should rest at last after all its Tossings upon the Mountains of Arrarat Gen. 8.4 which were the highest sort of those Hills over which the Flood prevailed Gen. 7.19 had not the Ark hit upon this high Hill but upon some low Valley at the decrease of the Deluge Noah's Confinement had been much longer than it was 't was the Lord who was its Pilot steer'd it to this Hill And what an happy hit of Providence was that when Saul and his Men had compassed David and his Men round about But there came a Messenger c. 1 Sam. 23.26 27. David's Extremity was his God's Opportunity he sent from Heaven to save him Psal 57.3 There was Deus ex Machinâ God coming to the relief of his Servant as it were out of an Engine God was seen in the Mount even in the very nick of time and place Gen. 22.14 Jehovah Jireh N. B. To the Lord belong all Issues from Death Psal 68.20 and he both doth see and will be seen in his marvelous hits of Providence which is secret and unseen to the Succour of his Servants in their greatest Necessities where Humane Help fails then and there Divine help cometh in Hence David call'd that place Selang Hammah lekoth a Rock of Division or Diremption because then and there God divided betwixt the Bloody Tyrant and his Prey Saul's Forces were forced to forego David when they had hemm'd him in on every side and such an happy hit of Providence was that in 2 Kings 19.9 And when he heard say c. How did this Rumour of the King of Aethiopia's coming out to fight against Senacherib fall upon him like a mighty blast that drove all his formidable Army like an heap of Chaff or Dust quite away The Aethiopians used to raise huge Hosts 2 Chron. 14.9 and therefore the News thereof must needs startle him and call him off from the Cities of Judah The like happy bit of Providence fell out in Luther's time when Charles V. was call'd off from Persecuting the Protestants by the Turks who use to raise great Armies also breaking into Hungary And thus God makes those Dogs the Turks to lick the Sores of his poor Lazarus's This in our day may be an happy hit also to deliver Persecuted Ones CHAP. II. Verse 1. AND Naomi had a Kinsman of her Husband 's Hence Observ 1. God never wants his Instruments of Succour unto those that trust in his Mercy Some Relation either Natural or Spiritual God will raise up to relieve his in their deepest Extremity Here God raises up a Kinsman to relieve distressed Ruth and Naomi David saith it as his own experience which possibly may not be every Man's Experience as it was David's That he never saw the Righteous forsaken nor his Seed begging Bread Psal 37.25 God still upholds them with his Hand v. 24. he reserves his hand for a dead lift when he hath exercised their Faith with divers Tryals and Tentations Prov. 24.16 2 Cor. 4 9. and rather than fail his Prophet in Prison his Jeremy in the Dungeon when none of Israel dare befriend him God stirs up the Spirit of an Aethiopian to draw him up out of the Dungeon Jer. 38.12 N. B. Ebedmelech Hebr. signifies The Servant of the King yet was he not more the King's Servant than he was Gods and his Prophets who being but a Proselyte and a Stranger yet was he more merciful to God's Servant than all of the Jewish Nation who yet gloried of their Priviledges above all other Nations Rom. 2.26 27. He was a Jew inwardly in his saying Those Men have done very evil and he is like to die for hunger in the Dungeon ver 9. 'T was a sweet Providence of God so to encline the Heart of that Effeminate Impious and Inconstant King to hearken to the Motion and to give order for the Prophet's Deliverance from so desperate and deadly a danger yea and the Work and Labour of Love in this Aethiopian's saving the Lord's Servant and that with so much tenderness of not hurting Jeremy in his drawing up is not only recorded in Scripture for his Eternal Commendation and for others Imitation to act vigorously in a good cause and for God though they be alone and have to Encounter with divers Difficulties but 't is also richly Rewarded by the Lord himself Jerem. 39.16 17 18. There he had the Prophet's Reward For saving my Prophet's Life thou shalt have thine own Life saved Oh what a stay of Mind would it be to us if God did say thus to us in a common Calamity personally and particularly as he saith to this Aethiopian Yet little less doth God say to us in Zeph. 2.3 It may be ye shall be hid in the Day of the Lord's Anger that precious Promise with its peradventure we must appropriate it by our Faith 'T is true indeed good Men may be compelled to crave their Bread as David himself did and Elijah the Prophet yet God stirs up Abimelech the High Priest to relieve the former and the Widow of Sarephtah the latter but they are never Vagrants or Vagabonds to beg their relief from the Ungodly A Mighty Man of Wealth Gibber Chail Hebr. Potens opum Hence Observ 2. Some Rich Men may yet be Religious Men though indeed they be rare Birds yet Riches and Religion are not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inconsistent things Abraham himself is for an Example who is said to be exceeding heavy with Gold and Silver as the Hebr. Reading is or as our Translation is he was very Rich Gen. 13.2 yet was he the Righteous Man of the East Isa 41.2 and the Father of the Faithful Rom. 4.11 Therefore though it be hard for Rich Men as Christ saith to hit of Heaven yet are not all Rich Men rejected of God for their Riches There is room for both Rich and Poor in Heaven poor Lazarus lies in the Bosome of rich Abraham Luke 16.22 Riches neither further nor hinder in themselves but as they are used and as they are trusted in and over-loved Matth. 19.23 24 25. Boaz was a Rich Man and yet Religious as appears in the whole Story of his Life Wealth if well used is an Encouragement to Duty and an Instrument of much good all the danger lies in loving it too well and trusting in it too much making Gold our Confidence Job 31.24 1 Tim. 6.17 Mark 10.24 'T is hard for them that trust in Riches to enter into the Kingdom of God And this many Rich Men do thinking themselves both better and safer for them Pride breeds in Wealth as the Worm doth in the Apple Heaven is a stately Palace with a narrow Portal and there is no entring in without stripping and straining till this Camel's-Bunch this burden of thick Clay be done off no one can get through this strait Gate Have them a Man may yea and use them too but when a Man passes over his Heart to them then they become a Mischief Boaz here was none
cannot be unjust to any because he is bound to none and as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies there is no chatting or wording it with God about those profound points v. 20. God may pass by whom he will and do with his own what he will Mat. 20.15 and who can say to him VVhat dost thou Eccles 8.4 He rejects some as Cain here that his Mercy might the more appear in the Electing of others as of Abel that he might be a Vessel of Honour as Cain was of Dishonour for God hath his use of both in his great house the VVorld 2 Tim. 2.21 He hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth Rom. 9.18 Inference hence is Oh how ought we to magnify the glory of Gods Free-grace Eph. 1.6 for we were all alike Cast aways in the faln and lost Estate Abel as well as Cain we were all Children of wrath by Nature even at others Eph. 2.3 and who maketh thee to differ from another that proud Arminian Gervinchovius undertakes to answer with a stinking Breath that question of the Apostle 1. Cor. 4.7 with egomet meipsum discerno I do make my self to differ from another but we have not so learnt Christ Eph. 4.20 We are taught in Christs word to say that God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sin hath quickened us together with Christ by Grace we are saved Eph. 2.4 5. and to cry with that Blessed Disciple How is it Lord that thou manifests thy self to us and not to the VVorld John 14.22 Christ is our all and in all we are nothing in our selves Col. 3.11 and of all the good that is found in us we may say as the young Prophet said of his Hatchet Alas Master it was borrowed 2 Kings 6.5 for in us that is in our flesh or corrupt Estate dwelleth no manner of thing that is good Rom. 7.18 until we borrow both the good will and good deed from a good God Phil. 2.13 Therefore when we see others wallowing in wickedness and committing sin greedily and with both hands earnestly Eph. 4.19 Hos 7.3 then should we reflect upon our selves and say such were some of us This was our natural condition but now we are washed c. 1 Cor. 6.11 Now through Grace we find a Law in our Hearts to be more careful to please God and more fearful to offend God Can we say this our Consciences bearing witness hereof in the Holy Ghost Rom. 9.1 Oh how should we bethink our selves that it is God who putteth the difference snatching us as brands out of the fire Zech. 3.3 Ascribe to him all the Glory 2. As God putteth the difference so he beholdeth the difference 'twixt good and bad as here between Cain and Abel And this latter flows from the former as doth the stream from the Fountain for after God hath made a difference he must needs have a prospect of what himself hath made Hence was the cause and ground why Abel was righteous Mat. 23.35 and so accepted in his Person but Cain was wicked 1. John 3.12 and so rejected of God Whence observe 2. That the Holiness and Righteousness of Man it not the Cause but the Effect of the Electing love of God The former is the Branch but this latter is the Root from whence it springeth Paul that great Assertor and Preacher of Free-grace not of Free-will doth Divinely both affirm and confirm this Truth saying According as God hath chosen us in Christ before the Foundation of the VVorld that we should be holy not because he foresaw we would be Holy and without blame before him in love c. Eph. 1.4 5 6 7 8 9. where the Apostle Teacheth 1. That Christ was assigned and designed the Mediator from Eternity to wit by vertue of that Humane Nature which he should assume wherein to be slain Revel 13.8 2 That God ordains to the means holiness as well as to the end happiness 3. That Holiness is the Effect of Eternal Election not the Cause thereof 4. That all the Causes of our Election or Predestination to Life are meerly without us As 1. The Efficient God 2. The Material Christ 3. The Formal the good pleasure of hit VVill. 4. The final Cause to the praise of the glory of his Grace So that the difference 'twixt Cain and Abel did wholly flow first from the Counsel of Gods own VVill that put a difference between them v. 11. God doth all by Counsel and ever hath a Reason for his VVill which though we cannot comprehend it here on Earth we shall be sure to apprehend it hereafter in Heaven mean while we must adore what we cannot compass or fathom crying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oh the depth c. Rom. 11.33 Hence observe 3. That Difference which God putteth the same he beholdeth betwixt one Man and another 'twixt good and evil and accordingly he respects or disrespects their Persons first and then their Actions As here God had respect first to Abel 's Person and then to his Offering or Action Gen. 4.4 But unto Cain's Person first and then to his Action or Offering God had not respect v. 5. though God put a difference in his Eternal purpose yet Men also put a difference by their personal performances the godly through Grace and the wicked through want of Grace c. From whence observe 4 'T is the piety or impiety of Mens Persons that do commend or discommend their Actions and Services to God 'T is not the work that so much commends or discommends the Man but the Man the work As is the Man so is his work good or evil at least habitually quo magis aliquid tale est illud est magis tale or qualis causa tale causatum As is the Cause so is the Effect and the better that the Cause is the better must the Effect be These are Maxims in Philosophy which hold true in Divinity also A good Man worketh good Actions and the better the Man is the better are his Actions As the Temple is said to sanctifie the Gold and not the Gold the Temple Mat. 23.17 So the Person gives acceptance to and sanctifies the Action not the Action the Person Solomon saith that a Gift will make room for the Giver among Men Prov. 17.8 with 18.16 but it cannot do so with God because Man looks first on the Gift and then on the Giver measuring the Giver by his Gift but God doth just contrary for he first looks upon the Giver and then on the Gift first upon the Person and then on the Action as here and as he finds the Man he doth accordingly accept or reject approve or disapprove of the Gift Action or Offering This Truth is further demonstrated by Prov. 12.2 and by Prov. 15.8 in both which Solomon setteth out two famous Antitheses or Oppositions betwixt the godly and the wicked as two contrary opposites the former
the Enemy and envious one doth not only Sow Tares among the Wheat Matth. 13.25 39. but also he sets upon all such as do begin to build the Tower of Godliness Luke 14.28 and hinders them to the outmost c. Remark the Fourth When those Adversaries saw all their Artifices in Hectoring the Builders and in Restraining the Men of Tyre and Sidon from bringing such Materials as were requisite for the Building as Sanctius saith proved all Ineffectual they took new Measures in bribing Counsellors saith Wolphius ver 5. to bolster up their bad Cause and to outface a good one These Counsellors saith Josephus were the King's Courtiers or Toparchs Deputites to King Cambyses who was a light loose and lewd Losel as one saith easily prevailed with to hinder so good a Work all the days of his Father Cyrus who favour'd the Jews but was now absent in his Warring abroad against the Lydians and then against the Scythians leaving his Son Cambyses to Reign at Home in his room so that Cyrus knew nothing of this Obstruction of his Royal Decree to the Jews saith Menochius but if he was informed of it and connived at the crossing of his own Decree by his own Son whom he had left his Viceroy behind him It was his Just Reward saith Dr. Lightfoot to meet with such a fatal End by Tomyris the Scythian Queen who Conquering him saith Justin cut off his Head and cast it into a Bowl full of Blood saying Satia te Sanguine Cyre quem Sitisti cujusque Insatiabilis semper fuisti Now glut thy self O Cyrus with Blood which thou hast ever thirsted after and wherewith thou could never yet satiate thy self Remark the Fifth Those Deputies and Officers of King Cambyses beyond the River Euphrates being profoundly bribed by the Samaritans wrote a most Pestilent Epistle full of all Diabolical Accusations Hatch'd in Hell and Dictated by the Devil who sharpen'd both their Tongues and their Pens and all this was done to Hinder God's People from Building God's Temple from ver 6 to ver 16. Mark 1. This Poisonful Epistle was directed to Cambyses in the beginning of his Reign ver 5. or Viceroyship immediately after his Father Cyrus went to his War abroad these crafty Courtiers would lose no time well knowing that tho' the Father was a publick Friend pet the Son was a private Enemy to the Jewish Nation and Religion so they take the fittest Season for granting of Suits from a New King Mark 2. This Cambyses the New King is call'd here Ahasuerus ver 6. which was his Chaldean Name and Artaxerexes ver 7. which was his Persian Name the two common Names of the Chaldean and of the Persian Monarchs as Pharaoh was of the Egyptian and Caesar of the Roman thus say Lyra A. Lapide Sanctius Wolphius Osiander Grotius c. all unanimously Ahasuerus or Achasueros say they is derived of Achas signifying a great V. Hebr. And and Ros or Resh Hebr. Head to signifie that he was a great Prince and Herodotus saith Artaxerxes signifies an Excellent Warrior both which Cambyses was being successful in his Wars adding Egypt and other Countries to the Persianâ— Monarchy He was a great Head indeed Mark 3. The Composers of this Satanical Suggestion are here named ver 7 8 9. the first that is named is Bishlam which Masius takes Appellatively Reading it Be-shalom in peace or in a time of peace so Onkelos c. implying that this mischievous Letter was written when the Jews thought all things were in peace Or it was some Congratulatory Phrase In peace be the King but most Read it as a proper Name with the rest of his Crafty Colleagues yea and Rehum the Chancellor President of the Council was Master of this Misrule and with him a whole Rabble of Rebels against God and his People all concurring in this cursed Confederacy not unlike that which David complain'd of Psal 8â— 5 6 c. Those named here were of Obscure Nations no where Recorded in Scripture such as Asnapper ver 10. some great Assyrian Officer brought from India and Armenia saith Wolphius to Inhabit Samaria 2 Kin. 17.24 Mark 4. As the Character wherewith this Letter was writ was such saith Schindler as might be understood at the Persian Court without an Interpreter so the Contents of it were sundry Lyes sowed cunningly together ver 11 12 13 14 15 16. all an entire hodg-podg of false and scandalous Accusations N. B. 'T is true wicked Zedekiah had once Rebell'd c. as before of him but Error Personae non Arti Imputandus his Personal Treachery ought not to Denominate the City and Nation Rebellious These false Informers say they had set up the Walls c. had they done so before the Temple was built the Prophet Haggai would have Reprov'd them for it as he did for preferring their own Houses before the House of God Hag. 1.4 the contrary appeareth Neb. 1.3 Nor was that old Device of the Devil and his Imps any better in slandering God's People that they are Anarchical against Government and Disturbers of the publick Peace Deniers of Toll c. pretending they certified all this for the King's Honour and Advantage when it only gratify'd their own Malice Mark 5. The Effects of this Letter follow from ver 17 to ver 24. No sooner had King Cambyses received it but he order'd to have it Read publickly before his Council This was so far well done had he kept one Ear free and heard both Parties he had done better However he returns an Answer to this Letter readily because it did so exactly gratifie his malignant Humour of Enmity against the Jews and that it might appear a more plausible piece of publick Iustice the Book of Records is searched as the Officious Letter Requested and enough was found from 2 Kings 24 1 19 20. of former Rebellion to palliate the issuing out of a Royal Decree for forbidding the farther Building of God's Temple N. B. Yet this Humane Decree did but carry on the Divine Decree Thus while Persecutors press backward from God's Command they still step forward to fulfill God's Decree Thus the Building was caused to cease until the Days of Darius Histaspis v. 5 24. Daniel CHAP. X. HERE falleth in and followeth the History of Daniel the 10th which is a Narrative of Daniel's Mourning Three Weeks for the Sad Tidings that the Building of the Temple was now Hindred Remark the First Is the Time of Daniel's Mourning in General 't was in the Third Year of Cyrus ver 1. Namely saith Polanus from his Conquest over Babylon in conjunction with Darius as before and the Constitution of his Absolute Empire and Monarchy over 120 Nations for he had Reigned over Persia only about 28 Years before this leaving his Son Cambyses to keep at home what he had already Conquer'd while himself went abroad to Conquer more Nations and in this Third Year of his Empire which was the 31th of his Reign he was slain
