utter his words of grace in the land of Nepthtali Mat. 4.13 And this is the Reason that as of the children by Leahs side Iudah obtained the first place among those that were sealed Revel 7. because Christ sprang of him so of those on Rachels side Nephtali is first named because there he dwelt at Capernaum where he had hired a house and preached ut ubique superemineat Christi praerogativa saith a learned Interpreter Medes in Apocalyps Compare with this text Deut. 3â— 23 and then observe that good words do ingratiate with God and men Vers 22. Joseph is a fruitfull bough Of the vine saith the Chaldee Paraphrast Uno anno septies fructus sufficit Vnde pomum decerpseris alterum fine mora protuberat Solin But it may be Iacob meant it of the Egyptian fig-tree whereof Solinus reporteth that it beareth fruit seven times in the year pull one fig and another presently puts forth saith he Vers 23. The archers have sorely grieved him These were his barbarous brethren that sold him his adulterous mistress that harlot-like hunted for his precious life his injurious Master that without any desert of his imprisoned him the tumulcuating Egyptians that pined with hunger perhaps spake of stoning him as 1 Sam. 30.6 and the envious courtiers and inchanters that spake evill of him before Pharaoh to bring him out of favour as the Ierusalemy Targum addeth All these arrow-masters as the Hebrew here hath it set against Ioseph and shot at him as their but-mark willing to have abused him but that Gods grace providence and unchangeable decree called here Joseph's bow and strength vers 24. would not permit them as those cruel Turks did one Iohn de Chabas a Frenchman at the taking of Tripolis in Barbary Turk hist 756. They brought him into the town and when they had cut of his hands and nose put him quick into the ground up to the wast and there for their pleasure shot at him with their arrows and afterwards cut his throat Vers 24. But his bow abode in strength He gave not place to them by subjection Cal. 2.5 Prov. 24.10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phlt. no not for an hour If thou faint in adversity thy strength is small saith Solomon Ioseph did not but as it was said of old Rome Roma cladibus animosior and as of Mithridates he never wanted courage or counsell when he was at the worst so neither did Ioseph Virtus lecythos habet in malis The sound heart stands firme under greatest pressures 2 Cor. 1.9 12. Whereas if a bone be broak or but the skin rub'd up and raw the lightest load will be troublesome hang heavy weights upon rotten boughes they presently break But Iosephs were green and had sap By the hands of the mighty God of Jacob It was said of Achilles that he was Styge armatus but Joseph was Deo forti armatus and thence his safety He used his bow against his adversaries as David did his sling against Goliah He slung saith One Bucholcer perinde ac si fundae suae tunicis non lapillum sed Deum ipsum induisset ac implicuisset as if he had wrapt up God in his sling Vers 25. Who shall help thee God hath God shall is an ordinary way of arguing it is a demonstration of Scripture Logick as Psal 85.1 2 3 4. So 2 Cor. 1.10 Every former favour is a pledg of a future With the blessings of heaven above c. God shall hear the heaven the heaven shall hear the earth and the earth shall hear the corn wine and oyl the genealogy of all which is resolved into God Hos 2.21 22. with the blessings of the breasts and of the womb Yet rather then Ephraim shall bring forth children to the murtherer the Prophet prayes God to give them as a blessing as some think a miscarrying womb Matth. 24.19 and dry breasts Hos 9.13 14. And our Saviour saith Woe be to such as are with child and give suck in those dayes of war and trouble Vers 26. Above the blessings of my progenitors Chiefly because Jacob pointed them out the particular tribe whereof and the very time wherein Shiloh should come This mystery was made known to the Church not all at once but by degrees Adam was told the seed of the woman should break c. but whether Jew or Gentile he heard not a word Abraham the Hebrew long after was certified that In his seed all nations should be blessed but of what tribe Christ should come till now the world never heard After this David was made to know that Christ should be a male but that he should be born of a Virgin was not known till Esay's time Thus God crumbles his mercies to mankind and we have his blessings by retail saith One to maintain trading and communion betwixt him and us So the cloud empties not it self at a sudden burst but dissolves upon the earth drop after drop unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills Spiritual blessings in heavenly things whereof those temporals afore promised Eph. 1.3 were but types and pledges Whence David doubts not to argue from temporals to spirituals Psal 23.5 