Commentary on Hosea John Calvin (continued)
HOSEA
the worship of idols, was right and lawful, and vastly superior to what the Prophets recommended.
Having this case of the Israelites in view, we need not be surprised at the fascinating and blinding influence of Popery, whose idolatry and superstitions are exactly of the same character with those of the Israelites; no two cases can be more alike. Their identity is especially seen in this, — that there is an union of two worships — of God and of images; and this union was the idolatry condemned in the Israelites, and is the very idolatry that now exists in the Church of Rome: and as among the Israelites, so among the Papists, though God is not excluded, but owned, yet the chief worship is given to false gods and their images. That the two systems are the same, no one can doubt, except those who are under the influence of strong delusion; and this is what is often referred to and amply proved in this work.
It may be useful to subjoin here an account of the time in which THE TWELVE MINOR PROPHETS lived. The precise time cannot be ascertained: they flourished between the two dates which are here given. The names of the other four Prophets are also added.
BEFORE THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY Before Christ I. Jonah,… 856-784. II. Amos,… 810-785. III. Hosea,… 810-725. 1 Isaiah,…. 810-698. IV. Joel,… 810-660. V. Micah,… 758-699. VI. Nahum,… 720-698. VII. Zephaniah,… 640-609.
IMMEDIATELY PREVIOUS TO AND DURING THE CAPTIVITY 2. Jeremiah,… 628-586. VIII. Habakkuk,… 612-598. 3. Daniel,… 606-534. IX. Obadiah,… 588-583. 4. Ezekiel,… 595-536. AFTER THE CAPTIVITY X. Haggai,… 520-518. XI. Zechariah,… 520-518. XII. Malachi,… 436-420.
In the last Volume, the fourth, will be given the two Indices appended to the original work.
J.O. THRUSSINGTON, September 1, 1816.
POSTSCRIPT After the preceding Preface had gone through the press, it has been discovered that The Twelve Minor Prophets cannot be comprised in four volumes