was the common stock out of which the following days works were deduced having its Original from God alone without any concurring power or foregoing Matter as the word God created noteth Whatever is or existeth besides God must proceed from God who is the Original of all All Creatures were in God before the Creation as effects are in the cause as the Rose before the Summer when it is neither spread nor sprung is in the Root the Idaea of all was in his understanding and will Thus David saith Thine Eyes did see my substance yet being imperfect and in thy books all my members were written which in continuance were fashioned when as yet there was none of them Psal 139.15 16. God had all the Names and Number of every part of the Creation as it were writ down in his Common-place-book like a curious workman that works all by the book and by a Model set before him he draws first a rude Draught then polisheth and perfecteth all The Third Enquiry is What is the Form of the Creation Answ God having made this rude Mass or first Matter of nothing by his Almighty Creating power in process of time and by degrees this Tohu Vabohu or Material Mass without form and void hitherto the Lord gave every part a proper and particular Form and perfection both in the higher and lower world beautifying Heaven with two great Lights and bespangling it with a numberless number of Stars so it became a stately Star-chamber for glorious Angels and glorified Saints to dwell in though that stupendious Arch-work of Heaven be not born up by props and pillars yet falls not upon our heads to the earth and clothing the earth with grass garnishing it with Flowers and furnishing it with Fruits This is called Creation-Mediate because her Matter praeexisted as Plants and Animals were Created out of the earth and out of the waters Gen. 1.20 24 25. but the production of that Matter out of which they were Created is called Creation-Immediate as it was made of nothing simply yet inasmuch as this Matter was a subject that had no Hability in it self to produce any thing the earth a dead lump had no power of it self to produce Plants or living Creatures no more than the Rock in the Wilderness had power to produce Water Exod. 17.6 Hence Gods producing all sorts of Creatures out of the first Matter is call'd Creatio Mediata as Gods making the first Matter out of nothing is call'd Creatio Immediata These two are call'd the primary and secundary Creation The form of the Creation is twofold 1. That which is common to all Created things was the Existency of all things which Existed not before that God gave to them in one moment by his Almighty Word and All-working command yea a most perfect Existency all his Creatures were very good Dei dicere est efficere God spake the Word and it was done so that Creation was no Motion but a simple and bare Emanation which is when without any Repugnancy of the Patient or toilsome labour of the Agent the work doth freely flow from the action of the Working Cause as the shadow doth from the Body This wonderful work of the great World made by Gods Irresistible Word is the shadow and obscure Representation of his unsearchable Wisdom Power and Goodness 2. That which is proper and peculiar To each Creature both Coelestial and Terrestrial God gave a distinct and differing Form making the Stars above and all things below to differ in their kind one from another This Formation of all things in differing Species out of the first Matter without either Successive Motion preceding Mutation or gradual Alteration no Created Being could possibly effect but God the Father alone by his Eternal Word and Spirit made all out of the first Matter and gave to all their several Form which was not in the first Matter but was Created out of nothing perfection was the Form and Beauty of the World and of every Creature in the World All the works of God are perfect works Deut. 32.4 Nothing could have been made more perfect essentially though God could have made some things better than he made them accidentally as he could have made Worms to be Angels and he could have given more excellent endowments to every Creature respecting the parts of the world but in respect of the whole the World was perfect both in respect of Degrees and Parts Every days Work was good Gen. 1.4 10 18 21 25. in respect of the parts severally but when the whole is spoke of all together 't is said They were all very good v. 31. The Fourth Enquiry is What was the Final Cause or End of it Answ The End of the Creation is twofold 1. The Supreme End 2. The Subordinate The first is the Manifestation of Gods Glory the second is the Instruction and Comfort of Man Gods Master-piece 1. Of the first God who is the most pure Act as before may be considered under a twofold Act. 1. Internal 2. External 1. The Internal or inward Act was not onely his actual enjoying of himself and solacing himself in himself from all Eternity thus God was happy in himself and was an Heaven to himself and needed no Created thing to make him more happy he was God blessed for ever without and before the Creation but also his Decree which was one eternal voluntary constant Act of God absolutely determining the Infallible future Being of whatsoever is beside himself unto the praise of his own glory Eternity is an Everlasting Now. whatever God thinketh or willeth he always thought and willed and always doth and will both think and will there can no more be a new thought or a new purpose in God than there can be a new God Gods thinking or determining is God himself whatever is in God is God as before God decreed the Futurition of the Creatures freely not from any necessity of Nature but only from his meer good pleasure Psal 115.3 Isa 49.3 Dan. 4.25 Eph. 1.11 c. God had no need of the things decreed had he so pleased they had never been but continued for ever in their Nothing-state yet God might have been without them and happy without them though they had never been he being Eternal All-blessed All-glorious light life and love all in himself This Divine Decree gave not only a possibility that all Creatures may be but also a futurition or certainty that they all shall be they shall have an Existence an actual being in time according to Gods determination before time 2. The External or outward act of God is his Efficiency or working all that he decreed according to his Decree Gods Decree was the great design of future Action and Gods Efficiency is the execution of that design those two answer each other as the pattern and Tabernacle Exod. 25.40 and as the pattern and Temple 1 Chron. 28.12 As the actual framing of Davids Body answered the Idaea or Platform thereof
us all those Graces Rom. 8.32 Even all things pertaining to Life and Godliness Eph. 1.3 1 Tim. 4.8 2 Pet. 1.3 So that 't is Mercy that performs all to Abraham Mic. 7.20 And the Saints are exhorted to look for the Mercy in Christ unto Eternal Life Jud. v. 21. And are called the Heirs of the Grace of this Life Eternal 1 Pet. 3.7 Because Grace is the cause both of Gods promising it and of his performing it the performance hath in it as much free Grace as the promise seeing we all fall short of Gods Glory Rom. 3.23 and of our own Duty Luke 17.10 The best can never have worth enough with their best to merit Heaven or purchase happiness in way of Justice it must be given in a way of Mercy Mans grace cannot merit Gods Glory In a word every Article of this Covenant is free Grace the whole Gospel is the word of Gods Grace Act. 20.32 And the Grace of God Col. 1.6 Faith is the gift of Grace Eph. 2.8 Phil. 1.29 Remission is from the Riches of Grace Eph. 1.7 Col. 1.14 Justification is freely from Grace Rom. 3.24 Yea and Salvation is given by Grace 2 Tim. 1.9 And all the way thereunto every Influence of Grace comes from Grace Joh. 15.5 Phil. 2.13 As doth Christ himself Joh. 3.16 Inference hence 1. Magnifie the Glory of the free Grace of God as blessed Paul often did Eph. 1.6 and 2.4 and 1 Tim. 1.13 14. c. Add nothing to it mix nothing with it this debases it and darkens the glory of Grace admire it with David 2 Sam. 7.18.21 Psal 115. 1. And Adore it with Abraham falling down to worship Gen. 17.2.3 Give Grace the Glory that gives you both Grace and Glory 2. Inference let not unworthiness discourage 't is only for such as see it and are sensible of it and a contrary state and temper of the Heart in self-admiration secludes such self-admirers He pays best for Heaven that sees he hath nothing to pay for it A thousand Worlds cannot purchase it yet is it freely given hang your hope upon the free grace of God not the free will of Man NB. When Despair Dejects apply absolute promises when security and presumption prevails apply conditional both in their seasons are very useful to Souls well applied The Second Excellency of the Covenant 'T is Firm as well as Free yea 't is Firm because 't is Free had this Second Covenant stood upon Mans Obedience as the first did it had not been a firm and sure Covenant for the Free VVill of Man even in the state of Innocency was but a slippery Foundation much more is it now in the Faln estate but it stands upon the Free Grace of God Rom. 4.16 and not upon any thing in us or to be done by us therefore hath it the more certainty The Covenant of Works was not firm because it was not free but depended upon the mutability of Mans VVill and therefore Mans VVill being changeable that Covenant was changeable also but the Covenant of Grace hath no such dependency on Mans mutable VVill seeing 't is grounded upon the immutable good VVill and Pleasure of an unchangeable God it must be Free and therefore is it Firm nothing can hinder Free Grace from its effectual operation of what and on whom it will though a Promise of VVages upon condition of Works may yet a Promise of Free Grace cannot be prevented besides 't is built upon the unchangeable Purpose of God for Paul puts Purpose and Grace together 2 Tim. 1.9 now this Divine Purpose is such a sure Foundation as cannot be shaken 2 Tim. 2.19 The Lord knoweth them that are his both in respect of the freeness of his Election and of the Firmness of his Affection howbeit this knowledge God hath of his is carried secret as a River under ground till he calls us and separates us from the rest of Sinners hence are we call'd the called according to his Purpose Rom. 8.28 and this purpose is call'd a Promise Tit. 1.2 not as if any Promise of Eternal Life could be made to us before the VVorld began in Person but 1. Because the Father did then Purpose it in himself and according to that his Purpose did also 2. Promise it to his Son for us and in our behalf in that Eternal Covenant between them and 3. According to that Eternal Purpose in himself and that Eternal Promise to Christ the Promise of Eternal Life is made in time to us in our own persons hereupon the Apostle grounds the firmness of the Covenant of Promise upon the stability of Gods Counsel or Purpose Heb. 6.17 so that unless Gods Counsel or Purpose change the Covenant or Promise is unchangeable but God is in one Mind and who can turn him Job 23.13 ever the same Heb. 13.8 and I am is his Name Exod. 3.14 NB. First Here then lyes our strongest consolation and the best Anchor hold for our Hope Heb. 6.18 The Covenant of Redemption before time was Promises conceal'd and the Covenant of reconciliation in time was purposes Revealed yea and in it we see also performances for the future so Ensured by Christ who keeps the Ensuring Office as if they were Acoomplishments at present and so two Eternities meet together in the Covenant that à parte ante before the World and that à parte post both during and after the World assuring happiness to all in the Covenant which must needs be unchangeable As 1. 'T was founded upon two unchangeable Bottoms Gods VVord and his Oath Heb. 6.17 18. 2. 'T was Contracted 'twixt two unchangeable persons the Father and the Son the Father promising so many Souls and Jews being too little Gentiles also cost the Son so much Blood every Drop was Covenanted for 3. 'T was made before an unchangeable VVitness the Spirit Joh. 5.32 36 37. Heb. 9.14 whereupon 't is call'd an Everlasting Covenant Isa 55.3 and Heb. 13.20 and 2 Sam. 23.5 Herein David placed all his Salvation as containing in it the sure Mercies of David or Christ Act. 13.34 't is not Yea and Nay but Yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1.19 20. not one word of it can fail Josh 21.45 and 23.14 1 Kin. 8.56 't is a sure word 2 Pet. 1.19 and 't is more easy for Mountains to move out of their places Isa 54.10 and for the course of Night and Day to cease Jer. 33.20 21. than for this firm Covenant to fail none ever took hold of it and could say There is a Lie in my hand as Isa 44.20 As God cannot Lie Tit. 1.5 so nor his Covenant Psal 89.33 34 35. 't is impossible Heb. 6.18 NB. secondly This Covenant is so firm sure and lasting that it is Perpetual and Everlasting it includes in it the two Eternities that à parte ante before the World began and that à parte post when the World shall have an end yet the Covenant shall last for ever being as in Moses phrase from Everlasting
for Omnipotency to have frozen this Sea into firm Ice in a Moment that Israel might pass over as upon a Christal Bridge but seeing Nature frequently freezes Waters gradually into a firm Floor or plain Pavement this Fact would have been more questionable and less glorious therefore the great God Works in a way far above the reach of Nature thereby the more to manifest his own matchless Glory how the Waters were congealed Exod. 15.8 is before explained from Job 10.10 Some say the soft and muddy Bottom might be frozen into a firm Floor c. But the Prophet makes this Way the more wonderful in his Poetical Ratures saying The Deep uttered his Voice and lifted up his Hand on high Hab. 3.10 Both Voicing and Voting with Waves and Walls lifted up as its hand in concurrence with it's Creator's Will in giving way and making a way for Israel's Passage and then for the Egyptians Ruine helping forward the Execution both of his Mercy to the one and of his Judgment to the other not as if God had been angry with it ver 8. did the Sea lift up it's Hand intreating God to spare it But ver 15. he saith God made a way through it for himself to walk in as well as for Israel through the heap of great Waters So that instead of Israel's being swallowed up they were preserved thereby Thus Habakkuk strengthens his Faith Thou Lord hast done this when all Hope failed and so I trust thou wilt open a fair Way for thy Servants safe Deliverance from inextricable Dangers when they stand in most need of thy Heavenly help Thou reservers thy Hold Hand for a Dead lift and wilt be seen of thine in the Mount Gen. 22.14 This Miracle was so memorable that it is oft Recorded that it might appear sufficient to fix our Faith on God's Omnipotency The Prophet Isaiah also insists upon this very Theme Awake awake thou arm of the Lord c. Isa 51.9 even that Arm which God had promised should protect his People ver 5. and that had dried the Sea ver 10. so could do it again in the like Case This is an excellent way of arguing with God in Prayer to wit from his Antient Acts and hereupon was grounded the Church's Confidence to say Therefore the Redeemed of the Lord shall return c. ver 11. which God accepts and effectually Answers I even I am he that comforteth you c. ver 12 13 14. be not heavy-Hearted I divided the Sea when it roared ver 15. much more the Rage of Man I can restrain Ps 76.10 and much more he saith of it Isa 63.11 12 13 14. leading Israel gently and leisurely through this Way c. see also Isa 50.2 3. It was marvelous in respect of the Journey as well as time and way God did not only make a plain Path for Israel and carried them safe in the depths of the Red Sea but also brought them safe out of the bottom of it to firm shore where they had Rest and Sang Praises to their Deliverer Isa 63.11 12 13 14 15. Exod. 14.29 30. and 15.5 8. This was one of the greatest Miracles that God ever wrought for his People which God himself therefore mentioneth as one of his Master piece works Isa 50.2 Behold at my Rebuke I dry up the Sea I have done it and can do it again Be not therefore faithless but believing Joh. 20.27 For this cause likewise this great work is so oft commemorated by God's People Neh. 9.11 Psal 66.6 and 68.22 and 77.19 and 78.13 and 106.9 and 114.3 5. and 136.13 14. especially in times of their greatest distresses and extremities as Psal 74.13 14. Isa 51.9 10 15. and 63.11 12 13 14. all intimating that God did not only divide the Sea to make for them a way through it for had he done no more they might have been stifled and buried in the Mud or have stumbled upon Stones and tumbled down head-long in the deep Descent on the one side or never been able to climb up the high and steep Ascent on the other side but God also made that muddy Soil as a firm Floor for their feet all along as well as the fluid Waters to be as solid Stone-walls on each side of them And this was the more marvelous if the length of their Journey be duly considered Ptolomy Chytraeus and others affirm that the breadth of the Red Sea where Israel passed thorough was twelve or fifteen German Miles which make thirty six of our English Miles and therefore required no fewer than four or five days time after an ordinary course for six hundred thousand Men together with many thousand of Women Children Strangers and much Cattle and Lumber all which together must needs march but a soft and slow pace to pass over so many Miles in Yet seeing the Scripture mentions but one night for doing all this it was the more extraordinary and miraculous to convey so much People and Cattle so long a Journey in so little a time This was the work saith the Prophet of God's glorious Arâ—â— leading Israel through the deeps as the Rider doth his Horse in the Plain without stumbling c. Isa 63.13 c. not one Israelite being lost either young or old in this long Journey as not one Egyptian was saved c. They were all enabled to travel through the Sea which waited so long upon them with its two Wills as Elijab was enabled to foot it so fast as to keep Pace with Ahab's swift Chariots 1 King 18. last and that promise was made good to them They shall run and not be weary walk and not faint Isa 40.31 4. Israel's Deliverance was as miraculous in respect of the means First God's Rod was the outward means or Instrument for dividing the Sea There is the Rod of God's Mouth Isa 11.4 and the Rod of God's Hand Isa 10.5 for correction in order to Instruction or Destruction but this was the Rod of his Power lifted up here Moses's Rod will do nothing unless it be God's Rod also The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon works wonders together The Arteries run along with the Veins as some say thoughout the Body animating the blood with spirits Thus the Spirit with the Word works wonderfully Acts 14.3 Luke 5.17 The Waters felt the Rod of God's Power striking them and at that Rebuke they fled away like persons dreadfully affrighted Psal 114.3 Hab. 3.8 15. tho' that stroke was not from anger to the Sea but from favour to Israel N.B. If it ran back at God's Rebuke dare we run on in sin when rebuked Secondly Israel's Faith was the Inward Means whereby they passed safe through the Sea Heb. 11.19 Every step they took from side to side in the Red Sea was an exercise of their Faith which was most eminently seated in Moses yet was there the concurrence of the Faith of Israel tho' there were many unbelievers among them 1 Cor. 10. v. 5 9. and all
of God's Curse upon Hiel the Bethelite as to the Cause thereof ommitting altogether the Story of the Lady Denham The Congruity hath an apt coincidency with Hiel's Case seeing the Father of those two dead Sons aforesaid did over daringly undertake to Rebuild Jericho in his endeavouring to restore the Romish Religion into this Land of Reformation a Work under God's Curse that never prospered in the hands of any Man nor hath it done in his hands c. Moreover this also is very Remarkable that God's Curse was restrained to the Rebuilder only and not at all to the Inhabitants thereof after it was Rebuilt for it was allow'd as a fit Habitation even for good Men to lodge in and those most Holy Prophets Elijah and Elisha did not make any Exceptions for avoiding it 2 Kings 2.4.18 Christ himself did honour this City with his Presence and Miracles Mark 10.40 and Luke 18.35 and 19.1 Tho' it was not Rebuilt till Ahah's time 1 Kings 16.34 yet some private Houses were set up there in David's Day 2 Sam. 10.5 wherein he bid his Embassadors reside till their Beards were grown they must be private for a time because there they could not be seen without shame Oh that God's Curse may be confin'd to that King who would have built the Romish Religion amongst us and not be extended to the Kingdom also but that it may be honour'd with the presence of Christ and his Prophets as Jericho was c. CHAP. VII JOshua the seventh contains an Account of Achan's Sacrliedge described in three parts 1. How it was Committed vers 1. 2. How it was Detected vers 2. to 23. 3. How it was Punished vers 24.25 26. The first Part affords these Remarks The First Remark is That the Sin of one Man or of a few Men may be attributed to the whole Congregation The Children of Israel are said to have sinned when one Man only had done so ver 1. Reasons hereof be because 1. This does show how hateful to God sin is how hurtful to Men it is also 2. The Body Politick like the Body Natural doth Communicate one Member with another both in Joys and Griefs as the Head and Heart are Affected or Afflicted with the Weal or Woe of Hands Feet c. 3. All are here involved that all the Members of Church or State may learn not only to be solicitous each for himself but also one for another Levit. 19.17 every Man is bound to be his Brother's Keeper Gen. 4.9 wicked Cain will not be so for the advantage and weal of the whole Body 4. Because one sinner may destroy much good Eccles 9.18 as Achan did here till his Sin was punish'd and so put away by the People whom the Lord did justly correct for the neglect of their Duty Besides they were such a People as could not want grievous Sins of their own for which God now punish'd them or divers of them might sin by coveting with their Minds what Achan acted with his Hands or by concealing it and not mourning for it and endeavouring to purge themselves from this fault which probably was known to others c. The Second Remark is The Description of this Sinner 1. By his Name Achan here is call'd Achar which signisies to trouble 1 Chron. 2.7 because he was a troubler of Israel as Joshua call'd him vers 25. 2. By his Pedigree he was Nobly descended from the Tribe of Judah vers 1. yet became he a foul stain to his fair Ancestors whereby a good caution is given to all Parents for the most careful Education of their Children in God's fear that they may not prove a dishonour to them when they are Dead 3. By his Temper which the Tempter well knew to be Covetous he felt his Pulse so fitted him a Pennyworth suitable to his Temper Now this Covetous Temper was the worse in Achan because he had Oxen Asses Sheep and a Tent well furnished with goods ver 24. and therefore he had less need to covet Consecrated Goods The Third Remark is The Narrative of his Sin Namely his taking of the Accursed thing vers 1. there in General but ver 21. 't is confess'd by himself more distinctly in particular shewing the Progress and Gradation of it As 1. It began at his Eyes having made no Covenant with them as Job did with his Job 31.1 He first looked at liberty upon those glittering Objects the Wedge of Gold the Babylonish Garment c. Then 2. He lusted after them his Concupiscence did covet them when it was inflam'd by the Burning-Glass of his Eyes 3. That Covetousness call'd the Lust of the Eyes 1 Joh. 2.16 puts him upon actual taking them as his own which was a Sacrilegious Stealing from God against his express Command Josh 6.18 19. And 4. His hiding them in his Tent that he might convert them to his own private use The second Part How Achan's sin was discovered wherein those Remarks are As First The occasion of its Discovery which was Israel's warring against Ai without success as they had against Jericho but on the contrary with Slaughter and Flight ver 2 3 4 5. there was an over-ruling hand of God's Providence that Joshua should follow the direction of the Spyes sent to view Ai in sending only 3000 Men against so strong a City wherein there were far more Valiant Men to defend it than those were that came against it assuredly the ease of Israel's Army was more consulted than their safety herein At first sight it seemed greater policy to have sent the whole Army and not so small a Squadron but God's Holy Hand was in it and his Holy Will must be done and suffered God's Design was that this Forlorn Hope should be defeated and thereby Achan's Sin that was yet secret might be detected Oh Divine Chymistry God never suffers evil to be but he knows how to extract the greatest good out of the greatest evil God had withdrawn himself and his Spirit of Courage from those 3000 Men because of Achan's Sin that they being now dispirited very probably did not endure the first brunt of the Battel but fled away at their Enemies first Approach and Assault Seeing these Israelites that were slain are said to be smitten not in Fight but in Flight ver 5. this small discomfiture proved a great discouragement it caused a consternation among the People ver 5. and among the Grandees also ver 6. because they saw that God was displeased and for this time departed also Hereupon Joshua rent his Cloaths ver 7. in token that his heart was rent with grief and expostulates the case with God to vers 10. The Second Remark is The Author of the Discovery of Achan's Sin to wit God himself in answer to Joshua's Praying and Fasting God will be found of such as thus seek him in truth vers 10.11 God tells Joshua Israel had sinned therefore could they not stand in Batttl ver 12. then God prescribes 1. The means of finding
