All their Princes are revolters

All their Princes are revolters.

This is a very strange expression: What all? Yes, even from Jeroboam to Hoshea's time, every one of them, the Princes of Israel were wicked men, for two hundred and fifty years space, in all successions every one were naught, and false, and ungodly, all were revolters. It's an elegant Paranomasia that in the Original, Princes revolters, the words have a greater elegancy in the Original than in our English; the Seventy they turn it by this word, Men that could not be persuaded, they were all of them men that could not be persuaded, they were set upon their own way, their own ends, and would have their own politic fetches, and let Prophets, let any of the godly come to show them the mind of God, they were resolved in their way, they would not be persuaded, but were willful, and they would have this way, and whatever came of it they would venture their lives and the loss of their Kingdom but they would have it, in a desperate way they were set upon their wills, come of it what would they would go on in this way.

Men that are great in power and authority they think it a dishonor to them to be persuaded to alter their minds, but rather will go on desperately to the ruin of themselves, and the ruin of their Kingdoms, rather than they will hearken to counsel. They were all of them men that would not be persuaded. And Luther upon the place has this expression (says he) Being lift up in the pride of their hearts by their power that they had, they would be above the Word itself, they think it much to have their hearts come under the authority of the Word. This is the wickedness of men's hearts when they grow great they swell above the Word of God.