be let slip. for evil To afflict and punish them,, and not for good for their benefit. Thus was the course of God's providence against them from the days Amos aimeth at unto this very day, and God hitherto has, and still does make good his threat against this idolatrous, cruel, oppressing people..

And the Lord Adonai the Soveraign Lord, GOD Iehovah who speaks and does, and need no more than will to work and accomplish; so he made, sustaineth, and disposeth of all. of hosts All the Cre tures are his Army, and do what he commands them to do against his Enemies is he that toucheth a light touch of his hand, he needs not as man to take great pains to break and dissolve hard mettals a touch of his finger will do this. the land Either the Inhabitants, or rather the Land it self in which they dwelt, the Land of Canaan, or more likely the whole Earth how firm, and hard soever it seem to be., and it shall melt As snow before the Sun in its hottest influences, or as wax before a mighty fire, who can do this, can do all that I have denounced against you oh Israel. The rest of the ver. vid. cap. 8. ver. 8. let. r. s. t. u. x., and all that dwell therein shall mourn: and it shall rise up wholly like a flood, and shall be drowned as by the flood of Egypt. The Prophet having foretold such sad, universal desolations, miseries beyond what this secure people could think possible, and such as the Atheists among them censur'd, and derided as impossibilities, as ver. 10. now in this and the following verses to the 10th, the Prophet confirms his word, and the certainty of these future judgments.

It is he He that threatens and will execute his just severities on you is that mighty, glorious King, that buildeth his stories whose Palace inconceivably surpasseth all the Royal Palaces of the mightiest Monarchs on Earth; his Chambers as Psal. 104.3. are in the Heavens; he by a word of his mouth prepared, and garnisht those Rooms of State, where is Glory that ravisheth the mighty Angels, how easily can he demolish and ruine your Cells, and with the breath of his nostrils by one command, blow away and scatter your little dust heaps, which you call Cities, fortresses, and impregnable munitions? in the heaven, and has founded He laid the foundations of this lower world, and can as easily shake, or overturn as at first he laid them. his troop All that is below the Royal pavilions of God are but as a little bundle which he can soon unty and scatter about, nor are the things tied up of such worth and value that he should lose by doing it, how much more easie is it for him to destroy (as he has spoken) your land and Cities which are a very small thing compared with the whole World, and this as a point, compared with the unmeasurable greatness of the Heavens. You set a value on your selves, and are proud, and think that God will not lose such Jewels, as if a king in his Royalty should fear to lose a pins head, or one atome of dust that lyeth on his Foot-stool. in the earth, he that calleth The easiest way a man can take to get any thing done, nothing so easie for man to do, as 'tis easie for God to drown a sinful Nation or World; possibly God by this may mind them what seeming impossibility he did when he called for the Waters of the Sea to drown the old World, and would hereby make them see that he can now do the like: for the waters of the sea Either by wholesale in judgment to drown, or by retale by vapours in mercy to give rain., and poureth them out upon the face of the earth In storms and violence, or in gentler showers to punish or refresh. Either particular Nation, or the whole World.: the LORD is his Name Eternal, Unchangeable, Almighty and Just. Vid. chap. 5. ver. 8. let. r. s. t..

Are ye Who glory in your descent from Abraham, and are in truth the Natural descendants of Israel, and think very highly of your selves on this account, slighting all other Nations, and presuming that God neither will, nor can, because of his Covenant destroy you, whatever Prophets say. not as children of the Aethiopians Not that remote Nation beyond Egypt, but those of Arabia Petrea, a wild, theevish, and Servile Nation, such as now inhabit those parts base, bloody, and theevish Alarbes, hated and despised of all their Neighbours, and so by the Israelites their Neighbours accounted at that day. unto me I did make them, as you, they are my Creatures as you, wherein soever you excel them, you owe it to me, who made you both as Creatures, and have distinguisht you by my free Mercy and rich Grace, giving most to you, of which you boast, and giving less to them for which you despise them: O children of Israel, says the LORD? Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt And whereas you boast my kindness to you, bringing you out of Egypt, and thereupon conclude, God cannot leave you whom he has so redeemed; you argue amiss, for these things aggravate your sin, and render you less capable of hoping or obtain ng mercy since you abuse such Grace; remember Amos 3.2. You think I cannot, must not now root you out of your Land, because I brought you out of Egypt, as if you were the only people that ever were brought out of Bondage;? and the Philistins but Moses tells you the Philistines were captivated by the Caphtorims, who dwelt in their land, yet the Philistins were restored, and you found them in the land when you came to possess it; their expulsion you read Deut. 2.23. though I remember no particular mention of their deliverance in any History, yet this hint is enough to assure us of the matter of Fact. from Caphtor d, and the Assyrians An Antient people, inhabiting a large Country, and known by several distinct names. from Kir Conquered by some potent Enemies, probably the Antient Assyrians, and sent away to Kir a City or Country of Media, yet delivered at last, should these Nations, as you do, argue themselves to be out of danger of Divine Justice and severe punishments, because I had done this for them? Certainly you would not allow such argument in them, nor will I allow it in you.?