6. God in the Churches infancy fed them and led them along Sunt qui autumant hanc prophâ—tiam Paulo applicari debore Bez. Annot. ad Act. 83. by earthly to heavenly blessings speaking unto them as they could hear Vers 27. Benjamin shall ravin as a Woolf There are that think that this ought to be applyed to S. ' Paul the Benjamite who while he was Saul not content to consent to S. Stephen's death though it be all one to hold the sack and to fill it to do evil and to consent unto it Act. 8.1 3. he made havock of the Church like a ravening Woolf entring into houses also and haling men and women to prison Yea Act. 9.1 he lyes breathing out threatnings and slaughter panting and windless as a tired Woolf and having recovered himself is marching toward Damascus for more prey But met by the chief shepherd of a Woolf he is made a Lamb Esay 11.6 not once opening his mouth unless it were to crave direction What wilt thou have me to do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Philip. 3.14 2 Cor. 5.13 with Act. 26.11 Sand's his survey of West Relig. Lord After which time he never persecuted the Saints so fast as now he pursues and presses hard toward the high prize and as mad every whit he is thought to be for Christ as ever he was against him The papists some of them have censured him for a hot-headed person and said that there was no great reckoning to be made of his assertions Is this blasphemy in the first or second table say you Porphyry the Philosopher could say that it was pity such a man as Paul was cast away upon our religion And the Monarch of Morocco told the English Embassadour in King John's time that he had lately read
obedience and praie for God's Spirit to bee poured upon them Ver. 7. And Moses brought Aaron They did not intrude themselvs See the Note on Heb. 5.4 Ver. 8. Hee put in the brest-plate the Vrim c. Hence it may bee God appointed the brest-plate to bee made double that the Urim and Thummim might bee put within and lie hid on everie side This Urim and Thummim signified saith one that in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledg Col. 2.3 and that hee hath all secret things most perfectly known and numbred out before him which hee revealeth continually to his Church and chosen as need requireth by such means as himself hath sanctified Psal 25.14 John 14.21 26. 17.14 17 26. CHAP. IX Ver. 1. On the eighth daie THe verie next daie after the Priest's consecration that no time might bee lost I made haste and delaied not c. Psalm 119.16 Then said I lo I com in the volume of the book it is written of mee c. Psalm 40.7 Live live live saith one quickly much long let no water go by no daie bee lost c. Preach preach bee instant quick at work c. Praecipitat tempus mors atra impendet agenti Ver. 2. Take thee alyoung calf In remembrance and sor the remission of Aaron's sin about the golden calf as som Hebrews are of opinion Ver. 3. Take yee a kid of the goats for a Sin-offering Quia gravis odor peccati The smell of sin is grievous it offendeth all God's senses yea his verie soul Isa 1.12 13. c. Ver. 4. For to daie the Lord will appear unto you And hee may not sinde you emptie-handed unprepared See the Notes on Fxod 19.10 Ver. 6. And the glorie of the Lord shall appear unto you so shall it one daie to us yea wee shall bee like him and appear with him in glorie and must therefore purifie our selvs as God is pure 1 John 3.2 3. Ver. 7. Make attonement for thy self See Heb. 5.3 7.27 28. with the Notes there Ver. 8. Went unto the Altar i. e. The brasen Altar for hee had not yet access to the Altar of Incens Wee must staie our corruptions before wee present our supplications wash our hearts from wickedness and then compass God's Altar Ver. 22. Lift up his hands Hee put the blessing upon them A type of Christ Luke 24.50 with Acts 3.26 Ephes 1.3 Ver. 24. They shouted and fell on their faces The consideration of God's gracious acceptation of us in Christ should make us to lift manie an humble joiful and thankful heart to God CHAP. X. Ver. 1. And Nadab and Abihu THese jollie young Priests over-joied haply of their new emploiment and over-warmed with wine as som gather out of Vers 9. over-shoot themselvs the verie daie of their service Vers 19. and are suddenly surprised by a doleful death So was that inconsiderate Priest oâ— Naples Anno Dom. 1457. of whom Wolphius report's Wolph Mcmorab Lect. Câ—â—â— 15. that when the hill Vesuvius had sent huge flames and don great spoil hee to make proof of his pietie read a Mass and would need 's go up the hill to finde out the caus of such a calamitie But for a reward of his fool-hardiness hee perished in the flames and was never heard of anie more Ver. 2. And there went out fire By fire they sinned and by fire they perished Per quod quis peccat per idem punitur ipse Nestorii lingua vermibus exesa est Evag. lib 1. So Archbishop