that Occasion to break forth into Prayer which also he continues in the following Verses Onely as he prays there for justification or Pardon of sin so here he prays for Renovation or Sanctification So his meaning is this Therefore as the Particle and is oft used as hath been shewed in the hidden Part do thou make me to know Wisdom Or thus thoâ—… wouldest have me know for Futures are oft taken Potentially as Psal. 118. 6. and Mat. 12. 25. Compared with Mark 3. 24. and elsewhere And Verbs which signifie making or causing are sometimes understood onely of the Will or Command as Ieroboam is said to make Israel to sin 1 Kings 14. 16. because he Commanded them to do so Hos. 5. 11. This I propose with Submission but if this Sence be admitted the last Clause of the Verse answers very well to the former as it doth in the foregoing and following Verses and every where in these Books For this thou wouldest have me know Answers to that thou willest or desirest and in the hidden part Answers to that in the inward Parts and Wisdom is the same thing for Substance with Truth onely called by another Name wisdom y i. e. True Piety and Integrity which is called Wisdom Iob 28. 28. Psal. 111. 10. and in many other Texts as sin on the contrary is commonly called as it really is Polly And to know Wisdom is here meant of knowing it Practically and Experimentally so as to approve and Love and Practise it as Words oâ—… knowledge are most frequently taken in Scripture and in other Authors 7. * Lev. 14. 6. Numb 19. 18. Purge me with hyssop z Or as with Hyssop the note of similitude being frequently understood As Lepers and other unclean Persons are by the appointment purified by thy use of Hyssop and other things Levit. 14. 6. Numb 19. 6. so do thou cleanse me a most Leprous and polluted Creature by thy Grace and by the Vertue of that Blood of Christ which is signified by those Ceremonial usages and I shall be clean wash me and I shall be * Isa. 1. 18. whiter than snow 8. Make me to hear joy and gladness a Send me glad Tidings of thy Reconciliation to me and by thy Spirit seal the Pardon of my sins to my Conscience which will fill me with joy that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce b That mine Heart which hath been sorely Wounded and Terrified by thy dreadful Message sent by Nathan and by the dismal Sentence of thy Law denounced against such Sinners as I am now by this Occasion brought home to my Conscience may be revived and Comforted by the Manifestation of thy Favour to my Soul 9. Hide thy face from my sins c Do not look upon them with an Eye of indignation and Revenge but forget and forgive them and blot out d See v. 1. all mine iniquities 10. Create in me a clean heart e Seeing I have not onely defiled my self by these actual sins but also have a most filthy Heart corrupted even from my Birth v. 5. which nothing but God's Almighty and Creating Power can purifie do thou Effectually work in me an Holy frame of Heart whereby both my inward filth may be Purged away and I may be prevented from falling into such actual and scandalous sins O God and renew f That good Temper which before this Apostacy I had in some measure be pleased graciously to restore it to me with Advantage ‖ Or a constant Spirit a right g Heb. Firm or Constant or Stedfast that I may not be so easily shaken and cast down by Temptation as I have been but that my Resolution may be more fixed and unmoveable spirit h Temper or Disposition of Soul or Spirit as the Word Spirit is very frequently used in Scripture within me i Heb. In my inward Parts He wisely strikes at the Root and Cause of all sinâ—…ul Actions 11. Cast me not away from thy presence k i. e. From thy Favour and Care and gracious Communion with thee and take not thy holy spirit l Thy sanctifying Spirit by which alone I can have Acquaintance and fellowship with thee from me 12. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation m The Comfortable Sence of thy saving Grace and Help promised and vouchsafed to me both for my present and everlasting Salvation and ‖ Or lâ—…t 〈◊〉 free Or â—…ly Spirit uphold me uphold me n A weak and frail Creature never able to stand against Corruption and Temptation without thy powerful and gracious Succours with thy free o Or ingenuous or Liberal or Princely Which he seems to oppose to his own base and Illiberal and Dis-ingenuous and servile Spirit which he had discovered in his wicked and unworthy Practises and Desires a better Spirit even the Spirit of God which may free him from the Bondage of sin and inable and inâ—…line him freely and Cheerfully and constantly to run the way of Gods precepts See Exod. 35. 21. Psal. 110. 3. Rom. 8. 15 16. 2 Cor. 3. 17. spirit 13. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways p Either 1. Thy Will and their Duty and the way to their eternal Happiness Or rather 2. The manner of thy dealing with Sinners whom thou dost so severely Chastise for their sins and yet so graciously receive to Mercy upon their Repentances Both which I will shew them in my own Example which I will declare unto them although I shall therewith publish my own shame which I shall most willingly bear that I may in some measure repair the Injury which I have done to thee and others by my publick and scandalous Crimes and sinners shall be converted unto thee q And I perswade my self that my Indeavours shall not want Success and that either thy Justice and severity or thy Goodness and Clemency will bring them to Repentance 14. Deliver me from †Heb. Bloods blood-guiltiness r Heb. from Bloods because he had been the Cause of the Death not onely of uriah but of others of the Lords people with him 2 Sam. 11. 17. O God thou God of my salvation and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness s Either 1. Thy Faithfulness in making good thy Promises Or rather 2. Thy Clemency and Goodness as that Word is frequently used 15. O LORD open thou my lips t Which are shut with shame and Grief and Horror Restore unto me the Opportunity and Ability and Liberty which formerly I had of speaking to thee with Freedom and Boldness and Familiarity as this Phrase signifies Ezek. 3. 27. and 24. 27. Eph. 6. 19 20. and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise 16. For * 〈◊〉 50. 8. 〈◊〉 1. 11. â—…er â—… 22. Hos. 6. 6. thou desirest not sacrifice u Which is not to be understood absolutely and Universally as appears from v. 19. but
of men c i. e Publickly and in the view of the World their very Enemies seeing and admiring and envying it but not being able to hinder it 20. Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence d Or as in the secret of thy Presence Either 1. As if they were in thy presence Chamber where thine own Eye and Hand guardeth them from all the assaults of their Enemies called his secret Partly because the greatest part of the World are strangers to God and his Presence and Partly because it is a safe and secure place such as secret and unknown places are Or 2. As if they were in the secret of God's Tabernacle as it is called Psal. 27. 5. the place of God's special Presence where none might enter save the High-priest Or 3. With thy secret Favour and Providence which works mightily yet secretly for them and saves them by hidden and unknown Methods This is opposed to those Caves or other obscure and unsafe places where David was forced to hide himself from the ‖ Or 〈◊〉 Or comâ—… pride of man e From their Vain-glorious Boasts and Threats and from their bold and insolent Attempts thou * Psal. 27. 5. shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion e From their Vain-glorious Boasts and Threats and from their bold and insolent Attempts from the strife of tongues f Or as in thy Pavilion or Tabernacle and so this Clause explains the former and the Pronoun thy is here easily and aptly understood out of the foregoing Branch f i. e. From the Mischief of Contentious and standerous Tongues 21. Blessed be the LORD for * Psal. 17. 7. he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a ‖ Or 〈◊〉 City strong city g To wit in Keilah Where God wonderfully preserved me of which see 1 Sam 23. 7. Others as in a strong City He hath kept me as safe in Woods and Caves as if I had been in a fenced City 22. For I said * Psal. 116. 11. 1 Sam. 23. 26. 2 Kings 7. 15. Gr. in my Amazement in my hast h i. e. In my hasty flight from Saul when he and his men had almost Encompassed me 1 Sam. 23. 26. which happened presently after his Deliverance in and from the strong City of Keilah Or in my Fear or Trembling when my Passion took away my Consideration and weakened my Faith I * Isa. 38. 11 12. Lam. 3. 54. Joh. 2. 4. am cut off from before thine eyes i i. e. Cast out of thy sight and out of the Care of thy gracious Providence my Case is desperate Or cut off whilst thou lookest on and dost not pity nor help me nevertheless thou heardest the voyce of my supplications k My Fears were quickly Confuted by thy gracious Answer to my Prayers when I cryed unto thee 23. O love the LORD all ye his saints for the LORD preserveth the faithful l Or keepeth Faithfulness or Faithfulnesses i. e. Is faithful in fulfilling his Promises Or rather the Faithful who is opposed to the Proud doer in the next Clause of the Verse and * Psal. 94. 2. plentifully m Heb. â—…ith for so the Hebrew al sometimes signifies abundance rewardeth the proud doer n The Enemies and persecutors of God's faithful Ones before mentioned whom he calls here Proud doers because of their Rebellion against God's Will and their Contempt of his Threatnings and Judgments and their most insolent and Contemptuous Carriage towards his People all which proceeds from the pride of their Heart Psal. 10. 4. 24. * Psal. 27. 14. Be of good courage o Or â—…e strong in the Lord and by Confidence in his Promises which will not fail you as I have found by Experience and ‖ Or Let your Heart be strong he shall strengthen your heart all ye that hope in the LORD PSAL. XXXII ‖ Or A Psalm of David giving instruction A Psalm of David Maschil a Or an Instructer This Psalm is most fitly so called because it was Composed for the information of the Church in that most important Doctrine Concerning the way to true Blessedness 1. BLessed is he whose * Rom. 4. 6. 7 8. transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered a I did indeed say that they and they only were Blessed that did not walk in the Counsel of the ungodly c. But did delight in and Meditate on Gods â—…aw Psal. 1. 1 2. And it is true this is the only way to Blessedness But if enquiry be made into the Cause of mans Blessedness we must seek that elsewhere All men having sinned and made themselves Guilty before God and fallen short of the Glory of God and of that Happiness which was Conferred upon their first Parents now there is no way to recover this lost Felicity but by seeking and obtaining the Favour of God and the pardon of our sins Which is the very Doctrine of the Gospel to the Confirmation whereof this Text is justly alledged Rom. 4. 6 7. Our sins are Debts and they need forgiving they are filthy and abominable in Gods sight and need covering 2. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity b Whom God doth not Charge with the guilt of his sins as he might justly do but graciously accepts and pardons him in Christ and deals with him as if he had noâ—… sinned and * Joh. 1. 47. in whose spirit there is no guile o Who freely Confesseth all his sins without Dissembling or Concealing of them which may seem to be the main thing here intended by Comparing this with the following Verses and who is sincere in his Professions of Repentance turning from sin to God with all his Heart and not seignedly 3. When I kept silence d To wit from a full and open Confession of my sins as appears from v. 5. and from pouring out my Soul to God in serious and servent Prayers for pardon and peace Whilst I concealed my sins Or smothered my Fears and stiâ—…led the workings of my own Conscience my bones waxed old e through my roaring e My Spirits failed and the strength of my Body decayed all the day long f Because of the continual Horrors of my Conscience and Sence of Gods wrath wherewith I was as yet rather oppressed and overwhelmed than brought to thorough Repentance 4. For day and night thy hand g Thy afflicting hand bringing my sins to Remembrance and filling me with thy Terrors for them was heavy upon me my moisture was turned into the drought of summer h My very Radical moisture was in a manner dryed up and wasted through excessive Fears and Sorrows Selah 5. I acknowledged my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have I not hid * Prov. 28. 13 Isa. 65. 24. 1. Joh. 1. 9. I said I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD
11. c. and Deut. 14. whether it be a carkass of an unclean beast or a carkass of unclean cattel or the carkass of unclean creeping things and if it be hidden from him f If he do it unwittingly yet that would not excuse him because he should have been more diligent and circumspect to avoid all unclean things Hereby God designed to awaken men to watchfulness against and repentance for their unknown or unobserved sins See Psal. 19. 12. 1 Ioh. 3. 20. he also shall be unclean and guilty g Not morally for the conscience was not directly polluted by these things Mat. 15. 11 18. but ceremonially 3 Or if he touch the * chap. 12. and 13. and 15. uncleanness of man whatsoever uncleanness it be that a man shall be defiled withal and it be hid from him when he knoweth of it h As soon as he knowethit he must not delay to make his peace with God And though it was sin before though not known yet the knowledge of it made it worse and therefore required the more speedy repentance then he shall be guilty i Not onely ceremonially by that touch but morally for his violation and contempt of Gods authority and command 4 Or if a soul swear k To wit rashly without consideration either of Gods law or his own power or right as David did 1 Sam. 25. 22. pronouncing with his lips to do evil l Either 1. to himself to wit to punish himself either in his body or estate or something else which is dear to him Or rather 2. to his neighbour as 1 Sam. 25. 22. Act. 23. 12. or * Psal. 49. 18. to do good m To wit to his neighbour as Mark 6. 23. when a man either may not or cannot do it which may frequently happen whatsoever it be that a man shall pronounce with an oath and it be hid from him n i. e. He did not know or not consider that what he swore to do was or would be impossible or unlawful when he knoweth of it o When he discovers it to be so either by his own consideration or by information from others then he shall be guilty in one of these p Either in the good or evil which he swore to do 5 And it shall be when he shall be guilty in one of these things q In one of the three forementioned cases either by sinful silence and compliance with others in their sin ver 1. or by an unclean touch as ver 2 3. or by rash swearing ver 4. that he shall confess r Before the Lord in the place of publick worship And this confession is not to be restrained to the present case but by a parity of reason and comparing of other Scriptures to be extended to other sacrifices for sin to which this was a constant companion and as it was signified by the guilty persons laying his hand upon his offering so it is probable it was expressed in words See Numb 5. 6 7. that he hath sinned in that thing 6 And he shall bring his trespass-offering ‖ Quest. How comes confession and a sacrifice to be necessary for him that touched an unclean thing when such persons were cleansed with simple washing as appears from Levit. 11. and Numb 19 Ans. This place speaks of him that being so unclean did come into the Tabernacle as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numb 19. 13. which if any man did knowing himself to be unclean which was the case there he was to be cut off for it and if he did it ignorantly which is the case here ver 2. he was upon discovery of it to offer this sacrifice Interpreters dispute much what the difference is between sins and trespasses and between siâ—…-offerings and trespass-offerings Some make the one for omissions the other for commissions the one for greater the other for lesser sins the one for known sins the other for sins of ignorance In all which there seems to be more curiosity than solidity Either they seem to be the same as may be gathered from 〈◊〉 6. where those two words asham and chata which they so carefully and critically distinguish are both used concerning the trespass-offerings and from 〈◊〉 9. or the difference may be this that sin-offerings were more indefinite or general being for any particular sin and trespass-offerings more restrained and particular for such sins as were more scandalous and injurious either to God by blasphemy as ver 1. or to his Sanctuary by approaching to it in ones uncieanness ver 2 3. as hath been now said or to ones neighbour by swearing to do to them either the good which we afterwards cannot or do not or the evil which we should not or to the Priests and holy things of God ver 15. unto the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned a female s Because those sins were less than others as being committed ignorantly or unwittingly and therefore God would accept a meaner sacrifice for them from the flock a lamb or a kid of the goats for a sin-offering and the Priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin 7 And * chap. 14. 21. if †Heb. his hand cannot reach to the sufficiency of â—…lamb he be not able t Through poverty as ver 11. and 25. 26. And this exception was allowed also in other sin-offerings to bring a lamb then he shall bring for his trespass which he hath committed two turtle doves or two young pigeons u Of which see Levit. 1. 14. unto the LORD one for a sin-offering x Which was for that particular sin and therefore is offered first before the burnt-offering which was for sins in general to teach us not to rest in general confessions and repentances for sin as Hypocrites commonly do but distinctly and particularly as far as we can to search out and confess and loath and leave our particular sins without which God will not accept our other religious services Note that the burnt-offering was for the expiation of sin as well as the sin-offering Lev. 1. 4. onely that was for sin in general and this for particular sins and the other for a burnt offering 8 And he shall bring them unto the Priest who shall offer that which is for the sin-offering first and * chap. 1. 15. wring off his head fom his neck but shall not divide it asunder 9 And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin-offering upon the side of the altar and the rest of the blood shall be wrung out at the bottom of the altar it is a sin-offering y This is added as the reason why its blood was so sprinkled and spilt See Lev. 4. 7 18 30 34. 10 And he shall offer the second for a burnt-offering according to the ‖ Or ordinance * chap. 1. 14. manner z Or order appointed by God