Behold Consider things better, and argue more like men of Reason. the eyes of the Lord GOD God of infinite purity and knowledge whose Nature hateth all sin, and whose Office 'tis to punish sinners, his eyes behold all the children of men, they run to and fro, as 2 Chron. 16.9. are upon the sinful kingdom Every sinful Kingdom, and on the Kingdom of the Ten Tribes as notoriously the sinning Kingdom, as Heb., and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth And I will ruin any such Kingdom for their sins, that it shall cease to be a Kingdom on earth.: saving that And so would I do with the Kingdom of Israel, but that I have by Covenant with their Fathers engaged to be their God for ever, which promise I will keep to a remnant of their seed for ever. I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob The seed of Iacob which God will not utterly extirpate, though he do extirpate other Nations, Ier. 30.11. This is added to confirm the gracious word concerning the remnant which shall be spared., says the LORD n.

For lo As this confirms what the 8th verse promiseth, so it requireth a very diligent and full attention of us. I will command Or give a charge to all Nations whether these exiled persons shall come, and they shall observe the charge, it shall as surely be done, as 'tis spoke., and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations Though Assyrians and other Nations be the means and instruments, yet Gods hand is principal, whilest they would toss, and scatter Israel with violence, yet God will hold the sieve, and guide their hands, and set bounds to their violence,, like as corn is sifted in a sieve by a skilful and careful Husbandman who designs to separate the Chaff from the Corn; to preserve this, to tread the other under Foot,; yet shall not the least grain Though covered under much Chaff, though tumbled and tossed with the greatest violence, and without any regard to it, yet the smallest, and least regarded good grain, shall not be lost or destroyed with that fire which consumeth the Chaff. fall upon the earth i. e. perish, or be lost, so the phrase 1 Sam. 26.20. and 2 Sam. 14.11. and 1 Kings 1.52. here is a promise of Preservation as great and wonderful, and as hardly comprehended as was the threatned punishment..

All the sinners The great, notorious sinners, Idolaters, Oppressors, Perverters of Law and Equity, cruel and inhumane Judges and others, of my people shall die by the sword either at home in the Wars, or abroad by barbarous men that Captivate them; as ver. 4. let. d., which say, In their hearts thinking or hoping, or in their words discoursing the Impossibility of what Amos did foretel. The evil The sad, miserable, and desolating end; shall not overtake As a pursuing Enemy, we will flee from it, vid. ver. 1. let. n. nor prevent It is far off, we shall die first, and be safe in the Grave, a Kingdom in its prosperity, and well settled as this Kingdom was in Ieroboam's time, cannot soon be brought to such confusion, we shall never see it. This savour'd rank of their Atheisme, and these shall certainly fall and perish, and never rise. us.

¶ In that day A very usual phrase in Scripture, whereby a time fixt and certain, yet unknown to us, is intended in the set time which God has prefixt. I will raise up Lay the Foundation, and build up, reduce out of Captivity, and re-establish in their own L nd. the tabernacle of David The House of David, and those that did adhere to David's Family, which are here called a Tabernacle, partly for that it never did after the Captivity rise to a free, and independent Kingdom, and partly because he would distinguish the Iews from the Apostate Israelites, who did wholly forsake David's house., that is fallen By a revolt of Ten Tribes in Twelve, whereby their State is low, and as fallen to the ground., and close up the breaches Which are in it by that long Division, since Ieroboam the First's time, which breaches shall upon the return out of Captivity, be made up by the voluntary union of the remnant of the Ten Tribes which shall return with the Two Tribes out of the Babyloni Captivity. thereof, and I will raise up his ruines Disposing the minds of the Kings of Persia to advance David's Line to the Government of the restor'd Captives, and continuing it in the supream Power till Me iahs coming and by rebuilding Ierusalem, and the Temple, and tling true Religion amongst them., and I will build it as in the days of old Much what 'twas before the sack of the City, and Temple, and the carrying the People Captive. All which, as far as they are Temporal concerns, do suppose and did require a sound turning to God; as did the like promises made by other prophets. And how far so ever they f ll short of these Promises 'twas through unbelief, and other sins as Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi complain in their Prophecies. Now as it refers to Messiahs Kingdom, 'tis a Prophesie of the Conversion of the Gentiles as appears Acts 15.16, 17. of which no more here, because that our work is to give the literal sense of the Text; Who would see more may consult larger Commentators on this place, and on Acts 15.16, 17.. This promise I nothing doubt has a double aspect both to the return out of Captivity, and to the Messiah his Kingdom, and each part is to be considered by us, if we would duly explain this and the following verse, let us look first to the letter and historical reference, and next to the mystical and spiritual sense of the words.