for the other half thereof had their portion assigned them by Moses long before this on the other side of Jordan Josh 13.29 30. c. Then follows the Inheritance of Benjamin Josh 18. ver 11. to the end His Portion fell betwixt Judah and Joseph ver 11. which Divine Providence ordered being the only place in which that Prophecy Deut. 33.12 could have been accomplished What could God do more for Jacob's Darling than have his Temple built upon Mount Moriah which belonged unto this Tribe placed so near the place where God's honour dwelleth c. In the last place The possession of the Six lesser Tribes do follow Josh 19. 1. That of Simeon ver 1. to 10. 2. That of Zabulon ver 10. to 17. 3. That of Issachar ver 17. to 24. 4. That of Asher ver 24. to 32. 5. That of Napthali ver 32. to 40. 6. That of Dan ver 40. to 49. The Fourth General Remark is Still Levi is left out and yet there be Twelve Tribes without him because Joseph's double Portion maketh two Tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh yet this is not the Reason why the Tribe of Levi had no Inheritance that is no Regions or Parts of the Country distinct from other portions of the Land by which they might live by Tillage and Husbandry as the other Tribes were to do neither Moses nor Joshua gave Levi any such Inheritance but only some Cities to dwell in and the Suburbs belonging to them with some Circuit of ground for the feeding of their Cattel Josh 21. throughout and the Reason is rendred because the Lord himself was their Inheritance Josh 13.14.33 therefore God gave unto the Tribe of Levi all that Remained of the Sacrifices of the Lord to live upon Numb 18.8.10.23 Deut. 10.9 and 18.2 and this passage The Lord is their Inheritance his Sacrifice c. is so oft urged to prevent those Calumnies which God foresaw the Levites were likely to meet with from the Malice Envy or Covetousness of their Brethren And 't is oft repeated to oblige all the other Tribes that they might both conscientiously and cheerfully give to the Levites their Dues seeing they had as good a right and title to them as their Brethren had to their several possessions Besides this was done for the accomplishment of Jacob's Prophecy concerning Simeon and Levi they shall be scattered among the other Tribes Gen. 49.7 for the providence of God ordered so concerning Simeon that he had no distinct part of his own but became an Inmate to Judah Josh 19.1 As this was in part a fulfilling of Jacob's Threatning so there was this mercy in it to Simeon that his weak Tribe should be strengthned by the stronger Tribe of Judah and as to Levi tho' he had his habitation scattered among all the other Tribes yet this Curse was afterwards turn'd into a blessing when they were consecrated as Priests to preserve and present knowledge to their Brethren to teach Jacob God's Judgments and Israel his Law Deut. 33.9 10. Candles bound up in a pound give no light but when each of them is lighted and set up in distinct Rooms they give light unto all the Rooms of the House Thus did the scattered Levites give light unto all the Tribes of Israel on both sides of Jordan which they could not have done had they been bound up in one pound or portion as all the other Tribes were c. After the General Remarks upon the Division of Canaan among the Twelve Tribes in general Now the particular parts and portions of Caleb and Joshua do follow to make particular Remarks upon First upon Caleb The First Remark is His Petition to Joshua the General the subject matter of his Petition was extraordinary to wit the Mountainous Territories not to be given him by the common lot as the Land was dealt out to others but a special deed of gift to him and his and for promoting it the more the chief of his Tribe came along with him as his Advocates to Joshua Josh 14.6 7 8 9 10 11 12. wherein he urgeth his own faithfulness in the matter of the Twelve Spies Numb 13.31 32. and 14.24 He appeals to Joshua himself who then was his Copartner concerning the truth hereof and he alledgeth how he was still compleatly qualified for so great an undertaking so that this special gift was not like to be cast away upon a supernatural and unserviceable Person but above all he reminds Joshua of God's particular promise to him Numb 14.24 Deut. 1.36 By vertuē of which promise he was kept allve to that day as thou thy self art also to whom together with me God promis'd this Prerogative for a reward of our uprightness and sure I am God is no Austeer Lord but a liberal Pay-Master who never sends any of his Servants away having any just cause to complain of an Hard bargain in his service No he is an honourable Master who imploys his Servants in honourable work and will pay them most honourable wages As it is no Ambition in me to require so it can be no injustice in thee to bestow on me this Mountainous Country for as my feet have trodden upon so my Faith hath Triumph'd over it and over Hebron and all the frightful Giants about it The Second Remark is Joshua's Answer to Caleb's Petition Josh 14.13.14.15 wherein is related how Joshua granted his request and prayed God to bless him with good success acknowledging withal his praise-worthy carriage in the business of the Spies together with himself and therefore his Request was but reasonable and so might not be denied Joshua doth not here as some Generals in the like case would have done he doth not blame Caleb here for beeing too hasty saying let thy Betters be served before thee He bids him not stay until himself were first served but grants him Hebron helps him to gain it Josh 10.37 and when gained he wish'd him much joy and a comfortable fruition of it Caleb accordingly succeeded against the Anakims under Joshua his General Josh 11.21 and 15.13 and after Joshua's death also Judg. 1.9 10. to be spoke unto after Secondly The Grand Remark upon Joshua here is his Marvelous Modesty and Holy Humility in this that he who had deserved best and therefore should have been served first can be content to have his part and Portion last after all the Twelve Tribes had theirs assigned before him Josh 19.49 50 51. nor is this all held forth here that he was willing to be served last who had deserved most but that he could be content to chuse for his portion that he petition'd for among the Barren Mountains whereas he might have challeng'd the chiefest Lands in that Champian Country of those Conquered Kingdoms wherein he had been the chief Actor nor did he desire this small portion of barren Land that lay in his own Tribe because of any stately Palace that stood there or any Royal City adorned with Sumptuous Buildings contained therein
of Shilo may by a Rape be caught that the Remnant of Benjamin may be supplyed his Relation here agreeth well with the Scripture of truth as the same Story is recorded Judg. 21.17 18 19 20. to the end Israel's great Cry was now that the Lord had made a Breach upon the Tribes ver 15. Benjamin was the begetter and beginner of the sin God was owned here the chief Author of the punishment and Iseael were but his Executioners Hereby Benjamin is shrunk up into a small room and reduced to a very narrow number they complain the Women were destroy'd out of Benjamin ver 16. So the Two Hundred could not hope to have Wives out of their own Tribes They further urge One Tribe must not be lost out of the Twelve ver 17. because both Jacob and Moses promised an Inheritance to Benjamin and Joshua performed their Promise to him their Land cannot be alienated from them nor can it be possess'd by any other Tribe Their State must not be dismembred there must be Twelve whole Tribes to serve God instantly Day and Night as was said by a Benjamite afterward Acts 26.7 whence those Wives could come to recruit the Tribe in the Overplus number of Benjamites unprovided they knew not that they must have none of our Daughters given them by us because we have sworn to the contrary ver 18. and seconded our Oath with a Curse upon him that durst break it Then comes in Josephus's great Projector with his Grand Salvo at the Feast of Shilo c. ver 19.20 21 22 23. This Oath though Unlawful as above must by no means forsooth be broken yet a Violent Rape is devised to elude the Oath which was far worse for hereby they added to their Perjury for it was the Common-Council's Decree that gave those Dancing Damsels to the Benjamites the sin of Rape Fraud and deceitful Dealing The Benjamites have now got a Decree in Council of the Elders to lie lurking in the Vineyards and these Damsels that came by them to their Dances they were authorized to take them by force as their Wives without either Consent of Parents or Parties and undoubtedly to the great Grief of both and when any of their Relations came to complain as they had just cause to do against these Plagiaries or Kid-nappers it was ordered to answer them Be favourable to them c. that is we have wronged them in not reserving Wives sufficient for them either out of their own Tribe or out of Jabesh-Gilead N B. Whose Widows their Husbands being slain might have served them Wives when the number of Virgins was not found sufficient c. And they are told also Ye are not guilty of the Oath because ye did not give them but they werr taken against your Wills c. And so indeed they were Innocent but so were not they that used this Plea seeing they had contrived this Rape but this they conceal least it should make them odious to the Complainers and so harder to pacifie Inferences from this History are these First That Israel's Anarchy begat a General Ataxy They having no King or Judge to Govern them from thence came all those Disorders aforementioned Their Apostacy from God was Cursed with Manifold Confusions Civil-Wars c. Secondly In those dark Times they still held that great Truth that Parents have the power of Giving their Children in Marriage This was the Grand Ground of their Oath and of their Scruples concerning it So much Light yet remained among them that it was Unlawful for Children to Marry without the Consent of their Parents Thirdly A Violent Rape of Daughters without Parents Consent was even in this Degenerate Day lookt upon as Unlawful and therefore did they use those Wiles to appease those Parents whose Daughters were taken from them against their Wills not being altogether ignorant of the Law against Man-stealing Deut. 24.7 nor how heavily Jacob took it to be Robb'd of his Daughter Dinah Gen. 34. Children are a chief part of their Parents Goods therefore the Civil Law punishes Rapes with Death Much mischief hath followed Rapes and many Bloudy Wars the Rape of Helena out of Greece by Paris King Priamus's Son did cost the Destruction of Troy And later What a Woful War broke out between the Emperour Maximilian and Charles the Eigth King of France who violently took away Anne the only Daughter of the Duke of Britanny which had been Espoused to the Emperour c. N. B. How these Couples could fadge is hard to tell An After-Consent might salve all which only made Jacob's Marriage with Leah to be Lawful c. Fourthly Their Superstition brought upon them this great Folly to hinder their Daughters from great preferment for here they had a fair opportunity of making their Daughters Mistresses of very large Inheritances seeing the copious Inheritance of the whole Tribe of Benjamin was to be divided among Six Hundred Men none of the other Tribes must have any share in it therefore the share of many Thousands did fall to those few Hundreds yet so Superstitiously scrupulous were they to disown it c. Fifthly Notwithstanding the darkness of those Times yet was there so much light as to look upon Polygamy Unlawful and Impracticable Fot the Decree ran thus Catch ye every Man his Wife c. ver 21. no more but one Wife for a Man is mentioned which shews though Polygamy was practised by some yet was it not approved even in those Times yea and in this case never more needful cause was found for the allowance of it because the Benjamites were now reduced to a very small number yet had very great and extraordinary Work that lay before them namely the Rebuilding of their Ruined Cities the Re-peopling of them when Rebuilt and the Replenishing of that Wide Inheritance which now did almost lie wholly waste therefore if ever it was now necessary for one Man to have many Wives for a Greater Increase Sixthly and Lastly Nor were those Times so bad as to allow of mixed Dancings like the Dancings of our Days between Men and Women which in all Ages of the Church hath been condemned as Wanton and Lascivious but the Dancings of those Damsels was Sober Modest and Acted only by themselves whereby indeed they were the more exposed to this Rape we oft read of Virgins Dancing by themselves Exod. 15.20 Judg. 11.34 1 Sam. 18 26. and 2 Sam. 6.20 22. but not any where of any mixed Dances as is the corrupt Custom of our Times c. Judges CHAP. II. Verse 11. NOW return we to the History Recorded from Judg. 2.11 unto Judg. 3.11 under the Government of Othniel whom God made their First Judge after Joshua Famous Sir Walter Rawleigh saith here 'T is not improbable that the War betwixt Benjamin and the other Tribes of Israel brake forth between the Times of Joshua and Othniel for then there was no King in Israel and the Tribe of Judah which led the People against the
this must require three or four Months for his Hair to grow again to its former length and thickness after it was clip'd off or shaven by Delilah's Barber N. B. The Third Reason is Samson must have some such time wherein to be throughly humbled for his heinous sins to renew his Unfeigned Repentance in accepting the Punishment of his iniquity Levit. 26.41 and to reinstate himself into his Vow of Nazariteship which he had so brutishly broken as was allowed for Nazarites to do Numb 6.9 c. but above all wherein to be reconciled to God and to recover his Favour which he had notoriously forfeited Now this must require some considerable time to be done in for 't is God's ordinary Method that there shall be some proportion betwixt Man's Sinning and Man's Sorrowing as Manasseh had sinned greatly in Defying of God in destroying and murdering of Men and in Deifying and Worshipping of Devils therefore must he sorrow greatly 2 Chron. 33.12 So Samson had a long time in Sinning greatly accordingly he must have a long time in Suffering and Sorrowing greatly as no doubt but he did for the loss of his Eyes and not only for that but also for his being fettered with Fetters of Iron which he was now too weak to break and which reminded him how he had suffered himself to be bound with the Green Withes of Sensual Pleasure but above all for his working like an Horse in the Mill for three or four Months together under the Philistines Lashes all this made him a praying ver 28. and a believing Penitent Hebr. 11.32 and beloved of God again after all The Second Circumstance is The place where Samson Died which was in Dagon's Temple great preparations were undoubtedly made in this three or four Months time to Celebrate this Customary Annual Feast and that with more splendid Solemnity because both Princes and People were now to offer a great Sacrifice to Dagon their God and to Rejoice together in their Praises to the Idol for delivering up their great Enemy Samson into their hands ver 23.24 N. B. This Dagon is supposed to be Triton one of the Pagan Sea-Gods with Neptune whose upper part was like a Man and whose lower part was like a Fish whence there is mention made of Dagon's Hands but none of his Feet 1 Sam. 5.4 and yet the Idol was call'd Dagon of Dag which signifies a Fish in the Hebrew Language because the Philistines lived upon the Sea Coast and not far from Egypt where some of their Gods were Worshiped in the form of Fishes they likewise must have a Sea-Idol whom they now met together in a Prodigious Assembly to Adore for this singular Favour in the Temple which they had Consecrated for his Worship The Third Circumstance is The Manner how Samson Died wherein those Particulars may be observed As First Samson is sent for after they had Feasted themselves to the full to make them Merry ver 25. this was done both Actively by putting upon him some Ridiculous Attire and Actions that he might act like a Natural Fool for their Sport and Pastime and Passively by making him the Subject of their Scorn and Laughter pointing the Finger each one at him saying Behold the Blind Fool what fine Sport he maketh us All which he patiently endured wherein he was a Type of Christ whom his Enemies made the Subject of their Scorn and Malice Matth 26.67 68. and 27.29 David complains he was the Song of the Drunkards Psal 69.12 N. B. 'T is a Wonder how such a Generous Soul as Samson was could submit to be their Fool in the Play and did not rather destroy himself as Cleopatra did her self from the greatness of her Spirit disdaining to be derided when she was to be led in Triumph by the Romans c. N. B. But we may well suppose that Samson here did not altogether unwillingly commit some mistakes in his acting the part of a Fool because he was Blind but might willingly also act some Foolish Actions to make them as blind as himself that they might not either discover or suspect his intended design they set him between the Pillars where he might best be seen of all but surely God had his Holy Hand in it for a farther Mischief to the Philistines so it much promoted Samson's private Project of bringing as we say an Old House over their Heads while he lull'd them asleep by his Complaisant Diversions between the Pillars whereby he prepared a way to his own intended design for their Destruction Secondly Observe Samson being placed between the two Main Pillars whereon the Temple stood though there might be many other lesser Pillars beside by the Lords of the Philistines themselves He now desires the Boy that led him as a Blind Man to put him in such a posture that he might reach both the Pillars with his hands spread abroad ver 26. pretending only that he might lean upon them having many Causes of much weariness not only by his continual grinding in the Prison-Mill and by their violent haling him in all haste beyond his usual pace to come and become a Pastime to them but also by his standing there to make them Sport a Work his Noble Mind must soon be weary of N. B. Nor may we wonder either First That Samson knew those two Pillars did bear up this Temple for he might before this have seen it so with his Eyes or heard it by the Relation of others Or Secondly That such a Malapert piece as this Philistine Boy that led him should not saucily scorn his Motion while the Lords looked upon him but so willingly complys and gratifies his Request this surely was from God who has all Hearts in his Hands Thirdly Observe Samson being sensible there were about Three Thousand Philistines got together within this House to Worship their Idol and to make a Mock of himself ver 27. as he leaned on the Pillars so he leaned upon the Lord also Prov. 3.5 and not upon hiâ— Hair new grown therefore prays God to give him new strength once more c. ver 28. which doubtless was a Prayer of Faith and the fruit of his true Repentance wherein he doth not seek Revenge as a private Person but as a publick Judge upon God's Enemies now Worshipping Dagon and Worrying himself N. B. Then God that hears not sinners Joh. 9.31 heard him and gratified him in the Effect Fourthly Observe Samson bowed himself with all his Might pull'd down the two Pillars and the House withal whereby all in it both Lords and Losels perished together and himself with them ver 29.30 Slaying more at his Death than he had done in his Life wherein he was a Type of Christ also Hebr. 2.14 Nor may we look upon Samson here as a Self-Murderer because he acted herein by an extraordinary Instinct of God's Holy Spirit that moved him to pray thus and from his fervent Zeal to become a Sacrifice for publick good next to God's greater Glory