blood of the trespass offering and put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed and upon the thumb of his right hand and upon the great toe of his right foot 26 And the priest shall pour of the oyl into the palm of his own left hand 27 And the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oyl that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD 28 And the priest shall put of the oyl that is in his hand upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed and upon the thumb of his right hand and upon the great toe of his right foot upon the place of the blood of the trespass offering 29 And the rest of the oyl that is in the priests hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed to make an atonement for him before the LORD 30 And he shall offer the one of the turtle doves or of the young pigeons such as he can get 31 Even such as he is able to get the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt-offering with the meat-offering And the priest shall make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed before the LORD 32 This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosie whose hand is not able to get that which pertaineth to his cleansing 33 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron saying 34 When ye be come into the land of Canaan which I give to you for a possession and I put the plague of leprosie in a house of the land of your possession 35 And he that oweth the house shall come and tell the priest saying It seemeth to me there is as it were a plague in the house 36 Then the priest shall command that they c i. e. The possessours of the house ‖ Or prepare empty the house before the priest go into it to see the plague that all that is in the house be not made unclean d It is observable here that neither the people nor the houshold stuffe were polluted till the leprosie was discovered and declared by the Priest to shew what great difference God makes between sins of ignorance and sins against knowledge and conscience and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house 37 And he shall look on the plague and behold if the plague be in the walls of the house e This was an extraordinary judgment of God peculiar to this people either as a punishment of their sins which were much more sinful and inexcusable than the sins of other nations or as a special mean and help to Repentance which God afforded to them above other people or as a document of the mischievous nature of sin typified by leprosie which did not onely destroy persons but their habitations also see Zech. 5. 4. with hollow strakes f Such as were in the bodies of leprous persons Levit. 13. 3. greenish or reddish which in sight are lower than the wall 38 Then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house and shut up the house seven dayes 39 And the priest shall come again the seventh day and shall look and behold if the plague be spread in the walls of the house 40 Then the priest shall command that they take away the stones in which the plague is and they shall cast them into an unclean place g Where they used to cast dirt and filthy things without the city 41 And he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about and they shall pour out the dust h The mortar or other rubbish that they scrape off without the city into an unclean place 42 And they shall take other stones and put them in the place of those stones and he shall take other morter and shall plaister the house 43 And if the plague come again and break out in the house after that he hath taken away the stones and after he hath scraped the house and after it is plaistered 44 Then the priest shall come and look and behold if the plague be spread in the house it is a fretting leprosie in the house it is unclean 45 And he shall break down the house the stones of it and the timber thereof and all the morter of the house and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place 46 Moreover he that goeth into the house all the while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even 47 And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes 48 And if the priest †Heb in coming in shall come in c. shall come in and look upon it and behold the plague hath not spread in the house after the house was plaistered then the priest shall pronounce the house clean because the plague is healed 49 And he shall take to cleanse the house two birds and cedar-wood and scarlet and hysop 50 And he shall kill the one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water 51 And he shall take the cedar wood and the hysop and the scarlet and the living bird and dip them in the blood of the slain bird and in the running water and sprinkle the house seven times 52 And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird and with the running water and with the living bird and with the cedar-wood and with the hysop and with the scarlet 53 But he shall let go the living bird out of the city into the open fields and make an atonement for the house and it shall be clean 54 This is the law for all manner of plague of leprosie and * chap. 13. 30 scall 55 And for the leprosie of a garment and of an house 56 And for a rising and for a scab and for a bright spot 57 To teach i To direct the Priest when to pronounce a person or house clean or unclean So it was not left to the Priests power or will but they were tied to plain rules such as the people might discern no less then the Priest †Heb in the day of the unclean and in the day of the clean when it is unclean and when it is clean this is the law of leprosie CHAP. XV. 1 AND the LORD spake unto Moses saying 2 Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them * Num. 5. 2. when any man hath a †Or running of the reins running issue out of his flesh a His secret parts called flesh Levit. 6. 10. and 12. 3. Ezek. 16. 26. and 23. 20. because of his issue he is unclean 3 And this shall be his uncleanness in his issue whether his flesh run with his issue or his flesh be stopped from his issue b Or if it have run and
so this is a Genitive case of the object as Mat. 12. 31. blasphemy of the spirit for so it is in the Greek is blasphemy against the holy Ghost as it is called Mark 3. 28. Luk. 12. 10. and power of all flesh Ioh. 17. 2. is power â—…ver all flesh and power of spirit Mat. 10. 1. is power over or against spirits Luk. 9. 1. and prayer of God Luk. 6. 12. is prayer directed unto God and the spoil of the poor Isa. 3. 14. is the spoil taken from the poor and violence of the children of Iudah Ioel 3. 19. is violence against them as we translate it to do a trespass against the LORD g Which words may be added either 1. to express a new sin of prevaricating or dealing falsly with God either by a false oath which is a special injury to God or by a lie or simple denial that he hath taken any thing of his neighbours which also God takes as a sin especially concerning himself who in such cases is the câ—…ely judge of what is 〈◊〉 said or sworn See Act. 5. 3 4. Or 2. to aggravate the former sin and to shew that such injuries done to men are also sins against God who hath commanded justice to men as well as religion to himself But the former is more probable both because here is a ram of atonement to be offered to God for the special injury done to him as well as satisfaction is to be made to the man whom he injured and especially by comparing this with the parallel place Levit. 6. 2 c. and that person be guilty h i. e. Shall be sensible of his guilt or be convicted in his conscience of his sin for otherwise this might seem a meer tautology if it were onely meant of being really guilty of sin which was expressed before in those words when one shall commit any sin i. e. be guilty of any sin 7 Then they shall confess their sin i They shall not continue in the denial of the fact as such persons oft do but shall give glory to God and take shame to themselves by acknowledging their sin with grief and remorse See Lev. 5. 5. and 6. 4. which they have done and he shall recompense his trespass * Lev. 6. 5. with the principal thereof k i. e. The thing he took away or what is equivalent to it and add unto it the fifth part thereof l Which is added both as a compensation to the injured person for the want of his goods so long and for his trouble for the supposed utter loss of them and as a penalty upon the injurious dealer to discourage others from such attempts Qu. How doth this agree with that law Exod. 22. 1 Ans. That law was made against notorious and obstinate thieves who were legally convicted of their crime and this against more modest thieves whose necessities might induce them to steal and whose consciences are affected with their sin and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed 8 But if the man have no kinsman m Which might be the case commonly with Proselytes if not with Israelites This also supposeth the person injured to be dead or gone away into some unknown place and the person injured to be known to the injurer to recompense the trespass unto let the trespass be recompensed unto the LORD even to the priest n Whom God appointed as his deputy to receive his dues and take them to his own use that so he might more chearfully and intirely devote himself to the ministration of holy things This is an additional explication to that law Lev. 6. 2. and for the sake thereof it seems here to be repeated beside the * Lev. 6. 6. and 7. 8. ram of the atonement whereby an atonement shall be made for him 9 And every ‖ Or heave-offering * Lev. 6. 18 26. and 7. 6 32. chap. 18. 8. Deut. 18. 3. offering o Heb. every heave-offering the heave-offering being here taken largely so as to comprehend also the wave-offering for both these were Aarons portion See Exod. 29. 26 27 28. of all the holy things of the children of Israel which they bring unto the priests p To wit to offer unto the Lord by his hands shall be his q i. e. the Priests See Levit. 6. 16. 10 And every mans hallowed things r Understand this not of the sacrifices no not of such of them as were voluntary or vowed as most understand it because these were not the Priests peculiar but a good part of them was offered to God and the remainder was eaten by the offerer as well as by the Priest as is manifest but of such other things as were devoted to God and were such as could not be offered in sacrifice as suppose a man consecrated an house or rent of it to the Lord this was to be the Priests And this restriction may be easily collected from the nature of the thing because he speaketh in this and the other branches here of such things as were appropriated to the Priests as his portion which none of the sacrifices were shall be his whatsoever any man giveth the priest it shall be * Lev. 10. 13. his 11 And the LORD spake unto Moses saying 12 Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them If any mans wife s This law was given partly to deterre wives from adulterous practises and partly to secure wives against the rage of their hard-hearted husbands who otherwise might upon meer suspitions destroy them or at least put them away Quest. Why was there not the same law for the trial of the husband when the wife was jealous of him Ans. This might be either 1. because the womans sin is greater because there is not onely filthiness and falsness in it which is also in the mans sin but also peculiar unrighteousness in dishonouring his name and family and transferring his estate to strangers and other mens children or 2. because there was not like fear of inconveniencies to the husband from the jealousie of the wife who had not that authority and power and opportunity for the putting away or killing of the husband as the husband had over the wife Or 3. because being the inferiour and the weaker sex and more subject to jealousies and groundless suspitions it was not thought expedient to trust them with such a power or priviledge go aside t From the way of religion and justice or from her faith given to her husband or to the by-paths of falshood and filthiness and that either in truth or in appearance and in her husbands opinion and commit a trespass against him 13 And a man lie with her carnally and it be hid from the eyes of her husband and be kept close u She utterly denying it Prov. 30. 20. and none being able and willing to discover it and she be defiled and there
child 9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel Go lie down and it shall be if he call thee that thou shalt say Speak LORD for thy servant heareth o i. e. I am ready to hear what thou speakest and to do what thou requirest So Samuel went and lay down in his place 10 And the LORD came p Before he spake to him at a distance even from the Holy Oracle between the Cherubims but now to prevent all further mistakes the Voice came near to him as if the Person speaking had been present with him and stood q Before the Voice passed by him now the speaker fixeth his abode with him for a time till he had uttered his whole mind to him and called as at other times r As he had done before Samuel Samuel s His Name is here doubled to engage him to the more speedy and diligent attention Then Samuel answered Speak for thy servant heareth 11 ¶ And the LORD said to Samuel Behold I will do a thing t Those things which are related in the next Chapter which though done by the Philistines God here ascribes to himself because he was the first and chief cause of it by withdrawing his helping hand from Israel and by delivering the Ark and Eli's two Sons and the rest of the People into his and their Enemies hands in Israel at which both the ears of * 2 King 21. 12. every one that heareth it shall tingle u Which will be so terrible that not only those that feel it shall groan under it but those that only hear the report of it shall be struck with such Amazement and Horror which will make their Heads and Hearts ake A Metaphor from him who being surprized with some great and hideous Noise such as Thunder or great Guns his head is much affected with it and the Sound or Tingling of it abides in his Ears a good while after it This Phrase is used also 2 King 21. 12. Ier. 19. 3. 12 In that day x In that time which I have appointed for this work which was about Twenty or Thirty Years after this threatning So long space of Repentance God allows to this wicked Generation to make their peace with God and prevent the Execution as others did in like cases I will ‡ Heb. establish perform against Eli * Chap. 2. â—…0 all things which I have spoken y By that Prophet chap. 2. 27. concerning his house ‡ Heb. beginning and ending when I begin I will also make an end z Though this Vengeance may and shall be delayed for a season to manifest my patience and inciâ—… them to Repentance yet when once I begin to Inflict I shall certainly go on with it and not desist till I have made a full end 13 ‖ Or and I will tell him c. * Chap. 2. 29 30 31 c. For I have told him that I will judge a i. e. Condemn and Punish or Destroy as the word Iudge is oft used as Gen. 15. 14. Ioh. 3. 18. and 16. 11. his house b His Children and Posterity as is manifest by the Story as the word House is frequently taken as 2 Sam. 7. 11. 1 King 21. 29. So the House of Iudah of Aaron of David are oft taken for their Posterity And to Build an House in Scripture use is to encrease their Posterity as Exod. 1. 21. Deut. 25. 9. Ruth 4. 11. Compare Gen. 16. 2. and 30. 3. for ever c Till they be utterly rooted out or for a long time as that Phrase is oft used for the iniquity which â—…e knoweth d Either by the information of the Prophet chap. 2. v. 27 c. or by his own guilty and self-accusing Conscience But these and the foregoing and following words may well be and are rendred thus for this iniquity because he knew both by common Fame and by his own observation that his Sons c. He cannot pretend ignorance or want of proof of their wickedness which aggravates his Sin because his sons made themselves ‖ Or accursed vile e Not only hateful to God but contemptible to all the People whereby they also brought their Sacred Office and Gods Holy Ordinances into contempt Heb. Cursed themselves or made themselves Execrabâ—…e or Accursed both to God and men by their Lewd and Cursed Practices they put themselves under the Curse of God by such a gross Violation of Gods Commands Compare Ios. 6. 18. and 7. 12 13. This expression may be used by way of reflection upon their Father because be did not denounce the Curse of God against them nor put them out of the Priesthood as Accursed Persons although they were so Vile that they had prevented their Fathers censure and Meritoriously cast themselves out and cut themselves off from the Priesthood and Congregation of the Lord which their Father should have done Judicially and he ‡ Heb. frowned not upon them restrained them not f He contented himself with a cold and gentle reproof and did not severely rebuke and punish and effectually restrain them from their abominable Courses nor use that Authority which God had given him as a Father as an High-Priest and as a Judge or Chief Magistrate against them as by the Law of God he was obliged to do 14 And therefore I have sworn g Which might be done before though it be mentioned here only Or I do swear the past Tense being commonâ—…y put for the preâ—…ent in the Hebrew Tongue unto h Or concerning as the Praefix Lameâ—… is oft used as Exod. 14. 3. and 18. 7. 2 Sam. 11. 7. Psal. 91. 11. compare with Matth. 4. 6. i i. e. The punishment threatned against Eli and his Family shall not be prevented or hindred by all their Sacrifices as they fondly imagine but shall Infallibly be Executed the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever 15 And Samuel lay until morning and opened the doors of the house of the LORD k Although the Tabernacle whilst it was to be removed from place to place in the Wilderness had no Doors but consisted only of Curtains and had only Hangings before the entrance instead of Doors yet when it was settled in one place as now it was in Shiloh where it had been for a long time it is more than probable both from this place and by comparing 1 Sam. 1. 9. and 2 Sam. 6. 17. and from the Nature and Reason of the thing that it was inclosed within some solid Building which had Doors and Posts and other Parts belonging to it and Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision l i. e. The matter of the Vision or Revelation partly from the Reverence and Respect he bore to his Person to whom he was loath to be a messenger of such sad tidings partly lest if he had been hasty to utter it