Arundel's tongue rotted in his head The Archbishop of Tours in France made suit for the erection of a Court called Chambre Ardent wherein to condemn the Protestants to the fire Hee was afterwards stricken with a diseas called the fire of God Act. and Mon. fol. 1911. which began at his feet and so asscended upward that hee caussed one member after another to be cut off and so hee died miserably Ver. 3. This is that the Lord spake Where and when Lev. 8.35 Exod. 19.22 Or perhaps no where written but at som other time spoken by God Moses might but set down the short Notes of his discourses as the Prophets used to do I will bee sanctified Either actively or passively Aut à nobis aut in nos either in us or upon us sure it is that hee will bee no loser by us Sanctified hee will bee either in the sinceritie of men's conversation or els in the severitie of their condemnation Singular things are exspected of all that draw nigh to God in anie dutie but especially in the office of the Ministerie Those that stand in the presence of Princes must bee exact in their carriages God appointed both the weights and measures of the Sanctuarie to bee twice as large as those of the Common-wealth to shew that hee exspect's much more of those that serv him there then hee doth of others The souls of Priests must bee purer then the sun-beams saith Chrysostom D. Hakw on Psalm 101. And Aaron held his peace Hee bridled his passions and submitted to the divine Justice The like did David Psalm 39.9 which words were taken up by Du-plessis in the loss of his onely son Ver. 5. In their coats These were not burnt as neither were their bodies the fire Tostat beeing of a celestial and subtile nature might pierce their inward parts not touching their outward as the lightning kill 's by piercing not by burning Ver. 6. And Moses said unto Aaron Philo reporteth that the High-priest of the Jews to keep alwaies his soul pure never saw anie mournful object Tiberius counterfeiting grief at the funeral of Drusus had a veil laid betwixt the dead and him that hee might not see the bodie becaus hee was as the rest of the Emperors also were Pontifex Maximus or the High-priest and therefore a sacred person Mourning in Aaron might have seemed murmuring hee is therefore forbidden it and accordingly hee forbear's Manlii Loc. com p. 215. So did Luther when hee buried his daughter hee was not seen to shed a tear No more did reverend Mr. William Whatelie late Pastor of Banburie when after hee had preached his own childe 's Funeral upon this Text The will of the Lord bee don hee and his wise laid the childe in the grave with their own hands Bewail the burning It 's fit enough ordinarily that the bodie when sown in corruption bee watered by the tears of those that plant it in the earth Ver. 7. For the annointing oil of the Lord is upon you This is everie true Christian's case who should therefore carrie himself accordingly There is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a seemlie carriage belong's to everie calling You have an unction c. 1 John 2. Ver. 9. Do not drink wine nor strong drink As som are of opinion Nadab and Abihu had don Ex malis moribus honae leges which miscarriage of theirs occasioned this precept The perpetual equitie
mindedness c. purported by these bodilie imperfections Ver. 22. Hee shall eat the bread So might not the unclean Priests Levit. 22.3 Our involuntarie weaknesses shall not debar us from benefit by Christ CHAP. XXII Ver. 2. That they separate THough Priests yet they may not hold themselvs privileged above others to commit sin but are the rather obliged to dutie Why should anie Chrysostom have caus to saie Non arbitror inter sacerdotes multos esse qui salvi fiant I do not think that manie of our Ministers can bee saved 't is well if anie Or anie Campian to exclaim Ministris eorum nihil vilius Ver. 6. Vnless hee wash his flesh with water Whereby hee was led to the laver of Christ's blood which is opposed to legal washings Heb. 9.9 Run wee to that open fountain Zach. 13.1 and bee everie daie washing and cleansing our selvs therein from all filthiness of flesh and spirit Everie Jew had his water-pots for dailie purification John 2.6 Wee have a far better Bath Ver. 7. Becaus it is his food Animantis cujusque vita in fuga est and must bee preserved by food Ver. 9. And die therefore It is no dallying with God Either do it wee must or die for it Ver. 10. There shall no stranger The equitie of all this was that Ministers should have a comfortable subsistence for them and theirs and that the things that are appointed to that purpose should not bee converted to other uses 1 Cor. 9.13 It is certainly a sad complaint that Luther make's Nisi superesset spolium Aegypti quod rapuimus Papae Luther in Gen. 47. omnibus Ministris verbi fame pereundum esset c. Were it not for such spoils of Aegypt as wee