carnal Cardinal in France I would not lose my part in Paris for my part in Paradise for indeed no such wretch could have any part at all in Gods Paradise no such dirty Dog shall ever tread upon that Golden Pavement Revel 21.21 and 22.15 Observ 4. Carnal Worldings will be wiser than the most wise God This Worldly Muck-worm Reasons and Resolves here as if the Father of all the Families both in Heaven and on Earth Eph. 3.15 would have undone his Family by a displeasing precept he makes himself wiser than God who sets the solitary in families Psal 68.6 and preserveth them in that state by his providence which can never be contradictory to his precept nor his precept to his providence Yet thus he Argues Should I Marry Ruth Alas she is a poor Widdow and brings no Addition to my Estate and then the Old Woman Naomi must be maintained too which will be a double charge yea further she being Young may fill my House with Children so weaken my Inheritance when divided into many Streams or if she brought him but one Child he would want an Heir to bear his own Name but Mahlons that was deceased it must bear and so he should beget a Child upon another Mans-bed and therefore he thought to obey God who blesseth those that obey him would blast his Patrimony and thus with his carnal Reasonings and for Worldly Respects he dispenseth with his Disobedience to the express Law of God Deut. 25. ver 5 6 7. Whereas 't is our duty to see always better things in Gods will than in our own and to believe Wisdom where we cannot behold Love V. 7. Now this was the manner in former time concerning Redeeming Here the Rites of Redemption or Alienation of Lands are Related bearing some Resemblance with those prescribed in Moses's time Deut. 25. yet with difference Hence Observ 1. Old Custom is of great Authority with all People Custom is not only a Second Nature but 't is also a prime Law to many as Tully said those Customs I received by Tradition from my Ancestors Nullius unquam me Movebit Autoritas no Authority shall ever remove me Mos which signifies custom is called Magnus Trium literarum Tyrannus a mighty Tyrant of Three Letters that mightily prevails every where as amongst those Barbarians that have a custom of throwing stones one at another once in the year and this custom they cannot be persuaded to lay down because they received it by Tradition from their Ancestors But Jeremy tells us The Customs of the People are vain Jer. 10.3 old customs without a consonancy to the Truth and Word of God Joh. 17.17 are but mouldy errors So then the Jus Consuetudinarium cryed up by the Romanists ought to be Abandoned in as much as it Agrees not with the Truth To make custom the chief Magistrate or Law of our Life is to make our selves no better than dead Images that are moved and carried on upon the Wheels of custom Observ 2. Succession of time is very apt to alter primitive Institutions Here some alterations were crept in since the appointment of Moses in Deut. 25. for there the Widdow refused by the next Kinsman complained to the Elders of the injury offered her but here Ruth makes no such complaint There The Woman pull'd off his Shoe but Here The Man pulls off his own Shoe himself and gives it to his Neighbour the Goel or Redeemer There she Spits in his Face to disgrace him But here no such matter is done save only his delivering the Shoe to Boaz whereby he renounced his own Right so much as to tread upon that Land without sufferance and resigned all up to the Redeemer Thus Alterations from the first Institution and Innovations are very apt to creep in upon us in Matters of Religion Our Lord saith non crat sic ab Initio it was not so from the beginning Mat. 19.8 This was a Testimony in Israel That is it was entred upon Record that the Redeemer should ever hold his Right to the thing redeemed They made sure Bargains for the Earth Hence Observ 3. If Earth much more Heaven should be assared Oh what sure work was made about Anathoth's Field Jer. 32. See v. 9. more of this V. 8. So he drew off his Shooe This was for confirming the Bargain according to the custom of the Countrey in giving Possession by Turf and Twig or by Sod and Straw laying them upon the Deed or Evidence c. Hence Observ 1. To put off the Shoes of our Defilements is a Blessed Evidence of an Holy Resignation of our selves to God Thus Moses was commanded to put off his Shoes Exod. 3.5 And thus was Joshuah also Josh 5.15 not so much because they stood upon Holy Ground as that both of them must design themselves to an Holy God Oh that we could do so inasmuch as that Ceremony of Spitting in the Face of this Refusing Kinsman was either omitted or remitted yet the Bargain was firm in Israel From hence arises Observ 2. Religion may be firm and right Religion without some Ceremonies As this Bargain was a right and firm Bargain without that Ceremony for either it was become Obsolete and out of use or Ruth referr'd the whole concern to Boaz. Oh it were an happy thing if the Worship of God were now accounted a right and firm Worship of God without being so cloathed and clogged with so many Ceremonies over and above the nakedness and simplicity of the Gospel N. B. 'T is pity they should be called but indifferent to Salvation yet be accounted so necessary to preferment Those indifferent things must not now either be omitted or remitted though they have been for some time out of use but are imposed as necessary things though not mentioned amongst such Acts 15.28 whereby they lose the very Nature of Indifferency V. 9. Ye are Witnesses this Day 'T was Boaz's care to make his new Purchase with good assurance Caveat Emptor the Buyer must take heed that all be right fast and firm Thus Abraham did in his purchase Gen. 23.16 Those were fit Witnesses because they were Eye-Witnesses of the Bargain and Ear-Witnesses also Hereby he provided for his own security and for the quietness and peace of his Posterity also who otherwise might have been dispossessed of it 'T was therefore an act of great prudence and shall not we be as prudent for Heaven that purchased Inheritance so call'd Eph. 1.14 as Abraham was of his Purchase if we be the Sons and Daughters of Abraham Thus Jeremy as before made sure work by Evidences both Subscribed or Signed and Sealed and Delivered before Witness yea and two Copies for preventing Quarrels and after-Claims Jerem. 32.9 10 11 12. Men love to be upon sure Grounds in things that are Temporal Oh that they were as wise in things that are Spiritual and Eternal V. 10. Moreover Ruth the Moabitess have I purchased c. And 't was a good Purchase even the best
part and main cause of his Purchase Hence Observ 1. A Godly Wife is a good Purchase Boaz could not think he paid too dear for this Purchase seeing she was one that feared God and the price of such an one is far above Rubies Prov. 31.10 A good Wife was one of the first real and Royal Gifts bestowed upon Adam Though Ruth was a Moabitess of that cursed Stock that were excluded from the Church to the Tenth Generation Deut. 23.3 hence some do censure Boaz for Marrying Ruth but uniustly for she was a Proselyte and a Vertuous Woman and came to trust under the Wings of the God of Israel She was not as Solomon's Mistresses of Moab that stole away his heart from God Neh. 13.26 V. 11. The Lord make the Woman c. This is their Prayer for a Blessing on his Marriage Hence Observ 1. Though Marriage be not a Sacrament as the Romanists reckon it yet ought it to be Solemnized and Sanctified by Prayer as it is both an Holy Ordinance of God Prov. 2.17 and an Honourable Estate to Man Hebr. 13.4 That is come into thy House To possess it as a good not an evil Spirit Hence Observ 2. Marriage is either a Marr-Age or a Merry-Age The Heathen could say every Man at Marriage brings into his House a good or an evil Spirit so makes it an Heaven or an Hell thereby Like Rachel and Leah Beautiful as Rachel Fruitful as Leah Hence Observ 3. Beautifulness and Fruitfulness are two Marriage-Blessings which God gives to them that Marry in the Lord. Both those are the Gifts of God and ought to be pray'd for by Man and both these are Blessed Cements betwixt Married Couples Gen. 24.16.67 Rebeccah was very fair and Isaac loved her and Gen. 30.20 and Job 19.17 Children are strong Cements both with Jacob and with Job c. Query 1. Why is it not said like Sarah or Rebeccah Answer 1. Because those two Rachel and Leah left their Countries as Ruth did 2. They desired Off-spring as she did 3. From them sprang the Twelve Tribes only but the Edomites were from Sarah and Rebeccah 4. The Bethlemites were from Leah and Rachel Rachel's Sepulchre was in the Suburbs of the City Bethlehem Gen. 35.19 Query 2. Why is Rachel set first Answer Because dearer to Jacob and his first Thoughts Do worthily in Ephratah c. All this was become a Jewish Form of Prayer Observ 4. Every Man ought to do worthily in his place and station All Men should be serviceable to God and profitable to Man not Inutile pondus terrae as if Born only Fruges Consumere to no purpose or to bad purpose they are to bad purpose by whom no body is better but some body worse See Ezek. 18.18 V. 12. Like the House of Pharez Who was the Bethlemites Progenitor Gen. 38.29 of a Numerous and Honourable Family see v. 18. and the Blessing of this Peoples Prayers came upon the Head of Boaz and Ruth Hence Observe 'T is good to have a share in the Prayers of others God graciously heard the Prayers of this People for this Couple for they had Children Wealth and Honour of them descended many and Mighty Princes especially Messiah the Prince The two grand priviledges of a Child of God Are First To be born upon the Wings of Prayer while he lives And Secondly Upon the Wings of Angels when he Dies V. 13. Boaz took Ruth This was done before solemn Witnesses Hence Observ 1. Clandestine Marriages are not warranted by the Word some Daughters are stolen away without Parents Consent Boaz took her to be his Wife not his Whore He went in unto her A modest Expression of the Marriage Duty Hence Observ 2. No corrupt Communication should proceed out of our Mouths Eph. 4.29 No Borborology no Obscene or filthy Speeches The Hebrew Tongue is called Holy some say because there is not one proper Name in it that signifies the Privities of either Sex or the Act of Copulation but it uses a modest Phrase or Periphrasis The Lord gave her Conception Hence Observ 3. The Key of the Womb as of Heaven of Hell and of the Heart hangs at God's Girdle She had been Married to a Young Man yet had no Child now she is Married to an Old Man yet hath a Child this was by the singular Blessing of God yea and a Son too which was more than a Daughter to uphold the Name and Family even to the Birth of Christ V. 14. And the Women said to Naomi Hence Observe Women's Meetings ought not to be spent in vain and frivolous Chat and idle Prattle much less in Ribaldry and Scurrility Here was an Holy way of Gossiping so Luke 1.58 the time was not wasted but spent in Praying and praising of God That his Name may be famous The Men had pray'd thus before now the Women pray for the same Hence Observ 2. 'T is an happy time when Men and Women do even apart pray for the same Blessing Esther 4.16 Zech. 12.12 Mercy would then come to God's Family and to our own V. 15. A Restorer of thy Life c. Hence Observe Children ought to be Restorers of Life to their Aged Parents and nourishers of their Old Age. Oh what a shame it is that so many Children bring down the Gray-hairs of Parents with Sorrow to the Grave Gen. 42.38 Many break the Hearts of their Parents few are Restorers and Comforters or Nourishers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Stork-like so famous for Gratuity to their Dam c. V. 16. Naomi took the Child and laid it in her Bosome To wit next her Heart Hence Observe Love hath a descending Nature as the Beams of the Sun it descends better than ascends Naomi was but Mother-in-Law to its Mother yet behold her Affection to it 'T is oft found that Grand-mothers love their Grand-Children better than their own from the descending Nature of Love Hereupon she became Dry-Nurse to it Oh the Ocean of Love that descends from Parents to Children V. 17. The Women gave it a Name To wit those good Women v. 14. perswaded the Parents so to Name it either at the Birth or at the Circumcision as usual They call'd him Obed A Serviter so he was to Naomi whom he served with Comfort and Restoration and so he was to God a Serving Son Obed i. e. Obedient The Name Obed put him in Mind of his Obedience and Service to God and his Parents Mal. 3.17 as the Prince of Wales's Motto Ich Dien I serve to suppress his Pride c. V. 18. Though he was Mahlon's Legal Son yet was he Boaz's Natural Son the Catalogue of whose Generation is set down to shew that Shiloh came of Judah according to the Promise which Matthew transcribes Matth. 1.3 5. Pharez a Breaker a Type of Christ who broke the power of Death and Hell and the Partition-Wall then Zarah the Jew comes forth again Gen. 38.29 30. Boaz begot of Rahab Matt. 1.5 as Obed of Ruth c. The
only Mortal Men but common Ghosts yet ascending out of the Earth as if he came again from the state of the Dead N. B. Saul hereupon asks her what is his form Hebr. v. 14. which implieth that the Witch did practice her Witchcraft in a private place where the Spectrum first appeared to her and Saul was not an eye-witness at the first nor as yet saw the Apparition while he made this double enquiry The Witch tells him his form that he asked after namely it is an Old Man that cometh up and he is covered with a Mantle that is the same Mantle he used to wear when he was Israel's Judge and Prophet yea the same that Saul did rend Chap. 15.27 and that wherein he was Buried saith Lyra at random when Saul perceived it was Samuel he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed himself Osiander's Opinion here is with others that Saul saw nothing like Samuel when he thus Worshiped but as the Witch only saw the form but heard not the voice so Saul heard the voice only but saw not the form yet he Worshiped from the words of the Witch that inform'd him it was Samuel but 't is more probable that Saul both saw him and heard him preach his Funeral Sermon to himself notwithstanding his Worshipful Cringes towards this mock Samuel for this was that the Devil chiefly aimed at to delude Saul in his Adoring Satan instead of Samuel well knowing that Saul regarded not Samuel while he was alive yet is now made so mad for his Advice in his Distress that he will give him that Adoration which is due to the Lord only may he but have him raised from the dead N. B. After this Discourse betwixt Saul and his Dame she calls him into her Conjuring Room to see this supposed Samuel and then was the time of Saul's bowing to him at his first entrance and when the Witch had brought them two together she tho' Vilis Operaria a poor Pains taker as Josephus calls her yet had so much good manners as to withdraw from them and to leave them to themselves to debate their Secrets as appeareth from v. 21. she came to Saul Before we come to the Dialogue betwixt Saul and Mock Samuel v. 15. which is the Ninth Remark this Grand and Grave Enquiry is first to be answered to wit N. B. Note well Who was the other party that spake to Saul Answer the First Some Popish and other Writers do affirm it was the true Samuel upon these Arguments As First 'T is said that Samuel Prophesied after his Death Ecclesiasticus 46.21 To which we say that is but an Apocryphal Argument and therefore cannot be a Canonical Proof Besides that Author begs Pardon for his Darkness in his beginning of that Book Their Second Argument is That he is oft called Samuel in this Story To this we say He is called so because both Saul and the Witch thought him to be so though really he was not so as the Sun and Moon are called the two Great Lights though some Stars are really bigger yet seem not so to us As an Actor of a King in a Play is call'd the King but really may be a Rogue Their Third Argument is He foretold future contingents which come not within the compass of Satan's cognizance but belongs to God alone Isa 41.22 23 and to whom God reveals them To this we say Such is Satan's Sagacity from his long Experience that he can foresee such Events as are come to their working Causes He knew Saul's Rejection and David's Election the Philistines Courage and Israel's Despondency therefore might give a shrew'd guess what would be the end of such means that were now at work towards it Moreover the Lord sometimes useth the Ministry of an Evil Spirit revealing future things to him as 1 Kings 22.21 22 23. Judg. 18.6 Answer the Second It was certainly Satan in the similitude of Samuel which appeareth evident upon these grounds as First Briefly The Souls of the Saints do immediately at Death go up to God to Rest there Rev. 14.13 and their Bodies are laid up in the Grave as in God's Repository until the Resurrection God keeps his Servants Bones Psal 34.20 So that neither the Philistines could break David's Bones saith Abenezra nor could the cursed Jews break the Bones of Christ Joh. 19.36 And they cannot be Raised up but by the Almighty power of God and therefore not by any power of the Devil or his Imps. Secondly 'T is altogether improbable that the Lord who so lately refused to Answer Saul by those means of God's own appointment Saul himself being a witness hereof chap. 28.6 should now Answer him or suffer Samuel to Answer here by such means as by Witchcraft which God both Contemned and Condemned Thirdly The very Circumstances of this Relation do discover this Party in the Dialogue to be no good but an Evil Spirit as 1. That he receives that Worship from Saul V. 14. which a Good Spirit would not own Rev. 19.10 and 22.8 9. God only is to be Worshipped 2. This Spirit pretends to be disquieted by Saul and his Witch which is not only absurd but impossible for a Good Spirit to be that is returned to God Eccles 12.7 Entred into peace Isa 57.2 Lodged in Abraham 's Bosom Luk. 16.22 And at Rest from their labours Rev. 14.13 Being made perfect in Heaven Heb. 12.23 The Fourth Argument is Had this been the true Samuel who was so zealous of God's Honour and so faithful a reprover of sin in Saul Amongst his other sins for which he reproves him here he would not have omitted this heinous sin of his asking counsel from this Witch for which great Transgression with others he is expresly said to be Slain by the Lord 1 Chron. 10.13 14. The Fifth Argument is Had it been the true Samuel then either he came on his own accord and so he consented to the Power of this Witches Magick Art when she called him up by Conjuration which is absurd to imagine Or he came unwillingly and if so then the Devil must have a power over the Glorified Souls of Saints to dragg them whither he pleaseth which is a Blasphemous Supposition The Sixth Argument is If it were the true Samuel then must he come by the will of God or by the power of Satan in this Witch He could not come by God's will at the call of a Witch for God had forbidden Witchcraft in many Scriptures aforementioned but in none doth he warrant it nor could he come against God's Will by the force of Magick for then the Devil must be more mighty than Almighty God Here is Saul's Will and the Witches Will but not one word of God's Will Had God sent Samuel he would not have called obedience his disturbance The Seventh Argument is This Spectrum's coming in a Mantle makes it manifest to be a meer Cheat and a Mock Samuel for the true Samuel had now no Mantle to bring with him
who excited Joash to call the Priests to an account and to call him among the rest because he could not so well prevail with them to be more diligent in promoting this publick Work Others make this Apology for Jehoiada that he was now grown very old it being in the Three and twentieth Year of King Joash ver 6. King Jebu dying the Year before and leaving the Kingdom of Israel to his Son Jehoaaz At this time 't is said expresly that Jehoiada was grown very old 2 Chron. 24.15 which might be the cause of his Remissness ver 6. his generation-Generation-work being now in a manner done and therefore Joash took new and other measures for carrying on more effectually his Temple-work Remark the Sixth When Joash saw the Mony the Priests collected abroad in the Country was converted to other Uses and not to the right end for Repairing the Temple the King commands the Priests to gather no more Poll-Mony but orders old Jehoiada to set up a Chest like our poor Man's Box besides the Altar of Burnt offering 2 Kings 12.8 9. 2 Chron. 24.8 and this means did prove effectual for much Money was put into the Chest both Trespass-mony for omission of good and Sin-mony for commission of evil saith Tostatus This was put into such Officers Hands as dealt faithfully The Fabrick was perfectly finish'd by them ver 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 and 2 Chron. 24.10 to 13. yea and new Vessels ver 14. instead of those Athaliah's sacrilegious Sons had stoln away ver 7. Remark the Seventh Jehoiada lived the Supporter both of Church and State until he was an Hundred and thirty Years old and then died 2 Chron. 24.15 It was doubtless a great Blessing to the Kingdom of Judah that he continued so long in it which was an extraordinary Age in those times for him to live up to And such an high Veneration the People had for him that they buried him among the Kings a very great Honour done to him at his Death because he had done so much good in his Life both in Repairing God's House and restoring God's Worship to be performed therein when so repair'd Yea and restoring the Kingdom to the House of David in the Preservation of Joash c. The Second Sort of Joash's Actions were his Illandable Actions Remark the First His not taking away the High Places ver 3. but this was while Jehoiada lived so not so bad as after his Death for Custom that Tyrant of three Letters Mos had so prevailed and riveted these high Places in the Hearts of a fond People that the former Kings of riper Years than Joash and more firmly settled on their Thrones and having greater power than Joash yet could not remove them no wonder then if Jehoiada was constrained to tolerate them upon which the People so notoriously doted insomuch that Jehoiada durst not advise the young King Joash to cross the Mobile in this Superstition they had so fondly espoused lest it should cause a Tumult and lest as a learned Expositor expresseth it the Multitude should mind more Commotioners than Commissioners and be more guided by Rage than by Right Violence and Obstinacy like two untamed Chariot-Horses hurrying forward their precipitant passionate Desires in a blindfold Career Therefore good Jehoiada was forced to forbear as 1 Kings 15.14 and the rather because the Matter was good the People Sacrificing to the Lord there and not to any Idol So the thing was warrantable but the place only was unwarrantable Deut. 12.11 13 14. Remark the Second But after Jehoiada's Death Joash permitted deplorable Idolatry to be restored in the Kingdom 2 Chron. 24.17 18. Those cursed Court-Parasites who had dissemblingly concealed their Idolatrous Minds all the days of Jehoiada came cringing to the King as soon as Jehoiada was dead and perswaded this Ambitionist that during his Tutor's Days he was a King without a Kingdom a Lord without a Lordship or Dominion no better than a Subject to his Subjects c. that he should do well to assume to himself his Royal Power and as Menochius Osiander c. say they desired him to shew his Royalty in granting Liberty to every Man to Worship God as he listed and where he best liked and not be tied to the Temple c. yea a Liberty to recal the Worship of Baal c. The King hearkned to them Grotius here quotes Curtius saying Flattery is more mischievous to Kings than an Enemy when they give Ear to it fair Words make facile Fools fain and Princes minds are easily altered for the worst thereby as Joash was here who was soon wheedl'd into base Apostasy c. Remark the Third No sooner had those Court-Parasites prevailed with Joash for a Liberty to Worship God in the old High places but presently they Worshipped Baal there ver 18 19. for which Wrath came down upon them by Hazael King of Syria 2 Kings 12.17 18. when Jehoiada was dead so great a loss to a Kingdom is the death of a Godly Governor and when Joash was relapsed into Idolatry Principium fervet medium tepet exitus alget was the Character of this Apostate So zealous was Joash at the first as to rebuke even good Jehoiada for his Remisness in Repairing the Temple as before he was too hot to hold he is now grown stone-cold for God and as hot for Idols when he had lost his Religion he lost his peace of the Kingdom for then the Lord let loose the King of Syria upon him as after c. Remark the Fourth Joash's Tyranny the Daughter of his Apostasy into Idolatry and that with Obstinacy Such was God's pity and patience towards his own people that he sent Prophets to protest against their back-slidings and to fore-signifie his future Judgments 2 Chron. 24.19 yea the Spirit of the Lord came upon Zechariah the Son of Jehoiada ver 20. who set himself in an higher Place that his Message from the Lord might be the better heard and he earnestly inveighed against the wicked ways of King Princes and People Hereupon all these three conspire against him Tyrants are Teachy tange montes fumigabunt Touch great Men-Mountains and they will smoake nothing but silken words will down with them the corrupt Courtiers taxed him as a Traytor to the King the King commands to stone him ver 21. who as they were stoning him cryed out Lord look upon it and require it ver 22. that is Make Inquisition for my innocent blood or it may be read saith Piscator c. The Lord will require and requite it So it is a Prophecy rather than a Prayer for 't is not probable so pious a Prophet would die with a desire of private Revenge contrary to Christ's Luke 23.34 and Stephen's practice Acts 7.60 unless it were to distinguish the severe Temper and Spirit of the Law from that sweet one of the Gospel Remark the Fifth God Answers Zachary's Prayer or Prophecy from ver 23. of 2 Chron. 24 to