believed David t Partly because of his confidence in David's Authority and Fidelity partly because most Men easily believe what they heartily wiâ—…h to be true and partly from Gods Providence which blinded him in this and in divers other particulars relating to David's coming hither and abiding here saying He hath made his people Israel ‡ Hâ—…b to stink utterly to abhor him therefore he shall be my servant for ever CHAP. XXVIII AND it came to pass in those days that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare to fight with Israel a Encouraged thereunto by Samuel's death and Saul's degeneration and David's presence with him And Achish said unto David Know thou assuredly that thou shalt go out with me to battel b This he â—…aith partly to try his Sincerity and partly in confidence of David's Fidelity thou and thy men 2 And David said to Achish Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do c He speaks ambiguously as he did before that Achish might understand him as he did of his acting for him against the Israelites whereas he meant it of his acting for the Israelites against the Philistines to which he was obliged both by Gods express command and by his indelible and manifold Obligations to God and to Gods People and by his own manifest interest Though it is likely he would have managed his Affais with all possible regard and care of Achish his person to whom alone upon the matter David stood obliged and not to the rest of the Philistines who had an ill opinion of him as we shall see And Achish said to David Therefore d For that Valour which I doubt not thou wiltst shew on my behalf will I make thee keeper of mine head e i. e. Of my Body and Life the Captain of my Life-Guard for ever 3 ¶ Now * Chap. 25. 1. Samuel was dead ‡ This is mentioned here as the reason why Saul did not enquire of Samuel which if he had now been alive he would have done and all Israel had lamented him and buried him in Ramah even in his own city f Where he had his Birth and Education and most settled Habitation 1 Sam. 19. 18. and Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits and the wizards g According to Gods command Levit. 19. 31. and 20. 6 27. Deut. 18. 11. This he did either by Samuel's instigation or from a conceit that the evil Spirit came upon him by some of their means or that he might gain the repute of a Religiouâ—… Prince which was very useful to him or that he might quiet his troubled Conscience and please God as far as his Interest would give him leave And this is here related partly to shew that an Hypocrite and wicked Man may obey some of Gods commands and principally to bring in the following History out of the land h Of Israel 4 ¶ And the Philistines gathered themselves together and came and pitched in Shunem i A Town in the Tribe of Issachâ—…r Ios. 19. 18. and Saul gathered all Israel together and they pitched in Gilboa k A Mountain not far from the Valley of Iezreel where the Battel was fought chap. 31. 1. 2 Sam. 1. 21. So the two Armies seem to be placed in the same manner as they were chap. 17. each upon an Hill and a Vally between them 5 And when Saulâ—…saw the host of the Philistines l From Mount Gilboa chap. 31. 1. he was afraid and his heart greatly trembled m Partly from the greatness and resoluteness of the Host of the Philistines who were the aggressors partly from the loss of David who might have been of great use to him at this time partly from the Conscience of his own manifest Guilt and just expectation of Divine vengeance oft threatned and now in all likelihood to be inflicted upon him 6 And when Saul enquired of the LORD n In his slight and perfunctory way as chap. 14. 19. as appears from hence that when God did not speedily answer him he goes to the Devil for an answer v. 7. For which reason he is said not to have enquired of the Lord 1 Chron. 10. 14. i. e. not seriously and after the right order Possibly he enquired by some Prophet then with him or by the Priest before the Ark. the LORD answered him not o Because he sought him not in due order not by the Urim and Thummim which were in the Ephod which he by his cruelty to the Priests had lost chap. 23. 6. and because he did not truly repent of nor put away his sins which provoked God and kept him from answering as Saul well knew by his own conscience and experience chap. 14. 37 38 39. neither by dreams nor by Urim nor by Prophets p i. e. Neither by ordinary means nor extraordinary 7 ¶ Then said Saul unto his servants Seek me a woman q Rather than a man for he thought that Sex most likely to be given to those wicked Arts as being the weaker Sex and so aptest to be deceived and most prone to Superstition and oft times most malicious and revengeful that hath a familiar spirit r One that converseth with the Devil and dead mens Ghosts and by them can discover future things See Isa. 8. 19. that I may go to her and enquiâ—…e of her And his servants said to him s Instead of dissuading him from this wicked and destructive practice which they should and would have done if they had either loved God or their King they further him in it Behold there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor t A place in the Tribe of Manasseh within Iordan not very far from the place where the Armies were encamped 8 And Saul disguised himself u Both because he was ashamed to be known or thought guilty of this practice and because he suspected that the Woman had she known him would not practice her Art before him and put on other raiment and he went and two men with him and they came to the woman by night and he said I pray thee divine unto me by the familiar spirit and bring me him up whom I shall name unto thee 9 And the woman said unto him Behold thou knowest x For his Speech and Garb discovered him to be an Israelite and therefore acquainted with these matters what Saul hath done how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits and the wizards out of the land wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life to cause me to die y By accusing me to Saul as guilty of a capital crime 10 And Saul sware to her by the LORD saying As the LORD liveth there shall no ‡ Heb. iniquâ—…ty So Gr. punishment happen to thee for this thing 11 Then said the woman Whom shall I bring up unto thee And he said Bring me up Samuel
give him cause of further suspition Yet such might be the Questions though not here particularly mentioned concerning those Heads as every private person might not be acquainted with nor able to resolve but such onely as were acquainted with the Counsel of War 8 And David said to Uriah Go down to thy house q Not doubting but he would there Converse with his Wife and so cover their Sin and Shame and wash thy feet r As Travellers there used to do And Uriah departed out of the kings house and there ‡ Heb. went out after him followed him a mess of meat from the king s Seemingly as a Testimony of David's respect and Affection to him but really to cheer up his Spirits and dispose him to desire his Wives company 9 But Uriah slept at the door of the kings house with all the servants of his lord t With the King's Guard This he did either upon some suspition of the matter See v. 7. Or by the secret direction of Gods wise and irresistible Providence who would bring David's Sin to light and went not down to his house 10 And when they had told * Whether of their own accord or being first asked by David it doth not appear David saying Uriah went not down unto his house David said unto Uriah Camest thou not from thy journey u Wearied with hard service and Travel and therefore didst need refreshment nor did I expect or desire that thou shouldest now attend upon my Person or keep the Watch. why then didst thou not go down unto thine house 11 And Uriah said unto David The ark x Which it seems was now carried with them for their encouragement and direction as was usual See Numb 10. 35. 1 Sam. 4. 4. and Israel and Judah abide in tents and * Chap. 20. 6. my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields y To wit in Tents which are in the Fields shall I then go into mine house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife z He might possibly add these words to insinuate his apprehension of the King's Design and to awaken his Conscience to the consideration of his Sin and of the Injury which he had done him His meaning is Now when God's People are in a doubtful and dangerous Condition it becomes me to Sympathize with them and to abstain even from lawful Delights Whereby he might possibly intimate how unworthy it was for David in such a season to indulge himself in sinful and injurious Pleasures But David's Ear was now Deaf his Heart being hardned through the deceitfulness of Sin As thou livest and as thy soul liveth I will not do this thing 12 And David said to Uriah Tarry here to day also and to morrow I will let thee depart So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day and the morrow 13 And when David had called him ▪ i. e. Being invited by David he did eat and drink before him and he made him drunk a Or he made him merry as the Word oft signifies He caused him to Drink more than was convenient and at even he went out to lie on his bed b Which it doth not appear that he did the Night before but now his Excess in Eating and Drinking might make it more necessary for him with the servants of his lord c i. e. In some Chamber in the King's Court where the Kings Servants used to take their Repose but went not down to his house 14 And it came to pass in the morning that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah 15 And he wrote in the letter saying Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the ‡ Heb. strong hottest battel and retire ye ‡ Heb. from after him from him that he may be smitten and die d So far is David from Repenting upon these just and great Occasions that he seeks to cover one Sin with another and to hide his Adultery with Murder even the Murder of a most Excellent Person and that in a most Malicious and Perfidious manner 16 And it came to pass when Joab observed the city that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were e Placed there to defend it because that part of the City was supposed either the weakest or the place designed for the Assault Ioab having formerly committed a base Murder upon Abner was ready to execute this wicked Command of the King that so he being involved in the same Guilt with him might the more willingly receive him into favour 17 And the men of the city went out and fought with Joab and there fell some of the people of the servants of David and Uriah the Hittite died also 18 Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war 19 And charged the messenger saying When thou hast made an end of telling the matters of the war unto the king 20 And if so be that the kings wrath arise and he say unto thee Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall 21 Who smote * Judg. 9. 53 Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth ▪ Called also Ierubbaal Iudg. 9. 1. See the note on 2 Sam. 2. 8. did not a woman cast a piece of a milstone upon him from the wall that he died in Thebez why went ye nigh the wall then say thou Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also f Which he knew would be acceptable news to the King and therefore allay his Wrath. This indeed might make the Messenger suspect that David had an hand in Uriah's Death and possibly Ioab might say so for that very reason that these matters by degrees being known David might be hardned in Sin and so Ioab might have the greater interest in him 22 So the messenger went and came and shewed David all that Joab had sent him for 23 And the messenger said unto David Surely the men prevailed against us and came out unto us into the field and we were upon them even unto the entring of the gate g We beat them back and pursued them even to the Gate 24 And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants and some of the kings servants be dead and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also 25 Then David said unto the messenger Thus shalt thou say unto Joab Let not this thing ‡ Heb. be 〈◊〉 in thine 〈◊〉 displease thee h Be not dejected or discouraged by this sad occasion for the sword devoureth †one as ‡ Heb. So 〈◊〉 such well as another make thy battel more strong against the city and overthrow it and encourage thou him i i. e. Ioab to proceed in the Siege 26 And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead she mourned
Joab fell to the ground on his face and bowed himself and ‡ Heb. blessed thanked the king and Joab said To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight my lord O king in that the king hath fulfilled the request of ‖ Or thy his servant y i. e. Restored Absalom at my request Whereby Ioab thought to establish himself for ever and that he should be both the Fathers and the Sons favourite Quest. Whether David did well in granting this request Ans. Although there be some circumstances which in part extenuate David's fault herein as Amnon's high provocation of Absalom Absalom's being out of the reach of David's Justice where also he could and would have kept himself if David had not promised him impunity the extream danger of Absalom's infection by Heathenish principles and practises the safety of David's Kingdom which seemed to depend upon the Establishment of the Succession and that upon Absalom to whom the hearts of the people were so universally and vehemently inclined if the matter was really so and not pretended or magnified by the art of this subtil Woman yet it seems most probable that David was faulty herein because this action was directly contrary to the express Laws of God which strictly command the Supreme Magistrate to execute Justice upon all wilful Murtherers without any reservation Gen. 9. 6. Numb 35. 30 31. And David had no power to dispence with Gods Laws nor to spare any whom God commanded him to destroy for the Laws of God did bind the Kings and Rulers as well as the people of Israel to observe and obey them as is most evident from Deut. 17. 18 19. and from Ios. 1. 8. and many other places And indeed we may read David's sin in the Glass of those tremendous Judgments of God which befel him by means of his indulgence to Absalom For although Gods Providences be in themselves no Rule to Judge of the good or evil of Mens actions yet where they comply with Gods word and accomplish his threatnings as here they did they are to be taken for the tokens of Gods displeasure 23 So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem 24 And the king said Let him turn to his own house and let him not see my face z Lest whilst he shewed some mercy to Absalom he should seem to approve of his sin and thereby wound his own conscience and lose his honour and encourage him and others to such like attempts and that by this means Absalom might be drawn to a more thorough humiliation and true repentance So Absalom returned to his own house and saw not the kings face 25 ¶ ‡ Heb. and as Absalom there was not a beautiful man in all Israel to praise greatly But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty a This is here noted as the occasion of his pride and insolency and of the peoples affections to him and consequently of the following Rebellion from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him 26 And when he polled his head for it was at every years end that he polled it because the hair was heavy on him therefore he polled it he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels b Whereas ordinarily the hair of a Manss head which grows in a years space comes not to half so much But some Mens hair grows much faster and is much heavier than others But others understand this not of the weight but of the price of his hair which was sold by him that Polled it at that rate after the kings ‡ Heb. stone weight 27 And unto Absalom there were born three sons c All which died not long after they were born as may be gathered from chap. 18. 18. where it is said that Absalom had no son and one daughter whose name was Tamar d So called from her Aunt Chap. 13. 1. she was a woman of a fair countenance 28 ¶ So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem and saw not the kings face 29 Therefore Absalom sent for Joab to have sent him to the king e That by his mediation he might be admitted into the Kings favour and presence but he would not come to him and when he sent again the second time he would not come f Partly because perceiving David's affections to be cold to Absalom he would not venture his own Interest for him especially in desiring that which he feared he should be denied partly lest by interceeding further for Absalom he should revive the remembrance of his former Murther and meet with the reproach of one Murtherers interceeding for another and partly because by converse with Absalom he observed his temper to be such that if once he were fully restored to the Kings favour he would not onely eclipse and oppose Ioab's interest and power with the King but also attempt high things not without danger to the King and Kingdom as it happened 30 Therefore he said unto his servants See Joabs field is ‡ Heb. near my place near mine and he hath barley there go and set it on fire g That Ioab may be forced to come to me to complain of and demand reparations for this injury and Absaloms servants set the field on fire 31 Then Joab arose and came to Absalom unto his house and said unto him Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire 32 And Absalom answered Joab Behold I sent unto thee saying Come hither that I may send thee to the king to say Wherefore am I come from Geshur It had been good for me to have been there still h Rather than here because my estrangement from him now when I am so near to him is both more grievous and more shameful to me But the truth of the business was this Absalom saw that his Father had accomplished his design in bringing him thither having satisfied both his own Natural affection and his peoples desire of Absalom's return from banishment but that he could not without restitution into the Kings presence and favour compass his design i. e. confirm and improve that interest which he saw he had in the peoples hearts now therefore let me see the kings face and if there be any iniquity in me let him kill me i For it is better for me to die than to want the sight and favour of my dear Father Thus he insinuates himself into his Fathers affections by pretending such Respect and Love to him It seems that by this time Absalom having so far recovered his Fathers favour as to be recalled he began to grow upon him and take so much confidence as to stand upon his own justification as if what he had done had been no iniquity at least not such as to deserve death For so much this speech intimates 33 So Joab
might be observed Or 4. there are included here the 30000 which belonged to the 30 Colonels mentioned Chap. 23. who are Excluded 1 Chron. 21. although it be questionable whether those were all of the Tribe of Iudah men 10 ¶ And Davids heart smoâ—…e s His Conscience discerned his Sin and he was heartily sorry for it And the occasion of his Repentance was Gods Message by the Prophet Gad as it here follows ver 11. For when c. as formerly God's Message by Nathan had the same effect 2 Sam. 12. Both which Passages are Noted to shew how necessary the further and repeated supplies of God's grace are even to the best of men to raise them when they fall into Sin him after that he had numbred the people and David said unto the LORD I have sinned greatly in that I have done and now I beseech thee O LORD take away the iniquity of thy servant for t Because I am sensible of my Sin and Folly as it is more fully Expressed Psal. 51. 5 6. Or although as this Particle is oft used I have done very foolishly 11 For when David was up in the morning the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad Davids * 2 Châ—… 29. 〈◊〉 seer u So called because he was a Prophet for such were called Seers 1 Sam. 9. 9. now and at other times employed by God to Reveal his Mind and Will to David See 1 Sam. 22. 5. 1 Chron. 29. 29. saying 12 Go and say unto David Thus saith the LORD I offer thee three things choose thee one of them that I may do it unto thee 13 So Gad came to David and told him and said unto him Shall seven years of famine x Obj. In 1 Chron. 21. 12. it is onely three years of famine Ans. 1. Some conceive that here was an Error in the Transcriber and that the true Reading is three years as the LXX read it in this place being supposed to have found it so in their Copiâ—…s and that otherwise they durst never have presumed to make so great a change in the Text. 2. In Chron. he speaks exactly of those years of Famine onely which came for David's Sin but here he speaks more confusedly and comprehensively including those Three years of Famine sent for Saul's Sin Chap. 21. And this Sin of David's was Committed in the Year next after them which was in a manner a year of Famine either because it was the Sabbatical Year wherein they might not Sow nor Reap or rather because not being able to Sow in the Third Yeaâ—… because of the Excessive Drought they were not capable of Reaping this Fourth Year And Three Years more being added to these Four make up the Seven here mentioned So the meaning of the Words is this As thou hast already had Four Years of Famine shall Three years more come And that it is said of these Seven Years that they shall come it is a Synecdochical Expression frequent in Scripture because part of the years were yet to come Even as it is said of the Israelites that they should wander in the wilderness forty years Numb 14. 33. when part of that time was already spent come unto thee in thy land or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies while they pursue thee or that there be three days pestilence in thy land now advise and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me 14 And David said unto Gad I am in a great strait let us fall now into the hand of the LORD y To wit his immediate Stroke which is chiefly in the Pestilence for though the Sword and Famine be also God's Hand yet there is also the hand of Man or other Creatures in them The reason of this choice was partly his Experience in and confidence of God's great goodness partly because the other Judgments especially the Sword had been more dishonourable not onely to David but also to God and to his People and to the True Religion and partly because he having sinned himself thought it just and reasonable to chuse such a Plague to which he was as obnoxious as his People whereas he had better fences foâ—… himself against Sword and Famine than they had for his mercies are ‖ Or 〈◊〉 great z And therefore will not exceed measure in his Strokes as meâ—… will do and let me not fall into the hand of man 15 ¶ So the LORD sent a Pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed a Either 1. From Morning to Evening which is here called the time appointed or the time of the convention or publick meeting as this Hebrew Word oft signifies i. e. till the time of the Evening-Prayer and Sacrifice when the people used more solemnly to meet together See Psal. 141. 2. Act. 3. 1. Thus God mitigated his Sentence and turned three days into one it being a thing not unusual with God to qualifie his threatnings and to take off the evil threatned sometimes wholly as in Ninevehs Case and sometimes in part And this God might do here upon the speedy and serious Repentance of David and of his People Or rather 2. from the morning or rather from that morning for the Article seems to be Emphatical and to denote That very morning in which Gad came to David ver 11. and that the Plague did immediately ensue after Gad's offer and David's choice even to the time appointed to wit by God i. e. for Three Days as God had set the time ver 13. Object If it continued Three Days how is it said That God repented him of the evil and stopped the Angel in his course ver 16 Answ. This he did in the beginning of the Third Day whereas otherwise it should have gone on to the end of the Day Or it may signify no more but this At the end of the third day God gave over smiting for then is God said after the manner of men to repent when he ceaseth to proceed as before he had done and there died of the people from Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men b So the number of his people which was the matter of his pride and glorying was diminished 16 And when the angel c Which appeared in the shape of a Man with a Sword in his hand 1 Chron. 21. 16. to convince them more fully that this was no natural nor common Plague but inflicted immediately by the hand of God stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem d Which he had begun to smite and was proceeding to make a far greater slaughter to destroy it * â—… Sam. 15. 11. the LORD repented him of the evil e i. e. He moderated and in part recalled his Sentence of the Plagues continuance for three whole days and this he did upon David's Prayers and Sacrifices as appears from v. 25. though these be mentioned afterward and said to the angel that destroyed