have won from the Pope God's Ministers might starve and perish And if ever it com to that that they must bee mainteined by the people's benevolence a miserable maintenance they are like to have of it That little that wee have now diripitur à Magistratu is got from us by the great Ones who rob our Churches and Schools as if they meant to make an end of us with hard hunger Thus hee See Hag. 2.14 All the water in Jordan and the Cerimonies in Leviticus cannot cleans a man so long as the polluted thing remain's in his hand Ver. 16. Or suffer them From my other men's sins Good Lord deliver mee said One Have wee not enough of our own to answer for See 1 Tim. 5.22 wich the Note That cannot bee wholsom meat that is sauced with the blood of souls and spiced with the wrath of God Ver. 20. It shall not bee acceptable Nay it shall bee abominable Mal. 1.7 God require's the best of the best fine flour without bran Levit. 2.1 c. and curseth that cousener that having a sound or a fat male in his flock bringeth to him a corrupt carrion or a lean starvling for Sacrifice Vers 14. Ver. 23. That maiest thou offer Though it have som kinde of defect yet in free-will offerings it might pass This was to signifie that our imperfect obedience after that wee are once in Christ is accepted by Christ who is without all blame and blemish Ver. 24. Neither shall you make anie offering No not a free-will offering Religion love's to lie clean God will take up with a poor but it must bee a pure sacrifice Ver. 25. Their corruption is in them As not having their hearts purified by faith and therefore not in case to pleas God Ver. 27. It shall bee seven daies As not beeing man's meat till then but legally impure and in their blood as were likewise infants Ver. 28. Yee shall not kill it and her young Becaus it bear's a shew of crueltie and of adding affliction to the afflicted See Gen 32.11 Hos 10.14 Ver. 29. Offer it at your own will God strain 's upon no man Virtus nolentium nullaest Ver. 30. On the same daie See the Note on Chap. 7.15 Ver. 31. I am the Lord Your rightfull Lord and my reward is with mee to give unto everie man according to his works Ver. 32. My holie name Holie and therefore reverend Psal 111.9 Holiness hath honor CHAP. XXIII Ver. 1. And the Lord spake SEE the Note on chap. 7.22 Ver. 2. To bee holie convocations Not bare rests 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. de legib as Plato said that the Gods pittying men's labor appointed their festivals to bee a remission of their labor See the Notes on Exod. 20.8 9 10 11. Ver. 3. Yee shall do no work therein Save onely works of pietie charitie and necessitie These are allowed by our Saviour Mark 2.29 and 3.4 and 3.27 The Jews superstitiously hold that it is not lawfull for a blinde man to lean upon a staff on a Sabbath-daie as the lame may That if a Flea bite a man on that daie hee may take it but not kill it that if a thorn prick him in the foot on that daie hee may not pull it out That a Tailor may not carrie a needle much less a sword that a man may not spet or bee taken out of a jakes Ranulph lib. 7 c. 37. as that Jew of Tewksburie who said Sabbata sancto colo de stercore surgere nolo Whereunto the Earl of Glocester replied Sabbata nostra quidem Solomon celebrabis ibidem Sir reverence of the Sabbath keep 's mee here And you Sir reverence shall our Sabbath there In all your dwellings Where you are to sanctifie this rest and to repair to your Synagogues Act. 15.21 Ver. 5. In the fourteenth daie See the Notes on Exodus 12.18 Ver. 11. And hee shall wave the sheaf This signified that they and theirs were accepted of God through Christ On the morrow after the Sabbath Here the Lord's daie was prefigured saith one therefore prescribed and instituted of God This shake-daie-sheaf was a pregnant type of Christ's rising again the first-fruits from the dead It was fulfilled in Christ's resurrection the daie after the Sabbath And becaus this Sabbath bath was chiefly meant of the Passover which was an high Sabbath it was a double Sabbath wherein Christ rested in the grave The verie next morning was Christ waved before the Lord when in the earth-quake hee rose from the dead the first fruits of them that sleep and there-hence entered the everlasting gates as a King of glorie Psal 24.7 which Psalm is in the Greek called A Psalm of David of the first daie of the week Ver. 15. Seven Sabbaths That is seven weeks The Sabbath is queen of all the daies of the week and therefore carrie's the name of the whole week Ver. 17. Out of your habitations That is out of the new corn growing of the same land which God gave them to inherit not â—orrein The first fruits viz. of their wheat-harvest as the shake-sheaf vers 10. was of their barlie-harvest Thus were they to express their thankfulness to God for those pretious fruits of the earth Jam. 5.7 Ver. 22. And when