That they Literally and Historically the Iews, or they of the Two Tribes, and with them, such as of the Ten Tribes did unite to them, and return'd to Ierusalem. may possess Both the lands of Edom, and some of the Posterity of Edom, these as Servants the other as their Propriety. the remnant Left by Nebuchadnezzar, or that fled out of his reach and lived privately where they could find a hiding place till Israel's return. of Edom The Posterity of Esau wasted by Nebuchadnezzar, and ruin'd so that they never did recover to be a Kingdom, but who remained of them did shelter themselves as retainers to other Nations, and among these some did betake themselves to the Iews, and lived under them. Though formerly they had been desperate Enemies to the Iews, Edomites who cry'd rase, rase, Psal. 137.7. shall now assist as Servants in laying the Foundations, and building Ierusalem., and of all the heathen i. e. Round about as Moabites, Ammonites, &c. by usual phrase called All the Heathen., which are called by my name These words either must refer to Heathen, and Edomites proselyted, or they are by a Trajection laid here, but in Construction are to be joined with the foregoing words thus, That they which are called by my name may possess, &c., says the LORD This immutably confirms the Promise., that does this Who says and does, who willeth and effecteth, whose Command is Almighty. That this is a prophecy of setting up the Kingdom of the Messiah, and bringing in the Gentiles is very certain, but appertains to the Mystic sense not to the Literal, which is our work..

Behold Mark well ye poor captiv'd Iews,, the days come The time will certainly come, nay it hasteth, and who so lives to return shall see this word performed., says the LORD, that the plowman Who breaks up the ground; and prepares it for sowing. shall overtake the reaper Shall be ready to tread on the heels of the Reaper who shall have a harvest so large that before he can gather it all, in, it shall be time to plow the ground and prepare it for the seed for next years Crop. So God will take away the reproach of Famin (in Ezekiels phrase) from the mountains of Israel., and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed So great shall their Vintage be that e e the Treaders of Grapes can have finish'd their work, the Seeds-man shall be sowing his seed against next harvest Season., and the mountains The Iews did plant the Mountains and Hills of Canaan with Vines, Isa. 5.1. there were their Vineyards. shall drop sweet wine The Vineyards shall be so fruitful, and new wine so plentiful as if it did like trickling streams run down from the Mountains., and all the hills shall melt Or as if whole Hills were melted into such Liquors. Vid. Ioel 3.18. It is a lofty strain and very elegantly expresseth the abundance of outward blessings promis'd to this People here spoken of. If any will object it appears not that ever it was so. I answer it is certain the sins of the returned Captives did in very great degrees prevent these blessings which are here promised under a tacit condition which they never did fulfil.. Here is another promise made literally for assurance of abundant plenty to the returned Captives, and mystically of abundant Grace poured forth in Gospel days. But of the Letter and History.

And I will bring again Cyrus was the person who proclaimed liberty of return to captive Israel, but God stir'd up his Spirit to do this, and it was Gods eminent work; he was seen in it, as Psal. 126.3, 4. the captivity of my people of Israel Of those Salmaneser carried captive and those Nebuchadnezzar carried captive, both falling under the disposal of Cyrus by his conquest over Babylon; by which means Israel, the remnant of the Ten Tribes, as well as the Two Tribes had leave to return., and they shall build the waste cities Of Iudah and of Israel too, as well as Ierusalem, many of which we meet with in the latter Histories of the Iews and their wars., and inhabit them So they did from the time of their return till the Roman captivity, and were not by the space of 600 years pull'd out of their habitation., and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof Be blest in the increase of them and enjoy it, freed from that Curse, Deut. 28.39.; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them These planted for delight should be blessed too, both Vineyards and Gardens should be fruitful, and they that planted them should dwell in their houses safely, and eat the fruit of them.. What is contained in this Verse is an express promise of a Return to Captive Israel, and it is an implicit stating of the time when those former promises ver. 11, 12, 13. should be fulfilled.

And I will plant Or plant, settle them as Trees that are well rooted. them upon their land By antient Gift, and by late Restitution to it by the Lord., and they shall no more be pulled up By the violence of their Enemies which promise is an implicit condition that they seek, and not forsake the Lord, and was on Gods part with admirable constancy and Patience to that sinful Nation performed through 600 years, perhaps the longest time of freedom from captivity they ever knew. out of their land, which I have given Of free gift without their merit. them, says the LORD thy God thy God and thy Lord will do it for his Covenant sake, therefore surely and fully will he do it. God.