of Nahum that Nineveh was now fully Ripe for its full Ruine and God was just now going to scour that filthy Pond of Sin and to do to her as she had done to his Church Remark the Second Tho' Nineveh had before Repented at the Preaching of Jonah as above and therefore the Lord had likewise Repented of his Displeasure against that City and suspended his Judgments he had threatned by Jonah to inflict upon those notorious sinners at the end of forty Days Yet after this Respit and Divine Remission both that City and the whole Assyrian Empire whereof Nineveh was the Head returned to a filthy Commission of their former sins aggravating and encreasing them with a Renewed Persecution of the Church of God Tho' the Vnclean Spirit seemed to be cast out of the City by Jonah's single Sermon yet he returned soon after with seven worse and so their last State was worse than the former Matth. 12.45 The Bile of this People being but half healed breaks out again afterwards as appeareth by this Prophecy and proved to be the Plague of Leprosie Lev. 13.18 19 20. so shut them out from receiving any more Mercy Those Apostates were turned aside to their crooked paths therefore the Lord will lead them forth with the workers of Iniquity Psal 125.5 and God stirs up Nahum to tell them so not only telling them of their sins but also foretelling them of their punishments upon this account Nahum's Prophecy is call'd the Burden of Nineveh chap. 1. ver 1. writ in a Book sent to Nineveh but Nahum himself went not to Nineveh as Jonah had done for now they were more sealed down in their Impenitency And this same Reason is rendred by some Rabbins N.B. why that Threatning Letter which Elijah wrote before his Translation and left to be sent unto Jehoram King of Judah 2 Chron. 21.12 by Elisha or some other Prophets who durst not shew themselves in Jehoram's presence because of his horrid Insolency and hardened Impenitency Remark the Third Nineveh's Preservation by their Repentance at Jonah's Preaching proved but a Reservation for utter Destruction according to Nahum's Prophecy As Jonah had denounced Nineveh's Destruction to be but forty days off in case they had not Repented which was the Condition of their Declared Doom at that time So Nahum now is raised up of God to denounce his last and Irrevocable Decree for destroying them by the Chaldeans c. and that about forty years or less after Jonah and then was Nineveh destroyed indeed under that effeminate Emperor Sardanapalus saith Dr. Lightfoot so famous or rather infamous in Heathen Histories Remark the Fourth Nahum is generally believed to have lived and prophesied in the days of Hezekiah and was one of those Prophets who were commanded to be Comforters of Jerusalem against its Affrightments from Assyria Isa 40.1 And he plainly telleth what Evil Counsel Senacherib conceived against the Lord and foretelleth Senacherib's Death in his Idol Temple by his own Sons as well as the prodigious Slaughter of his numerous Army by the stroke of an Angel Nah. 1.11 to 15. wherein is intimated 1. His Pestilent Counsel he gave to Jerusalem that they should cast off God as unable to deliver them out of his hands 2 Kings 18.19 c. 2 Chron. 32.15 c. Isa 36.15 to 20. 2. Tho' Senacherib's Army was well disciplined and likewise many for number ver 12. yet God by his Angel will cut or shear them Hebr. with as much ease as Men shear a Sheep mow down a Meadow or shave off the feeble Hair with a sharp Razour alluding to that phrase of Isaiah with whom he was Contemporary Isa 7.10 3. The breaking of the Assyrian Yoke v. 13. no more Tribute to be paid by Hezekiah as had been in Ahaz's Time c. 4. The failure of Senacherib's Sons ver 14. He rebelled against his Father in Heaven and his Sons rebelled against him their Father on Earth and slew him in his Idol-Worship This fact God is said to command because he would have destroyed the true Worship of God He lost his two Sons by whom he lost his Life and tho' his Third Son succeeded him yet soon after he lost his Life and Kingdom by the Chaldees so all the Royal Race of Assyria was Routed out Remark the Fifth Nahum's Graphical Description of Nineveh's Doleful Destruction for the Church's Comfort Mark 1. The Chief Efficient Cause of that Capital City's Ruine together with the whole Assyrian Empire as Brand Mullerus maketh the Analysis was the everlasting glorious and omnipotent God taking Vengeance of his Enemies and gave out the Commandment that this dashing work should be done and that sinful City and Empire be undone chap. 1.14 and 2.13 and 3.5 6. where the Lord of Hosts Commander in Chief of all his Creatures both his higher and lower Forces is said to come against his Adversaries and commands them to be destroyed The great God need say no more for what he saith shall be done as in the Creation of the World Hence Jeremy pray'd Lord be not thou my Adversary then shall I the better bear what will beside befall me from Men Jer. 17.17 God's Administration is most paternal for pitying his Friends but most powerful to punish his Foes Mark 2. The Meritorious procuring Cause of this Divine Displeasure was their manifold sins as beside their Persecution of God's Church chap. 1.9 11. they added Fraud Rapine and Robbery hence compared to a Lion's Den and the feeding-place of young Lions chap. 2.11 12. greedy Lions they were that could never have enough Isa 56.11 12. not enough to satiate them but enough to sink them and Woe is denounced by Nahum against Nineveh for being a bloody City and all full of lyes chap. 3.1 Her violence filled her so with fraudulency and falshood which seldom are seen asunder the Fox's Skin Eeking out the Lion's Hide that there was no Truth in her private Contracts and no Trust in her publick Transactions c. There were Whoredom Witchcraft and all kind of wickedness with a witness found in her chap. 3 4. and tho' she seem'd to repent of her Luxury Cruelty c. at the Preaching of Jonah yet now is she become as bad again and worse than ever N.B. Let Paris and Rome yea London remember what was the Ruine of Nineveh Mark 3. The less Principal or Instrumental Cause of Nineveh's Destruction for her Inhumanity against Men and her Idolatry against God were the Chaldeans c. who are described by their Arms Apparel Launces Chariots and Horses Chap. 2.1 2 3 4. and 3.2 These the Lord of Hosts armed to dash her in pieces and to burn that Rod wherewith he had scourged his own Church and Children though the Assyrians knew not so much Isa 10.12 13 c. which Place explaineth Nah. 2.2 God now having no more use of the Rod of his Anger the Assyrians to chastize Israel for their Sins wherein they exceeded their Commission in Cruelty
other not express'd so signally were stigmatiz'd as to need healing ver 20. they smarted for their coming unprepared to the Passover either by some sudden Sickness a Disease of the Body or by Guilt of Conscience a Disease of the Soul say some Learned Men here Mark 2. Hezekiah's Prayer for this unprepared Priests and People that God would pardon both the one and the other when he saw some visible Sign of Divine Displeasure upon them Pleading with God for them after this Manner The good Lord pardon every one of us what is wanting in any of us for want of Time or Means c. and out of thy wonted goodness graciously accept of our though weak yet willing Services c. Vatablus and Piscator make this the sense of the King's Prayer for the unprepared People that he urgeth for an Argument The People had prepared their Hearts to seek God to wit with a Moral and Internal Purity though they wanted that Ceremonial and External Purification which the Law required in such as serve God in his Sanctuary they have prepared their Hearts as well as they were able though far short of what they should be Remark the Fourth God's Answer to Hezekiah's Prayer ver 20. Mark 1. Junius and Piscator c. say that God heal'd them on both sides Psalm 103.3 both their Souls of the guilt of Sin and their Bodies of the Pain of Sickness otherwise it could not have been known that the Lord had heard the King's Prayers for them Mark 2. The Rabbins say some of the People God slew for their unpreparedness but at Hezekiah's Prayer the Plague stayed Others not improbably say seeing God is said here to hear his Prayer and to heal his People this was manifested by some Visible Sign and possibly by Fire from Heaven consuming the Sacrifice the usual token of God's acceptance Whatever it was it gave great satisfaction to their Minds which made them keep the Feast with gladness ver 22 25. N. B. From this famous History learn these Mysteries 1. The Passover was an Old-Testament-Sacrament instituted in memorial of Israel's Deliverance from Egypt and particularly in memorial of God's passing over Israel when he destroy'd all the first born of Egypt Exod. 12.12 13 14. Now if God was so severe in branding those that came unprepared to this Passover How much more ought we to tremble at coming unworthily to the Lord's Supper He that came in to the Wedding Supper without the Wedding-Garment on his back was carried out but not without Iron-fetters on his Feet Matth. 22.11 12 13. and for this Cause many are Sick and some dead outright 1 Cor. 11.30 N. B. 2. Hezekiah here represents First The Work of every Gospel Minister who must make an Atonement for their People as the Vine dresser did for sparing the unfruitful Vineyard c. Luke 13.8 c. Happy are that People who have praying Vine-dressers to intercede for them at which God when most angry will yield somewhat God forbid saith Samuel I should cease to Pray for you 1 Sam 12 23. this is to fulfil our Ministry Col. 4.17 to stand with our Incense 'twixt God and our People as Aaron did Numb 16. ver 46 47 48. Secondly Hezekiah resembles our Blessed Mediator praying both for Priest and People Heb. 9.24 our High-Priest for Expiation Exod. 30.10 Lev. 16.2 24. our Surety Gen. 43.9 and 44.32 Heb. 7.22 to whom God will not say nay 1 Kings 2.20 but hears him always John 11.41 nor will he forget us as the Butler did Joseph Gen. 40.23 but makes up all our defects Rev. 8.5 c. Remark the Fifth Hezekiah spake comfortably to the Hearts of all the Levites to encourage them in working lustily under that laborious employ of teaching the good Knowledge of God ver 22. promising them his best Assistance which few Princes do at this Day N. B. Hereby the whole Assembly was so transported that as the Priests on the one hand had most loudly sounded out the High Praises of the God of Israel for giving them such a seven Days Holy Feast as had not been since Solomon ver 21 26. so the People were willing to keep other seven days over and above what God's Law required ver 23. that those of the ten Tribes saith Osiander might have time enough for full Confirmation in the true Religion c. Remark the Sixth and Last The Management of this solemn Festival to the end 1. The King gave a thousand Bullocks c. whereon beside Sacrifices c. a publick Feast was made to refresh those Strangers of Israel saith Osiander that they might not think the fourteen Days Time of absence tedious but Jom be Jom Heb. Day by Day they might serve the Lord with gladness 2. The Princes follow this good Pattern of the King and gave as many Bullocks as he did and three thousand Sheep more than he gave ver 24. for they were many and Ahaz had exhausted the Royal Treasure 3. This nonesuch Solemnity was carried on and concluded with great Joy the Priests praying God to bless the People which Prayers Numb 6.23 God heard in Heaven c. ver 25 26 27. 2 Chron. CHAP. XXXI THIS Chapter consists of two Parts First The Actions of the People And Secondly Of Hezekiah after this Passover Remarks upon the First in ver 1. The Subjects of King Hoshea joyned with those of King Hezekiah to break down the Images of Baal c. even in Ephraim and Manasseh which were out of Hezekiah's Jurisdiction but belong'd to Hoshea looking upon him either as an Vsurper or an Atheist rather than an Idolater or if an Idolater yet confined to Calf-worship and not so zealous for Baal as his Predecessors had been However this zealous Act saith Osiander was done without Hoshea's Consent for now the Men of Ephraim and Manasseh having heard the Law receiv'd the Sacrament and had their Hearts fill'd with the Joy of the Lord which was their Strength Neh. 8.10 they were divinely transported and would not return home till they had Reform'd thus far in the Kingdom of Israel which as Junius saith was now tottering toward it's final fall The Second Part is the Actions of Hezekiah after this also Remark the First Hezekiah distributes the Offices of the Priests that every one might know not only what was his Office but also what was his time to be present at the Temple ver 2. which is fitly compared to a Camp saith Junius for the Watch and Ward there kept c. Remark the Second He reviveth those Laws for the Ministers maintenance which his Father Ahaz had null'd that those Godly Priests being plentifully provided for after a long famishing Persecution might serve the Lord without Distraction 1 Cor. 7.35 and therefore out of his Princely bounty he bestows liberally of his own proper Goods and particular Cost unto this Publick Fund ver 3 4 5. that so his People who had been much polled and peeled in his Fathers
were Agents from other States or others that came either with Complaints or Intelligence of the Enemies Designs all these he feasted daily at his own Cost ver 17.18 from his Office in the Persian Court which was doubtless very profitable saith Sanctius as well as honourable c. Mark 6. Nor doth he declare all this like a boasting Pharisee out of a vain Ostentation to get himself a Name in the World but to shew how he was constrained by his Love to God as 2 Cor. 5.14 to whom he prays ver 19. saying as I have done thy People good for thy sake so dâ— thou me good for thy own sake also thus Masius senseth it out of Junius so that here is nothing for Merit-mongers but only a Praying over that Promise Measure to me as Ishave measur'd to Men Matth. 7.2 for he lean'd not on his own Merit but meerly upon God's Mercy as he professeth after all Chap. 13.22 Nehemiah CHAP. VI. AS the Fourth Chapter gives an Account of the first Impediment Nehemiah met with which was External and the Fifth Chapter of the second which was Internal so this sixth Chapter is a Narrative of his third Impediment which was mixed and made up of both the two former being partly External and partly Internal The External by the known Enemy was twofold First By Secret Craft and Treachery And Secondly By publick â—hreats in an open Letter Remark the First Sanballat Tobiah and Geshem craftily send a Summons to Nehemiah before he had set up all the Doors of the Gates to come down to them at some Village in the Tribe of Benjamin that they might Consult together about some friendly Accommodation for the satisfaction of the King of Persia who was both their Master and his also ver 1 2. here was fairly pretended an amicable Conference but they foully intended to do him Mischief either by Murdering him or by Imprisoning him before he bad hang'd the City-Gates upon the Hinges Remark the Second But Nehemiah here became Wise as a Serpent Matth. 10.17 and smelt the Rat of their Design for either killing him or captivating him before his good Work was compleated therefore he sent a Messenger but went not himself though the Place appointed was near to Jerusalem that he might the sooner be decoyed to come His Message was I am doing a great Work so that I cannot come down ver 3. that is my weighty Employments must not give way to your empty Complements Erpennius excellently observeth here that this was indeed one but not the only Cause or principal Reason of his Refusal which was his discerning their Treacherous Design to take him out of the way and then the Work would cease to purpose c. nor did he desire the Society of such wicked Associates and Infidels c. N.B. 1. Nehemiah thought it not necessary to declare the whole Truth concerning his excusing denial to them yet is not he to be accused of Lying no more than Samuel was when at God's Command he told the Bethlemites He was come to Sacrifice 1 Sam. 16.2 3. which was true as here but is silent in the most obnoxious Message c. N.B. 2. Learn we to answer the Tempter thus I am doing a great Work c. when he would inject some wandring thoughts to divert us from our earnestness in praying-work say We cannot attend thee O Tempter while we are attending our God let us learn also to cry with David Our Hearts are fixed upon our God once and again Psalm 57.7 and 108.1 Remark the Third Nehemiah's not only Prudence in sending such a Prudent yet true excuse for his Absence from their Conference and Consult but also his Constancy in refusing to go notwithstanding their many Solicitations of him thereunto ver 4 5. those sordid and sorry Sycophants Sanballat c. solicited this good Man four several Times into their Society thinking to prevail with him by their Importunity they had learnt that Lesson from their Master Beelzebub which signifies The Lord of flyes of which small Infects Pliny affirmeth Quo mugis abiguntur eo magis premunt The more they are driven away the more they press upon you N.B. This holds most true of the Master fly the Devil who will not be easily turn'd off from the Bait until well beaten nor hardly then without returning again and again as smarting Experience tells us in the frequent returns of wandring Thoughts in Prayer upon us Remark the Fourth But Nehemiah proved as resolute in his Divine Purposes as they were in their Diabolical Plots They found him Hominem quadratum a four square piece that lays firm on all sides and not so easily moved as Globular Matters of which the Philosopher affirmeth they are removed with the least touch Quia tangunt cerram tantùm in puncto they touch the Earth only in a Point which is the Reason why a Sledge that lays all along upon the Ground requires a stronger Draught than a Wheel of either Carâ— or Coach Those often soliciting Adversaries found Nehemiah as unmoveable as a Rock so firm to his Principles that four Times he answer'd them in the same Manner which when Sanballat saw he tries a fifth Trick in leaving out his Comrade Geshem ver 2. and sending a Letter from himself alone and that by the Hand of his own Servant that it might be less suspected and the better received so restless in Sanballat sub ascensore Diabolo as Bernard Phraseth it having Satan riding upon him and born kicking and pricking him forward and our Phrase is They must needs run whom the Devil driveth c. Remark the Fifth This Letter came open and unsealed as if it had been no Secret to be concealed but a common Matter every where divulged the Contents whereof was a Threatning Nehemiah with a pretended Treason ver 6 7. alledging from common Rumour which commonly is a loud Lyar that he designed to set up himself the King of the Jews the same was cast upon our Blessed Saviour John 19.12 and that he had not only builded the Walls for this purpose but had also hired Prophets to preach him up as King possibly mistaking the Prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah who prophesy'd that the Kingdom of Christ was near at hand but he had no better Witness hereof than his fellow Conspirator Geshem ver 1 2 6. This Gashma's or Geshem's Tongue was no slander for he was known to be one that had taught his Tongue the Art of Lying Jer. 9.3 5. Remark the Sixth Though Sanballat had surely learnt Machiavel's Rule Fortiter calumniare aliquid sultem adhaerebit Slander stoutly and something will stick yet was not Nehemiah much concern'd to wipe off the Slander His clear Conscience made him carelesly Confident well knowing that though Dirt may stick to a Mud-Wall yet it cannot do so upon Marble and that this misreport was so transparent a Lye that it might easily be seen through then deals he plainly with him which oft