chief throughout their generations these dwelt at Jerusalem i Upon their return from Babylon they were not suffered to chuse their Habitations in the Country as others were but were obliged to settle themselevs at Ierusalem that they might constantly attend upon Gods Service there and be ready to instruct the younger Levites in their Office as they needed or desired it 35 And in Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon Jehiel †〈…〉 whose wives name was Maacha k In this and the following verses to the end of this Chapter he repeats what he had said before ch 8. 29 c. concerning Sauls Genealogy that he might make way for the following History Which iâ—… a Figure called Epaâ—…alepsis which is frequent both in Sacred and Profâ—… Writâ—… 36 And his first-born son Abdon then Zur and Kish and Baal and Ner and Nadab 37 And Gedor and Ahio and Zechariah and Mikloth 38 And Mikloth begat Shimeam and they also dwelt with their brethren at Jerusalem over against their brethren 39 * Ch. 8. 33 And Ner begat Kish and Kish begat Saul and Saul begat Jonathan and Malchi-shua and Abinadab and Eshbaal 40 And the son of Jonathan was Merib-baal and Merib-baal begat Micah 41 And the sons of Micah were Pithon and Melech and Tahrea * Ch. 8. 35. and Ahaz 42 And Ahaz begat Jarah and Jarah begat Alemeth and Azmaveth and Zimri and Zimri begat Moza 43 And Moza begat Binea and Rephajah his son Eleasah his son Azel his son 44 And Azel had six sons whose names are these Azrikam Bocheru and Ismael and Sheariah and Obadiah and Hanan These were the sons of Azel CHAP. X. 1 NOw * 1 Sam. 31. 1 2. the Philistins fought against Israel a Of this and the following verses till v. 13. see my Notes on 1 Sam. 31. where we have the same thing expressed almost in the same words and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistins and fell down ‖ Or wounded slain in mount Gilboa 2 And the Philistins followed hard after Saul and after his sons and the Philistins slew Jonathan and ‖ Or Ishui 1 Sam. 14. 49. Abinadab and Malchi-shua the sons of Saul 3 And the battel went sore against Saul and the †Heb. shooters with bows archers †Heb. found him hit him and he was wounded of the archers 4 Then said Saul to his armour-bearer Draw thy sword and thrust me through therewith lest these uncircumcised come and ‖ Or mâ—…ck me abuse me but his armour-bearer would not for he was sore afraid So Saul took a sword and fell upon it 5 And when his armour-bearer saw that Saul was dead he fell likewise on the sword and died 6 So Saul died and his three sons and all his house b i. e. All his Children to wit then present with him namely his three sons as it is expressed 1 Sam. 31. 6. For it is evident that Ishbosheth and Mephibosheth were not slain But nothing is more common in Scripture and all Authors than to understand all of a great and most considerable part died together 7 And when all the men of Israel that were in the valley c Which was beneath Mount Gilboa where the Fight was v. 1. saw that they fled and that Saul and his sons were dead then they forsook their cities and fled and the Philistins came and dwelt in them 8 And it came to pass on the morrow when the Philistins came to strip the slain that they found Saul and his sons fallen in mount Gilboa 9 And when they had stripped him they took his head and his armour and sent into the land of the Philistins round about to carry tidings unto their idols and to the people 10 And they put his armour in the house of their gods and fastened his head in the †Heb. house temple of Dagon d And his Body severed from his Head to the Wall of Bethshan 1 Sam. 31. 10. 11 And when all Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistins had done to Saul 12 They arose all the valiant men and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons and brought them to Jabesh and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days e To wit every day till evening after the manner of the Jewish Fasts 13. So Saul died for his transgression f The sence is Wonder not that Saul fell by the Hands of the Philistins who were armed against him by his own Sin and by Gods Vengeance for it which he †Heb. transgressed committed against the LORD * 1 Sam. 13. 13. 15. 23. even against the word of the LORD g Against Gods express and plain and positive Command which is a great Aggravation of any Sin which he kept not and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit h Which also was contrary to a manifest Command Levit. 19. 31. and moreover contrary to his own Conscience which was so fully convinced hereof that he had endeavoured the utter Extirpation of all such Persons in pursuance of Gods Law See 1 Sam. 28. 9. * â—… Sam. 28. 7. to enquire of it i Concerning the Event of the approaching Battel 14 And enquired not of the LORD k Obj. Saul enquired of the Lord 1 Sam. 28. 6. Ans. He did so but not in a right Manner not humbly and penitently not diligently and importunately not patiently and perseveringly but when God would not answer him speedily he gives it over and goes from God to the Devil Compare 1 Sam. 14. 18 19. Such an inconsiderable and trifling Inquiry as Saul made is justly accounted to be no Enquiry at all As they are said not to eat the Lords Supper 1 Cor. 11. 20. who did eat it in a sinful and irregular manner therefore he slew him and turned the kingdom unto David the son of †Heb. Isal Jesse CHAP. XI 1 THen * 2 Sam. 5. 1. all Israel a i. e. All the Tribes of Israel as it is expressed 2 Sam. 5. 1. i. e. their Elders as it is here said v. 3. and Officers and a great multitude of the Souldiers and People gathered themselves to David unto Hebron saying Behold we are thy bone and thy flesh 2 And moreover †Heb. both yesterday and the third day in time past even when Saul was king thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel and the LORD thy God said unto thee b Or concerning thee for it is apparent that they knew of it and therefore many of them opposed David hitherto against their own Consciences Thou shalt ‖ Or rule feed my people Israel and thou shalt be ruler over my people Israel 3 Therefore came all the elders of Israel to the king to Hebron and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD and they anointed David king
doth now breath out words of Hope such Ebbings and Flowings being usual both with Iob elsewhere as Ch. 13. 15 16. and with David frequently in the Psalms and with others of God's People 16. * Psa. 139. 2 3. Chap. 13. 27. Prov. 5. 21. Jer. 32. 19. For now p So this is a reason of his desire of Death v. 13. Or rather But now for this seems to be added by way of opposition I believe thou wiltst pitty and help me but for the present it is far otherwise with me thou numbrest my steps q Thou makest a strict enquiry into all my Actions that thou maist find out all mine Errours and punish them Compare Iob 13. 27. 31. 4. 34. 21. Psal. 56. 6. dost thou not watch over my sin r i. e. Dost thou not watch for my Haltings or Miscarriages as if thou wast glad of an occasion to punish me Or thou dost not delay the punishment of my sin For the same Hebrew word signifies both sin and its punishments 17. My transgression is sealed up in a bag s As Writings or other choice things that they may be safely kept and all of them brought forth upon occasion and not one of them forgotten or lost Compare Deut. 32. 34. Iob 37. 7. Hos. 13. 12. and thou sewest up mine iniquity t i. e. Thou keepest all my sins in thy memory and fastenest the guilt of them upon my Conscience Or thou addest to my sin one sin to another the follies of my youth Iob 13. 26. to those of my riper Years Or thou addest to my punishment i. e. thou punishest me more than mine Iniquities deserve all things considered For this sinful thought seems somtimes to have risen in Iob's Mind as may be gathered from divers parts of this Book which therefore Zophar decries and disproves Iob. 11. 6. 18. And surely as the Mountain falling †Heb. sadâ—… cometh to nought u As when a great Mountain falls either by an Earthquake or Inundation of Waters or from any other cause it moulders away like a fading Leaf as the Hebrew word signifies and never recovers its former height and stability and as the Rock when by the violence of Winds or Earthquake c. it is removed out of its place and thrown down is never readvanced And as the waters by continual droppings or violent and frequent assaults wear away or break the stones to pieces so as they can never be made whole again And as thou washest away to wit by a great and violent Inundation which thou sendest the things which grow out of the dust of the Earth to wit Herbs Fruits Plants which once washed away are irrecoverably lost and or so as this particle is oft used i. e. in like manner to wit irrecoverably thou destroyest the hope of man i. e. So when man dies all hope of living again in this World is utterly lost And this seems to be the plain meaning of these two Verses And as before he declared the hopelesness of mans restauration from death to this animal life by way of opposition to such things as did rise in a manner from death to life v. 7 c. so now he declares it by way of similitude or resemblance to such things as being once lost and gone are past all hopes of recovery and the Rock is removed out of his place 19. The Waters wear the Stones thou †Heb. overflowest washest away the things which grow out of the Dust of the Earth and thou destroyest the hope of Man 20. Thou prevailest for ever against him x When once thou takest away this life it is gone for ever For he speaks not here of man's future and eternal life in another World and he passeth y i. e. He dieth or is about to die Man's death is oft called a passage or a going to intimate that it is not an annihilation but only a translation of him into another place and state thou changest his Countenance z Either 1 his Visage which by death and its Harbingers is quite transformed in colour and shape as we see by daily experience Or 2. the face and state of his Affairs as to worldly riches and pleasures and honours all which he leaves behind him and sendest him away a To his long home by death 21. His sons come to honour and he knoweth it not b Either 1. is ignorant of all such events Or 2. is not concerned nor affected with them A dead or dying man minds not these things and they are brought low but he perceiveth it not of them 22. But his flesh upon him shall have pain and his soul within him shall mourn c This is mans condition he is miserable â—…oth when he dies because he dies without hope of returning to life as he had discoursed before and as he now adds whilest he lives whilest his flesh is upon him and his soul within him whilest the soul is clothed with or united to the body he feels sharp pain in his body and bitter grief in his soul Seeing therefore the state of man upon earth is so vain and unhappy every way Lord give me some comfort to sweeten my life or take away my life from me CHAP. XV. THen answered Eliphaz the Temanite and said 2. Should a wise man a Such as thou seemest and pretendest to be utter †Heb. knowledge of wind vain knowledge b i. e. Empty words without any sense or solidity in them and fill his belly c i. e. Satisfie his own Mind and Conscience which being secret is compared to the Inwards of the Belly as Chap. 32. 19. Prov. 20. 27. 22. 18. with the east-wind d i. e. With Discourses which are not only flashy and unprofitable and without any weight but also boisterous and pernicious both to himself and others as the East-wind was in those parts Gen. 41. 6. Exod. 10. 13. Hos. 12. 1. 3. Should he reason with unprofitable talk or with speeches wherewith he can do no good e Either to himself or others but much hurt which is implied by the contrary as is usual 4. Yea †Heb. thou makest void thou castest off fear f Heb. Thou makest void fear i. e. the fear of God as the word is oft used for the word of God or Piety and Religion which oft cometh under the name of fear This may be understood either 1. of Iob himself that he cast off all Reverence to God by uttering such bold and reproachful expressions concerning God and his Providence Or 2. with respect to others that by his insolent and unworthy speeches of and carriage towards God and by those false and pernicious principles which he had laid down as that God dealt with men in way of absolute Soveraignty not of Justice and that he made no difference between good and bad in the course of his Providence but did equally
22. He shall not die a violent but a natural Death and shall lie in the Bed of Honour and shall †Heb. watch in the heaps remain in the Tomb x Heb. Shall watch i. e. have a constant and fixed abode as Watchmen have in the watching-place in the heap i. e. in his Grave which is called an heap either because the Earth is there heaped up or because it was adorned with some Pyramid or other Monument raised up to his Honour His Body shall quietly rest in his Grave or Monument where he shall be embalmed and preserved so entire and uncorrupted that he might rather seem to be a living Watch-man set there to guard the Body than to be a dead Corps 33. The clods of the Valley y i. e. Of the Grave which is low and deep like a Valley shall be sweet unto him z He shall sweetly rest in his Grave free from all cares and fears and troubles Ch. 3. 17 18. and every man shall draw after him ‖ Heb. He shall draw every man after him to wit into the Grave i. e. All that live after him whether good or bad shall follow him into the Grave i. e. shall dye as he did So he fares no worse herein than all Mankind He is figuratively said to draw them because they come after him as if they were drawn by his Example as there are innumerable dead before him 34. How then comfort ye me in vain seeing in your answers there remaineth †Heb. transgression Falshood * Why then do you seek to comfort me with vain hopes of recovering my prosperity if I repent seeing your grounds are manifestly false and common Experience sheweth that good men are very oft in great tribulation while the vilest of men thrive and prosper in the World CHAP. XXII 1. THen Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said 2. * Chap. 35. 7. Psal. 16. 2. Luk. 17. 10. Can a man be profitable unto God a i. e. Add any thing to his Perfection or Felicity to wit by his Righteousness as the next Verse shews Why then dost thou insist so much upon thy own Righteousness as if thou didst oblige God by it or as if he could not without injury afflict thee who supposest thy self to be a righteous person though indeed thou art not so as he saith v. 5 6 c. but if thou wert really so God is not thy debter for it Or because or but or yea rather so this latter Clause is to be read without an Interrogation and the former with it A wise or good man for these in Scripture-use are one and the same doth much good to himself he promotes his own Peace and Honour and Happiness by his Goodness and having so great a reward for his Virtue God is not indebted to him but he is indebted to God for it ‖ Or if he may be profitable doth his good success depend thereon as b he that is wise may be profitable to himself c 3. Is it any pleasure d i. e. Such a pleasure as he needs for his own ease and contentment without which he could not be happy as appears by the foregoing and following words For otherwise God is oft said to delight in the good actions of his People to wit so far as to approve and accept them to the Almighty that thou art righteous Or is it gain to him that thou makest thy ways perfect e That thy Life is free from blemish as thou pretendest but falsly as I shall shew 4. Will he reprove thee f Will or doth or would he reprove thee i. e. punish thee For this word is frequently used of real Rebukes or Chastisements as hath been oft noted for fear of thee g Because he is afraid lest if he should let thee alone thou wouldst grow too great and powerful for him as Princes oft times crush those Subjects of whom they are afraid Surely no. As thy Righteousness cannot profit him so thy wickedness can do him no hurt Or for thy Piety or Religion which is commonly called by the name of Fear Doth he punish thee because thou fearest and servest him as thou dost insinuate No surely but for thy sins as it follows Will he enter with thee into Judgment h And condemn thee to wit for the reason last mentioned as appears from the Hebrew Text where the words lie thus Will he for fear of thee reprove thee or enter with thee into Iudgment 5. Is not thy wickedness great and †Heb. no end to thine Iniquities thine iniquities infinite i Thy great sins are the true and only causes of thy misery The words may very well be rendred thus Is not thy evil i. e. thy punishment or affliction which is frequently expressed by this very word great because the particle and being oft used causally as it is Gen. 18. 13. 22. 12. 24. 56. Isa. 39. 1. 64. 5. thine Iniquities are infinite Are not thy calamities procured by and proportionable to thy sins Thy own Conscience tells thee they are so And therefore thou hast no reason to accuse God nor any person but thy self 6. For thou hast taken k Or Surely thou hast taken He speaks thus by way of conjecture or strong presumption when I consider thy grievous and unusual calamities I justly conclude thou art guilty of all or some of these following crimes and do thou search thine own Conscience whether it be not so with thee a pledge from thy Brother l i. e. Either of thy Neighbour or of thy Kinsman which are both called by the name of Brother This is added to aggravate the offence for nought m i. e. Without sufficient and justifiable cause Which he might do many ways either by taking what he ought not to take Deut. 24. 6. or from whom he ought not to wit the poor to whom he should give Prov. 3. 27. or when and in such manner as he ought not of which see on Deut. 24. 10 11. or by keeping it longer than he should as when the poor mans necessity requires it or when the debt is satisfied Ezek. 18. 16. and †Heb. stripped the cloaths of the naked stripped the naked of their Cloathing n Either by taking their Garment for a pledge against the Law Exod. 22. 26. or otherwise by robbing them of their Rights all other injuries being Synecdochically comprehended under this Qu. How could he strip the naked Answ. He calls them naked either 1. Because they had but very few and mean Cloaths such being oft called naked as Deut. 28. 48. 1 Cor. 4. 11. Iam. 2. 15. Or 2. From the effect because though he did not find them naked yet he made them so The like Phrases we have Isa. 47. 2. grind Meal i. e. by grinding Corn make it Meal Amos 8. 5. falsifying the deceitful Ballances i. e. by falsifying making true ballances deceitful