by the Cursed Jews to his blessed Body Gal. 5.24 4. When we have wounded it by the Sword of the Spirit even to Death then must we bury it as he was 5. We must rise again out of the Grave of Sin to serve God in Newness of Life so get gradually out of the Dungeon as Jeremy did Jer. 38.12 6. We must Ascend like him into Heaven in our Desires c. Phil. 3.20 Col. 3.1 Nor is it the Pattern of Christ that doth effect this only as the Socinians say but 't is also the Vertue and Power of Christ's Death and Resurrection c. that works all these Things effectually in his Called and Chosen not as an Exemplary Cause or as a Moral Cause by way of Meditation but as having a Force and Power Obtained by it and Issuing out of it Phil. 3.10 Even the Spirit that killeth sin and quickens the Soul to all Holy Practice N. B. To know Christ aright is a most excellent work and the worthiest part of Heavenly Wisdom Yea satisfactory and salutiferous to the Soul of Man Isa 53.11 Joh. 17.3 1 Cor. 2.2 Gal. 6.14 and Phil. 3 8. This Divine knowledge consists of lively Affection as well as of particular Application and a Notional Consideration 'T is the common Rule of expounding Scripture that works of knowledge imply Affection 'T is not enough to know Christ notionally The Devils do so nor must we barely know Him either as God or as Man or as a Jew of Judah's Tribe or as Judge of the World but especially as a Redeemer and as our Redeemer by whom all God's benefits both Temporal and Spiritual are convey'd to us and Received by us The Three grand benefits by Christ Are 1. His Merits Price and Ransom whereby we are Reconciled to God c. 2. His Vertue or Power of His Death and Resurrection Phil. 3.8 10. 3. His Example To which we should conform Simply and Absolutely without exception not so to that of the highest Saints who had sinful frailty as well as holy Graces c. The Second Thing after this Caution is the Counsel God's word gives us concerning this imitation of Christ N. B. In the daily Practice of true Piety both as to Inward and Outward Life all Christ's Actions are for our Instruction not All for our Imitation we may not Imitate the Works of Christ that were Miraculous nor such as were Personal and Proper to Him as Mediator The Ignorance of which hath carried some Impostors to Counterfeit themselves to be Christ Nor need we Indeavour to imitate Him in his Natural therefore unblamable Infirmities which had weakness in them but not Sin we are not to strive to be Hungry Weary Sleepy c. because He was sometimes so But we must imitate our Lord Jesus in all his imitable Graces and Actions both walking in Christ Col. 2.6 and walking as Christ 1 John 2.6 and following his steps preaching forth the praises of him that call'd us out of Darkness into his marvelous Light 1 Pet. 2.9 21. And though we cannot follow him Passibus Aequis taking such long strides as he did yet must we shew our Good-will Mark 14.8 Stretching and straining out our outmost as Paul did Phil. 3.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reaching forth his Head Hands and whole Body as do Runners in a Race to lay hold on the price proposed Conformity to Christ and Nonconformity to the World are both the certain commendable and comfortable Duties of every good Christian Rom. 8.29 and 12.2 The First is Conformity to Christ which may be inforced by these three Arguments 1. Seeing Christ condescended so low as to Conform Himself to us in taking our Humane Nature Attended with Hunger Weariness and all other Infirmities Sin only excepted Heb. 2.17 4.15 1 Pet. 2.22 c. How much more ought we to press after a partaking of his Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 that we may be Conformed to his Holy Image unto which we are Praedestinated Rom. 8.29 The 2. Argument is Seeing the Image of God favour from Him and Fellowship with Him be the Branches of Man's Antient Glory in the State of Innocency which the Subtle Serpent did Deceive us of in the Fall 'T is but rational and requisite that we put our selves forth to the utmost for recovering them by Conforming them to Christ that we may Gain again by the Second Adam All the Three Gifts lost by the First Adam And the Third Reason is Where there is no Conformity to Christ there can be no Salvation had The Means must not be separated from the End as Acts 27.30 Except these stay in the Ship ye cannot be saved So here except we be Holy we can never be Happy God hath chosen us in Christ before the Foundation of the World that we should be Holy Eph. 1.4 and without Holiness no man can see the Lord Heb. 12.14 Blessed are the pure in heart and life for They shall see God Mat. 5.8 We must purifie our selves as Christ is pure 1 John 3.3 And this Purity or Holiness is our Conformity to the Image of the Holy Child Jesus for undoubtedly God gave Christ to be a Samplar as well as He Gave Him to be a Saviour 'T is the mistake of the Arminians to put Christ to an Arbitration in their assigning Ninety Nine parts to Him in the work of Conversion and the Hundred part to Man contrary to Col. 3.11 where Christ is call'd All and in All. The whole of that Divine work flows from the Free Grace of Christ and not any part of it from the Free Will of Man and we have no Commission to bate one Ace in that point Yet the Errour of the Socinians is of a far grosser Brann In their Asserting Christ to be a Pattern only and not a Propitiation at all They suppose Him only a Samplar for our bare Imitation but no way a Saviour for our Sins Expiation Thus they quite exclude Christ from the Justification of the Penitent and Believing Sinner quite contrary to the whole Tenure of the Holy Scriptures and they make Christ no more than a Mere Martyr for all the Holy Martyrs were Patterns and Samplars of Sanctity both in their Sanctimonious Doings and Sufferings If Christ signify'd no more than a Samplar N. B. This Conformity to Christ is twofold The First is partly in this Life And the Second is partly in the Life to come 1. That in this Life we should all Learn of Him and from His Pious Pattern All those Works of Holiness which we find Recorded of Him such as these His Subjection to his Parents His Loving of his Brethren His Painfulness in his Calling His Perseverance in Prayer and many more of the like Nature We should strive what we can to Resemble Christ in his going about to do good Acts 10.38 In his fidelity for his function Heb. 3.1 2. In his Diligent and Patient Obediâ—nce Heb. 12.2 3. In his Constancy of Profession 1 Tim. 6.13 In
Heart which hath the line of Scarlet Thread whereof this Royal Robe is Woven fast bound to the Windows of it Josh 2.18 19. All such shall be safe when all others shall be destroyed Josh 6.22 23 24 25. Thus Oh Soul if once thou come to be covered with this Scarlet Robe This may may put more Joy and Gladness into thy Heart than all the Confluences of Corn and Wine can convey into a Worldly Heart Ps 4.7 and then may thou say with the Sweet-singer of Israel I will both lay me down in Peace and take my Sleep for thou Lord only makes me dwell in safety Ps 4. 8. So he gives his beloved Sleep Ps 127.2 The Beloved of the Lord dwells in safety by him the Lord covers him with this Robe all the day long and all the night long too Deut. 33.12 N. B. Note well 5. Next to the quantity of this Robe in all its three Dimensions comes in the Quality of it very Conspicuous in its Threefold Excellency As 1. in its Purity and Perfection Qualis causa tale causaâ—um as is the cause so is the Effect Now seeing this Robe is of Gods own Spinning and Weaving therefore it must needs be pure as he is pure 1 John 3.3 And all his Works are perfect Deut. 32.4 We read of Curtains made of fine twined Linnen Blew Purple and Scarlet all cunning works Exod. 26.1 31. And 't is farther said that all the wise-hearted Women did Spin with their Hands both Blew and Purple and Scarlet Exod. 35.25 All these three are blood Colours the Colours of Robes commonly Red so may have a Reference to this Regal Robe here Now may we not well wonder from whence had these Brick-makers and their Wives for they were all universally but miserable Drudges in the House of Bondage such cunning and curious skill in Spinning and Weaving work such as the Robe of the Ephod c. we read of Exod 29.5 6. But the wonder ceaseth if we consider how God filled Bezaleel with his Spirit of Wisdom in all manner of Curious Workmanship Exod. 31.1 2 3. And thus God is said to instruct the Rustick Husbandman in the Country to manage all his Mystical matters of Husbandry in Knowledge and Understanding far Transcending the Capacities of all City-Cockneys Isa 28.24 25 26. 'T is God our Maker who teacheth Man more than the Beasts of the Earth and maketh him wiser than the Fowls of the Heaven Job 35.10 11. Now the Philosopher saith a quo aliquid tale est illud est magis tale the Efficient must be much more Excellent than the Effect the borrower must be far below the lender Thus God is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a curious Artificer as the word signifies Hebr. 11.10 As that City must needs be a pure and perfect City whose Builder is God as of that Heavenly Jerusalem described Revel 21. ver 10. to 27. So this Royal Robe can be no less pure c. because God is the Artificer and Maker of it the Hill of God the City of God are most Excellent so this Robe of God is the most Excellent Robe The 2. Excellency of this Robe is the Beauty and Comliness of it Aarons Sacerdotal Robe is called a Garment for Glory and Beauty Exod. 28.2 How much more glorious and beautiful must this best Robe of our blest Redeemer be who was Aarons Redeemer as well as Ours and is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God-man hence his Robe is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies twice dip'd both as God and as Man of a double Dye So though our sins be Scarlet Sins called in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because twice dip'd in the Devils Dye-tub both in the Wooll of our youth and in the Thread or Web of our Elden years yet this red Robe makes them as white both as Wooll and as Snow Isa 1.18 This Robe is dyed in the blood of God and is called the Blood of God Acts 20.28 Therefore becomes it so effectual to cleanse away the redness of our Crimson sins 1 John 1.7 And this red Robe makes ours white The Martyrs washed their Robes white in the blood of the Lamb Revel 7.14 And to Believers are given fine Linnen clean and white which is the Righteousness of Saints Revel 19.8 Oh how beautiful were Christ's Robes at his Transfiguration when his face shone as the Sun and his Raiment was white and glistering as the light Matth. 17.2 and Luke 9.29 Christ is fairer than the Children of Men Ps 45 2. His Garments be grateful to the smell also ver 8. Oh happy Soul that is wrapt up in them c. The 3. Ezcellency of this Robe is the perpetuity of it Israels Garments did last forty years in the Wilderness Deut. 8.4 But this Robe hath lasted from Adam to this day almost 6000 years yet not Moth-eaten nor one hole in it 'T is our carking care with the Gentiles crying wherewith shall we be clothed Matth. 6.31 We take thought for new Cloaths and such as will last long come Soul Here is a Robe for thee that will last thee thy life Oh delay not to put it on Rom. 13.14 Lest thy nakedness appear c. Rev. 16.15 N. B. Note well 6. Though it be the Groundless Boundless and Bottomless Bounty of God the Father both to procure and proffer this Royal Robe yet it is the Office of the Ministers of God both to bring it forth and to put it on and so 't is said expresly here ver 22. It was indeed first the Office of Angels to Preach the first glad Tidings of the Gospel of Peace Luke 2.10 14. But that Employ was afterwards taken from Angels and given to Ministers It was an Angel indeed that told Cornclius his prayers were come up for a Memorial before God Acts 10.4 But as to the word of Reconciliation the Angel refers him to Peter ver 5 c. Therefore are Ministers called the Embassadors of God because the Ministry of Reconciliation is given to them and they in Gods Name beseech all Men to be reconciled to God 2 Cor. 5.18 20. 'T is their work to bring forth this best Robe and to put it on here c. Inference 1. Wherefore God chargeth the wicked World that are Persecutors to do his Prophets no barm for they are his Anointed ones Ps 105.15 This is spoke to Kings not of Kings they must not be churlishly touched if so God will strike through the Loins of such churlish Touchers c. Deut. 33.11 They are his Embassadors and an Affront to them he accounts as an Affront to himself as David did 2 Sam. 10.4 6. Thus Christ our Mystical David saith He that despiseth you despiseth me Luke 10. â—6 Ministers are Sacred Persons and the Apple of Gods Eye the tenderest piece of that tender part Zech. 2.8 A push upon the Eye is an unbearable push Christ felt himself hurt in the hurt of his Members and Ministers Acts 94. Inference 2. This serves
ver 1 2 3 4 5. c. That was a prophane Feast and had its End even in great Discontent ver 12 c. But this is an Holy Feast having not only good Chear but also good Company and good Discourse yea and the King himself present at the Table Cant. 1.12 And this Feast doth last longer than that of an hundred and Eighty Days yea and ends with Joy and Comfort yea 't is a Feast without any End it lasts for ever to wit unto all Ages and Generations this Calf lasts long N. B. There be formal Provisions now indeed in some places among formal Professors and Worshippers of God in forms only that seems to be Food but are not really so they feed upon the Skin of this fatted Calf only But to all such as Worship God in Spirit and Truth John 4.23 24. The flesh of this fatted Calf is Meat indeed and his Blood is Drink indeed John 6.55 Those do dwell in Christ and Christ in them ver 56. Here is mutual Complacency on the one part Christ Rejoycing in the Habitable parts of his Earth Prov. 8.31 And Delighting in his People Isa 62. ver 4. And on the other part his People Delighting themselves in the Lord Ps 37.4 Zech. 9.9 as they are round about God Ps 76.11 And a People near to him Ps 148.14 Revel 4.4 and both Eat and Drink in his Presence Luke 14.15 Say with Peter 't is good being here for us Matth. 17.4 He spake nothing of Building a Tabernacle for himself as he did for his Master and for Moses and Elias no he could have been content to lie out of Doors so he might but partake of the grace and glory of Christ Oh then let us Account God lets down a whole sheetfull of Dainties to us in his Gospel Ordinances as he did for this same Peter Acts 10.13 That Sheet was taken up into Heaven again ver 16. But only that it might be let down again to us Daily Therefore the Father saith here Let us Eat and be Merry ver 23. Luke 15. Fourthly The Cooks for Dressing this Feast upon the fatted Calf are Gospel Preachers and Pastors Ministers are compared to most necessary Matters as to Bread Salt Light Water Physick c. As here in this Parable to Cooks 't is the Cursed Jews that were as Servants to the Secret Will of the Father in killing this fatted Calf so Godly Ministers are indeed Servants to the Revealed Will of him in Cooking and Dressing this fatted Calf that True Penitents may feed and feast upon him Ministers must not be as Cooks in this Sense as sometimes they Dress Meat for others and do not partake of any part of it themselves but they must Preach Jesus Christ Acts 5.42 and 17.3 From their own Experiences of that savour and sweetness they themselves have found in him saying What our Eyes have seen what our Ears have heard and what our Hands have handled do we declare unto you 1 John 1.2 3. Those are the Cooks that make the most Savoury Meat for the Souls of their Hearers saying to them as Jacob did Gen. 27.19 Arise and eat of my Venison that your Souls may bless me This is the way to raise up Seed to our Elder Brother the neglect whereof may cause God to spit in our Faces Deut. 25.9 Yet must we know there is Cura officii the Care of Duty and Cura Eventus the Care of Success Now the Office or Duty may be faithfully performed yet not prove successful as Isa 49 4. My Work is with God though I have laboured in vain c. Such Ministers as God makes Fathers of Spiritual Children cannot but be careful Cooks to nourish up with the best Food those they have begotten by the Gospel otherwise they would be worse than Infidels 1 Tim. 5.8 Yea Soul starvers and God will Require their Blood at careless Watchmens Hands Ezek. 3.18 19. As Laban made Jacob Answer for all lost Gen. 31.39 Fifthly The Guests invited to this Feast are such as this Son was who came to himself Luke 15.17 Who Repented of his sin and returned to his Father ver 18 19. whom his Father Kissed ver 20. and to whom his Father gave a Robe for his Back a Ring for his Hand and Shooes for his Feet we may not come to this Feast to Jesus with Old Shoes as the Gibeonites did to Joshua Jos 9.5 We cannot persevere and hold out to the end if our shoes be patched with our own Righteousness Christ is our All c. These Christ calls Friends c. Cant. 5.1 and John 15.14 15. Abraham is called three times the Friend of God 2 Chron. 20.7 Isa 41.8 and Jam. 2.23 So are the Sons and Daughters of Abraham and the Beloved Disciple John leaned upon his Lords Bosom at the Supper John 13.23 25. and 21 20. Oh! That we could do so at the Lords Supper where a Sancta crapula a free and full feeding and feasting upon the fatted Calf is Holily expected We should come to an Ordinance as Leviathan to Jordan Job 40.23 as if we could drink it all up Christ commands his Friends to fall on Lustily and his Beloved to Drink abundantly Cant. 5.1 Till they be filled with the Spirit Eph. 5.18 Yea and Holily drunk with Loves John 2.10 Cant. 7.12 The Angel bad Elijah Eat two Meals together and feed heartily because his Journey was too great for him 1 Kin. 19.6 7. And he went in the Strength of that double Meal fourty Days ver 8. but our Journey is greater c. We must fetch hearty Draughts the Deeper the Sweeter and we must pray that our Spiritual Food may be turned in Succum Sanguinem into Juice and Blood that we may lift up our feet and go lustily as Jacob did after was refreshed with his Vision of the Ladder Gen. 28.12 29.1 Sixthly The Master of this Feast is the Father of the Family Thus God is the Father of the Families of Israel Jer. 31.1 9. and Mal. 2.10 In the Peace-offering under the Law all the Fat was the Lords as before the People must not in any wise eat it Levit. 3.16 17. So the lean part belongeth to them as before but Blessed be God that his Gospel hath amended the Peoples Commons in putting his fat part unto our lean part making us a Feast of fat things full of Marrow and a Feast of Wines on the Lees well Refined Isa 25.6 The Gospel lets down from Heaven a great Sheetfull of all manner of Dainties Flesh and Fowl Acts 10.11 12. This was done thrice to Peter and then the Vessel was received up again into Heaven ver 16. on purpose that it might be let down again where God hath any Hungry Children as Peter was ver 10. Met together to Worship him with their Spirits in the Gospel of his Son Rom. 1.9 God now in the Gospel is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 't is said of Job who would not Eat his Morsell