to quarrel with him He spoke before of God's making peace and here he mentions the Armies by which he keeps it and upon whom doth not his light arise f Either 1. properly his Sun which riseth upon all Mat. 5. 45. Or rather 2. metaphorically all that is in men which is or may be called light the light of life by which men subsist and are kept out of the state of the dead called a land of darkness Job 10. 22. The Light of Reason and Understanding called God's Candle Prov. 20. 27. by which thou O Iob art capable of arguing with God and with us and all that peace and prosperity and comfort which thou ever didst enjoy which oft comes under the name of Light as Esth. 8. 15 16. Psalm 97. 11. 112. 4. which being here called light is to continue the Metaphor most fitly said to arise upon men all this is from God and therefore is wholly at his disposal he freely gave it all and he may justly take it away as thou thy self didst truly observe and confess Iob 1. 21. and consequently thou hast no reason to reproach God for disposing of his own as he pleaseth Thou hast lost nothing which was thine own and having no propriety there is no foundation for any judicial contest with God 4. * Chap. 4. 1â—… c. and 15. 14 c. How then can man g The word signifies Man that is miserable which supposeth him to be sinful and that such a Creature should quarrel with that Dominion of God to which the sinless and happy and glorious Angels willingly submit is most absurd and impious be justified with God h i. e. Before God's Tribunal to which thou doest so boldly appeal Thou mayst plead thy Cause with thy fellow-worms as we are and expect to be justified but wo to thee if the great God undertake to plead his Cause against thee how severely and certainly wouldest thou then be condemned or how can he be clean that is born of a woman i To wit after the ordinary course for otherwise Christ was born of a Woman but in a singular manner This Birth is alledged as an Evidence of man's filthiness Ioâ—… 14. 4. 15. 14. Psalm 51. 5. and of his liableness to God's Curse and Wrath Gen. 3. 16. Ephes. 2. 2. and consequently of his condemnation opposite to the justification here mentioned and confidently expected by Iob in this Contest 5. Behold even to the moon and it shineth not k The Moon though a bright and glorious Creature Iob 31. 26. Cant. 6. 10. if compared with the splendour of the Divine Majesty is but as a dark and earthy lump without any lustre or glory He names the Moon and the Stars rather than the Sun because they many times are eclipsed or disappear even to our Eyes which is a plain evidence of their utter obscurity in respect of God's Light whereas the Sun though that also be obscure if compared with God yet it casts a constant and most clear light Or by naming the Moon and thence proceeding to the Stars the Sun is included between them yea the stars are not pure in his sight l He can discern many spots and blemishes in them which we cannot see and in like manner he can discover those corruptions or sins in us which are unknown to our own Consciences which should make thee O Iob tremble to appear before his Tribunal 6. How much less man that is a * 〈◊〉 22. 6. worm m To wit mean and vile and impotent proceeding from corruption and returning to it and withal filthy and loathsom and so every way a very unfit person to appear before the high and holy God and much more to contend with him and the son of man which is a worm n The same thing repeated in other words onely for miserable man in the last Branch he here puts the son of any man of what degree or quality soever to shew that this is true even of the greatest and best of men CHAP. XXVI 1. BUt Iob answered and said 2. How hast thou helped a Thou hast helped egregiously It is an Ironical expression implying the quite contrary that he had not at all helped See the like Gen. 3. 22. 1 Kings 18. 27. 1 Cor. 4. 8 10. him that is without power b Either 1. God who it seems is weak and unwise and needed so powerful and eloquent an Advocate as thou art to maintain his Rights and plead his Cause Or rather 2. Iob himself I am a poor helpless Creature my strength and spirits quite broken with the pains of my Body and perplexities of my Mind whom Nature and Humanity and Religion should have taught thee to support and comfort with a representation of the gracious Nature and Promises of God and not to terrifie and overwhelm me with displaying his Soveraign Majesty the thoughts whereof are already so distractive and dreadful to me how savest thou the arm that hath no strength 3. How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom c Either 1. God Thou hast in effect undertaken to teach God how to govern the World Or rather 2. me whom you take to be a man void of understanding Chapter 11. 2 3. whom therefore you should have instructed with wholesom counsels instead of these impertinent discourses and who indeed do want wisdom being perfectly at a loss and not knowing what to say or do and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is d Heb. Essence the truth and substance of the thing in question between us Thou hast spoken the whole truth and nothing but the truth and all that can be said in the matter Or Wisdom as this word is used Prov. 3. 21. A most wise and profound discourse thou hast made and much to the purpose an Ironical expression as before 4. To whom hast thou uttered words e For whose Instruction hast thou uttered these things For mine Doest thou think me to be so ignorant that I do not know that which the meanest persons are not unacquainted with to wit that God is incomparably greater and better than his Creatures and whose spirit came from thee f So the sense is whom hast thou revived or comforted by this discourse Not me surely The spirit or breath of a man is in a manner suppressed and intercepted in deep sorrows and consternations such as Iob's were and when he is cheared or refreshed it finds vent and breaths out freely as it did before But I do not remember that ever this Phrase is used in this sense but on the contrary the giving or restoring of life are expressed by the coâ—…ing in and not by the going out of spirit or breath as appears from Gen. 2. 7. Ezek 37. 5 6 10. The words therefore are and may be otherwise understood either thus Whose spirit or inspiration as this word signifies Iob 32. 8. came from thee
most frequently mentioned both in the Old and New Testament Though the first may seem to be Principallyâ—… if not only Intended because he speaks of his past sins which could be cleansed no other way but by Remission from secret faults g i. e. From the guilt of such sins as were secret Either 1. From others such as none knows 〈◊〉 God and my own Conscience Or 2. From my self such as I never observed â—…or did not discern the evil of Pardon my unknown sins of which I never repented particularly as I should have done 13. Keep back h Or restrain or withdraw Which word is emphatical and signifies Mans natural and great proneness even to the worst of sins and the necessity of God's grace as a Bridle to keep men from rushing upon them Having begged Pardon for his former Errors he now begs grace to keep him from Relapses for the time to come thy servant also from presumptuous sins h Or restrain or withdraw Which word is emphatical and signifies Mans natural and great proneness even to the worst of sins and the necessity of God's grace as a Bridle to keep men from rushing upon them Having begged Pardon for his former Errors he now begs grace to keep him from Relapses for the time to come * Psal. 119. 133. Rom. 6. 12. 14. let them not have dominion over mâ—… i From known and evident sins such as are committed against knowledge and Delâ—…eration with design and resolution and Eagerness with resistance against the Cheeks of Conscience and the Motions of Gods Spirit and with Contempt both of God's commands and Judgments and so with Pride and insâ—…lency which this word signifies See Exod. 21. 14. And such a sin was that of David's in the Matter of uriah to which he seems to have an Eye and prayeth to be kept from such Miscarriages then shall I be upright k That will be an Evidence of my Sincerity and I shall have this Comfort that although I am not absolutely Perfect but incompassed with many Infirmities yet I am an upright Person and such as thou wilst accept and I shall be innocent l Thou wilst hold me for Innocent Or I hall be cleansed or kept pare as this Word primarily signifies from ‖ Or much the great transgression m i. e. From the guilt of such Presumptuous sins which are indeed very great Transgressions and such as if accompanied with Obstinacy and Impenitency thou wilst not Pardon But as for other sins of ignorance or infirmity thou wilst graciously remit them for thy Covenants sake made with me in and through thy Christ. Oth. From much Transgression or from innumerable sins which usually follow the Commission of one Presumptuous sin as David found by his own sad Experience i If I be at any time tempted to any suâ—… sins Lord let them not prevail over me and if I do fall into them let me speedily rise again and not willingly give up my self to the Custoâ—…ary practice of them 14. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart n Having prayed that God would keep him from sinful Actions he now prays that God would govern and sanctify his Words and Thoughts wherein he had many ways offended as he here implies and oft in this Book confesseth and bewaileth And this he the rather doth because this Caution was very necessary to preserve him from Presumptuous sins which have their first rise in the Thoughts and thence proceed to Words and Expressions before they break forth into Actions be acceptable in thy sight o i. e. Be really good and Holy and so well-pleasing to thee O LORD †Heb. my Rock my strength p O thou who hast hitherto strengthened me both against my temporal and spiritual Enemies and whose gracious and powerful Assistance is absolutely necessary to keep me from my own corrupt Inclinations and from all Temptations to sinful Thoughts and Worâ—…s and Actions and my redeemer q This Expression seems to be added emphatically and with special respect to Christ who was certainly much in David's Eyes â—…o whom alone this word Goel can here Properly belong as may appear by my Notes on Iob. 19. 25. to which I refer the Reader and by whose Blood and Spirit alone David could and did expect the Blessings and Graces for which he here prayeth c. PSAL. XX. The ARGUMENT This Psalm contains a Prayer to be used by the People both now on the behalf of King David when he was undertaking some great Expedition going forth as is supposed against the Ammonites and Syrians 2 Sam. 10. or some other potent Enemies and hereafter in like Cases To the chief musician a Psalm of David 1. THe LORD hear thee in the day of trouble a In this time of War and Danger the Name of the God of Iacob b i. e God himself For Names are oft put for Persons as Numb 26. 53. Aâ—… 1. 15. and 4. 12. and the Name of God for God as Deut. 28. 58. Neâ—… 9. 5. Psal. 44. 98. 20. Prov. 18. 10. and oft elsewhere He calls him the God of Iacob or Israel partly to distinguish him from false God's and partly as an Argument to enforce the Prayer because God had made a League or Covenant with Iacob and his Posterity who are called by the Name of Iacob Psal. 147. 19 20. Isa. 44. 2. and whose cause David was now pleading against their Enemies †Heb. â—…t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 high 〈◊〉 defend thee 2. Send †Heb. thy help thee help from the sanctuary c Either 1. From Heaven as it is expressed v. 6. Or rather 2. From the Tabernacle in Sion as it is explained in the next Words where the Ark then was towards which the Israelites directed their Prayers and from which God heard and answered them and †Heb. support thee strengthen thee out of Zion 3. Remember d To wit with acceptance as it follows all thy offerings e Offered either by thâ—…e at thy entrance upon this Expedition Or by us thy People on thy behalf or by thine appointment and †Heb. turn to Ashes Or makâ—… fat accept f Heb. turn to Ashes by fire sent from Heaven in token of his acceptance as was usual of which see Levit. 9. 24. 1 Kings 18. 38. thy burnt-sacrifice Sâ—…lah 4. Grant thee according to thine own heart g i. e. That good success which thy Heart desires and fulfil all thy counsels h Thy present design for God and for his and thy People 5. We will rejoyce i Hereby they shew their Confidence in God and their assurance of the Victory in thy salvation and * 〈◊〉 17. 15. 〈◊〉 â—…4 in the Name of our God k i. e. To the Honour of God as the Conqueror we will set up our banners l In way of Triumph which among other
from the Babylonish Captivity wherein he partly gives God thanks for that glorious deliverance and partly implores God's mercy in compleating that work and rescuing his People from the Relicks of their Bondage and from the vexation which they had by their Neighbours after they were returned to Canaan To the chief musician A Psalm ‖ Or of for the sons of Korah 1 LORD thou hast been ‖ Or well pleased favourable unto thy land a i. e. unto thy People in removing the sad effects of thy displeasure thou hast brought back the captivity b The Captives as that Word is used Psal. 14. 7. and 68. 18. and elsewhere of Jacob. 2 * Psal. 32. 1 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people thou hast covered all their sin Selah c So as not-to impute it to them or to continue the punishment which thou didst inflict upon them for it 3 Thou hast taken away all thy wrath d Those Calamities which were the effects of thy just wrath conceived against us ‖ Or thou hast turned thine anger from waxsag hot thou hast turned thy self from the fierceness of thine anger 4 Turn us e Either 1. Convert us As thou hast brought back our bodies to thy Land so bring back our hearts to thy self from whom many of them to this day are alienated Or rather 2. Restore us to our former tranquillity and free us from the troubles which we yet groan under from our malicious Neighbours and Enemies For this best suits with the following Clause of the Verse which commonly explains the former O God of our salvation and cause thine anger towards us to cease f He prudently indeavours to take away the root and cause of their continued miseries to wit God's anger procured by their sins 5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations 6 Wilt thou not revive us again g Thou hast once revived us in bringing us out of Captivity give us a second reviving in bringing home the rest of our Brethren and in rebuking and restraining the Remainder of our Enemies wrath that thy people may rejoyce in thee 7 Shew us h i. e. Grant it to us as the next words explain it and as shewing signifies Psal. 4. 6. So also Psal. 60. 3. and 71. 20. Or manifest thy secret purpose of mercy to us by thy providential Dispensations thy mercy O LORD and grant us thy salvation 8 I will hear i i. e. Diligently observe And the Psalmist by declaring what he would do teacheth all the Israelites what they ought to do Or he speaks in the name of all the People of God what God the LORD will speak k Either by his Prophets or Messengers or by the works of his providence for that also hath a voice What Answer God will give to these my Prayers for * Zech. 9. 1â—… he will speak peace l For I am assured from God's gracious nature and declared will and promise that he will give an answer of peace unto his people and to his saints m Which Clause seems to be added by way of explication and restriction to shew that this glorious privilege did not belong to all that were called God's people but onely to those that were truly and really such even to his saints or holy ones but let them not turn again to folly n i. e. To sin which in Scripture is commonly called folly This is added as a necessary caution but when God shall speak peace to his People let them not grow wanton and secure nor return to their former wicked courses which if they do they will provoke God to repent of his kindness to them and to inflict further and sorer judgments upon them Others render the place And they will not or That they may not return to folly But the Particle al being prohibitive our Translation seems to be better 9 Surely his salvation o That compleat salvation and deliverance for which all the Israel of God do pray and wait even the Redemption of Israel by the Messiah of which not only Christian but even Jewish Writers understand this place and to which the following passage do most properly and perfectly belong And the Psalmist might well say of this Salvation that it was nigh because the seventy weeks determined by Daniel for this work Chap. 9. 24. were now begun this Psalm being written after Daniel's time is nigh them that fear him p The true Israel of God even all those that love and fear him By which words he both excludes all hypocritical Israelites from this salvation and tacitly assigns it to all that fear God whether Jews or Gentiles that * Zech. 2. â—… glory may dwell in our Land q And when that Salvation shall come we shall be freed from all that scorn and contempt under which we now groan and shall recover our ancient glory and the glorious presence of God the most eminent tokens whereof we have now utterly lost and the God of Glory himself even Christ who is called the brightness of his Father's glory Heb. 1. 3. comp Ioh. 1. 14. and the glory of Israel Luk. 2. 32. shall come and visibly dwell in this now despised Land 10 Mercy and truth are met together righteousness and peace r This is to be understood either 1. Of these Graces or Vertues in men So the sence is when that blessed time shall come those Virtues which now seem to be banished from humane Societies shall be restored and there shall be an happy conjunction of mercy or benignity truth or veracity righteousness or faithfulness and peace or peaceableness and concord Or rather 2. Of the Blessings of God of which the whole Context speaks And the sence is That great Work of Redemption by Christ shall clearly manifest and demonstrate God's mercy in redeeming his People of Israel and in the calling and conversion of the Gentiles his truth in fulfilling that great promise of the sending of his Son which is the Foundation of all the rest his righteousness in punishing sin or unrighteousness in his Son and in conferring righteousness upon guilty and lost creatures and his peace or reconciliation to sinners and that peace of conscience which attends upon it kave kissed each other s As Friends use to do when they meet See Exod. 4. 27. and 18. 7. So this is another expression of the same thing 11 Truth shall spring out of the earth t Either 1. Truth among men which shall be so common amongst all men as if it grew out of the earth Or rather 2. The truth or faithfulness of God which is most truly and fitly said to spring out of the earth partly because it had long been hid and buried like a root in a dry ground without any hopes of a reviving from whence yet God made it to grow as is noted Isa.