Syrian Army were smitten with Blindness so that they could not captivate that one single Servant of God Elisha 2 Kings 6.18 Their senses being so deluded by a Divine Operation yet was this Conjurer worse confounded than they and stopped in his perverting carreer The seventh Remark is In the midst of wrath God remembers mercy even in his dealing with wicked men Hab. 3.2 and stirs not up all his wrath Psal 78.38 This Blindness therefore was not a perpetual as it might have been but only a temporary Blindness Thou shalt not see the Sun for a season N.B. This phrase intimateth that it was inflicted upon him not so much in a poenal as in a medicinal way that he might be reclaimed from his Villany be reduced by Repentance and receive his sight again The Antients do without Book affirm that he did hereby Repent of his sin and was restored to his Eye-sight again yet after this they say he returned with the Dog to his Vomit and with the Sow to his wallowing in the Mire not only of his old Judaism but to his devilish Magick Tricks again which shews he repented of his very Repentance but so did not Paul who was struck blind also Acts 9.8 for he saw savingly c. The eighth Remark is God over-shoots Satan in his own Bow That which the Devil designed for obstructing the Gospel was over-ruled by the Lord for a farther promoting it Sergius Paulus was set upon by Satan in this Sorcerer to be turned aside from becoming a Proselyte yet when this prudent man saw that the Gospel which Paul Preached was attended with so much Majesty and with such a power of working Miracles accompanying it he the more firmly believed being astonished at the Doctrine of the Lord verse 12. N.B. The Word never works more kindly than when it is received with admiration The second Journey Paul and Barnabas took from Cyprus when they had done their work there N.B. Was to Perga in Pamphilia verse 13. whereof we have nothing of note Recorded save only how their Collegue that ministred to them verse 5. plaid them a slippery Trick there though some say this was that John Mark who wrote the Gospel called by his name yet his departure from them at this juncture when they were walking their Biennial Circuit was blame-worthy Acts 15.38 Whatever was the cause of this withdrawment from the Yoke of Christ Sundry Conjectures there be why he did so N.B. As 1. That he foresaw from this short Experience what difficulties and dangers attended the Gospel and therefore in time provided for his own safety and avoided it as one soon weary of his work There be too many who can be content to be doing something for Christ yet care not to meet with suffering little or nothing for him as the King of Navarr told Beza He would launch no farther into the Sea of Religion than so as that he might be sure to save himself by returning safe home to Shore at night 2. N.B. Some suppose Mark returned to Jerusalem out of an over-fond affection to his Aged Mother who lived there But he had learnt a better Lesson in his own Gospel Mark 10.29 30. to forsake Mothers for Christ who promised to be worth ten Mothers to him c. N.B. The third Conjecture is That Mark heard of the Imprisonment of Peter with whom he had some special familiarity yea a peculiar Interest in him as appeareth from 1 Pet. 5.13 whom Peter there calls his Son and in that Peter was so well acquainted with Mark 's Mother's house Acts 12.12 therefore his extraordinary respect to Peter might draw him back to see what became of him at Jerusalem N.B. The fourth Opinion is That his Relation to Peter who was the special Minister of the Circumcision made him the more shy and nice to venture among the Uncircumcised Gentiles not only lest he should not shun that occasion of offence to the Jews and Peter but also because he fore thought of the Tediousness of that two years Journey they having now but newly entred therein who had met with a Temple of Venus at Paphos in Cyprus and now were come to Perga in Pamphylia where there was another Temple of Diana which would unavoidably create trouble enough to those that cried down their Idolatrous Worship and they were now like to go deeper into the thickest of these Idol worshippers every day more than other this might become Mark 's discouragement N.B. But whatever was the cause of Mark 's withdrawment from this work it was so unwarrantable as to make a breach betwixt him and them for the present nay it occasioned that bitter Paroxism betwixt Paul and Barnabas afterward even the great commotion or perturbation Acts 15.39 Let us leave Mark in his Journey to Jerusalem learning this Lesson only from his frailty Let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall 1 Cor. 10.12 whither when he came he did abide there till Paul and Barnabas came thither again N.B. Beside this Remark of Mark 's departure from his Ministry here we find nothing remarkable concerning Paul and Barnabas at Perga in Pamphylia no more is Recorded of them Their third Journey was to Antioch in Pisidia verse 14. so called to distinguish it from the other Antioch of Syria from whence they set forth verse 1 3 4. and Acts 11.19 which was next to if not part of Pamphylia Here these two Apostles as we read went into the Jews Synagogue upon their Sabbath day N.B. Either to joyn with the Jews in their Worship which was not then unlawful or rather to get an opportunity of Preaching the Gospel more publickly to them for this was the grand Errand of their coming thither And the Rulers of the Synagogue soon gave them a candid Invitation thereunto after the Reading of the Law and the Prophets v. 15 c. The other part of this Chapter begins with the special Remarks upon Paul and Barnabas's Actings at this Antioch where Paul Preacheth a most powerful Sermon wherein a general prospect may be presented as to the form and manner of his Convincing Discourse in these following particulars As 1st His Prologue or Preface v. 16. wherein he craves their careful attention which he intimates none could do but only such as truly feared God for that is the proper Character of a right Attentive Hearer 2ly His Narrative of the Divine Benefits which the Lord of old bestowed upon his People Israel frankly for the Messia'hs sake and these he reckons up to be four 1. God's free Electing of them above all Nations and his wonderful delivering them out of Egypt verse 17. 2. God's Indulgency towards them for forty years in the Wilderness as a Mother bears with her Child's frowardness or as an Huband bears with his Wife's crossness verse 18. 3. His giving them the Possession and Improvement of the Land of Promise verse 19. 4. His constituting them into a form of Government there both that of
had laid his hands and by bestowing thereby the Holy Ghost on them he had fitted them for the Ministry Acts 19.6 7. and more over some such might be as Timothy had ordain'd to office during his abode there and tho' these overseers could not but be much confirmed by his Apostolical Sermon yet some of them proved by seers verse 28.30 As Nicholas the Deacon Rev. 2.6 Hymenaeus Alexander Phygellus and Hermogenes 1 Tim. 1.20 and 2 Tim. 1.15 perverting Scripture c. The third Remark is In this Solemn Meeting at the Sea-Town Miletum Paul proposeth himself a Marvellous Mirrour for all Gospel-Ministers a pregnant pattern for all pious pastors when constrained to leave their flock or charge that they may go off with a clear Conscience within themselves and that they may be able to appeal unto the Consciences of their people concerning their carriage and conversation among them N.B. Thus doth the Apostle here verse 18 19 20 c. He challengeth those Elders to be witnesses of the Truth of his own Vindication fore-seeing that Obloquies would be cast upon him by false teachers nor doth he commend himself in a way of vain boasting or fond Ostentation tho' no Apostle had more cause to glory in his Apostle ship than he yet though so lofty in his Ministry he was still lowly in his mind but he pro-poundeth his practice as a pattern to those Ministers whom he appointed to Govern that Church for their holy Imitation The fourth Remark is The work of the Ministry is a very mighty work when carefully and conscientiously carried on as this great Apostle did here which appeareth particularly in many several branches As 1st He served the Lord with all humility of mind How many Ministers cove◠to be covered with his Apostolical Garment of Dignity but cannot be content to be clothed with his humility which he proposeth here for imitation and which Peter also prescribeth to us 1 Pet. 5.5 2ly Tears and Temptations did continually attend him verse 19 20 33. as if he had gone weeping from house to house beseeching them to be reconciled to God persuading them in Christ's stead well knowing the terrour of the Lord 2 Cor. 5.10 with 18 20. he like a good Shepherd satisfies not himself with his publick preaching only N.B. But Labours to understand the State of his flock in personal and particular visits as Acts 2.46 and as Jacob answered for the loss of every Lamb unto Laban Gen. 31.39 accounting the Souls of the Lambs of Christ which he had Redeemed to be of much more value than all Laban's flock Matth. 16.26 in the sight of God who would require an account thereof at his hand 3ly Nor was it so much his own personal Troubles call'd Temptations Jam. 1.2 and 1 Pet. 1.6 he every where suffered from the Malicious Jews that drew so many tears from him verse 19 31. as it grieved him to see what a large dominion the God of this world 2 Cor. 4.4 the Devil had and how little a share was left for his dear Lord and Master Jesus Christ to whom the father had promised he should divide the spoil with the strong Isa 53.12 and to give him a vast Inheritance upon his asking Psa 2.8 yea to make him Lord of all Acts 10.36 Nor 4thly Did Paul's Spirit hang loose but it was girt up by the Holy Spirit Resolving not to be driven from his duty either by the deterring fear or deluding favour of men but would go through stitch with his work whatsoever happened in obeying the Lord whom he took for his God and Guide Psal 48.14 and for his sun and shield Psal 84.11 and Gen. 15.1 not desiring so much to act himself as to be acted by him verse 22. Alas N.B. How many ungirt Gospellers and Gospel Ministers there be whose Spirit the Spirit of holiness doth not hem about comprehends and keeps up right for Christ when a man 's own strength would fall loose of its self He that hath not his Loins thus girt Luke 12.35 1 Pet. 1.13 can never be handy or handsome to run readily and nimbly the race of obedience the Proverb saith ungirt unblest a loose discinct and diffluent mind is very unfit to serve God when there is no supernatural strength to support the Soul Such cannot but incur that dreadful Curse threatned for doing the work of the Lord both negligently and deceitfully Jerem. Chap. 48. v. 10. Nor 5thly Did he conceal any thing necessary to Salvation for either Jew or Gentile concerning the Credenda or Agenda of Christianity useful to be believed or performed in order to Eternal Life preaching Repentance towards God which God was ready to give them Acts 11.18 and 2 Tim. 2.25 26. and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ which two graces comprehend the whole duty of man both as to law and Gospel v. 20. and 21 26 27. Nor 6thly Could all those Bonds and Afflictions which dogg'd him from place to place deter him from his duty not valuing his own life in competition with finishing both his General course of Christianity and the special course of his Ministry with Joy verse 23 24. which words with verse 25. do altogether as one saith of Cyprian's Writings breath out Martyrdom in every Syllable This blessed Frame of Paul was found in Julius Palmer who said It was an hard matter to burn only to such as had their Souls linked to their Bodies as a Thief 's foot in a pair of Fetters which was not this Martyr's case The fifth Remark is As the Church of God is dear to Christ the chief Shepherd so sh◠ought to be unto all his under-Shepherds So dear was the Church to Christ that he left his own Glory to seek out to himself a flock in the Wilderness of this lower World he held not his life dear to him for his sheeps safety but purchased them with his blood verse 28. called there the blood of God by a Communication of properties there being in him two Natures in one person and that which pertaineth to his humananity is here attributed to his Divinity to set forth the inestimable value and vertue of it as a sufficient price of Redemption Therefore as Ziporah said to Moses a bloody Husband thou art to me Exod. 4.24 25. So may Christ say to his Church Surely a bloody Spouse thou art to me much more She is an Aceldama or Field of blood for she could not be Redeemed with Silver and Gold 1 Pet. 1.18 but with the blood of God not the blood of a meer man but of God-Man Jesus Christ who washeth his Lambs in the blood of the Lamb of God so maketh them Kings and Priests to God Rev. 1.5 He gives them Golden Fleeces and Pastors after his own heart Jer. 3.15 to feed them among the Lillies Cant. 2.16 and in his Green pastures Psal 23.1 2 3. N.B. Those are call'd here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bishops or overseers who were made such by the
's foundring therefore they under-gird her with Cables to keep her sides close and tight together verse 17. Thus the Church in a storm when the blast of terrible ones is like an Euroclydon or Tempest against her walls Isa 25.4 needs her undergirding by the everlasting Arms of Jehovah underneath her Deut. 33.27 Thus the love-sick Spouse was under-girded when Christ's Left hand was under her head and his Right hand imbraced her Cant. 2.6 and 8.3 The wounded side of that God-man Christ Jesus is the Church's Covert from the Tempest Isa 32.2 Mic. 5.5 3. Both are brought to an hopeless Estate How forlorn was this Ship here when lighting her of Merchandise-Goods c. could not secure them verse 18 19. No Light of Sun or Stars to comfort them no hopes left to save their lives verse 20. Thus is it with the Church often a great damp is upon her hopes because a great death is upon her helps There is no hope Jer. 2.25 N.B. The disparity lyes in this that whatsoever wind bloweth blows good to her be it North or South can 4.16 and herein is the Church happy The seventh Remark is God delights to deliver those that are forsaken of all their helps and hopes of Deliverance Thus it was here in the eyes of Reason and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as to the Natural Events from secondary causes their case was desperate which made them part with their Goods to save their lives yet all would not do but they despaired Then comes Paul to comfort them from God who reserves his holy hand for a dead lift verse 21 22 23 24 25 26. wherein he 1. Minds them of their misery which their Disobedience to God had brought upon them Then 2. He chears them up with assurance of their security from the good warrant of Divine Authority And 3. He fore tells they must be cast upon a certain Island which when it came to pass did as by a sign induce them to believe the Rest all ordered by God not by chance The eighth Remark is The wicked are delivered from Temporal destruction for the sake of the godly who live among them and intercede with God for them Sinners are saved spared and favoured for the Saints sake As here two hundred threescore and sixteen persons verse 37. all Heathens excepting Luke and Aristarchus are saved for Paul's sake verse 24. who had prayed for them and had begged their lives of God as Esther did the lives of her people at the hands of King Ahasuerus Esth 7.3 Thus God spared Zoar for Lot's sake and at his prayer for it Gen. 19.19 c. And he would have spared Sodom for the sake of ten Righteous persons could that small number have been found in it at Abraham's prayer Gen. 18.32 And there Abraham left begging before God left baiting N.B. Oh! what fools and mad-men are the wicked in seeking to destroy the Godly for whose sakes themselves are preserved God saith to the Wicked concerning his Servants as the Prophet once said to wicked Jeboram surely were it not that I regard the presence of Godly Jehosaphat I would not look toward thee nor see thee 2 Ki. 3.14 One innocent person may deliver a whole Island from destruction Job 22.30 What abundance of good does one holy man in a place these hundreds of men fared better both in soul and body for one holy Paul's sake and means The ninth Remark is The same God that ordained the end oradined also means in tendency to that end and therefore to divide assunder what God hath Joyn'd together in neglecting ordained means is no better than a presumptuous tempting of God This great truth is here demonstrated by these divine words except these ship-men that were about to escape in the boat abide in the ship ye cannot be saved ver 30.31 notwithstanding God's promise mentioned verse 24. That they should all be saved not because the will of God or his power to save or the truth and efficacy of his Promise did depend upon second causes as if all these were made effectual only by a vertue from the means whereas in truth the means are made efficacious only by a vertue from the will power and promise of God God is not tyed to them yet ordinarily and usually he doth work by them when he can work with them that we may not neglect the use of them that are ordained by him Thus David shall have the victory but it must be by the means of an Ambush 2. Sam. 5.19 24 and man shall be nourished but it must be by his labour Psalm 128. v. 2 Many more such Instances might be given yet so as God works all in all by those means N.B. for the Grass Corn Trees were created by God before he Created the sun moon and stars by the Influence whereof they now are and do grow Sometimes God to show his Soveraignity doth work without means It is all one to him to save by few or none as well as by many 2 Chron. 14.11 and his Omnipotency can work against means also by Suspending the power and operation of natural causes as when the fire burnt not the water drownd not the Rock yeilded water and the Iron swoom the Sun went back ten degrees c. As God likes not to be tyed to means so nor that we having his promise should in defect of the means doubt of his providence God will be trusted but not tempted by a willful neglect of due lawful means The care of the means belong to us but the care of the end belongs to God Whosoever neglects the means under any pretence of a promise doth not rightly beleive in him but plainly and presumptuously tempts him c. N.B. These mariners had been willing enough to make use of all other means for their safety as undergirding unlading c. and wishing for the Day verse 29. Oh! that we wished so much for the Day of Redemption to make use of more means yet missed in this the means God required The tenth Remark is God's Gospel-stars shine most in the night and their splendour is best seen in time of trouble Thus was it here while this Ship's-crew had a smouth sea and a calm season Paul lyes on the Deck as a poor contemptible prisoner neglected of all but now in this eminent danger God makes him the only Counsellor and comforter unto this great company Common calamity made them comply with that counsel and comfort which came from one in chains amongst them Paul reproves them for rejecting his advice of wintering in Crete v. 21. yet now the storm having becalmed that refractory mind they are mindful to follow his Direction in taking some food having had no set meal for fourteen days through the consternation horrour of death and in admitting Paul to become the Chaplain of the ship for craving a blessing and for praying to God for their farther preservation verse 33.34 35 36 37. yea and for praising God also
both were 1. Immortality God gave them not onely the most noble Life as to the nature of it in as much as the Life Rational of Man is more noble than the Life Vegetative of Plants or the Life Sensitive of Beasts but also most Extensive as to its continuance for had they not Sinned their Souls had never have been separated from their Bodies but they should have lived a most happy life a Thousand years upon Earth according to the opinion of the Antients and then have been translated as Enoch and Elijah were into Heaven this Immortality was onely ex Hypothesi upon supposition of holding their integrity as before and an Immortality a parte post onely as the Schools speak and not a parte Ante also for some things are said to be Immortal 1. Which have a beginning but have no end as the Angels and the Souls of men 2. Some things have no beginning yet shall have an end as the Eternal decrees have their Temporeal accomplishments 3. Something again there is that hath neither beginning nor end and that is God himself of the first sort would their Immortality have been have they stood their Bodies would have been Immortal as well as their Souls 'T was the Vain Philosophers fancy that Men had no beginning but was Eternal a parte Ante as to before which is fully confuted by Moses mentioning Mans creation three times in one Verse Gen. 1.27 2. Wisdom yea such a such a perfection thereof as to know all that was knowable we read of Solomons wisdom even in the state of Corruption how it made him Natures Secretary and wiser than all men 1 Kin. 4.31 c. 10.4 c. yet was it undoubtedly short of Adams wisdom in the state of innocency Though Solomon were wiser than all men in the faln estate yet this makes him not wiser than Adam in the pure estate who then had the perfection of knowledge and wisdom then did he know aright his God his Creatures and himself too he had 1. Natural 2. Acquired 3. Revealed knowledge 1. His knowledge was inbred and concreated with him so 't was Natural to him 2. He Acâ—nired knowledge of God by the Creatures in a way of Causality and eminency he ascended from the effects to the cause till he came at the first cause as if he had been climbing upon Jacobs ladder 3. The Attributes of God and the mystery of the Trinity were revealed to him and nothing of corruption was then either within him or without him to darken his understanding to him as Solomon had Adam wisely understood all simples singulars and universals and could rightly while he was himself Right and upright compound or divide them he could then without any mistake discern good from evil and the just from the unjust to follow the former and to flye the latter The unanswerable argument of his knowledge and wisdom was his giving names to all creatures according to their several Natures as those that understand the Hebrew tongue do understand or at least may do Convenium Rebus nomina saepe suis The names Adam gave them were accommodated to their Natures Gen. 2.20 one part of that Image of God wherein Adam was Created is knowledge Col. 3.10 and this was in the perfection of it so that Tostatus was under a mistake in preferring Solomon before Adam because he is said to be wiser than all men that were before him or after him for that is spoken of the common Generation of men wherein the two Adams must be excepted the first man created in the Image of God and the man Christ Jesus born without sin Adam did certainly know all things but the four things which are not knowable to man to wit 1. The secret Decrees of God which belong not to men Deut. 29.29 Rom. 11.33 who knows the mind of God c. 2. Future contingents as his own fall 3. The thoughts of the minds both of men and of Angels God onely is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Heart-searcher Act. 1.24 our most secret thoughts and intentions which are the creatures of the Heart are naked and open to him onely Heb. 4.13 4. All Individual things of all kinds which are as it were Infinite as suppose how many Stars there are in the Heavens how many Fishes in the Sea how many Fowls in the Air how many Beasts in the field how many Sands upon the Sea-shore known only unto God are all his works from the foundation of the world Act. 15.18 Omnisciency is his Incommunicable Attribute 't is God alone that knoweth all things Joh. 21.17 All these things 3. Holiness and Righteousness which completed the Image of God in Man Eph. 4.24 'T is something over-curious a Criticism having in it more Wit than Grace to say God was the first that made Images in the world in making Man after his own Image but sure I am God was the first that forbad Image-making to wit in the second Commandment 'T was certainly a gross mistake in Oleaster that grand stickler in the Spanish Inquisition to say that God in the Creation took upon him the shape of a Man and thereupon 't is said he made Man in his own Image whereas the truth is This is to make God after Mans Image rather than Man after Gods Image but the Image of God wherein Man was Created was his being made holy and righteous aequè non equaliter as God in quality though not in equality Thus Solomon saith God made Man right and upright Eccles 7.29 he was right in the sight of God 2 Chron. 29.2 his state was well pleasing to God and he was upright before him he was right 1. in his understanding of things as before having the perfection of knowledge and wisdom 2. in his will willing and nilling all that God would have him to will or nill he loved all that God loved and hated all that God hated Revel 2.6 3. his Conscience Memory Affections all had a rectitude or rightness in a word his Holiness and Righteousness God created him in made him both suitable to Gods Nature and Subject to Gods Law which is both a right and a straight Rule Psal 19.8 then there was a Right order in all his Affections no jarring discords which would have made no good musick were then among them but all were placed upon their proper objects needing no reconcilement as now one to another The inferiour parts of the Soul were all subordinate to the superiour The Will was subject to the Judgment or Conscience The Affections to the Will Prov. 16.32 all the outward members to both Rom. 6.13 and the whole man in all parts both inward and outward in subjection to God much more might be added of Internalls 2. The External endowments which God gave our first Parents in their pure state were sundry also As 1. the most perfect Beauty and Comliness of their persons As is the cause so is the effect as is the workman so is