adorneth thee as a Crown doth with loving kindness and tender mercies 5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things e Who satisfieth all thy just desires and necessities so that * 〈◊〉 â—…0 31. thy youth is renewed like the eagles f Either 1. As the Eagle reneweth her youth by casting all her old Feathers and getting new ones whereby it seems to grow young again But this being common to all Birds would not have been appropriated to the Eagle Or rather 2. Like the youth of an Eagle As the Eagle lives long in great strength and vigour so that the old age of an Eagle is used proverbially for a lively and vigorous old age So this is a promise of a long and comfortable life 6 The LORD * 〈◊〉 146. 7. executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed g Which being a singular perfection and that wherein most of the Princes of the World were and are defective is justly celebrated in God 7 He made known his ways h Either 1. his laws which are oft called Gods ways Or â—… the manner and methods of his dealings with men and especially with his people called in the next clause his acts his merciful and gracious nature and providence which is particularly called Gods way Exod. 33. 13. compared with v. 18 19. and with Exod. 34. 6 7. and which is here described in the following Verses unto Moses his acts i His marvellous and gracious works unto the children of Israel 8 * Exod. 34. 6 â—… The LORD is merciful and gracious slow to anger k Not speedily punishing sinners but patiently waiting for their repentance and †〈◊〉 14. 18. 〈◊〉 5 10. 〈◊〉 9. 17. 〈◊〉 â—…6 15. 〈◊〉 32. 18. 〈◊〉 great of 〈◊〉 plenteous in mercy 9 * 〈◊〉 57. 16. 〈◊〉 7. 18. He will not always chide l Or contend by his judgments with Sinners but is ready to be reconciled to them to wit upon their true repentance as is manifest from innumerable Texts and from the whole scope and design of Scripture neither will he keep his anger m Which word is understood here as also Levit. 19. 18. Ier. 3. 5. Nah. 1. 2. as is evident from the thing it self and from the former clause The Hebrew is a concise language and there are many such Ellipses in it as 2 Sam. 6. 6. compared with Exod. 9. 9. and 1 Chron. 18. 6. comp with 2 Sam. 8. 6. Psal. 3. 7. Eccles. 7. 15. for ever 10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins n He hath punished us less than our iniquities have deserved as was confessed Ezra 9. 13. nor rewarded us according to our iniquities 11 For †〈◊〉 accordâ—… 〈◊〉 the height 〈◊〉 heaven as the Heaven is high above the earth so great o So much above their deserts and expectations and above the mercy which one man sheweth to another is his mercy towards them that fear him p Which clause he adds here as also v. 17 18. to prevent mens mistakes and abuses of Gods mercy and to dash the vain hopes of impenitent sinners in Gods mercy 12 As far as the east is from the west so far hath he removed our transgressions from us q The guilt of our sins from our persons and consciences The sence is He hath fully pardoned them so as never to remember them more as he promiseth Ier. 31. 34. Heb. 10. 17. 13 Like as a father pitieth his children so the LORD pitieth them that fear him 14 For he knoweth our frame r Either 1. the corruption of our natures which God is pleased sometimes to make an argument to pity and spare men as Gen. 8. 21. So the sence is He considereth that great and constant propension to evil which is naturally in all mankind and that therefore if he should deal severely with us he should immediately destroy us all So this clause contains one motive of Gods pity and the next another Or rather 2. the weakness and mortality of our natures and the frailty and misery of our condition as it seems to be explained in the following clause that we are but dust So the sence is He considereth that if he should let loose his hand upon us and pour forth all his wrath we should be suddenly and irrecoverably destroyed and therefore he spareth us * Psal. 78. 39. he remembreth that we are dust 15 As for man * Psal. 90. 5. his days are as grass * Job 14. 1 2. Jam. 1. 10 11. as a flower of the field s Which is more exposed to Winds and other violences than the Flowers of the Garden which are secured by the art and care of the Gardiner so he flourisheth 16 For * Isai. 40. 7. the wind passeth over it t A blasting or stormy wind bloweth upon it and †Heb. it is not it is gone and the * Job 7. 10. 20. 9. place thereof shall know it no more u There is no more any appearance nor remembrance of it in the place where it stood and flourished 17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting x But though we quickly decay and perish yet Gods mercy to us doth not die with us but as it was from Eternity exercised in gracious purposes so it will be continued unto eternity in that future and endless life upon them that fear him y See before on v. 11. and his righteousness z Either his faithfulness or that this branch may answer to the former his mercy or benignity this word being frequently used in both these sences as hath been proved before But it is here called righteousness to intimate that Gods kindness to the posterity of his people is not onely an act of his goodness but also a discharge of his obligation under which he put himself to them as elsewhere so Exod. 20. 6. to which this place seems to relate Hence it is called mercy to Abraham and truth to Iacob Mic. 7. 20. unto childrens children 18 * Deut. 7. 9. To such as keep his covenant a To them that perform the conditions of Gods Covenant that sincerely love and obey him Such restrictions are oft added as in the general to overthrow the presumptuous hopes of ungodly men so particularly to admonish the Israelites not to rest too much upon the priviledges of their Parents or the Covenant made with them nor to expect any benefit by it but upon condition of their continuance in Gods Covenant and to those that remember his commandments to do them b That have them much in their thoughts and practise them in the course of their lives 19 The LORD hath prepared c Or rather established Having celebrated Gods mercy to his people he now praiseth him for his excellent Majesty and universal Dominion his throne in the heavens d Which notes the eminency
thy mind fixed upon that way which leads to it and neither look nor turn aside to the right hand nor to the left as it follows v. 27. and let thine eye-lids look straight before thee 26. Ponder the path of thy feet o Consider thine actions before thou doest them and see that they agree with the Rule and ‖ Or all thy 〈◊〉 shall be â—…red aright let all thy ways be established p Let thine Actions be uniformly and constantly good in spight of all temptations to the contrary Or Let thy ways be directed or disposed aright as this Hebrew word signifies Or thy ways shall be established So this is a promise to confirm the foregoing Precept If thou doest ponder them thou mayest expect God's blessing and good success in them 27 * Deut. 5. 32. â—… 28. 14. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left q Fly all extreams and neither add to God's commands nor take from them remove thy foot from evil CHAP. V. 1. MY son attend unto my wisdom and bow thine ear to my understanding 2. That thou maist regard a Or keep i. e. hold fast as it is in the next clause discretion b Spiritual Wisdom for the conduct of thy Life as this word is used Prov. 1. 4. and elsewhere in this Book and that thy lips may keep knowledge c That by wise and pious discourses thou maist preserve and improve thy Wisdom for thine own and others good 3. * Chap. 2. 16. 6. 24. For d It concerns thee to get and to use discretion that thou maist be able to resist and repel those manifold Temptations to which thou art exposed the lips of a strange woman drop as an hony-comb e Her words and discourses are sweet and charming and prevalent and her †Heb. palate oil mouth is smoother than 4 But her end is bitter as wormwood f Her design and the effect of that lewdness to which she enticeth men is the sinners destruction sharp as a two-edged Sword 5. * Chap. 7. 27. Her feet g Her course or manner of Life go down to death her steps take hold on hell 6. Lest thou shouldst ponder the path of life h To prevent thy serious consideration of the way and manner of rescuing thy self from this deadly course of Life her ways are moveable i Various and changeable She transforms her self into several shapes to accommodate her self to the humours of her Lovers and hath a Thousand Arts and Deceits to enshare them and hold them fast that thou canst not know them k Thou canst not discover all her subtil practices and much less deliver thy self from them 7. Hear me now therefore O ye Children and depart not from the words of my mouth 8. * Chap. 7. 7 8 c. Remove thy way far from her and come not nigh the door of her House l Lest thine eyes affect thine Heart and her allurements prevail over thee 9. Lest thou give thine honour m Thy Dignity and Reputation the strength and vigour of thy Body and Mind which is an honour to a man and which are commonly wasted by Adulterous practices unto others n Unto Whores and their Husbands and Children and Friends and thy years o The flower of thine age thy youthful years unto the cruel p To the Harlot who though she pretends ardent Love and kindness to thee yet in truth is one of the most cruel Creatures in the World wasting thy Estate and Body without the least pity and then casting thee off with scorn and contempt and when her Interest requires it taking away thy very life of which there are enumerable examples and damning thy Soul for ever 10. Lest strangers q Not onely the strange women themselves but Bawds Panders and other Adulterers who are in league with them be filled with †Heb. thy strength thy wealth and thy labours r Wealth gotten by thy labours be in the house of a stranger 11. And thou mourn at the last s Bitterly bewail thy own madness and misery when it is too late when thy flesh and thy body t Thy Flesh even thy Body the particle and being put expositively are consumed u By those manifold diseases which filthy and inordinate Lusts bring upon the Body of which Physicians give a very large and sad Catalogue and the Bodies of many Adulterers give full 12. And say how have I hated instruction x Oh what a mad beast have I been to hate and sleight the fair warnings which were given me and against mine own knowledg to run headlong into this pit of destruction Which are not the words of a true penitent mourning for and turning from his sin but only of a man who is grieved for the sad effects of his delightful Lusts and tormented with the horrour of his own guilty Conscience and my heart despised reproof y I did with my whole Heart abhor all admonitions 13. And have not obeyed the voice of my Teachers z Of my Parents and Friends and Ministers who faithfully and seasonably informed me of those mischiefs and miseries which now I feel nor enclined mine ear to them that instructed me 14. I was almost in all evil a Oh what a miserable man am I There is scarce any misery in respect of Estate or Body or Soul into which I am not already plunged The words also are and may well be rendred thus In a moment I am come into all evil In how little a time and for what short and momentany pleasures am I now come into extream and remediless misery I who designed and expected to enjoy my Lusts with secrecy and impunity am now made a publick example and shameful spectacle to all men and that in the Congregation of Israel where I was taught better things and where such Actions are most infamous and hateful in the midst of the congregation and Assembly b. 15. Drink Waters out of thine own cistern and running waters out of thine own well c This Metaphor contained here and v. 16 17 18. is to be understood either 1. of the free and lawful use of a mans estate both for his own comfort and for the good of others Or rather 2. of the honest use of Matrimony as the proper Remedy against these filthy practices This best suits with the whole context both foregoing and following and thus it is explained in the end of v. 18. So the sense is Content thy self with those delights which God alloweth thee with the sober use of the Marriage-Bed Why shouldst thou ramble hither and thither trespassing against God and men to steal their Waters which thou mightst freely take out of thine own Cistern or Well The ground of the Metaphor is this that waters were scarce and precious in those Countries and therefore men used to
through my casement g This is either an historical relation or rather a parabolical representation of that which frequently happened 7. And beheld among the simple ones I discerned among †Heb. the Sons the youths a young man h Whose strength and heat made him most subject to lustful impressions and who wanted judgment and experience as well as grace to keep him from such courses void of understanding 8. Passing through the street i Idle and careless near her corner k Near the corner of the Street in which her House stood such places being most convenient for that wicked purpose as giving opportunity either for the discovery of Passengers in several Streets or for the escape of such as might be in danger of being taken in her House Comp. v. 12. and he went the way to her house l Not with intention to act gross filthiness with her as may be gathered from the following passages but to gratifie his curiosity and to understand the manner of such Persons and to please himself with the fight of her or discourse of her 9. In the twilight †Heb. in tâ—… evening of the day in the evening m When the Day labour being ended he was at leisure for any thing and when such Strumpets used to walk abroad for prey in the black and dark-night n When it begun to be black and dark 10. And behold there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot o With an habit and carriage agreeable to her quality and design and †Heb. reserved subtil p Or wary or reserved as she shewed in her following discourse wherein she proposeth all things which might invite him and conceals whatsoever might discourage him of heart 11. * Ch. 9. 13 She is loud q Or clamorous or full of talk which served her design and stubborn r Rebellious against God and against her Husband and incorrigible by all admonitions of Ministers or Friends * 1 Tim. 5. 13 Tit. 2. 5. her feet abide not in her house s She minds not her business which lies at home but gives up her self wholly to idleness and pleasure which she seeks abroad with other men 12. Now is she without t Standing or waiting without or nigh the Door of her house now in the streets u In places of resort and lieth in wait at every corner x At the corners of the Streets where she might either conceal or discover her self as she saw fit 13. So she caught him and kissed him and †Heb. she strengthned 〈◊〉 face and saidâ—… with an impudent face said unto him 14. †Heb. Peâ—… Offerings arâ—… upon me I have peace-offerings with me this day have I payed my vows y I have paid my Peace-offerings which I had Vowed Whereby she signifies either 1. that she was no common Harlot but one of good repute for Religion Or rather 2. that she had plentiful and excellent Provisions at her House for his entertainment For the Peace-offerings were to be of the best Flesh Levit. 22. 21. and a considerable part of these Offerings fell to the Offerers share wherewith they used to feast themselves and their friends See Levit 2. 3 c. and 7. 31 c. and 19. 6 c. and 22. 30 c. whereas the Burnt-offerings were wholly consumed and the Flesh of the Sin-offerings and Trespass-offerings belonged to the Priest 15. Therefore came I forth to meet thee diligently to seek thy face z As not being able to take any pleasure in my Feast without thy company and I have found thee a By an happy providence of God complying with my desires 16. I have deckt my bed with coverings of tapestry with carved works with fine linnen of Egypt b She designs to inflame his lust by the mention of the Bed and by its Ornaments and perfumes 17. I have perfumed my bed with myrrhe aloes and cinnamon 18. Come let us take our fill of loves until the morning let us solace our selves with loves 19. For the good-man c Whom she doth not call her Husband lest the mention of that name should awaken his Conscience or Discretion is not at home he is gone a long journey 20. He hath taken a bag of money †Heb. iâ—… 〈◊〉 hand with him d Which is an evidence that he designs to go far and to stay a considerable time and will come home at the ‖ Or the 〈◊〉 Moon the day appointed e So that we need not fear any surprisal 21. With much fair speech f Which implies that her alluring words were more effectualwith him than her impudent kisses which possibly had a little alienated his mind from her she caused him to yield g Whereby he signifies that no provocation to sin is a sufficient excuse for sin with the flattering of her lips she forced him h She prevailed over him Which argues that there was some reluctancy in his judgment or conscience against it 22. He goeth after her †〈◊〉 straightway i Without delay and consideration as an oxe to the slaughter k Either being drawn and driven to it Or going to it securely as if it were going to a good Pasture or as a fool to the correction †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the stocks l Or which is more agreeable to the order of the words in the Hebrew Text as one in Fetters or bound with Fetters to the correction of a Fool i. e. to receive such correction or punishment as belongs to fools Which may imply either 1. that he hath no more sense of the shame and mischief which he is bringing upon himself than a Fool. Or 2. that he can no more resist the temptation nor avoid the danger than a man fast tied with Chains or Fetters can free himself although his be a moral and voluntary and not a natural impotency 23. Till a dart strike through his liver m i. e. His vital parts whereof the Liver is one Till his lif be lost as it is explained in the next Clause as a bird hasteth to the snare and knoweth not n Which may be referred either to foolish and inconsiderate young Man or to the silly Bird to which he is compared which comes to the same thing that it is for his life 24. Hearken unto me now therefore O ye children and attend to the words of my mouth 25. Let not thine heart decline to her ways o Either to the paths which lead to her House or to her manner of living go not astray in her paths 26. For she hath cast down many wounded yea many strong men p Men that excel others either 1. in bodily strength upo which they presume which yet is wasted and by degrees ruined by these courses Or. 2. in wisdom and fortitude and resolution Whereby
Interpreters Aquila and Theodotion render it And this suits exactly with the Hebrew words whereas in the other Translation the Noun and Verb governed by it are of divers Numbers which though somtimes it be allowed yet is not to be supposed without necessity But this I submit to the learned and judicious but among the * Ch. 21. 10. righteous y Who are so far from making a mock of sin or excusing it that they do not allow themselves to commit it there is favour z They find favour both with God and men as this very word thus generally expressed is used Prov. 11. 27. because they make conscience of ordering their lives so that they offend neither God nor men or if they offend either they heartily repent of it so far are they from excusâ—…ng it or pleasing themselves with it Or there is good will as the word properly and usually is taken they have a real love and are ready to do all Offices of kindness one to another and therefore neither sin against others nor rejoice in the sins of others 10 The heart knoweth †Heb. the â—…itterness of his Soul his own bitterness a The sense of the Verse is this The inward griefs and joys of mens Hearts though somtimes they may be guessed at by outward signs yet are not certainly known to any but a mans sâ—…lf Compare 1 Cor. 2. 11. The scope of the Parable may be to keep men from murmuring under their own troubles or envying other mens happiness and a stranger b Any other Person without or beside a Mans self doth not intermeddle with his joy c Doth not partake of it nor understand it 11 The house d Their dwelling and family of the wicked shall be overthrown but the tabernacle e Which is a weak and poor and unstable thing soon reared up and soon taken down and is here opposed to the large and strong and magnificent House of wicked men of the upright shall prosper 12 * Ch. 16. 25. There is a way which seemeth right unto a man f There are some evil actions or courses which men may think to be lawful and good either through gross and affected ignorance or through partiality or self-flattery or through want of necessary diligence in examining them by the rule of God's will or word all which are culpable causes of the mistake and therefore do not excuse the error but the end thereof is the ways of death g The event sheweth that they were sinful and destructive 13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful and * Chap. 5. 4. the end of that mirth is heaviness h The outward signs of joy are commonly mixed with or end in real and hearty sorrow The design of the Proverb is to declare the vanity of all worldly joys and comforts and to teach men moderation in them and to persuade us to seek for more solid and durable joys 14 * Psa. 44. 18 The backslider in heart i He who departeth from God and from the way of his Precepts with all his Heart which implies the doing it upon deliberation with free choice and full purpose and customary practice as ungodly men commonly do and is opposed to the â—…lips of humane frailty for otherwise every sin is a revolt from God shall be * Ch. 1. 31. 12. 14. filled with his own ways k With the fruit of his ways or doings the punishment of his sins and a good man shall be satisfied from himself l i. e. From his ways as appears by the opposition from the pious temper of his own Heart which cleaveth to the Lord when the hearts of sinners forsake him and from the holy and righteous course of his life from which he shall receive unspeakable comfort and satisfaction both here and hereafter to all Eternity 15 The simple m Either the harmless Man or rather a foolish Man because he is opposed to the prudent believeth every word n Is easily deceived with the smooth words and fair pretences of false and deceitful men but the prudent man looketh well to his going o Either 1. to his own going as this is generally understood he ordereth his conversation and dealings in the World with due circumspection not considering so much what other men say as what he ought to do Or 2. to the going of the deceiver whose the word in the former clause is suppos'd to be So the sense is he judgeth of mens words and professions by their conversations which is a good rule 16 * Ch 22. 3. A wise man feareth p Trembleth at God's judgments when they are either inflicted or threatned and departeth from evil q From sin which is the procuring cause of all calamities but the fool rageth r Fretteth against God or is enraged against his Messengers who bring the threatning or disquieteth himself in vain Or transgresseth as this Verb in its simple form and first conjugation commonly signifies or goeth on in sin constantly and resolutely according to the Emphasis which this conjugation commonly adds to the simple Verb. And this is most fitly opposed to departing from evil as being confident is opposed to fearing and is confident s Secure and insensible of his danger till God's judgments overtake him 17 He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly t His passion hurries him into many rash and foolish speeches and actions and a man of wicked devices u One who suppresseth his passion but designeth and meditateth revenge watching for the fittest methods and opportunities of executing it is hated x Both by God and men as being most deeply malicious and like the Devil and most dangerous and pernicious to humane Society whereas men that are soon angry give a Man warning and are quickly pacified and therefore pitied and pardoned 18 The simple inherit folly y They possess it as their Inheritance or portion holding it fast improving it delighting and glorying in it In like manner David took God's Testimonies for his Heritage Psal. 119. 111. where the word is the same Withal he may imply that folly is Natural and Hereditary to them but the prudent are crowned with knowledg z They place their honour and happiness in a sound and practical and saving knowledge of God and of their own duty and therefore earnestly pursue after it and Heartily embrace it 19 The evil bow before the good a Giving honour to them and supplicating their favour and help either for supply of their wants as being brought low for their sins or for counsel or comfort or for their prayers to God for them and the wicked at the gates b As Clients and Petitioners and Beggers use to wait at the Doors and Houses of Great and Potent men The sense is Good men shall have the preeminency over the wicked oft-times in this life when God sees