his workmanship it must needs be a complete piece of work which came out of the skilful hands of the most Wise God as is said before of the Body Their Stature proportion their feature lineaments were all yea altogether lovely Cant. 5.16 Their Voices were sweet and their Countenances were comely Cant. 2.14 seeing since the Fall such a dazling splendour and bewitching Beauty remains still in some of the Sons and Daughters of men Assuredly the Image of God who is Beauty and loveliness it self did shine forth in their Bodies as well as in their Souls and even while they were naked they were Clothed with Majesty and Glory Psal 8.5 6. yea their nakedness made them not ashamed Gen. 2.25 There was then no need of shame for sin and shame came in both together and there was as little need of Cloathing then for their Bodys being then glorious the bravest Apparel would but have been as a cloud that darkens the shining Sun or as a black mask which covers a most beautiful face undoubtedly they had both that goodly Gracefulness presence and personage as to be not onely most delightful companions each to other but also capable of communion with the Holy Angels to whom they were made but a little inferiour Psal 8.5 yea and with the Holy God himself who rejoiced in the habitable part of his Earth and took much complacency in the work of is own hands Prov. 8.30 31. Adam more than Enoch and Abraham c. walked Arm in Arm with God The 2. External endowment God gave them was the place of their Habitation in Paradise Gen. 2.8 15. God did not build them any Marble monument there or an Ivory Pallace to dwell in such as the Luxury of men in the faln estate hath framed for themselves as that none-such Sinner Ahab built for himself 1 Kin. 22.39 but God planted them a Garden or Orchard choicely furnished with all manner of delicate fruits and hedged round about wherein they might have lived in a condition of Dignity and delectation without the least impairing of their Health and strength for a thousand years yet it being but an earthly place or a Terrestrial Paradise thereby they were admonished not onely of frugality and modesty but also that there was a better place even a Caetestial Paradise into which they should have without tasting Death been translated no doubt but the whole Earth was exceeding pleasant and fruitful as a Garden before the Sin of Man brought upon it the Curse of God Gen. 3.17 yet so kind so good was God to Adam that he planted a Paradise for him wherein he had an affluence and confluence of all good things to make him happy hence it is called the Garden of Jehovah Gen. 13.10 and of Eden which in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signify Pleasure and this place of pleasure and pleasantness was by was of eminency the Glory of all Lands Ezek. 20 6â— That Paradise was a most pleasant place is demonstrated by those few following Arguments As first from that large description and commendation of it by the Holy Ghost himself in Moses his Pen-man Gen. 2. from v. 8. to v. 16. 2. from its being made a Type of the third Heaven and synonymical with it Luke 23.43 2 Cor. 12.3 4. Revel 2.7 3. from that aggravation of the evil that is put upon their expulsion out of Paradise if it were so great an evil to be banished himself and all his posterity out of this Pleasant place and to have the Garden-door locked against him yea and Guarded also by a Cherubim with a flaming sword Gen. 3.22 23 24. this is a clear evidence that some great good was lost thereby 4. from the restitution of the true Paradise unto faln man by Christ which is a most unspeakable good the first Adam shut Paradise the second Adam opened it by the Key of his Cross or Cross-key and he quenched the flames of that flaming sword which Guarded the Door by powring upon it his meritorious Bloud paving thereby a new and living way to that Paradise which is above Hebr. 10.20 18. herein also the transcendent goodness of God to man is marvelously manifest that God should upon the third day of the Creation when he made the Trees plant a Paradise for mans pleasure before Man was Created which was not until the sixth day Man was made out of paradise on that day and then God took man by the hand and led him into Paradise to take possession of it as the Angel led Lot out of Sodom by the hand for a dispossession Gen. 2.15 19 16. God made not Paradise for the Beasts to spoil but for man to dress which he did as without necessity so without either pains or weariness 't was rather his Recreation than his Occupation his labour was then as an Ordinance but after inflicted as a Punishment Gen. 3.19 This place of delight was prepared for man before it was conferred upon him yea before he was that he might live a life of pleasure there How much greater is Gods goodness unto Adams Posterity who are given to Christ for whom both a life of Grace and a life of Glory is prepared not onely long before they were born but also before the foundation of the World 2 Tim 1.9 Tit. 1.2 c. All those things do teach us these truths 1. That God hath a right Fatherly care of his creatures thus to make provisions for them before they be created 2. that all opinion of merit is hereby overthrown for Adam could not merit this Earthly Paradise before he was made nor we the Heavenly one 3. God led Adam into Paradise that he might know he held it not as Lord of it but as Gods Husband-man and his Tenant at will so long as he behaved himself well which if he forfeited by doing ill he could have no just cause to complain for Gods banishing him out of it who had given it him so freely and so kindly led him into it 4. that Earthly Paradises be not Mans home and Countrey here no abiding City Hebr. 11.10 16. The 3. External favour God gave them was their Dominion over all Creatures Gen. 1.26 28. subdue the Earth and have Dominion c. God made man the supreme Lord of all created things here below all creatures are mans Servants and Houshouldstuffâ—â— God put all things under mans feet as so many stirrops or steps of a Stair-case that Man might raise up himself thereby unto God his Maker David celebrates Gods praise for giving this Dominion over all to Man Psal 8.5 6 20. All things are made for Man and Man is made for God to know and acknowledge him And while Man did so all things also did own and acknowledge Man as their Lord and Soveraign Adam exercised the Centurions Authority Luke 7.8 when all Creatures did come to him for Names and go from him when named Gen. 2.19 All then did reverence Man and were ready to come
Earth Revel 11.10 never considering that those Saints in the Earth Psalms 16.3 do bear up the Pillars of the Earth Psalms 75.3 and that God gratifies his own Servants with the preservation of their persecutors as he did Paul with the live of all those Infidels who were in the Ship with him Acts 27.24 37 42. Thus the Stagg in the Emblem by biting off the boughs under which he lay hid from the Hunters bewrays and betrays himself into their hands c. The third Remark is Paul chused to labour with his hands rather than he would disadvantage the Gospel or become burdensome to those poor people who had here received the Gospel 'T is said He wrought with Aquila in Tent-making Acts 18.3 This Trade Paul learnt before he was called to the Ministry N. B. The most Learned among the Jews did alway learn some Handy-craft-Trade holding themselves obliged by their Traditional Law that every Father must teach his Child some Trade and their Rabbi Judah saith that whosoever doth not teach his Child a Trade doth as bad as if he bad him go play the Thief Paul therefore having learnt this Trade of a Tent-maker did work with his hands here for his own subsistency as he did in other places upon the same exigent 1 Cor. 4.12 1 Thes 2.9 and 2 Thes 3.8 Paul had power enough and warrant to challenge Maintenance for his Preaching-work as he intimateth many times over in his Epistles N. B. But 1. There was not yet any Church at Corinth to maintain him 2. When there was a Church there he would take nothing of the Gentiles for the greater honour and promotion of the Gospel among them 3. The persons that embraced the Gospel and believed were mostly the most mean persons as appears most probably from 1 Corinth 1.26 Not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many Noble are called Therefore spared he those poor Proselytes and would not be burdensome to them 4 It was to shew that he sought them more than theirs their persons to be saved by him more than their purses for him to be sustained by them N.B. Yet did he assert his own Right and the Right of Ministers by Divine Appointment 1 Cor. 9.6 11 12 14 c. But because of the present Necessity and Emergency of Affairs he denied himself here as Acts 20.34 2 Cor. 11.7 8. and 2 Thes 3.9 c. working with his hands in sowing Skins together whereon to make Tents used much by the Souldiers in those hot Countreys and by others also to keep off the violence of the Weather c. N.B. Hereupon one saith of him That he was no less busie in his Shop among his Tents than in his Study among his Books and Parchments which he mentions 2 Tim. 4.13 yet was it no work of supererogation as the Romanists say for in this case it was a duty saving the honour of the Ministry but no general Rule So thus Musculus when driven out of his place by Persecution was forced to pick up a poor living by Digging and Weaving And a late Martyr as great a Scholar as Europe had being banished served a Mason for his livelihood The fourth Remark is That painful Preachers must not be blamed for the blood of their perishing People N.B. Paul saith here I am clean your blood be upon your own heads ver 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is I am not in the fault if ye perish The Kill-Christ Jews cryed His blood be upon our heads Matth. 27.25 that is the guilt and punishment thereof Accordingly Paul proposeth his speech to his opposers your blood be upon your own heads answerable to that aforesaid wish in their wretched Imprecation and according to the Jews Custom of the Witnesses laying their hands upon the head of the guilty person as devoting him thereby to death Deut. 17.7 And as the Sacrificers laid their hands upon the head of the Beast to be sacrificed whereby they transmitted their own sin upon the Sacrifice Exod. 29.10 15. and Levit. 1.4 and 3.2 c. N.B. But they had another manner of the High Priest's laying his hands upon the Scape-Goat's head also Levit. 16.10 21. that this Live-Goat might carry away all their sins from them along with him into the Land of everlasting forgetfulness never to be remembred against them any more as Isa 43.25 which was a Type of our Dear Redeemer upon whom God hath laid all our Iniquities Isa 53.6 7. and whom those Opposers rejected when tendered to them by Paul's Preaching Christ and therefore Paul tells them they were so many Felo's de se Self-destroyers and were guilty of their own Death and Damnation for seeing they refused that Christ should redeem them and save them from their sins they must bear their own burdens which without Repentance would bear them down into the bottomless Pit N.B. Nor could Paul be charged with the loss of their Souls for he was free from their blood because he had warned them of their Damnable State and shewn the way of Life and Salvation to them He had blown the Trumpet c. Ezek. 3.17 18 19 20 21. and 33.4 5 6 7 8 9. The Watch-man must give warning of Danger if his warning be effectual for Reformation then both the Warner and the Warned do deliver and save their own Souls If the Watch-man's Warning be not heeded by the Hearers they shall die in their sins but there is no danger to the Watch-man for he did his duty as Paul did here But if the Watch-man give no Warning not only the Sinner dies by his unrepented-of-sins but also the Minister by his not admonishing the Sinner becomes involved in that guilt death and damnation God will punish him as a Dumb Dog Isa 56.10 for not barking according to his duty to sound an Alarm of his People's danger Isa 58.1 All these passages in this Prophet Isaiah as one saith seem non Verba sed Tonitrua not Aery words but frightful Thunder-bolts What then will become of Idol-or Idle-Ministers But Paul was a better Pattern being a painful Preacher he doth his part here and would not have to answer for the blood of them that perished through any neglect in him but leaves it at their own door and upon their own heads as here and Acts c. 20. v. 26. The fifth Remark is The Lord's promise of his presence is a sweet incouragment to his Servants for their Abiding in a place and among a people notwithanding their fears from angry men and from inraged Devils Thus here the Lord Christ spake again to his Servant Paul saying be not afraid but speak and hold not thy peace for I am with thee and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee c. Acts 18. verse 9.10 N.B. We may well wonder what was the cause of any new fear in Paul that Christ should now say to him fear not seeing the coming of Silas and Timothy to him according to his order Acts
17.15 had made him so brisk in his work verse 5 6. his Spirit was then warmed with the company of these two good men as two flints tho' both be cold yet yield fire when smitten together Now some sudden pang of fear came upon him as he confesseth that in Macedonia his flesh had no rest but was troubled on every side without were fightings and within were fears 2 Cor. 7.5 here Christ came to comfort him using two Arguments to persuade his continuance in Corinth The first is The Promise of Christ's presence to protect him from harm c. And the second is That Christ had a great Harvest a Ripening in that City to be reaped by Paul's Ministry and he thus incouraged by this double Motive commits himself to his faithful Creator Christ for a year and six Months verse 11. Thus God promised his protecting presence to his Prophet Jeremy Jer. 1.17 18. and no less hath Christ promised to all his faithful Ministers Matth. 28.20 and tho' some of them be killed yet are they not hurt Rom. 8.36 38. N.B. From whence we Learn 2 Lessons 1. That though the Ingratitude and perversness of Hearers do oft discourage their Ministers yet God Animates them to their duty that for the invincible malice of some the Salvation of others may not be neglected And 2. Tho' God permit that his Ministers be Murdered by their persecutors tho' Paul was promised here a more peculiar protection from the killing Plots of his opposers notwithstanding God is with his Servants both in life and death and then most of all 2 Tim. 4.16 17 18. So their fury must make us more fervent that the Servants of the Lord may not be out-vyed by the Slaves of the Devil who cannot dare to do more evil than God's Servants are made able to bear both with patience and joyfulness c. The sixth Remark is Prophane Persons have a most prodigious prejudice against the power of Godliness exceeding low thoughts of the purity of Christianity Thus Gallio tho' brother in Law to that deservedly famous Seneca esteemed no better of Divine Doctrine than a Cento of Empty Words and Aery-Notions or Vain Discourseâ— saying If it be a Question of names or words c. verse 15. N.B. Yea his Brother Seneca who being Tutor to Nero Claudius the Emperor's Adopted Son procured the Consulship over all conquered Greece for his brother Gallio notwithstanding all his vast depth of humane Learning and his Exact knowledge in moral Philosophy yet did this Seneca but Jear the Jews for casting away a Seventh part of their precious time upon a Weekly Sabbath N.B. No wonder then if Gallio tho' a great man in the Roman Government and a good man too according to the extent of Moral Goodness for Historians give him this Character That he was a man of a most Candid Disposition an hater of flattery and addicted to no manner of exorbitant Vices c. yet being but an Heathen and acting by the Dins Light of Nature in the fallen Estate made so mean an account of the Mysteries of the Gospel N.B. However God made use of this Gallio and his Moral Goodness to preserve Paul from the bloody hands of the Jews who being Animated to attempt evil against Paul hoping that this new Judge would favour them against the Christians but he being a prudent Governour Supercedes the Jews Cavilling and Quarrelling Cause tells them he would meddle only with Civil Government and not with Religious matters wherein he had as he accknowledged no skilful knowledge So he made those Cavillers to be driven by force out of the Court that they might not any longer trouble the Bench with their as he thought unnecessary Controversies then the Greeks which the Syriack reads the Prophane beat Sosthenes an enemy as Austin saith to Paul hereby Christ performed his promise to Paul verse 10. Suffering no Man to hurt him verse 16 17. The seventh Remark is While Paul tarryed a Twelve-Month and an half at Corinth Acts 18.11 18. As Christ blest him by his presence with many Converts such as Crispus and Gaius and the House of Stephanas yea and Sosthenes also tho' supposed before to be Paul's adversary verse 17. 1 Cor. 1.14 and Epenetus Rom. 16.5 and 1 Cor. 16.15 called his first Fruits there because Converted at his first coming to Corinth so in the time of his abode in this City he wrote his first Epistle to the Thessalonians which was the first of all Paul's Epistles that he wrote N.B. Tho' the Postscript of that Epistle dateth it from Athens which as it is not Canonical so nor consonant to truth because this Epistle was sent by Silas the contract of Silvanus and Timothy as well as in Paul's name 1 Thess 1.1 and those two came to Paul when he was at Corinth Acts 18.5 nor was there any Church in Achaia while Paul was at Athens for from thence he went to Achaia and planted a Church at Corinth Acts 18. verse 1. but there was a Church in Achaia when he wrote that Epistle 1 Thess 1.7 However the occasion of it was the New-planted Church at Thessalonica was much discouraged to behold the Jews persecute the Christians and to lose by death some of their useful and Eminent Members the Apostle having notice thereof and the Devil either by disputes or by Tumults or by Layings in wait for his life hindered him from giving them a personal visit 1 Thess 2.18 Thereupon he wrote this Epistle to incourage and comfort them in the ways of the Gospel N.B. And the Apostle being informed of some mistakes put upon some passages in the first Epistle about the coming of Christ and still being hindered to go thither himself he writeth also a second Epistle wherein he taketh up the same argument and discourse again for thir further and fuller Establishment The eighth and last Remark At Paul's parting from Corinth he is shaven as a Nazarite in the Haven of Cenchrea belonging to Corinth according to the Law Numb 6.18 This he did verse 18. because He must needs go up to the Passover-feast at Jerusalem verse 21. That he might wait an occasion and take the opportunity of that prodigious concourse of people there and that he might be the more acceptable to the weak believing Jews who yet were Zealous of the Law Acts 21.20 21 23 24. and that by gratifying them in this condescention to the praescription of the Law he gained many to the Faith by becoming a Jew to the Jews 1 Cor. 9.20 in Circumcising Timothy Acts 16.3 N.B. Tho' these Ceremonial Rites dyed with Christ Eph. 2.15 16. yet were not buryed therefore were the Jews indulged in the observance of them till they came to a clearer sight of their Christian liberty and freedom from them so that Paul did not do this as any part of God's Worship nor was there any Dissimulation in the case for the Matter of purifying himself he did that heartily saith Calvin but for the