saith b To excuse his idleness and keeping himself at home See on Ch. 22. 13. there is a lion in the way a lion is in the streets 14 As the door turneth upon his hinges c Moving hither and thither upon it but not removing one jot from its place so doth the slothful upon his bed 15 * Ch. 19. 24. The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom ‖ Or he is weary it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth d He will not take the least pains for the most necessary things 16 The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit e Because by his idleness he avoids those troubles and dangers to which other men by their activity expose themselves forgetting in the mean time what reproach and loss and how much greater mischiefs both here and hereafter are brought upon him by his slothfulness than seven men that can render a reason f To wit a satisfactory reason of all their actions i. e. who are truly wise men 17 He that passeth by g Who is going upon the way and about his business But this word is by some referred to the last clause is like one that taketh a dog by the ears as he is passing by him without any thought of doing him harm which agrees very well both with the order of the words in the Hebrew Text and with the matter of the other clause to which this similitude is referred and ‖ Or is 〈◊〉 meddleth with strife belonging not to him h In which he is not concerned nor any way obliged to meddle is like one that taketh a dog by the ears i Exposeth himself to great and needless hazards as a man that causelesly provoketh a Mastiff dog against himself 18 As †Heb. one that maketh himself mad a mad man k As one feigneth himself mad that under that pretence he may do mischief with impunity who casteth †Heb. 〈◊〉 or spâ—…ks fire-brands l To hurt his Neighbours person or to consume his House or Goods arrows and death m Any instruments of death 19 So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour and saith Am not I in sport n That wrongs him under a false pretence of kindness and familiarity 20 †Heb. without wood Where no wood is there the fire goeth out so * Ch. 22. 10. where there is no ‖ Or 〈◊〉 tale-bearer o To carry such reports from one to another as may provoke them to mutual rage and strife the †Heb. is 〈◊〉 strife ceaseth 21 * Ch. 1â—… 18. 29 22. As coals are to burning coals and wood to fire so is a contentious man p Heb. a man of contentions that loveth and giveth himself up to contentions to kindle strife 22 The words of a tale-bearer are as wounds and they go down into the †Heb. 〈◊〉 innermost parts of the belly q This was delivered before Ch. 18. 8. and is here repeated as being a point of great concernment to the Peace and Welfare of all societies and fit to be oft and earnestly pressed upon the consciences of men because of their great and general proneness to this sin 23 Burning r Either 1. With Love Words delivered with shew of true and fervent affection Or rather 2. With Malice or hatred A slanderous or evil Tongue For this word is constantly used in a bad sense and notes the heat of Rage and Persecution lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross s Such a Tongue and Heart are of no real worth although somtimes they make a shew of it as Dross doth of Silver 24 He that hateth ‖ Or is 〈◊〉 dissembleth t Or carrieth himself like another man pretends Love and Kindness which sense seems to agree best both with the next clause of this verse and with the two following verses with his lips and layeth up deceit within him 25 When he †Heb. 〈◊〉 his voice gracious speaketh fair believe him not for there are seven abominations in his heart 26 ‖ Or hatred 〈◊〉 covered in secret Whos 's hatred is covered by deceit u With false professions of Love his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation x Instead of that secrecy and impunity which by this art he designed and promised to himself he shall be brought to publick shame and punishment 27 * Ps. 7. 15 16 9. 15. 57. 6. Eccles. 10. â—… Whoso diggeth a pjt y That another may fall into it It is a metaphor from Hunters who used to dig deep pits and then to cover them sleightly with earth that wild Beasts passing that way might fall into them and somtimes in the heat of pursuit fell into them themselves shall fall therein and he that rolleth a stone z To wit up the hill with design to do mischief to some person or thing with it it will return upon him 28 A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it ‖ Because by his calumnies he hath made them his enemies and a flattering mouth †Which though it be more smooth and plausible than a slandering mouth yet is in truth no less pernicious betraying others either to sin or to danger and mischief worketh ruine CHAP. XXVII 1 * 〈◊〉 4. 13. BOast not thy self of †〈◊〉 to morâ—… 〈◊〉 to morrow a Of any good thing which thou purposest to do or hopest to receive to morrow or hereafter the time being here put Metonymically for things done or had in the time as Deut. 4. 32. Eccles. 2. 23. The same caution is given Iam. 4. 13 c. for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth b What may happen in the space of one day which may hinder thy designs or expectations The day is said to bring forth what God by his Almighty Power and Providence doth either cause or suffer to be brought forth or done in it 2 Let another man praise thee and not thine own mouth c Except it be really necessary either for thy own just vindication or for the honour of God or for the edification of others in which cases this hath been allowed and practised by wise and virtuous men as particularly by St. Paul 2 Cor. 11. 12. a stranger and not thine own lips 3 A stone is †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heavy and the sand weighty but a fools wrath is heavier d More grievous and intollerable as being without cause without measure and without end than them both 4 †〈◊〉 wrath 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wrath is cruel and anger is outragious but who is able to stand before ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 envy e Envy is worse than both of them partly because it is more unjust and unreasonable as not caused by any provocation as wrath and anger are but only
his dealings to be rich shall not be ‖ Or 〈◊〉 innocent i Shall not obtain the blessings which be seeks but shall bring curses and miseries upon him instead of them 21 * Ch. 18. 5. 24. 23. To have respect of persons is not good for for a piece of bread that man will transgress k When a Man hath once vitiated his Conscience and accustemed himself to take Bribes a very small advantage will make him sell Justice and his own Soul into the Bargain The design of the Proverb is to warn men to take heed of the beginnings of that sin and consequently of other sins 22 ‖ Or he that hath an evil eye hasteth to be rich Vers. 20. Ch. 28. 20. He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye l Is uncharitable to Persons in want envious towards those who get any thing besides him and covetous or greedy of getting Riches by all ways possible whether just or unjust Thus an evil Eye is taken Prov. 23. 6. Mat. 20. 15. as a good Eye notes the contrary disposition Prov. 22. 9. and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him m And consequently that he shall need the pity and help of others which he cannot expect either from God or men who hath so hardned himself against others in misery 23 * Ch. 27. 6. He that rebuketh a man afterwards n When he comes calmly to consider the fidelity of the reprover and the benefit coming to himself by the reproof and withal the baseness and mischief of flattery shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue 24 Whoso robbeth his father or his mother and saith n In his Heart supposing that he hath a right to his Fathers goods It is no transgression the same is the companion of †Heb. a Man destroying a destroyer o Either 1. he hereby sheweth that he is fallen into such wicked Society from whom he had such counsel or example Or 2. he is no less guilty than a Thief who robs and destroys men upon the High-way he is a Thief and Robber because he hath no right to the actual possession of his Fathers goods before his Death or without his consent 25 * Ch. 13. 10. He that is of a proud heart p Whose property it is to overvalue himself and to trust to himself and his own Wit or Wealth or Strength stirreth up strife q Because he makes it his great business to advance and please himself and hateth and opposeth all that stand in his way and despiseth other men and is very jealous of his honour and impatient of the least slighting or affront or injury and indulgeth his own passions and therefore shall not be fat but lean and miserable as is implyed from the opposite clause but he that putteth his trust in the LORD r Which is mentioned as a plain and certain evidence of an humble Man who is mean and vile in his own Eyes and therefore trusts not to himself but to God onely making God's will and not his own will and passion and interest the rule of all his actions and can easily deny himself and yield to others all which are excellent preventives of strife shall be made fat s Shall live happily and comfortably because he avoids that strife which makes mens lives miserable 26 He that trusteth in his own heart t Who trusts to his own wit neglecting or slighting the advice of others and the counsel of God himself is a fool u And shall receive the fruit of his folly to wit destruction but whoso walketh wisely x Distrusting his own judgment and seeking the advice of others and especially of God as all truly wise men do he shall be delivered y From those dangers and mischiefs which fools bring upon themselves whereby he sheweth himself to be a wise Man 27 * Deut. 15. 8. Ch. 22. 9. He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack z Shall not impoverish himself by it as covetous men imagine or pretend but shall be inriched which is implied but he that hideth his eyes ‖ Lest he should see poor and miserable men and thereby be moved to pity or obliged to relieve them So he cunningly avoids the beginnings and occasions and provocations to Charity teaching us to use the same caution against sin shall have many a curse †Partly from the Poor whose Curses being not causless shall come upon him and partly from God who will curse his very Blessings and bring him to extream want and misery 28 * Ver. 12. Ch. 29. 2. VVhen the wicked rise men hide themselve †Men i. e. righteous men as appears from the following clause are ashamed and afraid to appear publickly of which see on v. 12. but when they perish the righteous increase ‖ They who were righteous do now again appear in publick and being advanced to that power which the wicked Rulers have lost they use their Authority to encourage and promote Righteousness and to punish Unrighteousness whereby the number of wicked men is diminished and the righteous are multiplied CHAP. XXIX 1 †Heb. a 〈◊〉 of reproofâ—… HE that being often reproved hardneth his neck a Is incorrigible and obstinately persists in those sins for which he is reproved shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy b Utterly and irrecoverably 2 * Ch. 11. 10. 28. 12 28. Eccles. 10. 5. VVhen the righteous are ‖ Or 〈◊〉 in authority c Which interpretation is confirmed from the opposite clause The Hebrew word signifies to increase either in number or in dignity and power the people rejoyce d For the blessed effects of their good government but when the wicked beareth rule the people mourn e Both for the oppressions and mischiefs which they feel and for the dreadful Judgments of God which they justly fear 3 * Ch. 10. 1. 15. 20. 27. 11. VVhoso loveth wisdom f And therefore hateth and escheweth all folly and wickedness rejoyceth his father * Ch. 5. 9. 28. 7. Luk. 15. 13. but he that keepeth company with harlots g Whereby he plainly discovers himself to want Wisdom of which see Prov. 7. 7 c. spendeth his substance h Whereby he not onely ruineth himself but also grieveth his Father as is implied from the opposite clause 4 The king by judgment i By the free and impartial exercise of Justice stablisheth the land but †Heb. a 〈◊〉 of oblations he that receiveth gifts k Heb. a Man for he would not vouchsafe to call him a King as being unworthy of that Name and Office of Oblations or Gifts i. e. whose delight and common practice it is to take Bribes and sell Justice overthroweth it 5 A man that flattereth his neighbour k That praiseth
or applaudeth another in a sinful state or course spreadeth a net for his feet l Kills him under a pretence of kindness is an occasion of his sin and consequently of destruction which possibly he may design to accomplish by that means 6 In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare m His sin will bring him to dreadful horrors and certain ruine but the righteous doth sing and rejoyce n Because he hath sweet peace in his own Conscience and assurance of present safety and eternal happiness 7 * Job 29. 16 The righteous o Whether Magistrate or any private Person concerned to know it and capable of helping him in it considereth the cause of the poor p His poverty neither hinders him from taking pains to examine it nor from a righteous determination of it but the wicked regardeth not to know it q Will not put himself to the trouble of searching it out either because it yields him no profit or because he resolves to give away his right 8 Scornful men ‖ Or set a City on fire bring a city into a snare r Expose it to God's wrath and to destruction by their self conceit and wilfulness by their wicked counsels and courses whereby they seduce and infect the generality of the People by their contempt of God of his just Laws and righteous Judgments and of the opinions and advices of wise men but wise men s Who do not scorn but hearken to the counsels of God and of prudent men turn away wrath t The wrath of God or of men who were enraged against it 9 If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man u Either judicially or otherwise debating any matter with him endeavouring to convince him of any errour x Whether he the wise Man rageth or is angry or laugheth i. e. Whether he deal sharply and severely with him rebuking him for his folly or mildly and pleasantly smiling at it there is no rest no end or fruit of the debate the Fool will not be satisfied nor convinced Or as it is in the Hebrew He to wit the Fool last named to whom the following carriages may seem more fitly to agree both rageth and laugheth He will not yield nor be convinced but persists in his folly which he discovers somtimes by his furious and unbridled passions and somtimes by foolish laughter and scorning and there is no rest he will never be quieted whether he rage or laugh there is no rest 10 †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 The blood-thirsty hate the upright y And consequently seek their ruine as is implied from the following clause but the just seek his soul z Either 1. to require his Soul or Life at the hands of those who have taken it away Or 2. to preserve it from those who attempt to take it away as this Phrase is taken Psal. 142. 4. though commonly it signifie to seek to destroy it 11 * 〈◊〉 14. 33. A fool uttereth †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…is 〈◊〉 all his mind a All at once unnecessarily and unseasonably without reservation or caution but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards b Till he have fit occasion to express it 12 If a ruler hearken to lies c Delight in flatteries or calumnies or any lying words or deceitful and wicked practices all his servants are wicked d Partly because he chooseth only such for his service and partly because they are either corrupted by his example or engaged by their place and interest to please him and comply with his base Lusts. 13 The poor and ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the deceitful e Heb. the Man of deceits or of Usuries i. e. who hath enriched himself by such practices man meet together f Converse together and one needeth the other as Ch. 22. 2. the LORD lighteneth both their eyes g Either their bodily Eyes with the light of the Sun which promiscuously shines upon both or the Eyes of their Minds with the light of Reason and Grace which he indifferently gives to them and therefore the one should not envy nor despise the other but be ready to do good one to another as God doth good to both 14 * 〈◊〉 â—…0 28. The king that faithfully judgeth the poor h And the rich too but he names the poor because these are most oppressed and injured by others and least regarded by Princes and yet committed to their more special care by the King of Kings his throne shall be established for ever 15 * 〈◊〉 17. The rod and reproof i Correction and Instruction going together give wisdom but a * 〈◊〉 10. 1. 〈◊〉 1â—… 21 25. child left to himself k Suffered to follow his own will or lusts without restraint and chastening bringeth his mother l And further too but he names onely the Mother either because her indulgence oft spoils the Child or because Children commonly stand in least awe of their Mothers and abuse the weakness of their Sex and tenderness of their Natures to shame 16 When the wicked are ‖ 〈◊〉 iâ—… Auâ—… multiplied m Or rather are advanced because this is opposed to their falling in the next clause and so this Hebrew word is taken above v. 2. transgression increaseth n Sin and Sinners abound and grow impudent by impunity and the example and encouragement of such Rulers but * 〈◊〉 37. 36. 〈◊〉 â—…8 10. 〈◊〉 â—…1 8. the righteous shall see their fall o The destruction of such Transgressors in due time 17 * Ch. 13. 24. 〈◊〉 â—…2 15. 〈◊〉 23. 13 14. Correct thy son and he shall give thee rest p Satisfaction to thy Mind and comfort in his amendment yea he shall give delight unto thy soul. 18 Where there is no vision q i. e. No Prophecy for the Prophets were anciently called Seers 1 Sam. 9. 9. i. e. no publick Preaching of God's Law or Word as appears by the opposite clause which is called Prophecy Rom. 12. 6. 1 Cor. 14. 1 c. Where the People are destitute of the means of instruction the people ‖ Or is made 〈◊〉 perish r Because they want the onely means of Salvation Or is made naked stripped of their best ornaments God's favour and protection as this word is taken Exod. 32. 25. but he that keepeth the law s This he saith rather than he that hath vision which the Laws of Opposition might seem to require to teach us that although the want of God's Word be sufficient for mens destruction yet the having and hearing or reading of it is not sufficient for their Salvation except they also keep or obey it happy is he 19 A Servant t Who is so not onely in condition but also in the temper of his Mind disingenuous perverse and stubborn will not be corrected by words u By meer words without
it of any other person and affirm that they are smitten with blindness in this matter Moreover this place is expressly interpreted of Christ Matth. 12. 18 c. And to him and to him onely all the particulars here following do truly and evidently belong as we shall see whom I uphold c Whom I will assist and enable to do and suffer all those things which belong to his Office to do mine elect d Chosen by me to this great work of Mediation and Redemption to which he is said to be sealed and sent Iohn 6. 27. 29. and predestinated 1 Pet. 1. 20. and chosen of God 1 Pet. 2. 4. in whom my soul * Mat. 3. 17. 17. 5. Eph. 1. 6. delighteth e Or as this same word is oft rendred is well pleased both for himself and for all his people being fully satisfied with that Sacrifice which he shall offer up to me I * Chap. 11. 2. John 3. 34. have put my Spirit upon him f I have furnished him with that abundance and eminency of gifts and graces which are necessary for the discharge of his high and hard employment he shall bring forth g Shall publish or shew as this word is translated Mat. 12. 18. shall bring to light what before was hid in his breast or in his Fathers bosome judgment h This word is very ambiguous and elsewhere is put for punishment which cannot be meant here because the whole context speaks of his mercy and sweetness and not of his severity but here it is clearly put for Gods Law as this very word is expounded here below ver 4. and as it is frequently used in the Holy Scriptures as Psal. 119. and elsewhere which also best agrees with the bringing forth or publishing of it here mentioned publication being necessarily required and constantly used about Laws And this interpretation is confirmed by the following words to the Gentiles For the great things which Christ published unto all the World both Iews and Gentiles was nothing else but the Law and Will and Counsel of God concerning mans salvation and the way and means of obtaining it to the Gentiles i Not onely to the Iews to whom the knowledge of Gods Laws had been hitherto appropriated but to the Heathen Nations of the World 2. He shall not cry k Either 1. In a way of contention as anger is oft accompanied with clamour Eph. 4. 31. Or 2. In a way of ostentation It seems to be meant both wayes by comparing this place with Mat. 12. 16 17 20. He shall neither erect nor manage his Kingdom with violence and outward pomp and state as worldly Princes do but with meekness and humility nor lift up l His voice which is easily understood out of the following clause and from many other Scriptures where that word is added to this verb to compleat the Phrase nor cause his voice to be heard in the street m As contentious and vain-glorious persons frequently do 3. A bruised reed shall he not break n He will not break it to pieces but rather will strengthen and binde it up It is a common figure whereby more is understood than was expressed and one contrary is left to be gathered from another of which many instances have been given in former Texts The sence is plainly this Christ will not deal roughly and rigorously with those that come to him but he will use all gentleness and kindness to them passing by their greatest sins bearing with their present infirmities cherishing and incouraging the smallest beginnings of grace comforting and healing wounded consciences and the like and the ‖ Or dimly burning smoaking flax shall he not †Heb. quench it quench o The same thing is repeated in other words to give us the greater assurance of the truth of it That wiek of a Candle called Flax metonymically because it is made of Flax which is almost exstinct and doth onely smoke and not flame he will not utterly quench but will revive and kindle it again * Psal. 94. 15. he shall bring forth judgment unto truth p Iudgment may be here taken either 1. For the Law or Will of God or the Doctrine of the Gospel which he will bring forth i. e. publish which he will do unto or in or with or according to for this preposition is used all those wayes truth i. e. truly and faithfully not concealing nor corrupting it as false teachers commonly do So this is a character like that which is given to Christ Mat. 22. 16. Thou art true and teachest the way of God in truth And thus this phrase of bringing forth Iudgment is taken here as it is ver 1. Or 2. for the Cause which is debated or for the sentence which is given in the cause as this word is most frequently used which he will bring forth i. e. bring to light or discover or publish and this he will do according to truth and equity and not unjustly and partially as corrupt judges use to give sentence against the poor and meek In this sence this very phrase of bringing forth Iudgment is taken Psal. 37. 6. And this sence seems to be favoured both by the consideration of the quality of the Persons to whom this judgment is here implied to be brought forth who are called bruised Reeds and smoaking Flax whereby they are supposed to be Persons discouraged and oppressed and in a contest with themselves or with their spiritual adversaries about the state of their Souls as also by comparing this place with Mat. 12. 20. where these very words are quoted and thus rendred Till he send forth Iudgment unto Victory i. e. till judgment or sentence be given for him in which case a man is said to be victorious in Judgment If it be said for the former interpretation that it seems most reasonable to understand Iudgment here as it is understood ver 1. and 4. and bringing forth Iudgment here as it is taken ver 1. it may be truly and fairly answered that it is a very common thing in Scripture for the same words or phrases to be used in several sences not onely in two Neighbouring verses but sometimes also in the very same verse whereof I have formerly given divers instances 4. He shall not fail nor be †Heb. broken discouraged q Though he be thus meek and gentle yet he is also couragious and resolute against all the great and many difficulties and conflicts to which he will be exposed and will not give over till he have finished his work Or as others render the words He shall not be darkned This glorious light shall not be eclipsed or obscured Or He shall shine forth brightly and gloriously as the Seventy render this word nor broken by all the attempts and vigorous indeavours of his enemies who design it till he have set judgment in the earth r Till he hath
evil as it is Isa. 1. 16. This he adds to intimate that Mens seeking and calling upon God will do them no good without Reformation of their Lives and †Heb. the man of iniquity the unrighteous man his thoughts z The sinful devices and purposes of his Mind Thus he strikes at the root of sinful actions and sheweth that the heart must be purged and changed as well as the outward actions and let him return unto the LORD a As he hath departed from God by sin let him turn to him by sincere Repentance and the practice of all Gods precepts Whereby he intimates that a meer abstinence from wicked courses is not sufficient without the exercise of the contrary Graces that we must not only cease to do evil but also learn to do well as it is prescribed Isa. 1. 16. and he will have mercy upon him and to our GOD b To the God of Israel who is and hath shewed himself to be a most merciful and gracious God for †Heb. he will multiply to pardon he will abundantly pardon c He useth so many Words and Arguments to encourage them to Repentance because the persons here invited were guilty of Idolatry Apostacy and many other gross wickednesses which he knew when they came to themselves and to a serious sense of their sins and of the just and holy Nature and Law of God would be an insupportable burden to their awakened Consciences and make them very prone to conclude that God either could not or would not pardon such horrid Delinquencies and therefore would rather drive them from God than draw them to him 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways d My disposition and carriage is vastly differing from yours If any man provoke or injure you especially if he do it greatly and frequently and maliciously you are very slow and backward to forgive him and if you do or seem to forgive him and promise to forget and pass it by yet you retain a secret grudge in your hearts and upon the least occasion and sleight offence you forget your Promise and you are soon weary with forgiving and prone to revenge your selves upon him but it is not so with me For I am slow to anger and ready to forgive all true penitents how many and great and numberless soever their sins be and my Promises of Mercy and Pardon shall be infallibly made good to them And therefore you need not fear to come to me or to find Mercy and acceptance with me saith the LORD 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth e Inexpressibly and infinitely for the distance between the Earth and the highest Heavens is unmeasurable by any man upon Earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts 10 For * Deut. 32. 2 as the rain cometh down and the snow f Which in its season contributes to the fruitfulness of the Earth as well as the Rain from heaven and returneth not thither g To wit void or without effect as it is expressed in the next verse or immediately it is not drawn up again as soon as it is come down but abides for a convenient time upon the Earth until it do that work for which it was sent but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater h That it may bring forth store of Bread-corn both for mens present supplies and for seed for the next year 11 So shall my word i My promises before recited concerning the sending of the Messiah and the blessing of his Labours with such wonderful success and concerning the reconciliation and pardon of the greatest sinners and concerning the Redemption and Salvation of his People be that goeth forth out of my mouth it shall not * Ch. 45. 23. Mat 10. 13. return unto me void k Without success It is an allusion to an Ambassadour who returns without dispatching that business for which he was sent but it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it l It shall have that effect which I intended it shall certainly be fulfilled in manner before expressed 12 For m Or Therefore because God hath promised it and therefore will effect it ye shall go out n Ye shall be released from the place and state of your Bondage He alludes to their going out of Egypt which was a type of their succeeding deliverances and especially of their Redemption by Christ from the power of sin and of the Devil with joy and be led forth o Or be led along be conducted by the gracious and powerful presence of God as you were in the Wilderness with peace p Safely and triumphantly without fear of being retaken and brought back into slavery by your Enemies the mountains and the hills shall * Ps. 96. 1â—… 98. 8. Ch. 35. 1. break forth before you into singing and all * 1 Chr. 16. 33. the trees of the field shall clap their hands q There shall be a great and a general rejoycing at your deliverance so that even the senseless Creatures shall seem to rejoice with you and for you 13 * Ch. 41. 19 20. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir-tree and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle-tree q Whereas your Land was filled with Thorns and Briars as was foretold Isa. 7. 24. they shall be rooted out and it shall be planted with Fir-trees and Myrtle-trees and such other Trees which are useful either for Fruit or for Delight Or this Promise may be answerable to that Ezek. 28. 24. There shall be no more a pricking briar unto the house of Israel nor any grieving thorn c. but instead of them shall be such Trees as shall yield shade and refreshment The meaning is The Church shall be delivered from pernicious men and things and replenished with sincere and serious Believers and with all sorts of divine Graces and Blessings and it shall be to the LORD for a name r This wonderful change shall bring much honour to that God by whom it is wrought for an everlasting sign s that shall not be cut off t Which shall never be abolished but shall always live and flourish in the Minds and mouths of Men. t For a Monument or evident and glorious Token of Gods infinite Power and Faithfulness and Love to his People unto all succeeding Generations CHAP. LVI 1 THus saith the LORD a This verse and the rest of this Chapter until v. 9. seems to belong to the foregoing Prophesie From the consideration of Gods Promises made to them he moveth them to perform their duty to him Keep ye ‖ Or equity judgment and do justice b This Phrase elsewhere
prey that tear and devour whatsoever comes in their way 8 The way of peace they know not x Of such turbulent Spirits living in such continual contentions and discords that breaking in pieces they neither know 1. How to make and keep Peace neither 2. Do they feel or enjoy the sweet fruits of it And therefore by consequence 3. They take not the course that leads to Prosperi ty and Happiness They are not friends to Peace and there is no ‖ Or right judgment y i. e. No Justice Equity Faith or Integrity which are the soundation of Judgment in their goings z As Paths did note their habitual way or manner of living so goings do signifie their actual progress in that way or their works thus Iâ—…b 14. 16. they have made them crooked a They walk by no rule which should discover the crooked from the straight they are full of unevennesses and uncertainties contrary to what David speaks Psal. 26. 12. The LXX render it perverse Moses joins them both together Deut. 32. 5. and so doth Solomon speaking what Wisdom shall deliver from Prov. 2. 15. and it stands in opposition to them that walk uprightly Prov. 28. 18. It may note 1. Their Hypocrisie that pretend one thing and do another that oppress under a pretence of Justice Or 2. Their professed and owned irregularities and deviations from the rule of Justice paths whosoever goeth therein shall not know b i. e. Shall not experience it Whosoever do as they do will be turbulent and perverse as they are and have as little peace within or Happiness without as they have ch 57. 21. They shall be poisoned by having converse with them as in v. 5. which the next words do intimate peace 9 Therefore is * Ver. 11 14. judgment far from us c This seems to be spoken in the person of those Jews that did partake of these sins giving the reason by way of complaint of those evils that they groaned under neither doth justice d Iudgment and so Justice is here taken for deliverance Isa. 1. 27. q. d. God doth not defend our right nor revenge our wrong nor deliver us because of these outrages and acts of violence injustice and oppression that are committed among us so that deliverance is called here Iudgment and Iustice by a Metonymy of the efficient q. d. If we had executed Judgment and Equity among one another they would not now have been far from us as works are somtimes put for the reward of works Iob 7. 2. Psal. 109. 20. So Judgment and Justice is put for the reward of Judgment and Justice or wicked men are in Power and seats of Judicature that execute no judgment or justice in the behalf of the oppressed overtake us we wait for light e How the Hebrews use Light and Darkness see before on Ch. 58. 8 10. but behold obscurity for brightness but we walk in darkness f Or mist we are in such a thick mist that which way soever we look we see no way out no hope of deliverance we are still in Captivity and like so to be till we see Judgment and Justice excuted and then we may expect good days 10 We * Deut. 28. 28 29. Job 5. 14. Amos 8. 9. grope g As a blind man that hath no other Eyes then his Hands feels for the Wall from whence he expects either 〈◊〉 oâ—… a resting place to lean on so they expect Salvation as it were blindfold not taking direction from the Prophets but hoping to obtain it by their cries and Fasts though they continued in their sins and therefore may well be said to grope after it See Deut. 28. 28 29. Iob 12. 25. for the wall like the blind and we grope as if we had no eyes h As if we were stark blind and being here put for yea thereby aggravating the misery in repeating the expression we stumble at noon-day i This notes their exceeding blindness as it must needs be with one that can discern no more at noon day than if it were midnight Iob 5. 14. as in the night we are in desolate places as dead men k He compares their Captivity to men dead without hope of recovery their bonds render them as free among the dead Psal. 88. 5. They can see the way or get out of their Captivity no more than dead men can out of their Graves Thus a calamitous estate is set forth Psal. 44. 19. great calamity and despair oft going together they are as men cast out no more to be looked after Compare Lam. 3. 6. All darkness is uncomfortable but that of the grave terrible 11 We roar l This signifies the greatness of their anguish that forced from them these loud outeries all like bears and * Ch. 38. 14. mourn m This notes some sense of their condition that wrought in them these sorrowful Lamentations Or it may relate to the condition that both sorts of people were in under their oppressing Governours It made the wicked roar like Bears and the godly mourn like Doves It is thus expressed because these properties are peculiar to these creatures The Bear when robbed goes into his den and roars The Dove when absent from her mate sits solitary and mourns sore like doves we look for Judgment but there is none for salvation but it is far from us n See the Exposition of this last part of the verse v. 9. 12 For our transgressions n The word here signifies sins of an high nature such as wherein there is much of Mans Will against Light Rebellious Sins are multiplied before thee o q. d. They admit of no excuse for they are stain before thee and multiplied against thee whereby thou art justly provoked to deny us all help and our sins testifie p Every sin that is charged upon us is like so many Witnesses produced to prove the guilt of our Consciences or as the Hebrew word do answer and so some make it an elegant Metaphorical Allusion to the Eccho which as it returns the voice again so those Judgments they cry out of are but the meritorious Repercussion of their sins They had been cruel to others neither had they executed Judgment and Justice and here they suffer all kind of cruelties and Indignities from the Chaldaeans as the true and just representation or Eccho of their own works See a personal instance in Adoni-bezek Iudg. 1. 6 7. against us for our transgressions are with us q i. e. We he under the guilt of them they are a burden to us God hath not yet forgiven them and as for our iniquities we know them r We are convinced of them our guilty Consciences must own and acknowledge them Psal. 51. 3. It notes either their Conviction or Sorrow or both See Ier. 14. 7. Or we know what are those sins thou art so angry with us for
which the Poor would therefore sooner embrace and the Rich more likely to oppose Or 3. The Poor in Spirit unto the meek he hath sent me to bind up q Now follow several particular expressions to describe the same thing that he mentioned before more generally a Metaphor taken from Chirurgions that carefully and tenderly roll up a broken bone Hos. 6. 1. and this relates to Christs Priestly Office the broken-hearted r The heart dejected and broken with sorrow I am sent to ease their pains whose Consciences are wounded with a sense of Gods wrath to proclaim liberty to the captives s Those Captives in Babylon but principally to Satan that they shall be delivered and this appertains to Christs Kingly Office whereby he proclaims liberty from the Dominion and Bondage of sin and from the Fear and Terrour of Hell See ch 42. 7. and the opening of the prison to them that are bound t i. e. Supposing them to be in chains and fetters yet they should be delivered though in the greatest bondage the further explication of these things will be found upon Luke 4. 18. Because there are some passages expresly mentioned here 2 To proclaim u To declare as it respects the Jews that their liberty is at hand the acceptable x Viz. the happy age of Gods grace either which will be grateful and welcome news to them or acceptable to God a time wherein it pleaseth him to favour them but this must be understood of a farther extent than to Babylon and rather unto Mankind in Jesus Christ. Gal. 4. 4. and Tit. 3. 4. called a time of Gods good will in that Angelical song Luke 2. 14. On the account of those good tidings which the Angel brought v. 10. 11. called so possibly from the arbitrariness and good pleasure of God having no respect to any satisfaction from man year y Not precisely as if Christ preached but one year the mistake of some Ancients mentioned and râ—…uted by Irenaeus lib. 2. ch 38. But for time indefinitely and may include the whole time of preaching the Gospel See Rom. 10. 15. which I take to be the meaning of that now 2 Cor. 6. 2. and probably hath a pertinent allusion to the year of Iubile which was a general release proclaimed by sound of Trumpet which relates also here to the word Proclaiming Lev. 25. 10. of the LORD and the day of vengeance z Viz. on Babylon it being necessary that where God will deliver his People he should take vengeance on their enemies but mystically and principally on the enemies of his Church and the Spiritual ones chiefly viz. Satan Sin and Death of our God to comfort all that mourn a Either by reason of their sufferings or of their sins Mat. 11. 28. Or the miseries of Sion See on ch 57. 18. 3 To appoint b Supple it Viz. Comfort or Joy or else it may refer to those Accusative cases following Beauty Oyl Garments unto them that mourn in Zion c Put by a Metonymy for the Jews q. d. among the Jews and they for the Church of God or according to the Hebrew For Zion to give unto them beauty for ashes d By ashes understand whatever is most proper for days of mourning as Sackcloth sprinkled with Ashes and these ashes which were sprinkled on their heads mixing themselves with their tears would render them of a woful Aspect which was wont to be the habit of Mourners as by Beauty whatever may be beautiful or become times of rejoycing the oyl of joy for mourning e The sense is the same with the former he calls it Oyl of joy in allusion to those anointings they were wont to use in times of joy Psal. 104. 15. and also the same with what follows viz. Gladness for heaviness gladness brings forth Praise to God and it is called a Garment in allusion to their Festival Ornaments for they had Garments appropriated to their conditions some suitable to times of rejoycing and some to times of mourning or else an allusion to comely garments and the spirit of heaviness because heaviness doth oppress and debase the Spirits It is all but an elegant description of the same thing by a three-fold Antithesis the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness that they might be called f That is that they may be so as it is usually expressed Ch 58. 12. 60. 18. they shall be acknowledged so v. 9. trees of righteousness g He ascribes Righteousness to Trees understanding thereby Persons by a Metaphor by which he means that they shall be firm solid and well rooted being by faith engrafted into Christ and bringing sorth fruit suitable to the Soil wherein they are planted that had been as dry trees see on Isa. 56. 3. viz. the Church the Vineyard of God and the hand by which they were planted as in the next words the planting of the LORD h Planted by the holy Lord who being himself holy and righteous would plant none but such which notes also their soundness and stability an allusion to that passage in Moses his Song Exod. 15. 17. that he might be glorified i Either in that glory which he should conser upon them or that glory he may expect and receive from them that so it may be evident whose handy work it was See ch 60. 21. 4 And they shall * Chap. 58. 12. build the old wasts they shall raise up the former desolations and they shall repair the wast cities the desolations of many generations k See ch 58. 12. As it is applied to Gospel times the meaning may be that Gentilism which was as a wilderness overgrown with Briars and Thorns shall be cultivated and those Cities and Provinces of the Gentiles that lay as it were wast void of all true Religion shall now by the Ministry of the Word be edified in the true worship of God 5 And strangers l Viz. Gentiles such as are not of the natural race of the Jews but Gentile Converts Or such as shall have no more then an outward profession strangers to the true work of Grace shall stand m Ready to be at thy service a like expression ch 48. 13. and feed your flocks n The Churches with the word of God and the sons of the alien o The same with strangers or their successours shall be your plowmen and your vine-dressers p As the words describe the prosperous estate of the Jews the meaning of them is that they should be in such a flourishing and prosperous condition that without their own labour they should have all inferiour offices executed either by slaves taken in War or by Persons hired for reward which they should have Riches and Wealth enough to accomplish But as they principally relate to the spiritual State of the Church so probably by Strangers we may understand Converted Gentiles with their Successors